Glee Goes GaGa

The Gleeks are it again, recruiting more pop royalty for an upcoming episode.

Up first is the Queen, natch, and coming up next is the reigning princess, Lady GaGa.

Yep – soon after the show returns in just a couple of weeks, the eye-catching singer’s “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” will be getting the Glee treatment, with Lea Michele taking on the latter.

“She does a very stripped-down version,” show creator Ryan Murphy said. Meanwhile, “Bad Romance” will be a much more elaborate number, with the kids wearing GaGa-esque wardrobe for their performance.

I said it once and I’ll see it again: Madonna did it first. You can try to imitate her, but you can never duplicate her. Or anything she does. It just won’t be the same. At all. Ever.

Photos: E! Online; GaGaNews.com.

Meet the New Mr. Rochester

Production on a new version of Jane Eyre has begun in the U.K. with Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) in the title role…and the very handsome Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) as Mr. Rochester.

The supporting cast includes Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, and Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky).

But back to Fassbender, whom producer James Schamus calls one of “today’s most promising new stars.” I am thrilled that this German-born actor is getting the showcase he deserves.

The guy’s so easy on the eyes and beyond-magnetic.

Photo: Telegraph.co.uk.

They’re Rock-ing Matt Damon!

Tina Fey wanted her some Matt Damon, and by golly...Tina Fey got her some Matt Damon.

The 30 Rock mastermind had let it be known she wanted the Oscar winner to be on her hit TV show – “She should call my people...or even better me. Or I could call her. Let’s make this happen,” he said upon hearing about it last December – and now the actor is set to guest on the show toward season’s end.

Could he be playing Liz Lemon’s up-until-now-imaginary boyfriend, Astronaut Mike Dexter?

Who knows – details of Damon’s appearance are being kept secret, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Photo: People.com.

Come Back in Front of the Camera, Aaron!

Oh, Hollywood – what are you doing to Aaron Eckhart?

The film industry’s Greatest Leading Man (Who’s Not Quite Happening Yet) has a new passion – fashion photography. And now I’m worried the guy’s gonna stay behind the camera.

Eckhart, who recently shot his first campaign, for maybe-gal pal Molly Sims’ jewelry line, seems to be a little too enthusiastic about the endeavor for my taste (because I don’t want him anywhere but on the big screen).

“I’m obsessed with it – it’s all I do,” he said. “It’s the only thing I think about.”

Yeah, alright, that’s fine and dandy…but is the Golden Globe-nominated actor, who cites Peter Lindbergh and Bruce Weber as heroes, going to pursue this full time?

“If somebody asks,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll do exhibitions and all that sort of stuff. I’m really just a photography geek. I just love to shoot.”

Well, OK. That I can behind. Just as long as he doesn’t quit his day job…and he invites me to the opening.

Photo: People.com.

Shaving the Beards

And just like that, Ricky Martin came out as gay today.

With little ballyhoo, the multi-hyphenate wrote on his Web site, “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

The hoopla, natch, ensued shortly thereafter.

Martin, it seems, was prompted to make the revelation because he is writing his memoirs, “a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life.

“From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating.”

Indeed, and much joy to ya and to yours!

Photo: Towleroad.com.

Update: The day after his big news, Ricky Martin tweeted, “What’s going on gang? I’m doing great! Stronger than ever! I’m here relaxing @ home enjoying ur messages! I feel the love! Thanx for all! Peace.”

Damn, Girl

Does Cameron Diaz have a hot pair of long legs or what!

The actress wore a beyond-skimpy pair of denim shorts on the L.A. set of her new comedy Bad Teacher, which co-stars ex-bf Justin Timberlake, and now I cannot help but wish to have been a fly on the wall.

I mean…that’s H-O-T.

Photo: UsMagazine.com.

Time Winds Down on 24

Ding dong, 24 is done.

After eight rocky, mostly terrific seasons, the clock is running out on the Emmy-winning real-time Fox drama this year.

Star Kiefer Sutherland promises that producing a ninth season for another network, like NBC, which was rumored to want to pick it up, is not an option because he and exec producer Howard Gordon are calling it quits.

“The writers are producing the equivalent of 12 films a year, which is unheard of, and Howard felt to do a ninth would be potentially damaging,” the actor said. “We both felt strongly that there has been a demand and an interest in a 24 film, which would be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day, so we felt it was time to move in that direction.”

