Piper Perabo

A good time to get away

Iraq remains a maelstrom, global weather's in turmoil, America still seems polarized politically and socially, religious wars seethe around the planet. So there's never been a more tempting time to get away to the distant past, a drastically modified present or an alternative universe. Hollywood, ever attentive to your escapist needs, has loaded its winter-spring schedule with trips to unreality. Before the official beginning of the movie "summer" on May 4, when "Spider-Man 3" swings into theaters, 63 movies are expected to reach Charlotte. Fourteen are fantasies, more than any other genre on the slate. Some are fairy stories, some historical fiction, some futuristic or apocalyptic tales. But they're all guaranteed, for good or ill, to snatch you out of everyday existence. Here's the roster:

"The Messengers" (Feb. 9) -- Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang, twin Hong Kong brothers, made their names as writer-directors with philosophic horror such as "The Eye." Their English-language debut is about a North Dakota family whose children know that the darkness descending over their sunflower farm is not benevolent. Dylan McDermott and Kristen Stewart star. "Bridge to Terabithia" (Feb. 16) -- Katherine Paterson won the Newbery Medal for this children's novel about a magical forest where kids reign as king and queen; now her son, David, has written it as a script with Jeff Stockwell. Gabor Csupo, who produced the "Rugrats" movies, directs a cast that includes Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb. "Ghost Rider" (Feb. 16) -- Nicholas Cage plays the Marvel Comics character Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who gives up his soul to do battle with Blackheart (Wes Bentley), the son of Satan. (Wonder who his mom was.) Eva Mendes plays Johnny's love interest, and writer-director Mark Steven Johnson last gave us "Daredevil." "The Number 23" (Feb. 23) -- Jim Carrey may have abandoned ideas of playing Ripley, but he's in a believe-it-or-not situation as a dogcatcher who reads a book that appears to be about his life -- and ends with a murder that hasn't yet been committed. Joel Schumacher ("The Phantom of the Opera") directs Carrey, Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. "300" (March 9) -- Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead") directed this adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel about 300 Spartans who defended Thermopylae in the fifth century B.C. against a Persian army. Gerard Butler and Lena Headey star. If you like this, you'll be happy to know Snyder's next project is Miller's long-brewing "The Watchmen." "Premonition" (March 16) -- Homemaker Sandra Bullock has a premonition of her husband's death in a car crash and tries to prevent it. Nia Long, Julian McMahon and Amber Valletta co-star in a film that asks, "Did `The Lake House' really need a sequel?" "The Last Mimzy" (March 23) -- Director Robert Shaye and co-writer Toby Emmerich are CEO and head of production at New Line, so there's a chance this is a vanity project. Still, the short story by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore (writing together as Lewis Padgett) is terrific: Kids develop frightening skills after coming upon a box of toys sent by aliens. "First Snow" (March 23) -- I don't think you can spend movie money more wisely than watching Guy Pearce come apart at the seams. (See "Memento" and "L.A. Confidential" for proof.) Here he plays a man whose life goes into a tailspin because of a devastating reading from a psychic. Piper Perabo, William Fichtner and J.K. Simmons round out the cast. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (March 23) -- The turtles have gotten selfish and must reunite to save New York. At least the voice cast includes Mako, Zhang Ziyi, Patrick Stewart and Kevin Smith. "The Reaping" (March 30) -- The ten Old Testament plagues that descended on Egypt reoccur in a Louisiana town, and former Christian missionary Hilary Swank (who has, of course, lost her faith) must interpret what's happening to save the inhabitants. "Grindhouse" (April 6) -- Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez team for two one-hour films. Tarantino's is about a psycho (Kurt Russell) who kills women with his car; Rodriguez's is about a woman with a gun for a leg (Rose McGowan) and a martial arts expert (Freddy Rodriguez) who combat a zombie army. "The Invisible" (April 13) -- Justin Chatwin and Margarita Levieva play two teens whose "real selves" connect in the ether. He has died and is seeking his killer; she, meanwhile, has an "invisible" real self that has emerged since the death of her mother. "Pathfinder" (April 27) -- Neither the long-delayed opening nor a running time under 90 minutes bodes well, but reliable Karl Urban (who has enlivened much post-"Lord of the Rings" junk) is the star. A boy left behind after a Viking trip is raised by native Americans, then leads their defense against a Viking attack. "The Last Legion" (April 27) -- Yet another story about a teenage boy saving an empire, this one a Roman (played by Thomas Sangster) who tries to raise help in Britain as Rome's empire faces destruction. Aishwarya Rai, Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley and Iain Glen are in the cast. movie preview

Eva Longoria Gives Go-Ahead For Tony Parker's Bachelor Party

Forget reports that "Desperate Housewives'" Eva Longoria has decreed that there'll be no bachelor party for her fiancé, NBA star Tony Parker. Longoria is not that desperate a future housewife, says her rep, who adds, "That was the most ridiculous rumor I've ever heard." One published account declares that Longoria believes bachelor parties "are just asking for trouble" and objects to everything about bachelor parties in general -- cigars, alcohol, and, of course, strippers.

