Keanu A-Z News Reports
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Loss a gain
[Calgary Sun 28/04/2002] snippet
HOLLYWOOD — As far as her weight is concerned, Debra Messing discovered where there’s a will, there’s a way.
I was a normal, healthy woman,” says Messing, who was excited at the prospect of playing Keanu Reeves’ wife in the movie A
Walk in the Clouds.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
DreamWorks wins Keanu's 'Billy Jack' remake
[JAM! Movies 10/04/2002]
"Billy Jack," the bare-foot, butt-kicking, '70s counter-culture anti-hero, has a new home.
The planned remake of the cult classic, with Keanu Reeves selected to play the title role, has been picked up by DreamWorks, Variety reports.
The studio snapped up the rights to the remake (which is being produced by Danny De Vito's Jersey Films) because the original is arguably the most successful indie film ever.
"They say 'Blair Witch' sold 30 million tickets, but we sold 65 million when there were 80 million less people in the world," Tom Laughlin, the film's star and creator, told Variety.
"The film would stay in the same theatre for a year. It was colossally profitable," he said.
The original film starred Laughlin as a pacifist loner who reluctantly resorts to violence to defend a hippie commune from local rednecks. The original spawned a series of sequels. Laughlin told Variety he believes the timing of a "Billy Jack" comeback is perfect.
"People are lost today, and they always tell me we need another Billy Jack, who stood for moral and spiritual values and psychic truths," he said.
Variety reported that Laughlin has spent his time away from acting teaching Jungian psychology at Yale and Stanford.
Saturday, April 06, 2002
Keanu's a hit in pub but not on pool table
[Daily Telegraph 06/04/2002]
EARLIER this week, while whooping it up at Woolloomooloo's Old Fitzroy Hotel, a group from The Virgin Backpackers in Kings Cross thought they recognised the serious looking chap sitting in the corner, paying equal attention to his schooner, Marlboro Reds and unknown brunette. Yup. It was Confidential's favourite Sydneysider, Matrix star Keanu Reeves.
One of the backpackers, Louise Baker, tells us he not only happily posed for photographs – by the look of it, "happily" seems a slight exaggeration – but he also challenged them to a couple of games of stick.
His pool game was a bit off that night, as he cursed nearly every shot.
"He was not happy with the pommie 'two-shot rule'," said Louise's friend Matt Leitch.
Back to Keanu. After the game, the star shook hands with his green felt competitors and, with ciggies and brunette in tow, zoomed off into the night on his Harley.
