When Cell Phone (Movies) Attack!

We thought it would never happen, but oh yes, the day has finally come. You all know what we are talking about, the studios execs over at WB are remaking the deeply gripping 2004 drama, "Cellular," into a Chinese-language movie, currently titled "Connected." It's just a tad ironic, when one contemplates that a massive amount of Hollywood material is usually cribbed from the Hong Kong film industry (i.e. "The Departed").

The 2004 film starring fraboy-du-jour Chris Evans centered around a kidnapped woman (Kim Basinger) who makes a call to a random mobile phone seeking help, and has the hilarious tag line of "If the signal dies, so does she." The movie was critically acclaimed (well, not really) for its unflinching portrait of the rampant kidnappings and cellular phone oriented rescues in today's urban America. The ludicrous idea to remake the film even seems as though it could've come straight from the awkward dinner scene in Jason Segel's comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," from earlier this Spring.

The Hong Kong director, Benny Chan, described how his remake was going to trump the American version by injecting classic Chinese action sequences into the film, "In my movie, I added many elements that Hong Kong action movies do best -- human combat, action, flying cars." Flying cars? Fuck yes. One problem though, the presumably action heavy film is budgeted at a mere $5.8 million American dollars. Hope they have extra batteries.
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Peter Salett Talks David Wain's 'Role Models,' Jason Segel; More

It would probably be nice to have Peter Salett's life. The musician, singer/songwriter and composer is broseph with Edward Norton, he gets to hang out and write songs with Jason Segel; he has his phone calls returned by both Judd Apatow and David Wain and gets to write song for fun little movies including films like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Ten." He's also written the score for the upcoming Universal Pictures film, “Little Big Men” "Role Models," that's directed by the aforementioned "Wet Hot American Summer" director coming out in November that features Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Sean William Scott and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin). His newest solo album, In the Ocean of the Stars, comes out July 29. We rapped.

The Playlist: We're jealous. Can you talking about breaking into film scores?
Peter Salett: The first score I did was for a tiny movie called "Bittersweet Place," with Seymour Cassell, a friend of mine had written the film, and suggested to the director that I score it, they had no money so I got paid in an M Box [Pro-Tools like studio]. I had seen an early version of "Down in the Valley" (starring Ed Norton) and thought I could help out, and it was with that M Box that I ended up starting the score for 'Valley'...

How'd you meet Ed Norton? Can you talk about the relationship you've established with him?
I met Ed on the first day of sixth grade, and he's been a great friend ever since. We did many plays together growing up, and he used to come and see me play all the time in our early days in New York, even changing my guitar strings for a while. Its been fun to watch him grow creatively, and I think he'd say the same about me.

Tell us about "Little Big Men" (now titled "Role Models"), what's it about and what was your musical approach?
Little Big Men is about two fuck-ups (Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott) who have to take on the role of Big Brothers to a couple of kids in order to stay out of jail. Really I'm just a troubadour in the movie, and my part is small, playing mandolin in a mock medieval style and arranging...but I'm the cameo king, apparently.

We hear you mess with Kiss' classic Peter Criss ballad "Beth"
Yeah, "Beth" for mandolin, recorder, violin, and bodhran, with Rudd singing, and mostly messing up and personalizing the lyrics for the scene. I haven't seen it yet but I hear its really funny and touching.

I don't even know what a bodhran is. You did work on both "Wet Hot Summer," "The Baxter" and "The Ten," how did you fall into this crew?
I had worked with and become friends with Michael Showalter in college, and when we all got to NYC. The State was just breaking (doing the live shows that would get them onto MTV). I was playing a ton around New York at the time, and they would all come and see me play. My joke is that I've played four State weddings.

Does your soundtrack work inform your solo work at all and vice versa?
Definitely - but they are different animals. To make music for a particular scene many times you have to throw out what you'd do on a purely musical level, its all about making music that will give the movie and characters depth.

You're also in with the Apatow crew. How did you infiltrate two of the best comedy groups going today?
The Apatow crew... I was asked to write some songs for "Walk Hard"; they didn't pick any of the songs, but Judd really liked what I had done, so when it came time to do 'Sarah Marshall' they had me in mind, plus Segel and Nick Stoller are 'Wet Hot' fans and they knew my song from the movie.

