Tyler Coates shares my favorite personal anecdote post of this past week. Yay, Parent Trap. Peel Slowly offers up several examples of movies recreating paintings. Neat stuff.
Material Girl Yes, it's true. Madonna's firstborn is now a (fashion) blogger. She loves all things 80s apparently like 4realz. Believe it or not I threw a first birthday party for Lourdes (aka Lola) in 1997 with my roomie at the time who was also a Madonna man. Our apartment was packed -- anything Madonna themed you know -- and we gave all the donations to a local children's hospital. So, see, one can use celebrity obsessive powers for good. Movie|Line "9 dates that will shape the rest of 2010." I Need My Fix Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green are now married in case you hadn't heard or cared. In ContentionTree of Life is Apparition's sole 2010 release now. "And who knows if we'll even see it in 2010," Nathaniel the cynic adds.
Anita Kunz She's one of my favorite illustrators and she drew 100 nude male celebrities for an artshow in Toronto. How funny. This is but a 3% sample. But if you're in Toronto, go see it. Report back. Eye Scoop Excuse me, how had I not heard that Christophe Honore was doing another musical with Ludivine Sagnier and Louis Garrel (from Love Songs)! So excited. That film just grows on you. Cinematical Peter Sarsgaard goes Bluegrass.
A Blog Next Door suggests you watch TiMER on Netflix Instant Watch and so do I. Anya! A BlNYT Wonder Woman has a new look. I'm sure this will be applauded widely but I can't help but worry that it's one more step in completely genericizing all superheroes. Watch it turn into black form fitting armory leather for the movie which all superheroes seem to be wearing ever since they held a mass costume designing conference in 2000 and decreed that The Matrix and The X-Men were the new standards for f/x costuming. The Awl a conversation about The Twilight Saga: Eclipse that has to be more entertaining than the movie.
Finally, Towleroad alerts us to a rare moment of levity in the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Elena Kagan. The "Edward vs. Jacob case"
I don't even know what to say...
* P.S. If you've been following me on Twitter, you already know that I met Julianne Moore today. Yes, yes, I'll tell you all about it soon enough. I have to process first. [gulp] I reached out my hand to shake hers and... she hugged me!
Steve on Broadway Australian readers take note: The original cast of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is heading to Sydney in August for one last go at the roles they've perfected over the years. Don't miss it.
The Cost of Going to the Movies This is an interesting chart on moviegoing vs. home theater costs. There's an agenda as this is a business site but it's still interesting. I find myself siding with stay home options so much lately from a moral perspective which is so sad because I think the in theater experience is so magical. But like Broadway and the music industry, corporations are all too willing to gouge their audiences price-wise until the audience dwindles. Nobody ever thinks longterm.
Serious Film treats the IMDB Top 250 list very seriously indeed. This rundown has a lot of interesting anecdotes but I just can't stomach looking at it (the list, not this article). I have no time for any list that preferences anything with a super power in it over anything with an actress in the lead role. Plus a list of 250 films which has rooms for films as mediocre as Big Fish and Kick-Ass but no room for anything by Altman, Surges, Sirk or Almodovar? I mean, get real or, rather, FAIL in the popular vernacular. It should be called "IMDB's Subsection of A Certain Type of Hetero Males With Extremely Limited Palettes Between 15-30 Years of Age Top 250." That's a little unwieldy but this list needs a subtitle before it needs anything else. Just for you know the sanity of anyone who chances to look upon it.
Margot Channing. She's sour for good reason
For the record the only movies that are about a female protagonist number 15 of 250 or, 6% of the 'greats'. They are #45 Amélie, #54 Aliens, #55 Spirited Away, #69 Pan's Labyrinth, #88 All About Eve, #96 Rebecca, #121 The Wizard of Oz, #134 Kill Bill Vol 1, #157 Gone With the Wind, #180 Diabolique, #198 Rosemary's Baby, #203 A Streetcar Named Desire, #206 Kill Bill Vol 2, #231 Changeling, #239 Mulholland Dr. (give or take a handful more where you can argue it's actually about a man even though the woman is remembered as the lead -- Fargo, Silence of the Lambs, Double Indemnity, Psycho, Annie Hall, Sunset Blvd). So according to IMDB voters, movies about women are almost never worthy of attention but Changeling is one of the best ever made! 'Screw Mildred Pierce, Joan of Arc, Sally Bowles and the lot of them! Girls. Who needs 'em!?!'
