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On the eve of its release, Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson has broken her silence on what it was like to work with the book’s author E L James. In an interview with Porter magazine, she admitted “it was difficult, I’m not going to lie.”

“We definitely fought, but they were creative fights and we would resolve them,” the 47 year old continued. “We would have proper on-set barneys, and I'm not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she'd written as well as my need to visualize this person on screen, but, you know, we got there.”

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has spoken of her frustration of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Continue reading: E. L. James Over-Ruled 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Director Over Ending

In the coming months many of our favourite books will be making the leap to the big screen as Hollywood seemingly goes adaption crazy. From young adult favourites such as The Maze Runner to the family friendly Boxtrolls and of course Fifty Shades of Grey, here’s our pick of 10 book to screen movies we just can’t help getting excited for!

Gone Girl - In Gone Girl Ben Affleck stars as the husband we’re just not sure we can trust as Gillian Flynn’s thriller makes its way onto the big screen. After coming home on his fifth wedding anniversary to find his wife Amy is missing, Nick Dunne is left trying to figure out what possibly could have happened to her. But as details of the couple’s seemingly blissful marriage are revealed in the media, suddenly more and more fingers start to be pointed at Nick. From the trailer, this one looks like it could be even better than the book thanks to Affleck’s believable performance and the casting of Neil Patrick Harris. Gone Girl hits theatres this October, but in the meantime you can watch the trailer here.

Fifty Shades of Grey - Perhaps the most anticipated book to movie adaptation in recent years, Fifty Shades of Grey stars Jamie Dornan as the seductive Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. While the book has famously been described as ‘mummy porn’, there are some fearful that the upcoming movie may be a little too tame for E.L. James’s loyal readers. Directed by Sam Taylor Wood, there’s no doubt that Fifty Shades of Grey will have one massive box office opening when it hits theatres on Valentines Day 2015. But if you just cant wait, you can first get a taste of the action with the newly released trailer here.

Continue reading: Fifty Shades Of Grey, The Maze Runner: 10 Book To Screen Movies We Just Can’t Wait For

In case you’re not interested in Fifty Shades of Grey news, look away now. Actually, you may want to disconnect from the internet for the next week or so. Between Beyonce’s recent Instagram teaser and the full-length trailer for the adaptation of E. L. James’  erotic novel coming this Thursday, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele will be pretty much inescapable in the days ahead.

Charlie Hunnam still wants to see Fifty Shades of Grey.

In other Fifty Shades news, Charlie Hunnam, formerly cast to star in the steamy flick, has spoken out about his exit from the project one month after the announcement of his casting. According to the Associated Press, Hunnam spoke at a Fox event on Sunday as part of the TCA press tour – and he only had kind words for E. L. James, Fifty Shades director Sam Taylor-Johnson and the story overall.

Continue reading: Despite Being Re-Cast, Charlie Hunnam Is Still Rooting For "Fifty Shades Of Grey"

If you thought that the shooting of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie would be any easier than the chaotic casting, you were pretty wrong. After having hiccups in the early stages, including the walk-out of the former Christian Grey, Charlie Hunnam, as well as the film's seeming inability to nail down any committed cast members apart from Dakota Johnson, filming is finally underway in Vancouver.

Dakota Johnson Has Made A Success of Her '50 Shades' Role.

Reports from the shoot suggest that the movie, which is based on author EL James' erotic trilogy, seems to be well-cast with Johnson and Jamie Dornan enjoying chemistry in their roles as Ana Steele and her lover Grey. "Dakota is nailing her role," says E!News' source, adding "Everyone on set loves Dakota." Indeed, Sam Taylor-Johnson's directing seems to be working out pretty well too. "Sam has a great relationship with the actors," the movie source says. "The script is running smoothly and there is not a lot of re-shooting that has had to be done."

Continue reading: '50 Shades' Filming Disrupted By Old Dude With Cowbell, Mayhem Ensues

Be careful when purchasing a 2nd hand copy of the erotic novel '50 Shades Of Grey'.

A copy of E.L James's hugely popular novel, from a Belgian library, has been discovered to contain traces of the class A drug, cocaine and the viral disease, herpes.

Toxicologist professor Jan Tytgat from the Catholic University of Leuven, made the discovery, he and his team were examining the ten most borrowed books at Antwerp Library.

Continue reading: 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Book Contains Cocaine And Herpes

In a new twist, the constant bumps in the road for the Fifty Shades of Grey project may have resulted in the release date being postponed for 2015. Reuters reports that Universal Pictures made the announcement on Wednesday. The original release date – August 1, 2014, has been pushed back for February 13 the following year – just in time for Valentine’s day.

