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There are many films that have quotable last lines such as “After all, tomorrow is another day” from “Gone with the Wind.” And who can forget Humphrey Bogart telling Claude Rains: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” But the beloved 1953 George Stevens’ Western “Shane” perhaps has one of the most endearing and emotional final lines. Young Joey (Brandon De Wilde) wants his idol, the former gunslinger Shane (Alan Ladd), to stay with his family. But the wounded hero continues to ride off.

“Shane………come back,” Joey cries out.

Be prepared to bring you handkerchiefs to the Academy Museum’s 70th anniversary screening Dec 10 at the David Geffen Theatre. Ladd, in his strongest performance, plays a world-weary gunslinger who wants to hang up his six-shooter. He ends up working for an honest, struggling rancher Joe, (Van Heflin), his wife Marian (Jean Arthur) and young son...

A star is born — twice over. Alana Haim and Rachel Zegler have turned in breakout performances in their film debuts, “Licorice Pizza” and “West Side Story,” respectively. Now can either of them — or both — score a Best Actress Oscar nomination?

Haim’s and Zegler’s paths to knocking at the Oscars’ door are completely different. Haim was already an established, Grammy-nominated musician with her two older sisters and Haim bandmates Este and Danielle (who also appear in “Licorice Pizza” along with their parents) by the time Paul Thomas Anderson, who had directed several Haim music videos, cast her as Alana Kane in his ’70s-set tale of teenage love and infatuation. Her naturalistic performance and chemistry with Cooper Hoffman have won her critical praise and the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, shared with Hoffman. Since “Licorice Pizza” first screened last month, Haim has risen to eighth place...

A gay urbanite travels home to visit a family that does not know about their loved one’s sexual orientation; it’s a situation that’s played for comedy in “Happiest Season,” but in “Uncle Frank,” writer-director Alan Ball mines the situation mostly for drama, although not without his signature wit.

Those moments that land, whether funny or moving, occur when Ball isn’t getting in his own way and instead trusts in the characters he’s written and the actors who are performing them. Overall, the film works, but there are times during this road-trip saga where one wishes Ball would apply the brakes.

It’s the fall of 1972, and Beth Bledsoe is entering NYU as a freshman. Her uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) teaches there; on a trip home four years earlier, he encouraged young Beth not to follow the set paths laid out for her by their small town,...

Black Americans saw very little representation of their lives and culture on TV during the 1950s. The only mainstay was Eddie Anderson, who played Jack Benny’s sardonic valet Rochester on CBS’ “The Jack Benny Program.” In 1937, he’d became the first Black performer to be a regular on the radio version of the beloved comedy series and played Rochester on television from 1950-65. Terry Carter played Pvt. Sugie Sugerman for 98 episodes of CBS’ Emmy Award-winning “The Phil Silvers Show.’ And Black singers and performers would occasionally appear on various musical-variety series.

Pianist Hazel Scott was given her own summer series “The Hazel Scott Show” on DuMont in 1950. But she was soon named as a Communist by “Red Channels”. Though she denied the charges, the series couldn’t attract a sponsor and was history after four episodes. Likewise, NBC’s 1957-58 “The Nat King Cole Show” couldn’t find a...

Coming to Film Forum in New York City is “Black Women,” a 70-film screening series that spotlights 81 years – 1920 to 2001 – of trailblazing African American actresses in American movies.

Scheduled to run from January 17 to February 13, the series is curated by film historian and professor Donald Bogle, author of six books concerning blacks in film and television, including the groundbreaking “Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films” (1973).

“Last year, Bruce Goldstein, the repertory programmer at Film Forum, asked me if there was something I was interested in doing, and this was a topic that I had been thinking about, because I recently updated my book on the subject, ‘Brown Sugar,’ which dealt with African American women in entertainment from the early years of the late 19th century to the present,” said Bogle. “That’s really the way it came about, and it just developed from there.

