Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Adam Shankman has fortunately found another musical to direct following his success with the "Hairspray" remake. Variety reports that he's set to helm the movie version of Broadway's "Rock of Ages," which incorporates popular '80s rock anthems, such as Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna take It," into a Sunset Strip-set love story about an aspiring musician and a girl who's just off the bus.
Shankman, who also made the hilarious online short "Prop 8: The Musical" and will be doing a "Hairspray" sequel, feels he knows the material well enough from having worked on an Extreme video back in the early '90s and from growing up with a dad in the music biz. He also was a choreographer on "Boogie Nights," which means he probably has experience setting a scene to Night Ranger's "Sister Christian," one of the songs appropriated for one of the numbers in "Rock of Ages." Read more...
Are you familiar with John Waters? He may not be the originator of camp, but he is in many ways the modern-day godfather of it. As for what camp is, I'll let Waters himself explain it, which he did in a guest appearance on "The Simpsons":
Waters: It's camp! The tragically ludicrous? The ludicrously tragic?
Homer: Oh, yeah! Like when a clown dies.
Waters: Well, sort of.
Camp filmmaking essentially involves treating relatively stupid, tasteless ideas with the same sort of ingenuity and creative reverence typically reserved for so-called "fine film." This is Waters' stock in trade, so much so that it is somewhat baffling to be a fan today knowing that his classic "Hairspray" was adapted for film and theater musical treatments. What's not so baffling is the filmmaker's recent revelation that he's gearing up to call it quits. Read more...
"Bedtime Stories" director Adam Shankman may do what no one in Hollywood has managed so far -- bring back big screen musicals. With "Hairspray" under his belt and a deal to direct "Bob: The Musical," Shankman is stepping in to help Columbia revive its remake of "Bye Bye Birdie." According to The Hollywood Reporter, he'll be producing and developing the film, but isn't set to direct just yet.
"Birdie" debuted on Broadway in 1958, but probably is best known for the 1963 movie version that starred Ann-Margret and Dick Van Dyke. It centers on a popular singer named Conrad Birdie (who was loosely based on Elvis Presley) who is about to be shipped off to the army, but decides to give one lucky girl from his fan club a farewell kiss. Of course, love, mayhem, and musical numbers follow. Read more...
First it was a movie. Then it became a musical. Then, it became a movie based on a musical. Now, according to Queen Latifah, “Hairspray” is on its way to becoming a sequel.
“I got a secret e-mail about that recently,” the Queen has revealed to us, insisting that her character of Motormouth Maybelle is in for a comeback alongside co-stars John Travolta, Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes and others.
“I got an e-mail from people connected to the last movie,” the Oscar-nominated actress/hip-hop legend added. “It said: ‘Keep your ears peeled.’”
Based on John Waters’ 1988 cult classic, 2007’s hit musical told the story of a pleasantly plump teenager battling racism, an evil local Mom, and an undeniable desire to simply dance. A sequel would not only seem to necessitate a post-civil rights plotline, but also a bunch of brand-new songs as catchy as “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” Read more...
Article by Heather Perry
Please, ladies. Don't cry. Ever since we posted our latest Zac Efron "High School Musical" story, devoted fans of the hit TV flicks have been disconcerted over the news that the golden boy is hanging up his dancing shoes.
But wait! Adam Shankman, the producer/director/choreographer of "Hairspray," has information of biblical proportions that should bring screaming 15-year-olds out of their broken-hearted depression. The king of musicals will shake his perfect little tush once more in the now-filming movie, "Seventeen Again." Read more...
From Leonardo DiCaprio to Al Gore, lately it seems like every celebrity is attaching themselves to a catastrophic cause. So what's the latest harsh reality they hope we'll acknowledge? The destruction of the beautiful-but-barren ice deserts in the Arctic. And if 2005's "March of the Penguins" didn't get you on the bandwagon, Queen Latifah wants to give you one more opportunity with the global warming awareness flick "Arctic Tale."
"Being a part of a movie that reminded me of 'March of the Penguins' was exciting to me," the Queen told MTV News recently, discussing her voiceover gig at the premiere of "Hairspray."
"Arctic Tale," which is boosted by Latifah's authoritative tones, was chosen by the Oscar nominee as a more light-hearted version of "Penguins" - which came from the same producing team. Focusing on the life cycle of Seela the mother walrus and her calf, "Tale" also gives us the story of a polar bear named Nanu and her cubs. Together, the narratives attempt to illustrate the harsh realities of life in the Arctic, while complementing it with love and laughter. Read more...
Ever wonder what Danny Zuko would look like if he was 30 years older and a hundred pounds heavier? Well, thanks to a recent moment of transcendence that we captured on tape, you finally have your chance.
During an interview with John Travolta and his 18-year-old "Hairspray" co-star Nikki Blonsky, the veteran actor floored us with a few notes of "You're the One That I Want," the signature tune from his 1978 classic "Grease." It's a song -- and a movie -- that the star rarely indulges. But as you'll see, Blonsky was just as thrilled as us when Travolta broke out the tune. See the magic happen in the video below, and then read all about it after the jump.
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Shrek this. Shrek that. The irascible green ogre didn't invent the fractured fairy tale, but he sure has heck perfected it. Now after three "Shreks" and even a "Hoodwinked!" the studio that molded the modern fairy tale is out to tweak their Happily Ever Afters, and boy do they have a lot of ammunition, laughed James Marsden.
"Disney went back to 'Snow White' [and] 'Sleeping Beauty,' the sort of classic fairytale animation, and then thrust those characters into present day, live-action New York City," Marsden said of "Enchanted," the story of a fairy tale princess (Amy Adams), who gets banished to the real world. "The first 15 minutes is traditional animation. [After that] you get the juxtaposition of these idealistic princesses and princes in this cynical world - running around Manhattan trying to find each other and get back to [their] world." Read more...
Zac Efron, I have underestimated you for the last time. How was I to know what you could do with the mere batting of an eye? A single eye! We're not even talking about both! I'm sorry, but I'm still reeling and apparently, so are all of you.
What am I talking about? Well, a few days ago we posted an exclusive clip from the eagerly anticipated musical, "Hairspray." Maybe it's the prosthetics or the way he says "is that braised?" but the focus of my attention was on John Travolta. It would seem I am in the minority.
Take a gander at the picture in the upper right and you'll see what is responsible for a slew of comments on our blog ranging from "OMG, I love that wink!" all the way to "Zac's wink is AMAZING!!! He is soooooooo cute!"
We take our Zac Efron/wink analysis seriously here, so after the jump check out some screen captures and commentary that you can pore over to your heart's content.
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When you see "Hairspray" next month, you might find yourself looking past Travolta, Pfeiffer and Walken and instead noticing up-and-coming star Elijah Kelley. As he sings, dances and steals scenes while telling the story of a black teen trying to overcome racism, it's hard to not imagine him as a young Sammy Davis Jr. And if you're thinking along those lines, you're not alone.
"I want to play a certain gentleman that preceded myself in entertainment and music," the actor -- who until now is probably best known for last year's Antonio Banderas flick "Take the Lead" -- playfully told us this past weekend. Luckily, when we guessed that he was talking about the Rat Pack legend, Kelly coughed up the fact that he is indeed competing with several actors -- reportedly including Andre 3000 -- who want to be the first to get a Davis biopic on the silver screen. Read more...