Universal made no comment on the reason for the postponed release date, but it may be related to Charlie Hunnam, who was cast to portray protagonist Christian Grey, pulling out of the project on October 13 this year. Hunnam was quickly replaced, however, when Irish actor Jamie Dornan signed on to star alongside Dakota Johnson on October 24. This means that casting problems are probably not the cause of the delay after all.

The film is slated to begin shooting in December. It will be distributed by Universal Pictures' Focus Features. Despite the 50 Shades trilogy having been panned by many critics, the book became the fastest selling paperback of all time in Britain. It remains to be seen whether the adaptation will achieve similar success. The 2015 release date means that it is possible for the film to lose a lot of the built-in buzz from the book release.

Continue reading: Universal Announces Postponed Release Date For "Fifty Shades" Film

As soon as Charlie Hunnam announced his departure from the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey movie, the internet began to buzz with rumours about why the actor had decided to call it quits and who would replace him in the lead role of kinky billionaire, Christian Grey.

Charlie Hunnam Quits '50 Shades' Due To His Busy Schedule.

The movie will adapt author EL James hugely successful erotic fiction trilogy with Hunnam originally signed up for the role of Grey, whilst The Social Network star Dakota Johnson has been cast as Anastasia Steele. The Sons of Anarchy star reportedly dropped out of the movie, expected in August 2014, due to his already "immersive TV schedule," according to a statement from the studios behind the film, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.

Continue reading: Charlie Hunnam Backs Out Of '50 Shades': Who Will "Whip" To The Rescue?

So far the 50 Shades of Grey project has brought 50 shades of trouble with Universal, first with casting difficulties and now with Charlie Hunnam exiting the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Sons of Anarchy actor backed out of the project, claiming that his work on the series would prevent him from adequately preparing for the role of Christian Grey. The initial statement by Universal read: The filmmakers of Fifty Shades of Grey and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam’s immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey.”

Despite his initial bravado about the part, Hunnam has now backed out.

However, THR cites two new sources, which claim that it was actually the pressure of playing such a controversial, high-profile role that got to Hunnam and made him turn down the part.

Continue reading: 50 Shades Of Grey Movie Encounters More Trouble - Charlie Hunnam Quits Due To Pressure

After months of dithering over casting confirmations, the Fifty Shades of Grey movie makers have finally added another actor to the slowly growing cast credits. British actress Jennifer Ehle has become the latest star to be added to the movie adaptation of EL James' saucy fiction trilogy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jennifer Ehle Is The Latest Name To Be Added To The '50 Shades' Cast.

Ehle, best known for her BAFTA-winning role in the Pride and Prejudice television series, will take the role of Anastasia Steele's mother Carla; a no-nonsense Southern woman who is currently on her fourth husband. The movie will be based on James' often derided "mommy porn" which exploded to the top of bestseller lists worldwide last year.

Continue reading: Jennifer Ehle Joins 'Fifty Shades' Cast, Will Play Anastasia's Mother

If the prospects of having to get his kit off many times on screen as well as learn how to deftly wield whips and paddles may have flustered Charlie Hunnam, the actor who'll play Fifty Shades of Grey's Christian Grey, then the news that over 75,000 furious 50 Shades readers had taken their discontentment towards him playing the lead male role to Change.org to demand a casting reshuffle, should by rights make him feel practically terrified.

Charlie Hunnam Is Confident In His Acting Ability & Interaction With Dakota.

However, it seems that the 33 year-old English actor could not be more confident in his skills, and quite probably takes all the petitioning and hate tweeting as a challenge to be the best Grey possible. Describing his experience of the hotly anticipated adaptation of EL James' erotic trilogy so far as "exciting and fun and weird and compelling," there's little sense of fear or trepidation in Hunnam's words as he talks to Hollywood Life.

Continue reading: Finally! Charlie Hunnam Addresses His '50 Shades' Role As Cast-Change Petition Reaches 75K Signatures

Charlie Hunnam has at last broken his silence and spoken in public for the first time about his appointment as Christian Grey in the hotly-anticipated 50 Shades of Grey movie adaption. Since he was announced as the star of the film version of E.L. James' smutty text, both he and co-star Dakota Johnson have received little backing from fans of the book, who question the credentials of the two stars.

Charlie Hunnam is ready for to take on Christian Grey and the naysayers

The star of Sons of Anarchy was speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of the newest season of the hit biker series and seemed totally unfazed by the heaps of criticism sent his way by fams, before he's even had a chance to film a single scene for the movie. Arguing his case, Hunnam claims that both he and Johnson exuded chemistry during the initial readings for the film and said that his work on the British series Queer As Folk has prepared him for the explicit scenes he will be performing in the film.

