Many have suggested that Charles Darwin should be credited and praised for coming up with “the best idea that anyone has ever had.” That accolade may be deserved more today than ever before. Each new scientific advance in the fields of genetics and embryonic development (evo-devo) has provided and continues to provide new lines of evidence that support the fact of evolution and the theory of natural selection.

What fascinated me most about What Darwin Never Knew was the discussion surrounding DNA switches that turn genes on or off. The narrator tells us, “We now know that DNA works in many different ways, through genes that make the stuff of our bodies, through switches that turn those genes on and off, and through sequences of DNA’s chemicals that throw those switches. Taken together, what this all adds up to is a way that we can, at last, understand how small differences in DNA can generate enormous change.”

Katie Pollard, a biologist who is an expert on the DNA of chimpanzees, explains: “Given all the obvious differences between humans and chimps, you might expect our DNA to be really different. But, in fact, it’s more like 99 percent identical. … Basically, you can make massive changes, just changing those switches. So a small change, a couple of DNA letters, could have a profound effect.”

We’ve heard people say “it’s all in the genes,” but perhaps the more accurate trope is “it’s all in the gene switches.”

What Darwin Never Knew may be watched online HERE, and the DVD is available through Netflix.

The 37th Annual Telluride Festival offered a wealth of entertaining films that made the 3-day event more than worth it. From Black Swan to Tabloid, the vast array of films featured at the festival exceeded our expectations. For those of you unable to attend, we decided to create a top ten list of our favorites. Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think in the comment section!

1: Incendies

Extraordinary film about the Lebanese civil war and a mother’s last wishes.

2. Of Gods and Men

Cistercian French monks in Algeria stand up for their beliefs when confronted by fundamentalists.

3.Black Swan

A thriller where Natalie Portman melts down becoming the lead in Swan Lake and her rivalry with a possible competitor for her spot.

4. Oka! Amerikee

An eccentric American, Louis Sarno, lived amongst and recorded Pygmies music in the Congo and Western Africa.

5. Tabloid

The director of The Thin Blue Line and the Oscar-winning The Fog of War tells the true story of a former Miss Wyoming whose quest for one “true love” led her across the globe and into the tabloids.

6. Tamara Drewe

An urban girl with returns to her small hometown to take care of some family real estate and runs into (or causes) heaps of trouble.

7. Biutiful

A man struggles with a his existence as he attempts to reconcile with a past love and secure a future for his children as he senses his own mortality coming to an end.

8. Inside Job

Who caused the economic collapse and how.

9. Le Quattro Volte

An Italian visual poem of changing seasons.

10. Precious Life

A Palestinian gives birth in Israel and creates a tiny peace.

(Photo Via: Filmlinc)

The spiritual leader of the group is Ed Harris, as “Mister Smith,” a taciturn and enigmatic self-proclaimed survivor who is inspired by Janusz’ determination to escape and his competency in the wilderness. As they prepare to escape, stockpiling food and materials, they are joined by an odd army, each from a different country and linguistic group, all united by their nearly flawless command of English, except for Valka (Colin Farrell), a member of the prison-ruling Bratva who has run up a lethal debt gambling for cigarettes, speaks with a strong Russian accent.

The group escapes through the Siberian woods, suffering some casualties, and makes their way through the rugged, frigid terrain to the edge of Lake Baikal, where they encounter the enigmatic Irena (Saoirse Ronan), a young girl who has apparently made her way into the wilderness an unknown distance alone, having escaped a collective farm.

It is through her questioning that we learn the painful back stories of each of the surviving characters, each having suffered the loss of family or friends or having been betrayed by them. Together they struggle through the landscape overcoming obstacle after obstacle until they cross the border into Mongolia, only to discover that it is home not only to the even more unforgiving Gobi desert, but also to Communism.

Determined to escape not only Russia, but also Communism, they vow to continue on to India. The geography becomes a bit difficult to follow as they find a heretofore unknown vestige of the Great Wall of China at the equally unexpected shared corner of Mongolia, China, and Nepal.

While the story follows a fairly familiar “great escape” format, and despite some liberties taken with strict adherence to reasonable facts, it is a beautiful movie that is fun to watch. The acting and character development is compelling and engaging, particularly Ed Harris and Jim Sturges, though Colin Farrel’s bad boy is the most entertaining and suits him well.

