scarlettjohansson Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Recently, I rejoiced about all of the upcoming projects that The Proposition and The Road director John Hillcoat's got brewing. But there's also another in turnaround that's getting new life. As The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog reports, there's a whole slew of talent circling around the once-struggling The Wettest County in the World. Scarlett Johansson's name has been thrown around as well as one heck of a diverse mix of young male talent -- Ryan Gosling, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Shannon, and Paul Dano.

Sorry, Shia, but I feel compelled to sing: "Which of these boys is not like the other?" If there's any chance of getting into one of those odd-man-out scenarios, this would be the one. i can't imagine they're all up for the same part (as there are 4 main gigs), but could he really compare to four actors who have proven themselves to be quite hardcore and skilled? I don't care how many big-box office films he's been in, there's a difference between money and impressive acting skills.

A period piece rife with Depression-era bootleggers, Wettest is a crime drama based on author Matt Bondurant's own grandfather and great-uncles. The trio were a moonshine-led criminal gang, and the film will follow them alongside a writer named Sherwood Anderson who's "on the trail of the bootlegging story" and researching the 1936 novel Kit Brandon.

I say drop the names who can't compare and go wild because this combination sounds almost perfect. (We wouldn't want another Appaloosa/Renee Zellweger scenario!) How 'bout you?

We told you earlier in the week over on SciFi Squad that Entertainment Tonight would be unveiling a whole ton of set footage from their trip to visit Iron Man 2, and in case you missed the program last night, that footage is now online. What you're getting isn't a whole lot more than we've already seen -- the day they visited the set was during the Monaco Racetrack scene, which has already been teased in those previously released images of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and a bloody Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. However, this time you get to see some of the action minus the special effects -- as cars are flipping over and exploding while Rourke slices through a car with his whip and cuts it right in half. (Not for nothing but that's gotta look cool when it's all said and done and up on the big screen.)

In addition to interviews and set footage (not movie footage) from the racetrack scene, we get a little back and forth inside Tony Stark's Iron Man chamber between Stark and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), as well as the first footage of Scarlett Johansson as Tony's assistant Natasha (aka Black Widow). Interviews with Downey Jr., Paltrow and Johansson accompany the footage, and while they don't really reveal any juicy nuggets (other than the fact that Downey Jr. takes off his shirt in one scene), it does look like they're having a ton of fun.

Watch the video after the jump. Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7.

If you love ceramic elephants and famous people, and you'd like to help fight Africa's AIDS epidemic, then get out your checkbook. A number of high-profile celebrities, including George Clooney, Glenn Close, Hugh Jackman and Denzel Washington, have agreed to scribble their names on ceramic elephants to raise funds for Project Zambi, a charity dedicated to raising awareness and funding programs that care for African children orphaned by AIDS.

The organization was started by Hasbro employees, who were inspired by the Chikumbuso Women and Orphans Project in Zambia. They created "Zambi the Elephant," sending a textile artist to Zambia to teach art workshops and get input from the children there on the design of the Zambi stuffed toy, which wiggles its ears, raises its trunk and makes happy sounds when you tickle its chest. The toy retails for $49.99 and Hasbro has committed 50 percent of the toy's net profits, with a minimum of $500,000, to Project Zambi.

If you ever needed a poster girl for the darker side of fame, then look no further than the tortured 'sex goddess' Marilyn Monroe. In the last couple of days we have been treated to two Monroe-related pieces of gossip: the first was the mind-boggling news that Lindsay Lohan (a dedicated Monroe-phile) was looking to remake Billy Wilder's classic comedy, Some Like it Hot, and today, Scarlett Johansson has reportedly been hired to play Monroe in an adaptation of Colin Clark's memoir, My Week with Marilyn. So even though in both cases it's all probably nothing more than silly rumors, it did get me thinking about the romance that Young Hollywood seems to have with the legendary actress.

Monroe's life and death has been either a cautionary tale or a romantic tragedy as far back as I can remember, and as I watch young Hollywood fall deeper into their love affair with the actress, I have to wonder: "Just what's so great about Monroe anyway?" Blasphemy? Maybe, but but hear me out: Monroe might have been a strong comedic actress and possibly one of the most beautiful women to grace the screen, but a role model? Not on your life pal. You can't help but wonder what we all see in a woman who allegedly suffered from severe depression and substance abuse for most of her life, and thanks to Hollywood was a walking-talking blow-up doll for most of her career.

