After rumors bubbled up about a possible end to Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan, her rep told People: "the production of all three films is moving forward with Rose to star." I'd question that since all the double R seems to be doing lately is acquiring projects that don't seem to go anywhere. Yes, there's a chance that they might be on hold while he films Shorts, but that production is where the new hub-ub is coming from (via Defamer).

I highly doubt there's any truth to the matter, but it's worth a glance into the rumor that Rodriguez is now canoodling his new young star, Kat Dennings. She's the girl who got her start on Sex and the City as the "f**king fabulous" rich girl having a bat mitzvah, and has since got a stepdad in a 40-year-old Virgin, and impressed audiences with her time with Charlie Bartlett.

It's been a long time since the Red Sonja remake was announced -- actually, it's not so much a remake as an all-new movie based on the character who originated in the pages of Marvel Comics (and who was based on two separate characters created by Robert E. Howard) -- but now we finally have some updates, courtesy of USA Today. First, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Desperado) will be producing. Second, Rodriguez' girlfriend, Rose McGowan (Grindhouse), is playing the lead. Third, Rodriguez protégé Douglas Aarniokoski (second unit on Once Upon a Time in Mexico) is directing. Fourth, shooting begins this October. Supposedly neither Rodriguez nor McGowan have seen Richard Fleischer's 1985 version, so we should attempt to wipe away all memories of that critical and commercial failure, if possible, and try to imagine something completely different. Something that will be good enough to kick off a franchise.

I'm actually not sure if I ever saw the old Red Sonja, either, but I can still only picture Brigitte Nielsen in the title role. It's just one of those iconic -- I don't want to say performances, because it's just the actress and costume I picture -- casting decisions. You know you can see her, too: that awesome red mullet; that scale armor skirt; the breast plate that hardly covers her breasts. OK, now try to imagine Rose McGowan in the same costume. I know, it's hot, but it still doesn't seem right. However, Rodriguez told USA Today exactly why she does seem right: "Rose is a pistol. She's whip-smart, has attitude to burn, is sexy, extremely strong, yet has a vulnerable side that would surprise her closest friends. That description also fits Red Sonja."

Back in March, Jessica shared a script review for Robert Rodriguez's next film -- not the still-suffering Barbarella, but rather Shorts -- a quirky family adventure movie. Now, finally, we've got the cast in place. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Jon Cryer and James Spader have jumped on board, joining William H. Macy, Leslie Mann, Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, Trevor Gagnon, Leo Howard, Devon Gearhart, Jake Short, Jolie Vanier, and Rodriguez's super-cute offspring, Rebel Rodriguez.

The descriptions of the movie on THR and the script review are a little different, but the basic gist of the film is about a magic rock in a suburb where everyone works for the Black Box company. Kids find this rainbow-colored rock that grants wishes, and go a bit nuts with it before the adults get their hands on it and things get even crazier. Bennett plays the protagonist, Toe Jackson, Cryer and Mann play his parents, and Dennings plays his older sister. Spader, meanwhile, plays Mr. Black, and Macy plays "the father of a germphobic genius," which I imagine makes him Dr. Noseworthy. If Robert pulls this off with the same spark that Spy Kids held, this could be one fun flick.

Per usual, Rodriguez is involved in many aspects of the film -- he wrote it, is producing with ex Elizabeth Avellan, and will be director of photography, editor, and visual effects supervisor. According to Variety, production is just gearing up in Austin.

It's not easy reconciling the two sides of Robert Rodriguez. One likes to make pseudo-schlock flicks with machine-gun-leg chicks, and the other likes to make kids movies -- not exactly an expected transition is it? Latino Review has posted a script review for Rodriguez's latest kiddie romp, Shorts. So let's get right to the point, shall we? Review's scooper liked what he saw. Sure there were some complaints, and we'll get to those in a moment, but overall it's a solid thumbs up.

Shorts is the story of Toe Jackson, a young boy in a Texas subdivision who narrates four stories set in the heart of the suburban neighborhood. Now for the bad news. According to the review, the script is a little heavy on the "fart jokes" -- also, it may be a little too focused on the boys. This is a shame considering what a great young female character Rodriguez created in Spy Kids. Then again, he also managed to make a list of the most misogynistic flicks, but I digress. The reviewer also had some complaints about character names, because the script is loaded with cutesy ones like Loogie and Nose.