Continue reading: Charlie Hunnam Finally Speaks Out Following '50 Shades...' Casting

So fans all over the world have waited more than a year for news on the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' movie adaptation, but there was a definite resounding disappointment when author EL James finally spilled the main cast over Twitter earlier this week. 

Charlie Hunnam Pacific Rim Premiere

With everyone expecting one of a series of major actresses for the role of small, dark-haired, big blue-eyed Anastasia Steele, Alexis Bledel being the favourite, the fact that tall, blonde 'Ben and Kate' star Dakota Johnson was selected caused more than a flicker of annoyance among serious readers. However, probably the more outrageous side of the update was who would take on the challenge of the dark and mysterious Christian Grey: not Matt Bomer or Robert Pattinson as fans had hoped, but 'Sons of Anarchy' actor Charlie Hunnam. As the world reached for Google for a reminder as to who this Newcastle born 33-year-old was, his welcome into the project became the coldest he'd ever received.

Continue reading: Charlie Hunnam: Who He Is And Why He's Perfect For His 'Fifty Shades' Role

Actor Matt Bomer has added his voice to the Fifty Shades of Grey movie casting debate after 61,000 fans disappointed with the movie's recently announced cast have launched a petition calling for the casting of the two lead characters in the erotic trilogy adaptation to be changed. TheWhite Collar star has responded to calls that, despite casting decisions being firmed, he should play the character Christian Grey instead of Pacific Rim actor Charlie Hunnam.

Over 60,000 50 Shades Readers Want To See Bomer Play Grey.

"I'm so grateful for the fans and I'm touched," said Bomer, speaking via Entertainment Tonight. He added "I'm looking forward to seeing the movie with Charlie and Dakota [Johnson]," perhaps in an attempt to calm the sea of rage that seems to be surrounding the casting of two relative unknowns in the adaptations of author EL James' erotic fiction series.

Continue reading: Matt Bomer Finally Responds To The Furious '50 Shades' Petition Furore

By now it’s a well-known fact that the actors, selected for the lead parts in 50 Shades of Gray – Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam – don’t really appeal to fans’ tastes. In fact, some avid readers of the book went so far, as to express their distaste with an online petition. It’s written mostly in caps, so you know they mean business.

Hunnam's credits include roles in Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim.

According to The Hollywood Reporter however, at the time of Hunnam and Johnson’s casting, the studio was running out of options. Rumors about possible casting choices, from the somewhat plausible to the downright ridiculous, have been swirling for months. During this entire time, Universal Pictures were working to find the perfect Ana Steele and Christian Grey. According to the Reporter, Ryan Gosling was the first actor to be considered. Unfortunately, he wasn’t interested. The studio’s interest then went to Garett Hedlund and British TV star Christian Cooke, both of whom reportedly passed on the controversial role.

Continue reading: Charlie Hunnam And Dakota Johnson - The Only Choices For "50 Shades"?

Fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy are in uproar following the casting announcements on Monday. Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam will be playing Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in the film adaptation of E.L. James' raunchy novels.

Charlie Hunnam has been cast as Christian Grey.

Fans may have their own ideas about who should portray the characters of E.L. James' bestselling series. However, it seems unlikely anything will change despite the outcry. The film's producer, Dana Brunetti, has defended the casting; tweeting in mock surprise of the negative comments. He went so far as to accuse those attacking the casting decision of not being "true fans".  

Continue reading: Fifty Shades Of Grey Fans Petition For Casting Changes

They once read Fifty Shades of Grey secretly on the train using Kindles, but now the readers of EL James' notorious "mommy porn" erotic trilogy have stood up and banded together in sheer outrage. With all page-to-screen adaptations, there will always be those who think "I didn't imagine that character to look like that actor," and maybe grumble about it amongst their friends or on the murky depths of a fan forum. However, 50 Shades fans have launched a petition for the male and female leads - Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson - to be changed.

For Some Reason, Many Fans Aren't Digging Dakota Johnson.

The furious petition, launched on Change.org, has now gathered 23.5K supporters who feel that White Collar's Matt Bomer and Gilmore Girls' Alexis Bledel should take the main roles of kinky billionaire Christian Grey and student-turned-sex-slave Anastasia Steele. It's perhaps true; Bomer and Bledel do perhaps fit EL James' character descriptions a little better than the (both blonde) Hunnam and Johnson so there's little wonder as to why these actors were imagined when 50 Shades fans were reading.

