The For the Love of Film (Noir) Blogathon  hosted by the inimitable Self-Styled Siren and Ferdy on Films, continues on fellow noir-ists! Writers and film fans, please contribute not just your pen, but your payment, to the blogathon. Proceeds will go to the Film Noir Foundation's restoration of the 1950 noir "The Sound of Fury." Donate here.

For my contribution at the Hitlist, I'm taking us through the week with one of noir's greatest icons -- Barbara Stanwyck -- highlighting some of her top noir performances.

Here's Stanwyck, Hefflin, Scott and a young Kirk Douglas showing that, as the song goes, love is strange indeed.

"The Strange Love of Martha Ivers"  (1946) Lewis Milestone

Barbara Stanwyck's tormented, dominating performance in Lewis Milestone's noir "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" is one of my favorites. Stanwyck plays the title role opposite a studly Van Heflin and a wimpy Kirk Douglas, and she's almost alarmingly powerful. As the domineering Martha, a wealthy woman married to a recently elected district attorney (Douglas), Stanwyck seethes with a sick viciousness that, as ugly as it becomes, never appears entirely inhuman. Her marriage is loveless, resulting in extensive cheating and a rage she takes out on a milquetoast drunkard Douglas.

She also harbors a secret that Heflin, whom she's still in love with, is privy to, and both she and Douglas spend the picture scheming, fighting and experiencing a series of stinging nervous breakdowns. Stanwyck has a field day displaying neurotic bitterness with a deep sadness that's so intense it becomes fascinatingly sick. It's crazy, sexy, weird and wonderful. And I want to visit.
 

I love this. It's like we're all waiting for that famous streaker to run past David Niven at the Oscars again.

Graffiti artist Banksy, at the Academy Awards. The show has yet to begin and already ... mysterious shenanigans.

Here's more from TheWrap:

"You've got to hand it to Banksy and "Exit Through the Gift Shop" -- if nothing else, they're making sure that Best Documentary Feature will be the most entertaining category at the Oscars this year. 

"A week after Academy president Tom Sherak told TheWrap that he was uncomfortable with the idea of the elusive graffiti artist accepting an award in disguise, the Internet is still buzzing with questions that involve the Academy, the movie, its director, his plans, his identity, and even a star of 'The Hills.'

"And the biggest question of all: Is Banksy in town less than two weeks before the Oscar show? The evidence to suggest that he might be comes from, of all places, actress Lauren Conrad's Twitter account, where she posted this photo with the caption, 'Is Banksy in LA?'

"Jetset Graffiti picked it up and wrote, 'Yes, it’s true. Banksy is beginning his press tour for the upcoming Oscar’s [sic] in Los Angeles.'"

 

Two things I never thought I'd hear or see together: Cher and the Three Stooges.

Depending on your take regarding both cultural icons (I happen to be a fan of both Cher and Stooge), we can now thank or curse The Farrelly Brothers:

Here's more:

While Peter and Bobby Farrelly, during their press this week for February 25th's Hall Pass, have repeatedly insisted they've cast nary a Stooge in their upcoming The Three Stooges big-screen film, they have now told The LA Times that they do have one actor in mind for a supporting role: Cher is their top choice to play a nun called Mother Superior.

"Describing Cher as 'the coolest chick ever,' the brothers say that they've had her eyed for the part for a decade, ever since they worked with her on their comedy 'Stuck on You.' As to whether or not a deal can be made remains to be seen.
 

Though I wasn't a big fan of "Valentine's Day" (the movie ... oh yes, and the holiday), I'm happy to see Halle Berry is returning to the news regarding a movie and not, well, that other unpleasant business she's contending with.

The Oscar-winning actress is going to return to the comedy, "New Years Eve," in spite of reports that she was going to drop out. She is going to play a different role.

Here's more from Coming Soon:

"A thematic follow-up to the studio's 'Valentine's Day,' the movie will be set in New York and follows intertwining stories of characters trying to navigate their way through romance on New Year's Eve.

"The enormous cast also includes Katherine Heigl (who initially replaced Berry), Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zac Efron, Sienna Miller, Seth Meyers, Jon Bon Jovi, Til Schweiger, Josh Duhamel and Alyssa Milano."

 

O.K. How much do you wanna bet Lindsay Lohan will appear on David Letterman after this bizarre story?

I'm putting 20 bucks on yes. Though Lindsay's in a lot of trouble right now, whomever duped her or Dave or whatever-the-heck-is​-going on, would be a good way to actually invite her on. Maybe she'll listen to Dave on a few matters too.

Anyway, here's the weird story via E:

"As soon as we got the annoncement we set the DVR: Lindsay Lohan would be presenting the Top Ten list on Thursday's Late Show With David Letterman live via satellite from Los Angeles.

