Michelle among the life, the love and the Rock & Roll.
March 31, 2006

According Business Wire. Michael Delaney, CEO of Trans-Global Holdings, Inc. announced that the company will begin scouting for new talent in the Philadelphia area for its new film "Life, Love and Rock and Roll."

The film is scheduled to begin pre-production in late spring, and is expected to be released in December of 2006. Currently the company is looking at possible movie stars to sign, and has expressed interest in having Sting play the roll of an aging rock star who falls in love with a teenage fan's mother, to be played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

"Life, Love and Rock and Roll" is about an aging rock star who is making a comeback, during which time he finds an unexpected lover on the road. This middle-aged woman is trying to find herself after her recent divorce. Little does she know that she could ever find herself falling for a rock star whom she despised last week.

Trans-Global Holdings, Inc. is an innovative entertainment company that develops and produces exciting motion pictures and television productions by some of the most prominent leaders in the entertainment industry.

Will Michelle Pfeiffer sing again?.
March 30, 2006

The past March 17 New Line reported John Travolta and Queen Latifah had signed on to star in New Line Cinema's upcoming feature film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Hairspray, it was announced by Toby Emmerich, New Line's President of Production.

Travolta will play Edna Turnblad and Queen Latifah will play Motormouth Maybelle in the film, which is being directed by Adam Shankman (The Pacifier, Bringing Down the House) and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, for their Zadan/Meron Productions, who previously executive produced the Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning Best Picture Chicago. A nationwide casting search is currently under way to find a newcomer to play the lead role of Tracy Turnblad in the film, with production on Hairspray scheduled to begin this Fall for a potential Summer 2007 release.

And now, according Warner Bros' ExtraTV.com, Travolta hopes a few famous friends will join him. "I think Billy Crystal is doing it as well as maybe Michelle Pfeiffer," he revealed. "I'm all set for this year. It's going to be busy." Also The Hollywood News talks about it at its news page saing: "Hinting at her own comeback on the horizon, actress Michelle Pfeiffer is rumoured to be in talks to join John Travolta and friends on the Hairspray redo. The lady isn't unfamiliar to singing duties, having pierced the screen as a sultry songstress in The Fabulous Baker Boys"

"From cult classic film to hit Broadway musical to major motion picture, Hairspray is a true New Line franchise," commented Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, New Line Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs. "John and Queen Latifah will bring new sensibilities to the characters of Edna Turnblad and Motormouth Maybelle, and introduce this innovative musical comedy to new audiences."

Zadan and Meron said: "It's long been a desire of ours to work with John Travolta and to have the opportunity to produce his return to movie musicals after three decades...it's a dream come true. And having worked so successfully with Queen Latifah on Chicago, we were looking for the perfect vehicle to re-team...Hairspray presented us with a wonderful opportunity to collaborate once again with our multi-talented friend."

Hairspray is originally based on the 1988 John Waters comedy about star-struck teenagers on a local Baltimore dance show. The new version of the film will be based on New Line's hit Broadway adaptation of the film which debuted in 2002, and went on to win eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book and Best Director.

Marc Shaiman (Sleepless in Seattle) and Scott Wittman will contribute new songs to their existing Tony Award winning score. Shaiman will also serve as the film's music supervisor and will compose the music score for the film as well as produce its songs. Wittman and Shaiman will also serve as executive producers on the film. The new screenplay for Hairspray is written by Leslie Dixon (Freaky Friday, Outrageous Fortune).

Emmerich is overseeing the project along with New Line's Executive VP of Production Mark Kaufman, and Creative Executives Michael Disco and Daryl Freimark.

Travolta burst into the dance musical world thirty years ago with Saturday Night Fever and packed a one-two punch the following year with the release of Grease, the most successful movie musical of all time. Travolta was nominated for Oscars for Fever and Pulp Fiction.

Hairspray reunites Latifah with producers Zadan and Meron (she earned an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for her work in Chicago) and director Shankman (she starred in his blockbuster Bringing Down The House).

On the other hand also Moviehole site talks about the incursion of Michelle in the project connecting Travolta and Pfeiffer as ex-Rydell High students at a nice article called "Another Rydell High Grad using Hairspray?": John ‘Danny Zuko’ Travolta isn’t the only ex-Rydell High student about to reignite his love affair with the microphone. Apparently, Grease 2 starlet – who was a class below Zuko, I believe – Michelle Pfeiffer is also now in talks to star in the musical redux Hairspray. With Pfeiffer now close to singing onboard the New Line comedy, the film’s cast is shaping up to be a more star-sudded event than an MTV Movie Awards after-party. Also in the film are Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah. Pfeffer has an amazing voice. Yeah OK, so Grease 2 was about as finely tuned as a discount-store piano, but the gal really proved her singing ability in it (I can still hear her singing daggy hits like “Cool Rider”) Not to mention, how darn – ah, sexy too – fine she performed in the underrated The Fabulous Baker Boys. Will be good to see her strutting her stuff again on screen. Let’s hope the deal gets made – and soon.

