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George Clooney’s new Italian girlfriend is baring all in the new issue of U.S. Playboy.

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The Oscar season begins in earnest this weekend. But will the moviegoers bite?

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
The Story: George Clooney and Jeff Bridges star. Based on the true story of a US Army…

Earlier this year when writing about The Men Who Stare at Goats for our holiday movie guide, we said, “Jeff Bridges brings back large parts of his famed ‘Dude’ role as the druggie, hippie leader of psychic soldiers on a mission in Iraq. George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey co-star in what looks like either the best comedy of 2009 or a colossal bomb (so to speak).” Roger Ebert likes it, but most others lean towards the latter.

“…funny…”

— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“Hey, this is a movie about a ‘New Earth Army’ full of misfit soldiers yearning for a chance to be non-conformists with a cause, which means it’s already two-thirds of the way to being awesome. Had [director] Heslov eased back a bit, Goats might’ve made it the rest of the way.”

— Noel Murray, Onion AV Club

“The movie isn’t funny enough to work as farce, but it’s far too dippy to take seriously.”

— J. Hoberman, Village Voice

“…ends in a confused mix of LSD-induced giggles and a call-to-destiny that seems both parodic and sincere. Its scattershot blasts at unconventional warfare and hippie transcendentalism are too impotent to produce much laughter, let alone the characters’ longed-for ability to run through walls.”

— Bill Weber, Slant Magazine

“…a magical-realist sitcom war farce that ends up being about nothing but its own slovenly smugness.”

— Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The Men Who Stare at Goats - Trailer

A comedy about psychic soldiers

Link | Posted 11/5/2009 by reelz

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek fought to keep the rights to the Terminator franchise for their Halcyon Co. production company, but The Financial Times reports that that the rights to Terminator will be auctioned off this month.

Halcyon originally purchased the Terminator rights in 2007 for $25 million and produced a TV show, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and the movie sequel Terminator Salvation. While Chronicles was canceled, Salvation managed to gain $371 million in worldwide box office. Still Halcyon declared bankruptcy and sued their lender, Pacifcor, who Anderson and Kubicek claim pushed them into default on their loan. A bankruptcy judge allowed the producing duo to continue to develop Terminator 5, but it looks like that will come to an end once the rights are auctioned off.

In an openly sarcastic letter to DeadlineHollywood, writer-director Joss Whedon made a bid for the Terminator rights, offering $10,000 and claiming he had solid ideas on what to do with the franchise.

Terminator … of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far … back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? “Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!” RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

Considering the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise just sold to Nickelodeon for $60 million, and Terminator has been a far more profitable at the box office than the Ninja Turtles, Whedon may need to bid just a few more thousands.

Hollywood Headlines - George Clooney, Terminator, and A Christmas Carol

Terminator for sale and more

Link | Posted 11/4/2009 by Ryan

Joss Whedon | Derek Anderson | Victor Kubicek | Terminator Salvation

George Clooney has been dragged into a row between the writer of his latest film Men Who Stare At Goats and a documentary maker who claims his contribution to the production has been sidelined.

George Clooney Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey were among liberal celebrities featured on a newlyreleased list of visitors to the White House during President Barack Obama’s first nine months in office.

The premise behind The Men Who Stare at Goats — that the U.S. military employed “psychic spies” during the Cold War — may seem pretty bizarre, but it’s apparently based on an actual program. In fact, actor Jeff Bridges contacted Lt. Col. Jim Channon, the real-life “psychic warrior” that his character in the movie, Bill Django, is based upon for tips when preparing for the role. Bridges told the L.A. Times:

Jim Channon is alive and well in Hawaii, and he answered all my questions. He’s very gung-ho, and he’s really dedicated to changing the human direction. A lot of the stuff is far-fetched and easy to laugh at but in my own personal view, it’s headed in the right direction. We have to find some way besides killing each other. This stuff is bizarre, but I bet whatever is really going on in the universe is a lot weirder.”

In addition to getting tips from Channon, Bridges said that he used his own strange experiences to help him formulate the character of Django.

I found myself remembering my own experiences in the 1970s when I hung out with John Lilly, the man who invented the isolation tank and did experiments with trying to communicate with dolphins. I was a test subject in the isolation tank; it was a box with about 2 feet of water and 1,000 pounds of salt so you would float. John was a guy who would shoot acid — he’d inject LSD straight into his veins — and go in there for 24 hours.

When it comes to choosing acting roles, Bridges said that he really tries “not to do anything at all.”

I only take projects that come to the point where I have no choice. Whatever sucks me in, whatever beats my resistance, those are the ones I did.

The Men Who Stare at Goats was written, directed, and produced by Grant Heslov and also stars George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey.

The Men Who Stare At Goats - Clip

Interview: Jeff Bridges on the movie

Link | Posted 11/1/2009 by BrentJS

Ewan McGregor | George Clooney | Jeff Bridges | Kevin Spacey | Grant Heslov | The Men Who Stare at Goats

Remember the Tarantino/Rodriguez camp-fest that was From Dusk Til’ Dawn? George Clooney killed a bunch of south-of-the-border stripper/hooker-vampires using holy water-loaded Super Soakers. That was…

Newly released list reveals some of the celebs who’ve visited President Obama since inauguration

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