Sounds good to me, like the sensible thing to do, albeit a couple of seasons too late. I’m still a fan, though, and I look forward to the movie.

Photo: EW.com.

Jesus in 3-D

That’s right, Jesus Luz – keep modelin’.

Madonna’s wannabe songwriting boyfriend is starring in the new Ellus Leather Denim Winter 2010 Collection campaign, which was shot in ever trendy 3-D.

Whatever keeps this guy...well, his songs with titles like “We Come From Light” (click here for a listen) away from the Queen, y’ know what I mean....

Photo: SocialiteLife.CeleBuzz.com.

An Interesting Move

Kate Hudson is set to join Something Borrowed, an upcoming rom-com starring the most adorably inspired pairing of Ginnifer Goodwin and John Krasinski.

The interesting thing is Hudson would be playing…the supporting role of Goodwin’s best friend.

Alright, so the part is slightly more significant, since she’d be the woman for whose boyfriend her BFF falls and goes after.

But still – it ain’t the lead. And that’s kinda major considering Hudson’s an actress who has made rom-coms her bread and butter. Or tried to with mixed results.

Work is work, though, and she’s probably the gal for the part.

Photo: OnSugar.com.

The List, Pt. 23

In: Soot-ing up for spring (and great casuals).

So Five Minutes Ago: Seasonal affective disorder.

O-V-E-R: Bundling up for winter.

Photo: Out.com.

What Angela’s Got to Do with It

Angela Bassett is joining the cast of the Green Lantern movie as Dr. Amanda Waller, a prominent character in the DC Comics universe.

The blockbuster starring Ryan Reynolds in the title role and Blake Lively is currently filming in New Orleans.

Green Lantern, which is set to open next summer, co-stars Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong. Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) is directing.

Photo: The12Planet.blogspot.com.

A Heartthrob in the Making

Cutie patootie White Collar star Matt Bomer is in talks to join What’s Your Number?, which is set to star Anna Faris and shoot this summer.

The comedy, which may or may not also co-star Chris Evans, recently named Captain America by Hollywood, follows a woman (Faris) who revisits her old sexual conquests to find the Mr. Right among them.

Bomer would play her dream man.

Oh, and Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist scene-stealer Ari Graynor is also in negotiations to come on board playing Faris’ sister.

This one’s sounding more and more interesting to me with each casting news….

Photo: PubSub.com.

Just Because, Pt. 58

Talk about your effective advertising.

This photo of Broadway hottie Cheyenne Jackson made its way onto the WWW ealier today to promote…A) Himself, B) New York City, or C) Photoshop?

Oh heck, let’s just go with D) All the above.

Photo: PerezHilton.com.

The Other Man Indeed

John Corbett has confirmed my most hopeful wish-turned-ew thought (for a reason): He will be on Sex and the City 2...and, potentially, not quite in the way I would’ve hoped.

“I just found out I’m going to be in the trailer, so I get to break the news,” he told Ellen DeGeneres at a taping of an episode of the comedian’s show set to air on March 31. “Aidan gets to come back.”

Although he didn’t share any other deets, it is believed that Aidan will come back and stir up some old feelings and some trouble for Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

Photo: UsMagazine.com.

Steven Strays

Lady GaGa is going after one of Madonna’s men, photographer Steven Klein.

The pop princess has recruited the Queen of Pop’s BFF (pictured here with M) to direct the video for her next single, “Alejandro.”

The video, btw, will not be a sequel to her recently released “Telephone.”

Photo: NewYorkSocialDiary.com.

Back to Naughty Basics

Hot Mama Alert!

Christina Aguilera is getting ready to release “Not Myself Tonight,” the first track off her upcoming new album – and just to tease us, she has given us a peek at the single’s sexy art.

In the black and white photo, Aguilera is dressed in dominatrix gear, complete with devil horns and tail drawn in.

The singer has promised to update fans with more information within a day.

Photo: People.com.

Update: As promised, Christina Aguilera updated fans on March 25 on what to expect from her this year: a new album called Bionic to be released on June 8.

Stone on a Roll

Emma Stone, the young up-and-comer who drew our eyes in The House Bunny and was in last years sleeper hit Zombieland, is about to become super-well-known as part of The Help.

The actress is in talks to star in Dreamworks’ adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel.