Lucky bastard. Can you tell us a bit about the experience of writing songs for 'Sarah Marshall' with Jason Segel? That sounds like a extremely tough way to make a living wage.
Heh, Segel is a great dude, and fun to work with. Of course, being in Hawaii didnt hurt anybody's spirits. Did I mention the Mai Tai? Creatively it was fun and also a learning experience, and Jason had really funny creative ideas for the Russell Brand songs that I reshaped and refined. Segel is a natural on piano, which made things a lot easier. The musical ("A Taste For Love") was more of a challenge, with a lot of creative input from Judd and Segel and Stoller and the music supervisor, and then I put the whole thing together lyrically and musically.

What's your dream film collaboration? any people you want to work with badly or again?
I'm looking forward to working on the new David Jacobson movie [he directed "Down in the Valley"]. As much as I like the comedies I'd also be excited to work with people like the Coen brothers, Rick Linklater or Paul Thomas Anderson - but who wouldn't?

Indeed. Peter Salett's "Role Models" songs can be heard when the film's released on November 14.

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Judd Apatow Screens 'Express'; Talks New Projects

Judd Apatow screened, "Pineapple Express," for audiences at the Montreal "Just For Laughs" comedy festival this weekend, a film that Variety scribe Justin Chang didn't totally love ("[it]emerges as a fitfully funny, tonally trippy but not entirely satisfying effort from the Judd Apatow comic fraternity," he wrote).

At LAFF, Apatow talked about a few upcoming projects:
- Apparently Charlyne Yi, the little asian stoner girl from "Knocked Up" is developing her own Apatow project (no details on what it is, but she plans to turn the script in to Apatow "soon.").
- "Get Him to the Greek" the next Apatow project directed by Nick Stoller and featuring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill will shoot next April meaning it will happen before Stoller and Jason Segel's "Five Year Engagement" (which many of assumed would come first).
- "Funny People," Apatow's first directorial effort since "Knocked Up" about stand-up comedians, which stars Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jason Schwarztman and a host of other troupe mainstays starts shooting in October.
- Asked if he would ever consider acting, Seth Rogen's 'Pineapple' writing partner Evan Goldberg said, "I'd like Seth to cut me in two or blow me up one day" ("Jay & Seth Vs. The Apocalypse," maybe?)
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Rushcon Circuitously Makes Us Nostalgic For 'SLC Punk!'

A little circuitous randomness today. Our friends at the eye-roving DailySwarm point out the fact that the ridiculous rock event, RushCon '08 is happening this Wednesday in Toronto. Rushcon being a celebration of everything Rush, the long-running Canadian power trio beloved by all types of nerds, wizards and role-playing enthusiasts.

This reminds us of a moment in our of our favorite underrated and unsung movies of the '90s, the indie punk scene comedy, "SLC Punk!," starring Matthew Lillard, Michael A. Goorjian, Annabeth Gish and a very young and then mostly unknown Jason Segel.

Following the lives of "anarchist" punks living in the nowhere-ness of mid 1980s Salt Lake City, the film in many ways is a loving chronicle to the rise and fall of youthfully idealistic, but ultimately naive punk ideologies which many of us have experienced (god, where is this director, James Merendino, now? Doing a lot of crap it appears). If you've never seen this super amusing, clever and insightful little film, you should add it to your netflix queue now (if you really want to be cheap about it, the whole thing is up on YouTube).

Near the end of the film "Heroin Bob" dies of an overdose (Goorjian) and Stevo (Lillard) flashes back to their teenage years at his funeral. The young kids are playing Dungeouns and Dragons and listening to Rush's "The Trees" (from Hemisphere). But the increasingly aware Bob questions the "coolness" of it all and especially of Rush. Stevo is shocked and protests "Rush is a very good band. Their music is very complex and the perfection...!"

You'd really need to have seen the film and understand it all to truly appreciate the moment, but it's nice nod to a changing of the guard, which echoes the characters' own crossroads at the end of the film where they bittersweetly leave behind adolescence (punk) and and begrudingly become adults.

