Filed under: Drama, Casting, War

Good heavens, do I ever love Gillian Anderson. Not just for her work as the iconic Agent Scully on a million seasons of The X-Files, either, though obviously that’s a big part of it. Did you see her in The House of Mirth? Or making a cameo in Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story? Or playing a small role in The Last King of Scotland? No on all counts? Well, take my word for it, then. She’s wonderful. My heart leaps within my breast whenever I see her in anything. It could be arrhythmia, but I prefer to call it love.

She’s about to star in The X-Files: I Want to Believe, as you know — but what about after that? Well, Variety brings us word that Anderson’s production company has bought the rights to a 2004 biography of Martha Gellhorn (whom you’ve never heard of, but hang on), and that Anderson will produce a film adaptation and play the leading role.

So who is this Gellhorn person? Only one of the most prolific war correspondents of the 20th century, that’s all. She covered just about every global conflict between the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, a career spanning 60 years. She was married to Ernest Hemingway for a while and had countless affairs throughout her life, usually with married men. She was friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. The U.S. Postal Service put her on a stamp earlier this year. Her life has all the makings of a good biopic — war, romance, tragedy, Roosevelts — and since Anderson already has plenty of experience playing skeptical women who must deal with difficult men, I say she’s a natural. Of course, that could just be the heart palpitations speaking.

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Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Casting

Have a happy Canada Day with these casting bites!

When I heard that Gore Vidal was going to pop up in Shrink, I went into literary fangirl heaven, which quickly became a fan rant. The movie stars Kevin Spacey as a shrink who isn’t able to deal with a personal tragedy and becomes a burn-out pothead. And now The Hollywood Reporter posts that some young blood is being injected into the indie. Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights) gets to co-star as a pot dealer named Jesus. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s the shrink’s drug connection.

Meanwhile, Doris Roberts, who became a household fixture as the overbearing mom and grandma on Everybody Loves Raymond, has picked up a new film gig. Variety reports that she’s starring with Ernest Borgnine in a new film called Another Harvest Moon. She’ll play “a relentlessly peppy septuagenarian in a nursing home.” The film has got a pretty sweet cast that boasts the likes of Piper Laurie, Anne Meara, Cybill Shepherd, and Amber Benson.

Finally, there is Brian Baumgartner. Variety has posted that The Office star has picked up a gig in Into Temptation. This is the flick about the prostitute who plans to kill herself on her birthday, and the priest who tries to talk her out of it. Baumgartner will play a fellow priest named Fr. Ralph O’Brien.

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These celebrities were born on June 29:

Nicole Scherzinger is 30.
Jeff Burton is 41.
Robert Evans is 78.
Will Kemp is 31.
Gary Busey is 64.
Robert Evans is 78.

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These celebrities were born on June 30:

Mike Tyson is 42.
Fantasia is 24.
Michael Phelps is 23.
Bobby Vitale is 43.
Chan Ho Park is 34.
Patrick Wolf is 25.
Monica Potter is 37.

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Men hoping to be in with a chance of dating Kylie Minogue could get off to a good start by learning how to be a genius in the kitchen.

The Love at First Sight singer has revealed that it is often a case of love at first bite for her.

“It’s one thing a man has to be able to do,” she told the Sun newspaper.

“If he can cook then he’s off to a good start.”

But, men, don’t expect a cordon bleu meal in return; the diminutive popstar also admitted that she is far from being a good cook.

“I’m good at running around the kitchen posing and looking pretty, but I’m afraid I’m a useless cook. It’s just something I have never done,” she admitted.

Kylie also told the paper that she is not dating Olivier Martinez again, despite photos of them together in Paris suggesting otherwise.

“It was good to catch up and we’re still good friends, but there was nothing more in it than that,” she said.

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Despite their differences over the last year, Britney Spears and her ex-hubby Kevin Federline have one thing in common — they’d both like to avoid going to trial this summer over the custody of their two young sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.??

