Robert Downey Jr. to Play Wizard Of Oz?

Robert Downey Jr. is reportedly set to team up with director Sam Mendes to bring the Wizard Of Oz back to life.

The original 1939 movie, starring Judy Garland, became a cinematic classic, while another film based on L. Frank Baum's books, Return To Oz, was released by Disney in 1985.

Now movie-makers are preparing to return to the Emerald City on the big screen in a new picture about the wonderful wizard, titled Oz The Great and Powerful.

The film will be a prequel to the Garland movie, based on Baum's work, and will tell the story of a young circus magician who ends up ruler of the magical country after crash-landing there in a hot air balloon.

Mendes, whose work on the next Bond film was put on hold indefinitely, is now in talks to direct the picture, while Downey Jr. has been lined up to play the wizard, according to Production Weekly.

The picture is one of a number of different Oz adaptations in the works, including a big screen version of hit stage musical Wicked, and Oz, which sees Dorothy's granddaughter sent to the Emerald City to "fight evil", according to the Los Angeles Times.

New Release Tuesday!

Here is a listing of what's new this week on Blu-Ray, CD and DVD including Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong.

MOVIES
Afghan Star (D)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (B/D)
An Education (B/D)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (B/D)
Collateral (B)
The Diary of Anne Frank (2010) (B)
House Broken (B)
I Sell the Dead (B/D)
The Killer (B)
Romeo and Juliet (B)
Sherlock Holmes (2009) (B/D)
Vampyres (B)

MUSIC
Alan Jackson - Freight Train
Amy Grant - Somewhere Down the Road
Barenaked Ladies - All in Good Time
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh
Memphis: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast)
Robin Williams - Weapons of Self Destruction
Usher - Raymond vs Raymond

TV SHOWS
The Abbott and Costello Show - Complete Series (D)
Celebrity Rehad with Dr. Drew - 3rd Season (D)
The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty - Mini-Series (D)
The Real Housewives of New Jersey - 1st Season (D)
Rhoda - 2nd Season (D)
Soul Train - The Best Of (D)
Sports Night - 1st Season (D)
Tean Mom - 1st Season (D)

(B) - Available on Blu-Ray
(D) - Available on DVD
(B/D) - Available on Blu-Ray & DVD

Robert Downey Jr. and Beyonce Wanted ForA Star Is Born Remake

Robert Downey Jr. and Beyonce are tipped to take the lead roles in a new remake of 1930s movie classic A Star Is Born.

First released in 1937, the musical has been reworked twice in the past, with Judy Garland and James Mason in 1957 and Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in 1976.

Actor-turned-director Nick Cassavettes is behind the latest version and has signed a deal with Warner Bros ahead of a 2012 release, reports Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Downey Jr. and Beyonce are the favorites for the lead roles, playing Normal Maine and Esther Victoria Blodgett, aka Vicki Lester - with Mad Men star John Hamm, Alicia Keys and Rihanna linked as back-up stars.

It's not the first time a remake has been mooted, Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez were once linked to a version planned by director Joel Schumacher.

The Hangover & Avatar Win Golden Globes

Rain from the skies over Southern California and tears from an emotional Meryl Streep could not dampen spirits at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 67th annual Golden Globes Awards from Los Angeles on Sunday.

Streep won her leading actress award for Julie & Julia and compared the indomitable spirit of her mother to that of master chef Julia Child, whom the acclaimed actress plays in writer-director Nora Ephron's movie.

The Blind Side star Sandra Bullock won the dramatic leading actress Globe for her portrayal of the real-life Leigh Anne Touhy, who brought a homeless high-school student into her family. Bullock said that the Touhys taught her that a family is made up of those who have your back, and she thanked husband Jesse James for having hers.

She also told her American family to put down the Makers Mark, and her German family – in perfect German – to brush their teeth and go to bed.

Robert Downey, best actor for the comedy Sherlock Holmes, thanked his wife Susan for telling him Matt Damon would win. Dramatic acting winner Jeff Bridges, for Crazy Heart, told the audience as it rose to its collective feet, "You're really screwing up my under-appreciated status."

