News

General Hospital spoilers and updates tease Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Marco Rios (Adrian Anchondo) are really Cassadines. Read on to see the compelling evidence why!

Why Jenz And Marco Are Likely Cassadines

Here’s why we believe Sidwell and Marco are connected to the Cassadines; Wyndemere on Spoon Island nearly turned into an abandoned castle.

With Spencer Cassadine (most recently Nicholas Alexander Chavez) thought to be dead and Nikolas Cassadine (Adam Huss) in prison, Ava Jerome (Maura West) decided to sell the estate and move on. Interestingly, Ava found out that she sold Wyndemere to Jenz.

Are we really expected to think it was just a coincidence that Sidwell happened to stroll into Ava’s art gallery?

Did he really just go out looking for home decor ideas, randomly enter a gallery, and find out that the owner is the same person who sold him Wyndemere in a private deal?...

General Hospital spoilers and rumors tease Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) may have a Cassadine connection-why did he choose to buy Wyndemere and Spoon Island?

And most importantly, why does he have Mikkos Cassadine’s (John Colicos) dagger, and what’s his interest in Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn)?

Natalia Ramirez Being Sidwell’s Ex Wife May Provide A Clue

Natalia Ramirez (Eva Larue) being Sidwell’s ex wife may provide a clue to Sidwell’s Cassadine connection, although it could be considered a tenuous one.

Natalia, who claims to have grown up and lived in Puerto Rico, where Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) has an island, could actually have lived in Brazil.

Years ago, a poor Cassadine cousin named Dimitri Cassadine (then Michael Carvin) came to Port Charles, and had been dating a woman named Pilar-could “Pilar” be Natalia?

Dimitri established a business relationship with Sean Donely, (John Reilly) and the Quartermaine family.

Rip Bruce French

Soap opera veteran Bruce French has passed away at the age of 79. Best known for his Passions character, playing Father Lonigan on the daytime drama, The Hollywood Reporter has noted the actor died this past Friday, in L.A. due to Alzheimer’s complications. French was diagnosed with the condition four years ago.

Bruce French’s Legacy

French was married to Days of Our Lives alum Eileen Barnett (ex-Brooke Hamilton). The two were wed on January 20, 1991.

The actor was born in Reinbeck, Iowa on July 4, 1945, and earned a degree from the University of Iowa. French also served in the U.S. Army and fought in the Vietnam War. In addition, he studied acting at The University Tisch School of the Arts in New York.

French’s acting career began in 1972 when he performed in the off-Broadway play, The Shadow of a Gunman, and then had a role in the 1974 movie,...

Soap opera veteran Bruce French has died. The actor who portrayed Father Lonigan on Passions was 79 years old. French was the husband of Days of Our Lives alum Eileen Barnett.

Rest In Peace

The Hollywood Reporter reported that French passed away on Friday in Los Angeles due to complications from Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed with the disease four years ago. French was born on July 4, 1945, in Reinbeck, Iowa. He earned a degree from the University of Iowa, and he served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Finally, French studied acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

On Passions, French portrayed the blind Father Lonigan for the show’s entire nine seasons from 1999 to 2008. On the soap, baddie Alistair Crane (David Bailey; John Reilly) caused the Father to lose his sight.

He began his acting career in 1972 in the off-Broadway play, The Shadow of a Gunman.

Bruce French, the dependable character actor who did lots of work for the theater and portrayed Father Lonigan, the blind priest on the soap opera Passions who somehow could sense that evil was imminent, has died. He was 79.

French died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer’s, his wife of 34 years, longtime Days of Our Lives actress Eileen Barnett, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Iowa native, who has more than 150 acting credits on IMDb, guest-starred for David E. Kelley on such shows as L.A. Law, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public and Boston Legal, and he appeared on three Star Trek series — The Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise — and in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection.

Plus, he played the wealthy neighbor of Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver’s shifty characters on both seasons of the 2007-08 FX drama The Riches.

French recurred as the kind-hearted...

