The 11 Most Anticipated Entertainment Options for 2011 -- Julie's Picks
December is drawing to a close which means that it is time to stop dwelling on this year's deluge of disappointing entertainment and look forward to the most promising television and film projects of 2011. Herewith, the big and small screen moments I am genuinely excited about in the coming year. As always, I'd love to hear about yours in the comments below.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Although I was disappointed to hear that David Fincher would be re-adapting Stieg Larsson's brilliant first edition of the Millennium Trilogy (since it had already been brought to screen beautifully in Sweden by Daniel Alfredson), I am anxious to see how The Social Network director translates the thriller. The Hollywood version will star Rooney Mara as the kick-ass heroine Lisbeth Salander, as well as Daniel Craig, Robin Wright, Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgård in supporting roles.
More Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
I consider myself a die hard fan of late night television but this is the only after hours program that consistently makes me laugh out loud. Honestly, I'm not really sure why Bravo exec Andy Cohen gets to host his own show, and, most important, I don't care. He drinks on-air, is genuinely delighted to have a television series (unlike most of the other hosts who are just getting through that night's shift) and makes each episode an intimate experience. And there are always plenty of WTF moments -- like the time Andy asked Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelas if they would open their marriage to him.
The Beaver
After falling in love with Kyle Killen's tragically short lived series Lone Star this year, I made a commitment to follow the scribe's career -- even into the multiplex for this controversial dark comedy starring Mel Gibson. But what I am anticipating even more than seeing how Jodie Foster filmed this former Black List script is how the studio will market this film. Will Mel Gibson, plagued by tabloid reports -- not to mention a damning anecdote of antisemitism from Winona Ryder -- be allowed to hit the talk show circuit? Will Regis nervously have to hedge around the actor's personal life? We'll find out in the spring.
No Strings Attached
Before you skip ahead, hear me out. Yes, this could be the film that single-handedly destroys Natalie Portman's shot at an Oscar for Black Swan, and no one should ever admit that they want to see a feature film starring Ashton Kutcher, but I read Elizabeth Meriwether's script for this movie sometime last year and it contains what could become my favorite line of dialogue in 2011 -- if it wasn't cut from the final edit, obviously. After a night where Kutcher's character gets violently ill after too much drinking, Portman's character says, "I've never seen anyone puke like you puked. You puked with passion. It was like watching Faulkner write As I Lay Dying." Go ahead and judge.
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Comments
I want to hug you for putting Bonnie Hunt on this list. She is awesome.
Agreed.
Also, her show was a really pleasant throwback to the Merv Griffin/Mike Douglas era of feel-good/fun celebrity chat shows, without the bombastic-bad-broadway-musical aspect that was the hallmark of the Rosie O'Donnell Show. (I caught it during a sick week home last year, and dvr'd it for the rest of it's run.) That it died so NBC affiliates could run syndicated repeats of the Real Housewives franchise is gross.