She Spies

Angelina Jolie’s got your number, Tom Cruise.

The actress slinks into a role that was, at one point, tailor-made for the Cruiseter, in Salt, a twisty blockbuster set in the intriguing spy world from Phillip Noyce, a director well-versed in all things thrilling (he did Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger).

The switch of the character’s gender (Edwin is now Evelyn) is an effectively slink, one that Noyce acknowledges may at one point have been considered “outrageous” behind the scenes.

It works, though, because, as Salt, the ever-evolving Jolie brings a little som’in’ som’in of herself to a role that could’ve been pretty one-note (no offense, Tom). She keeps us guessing.

The powers that be worked hard to make Salt their “own new person” and reflect the complexities of a woman confronted with a situation that makes the audience wonder for a long stretch whether she’s good or bad.

That she’s a badass is never in question.

For the most part, they pulled off the conceit of a CIA officer accused of being a Russian sleeper spy – and set up Salt as a potential franchise – quite nicely. Sure, some of the pullings of the rug were a tad predictable, but, y’ know what, I enjoyed them all the same.

The plot is simple (it is summer, after all): Jolie plays this top CIA officer, right, who specializes in all things Russian. The movie opens with a flashback, to a torture scene at a North Korean prison that she endures without breaking cover. She has been disavowed, but eventually, one of her colleagues (Liev Schreiber, intense as always) comes to her rescue – at the behest of her husband who would stop at nothing to get her back.

This is one of a few of increasingly arbitrary flashbacks that reveal a little more about our heroine, betray our confidence in her, and uncover a wild conspiracy to strike at the United States in the worst way.

Two years after this harrowing experience, Salt is about to go home early to celebrate her anniversary when a walk-in defector accuses her of being a sleeper programmed as a child and sent stateside to assassinate the president.

It’s a veritable WTF moment for those around her – she’s been nothing but loyal to her country – and for her (or is it?), so she does the only thing she can do: run. She runs and puts to good use her training to elude capture, protect her family, and stay one step ahead of the agency so she can clear her name.

The problem is by doing so Salt may be proving exactly the charges on her head.

Nothing is what it seems in Salt, and I like that. It’s not the best movie of its kind, but it entertains – as a member of Team Aniston (I know, neither here nor there), I cannot wait to see Jolie reprise this role again soon…which is a bit of a given.

My Rating ***

Photo: Sony Pictures.

Throwing on Her Louboutins

Halle Berry is treading into rom-com-ish territory.

The actress is set to lead a sure-to-be-stylish ensemble in the adaptation of the best-selling novel Shoe Addicts Anonymous.

The movie, like the book, will follow four Chicago women who all wear size 7.5s and trade looks among themselves.

Shoe freaks everywhere are rejoicing right about now.

Photo: People.com.

Slaying the Rumor

Carey Mulligan wants Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fans she will not be playing Lisbeth Salander in the upcoming U.S. adaptation of the best-seller.

“I’m not, I’m afraid,” the Oscar nominee said. “I can officially quash that rumor once and for all. It’s not going to be me. But I’m excited to see it. I love the books and I think it will be great.”

Daniel Craig is in talks to play the lead role, btw, which I hope does end up materializing because I love him so.

Up next for Mulligan are Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Never Let Me Go.

Photo: InterviewMagazine.com.

Trapped

The teaser intrigued me, and now the trailer for Ryan Reynolds’ Buried has me on the edge of my freakin’ seat:

I’ll save you, Ry!

Buried will begin arriving in theaters on Sept. 24 before going wide in October. I cannot wait.

Couple Confirmed

Chelsea Handler confirmed on last night’s Tonight Show that she is, indeed, dating ridikolously hot guy Dave Salmoni from the Animal Planet.

I am sooo jealous right now.

Photo: PhotoBucket.com.

A Chucking Return

Uh oh, Nicole Richie’s up to her old guesting-on-Chuck tricks....

The former Hollywood hellcat pretty much rocked it out when she appeared on the show a couple of years ago, and now comes word that girlfriend will reprise her role as Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) high school nemesis next season.

Meow!

