Trade Round-Up: Shia LaBeouf, Box Office Force
· Reality TV juggernaut Endemol and video game monolith Electronic Arts are partnering up in cyberspace with the lofty interactive aim of allowing users to create lifelike avatars that can scream at virtual briefcases or endure prolonged confinement in Ikea-furnished online dwellings, bringing the magic of hits like Deal or No Deal and Big Brother to your computer screen. [Variety]
· For the first time in history, the words "bona fide boxoffice force" are used to describe Disturbia's Shia LeBeouf. [THR]
· Revolution's Joe Roth, now an independent producer, has 10 pics lined up, including a live-action Alice in Wonderland, a Meryl Streep 9/11 project called Ann's List, and two projects with Julia Roberts attached. [Variety]
· Ted Danson joins the cast of Mad Money, best known as the project that will make us forget about all the Tom Cruise weirdness and re-establish Katie Holmes as the leading star of her generation. [THR]
· If NBC picks up another season of low-rated critical darling Friday Night Lights, its producers promise to de-emphasize the football-related plotlines which may be scaring sportsphobic viewers away. [Variety]