Johnny Depp settled in for some serious couch-sitting when he spent countless hours watching a Scottish sitcom to “grow” a Glaswegian voice for his role as The Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland.

Depp watched Rab C. Nesbitt and worked with voice coach Gerry Grennell to perfect the accent. Grennell, who Depp used in From Hell (2001), said: “He listened to a lot of Scottish voices in order to master the accent, but Rab C. Nesbitt stood out for him. Johnny was slightly puzzled when he first watched it, but before too long his ears got attuned and he was laughing out loud.”

Rab C. Nesbitt starred Gregor Fisher as the layabout soak who believed unemployment was his chosen path.

Grennell added: “Who knows? Maybe he’ll turn up to his next film set sporting a string vest.”

Depp was also earlier reported putting in hours of research in coming up with the amazing red hair he wears for the movie – as that worn by real Victorian hatters who became stained with mercury from felt they used and turned mad as a result.

Source: Splash News

Director Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland has opened in the UK with record takings for a 3-D flick.

The movie, which stars Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway, took £8.3m in its first weekend in the UK, beating James Cameron’s Avatar, which took £6.7m.

Including its 2-D takings, the movie made £10.5m in total during its first weekend, knocking Avatar off the number one spot, according to reports.

Cameron’s billion-dollar sci-fi movie dropped to the second spot with £908,049.

Burton’s hit version of the classic children’s tale uses a mixture of live-action performances and animation and also stars his girlfriend Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen.

Source: Splash News

Kim Cattrall spent too much time astride a camel during filming for Sex and the City 2.

The actress, 53, found herself bow-legged from riding a camel while making the SATC sequel in Morocco.

She told the BBC: “Sarah Jessica Parker and I were on the camel literally for 13 hours and when I got off I was bow-legged in a way that you can’t even imagine. Oh God it hurt.”

Cattrall, who has long riveted viewers with her portrayal of Samantha Jones to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, also said that signing on for the hit TV series left her a little weak at the knees.

She said: “The thing about signing up to a television series in America is that you read a script that is basically 30 pages and you sign a piece of paper that says, ‘For the next five, possibly six years of your life this is going to be your job’. Based on 30 pages of script. It’s very difficult to make that leap. And I was just turning 40 at the time and I was a little bit nervous about this character, whether I could pull it off, and thank God I did. It’s just changed my life irrevocably.”

Sex and the City 2 will be released in May.

Odeon has decided to backtrack on its decision not to screen Tim Burton’s new movie Alice In Wonderland after talking with Disney.

The cinema chain had initially refused to show the movie in the UK, Irish Republic and Italy after Disney announced its plans to release the movie on DVD in May.

The film’s director, Burton, had previously said Odeon’s decision was ‘upsetting’.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I feel terrible about it. To me it doesn’t make anybody look good.”

Disney said its plans to reduce the amount of time it can be shown in cinemas meant it would ’set a new benchmark, leading to a 12-week window becoming rapidly standard’ in comparison to the general 17 weeks.

However, after talks between the two companies, Odeon released a statement saying: “The Odeon and UCI Cinema Group is pleased to announce that, following detailed negotiations with the Walt Disney Company Ltd, an enduring agreement has been reached encompassing all the different aspects of both companies’ commercial relationship.

“As a result of this agreement, Odeon is pleased to confirm that it will be able to continue with its plans for significant investment in new cinemas, in digital technology in 3D capability and the other exciting developments designed for the increased enjoyment of all its customers.”

Details were not revealed but Disney have said the film will be out on DVD 13 weeks after it is released on March 5.

Director Steven Spielberg has praised James Cameron’s new movie Avatar and said it’s ‘the most evocative sci-fi movie since Star Wars’.

Cameron’s new flick Avatar features state-of-the-art motion-capture technology and the Titanic director first had the idea for the movie 15 years ago.

Spielberg, 62, attended a private screening of the movie along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and others.

The Hollywood Reporter claim he said Avatar is ‘the most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since Star Wars’.

