In True Story, the type of drama for which the expression “stranger than fiction” was coined, James Franco finds a creepy new application for his signature sleepiness, that narcotized daze he usually reserves for stoner comedies and award-show appearances. Franco plays Christian Longo, an “intelligent and sane man” arrested, in December of 2001, for the suspected murder of his wife and three young children, all of who were found floating in the shallow waters of an Oregon slough. Awaiting trial behind bars, Longo didn’t confess to the heinous crime, but he didn’t express much grief about it either, and Franco—clad in a bright orange jumpsuit, his limbs in chains—wears the man’s eerie calm like a mask of false civility. The actor never raises his voice, only an eyebrow or two. Skin nevertheless crawls.

It’s unnerving to see the star of Pineapple Express play his heavy-lidded stupor for basically the opposite of laughs. And the disorientation is only enhanced by the sight of Jonah Hill, Franco’s on and offscreen buddy, doing his own straight-faced routine across the table from him. Relying less than ever before on his comedic chops, Hill has been cast as Michael Finkel, the disgraced New York Times reporter who became Longo’s unlikely confidante. The two met after Finkel discovered that Longo, then in custody, had used his name as an alias while laying low in Mexico. The journalist was doing some low-laying of his own, having recently lost his job after fudging crucial facts in a cover story about child slavery in Africa. Smelling a big scoop—and maybe a shot at professional redemption—Finkel arranged a meeting with the accused, which turned into a regular correspondence. Did Longo do the deed? And if so, what game was he playing by submitting himself to close scrutiny?

True Story, adapted from Finkel’s memoir of the same name, chronicles the unusual bond these two pariahs forged, touching on the notoriety that linked them and the moral dilemma that grew out of their conversations. The first feature from Rupert Goold, artistic director of London’s Almeida Theatre, the film owes a dramatic and stylistic debt to Capote, another stage veteran’s big-screen debut about the complicated relationship between a prisoner facing a murder rap and the writer looking to capitalize on his experiences. (There’s certainly a touch of Bennett Miller in scenes of Hill trekking through the snowy woods of upstate New York, standing in here for Montana.) But True Story also fits—neatly if by happy accident—into the current true-crime craze. Like Serial and The Jinx, it draws some fascination from the distinct possibility that the suspect it studies may be guilty as charged.

Of course, in this case, the answers are just a Google search away. Counting on his audience going in blind, Goold builds his dramatization around the all-but-solved mystery of what really happened to Longo’s family. Stylized flashbacks, including one of a pint-sized body being dumped and discovered, carefully obscure the pertinent details. The goal is a “satisfying” arc: True Story, true to its source material, adopts Finkel’s blinkered perspective; we’re meant to share his shifting opinion of Longo. Fittingly, perhaps, the movie also bends the truth to fit its storytelling needs, in ways not so different than the ones that got Finkel fired. Interactions that occurred by letter take on the new form of in-person confrontations. Did Finkel’s wife (an overqualified Felicity Jones) really visit Longo in prison to deliver a scathing coup de grâce? Did Longo really turn and wink at Finkel in court, as Franco does to Hill during the obligatory trial scene?

True Story isn’t a documentary or a news piece, so its dramatic liberties and strategic withholding of info are permissible. As a portrait of modern journalism, though, it leaves quite a lot to be desired; this is the kind of film that has characters trade grandiose talking points about the ethics of reporting, but can’t be bothered to show its reporter hero—still recovering from the damage factual inaccuracies did to his career—using a recording device during interviews. The meat of the movie is the behind-bars rendezvous between Finkel and Longo, whose interactions raise questions of journalistic responsibility and the banality of evil. But when a closing block of text announces that the two men still talk on a semi-regular basis—a surprise, given the finality of their last on-screen meeting—it’s hard to shake the feeling that a truly complex liaison has been reduced to an acting exercise for a couple of moonlighting funnymen. Neither cracks a smile, which is its own kind of victory, but nor do they crack the code of these “characters,” two men united by circumstances that look, in movie form, not so stranger than fiction after all.

