We know that babies are the best accessory in Hollywood. No starlet has truly made it until she has become a mom (Welcome to the club, January Jones). That means there are some mad stylish mamas out there in tinsel-town. We were reading one of the most talked about tomes of this spring, Piper Weiss' 'My Mom The Style Icon' and we got to wondering who in Hollywood has the best mom style. We asked Weiss at her bash with Coach celebrating the release of her book to identify the Hollywood moms with the best fashion sense. The big winner: Michelle Williams, mom to the adorable Matilda.
Why is Michelle Williams your pick for most stylish mama in Hollywood?
I like old things. I probably would have said Mia Farrow if she was still in Hollywood making the rounds, but Michelle is pretty much a modern day Mia in style. The mini frocks, the daytime jean Seberg striped shirts. She's right out of another time, when people still used film and it took a long time before it developed. There's something very romantic about it. It also adds to her mystique. She doesn't look like she's trying, which is especially important for 'mom' style. When it comes to public perception of celebrities, you don't want to look like you spent more time primping yourself than hanging with your kid.

Who is the next runner up?
I'm currently obsessed with old Keith Moon photos. He was a dad, not a mom. But he did live in Hollywood in the 70s, rabble rousing with John Lennon, Ringo and a Monkee or two. I'm taking notes on his mod style, a T-shirt with a bulls-eye, a pair of pegged pants, and a bowl cut. I'm thinking he's good inspiration for a mod look that could be adapted for women. I even just got a ladies bowl cut haircut in his honor - well his and Liza Minnelli's.

Which mom has the worst style?
I can't say any mom has bad style. They have enough to deal with. The fact that anyone has kids and showers and gets dressed is more than I can I say for myself on some days and I've only got cats.

Who is your mom's favorite celeb mom?
She loves Jackie O, particularly during the Ari Onasis years when Jackie was doing the scarf around her head and the oversized Oleg Cassini glasses. My mother used to have a collection of Oleg Cassini glasses I would borrow every Halloween. She also loves Diana Ross and Natalie Wood.

We know that babies are the best accessory in Hollywood. No starlet has truly made it until she has become a mom (Welcome to the club, January Jones). That means there are some mad stylish mamas out there in tinsel-town. We were reading one of the most talked about tomes of this spring, Piper Weiss' 'My Mom The Style Icon' and we got to wondering who in Hollywood has the best mom style. We asked Weiss at her bash with Coach celebrating the release of her book to identify the Hollywood moms with the best fashion sense. The big winner: Michelle Williams, mom to the adorable Matilda.
Why is Michelle Williams your pick for most stylish mama in Hollywood?
I like old things. I probably would have said Mia Farrow if she was still in Hollywood making the rounds, but Michelle is pretty much a modern day Mia in style. The mini frocks, the daytime jean Seberg striped shirts. She's right out of another time, when people still used film and it took a long time before it developed. There's something very romantic about it. It also adds to her mystique. She doesn't look like she's trying, which is especially important for 'mom' style. When it comes to public perception of celebrities, you don't want to look like you spent more time primping yourself than hanging with your kid.

Who is the next runner up?
I'm currently obsessed with old Keith Moon photos. He was a dad, not a mom. But he did live in Hollywood in the 70s, rabble rousing with John Lennon, Ringo and a Monkee or two. I'm taking notes on his mod style, a T-shirt with a bulls-eye, a pair of pegged pants, and a bowl cut. I'm thinking he's good inspiration for a mod look that could be adapted for women. I even just got a ladies bowl cut haircut in his honor - well his and Liza Minnelli's.

Which mom has the worst style?
I can't say any mom has bad style. They have enough to deal with. The fact that anyone has kids and showers and gets dressed is more than I can I say for myself on some days and I've only got cats.

Who is your mom's favorite celeb mom?
She loves Jackie O, particularly during the Ari Onasis years when Jackie was doing the scarf around her head and the oversized Oleg Cassini glasses. My mother used to have a collection of Oleg Cassini glasses I would borrow every Halloween. She also loves Diana Ross and Natalie Wood.

Based on author Emily Giffin's best-selling novel of the same name, the film is about two best friends (Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin) whose friendship is tested when one falls for the others' fiance.
In real-life, Hudson is expecting a child with musician Matthew Bellamy. (She already has a son, Ryder, 7, with ex-husband Chris Robinson.) The actress, 32, talked with Reuters about the film and her pregnancy.
Q: You've done quite a few romantic comedies including
"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Fool's Gold." How did this one come about?

