Cats are better than dogs.

OK, I'm not really talking about Catwoman. But I wanted to deflect the ire of dog-lovin' lesbians long enough to let me make a point. And I do have one.

Yes, another gratuitous picture. You're welcome.

Personally, I love dogs and cats equally. I have cats because, well, I'm lazy. But a recent University of Minnesota study suggests that people with cats are less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than people without cats. Dog owners had the same rate of stroke and heart attack as non-owners. Of course, I already knew that my cats help reduce stress, especially when I'm working at home. I mean, this is what I see when I'm blogging.

One theory about the results has to do with the nature of cats — they are lap animals that want to be petted. When the owner pets the cat, down goes the stress. I would have to balance that with another aspect of the feline nature: a fondness for attacking toes when the owner is asleep. And the fact that a kitty's favorite place to sleep is on whatever part of the bed is highest at a given moment and, if its position is threatened, it will hang on with extended claws. In other words, sex can be, well, a pain in the butt. Literally. (This is, unfortunately, not just theory.)

Still, we love our kitties. Witness the popularity of Lolcats. … continue reading

Here's a true Hollywood story. A successful and smart female filmmaker wants to write a film about her experience as a female in a male-dominated business that doesn't always want to hear her voice and relegates women to the supporting cast once they pass the age of 40. The movie deal is eventually picked up, but by a cigar-smoking ex-con who runs his indie film company into the ground and changes the terms of the deal so much that it looks like the film will never be finished.

And there's no happy ending here, even for filmmaker Amy Heckerling. Here she is with daughter Mollie, who was one of the sources for material in the little film that couldn't: I Could Never Be Your Woman.

If you don't recognize Heckerling's name, you probably know her work: She's responsible for Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless. So it's hard to understand how I Could Never Be Your Woman will end up in the depressing bin of straight-to-DVD film releases sold in a big warehouse store near you, especially considering the stars. Michelle Pfeiffer, for one. … continue reading

Michelle Pfeiffer has a new look, and who better to decide whether she should keep it than those of us who adore her?

Pfeiffer, who turns 50 on April 29, tried on a lot of looks last year. She was Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray. … continue reading

One of my childhood memories is a time at my cousin's 12th birthday party when I thoughtfully said, "Twelve is such a ripe old age." I don't know what led to that pronouncement, but I remember it often, even several multiples of 12 later. Age is like that. Each milestone seems far away, then one day you realize that a lot of them are behind you. It's not a bad thing — older really is better — it's just surprising. A few weeks ago, one of America's favorite children reached one of those milestones when Caroline Kennedy turned 50.

Kennedy certainly has accomplished a lot in her adulthood, but to many of us, she always will be JFK's little girl. And "Sweet Caroline." … continue reading

No, they're not dating. No, they're not even playing a couple on-screen. But I sucked ya in, didn't I? Actually, they've both signed on to roles in a movie entitled Personal Effects, which will also star Ashton Kutcher. Kathy Bates will play mom to Kutcher, while Michelle Pfeiffer will play the object of his affection.

The film tells the story of a man (Kutcher) dealing with the death of his sister. He goes looking for answers and instead meets a beautiful older woman (Pfeiffer) who is dealing with a similar tragedy in her past. Cue the dramatic music and ensuing romance. What is it with Kutcher and older women? At least he has good taste. … continue reading

FHM has an interesting list of what they consider the 10 best female movie villains. They also have some disturbing, yet fun, video clips to go along with their choices. And it got me thinking: What exactly makes a villainess a grand dame in the baddie world? So here's my take on the qualities that make a villain truly great.

1. The hotness factor

OK, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I can get swept up by a villain just because she's hot. I'm not alone: Malinda has her own list of baddies who are also hotties. Both Malinda and FHM include the likes of Catherine Tramell (Basic Instinct) and Catwoman as played by Michelle Pfieffer. O-Ren Ishii makes the FHM list and mine as well. I'd also like to suggest two more recent villains to add to the "hot" list: Sarah Corvus and Caprica Six (Battlestar Galactica).

… continue reading

Here's the rumor floating all over the entertainment blogosphere: Michelle Pfeiffer has been approached to participate in a remake of Grease.

I have not found any credible information confirming that a Grease remake is in the works; all of the references seem to be based on the same quote, and it's not entirely clear what the original source is. (It might be this, but I'm not completely certain.) Ergo, I feel a little sleazy spreading the rumor based on so little. But, apparently, I will anyway. Here's the quote in question:

"It's a great idea and I hear they would like to get Jessica Simpson for the role of Sandy, she would be good. I would love to play the school principal. She is fun and has some great put-down lines. I think I would like the part now that I have been asked."

I'm hoping this is not true for a number of reasons. First, this quote makes her sound stupid, and I prefer not to view Michelle Pfeiffer as stupid. Actually, it sort of makes her sound translated — as if the original quote was not in English. (Assuming that this quote is not fabricated, I'm hoping it's some paraphrased throwaway aside from a Stardust press thing.)

