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The best Mandy Moore movies and TV shows perfectly demonstrate how the singer-songwriter made the transition from parts in lighthearted teen rom-coms to leading grounded and emotional dramas. Born in New Hampshire in 1984, Mandy Moore first rose to fame as a pop singer with singles like 1999’s “Candy” from her debut album So Real. However, within a few years, she’d make the transition to acting, starting with a minor voice role in 2001’s Dr. Dolittle 2.

While appearing in a film alongside Eddie Murphy so early in her career was an achievement, it was her role as Lana in The Princess Diaries the same year that proved the pop star was also an incredibly talented actor. Before long, Mandy Moore was leading cases in films like 2002’s A Walk to Remember and 2003’s How to Deal. As the decades progressed, she began to take on more mature roles that further highlighted her range,...

It’s been an eventful summer for Disney, and not under ideal circumstances. After his wife’s death because of food allergies at a Disney park, a man struggled to pursue legal action against the company due to his Disney+ subscription. Then, “X-Men: 97” showrunner Beau DeMayo shared a series of posts elaborating on his termination, and his attorneys told IndieWire that he’s preparing to sue.

The headlines have people considering whether to keep subscribing this month — but if you’re a parent, there’s no real replacement. The kids can tune in to “Lego Pixar: Bricktoons,” “Chibi Tiny Tales,” “Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” and more, as well as new episodes of the K-pop series “Are You Sure?” There’s also a big Marvel premiere, but more on that below. Hulu gets a ton of new movies including the “Die Hard” franchise, “Freaky Friday” (which has a sequel in the...

Just like Inside Out 2, family classics like Shrek are bringing audiences back to theaters for sequels. Eddie Murphy is confirmed to be working on both Shrek 5 and a Donkey spin-off movie. The success of Puss in Boots movies shows that even after a decade, interest in the Shrek franchise remains high.

As Inside Out 2 is currently proving, not only is there hope yet for movie theaters, but there's a massive audience ready and waiting for sequels to their favorite family classics. And, now, Eddie Murphy has confirmed that he has been in the recording booth to put down his lines for both Shrek 5, and a spin-off for his character, Donkey, as well.

Murphy is no stranger to sequels, having already been a part of three Shrek sequels (and numerous shorts), as well as Another 48 Hrs., Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Dr. Dolittle 2, Coming 2 America,...

Exclusive: UTA has signed comedic multi-hyphenate Cedric The Entertainer and his production company A Bird And A Bear Entertainment for representation in all areas.

A comedian, actor and executive producer, Cedric currently stars opposite Max Greenfield in the CBS sitcom The Neighborhood, which returned for its sixth season in February and has been picked up for a seventh. Created by Jim Reynolds, the show follows midwesterner Dave Johnson (Greenfield) as he relocates his white family to a predominantly African American neighborhood in Los Angeles. There, Dave’s excessive friendliness isn’t well-received by everyone, especially his new next-door neighbor, Calvin Butler (Cedric The Entertainer). Cedric won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show last year, marking his sixth inclusion in the category.

CBS Studios doubled down on its commitment to The Neighborhood universe by giving a series order to Crutch,...

Exclusive: Raven-Symoné is extending her relationship with Disney, which she has called home for many years, with a new multi-year overall deal at Disney Branded Television. Under the pact, she will produce, direct, and develop projects across linear and streaming, with a focus on multi-cam comedies.

First off, she will executive produce and direct sitcom Alice in the Palace, which has received a pilot order. It is an Alice-centered spinoff from Raven-Symoné’s Disney Channel multi-camera comedy series Raven’s Home, which will not return for a seventh season. Its most recent Season 6 concluded its run in September 2023.

The deal with Raven-Symoné, which also includes continued acting and hosting opportunities, and the order for Alice in the Palace fits into Disney Branded Television’s strategy of building a new Disney Channel lineup of multi-camera sitcoms. In doing that, the company’s executive team has been leaning into classic Disney Channel IP.

Denise Dowse, the busy character actress who portrayed Vice Principal Yvonne Teasley on Beverly Hills, 90210, Judge Rebecca Damsen on The Guardian and therapist Rhonda Pine on Insecure, has died. She was 64.

Dowse’s passing was announced Saturday on her Instagram account by older sister Tracey Dowse, who praised her sibling as “the most amazing sister, a consummate, illustrious actress, mentor and director. She was my very best friend and final family member.”

On Aug. 7, Tracey wrote on Instagram that her younger sister was hospitalized and in a coma brought on by a “virulent form of meningitis.”

