Phoenix, De Luca chomp on ‘Dead’ Huston’s novel the first of a five-book series
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Phoenix Pictures and Mike De Luca Prods. will team for a feature adaptation of the Charlie Huston vampire novel “Already Dead.” Scott Rosenberg will write the script.De Luca will produce with Phoenix’s David Thwaites and Brad Fischer. Alissa Phillips will co-produce.
Huston’s novel is the first of a five-book series that the producers are eyeing as a potential franchise.
Series revolves around a vampire who happens to be a private detective hired by a Gotham socialite to track down her runaway daughter. The city’s vampires are afflicted with a virus that requires them to drink blood, and they run through the city in clans. A new virus that turns victims into carnivorous zombies threatens to upset the balance between humans and vampires.
Huston’s second novel in the series, “No Dominion,” was just published.
Rosenberg, best known for script work that includes “Beautiful Girls” and “Con Air,” just completed a new version of “The Dirty Dozen” for Warner Bros.
De Luca, who helped launch the “Blade” series as prexy of New Line, most recently was a producer of “Ghost Rider.” He has just begun production on the Robert Luketic-directed “21” for Columbia Pictures.
Phoenix has five films set to hit screens this year. First up is the Paramount and Warner Bros. release of the David Fincher-directed “Zodiac” on March 2.
Frank Miller says: “Sin City 2 is ready to go!” Maybe, this one will try to do more than recycle the same storyline three different ways.
Hate to admit it, but he’s kinda right. The San Fransico Chronicle’s Tim Goodman provides an early eulogy for Studio 60.
If you haven’t left your cave in awhile, you’ve probably managed to miss the name calling and finger pointing between Carlos “the Joke-Stealer” Mencia and Joe “the Victim” Rogan. Sad day in comedy when Joe Rogan goes to bat because nobody else seems mad enough. However if two hacks argue in the woods does anybody really care?
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 21, 2007; 11:56 PM
PHILADELPHIA —A Christian legal group has sued a school district on behalf of a 10-year-old boy who claims his rights to religion and free speech were violated when he was not allowed to wear a Jesus costume during Halloween activities.
The complaint, filed in federal court Tuesday by the Alliance Defense Fund, says officials at Willow Hill Elementary School in suburban Glenside told the boy Oct. 31 that he could not wear his faux crown of thorns or tell others he was dressed as Jesus.
The principal, Patricia Whitmire, told the boy’s mother that the costume violated a policy prohibiting the promotion of religion, according to the lawsuit. Whitmire suggested that the fourth-grader, whose costume included a robe, identify himself as a Roman emperor, the suit states.
Though the boy’s costume was rejected because of its religious nature, the principal allowed other students to dress up as witches and devils, according to the lawsuit, which identified the boy only by his initials.
Whitmire and the Abington School District are named as defendants. District attorney Ken Roos said Wednesday that he had not seen the suit and that school officials “feel like we’ve been a little bit ambushed here.”
The boy and his mother are Christians who object to the pagan elements of Halloween, but the mother did not want the boy isolated for refusing to wear a costume, according to the lawsuit.
Willow Hill officials required students to wear a costume to participate in a parade and party; those who did not were sent to the computer room, the suit says.
The boy no longer attends the school.
The Alliance Defense Fund is based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
One man’s viewing pleasure was the cause of another man’s alarm just before noon Feb. 11.
Let’s just say it was not your typical Sunday morning.
According to the police report, officers were called to a residence in the 100 block of North Main Street after a man kicked in his neighbor’s door and threatened him with a sword. The caller said the subject lived downstairs with his mother.
Police made contact with the neighbor, a 39-year-old man, who told them he heard a woman screaming from upstairs and feared she was being sexually assaulted.
The subject said he grabbed the 39-inch sword, went upstairs and kicked in the door to investigate. He repeatedly asked his neighbor “Where is she?” and made him open a closet, and searched the apartment looking for a woman in distress.
The victim told his neighbor, and later showed police the evidence, that the noise came from a pornographic movie he was watching.
According to the police report, the subject said he got the sword from his father, who had it in the armed forces. There was German writing etched on the blade of the sword.
The victim said he was fearful for his safety and was afraid the he would be stabbed during the incident.
Police are seeking charges of second-degree reckless endangerment of safety, criminal trespassing, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct against the 39-year-old Oconomowoc man.
As one of the three people who reluctantly admit to liking Way of the Gun,its shortcomings and all I got excited when I heard about this exchange between Jimmy Kimmel and a sheepish Ryan Phillippe. It appears Phillippe has been dodging Kimmel after a little onset incident involving himself and Sarah Silverman.
Here is the extended version of the one of the most memorable opening scenes in any movie.
After suffering through an episode of Silverman’s new series on Comedy Central, maybe it’s more appropriate to blame this accidental blow to the head as cause for it’s unwatchableness. Phillippe made her incapable of living up to her comedic potential.
As first reported by Billboard last November, a collection of unreleased music from late singer/songwriter Elliott Smith will be released this spring. “New Moon” rounds up 24 tracks recorded between 1994-1997. The project is due May 8 via Kill Rock Stars and will also be available as a double vinyl set.
Some of the material is understood to have been produced by longtime Smith collaborator Rob Schnapf, but final mixing was undertaken by engineer Larry Crane, who is now the archivist for the Smith estate.
The album includes an early version of Smith’s Academy Award-nominated “Miss Misery” as well as an alternate take of “Pretty Mary K,” which was first released on the 2000 album “Figure 8.” A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Portland, Ore. based social service organization Outside In.
Smith died Oct. 21, 2003, in Los Angeles. His death was initially thought to be a suicide but according to a spokesperson, the LAPD investigation into the incident remains open.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — To an Arizona middle school, Batman! Three schools in the north Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek were on lockdown for about 45 minutes Wednesday morning after a student at Desert Arroyo Middle School reported seeing a person dressed as Batman run across campus, jump a fence and disappear into the desert, Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said.
The student described the person as 6 feet 3 inches tall and possibly male.
“We’re assuming it was male, although they did have a mask on,” Clark said.
Officers combed the desert around the middle school. A nearby elementary school and high school also were on lockdown as officers sought the caped crusader.
The result — no Batman.
“It’s just one of those interesting little stories that we looked into but we couldn’t find anyone,” Clark said.
Nedda Shafir, a spokeswoman for the Cave Creek Unified School District, said putting all the schools on lockdown was a precautionary measure.
“We didn’t want to take any chances,” Shafir said. “We just don’t want to put anyone at risk.”
Most Americans will be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year with the usual chocolates, teddy bears and romantic dinners, but some will be going to great lengths to get away from their lovers.
One man not keen on spending the evening of February 14 with his mistress has arranged to have a bogus veterinarian place an emergency call to inform him that his pet is ill and needs tender loving care. Another will have a fake public works officer call about some urgent pipe repair at his home.
The two have turned to Alibi Network, an Illinois-based company that specializes in covering the tracks of its wayward customers.
SAN DIEGO - Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week’s Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.
