Just a thought as we look ahead to this week's new releases. Someone should really take Diane Keaton aside to tell her that this series of increasingly painful looking romantic comedies where she plays an over-the-top meddling mom aren't good for her cinematic legacy. The newest installment is the Mandy Moore romantic comedy, Because I Said So, where Keaton plays a mother desperate to marry off her headstrong youngest daughter. Please Diane, after loving you......

THEATER: Playwright Tina Howe delivers the first play of Atlantic Theater’s fall season: “Birth and After Birth”. Though originally conceived in 1972, the comedy has yet to break water in New York City. It details the clash between Sandy and Bill, who were up all night preparing a birthday party for their four year-old son, and their guests Jeffrey and Mia, childless anthropologists who study primitive children in remote cultures. Be sure to capitalize on......

Okay, two things: - Why aren't we seeing more of Michael? We want to know more about his design process! - We're not sure if this has been noticed by anyone else, but as we've been watching repeats of last week's episode, we realized that Vincent talks exactly like Christopher Walken. In other words, Christopher Walken would play him in the SNL skit about the show - they have EXACTLY the same cadences. It's the......

- The Village Voice gets director Victor Buhler (he did the documentary Rikers High) to do a feature about the kids getting their GEDs at Rikers - The teachers' union is going to vote on the new contract with the city - The Apiary talks to Neil Swaab, whose cartoon Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles, was yanked from the NY Press - A reason we don't want malls: A woman falls from the second floor of a......

Finally, after months of waiting, the Jacko-inspired Anna Wintour & the Chocolate Factory finally hits theatres and we strongly suggest seeing it at the IMAX, on Broadway at 68th St. For those of you embracing procrasination and wasting more time at work, have fun with the Trailer Crashers - The Wedding Crashers' promotional tool in which you can easily insert you and a friend in the trailer (last week we substituted Krucoff and Lockhart......

The new hit off-Broadway production by the New Group of Hurlyburly is reportedly transfering to Broadway, we are especially glad that we had the chance a few nights ago to see it at the intimate Acorn Theatre at 42nd Street's Theatre Row complex. The David Rabe-penned Tony-winning play was originally a big hit back in 1984, when some brilliant casting director came up with the dream ensemble of Christopher Walken, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Judith......

Gothamist is excited about the Tribeca Theater Festival, which is running now through the 31st. Yes, this is being put on by the same folks who bring us the Tribeca Film Festival. Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff are presenting, in association with the acclaimed Tribeca-based Off-Broadway theater company, Drama Dept. The two-week Festival will present a breadth of entertainment downtown, including a short play series, Stage On Screen programs, and theater panel......

John Hodgman, Writer...

Jenny Oh, Documentary Filmmaker...

Brooklyn developer Bruce Ratner manages to bring the Nets to Brooklyn, though not for another few years. Brooklyn residents around the proposed site go into vapors, people wonder about an even more intense Knicks-Nets rivalry, and the Nets players themselves are excited. Some New Jerseyans say, "Feh" and tell the Times, "It's going to cut down on some of this traffic, that's what it's going to do." Ah, the philosophy of people from half......

The distinctive, inventive, [insert overused but highly appropriate adjective here] flair of skateboard-magazine-editor-turned-music-video-director-turned-Hollywood's-new-guard Spike Jonze will be on display this year at Resfest. When it rolls into town on October 11, there will be a program called Spike Jonze Rarities, including a number of unseen videos and short films, including 1995's "The Oasis Video that Never Happened" and a Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" video with audio commentary from Christopher Walken. Jonze, along with......

The Chicago Sun-Times has drawn up a list and looked it at least once of who the best supporting actors of this summer's movies have been: 1. The rats, "28 Days" 2. Bernie Mac, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" 3. Ellen Degeneres, "Finding Nemo" 4. Christopher Walken, "Gigli" 5. Arnold's assets, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" 6. Gerard Butler, "Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life" 7. Seann William Scott, "American Wedding" 8. William H.......

The evening is over, while Gothamist will be following up with extensive commentary about the actual Oscar telecast, here are the winners and some post-game analysis: Best Picture: Chicago - Marty Richards Not a huge surprise given the momentum Chicago's had since the Golden Globes, but there was an outside chance of a Pianist upset with The Pianist's acting, directing, and screenplay awards. But in the end, Harvey got his best picture. Best Actor in......

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, the Orange BAFTA Awards, were handed out yesterday and the big winner was The Pianist, Best Picture and Best Director Roman Polanski. Other winners included Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs of New York, Nicole Kidman for The Hours, Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago, Christopher Walken for Catch Me If You Can (I wonder what he'd rather have done - been in London to pick up his award or......