Ben Stiller To Direct "Help Me Spread the Goodness"

It appears that Tony Perkis himself is getting serious, as Ben Stiller is gearing up to helm “Help Me Spread Goodness” for Participant Media, says Production Weekly.

According to Production Weekly: “Ben Stiller's “Help Me Spread Goodness” is scheduled to begin production mid-April on location in Africa & the U.S.”

The production company has a mandate that says their films must compel social change. "Goodness" is based on a 2008 Black List-approved screenplay written by Mark Friedman. The film is about a Chicago banker who gets swindled in a Nigerian Internet scam.

It's described as a drama with comic overtones and was developed by Participant Media executive VP Jonathan King and president Ricky Strauss. While the project is meant to be entertaining, it sheds a light on current issues in Nigeria and other African countries.

There is no word yet if Stiller himself will star or who else might be among the cast.

Stiller seems to be leaning towards the dramatic side lately, with Noah Baumbach’s "Greenberg" on the way, and this mature project in the works. Stiller has proved that he has a knack for directing, with “The Cable Guy,” “Zoolander” and “Tropic Thunder” under his belt. The film sounds like it will be interesting, and hopefully it will shed more light on what’s going on in Africa.

Eric Bana Trains Assassin "Hanna"

Eric Bana is in the final negotiations to join "Hanna" for Focus Features, reports Variety.

According to Variety: Eric Bana is in final negotiations to star opposite Saoirse Ronan in Focus Features' assassin picture "Hanna."

Saoirse Ronan plays a 14-year-old girl who has grown up entirely in a remote woods where her father has taught her to become a lethal assassin. She soon leaves the woods for the first time and sets out on a job to kill a high-ranking government official with many secrets.

Joe Wright ("Atonement") directs the picture, which begins production in March. Seth Lochhead penned the script while Marty Adelstein, Leslie Holleran and Scott Nemes are producing.

This project already was promising due to the combination of Wright and Ronan, who also worked together on “Atonement.”

Now that Bana has joined the cast, “Hanna” is shaping up as a film to keep an eye on in the coming year. Although Bana has had a few uneven roles (“Hulk,” “The Time Traveler’s Wife”) in his career, he also has shown he is an extremely talented actor. He was fantastic in Steven Speilberg’s “Munich,” and also in a supporting role in “Black Hawk Down”.

Bana's recent feature projects include "Star Trek," "Funny People," and the documentary "Love the Beast."

Shooting kicks off in Germany in March.

Television Review, "The Office": "Sabre"

Yes, it's true, there is a difference between a recap and a review. Here's my review of this week's episode of "The Office", from Week In Rewind.

"Sabre" is the 15th episode of “The Office” this season, and also the first ‘real’ episode of 2010 after “The Banker” clip show from two weeks ago. It was written by Jennifer Celotta, who previously had written "The Promotion," "Company Picnic" and "The Duel," and it was directed by John Krasinski, who made his television directorial debut with the episode.

In "Sabre," the Dunder-Mifflin crew is forced to endure a merger with Sabre, an electronics giant that purchased the infamous paper company. With a new company and new characters added to the mix, last week’s episode had the potential to be one of the funniest we’ve seen this season, but it was just so-so. It was a rare episode in which I felt some of the minor characters (Andy Bernard, David Wallace) had more funny moments than Michael (Steve Carell).

It was nice to see the storyline of the show move along. Most of 2009 was an uncertain time for Dunder Mifflin, with the threat of downsizing and bankruptcy looming. With some stability coming, as well as a new owner, change was imminent. One of the downfalls of the episode was how the writer’s made Michael handle the changes. Although it’s in Michael’s nature to be childish, it felt too similar to episodes from the fifth season, when Michael was forced out of his regional manager job.

Nevertheless, Michael still was funny. He decides the only way to stop the problems at Dunder Mifflin is to go see former boss David Wallace, who now spends his days inside with his son, who plays the drums way too loud. I always felt Wallace was an underused character, so it was nice to see him back on the show after he was fired.

