"I don't think he realized how big a deal it is to do it until he was actually confronted with it," Vilanch continued. "I think he thought he would kind of ... I don't know what he thought. I thought maybe it was a performance-art prank, and then I realized he sincerely wanted to do it. But it's outside of those guys' comfort zones. The only people who know how to host those shows are people who get up onstage every night and say, 'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. A funny thing happened ... ' Or people like Bette [Midler] who get up and sing all night and tell stories."

-- Oscar writer Bruce Vilanch discussing James Franco hosting the Oscars [at Vulture].

 

Ewan McGregor has just made a lot of women (and men) sad with his recent news of no more nude scenes but, concurrently, has delighted a whole lot of women with his comments regarding older actors and their much younger female co-stars. He thinks it becomes silly -- the wide age gap.

And Ewan is only 40 -- not exactly an elder statesman at this point. But what a gentleman.

Here's the details via The Huffington Post:

"As far as Ewan McGregor is concerned, the world has seen enough of his penis. To be fair, he's been awfully generous to date.

"The Scottish actor, who has shown it all to both men and women in films such as 'Trainspotting,' 'The Pillow Book,' 'Velvet Goldmine' and 'Young Adam,' spoke to the Express in England about nude scenes, and how, as he reaches the age of 40, he's been turned of by getting down with younger co-stars.

“'I’m getting older and the actresses stay younger,' he told the paper. 'I don’t want to become Clint Eastwood, where his love interests seem 50 years younger than him. You never want female co-stars to feel like you’re taking advantage of the situation. Anyhow, sex scenes are terribly exposing and rarely of any use in learning about character.'"

 

We can all  thank Facebook for the final confirmation: Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" is actually filming.

I believed in Peter Jackson (I believed!), but due to the problematic history of the project, many were skeptical. Alas, it appears Jackson may have his Hobbit habit for a lifetime -- the hobbit on his back -- which sounds both frightening and a little delightful.

Here's more from E!:

"When it was announced last month that cameras would begin rolling on the highly anticipated two-part 'Lord of the Rings' prequel on March 21, naturally, there was a lot of 'We'll believe it, when we see it' talk. After all, this is a production that has seen more than its share of setbacks thanks to such things as set fires, threats of union strikes and perforated ulcers.

"But, sure enough, principal photography did indeed start today at the Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand, with directo Peter Jackson himself taking a moment to post pics to his Facebook page from the film's set. 

 

This could be great: A James Patterson reboot with Matthew Fox and Tyler Perry. And I especially love the casting of Tyler Perry, a gifted actor and obviously, an incredibly popular filmmaker.

Here's the exclusive news from Deadline:

"In his first major film role since leaving Lost, Matthew Fox has signed on to play an assassin in I, Alex Cross, the reboot of the James Patterson franchise character that’s being put together by QED with Tyler Perry starring and Rob Cohen directing. Ed Burns has also signed on to play Tommy Kane, Cross's partner. At least three studios are vying for the project and a domestic distribution deal will be set imminently.

"Contrary to his virtuous Lost character Jack Shepard, Fox will be playing one bad dude in this film. Fox plays Michael Sullivan, who kills both for money and thrills. He’s known as the Butcher of Sligo and shows why after Cross thwarts one of his killing attempts. Sullivan makes his retribution personal, by killing the  detective’s wife in gruesome fashion. Then it becomes a mano a mano battle between them. Sullivan is one of the best known villains  in the Patterson-penned novel series."
 

I must admit, the trailer for Greg Mottola's "Paul" left little to be desired. But then, I've seen enough movies my entire life to know trailers are often quite deceptive.

Critics are split on this alien comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost -- either embracing it's shaggy dog Spielberg sentiment, or finding it all very lame and coarse.

Here's a sample of two very disparate takes.

"The title character himself is also an unimpressive digital creation-Rogen might as well be performing his stoner-from-another-​world shtick during a wee-hours movieoke session." -- Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

And ...

"Graeme and Clive, representatives of a nation of nonbelievers in UFOs and big dinner portions, come to the psychic capital of a country that wants to believe, and they're transformed. In Paul, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost do likewise, in celebration of what the Spielbergian cosmos is all about." -- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

 

On behalf of the female gender, I don't know if I'm proud of this recent finding, or ... something else I can't quite put my finger on.

According to a new survey, female Trekkies outnumber male Trekkies.

Wow. OK. But you know, Nyota Uhura would be proud. I think.

Here's the story via MTV and their blog called MTV Geek! (sigh ... I miss the "Nightmare Alley" geeks of lore).

"A blog called Subspace Communique recently released the findings from a survey of 5,041 Star Trek fans it conducted in 2010 -- and the results might surprise you! For starters, 57% of the fans were female! Here's some other findings:

• The respondents were mostly single, over 40, and well-educated.
• 43% referred to themselves as "Trekkies."
• 79% said they were involved in Star Trek fandom because they agreed with the philosophical ideals of the shows.
• Fellow fan behavior considered by the interviewees to be "deviant" were was follows: Unable to tell reality from fantasy (89%); considers Star Trek "their whole world" (67%); indulging in cosplay (47%); referring to oneself as a character name or taking on a "rank" (39%); producing fan films (13%); playing in themed music bands (4%).

 

Billy Crystal to host the Oscars? I hope so.

According to E! and Crystal himself, it could very well happen.

Here's more:

"In light of the incredibly warm welcome Billy Crystal received (hello, standing O!) upon taking the stage during the most recent Oscar debacle telecast, one thing was made perfectly, well, crystal clear.

"The folks behind Hollywood's biggest night so need to bring back the eight-time Academy Awards MC for another go-around.

"But will it happen?

"'It might be fun,' Crystal tells the Associated Press.

"Although, the best Oscar host since Bob Hope added that he would only consider it if they actually decided to shake things up a bit.

"'I think the show needs to change,' he pointed out. 'There's too many awards and it has to sort of freshen itself up, and if I can be a part of that, that would be great.'"

 

There's so many movies to watch on St. Patrick's Day, but this one is my pick -- "Angels With Dirty Faces." An Irish-American gangster (James Cagney, one of the most famous Irish-American actors to kiss, slug and tap dance on a movie screen) and an Irish-American priest (Pat O'Brien) go head to head.

With the Dead End Kids! And Anne Sheridan! And Humphrey Bogart! Directed by Michael Curtiz! You can't go wrong.