Watch: Steveo champions Rush in "SLC Punk!" (fast fwd to 2:30 in the clip)

We also found this hilarious clips of AICN's Harry Knowles on "Siskel & Ebert" in the late '90s and he naturally doesn't know what to make of the film (not enough explosions and comic-book homoerotica), but he curioulsly does namecheck the exact scene too calling it, "tonally perfect."

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'Freaks & Geeks' Pimp Edition Coming Out October 28

How rad is this? Not familiar with the origins of the Judd Apatow family players, heart and balls style comedy and the humble begins of actors Jason Segel, Seth Rogen and James Franco on the short-lived, but beloved TV show, "Freaks & Geeks?" Run don't walk, srsly.

According to an Amazon pre-order listing, the very-pimp 8 disc "Freaks And Geeks Yearbook Edition" DVD will be available October 28th via Shout!. It's a little pricey ($118.99), but gonna be well worth it, trust us.

No details yet, but presumably it has all the 2004, 6-disc version had and more. [TVShowsonDVD]

The show had a great soundtrack that featured a score by then a relatively-unknown musician Michael Andrews, who has since gone on to score "Walk Hard," and Miranda July's "Me And You And Everyone We Know," and become a pretty in-demand L.A. producer/multi-instrumentalist in the vein of Jon Brion that's constantly working with excellent L.A. singer Inara George both on her solo work and the her new group The Bird & The Bee (who were featured in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall").

Jason Segel's dorky but endlessly endearing, Rush-loving drummer character on the show sang a bunch of songs on the show including "Lady L" (written and sung by the Segel) and the Doobie Brothers' "Jesus Is Just Alright With Me" (the show also included tons of great mullet-rock cuts by Van Halen, Cheap Trick, April Wine, Deep Purple, Styx, Santana and more; it was set in 1981 after all). We've been sitting on songs from the soundtrack for some time now, so here they are. Now if we could only find the inside-CD art that features shots of a very young Franco and Segel rocking out cause they are priceless. See you at Bestbuy or some similar type place on October 28. If you buy up my copy I will cockpunch you.


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YYZ! Rush Featured In Paul Rudd's 'I Love You, Man'

Don't you hate random (movie) sites that can be bothered call out the news in their interviews / have zero editorial skills / don't even know what content they have? (i.e. "Interview with Paul Rudd on the set of "I Love You, Man," i.e. "We Have No Clue What We're Doing Even Though We Have Great Access To Actors/Directors, Etc.")

We digress. We decided to read IESB.net for some reason (because we like to slog through long-winded interviews that go nowhere trolling for news that they have, but don't know what to do with; not just music/movie news either; need an editor for pete's sake?) and we came across this interview with actor Paul Rudd on the set of his upcoming comedy, "I Love You, Man," which centers on a newly engaged, but fairly bff-challenged dude (The Rudd) who sets out to find the perfect "Best Man" for his wedding (the film also stars Jason Segel - who eventually becomes the bff - Jaime Pressly, Cara Gallo (!!) and the lovely Rashida Jones as his fiance). [ed. It's like the Judd Apatow film that's not a Judd Apatow film. But it's exec-produced by Ivan Reitman]

As it turn out, Canadian mathematics and sciences/ environmental studies power rock trio, Rush will be featured in the movie in what sounds like a concert scene and apparently Rudd also plays some bass in the movie onstage (but not with the band; or something like that IESB is naturally short on details)

"[Rush are] in the movie and we didn’t have any scenes where I engaged with them, I was just a fan dancing in the show, but I got to meet them, and Jason [Segel] and I actually interviewed them and I was nervous and like, 'How do you interview 'Rush'?' They seem also to be really a band that has shied away, they’ve really lived the words of 'Limelight', living in the limelight, it’s surreal and they can’t pretend that a stranger is a long waited friend, I just kept thinking that when I was trying to buddy up to them, but they were very funny and very friendly."

And big fans of "Team America" evidently.

