You BeLink With Me

DVD Beaver Bright Star is on its way to you... and just as beautiful as ever
<--- Neil Gaiman's Journal at the Golden Globes with Amanda Palmer ... I love them both but it's so funny to me how people as famous as Neil Gaiman -- who's written how many bestsellers now? -- get labelled "and guest" when the paparazzi snap away
ChexyDemical James Cameron... and Susan B Anthony?
Towleroad RIP Kate McGarrigle, wonderful musician and mom to the brilliant Rufus Wainwright. So sad
NY Times Avatar as rorschach test for what people happen to be thinking about these days
Stale Popcorn I absolutely love this ode to Mo'Nique in Precious. She really is an awesome terminator.
Guardian a funny bit on Mariah Carey's post-drunken awards season business venture
Against the Hype tweet-length reviews, a bunch of perceptive ones
Justin Bond to host a rare screening of Ken Russell's blasphemous The Devils (1971) on Monday in NYC. Who is going? Send me a full report.

Cinema Blend Channing Tatum to become a stripper again? Oh, Katey, you delight me with news
And the Winner Is... Scott Fienberg interviews the lovely Anne Hathaway about Valentino The Last Emperor! --->
Flick Filosopher's top ten list. MaryAnn always has a strong point of view. It occurs to me that i never did my top ten list. What is wrong with me this year season? Don't answer that!

I know what's wrong with me today: I've had packing anxiety (leaving for Utah tomorrow) and terribly slow and vexing computer issues today -- hence delays in posting and more awardage -- so I'll leave you with this video of a song I have loved for years "Hard Times" with Kate McGarrigle and family (including Rufus). I've loved this song ever since Mare Winningham and Jennifer Jason Leigh sang competing versions in Georgia (1995) so I've included that, too. God, Mare Winningham is so great in that movie. Have you seen it?



Beautiful.
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Tilda Swinton in the Flesh

This weekend I had the opportunity to listen to cinephile actress Tilda Swinton reminisce about her career at the New Yorker Festival. I covered that beat (thrilling, rapid fire... oops, that was my heart) for Tribeca Film. Naturally, wrestling the goodies down to article form was a mite troubling, because she was so candid, interesting and worthy of plunking down money for... though I guess with these new blogging laws I should indicate that my ticket was comped.


I always love hearing Tilda talk about her first collaborator Derek Jarman (which she did, a lot... there wasn't much discussion of her recent forays into mainstream fare) but one of my favorite bits was her story about meeting Eric Zonca, her Julia director, in Cannes. He was drunk and they tried to sneak into a party that they were both turned away from... even though they were both Cannes officials. A brief clip from that film only reminded me that it's practically insane that people aren't screaming "Oscar Number Two!" for her sozzled blabbermouth trainwreck character in that film. You can just about smell the alcohol while watching that performance. No Smell-O-Vision required.

Justin Bond of 'Kiki and Herb' and Shortbus fame, a close friend of Tilda's, came out at the end of the night raving about the new Italian film I Am Love (Io Sono L'Amore)

It's the kind of movie you dream of seeing Tilda in

Hmmm, for me that describes every movie she's in.

I'd like to say you had to be there but that would kind of defeat the purpose of sending you over to read my piece. The New Yorker also has a brief bit on the event.
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Based on a Link Story

the trailer
"Matt Damon in The Informant"


Oh and... Low Resolution is hosting a Trailer Tournament 'Best of the 00s'. Go and vote

the movies
AV Club 12 Things Woody Allen Just Doesn't Get (fun article, mostly spot on)
The Washington Post's Dan Zak gets a lengthy chat with Michelle Pfeiffer for Chéri. I should note that I have met and lunched with Dan so I knew this next bit of info was coming. "Pfans" are discussed though Michelle, ever the reluctant superstar, doesn't seem to know what they are. You mean she never checked out my "Pfandom" website in 1999? ;)
HitFix beautiful new teaser poster for Precious. How many is this film gonna get?
Movie|Line Stereotypes fears swirling round The Princess and the Frog
Let Me Entertain You names Ann-Margret (Tommy) the Best Actress of 1975

broadway baby
Avenue Q is closing in September (sniffle)
The Little Mermaid is closing in August (yay!)

intermission, bathroom break
Ephemerist Justin Bond 'the positive nihilist'. I love Ms. Bond so much. With great muches. Muchly
OMG Pina Bausch (Talk to Her) has passed away
Jane Fonda a thoughtful piece on her brief friendship with Michael Jackson and rehearsing for one's own death
BBC hilarious article about a teenager giving up his iPod for a Walkman. Undoubtedly funnier if you remember Walkmans
I Need My Fix on Patrick Dempsey's second fragrance. I didn't know there was a first
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Speed Linker

Defamer reveals Susan Sarandon's fountain-of-youth secrets
Jackie Beat reveals Mariah Carey's diet secrets "Retouch" My Body
Screener thinks summertime brings out the best in movie audiences
Correct Opinion discusses those spoiler shots on The Dark Knight's "Two Face"


A lot of the gossip blogs (like Just Jared) are running pictures of Tilda Swinton @ the Met's superhero themed costume gala (pictured above). Most of them fail to mention or gleefully dwell on the fact that that's Justin Bond with Tilda! Hello, these details are important. Maybe the gossip bloggers just don't know anything about genius NY sub-lebrities like Justin Bond (half of the utterly brilliant duo Kiki & Herb who played himself memorably in Shortbus) cuz they're too busy posting their 2,000,000th photo of Kim Kardashian. Zzzzzz. How cute are Justin & Tilda?

