Garner Is Juno-esque
Jennifer Garner, possibly the nicest actress in Hollywood and definitely Ben Affleck’s nicest missus since he dated little Judy Pfaffenbecher in second grade, has signed on to appear in Jason “Thank you for smoking / Son of Ivan” Reitman’s next film, Juno. The film already stars Ellen Page as a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy who “makes an unusual and bizarre decision regarding her unborn child” (after Hard Candy, we dread to think). No word on Garner’s role, but as long as it doesn’t involve sais, we’re lovin’ it.
Fishburne is 21 Again
Laurence Fishburne has signed on for a role in the Kevin Spacey-produced, long talked-about blackjack drama 21, based on the book Bringing Down the House, not to be confused with the Queen Latifah ‘comedy’. Spacey’s appearing as a maths professor who trains six students to beat the house in Vegas; NCIS’ Liza Lapira and one-episode-of-ER’s Josh Gad have signed up as two of the students, and Fishburne will play a casino security chief trying to break up their little game. Like, spoilsport or what!
Racist neighbours on Lakeview Terrace
Samuel L. “snakes on this muddafukkin’ plane” Jackson and Kerry “Last King of Scotland” Washington have signed on for Lakeview Terrace, a thriller starting production in May. Produced by James Lassiter and one Will Smith, it’s about an interracial couple who move into a new home, only for their dream house to turn all nightmary (no, not the one with the nakedness during your finals; the one with the violence and stalking, we’re guessing) when their racist LAPD officer neighbour starts a campaign against them.
Yay Betty!
Ugly Betty star America Ferrera (she was in Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants too, making it officially film news) was saluted in the US House of Representatives yesterday for her Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a TV series. Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis from California congratulated her on her win and for breaking down barriers against Latinas in television. Sadly, however, Congresswoman Solis offered her no props on her appearance or fashion ensembles in the show, not even that Guadalajara poncho.
Cobain Kenobi?
Courtney Love (rumoured to be a contender on Celebrity Big Brother, for all of you pulled in by the controversy) is planning a biopic of Kurt, and apparently wants Ewan McGregor to star. She bought the rights to acclaimed Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven, by Charles Cross, last week. Any film she finally oversees would (we’re guessing) be a whole lot kinder to Love than Nick Broomfield’s Kurt and Courtney, but then that’s not saying a whole heck of a lot.