Will this be next year’s bumper crop of Golden Globe winners, or remnants in a Wal-Mart bargain bin of movies nobody saw? It seems like moviemakers are really scraping the bottom of the “let’s base a movie on a pop culture fad of the 80s” barrel – as if “G.I. Joe” wasn’t bad enough, there is now a “He-Man” live action movie in the works. But the raid on your childhood memories doesn’t stop there folks: Barbie is about to get her own live-action movie too. What’s next: “Big Wheels: The Movie?”

Mattel is setting up more playdates for its toy properties.

Universal Pictures has added Barbie to its star stable, while He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has found a new home at Sony.

U has made a deal with Mattel to build a live-action film around its signature Barbie toy line. With studios racing to build films around well-known concepts, Universal brass feels it has landed the queen of globally branded toy figures.

Laurence Mark will produce.

According to Mattel, the 50-year-old Barbie has 99% worldwide brand awareness, and it’s the No. 1 girls property in the toy industry, the top doll property in the U.S., and the No. 1 worldwide property in the traditional toy industry.

“Barbie is the most famous doll in history, a unique cultural icon in the world of brands,” said Universal Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger. “So many representations of Barbie frequent pop culture. We’re grateful to Mattel for entrusting us with this extraordinary opportunity.”

Mark said the next step will be to canvass writers and decide on a creative take for a family-friendly movie. Mark, who just produced “Julie and Julia” and is in production on the untitled James L. Brooks-directed comedy that stars Reese Witherspoon and Jack Nicholson, was one of several A-list producers who met with Mattel and U execs. “Barbie may be the most popular girl in the world, and has always been a wonderfully aspirational figure, so we must do her proud,” Mark said, noting that there’s no shortage of plot possibilities since Barbie has held more than 120 jobs over the years.

The executive producers are Barbie general manager and Mattel senior veep Richard Dickson and Rob Hudnut, who is VP of entertainment for Barbie. The brand managers will clearly be hands-on in determining how Mattel’s star asset translates to the screen.

Asked why there had never before been a live-action feature (there have been 16 direct-to-video animated titles, selling 75 million units worldwide, according to Mattel), Dickson called the U deal the logical next step in expanding the brand’s reach. In the past several years, Barbie has expanded into fashion shows, merchandise and online ventures that include Twitter, Facebook and even Barbie’s own YouTube channel.

“The brand wasn’t ready for a movie,” Dickson said. “In the last 10 years, Barbie has evolved from a toy into an intellectual property. Barbie has a proven track record in home entertainment, there have been live stage shows, live symphonies and other nontraditional forms of entertainment. There is a flagship store in Shanghai.”

While Universal and Mark will want to move ahead aggressively, Dickson said no timetable has been set for Barbie’s bigscreen debut.

He-Man has a plan

As for He-Man, Sony is finalizing a deal to produce a bigscreen adaptation of Mattel’s popular action figure line, with Escape Artists shepherding the project.

The property, which originated in 1983 as an animated series and toy line, had previously been set up at Warner Bros., where Joel Silver had been developing a pic since 2007. Mattel wound up taking back the rights and leaving the lot after Mattel, the studio and Silver couldn’t agree on the creative direction of the film (Daily Variety, Sept. 9).

Sony and Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will now start developing the project from scratch for Columbia Pictures, sources close to the negotiations said.

Shingle recently produced Columbia’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″ and “Knowing” at Summit. It previously produced the Will Smith dramas “Seven Pounds” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

The fantasy actioner will revolve around a prince who becomes the warrior He-Man and battles the evil Skeletor for control of his magical homeland, Eternia.

John Stevenson (“Kung Fu Panda”) had previously been attached to direct, with Justin Marks and Evan Daugherty having penned versions of the script. Rights to those scripts now belong to WB, meaning a new writer will likely be hired.

The Barbie deal was made by CAA, which previously placed Mattel’s “Major Matt Mason,” a potential star vehicle for Tom Hanks, at Universal and Playtone.

Mattel also has “Hot Wheels” at Warner Bros., with Silver Pictures producing, and “Max Steel” at Paramount; and there’s a live-action musical to be based on a new toy line built around a monster that’s also set up at U with “Hairspray” producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron plus Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, with Shaiman and Wittman to write the original score.

[From Variety]

Well, if they’re gonna make a He-Man movie, might I suggest Christian Bale as Skeletor? He’s been looking quite bony lately. And now for the really important question: who will play Barbie? Reese Witherspoon seems like an obvious choice, since she basically played a version of the pink-loving plastic icon in those “Legally Blonde” movies. But she might be too recognizable to pull it off- you’d want an actress who isn’t already tied to a specific role, I think. Any guesses?