It's likely that most of Rodriguez's fans are focused squarely on the long awaited sequel to Sin City, not to mention those of you out there hankering for a full-length Machete feature, so Shorts probably won't be high on your list of priorities. If, however, you've got some rug rats at home, then you might want to get used to the idea of seeing this movie in theaters. Shorts is tentatively scheduled for release in 2009.

Courtesy of the folks over at Variety, there's news on three new flicks headed our way by the folks over at Warner Brothers. These puppies are coming our way for the company to "ensure not only that their unique visions will be fully realized, but also that the success of their work will be rewarded as stakeholders in their own films." That's a sweat deal, if these are successful, which is a decent possibility since they're all well-known. Here are the lucky films:

1. Richard Kelly's The Box -- News of the feature geared up a year ago, back when some still had hope for the mess that is Southland Tales. Since then, Cameron Diaz signed on, as did Frank Langella, and finally James Marsden. I wonder if any of them are nervous about the film now? I guess we'll all have to wait and see. The film is about "an unhappily married couple who receive a box from a stranger (Langella) who tells them that if they push a button on the box, they'll receive a hefty amount of cash -- and someone they don't know will die."

2. Ricky Gervais' This Side of Truth -- We first heard word of this sweet feature back in September, and since then, the lucky goat cast Jennifer Garner to be the object of his woo. The premise sounds pretty perfect for the Brit, who co-wrote the script with Matthew Robinson. It's about a man in a world where no one lies. Then he tells the first one and harnesses the all-mighty power of lying to nab women out of his league and find professional success -- a role obviously to be played by Ricky himself.

3. Robert Rodriguez's Shorts -- Written by the man himself, and to be directed by him as well of course, it's about... Well, you tell me. News surrounding the filmmaker has focused on him, Rose, and Barbarella. Searching for him and "shorts" doesn't get one very far, so if anyone has word on it, please comment below!

My introduction to Spike Lee came through the commercials he shot for Nike starting in the late 80s, featuring Michael Jordan and Lee himself as Mars Blackmon, his motormouth character from She's Gotta Have It. Eventually I caught up with his other work, and over the years I have always admired his ability to switch effectively from narrative features to documentaries to short filmmaking. He's made a flock of commercials for a variety of advertisers as well as numerous music videos, and short films for MTV and Saturday Night Live.

His short Jesus Children of America was one of seven that comprised All the Invisible Children, focusing on children struggling "in the face of violence, disease and poverty," according to UNICEF, which partially funded the project. The film played at Venice, Toronto and many other film festivals in the last couple of years, though it doesn't seem to have screened much, if at all, in the US. Earlier this year Lee struck a deal with online video startup Babelgum to show Jesus Children of America exclusively on the site. He will also serve as honorary judge of the new Babelgum Online Film Festival, as announced recently during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival.

The competition is open to short films screened at international festivals between January 2007 and February 2008. While there is no entrance fee to submit films, note that Babelgum will hold exclusive online rights to all accepted films from March 2008 to March 2009. The Hollywood Reporter notes that $27,500 will be awarded in each of six categories. The Babelgum site is still marked as "beta," but you can find out more information about their plans by clicking around a bit.

Delta Air Lines and Gen Art are coming together for the second year in a row to stage a short film competition, and I've got to say that I love the idea. It never occurred to me before, but screening short films on airplanes is brilliant -- what better way (aside from airing before big films) is there to get an audience for shorter fare? The people are strapped in, and they can't go anywhere! The contest, called "Delta's Fly-In Movies," will select five finalists who will get their shorts aired online as well as on the airline's domestic, transcontinental flights. Viewers will then vote on the films, and after all the finalists are flown out to Sundance, the winner will be announced. The big prize: $10,000 cash and a pair of round-trip tickets to any international destination Delta flies to. (But watch out, taxes, fees and restrictions still apply.)

