Bret Easton Ellis’s feud with Deadline blogger Nikki Finke (which started over Ellis’s innocuous tweet about them living in the same building) was probably the highlight of my Monday, because it’s always fun when someone craps on Nikki Finke. Today, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story titled “Bret Easton Ellis Ramps Up His War Against Nikki Finke,” which isn’t really true, and if anything, seems more like an attempt to eke out a few more page views from a two-day-old feud with no new developments. So why am I writing about it, you ask? I guess I just really wanted another excuse to post that Chinese horse fighting graphic. The Chinese have it right, I’d much rather watch horses fight to the death than see some rich asshole ride them.

In an exclusive statement, Ellis tells THR: “I have nothing against Nikki Finke. I tweeted something innocuous. I did not give an address because I have crazies hounding me. She went ballistic, and her reaction was harassing and unacceptable. I had no idea her ‘privacy’ was so important considering her feelings about revealing the lives of others. Come on, N.F., if you’re going to call out others, then expect it in return.”

“My tweets were meant at the Hollywood morons who think they have to live in Nikki Finke’s French Royal Court and be completely secretive: That’s what I despise.”

Yep, I’ll go with all of that. As far as I can tell, Finke has yet to respond. And it should be noted that Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter are arch enemies (GAY HOLLYWOOD SLANG AT DAWN?), so it’s no surprise to see THR giving a Finke-hater an open forum. Meanwhile, Bret Easton Ellis is still busy on his twitter account, trying to make “empire” happen and discussing casting for the movie adaptation of Lunar Park. BUT WAIT! What’s this? A NEW BEEF EMERGES!

Just found out from a casting director that Edward Norton will NEVER work on anything associated with Bret Easton Ellis. I’m wondering why.

— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) July 18, 2012

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Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom opens May 25th and today four new charmingly glib featurettes are online, narrated by Bob Balaban (“Balaban” backwards is “Nabalab”). In each one, he introduces us to the Island of New Penzance (filmed in Rhode Island) and then shows some quick behind-the-scenes footage of each of the players — Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and the little wiener kids who play the Khaki Scouts. Mainly I’m posting it because it includes Shirtless Bill Murray holding a bottle of wine, and as you know, Shirtless Bill Murray is my spirit animal. Still, the rest of them are worth a watch, though I’ll admit, even as a Wes Anderson fan, the smoky French pop music was a little much. At the end of the last one, Wes Anderson even skips a rock across a pond for the kid actors. Sadly, he did not raise his hands above his head and shout “WHIMSY! I LIVE IT, MOTHERF*CKER!” Call it a missed opportunity.

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The trailer for The Bourne Legacy, the fourth movie of the Bourne series with new star Jeremy Renner and new director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Duplicity), appears below. It’s still called “Bourne,” but Renner plays a new punchy amnesia guy named Aaron Cross (not an unacknowledged actor switcharoo a la Bewitched). If you’re anything like Burnsy, you’re probably super duper excited right now. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking “More like BORED legacy, am I right?” Seriously though, these movies are like Phil Collins’ keynote address at an oatmeal convention, and they’ve made four of them. I liked the secret-agent-with-amnesia plot better when it was called The Long Kiss Goodnight.

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Moonrise Kingdom, the new Wes Anderson movie starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman has a trailer out, and I don’t know what else a person could possibly need to know about it other than that cast. But in case you were worried, it appears to have everything we demand from a Wes Anderson project, including:

• Yellow text
• Center-framed shots
• Matter-of-fact line readings
• French music
• Vintage film stock
• Earth tones
• Quirky childhood romance

And of course, enough whimsy to power a thousand ukulele farms. Holy crap I’m excited.

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Murray later shoved the kid in a puddle, yelling "Liddell was a pussy!"

An IMDB user recently uploaded the first pictures from the set of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, currently shooting in Rhode Island, starring Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel, with a rumored 2012 release.  It sounds amazing, and I’m not just saying that because I’m blogging from a coffee shop in San Francisco and love the smell of my own farts.  Anything would sound amazing with that cast, short of a Glee episode directed by M. Night Shyamalan.  To refresh your memory, here’s the synopsis:

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, Moonrise Kingdom follows a young boy and girl falling in love. When they are moved to run away together, various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down – which might not be such a bad thing. Bruce Willis plays the town sheriff; two-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton is cast as a camp leader; Academy Award nominee Bill Murray and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents; the cast also includes Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman. The young boy and girl are played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.

You can see Ed Norton in his Scout Leader outfit after the jump.  It’s set in the 60s, so I have to assume the Tapout sweatshirt in the banner is the kid’s own and not part of wardrobe.  Which is disappointing, because nothing pleases me more than the image of foppish dandy Wes Anderson rubbing his be-ascotted chin thoughtfully while leafing through pieces at the Ed Hardy store. “Hmm, the skull vomiting blood is nice, but… too on the nose?  How about this dragon queefing a glitter rose?  Though I do like the rhinestone lettering on this ‘Tapping is for Fagg*ts’ shirt…. decisions decisions.”

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