Forest Whitaker

It's only May, but the trailer for Lee Daniels's The Butler already has me thinking about award season. The drama stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a butler who serves eight US presidents over the course of his three decades at the White House. Working through particularly volatile moments in the country's history, he gains a unique perspective on the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and more. Oprah Winfrey plays Cecil's wife, marking the first time she's been on screen playing a character other than herself since 1998's Beloved.

Whitaker and Winfrey aren't the only big names in the movie. The laundry list of stars playing presidents is fascinating: Robin Williams is Dwight Eisenhower, James Marsden is John F. Kennedy (with Minka Kelly as Jackie Kennedy!), Liev Schreiber is Lyndon Johnson, John Cusack is Richard Nixon, and Alan Rickman is Ronald Reagan. Not all the actors resemble their presidential counterparts, so I'm curious to see how this pans out. The film opens Oct. 18, and you can see the trailer after the jump.

Definitely not to be confused with the newly released Miley Cyrus tearjerker The Last Song, Renee Zellweger bonds with Forest Whitaker and shows off her pipes in My Own Love Song. The film, which is set to premiere at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, follows wheelchair-bound Jane (Zellweger) on a journey to reunion with her estranged young son. Joey (Whitaker) plays her quirky sidekick who has a few troubles of his own.

The trailer looks sad, sweet, and just a little bit precious (the Juno-esque cartoon-drawing interludes are starting to wear on me), but it's hard not to be intrigued when you've got two Oscar winners in the leading roles. As an extra bonus, the film features new music from Bob Dylan (and yes, we get to hear Zellweger's own singing voice as well). Check it out when you read more

Sandra Bullock was in high spirits on Friday night as she helped kick off the Santa Barbara Film Festival. She added another honor to her already impressive award season tally, accepting the American Riviera Award from by Forest Whitaker. All eyes are on Sandra as the favorite to win the Oscar, but Sandra's not so sure — she expressed her skepticism at the ceremony, saying, "I'm so not winning an Oscar." Other big winners from the evening included Emily Blunt, Saoirse Ronan, and Carey Mulligan, who's also nominated for an Academy Award for her role in An Education.

More photos from Santa Barbara if you just read more

Forest Whitaker is the latest movie star to move to the small screen. Even though he's had a few guest runs (most notably on ER and The Shield), the actor is now reportedly in final negotiations to star in a spinoff of CBS's Criminal Minds.

The new series will focus on "a new group of profilers who work outside the FBI bureaucracy." Whitaker would play Cooper, the leader of the squad who comes back to work after keeping a low profile for the past eight years (hmm, something tells me he's hiding something — don't you agree?).

Normally I'd protest that we don't need yet another crime show on TV, but with Whitaker attached, this definitely sets itself apart from the rest of the pack. My guess: it won't be long before he has another Emmy to put next to that Last King of Scotland Oscar.

I love a good cinematic "I do" (Father of the Bride is one of my faves), but I'm worried that the latest big-screen nuptials, Our Family Wedding, is missing the mark. The film stars America Ferrera and Lance Gross as an engaged, mixed race couple. Once preparations begin, their Mexican and African American families clash, particularly their fathers (Carlos Mencia and Forest Whitaker), as the two dads try to outdo each other.

Sounds like a familiar (and predictable) premise, but I still had hopes for this one, especially with Ferrera and Whitaker in the cast. That is, until I saw the trailer. I wish this was along the lines of My Big Fat Greek Wedding with its funny take on cultural differences, but it looks more like an over-the-top comedy that tries too hard for cheap laughs (think goats on Viagra). Watch the preview, and tell me if you agree (or if you think I'm being too harsh) when you read more

Jude Law may be charming audiences right now with Sherlock Holmes — he's even back in Sienna Miller's good graces — but he's about to take a very dark and sinister turn in the thriller Repo Men. The futuristic film tells the story of mechanical organs and a man named Remy (Law) who repossesses them by slicing them out when their owners can't pay up.

That's right, I said he slices them out. It seems like an interesting sci-fi concept, but I don't know that I necessarily want to watch such a gore-filled story — on a giant-sized screen, no less (perhaps this is yet another case of a book that shouldn't have been turned into a movie). On the other hand, my curiosity is definitely piqued, especially with Forest Whitaker and Liev Schreiber in the cast. The film is in theaters April 2. If you don't mind the sight of blood, see if you can make it through the whole preview (warning: it's rated R and definitely NSFW) when you read more

Blake Lively was one of the few ladies at last night's NYC premiere of Where the Wild Things Are. It's only Wednesday, but this was already Blake's second red carpet of the week after turning out to support boyfriend Penn Badgley Monday at his screening of The Stepfather. Blake was in rather impressive company, as Tom Hanks and Forest Whitaker also turned out to see Spike Jonze's latest film. Spike took his turn in the limelight to pose with the young star Max Records and author Maurice Sendak, who wrote the famous children's book on which the movie is based. The movie opens Friday — make sure to check out the latest trailer — and there is a huge promotional effort underway, including related lines of home furnishings, children's Halloween costumes, and even clothes for adults.

More photos from the premiere so read more