If you’ve been around AfterEllen.com at all the past few weeks, you know that we’re holding our collective breath in anticipation of the 2008 AfterEllen.com Hot 100 list, due Monday. Security is tight: Sarah has been spotted with a briefcase chained to her wrist. (I hear she likes chains, though, so it might be unrelated.) Rumor has it that Leisha Hailey has been dethroned as No. 1, so I honestly have no idea what to expect.

I do know, however, that we will not have enough women over 50 on our list. Of course, I think that mature women should rule the world (or at least the country *cough* Hillary *cough*). I was delighted to see the EW.com list of “33 Hotties Over Age 50” because it gives me an opportunity to give beautiful women of a certain age their due. (The EW.com list includes men, too, if you’re interested, which I am not. I’m also ignoring the term “GILF” because the only “G” I can think of is “grandparent” and that’s just wrong.)

The list started on a high note – literally. No. 1 is everybody’s favorite president, Mary McDonnell (56). Battlestar Galactica may be going away, but President Roslin will be in my heart forever. Sigh.

Jessica Lange was hot at 27 when we first saw her in King Kong. She sizzled at 45 as a slightly unstable siren in Blue Sky. And the hot flashes she still gives us at 58 have nothing to do with menopause. … continue reading

I'm not ready to commit to an entire movie for the weekend, so I thought I'd check out some trailers instead.

First, the new Speed Racer trailer surfaced this week. If Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon weren't enough reason to see this one, this trailer has convinced me that it's worth the ticket price. Moviefone.com desribes it as "Andy Warhol meets the Jetsons." Nice!

(Watch it in hi-def here.)

Next, I hadn't even heard of Dark Matter, starring Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn and Liu Ye.

The film tells the story of a Chinese science student who can't quite cope with the pressures of American academia. … continue reading

Saturday on HBO, Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes star in Bernard and Doris, the story of multimillionaire Doris Duke and her gay butler/confidant. It sounds great in theory, but the trailers kind of put me off — is this the Sarandon we know and love? It doesn't even seem like the Rocky Horror–era campy version of her, because of course that's definitely the Sarandon I know and love. It's a new scenery-chewing version, I think.

Holland Taylor attended the premiere — and in multimillionaire style:

If you prefer a more literate brand of drama, check your local PBS schedule for Masterpiece. The Jane Austen marathon continues, this time with the 1995 miniseries adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

And, of course, the Grammy Awards are Sunday, with Winehouse via satellite!

Election Day in 1992 was possibly my favorite political day ever. I voted in the morning, watched election returns all evening and celebrated in the streets of West Hollywood until late that night. California made history that day by electing two women to the Senate, and I had the satisfaction of having been part of the process. Two years later, lots of folks with politics different from mine had the satisfaction of shifting things in a different direction. (I was less happy about that.) What we had in common, however, was a belief that voting was important.

This Tuesday, February 5, is Super Tuesday — a big voting day in the United States. Despite the early primaries and caucuses, Tuesday is the official start of the presidential primary season. The 23 Democratic primaries and caucuses and 21 Republican primaries and caucuses will likely determine both parties' candidates. The right to vote is cool and important — arguably the single most important element of civic responsibility and participation. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Logo (AfterEllen.com's parent company) launched VisibleVote08.com in anticipation of this year's U.S. presidential election. And lots of celebrities are always yammering about the importance of voting or the candidate they want you to vote for. Let's take a look at how some celebrity women have gotten into the act.

Celebrity Endorsements

The most obvious way celebrities participate in the political process is by endorsing specific candidates. Oprah is arguably the highest profile endorser of a candidate in the 2008 race.

She endorsed Barack Obama last spring, and pundits are questioning whether she can apply the “Oprah Effect” to political candidates.

Susan Sarandon is a perennial activist who is dismissed by many (not by me) as a wacko liberal and humorless soapbox orator. (I believe this makes her an honorary lesbian!)

She tolerates this wearily, and argues that if she has to deal with the burdens of celebrity, she might as well also try to use it to do some good. And she acknowledges that even her kids laugh at her activism:

“When we have friends over, the kids always bet on how long it will take before we turn to politics. We always forget, and then they say, 'That was fast — only one minute and two seconds.'”

And, of course, there's Barbara Streisand, whom I love even though I think she takes herself too seriously. … continue reading

When a group of guys is huddled around a computer oohing and ahhing, it can mean only one thing: cars. You thought I was going to say porn, didn't you? Well, that's what I expected when I sneaked up behind them, hoping for a peek of something naughty. Instead, I saw this.

It's the car Speed's rival, Racer X, will be driving in the movie Speed Racer. In case you care, the car is modeled after ARTA's Super GT 300 car. That means absolutely nothing to me, but now you know. And just so your day will be complete, here's what Speed will be driving.

Since my main requirement for a car is leather seats, I'm much more interested in the movie itself, which stars, among other people, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman.

  … continue reading

Last weekend, I stumbled across a strange little movie that is likely not playing at a theater near you. (Unless you live in New York. Then it's playing at the Quad Cinema.) The movie, Romance and Cigarettes, was written and directed by John Turturro and has what may be the best ensemble cast in the history of weird little independent movies.

James Gandolfini plays the lead, and his odd best friend is Steve Buscemi. His wife is Susan Sarandon.

His girlfriend is Kate Winslet. … continue reading

Ah, classic Disney. A princess, a prince, an evil queen and ... a divorce lawyer? In Disney's new movie, Enchanted, the answer is yes.

Enchanted, due to be released Thanksgiving Day after a long production journey, combines animation and live action to tell a fairy tale that Patrick Dempsey, who plays Robert the lawyer, calls "a love letter to Disney." The story begins in Andalasia, an animated world reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Handsome Prince Edward (James Marsden) falls in love with the lovely Princess Giselle (Amy Adams). … continue reading

Last week, it was announced that Oscar-winning actress, human rights activist and AfterEllen.com Hot 100 lister Susan Sarandon will play the role of Grandma Lynn in the film adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones. And what lovely bones they are.

The Lovely Bones tells the story of 14-year-old Susie, who, after being murdered by her neighbor, watches from heaven as her family deals with her death. Newcomer Saoirse Ronan will play Susie, with Ryan Gosling and Oscar winner Rachel Weisz as Susie's grief-stricken parents. Sarandon will play Susie's grandmother, who moves in with the family after the murder.

The Lovely Bones will be directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings trilogy), who also directed Heavenly Creatures, the creepy 1994 film based on a notorious 1954 New Zealand murder committed by two teenage girls. The girls, Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet (a young Kate Winslet), kill Pauline's mother when they learn she intends to separate them because their friendship seems just a tad obsessive. Guess she was right. … continue reading