Stone would play the lead, “Skeeter” Phelan, a white recent college graduate living in the South in the early 1960s so uncomfortable with the current social norms of her Mississippi, where the black maids do all the work and receive none of the respect, that she sets out to write a book chronicling their experiences, a tell-all that uncovers the racism, cruelty and deplorable actions of the white society women, some of whom are her own friends.

Gasp. I kinda want to read the book now.

I say do it, girl. And roll your way up all the way to the top of the A List.

Photo: LelaModa.com.

Get Ready, Officially, for Another Scream

Scream 4 is happening.

That piercing sound you hear? That’s the teenager in me, waking up thanks to the jolt of scary-movie nostalgia.

Dimension Films has confirmed – OMYay! – that the fourth chapter of the series will start production this spring, with – double-OMYay! – Wes Craven directing from a script by Kevin Williamson.

Original cast members Neve Campbell, and David Arquette and Courteney Cox all have signed on to reprise their roles, and will be joined by a group of young’uns who have yet to be announced.

“Working with Courteney, David, and Neve was a blast 10 years ago,” Craven said, “and I’m sure it will be again. Kevin is right on his game with the new script – the characters and story crackle with energy and originality – to say nothing of some of the most hair-raising scares I’ve seen in a script since…well, since the original Scream series. Let me at it.”

Scream 4 will be released on April 15, 2011.

Photo: ThinkHero.com.

Let’s Hear It for Health Care

It took him a while, but President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Health Care for America Act into law today.

And yes, Vice President Joe Biden, I agree: this is “a big f---ing deal.”

The House passed the landmark bill, after many months of tweaking and retweaking, by a vote of 219-212. It will provide coverage to more than 30 million people who currently go without it.

Next up: equal rights for everyone. Because that’s also a big f---ing deal, y’ know.

Photo: NYTimes.com.

Ewan, the King

Madonna has cast Ghost Writer star Ewan McGregor in W.E., her upcoming sophomore effort as a director.

The actor will play Edward VIII in the movie, opposite Up in the Air Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga, who will portray Wallis Simpson, the American divorcée for whom the British Monarch famously abdicated the throne in 1936.

Abbie Cornish will play a contemporary character named Wally Winthrop in a parallel time line à la Julie & Julia. Her love interest, a Russian security guard, is yet to be cast.

Photo: ThomasCookMagazine.com.

Update 1: Madonna will be spending the summer back in the U.K., shooting W.E. – “she has rediscovered her interest in Britain,” which is making Guy Ritchie quite happy (because he’ll get to see his kids more often).

Update 2: Well, this is disappointing.

A rep for Ewan McGregor has said the actor is “not doing” W.E., after all.

Time to Rock

Aldous Snow is staging a comeback.

Russell Brand’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall character is getting spun off in a movie of his own, June 4’s Get Him to the Greek, which stars Jonah Hill as a music biz flunky who has to escort the British rock god from the U.K. to L.A.’s Greek Theatre for a show.

Foul-mouthed hilarity ensues. Check out the red-band trailer if you don’t believe me:

The Role He Was Born to Play

Kellan Lutz is getting his godly on.

The actor’s putting his clothes back on to play the sea god Poseidon in War of the Gods.

The action epic is set to co-star Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto, and Mickey Rourke.

Tarsem Singh (The Cell) will direct the movie, which centers on a clash between men, gods, and titans in ancient Greece.

Photo: FanPop.com.

The High Price of Research

Say what you will about Roman Polanksi, but the legally embattled director sure knows how to deliver a perfectly moody film.

His latest, The Ghost Writer, about an unnamed writer working on the memoirs of a former prime minister under investigation for committing war crimes, is just that: a terrific nail-biter of a thriller that’s smart and satisfying.

Ewan McGregor plays The Ghost, a modestly successful British writer who agrees – somewhat enthusiastically at first, and, soon, rather regretfully – to take a final pass at the memoirs of the Tony Blairesque Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), a project that seems doomed from the start.

Firstly, because The Ghost is taking over the work of a dead man, a longtime Lang aide whose drowning is shrouded in mystery. And secondly, because right before he is to fly out to work on the project, in the middle of winter in a beautiful oceanfront house on an island off the U.S. eastern seaboard (which gives The Ghost Writer the perfect setting of intrigue and secrecy and danger), the news breaks that a former British cabinet minister has accused Lang of authorizing the illegal seizure of suspected terrorists and handover for torture by the CIA.