For those of you who would like to leave your childhood toys in the past and not on the big screen, there’s also a movie based on the origins of Facebook in production, and this one has an A-List cast.

Columbia Pictures and director David Fincher have set its core cast for “The Social Network,” the Aaron Sorkin-scripted drama about the formation of Facebook.

Jesse Eisenberg will play founder Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake will play Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder who became Facebook’s founding president, and Andrew Garfield will play Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg as the social network became a financial juggernaut.

Production will begin next month in Boston and then move to Los Angeles.

Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti and Cean Chaffin will produce. Kevin Spacey is executive producer.

The pic focuses on the evolution of Facebook, the social network created in 2004 on the Harvard campus. And how overnight success and wealth changes the lives of the classmates who created it. The trio were the subject of internet rumors as Fincher zeroed in on his leads.

Eisenberg, who went from “The Squid and the Whale” to “Adventureland,” locked the coveted role as Zuckerberg as Columbia prepares to release his latest film, “Zombieland,” on October 2.

Timberlake was most recently seen in “The Open Road,” and Garfield in the Terry Gilliam-directed “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”

[From Variety]

It might be a little too soon to make a movie about Facebook – but I am curious to see if Justin Timberlake can pull off this role. He’s great when he hosts Saturday Night Live, and he was awesome in the otherwise crappy “Southland Tales,” but can he carry a whole movie? I guess we will find out soon enough.

Here are a bunch of pictures from the Barbie national collector’s convention held at the Marriot Wardman Hotel in Washington, DC. Credit: Carrie Devorah / WENN.com

Every year, Parade reveals its list of top celebrity earners in its “What People Earn” issue. This year, the list includes everyone from Jennifer Aniston ($27 million) to Tiger Woods ($110 million) and John Grisham ($25 million). Check out the full compilation below:

Jennifer Aniston $27 million
Alex Rodriguez $34 million
Kelly Ripa $8 million
Britney Spears $2.25 million
Patrick Drempsey $3.5
Tiger Woods $110 million
John Grisham $25 million
Rod Blagojevich $177,400
Will Ferrell $31 million
Sarah Palin $125,000
Chelsey Sullenberger $100,000
Beyonce $80 million
Taylor Swift $5.5 million
Carolyn Murphy $4.5 million
Jay-Z $82 million
Barbie $3.3 million
Michael Bloomberg $1 million
Tyler Perry $125 million
Danica Patrick $7 million
Rush Limbaugh $38 million
Tina Fey $4.6 million

from [Parade]

Parade doesn’t do a good job of explaining how they came to these numbers; I assume they are 2008 figures, and take into account the salaries the celebrities were supposed to receive directly (that is, no royalties were taken into consideration).

There are some surprises on the list, including Britney Spears’ lowly $2.25 million (though this may be due to her meltdown and absence from the entertainment scene last year). Even Taylor Swift was able to beat out Britney’s earnings. And I know Tyler Perry’s movies do well at the box office, but geez. $125 million is a lot of dough.

And talk about a power couple: Beyonce’s $80 million along with Jay-Z’s $82 million should make them a nice little nest egg when, and if, they decide to retire.

Say what you will about whether or not celebrities deserve the salaries they get; it’s always interesting to be able to compare the salaries of the celebrities themselves.

Photo credit: PRPhotos

Barbie is getting a facelift. Sort of. In the grand recent tradition of “celebrity Barbies,” Mattel is going to introduce an Indian Barbie. They are naming her “Bollywood Barbie” and they will base her looks on Bollywood (and Hollywood) actress Aishwarya Rai. Rai may be familiar to Western audiences through her role in Pink Panther 2 and as one of the faces of L’Oreal. She’s absolutely gorgeous, with a beautiful face and figure – and she’s famous for her striking green eyes.

Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai is set to win the ultimate beauty accolade – a Barbie doll modeled on her celebrated face. Rai sprung to fame when she won the Miss World contest in 1994, which spawned a lucrative modelling and acting career.

She made the transition to Hollywood with starring roles in Bride and Prejudice, Mistress of Spices, The Last Legion and more recently in Pink Panther 2 alongside Steve Martin.

She became the face of L’Oréal cosmetics in 2005 and is one of only two Indian film stars to have their waxwork image displayed at Madame Tussaud’s. She formally became a member of Bollywood’s “royal family” when she married actor Abhishek Bachchan, the son of India’s most popular star Amitabh Bachchan.

Now she is set to join the ranks of Hollywood immortals and pop divas like Beyoncé Knowles, Elizabeth Taylor, and Diana Ross, who have all had “celebrity Barbies” modeled on them.

