Gawker: defamer, todd solondz

Oprah Battles Clooney for the Toronto Spotlight; Soderbergh Just Wants to Paint

Richard Rushfield — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:25:21 EDT

It's on in Toronto. Despite pre-festival buzz about the death of independent film and grown-up distribution, turns out there's still enough hype to light up on Canadian city.

• No big deal has yet come out of the acquisitions market at the Toronto International Film Festival, but buyers are said to be circling a fairly large number of films, including the one outings from indie darling directors Atom Egoyan, Todd Solondz and Werner Herzog. The Israeli film Lebanon which took the top prize last week in Venice is said to be the subject of intense jockeying. [Variety, THR]

• Meanwhile the star wattage has burned bright. The weekend belonged to George Clooney who as anticipated, sent the press into a titter supporting his pair of new films. Next up: Drew Barrymore with her directorial debut Whip It and Mariah Carey and Oprah supporting perhaps the most buzzed about film of the fest, Precious. [The Wrap]

• At the Toronto International Film Festival to promote his new film, The Informant, Steven Soderberg has sold the financing for his next film, to be entitled Knockout from Lion's Gate and Relativity Media. [Variety]

• Knockout may, however, prove to be the last Steven Soderbergh film ever. Speaking to The Daily Beast about his plans to retire from directing and take up painting, the director said of The Informant and his desire to go out on top, "If everyone in America will go see it, and make it a hit, then I PROMISE I will retire." [The Daily Beast]

• As expected, the box office weekend belonged to Tyler Perry, America's most reliable deliverer of 20 million dollarish opening weekends . I Can Do Bad All By Myself was Perry's third highest opener taking in an estimated $24 million. The animated 9 took in $10.9 in a smaller release. America, clearly turning its back on quality in entertainment, passed on Sorority Row which earned a mere $5.3. [Box Office Mojo]

• All eyes are tuned on NBC's ratings tonight, after the bow of the new Jay Leno show, with seemingly all of Hollywood praying for disaster. [THR]

Double Happiness: When you look at this...

Kyle Buchanan — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:58:40 EST

Double Happiness: When you look at this picture of Philip Seymour Hoffman, what do you see? Wait, what? That's Omar from The Wire? C'mon, kids — where's your inner film cineaste? If you had the imagination of Todd Solondz, you'd take Omar's portrayer, Michael K. Williams, and cast him in your new Happiness sequel to play the exact same obscene caller Hoffman essayed in the first film. indieWIRE's Peter Knegt was the first to look at the sequel's full synopsis and notice that every character from the first film is returning after a wild, Palindromes-style recast. Paul Reubens is Jon Lovitz. Ciarin Hinds is Dylan Baker. Sadly, Paris Hilton is not Camryn Manheim. [indieWIRE]

Paris Hilton to Make Todd Solondz's 'Happiness' Sequel Even Weirder

Kyle Buchanan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:45:45 EST

Happy Travails: When the deeply unlikely sequel to Happiness was announced, the only thing more outlandish than its existence was a cast including Paul Reubens, Emma Thompson, and Demi Moore. Now, Indiewire is reporting that only Reubens remains in the Todd Solondz film, though Paris Hilton has come aboard. Same diff! There's also this first, official summary:

The characters in this [film] struggle to find a place for themselves in an unpredictable and volatile world. The past haunts the present and imperils the future: ghosts circle and loom, trouble and console. The question of forgiveness, and its limits, threads throughout a series of intersecting love stories, offering clarity and, possibly, alternatives to the comforts of forgetting.

In other words, they will all be masturbating on top of each other.

Cast Announced For New Solondz Film [Indiewire]

Inside A Pee Wee-Starring 'Happiness 2' and a Peter Gallagher- Retaining 'Center Stage 2'

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:50:00 EDT

Undaunted by the poor reception accorded Hamlet 2, Hollywood is pressing on with two even more unlikely sequels: one likely to provoke an excited "Oh my gahhh!" the other, simply an "Oh my." We'll start with the latter: strange as it may seem, Variety reports that Todd Solondz is moving ahead with an "untitled part-sequel, part-companion piece" to his incredibly unsettling 1998 comedy Happiness. If the idea of a Happiness 2 makes you feel just this far from being completely hysterical 24 hours a day, why not meet its unlikely cast of Pee-Wee Herman, Demi Moore, and Emma Thompson! No, this is not a delayed April Fool's Joke, and there is thus far no word on who will be masturbating on, near, or about whom, but the project will begin shooting this October in San Juan, Puerto Rico (naturally).

More wholesome sequel news, after the jump:

As excitedly noted by PopWrap, the seminal dance troupe sleeper Center Stage is also getting a sequel, Center Stage: Turn It Up. No Paul Reubens or Demi Moore here, but there are two casting notices that should make many a former teen girl's heart jete: Peter Gallagher is returning as company director Jonathan, and OMG OMG OMG Ethan Stiefel is returning as the positively dreamy Cooper Nielsen OMG. The sequel is set to premiere on Oxygen before making its debut on DVD; no word yet on whether network buddies Tori & Dean will cameo.

Solondz off to Werc Werk Works [Variety]
"Center Stage 2?" Yes, You Heard Me Right! [PopWrap]