Entertaining Posts: 04/20/11

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Lindsay Lohan back in Gotti movie

LOS ANGELES | Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:13pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lindsay Lohan is back in a proposed film about the Gotti crime family after she personally persuaded its reluctant producer to give her a shot, he said on Wednesday.

The actress, whose promising career has been derailed by drug and criminal problems, had been in negotiations for a role in "Gotti: Three Generations," starring John Travolta as mob boss John Gotti, Sr. She even showed up at a news conference announcing the project last week.

But producer Marc Fiore said earlier Wednesday that he had broken off talks because of demands made by Lohan's management team, and planned to meet with other actresses.

Hours later, he appeared to have been swayed by the "Mean Girls" actress herself.

"We had a little rocky road today, but Lindsay definitely revived the situation," Fiore told Reuters, adding that Lohan called him personally to plead her case.

Lohan will play Kim Gotti, the wife of Gotti's namesake son, Fiore said. Previous media reports said she was in line to play his daughter, Victoria. Fiore said the Kim role was bigger since the movie is about the father-son relationship.

Fiore has the cooperation of retired mobster John Gotti, Jr., whose character has yet to be cast. His father, the so-called "Teflon Don," died of cancer in 2002 while serving a life term for murder, racketeering, extortion and tax evasion.

Fiore said he hoped to announce a new director next week. Nick Cassavetes, who was originally attached, exited the project earlier this week because of a scheduling conflict.

Shooting is expected to start in October. Fiore said the budget for the self-financed film was $70 million to $80 million. He declined to specify the source of the funds.

New Jersey- and Los Angeles-based Fiore Films previously produced the 2008 DVD "National Lampoon's One, Two, Many," starring former Howard Stern radio sidekick "Stuttering" John Melendez.

Lohan, 24, is scheduled to appear at a Los Angeles preliminary court hearing on Friday over a jewelry theft charge that will determine if she should stand trial. She could be sent to prison if eventually convicted.

The former child star has not headlined a movie since the widely ridiculed 2007 bomb "I Know Who Killed Me."

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

Justin Bieber's Israel concert sold poorly

By Shirley Halperin

Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:34pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Justin Bieber's concert in Israel drew far fewer fans than expected, but the pop star still made $1 million for his 90-minute show, sources said.

Bieber's April 14 concert at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv drew somewhere between 17,000 (according police) and 24,000 fans (according to the promoters) -- well below forecasts in the 35,000 range. The Jerusalem Post's review split the difference, putting the number at 21,000. By contrast, Madonna's 2009 show at the same venue pulled in 56,000 people.

"They overpaid and did not market it right," says Israeli promoter Shuki Weiss, who declined to bid on Bieber believing it would be a difficult sell. "I think it's important for every artist to come to Israel, but you need to know your crowd."

Indeed, posters advertising the show were scant in the city, with the exception of areas surrounding Bieber's hotel, and with ticket sales initially sluggish, a promotion offering free entry to parents was introduced, causing its share of headaches at the park's gates.

For his part the show's promoter, Gadi Oron, said "(Sales) definitely met our expectations." He declined to comment on Bieber's reported payday: "It is our policy not to talk about financial arrangements we reach with talent we promote."

"American Idol" mulls voting tweaks to fix boy bias

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:54pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" producers said on Wednesday they are considering tweaking the voting system on the top-rated TV contest to correct a bias toward male contestants by the show's largely female audience.

But any changes are unlikely to take effect this season, which has already seen the early exit of four female finalists, including presumed front-runner Pia Toscano.

"We are aware very much that the voting could quite possibly be skewed toward the boys," executive producer Ken Warwick told reporters in a conference call.

"It is something we are going to have a long discussion about after we finish this season. We won't be in the process of changing anything at the moment. It is going to go the way it goes," Warwick said.

Warwick said reality TV shows like "American Idol" traditionally attract predominantly female viewers, who then tend to drive telephone, text and online votes toward male contestants.

That bias has resulted in a male singer being crowned the "American Idol" and winning a recording contract, every year since 2008. Jordin Sparks in 2007 was the last woman to win.

Paul McDonald last week became the first man to be booted off the most-watched U.S. television show, leaving just two women -- Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina -- in the running for a shot at reaching the finale in May.