Now, this is cool, but it could be so very much cooler. Five films will get screened on cross-country flights -- but man, they should look into showing the shorts on shorter flights too -- and not just their contest finalists. It would be much better than an old sitcom re-run or old news piece. And, it could extend into bigger-budget shorts as well -- a perfect opportunity to screen both great little-known films and buzzed-about celeb shorts. Hopefully that will come sooner or later, but for now, some lucky travelers will get to see the 5 finalists when they're screened in December and January.

Submission requirements are after the jump.

We're always bringing you bigger news -- big names, professional projects and the like, but sometimes its nice to hear about the unknowns and the fresh talent who might one day make it big. I thought I'd share a particularly fun and cool student film that's currently making waves. The short is called Process Enacted, and it's a sophomore final for RIT student Jordan Greenhalgh. Before I say anything more about it, go watch the clip here -- but be warned, the music can be insidiously catchy. I'll wait.

Now that you've seen it, I want to tell you how it was made -- old school, all with regular photography. The process, straight from Greenhalgh: "I used Polaroid 600 film to capture all of my imagery. During the development phase of each image, the Polaroids were manipulated to create lines and shapes as well as pulling some emulsion completely off. After shooting all of the Polaroids (987 to be exact), I re-shot them in black limbo with a Canon digital SLR. The end result is my film, Process Enacted. There is no digital compositing or computer trickery...just what was in front of the lens." Sure, it's no unheard-of amazing feat, but in a world where computers can do it all for you, and coming from a 2nd-year student, that's an extremely classy and smooth short. It's nice to see how some old or simple equipment can do just as much as a few clicks of your mouse. Good job, Jordan.

[via Cartoon Brew]

When I was a kid, I always hated camp. Part of me was against all the physical activity, and the other despised those cocky councilors who insisted you do what they say, when they say it. Well screw you Tad McMichaels -- what if I don't want to play kickball from three to five? Here's a thought --- what if I want to spend my summer vacation doing things I enjoy? Ah, childhood ... how I miss it so. Leave it up to those hippies in California to begin doing things differently; apparently, The UCLA Armand Hammer Museum has launched a free Screenwriting Camp for kids ages 10-14. Yes, that means you aspirings over the age of 14 will have to find some other way to get your pen on.

Deadline Hollywood provides the following description: "For three weeks in July, adolescent screenwriters will work with Hollywood professionals to write and produce one monster of a short film. Professional screenwriters will teach the students what makes a screenplay tick; later on, the students will cast professional actors (or act themselves), manage props and set equipment, and then shoot their short yet sweet film. Last, but certainly not least, they'll screen their film at a small gala in Venice, CA." Um, sweet! Man do I wish something like this was available back when I was a lonely boy with a vivid imagination forced to play seven hours of dodge ball under the hot, blazing sun. What do you think about this program? Are they simply prepping these kids early for a life in the entertainment industry, or is this a great idea for those youngsters who would rather spend their summer being creative rather than competitive?

To give you an idea of how good this short film is, my best friend (who practically watches shorts for a living) had no problem declaring this to be one of his favorite short films of all time. And trust me, coming from him that's huge. For those of you who aren't yet familiar with Funny Or Die, it's a website that was started with help from Will Ferrell -- and since then, we've been lucky enough to watch a number of hilarious short films featuring Ferrell, his young daughter, his creative partner Adam McKay, Judd Apatow, Michael Cera and a number of other funny folks. Well now, Jason Biggs has joined the action in a film directed by Mike Samonek called The Glitch. It's truly one of the funniest shorts I've ever watched, and it also comes with its own teaser -- hosted by Biggs (everyone's favorite pie f**ker) -- which is equally as funny.

I don't want to ruin too much for you, but I will say that the short features Biggs as a guy who's out on a second date with a pretty girl. They're sitting in the middle of a restaurant, eating their meal, when she decides to pop the big question: "So, where do you see you and us going?" From there, let's just say it heads in a Groundhog Day direction and the comedy keeps building to a pretty hilarious conclusion. Although it's a tad too long (I believe it clocks in at around 10 minutes), there's definitely enough here to keep you laughing throughout. I've included both the teaser and the short after the jump, so definitely come back here after you watch and let me know what you think. Is Jason Biggs still worthy of the big-screen treatment, or was he just another flavor of the month? You be the judge.