I'm a big admirer of actor Guy Pearce, and though I wish he'd appear in more pictures, I respect the choices he makes. I interviewed him years back, and he was one of the most introspective, smartest actors I've ever talked to -- honest about how it felt to make a movie like, say, "The Time Machine." After that, he chose his material carefully, and not based on what Hollywood was telling him to take on.

So I'm pleased to hear that, after much speculation, he will appear in Ridley Scott's anticipated "Prometheus."

Scott can be off, but this one looks like a promising project. And Pearce is joining an interesting cast of actors.

Here's more from The Playlist:

"Rumors had been flying around for the past few days about Guy Pearce taking a role in Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated and top-secret 'Prometheus' after CHUD caught wind of some intel from their sources. We put in a few calls and it turns out that morsel of info is bang on.

The Playlist has confirmed with reps for the actor, that Guy Pearce has joined 'Prometheus.'

"There’s no word yet on what his role in the film is, but he’s joining an already solid cast in the film that both is and isn’t a direct prequel to 'Alien'—essentially, it will take place in the same world with some connective DNA stringing the two films together, but how much more than that remains to be seen.

"Pearce joins Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Rafe Spall and Logan Marshall-Green in the film that is currently in the midst of a six-month shoot that started in Toronto and is currently in front of cameras on soundstages in London. The film will hit theaters on June 8, 2012."

 

Coming Soon is debuting more photos from Paul W.S. Anderson's upcoming "The Three Musketeers," the newest adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel, filled with action, adventure and derring-do.

Since there's a "Three" in the famous title, the movie, of course, is opening in 3D (and 2D for those going old school) on October 14. The picture stars Logan Lerman, Matthew MacFadyen, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Christoph Waltz and Milla Jovovich.

 

Because it's Bing Crosby's birthday ...

There’s a wonderful moment in the musical High Society during which Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra sing an especially rousing version of Cole Porter’s “Well, Did You Evah!”-- a moment I've watched too many times to count. Midway through the charming, inebriated song, in which two “swellegant” party pals swap banter, dish on guests and form a dipsomaniacal camaraderie, Crosby croons to Sinatra with his distinctive “ba ba ba boom” and Sinatra jokes, “Don’t dig that kind of crooning, chum.” “You must be one of the newer fellows,” Crosby answers back.

The idea of Sinatra being one of the “newer fellows” is amusing since, in 1956 (when the picture was released), the big-band, and balladeer musical style of crooning was already on the wane. Sinatra was well on his way to becoming the elder-statesman Chairman of the Board, Elvis would be anointed the King of Rock ’n’ Roll and Bing would be … Bing.

Not that anyone would ever forget Bing Crosby. The crooner, born in Tacoma, Washington, had been cinema’s number one box-office draw from 1944 to 1948 and was an enormous, multi-talented star -- radio, recordings and motion pictures all earning him legions of adoring fans. And like another famous crooner who would count him as an influence (Dean Martin), Crosby had his own cinematic comedy team, making the frequently funny (and underrated) “road” movies with wise-acre Bob Hope. He even won an Academy Award (for Going My Way) and received another nomination for his alcoholic role in The Country Girl.

There’s no denying that Crosby was and is big time. And yet … why does he feel just a little slighted through the years? Like the only moment we enjoy his music is once a year, when we roll out “White Christmas” from our holiday collection of old standards?

Perhaps it’s just how antiquated his music sounds today -- beautifully, mysteriously antiquated, like something emerging from a dream….or a nightmare. In either moody reverie, when listening to the brilliant baritone sing “Pennies From Heaven,” “Ol’ Man River” or “Swinging on a Star,” you feel the music form around you, as if you’re riding on an ethereal echo chamber of air coming from a million miles away.

 

"Fast Five" has become this year's first bonafide global hit. It even over-performed.

This does not surprise me.