But then Lindsay herself chimed in late last night: 'I am NOT going to be doing David Letterman, I'm not sure how this happened, but I am sorry for the confusion…,' she tweeted. The Letterman crew confirmed the bad news just now: the Lohan stunt had been nixed and the reason is—in typical Lohan fashion—just plain weird.

"A rep for Letterman's Worldwide Pants says the show was suckered.

"'Lindsay Lohan will not be delivering a Top Ten list on Thursday's Late Show With David Letterman, as had been previously announced,' said a chagrinned Tom Keaney in this morning's statement.

"'We made a mistake. Someone purporting to be a friend of Lindsay's reached out to the show yesterday, allegedly on her behalf, and booked her to appear. Clearly, this person was not authorized to make commitments on her behalf. We wish Lindsay well, and look forward to having her on the show in the future.'

 

The For the Love of Film (Noir) Blogathon  hosted by the inimitable Self-Styled Siren and Ferdy on Films, continues on fellow noir-ists! Writers and film fans, please contribute not just your pen, but your payment, to the blogathon. Proceeds will go to the Film Noir Foundation's restoration of the 1950 noir "The Sound of Fury." Donate here.

For my contribution at the Hitlist, I'm taking us through the week with one of noir's greatest icons -- Barbara Stanwyck -- highlighting some of her top noir performances.

Here's Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan and ... oh my lord ... Ralph Meeker ...

"Jeopardy" (1953) John Sturges

The John Sturges directed daylight noir thriller is not only a tense, daring ride, but a deliciously good time. Here's the predicament: While vacationing in Mexico with hubby, the great, underrated Barry Sullivan and their young son, Stanywck is put to the test after Sullivan is trapped in the surf and she must find anyone (anyone) to help her. Aid arrives in smarmy Ralph Meeker (ohhhh...Ralph Meeker) a fugitive who has a few other things on his mind. And off it goes. The repartee between Stanwyck and Meeker is angry, sick and sexy with standouts involving the triple slap Meeker lays on tough Stanwyck, or Meeker’s proud preference for cheap perfume: “It doesn’t last as long,” or my favorite moment  --  when Stanwyck realizes she must make the ultimate sacrifice. She faces Meeker all hard and seductive to say, “I’ll do anything for my husband. ANYTHING.” And she does. Pretty intense stuff for 1953. And to do to such a wonderful (and dare I say, uber sexy husband) Barry Sullivan? I dare. Sturges works wonders with this lean, mean material. And this is some sacrificial Stanwyck. Hard core Babs at her best.

 

There's geeks, there's nerds, there's studious types and then there's Russian paleontologists who write novels "set during and after the end of the War of the Ring (the climactic battle at the end of "The Lord of the Rings") and told from the point of view of the losers."

Those people are awesome.

Here's the details from Salon.

"As bad lots go, you can't get much worse than the hordes of Mordor from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings.' Led by an utterly evil disembodied entity who manifests himself as a gigantic, flaming, pitiless eye, and composed of loathsome orcs (or goblins), trolls and foreigners, Mordor's armies are ultimately defeated and wiped out by the virtuous and noble elves, dwarfs, ents and human beings -- aka the 'free peoples' -- of Middle-earth. No one sheds a tear over Mordor's downfall, although the hobbit Sam Gamgee does spare a moment to wonder if a dead enemy soldier is truly evil or has simply been misguided or coerced into serving the dark lord Sauron.

"Well, there's two sides to every story, or to quote a less banal maxim, history is written by the winners. That's the philosophy behind 'The Last Ringbearer,' a novel set during and after the end of the War of the Ring (the climactic battle at the end of 'The Lord of the Rings') and told from the point of view of the losers. The novel was written by Kirill Yeskov, a Russian paleontologist, and published to acclaim in his homeland in 1999. Translations of the book have also appeared in other European nations, but fear of the vigilant and litigious Tolkien estate has heretofore prevented its publication in English.

"That changed late last year when one Yisroel Markov posted his English translation of 'The Last Ringbearer' as a free download. Less polished translations of brief passages from the book had been posted earlier on other sites, but Markov's is the 'official' version, produced with the cooperation and approval of Yeskov himself. Although the new translation's status as a potential infringement of the Tolkien copyright remains ambiguous, it may be less vulnerable to legal action since no one is seeking to profit from it."

 

Here it is. The "X-Men First Class" trailer which details the beginning of the X-Men saga.

Extra bonus? John F. Kennedy narration. Well, some will find that a bonus.

The movie, opening this spring June 3, stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Zoë Kravitz and Kevin Bacon (among many more).

It's directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Take a look: