Burlesque Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Kristen Bell Becomes a Burlesque Dancer

by Monika Bartyzel Oct 9th 2009 // 9:48AM

Cristina Aguilera's big-screen Burlesque debut is already a pretty interesting mix. We've got the slight girl with the powerful pipes, plus Cher returning to Hollywood as a nightclub owner and Stanley Tucci as the man who turns Aguilera's small-town girl "from bumpkin to bombshell." (Please tell me she's living in a lonely world.) But now, in a pretty wild twist, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Kristen Bell is joining the action as her rival.

As the story goes, Aguilera's girl has "a big-town voice" and "finds love and success in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club, reminiscent of the nightclub in Bob Fosse's Cabaret." Bell enters the mix as Nikki, "the loose-cannon lead dancer and main attraction at the club who spirals out of control" when Aguilera steals the spotlight.

Now, there are a lot of women I could imagine battling Aguilera. At the top of the list would probably be Scarlett Johansson. But Bell -- didn't see this coming. Presumably, the rivalry is all in the dance, and not the song, but even then -- nice twist for the geek princess and leading comedienne. But how will her burlesque be? A little slice of Showgirls? Striptease? Or maybe, just maybe, Reese Witherspoon's Ivy Miller in Overnight Delivery? Better yet -- Bell's first big mainstream dramatic gig. How do you see this all playing out?

Production begins next month and is slated for a release during Thanksgiving, 2010.

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Casting Bites: Benicio del Toro, Kathryn Hahn, and Cher

by Monika Bartyzel Jun 23rd 2009 // 9:03AM

Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Romance », Casting »

Stephen Dorff and Chris Pontius (Jackass) aren't the only men gearing up for Sofia Coppola's upcoming film Somewhere. It turns out the rumors are true -- Movieline has confirmed that Benicio del Toro will be making an appearance. Unfortunately, it's only brief. He'll play someone Dorff has a run-in with at the Chateau Marmont (where Dorff's character is holed up). This is fitting, as the site points out, since that's where he had that rumored sexy run-in with Scarlett Johansson. Will they meet in an elevator?

Meanwhile, funny woman Kathryn Hahn, who you surely remember from films like Anchorman and Step Brothers, has scored two new gigs -- one on the big screen, and one on TV. The Hollywood Reporter posts that she has grabbed a part in James Brooks' untitled baseball comedy, and is also developing a pilot with husband Ethan Sandler that she will potentially star in. As for the comedy -- that's the Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, and possibly Jack Nicholson flick focusing on romance, laughs, and baseball. She'll play Rudd's assistant.

Finally, Cher is really doing what she can to perk up her career lately. Aside from Drop Out and The Zookeeper, Variety has confirmed that the earlier talks have now been sealed -- Cher will head to Christina Aguilera's upcoming Burlesque. The saucy icon will play "a former dancer who struggles to keep the club open and gives the young girl a chance to shine." Cher will sing for the film, but there's no word on whether she'll turn back time to wear that bathing-suit like body floss.

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Christina Aguilera Preps Her Big-Screen Debut

by Monika Bartyzel May 5th 2009 // 6:32PM

Filed under: Music & Musicals », Casting »

It seemed like Christina Aguilera would be a pop princess that kept herself free of Hollywood. (Free aside from some "Lady Marmalade" and a voice in Shark Tale.) But no -- she's finally joining the rest of the singers-turned-actresses and grabbing a starring role in a new movie. Luckily, it won't be any sort of stretch. Variety reports that she'll make her big-screen debut in a new sexy musical called Burlesque.

Written and to be directed by Steven Antin (Troy Perkins from Goonies!), with a revision by Erin Brokovich scribe Susannah Grant, Burlesque follows "an ambitious smalltown girl [Aguilera] with a big voice who finds love, family, and success in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club that appears to be right out of Bob Fosse's Cabaret." Big voice? Check. Experience in saucy dance and titilating the mens? Check.