Richie will resurface in October when a prison transfer goes awry and her character ends up being stowed away at Chuck (Zachary Levi) & Co.’s underground CIA base. And since she’s such a bitchin’ troublemaker, she will see that Chuck and Sarah’s deepening relationship is hitting some bumps and will use that rift to her advantage.

What...a beeyotch.

Photo: People.com.

Hollywood Gives It Up to George

Sexiest Man Alive (twice!) George Clooney will be honored at the Emmy Awards next month when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents him with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.

The award goes to someone whose humanitarian work has brought credit to the industry and has had a lasting impact on society.

The actor has been committed to increasing awareness of human rights issues around the globe, from his mission to stop genocide in Darfur, to his efforts to quickly mobilize the industry in the wake of Sept. 11, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina. He most recently brought everyone together the Hope For Haiti Now telethon.

“George was an obvious choice for this honor,” an Academy statement said. “He has understood and harnessed the power of television, the most powerful medium of our time, to reach into the hearts of people around the world and compelled us to action on behalf of those in sudden and desperate need as well those tragically oppressed in Darfur.”

And he’s done it looking mighty fine in the process.

Photo: TrumpetSound.com.

Team Aniston’s Official Scent

Well, the fragrance f.k.a. Lolavie is finally here.

Jennifer Aniston launched her very first, now-eponymous scent at the Harrods department store in London.

“I’m so excited to have worked on this,” the actress said. “It’s a combination of my favorite scents – the ocean, sea air, blooming jasmine, and tropical oils.

“It’s my memories of California nights in the summer.”

Loves it! Almost as much as the Valentino dress Aniston rocked to the event. Sooo sexy….

Photo: People.com.

Cool Girl, Cool Assignment

Multi-hyphenate hot girl – she’s an actress, an author, a model, as well as an animal crusader – Olivia Munn is getting to Chuck.

Munn, whose latest gig is correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, will guest on the underappreciated spy comedy’s fourth-season premiere this fall, an episode that will also feature Dolph Lundgren, btw.

She’ll play an oh-so-cool-and-smart, and, natch, gorgeous CIA agent who intimidates and schools Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Morgan (Joshua Gomez).

Later in the year, Munn will star on NBC’s midseason comedy Perfect Couples.

Photo: TheStranger.com.

When the Past Isn’t in the Past

This December, Helen Mirren is looking back.

In The Debt (due out on Dec. 29), the Oscar winner plays a former Mossad agent who must revisit a decades-old mission that led – or did it? – to the death of a notorious Nazi war criminal.

The intensely watchable Sam Worthington co-stars as a fellow agent in a series of flashbacks.

Check out the movie’s intense trailer here.

Photo: EW.com.

Raising the Bar

Michael Ealy is going to court.

The FlashForward alumnus is joining the cast of TV’s The Good Wife this fall as the head of the D.C. firm that’s merging with Lockhart & Gardner.

Ealy’s character is described as a “casual, soft-spoken attorney whose egalitarian beliefs [clash] with Will (Josh Charles) and Diane’s (Emmy nominee Christine Baranski) self-serving practices.

Too boot, “under his pleasant and unassuming exterior, he has a steel-trap mind and can outmaneuver his most cunning adversaries and/or associates, “ and, “deeply impressed with Alicia’s (Emmy frontrunner – IMHO – Julianna Margulies) quiet competence, he becomes her newest mentor.”

The actor has signed on for at least 10 episodes of the show‘s second season.

Photo: UMN.edu.

Update: On a related note, Friday Night Lights’ Scott Porter is also joining the show as a professional and quite likely personal foil to the deliciously mysterious Kalinda (Emmy nominee Archie Panjabi).

Like Ealy, he is expected to stick around for about 10 episodes.

Porter better bring his best to the role. Kalinda, as played by Panjabi, could eat him up shoes and all....

Just Because, Pt. 64

Darn, does Jon Hamm got back!

The Mad Men actor looked smokin’ as he cooled down at a photo shoot in L.A. over the weekend.

He looks as hella fine as I remember him – I met last year at an event in Miami when I pretended not to know who he was for a bit as I bummed a ciggie.

Photo: People.com.

Simply Irresistible, Pt. 69

Forget Jacob Black, already – you want a real werewolf, watch True Blood this season.