Continue reading: "That's So Wrong!": '50 Shades' Movie Casting Choices Creates Reader Backlash

It was announced earlier this week that after months of searching Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam have been chosen as the lead actors to bring E.L. James' hugely successful erotica novel 50 Shades of Grey to life. After such a long time waiting, you would assume that Universal would have gotten the casting right at the first attempt, but according to a number of disgruntled, internet-based fans, this is not the case.

Dakota Johnson has been chosen to play Anastasia Steele in the movie

Hunnam could have found himself the role that turns him into a fully-fledged mega-star when he takes on Christian Grey, the young billionaire S&M enthusiast, but that is providing that the angry online fans don't scare him out of the job before he's even begun filming. Having been picked ahead of favourites Ian Somerhalder and Robert Pattinson, various commentators are complaining that Hunnam just doesn't fit the description of Grey in in James' books. He may posses the gym-sculpted body, the necessary age gap and the element of badass needed for the role, but without the right looks he apparently won't cut it in the movie.

Continue reading: Why Don't '50 Shades Of Grey' Fans Want Dakota Johnson & Charlie Hunnam In The Film?

The swirling rumours have been confirmed: Dakota Johnson will take the lead female role in the movie adaptation of EL James' erotic trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey. The 23-year old Social Network acress will join Pacific Rim actor Charlie Hunnam in bringing to life the bondage whips-and-chains-filled story.

Dakota Johnson Has Been Picked For The 50 Shades Role.

Many actresses publically distanced themselves from the role, which will inevitably involve plenty of unhinged sex scenes, including Mila Kunis and Emma Watson, who probably weren't even offered the role, but wanted to make sure everyone knew it wasn't their kind of character. The books have been extremely successful, placing EL James at the top of Forbes richest author list of the last year. However, there has been plenty of criticism too, where James' writing, storyline, characters and just about everything else have come under fire as the book was branded "mommy porn."

Continue reading: Who Is Dakota Johnson & Why Has She Landed The '50 Shades' Role Of Ana Steele?

After months of speculation and rumours over who would fill the shoes of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, we finally have our pair: Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam. The author of the raunchy ‘mummy-porn’ book, EL James confirmed the news over her Twitter account.

Dakota Johnson at the Premiere of Django Unchained held at the Ziegfeld Theatre

“I am delighted to let you know that the lovely Dakota Johnson has agreed to be our Anastasia in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey," James wrote. The news follows many possible candidates, from Emma Watson, to Keira Knightley right through to Mila Kunis and Elizabeth Olson.

Continue reading: Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Cast - Anastasia And Christian: Dakota Johnson And Charlie Hunnam

E.L. James may be the highest earning author of the year, but it seems she's suffering from Dan Brown syndrome - her books are everywhere, but not necessarily on reader's bookshelves.

The multimillionaire appears three times in a list of the most likely books to be left in a Travelodge, with her erotic novel Fifty Shades Freed abandoned 1,209 times the hotel chain's properties across the country, reports The Guardian.

In second place was Bared To You by Sylvia Day, while self-help book The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst finished third. Next up was Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl - which is set to be adapted into a Hollywood movie starring Ben Affleck - and Jk Rowling's foray into adult fiction, The Casual Vacancy, was fifth.

Continue reading: Travelodge Guests Leave 1,209 Copies Of 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Book

It's less than a year until the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is due in cinemas yet there doesn't seem to have been any firm casting decisions made. The movie, which will be an adaptation from EL James' best-selling erotic fiction of the same name, will have British director Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) at its helm but nothing more appears to have been set in concrete.

Will Dakota Johnson Really Take The Lead 50 Shades Character?

The role of Christian Grey - the billionaire with a BDSM fetish - has been the most media-covered role so far, with Ian Somerhalder wanting the role, Garrett Hedlund rejecting the role and Taylor-Johnson's own husband, Aaron, rumored for the part. However, it has emerged that we may know who plays student-turned-sex-slave Anastasia Steele first, namely Dakota Johnson.

Continue reading: Dakota Johnson Set For '50 Shades' Lead: Would She Make A Good Ana Steele?

They say sex sells, and now author EL James can attest, as the Fifty Shades of Grey creator perches on top of Forbes' author rich list. Amazingly, on the back of her raunchy trilogy alone, James has made more money than any other author in the past year, having earned $95m (£61.5m) from sales of her erotic fiction trilogy and the purchase of the film rights for $5 million (£3.2m).

EL James Is Exceedingly Rich.

