Links: Funny Girl's Man, SJP's Moves, Shame's Triumph

BlogStage Nicky Arnstein Nicky Arnstein what a beautiful beautiful name ♫ Broadway's upcoming revival of Funny Girl has its leading man. Film, tv, and stage actor Bobby Cannavale will star opposite the previously reported Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) who'll be filling those legendary Fanny Brice shoes. 
Stale Popcorn Without Sandra Bernhard You Are Nothing! 
Movie|Line A Guide to Exactly How Sarah Jessica Parker Does it In Every Chick Flick
In Contention Kris Tapley and team are moving to HitFix. Go and congratulate them.
Popbytes Anderson Cooper goes tanning. Noooo. Pasty forever! (although it's funny that they paint muscles on. I didn't know this!)
IndieWire Steve McQueen's Shame is leading the critical assessment of TIFF's abundant selection of films.
IndieWire interviews Glenn Close and Janet McTeer on Albert Nobbs 

Finally, this comic from PHD Comics goes out to all of my friends and maybe some of you readers still struggling through projects in the weird and wonderful world of Academia.

Whenever I want to dive into some totally obscure film topic and spend 100s of hours writing an article only 10 people would ever want to read or realize that my own personal obsessions are just not mainstream enough for the enormous success I'd definitely enjoy, I think of all of you. Whenever I remember that time an editor looked at me like I was insane when I pitched a Norma Shearer book ("do you want more than 500 people to read it?") I think of you. Keep your head up. Research the hell out of whatever it is you're researching. Write the hell out of it.

Hey Girl, It's Link Time: Young Lars, Drunk Charlize, Best Pictures

Grantland has Mark Harris (yay) on the four supposed Best Picture contenders we've seen thus far: Midnight in Paris, The Tree of Life, The Help and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Stale Popcorn loves the teaser poster for Young Adult and so do I. Isn't it the most... to say the least? Makes you want to "open it" right away and start reading enjoying.

My favorite detail is that Caldecott-like gold stamp, with Jason Reitman's credits on it. Gah, why can't all posters be this fuuuuunnnnn?

Vulture Did you hear Reese Witherspoon got hit by a car (she's fine). I knew this would rile her number one fan up! haha
24 Frames AFI Fest will open with Clint Eastwood's Oscar-buzzy J Edgar. 

This video which I discovered at the WOW report, from WeHoGuy30, does a gay riff on Beauty & The Beast. "Bonjour Girl" ...very funny if you enjoy this sort of thing.

The Lost Boy Ricky Gervais is threatening to host the Golden Globes again live podcast during the Golden Globes ... with comedian friends including Louis CK sounding off on the Hollywood back-patting. 
Broadway Blog interviews Jeff Calhoun who is helping to bring new versions of Newsies and Bonnie & Clyde to the stage. He also appeared in the 80s movie musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. And yes, he talks Dolly Parton.   
Movie|Line Bad Movies We Love: Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal in The Main Event.  
PopMatters on Contagion and this age of zombie epidemics and vampiric viruses and real world terror

Today's Must Read
Ultra Culture was gifted a copy of an old Swedish documentary on Lars von Trier called Tranceformer (1997) and shares five things he learned from it. Very entertaining. Why is Lars so entertaining? Why is Ultra Culture so entertaining? He just is. They just are. Incidentally, I just saw Melancholia which I'm still mulling over but it is an absolute must-see as there is much to discuss about it. Which we will do soon.

Links: Hugh Jackman's Bow, TV Series Low, The Telluride Show

Towleroad I'm sounding off on what's available in the multiplex this weekend. More on the French thriller Love Crime here at TFE soon.
Los Angeles Times Telluride lineup, just announced, with premieres of The Descendants and Albert Nobbs. The festival will pay tribute to Michael Clayton... er, I mean George Clooney and Tilda Swinton, separately.
Empire god, that took long enough. Our first shot of Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn.

What'cha think?

