Variety On the Town

Gosling's Latex Love

At the Variety screening of “Lars and the Real Girl,” on Wednesday at the Arclight, director Craig Gillespie and thesp Ryan Gosling chatted about their unconventional story that follows the courtship of a man and his latex love.

After a four-year battle to get the film made, Gillespie got the pic off the ground. Nabbing Gosling was the easy part.  “The fact that I was crying at the end of the script…I couldn’t believe that this writer [Nancy Oliver] took me to that place,” said Gosling. “It reminded me of some of my favorite films in a way, like ‘Harvey,’ or a Hal Ashby film.”

Although a pic about a man finding true love with a 125 lb. Barbie is not a classic theme, the director found that auds can still relate to the story. “In the first focus group, there was one guy who was really annoyed and he said, 'I don't get it. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? What is it?' And a guy at the other end yelled, 'It's called life.'” (E. Maxwell)

Sharon Osbourne's Royal Encounter

Before entering the Waldorf Astoria ballroom for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation: An Enduring Vision sixth annual gala on Tuesday, guests went through airport-like security due to President Bush’s occupancy at the hotel. Event’s MC Anderson Cooper joked that honoree Sharon Osbourne,  "told me she was stopped by a security guard earlier tonight and asked, "Are you here to see the president?' And she said, 'No, I am here to see the queen.'" (A. Morfoot)

Clooney On the Mend

Despite suffering a broken rib from a motorcycle accident on Friday, George Clooney managed to make it to the premiere of his latest pic, “Michael Clayton” on Monday at the Ziegfeld. After the screening, thesp and his girlfriend Sarah Larson, who was in crutches due to a broken foot from the collision, mingled at The Harvard Club with pic’s writer-director Tony Gilroy and guests Ellen Barkin, Rene Russo and Kate Walsh.The pic marked the directorial debut for Gilroy, which didn't bother pic's Tilda Swinton one bit. “I am always working with first time directors. He is a more experienced first time director than most of the first time directors I’ve worked with," she said. "I think he has been a director for years but in his own head.” (A.Morfoot)

Dane Cook's 'Good Luck'

For a movie whose ad campaign centers on Jessica Alba licking an ice-cream cone, it's surprising how much flesh her "Good Luck Chuck" co-star Dane Cook bares in the Lionsgate laffer. "I worked hard on that body. I had to give up Dunkin’ Donuts forever," confessed the Boston-bred thesp. The donut-free diet proved a necessary sacrifice in helping sculpt Cook's physique, which is prominently displayed throughout a raunchy montage in which Chuck beds a parade of women who hope to find true love after experiencing his sexual prowess. "It was weird. I had to do one a day over the 30-day shoot so you would meet them and then like five minutes later you’re pantomiming sex. It was awkward," the actor admitted. Though something tells me, Cook didn't mind one bit.  (J. Sneider)

Blanchett Talks Up 'Elizabeth'

Cate Blanchett and helmer Shekhar Kapur chatted with Tudor fans about their latest pic, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" during the Variety screening series Tuesday at the Arclight. “When we were making ‘Elizabeth,’ it wasn't a surefire thing at all," explained Blanchett. "We went in a bit rock n' roll about it. It was really edgy. The fact that it found an audience, we were all thrilled and surprised." This time around, Clive Owen joins the cast as Sir Walter Raleigh, with whom Blanchett becomes romantically entangled. “Once a script began to emerge that had a love triangle at the beginning of it, than I found it interesting," said Blanchett. "Also the backdrop of this film is so epic. But at the center of it was an internal struggle with current and domestic concerns. Individual concerns about the aging process, fertility and attractiveness. I felt she was at war with herself as much as with Spain."  (E. Maxwell)

Variety screening of 'Into the Wild'

The event: Variety Screening Series of  “Into the Wild” on Monday at the Arclight in Hollywood.

The guest list: Director Sean Penn and musician Eddie Vedder with cast members Emile Hirsch, Kristen Stewart, Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone and Brian Dierker.

The talk: “The will is a function of the heart and I needed an actor with the size of heart that seemed to match what showed in Chris’ will,” said Penn about casting Hirsch to play the lead role of young wanderer and adventurer Christopher McCandless.  The true story of McCandless’ travels from suburban Virginia to his final destination in the wilds of Alaska left a deep impression on both Hirsch and Vedder. The Pearl Jam frontman recorded the soundtrack to the film, providing the musical narrative to McCandless' ill-fated odyssey. “I thought he had a real healthy sense of rebellion, and it was pure and it was positive and I was honored to take part in representing this kid who to me is an American hero."   (J. Marks)

TV Guide Channels Royality

TV Guide’s after-party got off to a royal start as Hollywood’s Les Deux was transformed into a miniature version of the Palace of Versailles. Guests Adrien Grenier, America Ferrera, Vanessa Williams, Ellen Pompeo, Debra Messing and Simon Cowell were greeted by a host of Marie Antoinettes gracefully swinging in individual gazebos, while a French artist drew guests’ portraits and costumed champagne girls served bubbly and TV-tinis.