On the big screen, Denise Dowse stood out as Ray Charles’ manager Marlene André in Ray (2004), starring Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, and she played another principal, this one based on a real-life educator at Richmond (California) High School, in Coach Carter (2005), starring Samuel L. Jackson.

She...

Long before becoming America’s favorite small-screen mother on This Is Us, Mandy Moore was a pop singer venturing out into the acting world. After a voiceover role in Dr. Dolittle 2 and a co-starring role in Anne Hathaway’s The Princess Diaries, Moore’s first starring credit came in A Walk to Remember, a romantic drama based […]

The post Mandy Moore Enjoys It When Her ‘Walk’ Is Remembered appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Bart the Bear II, who was featured in such movies as Dr. Dolittle 2, Into the Wild and We Bought a Zoo, has died. He was 21.

After a decline in his health this year, Bart died peacefully at home over the weekend in Heber City, Utah, it was announced Monday by Ryan Lutey, executive director of the Vital Ground Foundation.

Bart served as an ambassador for Vital Ground, a Missoula, Montana-based land trust that is focused on conserving grizzly bear habitat, preserving genetic corridors for all wildlife and botanicals and preventing conflicts between bears and people.

“He leaves an enormous ...

Bart the Bear II, who was featured in such movies as Dr. Dolittle 2, Into the Wild and We Bought a Zoo, has died. He was 21.

After a decline in his health this year, Bart died peacefully at home over the weekend in Heber City, Utah, it was announced Monday by Ryan Lutey, executive director of the Vital Ground Foundation.

Bart served as an ambassador for Vital Ground, a Missoula, Montana-based land trust that is focused on conserving grizzly bear habitat, preserving genetic corridors for all wildlife and botanicals and preventing conflicts between bears and people.

“He leaves an enormous ...

Exclusive: Six-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky has signed with ICM Partners.

The Chicago native actress who blasted onto the scene at the age of 11 opposite Macaulay Culkin in the 1991 family dramedy My Girl not only reaped Emmy lauds from her turn as Amy Brookheimer in the HBO multi-award winning series Veep, but she also shared in a 2018 SAG Comedy Series ensemble win for the show.

In 2019, Chlumsky was nominated for her sixth consecutive Emmy in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Veep. She was also nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Chlumsky has also won the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy or Musical for her work in the series.

Chlumsky is currently in production in the highly anticipated Shondaland/Netflix limited series Inventing Anna. The series is based on the New York magazine...

“Coming 2 America” the long-awaited sequel might have just been released, but star Eddie Murphy already wants a third film and he wants costume designer Ruth E. Carter to return.

The two sat down for Variety’s “Dream Teams” sequel to discuss their latest collaboration, and Murphy is planning, but audiences don’t have to wait thirty years, “You have to do next time,” he tells Carter. “[Set] sixteen years from now.”

Carter and Murphy have collaborated on numerous projects including, “Dr. Dolittle 2,” “I Spy” and “Dolemite is my Name.” She knows the secret to their success is a simple one, “[Murphy] doesn’t want the costume to be the funny thing. Let the clothing be the clothing and he can be the funny part,” Carter says.

He adds, “Makes clothes that make the character walk different or affect your performance so that you get a better sense of how the character moves.

Looking for a film of gigantic proportions? Debuting in theaters and on HBO Max March 31, Godzilla vs. Kong shows legends colliding as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. The film will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from its theatrical release in the U.S. included at no additional cost to subscribers.

March also brings a spectacular line-up of original programming, kicking-off with the long awaited release of Zack Snyder's Justice League on March 18. Dramedy series Generation joins the platform on March 11, following a diverse group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community. Also new this month are the documentary debuts of Tina, CV Diaries NYC and Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests.

Ruth E. Carter’s first thought when she signed up to work on the sequel to 1988’s “Coming to America” was to “not mess it up.” The film was a celebration of Black excellence, with Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem, who ends up in Queens, N.Y., in his search for a bride. “We were all thrilled to see royalty,” Carter says of the cult classic.

Thirty years later, director Craig Brewer returns to Zamunda for “Coming 2 America,” with Murphy reprising his role. This time, Prince Akeem is set to become king, but he must find his long-lost son. He returns to Queens searching for Lavelle, played by Jermaine Fowler. The sequel features even funnier jokes, an energetic performance by Murphy — and eye-opening costumes by Oscar winner Carter.

“I wanted to bring in a little bit more of the real Africa,” says Carter, who worked with Laduma Ngxokolo, designer...

Disney Plus will continue to expand its library next month, adding older films as well as new television shows, releasing as both weekly episodes and entire seasons.