From film schools to DVD shelves, movies considered to be classics are largely made by men. Now, with Hollywood in turmoil, we asked women in film to nominate the movies that should be hailed alongside Scorsese and Spielberg

For as long as most of us have been around, the canon – those books, plays, films and TV series anointed as the most important of their kind – has been defined by a singular commonality: most of it was created by white men. When I entered graduate school in theatre management and producing in the 1990s, we were required to read a series of books entitled Famous American Plays of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s etc. Everything I was assigned, except for two plays – Carson McCullers’ The Member of the Wedding and Lillian Hellman’s The Autumn Garden – was by men.

Sadly, it hasn’t changed over the last couple of decades. When I...

In this episode of Off The Shelf, Ryan and Brian take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for Tuesday, June 14th, 2016.

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Follow-Up Brian’s tweet about The Thing News Twilight Time – September/October Titles Arrow Video – September titles The Deadly Trackers Blue Sunshine Kino Lorber – Moving Violations, The Park Is Mine The Transformers: The Movie Scream Factory Sale Raising Cain The Thing Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Links to Amazon Airport: The Complete Collection Black Dog La Chienne Edvard Munch (1974) (Masters of Cinema) Gold Here Comes Mr. Jordan (The Criterion Collection) Jaws 2 Jaws 3 Jaws: The Revenge Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 2 Star Trek XI Star Trek Into Darkness Too Late for Tears Woman on the Run X-Files: The Event Series The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) on Blu-ray Inserts (1975) on Blu-ray The Member of The Wedding (1952) on Blu-ray The Panic in Needle Park...

The Member of the Wedding: Zexer’s Debut Churns Empathy from Obscene Custom

We’ve seen an increasing tide of feminist perspective narratives detailing the despicable social sleights faced by women in various (usually Middle Eastern) cultures, many of these focusing on a particularly awkward situation where tradition allows men to take a second wife while his first is still alive and well. Such is the starting point for Sand Storm, the impressive debut from Israeli filmmaker Elite Zexer. But audiences thinking they’re already familiar with how these pained scenarios tend to unfold will be pleasantly surprised when they realize Zexer has something a bit more complex and unpredictable in store. What begins as a tale concerning a powerless woman begrudgingly accepting her fate becomes a moving portrait of a mother commending better possibilities for the future of her daughter, creating a glimmer of hope in an endless denial of agency.

Maureen O'Hara: Queen of Technicolor. Maureen O'Hara movies: TCM tribute Veteran actress and Honorary Oscar recipient Maureen O'Hara, who died at age 95 on Oct. 24, '15, in Boise, Idaho, will be remembered by Turner Classic Movies with a 24-hour film tribute on Friday, Nov. 20. At one point known as “The Queen of Technicolor” – alongside “Eastern” star Maria Montez – the red-headed O'Hara (born Maureen FitzSimons on Aug. 17, 1920, in Ranelagh, County Dublin) was featured in more than 50 movies from 1938 to 1971 – in addition to one brief 1991 comeback (Chris Columbus' Only the Lonely). Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne Setting any hint of modesty aside, Maureen O'Hara wrote in her 2004 autobiography (with John Nicoletti), 'Tis Herself, that “I was the only leading lady big enough and tough enough for John Wayne.” Wayne, for his part, once said (as quoted in 'Tis Herself): There's only one woman who has been my friend over the...

Child actor Dickie Moore: 'Our Gang' member. Former child actor Dickie Moore dead at 89: Film career ranged from 'Our Gang' shorts to features opposite Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper 1930s child actor Dickie Moore, whose 100+ movie career ranged from Our Gang shorts to playing opposite the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Stanwyck, and Gary Cooper, died in Connecticut on Sept. 7, '15 – five days before his 90th birthday. So far, news reports haven't specified the cause of death. According to a 2013 Boston Phoenix article about Moore's wife, MGM musical star Jane Powell, he had been “suffering from arthritis and bouts of dementia.” Dickie Moore movies At the behest of a persistent family friend, combined with the fact that his father was out of a job, Dickie Moore (born on Sept. 12, 1925, in Los Angeles) made his film debut as an infant in Alan Crosland's 1927 costume drama The Beloved Rogue,...

Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.

Award-winning actor renowned for her work on Broadway and roles in classic films such as East of Eden and The Haunting

Unable to make sufficient money from her novels, the great American writer Carson McCullers took advice from Tennessee Williams and allowed one of her masterpieces to be adapted for the theatre. The resultant success of The Member of the Wedding (1950) widened her fame, and made a Broadway star of Julie Harris, who has died aged 87.

The play's main character is Frankie Addams, a gawky 12-year-old who longs for companionship and the "we of me". Although the second juvenile role, in what is essentially a three-hander, went to a child actor, Brandon de Wilde, the complex part of Frankie fell to Harris, who was then 24. Born in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, and trained at the Yale School of Drama, Harris had made her Broadway debut in It's a Gift in...

Harris gave a brilliant performance as a woman who has been targeted by evil spirits in The Haunting (1963)

By Lee Pfeiffer 

Julie Harris, who was regarded as Broadway royalty for winning five Tony Awards (a feat never equaled by any other actress), has passed away at age 87. Harris' career in stage, film and TV spanned almost 60 years. She was the first actress to play Sally Bowles in the original stage adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's I Am a Camera, which recounted the journalist's experiences in Berlin during the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of National Socialism. The musical version of the story was later brought to the stage as Cabaret.  Ms. Harris was widely respected throughout the arts and was among those select American performers who was accorded the Kennedy Center Honors. Ms. Harris also appeared in numerous high profile films beginning with his Oscar-nominated performance in...

Julie Harris, who won five Tony Awards and had 10 Tony nominations in her lifetime, died Saturday. She was 87. Harris died of congestive heart failure at her home in West Chatham, Mass., actress Francesca James, a close friend, told the Associated Press. Harris had suffered a stroke in 2001 and another in 2010, James said. Harris was also nominated for an Academy Award in 1952 for "The Member of the Wedding," a role she had created on the Broadway stage. Many remember her paired with James Dean in Elia Kazan's 1955 film "East of Eden." The Telegraph (UK) wrote a poignant remembrance of her here. Julie Harris and James Dean in 'East of Eden' Photo: Rex On...

Julie Harris, one of Broadway's most honored performers, whose roles ranged from the flamboyant Sally Bowles in I Am a Camera to the reclusive Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst died Saturday. She was 87. Harris died at her West Chatham, Mass., home of congestive heart failure, actress and family friend Francesca James said. The actress won five Tony Awards for best actress in a play, displaying a virtuosity that enabled her to portray an astonishing gallery of women during a theater career that spanned almost 60 years and included such plays as The Member of the Wedding (1950), The Lark (1955), Forty Carats...

New York (Associated Press) — Julie Harris, one of Broadway's most honored performers, whose roles ranged from the flamboyant Sally Bowles in "I Am a Camera" to the reclusive Emily Dickinson in "The Belle of Amherst," died Saturday. She was 87.

Harris died at her West Chatham, Mass., home of congestive heart failure, actress and family friend Francesca James said.

Harris won five Tony Awards for best actress in a play, displaying a virtuosity that enabled her to portray an astonishing gallery of women during a theater career that spanned almost 60 years and included such plays as "The Member of the Wedding" (1950), "The Lark" (1955), "Forty Carats" (1968) and "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" (1972).

She was honored again with a sixth Tony, a special lifetime achievement award in 2002. Her record is up against Audra McDonald, with five competitive Tonys, and Angela Lansbury with four Tonys in the best actress-musical category and one for best supporting actress in a play.

