As one of the outspoken teen starlets of the 1990s, Christina Ricci made her mark in Hollywood at the age of nine in "Mermaids," in which she played the daughter of a self obsessed mother -- played by Cher. We've watched her career sky-rocket through the years with films such as "The Ice Storm," "Pumpkin" and "Prozac Nation."

The beautiful Miss Ricci dropped by the RT studios recently to chat with Jeffrey about one common theme in her movies -- masks.

Check out the interview snippet after the jump.

If you're tired of watching reruns of "Sex and the City" and avoiding spoilers about the movie, check out the new trailer for the long-awaited feature. "Sex and the City: The Movie" arrives in theaters May 30th.

Check it out after the jump.

Here are the first photos released from 'Donnie Darko' director Richard Kelly's thriller "The Box." Cameron Diaz and (friend of Reel Talk) James Marsden star as a married couple who receive a box with a button inside. If they press it, they get a million bucks. Only catch is, someone they don't know will die.

What would you do?

"The Box" opens early 2009.

So I just watched “Eastern Promises” for a second time. I still very much enjoyed the David Cronenberg, Russian mafia thriller, but found myself shocked that it ended when it did. It seems to cry out for a follow-up!

Doesn’t everyone want to know what happens to Viggo Mortensen’s character, Nikolai? He gets where he’s needed, to bring down the Vory V Zakone crime cartel, and the film ends!! The last shot is Viggo sitting in the restaurant, smoking contemplatively, thinking about what he has sacrificed to be at this point.

Will David Cronenberg revisit this character? A film taking us further inside the story could be excellent. I’d like to see it.

Every time I see a photo of Katherine Heigl or Jessica Simpson or any other dazzling-looking blonde actress (giving Ms. Simpson the benefit of the doubt), I think of Marilyn Monroe, who once again is back in the news.

First, Lindsay Lohan did a photo spread for "New Yorker" magazine inspired by Marilyn. And, the other day a returned Bronx mechanic recently discovered a photo of Marilyn Monroe taken 45 years ago. A Las Vegas retiree worked on a Ford Sunliner convertible at a Bronx gas station in 1962, but the car was never claimed.

Unloading the trunk, the mechanic sorted the items over, it was among those things that the photo was discovered.

Sounds like a plot from a "B" movie, but it's true. She was posing as a hitchhiker in a 1960 photo taken during the shooting of her last movie, "The Misfits."

"Here is a face that burns with more kilowatts than any other" said the great director Billy Wilder after he'd directed "Some Like It Hot." Her drama coach, Constance Collier once said “she possesses that quality which no amount of lessons can give to anyone. She's a born star."

My father knew her and we have photos of them together. My 16th birthday present, in fact, was a congratulatory phone call from her, a few years before she tragically and mysteriously died.

As an unknown she came to New York to promote her first film, "Love Happy" which featured the Marx Brothers. The studio installed her in a huge hotel suite to meet film exhibitors. That night she forgot to cancel room service in the small room to which she'd been moved.

" I didn't care," she said, " I kept ordering caviar. That's what I first remembered about New York; caviar for breakfast."

When she returned from entertaining the troops in Korea, she told her husband Joe, "It was great. They cheered and cheered. You can't imagine what that's like."

"Oh yes, I can," smiled Joe.

There isn't a college dorm which doesn't have her poster up somewhere, lo these many years after her time.

Today's stars, those who can act, and even those who can't, owe her an eternal debt.

I don't know what it is about these Pixar films that I can't get enough of. And I know I am not the only sailor in this boat when I say this either, especially with the recent Oscar win of Ratatouille this past weekend.

I'm not sure if it's the 3-D animation that makes the animated films of today so much more appealing than the cartoons I used to watch as a kid, or if it's the adult humor/innuendo that's often found in a lot of these films (i.e."Shark Tale").

But now from the same masterminds of "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Monster's Inc." and "Finding Nemo" comes one of my most anticipated fun-films this summer "WALL-E."

If you couldn't get enough of Boo's adorability in Monster's Inc., just wait until you see WALL-E. Too cute! Disney/Pixar already anticipates everyone to fall for him. A few weeks ago the animation company unleashed a line of Wall-E toys. Do a simple Google search and you'll see. Perhaps we shouldn't call this a 'toy' but rather a 'Robot Action Figure'?

It hit me the other day that it feels like two lifetimes ago that Will Ferrell was making a name for himself spoofing Pres. Bush on "Saturday Night Live." Several years and a handful of comedy smashes later, his career is firing on all cylinders.

To think he once had plans to go into sportscasting!

He's back in a new comedy with another sports theme, the retro-basketballer "Semi-Pro" which should be another slam-dunk hit with the 18-24 demo that worships Ferrell.

Alison asked him if it's strange for a 40-year-old father of two to have such a young fan base .. and they also commiserated over the lousy existence of a sports TV intern.

Hear more of Alison's interview with Will Ferrell this weekend on RT.

Earlier today, I asked Jeffrey & Alison if they had received screening info from New Line about "Pride & Glory," an Ed Norton/Colin Farrell police corruption movie that was supposed to come out March 14th. They told me there had been no word from the studio about screening the film. Now we know why.

It's been put on the shelf indefinitely, and according to an article in yesterday's Variety, the principals behind the picture aren't happy.

You can't really blame co-writer/director Gavin O'Connor for being upset. He thinks he's made a good movie, and one that's very personal to him, since his dad's a veteran of the NYPD. He wants answers from the studio as to why they're not releasing his film, and the article suggests he's not going to turn in his next script until "Pride & Glory" is taken care of.

Norton & Farrell have a right to be upset too. Not only do the stars sound like they're proud of the picture, but they've been around long enough to know that whenever a movie gets pulled from release -- no matter WHAT the reason -- it looks bad. Top-shelf stars like these two don't want their images sullied by hints of sub par work.

This is bad timing for Farrell in particular, since 2008 is shaping up to be a banner year for the Irishman with "In Bruges" and "Cassandra's Dream" already out.

One of the films we're reviewing this weekend is the modern-day fairy tale "Penelope." This one really sparked some debate with Jeffrey for our show this week.

Christina Ricci stars as a girl who has been sequestered in her family's mansion due to her very large, porcine nose. Victim of a family curse that's damned her with a pig's face, she's understandably not eager to step out into the world.

To end the curse, she must await a suitor who will overlook this affliction and truly fall in love with her. James Mcavoy comes a-calling, but he's not all he's made out to be.

See, he's hired by a vengeful paparazzo, played by the marvelous Peter Dinklage. Mcavoy has been enlisted to obtain photos of the unfortunate girl to sell to the tabloids. Deceits and deceptions follow. Reese Witherspoon has a supporting role here and is also the film's producer. Of course there's a happy ending, but this unmagical fable lacks charm or whimsy.

Tune in to this weekend's REEL TALK to hear Jeffrey and I share our vastly different opinions on this movie. Then you can decide for yourself whether to check it out.

This is good or bad news depending on your POV, but according to Variety, Justice will be served in 2009 after all. Warner Bros. has kick-started the "Justice League of America" movie that was supposedly stalled a few weeks back due to the writers strike. The pic is apparently going through some screenplay revisions from writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney while director George Miller ("Mad Max", "Happy Feet") works on pre-production in Australia.

The casting on this film has been the subject of much debate online, as fans of the JLA comics and cartoons argue over who's filling which set of tights. Adam Brody from "The O.C." is supposedly in as The Flash, which sounds good to me since that character is a smart-mouth. Hip Hop star Common is apparently cast as John Stewart/The Green Lantern -- not bad, but I'm a Hal Jordan GL guy and to me, that's the character who should be wearing the green ring in a JLA film.

Armie Hammer is rumored to be Bruce Wayne/Batman -- this is where I part ways with this project. No one, I mean NO ONE, should be playing Bats other than Christian Bale in any movie until or if Mr. Bale decides to hang up the cape & cowl. Besides the fact that any other actor will suffer in the comparison between portrayals, it's too confusing to have two Batmans running around multiplexes!

I haven't even discussed the issues regarding the casting of Superman ... ugh!

I hope they pull this off but this project has trouble written all over it. WB expects this to be one of its 2009 blockbuster hopefuls, but no specific release date has been set.

Seems like comic to film adaptations are the theme-du-jour in Tinseltown. And that’s a good thing.

We’re not talking about Archie's Gang type comics. It’s serious, independent and at times deep, graphic novel to film adaptations we will soon see on the big screen.

Slated for release in the next two years:

Warner Bros will produce, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomos’s six-volume graphic novel “Akira.” The movie studio has also recently mentioned plans to role out the “Justice League of America” film by early 2009.

The graphic novel “Black Hole,” based on Charles Burns’ visionary masterpiece is now being crafted into a feature length film by Paramount. David Fincher (“Panic Room,” “Zodiac”) is set to direct.

Columbia Pictures and producer Neal H. Moritz (“I Am Legend”) have recently acquired the rights to Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s flawed superhero comic, “The Boys.”

These adaptations are well worth the trip to the cinema when they premiere. I only hope this is not just a fad, but a set trend we'll see more of in the distant future. There are just too many awesome, one-of-a-kind GNs out there that need to be thwarted to a larger audience!

Since he always seems to be working on a new movie, it was surprising at first to hear Will Ferrell was involved in an online comedy venture, FunnyorDie.com.

Not because I didn't think the comedy genius behind "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights" couldn't handle transferring his brand of laughs to the 'Net, but where would he find the time??

During a recent visit to our studios to talk with Alison about "Semi-Pro" for this weekend's RT, Ferrell says all it took for him to be able to get involved with FunnyorDie.com was a little sacrifice:

See more of Alison's interview with Will Ferrell this weekend on RT.

Producing a movie show isn't all fun and games, but, it's a good gig, I won't lie. Some days are better than others.

I went over yesterday morning to the TODAY SHOW studios across the street to escort this week's Top Billing guest Will Ferrell over to our place.

For those of you who don't know, REEL TALK's home base is 30 Rock in Midtown Manhattan. Most people are familiar with Rockefeller Center because of the Christmas Tree lighting, also SNL tapes here as does NBC Nightly News and the hilarious "30 Rock" is obviously based here (but not shot here).

We're also across the street from THE TODAY SHOW studio and plaza, where there's always a big crowd of people who get up at an ungodly hour to hold up signs behind the talent and say 'Hi Mom!'