Warwick said one of the changes under consideration was allow the three judges -- Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson -- to vote each week. The judging panel on ABC's popular "Dancing with the Stars" TV contest have their votes counted along with those of viewers.

"Just one of ideas on the table is to let the judges vote," Warwick said, but added, "I am pretty sure we won't be putting anything into practice until next year."

Ballad singer Toscano, 22, was eliminated on April 8, moving Lopez to tears and stunning the 25 million strong "Idol" audience.

"American Idol", now in its 10th season on Fox television, has produced bona-fide stars like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Oscar-winning actress-singer Jennifer Hudson.

But in recent years, the public has chosen white, male middle of the road singers as the champion, although few have been able to translate their victory into top-selling albums.

(Editing by Christine Kearney)

Lindsay Lohan out of Gotti movie: report

LOS ANGELES | Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:10pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lindsay Lohan's gangster days appear to be over, on screen at least.

The actress is no longer in contention to play a real-life mob wife in an independent movie about crime boss John Gotti, its producer said on Wednesday.

Lohan, whose promising career has been derailed by drug and criminal problems, was touted as a possibility to play Victoria Gotti, the wife of Gotti's namesake son. She even showed up at a news conference announcing the project last week.

But the producer of "Gotti: Three Generations" said talks have ended.

"We are not talking any further about Lindsay playing Victoria," Marc Fiore was quoted as telling People magazine. "She is no longer being considered. The talks have stopped. We are going to meet with other people (for the role)."

It was unclear why Lohan, 24, was no longer being considered, although Hollywood gossip Web site TMZ suggested that the demands of Lohan's management team got out of control.

TMZ quoted Fiore as saying, "I will only ride a merry-go-round with my kids." An email seeking comment from Lohan's manager was not immediately answered.

Fiore also needs to find a new director. Nick Cassavetes, who was reportedly opposed to any talks with Lohan, abruptly exited the project earlier this week because of what the producer called a scheduling conflict.

John Travolta will portray Gotti Sr, while "GoodFellas" veteran Joe Pesci has been cast as his close friend Angelo Ruggiero.

Lohan is scheduled to appear at a Los Angeles preliminary court hearing on Friday over a jewelry theft charge that will determine if she should stand trial. She could be sent to prison if eventually convicted.

The former child star has not headlined a movie since the widely ridiculed 2007 bomb "I Know Who Killed Me."

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

Fox to punish leaks after "Glee" spoiler

By Matthew Belloni

Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:46pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The fallout from a "Glee" extra's revelation of key plot developments via Twitter could impact the way some TV contracts are drafted.

Nicole Crowther, a day player on the hit Fox musical, came under fire this week for sharing the names of the prom king and queen in an upcoming episode. In response, Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk quickly took to Twitter to slam Crowther, writing "hope you're qualified to do something besides work in entertainment ... Who are you to spoil something talented people have spent months to create?"

But according to a source close to the show, the standard SAG day-player union contracts "Glee" uses don't contain "NDA" (non-disclosure agreement) language providing for punishment when plot secrets are revealed. So while the studio and network might never hire a leaking extra again, the legal ramifications of spilling secrets are probably less serious.

An insider at "Glee" producer 20th Century Fox Television said the studio is considering amending all of its talent deals -- from series regulars to day players like Crowther -- to include strict punishments for blabbing online.

If so, it wouldn't be the only Hollywood studio to crack down on leaks via social networks. A growing number of studio deals contain new language aimed at plugging leaks of disparaging or confidential information about productions via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the rest.

In October 2009, a Disney contract came to light with a clause forbidding confidentiality breaches via "interactive media such as Facebook, Twitter, or any other interactive social network or personal blog." At the time, ABC had recently issued guidelines for tweeting while working on network shows, rules that included seven prohibited actions (including revealing spoilers).

Fox will likely add a liquidated damages provisions to its "Glee" deals, meaning the studio could collect a pre-set amount of money from an offending leaker (and, more likely, prevent them from leaking in the first place out of fear).

Hollywood is getting wise to the power of online media. The prom king on "Glee" might not impact national security, but it makes sense for studios to enact consequences for spoiling its heavily-guarded plot secrets.