Jane & Lily are "Grace & Frankie"

Lily & Jane together in 2006 for a Nine to Five party (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)In the greatest news that ever existed today, Netflix has revealed that Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin will co-star in their the forthcoming original series "Grace & Frankie". The show's premise sounds hilarious (at least for a short run) as it's about two enemies whose husbands leave them for each other. Grace & Frankie slowly becomes friends.

There's no word yet on when we'll see it, but it joins about 4 other new shows Netflix has ordered in the wake of their smash success creating original programming: Orange is the New Black and House or Cards are both sensations and apparently even Hemlock Grove generated strong numbers despite being shamelessly terrible. 

 The new comedy is created by Marta Kauffman. If that name sounds familiar it's because she's brought the world "Friends". With two formidable and now underused comic talents like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin on board this could be really special.

The only logical question that remains...

Who do we have to sleep with to get Dolly Parton on the show? 

Jane Fonda and Friend

There is no audio on this photo but you know they were both purring. 

A Voyage to the Link

Retronaut Amazingly sexist rejection letter from Walt Disney to an aspiring female artist
Technicolor Disney has reference photos for animation mashed-up with final art. Cool 
LA Times AMPAS may expand past 6,000 members this year. They're talking about diversifying and may relax their membership cap
Cinema Blend 80s/90s hitmaker Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) to return after a long absence for another sexual thriller, this one about an open marriage and a trail of bodies. Expect big stars to headline as the troubled couple.
Out Soderbergh interviewing Soderbergh? The director's gay brother talks to him about Behind the Candelabra. (Someone remind me why this isn't opening in movie theaters again?)

Empire Ryan Reynolds for Tarsem Singh's Selfless? This only leads to one logical question...
My New Plaid Pants what kind of revealing costumes will Tarsem put him in? 
Variety Jane Fonda about to get the immortalizing hand-in-cement treatment
Playbill the revival of Cabaret on Broadway already has Alan Cumming returning as the emcee but they're obviously looking for a starry Sally. Initial rumors said Anne Hathaway but now Emma Stone is the rumor
Slate "the secret autobiography of Tom Cruise" ...what's behind the grinning mask?
Guardian Pedro Almodóvar calls I'm So Excited his "gayest film ever". Hmmm. It's also supposed to be some sort of metaphor for Spain's economic crisis.

one more thing...
I was just bitching about Into the Woods but the idea of a new movie musical version of Guys & Dolls sounds great. Especially since the original film version isn't exactly a "classic" outside of being, well, old. It's especially good news if both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum really are on board. But if it doesn't get a good director I'll worry. A lot. 

off cinema
i09 huge breakthrough in artificial skin. How long until we see Blade Runner style replicants? 
Gothamist last three days to see Edvard Munch's "The Scream" at MoMA. When I was last there I wrote about Tilda Swinton in a box but I neglected to tell you how embarrassed for everyone I was when I went to see The Scream. People were not looking at it but posing beside it with their Scream Face on (which always ended up looking more "Home Alone Face"). some people were so confused about the pose/provenance that they were doing Monkey See, Monkey Do. TRAGIC!  

Watching "Hugo" at MoMA

In the middle of a nearby exhibit about architecture, there's a 3D screen showing pieces of Hugo because of the famous train station set. My bestie snapped a photo of me unawares looking on (above). Some of the scenes they played weren't even set-specific though. Unfortunately this meant that I couldn't even escape Chloe Moretz at MoMA.

Also tragic!

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: "Barbarella"

Barbarella comes from the 41^st century so theoretically she knows a thing or to. Perhaps she can tell me from the future how to choose a best shot from her infamous movie? Though I’d seen at least some of Barbarella before – I’ve never forgotten the hilarious space-burlesque title sequence -- now I've seen all of Barbarella. In both senses. 

There's certainly a lot to look at but I’ve rarely been more stumped with this series... more

Click to read more ...

Visual Index ~ Barbarella Psychadella

This was such a hit with The Wizard of Oz, that I thought I'd do it for each new episode of Hit Me With Your Best Shot. The images will be arranged in chronological order as they happen in the film (for the most part... I mean, I can't vouch for total accuracy since Barbarella's plotting is... um... lacking and the imagery isn't easy to place in context). 

Barbarella's Best Shot(s)?
Each Photo Will Take You to its Corresponding Article