Not since we were reduced to puddles of cooing mush over David Schwimmer in his adorable Caine Mutiny Court Marshall sailor outfit have we been so tickled by an internet ad featuring a familiar actor wearing a ridiculous theater costume than we have with this one, touting Lou Diamond Phillips’s upcoming turn in a touring production of Camelot. The recently unencumbered La Bamba star is no stranger to the musical theater stage, having already thrilled Broadway in The King and I, thus ensuring audiences that his King Arthur will be fully realized and adhere closely to the script–unlike Val Kilmer’s Moses, who was known to interrupt the Burning Bush sequence in Ten Commandments: The Musical with improvised rapping about “his dogg, J-Hovah.”

• Camelot [broadwayla.org]

As you head off on your long-weekend escapades, seeking to squeeze the final drops of fun out of the Historic Summer of 2007, take a moment to consider Defamer sponsors–this week’s particularly–and how their various blue-chip products, services, and attractions might enhance your lives in the months to come. As always, if you’d like to advertise with us and reach the sharpest, most attractive demographic on the planet, everything you need to know is right here.

Special thanks to: American Apparel, Canon, Crunch, Evian, Flavorpill, Good Luck Chuck, HBO, Hot Hot Heat, Mandalay Bay, Showtime, 2 Days in Paris, VW, and Zune.

· We’re impressed with Variety’s show of headline-pun restraint with this one: The plug has been pulled on Stopping Power, Jan De Bont’s planned action thriller starring John Cusack, after funding fell through at the last minute. [Variety]
· Conflicting with other reports, Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution “thrilled” Venice audiences. One journalist asked if the graphic sexual sequences were real, to which the director responded, “Have you seen the film?” Funny–we always felt what The Hulk could have used were some Brown Bunnyesque elements. [Variety]
· ABC orders a script for The Fixer, about “the most powerful woman in New York.” We knew it was only a matter of time before Leona Helmsley’s dogwalker had her own show. [Variety]
· NBC and Apple have a parting of the ways, with NBC’s content disappearing from iTunes as soon as December. Why can’t Steve Jobs and Ben Silverman just iron this bullshit out over a couple of primo bong hits? [THR]
· Giovanni Ribisi is pulled in by the CAA Death Star’s tractor beams. Run, Giovanni! They’re nothing but a greedy and secretive institution that want to have undue influence over your life decisions! [THR]

More Venice Film Festival color: George Clooney, dubbed “mag-nifico” by the local press for the way he pronounces the word in an Italian TV ad, was pointedly asked by a reporter why he does endorsements. After fumbling for an answer, he sarcastically replies, “Me? In commercials?” [Film Experience Blog]

Champ, the homeless, former fighter whose life inspired the LAT article that would inspire Resurrecting the Champ, is still homeless in Santa Ana, and has yet to see a penny from the production. [ocregister.com]