According to the New York Daily News, Catherine Zeta-Jones will no longer co-star in Nine, the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which itself was an adaptation of Fellini's classic film 8 1/2. Zeta-Jones would have played the role of Claudia, "the alluring muse of skirt-chasing director Guido Contini." The reason for the falling out is allegedly -- it's always allegedly with the Daily News -- because director Rob Marshall (the inexplicably Best Picture-winning Chicago) "wouldn't give in to her demand to beef up her role." The script is adapted by Michael Tolkin (The Player), and apparently the creative team wasn't willing to change the story around. A friend of Zeta-Jones told the Daily News "She was never 100% committed to Nine. She had a meeting with Rob. She'd love to work with him again. But she felt she'd done the same sort of role in Chicago. The script wasn't an issue."

Marshall has moved on and is looking for a younger actress to hop in and play Claudia. The list of possibles includes Natalie Portman, Liv Tyler, Keira Knightley, Kate Hudson, and Gwyneth Paltrow. (In what world is Gwyneth Paltrow a reasonable substitute for Zeta-Jones?) The cast of Nine, one of the more attractive bunches of actors in recent memory, features Javier Bardem as Guido, Sophia Loren as Guido's mother, Penelope Cruz as his mistress Carla, and Marion Cotillard as Luisa Contini. Reportedly (another word for "allegedly"), Katie Holmes was "heartbroken" when Marshall turned her down for a role. Who would you guys like to see in the part? We'll keep you posted on how this drama turns out.

Additionally, Variety has announced today that the Weinstein Co. has officially delayed production on Nine due to the script not being ready.

Lovely to look at and packed with some solid doses of charm and wit -- but sorely lacking in historical accuracy and romantic chemistry -- Gillian Armstrong's Death Defying Acts tells the story of a brief but (mildly) interesting relationship between Harry Houdini and a beautiful con woman in the summer of 1914. How much of the film is actually factual I have no idea, but I do know that Harry Houdini looked more like Gene Wilder than Guy Pearce, but hey ... this is full-bore Hollywood fantasy all the way. Only some of the names are unchanged to keep you interested.

So, fine: Guy Pearce as Harry Houdini. I'll bite. And the guy delivers a fine and firmly affable performance; I just never really bought him as THE Harry Houdini. As the single mother with a flair for fake fortune-telling, Catherine Zeta-Jones is just as lovely as ever. Her character isn't given too many shades to work with beside "sneaky" and "doe-eyed," but the gal oozes old-school movie-star vibes whenever she walks across the screen. And young Saoirse Ronan makes for a plucky little sidekick / daughter, just in case you happen to bring your kids to the movie.

Okay, so the last time I spoke about JLo here on Cinematical, things didn't go so well. People thought I was being very mean and awfully unfair towards Mrs. Lopez-Noa-Judd-Almost Affleck-Anthony. Perhaps I can redeem myself here. Or not. As Martha reported the other day, Steven Soderbergh and company are returning, yet again, for Ocean's 13. The funniest thing about these sequels is that, as the numbers get higher, it's just that many more people they need to cast. I'd love for this thing to go to Ocean's 26 just to see which random actors show up. I'd imagine myself saying things like, "Holy crap, is that a digitized Marlon Brando? Sweet!"

While most of the cast is returning for a sequel, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones will stay behind. Supposedly, the script didn't call for their characters, but something tells me that's a load of craps. Ya know, like the game? With Ellen Barkin signed on to play a love interest to Matt Damon's character, there's room for one more female to fight over heartthrobs George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, it appears as if Angelina Jolie will not be showing up (Ain't that a bummer?), but Jennifer Lopez is now one of the names being thrown into consideration. Of course, this comes via a "Super Secret Inside Source" over at JoBlo, so take it all with a grain of salt for now.

Honestly, I really enjoyed Lopez's shifty performance in Out of Sight. Coincidentally, her co-star in that film was none other than George Clooney. Now, if her role alongside Danny Ocean is similar, then I'm down with giving her a shot. Ocean's 13 will start shooting (primarily on five soundstages in Burbank) this July 21st.