Van Damme Monks Around

Jean-Claude Van Damme has signed up to star in the independent kung-fu extravagana The Monk for director Ringo Lam (City On Fire). The $25 million project focuses on a Shaolin monk who comes to the U.S. and is forced to battle an evil crime lord in order to find his father.

Production is set to begin in November and will be filmed on location in China, Bulgaria and New York.

A Novel Idea for Willis

MGM has paid close to a million smackers for the feature film rights to author Robert Crais' yet to be released novel Hostage. Sources close to the studio say MGM intends to adapt the book for Arnold Rifkin and Bruce Willis' Cheyenne Productions. as a possible starring vehicle for Willis.

Hostage, set to be published in late summer by Doubleday, centers on a retired hostage negotiator who winds up handling one more case when three small-time criminals unwittingly take an important member of the mafia hostage.

Noble Rupert

South Kensington is the name of the next project likely to star Rupert Everett. The actor is in final negotiations to play a British nobleman who, as a result of tough times, is forced to rent out rooms of his posh residence to make ends meet.

The Italian writer-director team Carlo and Enrico Vanzina are set to begin production of the $7 million film in London in July.

Downey Dropped From Ally McBeal

After Robert Downey Jr. was arrested again for a misdemeanor drug charge recently, the producers of Ally McBeal have chosen to cut his part. The show's creator David E. Kelley has stood by the actor as long as he could, but now claims that they can't hold things up any longer and will be finishing up the last few episodes of the year without him. It has yet to be determined whether the actor will return next season as Ally's love interest Larry.

According to his publicist, Downey has voluntarily checked himself into an rehab facility, and is due to appear in court for arraignment on May 4.

April 23, 2001

Turturro to be Honored

This coming June, actor John Turturro will receive honors from the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Young Friends of Film. The Brooklyn N.Y. native's career will be celebrated at a gala that will include clips from his films, as well as commentary from Tim Robbins, John Goodman and other celebrities. Turturro is best known for his work in such Coen brothers films as O Brother Where Art Thou, Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing, as well as director Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Do the Right Thing. His most recent film The Luzhin Defence opened in New York and Los Angeles this past weekend.

Lincoln Center's Young Friends of Film is an organization for young film fans ages 21-35.

Son of Tin Man Passes

Director, producer, writer and all around Hollywood executive Jack Haley Jr. died Saturday at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital at the age of 67. Haley is known best for spotlighting Hollywood's legendary stars and films for over 40 years, which includes his motion picture labor of love That's Entertainment!. Born in Los Angeles, Haley was son of Jack Haley, the actor who played the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz and Florence McFadden, a former Ziegfeld Girl.

At this time, the date of the service has not been set. Haley will be buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, where his father is also buried, and is survived by a sister, a niece and nephew.

A Golden Bowl for Uma

Uma Thurman will portray Charlotte Stant in the Merchant-Ivory adaptation of Henry James's The Golden Bowl. Director James Ivory has been trying to get Uma to take the part since 1998, a time during which the actress felt she was not emotionally up to the challenging role. Thurman will play the beautiful but poverty-stricken Charlotte, who manages to catch herself a billionaire, played by Nick Nolte.

The Golden Bowl will have a limited opening in theatres April 27th. Fans of Angelica Huston will be excited to know she is also a member of the cast.

Strike Still Looms Over Hollywood

The biggest question everyone is asking in Hollywood these days is if actors and writers will continue to work, or will wind up in picket lines again this summer. Both groups are threatening to strike in the next few weeks if they don't see residuals from overseas distribution, cable broadcasts and DVD sales.

Those working on TV sitcoms and dramas have been getting tons of overtime stockpiling episodes to prepare for the potential strike. The Writers Guild negotiations are separate from the Screen Actors Guild's talks, but a win for the Writers would likely set up a similar win for the actors when their guild resumes negotiations in mid-May.

April 16, 2001

Method Acting?

Production of the new John Travolta flick Domestic Disturbance continued in North Carolina, despite scheduling changes that occured when his co-star Steve Buscemi was stabbed in the throat and head during an after-hours bar brawl last Thursday. The fight broke out when the girlfriend of a local Wilmington man began talking to actor Vince Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, and it has not yet been revealed why Buscemi became the jealous boyfriend's target.

Buscemi was rushed to a local hospital, while police had to break up the fight between Vaughn, Rosenberg, and the two Wilmington men. All four were arrested, and Buscemi's attacker has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Buscemi has returned back to his New York residence to recuperate.

Slow Burn Wedding

Actors Josh Brolin and Minnie Driver have just announced their engagement to be married. The couple met on the set of their film Slow Burn, and friends close to them say they are very much in love. Driver has been romantically linked in the past to actors Matt Damon and John Cusack in the past. Brolin was previously married to actress Deborah Adair.

The thirty-something couple have yet to announce a wedding date.

A Franchise of Psychos

Lions Gate Productions has finally decided to cash in on the succes of last year's American Psycho, by releasing a series of sequels, aptly beginning with American Psycho II. The film will star Mila Kunis, as one of the former film's victims, now facing an evil obsession of her own. The new script will not be penned by author Bret Easton Ellis, or the first film's screenwriting team, but written instead by Karen Craig and Alex Sanger. Sanger will oversee the project for Lions Gate during production.

