Screen God Top 5 - Gene Kelly

1. Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, 1952)
2. The Pirate (Vincente Minnelli, 1948)
3. Anchors Aweigh (George Sidney, 1945)
4. On the Town (Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, 1949)
5. An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951)

Laura Linney Heads to Showtime

The talented screen actress Laura Linney will executive produce and star in her own series on Showtime, entitled The C Word (an interesting title?), about a woman with cancer (story at EW). Why are all my favorite film actresses moving to television? The small screen already took my Holly Hunter and Toni Collette, and now it's taking my Linney. It's not as if the actress doesn't still get challenging film roles (The Squid and the Whale, Jindabyne, The Savages), but all those films seem to be independents, so the paycheck for the television series is probably better. I only wish I had Showtime. Grrrr. Network television seriously needs to step it up, as all the well-made, female centric series are on cable television. Pretty soon they're not going to have any nominations in the Lead Actress Emmy categories.

"End" of the Week - Sean Lamont

From his Gods of the Stadium calendar spread. I don't watch Rugby, but he makes me want to.

Oh, Anne

You have to love the ever talented, but always crazy Anne Heche. Celestia appeared on last night's The Late Show with David Letterman, supposedly to promote Hung, but ultimately knocking her ex-husband. While most celebrities would have skirted the issue, Heche answered all questions asked by Dave, and ranted about her "lazy ass" ex-husband, why she'll never get married again, and why Dave shouldn't have married his girlfriend. It was funny to a point - "Oh, I got another check from Anne! Yeah!," had me dying - but it went on too long, making her seem very bitter. Still, I wouldn't have my Celestia any other way. It's also interesting to note that Dave seems to be the host who gets the most honest and craziest celeb interviews. Over the years he's had a cursing Madonna, a boob flashing Drew Barrymore, an "out there" Farrah Fawcett, an odd Joaquin Phoenix, and of course, my favorite Nicole Kidman moment - the post Cruise divorce line, "I can wear high heels now." What is it about Dave that allows guests to be so off-the-cuff?

Screen God Top 5 - Viggo Mortensen

1. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg, 2007)
2. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
3. The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003)
4. Psycho (Gus Van Sant, 1998)
5. A Perfect Murder (Andrew Davis, 1998)

"Bye Bye Birdie..."

I only watched the film Bye, Bye Birdie once, when I was in middle school. At the time I didn't think much of it, but after last night's episode of Mad Men, showcasing the opening number by Ann-Margret, I kind of want to go back and rewatch the film. I don't know if the film's opening actually had much significance, or the series just elevated the sequence, making it seem more important. I was also pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Embeth Davidst, playing the wife of Jared Harris' Lane Pryce. I doubt they would have hired the actress for one brief scene, so I expect to see more of her character during the season.

Sunday Blessings - Eric Dane

This week Sunday Blessings is devoted to actor Eric Dane. Why? Well, there's that whole video thing traveling around the internet. I do feel bad for the guy and his wife, as I usually do when a celeb video is leaked without permission. It's a total invasion of their privacy. What people do in their own time shouldn't be exploited or judged, as long as they're not doing anything illegal. Having said all that, I still totally checked out the video. It was boring, but Dane definitely has a cute butt. That's all I'm going to say about it. Most people came to know Dane because of his role on Grey's Anatomy - he made a great first appearance, exiting a shower with only a small towel - but, I had actually first noticed him some years earlier, on the short-lived, Andre Braugher series, Gideon's Crossing, playing an intern at a hospital. The series also co-starred the adorbale Hamish Linklater, who's currently on The New Adventures of Old Christine, playing Julia Louis-Dreyfus' brother. Dane's a decent enough actor, but I've never been wowed by one of his performances. That's not to say he isn't capable. I'm just guessing his best attributes are his looks, which are damn fine. The body is to die for (those pecs!), and I kind of dig the premature greying he's got going on, which, thanfully, he isn't dying. Amen.

