Seth Green Signs Deal With Dimension

Dimension Films has signed a two picture deal with Seth Green and Matthew Senreich's Stoopid Monkey Productions. The deal includes a stop-motion animated holiday feature titled Naughty or Nice, and a live-action untitled comedy. The duo, who created and executive produce, write and direct Cartoon Network's Adult Swim stop-motion animated show Robot Chicken, will produce both projects under their production company Stoopid Monkey Productions. This deal marks Stoopid Monkey's first foray into film. The joint announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company, Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Naughty or Nice, a stop-motion animated holiday family feature, will be produced by Green, Senreich and DC comic book writer Geoff Johns. Senreich and Johns are also penning and co-directing. Green will direct the voiceovers and provide the voice of at least one of the main characters. Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley's Shadowmachine Films, which also produces Robot Chicken, will produce at their Los Angeles animation production studio. The second project, a live action untitled comedy, will be written by Tom Root, co-head writer, co-producer and director of Robot Chicken. Root will produce the film based on his original idea, with Shadowmachine, Green and Senreich. Details of the project have not been disclosed. Bob Weinstein stated, Seth and Matthew have come up with two incredibly unique projects that will showcase their talent to a wide audience. Seth Green stated, For as long as I can remember, I've heard that the Weinsteins make and distribute unconventional films without sacrificing quality. They are creator-friendly and we're thrilled to be in business with them.

Richard Saperstein, president of production, Matthew Stein, senior vice president of production, and Alex Franklin, director of development and production will oversee the projects for Dimension.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

For more than three decades, the legend of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has remained one of the most terrifying and lingering stories ever brought to the big screen. Ever since the original film debuted in 1974, fans have debated the origins of the story -- now viewers can see how it all began in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. The producers behind the successful 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre return to deliver this startling prequel, which details the beginnings of the Hewitt clan and exposes their psychotic idea of family fun. For the first time, audiences will learn what led to the origin of Leatherface, perhaps the most iconic horror character of all time.

New Line Cinema produces, in association with Michael Bay, presents The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, the terrifying story of a family left behind in a fading rural town, with no hope, no prospects and nothing left to lose, whose eccentric behavior crosses the line into gruesome, sadistic ritual. The film stars Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, Diora Baird, Matt Bomer, Lee Tergesen, Cyia Batten and R. Lee Ermey.

Janet Jackson 20 Y.O.

Courtesy: The Masked Industry Insider

Ok, I just listened to Janet Jackson's new album 20 Y.O. And for all you guys thinking that this is another Damita Jo, you're wrong. There are some pretty good songs on the album like So Excited (featuring Khia), With U (which has an old-Janet sound), and Call On Me (featuring Nelly). And there's even a real hit on the album - Do It 2 Me. That song is the ISH!! When I heard it I jumped around the room shouting "Janet Is Back, Janet Is Back!!"That's the good news. The bad news is there is some real trash on the album. Two songs in particular stand out - Get It Out Me (which sounds like a Cassie song) and Love 2 Love (which is just plain annoying). After hearing that whack-iosity I just wanted to grab Janet and shake the mess out of her. And after I listened to the whole album I kept asking myself one question - why didn't Jermaine Dupri put more hits on the album. That man can make hit after hit for Mariah Carey, why can't he do the same for Janet? I just can't figure that one out. Now it's time to rate the album. I figured that instead of coming up with some corny system like two thumbs up or four mics, I'd just tell you what the album is worth. Since it does have some good songs, I'd say it's worth $6.99 - the Walmart on-sale price. Ms Jackson is on her way back, but she's still not good enough to get off the sale rack.

The Departed

Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime drama The Departed. The Departed is set in South Boston where the Massachusetts State Police Department is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organized crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. A young rookie, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), who grew up in South Boston, is assigned to infiltrate the mob run by Costello. While Billy is working to gain Costello's trust, another young cop who came up from the streets of Southie, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), is quickly rising through the ranks of the state police. Earning a spot in the Special Investigations Unit, Colin is among a handful of elite officers whose mission is to bring Costello down. But what his superiors don't know is that Colin is working for Costello, keeping the crime boss one step ahead of the police.

Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operation he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin find themselves in constant danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy -- and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

JACKSON TO PRODUCE "HALO" GAME

Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) is teaming up with Microsoft's Bungie Studios to create what is presumed to be the next version of its "Halo" video game. However, details of the project, disclosed at an industry event in Barcelona, were sketchy. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer quoted Microsoft exec Jeff Bell as describing the project as "interactive entertainment" and adding, "It is not the movie. It is not [the video game] 'Halo 3.' It is all new content that is going to be developed by Peter Jackson as co-writer, co-producer, along with the team at Bungie, to continue to expand upon the 'Halo' franchise and intellectual property."

