Variety On the Town

Preem's Monkey Business

Lined with banana and coconut trees, the yellow carpet premiere of “Space Chimps” got off to a fun-filled afternoon in Los Angeles with ice cream trucks, XBOX gaming stations and a BBQ buffet on the Fox lot. "This is a great chance for parents to laugh at the movies with their kids,” Cheryl Hines said at Saturday's preem. Joining Hines was the pic's director Kirk De Micco, and c0-stars Andy Samberg and Kristin Chenoweth. When asked who would reign in an intergalactic battle between “Space Chimps” or his SNL short “Lazer Cats,” Samburg chuckled. “It’s tough. With “Lazer Cats” it depends on who’s hands they fall into. So they could be good or evil. Where as 'Space Chimps' are just good. But that’s like asking me to choose between my children…which I would totally do—don’t get me wrong!”
- by Stuart Oldham

Carell Out Smarts Reporters

It can't be easy promoting a film around the world when at the same time going through a very public scandal. Anne Hathaway has been trying to take the high road as she jets to Mexico City, Australia and New York tub thumping "Get Smart" while her ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, has been arrested on charges of wire-fraud conspiracy and money laundering. It had been pretty smooth sailing until Monday's Rome premiere when despite being told no personal questions were allowed on the red carpet, a reporter went ahead and asked Hathaway how she was dealing with the break-up. People magazine reports that Hathaway "attempted a slight smile" before co-star Steve Carell stepped in to ease the awkwardness telling the reporter; "In my role of agent [for] Miss Hathaway, I would like to say that she does not answer questions relating to this subject."
(Photo: WireImage)

Will Smith Pumps Up Preem Crowd

It's a sight you don't normally see at premieres. The film's star performing a mini concert at the after-party. But that's exactly what happened Monday night at the Hollywood bow of "Hancock" where  Will Smith joined his former cohort, DJ Jazzy Jeff, for a five-song set that got industry folks on their feet. It's hard to picture other leading men doing such a thing. Could you imagine Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise leaping up out of their VIP booth at a preem after-party to sing "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It?" While Smith may be a tireless entertainer, he also knows a thing or two about promoting a film and made sure to use his time on stage to plug the pic's release date and thank director Peter Berg and co-stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman who were all bouncing their head to the beat.

Stars Sing for 'Mia!'

"Mamma Mia!" stars Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried brought their musical to Leicester Square on Monday for the pic's world premiere. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who are producers on the film were also on hand.

Firth told the The Press Association that singing in the film was "delightful and mortifying" adding, "I love singing but I have only really ever done it in the shower." Brosnan echoed the sentiment when talking to the BBC saying, "To see an ex-MI6 thespian singing and dancing in the world of Mamma Mia... people are going to howl."

Photos: Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Amanda Seyfried/ Colin Firth with wife Livia Giuggioli/ Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan: WireImage

Sex Returns to the City

"I want to congratulate you all on getting the hottest ticket in town tonight," New Line's Toby Emmerich told the aud at Tuesday's Gotham premiere of "Sex and the City."

Judging by the thousands of screaming fans outside Radio City Music Hall and the hour-long will call line, he wasn't joking. Even a sudden downpour as stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon arrived, didn't damper anyone's spirits as Manhattan's favorite foursome caused a flashbulb frenzy.

Once inside the theater, the excitement continued as ticket holders such as Jerry Seinfeld, Katie Couric and Donald Trump took their seats. But no one caused more excitement than the belle of the ball, SJP, as guests actually rose to their feet and applauded her entrance into the building.

Pic's writer-director Michael Patrick King introduced the cast and the film saying, "sex is back where it belongs, New York City."

After the screening, guests walked a few blocks to the Museum of Modern Art for the chic soiree packed with cosmos and Manolo Blahniks. None of the guests played it cool and instead were snapping photos of the stars any chance they got. One female fan even asked Time Warner topper Jeffrey Bewkes if he would mind taking her photo with Chris Noth aka Mr. Big, while singer Fergie took out her camera for a shot with Parker.