After the jump: the sad state of young Hollywood and the darker side of Monroe's legacy...

When the first glimpse of Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2 hit last week, it was surprisingly hard to recognize the actress in her red-headed Black Widow-wear. I'm not sure anyone expected that much of a transformation. Now we can see what Natasha Romanoff looks like when she's not in her Widow ensemble, and for better or worse, Johansson is a whole lot easier to spot.

The image to the right debuted over at Yahoo (go there for the full image), and as you can see, it's 100% Johansson. That's not exactly a bad thing since she's not in her head-to-toe black fighter-wear -- no matter what the clothing is, she's looking cool. But the image is such a small part of this whole project that this doesn't say a whole lot about her casting overall. I wouldn't be surprised if she can do the physical stunts required of her, but the accent. Oh, that accent. Does any other fear for the sequel outweigh what Natasha will sound like?

Nevertheless, Jon Favreau was smart -- instilling hope and excitement to nullify any Johansson pessimism before we see, and hear, more. But even with kinder thoughts ... do you think Scarlett can pull off the Russian sound?

Also, in addition to these photos, USA Today has published another set. See two below the jump.

Note: That is not the actual bird featured in the film

By now I'm sure you've all seen the new Iron Man 2 images of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. But did you actually read the article? If you did, you would've found some more plot detail and the following quote from Mickey Rourke: "I told Favreau, 'I don't want to just play him as a one-dimensional p----. He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I'm making my suit." Wait, a cockatoo? That he gets drunk with and talks to?

Folks, we've been together for a long time now -- and I'd like to consider us veterans when it comes to analyzing upcoming superhero movies. Is there any possible way a drunken Russian-accented Mickey Rourke chatting up a cockatoo can work? Granted, we know nothing and we've seen practically nothing of this film yet ... but am I the only one who cringes a little when I read that quote? Like, is this really the first info you want to tell us about the sequel?

Speaking of, here's that plot detail (from EW): "On one side is Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a fast-talking weapons manufacturer who fancies himself the next Tony Stark; on the other, Vanko, who, while incarcerated in a Russian prison, creates his own battle-suit, which shoots devastating, whip-like beams. Hammer and Whiplash join forces to take down Downey's character, Tony Stark." "...Adding more flesh and blood to the new movie, Scarlett Johansson joined the cast as Stark's mysterious new assistant, Natasha, who has an alter ego of her own, Black Widow. That introduction inevitably sparks romantic tension between Stark and former assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who's been promoted to CEO of Stark Industries." Read the rest at EW.

Thoughts on Rourke and his new drinking buddie?

Us critics, we don't hate Michael Bay. Well, not all of us, and not all the time. I wasn't a fan of his Transformers, nor Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and I haven't watched The Rock or Armageddon in their entirety in years, but I distinctly enjoyed 2005's The Island during its ill-fated theatrical run (gross: $35 million, cost: between three and four times that), and I still do as a decent sci-fi/action matinee outing.

But how?, I've been asked. It does after all bear every other trademark of a Michael Bay outing: explosions, rampant product placement, blatant racial stereotypes, explosions, perpetual dusk lighting, explosions, and a female lead constantly flattered by her wardrobe (yeah, a real woe-is-us scenario).

Two more have been added to the ever large Iron Man 2 roster, according to The Hollywood Reporter and with production all nice, quiet and secret save for Jon Favreau's Tweets, we can speculate endlessly on what their additions might mean.

The first is a no-brainer, as Clark Gregg is returning as Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. Having hammered out the acronym, he gets to come back and try to keep Tony on the straight, narrow, and heroic. I think that's nice. You could just have any old agent, but they're keeping Gregg.

The female addition is what's really interesting. Kate Mara has joined the cast in an unspecified role. I'm going to just throw out a random guess (based largely on her looks) that she's playing Bethany Cabe. I can't believe they'd throw another love interest or action chick into the mix, but Cabe helps to defend Tony against Whiplash and Justin Hammer. She also suits up in some old Iron Man armor alongside Rhodes' War Machine to battle the giant robot Ultimo. The groundwork is there, but it's an awful lot of action and romance for one film. Perhaps Cabe will simply show up as Stark Industries' Head of Security, ready to do her part later on? Maybe she's just a love interest for Hammer? We'll know soon enough.

But wow, three redheads in one Marvel film? I thought it was Wolverine who had that particular fetish. Go Tony!