Though the Globes – which honor both TV shows and movies – are not considered an accurate barometer of the Oscars to come, other notable winners on Sunday were supporting actors Mo'Nique in Precious and Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds, best comedy picture The Hangover, best dramatic picture Avatar and its director James Cameron.

Cameron said he thought his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, would, in fact, win the director award, for her Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker. "She deserved it," he said.

An Emotional Mo'Nique

Mo'Nique was the first winner of the night, as best supporting actress in a movie, for Precious. Shaking as she clutched her award, the actress, comedian and talk-show host said, "First let me say, thank you God for this amazing ride that you're allowing me to go on. I'm shaking, but I tell you all, I am in the midst of my dream."

The movie itself, a bitter drama about a Harlem teen, went into the evening with three nominations, though the night's frontrunner, Up in the Air starring George Clooney, had six nods.

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds took the honors for its bloodcurdling Nazi Hans Landa, played by Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, named best supporting actor in a movie.

Four-time nominee Toni Collette took home the night's first Globe for leading actress in a comedy TV series, for The United States of Tara. During a previous time at bat, the Australia-born star said she was "on the loo and totally missed" her category.

Another four-time nominee, Dexter star Michael C. Hall, was honored as the best actor in a dramatic series. Sporting a knit cap, as he is finishing treatment for cancer, Hall thanked his colleagues, for their "incredible collaborative energy"; his wife, actress (and Dexter costar) Jennifer Carpenter; and another family member. "Hi, mom," he said.

First-time winner Julianne Margulies, best leading actress in the dramatic series The Good Wife, acknowledged some of her sister nominees, saying "Glenn Close – I would bow down, but the dress would rip." She also thanked CBS chief Les Moonves "for believing in the 10 o'clock drama."

Actress nominees Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange helped collect the Globe for Grey Gardens, named best TV movie for the drama about Jacqueline Kennedy's eccentric Bouvier family cousins. Barrymore, accompanied by Justin Long, was eventually named the winning lead actress in a TV movie.

She apologized for being flustered as she made her acceptance speech – especially because "I've been in the room since I was 7 years old" – and thanked her producer "for taking a chance on me."

Alec Baldwin, it was announced, was at a benefit event and not able to collect his Globe as 30 Rock's best leading actor in a comedy series. For once, that NBC series did not win as top sitcom. Instead, that honor went to the Fox freshman comedy Glee, whose award, said its producer and co-creator Ian Brennan, was dedicated "to anyone who ever got a wedgie in high school."

Repeating its Emmy victory, Mad Men won for dramatic TV series.

Sir Paul McCartney presented the best animated feature award, noting, "Animation is not just for children. It is also for adults who take drugs." And the winner was Disney and Pixar's Up.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro helped pay tribute to modern master Martin Scorsese, this year's Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award winner. DeNiro likened the pairing of himself and his frequent director to an old married couple who still love each other but who stopped sleeping together.

As Nicole Kidman pointed out at the start of the show, stars wore special ribbons to the banquet to promote the message to help with the relief operation in Haiti.

Host Ricky Gervais opened the program with a PG-13-rated monologue in which he discussed plastic surgery on his penis, and how he wished he were holding his own instead of hosting the show at that moment. After also taking good-natured swipes at Steve Carell, Kiefer Sutherland and Angelina Jolie, he said, "Let's get on with it, before NBC replaces me with Jay Leno."

The full list of winners is:

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Mo'Nique (Precious)
Best Actress in a TV Series/Comedy or Musical - Toni Collette (United States of Tara)
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Miniseries or TV Movie - John Lithgow (Dexter)
Best Animated Feature Film - Up
Best Actor in a TV Series/Drama - Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Best Actress in a TV Series/Drama - Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Best Original Song/Motion Picture - The Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)
Best Original Score/Motion Picture - Michael Giacchino (Up)
Best Mini-Series or TV Movie - Grey Gardens
Best Actress in a Motion Picture/Comedy or Musical - Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie - Kevin Bacon (Taking Chance)
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie - Drew Barrymore (Grey Gardens)
Best Screenplay/Motion Picture - Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (Up In The Air)
Best Actor in a TV Series/Comedy or Musical - Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Best Foreign Language Film - The White Ribbon
Best TV Series/Drama - Mad Men
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Miniseries or TV Movie - Chloe Sevigny (Big Love)
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Best Director - James Cameron (Avatar)
Best TV Series/Comedy or Musical - Glee
Best Motion Picture/Comedy or Musical - The Hangover
Best Actress in a Motion Picture/Drama - Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture/Comedy or Musical - Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture/Drama - Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Best Motion Picture/Drama - Avatar
Cecil B. DeMille Award - Martin Scorsese