"I don’t know how the topic of 'South Park' and 'Team America' came up, [but when it did] they all went crazy and started talking, and quoting it, and it was just really weird to be exchanging 'Team America' quotes with Neil Peart.”

Lol. "I Love You, Man" is directed by Paul Hamburg ("Along Came Polly," some "Undeclared" episodes, "Stella") and is due in theaters January 2009. We love the Rudd, so we can't wait.
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RDJ Not Locked In For 'Iron Man 2'?, Matthew Vaughn No Longer Directing 'Thor'?

Wait, so Robert Downey Jr. isn't already locked in to star in "Iron Man 2"? A quote in Entertainment Weekly is ambiguous with RDJ playing coy. "“I really don’t know," RDJ answered when asked if he would be in 'IM2.' "What I’m on board for right now is the ride home. I don’t want to start talking out of my league, because that would have certainly been my inclination in the past. I kind of know how to keep my teeth together a little better than I used to." Does Downey mean by, "the ride home," he's locked in for the Avengers movie? It couldn't be after Terrence Howard's character is supposed to take over cause he'd have to be part of that movie. Odd. Does he just expect more dough to sweeten the deal now that the film has been so successful? [/Film]

Matthew Vaughn is no longer attached to direct "Thor" a script and project he had been developing for months? Apparently so. Buried in a Variety article is a mention that his "holding deal," expired back in December. With Thor already set for summer 2010, Marvel better get cracking. [JoBlo]

Charles Grodin will make a cameo in Jason Segel’s upcoming Muppet Movie (which is probably a year or two off at this point). Grodin is genius and always has been (yes, even in the "Beethoven" dog movies), so this is amazing news. It's nice to see someone appreciate the actor who popped up in many of the Muppet movies. [MTV]

Tom Hanks has officially endorsed Barack Obama. Does this mean, we're fucked now?

Neil Young hearst Blu-Ray. The aging rocker loves it so much he's planning on releasing his entire music archive on Blu-ray discs. [DailySwarm] Read more...

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Crew Reunite With Apatow For 'Dirty Almost Famous' Pic

Ok, well most of the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," not star Jason Segel though. The Apatow gravy train keeps moving; 'Marshall' director Nicholas Stoller is reteaming with producer Judd Apatow and 'Marshall' co-stars Jonah Hill and Russell Brand (the douche-waddle British rocker in the film) for the new comedy "Get Him To The Greek " about a fresh-out-of-college insurance adjuster (Hill) hired to accompany an out-of-control rock star (Brand) from London to a gig at L.A.'s Greek Theater, according to Variety. Apparently the story is supposed to be a very dirty take on "Almost Famous."

The script was co-written by Stoller; he of course will direct and Apatow will of course will produce. 'During the table read on' Sarah Marshall,' Jonah and Russell had such a great chemistry,'' Stoller said. ''Even though they are such different actors with different styles, I thought there could be a great buddy comedy there.''

So Hill once again is a co-lead, but surely someone out there is asking, "when will poor Martin Starr or Jay Baruchel star in their own Apatow vehicle?" Hint! hint! Hell, we want to officially campaign for Paul Rudd to get his own starring Apatow film.

And as for Segel, don't worry about him. He's doing "Five Year Engagement" before this with Stoller and Apatow, so it's not like he's been left out in the cold or anything (not to mention he's also doing a Muppet movie with Stoller for Disney).
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Forget The Penis: Sadsack 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Disaster Romance Comedy Flaunts Its Mangina In All The Right Ways

During the shooting of the short-lived, but beloved Judd Apatow college sitcom, "Undeclared," the producer/writer/director gave co-star Jason Segel (who he originally wanted as the lead) some simple and plain advice. "You’re a really weird guy. The only way you’re going to make it is if you write your own material.”

And after starring in a few Apatow supporting roles (most notably in "Knocked-Up") Segel obviously did just that. Plus after both Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill made it big, it was time for the next big lovable schlub from the Apatow Family Players to take their shot at the lead spot.

