Clive Owen is Ernest Hemingway and Nicole Kidman is Martha Gelhorn, his lover and then the 2^nd of his wives, in HBO’s Hemingway and Gelhorn. I have to admit as an avowed fan of Clive Owen, I was in for this from the moment that I heard that Owen had been cast.  

The story that director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, Henry and June) and writers Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) and Barbara Turner (Pollack) are telling is centered on the passionate and tempestuous romance between Ernest Hemingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's inspiration for For Whom the Bell Tolls and the only woman who ever asked for a divorce from the writer.

We have a trailer for the made-for-cable movie (remember it’s not tv, it’s HBO) that at nearly 5 minutes long amounts to much more than your standard preview. If I was looking forward to it before viewing, I’m certainly excited now.

That HBO continues to attract top talent to its projects is no secret. Elite actors sign on to HBO projects because the production values are as high as a theatrical film but the turn around time is a lot shorter, both in terms of filming and promotion, as well as the reputation the cable company has built over the last thirty years. This year alone, Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte have committed to series television in Luck and Julianne Moore and Ed Harris will star in Game Change. The supporting cast of this movie includes Robert Duvall, Molly Parker, David Strathairn, Rodrigo Santoro, Tony Shaloub, Brooke Adams, Joan Chen, Jeffrey Jones, Parker Posey, Peter Coyote, Diane Baker and Lars Ulrich. (Yes, that Lars Ulrich. The Metallica drummer has appeared in other films, like Get Him to the Greek, but this is essentially his acting debut.)

Hemingway and Gelhorn will debut in May. 

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It’s not me, right? Nicole Kidman looks like Ann Margaret circa Kitten with a Whip or Viva Las Vegas. I'm thinking the curl to Zac Efron’s lip says he thinks so too. Seriously though, I absolutely love the retro 70’s vibe (befitting the story) this first poster for The Paperboy is giving off.

The Paperboy is based on a 1995 sexual thriller by Pete Dexter (“Paris Trout”) and Dexter developed the film over the course of ten years with Pedro Almodovar, who is one of the producers. The film is directed by Lee Daniels in his follow-up to 2009’s Precious. He tabled his much talked about MLK biopic, for which he’d tapped David Oyelowo (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help, MI-5) to star, in order to tackle The Paperboy.

Brief synopsis: An idealistic reporter for the Miami Times returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving the murder of a local sheriff. He’s eventually helped by his younger brother, Jack (Zac Efron) as they investigate the possible wrongful conviction of a death row inmate (John Cusack). Matthew McConaughey plays Ward James, who teams with another reporter (Oyelowo as Yardley). During the course of the investigation, Jack falls for the woman (Kidman) whom the convict has been romancing through prison correspondence.

The Paperboy stars Oyelowo, McConaughey, Cusack, Kidman, Efron and Scott Glenn. Millennium/Nu Image picked it up for distribution during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. No release dates are yet known, but if they’re giving us a poster then we should have a date soon, probably in time for Cannes 2012. (I hope so, Nicole Kidman needs to make us forget Trespass…like pronto.)

Okay, so I've been skeptical about Joel Schumacher's Trespass from the moment I heard about it. Even though it stars Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage (an odd pairing to be sure), it had all the earmarks of a complete cheesefest, including the most badly photoshopped poster ever. That being said, whoever cut the trailer has gotten me curious. It actually looks like it could be a good popcorn flick. 

The premise is: a wealthy married couple, (Cage and Kidman) are the victims of a home invasion, and the attackers (including Cam Gigandet) know some of their secrets.As they're held for ransom, the husband and wife's predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception. All of that is apparent in the trailer including that Kidman appears to be having an affair with Gigandet (which we would have surmised just from the stills that were already released. The clip below makes me think they cut it off just in time. Perhaps there is more here than meets the eye?). Nothing is what it seems, but since Schumacher is all about the visuals, it will look good even if the story turns out to be a hollow mess.  I may not see this in theaters, but I think I'll give it a look on dvd.

Here's a clip of a dripping Gigandet (Love the tatt. Is that thing real?)

Trespass surprised naysayers by getting a slot at the Toronto International Film Festival with a gala screening no less. It opens in a limited run in US theaters on October 14 before making its VOD and dvd debut on November 1. 

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A new look at another TIFF entry, Joel Schumacher’s Trespass, offers up a new poster and some glossy new stills featuring cast members Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman and Cam Gigandet. (The poster is clearly an ‘artist’s’ rendering of one of the pics below. It may be the worst poster ever.)

The Toronto International Film Fest,  generally the harbinger of quality and often awards-worthy films and the name Joel Schumacher don’t usually go together. The words glossy and slick go with Schumacher. From St. Elmo’s Fire to Lost Boys to Flatliners all the way up through The Phantom of the Opera, there have been a few gems (A Time to Kill is still eminently watchable, Tigerland introduced the world to Colin Farrell, I even liked Veronica Guerin), but there’s also been an awful lot of schlock.

The thing is, Schumacher has an incredible knack for getting A-List talent to sign up for his projects. Nicole Kidman was also in the first of his two Batmans, Batman Forever, there’s also been Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts (twice), Kevin Spacey, Michael Douglas, Matthew McConaughey, Susan Sarandon, Ciaran Hinds (twice), Colin Farrell (twice), Nicolas Cage (twice).

