jimmy fallon Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm not known to be the sentimental type, but occasionally even I can get a little choked up (and trust me it can come at the oddest times). Well, the other night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon I had one of those moments when that goofy little girl I used to be and the goofy grown woman I am today came together to watch Eric Idle perform Always Look on The Bright Side of Life with Fallon's house band, The Roots -- who to my delight joined in on the trademark whistling refrain. The troupe was on Late Night to celebrate their NY Reunion show to mark the 40th anniversary of the comedy troupe and to promote the Pythonathon on IFC this Sunday.

Watching The Life of Brian as a child guaranteed that most of the jokes went right over my head, but it's effect was lasting, and I was never able to look at my Sunday school lessons the same way again. The flick was even charged with blasphemy when it was originally released, but over time has been recognized as one of the best British comedies ever made.

It's been a long time (30 years to be more precise) since Idle and Chapman climbed up on those crosses for the final musical number in the story of Brian, but when I watched this clip it didn't matter, and I was right back to being that little geeky girl I used to (and probably always will) be.

After the jump: Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin. Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow...

When I told a friend of mine that I was heading to a screening of Baby Mama, he immediately replied: "Oh, the Saturday Night Live movie?" Hmm -- well, sort of. The comedy -- which premiered at Tribeca and goes wide this weekend -- was produced by SNL honcho Lorne Michaels, and stars show veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. On the other hand, it's not based on an SNL sketch, and doesn't feature any characters from the show.

Baby Mama's pre-release reputation as a "Saturday Night Live movie" probably isn't helpful: movies falling into that category don't have the best track record in the minds of people who pay attention. At the same time, the show has contributed a lot to the movies, mostly in its capacity as a breeding ground for comedic talent. This installment of Cinematical Seven collects films with an SNL connection that have actually been good, or in some way significant. I limited the pool to the last ten years; we all know that The Blues Brothers and Wayne's World are classics that started out as SNL sketches, but what has the show done for us lately?

For starters, I had no idea that a fourth Austin Powers film was even on the horizon. So imagine my surprise when the Boston Globe reported that Gisele Bündchen was in talks to star in the latest installment of Mike Myers' spy franchise. According to the Globe, Bündchen has already been given a script and her agent is arranging meetings with Myers and producer Jay Roach.

Myers first spoke about another Austin Powers film back when he was still prepping The Love Guru with Jessica Alba. Myers had told MTV, "We're developing a fourth [movie], entirely from Dr. Evil's point of view." Myers also said that he would only be working on a Powers film in his spare time. Judging by Myers' slate for 2009 it doesn't look like he is going to have much free time; the actor is still attached to star in the Keith Moon biopic, See Me Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure, as well as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (both films are scheduled for release in 2009).

Did you know that Queen Latifah, who is remaking All of Me, wants Steve Martin to reprise his role from the original 1984 comedy? It's news to me and possibly news to Martin who apparently hasn't been given many details about what Latifah and director Adam Shankman (Hairspray) want to do with the film.

All of Me originally starred Martin and Lily Tomlin -- an outrageously funny duo -- and was about two souls that merge into one body. Tomlin plays a wealthy woman who wants her life to continue on earth via the body of another woman. She calls upon Martin's lawyer services to rearrange her will and a soul transference ceremony. As Martin exits her sky rise apartment before the services begin, an act of human clumsiness sends the bowl that Tomlin's soul was resting in flying out the window and onto Martin's head. Thus the ceremony is botched and Tomlin is now present in Martin's body. The film becomes a physical comedy as the personalities fight to cohabitate.

The premise of the remake will essentially stay the same. Latifah stated to MTV that a number of story options were being presented to Shankman and herself but not much has been determined. As for Martin returning to the role he originated over 20 years ago? Stage actors reprise their roles often without too much guffawing and Martin has aged so graciously that physically, he would have no problem re-inhabiting the role. Whether he should do the project or not is best left to be determined by the script. I have to admit that I have instant trepidation about this one. It could be wonderfully brilliant but another part of me would rather let sleeping dogs lie.

Wayyy back in 2005 it was reported that Jimmy Fallon would be starring opposite Jessica Alba in a big-screen version of I Dream of Jeannie, based off the popular television show from 1965. At the time, the thought of Alba running around in a genie outfit was pretty enticing, not to mention Fallon was a pretty popular guy. Well, whether it was because Bewitched bombed or because Fallon is no longer capable of drawing a big crowd, the dude told Howard Stern recently that he's no longer associated with the project. When Stern asked if he was still doing a film with Alba, Fallon said it's not happening and that his name should be removed from IMDb. As of right now, Alba's name is now gone from the IMDb page, which means the project is most definitely spending a lot of time in development hell.

And what is Fallon up to these days? Well, apparently NBC has signed him to replace Conan O'Brien -- only (and here's the kicker) there's no date set for the switch, so Fallon is being paid to simply wait it out. In the meantime, however, his contract does not allow him to host any other shows. Good news: Fallon won't be stumbling over his own words during an opening monologue anytime soon. Bad news: He'll have plenty of time to make up for it once Conan decides to bail. On the film front, Fallon just wrapped an indie flick called Rockett, where he starred opposite Sharon Stone, Tom Arnold and Lucy Liu. Other than that, his slate is completely blank -- which is kind of how my brain feels after watching Fallon perform in anything.

