Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Drea de Matteo enjoy the Emmy® festivities. (photo: John Sciulli/WireImage.com)

The Other Venice

Allen Coulter's 'Hollywoodland' bows at the Venice Film Festival

Director Allen Coulter ('The Sopranos,' 'Sex and the City,' etc.) makes his big screen directorial debut with 'Hollywoodland,' which premiered at the 63rd International Venice Film Festival this week. The film tells the story of actor George Reeves' (Ben Affleck) untimely death and the detective (Adrian Brody, pictured with co-star Diane Lane and Coulter) who tries to make the case that the apparent suicide was really a murder. According to the International Herald Tribune, Coulter saw it as "a story of two men who seek meaning in their lives through celebrity." Affleck and Brody were on hand to attest to how they could personally relate to the film's theme. As Coulter noted, ""I think the reason that we were all drawn to the story is that Hollywood is a repository for that kind of thinking." (photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)

[Herald Tribune]

Triple Threat

Written, produced by and starring Laura Kightlinger

'The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman' has been racking up fans for Laura Kightlinger's honest look at how its characters "hide from sight behind a façade of drugs, sarcasm and naughty language." Comic Laura Kightlinger (Tina on 'Lucky Louie') is the creator, exec producer, co-writer and star of the show. She plays an aspiring screenwriter who won't be swayed from her goal: to write an autobiographical, character-driven, feminist, period piece about the roller derby. As Gerald Peary of The Phoenix writes "But nobody's asking for her screenplay, and she has no agent, and she's got confidence issues, and she's easily distracted, and she's got an annoying day job as a reporter for a gossip rag of a film mag." We feel her pain — which is what makes Jackie Woodman "highly watchable." (photo: Amy Tierney/WireImage.com)

[The Phoenix]

Modern Legend

Singer-songwriter John Legend celebrated the upcoming release of his sophomore effort 'Once Again,' at New York City's Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday night. (The album's single, 'Save Room' accompanies HBO's fall image campaign.) According to Newsweek, the album can't come out fast enough: "His voice is stunning whether he's singing about infidelity (a favorite from his last CD) and commitment-or having an existential conversation with God on the overwhelmingly beautiful track 'Show Me.' Legend just may be one of those rare talents who get better with each record."

Legend is more modest, telling the AP: "It's not dramatically different but I think people will see it as a growth and an extension for me. It's a richer sound. The production is more developed. ... I just tried to do it with the highest standards of quality."

Check out those high standards when Legend plays the Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, September 6th. (photo: Bobby Bank/WireImage.com)

[Newsweek]

[The Vibe]

[Music on HBO]

Kelly MacDonald picked up an Emmy® on Sunday for her performance in 'The Girl in the Cafe.' (photo: John Sciulli/WireImage.com)

Camera Shy

Pamela Adlon was perfectly happy remaining hidden behind the microphone — in her successful career voicing such characters as Bobby Hill from 'King of the Hill.' It gave her the time to spend with her three children, and she didn't have to worry about producers picking on her on-screen look. "My agents over the years have been like, 'You want to go up for pilot season?' And I'm like, 'No!'" Adlon told the Chicago Tribune. "Because the last time I did a pilot, they were like, 'Could you get a little more sleep?' 'I don't know about the angle of your nose.'"

When they talked her into trying out for 'Lucky Louie' the casting folks apparently didn't warm to her. Luckily, Louis CK did, calling her personally at home to ask her to be his wife. We assume her husband and parents, who were there when she got the call, where thrilled. (photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage.com)

[Chicago Tribune]

Résumé Padding

How Wahlberg lied to score in 'Invincible'

'Invincible' is the story of a regular guy, Vince Papale, who tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles — and made the cut. To get in the game himself, (to play Vince in the film), Mark Wahlberg fudged his résumé. "I said I played college football — obviously, I'd never even gone to college, never played high-school football," he told People Magazine. Careful what you wish for. Wahlberg who did his own "stunts" in the film, learned a lot about what dreams are made of. "Before I made this movie, I would have given up my career to be a professional athlete. After making this movie, I like watching it on the television from my couch. It's extremely dangerous and much harder than it looks on TV." (photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com)

[People.com]

'Deadwood' Cast Takes Hollywood by Storm

The cast of 'Deadwood' has been booking big screen gigs all over town. Cinematical's Ryan Stewart counted more than "20 major, buzzed-about, A-list type films slated to open between now and the end of 2007 that will feature 'Deadwood' denizens." From Ian McShane's full dance card of film roles, to Kim Dickens (left), who will play Sly Stallone's wife in 'Rambo IV' to John Hawkes in "American Gangster' and Timothy Olyphant's leading man in 'Catch and Release.' And Garret Dillahunt (so good they cast him twice, as Wild Bill Hickok's killer and whore-killer Mr. Wolcott) is featured in the Coen brothers' 'No Country for Old Men.' Stock up on popcorn. (photo: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com)

[Cinematical.com]

Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman and Edie Falco backstage at the Emmy® Awards. (photo: Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic.com)

Hawkes I-View

John Hawkes talks to Culture Catch about his extra-curricular activities—like his band King Straggler and the perils of being an actor-turned-musician. "If you're a musician and you become an actor, people think that's great. But if you're an actor who become a musician...it's like you like to torture small animals or something," he jokes. Hear him muse on the good art that exists in small towns around the country, the perils of wanting to be rich and famous, and his other passions—nature, hiking, reading and women. (photo: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com)

For videocast: [Culture Catch]

Liberal Goldwater?

