The casting news in the past few months for Burt Wonderstone has been excellent. The film will see the return of Steve Carell and Jim Carrey after the great Bruce Almighty in 2003 and Horton Hears A Who! In 2008.

Alongside them, we can look forward to seeing Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi, James Gandolfini, Brad Garrett, Alan Arkin, and Jay Mohr. ComingSoon.net have got the first pictures from the set, which was filming out in Las Vegas this week, giving us a great first look at Carell, Wilde, and Buscemi.

Carell stars as the eponymous Burt Wonderstone, part of a two-man magician act in Vegas. After his partner (Buscemi) leaves him, he finds himself having to compete with a hot new act (Carrey) and has to convince his partner to come back to the stage.

30 Rock​’s Don Scardino is going to be directing, with the original spec script coming from Chad Kultgen, and re-writes being done first by Horrible Bosses scribes John Francis Daley​ and Jonathan Goldstein, and most recently by Oscar-nominated Jason Reitman​ (Up in the Air). The writing on Horrible Bosses was so good, and Reitman’s work is of course impeccable, so there’s every reason to expect this to be brilliant.

Filming is (obviously) already underway, and hopefully we won’t have too long to wait before it hits the big screen. Casting news towards the end of the year revealed a few actresses being considered for the female lead, and I’m really glad that Wilde was picked, because she’s so good, and is looking brilliant as the magicians’ assistant in these photos. As usual, click to enlarge.

While it didn’t exactly break new territory or impress many critics, Bruce Almighty proved to be a commercial hit with its simple premise and charming allure, raking in an estimated $484M worldwide and spawning a less-than-desirable spin-off that’s better left unmentioned.

It’s no surprise, then, to hear that Universal are looking to capitalise on its success with a long-awaited sequel.

According to the ever-reliable folks over at Variety, feelers have been sent out to screenwriting duo Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel (Hot Tub Time Machine) in the hopes they’ll dream up a story worthy of telling.

Directed by Tom Shadyac, Bruce Almighty starred Jim Carrey (The Mask) as a guy who, after becoming disillusioned by the forces at will, is awarded the powers of God to teach him just how difficult it is to be ruler of all things. Jennifer Aniston (The Break-Up), Morgan Freeman (Red) and Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin) co-starred.

No further information is known at this point, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as and when anything new is reported.

How do you feel about a Bruce Almighty sequel? Does it intrigue you or simply send shivers down your spine? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below:

Before there was Jack Skellington preceding Christmas with nightmares, Billy Bob Thornton giving Santa Claus a bad name, or rare exports maiming innocent reindeer, it was the Grinch who first turned the tables on the festive season, daring to be indifferent (after Scrooge, of course).

The first of Dr. Seuss’ acclaimed children’s stories to be adapted to feature length – beating The Cat In The Hat and Horton Hears A Who to cinemas –  How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a staple of the holiday period and a triumph in passive-aggressive seasonal comedy.

The story revolves around the titular Grinch, a cynical misanthrope who has spent the majority of his life living in exile on the outskirts of Whoville. Bullied out of town as a child due to his green visage and general disregard for Christmas convention, the Grinch has turned his back on the occasion and declared war on merriment and cheer. When a local girl, similarly disenchanted by the season’s shameless commercialism, takes an interest in the Grinch, even going so far as to nominate him for an award in the local practice of Whobillation, he decides to steal Christmas from the community in a final bid to crush the town’s spirits once and for all.

Narrated by Anthony Hopkins and featuring a powerhouse performance from Jim Carrey, Ron Howard’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas dominated the charts in 2000 and earned itself the enduring title of the second highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time. Largely dismissed by critics, it nevertheless went on to be considered a Christmas classic and ultimately lead the way for subsequent cinematic expeditions to Whoville.

