It's football season, which means it's also the season for at least one heartwarming and inspiring movie about the sport. This year the film comes from Universal -- The Express, a biopic of Ernie "The Elmira Express" Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman trophy, back in 1963. However, the movie divides its time between Davis and his coach at Syracuse University, Ben Schwartzwalder, and shows the ways in which the two characters changed one another (for the better, natch).

The movie opens during the notorious Cotton Bowl game of 1960, when Davis (Rob Brown) was a running back on the Syracuse University team that played The University of Texas, which had not yet allowed black varsity team members. It's a rough game, but Davis is handling himself until all hell breaks loose ... and then we flash back to Davis's childhood in the 1940s and see how he learned to handle nasty racist situations even at an early age. He's stubborn and he's speedy, and eventually decides to use those assets to strive for his goal of playing professional football. His idol, Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown, advises Davis to play for his alma mater Syracuse because Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) is such an excellent head coach. But Davis encounters difficulties in the ways Schwartzwalder handles the black team members. The coach's primary goal is to avoid "trouble," so they're warned away from the white female students, and worse yet, at certain Southern games they're not allowed to score touchdowns. The real action culminates when the film returns to the Cotton Bowl game in Dallas.

Oh, if only all biopics were as aptly titled as Big Eyes, a movie about the artist Margaret Keane. If you're not familiar with her work, simply do a Google image search and you'll see why the title makes sense. Of course, I would have gone a little further and named it Creepy Big Eyes. According to Variety, the production has cast Kate Hudson as Keane, who is still alive to possibly assist the actress with the role. The independently financed film was scripted by biopic masters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood; The People vs. Larry Flynt; Man on the Moon) and it will also be the duo's directorial debut, who will also direct (they last helmed the 2000 comedy Screwed). Scheduled to begin shooting in June, depending on how the SAG contract negotiation goes, Big Eyes will be produced by Dan Halsted (Garden State), Albert Berger (Little Miss Sunshine), Ron Yerxa (Little Miss Sunshine) and financier Andrew Meieran.

Variety reports that Big Eyes will deal with Keane's personal life, specifically her lawsuit against her second husband, Walter Keane, who had taken credit for her mass-produced artwork until the 1960s. Not to give away spoilers, but according to Keane's Wikipedia page, she finally won the rights to her work in divorce proceedings that went all the way to Federal court. How did she prove she was the real talent? She painted in court in front of the judge (Walter meanwhile declined to do the same). I apologize for ruining the ending of the film, but I figured I'd share that info so that when the scene pops up in Big Eyes, you'll know it isn't just some cinematic tool used to make the story more visually interesting.

Regardless of how the movie is received now, though, it's sure to be one of the most popular movies come 2173 (see Woody Allen's Sleeper, which claims that in the future Keane is considered one of the greatest artists of all time)

Jean Claude Van Damme -- almost-undefeated fighter-turned-action movie star, who can bring intricate, split inducing bondage structures down with the mere force of his thighs -- is heading into the world of biopics, or so a new short floating on the web will have us think. Some have said it's just a spoof short film, but some, like JoBlo, say: "We're told this is a 'pre-sell' teaser for Cannes, and that the movie itself is in production with Luc Besson's company." I imagine it's more like that Caligula short I posted about many months ago, but the old Van Damme fan in me kind of wishes this is real.

The clip in question is a long short that shows a disparate collection of dudes in tank tops who have come together to try out for the lead in an upcoming JCVD biopic -- some have eaten way too many Twinkies to ever pull it off, while some seem to have the requisite buffness. Just as the casting session is about to get started, good ol' Jean Claude himself walks in, pretty ticked that he wasn't contacted -- and by "ticked," I mean he says he is, but he doesn't, physically, look too concerned. Once he finds out the plot he decides that, of course, he should play himself.

At the very least, it's an amusing, self-deprecating stint for a guy who is pretty much ignored these days in the realms of the action world. (Although man, I still love me some Cyborg.) At the most, this could be a great pearl to top off Van Damme's career -- a biting, too-honest, self-referential flick to remind us why we all know his name in the first place.

"This summer...hold on to your crown...The Queen rules again bitches!" Yes, Variety is reporting that writer Peter Morgan is working on a follow-up to last year's Oscar-winning hit, The Queen. The Queen was a very British story, but this time he's bringing America into the mix, specifically Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The new film will deal with their relationships to Prime Minster Tony Blair (played wonderfully in The Queen by Michael Sheen, who is expected to return for the sequel). The film "will focus on Blair's reaction to the handover of power between Clinton, a natural liberal ally, and Bush, who came from the other end of the political spectrum." The project will actually be the third in Morgan's series of films about Blair, which began with the Channel 4 telepic The Deal.

