I Want My Gay TV

AfterElton.com has posted the results of their recent poll asking readers to pick their favorite gay TV characters, and they are, overall, both surprising yet predictable. Not to mention controversial, considering some of the comments posted on the site in its aftermath.

Seems some readers aren't too happy with the top two picks, Brian Kinney (Gale Harold) from Queer as Folk and Jack MacFarland (Sean Hayes) from Will and Grace. These two characters, they say, are representative of the two worst stereotypes of gay men, that of the sex-obsessed narcissist and the flamboyant queen. Granted, those are indeed stereotypes that are too often relied on in depicting gay characters on television (and movies and ...). However, stereotypes are based on truth and, guess what, there are sex-obsessed narcissists and flamboyant queens out there in the world (you could say "some of my best friends are"). Furthermore, quite a few of the top 25 (and those who voted for them?) could also be labeled as such.

What seems to have been forgotten is that the original question wasn't "which character best represents gay men on TV" (which, assuredly, would have netted far different results), it was "which character is your favorite"; in other words, this was a popularity poll, guys, and both QAF and W&G were, like it or not, extremely popular shows (it is worth noting that these two series also had the most characters in the countdown, with five and three respectively). Brian and Jack, regardless of their flaws (or maybe because of them) were (and, apparently, still are) very popular characters.

Inspired by AfterElton's list, I've posted a bonus MD Poll this week, asking you to pick your favorite gay TV character from their top ten. You can find the extra poll in the sidebar to the right, beneath the regular poll (which you can still vote on too, if you haven't already). Like always, the bonus poll will run for a week, so be sure to check back next Saturday for the final (controversial?) results.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Link via AfterElton.com.

Awards Watch: The Satelllites

The International Press Academy announced today their nominees for their 12th annual Satellite Awards ... and don't worry if you've never heard of them. This offshoot group of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is even wackier in their choices then the HFPA is with their more well-known Golden Globes. Kristopher Tapley at Variety's Red Carpet District blog sums them up appropriately by calling them the "let's nominate everyone" awards (literally; in addition to movies and TV like the Globes, they also hand out trophies to DVDs and video games).

Such mostly forgotten films as The Lookout, Stephanie Daley and Goya's Ghosts are included, while biggies like Into the Wild, Charlie Wilson's War and Sweeney Todd are nowhere to be found (the latter two may not have been screened in time, which just makes these even more irrelevant). Granted, some movies we don't want to be forgotten, like Zodiac and 3:10 to Yuma, were remembered, but then again, it doesn't really matter much in the big race anyway, as this untelevised event makes as much impact as a "fart in a windstorm", as Big Edie used to say.

Again, like the Globes, the oddest thing about the Satellites is the category placement, i.e.: what they deem a drama or comedy/musical (I'll be chiming in on the Globes recent decisions on that matter in a future Awards Watch). For example, there's always the question of where to put the music biopics; are they a drama (yes) or musical (no, but they are often called that anyway by these two groups). Apparently, there is no hard and fast rules for this, as this year we have Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose competing for drama, while Cate Blanchett's turn as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There is in the comedy/musical race (to make it even more confounding, their categories are reversed for the Globes). In the meantime, such Movie Dearest favorites as Hairspray and Enchanted are snubbed in one way or another (although they did get four and two nominations, respectively).

The awards (pictured above ... hey, does that thing get Direct TV?) will be presented December 16. See the comments section below for a quick look at the full list of movie nominations.

Links via PressAcademy.com and Variety.com.

Brokeback Jake as Broadway Joe

He's played a bubble boy, a Santa hat-sportin' marine, a nerdy cartoonist and, you know, a gay cowboy (actually, bisexual ranch hand is more apt), and now Jake Gyllenhaal will portray Hall of Fame footballer Joe Namath in an upcoming biopic.

Although it remains to be seen if the life of the former New York Jets quarterback is worth reliving on the silver screen (sounds more like TV movie material to me), it does give us a good reason to see our boy Jake all butched and beefed up again (yeah, like we need a good reason for that).

And while Namath himself tried his hand at acting, one hopes that they leave out the grueling behind-the-scenes dramas of such forgettable attempts as C.C. and Company and Chattanooga Choo Choo. However, you know we're all waiting to see Jakie reenact Joe's most (in)famous onscreen appearance. "Somehow, everything looks better through BeautyMist" indeed.

Links via Variety.com, Imdb.com and YouTube.com.

Is This the Best You Can Do?

Over at NewNextNow, one of the many LOGO Online sites (how many do they need, anyway?), they are running several polls to determine the best in gay pop culture, circa 2007.

You can place your vote in the usual categories, such as "best gay movie" (where Eytan Fox's The Bubble is currently leading) and favorite gay character on a TV series (go Kevin Walker of Brothers and Sisters!), or more ... how do I say this ... superficial ones, like the "cutest male pop star" or "favorite gossip blog".

By the time it gets to "favorite Facebook application" (huh?) or one of many questions about Britney Spears, you may just want to write off '07 and hope (pray) for a better '08.

Link via LOGOOnline.com.

Poster Post: Winter Wonderlands

If you can't wait until next Friday to see Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Ian McKellen as a bear (no, not this kind of bear) in The Golden Compass, then I have good news for you: the new fantasy adventure is having a special sneak preview in over 800 theaters nationwide tomorrow night. (Visit Fandangoto find out where it is playing in your area.)

And if that still isn't enough for you, you can watch these two new exclusive scenes from Compass, as well as read recent interviews with director Chris Weitz and star Kidman (where she also discusses her other new movie, Margot at the Wedding). And as for all those religious types who are pooh-poohing the film without even seeing it, they might want to gain some perspective by reading this. Or not, you know how that kind can be ...

Click here to buy Golden Compassposters from Amazon.com.
Links via YouTube.com, Yahoo.com, MTV.com, WashingtonPost.com and Cinematical.com.

Tune in to TCM: Jolly Holidays

Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the month of December in seasonal style with a collection of holiday favorites, including Reginald Owen in A Christmas Carol (9), Robert Mitchum in Holiday Affair (23, 24) and Barbara Stanwyck in Christmas in Connecticut (23). On the 2nd you'll find the original Shop Around the Corner (with Jimmy Stewart) and its musical remake In the Good Old Summertime (with Judy Garland), while Robert Osborne serves up a batch of his picks on Christmas Eve, including Cary Grant and Loretta Young in The Bishop's Wife and Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman in The Bell's of St. Mary's. Christmas Day finds three epic tales of the Christ (King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Ben-Hur), and who could pass up a marathon of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals on New Year's Eve.

The lovely and talented Irene Dunne is the Star of the Month, with 28 of her films airing over each Thursday. In addition to her five Oscar nominated performances (Theodora Goes Wild and The Awful Truth on the 20th; I Remember Mama, Love Affair and Cimarron on the 27th), the channel will show Thirteen Women (6), wherein Irene is terrorized by -- Myrna Loy!, and James Whales' Show Boat, wherein Irene dons black face.

Other TCM salutes next month include director William A. Wellman (every Wednesday), John Ford (his Fox films, 10 and 11) and John Gielgud (4), while Broadway legend Elaine Stricht takes on Guest Programmer duties on the 3rd. December 7th finds a tribute to the "day that will live in infamy", and don't miss the Movie Dearest pick of the month, The Opposite Sex (3), the musical remake of The Women starring June Allyson, Dolores Gray, Joan Collins and Ann Miller.

Numbers in parenthesis are the airdates for each program; check the TCM schedule for showtimes in your area.

Links via TCM.com.

Out in Film: Alan Cumming

Idol worship: Alan Cumming, actor/puckish provocateur.
- What he's known for: A string of memorably mischievous characters on stage and screen.
- When did we first notice him: The mid-90's were the Cumming years, with his sit-up-and-take-notice roles in Circle of Friends, GoldenEye, Emma and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
- Other choice roles: The Great Gazoo in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas; evil kiddie show host Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids movies; the blue-skinned, teleporting mutant Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United.
- Renaissance man: Co-wrote, co-directed, co-produced and co-starred in the movie The Anniversary Party with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
- Awards on his mantel: A Tony Award (among many others) for his enigmatic Emcee in Cabaret; the Vito Russo Award from GLAAD.
- What else has he done: More musicals with Annie and Reefer Madness on TV and Threepenny Opera on Broadway; several guest spots on TV faves Frasier, Sex and the City and The L Word; voices Chuck on Rick & Steve, the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World.
- Side jobs: Author of the novel Tommy's Tale;creator of his own fragrance, appropriately named "Cumming".
- Bet you didn't know: Originally aspired to be a veterinarian; got his first big break on a Scottish soap opera.
- Yes, it's true: Married his partner, artist Grant Shaffer, earlier this year in London; he is probably the only actor to have worked with both Stanley Kubrick and The Spice Girls.
- Nickname: "Uppin Cumming", appropriately.
- Can we quote you on that: "The fact that somebody like me is a sex symbol, it's kind of good I think, because it's not like I'm a big muscle man or any of those things that normally are treated as sex symbols. It's quite a good kind of thing for skinny people."
- And another thing: "I'm not sure if you could say what I did in Cabaret was dancing. I thought of it more as rubbing my genitals to a beat."
- Where you can learn more: In his autobiography, appropriately titled Cumming Soon.
- Where we can see him next: Taking on two fantastic literary characters and one historical one: first, he reimagines the Scarecrow in the freaky Wizard of Oz mini-series Tin Man, airing on the Sci Fi Channel next week (check out the trailer here); then he'll be the Mad Hatter to Rebecca Romijn's Alice in a Wonderland update appropriately titled Hatter; and finally, will play Adolph Hitler in the animated comedy Jackboots on Whitehall.

Links via Imdb.com, YouTube.com, Amazon.com, CummingTheFragrance.com, SciFi.com and HollywoodReporter.com.

MD Poll: Come December

As 2007 draws to a close, one thing is on every movie fan’s mind: “I can’t wait to see (fill in the blank)!”

Are you jonesing for Juno? Sweatin' bullets for Sweeney? Anxious for Atonement? Well, now's your chance to vote for the most eagerly-awaited movie release of December in this week's MD Poll, located in the sidebar at right.

Voting will run for a week, so be sure to check back next Friday for the results!

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results,and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: The Foulest One of All

Leave it to Movie Dearest readers to pick the Disney villainess who caused all that trouble just because she wasn’t invited to a party.

Maleficent, the devilish diva from Sleeping Beauty, received the most votes (34.3 % of 105 total) to be named your favorite bad girl, with The Little Mermaid's Sea Witch, Ursula (now back on Broadway), placing second. The original wicked queen (from Snow White, that is) came in third, while Cruella de Vil has to share fourth place with the two most recent inductees, HSM 2’s Sharpay and Enchanted’s Narissa.

For the complete rundown, see the comments section below, and the next MD Poll will be posted shortly.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

For Your Consideration

As the awards hype is kicking into high gear, you may wonder: what exactly is an "Oscar movie"?

That's a good question. And here's the answer.

Link via YouTube.com.

Full Frontal DVD

As Chris Carpenter notes in his recent article for the Long Beach Blade, this was the year of the full frontal (and can I have a "hallelujah" for that): Viggo Mortensen in a nude smack down in Eastern Promises, Emile Hirsch going nature boy in Into the Wild, the entire cast of Naked Boys Singing! ... well, gettin' nekid and singin'.

If you missed these cinematic displays of the male member in theaters, or just want to freeze frame them to your heart's content, all three are heading to DVD soon (and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com below):

• Available December 4: Naked Boys Singing!
• Available December 26: Eastern Promises
• Available February 12: Into the Wild

As for our Sapphic sisters and straight brethren, you can get your dose of boobies and all that ... other stuff ... thanks to this list of the best "ladies only" nude scenes of 2007, courtesy Mr. Skin, the site made famous in Knocked Up.

Links via GayBlade.com and MrSkin.com.