You can fin more information about the project at IMDB, although the name of Michelle Pfeiffer isn't attached yet.

Some hitchs with the Stardust's horses in Iceland.
March 22, 2006

According Iceland Review, who has published an article titled: Horses dragging Hollywood stars away from Iceland.

Filming for the Hollywood movie "Stardust" starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro will start in Iceland next weekend. Substantial parts of the movie were to be filmed in Iceland but it seems that horses might keep the movie stars away..

Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller and Charlie Cox are among the stars in this Matthew Vaughn-directed adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel.

Morgunbladid reports that horses also have a major role in this Paramount project but unfortunately it is illegal to import horses to Iceland. "This really puts a spanner in the works," said Helga Margrét Reykdal, managing director of movie production company TrueNorth, local partner for the "Stardust" team.

Helga said that they had spoken to "relevant parties" but it appeared that the Icelandic horse was especially vulnerable to disease because it had been isolated for so many centuries and therefor people were afraid to import horses. "This will be the first day of filming. They are coming to film winter scenes and will then continue filming in the U.K. Regarding future filming, they are interested in shooting most of the film in Iceland but horses play a big part in the movie and transporting them to the country is not allowed. That is why people are weighing the alternatives. At the moment we do not know if the project has a future here in Iceland. Maybe they will be forced to find another solution, other then coming to Iceland, even though this is their dream place," said Helga.

The filming will take place near Höfn in Hornafjördur. For this round of filming none of the star-studded crew will come to Iceland.

Pfeiffer & David sell their Hawaiian beachfront compound.
March 17, 2006

From the Pacific Bussiness News: Michelle Pfeiffer and her husband, writer-producer David E. Kelley, have listed their beachfront compound on the windward side of Oahu at $12.9 million. The property is at Lanikai, one of the top American beaches, according to an annual survey by University of Maryland professor Stephen Leatherman, known as "Dr. Beach." He liked Lanikai because of its beautiful water and mile-long white-sand beach.

Pfeiffer and Kelley own about 140 feet of beach frontage plus a 1930s vintage home with a guest cottage and a pool house. Altogether, there are six bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,400 square feet in addition to several lanais and a pool on more than half an acre. The main house was restored by Nancy Peacock and the poolhouse by Peter Vincent & Associates. The listing price includes the land, which is often leased in Hawaii. The beach has aquamarine water and overlooks the three pyramid-shaped Mokulua Islands.

Anne Oliver of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties is the listing agent. She sold the home to Pfeiffer 10 years ago.Perhaps the couple are just in the selling mood. In January, they made news in Los Angeles when they sold their Brentwood estate for about $19 million. That property had been on the market since June 2004, when the pair purchased a ranch north of Los Angeles.

Michelle Pfeiffer and greta Garbo's spirit.
March 13, 2006

Really it is an strange and funny news, it look like a joke... you can read it... and think anything... Although I agree, it'd be so interesting, Michelle Pfeiffer would the perfect actress to play Greta Garbo. In addition, Michelle is known and considered as the "New Garbo"...

According ContactMusic.com says: "Dead actress Greta Garbo has tired of championing Michelle Pfeiffer to play her in a long-awaited biopic and now wants Charlize Theron to take on the role. Garbo, a long time client of Hollywood psychic Kenny Kingston, has allegedly become a regular visitor to the celebrity medium since her 1990 death, and is upset that Tinseltown still isn't planning to make a biopic about her amazing life. Kingston says, "Garbo wanted Michelle Pfeiffer to play her for the longest time and, frankly, she's tired of waiting. I even called Michelle Pfeiffer's husband, David E Kelley, once and told him that Garbo was a big fan of his wife. But she is tired of waiting and now she wants Charlize Theron to play her."

Michelle Pfeiffer on the piano among the Sexiest scenes in the movies.
March 12, 2006

Lovefilm.com (Europe's #1 Dvd rental service) has surveyed 120,000 of its members for the poll: "Top Ten Sexiest Movie Scenes"

Michelle Pfeiffer as Susie eroding the piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys has been ranked #8 below a spanking scene in the movie 'Secretary' considered the sexiest moment in film, in the movie, Lee, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, is spanked by her boss (James Spader); the kiss between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in the gay cowboy film 'Brokeback Mountain', in the second place; And the sexual tension between George Clooney’s bank robber and Jennifer Lopez’s federal agent who is sparked when he locks her in the boot of his car in the movie 'Out Of Sight' (third)... among other ones.

