Sam Worthington Preps For "The Last Days Of American Crime"

Film financing/sales company IM Global and Radical Studios are partnering on "The Last Days of American Crime", according to IM Global CEO/Founder Stuart Ford and Radical's Barry Levine/Jesse Berger.

The action thriller, to be directed by F. Gary Gray, September 2011, is based on the Radical graphic novel series "The Last Days Of American Crime" by writer Rick Remender and illustrator Greg Tocchini.

Screenplay is by Karl Gadejsak, with attached actor Sam Worthington ("Avatar") and his Full Clip Productions label producing alongside Automatik. Producers are Michael Schwarz of Full Clip Productions with Radical's Levine and Berger. Executive Producers will be IM Global's Ford, Worthington and Automatik's Brian Kavanaugh-Jones :

"...'The Last Days of American Crime' is a hard-boiled heist film set in the very near future where the government plans to implement a form of legal mind control, making it impossible for its citizens to commit unlawful acts. Career criminal 'Graham Bricke' (Worthington) must put together the last heist in American history, on the last night that such a crime is possible..."

"This is such a powerful, iconic piece of material," said IM Global's Ford. "We really believe this movie can bring something fresh to the 'noir' universe..."

"'The Last Days of American Crime' graphic novel is one of the most coveted titles in the Radical catalogue and our most successful international seller," said Radical's Levine.

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Listen To Weird Al's "Lady Gaga" Parody

Although we just have the lyrics for now, you can listen to the 'pop culture juggernaut' parody from Weird Al Yankovic sending up pop star Lady Gaga's single "Born This Way".

"I was really kinda predisposed not to do a 'Lady Gaga' parody," said Al. "Because, well, that's what everybody in the universe was already assuming I would do, and I hate to be predictable."

"...My mama told me when I was hatched
Act like a superstar
Save your allowance, buy a bubble dress
And someday you will go far
Now on red carpets, well, I'm hard to miss
The press follows everywhere I go
I'll poke your eye out with a dress like this
Back off and enjoy the show!

I'm sure my critics will say it's a grotesque display
Well, they can bite me, baby -- I perform this way
I might be wearin' Swiss cheese or maybe covered with bees
It doesn't mean I'm crazy -- I perform this way

Ooo, my little monsters pay... lots 'cause I perform this way
Baby, I perform this way
Ooo, don't worry, I'm okay... hey, I just perform this way
I'm not crazy, I perform this way

I'll be a troll or evil queen
I'll be a human jelly bean
'Cause every day is Halloween
For me...

I'm so completely original
My new look is all the rage
I'll wrap my small intestines 'round my neck
And set fire to myself on stage
I'll wear a porcupine on my head
On a W-H-I-M

And for no reason now I'll sing in French
Excusez-moi, Qui a pété? (Who cut the cheese?)

Got my straight jacket today, it's made of gold lamé
No, not because I'm crazy - I perform this way
I strap prime rib to my feet, cover myself with raw meat
I'll bet you've never seen a skirt steak worn this way

Don't be offended when you see
My latest pop monstrosity
I'm strange, weird, shocking, odd, bizarre
I'm Frankenstein, I'm Avatar
There's nothing too embarrassing
I'll honestly do anything
But wear white after Labor Day
'Cause baby, I perform this way

Hope you won't think it's cliché if I go nude today
Don't call the cops now, baby, I perform this way
No reason I should regret all the attention I get
I'm not completely crazy, I perform this way, yeah

I perform this way-hey, I perform this way-hey
I'm always deviating from the norm this way-hey
I perform this way-hey, I perform this way-hey
I'm really not insane -- I just perform this way-hey..."

Click the images to enlarge and listen to Weird Al's "Perform This Way" and Sneak Peek Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"...

The "Secret Six" Go Straight To Hell

DC Comics' "Secret Six" #33, now available, is written by Gail Simone, with illustrations by J. Calafiore and a cover by Daniel Luvisi :

"...the 'Secret Six' team travels straight to their own personal hell! Someone has a card to free a soul from Hell forever – but who has it, and who gets to use it? And can you really spit in the devil's eye and get away with it? Find out in this stunning conclusion to 'The Darkest House'..."

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"The Art Of Getting By"- June 17, 2011

Sneak Peek a new poster supporting the upcoming romantic comedy feature "The Art Of Getting By" (aka "Homework") , written/directed by Gavin Wiesen, starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Alicia Silverstone and Rita Wilson:

"...High school student 'George' (Highmore) has a bad attitude towards homework, forming an unexpected friendship with 'Sally' (Roberts), the girl he has a crush on..."

The film will be released in North America, by Fox Searchlight, June 17, 2011.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Art Of Getting By"...

FX Flexes Their "Powers"

Actor Charles S. Dutton ("The L Word") has been cast in FX's "Powers," a TV pilot adaptation of the comic book series, first published in 2000 for Image Comics, by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrator Michael Avon Oeming.

Dutton will play 'Captain Cross', the head of a homicide police department.

The pilot is being produced by Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions, written by Charles H. Eglee ("The Walking Dead") and directed by Michael Dinner ("Justified").

The first volume of "Powers" ran from 2000 to 2004. Subsequent volumes, beginning in 2004 were published by Marvel Comics as part of their Icon publishing imprint.

"...'Powers' is set in a world where superpowers are relatively common but not mundane, following the lives of homicide police detectives 'Christian Walker' and 'Deena Pilgrim', devoted to cases that involve people with superpowers.

