In May, Angels & Demons, the latest Tom Hanks film, will be released. It’s based on The Da Vinci Code prequel book (of the same name) by Dan Brown, only the film will be set as a sequel to The Da Vinci Code events. Hanks will once again be playing Professor Robert Langdon, and for those who have read the book, Ewan McGregor plays the counsel priest to the murdered pope, which is totally a brilliant character for him.

I read both Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code a few years ago, and even though they’re not “great literature”, they’re both fun, easy reads that don‘t sugar-coat some of the historical shenanigans The Vatican was up to. Both books are huge bestsellers, despite much grumbling from religious groups and, specifically, The Vatican.

When the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code was released in 2006, it got tepid reviews and a semi-organized backlash by the Catholic Church. None of that really mattered though, because the film went on to gross more than $700 million. Some people even thought that with priests sniping at the film and at Dan Brown, the film and books got even more publicity and more people went to see it. Now it looks like The Vatican might be making the same mistake all over again:

Tom Hanks has been busy finishing up the sequel to The Da Vinci Code and may be facing part two of a showdown with the Vatican. The organization, which railed against the first film, may be readying itself to be up at arms against the newest one Angels & Demons.

On Friday, the Vatican’s official newspaper Awenwire ran a story saying the Church “cannot approve” of the film. Another Italian daily La Stampa, echoed the idea saying the Vatican would soon call for a boycott.

However, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis was quoted as warning against a boycott in case it gives the film even more attention, making it that much more popular. Producers of the film were also denied access to film in parts of the Vatican.

The Church’s railing against the first installment didn’t hurt the box office. The Da Vinci Code raked in $760 million. Angels & Demons is set to open on May 15.

From Radar Online

I really believe that The Vatican is so out-of-touch that they would call for a boycott. I suppose there is no one in The Vatican press or media offices who stops and says “Hey, we’re about to give this film millions of dollars of free publicity. Why is that again? For a piece of fiction?”

This news came out just as Pope Benedict was getting hammered internationally for saying that condom use was not the answer in the fight against AIDS and could make the problem worse. The Pope said this Tuesday, while he was traveling to Africa for a formal multi-national visit, and pretty much every HIV/AIDS advocacy group, health organization and national health minister or secretary has bashed him for it. Perhaps this nice, safe, official Vatican boycott against a film is a way of changing the subject away from international disaster.

Photos are stills from Angels & Demons, thanks to Allmoviephoto.

There’s a fake Ewan McGregor out there. Fake Ewan has been updating his MySpace page and Twittering like mad. Fake Ewan concludes his updates with jaunty little expressions like “Cheers, mate!” But Real Ewan wants you to know, that’s not him, mate.

Nearly 20,000 people subscribed to the Fake Ewan’s Twitter feed. They got to know this Fake Ewan, who told fans that his Fake Nephew called him “Obi-Wan”. This has been going on for four months, and I guess Real Ewan has just figured out that there was an imposter around. The Guardian has more:

Spare a thought for the 19,639 subscribers to Ewan McGregor‘s Twitter feed. For the past four months they have been treated to regular updates of the actor’s daily routine. When McGregor was “about to enjoy banana pancakes”, they were kept informed. When he “needed some Tylenol extra strength”, they were told about that too.

Now comes the most alarming revelation of all: representatives of the actor claim that the Twitter site and its related MySpace profile are actually run by impostors. “Ewan McGregor does not have a Twitter site or one on MySpace either,” insisted a spokesperson for the Trainspotting star. “Someone is just making it all up.”

Launched last November, the false website purported to offer fans a window into McGregor’s life. In one update, the phoney McGregor reported that he had just “worked with actress Uma Thurman, for Unicef”, while another confessed that “my little nephew calls me Obi-Wan” – a reference to his role in George Lucas’s Star Wars prequels. Most of these missives concluded with a breezy, “Cheers, mate!”

“People monitor his movements and then copy them down,” the spokesperson explained. “We are looking into taking action to have the Twitter site removed.”

