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.
TNT and Cracker, try try again
Upon seeing the headline that TNT is going to be doing a new version of the UK series Cracker, I suspect I had the same reaction as many of you: Wasn’t this show already remade for U.S. audiences? Yes, it was. It happened in 1997 and starred Robert Pastorelli and an unknown Josh Hartnett. They even managed a guest spot for the star of the original, Robbie Coltrane. Unfortunately, it never really caught on, and struggled to make it through that one season.
Granada America still thinks the show can be a success stateside. More specifically, they think it can be a success on cable. As senior VP Julie Meldal-Johnson puts it, “We thought the timing was right and that American cable, edgier and more open, would be a better venue for it than broadcast.” And that’s the bit that, kind of, sells me on the idea. Cable does offer certain freedoms and TNT does have a pretty good thing going with The Closer and Saving Grace. We’ll just consider that Heartland mess a learning experience, for now. Despite failing once, Cracker remains a great story, and I’m willing to give yet another incarnation a go.
Rihanna Denies Josh Hartnett Romance
Rihanna Denies Josh Hartnett Romance
Continuing on with her European tour, Barbados beauty Rihanna was spotted taking a break from it all with a shopping trip to Louis Vuitton in Paris on Monday.
Besides enjoying the French capital, the Good Girl Gone Bad told press that a quote from the World Music Awards telling that she is dating Josh Hartett was fabricated and is completely untrue.
While in Monte Carlo, Rihanna reportedly told press: “I would be lying if I told you [Josh and I] were not more than just friends. I have so fallen for him, he is lovely. He is so hot and he is really sweet to me. When we hang out it feels right - even though it’s still pretty new.”
Responding to the quote, the 19-year-old R&B queen said: “That is completely incorrect. People quote me on things that I never said. That quote is not a real quote. It’s not right at all.”
To watch Rihanna declare that she’s single - !
Scarlett & Ryan Engaged!
Ryan Reynolds has more than Scarlett feverhe has a Scarlett fiancée.
Reps for both Scarlett Johansson and Reynolds confirm to News that the blond bombshell and her actor beau are engaged.
No further details, including when the question was popped, the size of her rock or whether they've set a wedding date, have been announced.
However, a source close to Johansson tells News that the couple have actually been betrothed "for a little while," and they have kept the engagement on the down-low because "they want to keep things private."
The 23-year-old actress and soon-to-be recording artist and the 31-year-old Definitely, Maybe star first stepped out publicly together in April 2007, just two months after Reynolds and fellow Canadian Alanis Morissette called off their own lengthy engagement.
Johansson, for her part, was previously linked to Josh Hartnett.
While we're not sure how Reynolds delivered the ring to his future missus, he may have gained inspiration from his latest movie, which costars Sandra Bullock and is rather aptly named The Proposal.