• Meet your new action hero overlord: Chris Pine. Already fronting the rebooted Star Trek franchise, Pine has signed on to play the Jack Ryan role previously portrayed by Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin in a new go-around adapting Tom Clancy's series of espionage novels. [Variety]

• For those CBS and Viacom employees who feel each day the burden of the Redstone yoke, you can take heart today; Sumner is now less your owner than he was last week. The octillionaire mogul has been selling off the debt of his holding company, National Amusements. For now, however, NA still retains the controlling interest. [Variety]

• As the world waits for the final outcome of Vivendi/GE/Comcast talks over the fate of NBC Universal, Nikki Finke reports that Comcast wants the deal "done and announced in November." So there. [DHD]

• Curse be damned! ABC has won the competition to be the next network to fail with a sitcom by a former Friends star, locking up rights to the Matthew Perry project. [THR]

• The Wrap reports that Alex Young, Co-President of Production at 20th Century Fox is being moved out of the job and into a producing deal. Young was a Tom Rothman protege who has been in the job since 2007. [The Wrap]

• Always on the lookout for a feel good project, director Gus Van Sant and novelist Bret Easton Ellis have picked up the rights to "The Golden Suicides," Nancy Jo Sales' Vanity Fair article about the deaths of downtown artists Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake. [Variety]

• The creator of the Gilmore Girls is coming to HBO. Exec-Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino has signed a deal to develop a dramedy for the cable network. She described the project as the "story of love, hate, family — and finding the perfect opening line," [THR]

• This is what it's come to in the strange, contorted career of Bill Murray; taking Joe Pesci's leftovers. For those who thought Murray's Zombieland cameo was just a little strange— that he was too big, or had been too big a star for the joke about Woody Harrelson being obsessed with him to completely click — you are right. In an interview with Hitfix, Murray revealed the walk on had been intended for Joe Pesci — with whom the joke would have made a lot more sense — but that Murray took the part after Pesci passed. [Hitfix]

Anderson recruited George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray to voice the characters from Roald Dahl's cherished kids' story. Though it looks a little jerky, there are some lush visuals. Take a look!

Ok, time for some real talk! With Aquatic Life and Darjeeling Anderson's once precious characters became irritating because they lost their spontaneity — whimsy is not a substitute for insight, you guys. But maybe Fantastic Mr. Fox will force Anderson away from the smug hipster trope and we'll be able to fall in love with him again. Unless of course, there is a romantic subplot involving a pan-ethnic possum who shows Mr. Fox the true beauty in an mundane life. Booo!

McG, director of such films as Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Terminator Salvation, doing press junkets to promote the release of Terminator Salvation, was talking about Christian Bale's much-publicized freakout during filming and how movie sets can be stressful environments filled with monster egos, when he casually mentioned this little story to a reporter from The Guardian:

McG declines to comment any further than he already has, but points out that movie sound stages can be stressful places where creative battles sometimes become heated. Particularly, it seems, on his sound-stages. "I'm reintroducing the fist-fight to movie sets," he smiles. "I don't think there's been a film I've made where there hasn't been some kind of physical fight. I mean, I've been headbutted by an A-list star. Square in the head. An inch later and my nose would have been obliterated." Will he be revealing any names? "Nah, I probably shouldn't," he smiles. "But it was Bill Murray. Y'know, it's a passionate industry."

Bill Murray?!?! Bill Murray is a lot of things, but he might be the absolute last guy we'd ever expect to throw a headbutt on a director during filming. Do we see him sipping cognac and playfully flirting with younger women in hotel bars, accosting people in the middle of the night in parks, and maybe wandering into a hipster party in Brooklyn and getting stoned with the kids every now and again? Yes, totally! But do we see him as someone who headbutts people at work? No, absolutely not, which all points to one thing—-McG is probably as massive a tool as his name suggests.

More Proof That Bill Murray is Really Cool [Film Drunk]
I Was Headbutted By Bill Murray [The Guardian]

He was discussing where to eat with a fellow younger actress, pretty with short black hair, but name unbeknownst to me.

JFP is apparently now an extra-wrangler. For the movies! He was trolling for extras on Craigslist in Atlanta—the posting is now deleted, but luckily it's reproduced right there on his priceless personal website!

