Let's start off with a little bit of trivia: Did you know that High School Musical and its sequels have had the working titles Grease 3, Grease 4, and Grease 5? That would make it seem as though Zac Efron and his super-cute co-stars were some new generation possibly bred from the loins of Sandy and Danny. Not quite. It's got the whole differing social group angle, and how friends can get in the way of love, but it's definitely not that dirty, classic family movie we all know.

As a tot, I liked Grease, but I loved Grease 2 -- this is probably because Maxwell Caulfield was much easier on the eyes than John Travolta. But after watching the original a few times and devouring the second much more often, there was a long hiatus until a close cousin of mine got a little older and Grease got re-released in theaters. I took her to see it, and my jaw sagged through the entire film. How dirty! How could I not have realized this? I looked over at her; she was smiling, happy, and oblivious, so obviously the "don't-see-the-raunchiness" spell was working all these years later. It skillfully rides that fine line between raunch and respectability.

So, in the sea of a new musicals, equipped with myriads of fangirls, I give you my generation's High School Musicals: Grease and Grease 2.

By far, one of my absolute favorite movies is Stephen Frear's adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons. So, you can imagine that my expectations will be pretty high for Frears' latest French period piece, Cheri. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Rupert Friend (The Young Victoria) and Kathy Bates have joined the cast of Frears' take on the book by famed French novelist Collette. Friend will play the male lead, and Bates is in negotiations to play his overbearing "maman".

Originally published in 1920, Chéri was the story of an affair between an aging retired courtesan, Léa, and a pampered young man, Chéri. When it comes time for Chéri to make good on the promise of an arranged marriage, he is forced into a loveless union and then I would assume it's your usual array of romantic suffering. I mean, just look at the guy, he's got that 'romantic squint' down pat.

Just last month, Michelle Pfeiffer signed to play the aging courtesan and Friend's love interest, Lea de Lonval. Frears also wrote the adaptation with Liaisons screen writer, Christopher Hampton, which means it really is a Dangerous Liaisons reunion (if only they could have gotten Uma Thurman, Glen Close, and John Malkovich; making it the complete set). Now that all the distribution deals between Pathé and Miramax have been sorted out Cheri is ready to start production in France early this April.

While I've been itching for Uma Thurman to do more period work, there's another famous tow-headed actress hopping in a time machine. Variety reports that Miramax and Pathe are about to close a deal on a big-screen adaptation of Colette's Chéri, for Michelle Pfeiffer to headline. What makes this project even better -- it'll be a Dangerous Liasons reunion. Aside from its star and sexy material, Christopher Hampton penned the script and Stephen Frears will direct it.

Set in 1920s Paris, Chéri focuses on the affair between an older, retired courtesan and a young man some 25 years younger than her, one who is the son of a fellow courtesan. For 6 years they are together until they must part for Chéri to make good on an arranged marriage. However, he doesn't get over his older lover, and as Variety describes it, he "retreats into a fantasy world." Madame de Tourvel has come a long way!

There have been some bumps in the road, but as things stand now -- the deal will give Miramax North American control, and Pathe will get the overseas territories -- much like the deal made for Frears' last film, The Queen. Should everything move along from here, production will start this April in France. Now we just need a young man itching for Pfeiff. Any ideas?

OK, so while it probably isn't the most exciting news I've heard today, it certainly is a scoop on some unlikely casting. Sources for ComingSoon are reporting that Michelle Pfeiffer is set to star alongside Ashton Kutcher in the Rick Moody adaptation, Personal Effects. The film is based on Moody's story, Mansion on the Hill, from the book Demonology. Kutcher will play Andrew Wakefield; a young man who is hired by a high-end wedding planning business right after his sister is killed in an accident on her own wedding day. In the original story, Andrew is irreparably damaged by the loss of his sister and even seeks out a bizarre revenge against her fiancée. The story then cuts between Andrew's memories of his sister and his new life in the business of marriage. David Hollanger wrote the adaptation and is also attached to direct. Hollanger is an American TV writer and producer and Personal Effects would be his first feature film.