Project Runway - It's Back Baby

After all the courtroom drama, they're finally airing the new season of Project Runway on Lifetime. I missed all the drama. They started off the season well, with the first challenge being a red carpet look. They're were some pretty, pretty dresses, and I liked the winning dress by Chris. I also find him kind of cute, even when he insists on wearing the sideways baseball cap. The losing dress by Ari was crazy bad, but I still thought she should have stayed over Mitchell and his 30 minute see-through nitegown. It was a seriously crappy move on his part, to blaime his model Yosuzi and then dump her on Models of the Runway. I still don't know what to make of the models' show, which seems to just be cobbled together bonus stuff, rather than an actual show. Preceding the season premiere of Project Runway, was the all star challenge. Daniel Vosovic won the competition, which I thought was completely ridiculous. He made a great red carpet look, but the rest of his collection stunk. Korto or Chris would both have been preferable winners.

"End" of the Week - Clive Owen

From the film Close My Eyes. Why doesn't the man shed his clothes more often?

Top Chef Season Premiere

The season premiere of Top Chef aired on Bravo this past Wednesday night, and it was a welcome return. They started this season with a mise en place relay race, which I always enjoy, and it was made better by having four teams participate. I do feel bad for Preeti, who was made to shuck clams by her team even though she'd never done it before. Honestly, if you know one of your teammates has never done something, why would you give the person that task to complete? You're going to lose. My favorite contestants, based entirely on physical appearance, are the Voltaggio brothers, Michael and Bryan. I also enjoy the adorable Frenchman, Mattin, and Jen C., who won the quickfire challenge and has a cockiness about her that makes me want to route for her. As for the rest of the contestants, they look as if Bravo just dragged them out of a stoner party in someone's dingy basement. A couple of them would gross me out if I were to ever see them preparing my food. Kevin seriously needs to shave off whatever that thing on his face is.

Make It Two Weeks in a Row

For a second week in a row, Bear Grylls has exposed himself on the Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild. Is there now any doubt the network and Bear are completely aware of why a good portion of the audience tunes in? I could just really do without all the animal killing, which seems to have increased on the series. Seriously where's the ASPCA? Anyway, here are some pics from the episode:

Mad Men and Vanity Fair

The current issue of Vainty Fair features an article about the series and features a beautiful Annie Leibovitz photo spread of Jon Hamm and January Jones. You should check it out. I'm so happy the Mad Men is back on my television. It really kills me to have to wait so long in between each season. The season premiere was this past Sunday on AMC, and it was great as usual. The whole sequence with Sal and the bellboy was just yowza, and Don Draper's line to him - "Limit your exposure." - still gives me chills. The office drama is also interesting. "Moneypenny" had me dying from laughing. I cannot wait to see the direction the series will go this season.

GQ Magazine did a profile on Florida Gators' quaterback Tim Teabow (story here), and while much of it focused on his Christianity, the real importance of the article, at least in my opinion, was the photo spread devoted to the man's body, and damn what a body it is!

Happy (Very Belated) Birthday to Madonna

This heat wave on the East Coast has just killed me this past week, and I am behind on several postings. Sunday was Madonna's 52nd birthday, and I completely forgot to write anything about it. Like any good gay, I'm a huge fan of Madge, so I'm happy she remains prolific into her fifties, while so many other acts eventually lose some relevance in pop culture and the music industry. In honor of her birthday, here's a listing of my top ten favorite Madonna songs.

1. "Like a Prayer"
2. "Vogue"
3. "Papa Don't Preach"
4. "Human Nature"
5. "Express Yourself"
6. "You'll See"
7. "Oh Father"
8. "Ray of Light"
9. "Sooner or Later"
10. "Holiday"

Screen God Top 5 - Marlon Brando

1. A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazan, 1951)

2. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)

