On the up...
- Serial cinematic villain Gary Oldman will soon be treading familiar ground as a hitman in Brit gangster comedy Dead Fish. "There's a memorable scene where Gary gets spanked by a dominatrix while singing a tune written for him by Groove Armada," says my man on set.
- Alec Baldwin is undergoing an unlikely resurgence. His latest drama, The Cooler, has been well-received and now he is remaking the 1968 movie The Swimmer, in which Burt Lancaster discovers his inner-self by swimming through his neighbours' pools. As well as producing, Baldwin, 45, wants to take on Lancaster's role. I hope he's renewed his gym membership.
And going down...
- A setback for Colin Farrell's quest to become Hollywood's ultimate party monster. In a survey undertaken to celebrate the Chinese New Year, Farrell trailed behind Oliver Reed, Richard Harris and Richard Burton.
- She may have secured a Best Actress nomination for Cold Mountain at the Golden Globes, but Nicole Kidman has failed to impress either the Screen Actors Guild or Bafta. However, her co-star RenÈe Zellweger did get recognition from both bodies. They remain the best of friends, of course.
- Is Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival losing its lustre? One factor might be the publication of Peter Biskind's excoriating new book about the independent film movement of the past three decades, which Biskind says has run out of steam.