Later in the evening, the museum's downstairs section turned into the men's club as Noth chatted with Willie Garson (Stanford) and David Eigenberg (Steve). While upstairs Parker and husband, Matthew Broderick, held court with the Seinfelds.

As for the chance of more sex with a second pic, producer Darren Star would only say, "anything is possible."

(pictured: Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall: Startaks/ Jason Lewis, Jennifer Hudson and Michael Patrick King: WireImage)

'Sex and the City' lands in london

The "Sex and the City" gals arrived in London Monday for the pic's European premiere. Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis were greeted by hundreds of screaming fans (many had camped out over night) as they walked the red carpet in Leicester Square. "This is a miraculous and simply unforgettable night for all of us," Parker told the BBC.  Parker, who wore an eye-catching green dress by Alexander McQueen and a unusual headpiece by Philip Treacy, added that the preem was "an incredible way to kick off this adventure".  Click here to watch live coverage of the premiere.

Polanski Pic Premieres

At Tuesday's premiere of "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" helmer Marina Zenovich explained what compelled her to make a doc about the scandal that led Polanski to flee America into exile during the 1970s.

"Right after Polanski was nominated for 'The Pianist' I was listening to one of the lawyers talk about the case on 'Larry King' and he said that the case was a sad day for the American judicial system and suddenly a light bulb went off and I thought I want to investigate this."

The doc premieres on HBO in June and will be theatrically distributed by ThinkFilm in July.

(pictured: Alec Baldwin with HBO's Sheila Nevins and Marina Zenovich/ credit: filmmagic)

Downey's Crowning Moment

It's not unusual for premieres to quickly turn into lovefests as co-stars and directors gush about each other ad nauseam on the red carpet. But instead of spreading the love, the "Iron Man" team has been directing it all towards Robert Downey Jr. At last week's London premiere, Gwyneth Paltrow went so far as to call Downey, "the greatest leading man in Hollywood." Then at Monday's Gotham screening, helmer Jon Favreau said the thesp, "carried the film on his back," while co-star Terrence Howard said, "he’s innovative, he’s fearless, he’s a genius."  Photo: WireImage

Taking a Chance with Mamet

"Everyone in Hollywood passed on the project," Sony Pictures Classics co-chief Tom Bernard said Friday at the Tribeca Film Fest's premiere of David Mamet's latest pic "Redbelt." "We said, we will take a chance because we like David and we have done a lot of great movies with him in the past."

Pic is about a Jiu-Jitsu teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in Los Angeles who runs his studio by the honorable samurai code until greed and corruption threaten to derail his existence. At the preem, Ejiofor said he was not intimidated by Mamet, who he said approached him about the lead role in the film. "He sent me the script and I loved it," the thesp said before adding that he trained "for quite a bit of time in London and Los Angeles before filming began." - Addie Morfoot in N.Y.

Photos: L: Chiwetel Ejiofar; R: David Mamet/ WireImage

Tribeca's 'Baby' Talk

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler delivered "Baby Mama" to Gothamites on Wednesday at the film's premiere at the Tribeca Film Fest.  The evening began at the Ziegfeld theater screening where the duo was joined by Robert De Niro, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and Kristen Bell.  During the Museum of Modern Art after-party the ladies got a lot of love from their SNL crew as they celebrated with Jimmy Fallon, Chris Katan and Lorne Michaels. Poehler told USA Today that having the preem in New York was "honestly awesome," since they shot the film in the city. She added that the premiere, "kind of felt like a mini-wedding. Because my parents are here and I'm just nervous."  To read Variety's review of the pic, click here.

