Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is tackling an incredibly popular object of interest for his next film.  THR reports that Spurlock will helm a behind-the-scenes 3D movie about the boy band One Direction.  It’s baffling news, honestly, as the subject matter seems odd for the Super Size Me and Comic-Con: A Fan’s Hope director. Nevertheless, Spurlock’s involvement likely drums up interest from fans who would otherwise be indifferent to the prospect of a 3D feature film about the tween-worshipped British pop group.  Spurlock will produce the pic alongside former American Idol judge Simon Cowell, who discovered the band as part of the UK iteration of The X-Factor.

The film will reportedly blend concert footage and scenes of musician life “that purports to give fans a glimpse into the real artists.”  TriStar Pictures is behind the project and a release date of August 30, 2013 has already been set.

The Fox singing competition series The X Factor returns for Season 2 in September, with two new judges – pop stars Britney Spears and Demi Lovato – and a new crop of aspiring talent.  Although I don’t typically cover reality shows, Spears is such a fascinating public figure that I’m making an exception.

Via satellite from Miami for boot camp rounds, during the Fox portion of the TCA Summer Press Tour, Britney Spears and Simon Cowell talked about how she decided to become a judge, what she brings to the show, how inspiring it is to nurture new talent, the relationship between the judges’ panel, the pressure of finding a blockbuster artist on the show, and whether this show is as much about the judges as it is the talent.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Normally reality competition shows aren’t exactly our cup of tea when given the choice between them and fantastic narrative television like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, really anything on AMC, and more, but when a pop culture giant like The X Factor comes along, we like to keep everyone informed every now and then. That’s why we’re letting viewers know that Fox has renewed the American Idol copycat alternative for a second season so we can keep Simon Cowell in those black baby t-shirts for many years to come. For the full press release and details on the upcoming live broadcasts, hit the jump.

Forbes has released their list of the highest-paid men in entertainment.  Minus Oprah, I bet it looks pretty much the same as the highest-paid people in general. That said, Tyler Perry does rep the diversity quotient at the top of the list with $130 million made from May 2010 to May 2011.  Perry is not popular with the critics, but I continue to be impressed by the man who can outearn such power players (and notable white men) as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg.  Perry has directed ten movies since his feature debut in 2006, and starred in most of them.  In recent years the two TBS sitcoms Meet the Browns and House of Payne have proven a major contribution to Perry’s paycheck.  He has a good shot at next year’s title, too: in 2012, he’ll deliver at least one more project, Good Deeds, and star in the potential franchise starter I, Alex Cross.

Look for the top ten and the oddities within (James Patterson?) after the jump.

A couple of notable items have sprung from Fox headquarters this week.  First up, it turns out that the photogenic cast of the hit teen musical Glee are signed up for a trilogy of feature films if Fox fancies such a move.  Per their 2008 contracts:

“[The actor] hereby grants Fox three exclusive, irrevocable options to engage [the actor] in up to, respectively, three feature length motion pictures.” [Hollywood Life]

That’s not to say that Glee will ever hit the big screen.  But if Fox ever pulls the trigger, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron, Mark Salling and the gang are all contractually on board.

Hit the jump for details on the upcoming American Idol auditions, and the lead casting of the Steven Spielberg produced Terra Nova.

The new season of American Idol doesn’t premiere until January, but interesting things are afoot already behind the scenes. According to Simon Cowell’s brother, the caustic reality judge is looking to leave the show after the upcoming season to focus on adapting his British hit The X Factor for American television. This is not too surprising, as Cowell himself ruminated on leaving the show as early as last April, several months before Paula Abdul announced her departure.

To add intrigue to the matter, 58% of viewers said they would stop watching American Idol if Simon Cowell left the show in a recent survey. This would be a devastating blow to Idol, and would certainly knock it off its pedestal as America’s favorite show. Fox seems unfazed by such talk though, as the channel is near a deal to extend Idol‘s run by three seasons; even if half the viewers jumped ship, Idol would still be among the top rated shows on TV. So look forward to many more years of American Idol, regardless of Cowell’s involvement. In the meantime, catch judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson, Abdul replacement Ellen DeGeneres, and ubiquitous host Ryan Seacrest while you can when the ninth season of American Idol premieres on Fox on January 12, 2010.