Anyway, inside their downstairs green room, I greeted New Line publicist Nicole Kalish and Will's personal publicist Matt Labov, who's the Grand Poobah of publicity for Hollywood's comedy stars.

Then I stopped and surveyed the scene.

"Semi-Pro" co-star Woody Harrelson was walking around barefoot in a Flint Tropics warm-up suit, getting ready for a 2-on-2 pickup game on the plaza against Meredith Vieira and Knicks guard Nate Richardson.
Two feet away, Gary Coleman (yes, THAT Gary Coleman) was putting shmear on a bagel and talking with Pat Harrington ('Schneider' from the old sitcom "One Day At A Time"). Check out a segment from the pickup game.

Bonnie Franklin, the star of 'One Day', was putting her coat on to leave since their TV reunion segment was over. Meanwhile Valerie Bertinelli was rushing back to the studio to talk about her new book (she looks GREAT after the weight loss, BTW). Oh, and Mackenzie Phillips was chowing down on a donut, a bagel and what looked like a turkey wrap. There were also a couple of gorgeous twin girls who were doing something on the show, and legendary sportscaster Bob Costas. I felt like I was stuck in a Nick at Nite fantasy sequence!

Like I said, some days are better than others here at RT. Yesterday was one of the better ones.

Congrats To Lisa! She guessed correctly on Marketa Irglova's quote

Looks like we need to make these harder!

Hard to believe I'm actually writing this, but the long, long, long-anticipated, much-discussed and often-delayed "Watchmen" movie is actually done shooting! Zack Snyder posted on the official Watchmen movie site last week that principal photography was wrapped. Now, the post work begins -- and considering how much greenscreen is involved, I imagine that there is a substantial amount of work to be done to get the film ready for its release next year.

But think about it-- this is a movie that's been in development for nearly two decades! More than a dozen directors have tried and failed to get the project off the ground.

Longtime comic book fans should enjoy this as much as any of the great comic book adaptations we've been treated to in recent years. Because this shows more than anything we're in a Golden Age for Fanboyism.

If Zack Snyder pulls off the adaptation of a near-impossible comic series to adapt, then he may nudge aside Peter Jackson as Ruler of All Things Geeky. Judging by his writings on the production process, it sounds like he's confident they've got something good on their hands. And with a cast that includes Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino and Jackie Earle Haley (who's playing Rorschach, who you see in the latest image from the movie) ...can you blame him?

"Watchmen" arrives in theaters in March, 2009.

We just told you about a movie opening May 22, 2009. Now there's news that the big movie opening May 22nd of this year may actually debut in France.

Word is "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" may have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

This makes perfect sense, if you think about it, for both sides. Even though I think "Indy 4" is a sure-fire smash, after a 19-year hiatus I'm sure senors Lucas & Spielberg want to take no chances and intend to pull every promotional maneuver they can to ensure their beloved franchise blows up (in a good way).

Cannes, meanwhile, gets a film premiere GUARANTEED to earn them maximum exposure in industry and mainstream press. Can you imagine on how many media outlets will use the pictures and video of Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg on the red carpet?

Now if we can only get another trailer ...

May 22, 2009. That's the official date the 'Terminator' film franchise returns to theaters, we've learned today. Directed by McG and more importantly toplined by Christian Bale, "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" will focus around the plot line fans have been waiting for almost since the original "Terminator" back in 1984 -- the future war against the machines.

No more of those tantalizing teases in each film (and in the current Fox TV series) about the machines battling the human uprising. This time John Connor (Bale) will be front-and-center. Lots of people are a bit worried that McG is a bit of a lightweight to properly handle 'T4' but he did some interesting action scenes in the Charlie's Angels franchise. Let's see what he can do with the mega-budget Warner Bros. is dropping in his lap to revive Gov. Schwarzenegger's most famous character.

BTW, "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" will have a bit of competition May 22, 2009 from another sequel -- "Night At The Museum 2" also opens that day.

- In case you missed it, or were too bored to sit through the entire telecast; here's a list of all the Oscar winners.

- Oscar winner Diablo Cody sleeps with her award.

- Wanna win free DVDs and a spot on our site as a guest writer? Enter our contest.

- The WWE has signed a deal with Fox to generate a feature and few straight-to-DVD flicks. This time, focusing on a soft PG-13 rating rather than their usual hard R. Had no idea WWE's films were a hard R. Aren't most of their viewers under 13? Shouldn't they have thought about this when they first started making films?

- Opening this week:
"Semi-Pro" (We just interviewed Will -- interview will be up ASAP) | "The Other Boleyn Girl" | "Chicago 10" | "Penelope" | "Bonneville"

- New on DVD:
"The Darjeeling Limited" | "30 Days of Night" | "Goya's Ghosts" | "Death at a Funeral"

- FOUND: Here's a little something, something for all you Star Wars Fans. Probably the cutest film critic yet!

- Kudos for North Korea. The country has shown a gaining interest in Western arts. Reuters reports they have recently invited Eric Clapton to rock the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

- Everyone should get a Chumby. What is it? According to the company's press release, Chumby is " hassle-free way to enjoy [the] most out of the Internet at a glance and wake up to thousands of different streaming Internet radio stations, custom “alarm tones,” videos and more."

Sign me up, I'm sold.

Wow, you guys are fast! Mark R. was the first to send us the answer to the 'Who Said That' game.

Congrats Mark and thanks for playing.

We'll add another quote today -- hopefully a much harder one!

I know, we're A bit late with our weekend box office tally. Blame the Oscars. You see the exact numbers on the right side of this page. "Vantage Point" overcame an annoying plot device and pretty bad reviews to debut with a strong $22.9M. That was about it for the week's new movies, as Jack Black's "Be Kind Rewind" and "Charlie Bartlett" both flopped badly.

But a couple films showed decent staying power in their sophomore weekends.

"Jumper" dropped just over half its audience -- not bad for an action pic opening wide -- and looks on pace to earn close to its $85M budget back. "Step Up 2 The Streets" and "The Spiderwick Chronicles" did even better at holding on to their audiences, both losing less than half their opening weekend crowds. With a pretty weak slate of movies on the immediate horizon, both stand to do respectable business.

And just when you thought romantic comedies were dead in the water, "Fool's Gold" proves good chemistry sometimes matters more than good material. It's at $52M after 3 weeks. "27 Dresses" meanwhile, is probably going to make Katherine Heigl alot of money on her next picture. That one's inching close to $75M ... nice profit considering it only cost $27M to make. Looks like Hollywood's found its latest successor to Julia Roberts as America's Sweetheart (except on "Grey's Anatomy," where Izzy really annoys me).

I suspect "Juno" will start to fade since it failed to win Best Picture or Best Actress for Ellen Page. Of all the nominated movies, "No Country for Old Men" seems the obvious choice to benefit from its four Oscar wins. How much of an Oscar boost it gets remains to be seen, since its been around theaters for awhile now.

We talked with movie poster artist extraordinaire Drew Struzan the other day about his collaborative effort with his son Christian on this year's official Oscar poster.

Drew took off from his busy schedule wrapping up his work on the final poster for this May's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" to talk with us. He's also working on the poster for Guillermo Del Toro's "Hellboy 2."

Listen as Drew talks about his long relationship with George Lucas & Steven Spielberg and about returning to the Indy franchise.

REEL TALK's with you for your Oscar fix. From the red carpet to the teary-eye speeches, here's our up-to-the minute Academy Awards commentary.

9:38: So far no big surprises - except for how lame Jon Stewart's jokes are. Javier Bardem finally claimed the award he basically won 3 months ago. Biggest shocker so far? The Golden Compass winning visual effects over "Transformers." What a travesty!!

9:39 - Alison Bailes: It's so typical that the Oscar for best animated feature went to "Ratatouille." Not that it wasn't a great film, but wouldn't it have been great to see "Persepolis" win? Something different than the usual Disney/Pixar effort. Makes me wonder how many of the voting members actually saw "Persepolis."

9:44: "Peter and the Wolf?!?" Drat. My Oscar pool is collapsing rapidly. I thought any film with 'Walrus' in the title was a shoo-in. BTW, anyone else sick of "The Bee Movie" tie-ins? Ugh.

9:49: The first surprise of the night - Tilda wins out over Cate and Ruby Dee. Dont think too many people picked her. And even fewer would have thought the funniest acceptance speech would come from her. Go Tilda!

9:52: It took almost until 10 P.M. to get our first Jack Nicholson cutaway and joke.

9:55: The "No Country for Old Men" caravan keeps rolling. The Coen brothers just grabbed Best Adapted Screenplay. The first of several for the brothers, we suspect.

10:00: Mixed reaction in my apartment for the Kristin Chenoweth version of 'That’s How You Know' from Enchanted. I liked it but my wife Cindi thought it stunk.
And was I the only one hoping Miley Ray Cyrus would fall while walking to the mic?

10:05: Seth Cohen and Jonah Hill save the day! Their 'im halle berry, youre dame judi dench' routine was priceless!! And whats the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing?? Isn't it the same thing?? Why have two categories???
My head hurts.

10:18: How great was it to see Marion Cotillard win in a category full of superb performances? Her speech will lead all the news packages, just watch. That was pure joy on her face. Good for her. Marion's any absolute babe, inside and out. I'm just sad my personal fave Cate Blanchett is going home empty-handed.

10:18: When I spoke to Tilda Swinton at Sundance this year, she expressed relief that there might not be any big awards shows due to the writers' strike. She said she was daunted at the thought of the red carpet and having to dress up in a posh frock. I love that honesty, and a woman who doesn't bow to the ridiculous standards of Hollywood's idea of beauty. How refreshing to see an actress comfortable enough in her own skin to go to the Oscars without makeup!!

10:18: The two leads from "Once" had the best performance so far. Simply perfect almost makes me want to root for them - except i picked 'That’s How You Know' in the pool.

10:40: Strange seeing Jack Nicholson doing such an early segment. I always expect him to do Best Picture or at least Best Director. Doesn't the Academy realize "The Bucket List" has made over 85 million at the box office??

10:50: Three nominations for the same movie and still, Disney's Enchanted came up empty in Best Original Song.
The couple from 'Once' were just as deserving and a win certainly does more for them career-wise than another win for the Disney empire.