After streaming on Netflix for over a year, Marvel’s “Black Panther” is making its way to Disney Plus, leaving just “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” as Disney’s remaining Marvel Cinematic Universe entries that have yet to become available on the platform.

Meanwhile, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” continues its final season on the streamer. The animated spinoff originally aired on Cartoon Network before Disney’s acquisition of the property. Six years after its last season, the show is concluding with a 12-episode run that began on Feb. 21.

See below for the complete list of titles.

March 1

Dr. Dolittle 2

Ice Age

March 4

Black Panther

March 5

Bedtime Stories

March 6

The Finest Hours

Three on the Run

Diary of a Future President...

At the box office, 2019 ended much as 2020 began: Studios are in crisis mode as they try to figure out how to get moviegoers into theaters. This is how Universal came to back two disastrous movies like the $95 million “Cats,” Tom Hooper’s movie version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical blockbuster, and the $175 million “Dolittle,” Stephen Gaghan’s adaptation of the children’s book classic “Dr. Dolittle.”

It’s easy to armchair quarterback. What were they thinking? What was it about these two costly projects that propelled them forward? Didn’t the risks seem obvious?

Here are the reasons why smart people at studios come to back such boneheaded movies.

1. They have global slates to fill.

This is the primary impetus for someone like Donna Langley, a veteran executive who champions edgy movies like “Get Out,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “Fifty Shades of Gray,” and “Queen & Slim,” to push forward...

At the box office, 2019 ended much as 2020 began: Studios are in crisis mode as they try to figure out how to get moviegoers into theaters. This is how Universal came to back two disastrous movies like the $95 million “Cats,” Tom Hooper’s movie version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical blockbuster, and the $175 million “Dolittle,” Stephen Gaghan’s adaptation of the children’s book classic “Dr. Dolittle.”

It’s easy to armchair quarterback. What were they thinking? What was it about these two costly projects that propelled them forward? Didn’t the risks seem obvious?

Here are the reasons why smart people at studios come to back such boneheaded movies.

1. They have global slates to fill.

This is the primary impetus for someone like Donna Langley, a veteran executive who champions edgy movies like “Get Out,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “Fifty Shades of Gray,” and “Queen & Slim,” to push forward...

Ruth E. Carter made history when she became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Outstanding Costume Design add this year for “Black Panther.” Recently, she’s reteamed with Eddie Murphy on Netflix’s “Dolemite Is My Name” (they previously collaborated on “Daddy Day Care,” “I Spy” and “Dr. Dolittle 2”), for which where she created more than over 75 costume changes for the star Murphy alone.

Similarly, on Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell produced over 102 changes for star Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.” She teamed up with co-designer Christopher Peterson to tackle the mammoth task of costuming the epic.

Powell and Carter both got their start as costume designers in the ‘80s. They met at the Paley Center to converse about their inspirations growing up, their start in the industry, working in the changing world of costume design, misconceptions...

Ahead of the movie's release in theaters this January, Universal Pictures has released the first official poster for Dolittle. Starring Robert Downey Jr. as the titular doctor, the poster gives us our first look at the actor in the role. In the image, Downey's Dr. Dolittle is surrounded by many of his animal friends, played by a variety of Hollywood stars. This includes Tom Holland as a dog, Octavia Spencer as a duck, Kumail Nanjiani as an ostrich, John Cena as a polar bear, Craig Robinson as a mouse, Selena Gomez as a giraffe, Marion Cotillard as a fox, and Rami Malek as a gorilla. Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Harry Collett, and Jim Broadbent will also appear in live-action roles.

He’s just not a people person. DolittleMovie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DolittleMoviepic.twitter.com/NXJxOytqyH

— Dolittle (@DolittleMovie) DolittleMovie/status/1183141685192097793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2019

Dolittle is directed...

Georgia Engel, who earned two Emmy noms for playing Ted Baxter’s significant other Georgette Franklin on The Mary Tyler Moore and three consecutive for Everybody Loves Raymond, has died. She was 70. She died Friday in Princeton, NJ, her friend and executor John Quilty told The New York Times.

Engel joined The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1972 when it was a top 10 primetime series and would appear in nearly 60 episodes over its final five seasons. Her dim but well-meaning Georgette was the love interest of self-important anchorman Baxter (Ted Knight), who courted and eventually her during the November 1975 sweep — though he didn’t seem all that prepared for it. They went on to adopt a child and later had one of their own.

The role earned her back-to-back Emmy noms for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1976 and ’77.

“Georgia Engel was a comedy machine,” Mary Tyler Moore Show co-creator...

