· Did you rejoice when the MPAA gave Blue Valentine an R-rating instead of its initial, prohibitive and unnecessary NC-17? Then you probably don't work for the Parents Television Council! "The inherent flaws of the MPAA ratings system were put on full-frontal display this week with Blue Valentine [...] The new rating may be correct or it may be incorrect. We don't know because we haven't screened the film. What we do know is this: the entire integrity and legitimacy of the MPAA ratings system has been compromised. There is no transparency; there is no consistency; and there is no accountability -- unless you are a wealthy producer who can afford to hire the biggest legal guns in the nation and wage a massive PR campaign." The statement goes on to include a solution to this mess: Stricter ratings to protect children. Because if The Simpsons taught us anything, it's that everything is always about the children. [THR]
· Speaking of children! Miley Cyrus celebrated her 18th birthday by being filmed smoking out of a bong. According to a "source connected with Miley," the contents of said bong were actually just a "natural herb called salvia, which has psychedelic qualities." Kids these days. For what it's worth, possession of salvia is legal in California. Click through for the video. [TMZ]
· 40 years later, Jim Morrison was given a posthumous pardon by the state of Florida for his criminal acts of indecent exposure and profanity during at 1969 concert. It's the thought that counts. [NYT]
· How do you know How Do You Know cost entirely too much money? Because there are articles being written about how much money it cost. The James L. Brooks film -- which hits theaters next week -- apparently cost upward of $120 million ($100 million after tax breaks) because, among other reasons, every star got their quoted price, and Brooks did reshoots on the beginning and ending. Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? [THR]
· Movieline beffie Jesse Eisenberg will co-star with the adorable Jess Weixler and Jason Ritter in the indie comedy Free Samples. [The Wrap]
· Today in things that will probably never happen: Ryan Gosling says that he and Drive director Nicholas Winding Refn are talking about doing a franchise that's "part of pop culture." As awesome as that probably would be, don't hold your breath. [The Playlist]
· Despite having almost 17 million fewer likes on Facebook, former president George W. Bush has more active fans than Barack Obama. On the plus side, Obama is ahead of Starbucks. America! [HuffPo]