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James L. Brooks Wants To Release A Musical Cut Of 'I'll Do Anything'... But He Doesn't Have The Rights

Posted 1/5/11 5:17 pm EST by in Interviews, News, Video


When James L. Brooks first conceived of his 1994 dramedy "I'll Do Anything," he saw it as an old-fashioned movie musical. And so he commissioned musicians such as Prince, Carol King and Sinead O'Connor to write original songs and tapped Twyla Tharp to choreograph a series of song-and-dance numbers for the film. Sounds great, right? Well, test audiences absolutely hated it. And so Brooks recut the film -- which stars Nick Nolte as a down-on-his-luck actor forced to care for his 6-year-old daughter when his ex-wife goes to jail -- excising every single one of the musical sequences in the processes.

Brooks fans have long wanted to experience this long-lost director's cut, but sadly it has never seen the light of day in theaters or on home video. So when MTV News recently caught up with brooks at the press day for "How Do You Know," we took the opportunity to ask him when -- if ever -- we'd be treated to a version of "I'll Do Anything" with all the original musical numbers intact.

Alas, the answer is probably not. "I wanted to do it, and then I couldn't get the rights," Brooks confessed. Read More...

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James L. Brooks Reveals 'Broadcast News' Deleted Subplot And 'Fascinating' Alternate Ending

Posted 12/15/10 2:19 pm EST by in Interviews, News


We still have about a month more to wait until "Broadcast News" arrives on DVD and Blu-ray as the latest addition to the Criterion Collection. Still, we couldn't help but ask the director of the esteemed piece of cinematic mastery, James L. Brooks -- who has been busy promoting his new romantic comedy "How Do You Know" -- for a sneak peek at what special features will be part of the package. Brooks, naturally, did not disappoint.

"I hadn't seen it in forever so my director's commentary, because the acting killed, was 'Oh my God, look at what he did there, oh that's so great! That was my director's commentary," Brooks said.

"But we found in the vaults, we found footage, I knew I had a subplot that I had taken out that I saw again after a long time and it was dark, it was really good but it was dark," he revealed. Read More...

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Reese Witherspoon Caught Between Paul Rudd And Owen Wilson In This 'How Do You Know' Trailer

Posted 8/16/10 8:56 am EST by in Trailers


You know that "untitled James L. Brooks" comedy that only recently got a title, "How Do You Know"? The one starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson. Well there's a debut trailer for it online.

The movie actually looks pretty damn funny, sharper than your typical romantic comedy love triangle fare, which is basically what it is. Witherspoon plays an accomplished athlete who is involve with a professional baseball player (Wilson). He's totally wrong for her. Then along comes an old friend (Rudd), a corporate suit who is embroiled in some legal shenanigans. Pending court appearances aside, he's perfect for her. The movie's plot might diverge from the story the trailer lays out, but even if it doesn't there's some sharp writing here. Not that I would expect anything less from Brooks. Enjoy.

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Reese Witherspoon Sheds Some Light On Her Untitled Project With James L. Brooks

Posted 11/3/09 3:00 pm EST by in News, Video


Reese Witherspoon picked up an Oscar in 2005 for her performance as June Carter in the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," but she's been fairly quiet since then. Working of course, but there's one listing on IMDB for her that's had me curious for ages. After all, it's not every day that you pair a performer of her caliber with James L. Brooks, executive producer of "The Simpsons," for an as-yet-untitled comedy also starring Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. So when MTV reporter Akshay Bhansali ran into Witherspoon last week at the Avon Foundation for Women Awards Gala red carpet, he just had to ask her for an update, perhaps even a title, on the mysterious project.

"We don't have a title, we just wrapped on Saturday," Witherspoon said. "We've been shooting it for the past six months." And what exactly is "it"? Previous reports indicated that the actress would sit at the apex of a love triangle, with Rudd's white collar executive and Wilson's professional baseball pitcher. Read More...

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Judd Apatow & James L. Brooks Are 'Funny People' With Similar Careers

Posted 8/5/09 3:00 pm EST by in Commentary


Judd ApatowHistory isn't typically a laughing matter, but in the case of famed director-producer-writer James L. Brooks, it usually is. Brooks, whose credits include "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi" and "The Simpsons," has a long and esteemed history in the movie and television business, though his hasn't always been an easy road. Still, it's also not a unique road; the path that Brooks traversed has been walked before, and it's certainly being walked again.

Look no further than "Funny People" director Judd Apatow, whose career is starting to mirror that of James L. Brooks. Sure, the two have wandered down different forks in the road at times, but Apatow's trajectory is nonetheless similar to Brooks' own in some very meaningful ways. Read More...

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Jack Nicholson Wants To Watch Reese Witherspoon Play Softball

Posted 6/3/09 5:30 pm EST by in News


Jack NicholsonIf a girl you liked had Jack Nicholson as a father, would you be too scared to ask her out? Even if that girl was Reese Witherspoon? I would think so, but then this isn't a situation I would ever find myself in. Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson will however, according to The Hollywood Reporter: Nicholson is "in talks" to take the role in an untitled romantic comedy from James L. Brooks.

The romantic comedy stars Reese Witherspoon as a professional softball player who is torn between two handsome, available men: Rudd, a nice, ordinary guy, and Wilson, a rakish fellow with one heck of a fastball. It clocks in at 94 miles an hour. This is an important point. I'm not sure why, but that's about as specific as THR gets with regards to the story. Read More...

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