Hollywood Round-up, 7/30

By Jason Apuzzo. • The big story right now is that Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently dropping out of Mel Gibson’s forthcoming Viking epic due to Mel’s recent … do I need to tell you?  As I said when this story first broke about Gibson’s ranting and physical abuse, he wasn’t going to survive this scandal.  And now we’re seeing it.  For what it’s worth, I think DiCaprio has made the right decision.

• In the wake of the recent debate here at LFM over alien-themed projects, Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel has a new screenwriter, who also happens to be the guy working on both the new Star Trek films and also Cowboys & Aliens.  Should the same guy be doing all this?  Incidentally, Ridley Scott is also apparently circling around Gucci, which may star Angelina Jolie as Patrizia Reggiani – who was sentenced to 29 years in prison after being convicted of plotting the murder of her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci, after he’d taken control of the family’s fashion empire.  It would be an alluring femme fatale role for Jolie – and I’m sure the opportunity to be around Gucci products has absolutely nothing to do with her interest in this project.

• In other Jolie-related news, what’s with all these sexy Russian spies?  The latest is Anna Fermanova, a young Russian beautician now facing a federal felony charge in Texas for allegedly trying to smuggle night vision scopes to Moscow.  Unreal.  I’ve never seen such a bizarre run of coincidental publicity for a movie, ever.  This would be like the Russians introducing a new stealth fighter just in time for Firefox.

• Another very big alien project just got announced: Guillermo del Toro is set to direct and James Cameron produce a 3D adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s famous novel, At the Mountains of Madness.  I would love to see this, even given my current intense displeasure with Cameron.  At the Mountains of Madness is one of my favorite novels, and is one of the most influential science fiction novels of all time.  You could say, in a sense, that it already has been adapted by way of such films as The Thing and Alien … but it would be wonderful to see a new take on the original material, provided everybody is respectful toward Lovecraft’s novel (which I assume they would be).  Del Toro seems to have the right florid sensibility for this.

• In other sci-fi news, Len Wiseman wants to do a remake of Total Recall.  Yawn.  And there are some new set pics out from Transformers 3.  Also check out director Alex Aja’s fun interview about Piranha 3D.  I’m so ready for that film.  It’s my treat for having sat through Inception.

• Obama says he doesn’t actually know who Snooki is. But I’ll bet he knows who JWoww is, right?  Come on Barry, fess up!  Don’t go on The View and pretend you don’t know these things.

• Did you know that Paul Giamatti will be playing Nikita Krushchev, in a new HBO movie?  The title of the movie is K Blows His Top, about Krushchev’s famous visit to the United States – during which he blew his top in public after his Disneyland trip was cancelled.  Tom Hanks is producing on this one.  Hanks recently blew his top when The Pacific was released.

• Carla Bruni just started shooting Woody Allen’s next film … and she blew her first scene!  Apparently she looked into the camera.  Maybe that’ll end up on the DVD.

• In the annals of overhyped bloggers, nobody quite takes the cake like Olivia Munn.  Today she had this elegant, insightful remark to make about Wonder Woman’s new costume: “She doesn’t need to wear a f**king star to be a f**king patriot.”  Thank you, Olivia.  You and your fanboy compatriots certainly elevate everything we do on the internet.

• In the wake of Oliver Stone’s recent impolitic musings on the Jewish people (ahem), Haim Saban wants Stone’s 10-part series “A Secret History of America” to be pulled from Showtime.  Ari Emanuel is apparently joining him in this effort.  I actually think Les Moonves might cave here.  Saban is one the Democratic Party’s biggest donors, and heads will roll if Stone’s show airs … as they should.

• Libertas favorite Jessica Simpson may be joining American Idol as a judge. Hooray!  Can you imagine how funny that’s going to be?  [UPDATE: It’s going to be Jennifer Lopez, instead.  Won’t be as fun, but it works for me.]

• AND IN TODAY’S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS … in America we have Snooki, Kim Kardashian, Heidi Montag, etc.  In Britain all these women are more or less rolled into one as Katie Price, who has a new novel out right now called Paradise.  Price’s last novel Sapphire hit #1 in the UK, and she’s already written about 6 children’s books and 3 autobiographies – while still only in her 30s.  One thing’s for certain: the woman is building up a substantial body of work.  So to speak.

And that’s what’s happening today in the wonderful world of Hollywood.

Posted on July 30th, 2010 at 1:13am.