Film ON AIR

Mel ’sugar tits’ Gibson is taking his first leading role since ‘Signs’ by M. Night Shyamalan in 2002. In ‘Edge of Darkness’ he’ll play a detective investigating the death of his activist daughter. Directed by Martin Campbell (’Casino Royale’), it is based on a six-hour mini-series Campbell did in the eighties, which Gibson seemed to have enjoyed.

Mel Gibson hasn’t been in the spotlight since the DUI arrest in 2006. After his anti-Semitic rant, ABC withdrew involvement in a mini-series by his production company Icon Productions, which focused on the Holocaust. Reportedly he got close to accepting new leading roles after spending some time at the AA, but this is the first one to come through.

Thinking she was doing an “artsy” photo shoot, Miley Cyrus was tricked into posing topless for the Vanity Fair magazine. And before you go off to Google to search for an uncensored pic, hint: there’s nothing to see. If she should know anything though, it’s not to spike controversy by selling sex in America. Not when you are Janet Jackson and certainly not when you are Hannah Montana, adored by millions of children in your country.

Last month, the president of entertainment for Disney was quoted saying, “For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl’ is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won’t get it back.“

But will this really threaten the ‘Hannah Montana’ franchise, which is expected to make $1 billion this year alone? I think not. Last year, pictures of Vanessa Hudgens hit the net and Disney didn’t seem to mind that much back then. You had probably forgotten about it too, until I told you just now.

Hoping not to lose anyone in the deal making process, Gandalf and Gollum both already agreed to do the next Hobbit movie. In an interview with theonering.net, director Guillermo Del Toro said “I had the most charming meeting with Sir Ian, and all bureaucracy pending, he’s on board, as is Andy Serkis. [...] It is our intention that we will not lose any of the key elements.“

Considering Bilbo Baggins is the main character of the ‘The Hobbit’ book, Ian Holm might be getting the best deal out of the two movies. While the contracts for the first three ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies were probably signed before the movies got shot, the potential of the ‘The Hobbit’ movies is already known. It’s like asking an extra figure for the payment of a sequel to a box office hit.

But the audience might not mind someone else playing Bilbo Baggins as much as someone else playing Gandalf. In a couple of months we’ll know if someone was getting a little too greedy.

If you are currently working on a movie in Los Angeles, how did you find the time to read this post? According to an agency that tracks on-location filming, production in LA is up 11%. Every company is in a hurry to get their movies made before the potential actors’ strike in July, because stopping production would be a ‘very expensive proposition.’

The Screen Actors Guild has been very tightlipped about the outcome of the current negotiations. Some sources say it isn’t looking good and the studios want to move on, to talk to the AFTRA (TV and radio). In a way, daring the actors to strike.

You have to question if the boost is actually because of the potential strike. Or is it because the lack of production during the earlier writers’ strike?