Brad Pitt for Sherlock Holmes Sequel?

Guy Ritchie is keen to sign up Brad Pitt to star in the sequel to Sherlock Holmes, according to reports.

The director, who worked alongside Pitt in 2000's Snatch, was rumoured to have considered the actor for a cameo role in the new big screen adaptation of the famous detective stories.

But Ritchie is now thought to be eyeing Pitt for the role of Holmes' arch enemy Professor Moriarty in the follow-up movie.

Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. have both reportedly already signed up for the second installment.

A source tells PopEater.com, "The director, Guy Ritchie, loves Brad. He has worked with him before and thinks he is one of the most underrated actors working today. Guy knows that everyone thinks of as a Pitt as a pretty boy and can't wait to turn him into the world's greatest supervillain. It will definitely make the sequel a must-see."

Paparazzi!: Partners in Crime

Now that's a dashing crime-fighting pair! Robert Downey Jr. puts the squeeze on costar Jude Law at the premiere of their film, Sherlock Holmes, in London's Leicester Square on Monday. The movie opens in theaters Christmas Day

Paparazzi!: Cementing His Status

Sherlock Holmes star Robert Downey Jr. leaves his mark in wet cement Monday in front of the world-famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Movei Trailer:Sherlock Holmes Fights to Save England

Rollicking fight scenes. Sexual innuendo. Witty repartee. Mystery. The new trailer for Sherlock Holmes has it all.

In the upcoming flick, directed Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr. plays Holmes as a brilliant, feisty – and ripped – detective on a mission to save England from his nemesis played by Mark Strong.

"Tomorrow, the world as you know it … will end," says a foreboding voice over from Strong.

"Well, there isn't any time to waste then," quips Holmes before leaping out a window.

Together, Holmes and his loyal colleague Watson (Jude Law) embark on a wild ride to thwart the evil plan.

The movie, also starring Rachel McAdams, hits theaters Christmas Day.

Brad Pitt in Talks for Sherlock Holmes Sequel

Brad Pitt has had discussions with the producers of "Sherlock Holmes" to star in a sequel as the detective's nemesis Moriarty, according to people familiar with the project.

No deal is in place for Pitt, currently in theaters with "Inglourious Basterds," and there's still three months to go until the first picture is released on Christmas Day.

Robert Downey, Jr. plays Holmes in the Warner Bros. project, which Guy Ritchie directed. Jude Law plays Watson, and Rachel McAdams stars as love interest Irene Adler. Much of the talent is expected to return in the new picture, as could Ritchie as director.

Pitt has been the subject of a litany of blog rumors as appearing in several shots of "Holmes" as Moriarty, but those familiar with the script say the character is in shadow and cannot be recognized.

It's increasingly common for a studio to begin developing sequels ahead of a movie's release, enabling a second picture to get into production faster than it normally would, and at a comparatively low cost. Warners began pushing "The Hangover," as the movie's prerelease buzz began to grow, though did not close deals until after the movie had begun raking in box office dollars.

Warners is keen on developing new franchises, with Holmes -- with its broad fan base and rich source material -- considered a very appealing candidate. The project would also mean Downey would star in a second franchise, after "Iron Man," while DreamWorks could build yet another franchise around him with "Cowboys and Aliens."

Guy Ritchie Warned on Gay Sherlock Holmes Movie

A former New York Post film critic warns director Guy Ritchie against the prospect of a gay Sherlock Holmes character, telling the Page Six gossip column that audiences feel no “hunger” to see stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law “impersonating homosexuals” in the upcoming film based on the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character.

