Apes of Wrath

It's the biggest monkey-related news since Koko the Talking Gorilla: Mark Wahlberg has just been cast in Twentieth Century Fox's upcoming Planet of the Apes as Col. George Taylor, following in the bare footsteps of the mighty Charlton Heston. Which is interesting, since at last month's MTV Movie Awards Wahlberg ad-libbed the following: ''Let's give [the Best Villain trophy] to Charlton Heston for being the head of the NRA.'' So does Heston think his replacement's a damned dirty pacifist? ''We live in a free country, and you have the right to shoot your mouth off,'' says Heston diplomatically. ''Freedom of speech, that's the First Amendment. And the right to bear arms is the Second.'' Heston says he doesn't know Wahlberg's work but is ''sure [Wahlberg] will be good'' in the Tim Burton-directed reinterpretation. Heston even has a helpful hint for the Perfect Storm star, who wasn't available for comment: ''He's got to have them design some fake naked feet...or he'll get killed running around on the rocks. You pass that on to him.''

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