Mozart's 40th Symphony

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

Gerard Butler in Jennifer Aniston's Goree Girls

So that's what all those dinners were about... But women's prison???

Romance rumors began to swirl this summer when Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler started meeting.

Turns out Jen was interested in… Gerard’s acting!

Life & Style has learned that Jen, 39, has nabbed the 300 star, 39, for a role in The Goree Girls, a woman’s prison saga she’s set to produce and star in next year.

“The thing that really blew her away was P.S. I Love You,” says a Jen insider. “Gerard’s performance made her laugh and cry.”

Twilight Premiere!

Squeeee! It's nice to have friends in high places!


My friend Darling Diva attended the Twilight premiere in LA on Monday. She got an amazing spot near the red carpet, and sent me her fantastic pics from the night. View the whole set on flickr here. She's written about the night on her blog, too. Yeah, I'm not too jealous.

Update:
Found of pic of Darling Diva herself! She's the one with the big black camera under the green sign (to the left of Robert.) THAT'S how close she was. Holy crap!


Here are a few more of my favorites from her pics:
Robin Pattinson who Darling Diva described as

A bit frazzled...poor baby

Kellan Lutz aka Emmett Cullen

...a total hottie and I am now his forever fan. He was so very sweet and when I asked him for a "little" hug...he said...what about a "BIG" one and went for it. OMG!!! I am still swooning.

Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight books signing autographs:



Jeffrey Dean Morgan was there! Swoon!


She has some great shots of the crazy atmosphere:


View them all here on flickr and be sure to check out her blog!

Twilight Twitter

You won't find a professional review of Twilight anywhere till Friday, because the studio has a strict embargo asking everyone who has seen the film to hold off until opening day, Friday. Cinematical has compiled some Twitter messages from some film critics and bloggers:

Twilight screened for critics a couple weeks ago, and again last night -- and my Twitter has been lighting up with all sorts of feedback. I won't say who these comments are coming from since some belong to other prominent film critics and movie bloggers, but the majority of buzz seems pretty all over the board. Here's a taste:

"Not that it was great, but I actually enjoyed Twilight more than Quantum of Solace (bracing for impact...)"

"TWILIGHT: cheap looking and often hilarious. DARK SHADOWS at DEGRASSI JR HIGH. With half the budget."

"Wow. Twilight not bad. "

"Twilight, seen. It wasn't terrible... Wasn't great, either. I hate movies that are painfully mediocre. They are worse than bad movies."

" It's a sad, sad day when "Twilight" has better action than the latest James Bond movie."

"If you want to hang out with a lot of teenage girls and sexually frustrated middle-aged women, get yourself to a "Twilight" screening!"

Note that ALL these are from MEN. Yeah, they don't get it. I think this will have amazing repeat business like Titanic did for teenage girls. Kathy Hardwicke has said that to make the sequel, New Moon, which requires much more expensive special effects for the werewolves, Twilight will have to make $150 million. As H.A.L. of Variety (who tipped me to the Twitter posts) said, the world will tilt on its axis Friday.

Sexiest Man Alive

After that shower scene in Australia, we'd have to agree!

Quentin teaches the spit take

Quentin Tarantino teaches his actors, including Michael Fassbender, the proper way to spit out your drink on the set of Inglorious Basterds! Is the first one Brad Pitt?

Can't embed, so watch it here on Youtube
Hat tip: We Are Movie Geeks

First Look at Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter

Coming Soon says this may be our first look at Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Freaky!

Buckle Up...The Wait Is Over - Star Trek Trailer Is Here!!

I have been counting down the hours till I could watch this awesome new trailer for Star Trek in high quality again rather than the camcorder bootleg found on YouTube this weekend. Oh, happy day, it is Monday and it's here, the wait is over. It blew my socks off before Quantum this weekend.



Find it here in high quality, on Apple's Trailer site in Quicktime. Watch it in HD, it's worth it!

How do I love this new trailer? Let me count the ways. J. J. Abrams, you sly devil. The trailer starts out with a speeding 20th century convertible, in chase by with sirens blaring. The kid jumps out of the car at the last minute while the car careens over the cliff. Only then, when we switch to the view of the cop, who appears to be a robot with an air motorcycle, do we realize this is sci-fi. The kid says, "My name is James Tiberius Kirk!" and I whooped inside because now we know it's the Star Trek trailer. Only then do they play the Paramount and Bad Robot logos. One of the coolest openers to a trailer anywhere, and just brilliant.

So many cool flashes go by in quick succession. Simon Pegg as Scotty, "I like this ship. It's exciting!" LOL! Kirk arguing with Spock, "Why don't you make me!" The trailer ends with the very cool and evil looking Eric Bana saying "The wait is over." No, the wait ends in May when this movie finally comes out!

Yes, the movie could still suck, but I am hopeful. I am so hopeful, and whoever edited this trailer together is a genius. I've watched it half a dozen times already!

Update: Finally found the embed code on Awards Daily, and this hilarious comment.

350 years from now, no real progress beyond the Wonderbra. Or the male need to sneak a peek at one. Fascinating.

Robot Chicken Star Wars, Take Your Daughter To Work Day

Gary the Stormtrooper needs to spend more time with his daughter...so he takes her to work on TYDTWD!

Quantum of Solace - Mini-Review

First, the absolute BEST thing about seeing Quantum of Solace was the Star Trek trailer. It totally got me from that little kid declaring, "James Tiberius Kirk!" I'll post it online tomorrow when they make it available.

I thoroughly enjoyed Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig is a great Bond, and as my son said, "We got to see tons of explosions!" There was one particular knife fight scene that definitely was influenced by the Bourne films. I just wish Bond's morose demeanor wasn't also so much Jason Bourne, and Dark Knight for that matter. A. O. Scott noticed the same thing in his NY Times review. Does every hero now have to be a tragic hero?

This is a good film, but it's not as good as Casino Royale, because there's no Bond joie de vivre. He's mourning Vespa, and he's out for revenge. Got it. But couldn't he seduce Strawberry Fields in a more amusing way than telling her he can't find the stationary in his hotel bedroom? In Casino Royale we had some witty banter and tension with Vespa. I'm not expecting to go back to the old Bond bimbo days, but a little spark would be nice.

The plot? I couldn't explain it to you if I tried. My husband and I joked all the way home about how weird the villain's goal was -- not to rule the world, but more in the meeeeellion dollar category -- to corner the market on Bolivian WATER. Water, for cripes sake! It's still not clear if Bond was dealing with a middle man, and more will be revealed about the super secret Quantum organization in the next film.

I won't be as harsh as the Chicago Tribune (2 1/2 stars) or Roger Ebert (2 stars). It's a Bond film, so expectations are high. It was action value for the money, and worth seeing on the big screen so three stars. The action sequences are stellar. I just hope that Bond dropping that necklace at the end means he's over it, and he'll at least give us a little smirk once in a while next film.