Disney Enterprises

"The Muppets" get some human friends in their new movie.

There's a saying in sports journalism: No cheering in the press box, meaning that journalists are supposed to be objective and can't root for one team over the other.

That saying normally applies to movie reviewers as well, but when the new movie "The Muppets" is involved, forget it. It's hard to find a reviewer who didn't grow up thinking fondly of Jim Henson's felt friends, whether it's the "Sesame Street" contingent, the actual "Muppet Show" episodes, or earlier Muppet movies.

But even if you were just dropped here from an alien spacecraft -- perhaps piloted by Pigs in Space -- it would be tough not to root for a Muppets comeback. The characters are just as charming, funny and self-aware as they've always been. And they manage to stay family-friendly without boring the adults  -- the preschoolers in the audience don't need to know the real name of the Cee Lo song that Camilla and the chickens sing as "Cluck You."

The plot is pretty simple. Humans Gary and Mary (Jason Segel and Amy Adams) take Gary's brother Walter (a Muppet, though how Muppets and humans can be related is never explained) to Hollywood to see his heroes, The Muppets. They find The Muppet Theater is a wreck and the old gang has split up. When they learn a greedy oil baron (Chris Cooper) is going to tear down the theater and drill for oil, they find Kermit and get the band back together to put on a show and raise the money to save it. (There's even a cameo by the original let's-put-on-a-show guy, 90-year-old Mickey Rooney himself.)

The movie is the first Muppets film in 12 years, and the film won't let you forget it. Kermit tries to call President Carter. He offers Gary and Mary New Coke and Tab. He has a robot who's programmed to say "gag me with a spoon!" and "grody to the max." Teen queen Selena Gomez shows up and confusedly admits "I don't really know who you guys are." 

But by movie's end, even kids who were born in the 2000s will leave the theater newly baptized Muppet fans. Miss Piggy and Kermie's love-hate relationship still works, Fozzie has added fart shoes to his bad-joke repertoire, Gonzo still likes to blow things up, and no one can ever understand the Swedish Chef, even with subtitles. Dozens of big stars cameo, with Jack Black and Neil Patrick Harris among the best, and Rashida Jones shines as the Hollywood exec who has to be convinced that the Muppets can find fans in 2011.

They can. They should. They deserve to. Sometimes it's OK to cheer in the press box.

Who's your favorite Muppet? Are you cheering on their comeback? Tell us in the comments.

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Paramount

In "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," getting home for Thanksgiving is the real challenge. John Candy, you are missed.

There are plenty of Christmas movies, lots of scary Halloween movies. Aside from the Charlie Brown crew eating toast and popcorn (and that's a TV special anyway) and Greg Brady's home-movie venture about the Pilgrims (with awesome soap flakes for snow), there's not a huge glut of Thanksgiving films out there.

And that's just fine, because in my opinion, no Thanksgiving movie can best the hilarious "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Few movies get at the horror that is holiday travel in this country like John Hughes' 1987 classic. John Candy and Steve Martin have never been better.

A few classic scenes are below. I left out Steve Martin's classic F-word tirade because, well, family website and all, but it's available on YouTube.

'Those aren't pillows!"

"Flintstones! Meet the Flintstones!"

 Joys of airline food (reportedly this scene was cut from the original DVD)

 John Candy's dogs are barkin'

 "Her first baby come out sideways."

Are you a fan of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"? Tell us your favorite line or scene in the comments.

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Andy Athineos / INFphoto.com

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan film "The Great Gatsby" in Australia. The film is being shot in 3-D.

Some movies seem like naturals for 3-D. My daughter loved pretending to pop the bubbles that floated out into the audience at the end of "Happy Feet Two." "Despicable Me" used a very cute gag where one of Mr. Gru's minions tries numerous times to reach and walk out into the audience. I'm not bothered by James Cameron reissuing "Titanic" in the extra dimension, because he did it so well in "Avatar" and well, it's "Titanic." It's not really crushing anyone's literary dreams to see pieces of the iceberg fly at the audience.

But "The Great Gatsby," the favorite book of many an English major? Why 3-D for F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic? I'm imagining that famous, sonorous quote about how "Gatsby believed in the green light" rolling out while the green light jumps, 3-D style, into viewers' laps.

DiCaprio told Access Hollywood that the 3-D isn't being used for jumping objects and scare effects, but instead to make the movie more of a complete experience. He told Access: "Most of the time, you associate 3-D with the spectacle of it, but [director Baz Luhrmann] really wants to use 3-D to create emotional impact with the characters and almost use it like what it would be like to immerse yourself in a theater production.”

DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire as the novel's narrator, Nick Carraway, and Carey Mulligan as the love of Gatsby's life, Daisy Buchanan. In photos taken on the set, DiCaprio and Maguire look right for the parts and the period. But Mulligan's Daisy, like Mia Farrow in the 1974 film, is a blonde. Although there's some argument about how different quotes in the book can be interpreted, Daisy's hair is described as "dark" and "like a dash of blue paint," which would seem to lean towards the brunette side of things.

It might not seem like a big deal, but fans of "The Great Gatsby" don't take kindly to having their source messed with. And if the hair color of a major character is an issue, I can only imagine they won't react well to the 3-D angle.

Should "The Great Gatsby" be in 3-D? And do you think small things, like character hair color, should stick to the novel, or are you comfortable with filmmakers taking liberties with the original story? Tell us in the comments.

