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09/09/10

Twilight 3 to Be Released Again For Bella’s Birthday

In case you missed it the first time around, Twilight: Eclipse is being rereleased this weekend in honor of its hero, Bella Swan's, birthday! Nikki Finke briefly returned from vacation to point out that, "No, this isn't a joke." Swan is technically ageless now as she's (spoiler) a vampire by the series' end, but her birthday is Monday. Still, Summit Entertainment is going to go ahead and release the film, which has earned nearly $300 million in the U.S. alone, tomorrow, because you'll want to celebrate this milestone all weekend long. [Deadline]

Party Lines Slideshow: Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes, and Tom Cruise at The Romantics Screening

By Diana Scholl

Earlier this week, at Cinema Society's screening of Katie Holmes's The Romantics, Vulture got Tom Cruise to share his thoughts on the ambiguous ending of his wife's new movie. Well, that Romantics screening is the gift that keeps on giving, because now here's Holmes's co-star Elijah Wood on his Flipper mate Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan's recent tax troubles. So, Elijah: When you were making Flipper, was Hogan living large? "Oh God, I don’t even remember. Doesn’t he own a number of tea tree farms? That’s all I remember." Also: "I wish him well." For more illuminating celebrity quotes, click through our Party Lines slideshow.

See the slideshow! »

Vulture’s Prime Suspect DVD Contest: We Have Winners!

By Edith Zimmerman

Thanks to everyone who submitted a Helen Mirren–themed haiku for our Prime Suspect DVD giveaway. It was hard to pick winners, and also a little hard to read the word "Queen" so many times, but we successfully narrowed it down to two.

From Blankets:

"I'll be your mirror,"
Mister Reed wrote. It should go
"I'll be your Mirren."

And from JSherwin:

IMDB says
that you are sixty-five. Please.
Fifty tops, Mirren.

Flattery will get you everywhere. Or at least several DVDs. Congratulations, winners!

Drake Announces Hugging Plans for the Weekend

"There's a couple of women I'd like to hug. I'd like to hug Angelina Jolie. I wanna hug Alicia. I'm happy for her. I wanna tell them in person: I'm still a fan." —Drake on his plans for Sunday's MTV VMAs [MTV]

"I was more of an actor who directed back then and now I'm more of a director who acts. Or occasionally acts. Or maybe never acts ... " —Clint Eastwood [LAT]

Plus: Tommy Lee no longer least responsible member of his family. »

ANTM Season-Premiere Recap: Tyra Has Gone High-Fashion and She Wants You to Know It

By Amy Odell and Beth Stebner

You guys! It only took fifteen tries before America's Next Top Model got high-fashion, and that moment the world has been awaiting for years finally premiered last night on the CW. The first episode of the fifteenth cycle did not include our favorite judge in the history of reality television, André Leon Talley, but it did include lots of Tyra Banks talking about how legit this season is, with Italian Vogue and IMG launching the winner's career. (Then she cut a gaggle of 32 bonkers model wannabes down to the fourteen who will face ALT, Tyra, and friends on the judging panel beginning next week.)

But the prizes aren't all that's new: Tyra's got a fedora, studied Italian accent, and concern for her reputation; Nigel Barker's got a suit and tie; and the girls have many shocking and at times disturbing things to say. Oh wait, that last part's not new, ha. Revel in the glory of legitimacy in our montage recap of last night's episode's high-fashion highlights.

Read More »

Does the CW’s ‘Solidly’ Rated Hellcats Have a Chance in Heck?

By Josef Adalian

A year ago this week, the CW issued a press release declaring the premiere numbers for new drama Melrose Place "solid," even though it was pretty clear from the start that the show was dead on arrival (and even though privately, they were conceding they were actually pretty disappointed). Melrose limped along well into the spring, but died a predictable death. Now another heavily hyped new CW cheerleading series, Hellcats, has made its debut; the Nielsen numbers are in, and the network has sent out an e-mail trumpeting its premiere ratings as ... "really solid." Given Hollywood logic, if you guessed that the numbers for Hellcats came in lower than the failed Melrose, well, that'd be a really solid guess.

But it beat America's Next Top Model! »

Aziz Ansari to Announce Kanye’s VMAs Performance

By Josef Adalian

We're less than 100 hours away from Kanye West's much-anticipated return to the MTV Video Music Awards. Will he end up collaborating with new Twitter BFF Justin Bieber? Will he find another way to apologize to Taylor Swift? Dunno — but Vulture can tell you who's set to introduce Mr. West's Sunday performance. According to sources close to the show, Vulture bro (and Parks and Rec star) Aziz Ansari has been asked to do the honors. Ansari and Kanye are definitely buds, with their previous hangs ending up fodder for Ansari's stand-up specials and Letterman appearances. Ansari also started the still-popular Twitter hashtag #PredictingKanyeTweets. In other words, we're expecting Ansari will come up with something a bit sharper than "Ladies and gentleman, Kanye West!" Maybe a little Raaaaaaaandy?

Britney Spears Fires Back at Bodyguard’s Sexual-Harassment Lawsuit

By Amos Barshad

Good news for fans who feared Spears's new bit of legal trouble — a sexual-harassment lawsuit from former bodyguard Fernando Flores that claims Britney engaged in sex acts in front of him and threatened to fire him after he told her there was a fifteen-minute wait for a Slurpee at a movie theater — would be the beginning of a backslide into general craziness. A representative for Spears has released a very normal-sounding statement on her official website which leads one to believe this will all blow over very quickly.