Even though the news that Penelope Cruz would join the cast of Zoolander 2 was all but confirmed a few months ago, Ben Stiller has made things official. He did so by posting what we can only assume is the headshot Cruz has been using in Hollywood for the past 25 years on Instagram:

Zoolander 2 has been stewing for a while, but is shooting now; Stiller and Owen Wilson walked the Valentino runway in character last month to acknowledge that the movie is finally happening. Celebrated good looking person Justin Theroux wrote the script with Stiller, who is also directing. The film is currently slated for a February 12, 2016 release, which leaves plenty of time to watch the original Zoolander on repeat in the hopes that each viewing will somehow counteract the sequel’s inevitable diminishing returns on jokes from 2001.

fter taking on Sonam Kapoor at the box office in January, Akshay Kumar is now set to battle it out with Sunny Leone at BO. Next month, Twinkle Khanna’s hubby dearest is going to clash with the Baby doll fame actress at the ticket windows.His action flick Gabbar Is Back will be releasing on May 1 and on the same day Sunny’s adult comedy Mastizaade will also be hitting the screens. While Akshay’s film, which co-stars Shruti Haasan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, has already created good buzz courtesy its trailer and romantic number Teri Meri Kahani, Ek Paheli Leela heroine on the other hand has a huge fan following and has become a popular name in a very short span of time. So it was hard to decide which film would actually race ahead in the numbers game. After all, when two films clash at the box office, only one is bound to walk away with the bigger money pie, hai na?

Therefore we recently conducted a poll on our website asking you’ll to vote and tell us which film according to you will create hungama at the ticket windows on May 1 – Akshay Kumar’s action flick Gabbar Is Back or Sunny Leone’s sex comedy Mastizaade co-starring Tusshar Kapoor, Vir Das and Riteish Deshmukh? By bagging 91 percent of the votes, Khiladi Kumar has won the poll by a huge margin. Yes, this means Sunny’s film only received 9 percent of the votes.

While Akshay clearly is a bigger star and a crowd puller, Ms Leone shouldn’t worry much because her latest release Ek Paheli Leela has surprisingly fared well at the Indian box office. In fact, it has become the 7th highest grossing film this year and is still pulling in crowd to the cinema halls. That certainly says a lot about Sunny’s growing star power, right?

So Akki’s film may rake in big moolah at the BO but at the same time I am pretty sure Sunny starrer will give it a tough competition!

The two-day event was initially supposed to take place on April 11-12. However, the cultural event will now be held on April 25-26 and yes, a lot of Bollywood bigwigs are going to make their presence felt at the do…

That veteran actress Hema Malini is organizing Braj Mahotsva in Vrindavan, Mathura is known to all. The BJP leader wants to create awareness about Mathura’s rich culture and that’s the reason why this two-day event is being conducted. The programme was scheduled for 11th and 12th April however due to recent thunderstorm and hailstorms the festival has been postponed to 25th and 26th April. Dharmendra’s wifey who intends to help farmers through Braj Mahotsav, has invited a lot of Bollywood stars to the event. And though quite a few names have been floating in the media, let me tell you that Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor for sure will be attending the cultural festival. That’s not all! Hema Malini has also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same.

In fact, our khoofiya khabroo has even told us that some of the B-townies will also be performing at the Braj Mahotsav. . Yes, you heard that right but I am pretty sure you’ll must be wondering who all, hai na? Well, keep watching this space to get EXCLUSIVE info on the same.

Coming to the Braj Mahotsav, well, the funds which will be raised through this event will be used to help all those farmers who suffered huge losses because of the unseasonal rain

The actress remembers how shooting for the sex scenes with her co-stars Sayani Gupta and William Moseley was terrifying…

Kalki Koechlin plays Laila, a cerebral palsy patient in her upcoming film Margarita with a Straw. The actress spent a lot of time living with director Shonali Bose’s sister Malini who inspired the story of the film. Margarita with the Straw also has some sex scenes with Kalki and her co-star Sayani Gupta. Kalki in an exclusive interview with a leading daily revealed that she was super chill about revealing her naked body in front of the cameras, but when the cameras actually started rolling and Kalki entered the room which had more people, she got “uncomfortable”.