I knew Joe Manganiello’s Alcide would be a most fun, sexy welcome addition to the cast – as is Grant Bowler’s Coot, btw – but last night’s episode, in which Manganiello paraded around shirtless in nothing but tracksuit pants for a bit, was too hot to handle.

Ditto this behind-the-scenes look at his photo shoot for Muscle & Body magazine is just ridikolous:

The Island Keeps on Teasin’

Lost is over and done…or is it?

The upcoming sixth-season DVD of the Emmy-winning and -nominated show is coming out later in August, and it’ll feature an original, 12-minute vignette called “The New Man in Charge.”

If you saw the finale in May, then you know that man ended up being – Spoiler Alert! – Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and that Ben (Michael Emerson) became his No. 2.

But, in typical Lost fashion, that’s all we were told, so this vignette (not to mention whatever else is included as an extra) is a total must.

“Ben is going around to Dharma installations and closing some down,” Emerson (pictured here, at left) recently teased. “There are some good surprises. It does answer questions.”

Good, I like that….

Photo: EW.com.

Two Dudes on the Road

Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis make for a very unlikely duo.

Nevertheless, the duo has teamed up for a road-trip comedy titled Due Date from The Hangover’s Todd Phillips.

Downey plays a man trying to make it to an L.A. hospital in time to witness his child’s birth, while Galifianakis is the hilarious oddball who makes things go wonky:

Due Date is due out on Nov. 5.

The Xverse Gets Bacond

The cast of Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class is getting connected to just about everyone else in Hollywood now that Kevin Bacon has joined them.

The actor will play a villain, sparring against protagonists Charles Xavier, played by James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto. No word on just who Bacon’s character is specifically, or how he’ll figure into the Xverse yet, though.

On a related note, buzzy up-and-comer Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) will play Mystique.

Production on the blockbuster is set to begin in London this summer.

Photo: JollyPeople.com.

Dr. Feel Good

James Tupper, formerly of Men in Trees and Mercy, is checking into Grey’s Anatomy to help the traumatized staff deal with the events of last season’s finale.

The actor will play a trauma counselor – for at least two episodes – brought in to help Seattle Grace recover from the shocking bloodbath.

I’m not sure I could concentrate on my feelings with such a hottie in front of me, but I can’t wait to see Tupper offer a shoulder to lean on....

Photo: EToday.ru.

Dreamworld

Having seen Inception early – jealous? – I can safely and responsibly say that you’re going to have to think of the film, most definitely, as a trip.

This, of course, means its director, Christopher Nolan, is your cruise director. The Dark Knight helmer has, for lack of a better way to put it, dreamed up a world in which we can go into characters’ dreams, and the dreams within the dreams, and the dreams within the dreams within the dreams. It’s quite a ride.

Now, I didn’t say it would be an easy trip to take, and that’s because I’d much rather think of it as a most cerebral one.

The plot of Inception has been shrouded in secrecy since Day 1, I don’t think because it’s necessarily difficult to follow – although, I will concede, it can pose a bit of a challenge if people don’t focus – but because it revolves around such a far-out idea....

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a skilled thief and the bestest at stealing valuable secrets from deep within a mark’s subconscious during the dream state when their mind is at its most vulnerable. This is called extraction.

His is a rare ability that has made him a coveted player in this high-stakes new world of corporate espionage. It also has made him an international fugitive and cost him everything and everyone he’s ever loved.

As it often happens in this sort of film, Cobb is offered a shot at redemption and a clean slate. All he has to do is pull off one last job, one that could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible – inception.

Yep, he has to plant an idea in a mark’s mind, which is considerably harder and requires more layers of work. See, to pull off this type of job, these dream infiltrations, Cobb and his team, which include an architect of dreamscapes and a forger of identities within them, have to create a world for the mark to do their thing in, a world they can enter and manipulate in order to get, or introduce, new information.

The problem is anyone who goes into these dreamworlds faces dangerous...eventualities, some of which are created by the mark, some of which are manifestations of their own minds. In Cobb’s case, the danger is all-too familiar, beautiful, and full of baggage.

