Jesse Eisenberg in the poster for David Fincher's The Social Network

Credit: Sony Pictures

One of the more intriguing releases this fall for both moviegoers and awards season watchers is David Fincher's "The Social Network."  A big departure from the acclaimed filmmaker's last two films, "Zodiac" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," his latest drama is based on the real life story of the men behind Facebook and, more specifically, Mark Zuckerberg, who reportedly pushed his co-founders aside to become the face of the company. 

Tilda Swinton as Emma in "I Am Love."

Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Usually when you see a preview or commercial for a film that uses a quote as over-the-top as "see it by any means necessary," your first instinct is to not take it that seriously.  I mean, what movie can be so good that you must see it? "Avatar"? "The Dark Knight"?  "Citizen Kane"?  In the case of Luca Guadagnino's "I Am Love" I only wish I'd said it first.

Would love to show you a photo of the "Kids Are All Right" stars on the red carpet, but AP Photo didn't cover. Instead, they were ready to take shots of the LAPD dealing with crowd control across the street.

Credit: AP Photo/Richard Vogel

One of the best films of the year had its Los Angeles premiere Thursday night as the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival kicked off in downtown LA with "The Kids Are All Right."  Stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wachokowsi (Alice in "Alice in Wonderland") and Josh Hutcherson (to be or not to be "Spider-Man") walked the red carpet and even "Glee's" Jane Lynch was in attendance.  Unfortunately for LAFF, game 7 of the NBA Finals between the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics was going on -- literally -- right across the street at Staples Center. 

Jonah Hill talks "Cyrus"

This is a big weekend for limited releases. Two of the best films at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, "Cyrus" and "I Am Love," are making their debut.

"Cyrus," is an outrageous, but moving comedy from the talented Duplass brothers which finds Hill playing a young adult who just can't leave home. and has a very close relationship with his mother (Marisa Tomei) In fact, his relationship with his mother may be a tad, "too" close.  At least, that's the opinion of John C. Reilly's character who has fallen for Cyrus' dear old, but sexy mom.  It's certainly the darkest and most difficult role the "Superbad" star had taken to date and is nothing like his turn as a wannabe music exec in the hit comedy "Get Him to the Greek"

The exclusive premiere of the Animal Kingdom Poster with Guy Pearce

Credit: Sony Pictures Classics

The Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off tomorrow and both Drew McWeeny and myself will be covering as much as we can of the 10-day event in its new downtown digs. The festival has an incredibly intriguing slate this year including a number of notable titles from January's Sundance Film Festival that will soon be slowly debuting nationwide.  One of those is the Sundance World Cinema Jury Prize winner "Animal Kingdom." 

Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan in "Never Let Me Go."

Credit: Fox Searchlight

Director Mark Romanek has created some of the most iconic imagery of the past 15 years in the world of music videos.  From Madonna's "Bedtime Stories" to Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" to Johnny Cash's "Hurt" and Fiona Apple's controversial "Criminal," Romanek has displayed an eye and sophistication almost unrivaled among his peers.  While many of his counterparts were able to easily segue into movie careers (some successfully, some not), his road has been much more difficult. 

Presenter Scarlett Johansson on the Red Carpet of the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

Credit: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

It's another gorgeous Sunday here in Los Angeles, but the city's attention is focused on two major events Sunday night: Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers and the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.  And, of course, they are airing opposite each other no doubt causing torn allegiances among Hollywood's celebrity elite.  Do they go to Staples Center for the Finals or trek to Universal City for the "New Moon" vs. "Avatar" battle on MTV?  Your guess is as good as mine, but we're going to do our best to present a candid play by play of the annual MTV event. And if you don't know who host Aziz Ansari, well unless you've seen "Funny People" or "Parks and Recreation," don't worry about it.

Leonardo DiCaprio in a UK poster for "Inception."

Credit: Warner Bros

Traditionally, Oscar takes the summer off. Sure, you'll get an occasional best picture release such as "Gladiator," "Braveheart" or last year's winner "The Hurt Locker," but most of the contenders don't hit the ground until well past Labor Day.  Well, the 10 nominee system has changed all that.

Last year, four of the best picture nominees were released in the summer: "Up," "Inglourious Basterds," "District 9" and "Locker."  The 83rd Academy Awards probably won't match that total, but there are more summer players than usual for awards season overall.  Just previewing the feature films, there are eight releases that should easily make some noise over the next three months. 

A couple of quick caveats before reviewing the contenders.  Universal's "Despicable Me" didn't make the cut because it's unclear how many nods there will be for best animated feature this go around (it's probably back to only three nods).  With "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3" pretty much locks already, "Me" is likely to be shut out of a relatively crowded field with "Tangled" and "Megamind" on the horizon (see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" last year). Some critics like the Sundance release "The Killer Inside Me," but it's not going to get director Michael Winterbottom or his cast any awards attention.  And, as fun and great a performance Jim Carrey gives in the long-delayed "I Love You Philip Morris" we're not gonna believe that film is coming out till we see it projected in a theater.

With that in mind...

Ian McKellen is 71 guys, he's not gonna be able to trek through the New Zealand mountains as Gandalf for much longer.

Credit: New Line Cinema

The surprising announcement today that Guillermo del Toro is relinquishing his directing chores on the long-delayed, but highly anticipated production of "The Hobbit" couldn't have been that big a surprise to many industry observers.  Del Toro has numerous commitments in a lucrative deal with Universal Pictures (which notably has no financial stake in "The Hobbit") that couldn't wait much longer and there are rumblings that he and producer Peter Jackson may not have seen eye to eye on all aspects of the production.  However, the good news is that there are two scripts for the two-part film that are finally ready to go. The money to shoot the films is obviously the crux of del Toro's departure.

The strangest part of his reasoning, as some pundits have noted, is that the MGM situation del Toro credited as causing his withdrawal should be resolved within the next three months.  And if it isn't, expect Warner Bros. to try to force the beleaguered lion to sell their stake in the project or come up with a third solution.  Plus, Ian McKellen ain't getting any younger.  This has to shoot soon -- or never.

Word is Jackson, Fran Walsh and del Toro will start work on finding a replacement director within the week.  With that in mind, here's a list of intriguing candidates they will no likely consider.

But before you wonder where "so and so" is, some quick eliminations.  Zack Snyder? Uh, no.  The Wachowskis?  The comeback won't be under Jackson's watch. J.J. Abrams? Busy.  Jon Favreau? Busy and not right for it.  Kathryn Bigelow?  Seems like a big stretch even for her talents. Ron Howard? Now you're just being silly. And for those suggesting Clint Eastwood, you've had a bit too much to drink this holiday weekend.

Katherine Heigl pleads for mercy on the cover of "Entertainment Weekly" in April.

Hollywood may continually recycle the same story, characters and franchises, but its stars are just as guilty of repeating their predecessor's mistakes.  Call it arrogance or immaturity, but actors continually take their success for granted believing once they hit a certain stratosphere it won't go away.  The latest victim of this longstanding industry curse appears to be none other than Katherine Heigl.