1. Dennis Farina, the former police officer who made the move to acting, usually playing authority figures, died at his home in Arizona. He was 69. Even if you don’t recognize the name, you certainly know Farina’s face. His mustachioed mug first appeared in Michael Mann‘s “Thief,” where he was initially hired as a consultant. Mann would continue to use Farina over the years, including the underrated series “Crime Story,” and he would later make memorable appearances in the Elmore Leonard adaptations “Get Shorty” and “Out of Sight.” Later, Farina would briefly replace Jerry Orbach on “Law & Order,” and recently appeared in the doomed HBO series “Luck” as well as a small role on Fox’s “New Girl.” He is survived by his partner, Marianne Cahill, three sons, and six grandchildren. [New York Times]
2. Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly quit the upcoming biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury over “creative differences.” Apparently, Baron Cohen was interested in presenting some of the more “salacious” moments from Mercury’s life, while his former bandmates are interested in more of a “family-friendly approach.” How can you make a film about rock-n-roll family-friendly? The film, whose status is now up in the air, at one time attracted a lot of attention: Oscar-winning writer Peter Morgan (“The Queen”) was brought in to pen the screenplay, while David Fincher and Tom Hopper were reportedly in discussions to direct. Baron Cohen is also a dead ringer for Mercury, and could have done the role justice. Oh well, now we’ll have to sit through a family-friendly film featuring the band that wrote “Fat Bottomed Girls.” [Guardian]
3. Natalie Portman is reportedly getting ready to make her full-length directorial debut with “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” an adaptation of the memoir by Amos Oz. Whispers about the project began circulating way back in 2007, but since then nothing has been heard. But now, according to reports, Portman will soon head to Israel to scout locations and the script, which Portman co-wrote with two unknown writers, was approved by Oz. “When Oz was twelve and a half years old, his mother committed suicide, a tragedy that was to change his life,” according to an synopsis of the book.” He leaves the constraints of the family and the community of dreamers, scholars, and failed businessmen, and joins a kibbutz. He changes his name, marries, has children, and finally becomes a writer as well as an active participant in the political life of Israel.” [Indiewire]
4. Jay Z, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, and a number of other artists are joining Stevie Wonder in boycotting the state of Florida after the controversial acquittal of George Zimmerman, who shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed African American. The boycott is in response to the state’s Stand Your Ground laws, but Florida is not the only state with the law — according to reports, at least 23 other states have similar laws on the books. [Huffington Post]
5. The Flaming Lips released a colorful video for “Gates a Steel,” a Devo cover that doesn’t appear on their new album, “The Terror.” The group exchanges the original’s upbeat minimalism for a trudging, psychedelic drone, and the video features sweaty bodies withering around while glitter is thrown at them. Watch below. [Pitchfork]
—Craig Hubert
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Image: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