The most intriguing aspect of this film might just be its casting. Who can effectively capture the good old boy charisma and charm of Bill Clinton? John Travolta did a very nice job playing a highly Clintonesque character in Primary Colors. I sure wish Phil Hartman was still alive (for a variety of reasons), I don't think anyone's nailed Clinton better, and I always sensed Hartman could have easily handled drama. Who can get across the thick layer of bluster, blind confidence, and -- what's a nice word? -- naivete present in a George W. Bush speech? Something tells me they won't go the Will Ferrell route. My pick for Dubya would be the great William H. Macy, he's got the "shifty dude whose world is crumbling around him" thing down pat. What do you guys think? Assuming they don't go with unknowns, who would you cast as two of the most recognizable figures in politics -- Bush and Clinton?

"Last time I visit Cinematical!" "Guess it's a slow news day, huh?" "Cinematical used to be cool, but now they just don't care anymore." Yup, these are just some of the comments I expect to read after writing a post about Britney Spears. But what can I say -- the gal just fascinates me. Like the rest of the world, I managed to catch Britney's VMA performance ... and loved every minute of it. Sure, I've been reading all these stories about how she embarrassed herself, MTV, Jesus, Kanye, what have you, but in my opinion, MTV should freaking pray to her. Without that trainwreck, their show would've been mentioned briefly -- Kid Rock threw a punch, blah blah -- end of story. But Britney. Boy, did she get our attention. The Movie Blog recently wrote a story asking whether folks would be interested in a Britney biopic -- after all, she's shaping up to be the perfect candidate. The consensus is that people are sick of hearing about her; all they want is for Britney to go away. Far away. To the Land of I Can Have Two Kids and Still Party Like A Washed-Up Rock Star. Oh wait, we already live there.

But they're lying. Because we want Britney. We need Britney. With La Lohan in rehab and Paris under publicist arrest, who do we turn to? This guy? I don't think so. So yes, I'm in favor of a Britney Spears biopic -- and I'd like it to happen sooner rather than later, this way everyone (Spears, Lohan, Hilton, K-Fed) can all play themselves. And I'd like a really serious director to helm the thing; someone like Roman Polanski. Oooh, he would be perfect. And he just dropped off Pompeii -- even better! Not to mention he has a thing for ... well, you know. There would need to be a few dance numbers (choreographed by Adam Shankman), while Steve Buscemi and Don Cheadle take on supporting performances -- if only because they're in practically everything these days. I'd like Fox to put it out in late September (with a premiere in Toronto), and I want Cinematical's James Rocchi to conduct all the audio interviews. And then Cinematical gets to premiere the poster; in big, shiny red ink -- it reads: Roman Polanski's Born to Make You Happy (taken from a Spears song, of course). That's what I want. Make it so ...

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Jamie Foxx is returning to the genre that brought him loads of acclaim and an Academy Award -- he has signed on for another musical biopic. Foxx will be portraying Nathaniel Anthony Ayers in The Soloist, the true story of "a homeless musician with schizophrenia who dreams of playing at Walt Disney Concert Hall." Wow. A 1) Homeless 2) Musician with 3) Mental Problems and 4) A Dream? Foxx is pretty much demanding the award here, isn't he? Can't we just give him the Oscar before production begins? They're probably polishing it up for him right now.

So how does this movie differ from all the other schmaltzy musical biopics? Producer Gary Foster tells the Los Angeles Times: "Midnight Cowboy is a perfect example of what we want this movie to feel like. It won't be slick and glossy. It's going to be emotional and real." He says that now, but I'll bet you $100 the movie ends with a teary-eyed audience jumping to its feet and bursting into applause. Joe Wright (director of the surprisingly non-boring Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice as well as the upcoming Knightley film Atonement) will direct the film. Susannah Grant (writer of a very solid run of chick flicks that includes 28 Days and Erin Brockovich) wrote the script, which is based on a 12-part series of articles by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez. The film will focus on the relationship between Ayers and Lopez. Lopez has yet to be cast, and his photo doesn't have any casting choices leaping out at me. Any ideas?

