Three Reasons to Celebrate in Hollywood

Brandon Hickman/E! Entertainment

Nothing beats seeing your friends kick ass in this town.

Hollywood is filled with so many haters and so much negative energy, that when the people close to you, the good ones, achieve and succeed, it's really important to take time out from the madness to celebrate their achievements. When they win, you win. 

Three people in particular are really doing their thing right now.  Each one is talented and passionate, and as a friend and colleague, I'm really excited to see them on top right now.

Paul Fenton/ZUMApress.com

Let's start off with the beautiful and gifted Maggie Gyllenhaal. After three great projects in 2006—World Trade Center, Stranger Than Fiction and Sherrybaby—what could she do next to top those? Well, she just signed on for the next Batman, taking over for Katie Holmes as Bruce Wayne's love interest. (Thank God!) Not only are director Christopher Nolan and the best Dark Knight yet, Christian Bale, back on board for the next installment of the Bat-chise but now Maggie too? Wow.

I couldn't be happier. She will be great in the part, I'm sure, possibly the best love interest in the history of the Bat films. (I think she is a far superior actress to Holmes, Kim Basinger, Nicole Kidman—you name it). She also will no doubt get a sweet and well-deserved paycheck. This ain't a Sundance movie after all!

Coming from a showbiz family, Maggie easily could have been another jaded, out-of-touch, entitled actress who is more famous than talented. Well, that could not be further from who she is. A proud mother and down-to-earth modern woman, she is always classy, fun and just a pleasure to interview. Congrats, Maggie. Who says great actresses don't do blockbusters?

SeaWorld

Yesterday, I hit up the Sony lot to check out some clips from Surf's Up, which comes out this summer. It's an animated look at the world of penguin surfing, and it's shot like a documentary. Just brilliant. I got to check out 20 minutes or so of the film, and let me tell you, this ain't just a kids flick! Starring Zooey Deschanel, Jeff Bridges and James Woods, the stuff I saw was hilarious and heartwarming, and some of the best CGI that I have ever seen.

The film, however, is special to me for two reasons. The lead penguin, Cody, is played by the one and only Shia LaBeouf. Every time I see Shia, I lace him with a mixtape that blows his head to bits. Yesterday was no different, as I hooked him up with the crazy DJ Juske-mixed Pharrell blends. Ridiculous. His eyes lit up when I handed it to him. The kid is on a roll right now. Not only will Surf's Up be the biggest animated movie of 2007, he also has the Rear Window-esque teen slasher flick Disturbia hitting theaters this spring and, of course, the mother of all blockbusters, Transformers, opening Fourth of July weekend.

Not a bad slate for a young dude in Hollywood. By the way, he's also rumored to be in the new Indiana Jones and in Speed Racer. Shia is killing the game right now! I'll be interviewing him again out in Las Vegas at ShoWest next week, so email me some questions if you got 'em.

Check out this clip of us on Golden Globe night. I was the only interview he did the whole evening, and it's one of the highlights of my short career.

But of course, the main reason I feel that Surf's Up is one of the must-see movies of 2007 is because it features one of the best dudes in Hollywood. I'm talking about a guy who has mentored me and has had my back since day one. He's dreamy, and the ladies love him—even going as far to compete for a date with him. He is my partner in crime on The Daily 10, the one and only Salema Masekela. 

That's right, E!'s own big Sal has a great part in the film, playing himself as the host of the big surfing championship. He gets to act opposite his buddies, guys like Kelly Slater, and he really does his thing. Hanging with him yesterday was inspirational, the closest I have felt to being a proud little brother in my whole life. Sal's dream has been to be in movies, and now he's done it! Only in Hollywood. 

So, there you have it. Raise a glass to Maggie, Shia and Sal. They deserve all the success in the world.