Apatow also recently said, "I'm gonna get a penis in every movie I do from now on," and obviously from all the press it's getting the dangling wang, is receiving a lot of attention. But full-frontal flaccid penis nudity aside (Segel hangs out in all his limp glory twice for about 73 frames), the break-up comedy (or disaster romance film) "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is much more than that (or at least some/most of the time). And if you can get past the semi-annoying and near-ubiquitous marketing of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," – which rivals "Cloverfield" in omnipresence though 10x more fun and clever –, you'll be glad you came back to witness the return to form.

The dorky, awkward and endearing Jason Segel plays man-child struggling musician Peter Bretter who after five years of near lap-doggish adoration and slovenly idleness gets dumped by his more famous girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell from "Veronica Mars") – the star of the [fictitious] hit NBC crimeshow "Crime Scene " who's grown a little tired of his boyishly indolent antics (which include a stalled Dracula-themed rock opera).

Distraught and heartbroken, Segel becomes more unhinged when he discovers, via tabloid TV, that Marshall has begun dating British music Lothario Aldous Snow (played by new troupe member Russell Brand; a good fake YouTube clip explains this below). After some trainwrecky attempts at womanizing himself, the lost at sea lead escapes to Hawaii at the behest of his step-brother (Bill Hader) only to discover much to his horror that his ex-girlfriend and her terminally hip jagweed rocker boyfriend are vacationing in the exact same spot.

Hilarity is supposed to ensue, and mostly does if you haven't spoiled half the movie and good parts with many of the Red-band rated trailers (like we unfortunately did), and while the first half is pleasant and amusing enough, it begins to feels familiar almost to the point of routine (though supporting players, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill and "30 Rock" page Kenneth Parcell, do their best to keep the comedy flowing in their various and unique flavors).

Halfway through the picture however, 'Marshall's sadsack and dejected tone starts to feel genuinely heavy-hearted and melancholy. While it's not quite "Annie Hall," by any stretch of the imagination, there are some surprisingly vulnerable and touching moments and these scenes separate the film from the regular boys club school of Apatow films that many (ladies?) peoples have complained about. Segel is the sensitive one of the pack, or at least he knows how to write that way and his flair for writing some painfully honest come-to-jesus relationship moments in the film are downright disarming (Mila Kunis who we never cared for before is also incredibly adorable and charming as the girl that gets Segel on the road to recovery).

It's the Apatow school of dickjokes with heart with a few all-too-real heartaching tears rolling down your face and it's a nice change of pace for these dudes. Keep in mind, there's plenty of doofus bro-down humor to satisfy those specifically there for the lolz, but with mangina fully on display, 'Sarah Marshall' can't help but be a mix of feelings both bittersweet and hilarious.

Let's also not forget about the amazing knack for mixing the embarrassing and awkward with the hurt, winsomeness and naive joyfulness. Wisely, any scene that threatens to get too mushy with emotion is quickly undercut with the comedic equivalent of a fast lovetap flick of the nuts.

Near the end and on the comeback trail to happiness, or at least a comfort with uncertainty, Belle & Sebastian's fey classic, "Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying," plays while Segel happily watches a wedding and we only mention it because the lyrics and sprightly mood might capture the final tone better than anything we could ever say. "And then, with a winning smile, the boy, with naivety succeeds. At the final moment, I cried
I always cry at endings." And every dude can relate to that moment in life when they are forced to escape adultlescence and grow the fuck up already.

'Sarah Marshall' first half certainly hits all familiar notes of the Apatow heart n' balls comedy wheelhouse, but dares to dig slightly deeper into the awkwardly wonderfully nether regions of a dude's ability to cry while his schlong is left dangling in the wind. Call us a wuss, but we kinda loved this sweet little film. [B+]

Watch: Sarah Marshall Breaks Up With Peter Bretter on "Hollywood Spotlight"



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Jason Segel's OnScreen Nudity Stems From Break-Up With 'Freaks & Geeks' Star Linda Cardellini?

Unless you're living under a rock or a self-imposed media blackout, you know by now that Jason Segel reveals his flaccid wang in the upcoming Judd Apatow-produced disaster romance comedy, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

The young Segel has talked up a storm about how the key nude scene in the film - his girlfriend breaks up with him while he's stark naked - came from real life a incident.

