Celebrities and Controversy »

A few days before Meredith Baxter (the mom from Family Ties) came out of the closet, the always-outspoken Rupert Everett had some choice words for gay actors: get comfy in the closet. Coincidentally, Everett's new movie St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, has him playing Camilla Fritton, an eccentric headmistress who looks like a cross between the Queen Mum and Madame the puppet. In the previous St. Trinians, which I couldn't sit through, he also played her brother, Carnaby.

The openly gay actor blames coming out of the closet for the state of his career, telling The Guardian, "The fact is that you could not be, and still cannot be, a 25-year-old homosexual trying to make it in the British film business or the American film business or even the Italian film business. It just doesn't work and you're going to hit a brick wall at some point. You're going to manage to make it roll for a certain amount of time, but at the first sign of failure they'll cut you right off. And I'm sick of saying, 'Yes, it's probably my own fault.' Because I've always tried to make it work and when it stops working somewhere, I try to make it work somewhere else. But the fact of the matter is, and I don't care who disagrees, it doesn't work if you're gay." (I really recommend reading the whole interview; it's very interesting.)

I'm a heterosexual woman who's also not an actor and can't speak to the true experience of being a gay man in the film industry. I first saw Everett in Cemetery Man and was later somewhat disappointed to find out the handsome star was gay, but I was more turned off by his later choice of roles than anything else. I know I am the minority when it comes to my reaction, unfortunately.

Actor/director Warren Beatty's long legal battle with Tribune Company over the rights to the character Dick Tracy revealed an interesting kernel of information on what might be Beatty's next film project -- a documentary on the comic strip detective. Tribune Co. tried to claim the Dick Tracy rights as an asset in a recent bankruptcy hearing, but Beatty holds the rights to the character as long as he makes "productive use" of the property. It's a sweet deal for Beatty and an absolute nightmare for Tribune Co., as the wording of the agreement doesn't seem to put any time table on when the agreement expires.

This isn't the first time Tribune has tried to wrest control of their character from Beatty. in 2005, Beatty announced that he was interested in pursuing a Dick Tracy sequel/reboot/remake/cash grab with the apparent intention of getting Tribune off his back over the rights. It's been almost five years since that announcement, and obviously it hasn't happened yet, however it doesn't seem to be stopping Beatty from making up new, seemingly off-the-cuff Dick Tracy projects to thwart Tribune's demands.

Having moved past lost dinosaurs, Will Ferrell wants to take on the biggest, modern dino of them all -- music mogul Simon Cowell. WENN reports that Ferrell's dream project is to play the American Idol judge in a feature film: "I would love to play Simon Cowell in a movie -- heck, I would love it. It would be my dream role." The actor drew similarities between Cowell and his previous character, one Ron Burgandy: "It wouldn't be that hard for me to play him because I see a lot of Ron Burgundy in Simon Cowell. Like Simon, Ron was the biggest thing on TV, loved himself -- they are like long-lost twin brothers separated at birth."

Then again, this is probably nothing more than news disregarding inflection and comedy. Ferrell followed the talk up with discussing how he'd prepare: "It would be fun getting into character as well. I would walk along the street and say, 'Hey, you're too fat to be a star,' or go to a concert and shout out to the artist, 'Never gonna happen.'" And directly to Mr. Cowell: "I could spend some time shadowing you. We could spend time in your mansion in high trousers and black, round-neck tees just being rude to people, it would be great."

The thing is -- I think I'd like to see this ... if Ferrell put aside his usual over-the-top quirk for a tone more like Stranger Than Fiction. But that's probably just me wanting to see more of that in any role. I think it's time to put down the uber-quirk and find some happy mellow comedy. Could being Simon Cowell return Will Ferrell to A-List, money-making form?

When it comes to talking about careers and success, there are a lot of factors that come into play -- money, security, recognition, happiness... For the most part, it's success in the eye of the beholder, but that doesn't stop us from evaluating others' lives. After reading yesterday that Alec Baldwin thinks his career is a "complete failure" because he doesn't have a starring role where his performance drives the film to "a soaring critical or commercial success," I wonder what the world-at-large considers success in Hollywood. (While also wondering what colleagues think of Baldwin's load of projectile verbal horse manure.)

