Scanner : academy awards

This Week in Gayness: The Homecoming Drag Queen

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:38:00 GMT

Some gay rights bloggers were concerned about the presence of Jerry Lewis on the Oscar stage.

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District Supreme Court decision, which upheld free speech rights for students. The Gay News blog looks at how much has changed since then (spoiler: nothing.)

According to the Guardian, some evangelicals appear to be growing more receptive to the gays and lesbians in their midst.

More on that Focus on the Family vs. Charlotte, North Carolina story we mentioned last week.

The Log Cabin Republicans are going after that slimy new RNC chairman. Here's hoping for a split.

George Mason University senior Ryan Allen was awarded the title of Homecoming Queen at a sold-out basketball game on Saturday, thanks to his 12-inch heels and infamous local drag queen act.

As we mentioned earlier, Sean Penn was named Best Actor and Dustin Lance Black won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Milk. Both made speeches related to the Prop 8 fight in California. Here's a story about Dustin's speech airing in India, where it may have been censored in a rebroadcast of the ceremony.

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Beyonce Stuns Lone Oscar Viewer With Nipple Slip

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:39:00 GMT

You know what would have made this ten-years-too-late "tribute to the musical" dance sequence, which Beyonce apparently lip-synched her way through? A nipple slip.

In fact, we would've gone in for any nipple slip, wardrobe malfunction, or giant crotch bulge-- even Mickey Rourke's-- if it had guaranteed the show was worth three-and-a-half hours of our time. It turns out, there was a nipple slip, although every single person in the world missed it... except for one photographer...

Click on the photo for a new tab/window with the full-size picture.

Ah... we were wondering why Hugh Jackman seemed so aroused during the dance... we had wrongly assumed it was because musicals are so sexy.

Via unknown photographer.

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[Pre-Recorded] Live Blogging From the Oscars Red Carpet

Emily Farris — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:02:00 GMT

Our not-so-slutty sisters over at The Remote Island live-blogged last night's red carpet parade. Best line of the night: "Marisa Tomei's dress is proof positive that you can do folded catering napkin chic and rock it out."

VIA THE REMOTE ISLAND: 5:53 PM The Slumdog choreographer is teaching Debbie Matenopoulis bollywood dance moves. We're taking odds on how many segments like this we'll see before the night is out. We're putting the over under at 2.5

Debbie seems over the whole thing after about ten seconds even though the segment continues for another six minutes. "Jai Ho" keeps playing as they cut to every other E! correspondent and crew member following along with the double basketball move.

Read more...

PapSmeared: Zac Efron Covers the Butt

Emily Farris — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:22:00 GMT

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Watch Jennifer Aniston Googly-Eye Brad Pitt

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Besides Philippe Petit balancing an Oscar on his chin [see this post], the Oscars were almost entirely forgettable. Here's a moment, however, that you may have missed: watch Jennifer Aniston lock eyes with Brad and Angelina, starting somewhere after the 25 second mark.

Note that they are sitting in the front row and to Aniston's left... and that the camera mysteriously cuts off Brad Pitt's face, so we can't see what he's thinking... or maybe that's just bad YouTube bootleggin'... either way, apparently, this is what the internet is talking about this morning.

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Scanner Predicts the 2009 Academy Award Winners

While You Were Sleeping: Westboro Stoops To New Low, Falls On Its Face

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:08:00 GMT

Dolly Parton has come to rescue Jessica Simpson, although we think it's a bit late for that now.

Mike Myers and Paris Hilton won several insulting awards over the weekend.

Ladies, don't despair: your best sex comes in your forties.

Thanks to this kid, the porn thief has been captured.

Is it better to be unemployed than to have a job in your 20s as an obit writer? In Florida?

Three Westboro Wackos were routed from protesting the Flight 3407 disaster-- and they didn't even need to use violence.

Nicole Richie is pregnant again.

Here's your idiot Republican of the day: a Senator who offhandedly predicted Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg will be dead within the year.

Although it was snubbed for Best Song (why? why? there were only three song nominees this year!) and, ultimately, a Best Actor statue, The Wrestler won Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. More about the event here.

One of the worst-ever Academy Awards ended last night with Slumdog Millionaire moseying up the podium with its main cast in tow. The big upset was Sean Penn's win for Best Actor, which some are already calling an apology for their Prop 8 votes. (If they wanted to do that, why didn't they vote for Milk for Best Picture? That would have been a much better judgment call, plus Mickey Rourke has never won an Oscar and was almost equally deserving.) To read the complete list of winners, click here.

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Scanner Predicts the 2009 Academy Award Winners

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:56:00 GMT

In this week's New York Magazine, prediction guru Nate Silver made some oddball predictions, choosing mathematical calculations done on his computer instead of using common sense. We were baffled by one of his chooses, while he wisely stayed away from all of the categories in which the race is too close to call.

We are going to be a bit more courageous here and will take on the crazy Academy in the only way how: by thinking like an Academy voter, a person who doesn't see any of the nominated movies and just vote for whatever the hype machine tells them to. (Hint: This isn't Josh Brolin's year.)

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire, easy. Nate Silver agrees. Will anyone even be tuned in at 4:30a.m. Monday when they finally get to this predictable category? They might've been, if this wasn't the worst and most uninspiring crop of best movie nominees since Titanic faced off against... what were those other ones again?

Best Director: Yawn. Gus Van Sant loses again.