Queerty By now I assume you've read that Warren Beatty and Annette Bening's eldest daughter Kathlyn is rumored to be transgendered and wants to transition to being their son Stephen. I figured I should mention it given TFE's frequent love for the Bening/Beattys. But since no official statement has been released by the family, we figure they deserve more privacy in this matter than they're getting and that's all we have to say.
Vulture Star Market: What is Megan Fox worth? Okay end of long-winded 'click here' comments. I have nothing to say about this other than that it's kind of interesting.
Meanwhile in Russia...
The Moscow Times has details on the Moscow Film Festival which will close with Luc Besson's latest The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc Sec (pictured above) starring Louise Bourgoin. I heard from a reader yesterday that the costumes by Olivier Béirot are something and might catch Oscar's eye if it gets an stateside release. Here's a few clips from the film. Another hot ticket will be the explicit Cannes-shunned Emmanuelle Béart film, It Begins With The End. The festival director isn't shy about his love for her...
We welcome it to Moscow with open arms. Emmanuelle Béart is my favorite actress, and she is doing all these indecencies with her husband, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Hey, just let it all hang out. Why be shy about loving an actress? Particularly one as jolie as Béart.
Any readers follow Russian cinema? What film do you think they'll submit this year for the Oscars given the poor reception of Burnt By the Sun 2 thus far?
Antagony & Ecstasy says these 10 are the best performances by an actress in history. Love the bookend choices so much. i09 Megan Fox poses with her lesbian mannequin. This is easily my favorite Megan Fox performance Cinema Blend Katey wants to see Christopher Nolan duke it out with James Cameron in a 3D debate. Me too Movie|Line has updates on those Wizard of Oz projects
Mediaite Adventures in mispronounciations with Catherine Zeta-Jones. She's just a girl who c*** say no. She's in a terrible fix. Low Resolution Joe Reid begins to count down his favorite Buffythe Vampire Slayer episodes. Consider it a corrective to Logo's Spike crazy countdown. Read it because you love Buffy! [I'm guessing because all cool people do.] My New Plaid Pants JA also makes a Best of Buffy list PopEater talks to Carrie Fisher about Wishful Drinking. She always gives good interview Socialite's Life Dakota Fanning has her priorities straight
And yes... I am aware that the first Sofia Coppola trailer "Somewhere" teaser debuted yesterday (while I was at dinner). I am unable to post about it right this second. Let's discuss several hours from now. It'll still be there.
Off Topic Just Cuz Have you seen this mashup of Madonna / Gaga set to Madonna's underappreciated "She's Not Me" tune. It may be a slam on Gaga but it's still fun.
The way I kind of look at it is that I miss Madonna ALL THE TIME so if Madonna (my fav celeb ever) isn't going to make epic videos anymore -- and she hasn't been really trying in that realm, her very own kingdom (!), in awhile -- I need the Gaga.
P.S. I think there should be some sort of title moderation on YouTube. So many videos label themselves official this or that when they're something quite different. It can be absolutely maddening to search for a new movie trailer and have to wade through hundreds of bad fan videos or cheap gags first. The world OFFICIAL is more grossly overused on YouTube than "Exclusive" is on movie news sites or the naughty F word is in a Mamet play. That's how overused it is. For the love of search engines, please stop lying to the world.