What started out as Twilight fan fiction has seen the author's work rocket past Twilight author Stephenie Meyers (who didn't even make this year's top 15) in the last year's earnings to take the top spot on the business magazine's list. Her books sold faster than any other novel in history, with 70 million shifted in the first eight months of release in the USA and at its peak, the trilogy was earning her more than $1 million (£650,000) per week. The success of the 50 Shades trilogy was fostered by the ebooks market that enabled people to read her book in public places without feeling embarrassed to be seen reading such steamy fiction.

Continue reading: '50 Shades' Author E.L James Rakes It In As Forbes' Richest Author

Shocker: Fifty Shades of Grey reinforces the problem of abuse against women, new research has shown. Nope, it seems EL James' novel - the fastest selling paperback of all time - cannot be regarded simply as "erotic fantasy."

Amy Bonomi, a professor at Michigan State University, and two former colleagues from Ohio State University undertook an in-depth study of the book's first eight chapters and found that "emotional abuse is present in nearly every interaction."

They found that the book, dubbed "mummy porn," included a number of examples of "intimate partner violence", including intimidation, isolation, stalking and humiliation.

Continue reading: Does 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Abuse Research Affect Hollywood Movie?

The writer of The Iron Lady and The Hour, Abi Morgan, will take her newly penned play, The Mistress Contract, to the Royal Court Theatre next season in a debut for the British screenwriter and playwright. The play will be based on the book of the same name, originally penned by anonymous authors who simply call themselves "she" and "he."

Meryl Streep Won An Academy Award For Her The Iron Lady Performance.

The play's director and Royal Court's artistic director, Vicky Featherstone, has said the film is concerned with "whether we can stave off decay" and will look at the unique relationship between an American couple who became friends at university but after meeting again 20 years later, the woman had a proposition for the man, according toThe Guardian. She faxed her lover a contract detailing an agreement for him to sign that in return for a place to live and the permission to record all their conversations, she'd provide sex and "mistress services," becoming his "sexual property." According toThe Daily Mail, the typed documents requests the unnamed woman should receive "tasteful accommodations to her liking together with expenses accrued in the normal course of her activities." He agreed, signed the contract and the unusual and highly fascinating affair began.

Continue reading: Iron Lady Writer, Abi Morgan, To Debut At Royal Court Theatre

E.L James, the British novelist behind the polarizing Fifty Shades of Grey books, is the highest ranked author on Forbes Celebrity 100 list, placing at No.42 and beating the likes of crime specialist James Patterson, horror legend Stephen King, Hunger Games writer Suzanne Collins and Harry Potter author J.K Rowling.

E.L James Signing Copies Of Her Hugely Popular Fifty Shades of Grey Books

James' erotic novels Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed have taken the publishing world by storm, selling in their bucket load, catapulting Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey into public consciousness and spawning a soon-to-be-filmed movie likely to star Henry Cavill, Ryan Gosling, or...some other bloke.

Continue reading: Fifty Shades Of Grey's E.L James Tops Forbes' Author List: Does She Deserve It?

In a phenomenon that whipped its way around the world topping international bestseller lists, it wasn't long before EL James erotic fantasy Fifty Shades of Grey about student Anastasia Steele and dominant billionaire Christian Grey had its film rights acquired by Universal Pictures in March 2012. Most of the film's details are still cloaked in mystery but after learning that British Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) will direct the film, The Wrap reports that it's due to hit cinemas on 1st August next year (2014) in the USA, with international release dates announced later.

Nowhere Boy's Sam Taylor-Johnson To Direct Fifty Shades of Grey.

Though no actors have officially been announced, speculation is rife as to who will bear the whips and chains in the film. Current bookies favourite is Mad Men actress Alexis Bledel, with odds of 5/1. A cheeky representative from one bookmakers said: "We've seen a ton of money on Alexis Bledel and it's clear punters fancy her for the role - we'll be facing a spanking payout if she's tied down for the role." Bledel is followed by Amanda Seyfried, Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke, Felicity Jones (Cemetary Juntion), and Sasha Grey (err...ex-pornstar). For the role of sadomasochistic business magnate Grey, Ladbrokes' current favourite is The Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder with odds of 4/1, Sunshine actor Cillian Murphy (6/1), and Drive's Ryan Gosling (5/1).

Continue reading: Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie: Unleashed In Summer 2014

Director JOE WRIGHT is the latest Hollywood name to be chucked in the pile of potential suitors for the big-screen adaption of EL James' 50 Shades of Grey, with the Anna Karenina stalwart being touted by the Hollywood Reporter as the frontrunner to direct the project.

Pretty much every position on the 50 Shades... movie is still open, with screen-writer Kelly Marcel and producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti the only people to be officially involved with the film. Since the film rights to the book were snapped up by Universal and Focus, a number of big-name, art-house directors were pushed into the frame to direct, with Bennett Miller, Patty Jenkins and Gus Van San often appearing as the top contenders. Now it looks like Brit director Wright, who was already made four films Focus including Atonement and Pride & Prejudice, might be the man for the job.