I know, I saw "Scarlett Johansson" and "Jenna Jameson" in the same sentence, and so much blood rushed away from my brain I nearly passed out. If Miss Jameson's name doesn't ring a bell, perhaps you've seen her...performances...in such films as I Love Lesbians 10 and Dirty Bob's Xcellent Adventures 35 (which I think we can all agree was a step down from the Hitchcockian #34). Monday, Erik reported that Jessica Simpson has turned down the opportunity to play a porn star, and now People is reporting that Scarlett Johansson has done the same. Porn queen Jameson is looking for an actress to portray her in the film adaptation of her autobiography How to Make Love Like a Porn Star (currently stuck together at a library near you). Jameson developed a fascination with Johansson after seeing the wonderful Lost in Translation, saying "I remember thinking to myself, this girl has such a sexuality without even really trying to be sexy. I was like, 'This girl could play me." Jameson met Johansson once, briefly, and thought "I love her. She's amazing. She's smart, she's funny...She's stunning."

She certainly is, but don't get too excited, fellas. A representative for Johansson says "Scarlett has never seen a script nor been approached about this project. She also has no interest in playing this role." In other news -- Christmas has been canceled! So Johansson is probably out, but Jameson is definitely set on a quality actress for the role, saying "I don't want someone who's going to go in there and be like bouncing around. I want someone who can bring some depth." (As opposed to her male co-stars, who don't need depth -- just length and girth. Hiyo!). If they're looking for an actress with some chops, I imagine the mystery porn star role offered to Jessica Simpson is for a different project. Jameson's biopic, said to be called Heartbreaker, promises to be extremely sexually explicit, and according to Jameson, "It has to be. Not because we want to draw male fans. Because I want to tell the true story." Oh Jenna. I don't think you need to worry about the male fans showing up!

Remember the dueling Truman Capote biopics, Capote and Infamous? That's nothing compared to the possibilities for movies focusing on Sammy Davis Jr. and his memorable career. According to the New York Times, the potential movie projects currently number four -- three features and a documentary, focusing on different aspects of the singer/actor's life from various biographical sources. If the Capote films are any kind of benchmark, it seems that the first movie to reach theaters will likely be the one with the biggest box-office success. This means that when one of these films actually goes into production, the other projects may crumble. Here are the contenders for the big race:

• Denzel Washington starring in and possibly directing a Brian Grazer-produced adaptation of 2003 biography In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr., written by Wil Haywood. Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures have teamed up for this movie. This is the one I'm betting will prevail, simply because of the big-name talent behind it.
• Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000) starring in Sammy and Kim, about Davis's affair with actress Kim Novak in the 1950s, which drew a lot of controversy at the time. The sensationalist aspect of this story could potentially draw a lot of crowds.
• New Line is finalizing a deal to adapt Davis's best-selling autobiography from 1965, Yes, I Can, which was actually written by Jane and Burt Boyar. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who have produced Chicago and Hairspray, are attached as producers. This biopic is endorsed by Davis's widow, but no lead actor has yet been named.
  
• A documentary is also in the running, also based on Yes, I Can, and using Burt Boyar's filmed interviews with Davis. This sounds like it might be a good alternate, smaller film that would clarify facts that might balance out a more sensational, fictionalized biopic.

You're reading through the local paper, searching for a movie to see over the weekend, when you happen upon the following description: "Whiskey and porn stars, hot rods and car crashes, black leather and high heals, overdoses and death." Does that sound right up your alley? If so, you're in luck ... and also a rather disturbing person.

Larry Charles (the man behind this fall's Borat flick) is currently in pre-production on The Dirt, a biopic based on the rock band Motley Crue's 2001 book, The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band. Pic will follow musicians Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Vince Neil as they tour the world, indulge in copious amounts of sex, drugs and booze, as well as fight the law, their families and themselves. Based off Production Weekly's description of the film alone, I'm not sure how this flick will manage to hang below an XXX rating. Oh yes, it's that bad. Of course, I'll be there for the music only ... like you. Right?

George Weah is a legend in both his native Liberia and in the world of football soccer. Having played at the highest level all over the world for more than a decade - in 1995 while at AC Milan, he was named World Footballer of the Year, African Footballer of the Year, and FIFA Footballer of the Year - he retired in the wake of Liberia's failure to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Always interested in humanitarian issues in his war-torn homeland, in 2004 Weah finally threw his hat into the political ring, announcing his intentions to run for president in the 2005 elections. The field of candidates was outrageously crowded and, though Weah was the early front-runner and won the first round of voting, he eventually lost in a runoff.

Despite his political failure, Weah's story remains an inspiration to many, and Tollin/Robbins Productions and Animus Films plan to make a film about his life, with a focus on his "political awakening." The screenplay is being written by Sid Quashie, who describes Weah - a consultant on the project - as a man who "presented possibilities to a generation of teens who were unemployed and former child soldiers during the civil war. He's like Pele, Michael Jordan and (Nelson) Mandela rolled into one."