Having acted longer than some of his “Wonder Park” cast members have been alive, Ken Jeong, who jokingly described himself as “the dumbest judge on ‘The Masked Singer’ and the dumbest guy on ‘Community,'” passed down some valuable wisdom about the entertainment industry to his young co-stars.

“It sounds cliché, but the older I get, I still maintain a spirit of fun on set and at work. It’s just like any job, when you get there that day — just have fun. It actually matters,” he told Variety at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles on Sunday.

“Wonder Park” follows a young girl named June (voiced by Brianna Denski) who spent her childhood dreaming up a fantastical amusement park with zany rides and talking animals. After experiencing hardships and losing her creative spark growing up, she discovers the park actually exists just as she needs it most. Twelve-year-old...

George Jenson, an Oscar-nominated art director and production illustrator who worked on such films as Return of the Jedi, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, has died. He was 87. The Art Directors Guild said today that he died May 25 of cancer.

Jenson began his four-decade career as a production illustrator and storyboard artist at 20th Century Fox Studios, working for producer Irwin Allen.s series Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He then segued to Filmation Associates, where he was a layout artist and illustrator on the TV toons Star Trek: The Animated Series, Lassie.s Rescue Rangers, Mission: Magic! and My Favorite Martians from 1972-75.

Pivoting to big-screen fare, Jenson worked as a production illustrator or storyboarder on a number of hit films ranging from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind...

Just one week after Robert Downey Jr. came aboard to star in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, Universal Pictures has already found a spot for this highly-anticipated project on its release calendar. The studio has set a May 24, 2019 release date for this live-action adaptation, although Universal wasn't the only studio shifting its upcoming slate. Sony Pictures also announced today that it will be pushing its upcoming Baby Driver to Wednesday, June 28, up nearly two months from its original date of August 11.

Sony Pictures made their release date announcement at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas today, and while it doesn't have any direct competition on this Wednesday date, it stilll puts this action-packed crime thriller from director Edgar Wright in the midst of some stiff box office competition. Five days before this release, Paramount will debut their highly-anticipated Transformers: The Last Knight on June 23, and two days after the release,...

With Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man in Avengers: Infinity War next year, and another Sherlock Holmes movie in the works, the actor has still found time to pick up yet another potential franchise. Universal Pictures has landed the rights to Doctor Dolittle, bringing Robert Downey Jr. in as the title character in a new project entitled The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. The studio picked up the rights to this franchise in a competitive bidding situation, with a number of studios vying for this film package last week.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Stephen Gaghan (Gold) has signed on direct and write the script, which had an earlier draft written by Tom Shepherd. The story will be based on the series of children's books by Hugh Lofting, which followed the title character who could speak with animals. The book series kicked off in 1920 with Doctor Dolittle, and was followed...

Tony Sokol Mar 21, 2017

Robert Downey Jr will headline The Voyage Of Doctor Dolittle...

Robert Downey Jr. will grunt, squeak, squawk and talk with the animals in Universal’s upcoming The Voyage Of Doctor Dolittle. The film will be directed by Stephen Gaghan (Syriana, Gold) based on a screenplay he wrote that had an earlier draft written by Tom Shepherd. Universal won the rights to the film after a competitive battle for the project.

The Voyage Of Doctor Dolittle is based on the character from Hugh Lofting series of children’s books from the 1920s, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle and Doctor Dolittle's Circus.

The story was first made into a film in 1967 when Richard Fleischer directed the musical Doctor Dolittle starring Rex Harrison. Eddie Murphy played the eccentric former physician in the 1998 Dr. Doolittle and its 2001 sequel, Dr. Dolittle 2.

Robert Downey Jr. was...

"You have to promise you won't fall in love with me."

Fifteen years ago, Mandy Moore tried not to steal our hearts in her breakout film role as the innocent, angelic Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember, delivering that line to Shane West, who portrayed the popular, rebellious charmer Landon Carter.

At the time, fans only knew her as "Mandy Moore the pop star," the adorable 17-year-old bubblegum pop princess who introduced us to hits like "Candy" and "I Wanna Be With You."

While the Nashua, New Hampshire, native actually made her film debut in 2001 with a minor voice role in Dr. Dolittle 2, followed by a slightly larger role in The Princess Diaries, it was A Walk to Remember that really launched her acting career and made fans fall in love with her, forever. Yes, 15 years later, the now 32-year-old actress is still melting our hearts, now making us cry as Rebecca Pearson on [link...

