Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Helen Hunt has emerged from the where-the-hell-have-you-been cold case files! Phew. It's dark and moldy in those little boxes in which Hollywood tosses its female stars of yesteryear. Hunt will soon be seen in Then She Found Me, a comedy with drama and a little romance, also starring Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth and the Divine Ms. M, Bette Midler. But what's even nicer than seeing Hunt in front of the camera is that this new film features Hunt behind the camera, as well. Then She Found Me is Helen Hunt's feature film directorial debut, and it is has received its fair share of positive press from earlier film festivals. The film is at last winding its way to a general release in April.

The movie has been adapted from a novel by Elinor Lipman of the same name, and Hunt helped to pen the screenplay. Writer, director, and star? Is that the new Hollywood version of the triple threat?

In Then She Found Me, Hunt plays an unassuming schoolteacher who finds out that she is the biological daughter of an abrasive talk show host (played by Midler) who placed her baby for adoption at birth. The pairing of Hunt with Midler as the unlikely mother-and-daughter combo is enough of a draw for me to buy a movie ticket for this one, but the story also seems interesting in that modern-day complicated twist sort of way. You see, Hunt's character is ending a relationship with a pretty annoying guy (Broderick) and beginning a relationship with a flawed but nice enough guy (Firth) who has a daughter enrolled at the school where Hunt's character teaches. Hunt's character learns that she is pregnant with her ex's baby, though she is still trying to see where her relationship will go with the new guy. Talk about dyke drama! Oh, wait — I don't think there are any lesbian characters in this; just lesbian icons. Well, anyway, here's the latest trailer:
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T-minus one week and counting to my favorite psuedo-holiday of the year. I love Halloween. Think about it. It's the only time of year that it's OK to accept candy from strangers. In fact, soliciting candy from strangers is expected. It's also the only time of the year it's socially acceptable for those of us who aren't paid actors to dress up in costume and pretend to be something or someone we're not.

For more than a decade, Bette Midler has been throwing one of the best Halloween bashes around. I say best not because it's the biggest or the scariest. I say best because she throws the bash to raise money for New York Restoration Project, a nonprofit founded by Midler to clean, restore and revitalize New York City's parks. The group reclaims abandonded parks, plants community gardens and offers youth education programs aimed at greening up New York City.

In conjunction with the annual bash at the Waldorf-Astoria, the group also holds an online auction. Among the items available for bid this year are a day on the set of Wolverine with Hugh Jackman and tickets to Jessica Alba's next movie premiere. Sign me up for that one.

This year, they're also having "Wicked Day" on Oct. 28, complete with block party, performances by the cast of Wicked and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Friendship Gardens. … continue reading

“There’s a word for you ladies, but it is seldom used in high society ... outside a kennel.”

That classic line from the 1939 film The Women is the perfect example of why I love the movie. Earlier this year, Anna let us know that Diane English’s long-planned remake of The Women is on again, with a cast that almost seemed too good to be true.

Now comes casting news that pushes the lineup into fantasyland (but I read it on the Internet, so it must be true). Bette Midler, Lynn Whitfield, Debi Mazar, Ana Gasteyer, Carrie Fisher, Joanna Gleason and Cloris Leachman have joined the project, which is currently shooting in Boston.

If I lived anywhere near Boston, I’d be roaming the streets to find this film set. Not that I'm condoning calling in sick and getting some pictures to post here or anything. … continue reading

Here’s what we know about the characters so far.