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The family of Robert Wagner "fully supports" the investigation into Natalie Wood's accidental drowning, 30 years later. As for the family of Natalie Wood -- specifically her sister Lana -- she told TODAY's Matt Lauer Monday that she has mixed feelings about the investigation into Natalie's death being reopened. "I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm happy, I think. I'm so ambivalent. It's almost like having to relive her death again," Lana said.

Lana told Lauer that she spent the last 30 years since Natalie's death preferring to believe that her death aboard the boat the Splendour with Wagner was really just an accident, as it was ruled shortly after it happened. "It's been easier that way," Lana said, despite things not adding up. "You want to think the best."

The Splendour's captain Dennis Davern told David Gregory during a Nov. 18 interview on TODAY that the fight between Natalie and Wagner is what led to Natalie's drowning. To that assertion, Lana told Lauer that the captain had called her "many many years ago," suggesting there was more to the story, and that he was very upset "and trying to unburden himself."

Davern went on to assert during that Nov. 18 interview that no effort was made to search for Natalie after she was lost overboard. "Unfortunately, I do believe him," Lana told Lauer.

You can watch the entire interview above.

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Lots of kid- and family-centric entertainment for the long Thanksgiving weekend ahead.

TV
The ugliest trophy in reality TV is up for grabs this week.  "Dancing With the Stars" is down to three, and Rob Kardashian, Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez are still in there fighting for the award. Martinez, the injured war vet who wears his scars proudly, is a favorite of many, but an ankle injury sent his scores tumbling last week. Tune in Monday and Tuesday to see who walks away as champion. (Two-night finale airs Nov. 21 at 8 p.m and Nov. 22 at 9 p.m., ABC.)

Slideshow: Worst costumes of season 13

Movies
It's time to play the music! It's time to light the lights! "The Muppets" are back in theaters this week. Amy Adams and Jason Segel play the two humans who help the felt friends fight to save their theater from a greedy oilman. The Muppets are as fun and family friendly as ever, and drop in plenty of inside jokes about how they know they're a throwback. (Opens Nov. 23.)

 "Hugo" hasn't gotten as much publicity as "The Muppets," but those who know about it can't wait to see it. Martin Scorsese directs this 3-D adventure about an orphan in Paris and the friends who help him solve the mystery of his lost father. (Opens Nov. 23.)

Who knew Santa Claus had a son? In the animated 3-D adventure "Arthur Christmas," the heir of the jolly North Pole chap finds himself suddenly involved in the family business when he's enlisted to help deliver a missed Christmas present. (Opens Nov. 23.)

DVD
In J.J. Abrams' "Super 8," a group of filmmaking kids stumble upon a government conspiracy when they witness a mysterious train crash. Detroit News critic Tom Long wrote, "This is the movie you went to see on a Saturday afternoon in the good old days." (Out on DVD Nov. 22.)

What shows or movies are you looking forward to this Thanksgiving week? Tell us in the comments.

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America's sweetheart is 50 years old today.

Meg Ryan, the bubbly blond actress from all those Nora Ephron movies that show up in multiple VHS copies at the thrift store, is 50.

That makes this as good a time as any to share our appreciation for the work that earned Ryan that sweetheart label. "When Harry Met Sally" comes to mind, particularly for this bit of cinematic gold:

I remember seeing "Sleepless in Seattle" before I moved to Seattle and thinking how lovely it might be to move to the Emerald City and live on a houseboat. Now I just wish I could go through the local airport and not see the film's title printed on oversized nightshirts in the bookstore. Let's all have a good cry:

And here's Ryan and "Sleepless" star Tom Hanks reunited in "You've Got Mail." In 1998 the Internet was a little less creepy. You can thank Meg:

None of these films should be confused with the critical greats of our time. But no doubt they hold a dear spot in the hearts of romantic comedy lovers, and Ryan gets the credit for that today. (Sorry, Hanks, it's not your birthday.)

We just spent a few minutes here trying to figure out who America's sweetheart actress is nowadays. We really couldn't come up with anyone who fits the bill the way Ryan did in the '90s. There are loveable actresses doing plenty of rom coms -- Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Ellen Page, Kate Hudson, Emma Roberts, Amy Adams -- but are they sweetheart material? Don't think so.

So, happy birthday, Meg Ryan. For those of you who have never used this "Top Gun" line, today would be a good day to start.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

"The Descendants" is a tough movie to describe to casual moviegoers. There's George Clooney, yes, and a gorgeous Hawaiian setting. But you can't just say, "He's a big landowner on the brink of an enormous sale," or even "His wife is in a coma and he learns she's had an affair." Those plotlines seem so random and unrelated, not the kind of thing to make a casual film fan rush to the box office.

They should rush, though. Clooney is amazing in "The Descendants," playing a role unusual to him, that of family man. The perennial Sexiest Man Alive candidate somehow sinks into the role of schlumpy dude. Just the way he walks, with a hint of belly hanging over ill-fitting khakis, makes him believable as Matt King, a lawyer and dad of two who was just fine with his role of backup parent until his wife Elizabeth's boating accident.

His daughters, 10-year-old Scotty and 17-year-old Alexandra, are mouthy and too wise for their years. Their father obviously wasn't around much and it doesn't seem their mother had much of a calming effect on them either. You feel for them, though, once you see that their father barely touches them. He even tells Alexandra that her mother won't make it while the girl treads water alone in their untended pool, never reaching out to her once the news sinks in.

But Alex has shocking information for her dad, too. She breaks the news that her mother was cheating, and the two become obsessed with finding the man involved. At the same time Matt's emotional world is shattering, so, too, he must move forward on an enormous financial decision, selling pristine Hawaiian land that's been in his family for generations and whose sale will make him and his many cousins very rich. Yet there are deeper considerations than the big payday. Matt's uncomfortable about the idea of selling off the paradise that's been like another family member, land he did nothing to earn and was perhaps only guarding for future generations.

