What I'm Seeing This Week
This week is mental, due to the holidays approaching. Thus, here is my screening schedule:

The Wrestler
Twilight (again, just to make sure)
Frost/Nixon
Australia
Four Christmases
Defiance
Transporter 3

I'm exhausted just thinking about that. I even skipped Bolt last night to mentally prepare myself. Don't worry, Eric D. is all over that one. He loves Miley.

What I Saw Last Week
Only Quantum of Solace, which I would have given an A-. I think it's a bit better than Casino Royale too, if only because they didn't bother with the plot.

Press Releases of Note
I've been doing my best to avoid the press this week as I've been buried under "Ten Days of Twilight."

This Week's Podcast Topics
Favorite foreign film of the decade
The Star Trek trailer
How do you handle rude people at the movies?
The Top and Bottom movies of Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon
Vampires are trendy. What's next?

Today's Movie Stories on the Internets
The Academy has released a list of the 15 documentaries that will be considered. The big snub? Religulous. I've only seen Man on a Wire of the 15, so I'll abstain from predicting anything.

Best Non-Movie Story of the Week Not by Me
If you read this column long enough you'll get to the part where they say us out-of-shape people can become astronauts too. My guess is I'd have to be an expert at meteor drilling like Bruce Willis or Ben Affleck though.

Deep Thought of the Week
I think people can sense authenticity. They know when they are being lied to, and when they aren't getting the whole story. Which is why the way entertainment media is conducted these days is so silly. The studio controls access to the stars, and only the most fawning are allowed full access. You want to have a sitdown with Angelina Jolie? You'd better not have an interesting question in your body.

However, audiences, by and large, don't want fawning portraits of the actors they enjoy at the cineplex. They want real looks at actors, directors, and key grips. Okay, maybe not key grips. But my point here that is the more studios try to control the message about their product and people the less that message matters. If you put out interview after interview that states, "It was great to work with so and so and everyone who was involved is a genius hard worker," then the public gets immune. That's where we find ourselves today, numb to puff pieces. Take the gloves off Hollywood -- you'd be surprised how forgiving and welcoming the general public can be if you just give them half a chance.

Early Box Office Take
I just saw Ed Douglas at ComingSoon.net posted a $70m prediction for Twilight. How could that be? I think it will put up Miley / HSM3 numbers, no more, no less. There simply aren't enough people who have read the books, regardless of the mania. I'm not knocking the fans; heck, I am one -- but I don't see how this film can make that kind of loot opening weekend.

Videos For You
Let's go to our friends at Hulu with Justin Timberlake on SNL. Note: this won't be funny unless you've seen him on Saturday Night Live before.

And just because it's fun to remember both Warren G and Michael McDonald at the same time:

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