"Walker used to be the costumed vigilante 'Diamond', but became a cop after he lost his abilities. Though stripped of his powers, he still retains his contacts within the superhero community, becoming engaged to an ex-colleague, who is later killed.

"'Deena Pilgrim' contracted her superpowers during a fight with an underworld thug named the 'Bug'. As a result of this, she unintentionally kills her abusive boyfriend in self-defense, then hides the evidence, after coming under investigation by 'Internal Affairs'..."

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Fox Counts On "What's Your Number ?"

From Regency Enterprises, Sneak Peek the new poster supporting the upcoming 20th Century Fox comedy feature "What's Your Number?", directed by Mark Mylod, produced by Anna Faris, Beau Flynn, Tripp Vinson, Gitty Daneshvari and written by Gabrielle Allen, Jennifer Crittenden, based on the novel by author Karyn Bosnak :

"...'Ally Darling' (Faris) looks back at the past twenty men that she has had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them might be her true love..."

"What's Your Number?" stars Faris as 'Ally Darling', Chris Evans as 'Colin' and Ryan Phillippe as 'Simon Forrester'.

"What's Your Number?" will be released September 30, 2011.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "What's Your Number?"...

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"Zookeeper": Animals Break The Code Of Silence

Sneak Peek the new poster supporting Columbia Pictures upcoming comedy feature "Zookeeper", starring Kevin James and Rosario Dawson, with the voices of Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau and Cher :

"....The animals at the zoo adore their caretaker 'Griffin Kayes' (James), an amiable but lonely guy who's never quite fit in. Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides he should leave the zoo and get a life. When the zoo animals discover his plan, they break their 'code of silence', revealing that they can 'talk'.

"But now they won't shut up and they're teaching Griffin nature's best mating rituals. To help him win the girl of his dreams (Dawson) and save their happy family, they're willing to do — or say — anything..."

Produced by Sandler's production company Happy Madison, "Zookeeper"will be co-distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures, July 8, 2011.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Zookeeper"...

"Family Guy: The Big Bang Theory"- May 8, 2011

The "Family Guy" episode "The Big Bang Theory", airs May 8, 2011 over the Fox network :

"...'Stewie' (Seth McFarlane) and 'Brian' (McFarlane) go back in time to stop 'Bertram' (Wallace Shawn) from killing 'Leonardo da Vinci'."

In other "Family Guy" news, creator Seth MacFarlane said that development continues on production of a "Family Guy" feature film, following an idea "...that you could not do on the show, which is the only reason to do a movie", imagining "an old-style musical with dialogue".

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"Project Nim": Monkey See. Monkey Do.

Director James Marsh' UK documentary "Project Nim", follows scientist Professor Herbert S. Terrace, who used baby chimpanzee 'Nim Chimpsky' to be the subject of an extended study of 'animal language' at Columbia University, during the 1970's.

Since 98% of the DNA in humans and chimps is identical (with the remaining 2% having an unknown 'alien' origin), some scientists believed that a chimp raised in a human family, using 'ASL' (American Sign Language), would shed light on the way language is acquired and used by humans. To find out if a chimpanzee could learn to communicate with humans through sign language, the doc shows how the baby monkey was taught first how to dress himself, use the toilet and even by nursed by his first surrogate (human) mother Stephanie LaFarge.

At age five, 'Chimpsky' (given his name as a pun on 'Noam Chomsky', the theorist of human language structure and generative grammar at the time, who held that humans were 'wired' to develop language), was thrust out of this nurturing environment and back into a primitive, caged existence at a university research facility, with issues surrounding 'animal cruelty' and 'lab testing', mentioned in passing, illustrated by hard-hitting footage.

After his owners were reportedly going to sell Nim to a research lab, public involvement funded Nim's retirement to the 'Black Beauty Ranch', operated by 'The Fund for Animals', the group led by Cleveland Amory, in Texas, with Nim dying at the age of 26 from a heart attack.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Project Nim"...

Sleeper Hit For The "Sleeping Beauty"

Sneak Peek another new international poster supporting the $10 million budgeted, Australian erotic thriller "Sleeping Beauty", starring Emily Browning ("Sucker Punch"), in a debut feature written/directed by novelist Julia Leigh :

"... Death-haunted, quietly reckless 'Lucy' (Browning) is a young university student who takes a job as a 'Sleeping Beauty'.

"In the 'Sleeping Beauty Chamber' men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission.

"This unsettling task starts to creep into Lucy’s daily life and she develops an increasing need to know what happens to her when she is asleep..."

Produced by Jessica Brentnall, Timothy White, Sasha Burrows and Jamie Hilton, "Sleeping Beauty" will screen at this year's Cannes Film festival, with a cast including Rachael Blake as 'Clara', Mirrah Foulkes as 'Sophie' and Henry Nixon as 'Mark'.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Sleeping Beauty"...

Sneak Peek Lady Gaga's "Judas"

Sneak Peek the 'religious' love song and accompanying video by "Lady Gaga" titled "Judas", starring Gaga as 'Mary Magdalene' and Norman Reedus as 'Judas'.

The video was co-directed by Gaga and creative director Laurieann Gibson.

In the video, Mary, Jesus and the disciples ride into town on motorcycles during Palm Sunday, eagerly greeted by townspeople.

In addition to Mary Magdalene, Gaga also plays 'Pontius Pilate'.

"I’m not going to start churning out what you expect," said Gaga about the video. "If you’re looking for me to be something that isn’t there, stop looking. I am not that. I am not created."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Judas"...