Authorities busted Bronx bodegas for selling "nutcracker"—a sweet cocktail illegally sold to underage drinkers at delis, convenience stores and barbershops across the city. Cops arrested two bodega employees and the state suspended the beer licenses at two Mott Haven delis after an under-aged, undercover auxiliary cop was able to purchase the homemade drinks. "This is so outrageous, we are going to seek revocation," said State Liquor Authority Deputy Chief Executive Officer Michael Jones. more ›

Starting tonight through February 6, the MOMA presents a Pixar (Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo) Animation Art retrospective in honor of the studio’s 20th anniversary. The film classics and rarely-seen shorts are to accompany Pixar: 20 Years of Animation – the most extensive animation gallery MOMA ever presented – which will feature interactive kiosks and over 500 works of original art, including early Edna Mode sketches, concept pieces, 35mm prints film prints, sculptures, and digital installations. In addition, the NYTimes reports that a giant zoetrope, roughly eight feet in diameter, will create the illusion of Toy Story characters moving in three-dimensional space and a MOMA curator commented that "there are a lot of references to traditional art, classic art, even recent pop art in the works... we haven't put surrealist pieces of art from the '20s next to 'Monsters, Inc.,' but it has a lot of surrealism in it. 'The Incredibles' has a lot of deco kind of stuff in it." more ›

If it involves movies or television, Gothamist is interested. And if it's the tiniest bit related to the Oscars, then we're all over it. That's why Gothamist has produced a Golden Globes commentary similar to our Oscar commentary from last year. Yes, awards shows are self-congratulatory and ridiculous, and the Golden Globes are not a reliable predictor of the Oscars (which aren't that great anyway but their usefulness as a marketing tool cannot be denied), but it's just become a part of our DNA to enjoy an evening of watching, wondering, and whining. more ›

At this point, Gothamist will speculate about the Best Picture Oscar nominations. We expect to see "Seabiscuit" to fall out; technically excellent but less than full blooded. "Mystic River" might be too dark, but Clint is Hollywood royalty. The 8 nominations gives "Cold Mountain" some momentum, but if audiences don't respond, it's unlikely that it will be nominated for as many. It seems a given that "Lord of the Rings" will be the top nomination getter, as it will be nominated for pretty much every single technical category. So for Best Picture come Oscar time, we expect to see "Lord of the Rings," "Master and Commander," most likely "Cold Mountain," probably "Mystic River," and fifth slot is a wild card: "Lost in Translation" is a possibility (could be too precious for some), as is "Finding Nemo" even though it's a cartoon (it's one of the few consensus good films of the year). Gothamist will continue to look at different categories leading up to the Globes and Oscars. Stay tuned. more ›

- Panda news in Memphis
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The next Pixar animated film, The Incredibles, has been eagerly anticipated since the teaser was shown before Finding Nemo this summer. You can see the teaser, but there's also a new John Ratzenberger introduced "Making of" preview of sorts online. (What's with John Ratzenberger, he's like a studio player for Pixar these days? Will the Pig be in The Incredibles?) Cool things Gothamist didn't realize: Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jason Lee provide voices, in addition to Craig T. "Coach" Nelson as the head Incredible. more ›

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: more ›

Gothamist saw Finding Nemo this weekend, and while it was cute/sweet/nice, we were more affected by the previews. Basically because the previews of children's movies were stultifyingly awful (except for Will Ferrell in Elf: Physical comedy, Will Ferrell dressed as an Elf, how can you go wrong?) - it was almost enough to make us vow never to have children. Example, Brother Bear, which was dripping with treacle and messages. Also, if Disney thinks that having a movie with songs by Phil Collins is a draw, then Gothamist understands why the company has been so troubled lately. We wonder, do people, when they turn into parents, lose their taste? more ›