Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff At War With John Cusack, 'Departed' Won't Die: Sundance File

PARK CITY, Utah — John Cusack has Iraq on his mind, and the war has inspired him to star in the just-purchased Sundance drama "Grace Is Gone," as well as a recently wrapped satire co-starring Hilary Duff. "We did another one called 'Brand Hauser', and it's another movie about Iraq. ['Grace'] is restrained and respectful because it's about families, but 'Brand Hauser' is about the people trying to exploit war — the war profiteers," Cusack said of the film, which he also wrote and produced. "That one's more like we're trying to take a fire hose and blow it right in their faces. Hilary plays a tacky pop star of Central Asia, and she's great. We had a great time, and she rocks in the film." Cusack's hope is that "Hauser," which is due in theaters later this year and will likely mark a rare 'R'-rated film for Duff, will entertain people but also remind them of the seriousness of the situation. "I watched the Bears go to the championship game, and I forgot about everything; the next day you hear on CNN that 22 people had been killed. How do you not address it?" Looking to the Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove" as his template, he hopes that "Hauser" will similarly skewer this conflict. "Believe me, if we could hit that, we'd be doing alright. Because [Strangelove]'s a classic." ...

"The Departed" just won't live up to its name. Last week MTV News brought you exclusive scoop on a possible sequel (and prequel) to the Martin Scorsese crime drama straight from the mouth of Mark Wahlberg. Now, we've heard from another star of the flick who's being coy. Vera Farmiga, co-starring with Sam Rockwell in the Sundance thriller "Joshua," danced around the sequel question when asked for comment at the festival. "Mark and I do survive, don't we? It's plausible then." Rockwell, for one, is curious — badgering his co-star and asking "Who's writing the script?" Farmiga laughed off his question but did posit a sequel title. "What's the opposite of 'The Departed'?" she smiled. "Maybe 'The Arrival'?" ...

Nick Cannon's fans might consider their favorite star versatile, but who knew that he was a zombie geek? "I've been a fan of those George A. Romero films, and I had the opportunity to get out there and cut some zombie heads off," Cannon grinned this week, telling us about his first horror role in this summer's "Day of the Dead" remake. "It was amazing; probably the most fun I've had on a film." Eager to be a part of the recent zombie renaissance, Cannon hopes that his violent Sundance flick "Weapons" and working with a zombie icon will open him up to a whole new audience. "[Romero] was the producer," Cannon said of the man behind such flicks as 1968's "Night of the Living Dead". "Steve Miner was the director; he created [several] 'Friday the 13th' [films], so he's another icon in the game. ...

The first two "Underworld" flicks were money-making successes, so where's the final chapter of the trilogy? According to star Scott Speedman, the studio wants a third movie, but he isn't sure if he and the series' other two driving forces will have anything to do with it. "I think they want to, I just don't know if everybody's going to be involved," said Speedman, who was disappointed after learning that his "Weirdsville" press tour wouldn't reunite him with his former leading lady after all. "The director [Len Wiseman] and Kate Beckinsale were supposed to be here, but she's sick," he said of Kate's nasty case of walking pneumonia. "I don't know if Len's going to want to do [another 'Underworld']; he's doing '[Live Free or] Die Hard' now, and stuff like that. It's a real hard movie to make." Though the box-office receipts from the first two make a third flick inevitable, Speedman held his ground. "If they're not doing it, I'm not gonna do it." ...

Oh Lord, won't you buy her a star-making role? Zooey Deschanel is at the Sundance Film Festival promoting her latest indie flick "The Go-Getter," but it's her next role as Janis Joplin that has fans predicting a big breakout. "It wasn't the type of stuff I listened to, which made it more interesting," the 27-year-old said of the classic rock behind "The Gospel According to Janis," a "Walk the Line"-like biopic she hopes to film later this year. "I always appreciated [Joplin] as a performer, but it wasn't until I got involved in that project — which, it still hasn't been made yet but I've been working with them for awhile — that I really started watching a lot of footage of her and listening to what she had to say, listening to her music and reading biographies about her. I find her not only a really fascinating performer, but also a fascinating person. And really intelligent; it's such a shame that it was so clouded by her dysfunction." Adding that "getting in touch with the dysfunction is probably going to be the most challenging thing," the tiny actress has been working hard to transform herself, but revealed she won't be gaining pounds à la Robert De Niro to portray the troubled rock legend. "She actually wasn't [overweight]. I've had a lot of people say that, but especially towards the end of her life she was very thin because she was back on drugs. She yo-yo'd. Physically, she was quite different than me, that's true; but that's just cosmetic." Deschanel (who sang in movies such as "Elf" and "Winter Passing") and director Penelope Spheeris plan on using makeup and prosthetics for the transformation. "I'm really interested to find out who [Joplin] was beyond 'Oh, she died of a drug overdose,' " Deschanel said of her most high-profile role yet. "That's what a lot of people think, and they don't realize what a truly gifted person she was." ...