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints

I went into my screening of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints not knowing anything about this movie, other than that the one sheet made me think it might have something to do with superheroes. Little did I know I was going to become immersed in a New York drama set in 1986 about a group of friends, and all the highs and lows that befall them. The person leading the story is Dito Montiel who also wrote the book A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. This is an interesting film because we know we are watching a movie, yet at the same time we also are aware that the person who directed this movie is showing us a piece of his life. At about forty minutes in I realized that I was watching one of the best, American coming of age tales since American Graffiti, Mean Streets and Stand by Me. I wish I could stand on a street corner all day telling people how terrific this film is. ~Evan “Mushy” Jacobs

PHOTO: Malibu Aniston

Jennifer Aniston looking gorgeous strolling down a Malibu beach with her new puppy Norman, and one of her best friend’s Courteney Cox's Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

Gallery of the Absurd = Gossip Fueled Art

Those brilliant minds over at the Gallery of the Absurd are at it again.............creating more hollywood babyblon inspired illustrations.

http://www.galleryoftheabsurd.com

Cameron Diaz filed a police report early Tuesday in Hollywood accusing paparazzi of assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly tried to run over her and boyfriend Justin Timberlake with his car, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed. The incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday as Diaz and Timberlake were leaving a friend's home.

"A photographer hiding in the bushes attempted to snap a photo of them," said Officer Marjan Mobasser, citing Diaz's report. "Ms. Diaz and Mr. Timberlake both then chased him a short distance." That's when the unnamed photographer allegedly hopped in his vehicle "and drove toward Ms. Diaz and Mr. Timberlake, causing Ms. Diaz to jump out of the car's way," added Mobasser. "Ms. Diaz felt the photographer was trying to hit her with his car so she filed an assault with a deadly weapon with a vehicle police report.”No arrests have been made at this time and no suspects have been identified. An investigation is ongoing."

On Wednesday, celebrity photo agency X17 admitted to employing the photographer in question and quickly came to his defense. "To the best of our knowledge, the pictures and video of Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz early morning were taken on a public street where there was no 'Private Drive' or 'Private Property' sign visible," the agency said in a statement. "What the photographer knows he saw and what the pictures show were at least two people verbally and physically assaulting him." X17 also rejected allegations that the paparazzo tried to run them down with his car.

Diaz's publicist Brad Cafarelli declined to comment, instead referring to a statement from the actress' attorney, Marcy Morris. "The increasingly aggressive conduct of the paparazzi continues to be a matter of grave concern," Morris said. "There is currently a criminal investigation pending regarding the conduct of the photographers involved in this incident. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

Want to find the next Annie Leibowitz? Head to SmashBox Studios this Saturday in L.A., where Dean and Davis Factor present The Future Photographers Exhibit.
Mentorees of Liebowitz, plus other photographers like Matthew Rolston and Steven Meisel, will present their work for two weeks at the space, where fashion and art professionals can view their shots and hopefully spot some new talent. The show could provide fodder for the upcoming Los Angeles Fashion Week, where under-the-radar designers and models are often scouted for bigger and better things—could shutterbugs also get their big break thanks to SmashBox?

Guy Ritchie's film company lost over £100,000 last year. Ska Films - the company behind Guy's hit productions 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch' - suffered the losses after it failed to produce any successful films in the last two years. The £110,374 loss from 2005 is said to be the negative effect of Guy's decision to take a break from directing to spend time with his family. It has not yet been determined if Guy's last film 'Revolver', which was panned by critics, will manage to improve the company's accounts for 2006.The filmmaker - who is married to Madonna - has took more time off this year to look after the couple's children - Lourdes, Madonna's daughter from fitness instructor Carlos Leon, and Rocco - while his wife travels the globe on her 'Confessions' world tour. While on tour with is wife Ritchie is also directing a documentary unveiling a-behind-the-scenes look of the Queen of Pop's tour.

Hannibal Lector Returns

The Associated Press has reported that a new "Hannibal Lecter" novel, originally scheduled to come out last year, will be published this December. Thomas Harris ' "Hannibal Rising," which tells of the early years of literature's most famous cannibal, is the fourth of the million-selling series that includes "The Silence of the Lambs," made into an Academy-Award winning film starring Anthony Hopkins. The new book will have a first printing of at least 1.5 million copies. “Now, in `Hannibal Rising,' readers will at last learn of Lecter's beginnings and will see the evolution of his evil," Irwyn Applebaum, president and publisher of the Bantam Dell Publishing Group, said Tuesday in a statement.

