SCREENWRITER LEAVES 'STAR WARS 7'

20th Century Fox

The biggest question mark of the cinematic horizon is Star Wars: Episode VII. With the capability and artistic intentions of J.J. Abrams already up for debate and the murky promise (or threat) of Original Trilogy stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford looming as cast list potentials, all we need now is a writer to drop out to further stir up the uncertainty about the ultimate quality of our next foray into George Lucas' galaxy. And so it is. The Hollywood Reporter reports that screenwriter Michael Arndt is no longer involved with crafting the script for Episode VII, though no mention is made of why or how his departure came about. Filling in for Arndt on scripting duties will be director Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote Empire Strikes Backand Return of the Jedi.

On the one hand, the presence of Kasdan glimmer with the OT veneer: Empire is widely considered the strongest of the Star Wars movies, and it might be reassuring to some Lucasfilm purists to have a mind from the glory days on board. But it was that entrenchment to cling so adherently to the mythology and spirit of the originals that resulted in the Prequel Trilogy, a failure by the standards of most hoping for a revisit to the magic born in '77. As such, a talent independent from the Star Wars universe might have been favorable.

Maybe Arndt wasn't quite the right choice. He wrote the screenplays for greats like Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3 — two excellent movies in their own right, but ones that might not showcase his ability to handle a broad, fantastical world like Star Wars. In company with a partner known for this skill, perhaps Arndt's touch for the personal might have worked.

But we're left, instead, with Kasdan and Abrams. The former in position solely on the bounties of "legacy" (not always the best tool to use in rebooting a franchise), and the other amid a slow slip from grace after Star Trek Into Darkness and the more defensible but still sub-par Super 8. Both movies in which he exhibited his preference to put old toys in a glass case for us to look at rather than recreating and reimagining vast, fruitful ideas. So is the decision to bring on Kasdan more of Abrams' ploys to live through his nostalgia, or will Kasdan be able to channel his old stories in a new, inventive way?

JASON RITTER AND ALEXIS BLEDEL PREVIEW 'US & THEM'

FOX

Who better to play a couple that the entire viewing public will root for than the uncommonly adorable and blue-eyed Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel? That's their job in the upcoming Fox series Us & Them: to make us fall in love with them enough that we understand why their family and friends uproot their lives to bring the long-distance pair together. At a special New York Television Festival screening event on Tuesday night, Ritter (Gavin) and Bledel (Stacey) were joined by executive producer David Rosen and their castmates Ashlie Atkinson (Nessa),Kurt Fuller (Michael), and Dustin Ybarra (Archie) to air the pilot and talk about this American adaptation of hit British sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

The pilot recreates a few classic moments from the first series created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, but deviates widely in places. The arc of the developing long-distance relationship of our title characters, for example, won't move as quickly as the British six-episode season format demanded. The city/country action has moved from Essex and Wales to New York and the very real Dillsburg, PA, respectively. ("I have their weather on my phone!" Atkinson said.) The cast talked about the meshing of their ensemble (Fuller: "We would sit at the table and just laugh and tell jokes and before we knew it, an hour was up and we were doing the scene again.") which also includes a mini-reunion of The State with Michael Ian Black as Stacey's Uncle Brian (perhaps the fan favorite of Gavin & Stacey) and Kerri Kenny as her mom Gwen, plusMalcolm in the Middle super-mom Jane Kaczmarek as Gavin's mother Pam; the pressure of playing an existing character ("I started to watch [Gavin & Stacey] when we were shooting, but then freaked out and had to stop," Ritter said); and high hopes for the future of the show. Atkinson bet one of the producers that if the series is picked up for a full season, she'll get a real version of Nessa's bacon tattoo.

The future of the show looks murky at the moment — Fox halted production with only six episodes finished. Those will air early next year. We hope it gets another chance. Us & Them is the rare adaptation that has its own vision, voice, and a sparkling cast chemistry. The panel encouraged those who want to see that develop to tweet, Facebook, and email Fox to demand more.