Morgan J. Freeman is set to direct the sequel, which begins production in Toronto in May. A spokesperson for Lions Gate told reporters recently that they have hopes of American Psycho becoming a major film franchise of sequels.

The Awards Just Keep Coming

Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts all took top nods at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards last week. Awards for such categories as favorite actress in an action film and favorite female music artist of the year were handed out, along with many others to such talents as Haley Joel Osment, Angelina Jolie, and Christina Aguilera.

LeAnn Rimes, Stevie Nicks, Ricky Martin, Sheryl Crow and the band Creed were all on hand to perform for the industry crowd. Presenters included Warren Beatty and Drew Barrymore. The award show will be aired on television Monday night, April 16th on FOX.

April 9, 2001

"Thirteen Days" In Cuba

Actor Kevin Costner will get a chance to view his film Thirteen Days in Havana this week after being forced to obtain special permission from the U.S. government first. Costner was required to have a license to travel to Cuba because the country is still subject to sanctions from Washington.

This will be the first time citizens of the communist-run nation will be allowed to see the dramatization of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Costner will attend the special screening with fellow Thirteen Days producers Armyan Bernstein and Peter Almond. There has been no word whether Cuban President Fidel Castro will be a part of the event.

Depp Prefers Paris

Actor Johnny Depp recently told reporters that America is far too violent for him to raise his family here. The 37-year-old actor claims the violent trend in public schools is the main reason he lives in France with his girlfriend, actress Vanessa Paradis, and his daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp.

According to Associated Press, Depp complained that "little kids are going into school and shooting up their pals and killing people - I have a little girl who's almost 2 years old. I don't want her to grow up with that kind of thing in her brain''.

No Credit for Hogan?

Australian actor Paul Hogan is currently involved in a terrible dispute with the Writers Guild of America regarding his credits for writing his new family adventure for Paramount Pictures, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. Hogan says he wrote the original script, created all the characters and came up with the sight gags for the movie, but when the film opens, movie-goers will not see Hogan's name credited as the writer. A WGA spokeperson told reporters that Hogan's challenge is being considered a "good-faith disagreement", but that the guild usually always "prevailed" when their decisions have been challenged by writers and producers in the past.

Hogan believes that the looming WGA strike is what might be influencing the guild to make this type of decision. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Dundee in Los Angeles screenplay is credited to the team of Matthew Berry and Eric Abrams with Hogan receiving a "characters created by" credit. However, the film's director Simon Wincer backs Hogan completely, confirming that the screenplay he directed was written entirely by the Aussie star.

Summer Movie Mania

Once again it is that time of year for the juggling of summer movie release dates. Independence Day weekend will mark the opening of three big films: Dimension's sequel Scary Movie 2, 20th Century Fox's Kiss of the Dragon and Warner Bros.' live-action/CGI animatronic Cats & Dogs.

July 13th looks to be when audiences can look forward to Sony's ensemble comedy America's Sweethearts, MGM's Legally Blonde, a comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson, and Paramount Pictures' The Score, starring Ed Norton and Robert De Niro. Getting a two-day jump on the competition, Sony's eagerly anticipated state-of-the-art CGI-animated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within has been rescheduled to land in theatres July 11.

Other films that were originally intended for an earlier release were held back, such as MGM's Original Sin, an erotic thriller starring Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie. The film was first slated to be released earlier this year, but was then bumped up to a late summer debut, now set to hit theaters Aug. 3.

April 2, 2001

Spy Kids Kick Booty at Box Office

Spy Kids had an explosive debut weekend, easily claiming the top spot at the box office with an impressive $27 million. This marks a record weekend for director Robert Rodriguez (The Faculty, Desperado).

The romantic comedy Someone Like You found its way to the number two spot at the box office with a $10.3 million take, and the raunchy comedy Tomcats slipped in at number four earning $6.5 million.

Kramer Memorial

The Director's Guild of America offered a heartfelt tribute on Saturday to Hollywood legend Stanley Kramer who died in February. Friends, colleagues and family members shared fond memories of the producer/director, and clips from his best known work such as High Noon and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

Actor Beau Bridges hosted the event and offered a short documentary on Kramer's life. According to Variety, California Gov. Gray Davis declared Saturday Stanley Kramer Memorial Day.

Last Call For Hudson

The now very famous Kate Hudson will star in the Disney romantic comedy Last Call, and will be producing the film through her own production company Cosmic Entertainment. The film will be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld of Get Shorty and Men In Black fame.

The film is about an actress and a con man who have died and moved on to being Heavenly escorts. A production schedule has yet to be announced.

The Matrix Gang Will Return

The gossip has been mixed about whether Keanu Reeves would join the rest of the Matrix crew for the sequels, but according to Reuters, the president of AOL Time Warner says Reeves as well as Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Australian actor Hugo Weaving would all be back for more sci-fi action.

Like the original, Warner Bros Pictures plans to film the two Matrix sequels in Sydney, Australia.