I recommend it.

The most breathless pre-release coverage of the movie concerns a sex scene between Natalie and her co-star Mila Kunis that was anticipated to be borderline X-rated. In the version I saw screened at the Telluride Film Festival as a sneak preview it was indeed extremely erotic but in no way x-rated. Though Mila unambiguously goes down on Natalie, the footage is fairly tasteful and there’s not even a nipple exposed (the scene is hotter than Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried’s makeout in last year’s Jennifer’s Body). There are also two fairly explicit solo masturbation scenes that seem to take a cue from Marianna Beck and Jack Hafferkamp’s 2004 film (the first one is cut short in a very funny way that I won’t spoil).

The second most prevalent rumor surrounding this film is the Oscar buzz emanating from the Venice Festival where Black Swan’s official premiere was held (Telluride is considered an industry event, films that get their first public screening in Telluride often later “premiere” at Venice or Toronto). Natalie’s performance is, indeed, worthy of Oscar consideration. Her character disintegrates under the tearing forces of trying to be perfect in her role, her Mommie Dearest mother, and the perhaps imagined jealous spite of the other dancers in her company. She responds to the horror in her mind horribly but remains believable and even sympathetic as she simultaneously breaks free of her inhibitions while breaking her mind.

Mila Kunis turns in a strong performance as Lily, the dancer “from San Francisco.” She is a bit of a caricature: tattooed, sexually liberated, perhaps bisexual, a drug user, with natural talent but lacking precision and discipline. She becomes the understudy, of course, for Nina and may be trying to destroy her or maybe she is just trying to help her.

Winona Ryder plays the outgoing star of the company who has aged past her ability to draw crowds. She, too, turns in an excellent performance though her character’s range is limited to hysteria. Barbara Hershey is also remarkable as Natalie’s Mommy Dearest, both aggressively pushing her daughter to have the career she didn’t (stereotypically having given up her career to have her daughter) and simultaneously growing (perhaps) insanely jealous.

The last controversy is the somewhat over-the-top horror elements that make it a little harder to take seriously as an art film. As Nina loses her mind the world she sees becomes more and more fantastical and terrifying. The audience experiences her world through her eyes and fantastical elements blur the line between the mind games being played by the company director (Vincent Cassel), her mother, and her costars and the games her own mind is playing with her. I found the fantastical elements effective and appropriate to the story, but the camera work leaned too much on standard horror tropes and ended up being at times unintentionally funny.

Highly Recommended!

The movie is a dramatization of the 1996 kidnapping and assassination of
the monks of Tibhirine, a French Trappist monastery in the Atlas
mountains of Algeria during the Algerian civil war. The conflict
between Islamic fundamentalists in Algeria and more moderate Muslims
started to boil over, and foreign corporate entities and remnants of
French colonial rule became targets.

News of atrocities committed against foreigners reached the monks and
forced them to decide between staying true to their mission and facing
likely death or fleeing the country.

The government of Algeria, the Algerian military, and people aware of
their plight urged them to leave, but the local population they had
served for decades urged the to stay. The monks ran a small infirmary,
the only medical care in the region, which made them essential to the
locals and soon nonjudgmental if not entirely willing allies of the
local insurgents–an uneasy alliance that turned the military against
them as well.

Historically, we know 6 of 8 monks in the monastery and a visitor from
the Trappist order were kidnapped, held for two months, and then
beheaded. The movie takes us through the almost unbearable tension that
built between the murder on the 14th of December, 1993 of 12 Christian
Croatian construction workers near the Monastery and the abduction on
the night of the 26th of March, 1996.

The movie leaves ambiguous the final fate of the monks in deference to
the controversy surrounding their actual fates. While it is clear they
were abducted by jihads, and they were beheaded, there is some
controversy as to whether the Algerian army may have killed them by
mistake while strafing a camp, and then covered the story up with the
beheading.

Each of the actors put in a powerful and compelling performance, but
Michael Lonsdale stood out as Luke Dochia, the doctor who had, in real
life, been in the monastery for 50 years, and was 82 at the time of the
abduction. Lionsdale and some of the other actors went on retreats to
prepare for their roles, learning the routines and liturgies of the
order first hand.

