As Variety recently noted, 2008 is now more then half over and, save for a few below the marquee categories, the Oscar race is wide open. Of the films released so far this year, only Richard Jenkins' stand out performance in the indie drama The Visitor has garnered any acting buzz, and certainly no Best Picture contenders have bowed yet.Longtime awards-watchers know that this is hardly anything new, as studios have always (at least since this all became a big expensive game) back-loaded their annual schedules with their Oscar bait pictures, hoping that the Academy's perceived short attention ...

A riveting rendition of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (a.k.a. the Oscar nominated "Love Theme from Armageddon") by the multi-talented MySpacer Mychael With A Y!!!And he earns every one of those three exclamation points. ...

Everyone loves Dolly Parton (we certainly do), but do you own any of her clothing? Make annual pilgrimages to Dollywood? Stalk her?As you can see in the trailer, the subjects of For the Love of Dolly,the new documentary available on DVD today, go above and beyond the average Parton fan. Among the passionate fans seen here are a gay couple whose house is filled with "Dollybilia", while another pair dress up as giant day-glo butterflies.In other words, think Trekkies with a Southern accent.Check out the Latest on DVD widgets located in the sidebar for more ...

One of the more colorful figures inhabiting mid-20th century Hollywood was actress Tallulah Bankhead. Although she had devolved into a camp figure by the time of her death at the age of 66 and is best known to my generation for her maligned final film, Die, Die, My Darling (as well as her wicked Black Widow on the Batman TV series), she had considerable early success as a stage actress in New York City, shooting to stardom in the original Broadway production of The Little Foxes.A new world premiere play, Looped (now playing at the Pasadena Playhouse), ...

Crush object: Warren Beatty, actor/director/writer/ producer.- The future auteur started his career on television, most notably as rich kid Milton Armitage on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. After leaving that series, he earned a Tony Award nomination for the Broadway play A Loss of Roses.- He made his film debut in the classic romantic melodrama Splendor in the Grass, which won him a Golden Globe as "Most Promising Newcomer". He would go on to win three more Globes, including their lifetime achievement honor, the Cecil B. DeMille Award.- Following the legendary Bonnie and Clyde, the 70's ...

Star Trek: The Experience, the Federation themed attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton, will cease beaming guests aboard as of September 1.It is curious that such a move would be made so close to the arrival of another Trek movie, but apparently the powers that be (namely: Hilton) feels that the space could be put to better (read: profitable) use. (Maybe they're Ferengis.)At least all the Trekkies, Trekkers, et all that will be attending Creation Entertainment's Star Trek Convention in August will have a chance to stock up on Starfleet gear, Vulcan ears and ...

The classic duo of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, as imagined by legendary caricature artist Al Hirschfeld. ...

Beginning tomorrow, Turner Classic Movies will present a new series, Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence. Hosted by the renowned film critic, the show will consist of celebrity interviews in which they'll reveal the classic movies that influenced their lives and careers.Stars scheduled for the month include Bill Murray (July 14), Laurence Fishburne (July 21) and Quentin Tarantino (July 28). The first episode, airing tomorrow night at 8:00 PM EST (and again at 10:30 PM EST), features the final interview of Sydney Pollack, the Oscar winning director who passed away earlier this year.Immediately following the program, ...

Spike Lee will film the Tony Award winning musical Passing Strange for a future broadcast, possibly on HBO, which aired his Emmy Award winning documentary When the Levees Broke.In addition to its Tony nominated stars Stew (who won the Best Book of a Musical prize), Daniel Breaker and de'Adre Aziza, the rock tuner also features Big Gay Sketch Show favorite Colman Domingo. ...

Idol worship: Jaye Davidson, actor.- Bursting onto the world stage as Dil, the gender-bending hairdresser that was at the center of The Crying Game's biggest secret, his (in)famous full frontal scene is likely the most notorious in film history.- He was discovered at the wrap party for Derek Jarman's Edward II; supposedly, he was unaware that he would have to appear nude onscreen until the day of filming the "big reveal".- His Crying Game performance, which was not only his first on film but his first acting job ever, netted him Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best ...