3. Last Tango in Paris (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1973)

4. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

5. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

Sunday Blessings - Jeremy Piven

With the opening of The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard this weekend, today's edition of Sunday Blessings is devoted to Jeremy Piven, to which I can now hear a collective groan. Yes, I think Jeremy Piven is actually sexy, and yes, I believe him to be a pretty good television actor. He was funny in supporting roles on The Larry Sanders Show and Ellen, and I thought he was great on the original Cupid series. I'd actually consider that his best performance to date, has he possessed an endearing charm which hasn't been displayed since. And while his performance Entourage may have been over awarded, he has created a great character out of Ari Gold, and certainly deserved at least one of those Emmys. Now, as why for why people dislike him, it might not be completely unjustified. Leaving the Broadway production of Speed-the-Plow, claiming mercury poisoning from sushi, was just a bizarre situation, and he doesn't seem able to joke about himself, which perhaps is what hurts people's perceptions of him most. I mean let's be serious; are we not suppose to notice what's going on with the top of his head? Throughout the nineties he was working the receding hair line, which he did well, and combined with his hairy chest, which is now unfortunately shaven, he gave off a sexy daddy vibe. Then he appears on Entourage, and all of a sudden he has a full head of hair. It's as if all his chest hair migrated to his forehead. Why did he have to do that? Piven looked good bald. But now that he got plugs or a hairpiece, he should at least acknowledge it, making a crack about it on a talk show or something. I think people might cut him a little slack if he did. Amen.

Kathy and Levi

I know this happened a week ago, but it still has me laughing my butt off. He's seems so scared of her.

Kate, Joan and Zombies

This week it was announced Kate Winslet was attached to a television miniseries adaptation of Mildred Pierce, most likely for HBO, written and directed by Todd Haynes (story at Variety). Many on the web are already complaining about remaking a classic film, but I am actually looking forward to the project. I love the original 1945 film. If I were to ever do a ranking of the top 100 films, I would include it on my list, and I love Joan Crawford's brilliant performance as Mildred, but the television miniseries doesn't scare me, as it's not so much a remake of the film but rather another adaptation of the novel by James M. Cain. Plus it will be written and directed by Todd Haynes. The man's responsible for Safe, Velvet Goldmine, I'm Not There and Far From Heaven, so I have full faith in him doing the project right. I do wonder about the casting of Kate Winslet. Though I believe her to be a great actress, she has a different screen presense than Crawford. How exactly will Haynes and Winslet interpret the character of Mildred? Hmm?

In other television news, AMC is in talks with writer/director Frank Darabont to create a television series based upon the graphic novel series The Walking Dead, about a group of people trying to survive in a world filled with zombies (Variety). The project sounds promising aside from the involvement of Frank Darabont. Having seen The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, I have to say I'm not a big fan of Darabont's work, but I didn't see his adaptation of The Mist, which is perhaps closest in tone to the zombie project. Perhaps horror influenced drama is his strong suit and I don't realize it. Either way I'm happy about the direction AMC is going, becoming a home for a wide variety of projects.

"End" of the Week - Thomas Jane

I'm really enjoying Thomas Jane's series Hung and happy about its renewel for a second season. Not only does a second season mean the potential for the series to become brilliant after the set up of the first season (a la Breaking Bad), but it also means Thomas Jane showing more skin.

Poor Anita

Sadly Anita Lo was kicked off Top Chef Masters this week. Even though she was my favorite, I think she did deserve to go home - a raw bar in the under a hot sun = eww. For a while there I thought they'd kick off Michael Chiarello for being "mean" to the former Top Chef contestants, but the critics actually judged him entirely on the food and he stayed. I know a lot of people have gripes about him, but I actually like him more because of this episode. I could never stand past contestant Dale or his ego, and I'm happy Chiarello took him down a few notches. Plus it doesn't hurt that Chiarello is kind of a silver fox. Now that Anita's gone, who do I think will win? I'd have to say Hupert, since he seems the most consistent and exciting chef.