One of the episode's funniest scenes found Wallace and Michael taking a dip in the Jacuzzi to talk about the new management. Instead, David tries to get him to invest in 'Suck It,' a new invention that will help kids pick up their toys. Michael isn’t impressed, and so he leaves Wallace’s house damp and without an idea of what to do. The interaction between the two is offers big laughs, and sends Michael back to the office without a plan.

Ed Helms and Ellie Kemper as Andy and Erin continue to be adorable and funny as the oblivious, junior high school version of Jim and Pam. In this episode, Andy and Erin are flirting hardcore, both super eager to go out with the other one. Only problem? Andy thinks Erin will ask him out. Erin thinks Andy will ask her out. And round and round we go. I think the longer the writer’s drag this storyline out, the better. We all know the two are going to get together, so as long as their courtship is funny, I’m in for watching it.

In the least interesting part of the episode, Jim and Pam are preparing to go for an interview to see if they can get their as-of-yet unborn child into a top-of-the-line day care center. It goes completely wrong due to a misunderstanding when Jim walks in on someone in the bathroom. Nothing really that funny happens, and it’s pretty much filler, although it’s interesting to see Jim and Pam unable to show how ‘perfect’ their relationship is.

As with so many episodes of "The Office," this one also includedguest stars. No other show does guest stars like “The Office.” In the fifth season, they had Jack Black, Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman, but they never set foot in the office. Instead, they all starred in a fictional bootleg movie Andy downloaded.

The guest stars pull a similar move in this episode, with Kathy Bates as the new owner only appearing on a video chat, and Christian Slater (as himself) appearing in a ‘Sabre’ introduction video. Neither star added much to the episode, although I have to admit it was pretty funny watching Christian Slater try to sell some new company methods to the employees of Dunder Mifflin.

Another solid episode for “The Office” and an awesome television-directing debut for Krasinski. Next week brings Kathy Bates to Scranton in "Manager and Salesman," whose plot goes like this: “The office is eager to welcome Sabre CEO Jo Bennett to Scranton, and are dazzled by her Southern ways. When Jo finds out there are two branch managers, she says either Michael or Jim must go back to being a salesman. Meanwhile, Andy's Valentine's Day plan backfires."

It was written by Mindy Kaling, who also wrote "Secret Santa," "Niagara," and "Golden Ticket," and was directed by Marc Webb, the helmer of “(500) Days of Summer.” It will air February 11, 2010, so be sure to tune in.

Mariners Make Another Solid Move

Quick changes happen all the time in sports. From one year to the next a team can rise from last place to first, or free fall from the top all the way to the bottom.

In 2008 the Mariners were finishing up a dreadful 61-101 season and became the first team in MLB history to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll.

What a difference a year makes. After cleaning house and bringing in a new GM, Jack Zduriencik, and manager, Don Wakamatsu, the Mariners finished 2009 with a much improved 85-77 record, and the best ERA in the American League.

Zduriencik hoped to capitalize on last season's success, and entering the 2010 offseason, the Mariners had a lot of roles to fill and a lot of questions to answer. So far, Zduriencik has filled those roles, and answered those questions. He continues a solid off season with the news that the Mariners signed free agent pitcher Erik Bedard to a one year deal.

After the injury plagued couple years Bedard spent with the Mariners, one may think that this is a bad move. Instead it's just the opposite. The Orioles absolutely robbed the Mariners when they traded Bedard for outfielder Adam Jones and pitchers George Sherrill and Chris Tillman. All the M's got in return for their best prospect and their top young pitcher was having to pay Bedard $14.75 million for two seasons during which he won 11 games in 30 starts.

Now, with a need for starting pitching, the M's have brought Bedard back, hoping he can return from injury and perform like he did when he was an All Star. Either way it's a safe move. If he comes and performs well behind Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee when he returns, that's great, and if not, it's only a one year deal this time around.

In his short time as GM of the Mariners Zduriencik has arguably made the best moves of anyone in baseball. Let's take a look at a few of them:

-He brought back Ken Griffey Jr. to the team last year which greatly helped the clubhouse and provided the team with veteran leadership. Griffey should be healthy this year and hopefully will contribute a bit extra with his bat.

-Last season he signed Russell Branyan to a cheap, one year contract, and in return he led the Mariners with 31 home runs. Talk about bang for your buck.

