More culture that we know what to do with.

Posted on Friday, September 20 @ 18:32:13 ICT
Topic: Bangkok

Bangkok seems to be coming alive with more culture than we know what to do with. Recitals, operas, ballet and now a few more concerts to add to your socially tasked life. Hucky Eichelmann (old sala user) with Richard Harvey are set to take the stage on October 4th followed by Neo (Keanu Reeves), "The One" and his band Dogstar on Friday October 11th.

Keanu Reeves "The One" of Matrix fame is bringing his rock band Dogstar to entertain the City of Angels. Hot off the set of the Matrix sequel, the man who can control reality is using music to let off steam. Wonder if Dogstar will be featured in the up and coming movie.

Tickets: Thai Ticketmaster

Hucky Eichelmann and Richard Harvey will provide a more dignified concert for lovers of guitars and their melodies as they tour the country.

Tickets: See hucky.com

Actors Parker Posey (R) and Keanu Reeves pose for photographers at the premiere of the new film "About Schmidt" at the opening of the 40th New York Film Festival, September 27, 2002. The film, which stars Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates among others, will open in New York and Los Angeles on December 13. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Shooting from the heart

HOLLYWOOD heart throb Keanu Reeves may have left Australian shores some weeks ago but his influence here goes on.

The Matrix star features alongside a a host of local celebrities lending their support to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) in its inaugural magazine Pink Ribbon.

Reeves went out of his way to squeeze the studio shoot, for which he donned a pink ribbon t-shirt, on his last day in Sydney before he jetted home to the US last month.

Deputy editor of the magazine Virginia Webber said Reeves "couldn't have been nicer" and was genuinely interested in the foundation's educational work.

"He actually did it right before he left," Webber said.

"We had a mutual friend who I organised it through.

"The day before he left he rang . . . and said, 'I'd like to be involved in this but I'm leaving town tomorrow'.

"So we pulled it all together in a day."

Reeves desire to be involved in the magazine, which will raise money for the NBCF, was sparked by his own family's cancer crisis.

His sister Kim has battled leukemia for many years and he was set to visit her in Italy after leaving Australia.

"He did it for all the right reasons and he was really keen to know about the project," Webber said.

"It was something he felt very strongly about."

Reeves took the T-shirt with him, so hopefully he'll spread the word even further.

The magazine goes on sale next Wednesday and all profits from its sale will raise money for the NBCF.

Reeves' selfless actions go a long way to disproving the theory Hollywood is all about self, self, self?

SOPHIE'S BIRTHDAY CHOICE: A 14TH STREET SOIREE

September 22, 2002 -- The opening of Stella McCartney's slick new storefront drew a star-gridlocked crowd to West 14th Street. And just a few doors east, model Sophie Dahl was hosting a 23rd birthday fete (yes, her grandpa was Roald Dahl, the world-famous children's book author).

At McCartney's namesake boutique, Liv Tyler, hair in a tiny black topknot, had on a quilted black jacket with brightly colored, messy-on-purpose embroidery. A similar coat on a rack in the store was discreetly tagged to sell for $2,700.

Nearby, Alicia Silverstone carried a sandy Stella jacket with tan strings fraying around the edges of the satin lapel. Against a far wall of the store, a similar garment was going for $830.

Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a slimming black suit by Stella - but admitted that her hat was by "Ralph."

McCartney, wearing one of her own baggy black coat dresses, was pushing the veggie dogs and tofu ice-cream sandwiches served by street vendors. Summer Phoenix squirted loads of ketchup and relish on her "dog," then laughed that the loaded-up wiener would probably mess up her tan pants.

Next to Phoenix, Marianne Faithfull was wearing an $830 jacket by Stella, not unlike Silverstone's.

Sophie's soiree was a somewhat smaller affair.

Keanu Reeves, with requisite off-duty Hollywood stubble, stayed for cake but then zipped out the door.

Meanwhile, designer Zac Posen slouched in a corner with a young female writer, while Dahl jumped wildly on the dance floor to "One Way or Another"- along with scores of less well-known model friends.

HEY, DUDE! Keanu Reeves chats it up with a fellow partygoer at Sophie Dahl's party. - Sylvain Gaboury/DMI

Longy kneads a change of direction

LONGY Nguyen, the man with the magic fingers, is closing his Paddington clinic and taking a break from curing aches, pains and bad backs.

"I'm worn out," said the man who lists Elle Macpherson, Keanu Reeves, Rupert Murdoch and Frank Lowy among his clients yesterday.

On top of daily training in his old love of martial arts, Longy is embarking on exciting new projects.

He is writing a book about his life as a Vietnam boat person who became unchallenged as our No 1 masseur.

Longy's admirers need not despair. He is planning to launch a website that will include tips on fitness, diet and exercise and a launch of his own range of products.

9.15.02
By Dave Davis
Contributing sources: Coming Attractions, Latino Review

***In an interview with Latino Review, director Brett Ratner confirms he will indeed be doing the Superman movie. Ratner does, however, say that the Keanu Reeves rumor is false. Ratner's Red Dragon co-star Anthony Hopkins states his interest in taking the Marlon Brando role of Superman's father Jor-El. Check it out for yourself. ***

--original article--

Without a doubt, Coming Attractions has been the source for news on the upcoming big-screen Superman project, and they're not resting, oh no.