Okay, first it seems that we have another name change for the upcoming Jimmy Fallon indie film, Rockett. When Erik first posted about the movie, it was Eliot Rockett, joining the SNL alum with super Razzie winner Sharon Stone. Then, it became Rocket when Tom Arnold, Lucy Liu and Ileana Douglas joined the cast. Either that was a typo, or the filmmakers decided to go back to the titles roots and it is now called Rockett. With the extra "t" comes two extra cast members -- Jordana Spiro and Tony Hale.

You might recognize Spiro from the TBS series My Boys, which she stars in, but I remember her as the kidnapped girl in the Buffy episode entitled Reptile Boy. She has been cast as Fallon's childhood sweetheart, who he reconnects with after he returns to his hometown. (While devoted to his work, Fallon's character can't commit in his personal life, and then returns home when his estranged father has a stroke.) Anyone want to bet that Fallon finds that he can commit to Spiro? Then, we have Mr. Hale, who I'm sure everyone remembers from his stint as Buster Bluth on Arrested Development. He will play Fallon's childhood best friend. So, now we've his childhood links as well as Stone as Fallon's mother, Arnold as his father, Liu as his girlfriend and Illeana as... I'm not sure, but her character is "Christine Jacobson." Fallon definitely has a a good cast around him, so maybe this will be more like Almost Famous for him, and less like Taxi.

When we first brought you news on the film Rocket, it was being called Eliot Rockett and Jimmy Fallon and Sharon Stone had just signed on to play a mother and son. Now, Variety brings us word that the film has changed titles, added Tom Arnold, Lucy Liu and Ileana Douglas to its cast, and, just recently, began production. Holly Wiersma, who is very familiar with pic's cast, having worked with all four actors on three different films (Factory Girl, Bobby, Happy Endings) is producing via her shingle Ring Prods.

Though he's still a fairly bankable star, Jimmy Fallon hasn't quite been able follow in his former SNL pals' footsteps and bring in major box office dollars. However, that hasn't stopped him from deciding to go the dramatic route (a la Sandler and Ferrell) in an attempt to switch things up and possibly provide a much-needed spark for his career. In Rocket, he'll star as a guy who has problems committing to his girlfriend (Liu), which stem from the extremely dysfunctional relationship his parents (Stone and Arnold) once shared. Pic is based on several short stories written by Ethan Canin, with a script penned by Patrick Sisam and Rick Velleu. Sisam is also set to make his feature directorial debut with the film. Do you think Fallon has what it takes to go all dramatic on us, or should he cash in his big-screen chips now and search for a comfy new TV gig?

And you thought Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah made an odd on-screen pair, well how about Fallon and Sharon Stone? After ditching Saturday Night Live in order to star in one miserable comedy after another, Fallon has made the decision to go indie -- either that, or these are the only gigs he can get. The dude has now signed on to star alongside Sharon Stone (I refuse to rip into Stone because I actually think she's a good actress who, at times, chooses bad roles in bad films) in Eliot Rockett.

The indie drama, in which Patrick Sisam will be making his directorial debut, follows a commitment phobe (Fallon) who returns home after his estranged father suffers a stroke. Stone will play the man's hot dysfunctional mom. Based on short stories by Ethan Canin, the script was penned by Sisam and Rick Velleu. Personally, I can't stand Fallon (not sure if you've noticed by now) -- the guy recites his dialogue as if he remembers only half of each line thirty seconds after it was supposed to be delivered. Plus, he always sounds half drunk, half "I was just hit by a bus." Eh, maybe it's just me.

In related news, Fallon also struck a deal with Universal to star in a musical-themed comedy for Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty) to potentially direct. Though the plot wasn't released, it is supposedly "being crafted to fit the talents that Fallon displayed on Saturday Night Live." Fitting, seeing as that was the last time anyone paid attention to the guy.

It's been a while since we've had some news on Arthur and the Minimoys, save a trailer. Wait, Invisibles. No, Minimoys. Is anyone else getting a Sorcerer-vs-Philosopher flashback? To recap, the film is based on Arthur and the Minimoys, a book written by Luc Besson himself. In the book, Arthur and his grandmother are facing eviction, suffering in the absence of his grandfather, who is missing. After discovering one of his grandfather's drawings of a red-haired princess, he travels to the land of Minimoys in an attempt to save his family.

A mixture of live-action and computer graphics, Martha Fischer previously reported on the interesting cast that contains the voices of pop music icons Madonna and David Bowie. Now it's time to add a whole mess of non-musical names to the list. There are the funny men, like Jason Bateman and Jimmy Fallon, but there are also a whole slew of actors known for their macho image. With the likes of Harvey Keitel, Chazz Palminteri and Robert De Niro also in the film, do the Minimoys have their own collection of mini-mobsters?

Now that Besson is retiring from filmmaking, this could very well be his last directorial effort in the feature film world. If you're trying to get in all the Besson you can before he commits himself to a life of civic work and youth groups, you can also catch the Luc-penned Taxi 4 next year, although the third sequel to a franchise hardly seems like the right send-off to the man who made Leon. Arthur and the Minimoys will enjoy a limited release on December 15, and grab a larger release in the new year.