It looks to be a difficult year for James Franco on the big screen. This summer he'll be tangling with none other than Spider-Man in the third installment of the blockbuster franchise, and soon after, Tommy Lee Jones will be on his case. While talking about his turn in the haunting Sundance drama "An American Crime," Franco clued us in on his small part in "In the Valley of Elah," writer/director Paul Haggis' eagerly awaited follow-up to "Crash." "It's based on a true story about some soldiers who return from Iraq and end up murdering one of their fellow soldiers," Franco outlined the plot. "Tommy Lee Jones is the father of the murdered soldier, trying to uncover what happened." Franco is one of Park City's heavy hitters, boasting a second Sundance role in director Justin Lin's Bruce Lee comedy "Finishing the Game." ...

Go west, young man — just don't expect to be happy. Playing in the Park City snow while promoting the quirky "Rocket Science," actor Nicholas D'Agosto spoke about another upcoming film that will take him from an idealistic young writer to a burnt-out statistic. "I did a film over the summer called 'L.A. Blues,' a comedy with Dave Foley and Anthony Michael Hall," D'Agosto revealed. "It's sort of a 'Diner'esque kind of thing about a bunch of guys that sit around a bar and talk about life, all bitching and moaning." While Hollywood may be called the Dream Factory, the entertainment industry kills the dreams of the five characters — leading one to attempt suicide. "All of us in some way have some connection to the business, whether it is entertainment therapy, actor or agent," D'Agosto said. "[My character] wants to be a writer. I come out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and by the end I'm bitter." It may sound depressing, but it's not, D'Agosto insisted. "It's an out-and-out comedy," he said. "There's a clip of me where I [pee] myself, which I think is kind of fun."

Hilary Duff’s Super Fan is Busted for Stalking

(EZ-Tracks) - Hilary Duff’s number one fan has been arrested for the crime of unrequited love and something along the lines of attempted murder. The super fan, Maksim Myaskovskiy, (an 18-year old Russian immigrant who’s only wish when he came to America was to meet the Duffster herself), was just sentenced to 117 days in prison, and 5-years probation for stalking. When Hilary Duff failed to recognize Maksim’s love for her, he went bonkers and threatened to kill her when he got the chance – thought the quote is unavailable, it’s assumed he said something to the affect of “If I can’t have you, no one can!” Fortunately, the police bagged Maksim before he had the chance to commit a heinous crime. Additional reports have also confirmed that Maksim was scheming to purchase a firearm in order to do something crazy to win the Duffster’s love. In other news, Hilary Duff’s former boyfriend is now dating Nicole Richie.

Hilary Duff & Sister Haylie Are Material Girls

To Ava (Haylie Duff) and Tanzie Marchetta (Hilary Duff), adult responsibilities consist of getting into the right clubs and making sure their shoes are in season. As the ‘faces’ and heiresses of their late father’s company, Marchetta Cosmetics, they’ve never had to develop any skills beyond looking good. They leave the running of Marchetta to their father’s trusted partner, Tommy (Brent Spiner) while their housekeeper, Inez (Maria Conchita Alonso), the only “mother” they’ve ever known, looks after their house. For the girls, life is one long party!

However, their world is unexpectedly turned upside down when a scandal erupts over one of Marchetta’s hottest products. Their assets are frozen. Their staff flees. Soon, their house and cars are gone and the two young women who had the world in the palm of their hand find themselves with nothing but the couture on their backs. Ignoring Tommy’s advice to sell the company to their arch rival Fabiella (Anjelica Huston), the girls set out to fight for the company that was once so precious to their father.

However this doesn’t come so easy to two material girls more used to the penthouse than the poorhouse. Can the girls grow up, take responsibility, use their initiative and put trust in others in order to clear their father’s name? In this funny and uplifting tale the girls finally discover who they really are and prove that whilst money might by you shoes, true happiness comes from within.

Teen sensation Hilary Duff’s first major film role was playing Wendy in Casper Meets Wendy. Her performance in the film led to her being cast in the title role of Lizzie McGuire in Disney’s hit TV series. The Lizzie Maguire Movie soon followed, as did other film work including the action-adventure Agent Cody Banks, the Steve Martin comedies Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen 2, the high school rom-com A Cinderella Story and The Perfect Man, opposite Heather Locklear. Hilary Duff's fragrance With Love...Hilary Duff will be in selected stores from 11 March, followed by her new single With Love, released 19 March, and her album which will be released nationwide on 2 April. For more information, visit hilaryduff.com.

Older sister of Hilary, Haylie Duff’s film credits include the award winning independent film Napoleon Dynamite, the coming-of-age drama Dishdogz, Dreams in the Attic alongside Shelley Duvall and the short, The Newman Shower, though Haylie is perhaps best known in the states for playing Sandy Jameson in the US television series 7th Heaven. Her additional TV credits include Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, Joan of Arcadia, American Dreams, Boston Public and Chicago Hope. Last year she appeared in the Broadway production of Hairspray and is currently working on her debut studio album.

Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston’s distinguished film career includes stand out roles in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums, Agnes Brown, Buffalo 66, The Addams Family, The Grifters, The Witches, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Prizzi’s Honor and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Director Martha Coolidge’s film credits include Rambling Rose, for which she was awarded the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director as well as The Prince and Me, Out to Sea, Three Wishes, Angie, Plain Clothes, Real Genius and Valley Girl among others. Her television credits include Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, starring Halle Berry, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination, as well as episodes of CSI and Sex and the City. Martha is currently in pre-production on Zorro 2110.

The MATERIAL GIRLS soundtrack includes a cover version of the classic Madonna hit of the same name, performed by sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff.

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