• Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio could star in Gucci, a movie about the 1995 murder of Maurizio Gucci, for director Ridley Scott. Wait…have DiCaprio and Jolie never worked together? Not even during the ’90s? How is that possible?

• New Moon director Chris Weitz revealed that no director has been confirmed for Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final installment in the Twilight franchise. Our pick? Brett Ratner. He’ll successfully run the franchise into the ground, thereby ensuring it won’t be revived for decades.

• Willem Dafoe is reportedly playing a 9-foot-tall alien in the John Carter from Mars movie, from Wall-E director Andrew Stanton. Sometimes the jokes just write themselves, folks.

• As per a new agreement, Steven Spielberg will stay on as a consultant for Universal Theme Parks through 2017. Maybe this means he’ll finally get around to overseeing that Amistad water ride.

• The director of the acclaimed movie Sin Nombre will tackle an adaptation of Jane Eyre. Isn’t it about time someone added a monster to that story, ala Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Perhaps Jane Eyre and The Mummy’s Curse?

BIZ

Fox Digital Studios Puts Focus on Branded Entertainment

from Advertising Age – MediaWorks by ahampp@adage.com(Andrew Hampp)

NEW YORK (AdAge.com)
— The Microsoft-sponsored “Family Guy” special isn’t the only major
piece of branded entertainment you’ll see from News Corp. in the coming months.
Fox Atomic, News Corp.’s recently shuttered 2-year-old genre studio, is being
rebranded to become Fox Digital Studios, a new unit that will focus heavily on
branded programming.

Piracy fight goes to Washington

from Hollywood Reporter by By Georg Szalai

The U.S. needs improved customs and border protection
resources for its fight against piracy, NBC Universal executive vp and general
counsel Rick Cotton urged a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday.

NBC TV chief addresses viewing habits

from Hollywood Reporter by By Sue Zeidler, Reuters

Traditional television viewing patterns are collapsing and
the industry needs to quickly figure out how to profit in a world where people
can watch TV shows anytime, anywhere, NBC Universal’s TV chief said.

Lionsgate Teams With Massify in Pioneering Project to Access
Online Community for Feature Film Development

from PR Newswire: Film & Motion Picture

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct.
20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation
studio, and Massify, the largest online film production network, today
announced they have formed an innovative partnership to tap into the massive
pool of online creative talent and develop groundbreaking feature film projects.

AWARDS

Mechanic, Shankman to Produce 82nd Oscars

from The Wrap RSS by Lew Harris
Bill Mechanic, the former chairman of Fox, and Adam Shankman, the director
of “Hairspray,” will produce the 82nd Academy Awards telecast,
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announced
Tuesday.  This will be the first major Oscar show involvement for both
men.

FILM

Daily Box Office: Monday, October 19, 2009

from Box Office Mojo – Current Box Office Results

Where the Wild Things Are tops Monday’s box office with $2.0
million

Facebook, as Cast by Hollywood

from Defamer by Ryan Tate

It appears Aaron
Sorkin has confirmed many of the casting choices for his upcoming Facebook
movie. If only Silicon Valley were this good looking.

‘Summer’ fades at Universal

from Variety.com – Film News

Film News: Cate Blanchett starrer ‘Indian’ put on back
burner — In a mark of how challenging the environment for upscale,
adult-oriented drama has become, Universal Pictures has put Working Title’s
Cate Blanchett starrer “Indian Summer” on ice.

New Avatar Trailer in Theaters This Friday

from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
ComingSoon has learned that 20th Century Fox will premiere
a new movie trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar in theaters this
Friday, October 23rd.

‘Saw’ Franchise Stars Eager To Explore 3-D Bloodshed

from MTV Movies Blog by Larry Carroll
With “Saw VI”
bleeding its way into theaters this weekend, not only is it time once again for
the annual October franchise, but it’s also time for another autumn tradition:
chatter about the production of the next film.

TELEVISION

Ratings: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ waltzes away with another
win, ‘Gossip Girl’ dips

from Entertainment Weekly’s Hollywood Insider by Tim Stack

ABC’s Dancing with the Stars once again won the night in
total viewers, according to preliminary overnight ratings

Weather Channel to air movies for first time

from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 …

NEW YORK (AP) — The Weather Channel plans to show movies
for the first time in its 27-year history….

Oprah Winfrey to interview Sarah Palin

from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 …

CHICAGO (AP) — Sarah Palin is going to sit down with Oprah
Winfrey….

‘Buffy’ creator to direct episode of ‘Glee’

from CNN.com – Entertainment

If I hadn’t been warming to “Glee” already, this
for sure would’ve begun defrosting me: “Dollhouse”-keeper Joss Whedon
has agreed to direct one of the back nine episodes that Fox just ordered.

Hunt is on at ABC to replace Diane Sawyer on ‘Good Morning
America’

from Los Angeles Times – Celebrity News

Some network staff wonder why there seemed to be no plan in
place to replace the anchor, who is taking over for Charles Gibson on the
evening news broadcast.

MUSIC

Rihanna releases new single; album due out in Nov.

from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 …

NEW YORK (AP) — Rihanna (ree-AH’-nah) is exposing her fans
to more than her music with her new single, “Russian Roulette.”

Jonze video pulled off West’s Web site

from Entertainment News – UPI.com

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (UPI) — U.S. hip-hop artist Kanye West
says he has removed from his Web site a video Spike Jonze directed featuring
one of West’s songs.

MGMT To Return With New, ‘Dark’ Album In 2010

from MTV News

Congratulations, the duo’s sophomore effort, is
reportedly due out early next year.

U2 to stream entire concert live on YouTube

from Paste Magazine

LONDON (Reuters) – U2 will stream an entire concert live on
the YouTube video sharing site this weekend, the Irish band said on their
website.

Video for Adam Lambert’s ‘Time for Miracles’ From Roland
Emmerich’s ‘2012’ Debuts Wednesday Exclusively On MySpace Music

from PR Newswire: Film & Motion Picture

CULVER CITY, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ — The music video
for Adam Lambert’s “Time for Miracles,” from Columbia Pictures’
highly anticipated action film 2012, will debut exclusively on MySpace Music
Wednesday, October 21, it was announced today.

ETC…

Lawyers Worry Blagojevich TV Role Will Taint Jury

from NYT > Television by By EMMA GRAVES FITZSIMMONS

Prosecutors are concerned that an appearance on “The
Celebrity Apprentice” by the indicted former governor of Illinois may prejudice
jurors for his corruption trial.

Read More