Photo: WireImage

Globetrotting Stars: Paltrow, Downey, Kutcher

Rob Corddry, Ashton Kutcher and Lake Bell walked the red carpet in London for the  "What Happens In Vegas" bow, while Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. brought their "Iron Man" pic to Berlin on Tuesday.   Both films have their L.A. premiere next week.                                                                                                                                                                               

Streep Steps Into 'Dark Matter'

Aidan Quinn, Meryl Streep, Liu Ye and director Chen Shi-Zheng gathered at the Tribeca Film Center in New York on Monday for a special screening of their new pic "Dark Matter." The film is based on the actual events of a Chinese university student who becomes violent after he feels his chances for a Nobel Prize are crushed by school politics.  The pic had been scheduled for release last year but was delayed after the Virginia Tech shootings. It now opens in N.Y on Friday. Watch a clip of the film below:

Clooney's "Leatherheads" kick off

Guests at Monday night's "Leatherheads" premiere were treated to a swinging time at the 1920's styled after-party complete with a big band, swing dancers and the pic's star and director George Clooney. Jon Krasinski who plays the bigshot football player in the film, got a lot of "Office" support at the bash as his skein co-stars Jenna Fischer, Kate Flannery and Angela Kinsey were among the aud at the Chinese Theater screening. Watch Clooney discuss on-set injuries and how he enjoyed yelling at co-star Renee Zellweger in this clip from the preem's red carpet.

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

The preem scene has definitely slowed down a bit these last few weeks. But things are starting to pick up with some big movies opening soon:

Demi's 'Flawless' accent?

At Monday's Gotham premiere of "Flawless" star Demi Moore admitted getting her character's English accent flawless was a bit of a challenge. "Every time I thought, 'ok I got it,' (Director Michael Radford) would come up to me and say, 'I think that is a little too English,' and I would say, 'Michael, you are killing me.' Then it would be too American. Figuring that accent out was a huge challenge." Below is a clip from the film. What do you think of the accent?

photo: Demi Moore and Michael Radford (WireImage)

'The Grand' Scheme

There are surprises on every film set but in the case of Anchor Bay’s improvisational comedy “The Grand,” co-writer-director Zak Penn said he was prepared for anything.

“I wrote what I call a scriptment because it’s part script, part treatment,” he explained Wednesday at the pic’s ArcLight bow. “It basically tells the actors everything they need to know about their characters and what’s going to happen in what scene.” Luckily, Penn's cast — Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell and Dennis Farina, are no strangers to improv and tried their luck playing poker pros competing for a $10 million prize.

Penn is best known for writing superhero movies such as “Elektra,” “X3” and the upcoming “The Incredible Hulk,” but says he was amazed at how the ad-lib approach came together. “You’re hoping it will force you to throw away the conventions that you get used to as a writer. The improv forced us into an ending that’s more believable because, like the characters in the movie, we were really committed to the luck of the draw.”  (J. Sneider)

(Pictured above: Zak Penn and Woody Harrelson; left: preem guest Ray Romano and pic's Cheryl Hines - photos credit: WireImage)

Thesps Take It To The 'Bank'

The low-tech heist flick “The Bank Job” looked anything but broke during Monday's premiere at the upscale Bryant Park Hotel in Gotham. Corseted waitresses served cocktails at the Cinema Society’s pre-screening party, and with director Roger Donaldson, stars Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows in attendance, the guests adjourned to the hotel’s theater to watch the film.

Donaldson said that he enjoyed the limitations of old technology in the film, since they made the story a better one. “This isn’t a story that could happen today,” explained the Aussie helmer. “If this was set now, you’d be triangulating using cell phones and so forth.”  In his introduction to the film, Donaldson emphasized the movie’s adherence to the facts — things that English journalists writing at the time of the actual robbery on which the film is based, were forbidden from reporting for 35 years. (S. Thielman)

Hanks' Political Show

To prepare for his role as the second president in the new HBO miniseries "John Adams," Paul Giamatti said he “did what he had to do,” which included lots of reading, horseback riding and shaving his head. Based on the bestseller by David McCullough, series, which bowed Monday in Gotham, also stars Laura Linney as Adams' wife Abigail and is executive produced by Tom Hanks. “Hopefully it will satisfy people who are interested in the book and hopefully it will pull in people who aren't necessarily interested in it,” Giamatti said. (A. Morfoot)

Photo: Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti and helmer Tom Hooper/ photo credit: WireImage

'Fool's' Flock to Hollywood

The event: "Fool's Gold" premiere

The details: Wednesday at Grauman's Theater

The guest list: Pic's Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, helmer Andy Tennant and Warner Bros.' Alan Horn, Jeff Robinov and Kevin McCormack.

