‘New Moon’ will rise as planned

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

Production of “New Moon,” the follow-up to “Twilight,” will not be halted as some outlets reported April 20.

A spokesperson from Summit Entertainment, which is releasing the film, says “Production is underway, in Vancouver, totally as planned. There is no delay. Whatever you’re hearing about a lawsuit interfering with the film, its release, all I can say is it’s totally false.” The film is slated for a Nov. 20 release.

Several Internet outlets reported April 20 that filming was halted because of a lawsuit allegedly filed in Utah by a former friend of Stephenie Meyers, the “Twilight” author. Meyers’ representation says no such lawsuit was even filed.

‘House’ to White House move makes Penn popular
If former "House" star and now White House employee Kal Penn wants to reconsider his move to Washington, now is the time to capitalize on his popularity, which is at an all-time high now that he’s left show business.

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The actor knocked “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson off the number-one position on IMDB’s Starmeter rankings after his “House” character committed suicide and it was announced that he’ll be headed to Washington to be the associate director at the Office of Public Liaison.

News that he was leaving acting world propelled Penn from a ranking of 797 straight to the top. (As of April 19, Penn had dropped to 38 on the list, and Pattinson reclaimed his top spot.)

And although Penn is technically bowing out of the business for now, he still has a film listed as in production — “Under New Management,” which is slated for a 2009 release.

Chan backlash continues
Backlash against action star Jackie Chan’s query as to whether the Chinese “need to be controlled” continues days after his April 18 remarks at a business forum in Hainan, a southern Chinese island.

Chan said, "I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic." Chan added, "I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

Since then, a number of blogs are calling for boycotts of Chan’s films. And while the “Rush Hour” franchise is probably safe, there’s cause for concern about whether the outrage has enough momentum to impact the filming of “Big Soldier,” which is budgeted at $25 million and scheduled for an October 2009 release. Chan is also attached to the “Karate Kid” remake.

A boycott has also been called for a May 1 concert at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing. No word from Chan’s reps as to whether that show is still happening, or whether to expect a comment from the action star.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter: @ courtneyatmsnbc.

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