Most Adam Sandler fans are probably more than a little relieved that he has left some of the 'earnest' comedy behind and is now headed back to a sillier state of mind with You Don't Mess with the Zohan. But don't get too comfortable; it looks like there's more family-friendly fare on the horizon. ComingSoon.net recently got the chance to speak with Adam Shankman on the set of his latest flick, Seventeen (starring the 'dreamy' Zac Efron) to talk about his upcoming directing gig with Sandler in Bedtime Stories.

Shankman told Coming Soon that the release date of December 25th is foremost in his mind and that production is going to have to work, "Unbelievably fast, because I'm going till mid-June; it's a long schedule. Then, I have to be out in theaters December 25th. And there's a ton of CG, so I'm excited." Sure, he sounds excited, but why am I suddenly worried that this film is going to be the Jumanji of 2008?

The family comedy was written by Matt Lopez, a relative newcomer who only has a few credits to his name -- one of which is the upcoming remake of Witch Mountain. Stories stars Sandler as a guy whose life is forever changed when the stories that he tells his nephew at bedtime start to become real. Keri Russell (Waitress) also stars, although there is no description of her part. The smart money is that Russell will get the thankless role of 'love interest'. Shooting is set to begin in the next three weeks and keep your fingers crossed that Shankman can keep on schedule.

It's about to get a smidge gossipy in here, but once I read these stories back-to-back, I had to write up these bits for you...

First up: Early Obituaries
There's death pools for the masses, and early obits written up by the press just in case the sometimes-inevitable happens. Why waste time writing it up and losing the scoop if you can just hear the news, grab the story, and click "publish"? Well, that's what the Associate Press thinks about Britney Spears, according to Ace Showbiz. The AP have confirmed that they are preparing a blurb for that possibility, and editor Jesse Washington says: "We are not wishing it, but if Britney passed away, it's easily one of the biggest stories in a long time. I think one would agree that Britney seems at risk right now. Of course, we would never wish any type of misfortune on anybody, and hope that we would never have to use it until 50 years from now ...but if something were to happen, we would have to be prepared." Topping this off, Ace says she has chronic mood disorder and is predicted to die in six months if she doesn't get treatment. Poor Spears. Her problems seem never-ending.

Meanwhile... Morgues!
While some people are waiting for Britney to hit the slab, Yahoo reports that Lindsay Lohan will have to visit one. Still in her first legal drinking year (21), Lohan will have to work at a morgue as part of her misdemeanor drunk driving punishment. She's gone to rehab, done some community service, and now she has to do two 4-hour days at the morgue -- "part of a court-ordered program to show drivers the real-life consequences of drinking and driving." Topping that off, she'll also have to spend two days in a hospital ER. I'm sure that will be all sorts of scary for Lohan, but considering how many damned stars and celebs drink and drive, I think all of them should be put in this program.

But all hope is not lost, Wonder Woman is coming!
Justice League is kaput, and that whole live-action project for the lady with the lasso isn't going anywhere, but that doesn't mean we can't get more Wonder Woman. TV Guide reported recently that their sources say that there's a straight-to-DVD animated Wonder Woman feature on the way, and Keri Russell will be voicing the epic, Amazonian heroine. That leads me to wonder (pun!), should she pull off the voice well (and these rumors are true), could Russell also make it work in a live-action setting? Stay tuned!

I always get a tad excited when it comes time for a Disney kid to leave the nest. Over the years, we've watched some Disney kids grow up to have tremendous careers (Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell). Then there are those who, well, are about one nut away from the loony bin (Britney Spears). Now a new crop of the Mouse crew are growing up and getting ready to branch out into various big-screen areas. We're talking kids like Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale and, of course, Vanessa "Take My Picture" Hudgens. Recently, the drama hit Hudgens a few years early when nude photos of the gal were leaked online, prompting everyone to wonder whether Disney would cut ties with her prior to completing their High School Musical franchise. So far they haven't done that, and Hudgens is currently expected to appear in High School Musical 3, but other offers are starting to trickle in and she's jumping on them.

The Hollywood Reporter tells us Hudgens has signed on to co-star in a new coming-of-age dramedy called Will. Calm down there boys, she's not going hardcore just yet; it seems the gal will remain in the friendly teen world for now. The film tells of a "high school outcast and a popular girl who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of music. They assemble a like-minded crew of misfits and form a rock group to perform in a battle of the bands competition at their school." HR says Hudgens will play "Sam, a 15-year-old former stutterer now speaking slowly and deliberately, who becomes romantically entangled with the lead outcast." So it sounds like she's playing the popular girl, though they emphasize this stuttering issue, so I don't know. The film was written by Todd Graff and Josh Cagan, with Graff (Camp) taking on directorial duties. Will is scheduled to begin shooting next month in Austin.

Variety is reporting that Keri Russell will follow in the footsteps of such beautiful actresses as Drew Barrymore, Winona Ryder, and Jessica Biel. In Disney's Bedtime Stories, Russell will romance Adam Sandler. She'll play "a potential love interest for Sandler's character, a harried real estate developer whose life is suddenly turned upside down when the lavish bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew become real." Adam Shankman, a director who totally underwhelmed me until Hairspray, will direct. Matt Lopez (the upcoming Witch Mountain) wrote the script.