The decor: A Caribbean world complete with sunken treasure and scuba gear

The talk: Pic was set in the Bahamas and Key West but lensed in Australia. "When we finally got the green light it was hurricane season," explained director Andy Tennant. "We knew we’d be on the water with boats and actors and there was just no way to do it [in the Bahamas]." (B. Perry)

Universal Welcomes 'Roscoe'

The event: “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” premiere

The details: Monday at Mann's Chinese Theater

The guest list: Universal's Ron Meyer, Marc Shmuger, David Linde, helmer Malcolm D. Lee and pic's Michael Clarke Duncan, Mo'Nique, Martin Lawrence and Joy Bryant

The talk: "It was a non-stop good time from when we showed up to when they said, 'Go home.  It’s over.  Cut!' " said Mo'Nique. (L. McCarthy)

'Untraceable' Leaves Its Mark

No stranger to dark territory having helmed “Primal Fear,” “Fallen” and “Fracture,” Gregory Hoblit’s latest film, "Untraceable" raises questions about the role government should play in restricting on-line content. Hoblit discussed this idea at the pic's premiere Wednesday night saying, "There are 300 million streamings a day on the Internet and nine billion a month, so the FBI knows it has a virtually unstoppable tiger by the tail, but they’re getting better all the time at tracking people and corralling it, and one of the reasons I wanted to make the movie is to show that at the end of the day, the FBI will get your ass.”

At the after-party at the Pacific Design Center's Red Seven restaurant, Hoblit was joined by pic's Diane Lane, Colin Hanks and Joseph Cross as well as guests Rita Wilson and Josh Brolin. In preparing for his role, Hanks said: “I met with two FBI agents whose job it is to catch online predators and identity thieves. Spending two days with them was a pretty scary, intense and eye-opening experience.” (J. Sneider)

Stars Weigh in on 'Cloverfield'

When an untitled trailer for "Cloverfield" debuted last summer attached to prints of Paramount's "Transformers," no one was quite sure what to make of it. Now everyone has an opinion. On the Town asked guests at the film's Hollywood premiere on Wednesday to weigh in with their reactions.

Ron Jeremy, adult film star: "It's like a roller coaster. It's like 'Blair Witch' meets 'Aliens.' I liked it, but I think we got the point that it's handheld. We understand that when you're running, the camera will shake. When you're standing still, shooting somebody's damn face, you don't have to keep moving the camera. I can see a dad filming his kids at Disneyland steadier than this. I've been in porn films that shoot video steadier than this and those cameramen usually suck. They didn't have to make it that out of focus and that shaky. I was getting dizzy and it just gave me a big headache. The scariest part was when I went to the bathroom to vomit, so I would've liked the film more without the vomiting. Listen, I don't mean to knock the film because it's a good movie and it's very well done, except for that camerawork. My entire row wanted to throw up. I had to move to the back and I was still nauseous. The girls were adorable though."

John Krasinski: "I think it's both an incredibly innovative script and idea to bring back the monster genre, but they also started breaking some boundaries in film. The night vision shot in the tunnel was wild. It was kind of like 'Blair Witch' on speed."

Masi Oka: "It was fantastic. I liked that it was a love story in the end. It was very smart and suspenseful."

Scott Speedman: "I didn't know much about it going in. It was one of those movies that I tried not to watch the preview for, so I didn't know a whole lot about it at all. To be honest, I was kind of blown away. The best thing I can say about it is that it's really, really emotional. That's what surprised me the most. Monster movies aren't that emotional but it really got that part down amazingly. There wasn't one specific part that jumped out as the scariest moment, but what's great is how it sets a tone of fear and keeps it going and keeps building on it throughout the movie."

Other guests attending the premiere included Lindsay Lohan, Rainn Wilson, Lauren Conrad, Frankie Muniz, Bruce Greenwood and DJ Samantha Ronson.  (J. Sneider)

Ricki Lake Talks 'Business'

"This movie is about choice. It's not about being anti- hospital or anti- doctor," Ricki Lake said after "The Business of Being Born," a doc that explores the maternity care system in America, preemed at the IFC Center in Gotham on Wednesday.