He thought the U.S. might be better off "if we could just saw off the Eastern Seaboard and let it float out to sea." But the icon of '60s and '70s conservatism, Barry Goldwater, has a lot of East Coast liberals endorsing him in 'Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater,' a documentary debuting on HBO Sept. 18th. Granddaughter CC Goldwater made the film to shed some light on the contradictions surrounding her grandfather's legacy, and in the process, "rehabilitates him as a kind of liberal compared with today's conservatives," as the New York Times Magazine notes. He was, after all, "a half-Jewish cowboy from Phoenix who believed the government should stay out of our hair. He thought gays should be allowed in the military and was also pro-choice." (photo: Mike Guastella/WireImage.com)

[NY Times Magazine]

Moonlighting Mobster

Anthony Ribustello (who plays mobster Dante Greco on 'The Sopranos') has lined up his next gig but it sounds like there's a pay cut involved. Ribustello starts his $50k-a-year job with the Bronx Board of Election in September—leaving nights and weekends free for acting gigs. "I am a character actor," he told the NY Post. "I don't work that much. Most of the times I'm a peripheral character." (photo: Derek Storm/FilmMagic.com)

[New York Post]

Susie Castillo at the NY premiere of 'Idlewild' last week. (photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com)

Shadow Boxing

Vince upstages Grenier's 30th

He might've attended the 'Fame' high school in New York, but there are some things Adrian Grenier just wasn't prepared for—like his closest friends seeing him differently and living in the shadow of his own alter ego. "I haven't changed fundamentally, but everybody views (me) differently," he tells Scripps News. And while he's managed to stay true to a few pursuits that Vince can't claim, including performing in his indie band (The Honey Brothers), and directing small, independent films... that damn A-lister keeps upstaging his life. "I just had a birthday and the days leading up to my birthday, we were shooting an episode in which Vince has his birthday," Grenier says. "It's weird because it's almost like Vince is upstaging me in my own life every day....I can't vent because then I am copying Vince." (photo: John Sciulli/WireImage.com)

[Scripps News]

Getting Lucky

Comedian Jim Norton has made a career out of "self-hatred and saying the worst possible things about any given situation," he tells the Asbury Park Press. But for the comedian with no acting experience and little in the looks department, landing a role on 'Lucky Louie' has made it a little harder to find things to complain about. "I know I haven't acted much, but I think I'm doing all right with this show," Norton said. "But the beauty of this project is that I'm the best-looking guy on this show. This is how awful we all are. Louis C.K. and Mike Hagerty are both atrocious-looking. I'm mediocre at best. I'm the sex symbol on this show. You know how great that is?" The role will no doubt only expand his already burgeoning fan base, as Norton has been selling out bigger and bigger venues for his stand-up routine—like his shows this past weekend at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick. (photo: Rob Loud/WireImage.com)

[Asbury Park Press]

Bracco's Blanco

Lorraine Bracco developed her passion for fine wines when she spent some formative years in France, working as a young model. Now her new wine is finding some followers. According to the NY Post, the authors of 'What to Drink With What You Eat' deemed Bracco's pinot grigio perfect for fresh-shucked clams and oysters at the wine tasting she hosted last week at her Southampton home. (photo: Hal Horowitz/WireImage.com)

[New York Post]

Piven flaunts Ari's Gold. "I've been at it longer than those guys. They don't respect me, but they should and now, they will," he joked to Variety about his 'Entourage' co-stars. (photo: Chris Polk/FilmMagic.com)

And the Emmy® Goes to...

HBO tops all networks with 26 awards

When all the votes were counted and the statues bestowed, HBO took home a total of 26 Emmy® awards, topping every other network. Last night's big winners included actors Jeremy Piven (for 'Entourage'), Kelly Macdonald (for 'The Girl in the Cafe'), Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons (both for 'Elizabeth I,' which also won outstanding miniseries). Also honored were writers Terence Winter ('The Sopranos') Richard Curtis ('The Girl in the Cafe,' which also won for outstanding movie) and director Tom Hooper ('Elizabeth I'). (photo: Chris Polk/FilmMagic.com)

[HBO.com]

[Variety.com]

Car Power

On 'Entourage,' you are what you drive

Each week the boys of 'Entourage' settle into a triple black 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible in the opening credits—but whose car is it and what does it signify? Forbes Autos delves into how the show's writers have cast the cars for each character. "On this show, they're very important," creator Doug Ellin says. "The characters have their toys, and agents have power plays. And we spend a lot of time figuring out which car for which person and how to differentiate." And cars change as characters evolve. Eric has graduated from a '88 Honda Prelude to a 2005 Maserati Quattroporte. Will Lloyd be trading up from his Hyundai Tiburon? Will Vince learn to drive his Rolls Royce Phantom? Follow the link to match the cars to their owners. (photo: /WireImage.com)

[Forbes Autos]

Paris is Burning

Gervais snubs socialite

The girl who has it all wanted something 'Extra' and apparently wasn't pleased when Ricky Gervais didn't come through. According to SFGate, the socialite-turned-singer pleaded to 'Extras' creator Ricky Gervais to give her a guest spot on his show. When he turned her down, she accused the comedic actor of being "too insecure to work with actresses of her caliber," according to the Gate. "I guess he's obviously scared of starring alongside an A-lister," she sniped. Tell that to Ben Stiller, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Stewart and Kate Winslet. (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

[SFGate]