As we all know, Hollywood actors generally lead pampered lives that are the envy of just about everyone in the world — everyone that is, except for rock stars. Not only are rock stars equally as rich as the Hollywood elite, but they live life by their own rules, party like maniacs, start new trends, rebel against the system, and just generally reek of coolness. Yes, it’s true, rock stardom is the one thing that all actors wish they could have.

Many actors have tried to live out that dream by starting their own bands, and the results range from good to bad to downright embarassing. (It helps if you actually started your career as a musician.) Here’s a look at a variety of actors who have played in bands over the years, complete with videos where possible. All I can say is that sometimes all the acting talent in the world doesn’t help you look cool on stage!

Keanu Reeves - Dogstar
Dogstar has long been one of the prime examples of a crappy or mediocre rock band coasting by on the celebrity status of one of its members. Reeves formed the band in the early 90’s with his friend and fellow actor Robert Mailhouse, and before long they were playing shows with some pretty huge names including Bon Jovi and David Bowie. Heck, Weezer actually played their first show opening for Dogstar! Can you believe it? But despite all their high profile gigs, they never really achieved mainstream success… probably because they suck. Reeves eventually left the band due to a tight working schedule, although I’m not sure if they’re now officially disbanded or not.

Although I don’t generally pay much attention to things like movie budgets and actor’s salaries (the amount of money being thrown around in Hollywood can be sickening), I do find it interesting when they release lists of who are believed to be the highest paid people in Hollywood. This generally equates to being a list of the actors and actresses who, in turn, can bring in the most box office bank based on their name alone. The Hollywood Reporter have just released this year’s list of the top 10 highest paid actresses, and although it’s pretty much the same names that have been up their for the past few years, the pecking order seems to have changed a little bit.

Nicole Kidman has fallen to 4th spot, and Reese Witherspoon has taken her place at the top of the chain. I honestly don’t understand why people love Reese Witherspoon so much; while her Oscar win for Walk The Line may have something to do with her escalating price tag, it’s her comedies like Legally Blonde and Just Like Heaven that people most want to see (she reportedly gets paid much less for serious dramas — like Rendition, which pretty much bombed). Cameron Diaz is also a bit surprising to see high on the list, when you consider that she hasn’t had a big hit in a while. However, it’s her voice work in the Shrek movies that continually earns her big fat paychecks. Out of everyone, I think Angelina Jolie and Jodie Foster most deserve to be on the list. What do you think? Check out the full list below.

1. Reese Witherspoon ($15-20 million)
2. Angelina Jolie ($15-20 million)
3. Cameron Diaz ($15+ million)
4. Nicole Kidman ($10-15 million)
5. Renee Zellweger ($10-15 million)
6. Sandra Bullock ($10-15 million)
7. Julia Roberts ($10-15 million)
8. Drew Barrymore ($10-12 million)
9. Jodie Foster ($10-12 million)
10. Halle Berry ($10 million)

Despite the fact that we still have not yet had an official ensemble cast announcement regarding the upcoming Justice League movie, we may finally have strong leads on at least two of the characters. Ain’t It Cool News is reporting that Australian supermodel Megan Gale is 100% confirmed to be playing Wonder Woman in the movie. Her impressive acting resume includes the pivotal role of Dr. Orbit’s Secretary in Stealth. Clearly she was chosen for her looks rather than her talent, but I doubt many fanboys are going to complain about that.

What fanboys likely will be complaining about, however, is the choice of Armie Hammer for the role of Batman. IESB is claiming that the actor is officially in, but there’s no doubt he’s going to be a tough sell. Although photos of the guy are hard to come by on the web, the one in his IMDb profile certainly makes him look like someone who would have appeared on Smallville (close enough, I suppose: he’s had small roles on Veronica Mars and Desperate Housewives). So when will we finally get an official announcement from Warner Brothers? That’s anyone’s guess, but with these kinds of actors in the mix, I can see why they’re hesitant to unveil their plans to the world. I mean, I’m willing to go along with a younger cast, but I just don’t see these people being anyone you can build a franchise on. What if they decide to do a Wonder Woman solo movie afterwards? Is someone like Megan Gale really going to be able to carry the flick on her own? I’m starting to agree with all the people who believe this movie is a disaster waiting to happen.

4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile (4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Written and Directed by: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Adi Carauleanu, Luminiţa Gheorghiu, Vlad Ivanov, Anamaria Marinca

I went into this movie without any knowledge, other than the fact that it was this year’s Palme D’or winner. When I went and saw last year’s winner, I had a pleasant experience, and I thought I might as well give it a shot once again. You can usually count on the Cannes winners to have at least something interesting to offer (even if they are from Romania and have a pretty dubious title). Read the rest of this entry »

Some people may have caught the new American Gladiators commercial during this week’s episode of Heroes, but I still couldn’t resist posting it. While the preview doesn’t really give us any idea of what the actual competition is going to be like, they’ve certainly given it a modern makeover of sorts. They’ve even lifted the high-speed film look of the battle scenes from Ridley Scott’s Gladiator! Hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, it premieres on Sunday January 6th at 9 pm EST. For more info check out the official site.

