Though I’m not Stooges expert, the lead performances seem to run from good to great in their adherence to the source material. And the Farelly’s smartly busted the film up into three 30-minute segments to prevent fatigue from a dragging plot.

Despite those steps, the film just looks like a dud. Perhaps if I had a couple kids and wanted to veer away from the standard animated fare, I would take them to see this film, but I think that the whole concept of The Three Stooges just doesn’t appeal to the past couple generations. So there goes about 60% of film audiences.

Maybe I’m wrong, and people will appreciate the throwback and attention to detail, but it’s been my experience that most audiences don’t “appreciate” shit. This isn’t their type of dumb physical comedy. My hope was that the Farrelly’s would bring their irreverent humor of bygone films like Dumb and Dumber to this gig, but they seem hell bent on sticking to the old formula, save for some very bizarre cameos.

Anyway. Watch the trailer, and, who knows, if you’re also not seeing The Three Stooges on opening night, maybe we’ll run into each other.

Typically, Jim Carrey doesn’t do sequels, but he did hint at this project while promoting Mr. Popper’s Penguins. And Jeff Daniels will do anything. So, now it’s just a matter of schedules syncing up and the guys who wrote Sex Drive being able to come up with some fresh fart jokes. Developing. (Deadline)

“For the Farrelly Bros to say how well we did… it gives me chills,” JWoww recalled.

Sammi elaborated. “Like, you never know,” she mused. “Like, I actually enjoyed acting, and I enjoyed being a part of it, so I would love to see what the future holds, whether it’s acting or something else.”

Castmates Ronnie and Snooki also reportedly want in on the action, according to Access Hollywood. “We’re not scared to be stupid or make fun of ourselves,” said Snooki. “I think we could be good in acting. I would love to do comedy.”

Seriously, you guys. Don’t tempt Adam Sandler. Just don’t. (Movieline)

5 photosPeep Out ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ Pics

“We’re talking about maybe returning to some old characters that everyone has been asking about,” on which Carrey elaborated, ”…There’s Bruce Almighty and we’re talking about maybe another Dumb and Dumber.”

What? He’s not doing another Majestic? Aw, man. Well, it’d be fun to catch up with Harold and Lloyd, and I’m guessing The Farrelly Brothers have been praying night and day for the dumberer stars of that potential hit to align. As for Bruce Almighty, the Steve Carell sequel Evan Almighty was a big budget disappointment. Are people really excited to return to the franchise? I’d just assume pack my memories of those movies on an arc and let them drift peacefully off into the ocean. (ComingSoon.net)

4 photosSofia Vergara Being Abused On 'Three Stooges' Set

She will join Larry David and Jane Lynch, who are also playing women of the cloth, as Sister Rosemary, alongside the Stooge trio of the fat guy from “MadTV,” Jack from “Will & Grace,” and some good-lookin greek dude. It’s a murderer’s row of talent! Also, a beat-up Sofia Vergara is in it as well, which is so funny, because a battered Sofia Vergara is in all my sex dreams as well.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the casting for this film has taken some very strange turns. Aside from possibly Jane Lynch, it doesn’t seem as though any of these names belong in this film. While it will certainly keep it from becoming a stale remake, it could result in an unholy mess of randomness. Either way, it’s piqued the curiosity of a couple generations who aren’t familiar with the original show, so…nice work? (Deadline)

Craig Bierko has TV credits (of course), but he’s best known for roles in Cinderella Man and Scary Movie 4. He’ll play a villain named Mac in Three Stooges. Will this movie be a cinematic masterpiece on the level of Scary Movie 4? I’ll let the Academy Award voters decide.

Meanwhile, the producers have no “Moe” problems, now that Chris Diamantopoulos has been confirmed for the role of Moe. See what I did there? Cause I don’t. (Deadline)

Stephen Collins (“7th Heaven”) will play Mr. Harter, a character who attempts to adopt one of the Stooge crew at the orphanage. Sure, that sounds wacky enough. You may have seen Collins most recently in “No Ordinary Family,” which is tangling with that villain The Almighty Cancelator and looks to be headed for the same fate as “The Cape.” (Variety)

That’s right. Larry David is finalizing his deal to play Mother Mengele, which will in no way put him in a bad position at his synagogue. Mother Mengele is the nun that runs the orphanage where the Stooges grew up and learned to raise carnage. I had guessed he’d play an abusive uncle who taught them their violent ways, so I was half-rightish. Which I feel is deserving of a CALLED DAT SHIT (kinda)! (Deadline)

There’s a role in the film for Larry David should he choose to take it. We don’t know exactly what that role is. Maybe he’s the guy that Sofia Vergara is trying to convince the Stooges to murder. Or maybe he plays an uncle from an older generation of Stooges who taught them their Stooge ways of verbal and physical abuse. Hate like that isn’t just born. It’s handed down from generation to generation.

