NDBT

What Fall TV will get axed first (featuring a picture of Hugh Jackman in a suit.)

Dexter starts 2nd season. I think the library has the 3rd book on order….

From Variety, “McAdams, Mirren tapped for State of Play. Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, and Robin Wright Penn have joined Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Jason Bateman in the Universal Pictures/Working Title adaptation of the British miniseries State of Play. McAdams will play a newspaper reporter investigating the death of the mistress of a fast-rising congressman. Mirren will play the newspaper’s editor, a role played by Bill Nighy in the British series. Wright Penn will play the congressman’s estranged wife who becomes romantically involved with the politician’s former campaign manager (Pitt), who leads the newspaper’s investigative team. Norton plays the congressman, and Bateman plays the other lead reporter. Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) is directing from a script written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom).”

Interesting. But even more importantly, every time I hear the word Variety, it makes me think of the Animaniacs song about learning to speak varietyspeak if you’re gonna make it in Hollywood. I wonder if that’s on youtube… Ah bless. It is. (Well – the song is, at least. It bizarrely has anime videos accompanying it).

From Hollywood Reporter, “NBC taking advantage of new Nielsen rule. NBC will take advantage of a new Nielsen rule that allows networks to count unduplicated viewers watching a replay in the same broadcast week in the ratings of the original broadcast, as long as the national commercial content remains the same. NBC will do that Saturday night when Heroes will air with the same national commercials that aired during the Monday night season premiere. What’s more, the hour being added to Monday’s ratings won’t be counted in the weekly average, which allows NBC to eliminate an hour of typically-low Saturday night ratings from its weekly total. Most other networks will not take advantage of the new rule because airing the same commercials is too difficult. NBC said its plan with Heroes will probably only be a one-off and not a regular occurrence because it’s a challenge to coordinate.”

Soo… have they figured out a way to tally itunes and tivo viewers yet? Because if not, tv ratings are useless other than to advertisers. They shouldn’t have an effect on which shows stay and which don’t.

EW has a gallery of the most violent movies ever; (chosen by readers, so probably not a very objective list). Included; Saving Private Ryan, Seven, Silence of the Lambs, Reservoir Dogs, Saw, Pan’s Labyrinth, and American History X, all of which I have seen. And a History of Violence is high on my list of films I want to see. Oh, my warped little mind… (Still, Saving Private Ryan, Reservoir Dogs, Silence of the Lambs, American History X, and Pan’s Labyrinth are all great films; I think people should watch them, even if they don’t like violence. Which makes it sound like I do – and that’s not what I meant. Hmmm – people who can’t usually tolerate violence.)

Is Wristcutters the next cult teen flick? I’m excited for this one. The trailer looks good, and its been getting good buzz for a long while now. Plus, it’s got Patrick Fugit – where has he been since Almost Famous?

Another take on Across the Universe. “So my advice to you, brave Beatlemaniacs and movie-musical mavens, is to get to a theater, be perfectly discriminating about what works for you and what doesn’t… and, when you do get to the magical parts — those bits and pieces that remind us how alive to all our senses a great song can make us — turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream, even if just for a few minutes at a time.”

From a report on Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart working together, over on cinematical, “I still remember the first time I saw Eckhart, in Neil LaBute’s vicious, nasty, wonderful In the Company of Men. I thought he was so excellent in that, and it’s been interesting watching Hollywood try to wedge him into leading man roles when he’s really better suited to be a character actor. I guess he’s just a bit too attractive. It’s the same way with Mark Ruffalo, whenever I see him in something like the atrocious Rumor Has It, I just cringe, because everyone involved seems to know that’s not what he should be doing.”

I think that’s a pretty apt description.

Movie references from the Simpsons.

Paulson joins Frank Miller’s the Spirit. I totally thought Frank Miller was doing something else next (speaking of violent movies…)

A bit on Kevin Spacey.

Nelson Mandela movies in the works.

Seriously, Brandon Routh isn’t gay? (“Oh yeah, that’s like, ‘he’s not gay – he’s in a fraternity’” – The Broken Hearts Club)

Review for the Darjeeling Limited from ComingSoon “If you’re already a fan of Anderson’s sense of humor and eye for style than you’ll probably enjoy his latest road comedy to India, although anyone expecting him to break out with something that will forever change the face of cinema will more than likely be disappointed that it’s “just another Wes Anderson movie”—and a vanity project at that—rather than being something truly special.”

I forget if I posted this one already, but the Pathology trailer is up. I’m not a B-movie horror kinda gal, but I’m totally going to see this. Also; Before the Devil knows you’re dead, Lake of Fire, and Midnight Meat Train. Whoops – did I never post the wristcutters trailer? Here it is.

African archbishop claims condoms are infected with HIV. You have got to be kidding me.

Holy crap – what’s going on in Belgium?

Environmental news; US to host climate change meeting. Because we only go to our own. Dell to go carbon neutral. Well, I hate them slightly less now (my boss regaled me with a story of his problems with Dell – Europe, which ended up in them giving him 400 Euro for all of his hassle (he had to get the private marketing director’s number)). Banks pressuring US on climate change. Substituting one toxic chemical for another, deadlier one. More on Yucca Mountain’s fault line. Which has been part of opponents arguments since… let’s see. I heard about it back in 2002. How is this still a debate? British eco-towns. The NPS sucks. Californians like solar homes. Also in breaking news; Rain wet. Political sabotaging for California’s emission standards. First application for a new nuclear reactor in nearly 30 years. NRDC and Red Sox greening Fenway. PG&E paying for solar on NorCal habitat for Humanity homes.

And this is totally brilliant; Feds apologize for encouraging employees to buy fuel efficient Japanese cars.

Yup, it’s a slow day.