It’s been all over the news that 30-year-old Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, the Baltimore resident who played a character of the same name on The Wire, has been arrested in a large-scale drug raid similar to the kind carried out on the show. Pearson, whose legal troubles predated the show, apparently slipped back into her old habits when the show went off the air. This seems to be the latest in a perhaps not-so-strange tendency for the lives of actors to be in some way affected by their art, whether for good or for ill. Sure, we know lots of actors fall in love with each other on set, but what about actors that are inspired to more interesting ends? Click through for our list of actors whose lives have mirrored those of their own characters.
1. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark finally has a new ending! According to ArtsBeat, “The new finale includes a freshly conceived flying sequence where the character Peter Parker/Spider-Man is airborne, flying around the Foxwoods Theater in a triumphant manner, according to a member of the production team. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because the producers did not want details of the finale given away.”
2. Still need proof that the British version is better? MTV is worried that upcoming episodes of Skins may violate federal child pornography statutes, and as a result, executives have ordered the show’s producers to make changes to tone down some of the most explicit content. [via NYT]
3. Andrew W.K. is hosting a “party” at 4chan. The live Q&A on the site is scheduled for February 13 at 7 pm. [via NYO]
4. Robert Downey Jr. has dropped out of Oz, the Great and Powerful, Disney’s upcoming prequel to The Wizard of Oz that Sam Raimi is set to direct. The studio is in discussions with Johnny Depp to replace him. [via Heat Vision]
5. Will Smith wants to do a remake of Annie with Willow Smith in the starring role. The Karate Kid reboot made more than $350 million worldwide; we bet this one will perform even better given the fact that Jay-Z is in talks to work on the music for the film. [via Variety]
One of our favorite underrated movies is Wonder Boys, director Curtis Hanson’s film version of Michael Chabon’s terrific novel. It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s heartwarming, and it’s got a livewire Robert Downey Jr., an understated Michael Douglas, a pre-Spider-Man Tobey Maguire, a pre-Xenu Katie Holmes, and Frances McDormand (who requires no qualifications) — and, on top of all of that, Bob Dylan’s Oscar-winning “Things Have Changed.” Yep, Wonder Boys is pretty much a perfect movie — except for one flaw.
On a recent episode of his Savage Love podcast, Dan Savage indulged in what has become a Yuletide tradition: railing against Christmas-themed erotica. His implicit objection to Santa-hatted self-pics and the like is simple enough to understand; he thinks Christmas just isn’t sexy. He’s not alone, and most of these Sex Scrooges are right — there’s nothing inherently libidinous about a holiday centered on tree ornamentation, elf labor, and Jesus. But a handful of films have dared to forge an alliance between Christmastime and Sexytime.
1. Lou Reed has directed Susan Boyle’s music video for her cover of his song “Perfect Day” — the same track that he was wrongfully accused of refusing to allow her to perform on America’s Got Talent. [via Vulture]
2. Hugh Jackman was asked to host this year’s Academy Awards, but he said no because he’s too busy preparing the Wolverine sequel. May we suggest Tina Fey instead? [via Deadline]
3. A newly-released Lil Wayne joined Drake on stage in Las Vegas over the weekend for a performance of “Miss Me.” (video) [via P4K]
4. Planters’ animated mascot Mr. Peanut is getting both a new vintage-inspired look (complete with a gray flannel suit) and a new voice courtesy of Robert Downey, Jr. [via NYT]
5. An upcoming Christie’s auction of the art of Playboy includes 80 photographs, more than a dozen contemporary works, and 24 cartoons, most of which have appeared in the publication. [via Yahoo!]
1. It’s official: Sam Raimi has been hired to direct Robert Downey Jr. in Disney’s Wizard of Oz 3D prequel; Downey will play the Wizard, pre-Oz. [via Deadline]
2. Perez Hilton tweeted a link to an upskirt photo of Miley Cyrus, who’s still a minor. Because it’s legally considered child pornography, he could face serious charges. [via Salon]
3. Will Brett Ratner step in to direct The Hobbit? That’s the threat studio execs are hoping will convince Peter Jackson to take the job instead. [via Vulture]
4. Whitesnake is bottling its own wine — a “bodacious, cheeky little wine, filled to the brim with the spicy essence of sexy, slippery Snakeyness.” [via AVClub]
5. Despite efforts to make its programming more accessible than its Manhattan counterparts’, attendance at the Brooklyn Museum continues to drop. [via NYT]
In 2007, Jon Favreau had the audacity to make an Iron Man movie that was actually good. Two years later, we have our first glimpse of the inevitable sequel. What follows is a play-by-play breakdown of the new trailer for Iron Man 2 (or, as we call it, War Machine: Origins), featuring Mickey Rourke’s Burning Man-appropriate metal teeth, Scarlett Johansson’s laughable attempts at be-leathered badassery, and the brazen ripoff of a Dark Knight set-piece.
For your pleasure, we’ve highlighted some of the best parts (Sam Jackson as Nick Fury) and some of the worst (basically all the parts that do not include Sam Jackson as Nick Fury).
The phenomenal success of the first Iron Man film meant moviegoers were going to get another chance to see Robert Downey Jr.’s reformed Tony Stark character. But there were some major transformations in order before they could start filming the sequel, and the buzz behind the scenes has been almost as interesting as Iron Man itself. There have been reports about a feud between Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow. Don Cheadle replaced an unhappy Terrence Howard as Stark’s sidekick, James Rhodes (War Machine), and Mickey Rourke landed the role of an energy whip-wielding villain known as Whiplash.
Check out the film stills as we explain every development and more after the jump.
