If you need an idea of how intensely competitive Oscar campaigning has become, look no further than Jennifer Lawrence's opening monologue for Saturday Night Live. Given the ridiculous media tempest that arose from Lawrence's First Wives Club "I beat Meryl Streep" reference at the Golden Globe Awards, I figured that the show's writers were going to address the issue in Lawrence's opening segment. And they did — in such a half-hearted way that it sounds like some negotiating went on to make sure that the Silver Linings Playbook star and Best Actress nominee didn't say anything that would hurt her chances to bring home a statuette. more »
Jennifer Lawrence hasn't had many opportunities to show off her comedic chops onscreen — she only burst onto the scene three years ago in Winter's Bone, then quickly filled up her dance card with action blockbusters like X-Men: First Class and The Hunger Games before taking on the awards season contender Silver Linings Playbook — but the Best Actress front-runner has been delighting awards-watchers left and right on the Oscar circuit these past few months. The girl is funny — sardonic, whip-smart, witty, self-deprecating, and she knows what's what as she plays the Hollywood game, which is why her post-Golden Globes hosting gig on Saturday Night Live will be one to watch.
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As the media debates whether Brad Pitt's nonsensical Chanel No. 5 ad is bad for the international fashion brand, it's a good time check in with New York City dermatologist Dr. Jonathan Zizmor. The skin specialist, who has achieved cult status in the Big Apple because he markets his work as vigorously as Chanel does its clothing and bags mdash: albeit mostly on subway trains — got a national shout-out in the fourth parody ad that Saturday Night Live aired over the weekend, and he tells me it's done absolutely nothing for business. more »
Despite (nay, thanks largely to) its $12.76 budget, Steven Spielberg's contribution to the 'Laser Cats' canon last night on SNL — featuring callouts to most of his major films and/or franchises — was arguably his most entertaining work since Catch Me If You Can. I liked it a lot more than War Horse, anyway. This is a man turning a creative corner!
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It's a natural career progression for Saturday Night Live stars to depart for greener pastures for the sunnier climes and star salaries of the big screen, but has that time come for current standouts Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Andy Samberg? So says a report by US Weekly, whose insiders claim the trio are ready to leave after this season. And that wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, considering that Wiig, Sudeikis and Samberg have all been taking concerted steps towards film in recent years. So let's prognosticate: Which of these possibly-departing SNLers will make the smoothest transition out of SNL?
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I won't waste space rattling off a list of the personal and professional troubles that have plagued Lindsay Lohan's life and career in recent years, so let's cut to the chase: Will her Saturday Night Live hosting gig this weekend -- her fourth time on the show after some admittedly hilarious prior turns -- show the world that La Lohan's ready to mount a comeback? Watch a healthy-ish-looking Lohan vaguely touch on her well-documented absence from glory in her SNL promos after the jump.
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Harry Potter star (or, as Saturday Night Live's Jason Sudeikis dubs him below, "Sex Wizard") Daniel Radcliffe will step up to host SNL this Saturday, so to prepare for the big night he and Sudeikis shot a promo video teasing the hilarity to come. "Are you doing a character? Like a chimney sweep?" Sudeikis asks upon hearing Radcliffe speak. "Can you do an American accent?" With a resounding "Chill, broseph," Radcliffe shows that yes, he totes can. Watch the erstwhile Harry Potter speak bro and wax poetic about Mountain Dew after the jump.
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In this weekend's Tower Heist, Eddie Murphy stars as as a benevolent crook who helps a few Ponzi scheme victims attempt to recover their money. So how did a Brooklyn-area stand-up transform himself into an '80s comedic superstar, an unexpected dramatic talent and this February, an Academy Award host?
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A friend of mine once explained to me her chief problem with movies: "I don't like when movies have conflicts. Can't we just hang out with the characters and make jokes and have fun? It's nicer that way." This week's Bad Movie We Love answers that harebrained prayer with a conflict-free plot, a smiley disposition from beginning to end, and a huge helping of total irrelevance. It's the 1995 sequel Father of the Bride Part II starring The Big Year's lead amigo Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and a company of stress-free actors. Father of the Bride Part II is the cinematic equivalent of vanilla ice cream with butterscotch syrup: old-fashioned, tasty, and fit for consumption on a Sunday afternoon with your grandparents. Put in your dentures and watch the sedatest version of a "wild and crazy guy" you'll ever see.
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Actor/writer/director and recent NYU film grad James Franco stopped by Movieline's Sundance HQ at the Levi's Dockers House in Park City for a lengthy chat with Elvis Mitchell on the smaller passion projects that drive his inner artiste, including an update on when his SNL documentary, Saturday Night, will finally hit theaters. Get your James Franco quick fix after the jump!
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The sold-out Tribeca Film Festival premiere of James Franco's documentary Saturday Night boasted at least two inconsistencies -- it screened on a Sunday afternoon in midtown Manhattan, some 70 blocks north of the fest's namesake neighborhood. But at least the film itself was unambiguous and even-handed. Mostly.
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