The Jonas Brothers are going to stink, and that's not a prediction about their musical future. No, this is entirely about the plot of their first feature film, which is being adapted from a series of children's books titled Walter the Farting Dog, reports Variety. The books look kind of cute, actually. It's hard to resist a dog who looks so embarrassed by his own odiferous wind. The movie, like the book series, is about a "fat dog with severe flatulence" who helps to rescue his new family using his intestinal fortitude. Meanwhile, the Jonas Brothers will be doing their music thing, which, as far as I can tell, is where the movie will differ from the books.

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Get ready for some Intolerable Cruelty to animals! Or rather, from animals. Rumor has it that the man who stares at goats may soon be running for his life from seagulls, as George Clooney has supposedly been tapped to star in the remake of The Birds. This makes the movie a lot more tolerable for Rod Taylor, who starred in the original version. That doesn't mean he likes it, but he swears he'll withhold judgment now that Clooney's rumored (though not attached... yet).

However, even though the talented Naomi Watts has been rumored as the one to replace Tippi Hedren in the lead female role, Hedren isn't a fan of the remake, saying that Hollywood needs to come up with original movie ideas. She said: "Can't we find new stories, new things to do? Must you be so insecure that you have to take a film that's a classic and try to do it over?" Hmmm... Wait, who's the insecure one? The one who is upset that someone dare remake a film in which she starred, or the people taking a stab at it? I'll let you solve that puzzle for yourselves.

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Two sequels that couldn't be any more different if they tried battled it out at the box office this weekend, and it turns out the cheesy dancers beat out the crazed, torture-inflicting madman. That's right, High School Musical 3: Senior Year out-muscled Saw V -- and, if you listened closely, you could almost hear the sound of Disney execs crying that they had released the first two HSM movies on TV. Just look at all those buckets of money they could have made if they'd only released in theaters. (Not that the HSM franchise hasn't made Disney more money than most of us can fathom anyway.)

However you look at it, those two very different wide releases helped the overall weekend box office figures, as HSM 3 brought in $42 million and Saw V added another $30.5 million. Oh, and given that Mamma Mia! set an opening weekend record for a movie musical with a $27.6 million opening back in July, HSM 3 just became that record holder by a landslide.

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In many ways, Cleopatra was a woman ahead of her time. Through political machinations, she sought to secure her place in history, and if she could have seen into the future, she would have seen that her fame lived on, even if her empire did not. She would have also seen that she'll be getting the high-tech treatment as Steven Soderbergh plots to bring her story to the big screen. According to Variety, the director is planning to tell the story of Egypt's final pharaoah as a rock musical -- and it will be in 3-D. If she'd known this would some day be her fate, Cleo may have opted for a life of obscurity. [I think we're eight years beyond that. Have you seen Cleopatra 2525? - Zach]

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Thinking outside the box is not a new concept in Hollywood. I mean, this is the town that said, "I know! Talking, dancing Chihuahuas!" and then actually made a bunch of money. So, it may come as little surprise that they're doing the same thing with The Trial of the Chicago 7, an upcoming DreamWorks project about the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention and the events that followed. And by "same thing" I don't mean talking, dancing Chihuahuas. Praise be. Written by Aaron Sorkin, the political drama has had a few directors who've come in for talks about attaching themselves to the film, including Steven Spielberg, Paul Greengrass, and Ben Stiller. No, you totally read that right. Stiller is the latest in a line of helmers that have been in discussions to work on the film, even though this project is decidedly different in tone from the rest of the director's oeuvre. Not that a guy can't change direction or want to work on something a little bit different, but it seems an interesting choice.

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I'm not going to lie -- Zac Efron, for all the High School Musical-y stuff he's done (I can't drive two blocks without seeing him jumping ecstatically in a cap and gown), earned my respect for his stint as Link in Hairspray. For all the fun I'd normally make of a guy with hair as floppy and in need of cutting as his, I won't, because what John Waters has joined together, let no blogger put asunder. So, it is with humility and a straight face that I bring you the news that the Footloose remake that will star one Mr. Zac Efron, has gotten the blessing of Kevin Bacon. I'm sure we'll all sleep better.

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Seth Green has built up a long résumé as actor, writer and producer in a relatively short time, and he's about to add first-time movie director to the list. He tells Moviehole that he plans to direct The Freshmen, an adaptation of a comic book he and Hugh Sterbakov created for Top Cow Productions. (Hey, that's my old alma mater, too!) The story, as Green describes it, is a cross between Revenge of the Nerds and X-Men, and revolves around a group of misfit kids just starting off in college only to find themselves beset by mostly minor super powers. One guy compulsively hoards nuts, another has intoxicating belches, and another guy's lengthy endowments suddenly give "freshman fifteen" a whole new meaning.