Ever since Robert Scorpio popped up in Port Charles at the tail end of 1980, General Hospital fans have been aware of the existence of the World Security Bureau. Since then, we’ve met not just Robert but O’Rilley, Connie, Anna, Sean, Frisco, a bunch of traitors, major and minor, and Brennan. But these folks are all the old guard. The Wsb needs some new blood, Stat. And Brennan knows exactly who he wants to recruit.

Just Joss

We’ve already outlined why Joss (Eden McCoy) would be a good candidate, here. But the last few weeks have only confirmed it. Joss won’t rest until she gets justice for Dex (Evan Hoffer). Sure, she went a bit overboard insisting on Cyrus’ (Jeff Kober) arrest—and Anna (Finola Hughes) rightfully called her out on it. But that just proves how passionate she is. Wsb agents have to be passionate. That...

While some question the power of celebrities to guarantee box office success, there is one actor whose name value seldom wavers in getting people into the theaters. Tom Cruise has become one of the world's most recognized and revered actors, with an impressive filmography of fan favorites throughout the decades, including Risky Business (1983), Top Gun (1986), Mission Impossible (1996), Jerry Maguire (1996), Minority Report (2002), and the list goes on and on up to the modern era with massive blockbuster his like Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and fan favorites like Edge of Tomorrow (2014).

His success as an actor has remained prevalent for decades, despite controversies involving his association with the Church of Scientology and some oddball interviews (who can forget Cruise jumping on Oprah Winfrey's couch in 2005?). Still, Cruise remains best known as an actor who is very much in charge of his career trajectory. That is what makes his first and last directed work such an oddity.

The classic sitcom, Whos the Boss?, ran from 1984-1992, and there had been talks about reviving the show on Amazon Freevee. One of its stars, Judith Light, who played advertising executive Angela Bower in all 196 episodes of the series, told Variety shed be delighted if the series moved forward with another streamer or network.

I would be delighted, Light said. But in terms of where I am and the workload that I have right now, I dont know what my availability would be. When I started my career, I said Id never do a soap opera and Id never do a sitcom. Well, I did both those things. Then I said I would never marry an actor. And I did just that. So, I learned to never say never.

I would be delighted [to return].

Light is married to actor Robert Desiderio, who starred in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live opposite Light.

General Hospital has brought Holly Sutton back onto the canvas once again. And while it is always a pleasure to see Emma Samms, once again, the show seems to have no clue who this character is…or what she was.

Pros and Cons

This time around, Holly wants diamonds. She wants them so much that she is willing to let Luke’s (Anthony Geary) son, Lucky (Jonathan Jackson), remain a handcuffed prisoner.

Because, well, diamonds! And everyone knows that diamonds…or gold…or cold hard cash…matters more to Holly than anything else in the world. After all, she’s a con artist. Once a villain, always a villain, right? Holly will never, ever change. Except that, you know, she has….

Back to Before

True, when Holly first popped up in the scenic location somewhere outside Port Charles, she deliberately slept with Luke so that she could con his friends...

While a missing James was the main focus on the August 14, 2024 episode of General Hospital, Bradford Anderson revealed why viewers should keep an eye out for two other kids on screen.

Like Father, Like Daughters

Spinelli (Anderson) has always been a proud dad of daughter Georgie (Lily Fisher), and his portrayer is no different. As Spinelli played frisbee in the park with Mac (John J. York), two young girls could be seen in the background playing and blowing bubbles. Those girls were Anderson’s daughters, Juna and Finola, as revealed by the actor on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bradford Anderson (@bfordanderson)

Juna and Finola’s Gh debut coincided with their first day of 8th grade and 5th grade, respectively. Anderson shared a family photo in his Instagram stories to commemorate the new school year.

All In The Family

This is far from the first...

A new Twisters image reveals how the movie will pay homage to the late original star Bill Paxton. The actor's son James Paxton will be making a cameo in the movie. James Paxton's appearance in the movie is part of a long line of Hollywood relatives paying homage to their late family members.

A new image reveals that way that Twisters will pay homage to original star Bill Paxton. The upcoming Twisters is a standalone sequel to the 1996 disaster movie Twister, which starred Paxton (who died at age 61 in 2017) and Helen Hunt and became the second highest-grossing movie of the year worldwide. The new movie is not set to feature any meaningful connections to the storyline of the original hit or any legacy characters, instead featuring a new cast led by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos.

Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that the movie will still pay homage to...

ABC/Todd Wawrychuk

General Hospital spoilers tease that fans were excited when two fan favorites were recently reunited. Viewers were quite happy two see a very popular mother-daughter duo back together after several years.

Finola Hughes (Anna DeVane) and Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio) were spotted together in Malibu. Seeing the actresses together caused many fans to wonder if Robin would be returning to General Hospital any time soon.

General Hospital Spoilers – Where Is Robin Scorpio?

Anna and Robin have been super close over the years. Unfortunately, Robin hasn’t been in seen in Port Charles in a couple years.

The last time Robin showed up was in 2021 for the tribute episode for the late John Reilly who played Sean Donely (John Reilly) on the show for many years.

Storyline wise Robin and her husband Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) have moved out of state to start a new life even though...

Two General Hospital fan favorites were reunited last weekend. Viewers were delighted to see an old on-screen mother-daughter duo back together after several years. Finola Hughes (Anna) and Kimberly McCullough (formerly played Robin) were spotted together. Now, fans are wondering if the appearance is setting Kimberly up for a return to Port Charles. Continue reading to find out.

Finola Hughes & Kimberly McCullough Reunited

Long-time Gh fans were ecstatic to see the two women together again. The pair took a trip to Malibu to show support for Rob Lyles White. Rob is Kimberly’s partner and is also an artist.

Finola Hughes shared photos of the event and was excited to be reunited with her General Hospital daughter. She posted a photo of her side-by-side with Kimberly as well as a snapshot of Kimberly and Rob, and one of just Rob standing in front of some of his artwork.

Instagram/Finola Hughes

In the caption,...

John Reilly, a veteran soap star whose daytime credits included a long stint on General Hospital, died Saturday evening, his daughter confirmed. He was 84 and no cause of death was revealed.

Caitlin Reilly shared the news on Instagram. “John Henry Matthew Reilly Aka Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out. Imagine the best person in the world. Now imagine that person being your dad. I’m so grateful he was mine. I’m so grateful I got to love him. I’m so grateful I made it in time to hold him and say goodbye. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know he’ll be with me. I love you forever Daddy.”

Born in Chicago, Reilly appeared on soap As the World Turns as Dr. Dan Stewart. He then had parts on television shows How the West Was Won, Quincy M.E. and Dallas.

Veteran actor John Reilly, whose daytime-tv credits alone included General Hospital, Passions and Sunset Beach, died on Saturday evening, TVLine has learned. He was 86.

One of Reilly’s daughters, actress and TikTok personality Caitlin Reilly, shared the news via Instagram saying, “John Henry Matthew Reilly Aka Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out.” A cause of death has not yet been shared.

More from TVLineBachelorette Alum Josh Seiter Dead at 36General Hospital: Kassie DePaiva Set to Bring One Life to Live's Blair Back to Port Charles (Exclusive)'Joe the Plumber,' Political Activist and Media Sensation, Dead...

A closer look at the nominees for Best Film and Outstanding British Film at the 2016 BAFTAs including reactions, reviews, and in-depth features.BAFTAs 2016:Bridge Of Spies, Carol lead with nine nominationsFull list of nominations

Suffragette, Spectre, Joy among shutoutsNominees’ reactions

Fox tops distributor nominationsScreen Stars of Tomorrow nominated

Comment: shining a spotlight on British Film

Galleries: Best Film; ActorsBest Film nomineesThe Big Short

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pit, Ryan Gosling

Synopsis: Based on the 2010 Michael Lewis nonfiction book, this film chronicles the few individuals who predicted the 2008 Us housing market crash- and decided to make a profit off it.

Screen Review: “There are very few heroes in this film, and even the ostensibly good guys are deeply complicated” [Full Review]

BAFTA nominations: 5

Categories: Film, director, adapted screenplay, supporting actor (Christian Bale), editing

Bridge of Spies

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance

Synopsis: During the Cold War, a Us lawyer...

