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Funk, Royalty, Whimsy and Action Roll Into Theaters

February 29, 2008 11:30 AM

The Oscar red carpet has been rolled up, but Hollywood is still  abuzz over style. This week's silver screen offerings include Scarlett Johansson  parading in a girder, Will Ferrell shimmying into short shorts and Christina Ricci donning a prosthetic snout. See if we've sniffed out anything worth watching:

In "Semi-Pro," Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) and his voluminous coif work to save an American Basketball Association team. Moon and his Flint,  Mich., Tropics teammates, played by Woody Harrelson ("No Country for Old Men") and André Benjamin ("Four Brothers"), struggle to turn their basement dwelling team into a winner. Penned by "Old School" scribe Scot Armstrong, this 1970s-era basketball tale is filled with improved gags and quirky, heartfelt moments. No matter what your thoughts on this movie, though, Ferrell's shorts are a blatant technical foul.

Scarlett Johansson must like fish and chips, because "The Other Boleyn Girl" is her fifth U.K.-set film since 2003. Screenwriter Peter Morgan ("The Queen") adapted Philippa Gregory's novel about the 16th-century Tudor court's elaborate web of intrigue. Featuring a stellar cast, this beautifully shot period drama follows the fiery competition between sisters Mary (Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to win the love of Tudor King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). It's good to be king.

"Penelope" is a whimsical update of the Prince Charming fairy tale. This time, though, the damsel is distressed by her pig snout-shaped schnoz. Christina Ricci plays Penelope, a young woman hidden from the world  --  and paparazzi  --  by her bourgeois mother (Catherine O'Hara) who believes her daughter must marry a  blue-blood to lift the curse of her funny-looking sniffer. But after potential suitors respond to Penelope by making B-lines for the door (one candidate even flings himself through the second-story window), the girl wraps a scarf around her face and runs away. Young director Mark Palansky borrows Tim Burton's imaginative style and fascination with the grotesque but spares us the "Sweeney Todd" throat slashings. And for that, the squeamish must thank him.

The Oscar-nominated Brazilian movie,  "City of God," pulled an impressive $7.5 million at the U.S. box office. "City of Men" shares the setting and actors of "God  " but follows a different story. "Men" is about two best friends who grow up  within their favela's drug- and violence-filled culture. One sets off to find his father and later returns to find himself opposite his old friend in a gang war.  Directed by award-winning Brazilian filmmaker Paulo Morelli, the hand-held camera shakily captures the fast-paced action and drips with the humidity and heat of Rio's streets. Be prepared to sweat. 

Jonathan Ages

February 29, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Rosie Plots Return to TV With the 'Nanny'

February 27, 2008 4:49 PM

ABC News' Sheila Marikar Reports: What do you get when you pair one of daytime TV's loudest personalities with her prime time counterpart?

A splitting headache? An urge to hurl your TV out the window?

No. According to Rosie O'Donnell and Fran Drescher, you get family-friendly comedy.

The former "View" moderator is plotting her return to the small screen -- she wants to create a sitcom about three best friends that would co-star Fran Drescher, the nasal New Yawk-accented star of "The Nanny."

“Now, Fran and I have a new sitcom, but we can’t talk about it, right?” O’Donnell says in a video posted on her blog, rosie.com, Feb. 22.

Drescher chimes in, “We’re going to do a new, fun, happy, family comedy."

The project is in its early stages. A spokeswoman for O'Donnell told the Los Angeles Times that it's "way too premature" to discuss.

O'Donnell has mostly stayed away from the spotlight since abruptly leaving "The View" in May 2007 after a heated political debate argument with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Last fall, she released her second memoir, "Celebrity Detox," and had preliminary talks with MSNBC about hosting a talk show.

Drescher's stints on TV have been few and far between since "The Nanny" went off air in 1999. In 2005, she returned to the small screen with the sitcom "Living with Fran," but the show was canceled after two seasons.

February 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (51) | TrackBack (0)

Bring Home 'Beowulf' ... and Angelina

February 26, 2008 9:42 AM

ABC News' Jonathan Ages Reports: The otherworldly "Beowulf" comes out on DVD and HD-DVD this week with a special director's cut available on DVD only. Robert Zemeckis' gorgeously rotoscoped movie is packed with special features,  including "A Hero's Journey: The Making of Beowulf" and an interactive version with optional pop-up trivia. This isn't just for fans, techies or literary buffs. Almost anyone will enjoy seeing this burgeoning technology come to life.

After "The Life Aquatic  With Steve Zisou" tanked, Wes Anderson fans were  eager  for the director to return to his heavily acclaimed form. Unfortunately, "The Darjeeling Limited" wasn't that return. In fact, it plummeted to box-office depths that even Steve Zisou wouldn't want to visit. This DVD-only release doesn't improve on the theatrical release. Besides Jason Schwartzman's "Hotel Chevalier" short film, the only other notable extra is a 21-minute behind-the-scenes "Walking Tour." There isn't even director's commentary. This release won't save Anderson's sinking ship.

February 26, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Hard-Partying Paris to Find Friends on TV

February 26, 2008 9:32 AM

ABC News' Sheila Marikar Reports: Apparently, back-to-back birthday parties haven't helped the newly 27-year-old Paris Hilton procure many friends -- or enough publicity.

Usmagazine.com reports the heiress plans to search for a best buddy on a new reality show.

"Paris is tired of the haters and she's looking for someone new," a source told Usmagazine. "She's looking for someone new and cool who she can trust."

Hilton made her first foray into reality TV with "The Simple Life" in 2003, in which she and her (presumably) ex-BFF Nicole Richie sampled the lifestyles of the not so rich and famous.

The untitled show is expected to be picked up by VH1 or MTV, and according to Us, it'll "be full of good chick drama and you will see a side of Paris not seen on 'Simple Life.'"

While she may need help in the friends department, Hilton's not lacking for romance. Her latest boy toy is rumored to be Benji Madden -- the twin brother of Richie's boyfriend, Joel Madden.

February 26, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)