11:00: When people look back on the 80th annual Oscars, the most memorable moment will be when he decided to amend the Academy's mistake of cutting off Markéta Irglová's speech after winning Best Original Song by giving her a chance to say her thanks. And what a touching speech, saluting the spirit of indie filmmaking. Classy move by Stewart.

11:05: I can't believe the Academy's production team couldn't find a way to insert five seconds of video at the end of the obit piece to salute Roy Scheider. Disgraceful oversight of an actor who was not only a 2-time Oscar nominee but just a tremendous actor. He also muttered one of the most famous lines in history - one so famous that I’m not even going to write it here because if you’re reading this you should know it.

Cant believe he didn’t get the proper respect, considering he passed away so recently. Shame on you, Academy!

11:45: Daniel Day-Lewis was the easiest call of the night.

The Coen Brothers for Best Director was a close second.

This year's Oscars has turned out to be very predictable. How much that impacts the ratings, who knows? I bet they’re lower than usual.

12:00: The biggest surprise of the night for me was that the show wrapped before midnight.

But aside from that, it was pretty by-the-book, with few surprises since most of the major winners were correctly forecasted.

There's nothing the producers can do about that. But hopefully next year, with no writers strike going on, they can work on jazzing up the show a bit. Just felt a bit...I don't know. Stale. Maybe it's just me. I'm bitter because I lost my Oscar pool, AGAIN.

Some of these Oscar pre-shows are a bit more entertaining than the actual award show. Think about it. You get short, succinct interviews with most of the nominees, a comical host, and various clips from the awarded movies. It's a win-for-all for those of us with short attention spans.

But I have to say, out of all the celebrities from the red carpet, Helen Mirren is one of the best dressed celebrities by far.

Check back for our footage from the Oscars' red carpet.

Anyone who's up for an Academy Award tonight will reap some kind of benefit from Oscar exposure. Be it a flurry of offers for new projects, a bump in salary, a nice new gown or tux designed by a top-shelf designer ...just about every nominee has benefited already.

A few people stand to gain more than most, though.

In the Best Supporting Actor category, Casey Affleck and Javier Bardem could catapult to leading-man status with a win. Affleck's halfway there after "Gone Baby Gone" but a gold statue gets him out of the 'Ocean's 13' supporting cast-type roles and starts getting him lead offers. The industry needs under-30 leading men with range, and Ben's little brother has shown plenty of it this year.

A win puts Bardem in the books as the first Spaniard to win an acting Oscar. It should also put him in position as Hollywood's favorite Latin Heartthrob. He's proven he can play any type of part. If he wins (as expected) tonight, his asking price probably goes through the roof. And he'll have the pull NEVER to have to endure a haircut as bad as the Chigurh ever again.

Best Supporting Actress is interesting because a lot of winners in past years, like Marisa Tomei and Juliette Binoche, haven't turned Oscar victory into longterm career success, either by choice or by just picking bad roles. But a win tonight puts Tilda Swinton in the position to start cashing in the great work she's done over the years and get more high-profile roles like "Michael Clayton."

Cate Blanchett is the favorite -- I think -- to win, but she's already considered the best actress working today. With a blockbuster in the wings, "Indy 4", and an upcoming reunion with Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", I don't think a win for Supporting or Best Actress will do anything except solidify her standing as an A-Lister. Now, if she wins both ...who knows?

Speaking of Best Actress, no one could gain more from winning than Marion Cotillard. The French beauty is so unknown here people kept calling her a rising star -- even though she's been acting for more than a decade! But a win here puts her in great position for mainstream success.

Cotillard has two BIG projects due in '09. She's co-starring with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the upcoming John Dillinger drama "Public Enemies" and she's also in the cast of the Broadway musical adaptation "Nine." She's working hard on her English, so a win here gives her great momentum for those 2 high-profile films.

A win by Laura Linney would be a huge upset, one of the alltimers. But she doesn't need a trophy -- she's earned a rep as an actress' actress. But rep doesn't pay the bills. A win would put her in position to do more commercial work -- if she wants it. Somehow, I can't see her signing up for a part in "Transformers 2."

As for Best Actor, none of the nominees will get much a boost from winning tonight. There's no AA-List for Clooney or Depp to move up to .. Day-Lewis isn't exactly looking to pick up more than his usual 1 part-every-2-years .. the same for Tommy Lee. But Viggo Mortensen ... if he pulls off a shocker, that could put him in position to jump to superstardom. He wasthisclose after "LOTR: Return of the King" but he regrettably chose "Hidalgo" as his follow up. I'm guessing his agent will have better scripts for him to choose from after his killer Russian Mobster in "Eastern Promises."

As for the behind-the-scenes folks, Tony Gilroy could jump to the head of the directors list if he wins for "Michael Clayton," his debut as a helmer.

And Brad Bird, the genius behind "Iron Giant," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille" and a Best Original Screenplay nominee for the latter movie, could see his profile rise even higher with a win. Someone needs to give this guy a chance at a big-budget LIVE ACTION movie.

Fans and collectors of movie posters know Drew Struzan. He's like the Da Vinci of one-sheets. Even if you don't know his name, you know his work. The classic movie poster images he's created include the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter series, Back To The Future, The Muppet Movie, First Blood, The Goonies, the list goes on and on.

Hear a snippet of the interview after the jump.

Struzan designed this year's official poster for the 80th Annual Academy Awards along with his son Christian, an accomplished artist himself. REEL TALK producer Michael Avila talked with him while he works on his latest project (a little film called "Indiana Jones 4" or something) about how he split the work with his son .. and how he came up with the look for the poster.

I was disappointed above all that "The Kite Runner" got short shrift, either in the Best Foreign Language Film or even Best Picture category. It got some obscure nomination in the Best Score category, which is short shrift for one of the most amazing films of recent years.

Ben Affleck, for directing and kid brother Casey, for Leading Actor in "Gone, Baby Gone" was overlooked. It opened in Boston and nationwide the week the Red Sox were playing in the World Series. It's no wonder it tanked at the box office.

How could the Academy overlook Josh Brolin for "No Country for Old Men?" That is the most egregious omission. I told his wife, Diane Lane, he got "hosed," in the vernacular. Of course you can't nominate everyone. But still, superb work is superb work.

In the Best Documentary category, two films from my Best of 2007 list but were overlooked; "I Will Never Forget You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Weisenthal." It's about the Nazi hunter who single-handedly brought 1,400 Nazi war criminals to justice. Also, "Nanking," which depicted the ravaging of the ancient capital of China by invading Japanese hordes in 1937 in one of the most savage series of events in modern recorded history. It was helped by table readings by some well known actors; Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow, best known, ironically, for portraying the B-boat commander in "Das Boot," perhaps the finest submarine movie of them all.

So to those actors and others whose fine work was overlooked, soldier on, and good luck in coming years, sooner or later, you'll get your due.

Everyone is moaning about Sean Penn’s absence from the Oscar ballot as well as “Into The Wild” being omitted as best picture. But I think there are other, more egregious oversights.

Namely, Nicole Kidman for “Margot at the Wedding.” In a business that is constantly lamenting the lack of good female roles, here was one that was screaming for Oscar recognition.

Margot is a resentful, passive-aggressive manipulator in great pain who can also make the audience laugh with her insensitivity and gamesmanship. I loved the film, written and directed by Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale”). "Margot" is an ode to French films of the seventies by such directors as Eric Rohmer -- the master of the moral tale. Just look at Margot’s '70s style hat and neckerchief.

Also, as I’ve said before on the show “3:10 to Yuma” deserved more than a couple of tech. nominations. And what does Christian Bale have to do to get noticed? He’s one of the best actors working today. The producers of “Rescue Dawn” barely had the money to promote the film, which is why no one saw it! They certainly didn’t have the money to launch a publicity campaign for Bale. A shame, as his performance was as riveting as could be.

The film, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” also deserved some Academy love, a fine family thriller from veteran Sidney Lumet. And what about “Waitress?” That should have been up for best original screenplay at least! Also, someone please give Kevin bacon a prize. He’s always good even if the film isn’t (“Death Sentence”) and has been overlooked now for “Mystic River”, “The Woodsman” and “Rails and Ties.”

Thankfully, the Independent Spirit awards exist to recognize a lot of these oversights. Check out < a href=" http://www.filmindependent.org/spiritawards/ ">their celebration for the best in indie film on February 23rd.

Some of the best toys I saw at Toy Fair were at the Mattel showroom. The “Dark Knight” was especially inspiring. The 3 3/4 action figures look great, as you can see in some of our pictures.

Check out the new Batmobile – cool, huh?

Of course, one of the biggest reveals at TF ’08 was the Joker action figures, based on the likeness of the late Heath Ledger. And it did look very much like him.

It was a bit …unsettling, I guess, to see the figure on the shelf. Sadness too, because it reminded me of how great a loss Ledger’s early death was. Also because this should have been a great time for Ledger.

I’ve written before how “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan mentioned to me how excited he was about Heath’s performance as the Joker awhile back. He should have been here at Toy Fair, doing mega press opps with photogs tripping over themselves seeing him standing next to the action figures of his demented character. I have to imagine that even for the most dedicated and serious of actors, getting cast in a role as iconic, as pop culturally relevant as the Joker, must be a blast.

It’s a terrible shame Heath Ledger will never get to enjoy that.

So it's all over the trades today that Leonardo DiCaprio's production company has teamed up with Warner Bros. to produce two live-action films based on Katsuhiro Otomo's iconic graphic novel "Akira" and Aint It Cool News reports Leo's going to star as Kaneda. Joseph Gordon Levitt, who through fine work in films like "Brick" and "The Lookout" has made nearly everyone forget his launch to fame on the sitcom "Third Rock From The Sun," is apparently onboard as Tetsuo.

Genius casting! DiCaprio simply doesn't pick bad projects. The guy's got the Midas touch, so if he's involved as producer AND star, then I'm very confident the adaptation of one of the greatest graphic novels & Anime pictures EVER is in good hands. And Gordon Levitt is a fantastic actor who's well on his way to fanboy Demi-Godness if this and G.I. Joe hit big.

No word yet on when "Akira" could hit theaters -- but do yourself a favor and check out Otomo's six-volume Graphic Novel collection. It's an absolute masterpiece, as is the anime movie adaptation that is as mesmerizing today as it was two decades ago.