Fans of the bestselling Ya novel Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life have a reason to celebrate today! Author James Patterson's hit novel is coming to the big screen, and we have your first look courtesy of EW. They have debuted both the trailer and a very colorful poster, which bring Rafe Khatchadorian's cruel, hilarious and life-changing adventures to life.

The cast is headed-up by by a strong ensemble of comedy favorites. Griffin Gluck is introducing the iconic literary character of Rafe to the big screen, appearing alongside Lauren Graham, Adam Pally, Rob Riggle, Efren Ramirez and Andrew Daly.The film is directed by Steve Carr, best known for his family friendly hits Dr. Dolittle 2 and Daddy Day Care.

The filmmaker was ready to take a break from family films, but the stellar script for Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life changed his mind.

N. Brock Winkless IV, the puppeteer of evil doll Chucky in Child’s Play, has died, according to Make-Up Artist Magazine. He was 56.

Winkless, who also was the puppeteer for the Crypt Keeper in Tales From the Crypt, died July 18 in Los Angeles of complications from a longtime neurological condition.

His credits as a puppeteer include the Child’s Play films — Child’s Play (1988), Child’s Play 2 (1990), Child’s Play 3 (1991) and Bride of Chucky (1998) — as well as Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Death Becomes Her (1992), Man’s Best Friend (1993), Congo (1995), The X-Files (1998) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). In ...

N. Brock Winkless IV, the puppeteer of evil doll Chucky in Child’s Play, has died, according to Make-Up Artist Magazine. He was 56.

Winkless, who also was the puppeteer for the Crypt Keeper in Tales From the Crypt, died July 18 in Los Angeles of complications from a longtime neurological condition.

His credits as a puppeteer include the Child’s Play films — Child’s Play (1988), Child’s Play 2 (1990), Child’s Play 3 (1991) and Bride of Chucky (1998) — as well as Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Death Becomes Her (1992), Man’s Best Friend (1993), Congo (1995), The X-Files (1998) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). In ...

Exclusive: Paradigm has signed Steve Carr, the helmer of hit comedies that include Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Are We Done Yet, Daddy Day Care, Dr. Dolittle 2 and Next Friday. Carr next is set to direct The Wedding Guests for CBS Films and The Boondoggle, a buddy comedy scripted by Rob Riggle & Tom Lennon. He’s also developing the AMC series Sherman’s March. Carr had been at ICM Partners.

He becomes the latest in a bunch of directors who’ve signed with Paradigm including Luke Greenfield, Rob Minkoff, Walt Becker, Malcolm Lee, Joe Johnston, Carl Franklin. Ole Bornedal and others. The signings come after a number of high-profile agents have joined the agency.

Carr remains managed by Peter Principato and lawyered by Karl Austen.

We’ve reviewed every summer movie season since 1980 to find out which are the best, and which are the worst. Last week we posted our picks for the worst, and here we post our picks for the best.

2015 and 2016 may just be the most overthetop summer movie seasons yet. It seems like nearly every movie slated for a summer 2015 or 2016 release is heavily anticipated. Because of these impending summers of movie awesomeness, we’ve decided to take a look back at summer movie seasons of years past. The idea of the summer movie season is currently in full swing, but it didn’t catch on immediately. Hollywood had to do its fair share of experimenting to determine what types of films would be most successful. As a result, some summer movie seasons have been better than others. We’ve reviewed them all for you and ranked them from worst to best.

Mandy Moore turns the big 3-0 today!The pop star first entered the music scene in 1999 when she released her first single, "Candy" off of her debut album "So Real." The album rapidly reached platinum certification, and she went on to release three more albums before parting ways with her record label in 2003. Following a successful music career, the singer-songwriter switched her focus to acting and made her film debut in the 2001 film "Dr. Dolittle 2," before staring alongside Anne Hathaway in the "The Princess Diaries" later that year. In 2002, the singer-turned-actress landed her first starring role playing Jamie Sullivan in the movie adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel "A Walk to Remember," which also spawned a soundtrack filled with songs she performed.On the heels of her breakthrough performance, the brunette beauty appeared in various films, such as "Chasing Liberty," "Saved!" and "How to Deal," and later voiced the character...

If making an animated series was easy, a child could do it.

Actually, one is involved in the process now ... but that still doesn't mean it's simple, especially if several different shows are combined. That's the approach of "Animation Domination High-Def," a late-night franchise Fox debuts Saturday, July 27. Two of the 15-minute programs will be ready for starters, and Fox will give them preview showings in primetime Sunday, July 21.

