Here's the rumor floating all over the entertainment blogosphere: Michelle Pfeiffer has been approached to participate in a remake of Grease.

I have not found any credible information confirming that a Grease remake is in the works; all of the references seem to be based on the same quote, and it's not entirely clear what the original source is. (It might be this, but I'm not completely certain.) Ergo, I feel a little sleazy spreading the rumor based on so little. But, apparently, I will anyway. Here's the quote in question:

"It's a great idea and I hear they would like to get Jessica Simpson for the role of Sandy, she would be good. I would love to play the school principal. She is fun and has some great put-down lines. I think I would like the part now that I have been asked."

I'm hoping this is not true for a number of reasons. First, this quote makes her sound stupid, and I prefer not to view Michelle Pfeiffer as stupid. Actually, it sort of makes her sound translated — as if the original quote was not in English. (Assuming that this quote is not fabricated, I'm hoping it's some paraphrased throwaway aside from a Stardust press thing.)

Second, remaking Grease seems like a bad idea. … continue reading

For those of you saddened by the end of the 2007 U.S. Open (congrats to Justine Henin, btw), rest assured that you can still watch women's sports on national television. And, no, I'm not talking about the Women's World Cup (most popular sport in the world, blah, blah ...) I'm talking about bowling! Set your DVRs now; ESPN will broadcast the 2007 U.S. Women's Open on five consecutive Sundays at 1:00 p.m. ET. According to the USBC (that's United States Bowling Congress) e-mail I received, "[t]he best women bowlers in the world will battle for the $25,000 top prize and prestigious U.S. Women's Open crown."

Why do I get USBC emails, you ask? Well, I have embraced the sport of the sedentary and am captain of a bowling team in a local GLBT league (emphasis on the G). Every week I head to Leisure Time Bowl in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan with my pink and black bowling shirt and my hot pink bowling ball (both inscribed "ACE"; yes, it's as classy as it sounds). It's kind of like the Pink Ladies and T-birds (circa Grease 2) redux: … continue reading

In honor of actress Michelle Pfeiffer's return to the big screen in Hairspray (2007) and Stardust (2007), Lori and I have devoted the second segment of this week's video blog (watch the first one here) to discussing some of the highlights of her acting career.

We cover cult classics like Ladyhawke (1985), Grease 2 (1982), and Batman Returns (1992); period pieces like The Age of Innocence (1993) and Dangerous Liaisons (1988); career misses like The Sum of Us (1999) and What Lies Beneath (2000); and a few of her more random films like The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and Dangerous Minds (1995).

For brevity's sake — and because it's our vlog and we can be selective if we want to — we haven't included all of Michelle's films in our discussion (I might have added Married to the Mob and Frankie and Johnny to the list, for example, if we'd had more time). But between her Pink Ladies jacket, her Catwoman leather, and her Fabulous red dress, there should be something here for everyone.

Now I'm going to have "Cool Rider" in my head all night.... … continue reading

On the heels of expressing my attraction/repulsion to the idea of Xanadu as a Broadway musical, I read that Dirty Dancing, the West End musical version of the movie, will launch a U.S. national tour in September 2008.

Cynthia Rhodes touching Jennifer Grey is just hotter, don't you think? … continue reading

But relative heat aside, the idea of this show simultaneously makes me cringe and hope that it could be fun.