So Disney's put out the first trailer for their next animated offering, the Pixar-produced "WALL.E" -- and like the last few Pixar films, I'm not terribly excited about it. Which means it's probably another Pixar classic.

Reason I say that is because even though I wasn't too excited about going to see "Ratatouille," it turned out to be one of my favorite movies of 2007. I just never get too pumped up from any of the Pixar movie trailers. Can't really explain why. They just never hook me that much. Whereas movies like "Indy 4" and "Iron Man" have me counting down until their release dates. Not so with "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" -- but those three blew me away when I saw them. I guess there's something to be said for not leaving your best stuff in the preview.

Anyway, check out the first trailer for "WALL.E," let us know what you think. It arrives in theaters June 27th.

I just checked out the trailer for the upcoming “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” It whetted my appetite for what looks to be the most fun time at the movies this summer.

It reminded me why Harrison Ford is so good in this role, and so boring when he plays "righteous" and "serious" (see “Firewall” or “The Devil’s Own”) parts. Here he’s clearly poking fun at his age with the line “not as easy as it used to be” as he stares down the barrels of several guns.

He’s also as imperfect as ever, bungling his derring-do more often than not, but still coming out on top. That’s why we love him, he’s only human -- not a superhero. And he always has the best comeback lines.

And then there’s the soundtrack and a screenplay by David Koepp. Add Cate Blanchett to the mix and we have a lot to look forward to this summer!

Tonight, REEL TALK covered the premiere of the new thriller “Vantage Point,” which opens this week.

Catch a glimpse of the "Vantage Point" red carpet after the jump.

From “Lost” and “Speed Racer,” Michael Fox stopped by to chat with us on his role in the action flick. He was pretty tight-lipped on the details and his role in “Vantage Point,” as was the remainder of the cast.

High-energy director Peter Travis straightened out a few pieces of the puzzle for us, but it was the cautious demeanor of Edgar Ramirez, who portrays a secret role in the film, that really made us question how detailed a puzzle “Vantage Point” really is.

We also uncovered a 2nd-degree-of-separation on tonight’s red carpet with two of the female leads. Sigourney Weaver plays Rex Brooks, a news producer to Zoe Saldana’s anchor character. The pair can also be seen this winter in the sci-fi action pic, “Avatar.”

And we’ve saved the best (according to last year’s Academy Awards) for last. Forest Whitaker opened up to us on the new path his career has taken since his 2007 Oscar win. Check it out and let us know what you think!

The cast for next summer’s big-budget “G.I. Joe” movie is expanding faster than the waistline of a contestant on “The Biggest Loser” while on vacation from the campus. Now Dennis Quaid is onboard as General Hawk.

Chris Eccleston from “Heroes” and “28 Days Later” is inked to play Destro (one of my personal faves from the “Joe” canon).

Having just seen (and been greatly impressed by) Quaid in “Vantage Point” I’m now getting very excited about this film. Sienna Miller as the Baronness is genius casting and as long as they succeed like “Transformers” did in balancing action and affection for the source material – minus the tongue-in-cheek – this should turn out well. Not even Marlon Wayans being cast as Ripcord can dim my enthusiasm any more!

BTW, Hasbro’s releasing special anniversary editions of the classic G.I. Joe action figures from the early 1980s. Those were only some of the best toys EVER!

Take a look at some of the pictures. The figures are as detailed as you would expect modern action figures to be, but what I thought was a nice tough was keeping the original blister pack art & design. Very retro stylish. These are nice treats to whet our appetites for next year. Expect an absolute bonanza of G.I. Joe stuff by Summer of ’09, when the film hits theaters.

Well whaddaya know? Just this past weekend Matthew McConaughey talked with Jeffrey on Reel Talk about his role in "Fool's Gold", another movie that puts McConaughey's "Statue of David”-like chiseled abs on full display.

Now Dolce and Gabbana are taking advantage of the actor’s famous physique to promote their new men's cologne, "The One."

Check out the commercial after the jump!

George Lucas is the Godfather of Toy Licensing and he’s not disappointing with his line of toys related to his upcoming “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series. The action figures and playsets were typically great -- especially the Clone Transport, which holds up to 24 clone troopers.

That’s what you expect when the name Star Wars is on the blister pack. You know what really caught my attention? The Mighty Muggs Stars Wars vinyl figurines.

Mighty Muggs are the new ‘hot’ toy property, an urban vinyl doll. Most of the big movie toy lines will have their characters on Mighty Muggs – the Indy 4 Muggs looked especially interesting, but nothing topped the Darth Vader and Boba Fett Muggs. I want ‘em now!

Check out our slideshow below for more Toy Fair '08 Pictures. Let us know what you think of these toys and which ones caught your eye!

While just about everyone’s pantin’ with anticipation for Indy 4, gauging the demand for the related toy line is a bit harder. Despite the popularity of the first three Indiana Jones movies, the toys were never big sellers back in the '80s. But Lucasfilm and Hasbro are going all out with some cool toys this summer.

The 3 3/4 action figures, small and tall, are greatly detailed and articulate. An added bonus is that some classic characters from the earlier films are also being made into figures. The Lost Temple of Akator playset made me wish I was 8 years old again – kids today have no idea how lucky they are to have these great toys to play with!

And check out the pix of the 12-inch dolls: Not only do they look A LOT like Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf, but if you buy a certain number of the 12-inchers (4 I think) you can send away for the exclusive Ark of the Covenant (the small one, not the monster one on display).

My favorite Indy Toy? The Indiana Jones Mr. Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark!

**UPDATE: Read the director's response after the jump.**

We all remember the book Where The Wild Things Are From our childhood. I'm sure a handful of us still wish we could jump back to our childhood and imagine our way back into that magical book when adulthood becomes a bit overbearing.

Fortunately, we’ve come close to that dream with a leaked clip from Spike Jonze's new film, "Where The Wild Things Are."

This clip has been circulating around the web for just a few hours and could be yanked before you get a chance to see it. But here it is, all 120 seconds of it.

It's pretty odd, the voice of Carol does not match up to the actor playing the character (James Gandolfini), plus there's a sort of echo with the voices. Again, it’s a bit awkward to watch and feels like something is missing. Not what we expected, but hey, it will shed some light on what you should expect prior to the release. We also suspect this clip might actually be a deleted scene or would get CGI enhanced before the final product is ready for an audience.

Enjoy!

**UPDATE - 2/19** In a message from Mr. Jonze, sent via his publicist, regarding the leaked clip:

"That was a very early test with the sole purpose of just getting some footage to Ben our vfx (visual effects) supervisor to see if our vfx plan for the faces would work. The clip doesn’t look or feel anything like the movie, the Wild Thing suit is a very early cringy [sic] prototype, and the boy is a friend of ours Griffin who we had used in a Yeah Yeah Yeahs video we shot a few weeks before. We love him, but he is not in the actually film...Oh and that is not a wolf suit, its a lamb suit we bought on the internet.

There you have it. But the choppy version definitely enticed me to see the film.

This summer’s loaded with potential blockbusters, the kind that not only sell lots of movie tickets but also tons of toys. Toy Fair 2008 gave us our first look at the toys related to some of this year’s most-anticipated movies from Hasbro, including Iron Man.

Check out the line of goodies tied in to Jon Favreau’s adaptation of one of Marvel’s most complex characters. The Iron Man Helmet looks sweet, the action figures have insane detail. But what really grabbed my attention was the 12-inch Iron Man with the removable helmet. Check out the Robert Downey Jr. likeness – nice!

What something really different? Try the Hokey Pokey Hulk – yep, that’s right. A Hulk doll that does the Hokey Pokey. Or how about the Hulk Operation board game? Every time you make a bad move, Hulk get very angry!!

Stay with REELTALKtv.com for more toy fair finds and goodies!

According to Variety, three new faces will join Hugh Jackman on the set of next year's highly anticipated film, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Hip Hop artist and Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am; "Friday Night Lights” costar Taylor Kitsch, and Ryan Reynolds are listed to star in the comic book adaptation.

Really, Ryan Reynolds? I know he pumped up for the third "Blade" movie, but this casting just doesn't feel right. Just like the casting from the "Justice League" movie didn't feel right. And that movie was recently put 'on hold.'

The Toy Fair 2008 unwrapped last weekend. And if you were too unfortunate to attend, we’ve wrapped up all you need to know in this week’s REEL TALK Mix Tape.

- Apparently this is what the Cloverfield monster looks like? This is a little odd, considering that the monster we saw in the film was dark gray and much more muscular. Perhaps, and I'm just throwing it out there, this is its twin brother. Another monster we're to see in the sequel...dunh, dunh, dunh!

- The NY Post unveils Mattel's Ledger-Inspired Joker doll

- Check out our slideshow below for more Toy Fair Photos.

- Next weeks Oscar presenters and performers now announced. Amy Adams, Kristen Chenoweth and Marlon Saunders will perform music from “Enchanted.” As well as the cast from “Once,” and “August Rush.”

- Is anyone still watching "Survivor?"

- Hard-core drugs make it into the tube.

- "Quarterlife" to premiere on NBC this week.

- Look everybody! It’s Martin Short!

- Out this week:

- New On DVD Today:

Those anguished cries of "noooooo!!!" you may have heard from the cubicle or office across the hall this morning most likely came from someone with an HD-DVD player. Today, Toshiba announced it was quitting the DVD format war. Toshiba's tap-out means Blu-ray will be the DVD technology of the future.

THAT STINKS!!

Want to know why? Because I own an HD-DVD player, along with a bunch of HD-DVDs of some of my favorite films, including "Blade Runner." Which basically in a few years will be the equivalent of still owning first edition Betamax releases of "Jaws" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" from two decades ago.

Every expert commenting on Blu-ray's win over HD-DVD cites last month's decision by Warner Bros., the studio with the largest home video catalog, to go exclusively with Blu-ray as the turning point in the technology fight. But they're wrong.

Once the porn industry threw in with Blu-ray, that stuck a fork in HD-DVD. When companies like Digital Underground and Vivid, two major distributors of home video porn (hey, I do my research), decided to go Blu-ray it was only a matter of when, not if, HD-DVD would surrender. Like it or not, porn has pull.