Liz Smith has some ideas for the James Franco replacement in Broadway's Sweet Bird of Youth; Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be a totally interesting choice. Good one Liz. The less said about her other suggestion the better.
Guardian It's true. David Lynch has finally opened a real Club Silencio. I'd love to visit but I'd probably be deeply unnerved if anyone whispered "No hay banda" while I was inside.  
My New Plaid Pants continues to gawk at Garret Dillahunt "under-rated hot piece extraodinaire" (...and under-rated actor, too!)

Sing out Louise Hugh!

Playbill ZOINKS. Hugh Jackman may perform an 8 week concert series here in New York with songs from classic musicals as he waits for Wolverine to begin actual filming. OMG. Wouldn't it be so weird if Jackman and Kidman were both on Broadway at the same time? It'd be like an Australia reunion.
Back Stage talks to Ginnifer Goodwin about her new role as Snow White in the series "Once Upon a Time" (I'm losing track of all these new television shows that are using fairy tale or classic kids lit templates only modernized. Seriously, how many are there. 3 or 4 this fall season right?)

AV Club has an interesting topic question: what's the worst episode of a great series? I definitely kinda sorta agree with their Mad Men choice... but i'm struggling to remember the episode of Firefly they cite.
Stale Popcorn on the now four year old gay indie Shelter. I'm linking up because Glenn and I share nearly exact feelings about this one and how it immediately calls to mind gay film trajectories, like the utter tragedy that is Todd Stephens post Gypsy '83 career.
I09 salutes Daryl Hannah as an alien insect queen. I have never seen this but now I must. It's post Kill Bill even. Her brilliance there obviously didn't up the prestige level of her offers.

And finally thanks to Movie|Line for alerting us this piece at Saving Star Wars. They're right. The George Lucas of the 80s would HATE the "barbarian" George Lucas of 2011. Stop destroying your culturally significant 70s film with all these tweaks and changes for continuous profit. You have enough money. In fact, few people have ever had more. Of course maybe Lucas would stop pissing on his legacy if the fans would stop rewarding him financially for doing so and bitching at him for pissing on it. It's a vicious cycle. And trust: the fans make a big fuss but they buy all the new altered editions. Stop doing it!!!

Q&A: Resurrections, Musicals and "Julianne Pfeiffer"

I feel like if I talk about the Oscars anymore than I already do I will slowly become one! Gold plating, lopped off head, ... the works. This week's question were extremely Oscar focused. In order to escape my immobile sword-holding genital-free fate, I'm not answering them just yet. I'm also not answering any "top ten" questions but feel free to go on giving me top ten list ideas ;) 

I'm suddenly realizing this Q&A series is like writing 10 blog posts at once. Which is... well, must rethink this series! So only non-Oscar focused questions today and then we'll just gag on naked gold men tomorrow and Wednesday, K? 

Here we go.

Luiserghio: If you could resurrect one classic director to direct a modern actress/actor?
Nathaniel:  My first thought was William Wyler for just about any actor or actress that needs a chance to really nail a top flight dramatic adult piece. Who has a better track record for directing actors to grand serious performances with nuance and depth? Nobody. But then Vincente Minnelli directing Anne Hathaway popped up and I'll go with that. Not because she wants to play Judy Garland and he's the expert but because he understands color and musical numbers and Hathaway would soar under both conditions. Plus she seems to have an 'Old Hollywood' soul as it were so she'd be perfect for any resurrection.

Mandy Patinkin, Eartha Kitt and Toni Collette in "The Wild Party"Robert G: If you could guarantee one stage musical from any time in history would be adapted to a film, what would it be?
Nathaniel: If you'd ask me this five years ago I would've said Sweeney Todd. 