No Flash in the Pan

It took about two decades, but the 1980 sci fi adventure Flash Gordon is getting some love at last. The campy/ homoerotic Dino De Laurentiis production attempted to give the vintage serial hero a big screen blockbuster. Alas, it crashed and burned upon its initial release, but has since gained a cult following among those of us who love a good bad movie. We love its pathetic special effects, its rockin' theme song, its Sam J. Jones in a leather diaper.

Flash ("Ah-aah!") finally got a DVD releaseearlier this year, and now we have a deluxe action figure line from designer Alex Ross. In addition to Jones' Gordon (clad in his tight little crimson and black tank top), there's Max von Sydow as the merciless Ming, evil emperor of the planet Mongo. Now all we need is Timothy Dalton's Prince Barin, and you can reenact scenes from that other movie, Flesh Gordon, which is so bad ... no, it's just bad.

Click here to purchase the Alex Ross Flash Gordon Movie 7-Inch Figures Wave 1 Setfrom Entertainment Earth.

Links via Imdb.com, YouTube.com and Amazon.com.

You Are 38, Going on 17 ...

When you imagine Zac Efron older, say, 18 years from now, how do you picture him? Well, according to the casting director of his next movie, 17, he'll look a lot like Matthew Perry.

That's right, in Zac's upcoming Big-in-reverse flick, Perry (in what can only be described as an odd career choice for a former Friend) will portray the "before" version of Zac's character; that is, before he wakes up in the body of a teenager and goes back to high school to "bond with his kids". Knocked Up's Leslie Mann co-stars as the wife of Matthew/Zac (lucky bitch ... at least in the "after" scenes).

The comedy will start filming early next year for a 2009 release.

UPDATE: Oh La La has onset pix of Zac's new look for the flick.

UPDATE 2: Apparently, the movie has gone through a title change and now will be called Seventeen Again. And no, it is not now a prequel to 18 Again!

Links via Imdb.com, HollywoodReporter.com, OhLaLaParis.com and MTV.com.

The Latest in Theaters: Savage Love

Slim pickings this week, with only one wide release ... and that one stars Jessica Alba. However, we'll start things off with the two Oscar-baiters (and recent Indie Spirit nominees) that are opening in limited release this weekend:

- First up is The Savages, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as estranged siblings who most overcome their differences when their father (Philip Bosco) falls ill. The critics are already loving this one, written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, and all three stars are gaining awards buzz.

- Next is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Julian Schnabel's biopic about Elle France magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), who, when paralyzed by a stroke, dictates his memoirs, one blink at a time. Cynics could call it My Left Eye, but the French film (also starring Emmanuelle Seigner and Max von Sydow) is reportedly devastatingly moving and cinematically beautiful (it won the Audience Award at the recent AFI Fest).

- Hayden Christensen undergoes heart surgery, only he is Awake during the whole thing ... and hears the doctors planning to murder him! Sort of a medical version of Sorry, Wrong Number (if Barbara Stanwyck was asleep through the whole thing, that is), this thriller co-stars Jessica Alba, Lena Olin and Terrence Howard, who apparently is in everything this year (this is his fifth movie so far, with one more to go next month).

Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!
Links via Imdb.com, AVClub.com, Variety.com, CNN.com and AwardsDaily.com.

Broadway Back in Business

The Broadway strike is over: after 19 days, the striking stagehands will return to work tomorrow night and all the lights will soon be back on on the Great White Way. Local One, the stagehand union, and the League of American Theatres and Producers reached a tentative agreement late last night that will see all the shows that were shut down going on starting with Thursday night's performances.

Such shows as A Bronx Tale, A Chorus Line, Avenue Q, Chicago, The Color Purple, Grease, Hairspray, Legally Blonde - The Musical, The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Monty Python's Spamalot and Wicked were all affected by the strike, while Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas was able to reopen last week due to a Supreme Court injunction. To celebrate its reopening, Chicago (currently starring The Sopranos stars Aida Turturro and Vincent Pastore) will be offering special ticket prices for their first pre-strike show.

Disney's The Little Mermaid, which was in the middle of previews when the strike started and subsequently postponed its planned December 6 opening, should be announcing its new schedule shortly.

UPDATE: And here it is: The Little Mermaid has resumed previews, and will have its official opening January 10.

Links via Playbill.com.

The Barber and the Baker

The Sweeney Todd onslaught has begun ... first, two more poster images above, which means there's now like, 722 of them. Note the Saw-like body parts sticking out of Mrs. Lovett's meat pies ... cool, in an "ew" kind of way.

A slew of film clips, featurettes and behind-the-scene footage popped up over at IESB.net this week (Playbill.com has a rundown of their contents if you want to wait and see the movie spoiler free), including Stephen Sondheim in a mini-"making of" and the first extensive looks at Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen in character. Meanwhile, the CW aired a brief promo recently, wherein Johnny Depp describes the movie as Tim Burton's "giant salute to classic horror films".

Playbill also has the track lists for the two versions of the upcoming soundtrack album (currently available for pre-orderfrom Amazon.com). If you can't wait that long though, you can hear some of the music now by visiting the movie's official website, now live and filled with image galleries and various downloads, including countdown banners like the one sitting near the bottom of this page. And for you Depp fans, you can enter for a chance to meet the demon barber himself at Sweeney's own My Space page (and while you're there, check out Movie Dearest's very own page as well).

Click here to buy Sweeney Toddposters from Amazon.com.
Links via IESB.net, Playbill.com, YouTube.com, LATimes.com, SweeneyToddMovie.com and MySpace.com.

They're (Not) Your Dreamgirls

We've all seen "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" performed by the two Jennifers, Holiday and Hudson (and even Jake Gyllenhaal), but how about Katherine Hepburn, Rosie O'Donnell and Little Edie? Those three and more are embodied by the multi-talented mimic, Christine Pedi in this performance of the classic Dreamgirls showstopper. (Not to spoil it for you, the full list of women Pedi performs as is listed in the comments section below).

Not to be outdone, Hugh Jackman channels both Sheryl Lee Ralph and Peter Allen in his high-kickin' take on "One Night Only" at the 2004 Tony Awards. Watch for appearances by the casts of Avenue Q, Wicked and even Fiddler on the Roof, gettin' down with their Anatevkian bad selves.

However, by far the most surreal of Dreamgirls covers is this little number from the NBC 60th anniversary special circa 1986, wherein such then-current network stars as Nell Carter, Bea Arthur and Charlotte Rae croon "Family". Even little Punky Brewster shows up.

Click here to buy Dreamgirlson DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via ChristinePedi.com and YouTube.com.

Women We Love: Carol Channing

Object of our affection: Carol Channing, actress/jazz baby.
- Why we love her: For her oversized personality and truly unique performing style that has proved, time and time again, that bigger is always better.
- Awards on her mantel: Tony Award for her signature role, Dolly Levi, in Hello, Dolly!; Golden Globe award and Oscar nomination for her "raspberry"-spouting Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is also the recipient of two honorary Tony Awards.
- Other choice roles: Onstage, was the original Lorelei Lee in Gentleman Prefer Blondes and its sequel, Lorelei; on film, played gangster Jackie Gleason's wife in the cult comedy Skidoo.
- She was robbed: When it came time to immortalize them onscreen, she was overlooked by the Dolly and Blondes moviemakers in favor of younger actresses.
- What else has she done: Appeared in numerous TV variety series and specials, game shows and Broadway-based programs, including six appearances on The Love Boat as your cruise director Julie's sassy Aunt Sylvia.
- Yes, it's true: She and fellow Broadway legend Ethel Merman (who was one of Carol's replacements as Dolly) loathed each other, but reportedly became friends while filming "The Love Boat Follies".
- Bet you didn't know: Early in her show biz career, was a model in Los Angeles; her trademark blonde bob is actually a wig -- she is allergic to bleach.
- What a trooper: Never missed a performance as Dolly, a role she reprised in two Broadway revivals and several national tours.
- You go girl: An advocate for gay rights, she was the celebrity hostess of Hollywood's Gay Pride Day in 2002.
- Can we quote you on that: "I'm terribly shy, but of course no one believes me. Come to think of it, neither would I."
- Random punchline: "Corn? When did I eat corn?"
- What is she up to now: Most recently appeared in the documentary Show Business: The Road to Broadway.
- Where you can learn more: At "The Official Website of Carol Channing".

Links via Imdb.com, YouTube.com and CarolChanning.org.

Monthly Wallpaper - December 2007: Holiday Movies

To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, next month's Movie Dearest Calendar Wallpaper celebrates, naturally, our favorite "Holiday Movies".

Perennial favorites It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas and the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol are present, along with some other vintage holiday fare, like Barbara Stanwyck's Christmas in Connecticut and Cary Grant's The Bishop's Wife, plus Judy Garland and little Margaret O'Brien in the Christmas sequence from Meet Me in St. Louis. Contemporary movies are represented by The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Polar Express and my personal fave, A Christmas Story. There's even the golden turkey Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, just for the heck of it.

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.

And you might want to pick out your favorite out of these too ... there just may be a question about that in the near future ...

He's a Dancing Man

After 10-weeks of competition, a Brazilian racecar driver defeated a British Spice Girl and an all-American Osmond to be named the winner of this season's Dancing With the Stars.

Helio Castroneves, two-time Indy 500 victor, became the third athlete in a row to win on the popular program, besting Mel B and Marie Osmond in the finals last night. His professional partner, Julianne Hough, also won last season with Olympic speed-skater Apolo Anton Ohno.

The duo performed an encore of their Mask-inspired quick step, and viewers also got an eyeful of soap stud Cameron Mathison when he doffed his shirt after a reprise of his Superman Paso Doble.

Click here to shop the official Dancing with the Stars store.
Links via AP.google.com and ABC.go.com.

Awards Watch: The Indies

The 2007 award season has officially begun with the announcement this morning of the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards. Honoring the year's best in indie cinema, the awards may not directly influence the Oscars overall, but they can give a boost to potential contenders in the big race.

Best Feature nominees The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I'm Not There and Juno lead the field with four nominations each (along with The Savages, which was not nominated for the top prize). It was also announced that I'm Not There already scored a trophy, the group's first Robert Altman Award, which will be presented to directing nominee Todd Haynes and his ensemble cast, including supporting nominees Cate Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin. Rounding out the top five is A Mighty Heart and Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, leaving strong contenders Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Lust, Caution out in the cold. (At least they got some love in other categories; other notable indies such as Away from Her (too Canadian), Into the Wild (too expensive) and Lars and the Real Girl got zip.)

Heart's Angelina Jolie and Juno's Ellen Page are the frontrunners for Best Actress, but The Savages' Laura Linney, Waitress' Keri Russell and Margot at the Wedding's Nicole Kidman were surprisingly left out, as was Rescue Dawn's Christian Bale for Best Actor; Don Cheadle in Talk to Me and Frank Langella in Starting Out in the Evening lead that category. Additionally, Film Independent apparently has no problem with all the English in The Band's Visit; it is competing in the Foreign Film category, alongside Once and Perseopolis.

The Spirit Awards will be presented February 23 (the night before the Oscars) and broadcast live on the Independent Film Channel. See the comments section below for a quick look at the full list of nominations.

Links via FilmIndependent.org and IFC.com.

Red and Green ... Mostly Green

Billed as the "next great holiday classic" (yeah, we'll see about that), the new DreamWorks animated special Shrek the Halls premieres on ABC TV tomorrow night.

Featuring the returning vocal talents of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas, the 30-minute program tells the tale of Shrek wanting to spend a nice, quiet Christmas with the Mrs. and the kids. Why a big green ogre wants to celebrate a Christian holiday is beyond me, but his plans are waylaid by some unexpected visitors, namely Donkey and Puss in Boots.

Naturally, Shrek gets all Scrooge-y, but something tells me that he (like every other protagonist in a TV X-mas special) eventually comes around to learn (all together now) "the true meaning of Christmas".

Shop the ABC TV Store.
Links via Animated-News.com and ABC.go.com.

Poster Post: Philip Seymour Hoffman Edition, Part 2

Chris Ware's striking poster illustration for The Savages (click to enlarge). Tamara Jenkins' new dramedy stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as siblings who must care for their ailing father (opens in limited release Friday).

