Movies This Weekend That Might Interest You
Due to lovely embargoes I can't really talk about anything officially. I will say I wish Fighting had more of it, and The Soloist and State of Play make for an interesting "save our newspapers" double feature. Joe Wright (The Soloist) is an ambitious director. Even when he doesn't quite make it, there's a giant Joe Wright-sized hole in the wall from him running full steam. I think we're in for a few decades of great movies out of Mr. Wright.

Press Releases of Note
Everyone has run the pictures of the werewolf boys from New Moon by now. But has anyone allowed you to click on a full-sized version? Click on ours and enjoy all that werewolf goodness!

Quote of the Day
Andera: So why the sad face?
Willie Conway: Job requirement. Happy piano players work the circus.
-- Beautiful Girls

What I Watched Last Night Besides a Movie
This will be more of a rant. You telling me they're going to cancel Chuck? Seriously, NBC? It's completely unacceptable. You've found a show that features spectacular opportunities for product placement, a show that weaves comedy and drama in the same fluid motion, a show that has a soundtrack that's world-class. And you're going to throw that all away? For what? Another crime drama? Please. Chuck has a compelling storyline that also makes you laugh. Name another show like that on the air. Why are we killing scripted television? Zachari Levi could end up being the next Tom Hanks if things break right (note: the "hyperbole" warning is officially clanging in my ear). But why not? The guy can go from serious to silly without breaking a sweat. He's chivalrous, dopey, driven, and sympathetic all at once. Plus, Yvonne Strahovski's Sarah Walker is fantastic. A lovely and kind woman ... who isn't afraid to beat people up. Adam Baldwin? Sublime as agent John Casey. We can't forget Morgan, either; Joshua Gomez provides a solid B storyline each and every time out.

I'm so frustrated about this show possibly being canceled that I might roll up on NBC and smack the s*** out of Jeff Zucker. Ugh. C'mon, people. Let us not go quietly into the darkness. Watch the finale of Chuck. Then demand more. We're getting to the point where networks are being rewarded for feeding us a diet of Howie Do It and CSI: Durango. It's bad berries. This aggression will not stand. I've embedded last Monday's episode at the end of this article. Give it a shot.

Deep Thought of the Day
I was ruminating the other day, as I oft do, on Lindsay Lohan. It's a natural thing to ponder as we have the same initials, were born in even years, and both enjoy female disc jockeys. Plus, she certainly gets a lot of pub, and unlike the Curious Case of Brad Pitt and Angie Jolie, it's not for good works or actual acting. Lohan is now a celebrity because she's a celebrity. It's the ultimate in circular logic. But it all had to start somewhere, right? Besides Paris Hilton and Kim K., no one gets rewarded for purely prurient qualities right off the bat. There was a time in '05/'06 when Lindsay was expertly choosing Mean Girls and making fun of her own zoftig persona on Saturday Night Live. People liked the idea of a Disney starlet going legit. Actually, they still like that theme, see Cyrus, Miley. But when, precisely, did Lindsay Lohan go from "emerging talent" to simply "tabloid fodder"?

I'll tell you when. It was May 11, 2007. Boom! You've just been big hit and you didn't even see it coming! No, but seriously, why May of 2007? Georgia Rule. It was the end of Lohan as an actress and the beginning of Lohan as a celebutant. Georgia Rule wasn't completely terrible, or rather it was, but it shouldn't have been career ending. Approximately three million people saw it in theaters, and they told their friends, and then the warning flags went up. "Is this Lohan character actually an actor?" became embedded in the public consciousness. And then, the unholy of unholies, I Know Who Killed Me. This was the set/spike of the "serious actor" portion of Lindsay's career. Months before the film came out sites were getting huge traffic out of running "Lohan as a stripper" galleries. She became an object. That was a full 18 months ago, and she's no better off today.

Can she come back? Sure, she'll get a third and fourth chance. If she works with the right director the "comeback" will be the story of whatever film she chooses. She doesn't have to be taken lightly, exploited only as a traffic driver for name recognition. The Lohan can still act. She just has to want it, which clearly hasn't been the case for a couple of years. Here's hoping she makes that change, "Man in the Mirror" style.

Videos For You
Warning: Language

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