Here's the details from WENN:

"Four months into 2011, the movie business finally has the year's first huge global hit. Universal's 'Fast Five' debuted to an estimated $83.6 million domestically this weekend, more than doubling up on the year's previous best start ($39.2 million for Fox's 'Rio') and shattering Universal's previous best opening ($72.1 million for 'The Lost World: Jurasic Park').

"The movie overperformed pre-release estimates in the $60 million to $70 million range, while leading the previously ice-cold domestic box office to a 54 percent uptick over the same weekend last year. With $45.3 million playing at 3,211 international playdates this weekend, 'Fast Five' now has a cumulative worldwide total of $165 million. The film was shot for $125 million after tax breaks.

"The success of 'Fast Five' overshadowed two other disappointing debuts from smaller films: Disney's "'Prom' opened to only $5 million, widely missing projections closer to $10 million; and Weinstein's long-gestating 3D kiddie film 'Hoodwinked Too!' endured a similar fate, grossing just $4.1 million.

"But it was all about 'Fast Five' this weekend, which opened up at 3,644 locations -- all of them showing the movie in the traditional 2D format -- while garnering an A grade from movie-customer satisfaction survey firm Cinemascore."

 

This is exciting news. Quentin Tarantino has completed his newest screenplay, a Spaghetti Western titled "Django Unchained," and it's a no brainer that the picture will be ready to begin shooting soon.

Here's more from the Huffington Post:

"After taking on Nazi Germany with the Brad Pitt-led band of "'Inglourious Basterds,' WME, Tarantino's agency, confirmed that he's finished writing the script for 'Django Unchained,' a Spaghetti Western that, according to Tarantino Archives (via Indiewire), will pay homage to Italian director Sergio Corbucci's original 'Django' and Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike's 'Sukiyaki Western Django.'

"Tarantino actually appeared in 'Sukiyaki,' making a cameo as a character named Ringo.

"'Django,' it seems, will be the eighth film of his career, which, in an interview at the Morelia International Film Festival in 2009, he promised to release before coming out with 'Kill Bill: Vol. 3' in 2014. According to HitFix, he was also pondering producing a '30s-style gangster film, which would certainly fit his penchant for violence-filled movies."
 

I didn't stay up to watch The Royal Wedding. Not because I'm one of those thinking that by not watching it, I'm really sticking it to the stupid masses. Wow, you're really making a statement to ... Americans. John Lydon would be so proud.

If you want to watch a Royal Wedding live, then go ahead and enjoy it. My goodness.

So with that, I did look at some of the highlights this morning, and I realized that one of the reasons, or perhaps the biggest reason, I loved Kate Middleton's gown was because it looked a lot like another famous Princess -- Princess Grace.


Has there ever been a Princess lovelier than Grace Kelly?
 

I guess when the real life Joe Buck (Channing Tatum) approaches you about making a stripper movie -- with Channing Tatum as the title stripper -- you drop everything and forget that whole "I'm retiring from filmmaking" business.

Here's more from WENN:

"Channing Tatum is returning to his days as a stripper for a racy new film.

"'The Eagle' star has teamed up with moviemaker Steven Soderbergh to develop a new project about the sleazy world of male strip clubs.

"Channing was a stripper in Florida before his acting career took off.

"He says, 'This was a wild and pivotal time in my life and I couldn't be more thrilled to go down the rabbit hole with Steven.'

"Tatum will co-produce the project, which is tentatively titled 'Magic Mike.'

"He'll play a mentor to a young dancer in the film, according to Variety.

"Earlier this year, Soderbergh announced he would retire from filmmaking after completing two final projects, but he's signed on to direct 'Magic Mike.'

 

I loathe the term "meh," I love Steve McQueen and I like Jeremy Renner. And yet, with all of this, the below news made my mind immediately say "meh."

From WENN:

"'The Hurt Locker' star Jeremy Renner is developing a biopic about movie legend Steve McQueen.

"The actor and his producing partner, Don Handfield, have formed a production company and are interested in bringing 'The Great Escape' star's life to the big screen.

"Music video director Ivan Zacharias will make his feature debut behind the camera for the movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and Renner is expected to play McQueen in the film."