While the dated aesthetic of How The Grinch Stole Christmas might now pale in comparison with the effects-laden Horton Hears A Who, the film is still a massive achievement, the filmmakers duly realising the book’s unique stylings with invention and verve. Carrey is a revelation as the eponymous grouch, gurning and gumming his way through a series of apparently custom-made slapstick set-pieces with a commitment and abandon that proves utterly timeless. Unhindered by the extensive prosthetics (let’s face it, Jim Carrey’s features were pretty rubbery to begin with), the actor is such a delight in the role that you really must ask why he hasn’t done more with his talents in recent years.

The supporting players are similarly good-humoured in their portrayal of the Whovians, with the crowd scenes really selling the sets that they take place in and the community that they conspire to create. Jeffrey Tambor is suitably boo-hiss as the town’s Machiavellian mayor, his self-important streak as wide as the snowflake upon which Whoville is based, while the ever-dependable Christine Baranski delivers a performance so breathtakingly breathless that it is impossible not to feel swept up in her charisma and charm. If newcomer Taylor Michel Momsen disappoints as the mawkishly innocent and painfully tone-deaf Cindy Lou Who – and she does. She really, really does – it is to the film’s credit that it is so relentlessly enjoyable that her evident inexperience is all but forgiven the moment focus shifts back to Carrey.

The real star of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and the aspect which most stands up to scrutiny today, is its inspired script, a masterclass in black humour. Self-referential and wonderfully subversive, Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman’s adapted screenplay is a joy from start to finish. Comprised largely of rhyming couplets, their playful revelry in rhetoric – both articulated by Hopkins and attacked by Carey – is high on quotability, the writers making the most of Dr. Seuss’ ear for dialogue and embracing it as a means to have their say on a number of topics. Perhaps the biggest success of Howard’s film is that it is as much an indictment of Christmas as it is a traditional celebration of it.

A Christmas movie which dares to conform but not necessarily to concede; an adaptation which embraces its namesake while developing the story even further; and a career-best performance from The Mask himself, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is essential viewing this holiday season. Witty, fun and unafraid to have a quick pop at religion between consumerist critiques, I just wish the Grinch could steal Christmas every year.

When he was not quietly terrifying Emma Stone over the internet this year saw Mr. Jim Carrey make a film about a man and a band of errant penguins, and as the film is out on DVD and Blu-ray this week we thought we’d celebrate with a clip culled from the film, positing that it might be just the thing for the cold winter nights.

Mean girls director Mark Waters directs both man and bird here and the human cast has Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll and the legendary Angela Lansbury. See, you’re interested now aren’t you?

Before the clip please apply the following synopsis to your synapses.

An adaptation of the beloved 1938 children’s book, which won the 1939 Newbery Award. Mr. Popper is a house painter whose dreams of Arctic exploration prompt him to write letters to real explorers. One of them sends him a penguin, which he keeps in the icebox. Before he knows it, the painter has a litter of 12 beaked birds. They eat voraciously, leading him to form Popper’s Performing Penguins.

Here’s your clip,

The casting for Burt Wonderstone really does seem to be coming in quickly now. Just a few days ago, we got the fantastic news that James Gandolfini is in talks to join the film, led by Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. And only a few days before that, we heard that the short list for the female lead included Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel, and Sarah Silverman, which has since been cut down to focus just on Wilde and Silverman (my vote is personally with Wilde).

Variety are now reporting that Steve Buscemi is in talks to join the project too, and would play Carell’s old magician partner who decides to give up their longstanding partnership in Vegas:

“Buscemi has been offered the role of Anton, a Las Vegas magician who’s the longtime friend and partner of the title character, played by Carell. After being injured by Burt during their “Hotbox” trick, he decides to quit the act and teach magic in the Far East. When a hot-shot street magician (Carrey) starts coming on strong, Burt must convince Anton to return to the stage. Gandolfini co-stars as a billionaire who owns the casino where Burt and Anton perform their show, while Olivia Wilde and Sarah Silverman are being eyed for the female lead as the duo’s magic assistant.”

Buscemi has of course already worked alongside Gandolfini on The Sopranos, and has been making an even bigger name for himself in the leading role of Nucky Thompson on Boardwalk Empire, which won him a Golden Globe this year.

