Mona Lisa Smile

Has someone at Lifetime been going on a Julia Roberts movie binge? At the network's Upfront presentation today, executives said they're developing drama series based on Mona Lisa Smile and Mystic Pizza.

Details are scarce at this point for both projects. The Mona Lisa Smile news just confirms that the potential show would have its roots in the movie. As for Mystic Pizza, it's being developed as a two-hour "back-door pilot" called Mystic Pizza: Another Slice and has one of the film's writers, Amy Holden Jones, on board as an executive producer.

These are just the latest two movies to potentially leap to the small screen (this year's crop of pilots already includes Parenthood on NBC and 10 Things I Hate About You on ABC Family). But they seem like kind of strange choices to me — though I suppose they at least fit Lifetime's demographic. I have a hard time imagining Mystic Pizza continuing unless it was with a whole new crop of girls — and I can't see how they'll be half as charming as the original group! As for Mona Lisa Smile, I wonder if they'd try focusing on one of the supporting characters from the movie.

Is this blasphemy? Or could you imagine either series being a success?

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College movies are so fantastic because they can be serious and dramatic, or full of the ill-conceived, hilarious antics that college-aged kids are sometimes prone to take part in. For this week's Buzzworthy challenge, you all picked some great titles as your favorite college movies, and of those here are the ones that are nearest and dearest to my heart as well. And at the end of the post is a widget with all the bookmarked movies!

PCU
I love this movie, as does yiddidea, who writes this about her pick: "PCU is the BEST college movie. Best moment, and something I quote to this day at concerts: 'What's this? You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don't be that guy. '"

Mona Lisa Smile
I'm glad tdamji bookmarked this movie, not just because I enjoy it as well, but because many college movies center around men and this movie is an interesting portrayal of a women's college in 1953. About Mona Lisa Smile, tdamji writes, "An excellent cast, an interesting plot and it all focuses on one of my majors: Art History!"

Many more great college movies if you read more

You may have seen Marcia Gay Harden in many films without knowing her name. Or, if you're like me, you've been an admirer ever since her stunning Oscar-winning role in Pollock. Whatever the case, it's high time to give this lady some props. I think she is up there with Virginia Madsen, Laura Linney, and Patricia Clarkson in the category of actresses who give subtle yet deeply riveting performances, where their extensive character analyses consistently come through.

Harden can currently be found in The Hoax playing Edith, wife to Richard Gere's character, Clifford Irving. Edith was German but had lived in Sweden, Spain, and London, posing a peculiar challenge when it came to mastering Edith's accent, according to the film's press notes. Harden watched videos of the real-life Edith and worked with a dialog coach to achieve the delicate balance of those influences.

Despite her con-artist husband's infidelity and illegal schemes, Edith retains an idealistic belief in him — and in their marriage. Her performance is heartbreaking, while at the same time lending incredible strength to a character someone else might have depicted as a doormat. In a cast full of excellent actors (Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, among others), Harden more than holds her own. To see what else I love about Harden, read more