Movers & Shakers at ET/ People Party

The ET/People mag party at the elegant Disney Concert Hall was the first stop for many Emmygoers heading from the Shrine to the Westside. The change to the bigger venue helped accommodate more guests who took advantage of the garden and two levels of the concert hall. Duran Duran kept guests like Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy dancing all night long while others, like "Entertainment Tonight" executive producer Linda Bell Blue and co-executive producer Brad Bessey as well as thesps Ellen Pompeo, Jeremy Piven and Ali Larter mixed and mingled.

DirecTV plugs into Emmy party circuit

DirecTV transformed West Hollywood Park into a high definition wonderland at their first ever Emmys after-party Sunday night. Countless flatscreen TVs flashing HD images from Showtime, MTV and ESPN lit up the entrance and illuminated plush seating areas scattered throughout the party space. Guests munched on mushroom ravioli under heat lamps while a crystal clear projection of the Emmy award spun on a rotating giant hot air balloon. Inside revelers shook their tailfeathers to a soundtrack of techno and mash-ups courtesy of DJ AM. Outside near the portable restroom trailers, suits hobnobbed seemingly waiting for more important people to get there. Things started a little slow and some worried that the competition from HBO's bash across the street at the Pacific Design Center might be too much to handle for the fledgling event. But by the end of the night the party was in full swing. Heck, even Paris Hilton showed up.  (B. Perry)

Haggis' Big Challenge

After showcasing his latest pic “In the Valley of Elah”  at both the Venice and Toronto film fests earlier this month,  writer-director Paul Haggis brought the film to Gotham for two intimate screenings. Prior to Thursday’s Literary Society screening at the Lowes Theater at Lincoln Center, Haggis explained the origins of the pic about an Iraq war veteran's murder that was inspired by a Playboy Magazine article. “One of my agents at CAA sent me the article because I had told them to bring me the material they thought will never be made. They warned me that it was going to be tough project to get financed and it was.” Helmer added that he was happy that the pic was one among many war-inspired films this season. “When our President says that you shouldn’t question what he is doing and just go along with the war, we filmmakers like to think for ourselves, which is why I think you are seeing a lot of these films coming out right now.” (A. Morfoot)

Emmys partying begins

Emmy fever kicked off at the L.A. Confidential party hosted by Ellen Pompeo at One Sunset on Tuesday in Hollywood, drawing Natalie Cole, Rex Lee, T.R Knight, Eric Dane, Sandra Oh and Justin Chambers.  "Entourage's" Lee reminisced about the show's very beginning.  "My very first scene ever was with Adrien and I had to giggle like a teenage girl and pretend that I was attracted to him, so I just looked into his eyes and lost  myself there," he said of the show's leading man. "Adrien has the most beautiful eyes." (E. Bertet)

HOLLYWOOD: The cast of "Brothers & Sisters" indulged in some fine wine on Monday night at the show's season one DVD release party at the San Antonio Winery.

GOTHAM: Jodi Foster, Robert Downey Jr. and his wife producer Susan Downey celebrate at party for "The Brave One" on Monday night at the Landmarc, Time Warner Center.

TORONTO: Jude Law is all smiles as he arrives at the Toronto Film Festival on Monday to promote his new film "Sleuth." Also in town for the fest is thesp Laura Linney who was on hand to tout her new pic "The Savages."

MTV Awards Roll Into Vegas

MTV brought the world of music to Las Vegas on Sunday for their annual Music Awards where Alicia Keys, Kayne West and Britney Spears performed as well as Justin Timberlake who took home four moon-men kudos, including male artist of the year.

Nick Cannon popped over to the Tao Hospitality suite to snag some swag while "The Kingdom" stars Jennifer Garner and Jamie Foxx hosted a private party at the Palms Resort.

Meanwhile, rapper Ludacris proved you can have your cakes and eat it too after he was surprised with five different cakes for his birthday celebration at an XM Satellite Radio bash held at the Rio in Las Vegas. Guests Quincy Jones and Chingy joined in on the celebration and enjoyed a lavish meal by chef Steve Martorano followed by hours of non-stop dancing. (K.Hunt)

Lunch with 'Jane Austen'

Just hours after attending the world premiere of “The Jane Austen Book Club” at the Toronto Film Festival, pic’s scribe-helmer Robin Swicord and thesps Hugh Dancy and Lynn Redgrave made their way down to Gotham for a Monday lunch in honor of the film at the Brasserie Ruhlmann at Rockefeller Center.

