"I just talked to Jon Favreau a bit ago, and he said that while there hasn't been an formal announcement on the sequel to "Iron Man," he's begun developing it. "We're working on it now," he said, "which hasn't been officially announced. It will be released in 2010."
No surprise there, of course. The first film in the franchise has pulled in well over a half-billion dollars in worldwide box office and was met with strong reviews.
Favreau is also busy these days championing a political cause. Here's the top of a story that I have in tomorrow's print edition of The Times.
As the state's budget crisis continues, Sacramento certainly has money on its mind, but it's hardly star-struck when it comes to Hollywood and its problems with runaway production.
Nevertheless, "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have become unexpected partners in a push to create tax breaks for film and television shows in an effort to keep their production in California, a political cause that has very little traction with state lawmakers and, to the governor's chagrin, even less footing in celebrity fundraising circles.
There's been a 40% decline in the number of film production days shot on location in Los Angeles since 1997, and the stampede east by the makers of high-profile projects is intensifying after New York Gov. David Paterson signed a bill in April delivering a lush new package of incentives.
Favreau is one the nice guys in the industry, and I think he has a lot of credibility. But I also think he will have a hard slog with this cause".
Is the new Batman movie The Dark Knight cursed?"Filming had barely wrapped earlier this year when Australian actor Heath Ledger (pictured) – who plays the sadistic, masochistic Joker – died of an accidental drug overdose. A member of the movie's crew died in a car accident during filming. The night of the London premiere in July, Batman actor Christian Bale was arrested after allegedly assaulting his mother. And Morgan Freeman ended up in hospital with a broken arm after a car crash in Mississippi". Source: www.virginmedia.com
BIG BLUE EYES (starting obviously with Jake's blue-sky eyes, his sister Maggie, and then Zooey Deschanel, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone): Girls listening to music with earphones: Jena Malone, Natalie Portman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Intense pouting -Emmy Rossum, Kat Dennings, Kristen Bell, Emma Stone, Zooey Deschanel and Ellen Page-:
Women dressed like femme-fatales: Keira Knightley, Patricia Arquette and Nora Zehetner. More femme-fatales in this video:
"A lot of people know who Illeana Douglas is. Her film and TV credits (Cape Fear, Ghost World, Six Feet Under…) are extensive and fittingly, she’s also no stranger to the web, with her Illeanarama - Supermarket Of The Stars becoming a hit on YouTube and racking up three TV Guide Awards by the end of 2007. As we mentioned a few weeks back, Douglas is coming back to the world of web television this September with the launch of her new IKEA-sponsored show, Easy To Assemble.Tubefilter News: What was it like working with IKEA? Did you have a fair amount of creative freedom? How involved was IKEA’s marketing department in the production?
Illeana Douglas: When Tom Bannister [SXM] came to me and said, “You know I think I found a sponsor for the show,” it was so exciting, and everyone from Illeanarama wanted to do it. It’s like we’re putting together our own little ensemble. Chris Bradlee and and Kyle LaBrache directed Pittsburgh, and then we did Illeanarama because we worked so well together. When I went in to meet Magnus, the head of IKEA marketing, it was one of the funniest meetings I’ve ever had. I pitched the show, and all he kept saying was, “Yah, yah,” and I was like, of course this is how they hook you in and then change everything later. Well, I sent him the script and it came back with only a single note, saying that they loved it. Everyone from IKEA was great, and they all have little cameos in the series. We even cast the real life manager of the store as the manager in the show, he was that perfect. A lot of people from IKEA were in the series, it was crazy. I’ve never had an experience like that.TF News: What was it like filming in the middle of a working store?
Douglas: We had a lot of customers in scenes with me or with Robert Patrick. We incorporated people wandering onto the set. To be able to use the whole store—you know, I’d be doing a scene with Tom Arnold—people were incredibly nice and patient and didn’t seem to mind; it didn’t interfere with anybody’s shopping.
