1. The first photos of Brad Pitt on the set of the Marc Forster-directed film adaptation of the zombie thriller World War Z have surfaced. What do you think?
2. The Beastie Boys have reteamed with director Spike Jonze for the music video for “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win,” their recent collaboration with Santigold. “It is an explicit action adventure spectacular,” they explain on their website. “It features action figures of us and yes, they are ACTION figures, NOT dolls!” Unfortunately, there’s no release date yet. [via NME]
3. “I became reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff … There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.” – Apparently Daniel Radcliffe used to have a problem with whiskey
4. Jay-Z and Kanye West may not have released Watch the Throne over the weekend (as had previously been rumored), but they did reveal official album art from designer Riccardo Tisci. [via Vulture]
5. Competitive eating renegade Takeru Kobayashi (who refuses to sign an exclusive contract with Major League Eating), set a world record yesterday by consuming 69 hot dogs in ten minutes at an unsanctioned event on a Manhattan rooftop. His arch nemesis Joey “Jaws” Chestnut — the winner of the Nathan’s Famous official contest — only managed to wolf down 62 dogs. [via NYDN]
Bonus link: Watch the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Grand Finale
But it’s not what you think. Cooper has been cast as the narrator in the upcoming revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (which stars Daniel Radcliffe and begins previews on February 26 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre), a role that was previously filled by Walter Cronkite in 1995 for the Matthew Broderick version. Before you get too excited at the prospect of seeing the Silver Fox take the stage alongside Harry Potter, be warned: it’s a pre-recorded voice-over part, so you won’t be seeing those national treasure peepers in person. [via EW]
Today at Flavorpill, we wanted a pair of DeLorean-inspired kicks. We loved The New Yorker’s slideshow of airport security cartoons from 1938-2009. We discovered that “Ronald Reagan” is one of Sarah Palin’s favorite people to namecheck — right after God. We dreamed of a world where Cookie Monster would be able to host Saturday Night Live — just look at his audition tape. We were kind of embarrassed by how many of the 35 worst straight-to-DVD sequels of the 2000s we’ve already seen. We watched the Exorcist girl whip her hair back and forth. We discovered how funny Daniel Radcliffe is. We put our support behind Toy Story 3 for a Best Picture nomination. We wanted to live in a cabin in a loft. We shared a Thanksgiving moment with Paula Deen. And finally, we were sad to hear that Jennifer Jason Leigh and Noah Baumbach are getting divorced after five years of marriage. Is it weird that this news makes us want to rewatch The Squid and the Whale?
Who knew that Sean Hayes could really play the piano? We didn’t before watching him host last night’s 64th Tony Awards. For those of you who missed the live show, it was pretty entertaining as these things go — in fact, it was obvious that they were trying to keep things viewer-friendly for the Glee Generation. While we could spend an entire post snarking on the production issues that plagued the broadcast (seriously: bad miking, lighting issues and awkward camera zooms), we figure that anyone who wasn’t on stage crew in high school would rather hear about the highlights. Photos and clips after the jump.
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1. Harry Potter could star in an upcoming Broadway revival of the ’60s musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. [via Variety]
2. Despite Dan Brown’s best efforts, book sales are down for fall. [via NYT]
3. The formerly confidential, behind-the-scenes account of the Jeremy Piven/Sushi-Gate battle. [via NYT]
4. Can’t score tickets to see one of the Pixies sold-out shows? You can buy live recordings from their London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris stops. 1,000 copies will go on sale 10 minutes after each show ends. [via NME]
5. Brooks Brothers is teaming up with Mad Men costume director Janie Bryant to release a limited run of suits inspired by the show later this month. [via Boston]
Bonus link: “Whatever” Named Most Annoying Word in American English
Daniel Radcliffe — now at work on films seven and eight in the Potter franchise — tells the LA Times he will not be involved with Peter Jackson’s upcoming Hobbit movie. Look for him to play 22-year-old artist and photojournalist Dan Eldon in a film called The Journey Is the Destination, due out in 2011; Eldon was stoned to death by an angry Somali mob in 1993.
1. TINA FEY – everyone will think you’re SARAH PALIN
2. Anyone from the cast of GOSSIP GIRL or THE HILLS – you’re way too old
3. DANIEL RADCLIFFE/ALAN STRANG – full frontal nudity = not okay
4. HEATH LEDGER/THE JOKER – it’s in bad taste
5. Anyone from the cast of SEX AND THE CITY – unless you’re doing it in drag — that’s ok
6. DAVID FOSTER WALLACE – it’s in really bad taste
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Word that Tony award-winning Spamalot will close on January 18th reached our inbox at the same time that we received an email telling us that Liza Minnelli is bringing her “unmatchable magic” to Broadway in a one-woman show beginning December 3rd.
There’s a good joke in there somewhere, but it’s still too early on a Monday morning.
Our gut reaction is to wonder what kind of disconnected nut launches this kind of production (a mix of live concert and dramatic ode to Minnelli’s godmother, performer Kay Thompson aka, the woman who dreamed up Eloise) in the current economic crisis; if a naked Harry Potter is struggling to get fans in the seats, how does Minnelli think she’s going to cast a spell on penny-pinching audiences? And either way, does anyone younger than Liz Smith even care?
So I’m putting the question to you readers. How much do you think a pair of tickets to see Daniel Radcliffe in Equus should run? And would you be willing to shell out anything for the chance to see Liza with a ‘Z’?