I think I’ve said too much, so I’ll close with this: See Inception, pay attention to it, be dazzled by the scenarios Nolan has come up with and his cast (which includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page), try to resist newcomer Tom Hardy, who pretty much steals ever scene he’s in, and don’t let the ending melt your brain more than it needs to. This is supposed to be a fun trip, after all. The journey is what matters most.

My Rating ***

Photo: Warner Bros.

The Fairy

Perfect Casting Alert!

The beautiful, funny, and oh-so-sexy Elizabeth Banks will play Tinkerbell in Tink, a live-action rom-com from Disney.

This could not sound any more like Enchanted (which everyone hearted) – and like, I’m so there.

The movie will “play with the mischievous nature of the Tinkerbell character,” and, hello, who embodies feminine mischief better than Banks? Did you see her in The 40-Year-Old-Virgin or just recently on TV’s 30 Rock? She’s perf!

Photo: Operatorchan.org.

A Must Read That Reminds Me of a TV Show I Once Loved

They say that no two things are created equal (or something like that), and the same holds true of books.

Some are more event-y than others, natch (Harry, Bella & Co., I’m talking about y’all), and so it seems that is the way the powers that be want us to think about the highly anticipated upcoming young-adult novel I Am Number Four.

The tome is the first in a series of books about a teenage alien (one of nine on Earth) on the run for his life from malicious forces. It was...uhh...written by Pittacus Lore, an elder alien from the planet Lorien widely believed to be the extraterrestrial nom de plume of authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes.

I Am Number Four already is on the Hollywood radar and will be turned into a movie starring Sharlto Copley (District 9, The A-Team) and Kevin Durand (TV’s Lost). And it is, indeed, so event-y it even has inspired its own trailers.

Here’s a teaser:



And over here is the brand new full trailer.

That’s Professor White, Punk

Ain’t no stoppin’ Betty White now.

The hotter-than-ever Golden Girl will leave basic cable, where she’s smoking on TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland, to guest (and earn herself another Guest Actress Emmy nod for 2011, obvs) on the second-season premiere of NBC’s Community.

The actress will play June Bauer, “an esteemed, albeit slightly unhinged, anthropology professor.”

This piece of casting gets an A+, IMHO.

Photo: TVLand.com.

Can I Rub It, Can I Rub It?

Awww….

Ryan Reynolds hurt himself on the set of the Green Lantern movie yesterday.

The actor, who’s playing the DC Comics superhero, separated his shoulder and “is in lots of pain.”

One more time for the cheap seats in the back: Awww!

“He’s been keeping ice on it.”

One more time, hit it: Awww!

Get well soon, Ry – and call me if you need some TLC.

Photo: PollsB.com.

Update 1: Evidently, Reynolds’ injury was overblown and totally minor and occurred while he was off the set training for the movie, and production wasn’t affected like, at all.

I think speak for the world when I say I’d still like to rub it, though, and make sure it’s all fine. It’s the neighborly thing to do....

Update 2: Speaking of R2 and Green Lantern, check out this first (H-O-T) look at the actor in character on the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly.

Smokin’ much?

Just Because, Pt. 63

He’s a royal and he likes puppies – could Prince Harry get any more adorable?

The puppy – an 8-week-old “superdog,” a pooch taught to help the disabled – sure gave the guy a good run for his pounds in the cute department at an event in England yesterday.

Woof!

Photo: People.com.

Casados!

And Spain has yet another reason to celebrate....

Undercover lovers Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem have made it official.

The Spanish power couple reportedly exchanged vows in front of family members during a small, private ceremony held at a friend’s home in the Bahamas earlier this month. Cruz wore a gown designed by longtime friend John Galliano.

The Oscar winners have been together since 2007. They first met in the early 1990s when they worked on Jamon, Jamon together.

Felicitaciones!

Photo: Babble.com.

Update: On a related note, it turns out Javier Bardem will not be appearing on Glee next season, after all.

Well, at least not during the first half of the show’s sophomore season.

“I think you have to come back and remeet the characters [first],” said show mastermind Ryan Murphy of the rumor.

Simply Irresistible, Pt. 68

His name is Tom Hardy – and he steals all of his scenes in Inception.

A good thing since he plays a skilled thief of secrets that are buried deep down in a person’s subconscious.