DO YOU WANT TO BE IN A MOVIE WITH BILL MURRAY, SISSY SPACEK AND ROBERT DUVALL - THEN COME OUT ON WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY (note dates have been moved back AGAIN due to inclement weather)!
NOTE: to be in this movie, you must use my name - JOHN FITZGERALD PAGE - when you check-in. NO EXCEPTIONS. Leave me your name and the days you can show up at johnfpage@yahoo.com if you plan to come out either or both days.
What: Feature Film - "Get Low" - starring Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194263/
Setting: 1930's
Date: Wednesday 3/4 and Thursday 3/5 (EARLY IN THE MORNING)
When: Call time 3:30 a.m. WOMEN (pre-fit) & MEN (pre-fit) 4 a.m. Pre-fit means you have already been seen by wardrobe.
When: Call time 5 a.m. WOMEN & MEN (not pre-fit). Early birds get closer to the cast!
Scene: outside - a recluse stages his own funeral before he dies and it becomes a huge event with thousands attending.
Temp: (at call time) 35-43 degrees (high) 55-61 degrees- dress appropriately - some heated areas provided. Wear thermals or plain jackets you can take on and off easily.
Food: Complimentary coffee and soup, lunch
Extras: OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Bring yourself and as many other people as possible (pre-fit or not). We can use you Wednesday (more important day) or Thursday or both days. Email johnfpage@yahoo.com with first & last names and days you plan to attend, then just show up with period clothes, hair & makeup and use JOHN FITZGERALD PAGE at check-in! Find me on set!...

Compensation - No pay, but you get lunch/snacks, a chance for prizes (flat-screen TVs, signed scripts, meet the stars, etc.), to be in a movie and see Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Robert Duvall up close!
Perfomance by: STEEL DRIVERS (GRAMMY NOMINATED BAND) WILL BE PERFORMING THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Any Gawker readers in Atlanta had better be there, taking notes. And just FYI, ladies, JFP includes these photos as guidance as to how you might want your hair to look:

Send us full reports! [Read all about JFP here and also here]

There’s an urban legend that’s gone around until no one is sure who it happened to, or if it happened at all. It was late one night, a few years ago, when a young man was walking through Union Square Park. He suddenly felt someone behind him, their hands over his eyes. When he turned in surprise, there was Bill Murray, his creased face leaning in close. Bill whispered, “No one is ever going to believe you,” and then just walked away.

[via Reax Quotes]

She asked aloud “whether there’s unchartered territory for a creature who’s become somewhat debased by this computer generated thing. I haven’t seen ["Alien Vs. Predator"] but I just think if you overexpose the creature, that’s a mistake.”

Weaver confirmed that she and Scott have discussed re-teaming for a fifth film, “Both of us feel a kind of commitment to that woman. He’s as much responsible for who she is as I am.” Then as she opined on the way the alien creature had been ruined in the recent films, Weaver’s comments got especially interesting.

“We’d have to go back to the drawing board on [the alien],” she said. “Ridley said that right away when we first talked about [a fifth film].”

And finally, the quote that’s gotten me mighty curious, “What we’re interested in is taking the character of Ripley and seeing what other science fiction story we can tell about someone who has lived several lives.”

Though purists may blanch at the idea of an alien-less Alien sequel, we agree that there are plenty of stories left for Weaver's indomitable central character. In particular, we're looking forward to RIPL-e, in which Ellen Ripley, tasked with garbage management on a far-off planet, must overcome her longtime distrust of androids when she falls in love with an adorable (and tasty!) iPod.

• Will Signourney Weaver Appear In The ‘Ghostbusters’ Sequel? She’s Got Ideas [MTV]

• Sigourney Weaver And Ridley Scott To Team Up For Alien-Less ‘Alien’ Sequel? [MTV]

Answer: Awkwardly! Without Tina Fey on board or even the much-rumored Sarah Palin-as-Fey meta explosion, SNL's attempt at a presidential debate skit underwhelmed almost as much as the actual debate. Even guest appearances by Bill Murray and Chris Parnell couldn't quite mask the fact that after weeks of mining rich, varied material, SNL returned to its "beat one single joke into the ground over nine minutes" roots. In this case, it was the premise that Tom Brokaw didn't allow the debaters enough time to make interesting points. Laughing yet? Then the entire sketch awaits you below!

• Saturday Night Live [NBC]

Boomp3.com

Comedic legend Bill Murray came up for a quick breath of fresh air and a dash of natural light at the premiere of City of Ember in Manhattan on Tuesday. Murray had taken a cartography course in between films and decided to apply the newly acquired knowledge to the sprawling urban jungle to craft a map of his favorite pizza places and easiest passageways to near subways and cab stands. Murray said, “I’ve been living in the city for quite some time, but never hurts to have the upper hand when running away from somebody you said you’d call back and never did.”

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

*A Call To The Bullpen is a work of fiction. Although the pictures we use are most certainly real, Defamer does not purport that any of the incidents or quotations you see in this piece actually happened. Lighten up, people ... it's a joke.

