What's that I smell?

There are so many jokes about stink colliding in my head that I'm just gonna have to let them go and play this one straight and let you imagine the consequences:Yes, Mike Myers really is going to play a live-action Pepe le Pew.

Let it sink in for a few seconds just how amazingly bad that is going to be, and then I'll move on to a couple of bits of actual good news in a very short report because I stayed up way too late last night watching the Braves get shut out by a 13-year-old girl (and man can she pitch.)

First up is that someone named Tom Vaughan (who I had never heard of) is going to be directing a movie based on one of my favorite satirical novels, "Boomsday." The book is by Christopher Buckley, the same wiseacre who penned "Thank You for Smoking," and the wickedly sharp story is about a Washington D.C. publicist/blogger who gets in over her head when a politician uses her suggestion that all Baby Boomers commit suicide in order to save Social Security as a campaign selling point.

If you're not laughing at that, then this clearly won't be a movie for you, but trust me, the book is a real smart hoot. And a quick look at Mr. Vaughan's resume shows he directed the thoroughly charming little British romantic comedy "Starter for 10," starring James McAvoy and Reel Fanatic fave Rebecca Hall, so this is now definitely something to keep your eyes on (and trust me, if you can find it, "Starter for 10" is well worth a rental.)

After that today, there's just a bit of great TV news before a couple of clips. "Sons of Anarchy," which has inevitably centered on the search for Jax's son Abel this season, has just been reviewed for a fourth 13-episode run next year by FX. Great news there, because the show has only improved on last year's doozy of cliffhanger, and while it's not quite on the level of a "Mad Men," the motorcycle gang show is still one of the best dramas on TV right now.

OK, like I said, I'm already running behind (no way to start a day), so I'll leave you with a couple of trailers I found this morning. First up comes the second (I think) trailer for the third "Narnia" movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader," set to come out (unfortunately in 3D) on Dec. 10. Though they haven't caught on on the big screen as well as "Harry Potter" or the "Lord of the Rings" movies, I just have a soft spot for the innocence and wonder of the "Narnia" tales, and this one should be fantastic. Enjoy.



And finally today comes the second full trailer I know of for Danny Boyle's "127 Hours," which for me is the next absolute must-see movie coming up on the calendar (now that Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's "It's Kind of a Funny Story has, rather inexplicably, not opened wide enough to reach my little corner of the world - at least yet.) As you'll see from the trailer, though the movie is about a climber (played by James Franco) who gets his arm trapped under a boulder for the titular amount of time, it still seems to be brimming with energy and optimism. Enjoy the trailer, and have a great weekend. Peace out.

The return of "Lawman" Oliphant and a first look at "Mad Men" season three

Before I get into the really pretty good TV news out there today, there are some movie tidbits that have to start off with more on the craziest of all, Zhang Yimou's (unnecessary?) remake of the Coens' "Blood Simple."

I know I should be against this from the outset, but I have to admit it sounds intriguing. In Zhang's vision of the movie, which will apparently be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, the noir story will move from the Texas bar to a Chinese noodle shop in a desert where "the owner of the noodle shop's seemingly simple plan to murder his adulterous wife and her lover quickly spins out of control after the introduction of a gun into the lives of characters more accustomed to knives and swords."

"Tampopo" meets "Blood Simple"? I think I'm in. My only real reservation is that this is described as a different angle because it's a "thriller-comedy," but the Coens' flick is - of course - in its own way a very funny movie already.

In two other short notes, there should be another movie based on Christopher Buckley's works coming to theaters, and that can only be a good thing. As many will know, among Buckley's many satirical D.C. novels is "Thank You For Smoking," converted into the sharp movie by Jason Reitman.

And now it seems that Charlize Theron's company has adopted another of Buckley's novels for herself to star in (well, that's one good way to get work.) "Florence of Arabia" is about a State Dept. employee (to be played by Theron) who, after watching her friend marry the prince of a Middle East country and subsequently get executed, fights for equal rights for the women of that country.

Doesn't sound quite as funny as the other Buckley books I've read, but I'm sure there's more to it than that. And in slightly older but odd Buckley news, Whit Stillman, who directed one of my favorite flicks, "Metropolitan", and two others before disappearing for many years, is still listed as the director of another Buckley movie, based on his novel "Little Green Men," which I did read. Don't hold your breath for that one.