By March, HD-DVD shipments will cease to retailers. I'm still not sure if I'm going to drop cash on a (much) more expensive Blu-ray player. I could go totally anti-establishment and stick with HD. I could load up on enough HD-DVD releases in the next few weeks to keep me busy for a couple years. And I'm sure HD-DVD players will be priced to sell soon so I could stockpile a few players that I could just swap out every couple years as they break down. If all goes well, I can hold out 'til the next dvd format change -- around 2020. The extra bonus is that by then, HD-DVDs could be highly sought-after collectibles like some laserdiscs are today.

Take that, Blu-ray suits.

(But if anyone hears of a good sale on a Blu-ray player, email me)

I'm interviewing Jessica Lange this week. She has had an incredible career. First, the debacle that was the disastrous 1976 remake of "King Kong." She'd signed a seven year contract with producer Dino DeLaurentis, but after the movie flopped, he lost interest in her and she didn't work for two years.

She quickly redeemed herself with the torrid remake of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" opposite Jack Nicholson, taking up the roles made famous in the forties by Lana Turner and John Garfield. Lange even opted out of her DeLaurentis contract to get the part she knew would make or break her career. Intelligently, she'd spent those two years studying acting in New York, including Method acting (for my money this form of acting is the best training technique of them all. Everyone should study it, even if acting is the last thing on one's mind.)

Her rave reviews solidified her as an actress to be reckoned with. "She's in it for the work, not the fringe benefits," her friend, the great actress Kim Stanley correctly observed.

After an Oscar nominated performance as the title character in 1982s "Frances," Lange moved on to win a supporting Oscar for 1982s "Tootsie," one of the few times an actress has been nominated for two roles in the same year. It's ironic that she'd win an Oscar for "Tootsie," a role with not nearly the depth of "Frances” nor " The Postman Always Rings Twice."

Since then she has continued to distinguish herself, winning another Oscar for "Blue Skies," a movie which had been put on a studio shelf for three years before being released in 1994. Lange has always kept away from the nonsense of Hollywood, returning to her roots in Northern Minnesota, Virginia or previously in New Mexico.

I'm looking forward to the interview with Ms. Lange, whose new movie is "Bonneville." We'll have the interview on an upcoming episode of REEL TALK and also post the full conversation in the interviews section of REELTALKtv.com.

It's either good or bad news, depending on how you look at it, but the Starship Enterprise will have to wait awhile longer before beginning its next voyage. Paramount has pushed back the release date for J.J. Abrams' revival of the Star Trek franchise from Christmas to May 9, 2009.

No official reason for the push back, but according to Variety, studio sources say holding the film until next summer makes sense because it could make more money than during the crowded holiday movie season. Also, the writers strike delayed production on many films, possibly leaving holes in the release calendar that the studio had to fill.

Paramount already has a full 2008 slate, with this weekend's "The Spiderwick Chronicles" plus "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones 4" in May and the "Madagascar" sequel, Brad Pitt's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Leo DiCaprio's "Revolutionary Road" due at the end of the year.

Then there's the theory I hope is true -- that writer/director Abrams wasn't thrilled with the script he was going to start shooting with and wanted more time to tweak it. That's fine with me. I'd rather J.J. take his time and get the story just right before starting "Trek XI."

BTW, Eric Bana dropped by last week for an interview to promote his upcoming "The Other Boleyn Girl." It airs this weekend (Feb. 23-24) on REEL TALK. We taped it early because he had to get ready to begin shooting the Trek flick. If you're reading this, then you know Bana's playing the bad guy Nero. Alison asked the former "Hulk" star about doing another iconic pop culture picture.

First it was Untraceable that got me thinking, now George Romero's Diary of the Dead is trying to portray a similar underlying message in his film about zombies, which was released last weekend.

The message is that our modern day society seems to be dangerously trading human compassion and a desire for knowledge, in exchange for non-stop entertainment.

For example, I recently saw the film "Untraceable" starring Diane Lane. If you haven't seen it I suggest you prepare yourself for some cringing torture scenes. However, underneath the gory and nerve-wrecking segments of the film is an underlying message as to what kind of society we have become -- a group of unsatiated entertainment feigns.

Of course the movie is fiction, but if it weren't, this is definitely something I could see happening in real-life. It may seem ironic that a form of entertainment is eliciting a message that is in some ways against its own purpose, but whatever happened to compassion?

This may be a message that more and more filmmakers are trying to portray. How many of us remember the phrase "putting yourself in the other person's shoes?" So then, why is it becoming such an addiction to get the "latest Britney update" or watch over and over again drunken videos of people like David Hasselhoff?

Since when did a desire for knowledge, current events and human compassion become such unappealing characteristics? Perhaps “Untraceable” is trying to use their way of "entertaining" to bring us out of the dark about ourselves. What do you think?

DVR and TiVo have certainly changed the way we watch TV, but has it changed the way we view films?

It’s causing me a problem -- every time I miss a line of dialogue in a film my right hand twitches and reaches for that rewind button. Am I the only one? Maybe I shouldn’t watch TV with the remote in hand.

And how long before that technology exists for the ability to watch a film on the big screen with rewind/pause capability? What do you think?

The mind boggles.

When you're doing a film about a guy with the power to teleport anywhere in the world, shooting on location is one of the perks for the cast & crew. That certainly was the case for the folks working on "Jumper" which opens today.

Director Doug Liman took the production on the road from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Prague, Paris, and even wrangled permission to shoot INSIDE the Colosseum in Rome!

Check out the crew at work here.

Just saw "Vantage Point," the new thriller with Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox and boy, was it thrilling.

I was starving hungry at the start of the film and planned to eat a bagel I had (illegally) stashed in my bag., but the film was so intensely nerve-jangling that I was too keyed up to eat!

From the second it begins, it is high-energy action. It's almost too jarring as the film intentionally puts you in a position of discomfort and confusion. Things slowly come into focus as the six different plots unfold -- making an intense 90 mins.

This is how thrillers should be! I was finally able to enjoy by bagel -- on the subway ride home.

Jeffrey and I will review "Vantage Point" in detail on next week's REEL TALK.

Could it be that some actors are just made for the small screen? (Or 52 inch plasmas at least?)

Recently, I have been indulging in a Blair Underwood feast. There he is once a week on “In Treatment,” playing an arrogant navy pilot with issues. Quite brilliant.

He also shows a remarkable knack for comic timing on “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” where he plays love interest to Julia Louis-Dreyfus. And once “Dirty Sexy Money” is back up and running, I look forward to seeing him as the counterpoint to Donald Sutherland’s multi-millionaire antagonist on that archly wicked soap opera.

Underwood's resume is packed with television hits, “Sex And The City” (great nude scene with Cynthia Nixon’s character Miranda) and of course “LA Law.” The networks have been trying to make a star out of him for years, with roles in the cancelled “LAX” and “City of Angels.” But where are his defining film roles? Scanning his bio, I only see a few recognizable titles, and few memorable roles.

I remember him in “Posse,” Mario van Peebles’ western effort; “Full Frontal,” in Steven Soderbergh's failed ensemble and “Madea’s Family Reunion,” which I will happily forget. Why isn’t he headlining a romantic comedy or leading an action franchise?

Studio execs should check out “In Treatment” to see what great work he’s capable of.

After he was cast as young Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars Ep. 2 - Attack of the Clones," Vancouver-born Hayden Christensen wisely avoided taking any roles with a hint of sci-fi in them, since he knew playing the guy who turns into Darth Vader would be a career-defining part.

So three years after he wrapped up his stint on the Dark Side with "Star Wars: Ep. 3 - Revenge of the Sith," why is he starring in the teleporting action pic "Jumper"?

Hayden told Jeffrey during a visit to the Reel Talk studio that once he saw where the film takes place AND that Doug Liman ("Go," "The Bourne Identity") was directing, he knew he had to do it.

Watch more of Jeffrey's interview with Hayden this weekend on RT. "Jumper" opens today (Valentine's Day).

"Fool's Gold" is sitting atop the box office, so I guess the studio execs who thought sparks would fly again between Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson were right.

He told Jeffrey during a recent interview that after "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" struck a chord with audiences, he had a feeling he'd be working with Goldie Hawn's daughter again.

The world premiere of "Jumper" was staged this week at the Ziegfeld Theater in Midtown Manhattan. The cast and crew didn't let the frigid temperature cool their excitement over the movie.

Director Doug Liman paused on the red carpet to talk to us about his newest project. Watch the clip after the jump.

The fedora, the whip, the new sidekick, Blanchett in wicked black hair, and a quick cameo of Karen Allen. We got all that and more in the first trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- which debuted earlier today.

Check out the trailer:

Couple things stand out for me after watching the trailer a few times:

Despite being 65, Harrison Ford still looks great as Indy. The new film wisely incorporates an older Dr. Jones into the plot so the age thing should be a non-issue. People age. Get over it.

Speaking of the plot, looks like Roswell, New Mexico is where a great deal takes place, so it's safe to assume Area 51 is involved.

Then there's the warehouse where he's swinging on his bullwhip -- looks an awful lot like the closing shot of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" where the Ark of the Covenant was stored.

Is everything coming full circle with this Indy adventure?

How about the ancient temple where he and Shia are at?

How hot did Cate Blanchett look as a Commie agent?

What did you guys think of the first look at Indy 4?

Let us know!

Time to get back to work!

Tuesday, the 10,500 members of the Writers Guild of America voted to end their industry crippling, 100 day strike. 3,492 voted yes to ending the strike, 283 voted against it.

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It's important to note that the vote to ratify the actual contract won't be completed until Feb. 25, but given the lopsided vote totals to end the strike and the fact that the union's board of directors have signed off on it, approval is considered a formality.

So what did the WGA get? The agreement gives writers a maximum flat fee of $1,200 for programs streamed online during the deal's first two years, along with 2 percent of a distributor's gross in the third year (that was a crucial part of the union's negotiating stance).

The tentative deal also includes provisions for increased residual payments for movies and TV programs downloaded from the Internet.

Writers on many of the shows shut down by the strike were expected to report to work TODAY, trying to salvage at least part of the interrupted television season. Since scripts need to be written and rewritten, it could actually take several weeks before actual production resumes on some shows. Half-hour sitcoms will have an easier time getting up to speed than 60 min. dramas.

One TV event that will go on as scheduled is the Academy Awards. The Guild's approval of the new deal ends the threat of a boycott that would have probably kept most celebrities from attending the Oscars, which take place Sunday, Feb. 24. Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscar telecast, was understandably relieved the strike had ended.