• WATCH VIDEO

This story is being updated as Bill Murray makes his skydive. Refresh this page often to make sure you're seeing the latest.

UPDATE:

3:21 p.m. Now he's moving away from the podium.

3:15 p.m. Murray has not yet removed his helmet. It doesn't look like he's going to speak for a while.

That's all the news now, but check back often. And buy some newspapers tomorrow!

• In the spirit of racial harmony, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton ignored each other at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday party. They used to be very close, apparently. Until, presumably, Oprah went and supported a certain black man for president. Either that or he just didn't want to be near her in that outfit (pictured). [P6]
• The new conspiracy theory about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who gave birth already according to a fairly unbeliveable Entertainment Tonight report a couple of weeks ago, is that the infants were born premature and are being "secretly cared for in a French hospital." Also, Jolie is wearing a prosthetic tummy to keep the secret going. [R&M]
• A socialite says she was warned away from arrested Anne Hathaway ex Rafaello Follieri's charitable foundation and that he flaked on sending documents to her charity. But what really burns her is that he didn't bring Hathaway to this one charity invite, even though she was invited and everything. [P6]
• The Post doesn't think CBS' chief PR executive should be publishing a book about slacking off on the job called "Executricks: Or How to Retire While You're Still Working." [Post]
• Bill Murray has completed his nasty divorce battle. Mom gets custody, he gets visitation. [Daily Star]

• Having lost his criminal case, famed spin-class grunter Stuart Sugarman sued Christopher Carter, who manhandled his stationary bike, in civil court. He also sued his gym, Equinox. [Daily News]
• Rum scion Anton Bacardi owes alimony in New Jersey, but it's unclear if authorities will be able to track him down, since he's often in Dubai and supposedly friends with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. [Post]
• Wait, Katie Couric was dancing with Jimmy Fallon? [P6]
• Mary-Kate Olsen tried to get into an SUV but did a Lindsay Lohan-style drunk fall instead. There's video. [LA Rag Mag]
• Bill Murray's wife accused him of being an abusive sex addict. The actor is now accusing her of being a child-abusing drunkard, and has a police report to prove it. [P6]
• Actress Tori Spelling gave birth to daughter Stella Doreen McDermott. Her other child, Liam, is one year old. [OK!]
• Brandon Davis continues to be a mooching greaseball, but this time in the Hamptons. Yay for seasonal gossip! [P6]

• Bill Murray's wife wants a divorce and claims the actor is a pot-smoking globe-trotting sex addict who is physically abusive. The Daily News recalls: "At a bash at Robert De Niro's Tribeca Grill in the '90s, we watched as Murray punch-shoved photographer Diane Cohen in the chest."
• Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are having a housewarming party at their new Beverly Hills mansion tomorrow, all the other Scientologist living gods are sure to be there.
• In the meantime, Holmes conducted a big business meeting at the Carlyle Hotel in New York, which illustrated that she is "a very strong and determined" actual businesswoman who can do important businesswoman stuff. Evidence: During the meeting, which was related to her coming role in a Broadway play, she listened intently, took notes, and when her phone rang SHE DID NOT ANSWER IT. This is the glory of being a "clear," people. [OK!]
• Amy Winehouse if a filthy drug addict with a disgusting skin condition, so logically men are fighting over her. Fellow druggie musician Pete Doherty wrote to Winehouse's jailed husband, Blake, demanding he divorce Winehouse so Doherty can finally seal his bond of desperation with her. Nelson Mandela is also into Winehouse, but only as a performer at his 90th birthday.
• Remember how Kirsten Dunst said she went to rehab for depression instead of for drugs? Now Steven Tyler of Aerosmith insists he checked into rehab to recover from a foot injury. It's amazing how rehab clinics have diversified these days, now that all the stars are clean. [Us]
• Britney Spears' lawyer argued her health is too "fluid" for the singer to participate in the court case over her posessions, now under the care of her father. This may just be a ploy to ensure visitation with her sons until she stabilizes, since the visitation is better protected when her father is acting as conservator.
• John Mayer, former Perez Hilton make-out partner, gets pretty gushy toward fellow musician Pete Wentz on his blog. "I think the world of you." [Showbiz Spy]
• Recent drunk driver Mischa Barton continues to act erratic, and now her legs look screwy. [Rush & Molloy]
• Charlie Sheen may be on his fourth baby. It's the third mom. [Rush & Molloy]
• Clay Aiken, 29, donated sperm to his record producer, 50, and plans to be "part of the baby's life." [P6]
• Bill Cosby's famous Cosby Show sweaters are being auctioned for charity. [NY Sun]

Bill Murray is a drug-addicted spousal abuser and serial adulterer who has abandoned his family, according to a scathing divorce filing by his estranged wife.

