Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in "The Expendables"
Action veterans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are reuniting for a movie project.
After rumors about their reunion surfaced in January, Summit Entertainment has confirmed that the two action superstars will be starring in the prison thriller "The Tomb."
In "The Tomb," Schwarzenegger plays an prisoner who decides to escape from a high-security jail with the man who designed the facility and was later sent there after being framed. Stallone is the prison designer, the studio said.
To be directed by Mikael Hafstrom, the prison adventure kicks off shooting in Louisiana this spring.
"I am thrilled to be making 'The Tomb' with two film icons, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger," producer Mark Canton said in a statement. "It is the perfect pairing for this high octane thriller. Robbie Benner, Emmet/Furla, Kevin King-Templeton and I have been working long and hard with Summit to bring them together for this dynamic project."
Prior to "The Tomb," Schwarzenegger and Stallone will next be seen together in star-studded action movie "The Expendables II," which is currently in post-production stage and set to hit theaters this August 17 in the US.
Christopher Schwarzenegger was hospitalised last week after a boogie boarding accident. He suffered a collapsed lung, broken bones and broken ribs from the accident and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Fortunately, he is now improving and is expected to be released mid-week.
Mum Maria Shriver has stayed by his side constantly, with a source telling People Magazine, "She was shaken horribly. This is her baby. She has been at the hospital nonstop, 24-7. She is sleeping there. How much can she take right now?"
Christopher's accident comes mere weeks after Maria filed for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reason for the pending divorce is that Arnold fathered a child with their longtime housekeeper. Thankfully, their divorce doesn't affect their relationship with their children, Arnold has frequently visited with Christopher in the hospital. Another source tells People Magazine, that "Arnold is a great father and he and Maria will always come together when it comes to supporting and loving their children."
Christopher and Arnold Schwarzenegger
At the same time big brother Patrick Schwarzenegger, 17, who changed his Twitter name to Patrick Shriver immediately after news of his father's infedelity broke, tweeted a photo of himself in a t-shirt sporting the image of Christopher. He tweeted, "My brother is doing a lot better. Wearing this shirt for him."
Christopher Schwarzenegger, 13, has been hospitalised after a serious surfing accident. The youngest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver was boogie boarding in Malibu, when he suffered an accident. He is in the ICU, of an undefined hospital in the Los Angeles area, with a collapsed lung, broken bones and broken ribs.
Mother Maria was with Christopher at the beach. A source tells People Magazine, "Christopher has been in ICU since Sunday. Maria has not left his side and is sleeping at hospital." Father Arnold has visited the hospital.
Friday older brother Patrick tweeted, "Thank you everyone for your messages about my brother. This kid is strongest kid I ever seen. Keep praying." Sister Katherine also posted a message on Twitter, "Thank you guys for ur concern and prayers for my baby brother! He's a tough little guy and getting better! Please keep praying for him!"
UPDATE Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have released a statement to thank the first responders and care providers of their son. Luckily, Christopher is expected to make a full recovery.
The statement reads, "While it has been a very scary week, Christopher is surrounded by his family and friends. He is a brave boy and is expected to make a full recovery. On behalf of our entire family, we want to sincerely thank the paramedics and lifeguards who responded so swiftly as well as the doctors, nurses, emergency room and hospital staff who have cared for our son," the statement continues.They have been extraordinary to him and to us. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and ask for respect and privacy for Christopher and our family."
She was born on January 19, 1946, the fourth of twelve children, to "dirt poor" parents in the mountains of Tennessee -- all fourteen living in a one-room cabin. Today, she is the undisputed Queen of Country Music, a crossover superstar, a pop culture icon, and the idol of drag queens, trannies and hookers everywhere. She is, of course, Miss Dolly Parton; and she was also our latest Mystery Guest!
Parton's flight from poverty began with her successful association with country music star Porter Wagoner, who featured Parton on his syndicated television series and recorded a string of hit duets with his talented protege. By 1971, Parton was establishing herself as a solo star to be recknoned with: "Coat of Many Colors" became a huge country hit, as well as her signature song; until it was topped by the even more-indelible "Jolene"; and then that was topped by the future standard, "I Will Always Love You."