“I was trying to experience [the situation] viscerally, as a person,” Mr. Segel told the New York Times. “But all I could think was: ‘This is hilarious. I cannot wait for her to leave so I can write this down.’ ”

“I had a naked breakup,” he told Heeb, “and while it was happening, I was so aware it was ridiculous and I was telling myself, ‘This is going to be hilarious at some point.’ [Filming the scene was] terrifying. It’s the worst thing you could ever do.”

"It was horrible." he told Coming Soon of the incident. "My girlfriend came over and I assumed it was to have sex. She didn't even give me a chance to put a towel on and this breakup commences, I knew at the moment I should feel upset, but instead I knew I just had experienced the funniest thing that would ever happen to anybody."

"[When] women...see a naked, out-of-shape man crying and it's funny — something weird, disturbing and disgusting we can all laugh at," Segel told the L.A. Times of mining the semi-painful experience for twisted comedy.

What he's not telling people is the incident (likely) happened with his ex-"Freaks & Geeks" first love, Linda Cardellini. The two went out for a whopping five years and many scenes in 'Sarah Marshall' are based on specific events in that relationship — especially when walking press lines with his more famous girlfriend (at least at the time), Segel would get yelled at by the paparazzi to step out of the frame so they could photograph her without him (there's a scene in 'Marshall' exactly like this).

So did Cardellini, now an "E.R." star break-up with Jason Segel when he was naked and dangling in the wind? ("E.R." isn't that far off from the spoof medical crime drama, "Crime Scene", that Segel's love interest in the film Kristen Bell stars in) Now that Segel is about to become the adored It-boy for 20-30-something girls across America, is Cardellini about to endure some wrath?

We're surprised none of the press has asked her yet. How could you break poor, cute Jason Segel's heart?
Update: Entertainment Weekly says that particular nude break-up wasn't with Cardellini, but maybe Segel was lying to spare her? There is after all moments from the relationship in the film, but then again, who doesn't write what they know?

Meanwhile, check out Aloha Sex Juice's Hawaiian version of Extreme's "More Than Words" from the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" soundtrack.
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'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Soundtrack Features Belle & Sebastian, Frank Black, Cake, Os Mutantes, Jason Segel; More

Judd Apatow's next romance disaster comedy, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," is right around the corner (April 18 release), so it's no surprise that the soundtrack is arriving a little early on April 15.

The soundtrack features a few familiar faces, the most immediate being Michael Andrews' (who scored Apatow's 'Walk Hard') excellent side-project with L.A. ingenue Inara George called, The Bird & The Bee. Lead actor (who also wrote the screenplay) Jason Segel - who also did some signing on the "Freaks & Geeks" show and soundtrack - sings a track and as does Russell Brand via the movie's fake band Infant Sorrow.

To back up a bit: in the film Segel is dating the successful TV actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) and she dumps him in favor of the equally-famous Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) who is the lead singer of popular "cause-rockers" Infant Sorrow, get it? Brand's "band" contributes two tracks to the soundtrack which are already disseminating virally (see below). Other artists on the soundtrack disc include indie-friendly bands as Belle & Sebastian, The Pixies solo man Frank Black (using his Black Francis moniker), sanctified Brazilian psych-rockers Os Mutantes and Jesse Harris, who scored the indie-rock friendly soundtrack for "The Hottest State" (the soundtrack is rounded out by jamband favorites Cake, Jamaican ska and reggae artist Desmond Dekker and Transcenders/J7 D'Star)

We're honestly not sure who the Coconutz are. On the soundtrack (and presumably in the film) they cover Prince's/Sinead O' Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U," R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" and the Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra classic, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," but we suspect it's probably some group within-the-film group or something like that (some supergroup, Kid Creole's ex-pals? Bueller?). Another fake-sounding band is Aloha Sex Juice who sing Extreme's "More Than Words." Even 'Marshall' composer Lyle Workman's official site and myspace page have no clues (we can't believe we got this foiled). Workman also scored 'Superbad" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," has a worked as a touring guitarist with Beck and worked extensively with the aforementioned Frank Black on commercial jingles (perhaps he's one of the Coconutz? We wouldn't be surprised.)

