There are not just Razzies and Oscars to read about this week. Yesterday, GLAAD -aka- Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, announced their nominees and honorees for the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. (Which they did from the depths of Sundance at the Queer Lounge in Park City.) The awards honor everything from print journalism to cinema, and celebrate "fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation."

As Stephen Fry would probably respond: there's still a long way to go, but here are the cinematic achievements and progress that GLAAD recognizes this year. There's singing, breasts, and even gay pirates:

Film -- Wide Release
Across the Universe
The Jane Austen Book Club
Stardust

Film -- Limited Release
The Bubble
Dirty Laundry
Itty Bitty Titty Committee
Nina's Heavenly Delights
Whole New Thing

Documentary
Camp Out
Cruel and Unusual: Transgender Women in Prison
For the Bible Tells Me So
Freddie Mercury: Magic Remixed
Small Town Gay Bar

[via indieWIRE]

It may be a bit early for this, but I wanted to get my two cents in on some of my favorite performances of 2007 so far, especially since most of these will probably get overlooked in the great Oscar crush of December. The awards almost always go to actors who are involved in biopics, message pictures, costume movies or epics, so let's start with the wonderful Alan Rickman, who has yet to earn a single Oscar nomination. This year, he can be seen toiling away once again in the small role of Severus Snape in the fifth "Harry Potter" film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (283 screens). In the third film, he practically stole the entire movie with the way he read the line "turn to page 394," but in this fifth film, he actually has a scene with some meat to it. In training Harry to block his thoughts, Harry takes a peek into Snape's own mind and finds a disastrously sad childhood. When the flashback ends, the camera lingers on Snape's face for a moment, and Rickman renders an astonishing expression of hurt and hatred that broke my heart and sent chills through my spine.

One costume movie, Becoming Jane (32 screens), was unfairly judged, perhaps because it was too much fun and not somber enough (or not based on a literary source of proper merit). The lovely Miss Anne Hathaway usually lends a kind of smart energy to her best performances, as if she were slightly ahead of the game, and she does so perfectly as the budding Jane Austen. She's playful, but tough, beautiful but restrained. And when she falls in love with her man (James McAvoy), she does so breathlessly and with her whole heart; the movie more or less explains through fantasy how Austen was able to write so passionately from such a dull existence. The real Jane was said to be rather plain, but I'd much rather imagine her like this. Add to this Maggie Smith's delightfully wry supporting performance as the wealthy aunt, who can't understand the impudent youth of today and fires off comically nasty barbs at their expense.

I've always gotten a kick out of creepy children's rhymes and tales -- whether you peel back the layers of Disney-like storytelling and find the wicked, creepy center, or you actually pay attention to the cheerily-delivered words and find out what they mean. Most of the time, the stories get white-washed into a fairy tale where Rapunzel wasn't getting it on with the Prince, and Little Red Riding Hood wasn't unknowingly eating her own grandmother. Obviously, they weren't quite the kiddie fare they are these days.

And that's why Neil Gaiman just wrote a great piece for The Guardian, explaining how he came to write the adult fairy tale, Stardust, which came out last month and is being released on DVD just in time for Christmas. The article starts with the history of fairy tales and how they went from adult fantastical fare to kid stories, and the many manifestations they have taken over the years. It's pretty cool to read how he went about writing the tale -- trying to channel the mid-1920s: "All I was certain of was that nobody had written books on computers back in the 1920s, so I bought a large book of unlined pages, the first fountain pen I had owned since my schooldays and a copy of Katharine Briggs' Dictionary of Fairies. I filled the pen and began." In the days where we can write and rewrite without the least scribble, I find it impressive when people go back to writing's roots and do it by hand -- especially when most hands aren't conditioned for it any more.

Gaiman also discusses the changes to the story once Matthew Vaughn penned the script. While the film takes a number of liberties, some of which the author mentions, he points out that this is what they're meant to do -- every story is weaved through a cycle of records on paper and retelling. "I would, of course, be happy if Stardust met with a similar fate, if it continued to be retold long after its author was forgotten, if people forgot that it had once been a book and began their tales of the boy who set out to find the fallen star with 'Once upon a time,' and finished with 'Happily ever after.'" If that happens, someone else will come around and recreate an adult fairy tale and the cycle can continue.

Ending a film must be the hardest part of any screenwriter's task. I've seen so many films with bad endings lately. I could make a list but it would be too depressing; for instance, seeing Stardust on second run got me miffed again. Shouldn't they have crowned Una Queen of Stormhold, to demonstrate the end of misrule by fratricidal princes? And the end of 3:15 to Yuma sill leaves a bad after-taste. It's as if James Mangold had walked out in front of the camera and said, "I really don't know what this struggle between good and evil is about." A screenwriter may only be safe if he figures out the ending first and then works backward to set it up.

