Pizza Mario

Pizza Mario

St Margaret's, Ivy Shop 9, 417-421 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. Phone: 9332 3633

Tucked away in a windy courtyard, Mario's is a place of worship for Sydney's pizza faithful. An accredited member of Italy's Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, owner and pizzaiolo David Cowdrill is a true defender of the Neapolitan style. This means the dough is shaped only with the hands; the oven is wood-burning; the pizza is cooked directly on the oven floor; the crust is soft, well-cooked and fragrant; and the toppings are "not in conflict with the rules of gastronomy". The result is purist pizza - crusty, puffy, not overloaded with toppings and designed to be eaten in the hand. The Margherita Extra (buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, fresh tomato, basil, $25) is the city's benchmark and the Patate (potato, sea salt, rosemary, $14) is simplicity itself.

Beyond pizza: Check the blackboard for seasonal specials such as figs and prosciutto or golden deep-fried gamberetti (school prawns).

SMH

one hell'of a fan

handsom

Photographer Dewey Nicks Santa Barbara Home.

By Mayer Rus

Sometimes it takes a few beats to realize a new day has dawned—and that seemingly radical change may not be so radical after all. When photographer Dewey Nicks and his wife, Stephanie, acquired their heavenly parcel of land on a small oceanfront cul-de-sac in Carpinteria, they intended to build a casual weekend home for surfside sport and repose. As design and construction unfolded, however, certain changed realities in their lives sent the family down a different path to domestic bliss à la plage.

The couple’s twins, Madeleine and George, were starting school. Suddenly, they were on a schedule, and that schedule had to be coordinated with papa’s frequent travels. “There wasn’t going to be a lot of opportunity to use the house. We compared the lifestyle in Santa Barbara with the life we had in Los Angeles, and we decided to make this our full-time home,” Nicks says. “My whole professional life is digital now. I don’t have to be in L.A. to deal with model casting, location scouting and film deliveries from the lab. This move wouldn’t have been possible 10 years ago.”

Stephanie also frames the resolution to step away from the bustling metropolis (still easily accessible) as a lifestyle change. “The kids surf and play in the ocean, and they have the freedom to hop on their bikes whenever they want. This is the perfect neighborhood for their growing-up years. It feels like the 1950s.”

At first glance, the couple’s home feels a bit like the ’50s, too, with crisp, modern lines and echoes of classic midcentury California architecture. But on closer inspection, the house reveals itself as decidedly contemporary in both form and sensibility—very much of its own particular time and place and very much in tune with the exuberant, idiosyncratic spirit of the Nicks clan.

“I was interested in the Sarasota scene and the early houses of Paul Rudolph,” says architect Barbara Bestor on the inspiration for the design. “The vibe is what I’d call humanist hippie. We didn’t want to regurgitate expected modernist tropes.”

In the pages of glossy shelter magazines, one low-slung modernist box tends to look a great deal like the next. But of course, all modernist boxes are not created equal. It is through the articulation of building details and subtle manipulations of scale, plan and proportion that architecture distinguishes itself, and on these counts the home appears distinguished indeed.

“Santa Barbara is the land of restrictions,” Bestor laments. “On this project, we were kept to a building height of 13 feet. We made about 20 study models of simple volumes to determine the best way to maximize the space on a tight lot.”

Indentations break up the main volume of the structure and help establish a fluid, intimate connection between inside and out. Along the facade of the house, the living room pushes out into the front yard, while a picnic table and barbecue niche pushes into the kitchen. Large glass doors that open from the same position at the front and back of the house enhance the bond between indoors and alfresco.

“From the exterior, the house presents a finished, comprehensive image—a modern object in the landscape. The color blocks are part of that,” says Bestor. “The interior is not meant to be so perfect. It has a homey quality that is all about comfort and ease.”

The simple exposed-wood construction of rough-cut fir sets up a warm backdrop for the relaxed drama of the decorating. “We wanted the Paul Fortune experience,” Nicks says, referring to the much admired Los Angeles designer, a longtime family friend. Fortune’s home in Laurel Canyon is widely regarded as a masterpiece of subtle, effortless chic—a rogues’ gallery of international tastemakers and bon vivants swears by its charms.

Fortune brought the same sensibility to bear on this project, gathering choice pieces of furniture and art from Nicks’ collection, filling in where necessary and tying together the assemblage in a cohesive, vibrant living space that reflects the unique character of the family. The decorative scheme includes furniture by Roy McMakin and Warren Platner, vintage Moroccan Art Deco carpets, elegant bits of Danish Modern, paintings by John McLaughlin and Monique Prieto and prints by Ellsworth Kelly in the children’s rooms. Altogether, it’s a handsome, modern mix for a handsome, modern family.

