Zooey Deschanel, shown here in a still from 2006's Failure to Launch, will play Janis Joplin in an upcoming biopic.

Deschanel Holding Company With Spheeris on Joplin Pic
In a move that could surely catapult her career, Zooey Deschanel will assume the role of Southern Comfort-swigging blues siren Janis Joplin in The Gospel According to Janis. She replaces pop singer Pink in the upcoming biopic to be co-written and directed by Penelope Spheeris (The Decline of Western Civilization films). More at Variety.

Bodybuilder Turned Actor Mickey Hargitay Dies
Before there was Schwarzenegger, there was Mickey Hargitay. The Hungarian-born Mr. Universe-turned movie actor died of multiple myeloma on Thursday at the age of 80. Perhaps best known for his high-profile marriage to Jayne Mansfield, Hargitay's movie career included a turn as Hercules in The Loves of Hercules, (which also starred Mansfield) and films such as Bloody Pit of Horror and Promises! Promises!. More at the Los Angeles Times.

Pirates Still Sailing Overseas
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest continues to rake it in across the globe. Thanks to a $13.4 million week in Italy, the film has hit $613.2 million internationally, becoming only the sixth film in history to surpass the $600 million mark at the overseas box office. More at The Hollywood Reporter.

News Corp. banks on God with launch of FoxFaith
Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but Fox Filmed Entertainment, the studio's home entertainment division, has launched a faith-based appendage called FoxFaith with plans to produce as many as a dozen films a year, half of which will be released in theaters. More at the Los Angeles Times.