Screening Gotham: How Soon is Mao?

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--Beyond its festival's mission of world conquest, Tribeca Enterprises had another reason to travel to Beijing last week: Location scouting. Bob and Jane are the juice behind Universal's recent pickup of Chasing the Dragon, journalist Roy Rowan's chronicle of the the rise of Communism of China. According to Variety, the story features a photographer sidekick, a Chinese interpreter/spy love interest and all the epic Oscar-season fixins.

--Jesse Green makes like Secretariat in the Sunday Times, racing full lengths ahead of his Movie section counterparts with this crackling profile of how and why John Travolta chose to star in Hairspray. "[A]n afternoon with him, complete with singing, bear hugs and sartorial compliments, quickly dispels the idea that he’d shy away from a role just because it might open him up to questions about sex and religion. ('If he were homophobic,' John Waters, an executive producer of the new film, said, 'he’d have had a heart attack on the set.') However he lives his life, his talent seems to exist in a world beyond such concerns." Read this now.

--Happy birthday to indieWIRE, which celebrated its 11th over the weekend. Behave yourselves, kids -- no raiding the liquor cabinet.

--Iconic Mexican actress Maria Felix gets the Christie's treatment this week, with the pending auction of more than 600 of her garments, artifacts and personal articles drawing international interest. The floor war unofficially opens tonight with a party hosted by Salma Hayek. Any readers wanting to bid might start robbing banks now. (H/T: Gatecrasher)

Posted at July 16, 2007 10:51 AM