-He traded for reliever David Aardsma in January, and after Brendan Morrow's struggles, he emerged as the closer and posted fantastic numbers. He had 38 saves and 2.52 ERA, on his way to being named an All-Star.

-He also signed center fielder Franklin Guitierrez's contract for four years. Guitierrez was a center piece in the J.J. Putz trade, and also is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.

-Stealing some thunder from their AL West rival Angels, the Mariners signed Chone Figgins to a four year deal.With Ichiro the Mariners now have a solid top of the order, and also now have two of the best leadoff hitters in the game on their team. Figgins has a fantastic glove, and knows how to steal a base or two.

-In the biggest move of all he acquired former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee in the huge three team trade with Toronto and Philadelphia. Adding an ace like Lee to pair with Hernandez makes the Mariners have the best 1-2 punch of any team in baseball.

-Speaking of Hernandez, Zduriencik made sure King Felix holds court in Seattle for the next five years, locking him up to a big, but not totally extravagant contract.

Zduriencik has made some other moves as well, including bringing in verterans like Eric Byrnes, Ryan Garko and Brandon League. If only one among those makes a considerable contribution, the Mariners could eclipse the uneven Rangers and sagging Angels in the AL West.

Either way, after being out the playoff conversation for years, the Mariners have finally found their way back. Lets hope things just don't look good on paper, and they look good on Opening Day.

Bale, Bardem Cast In Terrence Malick Pic

Terrence Malick has his next film, an untitled romantic drama, lined up and ready to start shooting this fall says The Hollywood Reporter.

According to The Hollywood Reporter: Terrence Malick has lined up Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams and Olga Kurylenko for his next film, an untitled romantic drama that will start filming this autumn.

The director, known for his massively long breaks between projects, is looking to shoot films pretty much back-to-back for the first time in his career. Like other Malick projects, plot details are being kept under wraps.

Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green and Bill Pohlad are producing. Pohlad is producing Malick’s The Tree Of Life, which the filmmaker is currently editing and will be released in North America later this year through Apparition Films.

Malick’s credits include “Badlands”, “Days Of Heaven”, “The Thin Red Line” and “The New World”. While not the most prolific filmmaker in terms of numbers, Malick has produced some of the poignant and thoughtful films of all-time.

Either way it’s fantastic that Malick was able to bring in such talent as Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, and Rachel McAdams, who are all actors I happen to like. Malick is already familiar with Bale, who had a role in his 2005 film “The New World.”

Bardem recently starred in “Nine” and also picked up an Academy Award for his memorable role in “No Country For Old Men”. Working with Malick could be a breakthrough for McAdams in terms of awards consideration. Most recently seen in “Sherlock Holmes,” she was also great in “State of Play”, and this role should fit her perfectly.

Malick wrote the script and will direct. Shooting begins this fall.

HBO, 'Entourage' Team Go to Washington

HBO is reteaming with the producers behind Entourage to develop a politically charged series reports Variety.

According to Variety: Mark Wahlberg, Doug Ellin and Stephen Levinson, the successful team behind the Emmy-winning comedy 'Entourage,' are working on a new, untitled series that follows the relationship between a political aide and his boss, the former President of the United States.

The script comes from Ben Scherwin, who will also serve as co-executive producer alongside Wahlberg, Ellin and Levinson.

The show will continue a very fruitful relationship between the 'Entourage' team and HBO. Currently, they're prepping the Prohibition-era drama 'Boardwalk Empire' from Martin Scorsese, as well as the third season of 'In Treatment,' both of which are scheduled to premiere in the fall.

I think this project has potential to be another hit for Wahlberg and Friends. Much like the way “Entourage” explores the day-to-day operations of celebrity life, the new show will focus on the day-to-day dealings of politics and government. It’s an interesting world to explore, and depending on who they cast it could turn out to be HBO’s next sleeper hit.

On the acting side, Wahlberg can currently be seen on the big screen in Peter Jackson's adaptation of 'The Lovely Bones.' He's also prepping three films to be released later this year, including 'The Fighter,' co-starring Christian Bale.