One might just blow this off and say it's the person with the most money and fame, but is it really? Fame is hard to hold onto, and even if a star does manage to grab tight, they must then deal with the ramifications of fame -- the sometimes-scary fans, the paparazzi, the gossip rags. On the flip side, maybe someone becomes an excellent character actor, finding continual gigs and a steady flow of money with moderate fame. But the work must keep on going for those checks to come in. And then there's those who find that one franchise that makes them enough to live on for the rest of their lives, or those who use initial fame to springboard into other careers in politics and other areas, or those who love their work but fall victim to unrealistic physical demands.

So, what is Hollywood success to you? And who's the most successful?

Everyone and their grandmothers seems to want a fourth Bourne film, and the question of "When, when, when?!" has dogged Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass for a long time. Shockingly, the answer may now be "never," as The Playlist is reporting that Greengrass has quit Bourne 4.

Script problems and a fractious relationship with Universal are said to be the cause of the split.
Two scripts have been penned for the film, and reportedly no one is fond of George Nolfi's take. Josh Zetumer came aboard to write a new one, a decision that irked Greengrass as he wasn't consulted as to the choice of writer. But that's a relatively minor point, as the real problem seems to be Greengrass' free-wheeling style, which has cost Universal millions and millions on every film he's made. While Bourne turned a fine profit, the studio is concerned about Green Zone, which is now estimated to have cost $150 million due to all of Greengrass' famous tinkering. This is a film that doesn't carry the Bourne brand name, and deals with the very un-blockbuster topic of Iraq.

So, Greengrass and Universal have been butting heads, as he wants to continue his usual approach on Bourne 4, and they want him to keep the budget under control. Thus, he's upset at the way he's been treated, and has now walked away. Rumors swirl that he might return, but there's just as much feeling that the studio could hire a new director. This leaves everyone uncertain as to whether Damon would return since he's been famously loyal to Greengrass. For now, everyone is watching the trades to see what'll be announced (and with Damon doing Invictus press, maybe it'll come up unofficially), and hoping for the best. The last thing anyone wants is Bourne without the guys that made it great.

UPDATED: Head after the jump for a statement from Paul Greengrass

I realize (belatedly) that this is not breaking news, but I heard about it for the first time the other day and nearly choked on my Sunkist. Did you know that: a) Steven Seagal, the pony-tailed B-movie bad-ass who needs no introduction, has spent the better part of two decades working as a deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, a downscale suburb of New Orleans, and b) A&E will shortly be airing a COPS-like reality TV show depicting his adventures called Steven Seagal: Lawman? It's true. The first episode airs December 2nd.

For more details on the show, you might take a look at this post from over the weekend on our sister blog TV Squad, which among other things includes this wonderful quote, delivered to a group of police trainees: "Some of you may know who I am, and some of you don't. I've been doing martial arts for 40 years, so you can look at me as Steven Seagal, he's a movie star, or you can look at me and say Steven Seagal, he can save my life." Indeed.

But you might also look at these clips from the A&E website for the show, which made me choke back some of my laughter. 'Cause as much as it sounds like a joke, it doesn't really look like one. I mean, by all accounts, the guy has been working as a real live policeman on the side for twenty years. It's a dangerous and unglamorous job. He doesn't do it for the money or the attention, as evidenced by the fact that almost no one knew about his moonlighting for twenty years. He does it, apparently, because it's a job where he can help people and put his skills to some use. Isn't that... kind of awesome? How many movie stars have done something similar?

Anyone else now have a new respect for Steven Seagal?

This is a tale of the girl who cried wolf vampire...

TMZ is reporting that the 17-year-old girl who claimed that a fellow moviegoer bit her neck while exiting a screening of New Moon was, as they put it, "lying through her teeth." Erin Westrate gave police her story of the so-called bite, but a witness came forward to say that they saw her leave the theater and saw no biting. After grilling the teen, she confessed: "the alleged culprit was simply kissing her on the neck at the time and she was a 'willing participant.'" What possessed her to make up this extravagant lie is beyond me. Is she an English literature fiend who wanted to play on the never-cry-wolf idea after a movie with wolves and vamps?