Update: It's no major cover-up conspiracy or super-group. A reader points us to the fact that the Coconutz is helmed by Grammy-award winning Hawaiian musician Daniel Ho (corroborated by the soundtrack's production credits and the Honolulu Advertiser).
The film's marketing campaign has been wildly creative and ubiquitous, but maybe a bit much for some who have been turned off by - and missing the humor of - it's rejection and dejected, "You DO look fat in those pants Sarah Marshall" campaign (which has been leading to a mini-backlash of sorts).

A shitload of playing-it-straight viral campaigns have been started to get the word out. There's Jason Segel's blog - written in bitterly rejected character (Peter Bretter) - , there's "Crime Scene," the fake-NBC show that Kristen Bell's Sarah Marshall character stars in (the tagline being, "Sex Crimes Just Got A Little Sexier," the "show" co-stars Billy Baldwin) , complete with a real website on NBC full of fake clips for the nonexistent show and there's the fake Sarah Marshall fansite devoted to "Crime Scene" and its star.

There's also the myspace music page for Infant Sorrow, which features their songs and amusing riffs on getting behind PC causes (but getting it all wrong of course - "Fight Back Against Violence" being just one example). Even Jonah Hill's minor character in the movie (Matt the waiter) has his own myspace page.
After the middling "Drillbit Taylor," and the funny, but perhaps slightly underwhelming 'Marshall' trailer, we were sure this one was going to be a bust too, but early reports are very favorable and the film currently sits at a incredibly positive 92% rating on RottenTomatoes.

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" soundtrack tracklist
1. Love You Madly - Cake
2. We've Got to do Something - Infant Sorrow
3. You Can't Break a Heart and Have It - Black Francis
4. Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying - Belle & Sebastian
5. More Than Words - Aloha Sex Juice
6. Dracula's Lament - Jason Segal
7. Inside of You - Infant Sorrow
8. F*****g Boyfriend - The Bird and the Bee
9. Intensified '68 - Desmond Dekker
10. Nothing Compares 2 U - The Coconutz
11. Baby - Os Mutantes
12. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - The Coconutz
13. A Taste for Love - The Coconutz
14. The Secret Sun - Jesse Harris
15. Everybody Hurts - The Coconutz
16. Animal Instincts - Transcenders/J7 D'Star

Watch: Infant Sorrow - "We've Gotta Do Something"

Watch: Infant Sorrow - Inside Of You
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Movie Wrap: Tropic Thunder, Jason Segel & The Muppets, Michel Gondry, Superman Singer, More

Ben Stiller's new Vietnam comedy, "Tropic Thunder," – which stars Robert Downey Jr. as an overzealous Academy Award winning method actor who’s gone to great lengths to play an African American – was apparently inspired by his small role in "Empire Of The Sun," not getting a part in "Platoon," and a bunch of other Vietnam-era war films. “My actor friends, myself included, were going on auditions for war movies like 'Platoon' and 'Hamburger Hill.' I met with Oliver Stone myself – I never read, just had a meeting. He said ‘You’re cute” and I knew it was over. Every actor that got a role was coming back saying ‘Man, it was like boot camp; it changed my life.’ I don’t know if it was bitterness because I didn’t get cast, but there seemed a certain amount of irony in them feeling they were having this experience of war when they really weren’t. I thought that could be funny to have the actors caught up in a real situation.” [Empire]

Forget Seth Rogen, apparently Jason Segel is the new red-hot member of the Judd Apatow family players. The "Freaks & Geeks" star has never carried an Apatow film on his shoulders yet (just supporting roles), but this spring he has "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and already greenlit, the similar-sounding comedy, "Five Year Engagement" (with his "Undeclared" buddy Nick Stoller). So what's next? Apparently Disney has tapped these two to revise "The Muppets" franchise with Kermit the Frog and company. No seriously. Apparently 'Sarah Marshall,' contains a funny musical performed by puppets and the Mickey Mouse execs were impressed. We can't hate on those that take big paychecks so they won't have to take on stupid projects later in life. And hey, a little scratch can't hurt. [Variety]