Lake, who exec produced and starred in the doc, helmed by Abby Epstein, said at the Waverly Center after-party that she was initially hesitant about showing old footage of her home birth in her bathtub. "I really wish I had a shirt on and I had better lighting but I didn't film it for anyone to see. It was for my children. I did go back and forth about whether or not it should be in the film but Abby ultimately made the decision to put it in and I think it's an important part of the film."  (A. Morfoot)

A Year of Parties and Premieres

A look back at some highlights in 2007:

Ragin' Cajuns

The event: "Little Chenier" premiere

The details: Saturday in New Orleans at the Prytania theater followed by an after-party at Grand Isle.

The guest list: Pic’s stars Johnathon Schaech, Fred Koehler, Tamara Braun, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Mulkey, Isabella Hofmann, director-writer Bethany Ashton Wolf and writer Jace Johnson plus members of the local community.

The menu: Cajun cuisine like gumbo and fried alligator and a local cocktail called Sazerac made from a 200-year-old recipe.

The entertainment: Zydeco music from the Abe Manuel Band (whose members appear in the film) joined by 16-year-old fiddler Amanda Shaw.

The talk: The tale of two brothers, which Louisiana lieutenant governor Mitch Landrieu called “the most accurate depiction of Cajun culture” that he had ever seen, finished shooting just one month before Hurricane Rita devastated the southwestern Louisiana community where the pic was filmed. The preem was a fund-raiser for those in the region who are still in need. Money was raised for  Rita Remembered (P O Box 145, Lake Charles, LA 70602), which aids people through an arts and literacy program; and Musicians’ Village — a cornerstone of the area’s Habitat for Humanity program — which was conceived by Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis’ to provide a community for the city’s displaced musicians.

From left: Jace Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Isabella Hofmann, Johnathon Schaech,
Bethany Ashton Wolf, Clifton Collins Jr. and Tamara Braun. (Photo by Catherine Victoria)

Nicholson is on the 'List'

The event: "The Bucket List" premiere

The details: Sunday at the Cinerama Dome/ party at Boulevard3

The guest list: Rob Reiner, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Alan Horn, Billy Crystal, John Mayer

The menu: At the holiday themed after-party guests were treated to a Christmas feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

The talk:  In his opening remarks, Reiner recalled pitching the movie to Warner Bros. prexy Alan Horn saying, "I wanna make a movie about two older guys dying of cancer, give me $45 million. Alan had the guts to do that," he said.

'Walk Hard' Hits Hollywood

The event: "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" premiere

The details: Wednesday at Grauman's Chinese Theater

The guest list: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Judd Apatow, Kristen Wiig, Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows, Justin Long, Amy Pascal, Jeff Blake, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell

A Sweet Reception for 'Blood'

The event: "There Will Be Blood" Gotham premiere

The details: A small reception at Brasserie 8 ½ on Monday night before the Ziegfeld screening.

The guest list: Helmer Paul Thomas Anderson and pic's stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano

The menu: Five tables filled with desserts - cookies, brownies, chocolates,  you name it.

The Talk: Anderson said making the pic just over two and a half hours, "was not a conscious decision, " adding,  "It sort of ended up being its own beast."  (A. Morfoot)

Hanks Ready for 'War'

The event: Charlie Wilson's War premiere

The details: Monday at Universal City Walk

The guest list: Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson, Julia Roberts, helmer Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer

The talk:  Wilson is portrayed as a heavy-drinking womanizer in the film and after watching the pic, he told USA Today; "I plead guilty to everything — with a smile on my face."

'Juno' Journeys to L.A.

The event:  "Juno" premiere

The details: Monday night at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood followed by a party at the Napa Valley Grille.

The guest list: Pic's Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Michael Cera, Rainn Wilson and Allison Janney

The menu: Juno's favorite drink: blue slushies

The talk: "I was going to make another movie like 'Thank You for Smoking' until I came across this script," said helmer Jason Reitman. "This movie shows that I have a heart so thank you very much for giving me the job."