Director Alexander Payne, as he did in "Sideways," manages to deftly connect the plotlines, the idea that Matt's personal world is shattering as he struggles with the enormity of how his land sale will reverberate. The Hawaiian land, lying untouched as Matt prepares to turn it over to developers, and woven through with family memories, is like a child he has yet to destroy.

And the movie goes in unexpected directions. Just when it seems as if Matt and his daughter must live as silent martyrs with the knowledge of Elizabeth's affair, they're suddenly not alone in their knowledge, and that somehow makes all the difference.

The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, with Beau Bridges popping up as one of Matt's soon-to-be-wealthy cousins, and Robert Forster as his angry father-in-law. The young actresses who play Clooney's daughters, Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller, make their characters' emotions and dialogue feel real. I especially liked Nick Krause as Alexandra's stoner pal Sid, who both drives Matt crazy and gives him some solid perspective. "We deal with our (stuff) by talking about other stuff," he tells him. And somehow that stuff all ties together.

Are you a George Clooney fan? Tell us in the comments.

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Paramount Pictures

It's a bit odd for the folks promoting "Titanic 3D" to trumpet their new poster and trailer because -- well, the movie came out in 1997, and the poster and trailer aren't themselves in 3-D.

But they're a fun reminder that yes, in April, the month that marks the 100th anniversary of the great ship's sinking, James Cameron's Oscar-winning epic will return to theaters.

Even 3-D skeptics may want to give this one a go. Cameron used 3-D better than anyone in recent history with 2009's "Avatar," and no filmmaker has a better touch with underwater imagery.

And after seeing Leonardo DiCaprio in "J. Edgar," it's nice to see him without all the old-man makeup. He was just 23, as was co-star Kate Winslet, when he made the film, and was as baby-faced as they come.

Of course, not everyone's a fan. David Edelstein's Slate review was headlined "The Love Boat." He writes: "This $200-million-plus 'epic' ... is nothing so much as an Edwardian soap opera to which one of the world's most glamorous catastrophes has been appended."

Is a 3-D version of "Titanic" a good or bad idea? Will you see it? Tell us in the comments.

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TODAY

Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner in an undated photo.

In an uncomfortable interview on NBC's TODAY, the former captain of the boat off which actress Natalie Wood drowned in 1981 alleged that her husband, actor Robert Wagner, was responsible for her death.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

Dennis Davern, once captain of the couple's boat, The Splendour, is now urging homicide investigators to take another look at the 30-year-old case. Wagner, a Hollywood beauty known for roles in films like "Rebel Without a Cause" and "West Side Story," was working on the 1983 film "Brainstorm" with actor Christopher Walken at the time. Walken was on the boat with the couple when Wood died.

During the TODAY interview, Davern appeared reticent and unwilling to tell interviewer David Gregory what happened or what he was alleging. When pressed, he did say "I made some terrible decisions and mistakes. ... I made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report."

When further pressed by Gregory, Davern said he believed Wagner had intentionally kept the investigation into her death low-profile. And when asked if he thought Wagner was "responsible" for Wood's death, Davern said, "yes, I would say so. Yes."

Davern is co-author, with Marti Rulli, of the 2009 book "Goodbye, Natalie, Goodbye, Splendour." Rulli also appeared on TODAY. She told Gregory that when Wood disappeared after a reported fight with Wagner, Davern wanted to help in the search but was dissauded by the actress' husband.

"Dennis wanted to do everything. Make a phone call , turn on the searchlight," Rulli said. "His instincts told him something was terribly wrong, and Robert Wagner asked him not to."

KTLA reports that according to Wagner's account of the night, the argument concerned Wood's balance of personal life vs. career, and he we was upset that Walken was advocating that Wood focus on acting even at the expense of her husband and children.

Reports in the past have said that Wood may have been trying to board or secure a dinghy attached to the boat and instead slipped and fell into the water. She was wearing a down jacket over a nightgown when her body was found. The case has never completely been settled in the minds of many fans, particularly because Wood once said in an interview that dark seawater was her greatest fear.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday that it had reopened the investigation into Wood's death.  A news conference has been scheduled for 11 a.m. PT Friday with the detective leading the investigation.

In a statement, Wagner said Thursday that he supports the new investigation, but with the caveat that he trusts any new information used in the investigation will come "from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death."

Davern told Gregory, "I'm far away from even thinking about profiting over a 30-year anniversary. I have known this information for many, many years. And my book has been out for two years. I'm not in it for any kind of profit. I'm in it for the justice of the whole situation."

We will continue to update this story. Watch the video below to see Davern and Rulli's interview with David Gregory.

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Getty Images file

Updated at 9:14 p.m. PT

Homicide investigators are reopening an investigation into the death of actress Natalie Wood, who drowned in 1981 while boating off the California coast, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said on Thursday.

"Recently sheriff's homicide investigators were contacted by persons who stated they had additional information about the Natalie Wood Wagner drowning," the sheriff's department said in a written statement.

"Due to the additional information, Sheriff's Homicide Bureau has decided to take another look at the case," the statement said.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore declined to release details about what information investigators received.

A news conference has been scheduled for 11 a.m. PT Friday with the detective leading the investigation.

The actress drowned after a night of partying with husband Robert Wagner and "Brainstorm" co-star Christopher Walken on the couple's yacht anchored off Santa Catalina Island. Her death at age 43 was ruled an accident and it was determined that she had been drinking before her death.