'WITCHES OF EAST END' IS JUST WAY TOO MUCH LIKE 'CHARMED'

Witches of East End premiered to respectable ratings. A show about witchcraft on Lifetime makes you think of The Client List with spells instead of handies or a sorority of feelings, like Army Wives, with the occult. Instead, it’s looking a little too much like the popular series Charmed. Do the producers hope lightning strikes twice?

Charmed had notable B-list actresses fighting demons and being sisters in a red Victorian house in San Francisco. It lasted 198 episodes and became the longest running television series with all-female leads, untilDesperate Housewives. Almost 15 years later to the day, Witches of East End premiered with Julia Ormond, Mrs. Channing Tatum and spritely Rachel Boston fighting evil magic in a red Victorian on Long Island.

The image of a creepily similar house keeps the ghost of Charmed alive. The similarities are staggering. People trapped in paintings, people that turn into cats, and witches in the dark about their birthright were all popular plot points in Season 1 of Charmed. Jason George as a sexy police detective echoes Dorian Gregory as a sexy cop. Hell, even the addition of former Buffy cast member Tom Lenk is similar. Quite a few actors from Buffy appeared on Charmed.

Even the four character archetypes mirror the '90s WB series. Ormond as family matriarch seems a lot like Shannen Doherty’s type-A character, Prue. Tatum’s ne’er-do-well, bed-hopping character of Freya is not unlike Phoebe (Alyssa Milano). Boston’s high-strung but well meaning Ingrid could be a carbon-copy of Piper (Holly Marie Combs). Finally, Mädchen Amick’s snarky, sarcastic sister channels Rose McGowan’s Paige Matthews.

Similarities aside, Witches of East End doesn’t need to make allusions toCharmed. The dialogue is funny, the cast chemistry is palatable and in the realm of magic anything is possible. Hopefully later episodes find a new take on the realm of magic. If not, they should just include a character with a voice like Butters from South Park that screams, "Charmed did it!" each episode.

ARE KEANE REALLY THE MOST BORING BAND IN THE WORLD?

Despite becoming the first band since The Beatles to top the U.K. charts with their first five albums, the music world appeared to collectively shrug its shoulders at the weekend when Keane announced that they were taking a break after sixteen years together. One of many inoffensive piano-rock outfits to emerge in the wake of Coldplay's success, the East Sussex trio enjoyed huge success on both sides of the Atlantic in the mid-'00s. But they also became an easy target for the cooler indie fraternity, most notably with Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno, who famously joked that frontman Tom Chaplin's stint in rehab was more likely to be for port addiction than cocaine, and Noel Gallagher, who claimed that "whatever direction the band take, they will always be s***." But did they really deserve the 'Most Boring Band In The World' tag? Here's a look at five arguments in their defense.

"Is It Any Wonder"
Inspired by their disillusionment over the Iraq War, "Is It Any Wonder" proved that Keane weren't always overwhelmingly polite. Recorded whilst battling a drink and drugs problem, Chaplin has never sounded so impassioned on a squalling indie-rock anthem which channelled U2 at their chest-beating stadium rock finest.

Perfect Symmetry
To the surprise of everyone, Keane ditched their signature sound for third album, Perfect Symmetry, and instead looked to the widescreen '80s synth-rock of Tears For Fears, Simple Minds and David Bowie for a perfectly-executed pastiche which also produced their career-best single, "Spiralling."

"Stop For A Minute"
One of the more surreal collaborations of recent years, this lead single from 2010's Night Train E.P. saw one of the most quintessentially English bands of the '00s hook up with Somali-Canadian rapper K'Naanfor a wholly unexpected venture into hip-pop.

"Early Winter"
Not exactly a Keane song, although they did later give away their cover as a free download, the gorgeous soft-rock heartbreak of Gwen Stefani's "Early Winter" suggests that its writer and the brains behind the band, Tim Rice-Oxley, may have the more fruitful solo career.