Spielberg is currently working with Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson on movie Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

Vampire movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon has gone straight in at the top of the box office chart in the UK and Ireland.

The second movie in the four-part series brought in £11.7 million in its first three days and made three times the amount of movie 2012, which was knocked off the top spot by the film.

The Coen brothers’ comedy flick A Serious Man came in at number eight bringing in £302,985 and Disney movie A Christmas Carol dropped from second to third after taking £2.2 million.

Disney’s other movie Up is still in the top five and in fifth place, Michael Caine’s film Harry Brown.

Taylor Lautner revealed his most bizarre encounter with a Twilight fan during a US chat show interview.

The young star, who plays Jacob Black in the successful vampire series, told Jay Leno: “We were at an autograph signing, I think it was in Denver. There was a mother, who was in her late forties and a teenage daughter. And the mother, she’s next in line and she’s getting ready, doing this dance, shaking and the daughter’s just chilling. So, the mother skips on up and she gets there, grabs my wrist and says ‘Taylor, I’m wearing the Team Taylor panties right now. Is there anyway I can take them off for you and have you sign them quick?’”

Luckily for Lautner security stepped in and told the woman that won’t be happening and escorted her away.

The 17-year-old actor, who is a keen American Football fan, also got an opportunity to show off his skills by throwing and catching a ball to NFL legend Jerry Rice in the studio.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is out this Friday.

X-Men star Sir Ian McKellen has said he is too old to return for a fourth movie in the superhero series.

The 70-year-old played the part of villain Magneto in the previous three movies but he said it is unlikely that he will take part in a fourth installment.

It is claimed that a fourth movie would be a prequel to the original three films and would focus on the younger life of Magneto.

Talking about a fourth film, he said to Empire magazine: “I suspect it wouldn’t involve me.

“I think it would be about the younger Magneto. They can’t have someone whose face is as lined as mine any longer.”

A spin-off film X-Men Origins: Wolverine was released earlier this year featuring the earlier life of Wolverine.

SOURCE: Splash News

Woody Harrelson’s new movie Zombieland has topped the box office with $25 million on its opening weekend.

The new film, which also stars Little Miss Sunshine actress Abigail Breslin, came first ahead of animated feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Disney released 3D versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, which opened with $12.5million and made third place, with Ricky Gervais’s new movie The Invention of Lying coming fourth with $7.4 million.

In sixth place was Drew Barrymore’s new comedy movie Whip It, making $4.9million.

Source: Splash News

Sacha Baron Cohen’s movie Brüno, in which he plays a gay Austrian fashion reporter, has been banned in the Muslim-majority country of Malaysia – because it contains a “lot of sex”, according to an official.

Despite the movie’s worldwide success, officials in Malaysia have banned the film, which contains nudity, as well as sex acts.

An official from the National Film Censorship Board said: “The movie has been banned in Malaysia because of the sexual content. It was decided by a three-man committee. [There is] a lot of sex in it.”

He added that the panel’s judges base their decision on how much violence, horror or sex films feature.

The official, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “In the case of Brüno, the ban is based on its sex and counter-culture content.”

Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford is set to reprise his role as the legendary explorer – despite being almost 70.

Harrison, who turns 67 later on this month, will play the role of Indy in the fifth film in the series and it is claimed it will be his last performance as the adventurer.

It is claimed filming will not start until next year, and it will not be released before 2011, when the star will be 69.

A source said: “Harrison has kept himself in good shape and could still do a lot of the stunts in the last film.”

The source added: “But it’s obviously not going to get any easier the older he gets. He certainly would never have imagined playing Indiana Jones when he was nearing 70!”

Sigourney Weaver has denied reports she will appear in the upcoming film Ghostbusters 3.

The Alien actress played the role of Dana Barrett in the first two Ghostbuster films but she admitted she is "pretty sure" she will not be in the third film.

Sigourney said: "Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I think they’re still writing it, but [laughs] I’d be very surprised… You never know.

"I just did a benefit with Bill [Murray], and we love working together, but I think they’re trying to create something new completely with the Ghostbusters, although I know Bill is in it. I hope my little son Oscar [from Ghostbusters II] is a Ghostbuster!"