"Axe Cop" is the component involving the child, Malachai Nicolle, who's 8 now. At age 5, he developed the premise as an Internet comic book with his much-older brother Ethan. Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation") supplies the voice of the sleepless, birthday-cake-consuming title character, with Megan Mullally (Offerman's wife), Patton Oswalt and Ken Marino furnishing other vocals.

Also in the initial "High-Def" lineup is "High School USA!" with singer-actress Mandy Moore and Vincent Kartheiser -- alias Pete Campbell on AMC's "Mad Men" --...

The day was June 22, 2001. George W. Bush was midway through the first year of his presidency. TNT had just reinvented itself with the slogan “We Know Drama.” Annoying suburban children across this country were thrilling to the pop-punk sounds of Blink-182′s latest album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. And a movie called The Fast and the Furious was hitting theaters, opening the same weekend as Dr. Dolittle 2. It was teen-dreamboat Paul Walker’s first starring role. It more or less invented the idea of Vin Diesel, Action Star. And it launched one of the most surprising and...

News Louisa Mellor Jan 28, 2013

Game Of Thrones moves production to La for the first time, to work around the inclusion of a new guest star...

Warning: contains a spoiler for Game of Thrones season three

Just sixty-two days from broadcast, you'd have thought that the cast for Game of Thrones' third season would be locked down by now, but no, a new er, performer has recently joined the HBO flagship show. 

A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R Martin teased the new cast member last Thursday on his personal (not a) blog. Under a post titled "It's the pits" came the message "Son of Homer", quickly followed by elucidation: "You guys are smarter than the average bear, plainly. Yes, it's Bart The Bear. Or rather, Bart the Second. The original Bart, that nine foot tall star of stage and screen, has departed for the great forest in the sky.

When one looks at Steve Carr‘s filmography — Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Daddy Day Care, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Are We Done Yet? — one is, almost assuredly, surprised he still manages to find work. But THR tells us the director’s been hired to helm an ensemble comedy, The Wedding Day, for CBS Films.

The script, a Black List entry by Andrew Goldberg, “revolves around a number of guests who meet — and whose personalities collide — over the course of one day at a wedding.” We haven’t really heard anything in the ways of casting news, so this is really all we have to go on right now — and it isn’t too much.

But I’m hoping the placement of Goldberg‘s script on a well-regarded slate could make better subject matter for Carr, rather than dumb jokes and Ice Cube as the film’s star. Although he doesn’t make the best movies,...

Best known for her role in the Emmy nominated comedy series That's So Raven for the Disney Channel, Raven-Symoné garnered three NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special, two Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Television Actress and a Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performer. That's So Raven received the 2008 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's Series/Special and was nominated for two primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Program in 2005 and 2007. Raven was named producer for the series' fourth season, which aired in 2007.

Raven's film credits include Roger Kumble's College Road Trip, opposite Martin Lawrence, Garry Marshall's The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, opposite Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, and Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Dolittle 2, opposite Eddie Murphy. Her role in Dr. Dolittle 2 earned her two award nominations, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress and...

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.

In theaters this week a intergalactic cop will square off against a batch of urban penguins, a lovelorn teen, and an investigative look at one of the world’s most heralded publications. If you’re still craving superheroes, stand-up comics turned kid flick peddlers, besotted boys and inside information, we’ve got a selection of features that should satisfy.

—

Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds returns to the arena of superheros with a fully CGI-suit and a little ring that holds a lot of power. Hal Jordan (Reynolds) is an American test pilot who is thrown into a world of intergalactic intrigue when an alien crash lands on Earth and passes off all the powers of The Green Lantern Corp! Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong co-star.

40 Actors And Actresses We Love40 Actors and Actresses We LoveWith the Academy Awards announced this morning, all eyes are fixed on Hollywood. Even though no Black actors and actresses were nominated this year, we take a moment to honor 40 actresses and actors we love. Their work has made us laugh, made us cry, allowed us to step away from the pressures of our day-to-day lives, and taught us more about ourselves and our culture. Check out who made our list. Who would you add?Jennifer HudsonFavorite role: Effie White in "Dreamgirls." Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 2007.Halle BerryFavorite role: Leticia Musgrove in "Monster's Ball." Won Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2002.Jamie FoxxFavorite role: Ray Charles in "Ray." Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2005.Nia LongFavorite role: Nina Mosley in "Love Jones.

Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

Before he was a never-nude who painted himself blue, David Cross co-starred with Bob Odenkirk on the '90s sketch-comedy series 'Mr. Show.' Once the series ended, the long-time collaboraters found themselves on the same films now and then, usually bit parts in features like 'Dr. Dolittle 2' and 'Waiting for Guffman,' but they haven't inhabited the same cinematic space in years. However, that big-screen hiatus is about to come to an end.

