The actual linkspam

[cleolinda]

Tired, so without further ado:

Majel Roddenberry, 'First Lady of Star Trek,' dies; Remembering Majel Roddenberry.

‘Apocalypse Now’ star Sam Bottoms dies.

U2 album details!

Long-Suppressed Gay Star Trek Episode Comes Out.

Baby Polar Bear Attack, om nom nom.

Baker, Barrymore and Cohen to Present at the Globes; L.A. Dispatch: Accepting for Heath?

Images: New Images: Disney's 2009 Preview, '13', Tarantino's 'Basterds'; New Images: Warner Brothers 2009 Preview; First Look: Kate Beckinsale in Dominic Sena's 'Whiteout'; Two Sites for 'The Unborn,' and New Photos; Sundance First Look: 'Sin Nombre' and 'Afghan Star'; Natalie Portman Has '17 Photos of Isabel'; First Look at Kristen Bell's 'When In Rome'; First Look: Vince Vaughn's 'Couples Retreat.'

Trailers: Exclusive 'Benjamin Button' Preview (related: Button's Henson Is Pitt's Ma); The New 'Bloody Valentine' Spot is Here; Worth Watching - Franck Vestiel's 'Eden Log' Trailer; ‘Obsessed’ Trailer Looks Awful; The Title 'Samurai Zombie' Should Be Enough.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Film for 54 Weeks. DAMN.

Don Cheadle Talks 'Iron Man 2'; Will Tim Robbins Play Papa Stark in 'Iron Man 2'?; Rumor: Hawkeye and Black Widow Will Be in 'Iron Man 2'?!

‘Twilight’ Superfan ‘NoMoreMarbles’ Offers Her Acceptance Speech, Have You Sent In Yours?; 'Twilight' Lady-Pandering Earns MTV 'Patronizers of the Year' Award. OKAY SO IT'S NOT JUST ME ON THIS ONE.

Benicio Del Toro Goes Old School For ‘Wolf Man,’ Declares No Monster Cameos.

Watchmen Trial Delayed; Watchmen's Day Of Reckoning Now Two Weeks Later.

The Hobbit Pushed Back To 2012.

'Dawn Treader' Heading from Mexico to Australia? Yeah... drug war violence is a pretty good reason to move.

Must Watch: Danny Boyle and Darren Aronofsky One-on-One!

'Che' Director Steven Soderbergh On Creating His Controversial Epic.

German critics like Cruise’s ‘Valkyrie’; Tom Cruise Screens "Valkyrie," Admits Arrogance; Scoop: Tom Cruise skips son’s first film premiere; Scoop: Group bungles ‘Valkyrie’ protest. Oh, Anonymous.

Exclusive 'The Tale of Despereaux' Video Interviews; Watson brings a little magic to 'Potter,' 'Despereaux' roles; 'Despereaux' is no 'Ratatouille.'

No, no, no to 'Liar'-like 'Yes Man.'

Reviews: 'Yes Man,' 'Seven Pounds.'

Blu-ray Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Special Edition). This is the original, by the way.

Keanu Reeves Eager To Do ‘Something Good’ With ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Movie.

Exclusive: Miller On Spirit, Sin 2.

Barry Sonnenfeld Helming 'The How-To Guide for Saving the World.'

Soderbergh: Fourth ‘Ocean’s’ Movie Unlikely Due To Bernie Mac’s Passing.

Green Lantern Movie Update.

Maggie Q to Star in 'King of Fighters.'

A 'Bergman thing' going on with 'Doubt' star Amy Adams.

New Regency Making 'The Family Hitchcock.'

Set Report: Fraser's 'Inkheart'; 'Inkheart' — Where Are We Now?

Billy Ray Goes from Fact to Fantasy with 'The Conjure Wife.'

White Wash [Diversity In H'wood] ("The NAACP released a report yesterday that stated that minorities are underrepresented both behind and in front of the camera on television in Hollywood"); Airbender Casting Makes Fans See... White. QED.


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Comments

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to say we seem to be stuck with Keira Knightley as Eliza, but yes, Thompson is writing the screenplay. And going back to Shaw to give it some sting, I hope.

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

Aww, see, I like Knightley. And let's face it, if they must make an adaptation of MFL (although honestly I'd prefer a film of the stage play that's been eclipsed by the musical), at least she's physically suitable for the part...brown hair and eyes, early 20s, British-born, and I think she would scruff up well enough to be believable in the early scenes. And she can sing reasonably well (better than Hepburn, actually).

...sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a defensive pro-Knightley screed. I'm just more amenable to the casting decision than most MFL fans.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

Eh, I'm not going to judge you or anything. :) It's just that I've seen Knightley in a good number of films at this point, enough for her to make a good impression, and she just...hasn't. She was okay in Pride and Prejudice, but that's about it for me. You could say she has a somewhat Hepburn-esque look, but Hepburn could get away with being dubbed by Marni Nixon because a) she's Audrey Hepburn, and b) it was common (if not entirely loved) practice in movie musicals then. Knightley doesn't have either of those factors working for her.

Today we place so much value on the authenticity of the singing in movie musicals (or at least authenticity aided by pitch correction), that it just disappointed me hugely to see a non-singer cast as Eliza. Do you know of someplace where I can see/hear Knightley singing? Because I haven't seen anything that would make me think she'd do any better than Hepburn on that count, and if there's some old project where she busts out her soprano I'd feel much better about her casting.

[freyalorelei.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there are some on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=keira+knightley+singing&search_type=&aq=1&oq=Keira+Knightley), from her role in The Edge of Love. She has a nice, clear voice, with a higher range than Hepburn could pull off. I've heard the original tracks for Wouldn't It Be Loverly and Show Me, performed by Hepburn, and...they're not great. Show Me in particular sounds like cats fighting on a trash can.

The irony is that Hepburn agreed to the role under the express condition that she would be allowed to do all her own singing...and didn't find out that she was covertly dubbed until the pre-screening. That must have been a heavy blow.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

What's funny is that Eliza doesn't actually that go that high up in the soprano range. I can sing along to her on the OBC no problem, and I'm an Alto 2. Only those last high notes on "Show Me" and "I Could Have Danced All Night" are a reach. So I think any woman with a standard mezzo range can pull it off in terms of just hitting the notes - the real test will be how well she can sing-while-acting. (For example, I think Helena Bonham-Carter failed miserably at this in Sweeney Todd. She mostly sounded like she was going to have an asthma attack if she actually expelled a sound that was less than 70% air.)