Casting About: Aaron Eckhart Is a Beach Boy

• Aaron Eckhart has been everywhere this year. He was better than advertised in "Battle: Los Angeles," he'll be in the upcoming "Rum Diary," and he's just signed up for "I, Frankenstein." Now he's going to be playing Dennis Wilson, the drummer for the Beach Boys, in the biopic "The Drummer." The craziest part is that, as part of the film, Echkart's going to record his own version of Wilson's songs from "Pacific Ocean Blue," his 1977 solo album that was re-released in a much-celebrated deluxe edition a few years ago. This is exciting news, but it does mean we'll have to wait that much longer for "In the Company of Men II." [Variety]

• The more we hear about "The Last Stand," the big Arnold Schwarzenegger career-rehabilitation project, the more we're intrigued. Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, and Harry Dean Stanton have now all signed up for the action-drama about the mayor of a sleepy border town facing off against a drug kingpin. Still, be honest: Wouldn't you be 150 percent happier if you found out those three actors were gonna be in the next David Lynch film? [/film]