Mary-Louise Parker Picks Up the ‘Phone’

Parker Back Onstage: Mary-Louise Parker returns to the New York stage in Pulitzer finalist Sarah Ruhl’s comedy Dead Man’s Cell Phone, about a woman who mistakenly answers the titular phone and is drawn into the owner’s grieving circle of loved ones. [Playbill]

Et Tu, Slim Shady?: Eminem called in to New York’s Hot 97 during an interview with 50 Cent to announce that he is in the studio recording his first new album in three years, in the process stealing whatever thunder 50 still had left after Kanye West and Kenny Chesney finished with him. [Billboard]

Zwigoff and Clowes Buy a $40,000 Man: Terry Zwigoff (Bad Santa) will reunite with his Ghost World collaborator Dan Clowes to rewrite and direct New Line’s The $40,000 Man, about a bionic man built on a painfully low budget. (Original script co-written by Freaks and Geeks’ John Francis Daley!) Is it too much to hope for Steve Buscemi in the lead for a Ghost World hat trick? New Line: “Yes. It’s too much to hope for.� [HR]

Zeta-Jones, Douglas Shooting in India: Catherine Zeta-Jones tells Times of India that she, husband Michael Douglas, and their children are headed to India to scout and shoot an unspecified film. Zeta-Jones notes in the interview that she has seen many Bollywood films, “though I can’t remember the names now.� In a separate statement, three trillion Indian citizens responded that other than Chicago, they can’t remember the names of any of her movies either. [Backstage]

Bier Lost for Words: Acclaimed Danish director Susanne Bier (Open Hearts) signs on to helm Lost for Words for Working Title and producer Richard Curtis. Pic follows a hunky movie star who falls in love with a Chinese actress and her female translator. Thank God Bier’s the real deal, ’cause this premise makes us queasy. Also! We predict Lust, Caution’s Tang Wei will be cast in this. [Variety]