A: "(Producers) Hilary Swank and Molly Smith acquired the book series (which also includes sequels "Something Blue" and "Baby Proof") and they came over and said, 'Please read them.' I was in mommy mode and the idea of working was not in my immediate future at that time (laughs). But then I started reading the books and the character of Darcy lent itself to such good comedy."
Q: What did you like about her?
A: "She's a little wild. She likes to have a good time. She's the person who gets drunk and stupid and doesn't realize -- or care -- how obnoxious she is. In the second book, Darcy has such a great turnaround and A-ha moment. I hope we get a chance to do the second one."
Q: Are you a fan of chick lit books?
A: "I'm the girl who reads 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.' I like heavy reading. But when I started reading these books, by page 20 I was just lost. They are so much fun to read and Emily Giffin writes relatable characters, especially in that thirtysomething age group."
Q: On a personal note, you're in the third trimester of your pregnancy. How is it the second time around?
A: "I love being pregnant. I just love it. Especially when you start to really feel and connect with the baby when it starts moving. I don't know what I'm having. It feels like a girl, but I don't know. I had a really good sense of who Ryder was in my belly the first time around. I'd call him my Peaceful Poet and that's who he is in real life. He's got it all figured out and he's pretty mellow."
Q: And this one?
A: "This one is so wild and so active and so ready to be on this planet. I'm like, 'Watch out! Whatever's about to come out is going to be front and center!' (laughs)"
Q: How do you balance raising a son with your ex while beginning a new family with your fiancee?
A: "You have to figure out how to make it work even if you're not going to be together. Chris and I have done a really good job at that and we have a really happy son...Chris and I have the same values of what we want in our lives. That's why we fell in love. And we've continued to hold those values true throughout our divorce and in raising Ryder together."
Q: Now that you're about to give birth, how ambitious are you about working?
A: "(Laughs) I've never really been an ambitious actress, which is funny because I've been very lucky to have success in it. But it's never been my driving force. I've always been a family girl."
Q: So it's safe to assume you'll be taking some time off?
A: "With this baby, and Ryder being in such a great stage with all of his sports, it's going to take a lot to get me out of the house. Granted, I love to work and I'll always be a working woman, but it will take a lot more now."
Q: Like what?
A: "For instance, I've never thought too hard about my film choices. I've always been like, 'This will be fun, I love these people, hopefully it'll be great.' Now I think it will be about the actual filmmaker. And eventually I'll probably direct. Romantic comedy 'Something Borrowed' should have borrowed some ...

Based on author Emily Giffin's best-selling novel of the same name, the film is about two best friends (Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin) whose friendship is tested when one falls for the others' fiance.
In real-life, Hudson is expecting a child with musician Matthew Bellamy. (She already has a son, Ryder, 7, with ex-husband Chris Robinson.) The actress, 32, talked with Reuters about the film and her pregnancy.
Q: You've done quite a few romantic comedies including
"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Fool's Gold." How did this one come about?

A: "(Producers) Hilary Swank and Molly Smith acquired the book series (which also includes sequels "Something Blue" and "Baby Proof") and they came over and said, 'Please read them.' I was in mommy mode and the idea of working was not in my immediate future at that time (laughs). But then I started reading the books and the character of Darcy lent itself to such good comedy."
Q: What did you like about her?
A: "She's a little wild. She likes to have a good time. She's the person who gets drunk and stupid and doesn't realize -- or care -- how obnoxious she is. In the second book, Darcy has such a great turnaround and A-ha moment. I hope we get a chance to do the second one."
Q: Are you a fan of chick lit books?
A: "I'm the girl who reads 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.' I like heavy reading. But when I started reading these books, by page 20 I was just lost. They are so much fun to read and Emily Giffin writes relatable characters, especially in that thirtysomething age group."
Q: On a personal note, you're in the third trimester of your pregnancy. How is it the second time around?
A: "I love being pregnant. I just love it. Especially when you start to really feel and connect with the baby when it starts moving. I don't know what I'm having. It feels like a girl, but I don't know. I had a really good sense of who Ryder was in my belly the first time around. I'd call him my Peaceful Poet and that's who he is in real life. He's got it all figured out and he's pretty mellow."
Q: And this one?
A: "This one is so wild and so active and so ready to be on this planet. I'm like, 'Watch out! Whatever's about to come out is going to be front and center!' (laughs)"
Q: How do you balance raising a son with your ex while beginning a new family with your fiancee?
A: "You have to figure out how to make it work even if you're not going to be together. Chris and I have done a really good job at that and we have a really happy son...Chris and I have the same values of what we want in our lives. That's why we fell in love. And we've continued to hold those values true throughout our divorce and in raising Ryder together."
Q: Now that you're about to give birth, how ambitious are you about working?
A: "(Laughs) I've never really been an ambitious actress, which is funny because I've been very lucky to have success in it. But it's never been my driving force. I've always been a family girl."
Q: So it's safe to assume you'll be taking some time off?
A: "With this baby, and Ryder being in such a great stage with all of his sports, it's going to take a lot to get me out of the house. Granted, I love to work and I'll always be a working woman, but it will take a lot more now."
Q: Like what?
A: "For instance, I've never thought too hard about my film choices. I've always been like, 'This will be fun, I love these people, hopefully it'll be great.' Now I think it will be about the actual filmmaker. And eventually I'll probably direct. Romantic comedy 'Something Borrowed' should have borrowed some ...

