By Tony Rizzo
If you’ve been wondering where Nicole Kidman has been, well wonder no more. Her new film, “Rabbit Hole,” was to be released next year, but the “Oscar” buzz from film festivals and advance reviews has created a bidding war among distributors. The winner, Lionsgate, fighting a hostile takeover bid and needing a big hit, has advanced the opening of the film to qualify for the Academy Awards. The film stars Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Dianne Wiest and is produced by Odd Lot Entertainment (Nicole Kidman’s production company) with Blossom Films and Olympic Pictures.
Robert Redford will serve up a unique perspective of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by directing “The Conspirator,” told from the point of view of Mary Surrett, owner of the boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and other conspirators met to make their plans. Mary will be played by Robin Wright (formally Robin Wright Penn while married to Sean Penn) and co-stars James McAvoy and Kevin Kline. It’s amazing that this story has never been told. It should make a fascinating film.
Marlo Thomas, a trailblazer of 1960s television in “That Girl,” has been working tirelessly for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, a charity started years ago by her father, Danny Thomas. Then she married talk-show host Phil Donahue and lived happily ever after … until now. Now “That Girl” is at it again. She has created a website on which she will offer daily video messages, engage in online chats with women and offer tips, jokes and a scrapbook of her life. To accomplish this she has partnered with AOL, a longtime supporter of St. Jude’s. Visit her at http://marlothomas.aol.com/.
I can no longer remain silent about a bad “Situation” that exists today. I can’t believe that someone with no apparent talent or redeeming qualities, such as Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of “Jersey Shore,” has been elevated to a level where he will make a reported $5 million this year. His time on “Dancing With the Stars” was painful to watch, and frankly, his abs and biceps are not that great. With all the talented people out of work, it’s time for this reality-show thing to end and decent television to make a comeback!
Colin Firth, nominated for an Oscar last year for best actor in his superb performance in “A Single Man,” is already being touted for an Oscar this year for his new film, “The King’s Speech.” The film is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI, overcoming his stuttering problem. The film also boasts great performances from Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter.
Director Quentin Tarantino, recently the jury president of the Venice Film Festival, came under fire because his former girlfriend, Sofia Coppola, won the top award for her film “Somewhere.” Sofia is the daughter of Oscar-winning “Godfather” saga director Francis Ford Coppola. Well, as they like to say in Hollywood, “If there has to be such a thing as nepotism … keep it in the family”.
© 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.