"Dirtylicious"
Recorded for Radio 1's famous Live Lounge series, Keane proved they weren't averse to the odd bit of suggestive R&B with this inspired mash-up of Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" and Destiny’s Child's "Bootylicious."

GEORGE CLOONEY'S 'MONUMENTS MEN' PUSHED TO 2014

And another one bites the dust...

It seems like every week there's news of one other strong Oscar candidate bowing its head in defeat; this time around it's George Clooney's World War II drama that's giving up on the race. According toThe Los Angeles Times, Clooney's The Monuments Men has been pushed back to 2014, making it ineligible for the upcoming Academy Awards.

The high-profile project follows a World War II platoon that is tasked to rescue art masterpieces that have been stolen by Nazis, and then return them to their rightful owners. The film stars Clooney (who also directs), Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett. With such a star-studded cast, it's surprising that the studio is willing to give up on awards consideration, but according to Clooney, they simply can't finish the project by its original release date, Dec. 18.

"We just didn't have enough time," Clooney told the Times. "If any of the effects looked cheesy, the whole movie would look cheesy. We simply don’t have enough people to work enough hours to finish it."

The Monuments Men is hardly the first film of the year to push back its release date and take itself out of the running for an Oscar (however, this is an unexpected move since Clooney's film was already deep into its marketing campaign). Foxcatcher (starring Steve Carrell and Channing Tatum), Grace of Monaco (starring Nicole Kidman), and The Immigrant (starring Jeremy Renner and Joaquin Phoenix) have all been delayed until 2014. Additionally, Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street is being moved from Nov. 15 to Dec. 25, following speculations that it too would be shafted to 2014. While it's completely possible that the studios just simply don't have enough time to finish the films, there's also the chance that they're nervous to go up against a whole line-up of movies that are expected to sweep at the Oscars (we're looking at you, 12 Years a Slave and Gravity).

There is no longer a release date for The Monuments Men, but it's expected to hit theaters in the first quarter of 2014.

WHAT DOES 'SHERLOCK' SEASON 3 HAVE IN STORE?

Sherlock fans, the moment you've been waiting for has finally arrived: the third season of the massively popular show will premiere on January 19 as part of PBS' Masterpiece series, meaning that it will air back-to-back with the network's other successful import Downton Abbey. No UK premiere date has been set yet, although British fans will still be able to find out how Sherlock cheated death before their American counterparts, as the BBC has retained "first-window" rights to air the program. Fans have been waiting impatiently for new episodes for almost two years now, as the production schedule was complicated by the rising popularity of stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. However, Masterpiece's executive producer Rebecca Easton told Entertainment Weekly that although it has been a long wait, "This is about as quickly as we could have possibly got them on the air once they were made."

Viewers will be able to find out just how Sherlock faked his own death in the first episode, "The Empty Hearse." It will be based on the Arthur Conan Doyle short story "The Adventure of the Empty House," and will be written by Mark Gatiss, which fans should take as an encouraging sign. Gatiss is the writer behind two of the series' best installments: Season 1's "The Great Game" and 2's "The Hound of the Baskervilles." He's promised that his take might skew away from the source material some, particularly in the way that Watson reacts to his partner's return. It's going to be difficult to come up with an answer that satisfies both the story and the fans, but Gatiss has proved himself to be adept at handling twists and grounding the show's more outrageous moments in a sense of reality. Plus, his determination to have Watson react in a more realistic way should be able to set up a compelling conflict between the two characters for the rest of the season. 