Actress Jennifer Aniston, who recently purchased a pair of apartments in Manhattan’s West Village, has recently put her 1.2-acre estate in Beverly Hills on the market for $42 million.
The expansive property – known as “Ohana,” which is Hawaiian for extended family – features a Harold Levitt-constructed home which has five bedrooms, 8.5 baths and 10,000 square feet, as well as a heated swimming pool and spa with a cabana, an outdoor kitchen and living room with fireplaces, and a patio with heated floors.
Upon purchasing the property, Aniston worked with designer Stephen Shadley to renovate and expand the house to add square footage.
The gated estate has a three-car garage and a motor court, and the main home features a master bedroom with an indoor spa. There are two kitchens, with the first including a built-in barbeque, fire-burning pizza oven and wine cooler, while the second designed as a professional catering kitchen. Additionally, the house has a game room, library, and a wine cellar with a biometric security system that can only be opened with a unique fingerprint ID.
The property is located within Trousdale Estates, only a few minutes away from Sunset Boulevard.
Listing agent: Jade Mills, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Actress Jennifer Aniston, who recently purchased a pair of apartments in Manhattan’s West Village, has recently put her 1.2-acre estate in Beverly Hills on the market for $42 million.
The expansive property – known as “Ohana,” which is Hawaiian for extended family – features a Harold Levitt-constructed home which has five bedrooms, 8.5 baths and 10,000 square feet, as well as a heated swimming pool and spa with a cabana, an outdoor kitchen and living room with fireplaces, and a patio with heated floors.
Upon purchasing the property, Aniston worked with designer Stephen Shadley to renovate and expand the house to add square footage.
The gated estate has a three-car garage and a motor court, and the main home features a master bedroom with an indoor spa. There are two kitchens, with the first including a built-in barbeque, fire-burning pizza oven and wine cooler, while the second designed as a professional catering kitchen. Additionally, the house has a game room, library, and a wine cellar with a biometric security system that can only be opened with a unique fingerprint ID.
The property is located within Trousdale Estates, only a few minutes away from Sunset Boulevard.
Listing agent: Jade Mills, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

 Thor movie
There is a low-level yet also kind of crazy rumble of movie activity happening below the mega-release of Thor this weekend. Thor is the designated Marvel summer kickoff movie, although some of its proverbial thunder was stolen by Fast Five's summer-sized opening last weekend, which the Alien-God of Whatever is unlikely to match. Iron Man wasn't all that well-known either, of course, but being played by Robert Downey allowed the filmmakers to cut some funny, exciting trailers, whereas Thor is played by more of a generic himbo (albeit, like most superheroes these days, a British one) and looks more like the second-tier operation a Thor movie would probably have to be. Still, even the second-tier Marvel movies these days attract Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, and disgraced former auteur Kenneth Branagh behind the camera. It all looks pretty silly, but if Branagh can make a more enjoyable second-tier Marvel movie than Fantastic Four or Ghost Rider, it could be good summer fun, and if he can't, we will cast him out for his arrogance.
The first round of Thor counterprogramming makes sense: girl movies, y'all! For Hollywood, "girl movies" means "movies about weddings," and two are paired for this weekend: Something Borrowed (for the white girls!) and Jumping the Broom (for the black ladies!). As a white dude who does not categorically object to movies about weddings but would rather watch Bridesmaids, I went into both Borrowed and Broom hoping for the best. Both premises have been well-worn by other movies targeting these audiences: Something Borrowed addresses important issues like being single at thirty, toxic self-centeredness, and Taking Chances, while Jumping the Broom offers the observation that sometimes two people from different economic backgrounds may have families that clash over various aspects of a wedding.