I don’t know if it was the stubble, the lips, or the accent, but whatever it was it was H-O-T, and I can safely say a star is now officially born.

Photo: Nolanfans.com.

Glee Gets Britd

After some campaigning on Twitter, Britney Spears is getting her wish of seeing Glee give her the same treatment it gave Madonna last spring: her own episode.

To make matters even better (and quotable!), the episode – the second one back next season – will revolve around New Directions’ scene-stealing Brittany (Heather Morris).

“Heather’s actually got a terrific voice,” said show mastermind Ryan Murphy.

I guess we’ll find out just how terrif in the fall (Glee comes back on Sept. 21).

Photo: CoventryTelegraph.com.

M As the Ultimate Italian Woman

More photos from Madonna’s latest campaign for Dolce & Gabbana have hit the Web, and they look good.

For Fall/Winter 2010, M is playing a character inspired by her icon, Italian actress Anna Magnani.

The campaign is supposed to take place in an unspecified Italian city and the country’s family life as seen through the eyes of this oh-so-stylish woman (here, she’s going for a strut down la strada with her son).

In this latest shot, she’s getting fitted for a night on the town. Obviously.

Photo: NYMag.com.

Not Seeing Green Anymore

Not that anyone was betting on it, but it’s official: Ed Norton will not be reprising his role as Bruce Banner/Marvel’s Hulk in Joss Whedon’s Avengers movie.

The role will be recast (yet again; Norton took over for Eric Bana, who starred in Ang Lee’s moody take on the character a few years ago), and, evidently, the move is surrounded by drama.

Marvel’s president of Production has said the decision was “definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members.”

Ooof – what…a dig.

Norton’s camp counters that such comments are “unprofessional, disingenuous, and clearly defamatory,” and that, too boot, the charitable actor and Whedon recently had a “very good meeting,” but that the deal fell apart after weeks of “civil, uncontentious discussions.”

The cast of 2012’s The Avengers includes Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

They’ll be joined by Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and, possibly, Don Cheadle as War Machine.

Photo: Examiner.com (The Hulk).

Kings of Porn

Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, and Gabriel Macht are the Middle Men.

Nope – that’s not a new band of superheroes – not the traditional kind, anyway – coming to a movie theater near you ready to thrill and awe your pants off.

They do want to get your pants off, though. In a way.

In the mid-1990s-set movie opening on Aug. 6, Wilson & Co. play a trio of Internet-porn pioneers caught in a game involving a 23-year-old porn starlet, the FBI, conmen, mobsters, and a shady senator played by Kelsey Grammer.

Check out the red-band trailer, which is quite NSFW, btw:

Diamond Girl

What…a homerun.

Amber Riley, a.k.a. Glee’s powerhouse-voiced Mercedes, will kick off this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game in California tomorrow.

The actress will sing several songs, including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” before the game begins.

Colbie Caillat also will be part of the lineup and will perform “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch.

Photo: HometownHollywood.com.

Spanish Lesson

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is over, and the big trophy is going to Spain.

Paul the Octopus was right...and he can breathe easy – he won’t be paellad.

The Spanish team won its first World Cup late in nail-biting overtime when midfielder Andres Iniesta scored a goal that put his countrymen ahead of the Dutch in the final at Soccer City.

All and all, it was a pretty lame-o game – I mean, when mimosas hold your attention more you know the excitement isn’t on the field.

All in all, though, the tournament brought the world together for a month, for the most past, brought out the sexy, gave us vuvuzelas, made us “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” and made a star out of a tentacled oracle (is he doing personal consultations?).

Photo: NJ.com.

Wolf on This

I just knew the guy would do A-OK.

TV’s Next Big, Already Hot Thing Taylor Kinney (Trauma) has joined The Vampire Diaries in the recurring role of Mason Lockwood, late Mayor Lockwood’s (werewolf-y?) younger brother.

Described as Tyler’s (Michael Trevino) cool uncle, Mason is sexy and athletic and quite charming, but can “flip in an instant” if crossed.

Now, The Vampire Diaries has a knack for casting hot guys (hi, Sean Faris! hey there, David Anders!), so this is pretty par for the course, but we’ve all have, or should have seen Kinney’s abs, so I can only imagine the visual goody goody gum drops we’re in for come fall.