“We call this place the ashram,” says Nicks. “We all get to be a little closer and to simplify our lives. This is who we are right now. It feels good.”

whitegoods.

Kobe Bryant for LA Times Style Magazine

It’s almost 4:30 in the afternoon. In the vast Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, everything is in place for Kobe Bryant’s cover shoot: The photographer and his three assistants have been here since 8 a.m. creating a set for the shoot that is swathed in black duvetyn and dominated by three towering light stands. There is even a Kobe stand-in for adjusting the lighting.

There’s a stylist and a seamstress, a groomer and a manicurist, assistants and publicists galore. A woman from Harry Winston is here with a serious pair of diamond-stud earrings Bryant will be slipping on, along with a rack of all-white designer outfits. There’s just one thing missing—the man himself. He’s running late...actually, not running at all. Flying. In his helicopter. From his home in the O.C. He just landed, a publicist assures. He’s 10 minutes away.

“I knew he’d be late,” says the creative director, completely unfazed by the fact that he now has barely two hours to pull off a job that normally takes at least four. And there’s no wiggle room: Bryant has to leave by 6:30. He’s doing the Kimmel show tonight.

Suddenly, there he is—long, lean, in shades and simple gray sweats, a small entourage in tow. Bryant ambles over, smiling and exchanging hugs, handshakes and fist pumps. The stylist shows him the clothes, and they chat easily in Italian before deciding on the first ensemble. The manicurist starts on his nails, while the groomer rubs moisturizer on his face and head. Not the ideal circumstances to conduct an interview, but on this tightly scheduled day, it’s the only option.

Tom Murray: I have to ask, When you’re in that chopper, do you ever look down on the city, pinch yourself and say—

Kobe Bryant: How the hell did this happen? Absolutely—every time. Like I’m sitting here right now. [Nods toward the two ladies primping him.] You know what I mean? This is dream s--t. Wardrobe that’s all white? This just doesn’t happen. Not for me. This is crazy.

You’re very relaxed. Of course, we’re talking as you’re getting a manicure and a facial before you have your makeup put on. Is this a side of your personality you’d like more people to see?

I think people, especially here in Los Angeles, are starting to understand me a lot more in terms of what I’m like personality-wise. I’m relaxed, laid back, pretty funny, smartass. I like having a good time.

But people don’t often see that.

When they turn on the TV or go to a game, that’s not the side of me they want anyway. They want to win a championship, and that ain’t gonna get it done. [Laughs.] Know what I’m saying? Most of the time when they see me, I’m in that golden armor. We all have different personalities. The competition and the nastiness part of it, that’s a part of my personality, too, you know? It just depends on what environment I’m in.

You take heat because of your demeanor in postgame interviews, especially if you lost.

Well, everybody gets upset. But if I’m being short, I’m being short. It’s not like I’m telling people to go F-off. It is what it is. At the end of the day, you play to win. I do whatever it takes to get my team in the best position of winning, and when it’s over, we’re celebrating again with another parade—then everybody is happy.

But wouldn’t it benefit you if the media in L.A. saw this side of your personality more?

It probably wouldn’t be helpful for them, because they have to write and sell stories. And you can’t have everybody saying positive things all the time. It’s just not going to work, even though this is, like, my city when it comes to sports, you know what I mean? You gotta have people on one side of the fence and people on the other. If not, the story’s not compelling. The people who truly know me know what I’m like. There have been people who try to say things that aren’t fair, and I check them. And then they don’t like me because I checked them.

When you say check them, what do you mean?

Call them out. I’m not going to be a pushover. If I’m going to talk to you, I’m going to talk to you respectfully. I’m comfortable in my own skin. If I’m upset, I’m upset—write about it. If I’m happy, I’m happy—write about it. I’m gonna just be me, and let them report what they’re gonna report.

When I first met you years ago, you lived in the Palisades. Now you’re in Orange County.

I love Orange County. I get to enjoy L.A. more. Living in L.A., you don’t get a chance to enjoy it, because there’s so much traffic, and it’s so congested. So, moving outside of it, I get a chance to be close to the water. It’s relaxing, spread out. I can come to L.A. and enjoy it, then go back to the peace and quiet.

How do you like to enjoy L.A.?

We go to restaurants, things like that. I love Koi. Most of the time, after a game, I go across to Katsuya at L.A. Live. And I love Philippe’s.

