die hard

Box Office: Moviegoers Find Rats In A Restaurant Surprisingly Delicious

2:33AM Defamer Hollywood | This Monday morning is no less painful than any other on the calendar, but at least you only have to survive 48 hours before you’re rewarded with a day off. Cling to the weekend box office numbers as you try to make it through the excruciating two days that stand between you and illegal firework displays, backyard barbecues, and egregious midweek drunkenness: 1. Ratatouille – $US47.227 million Another summer, another critically beloved animated feature that tops the box office on its opening weekend, extending Pixar’s years-long consecutive hits streak. But now that the studio has proven it can push to number one a movie with a premise as theoretically unsavory as filthy, health-code flouting rodents running amok in the kitchen of a French restaurant, they’ll seek a challenge that will properly tax their unparalleled hitmaking talents: development has begun on Crabs, the story of some misunderstood, but ultimately lovable, genital lice making their home in the overgrown pubic hair of a Hungarian prostitute. Summer 2009 opening weekend gross: $US53 million. More »

Trade Roundup: Rat Vs. Willis

6:29AM Defamer Hollywood | After a summerlong run of sequel-clogged weekends where the eventual winner of the box office battle was all too obvious, the outcome of the upcoming Die Hard vs. Ratatouille fight seems up for grabs. We’re not betting against Pixar, even though we’ll probably wind up watching John McClane blow shit up. [Variety] · Oh yeah Die Hard made $US9.1 million on Wednesday, its first official day of release. Is that a lot? We’re not good with midweek box office record data. [THR] Universal signs up erstwhile Biggest Comedy Star In the World Jim Carrey for Sober Buddies, one of those magical projects with a title so concise that we don’t have to waste any time explaining it. (OK, OK, Carrey is a Sober Buddy who falls off the wagon while helping an alcoholic pal on a business trip in Vegas. Hilarity ensues, etc etc.) [Variety] · 3.2 million viewers tuned in to CNN to for Larry King’s post-jail interview with Paris Hilton. While this was King’s highest rated show since 2005, consider that three times more people watched So You Think You Can Dance on Wednesday night if you’d like to feel a little better about the public’s TV-watching taste levels. [THR] We would never ask you to start thinking about the Oscars in late June. That’s just sick, really. [Variety] More »

Bay Vs. Willis: Feud Officially On

2:24AM Defamer Hollywood | Upon reading that movie-star-of-the-internet-people Bruce Willis had virtually kneecapped Armageddon director Michael Bay (”Bay…Would have ruined DH4. Few people will work with him now, and I know I will never work with him again.”) while communing with his fans on the AICN message boards, we had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before Bay used his own online forum to retaliate against his mouthy ex-collaborator. With an emotional mixture of hurt, disbelief, and defiance far more complex than any moment in one of his movies, a wounded Bay responds: Hard to believe it really is Bruce saying that stuff on AICN. I loved working with Bruce. He gave me a big hug one month ago at the GM party and we talked for 20 minutes. We even talked about working together again! I mean it would be sad if he felt this way – he’s never one to hide his feelings – I say sad, in that he wouldn’t be man enough to say it to my face. But truly sad that such a big time actor would have to hide on a little talk back section. So I really don’t believe this story. More »

Bruce Willis Takes To Internet To Answer Fan Questions About How Many ‘F—s’ They’ll Hear In The New ‘Die Hard’

4:11AM Defamer Hollywood | Perhaps realising that the impromptu, beer-soaked promotional appearance he made on behalf of Live Free or DieHard at halftime of a recent Nets playoff game might not reach as many hardcore film nerds as he’d like, onetime wisecracking animated critter and resurgent action star Bruce Willis has taken to the Talkback boards at Ain’t It Cool to get the word out about his comeback vehicle, which he swears will contain all the brain-splattering, hard-R violence his fans crave despite a PG-13 rating that limits him to a mere two “fucks.” Here, Willis dramatically outs himself as suspiciously defensive poster “Walter B”: I am Walter B by Walter B i am John Mafuckin’Clane. What if I came to you all, just as as guy who in the last weeks of post, facing a 5 week, World-Wide press tour, an crazed at the prospect of it, just wanted to take a simpler approach to talking to this enormous group of people, who depsite pre-judgements from many, praise from a smaller minority, and some just waiting to see “what shakes out”, merely wished to have an outlet to chat with people I seldom get to chat with, and what if I just listened? More »