Photo: SuperiorPics.com.

Who Turned On the Heat!

And LeBron James closes the triangle.

The NBA superstar is coming to Miami from Cleveland to join staying-put Dwyane Wade (pictured at right, on the right) and Chris Bosh (on the left), who’s coming to the Magic City from...somewhere, on the Miami Heat roster because the team represented the “best opportunity for me to win.”

Everyone is excited about the news, and I do mean everyone, from Jack and Jane on the street to Jeff Soffer, the owner of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach to Diddy.

Photo: Cleveland.com.

Pacing Over to HBO

The wonderfully watchable Lee Pace, the star of the mich-missed Pushing Daisies, has joined the cast of HBO’s drama pilot Miraculous Year.

The actor joins a cast that also includes ex-Law & Order ADA Linus Roache, cool-named Stark Sands (Generation Kill), Tony winner Eddie Redmayne, Hope Davis, Frank Langella, and Patti LuPone.

Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow is exec producing and directing the pilot for the series, which is described as an examination of a New York family as seen through the eyes of a charismatic, self-destructive Broadway composer.

Photo: GuestOfAGuest.com.

Emmy Gets It Mostly Right For a Change

The Emmy Awards nomination were announced at the crack this morning, and boy, were they on point this year.

Announcer Sofia Vergara, who looked smokin’ in a tight blue little number (check her out here), and one of the season’s breakouts for her work on TV’s Modern Family, scored a nod in the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy race – sorry other announcer, Joel McHale (Community)…better luck next year.

That little bit of news, though, came at the end of the announcement, following the Amazing Event: Friday Night Lights’ Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton are, at last, Emmy nominees.

That, to me, was the morning’s touchdown – an oh-so-hard fought for four years. I think about it and I smile.

The dearly departed Lost also got some Emmy love, receiving 12 nominations, including Best Drama, Lead Actor for Matthew Fox, Supporting Actor for the dynamic duo of Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson, and a Guest Actress nod for Elizabeth Mitchell’s nuanced reprise of Dr. Juliet Burke.

Well earned, Team Darlton & Co.!

The outpouring of love for Modern Family was terrif, no so much Fringe’s snubs. Ditto the lack of love for Cougar Town star Courteney Cox (who’s the only Friends cast member who never was nominated for that show, either).

Still, though, Emmy did me mostly proud to be a TV watcher, especially when the powers that be recognized The Good Wife’s three actresses, Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, and Archie Panjabi, who’s just exquisite.

And, can we give it up for Queen D Kathy Griffin, who’ll have another chance to add a third Emmy to her collection for her Bravo show? Or for the incomparable Betty White, who was singled out for her hosting SNL? How about we just give the hardware to the latter, already?

Photo: NYTimes.com.

Re-GaGa-rgitation

So Lady GaGa is going to release a CD full of remixes in the United States on Aug. 3.

Yeah – of songs she’s already re-released. The Fame Monster was an extended version of The Fame, not a new album, no matter what anyone wants to tell me. OK….

The Remix was released internationally last spring. The set’s American version will include 10 reconfigured tracks, covering the singer’s…uh…vast repertoire, from “Just Dance” to “Telephone.”

Photo: EW.com.

An Award for Cumming

Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming will receive the 2010 National Leadership Award on Oct. 2 at the annual Task Force Recognition Dinner in Miami Beach.

The fundraising event recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the social, cultural, political, and humanitarian needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

The Task Force will present the 2010 Humanitarian Award to Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, and the 2010 Eddy McIntyre Community Service Award to Cindy Brown, a tireless supporter of many South Florida LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations.

“Alan has been an outspoken and tenacious advocate for civil rights and HIV/AIDS causes for more than a decade,” said Rea Carey, executive director of the Task Force. “He has used his talent and his success to support the LGBT community and to effect real change in the world.”

Yeah, and he looks damn cute in a kilt and guyliner.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to honor him,” Carey added.

I’m happy for Cumming. With luck he can add “Emmy nominee” to his kudos for the week (for his guest work on TV’s The Good Wife) when the nominations for those awards are announced in the morning.

Photo: The Task Force.