30 Rock’s Don Scardino is going to be directing, with the original spec script coming from Chad Kultgen, and re-writes being done first by Horrible Bosses scribes John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, and most recently by Oscar-nominated Jason Reitman (Up in the Air).

This certainly sounds like something we should be looking forward to, and with production scheduled to begin in January, during Buscemi’s Boardwalk Empire hiatus, it hopefully won’t be too far into 2013 when Burt Wonderstone will be getting its release. More news as we get it.

Burt Wonderstone is really starting to shape up with its cast recently, with Jim Carrey and Steve Carell confirmed for the leading male roles.

Just a few days ago, Michelle Monaghan, Olivia Wilde, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel, and Sarah Silverman were reported to be on the short list for the female lead, and now word comes from Variety that James Gandolfini, of course well known for his unbeatable performance as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, is in talks to join the film too.

“Carell stars as half of a once-successful Las Vegas magic duo that must reunite to square off against a hot-shot street magician (Carrey) whose tricks are often dangerous.

Gandolfini is in talks to play Doug Munny, a classy billionaire who owns the Aztec Casino, where the title character and his partner perform their show.”

The role sounds pretty perfect for Gandolfini, who was immense as the head of the Soprano family, and you can already easily picture him as the owner of a casino, with a drink in one hand, a cigar in the other, and a big grin on his face.

Variety also report that the short list for the female lead is getting shorter, with New Line focusing on just Olivia Wilde and Sarah Silverman. Though Silverman may have more experience in comedy, she doesn’t really do it for me with her kind of comedy, so my vote definitely falls behind Wilde, but time will tell.

30 Rock’s Don Scardino will be taking the helm, with the original spec script coming from Chad Kultgen, and re-writes coming first from Horrible Bosses scribes John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, and most recently from Oscar-nominated Jason Reitman (Up in the Air).

Production is scheduled to start in January, and hopefully we’ll be seeing it on the big screen sometime in the following year. Since The Sopranos finished back in 2007, Gandolfini’s been taking fairly low-key roles, but he’ll soon be seen alongside Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close, and opposite Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, and Ray Liotta in Cogan’s Trade, so hopefully if he signs on for Burt Wonderstone, this could be the start of a return to a bigger presence for the actor, which would be a truly welcome one. He’s pretty damn awesome.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we got the brilliant news that Jim Carrey and Steve Carell would be working together again, co-leading the magician comedy, Burt Wonderstone.

The two both starred in Bruce Almighty (I can’t believe that came out eight years ago!), albeit with Carell in a smaller role, and then teamed up to lend their voices for Horton Hears A Who! back in 2008.

The short list for the female lead to star alongside Carrey and Carell in Burt Wonderstone has now arisen, Collider report, and it’s got some pretty fantastic names on it. Michelle Monaghan (Source Code, Machine Gun Preacher), Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy, Cowboys & Aliens), Judy Greer (TV’s Arrested Development and Archer), Sarah Silverman (School of Rock), and Jessica Biel (The Illusionist, The A-Team) are all on the list, which is excellent news.

Clearly, sights are being set pretty high for this film, which will focus on the story of a Las Vegas magician (Carell) who strives to remain relevant when a new, ‘hip’ magician (Carrey) arrives on the scene. Don Scardino, whose credits include the brilliant comedies 30 Rock and Ed, will be directing from a script by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who co-wrote the hilarious Horrible Bosses, with Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) currently doing a re-write.

As for who would be best for the female role, I’m inclined to agree with Collider, and think that Judy Greer is arguably the best on the list. If it were a drama, either Monaghan or Wilde would win hands-down for me, but given its comedic nature, and the fact that Carell and Carrey are already attached, I think Greer would probably work best in the female lead – details of which are not yet known.