It seems the little sessions of spanking and gay/lesbian sex/love is the hottest, I can guess the members were totally anonymous... ;-P. You can see the ten complete list here:

#1. Secretary (2002): Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) being spanked by her boss (James Spader).
#2. Brokeback Mountain (2005): The passionate kiss between Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis (Heath Ledger).
#3. Out of Sight (1998): The sexual tension builds when Jack (George Clooney) locks Karen (Jennifer Lopez) in the boot of his car.
#4. Betty Blue (1986): Opening sex scene with Betty (Beatrice Dalle) and Zorg (Gean-Hughes Anglade).
#5. Cruel Intentions (1999): A lesbian kiss between Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s characters.
#6. Wild Things (1998): The infamous car washing scene featuring Neve Campbell and Denise Richards.
#7. Rear Window (1954): J.B Jeffries (James Stewart) is woken by a kiss from his girlfriend (Grace Kelly).
#8. The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989): Susie (Michelle Pfeiffer) sings ‘Makin’ Whoopee’ on the piano.
#9. Mulholland Drive (2001): Betty (Naomi Watts) and a mysterious brunette (Laura Harring) share a bed together.
#10. The Hunger (1983): A vampire seduction scene featuring Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon.

I Could Never Be Your Woman advances the release date to July 29.
March 8, 2006

Metro Goldwyn Mayer will be the distribution company for I Could Never Be Your Woman, in addition, the release date has been advanced to July 29, 2006. Iit was scheduled for September 15.

Also, a new article has been published where it is said about a change in the company policy, according Reuters, a digital news service:

Movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. on Wednesday unveiled a revitalized film distribution business for U.S. and Canadian markets nearly one year after being bought by a Sony Corp.-led group of investors. MGM's new chairman and chief executive officer, Harry Sloan, said the company would focus initially on releasing high-quality films made by independent producers. MGM would market and distribute the films to theaters domestically and manage worldwide rights for the movies. The producers would gain access to MGM's large number of film output deals in the United States and around the world. Sloan called MGM a "unique hybrid" that married top-quality movies made by small, independent producers with a big Hollywood studio's marketing and distribution muscle. MGM showed off several films that it will begin releasing as soon as April 7 including "Lucky Number Slevin," which is backed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein's The Weinstein Co. Other films include titles such as "Harsh Times," a crime thriller starring Christian Bale, and "I Could Never Be Your Woman," a romantic comedy with Michelle Pfeiffer.

Hollywood Reporter confirms Michelle Pfeiffer has signed to be in Stardust.
March 7, 2006

According Hollywood Reporter, the news says: Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller and Charlie Cox have signed on to star in Paramount Pictures' "Stardust," the Matthew Vaughn-directed adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel.

With a screenplay penned by Vaughn and writing partner Jane Goldman, "Stardust" centers on Tristian (Cox), who, in order to win the heart of his beloved (Miller), promises to fetch a falling star named Yvaine (Danes). This sets in motion an adventure in which Tristian and Yvaine must face off against a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (De Niro) and an evil witch (Pfeiffer).

Vaughn and Gaiman are longtime friends, and Vaughn had been slowly developing "Stardust" as something he would do in the far-off future. When he exited "X-Men 3" in June, he decided to tackle "Stardust." Vaughn quietly put together the cast, with particular focus on the role of Yvaine, for which many actresses screen-tested.

Vaughn is producing alongside Lorenzo di Bonaventura via his Paramount-based di Bonaventura Pictures. Michael Dreyer and Gaiman also are attached as producers. Stephen Marks and Peter Morton are executive producing.

Paramount is co-financing along with Vaughn's U.K.-based MARV Films and Ingenious Film Partners. Paramount is handling worldwide distribution.

Filming begins next month in the U.K. and Iceland.

Paramount's Brad Weston and Dan Levine will oversee for the studio.

Danes is repped by ICM and manager Michael Aglion. De Niro, Pfeiffer and Cox are repped by CAA. Miller is repped by Endeavor. Cox and Miller are additionally repped by Peters, Fraser & Dunlop in the U.K.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.com

Lamia, the Witch: a little closer to reality, starting to shoot next month in England.
March 5, 2006

News about Stardust, it seems that the project is growing to carry out. According the screenwriter and critic Drew McWeeny "Moriarty", who has published an article about the film at the movie-news website Ain't It Cool News, says the movie got a little closer to reality this past week, according to a friend over at CAA, where it seems like every member of the cast is represented. He tells McWeeny that an announcement will be made in the next week or so regarding the major roles that have been filled so far.