For good measure, the phoney Twitter site offers a link to a phoney MySpace profile. “I love motorbikes, my home Scotland, doing charity work for Unicef. Of coarse [sic] my wife and my wee little girls,” enthuses the false McGregor. “If offered I’d be quite happy to make Moulin Rouge Two.”

Ironically, it then signs off with a stern note of warning. “I am very particular about my children being photographed or seen on television,” it reads. “I believe that just because I am famous that does not mean you may invade my privacy.”

McGregor is only the latest in a slew of celebrities to find themselves dogged by an online impostor. Recent months have seen a rash of counterfeit profiles purporting to represent an eclectic range of household names, from David Tennant and Eddie Izzard to Keith Chegwin and Leonard Nimoy. Earlier this month, Harry Potter star Emma Watson was forced to deny rumours posted on a phoney Twitter site that she was about to enroll at Yale University.

From The Guardian

A lot of those posts could totally be real. But here’s the clue that they’re not: Ewan McGregor is too cool to Twitter about Tylenol. Ewan McGregor is too busy actually riding his motorcycle around the world to blog about riding his motorcycle. I do admire the Fake Ewan’s attempt at credibility, though. You can tell the guy did his research. I’d imagine most imposters would mess up with something completely out of character, but Fake Ewan kept it pretty simple. I feel bad for the fans, though. All this time, they thought the Real Ewan was updating them about his life!

Ewan McGregor is shown on the set the film adaptation of Robert Harris’ book ‘The Ghost’ in Sylt, Germany on 2/23/09. Credit: WENN

Ewan McGregor is making a rare film festival appearance. He’s in Sundance, to promote his film I Love You Phillip Morris, also starring Jim Carrey. It’s based on a true story of a convict (Carrey) who, while in prison, falls in love with a fellow inmate (played by McGregor), and they try to escape. In addition to his film promotion duties, McGregor also picked up the Ray-ban award, presented to him by Alan Cummings. I have no idea what the Ray-ban Award is, and I really don’t care. Did I mention that Ewan McGregor looks incredible?

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor were an item at the Sundance Film Festival, where their gay romance “I Love You Phillip Morris” premiered.

Carrey and McGregor steam up the screen with some hot and heavy necking.

What was it like for Carrey to lock lips with McGregor?

“A dream come true. I mean, look at the guy,” Carrey said, gesturing at McGregor during a question-and-answer session with the audience after the film’s Sundance premiere Sunday night.

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, “I Love You Phillip Morris” is based on the true story of a con man (Carrey) who meets the love of his life (McGregor) in prison, then concocts elaborate escapes and masquerades to free himself and his man.

Carrey and McGregor make a nice couple, their characters’ love story playing out with sweetness, passion and devotion.

The actors said playing gay was all in a day’s work.

“It’s the same as playing any other kind of man, any other kind of character,” said McGregor, saying there was nothing awkward in their kissing and cuddling scenes.

The Associated Press Hosted by Google

Jim Carrey and I are on the same page. It would be a dream come true to make out with McGregor. I mean, look at the guy! McGregor has been in Sundance for the past few days, and from what I’ve seen, he seems to be very gracious with all of the press and photographers. And I’ve yet to see him at the same place as Paris Hilton, so that’s something.

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are shown at a press conference at Sundance on 1/19/09. Credit: Splash News

Ewan McGregor is the Hotness – the Scottish accent, the dirty look in his eyes, the crooked smile, the good heart. So here’s a retrospective of Ewan’s 2008, and what’s coming for him in 2009.

In 2008, Ewan starred with Michelle Williams twice – in the Hugh Jackman thriller Deception and the terrorism-drama Incendiary, two of the most poorly received films of the year. Despite professional setbacks, Ewan remained on as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and recently auctioned off his favorite motorcycle, with proceeds directed to UNICEF.

McGregor – a UNICEF Ambassador since 2004 – has donated his white Moto Guzzi California Vintage cycle to the charity to raise money for projects helping children around the world. The money raised from this auction will go to their Children’s Emergency Fund, which enables the organization to launch a response for children the moment a disaster strikes. Whether it is a flood, conflict or earthquake, UNICEF provides life-saving supplies such as health kits, food and shelter to children and families in need.