Christina Aguilera Photos

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 28: Singer Christina Aguilera and Model Heidi Klum attend LG Rumorous Night with Heidi Klum held at the Andaz Hotel on April 28, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Christina Aguilera;Heidi Klum

Getty Images

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 28: Singer Christina Aguilera arrives at LG Rumorous Night with Heidi Klum held at the Andaz Hotel on April 28, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Christina Aguilera

Getty Images

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 28: **EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE** Singer Christina Aguilera attends LG Rumorous Night with Heidi Klum held at the Andaz Hotel on April 28, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Christina Aguilera

Getty Images

Singer Christina Aguilera arrives at "The LG Rumorous Night" launch party at the Andaz Hotel on April 28, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. The LG "Rumorous Night" Launch Party Hosted By Heidi Klum - Arrivals Andaz Hotel West Hollywood, CA United States April 28, 2009 Photo by John Shearer/WireImage.com To license this image (16681465), contact WireImage.com

John Shearer/WireImage.com

Clint Culpepper says: "I couldn't be more excited, as this was a project written with her in mind." I'd say so. She's got the voice, and has done her share of saucy dancing. And at the very least -- it isn't Crossroads! But what do you think? Could this be a whole new career for Christina?

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Are You Ready for More High School Musicals?

by Monika Bartyzel Mar 18th 2008 // 12:32PM

Filed under: Music & Musicals », Deals », Scripts », Family Films »

Poor Disney ... They must have been aching at the thought of their High School Musical franchise coming to an end once number 3 hits the big screen. It's been an insane sensation, and certainly good for both the company and channel. But what do you do when it all comes to an end? You could look for new material, or you could spin it.

Variety reports that Walt Disney Pictures has picked Steven Antin (jerky prep Troy from The Goonies) to write and direct a new musical project for them, which will be produced by Scott Sanders (who recently developed The Color Purple musical). The plot and title are being kept under wraps, but they might as well call it High School Musical 4: The Next Generation. Antin says: "It's a music-driven movie set in a high school, geared toward a Disney audience." Gee, how original.

But we just might get a bit of a breather before it comes out. Antin has finished part of the screenplay, and says that this project is "neck and neck" with Burlesque for filming this fall -- he had written the script, and Diablo Cody spunked it up with a rewrite. Either way, we're not out of the musical woods yet. Stay tuned to see who wins the showdown between burlesque and teen singers!

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Steven Antin Directs Some 'Burlesque'

by Monika Bartyzel Oct 16th 2007 // 11:02AM

Filed under: Music & Musicals », Deals », Scripts », Newsstand »

Burlesque... It's the "good" girl's stripping. At least, these days it is. Teasing, comedy, and lavish costumes, a girl can don some pasties and flaunt herself without the indelible stigma attached to the regular stripper or porn star. It holds weight, class, and a sense of respect. In a recent interview with our Kim Voynar, Diablo Cody mentioned her book about stripping, and Kim politely asked: "Did you do burlesque?" Her answer: "No, I was a hard core stripper, worked at peep shows, did phone sex." Having hit it big in festivals and productions across the country, burlesque has started its attack on film. We already have Darren Grant getting into the theme, and now Screen Gems is cooking up a burlesque musical.

Variety reports that Glass House director Steven Antin has been tapped to helm Burlesque -- a modern musical that will include 12 song-and-dance numbers, like a modern Moulin Rouge!. Oh, and for a bit of trivia: he's the preppy, jerky jock Troy from The Goonies. Antin wrote the script, and then Diablo Cody was brought on to revise it. (I imagine this won't be the last time she's brought on to spruce up a script that includes stripping or burlesque.) The film will follow "a young woman who tries to escape a hollow past and finds it performing in a neo-burlesque club in Los Angeles."

If it seems like surprising material for Antin, who wrote Chasing Papi and Sidney Lumet's Gloria, Variety says he has been writing and directing live burlesque shows for the last ten years. He says: "Neo-burlesque is a contemporary take on the traditional burlesque that derived from vaudeville, with singing, dancing, comedy, and more tease than striptease." Clint Culpepper, Screen Gems president, says he convinced Antin to write a spec script after seeing his first show and continued: "This will be a sexy, music-filled film set in a provocative and artistic world." But who will they get to lead it? Any suggestions?

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Burlesque Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Kristen Bell Becomes a Burlesque Dancer

Casting Bites: Benicio del Toro, Kathryn Hahn, and Cher

Christina Aguilera Preps Her Big-Screen Debut

Christina Aguilera Photos

Are You Ready for More High School Musicals?

Steven Antin Directs Some 'Burlesque'

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