So while I might not be the biggest Jackie O or Jeanne Tripplehorn aficionado, I will say this: they do look an awful lot alike. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Tripplehorn has signed to play the iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the HBO Films 'remake' of Grey Gardens. Tripplehorn will be joining Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange in the 'true' story of two of the most eccentric women you could ever meet.

Back in 1975, Albert and David Maysles, Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer made a documentary about the lives of Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale. They were the aunt and cousin to Onassis and lived a bizarre life in almost total isolation in a ramshackle mansion by the name of Grey Gardens. After trying for years to have the home brought up to code, the two were finally separated when "Big Edie" died in 1977 (Little Edie finally sold the house in 1979 to a former editor for the Washington Post). The documentary inspired an award winning stage musical in 2006 starring Christine Ebersol as Little Edie. The new film from HBO will not be a musical (thankfully, I might add) and instead was based on the original documentary.

The cast also includes Daniel Baldwin as Julius Krug, the former secretary of the interior and true love of Little Edie (Barrymore). Tripplehorn is doing some post-production work for Winged Creatures, an ensemble drama about a group of people who survive a shooting in an L.A. diner (I guess it will be kind of like Crash, but with more gunfire). Grey Gardens is being directed by Michael Sucsy (who also co-wrote the script with Patricia Rozema) and is currently shooting on location in Toronto, Canada. Grey Gardens will hit theaters in 2008.

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?

It didn't seem all that long ago when we first had news that MGM was planning to dust off the 1980's musical Fame. Now, FilmJerk claims that sources report that Andy Fickman has been chosen to direct. Originally directed by Alan Parker (Evita, Pink Floyd The Wall), Fame centered on a high school for the performing arts in New York. If MGM has chosen Fickman to helm the remake, it certainly gives us an indication that MGM could be planning a little sanitizing of the original film's more gritty elements (drug abuse, pornography, and abortion). So far, Fickman has directed the Amanda Bynes comedy She's the Man, and the Disney football film The Game Plan with Dwayne Johnson -- with both films definitely falling into the category of family-friendly.

Say what you want about the original film (it's hard to overlook the excessive use of leg-warmers, I know), but at least Parker tried for just a slightly more realistic portrayal of struggling artists and the cost of success -- Well, at least as realistic as people bursting into musical numbers in the middle of a crowded NY intersection can be. Since nothing is definite yet, its way too early for purists to declare any changes to the original film as blasphemy -- although you can't blame them when you look at Fickman's track record so far.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I will say that watching a man with giant scissorhands dance and twirl his way around the stage feels a bit ... odd. A trailer of sorts for the staged Edward Scissorhands production -- scheduled to arrive in Brooklyn this spring -- has landed on YouTube in all of its blue-tinted glory. Help, I'm torn: part of me thinks it looks fantastic and beautiful, while the Edward Scissorhands fanboy in me simply wants to avoid it at all costs. Scissorhands isn't supposed to prance; he's pale, jaded and in love with a woman he cannot touch without impaling her through the chest.

The production, which, thankfully, is being presented without words (not sure I could take Scissorhands breaking out into song while dancing), opens up this March 14 at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House. However, you'll have to be fast as it only lasts through the end of the month. Matthew Bourne created the dance-theater adaptation -- using Tim Burton's beloved film as the source material -- and is convinced the production will not only be wildly entertaining, but also pack a powerful message. He notes: "Even though the production is spectacular, outrageously funny and touchingly romantic, its simple message of tolerance and looking beneath the surface seems particularly important." Hey, if anything, it's amazing to watch the lead dancer somehow pull off his moves with these huge pair of scissors attached to his hands. That alone should be worth the price of admission ... which, in case you were wondering, ranges from $30 to $80 for a pair of tickets.

Wow, now that was a nice surprise. Check out this rather lovely new trailer for Julie Taymor's Across the Universe and then come back and let me know what you think. To me it looks like 1969 meets Moulin Rouge ... or maybe Forrest Gump meets Sgt. Pepper. Either way I now have another movie title to add to my "oooh, gimme!" list for 2007. Written by veteran British wordsmiths Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Across the Universe sure looks (despite my earlier comparisons) pretty darn unique!

It's a story of love, lust and innocence lost in the 1960's, it's a musical, and it's all Beatles music! Neat! (The stars are Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson and the luminous Evan Rachel Wood.) Sony hasn't nailed down a firm release date just yet, but "September" seems to be the general consensus right now. Frankly I'm pretty darn psyched to check this flick out -- and this is coming from a guy who spends most of his days knee-deep in monster movies and stoner comedies. (And if you've never seen Taymor's Titus, I just now thought of a flick you need to toss into your Netflix queue.)

I don't greet this news with the jaw-dropping astonishment I felt when I reported on the pending musical version of Showgirls, but I am scratching my head a bit. Not that I think it's necessarily a bad idea either, but I just don't understand what there was about Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can that made somebody say: "This is great, but it would be even better if DiCaprio was leaping like a gazelle and Hanks was delivering his lines in a deep baritone. And maybe they could all dress like cats ..." This, of course, is one of the many reasons why I don't work on Broadway.