This lawsuit is another unfortunate situation where someone is trying to take advantage of the Spears family and make a name for himself. The Department of Children and Family Services conducted a proper investigation surrounding Mr. Flores' accusations and have closed the case without any further action. Ms. Spears and her attorneys have every expectation that this matter will be dismissed by the courts.

That's great for Britney and all, but we're a little bit sad now that we don't live in a world where that Slurpee thing is true.

Britney Spears Responds To Sexual Harassment Suit [MTV]

Malick’s Tree of Life Coming Next Year, Swears Fox Searchlight

By Lane Brown

Boom! Domestic rights for Terrence Malick's massively anticipated, long-delayed, Brad Pitt–starring, possibly dinosaur-featuring Tree of Life were just acquired by Fox Searchlight from River Road and it'll be released sometime in 2011. This means it's out of this year's Oscar race — but at least it exists and is likely in a state of near-completion! (Also, this means it won't be released by much-troubled Apparition Films.) Fox Searchlight bosses Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley said in a statement: "Terrence Malick has crafted a deeply moving, keenly observed and magisterial film. Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and the entire cast’s performances are simply amazing. This is a signature film by a signature filmmaker." Looking forward to it.

“Tree of Life” Finally Takes Root as Fox Searchlight Makes Deal [IndieWire]

Joaquin Phoenix Allegedly Impersonated

According to a press release that just arrived in our in-box, a Joaquin Phoenix impersonator is running amok at the Toronto Film Festival, appearing on red carpets with a "massive entourage of scantily clad female groupies." The release also notes that Casey Affleck — director of I'm Still Here, the mock-doc on Phoenix's pretend rap career — "is aware" of the "con artist" and will make some kind of announcement outside the Varsity Theater tomorrow night, before Here's Toronto premiere. We're sure he'll clear everything up.

Vanessa Paradis Is Very Nervous About Acting Alongside Johnny Depp

Vanessa Paradis is still deliberating about teaming up with her American lover, Johnny Depp, for the upcoming Lasse Hallström–directed film, My American Lover. Paradis is set to play feminist writer Simone De Beauvoir and Depp her macho American man Nelson Algren, based on A Transatlantic Love Affair. But Paradis says the project is still in development and she's scared: "They’re still writing the script, but it's a beautiful story," she said. "I don’t know that I could do it ... 'My American Lover' came along and it might happen just because the story is great ... [But] playing in front of one of the best actors in the world and someone I know so well will be challenging." It worked for Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, not so much. [ONTD]

Lou Reed Scotches Susan Boyle Performance

Crotchety Velvet Underground legend Lou Reed spared America's Got Talent viewers a performance of his "Perfect Day" by Susan Boyle yesterday. The chart-topping Britain's Got Talent singer had flown all the way to Los Angeles to do the song, but upon her arrival she was informed Reed had denied permission for the track's use because he "isn't a Boyle fan." With no time to prepare a new song, Boyle flew right back to London. If only Claude-Michel Schönberg had been similarly discerning. [TMZ via Movieline]

Jay-Z Likes Willow Smith’s Single

So much that he signed her to his label! Says Jay: "We at Roc Nation are excited to work with Willow. She has an energy and enthusiasm about her music that is truly infectious. It's rare to find an artist with such innate talent and creativity at such a young age. Willow is about to embark on an incredible journey and we look forward to joining her as she grows in all aspects of her career." Nice to know we're not the only ones with good taste around here. [RyanSeacrest.com]

Rating the Practicality of Female-Action-Hero Fashion, From Alien to Resident Evil 4

By Edith Zimmerman

Resident Evil: Afterlife, the fourth movie in the franchise, comes out this weekend, and, in it, Milla Jovovich kills undead beings as happily as ever, except now she's got her outfit figured out. Remember in the first Resident Evil, when she wore that bizarre red half-severed prom dress? It was just one of the many memorable and sometimes hilarious ensembles worn by female action heroes in the movies. Because they can't just wear grubby combat boots and greasy machine-gun vests like the action men — no, the action women must wear their violence attire alluringly. So, in the pantheon of female action heroes, who strikes the best balance of sexy and utilitarian? We take a look. And please let us know who we left out.

Wall Street Journal to Have a Book-Review Section

By Lane Brown

Good news, starving book critics! In his latest gambit to outdo the New York Times, Rupert Murdoch will launch a weekly stand-alone book-review section at his Wall Street Journal this month, doubling the number of weekly stand-alone book-review sections nationally (America's only other one is the Times' Sunday Book Review, following the shuttering of all the other ones). The Observer reports that the section will feature a "significant" number of pages and be overseen by former Weekly Standard editor Robert Messenger, so hit him with your pitches (no word yet on whether Sam Tenenhaus will blacklist you from the Times Book Review if he sees your byline in the WSJ's). Also, the Journal's section will be included in Saturday's paper, meaning it'll arrive on newsstands a full 24 hours before the NYT's. Checkmate.

Wall Street Journal To Launch A Book Review Section [NYO]

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