* Zzzzzzzz! Huh? Oh, excuse me. Just the thought of Billy Crystal hosting the Academy Awards for ninth(!!!!) time puts me instantly to sleep, but that's exactly what's happening. I guess it's to be expected after the walking disaster that was Brett Ratner, leading to his resignation followed by his buddy Eddie Murphy. With Brian Grazer now producing, I guess he wanted to just play it safe. Looks like I'll be doing my usual routine, which is keeping the show on mute until I'm absolutely certain an actual award is being handed out. [Deadline]
* It's been a few years now since Courtney Hunt received critical acclaim in the form of an Academy Award nomination for her directorial debut, Frozen River. For her follow-up, Hunt is veering off in a totally different direction, both in tone and celebrity stature. She's lined up Reese Witherspoon to star in Rule #1, a comedy about a woman with OCD who takes in a mother with ADD as part of some elaborate plot to get her husband back. I imagine it doesn't go well. Terrel Seltzer(such a cool name) wrote the script, but don't get your hopes up on this one being all that good, as the film has been floating around for a couple of years now. [THR]
* Another day, another project for Steve Carell to star in. At this point he has to be the busiest man in Hollywood, with no less than eight films slated for the next couple of years. Some of those might not come to pass, but at the rate he's going he'll just add more to fill in the gaps. The next to be added to that list is Lunatics, based on the upcoming book by Dave Barry and Alan Zwiebel. Carell would play the owner of a pet store and a part time referee for kids' soccer, who gets into a tiff with an irate soccer dad, which leads to a wild adventure that sees them pursued by the police, soldiers, terrorists, subversives, bears, and a man dressed as Chuck E. Cheese.[Deadline]
