One of the most exciting news I've read a few days ago is about the upcoming film entitled Nowhere Boy. It tells the story of social activist, pop icon and Beatles lead singer John Lennon. The film is based on a Memoir by Julia Baird who is John Lennon’s half sister. I enjoyed last year's Across The Universe, which indirectly paid homage to the Beatles by celebrating their songs, and was raring for more. This upcoming movie is definitely one of my most anticipated!

In this article, tMF takes a closer look at Julia Baird's Memoir and discuss casting posibilities on who should play John Lennon.

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The Book: Imagine This - Growing up with my brother John Lennon: Fans of the Beatles have always been fascinated with John Lennon. There have been a number of books and movies that put the spotlight on the pop icon- from his early days with the Beatles to his untimely death at the hands of an insane fan. But people wonder how about those years when John was not yet so popular? Wonder no more, as this book by John's half-sister will help you understand of the man. Here's an insight into the makings of the book:

Until now, the true story of John Lennon's childhood has never been told. John's sister Julia has herself been on a personal journey that has made it possible only now to reveal the full extent of the pain and difficulties as well as the happier times living inside John Lennon's family brought. Julia reveals the various strong, self-willed and selfish women who surrounded John as he grew up. The song, My Son John, To Me You Are So Wonderful was Julia Lennon's favourite, and the song that kept her going through the years that she was denied access to her son. She had a daughter adopted and taken away from her. She had John, and he was taken away from her, and then her life was taken at a tragically young age. In February 2007, she published a book called, Imagine This - Growing up with my brother John Lennon. [ read more ]

The last news we had on Heath Ledger's last film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, was rather bleak - US-based distributors were not very 'keen' to market the Terry Gilliam movie.

Hopefully, fans of the late actor can do something about it. The latest news is that a sort of teaser trailer has just been released to drum up interest in the film. Here's the teaser trailer as seen on Youtube:

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More about the movie: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is also cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality.

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Its incendiary title would be a lightning rod on its own. At first considered too controversial, Towelhead made its debut at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival as Nothing is Private, but was changed after “audiences universally complained that [the title] was pointless.” (1)

The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations recently protested, calling on Warner Bros. to change the title yet again, but Warner Bros. isn’t budging……a decision the book’s author applauds:

As an Arab-American woman, I am of course aware that the title of my book is an ethnic slur. Indeed, I selected the title to highlight one of the novel's major themes: racism. We live in a racist society, one in which people continue to use ethnic slurs to delineate those who are different than they are. Realistically speaking, though, these people are neither the audience for my book, nor for the film. They will continue to use whatever language they wish whether or not a movie called "Towelhead" is released. For this reason, I am pleased that Warner Bros. is standing by the title.” --Alicia Erian

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About the Movie: “Jasira wants something she can’t define; attention, love, acceptance or a normal life. Unfortunately she doesn’t know the right way to find it. When Jasira’s mother exiles her to Houston to live with her strict, quick-to-anger Lebanese father, she quickly learns what aspects of herself to suppress in front of him. In private, however, she conducts her sexual awakening with all the false confidence that pop culture and her neighbor's magazines have provided. The result is a funny, dark, bold and harrowing look at the confusion and misguided exploration of youth in America’s track houses, public schools and suburban wastelands.” (Official WB synopsis)

tMF picks some names among the current roster of young talents as the next set of top Leading Men! Who among Jim Sturgess, Emile Hirsch, Robert Pattinson and Shia LaBeouf do you think is leading man material? [ see results of our poll here ]

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There's a definition over @wikipedia about what makes a Leading Man, and I quote:

Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star. A good leading man could make a bad actress look better than she was and a good actress shine.

A leading man can also be an actor who is typecast in romantic roles. Less frequently, the epithet has been applied to an actor who is often associated with one particular actress, for example, Errol Flynn was Olivia de Havilland's leading man in several films, Spencer Tracy had a similar association with Katharine Hepburn; used in this sense, however, the woman is usually described as the leading lady of the man. The term is also used collectively, as in 'Hollywood's leading men' to refer to a group of notable, famous or popular actors. Some examples of modern leading men include Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Craig.

I don't agree with the definition 100%. For starters, someone playing a quirky character can be considered a leading man or someone playing gay can be considered a leading man too. That definition is too conservative for my liking, but what the heck!

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One of the biggest and most talked about topics among fans is: Who among the current batch of young actors will become the next future leading men?

The most successful leading men of the last two decades are getting older- Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Edward Norton, Tom Cruise, and to a certain extent Christian Bale, Leonardo Di Caprio, Matt Damon and Tobey Maguire to name a few.