Bear Once Again on Display

The season premiere of Man vs. Wild aired last on the Discovery Channel, and host/adventurer Bear Grylls was once again "forced" to strip bare to survive wading through a freezing cold river. If there's one thing I've leared from the series, it's that if you take off all your clothes, you'll survive anything. Seriously though, I'm now convinced Bear Grylls, the producers and the network realize a good portion of the audience tune in to see Bear's bare bottom. The sequence occured near the end of the episode, but the show kept indicating he would strip, so as to make sure people stay tuned. When Bear did bare all, it wasn't a brief glimpse. Essentially his ass was all up in the camera for a prolonged period of time. Of course, his frontals were blurred, because, after all, we do not want to frighten the children. Lets just hope Bear continues to put himself on display this year, because last season lacked skin, decreasing my interest in the series.
Here are some pics from last night's episode:

Oh, Kathy I'm Gonna Miss You

It seemed Kathy Griffin was everywhere the last few days. She attened the taping of the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, with date Levi Johnston - a hilarious publicity stunt. Also on Sunday, Comedy Central aired The Roast of Joan Rivers, which was hosted by Kathy. It was funny, with relativlely unknown comic Whitney Cummings and the roasted Rivers herself having the two funniest sets. Then last night, Kathy guest-hosted Larry King Live, interviewing Joan Rivers and her date Levi Johnston. In a bizarre sort of way, I love the fact Levi is becoming a male equivalent of Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian (famous for being famous), as admittedly he's nice to look at. I just wish he'd have a more engaging personality. To top off the past couple nights, the season finale of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List aired on Bravo, and I'm going to miss the show. I originally had qualms about the series being so filled with celebrity guests this season, but I have to admit it might have been its best season yet. I smell another Emmy. But now, sigh, we're going to have to wait until next year to see Kathy's further adventures. That's too far of a wait! I also wonder where the show will go from here. I suppose next season could center around Kathy promoting her upcoming tell-all book, which will be released next month. How great is that book going to be? Hopefully Kathy will actually be able to do the talk show circuit, considering how many shows she's banned from.

Screen God Top 5 - Jude Law

1. The Talented Mr. Ripley (Anthony Minghella, 1999)

2. I Heart Huckabees (David O. Russell, 2004)

3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)

4. Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997)

5. Closer (Mike Nichols, 2004)

Sunday Blessings - Dennis Quaid

Because of this weekend's release of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, today's edition of Sunday Blessings is devoted to co-star Dennis Quaid. I'm kind of having an appreciation for the older guys this weekend, having just devoted Friday's "End" of the Week posting to the 54-year-old Bruce Willis, and now devoting this post to the 55-year-old Quaid. Honestly though, the actor does not look his age. What deal with the devil did he have to make to retain his looks for this long? Quaid still has the ripped abs he first put on display in the 1979 film Breaking Away. How is that possible? Sigh. Anyway, I don't understand why Quaid took a supporting role in a crappy action movie like G.I. Joe. I'm guessing it's for the paycheck, which I completely understand. His profile has waned over the second half of the decade, after the huge career upswing he had beginning in 2002 with the surprise hit The Rookie and Far From Heaven, which featured his best perfromance to date. I'm still mad over him not receiving an Oscar nod for the film. Seriously Academy how could you have passed him over. Quaid followed up with In Good Company and a starring role in the successful disaster film The Day After Tomorrow. However, after those pictures came a remake of Yours, Mine and Ours with the almost forgotten Rene Russo, the bizarre American Dreams, and the forgettable Vantage Point. On the plus side, Quaid's currently in the process of filming The Special Relationship, in which he plays President Bill Clinton, opposite Hope Davis as Hilary Clinton and Michael Sheen as, once again, Tony Blair. The casting of Quaid was an interesting choice, and hopefully it will remind people of what a great actor he can be. Amen.

RIP John Hughes

Earlier this week director John Hughes passed away at the age of 59. It's kind of shocking he died from a heart attack relatively young. Hughes, of course, is best know for his eighties teen comedies including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, a movie I still love. While he continued writing and producing films through the nineties and aughts, Hughes hadn't actually directed a film since 1991's Curly Sue, deciding, instead, to retire from the public life. His eighties efforts, however, will cement his status in pop culture history.

"End" of the Week - Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis may be 54 years old, but the actor is still one of the sexiest men around.

Thank God My Anita's Still There!