And finally, before I get to the news that will have to be considered great for any fans of "Deadwood," there will be another Dr. Seuss movie coming soon in the form of "The Lorax."

Given my current distaste for 3-D animation, which everything seemingly has to be by now and so this will be, I should probably dismiss this outright, but it's a classic tale, and until that ridiculous song at the end, "Horton Hears a Who" was actually a really good Dr. Seuss flick, so who knows? Besides, that image of the poor Lorax standing among the fallen Truffula trees just gets me every time.

OK, now on the really good stuff. It seems that FX has picked up something called “The Lawman,” based on a character introduced in the Elmore Leonard novella “Fire In The Hole,” to begin airing early next year.

And much better, Seth Bullock himself, Timothy Oliphant, will return from video-game-movie hell to play "Stetson-sporting contemporary U.S. marshal Raylan Givens, who finds himself punished with a permanent assignment to Kentucky, where he was reared." I doubt there will be any characters as colorful as Ian McShane's Al Swearsallthetime, but I like everything I've read from Leonard, so Sheriff Bullock walking a modern beat sounds great to me.

Don't forget that FX also has two of my current favorites coming back very soon. The second season of the motorcycle gang drama "Sons of Anarchy," which just got better and better last year, begins Tuesday, Sept. 8. Even better in terms of real anarchy, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" finally returns for its fifth season Thursday, Sept. 17. Friggin fantastic.

In one bit of other networks news that also only be called good, USA Network has picked up "Burn Notice" for a fourth season next summer, along with the freshman show that follows it, "Royal Pains."

As with another spy show I like even more, "Chuck," I was slow to pick up on the easy charm of "Burn Notice," but as the third season wraps up I'm now hooked. It hasn't been quite as good as season two, but it's still just about the best thing on TV now until the return of "Mad Men" (more on that below.) I've yet to even tune in for any of "Royal Pains" because, well, the idea of a show about a doctor to residents of the Hamptons just doesn't sound all that appealing to me. If I'm somehow wrong about this (after all, the show does now outdraw "Burn Notice," 7.3 million viewers to 7.1 million) please let me know.

And anyone who actually made it this far certainly deserves a reward, so here goes. Hitfix has put up a full gallery of "Mad Men" shots from the third season, which still seems like an eternity away at Aug. 16. Moving this back from its regular July return, though probably for some reason necessary, has just been agonizing, and I can't wait for it to finally begin anew. You can view the full gallery here, but I've included my two favorites, one of Robert Morse and John Slattery and another of the great January Jones as Bertie Draper. Enjoy, and have a perfectly passable Wednesday. Peace out.

For "Redbelt," thankfully "everywhere" does indeed mean everywhere

This post was initially meant just as a celebration of the fact that for once, as promised, a movie that's supposed to open "everywhere" this week will indeed make it out to one multiplex in my little burgh: David Mamet's "Redbelt."

How cool should "Redbelt" be? Well, even with Tim Allen in it, a David Mamet flick starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a martial artist would already have me hooked from the start. Throw in the surprising fact that Mamet is himself a purple belt in jujitsu and you've definitely got what I'll be doing for a couple of hours Saturday afternoon.

Besides, I can't think of too many actors who can list four flicks on the rather long and broad list of my favorites, as Ejiofor can do in his still rather short career. For the record, those four would be "Dirty Pretty Things," "Serenity," "Children of Men" and "Talk to Me." If you've never seen "Dirty Pretty Things," I can't recommend the rather gritty thriller about organ smuggling that also stars adorable Audrey Tautou highly enough.

But, along with the wide release of "Redbelt," there's a lot of other news out there today that at least warrants a brief mention.

Yet another "Jane Eyre"?

First up is Ellen Page, who always generates a few more hits to this rather lightly visited site whenever I mention her name but also just makes me smile whenever I get to bring her up, even when it's for something as potentially meh as this.

Having backed out of going to Hell with Sam Raimi, Ms. Page has now signed for yet another version of "Jane Eyre." Now, I understand that Charlotte Bronte's novel is an attractive target which offers plenty of opportunity to get decked in period garb, but didn't we already have one of these in the last 10 years? Indeed, Franco Zeffirelli made a more-than-slightly appealing version with the delightful Charlotte Gainsbourg in 1996.

