Here's the Scoop...

Why is the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey called Fifty Shades Darker? Shouldn't it be Fifty-One Shades of Grey? Or One Hundred Shades of Grey? Or Grey to the 50th Shade? Fifty Shades Darker? Fifty Shades Darker than what? Grey? I believe that's Battleship!

Why is there a sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey anyway? What did we do to deserve this?

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve

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Kim Basinger joins 'Fifty Shades Darker' as Christian Grey's former lover
Kim Basinger will join stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey sequel, Fifty Shades Darker.

According to Variety, Basinger has singed on to play Elena Lincoln, Christian Grey's (Dornan) business partner and older, former lover who first introduced him to S&M.

Hinted at in Universal's first adaptation of the popular erotic romance novel, Lincoln will attempt to push apart Anastasia Steele (Johnson) and Grey.

Universal pictures will be filming the sequel and the final installment in the series, Fifty Shades Freed back-to-back with new director James Foley. Niall Leonard, who is married to series author E.L. James, is penning the script.

Luke Grimes, Eloise Mumford and Max Martini are also set to return for the sequel.

Fifty Shades of Grey premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015 and earned over $570 million at the box office. Fifty Shades Darker is set to hit theaters on Feb. 10, 2017 with Fifty Shades Free arriving on Feb. 9, 2018.

Basinger will next be seen in Nice Guys opposite Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.


Colin Trevorrow to shoot 'Star Wars: Episode IX' on film
Star Wars: Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow has announced that he will be shooting the upcoming installment in the sci-fi fantasy series on film.

Following in the footsteps of Force Awakens director JJ Abrams, Trevorrow mentioned during a panel at the Sundance film festival that he would be avoiding the use of digital cameras to give Star Wars its own unique look.

"There's something in my brain that says, 'well they didn't have video cameras then,'" said Trevorrow of how stock film is able to better capture the look of the Star Wars universe.

"It's a period film," the filmmaker joked. "It happened a long time ago."

Trevorrow was joined on the panel by fellow director Christopher Nolan and cinematographer Rachel Morrison to discuss the merits of shooting on film. Outspoken about the practice, Nolan slammed critics of shooting on film and explained how important it is for filmmakers to have options.

"There needs to be a choice," Nolan said. "As a medium it will continue to exist. It has to continue to exist. It's pointless to pretend it has to go away."

As Trevorrow preps Episode IX, Disney and Lucasfilm recently pushed back the release date of Star Wars: Episode VIII seven months to now hit theaters on Dec. 15, 2017.


LOOSE LIPS:
"Pretty wild that 6 months ago, LT wasn't even born yet and now he chews on my fingers."
--Taylor Swift, on spending time with her adorable godson, Leo Thames, on Instagram


??? Guess Who ???
Which former 'Star Wars' actress hasn't seen the new 'Star Wars'?


Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira to appear on 'Inside the Actors Studio' Feb. 11
Longtime Walking Dead cast members Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Norman Reedus and Steven Yeun will appear on the Feb. 11 episode of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio.

Host James Lipton interviewed the stars, as well as executive producers Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple, on the Georgia set of the beloved, zombie-apocalypse series.

"We took Inside the Actors Studio right onto the set of The Walking Dead to find out what the terror, thrills, courage and compassion we see on the screen are like, up close and very personal," Lipton said in a statement. "Join us -- if you dare!"

The Season 6 midseason premiere of The Walking Dead is set to air Feb. 14.


??? Guess Who ???
Which former 'Star Wars' actress hasn't seen the new 'Star Wars'?

Natalie Portman hasn't seen the newest Star Wars movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The 34-year-old actress admitted as much in an interview Wednesday on Good Morning America. Portman played Padme Amidala in three Star Wars films, and said she's happy the franchise has continued.

"I haven't been able to see it yet but I've heard it's amazing," she told host George Stephanopoulos. "It's so nice that it's this sort of this continuing part of everyone's shared cultural knowledge."

Portman portrayed Amidala in Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and reunited with Star Wars co-stars Ewan McGregor and Joel Edgerton on her latest movie, Jane Got a Gun.

"The three of us had this reunion," the actress said of McGregor and Edgerton, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi and Owen Lars. "Joel had a small but important role in the second and third of the trilogy I was part of. It was nice that we all sort of had that familiarity to start off with."

Portman's trio of Star Wars films earned $2.57 billion at the box office, and remain some of her best-known movies to date. The actress said playing Amidala hurt her career, however, in an interview with New York Magazine in 2014.

"Star Wars had come out around the time of [my play] Seagull and everyone thought I was a horrible actress," she recalled. "I was in the biggest-grossing movie of the decade, and no director wanted to work with me."

Portman went on to star in the critically-acclaimed Cold Mountain and Black Swan, which she won an Oscar for, and is slated to play Jackie Kennedy in the biopic Jackie. The actress performed "Iko, Iko" with Sia and Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday's episode of The Tonight Show.