“I had three hours of sleep last night,” Swicord said. “I just flew back this morning.” Based on Karen Joy Fowler’s bestselling novel by the same name, pic is about a group of women who form a book club devoted to Austen's novels. After the release of this year’s “Becoming Jane” and a slew of Austen-based movies released in the last decade, the helmer had some advice for industryites thinking about another scribe-based pic. “I definitely think that right now would not be the best time to bring out yet another Austen movie,” before adding,  “but she never goes out of style. She is for the ages.” (A. Morfoot)

'Shoot 'Em Up' delivers in Gotham

Seven years after writing the "Shoot 'Em Up" script, writer-director Michael Davis saw his film come to life on big screen at the pic’s preem on Wednesday in Gotham.

"The first place we went to was New Line," pic’s producer Don Murphy explained during the after-party at the Bowery Hotel. "Interestingly enough the second place we went to was New Line. Somebody working there originally said no. We said why. We got an idiotic reason. We ignored them. Then we went to somebody else two months later and they were like this is brilliant."

A hesitant Davis clarified the reasoning behind the original rejection of the pic about a mysterious man protecting a newborn baby from criminals out to kill it.

"What it was is they loved the script and the animation I had done (in conjunction with the script) but one of the principles of the company had just had a baby and they didn’t feel like it was the right time to show them a baby in jeopardy script. So we decided to get more people behind it and then picked the right time to show them this crazy action movie again."

Working with a newborn, who shared the screen with pic’s Clive Owen through much of his violent, shootout sequences, wasn’t much of a concern for pic’s bad guy, Paul Giamatti. "The baby wasn’t there that much while I was shooting and when it was, it wasn’t real most of the time. So I didn’t care about the baby and clearly the baby’s parents didn’t care either," Giamatti joked. "It’s insane that parents would put their newborn in that situation, but luckily a lot of the times it’s not real." (A. Morfoot)

'Yuma' Saddles Up

“I don’t think anyone ever told me that the Western was dead. I didn’t know this,” Dallas Roberts joked at the Gotham preem of “3:10 to Yuma."  Lionsgate and the Sports Illustrated Group hosted the Tuesday evening event at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, with a small cocktail party in the hotel’s mirrored lounge before the screening.

The New York-based Roberts worked on the film between legit gigs, including his role in this fall’s Edward Albee play “Peter and Jerry."

“It was a lot of fun to shoot,” the actor said about "Yuma." “They give you your gun, they give you your horse, they kinda teach you how to use both. We’d stop the shoot and up there behind you was the Hollywood sign — it really felt like Old Hollywood.”

Upcoming “30 Days of Night” thesp Ben Foster was also in attendance, considerably more relaxed and saner than his villainous on-screen counterpart in “Yuma," while co-star Gretchen Mol, slated to attend the premiere, couldn’t get out of her prior engagement, however — her first child is due on Sept. 7, the same day the movie opens in wide release.  (S. Thielman)

Clooney, Pitt catch festival fever

The reviews are in and the stars are out promoting their latest films in a fury of festivals.

At the Deauville Film Festival in France, Brad and Angelina are perfectly poised for the preem of "The Assassination of Jesse James", left, while George Clooney gets animated while pushing "Michael Clayton." All three thesps had just come from the Venice Film Festival a day earlier.

Meanwhile, at the Venice Film Fest, Bill Murray heads for cover while promoting the "Darjeeling Limited" and Charlize Theron's dress takes up three seats at the preem for "In the Valley of Elah."

Paramount Scores

At Sunday's Hollywood Bowl performance, "The Big Picture: The Films of Paramount Pictures," composer David Newman reminisced about the music making of the '70s.

“Film composers were experimental during this era; their scores were more minimalist and eclectic versus the homogeneous sound from the ‘30s through the ‘50s." Newman told On the Town before stepping on stage to face the 100 degree heat and conduct the Bowl orchestra.

The evening began with host Leonard Nimoy greeting the crowd with the “Star Trek” Vulcan sign and went on to boast several orchestral highlights, including John Williams’ “Raiders of the Lost Ark” opening music synced to the film’s footage as well as a faux snowfall encore of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”

But it was that ‘70s moment, which proved the most moving when four pianos, four harps, some percussions and a horn pierced the humidity with Jerry Goldsmith’s “Chinatown.” "There couldn’t be a more ‘composerly’ score," said Newman. "It starts with a pianist inside the piano and then the music spills like water." (A. D’Alessandro)