- Americans can't understand Michel Gondry's heavy French accent (and with good fucking reason, he's near indecipherable). The imaginative director's project about kids who invent water that creates is music is actually called, "The Return of the Ice Kids," and not the return of the 'Ice Kings.' “Because of my accent it’s all over the Net with the wrong title!” he laughed. “But if you say ‘Ice Kings,’ that’s cool too, I guess.”[MTV]

- Much to the happiness of every dork on the planet. The trailer for Marvel's "Incredible Hulk" reboot is now online. Much to the chagrin of anyone with a modicum of decent taste, the CGI monster-hero of the film looks as mediocre and unrealistic as he did in the fairly-maligned Ang Lee version. [MTV]
- Perhaps more importantly, the micro-managing lead actor Ed Norton appears to be feuding with the studio over the how the film should be cut. Norton has major involvement in the film having fucked with rewritten the script by Zack Penn and superceded the authority of suggested gently to director Louis Leterrier to make on-set changes. Everyone will remember the nightmare that Norton's recalcitrant attitude caused director Tony Kaye on "American History X." [Deadline Hollywood]

- After some speculation whether he would return for the sequel, director Bryan Singer is officially onboard for the follow-up of "Superman Returns" with Brandon Routh again playing the man of steel (there were thoughts he might get replace too). Many fans griped and complained (as they do with every comic film) that there wasn't enough, kapow!, blammo! and kerrang! action, but to those whiners we say don't forget Singer's "X-Men" and "X-Men 2" films. With the backstory dispensed in the initial film, "X-2" became the perfect balance of super heroics and drama (and perhaps the finest comic book film made so far aside from arguably Chris Nolan's 'Batman', so stfu. [Empire]

[ed. revealing your nerd tendencies today a little, are we?]

Watch: "The Incredible Hulk" trailer

Watch: "Tropic Thunder" teaser

Read more...

Viral Campaign For New Judd Apatow Comedy - 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' - Begins With Faux Blog & YouTube Clips

Another season, another Judd Apatow comedy.

This spring, (April 18 to be exact), "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" finally gives a lead part to longstanding Apatow troupe member Jason Segel ("Freaks & Geeks," "Undeclared" a small "Knocked-Up" role") who actually wrote the film as well.

Directed by Nicholas Stoller, who helmed a few episodes of "Undeclared" and directed "Fun With Dick and Jane" (which he co-wrote with Apatow), the plot of 'Marshall' revolves around a jilted ex (Segel) who tries to forget his famous celebrity ex and heartbreak by escaping to Hawaii only to find this ex gf, Sarah Marshall (played by "Veronica Mars"' Kristen Bell) there as well with her new boyfriend to boot (British comedian and TV personality Russell Brand).

Paul Rudd ("Virgin,' and 'Knocked') and Jonah Hill ("Superbad") have supporting roles and That '70s Show actress Mila Kunis plays Segel's new love interest.

To get the marketing campaign rolling, Apatow and crew (and or Universal) have devised a clever way of promoting the film by making a fake blog written by Segel's lovelorn character in the film, Peter Bretter, called "Sarah Marshall Completes Me" (his dislikes include "People who mispronounce Dracula (it's Dra-cu-ya)")

On the blog, Bretter composes embarrassingly earnest posts about his devotion to his Marshall complete with webcam YouTube clips of himself painfully singing and cultivating a digital scrapbook. In the film Marshall (Bell) plays an up-and-coming actress on the rise and soon finds herself outgrowing Bretter (Segel).

One entry alludes to this plot point that basically starts the story. "Just got back from the premiere of "AFTER THE TONE" and you rocked!! Seriously f*** the critics, no offense or anything but if you can’t do, you criticize … the killer cell phones were plenty scary. But most importantly … You have made the jump to the big screen!"

Posters of the film with an after-the-breakup tone, are also making the rounds on the web.

Universal must be confident in this film's abilities, the creative team, Segel, Stoller and Apatow already have their next project lined-up, the very-'Sarah Marshall II' sounding "