I started to worry Anita Lo was going to get kicked off Top Chef: Masters last night. Luckily she stayed and Art Smith got the boot. Honestly how could you use rice ice cream for a challenge? That stuff is gross. He should have just done a sorbet. Although, then my Anita would have been gone. Even after last night's failures, I still believe she's the one to beat on the show. The critics seem to love her, and really how could you not?

A Musical Project from Hugh Jackman?

Will Hugh Jackman ever appear in a film musical? This week it was announced the sexpot was attached to a movie musical about the showman P.T. Parnum, entitled The Greatest Showman on Earth. (story at Variety.) It would be an original work, scripted by former Sex & the City writer Jenny Bicks (an interesting choice), and singer Mika is in talks to write the music and lyrics. This all sounds very promising, but will it actually ever get off the ground? The Greatest Showman is the fourth musical Jackman has been attached to, after a remake of Carousel, a screen adaptation of The Boy form Oz, and Steven Soderbergh's 3-D musical - none of which are even close to being made. Until the picture actually starts filming, I'll wait to get excited. I just wish Jackman would stop getting distracted by Wolverine and finally make a movie which features singing and dancing.

First Oscar Predictions of the Season

With Oscar season starting in a few months, it's time to start making some predictions. The expansion of the Best Picture category from five to ten nominees makes it more interesting to predict this year. Will it lead to more films from earlier in the year being nominated? I doubt it. It's still early in the year, since the "prestige" pictures don't start arriving until October, but as of right now, here's the direction I could see the Oscar nominations going.

Picture:
Amelia
Bright Star
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Invictus
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones
Nine
Precious
Shutter Island

Director:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels - Precious
Clint Eastwood - Invictus
Peter Jackson - The Lovely Bones
Rob Marshall - Nine

Actor:
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Paul Bettany - Creation
Daniel Day-Lewis - Nine
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station

Actress:
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Saorise Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Hilary Swank - Amelia

Supporting Actor:
Matt Damon - Invictus
Richard Kind - A Serious Man
Alfred Molina - An Education
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Connelly - Creation
Judi Dench - Nine
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Mo'Nique - Precious
Rachel Weisz - The Lovely Bones

Adapted Screenplay:
An Education
Invictus
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones
Precious

Original Screenplay:
Biutiful
Bright Star
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man
Up

Cinematography:
Amelia
Bright Star
The Lovely Bones
Nine
Shutter Island

Editing:
The Hurt Locker
Invictus
The Lovely Bones
Nine
Shutter Island

Art Direction:
Invictus
Nine
Public Enemies
Shutter Island
The Tempest

Costume Design:
Amelia
Bright Star
Nine
Public Enemies
The Tempest

Make Up:
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
The Tempest

Original Score:
Avatar
Biutiful
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Public Enemies
Up

Sound Mixing:
Avatar
A Christmas Carol
Invictus
Nine
Star Trek

Sound Editing:
Avatar
A Christmas Carol
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Up

Visual Effects:
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Star Trek

Animated Feature:
Coraline
Ponyo on the Cliff
Up

Quote of the Week

"I think Jeremy Piven raped some chick on Ellen." - Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List

True Blood & Ed Quinn

This is a really shallow post, since I basically just want to mention the hotness of actor Ed Quinn on the current season of True Blood. He's playing the Texan vampire Stan Davis, and in every episode he's dressed in tight black clothing that perfectly accentuates his 6'4'' frame. The preview for next week's episode showed him wearing a cowboy hat, which just does it for me. Sigh. I just hope before the end of his run on the series, we get to see some skin from him - at the very least see him shirtless. In general, I'm becoming more invested in the series and am especially fond of the budding relationship between Hoyt and Jessica, though I fear it will not end well. It's just a hunch.

Screen God Top 5 - Paul Newman

1. Hud (Martin Ritt, 1963)
2. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Brooks, 1958)
3. The Verdict (Sidney Lumet, 1982)
4. The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961)
5. Sweet Bird of Youth (Richard Brooks, 1962)