The sheriff's office wrote that Wood was "possibly attempting to board the dinghy and had fallen into the water, striking her face."

A dinghy that had been attached to the couple's yacht, "Splendor," was found in a Catalina cove.

The case has become one of Hollywood's most alluring mysteries. Wood's drowning sparked tabloid speculation that foul play was involved, but Wagner and Wood's sister have dismissed any suggestion there was foul play.

Harrington / AP, file

The 55-foot yacht "Splendour" sits in the waters off Catalina Island in Santa Catalina, Calif., near the site where Harbor Patrol personnel and lifeguards discovered the body of Natalie Wood.

Lana Wood wrote in a biography on her sister, "What happened is that Natalie drank too much that night."

The Los Angeles Times reported that detectives were prompted to look at the case again after comments by the ship's captain, Dennis Davern. He was recently interviewed for a collaboration between the magazine Vanity Fair and the television series "48 Hours Mystery" that focuses on Wood's death.

The Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that the sheriff's department had also received an anonymous letter saying that the captain had new recollections about the case.

"Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death," Wagner spokesman Alan Nierob wrote in a statement.

Wagner wrote in a 2009 autobiography that he blamed himself for his wife's death.

He recounted the night of Wood's disappearance, during which the couple and Walken drank at a restaurant and on the boat. Wood went to the master cabin during an argument between her husband and Walken. The last time Wagner saw his wife, she was fixing her hair at a bathroom vanity and she shut the door.

Wagner wrote that despite various theories about what led Wood to the water, which she feared, it was impossible to know what exactly happened.

"Nobody knows," he wrote. "There are only two possibilities; either she was trying to get away from the argument, or she was trying to tie the dinghy. But the bottom line is that nobody knows exactly what happened."

Later in the book, Wagner wrote, "Did I blame myself? If I had been there, I could have done something. But I wasn't there. I didn't see her."

He wrote that he has never returned to Catalina Island. The couple first married in 1957, and divorced six years later. They remarried in 1972.

Phone and email messages to Walken's publicist were not immediately returned. Attempts to contact Davern were unsuccessful.

Wood, who was nominated for three Oscars, starred in numerous movies, including "West Side Story" and "Rebel Without a Cause." 

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Andrew Gombert / EPA

It's over for Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

Demi Moore is ending her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, she told The Associated Press on Thursday. Moore, 49, and Kutcher, 33, were wed in September 2005. The couple's relationship became tabloid fodder in recent months as rumors swirled about Kutcher's alleged infidelity.

"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life. This is a trying time for me and my family, and so I would ask for the same compassion and privacy that you would give to anyone going through a similar situation," Moore said in a statement to the AP.

The pair frequently used Twitter to communicate with each other as millions of fans followed along.

"I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi," Kutcher tweeted Thursday. "Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail."

Moore said in 2007 that her May-December relationship with the star of "That '70s Show" and "Punk'd" — who is 15 years younger than Moore — "caught us both by surprise."

"If somebody would have said, 'OK, here is the prediction: You're going to meet a man 25 years old and he's going to see being with you and having your three kids as a bonus,' I would have said, 'Keep dreaming,'" Moore said in a 2007 interview with Vanity Fair. "I think it caught us both by surprise, and particularly him."

Kutcher became a stepfather to Moore's three daughters — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Belle — from her 13-year marriage to actor Bruce Willis. Moore and Willis divorced in 2000 but remained friendly. Moore and Kutcher were photographed socializing with Willis, and the couple attended Willis' wedding to model-actress Emma Heming in 2009.

Moore and Kutcher created the DNA Foundation, also known as the Demi and Ashton Foundation, in 2010 to combat the organized sexual exploitation of girls around the globe. They later lent their support to the United Nations' efforts to fight human trafficking, a scourge the international organization estimates affects about 2.5 million people worldwide.

Moore can be seen on screen in the recent films "Margin Call" and "Another Happy Day." Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on TV's "Two and a Half Men" as is part of the ensemble film "New Year's Eve," set for release next month.

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So, Simon Cowell is now on Twitter. That was the big news in social media Wednesday. What was your first reaction? I'll tell you what mine was not: "Amazing! He'll have so many insights to share, and we really don't see that much of him on any of his other media platforms."

Phil Mccarten / Reuters file

With all due respect to Cowell, who I do believe is quite an influential man about television and music, I don't see the need for him to be on Twitter. Here's the thing: most celebrities do their best work in the platform in which they became famous. Very few actually gain something by becoming more accessible via the internet. Take one of Cowell's inaugural tweets, for example: "Melanie --incredible but Josh just stole the show." Does this sound like the Cowell we've all come to know and love/hate? No. That comment about the "X Factor" contestants could have come from anyone, and arguably doesn't serve as any sort of meaningful extension of Cowell himself.

To be fair, it's still early for Cowell, and I'm not suggesting that celebs should stay off of Twitter entirely -- they're just as entitled to the platform as anyone else (and I'm sure Twitter isn't upset about their participation, even when it goes awry). Rather, it's not often that a celebrity manages to use the platform for good. Love him or hate him, Howard Stern did something really cool when, unannounced, he started live tweeting behind-the-scenes anecdotes from "Private Parts" when it was playing on cable one weekend. That is an amazing use of the platform, and something you really didn't see happen before Stern did it.

But Stern is definitely an exception, and there's also this: celebrities are at their most interesting when less is known about their private lives. This is true when we're trying to believe them in a role on a big screen, and it's true when we're following them on smaller screens, like Twitter for iPhone.

