The last we heard from Team Crack about Lindsay Lohan taking on the role of Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime’s TV movie, Liz & Dick, it was last week’s report about how Lindsay hadn’t actually signed on the dotted line. I theorized that the producers of this film were just as sketchy as Lindsay, and I wondered aloud if this project would ever come to fruition. Well, I was wrong. This project is a go. And Lindsay has officially signed on, sort of. One of the producers spoke exclusively to E! News about Lohan’s presence on the film, and while the phrase “she has officially signed on to play the part” doesn’t appear anywhere, that’s the basic gist.
There’s been mucho speculation for sometime that Lindsay Lohan would take on the iconic role (including some less than subtle hints from the actress herself), but rumors swirled her reputation and her now-completed probation were seriously affecting her chances. Not so, insists executive producer Larry Thompson, who exclusively revealed to E! News that Lindsay’s “perfect” for the part.
So, what’s got Larry believing in LiLo and taking a risk with her far-from-flawless past?
“We have wanted Lindsay from day one,” Thompson tells E! News in an exclusive interview. “She had a lot in her life that was going on. We needed to give her time to take care of her business, and while we negotiated the deal for her we prayed for her—and wonderfully she has behaved. She’s cleared herself and we’re ready to start this movie.”
What a relief (no doubt LiLo’s thrilled). But while Lindsay has cleared her legal slate, she’s far from perfect in the public eye, so we have to wonder why, exactly, Thompson felt he could trust the notorious starlet:
“We truly feel that Lindsay Lohan is perfect for Elizabeth Taylor for our movie….I think Lindsay—who is very gifted—deserved another chance,” Thompson explained. “We never, of three pages of ‘what if’s’ in the negotiation, there never was ‘what if she can’t act.’ We know she can act.”
Lindsay has more gusto than people normally give her cred and it’s clear Thompson truly believes in Lindsay’s Liz-like qualities:
“We could hire actresses that would be great and people would watch it, but I think that Lindsay brings to Elizabeth Taylor and to our project that sparkle of magic, that sparkle of today,” Thompson reveals while tearing up and recounting the emotional rollercoaster of casting the less-than-perfect LiLo. “She is today what Elizabeth Taylor was in her life during the time that our movie will cover. I think, while there are a lot of people who know Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Lindsay will bring a young audience to our movie who might not otherwise know who they are.”
[From E! News]
Yeah. I’m getting a really sketchy vibe from this Larry Thompson person. I don’t mean to be crude, but I have serious doubts that it was Lindsay’s stellar acting talents that got her hired. Ugh, so creepy. Also note that Larry Thompson didn’t say anything about Lindsay’s crazy jacked Botox-face or her horrible lips. If somebody doesn’t explicitly order her to stop doing that crap, LL’s “Elizabeth Taylor” will be a puffy, frozen freak who can barely move her slug lips.
Speaking of being puffed up, Lindsay issued her own statement to Us Weekly after Thompson “confirmed” the news. The Cracken Speaketh!!! She says, “I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role.” Blah blah. You know she’d much rather play Marilyn Monroe. She barely gives a crap about Taylor.
Oh, and Lifetime’s Executive Vice President Rob Sharenow also blew some smoke up Lindsay’s ass saying, “We are thrilled Lindsay will portray beloved Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor. She is one of the rare actresses who possesses the talent, beauty and intrigue to capture the spirit of such a provocative icon.” Talent? Debatable. Beauty? She snorted it away long ago. Intrigue? Cracked-drama queens are not intriguing. One last thing: the movie is going to be filming in LA, I guess, not Canada. Which is good. Because if they’re filming in LA, Lindsay will have plenty of time to party at her favorite clubs.
Photos courtesy of Terry Richardson, Terry’s Diary & Love Magazine.
this is a lifetime movie! all this fuss and it is only a tv movie…i thought it was going to be a studio/theatre movie!