The second episode will be penned by Stephen Thompson, who previously tacked "The Blind Banker" and "The Reichenbach Fall," the cliffhanger ending to Season 2. "The Sign of Three" will also introduce Mary Morstan, who marries Watson in Conan Doyle's original short stories. Although the writers were previously unsure about where to go with Mary and Watson's relationship, it seems as if (spoiler alert!) the two will indeed get married on the show as well. The role of Mary Morstan will be played by Amanda Abbington, who is Freeman's real-life partner, which hopefully guarantees that they will have enough chemistry to satisfy fans who are unsure about the fictional couple. It will be interesting to see what Thompson draws from the original story, "The Sign of Four," as it details the very beginning of Mary and Watson's relationship. 

Season 3 will come to a conclusion with "His Last Vow," which will take its inspiration from both the short story and collection entitled "His Last Bow." It will mark a bit of a departure for the series, as the story is more about espionage than a murder mystery. Stephen Moffat will be behind the finale, which means that the fan reaction is likely to be divisive. Moffat has gained an unfavorable reputation amongst some Sherlock and Doctor Who fans, and although he did a brilliant job with Sherlock's very first episode, "A Study in Pink," he is also behind "A Scandal in Belgravia," which is by far the series' weakest hour and a half. Based on his time writing finales for Doctor Who, there's a very good chance that the audience will be disappointed in "His Last Vow," although we're hoping he will be able to pull off something great. 

Sherlock and Watson will also have to face a new villain this series, after Jim Moriarty died in last season's finale. Danish actor Lars Mikkelsenwill take his place as Charles Agustus Magnussen. Based on his name, the character appears to be based on Charles Agustus Milverton, the master blackmailer who Sherlock dislikes more than any other villain he faces in the stories. It will be difficult for the series to top the psychopath they created with Moriarty, though, and it should be exciting for viewers to watch Sherlock and Watson take down a new bad guy. 

The third season of Sherlock will premiere on January 19 at 10 PM. But if that's still too long to wait for a Cumberbatch or Freeman fix, you can catch them both in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which opens on December 13

Jamie Dornan: From Model to ‘Fifty Shades’

Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan has been tapped to replace Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey in the Universal and Focus adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Dornan plays Sheriff Graham Humbert in ABC series “Once Upon a Time”; he’s also played a serial killer in BBC Two crime drama “The Fall,” and he appeared in Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette.” The 31-year-old thesp performs in an Irish folk duo and has modeled for Calvin Klein, Christian Dior and Armani. His modeling experience may be useful, as the part will require him to act in explicitly sexual scenes.

Dakota Johnson will co-star as Anastasia Steele, with Sam Taylor-Johnson on board to direct.

Universal and Focus Features declined to comment.

The project was hit with a huge curveball when Hunnam departed after being attached for just a month. Universal said Hunnam’s exit was due to scheduling issues with “Sons of Anarchy” and upcoming movie “Crimson Peak,” but some sources said battles over a rewrite and the actor’s doubts about the role may have played a part in his decision.

When Hunnam exited, U and Focus execs decided to go for more of a discovery and brought in Dornan and Billy Magnussen to test with Johnson last Friday. Though the studio considered bringing in more actors to test, as of Wednesday morning sources said no one else had been brought in.

Universal will now work quickly to land thesps for the remaining supporting roles that include Steele’s roommate Kate, a role for which U had already been testing actresses prior to Hunnam’s exit.

Michael De Luca is on to produce the adaptation of E.L. James’ sexy bestseller, which is set to bow Aug. 1, 2014.

Apple announces the iPad Air

The big iPad just got a little smaller. Apple has announced the fifth-generation version of its 9.7-inch flagship tablet, and as expected, the tablet has gotten its first major design overhaul since the iPad 2 came out in early 2011. It's now the "iPad Air."

The device will be available on November 1, and the entry-level 16GB price will start at $499 for Wi-Fi only and $629 with cellular data capabilities.

The large iPad will be getting a tidy performance boost from Apple's new 64-bit A7 SoC, which made its debut in the iPhone 5S. Apple is promising a 2x improvement in CPU performance and a 2x improvement in GPU performance over last year's fourth-generation model. The device also gets its Wi-Fi upgraded to MIMO technology, gaining multiple antennas that provide data transfer at up to 300Mbps over 802.11n.