About a year ago, I had this to say about Evanna Lynch's Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: "Luna is very loopy and kinda spacey, but she sure holds her own with a wand".Well, she'll be back in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (in theaters November 21) and, as you can see here, she's as fabulous as ever, sporting some magical eyewear called "Spectrespecs". I have no idea what they do, but if anyone can pull them off, Luna can. ...

Wishing all my American readers a safe and happy Independence Day holiday this weekend! ...

The inherently danceable songs of ABBA survived the death of disco, stood the test of time, and even provided a few memorable moments in movie music.Who could forget Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths pulling of an impressive recreation of "Waterloo" in Muriel's Wedding? Or how about Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce lip-synching it up to "Mamma Mia" in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (which also included Terence Stamp's classic retort, "No more f***ing ABBA"). And before all that: ABBA: The Movie.Which leads us to Mamma Mia! the movie, as in the ...

The American Film Institute chose it as its #1 fantasy film of all time, and you agreed: The Wizard of Oz topped the latest MD Poll, which asked you to pick your favorite of AFI's #1s from their recent 10 Top 10 countdown.But it wasn't an easy victory, with Dorothy and friends facing some tough competition from the courtroom: To Kill a Mockingbird placed a strong second. Rounding out the top five were the mysterious Vertigo, the gangsta classic The Godfather and sci-fi favorite 2001: A Space Odyssey. See the comments section below for the complete rundown ...

It's the Fourth of July weekend, so time to go see the latest Will Smith movie, right? Wrong. According to GLAAD, Smith's titular superhero Hancock utters some nasty homophobic slurs in this latest Hollywood blockbuster.So, instead of supporting such a movie, how about you turn this Independence Day weekend into a true "Independents" day, with four films opening in limited release around the country:

• The Wackness: Ben Kingsley blazing up a doobie? Mary-Kate Olsen in another pot-themed story so soon after Weeds? Dude ... sweet. Also stars Josh Peck, Famke Janssen and Olivia Thirlby, Juno's other "it

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Missing footage from Metropolis, Fritz Lang's seminal sci-fi silent, has been found.Twenty percent of the film has been considered lost by film historians for years; that is, until an original negative of Lang's 1927 complete original version was discovered in a museum in Argentina earlier this year.Kino International, which had already planned on releasing a special edition Metropolis DVD and Blu-ray next year, has confirmed with The Digital Bits that the lost reels, after proper restoration, will be included in the new release. I imagine a theatrical re-release may occur as well. ...

Josh Hartnett will be headlining a stage version of the Academy Award winning Rain Man in London next month. He will play Charlie Babbitt, Tom Cruise's role in the movie, opposite Olivier Award nominated actor Adam Godley as Raymond, the role that won Dustin Hoffman his second Oscar.Not sure how the film -- essentially a road movie -- will translate to the stage; and it's not a musical, so no "Iko Iko" production number. ...

The press notes for Holding Trevor, which will be released tomorrow in LA and NYC by Regent Releasing, describe it as "a sort of Reality Bites from the vantage point of a young gay protagonist." The description is accurate insofar as the title character (played by Brent Gorski, who also wrote the screenplay) is young and gay, and the film does, unfortunately, bite.Set in current day Los Angeles, Trevor is trying to end things with his junkie boyfriend (well-played by Christopher Wyllie, despite having little to work with beside his character's addiction); trying to put up with his ...

Object of our affection: Chelsea Handler, actress/ comedian/writer.- Forget Leno, Letterman and O'Brien, hers is the late night talk show to watch: Chelsea Lately on E! She is known for her caustic (yet always hilariously spot-on) celebrity commentary and often is joined in her on-air hijinks by her loyal assistant, Chuy (who she affectionately refers to as her "little nugget").- Her stand-up career has led to appearances on The Tonight Show, The View and comedy specials on VH1, HBO and Comedy Central.- As an actress, she has guest-starred on The Practice, My Wife and Kids, ...

An all-star cast of Oscar winners and nominees head up Burn After Reading, a goofy caper comedy from the Coen Brothers, who have a few little gold men of their own. Watch the trailer here, and the movie in theaters September 12. ...