'21 Jump Street': With Tatum and Hill, 'All the hotness is here'

Last year, Jonah Hill established that he had dramatic acting chops in "Moneyball," as his supporting role in the baseball film earned him an Oscar nomination. This year, the actor's "21 Jump Street" costar Channing Tatum is out to prove the opposite: That he can crack a joke.

Hill, who co-wrote the story that plays off of the '80s television series that launched Johnny Depp's career, said he intentionally sought out Tatum for the movie because the actor didn't have a comedic background.

"I wanted someone in the part who didn't come from doing a lot of comedies so it would feel fresh to people to see someone do something they've never done before," he explained on the red carpet at the film's Tuesday night premiere in Hollywood.

"I got that opportunity last year with 'Moneyball,' and I was so happy with the way it turned out that I wanted to do that for somebody else."

Tatum, who grew up watching the TV show every Friday night with his sister, said the project intrigued him because it was a "complete departure" from the program he knew and loved.

"The show is like a very serious drama, and ours is 'Bad Boys' meets a John Hughes movie," Hill added.

In the movie, the actors are Jenko and Schmidt, two inept cops who are sent by a harsh police captain, played by Ice Cube, on an undercover mission to bust a high school drug ring.

Asked why he believed this is the right time to bring back "21 Jump Street," Ice Cube had this to say: "Jonah's ready to do it, you know what I mean? He's hot. Channing's hot. I'm hot. All the hotness is here."

"21 Jump Street" opens Friday.

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-- Amy Kaufman
twitter.com/AmyKinLA

Photo: Channing Tatum, left, and Jonah Hill at the premiere of "21 Jump Street." Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Seth Rogen marries Lauren Miller in wine country wedding

Seth Rogen's wedding to writer Lauren Miller took place Sunday in Sonoma, with the couple getting married in a hilltop ceremony capping three days in the Northern California wine country, according to widespread reports.

Rogen, 29, and Miller, 30, who've been together since 2004, were married by a female rabbi in a Jewish ceremony on a hilltop surrounded by vineyards at Kunde Estate, People said. The reception was held elsewhere on the property, with pictures showing the newlyweds seated in a white convertible for their ride to the party.

"The wedding was more laughs than anything else," a source told Us Weekly. "Every other line was a joke and the crowd couldn't contain their laughter."

That's hardly a surprise, with folks including Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, Adam Sandler, Paul Rudd and Craig Robinson in attendance.

The wedding was held the same weekend that "50/50," Rogen's cancer comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, premiered to decent though not overwhelming box-office success. With seven years together already under their belts, the bride and groom would seem to face much better odds.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Lauren Miller and Seth Rogen in New York City at the premiere of his newest movie, "50/50," last week. Credit: Peter Kramer / Associated Press

Brad Pitt, 'Moneyball' take Oakland out to the ballgame

Brad Pitt's new movie, "Moneyball," played to a hometown crowd for its U.S. premiere, as the red carpet show — including stars Pitt, Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and more — came to Oakland to screen the story of A's general manager Billy Beane and his renegade bases-on-a-budget approach to baseball.

"This is a special screening for us," Pitt told the Mercury News on Monday. "The people of Oakland gave us such a great response. They stayed up with us for hours on end to tape the baseball scenes [for the film] and never lost energy."

Photos: "Moneyball" premiere in Oakland

"Moneyball," based on Michael Lewis' book about Beane's system-bucking strategies in the early 2000s, was adapted for the screen by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, the latter of whom made it to the Paramount Theatre of the Arts event, as did Lewis.

Beane — whose GM contract with the A's runs through 2012 — was on hand, the Mercury News said, along with retired catcher-first baseman Scott Hatteberg, portrayed in the film by actor Chris Pratt. Though Angelina Jolie didn't make it, A's designated hitter Hideki Matsui managed to pose for a few shots with Pitt.

Also spotted from the cast were Casey Bond, Stephen Bishop and Art Ortiz, who play A's Chad Bradford, David Justice and Eric Chavez; Reed Thompson, the face of the younger Billy Beane; and Kerris Dorsey, who plays a persuasive guitar as Beane's daughter.

Separate from the premiere, Bishop threw the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday at Oakland's game against the Texas Rangers.

"Moneyball," which had its world premiere Sept. 9 at the Toronto International Film Festival, opens Friday in the U.S.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Brad Pitt arrives at the "Moneyball" premiere at the Paramount Theatre of the Arts in Oakland on Sept. 19. Credit: Robert Galbraith / Reuters.  

 

Jonah Hill: Losing weight isn't a 'fun endeavor,' but it's important [Video]

Those who follow Jonah Hill on Twitter might have noticed over the last couple of months that the actor's avatar has changed frequently -- and that in each new profile photo, Hill has appeared progressively thinner.

On Saturday, the comedian turned heads at BAFTA's "Brits to Watch" event when he showed up to the black-tie event looking dramatically more svelte.

Hill, who said he was unsure of how much weight he has lost, revealed that he'd recently begun working out and changing his eating habits because he "thought it was important to be healthier."

"It's not fun," he said of his efforts. "I wouldn't say it's the most fun endeavor I've ever took on in my life -- but it's important. And I'm enjoying it. If I eat something unhealthy now, I kind of feel a little weird and my body hurts."

Hill scored an invite to the glitzy event in downtown L.A. courtesy of MGM, one of the financiers of his upcoming film, "21 Jump Street," a big-screen reimagining of the TV show that premiered in 1987 starring Johnny Depp and Holly Robinson Peete.

"I thought it was completely a unique experience," he said of the get-together attended by BAFTA president Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. "Of course I'd want to meet them. I've never met a prince or a princess before. I met Prince -- the singer."

-- Amy Kaufman

Twitter.com/AmyKinLA