The holidays already?

Seems strange (to me, anyway) but true.

So with the spirit of Christmas, or perhaps the dis-spirit of the season, Metro UK has ranked the top five Christmas movie villains.

Here's an obvious but great one. No matter what, he stands the test of time as one of the all-time Christmas ruiners:

 

Walt Disney Studios just announced today that the new Muppet movie has been moved up it's from December 25, 2011 to November 23, 2011.
 

Oh dear. Well, actually this makes a lot of sense. I just can't keep track of what the heck James Cameron is doing these days.

But ... if you're going to do a 3D movie, the razzle-dazzle (did I just write "razzle dazzle'? Uh ... "Burlesque" on the brain, sorry) dare-doing of Cirque du Soleil makes sense.

Here's more from TheWrap:

"'Avatar' director James Cameron has come aboard to produce an untitled family film that will combine narrative storytelling with the dazzling visuals of Cirque du Soleil, reports Deadline.

Andrew Adamson ('Shrek') is directing the ambitious hybrid project, which is being financed primarily by Cirque du Soleil and is already one-third completed.

"Cirque du Soleil's various themed shows in Las Vegas are currently being captured in 3D, as the troupe's live performances will serve as the backdrop of a magical world where the film's lead character has been transported. The plan is for the movie to launch a series of family films that incorporate Cirque du Soleil's eye-popping performances into their storylines.

 

This is a nice one. The international teaser poster for John Favreau's "Cowboys & Aliens," a movie that will surely be a hit. Favreau is on a good streak these days.

There's some differences to the U.S. poster, however, which ComingSoon points out:

 

Since I've had rather distressing situations arise after tweets, I've been wary to even go near the stupid thing named after ... birds? Whatever. Would Lee Marvin tweet? No.

But apparently Russell Crowe does, and in this case, he's urging his followers to join him in his excitement for helping put together a sequel to Peter Weir's critically acclaimed nautical adventure, "Master and Commander."

Here's more from TheWrap:

"Russell Crowe's 'Master and Commander' was a critical hit but a box office underachiever.

Released in 2003 for $150 million, the action epic grossed $212 million worldwide. It did manage to rack up 10 Oscar nominations, but the so-so grosses doomed the prospect of Crowe returning to the high seas as Capt. Jack Aubrey.  

"However, Crowe is hoping that by calling on his 110,000 Twitter followers he can muster enough interest to force Fox to green light a second film adaptation of the Napoleonic wars novels.

"'If you want a Master and Commander sequel I suggest you e-mail Tom Rothman at Fox and let him know your thoughts,' Crowe tweeted.

 

She's perfect. She's so beautiful and ... she even looks elfin.

Cate Blanchett in "The Hobbit."

Here's more from EW:

"Cate Blanchett had better start brushing up on her Elvish. The Australian actress has signed on to the cast of director Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic 'The Hobbit,' reprising the role of the ethereal elf Galadriel that she played in Jackson’s 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy.

"The announcement of Blanchett’s casting comes as something of a surprise, since the character of Galadriel doesn’t actually appear in Tolkien’s novel.

Then again, there are virtually no female characters in the book whatsoever, so Jackson is clearly looking to balance out the two-part film somewhat in terms of gender.

 

What? Johnny Depp is actually worried about this? Isn't he the highest paid actor in the business?

And, doesn't this make him even more likable and charmingly non-pretentious that he wants to return to his humble TV beginnings -- "21 Jump Street."

I highly doubt his concerns that the producers will shut him out will really come true. I mean, it's Johnny Depp! If they don't let him appear, I'm going to boycott the film! There! I said it!

Here's more from WENN:

"Johnny Depp " is urging Jonah Hill to cast him in the movie version of '21 Jump Street' because the Hollywood star is eager to appear in the reboot of his 1980s TV series.

"Hill has signed up to star in a new movie version of the show and he recently revealed a cameo role has been written for Depp to return to the project that kick-started his career.

"'I've said I'm into it, but no one's actually approached me,' Depp told MTV.com.

But Depp is worried producers have changed their minds about bringing him in for a guest appearance, as he hasn't been approached about the part -- and he's appealing to Hill to get in touch."

 

They always say this. And I never believe them. Sure, maybe on a terrible day, they want to run back home and live in their mother's attic (I know I do, frequently). But I don't.

I doubt Keira Knightley would have done the same. And her mother's attic would have probably been a lot more plush than mine.

Here's more from WENN:

"Keira Knightley almost gave up acting three years ago because she 'wasn't enjoying' her Hollywood career.

"The actress shot to fame as a teenager in the 2002 soccer movie 'Bend It Like Beckham,' and she has enjoyed a string of successful films since.

"The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star said she decided to turn her back on acting altogether at the age of 22, because she had worked nonstop since she was 16 years old -- but after a hiatus, Knightley realized her passion for her job.

"She told Britain's Vogue magazine, 'I think I intended not to work again. I wasn't enjoying what I was doing, and I felt terribly guilty about that. I remember hating the idea that I was in a privileged position and couldn't see the point of any of it.