shantaram movie update

it looks like that book i read about the bombay slums, shantaram, is having a hard time getting to the silver screen.

The Times of India
25 Nov 2007,PARAG MANIAR ,TNN

In Depp Trouble! - Casting Hollywood star Johnny Depp in a film is a luxury that director Mira Nair cannot afford, perhaps.


According to our sources, Nair’s ambitious project, Shantaram , has been shelved because the actor demanded a huge price. “Mira Nair will be unable to go ahead with the film because Warner Productions has decided to back out of the project. Also, the amount quoted by Johnny Depp is very huge. The producers don’t see how they will be able to complete the film with such big money involved,” says a source.

Mira Nair had announced her ambitious film, Shantaram , based on Gregory David Roberts’ book of the same name, earlier this year. Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan had been roped in to play key roles.

She had also approached Vishal Bharadwaj to score the music of the film. Our source says, “Mira Nair was to start shooting with Amitabh Bachchan from January 2008. Unfortunately, that will not happen any more.”

Deals with all the other actors had fallen into place but things did not somehow work out with Depp. Our source says, “Depp loved the novel by Gregory Roberts. He even invited the author to visit him in London. Gregory Roberts did go and meet him. Everything was going fine until Depp quoted his price! All activity related to Shantaram came to a screeching halt after that.”

It may soon be officially announced that the film has been shelved. Our source says, “Warner Productions will hold a press conference announcing the cancellation of their Shantaram project in the second week of December.”

The official spokesperson of Warner Productions kept mum about the film being shelved because of the sky-high money quoted by Johnny Depp. The spokesperson just mailed the production house’s official statement that says: “Production on Shantaram is being postponed due to Hollywood writers’ strike and the inability to guarantee a February start, which would then place the production in India in an inclement weather corridor.”

greedy americans

human babies

human babies, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

cheer up

nothing to be
sad about
so smile til your
teeth fall out

american toad

american toad, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

thanksgiving

6 cans of trash, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

waiting for scraps

ole

ole, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

thanksgiving pups

thanksgiving pups, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

have a fabulous thanksgiving this year

what about this guy

dennis & elizabeth kucinich





makes sense to me i must confess

visual excitement

google image search = "fist pump"

rocking tots

recent conversation between me, lande (6.5 year old girl) and ryal (3.5 year old boy):

me: is dan zanes your favorite rockstar?

lande: dan zanes is my favorite - or hannah montana - no dan zanes is my favorite THEN hannah montana THEN hilary duff

me: who's your favorite ryal?

ryal: daddy

***

me: are you gonna be an accountant like your dad when you grow up?

lande: no a rockstar

me: what instrument are you gonna play?

lande: the microphone

road warrior

he took the train
he caught his flight
he hailed a cab
he rode his bike
he walked a mile
a million times
with hope
out there
his love
he'd find

with shoes wore down
he heard it all
the tragic spring
the comic fall
the coldest days
he hummed the song
my love
is right
here all
along

tumor or not tumor?

the vet called with holden & nacho's blood tests & they're both "pretty much perfect" which is great but she's recommending surgery to take off holden's tumors.

she stuck a needle in them to test while we were at the office and said she's 99% positive they're benign.

the tumors have been there for about 4 years now, starting with one - the biggest golf ball looking one - now there are 4, all on holden's ribcage (cheetah chest) and don't get in his way.



they'd have to put him under for the surgery

he's 9 1/2 years old, which is like in his late 60's people years

it would cost $500-600, which really means $750

i don't want these to get to be the size of grapefruit & put stress on his other organs

if i wait much longer he'll be too old for surgery

but they're not cancerous and he's in great health and that's a lot of fucking money

anybody with tips, experience, advice, pointers, a rusty razor, let me know




holden votes "no"