Highly recommended.

Because it was so cold on the East Coast, the crew decided they couldn’t go back to the shore (yet) and instead headed down to Miami Beach. I mean, we all know that in reality the show producers just wanted to shoot as soon as possible so they could air new episodes and Miami was the only place hot enough in March. But still, who cares? As you read this, The Situation, Snooki, Pauly D, Sammi, Ronnie, Vinny, J-Woww and Angelina – yes, Angelina is back! – are back in Seaside shooting a third season.

But, until that starts airing in 2011, we have at least a dozen episodes of Miami madness. It all begins below, though, and you’ll get plenty of terrible quotes, uncomfortable situations, tanning, gorilla juice heads, partying, fist pumping and house music.

Well, the latest one just went up and it might be the best one yet. Dinner for Schmucks comes out in theaters Friday and features both the man best known for The Hangover and Steve Carell, who will be leaving The Office next year.

The language is not safe for work, so many put on your headphones, but you’ll never look at Carell, or his nose, the same way again.

This year, here are the five movies that showed footage that got me the most excited. And, by writing this piece, I’m playing my part in the game.

1. Sucker Punch

Zack Snyder’s last two movies, 300 and Watchmen, both came to Comic-Con in the past and brought the house down leading to huge opening weekend box office. This film, which will be released in March 2011, is about a girl who goes into a mental institution and teams up with a bunch of other girls to escape. However, they do it through a fantasy world that includes big guns, aliens, zeppelins, dragons, airplanes, samurais and just about anything else you can imagine. It just looks so frigging bad ass. Check out the footage BELOW.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Everyone was already excited for the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga, which will be released in two parts this November and next Summer, but the footage screened at Comic-Con blew everything else we’ve seen away. The footage just keeps expanding and getting darker and more intense. We saw the grave of Dumbledore, the Harry clones, Ron and Harry fighting and so much more I can’t even remember. The images just kept coming so fast and by the end, I was sold. These will be the best two movies of the series.

3. Paul

Two nerds from across the pond make a pilgrimage to San Diego Comic-Con and, when they decide to drive cross country, meet a real life alien at Area 51. That’s the set up of Paul, which will be released next Spring and features an amazing cast including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (who wrote the script) as well as Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, Jeffrey Tambor and Seth Rogen as the voice of the alien, Paul. The footage blew the roof off of Comic-Con, partially because it was set there, but also because it looks like a rip roaring road movie.

4. Tron: Legacy

This is the third year that Tron made it to Comic-Con. Two years ago, it was merely a concept. Last year, we got a few minutes of footage without effects. This year, we got what looked like the finished movie. Epic shots of huge battles, insane special effects and 3D that showed why 3D became popular in the first place. Sure, at its heart it’s a sequel to an almost twenty year old movie, but at the time, the original Tron was way ahead of its time. This one might be ahead of its time again, considering Jeff Bridges plays both himself now and him 20 years younger thanks to CGI.

5. Let Me In

Let Me In is a smaller budget remake of a recent Swedish masterpiece Let The Right One In about a young boy and girl who become friends, even though she’s a vampire. The original is one of the most revered films in recent memory, which made most people dismiss this American remake. However, after seeing the footage shown at Comic-Con, I’m in. It looks suitably different while holding to the complex themes of the original. It will be released in October.

Still, when you get to experience moments like the ones below, it’s worth it. Moments like these are the ones we go to Comic-Con for. Check em out.

1. Marvel Assembles The Avengers

We’d just seen footage from Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor after being in the same seat for eight plus hours. But just then, the lights went off and we heard the voice of Samuel L. Jackson over a video of an iconic “A.” The man himself then came out on stage and introduced the FULL cast for the 2012 film The Avengers, the first time a series of superheroes will ever be assembled together in a single movie. First Jackson (who will play Nick Fury) announced his right hand man, Agent Colston, played by Clark Gregg. Next was his right hand woman, Black Widow, played by Scarlet Johanssen. Then the God of Thunder, Thor – Chris Hemsworth and Captain America, played by Chris Evans. And finally Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. Downey then took the mike and introduced two brand new additions to the team, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk (replacing Edward Norton.) Finally, director Joss Whedon came out. It was just an incredible surprise, full of energy and the perfect way to kick off a movie and put an exclamation point on Comic-Con. Check out the video below.

