Director Roman Polanski, who has been in exile in France for 20 years to avoid jail time for his sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl in Jack Nicholson’s backyard, is rumored to have cut a deal to return to Hollywood. Another great achievement for Los Angeles D.A. Gil Garcetti. Polanski is probably anxious to return to Hollywood before Natalie Portman turns 18.
Another million dollar deal for a classic idea. Former “Mad TV” writer, Stuart Blumberg, sold Columbia Pictures Keeping the Faith, a “romantic drama” about a long-term friendship between a rabbi and a Catholic priest that becomes strained when both men fall in love with the same woman. Drama? All that description makes me think of a joke starting, “A rabbi and a priest walk into a…” Email us your best priest/rabbi jokes and maybe they’ll end up in The Hot Button.
Traditionally, the success of big-budget movies on American soil has led the way to foreign box office gold. But 20th Century Fox has held its breath long enough on Titanic, the long-delayed Jim Cameron epic. Scheduled to premiere in the U.S. on December 19 under the Paramount banner (they split rights), Fox has decided to launch Titanic at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1. Japan has been a solid audience for Cameron, so if they don’t like it, expect to find Fox execs looking for a spot under Godzilla’s foot (or hanging from George Lucas‘ shirttails).
As Janeane Garofalo left the theater during her star turn in The Matchmaker, she said, “I saw my pie face up there and the crow’s feet. Have you ever seen your face blown up 10 feet tall? I can’t take it.” If she can’t take that, she should stay off the Web. Inspired by Chris Brandon’s Site-ing of last Wednesday, I took a trip to GarofaloLand. My favorite sight was this letter on a Janeanne-loving site. James Ricardo (no relation to Ricky) from Torrance, CA, wrote: “I love Janeane. She is way prettier than Uma Thurman or Lisa or Mira in Romy and Michele. Though my guess is she isn’t that good in bed. She seems very much a missionary style-type chick. Long Live Janeane! Bow down to her cute, fat, hairy little legs!!” How could I ever top that?
Come back Monday for a box office round up.