She added: "No, I don’t expect to have anything to do with it, although I wish them well."

Sigourney also talked about the idea of a prequel to Alien, where she played Ellen Ripley. Her character was recently named as one of the most important science fiction heroines of all time.

She said: "Oh, I didn’t know that, but that’s great. I was very pleased that MTV named her the second biggest bada** in movie history, although I think she could take on Dirty Harry.

"That was cool. And it is the 30th anniversary of the first film. I love Ellen Ripley. She was a fascinating person to play in each incarnation and a great opportunity for a young actor."

Talking about the film’s rumoured prequel, Sigourney said: "Well, I don’t think that Ripley could appear in an Alien prequel because she doesn’t have any access to the creature until the first Alien. But Ridley [Scott] is producing it and that makes me happy."

Source: Splash News

Shooting the blockbuster Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, Shia LaBeouf came close to losing an eye, it was reported.

“I mistimed something and impaled my face. I had a spike in my eye,” LaBeouf said in an interview with cast members on Access Hollywood.

“I had blood coming down my face and it was the dark, dark purplish kind, which is actually a great thing, because if it had been reddish and clear, that means my eye popped,” he said.

Fellow cast were in admiration of LaBeouf, who also suffered a hand injury last year, for the way he took his falls. Josh Duhamel said: “He is a really tough kid. I mean … he took some real lumps in this movie.

“I was right there and it’s just dripping blood … he leaves the set and they run him off in an ambulance and it turned out he just cut the top of it. [But] this is an example of how tough he is, he wanted to come back and work that same day and [director Michael Bay] was like, ‘Get out of here go home!’”

Co-star Tyrese Gibson said LaBeouf’s motivation on the $200 million budget action flick inspired him. “He’s my hero because he’s so young and he [was] so determined to make this movie happen.

“And so he goes off on the military base, gets his stitches above his eye, it’s all swollen and he says let’s keep filming! … Three hours later! Everybody is like, ‘No don’t come back, go rest, you know, anything, you could’ve put your eye out!’ [But] he came back. He was determined.”

Twilight star Peter Facinelli said the cast are feeling the “pressure” to live up to the first film while filming sequel New Moon.

Peter, 35, plays the role of vampire elder Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the hit vampire series.

Talking about filming the sequel, he said: “I found there to be a little less pressure because everybody knew their characters. There was less questioning on the set as to what we were doing – we trust that there is a fan-base out there.

“Our main job with the first one was to make a good movie for the fans… we just didn’t know it would explode the way it did. So I think we’ve carried that feeling along to the second movie.

“But knowing there is a bigger fan-base out there, we do feel some pressure to live up to the first one.”

Peter also said that the attention the film has received is like “being part of the Beatles”.

He said: “I don’t really pay that much attention to the hubbub, but you can’t help but notice it. I’ve done a lot of movies and I’ve never gotten this kind of response from fans.

“You get shout-outs sometimes, but with this, you walk into a room full of screaming fans – it’s like being part of the Beatles. It’s beyond my expectations.”

Megan Fox sizzles on the red carpet at the world premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in Tokyo.

The stunning 23-year-old showed hundreds of Japanese fans what ex boyfriend Brian Austin Green is missing as she flashed her leg through her purple gown.

Fox has reportedly split with the Beverly Hills 90210 actor for a second time after calling off their engagement in February.

But the end of that five-year relationship looked like the last thing on her mind as she posed for pictures and sipped champagne alongside her Transformers love interest Shia LaBeouf.

The pair, who reprise their roles playing teenage couple Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes in the new film, were pictured cracking jokes.

LaBoef sparked rumours there could be more to their on-screen chemistry in a recent interview.

The actor said: “We’re attracted to each other, and I think you can see that in our scenes together. It’s very real and tangible, and you can tell something exists.

“It hasn’t been a romantic thing because you’re trying to respect the work environment. You don’t push anything. And, with romance, things become convoluted so fast.”