According to Odenkirk, he wants to jump behind the camera and reunite with Cross for a new indie comedy called 'Annie Jenkins: A Not Very Romantic Comedy,' which will boast the likes of Krysten Ritter, Rainn Wilson, Dennis Farina and of course, David Cross.

Continue Reading...

Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

Before he was a never-nude who painted himself blue, David Cross co-starred with Bob Odenkirk on the '90s sketch-comedy series 'Mr. Show.' Once the series ended, the long-time collaboraters found themselves on the same films now and then, usually bit parts in features like 'Dr. Dolittle 2' and 'Waiting for Guffman,' but they haven't inhabited the same cinematic space in years. However, that big-screen hiatus is about to come to an end.

According to Odenkirk, he wants to jump behind the camera and reunite with Cross for a new indie comedy called 'Annie Jenkins: A Not Very Romantic Comedy,' which will boast the likes of Krysten Ritter, Rainn Wilson, Dennis Farina and of course, David Cross.

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Today Universal released Get Him to the Greek, a sort-of sequel to 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall as it uses Aldous Snow who had a small role in the original. Beyond that, there is only a brief reference to Sarah Marshall, which has me thinking it's not really a sequel as much as it is a spin-off. The same could be said for a movie like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)... Same characters, but not really a sequel to Clerks, which ended up having its own sequel in 2006.

In a debate with a group of fellow Seattle critics trying to decide if Get Him to the Greek was a sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall or not, the topic turned to comedy sequels in general and I was asked to name a great comedy sequel. Should be easy... right?

I started mining my memory banks, and started thinking of movies with...

B. Alan looks at a decade of horrible cinematic remakes and rehashes that ruined film as an art form.

Black Pegasus? Boo!

Why is Pegasus black? Why did this flying horse need to be recast El Negro? It makes about as much sense as casting Cedric the Entertainer in the role of Ralph Kramden. There is no reasoning being placed behind it, other than, "We can do what we want! We can do what we feel!" It's strange that in both Clash of the Titans and 2005's The Honeymooners, the only hint of imagination or originality came from swapping ethnicities. In neither case does it pertain to, or help push along the story. It's senseless esthetic scrambling. Sure, poor black folks probably work in the sewer and beat their spouses, too. So why not update an old 1940s sitcom to reflect how far we've come? But Pegasus? Come on! Nowhere...

Short Circuit, one of the many titles in Dimension’s upcoming slew of remakes, has found a director, says Variety. Steve Carr, whose career has so far been a string of slapstick comedies (most recently Paul Blart: Mall Cop), has been tapped to retell the story of Johnny 5, the robot who suddenly finds himself a personality.

The training in broad laughs Carr has recieved from working on films like Next Friday, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Daddy Day Care will probably be a good match for Short Circuit, especially if the redo will maintain the silly tone and numerous sight gags of the original. And the screenplay’s coming from Robot Chicken’s Dan Milano, so there should definitely be some laughs in store.

Carr has also been in line for a long time to direct Marvel’s film adaptation of The Immortal Iron Fist. God only knows when that film will actually surface (or,...

This right here, this is when we know this movie is going to suck. Say what you will, but there's no giving Steve Carr the benefit of the doubt on this one. Besides directing the pile of crap known as Paul Blart: Mall Cop, his other credits include Are We Done Yet?, Rebound, Daddy Day Care, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Next Friday. Sure, the script, written by "Robot Chicken" writer Dan Milano, might not be that bad, but Carr is going to screw it up. This Short Circuit remake is going to go onto his filmography right there along with the others as yet another piece of crap. This finally confirms what we knew all along - this remake will suck! Variety says that "the remake is a robot reboot that brings the iconic Johnny 5 into the 21st century." Built by the military to be a highly sophisticated weapon, Johnny...

That’s right, Johnny 5 is coming back to our screens, and they have named their director! Steve Carr, director of (ahem…) comedy classics ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’, ‘Daddy Day Care’ and ‘Dr. Dolittle 2′ is to take up the challenge of remaking a cult favourite. Cynical fans may perhaps call into question the choice of director, a man with such a hand in Eddie Murphy’s comedic downfall and with a history of making barely anybody laugh. I was desperate to fit a ‘but’ into that last sentence, any reason that this remake might not be a disgrace to the original, but I’m at a loss. The only possible saving grace is the choice of writer, Dan Milano, who wrote for ‘Robot Chicken’, but that is even arguable, as whilst ‘Robot Chicken’ is (in my opinion, of course) occasionally very amusing, there are a lot of misses, and the...