Yeah! They make a great French dip sandwich!

[Looks confused, then starts laughing.] I don’t know about roast beef. I love the Beijing chicken. That’s my favorite. [Now I’m confused. Bryant, sensing that my inner rube has surfaced, comes to the rescue.] No, man, I’m talking about Philippe Chow—on Melrose.

Ah, of course. So, what else can you tell us about yourself?

I love dogs, I hate bees, I love snakes. And I hate dog s--t. I absolutely hate dog s--t.

So what do you do when dogs poop in front of the house?

Clean it up. [Laughs.]

Wait, you’re out there with a—

Pooper scooper? Yeah, I’ve done it a few times. Every once in a while, you have to.

That helps keeps you grounded, I'm sure, but most would think you’d have someone whose job is to pick up your dog poop.

I do, but they have to have off days. And the dog doesn’t say, “Oh, it’s my walker’s day off, so I’m not gonna s--t today! When they gotta go, they gotta go. And somebody’s gotta pick it up.

You’re playing Guitar Hero at an event with Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis after this. You play a pretty mean air guitar?

Oh, yeah, man—everybody can play a mean air guitar! I’ll be rocking out!

Even against a badass NFL linebacker?

You can’t sack a guitar...but you can’t dunk one either. [Bryant beat Lewis two out of three, despite admitting to never having played the videogame.]

Any songs or bands you like?
“Hells Bells”—a little AC/DC never hurt anybody. Dropkick Murphys get me going, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana...plus, all the regular hip-hop stuff.

The World Cup is around the corner. Are you rooting for any particular players or teams?
I’ll obviously pull for the USA, but I have sentimental ties to Italy. I have a friend who plays for Argentina. [David] Beckham I was pulling for, and it’s unfortunate what happened [torn Achilles tendon]. But it’s tough to say which team I think is going to win the whole thing.

It’s time for Bryant to head to the set. Music pounds and lights flash every few seconds, and when he’s finished, there’s time for just a final few questions out by the pool.

Do you think about your basketball mortality at all—that one day you won’t be able to do everything you can now?
I feel invincible out there, but it’s a different kind of invincible than when I was younger. Can I jump over two or three guys like I used to? No. Am I as fast as I used to be? No, but I still have the fundamentals and smarts. That’s what enables me to still be a dominant player. As a kid growing up, I never skipped steps. I always worked on fundamentals because I know athleticism is fleeting.

Have you thought about what you’d do after your playing career that would get the juices flowing as much as basketball?
The game...there’s beauty in it. The motivation comes from wanting to do it the best way you can. So whatever endeavor or field I decide to go into after I play, I’m going to approach it with the same discipline.

Do you think it might be in the game?
Hmmm, never say never. But coaching, managing, stuff like that—I seriously, seriously doubt that. Heavily doubt it.

Why so emphatic?
I don’t really have any interest. Me going into that would definitely increase my frustrations. But part of my personality is I’m infinitely curious. And finding something else that could get my juices flowing—that’s a bigger challenge.

Time’s up. Bryant has other commitments, then it’s back to the chopper. “What do you think about while you’re up there?” Kobe is asked, as he winds through a throng of admirers.

“I think about a lot of things,” he says. “I think about driving around the streets of Philadelphia as a kid and looking at all the tall buildings downtown and just wanting to be a great basketball player. And then I fast-forward, and here I am, in a helicopter over a city I’ve been playing in for 14 years. That’s pretty surreal.

“I think about all the fans we have, the houses I’m flying over. Especially when I’m heading to a game, I’m like, How many will watch us play for the next two hours and be pulling for us? That helps motivate me.

“But most of the time...I just sleep.”

TOM MURRAY is upset because he forgot to ask Kobe Bryant for floor seats to a playoff game for him and his two sons. Ha!

Mr. MVP

You hear that said all the time about LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers' star forward who, in a public celebration Sunday at the University of Akron, was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2009-10 for the second consecutive season. Just the other day, for instance, Cavs coach Mike Brown said: "He can continue to grow by leaps and bounds for as many years as he has left in this league. ... The sky's the limit for him."

Or as James himself said in accepting the award again in his hometown at a party open to all: "The way I approach the game, I know the sky's the limit with an individual accolade like this."

You hear it so much -- the sky's the limit for this guy -- you start to wonder if maybe it's backwards. What if LBJ is the outlier, the one at the extreme, the force establishing the boundaries for all others and everything else, including the sky? As in:

This guy's the limit for the sky.

