It’s funny how the process of making movies can be as (if not more) exciting than the actual movie itself. I’m referring of course to the current Fifty Shades of Grey casting drama. Who knew it would be so hard to find the perfect Christian Grey? Ah, Hollywood never disappoints when it comes to melodrama and surprising news. And speaking of surprising, guess who made more $20 million in one year, just for being in a T.V. show?
1. Forbes released its list of the highest-paid actors on T.V. Guess who tops the list raking in a reported $24 million over the past year? The new Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men, Ashton Kutcher. His co-star Jon Cryer is in second place with earnings of $21 million. Ray Romano and Neil Patrick Harris hold third and fourth place with earnings of $16 million and $15 million respectively. If you’re going to narrowly miss the top spot on a list, I guess this is the list to do that.
2. Mischa Barton explained her “breakdown.” Remember a few years ago when Mischa Barton was pictured partying on the cover of every tabloid? Well that was 2009 (I know, it seems so long ago!), and she finally explained what was going on. In a recent interview with People, she describes it as a “full-on breakdown.” She talks about being committed to a psychiatric ward after her family staged an intervention because of her wild child behavior. Barton has recovered now and has several media projects in the works as well as a line of handbags. Good for her!
3. Why did Charlie Hunnam drop out of Fifty Shades of Grey? The official reason is scheduling conflicts with his show Sons of Anarchy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hunnam left the project because of conflicts over the script. No one has officially confirmed any of the rumors but supposedly Hunnam wanted to make some changes to the script and this led to conflict with the studio. Supposedly, because of the creative differences, Hunnam dropped out.
4. So who is going to replace Hunnam in Fifty Shades of Grey? This is just too interesting to keep in one point. The Hollywood Reporter thinks Jamie Dornan is the frontrunner for the role. Never heard of him? I haven’t either. Dornan plays the Huntsman in ABC’s Once Upon a Time and was Count Axel in Marie Antoinette, the 2006 Sofia Coppola movie with Kirsten Dunst. The casting process for this movie is turning out to be just as melodramatic as the plotline of Fifty Shades of Grey.
5. There is going to be a sequel to 21 Jump Street. I mean, of course there is! Everything and anything seems to merit a sequel now-a-days. This movie was actually funny, and who doesn’t want another Channing Tatum movie? In the sequel, Tatum and co-star Jonah Hill will go undercover as college students, and Ice Cube will reprise his role as well. Okay, maybe I can be okay with this.
6. Macaulay Culkin made a rare public appearance. Remember that über-cute sassy kid in the Home Alone movies? Yeah, not so cute anymore. Culkin isn’t usually found in the public eye. Rumors have been floating around that he struggles with addiction, but his rep said that was “impossibly and ridiculously fictitious.” Culkin made an appearance at the Robot Chicken panel at Comic-Con in New York. He was rocking a beard and some pink furry bunny ears. I miss Kevin McCallister.
7. AMC will create a new reality show… about arm wrestling. Yeah, you read that right. King of Arms will delve into the little-known world of competitive arm wrestling in five different places across the U.S. because apparently that’s a thing. The show will debut in early 2014.
8. Robin Thicke directed and starred in a short film. His wife Paula Patton also starred in the movie Mercy. In the movie, Thicke plays a limo driver supporting his drug-and-alcohol-addicted wife, played by Patton. Who knew Thicke could do more than sing and grind on Miley Cyrus?
9. Zac Efron has a new movie, and he looks great. That Awkward Moment depicts Efron and his two buddies as they all endeavor to stay single and party hard because one of them is suffering from a breakup. Go watch the trailer; it’s actually pretty funny, and if nothing else you get to see Efron’s butt. I realize this is shameless and shallow and that we should value him for more than his looks, but just go watch the trailer anyway.
10. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are set to host the next two Golden Globes. The dynamic duo have committed to hosting the 2014 and 2015 Golden Globes! The two killed it at the 2013 Golden Globes and are back by popular demand. I fell in love with these two after the Sarah Palin SNL skit, and I can’t wait to see what they do over the next two years.
Thanks for taking a break from midterms to catch up on the latest and greatest in entertainment! I’m sure there will be more on certain casting decisions, so I’ll be back next time with more on that. Until then… Happy entertainment watching!