Best Actress: Does Meryl Streep really need a third Oscar statue? Has anyone even heard that Doubt is any good, let alone seen it, loved it, and thought Meryl the best of this year's many great leads? Give it to Kate Winslet, for God's sake-- she's long overdue, especially for Heavenly Creatures, Sense and Sensibility, and that Poseidon Adventure remake-- no, no, the other one.

Best Actor: When you strip all the hype away, Sean Penn might've had the better performance in Milk. But you will lose the Oscar pool this year if you bet against Mickey Rourke...

Best Supporting Actress: Here's where Nate Silver cannot possibly be right. He calls it for Taraji P. Henson for Benjamin Button, in a role that might be described as "a one-dimensional stock African-American female overworked, 'oh Lawdy' character that went out with the Civil Rights era, and a hideously offensive caricature even in the 1930s, when this type first showed up on our screens."

Penélope Cruz, who won the BAFTA for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, would seem the logical default. But computer sez: Benjamin Button’s Taraji P. Henson! Button, which looks like a shutout everywhere else, is the only Best Picture nominee with a Supporting Actress nod, and Best Pic nominees tend to have an edge in the other categories.

That's not thinking like a racist (sorry, but it's true) Academy voter-- there are two black women nominated in this category and only has hype on her side: Viola Davis for Doubt. Meanwhile, Penelope has all the hype, buzz, momentum, whatever you want to call it. Oh, and she's famous-- that can't hurt.

Best Supporting Actor: Apparently, there's some guy named Heath Ledger nominated for one of those Hollywood action movies. The oracle says he may pull off an upset here...

And on to the really competitive categories, which Silver doesn't dwell on:

Best Documentary: Either the Academy didn't consider Waltz With Bashir a documentary or it thought the print was "too loud." That leaves Man on Wire and Encounters at the End of the World, plus longshot Trouble the Water, to duke it out while you head for a bathroom break. While we'd rather hear a long-overdue Werner Herzog acceptance speech (until now, he was the best director never nominated for an Oscar in any category), it looks like Philip Petite will walk a tightrope to the podium with the makers of the documentary about his high-wire act between the Twin Towers. While Man on Wire is a fascinating, even riveting film, it left many unanswered questions, like the typical suspense-thriller it's styled after. Encounters was a tighter, more focused, and ultimately more rewarding experience. Of course, there's something to be said for Trouble the Water, basically a home movie about Katrina that's taken the festival circuit by storm... but we're getting sidetracked.

Best Foreign Film: Waltz with Bashir. France dropped the ball on The Secret of the Grain (we're pretty sure it was in the running to be the country's official selection for the Oscars), choosing to promote the unfulfilling and pointless school drama The Class as its movie of the year. That officially doomed their chances of taking home a trophy-- Waltz will waltz home with the prize.

Here is Silver's original rundown, plus indieWire's superior list of predictions along with a "who should win" for each category that we agree with almost 100%.

Leo's Girlfriend is a Sports Illustrated Cover Girl

And the Critics Choice Award Goes To...

Mr. Skin's 2009 Naked Oscar Nominees Are Here, Free and Uncensored

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:52:00 GMT

Excuse the terrible headline, but we're rushing to be the first to take down The Man (Mr. Skin) by revealing his Top 5 Naked 2009 Academy Award Nominees in all their free and uncensored glory...

Earlier this week, the Hollywood nude database announced the famed annual list of naked Oscar nominees (of the ten females in acting categories, only Viola Davis has had a nude-free career.) Of course, there was an accompanying video with little Skin-heads over the naughty bits... but we'll take them away just for you, for free. You can't see this anywhere else... well, unless you do an exhaustive internet search that takes hours of our time, like we did...

5. Anne Hathaway - Havoc, nominated this year for Best Actress for Rachel Getting Married. Warning: this sex scene is disturbing, even in this chopped-up version.

4. Melissa Leo - Streetwalkin' (Best Actress - Frozen River) Although we couldn't find the topless scene Mr. Skin mentions, here's another scene with Leo showing some other parts of her award-winning anatomy, plus another funny "sex" scene from The Three Burials... movie, in which Dwight Yoakam remains in his socks. Classic.

3. Penelope Cruz - Elegy (Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.) Why hadn't we heard of this before? It stars Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, and Patricia Clarkson, and features two of those three in the buff (guess which?) Also, it's based on a forgettable Philip Roth bestseller from only a few years ago. Did we mention Penelope is topless for what seems like all of the movie's two hour running time? Guess we'll have our answers on March 17th, when it Elegy comes to DVD.

2. Kate Winslet - The Reader (Best Actress for the same.) We haven't seen this movie, but the fact that we've heard it called one of the worst movies ever nominated for Best Picture and "without a doubt the foulest film about the Holocaust" leads us to believe that having checked out Winslet's three nude scenes online is more than enough torture for one year. By the way, since this film is still on theaters, this is a bootleg of a bootleg, so the quality is understandably low.

1. Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler (Best Supporting Actress for the same.) This nude scene has been played to death on Scanner's pages, but hey, this isn't our list. Use the link below to check out the many other great clips from her wonderful career.

Marisa Tomei NUDE Stripper Performance in 'The Wrestler'

Top 5 Salma Hayek Sex Scenes

Top 5 Sex Scenes Starring Angelina Jolie

Amber Heard Finally Nails Her Breakthrough With This Sex Scene

While You Were Sleeping: Oscar Upsets?