Detective Lieutenant Timothy LaVigne says that the teen could now face criminal charges, and if this is all true and she did lie -- I say bring her down. Women have a tough enough time as it is when they are assaulted, crying wolf doesn't help matters.

From the original post:

We keep hearing about the annoying Twilight Saga fans and their ever-loyal fandom, but there are other crazies coming out of the woodwork. An ABC affiliate in Michigan reports that while watching New Moon at the Norton Shores theater, a teen girl was harassed and bitten by an old perv while watching the vampire/werewolf blockbuster.

It seems that in the midst of a screen full of vamps and wolves, an old, short, white dude believed to be about 45 years old starting throwing "sexual comments" at a 17-year-old girl sitting in front of him. But he didn't just assault her with words. When the movie was over, he decided to give her a taste of the "real deal" and allegedly bit the girl on the neck (lucky for her, he didn't break the skin). Right now, the perv is at large, and the police are asking anyone with any information to contact the Norton Shores Police Department.

A Swiss court has granted Roman Polanski bail in the amount of $4.5 million, according to the Associated Press (by way of Variety). The filmmaker, arrested in September for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, is to be "kept under house arrest and electronic monitoring at his Swiss chalet."

However, the appeal must still make it through Switzerland's supreme court before he is released. That decision should not affect the ongoing discussion by the Swiss government on whether or not Polanski should be extradited to the U.S., where he had been originally indicted on six counts and was facing a life sentence before he fled the country and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

His latest project, a Pierce Brosnan-Ewan McGregor thriller called The Ghost, remains in post-production, though the BBC suggests that Polanski is instructing his colleagues from jail to finish the film as intended in time for next February's Berlin Film Festival.

We keep hearing about the annoying Twilight Saga fans and their ever-loyal fandom, but there are other crazies coming out of the woodwork. An ABC affiliate in Michigan reports that while watching New Moon at the Norton Shores theater, a teen girl was harassed and bitten by an old perv while watching the vampire/werewolf blockbuster.

It seems that in the midst of a screen full of vamps and wolves, an old, short, white dude believed to be about 45 years old starting throwing "sexual comments" at a 17-year-old girl sitting in front of him. But he didn't just assault her with words. When the movie was over, he decided to give her a taste of the "real deal" and allegedly bit the girl on the neck (lucky for her, he didn't break the skin). Right now, the perv is at large, and the police are asking anyone with any information to contact the Norton Shores Police Department.

Attention pervy men: While it might seem like biting is the new flirting, especially with the hordes of girls begging Robert Pattinson to bite them, you are not RPatt and that is not cool. And for you fellow filmgoers -- don't let the sickos get away, okay? Do you want to worry about who sits behind you or walks too close as you exit a theater?

You can watch the newscast after the jump.

Now rolling in New Moon millions, Chris Weitz is being more open about his troubles with New Line and The Golden Compass, a film that sank one studio and sent him into a tailspin. Rumors abounded as to what went wrong on that film, and as recently as last week, New York's Page Six was claiming that residual stress was causing him to leave the industry.

Weitz denied any such thing to Variety, and announced he was leaving the world of the supernatural behind with his next film, The Gardener. The film centers around a hard working Mexican gardener and his efforts to protect his son, and Weitz will be making it alongside his new best friends forever, Summit Entertainment. His new friendship enabled him to take a parting shot at New Line. Weitz praises Summit and Stephenie Meyer for trusting him with New Moon, an experience that was the polar opposite of the debacle that was The Golden Compass.

Weitz claims that New Line didn't trust him to handle the content of the book, that the film was taken from him in editing. Heavy-handed hacking resulted in losing nearly 30 minutes of footage from the film, and neatly exercised the edgy thrust of Phillip Pullman's book. "It was an utter violation of my status as a director and the worst thing that has happened to me professionally ... I was treated badly, it was almost like they never read the books. They seemed frightened of offending the right." Out of loyalty to the cast and crew, Weitz said he "bit through my tongue" when Compass was released.

As a fan of Pullman's His Dark Materials series, I'd love to see all that missing footage to see if it could salvage Weitz's film, and if New Line really neutered it.

Go below the jump for the rest