So, who DO you like to follow on Twitter? Are there more A-listers like Stern out there who go beyond the "I love 'insert brand here'" or "I have awesome fans" tweets? Take the discussion over to The Scoop on Facebook, and maybe we can float the good ones to the top of the Twitter pile.

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Summit Entertainment

Countdown to Taylor Lautner shirtlessness in "Breaking Dawn Part 1": Less than 10 seconds.

Say what you will about the "Twilight" films, but never say that the filmmakers do not give fans exactly what they want. These films are not really movies that can be rated as a cinematic experience or judged in the same way you would look at "Citizen Kane." They're awesomely ludicrous fantasy from start to finish, and to argue about whether Bella sets a good example for young women or whether a vampire could really get a human woman pregnant is both irrelevant and yet part and parcel of the whole experience. You buy your ticket, you sit back and strap in. Even those who adore the characters and take the romance seriously have to laugh their way through the ride. Where else are you going to get a chance to see C-section by fang?

As will be no spoiler to anyone who is planning to attend a showing, "Breaking Dawn" carries the characters through Bella and Edward's wedding, PG-13 but still headboard-busting, pillow-piercing honeymoon, her surprise pregnancy and the death-defying delivery of baby Renesmee. It's the least action-packed (only one fight scene) and the most personal of the "Twilight" films, focusing not on the Cullen coven and Jacob's wolfpack protecting Bella from their supernatural world, but on the couple finally joining in marriage and trying to save Bella from the baby inside her.

It's also the funniest of the films. "Twilight" isn't known for humor, but since there's more interaction between characters who know each other well, the humor comes out. Billy Burke gets the best lines as Bella's taciturn cop dad, who can't resist getting in a dig at his ex-wife. A quick montage showing the couple's friends giving speeches after their vows is pretty fun, too. In further proof that the filmmakers know their audience, two of the very parts of the book fans shake their heads at the most -- getting married as a teen and the cumbersome baby name "Renesmee" -- come in for attacks from various characters. The film needs this self-awareness, it's a way of telling the audience "we're going with it, but we know you think this is goofy, so do we."

And goofy it is. Bella and Edward play some hot honeymoon chess. The scenes in which the vampires run at super-speed are just begging to be set to Benny Hill's "Yakety Sax" music. The computer-generated wolves never move beyond Muppety, and a scene in which the pack, in wolf form, has a conversation might just be the oddest scene in a very odd franchise. Scenes of Edward's venom racing through Bella's bloodstream are done in true "House M.D." style. When the wolves get whacked by an enemy, they make sad little puppy squeaks as if someone just stepped on their tails. Vampire afterlife apparently contains a Sephora, because Bella makes the move from death into undead life with the most beautiful bronze eye shadow perfectly applied to her lids. (I'll assume Alice insisted on that.)

The much-vaunted birth scene is a lot less gory and drawn-out than the book's version, but the moment where Jacob first sees the baby and "imprints" on the newborn as the one person he will always love and protect is still a bit creepy. ("Stop laughing, you're ruining it!" the woman behind me scolded her companion.)

"Breaking Dawn" sticks loyally to the books that fans adore, and kudos to them for that. If there's a way to make a vampire chewing through his love's pregnant abdomen tasteful, they managed it. This is a satisfying almost-conclusion for the millions of Twihards out there, who can go ahead now and start the countdown till Nov. 16, 2012. Just 364 days to go.

Will you see "Breaking Dawn"? Tell us what you're looking forward to, or give us your review in the comments.

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Summit Entertainment

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's round of hot honeymoon chess recreates the "Breaking Dawn" book cover.

"Twilight" fans generally know the books and the series so well that it can be hard to surprise them. But having just seen "Breaking Dawn Part 1," I'd like to point out four things that you might miss during the film if you don't know they're there. They're listed in the order they unfold in the film. (Possible spoilers ahead.)

1. Author Stephenie Meyer's cameo
Like Alfred Hitchcock famously did, the author of the series has been known to show up in quick little roles in her movies -- she played a diner patron in "Twilight." In "Breaking Dawn Part 1," she can be spotted as a guest at Bella and Edward's wedding, right next to screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and producer Wyck Godfrey. She has long dark hair and seems to be wearing a rose-colored dress. Numerous "Twilight" sites have helpfully identified Meyer, Rosenberg and Godfrey, so check out this image if you want to know where to look for her. (Yep, that's BooBoo Stewart, or Seth Clearwater, behind Meyer.)

2. Quick reference to Taylor Lautner's "Abduction" movie
In "Abduction," which came out in September, "Twilight" star Lautner plays a young man who finds his face on a missing-kids website. In a "Breaking Dawn" scene, Kristen Stewart's Bella teases Lautner's Jacob that she hasn't seen him in a while, joking "didn't I see your face on a milk carton?"

3. Hey, isn't that the book cover?
The original "Twilight" book features hands cradling an apple, and that image was recreated with Bella and Edward in a scene in the Forks High School cafeteria in the first movie. The cover of the "Breaking Dawn" book shows a white chess king on a chessboard with a red pawn in the background. It's a little unusal since chess pieces are more often black and white, not white and red, but you'll see the book cover recreated in a honeymoon scene, and yes, the colors match the cover. Only Edward would bring a chessboard along on his honeymoon.

4. Volturi scene after the credits
Stay in your seat after the closing credits roll. Just a few minutes in, the credits stop and fans are treated to a sneak peek scene that sets up "Part 2," which comes out in November 2012. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that proper spelling and grammar are very, very important to the Volturi. And it's CARLISLE, with an "S."