She was excellent in Arrested Development, and is brilliant in Archer, bringing both a bit of comedy and crazy to the roles in each, and getting to see her star in what will no doubt be a pretty big comedy when it comes out would be great. She’ll next be seen alongside George Clooney in The Descendants in January, and then alongside Jason Segel in Jeff Who Lives At Home next April, both of which should be fantastic. So personally, my vote lies with her. All of the names (though I’m not particularly keen on Silverman, myself) on the list are excellent though, and they would certainly all do a great job in whatever the role calls for. Whoever the part does finally go to, this is definitely a project that’s shaping up nicely so far.

Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) has landed a lead role in Burt Wonderstone.

Carrey will star opposite Steve Carell (Crazy, Stupid, Love) in the John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein-scripted comedy-drama.

Burt Wonderstone centers on a famous but jaded Vegas magician (Carell) who fights for relevance when a new, “hip” street magician (Carrey) appears on the scene.

Don Scardino, who is known for his work directing episodes of 30 Rock and Law & Order, is attached to direct.

Carrey was last seen in the mildly successful Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

Source: Deadline

A remake of the famed 1947 comedy, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, has proved a tough nut to crack in Hollywood for some time. Director Ron Howard toying with the idea for years, and even Jim Carrey’s name was bandied around back then. Now it seems the project is back on track with another comedian spearheading it.

News from Twitch has Ben Stiller down for the lead in the story of a mind-mannered husband who conjures up five heroic and whimsical daydream adventures to escape the mundane tasks he has to undertake to appease his pushy wife. No news yet on any other casting, but the studio behind the film (20th Century Fox, who scored big with both of Stiller’s ‘Museum’ films) is looking at a potential January 2012 start date.

It’s also being reported that Stiller himself will be helming the pic. Although he has proved himself to be perfecting adept at directing big Hollywood productions in the past, this project may have been interesting if it had instead been offered to the young filmmaker whose film was recently co-produced by Stiller’s company, and someone that could potentially work wonders with the material, Submarine’s Richard Ayoade.

The Farrelly Brothers are currently at work on their long-in-development biopic of that much-loved comedy trio from early in the last century, The Three Stooges, and Movie Web have posted some images from the set.

Where once big A-list stars like Benicio del Toro, Jim Carrey and even Sean Penn were once hovering around the project, lesser-known actors (with perhaps the exception of Will & Grace’s Sean Hayes) have inhabited the parts, with Will Sasso as Curly, Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe and the aforementioned Hayes as Larry.

There’s also an image of female co-star Sofía Vergara showing off her body and face  make-up bruises. Either that or she’s went a little method during the slapstick scenes! The film (which is due out sometime next year) also stars Glee’s Jane Lynch, Larry David and Richard Jenkins.

An extended trailer for Jim Carrey’s latest delve into the hit’n'miss world of family comedy in Mr Popper’s Penguins has been released online.  The rubber faced actor stars as Tom Popper, a driven salesman whose family he pushes away because of his busy professional life.  Cue strange intervention, self realisation and a happy ending?! You can bet your bottom dollar on it.

Whereas we’d usually hanker a strong dislike for something like this, Carrey and director Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Just Like Heaven) have an snowy ace up their sleeves…penguins; and we just can’t get past the face that penguins are really quite awesome.  But will it be enough to protect the film’s inevitable predictability?

Mr Popper’s Penguins is out in the UK on the 5th August 2011 and stars Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll, Angela Lansbury and Philip Baker Hall.

THR is reporting that Jim Carrey is going to be making a cameo appearance in the finale of season seven of The Office over in the States. If memory serves, this will be Carrey’s first television role in well over a decade, since his part(s) in the ’90s TV series, In Living Color, created by Keenen Ivory Wayans, and starring no less than five of the Wayans family (Keenen included), Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Lopez.

For most people, myself included, Jim Carrey is a comedy genius, and there’s no doubt that he’ll be a brilliant addition to the already high-profile line-up of guest stars for the season finale. He’ll be joining Ricky Gervais (naturally from the British original), Will Ferrell (Anchorman), James Spader (Boston Legal), Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show), and one of my all-time favourite actors on television, Will Arnett (Arrested Development).