Otherwise, let’s just expect him to play the guy who holds his arms awkwardly whenever on camera and looks like he’s going to crack a smile during the tensest moments. (EW)

Who will play Three Stooges movie? While Will Sasso has been cast as Curly, and Sean Hayes landed the role of Larry, the fate of Moe is stil up in the air. Hank Azaria and Johnny Knoxville have been rumored for a while, but nobody really knows for sure. Rather than wait around for an “official announcement” like some sort of ass, we’ve decided to get the ball rolling with following five possibilities.

Rob McElhenney

McElhenney is certainly funny enough, but does he look the part? Well, sort of…around the eyes. Ah, who cares. You can slap a bowl cut on anyone and turn them into Moe.

Johnny Galecki

Galecki as been on several hit television shows including “Roseanne” and “Big Bang Theory.” Even before his work in television, he starred along side Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation. The next logical step is the Three Stooges movie. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but he’s definitely in contention.

Judah Friedlander

Judah Friedlander is hilarious on”30 Rock“, among other things. Plus his names is Judah. All the Stooges were Jews, but not one has been cast thus far. Someone has to represent for the tribe!

Nick Kroll

With shows like”The League” and “Best Week Ever” under his belt, Kroll certainly has an impressive resume. And the fact that he was involved with “Cavemen,” the sitcom based off the GEICO ads, shows that he’s prepared to handle failure, which will come in handy when Three Stooges inevitably bombs.

Nick Offerman

People seem to love Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson on”Parks and Recreation.” So why wouldn’t they love him as Moe Howard? Oh, because it’s a drastically different character that looks nothing like Offerman? I see. Still, he’s often hurtful with his words on “Parks and Rec.”. This would give him the chance to be hurtful with his finger pokes.

The part of Curly in their Three Stooges reboot, once rumored to be played by somewhat bankable movie star Jim Carrey, went instead to “MadTV” star Will Sasso. However, at least the casting makes sense, because Sasso is a proven physical comedian who looks the part. Now, the role of Larry, once rumored to be played by Oscar winning actor Sean Penn, will instead go to a very different Sean: Sean Hayes (“Will and Grace”), aka “Just Jack!,” aka ”I had to look up what Jack McFarland’s catch phrase was, because it’s been so long since I’ve even thought about ‘Will and Grace’.”

Maybe the Farrelly’s have been poked in the eyes / clobbered over the head too many times? Or maybe these are the only folks who will sign on to a project with directors who haven’t produced a hit in over a decade.

Fox is distributing, and the film will be broken into 27-minute segments, rather than a feature length narrative. (Variety)

Sasso actually brings a lot to the table, except for name recognition, despite the fact that he’s a regular on the popular sitcom “Shit My Dad Says.” He looks the part, he’s a funny impersonator and physical comedian, plus the film will be broken into three long Three Stooges sketches, which should make him feel right at home. Like he’s back at his terrible previous job.

20th Century Fox and the Farrelly’s are now on the lookout for their Larry and Moe. Who else wants to throw their faith behind the guys who just made Hall Pass? Anyone? (Hollywood Reporter)

“[A] PG film that will be told in three interconnected, short films. The plan will also find the directors recreating classic gags, but re-interpreting them and re-contextualizing them a contemporary setting.”

One possible reason for Sasso’s being considered so strongly is his sketch comedy background might make him useful in a movie with three interconnected vignettes. Plus, no matter what, it will undoubtedly be funnier than “MADTv.” (via The Playlist)

Knoxville was considering the role, but wisely backed away before serious negotiations took place. Unlike the Farrelly’s, Knoxville has made several hit movies in the past decade, though both their filmographies include movies about bad things happening to dudes’ balls. I’m guessing Hall Pass was Knoxville’s pass out of Stoogeland. So that leaves the gross out brothers with three roles to fill, rather than two.

Knoxville is eyeing other projects, including a merging of the Jackass and Broken Lizard crews in a film amazingly titled Mustache Riders. He’s also producing, and possibly starring in, a movie about a man whose wife runs for president. It has the less amazing title of First Man and will be written/directed by Max Winkler. (Hollywood Reporter)

One sign they’re on the right track: hiring Johnny Knoxville to play Moe. Almost. The contract is being negotiated between Fox and Knox, so the Jackass star can bring his willingness to taser his own balls to this modern day Stooges update. He is the current reigning King of Getting His Ass Kicked For Laughs.

