Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Casts Kim Basinger as Christian Grey’s Former Lover
In Fifty Shades of Grey, Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey alludes to his former lover / sex buddy Elena Lincoln, who basically serves as his very own Mrs. Robinson — the two had an affair when Christian was just 15 years old, as if his whole situation couldn’t get any more skeevy. Today comes news that Universal has found its Ms. Lincoln in Kim Basinger, a fitting choice for the role of the seductive, experienced and confident character who will throw a wrench in Christian’s relationship with Ana.
‘The Chickening’ Is a Bonkers Remix of ‘The Shining’ That Will Melt Your Brain
The Chickening played the festival circuit over the past year, totally blowing the minds of audiences at Sundance, Fantastic Fest and more with its completely bonkers and inventive “remix” of footage from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Integrating chicken costumes, silly hats and faces, and the best possible manipulation of Shelley Duvall’s eyeballs you’re likely to see in your lifetime, The Chickening is an ode to insanity that you need to watch immediately.
Joseph Fiennes to Play Michael Jackson in Zany 9/11 Road Trip Comedy, Oh My God
Today in news that sounds like a series of escalating dares: Joseph Fiennes is set to play Michael Jackson in an original dramedy film for British network Sky Arts, which will tell the story of how Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando allegedly piled into a car to escape New York following the 9/11 terrorist attack. Yes, as in that Michael Jackson.
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Report Suggests Bigger Role for Darth Vader, New Stormtroopers and More
While we very patiently await the first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a new report has surfaced offering a few details regarding key players in the first Star Wars anthology film. In addition to suggesting that Darth Vader will have a bigger role than we previously assumed, the report also confirms new Stormtroopers and drops some intel on a scene-stealing droid and new vehicles.
‘Finding Dory’ Teaser Spots Something Familiar
A new international teaser for Pixar’s Finding Dory has arrived online, and though it does not really offer any new footage from the long-awaited Finding Nemo sequel, it does feature the endearingly clueless Dory stumbling upon something that looks quite familiar. The film hits theaters this summer, and while it’s not a new trailer, this teaser should hold you over until more footage properly arrives.
‘Labyrinth’ Reboot in the Works With ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Co-Writer, Seriously
It was less than two weeks ago that David Bowie passed away, presumably returning to the great, wide, weird galaxies of space from which he came — which makes this particular bit of news TOO SOON. Tri-Star and Jim Henson Co. are rebooting Labyrinth, Jim Henson’s classic 1986 fantasy film that introduced an entire generation of oblivious kids to the magic of David Bowie. On the good news side of things, Guardians of the Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman has been tapped to write the screenplay. So that’s something? Maybe?
The Next ‘Terminator’ Sequel Has Been Removed From Paramount’s Release Schedule
Terminator Genisys left audiences baffled — hardly the return to form for the franchise we’d hoped for after Terminator: Salvation (remember that movie?), and while there were some interesting / wacky ideas within, Genisys was mostly miscast and about as bland as Jai Courtney. Last we heard, the franchise’s producers assured fans that the series would continue after some “recalibrating,” but today’s update isn’t a very optimistic one for anyone who was hoping for another sequel.
Rumor: ‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Is Getting a Slight Rewrite in Response to ‘The Force Awakens’ Reactions
Rewrites are common in filmmaking, especially for big blockbuster films, where there are so many moving parts that filmmakers sometimes need to recalibrate to keep things focused — which makes this rumor about Star Wars: Episode VIII hardly surprising. Rumor has it that Rian Johnson’s screenplay may be undergoing a few minor rewrites as a response to the reactions to The Force Awakens, and while that sentence may trigger an eyebrow raise, you should know that this is totally a good thing — if true.
‘Suicide Squad’ Trailer Assembles the Worst Heroes Ever
If you didn't tune into DC's big Dawn of the Justice League special tonight on The CW, then you missed the official debut of the new trailer for Suicide Squad. Lucky for you, the trailer has arrived online and the Worst Heroes Ever have assembled, joining forces to take down a threat much worse than all their villainous powers combined.
Leonardo DiCaprio Wants to Portray Vladimir Putin…Or Lenin…Or Maybe Rasputin
Leonardo DiCaprio is many things: a great actor, a philanthropist, a member of the famous P—y Posse, a quick draw with a water gun…and apparently an expert on Russian history. The actor has portrayed many very flawed characters based on very flawed real-life men, but there’s one man he hasn’t played yet: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Reveals the Secret She Told Alan Rickman About Snape
In case you needed a bit of a cry today, J.K. Rowling has taken to Twitter to share the one little piece of secret information she shared with the late, great actor Alan Rickman to help him better portray Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. As Rickman previously revealed a few years back, Rowling gave him a piece of advice to help him better understand the complexities of his character, who is far more than the shrewd, dodgy potions master he first appears to be.
Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith Boycotting 2016 Oscars, Chris Rock Calls Out Academy for ‘White BET Awards’
For the second year in a row, every actor nominated in all four acting categories for the Academy Awards is a white person. All 20 nominees for Best Actor and Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress are white people, reigniting the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. And while many of us are comfortable in our power to merely comment via social media, there are a couple of strong voices who are fed up and ready to do something about it: director Spike Lee and actor Jada Pinkett-Smith have announced plans to boycott the Oscars this year, while the host of the 2016 awards himself has called the Academy out for their persistent negligence to nominate people of color.