Second, remaking Grease seems like a bad idea. … continue reading

In honor of actress Michelle Pfeiffer's return to the big screen in Hairspray (2007) and Stardust (2007), Lori and I have devoted the second segment of this week's video blog (watch the first one here) to discussing some of the highlights of her acting career.

We cover cult classics like Ladyhawke (1985), Grease 2 (1982), and Batman Returns (1992); period pieces like The Age of Innocence (1993) and Dangerous Liaisons (1988); career misses like The Sum of Us (1999) and What Lies Beneath (2000); and a few of her more random films like The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and Dangerous Minds (1995).

For brevity's sake — and because it's our vlog and we can be selective if we want to — we haven't included all of Michelle's films in our discussion (I might have added Married to the Mob and Frankie and Johnny to the list, for example, if we'd had more time). But between her Pink Ladies jacket, her Catwoman leather, and her Fabulous red dress, there should be something here for everyone.

Now I'm going to have "Cool Rider" in my head all night.... … continue reading

On the heels of expressing my attraction/repulsion to the idea of Xanadu as a Broadway musical, I read that Dirty Dancing, the West End musical version of the movie, will launch a U.S. national tour in September 2008.

Cynthia Rhodes touching Jennifer Grey is just hotter, don't you think? … continue reading

But relative heat aside, the idea of this show simultaneously makes me cringe and hope that it could be fun.

Michelle Pfeiffer is tonight’s guest on Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio (7 p.m. ET). Let’s take a minute to breathe in her glorious visage.

Of course, breathing is one thing I seem to have trouble with when I see her. I have never recovered — nor do I intend to — from seeing her in those jeans and that leather jacket in Dangerous Minds. … continue reading

The other day while perusing photos, I came across a shot of an attractive blond who reminded me of a young Michelle Pfeiffer. Then I read the caption. Mary-Kate Olsen? Bahwah? Now, I’ve always fallen into the "Olsens look like lorises" camp. Or Gelflings. Or food-deprived troll dolls. But this, this insane similarity made me doubt all my long-held and strongly-felt beliefs on celebrity twinhood. How could this be? Has the world gone mad?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Hell, yes. Sure, all stars have their obvious twinsies. Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox’s similarities have been so exhaustively dissected that even your grandma could tell you, “Oh, honey, that Transformers girl is just trying to steal Angie’s look.”

But the more you look around, the more you realize that unlikely (and downright odd) celebrity twins are everywhere. And these weird-alikes just keep getting weirder. … continue reading

You've seen stills of Michelle Pfeiffer in Stardust here and here, but I would like to offer up another reason, aside from the brilliance of Neil Gaiman, to see the film.

I'm referring to Gaiman's fallen star, Yvaine, as portrayed by Claire Danes.

At age 10, Danes was studying method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. By age 15, she was winning us over with all the teen angst she could muster as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life. A year later, Steven Spielberg called her "one of the most exciting actresses to debut in the last ten years." I don't think Mr. Spielberg says that about just anyone. And that was after she turned down a role in Schindler's List because they wouldn't fly tutors to Poland for her. … continue reading

Now that Lord Voldemort has returned, I've been thinking about villains lately. In particular, sure, He Who Must Not Be Named is scary, but why is it that male villains are usually so unattractive? What is it about evilness that makes male villains turn into hairless, unicorn blood-drinking tyrants with no fashion sense? (See Darth Vader for another option: still hairless, but that helmet clearly makes him fashion-challenged.)

Female villains, on the other hand, tend to be uniformly hot (and sometimes uniformed). Maybe it's because the female villain partly emerges from the long (and, dare I say it, glorious) tradition of the dominatrix: She'll whip your ass, and she'll look fantastic while doing it. And no, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Without further ado, here are my top 10 female villains:

10. Jordana Brewster as Lucy Diamond in D.E.B.S.

Clad all in black and bent on world domination, Lucy Diamond doesn't let her previously foiled plots (including an attempt to sink Australia) get her down. In D.E.B.S., she sets her sights on D.E.B.S. agent Amy (Sara Foster), and she quickly succeeds in seducing her.

Here's a (mysteriously silent) video of Lucy smooching Amy: … continue reading

On Monday, various luminaries attended the premiere of Hairspray in L.A., including the always brilliant Queen Latifah. Latifah plays Motormouth Maybelle, and she was still wearing her character's dazzling blonde hair at the premiere:

Holy platinum pate! And holy, uh, other stuff. Here are some more photos of the Queen at the premiere: … continue reading

I just came across some production stills from the movie Stardust, based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name and starring Claire Danes, Sienna Miller and Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie premieres Aug. 10, and it looks stunning. (My dorky captions aren't so stunning, but I tried!)

Pfeiffer: "Who, me?" AfterEllen.com: "Yes, you!"

"Sorry I'm home so late, honey. Oh, crap, am I that late?" … continue reading