My texting friend who you've heard from a few times, exiting screenings with sudden opinions flying from his fingertips, just got back from Toronto. Yes, everyone was there but you and I. Txt Critic was only there half the time but saw as many films as I did last time and I stayed for the whole damn thing. They must have kept his eyes open with toothpicks like something out of A Clockwork Orange, only more voluntary-like. Here's part 1 of his capsule takes...
on Antichrist
This is the rare case where I think having the entire film spoiled for me prior to seeing it was actually a good thing. Ever since Cannes, I’d heard explicit reports -- ad nauseam -- of all the “shocking” content, and aghast reactions, on behalf of Lars Von Trier’s latest. It's about a couple’s ... let’s say ‘unconventional’... response to the death of their toddler. While it’s not generally a good thing to have prominent sequences described to you before you see a film, here, having heard all the descriptions of [semi spoilers ahead] scenes involving self-inflicted mutilation, scissors, talking animals, etc. [/end spoilers] allowed me to look beyond the artifice and see the film for its emotional content, and Von Trier’s warped, fascinating ideas. Whether you’ve been spoiled or not, it’s a film that only gets richer upon repeat viewings, and gets more and more interesting the more you discuss it. (B+)
on Jennifer's Body
Okay, so clearly I’m alone on this one. I thought this Diablo Cody scripted horror comedy was a lot of fun. It’s not scary in the least but there’s an awful lot of funny dialogue, knowing silliness, good gore (for those who like that stuff) and a soullessness from Megan Fox that's actually appropriate for once. To top it off, the proceedings are imbued with a playfulness that toys with (and subverts) teen movie conventions (including some startlingly upfront sexuality), and is clearly made by someone with a passion for horror films.
It’s not a great movie but it’s also not a retread. I wish people would back off a bit in regards to attacking Ms. Cody; I get that when an (arguably) not-great screenplay wins an Oscar it’s an affront to film aficionados, but shouldn’t she get some credit purely on the basis of following up an Oscar win with a horror flick, let alone a fairly smart, entertaining one? (B)
on Creation
There were times during this 100 minute ordeal that I actually started to wish that Charles Darwin (played here by Paul Bettany) had never been born so I wouldn’t have had to sit through this movie inspired by his life. I exaggerate but this is really one slog of a film, more dull and interminable than even a straightforward biopic might have been. Focused almost entirely on (a) Darwin’s decision to publish "The Origin of Species" in the face of his wife’s (Jennifer Connelly) religiosity, and (b) the Darwin's reaction to the death of their child, Creation offers almost nothing of substance about Darwin’s actual ideas, nor the complexities of his character or emotions. It’s mostly just the renowned central figure weeping over his dead daughter and going on numerous doctors’ visits for his long list of ailments. The title is misleading as it seems to imply too much focus on his originally controversial ideas. While this is the kind of tedious, inert historical drama that used to be catnip for the Academy, I can’t see many staying awake all the way through to see anything worth rewarding. (C-)
on The Trotsky
At long last, a star vehicle for the gawky Jay Baruchel best known for headlining “Undeclared” and bit parts in Tropic Thunder and Knocked Up. Writer-director Jacob Tierney casts the Canadian native in the role of the Leon, a high school senior who considers himself the reincarnation of the titular figure. Leon seems deadset on fighting every supposed authority figure he can (he stages a hunger strike at his father’s factory in the opening sequence). Mixing Trotsky/Stalin/etcetera in-jokes with broad sweeping Napoleon Dynamite quirk and power to the disenfranchised story beats, the film may have a limited audience (the plethora of Montreal jokes makes it unclear how it would be received outside of Canada). But it’s frequently funny and manages to not drag even though it’s too long (nearly two hours) for its somewhat thin premise. Schneider shows legitimate directorial finesse. (B)
on The Informant!
