Robert Downey Jr.
Morning Memo: Onassis' Jewels; Downey's Burger; Dupre's Tattoo
The jewelry collection belonging to Christina Onassis, daughter of shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, will be auctioned off at Christie's in London. It's expected to bring in about $5.8 million. [WWD]
Brandon Davis stopped into Lily Pond and Dune in the Hamptons over the weekend, but didn't pay for the bottle service. [P6] read more »
Sara Vilkomerson's Guide to This Week's Movies: Downey Dons Robot Suit!
All hail Tina Fey! The lady we are forever indebted to for making smarts, sass and eyeglasses sexy propelled Baby Mama to the No. 1 spot last weekend with over 18 million smackeroos, beating the stoner set who chose Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. What does this mean for you? That between this and last year’s Knocked Up and Juno, expect Hollywood to start spawning (hee!) tons of pregnant-y flicks, which will get less funny with each trimester.
Manhattan Weekend Box Office: Be Kind, Fast-Forward! Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and the Reality of Diminishing Returns
It’s a touch ironic that the one weekend when everyone is thinking and talking about movies, no one is actually seeing them. The Academy Awards hoopla has come and gone leaving in its wake a depressed box office with only one true stand out. Vantage Point (No. 1), the Rashomon-like action movie starring Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker and Matthew Fox, easily doubled the box office of its closest competitor, Jumper (no. 2), grossing $24 million nationally with 408,000 of those dollars coming locally.
With a $41,000 per-theater average in Manhattan, Point was the only movie to average over $20,000. (In a standard week, there are at least three movies that manage this feat—last week, there were five.) Be Kind Rewind (no. 3) came surprisingly close ($18,870), despite mixed reviews. With the draw of Jack Black, New Line—and maybe even Mr. Black himself, who must be wondering if his own popularity is waning—probably had higher hopes for the comedy. Historically speaking, however, it never had a chance. read more »
H.S. Ecstasy: Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr. Graduate With Uppers
CHARLIE BARTLETT
Running Time 97 minutes
Written by Gustin Nash
Directed by Jon Poll read more »
Rupert Everett: 'Hollywood is Like Al Qaeda'
Rupert Everett isn't too happy with his treatment as an actor in Hollywood.
In an interview with Britain’s The Times, the 48-year-old actor compared Tinseltown to Al Qaeda.
“Hollywood is a place that pretends it’s very liberal but it’s not remotely,” he told the paper.
Mr. Everett told the interviewer that being an openly gay actor has cost him “tons” of starring roles over the years. He also believes that the only reason he was hired to be the voice of Prince Charming in the Shrek franchise is because it’s animated.
Asked whether Jodie Foster’s recent acknowledgement of her lesbian life partner in an acceptance speech indicates a growing tolerance towards homosexuality in the American arm of the film industry, the Importance of Being Earnest star said: “It’s the opposite. She is 45 and she just couldn’t be bothered any more. After a certain age you can be gay [in Hollywood]. Before that it’s not only not good, it’s impossible.” read more »
An Expert Opinion: The Hamptons Prick Quotient
Mr. Peterson, 28, is a columnist for the local Dan's Papers and an aspiring novelist—he's 200 pages into his first attempt, a "fictional" account about a young junkie who leaves New York City for the East End to clean up but soon finds himself immersed in the Hamptons's underbelly, particularly the crack and heroin scene. read more »
"It's disgustingly crazy out here and nobody knows how to drive," he said. "Which makes sense: some people only drive two months out of the year, when they're out here to fill their empty houses. It's insane. I work and I hide and I don't go to town because it's too crowded. I'm feeling a little cynical about the Hamptons. I'm getting married in September, I'd like to buy a house and it's not an easy place to buy a house at this point. It's almost like the lower and the middle class are getting priced out, there's nowhere to go, because even the crappy places are getting bought...you know, Waldbaum's buses people in from an hour away because no one can survive here on seven dollars an hour." Mr. Peterson went on some more about the high cost of living but admitted that so far this summer he's been loving the Hamptons. "It hasn't been too bad yet," he said. "There haven't been that many pricks coming in." --George Gurley