This, of course, makes Lang super-difficult to work with: The controversy brings reporters and protesters swarming to the compound where Lang is staying with his wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams, playing the role of a hurt woman with the most perfect, delicious sneer), and his very personal assistant Amelia (Kim Cattrall, reclaiming her native British accent for the part), so, naturally, the entire thing takes a toll on everybody.

As The Ghost works, though, he begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor may have stumbled on a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA, and that somehow this information is hidden in the manuscript he left behind.

The Ghost Writer was a delight to watch. It was clever and attention-grabbing and quite surprising until the very end. The twist that arrives shortly before the credits roll was delivered expertly – a lesser film would’ve chronicled it to death, so when the truth comes out, it’s tragically illuminating.

My Rating ****

Photo: Summit Entertainment.

The Other Man?

Spoiler Alert!

Seriously...this post contains a big ol’ wet blanket of a plot point for an upcoming movie I wish I hadn’t read.

You still here? Then suit yourself.

Sarah Jessica Parker & Co. have been able to keep the plot of Sex and the City 2 pretty under wraps – until now.

According to this report, John Corbett, a.k.a. Aidan Shaw, will appear in the sequel due out on May 28, after all – and he will be stirring up some old feelings and some trouble for Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

Word is, our fab gal and her hubby will be having a bit of a rough time connecting, and so when she runs into Aidan on a trip, the two formers...do som’in’ they shouldn’t.

Now, I’ve always been on Team Aidan, but I never wanted the powers that be to bring him back to become Carrie’s l--ah! That cheapens everything I’ve come to love about the guy.

On the other hand...we get to see Aidan again. That is, if the rumor’s true. Such a toss-up....

Photo: MTV.com.

Captain Chris

It seems we have us our Captain America.

After much speculation, Chris Evans reportedly has received an official offer to play the iconic superhero in up to three Captain America movies, as well as The Avengers films.

Evans might have a conflict, though, since he’s supposed to shoot What’s Your Number? with Anna Faris this summer – at the same time that Captain America is set to go into production.

Ooh la la.

Anyway, I think Evans is a solid choice – he certainly has the abs for it. But I hope the powers that be won’t make him too much of a wisecrack, which is the vibe he often puts out there.

Photo: TheChrisEvansBlog.blogspot.com.

Update: Evans’ casting is a done deal: He will star in The First Avenger: Captain America for director Joe Johnston.

Matrix star Hugo Weaving is thisclose to signing on to play Cappie’s nemesis, Red Skull.

She’s Having His Baby?

Jennifer Aniston – love her! – may be back in theaters with today’s so-so-looking The Bounty Hunter, but…we can already look into the future at her next project, the late-summer entry The Switch.

Aniston stars as an unmarried thirtysomething (for whatever crazy reason) who turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend (Jason Bateman), who has been living with a secret: he replaced her preferred sperm sample with his own.

The movie, f.n.a. The Baster, comes “from the people who brought you Juno and Little Miss Sunshine.”

I hope that’s not just lip service, but from the looks of this trailer…I don’t know. It’s vibing like those two indie hits, but I have doubts:



I’ll see it, though, because of Aniston and Bateman (bonus point: Patrick Wilson plays what seems like a pivotal role)

The Switch is due out in August.

M Full of Glee

An all-Madonna episode of TV’s Glee is a-comin’, and Gleeks and M fans alike are going to be able to own the music as soon as the show airs.

To coincide with the Madonna themed ep airing April 20, an EP titled The Power of Madonna will be released on the same day in the United States. Tracks featured in the episode that are on the CD include “Express Yourself,” “Vogue,” and “4 Minutes,” among others.

What’s that smell? Oh, that’s just my iTunes burning up with anticipation.

Photo: Madonnalicious.com.

The List, Pt. 22

In: “Put It In a Love Song.”

So Five Minutes Ago: “Telephone.”

O-V-E-R: Denying the power of the Beyoncé.

Photo: People.com.

A Fallen Man

Say it isn’t so, Jesse James: You don’t only look like a bad boy...you may be a bad boy, too?

James has manned up and addressed the rumors of infidelity that have plagued his marriage to golden girl Sandra Bullock all week by issuing an apology to the Oscar winner and his three children, taking full responsibility for their heartbreak.

