Remember that mushy-sounding, Irreconcilable Differences-esque movie starring the Fanning sisters that's in the works? About a little girl who sues her parents for divorce after finding out she only exists to serve as a genetic match for her dying sis? It's called My Sister's Keeper, and it just got a whole lot better-sounding. According to Variety, Alec Baldwin has joined the cast, which also includes Cameron Diaz as the mother of Dakota and Elle Fanning. Baldwin fortunately won't be playing the girls' daddy; instead he's set for the role of an attorney representing the younger, wrongfully-conceived sister. He will be going up against Diaz, whose mom character is also a former trial lawyer and will be defending herself. It's still unclear if the father role will be significant, or if the parents are now divorced, separated or simply not cinematic equals. Of course, the production has until its February start date to let us know the actor for that part.

Baldwin, who previously worked with Dakota Fanning on The Cat in the Hat, was able to sign on to My Sister's Keeper thanks in part to the writer's strike, which has halted the shooting of Baldwin's hit TV series 30 Rock (though Variety points out he is contractually allowed to schedule a movie, who's to say it would have happened with this, at this time?). I've just recently become addicted to the show specifically because of him, and hope his attorney character is close in tone to his NBC executive character, Jack Donaghy. Yet something -- perhaps the subject matter of the film -- tells me that won't be the case. Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) will be directing from a script by Jeremy Leven (The Notebook), which was adapted from the novel by Jodi Picoult, while Mark Johnson (The Notebook) produces.

The last time the Fanning sisters were in the same movie (I Am Sam), they played the same character at different ages. Now they've been cast in a new movie in which they both exist for the same character. Confused? Hold on. According to Variety, Elle and Dakota, who are now 9 and 13 respectively, will star in Nick Cassavetes' adaptation of My Sister's Keeper alongside Cameron Diaz. Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, it's the story of a young girl who was conceived solely for the purpose of being a genetic match for her older sister, who is suffering from cancer. So, basically, Elle's part is that of a literal tool, existing only for the extension of Dakota's character's life. And I guess the parents don't treat the younger enough like a real, intentional child, because she ends up suing them for divorce -- kinda like little Drew Barrymore does in the largely forgotten gem from my youth, Irreconcilable Differences. Cassavetes' partners from The Notebook, screenwriter Jeremy Leven and producer Mark Johnson, are also on board, and production is set to begin in March.

If there's any competition between the Fannings for who will be the first to score an Oscar, this could be the movie in which to really shine. For the older Dakota, we've got a character dying of a disease, which at least used to be an Academy favorite for recognition (maybe if she was also mentally handicapped, she'd have more of a chance). Then for little "Sweetie Pie" (I'll never stop calling Elle that, even when she's 30), there's the strong court-battle role, which typically serves up meaty performances. And with Diaz in the movie, the sisters are sure to appear even better actresses than they are. As we told you in July, Diaz will play the girls' mother, who was cast first and then required the lowering of the sisters' ages from 13 and 16, as they are in the book (what, we can't believe Diaz had a daughter when she was 19?). Although this will be the first movie Elle and Dakota appear in together as sisters, they did play sisters in the American dub of My Neighbor Totoro -- which only used their voices (you should really watch the subtitled version; it's so much cuter). So, will the Fannings compete too much and end up giving us over the top delivery? Or could they both be good enough to further compete come awards time? Or will we be so over them by the time this movie comes out and not care either way?

Believe it or not, Lovers, Liars and Thieves is once again gearing up to hit the screen. (Not to be confused with Harold "Ace" Frazer's 1997 movie with the same name.) If you're a fan of the Don Juan DeMarco, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and The Notebook scribe, chances are you've heard about Jeremy Leven's Thieves script. It was coming in 2002 with Robin Williams, Renee Zellweger and Antonio Banderas. Then there were rumors of it getting made the following year with Dustin Hoffman, Banderas and Elizabeth Shue. Now, a few years after that, Banderas continues to be on the list, and Hoffman has stuck as well (sans Shue).

