craig-as-bond.jpgAccording to Variety, the new Bond flick has been given a title. Previously called simply “Bond 22,” Quantum of Solace has been filming for about a month at England’s Pinewood Studios. Once again Daniel Craig plays Bond, and he’s joined by Mathieu Amalric as bad guy Dominic Greene and Olga Kurylenko as Bond girl Camille. Marc Forster (The Kite Runner) is directing.

charles-durning.jpgCharles Durning, one of my favorite actors, has been given the Screen Actor’s Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. Durning is a respected character actor who has racked up some 200 television and film roles since the 1960s. Of all his roles, I like his song-and-dance turn in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and Mississippi governor Pappy O’Daniel in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).

There is a battle raging in the blogosphere over the merits of Juno, one of the Best Picture nominees. Ok, maybe it’s not raging, but there are significant bytes being dedicated to it. On one side is what may be a majority of critics, who are favorably disposed. Perhaps most prominent of these is Roger Ebert, who’s chosen Juno as the best picture of 2007. “I tried out other titles in the No. 1 position,” he writes, “but my heart told me I had to be honest: This was my true love, and I could not be unfaithful.”

Meanwhile, over at New York Magazine, David Edelstein hates it. And what’s worse, he’s afraid it might sneak by and win Best Picture:

“The Academy went with the critics in giving No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood its love, but my hunch is that neither has many enthusiastic supporters among the voters and will split the vote anyway. Too grim, too weird. Atonement would have been perfect Oscar bait if it had been any good. Michael Clayton is terrific — but is it too conventional a conversion melodrama? Could Juno squeak through?”

We’ll see . . . I personally will be very disappointed if it beats out No Country for Old Men.