A Musical Project from Hugh Jackman?

Will Hugh Jackman ever appear in a film musical? This week it was announced the sexpot was attached to a movie musical about the showman P.T. Parnum, entitled The Greatest Showman on Earth. (story at Variety.) It would be an original work, scripted by former Sex & the City writer Jenny Bicks (an interesting choice), and singer Mika is in talks to write the music and lyrics. This all sounds very promising, but will it actually ever get off the ground? The Greatest Showman is the fourth musical Jackman has been attached to, after a remake of Carousel, a screen adaptation of The Boy form Oz, and Steven Soderbergh's 3-D musical - none of which are even close to being made. Until the picture actually starts filming, I'll wait to get excited. I just wish Jackman would stop getting distracted by Wolverine and finally make a movie which features singing and dancing.

Sunday Blessings - Liev Schreiber

Today's edition of Sunday Blessings is devoted to actor Liev Schreiber, who starred most recently in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a film which I should have been excited for, considrering the combined hirsute goodness of Schreiber and Jackman, but failed to see because of the horrid reviews. Schreiber has been in the industry since the mid-ninties, first appearing in a number of indies including Party Girl, The Daytrippers, Denise Calls Up, and Big Night. Denise Calls Up, a so-so film, is worth a rental for any Schreiber fan, just for a scene in which he's wearing nothing but a strategically placed phone. Following his indie-film start, he did a number of horror features, some good (Scream, Scream 2) some bad (Phantoms, Sphere), but his career really took off after playing Orson Welles in the HBO televsion movie RKO 281, a role for which he received a Golden Globe nomination in 2000. This past decade has been good to Schreiber in general. He gave the best performance in the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, got to write and direct his first feature, Everything Is Illmuinated, won a Tony for his performance in Glengarry Glen Ross, had a successful guest run on CSI, and met his fiancee and mother of his child, Naomi Watts, on the set of The Painted Veil. Even though the film got panned, appearing in Wolverine was also a plus for him, as it gave Schreiber greater exposure, which will lead to more roles in bigger films. Hopefully some of those films require him to show a little skin. Amen.

Jackman & Craig on Broadway Together!

Actors/sex gods Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig will team up to appear in the play A Steady Rain, opening on Broadway this fall. full story here. I was hoping Jackman would appear in another stage musical, seeing as how I missed The Boy from Oz (stupid college!), but co-starring with Daniel Craig makes up for it. Without a doubt, I'll be going to see the play since I'm actually within driving distance of the city this time. And yes, I know it's a total cliche to be interested in a Broadway show only because of Hollywood stars, but c'mon it's Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, the two sexiest men alive - give or take a Chris Meloni or Matthew Fox. Also, I'd be just as gaga over the prospect of a new Broadway musical with Raul Esparza (oh, how I loved him in Company!), so bite me.

They won't be appearing in swim trunks, but a man can dream!

It's Been One Week..

I haven't posted since before last Sunday's Oscar ceremony. Sorry. Marisa Tomei's gorgeous dress caught my attention, preventing me from accomplishing any tasks for a week. It's true! Well, not really. Anyway what did I think about the show? I liked it, aside from the Slumdog Millionaire sweep. I find sweeps in general boring - a movie cannot be the best in every category. Hugh Jackman was splendid as the host. Hopefully he'll be brought back nexy year. I enjoyed the storyline of the awards, showing the process of filmmaking from script to post-production, and I really liked the acting presentations, bringing out former winners in the category to present the current nominees. Best of the bunch was Shirley MacLaine discussing Anne Hathaway They should bring that part back again, but maybe shorten each of the introductions and include clips of the films. Just an idea.