It’s a surprisingly slow weekend for new movies, with the Hayden Christensen/Jessica Alba thriller Awake being the only new, high profile theatrical release. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The Savages both start their theatrical runs this weekend, but they’re only playing in a couple of theatres each. The one easy recommendation is No Country for Old Men; it looks like The Coens’ new flick is finally playing just about everywhere, so if you still haven’t seen it, make sure you catch it while you can!

Aaja Nachle (limited)
Awake
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (limited)
No Country for Old Men (wide)
The Savages (limited)

Everyone’s favourite bad-ass mofo Samuel L. Jackson has just signed on to star in New Line’s upcoming Man That Rocks The Cradle. Lest you get the impression that this is a sequel to Curtis Hanson’s 1992 thriller The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, let me set you straight. This is yet another damn nanny comedy starring a manly man in the role of nurturing caregiver. Jackson will play Marion Delacroix, a “kid whisperer” from down South, who is hired as the live-in nanny for 4 children.

After the success of Vin Diesel’s The Pacifier and The Rock’s The Game Plan, it’s easy to see why more of these movies are being made. The question is, why are people going to see these things? I suppose the answer is obvious: it’s an ideal compromise for a family night out. Dad gets to watch his favourite action star, Mom gets enjoyment out of seeing the man deal with silly domestic situations, and little Billy laughs at the fart jokes. But really, can any of these movies hope to surpass the lofty standards set by Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire? Man That Rocks The Cradle was written by Josh Kagan (Undergrads) and Rob McKittrick (Waiting…).

This is kind of old news apparently, but it’s new news to me. It seems that a couple of years back, The Wayans Brothers had been tapped to turn the popular 60’s TV series The Munsters into a feature length movie. Seems like a bad joke right? Since then they went on to do the comedy masterpiece Little Man, but in a recent interview with MoviePictureFilm.com, Shawn Wayans has confirmed that The Munsters will indeed be their next project.

“Next we’re taking the old TV show The Munsters and making that into a feature film. We’re contemporizing it…something I want to clear up is that we’re not going to be in it. We’re just writing and producing it. We’re going to get some white people and paint them green.”

He also mentions that the movie will be PG-13, and that the days of their raunchier comedies may be over. Not only are all of the Wayans Brothers now fathers, but the R-rated movies didn’t generate the box office success they wanted.

“They started clamping down on kids going into the theater. So kids would still be sneaking into our movie but would be paying to see something else. So none of the box office went to our movie, yet everyone still saw it. Business wise, it made it tough for us to continue doing them.”

Riiiiight. So the reason the movies weren’t making any money isn’t because no one was seeing them, it’s because kids were paying for a different movie and sneaking into them! Of course. Anyway, I don’t have any interest in a Wayans Brothers version of The Munsters, although I haven’t seen much of the original show either. Barry Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family movies were decent (not great), and I can’t see this even coming close.

Yet another Asian horror remake is on the horizon, this one based on the Thai horror film Shutter, about a photographer and his wife who start to see ghostly images in their honeymoon pictures related to a tragic accident. Yes, like virtually every other Asian horror flick ever made, it has to be some form of technology that reveals an evil presence. The original was one of the highest grossing Thai films ever, and the deal for the Hollywood remake was also the most expensive foreign remake sale to date.

The remake stars Joshua Jackson (haven’t seen him in a while) and Rachael Taylor (Transformers), along with James Kyson Lee (Ando on Heroes). Japanese horror director Masayuki Ochiai (Infection) is helming the production. 20th Century Fox have officially announced a March 21, 2008 release date, which puts it up against Owen Wilson comedy Drillbit Taylor and Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns. What are the odds this will do well at the box office? I get the feeling that people are pretty sick of seeing American adaptations of Asian horror films, but hey, maybe it’s just me.

Against my better judgment, I keep waiting and hoping that Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales will expand to more theatres in the near future. All signs indicate that it is one of the weirdest, most wacked out movies of the year, and walks a fine line between clever satire and awkward mess. Here’s a perfect example of what I mean: in the movie, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character is a porn star who records a Britney Spears-esque pop song called “Teen Horniness is Not a Crime”. The song is included on the Southland Tales soundtrack, and will supposedly be released as an actual radio single. Listening to the song, as horrible as it is, I can definitely see it being blared in cars and throughout nightclubs everywhere. Zeon’s Music Blog has a link to the MP3, so head over there and check it out, then laugh at such inane lyrics as “An overcrowded nation / leads to sex frustration / all your legislation / can’t stop teen’s masturbation”. Brilliant or moronic? You decide.