The Daily Dish: June 8

- NPH hits the big screen…twice! Fresh off his successful stint as the host of last night's Tony Awards (and that awesome closing musical number), certified triple-threat Neil Patrick Harris has scored two plum big screen acting roles while on hiatus from his hilarious sitcom "How I Met Your Mother". The first is a starring role in an indie comedy from Josh Shelov, The Best and The Brightest, which follows a couple (NPH and Bonnie Somerville) through the hilariously competitive world of private New York City kindergartens. The second is a supporting role in Beastly, a modern adaptation of the classic story “Beauty and the Beast” starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer. Harris is set to take on the role of blind tutor to Pettyfer’s disfigured young man. Well, one out of two ain’t bad…but I say any NPH on the screen is a darn good thing. The Best and the Brightest has already started shooting in Philadelphia while Beastly is set to start filming later this year.

- Transformers: IMAX Special Edition The new trend in entertainment seems to be directors giving fans an inside online scoop about their various projects. From Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2 Twitter updates to Michael Bay’s blog on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, there is always an exclusive scoop for the web-savvy movie lover. And if you happened across Bay’s blog today you would’ve seen the news that the director with a penchant for destruction is pulling together a unique, effects-heavy IMAX cut of his new film. The special edition will feature extra robot fight scenes and, one can assume since it’s Bay, a few extra giant explosions. Both versions of the movie open in theatres on June 24.

- Jackson commits to his first Comic-Con Sony Pictures announced today that acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong) is set to make his very first appearance at Comic-Con International in San Diego this July. Jackson, wearing his producer hat, will appear as part of the District 9 discussion panel alongside director Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley. In a statement, the industry giant said, “After all these years, I’m thrilled that I finally have the opportunity to visit San Diego for Comic-Con. I am especially excited that I am attending to support District 9. Neill is a tremendously talented young director and he’s made an extraordinary film, so it was important to me to come to San Diego to spread the word. I look forward to attending my first ever Comic-Con and I know that those who visit us on July 24th in Hall H will be in for quite a ride.” That high-pitched sound you hear? It’s the squeezing of thousands of grown men and women as they rush to get tickets. A word of advice: if you’re lucky enough to be attending Comic-Con this year and have a chance to hit up that event, you might want to look at camping out overnight to ensure a spot. Seriously...bring a sleeping bag and provisions 'cause you’re gonna need them. District 9 will hit theatres August 14, 2009.