Chabon's 'John Carter of Mars' gets off the ground

I was reading where Michael Chabon co-wrote the script for "John Carter of Mars," based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels and starring Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights," Gambit in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine").  

I had been wondering what's he's been up to in the film realm and what's been keeping Chabon from getting his script for his own "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" from being made. IMDB.com says that his "Yiddish Policemen's Union" is in development, too, but "Kavalier & Clay" has been on hold for years.

The Pulitzer-winning novel's film adaptation post in Wikipedia (I couldn't help myself) tells a fascinating story of a Hollywood project with big names attached (the late Sydney Pollack, Stephen Daldry, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Jamie Bell) at various times that can't seem to get off the ground. It was named the "It Script" of the year by Entertainment Weekly in 2002.

"John Carter," meantime, also stars Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong and Lynn Collins (also of "Wolverine") and is due for a 2012 release. The Burroughs series of books tell of a man who goes to sleep in a mysterious cave in Arizona and wakes up on a Mars populated by extraordinary creatures, including big green men.

Breakfast and lunch with Marshall's 'Nine'

"Sunday Morning" on CBS is how I usually spend my Sunday mornings, but like most broadcast network shows, it does have those pesky commercials. So I was clicking through the channels and landed on the Food Network, as I often do, and there’s the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Carten, explaining how she’s going to make breakfast and lunch for her East Hampton, Rob Marshall and John DeLuca, because they’re busy editing their new movie, "Nine."

A cutaway to Squirrel Hill’s Marshall and his partner, DeLuca, showed star Daniel Day-Lewis as film director Guido Contini on a monitor as they worked, so I quickly set my DVR. Not only did I get a recipe for a gi-normous pot of lentl soup, but I got to glimpse the house where they’re working and see a few scenes from "Nine."

For her homemade granola bars, grilled tuna sandwiches and soup, Carten was rewarded with a sneak peek of the film. The clips went by so quickly for the TV audience, it was hard to get a sense of Day-Lewis as a singer. But the two-time Oscar winner is so talented, I have no doubt he can bring it.

The episode of the "Barefoot Contessa" first aired July 18.

Krasinski and Blunt engaged

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are engaged, his publicist confirmed to People.com.

Cute couple, right? He's the star of "The Office" who has kept a low but intriguing movie profile with voice work, "Leatherheads" and "Away We Go." Audiences fell in love with her in "The Devil Wears Prada," and I can't wait to see her with Benicio Del Toro in "The Wolfman."

Superman Routh flies into 'Chuck'

Bye-bye Bryce, hello Superman.

When last we left Chuck (yes, I know I dwell on NBC's "Chuck," but I'm a fangirl), the main obstacle to his affections for spy-handler Sarah was her ex, Bryce Larkin (CMU's Matthew Bomer, who now has "White Collar," a USA Network series of his own). Bryce was killed in the season finale, after Sarah had already decided that she was staying with Chuck. But now . . . 

Brandon Routh, star of "Superman Returns" (and a cameo in Kevin Smith's "Zack & Miri Make a Porno") will have a multiepisode arc on the show as Shaw, a spy who "takes control as the new leader of Operation Bartwoski, becoming a mentor to Chuck and a rival in his affections for Sarah. He first appears in this season's fourth episode," says EW.com. 

Funny thing is, the one with super powers is Zachary Levi's Chuck, who now has the uber-Intersect downloaded in his brain.

One thing we know about series where a couple can't deny their attraction and has finally come together: Something is just as likely to rip them apart at any moment.

Comic-Con co-founder Alfonso gets a lift from Little Lulu

I was e-mailing with Barry Alfonso of Swissvale about his experiences returning to Comic-Con decades after he was a co-founder of the San Diego convention. It's grown by the tens of thousands since Alfonso was a teen who loved comic books; he wrote about those early Comic-Con years for the Post-Gazette before he left for S.D.

Comic-Con International celebrated its 40th year this season, and invited Barry and others who were there at the beginning.

He writes:

After CLO, it's 'Ordinary Days' for Hunter Foster

Hunter Foster's next project after starring in Pittsburgh CLO's "Into the Woods" is a new musical for The Roundabout Theatre Company in New York.