Harris' novel was originally titled "Behind the Mask" and was supposed to come out in the fall of 2005. Applebaum declined comment when asked by The Associated Press why the book took longer than expected, saying, "Sometimes, that's how the process works." Harris was simultaneously writing the screenplay for a film version of "Hannibal Rising," due in early 2007.

Austin City Limits Music Festival

The AT&T blue room will be bringing you yet another great web cast! Access hours of FREE uninterrupted live streaming coverage starting on September 15th from the Austin City Limits Music Festival!

This year's festival line-up features Gnarles Barkley, John Mayer, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Massive Attack, Ben Harper, The String Cheese Incident, The Flaming Lips, The Raconteurs, Los Lonely Boys, The Shins, Ween and about 100 more acts! After the show, come back to the blue room for archived footage from your favorite Austin City Limits Music Festival artists.

http://blueroom.att.com/events/acl.php

MADONNA in Moscow

Madonna rocked Moscow last night. Some 50,000 spectators, 7,000 police officers, and a handful of Orthodox Christian protesters congregated at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium for Madonna's controversial debut concert in Russia. A week after a hundred believers gathered to let Moscow know that the American singer was 'under the influence of the devil', threatening an 'inquisition' if she came to Moscow, police said they held 10 Orthodox protesters near the concert. The public, however, appeared to ignore the Russian Orthodox Church's call for a boycott of the concert, with tickets selling out in record time. Police said the concert went off without incident, despite the fact that Madonna defied church warnings against 'exploiting Christian symbols' by singing from a cross at one point during the show.

Ben Affleck Makes A Comeback

Ben Affleck won the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of tragic Superman actor George Reeves in the film Hollywoodland – the actor revealed returning after such a long sabbatical means he has to prove himself again. Affleck was so sure he wasn’t going to get the top acting prize at the Venice Film Festival, he left the festival and flew back home to Los Angeles early. He explains, "If I thought for a second that there were going to be awards for anybody, I would have stayed!" Affleck claims the role has given him a chance to get his career back on track after a string of film flops including Jersey Girl and Gigli. He adds, "I've been in movies that earned a lot of money that... I wish I wasn't in honestly. I was a little cavalier before, but having a child makes me think about things differently. "I have to prove myself all over again, but I don't mind that. Once I realized where things were going, I just said, 'OK, let me make sure I'm in a place where I don't have to worry about being on Family Feud for dough in five years and then I'll just do what I can be proud of.' "The only thing that matters to me is my daughter being able to be proud of her old man."

9/11: Five Years Later

We Will Never Forget...........

John Travolta in Hairspray

The first image of John Travolta in the movie adaptation of Hairspray has been released. Travolta, in drag, plays Edna Turnblad, whose daughter Tracy (newcomer Nikki Blonsky) confronts racism in 1960s Baltimore. Travolta inherits the role from Divine in the original 1988 film and Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway show. Hollywood musicals have been a real gamble at the box office lately, so filmmakers needed a star who sings as well as he acts, says director Adam Shankman. The real discovery, Shankman says, is the chemistry between the veteran and rookie. "When she walked on set for the first time, it was like she had been doing it for 30 years. John melts around her. They are so cute together, it's unbelievable."

Suri Cruise's Debut

Vanity Fair magazine has unveiled their top secret cover of Suri Cruise. The magazine's 22-page spread of 4 1/2-month-old Suri and her famous parents, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, features photos taken by photo maven Annie Leibovitz for the October issue, on newsstands in New York and Los Angeles today and nationwide on Sept. 12. The cover photo shows Suri peeking out of a jacket worn by Cruise with Holmes looking on. Katie Couric, in her first night as anchor of the "CBS Evening News," revealed the photo Tuesday. Born April 18, Suri had not previously appeared in any published photos, prompting some public speculation about her very existence. Holmes says of her daughter: "She's a glorious girl. She's the miracle of our life."

TRIBUTE: Steve Irwin (1962-2006)

Sunshine Cleaning

Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are slated to star in Sunshine Cleaning, New Zealand born Christine Jeffs, who previously made Rain and Sylvia, will direct. It’s a character piece about a woman who wants to send her eight-year old son to a private school then decides to go into business with her unreliable sister in order to earn more money. They form a company doing biohazard removal and crime scene clean up. Shooting is to begin early next year.

MTV VMA's Fail To Deliver

With Bureau correspondents inside and outside of NYC's Radio City Music Hall, we had planned to have extensive coverage of this year's MTV Video Music Awards. However, to be completely honest......the show SUCKED!!! The worst MTV VMA's ever. We can remember a time when the VMA's were the most anticipated television event of the year. What happened?

The only highlight for us was Justin Timberlake's thrilling performance of his new single Sexy Back which opened the award show telecast.

Other than that there really isn't anything worth mentioning. Sad.