Despite the starring presence of Matt Damon and a heavily-marketed nationwide release by Warner Bros., this supremely entertaining 'based on a true story' project -- the latest from Steven Soderbergh -- is a much odder (and also more delightful) film than I was a expecting, and not simply for playing what is essentially a thriller premise as a jaunty comedy. While it’s more strangely amusing and witty than laugh-out-loud funny, Soderbergh makes a boatload of strange decisions (such as shooting this 90s-set story in a style of a 70s throwback, and utilizing a Marvin Hamlisch score that seems better suited for a Doris Day vehicle) that, almost inexplicably, work perfectly. They all contribute towards creating an experience that may throw some people, but is sure to engender itself as a DVD favorite for those who like their eccentric quirk at a lower volume. The story itself only gets more compelling as it unravels, slowly eking out details that reveal why the filmmaker felt comedy was the more suitable genre for the material. It's all sold by an utterly fantastic performance , at once broad and understated, by Matt Damon. He appears in every scene and he certainly deserves -- and in this weak year, just might get -- an Oscar nomination. (A-)
So there you have it. A lot to consider. And that's only about a day's worth of screenings. When he closes his eyes, he's probably still seeing shadows of flickering images. *
Lev Lewis reporting from the Toronto International Film Festival
My first day at the festival yielded two opposing ends of the horror spectrum. On one end: Antichrist, the latest piece of controversy from Danish provocateur Lars von Trier; on the other: Jennifer's Body, the horror-comedy written by Diablo Cody. It's not difficult to say which one I prefer although words such as "prefer" or "enjoy" are not words that one should ever use to describe Antichrist.
Antichrist is everything you have heard and then some. I came into my screening moderately prepared for what von Trier had in store for me. I'd seen his previous work, read numerous articles detailing the controversy surrounding the film, thought I knew what I was in for. But, without trying to sound hyperbolic, nothing can prepare you for this. Perhaps, there will be people out there who will find themselves unaffected by the film, but I simply cannot imagine who they would be. Antichrist is the most audacious, disturbing, gut-wrenching, terrifying film I have ever encountered. At this point I'm still having difficulty applying any sort of critical sensibility to a work this powerful. Honestly, I'm unsure if a film has ever affected me quite as much as von Triers' has. Three quarters through I was literally shaking.
Charlotte in Eden
I need a bit more than an evening's perspective to really dissect the film, but needless to say Lars von Trier, along with Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg (who give astonishing performances as the grieving couple) have created what will likely be one of the seminal works of our time.
Willem Dafoe watched the whole film with us and then did a Q&A. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from him, but he was extremely suave, intelligent and funny.
Megan and Amanda: They know what boys want. They know what boys like.
Jennifer's Body, Diablo Cody's second foray into film, yields dull results. It's difficult to say whether Jennifer's Body feels inferior to Juno* due to a less able director (Karyn Kusama in the place of Jason Reitman), a lesser cast, or whether it is simply due to a poor script on Cody's part. So while it is certainly true that director Kusama is a) unable to combine horror and comedy in any sort of resonant way, and b) build the mood or tension very much needed for horror, blame must also be attributed to Cody who insufficiently blends her already-dated, stylized pop-culture laden dialogue with 80's camp-horror. Sadly, this is the one distinguishing element of Jennifer's Body and the only aspect that separates it from every horror film of late. Like the rest, scares are derived from characters walking slowly through dark spaces until something jumps out, which is of course complimented by appallingly loud thumps on the soundtrack. As well, the numerous flashbacks, which always begin with the obligatory dissolve to white and the contrast pumped to the max, do little to set Jennifer's Body apart from its modern-day peers.
<-- Seyfried & Fox in blood red heels at the premiere.
The film's Midnight Madness premiere was packed and the audience was eating out of the hands of Cody, Kusama, Fox and even Seyfried. However I can't imagine many people getting worked up about Jennifer's Body outside of the late-night festival atmosphere. Or perhaps I'm giving moviegoers too much credit. It is also possible that people will devour the audience-baiting of Jennifer's Body. For instance, at one point Amanda Seyfried, from out of nowhere and with no motivation, sucker-kicks a nurse who has done nothing to warrant such violence. The nurse flies through the air (accompanied by mind-numbing sound editing) and falls bloody and battered into an array of tables. This lurid act of violence received huge rounds of applause from an apparently blood-thirsty audience. Grade: D+
More fun than the film itself were the proceedings. The whole cast and crew were in attendance and up on the stage were: Karyn Kusama, Megan Fox, Johnny Simmons, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman. The rowdy crowd was quite thrilled at the appearance of Fox, and asked numerous questions about the kiss between her and Seyfried. However, Diablo Cody stole the show announcing that her greatest contribution to cinema has been the words "Stick it in".