Actually, Jumping the Broom only pretends to offer that observation, which is disappointing because it has a game ensemble cast led by the charming Paula Patton. Jumping the Broom is actually about how God has a plan for us all; it was produced by pastor T.D. Jakes, and the religious material isn't inherently offensive or pandering so much as it is clumsily integrated with, and vaguely counter to, the material that might actually make the movie interesting. The scenes where familial conflict emerges from the way that the groom's mother (Loretta Devine) bristles at the upper-class pretensions of the bride's parents (Angela Bassett and Brian Stokes Mitchell) have some snap, especially with seasoned scene-stealer Mike Epps cracking relaxed jokes from the sidelines. But the movie doesn't consider this tension enough, and gussies it up with plenty of soap bubbles. All the while, Patton's weird insistence that she can't sleep with her husband until the wedding night meets with only cursory objection (and seems at odds with her apparently enlightened-intellectual upbringing). You expect that a movie like Jumping the Broom will probably end with everyone getting along, but it's a shame that it takes God's Plans to get there. While Jumping the Broom fumbles some of its attempts at class-consciousness, it at least raises the issue and includes a token white lady, played with some charm by Modern Family's Julie Bowen. Something Borrowed, on the other hand, imagines a New York City so privileged and monoracial that even the sitcommy wisecracking cab drivers are white. Despite this scary idea of what fairy-tale New York might look like (although: like my dream version of New York, everyone does go to Shake Shack constantly), Something Borrowed is a marginally better movie, if only because director Luke Greenfield doesn't make many visual flubs, and Ginnifer Goodwin is even more charming than Paula Patton. Goodwin plays a long-time good girl who winds up in an affair with the fiancé of her best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson)—a surprisingly serious-minded and sticky development for a movie that takes place in the run-up to a wedding, that time most fraught with absolutely inconsequential bullshit (at least in movies). Hudson has fun playing the toxic party girl; maybe too much fun, as if she doesn't believe the audience will understand that she's playing kind of a bad person unless she pushes it really hard. Strangely, the movie makes no such assumptions about Goodwin; she's innately likable (and funnier than this movie lets her be), yet the screenplay keeps contriving additional reasons why her affair may not be a horrible decision. Pretty much just having Goodwin engage in bad behavior is enough to make it somewhat palatable, but the movie keeps chasing likability it doesn't need. Goodwin and the movie's lack of sitcom lighting keep Something Borrowed more watchable than any number of its frothier sisters in a degraded genre, but that only makes its wan mushiness more disappointing.
Once again, romcom viewers are required to please avoid asking: what exactly do these girls see in these guys? What Broom and Borrowed have in common, apart from a failure to fully engage their most interesting material, is that they both feature male leads (Laz Alonso in Broom and Colin Egglesfield in Borrowed) who appear to be on the verge of physical illness for much of the running time. I probably looked happier during the running time of both movies than either of these dudes, and I wasn't even enjoying the movies that much.
Those are the movies most of the country will have to choose from this weekend (I guess that makes Thor a force of unity... between white dudes and black dudes who do not want to see any damn wedding movies). But here in New York, indie movies are getting unloaded like it's garbage day. I'm not sure if this is a race to be the first art-house hit of the summer or just an easy way to sacrifice your contractually obligated theatrical release as efficiently as possible, but most of these releases seem like the latter, even when they also look interesting. The maybe-prestige item among the five Amerindies coming to various NYC screens this weekend is The Beaver, the long-delayed Jodie Foster film starring Mel Gibson as a deeply depressed guy who uses a beaver puppet, rather than hateful invective, to deal with his problems. Benjamin Mercer has the L Mag review, which makes it sound as hit-and-missy as the trailer looks.
But Gibson and Foster aren't the only stars going out in limited release this weekend; they're just the only ones who might expand out to a wider release down the line. Elsewhere, a crop of movies getting cursory releases either prior to a quick DVD release or concurrent with an On Demand run.
The most obscure of these might be An Invisible Sign, which has been available via On Demand for the past month but gets a couple of showtimes at the IFC Center this weekend. Full disclosure: I've been wondering when this movie would turn up because it's based on one of my favorite recent-ish novels, Aimee Bender's An Invisible Sign of My Own. Ben Sutton's review is one of the only I've read, and it makes it sound as if Bender's off-kilter ideas don't necessarily translate to film, or at least have been translated by bringing out whimsy and squishiness that seem sadder, stranger, and more interesting on the page. Nonetheless, I'll be arranging to see it at IFC this weekend, because someone made an Aimee Bender book into a movie and I must see that properly.
The rest of this weekend's movies are practically begging not to be seen theatrically. The most immediately accessible (apart from Invisible Sign) is Last Night, which played the Tribeca Film Festival, among others, and can be rented on Amazon at the moment, and should be on DVD shortly. An infidelity drama with Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, and Eva Mendes, it is hitting the Clearview Chelsea and the Angelika (!) this weekend; reviews haven't been bad (although if they had been all that good, it would've come out a lot earlier), and hey, it sounds physically attractive, right?

Daydream Nation will hit DVD on May 17th. Its official site claims that it will hit the Village East in Manhattan this weekend, although it's not yet listed in Google Movies. I would've been all about seeing this movie, which I've heard described as sort of a darker, weirder, more poetically inclined version of Easy A, but it's looking tricky to find, and I agreed to review the DVD for PopMatters later in the month. Intrepid Kat Dennings fans looking for a double feature may or may not be out of luck. Intrepid Mickey Rourke, Bill Murray, and Megan Fox fans may be out of luck regardless of whether they're able to see Passion Play, which comes to DVD on May 31st but first makes a pit stop at the Quad. Rourke plays a jazz musician who tries to save some kind of a fallen angel (Fox, naturally) from, I assume, Bill Murray's character from Mad Dog and Glory. Just kidding: no way will this movie be as good as Mad Dog and Glory! It does sound like a worthwhile curiosity [No it doesn't—not even Mickey Rourke likes this movie, apparently. -Ed.]. I still have a student ID; can I get a discount at the Quad? Can I just get a discount for agreeing to see this movie at all?
Finally, if you'd really rather watch Ruger Hauer than any manner of current movie star, Hobo with a Shotgun is playing the Village East; maybe it blasted out Daydream Nation at the last minute. It's also available On Demand, but it sounds like the kind of exploitation tribute that should be seen in a real theater; I can testify that the Village East is in suitably ill repair to complete the experience.
Worry not: the indie dumptruck doesn't stop there: Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be around for next week's crop of long-delayed festival-skulkers that got picked up at the last minute.