 Will you see "Breaking Dawn"? What scene are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments.

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twitter.com/@rickygervais

Ricky Gervais tweeted this image on Wednesday: Just told Billy Crystal he'd better not use any of my holocaust or pedophile material at The Oscars. He agreed (true).

When it was confirmed Wednesday that Ricky Gervais would come back to host the Golden Globes for a third time, his many fans rejoiced at the decision to bring him back; I thought, "How awesome; but no way this is going to work twice."

What Gervais pulled off last year was lightning in a bottle. When was the last time a person in Hollywood, before a live audience of many millions, said what so many were thinking? Or dared to offend the people who actually greenlight the projects (and paychecks!) that keep Gervais among the employed? If your answer is something that rhymes with "almost never," then you'd be in the ballpark. Jog your memory by rewatching some of the highlights:

When it was all going down last year at the Beverly Hilton, the sound of people changing the channel was practically audible, and there was obvious discomfort in the room. But let's be clear: after some time to reflect, even those who bore the brunt of Gervais' jokes seem to get that yes, they were just jokes. Even "The Tourist" star Johnny Depp is able to poke fun at being poked fun at, and ultimately, Gervais was asked back.

But the element of surprise -- which was vital in pulling off last year's act -- is now gone. There's no way he can tone down his act; doing that would be giving in to every critic out there and he'd be deemed a failure. It's possible that Gervais' tweet about Billy Crystal not stealing his Holocaust and pedophile material is a sign of things to come, but a tweet is just that. It's a couple of seconds in time, not an entire awards broadcast. 

I for one hope that Gervais pulls it off, in similar fashion to last January. Seeing someone boldly take pokes at the really, really "important people" is something we just don't see much of in Hollywood. If there's any comic out there who is up for the challenge, it's Gervais. And if there's any comic who will be just fine with turning the tables on himself if it all comes crashing down, it's Gervais, too. And this just might make him the perfect host -- again.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images file

Ryan Gosling

Tuesday night, we were busily preparing for Wednesday morning's announcement of PEOPLE magazine's annual choice for Sexiest Man Alive.

We were preparing for it to be Ryan Gosling. And judging by most of the chatter on the Interwebs today, so were a lot of other people. Except maybe Steve Martin.

No knock on Bradley Cooper -- he is a damn fine looking man who is in no danger of being kicked out of bed for eating crackers. He's also an accomplished actor. He was great in "The Hangover" and "Limitless." My personal favorite was his turn as Sack in "Wedding Crashers." And while his bilingual skills are quite impressive, it didn't melt everyone's heart, and this year that just shouldn't add up to Sexiest Man Alive.

Gosling, on the other hand, has enjoyed a breakout year. He played a troubled man falling in, then losing, love in "Blue Valentine"; the charming cad (my personal weakness) in "Crazy Stupid Love"; and he went head-to-head with perennial Sexiest Man Alive candidate George Clooney in "Ides of March." Oh, and he's, well, gorgeous.

In this share-all digital era, feelings are running high on his "slight." There is currently a petition online asking PEOPLE to admit its mistake. Buzzfeed.com is offering 63 reasons why Cooper is not the right choice. The site is also examining Sexiest's checkered past. #SexiestManAlive has been a trending topic on Twitter all day, but seriously folks, Justin Bieber -- ah, no.

But hey, it's all subjective. One person's sexy is another person's "what-the-frack!?" There are very few stars whose sex appeal alone will get this writer to the theater. Two to be exact -- last year's winner Ryan Reynolds and fellow actor Gerard Butler. Otherwise, I only go to the movies for the stories. And to laugh (hmmm, still Ryan Reynolds). And nobody has yet to match my all-time favorite cinematic hunk -- Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo in the HBO series, "Rome."

Which begs the question -- which sexy star quickens your pulse enough to plunk down $10 at the box office? Is it Cooper? Gosling? Someone else? Share you choice in the comments below.

Related content:

•  Bradley Cooper named Sexiest Man Alive 

Anonymous / AP

Which is better: "Star Wars" or "Star Trek"?

“Star Trek” vet William Shatner threw down the sci-fi gauntlet when he named “Trek” the superior franchise when compared to “Star Wars.” For over a month his claim went unchallenged, but now Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher is declaring war.

“They’re not in the same league,” the actress behind Princess Leia stated in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel. “I mean, they have the word ‘star’ in the title, and there’s space travel, right? Where did they go to? Klingon? It just sounds like a laundry detergent.”

Ahem, that’s Qo’noS, but point taken. From there, Fisher got personal.

“My space buns — they’re so much better than (Leonard) Nimoy’s ears.”

Then things turned political.

“I hear that (former vice president Dick) Cheney likes ‘Star Trek,’” she said with a grin.

Before signing off, Fisher offered a tip aimed at Shatner.

“So, here’s the thing. If you see Bill Shatner, call him Han Solo,” she said.

Of course, Shatner’s already on to her jab. On his Google+ page, he’s asked supporters whether or not they think he should respond to her video.

What do you think, “Star” fans? Is one franchise superior, or are they both great in their own ways? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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Relativity Media

Julia Roberts' version of the Snow White tale, "Mirror, Mirror," is more light-hearted than "Snow White and the Huntsman." By a factor of forever.

Two movies based on the "Snow White" fairy tale are on the way, and both now have trailers out. Both trailers focus on the Evil Queens, with Snow White pretty much an afterthought. Movie fans can weigh the differences and pick a favorite. I'm Team Huntsman, and not just because of Kristen Stewart -- Charlize Theron is all kinds of scary as the Queen.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" is due out in June.

