He may be taking a breather from touring and performing, but Justin Timberlake continues to diversify his already ridiculously long résumé. In addition to the recently announced NBC show My Problem With Women (for which Timberlake, in a collaboration with Reveille, serves as an executive producer) and upcoming movie roles in The Love Guru (due out this June) and The Open Road (currently filming), the singer is also rumored to be hosting this summer’s ESPY Awards. But his music-production skills remain in high demand: Timberlake worked in London with Madonna, co-writing and co-producing five tracks on her new album, Hard Candy (out April 29) and appearing in Madge's new video, then traveled to New York to induct her into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. He was also spotted last week in the Austin recording studio of Spoon’s Jim Eno, where he and co-producer Charlie Sexton were wrapping up sessions with noted songwriter Matt Morris, one of the first artists signed to Timberlake’s own Tennman Records (check out video of the two in the studio here). “He’s kind of like Ray LaMontagne meets Elton John meets Stevie Wonder meets Rufus Wainwright,” Timberlake told us last year. “It’s time for the birth of the hybrid artist. I’m anxious to create an artist that the press has trouble labeling.” Next up: world domination.
Now here's something we didn't expect to see at South by Southwest: none other than Angelina Jolie strolling down Congress Ave. (Austin's main drag) just like any of the other 50,000 out-of-towners who have descended on the Texas capital. There she was on Wednesday, walking sans Brad Pitt, who is also in Austin filming the new Terrence Malick film, Tree of Life (co-starring Sean Penn). EW.com has learned that Pitt requested several tickets to see SXSW's hottest opening night show, R.E.M. at Stubb's Wednesday night, but was told that the band had maxed out their guest list, and while they'd happily take care of the super-star couple, they couldn't accommodate a larger entourage. As far as we could tell, Pitt and Jolie didn't show after that.
On the arrivals carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards, writer-director Todd Haynes (I'm Not There) told EW.com that his next directing project won't be a film; it'll be a commercial. "My first," he chuckled. "It's Heinekin. A great product, right? It's all these different little segments of unlikely people handing beer to each other, entering new worlds. It sort of has an Obama theme to it, in my mind." Haynes explained that the decision "had nothing to do with the writer's strike; it has something to do with me wanting to make some money." The ad will shoot in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Spirit Awards host Rainn Wilson says he's read the first script for the six post-strike episodes of The Office. "It's called 'The Dinner Party.' It's like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf meets The Office. It promises to be spectacular -- I say that with all sincerity."
And fellow Juno castmate Allison Janney has just signed onto American Beauty director Sam Mendes' next, untitled project. Written by David Eggers and his wife, Vendela Vida, the film is a romantic comedy road picture. In July, Janney will go to work in a stage adaptation of the 1980 comedy 9 to 5. "Dolly Parton is writing the music and Joe Mantello is directing," Janney says. "I'm doing the Lily Tomlin part. I'm trying to get my voice and my body in shape to do a musical." The show will preview first in Los Angeles before moving to Broadway.
Fox Searchlight confirmed today that Sam Raimi is attached to direct the Nicole Kidman-starring drama, Rabbit Hole. The film is not yet a go but the parts are slowly moving into place. Based on David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, which earned Cynthia Nixon a 2006 Tony Award, the project centers on a happily married couple whose lives are shattered by an unexpected tragedy. The two take an emotional, redemptive journey to regain their happiness. The movie would mark quite a departure for the director most closely associated with the Spider-Man juggernaut. Then again, Raimi did direct the 1999 Kevin Costner film For the Love of the Game; perhaps his journey will be a redemptive one as well.
It looks like Fox Atomic had such a good time making next year's Rainn Wilson-starring comedy The Rocker with producer Shawn Levy and his 21 Laps production company that they are doing it again. Now Levy & Co. will help produce the Fox subsid's next comedy, Space Invader, starring Will Arnett as the aviophobic son of a NASA legend who must overcome his fears to win back his girlfriend. Arnett, best known for his role as Gob in the beloved-but-canceled Arrested Development, has yet to show that he's a box office force. (His last two movies, The Brothers Solomon and Let's Go to Prison, both performed dismally.) Perhaps the help of Levy, who scored big last year directing and producing the Ben Stiller-topped Night at the Museum, will reverse that trend. Fido's Andrew Currie will direct.
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