Remember when Penn was fighting for that Harvey Milk holiday in 2009? Worthy cause.
…would live in a movie theater if not for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.
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You don't really want to talk about Nicolas Cage's Season of the Wig oops Witch do you? I thought not. Let's move on. That's the only big new release. The rest is Oscar-focused screen count scrambling.
BONUS SCENES
Sean Penn will soon be honored with a humanitarian award. No, it's not another honor for his excellent portrayal of gay activist Harvey Milk. This prize is for his excellent work as Sean Penn, being quite the activist himself. He's definitely done a lot for Haiti relief recently. Each year the Producers Guild of America hands out the Stanley Kramer Award. It's named after the producer and/or director of high-minded classics like Judgment at Nuremberg, Inherit the Wind, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and High Noon. The prize usually goes to a film (recent winners have included Precious, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda) but Penn will be the first actor to receive it. In the PGA's own words:
"We are proud to honor Sean Penn with this award as he truly exemplifies the Stanley Kramer legacy. Sean is a committed activist who has used his extraordinary talents and influence to shed light on powerful stories, causes and individuals—through film, journalism, and global humanitarian organizations."
Meanwhile at the cinema, Sean Penn will next play Brad Pitt's son (ah, the magic of the movies) in the upcoming Terrence Malick film THE TREE OF LIFE. The trailer is a beauty. Can't wait.
Remember last year's Golden Globes when Burlesque was just a crazy dream and not a reality and Cher & Christina Aguilera presented the Best Original Song prize and hit the after parties?
They're baaaa-aaack. MORE AFTER THE JUMP…
They'll both present again (Together? we aren't sure.) at this year's Golden Globes on January 16th. (Burlesque is nominated for Best Musical or Comedy) Other celebrities scheduled to hit the stage include: Halle Berry, Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Garner, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Josh Brolin, Gerard Butler, Chace Crawford, Cameron Diaz, Colin Farrell, Jodie Foster, Matthew Fox, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Taylor Lautner, Sophia Loren, Amy Poehler, Julia Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Kiefer Sutherland and Sam Worthington.
Did you ever see Eat Pray Love? Julia Roberts is still quite fond of her co-star Javier Bardem. Now she wants Academy members to Watch Love Vote for his performance in Mexico's Oscar submission BIUTIFUL in which he plays a cancer stricken man with a mess of other problems, too.
Frustrated that Bardem hasn't been gaining Oscar traction, Julia is now stumping for him on the campaign trail. Her endorsement can't be taken lightly in Hollywood. Remember how hard she pushed for Denzel Washington's second win followed by her focus-pulling move on Oscar night. "I love my life!" she exclaimed, right before announching his name as the winner for Training Day.
Remember that adorable little boy who dressed as Scooby Doo's Daphne for Halloween last year? The mom's loving tribute to her son went viral. The story has another happy ending: Warner Bros sent them a huge care package in the mail. All of this suddenly makes the uncool Scooby Doo franchise seem so much worthier of continued existence.
With hotties Garret Hedlund (Tron Legacy) and Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter) both making noise in theaters right now, My New Plaid Pants revisits their pairing in Four Brothers [mildly NSFW] How close are these brothers anyway?
Robert De Niro will be the president of the jury at the world's most prestigious film festival in Cannes this summer.
What do you think of Hollywood's Double (Chin) Standard? It is tough not to notice it while watching the trailer to The Dilemma. How did Vince Vaughn and Kevin James snag Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder, anyway!?
(Junk) food for thought. Do The People's Choice Awards Really Have Worse Taste Than the Oscars?