I pretty much wrote him off after he tried to kill Michael Fassbender’s career with the unwatchable Blood Creek. I heard he tried to do the same thing to Zac Effron with Twelve. So it’s a mystery what he’s doing at TIFF this year. I must admit, however, that I tend to trust their judgment.

Here’s the plot, stop me if you’d heard this before: As they’re held for ransom in their own home, a husband and wife’s predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception.

We’ll see. Cage supposedly has money problems, but I don’t think Kidman needs the work. There must be something to this, right?

Trespass will open in theaters and premiere on VOD on October 14, 2011.

Taylor Swift’s gown at last night’s 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards was gorgeous. She looked like a princess, but a not-so-happy princess in the photos. She really isn’t smiling so much.

Julianne Hough also looked gorgeous but went for the va-va-voom sexy look with a backless coral-coloured dress.

The ladies of the red carpet at the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards, for the most part, were gorgeous. The men? Well, some of them had very interesting outfits like Ira Dean, but some of them like Keith Urban managed to look very hot. But then again, Keith Urban always does look hot. He could show up on the red carpet in sweat pants with the elasticized bottoms and he would still probably look hot. Wife, Nicole Kidman was by his side and as per usual, these two looked very smitten and happy to be together. I love it!

Lots of pictures from the red carpet after the break.

Photos after the break

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Let there be fabulous Oscar fashion … and so there was at last night’s 83rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles!!!

I’m not sure what the world waits for most – who receives an Oscar or who wore what?   But, if there’s one event where everyone wants to look great, it’s Oscar night and the stars proved it again.   So sit back, break out the bubbly (depending on your time zone) and let’s get this party started as the biggest stars sashay down the world’s most glamorous red carpet!

Firstly, I couldn’t help but notice a lesser amount of jewellery this year, which I found to be refreshing.   Don’t get me wrong.  A girl can never have enough bling-bling. However, the bauble trend was mostly earrings or a bauble here and a bauble there.

Two trends this year picked up on my fashion radar:  red and nude/blush.  Anne Hathaway definitely stands out on the red carpet in a red low-bustled, strapless Valentino Haute Couture gown.  And while  Sandra Bullock was a winner last year, she’s a winner again this year as one of the most elegant women of the night (are we surprised?) dazzling in her Vera Wang strapless red gown.

If great Oscar fashion is the culmination of many years of experience, then this ingenue has nailed it in one night.  Looking like she just stepped out of a fairy tale, princess-in-waiting  Hailee Steinfeld wowed us with her  blushed, tea-length Marchesa gown.   So age-appropriate for her and yet so elegant .   Another Marchesa and Oscar favourite, Halle Berry was stunning as always in a nude crystal-encrusted, ruffled gown.  Does she ever get it wrong?  (Maybe slightly last night, as the only accessory she was missing  … Olivier Martinez. )  It was also nice to see Mandy Moore striking a pose on the red carpet, also in a nude crystal-encrusted, Marchesa gown with train.  I believe this is the first time I’ve seen her at the Oscars, yet she looked like a seasoned pro.

And can you believe Celine Dion just gave birth to twins?  Girl, you have made Giorgio Armani proud in a creme-de-la-creme body hugging gown that most supermodels would run in fear from.  Isn’t black supposed to be slimming?  I mean, really!  How does she do it?   And Penelope Cruz, ditto to you girl!  Your red siren L’Wren Scott gown with flaming sequins sizzled all the way up the red carpet.  By the way, hubby Javier Bardem was looking most delicioso by your side.  (I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again.  I could listen to this guy talk Spanish to his cat all night.)

Let’s not forget the ladies of Black Swan, but black they definitely were not!  Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis danced into our hearts in shades of violet and lavendar.  Natalie draped her mommy-belly in a flowing, effortless violet Rodarte gown with Swarovski crystal beading  (I predict a little fashionista!), while Mila Kunis  dares us in a low-cut Elie Saab lavendar lace haute couture.

If there was ever a moment last night when it felt like the parting of the red sea – oops, I mean red carpet – it had to be when Nicole Kidman arrived in the most stunning Dior haute couture gown I have ever seen!  It was almost like announcing the Queen was in residence.  And that, my friends, she was.   Speaking of royalty, Dame Helen Mirren proves that sleeves are timeless in an elegant, yet fashionable, charcoal grey Vivienne Westwood number.  If she’s invited to the Royal Wedding this spring, I predict she’ll be the best dressed.

Understated elegance included Reese Witherspoon in Giorgio Armani  Prive with $1 million worth of Neil Lane baubles, which I couldn’t see.  But like I said, understated elegance.   Let’s not forget the women behind the men, as Melania Trump gives new meaning to the black dress.

All in all, it was a great night of fashion.  So … drum roll please!  For outstanding best dressed red carpet fashion, the nominees are:   Sandra Bullock, Hailee Steinfeld, Hallee Berry, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.  And the Oscar goes to … Nicole Kidman!

So what did you think of Oscar fashion?  Do you like our choices?  Did we miss anyone?  Let us know!

Lots of pictures after the break

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