Apparently someone has given this some serious thought because, according to fansite Spielbergfilms.com, the staged musical version of Catch Me If You Can may finally have an opening date. The production has been in development for several years, but the show is likely to debut in the Spring of 2008. Written by Terrence McNally, Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, the show will be directed by Jack O'Brien with choreography by Jerry Mitchell. Casting has not been completed, but names like Nathan Lane, Christine Ebersole, Tom Wopat and Matthew Morrison have been connected to the project during its pre-production phase in 2005-2006.

Honestly, it was only a matter of time before another one of Broadway's hit shows, well, hit the big screen. Dreamgirls (though an older Broadway show) is now out in theaters, Hairspray (which was originally a movie-turned-musical) is coming this summer and pretty soon we'll get to see what Tim Burton and Co. have in mind for Sweeney Todd (which just left Broadway recently). Before those shows came feature film versions of Chicago (of which I'm seeing the staged version for the first time tomorrow night), Rent, The Producers (another movie-turned-musical), Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, A Chorus Line ... and the list goes on. Hey, am I the only one surprised to never have seen Cats make the cross-over? Who didn't love those cats?

Anyway, yes, Mamma Mia! is officially being turned into a major motion picture, with theater director Phyllida Lloyd in talks to helm the big screen adaptation for her feature directorial debut. Universal Pictures will shovel this one out, along with Playtone, and ABBA fans will most certainly want to line up for a ticket as the musical features 22 ABBA songs! Didn't get enough of Dancing Queen at the last wedding reception you attended? Well fear not, it's in there. Catherine Johnson (who co-created the show alongside Judy Cramer) wrote the screenplay, which revolves around a bride-to-be whose mother invites three male strangers to her daughter's wedding -- one of which might be the long lost father she never knew. Did I mention Dancing Queen? Yay!

Currently, there's no cast lined up, although Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are executive producing. Personally, I'd love to see Hanks belt out a little ABBA -- though chances of that happening are probably slim to none. The show itself (which I've seen twice) is one of the more enjoyable Broadway musicals currently on the scene -- I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say it requires a little audience participation.

Anyone see Mamma Mia!? Are you excited for a big screen version?

A movie that will be pretty much the exact same thing as the touring musical is on the way, promising an extremely thin plot that is exactly what the title suggests: Naked Boys Singing! The musical features songs like "The Bliss of a Bris" and "Gratuitous Nudity", and has been touring in cities around the world since 1998. In fact, in New York City, it's the 10th Longest Running Off-Broadway Show ever. (Whose job is it to keep a list of these things? Someone must be doing it, tirelessly.)

The show has also had a fair share of controversy, having been shut down in Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and branded as "adult entertainment," although most view the shutdowns as attacks on the gay community and not against the play itself. Basically this is The Full Monty, except stripped (pun intended) of a plot, and replete with songs and nakedness. It's not like people wouldn't be informed of that fact, having most likely at least read the title of the musical, or seen what's printed on their tickets.

At any rate, this will probably be a blip on the radar when it comes out, and then move at the speed of Pauly Shore to DVD. But if you've been waiting for a movie all about male nudity and nothing else, then you can soon end your vigil and treat yourself to a trip to the movies. Hopefully you live near an arthouse theater.

[Via WOW Report]

I guess I should start by saying I have yet to understand the bizarre trend of taking a film, making it into a musical on stage, and then taking that musical and turning it back into a movie -- I just don't get it. Especially since usually what you end up with is a movie like The Producers that isn't a play and is just barely a movie. Add to the fact that Hairspray with Divine, Ricki Lake, and Deborah Harry is one of my favorite movie musicals, so you can imagine I am awaiting the new musical film version with just a little dread.

ComingSoon.net announced that New Line has launched the official website for the comedy musical. In case you haven't seen the original, the story follows Tracy Turnblatt on her journey to become a lead dancer on the Corky Collins Show while ushering in integration in 1960's Baltimore. There isn't a trailer yet, but the site has some pictures of the leads including John Travolta in drag, Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer. You can sign up for email updates and there are links to the production blog. To be fair, the one advantage to turning a remake into a musical is at least you guarantee it won't be a carbon copy; I'm just not convinced that it can work.

[via ComingSoon.net]

Since there isn't much to do until February except speculate about the Oscars, buzz around who is going to receive a nomination is already starting to build. The New York Times has an article on the support behind Eddie Murphy's performance in the film adaptation of the stage hit musical Dreamgirls.

Plenty has been written about the career of Eddie Murphy, from his rise on Saturday Night Live to his seemingly permanent residency in family-oriented comedies. Dreamgirls hasn't even been released yet, but already heavyweight Jeffrey Katzenberg is throwing his support behind Murphy for a best supporting actor nomination: "Eddie can walk on water, it's just instinct. I know he can do it." The producer John Davis was willing to declare that "Eddie will definitely win the Oscar" for the film, allegedly after seeing only the first five minutes of Murphy's performance. The film has even stirred talk of a revival of the show on Broadway.

It's probably pretty unlikely that Murphy will win an Oscar, however the Academy loves those crazy "wild card" picks and if Murphy gets the nod, I have a feeling he would be filling that requirement. Dreamgirls opens this Christmas so we'll all get the chance to see if Murphy is going to be a serious Oscar contender among other suggested heavies like Jack Nicholson (The Departed), Michael Caine (The Prestige), and Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine). The question will be with competition like that does Murphy even stand a chance?