2. Han Solo Takes the Stage

He’s played geek gods such as Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Rick Deckard and so many more. But 2010 was the first year that Harrison Ford ever made it to Comic-Con and it was thanks to Jon Favreau. The Iron Man director is working on a new movie, Cowboys & Aliens, and Ford is part of the cast. After introducing insanely awesome co-stars like Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell, Favreau brought out the man. 6,500 people immediately jumped out of their seats screaming. Flash bulbs were popping, Ford got embarrassed but it just continued.

3. Hall H Acts in Tron: Legacy

One of the most highly anticipated panels at Comic-Con was the one for the upcoming Tron: Legacy and it didn’t disappoint. We got some awesome new footage, great interviews and even a new trailer. But, the best moment by far, was when the entire room of people were asked to be part of the movie. The director explained that we should be very quiet and read what was on the screens. The screens told us to chant in time. “Dee Raz! Dee Raz!” Also “Disc Wars! Disc Wars!” and others. We also all had to do stomps and stuff. It was a breath of fresh air after a decade of the same old stuff at Comic-Con. I hope the sounds make the movie and we get a special thanks in the credits.

4. The Green Lantern Oath

Green Lantern, the movie based on the popular DC Comics series, is still filming but Comic-Con audiences got a first look and a chance to ask questions to the movie’s stars, including Green Lantern himself, Hal Jordan. One such person was a cute little boy who asked Reynolds what it was like to recite the Green Lantern oath. He said it was awesome and then said, “It sounded like this.” He then dove into a moving rendition of the oath. When he finished, they cut back to the little boy on the big screen and his mouth was agape. So were ours.

5. Stab!

“Stab” might be the name of the Scream spoof in the Scream movies, but it was also a literal occurrence Saturday night at Comic Con. Between panels, reportedly, one attendee got too close to another and one guy stabbed the other in the face with a pen. The news slowly spread throughout the Hall and everyone started rubbernecking. Blood was reportedly on the floor, someone was taken out in cuffs and rumors spread like wildfire. The incident delayed the final three panels of the day almost an hour as 6000 plus people sat around in suspense. Much like the Tron event, this was a first for Comic Con and something I won’t soon forget.

A reporter at a Mexico City press conference for The Last Airbender asked, “You had a strong start of your career with The 6th Sense.  Your movies have always been very personal.  However, the audience has lost faith in your work with Lady in the Water and many of your more recent productions.  Airbender feels like you want to captivate the audience again by becoming more commercial, am I right?”

What a perfect way to phrase things Ms. Unknown Reporter!  Surely the great and powerful Shyamalan will answer you kindly for your astute observation!

“I think if I thought like you I’d kill myself.  Everything you said is the opposite of my instinct as an artist.  The way you just thought, I literally would kill myself,” said the director at the start of his three minute long answer he throws at this reporter.

Umm… what?

Watching Jackson Rathbone’s face through the proceedings is hilarious despite the awful words being said.  He goes from thinking it’s a joke to becoming more and more horrified by the second.  He finally interjects, not looking pleased to do so, but stops the ire of Shyamalan finally.

To be completely honest I can’t decide whether this video is hilarious in Shyamalan’s blindness of his own career or whether it’s horrifying that a grown man would talk this way on camera to another human being.

Watch the video below and decide for yourself.

Hot Movie Releases

The Runaways

Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart as 70s rocker girls? Hell yeah, sign me up. I’m sure this one has more melodrama than it needs, and a tab bit of overacting from Stewart, but I still want to see her rock out as Joan Jett in this one, which is based on Neon Angel, the memoirs written by Cherie Currie, who is played by Fanning in the film. Yup, she’s all grown up, and looking good. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.

Cop Out

Kevin Smith directs the first movie he didn’t write with this piece of work, and the results are about what you expect. Two mismatched cops who must work together to get back a stolen baseball card. Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan star as the dysfunctional duo, and although it has its moments, Cop Out is nothing like Smith’s earlier films except that it falls back on the toilet humor that he’s known for, which almost makes it seem like he’s trying too hard. Oh wait, he is.