Joe Wright could be the man for the 50 Shades... job

Continue reading: Director Joe Wright Is The Latest Inductee To 'The 50 Shades Of Grey' Merry-Go-Round

JOE WRIGHT is rumoured to direct the upcoming movie adaptation of E.L. James' best-selling erotica novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey'.

The director looks to be a firm choice for Focus and Universal who bought the rights to the trilogy in 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter, as he has been at the helm of five award winning features linked to the production companies including the Oscar winning 'Anna Karenina' and 'Atonement', and the four-time Academy Award  nominee 'Pride & Prejudice'. Of course, this might also suggest that Keira Knightley may be up for the controversial role of Anastasia Steele given that she has been the female protagonist in all of those films and that she is no stranger to kinky characters having been subjected to erotic spanking in David Cronenberg's Freudian flick 'A Dangerous Method'. 

Although we know that 'Terra Nova' writer Kelly Marcel will be adapting the screenplay, there is actually no solid deal announced between Wright and Focus/Universal. Keira may also have objections to the role, having previously told MTV in regards to her next movie project, 'It's not going to be Fifty Shades of Grey. You know, I normally don't like to give a definite about anything, but I can definitely say it will not be Fifty Shades of Grey.'

Continue reading: 'Anna Karenina' Director Joe Wright To Helm Risque 'Fifty Shades' Movie?

E.L James’ new book is going to be, wait for it… a guide to writing? The undisputed queen of ‘mummy porn’ – as she’s become known is ready to hand over her gift of ‘writing’ to her fans. We’re pretty sure they just fancy another borderline porn novel, but this is what they’re getting.

“As E.L. James traveled and met with her readers, there was a great curiosity about how she got started writing,' said Vintage publisher Anne Messitte. “Her personal story as a writer is inspirational to many women, and journaling has been an important part of her creative process from the start.” There’s one problem with this: Fifty Shades of Grey was considered, in literally circles at least, to be awfully written; sacrilege compared to the classics. Still, if modern times dictate that making millions of bucks is good writing, then maybe that is good writing? Fifty Shades of Grey: Inner Goddess (A Journal) will combine "professional advice from the million-selling author and lined pages for readers to set down their own ideas, or 'inner goddess.'" The book will released on May 1st, and has been described as "a bonded leather" journal offering "readers and aspiring writers a place where they can record their innermost thoughts."

No 50 Shades, not for Kunis

Continue reading: Now You Can Write Like 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Author E.L. James

After the phenomenal success of E.L. James' 50 Shades Of Grey (over 65 million copies sold last year folks, and presumably still rising), the pressure on the British author to come up with something new must be huge. In fairness to James though, rather than hide away and let the fuss over her soft-erotic novel die down, she’s got right back to it, and is already talking up her next book.

However, James is clearly aware that, now she’s up there with J K Rowling as the most famous living author in the world, the attention will be fierce. “It won’t be nearly so raunchy” she said of her new narrative, “and I will probably write it under another name.” The New York Post reckon she was joking when she said that, though we wouldn’t blame her for changing her name and sneaking something out to alleviate the pressure of it all. Though of course that probably wouldn’t sell nearly as much, something her publishers might not be too happy about.

James was chatting to the Post at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash – a fine location to try and ensnare some of Hollywood’s top brass to appear in the film adaptation for 50 Shades Of Grey you’d have thought. However, she remained guarded once again about what we could expect from the movie, or even when it was going to happen. “We don’t even have a filmmaker . . . so we are still a long way away from casting” she said. “I have some ideas . . . but it may not be who people expect.”

For those discerning readers who ask for something both moral and educational from their novels, the question about what good 50 Shades of Grey could ever do the world has been answered.

Due to it's enormous and unexpected success, employees in the USA branch of Random House are set to receive a fantastic Christmas present in the form of a $5000 bonus. Every single one of them (if they've been working there for 12 months or more), reports the New York Times, who quipped it "Call it 5,000 shades of green," witty.

The CEO of the company, Markus Dohle announced it to a crowd of employees who applauded the news for minutes on end. He said that it was due to a fantastically profitable year, which has been put down to the release of E.L. James' record breaking trilogy 50 Shades of Grey, 50 Shades Darker, and 50 Shades Free. Not only have the books been best sellers, but also through eBooks and the signing of a contract for it to be adapted into a film. In total it sold over 35 million copies in the USA alone.

