Once again, it’s time for the News Roundup, in which we gather all the little news items we don’t care enough about to actually flesh out in a full post (just kidding, little news nuggets, we love you, too—and we’re sorry we told you that we loved our movie reviews and news posts more, we just had a lot to drink that night and work’s been really rough, lately).   From new buzz about Mortal Kombat to Untitled Religious Drama to whatever the hell is happening over at NBC, here’s today’s news in brief:

• The Hollywood Reporter digs on Katie Couric and Matt Lauer joining together on the The Today Show to giggle about having NBC by the you-know-whats.
• Want to write the punchline to the darkest pop culture joke ever told?  Swing by Unreality Mag.
• Then, if you want to read what should be an unfunny joke but is apparently completely serious, check out Unreality’s mind-boggling list of best cartoon sidekicks ever.  No Milhouse?  C’mon!
• After that, relax yourself by owning a piece of pop culture in the classiest way possible, courtesy of KULT Studio.
• Seriously—Mortal Kombat got an online series?
• Looks like Joaquin Phoenix is going to continue to court to controversy, as he’s reportedly in talks to star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘I-Promise-This-Isn’t-About-Scientology-(But-It’s-Really-About-Scientology)’ film, Untitled Religious Drama.

What do you think of today’s news?

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Director Paul Thomas Anderson plans on reuniting with frequent collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman for his next project. According to BFDealDemo, Anderson will once again tackle the theme of religion in an untitled period piece for Universal.

Hoffman is known for playing supporting roles in several of Anderson’s films, but with this latest project he’ll star as the lead. His character will be called “The Master,” as in “master of ceremonies,” a charismatic intellectual who hatches a faith-based organization that begins to catch on in America in 1952.

The core is the relationship between The Master and Freddie, a twenty-something drifter who becomes the leader’s lieutenant. As the faith begins to gain a fervent following, Freddie finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor.

Anderson is known for his cynical approach when it comes to organized religion, which was apparent in There Will Be Blood. This time around he seems to be targeting more contemporary followings such as Scientology and Mormonism, which are newbies as compared to Christianity and Judaism.

The script for the film is yet to be completed and Universal refuses to green light the project until they see the final product. The studio is weary about producing an adult themed drama of this caliber, because they typically go on to become cult favorites as opposed to commercial successes.

What do you think about Hoffman and Anderson reuniting on another film?

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