This is such a tough question as there are so many great ones. Many stage musicals I love wouldn't transfer well like A Choru -- whoops! I regularly try and picture "The Light in the Piazza" and "Caroline, Or Change" as feature films. I think a masterpiece could be made from Sondheim's "Follies" but what director alive is both genius enough to handle the complexity of it and has enough industry muscle to demand that only extraordinarily gifted singing actors handle the vocally demanding songs? So maybe I should just say Michael John LaChiusa's "The Wild Party" because I am weirdly obsessed with it and because there's more room for error. By which I mean it's busy with noise and dancing and banter and that's easier for modern Hollywood to understand than pure singing musicals. If they made a mistake here and there they wouldn't destroy a masterwork and we'd still get an entertaining film. Please note: This guarantee wish comes with Toni Collette reprising her lead role as alcy showgirl "Queenie".

Queenie was a blonde and her age stood still and she danced twice a day in the
... vau-de-ville ♫ 

Sean C: Which of the four actors do you think has the biggest opportunity to drop the theatrical dramedy-ic ball in CARNAGE?

John, Jodie, Christoph and Kate checking out TFE's Oscar charts!

Nathaniel: Such a mean-spirited (or maybe just worried?) question. I'll give you my answer after the jump.

Click to read more ...

Til Death Do Us Link

Frontal Cortex on the Auteur myth and the genius of Hollywood's Studio System using auteur poster boy Alfred Hitchcock as the prime example. 
Super Punch clever Australian symphony posters for a "Space Classics" concert featuring film scores.
Arts Beat Whoa. Musical theater's #1 genius Stephen Sondheim is not happy about the changes they are making to opera classic Porgy & Bess for its reimagination / revival with the great Audra McDonald.
Boy Culture if you haven't been following the Luke Evans (Three Musketeers, Immortals) re-closeting scandal, Matthew has been keeping close track. Lots of testy developments including his management teams efforts to dub former statements "youthful immaturity" (that's right coming out is now IMMATURE!) and Chelsea Handler ribbing.

Luke Evans, Amber Heard, Taylor Lautner

Towleroad That new Taylor Lautner movie Abducted looks d-r-e-a-d-f-u-l (and yes it kills me to see major brilliant actors like Sigourney Weaver trying to prop him up way under the title billing) but this photo caption made me lol. 
Stuart Immonen draws Ginger Rogers on his phone. Love it.
Playboy has an interview with actress Amber Heard (Drive Angry, The Playboy Club, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane) on coming out in Hollywood (she's been dating a female photographer for a few years) and the pressure for actresses to look like "14 year old boys". Fun interview actually, she sounds like she's got bite.
Lens this book "Where Children Sleep" looks fascinating. It's portraits of diverse living environments all over the world, from the overprivileged to the homeless to the whaaaa? Take a look.

Remember that time a couple of years ago when Chris Evans' management  told him that he should top taking his shirt off all the time? Yeah, that was dumb. Thankfully also short-lived. Post Captain Americahe's back to his old tricks. Here he is in a scene from the new Anna Faris comedy What's Your Number?

poll by twiigs.com

Emmy Watch
Gold Derby has a piece up about the Comedy Supporting Actress category at the Emmys which I've discussed previously to offer a quite altered list. I am no Emmy expert so I have to trust them that the race is between Jane Lynch (1 Emmy) and Betty White (5 Emmys). But I'm dumbfounded as to why. ALL the other competitors are stronger than these two by leaps and bounds. I'm rooting for either of the Modern Family ladies Sofia Vergara (no Emmys) or Julie Bowen (no Emmys). "Slow Down Your Neighbors" was an instant classic episode for the Sitcom Hall of Fame thanks in large part to both of them.

Dead Link Me
Screened shares all the deaths in Final Destination. Previously on... Final Destination.
The Awl interesting piece on actors having to play death scenes with quotes from actors like Edward Furlong from American History X

Doing that scene took a long time—I was laying dead in a urinal for a whole day, and playing dead is terrible for me. Maybe I’m a little ADD, but it’s very hard for me to be still, not blink, hold my breath.

There's also vampire victims from both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood!