Angelina Jolie apparently has shifted filming of her Universal pic "Unbroken" from Hawaii to Australia.
Jolie abruptly pulled stakes a couple of weeks back after scouting locations here to head to Tokyo for the premiere of partner Brad Pitt‘s "World War Z," then slipped to scout Down Under locations in Sydney and Queensland.
"Unbroken" is the story of American track star Louis Zamperini, played by Jack O’Connell, whose plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 1943 during World War II. He was then captured by the Japanese.
According to online media reports, Jolie particularly loved a large soundstage/ water tank, one of three Warner Bros. owns on the Aussie Gold Coast. Still, Japan, Hawaii and Australia could still be integral to filming. But mum’s the word on where and precisely when.
Though Jolie’s filming offices were shut down here, Hawaii does offer attractive tax incentives for Hollywood filmmakers, even if the Australian dollar remains strong. But the real military installations here, plus a high school stadium that could serve as the site of an Olympic track field, would presumably fit her wartime script needs. So will she return? That’s the big question.
"Unbroken" is due as a Christmas 2014 present for filmgoers. …
MORE SECRECY: Another project shrouded in secrecy is Cameron Crowe‘s "Deep Tiki," starring Bradley Cooper of "The Hangover" franchise. Cooper and his model girlfriend, Suki Waterhouse, arrived here recently for filming of the movie that for years was dubbed the "Untitled Cameron Crowe Project."
Cooper will play a military contractor presumed dead but dispatched to Hawaii to oversee the launch of a weapons satellite. His co-stars include Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Alec Baldwin and Danny McBride.
Crowe is a writer-director known for a string of films ranging from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" to "Almost Famous," from "Elizabethtown" to "Jerry McGuire."
Details of the start of filming, and where, have not been revealed, though Crowe will direct. …
FOREVER FRIENDS: Singer-guitarist-composer Audy Kimura, the enduring and endearing entertainer at Hy’s Steak House, has had a flurry of Facebook responses/order requests for the re-release earlier this month of his debut album, "Looking for the Good Life," on its 30th anniversary. The disc had been out of print for the past decade, and the relaunch includes a new solo, acoustic version of his signature hit, "Lovers and Friends." Could be a new hit, since lovers and friends are never out of fashion. …
PASSING NOTE: Condolences to Jacqueline Rossetti, aka the Honolulu Skylark, whose dad, Carl Rossetti, 87, died July 28 at Kaiser Medical Center.
Dad Rossetti was a beloved figure in the Hawaiian community and was one of the founders of Aloha Week, serving in various capacities — parade chairman, president and the lone director emeritus of Aloha Festivals, as the event now is called. "‘Iolani Luahine (the famous Hawaiian dancer) loved Dad and gave him his Hawaiian name, Kaleomana, which means ‘voice of power,’" she said.
Services were held Friday, and Skylark had planned to deliver a eulogy. …
BITS ‘N’ PIECES: Joy Abbott‘s "Long Story Short," with Leslie Wilcox interviewing, airs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on PBS Hawaii; an earlier item here gave the incorrect date. Apologies. …
Author Jack Handey, best known for his "Deep Thoughts" book and his work on "Saturday Night Live," has a first novel dubbed "The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure." Quite the title, but the book’s loaded with laughs. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
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Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.