Although, it’s a case of the too little too late.

“The vast majority of the allegations reported are untrue and unfounded,” he said in a statement today. “Beyond that, I will not dignify these private matters with any further public comment.

“There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way.”

Dude, you betcha. If you’ve hurt our “Sandy,” then you have lost all your points.

Photo: DailyMail.co.uk.

The World Is Her Oyster

At last, a movie that should restore the shine on Julia Roberts’ box office crown is coming out this summer (as an independent weekend opener, I mean, not a group player).

Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller Eat Pray Love is getting the big screen treatment, with Ryan Murphy (TV’s Glee) at the helm, and Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins, James Franco, Viola Davis, and Billy Crudup rounding out the cast.

The movie looks like an ode to self-discovery, taking chances, and traveling – and I likey:

Consider my passport ready to go with Roberts & Co. come Aug. 13.

Checkmate

What...a rebound.

Former Spider-Man Tobey Maguire has lined up a new project.

The actor is committed to star as Bobby Fischer in David Fincher’s Pawn Sacrifice, about the legendary chess player.

Oscar bait much?

Photo: Flickr.com.

Here Comes Summer

Whedonverse darling Summer Glau is what I like to call an Ephemeral: She’s a cult TV show actress, but none of the projects she’s been a part of, like Firefly or Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, have gone beyond two seasons.

Glau is a tough cookie, though, and if at first (or second or third or whatever) she doesn’t succeed, she will try again.

The actress has signed on to be a part of NBC’s new superhero series The Cape, which follows a framed former cop (David Lyons) who turns to vigilantism, fighting bad guys as the titular masked hero.

Glau will play an investigative blogger who also fights crime and corruption from behind a mask.

Photo: OurKitchenSink.com.

M’s Business of Blocking the Sun

Madonna just announced this new fashion venture, MG Icon last week, right, and since it allows her to put her name on pretty much anything, M is moving ahead with her plans for total fashion world domination, beginning with a partnership with BFF Dolce & Gabbana to make sunglasses.

Domenico Dolce told WWD that the Queen of Pop had wanted to “get involved in some design project for a while,” and that’s how MDG was born.

The hot sunglasses will set back M fans and fashionistas alike about $248-$298 a pair. The MDG line launches in May.

Madonna’s go-to photographer pal Steven Klein shot the campaign, actually a video featuring the icon and model Tyson Ballou. (I guess Jesus Luz was busy writing songs or something.)

Photo: NYMag.com.

Be Afraid, M Fans…Be Very Afraid

Jesus Luz fancies himself a songwriter.

Gulp!

So I was at the nail salon the other when, reading a recent issue of Interview, I found out that Madonna’s boy toy likes to write songs.

“We [have] almost finished the second,” Luz said. “The first one is ‘We Come From Light’ [click here for a listen], and the other is ‘Sweet Mystery.’”

Oh dear. If Madonna even thinks to…. You know what – I’m not even going to put it out there.

And I’m totally going to ignore the fact that the model/DJ also revealed he has “plans to create songs with partners.”

Because M has to work with cool, real musicians.

Because her next album has to be amazing.

Because I have faith in her.

Photo: InterviewMagazine.com.

That Girl Is a Touring Monster

Lady GaGa is on a roll…and she’s showing absolutely no signs of stopping.

Pop’s reigning princess has announced a second leg – oh how very Madonna! – of her smash hit “Monster Ball Tour,” which will bring her back to North America.

The sure-to-be hot tickets go on sale for the new trek on March 19, and shows begin on June 28 in Montreal and wind down on September 19 in Raleigh, N.C., stopping in multiple major U.S. markets along the way.

Except Miami.

Well, alright…South Florida is not in the itinerary yet. Perhaps it will be, and she will come to town. That is if she can make it. Girlfriend’s pushing it hard these days. And she’s how old again? Half Madonna’s age? Debate settled.

For a full list of dates, click here.

And here, for your eternal enjoyment, is the video for Lady GaGa’s “Telephone,” featuring Beyoncé, and whole bunch of looks that are making people salivate. (Oh, and btw, Quentin Tarantino called – he wants his shtick back.)

Ryan and Jason, Together at Last!

Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman are set to get their Freaky Friday on.

The two cutie patooties will star in The Change-Up, from The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin will helm.

