Entertainment news round-up for Sept. 3

By Amanda Ack, Film Critic

• Fox has announced the judging panel for the network’s upcoming season of American Idol.  The panel will consist of Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr.  Former Idol judge Randy Jackson will serve as the show’s “in-house mentor,” replacing Jimmy Iovine.  For more information on Idol’s upcoming season, click here.
• Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam are set to star in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming film adaptation of EL James’ novel 50 Shades of Gray.  Ms. Johnson was last seen in the Fox comedy series Ben and Kate, while Mr. Hunnam’s most recent role was in last month’s Pacific Rim.  50 Shades of Gray is slated for an August 2014 release.  For more information on the film and to read the casting press releases from Focus Features, click here.
• Sony announced today that the company’s film This is The End, starring Seth Rogan, James Franco, and Jonah Hill, will be returning to theaters on September 6.  The film has made $96.8 million to date at the domestic box office.  ““This Is the End really struck a chord with comedy moviegoers this summer,” Rory Bruer, president of Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures, said in a press release. “For everyone who didn’t get a chance to see it — or saw it and loved it and wants to see it again on the big screen — we are thrilled to have it back in theaters.”  For more information, click here.
• Actor, director, and screenwriter Eugenio Derbez’s film Instructions Not Included turned in the biggest Spanish-language opening ever this past Labor Day weekend.  The film took in $10 million and ranked fifth at the box office – an impressive feat, considering that it was competing with blockbusters such as The Butler and Disney’s Planes, which were released in ten times more theaters.  For more information on the film and on Derbez’s career, click here.
• James Spader is set to play the villain in Joss Whedon’s upcoming The Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Spader will play killer robot Ultron, who is “not a happy guy, which means he’s an interesting guy,” Whedon told Entertainment Weekly.  Spader is best known for his work on TV series The Practice and Boston Legal as attorney Alan Shore, for which he won three Emmy awards.  For more information on Spader’s career and on the new Avengers film, click here.