In case you were wondering, action movie cliches are probably public domain. We now know this because a lawsuit alleging that Sylvester Stallone plagiarized a script called The Cordoba Caper for The Expendables has been rejected by federal judge Jed Rakoff, essentially on those grounds.
Corporate speechwriter Marcus Webb, writer of The Cordoba Caper, alleged that Stallone’s action hero supergroup film borrowed heavily from his own script, a claim Stallone denies. Stallone admits he based his draft on a different script entitled Barrow by David Callahan, but that he has never seen Webb’s. (Callahan is credited as co-writer on the final Expendables script.)
The similarities between Webb’s and Stallone’s scripts are striking at first glance. The Cordoba Caper involves the adventures of highly trained soldiers of fortune, employed by a wealthy benefactor to take out a ruthless despot engaged in genocidal programs related activities. This obviously bears a striking resemblance to the plot of The Expendables, right down to the ‘rescuing a young woman’ subplot. The only problem? It also sounds a lot like about 500 other action films.
The judge agreed, finding in his ruling that the plot points used in both films were “simple stock devices that are standard in action movies.” Even The Expendables‘ most solid similarity to The Cordoba Caper – the villain in both stories is named ‘General Garza’ – was dismissed as such. “As defendants point out,” Rakoff said, “Garza is a common Hispanic surname.”
Webb’s script was never picked up for development. He submitted it to several amateur screenwriting contests, none of which he won, prompting Judge Rakoff to note that, “It would require almost endless speculation” to conjure up the means by which Stallone would have laid eyes on it.
The bad news? People apparently believe…
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Also in Friday morning’s round-up of news briefs, Jesse Eisenberg has tapped Vanessa Redgrave for an Off-Broadway play. A judge has ruled on a request to close Innocence of Muslims video. And a look at the Specialty offerings coming out this weekend.
Clint Eastwood Owns The Chair Thing at Premiere
The 82 year-old Oscar winner has taken some heat for his empty chair speech at the Republican National Convention, but at his premier for Trouble With the Curve he chatted with a press contingent that – somehow – noticed there were 16 empty chairs nearby – “Oh my god yes,” he said with a laugh. He added that he worked with people on the film that fall across the political spectrum, but his latest is not a political film. And he will continue to stomp for Romney, A.P. reports.
John Travolta Eyes Vince Lombardi Biopic
At the Zurich Film Festival, Travolta said he’s considering a remake of the John Woo film, The Killer as well as starring in a biopic of legendary football star Vince Lombardi. The Killer remake will shoot in 3-D, Screen Daily reports.
Jesse Eisenberg, Vanessa Redgrave Set for Off-Broadway in The Revisionist
Redgrave will star along with Eisenberg in The Social Network’s Off-Broadway play that will be directed by Kip Fagan. The plot centers around Eisenberg’s character is a blocked sci-fi writer attempting to escape his problems in Poland. “A 75-year-old cousin played by Redgrave latches onto him as a means of connecting with her distant American family, gradually revealing details of their complex post-war past.” THR reports.
Riots Continue as Judge Denies Actress’ Move to Shut Down Innocence of Muslims
Western embassies closed in anticipation of Friday prayers as protesters fought…
“Sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place,” the molasses-and-whiskey voice of Sam Elliott says of The Dude in the Coen Brothers’ 1998 cult classic, The Big Lebowski. And thanks to filmmaker Jeff Feuerzeig, the time and place for the actual Dude who inspired the Dude will span a good 40 years at least.
The Atlantic today posted a link to The Dude (Director’s Cut), a 2011 documentary (in its entirety) by Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Johnston, The Real Rocky) that traces the history of Jeff Dowd, a 1960s antiwar activist-turned-independent-film-promoter, who not only inspired Jeff Bridges’ accidental philosopher character in The Big Lebowski but helped the Coen Brothers distribute their first film, Blood Simple, in the 1980s.
Dowd’s first taste of notoriety came in 1970 when he made headlines as one of the “Seattle Seven” — members of the Seattle Liberation Front who were indicted on charges of inciting a riot at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Seattle where 20 people were injured and 76 were arrested. (His arrest is cited in The Big Lebowski.) Dowd and his fellow defendants turned their fall trial into a media circus by hurling catcalls at the judge, and staging a courtroom walk-out. The judge eventually declared a mistrial but cited the Seattle Seven for contempt and they ultimately served three months in prison.
In Feuerzeig’s film, Dowd also talks about how he landed in the film industry where he worked with Robert Redford on the embryonic stages of the Sundance Institute. According to IMDB, Dowd served as producer’s representative on Madonna’s breakthrough movie Desperately Seeking Susan and as a producer of the 1992 film Zebrahead.