If you're a college kid yourself and wondering how you'll find the money for movie tickets in your already tight ramen noodle budget, don't panic. You've likely got a wait ahead of you, as Green won't be rushing into production to ride the ever-growing wave of comic book movie popularity. In fact, according to the report, he's just now writing it and only plans to "make it when it's ready." Green says he also wants to secure independent financing to the tune of an estimated $35 million and needs pin down a studio for release.

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Variety reports that Brad Pittand Warner Bros. are teaming up for their second Homeric adaptation. The first one was Troy, which was loosely based on "The Iliad", and had Pitt running around showing off more than just his Achilles' heel. Now they're combining forces again, and this time it's to bring "The Odyssey" to the big screen. If you thought their first effort was a loose adaptation, just wait till you find out that this one will be set in space. Outer space. That's that big black thing in the sky that's full of stars. So Odysseus' ships will probably have hyper-drives, his son Telemachus will be an android, Poseidon will be a Vogon, and Odysseus will be called Major Tom.

It's like they took the things in Troy that inspired some of the most common criticisms and multiplied them exponentially. If people thought the last adaptation was too modern and took too much artistic license, just wait till the gods are replaced by laser beams and teleporters. Or maybe by setting the action so far off the course of the original, they're hoping to avoid the ire of critical pans and historical nitpickers. I guess it's harder for people to complain that the ancient Greek setting is inaccurate if there is absolutely no ancient Greek setting.

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With Josh Brolin getting a lot of press lately for playing a letter of the alphabet and signing on to play Jonah Hex, I naturally wondered when someone would pounce to make a sequel his first big movie, The Goonies. As it turns out, Richard Donner -- who directed the 1985 hit about a motley crew of adventurous kids -- had already been working on a follow-up. Sadly, sequels just don't seem to be happening for Donner lately, and even with Steven Spielberg enthusiastically on his side, things just didn't quite come together, according to Variety. Goonies never say die, though, so Donner is working hard to make sure they'll live on... in a Broadway musical.

It's not as crazy as you might think. Well, maybe not. At least The Goonies already had a lot of musical elements built right in, from poor Chunk's "Truffle Shuffle" dance to Mama Fratelli's fateful rendition of "Rock-a-Bye Baby" to Andy's encounter with the booby-trapped piano. Then, of course, there was Cyndi Lauper's video contribution, "Goonies 'R' Good Enough." So it's not completely out of nowhere to turn it into a Broadway musical, unlike, say, Spider-Man.

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Perhaps spurred on by the recent drama of the world's financial markets, the Wall Street sequel that's been in pre-production since last year is finally getting put on the fast track, according to Variety . The original film starred Michael Douglas as the famously unscrupulous corporate raider Gordon Gekko, who was so slimy he might have oozed the very oil that slicked back his hair. 20th Century Fox reportedly wants Douglas back for Money Never Sleeps, which has his character being released from a stint in prison. Douglas may be tired of being associated with the character, though -- just a few weeks ago, he snapped at reporters who wanted him to answer financial questions as Gordon Gekko. [To be fair, I, too, have no tolerance for reporters who ask actors to role-play. - Zach]

Providing that they can get Douglas back for the role, what should happen to ol' Gordie when he gets out of the clink? Here are a few ideas.

Gekko is confronted by angry pensioners who were screwed over by Wall Street. They sell his organs to make rent.

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A scene in Iron Man teased the possibility of Tony Stark's right-hand man Jim Rhodes some day donning a suit of armor of his own to become War Machine. The role was played by Terrence Howard, who, thanks to Marvel Studios' success, looked to have a long franchise ahead of him, as well as possibly a spin-off movie of his own. That's all changed, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which is reporting that Howard is out of the sequel. Don't worry, though -- Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes will still be there. It's just that he'll be played by Don Cheadle, instead.

There was no comment from Marvel about the switcheroo, but apparently there were sources who said money was one of the reasons they were unable to seal the deal with Howard. The change may be jarring to some fans, but it may end up working out well for Marvel. According to the report, the studio had been aiming to work with Cheadle for some time, and Howard's ouster finally gives them that chance.

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Do you think cancer is funny? If so, you have something in common with Seth Rogen, who will produce (with his writing-producing partner Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin of The Daily Show) the autobiographical comedy I'm With Cancer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rogen -- who will be seen later this month in what looks to be another as-offensive-as-it-is-funny movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno -- will also have a small role in the film.