a few more
Bubblegum Aesthetic has a great review of an Audra McDonald concert. I have her CDs and quite recommend. Now if we could only get her a great movie musical role instead of boring Grey's Anatomy spinoff gigs
And Your Little Blog Too reports from the Bette Davis centennial in LA
Hollywood Elsewhere Jeffrey Wells on Speed Racer reactions, actual and his own (imagined)
Film Otaku on the Best Actress contenders @ Cannes

The TONY Awards

Another year, another TONY Awards. The most memorable part of the evening for me was that it felt like Hugh Jackman was actually hosting even though he turned the gig down this year because there he was during every commercial break... striking curious poses in commercials for the Vegas set musical (?) TV series Viva Laughlin. How does he find the time? I'm assuming his is a recurring guest role rather than a lead... though the commercials lean heavily on his star magnetism.

Anyway, some thoughts on the night

Swoosie Kurtz (yay!), Harvey Fierstein (it aint televisions gayest night of the year w/out Harvey), Audra McDonald (a TONY goddess), Billy Crudup and Christine Ebersole (happy winners)

Wins: Best Musical Spring Awakening won just about everything it was up for except costumes (Grey Gardens) and sets (Mary Poppins) and acting. The nine hour Tom Stoppard trilogy The Coast of Utopia was even stronger in the Best Play categories. What didn't it win? The most deserving acting prizes went to the Beales of Grey Gardens. And I hear that Billy Crudup was sensational in Utopia as a Russian intellectual so good on him.

Most Skeletal: Where has Claire Danes gone? I'm glad her copresenter didn't slice himself open on her protuding bones. Can't find a suitably scary picture but I'm sure you'll see one soon.

Best Dressed: Angela Lansbury looked so classy.

Worst Dressed: Marcia Gay Harden, Christine Ebersole, and Melina whatshername from TV (pictured right with Jane Krakowski whom she is entirely unworthy to touch -- begone Melina!) The latter looked like she had a massive coke can tab hanging around her neck. Ewwww

Best Speeches: Mary Louise Wilson (Grey Gardens) and Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed) gave great acceptance speech. Funny and aware that it's a television show and not all about them. You still have to think about the audience when you're having your moment.

Worst Speech: Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens) was a deserving winner and I realize she's had the trophy in the bag for the whole theater season but this was the very definition of over rehearsed. I felt like I was in her bathroom staring into her mirror.

Best Performance: Audra McDonald's warm and spirited performance of "Raunchy" did the trick. I wanted to buy tickets to 110 in the Shade immediately. I'm also surprised to say that Fantasia's Color Purple number was surprisingly well acted. Why surprisingly? Well she was pretty terrible as herself in that Lifetime movie --not that I watched the whole thing.

Most Hilariously Appropriate Co-Presenter Pairing: Kevin Spacey with Jane Krakowski. That's a whole heap o' self love & smug right there. (I luv ya Jane! Don't be mad)

The Bad: They dissed Raul Esparza (pictured, left) yet again for the musical actor prize? Awful. He was so good in Company and he so obviously and desperately wanted to win. But the TONY voters are true starf***ers and David Hyde Pierce used to be on TV. It's maddening. When will Raul ever get the trophies he keeps on deserving ?

Best Speech in Worst Circumstances: David Hyde Pierce. It's nice that he's finally out of the closet --though it woulda been nicer while he was on Frasier for all those years --and it's nice that it was a truly sincere and modest nod to the other nominees (particularly Raul) but it still makes me crazy that Raul lost, damnit.

The Ugly: Shunning the utterly brilliant duo Kiki & Herb (pictured, right) for ventriloquism? That is just truly square. Like the Emmys and the Oscars, The TONY voters often have embarrassing blind spots and a lack of sophistication about their own artform.

The Curious: I haven't yet seen Spring Awakening and I've heard people say it's the new Rent. But I gotta tell you: I thought they meant that it was the new Rent in the rock musical way. I didn't realize it was the new Rent in the whole sense. A centerpiece number where horny young boys and girls dance on furniture and sing about masturbation? I've seen this before: VIVA LA VIE BOHEME!

Daniel Craig @ Shortbus

Daniel overdresses for his first trip to Shortbus. I'm guessing Justin Bond still lets him in.

The Must Sees
Shortbus, one of 2006's very best films, hits DVD today. If you're old enough (it's unrated) and it skipped your city, now's your chance. Also arriving today is the smash relaunch of the James Bond series with Casino Royale. So you've got a choice: Daniel Craig in a speedo or several adorable unknowns in birthday suits. You've probably seen the Bond flick already so discover those soulful sexual New Yorkers in John Cameron Mitchell's feisty follow-up to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Or watch the two new releases back to back and maybe you can create some lucid fake memories of Daniel Craig in Shortbus inspired compromising positions.

Does Daniel know the lyrics to the "Star Spangled Banner"? Perhaps he'll just improvise.

New Oscarables on DVD
Bond was ignored (AMPAS is rarely shaken or stirred by Bond) so the only Oscar nominee related DVD release this week is a special edition of Ghost, the tearjerker blockbuster from 1990. Do I remember that single tear falling from Demi Moore's eye because it was a bonafide great movie moment or because the image has been replayed millions of times in movie montages?

Fast Girls
That Diaz & Law / Winslet & Black Christmas romcom The Holiday is already out on DVD, too. It took 3 months and one week. Anyone know what the record is?

After a hard day chasing international criminals, Daniel needs a take-charge woman