Universal Music Slashes Staff, Doug Morris Still EmployedMusic industry analyst Perez Hilton is reporting that Universal Music Group record labels Interscope and Geffen merged their staffs, eliminating the jobs of about 60 people.
Will Nepotism Sink Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Barbarella’ Remake? Probably!After the runaway box-office success of Grindhouse, fiancée-fiancé acting-directing team Rose McGowan and Robert Rodriguez have made plans to work together again, even though everyone thinks it’s a really, really bad idea.
Amy Winehouse Indulges in a Little ‘Fight Club’ Role PlayCrazy Brit headline-hogger Amy Winehouse finds herself in the spotlight again today, after engaging in a “bloody row” with her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, at a London hotel that spilled out on the streets.
Jim Carrey Falls Off the WagonCarrey Stays Sober: Jim Carrey will star in Sober Buddy, about a court-assigned watchdog who falls spectacularly off the wagon during a business trip to Las Vegas, for Universal. Relapse comedy! Let’s hope Carrey falls, weeping, through a glass shower door, like Meg Ryan in When a Man Loves a Woman.
the industry
Brett Ratner Finally Talks His Way Into the Playboy MansionRatner on Hef: Director Brett Ratner will direct Playboy, a biopic of Hugh Hefner, for Universal. Brian Grazer’s Imagine will produce, and John Hoffman is writing. Ratner’s first-ever visit to the Playboy Mansion last week convinced the aging Hef that the auteur behind Rush Hour was the man to tell the story of Playboy’s part in the cultural revolutions of the sixties. We just hope Ratner remembers to put boobs in it! [Variety]
the industry
Chris Albrecht Rises Again, As Does ‘Sex and the City’?strong>Albrecht Moving Toward Sex Onscreen?: Deposed HBO head Chris Albrecht is reportedly working behind the scenes to get a Sex and the City movie produced. Cast is ready, creator Michael Patrick King is ready, and Albrecht is assembling distributors. Albrecht will also appear in a cameo as “Abusive Guy in Casino.” [Variety]