Talking about the experience to the Times of India, Kalki said, “I was super excited about showing my naked body! I was like, oh, don’t worry, I’m totally uninhibited — but on the actual day, on a closed set, with both my director and DOP women, I was so uncomfortable! So many people looking at you and you must repeat actions several times. That was really difficult…”

In one of the scenes, Sayani accidentally bit Kalki and both the actresses were shocked! Recounting the incident, the actress said, “For ten minutes, I was in shock! I went to boarding school with girls, having showers, practising kissing on our arms, so I thought, no big deal. But here, I was terrified! I felt like a virgin all over again.”

Recollecting the awkwardness of it all filmmaker Shonali Bose said, “In the hetero scene (with Kalki and William), we realised Kalki’s nipples are the wrong colour! That was really funny. We were giggling, she was lying there, the make-up person was colouring… Kalki (putting on a sour face) — The make-up person was like, ‘I’ve not applied for this job.’”

Kalki‘s upcoming drama is a coming of age tale about a girl who explores her sexual self without letting her medical condition come in the way!

Don’t be fooled by the modern, experimental prints that fill up Satya Paul’s store windows. The clothing label has been around for decades and turns 30 this April.

And to celebrate the occasion, the sari house has partnered with star wife and interior designer Gauri Khan for a special anniversary collection that will launch with the label’s Spring/Summer 2015 line, retailing from Satya Paul flagships starting this month.

Titled ‘A Tropical Wonder’, the collection is inspired by the idea of an exotic holiday. Think sequinned saris with contrasting borders, drapes with poetic words scrawled all over them, and a fresh palette of grassy green, watercolour purple and pomegranate.

“My signature line of clothing for Satya Paul will showcase a distinctive aspect of my own personal style,” says Khan. “Co-creating and endorsing a line for one of India’s finest brands will be a new experience for me.”

Unlike her husband Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri tends to shy away from public attention. But for her exclusive collection, she braves the camera for a behind-the-scenes video that shares a first look at her line with the world.

Leo DiCaprio’s alleged new girlfriend, and the latest face of Dior. We’d love to be Rihanna right about now. After Hollywood A-listers Jennifer Lawrence, Marion Cotillard and Natalie Portman, bad girl RiRi comes as an unexpected choice for the sophisticated fashion house. But if there’s one thing we can agree on when it comes to her fashion choices, it’s that she’s anything but predictable.

Adding another layer of buzz to the announcement is the fact that she’s the first woman of colour to grace a Christian Dior campaign—yet another history-making moment to add to her list (she’s the youngest solo artist to have 13 number-one Billboard singles).

After her sexed up campaign images for Balmain, we can’t wait to see her elegant Dior-ified avatar, in the brand’s next Secret Garden campaign.

Just like her music, we’re predicting a hit.

Kate Hudson’s birthday is filling us with glee! The actress was born on April 19 and we here at HollywoodLife.com want to celebrate her special day with a look back at her incredible year!

Kate Hudson is celebrating today? We wish we were there — so we can tell her Happy Birthday in person! The star of movies Bride Wars and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days as well as notable guest TV appearances like her role as Cassandra July on Glee turns 36 on April 19. Join HollywoodLife.com as we honor Kate by looking back at her past twelve months!

Kate Hudson Birthday: ‘Almost Famous’ Actress Turns 36

Kate Hudson is practically Hollywood royalty. Born in Los Angeles to legendary actress Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, Kate was raised by her mom and Goldie’s long-time partner, action star Kurt Russell. Kate went into the family business, finding success in movies Almost Famous, How To Lose A Guys In 10 Days and You, Me and Dupree. Along with her role in 2014’s Wish I Was Here, she also appeared in the crime thriller, Good People.

In addition to being a powerful actress, Kate is quite a fashion plate, especially over the past twelve months. Whether she was wowing the red carpet at the Wish I Was Here premiere or stunning the crowds at the PEOPLE Magazine Awards in December or when she appeared on the cover of July 2014 issue of InStyle, Kate was turning it out!

