Bad news about Lindsay Lohan ‘s Playboy cover: It’s kinda cute! Sure, it’s waterlogged with Photoshop tricks and the Marilyn Monroe thing’s been done 145,000,090 times, but it’s an undeniably successful photo. Unfortunately, it’s also calls to mind a number of questionable images. Here are the first 10 things that Lindsay Lohan’s Playboy debut reminded me of — please add your own recollections after the jump.
After some initial vexation from both director Michel Hazanavicius and star Jean Dujardin about The Artist ‘s wonder dog Uggie factoring in this year’s awards conversation , the duo seems to be warming ever so gradually to the notion that people liking Uggie is good for the movie. “When people say the dog is a good actor, it makes me happy,” Hazanavicius said in his latest interview . “I take it as a compliment for myself and the trainer.” Fair enough! And as for Dujardin? How about prime placement on the Golden Globes’ Web site praising his canine castmate?
It’s nearly December which means that it is time for the Sundance Film Festival to announce their competitive programming selections. This year, the slates are varied containing two (2!) Mark Webber features, one Jonathan Kasdan teen rom-com, another Lena Dunham-penned dysfunctional NYC family drama and a number of titles that span genres and the globe.
Steven Spielberg couldn’t be at the AFI Fest premiere of The Adventures of Tintin because he was filming Lincoln in Virginia — and now we know that the Lincoln production process is a completely-effing-serious one. Not only does star Daniel Day-Lewis look remarkable as Lincoln in this new candid photo, but Variety ‘s Jeff Sneider Tweeted a report that he “hasn’t broken his Lincoln accent since March” and his “real name doesn’t even appear on the call sheet.” That is commitment. And insanity. And the new photo will haunt you like a specter in Ford’s Theatre.
Ah, Thanksgiving . A time for gathering with the fam, eating turkey, and violently disagreeing with Aunt Sue about the validity of Justin Bieber’s paternity suit and a cornucopia of other assorted pop culture-related topics while passing around the cranberry sauce. We’re here to help make sure those awkward lulls in conversation don’t devolve into interrogations into your actual personal life with 15 movie-related topics to keep the relatives squawking, bickering, and debating… at least ’til the pumpkin pie.
Just in time for the 2011 awards-release homestretch come the first trailer for Rampart , promising star Woody Harrelson as “the most corrupt cop you’ve ever seen on screen.” Which isn’t a review blurb, mind you, or some praise from Toronto, AFI Fest or elsewhere on the circuit where Oren Moverman’s latest has made its first impressions. That’s just a bold claim by distributor Millennium Entertainment — kind of the Pepsi Challenge of Oscar-chasing bad-cop dramas.
It’s over. It can mean the best of news or the worst of news, a new beginning or the utmost in closure. Its extremity is unparalleled, its harsh clarity often benumbing. Some people found out this week what It’s over meant for them. For many of the rest of us, it couldn’t be over soon enough. But you can get all the more closer here with Movieline’s Week in Review.
‘He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars,’ Academy Awards president Tom Sherak says By Kara Warner Brian Grazer Photo: MTV News With all the Oscar news making the rounds this week, you would think that the 84th annual Academy Awards were just around the corner. Luckily, we still have more than three months until the live telecast on February 26, and more than a month until nominations are announced. The latest news coming straight from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is that Brett Ratner, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday, has been replaced with producer Brian Grazer , who will co-produce the telecast with industry veteran Don Mischer. “Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work,” Academy president Tom Sherak said in a statement posted on Oscars.org . “He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars.” “I am thrilled to welcome Brian Grazer as my partner and that we will be collaborating to produce an outstanding show,” echoed Mischer in the statement. “It’s very gratifying to be part of a show that honors excellence in the medium to which I have devoted so much of my career,” said Grazer. “Don is a legend, and I am excited to work with him.” Grazer’s credentials seem a good fit for producing Hollywood’s “biggest night.” He’s been nominated four times (for writing “Splash,” and Best Picture nods for “Apollo 13” and “Frost/Nixon.”) and won the Best Picture Oscar in 2001 for “A Beautiful Mind.” Coincidentally, Grazer has worked with recently resigned host, Eddie Murphy , on “The Nutty Professor” and “Tower Heist.” Rumor has it that the Academy and Grazer hope that Murphy will reconsider his decision not to be involved in the program. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
A busy weekend of awards-driven screenings greeted Hugo director Martin Scorsese, including Q&A s hosted by Paul Thomas Anderson and James Cameron — the latter of whom reportedly called the sweeping 3-D family flick a “masterpiece.” “‘[F]inally there is a Scorsese film I can take my kids to,'” Cameron was quoted as saying by Pete Hammond, who added: “And Cameron also told Scorsese it was the best use of 3-D he had seen, including his own films.” The 2011 Oscar Index will never be the same. [ Deadline ]
There’s good news and… well, more good news about this year’s race for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. First, the number of submissions — 18 — exceeds the minimum of 16 required for a year of five nominees. (Last year only netted 15 submissions, and thus three nominees, as if anybody was going to knock off Toy Story 3 anyway.) And with a soft year for the likes of both Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, that means the field is pretty wide open for the first time in a while. What can win?
