The movie deals with artificial insemination, romance, sex and organic goat cheese, which are promising areas for investigation, but it’s so watered-down, it approaches homeopathy.Roger Ebert chuckles over The Backup Plan, the new Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy.Speaking of Nuts the terrier (as Ebert does), Lopez posed with him on the red carpet at the LA premiere this week.
Veteran NFL kicker Joe Nedney took on a robot this week for the placekicking championship of the world. Nedney is 234 pounds and 77 inches tall. The robot, Ziggy, is an intimidating 340 pounds and 14 inches.Who prevailed? Let’s go to the tape.
In honor of the birth anniversary of bandleader Charlie Mingus, here are clips from the Ray Davies (of The Kinks) documentary, Charles Mingus Weird Nightmare.To see Davies talk about the film and to see more segments, go to Weird Davies Nightmare.
Today Bettie Page was born in Nashville in 1923. A pin-up queen from “men’s magazines” of the 1950s, Page’s distinctive look is now what most people imagine when they think of that era of striptease burlesque. Page retired long ago and died in 2008.
To hear an audio interview with Page from 2007, go to this video (it includes a slideshow of typical Bettie Page poses).
James Mason (center) with Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and Martin Landauin the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock thriller North By NorthwestEditor Paul Hehn has just profiled actor James Mason, and thank heavens. He’s a great one.
“All those who enjoy Hitler bunker parodies, please leave the room.”(Hat tip: Mr. Hehn)
The BBC says that producers are worried about MGM’s financial problems. Sam Mendes was in talks to direct, with a release date set for 2012 — the 50th anniversary of Dr. No.Maybe suspension is a good thing, given how dopey Quantum of Solace was. They should take all the time they need to get back to the magic of Casino Royale.
Funny Cide, the plucky chestnut colt who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2003, turns 10 years old today.Funny Cide raced until he was 7 years old, won $3.5 million, and is now retired to the Kentucky Horse Farm. Alas, Funny Cide is a gelding, so it’s not the usual retirement at stud enjoyed by most Derby winners and NFL quarterbacks. Still, he’s eating peppermints and enjoying life.
Christina Hendricks and Esquire magazine go together. Hendricks — best known as Joan, the luscious take-charge secretary on the TV show Mad Men — is featured on the May 2010 cover of Esquire. It’s their annual ‘Women We Love’ issue.
Rapper Lil Wayne — a.k.a. “Weezy” — has a way of keeping his name in the papers, even though he’s in jail in New York.
His newest stay-in-the-public-eye scheme is a blog from his prison cell, which so far is a combination of meditations on professional sports and blatant advertisements for his most recent “rock” album, Rebirth.