- J.J. Abrams explains why William Shatner is not in new “Star Trek.” Hint: It’s because of William Shatner. (AMC)

- Speaking of Shia and director D.J Caruso – they might want to lawyer up. Dreamworks sued for “ripping off” “Rear Window” in “Disturbia.” (Yahoo)

- “Mamma Mia” star Amanda Seyfried joins Lass Hallstrom’s “Dear John,” about a young woman who falls in love with a soldier. (Variety)

- David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker and Paul Rudd join James Franco in “Howl,” which you first heard about here. (THR & MTV)

Franco stepped into a stoner persona for "Pineapple Express," and now he's set to explore his even more hippier side as the legendary poet Allen Ginsberg. The actor gave the news exclusively to MTV News, revealing that he'll be tackling the writer for a new movie called, appropriately enough, "Howl," after Ginsberg's famous poem written at the height of the Beat Generation.

“It's by a two time Oscar Award winner named Rob Epstein, he's actually a documentary film director," Franco said of the project. “So I'm gonna play the young Allen Ginsberg, the days before he went bald and gained weight. The early Howl days." Read more...