Continue reading: 50 Shades Of Grey Success Pays Off For Random House Employees, 5000 Times

We at Contact Music deal in the business of 'interesting people'. We write about them day in, day out, but there's one person that has anointed herself for the past twenty years as the right person to judge the top ten most interesting people of the year: Barbara Walters. 

For the past twenty years, Barbara Walters has hosted a special 90 minute show about the year's most interesting people. According to NY Daily News, those to make the cut this year include; E.L. James, journalist and woman responsible for the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy; Argo's Ben Affleck, whose rise to fame was most notably due to his collaboration with Matt Dillon on 'Good Will Hunting' in 1997; Teenage Olympic medal-winning athlete, Gabby Douglas; Comedy writer, creator of 'Family Guy' and the director of summer movie Ted, Seth McFarlane; UK boy band One Direction; and finally two opposing political figures, Democrat Hilary Clinton and Republican Senator Chris Christie. 

Neither the writer of poorly written fiction, nor an adolescent boy-band seem all that interesting to us, though Chris Christie, Ben Affleck and Gabby Douglas all seem like great choices. Plus, the best is yet to come, as Barbara Walter's top three interesting people of 2012 will be revealed on the show when it's broadcast on December 12th on ABC. Who do you think is the most interesting person of 2012? Let us know what you think in the comments below. 

It’s been a year of firsts for Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L James. Her erotic novel, which began life as a work of fan fiction, dedicated to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels, has now been cited in a banker’s divorce proceedings.

The 41 year-old British woman, who earns over $600,000 (more than £400,000) per year apparently tried to jump-start her sex life with her hubby but her raunchy plans backfired when he then accused her of “unreasonable behaviour.”

According to the woman’s attorney, it’s the first time that anyone has cited the “mummy porn” in a divorce proceeding. Amanda McAlister, a divorce attorney, told the Daily Mail “she thought their sex life had hit a rut – he never remembered Valentine’s Day and never complimented her on her appearance… The woman had been reading the book and wanted to spice up her love life.” However, things didn’t quite go to plan for the banker, whose husband “went ballistic” when she suggested they replicate some of the saucy S&M scenes in the book. He blamed her for the breakdown of the marriage and told her “It’s all because you have been reading that bloody book.”

Continue reading: Mummy Porn Novel Fifty Shades Of Grey Cited In UK Divorce

In the first sign that she may be splashing some of newfound cash, E.L. James - the author of the Fifty Shades of Grey books - has bought into a potentially lucrative horseracing syndicate, aptly named 'Team 50.'

According to the Daily Mail, trainer George Baker purchased the son of sire Verglas for 50,000 guineas at a prestigious Book 1 sale this week. The grey colt (Fifty Shades of Grey) will be the first of three bought and trained by Baker, who is to move his growing stable to the Manton estate in Wiltshire next month. Two other colts - to be named Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed - will be bought at next year's sales with a £150,000 budget set aside. In keeping with the book's heroine Anastasia Steele, all three horses will be ridden by female jockeys.

The Fifty Shades franchise, a publishing phenomena, has sold well over 20 million copies worldwide though E.L James also made $5 million for the film rights from Universal Pictures and Focus Features. The author's current net worth is thought to somewhere in the region of $32 million.

The Fifty Shades of Grey movie screenplay writer has been announced, and it appears as though Bret Easton Ellis is less than pleased with the choice. The Psycho writer took to the micro-blogging site, Twitter, to convey his dismay, reports E!

"Kelly Marcel?!? KELLY MARCEL?!? Kelly Marcel is WRITING the script for 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?!? THIS is the movie they want to make? ARGH," he tweeted, before posting: "Kelly Marcel: the creator of (gulp) 'Terra Nova' and a Mary Poppins bio-pic has been blessed by EL James and no one can stop her. Dear God." It sounds like someone is incredibly bitter at the decision. Fifty Shades producer Dana Brunetti got involved in the tweet-feud, by saying, "@BretEastonEllis Really, Bret? The day you release that 'trailer'. School film? You're losing it...," This started a bit of a war, with fans of both sides tweeting their support/insults. "Shoot me now," Brunetti added, in reference to another tweeter's assumption: "I can only deduce that @DanaBrunetti is the EP / Producer of The Canyons. #AnyPressIsGoodPress."

Anyway, this all culminated in a silly argument, regrettable tweets and a Lindsay Lohan name drop or two. In other Fifty Shades new, or gossip we should say, is recently named Sexiest Woman Alive actress Mila Kunis; the Family Guy voice of Meg has been mooted strongly for a role in the upcoming adaptation.