Rai’s representatives were yesterday reported to be in negotiations with the toy manufacturer as it plans to transform the iconic doll into a Bollywood star and sell it throughout India.

If successful, the new Barbie will have Miss Rai’s striking green eyes, and wear outfits created by India’s top designers.

[From The Telegraph]

Argh! They’re only doing Bollywood Barbie in India. That sucks. Aren’t there enough little girls in America and Britain who want to have a Bollywood Barbie? Or are they only supposed to idealize blond hair and vacant, dead eyes?

I will give Mattel credit for using Indian designers to create Bollywood Barbie’s clothes. That’s really cool. I wonder if Bollywood Barbie will have a sari? Will she have a removable bindi? That would be cool, but can you imagine how small that dot would have to be?

Here’s Aishwarya Rai at the Berlin Film Festival’s premiere of ‘Pink Panther 2′ on February 13th. Images thanks to WENN .

Who would ever have thought that religious groups wouldn’t warm to the idea of an S&M looking Barbie? Some people are surprisingly uptight. Mattel has just come out with a new Barbie based on the Black Canary superhero. And apparently the Black Canary is a big, big skank.

BARBIE’S new S&M look has whipped up a storm – with protesters dubbing it “filth”.

The doll’s image is transformed with kinky fishnets, motorcycle jacket, black gloves and boots.

Makers Mattel say Black Canary Barbie, out in September, is based on a DC comic superhero of the same name.

But religious group Christian Voice said: “Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far.

A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible – it’s filth.”

[From the Sun]

Okay I have to admit that while I found this story mildly amusing in general, the real reason I love it is the line “Barbie has always been on the tarty side.” So true. I don’t know about the rest of you, but my Barbies were major sluts. My mom made the mistake of letting me watch Days of Our Lives with her from a very early age, and as a result I had a really dramatic – and skanky – view of adult relationships. Thus by the age of seven my Barbies were getting it on in the kitchen, nearly breaking the ill-fitting hot pink 1980’s trash compactor.

You can dress that girl as an astronaut or one of those fancy, high end Bob Mackie Barbie dresses. I don’t care. The woman has the soul of a skank, Mattel is just smart enough to stop fighting it.

Note by Celebitchy: Here’s another picture of the cartoon Black Canary, thanks to Inventor Spot, who also points us to the Catwoman Barbie, which doesn’t look all that different from this one. And here’s a link to photos of all the Barbies in the DC Superheros line out this year. They retail for $35.

Christo Komarnitski, Bulgaria, caglecartoons.com

The little girl’s toy (maker) is suing the big boy’s toy.

Toy maker Mattel went to court today to declare that the name of its clean-cut Barbie dolls does not belong on a model’s pornographic website.

In a lawsuit filed in US District Court in Manhattan, Mattel said the website for an adult entertainer named China Barbie has tried to benefit from Mattel’s success with the 48-year-old line of dolls, which includes Barbie’s sister, Skipper, her best friend, Midge, and Skipper’s boyfriend, Kevin.

China Barbie’s site says she’s a 34D-22-33 (all natural!) “cordial young lady” who sat behind the desks of some of the world’s leading investment banking firms and advertising agencies in New York before getting into porn. It says her filmography includes Me Luv You Long Time, Ethnic Cheerleaders 8 and Passport to Paradise.

Sydney Morning Herald

I think the Barbie doll has videos with the same names. Probably not the cheerleader one.

Barbie has been taken off the shelves this week following the lead paint issue with toys made in China (although I’m unsure if she was on the list of recalls), and has for years been getting her butt kicked by the tougher Bratz Dolls. Feminists don’t like Barbie because of her unrealistic proportions. I never liked Barbie, much preferring to just drive around her Ferrari. My boy cousins played with Barbie, although taking off her clothes might not be tachnically called ‘playing’. Now, they’d probably be bigger fans of China Barbie, and I prefer a bigger Ferrari. Poor Barbie could probably never drive the Ferrari anyway, in part because of her deformed feet, and because she was just a doll.

Note by Celebitchy: In December, 2003 an artist who used Barbie dolls in his work successfully defended himself against a five year lawsuit from Mattel. The lawsuit was dismissed and Mattel was ordered to pay the artist’s $2 million in legal fees. One of the artist Tom Forsythe’s works from a series called Food Chain Barbie is below, thanks to Boing Boing.

Mattel also sued over that stupid “Barbie Girl” song that is now unfortunately stuck in my head. The suit was dismissed and went all the way to the Supreme Court on appeal in 2003, where the dismissal was upheld. Barbies are part of popular culture and Mattel is only looking like a bully by suing artists and musicians for daring to use her name. It’s fair game for porn stars, too. Suck it Mattel and be grateful for the publicity.

Art by Tom Forsythe