Kate Plays ChristineThe lineup for the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, taking place between January 21 -31, has been announced.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONAs You Are (Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, USA): As You Are is the telling and retelling of a relationship between three teenagers as it traces the course of their friendship through a construction of disparate memories prompted by a police investigation. Cast: Owen Campbell, Charlie Heaton, Amandla Stenberg, John Scurti, Scott Cohen, Mary Stuart Masterson. World Premiere The Birth of a Nation (Nate Parker, USA): Set against the antebellum South, this story follows Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. After witnessing countless atrocities against fellow slaves, Nat devises a plan to lead his people to freedom. Cast: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Gabrielle Union, Mark Boone Jr. World PremiereChristine (Antonio Campos,...

Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" will be crashing into theaters in 2017.  Writer-director James Gunn revealed the release date of the highly-anticipated sequel at a special Marvel press event in Hollywood today. The sequel will be in theaters May 5, 2017 -- more than two months ahead of the previously announced date of July 28, 2017.  For now, the month is relatively clear of other major releases, although "Terminator: Genisys 2" is tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2017. Meanwhile, DC Comics and Warner Bros. will release "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League Part I" at some point in 2017 as well.  Here's the official "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" logo: Led by Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, "Guardians" also stars Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.

As with all Friday podcasts, it's time to review some movies. Today it's The Heat and White House Down, but before we get there we're talking about the NBA Draft, Paula Deen, The Counselor, Taken 3, Terminator 5 and our Lone Ranger screening. We also get to your questions and comments, play a few games and otherwise crush it. Also, if you are Twitter, we have a new Twitter account dedicated to the podcast at @bnlpod. Give us a follow won'tchac I want to remind you that you can call in and leave us your comments, thoughts, questions, etc. directly on our Google Voice account, which you can call and leave a message for us at (925) 526-5763, which may be even easier to remember at (925) 5-bnl-pod. Just call, leave us a voice mail and we'll add those to the show and respond directly. An alternative to that option is a new way...

While most studios who make big blockbusters seem to pick from the same of-the-moment list of actors when casting their tentpole releases, Marvel Studios has set themselves apart by thinking outside the box a bit. They cast an actor many thought was a has-been as Iron Man, one who was mostly known for wisecracking as the stoic Captain America, and one who nobody had ever really heard of as Thor—and so far all the gambles have paid off. Perhaps not coincidentally, their next big property, Guardians of the Galaxy, seems to be the epitome of outside the box thinking. The film is adapting one of Marvel’s more obscure hero titles, it’s going to be populated largely by strange alien creatures, it’s set a sitcom actor up as its star in Chris Pratt, and it’s looking to give feature roles to awesome but lumpy-looking character actors like John C. Reilly and Michael Rooker. The...

Another day, another batch of news on Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy. The folks over at Hitflix have a slew of new information on the flick. Firming up sketchy story details by fleshing them out, they’ve also named another actor in the running for a role. John C. Reilly, a name you wouldn’t expect, has been offered a part.

Fulfilling a role similar to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent Coulson, Reilly is being touted to play Rhomann Dey. If he decides to sign on, it’s likely he’ll be joining the happy Marvel family as he plays another Agent acting as the link between the Guardians and S.H.I.E.L.D. In the comic book canon, Dey was the leader of the Nova Corps who chased a total git called Zorr across the galaxy after he blew up Dey’s home planet.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. organization noticeably absent in the story of Iron Man 3 is making a return in a big way, both this fall in Joss Whedon’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. live-action TV series, picked up for a full season by ABC, and next year in Captain America: The Winter Soldier where S.H.I.E.L.D. will take center stage.

The group, headed up by Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), will expand to see many new faces over the next two years. As we learned this weekend, it may get a few more is the most unexpected of places: Oscar-nominated actor and funnyman John C. Reilly has been offered a role in Guardians of the Galaxy as a ...

Click to continue reading Guardians of the Galaxy: John C. Reilly Offered Key Role In Marvel Cinematic Universe...

This week's News Bits, which collects the smaller news pieces and interesting articles from all over the net, features a release date change, a powerful editorial, and some other juicy nerd tid-bits.

If you've got a story or news scoop you think we should feature on News Bits, drop us a line at jordan@cinelinx.com and we'll be sure to get to it.