Links via LATimes.com and Imdb.com.

The Latest on DVD: What'll You Have?

New DVD offerings are a bit slim in this lull between Thanksgiving and the December holidays, but there are still plenty of tasty dishes to sample on this week's menu:

• For a sweet yet tangy slice of romantic comedy, try: Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion in Waitress
• For a tasty appetizer selection, try: the four gay shorts in Boys Life 6 (available from TLA Video)
• For a classic holiday feast, try: the one and only in The Judy Garland Christmas Show
• For a delectably daffy duo, try: the babes from the brewery in Laverne & Shirley - The Third Season
• For a taste of India, try: Mira Nair's coming of age drama The Namesake
• For a taste of Hungary, try: the lesbian-themed documentary A Village Romance
• For a medley of 50's favorites, try: the Fonz and the Arnold's gang in Happy Days - The Third Season
• For something a little spicy, try: those wacky Spice Girls in Spice World: Special Edition
• Or if that's too spicy for you, try: the animated fantasy from Japan, Paprika
• For the original flavors of Columbia, try: the telenovela inspiration for Ugly Betty, La Fea Mas Bella
• For a slice of ham, try: Robin Williams in Mork & Mindy - The Third Season
• And finally, for something entirely too overcooked, try: Lindsay Lohan in I Know Who Killed Me

Click on the above links to purchase from Amazon.com, unless otherwise noted.

Awards Watch: The Leading Ladies

The distaff side of the lead acting categories is shaping up to be an interesting race this year, with several possible spoilers from the often overlooked comedy and musical genres.

Five women are sure to be the finalist in the Golden Globes' separate category for Best Actress in a laugher or tuner this year: Amy Adams (Enchanted), Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd), Ellen Page (Juno) and Keri Russell (Waitress). The question remains -- who will break through to the Oscar top five? Right now, your best bets are on Adams and Page.

On the dramatic side of things, a host of previous winners are seeking another date with the golden boy: Halle Berry (Things We Lost in the Fire), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age), Julie Christie (Away from Her), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart), Nicole Kidman (Margot at the Wedding) and even Jodie Foster for her Death Wish-ish The Brave One. Past nominees back for another try include Keira Knightley (Atonement), Laura Linney (The Savages) and Naomi Watts (Eastern Promises). However, the surest thing is someone who has never been nominated, let alone won: Marion Cotillard, who has wowed the critics and art house fans by channeling chanteuse Edith Piaf in the French biopic, La Vie en Rose.

Links via LATimes.com.

Toon Talk: Some Enchanted Evening

Much has been said about the contemporary “fractured fairy tale” genre that pretty much started with the first Shrek and has continued with not only its two sequels (and counting), but with other such films as Ella Enchanted, Hoodwinked and Happily N’Ever After. The declining quality of most of these projects prove that there may not be much material left to mine from taking familiar fairy tale types and slapping them with a post-ironic sensibility. Disney’s latest feature film, Enchanted, may look on the surface to be just such an enterprise, a last gasp of the genre by the frequent target of the like itself, but that is far from the case.

Instead of merely lampooning the conventions of fairy tales, Enchanted embraces them, transporting them, like its animated heroine, into a modern world without loosing the innocence, the magic inherent in such stories. It is truly a fable for our times, one likely to be embraced by audiences (of all ages) yearning for the type of romantic fantasy that the fair maiden Giselle dreams for, a happily ever after that goes on and on.

The film, a hybrid of animation and live action, romantic comedy and musical fantasy, begins in the animated land of Andalasia ...

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Enchanted.

UPDATE: Enchanted is now available on DVD from Amazon.com.

Trivial Pursuits: I Scream, You Scream

In all of cinematic history, there has never been a more recognizable -- or revered -- sound effect then that of the so-called "Wilhelm Scream". Even if you have never heard that term before, believe me, you've heard the scream; just watch one of the many video montages collecting some of the many movie scenes the infamous yelp is featured in, and chances are you'll recognize the distinctive cry.

Named after the character "Private Wilhelm" in the low budget 50's western The Charge at Feather River (who emits the signature screech when he is shot in the leg with an arrow), the prerecorded sound effect actually originated in another western, the Gary Cooper oater Distant Drums. Character actor Sheb Wooley (best known for his song "The Purple People Eater") was believed to have recorded it, when a scream was needed for a character being attacked by an alligator (yeah, it was a western ... set in Florida). Sound designer Ben Burtt rediscovered it, and used it in Star Wars when a stormtrooper falls into the Death Star chasm. It has since become an in-joke among soundmen and genre directors (and has even developed a sort-of cult-like following amongst sharp-eared cinephiles), appearing in over 140 movies, including virtually all of producer George Lucas', notably all six episodes of Star Wars and the first three Indiana Jones adventures (we'll have to wait and see ... uh, hear ... if it makes it into his next one).

Other classic and contemporary movies that feature the "Wilhelm Scream" include: Them!, George Cukor's A Star is Born, The Green Berets, The Wild Bunch, Poltergeist, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, Batman Returns, Reservoir Dogs, Toy Story, the second and third chapters of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Spider-Man, Kill Bill: Volume 1, all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Hellboy, Troy, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Sin City, Superman Returns, 300, Transformers, The Simpsons Movie and even as recent as The Mist, which just opened last week, proof positive that you can't keep a good scream (or sound effect) down.

Links via HollywoodLostandFound.com and YouTube.com.

Cinematic Crush: Matt Damon

Crush object: Matt Damon, actor/reigning "Sexiest Man Alive".
- Why we like him: Despite hanging with the likes of Ben and George and Brad, he is a grounded celebrity more dedicated to the craft of acting then making headlines.
- When did we first notice him: Impressive supporting turns in School Ties and Courage Under Fire.
- Awards on his mantel: Oscar and Golden Globe awards for writing Good Will Hunting, which also nabbed him nominations for his star-making title performance.
- Gay for pay: The Talented (yet psychopathic) Mr. Ripley; pretended to be gay on a memorable Will and Grace.
- Other choice roles: A stand out in the star-studded ensembles of the Ocean's Eleven movies and The Departed, he took the lead in the Bourne series and The Good Shepherd.
- Side jobs: Emmy nominated creator/producer of the film-based reality show Project Greenlight.
- Bet you didn't know: His middle name is Paige; he and longtime best friend Ben Affleck were accidentally sent to an audition for the 70's version of The Mickey Mouse Club.
- Yes, it's true: Dropped out of Harvard, with only twelve credits left to graduate, to pursue his acting career in Los Angeles; was considered for roles in To Die For, Primal Fear and The Dark Knight.
- Can we quote you on that: "What I want to do is a character-driven porn movie. It's all going to be about characters, and the porn's gonna grow all out of the characters and it's going to serve as character development." Why didn't John Cameron Mitchell call him?
- Where we can see him next: An uncredited cameo in Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth; a supporting role in Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret; re-teaming with his Ocean's director Steven Soderbergh on The Informant; possibly another Bourne.
- Where you can see more of him right now: Mixed in with all the rest of People's "sexiest men alive" in this video promo.

Links via Imdb.com, People.com, MovieWeb.com and YouTube.com.

A Day at the Museum, A Night at the Circus

With museums dedicated to the art of film located in New York, England and even Wamego, Kansas, it is surprising to learn that there is not one in Hollywood, the de facto "home of the movies" for decades (and no, the Hollywood Wax Museum doesn't count). Now, eighty years into their existence, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is finally getting around to changing that ... in a big way.

With a view of the famous Hollywood sign, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be located on a two-block, eight acre site near the Kodak Theatre (home of the Academy Awards) and promises to "play a unique role in transporting visitors into the universe of movies" with various exhibits, collections and so on celebrating the cinematic arts (and hopefully not just the Oscars). But don't start planning your next trip to Tinseltown yet; the Academy has just now chosen an architect to design it, and the planned three-year construction period won't even begin until 2009.

In the meantime, international circus sensation Cirque du Soleil has been booked into the Kodak as their new permanent resident. Seems the multi-million dollar theater has had trouble filling its often empty stage outside of Oscar season, so the Canadian troupe that is seemingly taking over the world (it has five shows in Las Vegas alone, plus Orlando, New York and several current touring productions, with Japan and China next on their list) is stepping in to draw the lucrative tourist crowd. The all new, as-yet untitled, movie-themed show will open in 2010 and will perform eight shows a week, with a four to six week break for the annual Oscar telecast.

Come next decade, it looks like movie fans will actually have something more to do in Hollywood then just stick their hands in the cement at Grauman's Chinese.

Links via MovingImage.com, NationalMediaMuseum.org, OzMuseum.com, HollywoodWax.com, Variety.com, MovieMuseum.org, KodakTheatre.com, Oscars.org, CirqueduSoleil.com LATimes.com and MannTheaters.com.

Great Performances: Tergesen as Beecher and Meloni as Keller

There were many unexpected things viewers of the HBO series Oz saw when the series began its six season run ten years ago (in the pre-Sopranos days, mind you). But amongst all the shankings, drug overdoses and gratuitous male nudity, most never expected to see a man-on-man love relationship as tender and complex as the one between Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen) and Chris Keller (Christopher Meloni).

Beecher, an alcoholic lawyer, and Keller, a violent sociopath, shared a rocky history on the series, beginning with the second season. Their unconventional love affair was often jeopardized by the machinations of the resident white supramicist Vern Schillinger (an electrifying J.K. Simmons), and the dynamics of this unlikely "love triangle" played out until the ultimate tragedies of the final episode. Nevertheless, even with all the death and drama inherent in a show set in a maximum security prison, the obsessive love between the two characters, as embodied realistically and honestly by Tergesen and Meloni, struck a chord with viewers.

Even now, four years after the series ended, Beecher and Keller still inspire fan fiction, video tributes and even homemade action figures (complete with swastiska tattoo and handy K-Y Jelly accessory, of course).

Click here to buy Ozon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com, Durfee.net, YouTube.com and ColleenDetroit.com.

Film Art: Sonny and Sal Edition

Antony Hare's Hirschfeldian depiction of Al Pacino and John Cazale in Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon.

Click here to buy Dog Day Afternoonon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Siteway.com and Imdb.com.

Let Them Entertain You

Entertainment Weekly has just revealed their picks for the top 25 "Entertainers of the Year" for 2007 in a special issue, now on stands and online.

Instead of ranking their selections from one to 25 like they have always done, this year's rundown lumps them into categories, like some kind of high school yearbook. So we have the popular kids (Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Katherine Heigl), the class clowns (led by Ugly Betty's Vanessa Williams) and the freshmen (Zac Efron, Shia LaBeouf). The "upper classmen" are represented by the likes of such pretty people as George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, with 300's Gerard Butler in the kind-of-redundant "most buzzed about" section (wouldn't all 25 be the "most buzzed about", or they wouldn't be on the list in the first place ...?)

Following in the footsteps of Bart Simpson, Rosie O'Donnell and Ricky Martin (yeah, remember that?) is this year's "Entertainer of the Year", Harry Potter creator and Albus Dumbledore outer J.K. Rowling. Let's see how long it takes EW to knock her down a peg or two like they've done every one of their former headliners.

Links via EW.com.

Tracy at Macy's

Boy, how did we ever live without the internet? I slept through the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday, and forgot to record it. But thanks to YouTube, I was still able to watch the Broadway performances I mentioned the other day. Ain't technology grand?

I don't know how cold it was in New York the other day, but Cheyenne was a true trooper, doing the Xanadu in his regular costume of short shorts and tank top; love the bit with Kerry and the fan, too. Laura Bell Bundy strutted her stuff in the Legally Blonde number, although Elle Woods would never wear a tacky T-shirt, even if it was pink. Less impressive was Young Frankenstein's "Transylvania Mania", which is no "Time Warp". The choreography is surprisingly pedestrian; I expect more of Susan Stroham (granted, it may have been scaled down for this performance). To make matters worse, all the singing was not only canned, but also poorly lip-synced.

