Melbourne-made thriller I, Frankenstein hits screens

Aaron Eckhart filming at night in Melbourne’s Flinders Lane. Source: News Limited

 

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Remember that time supernatural forces fought a war for the future of the human race on the streets of Melbourne?

The first trailer for I, Frankenstein has been released, showcasing Aaron Eckhart as Adam, the monster of Mary Shelley's legend, locked in just such a battle.

Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Erin Brokovich, Olympus Has Fallen) and British star Bill Nighy joined Australians Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto and Jai Courtney in Melbourne from February through to April 2012 to shoot the film with local writer-director Stuart Beattie.

The comic book adaptation will be released in Australia on January 23.Talking to News Corp Australia while shooting the movie, Eckhart called I, Frankenstein "a historically based movie that has nothing to do with history".

"It's gonna be a crazy movie," he added. In the story, Frankenstein's monster Adam is more than 200 years old. He is unwillingly drawn into Nighy's modern-day plot to build more monsters and wipe humans off the face of the Earth.

Courtney (who shot this film after working with Tom Cruise but before teaming up with Bruce Willis) transforms from gargoyle into man in the trailer. So too does Otto, who is on the side of the humans. Strahovski plays a scientist who works for bad guy Nighy, but gives aid - and perhaps a little romance - to Adam.

She tells Adam: "You're only a monster if you behave like one."

It's difficult to play 'Spot the Melbourne landmark' with the trailer, given the abundance of special effects and unremitting darkness of it all, but we do know that night-time scenes were shot in Flinders Lane and the long-empty Argus building.

The latter, on the corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe streets, appears to be the setting for an epic fight scene.

However most of the film was shot on-set at Docklands Studios.

Eckhart, who spent time in Sydney in his youth, immersed himself in the Melbourne lifestyle while making his first film Down Under."

I live right in the city so I'm able to interact always with people. It's the only way. It's a modern city," he said.

"I've got a car so I've gone everywhere from Sorrento to Bells (Beach), I've been to the Australian Open, I went to the F1, I went to see Pink Floyd ... Melbourne's just got so many cultural activities to offer, always there's something going on.

"But the self-confessed "low-maintenance" American said all he really needed to feel at home in the city was "good coffee and somewhere to sit".

I, Frankenstein isn't the only movie about the monster on the way - James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe begin shooting their Frankenstein with director Paul McGuigan in November. It's due for release next October.

'Prince Harry to marry'

Britain's Prince Harry may be visting Australia, but his mind is likely elsewhere - rumour has it he's closer than ever to marrying girlfriend Cressida Bonas. Source: AP

  

Tiffany Bakker, The Daily Telegraph, reports

As Prince Harry takes Australia by storm, rumours are swirling in London that he’s getting set to tie the knot with girlfriend Cressida Bonas.

"Cressie is going to marry Harry," one of her friends told London’s The Telegraph. "Harry never stops talking about marriage and children, and she has now got used to the idea. The wedding is likely to take place next year."

The man labelled "the party prince" is certainly smitten by the waifish 24-year-old, but sources say she has so far felt too young to marry.

"Cressida has been in floods of tears,” one of her friends claimed. "Harry is coming on very strong, but she is all over the place. She thinks she is far too young to get married and is scared by all his talk of marriage and settling down."

But it seems Harry’s persistence has paid off, and the pair is closer than ever (someone better tell Tony Abbott’s daughters).

Her family, which has direct links to Edward VII, is a bit on the bohemian side, which apparently appeals to the Prince. (Her mother is 1960s ‘It Girl’ Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, and her half-sister Isabella, to whom she is very close, recently married Richard Branson’s son Sam.)

More interestingly for us, before going to university to study dance, Bonas spent a year working in an Aussie bar. No word on whether Harry popped in for a visit.

Nicole Kidman wears a revealing dress as she joins Jackie Chan on the red carpet at the Huading Awards in Macau

Nicole Kidman and Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan arrive at the red carpet during 2013 Huading Awards Ceremony. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

     

  

The Daily Telegraph reports

Nicole Kidman caused a stir on the red carpet of the Huading Awards this week when she flaunted a revealing black dress. The Australian actress wore the racy gown to China's version of the Oscars, flashing a hint of both front and side boob.

