Thompson on Hollywood

Michelle Williams Lands Best Actress Honor at Sham Hollywood Film Awards

Remember, The Hollywood Film Festival is not a respectable fall fest. It's a well-timed award season facade which honors stars, filmmakers and craftspeople and lines the pockets of founder and internet magnate Carlos de Abreu. (Read all about it here.) But Hollywood players participate because the fest supports the award cause and provides vying Oscar contenders with yet another attention-grabbing red carpet showcase.

By Anne Thompson
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September 28, 2011 4:54 AM
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Thirty Faces of Comedy

And they're all Amy Poehler! New York Magazine posts a slide-show of Polaroid tests for thirty of Parks and Recreation comedienne Amy Poehler's characters. She performed them for the comedy-troupe Upright Citizen's Brigade, profiled by the magazine this week.

By Maggie Lange
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September 28, 2011 4:20 AM
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Review Round-Up: Roger Ebert's Life Itself: "The best thing Mr. Ebert has ever written"

Roger Ebert, the owner of arguably the most powerful thumbs in America, has published a memoir documenting his 69 years. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the only film critic to garner a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Ebert writes in Life Itself how he helped to change the way movies were reviewed. Especially in light of his recent struggles with cancer, film and book critics alike are lauding Ebert's introspective portrayal of his past, with some saying that Life Itself is the best writing the Ebert has ever penned. Read the reviews below.

By Maggie Lange
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September 23, 2011 8:27 AM
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Taylor Lautner: What Happens If Abduction Fails?

Taylor Lautner, the Twilight teen idol, has been poised for movie stardom. But what if his first solo attempt, the upcoming action film Abduction, fails? Lautner's agents at William Morris have posed the ripped 19-year old at a big star, lining up multi-million dollar roles (he will receive $5 million for Abduction), but what if he can't move past Twilight? (Neither Kristen Stewart nor Rob Pattinson has scored in a big way on their own outside the Twilight franchise.)

By Maggie Lange
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September 23, 2011 8:19 AM
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Honor Roll: Producers Guild Recognizes Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild of America will honor Steven Spielberg with the 2012 David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures. The guild will bestow the producer, director, writer and Principal Partner of DreamWorks Studios with the award at the 23rd Annual Producers Guild ceremony on January 21st at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

By Anne Thompson and Maggie Lange
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September 21, 2011 5:36 AM
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Steve Martin's Letter to Eddie; Paramount's $700 Million Revamp; Dragon Tattoo Preview Reaction

Paramount Picture's planned $700-million upgrade to its Hollywood lot will add new sound stages as well as offices and create an estimated 7,300 jobs during the construction period, reports the LA Times. The project will develop the Melrose Avenue headquarters and potentially some nearby properties as well, over the next twenty years. An expanded studio will allow Paramount to accommodate 500 more employees, up to 5,500 people on the lot.

By Maggie Lange
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September 21, 2011 5:28 AM
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Albert Brooks Talks Drive, Comedy as Anger, Tweeting and Stanley Kubrick

People often underestimate how good comedians can be as actors. Who knew Albert Brooks could play dark? Revered by a cadre of loyal followers for his riotous passive-aggressive romcom protagonists, Brooks’ turn as gangster Bernie Rose in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive dumbfounded many critics, who gave him raves.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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September 19, 2011 2:08 AM
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Weekly Wrap: TIFF: Moneyball, Descendants, Deep Blue Sea; Reviews Kevin, The Lady; Media Watch

Box Office:

By Maggie Lange
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September 16, 2011 5:20 AM
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Puppet Watch: The Girl with the Muppet Tattoo; Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Jim Henson

The Muppets, an upcoming revamp of the puppet ensemble starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Neil Patrick Harris, Rashida Jones, and Mila Kunis, has re-spliced their trailer into a parody of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trailer. Some may find it aggressively adorable, if not a little misguided. Both trailers posted below--see if you can spot the differences!

By Maggie Lange
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September 16, 2011 3:55 AM
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DiCaprio and Eastwood Talk J. Edgar in GQ Cover Story

In the latest issue of GQ, the magazine pairs the actor and director combo from biopic J. Edgar, in which Leonardo DiCaprio suits up as the famed and defamed former head of the FBI under Clint Eastwood's direction. The film will kick off this year's AFI Film FEST on November 3 before opening wide November 11.