The film will be three long “shorts,” rather than a full-length narrative. One thing’s for sure: if the Farrelly’s screw this one up, angry Three Stooges fans will not be giving them hall pass. (Cinema Blend)

Carly on her role in Hall Pass: “I play [Jason Sudeikis’ hall pass, whom he meets at a club. Even though we have nothing in common, he takes me home because his friend tells him, “You’re not looking for a pen pal—you’re looking for a poon pal.”

Looks like they’ve moved away from trying to win an Oscar and have focused exclusively on comedic actors. While making the rounds for Hall Pass, the Farrellys have revealed the current state of casting. In competition for the role of Moe are Hank Azaria and Johnny Knoxville, Will Sasso leads the charge for Curly, and Larry has been offered to Larry David, Woody Harrelson, and Justin Timberlake.

Hmmm… really interesting choices in there. If it were up to me, I’d say Azaria, Sasso, and Harrelson are all perfect. As much as I’d like to see Justin Timberlake poked in the eyes, he’s just not the right fit. (via The Playlist)

But just because they’re raunchy, doesn’t mean they’re funny. Also strange that Owen Wilson only has about four lines in this trailer with most of the attention going to Jason Sudeikis‘s take on a role that typically goes to Dan Fogler. I’ll have to wait until we see the film before officially calling the time of death on the Farrelly’s comedy skills but I’m prepping our 40 oz’s for sip-pouring all the same. (IGN)

Peter Farrelly dispelled the report to Entertainment Weekly. “You don’t want people to think ‘they already cast that thing,’ because we haven’t. It’s wide open to everybody. Right now, there is no leader in the clubhouse.”

Which doesn’t mean those guys aren’t in the running, they’re just a few of the names up for the film. Farrelly also told EW that he and his brother are looking for actors who can do exact impressions of the original Stooges (Mel Gibson Comeback Tour 2011?). The director also noted that things were ready to go with an A-list cast until Sean Penn grew preoccupied with relief efforts in Haiti. Which means an earthquake prevented Hollywood from making a gross-out version of The Three Stooges. What was the over-under on that, NASA?

The Three Stooges movie may be dead. At least, according to serious actor, Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Batman Forever). He shot down any hope of seeing him portray Curly in The Farrell Brothers stab at the classic masochists. His main reason? Jim Carrey does not fat suit. He bent over and told MTV via his butt:

“For me, I don’t really want to do anything halfway, and I don’t feel like a fat suit does it. I started experimenting with it a little bit, and I gained 35, 40 pounds. I wanted to gain another 30, 40. When you’re [Robert] De Niro in your 20s or early 30s, you can kind of come back from that. It’s a tough thing to come back from when you’re upwards of 30. Your body can’t carry it or you can have a cardiac arrest.”

The fat suit doesn’t do it? Did he see Shallow Hal? Jack Black‘s fat suit looked so realistic in that. Gwyneth’s was okay, but Black’s was like a shroud of chub. You could nestle up and nap in that thing.

Hall Pass checks into theaters February 25, 2011.

The other day I had the opportunity to speak with comedian and actor JB Smoove about his current and upcoming projects, his unique approach to stand-up comedy, and a way of life that he defines as “The Ruckus.” You may best know JB as Leon, Larry David’s ex-brother-in-law, from The Black family on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He’s gearing up to shoot the 8th Season of “Curb,” but JB’s also got several other projects poppin’ at the moment. Take a gander at our conversation below.

SJ: Tell me about this new show you’re hosting, “Russell Simmons Presents Stand-Up at the El Rey.”

JB: Anytime Russell Simmons calls you and tells you he’s doing something you gotta do it. This show could have been about cake. It could have been called "Russell Simmons Presents Birthday Cakes" and you gotta consider it. So Russell calls me up and says I’m doing this new show and I’d love for you to host it. The El Rey is a historic theater in the Wilshire District of Los Angeles. So I’m hosting the show. It’s a version of Def Comedy Jam. It’s young comics, comics from all over, and I’m just the captain of the ship.

SJ: Are these up and coming comics? Will we know some of the names?

JB: Mostly up and coming comics, which is great. Everybody killed it. Everybody murdered it, man. You notice how the world has changed? How bad words have become good words? They killed it. They murdered it, man.

SJ: So if we tune in we can expect a whole lot of killing and murdering.

JB: Killing and murdering, man. Verbal ass-whoopings. Comedians, that’s our thing. The worse condition we leave you in, the better. Comedians try to murder you, they try to kill you. They try to make you piss on yourself. We try to make you shit yourself. We are horrible. Comedians have bad intentions for a good audience. You make someone spit their drink out, that’s pretty common, but if you can make their whole bod break down. Murder ‘em, kill ‘em, they fall off their chair, they spit their drink out, piss on themselves, shit on themselves, and get thrown out the club. The full f*ckin’ monty, man.