Snow White: Kristen Stewart, looking all Joan of Arcy, proving a princess can be beautiful and also kick some butt.
Evil Queen: Deliciously creepy Charlize Theron, sucking down souls as if they were Cheetos and bathing in ... milk? paint? Wite-Out?
Huntsman: Chris "Thor" Hemsworth, getting all "Game of Thronesy" as he's forced to hunt Snow down
Bonus points for: Creepy liquid-human magic mirror, dwarves named Tiberius and Caesar.
Overall trailer vibe: Terrifying.

"Mirror, Mirror" is due out in March.

Snow White: Lily Collins, Phil's daughter, who does pick up a sword but would get cut in half by Stewart's Snow.
Evil Queen: A campy Julia Roberts, in giant gowns and a painful-looking waist-squeezer.
Prince: Armie Hammer, who gets turned into a dog, kind of, by a puppy-love potion.
Bonus points for: Dwarf makes "Scarface joke," cracks "Snow White? Snow Way!"
Overall trailer vibe: Zany.

Are you interested in either of the Snow White movies? Tell us in the comments.

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A young viewer had no problem with the felt faces of the Muppets, but wasn't so fond of Jason Segel's human appearance.

There's nothing like an unvarnished kid opinion to keep a star humble.

"Muppets" star Jason Segel, who plays Gary in the film, visited "The Late Show With David Letterman" Tuesday night. Segel told the host how preview audiences filled out forms telling what they did or did not like about the film. One card singled Segel out so distinctively that someone behind the scenes at Disney had it framed for him.

When asked what he or she liked about the movie, a 7-year-old viewer wrote, "I like that they were funny." When asked about dislikes, the answer was clear: "Gary's face."

Fortunately, the star didn't seem bothered by the critique, and "The Muppets" will open as scheduled Nov. 23, with Segel's face intact.

You can watch the clip below.

Will you see "The Muppets"? Tell us in the comments.

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Warner Bros.

"Happy Feet Two" could have used an editor with ice in his or her veins, to judiciously slice out some unneeded plotlines and save the extra scenes for "Happy Feet Three."

The penguins from the Oscar-winning 2006 film are cute as ever, and the icy visuals are breathtaking. You almost feel the chill of the setting and feel the drips of the (global-warming-inspired?) melting snow. There are beautiful moments, including a penguin danceline the size of the Antarctic, and some great musical choices, including "Surfin' Bird." But there are just too many plotlines crammed into a film that's overlong for its young audience.

Lead pengin Mumble (Elijah Wood again) is now a daddy (singer Pink replaces the late Brittany Murphy as the voice of his wife, Gloria). When their son, Erik, discovers a cult-leader-like flying penguin named The Mighty Sven (Hank Azaria), he's entranced.

But in addition to Sven's mystery, there's a lengthy plotline where Mumble has to rescue a trapped elephant seal, a sideplot about two krill friends, some random Robin Williams schtick, lots of musical numbers, including an entire Pink solo, and the movie's slow-to-resolve main plot about what happens when an iceberg breaks apart and traps most of the penguins without food.

Threatening your main characters with death by starvation is a little grim, but then again, so was Cruella DeVil wanting to skin the "101 Dalmatians." But the rescue attempts go on and on, with the audience as trapped as the flightless birds, waiting for something to happen. It's a giant relief when lumbering, Aussie-accented elephant seal Bryan the Beachmaster and pals finally galumph to the rescue.

Some critics don't like the subplot involving Will and Bill the krills, the little red shrimp-like guys voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Granted, they don't have a lot to do with the penguins, only occasionally sliding down their backs or whizzing past them, but they're also goofily charming. ("How far to the face?" one of them demands upon deciding he's going to climb to the top of the food chain.)

Some of the young ones at my screening got a little restless as the film lurched past an hour and a half, but the penguins always did something eventually to snap their eyes back to the screen. Another animated-film Oscar may not be on ice for this sequel, but parents looking for a diversion this weekend and over the Thanksgiving holiday won't mind a bit.

Will you see "Happy Feet Two"? Tell us, or give us your review, in the comments.

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Nacho Doce / REUTERS

Justin Bieber will no longer have to prove whether or not he fathered a child.

Justin Bieber is off the hook! At least, in terms of having to take a paternity test. According to TMZ, Mariah Yeater has dismissed a lawsuit claiming the 17-year-old is the father of her child.

Two weeks ago, the California-based Yeater stepped forward with her lawyers Lance Rogers and Matt Pare to claim that she and Bieber had shared a backstage encounter after one of his Los Angeles Staples Center concerts, and that her four-month-old baby was his. Bieber and his representatives denied any such tryst ever took place, and prepared to take a paternity test to refute her claims.

"To set the record straight, none of it is true," Bieber declared during a visit to TODAY earlier in November. "I know I'm going to be a target, but I'm never going to be a victim. It's crazy, because every night after the show I've gone right from the stage right to my car. So it's crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations."

"I can confirm that the team has proactively made arrangements for Justin to be tested upon his return and we're going to hold everyone who is involved responsible," Bieber spokesperson Matthew Hiltzik said in a statement, as reported on MTV.com. "It's sad that someone would fabricate malicious, defamatory, and demonstrably false claims. We'll vigorously pursue all available legal remedies to protect Justin and to hold those involved with bringing this suit accountable for their actions."

According to TMZ, the paternity case is now dead in the water, and Yeater's lawyers have quit representing her.