Why else do you think they gave Lindsay the part? Think of all the press Lifetime has been getting because of this! And imagine how many people are going to tune into this movie just to see Lindsay (think SnL). Lately she’s been getting jobs merely because she brings in viewers – not for her ‘talent and beauty’ but because people want to see if she’s going to be a trainwreck.
Agreed! Heck, I know I would watch that train-wreck.
And besides, when they start shooting and she can’t remember the lines and can’t move her face, I’m sure they’ll have some sort of replacement in store.
So, free advertisement AND possibly good acting by replacement. Score!
THANK YOU! I’ve been saying this all along. You would think this was some major movie with a huge budget. The funniest part is the stories about Lindsay beating out all of this other award winning actresses for the part. BS!! No respectable, high profile actress would do a TV movie, even if it is about Elizabeth Taylor.
Now if we could just get the media to stop referring to her as an amazing “talent”, like she is the greatest actress of her generation. I mean really name ONE award worthy role she has done? Kid’s choice award excluded.
well said Jackie, I think all this goes back to the old saying, there is no such thing as bad publicity. every one wil be talking about it, and alot of ppl ( i am excluded ) will be turning this on to see how lilo does.
Yes, exactly. Whaddaya expect from a Lifetime TV movie.
Bo-ring.
She might have had the role, in some way, but it’s going to end like the Linda Lovelace biopic, they are going to make some shoot with Lindsay in full Elizabeth drag (or drug),and then she will be fired.
Yeah…and don’t froget the Gotti pic. We’ve been down this crack road before.
well I had no plans to watch it before, and no plans to watch it now..
You know what bothers me? They suppose to start filming in a month and they still have no other actors besides Lohan. Who will play Dick? Who will play other parts?
And I’m actually glad that Lohan signed. I want to see how bad it will be 🙂 I want to see those pictures from shooting. I want to see Lohan dressed as Elizabeth. You know she will leak them. And then I want to see trailer. And imagine how cheap it will look since it’s a Lifetime tv movie and not some big production.
You know they were showing this British Titanic mini-series. It looked so cheap and unnatural that I turned off in horror after 20 minutes. You know how they say: “George Lukas “raped” my childhood”. It’s like they “raped” my Titanic. The big one from Cameron and real one from the pictures on the Internet and TV documentaries. And imagine how ridiculous and awful will it look when Lohan will dress up as Elizabeth Taylor in some cheap decorations. She will walk on some cheap “Friends-like” sit-come fake set that will suppose to be some rich Hotel where Taylor stayed. Or some fake sit-com stage where they will say that this is big movie location….
I watched the program on the auction of Liz Taylor’s jewellery (Channel 4 in the UK) and I hate to admit this but I can see a similarity in their faces, Liz Taylor did remind me of HoHan 🙁 sorry folks………………….hangs head in shame
I will not risk my tv screen breaking because her cracken drama shows up on it. It’s not worth the risk, she would definately break it.
the ratings will be through the wall and she -delusional as f***- will think its because its still 2003 and everyone wants to see her talented, hot ass.
not because everyone wants to see the trainwreck she has become.
i would say “sad” but meh, I stopped caring about her long time ago.
Lifetime hopes, of course, to get the viewers who just want to see how much of a train wreck this is. Remember Saturday Night Live? People who hadn’t watched it in years turned it on just to see if LL would triumph or fall on her face. Lifetime doesn’t give a darn if people watch because they want to see a movie about Liz and Dick or because they want to see if LL can pull it off. The ratings are the same either way.
I smell an Emmy nomination
Bite Me, bite your tongue!!
Of course that will happen…you submit your own your own material for nomination.
Can she even close her mouth all the way anymore or are her lips too stiff? Every pic of her I see, she has that “mouth breather” look.
“We truly feel that Lindsay Lohan is perfect for Elizabeth Taylor for our movie”
Translation: This is a crap fest of a movie so we needed someone who a) would create hype for this movie with her antics, and b) someone we could pin the movie’s failure on. Ergo, Lindsay Lohan is perfect for this movie.