On the other hand, Nikki Blonsky belted out "You Can't Stop the Beat" live, accompanied by the Hairspray dancers (including a suitable Zac Efron stand-in, Nick Baga, a.k.a. Sketch). With all her jet setting to promote the movie (and now DVD), Miss Nikki appears to be slimming down a bit as well. And while we're talking about the 'Spray, here's Queen Latifah's powerful live performance of "I Know Where I've Been" from the recent American Music Awards.

Links via YouTube.com.

Potent Quotables: Say Again?

Probably the most misquoted line in movie history comes from one of the greatest movies of all time, Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart did not ask Dooley Wilson to "Play it again, Sam", but rather the more wordy "You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!" The "she" in question was Ingrid Bergman, of course, who did come a little closer to what is commonly quoted, with "Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By".

In the days before DVD, before VHS, even before television, most people were lucky enough to see a movie once, maybe twice, and it was gone. Therefore, it is no wonder that so many quotes from the classics were often misheard and, more often then not, misquoted:

• Tarzan the Ape Man: The "Me Tarzan, you Jane" bit was fewer words then that, just Johnny Weissmuller beating on his and Maureen O'Sullivan's chests while repeating "Tarzan", "Jane".
• She Done Him Wrong: Mae West's signature line, "Why don't you come up and see me something?" was actually, "Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?"
• Sons of the Desert: Hardy says to Laurel, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into", not a "fine mess". Confusing the matter further was their earlier film titled Another Fine Mess.
• Lives of a Bengal Lancer: In "We have ways of making you talk", replace "you" with "men", and you got it right.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: That whole "Mirror, mirror" stuff? Not in the movie. The quote is actually "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Another Bogey film misquote, often as "Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!" (as it was heard in Blazing Saddles). Real quote: "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"
• Sunset Boulevard: Gloria Swanson's final line is "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up", not "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille".

And then there are the lines, often used in impersonations of famous stars, that were never actually spoken by them on film:

• James Cagney never said, "You dirty rat", but he did come close with "Mmm, that dirty, double-crossin’ rat" in Blonde Crazy.
• "I want to suck your blood" was never uttered by Bela Lugosi as Dracula, even as "I vant to suck your blood".
• Who knows where it came from, but Cary Grant never said "Judy, Judy, Judy."
• Often attributed to the movie Algiers, Charles Boyer never asked Hedy Lamarr to "Come with me to the Casbah".

More recent movies suffer from misquotes almost as often as the classics, even in this day of fast forward and rewind:

• The Graduate: Dustin Hoffman says, "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" not "Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson?"
• Dirty Harry: Clint Eastwood's title character doesn't say, "Do you feel lucky, punk?" but "You've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?"
• The Empire Strikes Back: The famous "Luke, I am your father" was never said. Darth Vader actually says, "No, I am your father".
• Wall Street: Michael Douglas' "Greed is good" was actually "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good".
• And to wrap things up, the infamous line from our namesake, Mommie Dearest, is not "No more wire hangers!" but "No wire hangers, ever!"

Quotes underlined above were included in "AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movie Quotes" list, available on AFI.com.

Gay to a "T"

TLA Video has more then just the latest DVDs for sale; they also offer a wide array of gifts and clothing, such as this collection of T-shirts bearing the logos from five popular gay films.

Buy all of them, and you can wear a different one every weekday, or you can use them like an updated "hanky code". You know ... remember what Powers Booth taught Al Pacino in Cruising. You wear the following when you are looking for:

• A male escort: Boy Culture T-Shirt
• A nude chorus boy: Naked Boys Singing T-Shirt
• A randy Mormon: Latter Days T-Shirt
• A guy wearing a bad wig: The Trip T-Shirt
• Richard Hatch: Another Gay Movie T-Shirt

Click on the above links to buy the shirts directly from TLA Video.

Link via Xmission.com.

Strike Force

As the dreaded writers' strike wears on, it is not just television being affected anymore. If that wasn't bad enough in itself, several bombs were dropped this week, with one announcement after another that various film projects have been put on hold due directly to the strike. The films cannot proceed without their writers, who are needed to put the final spit and polish on their screenplays before they could start filming.

While some of the stalled movies are of the "no big loss" variety (The Da Vinci Code prequel Angels and Demons), and some have reportedly dodged the bullet so far (the comics-based Wolverine and Justice League movies, the latter of which we are still waiting for a cast list on, by the way), several high-profile productions have hit the roadblock, most notably the anticipated big screen adaptation of the stage musical Nine from director Rob Marshall (which reportedly has also lost Catherine Zeta-Jones as a star), as well as Mira Nair's Shantaram (starring Johnny Depp) and Oliver Stone's Pinkville. And while Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic (titled simply Milk, Sean Penn will star, although the previously rumored Matt Damon is not involved) has the studio go-ahead, apparently producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's adaptation of Randy Shilts' The Mayor of Castro Street (which was to be directed by Bryan Singer) is now in limbo.

On the other side of the country from Hollywood, Broadway is still partially crippled with an ongoing stagehands strike. Although the limited run of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been allowed to resume performances for the time being, and Off Broadway is getting a welcome boost (including Charles Busch's Die Mommie Die!), Disney was dealt a blow when they had to postpone the eagerly awaited opening of The Little Mermaid.

If these strikes continue much longer, we may not have much to talk about around here, although here's an idea for the movie studios: how about re-releasing some classics to theaters? If the television networks can show reruns, why can't you?

Links via Reuters.com, Cinematical.com, Playbill.com, Variety.com, Broadway.com and NYBlade.com.

There Goes Bialy

The Producers, the award-winning musical based on the classic Mel Brooks comedy, can't catch a break. Sure, it holds the record for the most Tony Awards ever, but ever since original stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick left it, it has seen hard times. First, it closed on Broadway after six years, earlier then most expected (the London production only played half as long), the film version bombed (even with Lane and Broderick aboard), and now, the Las Vegas version will be shutting down come springtime, after only a roughly year-long run (it will continue through February 9 at the Paris Las Vegas resort).

Of course, The Producers was always a hard sell for Vegas; if the crowd-pleasing Hairspray couldn't survive there, how could a musical about Hitler? Even with the (relative) star power of David Hasselhoff and Tony Danza (who will close out the run as Max Bialystock), the show couldn't lure potential audiences away from the craps tables and slot machines long enough to make a go of it, shortened 90-minute running time or not.

Maybe this will put a final nail in the coffin of these misguided attempts to bring the Great White Way to Sin City, for although the spectacle of The Phantom of the Opera and Monty Python's Spamalot (the musical for straight men) are reportedly doing well, even the long-running, ABBA-centric Mamma Mia! will finally close up shop next year.

Click here to buy The Producerson DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com, Playbill.com and Harrahs.com.

Keepin' It Gay

If you, like me, got a kick out of the raunchy antics of the queered-up American Pie, Another Gay Movie, then get ready for another slice of quiche (or is that kitsch?): Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild is currently filming for a summer 2008 release. Just like High School Musical 2, the AGM gang is hittin' their vacation time hard in a bid to see who can get the most "buttlove" (OK, maybe not just like HSM2 ...), and get this -- you have a chance to join in on the sexy shenanigans.

In a unique marketing move, the makers of AGS are auctioning off on eBay a day trip to the movie's set, on location in fabulous Fort Lauderdale. Yes, you too can join the original cast of AGM, along with new co-star RuPaul, and director Todd Stephens, on the sun-baked beaches of the Florida hotspot. The winner will not only receive air and hotel accommodations, but also a pair of underwear signed by the cast and a sex toy autographed by "twinkie porn star Brent Corrigan" (the Zac Efron of gay porn), who will be appearing in the movie as a merman. Visit Corrigan's personal blog (NSFW) to see how he was turned from chicken into fish.

For a chance to win all these goodies, visit eBay by November 27 to place your bid.

Click here to buy Another Gay Movieon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com and BrentCorriganInc.com.

Sea World Boards the Polar Express

The home of Shamu and his oceanic friends rarely gets into film tie-ins, but a surprise announcement earlier this week confirmed the rumors of a temp movie make-over for one of the attractions at Sea World's Florida location. Opening today (yes, today - told you it was a surprise) is a holiday-themed overlay to the park's "Wild Arctic" ride, a "Star Tours"-like simulator that normally takes guests on a bumpy helicopter journey through, well, the wild Arctic.

Now through January 1, riders will board the Polar Express, the titular train from the Robert Zemeckis Christmas movie with all those freaky-looking kids in it. After the ride, guests usually disembark into an arctic area to get up close and personal with polar bears, but now they will find themselves in "Santa Town". No word if there is a Tom Hanks audioanimatronic on hand to greet them, but if there is, it will look just like he did in the movie.

UPDATE: The Orlando Sentinel reports on the new "Polar Express Experience", including photos of the revamped ride vehicles.

Click here to buy The Polar Expresson DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via OrlandoSentinel.com and Imdb.com.

Out in Film: John Waters

Idol worship: John Waters, filmmaker/bad taste aficionado/renaissance man.
- What he's known for: His subversive, transgressive, highly influential films that aim to shock and appall as well as make you laugh (and maybe even think a little).
- Choice films: Midnight movie classic Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Desperate Living (a.k.a., his Trash Trilogy) and Polyester (with Odorama!), modern favorites Hairspray, Cry-Baby and Serial Mom.
- And he acts too: An antique shop owner who brings out the "Homer Phobia" on The Simpsons; sleazy reporter Pete Peters in Seed of Chucky; the flasher who lives next door in the recent remake of Hairspray.
- What else has he done: Author of several books, creator of two eclectic compilation albums, frequent "talking head" expert on cult and queer cinema, artist who has had his work displayed in galleries and museum around the world, subject of the documentary This Filthy World.
- Creative influences: Personally sites William Castle, Liberace, Jayne Mansfield, Russ Meyer and Douglas Sirk, among others.
- Bet you didn't know: His signature pencil-thin moustache is an homage to Little Richard; subscribes to over 80 magazines; is an avid true-crime buff.
- Yes, it's true: He was kicked out of NYU for smoking reefer; his first films were screened in rented churches; has one of John Wayne Gacy's paintings hanging in his guest room "so people don't stay too long".
- Side jobs: Host of the TV shows John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You on here! TV and 'Til Death Do Us Part on Court TV.
- Can we quote you on that: "If you can make someone laugh who's dead set against you, that's the first step to winning them over to your side."
- And another thing: "I had more fun when it was illegal to be gay."
- Also known as: The Bard of Baltimore, The Master of Sleaze, The Pope of Trash, The Prince of Puke, The Pube King (some self-anointed).
- What is he doing now: Working on his next project, a children's Christmas movie titled Fruitcake (we can't wait).
- Where you can learn more: His biography, Filthy: The Weird World of John Watersby Robrt L. Pela.

Links via Imdb.com, hereTV.com, CourtTV.com and Amazon.com.

MD Poll: Let's Get Wicked!

As Susan Sarandon says of her Enchanted character, the wicked Queen Narissa, in this promo trailer, "It's always fun to be bad!" And, in the grand tradition of the many Disney villains before her, boy, is she "bad". With her poison apples, dragon transformations and evil plots, Narissa now joins the exalted ranks of the delicious Disney divas of darkness, the villainesses.

Thus the theme for this week's MD Poll: "Who is your favorite Disney villainess?" Do you favor the wicked witches from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the Queen) or Sleeping Beauty (Maleficent)? How about their more comical peers from The Sword in the Stone (Madame Mim) or The Little Mermaid (Ursula)? Maybe those of the royal persuasion (Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts) are your cup of tea, or maybe just those who desperately want to marry into it (Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine). Perhaps the more earthbound threats of a dog-napper (101 Dalmatians' Cruella de Vil), gold-digger (The Parent Trap's Vicki Robinson) or boyfriend stealer (High School Musical 2's Sharpay Evans)? Or is the latest edition, Queen Narissa herself, your new favorite?

Place your vote in the poll located in the sidebar to your right, and next week we'll know who is the greatest Disney villainess of all-time ... at least as far as Movie Dearest readers are concerned.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Links via YouTube.com and ABlogNextDoor.blogspot.com.