 Thor movie
There is a low-level yet also kind of crazy rumble of movie activity happening below the mega-release of Thor this weekend. Thor is the designated Marvel summer kickoff movie, although some of its proverbial thunder was stolen by Fast Five's summer-sized opening last weekend, which the Alien-God of Whatever is unlikely to match. Iron Man wasn't all that well-known either, of course, but being played by Robert Downey allowed the filmmakers to cut some funny, exciting trailers, whereas Thor is played by more of a generic himbo (albeit, like most superheroes these days, a British one) and looks more like the second-tier operation a Thor movie would probably have to be. Still, even the second-tier Marvel movies these days attract Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, and disgraced former auteur Kenneth Branagh behind the camera. It all looks pretty silly, but if Branagh can make a more enjoyable second-tier Marvel movie than Fantastic Four or Ghost Rider, it could be good summer fun, and if he can't, we will cast him out for his arrogance.
The first round of Thor counterprogramming makes sense: girl movies, y'all! For Hollywood, "girl movies" means "movies about weddings," and two are paired for this weekend: Something Borrowed (for the white girls!) and Jumping the Broom (for the black ladies!). As a white dude who does not categorically object to movies about weddings but would rather watch Bridesmaids, I went into both Borrowed and Broom hoping for the best. Both premises have been well-worn by other movies targeting these audiences: Something Borrowed addresses important issues like being single at thirty, toxic self-centeredness, and Taking Chances, while Jumping the Broom offers the observation that sometimes two people from different economic backgrounds may have families that clash over various aspects of a wedding.

Actually, Jumping the Broom only pretends to offer that observation, which is disappointing because it has a game ensemble cast led by the charming Paula Patton. Jumping the Broom is actually about how God has a plan for us all; it was produced by pastor T.D. Jakes, and the religious material isn't inherently offensive or pandering so much as it is clumsily integrated with, and vaguely counter to, the material that might actually make the movie interesting. The scenes where familial conflict emerges from the way that the groom's mother (Loretta Devine) bristles at the upper-class pretensions of the bride's parents (Angela Bassett and Brian Stokes Mitchell) have some snap, especially with seasoned scene-stealer Mike Epps cracking relaxed jokes from the sidelines. But the movie doesn't consider this tension enough, and gussies it up with plenty of soap bubbles. All the while, Patton's weird insistence that she can't sleep with her husband until the wedding night meets with only cursory objection (and seems at odds with her apparently enlightened-intellectual upbringing). You expect that a movie like Jumping the Broom will probably end with everyone getting along, but it's a shame that it takes God's Plans to get there. While Jumping the Broom fumbles some of its attempts at class-consciousness, it at least raises the issue and includes a token white lady, played with some charm by Modern Family's Julie Bowen. Something Borrowed, on the other hand, imagines a New York City so privileged and monoracial that even the sitcommy wisecracking cab drivers are white. Despite this scary idea of what fairy-tale New York might look like (although: like my dream version of New York, everyone does go to Shake Shack constantly), Something Borrowed is a marginally better movie, if only because director Luke Greenfield doesn't make many visual flubs, and Ginnifer Goodwin is even more charming than Paula Patton. Goodwin plays a long-time good girl who winds up in an affair with the fiancé of her best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson)—a surprisingly serious-minded and sticky development for a movie that takes place in the run-up to a wedding, that time most fraught with absolutely inconsequential bullshit (at least in movies). Hudson has fun playing the toxic party girl; maybe too much fun, as if she doesn't believe the audience will understand that she's playing kind of a bad person unless she pushes it really hard. Strangely, the movie makes no such assumptions about Goodwin; she's innately likable (and funnier than this movie lets her be), yet the screenplay keeps contriving additional reasons why her affair may not be a horrible decision. Pretty much just having Goodwin engage in bad behavior is enough to make it somewhat palatable, but the movie keeps chasing likability it doesn't need. Goodwin and the movie's lack of sitcom lighting keep Something Borrowed more watchable than any number of its frothier sisters in a degraded genre, but that only makes its wan mushiness more disappointing.
Once again, romcom viewers are required to please avoid asking: what exactly do these girls see in these guys? What Broom and Borrowed have in common, apart from a failure to fully engage their most interesting material, is that they both feature male leads (Laz Alonso in Broom and Colin Egglesfield in Borrowed) who appear to be on the verge of physical illness for much of the running time. I probably looked happier during the running time of both movies than either of these dudes, and I wasn't even enjoying the movies that much.
Those are the movies most of the country will have to choose from this weekend (I guess that makes Thor a force of unity... between white dudes and black dudes who do not want to see any damn wedding movies). But here in New York, indie movies are getting unloaded like it's garbage day. I'm not sure if this is a race to be the first art-house hit of the summer or just an easy way to sacrifice your contractually obligated theatrical release as efficiently as possible, but most of these releases seem like the latter, even when they also look interesting. The maybe-prestige item among the five Amerindies coming to various NYC screens this weekend is The Beaver, the long-delayed Jodie Foster film starring Mel Gibson as a deeply depressed guy who uses a beaver puppet, rather than hateful invective, to deal with his problems. Benjamin Mercer has the L Mag review, which makes it sound as hit-and-missy as the trailer looks.
But Gibson and Foster aren't the only stars going out in limited release this weekend; they're just the only ones who might expand out to a wider release down the line. Elsewhere, a crop of movies getting cursory releases either prior to a quick DVD release or concurrent with an On Demand run.
The most obscure of these might be An Invisible Sign, which has been available via On Demand for the past month but gets a couple of showtimes at the IFC Center this weekend. Full disclosure: I've been wondering when this movie would turn up because it's based on one of my favorite recent-ish novels, Aimee Bender's An Invisible Sign of My Own. Ben Sutton's review is one of the only I've read, and it makes it sound as if Bender's off-kilter ideas don't necessarily translate to film, or at least have been translated by bringing out whimsy and squishiness that seem sadder, stranger, and more interesting on the page. Nonetheless, I'll be arranging to see it at IFC this weekend, because someone made an Aimee Bender book into a movie and I must see that properly.
The rest of this weekend's movies are practically begging not to be seen theatrically. The most immediately accessible (apart from Invisible Sign) is Last Night, which played the Tribeca Film Festival, among others, and can be rented on Amazon at the moment, and should be on DVD shortly. An infidelity drama with Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, and Eva Mendes, it is hitting the Clearview Chelsea and the Angelika (!) this weekend; reviews haven't been bad (although if they had been all that good, it would've come out a lot earlier), and hey, it sounds physically attractive, right?