"I Will Always Love You" was written by Parton as a kiss-off to Wagoner as their professional union came to an end; although she was now a bona fide country queen, Parton had her eye on greener pastures. She switched to a high-powered Hollywood PR firm, with Sandy Gallin acting as her personal manager. Her music was specifically tailored for "crossover" pop appeal, and suddenly, Parton wasn't just on Hee Haw and its ilk; she was everywhere, crooning with Cher, camping it up with Carol Burnett, being candid with Barbara Walters, and going chest to chest with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Here You Come Again" became Parton's first pop Top 10 smash in 1977; within a few years, Dolly was doing disco ("Baby I'm Burnin'," 1978); recording #1 hits written by Donna Summer ("Starting Over Again," 1980) and the Bee Gees ("Islands in the Stream" with Kenny Rogers, 1983); and becoming a bona fide movie star, stealing 9 to 5 (1980) right out from under a stellar ensemble cast headed by the formidable Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin -- and scoring another #1 hit with the theme song for good measure.
From the beginning, Parton cultivated a flamboyant, eye-catching image: her impossible-to-ignore curves were accentuated by over-the-top gowns, while her huge bazooms were matched by even bigger hair. But what really set Parton apart was her remarkable talent: that heartfelt, heartbreaking soprano would have been as achingly gorgeous no matter the song, but the fact that much of Parton's best material is from her own pen is truly impressive. Even more impressive: in spite of her outrageous appearance, Parton is genuinely admired and respected by her audiences, peers and critics for her achievements and accomplishments. The talent is first and foremost; the boobs, wigs and plastic surgeries are secondary -- tabloids be damned.
It hasn't been one smooth road, of course; a glitzy attempt to revive the variety television show format in 1987 (creatively titled Dolly) was a major flop; and while another ensemble film, Steel Magnolias (1988), was a hit, the Dolly-driven vehicles Rhinestone (1984) and Straight Talk (1989) were not. Parton's pop music success also bottomed out by the mid-1980's, as she recorded such irresistibly campy, synthesized fluff as "Potential New Boyfriend" (1983) and "Dump the Dude" (1987). Guilty pleasures, yes; critically acclaimed, no.
A return to her roots briefly restored Parton to the top of the country charts in the late 1980's; but then the 1990's saw the veteran diva veering all over the musical map, chasing popular trends with varying degrees of success -- "Romeo" (1993) featured a cheesy cameo by mullet-of-the-moment Billy Ray Cyrus, while a retread of "I Will Always Love You" done as a duet with the smarmy Vince Gill (1994) had none of the delicacy of the 1974 original; nor the panache of Dolly's 1982 re-recording; nor even the bombast of Whitney Houston's zillion-selling 1992 cover for The Bodyguard soundtrack. Indeed, Houston's caterwauling rendition was probably the best thing for Parton's visibility and bank account during that bleak decade.
In more recent years, Parton thankfully returned to her bluegrass roots with a string of critically-acclaimed albums: The Grass is Blue (1999), Little Sparrow (2001), and Halos & Horns (2003). She was nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar in 2005 for "Travelin' Thru," which Parton wrote for Transamerica, a film about a transsexual woman and her son. This venture brought Parton hate mail from some of her less enlightened fans; an irony, considering Parton's longtime standing as not only a gay icon, but also gay-friendly. Hell, she even once opined, "If I'd have been born a man, I'd have been a drag queen!"
A successful venture back to mainstream country, Backwoods Barbie (2008), took its title track from the score of 9 to 5: The Musical, which had a fairly disastrous bow on Broadway in 2009, but proved successful on its national tour. And that's the continuing saga of Dolly Parton: like all true legends, she bounces back after every fall -- and she never seems to muss her wig or break a nail in the process. Neither does soyons-suave, our man in Paris; naturally, he was the only one to guess correctly! Perhaps he and Dolly will form their own bluegrass jug band? As always, thanks for playing, darlings!