The star of the piece is whoever plays Yvaine, the fallen star who drives the entire piece. Matthew Vaughn, the movie director, was in LA recently working on screen tests for the role. The result of that search is that Claire Danes is going to play the part. About the choice, McWeeny says, "great! I can only imagine how she chose to play the character as written. It’s tricky stuff. She’s much wiser than she should be, with a huge attitude, but she’s a star. She’s a beautiful, remarkable thing in the script and in the book. She’s playful, she’s angry, she’s very tough at times, but she’s also unbelievably fragile when you get down to the core of who and what she is. It’s one of the big jobs for any actress next year, and Danes has been warming up to it for a long time. If she works, it’ll be magic. You’ll have to fall in love with her. You’ll have no choice."

Charlie Cox will be the lead, Tristan role. This is his journey. This is his story. He’s the one who is trying to win the love of Victoria, who is going to be played by Sienna Miller. "Tristan’s origin," says McWeeny, "is explained in the film’s first ten minutes, and it’s sort of like it is in the book. About ten pages in, we make a jump forward by twenty years. That’s when we meet him. So Charlie Cox needs to be young. He’s 24. Playing 20. Playing a guy just on the edge of getting his shit together." His dad, Dunstan, knows that Tristan’s special in ways that he doesn’t even dare tell him. Tristan doesn’t know. Tristan feels like he can’t compete with any of the other guys in his village. He wants to prove himself to Victoria. He wants to deserve her.

"Tristan confesses his feelings to Victoria one night over a bottle of illicit champagne, and it’s a pretty great version of the scene from the book. It’s seductive... it’s funny... and it sets the film in motion perfectly. When they see a shooting star, Tristan turns to her and says, 'For your hand in marriage, I’d go to Stormhold and bring you back that fallen star.' She considers it and responds, 'Hmmm. My very own star. It seems that we have ourselves an agreement.'"

"But the thing is," adds McWeeny "you don’t go into Stormhold. And you don’t pick up fallen stars. Or at least, you have to realize that you’re not the only one who will be looking. See... stars have all sorts of power. They have literal power, like the power that Lamia, Empusa, and Mormo will be able to extract from it if they get their hands on it. These three witches see this fallen star as an opportunity... a vital part of their own survival. Stars also have symbolic power, like that bestowed upon the star by the dying King Of Stormhold, who sends his murderous sons out to retrieve a sapphire that is linked to the fallen star, each of them desperate to kill the others while chasing the stone. The witches pick Lamia to go forth, transforming her into a beautiful woman. If I understood correctly, this is the witch that Michelle Pfeiffer is playing. She spends the movie trying to track that star down, and she’s willing to do anything to get it. It’s a genuinely scary role as written." And Captain Shakespeare, leader of the Air Pirates is the favorite character of McWeeny. Vaughn’s apparently signed Robert De Niro to play the part. Alfred Molina and Mark Strong (Syriana) are joining the cast as well, although not sure yet.

The film starts shooting next month in England.

McWeeny tells that in late November or early December he received the Stardust script, it was written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. He read it and then he re-read Neil Gaiman’s novel, which he hadn’t read in a couple of years... and then he read the script again. According him, the approach that Vaughn and Goldman took in adapting the novel is sort of radical. It still looks like Stardust if you lay out the basic plot points, but there’s an attitude to the film that is all its own. He laugh out loud in several places. Vaughn and Goldman turned up the funny quite a bit, but in that impeccably dry English way that manages to balance silly and totally serious somehow. The script’s got a real weight to it, but the ways that it reinvents Gaiman’s story are quite canny, and should make for a striking film next year.

Neil Gaiman’s become involved with the film, working to take Vaughn and Goldman’s ideas and then play with them and finesse them and make sure that the voice of the book is in there, loud and clear.

McWeeny was with Vaugh when he was in LA looking for the actresses for the movie. He got an invite to meet Vaughn for breakfast and he showed him some cool Stardust stuff . As well as Macweeny and Vaughn, also Tarquin, director's right hand man, and Gaiman himself were at the reunion.

Vaughn had a portfolio full of the film’s production art with him, most of it stuff he had paid for himself before Paramount even got involved. Says McWeeny "What struck me right away is how the visual palette Vaughn’s going for is 'nothing' like I expected. It’s bold, and if he pulls it off, it’s going to be unique. It’s certainly not a case of someone aping Lord Of The Rings or Narnia, which we’re going to see a lot of in the next few years. He’s using a lot of practical locations in the UK that I’ve never seen on film before, and he’s building as much of the movie practical as he can, including the flying ship that Captain Shakespeare and his crew command, which should be spectacular. Same thing with the Witches’ Castle, or the Castle of Stormhold. These are big sets, and it looks like he’s really pushing for a fairy tale look that’s all his own. Stardust has its adult moments, so it’s fine that he’s pushing this, making something that isn’t obviously family-oriented. Instead, this is a sort of ageless fable, and only very little kids are going to be unable to watch it. This plays rough in places, but only in the way that the real fairy tales do."