"I am ecstatic that the 80th Academy Awards presentation can now proceed full steam ahead," he said.

At Monday night's premiere of the movie "Jumper," the film's screenwriter and WGA member Simon Kinberg described his future plans once the strike ends.

Here's the official WGA announcement to striking writers; thanks to DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com.

"On Tuesday, members of the Writers Guilds East and West voted by a 92.5% margin to lift the restraining order that was invoked on November 5th. The strike is over.

Writing can resume immediately. If you were employed when the strike began, you should plan to report to work on Wednesday. If you're not employed at an office or other work site, call or e-mail your employer that you are resuming work. If you have been told not to report to work or resume your services, we recommend that you still notify your employer in writing of your availability to do so. Questions concerning return-to-work issues should be directed to the WGAW legal department or the WGAE’s assistant executive director.

The decision to begin this strike was not taken lightly and was only made after no other reasonable alternative was possible. We are profoundly aware of the economic loss these fourteen weeks have created not only for our members but so many other colleagues who work in the television and motion picture industries. Nonetheless, with the establishment of the WGA jurisdiction over new media and residual formulas based on distributor’s gross revenue (among other gains) we are confident that the results are a significant achievement not only for ourselves but the entire creative community, now and in the future.

We hope to build upon the extraordinary energy, ingenuity, and solidarity that were generated by your hard work during the strike.

Over the next weeks and months, we will be in touch with you to discuss and develop ways we can use our unprecedented unity to make our two guilds stronger and more effective than ever.

Now that the strike has ended, there remains the vote to ratify the new contract. Ballots and information on the new deal, both pro and con, will be mailed to you shortly. You will be able to return those ballots via mail or at a membership meeting to be held Monday, February 25th, 2008, at times and locations to be determined.

Thank you for making it possible. As ever, we are all in this together.

Best,

Patric M. Verrone President, WGAW

Michael Winship President, WGAE

"

You may not recognize the name but if you've gone to the movies in the past 30 years, then you know John Alvin's work. He was responsible for creating some of the most striking movie posters of all time.

John Alvin died last week at the age of 59. He had a heart attack. He leaves behind a wife, Andrea, and a daughter, Farah (who served as the hand model for the legendary E.T. movie poster). As a movie fan and a collector of original comic and fantasy art, I can tell you that John's work was revered by fans and experts alike. The simple reason being that it was beautiful to behold. Not just the first time. Every single time.

They aren't quite the gatekeepers of anticipation they used to be, since the Internet arrived and made images and video and spoilers from films so readily available. But there was a time when the first thing you would see of the next great blockbuster would be the movie poster at the local cinema. That's how I first learned of Star Wars. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Alien, Blade Runner too. John Alvin, along with Drew Struzan, was a master of the iconic image. To jog your memory, we're putting up some of his memorable posters here. I think that's the most appropriate tribute to an immensely talented man.

A quick heads up for all Indy fans out there. Tomorrow morning during the 8am hour of 'Good Morning America,' we'll get our first look at the first trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Have no idea how long it is, what it will contain, but I'll be watching either way. We'll post it here later in the day so you'll be able to watch it over and over, and dissect it frame by frame. Fun times!

Three years after 'Revenge of the Sith' put a bloody bow on the cinematic chapter of the Star Wars saga, we get word out of Skywalker Ranch that a new Star Wars movie is hitting theaters this summer.

"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" is the launch for an animated series debuting in the fall on Cartoon Network (with repeats on TNT). I can barely contain my Padewan giddiness at the prospects of a weekly Star Wars serial. And isn't it nice that it is opening three years since the final Star Wars prequel? Appropriate since that is the amount of time we've had to wait for every Star Wars movie.

The news about the latest extension of the Star Wars universe comes on the same day that Hayden Christensen visited our 30 Rock studios to talk about his new film "Jumper." Hayden was way cool and very laid back, not to mention much skinnier than I expected Darth Vader to be. You can check out Jeffrey's interview with Hayden this weekend on RT.

One last thing about the upcoming “Clone Wars” -- it's distributed by Warner Bros., which means we won't see & hear the 20th Century Fox logo and music that's preceded every Star Wars movie before. That will be weird.

- Last night, Monday the 11th, was the world premiere for “Jumper" and REEL TALK was there. Watch enthralling director Doug Liman describe his inspiration for the book-to-screen adaptation. If you look closely, you’ll even see Hayden Christensen in the background. Check out our features section for Hayden's interview.

- According to Comingsoon.net, the estate of LOTR is suing New Line Cinema. Apparently New Line has declined to pay a portion of the trilogy's gross profits.

- Gadget of the week: Nokia’s N96. Fully equipped with digital TV, VGA-quality video recording at 30 frames per second and a hidden kickstand for watching video. Now you can pretend to take an important call but instead catch up on your favorite television episodes! Read more on The Boy Genius Report.

- Check out what's new on DVD.

- Opening this week:

- Who’s watching out for the “Watchmen?” Fox is, they’ve just filed a lawsuit claiming Warner Bros has breached rights Fox previously had regarding filming privileges for the Marvel comic. The Hollywood Reporter has the details.

- Viral Videos aren’t vain. Celebrities are moving towards the idea as a means to boost their image.

- Pic of the week: Looks like that other Boleyn girl has a lot to compete with. Check out the promo pictures in W Magazine with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman for their upcoming film, “The Other Boyelyn Girl.”

When you hear Carla Bruni and music in the same sentence, I'm sure Mick Jagger (in reference to her past relationship with the musician) is the next name you anticipate to finish that sequence. However, the recently wed, Carla Bruni Sarkozy is actually head-over-heels with not just the president of France, but music and American literature as well.

Her album, "No Promises,” which was released in Europe and topped the pop charts in France, will be hitting the states on February 19th. The model/pop star's album is a new take on poetry which draws from artists like Dorothy Parker, William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rosetti, Walter de la Mare, and W.H. Auden.

With French films being anything but a stranger to Americans especially with the recent nomination of Marion Cotillard for best actress in "La Vie en Rose," you might see this model/musician/pop star/American Lit connoisseur/First Lady of France possibly picking up a movie script any time soon, and becoming a part of the entertainment business in more ways than one. What do you think?

Listen to France’s First Lady croon Yeats in her seductively smoky voice with her first single “Those Dancing Days are Gone.”

I was recently watching “The Pirates Who Do Nothing: A Veggie Tales Movie” (do you still envy my job?) when it occurred to me that the villain of the piece was British -- as it so often is in movies. Why is that? I’m British, and I don’t think I’m particularly dastardly.

From Basil Rathbone as the evil sheriff of Nottingham in “Robin Hood, ” to Cruella de Vil in “101 Dalmatians,” George Sanders in “Rebecca” and “The Jungle Book,” Jeremy Lyons in “The Lion King,” the list goes on. Hollywood is fixated on British villains.

An interesting note -- the actor who played Darth Vader in “Star Wars” was British, yet James Earl Jones was brought in to overdub his lines!

[Photo courtesy of Disney Pictures]

I was very sad to learn of the passing of Roy Scheider yesterday. I had two special connections with Roy. First, I "portrayed" a reporter in "The French Connection." It's the scene in which the Lincoln Continental is being hoisted up off the ship, and we're crowded around someone doing a mass interview.

Years later, he'd kid me about that appearance, using the old joke of my playing myself resulted in a performance what was "unconvincing." And I faced him in two games at the Artists' and Writers' game in East Hampton; the annual charity game in late August. He was always the starting pitcher for the Artists' team; tanned, looking fit and always smiling. I did get a hit off him, somehow, and he knew what he was doing around the mound. His other baseball connection was "Tiger Town," a 1983 TV movie.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

That legendary line of dialogue from "Jaws" would have cemented Roy Scheider's place in film history all by itself. It's hard to find someone who doesn't know which movie that line is from.

But Roy Scheider was more than just Chief Brody, more than just a bystander in a pop culture milestone. That may be where I and millions of others maybe first saw him, but before he took off on the Orca to chase after Bruce the shark, he already had an Oscar nomination for playing Gene Hackman's partner in "The French Connection." He also co-starred in another classic, "Klute."

Roy Scheider passed away Sunday at a Little Rock, Arkansas hospital at the age of 75.

He had been suffering from multiple myeloma for some time. His wife told the NY Times that the exact cause of death was from a staph infection he developed.

Scheider spent much of the 1970s as a leading man, thanks to the success of the movies I just mentioned. But imagine if he wouldn't have had to turn down the lead role in "The Deer Hunter" (that went to Robert De Niro) because he was contractually tied to doing "Jaws 2." Nothing against the Jaws sequel; I actually think it's one of the better sequels made. I remember watching it as a 7-year-old at the Westchester General Cinema Twin, scared outta of my corduroys.

His career peaked with "All That Jazz," where he earned a 2nd Oscar nod (for Best Actor) in Bob Fosse's autobiographical film. After "Blue Justice" (an underappreciated action pic) and "2010" Scheider shifted toward character roles. He also did lots of TV work, including reuniting with Steven Spielberg on the short-lived mid-90s undersea adventure "SeaQuest DSV."

Scheider did a lot of charity work, especially in Sag Harbor, where he lived for many years and owned a gorgeous waterfront home. He also maintained one of the best tans in Hollywood. My goodness, the man was like a walking Coppertone ad.

One thing he DIDN'T do, to his everlasting credit, was do any more Jaws movies. He spared himself the ridicule of being associated with the terrible "Jaws 3-D."

The last movie I saw him in was "Punisher," where he played Frank Castle's dad. Before he was killed in the movie's key setup scene, he took out one of the bad guys. I remember being glad that the guy who played Chief Brody had one more chance to play the hero. He was good at it.

Terrible reviews did nothing to keep audiences away from the latest Matthew McConaughey-Kate Hudson pairing, "Fool's Gold." It took top honors at the weekend box office with $22 million. In second place, proving once again that his fan base is as loyal as it gets, was Martin Lawrence's "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" with $17.1M.

The "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus" 3D concert movie picked up another $10.5M but saw its receipts tumble 66%. Fourth place went to Jessica Alba's "The Eye" .. which only lost 46% of its audience in its sophomore weekend. Not bad for a movie with absolutey no buzz. The unstoppable "Juno" added another $5.7M to push its total to $117M.

"Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights: From Hollywood to the Heartland" bombed, earning just $507,000 on 962 screens. Too bad. It's a fun movie that was a daring experiment for Vaughn to do.

