Sopranos star big Bones break
Emmy-winning Sopranos star Michael Imperioli has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones.
The all-star lineup includes Rachel Weisz, Ryan Gosling, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and newcomer Saoirse Ronan.
The big-screen adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-seller centers on a young girl who is murdered but continues to observe her family on Earth after her death. She witnesses the impact of her demise on her loved ones, while her killer skillfully covers his tracks and prepares to murder again.
Imperioli will play Len Fenerman, the detective in charge of investigating the girl's death.
Jackson will start shooting the DreamWorks/Paramount project in October, in Pennsylvania and New Zealand.
Imperioli recently received his fifth Emmy nomination for his supporting role as an ill-fated mobster on HBO's The Sopranos, having won the statuette in 2004. His credits include GoodFellas, Bad Boys, Summer of Sam and the upcoming The Inner Life of Martin Frost.
Idol meets Rocky? At least that's what Simon says
American Idol star and reality TV producer Simon Cowell is venturing into features with a music-themed project tentatively titled Star Struck.
Inspired by Alan Parker's 1980 film Fame, Star Struck is set behind the scenes of a TV singing competition in the vein of Idol and the Cowell-produced British show X-Factor and follows 10 contestants trying to make it to the top.
"The story is told through the eyes of those 10 contestants," says Cowell. "We want it to be the musical version of Rocky - an underdog story, a feel-good film."
A singing reality show is a perfect setting to make the story in the film relatable, Cowell says.
For authenticity, the leads in the film - playing participants in a TV singing competition - will be cast through nationwide open call auditions similar to those used on the reality shows. Cowell, who hopes to hold the calls early next year in seven or eight cities, believes casting unknowns for the leads is crucial.
Cowell has had the idea for the movie for two to three years. After meeting a number of writers early on, he picked British TV scribe Jonathan Harvey, who followed him around for the past two years.
In doing the movie, Cowell is going with his instincts. Five years ago, it took him and Idol creator Simon Fuller months of relentless pitching until Fox finally picked up the show.
"We always believed that a TV show like Idol would be successful," Cowell said. "I have the same feeling about doing the movie."
You're the daddy Eddie, now pay up, says Scary
Scary Spice went to court Wednesday to try to scare up some child support from Eddie Murphy.
The 32-year-old singer, whose real name is Melanie Brown, filed a petition in Superior Court that seeks to legally establish Murphy as the father of her 4-month-old daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown. Brown will also seek sole custody and reasonable child support, attorney Gloria Allred said at a press conference.
"I am here today for one reason and one reason only; her name is Angel," Brown says. "Angel is my baby and Eddie's. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by both of us."
Arnold Robinson, a spokesman for the 46-year-old actor, declined to comment. Brown said she and Murphy dated for four months in 2006 before mutually deciding to conceive a child.
"The relationship was in full swing right at the beginning of my pregnancy," Brown says, adding that she was shocked when Murphy later said he was not sure he was the baby's father.
Allred said Murphy took a DNA test in June. The test "established paternity but paternity has not been legally acknowledged," she says in a statement.
Brown, who dated Murphy last year, gave birth to her daughter April 3. She listed Murphy as the father on the birth certificate. Murphy has five children from his marriage to Nicole Mitchell Murphy, who filed for divorce in 2005. He got engaged last week to film producer Tracey Edmonds, according to Adris Debarge, Edmonds' executive assistant.
Brown also has an 8-year-old daughter. The Spice Girls recently reunited for a tour that is scheduled to begin later this year.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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