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:08:00 GMT

As Emily would say, with a headline like this, you don't need a story: woman stops bullet with her hair weave.

We saw a surprisingly riveting and ultimately transcendent Leonard Cohen concert last night, his first in 15 years. If you have any interest in seeing him, he'll be at Coachella, as well as a string of U.S. and Canadian venues, in April and May.

A photo of Rihanna taken shortly after Chris Brown's arrest seems to confirm the original, horrifying story. (Note: This is not a direct link to the photo. To do that, click on the word TMZ when you get to MTV's story about the photo-- but don't say we didn't warn you.)

Can Melissa Leo pull off an upset at the Oscars? Can Meryl Streep... or anyone? Seriously, in any category. Surprise us-- Werner Herzog takes the Best Documentary statue... Milk takes the top prize from that enjoyable, predictable, far-from-art picture Slumdog Millionaire.

Speaking of the Oscars, the guy who sells pills to Mickey Rourke's character in The Wrestler has been arrested on a similar charge. Prior to his capture, he rammed three cop cars-- now, that's what we call "roid rage." Har har.

What's worse? Our story about the fifth-grade girl who traded sex with a drug dealer for some of his pot or these kids, busted at the age of eight for heroin possession?

Dita Von Teese lied: she was never celibate after her marriage. We knew all along, from personal experience, of course.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will continue their hiatus, while Simon and Garfunkel are getting back together.

Let's end on a feel-good story for a change. How about these generous and wonderful New Mexicans, eh?

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And The Nominees Are... and Should've Been...

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:51:00 GMT

At the crack of dawn this morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its usually confounding, bizarre, idiotic, and trite little list of Oscar nominees.

This year, we have to say we agree with most-- and we use that word with great hesitation-- of their choices...

Best Actor: This is pretty much the only perfect set of nominees in the whole show. Jenkins, Pitt, Rourke, Penn, and Langella were the five best leading male performances of the year. Congratulations to the Academy-- they finally got something right.

Best Actress: Inarguably the biggest snub of the year in any category, the omission of Sally Hawkins' unforgettable, Golden Globe-winning performance in Happy Go Lucky is almost reason enough to boycott the boring-ass show right here. At least indie actress Melissa Leo was rewarded, but still...

Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress: Pretty solid here-- Michael Shannon, Heath Ledger, Viola Davis, and Penelope Cruz are all award-worthy and are nominated.

Documentary Feature: The biggest surprise of all-- the Academy actually rewarded a micro-budget classic that hasn't had any publicity of any kind (Trouble the Water), plus Werner Herzog's Encounters At the End of the World, one of the year's best films in any category, and the endlessly popular Man on Wire.

Foreign Film: Waltz With Bashir and, surprisingly enough, The Class are both represented, but it baffles us why the Academy would overlook the year's third-best film overall, The Secret of the Grain, an absolutely riveting account of one family's attempt to open its own business. It's devastating and uplifting at the same time-- what could be more Oscar worthy?

Best Picture: Now we come to the tricky part. While we're relieved to see Milk represented here, seeing as its the year's best film, we're more than worried that this is going to be Benjamin Button's year. We'd be satisfied if a predictable, ridiculous, and still incredibly entertaining film like Slumdog Millionaire wins, but God forbid the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Forrest Gump wannabe with its endless running time, pointless storyline, trivial anecdotal plotting, and racial stereotypes we thought Hollywood had gotten over in the 1930s wins a majority of the 13 categories its nominated in. (We could go on for hours longer about this Brad Pitt film, but the real problem is the fact that it's so widely praised; if it had been a bomb, we might even get behind it, for at least it was mildly amusing at times.) And don't even get us started on The Reader...

You can read the rest of the nominations here.

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We Nominate... Marisa Tomei For Best Supporting Nipple Rings

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:31:00 GMT

It doesn't seem that long ago that Marisa Tomei's career was made and simultaneously ruined by her winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for My Cousin Vinny. We saw "ruined" because the backlash began before she even took the stage-- with many saying Jack Palance had read the wrong name and many more claiming Tomei didn't deserve it either way, since her performance and role were "slight."

While these are, we have to admit, not entirely unfair (the fact that Judy Davis did not win unanimously is one of the great snubs of all time), they should not have stuck with Tomei for so long. Witness her brutal and affecting performance in 2007's violent caper film Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Plus, her inspired comic turn in The Slums of Beverly Hills and other indie films of note.

If it takes these uncensored topless scenes from The Wrestler to restore her standing among Hollywood's finest actors, so be it...

Marisa Tomei NUDE Stripper Performance in 'The Wrestler'

Did you catch how the was able to express her character's unhappiness in very subtle ways in that one on-stage strip scene (the one where Mickey Rourke hands her a piece of paper at the end)? That's true acting-- we can't even see her face for most of the take, yet we can sense her misery just in her back and arms...

By the way, if you haven't seen The Wrestler-- go check it out immediately or demand your local theater get a print pronto.

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Tina Fey Tells Everyone to 'Suck it' at the Golden Globes

Scanner Matt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:11:00 GMT

After winning a best actress trophy for "30 Rock," Fey thanked the people who support her, but told others to, well, "suck it".

Here she is in all her glory:

Though Tracy Morgan was funnier:

And Sacha Baron Cohen takes a nice shot at Madonna:

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And the Critics Choice Award Goes To...

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:44:00 GMT

At last night's Critic's Choice Awards, Slumdog Millionaire continued its improbable road to the Oscars, capturing Best Picture, Director, Young Actor, and Musical Score.