Predictions for Tonight's Oscars

The Oscars finally come on tonight, and I should be a lot more excited than I am. I guess it's the expectation of the inevitable Slumdog steamroll. There has to be something exciting about it tonight - maybe Hugh Jackman's hosting. He better be singing and dancing up a storm. I know it would never happen, but I think he should also host part of the show shirtless. Ratings boost!
So, anyway, here's how I'm predicting the night might go:

Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Actor: Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Viola Davis - Doubt
Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire
Film Editing: Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire
Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt & Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume Design: Michael O'Connor - The Duchess
Makeup: Greg Cannom - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Original Score: A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song: "Down to Earth" - WALL-E
Sound Mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty - Slumdog Millionaire
Sound Editing: Richard King - The Dark Knight
Visual Effects: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Foreign Language Film: The Class (France)
Animated Feature: WALL-E
Animated Short: Presto
Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
Documentary Short: Smile Pinki
Live Action Short: Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BAFTA Winners

The Baftas were also held yesterday, and I completely forgot to watch the ceremony. I knew there was a big awards show this weekend, but I kept thinking it was just the Grammys. Not the case - dang it! Here are the winners:

Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Original Screenplay: In Bruges
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Production Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume Design: The Duchess
Make Up and Hair: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Sound: Slumdog Millionaire
Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Foreign Film: I've Loved You So Long
Animated Film: WALL-E
British Film: Man on Wire

I thought Slumdog Millionaire's momentum would have started to slow down. Guess not! At this rate, come Oscar time, it will probably sweep with at least eight trophys. That ceremony is going to be boring. Please Hugh Jackman salvage that show for us!

Hugh Jackman to Host Oscars

Hugh Jackman will be the next Oscar host, and I couldn't be more excited, unless of course, it was announced that he would do the show in his underwear. Imagine the ratings for that spectacle. He did a great job hosting the Tonys a few years back, hell, he won an Emmy for it, and he's a talented song-and-dance man. One of the things people enjoyed most about Billy Crystal's hosting, was his opening song, where he'd poke fun at the films of the past year. Jackman could do just as memorable a job as Crystal, and he'd be able to dance while doing it. Overall, I think it's a good decision. I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to stare at the man for three and a half hours.

Just a Reminder...

Hugh Jackman is still the sexiest man alive. I repeat, Hugh Jackman is still the sexiest man alive. This is just a reminder. That is all.

Hugh Jackman: Sexiest Man Alive

People Magazine named Hugh Jackman their Sexiest Man Alive, and all I can say is - Damn Straight! Finally, the rest of the world is starting to agree with me. Now if only they could remove the small inset picture of Zac Efron from the cover, it would be perfect.

Sunday Blessings - Hugh Jackman

So today I decided to thank Jesus for Hugh Jackman, star of the upcoming Baz Luhrmann film Australia, which opens next month. Oh, I can't wait! I can't wait! Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann reteaming, along with sexpot Hugh, in an epic love story with fancy sets and costumes. Imay just have an orgasm thinking about it. Back to Mr. Jackman - Have you seen any of the recent photos of him at the beach. Holy crap! Now Hugh Jackman has alway been sexy - he's easily among the top 5 sexiest men alive - but with all the training he did for the new Wolverine movie, his body is just damn fine. Anytime I look at a picture of him I lose my train of thought. The facial hair is an added bonus for me, as there's something animalistic about it. When Australia opens next month, hopefully Mr. Jackman will receive the credit he deserves as a film actor. Of course he's regarded as a sex symbol, but I don't think he's as respected of an actor as he should be. He gained some respect with his Broadway turn in The Boy from Oz, and parlayed that into interesting film roles in The Fountain, Scoop, and The Prestige, but film critics and awards group didn't really take notice. Seriously, how did anyone not recognize the great performace he gave in The Fountain. But alas, isn't that almost always the case with attractive actors. Brad Pitt didn't get any recognition as a good actor until he played off-the-walls in 12 Monkeys. So......um, where was I - I got distracted again, looking at a shirtless picture of Mr. Jackman. Seriously, damn! Australia opens next month. See it! Hopefully it's good, or at least very, very pretty. And now let's give thanks, once again, to Jesus for another hot piece of man. Praise Jesus!