And the disastrous debut of "The Hottie & the Nottie" should put an end to Paris Hilton's dreams of movie stardom. It earned $25,000 in its first weekend on 111 screens. That translates to about 20 tickets sold per theater. Ouch.

Looks likes the three-month-old writers strike could be coming to an end. Sunday, Guild leaders unanimously voted to ask members to decide on ratifying the contract and end the walkout, according to AP reports.

West Coast Guild members will meet up Tuesday to allow writers to decide whether the strike should be brought to an immediate end.

Keep checking reeltalktv.com to get the latest updates on the writers strike.

Thursday night at the Apple store in SoHo, Vince Vaughn hosted a special screening of his new film "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights: From Hollywood to the Heartland" and a Q&A session right after the movie. Vince asked Jeffrey to moderate the session, and Jeffrey was happy to do it.

Jeffrey's interviewed Vince at least a half-dozen times, going back to the 'Swingers' days, and the rapport they have after talking so many times is very entertaining.

Anyway, take a look at highlights from the Q&A with the fans after the screening of the movie (which is HILARIOUS). "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights: From Hollywood to the Heartland" is now playing in theaters.

Check out Jeffrey & Alison's review this weekend on RT.

Vince Vaughn is a natural comedian. The 6-5 star of smash comedies like "Dodgeball," "Wedding Crashers" and "Old School" is blessed with the gift to know how to say things to get people to crack up. Much of that comes from his improv background.

Take a listen as Vince talks to Jeffrey about his improv skills and the four young stand-up comics featured in his new documentary "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - From Hollywood to the Heartland."

Jeffrey's conversations with Vince are alway a treat, so be sure to watch REEL TALK this weekend to hear more from Mr. Vaughn.

Martin Scorsese and Shangri-La Entertainment, are teaming up to produce a documentary on the legendary reggae star Bob Marley.

The untitled film has an expected release date for February 6, 2010 -- the 65th anniversary of Marley’s birth. The soundtrack for this should be awesome. I'm thinking Saul Williams and perhaps covers done by Ziggy Marley. What do you think?

Unfortunately, a few (actually, just one) of the REEL TALK staff members will be spending the Valentine’s Day holiday alone.

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, a film I suggest watching while you're eating that entire tub of ice cream AND apple pie with whip cream, is “Amelie.” No, it’s not a short film, so it does not completely relate to this post's category. But it’s a hopelessly romantic film sure to resonate even with the non-romantics in your bunch.

I’m actually on my second DVD of this film. I nearly destroyed my first copy during many anti-romantic Friday nights a few years back (that’s another long and pathetic post for later…).

Most romantic films have predictable plots (read Alison’s post about redundant storylines). But with “Amelie,” director Jean-Pierre Jeunet captures the essence of a lonely, yet adventurous woman who haphazardly falls in love – at first sight.

February is the perfect time of the year to rediscover “Amelie.” Not just for the romantic connotation, but because this film was nominated for five Academy Awards – including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Screenplay.

And now, thanks to YouTube, we have a “Fan Inspired” trailer to get you inspired to rent this fabulous movie.

Let me know what you think. Leave a comment or two.

[Images courtesy of Taringa.net, AmeliePoulain.ifrance.com and YouTube]

In nearby Jersey City at the Landmark Loew's, there was a tribute the earlier this week to Orson Welles, the greatest filmmaker of his generation or any other, for that matter.

They showed "Citizen Kane," arguably the greatest movie of all time, and "The Lady From Shanghai." Also on the bill was "The Magnificent Ambersons," which was nearly ruined by lesser talents who dared tinker with his masterpiece while Welles was on a diplomatic mission to Latin America at the behest of FDR (can you believe that --what audacity!). Add to that list, "Touch of Evil," with Charlton Heston and the late Janet Leigh.

I hope Orson Welles festivals like this spring up all over the country from time to time. It’s a great way for younger generations to learn from and about the genius of the pride of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"I can't spell out loud," I once heard him say. "I'll write out my new title," he said, writing out "Count Welles Di Girfalco," a title he acquired when he married his last wife, Paola Mori, an actress and Italian Countess. "I just want to be a count long enough to come into a dinner attended by Lord Laurence Olivier and by protocol be accorded a better seat than his, " he said.

He wasn't wrong about many things, but one was the future of TV in Italy. "Italians like to talk more than watch," he'd said. "I miscalculated because they go to cafes to watch TV and talk back to the screen." When he was 15, he was a music critic in Chicago. He gave a singer named Martinelli a bad review. He hadn't seen the show, and got the name of the opera wrong, unaware there'd been a last minute switch.

"If you're a stage actor," you can go on opening night and add whatever you think is needed to perfect your performance; no one can stop you. But be careful. Your performance is also the result of the hard work of the author and director. If you DO change or add anything, the audience will be your judge. You'd better be right." I was lucky to know Orson Wells and I'm glad his memory will never fade.

In a little less than a month the southern gem of music festivals begins. Yep, I’m talking about SXSW (South by Southwest).

In a nutshell, SXSW is a music and film trade show by day and an explosive entertainment festival by night. If you’ve never been to the festival, I highly recommend it! There’s no other place where you’ll have the ability to hear hundreds of musical acts from around the world in the best city in the world, (next to NYC), Austin, Texas.

Also on the festival’s agenda is their film conference and interactive festival. I’m salivating over the thought of this right now! There is nothing I love more of – music, film and media!

SXSW is March 7-16. For more information on the festival, visit SXSX.com.

According to WNBC, The medical examiner has concluded that the actor’s death was an accident. According to the NBC affiliate, Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine.

More details can be found here.

I have been dying to see a film version of Tolkien’s the Hobbit ever since I was a young girl and fell in love with the book. It had such a profound effect on me that I named my pet hamster Bilbo Baggins and even resented Frodo when he became the lead character in “Lord Of The Rings.” My father had to convince me to read it when, out of loyalty to Bilbo I expressed reservations.

Now there are reports that Guillermo del Toro is about to sign on to direct the planned back-to-back film versions of “The Hobbit.” If that’s true, they are sure to be fantastic!

As Peter Jackson is tied up with “The Lovely Bones” and “Tintin,” (another childhood fave of mine!) he will only be able to executive produce the projects, after recently reconciling with new line cinema after years of post-LORT acrimony.

If del Toro does step in, it would be a great fit. No other director can handle fantasy, fear and genuine feeling as well as him. (If you’ve only seen “Hellboy” then check out “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Cronos.”) My only concern is that the recent “Beowulf” stole the thunder of “The Hobbit” with that excellent dragon fight finale.

Apparently those filmmakers admitted being influenced by the battle with Smaug that ends “The Hobbit”. Del Toro will have to up the ante quite a bit to match that!

While news of this weekend's possible breakthrough in the talks to end the Writers Strike had everyone excited, here's a sobering reminder that until a deal is officially reached, Oscar night remains in jeopardy.

Today Vanity Fair magazine announced it was cancelling its annual Oscar party. Usually one of the biggest A-List affairs on Hollywood's biggest night, the VF party was supposed to be held at Craft, since the usual location -- Morton's -- has closed.

A statement on the magazine's website says: "After much consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar party. We want to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and we look forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year."

The latest word on the strike talks is that an agreement is this close to being reached, check out www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com's strike updates for all the details.

Better happen soon if the big, bloated, 45 minutes too-long Oscar ceremony we all love to watch is going to happen.

After “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in 3D grossed a mind-blowing $31.7 million during its opening weekend, Walt Disney Pictures issued the most anti-climactic press release of 2008: The Mouse House is extending the theatrical engagement of the monster hit.

Cynics would say Disney had plans all along of keeping the film that documents Miley Cyrus' smash-hit concert in theaters longer than the 'special one-week engagement' that was advertised. That the studio knew the film was breaking advance online ticket sales records, but they stuck to the 'one week only' sales pitch to maximize sales.

Either way, this means that the huge Hannah Montana fan base gets another chance to see their heroine in 3D action.

Read the full press release.

Here is our weekly list of links sure to fill you with all the entertainment sound bites you need to know. It's time for our weekly series: REEL TALK's Mix Tape Tuesdays!

Fashion week begins soon, (sigh) another reason to restart the diet.

It’s FAT TUESDAY, now you can watch your friends have more fun in NOLA than you.

And it's also Super Tuesday. Mashable.com has a huge web list of candidate information, including educational sites and resources.

The ultimate Valentines Day cards -- with little Law and Order twist.

Eva Longoria Parker visited our studios last week, you can watch the interview here.

New On DVD:

Lets get it on with Jesse L. Martin who will play Marvin Gaye in a biopic labled “Sexual Healing.” The project will be produced by James Gandolfini who will also star in the project

Can’t watch raunchy movie scenes without getting red in the face? Check out Clean Flicks. While they no longer edit out certain cenes, they now offer "carefully selected" films that meet their standards...worth a try.

And the Tuesday film of the week, we posted this in our Romantic Shorts section. Check it out, it's pretty funny.

[Clip Courtesy of AtomFilms.com]

SPOILER ALERT
The more romantic comedies I watch, the more I realize that they are very difficult to do well. I haven’t seen a great one in years. And in fact, in recent years, we have had spectacular disasters such as “Failure to Launch”, “Because I Said So”, “Catch And Release” and “The Wedding Date”. But good or bad, there’s a formula they all follow…and it goes like this.

Two polar opposites (often a ‘high-maintenance’ woman, see “French Kiss” or “When Harry Met Sally” or “The Family Stone”) meet and decide they hate each other. Meg Ryan is particularly adept at this role.

Man can be ultra-laid back (Matthew McConaughey in “Failure to Launch,” Matthew McConaughey in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Fools Gold”), foreign (Kevin Kline in “French Kiss”) or a journalist (Richard Gere in “Runaway Bride,” James Marsden in “27 dresses”).

Then there’s a deception. The man usually tricks the women into believing he is sincere and wants to spend time with the woman. Sometimes the woman does the tricking (“Failure to Launch,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”).

Then, despite themselves, our leads fall for each other and they have sex. Subsequently, the deception is discovered and feelings are hurt and the trust/love is gone (“27 Dresses” when the article comes out in paper, “Failure to Launch” when he realizes his parents ‘bought’ her services).

