Thompson on Hollywood

Development Watch: Kunis/Franco in Oz, DiCaprio/Scorsese's Wolf, Firth's Fair Lady (UPDATED)

- UPDATE 5/18: Michelle Williams will play Glinda, The Good Witch in Oz, The Great and Powerful.

By Sophia Savage
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February 18, 2011 7:05 AM
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BAFTAs Go to King's Speech, Social Network, Inception, Black Swan, Alice, Dragon Tattoo UPDATED

The BAFTA Awards are under way at the Royal Opera House in London. Safe to say The King's Speech is winning many awards but is not sweeping; Inception and Alice in Wonderland are grabbing many of the technical categories. I predict that the Oscars will follow this trend.

By Anne Thompson
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February 13, 2011 7:48 AM
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Oscar Watch: Nominees Meet Press, Talk Awards Season, Dressing in Tutus, Butch Cassidy and Bells

This year's Academy Award-nominated actors took to the podium moments before today's annual Nominees Luncheon to answer media questions. Judging by applause and laughter, the interview room crowd favorites were Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Jesse Eisenberg and Javier Bardem, who kicked it all off.

By Sophia Savage
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February 7, 2011 10:11 AM
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Oscar Talk: Possible King's Speech Sweep, Santa Barbara Fest, Potential Upsets

In this week's Oscar Talk, Kris Tapley and I debate a King's Speech Oscar sweep, possible Oscar upsets and share what we learned in Santa Barbara at various tributes and panels.

By Anne Thompson
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February 5, 2011 12:42 AM
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Queen Elizabeth Finds The King's Speech "Moving and Enjoyable"

Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, has viewed The King's Speech in a private screening at Sandringham. King George VI's young daughter Elizabeth is portrayed by Freya Wilson in the film. According to The Sun's source, the Queen "loves a good film. The King's Speech is close to the bone as it is a portrayal of her family in the 1930s." She found it to be both "moving and enjoyable" and "was clearly amused by some of the lighter moments." That's one more for team King's Speech. Your move, Social Network.

By Sophia Savage
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February 4, 2011 9:16 AM
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Hammer & DiCaprio Join List of Hunks Who Kiss On Screen: See Videos

Armie Hammer says that Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar biopic with Leonardo DiCaprio will feature more than one lip-locking scene. "It's not a kissing scene—it's a ton of kissing scenes," he told E! at the SAG Awards. Hammer plays Clyde Tolson, the alleged secret lover of J. Edgar Hoover (played by DiCaprio). Shooting is set to begin this month, and in true Eastwood style, the boys will be getting down to business without much fussing around. Adds Hammer:"I'm so excited to work with Clint, and from what I hear, he's not the type of director who has a ton of rehearsals and takes. I think we're just sort of thrown in there and have to make it happen…I actually just met [Leo] for the first time Saturday at the DGA Awards. Sure, we talked business. He's a talented actor. I'm not nervous or afraid of it being awkward. The script is great. The scenes are in there for a reason. I'm really excited."

By Sophia Savage
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February 2, 2011 6:20 AM
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Diaz & Firth Team for Coens-Scripted Gambit Remake

The Coen brothers' screenplay update of Gambit -- the 1966 Brit caper comedy that paired Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine as a waitress and a burglar--just landed Cameron Diaz to co-star with leading man Colin Firth.

By Anne Thompson
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February 1, 2011 9:35 AM
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Director Watch: Woo's Killer Remake, Cameron's Battle Angel, Gatsby's Green Light, Hooper's Secrets

- John Woo (Red Cliff) and long-time producing partner Terence Chang's Lion Rock Productions is ramping up a remake of The Killer, which Woo directed in 1989. This remake will be directed for English-language audiences by South Korean director John H. Lee and stars Jung Woo-Sung in the role originally played by Chow Yun-Fat. This will be a modern take on the story about an assassin who devotes everything to protecting a singer whom he accidentally blinded.

By Sophia Savage
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February 1, 2011 9:15 AM
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Oscar Watch: Weinstein vs. Rudin, Weinstein vs. Hooper and Rush on King's Speech PG-13 Trims

Judging from the way the Writers' Panel played at Santa Barbara Saturday, the heat is with The King's Speech. Seidler proved to be an elegant and charming storyteller--and had the audience eating out of his hand as he talked about how as a stutterer he was inspired by King George VI's ability to conquer stuttering, and had to wait two decades for the Queen Mum to die before he could tell his story.

By Anne Thompson
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January 31, 2011 9:17 AM
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SAG Awards Go to The King's Speech and Firth, Black Swan's Portman, The Fighter's Bale and Leo

The Screen Actors Guild's best ensemble award is the equivalent of the Oscar best picture. The King's Speech wins it, along with Colin Firth for best actor. The Fighter's Melissa Leo and Christian Bale win the supporting category. And best actress goes to Black Swan's Natalie Portman. It will probably be thus on Oscar night. But the races can shift over time. Firth and Bale can't lose. And The King's Speech is backed by the wily Harvey Weinstein.