Steve Carell has been the lead character, Michael Scott, in all of the show’s seven series to date, but announced a few months ago that he would be leaving the show, and his final episode, entitled Goodbye, Michael, is airing in an extended version on NBC this Thursday. Despite Carell’s exit, the series has been renewed for an eighth season, with no announcement yet as to who will be filling the actor’s shoes. According to THR, the big names that are starring in the series finale, which will air on 19th of May in America, will be interviewing on the show for the management position left open with Michael’s departure.

Of all the names on the bill, Carrey’s is undoubtedly the least likely to fill the open position, which is a good thing in my eyes. I think Carrey is a brilliant actor, whose talent is probably best served through starring in films. His upcoming film, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, looks surprisingly good, and I think it’s the kind of film that could only really work with Carrey in the lead. And his performance in Yes Man back in 2008 was one of my favourites throughout his brilliant career, and I’m hoping we have more films like that to look forward to in the future.

The Office’s season finale will almost certainly be riotous comedic affair, and much of the best of that comedy will likely be coming from Carrey and Arnett. Putting all these big names together in the same hour-long episode is all but a sure thing, and should make for an excellent end to the season. Whether or not Carell’s replacement will be made clear in the finale awaits to be seen.

Earlier this week, 20th Century Fox released the second trailer for Jim Carrey’s new movie, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and as you’ll see, it’s as crazy as the first!

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is directed by Mark Waters and also stars Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll and the legendary Angela Lansbury.

Synopsis: An adaptation of the beloved 1938 children’s book, which won the 1939 Newbery Award. Mr. Popper is a house painter whose dreams of Arctic exploration prompt him to write letters to real explorers. One of them sends him a penguin, which he keeps in the icebox. Before he knows it, the painter has a litter of 12 beaked birds. They eat voraciously, leading him to form Popper’s Performing Penguins.

From what we can see, it’s released in the UK 1st August.

Alliterative nonsense aside this new poster for the Jim Carrey film Mr. Popper’s Penguins is strategically targeted to take a chunk of cynicism from you in order that you might enjoy the family friendly fun of Fox’s forthcoming flick.

Mean girls director Mark Waters is behind the camera for this film which has Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll and Angela Lansbury. Yes. Angela Lansbury.

If you’re one of those synopsis freaks, hold onto your beaks,

An adaptation of the beloved 1938 children’s book, which won the 1939 Newbery Award. Mr. Popper is a house painter whose dreams of Arctic exploration prompt him to write letters to real explorers. One of them sends him a penguin, which he keeps in the icebox. Before he knows it, the painter has a litter of 12 beaked birds. They eat voraciously, leading him to form Popper’s Performing Penguins.

Here’s the poster, which I believe is the first to contain a Photoshopped ear,

The source we drew this from was Coming Soon

20th Century Fox (via Fandango and thanks to Trailer Addict for the embed) have released the new trailer for Jim Carrey’s new movie, Mr. Popper’s Penguins. This trailer came out earlier this week and we’re slowly catching up on our trailers after such a crazy couple of weeks!

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is directed by Mark Waters and also stars Carla Gugino, Madeline Carroll and the legendary Angela Lansbury.

Synopsis: An adaptation of the beloved 1938 children’s book, which won the 1939 Newbery Award. Mr. Popper is a house painter whose dreams of Arctic exploration prompt him to write letters to real explorers. One of them sends him a penguin, which he keeps in the icebox. Before he knows it, the painter has a litter of 12 beaked birds. They eat voraciously, leading him to form Popper’s Performing Penguins.

As you’ll see when you watch the trailer, this is completely crazy and brings back memories of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective from 1994! Has it really been that long?!

According to IMDb, it’s set for release in the UK 1st August this year. We’ll obviously keep you posted.