Pitt Tackles The Economy In "The Big Short"

Paramount Pictures and Plan B have picked up film rights to Michael Lewis' non-fiction tome "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine" says Variety.

According to Variety: Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B are closing in on a deal to the film rights to “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis’ upcoming Wall Street book, "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine".

Lewis's book, which comes out in March, chronicles the recent free fall of the American economy (in particular the crippled housing market), seen through the eyes of a large group of characters. It also centers on the various decisions by Wall Street power brokers, banker and mortgage agents that led to the complete collapse of the housing market in the fall of 2008.

Pitt clearly likes Michael Lewis. Pitt was slated to star in Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of “Moneyball” which stalled out last year and is now in Bennett Miller’s hands. Hopefully this time around the film will actually get made. Pitt will produce and also consider starring.

“The Blind Side”, which is an adaptation of one of Lewis’ books, just got two Oscar nominations, for Best Picture and Best Actress (Sandra Bullock), and his new book just might be a Brad Pitt starring vehicle. I guess it’s a great week to be Michael Lewis.

No production dates have been set.

More Go 3D Including "Transformers 3"

It comes as no surprise that the third "Transformers" film looks to be happening in 3D with Michael Bay, Paramount and Industrial Light & Magic all in talks to discuss going the extra dimension with the film reports Variety.

According to Variety: Michael Bay's next project is "Transformers 3," and there have been discussions among Bay, Paramount and Industrial Light & Magic about going 3D with the picture.

The big stumbling block is the extra time required to do production and visual effects in 3D, as the movie's release date is already set. Due to the time factor, Bay's filming style and the complexity of the visual effects, it may just be 'converted' rather than shot and produced in 3D.

The move comes amidst a '3D conversion' boom with many upcoming and catalog titles getting the 2D-to-3D treatment. Korean company Stereo Pictures for example is at work on converting the upcoming "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" into 3D as well.

Michael Bay has said in the past that 3D is a gimmick and that his agressive filmmaking style is not conducive to 3-D filming but it seems Paramount does not agree.
I don’t think the disagreement between Bay and Paramount will have much effect on the film. The first two have made a ridiculous amount of money and there is no reason to think that the third won’t as well, 3D or no 3D. In my opinion I think it would be pretty sweet to see Optimus Prime transform and defend Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky in three dimensions.

Paramount has set a July 1st, 2011 release for Transformers 3, which will begin shooting in May.

The Office Recap 2/4, "Sabre"

Check out the full recap with some added video over at the blog, Have U Heard.

"Sabre" is the fifteenth episode of “The Office” this season, and also the first ‘real’ episode of 2010 after “The Banker” clip show from two weeks ago. It was written by Jennifer Celotta, who previously written "The Promotion," "Company Picnic," and "The Duel" and was directed by John Krasinski who made his television directorial debut with the episode.

The cold open showed Michael and the office receive a gift from their new owner. A shiny new printer, fax machine and scanner, which he hands out to everyone. He also pronounces the new company that own Dunder Mifflin as Sab-re (Sab-Ray) and not Sabre. He begins to have fun with the new scanner until someone realizes the box “is for someone named Gabe.”

Quickly they manage to try to put everything back how it was, eventually taping the cardboard box back together. They finally finish, and then all of a sudden a phone rings from inside the box. As Michael tries to cut it open again, we come to the opening credits.

The new dude, Gabe, is a “Coordinating Director” from Sabre, and when he arrives, Dwight greets him with a large tray of “Scranton hotdogs.” Andy and Erin also wrote a song commemorating his arrival, which is to the tune of “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus. Unfortunately they had listened to Michael and thought the company was pronounced Sab-rey, making the song sound a bit off.

At the same time, Jim and Pam are preparing to go for an interview to see if they can get their as of yet unborn child into a top of the line day care center. It’s the least interesting part of the episode because it’s not in the office, but you just got to love Jim and Pam.

Back at the Office Gabe shows off a video to everyone. It shows Christian Slater (yes, as himself) touring Sabre’s main office, saying how great it is to work for them. “The Office” does guest stars like no other show on TV. It’s hilarious.