I think it's fair to say that when you think of the darker side of character studies (the story is from the same man who wrote the Ice Storm after all), you don't think of Kutcher -- but maybe he will surprise us all, you never know. Details about the film are pretty sketchy at this point, although news of the film is already making its way around the net. That is unless this is all somebody's idea of a practical joke. Kutcher is currently filming the comedy What Happens in Vegas (which seems a little better suited to his talents) and Pfeiffer is in talks to star in Chasing Montana. Effects is reportedly set to start filming on location in Vancouver, Canada later this month. But on the off chance there is somebody out there who is waiting with bated breath for Kutcher's dramatic debut; stay tuned, and we'll let you know as soon as we hear something official.

Sometimes news is better than anything our twisted minds could ever cook up. Not only has moviemaker rationale completely left the universe, but Michelle Pfeiffer's sanity has gone with it, if a recent article from News.com.au is to be believed. She says that she has been approached about an upcoming remake of the epically dirty, kid-friendly classic, Grease, and I quote: "It's a great idea and I hear they would like to get Jessica Simpson for the role of Sandy, she would be good." Oh, God. Where do I start?! This might just be a sign that the apocalypse is coming.

Okay. Let me start with the hideous part of this news: Simpson would be good? Simpson is being looked at for SANDY? Now, no matter how much I am not into her as an actress, and how wary I am of musical remakes (my response to Footloose exemplifies that), who in their right mind would cast someone who can't even get her features released? And in a starring role of a remake of a beloved musical? Has no one heard about Blonde Ambition? This seriously can't be true. If they wanted to remake Grease 2, and put Rob Schneider in the role Johnny Nogerelli, I could see it -- Zmed, Schneider... I can dig it in a goofy sort of way. But man, I'd love to hear what Olivia Newton-John says about all of this.

Now onto Pfeiffer. She says that she wants to play Principal McGee: "She is fun and has some great put-down lines. I think I would like the part now that I have been asked." However, cut into my cheese-loving heart, she detests her role in Grease 2: "I hated that film with a vengeance and could not believe how bad it was. At the time I was young and didn't know any better... I hear it's a cult movie now." Yeah, Michelle, it is. It's even one of the reasons Brian Herzlinger loves Drew Barrymore. Anyway, why rant about one and then want to be in a remake of the other? But even that doesn't matter as much as how and why she'd think Simpson would be good in this.

I must stop ranting about this now, as I could go on for pages and no one wants that. But let's have some fun first. We've got Simpson as Sandy, so what other terrible casting choices could they make to really make this potential remake even more laughable?

[via Cinema Blend]

It may be a bit early for this, but I wanted to get my two cents in on some of my favorite performances of 2007 so far, especially since most of these will probably get overlooked in the great Oscar crush of December. The awards almost always go to actors who are involved in biopics, message pictures, costume movies or epics, so let's start with the wonderful Alan Rickman, who has yet to earn a single Oscar nomination. This year, he can be seen toiling away once again in the small role of Severus Snape in the fifth "Harry Potter" film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (283 screens). In the third film, he practically stole the entire movie with the way he read the line "turn to page 394," but in this fifth film, he actually has a scene with some meat to it. In training Harry to block his thoughts, Harry takes a peek into Snape's own mind and finds a disastrously sad childhood. When the flashback ends, the camera lingers on Snape's face for a moment, and Rickman renders an astonishing expression of hurt and hatred that broke my heart and sent chills through my spine.

One costume movie, Becoming Jane (32 screens), was unfairly judged, perhaps because it was too much fun and not somber enough (or not based on a literary source of proper merit). The lovely Miss Anne Hathaway usually lends a kind of smart energy to her best performances, as if she were slightly ahead of the game, and she does so perfectly as the budding Jane Austen. She's playful, but tough, beautiful but restrained. And when she falls in love with her man (James McAvoy), she does so breathlessly and with her whole heart; the movie more or less explains through fantasy how Austen was able to write so passionately from such a dull existence. The real Jane was said to be rather plain, but I'd much rather imagine her like this. Add to this Maggie Smith's delightfully wry supporting performance as the wealthy aunt, who can't understand the impudent youth of today and fires off comically nasty barbs at their expense.