Julie Harris: Best Actress Oscar nominee, multiple Tony winner dead at 87 (photo: James Dean and Julie Harris in ‘East of Eden’) Film, stage, and television actress Julie Harris, a Best Actress Academy Award nominee for the psychological drama The Member of the Wedding and James Dean’s leading lady in East of Eden, died of congestive heart failure at her home in West Chatham, Massachusetts, on August 24, 2013. Harris, born in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, on December 2, 1925, was 87. Throughout her career, Julie Harris collected ten Tony Award nominations, more than any other performer. She won five times — a record matched only by that of Angela Lansbury. Harris’ Tony Award wins were for I Am a Camera (1952), The Lark (1956), Forty Carats (1969), The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1973), and The Belle of Amherst (1977). Harris’ tenth and final Tony nomination was for The Gin Game (1997). In 2002, she was honored with a Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.

Veteran film and theatre actor won greatest accolades for her work on Broadway

Julie Harris, one of Broadway's most honoured performers, whose roles ranged from the flamboyant Sally Bowles in I Am a Camera to the reclusive Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst, died on Saturday. She was 87.

Harris died at her home in West Chatham, Massachusetts, of congestive heart failure, the actor and family friend Francesca James said.

Harris won a record five Tony awards for best actress in a play, displaying a virtuosity that enabled her to portray an astonishing gallery of women during a theatre career that spanned almost 60 years and included such plays as The Member of the Wedding (1950), The Lark (1955), Forty Carats (1968) and The Last of Mrs Lincoln (1972).

She received a sixth Tony, a special lifetime achievement award, in 2002.

Harris had suffered a stroke in 2001 while she was in Chicago appearing in a production of Claudia Allen's Fossils.

Julie Harris has died of congestive heart failure at the age of 87. 5 time Tony winner, 3 time Emmy Winner, Grammy winner and Oscar nominee in 1952 for her role as Frankie Addams...

Veteran stage, TV and film actress Julie Harris passed away Saturday. She was 87. Harris died of congestive heart failure at home in West Chatham, Massachusetts, per Nyt. The celebrated performer best known for her long and highly decorated Broadway career won five Tony Awards, three Emmys, and one Grammy over five decades in showbiz – narrowly missing the elusive Egot with her 1953 Best Actress Oscar nomination for Carson McCullers’ The Member of the Wedding, her first screen role. Onstage Harris originated the role of Sally Bowles in 1951′s I Am a Camera and starred in a subsequent 1955 film adaptation, which in turn inspired the musical and Liza Minnelli pic Cabaret. Harris starred opposite James Dean in East of Eden, with Paul Newman in Harper, and in Robert Wise’s The Haunting while acting steadily in theater and television through the 1960s and 1970s. In 1980 she joined the cast of CBS soap Knots Landing as Lilliemae Clements,...

Tags: The Member of the WeddingAnna PaquinAlfre WoodardIMDbBlack History Month

If you ever felt like a misfit, The Member of the Wedding is a story you can identify with. The Carson McCullers novel was adapted into a successful play and then two films, once in 1952 and another in 1997, with Anna Paquin and Alfre Woodard in the staring roles. The queer Southern writer put a little bit of herself into the work, as the story follows 12-year-old tomboy Frankie who wants so badly to fit in somewhere that she wants to leave town on a honeymoon with her older brother who is getting married. The voice of reason, though, is Berenice, the maid and caretaker of Frankie and her younger brother.

The 1997 adaptation starring the bisexual actress Anna Paquin is playing on Starz for Black History Month and it's a great chance to watch the film if you've never seen productions of the work before.

Johnny Galecki is a young man who knew he was destined to be an actor as early as age four. His mother, Mary-Lou reported during an interview in People magazine that when Johnny was four years old he informed her "Mom, I'm gonna be on TV, and I don't mean when I grow up". The young man was serious and lived up to his prediction. Today he is appearing as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory (TV) John Mark Galecki was born on April 30th in Bree, Belgium. His star sign is Taurus. His father, Richard Galecki was in the U. S. Air Force stationed in Belgium at the time of John's birth. That is why, even though he was born in Belgium, he is an American citizen. His mother, Mary Lou (nee Noon) was a mortgage consultant. Both his parents are American and are of Polish,...

