Speaking of the Golden Globes ... maybe the below blog entry regarding Musical/Comedy nominees isn't so crazy.

Here's more from EW:

"In response to a $2 million lawsuit filed by the former lead publicist for the Golden Globes, which alleges, among other things, that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes, engages in 'payola schemes' that involve accepting money and gifts in exchange for recognizing particular films, the HFPA has released an official statement refuting the charges:

“'[Co-plaintiffs] Michael Russell and Steve Locascio’s allegations are completely without merit. This is no more than the case of a disgruntled former consulting firm, whose contract was not renewed, attempting to take advantage once again of the Globe’s international stage for their own gain.'"

 

This is worth a read on title alone because, well, the title says it all.

"Just How Crazy, Really, Are the Golden Globe Musical/Comedy Picks"?

The answer? Pretty freaking crazy. Or ... oh God, who knows anymore? I still don't understand the Golden Globes, made up of journalists, and I'm supposedly a journalist. Or something.

Anyway, here's more from NPR:

"When the 2010 Golden Globe nominations were announced, film fans on the Internet were aghast. AGHAST! What could cause the Internet to react in such an uncharacteristic manner?

"Well, give or take a Piper Perabo nomination over on the TV side (for her performance in USA's 'Covert Affairs'), the scorn was largely concentrated on the nominations for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy). Those nominees: 'The Kids Are All Right,' 'Alice in Wonderland,' 'The Tourist,' 'Burlesque' and 'Red.'

"Complaining about award nominees is about as boilerplate as it gets, and it seems particularly silly to single out the Globes for scorn (they who once nominated Sharon Stone for 'The Muse').

"But this field really was beyond the pale.

"'Alice in Wonderland' is a legitimately terrible movie, 'The Tourist' sits at a proud 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more nondescript movie than 'Red.' (You won't, however, hear a bad word from us about 'Burlesque.' Cher can stay.)

 

In supreme understatement, I'd say this was a major find, and even more interesting since the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" is in the works. Directed by Walter Salles (who helmed another road movie, "The Motorcycle Diaries"), the current film stars Sam Riley as Sal Paradise and Garrett Hedlund as Dean Moriarty.

But oh my, what could have been.

Helen Hall, an expert in entertainment memorabilia, was going through property at the late Marlon Brando's Mulholland Drive home in Los Angeles, gathering items for an auction of his estate, when she found quite a historic piece of paper.

Here's more from Collector's Weekly:

"The last room to check was Brando’s office. Along one wall was a bank of filing cabinets. We started to pull drawers out, finding old insurance documents, receipts for work done on his pool, that sort of thing. My heart was heavy as we sifted through more of the same.

"And then, tucked inside a file of unexciting correspondence, was a letter that appeared to be much older than everything else. I pulled it out, trying not to get excited, but there it was, a typed letter signed at the bottom in bold blue ink, 'Jack Kerouac.' I nearly fainted. As I read the letter, it became clear that it must date from at least the late 1950s.

"The letter was a gem. Here’s part of what Kerouac wrote: 'I’m praying that you’ll buy ON THE ROAD and make a movie of it…. I visualize the beautiful shots could be made with the camera on the front seat of the car showing the road (day and night) unwinding into the windshield, as Sal and Dean yak…. You play Dean and I’ll play Sal.' Brilliant! I had found a one-of-a-kind letter between two of the 20th century’s most important and influential icons. The letter ending up bringing $33,600 at the auction, but my memory of finding it on that hot California day is priceless."

Check out the letter after the jump:
 

What ... ? "Dynasty"? The movie? And set in the 1960s?

I'm all for the "Valley of the Dolls"/"Mad Men" vibe they're trying to conjure, but please. Everyone knows "Dynasty" is the 1980s. What's next? "Dallas" set during 1940s wartime America?

Here's more from ComingSoon:

"'Dynasty' is being developed as a feature film, the creators announced today. Based on the popular soap opera of the 1980s, the focus of a wealthy oil family will be reimagined in a 1960s setting that creators Richard and Esther Shapiro liken to 'Mad Men.'