Their latest tip? You'd better sit down. The man in the cape will be none other than Johnny Utah, Ted "Theodore" Logan, Neo himself...

Keanu Reeves.

While even casual fans of the Man of Steel may be shaking their heads in confusion or outright disgust, putting Reeves' name above the title certainly does make some degree of sense. After all, the Superman movie is at Warner Bros., and the 38-year-old actor is starring in what may well be their biggest franchise ever, the Matrix films.

CA seems pretty confident in this news, so I guess we should get used to it. If he can get that clueless glint out of his eye, he actually may not be that bad... he's got the "hair whip" thing going on, and he can bulk himself up when necessary. And we've already seen him launch himself into the air in The Matrix. And hey, at the very least, this means he won't be playing Hellblazer in the Constantine movie, right?

Coming Attractions also says that, despite comments to the contrary this week from previously-attached director McG (Charlie's Angels), Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) is most definitely in the chair for the project. They also have some tidbits on the new title and who might be taking over for Marlon Brando as Supe's daddy Jor-El, but you're gonna have to go over there to find out.

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Superman Movie Rumors Round-Up!

Ready for some Friday gossip? While director McG says that he's still directing Superman (see yesterday's article), things might not be what they seem.

News first broke this morning in Variety that "K-19: The Widowmaker" director Kathryn Bigelow is considering directing "Paycheck" for Paramount. This is the film which Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour" series) was in early negotiations to direct back in May, but has now dropped off to pursue other projects, says the trade. Last time around, however, the trade said that "Paycheck" was in the way of Ratner possibly directing the new Superman movie.

Which brings us to several other stories today. First up, Roger Friedman is reporting in his Fox411 column that none other than Neo is up for the lead role with Ratner directing. Wait! Wasn't Keanu Reeves attached to star in WB's Constantine instead?? Here's his news...

My sources tell me that Keanu Reeves, star of Warner Bros.'s very successful The Matrix has been tapped by director Brett Ratner, to play the Man of Steel in Superman: Last Son of Krypton. Jeffrey Abrams, who wrote the feature Regarding Henry and invented TV's "Felicity" series, wrote the final, accepted script.

Ratner, director of the forthcoming Red Dragon, the Rush Hour movies, and the very interesting Family Man, is just about to sign to direct Last Son, finally ending Warner's tango with director McG, who is busy readying Charlie's Angels 2. Ratner had been rumored in Variety last month as a possible Superman director among many. But I'm told the deal is done and he is in.

Whoa! That came out of nowhere. Mind you, none of that is confirmed, and the studio is staying mum on this (Yes, we asked). But that's not all. Check out this gossip from Sky movies which says Ratner is attached with Anthony Hopkins as Supes' dad...

Anthony Hopkins is set to play the Man of Steel's dad in the new Superman movie.

Director Brett Ratner worked with him on new Hannibal Lecter film Red Dragon and has made Hopkins the first name on his cast list for this next project.

Marlon Brando played the Krypton superdad part in the Christopher Reeve version.

Meanwhile Ratner says he is leaning towards casting an unknown in the lead role in this latest Superman film, which has been written by JJ Abrams, creator of Sky One's Alias.

Oh boy, are you still with us? Is it McG directing, Brett Ratner directing Keanu Reeves, or Brett Ratner directing Anthony Hopkins and an unknown... hopefully the studio will put an end to this mess soon and give us the official word.

Thanks to 'Timon', 'David', 'Marcus' and 'Omegasixx' for contributing to this report!

Keanu Tapped for Superman's New 'Excellent Adventure'?

Keanu for Superman's New 'Excellent Adventure'?

It's on, it's off, and on again. Superman is back in the planning stages at Warner Bros.

My sources tell me that Keanu Reeves, star of Warner Bros.'s very successful The Matrix has been tapped by director Brett Ratner, to play the Man of Steel in Superman: Last Son of Krypton. Jeffrey Abrams, who wrote the feature Regarding Henry and invented TV's "Felicity" series, wrote the final, accepted script.

Ratner, director of the forthcoming Red Dragon, the Rush Hour movies, and the very interesting Family Man, is just about to sign to direct Last Son, finally ending Warner's tango with director McG, who is busy readying Charlie's Angels 2. Ratner had been rumored in Variety last month as a possible Superman director among many. But I'm told the deal is done and he is in.

Weirdly enough, Keanu's name is similar to that of the original beloved TV Superman, George Reeves.

Keanu's first big hit of course was Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Imagine if those characters had had X-ray vision!

Superman of late has had a hard time getting back to the screen. At one point Nicolas Cage was set to play him. Kevin Smith, of Chasing Amy and Dogma fame, wrote a script but that was abandoned. Then a Superman vs. Batman movie seemed like it was taking shape, with Jude Law and Colin Farrell rumored to be set for the respective parts. Law dropped out, and the new rumor was that Josh Hartnett was replacing him. But a wildly high budget made that project prohibitively expensive and it was scrapped. Interestingly, Superman vs. Batman was supposed to be directed by another Warner's favorite, Wolfgang Petersen.

