"The Three Stooges" Movie To Be Released 2010

It may seem like an early April Fool's joke, but there's no "nyuk nyukking" here. Sean Penn, after winning a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Harvey Milk, is set to star as Larry (one of the three stooges), in the upcoming movie adapated from the famous short films. It will be directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, and released sometime in 2010.

The New York Times reported that MGM is still admid negotiations with Jim Carrey, who will play Curly. They also hope to bring Benicio Del Toro on board as Moe.

I can see why they chose Jim Carrey, but Del Toro and Penn seem to be a cut above a slapstick comedy role. What about Jack Black or Mike Myers?

Here's a clip from "The Three Stooges," the vintage version:

100 Movies to See Before You Die

The Yahoo! Movies Editorial Staff recently compiled a list of the Top 100 movies you should see before you die. I think it's an interesting list, and agree that most of those that I've seen, are indeed classic movies. I was surprised by "Gone With the Wind," "Braveheart," "Dances With Wolves," and "Forrest Gump" not making it, though. What about "The Breakfast Club"? Another classic. I think it's hard to pick just 100, as tastes in movies are personal and one list is never going to satisfy everyone.

In total, I've personally seen half (49). They're listed below. See the full list here. So what do you think? What great movies are missing from the list?

12 Angry Men (1957)
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, E. G. Marshall
8 ½ (1963)
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee
All About Eve (1950)
Directed By: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders
Annie Hall (1977)
Directed By: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Casablanca (1942)
Directed By: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
Chinatown (1974)
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Citizen Kane (1941)
Directed By: Orson Welles
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
Die Hard (1988)
Directed By: John McTiernan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Dee Wallace Stone, Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore
The Exorcist (1973)
Directed By: William Friedkin
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair,
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
Directed By: Amy Heckerling
Starring: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold,
The French Connection (1971)
Directed By: William Friedkin
Starring: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider
The Godfather (1972)
Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan,
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Goldfinger (1964)
Directed By: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman
Goodfellas (1990)
Directed By: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
The Graduate (1967)
Directed By: Mike Nichols
Starring: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross,
Groundhog Day (1993)
Directed By: Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
It Happened One Night (1934)
Directed By: Frank Capra
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Directed By: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Jaws (1975)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Why You Should See It
King Kong (1933)
Directed By: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Shoedsack
Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Directed By: David Lean
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
The Lord of the Rings (2001,2002,2003)
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Directed By: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
Directed By: John Landis
Starring: John Belushi, Tim Matheson
On the Waterfront (1954)
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Directed By: Milos Forman
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield
Princess Mononoke (1999)
Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Billy Crudup, Billy Bob Thornton, Minnie Driver
Psycho (1960)
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed By: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
Rear Window (1954)
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr
Schindler's List (1993)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Directed By: Frank Darabont
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Directed By: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Directed By: David Hand
Starring: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Directed By: Billy Wilder
Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
The Sound of Music (1965)
Directed By: Robert Wise
Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Star Wars (1977)
Directed By: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Directed By: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton
The Third Man (1949)
Directed By: Carol Reed
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles
Titanic (1997)
Directed By: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Why You Should See It
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Directed By: Robert Mulligan
Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford
Toy Story (1995)
Directed By: John Lasseter
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Directed By: Bryan Singer
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne
Vertigo (1958)
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Directed By: Rob Reiner
Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Directed By: Victor Fleming
Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger

The Academy Awards Cross Borders

Either the Academy Awards seem to be going more international, or America has less top talent in Hollywood. Sean Penn, sans accent, was the only U.S. winner for one of the top five big awards. He was born in Burbank, California. The others?

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger -- Born in Perth, Australia


Best Actress: Kate Winslet -- Born in Reading, England

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz -- Born in Madrid, Spain

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire -- British drama that is set and filmed in India

In addition, the Best Picture winner had seven other wins, which went to British filmmakers -- one of which was Danny Boyle, born in Radcliffe, England.

Japan won the Best Foreign Film category, as well as Best Animated Short Film for "La Maison en Petits Cubes." Kunio Kato, the Japanese filmmaker, had some difficulty forming his thoughts into English, offering many thank-yous and finally quoted the Styx song (which has the Japanese saying): "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto."

Even the host himself, Mr. Hugh Jackman, was born in New South Wales, Australia.

81st Academy Award Winners

Hugh Jackman will be hosting tonight's 81st Academy Awards. In an interview with Barbara Walters, Jackman said there needs to be "more show, less business" at the Oscar award's ceremony. Hopefully he'll deliver an entertaining show. He's reported to sing in some capacity.

