The latest on The Back-up Plan:

• Jennifer Lopez performed What is Love at the 60th Sanremo Music Festival in Italy on February 19. This song is reported to be the lead single on The Back-up Plan‘s soundtrack and you can watch her Sanremo performance on YouTube!
• On February 27 Jennifer has a double booking for Saturday Night Live. She will not only host the show, but also be the musical guest, according to AssociatedContent.com.
• The gallery has been updated with a Russian version of The Back-up Plan poster.
• Some release dates have been updated on the international movie site. Germany and Austria are not listed there, but their release date is now May 13!

And from the Hawaii Five-0 front, there’s the following to share:

• The Hawaii Five-0 pilot is now officially listed among the Hawaii Film Office’s Current Productions!
• Dean McDermott, who auditioned for the role of Danno, is apparently out of the running according to some tweets. Two other actors who have also auditioned for the role are Michael Shanks and Michael Muhney.
• Radio station 612 ABC Brisbane’s Scott Mayman reported on his program, the Afternoon Chillout, about Alex O’Loughlin landing the lead role on Hawaii Five-o. You can listen to the audio clip and I’ve also done a transcript:

“I’m sure you recognize the tune; we loved the music, we loved the scenery and that opening scene with Jack Lord standing on the verandah of a high rise building in Honolulu. It’s the latest TV show from yesteryear to be brought back to life. CBS in America has commissioned a new version of “Hawaii Five-o”. It involves story creators who brought us the recent “Star Trek” movie, the two “Transformer” movies and the third installment of “Mission: Impossible” and the script is going to be written by Peter Lenkov, the executive producer behind “CSI: New York”. It should be a beauty. Producers have gone on record to say they plan to keep the original show as possible and yes, keep that theme tune as well.

“Now, if you want to do some star spotting, seen on the coast reportedly is the Aussie actor who will play the lead in the new version of ‘Hawaii Five-0′. Alex O’Loughlin will play Steve McGarrett. It’s yet another example of how Aussies are the flavor of Hollywood right now. Alex has worked in shows like ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘The Shield’. No word yet on which network or pay TV outlet in Australia will pick up the rights to the new-look ‘Hawaii Five-o’.”

• Check out some newspaper clippings in the gallery about Alex getting the role of Steve McGarrett and this Hollywood Insider article at EW.com: CBS Eyes 11 New Dramas, 9 Comedies.
• Zap2It has put up a gallery of Familiar Faces: The (possible) TV Stars of 2010-2011 and of course Alex is included.
• A local posted this letter in the Opinion section of the Honolulu Advertiser:

Use local characters in television remake
It’s great that “Hawaii Five-0″ will be resurrected on location here in Hawai’i and we will have Alex O’Loughlin as Steve McGarrett and Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho Kelly. I guess that a remake will have to be different, with present-day Hawai’i crime situations and characters. I hope that the governor will be female like Linda Lingle and hopefully for comic relief we could have a Frank DeLima or Andy Bumatai as a cab driver or detective. Perhaps we could have Raiatea Helm as a singer character or Jake Shimabukuro strum the ukelele to “Five-0″ beat. Get the Neighbor Islands involved with interisland cruise-ship crime stories.

When I lived in North Carolina from 1989 to 2007, “Hawaii Five-0″ was a treat for me. Go, “Hawaii Five-0!”

Franklin Kam
Honolulu

Other Alex items:

• Added to the gallery are images from a 2005 Sydney photoshoot when Alex was promoting Oyster Farmer. And don’t forget to check out the fan art section where new items have been added!
• Jeff Blair, the trainer who got Alex into such great shape for The Back-up Plan, is now working with Alex to prepare him for Hawaii Five-0. Jeff posted the following on his Facebook wall:

Congratulations to my client Alex O’Loughlin for landing the Hawaii Five-O lead. We are in training now for the role. :-)

• Alex also wrote a testimonial that Jeff posted on his website, JeffBlairFitness.com:

I strongly recommend Jeff to anyone looking for a superior fitness professional.

When I met Jeff, I was preparing for a starring movie role, and it was crucial that I be in optimal physical condition.

Exercise has always been an intergal part of my life but over the years I developed a few physical issues.  I was concerned my intense training days were history.

I am thrilled to report I was wrong. Jeff and I trained harder than I have since I was a teen-ager.

Jeff helped me completely overhaul my nutrition which was a key factor in my dramatic body change.

I was beyond pleased with my results—I was ecstatic.

Even after the movie ended, Jeff motivated me to continue challenging myself in new ways. If I hit a plateau, he would implement new training ideas which helped me get leaner and stronger.

I am now in the best shape of my life.

Jeff’s commitment to fitness doesn’t end when he leaves the gym. Jeff studies the latest research, nutrition and training methods and passes on his knowledge to the students in his graduate exercise science program.

Just as importantly, Jeff “walks the talk” and is 100% committed to a lifestyle that encompasses strength, health and fitness.

If you want the best, hire Jeff Blair.

Alex O’Loughlin
Actor- West Hollywood CA.

Jeff’s Comments: Alex is a great pleasure to work with.  He probably trains harder than anyone I have ever worked with.  He definitely has an “extra gear” in both training intensity, mental focus and his commitment to nutrition. Alex saw results very fast-probably faster than anyone I have ever worked with and certainly faster than most people can expect.  One of my thoughts training Alex is if a football team had 11 players with his commitment and intensity level, they might never lose a game!

Thanks to the fabulous fans at TRF for sharing their contributions!

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, steve mcgarrett, hawaii five-0, hawaii five-o, the back-up plan[/tags]