Quick Takes: Arnold Schwarzenegger eyes return to acting

After seven years in the California governor’s mansion, Arnold Schwarzenegger is returning to his old day job: acting.

Schwarzenegger wrote on Twitter that he’s ready to start considering film roles again.

The former governor tweeted Thursday night: “Exciting news. My friends at CAA have been asking me for 7 years when they can take offers seriously. Gave them the green light today.”

Schwarzenegger’s personal aide, Daniel Ketchell, confirmed the tweet Friday.

Before leading the state from 2003 to 2010, the former bodybuilder was the star of such films as “The Terminator,” “True Lies,” “Kindergarten Cop” and “Twins.”

—Associated Press

Mummy exhibit is rewrapped

A Philadelphia museum said Friday that its exhibit on the Silk Road, including a pair of ancient mummies, will go on after it resolved a dispute with the Chinese government that led to a pared-down event with fake mummies and life-size photos of the artifacts.

The exhibit will reopen Feb. 18 with a full complement of mummies and more ancient artifacts from the Tarim Basin in the autonomous Xinjiang Uyghur region of China, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology said.

The artifacts are part of “Secrets of the Silk Road,” which opened Feb. 5. The exhibit had traveled to the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and to the Houston Museum of Natural Science without issue, but the Philadelphia museum was asked to gut its display.

Museum spokeswoman Pam Kosty did not say what sparked China’s change of heart but said the initial delay was the result of a miscommunication.

—Associated Press

Brown’s Grammy weekend plan

Don’t expect any congratulatory hugs between former lovers Chris Brown and Rihanna at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.

Although both stars are nominated for awards, a court order remains in place for the singers to steer clear of each other, and Brown is not expected to attend Sunday’s awards show in downtown L.A. He’s performing on “Saturday Night Live” in New York.

The stay-away order is a remnant of Brown’s 2009 assault case, in which he admitted beating Rihanna in a rented sports car after a pre-Grammy party.

Concerned about the former couple reconnecting, a judge ordered them to stay at least 50 yards apart for the next five years.

—Associated Press

‘Hobbit’ actors say they’re ready

The cast members of “The Hobbit” on Friday declared themselves ready for the cameras to roll on the next installment of mythical adventures from Middle-earth, after months of production trouble.

Hollywood studio funding problems, a threatened actors’ boycott and ulcer surgery for director Peter Jackson have plagued preproduction on the $500-million, two-movie project.

Some cast members spoke to reporters Friday on location in New Zealand and said they were putting the troubled history behind them.

“We’re all optimistic, ready to go,” said English actor Martin Freeman, who will play Bilbo Baggins.

Freeman and 13 actors who play dwarf characters said they enjoyed the first month of preproduction, in which they trained in the gym, rode horses and practiced dialect to prepare for scenes depicting long journeys and dramatic battles between good and evil.

Filming is set to begin March 21. Other cast members, including Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen, are set to join the production in coming weeks.

—Associated Press

Lasseter gets wheels in ‘Cars’

John Lasseter is unwittingly driving into the next installment of “Cars.”

The producers of “Cars 2” surprised the Disney and Pixar animation chief in honor of Pixar’s 25th anniversary by introducing a hefty yellow pickup truck named John Lassetire — get it? — in the upcoming sequel. Lasseter said they registered the character’s name to celebrate the animation studio behind such films as “Toy Story,” “Wall-E” and “Up.”

“It was news to me,” said Lasseter, who is also serving as a director on the animated film. “I did not know about that, so I was a little surprised. I ended up voicing this character. It was just one line, but now I have a ‘Cars’ character. I’m very excited about that. He’s a good ol’ American pickup truck, which I think is very appropriate for John Lassetire.”

—Associated Press

Finally

Host redux: Jack Black will host Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards in L.A. on April 2. It’s his third time at the helm, and this year he’s also a nominee as favorite actor for “Gulliver’s Travels.”