Say it fast and it starts to sound right.

The folks in the stands at Rhodes Arena Sunday -- the "second home court'' for James' high school team at St. Vincent-St. Mary's, given the overflow crowds drawn to SVSM's too-small gym to see him then -- simply went with the "M-V-P! M-V-P!" chant that, in this case, was as accurate and timely as it was redundant.

You hate to surrender to a shoe company's slogan but we are, in fact, all witnesses. To a multiple MVP winner, something only 11 other men in league annals can claim. To a back-to-back honoree, one of just 10 and the first since Steve Nash in 2005 and 2006. To a fellow who has a shot now to join Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as the only players to win three in a row (MV3s, if you will) and who -- if Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy is to be believed, rather than filtered as impassioned lobbying on behalf of his guy Dwight Howard -- has a stranglehold on the Maurice Podoloff trophy for the next decade or more.

"LeBron will win the MVP every year until he retires," Van Gundy said this spring. "LeBron has to go into the year and basically lose the MVP. You guys have decided he's the MVP."

Uh, no. The "you guys" in Van Gundy's comment is a morphing, unpredictable, headstrong and frequently wrong body of voters who couldn't even decide whether to tote an umbrella on a cloudy day. At some point, as transcendent as James might get, many of the writers and broadcasters would cast votes for someone else just out of boredom.

They certainly couldn't agree unanimously that James was the best player in the NBA this season -- and by a wide margin. Back in 2000, former CNN and ESPN sportscaster Fred Hickman took heat for giving his vote to Allen Iverson rather than Shaquille O'Neal, spoiling what would have been O'Neal's sweep. A year ago, 12 of the 121 voters didn't see James as MVP, despite his ascendancy individually and as a team leader. This year, 116 of the 123 available first-place votes went James' way, with Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant receiving four and Howard getting three. No voter ranked James lower than third on the five-slot ballot.

"Every night I step on the court, I try to be the best player on the floor," James told the hometown throng. "And every night fans or media, you guys, leave a game, I want you to say 'LeBron James was the best player on the court.' Every single night."

OK, here's another reason why James might not be hoarding the next 10 MVP trophies. Given his level of performances and, more than that, his maturity, his poise, in handling the spotlight and success thrust upon him, the guy has to be 32 years old. No? Then maybe Stan Van's right.

"I'm always humbled by anything I can do individually," James said Sunday, "because I understand this is a team game and any time you're singled out, that means you've done something special. It's definitely humbling. ... It's great."

The 6-foot-8, 270-pound forward threw himself into developing on both the individual and team fronts this season. He ranked second in the league in scoring (29.7) and averaged 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists (most ever by a forward, sixth-best in the NBA), 1.0 blocked shots and 1.6 steals (ninth). Fifteen times James led the Cavs across the board in points, rebounds and assists, and he was a league-high plus-650 in plus/minus rankings. Defensively, he became the bogeyman lurking over every opponent's shoulder with a transition layup in mind. Offensively, James honed his shooting range and was accurate a career-best 50.3 percent of the time.

Collectively, the Cavaliers snagged the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season, topping 60 victories both times. Cleveland has had the league's best home record for two years, too, going 74-8 at Quicken Loans Arena. Confronted by -- after largely lobbying for -- a revamped roster from the squad that exited last spring's postseason, James blended new faces and talents such as Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon into a group that wasn't exactly broken to begin with.

He then vowed to take all of the above to another level in this postseason, which doesn't figure into MVP voting but speaks volumes about the guy who won. "When I said that it wasn't about on the court," James explained during the Chicago series, "it was more about preparation and mentally what was going on with the game. Every second, every minute. Stepping up my game on the court, I've done that a little bit."

What's left? Why of course, the hardware no player can possibly win by himself, yet the stuff that gets used constantly to define the game's greatest stars, qualifying or eliminating them as the case may be. None of the other major sports holds its superstars as accountable for winning championships as the NBA. And none holds it against those who come up short quite as severely.

Russell, Jordan, Bird, Johnson, even Chamberlain, Erving, Robertson and West? They're in. Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, Miller? Nope, they're out. No NBA title, no chunky championship ring, so no rights or privileges in the lodge of the league's very best, at least the way some people see it.

James included.

"The only reason I do what I do on the court is to compete for an NBA championship," he told the Akron crowd. "I understand that, until I win that, I won't go down as one of the greatest players to play this game. Individual accolades definitely come into account, but team is what it's all about. That's my only goal right now. I can't name something that I haven't done individually in my short career that's bigger than an NBA championship. ... This is the closest I've been to it right now with the team that we have, and we're looking forward to the challenge."

