A Few Updates

Here are a few updates in the entertainment world:

Barbara Billingsley, aka "June Cleaver" Dies.

Barbara Billingsley, who gained the title supermom for her gentle portrayal of June Cleaver, the warm, supportive mother of a pair of precocious boys in Leave It to Beaver, has died. She was 94.Spokeswoman Judy Twersky said Billingsley died early Saturday at her home in Santa Monica, Calif. She had suffered from a rheumatoid disease.

She acted in a number of roles in movies from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, but it wasn't until Leave It to Beaver that she became a star. When the suburban situation comedy debuted in 1957, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, was nine years old and Tony Dow, who portrayed Wally, was 12. Billingsley's character, the perfect stay-at-home 1950s mom, was always there to gently but firmly nurture both through the ups and downs of childhood.The show ran until 1963, and much of its original cast returned for a 1983 TV movie, Still the Beaver, which was followed by a cable-channel series, The New Leave It to Beaver.


'300,' 'Watchmen' Director Zack Snyder Chosen to Helm Next 'Superman' Film

'300,' 'Watchmen' Director Zack Snyder Chosen to Helm Next 'Superman' FilmDarren Aronofsky might have been more adventurous and Matt Reeves might have been more Spielberg-ian, but as it turns out, the director of the second "Superman" reboot will end up more Dr. Manhattan-ish.

As first broken by Deadline yesterday evening, producers Christopher Nolan and David Goyer have selected "Watchmen" director Zack Snyder to helm the latest incarnation of "Superman. " Snyder, who's currently in theaters with "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," confirmed last night that he'll start working on "Superman" as soon as he finishes his next movie, "Sucker Punch," out next March. The "Superman" film, with a script by Goyer from an idea by Goyer and Nolan, is expected to be released around Christmas 2012 (assuming the world hasn't ended by then). Snyder might not have been the most daring choice among the shortlist, but he's not the dullest either (that would have been Tony Scott). His career has been a curious one. He began as a music video director and did not direct his first film, 2004's "Dawn of the Dead" remake, until age 38. (As a contrast, Nolan made his first film when he was 28, and Bryan Singer, the director of "Superman Returns," was 23 on his first movie.) "Dead" wasn't a major hit, but "300," his next film, was, though it's probably best remembered for extreme slow-motion shots of men's abdominals.

"Watchmen" was his most high-profile film, his lifelong-passion project, and even though it was a slight disappointment at the box office, many admired it. "Legend of the Guardians" has done well in theaters so far, though it's worth watching how "Sucker Punch" does. Warner Bros probably wouldn't enjoy watching their "Superman" director having a film tank the year before they try to relaunch a franchise.It's understandable why Warners has had so much trouble with "Superman" films. You can argue there hasn't been a good one since "Superman II," back in 1980, with two bad Christopher Reeve sequels after that, an ill-advised "Supergirl" movie in 1984, and Singer's polarizing reboot attempt in 2006, which some loved and others found dull and cloying. (Superman has a super-son? Oh, and Kate Bosworth has to be the most boring Lois Lane imaginable.)

Superman projects have vexed filmmakers as varied as Tim Burton, Kevin Smith, McG, J.J. Abrams, and Brett Ratner. The main problem with "Superman" is that we have turned into more of an antihero culture. We like Batman because he's human and flawed and full of rage and guilt. We like Tony Stark because he's selfish and vain and a party guy.Superman is, by his very design, perfect and cheesy -- he's a relic, Ward Cleaver in a blue skintight suit. Singer attempted to capture that naïveté and bring it to today, but his Metropolis seemed as steeped in the '50s as the Steve Reeves films were. The reason the first two "Superman" films worked was that they were rooted in a recognizable place: Metropolis was late-'70s New York City, with all the grime and cynicism that came with it. Superman was an alien (he's the one who was out of place), an actual hero here to save the day, to give everyone faith again. To believe a man can fly, you must at first believe a man cannot.If Goyer and Nolan have figured out how to channel that spirit, maybe this new "Superman" can work. Apparently, Snyder's the guy they trust to find out.


Peter Jackson to Direct "The Hobbit"

The shooting of The Hobbit will begin in February with Sir Peter Jackson in the director's chair after co-financers gave the film the greenlight.
The announcement was made today by New Line Cinema and its parent company Warner Bros, but did not state whether the two-part adaptation of the JRR Tolkien novel would be shot in New Zealand, Stuff reported.

A New Line spokeswoman told NZPA however, no announcement on The Hobbit had been made, though it was expected later today.
It had been widely speculated that Sir Peter would direct the film after Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro quit in May due to delays on a starting date, in part due to financial problems with one of its backers, MGM.
The two-part film is expected to cost about US$500 million (NZ$660m) to make, and it will also be made in 3-D.

"There is no human being on the planet as qualified as Peter Jackson to direct these films," Warner Bros president Alan Horn said.
"Peter is incredibly talented and has the creative vision and experience to bring this beloved property to life in a way that no other film-maker could.
"And the team of Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have proven through their work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy that no one is more skilled at transforming Tolkien's written words into a vibrant, living language that makes the audience believe they are not merely visiting Middle Earth, but actually living in it."
With funding secured, only the union and producers' locked in an ongoing industrial dispute seem to stand in the way.

Both sides have agreed to work together to update actors' conditions.
Representatives from the Screen Production and Development Association, the Actors' Equity union and the Council of Trade Unions met this week for discussions facilitated by Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee.In a joint statement, the groups said discussions were useful and productive.

File this next one under "What the...?"
'Glee' Cast Beats Out Beatles for Billboard Record

NEW YORK – The "Glee" cast has surpassed the Beatles for the most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by a non-solo act.The cast of the Fox television musical series about a high school glee club has six debuts on the chart this week. That gives it a total of 75 songs on the chart to the Beatles' 71.The show's soundtrack got a boost after this week's episode featuring the music of Britney Spears.Elvis Presley still leads overall with 108 songs to chart on the Hot 100. He's followed by James Brown with 91, then "Glee."The Beatles are sixth, behind Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. Lil Wayne, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z round out the Top 10.Nielsen SoundScan says the "Glee" cast has sold 2.8 million albums and 11.5 million downloads.

Bill and Ted 3?

Keanu Reeves recently told MTV that a third installment to the excellent Bill and Ted series is in the works and he and original co-star, Alex Winter are working with the original screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon to write the screenplay.A lot of people write off the Bill and Ted's movies as cornball teen flapdoodle for lowest common denominator stoners; but both movies (beside pioneering use of colloquialism "totally") are actually very clever buddy films that had iconic historical figures delivering lines like "hello my excellent friends", and the main characters Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) served as a precursor to ubiquitous Wayne's World duo, Wayne and Garth.
The Bill and Ted movies' cult following is testament to characters that have stood the test of time - or at least evidence that their charming slacker vibes continue to endear audiences 20 years down the track.Watch Keanu's recent interview with MTV where he talks about the pending sequel and you'll see that "that is why we NEED Eddie Van Halen."
http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/news/keanu-reeves-is-making-bill-and-amp;-ted-3/23735.htm