Nice! Your second theory is one I hadn’t thought of, and a really good one.
oh god…
When is this tool going to get it. We don’t care about her work. All we care about is her cracked out antics and the results they cause. We here with our feet firmly planted, who are hard working, law abiding need an outlet. And that outlet is Lindsay Lohan. We don’t care if she does award winning work. We want to see her being led away in handcuffs. Don’t care if she is signed to play Mother Teresa. If we want to follow an actress for her work we will follow Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Diane Ladd, Jessica Lang, Sandra Bullock, the list is endless. We do not follow Lindsay Lohan for her work. It is so-so at best. She is a train wreck and we all have to look at the train wreck.
they do realized she is covered, literally covered in freckles, right?… how the heck do they cover all those???……Liz Taylor didn’t have freckles………
And Elizabeth had a nice voice, not like LiLo where she sounds like she’s been swallowing barbed wire when she talks.
Whaaaaaat? This guy “teared up” while talking about Lindsay? We’re not working with a full deck of cards here, are we. This is going to be the best Lifetime movie ever, right after “A Nanny for Christmas” and other such gems. Remember people, this is a network known for hilariously poorly-written low-budget movies.
Must be a very low budget movie to have hired the troubled, controversial, has been.
“I think, while there are a lot of people who know Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Lindsay will bring a young audience to our movie who might not otherwise know who they are.”
So they cast her for the ratings. Just like SNL. I guess any TV exec with a struggling show/network will be doing this type of stunt casting for the foreseeable future.
Also, filming in LA?? So CAnada wouldn’t let her in or no one would insure her to shoot in Canada?
I can’t help it. I always root for the underdog. I hope she earns some respect and the movie is a success. She can act.
I hope it all works out for Lindsay. She could use some kind words of encouragement at this time, not unkind and mean-spirited ones as she tries to bring her life around. I wish her success on the new project.
Serious question for you-
HOW is she trying to bring her life around? Please give one example of her truly trying to change. Exactly what is she doing to make her life better?
I think getting a movie deal is a good sign. I realize there are a lot haters towards Lohan and I get why…but she never had a chance with loser parents. She really is in a no win situation.
What an injustice to Ms. Taylor!
@lola8:
That is exactly what I had said in a previous post. Liz Taylor is turning over in her grave knowing this talentless little twit is playing her. RIP Liz!!
I’ll tune in.
Mostly due to sheer morbid curiosity.
All this from the channel that gave us great theatrical gems like “Mother May I Sleep With Danger”…Lohan is really making a comeback!!!!
Let’s face it. They don’t care about the integrity of the movie. With Lindsay cast this movie will have huge ratings because of everyone tuning in to see how she does. That’s all they care about, ratings.
Her acting was so bad on Saturday Night Live and rusty, that if she doesn’t get out of the bars and focus on acting lessons this will be a disaster.
Is there anyone else “signed” to this movie? Just curious. It seems weird that all we about is her. Don’t they normally, by this time, talk about who else is going to be in it? Something doesn’t seem right.
The part of Richard Burton will be played by a life-size cardboard cutout. The other actors will be wearing faceless masks so Lindsay’s performance will just “dazzle”.
LOL
Poor Elizabeth.
My God it’s a lifetime movie, for craps sake! It’s hilarious all around.
Oh elizabeth! I am soooo sorry – I just heard you turn over in your grave and hide your face.
The book, “Furious Love”, is a really good read. I would totally recommend it to anyone who likes Hollywood gossip. It is largely based off of personal letters and diary entries of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor herself was instrumental in writing the book. It’s very juicy and shows what a hot mess of a relationship those two had. It has the potential to make a great movie. Let’s see what Lifetime and Lohan do to it…
Matt Lauer was just talking about this on Today and all but one on the panel called Lohan a train wreck, and said it would be a mess “remember SNL”. Rosie even call the one guy a “crackhead” who said Lohan would be great..Stars do read the gossip sites, that is hysterical.