There’s been little chatter about Deborah Kampmeier‘s (Hounddog) biopic of classic American writer Carson McCullers, Lonely Hunter, since the filmmaker picked Jena Malone for the lead role last October, but a fresh press release now reports that a rising star has been selected to play Tennessee Williams in the film. Logan Marshall Green will play the writer, one of America’s most celebrated (if not the most celebrated) playwrights, in Lonely Hunter. Williams was McCullers’ best friend and her “longtime confidant,” so the role is a crucial one when it comes to sketching out McCullers on screen. Green was last seen in Brooklyn’s Finest and Devil, but he’s already poised to break out this year – he’s got a co-starring role in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Kampmeier herself said, “Logan is amazing for Tennessee Williams. People think of him as a leading man but I think he’s also a character actor in...

So many actors say they knew from an early age that they belonged onstage. But Amanda Peet actually hurled herself onto one -- while a production was in progress -- when she was 3.

"Luckily it was a children's play," says Peet, who stars in NBC's "Bent," premiering Wednesday, March 21.

In the sitcom, Peet plays Alex, a recently divorced mom whose ex is imprisoned for securities fraud. She's renovating a house and hires Pete (David Walton) as her contractor. He's a surfer dude who likes recreational drugs and casual flings. Women find him irresistible.

Peet understands why.

"He should be a movie star," Peet says. "That he is not is astounding to me. I don't think there is anyone like him. He is George Clooney mixed with Matt Dillon. He is stone-y, quick-witted. He's weird, he's not like anyone else."

She also relates to Alex as a mom, as she reassures a child on her cellphone.

John Carter, based on the John Carter of Mars series written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was released last weekend with underwhelming box-office results in North America. Expect a more enthusiastic reception for the Warner Archive's release of the late '60s television series Tarzan (season one, in two parts) in celebration of the Lord of the Apes' 100th anniversary. Ron Ely stars, while guests include former Tarzan Jock Mahoney, Academy Award nominee Julie Harris (The Member of the Wedding), Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols, Woody Strode, Russ Tamblyn, Maurice Evans, Jack Elam, and Chips Rafferty. Also coming out via the Warner Archive Collection are several lesser-known titles that should definitely be worth a look, especially considering the talent involved. Released in a newly remastered print, the 1941 drama Rage in Heaven was directed by W.S. Van Dyke (aka "One-Take Woody"), and stars Ingrid Bergman, Robert Montgomery, and George Sanders. Christopher Isherwood contributed to the screenplay.

Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway and Susan Sarandon are fronting a new line of audio books, reading classics like The Wizard Of Oz and Emile Zola's Therese Raquin.

The trio have signed up to give voice to Audible.com's A-List Collection - a selection of literary classics narrated by Hollywood stars.

The first four books, which will be available online from Thursday, will be A Rage in Harlem (read by Samuel L. Jackson), The Wizard of Oz (Hathaway), Therese Raquin (Winslet) and The Member of the Wedding (Sarandon).

The celebrities reportedly chose their own projects.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Annette Bening, Colin Firth, Hilary Swank and Jennifer Connelly will read the next batch of audio books.

Audible.com has introduced the A-List Collection, a new line of audio books narrated by Hollywood stars. The first four books will be available March 8, with another ten planned for later in 2012. The initial batch includes Samuel L. Jackson performing Chester Himes’ A Rage in Harlem, Anne Hathaway doing the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Kate Winslet’s rendition of Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin and Susan Sarandon performing The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. The actors helped chose their own projects. Jackson said he chose the story of a man who falls in love with a