The Losers

Action, betrayal, revenge – The Losers has everything you want in a comic-turned-film movie. When a Special Forces unit is sent to the Bolivia jungle, they get double-crossed and are presumed dead. They use that to their advantage, and go undercover to clear their names, and even the score. Jason Patric, Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana, and Jeffrey Dean-Morgan star. I haven’t seen it, and don’t really care to, so you let me know.

TV on DVD

Jersey Shore UNCENSORED Season One

How can you not love a show that has someone named Snooki in it? Apparently a lot of people can’t, but I’m not one of them. While I have no interest whatsoever in Jersey Shore, I realize its appeal, about eight over-the-top young adults and their personal lives, and what attracts people to it. I’m not going to sit here and bash it, because frankly – I don’t have the time. I have a bunion that needs removing, and I’m already five minutes late.

Running Wilde will reunite a slew of Arrested Development actors including Will Arnett and David Cross. The series focuses on a Beverly Hills douchebag named Steve (Arnett) who falls for a sweet hippie-type chick named Emmy (Keri Russell—welcome back, Felicity!). Too bad she despises him and everything he stands for. Emmy makes it her life’s goal to change Steve into a better person, and Steve makes it his goal to win Emmy over. I smell romance!

Cross will join the cast for seven episodes as the radical environmentalist fiancé of Emmy. The role was originally played by Andrew Daly.

After watching the show’s trailer, I am even more stoked. I actually laughed out loud several times. Arnett’s douchiness is dry and hilarious, and Russell’s sweet disposition is laced with a touch of sarcasm, which I find charming. And, for some reason, the quirky chemistry between the two characters seems to actually work.

Running Wilde is set to premiere on September 21 at 9:30 p.m. EST…and you can count on me watching it.

Earlier this year, it looked as if Anchorman 2 might be a reality…but not so now.

McKay stated, “It’s not happening, for sure, 100 percent. I’ll put it to bed. The only way it could come back [would be] in two years, three years, but to line everyone’s schedule up and to get everything done, and when it fell apart, to put that back together again, you’re still talking about waiting.”

But the sequel wouldn’t have been your ordinary movie. There would be no boring, regular dialogue during the film. McKay confirmed that it would have been a musical. He stated, “It was a musical. We were going to do four months on Broadway and then jump right into filming.”

While most people are, after learning that little fact, breathing a sigh of relief that a musical Anchorman 2 will not be happening, I’m a little bummed. I’m a big fan of comical musicals, and I think the Anchorman cast would nail a hilarious musical performance.

After watching the music video for “Afternoon Delight,” I just want more. And more. And more…

Hot Movie Releases

The Bounty Hunter

As much as this movie fails to interest me, I do have to say that arresting your ex-girlfriend does seem like fun. Regardless, Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler do their best impression of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in this, avoiding the bad guys while uncovering a deeper conspiracy, all the while hating one another until the end when…well, I don’t want to spoil it for you, but I think you know where I’m going with this.

Chloe

The only reason I have any interest in seeing this at all is because of Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried, two of the hottest women in Hollywood. I doubt Liam Neeson will be his ass-kicking self in this, which is a bit of a downer, but still, seeing him seduced by Seyfried so Moore can find out if he’s being unfaithful should be fun. Hell, I wish someone would try and find out if I’m being unfaithful. I kid, I kid. Seriously though, this new one from Atom Egoyan looks, well…lackluster. That’s all I got to say about that.

TV on DVD

Psych: The Complete Fourth Season

Finally we get to the good stuff. It may be a dysfunctional buddy cop show, but Psych has got the goods when it comes to entertaining viewers through quirkiness. As they face off against a slew of potential suspects that include werewolves, ghosts, a shark, and those they trust, Spencer and Guster remain in good form. I never thought this show would last, but here it is. What can I say? Every once in a while I’m wrong.

Having read both the book (which is amazing) and the script (written by Aaron Sorkin of West Wing fame) I can say I think The Social Network is truly going to be a winner, despite with OTHER writers on this website have said.

Don’t believe me? Check out this new trailer. The second trailer was good but this one is better. If this doesn’t sell the film, who knows what will?

The Social Network hits theaters on October 1.

