Darko to Serve Beer in Hell
Richard Kelly’s Darko Entertainment will produce and finance a big screen adaptation of Tucker Max’s bestseller I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. The book is composed of short stories narrated by the author in gonzo style. The New York Times coined a genre called “fratire” in reference to the book, a response to “chicklit”, filled with hyper-masculinity and political incorrectness. Hell has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its debut in 2006. Simon and Schuster are even scheduled to release a sequel to the book later this year.
So what is it about? Well, the feature film adaptation will be loosely based on The Austin Road Trip story. Tucker and his friends embark on an impromptu trip to celebrate his friend’s bachelor party. But when Tucker abandons his buds in pursuit of sex, he ends up being banned from the wedding, and decides to attempt to right his past wrongs.
Tucker explains why they chose Darko over 50 other movie financiers on his blog:
We went with Darko over everyone else for many reasons, the main one being exactly what I wrote about here: They not only “got” the creative vision behind the movie, but they were basically the only company that, when I talked to them, I didn’t feel I was dealing with financiers, I felt I was talking to actual artists. They didn’t ask what “bankable” stars I was talking to, they agreed that the movie would be better without a huge name. They didn’t “suggest” ways to make it a four quadrant movie, they told me about how they had never quoted lines from a script to each other. They didn’t whine about how hard it would be to find a distributor, they talked about all the ways they could help me make the movie even better. I felt like I was talking to guys who really cared about making the best movie possible, and who knew how to do exactly that.
Bob Gosse (Niagara, Niagara) is attached to direct based on a screenplay by Max and Nils Parker. The film is currently casting and is scheduled to begin principal photography in Shreveport, LA, in the beginning of July. They have a $7 Million budget and are aiming for a Spring 2009 release. Read a sample chapter over on Barnes and Noble.
source: Variety
The Game, Fellow Rappers Sound Off for Sean Bell
The Game isn't playing with this one.
In light of the shooting death of 23-year-old Sean Bell and the subsequent acquittal last week of the NYPD officers who fired the fatal shots, the SoCal-bred rapper has penned a musical response that in no uncertain terms lets us know where he stands.
"911 Is a Joke," which doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to the issue of police brutality, is set to debut tomorrow on the Game's website.
"I'm outraged and speaking out for my generation that are afraid to speak out against police brutality and murder," the Game said in a statement. "I grew up in Compton and had to stay silent because of the fear that was prevalent in my community, but now that I have a voice I'm speaking out.
"This could have easily been me, my brother, my family. So this song is for Sean Bell from my heart. My deepest condolences goes out to his family and wife Nicole Bell."
Bell was shot Nov. 25, 2006, outside a Queens strip club, where his bachelor party had just taken place, the night before he was to be married. One of the detectives charged had been working at the club undercover when he witnessed a confrontation between Bell and a stranger and heard a friend of Bell's say, "Get my gun."
After Bell got into his car, he refused to stop when one of the plainclothes detectives flashed his badge, and then he ran his Nissan Altima into an unmarked minivan being driven by one of the other officers.
The three cops fired more than 50 bullets at Bellwho, the defense argued, they thought was carrying a gunand his two friends, both of whom were wounded. None of the men was armed.
The local response to their acquittal has been largely peaceful, minus a few scuffles that broke out on Friday, the day the verdict was announced, but the varied reactions of activists such as the Rev. Al Sharpton and, thanks to the Internet, anyone with an opinion, can be heard loud and clear.
And, while there are at least two sides to every debate, the Game isn't the only member of the hip-hop community who has spoken out on what he perceives to be a gross injustice.
Ice Cubewho as a founding member of N.W.A. rapped against police brutality on the seminal "F–k the Police" called the verdict "just another example that the justice system in America views a black life as worthless."
"First of all, rest in peace to Sean Bell and I want to send my condolences to his wife, kids, family and friends and all the Sean Bell boyshold your head," Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy, who's currently behind bars on a gun-possession rap, said in a statement.
"We lost a lot of battles, but we will win the war. The decision in the Queens courtroom on Friday, April 25 was simply a display of power. The NYPD is just a branch of corruption connected to a giant corrupt tree called the United States government. This tyrannical corrupt tree has its roots planted deep into the United Kingdom."
"The Sean Bell murder itself was a reflection of how expendable black men are in the eyes of many," Queens MC Cormega said. "The verdict was a far worse crime because it stripped a dead man of his rights and it stripped a community of hope. We came so far as a people yet gained little momentum, but I would like to thank society for re-opening my eyes to the myth called equality and the justice that eludes just us."
Meanwhile, UGK rapper Bun B, whose other half, Pimp C, died earlier this year of an accidental overdose of prescription medication and sleep apnea, added: "The verdict is almost as tragic as the incident. I've already lost [a] life, and now we've got a loss of justice and loss of reciprocation for what's happened. And it cuts you on so many levels."
Artie Lange Quits The Howard Stern Show
Just a heads up, this is another non movie related post. I spend 70 hours a week Blogging the Reel World, during which time I listen to 25 hours of The Howard Stern Show on Siruis Satellite Radio. Like millions of others, it helps me get through the daily grind. I turned on the show this afternoon, and was shocked to hear a repeat from April 7th.
As it turns out, on today’s show, self-destructive Stern sidekick, comedian and actor Artie Lange (Dirty Work, Beer League) got into a physical confrontation with his personal assistant Teddy, who he claimed was stealing money from him. After the altercation, Lange resigned which Stern accepted. “I Love You,” Lange said to Howard as he left the studio.
Stern producer Gary Dell’Abate said that they managed to talk Artie down in the green room but the he was afraid while he was talking to him. Speculating about if Lange could return to the show, they might be putting future guests in jeopardy. The show usually replays throughout the day on channel Howard 100, but Stern himself decided to pull the replay from the rotation.
Artie Lange was seen getting onto a plane for show line-producer Jason Kaplan’s bachelor party in Amsterdam. His assistant Teddy, also a friend of Kaplan, was also on the plane, but traveling separately. No one knows the future of Lange on the Stern show.
Artie’s breakdown has turned up on YouTube:
Eva Longoria’s Beach Bachelorette Getaway
Eva Longoria’s Beach Bachelorette Getaway
It’s down to less than a week until Eva Longoria ties the knot with Tony Parker. And while no strippers were spotted, the couple still seemed to be enjoying their “his and hers” bachelor parties in St Tropez.
According to reports, the couple is currently staying with close friends in a ritzy $1600 a night hotel room. On their first night, Eva and Tony were spotted out with their pals at the exclusive nightclub Les Caves Du Roy until the early morning.
Not one to waste the day, Eva hit the beach with her pals the following day before heading back to the hotel and prepping for the big night.
The couple held an exclusive party at the V.I.P. Room for their bachelor party. The club was split, as Tony and his buddies partied on one side of the club while Eva and her gals gabbed it up on the opposite side of the spot.
The guest list included Jamie Foxx and the evening’s entertainment, along with performances by hip-hop artists Cut Killer and MC Big Ali from New York City.
And now that the party’s over, Longoria and Parker are expected to spend one or two more days in Saint-Tropez before heading to Paris for their highly anticipated nuptials.