Michael is slow to grasp the changes that Gabe is trying to implement, including having to watch ‘Nick’ the new IT guy, block ‘time wasting’ sites like Twitter and YouTube. Eventually Michael goes to Gabe and asks him if all the changes are necessary, to which he says, “Let me see what I can do.” Gabe speaks to Joy Bennett (Kathy Bates) over an iChat, which Michael gets caught eavesdropping on. In a not so nice way, Bennett tells Michael that he has until the end of the day to accept the changes.

Andy and Erin are flirting hardcore now, ever since the romantic gift Andy got her for Christmas. Both are super eager to go out with the other one. Only problem? Andy thinks Erin will ask him out. Erin thinks Andy will ask her out. And round and round we go.

Jim and Pam get to the day care center and are very impressed. Then Jim walks in on a guy in the child size bathroom. The guy turns out to be whom they are interviewing with. Jim acts extremely awkward in the interview, prompting Pam to ask the man if the reason the interview isn’t going so well is because he walked in on him. Pam says they are really nice people. The man says no, and says that maybe the interview isn’t going well because they aren’t as great as they say they are.

Michael decides the only way to stop the problems at Dunder Mifflin is to go see former boss David Wallace, who now spends his days inside with his son, who plays the drums way too loud. They go outside into the Jacuzzi and Michael asks him for help. Instead David tries to get him to invest in ‘Suck It’, and new invention that will help kids pick up their toys. Michael isn’t impressed, and leaves Wallace’s house damp and without an idea of what to do.

Andy and Erin still can’t find a way to go out, and Michael decides the best thing to do is accept the changes. He shows up to the office with orange juice (because Sabre is from Florida), and proposes a toast in only the way Michael Gary Scott can. He says, “I have a very good feeling about this.”

The closing scene was a hilarious moment between David Wallace and his son, who rock out in a duet and sing a theme song for ‘Suck It’.

Another great episode for “The Office” and an awesome television-directing debut for Krasinski. Next week brings Kathy Bates to Scranton in, "Manager and Salesman". The office is eager to welcome Sabre CEO Jo Bennett to Scranton, and are dazzled by her Southern ways. When Jo finds out there are two branch managers, she says either Michael or Jim must go back to being a salesman. Meanwhile, Andy's Valentine's Day plan backfires.

It was written by Mindy Kaling, who also wrote "Secret Santa," "Niagara," and "Golden Ticket" and was directed by Marc Webb, the helmer of “500 Days of Summer”. It will air February 11, 2010.

John Curran's F. Scott Fitzgerald Biopic To Shoot This Spring?

John Curran's F. Scott Fitzgerald biopic, "The Beautiful And The Damned," is reportedly set to begin shooting this spring in Croatia, reports the Playlist.

According to the Playlist: John Curran's F. Scott Fitzgerald biopic, "The Beautiful And The Damned," is reportedly set to begin shooting this spring with Keira Knightley on board to play his wife Zelda and Leonardo DiCaprio still rumored to play the acclaimed author.

Hanna Weg's script will focus on the couple's turbulent marriage and their darker days including Zelda's struggles with schizophrenia. Their travels to Paris and the French Riviera are also reported to be involved with Croatia substituting for said location.

The film's title is appropriately derived from Fitzgerald's second novel, "The Beautiful And Damned," which is about a Jazz Age socialite, his relationship with wife Gloria and his alcoholism, which draws from Fitzgeralds' own life.

The Fitzgeralds were icons of the Jazz Age in the '20s and are famous for their illustrious, erratic lifestyles. Both died in the their forties and left behind a legacy--despite failing when first released, F. Scott's "The Great Gatsby" is now a classic.

“The Great Gatsby” has been my favorite book for a long time, so anything that involves Fitzgerald or the book itself will catch my interest, But having DiCaprio play Fitzgerald? That’s dream-casting right there. I can only hope that turns out to be true. DiCaprio has proved that he is one of the best and most versatile actors in Hollywood today and I think he would be great.

The closest thing we’ve gotten to a “Gatsby” adaptation in recent years was on “Entourage” with Vincent Chase starring in Martin Scorcese’s update. While "The Beautiful And The Damned” wouldn’t be a “Gatsby” adaptation, it’s close enough for me.

Look for more news on this project in the coming weeks.