The new iPad takes many of its cues from the iPad mini and the more recent iPhones, starting with the chamfered edges and the new silver and "space gray" rear shells. The tablet retains the same 2048×1536 display and 264 PPI density as the older Retina iPads, but shrinking the bezels around the display has made it smaller and lighter than previous models at 1 pound (compared to 1.44 pounds for the iPad 4). The tablet is also thinner than it was before, at 0.29 inches (down from 0.37 inches). In spite of its smaller size, the device also has a longer battery life: up to ten hours. Sadly, one thing it doesn't appear to have—at least, not yet—is a gold casing.

The iPad Air will be available in silver and white and space grey and black color options starting at $499 in dozens of countries on November 1st. An LTE version will be available starting at $629. Apple is also keeping the geriatric iPad 2 in the lineup for $399. All of the new iPads will be shipping with iOS 7.

Apple's event is still ongoing, and we'll continue to update this post as more details are announced. 

'Homeland' renewed for fourth season

Showtime has renewed Homeland and Masters of Sex for additional seasons, the network announced Tuesday.

“Homeland continues to prove its strength for Showtime, and is one of television’s most exciting, provocative and widely-discussed shows. It has grown its audience significantly in each of its three seasons,” said Showtime entertainment president David Nevins. “The critical and audience reaction to Masters of Sex since its great launch has been incredibly gratifying. It’s a privilege to get to work with such talented and creative people as Alex Gansa and Michelle Ashford, as well as their tremendous casts. They have each created truly original shows, with distinctive voices that are among the most admired series on television.”Espionage thriller Homeland is getting a fourth season, while freshman period drama Masters of Sex has just received a second season order. Both will return next year with 12 episodes each.

With Dexter having concluded this summer, Homeland is now Showtime’s most-popular series, averaging 6.5 million viewers across all platforms, up 26 percent from last fall. Masters of Sex averages 5.4 million.

Kelly Clarkson Weds Brandon Blackstock

Kelly Clarkson is married! 

After plenty of speculation about whether she and fiancé Brandon Blackstock would elope after they canceled their original wedding plans, Clarkson confirmed the happy news via social media on Monday, Tweeting, "I'm officially Mrs. Blackstock :) We got married yesterday at Blackberry Farms in TN, the most beautiful place ever!" 

The singer shared two photos from her big day, for which she donned a long-sleeved lace gown. 

Back in February, she described what she would wear at her nuptials as "my personality in a dress. A little rock 'n' roll. A little tattered. Nothing like a princess thing!" 

Up until her December 2012 engagement to Blackstock, 35, (who has two children, Savannah, 11, and Seth, 7, from a previous marriage), the pop singer wasn't sure she'd ever get married. 

"I've only had three other boyfriends that I dated, and not really seriously," Clarkson, 31, told PEOPLE earlier this year. But when she met the music manager at a rehearsal for the American Country Music Awards in 2006, she immediately thought he could be someone special. "This guy walks by, making everybody laugh. I said, 'I'm gonna end up with him. I know it,' " she said. 

Cee Lo Green Charged with Supplying Ecstasy

Cee Lo Green could face up to four years in prison after being charged Monday with giving a woman ecstasy. 

The Voice mentor, 39, was charged with one felony count of furnishing a controlled substance to an unidentified 33-year-old woman in July 2012, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. 

Green, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, was allegedly dining at a restaurant in downtown L.A. with the woman when he slipped her ecstasy, according to the statement. The two later went back to the woman's hotel room. 

Prosecutors declined to file a sexual assault charge against the TV personality, who was originally accused of rape of an intoxicated person. Prosecutors cited insufficient evidence and ask that his bail be set for $30,000. 

