KidsInAmerica Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Casting bites for the day:

• We've got one more person to add to the cast of Topher Grace's Kids in America, the flick about the guy who has that one last chance to get with the girl of his dreams during a party in the 80's. Ice Princess Michelle Trachtenberg began filming in Phoenix last week. Her part: a Cure and New Order-loving goth girl who clashes against "the Flock of Seagulls mentality surrounding her." It might seem like a big jump for the actress, but she was half-way there with Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin, so I bet she'll do just fine. Since MTV News says that the film is hoping to be the Dazed and Confused of the 80's, let's hope it does better than That '80s Show.
• There's yet another movie on the pike for Stomp the Yard actor Chris Brown, who has both After School and This Christmas coming later this year. This one is a basketball drama called Phenom. The 17-year-old is the only person cast so far, and there is no director, but he seems to be pretty active in the process: "I'm trying to get Antoine Fuqua, but there are so many different people we're trying to pitch it to as far as the actors and director is concerned." First step: Grammy nom, second step: stomping, third step: the world!
• Lastly, we've got the rest of the main cast set for Sci Fi Channel's upcoming Wizard of Oz re-imagining, Tin Man. Deschanel, Cumming and Dreyfus are being joined by Neal McDonough (The Hitcher) as the Tin Man former cop, Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto) as Raw, the Wolverine-like creature and Kathleen Robertson (Splendor) as Azkadellia -- the wicked witch. It's not a bad cast to take on the weird project. My interest is up just to see Robertson as the "scintillatingly wicked sorceress." Do you think she'll don the famous tights?

Here's some bits and bites for you to chew on:

• If you're like me, you've been anxious for Allan Moyle to get back to his deliciously cult Pump up the Volume roots, which it seems he has, with his Canadian film, Weirdsville. After opening the Slamdance Film Festival, the U.S. rights to the flick have been picked up by Magnolia Pictures. The movie follows two heroin addicts (Scott Speedman and Wes Bentley) who almost bury an almost-dead junkie (Taryn Manning), have a run-in with Satanists* and a mob of little people....and a drug lord. The Hollywood Reporter has more info on the deal, and the film's website has got a trailer and other goodies. And yes, that's Bentley in the picture to the right, sporting lots of fu-facial hair.
• In December, Chris brought us news of Topher Grace's upcoming movie, Kids in America. Now Venom finally has some co-stars. The pic follows Grace as a recent college who tries to nab his paramour at a crazy party while dealing with his on-coming adulthood -- as any good coming-of-age story should. Scary Movie's Anna Faris has been cast as Grace's twin sister, Dan Fogler -- that wild-haired ping ponger from the upcoming Balls of Fury -- will play the best friend and Australian actress Teresa Palmer gets to be Grace's dream girl.
• Ms. Felicity Huffman, Transamerica star and desperate housewife, is now an author. She's penned A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every One Who Wants to Be One/For Every Girl Who Wants to Build One with Patricia Wolff, which was launched in LA on Monday. This super-short titled book gives advice on how to be a good boyfriend "while still maintaining guy-dignity." Anyone want to make bets on how long it will be before this gets adapted into a really, really bad film?

*Thanks to Kirby for the good catch! While a group of Satinists would be interesting, this mob is of the Satan variety.

Topher Grace has come a long way since playing Eric Forman -- the skinny dork on That 70's Show. Really, I never believed the super-cute Donna (played by Laura Prepon) would have ever given him the time of day -- let alone date him or sleep with him. It's just the magic of television I guess. Even dorks get the girl. Fortunately, Grace has been able to leave Forman behind and transition into much different and more adult roles -- and he's managed to do a very good job of it too.

From his first feature film role in Steven Soderberg's Traffic to playing Spidey-nemesis Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3, Grace has steadily added to his resume and put together an impressive body of work in a relatively short amount of time. And now, according to Production Weekly, the actor has been set to star in Michael Dowse's Kids in America -- which, at first glance, might seem like a step back towards Forman territory.

The film, written by Dowse and That 70s Show vets Jackie and Jeff Filgo, centers around recent college grad Matt Franklin (Grace) obsessed with the dream girl that got away. But a wild Labor Day party gives him one last chance to get the girl and, along with his twin sister and their best friend, learn a little something while struggling with the future and their impeding adulthood.

Even though the plot of the film sounds a little like That 70s Show: The Later Years, I don't think it will really end up that way once it finished. Plus, Grace has really matured a an actor and I think he's smart enough to pick good roles for himself and improve even more. So, despite the films' description, I'm going to give it, and Grace, the benefit of the doubt. So far, he hasn't let me down and I don't think he will here either. Production on Kids in America is expected to start in February in Phoenix.