So O'Neal is in (four rings), Bryant is in (four as well) and even Dwyane Wade qualifies, if his stats and victory totals stay impressive over time. But James is out? Until he wins at least one title with the Cavs or someone else?

Doesn't seem right, but there it is. And opinion from within ranges all over the map.

Were the Boston Celtics' primary stars -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen -- any greater in July 2008 than they were in April 2008, before and after they broke through together for their first taste of real triumph? Would James rank any higher today in the pantheon of players -- the MVMVPs, if you will -- had Cleveland beaten San Antonio in the 2007 Finals? Will he be transformed somehow if the Cavs get there again this spring and win four games rather than three against some West opponent?

No, said Boston's Allen. Yes, said Celtics coach Glenn (Doc) Rivers.

"That's just a category they put you in," Allen said earlier Sunday. "But nothing changes. It's a prestige that you can carry for yourself. But as a matter of fact, a lot of people will forget as you move around the world and you go on in life. The enthusiasts might remember that you won a championship and every now and then you'll bring your ring out and say, 'I won it this year.' And people will say, 'Oh yeah, you did win it. Who was on your team?' People forget and rightfully so.

"Sports can be fickle. If you polled this [Celtics] team and the Cleveland team or whoever else is playing in the postseason, and asked them, 'Who won the championship in 1989?' I'd know it was the Pistons but most of these guys are so much younger they wouldn't know. It's just something people use to make it easier to say who was great and who wasn't."

Said Rivers: "Once LeBron wins, yeah, he'll be a greater player. Because he'll understand the value of the little things. When you go back on our year that we won, you can go to five or six possessions in all those different series. The jump ball play with LeBron and Paul, where LeBron should have boxed him out, Paul dove on the floor, we got the ball. That may have been the single biggest play of the series, a loose ball we got.

"There was that one play where Eddie House got the ball where he always shoots it, but we talk about making 'the next pass,' and he did the right thing, throwing it to P.J. Brown wide open, and P.J. makes it. That's that trust. When you win, you learn all those little things are important."

It sounded like, as much as stamping a great player with validation as a winner, capturing a championship puts a superstar through a process that makes him, early or late, that much better. That much more savvy and aware.

"After the stamp, maybe you realize the value of the little things more," Rivers said. "Or you appreciate them. Then you do them for the rest of your life."

It's a nuance thing, a six-of-one, half-a-dozen-of-the-other consideration. But then, the way he's going, James wants all 12 anyway.

NBA.com

TIME 100: How it happens

epic:

smeg

black-good is the new white-good. SMEG dishwasher and fridges.

mayer talks twitter:

Photos: John Mayer (twitPic)

"We were finding other peoples TwitPics. Look at TwitPic.com with a savvy eye, and you’ll see American life at its most amazing. You’ll see through a lens of people you’d never meet. This is my brother Doug. This is. . . I’m taking a bike ride with Eric Childs. It’s ridiculous. I’m trying to find a new frontier for Twitter. There’s an art form somewhere there, I don’t know what it is yet."

John Mayer

yes we cannes

A scant 16 films playing in official competition at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival — far fewer than usual — were revealed at a Thursday morning news conference held at the Grand Hotel. In announcing the lineup, festival director Thierry Fremaux reiterated comments that he's recently made to the media, saying that it has been a difficult year to put together the list of films but that he does intend to add to it in the coming days.

Among the most high-profile films to make the grade are Doug Liman's political thriller "Fair Game" — about the Joe Wilson/Valerie Plame incident — starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, and the only U.S. film in the main competition. Ridley Scott's " Robin Hood," starring Russell Crowe, will open the festival out of competition, while Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" was, as expected, given an out-of-competition screening slot.

Other out-of-competition screenings are Stephen Frears' "Tamara Drewe" and Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," which also stars Watts and "Wall Street's" Josh Brolin. Fremaux noted that he had asked Allen whether the film could screen in the main selection but that the competition-shy director refused yet again.

Back in the competition this year is Alejandro González Iñárritu, who last appeared in 2006 with "Babel," for which he won the directing prize. This year's film is the drama "Biutiful," starring Javier Bardem. Iran's Abbas Kiarostami will walk the red carpet with his "Certified Copy," marking the fourth time he appears in competition.

Japanese auteur Takeshi Kitano appears in his "Outrage," which marks his return to competition for the first time since 1999. In total, there are four films hailing from Asia in competition, including Im Sang-soo's "Housemaid," Lee Chang-Dong's "Poetry" and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "A Letter to Uncle Boonmee."