“It’s the first of its kind in this color and one of my favorite bikes,“ said the 37-year-old actor. “I collected this bike from the Moto Guzzi factory in Italy and rode it back to London. I’ve loved riding it ever since and I know that you will too. As a UNICEF Ambassador, I’ve been greatly privileged to visit a number of incredibly inspiring UNICEF projects and see the impact of its work on children and their families. You have the ability to help ensure that UNICEF continues its vital work protecting children when disasters occur. On behalf of UNICEF, thank you for your support.”

Earlier this year, McGregor joined Charley Boorman in a marathon motorcycle ride in Africa. The pair visited charity projects around the continent and raised over $621,000 at a charity dinner when they returned.

[From Look to the Stars]

Ewan McGregor has a slew of new films coming out in 2009. He joins Hillary Swank in Amelia and Daniel Craig in I, Lucifer. He also appears in Angels & Demons, the Ron Howard-directed follow-up to The DaVinci Code (which is weird because Dan Brown’s Demons came before DaVinci, but no matter), with Tom Hanks. Ewan will play the young priest, counsel to the murdered Pope. Best casting ever. After that, Ewan’s got a part in Men Who Stare At Goats, with George Clooney, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.

Goats is set in Iraq and centers on Bob Wilton (McGregor), a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier who was re-activated post-9/11.

Goats chronicles the two men’s travels through Iraq and offers glimpses into the supposedly real secret Army unit tasked with creating soldiers with paranormal powers.

Bridges will play Bill Django, the founder of the psychic soldier program and Lyn’s mentor. Spacey will play Larry Hooper, a former psychic soldier who is running a prison camp in Iraq.

[From Buzzsugar]

The more I hear about Men Who Stare At Goats, the more I want to see it. But I have no idea if Ewan joined Clooney and Brad Pitt in giving himself an unfortunate moustache. But knowing Ewan, he could be the one actor to really pull off the look. Here’s hoping that Ewan keeps up the Hotness (and the charitable heart) throughout 2009

Picture note by Celebitchy: Here’s Ewan McGregor out in LA on 12/17/08. His facial hair looks pretty damn good. Credit: Fame and WENN

Beloved Scottish actor Ewan McGregor had a cancerous mole removed from below his right eye. The Huffington Post has a comparison of his face before and after two moles were removed. The one under his eye was cancerous.

In an interview with the BBC, he said “I had a little skin cancer under here, under my eye.”

“I just went to have them checked. You have to be careful if you’re pale skinned and you’ve spent time in the sun with moles, so I went to a specialist who thought they were better to be removed and indeed he was correct.”

He said “Everything’s fine. It’s all good [now]” He said he didn’t have moments of panic and that it was just something he had to keep in check.

As for whether he’ll get back on his motorcycle for another big trip, McGregor said he rides his bike every day, but that he’s focusing on his films for now. McGregor took a three month trip around Europe on his bicycle with his friend Charley Boorman and a cameraman in 2004. Their journey was made into a TV series and a book, and they visited some of UNICEF’s local work on the way. They took another three month trip last year from Scotland to South Africa.

McGregor, 37, has been married to French production designer Eva Marvrakis, since 1995 and they have three daughters, Clara, 12, Esther, 6, and Jamiyan, 6. Jamiyan was adopted from Mongolia, and Ewan met her when he was on his motorcycle trip.

McGregor makes it a policy not to talk about his family in interviews, and prefers to keep that part of his life private.

I don’t think I’m alone in swooning over this guy. He didn’t volunteer the information about his cancerous mole – the interviewer specifically asked about it because she noticed that his moles were gone since he made the film Deception, which he’s promoting. It’s an erotic thriller also starring Michelle Williams and Hugh Jackman and is out on Friday in the US, UK, Australia and Russia.

Here’s the trailer, it looks good!