Check out Feuerzeig’s film and…
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Somebody hand me a lamb so I can ask it to double slap me in the face for having the audacity to write yesterday that Mimi accepted a paltry, poor person’s wage of $12 million to be a judge on American Idol for one season. JLo made only $12 million for her first season of Idol, Brit Brit is making around $16 million for her first season of X-Factor and Xtina is making $10 million for her third season of The Voice, so how dare I even think that the Rainbow Unicornie Princess of Pink Diamond Luxury would ever agree to make the same or less than those cheap Dollar General whores.
People says that Mimi’s deal is worth $18 million for her first season and she has the option to renew if she wants to. This deal makes her the most overpaid judge on a reality show ahead of Brit Brit and Howard Stern (who gets $15 million for America’s Got Talent). Simon Cowell doesn’t count since he also gets paid for being an executive producer and each one of his furry tit pies gets 7 figures each for just being.
Thank the Sanrio gods for this news. All is well again. Mimi’s FOX check is bigger than JLo’s FOX check. And now I know that if you put $12 million in front of Mimi, she
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Full Story »Some were skeptical that Woody Allen would make an appearance at the opening night of the LA Film Festival, even with his latest Euro-whimsy To Rome With Love premiering in the kick-off slot Thursday night. But show up Woody did, with five of his starlets in tow — including Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig, and a dazzling Penelope Cruz — to debut his 43rd feature film with a few charmingly self-deprecating zingers.
“I had a wonderful time making the picture in Rome,” Allen said, introducing his film to a packed theater at LA Live with a quip. “That doesn’t mean that you’ll enjoy it.”
Allen continued, quietly demurring the palpable adoration of the opening night crowd, joined by Cruz, Pill, Gerwig, and Italian co-stars Alessandra Mastronardi and Simona Caparrini. “I had fun. I was there for three months eating pasta, working with beautiful actresses and scintillating leading men. It was great for me. But whether it came out or not, you have to be the judge. If you like it, I want you to tell your friends and pressure Sony, so they don’t put it in the Witness Protection Program.” [Sony Pictures Classics releases the film in select cities next week.]
Allen’s Roman outing follows in the vein of his Oscar-nominated hit Midnight in Paris, exploring the spirit of the Eternal City through four light-hearted, if exhausting and scattered vignettes. In one, renowned architect Alec Baldwin visits his old Rome stomping grounds, running into Jesse Eisenberg’s 30 years-younger counterpart as he falls into an ill-advised affair. In another, a fiery hooker (Cruz) upends the life of a timid Italian newlywed. Roberto Benigni (“delightful, brilliant, sensational,” lauded Allen) shines in his own Fellini-esque tale of…
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I know, when my eyes scan that cover the only thing I read is “John Travolta…pause…Loving Beautiful Men”.
John Doe #1’s case against John Travolta is quickly turning into the Battlefield Earth of sexual harassment lawsuits. It’s a mess. First, John Doe #1 said “LOL JK ABOUT THAT DATE” and now he’s off looking for another lawyer, because his first one dropped him for reasons unknown. So while John Doe #1 holds on the line for Larry H. Parker, John Doe #2’s case is still on and will soon be heard by a private judge during a private mediation session. Radar says that John Doe #2’s lawyer and Travolta’s lawyer both agreed that it’s best if they get messy in private. Radar’s source put it like this:
“Marty Singer, and Okorie Okorocha have spoken and both are working on the ground rules for the evidence and procedure about how the mediation will proceed, and that process could take 1-2 months. This is commonly done before formal mediation begins. Both sides will agree to keep all transcripts sealed, as well as all witness statements, depositions, etc. The lawsuit will be heard by a private judge, who will decide how much money if any the accuser will receive. All of the proceedings will be strictly confidential, but make no mistake,
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Gabriel Aubry has made a lot of coins from flashing his nipples and beauty in ad campaigns for Charisma, Louis Vuitton and True Religion, but he still doesn’t have enough money to give his daughter Nahla the fancy life she’s accustomed to. Nahla’s childhood will be scarred unless there’s the roof of a mansion over her head and she’s got a Blue Ivy-approved wardrobe in her solid gold dresser. Gabriel can’t pay for that fancy shit himself, so he’s asking a judge to force Halle Berry to fill his gold digger jar with enough money to rent a fancy house, buy Nahla fancy clothes and take her to visit his family in Canada on a fancy plane. Basically, Nahla is THAT fancy.
Gabriel wants a chunk load of money including $15,000 to $20,000 a month to rent a house. The judge was supposed to rule on this mess next week, but it’s been pushed into April. Gabriel is in danger of losing his custody rights of Nahla, because of the whole “nanny accusing him of raging on her” thing, so the family law judge is waiting for a decision from the dependency judge before ruling on the money thing.
These crazy ass bitches have to get crazy over the tiniest things. You know, I barely visited my dad after my parents got divorced, but when
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