Also making a return appearance is Mike Leigh with "Another Year," starring Jim Broadbent. This is Leigh's fourth time in the main competition. Nikita Mikhalkov is also back for the first time since winning the Grand Jury Prize with "Burnt by the Sun" in 1994. The Russian maestro's latest film is a sequel of sorts to that epic, "Burnt by the Sun 2."

By Nancy Tartaglione, Special to the Los Angeles Times

gaga is on the roids

LAS VEGAS - 2010 International CES - January 5, 2010 - PLR IP Holdings, LLC, owners of the Polaroid™ brand, today announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Lady Gaga, who will serve as creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products. The partnership brings together one of the world’s most iconic brands with today’s fastest rising musical artist and cultural trend setter, known for her string of smash global hits including Paparazzi, Bad Romance and Poker Face, her fashion forward design aesthetic and her exceptionally close connection with her fans.

Lady Gaga will make a special appearance at the Polaroid booth at the 2010 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Thursday, January 7 at 10:45am to talk about her new creative and business relationship with the Polaroid brand.

"I am so proud to announce my new partnership with Polaroid as the creative director and inventor of specialty projects", said Lady Gaga. "The Haus of Gaga has been developing prototypes in the vein of fashion/technology/photography innovation--blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era--and we are excited to collaborate on these ventures with the Polaroid brand. Lifestyle, music, art, fashion: I am so excited to extend myself behind the scenes as a designer, and to as my father puts it--finally, have a real job."

The partnership with Lady Gaga is the most recent in a string of partner announcements by PLR IP Holdings, LLC (PLR), the new owner of the Polaroid brand. In the past six months, PLR has assembled a family of Polaroid partners for product development, marketing distribution and licensing. Building upon Polaroid's rich history, the Polaroid partner network will support fans and users of classic Polaroid products and deliver new Polaroid products to a new generation of Polaroid customers while staying true to Polaroid's long-standing values of fun and simplicity.

New products by Polaroid and Lady Gaga are to hit retail shelves starting in late 2010.

polaroid.com

the re-make

What does Hollywood consider sacred?

With Hollywood hot on the trail of remakes, is there any film that's untouchable?

Producers have yet to move forward with updates of "Casablanca" or "The Maltese Falcon" at Warner Bros. And if Ridley Scott truly likes epics, why not have him try his hand at "Gone With the Wind?"

For now, studios are steering clear of the classics, for a myriad of reasons, and instead finding new potential in overlooked or failed concepts of the past.

The politics surrounding a project can play a significant part in remake decisions. For example, it wouldn't make sense for Fox to attempt a remake of "Titanic" anytime soon, says one insider, because the studio is still in business with James Cameron, and most of the original execs are still on the lot.

By contrast, something like the Coen brothers' upcoming remake of "True Grit" is far more palatable. With 40 years having elapsed since the original, Paramount didn't have to worry about politics with past execs or its original helmer coming into play.

Then there are the broader expectations that films are expected to deliver on these days. Classic titles aren't necessarily classic brands, which can sell on multiple platforms.

"You look at a lot of the titles being made today, many of them are moving toward youth like "Conan" or "(He-Man and the) Masters of the Universe" where there is a lot of revenue, says one producer. "Classics like a "Casablanca" don't carry that type of brand."

Money issues and the right creative team also can make or break a remake deal."Studios are never afraid of offending anybody, but they are afraid of losing money," says an agent. "If the right actors and directors aren't banging down a studio's door to get something made, then no studio is just going to give such a project to a fresh-faced USC grad."

Still, some classic projects have surmounted the hurdles to get a modern makeover, but wound up helping to make the case that such concepts need to be carefully considered in the first place.

Fresh off the heels of his "Good Will Hunting" Oscar nomination, Gus Van Sant and Universal decided to take on the Hitchcock classic "Psycho" -- in a shot-by-shot remake, no less. Crix were not moved and auds hardly showed up at the box office.

Sony saw potential in remaking the 1949 best picture winner "All the King's Men" with Oscar darlings Sean Penn and Kate Winslet in the leads and "Schindler's List" scribe Steve Zaillian helming. But the pic was rescheduled from a December 2005 bow to a September 2006 slot, and after receiving lukewarm responses from critics, auds passed.

So, unless the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Winslet start banging on Warner Bros.' door to do a remake of "Casablanca," auds will have to make do with the Bogie and Bergman original.

By Justin Kroll