'Golden Compass' premieres in London

The event: "The Golden Compass" London premiere
The details: Tuesday at Odeon Leicester Square
The guest list: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Hugh Grant, Chris Weitz, Phillip Pullman

Kidman Joins the Cool Kids

"There is freedom when you don't have a lot of money riding on a film. You really get to play," Nicole Kidman said about working on "indie" pic, "Margot at the Wedding" at Thursday's Gotham screening at The Tribeca Grand Hotel. Hosted by The Cinema Society, screening drew pic's writer-director Noah Baumbach, his wife and film's thesp Jennifer Jason Leigh as well as guests Lauren Bacall, Nora Ephron and Adrian Grenier.

Kidman added that it was Baumbach that helped her decide to do the smaller pic. "I had seen 'The Squid and the Whale' and I thought Noah was such a great writer. I just think Noah and Jennifer are really cool and both extraordinarily talented. It was like being invited to the cool party."
Baumbach admitted that he was a surprised how quickly Kidman accepted his invite. "It was so strangely easy that I am even still not sure how it happened," Baumbach said. "I had coffee with her. I gave her the script and she called me the next day and said I would like to do the movie. Can you do it in my schedule? So, we basically went into pre-production that afternoon." (A. Morfoot)

'Beowulf' Roars Into L.A.

"Beowulf"  stars Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins and helmer Robert Zemeckis arrived in Westwood Village Monday night for the film's L.A. premiere. Also on hand were Brad Pitt, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Robin Wright Penn and John Malkovich.

Eastwood's Family 'Ties'

It looked like a Mystic River reunion Tuesday night in L.A. as Clint Eastwood strolled down the red carpet alongside Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden for the preem of "Rails & Ties", which marks his daughter Alison Eastwood's directorial debut. "Being at a premiere and going to the film festivals is icing on the cake, but at the end of the day, I always look back at the cake," Alison Eastwood explained.

Bacon has worked with both Clint and Alison and said of the two, "I'd say the biggest difference between Clint and his daughter is simply the female point of view," he says.  "Whether it's communicating to actors or trying to convey a particular message to the world."

When asked whether or not Dirty Harry gave her any fatherly advice, Eastwood laughed. "Yeah. He just said to surround yourself with good people and set yourself up for success. Not very Dirty Harry but still wise." (S. Oldham)

'Gone' Keeps Auds Talking

The many moral dilemmas facing the characters in "Gone Baby Gone" had everyone buzzing at the preem after-party at the Napa Valley Grill in Westwood on Monday. Ben Affleck, who makes his directorial debut with the project, says that was exactly his goal. "I wanted a film that people would talk about when they left the theater rather than just digest it and have it be forgotten," he said. Miramax topper Daniel Battsek echoed the sentiment. "I think one of the film's real strengths is that you come out and you have a point of view and you want to discuss it with people." Pic's star Casey Affleck also chimed in on the subject saying, "People sort of walk away from this film asking themselves would they have done the same thing and what is right and wrong." (M. McNiece)

The 'Road' to 'Reservation'

"I guess the highest praise I can give to both Random House and Focus is that their money was there and they weren’t,” “Reservation Road" helmer Terry George said prior to the Gotham premiere on Thursday night. “Road,” an adaptation of the John Burnham Schwartz novel, is the first project under Focus' partnership with Random House.

“It never occurred to me that my publisher would be an integral part of making a movie out of one of my novels,” Burnham Schwartz said about the film, which stars Jennifer Connelly and Joaquin Phoenix. “It’s kind of like having your big, brawny cousin come in and support you in every way.”