It might not be the most challenging role Russell could tackle -- women in Sandler comedies historically don't have much to do other than laugh at the star. But I'll be thrilled if appearing in the film bumps Russell into the stardom that has bafflingly eluded her all these years. I was a big Felicity fan, I've enjoyed her in pretty much everything else, and she was just wonderful in this year's Waitress, now on DVD. Her lovely performance in Adrienne Shelly's romantic comedy just might snag her an Academy Award nomination. And here's hoping this gets Sandler comedy back on track. I'm not expecting another Happy Gilmore, but I can't sit through another Click. Get ready for your Bedtime Stories next year at Christmas.

Have you recovered from your holiday eating binge? Are you ready for some pie? Reviewing Waitress at Sundance earlier this year, Cinematical's James Rocchi described it as "a light, breezy romantic comedy with a crackerjack cast and a certain degree of faux-Southern charm that never descends to cornpone mawkishness, and also has a whip-smart comedic sensibility in every scene." The late Adrienne Shelly wrote, directed, and co-stars with Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion and Andy Griffith. The DVD includes several featurettes and an audio commentary with Russell and producer Michael Roiff.

The Namesake very much impressed our own Kim Voynar, who called it "a deeply felt look at the ties of family and birthplace, the loneliness of living far from your home, and the connections that hold everything together, sometimes in ways we don't appreciate until much later." Mira Nair directed; the film stars Irfan Khan, Tabu, Kal Penn and Sahira Nair. The DVD features an audio commentary by director Nair and several featurettes, plus deleted scenes.

Critics gave high marks (83% positive, per Rotten Tomatoes) to documentary Manufactured Landscapes. It's said to be an "investigation of photographer Edward Burtynsky's legacy, with its aesthetic studies of industrial landscapes. ... It uses the topic of Burtynsky as a springboard." Jennifer Baichwal directed. The DVD includes additional scenes, a stills gallery and a discussion with Baichwal and Burtynsky.

We can never get too many rebellious child prodigy dramas, can we? Vitus fairly well divided critics: 34 positive and 21 negative, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The veteran and versatile Bruno Ganz is the most recognizable name in the cast. The DVD features an interview with Ganz, a "making of" feature and an audio commentary by director Fredi M. Murer.

Time flies, and we've almost approached the first anniversary of Adrienne Shelly's murder. Since then, Waitress has hit both the festival circuit and local big screens, charming audiences as a bittersweet cherry to her career; however, Waitress wasn't the only material she was working on. Variety reports that another Shelly screenplay is heading towards production. Cheryl Hines, who co-starred with Keri Russell in Waitress, is going to make her feature directorial debut with a project called Serious Moonlight -- which Shelly's husband, Andy Ostroy, will co-produce along with Michael Roiff.

Moonlight is a dark comedy about a "high-powered female attorney who learns that her husband is about to leave her for another woman, then prevents him from doing so by binding him to the toilet with duct tape." I guess she didn't see 9 to 5, which has a much more creative means of binding the pesky man. Anyway, things get more tricky when the home is invaded by robbers.

Ostroy says: "I felt compelled to continue her work for her after her death. I think she was just hitting her stride with Waitress. I tried to put together a team that was part of the Waitress family to re-create the vibe and the success of that film and honor Adrienne and get her work out there with a group of people who really cared about her and (understood) her spirit and vision." The comedy will head into production this December in LA, and considering Ostroy's plan, there's probably a decent chance Russell will also get involved, since there has been no mention of new projects. We should know soon -- Roiff, Ostroy, and HInes are currently casting the film.

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since indie film director-writer-actress Adrienne Shelly was murdered shortly after finishing her last film, Waitress, starring Keri Russell. The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, established to honor Shelly's memory, will give grants and scholarships to "support the artistic achievements of female actors, writers, and directors who are either working on current short and feature film projects, new productions, or are seeking to transition from acting to writing and directing."

The Foundation's inaugural benefit to raise funds to support its grant and scholarship fund will be held November 12, 2007 at NYUs Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, followed by a VIP reception. The evening's program will include a live performance by Alanis Morissette, followed by a reading of Shelly's screenplay The Morgan Stories. A bevy of stars, including Morissette, Matt Dillon (with whom Shelly co-starred in Factotum), Edie Falco, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Rudd, Ally Sheedy and Gina Gershon (and more TBA), will perform the reading.

The gala event will also serve as the kick-off for the Foundation's eBay Celebrity Auction, which will auction off about 25 "celebrity items and experiences." I think it's a cool idea to do the auction through eBay, where they can reach anyone, whether they live in NYC or not -- it gives people outside Manhattan an opportunity to support the Foundation while also winning some cool auction items. What can you bid on? Things like walk-ons and set visits to your favorite TV shows, lunch with various celebs, celeb-autographed items, Sundance Film Fest VIP passes, and tickets to concerts and television shows (ooh! They have tickets to Rachael Ray! My 10-year-old would SO love to have those! Back off away from that item, the rest of you ... they're mine!).