If the 46-year-old mother of four was attempting to stand out among the crowd, she did the job perfectly, with the keyhole design of the dress drawing attention to her bust and slender figure. She capped the stylish look with bright red lips and by putting her signature strawberry blonde in an sophisticated updo. Kidman was joined on the red carpet by Chinese actor Jackie Chan, Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Cage, Sam Worthington, Jeremy Irons and Mathew Perry.

Thor, Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston turns Loki, the fallen Prince of Asgard, into an iconic cinematic villain

Actor Tom Hiddleston at the Channel 7 studio in Martin Place. Picture: Tim Hunter Source: News Limited

 

 

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

It has only been a few years since Tom Hiddleston debuted as Marvel villain Loki in Thor but already his portrayal has become one of the most iconic cinematic villains. Post the blockbuster success of superhero team-up Avengers - which has now grossed over $2 billion - Hiddleston has donned Loki's golden headdress for the third time alongside Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World."It honestly feels like the greatest privilege," said the 32-year-old, who arrived in Sydney yesterday to promote the film. "When I was first cast in 2009 I don't think beyond very diehard, passionate comic book fans Loki was a particularly known character - especially as a Marvel bad guy." The fact that people know who he is, I'm very touched and flattered by it."

Like The Joker, Dracula and Hannibal Lecter, fans have rallied behind the villainous Loki just as strongly as they have the protagonists like Iron Man and Captain America.

For Hiddleston - who comes from a strong Shakespearean background as a stage actor - he "can't explain" the hysteria surrounding the fallen Prince of Asgard.

"I never expected it," he said.

"From going back to the first stage with Kenneth Branagh (Thor director) and Chris Hemsworth and sitting around a table and building this story together, to evolving the character with Joss Whedon, I'm intensely grateful for the way fans have latched on to it. It would be ungracious not to be.

"Actors love to tell stories playing different characters and it's all for nothing if there's no audience."

At the beginning of Thor 2 he said "it's no secret" that Loki has been incarcerated and thrown into the "deepest, darkest dungeons of Asgard".

Hiddleston said he was able to draw from his experience visiting a high-security prison as part of a drama program and that he was "fascinated by the effect incarnation has on the mind". In the meantime, the Midnight In Paris actor is teaming up with another Aussie - Mia Wasikowska - on "spooky" horror film Crimson Peak. Directed by Guillermo del Toro - who is also behind his "favourite film of the summer" Pacific Rim - Hiddleston said he is also a massive fan of the filmmaker's The Simpsons intro for Treehouse Of Horror. Del Toro's crazy Simpson's intro "That was hilarious, I liked the Lisa in Wonderland piece. He is so brilliant. He's one of the most broad-minded, curious, searching, excitable, diligent and gifted filmmakers I've ever met." Thor: The Dark World is released in cinemas on October 31.

Sneak peek at Cody Simpson's LA LA land

Alli and Cody Simpson in LA with Saturday Disney host Candice Dixon. Source: Supplied

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

He’s Australia's answer to Justin Bieber and last week Saturday Disney had a sneak peek inside the LA home of Cody Simpson. Usually off limits to the media, presenter and former highschool buddy of Simpson - Candice Dixon - gained exclusive entry to the Aussie pop star's pad, which he shares with his parents and younger sister Alli.

During the interview Simpson played the ukulele, busted out a few of his popular hip-shaking dance moves and chatted about how he was discovered online when he was just a 12-year old from the Gold Coast.Dixon also played a "How Well Do You Know Each Other" quiz with Cody and Alli using Aussie lamingtons to keep score. Simpson moved to the US in 2010 and has since gained a massive following, with his latest album Surfers Paradise debuting in the US Billboard Top 10.He has also been linked to Kim Kardashian's younger sister Kylie Jenner and has recently been touring the world with good friend Justin Bieber as the support act on his Believe world tour, which arrives in Australia in November.