Jennifer Murray alleges that the Academy Award-nominated actor's "adultery, addiction to marijuana and alcohol, abusive behavior, physical abuse, sexual addictions and frequent abandonment" led her in 2006 to move into a separate South Carolina home with the couple's four children. [...]

Murray contends that the comedian physically abused her on several occasions during their marriage (they were wed in 1997) and that the star hit her in the face during a November 2007 confrontation in her home. During that incident, the May 12 complaint alleges, the 57-year-old performer "told her she was 'lucky he didn't kill her.'"

Certainly, Murray is preceded by a reputation for not always being entirely a joy to be around: Even Scarlett Johansson, who includes him among the "five dads" who taught her everything she knows about how to best employ the Electra complex to one's career advantage, admits that he was perhaps the scariest of all her set-daddies. By the same token, the idiosyncratic actor's behavior has grown even more erratic of late, as manifested by a regrettable international incident in which he mowed down several herring stands on the streets of Stockholm, drunkenly piloting a golf cart he briefly mistook for a mighty Viking vessel. We can only hope the ensuing legal proceedings won't grow even uglier, with yet further accusations of inappropriate conduct involving mentor-hungry co-stars and turf-friendly mobility devices.

• Bill Murray Accused Of Drug, Spouse Abuse [thesmokinggun.com]

”He was wearing his stupid farmer's boots, a lumberjack shirt and looking like the country bumpkin from the Midwest that he really always was. And he left, shaking his head, and I never had to see him again.”

How the two came together in the first place, and what might have scared the poor guy away, after the jump:

According to Scacchi, who you may remember only for her many nude roles in The Red Violin and Heat And Dust (and, obvs, her role as the Ice Queen that tantalized Griffin Mill in The Player), she met Murray at a casting meeting for an undisclosed film in which the two are apparently slated to play each other's love interest. And Scacchi claims Murray openly requested her phone number to prove to the rest of the crew that their on-screen heat would be realistic should they play it out off-screen as well. See Hollywood Ethics 101 for why this is perfectly reasonable. In any case, Murray agreed to meet Greta at her apartment where Greta had invited "an eclectic collection of friends...cooking, playing music, dancing, all completely stoned. He just sat on a sofa, out of his depth." Frankly, we don't care how sexy Scacchi used to look, but we're on Team Murray: that scene is far too 70s for our taste, and we'd leave those faux bohos in the pot-scented dust just like he did.

[Photo Credits: Getty Images]

• BILL MURRAY IN TOO DEEP AT GRETA SCACCHI'S [London Telegraph]

"It wasn't like [Dad 1] and I had so much in common that we could have this great personal relationship. We were at totally different stages in our lives, and I don't think he was necessarily so fascinated by what I was going through. But we were fortunate that we had a lot of chemistry between us. ... At that time, my mom was still coming with me to work. She legally had to be there—thank God she was there!"

"I've been fortunate enough to never be the biggest media sensation. ... If you have somebody waiting outside your house for 32 hours, it doesn't matter how many days you've clocked in on the movie-star meter. You're still a person living your life. I can understand how that must have been for [Dad 2], who's such an icon. I've been fortunate enough to mostly come out unscathed."

"It's been so exciting to get out there and talk to kids—and I say 'kids' meaning my peers—about why I appreciate [Dad 3]. He's confronting health-care issues that affect young people. You know, most of my friends don't have insurance. They're working as photo assistants and stuff like that. These kids on the campaign trail asking questions, they are so well-informed."

"At first it was like, 'What this weird music that your dad listens to?' ... [Dad 4's] songs are very cinematic. I think as a kid I was attracted to that in the same way I loved 'Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!'—one of my favorite Beatles songs. It really lets a kid's imagination take flight. ... I was this little blonde girl with a baritone singing voice, which at nine was freakish, I'm sure."

"I don't know why relationships between men and women are always pigeon-holed into being some kind of push-and-pull for sexual power. I'm always kind of weirded out when I'm interviewed by people who say, 'Gosh! [Dad 5] must be in love with you.' It's like, 'fucking expand your mind.' We have a great friendship between us and I have such a fondness for him as a person. I can appreciate his quirks."

Seriously! Expand your fucking minds! It's not like anyone here has fetishized or even married women younger than Scarlett. Oh, wait. And come to think of it, she doesn't look anything like Obama. Anyway, happy guessing.

• My Five Dads [Paste]