Sandra Bullock covers her face with spooky

Sandra Bullock covers her face with spooky makeup while attending a Halloween party with her son Louis on Saturday afternoon (October 19) in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

The 49-year-old actress and her baby boy both looked great in their skeleton outfits.

BRITNEY SPEARS TEASES POSSIBLE UK TOUR

STAR SAYS SHE HOPES TO FIT BRITISH FANS IN AROUND LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY...

Britney Spears has given British fans a boost with a hint that she could come back to tour the UK again.

Despite signing up for a high-profile Las Vegas residency, she let slip that she still hopes to perform gigs in Britain and other countries.

Speaking to Capital FM, Britters said: "There is a possibility for me to come back and do the UK and maybe Australia, Japan and a couple of places."

Britney will be starting her Piece Of Me shows at Planet Hollywood in Vegas on 27 December, and the residency will run throughout 2014 and 2015.

She has been on a promotional tour of the UK in recent days - including an appearance onAlan Carr's Chatty Man on Friday.

Microsoft Surface Pro 2 review: The Windows 8 tablet to go for?

The Surface Pro 2 is a beautiful thing to hold. It has a stunning screen and a build and design quality that rivals Apple's iPad and MacBook Pro range.

Crucially though, rather than aping what Apple does so well, Microsoft has built a product that feels truly unique. It looks different to everything else, but feels just as special to hold as an iPad.

© Digital Spy

The Surface logo on the back of the tablet

It's a shame then that the excellent build quality is let down by what continues to be a slightly confused and jumbled operating system. Windows 8.1, despite improvements, just can't make its mind up.

Is it a tablet OS? Or is it for desktop? The Surface Pro 2 feels like both, but neither the tablet nor the desktop side offers an experience good enough to replace conventional choices.

Hardware and Design

The Surface Pro 2 as we have already said, is exquisitely put together. The entire device feels very solid and the matte black metal back is perfectly offset against a single Surface logo. Very cool.

New to the Surface Pro 2 is a revised kickstand that folds out in two stages from the back of the tablet, in order to try to make it more stable when being used on your lap. While it is indeed more stable, we still didn't find the lap-based typing experience that comfortable.

The Surface Pro 2's bulk is cleverly hidden. If you were to stretch it out with a rolling pin, then it would probably be just as thin as a MacBook Air.

Sony working on 'Little Women' adaptation with Olivia Milch

Sony Pictures will adapt the classic novel Little Women.

The studio has enlisted newcomer Olivia Milch to write the script.

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women explores the lives of the four March sisters as the Civil War plays out in the backdrop, Variety reports.

Denise Di Novi (Crazy Stupid Love) and Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) have been tapped to produce the feature.

Sony's last effort with the classic tale was released in 1994 from director Gillian Armstrong (Oscar and Lucinda).

The film starred Susan Sarandon (Bull Durham), Winona Ryder (Heathers), Kirsten Dunst and a very young Christian Bale.

Johnny Depp presents Christopher Lee with BFI Fellowship

Sir Christopher Lee was presented with a BFI Fellowship by Johnny Depp last night.

The Lord of the Rings actor's outstanding contribution to film and television was recognised at the 57th London Film Festival Awards.

Depp made a surprise appearance at the ceremony to honour Lee with the highest accolade the organisation gives out.

BFI chief executive Amanda Nevill said: "The BFI Fellowship is awarded to those at the pinnacle of their profession.

"It is a truly illustrious moment to be honouring Sir Christopher Lee for his enormous and unique contribution to film during a festival that is committed to excellence."

Elsewhere at the ceremony, which took place at The Banqueting House, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida was awarded 'Best Film'.

The 'Best British Newcomer' prize went to screenwriter Jonathan Asser for his debut feature Starred Up, while the Sutherland Award for the most original and imaginative feature debut was presented to Anthony Chen for Ilo Ilo.

Paul-Julien Robert's My Fathers, My Mother and Me won 'Best Documentary'.