Michelle Vogel (Author) – michellevogelhollywoodnews.com

As promised, here’s the newly released trailer for Hitchcock, starring, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlet Johansson and Jessica Biel.

I was surprised to see how domineering Mirren is in her portrayal of Alma Hitchcock, but the banter between herself and Hitch looks witty and interesting. As for Hopkins as Hitchcock…if you look away, you’d swear it was Hitchcock talking. As usual, Anthony Hopkins doesn’t disappoint. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of this one.

Hitchcock will be released in the U.S. in November; Australia in January.

See link below for more production photos and the newly released trailer at the bottom of the article.

Click For Trailer HERE

Hasn’t she come a long way? Now, Scar Jo plays Janet Leigh’s character, “Marion Crane” in the new film, Hitchcock, scheduled for a theatrical release early-2013 (in Australia). Alfred Hitchcock will be portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and his wife, Alma will be portrayed by Helen Mirren. Jessica Biel also stars, as Vera Miles. The film essentially studies the relationship between Hitchcock and his wife, all the while, we get a peek into a time when Hitchcock’s biggest hit, Psycho, is in production.

If done well, it has “Oscar nods” written all over it. A first look at Scarlett Johansson in costume and make up as Janet Leigh and playing her Psycho character, Marion Crane shows what good casting can do for a film portraying real-life stars of yesteryear. She looks eerily like Leigh. Now we await the trailer. I’ll post it here as soon as it becomes available.

*Quirky fact – Psycho was original filmed in colour…and the blood was chocolate syrup!

Read More HERE

…is it just me, or does Nicole Kidman (seen in the photo below) coiffed to play (and look like) Grace Kelly just look like Nicole Kidman in dowdy clothes?! I’m not liking these first images at all. She looks nothing like Grace Kelly. The film, aptly titled, Grace of Monaco, is now shooting in Monaco.

Read Article HERE

Aside from “Dorothy’s” Wizard of Oz dress, what else is going up for sale? Click the below link to find out!

Read HERE

Along with Dorothy’s ruby slippers, the blue gingham dress and white blouse worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939) is probably one of the most widely known film worn costumes – ever! Aside from several Marilyn Monroe screen worn dresses that were recently auctioned into the millions, the pre-sale estimate of $500,000 is conservative, and the final sales price will likely place it in the top ten most expensive pieces of Hollywood memorabilia sold to date. The New York couple who own the dress have had it in their possession for thirty years. The husband bought it for his wife in 1981…for $2,000! What an investment, huh?!

Read More HERE

Jerry Nelson’s passing is one of those Hollywood deaths that pop up and hit you smack in the face. As a puppeteer and voice of the loveable, eccentric “Count von Count” on Sesame Street, he brought the character to life and taught generations of pre-schoolers about numbers. Additionally, he voiced  many other well-known Jim Henson characters, most notably, “Sgt. Floyd Pepper” on The Muppet Show and “Gobo Fraggle” on Fraggle Rock.

While his passing leaves an enormous hole, his decades of talented puppeteering and voice work will long be enjoyed by future generations as re-runs of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock are enjoyed by toddlers world-wide. Jerry Nelson has gifted generations of children with a fun, and funny way to learn about numbers and how to count. There is no greater legacy than that.

Jerry Nelson was 78 years old.

Article HERE

…”drowning and other undetermined factors” – Is it good enough, or does it serve to raise even more questions?

Article HERE

Any thoughts on this one?

HBO usually produce good quality work, and you can’t get bigger names than Michael Douglas and Matt Damon for a TV movie! Douglas certainly looks like Liberace in the photos and he’s certainly talented enough to pull off his larger-than-life personality.

However, my first impression is that the production looks (and sounds) a bit “cheesy”. I  really hope I’m wrong because I love a well-made biopic. See photos in the link below.

Article and Photos HERE

What are the chances of Phyllis Thaxter and Phyllis Diller passing away within days of each other? Both in their nineties, and with their uncommon name linking them, they walked the same show business path and survived the ups and downs of a Hollywood career that many of their peers didn’t. They were stayers in a business that chews ’em up and spits ’em up out!

Despite a lengthy acting career, most obits referred to Phyllis Thaxter as “Superman’s Mother,” a reference to her role of “Ma Kent” in the original Superman film.

As for Phyllis Diller. She will be remembered as the world’s first, and funniest, female stand-up comic. Known for her crazy hair, eye-popping and wide-mouthed expressions (and her love of plastic surgery), her self-depreciating humor was timeless, spanning generations. Additionally, she was always very generous with her time and whenever I had a question, she’d personally respond with the answer, a hand drawn happy face would be scrawled next to her signature.

Phyllis Diller was one of a kind and she’ll be truly missed, but one thing’s for certain…Heaven is a much funnier place because of her entrance today 🙂

Phyllis Thaxter was 92. Phyllis Diller was 95.

Glenn Ford (Pa Kent) with Phyllis Thaxter (Ma Kent) in Superman (1978).

Phyllis Diller in her prime. She was larger than life.