Daydream Nation will hit DVD on May 17th. Its official site claims that it will hit the Village East in Manhattan this weekend, although it's not yet listed in Google Movies. I would've been all about seeing this movie, which I've heard described as sort of a darker, weirder, more poetically inclined version of Easy A, but it's looking tricky to find, and I agreed to review the DVD for PopMatters later in the month. Intrepid Kat Dennings fans looking for a double feature may or may not be out of luck. Intrepid Mickey Rourke, Bill Murray, and Megan Fox fans may be out of luck regardless of whether they're able to see Passion Play, which comes to DVD on May 31st but first makes a pit stop at the Quad. Rourke plays a jazz musician who tries to save some kind of a fallen angel (Fox, naturally) from, I assume, Bill Murray's character from Mad Dog and Glory. Just kidding: no way will this movie be as good as Mad Dog and Glory! It does sound like a worthwhile curiosity [No it doesn't—not even Mickey Rourke likes this movie, apparently. -Ed.]. I still have a student ID; can I get a discount at the Quad? Can I just get a discount for agreeing to see this movie at all?
Finally, if you'd really rather watch Ruger Hauer than any manner of current movie star, Hobo with a Shotgun is playing the Village East; maybe it blasted out Daydream Nation at the last minute. It's also available On Demand, but it sounds like the kind of exploitation tribute that should be seen in a real theater; I can testify that the Village East is in suitably ill repair to complete the experience.
Worry not: the indie dumptruck doesn't stop there: Will Ferrell, Natalie Portman, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be around for next week's crop of long-delayed festival-skulkers that got picked up at the last minute.

                                                    Pippa middleton underwear
Elegant: Pippa Middleton, left at her sister Kate's wedding and right in a dress made of loo roll, is discovering her party girl past is coming back to haunt her

As maid of honour for her older sister Kate Middleton as she became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Pippa Middleton became celebrated the world over after almost stealing the show last week with THAT dress.

 But today, she is discovering the downside of that sudden fame after a host of websites in the U.S. got hold of some private pictures of the 27-year-old in her underwear - and published them.

At least seven U.S. websites are running the photos showing Ms Middleton stripped to a purple push up bra and flimsy white slip with an half-naked unknown companion doing a 'bump and grind' dance behind her.

Despite being offered the picture for use, the Daily Mail has decided not to print them picture and preserve Pippa's privacy and modesty.

After her appearance at the Royal Wedding last Friday, there's been huge interest in Pippa that she may be struggling to cope with.


Party girl: Pippa had fun like any other student - here's she's pictured pouring wine at a New Year's Eve party in 2006, the year before she graduated


Consequently, a host of other pictures documenting her party girl past have surfaced as the public appetite grows to know all about her.

It's the downside of fame, and is something she will surely discover increasingly as the weeks progress.

Bookmakers today have even started taking bets as to ‘What will Pippa do next?’.

She is at 2/1 to appear on a Vogue cover feature, 3/1 to get married, and 7/1 to model Alexander McQueen, the fashion house that made her sister Kate’s wedding dress and her stunning maid of honour frock on the catwalk.


Spoken for: With her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon pictured in London last month


She also has odds of 40/1 to marry Prince Harry, and 66/1 to become a Dame.

Meanwhile, her backside has emerged as the 4-6 hot favourite to win Rear of the Year.

Pippa has been working as an event and party organiser since graduating from the University Of Edinburgh in 2007- where most of her partying took place, like a typical student.

Now, she is very much the refined socialite and is currently apparently engaged in all but name to her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon.

The Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that the couple have stayed silent about the future of their relationship for fear of detracting attention from Prince William and Kate.

                                                    Pippa middleton underwear
Elegant: Pippa Middleton, left at her sister Kate's wedding and right in a dress made of loo roll, is discovering her party girl past is coming back to haunt her

As maid of honour for her older sister Kate Middleton as she became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Pippa Middleton became celebrated the world over after almost stealing the show last week with THAT dress.

 But today, she is discovering the downside of that sudden fame after a host of websites in the U.S. got hold of some private pictures of the 27-year-old in her underwear - and published them.

At least seven U.S. websites are running the photos showing Ms Middleton stripped to a purple push up bra and flimsy white slip with an half-naked unknown companion doing a 'bump and grind' dance behind her.

Despite being offered the picture for use, the Daily Mail has decided not to print them picture and preserve Pippa's privacy and modesty.

After her appearance at the Royal Wedding last Friday, there's been huge interest in Pippa that she may be struggling to cope with.