"My guess is," finishes McWeeny, "that Vaughn’s back in England, working his ass off to get everything ready, working to finalize the cast, working with his design teams and his visual collaborators and his costumers and every other department head and he’s probably loving every second of the chaos, thriving on it, slip sliding his way along and revving up for what I’m hoping really delivers the goods, and I’ll bet he never breaks a sweat, no matter what."

Source: Article Moriarty’s High On STARDUST! Casting And Story Details!! from Ain't It Cool News

Stardust: Michelle Pfeiffer in a fairy tale.
March 3, 2006

It is rumoured, according the Daily Mail in the UK, Michelle Pfeiffer will star opposite Robert DeNiro, Claire Danes and Charlie Cox (Casanova) -in the lead role- in Stardust and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake).

Stardust is based on a Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, you can remember Gaiman is the autor of Coraline, a project which was rumoured -never confirmed- that Michelle was to star, the movie is now in pre-production to be an animation film directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach)

Stardust itself was originally intended to be a comic before Gaiman and the artist Charles Vess decided to present it as a more ambitious, beautifully illustrated novel, which DC Comics published in four installments beginning in October 1997. The text-only version of the book was published by Avon/Morrow in 1999.Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. It tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie: The town of Wall has one opening, which is guarded day and night. On one side of the stone bulwark is England; on the other, Faerie. Once every nine years, the guard is relaxed so that the villagers can attend a fair held in a nearby meadow. There, as a young man, Dunstan Thorn is seduced by a strange woman, and not quite a year later a child is left at the wall. His name is Tristran Thorn. When he grows up, he falls in love with Victoria Forester, and to win her affection, he vows to bring to her the fallen star that they see one night. The star has fallen in Faerie, and though Tristran soon finds her (for in Faerie a star is not a ball of flaming gas, but a living, breathing woman), he has a hard time holding on to her. The sons of the Lord of Stormhold also seek the star, for it is said that he who finds her can take his father's throne. In addition, the oldest of three evil witches seeks the star, for her heart can grant youth and beauty.

At the moment, it's known the project is in pre-production by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn himself, who also produces. In addition, Gaiman has recently returned to UK from Los Angeles, where he got to operate the camera during casting sessions for the film adaptation. It is sheduled to be released on 2007.

Well, little more we can know about it, but now we can do our conjectures... Could Michelle played the role of the oldest of three evil witches? Maybe, it could be interesting, although she did already turn down the White Witch role in The Chronicles Of Narnia... anyway we will know, I guess the complete cast will be known soon.

Chasing Montana in the coming months.
February 15, 2006

AccordingDenmark.dk the daily newspaper Politiken reported that film director Susanne Bier will make two films for US production companies this year, the director will be rubbing elbows with some of Hollywood's biggest names in the coming months.

Bier, one of Denmark's most popular directors, is to produce films for Dream Works and Focus Features.

The first film, Things we lost in the fire, will be produced by Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for American Beauty. The film tells the story of a woman whose husband suddenly dies. Shortly afterwards, she invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with the family.

And the other movie -the most waited one by us- is Chasing Montana for Focus Films -and we already know the rest-, its script was penned by veteran TV screenwriter David E. Kelly and stars Michelle Pfeiffer. It is the only information the newspaper gives us about the movie... We don't know if it will come back to be the eternal project. We will have to wait

Bier's most recent release, Brothers, a powerful drama about a family disrupted by one brother's service in Afghanistan, starred Connie Nielsen. Her next Danish film, After the wedding, is set for release on 24 February.

Michelle Pfeiffer have sold her Brentwood estate.
January 15, 2006

For a year and a half it's been on again, off again and back on, but actress Michelle Pfeiffer and her husband, writer-producer David E. Kelley, finally have sold their Brentwood estate for about $19 million.

The buyer is Robert Iger, 54, chief executive of the Walt Disney Co., who is married to broadcast journalist Willow Bay.

Pfeiffer and Kelley's estate, which has ocean and canyon views and is on slightly more than 2 acres, was first listed in June 2004, when the power couple bought a ranch north of Los Angeles, where they moved.

The 7,500-square-foot, traditional-style main house in Brentwood was built