* The upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot (which just cast Megan Fox as April O'Neil) has been pushed back again. Originally the film was set to hit around Christmas time of this year, but got pushed to May of 2014. Now it's been moved again, but only a couple weeks (likely so it won't be competing with Godzilla). Ninja Turtles will hit theaters on June 6, 2014.

* Our buds over at SlashFilm wrote a very interesting article about how Disney should consider remaking the Star Wars Prequels. He even...

All of the week's hot casting news in one fell swoop ...

• We wonder if "Les Miserables" star Eddie Redmayne had to sing for his new role. The handsome up-and-comer is officially joining Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis for "Jupiter Ascending," the top-secret sci-fi film from the Wachowski Siblings. [Heat Vision]

• Samantha Barks just can't stop singing! Eddie Redmayne's "Les Miserables" co-star is in talks (or, rather, in songs) to go "Walking on Sunshine," a musical set to '80s pop ditties about a mother and daughter who fall in love with the same man while vacationing in Spain. '80s pop star Kylie Minogue has already been cast (we're assuming as the mom, which makes us feel old). [The Wrap]

• Vin Diesel is going to be the new "Kojak," which is perfect casting 'cause he's bald and all. Diesel will also co-produce the contemporary re-imagining of the cop show that aired from 1973-...

Kate Middleton is only a few weeks pregnant ... but already being Showered with lavish gifts from tons of baby product companies ... all gunning for what could be the Holy Grail of preggo publicity.TMZ has learned ... Kate has already received swanky goodie-baskets from at least 4 U.S.-based baby product companies ... and presumably dozens, if not hundreds, more from around the globe. The logic is simple ... Kate likes the goods ... uses goods ... is photographed with...

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

This week’s “Question of the Week” on Jeff Bayer’s “Movie B.S.” podcast is inspired by all summer movies, including those like Savages that feature scenes with beaches and stuff.

In honor of the movies that give a specific focus to the sweaty times we live in now, it’s time to take a look at the best film scenes set in the summertime. These are the moments that capture a certain essence of the season, while also being memorable on their own. This particular list features pies, riots, and a fond remembrance of that near-date rape scene in Beethoven’s 2nd.

Here are my Top 7 Favorite Summertime Movie Scenes …

7. Stand by Me (1986)

Summertime Scene: The pie eating contest, which turns into a melee of barfing. You remember this moment, even if you don’t want to.

Reason: Sure, this is a really gross scene.

Another week, another Monday. So it’s time for the rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s another packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, May 14th 2012.

Pick(S) Of The Week

The Sitter (DVD/Blu-ray)

When the world’s most irresponsible babysitter takes three of the world’s worst kids on an unforgettable overnight adventure through the streets of New York City, it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to make it home in one piece. Starring Jonah Hill (Knocked Up, Get Him To The Greek) and Sam Rockwell (Moon & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), The Sitter is a new level of twisted and debauched hilarity from the director of Pineapple Express, David Gordon Green.

How's your Oscar hangover? We've all got the prosecco sweats in the Playlist offices this morning, but that's about the norm for a Monday. Or a Tuesday. Or a Thursday. Anyway, the dust is settling post-Oscars, with the winners basking in their glory, and the losers digging through their script pile to find a disabled Holocaust survivor to play to give them another chance at the big prize.

But the question is: how was the ceremony? After one of the very worst last year, and the controversy after Brett Ratner was forced out (with original host Eddie Murphy following soon after), they were always likely to go for a safe year, and that's exactly what we got: a dull ceremony that could have come from pretty much any time in history. It wasn't the worst of ceremonies -- there were quite a few good little moments, but there were also plenty of lowlights.

On your TV this Monday: Michael Myers at his very best, a prehistoric murder, Freddy Krueger visits Hawaii, much Horror and more. As but a supplement to TVLine’s original feature stories, here are 12 programs to keep on your radar.

7 pm Ghost Hunters Halloween Live (Syfy) | In this live, six-hour special, host Josh Gates is joined by Ghost Hunters International team members and others as they snoop around the old Pennhurst State School and Hospital, an abandoned asylum in Spring City, Pa.

