The Expatriate starring Aaron Eckhart was not on my radar. In fact, I’d never heard of it. Again, I have to wonder, how is this possible considering how much of my time is spent sniffing out such things? On top of that, it’s right up my alley!

An ex-CIA agent (Eckhart) who hopes to make a fresh start with his estranged 15-year old daughter. He takes a job in Belgium as a security expert for a multinational corporation and arrives one day to find the corporation no longer exists, his coworkers are gone, and his assistant is really a trained operative who has marked them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy. They are forced to go on the run and must learn to trust each other, something that becomes difficult once she learns the truth about his shadowy past (Is there any other kind?)

Conspiracy? I’m there! Ex-CIA agent marked for termination? Cynics might say this sounds all too familiar and seems to be just one of a new spate of films about ex-government ops types a la Taken or even Killer Elite. Sounds like a recipe for some kick-ass action to me, provided it’s in the right hands. Aye, there’s the rub. I have no idea what kind of hands it’s in.

Director Philip Stolzl is primarily known in Europe for his work in German films like Young Goethe in Love and a lot of music videos. Music videos can certainly be good preparation for feature films, witness Tarsem Singh, but there’s nothing about a film about Goethe or another about Richard Wagner, that says “action adventure.”  The writer of The Expatriate, Amash Amel has no other credits listed on imdb so he’s a complete cipher.

The Expatriate, filmed in Belgium and Montreal, also stars Olga Kurylenko (A Quantum of Solace, Centurion), Liana Libreto (Trust)  and a lot of Belgians and French Canadians. Kurylenko plays a CIA agent who is assigned to find her ex-CIA partner and lover (Eckhart), while Liberato has been cast as Eckhart’s daughter. As for release dates, all we know right now is a vague 2012. We’ll let you know.

Bridget Moynahan is starring in this crazy new flick, Battle: Los Angeles.  She gets rescued from aliens by U.S. Marines while the entire city is getting blown to pieces.

Bridget Moynahan Covers Self Magazine

The extremely sexy Aaron Eckhart is the main piece of man candy in the film that manages to keep me calm in the midst of the chaos.

This freaky film lands in your theater on March 11.  I wouldn’t miss it!  I am so on the Bridget boat since watching Blue Bloods. She’s fantastic!

At last night’s 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala, Natalie Portman rocked a barely-there baby bump while Helen Mirren rocked a new short hairdo that looks fabulous on her.  But then again, anything looks fabulous on her.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Affleck (looking a little bit too much like G.I. Joe), soon-to-be-daddy Javier Bardem and the super handsome Aaron Eckhart also attended the star-studded event that took place at Palm Springs Convention Centre.

The new Spiderman himself, Andrew Garfield attended looking, well, like a 12 year old basically. I feel a little dirty lusting after him. Time to take a shower.

Lots of other celebrities in pictures after the break

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Nicole Kidman had her sexy man, Keith Urban by her side at the New York premiere of ‘Rabbit Hole’ held at the Paris Theatre last night.  She looked simply gorgeous.  Keith was hot, like he never fails to be.  BUT, I can’t help it.  He looks so much better solo.   Nicole is tall, then she throws on big ‘ole heels and dwarfs that sexy man!

2010 Country Music Awards – Arrivals

Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban @ LAX

Women with “shorter” hubbys are supposed to wear a smaller heel, at least when you know the cameras are going to be around, otherwise, the men look like….um, dwarfs?  I really love these two together, but Nicole needs to lose an inch or two.

Back to the movie… Rabbit Hole sounds like a very intense movie that I am going to have to see.  Aaron Eckhart co-stars with Nicole.  Here’s the quick synopsis:

Becca and Howie Corbett (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. While Becca finds pain in the familiar, Howie finds comfort.

The shifts come in abrupt, unforeseen moments. Becca hesitantly opens up to her opinionated, loving mother (Dianne Wiest) and secretly reaches out to the teenager involved in the accident that changed everything (Miles Teller); while Howie lashes out and imagines solace with another woman (Sandra Oh). Yet, as off track as they are, the couple keeps trying to find their way back to a life that still holds the potential for beauty, laughter and happiness. The resulting journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis.

I’ve been a fan of Nicole Kidman since 1983, when she starred in Five Mile Creek in her native Australia.  Needless to say, she’s come a long way.  Can’t wait to see this new flick!

Photos: Anthony Dixon/WENN

Gerard Butler is looking so fine these days. The hair is a bit longer, a bit tousled and the facial hair is coming in and it gives him that hot rugged man-look that suits him quite nicely. Add some hair gel and a nice suit and dude is looking very, very tasty.

Gerard Butler’s Late Lunch [PHOTOS]

He isn’t the only man-candy that was at last night’s CNN Heroes:  An All-Star Tribute at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The Silver Fox Anderson Cooper looked mighty fine as did Aaron Eckhart.

Anderson Cooper Interviews Lady GaGa In London [PHOTOS]

Demi Moore looked smoking hot and very sexy in her blue dress. I didn’t notice Ashton Kutcher in any of the photos so perhaps she attended solo?

Renee Zellweger, Emmy Rosum, Jessica Alba and lots of other celebrities attended including the 33 Chilean Miners that were rescued in October after spending 69 days trapped underground. They were special guests at the event which will be aired on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25, 2010.

……..finely dressed male and female eye-candy after the break

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Tons of stars are showing up in Toronto for the 35th Toronto International Film Festival including someone I would love to get close enough to to smell:  Matt Damon.  I think he would smell like peaches.  Or watermelon.

Also cruising the streets of Toronto:

• Rachel McAdams
• Clint Eastwood
• Aaron Eckhart
• Minnie Driver
• Juliette Lewis
• Kevin Spacey
• Henry Winkler
• Hayden Christensen
• Carey Mulligan

and others…pictures after the break

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How can anyone not love Kristen Bell? She’s so cute, sweet, spunky and has a wicked sense of humour not to mention she’s a talented actress.  I simply love her sense of fashion: classic, elegant and very flattering to her tiny frame.  I can imagine how beautiful her wedding gown will be when she marries Dax Shepard.

She attended last night’s Chanel Tribeca Film Festival Dinner in support of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards Program in New York.  What this means, I haven’t a clue but I like looking at pretty pictures.  I’m simple like that.

Also attending:

• Peter Facinelli
• Abbie Cornish
• Olivia Thirlby
• Selma Blair
• Rachel Zoe
• Aaron Eckhart – he is most doable, yes?
• Zach Braff
• Andrew McCarthy
• Zoe Kravitz

What are the odds that 2 people attending the same party have a name that begins with ‘Z’ (Zach Braff & Zoe Kravitz).  I truly need a life.

Pictures after the break

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It isn’t often that you see hottie Anderson Cooper attending a party, but then again it wasn’t just any party.  A who’s who of celebrities attended a pre-Oscar party at the house of George Clooney’s agent in Los Angeles last night:

• Pierce Brosnan
• Eli Roth
• Meg Ryan
• Sofia Vargara
• Aaron Eckhart
• Sarah Jessica Parker
• Jonah Hill
• Cindy Crawford
• Tobey Maguire
• Tom Hanks
• Robert Downey Jr.
• JJ Abrams
• Halle Berry
• Pedro Almodovar
• Ellen DeGeneres
• Portia DeRossi
• Garcelle Beauvais

Pictures after the break

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