You can view the full list of auction items on the eBay site. For more info on the gala affair, and how to get tickets to it or be a sponsor, check out the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's website.

For those of us who'll never get enough Andy Griffith, it was a real treat seeing him in this year's Waitress. In the film, he's a crotchety but lovable old diner-owner and guide to Keri Russell's "with child" pie-making protagonist. The best part about his role was how subtly crass he could get at times. If you haven't seen it (do it!), just picture Ben Matlock saying the following line: "I saw that look on a woman's face before. Her name was Anette. I made sweet sweet love to her all through the summer of 1948, and she had that look on her face all through the fall." Well, now we don't have to settle for stories from youth, because in Griffith's next movie he plays a guy on the prowl. The indie pic is titled Play the Game, and it casts the 81-year-old opposite Battlestar Galactica's Paul Campbell, who will play his grandson.

According to Variety, the plot centers on the inter-generational duo as they go out and pick up girls, the younger teaching the widowed elder how it's done. But of course the kid's game plan fails to work for grandpa, according to a synopsis from a 2003 script reading of Play the Game, and even causes problems for the old man when it ruins his chances with the woman of his dreams. The cast includes Everybody Loves Raymond Emmy-winner Doris Roberts, who I assume plays Griffith's love interest, and The Practice's Marla Sokoloff, who probably plays Campbell's -- though wouldn't that be an interesting twist if it was the other way around? Will we at least see him attempt to woo a girl who could be his great-granddaughter? Or hear some more naughty talk from ol' Andy Taylor? We'll just have to wait and see. The indie rom-com was written and is being directed by Marc Feinberg, and shooting began in Los Angeles this week.

Though we're still a few months away from the Academy Awards ceremony, folks are itching to wipe off that summer fog and start buzzing about this fall's most anticipated (and Oscar worthy) films. Yup, now is the time studios like to release their "important" flicks -- the kind that feature big-name actors who tackle topics that make you think, make you debate, make you feel good and, occasionally, make you smarter. Right now is the time to get excited -- because once those "For Your Consideration" ads begin crowding your computer screen, and once those end-of-the-year top ten lists start slapping you upside the head, you'll want to run for cover. It's kind of the way I feel about Christmas; one month out it's the sweetest holiday of the year. Once it's over, however, you vow never to look forward to it again.

That being said, Moviefone has gotten the ball rolling with a gallery that takes a look at those early Oscar contenders. Which films are the front-runners for Best Picture? Which actors or actresses have the best chance of walking away with a golden statue come February 28th? A few folks I'm personally stoked to see on that list include John Cusack (who's getting lots of praise for his starring role in the tear-jerker Grace is Gone), Keri Russell (who was absolutely delightful -- and delicious -- in the indie hit Waitress), Casey Affleck (who out-shined Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James and is also about to show-up his brother Ben big time in bro's directorial debut Gone, Baby, Gone) and, of course, how can I leave out the Coen Bros' No Country for Old Men and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd -- three filmmakers who I'd love to see pick up an Oscar this year. There's plenty more to debate, so head on over to Moviefone to check out the gallery, then come back here and tell us where they went right and where they went so, so wrong.

Expect Sigourney Weaver to receive an Oscar nod for her work in The Girl in the Park, which got a warm reception at this year's Toronto fest. Weaver plays Julia Sandburg, a 40-something business executive and mother of two, including a toddler named Maggie. Julia's life, which we can sense has been planned down to the smallest detail, is unexpectedly shipwrecked when, during routine playtime in a park one day, Maggie goes missing under her nose. The child is not found, and her disappearance is tied to a string of similar abductions in the area, leaving practically no hope. Cut to fifteen years later -- Julia now looks to be in her late 50s and has spent the last fifteen years living a solitary, robotic existence, the disappearance having disintegrated her marriage, poisoned her relationship with her remaining child, and taken a toll on her mental health. Existing more or less as a shut-in these past years, her own relatives, including her son and new daughter-in-law, can hardly believe it when she turns up at a family function.

The son and daughter-in-law, played by Alessandro Nivola and Keri Russell, are budding suburbanites who are planning for a new child and have no intention of living their lives in the past, but the past is the only place Julia feels safe, and there seems to be little prospect of her returning to any kind of social normalcy. This is the lay of the land when Louise comes into the picture. A sleazy drifter and scam-artist in her young twenties, played effectively by Superman's dame Kate Bosworth, Louise meets Julia in the city by chance and picks up on her vulnerability, perhaps sensing she's some old, lonely lesbian who can be taken for a ride and cleaned out or more simply, someone who will feel sorry for her. During their first meeting, Louise gives Julia a phoney tale of woe, and in the space of a few minutes, Julia has her checkbook out and is shelling out for travel fare and medical expenses for an unborn child (which doesn't exist.) Louise then wisely disappears, but their interaction isn't over yet.