Coppola Settles Up
All together now…it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Francis Ford Coppola has resolved a lawsuit brought by a film production company that claimed it had been jilted out of its share of the profits from daughter Sofia’s directing debut, The Virgin Suicides.
Muse Productions sued the Oscar-winning Godfather director last November in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging breach of contract and demanding a full audit of the movie’s earnings.
According to the complaint, Coppola’s company, American Zoetrope, struck a deal with Muse in October 1997 that essentially cleared the film rights to the original Virgin Suicides book by Jeff Eugenides, in exchange for Muse receiving a percentage of the film’s revenue.
Muse’s lawyers submitted a two-page document to the court stating that a settlement had been reached. Terms were not disclosed, and neither side was available for comment.
Released in May 2000, The Virgin Suicides starred James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett and Danny DeVito and marked the first outing behind the camera for Sofia, who up until that point had been known mostly for her widely panned performance in The Godfather Part III.
The film grossed more than $10 million worldwide and, more importantly, paved the way for the younger Coppola’s Oscar-winning sophomore flick, Lost in Translation.
Jessica Biel Goes To The Cleaners
Jessica Biel Goes To The Cleaners
Celebrities need dry cleaning too! And proving the point is none other than Jessica Biel.
The 7th Heaven hottie was spotted by paparazzi yesterday on her way to the dry cleaners in Brentwood, California. She also stopped by the Brentwood Country Mart on her errand run.
Biel is also making news as of late with her new film project “Die a Little.” It seems she has optioned the film rights to the Megan Abbott book, and plans to begin pre-production soon.
The book’s author expressed her enthusiasm over having Jessica produce and star in the film. “I was thrilled that Jessica wanted to do this movie. And it was great to think that she wants to play the darker role of the blond instead of the more wholesome character of the librarian. . . . It could be a major departure for her.”
Has Justin Ever Heard Jessica Sing?
Does Justin Timberlake know that his girlfriend, Jessica Biel, once tried to make it as a singer?
Sadly, however, Biel didn’t get farat least not in college.
The sexy starlet was rejected for a spot with the Amalgamates, an a cappella group at Tufts University, according to GQ senior editor Mickey Rapkin’s new book, Pitch Perfect: A Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory.
“The Mates focus on blending in our auditions,” one unnamed “Mate” says. “She wasn’t very good at it…We are kicking ourselves, in case you’re wondering.”
Also kicking himself is Friday Night Lights star Scott Porter. The hottie who plays Jason Street on the hit NBC series tells Rapkin he has some big-time regrets about leaving professional a cappella group Mosaic when he decided to take a shot at Hollywoodespecially when he learned Mosaic snagged the opening-act gig for Prince during a New Year’s Eve concert.
“That’s a rock star moment,” Porter says. “I am on this massive amazing TV show that everyone loves, but I devoted eight years of my life to taking the next step with a cappella music.”
And if you think a cappella isn’t hip, Masi Oka of Heroes fame just gave you some more ammunition.
He admits that he once wore a purple leotard and a tutu while singing an a cappella version of “Flashdance” with the all-male Bear Necessities at Brown University. The rest of the group “chickened out and wore leg warmers and bandannas,” Oka says. “But I thought we had to go all out. A cappella is all about commitment.”
Perhaps Oka will be asked to re-create his tutu drama when Pitch Perfect is made into a movie. Elizabeth Banks’ production company recently optioned the film rights.
Imagi Animates Fluorescent Black
Imagi Animation Studio, the guys behind the computer animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and the upcoming adaptations of Gatchaman and Astroboy, have purchased the feature film rights to Fluorescent Black, a screenplay by sci-fi short filmmaker Matt Wilson.
A graphic novel, illustrated by Nathan Fox (New York Times, The New Yorker, DC Comics), will be published based on the screenplay in Summer 2008. The book will be featured on the cover of the July edition of Heavy Metal magazine. Variety says that the Futuristic action tale is set in Singapore and the Malaysian peninsula.
No more details on the project have been revealed and no projected release date has been announced.