Crocodile Dundee: G’Day, Tax Man!
Actor Paul Hogan, star of the 1980s classic Crocodile Dundee, has some fighting words for the Australian tax man: “Come and get me, you miserable bastards.”
The 68-year-old actor is being investigated for tax evasion by the Australian Tax Office, which has asked the IRS in the United States to help obtain Hogan’s bank records.
“I don’t give a s–t about itI’ve got nothing to worry about,” he told reporters from his home in Santa Barbara, Calif. “I’ve paid more than every cent I owe, I paid too much, I paid tax there when I didn’t have to.”
The Aussie-born actor, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the croc-fighting Mick Dundee, is fighting the move in the Los Angeles courts, saying the tax office is trying to get documents it would not legally be able to obtain in Australia.
Hogan said the only reason he’s being targeted is because he is “high-profile and because I’ve got money.”
Who knew making box office bombs like Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles and Lightning Jack would pay off so big?!
Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Big Willie Weekend
It’s that time of year: Will Smith season. And the the King of July 4th has another smash hit on his hands with Hancock, costarring Oscar winner Charlize Theron and funnyman Jason Bateman. This is the only major release at the box office over the holiday weekend, and every studio clears a path because, no doubt about it, he’s the No. 1 movie star in the world.
In a summer of superheroes, you also have to admire actor-turned-director Peter Berg for bringing us an entirely new character, who doesn’t have to cater to both fanboys and mass audiences, or worry about staying true to the source material.
So look for Hancock to bank $127 million over the five-day weekend. Smith goes all-out, and the guy even performed a 45-minute set at his own premiere. (I got a little emotional when he introduced DJ Jazzy Jeff and did “Summertime.”)
Don’t think Hancock can save the day at the box office this weekend? Then drop your numbers in the comments!
Sacha Baron Cohen To Play Sherlock Holmes
Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of Ali G and Borat, will play Sherlock Holmes according to Variety. Friend and fellow funny man Will Ferrell will play his crime-solving partner Dr Watson. The movie will be a comedy (obviously) and has nothing to do with the Sherlock Holmes movie Guy Ritchie is working on. Producer Matt Tolmach says:
“Sacha and Will are two of the funniest and most talented guys on the planet, and having them take on these two iconic characters is frankly hilarious.”
The pair worked together on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby which did rather well. However Ferrell’s most recent movie, Semi-Pro, didn’t do that great at the box office which could suggest people are tired of Will Ferrell playing Will Ferrell just with a different setting. Hopefully this Sherlock Holmes movie will require him to act a little, rather just play his loud and obnoxious self.
Frank Miller Prepping 300 Sequel
Warner Bros’ 300 has crossed the $100 million mark at the box office, it its eighth day of release. Variety is reporting that Frank Miller is also hard at work prepping a follow-up to 300 based on another mythic tale from Greek history. But good ol’ Frank won’t divulge details.
Talk of a 300 sequel isn’t anything new. Producer Mark Canton spoke briefly about the possibility last month:
“If it all works out I’m sure we’ll all be scrambling Zack [Snyder] and Frank Miller and everyone to figure out exactly ‘301?,” Canton told our friends at FirstShowing. “Where there’s a will there’s a way, honestly. And the thing about Frank, you just don’t know - he has a lot of stories he may want to tell that may be associated or not, but we just want this one to satisfy first.”
So the question now becomes: what mythic tale from greek history will Miller update?
Some readers have suggested that a sequel could be made using 10,000: The Battle of Plataea or the naval Battle of Salamis.
Whatever it may be, don’t expect it anytime soon. Miller will co-direct Sin City 2 later this year, before going it alone for the first time ever in an adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit.
Miller is also busy working on the All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder comic book series for DC, as well as finishing up the 200-plus-page “Holy Terror, Batman!” graphic novel (currently set for a 2007 release).