SJ: What’s it like having Russell Simmons as a boss? Does he make it rain constantly?

JB: That dude is f*ckin’ loaded with cash. It would take you five days to rob that dude. Take this advice: always ride the coattails of the rich and famous. Russell Simmons could have done a show about Chlamydia and I would have done it.

SJ: Speaking about somebody with weight, are you working with Larry David on the 8th Season of “Curb You Enthusiasm?”

JB: You cannot get rid of Leon. You’d have to assassinate Leon to get rid of him. I’m looking forward to some new Leonisms, too. I’m looking forward to gettin’ in that ass.

SJ: You’re going to get into your character’s ass?

JB: I’m gonna get in Larry’s ass. I bring the ruckus. The ruckus will be brought this season, again.

SJ: Can you let us in on anything about the new season of “Curb?”

JB: Man, I don’t know anything. All I know is they’re shooting some in New York and some in L.A. I don’t know anything until I get to the set. I’m one of those guys that don’t like information until I get there. Larry’s pretty secretive. I know a little bit about nothing.

SJ: How was it working with the Farrell Brothers in their new film Hall Pass?

JB: Huge fans of those guys. Loved working on the movie with Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis. Had a ball doing it. And Stephen Merchant. What is that guy, like 6’9’’? Normally I’m the tall guy on set, this dude was like 6’9’’ or some shit.

SJ: Can you tell us some about your character in the film?

JB: I just play one of the homies. One of the friends. My name is Flats. I play Stephen Merchant’s brother-in-law.

SJ: What other projects do you have going on at the moment?

JB: I’ve got a ton of shit going on. A few other films I’m considering. Working on a few other shows. Doing my stand-up on the road. I’m just trying to pay Discover and Mastercard off. One thing you don’t want is motherf*ckers calling you the rest of your life.

SJ: Inception comes out next week and everyone is really excited for it. Are you excited to see it?

JB: Anything that Leo DiCaprio is in, I’m going to see that shit. They could combine his movies and I’d see that shit. The Inception of the Titanic. The boat could come back out the water and I’d see that shit. He’s got a cool-ass name.

SJ: In the movie, Leo’s character goes into dreams. If Leo went into your dreams, what would he find?

JB: Oh man, he’ll find some shit, man. The ruckus just flies in my body. He’ll go into my bloodstream and find that my ruckus level is high. I’m in the 90% range of ruckusness. The ruckus makes you thick skinned. You ever been to a petting zoo and rubbed a rhinoceros ass? His ass is like leather. That’s what the ruckus is.

So there you have it, everyone. The ruckus is like a rhinoceros ass. I want to thank JB for taking the time to speak with me. Be sure to look for him hosting “Russell Simmons Presents Stand-Up at the El Rey” Sundays at 11PM/10c on Comedy Central. The new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” premieres next year on HBO.
 

We’ve reported previously about the Farrell Brothers upcoming Hall Pass. It’s the comedy that stars Owen Wilson as a man given a pass by his wife, Jenna Fischer,  to pursue extra-marital ass-tappings for one week. Now there’s word that child actor turned tappable-ass Amanda Bynes has joined the cast. Possibly as a young ass that will be granted tapping amnesty.

That could be good but I’ve got an axe to grind with Bynes. She’s one of those girls (Kaley Cuoco is another offender) who made goofy faces during their recent Maxim shoots. It’s confusing for the penis. I hope she doesn’t do that in bed. Like, all of a sudden she’s winking at you while you’re in the throws. She’s definitely on my list and had better clean her act up if she wants to be on my other list. (Variety)

Cast: Owen Wilson

Synopsis: Centers on a married couple who find themselves in a lull in their marriage and just going through the motions. The wife then gives her husband a "hall pass," a free ticket to engage in extramarital encounters.

Sean Penn was attached to play Larry in the Farrell Brothers‘ big screen The Three Stooges film last winter. Shortly after, he dropped out to work on his marriage with actress Robin Wright Penn. The couple have since decided to call it quits once and for all and so with that news, Penn is back on board Stooges alongside Benicio Del Toro‘s Moe. Problem is, noted actor and craft services fan Paul Giamatti picked up the Larry role after Penn put hoes before Farrelly Bros.

Earlier plans were to hold a nationwide American Idol-esque casting call to find an actor who could take on the role of Curly. Perhaps Giamatti could fill those shoes with his porcine feet. Heck, he’ll do anything. Can the star of Shoot ‘Em Up really claim that a role is beneath him? (WENN)