The proliferation of poker productions continues -- with at least three big-screen movies, in addition to such TV fare as celebrity-poker tourneys and reality TV. With Curtis Hanson's "Lucky You" drama with Robert Duvall, Drew Barrymore, Eric Bana and Jean Smart, due Sept. 15, Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces" is in hold 'em mode -- now due in January. That's the action-comedy with a cast including Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Alicia Keys and Jason Bateman.
And now, add to the lineup "Positively Fifth Street." If all goes as planned, writer/producer/director John Ridley ("Undercover Brother," "Three Kings," "Barbershop: The Series") reports he'll be helming the big-screen adaptation of the James McManus novel in the fall.
"We finished the screenplay, and we're really close to going after some actors and making some money offers," says Ridley. "It's Jim's true story of playing an unbelievable string of poker in the World Series of Poker at the casino owned by the Binion family while a murder trial was going on, because Ted Binion had been murdered by his mistress. Jim almost became an investigative journalist looking back on this guy's life and how he ended up getting murdered by his stripper girlfriend. What's more Las Vegas than that? It'll make a really terrific, very adult film."
Ridley is juggling preproduction on that flick with work on his latest hot comic-strip series, "The American Way," about a black superhero dealing with the politics and civil rights of the early '60s, a talk show he's developing for Showtime and his duties as a correspondent for the award-winning PBS newsmagazine show, "California Connected." On the next segment, which gets its L.A. premiere tomorrow (6/30) (and can be found at californiaconnected.org), Ridley uncorks the bogus business of bottled water. "You assume it's clean, as did I, but it doesn't take much research to find there's not a lot of standards for bottled water," he says. According to him, about one-quarter of bottled water is just tap water, and a good percentage is not even as pure.
PLAYING IT BY EAR:
Look for Alanis Morisette's performance as a homeless woman in an episode of Lifetime's "Lovespring, International," coming up later this summer. "She did the show last week and she's such a pro, she just nailed it -- so funny and so in the moment, eating Velveeta off the floor and doing crazy, crazy things," reports Wendi McLendon-Covey.
McLendon-Covey's been getting her own credit where it's due as well, recently cheered by TV Guide as the "new queen of improv comedy" for her work in Comedy Central's "Reno 911!" as well as the "Lovespring" show, set in a dating service, that boats Eric McCormack as one of its producers.
She says juggling the shows has proven to be no problem. "They've fallen into place perfectly. Initially, Lifetime said they wanted six episodes of 'Lovespring,' and then they said, 'Let's do seven more.'" Wendi will finish up those episodes, then get back to work on "Reno" in July. She filmed the "Reno 911!" feature -- in 20 days -- this past January. "That one won't come out 'til next spring," she notes.
WHO'S THE BOSS?:
Cleo King was introduced on "Deadwood" last weekend as tycoon George Hearst's (Gerald McRaney) cook, Aunt Lou. Oh, but she's much more than that, King makes clear. "My character is Hearst's right-hand person. She does everything for him. And she likes Hearst, but as my grandmother used to say, she also deals with him with a long-handled spoon."
The actress -- who plays Jamie Foxx's sister in the upcoming big-screen "DreamGirls," and has completed the indie film, "Hood of Horror" with Snoop Dogg and Billy Dee Williams -- says she's in actor's heaven in "Deadwood" creator David Milch's world. "It's like a spiritual experience working with that man," she declares. "He's off the chain! As he says, he waits to hear from the muse, and just gets it out of the universe somehow. And when his clarity is not there, he doesn't write! Many times we're at work and there's nothing to do. Then you might get a call at 10 o'clock at night saying 'David wrote a scene for you, can you come in tomorrow morning?' I've never seen it happen this way, and I've been in this business for over 20 years."
THAT'S ONE POSITIVE:
Although more and more celebrities like Bruce Willis are hitting back at the ultra-aggressive paparazzi, rapper LL Cool J tells us in his view, it's all part of the business. "I don't have crazy experiences with paparazzi, especially in America. Overseas they go nuts, but here in America, it's all good."
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