No director has yet been attached for this BBC Films adaptation set to begin shooting in Fall, and as snarky as I've been here, I'm sure I'll at least tune in to this one on DVD for the presence of Ellen Page alone.

Yes, Atom Egoyan is still working

It seems like forever since I've heard anything about Canada's greatest filmmaker (at least in my often misguided opinion), but he's indeed about to return very soon with a flick titled "Adoration."

It's not set to be released (and probably not very widely at all) until the Fall, but it will first get a premiere May 22 in competition at Cannes. The flick, starring Rachel Blanchard and Scott Speedman, is described as a "contemporary drama" about a teen who creates a false Internet persona and goes in search of a family secret.

I'm not sure when I'll ever be able to see this, but it's just good to know that Atom Egoyan is still working and apparently thriving.

More from Buckley in the works

After the success of "Thank You for Smoking" I just assumed there would be a run on the works of Washington satirist Christopher Buckley, but it unfortunately never really happened. His books may not be the most intellectual thing out there, but as far as wry commentary on D.C. culture and entertaining writing go, it just doesn't get much better at all.

There was some rumbling that Whit Stillman (remember him?) would indeed make a comeback by making his first film in 10 years in adapting Buckley's "Little Green Men," but I can't find any evidence that that's moving forward. Now, however, GreeneStreet Films has optioned "Boomsday," Buckley's very funny novel about a D.C. lobbyist who casts herself in the center of a firestorm after she half-jokingly blogs about a solution to the stress that retiring baby boomers will place on the Social Security system: A voluntary suicide program for the aging.

Now, I'm rapidly getting to the age where I shouldn't find that funny any more, but I did when I read the novel and I still do now, so definitely bring this one on.

A tease about "Iron Man 2"

An "Iron Man 2" with Jon Favreau on board to direct was already pretty much a foregone conclusion before Marvel penciled it in Monday morning for a 2010 release. No firm word yet that Favreau will direct the sequel, but I can't imagine why not, and here's what Tony Stark himself had to say about a possible sequel in Entertainment Weekly:

There's this idea of Terrence [Howard] putting on a suit and coming back as War Machine, who is pretty iconic in the Iron Man and Marvel universe. Just seeing where it can all go, but grounding it in a very modern mythology. I see it as greatest dysfunctional family story ever told.... In The New York Post a couple days ago, [there was a cartoon] of Iron Man suited up, and he's telling the governor even his super-powers can't get him out of the budget problem. That was what Jon was hoping for and excited to see the most, the idea that Tony Stark and Iron Man can become part of the cultural fabric. When we heard posters were being defaced to promote political or social ideas, he just got such a hoot out of that.

It would indeed be great to see Terrence have a lot more to do in the second installment, and you can read all of EW's interview with Robert Downey Jr. here.

Proof, in case I needed it, that my movie tastes are often just juvenile

I had no idea that "Superbad," easily one of my favorite movies of 2007, would still be up for kudos, but it seems that the esteemed voters on the MTV Movie Awards indeed have yet to have their say.

And "Superbad," not surprisingly, is the big winner in nominations with five. Along with best picture, it also nabbed "breakthrough performer" nods for veryfunnymen Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and McLovin. Hill (but not Cera, WTF!?!) is also nominated for comedic performer of the year. Cera and the aforementioned Ellen Page, however, did each pick up performer of the year nominations (and, this being MTV and all, best kiss) for "Juno," so I guess it's all good.

Now, just how silly are the MTV Movie Awards? Well, in the category of best picture, "Juno" and "Superbad" indeed have to share space with not only "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Transformers," but also "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." I haven't seen the latter, so I can't really say for sure, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't the best movie of 2007 by any conceivable standard. MTV does, however, have a lot of fun with this, and you have to at least respect that.

If you wanna show some love for "Superbad" or "Juno," you can vote for the nominees here through May 23. The show, rather unfortunately hosted by Mike Myers, will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. June 1.

And now, in closing, here's the trailer for "Redbelt," which I'm hoping will be a surprise box-office contender in its first week of wide release. Peace out.