After weeks, if not months, of speculation and rumors regarding the cast, production and writer of the Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation, we've finally been given one concrete fact. The Fifty Shades screenwriter is to be Kelly Marcel. But is she the right person for the job, given that her only success so far is the US sci-fi drama Terra Nova?

Note 'so far', because it really is only 'so far'. Already Marcel has written the screenplay for 'Saving Mr Banks' for which filming started last month. A biographical drama, 'Saving Mr Banks' follows the controversy that Walt Disney faced while trying to procure the rights to make a film of Mary Poppins, coming up against the original novel's author, P.L Travers. It's set to star Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and English gem, Emma Thompson as Travers.

Marcel also did an “emergency rewrite” of 'Bronson', that stars her business partner and British actor Tom Hardy. The film went on to win 'Best Film' at the Sydney Film Festival in 2009, as well as being nominated for awards at the Sundance Film Festival, British Independent Film Awards and London Critics Circle Film Awards.

Continue reading: Fifty Shades Of Kelly Marcel: Behind The Scenes Of Fifty Shades Of Grey's Screenwriter

Ryan Gosling's hopes and dreams of being cast as the lead in the film adaptation of E L James' Fifty Shades Of Grey appear to have been dashed after the author herself shot down rumours that he was the clear leading candidate to play the main character Christian Grey. Ryan Seacrest was talking to James on his radio show on Kiis FM and asked the author whether she wanted Gosling to play the role? She replied "No. That's completely misreported."

She continued "What happened is that his local paper, he's from Northern Ireland, there's a newspaper there called the Belfast Telegraph that reported on my husband being the inspiration for Christian Grey. Underneath it they put a picture of Ryan Gosling, as well. So, that's how that came about". Does she have anyone in mind then? "Maybe. I'm not going to tell you." Oooh, E L, you big tease.

James also said that the success of the book had completely "shocked" her, and had never intended to write full-time off the back of it. "I wasn't prepared for all of this" she told Seacrest. "I was going to write the books on the side and carry on working and doing all of that. I used to work in TV. It was fun. So this whole roller coaster has been utterly mind-blowing, really." She quit in January when it became apparent the book was going to be massive: "I quit on the Tuesday and I flew to New York on the Wednesday [for the book launch.]"

Jk Rowling’s new book may be targeted at an adult audience, though the novelist caused a stir in the wizardry world on Wednesday (September 26, 2012) by refusing to rule out a fifth Harry Potter novel. The author and one of the world’s richest women told the BBC she would be willing to revisit her hugely successful series if she came up with an interesting plot.

On the eve of her new book ‘The Casual Vacancy’, Rowling quite rightly said she had reached a point in her career whereby she no longer had to write “just to make money,” adding, “Harry Potter truly liberated me in the sense that there's only one reason to write, for me - if I genuinely have something I want to say, and I want to publish it… Now if I had a fabulous idea that came out of that world - because I loved writing it - I'd do it.” Rowling has no doubt been urged to write further Potter books by her publishers, though has often spoken of her desire to produce work for other genres and audiences. ‘The Casual Vacancy’ has been shrouded in secrecy ahead of its release though reportedly contains more adult themes such a class warfare, addiction and sexuality.

Time will tell whether holding the book back from the press was a shrewd move, though it’s safe to say Rowling will be top of the charts come next week. The new book is unlikely to reach the heady sales heights of E.J James’ ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ series, though an eighth Harry Potter novel? Now that just might.

Jk Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy looks set to continue her literary success with one million pre-orders already having been made.

Following the massive success she had with her Harry Potter franchise which continues to reach out to fans with the new interactive website Pottermore.com even after the release of the last book and film, this modest author’s new ventures definitely look just as promising. It is expected to become the UK’s best seller of 2012 with The Bookseller charts editor Philip Stone telling AFP ‘It’s one of the biggest releases of the 21st century’ and predicting an immediate place at number one. It certainly has the credentials to become the next big hit in literature with it being the most pre-ordered book at Waterstones this year and with Rowling’s last book, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, selling 2.5 million copies in the UK just in the first 24 hours.

However, she has some serious competition. She is yet to break the record for the most hardback sales of an adult book in the first week (given that ‘Harry Potter’ was a children’s franchise) which currently stands at a massive 550,000 for Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ sequel ‘The Lost Symbol’. She is also to match the global phenomenon that is ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ by EL James which has so far sold 5.3 million. One Waterstones spokesperson has expressed doubt that Rowling will even match her own success records with ‘A Casual Vacancy’ and admitted, ‘It is not in the league of ‘Harry Potter’.’

Continue reading: Will JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy Storm 2012’s Bestseller Charts?