“we prayed for her—and wonderfully she has behaved.”
Really??? Wow, these people at Lifetime are deluded.
I’m curious to see who refuses to be in the show simply because Lindsay is a part of it. That’ll be the fun part.
But who will play the young liz??
Why for god’s sake is her trap always open?! Poor poor Liz Taylor… this Lindsay brat will make her look like a cheap hooker.
I hope for her sake that she can bring it and give a great performance. Maybe succeeding in this role will give her the incentive to get her shit together. It’s easy to kick someone when they are down 🙁
Yeah, cuz when I think about Ms. Taylor I invision a class-less, tattoo’d up, walkin STD clinic/ freckled crackhead has-been.
To Lifetime,
Just who in the hell is going to play Richard Burton?………I know!
EDDIE CIBRIAN
Yes to Eddie Cibrian as Richard Burton! A thousand times yes! The ensuing cracktastropy that would be Lindsay vs Leanne would warm by hard, dark heart for months.
@Newtsgal:
Thank you! I needed a good laugh!!!
That is priceless…. who else but another talentless actor could play the part with her, but Eddie Cibrian. This movie has NO shot!!! I cannot believe people are actually considering watching this movie. I wouldn’t even consider watching it. Mark my words….. Linds is going to be horrible, just like she was on SNL!!! I’m sure there are better things to watch then this worthless POS!
Hollywood is almost totally populated by selfish self-serving narcissists, and that’s just the producers, let alone crazies like Lohan. Absolutely this is a PR stunt, probably the best thing to happen to Lifetime since the LR/EC “scandal”. They don’t want a reputation, they want ratings and you bet your behind they are using Lohan for publicity more than her talent. Which in my opinion she outgrew long ago. She brings nothing but notoriety to the table, and how sad is that.
Ok. I am really not sure what the hell is going on today, but I actually agree with something Rosie Odonnel said and I can not stand that woman! She said on Today Show that Lyndsay is horrible for the part and even refered to someone who said she would be good as a “crackhead”! Truer words have never come out that angry woman’s mouth! 😉
^^^2nd this^^^
Don’t underestimate the Lifetime Channel. Occasionally they give us pure comedy gold. Did anyone watch the Drew Peterson movie with Rob Lowe. I don’t usually watch Lifetime but on rare occassions when nothing else is on and I am bored it can provide some entertainment. If you haven’t seen Rob Lowe as Drew Peterson you are really missing out. It was unintentionally funny and made me laugh my head off. If you don’t want to watch the show then catch the skewering Joel McHale did on his the Soup.
I wonder if Lindsay has ever taken an acting lesson? Taking regular acting lessons would have been the way to go during all the years when she had no acting JOBS but SNL didn’t look like she’d had any practice or acted recently.
“We could hire actresses that would be great and people would watch it, but I think that Lindsay brings to Elizabeth Taylor and to our project that sparkle of magic, that sparkle of today.”
I’m sorry, but this is the most wonderfully backhanded compliment ever. “We could hire actresses who are actually good, but we’re going with Lindsay Lohan.”
Larry Thompson was most recently credited as producing the Comedy Central roast of David Hasselhoff so what does that tell you about this movie?
Gross, I can’t stand the buget trashy American apparel inspired photo shoots she does. Someone needs to tell her she’s not a model!
It’s so annoying seeing her posing with Furious Love(which is a really good read)when you know she hasn’t read a word of it.
Damn it, Canada, you managed to remain a Cracken-free Zone!
(Agree with others who say after her latest club cracknanigans, Canada revoked her work-permit. If she ever had one.)
Uggh.
this is such an insult to the taylor.
how friggin cynical of lifetime to give the job to lohan with the expectations of higher ratings.
First reaction – “WHAT?!”
Second reaction – “Oh, it’s Lifetime.”
I would like to see Ashley Judd play this part…ijs