The Weekly Ketchup: Sundance Reviews, Oscars Announced, Connery On "Indy 4," And More!

In this week’s Ketchup, our correspondents from The Sundance Festival gave their thoughts on several premiering films, and the Oscar nominations were first announced, then debated.

Also, Sean Connery spoke about whether he’ll appear in the next "Indiana Jones" adventure, the official "300" poster was unveiled, and this week’s "Spider-Man 3" tidbit came in the form of more movie stills. Read on for more.

This Week’s Most Popular News:

Sundance News: "Chicago 10" Disappoints; Dakota Fanning’s "Hounddog" Violating Child Pornography Laws? "Crazy Love" Causes Bidding War
Since the Sundance Film Festival started two days ago, three films have already drawn extra media attention. "Chicago 10," Brett Morgen’s highly anticipated follow-up to "The Kid Stays in the Picture," disappointed critics; "Hounddog," starring Dakota Fanning, might face a child pornography violation; and "Crazy Love," with its wild and disturbing love story, generated a bidding war between indie distributors. What will the rest of the week bring?

Oscar Nominations Announced: "Little Miss Sunshine," "Dreamgirls," "Borat" Deemed Worthy
The expected heavy hitters made the grade — Scorsese, Whitaker, "Dreamgirls" — but there were a handful of surprises…let’s just say, if you thought you’d never read "the Oscar-nominated ‘Borat’" in print, think again! The nominees for the 79th annual Academy Awards are in!

Connery on "Indy 4"
Dark Horizons reports that Sean Connery has told UK Teletext that he’s waiting to read the "Indiana Jones 4" script before he makes a decision as to whether or not he’ll reprise his role as Indy’s dad, Dr. Henry Jones, who first appeared in the series’ third installment, 1989’s "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Final "300" Poster Unveiled!
Ah, the battle of Thermopylae: 300 Spartans, squaring off against an enormous herd of bloodthirsty Persians, and redefining courage and sacrifice in the process. You probably fell asleep when your high school history teacher tried to tell you about it, but luckily, Frank Miller used it as the inspiration for a graphic novel; since filmmakers seem to really enjoy adapting Miller’s books, the battle of Thermopylae will be hitting screens March 9 in the form of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Zack Snyder-directed "300.

Look Out! Screenshots of "Spider-Man 3"
It won’t arrive in theaters for more than three months, but the spoilers, interviews, and other assorted information regarding "Spider-Man 3" are already in full swing — it’s almost as if the studio was looking for free advance publicity or something. And now, courtesy of IGN Movies, we’ve got 22 new stills from the movie to stare at. They won’t last you until May 4 — but then again, at the rate this stuff is leaking out, they won’t have to.

Wait! There’s more…

In Other News:

• Eddie Murphy is in negotiations to star in the Paramount Pictures comedy "NowhereLand," which would be his next project after completing the comedy "Starship Dave."

• Kate Bosworth has joined the ensemble cast of the Vegas thriller "21." The film will also feature Kevin Spacey, who is co-producing.

• Overture Films has acquired U.S. rights to "Ferris Wheel," a drama that Charlize Theron will star in and produce.

• Derek Luke has joined Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert Redford (who also directs) and Michael Peña in the cast of "Lions for Lambs." The film will be the first for United Artists since being taken over by Cruise and partner Paula Wagner.

• Maria Bello and Ray Liotta will star in the indie hitman-for-hire thriller "Downloading Nancy," with Johan Renck making his directorial debut.

• THINKFilm has acquired North American rights to the documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon," which features interviews with the surviving Apollo astronauts, as well as exclusive NASA archival footage.

• The Motion Picture Group, Inc. will finance "Split," the next film of "Hounddog" writer/director, Deborah Kampmeier.

• Thor Freudenthal will direct "They Came From Upstairs," an adventure/fantasy in which a group of kids must protect their vacation home from invading aliens.

• Salma Hayek will star in and produce Spanish-language romantic comedy "La Banda," her first Spanish-language project in Mexico since starring in telenovelas in the early 90s.

• "Children of Men" producer Marc Abraham will reteam with Clive Owen for a feature adaptation of one of Raymond Chandler‘s short stories, in which Owen will play the private detective Philip Marlowe.

• Gold Circle Films has purchased John Travis’ horror thriller script "The New Daughter," based on a short story by John Connolly.

• Since being dropped from "The Dark Knight," Katie Holmes has joined Queen Latifah in "Mad Money," a remake of the British film "Hot Money" to be written and directed by Callie Khouri.

• Columbia Pictures has acquired "Le Voyeur," a thriller based on a 1955 French novel by Alain Robbe-Grillet, for Will Smith and James Lassiter to produce through their Sony-based Overbrook Entertainment.

• Harvey Keitel is close to joining the cast of "The Ministers," a crime thriller being directed by Franc Reyes, and also starring John Leguizamo, Florencia Lozano, and Diane Venora.

• Andre Braugher and Laurie Holden have joined Thomas Jane in "The Mist," the adaptation of the Stephen King story being directed and produced by Frank Darabont.

• Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have acquired rights to the Claire Messud novel "The Emperor’s Children," with Brian Grazer set to produce and Ron Howard seen as a possible director.

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