Ewan McGregor and his wife, Eva Marvrakis, are shown at the Hampstead Theatre Spring Gala on 3/13/08, thanks to WENN. Ewan is shown below at the Empire Awards on 3/9/08, thanks to PRPhotos.

[Details from BBC and Wikipedia]

This was on the front page of Yahoo! this morning, and they have an ABC News online video discussing it, so I didn’t think of it spontaneously, but several A-listers have commercials running in Japan. They say that despite the fact that we can easily find these commercials thanks to the Internet, it shouldn’t really hurt their branding in the US.

I don’t know how current these are, but I think the ones with Cameron and Brad are new. Let me know.

Brad Pitt for Softbank. Hot!

Another one of Brad Pitt for Softbank

Cameron Diaz for Softbank:

Another Cameron for Softbank:

Ewan McGregor, OMG!

Another cute Ewan McGregor commercial:

Renee Zellwegger looks like the perfect weight at the premiere of Mrs. Potter in London this weekend. It’s wrong of me to say that, because it just perpetuates the evil cycle that these Hollywood women go through to look good, but she’s not super skinny any more and looks really healthy. Would it kill her to use some gloss on those lips though?

Zellwegger said that not having time to eat while she’s working on the movie set helps her stay thin. She also claims that she’s a little bit intimidated at the thought of working with her once-rumored lover George Clooney because he’s a notorious prankster. They will start shooting the movie “Leatherheads” together in January.

Renee Zellweger, who showed up looking svelte at Sunday night’s London premiere of her new movie, Miss Potter, credits her slim figure to her work.

She says that the 20-minute lunch breaks she was allotted while making another movie, Case 39, helped her stay fit.

“That’s all we got on the set,” the Cold Mountain Oscar winner tells PEOPLE. “At that point, I was like, you know, forget it. And running around … everywhere, that helps.”

Zellweger, 37, joked that she finds out what diet she’s on by reading media reports. “I’m like, oh, oh, I’m doing that diet now – that’s fantastic! Good for me!”

As Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter, Zellweger is playing an English woman for the third time, having portrayed Bridget Jones twice. It’s having an effect, too: “I understand (and) crave the beans and toast breakfast,” she says.

But when it comes to living in the high-priced British capital, “I don’t know if I can afford it,” she told reporters. “I move around so much with work that I don’t really live anywhere.”

Next up for the actress: Leatherheads, with George Clooney. Shooting starts in January.

And how does she feel about working with PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive? “I’m scared,” she admits. “I hear he’s a terrible prankster and really had patience… Like when you least expect it.”

As a result, “I’m going to be on alert, I’m never going to sleep, I’m sure of it. I’ll be watching my back, George!”

Considering that Clooney probably banged her a few times, it seems like she made a Freudian slip when she said she’ll be watching her, uh, back. Clooney is said to enjoy… entering establishments by the back door.

Renee is shown with Ewan McGregor, her costar in the film “Miss. Potter” at the premiere. (You know that people are still going to comment and say “that’s not George Clooney, duh.”) Here’s the trailer. Thanks to Faded Youth for these pictures.

Let’s compare recent quotes from thespians Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Aniston explaining their movie flops:

McGregor on “Stay”:

Now here’s Jennifer Aniston talking about “Rumor Has it” in her typically simplistic, dismissive way that manages to blame everyone else for her personal failings:

Aniston, again we must coach you on how to give quotes. You’re supposed to be upbeat and vague. You may even get intellectual about it like Mr. McGregor and explain why the film gut mucked up, but you’re still supposed to act like it doesn’t bother you.

How much did you get paid for that terrible film? We’ve been much nicer about crappy websites that we had to build to ignorant CEO specs that cost a few grand. Get a clue.

From her bleak fashion to her even worse personality, Aniston proves over and over that she doesn’t have what it takes to be a big screen star.

Since we’re sick of Aniston, here are some pictures of the gracious and thoughtful Ewan McGregor looking a little worse for wear. Ewan is currently filming “Beatrix Potter” in London with Renee Zellweger and is wearing the moustache for his role.

Pictures [via]