8 pm Halloween (AMC) | Well it is Oct. 31, so know that one option for tonight is John Carpenter’s...

Actress will play rose-haired escort Effie Trinket in the film adaptation.

By Kara Warner

Elizabeth Banks

Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Last week's intriguing "Hunger Games" casting rumors are true! Elizabeth Banks has officially been cast in Lionsgate's highly anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling dystopian novel. Banks will play Effie Trinket, the intense, chirpy, pink-haired escort to District 12's Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Effie accompanies and helps prepare the teenagers on their fight-to-the-death journey.

The 37-year-old Banks last appeared onscreen opposite Russell Crowe in the thriller "The Next Three Days," and has a recurring role on NBC's "30 Rock."

She'll next be seen alongside Paul Rudd in the comedy "Our Idiot Brother." Banks' casting announcement leaves only a few more holes to fill in the ever-growing cast, with fans eager to learn who'll play the roles of Cinna, the stylist assigned to the District 12 tributes, and Haymich, the cranky,...

Actress will play rose-haired escort Effie Trinket in the film adaptation.

By Kara Warner

Elizabeth Banks

Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Last week's intriguing "Hunger Games" casting rumors are true! Elizabeth Banks has officially been cast in Lionsgate's highly anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling dystopian novel. Banks will play Effie Trinket, the intense, chirpy, pink-haired escort to District 12's Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Effie accompanies and helps prepare the teenagers on their fight-to-the-death journey.

The 37-year-old Banks last appeared onscreen opposite Russell Crowe in the thriller "The Next Three Days," and has a recurring role on NBC's "30 Rock."

She'll next be seen alongside Paul Rudd in the comedy "Our Idiot Brother." Banks' casting announcement leaves only a few more holes to fill in the ever-growing cast, with fans eager to learn who'll play the roles of Cinna, the stylist assigned to the District 12 tributes, and Haymich, the cranky,...

Sharon Wyatt starred on General Hospital for 14 years as Tiffany. Tiffany's relationship with Sean (John Reilly) was a fan favorite. Now, Wyatt is facing a terrifying drama of her own: She has osteonecrosis - bone death.

Like 1,600 others around the country, mostly women, Wyatt believes she got it from the drug Fosamax. Fosamax is prescribed to build up bones, make them stronger, more durable - not to make them brittle and porous, as has happened to Wyatt's lovely jawline.

"I just want my jaw back," Wyatt, who will undergo surgery Friday, explained to the New York Daily News. "To tell you the truth, I like the way I look."

It doesn't sound conceited when Wyatt says it in her down-to-earth Tennessee drawl, it's just a fact. She was a beauty queen, and critics hailed her as a "sexpot with savvy" on General Hospital. And looks aren't all she's worried about...

This would be a new kind of role for an Oscar host: pornographer.

Deadline.com reports that James Franco is in talks to star in a film about porn legend Linda Lovelace, starring as Chuck Traynor, her one-time husband and production manager of the Lovelace porn classic, 'Deep Throat.'

In talks for the Lovelace role? Kate Hudson.

Franco has strong ties to the film: based on Eric Danville's book 'The Complete Linda Lovelace,' it'll be directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the head honchos of Franco's indie Allen Ginsberg film, 'Howl.'

Lovelace later left Traynor, and wrote about her abusive relationship and the evils of the pornography business in a series of biographies in the 1980's, including the revealing 1986 book, 'Ordeal.'

The film, announced at last year's Sundance Film Festival, is looking for funds to get off the ground. This sort of star power may help.

On Tuesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to chat by phone for about 30 minutes with the veteran character actor Sam Rockwell, who has generated some of the best reviews of his career — and not inconsiderable buzz for a best supporting actor Oscar nod, which would be his first in any category — for his performance in Tony Goldwyn’s “Conviction.”

Click Here To Listen To Audio Of Our Conversation!

Rockwell, 42, portrays Kenny Waters, a real person with a checkered background who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder that he — and, to an even greater degree, his sister (Hilary Swank) — insisted he did not commit. (It’s a part, he tells me, that Eric Bana, Colin Farrell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and John C. Reilly all passed on!) Though some have argued that the film plays like a Lifetime TV movie or an extended episode of “Law & Order,” precious few...