Before heading over to the after-party at Brasserie Ruhlmann, Burnham Schwartz said ever since he saw the first cut of the film, he realized that he is now part of “a weird, freakishly small clubhouse of people who have written novels and then screenplays of their novels and have gone on to see those books and screenplays made into a film they not only love but believe in.” (A. Morfoot)

Tyler Perry Questions Marriage

Before the premiere of  “Why Did I Get Married”, a confident Tyler Perry addressed the aud saying, “everybody in the rest of the country has loved it and I’m hoping it’s the same here in L.A.” An awkward silence followed from the typically jaded Hollywood crowd, but Perry quickly laughed it off. Helmer-actor Perry also gave props to Lionsgate for giving him creative free rein in his opening remarks. “They’re such a great company to work for,” he said, “because they never give you notes. Anything that’s up on that screen, good or bad, is all on me.” Also at Thursday's preem at the Cinerama Dome was, pic’s star Janet Jackson, Lionsgate prexy Michael Paseornek, music producer L.A. Reid and athletes Barry Bonds and Magic Johnson. (B. Perry)

A Brush of Controversy

"They are unhappy with the film, "My Kid Could Paint That" helmer Amir Bar-Lev admitted after a Gotham screening of the doc last week.  "They" are the parents of the film’s subject matter, Marla Olmstead, a four year-old artist who won international attention for her abstract paintings —only to be "debunked" months later when doubts were cast on the phenom. In the film, Bar-Lev examines these doubts and tries to determine if Marla’s artwork is partially her parents doing.

"They are doing 'Nightline' this week, making their first big public rebuttal," Bar-Lev said. Despite the publicity the Olmstead’s rebuttal may drum up, the helmer is not happy about it. "It’s not worth the interpersonal drama. These people were friends of mine. Being involved in a he-said she-said controversy is not something I savor."

Sony Pictures Classics picked up the doc at Sundance in January for an estimated $1.8 million. "Of course this has been on some levels what every independent documentary filmmaker dreams of," Bar-Lev said. "But having said that, the reality is even when you are getting documentary gold, it doesn’t feel like anything to celebrate. But I stand by the work and I have to tell things as I see them."  (A. Morfoot)

Owen Wilson Steps Out for 'Darjeeling'

Wes Anderson's "Darjeeling Limited" made a stop at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Thursday for the pic's L.A. premiere. Making his first public appearance for the film, was Owen Wilson whom Anderson introduced on stage as "my best friend" adding "I have made every movie with him and hope to never make a movie without him." Also in attendance was pic's Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Angelica Huston and producer Roman Coppola. The evening began with a screening of Anderson's short film "Hotel Chevalier," (a prologue to "Darjeeling") which stars Schwartzman and Natalie Portman.

Silverman Serves Up Seconds

It was Silvermania at Hollywood's Velvet Margarita on Thursday night as Comedy Central celebrated the second season of "The Sarah Silverman Program." The raunchy comedian yukked it up on the black carpet while defending the network's decision to promote the show by creating a profile for her character on the Jewish dating website JDate. "Don't judge it. Everyone's on JDate. That's how Jimmy (Kimmel) and I met."

Inside, the club was outfitted with religious candles and paintings depicting Silverman as the Virgin Mary, reinforcing the fact that  Silverman doesn't concern herself with being politically correct. "No, not if it makes me giggle. I'm not mean. I don't think of myself as mean. I think we comics are, well, powerless. I don't know. No comment!"

And as for the new season? "I don't want to give anything away, but there's definitely a lot of juiciness in every episode." Does that include the rumor that Angelina Jolie has expressed interested in appearing on the show? "What happened was she met us on the lot where we write. She was just magical and she intimated that she would be open to doing something, so who knows? You'll just have to watch and see." (J. Sneider and S. Oldham)

Wes Anderson's Extra Help

"Darjeeling Limited" helmer Wes Anderson told On the Town Friday night at the pix Gotham preem that despite filming "Darjeeling" in India, his previous film, "The Life Aquatic" was much more difficult to produce than this one. One easy aspect of filming 'Darjeeling' was hiring the extras. "Often we would find people at a train station and would say 'we will give you this amount of money if you can be back at 10:00am tomorrow and they would just stay. They would say 'Ok. We are not moving from here.'" Joining Anderson at the preem, which also marked the opening night of the 45th New York Film Festival was pic’s Angelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray as well as guests Jessica Lange, Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton and Milos Forman. (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)

'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