MD Poll: Penny for Your Thoughts?

Boy, you Hair-hoppers are always full of surprises.

In the very first MD Poll, "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" placed an unexpected second place as your favorite Hairspray song. At that time, I said to never underestimate the fans of Michelle Pfeiffer. Well, the same could be said for the impressive fan bases for both Amanda Bynes and James Marsden as well. Their characters tied the top spot in this week's poll as your equally loved favorites, each with 18.3% of the vote (or combined, roughly more then one-third of the total 104 votes). Considering that Penny Pingleton and Corny Collins were supporting roles, it is a testament to their portrayers that their talents shined through so brightly.

Zac Efron's Link Larkin had to settle for third, with Nikki Blonsky's Tracy and Pfeiffer's Velma in another tie for fifth. Check out the full rundown of stats in the comments section below, and the next enchanting poll will be posted shortly.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Paradise Island

If you just can't get enough of Dante's Cove, the sexy supernatural soap from here! TV, then the new "Guilty Pleasure" DVD collection may be the answer for you.

In addition to the complete first and second seasons, the set (available December 4) also includes the unaired original pilot episode. That's right, never before seen soft core sexcapades with Kevin and Toby, with the wicked Tracy Scoggins not too far off, one can assume. And you thought you had nothing to give your mom for Christmas.

Click here to pre-order Dante's Cove: Guilty Pleasure Collectionfrom Amazon.com.

Links via DantesCove.com and hereTV.com.

Thanksgiving Skinner

Thanksgiving is a day for families, gathering together to reflect on the past year's blessings and ... well, mostly it's an excuse to gorge yourself on roast turkey, canned cranberry sauce and your grandma's yams with those little baby marshmallows in them. Oh yeah, and pie, lots of pie. Makes you want to undo the top button of your pants just thinking about it, doesn't it?

With all that to work with, there's a surprising lack of Thanksgiving movies out there (at least compared to Christmas movies), so I'll spare you discussions on Home for the Holidays or Pieces of April (shiver) and instead offer you a video morsel from this year's Grindhouse extravaganza: Eli Roth's faux trailer for the Thanksgiving-themed splatter flick titled, well, Thanksgiving.

Borrowing heavily from Carpenter's Halloween (with a little of Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre thrown in for good measure), this one is not for the squeamish or the recently gorged. Gratuitous bloodletting, beheadings and female nudity aplenty is on view, so I wouldn't want you to have to clean Aunt Mimi's corn fritters out of your keyboard.

Considering how well this little three-minute mini-masterpiece of gore was received (and how poorly his Hostel Part II was), I wouldn't be surprised if Roth didn't turn it into an actual feature. Heck, it even has its own merchandise already, including a Grindhouse Thanksgiving T-Shirt, just the kind of garment you could wear if you don't want to be invited back next year.

Links via Imdb.com, YouTube.com and Hottopic.com

Women We Love: Amy Adams

Object of our affection: Amy Adams, actress/ enchanted one.
- Why we love her: For her bubbly yet grounded performances ... and she is just so darn adorable.
- When did we first notice her: In small but memorable roles in such movies as Drop Dead Gorgeous and TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Awards on her mantel: For her breakthrough role as a perky pregnant gal in Junebug, she earned 11 awards, including the Independent Spirit Award and a Special Jury Prize at Sundance ... oh yeah, and an Oscar nomination.
- Other choice roles: Marvel Ann in Charles Busch's Psycho Beach Party, a fat girl who will do anything to get thin on Smallville, a brace-faced candy-stripper in Catch Me If You Can.
- Bet you didn't know: Raised in Colorado as one of seven children, she was actually born in Italy.
- You go girl: She worked at Hooters until she was 18, but quit when they asked here to start wearing the skimpy "uniforms".
- Can we quote you on that: "I have worked with some of the meanest people in the world. You can't do anything to intimidate me."
- Where we can see her next: Starting today, she is the new princess on the Disney block in Enchanted, for which she is garnering unexpected (but well deserved) Oscar buzz. Also this year, she co-stars in the eagerly awaited Charlie Wilson's War. Her future projects include not one, but two films with Meryl Streep: Doubt and Julia and Julie.

Links via Imdb.com, EW.com and InContention.com.

Before the Parade Passes By

Even with a stagehands strike crippling most of the Great White Way, nothing can stop this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Four Broadway shows will perform live during the annual event, and as luck would have it, all four are based on movies. Mary Poppins will trot out "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (yet again), while Legally Blonde - The Musical will give you "What You Want". Kerry, Cheyenne and the Xanadu gang will perform a medley of hits, and most of us will get our first look at Young Frankenstein when they do the "Transylvania Mania".

Other performances of note include Hairspray's Nikki Blonsky crooning "You Can't Stop the Beat" (solo?), Dreamgirl Anika Noni Rose will belt a Michael Feinstein tune and last, but certainly not least, the Radio City Rockettes will make an appearance (like they wouldn't show). The 81st (!) Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast live on NBC.

Speaking of Legally Blonde, MTV will re-air their hit broadcast of the tuner twice on Thanksgiving Day, with the added bonus of onscreen "sing along" lyrics. Now aren't you glad you were one of the many who ran out to buy the cast album after it originally aired last month?

UPDATE: Broadway.com is reporting that these Thanksgiving airings will be the last chance to see Legally Blonde - The Musical on MTV.

Links via Playbill.com, NBC.com, MTV.com and Broadway.com.

Poster Post: Philip Seymour Hoffman Edition, Part 1

This great poster art for Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead not only has a distinct Saul Bass feel to it, it also has a great tagline: "Loyalty. It's all relative."

Links Imdb.com and Saul-Bass.com.

Awards Watch: The Music

Often dismissed, maligned and/or outright reviled, the Best Original Song category has nevertheless always been a guilty pleasure of mine. The music branch's picks can be puzzling at times, and the live performances laughable, but I will always have an invested interest in Oscar's "red-headed step-child" for some unknown reason. Maybe it is because they are bite-sized portions of the movies they are in (aside from some short subjects, they are often the shortest artistic achievement to be honored by the Academy); you can always relive the feelings of watching the movie by just popping in a CD or firing up your iPod.

This year's crop of contenders hail from all genres, but it is likely that the revitalized movie musical will nab a few slots. Hairspray leads the pack, with two new songs ("Ladies' Choice" and "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)") from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who won their Tony for the original Broadway score (although not eligible for an Oscar, their "You Can't Stop the Beat" is up for a People's Choice Award). Disney is ever-present in this category, and this year's Enchanted has five Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz songs to pick from, with "That's How You Know" being the best bet. However, don't count out the least flashy of the new wave of musicals, Once. "Falling Slowly" is just the kind of soft ballad Academy members love. And if they go the A Mighty Wind route again, the parody songs of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story ("Walk Hard", "Let's Duet") may slip in as well. (By the by, all the other songwriters can rest easy: Stephen Sondheim did not write anything new for Sweeney Todd.)

Popular recording artists can crossover from the Grammys to the Oscars with Original Song too, such as past winners Elton John, Annie Lennox and Melissa Etheridge. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder has tried unsuccessfully to break through with Dead Man Walking and Big Fish in the past, but buzz is high for his Into the Wild songs, with "Guaranteed" and "Society" getting the most notice. Foreign language songs have had a presence lately, which may benefit Shakira's "La Despedida" from Love in the Time of Cholera or Camille's "Le Festin" from Ratatouille. Prolific pop songwriter Diane Warren has been nominated several times in the past, so her "Do You Feel Me" from American Gangster (performed by Anthony Hamilton) could make the cut, as could John Mayer's "Say" from The Bucket List. Two fantasy ballads performed by gay faves Idina Menzel ("A Hero Comes Home" from Beowulf) and Kate Bush ("Lyra" from The Golden Compass) are long shots at this point (fantasy ballads are so 2003).

As for the Original Score category, lush romantic epics like Atonement and Lust, Caution are being mentioned, but it is the Bernard Hermann-esque debut score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood for There Will Be Blood that is attracting the most attention (you can hear a portion of it in the film's trailer). Startlingly original, yes, but the stodgy music branch isn't known for recognizing such things, especially in a newcomer. Increasingly insular, they have been known to nominate the same composers year after year. At least John Williams doesn't have a film this year.

UPDATE: According to their online "For Your Consideration" site, New Line is pushing for "Come So Far" as the sole Hairspray nominee. "Ladies' Choice" isn't even mentioned.

All the song titles above link to a YouTube video for the song (some "homemade"), when available.

Links via Variety.com, YouTube.com, PCAVote.com, LATimes.com, AwardsDaily.com, Apple.com and NewLineAwards.com.

The Latest in Theaters: The Times, They Are A-Changin'

With the beginning of the holiday season this weekend, Hollywood is getting a jump on the week's new releases, with most of them opening tomorrow. Thus, here's a special Tuesday edition of The Latest in Theaters:

- I'm Not There: Todd Haynes' unconventional look at music legend Bob Dylan is earning polarizing reviews; but what do you expect from a biopic that dares to cast six different actors as its subject? Among the many faces of Dylan: Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett, whose cross-dressing performance is not only garnering buzz of the Oscar variety, but of the lesbian icon kind as well. And, as could be expected, the soundtrack rocks.

- Enchanted: Poised to become the family hit of the season, Movie Dearest has been covering this Disney fantasy all week. Leading lady Amy Adams will be profiled in tomorrow's Women We Love, and you can also look forward to a special Enchanted-themed poll this weekend, plus my full Toon Talk review.

- August Rush: Little Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) is a musical prodigy hoping to reunite with his parents (Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers) with the help of Robin Williams, sporting huge sideburns and an even bigger cowboy hat. If the syrupy trailers didn't turn you off, that certainly will.

- The Mist: The last two times Frank Darabont adapted Stephen King stories to the screen, the result was two Best Picture nominees (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile). I don't think that will happen this time, although this could still prove to be a good little scare 'em up. And hunky Thomas Jane stars, so that will be a plus.

- Hitman (opening Friday): The Broken Hearts Club's Timothy Olyphant stars as a gun-for-hire in this video game-based action quickie (filming on it started a mere six months ago).

Visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!
Click here to buy the I'm Not Theresoundtrack from Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com, LATimes.com, EdgeBoston.com, NYTimes.com, AwardsDaily.com, NYBlade.com, FilmBabble.blogspot.com, MTV.com, Premiere.com, Men.Style.com and, FirstShowing.net.

Rocky (Horrors!) Show

When most people hear the words "Rocky" and "musical" together, naturally, they think of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That may soon no longer be they case, as a stage musical version of Rocky, the Academy Award-winning crowd-pleaser that made Sylvester Stallone a star and spawned five sequels, is in development.

Tony Award-winning librettist Thomas Meehan (who has steered such movies as The Producers, Hairspray and the current Young Frankenstein to Broadway) is currently writing the book (based on the first film's Stallone-penned screenplay), with songs by Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Seussical). Yet another Tony winner, Joe Mantello (Angels in America, Take Me Out), is attached to direct.

This project has been floating around the rumor mill for a while now, but this appears to be the first time someone is claiming it. Obviously, no casting is in place yet, but it is amusing that Meehan makes a point to say Stallone would not be in it (like that would happen ... remember Rhinestone?). In theory, I suppose this story could be musicalized (here's an idea: "Yo Adrian", a love/rap song!), yet they risk losing its gritty realism if they get to splashy with it. In other words, no Cirque du Soleil-esque aerial ballet during "Gonna Fly Now".

Click here to buy the Rockymovies on DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Playbill.com and Imdb.com.

Beam 'Em Up

The new Star Trek movie seems to have completed final casting of all the various Vulcans and so on needed for the prequel, now filming.

