From "The Last Airbender" trailer
Inqlings: An early promo for 'Airbender'
There's a teaser trailer out for The Last Airbender, the cinematic fantasy movie that M. Night Shyamalan is shooting around town. No matter that it won't be in theaters till July 2, 2010.
Contact columnist Michael Klein at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com. See his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider. On Twitter: @phillyinsider.
The trailer, which runs under two minutes and is attached to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, was shot in the former Budd Co. plant on Hunting Park Avenue in North Philadelphia.
It opens with newcomer Noah Ringer performing martial-arts moves inside a ring of fire. Specifically, it's a ring of 2,048 burning candles. Production designer Phil Messina, who's done all of the Ocean's movies, bought 5,000 candles for the shot. (Reminds me of the scene in Animal House where Flounder goes up to a store clerk and asks: "May I have 10,000 marbles, please?")
Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the Rings) shot it, and visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic under the supervision of Pablo Helman (War of the Worlds).
Airbender, which also features Dev Patel and Jackson Rathbone, was at Girard College yesterday and will be near Reading today before heading back to Philly for the final days of shooting. It's due to wrap July 3.
More screen notes
NBC10's Kristen Welker does a cameo as a reporter in the new Transformers movie. (Cameo as a reporter is film-speak for: "She turns up, three-quarters in, doing a live shot as the world is coming to an end.") Welker did four takes for director Michael Bay on location at City Hall last summer.Reese Witherspoon was spotted in Center City on Tuesday, as she was gearing up for a multi-month shoot here. She's featured with Paul Rudd, Luke Wilson, and Jack Nicholson in the still-untitled romantic comedy-slash-drama from director James L. Brooks, which will arrive after July 4. A rep for the film, which started its work in Washington, D.C., insists that the often-bandied-about title How Do You Know won't stick.
Atlantic City is getting cinematic exposure. On Monday, Jennifer Aniston shot scenes for the Columbia film Bounty Hunter, in which she plays the bail-jumping ex-wife of a bounty hunter (Gerard Butler). Starting today, The Warrior - which has Nick Nolte starring as a down-and-out former boxer training his son in a mixed martial arts tournament - shoots at Resorts.
Wit wit'
Playboy.com, wrapping up what it calls the best sandwiches in America, includes Pat's, the South Philly originator of the cheesesteak. "Aside from the ubiquitous buffalo wing, nowhere in the country is a single food item so synonymous with a city than the Philly cheesesteak," the mag raves. "This perfectly made, greasy masterpiece has won fans throughout every bar-n-grille in America, but only one place has the [guts] to name itself the 'King of Steaks' - and rightfully so." Playboy loves the "counterworkers straight out of central casting for a Rocky sequel." Alas, the piece misspelled "Passyunk" as "Passayunk" and had owner Frank Olivieri's last name as "Oliveri."
Media notes
Starting July 4, sports talk WIP (610) will simulcast on WYSP's HD-3 channel (94.1), available to those with HD radios. Sports talk 950ESPN has been available for months on WMGK's HD-3 channel (102.9).CBS3 will audition contestants for The Price Is Right from noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow at City Auto Park, 4395 Route 130 South, Burlington. Application is at www.cbs3.com.
Contact columnist Michael Klein at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com. See his blog at http://go.philly.com/insider. On Twitter: @phillyinsider.