Australian-born and London-based rapper N’Fa and Ledger were childhood friends, so it only made sense that they would collaborate creatively. Ledger directed N’Fa’s first music video for his song “Cause an Effect”. Ledger filmed the video in his garage not long before his death. N’Fa said, “Heath loved the song, and wanted to make a video that artistically married itself to the energy of the track, to indulge listeners and viewers alike. At the end of the day though, it was two old friends hangin’ out doing what we love. Good times.”

However, the rapper was hesitant to release the video. He said, “We had intended on releasing it a long, long time ago. But I didn’t feel comfortable doing so after Heath died. But friends and family said it needed to be seen. Heath loved it.”

And the actor’s not the only one. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the music video—it’s a visually stunning video that perfectly compliments the song. Watch it below and try to tell me it isn’t amazing.

The video is available for purchase via iTunes.

This morning the pop sensation took to Rockefeller Plaza to perform for a crowd of 20,000 people and The Today Show.  The rain came, bringing humidity with it, but that didn’t stop Gaga from dancing and writhing as she normally does.

She started out the mini-concert by serenading the crowd with Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” before launching into her popular hit “Bad Romance.”  The singer looked almost normal in her high waisted white pants, white bra, and white studded blazer.

She took the time to speak with the Today hosts before jumping on stage again, commenting about the realities of fame and her new music.  ”There are certainly things that are difficult to deal with,” Gaga said. “But the kind of fame that I cherish is the relationship I have with my fans.”

Gaga performed “You and I,” a brand new song from her upcoming album, much to the delight of her fans.  The song featured the singer sitting alone at the piano before climbing on top of it for the rock ballad’s finale.

It started raining and Gaga took the time to change into a black outfit similar to the white one she wore previously.  She rocked the stage with her latest hit “Alejandro” just before it really started to pour.  Out came the umbrellas, but Gaga just took off her blazer and gave her fans another treat by closing her performance with “Teeth.”

You have to give it to the woman.  Dancing in stilettos is not small feat but doing it in the rain on a slippery walkway is praise worthy.  We’ve been needing the rain in this area of the country- who knew it took Lady Gaga performing in NYC to bring it?

Check out Gaga’s “Teeth” below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Despicable Me

What looks to be a cute family film might actually turn out to be okay. I mean, you can’t go wrong with Steve Carell, Jason Segel, and Russel Brand, can you? Even if they are just voicing the characters of this movie about a man who falls in love with three young girls, and wields an army of underground minions, in order to steal the moon – it looks pretty darn funny from the trailer. I’m sure their wacky humor will be toned down a bit since it’s an animated film, but you adults out there should look out for obscure references that your kids will have no idea about. That’s what makes these movies fun for the whole family.

Predators

No Arnold, no Jesse Ventura, but lots of alien action I’m sure, as the latest chapter in the Predator saga gets released this weekend. I’m not going to lie, I’m excited about this one. I know it will be mindless action, and based on the previews, I can pretty much tell you how it’s going to end. As a series that I’ve loved since I was a kid though, this one is a must-see for me. It kind of resembles the ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin flick, The Condemned, doesn’t it? Just, you know…on an alien planet. I have no idea how they ever got Adrien Brody on board to do this one, but regardless, it should be fun.

Baldwin spoke about his future plans and current passions in an interview with CNN. He said, “As much as I like acting, I know that I would love to have a different life. A private life…I think that doing this now for a living has become really, really hard. I would rather go do other things, and [with] whatever amount of time I have left in my life, have a normal life.”

The long-time actor looked pretty sad uttering the above words, and it may be the first time I’ve seen Alec Baldwin come across as purely sincere and genuine.

It makes perfect sense to me, Alec. While so many of us dream about a life of fame and celebrity, we don’t think about what all comes along with it. When I do think about those things, I am thankful for my little, semi-normal life. But rest assured that your fans will certainly miss your shining face.

Geez…first Steve Carell leaving The Office…now Alec Baldwin leaving 30 Rock. What’s next? Amy Poehler leaving Community?!

Life in a Day has been labeled a “historic cinematic experiment” that has an interesting concept. On July 24, anyone with time, creativity, and a video camera can film and then submit their footage via YouTube in the hopes that it will be included in the feature documentary.

The documentary’s tagline, “One World. 24 Hours. 6 Billion Perspectives,” is sure to gather some intrigue…I know that I, for one, am certainly interested in where this cinematic journey will take us.