But Petersen (are you still with me?)-director of The Perfect Storm, Das Boot and Air Force One, abandoned Superman vs. Batman for the historical epic Troy. This is the film that Brad Pitt also recently jumped to, leaving Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain feature high and dry in Australia just as they were ready to go into principal production.

Before the S v.B-Troy shuffle, Petersen had a staunch fan and supporter in then-Warner's chief of production, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who proudly announced the Petersen project and touted it to the trades. But last week, di Bonaventura was ousted from his position at the studio. Is there a connection? Was Petersen Kryptonite to Lorenzo? Indeed, he-and the Superman vs. Batman epic were what did him in. Alan Horn, now running Warner's on his own, championed the Abrams/Ratner simpler Superman idea.

Ironically, news of this new Superman film is coming to light just as the original movie Superman, Christopher Reeve (yeah, I know, this name is really weird) has announced that he's making progress in his effort to walk again. Wouldn't it be great if Ratner's new screenplay includes some kind of part for Reeve? That would give this project, which has been jinxed so far, the imprimatur it needs.

HBO's Married Man Gets Sopranos Plum Spot

Being scheduled after the season debut of The Sopranos is a little like following the Super Bowl. So HBO must believe in Mike Binder and his comedy, Mind of the Married Man. Its second season comes on Sunday night.

I've known Mike Binder since his salad days, and watched the first season of Married Man with some misgivings. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be the male Sex and the City. The nudity and foul language appeared forced. It didn't help that the show debuted last year on・ept. 11.

"Our first premiere was on Sept. 11," Binder told me the other day. "And the day HBO brought us back for a second time we invaded Afghanistan."

Let's hope nothing big happens on Sunday.

I've seen the first four episodes (there are only 10 per season) and they are excellent, much improved and more sophisticated than last year. Mike's character, Micky, is wrestling with the guilt of having been pleasured in a masseuse parlor. That will be a theme all season. The big question is will he ever tell his wife about it? Binder reveals that before the end of the season Donna (the wonderful British actress Sonya Walger) will be tempted to cheat as well.

Some of the other upcoming plots and subplots are also quite good. In one, Donna decides to take the couple's toddler son and start going to church -- even though Micky is Jewish. The episode has a lot resonance for mixed couples and really hits home while still getting a lot of laughs. In another episode, Micky complains that because he's programmed his TiVO to record Will & Grace, the machine now thinks he's gay and keeps recording Queer as Folk. In this new season, Binder, who is the writer, the creator and the star, is settled, more self-assured and hitting his stride. Mind of the Married Man could be HBO's new breakthrough hit.

Binder, by the way, met Walger when he cast her for an independent movie he directed last year, called The Search for John Gissing. Binder says it's likely that the film, which was a hit with audiences at film festivals, will probably get picked up by HBO. I can't wait to see it.

Hogan's Heroes as Never Before

Paul Schrader, the great screenwriter and filmmaker whose credits include Affliction, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and others has now made the life story of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane. I always vaguely knew this story, that Crane had been killed and the murder never solved. Thanks to Schrader, we will all know what happened, right down to the graphic detail.

Auto Focus, Schrader's film, is a hard little movie. Beautifully made, with exquisite performances by Willem Dafoe and Greg Kinnear, Auto Focus so fully uncovers the dark underbelly of Crane's life that when it's over you want to take a bath and a shower.

Crane, as is turns out, was a degenerate, creepy sex addict with a major hobby in pornography. As Schulz used to say, 'I know nothing!' Or, that is, knew. This movie is so convincing in its depiction of Crane's descent into hell that you actually start thinking you'd like to see him dead.

Schrader uses the same gauzy '50s style he employed in his Forever Mine, a film that didn't really work but maybe was a notebook for Auto Focus. He manages to get from Kinnear --who Jay Thomas once called "the luckiest man in show business" -- a great performance. It is so unexpectedly textured that Kinnear will likely be the dark horse in a lot of award voting this winter. Dafoe is good as ever as Crane's evil sidekick, a pornographer who doesn't quite get Crane's sex addiction but may have a crush on him as well. (There are the slightest hints of a homoerotic attraction.)

My only problem with Auto Focus is that, like Boogie Nights, it is harsh medicine. You know it will end badly, and you're loathe to like it or recommend it. But Schrader demands a lot from the audience -- Affliction was no walk in the part. And he's made a movie that in the end he can be proud of and will stand the test of time.

Lorraine's Graduate News Spreads

Very flatteringly, Liz Smith's syndicated column today picks up our story from last Friday about Lorraine Bracco playing Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate on Broadway. It's nice to see good news spread・n the other hand, the news that Warren Zevon has terminal lung cancer is just sad and terrible. Let's face it, this is the guy who wrote the song "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead." But he has been a great writer and performer and made a tremendous contribution to pop music. All the songs from the Excitable Boy and Warren Zevon album stand the test of time, particularly "Desperadoes Under the Eaves," "Accidentally Like a Martyr" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner." Warren, peace be with you. And thank you for so much great entertainment.