Sandra Bullock Might Hate Little Girls
Today in show business news: Sandra Bullock considers joining the Annie musical, Portlandia rides again, and Ethan Hawke made a smart business decision.
RELATED: We'll Finally Meet 'Your Mother' Next Year
Curious word comes today that beloved bus driver Sandra Bullock is in talks to join Will Smith and weekend aficionado Quvenzhané Wallis in their new Annie movie. As Miss Hannigan. Isn't that weird? I mean, I'm not exactly opposed to it, who really cares who plays Miss Hannigan in this movie that will likely not be good because how often are remakes and/or movie musicals much good, but it will be a curious thing to see. Sandra Bullock singing! The Carol Burnett-y squawk-singing, sure, but still singing. I think it could be fun. And really who else was going to play the role? Was there some dream person any of you had in mind? Jessica Lange maybe? That would have been funny, but Jessica Lange's been in a bad way ever since she started thinking American Horror Story was real, so she's not available. Who else? Meryl Streep? Pssh, she's got Into the Woods. Maybe Emma Thompson? That could have worked. All these gals are older than Bullock, that's one thing. Though Carol Burnett was only a year older than Sandra Bullock is now when she was in the first movie. So it's all fine. Let's not get up in arms about this. It'll be an interesting little thing that happens and then we'll all move on. Let's focus our Sandra Bullock energy on hoping that The Heat and Gravity are as good as we all want them to be. [The Hollywood Reporter]
RELATED: The 'Gravity' Trailer Will Terrify Its Way into Oscar Season
Good news! I think? Portlandia has been renewed by IFC for two more seasons. There's some slight hesitation about celebrating this because while Portlandia is a great show and Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are terrific on it, I worry that they might run out of material? They've broadened the scope some and it's worked out OK, but mostly they're satirizing a pretty particular bobo culture and I wouldn't want the jokes to get stale or anything. Obviously these folks know what they're doing so they probably won't drag it out longer than it should be, but... I dunno. We really should try to be more British about our TV comedy. Sparing. Less is more. All that. Anyway, yay more Portlandia! [Deadline]
RELATED: How Will Quvenzhané Wallis Sound as the New Annie?
You know how everyone's freaking out about how The Purge only cost $3 million and yet made a ton of money on opening weekend and is getting a sequel? Well did you ever wonder how the movie could be so cheap to make? Turns out they barely paid anyone and everyone just profits from the backend. Which it seems like they will, mightily. The Hollywood Reporter says that star Ethan Hawke might get "mid-seven figures." Which is a lotta clams! Whole lotta simoleons. Plenty'a bones. Why isn't everyone doing this? "Yeah I'll make this movie for a song but then when it does well, which it probably will because horror movies tend to do well, then you gotta give a buncha bucks." Seems like good business! Very savvy, Mr. Hawke. Very savvy indeed. [The Hollywood Reporter]
RELATED: The Best Television of 2011
Courteney Cox is going to direct her first movie. It's going to star Seann William Scott and Kate Walsh and will be called Hello I Must Be Going. Which, hm, wasn't that just a movie? I'm guessing that title will change. The movie is about "a depressed man who heads back to his hometown to right some wrongs before committing suicide," which sounds like an interesting role for Scott, who I actually kinda like a dramatic actor. Walsh will play his sister. Sounds fine to me. Good luck, Ms. Cox. May it at least be better than Run Fatboy Run. Poor Schwimmer. [Deadline]
RELATED: The New 'Annie' Awaits You
Ousted CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien has landed on her feet nicely. She's just joined the team at HBO's Real Sports, and signed a first-look deal for her production company at the network, where she will develop scripted fare and "long-form programming concepts." That second thing sounds a little ominous, but whatever. What sort of scripted show would you like to see from Soledad O'Brien? Maybe something like The Newsroom except all the women aren't neurotic flibbertigibbets who always have to be calmed down by a man, trembling birds that they are? That might be nice. Maybe do that, Soledad. Or, I dunno, make another Game of Thrones. [Deadline]
Here is a trailer for In a World, starring, written by, and directed by Lake Bell. It's about a second-generation voice over actress trying to make it big in the biz. Well, she's a voice over announcer, really. For movie trailers. It looks cute. Lots of funny people in it, from Ken Marino to Tig Notaro. Will see.