While Slumdog Millionaire continues to scoop up major awards, Milk is left to languish-- or, um, spoil. And even though it would be impossible to watch both films back to back and not consider Milk the greater work of art, by a landslide, it appears Slumdog is now the leader in this horse race for the most trophies. (The only Golden Globe nomination Gus Van Sandt's biopic has received is for Sean Penn as best actor. Ouch-- not even best screenplay?)

But there's one category we can all agree on... and that's best supporting actor...

Last night, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Heath Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Robert Downey, Jr. duked it out for closely-watched prize. Check out what happened, it's a pretty emotional moment:

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AFI's Lame Top Ten 2008 Movie List

Scanner Matt — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:28:00 GMT

Maybe The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is telling us something. Americans grow up to be children (who think superhero flicks and fancy cartoons deserve critical acclaim). Yet another list of the "best" movies of 2008. This time from the American Film Institue.

Is it us or were last year's picks (with the exception of Ratatouille) far more interesting? And no Slumdog Millionaire? No Doubt? This list is only 40% right in our opinion.

AFI AWARDS 2008

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

THE DARK KNIGHT

FROST/NIXON

FROZEN RIVER

GRAN TORINO

IRON MAN

MILK

WALL•E

WENDY AND LUCY

THE WRESTLER

We'll throw in the TV list too:

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

BREAKING BAD

IN TREATMENT

JOHN ADAMS

LIFE

LOST

MAD MEN

THE OFFICE

RECOUNT

THE SHIELD

THE WIRE

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While You Were Sleeping: Sarah Palin Likes Short Shorts

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:08:00 GMT

Academy Awards season started up with the shortlisting of 15 feature documentaries, which includes "Man on a Wire" and films by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris. We're rooting for Encounters At the End of the World.

The lead singer of the Vines is battling the effects of his autism and the band has canceled all their upcoming shows.

There will be a female Secretary of State after all: According to the Guardian, Hillary Clinton was offered and has accepted the Secretary of State cabinet post, which opens up a whole new can of worms, not to mention a Senate seat in our current state of residence.

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.
Obama's advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton's foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.
Clinton would be well placed to become the country's dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

The New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend may be awesome enough for you to make a trip here: Keith Olbermann, Lewis Black, Patti Smith, Salman Rushdie, the cast of The Closer, and a rumored appearance by Tom Cruise caught our attention..

Here's why we're the biggest nerds: the first thing we notice about these photos, taken of Sarah Palin (allegedly) boozing it up at a Miami hotel, isn't those short shorts, but the copy of USA Today in her hand. Sarah! USA Today is not hard to remember-- how come you couldn't name that as a newspaper you actually read?

More photos here.

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The 50 Sexiest Movies of All-Time: 50-41

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:41:00 GMT

This summer, we gave you the 50 Sexiest Albums of All-Time in an effort to help the music industry's sluggish sales numbers. Now, we present an even sexier compendium-- complete with a few NSFW scenes to warm up your November afternoon-- as well as background and trivia and everything else that we can think of to convince you to rent these the next time you want to seduce somebody...

The 50 Sexiest Movies of All Time: 50-41

50. The Seven Year Itch. Backstory: What more do you need than this, Marilyn Monroe's famous subway grate encounter? Trivia: It has the Joe DiMaggio Seal of Disapproval-- the scene was so sexy, her husband (that guy from the Mrs. Robinson song) fled and never came back. Irnoically, the skirt blowing up? Deleted from the movie itself. Luckily, the rest of the film is brimming with unconsummated sexuality.

49. Casablanca. Backstory: Not even the sexiest movie from 1943, this earns its place here for the most romantic scene in movie history, in our opinion. Watching Bogie decide to do the right thing and send the love of his life off on a plane with her husband is so damn manly of him that, at the mere reminder of this moment, our gonads hang in shame. Trivia: The original ending came very closed to being changed thank to the Allied invasion of Casablanca just before the film was to be released.

48. Cruel Intentions. Backstory: Is it wrong to choose this over Les Liaisons Dangereuses, its predecessor? No, for while Liaisons did have a notable sex scene featuring the breasts of Uma Thurman, it also featured the tongue of John Malkovich and didn't really capture our (sexual) interest throughout. Oddly enough, the sinister and more overt incestuous teasing Sarah Michelle Gellar puts Ryan Phillipe through kept us glued to this otherwise merely grade-B adaptation of the famed French novel. Trivia: The sequel was originally planned as a TV series called Manchester Prep; here's how bad it was: when Fox decided it was too risque for their radical right-wing mindsets, the producers simply slapped the first three episodes together, added a nude scene, and released it straight to video. Yep, it's that good... [NSFW naughtiness starting after the 40-second mark.]

47. Midnight Cowboy. Backstory: If you're over the age of 12, you've hopefully done your civic duty and watched the only (then-)rated X movie to win Best Picture. If you haven't, stop reading and add it to your queue at once. If you've already seen it, then you know the hilarious sex scenes and sexual tension between Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are only two of the reasons it helped to usher in a new dawn of gritty Hollywood filmmaking. Trivia: The film's famous party scene includes actual Warhol Superstars and the script was written by the great blacklisted writer Waldo Salt.