On Thursday, the pop singer, her father Jamie Spears and K-Fed managed to sneak away to a secret location where they and their attorneys began to try and hammer out an out-of-court custody deal ordered by commissioner Scott Gordon.??

However, the all-day meeting (rumored to have been at a 5-star hotel) ultimately resulted in nothing.

Both Brit and K-Fed refused to give an inch beyond the current custody status: K-Fed has temporary physical custody and Britney has visitation, which now includes one overnight visit per week.??

The long, drawn-out conference seemed to take its toll on the recovering pop star.

An eyewitness tells OK! that following the meeting, Brit went directly back to her Studio City home at The Summit and then headed to the Ritz Carlton Hotel where she promptly booked a massage and sauna session.??

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Oscar-winner Charlize Theron says she owes her success to one woman… the mum she watched kill her violent father.

The actress was 15 when mum Gerda shot her drunk and abusive dad in self-defence on their South African farm.

Charlize, 32, left home shortly afterwards, eventually making it to Hollywood, and Gerda made a success of the family haulage firm.

In a magazine interview Charlize reveals: “The greatest gift mum ever gave me was watching her put on her high heels and power suit and going into a business meeting with eight guys and running the show.

“I thought, ‘I want to be like that!’ My mother inspired me, but I don’t think she set out to do that - it was just the way she lived her life and the way she encouraged me to live mine.”

Charlize co-stars with Will Smith in the current blockbuster Hancock

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Friends actress Jennifer Aniston is reportedly planning a big party so that she can introduce her boyfriend John Mayer to her father.

The party is planned for Independence Day, July 4, and cements the relationship as anything less than serious.

Jen, 39, is also planning a trip to meet John’s family.

One source said: “This shows how serious they are becoming. All Jennifer’s friends were sceptical of the relationship at first, but John seems to be taking it all in his stride.

“Admittedly it was Jennifer’s idea and she is organising it but John seems to be looking forward to it.”

Jennifer and John have been dating for the past few months, and have defied sceptics who thought it was just a “summer fling”.

The pair have holidayed together and visited Jen’s best friend, Courteney Cox and her husband David Arquette.

Jen has also followed John to England while he plays a massive gig in Hyde Park.

With this planned family meeting, it’s a sure sign that the couple are fully committed to each other.

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Filed under: Comedy, Casting

There’s even more casting news on the Son of Mourning front, which is making this whole flick seem even sweeter. However, before I get to that, the project got itself a name change. In the casting news that went up at The Hollywood Reporter, it’s said that the film will drop the “U” and now be called Son of Morning. That’s … a totally different tone.

Anyway, on the heels of a couple Sopranos stars, Jesse Bradford, Steven Weber, Bob Odenkirk, and the ever-wonderful Edward Herrmann have signed on to the satire. The movie stars Joseph Cross as a copywriter who goes home to think over his parent’s divorce, and “after a series of environmental disasters, is mistaken for Jesus Christ.” How does that work? Does a hurricane hit that has clouds shaped in such a way that they look like this guy? Does he go to a costume party dressed as Jesus when all this badness hits? I don’t get it.

Of course, people like Bradford, who plays a Hollywood agent, and Weber, who plays a lieutenant governer, descend upon the poor dude to capitalize on his new-found fame. Odenkirk will play the guy’s co-worker, and finally Herrmann will be the new Jesus’ father figure and mentor. You can’t do much better than that.

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Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free

Despite being panned for her performance at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, it seems that MTV wants her back. the president of MTV Music Networks Van Toffler has been quoted as saying “Everyone deserves a second or third chance, right?”

Spears “Gimme More” performance at last year’s awards at the Palms Casino Resort drew 7.1 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the show’s most talked-about moment.

This year’s VMA’s will take place at the Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles on September 7th. The show’s performances will occur on the lot’s various sound stages, rooftops and faux city streets.

Honestly, doesn’t Britney have enough money? Shouldn’t she concentrate more on attempting to see her kids? She looked pretty out of it during the last show (which is probably the source of all the gossip) and it’s time for her to take a long break. Unless, of course, she’s being prepared for the harvest.

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