Critics pan Rebel Wilson's new comedy Super Fun Night, Aussie funny woman defends 'fat jokes'

Rebel Wilson in a scene from upcoming comedy Super Fun Night. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

 

 

News.com.au reports

It’s been a rough week for Rebel Wilson.

Even before its premiere, US television critics have panned the pilot for her new comedy, Super Fun Night, saying it falls "wide of the mark" and is "rarely outright funny."

"Super fright night is more like it. This show is so painful and cringe-inducing that it's scary," one critic even wrote.

But in true Rebel form, the Aussie actress has bounced back from the criticism, insisting she has a licence to doll out 'fat jokes'.

"As long as I look like this I'm going to make fat jokes," she told Hunger magazine.

"All comedians have to use their physicality, so I use my size."

Earlier this year the 27-year-old was called out by Forbes magazine who accused her of overusing "fat women can be funny" jokes while hosting the MTV Movie Awards.

But despite receiving negative comments about her figure, the Pitch Perfect star hopes her look will inspire larger women to feel comfortable in their own skin.

"Before, it was all glamorous types like Kate Hudson who served as, like, the female equivalent of a 'straight man'. Now it's turning, and it's really good," she said.

Wilson is gearing up to debut Super Fun Night on October 2, in which she plays a socially inept single woman who sets aside Friday nights to stay at home and hang with her pyjama-clad besties.

She argues that she wanted her character Kimmie to wear unflattering clothing.

"In the pilot, I was deliberately wearing a very tight white dress with horrible crisscross black stripes that is way too short, and I'm holding a clutch purse that is so tiny that it accentuates my size," she told vulture.com.

"The women from wardrobe are lovely, but they don't get that I want to dress as Kimmie, and Kimmie does not have the best taste. The girls in the show are at the bottom of the social pole, and it's hard to communicate that to the network. It's important they understand that comedy is not about looking good."

Wilson had her breakthrough role in 2011 comedy Bridesmaids playing the sister of British comedian Matt Lucas. Since then she has gone on to star in other comedies such as Pitch Perfect, in which her character was referred to as 'Fat Amy'.

Nicole Kidman to play the villian in Paddington Bear film; Colin Firth to voice Paddington

Nicole Kidman attends the Calvin Klein show during New York Fashion Show this week. Kidman will play an evil taxidermist in an upcoming film about beloved British children's book character Paddington Bear. Picture: Getty Source: Getty Images

 

The Daily Telegraph reports

Nicole Kidman will play the villain in a new movie about marmalade-loving children's character Paddington Bear - to be voiced by Oscar-winning British actor Colin Firth.

Firth, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Britain's stuttering king George VI in The King's Speech, has told British newspaper Daily Mail that the Peruvian bear would be computer-generated, with the rest of the characters played by real actors including Kidman.

"Paddington will be computer-generated, and I will speak his lines with, I suspect, a slight Peruvian flavour,'' Firth told the Mail.

"Every other character in the film will be real, live human beings.

"But the idea is that Paddington will have something of me in his DNA because I'm going to do some sessions wearing one of those helmets with cameras to capture my face muscles, and all that data will somehow be incorporated into Paddington.''

Kidman will play the villain in the movie spearheaded by David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter movies.

One of the best-loved characters of classic English children's literature, Paddington is known for his duffle-coat, battered suitcase and love of marmalade sandwiches. He is unfailingly polite, but has a knack for getting into trouble.

He first appeared in 1958 in Michael Bond's book A Bear Called Paddington, in which the Brown family find him sitting in London's Paddington train station, having made his way there from "darkest Peru''.

The family adopt the bear - who carries a sign reading Please Look After This Bear - and he goes on to have 20 books' worth of adventures.

Heyman had announced last year that he was teaming up with France-based film studio Studiocanal to update Paddington's adventures for the big screen.

Filming starts in September and it is due in cinemas in November 2014.

The movie will also feature Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent, both of whom worked with Heyman on the Harry Potter films.

Paul King, director of the British TV comedy series The Mighty Boosh, is to direct the film, according to the film trade magazine Screen Daily.