Party girl: Pippa had fun like any other student - here's she's pictured pouring wine at a New Year's Eve party in 2006, the year before she graduated


Consequently, a host of other pictures documenting her party girl past have surfaced as the public appetite grows to know all about her.

It's the downside of fame, and is something she will surely discover increasingly as the weeks progress.

Bookmakers today have even started taking bets as to ‘What will Pippa do next?’.

She is at 2/1 to appear on a Vogue cover feature, 3/1 to get married, and 7/1 to model Alexander McQueen, the fashion house that made her sister Kate’s wedding dress and her stunning maid of honour frock on the catwalk.


Spoken for: With her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon pictured in London last month


She also has odds of 40/1 to marry Prince Harry, and 66/1 to become a Dame.

Meanwhile, her backside has emerged as the 4-6 hot favourite to win Rear of the Year.

Pippa has been working as an event and party organiser since graduating from the University Of Edinburgh in 2007- where most of her partying took place, like a typical student.

Now, she is very much the refined socialite and is currently apparently engaged in all but name to her City broker boyfriend Alex Loudon.

The Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that the couple have stayed silent about the future of their relationship for fear of detracting attention from Prince William and Kate.

                                                Erin Burnett
CNN said Friday that it had hired the anchor Erin Burnett away from CNBC and was planning to develop a daily show for her that would start in the summer.

Craig Blankenhorn CNN has hired Erin Burnett away from CNBC and will develop a daily show for her.

Ken Jautz, the executive in charge of CNN/U.S., said he had not determined a time slot for Ms. Burnett’s show. But the deal to bring her to CNN was a sign of the direction Mr. Jautz, who has been on the job for six months, wants to take the channel.

He wants to emphasize “substance and depth” and make its programs more clearly delineated during the day and night, he said in an interview on Friday. “We are going to develop a show with her and for her,” Mr. Jautz said, indicating that she would not be placed into any existing program, like “American Morning” or “CNN Newsroom,” which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays with various anchors throughout the day. He would not rule out any time slot. “I’m going to keep my options open,” he said.

Ms. Burnett’s move, which was first reported on Wednesday, represents a shift for her from niche business news to general news anchoring and reporting. As one of the most prominent weekday anchors on CNBC, she currently co-anchors two morning hours and anchors one afternoon hour.
She made no secret of her interest in broadening her work beyond business news. Through an expanded deal with CNBC and NBC three years ago, she was able to substitute as a host on the “Today” show and also turned up regularly on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. “I had a lot of opportunities that made me realize, ‘Hey, I like doing more than markets,’” she said in an interview.
Ms. Burnett, 34, had once been talked about as a future candidate for one of the coveted host chairs on “Today.” Asked if she had been offered a new contract that would have included a bigger role on that show, she said NBC had presented her “with some really exciting opportunities” but said she did not know if she was allowed to comment further.
CNBC did not specify on Friday how the channel would replace Ms. Burnett, whom it hired in 2005. “We wish Erin the best and thank her for all of her quality contributions, of which there have been many,” a CNBC spokesman said after CNN’s announcement.
Reflecting her interest in breaking out of pure business news, Ms. Burnett spoke fondly about her reporting for CNBC in countries like Nigeria, India and Iran. She spent more than a week in Cairo during the recent protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak. Among attributes of CNN that appealed to her, she said, was its “incredible global platform in covering news.”
Along with her anchor role, Ms. Burnett will be the channel’s chief business and economics correspondent. “We see her role as being broader,” Mr. Jautz said, than that of another CNN anchor, Ali Velshi, who is currently its chief business correspondent but may be getting groomed for a new position with CNN.
Mr. Velshi had been anchoring CNN from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, but he has lately been on a tryout of sorts on “American Morning,” the channel’s program from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., which is undergoing a reinvention. There has been speculation inside CNN that Ms. Burnett could slide into Mr. Velshi’s time slot if he were to be named a permanent anchor on “American Morning.”
Another time slot that has been speculated about for Ms. Burnett is 7 p.m. weekdays, when “John King, USA” is televised. The show, a politically oriented program, has had low ratings since its debut about a year ago.
Ms. Burnett said she did not yet have a sense of what time slot would be best. Sounding a bit like Piers Morgan, CNN’s competitive 9 p.m. host who talks about wanting to beat his higher-rated rivals on MSNBC and Fox, she said, “I really want to do something that’s going to be exciting and is going to be No. 1.”

                                                Erin Burnett
CNN said Friday that it had hired the anchor Erin Burnett away from CNBC and was planning to develop a daily show for her that would start in the summer.

Craig Blankenhorn CNN has hired Erin Burnett away from CNBC and will develop a daily show for her.

Ken Jautz, the executive in charge of CNN/U.S., said he had not determined a time slot for Ms. Burnett’s show. But the deal to bring her to CNN was a sign of the direction Mr. Jautz, who has been on the job for six months, wants to take the channel.

He wants to emphasize “substance and depth” and make its programs more clearly delineated during the day and night, he said in an interview on Friday. “We are going to develop a show with her and for her,” Mr. Jautz said, indicating that she would not be placed into any existing program, like “American Morning” or “CNN Newsroom,” which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays with various anchors throughout the day. He would not rule out any time slot. “I’m going to keep my options open,” he said.

