Oh hey, look, it's Dita Von Tee…eek! Wait, that's not Dita. That's, um, that's. Oh God, that's Evan Rachel Wood. It's only taken her 14 months to completely and totally turned herself into her boyfriend Marilyn Manson's ex-wife, Dita Von Teese. The horror, the horror.

Rachel stepped out last night for The Life Before Her Eyes screening in New York. Rachel stars in the new thriller, which opens in limited release Friday, along with Uma Thurman. Her new so-brown-it's-basically-black do made its public debut at the event and the result was startling -- startlingly familiar, that is.

Look, as creepy as I think it is to that a 39-yer-old man is dating a 20-year-old girl and calls her his twin,” it's even creepier that said 20-year-old girl has morphed herself into said 39-year-old man's ex. It's just yucky. Seriously, ewww. I could go on and on about the nearly 20-year-age difference, but what bugs me the most is how the couple happily plays up their Lolita dynamic, right down to the red heart-shaped sunglasses. Look, jailbait is fun and something to emulate. Whee! And then there was that video. Shudder.

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Who could be the next Jodie Foster? That's the question that MSNBC is asking its readers these days. (Click here to vote and see current poll results.)

It's kind of an intriguing question — and one that I've actually considered independently. (But I'll get back to that later.) Of course, Jodie Foster is a unique individual who cannot be replicated, but I'll assume that the folks at MSNBC are speculating about which young, talented actress will successfully transition to a working adult actress.

Of course, they could be asking which young, talented actress will grow up to have a happy, private, lesbian family. … continue reading

Wow, there are a lot of movies I haven't heard of. And at least a few I'm really looking forward to. It's time for another poster-and-trailer extravaganza!

First, the Baby Mama poster hasn't really been released yet, but I came across this snapshot of the actual paper object. Cute. Is it April 25 yet?

Next, Smart People, featuring the smart and adorable person named Ellen Page (yeah, and Sarah Jessica Parker, too, but I find her less smart and less adorable, and occasionally less human).

This film debuts April 11. Here's the trailer: … continue reading

For years, Strangers in Paradise fans have speculated about a movie or television series based on the adventures — and love story — of Katchoo and Francine.

I didn't really expect it to happen, mainly because I couldn't imagine a producer who could fully appreciate the genius of Terry Moore's storytelling. But at last weekend's Xena convention, Steven Sears, who produced Xena, announced that he and Moore are working together to bring a live action version of SiP to television. Sounds like a match made in, well, paradise.

Sears and Moore got to know each other after the SiP issue in which Francine and Katchoo appeared as Xena and Gabrielle.

Once Moore finished the comic series — marvelously, I might add — he decided to get in touch with Sears and actively pursue making a TV show. Of course, the writers' strike has to end and they have to find a studio and make a pilot and get the series picked up and other minor details, but I can't help being excited about the prospect. And I can't help imagining who will play Francine and Katchoo. … continue reading

When I saw Hairspray last month, I was treated to the trailer for Across the Universe, Julie Taymor's new project. Taymor is best known for the Broadway smash The Lion King and for the movies Frida and Titus.

The press release describes Across the Universe as a "stunning love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock 'n' roll." It stars Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess as star-crossed lovers Lucy and Jude. And Wood looks much more like herself in this one (not that she could look less like herself than she did in that Marilyn Manson video).

The film flies from Liverpool to Greenwich Village to Detroit to Vietnam, following Lucy and Jude as they explore all the nooks and crannies of the counterculture. Their guides along the way are played by Bono and Eddie Izzard. (Sounds like a surefire way to get lost.) Throw in a soundtrack composed entirely of Beatles songs, plus Taymor's trademark flights of fancy — manifested in "a combination of live action and painted and three-dimensional animation" — and it promises to be trippy indeed. … continue reading

We've been hearing an awful lot about the elder stateswomen of Hollywood taking over the airwaves lately. From Glenn Close in Damages, Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer, Sally Field in Brothers & Sisters to Mary-Louise Parker in Weeds, Lili Taylor in State of Mind and Holly Hunter in Saving Grace, women of a certain age have been generating a whole lot of buzz. Even Whoopi Goldberg joining The View could be viewed as part of the "trend."

With all this positivity going on around about these lovely ladies, I'm led to wonder about the future. What I want to know is this: Are any of today's youngsters going to be ready to step up to the plate when these ladies take their final bows and gracefully exit the stage? Now, I know that's likely a long way off, but that doesn't make my curiosity any less. So I decided to don my Carnac the Magnificent-like turban and see if I could find any answers in my crystal ball. Forgive me if said crystal ball provides some somewhat strange replies. The power is on the fritz here due to some nasty thunderstorms last night, and I'm afraid my battery supply is being used elsewhere. (I meant in flashlights, people!) … continue reading

I'll admit, I'm more than a little excited about the possible DVD release sometime soon of the last season of Once and Again — ABC's 1999-2002 drama about the daily trials and tribulations of a blended and extended family — and not just because of that season's fantastic exploration of two teen girls falling in love.

The tumultuous, grudge-riddled relationship between sisters Lily (Sela Ward) and Judy (Marin Hinkle) always reminds me of my own with my sister. Lily's efforts to embrace but not smother her children and boyfriend's children resonates with a lot of moms and stepmoms, I'm sure, as does Karen's (Susanna Thompson) heartbreaking struggle as a newly divorced mother to let go of her marriage and her attempt to control her children. The awkward, tentative friendship between quasi step-sisters Grace (Julia Whelan) and Jessie (Evan Rachel Wood) is familiar to all of us who've tried to make the best of a situation we didn't necessarily choose, and pre-teen Zoe's endless frustration at being left out of everything is like every annoying little sister you've ever known. And of course, Jessie's confusion about her feelings for classmate Katie (Mischa Barton) reminds me of more than one crush I had in high school.

The show had more in-depth, realistic, and complicated women in one episode than almost the entire primetime lineup does these days, and they were played by equally talented, interesting and relatable actresses.

Which has me wondering: now that it's been five years since the show ended, what are the women of Once and Again up to these days? So I did a little research, and a little then-and-now photoshopping, to catch us all up. … continue reading

CelebritySpotlight.co.uk recently ran a hilarious quote by Liv Tyler about playing a lesbian (the original source was her interview with Allure Magazine). Actually, the hilarious part was the headline, "Liv Tyler's Lesbian Regret." There is so much you can do with the concept of "lesbian regret," isn't there?

Anyway, Tyler bemoaned the tameness of the kiss scene she did with Kate Hudson a few years ago in Dr. T and the Women.

She said, "Kate plays a woman who is about to get married and she's completely in love with me. We were always so shy about the kissing but in retrospect we were like, 'We so should have just totally made out and tongued each other'. But we never did, we were just too scared to do it." … continue reading

There are certain things that I know exist, but never want to see. The clubbing of baby seals. The exact ingredients in a hot dog. The sex life of 38-year-old shock rocker Marilyn Manson and his 19-year-old girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood.

Tragically, it's too late for me on the latter. Though, if it were possible, I would pull a Superman and fly around the world to turn back time and then, right at the moment when I was about to hit "play," poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick instead. Because, believe me, that kind of "My eye! My eye!" pain would be preferable to the real "My eyes! Sweet fancy Moses, my eyes!" pain I experienced when I foolishly watched Marilyn Manson's latest video, "Heart Shaped Glasses." … continue reading