Macdonald stated, “It’ll be kind of like a time capsule, which people in the future…could look at and say, ‘Oh my god. That’s what it was like.’”

He then goes on to say that those of you interested in taking on the task should focus on three questions: What makes you laugh? What do you love? What do you fear most?

Come on, guys. I know you’re got it in you. Make cinematic history with me.

Most of the time, I would read a headline such as the one for this blog post and say, “Oh, boo-hoo. So Lindsay Lohan’s going to jail. Whoopi-dee-doo.” But today, I watched the video of the sentence being handed down, and I hate to say it, but…I feel kind of bad for LiLo.

See if you can sit through the video below without feeling some sort of pity for the actress. I sure couldn’t.

About 20 seconds in, Lohan breaks down and begins sobbing hysterically. The judge continues to announce the sentence of 90 days in jail and 90 days probation while Lohan looks around frantically, wondering if there’s any way for her to get out of it. That’s right: 30 days on her reckless driving charge, 30 days for her first DUI case, and 30 days for her second DUI case.

Oh, Lindsay. Maybe you shouldn’t have been driving drunk in 2007. And maybe you shouldn’t have violated your parole from the aforementioned DUI conviction.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Get with the program. Lohan has been on probation for her 2007 DUI conviction for months now, wearing a SCRAM anklet. However, the actress consumed alcohol, violating her parole and putting her in the sticky situation she’s currently in.

Lohan must surrender to the court on July 20 to serve her time. But part of me thinks that she won’t be serving the full 90 days…what do you think?

Hot Movie Releases

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Personally, I think tattoos on women are sexy, but that’s for another website. We’re here to talk about this film, which is based on the book Men Who Hate Women by the late Stieg Larsson. The title may have changed, and some of the story may have been altered, but that’s the way it goes with Hollywood. Still it does a good job of capturing the characters, and leading you into one way of thinking, only to have something completely unexpected happen. A great adaptation of the Swedish journalists work, and the first in a trilogy. Hopefully we’ll see the other two books made into films as well. Wait, they were already made, but in Sweden. But don’t worry, Hollywood has the remake planned for those who don’t like English subtitles.

A Single Man

When you think of Colin Firth, you normally don’t think serious, dramatic roles. You think of Bridget Jones’ Diary or Pride & Prejudice. Well, A Single Man will surprise you if you’re looking for Firth to play his usual, quirky self. In this film, he stretches his acting chops (which got him nominated for an Academy Award) by playing a gay man in the sixties, who loses his lover and is left feeling alone. A simple story, but A Single Man is so much more than that. With the great Julianne Moore included in the cast, this film is filed with so many complex emotions that it can’t help but make an impact on you.

TV on DVD

Project Runway: Season 7

Fashion, models, clothes, cat fighting, and crying. Sounds like a family reunion, doesn’t it? No, instead it’s Project Runway, which should really be called Project Change-the-Channel, since that’s what it makes me want to do every time it’s on. Regardless, I know there are some of you out there who enjoy this kind of thing, so I won’t bash it too hard. The latest season is now on DVD just for you, as for me, I may use it as a door stop, but only after it hits the bargain bin.

So, if you’re a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, then you definitely watched former Bachelor Jake Pavelka and his ex-fiancée Vienna Girardi face off during the special interview that aired on Monday, July 5.

For those fans who were hoping that the interview would fix Jake and Vienna’s “relationship”: you were dead wrong. The former couple used the interview time to spew insults to one another. Basically, all the interview achieved was to show the public exactly how immature and nasty this couple’s arguments could become.

According to Vienna, Jake has intimacy problems and is a fame whore. According to Jake, no man would ever want to be intimate with Vienna, she’s mean-spirited, and she’s also a fame whore.

Towards the end of the interview, Jake said to Vienna, “I’m so mad at you. I’m disgusted with you…She’s like a tabloid. You get 40% of the truth.” Harsh words, Jake.

Vienna reacted by sobbing hysterically and storming off set, saying, “You are the meanest person I’ve ever met in my life…I’m over it.”

One part of the interview that definitely rubbed me the wrong way was the cruel fashion in which Jake spoke to Vienna. He treated her more like a child than an ex-lover. If there’s one thing I can’t handle, it’s a guy talking down to a woman. Ugh.