46. Flashdance. Backstory: While dancing in a lousy Pittsburgh bar and dreaming of studying at a nearby conservatory, Jennifer Beals meets the owner of a steel mill, where she also works. The two gradually fall in love... and yeah, you read Cinderella? You're tired of bad 80s music? Then you don't need this film. What you do need is this clip below... Trivia: The script was co-written by Joe Eszterhas, who went on to pen Showgirls and Basic Instinct.

45. Body Heat. Backstory: Hey, remember when Kathleen Turner used to be hot? We don't either-- although many people swear by the steamy Southern tale of murder, betrayal, and other cliched Hollywood plot twists. Trivia: Who cares about trivia? Watch this scene of unrestrained animal lust, which almost makes you forget it involves William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. [NSFW almost immediately.]

44. No Way Out. Backstory: Sean Young's character is so magnificiently attractive, not only does Kevin Costner risk life and life to sleep with her, but Gene Hackman ends up doing a terrible thing in rage because of her. (We won't say what it is, but here's a hint: they give it away on the back cover of the DVD, those idiots.) Trivia: This is the only film on this list that includes a sex scene in a movie vehicle. Also, nobody ever looked as good as Sean Young (!) does in that early party scene. Never ever. [NSFW almost immediately.]

43. Goldfinger. Backstory: It's fucking James Bond, yo, so there's your backstory. This is the one with Pussy Galore and all her hot young pilots, Shirley Eaton wearing only gold body paint, plus Sean Connery at his peak. Trivia: The Aston Martin spy car was introduced in this film and was such a successful inclusion it insured many films had donated product placements from them on.

42. Bound. Backstory: Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon make sex movie, yas. Trivia: This movie had a major cult following in the days before internet porn took off, and probably still does to this day. At one time, the phenomenon reached such a fever pitch, the following clip topped several Best Sex Scene Polls. The rest of the movie is pretty randy, too. [NSFW starting around the 4-minute mark.]

41. Bull Durham. Backstory: Who knew North Carolinans had such hot sex and great minor league sports teams? Trivia: The sex was so spectacular, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon decided to keep it going in real life... and they still do, or so we're told. Also, if you look closely, the note that Costner sends over to Sarandon doesn't say “I want to make love to you.” It says, “Wanna fuck this time?” And one more: Kurt Russell, who played minor league ball at one time, was originally set to star. [NSFW starts after a few minutes, then continues through two consecutive sex scenes.]

To be continued... your suggestions, as always, are welcome in the comments section.

Top 5 Sex Scenes From TV Shows

Top 5 Lesbian Sex Scenes

Lizzy Caplan And Her HBO Porn Show Still Terrible, Terribly Hot

Hot Teacher Caught After Three-Year Affair With Female Student

I Love Myself For Loving You: Amy Ryan

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:13:00 GMT

She deserved an Oscar for Gone Baby Gone. She was on our favorite show of all time, The Wire. And she's a New Yorker who doesn't act like "the quintessential New Yorker" (i.e. impersonal, egotistical, etc.)

For these and many more reasons, we might actually buy the New York Post this Sunday...

These are excerpts from excerpts from this Sunday's Page Six Magazine with one of our favorite working actresses (and thank God for the "working" part of it...)

On NBC's The Office: “I think it’s one of the funniest shows on TV. I felt so lucky to go [to work and] laugh my head off. I’ve been guaranteed to screw up at least three takes a day, ruining my makeup in the process by crying with laughter – that’s how funny the cast is.”
“I guess I should have just done a reality show, gone out in dresses without my panties and skipped the years of hard work- then everyone would know who I am. Being a working actor was always the goal. It wasn’t about fame for me. But now that I’m older, and I’ve been at it a while, I’m ready for the attention. I think I’ve earned it.”

On Gone Baby Gone: “The role was like winning the lottery. I had been playing scratch-offs for years and finally the stars aligned for me. I was up against incredible actresses like Cate Blanchett, Ruby Dee and Tilda Swinton. Are you kidding me? Of course I didn’t expect to win!”
“I grew up in the same house in Queens my dad grew up in. My family keeps me grounded and deeply rooted in New York. There’s no chance of me getting a big head.”
“I never envisioned a white dress with rice being pelted at my head, [but] I do understand the beauty of choosing life with one person." [There's still hope for you and I, Ms. Ryan...]
“I’m a Barack Obama supporter. He has the knowledge, work ethic and charisma needed to make a change. I don’t think anyone should vote based on what a celebrity has to say, but come Election Day, I hope others agree with me.”

Nope... we couldn't love her more. See the full interview in this Sunday's Page Six Magazine. There, we said it: we want you to read the Post.

Image via W Magazine.

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Cloris Leachman Makes Bad Reality Show Halfway Watchable, Sexy

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:10:00 GMT

82-year-old Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Cloris Leachman has taken our popular culture by storm with her latest comeback role... on a reality show.

Leachman, who starred in Young Frankenstein and on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, is back in the spotlight again after surviving four elimination rounds on Dancing With the Stars, a show she was, according to today's New York Times, the star was rejected from twice...

If you can't understand why we'd find an 82-year-old still sexy, check out this excerpt from the Times story. Speaking to a male reporter on what she might do next:

“I could get pregnant,” she said in an interview in her trailer, where, completely coincidentally, she insisted on changing out of her ballroom gown in front of a reporter. “I’ve got a bit of time before my next project. Maybe I’ll be on ‘American Idol.’ ” [New York Times]

What idiot was it that said "only men get better with age?" Whoever it was, they've just been proved completely wrong...

