This Justin: Jay-Z and Timberlake are planning to tour together this summer. JT called his new tracks "the best stuff I've ever done," and MTV says, "like one of his idols, Bob Dylan, Timberlake said he's striving to create another world to live in with his music, almost an alternate persona." Like maybe a fancy man from the olden days before pictures had colors, and Instagram was powered by dinosaurs on treadmills.
How's this for some added credibility? Nymphomaniac, the indie movie that promises us the tantalizing possibility of Shia LaBeouf having real sex onscreen, already has a pretty legit pedigree: Its director is Lars von Trier, and its stars are Charlotte Gainsbourg (as the title character, a woman relaying the manifold sexual experiences of her life) and Stellan Skarsgard (the guy listening to all the juicy details), as well as Jamie Bell and (whoa!) Christian Slater. But seeing as this project is currently associated, and possibly will for evermore be so associated, with the aforementioned specter of "Shia LaBeouf real sex" — Young LaBeouf has promised it is so, the production company of the movie (possibly for legal reasons?) says nu-uh — it needs all the legitimacy it can get.
Enter Uma Thurman: THR reports The Bride has now signed on for Nymphomaniac, in an undisclosed role. Does this mean she'll maybe be having some form of sexual relations with Shia?! Well, sadly, probably not — presumably, Gainsbourg's character will be at the center of most of the action. Still, though, considering the source material, it's fair to say that Uma will have plentiful chances on set to see Shia, up close and personal, and also naked.
By the way, this movie is currently shooting in Cologne, Germany. Any members of the Cologne-based Grantland readership interested in doing some snooping around? Of course, if you get caught, we will deny any knowledge of your actions (this post will self-destruct). Have fun!
The flagrantly odd third act of Shia LaBeouf's still-young career reached its to-date pinnacle earlier this month, when the scruffy young star made it known in no uncertain terms that, soon, he'd be having sex onscreen. Speaking about his role in Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac, a telling of the sexual history of a 50-year-old woman, LaBouef said, "[The movie] is what you think it is. For instance, there's a disclaimer at the top of the script that basically says we're doing it for real. Everything that is illegal, we'll shoot in blurred images. Other than that, everything is happening."
Well, actually, according to the production company, no, it's not: All sex scenes, a rep says, will be shot “with the help of body doubles and visual effects."
The last time we checked in with Shia LaBeouf, our dude was starring in a devastatingly sexy Sigur Rós music video. He wept, he punched butterflies, he danced (sadly), he painted boob faces (sadly), he flashed his penis (sadly). It was incredible — you couldn't have scripted a better satire of a throwaway side project for a bankable movie star going rogue. (Go ahead, watch it again. Get all caught up and refreshed on the heartache ballet of Shia LaBeouf. We'll wait.) And where this now comes back into play: THR is reporting that Shia is in talks for a part in Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac. That's right. Shia LaBeouf is making more sex art.
Please, allow this nice gentleman to welcome you to the new Black Keys album. It’s called El Camino, it’s out December 6th, and it is apparently so good it’ll make you want to lease and operate a motel just so you can dance in front of its offices whenever you want.
Today controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier removed his foot from his mouth for long enough to close it for good. After a surprise visit from his local constabulary to follow up on the possibility that Von Trier had violated a French law forbidding the public justification of war crimes (!) when he made his now infamous comments claiming sympathy for Adolf Hitler at Cannes earlier in the year — the filmmaker released a statement silencing himself for the forseeable future. Because he lacks “the skills to express” himself unequivocally, Von Trier claims he will now refrain from all public statements and interviews.
It’s been a decade since the book was released and almost as long since producer Scott Rudin first attempted to turn it into a movie, but, finally, an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections is just about actually happening. If all goes as planned, it'll be an HBO series directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written with Franzen. The project is nearing a pilot order with Anthony Hopkins in talks to play the Parkinson's-addled patriarch of a troubled Midwestern family. In related news: Freedom the movie! Coming 2027! Grade: A [Deadline]
Stellan Skarsgard says Lars Von Trier has cast him as the lead in Nymphomaniac, an exploration of female sexuality from ages zero to 50. According to Skarsgard, “Lars called me and said 'Stellan, my next film will be a porno and I want you to play the lead in it.’” Also, "I want you to sit uncomfortably next to me, Kirsten Dunst–style, when I say something inappropriate while promoting it at a film festival,” Von Trier did not add. Grade: A- [HR]
Bradley Cooper is in talks to replace Mark Wahlberg in David O. Russell's The Silver Linings Playbook, about a former high school teacher institutionalized for depression and released into the care of his mother (trend alert!). Cooper is negotiating for the part of the teacher and, in related news, his Limitless costarRobert De Niro will probably also join the movie in some capacity. Wahlberg is reportedly leaving the project to play another cop in Allen Hughes' Broken City. Grade: B- [Deadline]
