Eminem to Air His Personal Issues in Public, But in Book Form

Eminem Writes!: Penguin Group imprint Dutton will release The Way I Am, a “raw and uncensored� memoir by Eminem, which the publisher promises will offer “the star’s private thoughts on everything from his music and the trials of fame to his love for his daughter, Hailie.� Um … is there actually anything we don’t already know about those subjects from Eminem’s chart-topping songs and quadrillion-selling albums? And you can dance to those! [Billboard]

Fox 2000 Picks on Wimpy Kid: Fox 2000 acquires film rights to Jeff Kinney’s Web comic turned graphic novel Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Sort of A Christmas Story for the Daniel Clowes era, this would make a fantastic Persepolis-style animated film hewing to Kinney’s line-drawing aesthetic, but Fox 2000 is unlikely to roll those dice. [Variety]

King and Mellencamp Are Ghost Brothers: Stephen King and John Mellencamp are collaborating on a new musical thriller which will premiere in spring 2009 at Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Set in Mississippi in 1957 and based on a legend about the deaths of two brothers and a young girl, the piece is titled Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, which is more or less the same title you’d come up with if you were joking about a Stephen King–John Mellencamp musical. [Playbill]

Dano Is Gigantic: Paul Dano cements his “Huh, I never would have thought of him for that role� reputation by following up his preacher in There Will Be Blood with a role as a mattress salesman opposite Zooey Deschanel in the indie romantic comedy Gigantic, and as a homeless man taken under the wing of a barman (Brian Cox) in Michael Cuesta’s The Good Heart. [HR]

Mel C Means It This Time: Melanie Chisholm, who is also known under the aliases Mel C and “the Spice Girl who can actually sing,� is returning to her solo career in the wake of the Spice Girls reunion tour with her forthcoming album This Time, set to be released on April 8. [Billboard]