Ben Cross (best known for Chariots of Fire) will play Spock's dad Sarek, while Winona Ryder (of all people) will be his human mother. (You can get a peek of their "son", Zachary Quinto in full Spock get-up, in these unofficial set photos.) Aussie hunk Chris Hemsworth has been cast as Kirk's dad (even though he is three years younger then Chris Pine, a.k.a. the new captain), and House star Jennifer Morrison is rumored to be playing Kirk's future baby momma, Carol Marcus. Outside of the various family trees, Bruce Greenwood has beamed aboard as Kirk's Enterprise predecessor, Christopher Pike (sans box), while his Capote co-star Clifton Collins Jr. will play villain Eric Bana's right-hand man.

Two characters MIA so far are Yeoman Janice Rand (she of the fabulous beehive) and Nurse Christine Chapel, the unsung feminine side of the original crew (in addition to Uhura, of course). They were portrayed by, respectively, Grace Lee Whitney and Majel Barrett (Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's widow), who best be returning in her longtime role as the voice of the Federation computer, a role she has played in just about every incarnation of Star Trek to date.

Links via Imdb.com, StarTrek.com, Variety.com, JFXOnline.com, TVGuide.com and MTV.com.

Get Your Pie Early This Week

I don't know about pumpkin pie, but Pushing Daisies is serving up a full plate of guest stars on this week's Thanksgiving Eve episode. Christopher Sieber (Broadway's Spamalot) and Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman) will appear on the fancified (and fantastic) comedy series tomorrow night, in a story involving yet another bizarre murder -- death by scratch 'n' sniff!

And next week's installment features even more gay favorites: Molly Shannon will play the owner of a taffy shop (I'm laughing already) who wants to shut down the competition, namely, The Pie Hole (Best. Restaurant Name. Ever.). Mike White (of Chuck & Buck fame) also co-stars, and Raúl Esparza will return as the dashing homeopathic antidepressant salesman.

I don't know what is more cool, all the out men or all the stage faves who appear on this show (Kristin Chenoweth, Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene are regulars as well). Maybe creator Bryan Fuller is trying to out-do Ugly Betty as the gayest show on television.

Links via ABC.go.com and Playbill.com.

Movie Music: Ever Ever After

On sale today is a magical treat for lovers of movie musicals of old: the original motion picture soundtrack for Enchanted, featuring songs by the Academy Award-winning team behind Pocahontas, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

Inspired by the classic Disney music of animated features past, five new songs appear in the movie, including three performed by the main characters played by Amy Adams and James Marsden. Adams' Giselle and Marsden's Prince Edward duet on the delightful fairy tale opening number, "True Love's Kiss". A comedic highlight is "Happy Working Song", a clever throwback to the days of Snow White, Cinderella and the chipper critters who pitched in to help "whistle while they worked". But by far the best of the bunch is "That's How You Know", a Central Park showstopper in the tradition of "Under the Sea" and "Be Our Guest"; if any of the Enchanted songs should be up for the Best Song Oscar, this is it.

"So Close", a romantic ballad performed by Jon McLaughlin, and the end credit number "Ever Ever After", sung by American Idol winner Carrie Underwood (check out the music video with a hot Patrick Dempsey stand-in) round out the track list, along with Menken's magical score and an outtake of Marsden crooning the Dean Martin standard "That's Amore". You can also listen to the full album on the Enchanted My Space page, as well as watch the complete (yes, complete) scenes featuring "Happy Working Song" and "That's How You Know".

UPDATE: YouTube videos (some "homemade") for all of the songs have now been added and can be accessed by clicking on the song titles, above.

Click here to buy the Enchantedsoundtrack album from Amazon.com.
Links via YouTube.com and MySpace.com.

The Latest on DVD: Something To Be Thankful For

This week's new DVDs offer something for everyone ... to watch on their upcoming three-day Thanksgiving weekend, that is. To whit, we are thankful for the following:

• That Christian Bale is such a fine actor: Rescue Dawn
• That Charles Busch is now a movie director: A Very Serious Person
• That the 70's have come back in style: Love American Style Season 1, Volume 1
• That French rugby players like to take their clothes off and have their pictures taken: Dieux Du Stade: Making of Calendar 2008
• That Bruce Willis is back, baby: Live Free or Die Hard
• That Max Schreck looks good with long finger nails: Nosferatu: The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition
• That musicals can be made about anything these days: Colma the Musical
• That Babylon can be revisited: Queer as Folk: The Complete Series
• That Hitchcock lived: The Lady Vanishes
• That gay men and straight guys can get along: The Man of My Life
• That this is finally ... finally ... on DVD: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
• That you can still be randy in your older years: Dear Boys (Lieve Jongens)
• That an old favorite can look brand new: Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete First Season (HD-DVD)
• That some things are better left forgotten: Amnesia: The James Brighton Enigma
• That someday they'll stop making movies like this: The Gay Deceivers...
• And more like this: Hairspray

All titles can be purchased from Amazon.com by clicking on the above links.

Cloverfield Unveiled

The title of the J.J. Abrams' mystery project most commonly known as "Cloverfield" has finally been revealed, and it's ... Cloverfield. Yes, that's right; the original codename that was attached to the "big monster destroys New York City" pic back when its teasing teaser trailer debuted this summer is the actual title (although what "Cloverfield" has to do with a "big monster destroying New York City" remains to be seen). In a way, it does make sense after all, since everyone is calling it that already anyway, but still, I gotta say it: see that collective chain of ours? I think Abrams has been yankin' it for months now.

Anyway, in addition to that bit of underwhelming news, a new trailer for the spooky thriller has been playing with Beowulf this weekend, and now that all the fanboys have shelled out their allowance to see it, it is now online. A smidgen more of the plot is apparent now (no big surprise: the military is called in to blow stuff up), as well as what may prove to be a big audience turn off if it is as prevalent in the final film as it is in the trailer. I'm talking about a herky-jerky, "you are there" camera style that brings up nausea-inducing memories of The Blair Witch Project. That aside, you do catch a glimpse (OK, a shadow) of a gnarly beastie noshing on a poor extra, which has lead some to surmise that there is more then one monster in this monster movie.

In closing, I'm not sure if this is the real deal or not, so take it for what its worth: possible spoiler footage of the big bad itself. You decide.

Links via Imdb.com, Apple.com and YouTube.com.

Pop 'N Gay

Entertainment Weekly recently posted a list of movies and television shows that "shaped how gay men and women are viewed in entertainment". There is nothing really new here, with the likes of Some Like It Hot, Philadelphia and Brokeback Mountain named on the cinematic side, and Soap, Will and Grace and Queer as Folk representing TV.

Ellen and The L Word aside, it is surprisingly light on lesbians, with transgender people only represented with Boys Don't Cry and Transamerica. It ends with the recent gay boys in love storyline from As the World Turns (who do they think they are, After Elton?). Again, nothing the average viewer, gay or straight, didn't already know about. At least the accompanying YouTube videos offer a visual trip down memory lane.

And one other thing: since when did "entertainment" only mean movies and TV? EW, don't forget that books (Tales of the City, The Front Runner), theater (The Normal Heart, La Cage aux Folles), music (Elton John, Melissa Etheridge), even the internet (Movie Dearest, naturally) can be entertaining -- and enlightening -- too.

Links via EW.com and AfterElton.com.

Carrying the Banner ... On Stage?

In a recent interview on Playbill.com regarding his work on Enchanted, Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken let slip some news that will have fans of a certain underrated movie musical cheering. While discussing his recent stage projects (including the movie-based Sister Act and Leap of Faith), Menken mentions that he is also currently working on a stage version of Newsies, one of his rare live action pictures for Disney.

Newsies (directed and choreographed by High School Musical's Kenny Ortega and starring a young Christian Bale) was a notorious flop upon its 1992 release, but it has since developed a huge cult following, mostly amongst the high school "drama geek" crowd. (I can call them that because I was a big-time "drama geek" in my time -- technically still am -- and I love my Newsies). In fact, unofficial stage productions of the depression era-set musical have popped up in high schools across the country for years now. I guess Disney finally got wise to this, and now they're developing an official (and thus, officially licensed) property, although no word if it will actually appear in New York. But hey, if another infamous movie musical bomb (that would be Xanadu) can make it there, why not this one?

And speaking of the stage version of Leap of Faith (based on the Steve Martin comedy about a fake faith healer stranded in a small town), it was once rumored to be a vehicle for Hugh Jackman's return to Broadway. Now it seems that former Company man Raúl Esparza is lined up to star in the tuner, which will be helmed by film director Taylor Hackford.

Click here to buy Newsieson DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Playbill.com, Imdb.com and LaughingPlace.com.

Awards Watch: The Docs

The Academy has announced their short list of 15 films up for nomination for this year's Documentary Feature Oscar. As expected, Michael Moore's health care expose Sicko and a trio of Iraq war-themed docs (Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, No End in Sight and Body of War, co-directed by Phil Donahue -- yes, that Phil Donahue) made the cut, as did For the Bible Tells Me So, which covers another hot-button topic, homosexuality and religion.

On the other hand, several high profile, well-reviewed documentaries fell short in the Academy's eyes, including Jonathan Demme's Jimmy Carter Man from Plains, Don Cheadle's Darfur Now and Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour, plus such audience faves as In the Shadow of the Moon and The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

For a complete list of the semi-final 15 (out of 70 total entries), here's the Academy's official press release. Also available is the previously announced list of eight Documentary Short Subject contenders. The finalist in both categories will be revealed nomination morning, January 22.

Click here to buy Sickoposters from Amazon.com.
Links via LATimes.com and Oscars.org.

Cinematic Crush: James Marsden

Crush object: James Marsden, actor/super guy.
- Why we like him: He's the good-natured prom king-next door with a killer smile.
- When did we first notice him: As Cyclops in the X-Men movies ... even behind those ever-present pair of goggles.
- Gay for pay: In The 24th Day, playing a one-night stand who goes to far.
- Other choice roles: The "other man" in The Notebook and Superman Returns, a rockin' Corny Collins in Hairspray.
- What he's known for: He often plays the guy that loses the girl to the leading man ... what's up with that?
- Bet you didn't know: Owes his career to Kirk Cameron; his first job was on the pilot episode of The Nanny.
- Yes, it's true: He wore lifts in the X-Men movies because he was supposed to be taller then Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
- Can we quote you on that: "If you're an attractive guy, everyone thinks you're successful just because of the way you look. I hate that."
- Also known as: Jimmy Marsden (aww).
- Where we can see him next: As the goofy-yet-charming Prince Edward in Enchanted.
- Where you can see more of him right now: In this shirtless slideshow.

Links via Imdb.com, Disney.go.com and YouTube.com.

Great Performances: Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena

When an actor takes on a challenging role, it is often said of them that they are "brave". Most of the time that is pure hyperbole, but in the case of Hilary Swank's Academy Award-winning performance of Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry, truer words could not be spoken.

Swank embodies Teena, a young transgendered male, with a raw spontaneity that is transfixing. There is a charisma about her Brandon that makes the onscreen transformation completely convincing, both in the terms of the true story unfolding for the character and the seamless technique the actress is displaying. You can thoroughly understand how Teena was able to pass as a male, and when his transgendered status is revealed, and the horrific ramifications that followed occur, the ensuing tragedy is gut-wrenching in its verisimilitude.

This post is in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance (which will recognize its ninth anniversary tomorrow), a day set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Click here to learn more.

This post is also a part of Queering the Apparatus' Queer Film Blog-A-Thon.

Click here to buy Boys Don't Cryon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Wikipedia.org, Imdb.com, Gender.org and QueeringTheApparatus.blogspot.com.

Sweeney Sings ... A Little

Last week, Tim Burton unveiled about 17 minutes of Sweeney Todd footage in New York, and now they're letting the rest of us get a look at it too. Specifically, an extended listen to Johnny Depp's singing voice. Personally, I'm still holding my judgment until I actually see the movie -- or at least more then this little snippet; Depp's voice doesn't blow you away like you may want it to, but it still could work in the context of the film as a whole. Right now, it just sounds like ... well, Johnny Depp singing. Still, as it was recently revealed, Stephen Sondheim himself signed off on the casting (and was also involved in trimming down his iconic score), so I guess if Sondheim says he'll work, we can at least wait and see if he's right.