I think the NY Post is rather insane to suggest that Jennifer's Bodyis going to be the next Heathers. I suspect, though I'm always willing to be wrong, that the edge will feel a little processed. Here's the red band trailer if you're dying to see Megan Fox cuss and devour young boys.
People always forget that Heathers wasn't really riffing on or leapfrogging off of other movies (2007'sTeeth beat Jennifer's Body to this satiric punch, I'm guessing). It was just this wonderfully twisted new thing -- it debuted shortly after the John Hughes craze but it didn't feel like a product of, evolutionary step from or satire of. And people also forget that Heathers was largely unanticipated before its release and then thoroughly ignored for awhile. It barely made a million dollars in its theatrical release though I'm proud to report that I contributed my $6 or $7 at that time (or whatever it was they were charging. Today I paid $12.50 to see a movie I didn't really want to see. The cinema is doomed).
My point is this: movies that are trying to be cult movies never feel quite right. Cult movies have to earn it. Showgirls and The Big Lebowski weren't trying to be cult movies. They were just trying to be Showgirls and The Big Lebowski, you know?
But then again this film could be fun. Amanda Seyfried is always a pleasure to look upon. And, at the very least, it's sort of cute (I know they're probably hoping for subversive but I choose my own adjectives) to have Megan Fox turn on the very boys onscreen that she turns on offscreen, if you know what I mean. Plus every couple of years someone has to try and add a new classic "mean girl" to the huge gallery of high school bitches the cinema has offered up over the years, some portrayed more sympathetically than others of course.
One final note. I always assumed this film's title was based on the great Hole tune "Jennifer's Body" but on the soundtrack credit that ends the trailer there's no Hole or Courtney Love mentioned. What gives?
Any interest in coming with me to tues midnight Transformers 2 on IMAX? Only drawbacks:
1. It's $20 2. We'd have to get there early 3. It's Transformers 2
After I recovered from the LOL'ing following #3, I said no. No way am I giving $20 to Michael Bay. I assume Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will beat Up to steal that #2 box office hit of the year position and I weep for the (safely assumed) qualitative drop in that switcheroo. I don't understand the Transformers phenom. A lot of movies are good at blowing shit up and some of them actually have narrative and visual coherency to go with the pretty fireballs and lovely dust clouds. Why not line up for those? And as I bitched when the first Transformers picture rolled around, the only reason I ever enjoyed the robots in disguise was watching them transform out of their disguises. If I want liquid metal, I'm totally just watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day. When anything can become anything with high speed morphing, the joy is lost. There's no reveal to stun you with the hot joy of brilliantly designed internal architecture... "That came from that. OHMYGOD it did!"
Plus, apart from Megan Fox, I can't tell the robots apart.
10 Favorite Movie Robots (not always in disguise)
I went with mostly the android'ish since I like people better than things. Strangely, I couldn't think of any cool animal robots from the movie (apart from the reliably creepy mechnical spider device that filmmakers from Michael Crichton to Steven Spielberg are fond of) but I'm sure they exist. The only ones that came to mind were incredibly stupid... like that mechanical owl in Clash of the Titans (1981). I only pray that the remake is sensible enough to ditch the owls. At least any owls that require batteries.
Honorable Mention: The Buffy Bot I always want to include Buffy the Vampire Slayer in every list. But it's a tv show damnit. Buffy always confuses me because it's better than much cinema. The Buffy Bot was another reminder, as if we needed one, that Sarah Michelle Gellar was shamefully robbed of Emmy nominations for 7 (give or take) years. My god, she could barely get arrested at the Globes. Only one nomination there? and that was right at the start.