Ms. Burnett’s move, which was first reported on Wednesday, represents a shift for her from niche business news to general news anchoring and reporting. As one of the most prominent weekday anchors on CNBC, she currently co-anchors two morning hours and anchors one afternoon hour.
She made no secret of her interest in broadening her work beyond business news. Through an expanded deal with CNBC and NBC three years ago, she was able to substitute as a host on the “Today” show and also turned up regularly on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. “I had a lot of opportunities that made me realize, ‘Hey, I like doing more than markets,’” she said in an interview.
Ms. Burnett, 34, had once been talked about as a future candidate for one of the coveted host chairs on “Today.” Asked if she had been offered a new contract that would have included a bigger role on that show, she said NBC had presented her “with some really exciting opportunities” but said she did not know if she was allowed to comment further.
CNBC did not specify on Friday how the channel would replace Ms. Burnett, whom it hired in 2005. “We wish Erin the best and thank her for all of her quality contributions, of which there have been many,” a CNBC spokesman said after CNN’s announcement.
Reflecting her interest in breaking out of pure business news, Ms. Burnett spoke fondly about her reporting for CNBC in countries like Nigeria, India and Iran. She spent more than a week in Cairo during the recent protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak. Among attributes of CNN that appealed to her, she said, was its “incredible global platform in covering news.”
Along with her anchor role, Ms. Burnett will be the channel’s chief business and economics correspondent. “We see her role as being broader,” Mr. Jautz said, than that of another CNN anchor, Ali Velshi, who is currently its chief business correspondent but may be getting groomed for a new position with CNN.
Mr. Velshi had been anchoring CNN from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, but he has lately been on a tryout of sorts on “American Morning,” the channel’s program from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., which is undergoing a reinvention. There has been speculation inside CNN that Ms. Burnett could slide into Mr. Velshi’s time slot if he were to be named a permanent anchor on “American Morning.”
Another time slot that has been speculated about for Ms. Burnett is 7 p.m. weekdays, when “John King, USA” is televised. The show, a politically oriented program, has had low ratings since its debut about a year ago.
Ms. Burnett said she did not yet have a sense of what time slot would be best. Sounding a bit like Piers Morgan, CNN’s competitive 9 p.m. host who talks about wanting to beat his higher-rated rivals on MSNBC and Fox, she said, “I really want to do something that’s going to be exciting and is going to be No. 1.”

Donna douglas:The actress who played Elly May Clampett on the hit television series "The Beverly Hillbillies" is suing toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., claiming the company used her name and likeness for a Barbie doll without her authorization.
The federal suit filed Wednesday in Baton Rouge, La., says packaging for the "Elly May" Barbie doll features a photo of Donna Douglas portraying the character. Douglas says she never endorsed the doll or gave Mattel permission to use her name to promote its sale before the toy maker introduced the doll in December 2010.
From 1962 to 1971, Douglas appeared in all 274 episodes of the CBS comedy show about a poor family that moves to Beverly Hills after striking oil on their land.
A Mattel spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a call and e-mail seeking comment.
Douglas lives in Zachary, near Baton Rouge, and continues to make public appearances and speaking engagements in connection with the show, according to one of her attorneys, Charles von Simson.
"Depending on their age, people remember the show immediately and they remember her," he said of Douglas, now 77. "It's something she gets a lot of fan interest from."
Von Simson said Mattel made other "nostalgia dolls" of iconic TV characters, including Barbara Eden's from "I Dream of Jeannie" and the late Elizabeth Montgomery's from "Bewitched."
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order barring Mattel from using her "name, likeness, image and distinctive attributes."
In a 2009 interview with The Associated Press, Douglas said she felt at ease playing the role because, like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy.
"Elly has always been good for me," the Louisiana native said. "That was a slice out of my life, a very happy slice out of my life."

Donna douglas:The actress who played Elly May Clampett on the hit television series "The Beverly Hillbillies" is suing toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., claiming the company used her name and likeness for a Barbie doll without her authorization.
The federal suit filed Wednesday in Baton Rouge, La., says packaging for the "Elly May" Barbie doll features a photo of Donna Douglas portraying the character. Douglas says she never endorsed the doll or gave Mattel permission to use her name to promote its sale before the toy maker introduced the doll in December 2010.
From 1962 to 1971, Douglas appeared in all 274 episodes of the CBS comedy show about a poor family that moves to Beverly Hills after striking oil on their land.
A Mattel spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a call and e-mail seeking comment.
Douglas lives in Zachary, near Baton Rouge, and continues to make public appearances and speaking engagements in connection with the show, according to one of her attorneys, Charles von Simson.
"Depending on their age, people remember the show immediately and they remember her," he said of Douglas, now 77. "It's something she gets a lot of fan interest from."
Von Simson said Mattel made other "nostalgia dolls" of iconic TV characters, including Barbara Eden's from "I Dream of Jeannie" and the late Elizabeth Montgomery's from "Bewitched."
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order barring Mattel from using her "name, likeness, image and distinctive attributes."
In a 2009 interview with The Associated Press, Douglas said she felt at ease playing the role because, like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy.
"Elly has always been good for me," the Louisiana native said. "That was a slice out of my life, a very happy slice out of my life."