Kate’s love life underwent a serious change this past year, as she called off the engagement to her longtime partner, Matthew Bellamy. After three years of being engaged to the Muse front man, the two split. Kate allegedly was handling the break-up by hooking up with former flame, Derek Hough, but the two said they were just friends.

When Kate was seen spending time with Coldplay singer, Chris Martin, everyone wondered if the two had something going on. Turns out, also just friends. In fact, they’re gym buddies!

2015 is looking great for Kate. In addition to a role in the comedy Rock the Kasbah, Kate will also appear in an episode of the television comedy, Barely Famous!

Happy Birthday, Kate! HollywoodLifers, leave your birthday wishes for Kate down below!

Kim Kardashian’s selfie book just got a little sexier! The reality starlet announced that ‘Selfish’ won’t just include fun pics of her and her friends — it’s got some fully nude photos in there too!

Kim Kardashian, 34, is no stranger to the selfie. Now, lucky fans who purchase her upcoming book, Selfish, can see all of the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star’s personal shots collected together, whether they’re family photos, vacation snaps, silly pics with friends or her famously glamorous selfies. One added bonus nobody was expecting? A bevy of completely nude photos.

Kim Kardashian’s Nude Selfies Leaked: Will Appear In New Book

Kim was just one of hundreds of starlets who had their privacy violated in September 2014, when an anonymous attacker hacked iCloud and released their nude photos and videos. With the May 5 release of Selfish, Kim has decided to embrace the “scandal” and include the nude photos that already hit online — and were seen by millions without her permission. Now, she’s releasing them on her own terms. Hey, she’s not even upset.

“I wasn’t intending to put these in the book but saw them online during the iCloud hack,” Kim said to E! “I’m not mad at them. Lol They are taken with a Blackberry and I don’t have iCloud…It’s all a mystery!”

Kim! She’s never been shy about her beautiful body, but the nude photos were uploaded to 4chan and Reddit without her consent — and that’s not okay. Luckily, they were taken down immediately, and she had the support of loyal husband Kanye West, 37, who stood by her side.

But despite the tantalizing new addition to Selfish, it’s not the focus of the content. The book features 300 photos, including cuter than cute snaps of 22-month-old daughter North West, loving pics with hubby Kanye and even a few vintage selfies with former bestie Paris Hilton, 34.

Of course, her famous family makes appearances: sisters Khloe Kardashian, 30, Kourtney Kardashian, 35, Kylie Jenner, 17 and Kendall Jenner, 19, as well as brother Rob Kardashian, 28, all star.
Kim Kardashian Pregnant? Real Reason She Dyed Her Hair Back To Black

They say blondes have more fun, but for Kim, living life in platinum just wasn’t working out. Kim has been very public about her struggles to give little Nori a sibling, and apparently her quick switch between hair colors has more to do with that process than you may think.

Why back in black? She’s letting Kanye and her family know that she means serious business about having a baby.

“Plus in typical Kardashian fashion Kim has been pushed by her Mom to do it because it will be a better storyline for the show and would hopefully take the limelight away from Bruce,” a source close to the family told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.

Rihanna is turning up the heat! The singer posted a super sexy photo on Instagram on April 17, and it’s raising some eyebrows. Is she showing off her killer bikini body just for Drake?

Bow down to Rihanna, 27! The “American Oxygen” singer shared one hot Instagram photo on April 17 to her 17 million followers. This is one of her sexiest snaps in awhile, which has us wondering: Did she post the sultry photo to tempt Drake, 28, who she recently hooked back up with?

Rihanna’s Bikini Pic — Sexy Photo For Drake?

It’s that time of year again — bikini season! All those celebs that have been all bundled up are now stripping down. Rihanna showed she was more than bikini ready with her latest Instagram pic, and may have been sending Drake a message.

The photo showed off Rihanna’s flat tummy as she lounged in the sun. She rocked some orange shades and a sexy red lip. She sure knows how to drive the guys wild!