Megan and Shia were joined by co-stars Josh Duhamel, Isabel Lucas, Tyrese Gibson and director Michael Bay at the Toho cinema in Roppongi Hills for the first screening of the new action blockbuster.

Source: Splash News

Actress Gillian Anderson reportedly has no plans to star in another big-screen adaptation of her hit sci-fi TV series The X Files.

Gillian, 40, who is based in London, starred in the film The X Files: I Want To Believe last year alongside co-star David Duchovny, but pals say she isn’t keen to reprise the role.

Gillian is currently appearing in a West End production of A Doll’s House in London.

A source said: “It took a while for Gillian to establish a career for herself outside the X Files, and she’s now enjoying her acting more than ever before.”

The source added: “She’s very proud of The X Files but feels her career has now moved on to a different phase.”

Source: Splash News

Australian actor Sam Worthington has skyrocketed to share the top bill in Terminator Salvation with Christian Bale.

It’s a case of another Australian making it big in Hollywood, although Bale, who has worked with many of Hollywood’s leading Australian actors, including Russell Crowe and the late Heath Ledger, thinks that’s wearing thin.

Speaking light-heartedly, he said: “I think it’s something we should keep quiet but I think there’s a lot of Brits and a lot of Aussies who are taking a lot of the jobs away from American actors but yeah, let’s keep that quiet.”

Director McG said of Worthington: “I can say without reservation the most exciting element of the film is Sam Worthington. And the whole world is talking about this young man and I think he’s done Australia very, very proud.”

On another topic, Bale said his famous blow-up on the set of the movie was “over the top” and “unacceptable”.

The four-minute expletive-filled rant erupted after the film’s cinematographer unwittingly wandered into the actor’s line of vision.

Bale said although he could laugh over the incident now, “I take full responsibility for it.”

Source: Splash News

Sacha Baron Cohen will soon launch Bruno – none other than his follow-up to Borat this summer.

Universal Pictures has reportedly released a “green-band” trailer for Bruno, just as it did for Borat (Cultural Learnings of an America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan), ahead of the film’s slated July release in US cinemas.

Bruno is a reprise of an eccentric reporter, but this time as a fashion-obsessed gay Austrian -whose subjects include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ben Affleck, it was reported.

Where Borat had the mankini, it seems Bruno has yellow hot pants, going on the movie’s poster. He also has a myspace page, it was reported. Not to mention an adopted baby, as seen on the trailer available on MTV.

Lawsuits followed Borat as interviewees claimed they had been unwittingly drawn into the film.

Larry Charles, who helmed Borat, is the director of Bruno.

The movie reportedly once had the longer title: Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner.

Tobey Maguire and co-stars will start filming Spiderman 4 in February next year, director Sam Raimi has revealed.

The cast will return once again for the fourth instalment of the hit superhero film, also starring Kirsten Dunst.

Raimi said: “The next instalment begins shooting, I believe, in February 2010.”

He added: “As far as we’re concerned, that’s no time left because they need so much time to work on the screenplay, casting is long, and the storyboarding and the shots are very, very complicated.”

He added: “There’s a lot of animation, there’s a lot of character design, costume design.

“It’s like making an animated film and a live-action film. I’ll just barely be ready.”

Australian hunk Chris Hemsworth, 25, had to go up against his younger brother Liam for the part of Thor.

Hemsworth has caused an industry stir by scoring roles in two blockbusters, the upcoming Thor (a.k.a The Mighty Thor) and Star Trek, where he played Captain Kirk’s father.

Hemsworth’s appearances in local TV series Home and Away were still being recorded as recently as this year. The series has been a launch pad into Hollywood for several Australians.

The Thor role, however, only came after James Bond star Daniel Craig, pictured, knocked it back.

Another Hemsworth brother, Luke, is also an actor, known in Australia for such TV drama series as Neighbours and All Saints.

Chris Hemsworth moved to Los Angeles just two years ago and was reported to be living in the

guesthouse of his Hollywood agent, William Ward.

Source: Splash News