Oh Brother

Lost’s resident time traveler, Henry Ian Cusick (a.k.a. Desmond), is headed to a different kind of island this fall: Manhattan.

The actor will play a graphic artist for at least two episodes on the new season of Law & Order: SVU.

“There might be some flirtation [Mariska Hargitay’s character,” exec producer Neal Baer said. “Erik meets Olivia when he comes to someone’s aid. And then we’ll see how it goes. Olivia is devoted to her job and knows that comes first.”

Photo: TheHollywoodGossip.com.

Good Girl Gone Bad...Gone to Jail...Again

Lindsay Lohan is going to the big house for 90 days and then to rehab for another 90 days. For those keeping track, this is her second go at it.

An L.A. judge found the legally, critically, and publicly embattled actress in violation of her probation earlier today, sentencing her to the aforementioned 90 and 90.

The ruling was made during a probation hearing revolving around a missed court date in May.

The not-a-fan-of-Lohan’ls judge referenced several instances involving L2’s 2007 DUI arrest (actually, she was arrested twice that summer, though) in which she lied about possessing drugs and drinking.

“It’s like someone who cheats but doesn’t think it’s cheating if they don’t get caught,” the judge said.

Lest you think it, I am not happy about this, but Lohan has made her bed. This, I trust, can be the best thing that could have happened to her. She needs the help.

Photo: People.com.

Update: A clip of the hearing and Lohan’s testimony has hit the Web (why?), and it is as sad to watch, if not more, as it has been to watch L2 go down the rabbit hole the last few years. And do not even get me started on the clip of the sentencing....

Rock Dios

Something Spanish the way of Glee comes.

Javier Bardem is the latest star attached to guest on the TV phenomenon’s second season (I read a report yesterday that Katie Holmes may appear on the show’s fifth episode).

The Oscar winner, who co-stars in show mastermind Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Eat Pray Love, will play a rock star who befriends Artie (Kevin McHale).

“We’re going to rock the house,” Bardem said. “We’re going to do some heavy metal – Spanish heavy metal, which is the worst.”

Like music to Gleek’s ears, huh.

Photo: Salon.com.

This Sorta Bites

Becki Newton and Chris Diamantopoulos are expecting their first baby.

No, that’s not the part that sucks – I think it’s swell a most-telegenic baby this way comes.

Newton’s pregnancy, though, is affecting my fall TV watching: NBC has bumped its new comedy Love Bites to midseason, in part because of the happy news.

Alright, so Love Bites is a-comin’, eventually, but wait: there’s also some behind-the-scenes tinkering going on.

Show mastermind Cindy Chupack (Sex and the City) has stepped down from her role as showrunner.

“Launching an anthology series, which breaks the form in so many ways, is a huge undertaking, and I strongly feel that I can be most helpful not showrunning, but writing,” she said. “It just became clear that for several reasons, some of them personal, this change (and a little more time) is what we need to launch this show properly.”

Time, though, has not been on the side of Love Bites co-star Jordana Spiro, who is leaving the show because of her commitment to TBS’ My Boys.

Oh, well...as long as Newton (pictured here, on set) has a healthy baby and the show comes to us as its best version all is well.

Photo: Zimbio.com.

Enthusiasm for Cheyenne

I know the theater is his first love, but Cheyenne Jackson really should consider making the jump to TV a permanent thing.

For now, though, the Broadway MVP is happy to keep things…recurring. Following on the footsteps of his turn on TV’s 30 Rock, Jackson will appear on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s upcoming eighth season.

The hottie will be sharing scenes with Larry David – so…funny! – and has said he’s “nervous” about keeping up with the entirely ad-libbed show.

Oh, Chey, when all else fails, just take your shirt off!

Photo: Spotibot.com.

The New Spidey Actually Is...a Brit?

The role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man will now be played by Andrew Garfield.

I guess the (rather strong) Josh Hutcherson rumor was nothing but, huh.

Garfield, who will be seen later this year in The Social Network and is the male star of the upcoming Never Let Me Go, has been tapped to star in a reboot of the franchise, to be set in high school and directed by Marc Webb.

The Brit had better have a spot-on American accent because he is so going to have his work cut out for him winning over the audience this side of the pond.