Above you'll find one of two new posters for this eagerly awaited big screen Sweeney. As you can surmise, the marketing department is working overtime to cover all their bases in regards to the disparate audiences for the film, and I expect we'll soon be seeing a new, all-singing trailer any day now.

In more Burton news, the eccentric director has returned once more to the Disney fold. He was an animator back in their dark days of the 1980's, and, post-Batman, he made two of his best movies (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood) for the studio in the mid-90's. Now, post-Todd, he'll direct not one, but two fantasy films that will utilize the 3-D technology that is all the rage these days. The first will be yet another adaptation of Alice in Wonderland that will combine mo-cap animation with live action (let's see ... Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts and Alan Rickman as the Mock Turtle ... I guess that will work). The second will be a feature length version of his cult short film, Frankenweenie, about a dog that is resurrected, well, like Frankenstein. It will utilize stop motion animation in the style of his Nightmare and Corpse Bride, so expect a long production time for that one.

Click here to buy Sweeney Toddposters from Amazon.com.
Links via Playbill.com, MySpace.com, LATimes.com, AwardsDaily.com, Yahoo.com and Variety.com.

Off the Shelf: Screening Party

Dennis Hensley's Screening Party is the perfect book for anyone who is A) passionate about movies, B) but not too passionate that they can't laugh at them, and C) loves a good read.

The premise is deceptively simple: Dennis and five of his friends gather to watch movies (such as Pretty Woman, The Sound of Music and Cruising) and talk about them. Dennis then writes a magazine article about what they say. And that's where the gold is found; see, Dennis himself is not just a brilliantly gifted comedic writer, his friends are all zanily witty in their own right. You'll find yourself not only laughing out loud while reading, you'll wish that you could hang out with this snarky but lovable sextet in real life.

Furthermore, Dennis unexpectedly crafts a touching novel in its own right, developing an addictive storyline that goes beyond merely just a bunch of pals watching movies about male strippers. By the grand finale, an opening night screening of Mariah Carey's Glitter, you'll be craving for it not to end. And it may not: Dennis has adapted Screening Party into a TV pilot. No word yet on when or where it will air, but you can see the trailer for it right here.

Click here to buy Screening Partyfrom Amazon.com.
Links via DennisHensley.com, OutZoneTV.com and YouTube.com.

A New Princess in the Magic Kingdom

Hold on to your glass slippers, Cinderella. Don't let us wake you, Sleeping Beauty. Get your nose out of that book, Belle. There's a new girl in town.

Now appearing at Walt Disney World: the lovely and enchanting Giselle.

Better watch your back, Snow White; she just may be the fairest one of all these days. As for you, Little Mermaid, you're all washed up. And hey, Pocahontas! You, uh ... ahh, I got nothing ...

UPDATE: LaughingPlace.com has video and pictures from Giselle's parade appearance at the Disney-MGM Studios.

Link via Disney.go.com and LaughingPlace.com.

Awards Watch: The Men

Unlike in the often barren pool of Best Actress contenders, the Best Actor category is always swimming with possibilities. And this year is no different. The competition is so tough that such previous shoe-ins as Tom Hanks (Charlie Wilson's War) and Jack Nicholson (The Bucket List) may find themselves on the outside looking in come nomination time.

Speaking of shoe-ins, there appears to be only one this year: Daniel Day Lewis, yet again transforming himself in There Will Be Blood. Other past winners who may be invited back to play include George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead), Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah) and American Gangster stars Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington, although possibly for their other films this year, 3:10 to Yuma and The Great Debaters, respectively.

Crowe's Yuma co-star Christian Bale may finally get his due with Rescue Dawn, although the "dark horse" slot has many suitors this year, including Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Sam Riley (Control), James McAvoy (Atonement) and last year's newbie, Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl). Other past nominees back in the race include Johnny Depp (who may overcome the deafening doubts of his singing abilities in Sweeney Todd to nab a spot), Brad Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James and Don Cheadle in Talk to Me. Rounding out the list are three never-been-nominated favorites: Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises), John Cusack (Grace is Gone) and Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men).

And there could be even more ... click here to check out The Envelope's photo gallery of a whopping 43 total possibilities (although I don't think Ioan Gruffudd should get his hopes up). As I said, competition is fierce this year ... it sure must be tough being a leading man in Hollywood these days.

UPDATE: You can add Frank Langella in Starting Out in the Evening to either the darkhorse slot or "never been nominated" slot. His subtle turn in this little indie is getting raves.

Links via LATimes.com and AwardsDaily.com.

Film Art: Welcome to the 60's Edition

As we wind down our seemingly endless coverage of Hairspray here at Movie Dearest, here are a few odds and ends leading up to its debut this week on DVD, capped off by a great caricature of Tracy and Edna by Jonas Bergstrand for the New Yorker.

• The Long Beach Blade's Chris Carpenter looks around our crazy world today and asks, "Where is our real-life Tracy Turnblad?"
• On a less serious note, this Hairspray drinking game was created for the original movie, but I think it will work just fine with the 2007 model.
• And if you can't wait 'til Tuesday for the DVD, the movie's official blog has a detailed review posted, and you can also see the complete deleted scene featuring the cut song "I Can Wait" over at EW.com.

UPDATE: Broadway World has another Hairspray DVD clip, the "alternate ending" wherein *gasp!* Velma gets arrested and hauled off by the cops!

Click here to pre-order your HairsprayDVD from Amazon.com.
Links via JonasBergstrand.com, GayBlade.com, LazyDork.com, HairsprayMovie.com, EW.com and BroadwayWorld.com.

Texas Tee-Vee

Thanks to Big Edie, I have been a longtime fan of the penultimate primetime soap opera Dallas ever since it first aired. I am pretty sure I have seen every single episode of its record 14 (!) seasons (yes, even the "dream season"). Thanks to its signature theme song, nerve-racking cliffhangers (like who shot J.R. and Bobby in the shower) and the always welcome sight of a frequently shirtless Patrick Duffy, I was addicted to the trials and tribulations of the Ewings of Southfork. Heck, I even would have bought all the action figures (even Lucy), if they had ever been made available.

So I have always been leery about the news of an impending Dallas movie. How exactly would they be able to recreate the soapy shenanigans of my favorite Texas oil family on the big screen in a mere two-hour running time? Would J.R. be shot yet again? Would the whole middle of the movie be another one of Pam's elaborately plotted dreams? Would Miss Ellie change actresses half way through and then change back again? Would Bobby take his shirt off lots of times?

My resistance to the whole idea doubled when I heard that it would not be a drama, but an outright comedy, yet another instance when the memory of a beloved television series is tarnished by a big screen misstep (Starsky & Hutch, Bewitched, Land of the Lost, the list goes on). Granted, that might have worked if they employed some of my ideas I mentioned in the last paragraph, but I don't think Hollywood scriptwriters are all that clever. No matter, because it seems that they have gone back to doing a straight-up drama, even though Betty Thomas is assigned to direct. You may recall that she was at the helm for one of the few times that a TV-to-movie transfer actually worked, The Brady Bunch Movie.

Drama or comedy, casting rumors are floating about, with John Travolta likely to slip into Larry Hagman's Stetsons as good ol' J.R. He was attached to an earlier version of the project, along with (shiver) Luke Wilson and Jennifer Lopez as Bobby and Pam. Thankfully, those two are out, and Lost boy Matthew Fox and Friday Night Lights' Minka Kelly are in as the couple. Julie Benz (Darla in Buffy/Angel) would booze it up as Sue Ellen, while Katie Cassidy will tart it up as Lucy. Heading the clan will be none other then James Brolin and Diane Ladd as Jock and Miss Ellie, both of whom seem way too young. And finally, J.R.'s ever-present nemesis, Cliff Barnes, will by played by Rob Lowe. I can see him in that role, and some of the others are promising (if these rumors do turn out to be true), but I'm still not sold on this return trip to the Lone Star State.

Click here to buy Dallason DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via UltimateDallas.com, Imdb.com, YouTube.com, MegoMuseum.com and CinemaBlend.com.

Movie Music: Sing Out, Louise!

Those of us with a penchant for musicals have all at one point wanted to "burst into song" just like they do in the movies. And there are occasions when we can actually do it at the movies, at sing-along screenings for such favorites as The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Evita, Hairspray and, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (alas, no longer for the classic Buffy musical episode).

But have you ever found yourself stripping down to your underwear to lip sync, à la Risky Business, to "Old Time Rock 'n Roll"? How about singing "Hopelessly Devoted to You" whenever you get near a plastic kiddie pool? Do you get the urge to belt "Don't Rain on My Parade" every time you ride on a ferry? Well now you can do just that, to any movie song you please (and with appropriate visual accompaniment), with "Cineoke", a new twist on karaoke that mixes in the magic of the movies.

Now when you think of karaoke and the movies, visions of the over-earnest losers of Duets or Cameron Diaz butchering "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" in My Best Friend's Wedding spring to most minds; thankfully, "Cineoke" is nothing like that. Instead of those cheesy videos that play during most karaoke nights, you actually get to sing your favorite showstopper with the movie playing behind you. So yeah, it's a lot like Rocky Horror, but a lot less repetitive. Beloved musicals from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Victor/Victoria to Annie and Grease 2 are performed, some even with corresponding choreography and elaborate costumes and props. Alas, this appears to be all the rage only in Seattle, but one can hope that the craze will soon spread across the nation. Those of us who want to release our inner Catherine Zeta-Jones are waiting!

Links via SingAlonga.net, UncoolKids.com and NWSource.com.

QAF DVD PDQ

Fans of Brian and Michael and Justin and Ted and Emmett and Mel and Linz and Ben and Deb can relive all the comedies and tragedies of Queer as Folk this Tuesday with the release of the complete series set on DVD. All five seasons are included, plus 10 hours of bonus features, including a brand new cast reunion.

Click here to pre-order Queer as Folk - The Complete Seriesfrom Amazon.com.

Link via Imdb.com.

Potent Quotables: A Classic Lesson in Movie Marketing

"Please don't tell anyone what Mildred Pierce did!" was concocted by Warners publicity to tout the big screen melodrama that marked the comeback of Joan Crawford. And it worked. Not only did it make Mildred Pierce an anticipated event, it became part of the pop culture landscape of the time. Parodies of the phrase sprung up everywhere, like this one:

"For 65 cents, we'll not only serve you a swell blue plate -- we'll tell you what Mildred Pierce did!"

The film was a huge hit, netting six Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and landing Joan her one and only Academy Award.

Click here to puy Mildred Pierceon DVD from Amazon.com. Click here to buy Mildred Pierceposters from Amazon.com.
Link via Imdb.com.

Dead Man's Toy Chest

Direct from Sideshow Collectibles come these adorable "Cosbaby" versions of the cast of this year's hit swashbuckler, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. How would you like your own baby-faced Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom to put in your pocket and take home with you? And I think Davy Jones would look great in a fish tank.

These three-inch tall plastic toys would make great stocking stuffers for any Pirates fan. They are sold separately, and can be purchased by visiting Sideshow Collectibles directly at this link.

From Wicked to Enchanted

Fans of Broadway musicals will have a little something extra to look forward to in Enchanted besides its Big Apple locations and Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz show tunes. It is also chock full of stage faves! (Note: the following story links contain potential spoilers.)

Of the actresses making the leap from stage to screen, Idina Menzel (the Tony Award-winning original Elphaba in Schwartz's Wicked) has the biggest role as Nancy, the high power fashion designer fiancée of Patrick Dempsey's character. Alas, she does not get her own song, although she can be heard singing the end title song to the recently released Beowulf.

In one of several nods to Disney fairy tales past, former animated princesses Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid), Paige O'Hara (Beauty and the Beast) and Judy Kuhn (Pocahontas) are seen in the flesh in various roles; all three have extensive stage credits as well. Another recognizable name in the cast is Tonya Pinkins, who was nominated for the Tony for Caroline, or Change, but lost to Menzel. Yet by far the biggest Broadway star to be in Enchanted is Miss Julie Andrews, although, as the narrator, she is heard and not seen.