Here's Leachman in 1971's the Last Picture Show, in which she somehow makes prim and plain look sexy as hell...

Warning: You probably shouldn't watch this at work.

I Love Myself For Loving You: Patricia Clarkson

Today in WTF: Ex-Candidate For Kentucky Gov. Arrested For Sex Offenses After Obvious Joke

Move Over Lazy Young People, Persephone Lewin's Day Puts Yours To Shame

True Blood's Anna Paquin In First (True) Nude Scene

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:49:00 GMT

Without The Wire, Sex and the City, and the Sopranos, and with Curb Your Enthusiasm and Flight of the Conchords between seasons, HBO is in a tough spot. How do they replicate their incredible (and well-deserved) success with the newer shows?

Somebody had the right idea: vampires, Anna Paquin, and rampant nudity...

The above is an exclusive still from the video, which is available here for download and here to watch in three bite-size and disappointing parts.

It's better to just peek at the pictures and wish this weren't some Grade-Z softcore porn sex scene, which is way less than what a talented and beautiful Academy Award winner deserves. (We're betting HBO realizes that and they're just getting warmed up... after all, this is still True Blood's first season. Hopefully, we'll have more clips to show you soon...)

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Scanner Roundtable: What Did We Think About The DNC & Obama's Speech?

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:01:00 GMT

According to the Huffington Post, Nielsen says that, in addition to the 80,000 people who saw the speech in person, 38 million people watched Obama the nomination last night on television, "more... than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final American Idol or the Academy Awards this year."

Well, John McCain's nap could beat the Academy Awards any day, but the real question is: what did we think of the speech?

Early reports are glowing-- at least from the media. But they don't know a damn thing about the public, as evidenced by every story about the election up until Iowa, their wrong guesses on what Obama would say last night, etc. etc.

If you're like us and think the Democratic leadership is generally made up of whimps who have to play nice with a guy who doesn't play nice back, check out this relatively amusing (although pretty thin) John McCain Honorable Attack Generator.

Image via Code Pink.

Barack Obama Takes It to the Hole in a Pair of Very Short Shorts

Into The Wild: The Last of the Democratic Delegates

Classy Hillary Clinton Nominates Obama To The Tearful Strains Of Her Supporters' Hand Claps

I Love Myself For Hating You: Paul Dano

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:28:00 GMT

This post was written by Sean Flanagan, who is filling in for Verena...

I hate Paul Dano, straight up. I’m sorry, kid's a douchebag.

I have had the unfortunate experience of sharing two classrooms with Paul Dano, star of There Will Be Blood and other recent hits. The kid is a shitbag, and film classes at Eugene Lang College in New York? Not exactly the biggest stressor I have ever encountered. More like, if you have seen enough movies, you have the basis to geek out and talk about it.

Paul Dano, though, sucked the life out of the room. Then when he had to do reshoots for Little Miss Sunshine, he was forced to skip finals. Not only was he passed along, with his finals taken care of for him, he got several EXTRA credits for being a working professional.

Another semester, roughly one year later, it happened again. Instead of midterms or attending class, he had to go to L.A. for the Academy Awards.

Then the Nylon (for Guys) article came out. Maybe the writer is a shit, but it begins in the largest sense of douche I’ve ever read:

A street corner in New York’s unassuming Tompkins Square Park isn’t the first place one would expect an actor to suggest meeting for an interview, but then, Paul Dano isn’t what you would expect of an actor.

Seriously. Hipster Manhattan Bar zone... is a surprise? They go on to meet in… a coffee shop. And discuss the pressures of impending fame.
Now, Paul Dano has added another modern film “genius” to his resume: Ang Lee is joining the roster of Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson, Todd Solondz and Richard Linklater.

Taking Woodstock is the next film, A comedic period piece (what Ang Lee seems to do best) regarding how the famous Woodstock festival came to be.

Rolling Stone defines it as being the true story of

Elliot Tiber [Demitri Martin], who inadvertently played a pivotal role in Woodstock when he offered his family’s Catskills hotel to organizers as a home base, while his neighbor Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy) offered his farm”

I was supposed to work on this film. The day I didn’t get it, Paul Dano was cast. Meanwhile, Todd Solondz was about to cast a friend of mine in his next film, Life During Wartime; he went with Paul Dano. Dano has worked with, and quite often sucked the oxygen away from some of my favorite actors (Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams come to mind.)

So, Paul Dano, who has also joined a band in apparent lack of ability to express himself, you are my archenemy. You are joining the ranks of Gwen Paltrow and Morgan Freeman. Stay out of my way and don’t career cock block me and I will try to stop telling everyone I meet how useless of a human being you are.

DISCLAIMER: I am aware that a fraction of this anger is jealousy. I would love to have his career and work with the people he has met. However, I also do not think he has deserved all of these blessings and would rather give these chances to an actor like Ben Foster.

DISCLAIMER #2: Opinions of our guest bloggers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Scanner bloggers, Nerve, or the world at large.

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Celebrity Hero of the Day: Keira Knightley, With Her Modest Bosom

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:21:00 GMT

Keira Knightly is fighting back.

And not in one of her terrible action movies, overrated literary adaptations, or entertaining pirate comedies, but in person, as herself, and against the movie studies that think sex is the only thing a movie has to sell tickets...

What sane person would think these "aren't good enough?"

Keira will appear topless in her upcoming film written by her mother and appeared topless briefly in her last movie, Atonement. But she draws the line on some things movie studios do to "pump up" a film. The controversy involves her role in a new movie called The Duchess.