I've listed some of the award categories that most interest me. I'll update with the Oscar winner as they're announced:

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Richard JenkinsTHE VISITOR

Frank LangellaFROST/NIXON

Sean PennMILK

Brad PittTHE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Mickey RourkeTHE WRESTLER

Best Supporting Actor

Josh BrolinMILK

Robert Downey Jr.TROPIC THUNDER

Philip Seymour HoffmanDOUBT

Heath LedgerTHE DARK KNIGHT

Michael ShannonREVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Anne HathawayRACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Angelina JolieCHANGELING

Melissa LeoFROZEN RIVER

Meryl StreepDOUBT

Kate WinsletTHE READER

Best Supporting Actress

Amy AdamsDOUBT

Penélope CruzVICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

Viola DavisDOUBT

Taraji P. HensonTHE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Marisa TomeiTHE WRESTLER

Best Animated Feature Film

BOLT

KUNG FU PANDA

WALL-E

Best Director

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

FROST/NIXON

MILK

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Score

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

DEFIANCE

MILK

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

WALL-E

Best Song

"Down to Earth"WALL-E"

Jai Ho"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"

O Saya"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Picture

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

FROST/NIXON

MILK

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Adapted Screenplay

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

DOUBT

FROST/NIXON

THE READER

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Original Screenplay

FROZEN RIVER

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

IN BRUGES

MILK

WALL-E

Chicago in the Movie Scene

Today's Chicago Tribune Magazine features Johnny Depp on the cover. Depp will be playing John Dillinger in the upcoming movie "Public Enemies."

I actually had the chance to almost walk right on the set while they were filming in Chicago back in July.

As I was walking on Wacker Drive, a security guard came up and said they were filming ahead and that we couldn't walk into the scene. Sure enough, a camera was positioned at the corner of the street and a pack of vintage cars drove across the bridge.

Individuals dressed in period costumes strolled on the sidewalk just ahead of me. It was a cool experience to witness the filming firsthand (although I unfortunately didn't get a glimpse of Johnny Depp or Christian Bale), but movies set and filmed in Chicago is certainly nothing new.

Some of the most notable movies filmed in Chicago (at least partly) include: "The Blues Brothers," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "High Fidelity," "Home Alone," "Risky Business," "Road to Perdition," "The Sting," "The Fugitive," "In the Heat of the Night," Ordinary People," and "Batman: The Dark Knight."

Ironically, the Best Picture Oscar winner not filmed at all in the Chicago area? The musical "Chicago."

Not only the films themselves, but many famous actors have connections to Chicago as well.

Richard Jenkins, currently up for Best Actor for his work in "The Visitor," was born and raised in suburban DeKalb. Harrison Ford, Terrence Howard, Virginia Madsen and John C. Reilly were also born in the city. While Joan Cusack was not (she was born in New York City), the Cusack family moved to suburban Evanston.

The youngest-ever Best Actress winner, Marlee Matlin (who is almost entirely deaf), was born in Morton Grove, Ill., and attended high school in nearby Arlington Heights.

Lastly, the ultimate Oscar connection to the city? The Oscar statuettes are made in Chicago.

The Academy Awards officially start tonight at 8:30 PST on ABC.

Slumdog Millionaire

I have a feeling "Slumdog Millionaire" is going to steal the show, and probably win Best Picture, Best Score, Best Song, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was a good movie, and I enjoyed the music.

Ironically, I have written about the film's composer, A.R. Rahman, for the University of Illinois Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. He is a fan of Lecturer Lippold Haken's instrument called the Continuum Fingerboard, a very cool fretless keyboard, without keys. I'm not sure if Rahman used the Continuum in "Slumdog Millionaire," but it's possible. There seems to be a lot of unique sounds in the two songs up for awards: O Saya and Jai Ho. Surprisingly, the Academy only felt the need to nominate three songs this year -- the two from Rahman and Peter Gabriel's Down to Earth from "WALL-E."

Here is Rahman's song Jai Ho, which appears near the end of the movie if I remember correctly:



Artist M.I.A. also contributes to the movie with her Paper Planes song:

A Little Bit of Oscar Trivia

The 81st Academy Awards are almost here. I came across an Oscar's Trivia Quiz of 17 questions related to historical wins, the best actors and actresses of the past and today.

I took the quiz, and unfortunately only got 11/17 right. I guess I need to study my Oscar history a little more! Feel free to let me know how you did.

A lot of people have said the Academy has been out of touch with public opinion for awhile. Case in point: no best picture nomination for either "The Dark Knight," or "WALL-E."

I still have not seen "The Reader," so I guess I can't accurately judge, but I don't think it should be nominated. I didn't find the book all that interesting, and was surprised to learn they actually had enough appealing material to make a movie adaptation. Apparently Kate Winslet will win for Best Actress for her acting, so it must not be all that bad.

I do have Chicago Tribune writer, Mark Caro, in support though:

"The folks behind “The Dark Knight” can’t be pleased right now, and best actress non-nominee Sally Hawkins may be riding the bum train, but one party’s Oscar nominations announcement losses tower above everybody else’s: ABC-TV.

How many millions of viewers and advertising dollars did the network lose Thursday morning? The best rated shows have been the ones in which a very popular movie cleans up, such as “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003).

“The Dark Knight” probably wouldn’t have won best picture, but it was far and away the year’s most popular film ($531 million domestically, second only to “Titanic”) as well as one of the most acclaimed. “The Dark Knight” tallied 94 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 60 percent for “The Reader,” which has grossed a total of $7.9 million to date.

Yet “The Reader” is a best picture (and director) nominee, and “The Dark Knight” is not. Yes, the highbrow Holocaust film with lukewarm reviews is in the game!"

It's unfortunate, especially considering they don't really have a category to honor action/thriller films. "The Dark Knight" was one of the best I've seen in a long time.

As I was reviewing the Oscar award categories, I considered how I never have the opportunity to watch any of the nominated short films. On February 19, the Animation Blog posted a rare Oscar-nominated short film called "Guard Dog." The full version is now available online, even though it was made in 2004.

Please Note: It's pretty violent.

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