The whole thing is about how I’m desperately trying to get out of show business, but whatever I do it’s following me. The show picks up where Supermarket of the Stars ends, and I’ve come to IKEA to get away. But pretty soon Justine Bateman is coming by, telling shoppers about her new internet chat show called I’m 40 and I’m Bitter, and Jeff Goldblum, and it’s all starting up again.
TF News: For Easy to Assemble, did they run a writers room, or was it all written by you?
Douglas: I wrote all of it. I think of Illeanarama an alter ego of myself. I’m trying to incorporate things I think about and feel: being a woman and living in Hollywood, fame, the whole celebrity angle, relationships with fans. I find that to be very funny. It gives me an ability to comment on things going on. Like in the show I have a relationship with my stalker, when he doesn’t come around for awhile, I start to ask around about him. A character says to me, “Is this a reality show?” and I go, “No, it’s just reality.” Everyone is famous now. Everyone has their own blog, we’re all famous.TF News:‘Illenarama: Supermarket of the Stars’ was never picked up for network TV, but found success on the web. What do you see as the future of episodic web shows?
Douglas: I think it is the future. It is the future. This is the new independent film. I haven’t had this kind of experience since I did my first short film of Supermarket, back in 2003 or 4. I’m working with the directors I want to work with, the actors I want to work with, incorporating music and dance, which is something I always wanted to do. “Too far out” was always the note I was given. One of the great things about the web is that no one is standing over your shoulder, no one is saying “I don’t like that.” It’s a lot like standup.”I kind of think this is funny, and I’m going to go out on a limb.” It’s kind of a similar thing. We see web video as the new thing. It’s the horizon.
TF News: Do you watch any other shows on the web? If so, what are you watching? Douglas: Craig Bierko, the bathtub show, if friends are in them I check them out. I looked at the Chad Vader because it was also in a supermarket, so it had a kind of similarity to mine. (I was there first – check the dates, 2003.) You kind of want to see what other people are doing, some of it for the technique, since a web show is different from a movie, and also just to see if you can up the bar a bit—cinematically, to make it a little more sophisticated. I like You Suck at Photoshop. Dr. Horrible has really raised the bar though. They had a lot of money of course. This is more like an indy labor of love.
TF News: Do you have any IKEA furniture in your house? Douglas: I have the plates, mugs and glasses, and platters. It’s sort of the perfect place to go for that. Now I know everything. I could work at an IKEA. Thing is, it is a pretty great place to work, almost slightly socialist. They give free health insurance, you get a full meal for $3, for salmon and potatoes. They have a board called “Taks” where everyone has to post a “thank you” each day, like, “Thanks Bob for taking over my shift.” We really became friends with the two managers. Their only concern was that we were going to get everything, and how the show was boosting morale".
"Starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings, the flick follows two teens during one late night in New York City as they search for a secret show by Where’s Fluffy?, the pair’s favorite band.
It’s a sweet, very funny tale with some wild moments as the hours roll on, and that’s where you come in. Have you had your own crazy night that you’ll never forget, or that changed everything for you? Night out on the town where unexpected things happened or you ended up in a place you never expected? Did something equally unexpected, funny or crazy happen to you when you went to a concert or when you chased a performance? Then we want to hear about it. Four folks with the most interesting stories will wind up in promos for the film airing on MTV! Click here to find out more and to upload your story. Good luck! Source: moviesblog.mtv.com
Illeanarama - Supermarket of the Stars. Episode 3. "Success Is The New Failure". Illeana Douglas gives up her Hollywood career to work in a local Supermarket. However as word gets around that Supermarket employment is the new fashion statment other celebrities start to materialize. Co-starring Jeff Goldblum, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley Jr and if you look hard enough Gene Wilder.
"I just talked to Jon Favreau a bit ago, and he said that while there hasn't been an formal announcement on the sequel to "Iron Man," he's begun developing it. "We're working on it now," he said, "which hasn't been officially announced. It will be released in 2010."