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Gary Cooper, High Noon Fred Zinnemann: Top Oscar Directors for Actors Fred Zinnemann-directed movies: twenty acting nominations; six wins. (s) supporting category; (*) Academy Award winner 1944 Hume Cronyn (s), The Seventh Cross 1948 Montgomery Clift, The Search 1952 * Gary Cooper, High Noon Julie Harris, The Member of the Wedding 1953 Montgomery Clift, From Here to Eternity Burt Lancaster, From Here to Eternity Deborah Kerr, From Here to Eternity * Frank Sinatra (s), From Here to Eternity * Donna Reed (s), From Here to Eternity 1957 Anthony Franciosa, A Hatful of Rain 1959 Audrey Hepburn, The Nun's Story 1960 Deborah Kerr, The Sundowners Glynis Johns (s), The Sundowners 1966 * Paul Scofield (with Susanna York), A Man for All Seasons Robert Shaw (s), A Man for All Seasons Wendy Hiller (s), A Man for All Seasons 1977 Jane Fonda, Julia Maximilian Schell (s), Julia * Jason Robards (s), Julia * Vanessa Redgrave (s), Julia...

Fred Zinnemann began his career during the studio era, but kept on going, however sporadically, long after most of his contemporaries had retired. Even so, today his name means little to most moviegoers and critics alike. But why? Quite possibly because, like William Wyler, Zinnemann covered just about every film genre there is. His relatively small oeuvre — 21 narrative feature films — encompasses the following: Western (High Noon, The Sundowners [sort of]), romance (From Here to Eternity), socially conscious drama (The Search, The Men, A Hatful of Rain), historical drama (A Man for All Seasons), adventure (The Seventh Cross, Five Days One Summer), religion (The Nun's Story), thriller (The Day of the Jackal), crime (Eyes in the Night, Kid Glove Killer, Act of Violence), war (Behold a Pale Horse), comedy (My Brother Talks to Horses), melodrama (Little Big Jim) psychological drama (Teresa, The Member of the Wedding), musical (Oklahoma), pseudo-"historical" drama (Julia, whose...

Let's hear it for ladies of a certain age!

Mary Tyler Moore, television icon and an Oscar nominee for a terrifically icy variation on one of Oscar's favorite archetypes 'the monster mom' in Ordinary People (1980) turns 75 years old today. The last picture I can find of her out and about is the one to your left taken at the premiere of "Follies" starring Bernadette Peters (Do Not Miss It If you're In NYC!) which is just about the most appropriate show an aging diva can be seen at since it's all about aging showgirls looking back on their lives. (It's also one of the best musicals ever written but let's not get distracted...)

Mary Tyler Moore got me to thinking about the endurance of our beloved Best Actress nominees. There have been various media Oscar mash notes over the years that have claimed that winning an Oscar helps you live...

Actress Phyllis Love has passed away at the age of 85.

She died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at her California home on 30 October.

Love was best known for her contributions to theatre, making her Broadway debut in The Member of the Wedding in 1950. She also appeared in Country Girl, Bus Stop and The Rose Tattoo.

Born in Iowa in 1925, she also appeared in the 1956 film Friendly Persuasion and guest starred in hit TV shows Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive and The Twilight Zone.

She retired from the entertainment industry in the 1970s.

Jena Malone ("Donnie Darko," "Sucker Punch") has been cast to play Southern gothic writer Carson McCullers in the biopic "Lonely Hunter" at Full Moon Films says Risky Biz Blog.

The story will span 35 years in McCullers' life including her bouts of illness, torrid marriages, and the escapism she found in her work. Famed figures who were a part of her life include her best friend Tennessee Williams, her protégé Truman Capote, and her roommate Gypsy Rose Lee.

McCullers penned such classic novels as "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," "Reflections in a Golden Eye," "The Member of the Wedding" and the short story collection "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe", most of which were set in the American South and dealt with outcasts and those feeling spiritually bereft.

Deborah Kampmeier will direct and will produce alongside Troy Johanson and Blair Breard. Shooting kicks off in Spring next year.

Celebrities read! They do. I think. Regardless, a new reading series from Audible.com features A-listers reading famous works of literature. The first in the series, Kate Winslet, already completed her assignment - Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, and raved about the project:

“You use a different part of your brain and it keeps your creative juices flowing. It is challenging, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well. As a listener, being able to tune out and be taken into another world, an atmosphere, an environment that is being created entirely for you by somebody else’s voice is really a wonderful, magical thing.”

