Television
+ The season 3 finale of Weeds saw the suburban town of Agrestic
decimated by wildfires. Now creator Jenji Kohan reveals that the show's
theme song, the Malvina Reynolds ditty ''Little Boxes,'' is going up in
smoke, too. ''We rode that pony,'' she says. ''Nancy [Botwin, played by
Mary-Louise Parker] has gotten out of her little box. It just seemed
like a holdover from where we started. I want to get the audience on
board to a new adventure.'' To that end, Kohan promises a streamlined
opening-credits sequence when the Showtime dramedy returns on June 16.
''You gotta embrace change.''
+ For Grey's Anatomy fans who began the season wondering whether Dr.
Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) was gay and had even more questions after that
recent smooch, the May 22 season ender finally offered some answers. The
episode — which focused on Hahn's attraction to Callie (Sara Ramirez) — had us asking: For the love of The L Word, could these two eclipse Meredith
and Derek as Seattle Grace's It Couple? ''Callie and Erica have an
undeniable chemistry,'' teases creator Shonda Rhimes. ''And watching the
story unfold is something the writers are looking forward to. I wanted
to illuminate their relationship in the same way we do all relationships
on the show — it will be funny, sweet, honest, and a little bit dirty.''
Smith doesn't think Dr. Hahn is necessarily coming out of the closet,
but says she likes the idea of keeping the audience guessing into next
fall. ''When I talked to Shonda earlier this season, we felt it was too
obvious that a strong, powerful woman would be a lesbian. But why not?
I'm game.'' — Shirley Halperin and Lynette Rice
Movies
+ Jake Gyllenhaal has signed on to producer Jerry Bruckheimer's upcoming
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a fantasy-adventure epic based on
the videogame franchise. Gyllenhaal will play Dastan, a
sixth-century hero who pairs up with a princess (new Bond girl Gemma
Arterton) to prevent a nobleman from acquiring the all-powerful Sands of
Time. Director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) is
scheduled to begin filming in Morocco this July.
+ Summit Entertainment is planning to make a reimagined version of the
1986 sci-fi cult classic Highlander. Iron Man screenwriters Art Marcum
and Matt Holloway will pen the script. (One source tells EW that
Highlander doesn't preclude them from working on an Iron Man sequel, but a deal still isn't in place for that project.) No actor or director is
attached, but we're already hoping for a cameo from original star
Christopher Lambert. — Nicole Sperling
Music
+ Universal's record labels (which include Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Records) might be looking to stack the fourth-quarter decks. Sources say
the music industry's market-share leader is preparing a fall slate that
is likely to include new albums from marquee names like U2, Black Eyed
Peas, No Doubt, Pussycat Dolls, and Keane. Also on tap: long-awaited
efforts by Dr. Dre and Eminem, who is believed to have enough
material for his fifth studio album. A label rep couldn't confirm any
street dates, but if most — or all — of the albums get preholiday releases,
Universal will likely end the year with full domination of both the
charts and the ailing U.S. music market. — Shirley Halperin
Celebrate Memorial Day with BBQ and breaking news on our HI blog at hollywoodinsider.ew.com
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