So expect this one to be super-funny, which it will be since it centers on a family man (Bateman) who accidentally swaps bodies with his lazy, single best friend (Reynolds).

Photo: TenGossip.com; StarPulse.com.

Pearce for Pierce

Memento star Guy Pearce will star opposite Kate Winslet in HBO’s upcoming five-hour miniseries adaptation of Mildred Pierce.

The actor will play Monty Beragon, while Evan Rachel Wood will take on the role of Veda Pierce.

Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo, James Le Gros (TV’s Mercy), Brian F. O’Byrne, and Morgan Turner round out the cast.

The miniseries, which follows a single mother and her daughter during the Great Depression, is based on the novel by the same name by James M. Cain.

Photo: LittleJunkies.wordpress.com.

A Lesson in Love

When I previewed Remember Me last month, I said I was sooo there, ready to see it.

I didn’t know much about the movie, other than it stars Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin (TV’s Lost), as a boy and a girl who meet sorta by chance, sorta not in New York sometime around early summer 2001.

Well, in this rom-dram his Tyler and her Ally fall in love, and help each other come out the other end of the tunnel of pain they’re traveling through. I anticipated this would be an angst-y movie, but it never occurred to me just how much so. This is not just the love story of two quite photogenic people – this is their tragedy.

Remember Me opens 10 years earlier than that, though, with a defining moment in Ally’s life marked by senseless violence and loss. Flashing forward to 2001, we meet her as she is, a Queens girl to school at NYU with a police sergeant father (Chris Cooper) that is fiercely protective of her.

For his part, Tyler, almost 22, is a rebellious young man prone to trouble with the law – but he’s not a bad boy, you know, although he drinks and smokes too much and seems to have a chip on his soulder. He’s just drifting along, auditing classes at NYU, and carrying baggage heavied by his own past encounter with loss. Oh, and his dad (Pierce Brosnan) is a bit of a unattentive jerk, too, and Tyler has nothing but contempt for him.

Our boy Ty didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally through an unusual twist of fate. And you know fate – it has a wicked sense of humor.

But meet they do, and although love was the last thing on his mind and his intentions with her were anything but pure at first, he finds that Ally’s spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him. He’s still haunted, but he’s found a kindred.

Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, as hidden secrets are revealed, like – Cliché Alert! (one of many) – the circumstances that brought them together, their glorious summer of love begins to fall apart. (Among the other clichés that cost this one a star: cheesy dialogue that aims for WB/CW-like erudition.)

Remember Me wants to be an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family (Tyler is thisclose to his little sister Caroline, the only person around who he can let his guard down…until Ally), and the importance of living life to the fullest and treasuring every day. Forgiveness and letting go are also important themes.

What happens at the end of the movie, the way it makes you feel, it doesn’t have a lot to do with Tyler and Ally’s relationship. I’ve sprinkled hints here and there throughout this review that should clue you in on the final fate of Tylly because I didn’t and couldn’t spoil it, which people agree is hard. Anyone with a memory and a sense for plot twists should be able to figure it out, though.

I will say, however, that the event that tears them asunder, it combined a mix of morbidity and too sooness that didn’t sit well with me. It left an exploitative taste in my mouth, and it kinda cheapened the whole thing. Sorry Emilie de Ravin, you deserved better. Ditto Robert Pattinson (although kudos for showing you can do more than just vamp it.).

My Rating **

Photo: Summit Entertainment.

America’s Next Sweetheart’s Leading Man

John Krasinski is in talks to join Ginnifer Goodwin in Something Borrowed.

Now, that’d be an adorable on-screen pairing.

Goodwin is set to star as a Manhattan attorney, the consummate good girl, who falls in love with her best friend's fiancé on her 30th birthday. So naughty!

Krasinski would play her friend and confidant, a supporting role that will evolve into the male lead in a planned sequel.

The actor is a hot commodity these days. He recently tested for and is the frontrunner for Captain America (sorry, Patrick Wilson).

Photo: PeaceLoveBlog.wordpress.com.

Update: It seems Krasinski is out of the running for Captain America, and that Chris Evans and Garrett Hedlund (the star of the upcoming TRON: Legacy) are now being considered.

Pounce, Patrick Wilson. Pounce!

Bella’s Choice

The Twilight Saga soldiers on in spite of its snooze-inducing storytelling with this summer’s Eclipse installment.