**Read all the posts in our ‘Love Theatrically’ series here**

#1 – “ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF

THE SPOTLESS MIND” (2004)

Directed by Michel Gondry

Whether we’re simply trying to remember where we put last night’s lottery ticket or desperately trying to forget an unsuccessful past romance our memories can, and always will, be the most fragile of friends. For where one may suddenly ignite in an incandescent display of clarity another may equally fade into half remembered shadows and stubbornly refuse to budge. So imagine then if we were offered the opportunity to erase our unwanted memories and simply drag and drop them into a kind of cerebral trash bin.

It’s this very premise that Charlie Kaufman so memorably explores with his superb screenplay for “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, a film that fuses Kaufman’s exemplary grasp of screenwriting with Michel Gondry’s divine display of directorial panache before mixing in career best performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet and serving us a film that more than earns it’s place atop my list of all time favourite romantic movies.

As mind-bogglingly confusing and deliriously inventive as it is heartbreakingly poignant and bewitchingly romantic it’s a testament to both cast and crew that the film never falls apart amidst its labyrinthine narrative.

Setting the majority of the film inside the head of Joel Barish affords Gondry the opportunity to both amaze and delight with an array of awe-inspiring visual techniques that he gleefully employs in order to represent the gradual disintegration of Joel’s fondest memories.

Eclipsing even his standout turn in Peter Weir’s “The Truman Show” Carrey delivers a delicately layered performance as Joel that eschews his usual pantomime theatrics in favour of a far more restrained and subtle performance that pulses with pain, regret, sadness, fragility, hope, loss and, of course, love. For as Joel’s memories slowly begin to crumble so too does he begin to experience the unmistakable rush of romance all over again as he relives past moments in his time with the seemingly unforgettable Clementine and discovers that whilst not all his memories are necessarily blissfully happy ones there are still a great deal that just might be worth holding onto after all.

And with Joel’s object of affection, his darling Clementine, played by the divine Kate Winslet the film soars to even greater heights with Winslet delivering what, for me, is one of her greatest roles to date as a true free spirit, an untamed heart and a girl as wildly colourful as her ever changing hairstyle. It’s Winslet that ultimately provides the film with its true heart and lends the film a beautifully nuanced core round which to stage the action.

As the film progresses ever further into memory the audience will surely be rooting for Joel to hold onto these last few precious memories and whilst the conclusion may not offer up the archetypal happy ending it does, however, end on a note of hopeful ambiguity that acts as the perfect counterbalance to the preceding events.

Praise should also be afforded to the wonderful supporting cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson. And whilst a subplot involving Dunst and Wilkinson may appear somewhat unnecessary and superfluous amidst the chaos the film certainly never suffers as a result.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is, quite simply, a bona-fide masterpiece and a film I will never cease to be amazed by. Brimming with creativity, visual flair, consummate acting and a stunning screenplay it resonates with the kind of warmth, passion, energy, charm, spirit and heart that only a truly great romantic movie can possibly possess. That it does so whilst simultaneously sending my brain into paroxysms of delight with its superbly structured screenplay is but another reason why I recommend it so enthusiastically, so fervently and so damn passionately. It’s a film about an unforgettable love that truly reminds me why I love films themselves and for this reason alone deserves to be seen by everyone.

“You can erase someone from your mind”, quotes the movie tagline, “Getting them out of  your heart is another story” Similarly “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is certain to find a place in yours. Quite simply unforgettable …

“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot /Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.”

Track #14 – “EVERYBODY’S GOTTA LEARN SOMETIME”

Written by James Warren

(Performed by Beck)

And so it is that we reach the end of this most passionate of pilgrimages and take time to reflect upon the past two weeks. You’ll no doubt agree it’s been quite the fantastic voyage and one that has seen us travel the world Tokyo to Vienna, Wisconsin to Wyoming, Hawaii to New Jersey, New Zealand to Minnesota and Montmartre to Montauk before being flung back in time to the 16th Century and forwards again to the distant future. It’s seen us  journey inside both our memories and our wildest dreams not to mention our darkest desires and witness love in a multitude of forms including unrequited, unexpected, unchronological, forbidden, forgotten and fleeting. And, lest we forget, it’s also allowed us to spend time with fourteen truly memorable couples.