10 Herbie the Love Bug That's a robot, right? Artificial intelligence, moving parts, etcetera. Or is he magical like Frosty the Snowman? Either way he survived Monte Carlo, a failed spinoff tv series, continual underestimation of his gifts, injuries, numerous drivers and Lindsay Lohan. Plus, he's totally cute and wins extra points for nostalgia since they (literally) don't make them like they used to. Volkswagen Beetle RIP (1938-2003)
09 R2-D2 If you had asked me as a kid "what is your favorite sound?" I probably would have started beeping like R2-D2 but after the childhood apocalypse that was Star Wars: Episode I, all things Star Wars have since been downgraded. Hence, #09.
08 HAL 9000 & Gertie HAL (voiced by Douglas Rain) is of course super smooth and insinuatingly creepy but I wanted to include Gertie (voiced by Kevin Spacey) for memorably riffing on the collective memory of HAL in the new movie Moon, reviewed here in case you have finally had the chance to see it.
07 Gigolo Joe & Pris Mmmm, pleasure models. It helps that one of them looks like Jude Law and the other has the endless legs and Amazonian kink of primo Daryl Hannah. I still think there's a classic sci-fi film waiting to be made that's ABOUT a pleasure model rather than expecting them to vivify the sidelines like they do in A.I.Artifial Intelligence and Blade Runner. But who would finance erotic sci-fi these days? Eroticism is a no no. Think of all the trouble Robert Rodriguez had trying to remake Barbarella.
Ian Holm, Lance Henriksen and Winona Ryder in the long dead Alien franchise
06 Ash&Bishop Because they elevate Alien and Aliens... not that either film particularly needs the elevation being spectacular in dozens of other ways as well. Please note that I didn't include "Call" from Alien Ressurection as I still have no idea how that fell so flat. I mean other than that the role was played by Noni in that phase of her career when she suddenly seemed entirely lost. That said, Alien 4 gets a bad rap but it's hard to argue with Sigourney Weaver's slightly twisted star turn as "Ripley 8". Even after four films she never once phoned it in.
05 The Iron Giant I really need to watch this animated gem again. I've seen it but once and every time I have thought about since (many many times) I whisper "Superman" in my brain and, voila, instant lump in throat.
04 T-1000 I think I gave him short shift in my Judgment Dayretrospective. I love everything about him from his mean, lean and naked entrance to Robert Patrick's otoplasty-free ears to the way he chases the heroes with cheetah speed (yikes) to the way that the only barely expressed "emotions" are negative ones: annoyance, dishonesty, condescencion, anger.
03 Roy Batty If only some new sci-fi picture would ever be as good as Blade Runner. I guess that only happens once every quarter century or so. Hey, it's been 27 years! Hurry up cinema. [More on Batty]
02 WALL•E & EVE I know I'm supposed to be moving on to Up... but really. How will Pixar ever top WALL•E ? Too much loveliness, creativity, control and exquisite characterizations for one animated film. Plus, EVE rocks.
01 False Maria I'm giving Brigitte Helms immortal rendition of The Maschinenmensch the top spot not just because I've seen Metropolis more than any other silent film (it's not my all time favorite silent: get in line behind The Passion of Joan of Arc and Pandora's Box, Fritz) but because you can still feel Maria reverberating in pop culture. Or at least I can. But maybe that's because I ♥ Madonna too much? Plus Maria's dance sequence is all kinds of "!!!" including the most gloriously overstated reaction shots of lust the cinema ever came up with: lip licking, eyebrow acrobatics, arm grabbing... it's all win.
Which robot things excite you or are you strictly flesh and blood oriented? *
Time for another edition of Red Carpet Lineup wherein we gather up actresses who were photographed at events during the week... and talk about them.
First up is Famke Janssen because I've been waiting for her Turn the River follow up ever since the terrific one-on-one I had with her in early 2008. She's on set in Monaco... for which movie I do not know. Where Famke goes her puppy Licorice is never far behind, so I had to include him (her?) too. It was recently announced that she'll be reprising her transsexual "Ava Moore" role for the series finale of Nip/Tuck.