Via THR, here's the remaining performers slated to read:

Nicole Kidman, To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Anne Hathaway, The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dustin Hoffman, Being There by Jerzy Kosinski

Kim Basinger, The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Annette Bening,...

Celebrities read! They do. I think. Regardless, a new reading series from Audible.com features A-listers reading famous works of literature. The first in the series, Kate Winslet, already completed her assignment - Therese Raquin by Emile Zola, and raved about the project:

“You use a different part of your brain and it keeps your creative juices flowing. It is challenging, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well. As a listener, being able to tune out and be taken into another world, an atmosphere, an environment that is being created entirely for you by somebody else’s voice is really a wonderful, magical thing.”

Via THR, here's the remaining performers slated to read:

Nicole Kidman, To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Anne Hathaway, The Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dustin Hoffman, Being There by Jerzy Kosinski

Kim Basinger, The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Annette Bening,...

Though I missed his book signing in NYC this past Thursday (had a screening of my own film – hallelujah!) all film, and Black film (and music) lovers have to go out and get Donald Bogle’s new book on the turbulent life of Ethel Waters, entitled Heat Wave.

If you’ve somehow never read any of Bogle’s books, he’s the preeminent historian on all things Black film. I spent a geeky but fulfilling summer of my youth reading his work, which includes:

Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretative History of Blacks in Films; Brown Sugar: Eighty Years of America’s Black Female Superstars; Blacks in American Film and Television: An Illustrated Encyclopedia; Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography; Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television; Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood.

If you’ve read ‘Bright Boulevards…’ in particular, you learned a lot...

It now appears to be more likely than not that Hailee Steinfeld, the 14-year-old actress who makes her big screen debut in the Coen brothers’ critically and commercially successful Western “True Grit,” will score an Oscar nomination — and perhaps even a win — in one category or another for her film-stealing performance. Consequently, some of you may be wondering if any other newcomer has ever earned that kind of recongition over the 82 year history of the Academy Awards. The answer is yes — in fact, it has happened precisely 47 times, 16 in lead and 31 in supporting.

Some of those women were famous before they received their nods (i.e. Jennifer Hudson and Barbra Streisand); most were not (i.e. Mary Badham and Gabby Sidibe). Some never made another movie after they received their nods (i.e. Jocelyne Lagarde); some made a few and then dropped off the face of the earth (i.e.

Happy birthday to Best Actress winner Joan Fontaine (Suspicion, 1941), also known as the second Mrs. DeWinter. She turns 93 years young today. What on earth was she thinking about when she won the Oscar. This photo to your left fascinates me on account of "who knows?" It seems so much more candid than many Oscar night photos.

I keep the following "still with us!" list, not from any morbid curiousity but from a genuine happiness that some legendary screen stars are still walking the earth even though most of them aren't walking the screens these days. This year has been rough with the losses so maybe I'm going to stop keep this list. My heart was in the right place! We want the following to know that their past accomplishments are acknowledged by new generations.

The Oldest Living Oscar Nominees

All of them were born before the movies even had sound!

Your cinematic birthdays for 12/02. If it's your big day, let us know.

Steven, Lucy and Warren

1894 Warren William, charming snake, pre-code movie star who was often paired with formidable actresses like Claudette Colbert (Imitation of Life, Cleopatra), Joan Blondell (Gold Diggers of 1933, Stage Struck) and Bette Davis (Three on a Match, Satan Met a Lady)

1914 Ray Walston, the Damn Yankees! devil had a lengthy career on screens small and large

1914 Adolph Green, musical giant of 'Comden & Green' fame. I can't even begin to choose a favorite song by that duo. Plus they wrote the screenplay to Singin' in the Rain!

1923 Maria Callas, La Divina. Fanny Ardant recently played her in Callas Forever. The next actress who'll have a go at her is Eva Mendes in Greek Fire

1925 Julie Harris was Oscar nominated for her film debut (The Member of the Wedding), co-starred with James Dean (East of Eden) and...