via

​Unless you've been living in a box, you're aware that the Oscars are tonight. While we won't be live-blogging the event like we did last year [Update: If you were reading Runnin' Scared this evening, you were probably aware that we were mistaken and we did have live coverage], we do have some hopes and anticipations for tonight's ceremony. So get in your gown (you do have one, don't you?), sit down in front of your laptop and read on as we prepare you for your viewing experience, or the experience you will have tomorrow when you try to catch up via blogs and YouTube.

More >>

​Far away, in a place known to some as "La-La Land," the region's princes and princesses are preparing for a big magical celebration. Yeah, no. It's just that the Golden Globes are happening tonight in Los Angeles. Will you watch? Will you not watch now that you know that Ryan Gosling will not be attending? Will you still watch because even if Ryan's not going to be there he's still nominated, along with Michael Fassbender? Well, if you do decide to tune in, here's a what you should do to prepare.

More >>

Can we get a little more steam, here?

​Nick Carr explores a modern-day conundrum in his recent piece in the Wall Street Journal, "Our Typecast Metropolis." You see, Hollywood considers New York City a sort of permanently 70s-era New York City, full of twists and dark turns and grit and danger and grime. Unfortunately, today's New York City is more full of Starbucks, Duane Reades, and Applebees than it is of gritty alleyways. Thus, hard-working Hollywood types have had to search far and wide for alleys gritty enough to resemble the "New York City" ideal. They found one -- Franklin Place in TriBeCa, portrayed in such diverse cinematic experiences as The Nanny Diaries, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. But, alas, that alleyway is being gentrified, to be turned into a luxury condo tower. Make a movie about that, Hollywood.

More >>

​Out of the 50 media power bachelorettes featured in the New York Observer's list today, there was one that intrigued us the most: Nikki Finke, Hollywood industry news doyenne and notoriously secretive character. How did she feel about being in a list of bachelorettes? Is she even really a bachelorette? Her slide on the Observer site reads: More >>

Tom Aldredge

​I did not realize the extent to which Tom Aldredge was a hero of mine till the news of his death on Friday, July 22, of lymphoma, at age 83, made me look back on his half century of performances, Off-Broadway and on, which brought me several important realizations: I realize that, despite the wide range of roles he played, I never saw Tom Aldredge give a bad performance, or one in which he seemed miscast.

And though he was always instantly recognizable onstage, he never seemed to be playing himself, or just supplying business as usual. Each role was carefully crafted and fully inhabited for its own sake.

More >>

​Monday marks a long-awaited moment in New York City history: The start of Smurfs Week. Yes. City officials announced it yesterday, and it is so. The Smurfs are taking on the "ambassadorial role" once held by Sesame Street characters and Dora the Explorer! The ostensible purpose of this marketing effort, or whatever you want to call it, which involves a Smurfs village near Columbus Circle, as well as Smurfs Week events in the Bronx and Brooklyn (but sadly lacking in Queens and Staten Island), is to entice more families to experience New York City. New York City is apparently using money to do all of these Smurfy things from Sony, whose The Smurfs premieres on Sunday. How fortuitious! Unfortunately, none of the actual Smurfs will actually be visiting, and already busy New Yorkers are now plagued with the challenge of having to explain to people why our city needs the addition of small blue creatures to make it compelling. On the up side, getting to punch anyone who says "Smurfy." [NYT]

​"Moon River" by the river? Maybe not. An online petition is asking people to boycott the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy's August 11 Syfy Movies With A View showing of the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany's, the Brooklyn Paper reports. Calling the film "horribly offensive" in the petition, an Asian-American group points to Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi, Holly Golightly's screaming, squinting landlord, who pronounces his Ls as Rs.

More >>

A map showing the actual arrest numbers. Click here to enlarge.

​Ashton Kutcher is throwing a bit of a Twitter fit.

The cause? This week's Village Voice cover story, which takes a hard look at the That 70's Show star's campaign against child trafficking.

Kutcher might be hurt that the article characterized his baffling series of comedic TV spots on the issue as "fatuous and silly."

More >>

​Do you love Katherine Hepburn? Do you have $18 million? If so, her childhood home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, could be yours! It features six bedrooms and 7.5 baths, plus a private dock and beach. Plus, the forever coolness of being able to tell people you live in the house where Katherine Hepburn grew up. The house was built by the Hepburn family in 1913; Hepburn died at the estate at the age of 96 in 2003. Really big spenders can get additional land with the home for a total of $28 million. Semi-related but mostly just awesome: Katherine Hepburn skateboarding. More photos of the property are on Zillow. [The Hollywood Reporter]

​Marilyn Monroe's sexy subway dress, originally priced to auction at $2 million, has been sold to an anonymous bidder for $4.6 million (plus a $1 million commission), which means that your dream of wearing the original halter gown while standing above a subway grate to re-create Marilyn's famous scene in The Seven Year Itch is basically dead. It also means that for some people, the recession is most definitely over. For those of us for whom that is not the case: You can purchase any number of similarly designed yet far less expensive dresses just by shopping about the Internet for a bit, and then wear one to whatever your favorite subway grate location happens to be. Though, really, you shouldn't be standing over subway grates anyway. Not the cleanest air, there. [AnimalNY]