And so, on that note,  it leaves me only to wish everyone out there a most glorious Valentine’s Day from Barry and Lena, Jarrod and Lily, Stéphane and Stéphanie, Ennis and Jack, Lars and Bianca, Amélie and Nino, Lee and Edward, Holden and Alyssa, Juno and Paulie, Tommy and Izzi, Tom and Summer, Jesse and Celine, Bob and Charlotte and Joel and Clementine …

… oh, and of course from ‘lil ‘ole me!

*****

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”

MOULIN ROUGE (2001)

While I’m surprised it took this long for set pics to arrive, photos from Mr. Popper’s Penguins, starring Jim Carrey and Carla Gugino, have finally hit the net.

The film has been shooting on and off in New York City for about the past two months now and it truly amazes me that these are the first pictures to arrive. Thanks to SplashNews, we actually have some high quality shots of Jim Carrey and two of his new penguin friends.

The comedy, which is expected to hit theaters on August 12, 2011, is an adaptation of the popular children’s book written by Richard and Florence Atwater and is directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls).  Below you will find the set pictures along with a brief synopsis of the film.  Enjoy and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.

It seems like the idea of a Three Stooges biopic has been floating around Hollywood for decades.

The latest team in development on this project was the Farrelly brothers, who appeared to have Sean Penn lined up as Larry, Benicio del Toro as Moe and Jim Carrey in the role of Curly.

Since that casting was announced, Sean Penn was reported to have dropped out, with Paul Giamatti being mentioned as a possible replacement. Now Carrey (who brought another famed comedian to the big screen in Milos Forman’s underrated Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon), has left the project.

Speaking to MTV (the full interview is embedded below), Carrey has revealed that his reasons for leaving are more to do with the physical restraints of the part:

“For me, I don’t really want to do anything halfway, and I don’t feel like a fat suit does it. I started experimenting with it a little bit, and I gained 35, 40 pounds. I wanted to gain another 30, 40. When you’re Robert De Niro in your 20s or early 30s, you can kind of come back from that. It’s a tough thing to come back from when you’re upwards of 30 (laughs).”

So where does that leave the project? We know that Peter (one half of the directing siblings) is currently in production on his own feature, so maybe they’ve finally put to bed any plans to shoot this.

It’s a shame if that’s the case, as this project had the potential to steer the brothers in a slightly more interesting and challenging direction to that of their usual comedy material.

I don’t know about you, but I do my best to avoid anything Christmassy until December 1st. This upsets my wife hugely as she’s like to get into the Christmas spirit as soon as the leaves start falling from the trees! In this instance, I’ve made an exception as those lovely people at Disney Home Entertainment have given us five copies of A Christmas Carol to give away on 3D Super Play (contains Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and Digital Copy). The movie is available to buy now and you can find out more about the Home Entertainment releases from Disney on their official website.

Synopsis: Disney’s A Christmas Carol, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking motion picture event.

Ebeneezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH).  But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you need to do is answer the following question using the form below:

Which famous author originally wrote A Christmas Carol?

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close Monday 22nd November at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

© Disney

The LA Times is reporting that having been courted for new comedy “Under Cover”, Jim Carrey has signed on, although they then hedge their bets by saying there is no official word yet. Go figure.

Anyway, assuming he is officially confirmed, Under Cover will see Carrey in what is described as a “heartwarming but broadly comic story” of a husband and father who tries to win back his estranged family by performing classic rock numbers with a  cover band.

It’s certainly no stretch to imagine Carrey in such a role and there is news also of David O. Russell possibly joining the film as director. After impressive but decidedly well spaced out work on Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees and The Fighter, Russell clearly fancies trying his hand at something lighter and having met with the producers he is believed to be under serious consideration.

This one is still very much in development, so we will let you know once things become a little more concrete.