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