It seems more and more filmmakers are turning to books for their next film projects.

The formula is not new, of course, but there is certainly a lot of excitement; especially for YA audiences. Here's the latest book to movie adaptation, this time from acclaimed author Deb Caletti. Here's a glimpse into the author:

I think being a writer is about who you are, more than about the task itself. It is a way of looking at the world, a state of observance coupled with a deep need to make sense of the life and the people around you. If this is truly you, you won't be able to help the desire to write, but you'll need to learn to write and write well. Read everything you can. That is the best way to learn - reading the bad stuff, reading the great stuff. Write, write and write some more, and submit your work wherever you can. More than anything else, focus on the goal and don't let go.

Being an author is one of the Big Dreams. You have a better chance of becoming a rock star or an astronaut, so persistence is everything. QUEEN, the first of my books to be published, was the fifth book I wrote. If I didn't have this feeling that being a writer was who I most was, and that giving up on the dream would be giving up on myself, I likely wouldn't have kept going. I was (and still am) motivated by my profound love and respect of books and the feeling that being a writer is the ultimate PRIVILEGE. If you want to be a writer, have the determination of a dog with a knotted sock. Sink your teeth in and don't give up. Become who you are, as Nietzsche said. That's author Deb Caletti.

Rory Culkin and Emma Roberts hit the right balance between savviness and clumsiness as teenagers who are smart enough to see what their parents try to conceal. Both show depth and a sure comic instinct, thanks to a script by writers who know the territory first-hand. They avoid the coy Sundance-style cuteness so often found in comedies about teenagers learning how dumb their parents can be, says ScreenDaily.

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Finally, something for the young audience at this year's Toronto Fest! Aside from Zac Efron's Me and Orson Welles, Lymelife is a coming-of-age film worth anticipating.

In the Spotlight: The Culkin brothers, Keiran and Rory, are talented young actors who have, time and again, shown us their ability to dive into their characters and turn in amazing performances. Keiran is of course known for his roles in Igby Goes Down and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. He was supposed to play the younger brother but due to the delays in the filming, he got older and was allowed to play the older one. Rory, on the other hand, is known for his roles in Mean Creek, Signs and The Night Listener.

Update:  James Franco will be hosting Saturday Night Live on Sept. 20th!

James Franco is more than just the villain or supporting actor that some might think he is. While he played second lead to Tobey Maguire in the Spiderman franchise, a number of upcoming projects may put Franco in a much brighter light. Aside from Milk, where he's part of the terrific ensemble cast, he's also in another high-profile film called Howl.

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Oh, why My Own Private James Franco? It's actually just a reference to his interview by the New York Times, where he mentioned the Gus Van Sant film as the reason why he decided to become an actor...

Here's more from The Hollywood Reporter:

David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker and Paul Rudd are attached to join James Franco as Allen Ginsberg in the beatnik biopic "Howl." Telling Pictures documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will make their narrative writing, producing and directing debut with the 1950s-era tale, focusing on the obscenity trial launched to censor Ginsberg's groundbreaking book-length poem. The pair were approached by the Allen Ginsberg Trust to make a film commemorating the 50th anniversary of "Howl."

Among the real-life characters featured in the film are prosecuting attorney Ralph McIntosh (Strathairn), Judge Clayton Horn (Alda), prosecution witness Professor David Kirk (Daniels), radio personality and prosecution witness Gail Potter (Parker) and literary critic and defense witness Luther Nichols (Rudd). Gus Van Sant is executive producing the project. WMA and Cinetic Media are onboard to assemble financing and handle sales.

Over at Geeks of Doom, there was a cool interview with The Forbidden Kingdom writer John Fusco, who talks about the main characters played by Jet Li and Jackie Chan. But there was also mention made of one of tMF's favorite young actors, Michael Angarano.

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I watched the movie and saw it again on DVD and I'm surprised that Angarano can get into character with such ease and style. After seeing him in Black Irish, one of my favorite Angarano movies, I'm amazed he can play such a different kind of role altogether.

Here's what Fusco has to say, when asked about Michael's character:

G.o.D: Michael Angarano’s character Jason is obsessed with kung fu and you have already mentioned your own background in kung fu. Did you transcribe part of yourself into him, yearning to learn kung fu from the best of the best?

JF: I feel blessed that I do, in fact, study kung fu with a highly regarded master from an amazing lineage. I also got to study with a famous tai chi master while we were working in China. When I was a younger guy, like Michael’s character, it was my dream to study with bona fide masters. I feel fortunate that I have gotten to do that and also make a movie with the two Bruce Lee’s of this generation. [ read more ]