Barbary Coast, a minor film by Howard Hawks seems headed for tragedy in the end. The last few minutes have the hero with a bullet in him, being tended by a heroine in a fog-shrouded rowboat, with the villain in pursuit. You can feel everything in the movie heading toward the finish of Tristan and Isolde. But the movie doesn't finish there. Barbary Coast resolves is in a triptych of three-way dignity: villain, hero, and heroine all getting their respect in the finish. (Funny that Andrew Sarris himself misremembered the way Barbary Coast ended, in this book...but that was published in the days before home video and niggling little pedants on the Internet.)

Back in August, Patrick reported that Marvel and Paramount had finally selected Matthew Vaughn (Stardust) to bring Marvel superhero Thor to the big screen. Vaughn will be working from Mark Protosevich's (I Am Legend) script, but a cast hasn't been selected. So far, only Tyler Mane has been offered up as a serious contender -- but if you have ever seen Adventures in Babysitting, you might agree that Vincent D'Onofrio might have a shot.

Vaughn recently talked with Empire about how he became involved: "When I went into Marvel for my first X-Men meeting, I saw a figure on the desk and said 'are you guys are going to make Thor?' They said, 'We're just going to commission a script. We want to do it like Gladiator with Norse mythology and the birth of a superhero'. That really stuck in my mind. And when Marvel saw Stardust, they asked me to do it. So here I am, back again and prepping Thor."

For the uninitiated: Thor is the son of the God Odin, and a little bit of a bad-boy, so dad decides to teach his son a little humility by placing him on earth as a surgeon. Once there, Thor no longer remembers his divine origins, but he does develop the power to transform back and forth (eventually the series did away with the alter-ego altogether). Vaughn has confirmed that there is not going to be much crossover between the Norse and Marvel mythology, saying: "...You've got Thor and Odin and it's set in Asgard - it's not going to be like Lord of the Rings or even Narnia. I think it's important to keep it comic book. We're not doing the Thor of Norse mythology. We're doing the Marvel Thor." We already know that the looming threat of a strike has placed the flick on the fast track, so stay tuned for any updates that come our way.

Summer's nearly over, school is about to begin and Hollywood is counting its money. Looking back, we could assume the studios made bundles this season; almost every weekend seemed to deliver a new record-breaking blockbuster. In order of enormity, there was Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Transformers 1 (it will have sequels), Harry Potter 5, 300, Ratatouille and finally another threequel, Bourne 3 (which should gain on at least that numberless Pixar movie). According to Box Office Mojo, the grosses for 2007 are up 7.2% over last year, and 13.7% over 2005 (aka the year of the slump).

Now, normally about this time of year, we can also look back and see a number of disappointments, bombs and otherwise failed releases. In fact, Entertainment Weekly should be giving us its annual rundown (my favorite) any week now. But Business Week has already announced the biggest losers of the season: Evan Almighty and Stardust. And as dishonorable mentions, it points to The Invasion, Grindhouse, The Reaping and The Number 23. Of course, the latter three were released much earlier in the year, and shouldn't be counted -- they seem to be thrown in as other mistakes of the year in general.

Although he made his Marvel Comics debut in 1962, (The Mighty) Thor has been around for quite some time. In Norse and German mythology, Thor is the god of thunder ... and war. I'm sorry, but that alone makes him cooler than Superman. Say what you will about good ol' Kal-El -- but he's not exactly a GOD, now is he? Would a god run screaming from a glowing green meteorite? No ,I think not. Plus Thor has this awesome giant hammer called Mjolnir that spits lightning and returns to its owner when thrown at an evildoer. Yeah, Thor! Whack those villains with your gigantic hammer! (But remember the PG-13 rating.)

Oh, and Marvel finally decided who'll be directing their big-screen adaptation of The Mighty Thor. According to Variety, it'll be Matthew Vaughn, director of Layer Cake and Stardust, and producer of Guy Ritchie's only two good movies. Comics fans will no doubt remember Mr. Vaughn as the man who was supposed to helm X-Men: The Last Stand, but bailed on the project (probably wisely) for personal reasons.

Marvel and Vaughn will be working from a screenplay by Mark Protosevich, and our source indicates that the studio might want to get the project rolling before the end of the year -- what with that black cloud of a Hollywood strike looming on the horizon. If Thor turns out to be anything like Marvel's current projects (The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man) then we can expect a whole bunch of nifty casting announcements to hit the scene soon. But for now I ask our readers: Who would YOU hire to play the massive blonde hero-god?

