Elijah Wood and Brendan Fraser ... it's all about the feet

Okay -- Brendan first, then Elijah, okay? Because B comes before E, and F comes before W, maybe. Beside, this was the order I typed it in!

Journey to the Center of the Earth was one of the movies I enjoyed most in the recent ocean of 3D offerings, and a large part of the enjoyment came from the small fact Brendan Fraser plays this sort of role so well, with just enough gravitas to make you believe in the character, yet a flair for comedic timing that's second to none. So I was very sad to find that the second Journey moved (Mysterious Island, loosely based on another Verne idea) will be Brendanless.

Seems Brendan said "no thanks" when the company -- and it's New Line! -- tried to go back on the actor's fee. Promise him a certain figure, then actually pay a lot less. That's not the kind of thing any tradesman (and acting is a trade no less than plumbing ... it's just has a lot more glam and gets a lot more publicity) can go along with, so quite rightly Brendan put his hat back on and hopefully didn't slam the door too hard on his way out. Why would New Line pull this stunt? After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, they must be floating away on cash. (Then again, Peter Jackson had to sue them over non-payment of royalties, so ... go figure.)

In fact, he's signed to do a drama next. It's something called Seconds of Pleasure -- and to this point no one has the slightest idea what it's about, just that it ain't no comedy, and also stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth and Ed Harris. Well, with a cast like that you won't go far wrong! So we can only hope it's a role that'll give Brendan the chance to flex his dramatic muscles rather than the ones he acquires (rather temporarily these days) in the gym in order to make the rambunctious big adventure movies.

So what does all this have to do with his feet? Absolutely nothing ... unless maybe the situation got him so uptight (and it'd sure do it to me!) that a nice pedicure sounded like a great way to relax...

It's a cute little story, (running here with more pictures -- but beware: Brendan ain't wearing his glamorous facade. He really is the guy next door in these pictures, so if you don't want your bubble punctured, stay on this page). Let me give you in a thimble. Lady pedicurist does a superlative job on his feet ... quotes her fee as $16. Being from Hollywood, Brendan heard "Sixty," not "Sixteen," and when the pedicurist was far too honest to let him overpay, he said words along the lines of "You need to charge more," and with a smile, paid the sixty bucks.

Cute, cute story, that, to which I have but one addition to make, after looking at the above picture: Brendan, sweetheart, put your glasses on. Squinting to read is bad for your eyes, gives you headaches, and ... God knows, everybody in the world wears glasses!

Except, I suspect Elijah Wood has switched, or is switching, to contact lenses, because you rarely see him in glasses these days, while his eyesight was notorious way back in the Frodo days.

But it really is about the feet -- again! Now, this news is so new, they haven't even updated the cast list for The Hobbit on IMDB. Go there, and you won't see the name of Elijah Wood mentioned, but (and I'm chuckling with glee!) I just saw a piece on mtv.com, and yep, there's a part in The Hobbit for Elijah. Now, he says it's a small part, which is fair enough -- especially since he's long been saying he wouldn't be putting the feet on again. Who would blame him, after seeing the routine he, Sean Astin and the other kids went through every day with those hobbit feet? Eep.

But it turns out that Elijah Wood will be back in the feet for a small part in both parts of The Hobbit, and with any luck at all they'll be able to dragoon David Tennant into the part of Thranduil, which is so close to a done deal, it's actually listed at IMDB. I would dearly love to see David Tennant as Thranduil.

Also watch out for Elijah Wood in Treasure Island, which is shooting in Puerto Rico soon-ish. Mind you, you might not recognize him! A dozen years ago he'd have been playing Jim Hawkins, but this time around (and doesn't this just show you how time flies?) he'll be playing Ben Gunn! Seriously! They're all good parts, but the cogs and gears of time never stop turning, do they?

Let's have some more pictures before I sign out for today. As I always say, it's not as if there's any shortage of them, so why be stingy?

So there you are -- a tale of four feet and five movies (The Hobbit is being done in two parts). And now ... lunch, while I watch some of the Tour Downunder on tv. Ahhh, the bliss of a day off...

Brendan Fraser: a hair raising story in pictures

Brendan Fraser ... the Hair Raising Story! And yes, I know -- we all know! -- that Brendan has "hair issues," meaning he's losing it and experimenting with transplants and toupees and whatnot. But ... here's my point:

If you're going to wear a wig (and people have been doing this for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used to shave their heads and then wear wigs!) then, why not have luxurious locks? Why have a Bart Simpson Special??? Then again, maybe Brendan's a Major Fan or Bart, in which case opting for the "look" with your do might be the way to go!

Me? I still daydream about George.

...and what's not to daydream about. Brendan Fraser was never more gorgeous than right here, when you used to see him swinging on the sides of buses! Well, not George, actually, but the posters of George.

In lieu of the real thing, I guess most of us will make do with the posters, right? So here's my point. If you're going to be bewigged, why not have a real beauty?


...rather than the Bart Simpson Special. Hmmm.