Foster (right) will co-star with Lisa Brescia, Jard Gertner and Kate Wetherhead in "Ordinary Days." The show, with music and lyrics by Adam Gwon, is about the tangled lives of four young New Yorkers.

Foster was nominated for a Tony for the recent Broadway revival of "Little Shop of Horrors." His other credits include "The Producers," "Urinetown" and "Les Miserables."

Playbill.com says "Ordinary Days" is the third production (and the first musical) of Roundabout Underground, an off-Broadway initiative launched in 2007 to introduce and cultivate artists in a 62-seat Black Box Theatre within the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre on West 46th Street.

"Ordinary Days" begins previews Oct. 2 and opens Oct. 25, with an anticipated run through Dec. 13.

Comic-Con buzz for 'Kick-Ass' (hey, that's the title) nets deal

Some of the best buzz at Comic-Con came from a panel I couldn't make: It was for the action-comedy film "Kick-Ass," starring genre fan-fave Nicolas Cage and"Superbad's" Christopher Mintz-Plasse and based on a Mark Millar/John Romita Jr. comic book. The premise is a comic-obsessed teenager who decides to become a real-life superhero despite his lack of powers.

Good buzz can get the job done: Lionsgate has grabbed domestic rights to the Matthew Vaughn-directed project "in a deal that is described as 'big';  the mini-major has committed to a wide 2010 release," reports Variety.

The report said that U.S. distributors got their first peek at a rough cut of "Kick-Ass" on July 28, "a few days after the fanboys at Comic-Con saw clips of the film and gave it their blessing."

The Web site io9 talks about the great reception at the San Diego con and offers some spoilers while saying the movie surpasses the comic book.

Vaughn and Brad Pitt's Plan B produced and privately financed the project.

What would Brian Boitano do in a kitchen?

I'm running into Rob Owen and China Millman territory here, but I can't resist:

I was watching Food Network (I'm not a foodie or a cook, but I like to watch) and a commercial came on for a new show that I at first thought was a parody: It was Brian Boitano, Olympic-champion figure skater, all smiley and in the kitchen for "What Would Brian Boitano Make?"

Now, I'd always wondered what Boitano thought of the "South Park" song, "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" Apparently, he's got a sense of humor -- and he can cook, too.

Here's a description of the first show, which also sounds ripe for a "South Park" parody: "Brian is throwing a dinner party in the hopes of hooking up his good friend Tony with one of 15 eligible bachelorettes. Using perfect pairings of ingredients in all of his recipes, Brian hopes he can create the perfect match for Tony."

His show premieres next Monday at 1 p.m.

Old 'BSG' ready to be new again

Not sure I'm ready for a "Battlestar Galactica" feature film without the current cast or storyline -- but the project has reached out to an intriguing director.

EW says it can confirm that Universal Pictures has tapped Bryan Singer ("X-Men," "X-2," "Superman Returns" . . . ) to direct and produce a brand-new "BSG" film. Glen Larson, who created the original series, also will produce.

The report adds that this will have nothing to do with the "Battlestar Galactica" series that just ended on SciFi (now SyFy). That series has already movied on with the spinoff "Caprica" and a small-screen film, "The Plan," directed by Edward James Olmos (far left in picture with Michael Hogan and James Callis at Comic-Con last month; I took this pic as I passed where they were signing autographs in Exhibit Hall). This new project will be "a complete re-imagining of the sci-fi lore that was invented by Larson back in the 70s."

I wonder if that means Richard Hatch can go back to playing Apollo, his role on the original series, but all grown up, of course. He was a welcome member of the recent cast as well, as President Roslin's nemesis, Tom Zarek.

Extra: Tim McGraw discusses fan altercation

With Tim McGraw coming to Pittsburgh for the big bash to open the Steelers' season Sept. 10, I thought you might be interested in this e-mail from Extra:

Country star Tim McGraw talked to "Extra" for the first-time on camera about the recent "altercation" with a drunken and allegedly abusive fan at one of his concerts, the release said.

McGraw, who has a new album, "Southern Voices," due Oct. 20, discussed the YouTube video of his to-do with a fan at a show:

"He was putting her in headlock.“I have three daughters and certainly couldn’t respect myself if I sat back and watched something like that happen."

Extra's interview with Tim McGraw airs tonight. More at the Extra TV site.