"It's completely untrue. They haven't even discussed it, and he probably will end up having a bachelor party," says her rep. She adds that Eva and Tony "haven't even set the wedding date for this summer." Meanwhile, Longoria completed the upcoming comedy "How I Met My Boyfriend's Dead Fiancee" between "DH" camera calls. She stars in the story about a psychic bothered by the spirit of her boyfriend's former intended, with Paul Rudd and Lake Bell. THE INSIDE TRACK: Rickie Lee Jones is setting off on a 15-city concert trek Feb. 8 in support of her album, "The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard." "It will start in Boston, and the next date will be in New York," reveals the songstress, whose record was inspired by the words of Jesus Christ, and includes some verbatim passages from the New Testament. "It's been a long time coming," says the artist, who was raised Catholic but is now quick to tell us she is not a Christian. "I come to this with a joyful love of the good rabbi's good teachings," she says. Lee Cantelon, whose "The Words" book/spoken word project sparked the album, is Christian, however. And "he's always saying that unfortunately now the most visual symbol of Christianity is the televangelist --which is quite the antitheses of the image I have, of workers out in the field helping those in need and fighting for their rights. I am bothered by guys in $4,000 suits raising money for their churches, and in my view, placing themselves as the deity." In fact, with her "Sermon on Exposition Boulevard," Jones finds she's placed herself between two camps with whom she doesn't agree. On one side, the televangelists, and on the other, those who "feel it's hip and cool to be anti-Christian, while somehow it's not hip and cool to be anti-Buddhist or anti-Jewish. These are wonderful words, and to me, there's no reason people can't come to these words with as much neutrality as they come to the other great prophets." Jones will be featured on a PBS "Soundstage" concert special Feb. 22. VIDEOLAND VIEW: "We have far more people than we could ever accommodate," acknowledges Judge Glenda Hatchett, whose TV courtroom continues to burst at the seams with people wanting help. Though she takes her job seriously when it comes to putting people on the right track, Hatchett admits it can be taxing. "It is more difficult than it appears on the surface because you're dealing with people's lives. You have to have a sense of passion and really want to do this kind of work because it's much more involved than just saying, 'You hit my car. You owe me $500.' It's very emotional when you're talking about families and children," she points out. Hatchett recalls dealing with a situation in which paternity of a child was under question this year, with "a young man who had grown up in foster care. He was hoping the baby was his, and the woman played

him along because she knew he was a good guy. It ended up not being his baby, and it was so hard to see him hurt like that because he had never had a family and desperately wanted one. I took him back to my chambers, and he just wept. I'm hoping in time he will find the right woman and have the family he deserves. You're always rooting for them and hoping that they'll be OK." WATCHING A PRO AT WORK: "Eureka" regular Colin Ferguson says he found himself mesmerized watching Diane Keaton work her magic in the upcoming "Because I Said So" comedy with Mandy Moore, Piper Perabo and Lauren Graham. "Some people take a thought and run with it, but that's not what she was doing," says Ferguson of the veteran Oscar-winning actress. "Diane is definitely in the vein of keeping it fresh, and things would change from take to take." The actor plays Lauren Graham's husband in the movie. "Lauren, Piper and Mandy play Diane's three daughters, and they're trying to marry Mandy off. Lauren and I have a great relationship, which is the counterpoint to Mandy's non-relationship," he says.

Yari taps 3 to beef up distribution

As it ramps up its distribution operations in the wake of its successful release of "The Illusionist," Yari Film Group Releasing is adding three new executives to its team. Bob Yari said Wednesday that Dennis O'Connor has been named senior marketing consultant, Bill Soady has been appointed executive vp distribution, and Joseph M. Shimer will serve as vp distribution. O'Connor most recently was co-head of marketing for Picturehouse, the joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema. As part of that company's startup team, he was involved in all aspects of the company's marketing, distribution and acquisition efforts and oversaw the campaigns for such films as "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Pan's Labyrinth." He also has held posts at HBO Films, United Artists and Universal Focus. Soady has served exec stints at Cineplex Galaxy, Polygram Films, Showscan Entertainment, Tri-Star Pictures/Sony and MCA/Universal Pictures. Shimer's previous post was as vp theatrical distribution at Lionsgate Entertainment.

Change of scenes

Normally, movies scheduled for the first months of the year are like stand-ins at a Broadway musical, waiting for the stars to lose their voices so they can have the stage -- that is, they're ready to fill the multiplexes soon as interest wanes in the big holiday pictures. Nonetheless, there are still a number of high-profile movies coming up in the mix. Later this month, Jude Law and Juliette Binoche arrive in director Anthony Minghella's "Breaking and Entering," a drama about the racial tension in a London neighborhood. And Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan star in "Seraphim Falls," an old-fashioned post-Civil War Western. Anthony Hopkins isn't around, but the Hannibal Lecter series continues with "Hannibal Rising," a prequel about the future cannibal's childhood. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore are in one romantic comedy, Chris Rock and Kerry Washington star in another, and there are dramas starring the normally light Sandra Bullock and Adam Sandler. And after this week's "Arthur and the Invisibles," kids can look forward to "Meet the Robinsons," about a smarty-pants kid who sends himself to the future, as well as a computer-generated restart to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

Piper Perabo | Piper Perabo 1 | Piper Perabo 2

Celebrity News Archive