The Sundance Film Festival 2011 has a great line-up of movies this year, and I'm really excited about what we are going to get to see this year. The festival has just released their short film line-up, which is always cool to check out. Some of these movies are underated, but I've seen some pretty incredible live-action and animated short films at the festival.

Here's the official press release and list of films for you to check out:

Park City, Ut— Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival's Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. ”It’s a...

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is shaping up quite nicely. The films in competition [1], and out of competition [2], have already been announced and each has some incredibly exciting entries. Monday brought the announcement of the 81 short films, chosen out of 6,467 entries, that will play in Park City, Utah this January. And while the majority of them are by currently unknown filmmakers, there are a few that jump out featuring names like Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Jack Black. Actually, those guys are all in the same short. Other notables include Neil Labute, Tim & Eric and Isabella Rossellini. After the jump, we'll highlight those films and show you the full list. Scanning the list, here are the films that stick out as particularly exciting. Fight For Your Right Revisited (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Yauch) - After the boys leave the party... Cast: Elijah Wood, Danny McBride,...

HollywoodNews.com: Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival’s Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

“It’s a marvel to discover the creativity in this year’s shorts program. These filmmakers are charged with telling compelling stories, nurturing breakout performances and engaging the audience, all in a fraction of the time allocated to features, and each one delivers,” said Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “For 2011, we are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium, and to provide festival goers with a window into native storytelling.”

“These directors have once again raised the...

After announcing their feature film line-up (here and here), the Sundance Film Institute just sent us over their short film selections. Most initially appealing is Fight For Your Right Revisited, directed by Beastie Boy‘s Adam Yauch. The short features Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black. I’ll definitely be checking it out.

Neil Labute is also directing a short starring Julia Stiles, and Jonathan Caouette‘s short starring Chloë Sevigny will show, from the trailer we previously featured. There is also a short co-written by Cloverfield and Unstoppable‘s T.J. Miller. Check them all out below and look for our coverage in January.

U.S. Narrative Shorts

After You Left (Director: Jef Taylor; Screenwriters: Jef Taylor and Michael Tisdale) — A man in his mid-thirties searches for meaning in the aftermath of a relationship.

Andy and Zach (Director and Screenwriter: Nick Paley...

Well, we’ve see the list of feature-length films that are in the 2011 lineup of the Sundance Film Festival. Just moments ago, the festival revealed the full list of short films that will accompany those features – 44 in total, from a record 3,453 submissions! Wow! Glad I’m not on that judging committee.

But of note in the below list are 2 filmmakers who are followers of this blog, both I’ve communicated with in the past – one actually was mentioned on Black Filmmakers To Watch thread, so we may as well add the other.

I’m referring to Moon Molson and Tahir Jetter.

Moon’s short film is titled Crazy Beats Strong Every Time. Some may recall that, in September, I posted an entry for Moon, to help raise money to complete the short film. He was trying to raise $8,000, and actually ended up raising $10,250! So, congrats to Moon! The synopsis for...

John Reilly (ex-Alistair, Passions; ex-Del, Sunset Beach; ex-Sean, General Hospital; ex-Dan, As The World Turns) - 74

Denise Alexander (ex-Lesley, General Hospital; ex-Mary, Another World; ex-Sister Beatrice, Sunset Beach; ex-Susan, Days Of Our Lives) - 71

Peter Parros (ex-Ben, As The World Turns) - 50

Demi Moore (ex-Jackie, General Hospital) - 48

Tyler Christopher (Nikolas, General Hospital) - 38

Leonardo DiCaprio (ex-Young Mason, Santa Barbara) - 36

Eyal Podell (ex-Adrian, The Young And The Restless; ex-Joel, Undressed) - 35...

The Dead is a film from director Howard J. Ford (Distant Shadow) that was first reported on in March of 2009 (The Dead Intro') and the film has been generating some buzz by setting a zombie styled horror film in the backdrop of Africa. North American distribution has not been finalized, but some new movie stills and a second poster can be seen here that will surely excite some fans for the project. If you like the idea of a mercenary crossing desert landscapes filled with the undead view an external link below that has over two dozen movie photos from the film's production.