MTV.com says there's no word yet on whether Bieber's reps will follow through with their legal case now that the original suit has been dropped.

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20th Century Fox

Nigel the cockatoo from "Rio" is no pretty bird.

This week's release of "Happy Feet Two" brings penguins (and one deceptive puffin) back into the spotlight.

Movies, especially kid movies, have a lot of influence on what we think of a particular species, and I say that as a mom of a kid who wanted a stuffed cockatoo for her birthday based solely on "Rio." If great white sharks make you shudder (and why wouldn't they?), you may have "Jaws" to thank. As a kid of the 1970s, I grew up with the image of floppy dog Benji in my brain, and TV reruns of "Gentle Ben" gave bears a nice cuddly image (that "Grizzly Man" completely destroyed).

I'm willing to bet not that many of us had even heard of meerkats before 1994's "Lion King." But Simba's animated pal Timon made the species cool, and later "Meerkat Manor" came along to cement that reputation. (Timon's pal Pumbaa didn't do a lot for warthogs, though.)

Here are a few of the best recent animated movie animals.

Nigel the cockatoo, from "Rio"
Jemaine Clement from "Flight of the Conchords" voiced this villain who's still holding a grudge that he's no longer a pretty bird. Best line: "I'm a feathery freak with a beak, a bird murderer. You think you're badder than me? I never heard o' ya!"

Puss from "Puss in Boots"
Antonio Banderas gave the swashbuckling Puss a bowlful of Latin Lover style in the "Shrek" series, then carried it over to his own feature film. He's a hero, yes, but not above dropping down to all fours to chase a laser pointer during a fight. Best line (said while dangling over a bridge and being asked if cats always land on their feet): "No! That is just a rumor, spread by dogs!"

Maximus the horse from "Tangled"
Maximus, a horse belonging to the Palace Guard, is determined to bring Flynn Rider to justice. But when he discovers Rapunzel's been trapped in a tower her whole life, he grudgingly joins Flynn to show the long-haired princess the floating lanterns she longs for. Best line: He doesn't speak, but in a great scene, he refuses to eat apples given him by Flynn, who he knows to be a thief. "I BOUGHT them!" Flynn hollers, and Maximus resumes munching. "Well, some of them," Flynn says.

Featherstone the flamingo from "Gnomeo and Juliet"
The two garden gnomes are apart for a while, sure, due to their family feud. But it's Featherstone whose love story breaks your heart. He and his female flamingo friend once lived beak-to-beak, but when the couple who owned them split up, one took the female and one took Featherstone. Their love story, set to Elton John's "Love Builds a Garden," is a tear-jerker indeed. Best line: "I may not be a smart bird, but I know what love is."

Rango the chameleon from "Rango"
Johnny Depp's Rango isn't exactly cuddly, but the bug-eyed household pet won fans when he found himself stuck in a drought-stricken Western town that desperately needed a hero. Best line: "Stay in school, eat your veggies, and burn all the books that ain't Shakespeare."

Who's your favorite animated movie animal? Tell us in the comments.

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Bradley Cooper, the hunky "Hangover" star with the piercing blue eyes, is PEOPLE magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2011.

Cooper, 36, heads a list of 123 "super hot guys" that includes actors Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Robert Pattinson and Justin Timberlake to name a few (more photos here.)

PEOPLE

"I think it's really cool that a guy who doesn't look like a model can have this [title]," Cooper told the mag. "I think I'm a decent-looking guy. Sometimes I can look great, and other times I look horrifying."

On TODAY: Watch the magazine's reveal

PEOPLE says the actor -- who has also starred in "Limitless" and "The A-Team" -- is especially close with his mom. "My mother is going to be so happy," Cooper says of his first thought upon learning he had been crowned Sexiest. He also thought he was being "Punk'd."

Cooper dated actress Renée Zellweger for two years until their split in March and has been linked to Jennifer Lopez in recent months, but says he's just a "single 36-year-old male." He takes the title from 2010 winner Ryan Reynolds.

Scoop's Courtney Hazlett wrote here in June that the revelation that Cooper was fluent in French made him even more attractive.

We've assembled a few video highlights below for those looking for more of a Cooper fix.

So what do you think? Did PEOPLE make the right choice? Share your thoughts in the comments if you agree ... or feel someone was robbed!

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Charles Sykes / AP

Karl Slover, one of the last surviving actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," has died. He was 93.

The 4-foot-5 Slover died of cardiopulmonary arrest Tuesday afternoon in a suburban Atlanta hospital, said Laurens County Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley. According to friends, as recently as last weekend, Slover appeared at events in the suburban Chicago area.

Slover was best known for playing the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins' band but also had roles as a townsman and soldier in the film, said John Fricke, author of "100 Years of Oz" and five other books on the movie and its star, Judy Garland. Slover was one of the tiniest male Munchkins in the movie.

Read the full story.

Adam Taylor / ABC

Hope Solo and pro partner Maks Chmerkovskiy delivered an ambitious but flawed Argentine tango on Monday.

It was the elimination that most “Dancing With the Stars” fans saw coming, but it still shocked thanks to some unaired footage from performance night.

Soccer star Hope Solo, who received the lowest judges’ scores on Monday, was the latest ballroom hopeful to get booted from the competition, leaving Rob Kardashian, Ricki Lake and J.R. Martinez to vie for the mirror ball trophy. Though Hope clearly put in great effort, her sloppy paso doble and athletic-rather-than-sexy Argentine tango just weren’t on par with the other semifinalists’ performances (for the most part).

Read the full recap.