Charitwitter?

Not sure if this is the first Tweet of this magnitude, but Hugh Jackman (the real one) is offering $100,000 to one individual's choice charity. The winner must prove their argument using 140 characters or less to the Jackman.

I will donate 100K to one individual's favorite non profit organization.Of course,you must convince me why by using 140 characters or less.about 1 hour ago from web

This is both awesome and truly a sign of the times... So if you've got a charity, give it a go and Tweet off to @RealHughJackman!

Also /Film, who earlier reported that the real Michael Bay had joined Twitter, has officially been proven wrong when Bay took to the message boards and declared, "Twitter. Never. What a waste of time."

Is Bay too good for Twitter or is Twitter too good for Bay?

(UPDATE: just realized Charitweet is an ever better pun because it sounds like "charity." Ok, now I'm done.)

Short and Sweet: Oscar Edition

I'm getting the feeling from what I've been reading, that a lot of people enjoyed last night's Academy Awards show...

WHY?

It was boring to the max, and almost completely without surprises or standout memorable moments. But what's not surprising, is that a year lacking in great jaw dropping cinema, produced a less than amazing Oscar night. After all the glorified talk of making drastic changes and reinventing the very broken wheel that is the Academy Awards, all that was left were a few awkward musical numbers, one kind of funny video directed by Judd Apatow, and a failed stab at reviving "old hollywood." Maybe there is a generational gap in enjoyment level? I have found that people a little older really enjoyed the ceremony, and found it classier and more entertaining than it's been in years. But with younger people (like me) it felt was more boring and lacking in originality than ever. You can check out SpoutBlog Oscar's Twittered here, which is pretty hilarious. I won't go into too much more detail about the winners or the ceremony, cause it's been done ad-nausea already, but I will say that, 1. I got 12 out of my 15 predictions right (woot!), and 2. Despite my general upset with the show, below are a few of my fav moments. As you can see, there aren't many.

Anne Hathaway Singing with Hugh Jackman
I appreciated the opening musical number for what it tried to accomplish, and for the true earnestness of Jackman's (who was clearly nervous) performance, but that doesn't change the fact that the musical numbers felt awkward and a little uncomfortable. However, when Jackman literally swept Anne Hathaway off her chair and brought her up to sing, that was a great moment. Who'd have thought she'd get her big singing break as Richard Nixon?



Tina Fey and Steve Martin
Tina Fey and Steve Martin have already proven their hilarity to the world, but if there was anyone still out there questioning their comedic chops, the Oscars proved their humor once again. Check out some of their dialogue below:

Tina Fey: "It has been said that to write is to live forever."
Steve Martin: "The man who said that is dead."
TF: "Yet, we all know the importance of writing, because every great movie begins with a great screenplay."
SM: "Or, a very good idea for the poster. But usually, with a screenplay."
TF: "And every writer starts with a blank page."
SM: "And every blank page was once a tree."
TF: "And every tree was once a tiny seed."
SM: "And every tiny seed on Earth was placed here by the alien king Rondelay, to foster our titrates and fuel our positive transfers!"
TF: "But no one wants to hear about our religion Steve."

SM: "Don't fall in love with me."

Ben Stiller (as Joaquin Phoenix) and Natalie Portman
While it's not hard to do a Joaquin Phoenix impression these days, Ben Stiller still excelled at the task. From sticking his gum on the podium, to walking aimlessly around stage (reminiscent of John McCain), he got big laughs and it worked. Definitely one of the few memorable moments of the night.


Marion Cottilard Introducing Kate Winslet
I wasn't a fan of the whole "5 actors introducing the 5 nominees" thing. Not only did I miss seeing clips of the actor's performances, but it took them forever to give out the damn award! However, seeing Marion Cotillard's heartfelt introduction of Kate Winslet was sweet, and it melted some of my bitterness away. Plus I loved her dress! lots of sparkle this year.

Seth Rogen and James Franco reprising Pineapple Express
As they sit on the couch, watching this year's list of contenders, I'm reminded why I love these guys so much, and am saddened that their movie will never get more critical props. Whether they're chuckling manically at Kate Winslet's accent in The Reader, or stapling dollar bills to each other's heads, they're having a good time. I guess I just wish there had been more of that feeling throughout the show. But bringing in the Pineapple boys showed some growth on Oscar's part.



So there you have it, my 5 fav moments from this year's Academy Awards. It was a bummer year, there's a whole new year ahead of us, full of possibility and recession-ized movies, so who knows what the future will bring. Maybe next year we'll see Joaquin performing "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp."

Total Eclipse of the Heart

• It's official. Despite the fact that filming for The Twilight Saga: New Moon hasn't even begun yet, Summit has decided to go ahead and greenlight the third book in the series, Eclipse, for the screen. Having already even gone as far as setting release date of the film for June 30, 2010, it's not surprising that Chris Weitz will not be directing Eclipse. The films will have to be shot very close together, making New Moon's post production schedule clash with filming of Eclipse. So who will this mystery director for the third film be? I think Summit's getting way ahead of us enough already as is, so maybe let it remain a mystery for awhile. New Moon is in the unique position of having a lot of pressure riding on it, but also none at all. Twilight was split down the middle on audience approval, so either way, someone's not going to be happy with the sequels.

• Coincidentally, on this very day of Twilight news, Flashlight Worthy Books has posted a list of "Vampire Novels To SInk Your Teeth Into." Twilight may be absent, but I think enough people know about it already...

• The above photo may look entirely "Marilyn Minter-ish," but I assure you, it's not her. These are actually promotional photos for Kiehl's lip gloss, which if you haven't heard of it, don't feel bad (I didn't know till college friends made me try some). Kiehl's is great for when you want color, but not overwhelmingly so. But back to the reason why I posted it here (on a movie blog)... Wouldn't these make for a great movie poster, or dvd cover? I call dibs on the gumballs one. 
  

• I feel kind of like a poser for putting this up, since I have not actually seen Brick yet, but I just love the poster so much. When The Movie Blog wrote about this painted poster being up for auction in support of the AIDS Project Los Angeles, I had to write about it. Isn't it gorgeous? It's a little depressing, but beautiful, and apparently you can only get one if you worked on the film, or if you bid on it now in LA. I don't have money to bid on a poster for a movie I haven't seen yet currently, but if someone would like to purchase it for me, I wouldn't be opposed to that.

• Sweet and lovely Hugh Jackman... I feel for ya buddy. I know you'll do a great job as Oscar host, but I only wish you were doing it in a better year. Ratings these last few shows have been abysmal, and the movies in the running this year are all pretty much sub par. But you just keep on dancin' Hugh, don't let anything take away from your big night. 
  

• Funny People will be Judd Apatow's attempt at serious mixed in with some funny. Don't know if it will all pull off, but I think he picked the right leading man for the job in Adam Sandler. His more emotional performances in Spanglish and Punch Drunk Love are completely underrated. Apatow's wife and daughters are also back on the big screen. That man just loves bringing his family to work. Will be in theaters July 31.
  

• Paris 36 looks cute enough, but will it be able to hold my attention for a whole movie? Limited release beginning April 3.  
  

• I saw the trailer for Sunshine Cleaning a long time ago, and forgot to post about it (sorry!). I love Amy Adams to pieces, and I have this thing for films with the word "Sunshine" in the title. Apparently Alan Arkin does too. Plus bonus cast members of Steve Zahn and Emily Blunt! So excited! Starting a limited release March 13.