Links via Imdb.com, About.com, SciFi.com, LATimes.com and MTV.com.

Who Will Be the JLA?

After week and weeks (and weeks ... ) of speculation and conjecture, we still haven't found out who will star in Justice League of America, the superhero epic based on the long-running DC Comic. Everyone from Jessica Biel as Wonder Woman (no, god, no) to Columbus Short as Green Lantern to Rupert Evans as Superman have either been rumored to play the world's greatest superheroes or have stated they turned down the project. About the only thing concrete we know is that George Miller will direct and that it will be an "origin story", showing how the mighty group is formed.

Now it is being reported that, after extensive auditions in both America and Australia (where the movie will be filmed), the complete cast is locked in and will be announced by Warners any day now (none of that one name at a time stuff like over at Paramount). Expect lots of unknowns to make up the cast (a means to keep costs down of what will likely be a heavy effects picture), although let's hope they look a little more like what we expect them to then those poor slobs pictured above, who look more like a bowling league then the Justice League.

In related news, Miller seems to have a full plate ... and is going back for seconds. In addition to JLA, he is working on sequels to two of his earlier hits, Mad Max (without Mel Gibson) and the Oscar-winning Happy Feet. Furthermore, DC's rival, Marvel Comics, is still thinking about their own "all-star" line-up, The Avengers, for the big screen. And finally, regarding another supergroup movie on the horizon, Watchmen has cast Matt "Max Headroom" Frewer as the supervillain whose murder sets the plot in motion.

Links via Imdb.com, EW.com, MTV.com, IESB.net, Cinematical.com, HollywoodReporter.com and MovieHole.net.

An Offer They Couldn't Refuse

One of the by-products of the "100 Years" lists put out by the American Film Institute every year is the slew of rival lists that pop out of the www woodwork, claiming to "fix" what "they got wrong". Of course, one of the AFI's goals with these lists is to stir discussion about movies, but most of the naysayers are simultaneously nasty and insipid with their arguments. They wonder why such-and-such movie (usually one from within the past couple of years, natch) isn't on the list, while at the same time confessing that they haven't seen half the movies the AFI chose. Uh, don't you think you should actually see them all (or at least most of them) before you start casting stones?

One of the few levelheaded voices out there in cyber-spaceland at least set out to create a list with some degree of legitimacy. In response to AFI's 10th anniversary revisit earlier this year to their "100 Movies" list, the Daily Film Dose blog spent the summer tabulating over 500 votes from its readers, and the resulting "Fanboy 100" is actually a decent selection of movies, ranging from the early 1930's (King Kong, Duck Soup) to the early 2000's (all three chapters of the Lord of the Rings trilogy).

Granted, no silents were chosen (which is a shame), and the bulk of the titles hew closely to, well, fanboy favorites. Scorsese, Hitchcock, Kubrick and Spielberg are all featured several times, with Coppola placing twice in the top ten, with Apocalypse Now and their number one pick, The Godfather (AFI's #2). Naturally, science fiction and fantasy figure prominently (Blade Runner, The Matrix) if sometimes ludicrously (Jurassic Park? Ghostbusters?), with even a few sequels getting there due (The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2: Judgment Day). When all is said in done, 66 films appear on both lists (including the entire top 20), which just goes to show that there really isn't that much difference between an AFI "expert panel" and a bunch of film geeks on the internet.

Full disclosure: I am an AFI member and voted in this year's poll. I also submitted the exact same list of titles to the Daily Film Dose poll.

Links via AFI.com and DailyFilmDose.blogspot.com.

Poster Post: From Enchanted to Enchanting

Amy Adams' Princess Giselle goes from an animated fairy tale land to the mean streets of Manhattan right before your eyes in these new Enchanted poster images.

Link via Imdb.com.>

Out in Film: Charles Busch

Idol worship: Charles Busch, multi-talented actor/ writer/director.
- What he's known for: His indelible onstage performances in his own plays (with such titles as Vampires Lesbian of Sodom and Theodora, She-Bitch of Byzantium), crafting female characterizations that go beyond mere camp or drag to create a living embodiment of the silver screen goddesses he has idolized since childhood.
- Film debut: Countess Aphasia du Berry in The Addams Family Values.
- Choice onscreen roles: Hardboiled police detective Monica Stark in Psycho Beach Party, homicidal drag queen Nat Ginzburg on Oz, hysterical show biz has-been Angela Arden in Die Mommie Die!
- What else has he done: Subject of the documentary The Lady in Question is Charles Busch, a must-see for fans thanks to a host of rare home video footage of his Theatre-in-Limbo performances.
- Awards on his mantel: Tony Award nomination for The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Sundance Jury Prize for Die Mommie Die!
- Bet you didn't know: An expert on old Hollywood, he has contributed to several television documentaries and DVD features on everything from Judy and Joan to The Bad Seed.
- Yes, it's true: Yours truly has met him.
- Can we quote you on that: "The artistic journey is an ongoing process of discovering who you are, and I'm still searching. You may have been dealt an odd hand, but instead of walking away from the game, keep playing. Magical things can happen."
- Side jobs: Best-selling author of Whores of Lost Atlantis,a fictionalized account of his early East Village days.
- Where you can learn more: On his official website or at my pal Dean's blog, The Charles Busch Page.
- Latest project: Currently starring in the Off Broadway debut of Die Mommie Die!
- Where we can see him next: His directorial debut, the semi-autobiographical A Very Serious Person, hits DVD Tuesday (and you can pre-order ithere from Amazon.com).

Links via Amazon.com, Imdb.com, CharlesBusch.com, CharlesBusch.blogspot.com, BroadwayWorld.com, DMDthePlay.com, GayBlade.com and SeriousPersonTheMovie.com.

MD Poll: Do the 'Do

In recognition of its DVD debut next Tuesday, this week's MD Poll asks you to pick your favorite character from the hit movie musical Hairspray!

Do the Turnblads turn you on? Have a crush on Corny? Are you in love with Link, or is it Amber you find adorable? Here's your chance to make your voices heard, so go ahead and vote in the poll, located in the sidebar at right.

And don't forget to tune back in next week, same time, same channel, to find out who the victor is, as we crown the winner of the Miss Teenage Hairspray Cont... I mean, the favorite Hairspray character!

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Click here to pre-order Hairsprayon DVD from Amazon.com.

MD Poll: It's a Date

Well, I guess you didn't need me to tell you how good Coffee Date is.

Movie Dearest readers voted it their favorite gay romantic comedy with a whoppin' 41.4% of the vote. None of the other nine movies even came close, with Imagine Me & You and Trick placing a distant second and third, respectively. Big Eden, The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy and Mambo Italiano tied for fourth.

Check out the full rundown in the comments section below, and I'll be right back with the next "hair-raising" poll for you all (hint, hint).

Click here to buy Coffee Dateon DVD from Amazon.com.
Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Deserves a Fair Promotion

You can almost hear the typewriters clickin' already: the stage musical version of the beloved workplace comedy 9 to 5 will have its world premiere next September in Los Angeles. Unlike most musicalized versions of popular movies, this one has the participation of two key players from the source material: Dolly Parton (who made her film debut in the 1980 movie and received an Oscar nomination for its title song) has written a brand new score for the stage production, and the film's screenwriter, Patricia Resnick, has penned the libretto.

The cast will include Allison Janney (former West Wing-er, recently seen onscreen in Hairspray and Juno) as Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin's role), Stephanie J. Block (currently Elphaba in New York's Wicked, she was Liza in The Boy from Oz) as Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) and Megan Hilty (Wicked's west coast Glinda, seen in the recent Ugly Betty episode) as Doralee Rhodes, the role Parton originated. Studly Marc Kudisch rounds out the cast as boss from hell Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman). Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Wicked, the current The Ritz) will direct.

The new musical is expected to transfer to Broadway after next fall's Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre run. Considering that both The Drowsy Chaperone and Curtains recently made that same trip (and ended up with Best Musical Tony nominations), hopes are high that 9 to 5 will follow suit.

Click here to buy the 9 to 5movie on DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Broadway.com and Imdb.com.

Flight of the Lepus

OK, there's this plane and it's filled with, you know, a bunch of snakes, who, see, are really pissed off for being on this lame plane, so they, you know, attack and kill everybody on board, and they all are like "ahhh!" except for, you know, Samuel L. Jackson, because he's, well, he's a bad-ass and no frickin' little snake is going to take him down, you know, because, he's Samuel L. Mother-effin' Jackson, man, except, like, not really, 'cause, see, he's played by a bunny.

But it's real short, dude, so you totally gotta check it out.

Click here to buy Snakes on a Planeon DVD from Amazon.com.
Link via Starz.com.

Some Splainin' is Due

The list of "The 50 Greatest TV Icons", a joint venture between Entertainment Weekly and TV Land, has been revealed, and the results are (like Vitameata- vegamin) a bit hard to swallow. Sure, such certified television greats as Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore made the cut. However, so did Heather Locklear, Jimmy Smitts and Simon Cowell. Not that these people aren't talented (OK, maybe not that last one), but are they really worthy of being granted a title as lofty as "TV Icon"? Especially when you notice that such true legends and TV pioneers as Sid Caesar, Rod Serling and Walt Disney are nowhere to be found on the list.

My biggest gripe with this list is the placement of the top two: Johnny Carson at #1 and Lucille Ball at #2. How could any list of TV greats not be topped by Lucy? She created a whole TV genre, while Carson wasn't even the first host of The Tonight Show. Sure, he's still the best Oscar host I ever saw, and I would be fine with him in second place, but who else is still being watched by millions of people worldwide every single day, more then fifty years after her show originally aired? I think you know the answer to that one.

A two-hour special profiling each of the fifty greats will air tomorrow night on TV Land. Plus, in addition to a photo gallery of the top 50, EW.com has also posted the picks for numbers 51 to 100. Here's where their choices get even more flabbergasting: still no Caesar, yet they have Tony Danza and Pamela Anderson? Time to turn the channel ...

Links via MSNB.com, TVLand.com and EW.com.

The Latest in Theaters: Fantasy and Reality

You can divide this week's six new releases evenly into two camps: a few fantasies and a trio of dramas firmly rooted in reality. I'll let you decide which is which:

- Margot at the Wedding: From Noah Baumbach, the man who gave us the brilliant The Squid and the Whale, comes this dramedy about estranged sisters (Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh) brought together by the latter's pending nuptials to a less-then-impressive chap (played by Jack Black, natch).

- Southland Tales: What more could you expect from Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly then what is being described as a "dystopian comedy/thriller/mystery/ musical "? Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seann William Scott star as, respectively, an amnesiac action movie star, an aspiring actress/porn star and a cop with a split personality. Naturally, their lives become intertwined, as all such things set in Los Angeles are. This one has been sitting on the shelf for a year and a half after a disastrous reception at last year's Cannes Film Festival, so who knows how it will all turn out, but I admit, it does sound intriguing (too bad Johnson and Gellar couldn't switch roles, though).

- Love in the Time of Cholera: Based on the decades-spanning novel by Gabriel García Márquez, Javier Bardem (who is all over the place these days; no complaints) is a man, rejected by his one true love, who spends his life trying to get over it by diving into one affair after another. Also stars Benjamin Bratt, John Leguizamo, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Liev Schreiber.

- Beowulf: Robert Zemeckis' latest foray into motion capture animation features Ray Winstone as the computerized hero of the epic poem of old, facing the demonic Grendel (Crispin Glover) and his bodacious mom (Angelina Jolie). Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich and Robin Wright Penn round out the cast.

- Redacted: Brian De Palma's controversial war pic takes on -- surprise! -- the Iraq war. Something tells me the critics will love it to the same degree audiences -- weary from the real war as well as all these movies about it -- will stay away from it.

- And finally: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium may look like a charming children's fantasy romp, but there's something about Dustin Hoffman's oh-so affected toy store owner in the trailers that make me want to gag on all that whimsy. Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman co-star.

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Links via Imdb.com, MaximOnline.com, Men.Style.com, Wired.com, EdgeBoston.com and Premiere.com.