My vote is for DJ Qualls.

The Bourne Ultimatum pulled in some righteous bucks this past weekend, setting a record for an August release, and contributing to this being the highest grossing August weekend ever. I'll pass on using any lame jokes like "Bourne again" or "Bourne to be wild," not because I'm above that, mind you, but because I've already used them all. The Simpsons Movie dropped to number two, pulling in $25 million (mmmmm, box office). Incidentally, Hairspray missed being in the top five by, well, a hair, with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix taking in just a few hundred thousand more than the musical. The numbers look like this:

1. The Bourne Ultimatum: $69,283,690
2. The Simpsons Movie: $25,110,873
3. Underdog: $11,585,121
4. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: $10,626,345
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: $9,522,220

As we work our way into August, the flow of potential mega-blockbusters has ebbed. I wouldn't say any of this week's new releases have been hotly anticipated, though Rush Hour 3 seems to be the obvious big boy, and I'm personally looking forward to Stardust. Here's what's coming out this week:

Daddy Day Camp
What's It All About: In this sequel to Daddy Day Care, Cuba Gooding, Jr. takes over the roll originally played by Eddie Murphy, and now he's launching a day camp. Zany, huh?
Why It Might Do Well: I guess there's always a market for a good puke gag.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Who's Your Caddy didn't do so well with a plot reminiscent of Caddyshack, and this one has visions of Meatballs dancing in my head.
Number of Theaters: 2,200
Prediction: $6 million

Rush Hour 3
What's It All About: Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan mix it up for a third time, officially making this buddy cop franchise a trilogy, taking the action and (hopefully) laughs to the mean streets of Paris.
Why It Might Do Well: The original Rush Hour had a $33 million dollar opening weekend, with its first sequel opening with $67.4 million. Also, Jackie Chan can be pretty amazing to watch.
Why It Might Not Do Well: It's been six years since Rush Hour 2; does the public still care?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $51 million

Skinwalkers
What's It All About: Warring werewolf clans fight over a half human half werewolf boy who holds the key to their species' fate.
Why It Might Do Well: It's definitely a good thing when a film helps demonstrate that torture porn isn't the only kind of horror out there.
Why It Might Not Do Well: While I have a soft spot for the sub-genre, good werewolf films are hard to come by, and the trailer didn't wow me.
Number of Theaters: 650
Prediction: $4 million

Stardust
What's It All About: Based on a book by renowned fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, Stardust is the tale of a young man who sets out into a fantasy realm to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved, only to find that the star is in fact a beautiful young woman.
Why It Might Do Well: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is beginning to run out of box office steam, so this looks like a good choice for fantasy buffs, and a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Claire Danes can't hurt.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I honestly can't think of a reason for this movie flopping.
Number of Theaters: 2,300
Prediction: $22 million

The writing is on the wall for this coming weekend's box office returns, and that's where I'm getting this week's prediction. It was spray-painted on the back wall of a Denny's and I took it as a sign:
1. Rush Hour 3
2. The Bourne Ultimatum
3. Stardust
4. The Simpsons Movie
5. Underdog

Last Week's Prediction Rankings:
1. Tangoeco: 16
2. Bubba8193: 13
3. Josh: 11
3. Opp-Neg: 11
3. El Borracho: 11
3. Curt: 11
3. Ness 265: 11
3. Anna07: 11
3. Dustin: 11
4. SupDugs: 10
4. Gordy: 10
5. Joe: 9
5. Marc: 9
5. Evan: 9
5. Greg: 9
5. Ray: 9
6. jasonsmusicpage: 6

Please post your prediction for the top five films in the comments section below before 5:00 PM on Saturday. One point for every top five movie correctly named, two points for every correct placement, and one extra point for the top movie. Come on, it'll be fun.

Given the fact that everywhere you turn at this year's Comic-Con you see something else with Neil Gaiman's name on it, it's surprising that I was able to corner him for an interview with Cinematical.

He had just arrived in San Diego and was busy signing boxes full of books for people attending the convention. I'm surprised his hand didn't give out after writing his own signature over and over. If I fill out the "memo" section on a check, my hand starts to cramp.

We cover all things Stardust, Beowulf, and Neverwhere, and he drops a few tidbits in about Coraline, Sandman, the Death movie, and the new novel he's working on, The Graveyard Book.

He just celebrated passing one million words on his own blog/journal, although one of his favorite moments on it was when his daughter Maddy took over and guest-blogged. Now, if he could just get her started on writing more books ...

Check out the audio interview here, or click on Neil's picture to hear what he has to say in his own words.