Paul Bettany, transported to the fantasy landscape

Today I'm in a Paul Bettany mood for some reason -- not that you need a reason, right? And I have to say, I'm really looking forward to Inkheart. I like this actor so much; he reminds me a little bit of what the late Michael Gothard might have been, if he'd been born maybe thirty years later and given a chance! (As it was, Mike Gothard was so far out of his time, it's a wonder he left his mark on the world at all -- but he did, with projects like Arthur of the Britons. Speaking of which -- you DO know it's been out on DVD for about a year, don't you??)

But I digress, and to apologise, let's have a really lovely Paul Bettany pic:

Paul has done his fair share of creepy stuff, so it's going to be so nice to see him once again looking gorgeous, as he did in -- oh, for instance, A Knight's Tale, with Heath Leger and company...

Got a soft spot for Geoff Chaucer. I have. And not just because he has one of the nicest posteriors in motion pictures. Anyway --

Inkheart is going to be a major treat, and if you want to know more, there's a good interview with Brendan Fraser running right now, on Movies OnLine.

On the other hand, if you prefer to go into a movie "blind," then don't read that page!! However, I'm going to paste in the movie poster right here, because it's a beaut:

This one, I'm going to see on the big screen, whether or not my significant other wants to come along or not. Paul Bettany and Brendan Fraser in the same movie? How could you not love this one?

TEN MINUTES LATER, here's a bloody annoying PS to this post:

I just went to Greater Union (dot-blasted-com) to find out when Inkheart opens. Now, bear in mind it already had its world premier in Berlin back in January (because it's from the novel by Cornelia Funke, makes sense to have the premier in Germany). But they're not opening it in Australia until April!! Can you believe this? Think I read it wrong? See this:

http://www.greaterunion.com.au/movies/7166/Inkheart.htm -- that's Inkheart's page at the aforementioned Greater-flaming-union -- complete with auto playing trailer, and opening date. April 2. Well ... shoot. AG is under-impressed.

The highlanders are back in town

The previous post has put me in a mood for kilts (don't worry, it'll be tattoos or dreadlocks or earrings tomorrow...) so let's have some tartan type fun here. Being part Scottish myself, I have the right to get into kilts literally, without misappropriating anyone's culture! So:


Gerard Butler, not only kilted, but with the big broadsword...



...and Ewan McGregor doing the Scotting thing at full-throttle.


Tom Baker (everyone's favorite Doctor Who from yonks ago) also doing the highlander thing full-on, and THAT is a claymore. Woah.


And, speaking of highlanders, no such collection as this would be complete without THE highlander himself, Connor McLeaod.


...and not to be outdone, here's Sean Connery whose character was pivotal to the Highlander movies and mythos, even if he didn't play a Scot in them (though he sure sounded like one; then again, he always does ... which is no bad thing!)

And -- OKAY, ALL RIGHT ALREADY! I surrender. Here's the one you've been waiting for, John Barrowman in the kilt:



Nice. Verrrrry nice. Uh ... I'm going to bend the rules now -- or, stretch a point. What's a kilt anyway? What's in a name? It doesn't have to be tartan to be a kilt, does it? before you speak too soon, check out these and think again before voting!



And the question always comes up ... what DO Scotsmen wear under their kilts? Well, gird your loins, folks and click on this here link, but be warned: it gets windy in them thar hills, and the myth appears to be true, and you're linking to a page that delights in the male form (as do we all, but some blogs are still trying to get established and are therefore a mite skittish! Understood? Okay, 'nuff said. You're connecting to the Kilts Page on Just Beautiful Men, and ... enjoy!

Brendan's back! But I doubt he'll be looking quite like this in his new movie...

Brendan Fraser is back on the big screen in a new fantasy movie -- heavy on the CGI and thick with thrills, chills, spills, one would imagine, with a thumnail sketch like Inkheart: "he plays a book collector with a magical ability to bring famous literary characters to life by merely reading their stories aloud. When his wife disappears into a rare, out-of-print book, he and his daughter (Eliza Hope Bennett) set out to find a copy and bring her back to the real world. (Want more? Go right to The Sunday Paper.)

Now, why couldn't he have gotten himself involved in a Mel Keegan novel?! Well ... maybe not for a family movie, I guess. But you can dream, right? Speaking of which --

There's some serious talent out there in cyberpace, boys and girls, and some of it's dialled in on Brendan, and a swag of it could have popped right out of something Mel Keegan might have written! Got your doubts? Try this one on for size -- and once again, if anyone has a credit and a back link, let me know, I'd be thrilled to post both ... if only to encourage the artists! Grab your hat -- here we go, now:





Now, this what I call art. Fine art. You got a problem with what?

While we're here -- have you seen the Inkheart trailer? It's been circulating for a looong time, but the movie is right around the corner now:

Divine streaker with wings on heels

Give this commercial an award. Seriously. Is there a photo-art version of the Oscar, the Emmy, the Bafta? This piece deserves it:



Could be part of a collaction that's been touring cyberspace for a while now, the "mythic gods" collection of semi-photo, semi-art. This gentleman would be Mercury, messenger of the gods ... and do the old eyes deceive or would it be fair to say he bears a more than passing similarity to Brendan Fraser?? Full marks to whoever's behind this one. (If you would like to give me a credit and a back link I would be delighted to post both!) What a beauty shot. And let's stay on the subject of Brendan Fraser for a bit...