The Hollywood Reporter said Kidman would play "an evil taxidermist out for revenge''.
The stories have previously been adapted in cartoon form and using puppets.

Chris Hemsworth says he understands his brother Liam's life in the spotlight

Actors Liam, Chris and Luke Hemsworth attend the Rush premiere during the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Source: Getty Images

 

James Wigney, News Limited Network, reports

Chris Hemsworth says he has his brother Liam's back as he deals with his breakup from singer Miley Cyrus.

The Aussie star said in an interview with News Corp Australia this morning he understands what his younger sibling is going through in dealing with the spotlight after the two became famous around the same time.

Chris became an instant superstar in 2011 playing superhero Thor, which made more than $450 million at the box office, and Liam followed less than a year later when the Hunger Games raked in $700 million worldwide.

"The two of us started going through this at the same time and if there is someone who has had a similar experience - especially if it's your brother - and then that's a real bonus," said Chris, currently starring as hard-living racing champion James Hunt in the F1 movie, Rush.

"You can also call each other's bluff a bit. If one starts to drift off in the wrong direction then you don't need to say 'I don't know what you are talking about' because I understand that as well. We have both been through it. There is a way of staying grounded - it's all about your friends and family and we have been lucky to have had that."

Liam attended the Toronto and London premieres of Rush earlier in the month in the aftermath of his then-fiance Cyrus's controversial performance at the VMA Awards.

The pair this week confirmed the end of their three-year relationship which began when they met on the set of the 2009 drama The Last Song.

Liam was recently seen kissing rumoured new flame Eiza Gonzalez, but Chris declined to comment on his brother's state of mind post-breakup.

"I avoid trying to comment on his personal details because it can get a bit misconstrued," he said. "So you will have to ask him."

Raise a glass, Newton-John clinic opens

Olivia Newton-John has opened the final stage of her Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne. Source: AAP

 

 

 The Daily Telegraph reports

Olivia Newton-John says her completed cancer centre in Melbourne should be a place where everybody knows your name, and has a drink waiting for you too - if that's what you want.

Newton-John recently lost her sister to cancer and says the experience taught her how important "loving care and support" is for someone who is dying.

On Friday, after a decade in the making, budget shortfalls and many fundraising campaigns, the star finally opened the final stage of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in the city's north.

The opening brings online more palliative care beds, more treatment beds and additional research laboratories.

But the cancer survivor says the centre needs to also be about enabling patients to be surrounded by people who know them and care about them.

"(People who) give you all the food you want, that give you a vodka if you want one," she said.

Newton-John said the marriage of the words "cancer" and "wellness" are important too.

"When you see that you think, 'I can go from cancer to wellness,'" she said.

Her big dream is that, one day, she can erase "cancer" from the centre's logo.

"It will be a wellness centre only because we'll find a cure for cancer."

Jessica Mauboy flies out for big Emmy's Governor's Ball gig in front of TV heavyweights and Hollywood A-list

Jessica Mauboy at the Thomas Kelly Foundation fundraising dinner at The Star in Pyrmont. Picture: Richard Dobson Source: News Limited

 

 

Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Jessica Mauboy is flying out of Australia today ahead of a prestigious gig performing at the Emmy's Governor's Ball on Sunday.

The 24-year will perform in front of some of Hollywood's biggest names, include TV executives and A-list actors.

It's the second time The Sapphires actress has performed at the official after-event party, wowing audiences at the 2012 shindig after impressing them at the G'Day USA Event (which is run by the same organisers).

Mauboy, fresh off her wins for Female Artist of the Year and Single Release of the Year for Something's Got A Hold on Me at the Deadly Awards, has been tipped for big things in the states after heavy hitters the Weinstein brothers backed the Australian musical last year.

Oprah and Simon Cowell have also spoken out as some of her biggest fans.

Mauboy warmed up for her big US gig with an appearance at a fundraiser for the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation at The Star in Pyrmont last night.

The singer is an ambassador for the foundation which was hosting its first event last night after being founded in July 2012 following the young man's death in Kings Cross.

The foundation’s website says the funds it raises will assist it in helping make our streets safer and preventing alcohol-fuelled violence in our community.