Knightley refused to allow any enhancement of her cleavage on publicity photos for "The Duchess," Britain's Daily Mail reports. Studio heads reportedly want to enlarge Knightley's breasts in publicity photos but the actress, 23, threw down her bra, so to speak. "She has insisted that her figure stay in its natural state," an insider said. "She is proud of her body and doesn't want it altered."

How could you not love this gal:

"I always bare my breasts," Knightley said at a press conference to promote The Edge of Love, a film written for her by her mother, Sharman Macdonald. It was screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, giving viewers a surprise glimpse of Keira sans top. "It's not like it's only in this film!" the actress noted.
"I would love to have [breasts]!" she told Britain's GMTV last year, adding, "I'm never going to get [them]. I'm naturally who I am."

Read the rest of the article at The Improper, which is unfortunately far less flattering than ours. (She is repeatedly referred to as being "flat-chested," "small chested," etc.)

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Sloppy Seconds: Brad and Angelina and the French Brawl

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:41:00 GMT

Why is today the day that everyone is quitting on the B-list celebs? First, Kathy Griffin's assistant bailed on her, say she couldn't take it anymore. Now, Heather Mills' short-term and severely-suffering publicist has resigned after Mills called her "stupid."

Um, rejoice? Sean Combs is not getting married after all.

Nobody cares about the X-Files sequel?

Somebody named Daniel tried to sell two tickets to the Oscars on Craigslist, but Craig ratted him out. Craig... Daniel... Craig... Daniel... we wonder who the guilty party is?

A couple of "photographers" i.e. Peeping Toms with cameras and no sense of shame or privacy laws were beaten up by Brad and Angelina's bodyguards after being caught in full camouflage on the couple's French estate.

Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan are still together-- in fact, they may be bringing Red Sonja to movie theaters soon...

And best not to ask if a passenger in another car has any Grey Poupon: that person may be armed.

Preliminary Results On "Who Would You Rather": DD Lewis vs. Bardem

Katie Halper — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:02:00 GMT

Yesterday, we opened the floor to debate the Bardem-Lewis European 2008 Oscar-winning Ratherability Act, asking Scanner readers to vote on "who they would rather": Javier Bardem or Daniel Day Lewis. As of Friday morning, the Scanners voted overwhelmingly (11 to 2) that they "would rather" Javier. We have drafted the following Bardem Resolution for your consideration.

The Bardem Resolution

Whereas Scanner has the authority to deem persons Ratherable;

Whereas Scanner has the authority to name persons on its "To-Do List"

Whereas Javier Bardem was so named on February 26, 2008

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Scanner-readers assembled, that we would rather have Javier Bardem over Daniel Day Lewis. Let it further be resolved that we would rather:

a) have Javier Bardem's Huevos de oro in Between ~~Your~~ Our Legs and up against our Live Flesh

b) have his Jamón, jamón in our Sea Inside

c) that he give us Mouth to Mouth, if so requested

d) and that he provide us with Ecstasy, and Not Love, Just Frenzy until ~~Before~~ After Night Falls.

All those in favor, say Ay (Díos Mío)

Scanner-Reader-Inspired "Who Would You Rather": DD Lewis vs. Bardem

Katie Halper — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:30:00 GMT

The People have spoken. Or the Scanner-readers have commented. In response to Tuesday's On Our To-Do List: Javier Bardem post, Andrea Gorenstein, an engaged Scanner citizen, exercised her blog-given rights, and sparked a healthy debate, writing: "Just waiting for a 'who would you rather' Day-Lewis vs. Bardem!"

Well, we at Scanner know that this kind of Gorensteinian civic participation strengthens our Scannerocracy. So we now open the blogging floor to debate the Bardem-Lewis European 2008 Oscar-winning Ratherability Act. Speak up readers! Or forever hold your comments.

Oscar's Whoopi Snub: Sign Of The Academy's Non Racism

Katie Halper — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:27:00 GMT

Whoopi Goldberg got all Feklempt (as we "Goldbergs" like to say) over not being part of the Academy Awards' montage of the 80 most exciting Oscars moments, as evidenced in this clip from The View. Her co-hosts tried to sympathize, but their Academy-accusing "Where was Whoopi" enabled Whoopi's misguided self-pity. Sherri Sherpherd was stumped by the omission and told Whoopi "You were the first Black woman to host the Oscars, you were the first woman to host the Oscars." She even mocked the Academy, saying "it's not very hard to figure out who hosted the Oscars four times." Joy Behar added, "You did make history."

That's sweet girls. But Whoopi's diss should be celebrated and not condemned. Because it is a symbol of the Academy's post-racist enlightened state. You see, Whoopi and the ladies on The View may care that Goldberg was the second black actress to win an academy award and the first black female to host the show. But the Academy sees past color. Actually, much like myself and Steven Colbert, the Academy is color blind and doesn't see color at all. The Academy is so evolved, it sees past gender too, and is genitals-blind. Besides, if we learned anything from last night's Oscars, it's that there are way too many exciting moments to keep track of. Besides, Whoopi shouldn't feel bad. It's not that the Academy doesn't like her. The omission was, in the words of the show's producer, "an absolute oversight." See, Whoopi, you didn't piss anyone off. They just don't remember you. And can you really blame the Academy? Who could remember Whoopi's forgettable costumes and self effacing antics?

