"The minute I realized I got to point a gun at Mark Wahlberg, I said 'I'm in.'" —Ludacris on his part in Max Payne [NYDN]

"People say it's juvenile music, but pardon me. I thought rock 'n' roll was supposed to be juvenile. You sing what you know. What am I going to write about — Rembrandt?" —Angus Young [NYT]

"Yeah, I understand it, but nobody said comedy. And I always saw this as a comedy." —Josh Brolin on hearing Bush's life described as a tragedy [LAT]

With the imploded economy putting a strain on local governments across the nation, budget cuts are inevitable. But if shuttering our jails and elementary schools doesn't get us out of this mess, could states' incentives for movie production be in jeopardy? Maybe! The New York Times reports that taxpayers in Louisiana are outraged over a $27 million bill they're footing for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the upcoming David Fincher–Brad Pitt film made possible by a completely insane incentive allowing Paramount to recoup even parts of the movie's $167 million budget that weren't spent in the state. And in Michigan, where nobody's had a job since 1986, lawmakers in both parties are trying to put a cap on movie-related spending after they made an offer to pay 40 percent of film costs incurred there and movie studios astonishingly took them up on it.

Or Is He?: DC comics president Paul Levitz has told Latino Review that he's been meeting with Brandon Routh "to talk about Superman and what we want to do," which definitely sounds like he'll be playing Superman in any sequel that comes down the pipe. But when will that be? DC is waiting for "Nolan to sign on for another Batman" and then "the release date for Superman and all other future projects will follow." [Latino Review]

Wahlberg May Not Fight Soon: In an interview with ComingSoon, Mark Wahlberg has cast considerable doubt on the health of Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter, saying that without a start date, "It's too depressing to talk about. I get up everyday at 5:00 a.m. to train for a movie that might not even happen. I get up to talk to animals every day, but they're no help either!" [ComingSoon]

Ortega Keeps His Dancing Shoes On: High School Musical's Kenny Ortega has been "invited to re-imagine Footloose for Paramount," and he wants Tweenmerica's own Zac Efron to star in the Kevin Bacon role. "There's some genuine enthusiasm coming from the Paramount side," Ortega says, neglecting to add that "they're all a bunch of idiots who're scared to make anything original, but hey, it's a living!" [BBC]