A second synopsis for the film:

"An American mercenary, the sole survivor of a plane crash, has to run the gauntlet across Africa, battling with the living dead. Joining forces with a local military man, desperately searching for his son amongst the chaos, they fight together to...

It's the first day of May and I have a birthday this month. I know I'm not the oldest Pajiban but I do help skew the demographic toward Ensure and Viagra ads (get on it, D.R., us Golden Panthers have lots and Lots of disposable income, only not me).

Anyhoo, I'll be 53 years old. That's my physical age. But, in my mind, you're only really as old as your cultural age.

Here's how I calculate that: Take a list of celebrity birthdays from any random day and scan down. When you hit a point where you know 2/3 of the people below the line and you've never heard of 2/3 of the people above it, that's right about where your cultural age is.

I like to think I'm pretty hip and with-it and know What's Happening, I'm a pretty groovy guy (you kids and your lingo these days!), but more and...

Trust Mallika to grab headlines effortlessly. The bombshell, who is having a gala time rubbing shoulders with A-listers of Hollywood, is in news again!

A week after being invited to attend a private affair in Beverly Hills with the likes of Sean Penn, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly, Bollywood beauty and now the ‘It Girl’ of Hollywood, Mallika Sherawat was a special guest at legendary crooner Tom Waits’ daughter Kellisimone’s art opening in Santa Monica on Sunday night before being honored at a private dinner in the Pacific Palisades.

A week after being invited to attend a private affair in Beverly Hills with the likes of Sean Penn, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly, Bollywood bombshell (and new Hollywood "It Girl") Mallika Sherawat was a special guest at legendary crooner Tom Waits' daughter Kellisimone's art opening in Santa Monica on Sunday night before being honored at a private dinner in the Pacific Palisades by industry heavyweights. At the art gallery, Miss She...

Two vampire sagas thrived on the night of Scream 2009, the first and only event honoring the best in fantasy, sci-fi, comics and horror. Twilight sunk its teeth into four trophies, including best Fantasy Movie, with Breakout Performance winner Taylor Lautner on hand to unveil world premiere footage from the forthcoming Twilight Saga: New Moon. Not to be outdone, HBO’s smash hit, True Blood also garnered four awards, with series creator Alan Ball and cast members Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley in attendance to accept their honors. The star-studded event was held at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and premieres on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 27 (10:00 Pm – Midnight, Et/Pt).

One of the night’s highlights featured an on-stage legend meeting an on-screen icon, as Keith Richards was presented the Scream Rock Immortal award by Johnny Depp. The living legend, Rolling Stones...

Now that Ben Lyons has gotten the boot from At the Movies, we no longer need to yell, "You lie!" at our TV screens each week. And with summer behind us, let's see what's shaking this week on the big screen.

Opening on 9/9/09 was, of course, 9, a bleak but beautiful animated feature about doll-like creatures — they're already calling the style of this stop-motion animated feature "stitchpunk" — fighting for survival in a bleak post-apocalyptic landscape.

While the storyline didn't thrill me, I was taken by director Shane Acker's stunning visuals and by his ability to create distinct personalities for his lead characters (who all have names such as 9, 2 and 6).

He's helped greatly with the latter by a terrific cast of actors, including Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly and Crispin Glover. 9 is way, way too bleak and disturbing for little kids — who should totally see...

I was loving 9 at first. Then it ended before the story even began.

It starts out promising. Newly woken stitchpunk #9 (Elijah Wood)—or so the director has named these rag doll robots—enters the world as Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later: confused, lost, looking for answers in an abandoned city, not realizing the danger he’s in. Around him is a regular-sized world—a giant’s world to #9—filled with predatory robots made of junk scraps, forcing #9 and his kind to use ordinary household items and stationery as weapons and tools.

Mind you, this fantasy world is not a magical place. In fact, it’s quite horrifying. Acker gives us a doomsday future; a machine-dominated scorched version of our Earth in which the human race had already been wiped out. It gets dark fast. Shortly after his awakening, #9 spots his creator (Alan Oppenheimer) lying dead on the floor. He ventures outside,...