In February, Downey, who plays Holmes, told the British tabloid News of the World that his character would experience heightened intimacy with his sidekick Watson, played by Law. "We're two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot, and share a bed. It's bad-ass," said Downey.

Law added at the time: "Guy wanted to make this about the relationship between Watson and Holmes. They're both mean and complicated."

However, critic Michael Medved deflates the idea in an interview with Tuesday's Page Six column.

"There's not a seething, bubbling hunger to see straight stars impersonating homosexuals," Medved said. "I think they're just trying to generate controversy … They know that making Holmes and Watson homosexual will take away two thirds of their box office. Who is going to want to see Downey Jr. and Law make out? I don't think it would be appealing to women. Straight men don't want to see it." As for who constitutes the other one third of movie audiences, Medved does not specify.

Medved, a self-identified conservative who is one of only a few critics known for rating the family-viewing suitability of films, has been criticized by critics like Roger Ebert for injecting his politics into his reviews.

Sherlock Holmes is scheduled for release on December 25th.

Robert Downey Jr.'s Man Crush

Will Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson be the latest bromance to hit Hollywood?

Robert Downey Jr., who plays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic fictional character opposite Jude Law's Watson in Guy Ritchie's remake of Sherlock Holmes thinks he and Law have some sexy chemistry together.

"It's called circumstantial homosexuality," he jokingly told the press at Comic-Con Friday, after leading lady Rachel McAdams suggested the film's central love story is really between the sleuth and his sidekick.

The two actors took to each other even before Law signed on to the part. Downey was sent to meet his future costar and "sell" him on the role and "Jude walks down the hall and my assistant – who never cares about anything – is standing in the hall and she's like, 'Oh my God, there he is!' He was dressed in that kind of fabulous, super expensive, under-dressed way.

"I said, 'Dude' – and literally before he said he was going to do the movie, before he said that he was available, before he said that he either did or didn't want to be courted, we just started talking like two serious actors about what would need to happen to make this work as a piece of straight drama. We just became really close really quickly, because we just rolled up our sleeves and started working from jump."

Downey said Law, who is currently performing Hamlet on stage in London, "is so the right arm of this movie."

But good thing for the ladies, the film isn't just about male bonding. Downey shares some romantic moments with McAdams – but "not enough for my taste," he said.

The actor calls his recent creative renaissance after too many years of being sidetracked by addiction issues, "pretty miraculous, but in a realm of miracles I think it's probably a two or three I guess.

Nonetheless it's mind-blowing to me."

Sherlock Holmes Trailer Features Robert Downey, Jr. in the Buff

Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes is sure to be a hit with the gays.

The director has vowed to emphasize Holmes’s physicality and the fascinating relationship between the detective, portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr., and his trusty sidekick Watson, portrayed by Jude Law. With Rachel McAdams thrown in for good measure, the flick is sure to be a box-office hit.

The newly released trailer previews some of the action to be expected, as well as some of Downey, Jr.’s skin, of which we have been told to expect much. Also of note – the last scene of the trailer, which depicts a tied-up Holmes propositioning the maid.

Watch the trailer below:

Star Sighting: Robert Downey Jr. Wears Heels

The secret is OUT! Robert Downey Jr. took the advice from designer Marc Jacobs and was caught recently wearing heels.

Is that a Pipe in your Mouth Sherlock?

The new Guy Richie movie Sherlock Holmes has an entirely new approach to this familiar character.

In a break from the traditional adaptations seen on the small and large screen, Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr, and Dr Watson, played by Jude Law, are seen sharing a bed. These two chums also enjoy man-to-man wrestling.

Robert Downey Jr was quoted in the News of the World as saying “We’re two men who happen to be room-mates, wrestle a lot and share a bed. It’s badass.” Jude Law added “Guy wanted to make this about the relationship between Watson and Holmes. They’re both mean and complicated.”

The film has already had it set backs as Guy was ordered to re-shoot five weeks of filming after he was told what had been done was not good enough by the studios. Apparently he had something else on his mind at the time. However the film is still planned to be released on schedule in November this year.