Lindsay Lohan: ‘I’ve Been a Target’

In what appears to be a pity ploy, Lindsay Lohan recently tried to explain why she’s having trouble finding work.

It’s not the ailing economy or any mistake she herself may have made.

No, according to Lindsay, she’s a victim of a media conspiracy.

In a recent appearance on the “Ellen” show, the “Mean Girls” star spoke of a specific gig she had lost.

“I had a really good opportunity with an amazing actor and it’s been put on hold because of this coverage that’s been coming out,” Lohan contended.

Somewhat disgusted, she added, “I didn’t get into this to be a celebrity on the cover of tabloids and I’ve been a target and I’m not that interesting but it’s distracting; it distracts people, studio heads, everyone – they get nervous.”

Someone should tell Lindsay that when execs read reports of eating disorders, drug abuse and unstable relationships, it’s their job to get nervous.

Still trying to make her case, Lohan had a message for her prospective Tinseltown employers.

“I’m ready to work and I’m responsible,” she said.

Disney Dumps ‘Narnia’

Disney has announced that the studio will not co-finance the third installment of Walden Media’s “Chronicles of Narnia” franchise, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”

It is widely believed by Hollywood insiders that Disney dropped the project because of the lower than expected box-office take for the second “Narnia” flick, “Prince Caspian.”

The first “Narnia” piled up $745 million internationally while “Caspian” only raked in $419 million.

Although the economic downturn is making Disney execs a tad more timid, they’re partly responsible for the skimpier “Caspian” numbers.

Unlike the first “Narnia,” rather than a Thanksgiving or Christmas release the sequel came out in the spring, and it was up against superhero summer fare like “Iron Man” and “Indiana Jones.” Disney tried to market it as an action flick with limited success.

Thankfully, Walden remains committed to C.S. Lewis’ remaining books.

And if Fox is as clever as its name it’ll jump into Disney’s old spot, snag a profit and hoist entertainment content higher at the same time.

James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in Media Psychology, is a media analyst, teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University and professor at Trinity Law School.

Natalie Portman Stymied by Celibacy

Why would actress Natalie Portman turn down the chance to be in a film with Oscar winning Meryl Streep?

The answer lies in Portman’s attitude toward Roman Catholic vocations.

“Doubt,” a film adaptation of the successful play by John Patrick Shanley (who, incidentally, directs the movie), tells the story of two nuns (Meryl Streep and Amy Adams) that confront a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) whom they suspect of abusing an altar boy. Themes of religion, morality and authority punctuate the dialogue.

Portman reportedly wanted to co-star in the movie but turned down the part for what seems like a fairly flimsy reason, considering that she’s supposed to be a professional.

“We asked Natalie Portman, and Natalie was very interested but kept saying she had a problem. And we finally nailed down as to what the problem was: she basically said she didn’t understand celibacy,” Shanley told the GossipSauce Web site.

If it took so much brainpower to understand celibacy, Portman probably could have benefited from a class in abstinence.

Instead she’s likely to find out that she made a bad career move by ultimately denying herself what actors lust after most, and that is prestige, which in Hollywood comes in the form of a little gold statue.

“Doubt” opens in limited release on December 12, just in time to qualify for Oscar’s attention.

James Hirsen, J.D., M.A. in Media Psychology, is a media analyst, teacher of mass media and entertainment law at Biola University and professor at Trinity Law School.

Probable Actors’ Strike Creates Movie Boom

It’s not a sequel anyone wants to see—another lengthy strike like the writers’ one that caused losses galore for the entertainment industry and the So Cal economy.

Unfortunately, the Screen Actors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers seem to be light-years away from any agreement, even though the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have stepped out of the picture to allow labor talks.

When it comes to labor negotiations in Hollywood, Tinseltown is the land of acronyms.

SAG, AMPTP, AFTRA…the list goes on.

AFTRA has delayed its talks with AMPTP for a week to give SAG a head start. But the AMPTP studio heads will probably make deals in separate negotiations with AFTRA long before they settle with SAG.

The sticky issue in the actors’ union haggle is the same as it was for the writers—new technology. Workers want in on the cash for films streamed and sold on the Internet, cell phones and portable devices.

SAG sent a mailing to members explaining the importance of the digital battle. The document noted that by 2010, the largest 100 media companies would be bringing in a projected $20.7 billion annually from the Net.

Studios and production companies aren’t waiting around to see what happens. They’re rushing ahead to beat a possible strike.

Feature film shoots in the L.A. area are up 11% for 2008’s first quarter.

And ASAP, PDQ and LHU have become the buzz du jour.