Hitchcock. Scorsese. Belushi? Yes, critics of the world -- start sharpening your pencils. Variety is reporting that James Belushi has signed to make his feature directorial debut for Lionsgate. The film will be called The Catch, and is the true story of a 42 year-old man who returns to school and plays college football. Belushi will play the lead role in addition to co-producing and directing the film. Belushi has directed before -- he's been behind the camera for over 30 episodes of his much-mocked ABC sitcom According to Jim. Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? David Murray is writing the script for The Catch. Apparently Murray is the go-to football guy these days -- he also wrote an upcoming biopic of Vince Lombardi (called Lombardi) that was produced by NFL Films.

The Catch tells the life story of Marty Reichman. Reichman was "on the verge of losing his job and his marriage when he decided to keep a promise to his father and return to college. He finds he's eligible to play ball and makes the team as tight end." I can't tell from the synopsis what tone the film will have. It could be a serious, touching sports film along the lines of the The Rookie with Dennis Quaid, or a broad old-guy-in-college comedy a la Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield. Belushi has been something of a punchline for years now, and I'm not sure when or why that started. Maybe it was K-9. Perhaps it was K-911. It certainly could have been K-9: P.I. Regardless, despite a career chock full of questionable choices, I've always found the man to be a likable actor, especially as sidekicks in two overlooked romantic comedies -- Only the Lonely and Return to Me. Maybe this could be a comeback story on and off screen?

One thing we can always be sure of are new Christmas movies -- not just ones released during the season of lights, egg nog and presents under pine trees, but ones that focus on the holiday itself. The next in the long line of jolly flicks is a feature-length animated musical called Snowyville, which is based on director Michael Attardi's animated short, Once Upon a Christmas Village. Could this be instigated by the increasing deluge of musicals lately? Sweeney Todd. Hairspray. Footloose. Repo. I think so!

The premise for the flick is a bit...strange: "Santa Claus drops his magical watch under a Christmas tree, bringing to life a miniature village at the base of the tree." Magical watch!? That must be one hell of a time piece, because I can't see any normal watch being useful for the man who travels across the world, delivering millions of presents, in one short night. Voices have already been lined up -- headlined with Tim Curry and Jim Belushi. (Am I the only one who misses Curry's risque, transvestite days?)

Dream Balloon Productions is developing the feature and celeb artist Nicolosi is going to collaborate with the film's art director, Paul "Kit" Stolen, and Attardi (who is writing and producing the feature) on both the art design for the feature and marketing. Considering the fact that Nicolosi has a whole Warhol aesthetic going, I wonder if this means the animation will be done in black and white and then be colorized with bright, unrealistic color? If so, that could make for a funky film that's different than your everyday holiday fare.

After seeing what Hollywood did with one of the finest cartoons ever made (The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, ugh!) I was more than a little skeptical when I learned that Disney was turning one of my very favorite animated characters into a live-action movie. The cartoon is Underdog, the movie version comes from the guy who did Racing Stripes, and the very first teaser trailer is right here.

It's basically one of those "misdirection" trailers in which we're expected to think we're watching a "serious" promotional piece ... and then it's all fun and giggles when we get a flying dog thrown at the screen. Plus, and I know it's a major piece of geeky nit-pickery, but this cute little pup doesn't look a thing like Underdog! Someone get me the canine casting directors on the phone! Opening August 3 (against the teen comedy Charlie Bartlett and the spy thriller The Bourne Ultimatum), Underdog looks to have been a fairly "collaborative" production, what with its three screenwriters and ten (yes, ten) producers.

The title pup is voiced by Jason Lee; the supporting cast includes Peter Dinklage, Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton and (the voice of) Amy Adams; and the tagline "One Nation Under Dog" is sure to cause some complaints across the bible belt. Bet on it.

Ah, Sunday. Nothing much going on news-wise to report on, but it's a great day to kick back with a nice cup of coffee and catch up with what's going on around the world of other film blogs and film sites. Think of it as a Film Blog Group Hug, Sunday Edition.

Over on Film Threat, Paul Goebel wonders: When did Jim Belushi became such a douche?

Who says cinephiles aren't social animals? Sure, we may spend a great deal of our time with our butts planted firmly on couches and in theater seats, but we like to talk about film too, and unless you have multiple personalities that all get along, you need other people to talk to. If you don't want to leave the comfort of home for stimulating conversation, though, here are some online options to check out:

Nerve.com has launched the Nerve Film Lounge, where you can check out film reviews and interviews and chat about your opinions.

There's also indieWIRE's social networking site, indieLOOP, where you can form groups, join groups, talk about your film or other people's films, hook up with friends who are going to festivals, and more.

If you're a filmmaker, or you just really love film, you might want to check out IKlipz, where you can upload and watch short films. IKlipz members can view uploaded films, rate them, and discuss them with other members. Just this morning, I treated myself to a viewing of The Intervention, by the Duplass Brothers (they of The Puffy Chair) -- a 14 minute or so about a group of friends holding an "intervention" that has more under the surface that it first appears. Check it out.

Over at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule, you can put those summer doldrums to rest and flex your brain muscle by taking Professor Julius Kelp's Endless Summer Chemistry Test. Which questions like "Is it possible to know with any certainty if you could like or love someone based partially on their taste in movies? If so, what film might be a potential relationship deal-breaker for you, or the one that might just seal that deal?", you're sure to have fun with it. [ via Green Cine Daily ]

Mad Cow Disease -- which changed its name from Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) when it got famous in the late 1990's -- is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle, spread by the host consuming animal by-products infected by this protein mutation. The disease is zoonotic -- meaning it can be transmitted to humans (and vice versa) -- so this forced cannibalism resulted in the deaths of over 150 Europeans through 2004 who had consumed tainted beef. While only five BSE-infected cattle were identified in the U.S. through 2005 (due to their largely soy diet), the panic was enough to cause widespread bans on U.S. beef.