Filed under: Action, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels

Depending on who you read, Daniel Craig, as well as the cast and crew of Quantum of Solace (aka Bond 22), were either caught up in the middle of a gang turf war down in Panama ... or they're completely safe without a worry in the world. Oh yes, I definitely said gang turf war -- and if the Daily Mail is right (which they're probably not), things seem to be getting hella dangerous down on the Panama set of the next James Bond film. DM says, "Daniel has had to dodge the crossfire as gangsters spray bullets at each other on the set. Bond girls Gemma Arterton, 22, and Olga Kurylenko, 28, are also under armed guard, while terrified crew are having to brave the deadliest warzones as they struggle to get the blockbuster "in the can." And that's not all -- a little above that quote, they claim Craig's guards have already "taken out" one gangster in a hail of bullets. How do you say ... AWESOME DVD extras in (what do they speak down in Panama?).

Now, according to a statement from producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, this whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. In a joint statement, they say, "The filming of 'Quantum of Solace', with director Marc Forster at the helm, is on schedule and will continue as planned in Panama. None of the cast or crew have ever been in danger. Reports of troubles with gangs are untrue. The protests are to do with the fatal shooting of a construction worker in Colon and are unrelated to our filming activities. Our cast and crew have not been threatened and no thefts or muggings have occurred. These scurrilous and irresponsible reports in The Daily Star have caused distress to the UK families of our filming unit."

Really? I wonder why? Was it the part where they quote an anonymous crew member saying, "Quite a few of the crew are considering clearing out because they fear for their lives. It's chaotic." Regardless, I think someone needs to evaluate what the hell is going on in Panama right now -- last thing we need is James Bond being "taken out" when he still has a few more films to shoot.

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Images

She's done the DUI thing. She's done the rehab thing. Now, Lindsay Lohan is mounting her comeback by posing completely nude -- as Marilyn Monroe -- in New York Magazine. The photos are meant to re-create Monroe's famous 1962 shoot, shot by Bert Stern, called The Last Sitting. Says NY Mag: "But the pictures are also remarkable for the raw truths they seem to reveal. In them, we see an actress whose comedic talents were overshadowed by her sex appeal, a woman who is cannily aware of her pinup status, yet is also beginning to show her 36 years. In many shots, she is obviously drunk. This was an unhappy time for Monroe."

On why she wanted to pose for the fairly scandalous (and provocative) photos, Lohan said, "I didn't have to put much thought into it. I mean, Bert Stern? Doing a Marilyn Monroe shoot? When is that ever going to come up." There are 10 photos in the batch -- most of which feature Lohan semi-nude, or nude from the waist up, draping herself in some sort of fabric. You can check out the entire gallery over here -- though keep in mind (for those at work or in front of kids), she is definitely nekked in a few of the photos. What do you think about this one? Do you see Monroe in Lohan?

To see images from Stern's original 1962 photo shoot with Marilyn Monroe, head over here.

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fan Rant

They're a menace to the roads, and I figure they must love getting DUIs since there is a continuing stream of celebrity/actor arrests. (Do they frame their arrest photos and place them next to their awards?) It's gotten so bad that I'm sort of glad that when I visited LA, my friend and I didn't drive around a lot. Playing bumper cars with drunk celebs while riding in a small, pink Mini Cooper might be stylish, but I doubt it would be fun.

The thing is -- young and old, men and women, filthy rich or just well-off, they're all doing it. There's the sickening number of younger stars who are already racking up multiple offenses -- Michelle Rodriguez (and how many others from Lost), Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan all have 2 DUIs and are all in their 20s. The double-doers also come in the older male variety -- there's Mel Gibson with his 2 offenses and slurring rant, or Kiefer's 2 -- the second of which came less than 5 years after the first. Not to mention -- Vivica A. Fox, Lane Garrison, Rip Torn, Shemar Moore, Gary Collins, Chris Klein, Yancy Butler, Ray Liotta, Nick Nolte, Mischa Barton, Edward Furlong, Ty Pennington, Rebecca De Mornay... And this is just in the last handful of years -- and the ones who were caught. If you think about how many times you speed, and how many times you get speeding tickets...

Continue reading Fan Rant: Actors and Their Love of DUIs

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Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Images

This fascinating piece in the Guardian details British filmmaker Peter Greenaway's (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) plans to bring to life Leonardo DaVinci's The Last Supper. The effort will be part of a series of projects the director and painter plans to animate classic works of art. Greenaway, according to the article, will use "dramatic lighting, projections, and recordings of actors' voices" to transform The Last Supper into "something close to a film." He plans to expand the moment DaVinci captured into his painting into a larger story stretching from Christ's birth through his crucifixion, and will include "raw and heavy images of Christ's genitalia and naked crucifixion" from other DaVinci works.

Greenaway doesn't plan to stop with The Last Supper -- future plans for bringing works of art to life include works by Veronese, Velázquez, Picasso, Monet and Jackson Pollack; he's even asked the Vatican for permission to project onto Michelangelos' Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. He's already done one project, animating Rembrandt's The Nightwatch in 2006.

The project is not without its critics -- some feel DaVinci's work stands on its own and doesn't need improving. Personally, I think this could be really cool. It's not like Greenaway proposes to deface or destroy classic works of art, he's basically just looking to reinterpret them with the help of media that wasn't available when they were painted. What do you think? Should great works of art be left alone, or could a project like this actually help the art world by exposing people to works of art from a perspective they might otherwise not have considered?

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Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Politics, Remakes and Sequels

There's been a lot of talk about Ray Winstone's magical pants since the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull first appeared on February 14. At around the one minute mark, we see Winstone and Indy surrounded by Russian soldiers and Indy utters his line "Not as easy as it used to be," and if you look closely you can see some CGI weirdness going on there, as if something has been cut out of the scene. Well, turns out it was -- in the international trailer for the film, now available online, the Russian heavies are pointing some giant machine guns at our heroes, not just standing there giving them dirty looks. Also, when the trailer transitions from the (too long) memory lane montage to the original footage, the American trailer shows an American flag fluttering in the breeze, with May 22 overlapped. The international trailer still has the May date titled on there, but there is no flag to be found. I find this offensive not for any patriotic reason, but only as someone who doesn't appreciate such crass, Spielbergian manipulation.

In other news, Winstone is out doing some talking about the film -- according to Showbiz Spy, he recently praised Cate Blanchett's performance in the film, saying "To me she's the greatest actor in the world. She really pushes the boat out in this one. She looks great." He also complains about pulling a hamstring during the making of the film when he had to run up and down the stairs of that giant temple, and he says that he's tiring of the action parts he's receiving as he gets older, and he'd rather take on more romantic parts. When other, more substantial news on the film comes along, you'll know where to find it.

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