“'We’re taking the "Dynasty" family to places they’ve never been before,' says Richard Shapiro. 'It’s fun, because the fans of the show will know from the series where each of the characters end up, eventually, but what they won’t know is how they get there. There will be some very unlikely twists and situations, and people will not be expecting a lot of what we’re planning. We’re going to do a lot of coloring outside the lines ... [the] movie will be the old Dynasty, of course, but with horns.'

 

This is quite an achievement. Oscar-winning actress Luise Rainer passes a major milestone by turning 101 years old today. She's one of the last great stars left, the last of the 1930s, one of the greatest decades of cinema.

Here's more from The New York Post:

"Happy Birthday to Luise Rainer, who turned 101 today.

"Viennese-born Rainer is not only the oldest surviving Oscar winner but the first person to win back-to-back Academy Awards, named Best Actress for her second Hollywood film, 'The Great Ziegfeld' (1936) and her third, 'The Good Earth' (1937), both also Best Picture winners.

"In honor of her birthday, Turner Classic Movies is tonight showing a video of her appearance at the first TCM Classic Film Festival last April. Robert Osborne tries to interview the still-coquettish Oscar winner, but basically he's enabling an expert piece of performance art by the centenarian Oscar winner, who rolls her eyes at the mention of Louis B. Mayer and claims he called a 'Frankenstein monster' who would 'destroy the studio.'"

 

Here's more news: actresses to possibly be cast in Christopher Nolan's upcoming Batman picture, "The Dark Knight Rises." It's a compelling bunch.

What do you think? From TheWrap:

"The casting carousel continues, as Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Kate Mara, Jessica Biel and her 'Easy Virtue' co-star Charlotte Riley are also said to be testing for two lead roles, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"Riley is a British actress who is engaged to Nolan's 'Inception' star Tom Hardy, who has already been cast in an unspecified role (rumored to be Dr. Hugo Strange). I'm not a die-hard 'Batman' fan or anything, but Knightley, Biel and Mara would be all wrong for Gotham City, and while Hathaway is a terrific actress, I just don't see her as a good fit for the 'Dark Knight' universe.)

"Have Naomi Watts and Eva Green been cast as Vicki Vale and Talia al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Rises'?

"That's what a mysterious source (could it be the Joker?) has told Collider, which presumably vetted the rumors before publishing them. After all, Nolan is known for disseminating false information about his movies."

 

EW's Lisa Schwarzbaum discusses the now-infamous Armond White vs. the movies night with, "The New York Film Critics Circle awards dinner is traditionally a festive, elegant affair honoring the filmmakers and actors voted best in their category each year by one of the most prestigious critics’ groups in the country.

"But after last night’s edition — the 76th in the group’s proud history — all talk of the pleasures of Colin Firth’s charming acceptance speech as Best Actor or Michelle Williams’ sweet presentation to Mark Ruffalo as Best Supporting Actor was drowned out by chatter about critic Armond White and director Darren Aronofsky. "

She also wrote:

"We all left — okay, I left — feeling sour and lectured to and embarrassed. Represented by an ungracious spokesman, all critics were made to look as sour and bitter and ungenerous as caricature (and 'Ratatouille') would have us. Judged by snark from one irritated director, everyone in that business was made to look ungracious."

 

Anne Thompson reports on early reviews of "The Green Hornet," which have been ... mixed.

Here's a bit from The Hollywood Reporter:

"Leaving behind a long list of previously attached talent, from stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Jake Gyllenhaal to filmmaker Kevin Smith, the Black Beauty finally roars into theaters this weekend with Seth Rogen and Jay Chou behind the wheel and director Michel Gondry in charge of its course. While the slick vehicle in question—a seriously pimped-out Chrysler Imperial—delivers the awe-inspiring goods, 'The Green Hornet' itself never achieves sufficient traction to go the blockbuster distance."