Michelle Pfeiffer has come a very long way since she first popped onto television series like CHiPs in the late '70s. One of her first big roles is one of my most beloved -- when she longingly sang for a C-o-o-l R-i-d-e-r in Grease 2. Sure, the movie is crap, but I still think Stephanie Zinone and Michael Carrington (Maxwell Caulfield) are one of the best on-screen couples of the '80s. (Go here to see where some of them are now.) From there, well, she was unstoppable. She was the Ladyhawke, one of The Witches of Eastwick, she was Married to the Mob, licking bat faces in Batman Returns and leading the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Pfieffer also gained three Oscar nominations for her work in Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Love Field, so it is about time that she finally get her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week. The actress thanked her mother and father: "She taught me that I could do anything and that I should have a career before I get married," and she says that her father taught her "that you can make something of yourself if you work hard." She definitely followed their advice: Pfeiffer is currently playing Velma Von Tussle in the new Hairspray film and plays the evil Laima in Stardust, which comes out in a few days. Next up: she co-stars with Paul Rudd in I Could Never be Your Woman, the latest film Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless director Amy Heckerling.

With the release date for the big screen version of Neil Gaiman's Stardust just a couple of months away, the official site is now hosting three new TV spots for the film. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the "kick-ass cast" includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro, Ricky Gervais, and Sienna Miller. Like most of the marketing for the movie, there has been nary a mention of Miller. Most of the attention appears to go to Pfeiffer, who by the looks it is going to make an entertaining villain, and Danes as the glowy embodiment of a star.

The story follows a young man on a romantic quest who crosses a fabled wall in his village to retrieve a star. From there on it's the usual Gaiman territory of witches, unicorns, and a floating pirate ship. Gaiman had a hand in adapting the script, and from the looks of the trailer and these clips, most of the plot and humor seem to be intact. If half of the rumors of Gaiman projects in the pipe turn out to be true, it looks we are going to be seeing a lot of his particular brand of fantasy in the near future. He's been busy with his script writing duties for Beowulf and adapting the graphic novel Black Hole, and don't forget there is still a slim chance of a Good Omens film. Some recent "rumblings" even hinted that Gaiman might take a crack at directing a film version of his own Death: The High Cost of Living. You know what they say, when you want something done right, do it yourself.

[via Movies Online]

Not long ago, I posted a Monday Morning Poll asking which summer films you think will surprise us the most. For awhile now I've been in the minority in predicting that New Line's Hairspray will wind up shocking a lot of people when it turns out to be one of the more entertaining films this summer has to offer. I'm not sure why I felt that way; sometimes you just get this vibe and you either run with it or keep it to yourself for fear you could be completely wrong. I've always liked Hairspray (saw the original movie a bunch, as well as the Broadway musical); it's colorful, campy and fun -- and if director Adam Shankman can find a way to update the film so that it appeals to a wider audience, while still managing to retain Hairspray's awesome quirkiness, then pic should have no problem pleasing just about everyone when it arrives in theaters on July 20.

That said, I discovered an early review of the film over at Fox News that leads me to believe my initial instincts were right on the money. Not only does it refer to John Travolta's performance, in drag, as Edna Turnblad, as "remarkable," but it also calls the film "a big colorful carnival, with loads of cotton candy." The review goes on to rave about the various cast members -- with Queen Latifah (who they say could wind up with a few more awards and nominations) being their favorite -- and Travolta, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer and newcomer Nikki Blonsky all turning in "excellent" performances in their respective roles. But don't expect Hairspray to break any box office records right out of the gate. Since it will face some pretty heavy competition from the Adam Sandler comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, as well as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which will be in its second week), it might take a little while for Hairspray to build buzz. Nevertheless, come this fall, I wouldn't be surprised if Hairspray is one of only a handful of summer flicks people are still talking about.