I'm With Cancer was written by Will Reiser -- who's worked as a producer on Da Ali G Show and Best Week Ever -- about his own struggle to beat cancer. (The movie is about a 25-year-old who is diagnosed.) If you combine an Ali G producer with Rogen and Goldberg, and it's sure to be irreverent, offensive, and completely hilarious. It also will probably be poignant, but not in the on-the-nose, tugging-at-the-heartstrings way that most cancer movies are. (I'm looking at you, Stepmom and Terms of Endearment.)

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"I know you... I walked with you once upon a dream..." This might sound odd, but I often break out into that song. After all, Sleeping Beauty is one of the greatest love stories of all time. And, now I'm not stuck with just listening to the soundtrack on my iPod. Why? Because the limited edition Sleeping Beauty DVD is in stores!

Here are a few fun facts to keep in mind while watching the newly restored version.

- Walt Disney wanted the Sleeping Beauty style to be different from his other films, so he asked his artists to create "living illustrations." That meant that they hired actual people to dress up in the costumes before drawing the animation. Check out the example of Maleficent:

- 19-year-old Mary Costa was cast as the voice of Briar Rose. She was still in high school when the movie was being made. Walt Disney did not meet Mary in person until the movie was complete, as she didn't want her looks or personality to potentially influence the animation.

- In the original Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, there are seven fairies. The Disney team decided to use three: Flora (dressed in red), Fauna (dressed in green) and Merryweather (dressed in blue).

I've always been a huge fan of Merryweather, which leads me to wonder...

Lastly, if you want to relive your childhood, play Connect the Dots with Maleficent!

Don't step to the Emmys, y'all. Every once in a while, they get it right. Case in point: the genius that is 30 Rock. Now I won't lie -- pound for pound, I much preferred Season One to Season Two. Not only was there a butt-ton more of it, it was slightly more outrageous than Season Two. But hey, I'm sort of splitting hairs because all 30 Rock is good 30 Rock. Sort of like pizza... even when it's not great, it still kicks ass. I paraphrase, of course.

Now on to the important stuff. Assuming you will be purchasing the Season Two DVD set, here's what you'll be getting:

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of the better apples to have fallen off the Apatow wagon in recent years, and those who saw it in the theaters would be hard pressed to imagine that they really left anything out, considering the sheer volume of male full frontal nudity. Indeed, the uncut version doesn't add too much to what we already enjoyed in the Cineplex, with the possible exception of an entirely unexplored character in the form of Kristen Wiig as a (surprise!) passive-aggressive yoga instructor. The real meat (pun intended) of this 3-Disc collector's edition DVD lies in the fairly extensive deleted scenes, which serve to highlight the serious comedic talent of the film's lesser players (Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader). Seriously there is a lot of bonus material here, so brace yourselves. At least you'll know you're getting your money's worth.

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Brace yourselves, Loveburger fans. This is the deluxe Can't Hardly Wait set you've been waiting for. I know I can't be alone in my adoration of this movie, because otherwise, why would they make it, and why would the cast agree to do so many extras? I believe this last-night-of-high-school party flick holds a special place in the hearts of many, and that legion of devotees will not be disappointed. In fact, might I suggest throwing a kick-ass party specifically to celebrate watching this with your friends? Crank up the "Paradise City," drink so much you can't feel your legs and then end up getting the shindig crashed by the cops? It would be awesome.

Even if you don't want your house destroyed and for people to hook up in your bathroom, there's still a lot of fun to be had here. Mostly because of Seth Green. The plot synopsis:It's the last night of high school, there's a bitchin' party and everyone tries to get either one last dig at their mortal enemies, hook up with the girl of their dreams or right some other wrong. It came out a year before the similarly themed American Pie so it's slightly tamer, but it has one of those who's who in pop culture kind of casts that make it a culty favorite. I guarantee you that someone you know has quoted this movie to you at some point, even if you didn't realize it at the time.

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What do you get when you take Jack Black, The Bourne Identity, and a couple of pretty talented comedy writers? About what you'd expect, really. The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Black was teaming up with Kung Fu Panda writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger for an untitled, live-action, action-comedy at Universal. Described as a comedic The Bourne Identity, the project, which was picked up as a pitch for a seven-figure deal, will see Black as an American who finds himself washed up the shores of Cuba with no idea of who he is and how he got there. He comes to the conclusion that he must be a superspy, though in reality he is far from one. Sure, that's kind of obvious, but I'll probably go see it. For one thing, in a statement to THR, writer Berger said "if he did turn out to be a superspy, this wouldn't be a 'comedic Bourne Identity,' but just The Bourne Identity, and apparently Universal has already made that movie, several times." Which, I'm not going to lie, totally made me snerk, and anyone who can make me snerk in a print interview can pique my interest enough to shell out $10 at the multiplex. Let's face it, I've gone to see movies for a lot less.

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