Today in Page Six: Naomi Campbell, Prince, Joe Francis, Unnamed Penthouse Pet

Bryan Christian — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:00:00 GMT

We found ourselves with a bunch of items coming from Page Six, so we thought we'd group them into one big easy-to-digest, Rupert-Murdoch-lovin' compendium. Hail the Dark Lord!

-- PageSix.com reports that Fox Noise is reporting that Naomi Campbell has reported to a Sao Paolo hospital reporting an as-yet-unreported infection. We report report report, but report she report report!

-- We would totally have watched the Oscars if Prince had invited us to his viewing party. Actually, no, strike that -- it was a post-Oscars party. Also, we'd probably have just watched all the strippers instead.

-- Joe Francis is planning a monthly, PG-13 print version of his Nobel Prize-winning Girls Gone Wild series. Since it sounds like a sure fire way to bore and confound his hardcore fans, we have to assume he's doing it for the same reason that they're putting Kool-Aid into cocaine these days: to get the kiddies hooked.

-- Penthouse Pets are such big sluts that they'll make out with someone mere moments after having sex with another man. To be fair, though, Bachelor Number Two was a journalist, so he had no chance of closing the deal anyway.

On Our To-Do List: Javier Bardem

Katie Halper — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Nothing is sexier than uncertainty and the unknown. Which certainly explains why Oscar-winner Javier Bardem (or Javi, as we like to call him), who is overflowing with contradictions and pulsing with unpredictability, is so sexy. With his tender eyes and broken nose, he's both a lover and a fighter. The former rugby player is an anti-war peacenik. The Jamón, jamón star is shy and no ham at all. Javi comes from a long legacy of acting and filmmaking, but he wants you to call him a worker, not an actor. He is dating Penélope Cruz, but took his mother Pilar as his date to the Oscars, proving he's a total mama's boy. But his films like Live Flesh, Between Your Legs, Ectasy, Boca a boca, and Bilingual Lover prove that he's a bad boy too. He clearly loves women but after Spain legalized gay marriage said if he were gay he would get married "tomorrow just to f*&% with the Church."

His tastes range as much as his moods: sometimes he likes Cuban men, other times he likes older Spanish women and sometimes he's into feisty Puerto Rican girls. He goes from suicidal to resilient to homicidal. Because he's so unpredictable, there is one thing we don't need a crystal ball to tell us: Javi is-- and always will be-- on our To-Do List.

If this Oscar Could Talk: He'd Say I Love You, Ruby Dee

Katie Halper — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:04:00 GMT

In times of crisis or injustice, when faith is tested and little makes sense, people often turn to a higher power for guidance. So, Sunday night when the awards made us doubt our faith in the Academy (again), we looked towards its creator and asked ourselves "What Would Oscar Do?" And we're pretty sure He would have GIVEN THE AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS TO RUBY DEE for her role in American Gangster. We have nothing against Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton. But Ruby Dee is on another level. At 84 years old, Ruby's still got it and looked better than most of the people in the Kodak Theater.

She's made nearly 100 films, including the original Raisin in the Sun, performed in plays, recorded CD's and written books. She and her late husband Ossie Davis opened the doors for countless black actors. And the Academy loves black actors! (Well, maybe love is a little strong since over the last eighty years four black men have won for Best Actor and one black woman has won for Best actress. But they definitely like them.) Plus Ruby and Ossie were real activists: they attended the March on Washington, Ossie delivered Martin Luther King AND Malcolm X's eulogies, they defied McCarthyism and were blacklisted, and got arrested to draw attention to police brutality in the 1990s when they were in their 70s and 80s. Tilda's speech was cute and all. Who doesn't like a joke about George Clooney's nipples or the resemblance between a real person and the Oscar statue. Of course we'll never know, since this was probably Ruby's last chance to get an Academy Award ever, but we think that Ruby's speech would have been a little more inspiring and substantive. And of course, saving the greatest injustice for last, Ruby's dress was waaaaaaay nicer than Tilda's.

Crush of the Week: Marion Cotillard

Bryan Christian — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:30:00 GMT

A few hours ago, we said that it was pretty much neck-and-neck between Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Garner, and Renee Zellweger as to who looked the best last night. After much careful scrutiny, we're of the opinion that we didn't know what the hell we were talking about back then; it's Cotillard all the way.

Not that Garner and Zellweger didn't look great. They did, truly, particularly Garner, who probably missed a nomination of her own by a hair's breadth and celebrated by going with a dark, sensuous look that risked severity -- which we're led to believe is a no-no for young nominated actresses -- but came off razor-sharp and smokin' hot. To paraphrase our good pal Lindsay Lohan, she was like "Yeah, motherfuckers, I'm fine."

So how did Cotillard win our hearts? Well, perhaps unfairly, by winning the Oscar. Have you watched this moment carefully? (You can, down below.) We're not talking about her speech, you understand, but just before she gets to the microphone. Those few seconds where, as she climbs the steps to the stage, her hands first are on her mouth in an expression of her shock, but then she bends down and tugs at her dress -- the fabric bunching over her scissoring hips, every angle and curve of her body and that Jean-Paul Gaultier dress electric with her surprise -- and then one hand returns briefly to her lips -- is she laughing or crying? -- before both finally landing on Oscar and Forest Whitaker, those lucky bastards. You know, that moment. It's a sweet, triumphant, and utterly unintentional moment of erotic charge. And we're not sure if anyone else could have brought that to the proceedings.

And for that, she is our Crush of the Week.