Stuff You Need to Know: The Phantom Goes to Coney Island

Other sites want to make you wade through post after post of pop culture news. Here it’s like a band-aid: rip it off quick, it’ll hurt less.

Prince is going to release three new albums this year without using a record label. “A ‘major retailer’ is in talks with the artist to release the music physically, while a new Prince Web site will sell it in digital form.” The titles are MPLSOUND and Lotus Flower, while Elixir will be coming out from Bria Valente, who’s described as his protege. He said of Elixir: “We got sick of waiting for Sade to make a new album.” I have this odd image of Prince in a laboratory growing Bria from some Sade DNA. Or…something. Of the music that’s coming, what I’m looking forward to hearing is the “Crimson and Clover” cover on Flower. That has badass potential. I’m hoping for something along these lines:

[ad#rightpost]

Nicolas Cage is rumored to be looking at a project in which he’ll play Anwar Sadat. I had no idea Sadat had ever been in a comic book. This is me with my mind blown.

Sci-Fi is going to make a Doomsday TV movie? Seriously? They can’t come up with enough bad TV movie ideas that they have to sift through the box office dumpster to grab ideas from feature films? Leigh, Din, what’s up with that? I ask you.

More Games and Toys into Movies? Yes, Monopoly is just the tip of the iceberg. Universal’s deal with Hasbro also means that in addition to the previously mentioned Ouija and Battleship, Candy Land is in there too. Also: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, produced by Joel “I Can’t Wait to See He-Man Fight a Giant Spider” Silver is at Warner Brothers; Hot Wheels is in the same state but Matt Nix (who brought you Burn Notice) has scribed it–and they make mention of the fact that it won’t be Knight Rider…nice; Barbie is in development; and Max Steel, which I’ve never heard of at all. Getting into the even more freaking ridiculous, a Magic 8 Ball project which apparently was previously at Universal, might come back to life. I can’t wait for Michael Bay’s Pick Up Stix, can you?

Inglourious Basterds is opening in the U.S. on August 21st. No, seriously, that’s how it’s spelled in the press release. Pic of Brad Pitt on the set to your right. Click to embiggen.

Eddie Izzard rocks. Apparently a guy was planning on attending Izzard’s most recent show, Stripped, but couldn’t make it as he had been injured in the Mumbai terror attacks and is still recovering. Poor guy is still unable to walk. When guy’s father asked if Izzard could “send a message of support,” Izzard sent a message of support by showing up at the guy’s bedside and performing the show for him. I mean, seriously: how cool is that?

Phantom of the Opera 2? Apparently so. And I’m talking a sequel to the musical–Andrew Lloyd Webber wants the thing to premiere in late 2009 in NYC, London and somewhere in Asia. Apparently about ten years after the events of the first musical, the Phantom goes to Coney Island to get back together with Christine and…BAHAHAHAHAHA. Holy shit, I’m sorry, did I actually just type “The Phantom Goes to Coney Island”? Christ, I love my job. Anyway, enough about that. The article says that both Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler have been mentioned to play the lead but has anyone yet realized that Butler can’t sing the part? I mean…seriously, did anyone see the movie? Anyway, when this was brought up earlier I thought the conversation was a joke. Other titles we discussed in that convo: Phantom of the Opera 2: Sing Harder and Phantom of the Opera 2: Christine’s Revenge. Although frankly The Phantom Goes to Coney Island would rock. Then the third one can be called The Phantom Goes to Camp.

Do you like our Stuff? You can subscribe to just this portion of the site and get the Stuff You Need to Know by using this newsfeed. Thanks for stopping by.