Good news, everyone – Steve Carr, director of those comedic colossi, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Daddy Day Care, Rebound and Dr. Dolittle 2, will next focus his considerable talents on the much-needed and eagerly-anticipated remake of Short Circuit. Yay and, if you have the time, woo.The John Badham-directed original, which seems to assumed cult classic status over the years despite not being very good, was about a robot named Johnny 5 who is imbued with sentience by a rogue lightning bolt. On the run from the military, Johnny 5 bonds with Ally Sheedy, and hilarious adventures are had by all.The Carr-directed remake retains essentially the same premise, although this time – for added emotional impact – Johnny 5 will bond with a lonely young boy. Christ almighty.To say our expectations for this movie have plummeted seems a little harsh. After all, they weren’t that high to begin with. And it could...

Rangers and animal handlers at actress Tippi Hedren's Shambala Preserve big cat sanctuary in Acton, California have been told to consider evacuating the property as wildfires creep ever closer.

But staff at the wildlife mecca have chosen to stay and fight the blaze rather than try to relocate the 64 lions, tigers, leopards and other exotic animals, including two tigers Michael Jackson once owned, that live there.

Vice president of operations at Shambala Chris Gallucci says, "We have everything to fight fires on this property. Our plan is to hold in place. We have done this for 40 years. We are very good at what we do."

According to Gallucci, the preserve has dozens of evacuation crates on standby just in case the big cats really need to be moved.

The area around the preserve is under a mandatory evacuation order, according to the Los Angeles Times as the Mount Wilson fire, which is only five per cent contained, threatens thousands of properties.

The news of the wildfire threat comes just a week after Hedren's daughter, actress Melanie Griffith, entered rehab in Utah for a "undisclosed issues."

Meanwhile, animals trained for movies like Dr. Dolittle 2 and {Mowgli: The New Adventures of The Jungle Book escaped a fiery death over the weekend when trainer Scott Handley evacuated his sanctuary near to Hedren's in Acton as wildfires blazed through the area.

Handley's wilderness area, where bears and big cats roamed free, was left charred by the flames, which started last week (ends28Aug09) - but the animal expert's home was saved by firefighters.

A source says, "No animals were harmed - they were all safely relocated before the fire arrived on the property."...

#1 movie predicted correctly: 3 Weeks in a Row 1. Inglourious Basterds It's gonna win, if only because nothing of note was released to contend with it. And it should win, it deserves it. Sure, it's too long, and too strange, and Tarantino is too affected... and I still love his stuff. If you don't, cool, but I do. I'm just one guy over here, trying to get along. $7500 per theater, 3,165 theaters, and it wins a very slow weekend at the box office. Estimate: $23.7 million 2. District 9 It's going to fall. I'm thinking 53 percent or so, because younger audiences are frontload central. It could surprise me and jump up into the $20s, heck it could contend for a repeat, but I'm putting it just shy of $18m because I think people have already moved on. Estimate: $17.7 million 3. Shorts Has anyone seen any marketing on this? It's a weird tweener title because some kids are already back in school.

Thanks to SpoilerTV, we now have the official casting call for the third "Meet the Parents" movie, which is called "Little Fockers." The casting call is for a 6-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl to play the 5-year-old twin son and daughter of Gaylord (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo). Henry: is kind and a little oversensitive. He has a pet lizard who he loves, and likes to imitate. He likes to sing and dance. He gets along by withdrawing from conflict with other kids, and likes to play solo on the schoolyard. Ashley: is a tomboy. She can be a little bit of a bully, but she loves her twin brother. She likes finding out things, especially if it's something a grownup doesn't want her to know. It has also been rumored that the 23-year-old Raven-Symone (College Road Trip, Dr. Dolittle 2) will play the babysitter.

We have new images and clips in from the Paramount Pictures comedy "I Love You, Man," starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly. John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly," "Safe Men") directs the film from the screenplay he wrote with Larry Levin ("Dr. Dolittle 2") based on the story by Levin. The romantic comedy sees theatres soon, on March 20th. View all the clips: Trailer 1 Girlfriend Guy Trying to Get Pregnant Open House Prepare to be Rushified Do you play an instrument? See all of the new images Check out the website today at http://www.iloveyouman.com/. What's it about? In “I Love You, Man,” a comedy from John Hamburg (“Along Came Polly,” co-writer of “Meet The Parents,” “Meet The Fockers,” “Zoolander”), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, “Knocked Up” “The 40 Year Old Virgin”) is a successful real estate agent who,...