Then comes the period of reflection. Cue montage of moments together and regret filled whining to best friend (Rosie O’Donnell and Jeremy Piven perhaps?)

Next, there is often a last minute rush to catch the other person before he/she marries someone else or takes off for another country. The best example of this is Woody Allen rushing through the streets of NYC to reach Mariel Hemingway before she departs for London in “Manhattan.” Worst is Katherine Heigl racing to catch James Marsden at a wedding on a boat. Paul Rudd also rushes to the airport to catch Lake Bell in this week’s “Over Her Dead Body.”

No screenplay ever again should end with someone rushing to the airport or buying a ticket to get through the gate to declare his/her love to another. Am I cynical? When it comes to romantic comedies, yes.

Looking back at 2007, several soundtracks stand out.

“Into The Wild,” was much enhanced by Eddie Vedder’s plaintive voice and skillful songwriting. “Juno,” was fun, with the Moldy Peaches, Velvet Underground, Mott the Hoople and The Kinks featured.

But the soundtrack, which for me, best reflected what was being shown on screen was the instrumental score for “There Will Be Blood” by Radiohead’s guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

Defying the conventions of usual Hollywood scores, greenwood’s was dramatic and full of foreboding, operatic and haunting. Kudos to Paul Thomas Anderson for taking a different path and not using the usual sweeping music that we so often hear accompanying epic period dramas.

What's you favorite soundtrack from the 2007 movie season? Comment below or chat with others in our forums.

Recent news indicates that Joe Johnson has replaced the film’s original director, Mark Romanek for the Universal sci-fi flick. Johnson last directed “Hidalgo” and “Jurassic Park III.”

It’s been noted that Romanek has fled the production due to creative differences.

The film’s main character, Benicio Del Toro is still attached to star in the production with Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt to costar.

Production for “The Wolfman” starts in London mid March.

I recently saw this little British film by first time director Paul Andrew Williams called “London to Brighton” and it blew me away. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the characters and their damaged psyches.

The two lead actresses, Georgia Groome as Joanne and Lorraine Stanley as Kelly, give astounding performances. Grounded in such realism that you can imagine seeing their characters living and breathing on the streets of London. Right out of a Mike Leigh screenplay. Joanne and Kelly are part of London’s underworld, a young runaway and a street hustler.

The film hits us in the face with its visceral first scene. Kelly, with a beaten face, swollen eye and thick cockney accent hides young Joanne in a disgusting, dirty public toilet. On the run from someone, the film unfolds at a breakneck pace, but we gather our information slowly in terrifying flashbacks. “London to Brighton” is a frenetic chase film that culminates in a brutal finale. It’s social realism mixed with tension-filled action. It makes the films of Guy Ritchie look like superficial pseudo-glam hogwash.

Watch out for the styrofoam cups blowing in the wind -- a symbol of our two protagonists’ lives, disposable and out of control.

[Photos Courtesy of IMDB and L2B-TheMovie.co.uk]

If the writer's settlement is indeed imminent, as this weekend's reports of a breakthrough in negotiations suggest, it will immediately be a boon to the Oscars, of course, the normal program will be what we'll see.

There may also be an urgency as to production numbers, since some rehearsals may have been curtailed. But I suspect it'll look normal and with this year having hot races in three of the four acting categories and best picture up for grabs, the ratings for the show should be healthy.

As for movies, it may take some time before productions that were halted by the strike to start gearing up. It's the TV series, which were all shut down, that will be playing catch up. I suspect the producers will come up with a way to speed up the production process and get the actors back in front of the lenses with surprising speed.

Once things are back to normal, I think lots of people on both sides, and the audiences around the world, will be asking, "what took you so long?"

[Photo Courtesy of Getty Images]

Here's another new pic from my most anticipated movie of 2008, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

How crazy cool is it to see Karen Allen ('Marion Ravenwood') sitting next to Indy and Indy Jr.?? (Shia LaBeouf)??!?

So cool that the fact that Indy is holding a BAZOOKA isn't the most interesting part of the picture!

The newest Indiana Jones adventure opens May 22nd.

There's a new A-lister in Hollywood -- Miley Cyrus. The Disney Channel phenom bulldozered everything in sight as "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert" in 3D took the top spot at the weekend box office. Playing in only 683 theaters (IMAX 3D & Digital 3D only), the concert movie took in $29 million, averaging $42,459 per screen!!!

The compact 70 min. film allowed theaters to squeeze in a few extra screenings, but tickets for the movie have been scarce for weeks as the rabid Hannah Montana fan base scooped them up online.

Jessica Alba's latest not-screened-for-critics outing "The Eye" scared up $13M in its debut, not bad considering nearly universally bad reviews. In third place was the durable Rom Com "27 Dresses." "Juno" keeps chugging along. It finished 4th with $7.5M and now totals an incredible $110M. With its Oscar momentum growing, its not far-fetched to think the Ellen Page comedy could challenge "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" as the top-grossing indie movie ever.

BTW, "The Bucket List" out-earned "Cloverfield" this weekend. Don't look now but the old-guy buddy movie will likely earn more cash over the long haul than the 'cooler' online phenom monster movie.

Congrats to Rob G. for submitting a winning question for last week's 'Ask' contest. Rob asked about Eva choosing more Oscar-worthy roles and here's what the actress had to say when host Jeffrey Lyons presented the question:

Have a question you've been dying to ask your favorite actor? Submit your questions whenever our 'Ask' contest is up!

I think its time to officially be concerned about Jessica Alba’s career. Her new film “The Eye” drops this weekend, and I’d love to be able to tell you Alison & Jeffrey thought it was a clever thriller that lives up to the 2002 Hong Kong movie "Jian Gui" it remakes …except it wasn’t screened in advance for critics.

It’s the 2nd consecutive Alba movie (following November’s “Awake”) to not be screened for critics, a classic sign the picture’s a stinker. And like “Awake” it’s expected to miss badly at the box office.

This wraps up a run of five films with the luscious star to open in the last 8 months. With the exception of “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” all have tanked. Jude Law never recovered after his big push for superstardom in 2004, coming out with 6 films that year, flopped.

My question is, why is an actress with such A-list appeal appearing in so many bad movies?

“Good Luck Chuck,” “The Ten,” “Awake” .. and a Hong Kong remake?? Didn’t Alba’s agents get the industry memo that the Asian Movie remake trend was dead?

“GLC” was obviously an attempt to expand her commercial appeal by showing off her comedic chops – ala Cameron Diaz in “There’s Something About Mary.”
But it didn’t click with audiences, even though it had some outrageously funny scenes.

Actually, if you examine her career closely, the only true-blue hits she’s appeared in have been comic/graphic novel adaptations: Sin City & the two Fantastic Four movies. She wasn’t the main star in any of those three films, just part of an ensemble cast. And the fanboys would have turned out for both movies with Alba in the credits or not.

So is her star power overrated? Is she worth the Entertainment Weekly & Rolling Stone covers she’s graced the past couple years? Based on a pure return on performance basis, no. She’s not.

Look, I’m a charter member of The Jessica Alba Fan Club. Been a fan since her bust-out role on TV’s “Dark Angel.” But her fan club may be in need of a membership drive. And she needs better scripts.

If were leading Team Alba, I’d track down a nice romantic comedy that downplays her hotness. Most women I know aren’t fans of Alba’s work, which makes sense. She’s gorgeous and there’s a big difference between gorgeous and the non-threateningly cute/attractive/perky label that makes Reese Witherspoon America’s Sweetheart at the movies. Fewer pantie shots and more bright smiles. Sorry guys, we have to take one for the team here, for Jessica’s greater good.

I’d also find a nice indie ensemble pic that doesn’t cast her as the tart, mistress or homewrecker. She’s about to have a baby, so what better time to give her an image makeover?

Alba’s next film is due in June, the comedy “Love Guru” with Mike Myers. If Austin Powers can’t make her a box-office star, no one can! But my money’s on you, Jessica. Just no more thrillers, OK??

This weekend's big release (at least the one they screened critics) is the 'spirited' comedy "Over Her Dead Body" starring Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd and Lake Bell. Jeffrey talks with Mrs. Longoria Parker in this week's Top Billing.

Jeffrey and Alison also review two foreign films opening in select cities: the Romanian picture "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" and the Lebanese comedy "Caramel," which is set in a Beirut beauty salon, of all places.

Our peerless critics give you the heads up on the Canadian comedy import "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie" which is based on a popular north-of-the-border TV show. Think “Jackass” only with fewer stunts and less class!

Oh, and that special one-week engagement of "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert Tour" that's been all over the news? The one that's causing movie theater sellouts nationwide?? They’ll review that as well. I guarantee you'll be surprised by what Jeffrey and Alison have to say.

And what's the connection between David Letterman and Michael Keaton's directing career? You'll have to tune in this weekend to see our chat with the actor turned director about his indie film "The Merry Gentleman," which premiered at Sundance.

Click the Where To Watch tab to see when/where REEL TALK is airing. Enjoy!

[Photos Courtesy of Getty Images and TrailerParkBoys.com]

Want to know what movie to watch this weekend but in a hurry? Have a quick question about our show, hosts, or interviews?

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Is it just me, or has Michael Keaton just been criminally under-used the past few years in Hollywood? Aside from the indie "Game Six" and TNT's miniseries "The Company" he just hasn't done much work that audiences can appreciate him in. And BTW, I'm choosing to pretend "Herbie: Fully Loaded" doesn't exist.

This is the guy who made "Night Shift," "Mr. Mom," "Johnny Dangerously," (it's funny, watch it again to see what I mean) "The Dream Team," and "Speechless." Then, to show off the dramatic chops no one thought he had, did "Clean & Sober" "One Good Cop" and "Pacific Heights" (a conflicted hero cop in the former, the absolute neighbor from HELL in the latter). For the sake of Pete's Love, he was Beetlejuice and Batman!! Why isn't he working more?

Good news is, he was out and about at Sundance promoting "The Merry Gentleman," which is looking for distribution. He stars as a despondent hitman in the film and also directs the picture -- a first for him. Alison asks him about double dipping on a movie set and also learns that David Letterman really sparked the directing bug in Keaton. You can hear about that in our 'Spotlight On...' feature on Michael Keaton this weekend on REEL TALK (check local listings).

Meanwhile, here's how Keaton describes his character in the movie:

[Photo Courtesy of Getty Images]