Megan Fox is a phenomenon I haven't yet grasped. I've been playfully arguing about her on twitter. Screen Rant implied that she should hold her tongue in interviews, since people will lose interest if they start noticing what comes off of it. I say her faux shocking sound bites are the only interesting thing about her. After all, "Fuckability" is generally and crassly accepted as a pre-requisite for screen actressing. If you really stop to think about it this means that virtually every famous actress is (or was) a major turn-on for at least some sizable segment of the audience. In a world (i.e. the movies) where everyone is sexy, don't you have to bring something else to the table? What "else", I must ask, is she bringing?
Miranda Otto of "I am no man" fame didn't end up a huge movie star like so many of her fellow Australian ex-pats but I thought she'd at least end up a TV star. I'm terribly disappointed that her TV pilot "A Marriage" wasn't picked up. It was by the Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Relativity and Once & Again team of Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick who are geniuses of the small screen. They have proved time and again to have an enviable grasp of the daily drama of family/marital dynamics. If this new pilot, which co-starred Bruce Greenwood as Miranda's husband, had the depth and humanity of those shows it's a large unseen loss for the audience.
Nicll Kihthhmn! sorry, my speech is apparently unintelligible through the fanboy drool ("anonymous" says it so it must be true!). I'm still so excited about The Lady of the Locks: The Return of The Ginger. That's another photo from the set of Rabbit Hole. [via] Nicole Kidman ... there, I've wiped away the spittle.
Marcia Gay Harden turns 50 this August. Her career is going better than ever: A Tony for God of Carnage, a great turn on television's Damages (will they bring her back for Season 3?). Her new film The Maiden Heist is a comedic caper with Morgan Freeman. It was apparently shelved due to financial problems (boo) but we'll see her next in Drew Barrymore's roller derby movie Whip It! We assume Marcia isn't one of the tough derby bitches but we hold out hope that she miraculously is. Wouldn't it be great to see her body slam into Ellen Page?
Bebe Neuwirth is busy. She just got married last month, introduced the in memoriam section at the TONYs, and next she'll play Morticia Addams in the Addams Family stage musical (Spring 2010). She's already training for the part by draining herself of all remaining pigmentation. We see a possible third TONY Award coming her way. She's previously won for Sweet Charity and for her hugely successful reworking of "Velma Kelly" in Chicago before Catherine Zeta-Jones got her eager hands on the role. Showbiz careers are so weird. Isn't it a bit curious that Bebe hasn't had a major slam dunk television role since "Lilith" on Cheers/Frasier for which she won two Emmys? Or a worthy film follow up to her excellent work as a sly cougar in the indie Tadpole for which she won the Seattle Film Critics Award and a FB nomination here.
Would you pay to see Marcia Gay Harden on roller skates?
Can you see what Megan Fox brings to the table?
Is there any point in anything Addams Family without Christina Ricci on board?
Playbill the cast of Broadway's Addams Family musical adaptation is announced. Bebe Neuwirth is such a great choice for Morticia. Not happy about Gomez. Cinematical Hedy Lamarr by way of Rachel Weisz? Esquire First official (rave) review of The Road. Apparently they've added voiceover since I saw it. Bad and UglyIron Man 2 @ Randy's Donuts If Charlie Parker... the statuesque Julie Newmar
Pink is the New Blog Megan Fox on the High School Musical franchise. If Megan Fox were half as interesting onscreen as she is in sound bites I would be a major fan. ......Sadly, she's not. Pixar see the latest UP -isode in beautiful quicktime. People with irrational love of chocolate (I am one of said people) will particularly enjoy. I have this weird thing with Pixar movies in that I'm never excited before they arrive but then I'm thrilled to be watching them once they do.
And finally I don't know whether to praise or diss Underwire for pointing to this trippy image generating site YoooouuuTuuube and this clip "Alice" which is all kinds of cool if you're into the general hallucinatory potential of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. You can plug other YouTube clips in too, so naturally I had to try my girls Madonna, Michelle, and Nicole. Basically this is the latest way to waste hours (literally) of your life on the internet.
Tyler Coates shares my favorite personal anecdote post of this past week. Yay, Parent Trap.
