Penn Badgley to Play Jeff Buckley in New Film

Penn Badgley to Play Jeff Buckley in New Film

Penn Badgley certainly has the hair to play late singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley -- but does he have the voice? We'll soon find out: According to Entertainment Weekly, Gossip Girl star Badgley, 24, has been tapped to portray the "Hallelujah" and "Last Goodbye" singer in the upcoming biographical drama Greetings from Tim Buckley.

The film, which director Dan Algrant (People I Know) will begin shooting in New York City in August, follows Buckley in the days leading up to his now-legendary performance at a tribute concert for his father, singer Tim Buckley, in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1991.

Buckley is perhaps best known for his captivating rendition of Leonard Cohen's moving ballad "Hallelujah," with many fans arguing that Buckley's is the definitive version of the oft-covered song. But Buckley is also famous for a much more tragic reason: He drowned in 1997 at the age of 30 after going for an impromptu nighttime swim in Tennessee's Wolf River Harbor. His debut album Grace had already won critical praise at the time, and he was at work on a second record that would never be completed.

Ironically, it wasn't until after his death that he achieved his greatest success, with his take on "Hallelujah" claiming the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 100 in 2008 -- a full 11 years after his death.

Appearance-wise, Badgley seems an ideal choice to play the beloved singer. He's got the same thick, unruly hair and scruffy good looks. As for that voice, Badgley actually pursued a singing career when he first moved to Hollywood in his tweens -- and even recorded a pop single in 1998 (good luck trying to find it on YouTube, though). All in all, this casting is sounding better and better every minute.

If you prefer Twilight to Gossip Girl, however, we've got some good news. Robert Pattinson is rumored to be up for the lead in another Jeff Buckley film, a biopic based on EW music critic David Browne's biographer Dream Brother. Two Buckley films on the horizon? The word you're looking for is: "hallelujah!"

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VIDEO: Jerseylicious Cast Member Has a Hidden Talent

The cast of Jerseylicious may be known for their expertise in make-up, beauty and style, but the Gatsby Salon?s resident hunk Filippo has a hidden talent that he has not revealed until now. Check out the bonus footage below to see Filippo show off his unbelievable, award-winning pizza dough throwing skills. New episodes of Jerseylicious [...]

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'Lost' Star Marries 16-Year-Old Aspiring Singer

'Lost' Star Marries 16-Year-Old Aspiring Singer

They say love is timeless but is it ageless too? Apparently it is for 'Green Mile' actor, Doug Hutchison, 51, and his 16-year-old bride. Hutchison tied the knot with nearly legal, Courtney Alexis Stodden, an aspiring country singer, on Monday in Las Vegas, according to E! Online. We're sure that Stodden had an overload of material for her diary this year -- a driver's license and a marriage license!

Hutchison, who is most known for his role as Percy Wetmore in 'The Green Mile,' has also appeared in 'Lost' and '24.' The actor and his new bride share a 35 year age difference -- a gap that the couple isn't trying to hide.

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Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps

Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery


Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail

On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.

The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.

"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."

Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."

"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."

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