Now Ilann Girard of Arsam Productions is producing the film, which will be a $35 million European co-production. The script follows two thieves in 1911 who convince an Italian cabinet maker to steal the Mona Lisa. The portrait was actually stolen that year, but the details differ a bit. On August 21, 1911 the painting was grabbed from the Louvre. While even Picasso was brought in for questioning, the real culprit was a Louvre employee. He stole it for Eduardo de Valfierno, so that copies could be made and sold as the real thing. The forgeries were made, the original was forgotten, and the employee, Vincenzo Peruggia, was caught when he tried to sell it a few years later.

While it might sound amusing to imagine Hoffman and Banderas as belle epoque thieves, praise has been following this script for years. Now if only it can move beyond the rumor and casting stage, we'd be able to see for ourselves.

Upon first glance at the title The Time Traveler's Wife, you might curl your lip if you're not a fan of sci-fi. While the novel sounds like a futuristic drama, it's actually more of the heart-wrenching dramatic variety. Sure, at its simplest, it's the story of a man who time-travels due to some particularly rare gene, and the woman he's in love with. However, what makes the novel work is how Audrey Niffenegger plotted out the time-line. It would have been very easy for her to throw it into a post-modern jumble, but instead, the history and future are revealed as they deal with the present.

Obviously, this presents a challenge in writing the screenplay -- not only must the screenwriter deal with a jagged time-line, but it also has to come off as smooth and realistic, not jumbled and experimental. The novel is also 518 pages long, which means a lot of cutting in the story. Since the tale isn't linear, cutting any piece means re-jigging the past, present, and future of Henry and Clare. It is, therefore, not surprising that news has come of some script re-writes for the upcoming film.

The original screenplay was written by The Notebook scribe Jeremy Leven, and will now be re-written by Bruce Joel Rubin -- the man responsible for both Ghost and Deep Impact. He's got both romance and strange science under his belt, so this might bode well for the adaptation, which has been in development since 2003, before the novel was even released.

Hollywood has a great tradition of song and dance movies like Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music and more recently with Moulin Rouge! and Chicago. In fact, many of the most popular and successful films of all time are musicals. And now a new film will try to take its place among those great films of the past -- Dare to Love Me, directed by Alfonso Arau of A Walk in the Clouds.

According to production weekly, super-hot Paz Vega, Rodrigo Santoro and singer-turned-actress Shakira will star in the film, scripted by The Notebook writer Jeremy Leven, which tells the story of Argentinian tango legend Carlos Gardel (Santoro) whose involvement in a torrid love triangle leads to tragedy when he's shot, leaving a bullet lodged in his lung for the rest of his life. Making his way to 1930's Paris, Carlos finds the will to sing again and entrances a new legion of fans, including love interests Vega and Shakira, by bringing tango music to Europe's exploding music scene.

This film has a long way to go before it will count as a " musical classic" among the ones mentioned above; that said, Arau has a proven ability to manage this kind of sweeping tragic love story and writer Leven knows this ground exceptionally well too. Combine the skills and experience of these two men together with the charismatic and talented cast Arau has assembled, and this film might just have a chance. Or, we could end up with another Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on our hands -- and believe me, nobody wants that. Shooting on Dare to Love Me is expected to start next spring in Romania.

So, is this film going to be more Moulin Rouge! or Sgt. Pepper?

After it was supposed to be a half-hour comedy series on HBO before being shoved into turnaround, Fox 2000 has decided to pick up Ruth Reichl's food memoir Garlic and Sapphires with intentions of taking it to the big screen. Jeremy Leven (The Notebook) has come on to pen the script.

Based on the plot description, you'll want to load up on snacks for this one ... unless the person sitting beside you won't mind hearing the line, "Man, this movie is making me hungry" every other minute. Pic will follow a food critic who is forced to don disguises so that restaurants don't know who she is and, therefore, treat her like your average customer. However, things become complicated when she meets the man of her dreams while dressed up as someone else. Sounds like the perfect dinner and a movie date night combo for you couples out there -- whaddya think?