Posted Mar. 7, 2008,

Leave Diablo Cody Alone!

By Ann Magnuson

I acted opposite the wonderful Tom Lenk in the L.A. premiere of Amy and David Sedaris' play The Book of Liz. Tom played Duncan, the emotionally-fragile, recovering-alcoholic manager of the Pilgrim-themed restaurant that the wayward Amish-ish character of Liz -- moi -- finds employment. We never stopped laughing. (Except when we had to cry... during our emotional farewell scene. A three-hanky weeper!)

I'm happy to see Tom continues to elicit the yuks (and the tears); this time as "Huevo Hickock" in another YouTube extravaganza. I still haven't seen Juno but assume a lot of the pop-cultural poppycock jargon is part of the ex-stripper's Oscar-winning screenplay. Enjoy!

Posted Jan. 23, 2008,

The Moldy Peaches Stop By The View

By Whitney Spaner

Ellen Page isn't the only one one generating mountains of buzz for her role in Juno -- the anti-folk cutie-pies The Moldy Peaches have also resurfaced as stars of the best-selling soundtrack, on which singer Kimya Dawson wrote a few new songs, and the band's catchy tune "Anyone But You" is featured. Ellen Page told us in our Dec./Jan. issue that the Moldy Peaches are exactly the type of band she envisioned Juno listening to. Here are Kimya and her right-hand man Adam Green singing "Anyone Else But You" on The View this past Monday -- who would have thought that the singers behind the lyrics "Who mistook this steak for chicken/ who'm I gonna stick my dick in" would end up on The View? Not us! Wonder if Kimya is going to release a new album after this?? We know Adam's newest "Sixes & Sevens" is out in mid-March.

Posted Dec. 5, 2007,

Juno Is Just Great!

By Dennis Dermody

Juno Opening this week is Juno, which is pretty terrific. Ellen Page is simply sensational as the spunky, defiantly nonconformist, 16-year-old Juno, who finds she is pregnant after sleeping with boyfriend Bleeker (the goofy, sweetly endearing, Michael Cera). She decides to have the baby and give it up to a deserving couple, which she picks out of an ad in a penny saver (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). And that’s the jumping off part to Jason Reitman’s marvelously offbeat comedy, which is sheer joy from beginning to end. Much of that is because of the smart screenplay by Diablo Cody, which crackles with comic effervescence and sly wit -- there are times when the jokes machine-gun past you at alarming speed. But Page gives such dynamic assertion to the role, that in other hands might be cloyingly cute. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney are just delightful as her accepting parents. As for Juno, any girl who digs Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Dario Argento is my kind of gal.