Sorry, Twihards, but neither Twilight nor New Moon impressed me much. Not as much as Robert Pattinson’s hair, Kristen Stewart’s mystifying off-screen persona, or Taylor Lautner’s abs, anyway.

Here’s a look-see at Eclipse, which is set to make a lot of money beginning on June 30.

Bring Your Act Down to Miami, Coco!

Ousted Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien has announced he is going on tour this spring, stopping in 30 cities in the United States and Canada, beginning on April 12 in Oregon.

The show’s title, “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour,” refers to the fact that O’Brien’s settlement with NBC forbids him from appearing on television again until Sept. 1.

Coco broke the news via Twitter, writing: “Hey Internet: I’m headed to your town on a half-assed comedy & music tour. Go to http://TeamCoco.com for tix. I repeat: It’s half-assed.”

I do doubt that, but what’s with the no coming to Miami?!

Photo: TeamCoco.com.

Ricky’s Road Back to Broadway

Now this would I would love to see.

Ricky Martin reportedly has been offered the starring role of Che in a Broadway-bound revival of Evita.

Word is Martin’s deal is currently being finalized to bring the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical about Argentinean first lady Eva Peron back to the Great White Way for the first time since the original production closed in 1983.

The role would bring the multi-hyphenate back to the New York stage after 14 years. He previously appeared on Broadway as Marius in Les Misérables.

Photo: Advocate.com.

A Night with Betty

Well, the fans have done it: Betty White will host Saturday Night Live on May 8, Mother’s Day weekend.

Show creator-producer Lorne Michaels acknowledged the Facebook campaign to get White on the show, which kicked in after her Super Bowl commercial for Snickers, saying it “took on a groundswell. [White as the host] isn’t something we would have said no to, [but the campaign] validated that, ‘Oh, that’d be fun’…. It was the outpouring of affection from fans, and we feel the same way.”

White lead a pack of SNL alumnae for the night that will feature Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, and Ana Gasteyer – all valuable players, indeed.

Although I do wish Michaels had gone a bit edgier and asked Sarah Silverman back, too, or included Sandra Bernhard, you know.

White’s a tough chica – she can make any ladies her bitches if she needs to.

Anyway, consider my TiVo set!

Photo: Variety.com.

Update: Said La Bernhard of my suggestion she be on the show, via Twitter: “thank you for your wish! looks like they are sticking with snl alumni for the women’s comedy show with betty white.”

Keri’s Comeback

At long last, after flirting with the big screen Keri Russell is returning to TV.

The actress will co-star opposite Will frakkin’ Arnett in a new Fox sitcom produced by Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz.

Russell will play Arnett’s love interest in Wilde Kingdom, the new single-camera romantic comedy pilot from Hurtwitz and fellow Arrested Development scribe James Vallely. Arnett will also serve as a writer/producer.

The show will follow Steve Wilde (Arnett), a wealthy, self-centered 90210 playboy who falls for a selfless humanitarian (Russell).

This is quite easily the best casting news of the season.

Photo: TheBosh.com.

Chris Evans, Womanizer?

Hollywood stud of studs Chris Evans will star alongside Anna Faris in the R-rated comedy What’s Your Number? – and I’m hoping that’s gonna be a hard R.

The movie, based on Karyn Bosnak’s book 20 Times a Lady, follows a woman (I’m guessing Faris) who visits all of her ex-bfs in hopes of finding love with the help of her womanizing next-door neighbor (presumably Evans).

I‘m anticipating at least one scene in which Evans opens the door wet and shirtless, looking ripped to within an inch of his life. Like so.

Please?

Photo: Boston.com.

Wilson Goes There

One of my favorites – now, why isn’t he a household name by now? (Marvel, make him a superhero, already!) – Patrick Wilson has joined the cast of the suspense drama The Ledge.

The movie centers on a man standing on a ledge – nice…literal – played by Charlie Hunnam, and the police officer who tries to talk him down (that’d be Terrence Howard).

Liv Tyler also has signed on to co-star.

But back to Wilson…. Don’t you just see him as a mighty fine Captain America? Calls have been put out for young actors (think Robert Buckley) for the part, but I think Wilson would bring a sophisticated som’in’ som’in’ to the role.

Oh well, John Krasinski will probably get it, but up next for Wilson is a blockbuster, this summer’s The A-Team.

