On June 22, we lost one of the most intelligent, brave and influential comics ever to crack jokes on a stage. Anyone struggling to cope with the death of George Carlin can benefit from this nugget of wisdom, straight from the man himself: “We’re all fucked. It helps to remember that.”
¦ Signalling the ever-growing power of the Bollywood film industry, India’s Reliance ADA Group will reportedly purchase DreamWorks for the cool sum of $600 million. Steven Spielberg announced last week that he hoped to break DreamWorks away from Universal and is looking for the $1 billion necessary to do so. Reliance ADA is poised to become a majority owner, but the great bearded one still needs $400 million to make his, ahem, dream work. Maybe the company would’ve given him the full billion if it weren’t for Spielberg’s curious interpretation of Indian culture in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
¦?In further Bollywood/Hollywood crossover news, producer Sajid Nadiadwala just signed a deal to begin the first Bollywood production shot in Los Angeles. Incredible Love will tell the story of an Indian stunt man who finds success in LA, but not in love. Word is that Stallone and Schwarzenegger are already training for their appearance in a lavish musical number.
¦ Mike Myers’ embarrassment The Love Guru was destroyed by critics and did just as poorly at the box office last weekend. The controversial bomb only managed to swindle $14 million out of audiences, opening with a lacklustre fourth place finish. Audiences seeking mainstream chuckles flocked to Get Smart instead. The ’60s TV redux, starring Steve Carell, opened strong with $39.2 million, paving the way for an inevitable sequel. The Incredible Hulk fell from first to second place with a $22.1 million weekend, while Kung Fu Panda finished third with $21.9 million, thanks to North America’s inexplicable love for cute CGI animals. M. Night Shyamalan’s The Crappening came in fifth with $10 million.