Shimmying and shaking like a “hippy” with a cool back up band, Megan sang in French and preened in front of all his colleageus for his surprise birthday party. It’s nights like this where those who didn’t wish they were Don, had another reason to hate him.

 

The two are set to work together again, but this time, it’s Turturro who wrote the script and will be directing the film. Woody has signed on for a pivotal supporting role in the independent film, “Fading Gigolo”. TV sex siren, Sofia Vergara is also in the cast as is the ever lovely Sharon Stone , who had been attached to the project from the start.

The plot sounds a bit like HBO’s recently departed, “Hung”.  Turturro’s character is broke and with the help of his best friend, (Allen) he gets into the gigolo business. (Actually sounds more like a Jewish “Midnight Cowboy” or a high-brow “Duece Bigalow”.) Allen’s character, named Bongo, pimps out Turturro who eventually falls for a yet to be cast Jewish widow. (Where’s Fran Drescher when you need her? ) Sharon Stone will play Allen’s dermatologist/client. Vergara apparently is another wealthy client who wants to have a threeway with Turturro and Stone. Ahem.

They start filming next month. This is already interesting.

Their biggest hit is called “Barbara Striesand” and it’s an homage to the Diva herself, but also a tribute to the people of New York. You may recognize the music as it was part of a nationwide ad campaign for Vitamin Water.

We’re going to share two videos by Duck Sauce, but must warn you that the second video, “Big Bad Wolf” is pretty outrageous and definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK.  There should be other warnings extended as well, but they would probably only inspire you….

BARBARA STRIESAND

BIG BAD WOLF (we warned you)

Best Picture

The Artist  (We just don’t understand the appeal. Old story, boringly conveyed. )
The Descendants  (Clooney did better elsewhere)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Met anyone who liked this? We neither)
The Help (Possible surprise winner here)
Hugo ( Let Nickelodeon give it an award)
Midnight in Paris (Most entertaining of the bunch. Won’t win)
Moneyball (Any other year and it wouldn’t be here)
The Tree of Life (An Oscar goes to the person who understood this.)
War Horse (More schmaltz than in any ten butcher shops)

Actor in a Leading Role

Demian Bichir – A Better Life (Apparently he couldn’t believe he was nominated either!)
George Clooney – The Descendants (See above, then see Ides of March)
Jean Dujardin – The Artist (If there were an award for Best Use of Eyebrows)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Best in the crowd, won’t win)
Brad Pitt – Moneyball (Any other year, he wouldn’t be here)

Actress in a Leading Role 

Viola Davis – The Help (If it wasn’t for Meryl, this is your winner)
Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs (Not enough people saw this, plus the Meryl thing)
Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Deserves some praise)
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady (Like watching a slugger during batting practice)
Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn (Deserves some praise, some will find it more compelling to impersonate Thatcher than Marilyn)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn (More like a cameo role)
Jonah Hill – Moneyball (Any other year he wouldn’t be here. Perhaps his last film at over 200 lbs)
Nick Nolte – Warrior (As in HBO’s Luck, it’s Nolte’s world-weary face that deserves some sort of award).
Christopher Plummer – Beginners  (This is one of the rare times the guy who should win…can).
Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close  (The folks in the silent movie, The Artist, had more lines. A great actor getting some props)

Actress in a Supporting Role 

Berenice Bejo – The Artist (Best use of a mole. Very pretty, can’t wait until she’s in something entertaining)
Jessica Chastain – The Help (Busiest actress in the world. Should get some attention but not for this)
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs (Outside chance to win due to late PR push. She was every bit as convincing as a man as Close, if not more so.)
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids (She won’t win, but if she did, it would be fabulous. Whatever the case, she’s the breakout movie comedy star of the year)
Octavia Spencer – The Help (Will split votes with Chastain)

Directing 

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (A win here sends the wrong message)
Alexander Payne – The Descendants (The Academy loves this guy for his smarts)
Martin Scorsese – Hugo (This would send the wrong message to Mr. Scorsese)
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris (This would be nice, but doubtful).
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (The fact that no one understood the movie should hurt. Got great performances out of Chastain and Pitt)

Animated Feature Film 

A Cat in Paris (not familiar)
Chico & Rita (not familiar)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (too familiar)
Puss in Boots  (Is this the only way we’re going to get Banderas? How much money do you suppose Mike Myers gets every time one of these things gets spit out?)
Rango (Best thing Johnny Depp has been involved with in a while. Great animation with a fair story. Of all the movies on this list, it’s the most likely to have any DVD shelf-life)

Make up  (Strong year for this! Note that the horrendous make up used on DiCaprio for J.Edger didn’t even warrant a nomination).

Albert Nobbs (Validates the “less is more” camp)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (consistently good)
The Iron Lady (The winner. Hard to deny the impact of the make up on the movie)

Music (Original Score)

The Adventures of Tintin (Should be part of the Indiana Jones collection)
The Artist (Nothing you couldn’t hear in an elevator)
Hugo  (Likely to win. Not as forgettable as Tin Tin or War Horse)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Unlikely to win anything but this is definitely a soundtrack you’ll want to buy. Lovely 60′s tunes)

They’ve created a young character called Neal whose fetish for the savory goodness has him utterly consumed. The commercials that show him getting married to a slice of bacon are fairly disappointing when compared to the efforts of their spokesman and founder, the big white ball-headed, Jack.

Beyond an emphasis on all items that sport pieces of bacon, the franchise has also launched what they refer to as a “secret” item.

The Bacon Milkshake.

The savvy customer will need to know to ask for, for it won’t appear on any of the Jack in the Box menus. It’s also a product that will enjoy a limited run, hoping to enjoy the same popularity of McDonald’s periodic blockbuster, McRibb. A spokesman for the fast food giant has indicated that there will be a limited number of these shakes available per location and that it’s unclear at this time how long it will last.

Jack in the Box is proud to present…The Bacon Milkshake!

Perhaps not the healthiest choice you could make. The 16-ounce shake has 773 calories and 40 grams of fat. The 24-ouncer boasts 1,081 calories and 54 grams of fat.  Please note, the shake is made with bacon-flavored syrup — instead of the blended bacon.

Bourdain may not approve, but a positive review can be found.

This performance may very well be the best in the show’s 9 year history. Enjoy Mr. Jacob Lusk singing Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need To Get By.”