Photo: BittenAndBound.com.

Get Well Soon, Andy

Spartacus: Blood and Sand star Andy Whitfield has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and will begin treatment immediately in New Zealand. The cancer was detected early and Whitfield’s prognosis is good.

“I’m receiving excellent care, and am feeling strong, positive and determined with an army of support behind me,” he said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy,” said Chris Albrecht, the president of Starz, which airs the hit series. “His health, of course, is our primary concern. He has our complete support during this difficult time.”

Production on the second season of Spartacus, which was scheduled to get underway later this month, has been delayed. The first season finale will air on April 16.

Photo: Zimbio.com.

Time to See the Liam

Liam Hemsworth, a.k.a. Chris’ hot younger brother and Miley Cyrus’ boyfriend and co-star in the upcoming The Last Song, is jumping into action-movie territory.

The Aussie is thisclose to signing on to star in the 3-D tentpole Arabian Nights.

The project follows a young – and strapping! – commander (Hemsworth) who, after his king is murdered in a coup, joins forces with Sinbad and Aladdin to rescue Queen Scheherazade.

Production could begin as soon as late summer with Chuck Russell (The Mask) at the helm.

Photo: Details.com.

Update: The boy is doing it!

Melrose, Melrose, Melrose

The CW’s reboot of Melrose Place may be ratings-challenged – the show comes back tonight, btw – but Dr. Michael Mancini himself, Thomas Calabro, is sure cancellation is not an option.

Good thing since that means we can look forward to seeing more of Calabro and other original flavor cast members (like Daphne Zuniga, Heather Locklear, and Josie Bissett, all of whom will appear in an upcoming episode together, as seen at right) every once in a while.

“Here’s what’s going on: We’re coming back,” the actor pledged. “Right now, we’re airing our first five or six episodes internationally, and I think the show’s a big international hit. That’s enough to bring a show back.”

Is it? I sure hope so – almost as much as I hope the powers that be will write Colin Egglesfield back on the show. He’s way too hot to evict for good.

Photo: E! Online.

And Out He Comes

Sean Hayes is gay.

Among the reactions to the news I’ve heard are “Finally!” and “Uh duh.”

The Emmy-winning Will & Grace scene-stealer – who’s about to start his run in a Broadway revival of Promises, Promises – has just confirmed what we all knew to be quite the possibility, though: That there was a rather good reason why his Jack McFarland was so believable.

“I am who I am,” the actor told the latest Advocate, after years of (rightly) refusing to be labeled. “I was never in, as they say. Never.”

In the interview Hayes goes on to criticize the media, including gay outlets like The Advocate.

“I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it,” he said. “What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to stand on a float? And then what? It’s never enough.”

Well, all I can say is good for you, Sean Hayes. And break a leg on Broadway!

Photo: EW.com.

A Lack of Surprises...and Sandy!

Last night’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards did not offer a lot of surprises – congrats, Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, and Mo’Nique! – but they did make a winner out of Sandra Bullock.

And that made me sooo happy for our “Sandy.” Yeah...I’m jumping on that wagon.

The actress was on a roll over the weekend, first continuing her winning awards season streak by showing up to receive a Razzie Award (for Worst Female Performance for her turn in All About Steve) on Saturday, and second by picking up her Oscar, natch.

That’s the spirit, right!

The Hurt Locker was named Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and its helmer, Kathryn Bigelow, made history by becoming the first woman to walk away with the Best Director award.

As for the evening’s fashion – it definitely was one of the best red carpets in recent years. It was consistently glam.

And can I just say Demi Moore looked fan-tas-tic in that gorgeous Atelier Versace dress of hers? She easily was the best dressed presenter, followed closely by a good-enough-to-drink Cameron Diaz in an Oscar de la Renta that reminded me of a tall, cool glass of Champagne.

As for the nominees, you can’t overlook Bullock’s Marchesa, obviously, or how beautifully and confidently Gabourey Sidibe rocked the carpet in her Marchesa. Meryl Streep, Chris March does you justice like no one else. Keep using him.

Even the men managed to make tuxedos look fresh, mostly because they themselves were fresh on the carpet – here’s to looking at you, Ryan Reynolds and Sam Worthington. (And hey, Jake Gyllenhaal, I adore your hair like that.)

Photo: EW.com.