So now the question is: Who will play Mary Jane Watson?

Photo: EW.com.

Child Savior

Trailers can be so deceitful with their promises of excitement, we all know that, but what is the deal with M. Night Shyamalan?

It’s like the multi-hyphenate filmmaker lucked out with The Sixth Sense and like, ever since then he’s been on a commercial and critical decline. And his latest, The Last Airbender, ain’t gon’ change that.

I mean, did you see the funny that Vanity Fair made at the movie’s expense – just so the it could call it the “worst film”?

Ouch…that one embarrassed me.

Shyamalan’s adaptation of the first season of the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is, indeed…a bore – a retrofitted-to-trendy 3-D mess that will be hard-pressed to see any of the sequels it so aspires to inspire.

Among its many problems? Child/young actors.

Noah Ringer stars as Aang, the titular character, a reluctant hero who chooses a life of adventure over his job as the Avatar, a.k.a. the uniter of the Air, Water, Earth, and Fire nations, all of whom are tied together around a common destiny after a faction of the latter launches a power-hungry war against the others.

Aang can manipulate all these elements, you see. Well, air, for sure, when the movie starts, and water by the time it ends.

A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction when the boy is discovered by Katara (Nicola Peltz, a dead-ringer for a young Scarlett Johansson, minus the tal…uhh…self-possession), a Waterbender, and her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone, of Twilight Saga supporting player fame) to restore balance to their war-torn world.

Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel plays as a fallen-from-grace Fire Nation prince who travels with his wishes-nephew-would-let-go uncle Iroh (Shaun Toub), searching for the Avatar in order to restore his honor in front of his ruler dad. Patel straddles the line between menacing and awkward in the role. Although it would be interesting to see him grow into it, I don’t anticipate doing so.

That’s because another big problem with this would-be big franchise – and this is all on Shyamalan – is it’s tremendously heavy-handed and overly complicated. If I, a twentysomething, had trouble grasping the mythology, I can’t imagine tweens should fare better.

And no one likey-likes that, to feel so confused by something that ought to be, OK, a bit difficult, not borderline impenetrable or worse, uninteresting.

It’s just not enjoyable.

My Rating *1/2

Photo: Paramount Pictures.

The Comeback of a Total Betty Look

It’s the dress that’ll make fathers everywhere go “What the hell is that?”

Calvin Klein director Francisco Costa has re-created the famous white CK dress Cher (Alicia Silverstone) rocked in Clueless back in the mid-1990s at the behest of a boutique owner in L.A.

The dresses will be available on the Confederacy Web site starting tomorrow. They are available in white or dress and will set you back a cool – and oh-so-Cher – $915.

Photo: NYMag.com.

OMLola!

Lourdes “Lola” Ciccone Leon – Madonna’s daughter, natch – has launched her own blog.

“Helluuur thurrrr,” she opens. “I’m Lola and this is my first blog entry so it’s kind of like ummmm….”

How gosh darn cute is that?

The truest Princess of Pop is keeping the blog as a way to promote her and her mother’s upcoming fashion line, Material Girl. She reveals she’s “totally obsessivo about 80’s shorts…the 80’s are another huge obsession of mine, which is totally amazingly awesome because Material Girl…HELLO!”

I like this young girl – like her famous mother, she seems like fun.

Photo: MaterialGirlCollection.

Now Wonder It Loves Company

Maroon 5 make misery as appealing as it can be with their new single, “Misery.”

And I love it.

Especially because the video is a sexy Adam Levine-centric love letter to getting the rock star pummeled out of ya:

Maroon 5 - New Music - More Music Videos

The Iron Lady Gets Streeped

The Greatest One, Meryl Streep, is going to play Margaret Thatcher for Phyllida Lloyd, her Mamma Mia! director.

Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!) would play the former British prime minister’s husband.

Set in 1982, the movie will follow Thatcher as she tries to save her career in the 17 days preceding the Falklands War, a turning point for her tenure. After the victory, she saw her approval ratings double and went on to win a second term.

Streep as another powerful woman…. Five dollars she rides in the back of a car in this one, too.

Can you guess who’s getting nominated for an Oscar yet again?

Photo: JustJared.BuzzNet.com.