Holly Hunter

Negotiations in the writers' strike are resuming today, but for the moment, pencils are still down in Hollywood. What would a writerless TV and movie season look like? Several A-list actors are offering up their interpretations in a series of videos called Speechless.

The videos, which feature the cast of Ugly Betty, Harvey Keitel, Kate Beckinsale, Holly Hunter, David Schwimmer, and many more, premiered on the Deadline Hollywood Web site over the weekend and have now spread to various online video sites. Eleven have been posted so far, but there are many, many more to come.

The videos range from just a few seconds to several minutes long. Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy whistle in theirs, while Holly Hunter acts out a scene about the outsourcing of scripts to a call center in India. One of my favorites features David Schwimmer and Kate Beckinsale as a couple on the phone with nothing to say; another finds Laura Linney using Scene It cards as inspiration for a scene she decides to write herself. To watch a few of my favorites, just read more

Home for the Holidays is not a feel-good holiday film. But the movie still is one of my favorite choices for post-pumpkin pie viewing on Thanksgiving Day. And the reason for that is simple: No matter how annoying, infuriating or downright dysfunctional your family may be, it's still hard to top the Larsons.

Here's an idea of what things are like for Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter), the main character of this 1995 Jodie Foster-directed film: In the movie's opening minutes, she loses her job, makes out with her soon-to-be ex-boss, and is informed that her teenage daughter plans to have sex — and that's before she gets on a plane to visit her severely screwed-up family in Baltimore. Once there, she's confronted by a whole slew of uncomfortable situations: sleeping in the room next to her chain-smoking, wig-wearing, hyper-critical mother (Anne Bancroft); being gently pushed toward a romance with her little brother's friend and business partner (Dylan McDermott); dealing with a sad-sack high school flame who's grown up into a sad-sack heater repairman who solemnly tells Claudia, "Well, merry Christmas, in case I never see you again."

What's great about Home for the Holidays is that it's neither too light nor too dark. It's wryly funny but mostly not goofy, save for a scene where a turkey goes flying into one Larson's lap. The characters are more fully drawn than in many family films: Yes, the Larsons are types, but they're not just "the gay brother" and "the quirky aunt," rather "the gay brother who takes Polaroids of his family naked" and "the quirky aunt who has 200 plants, gives away lamps, and makes necklaces out of Froot Loops." (Incidentally, Geraldine Chaplin deserves a medal for her portrayal of the latter.) And there are no deep, dark revelations or scenes that will leave you sobbing — just the slow, creeping realization that no matter how nutty your family may be, they're still the best thing you've got.

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While the Toronto Film Festival rages on up north, last night in Manhattan The Brave One premiere was its own little party. The films stars - Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, and the gorgeous little Zoe Kravitz all graced the red carpet. Unfortunately for Terrence, his snappy fedora was completely upstaged by Robert Downey Jr.'s ridiculous striped one (zebra is that? nice), who was out to support his wife and the movie's producer, Susan Levin. Speaking of the awesome RDJ, check out the first trailer for next summer's Iron Man! Looks pretty awesome, right?

To see more of all the stars just read more

Someone over at ABC should get fired for this hiring decision. Who in their right mind would allow Merry Miller, with her deer in headlights stare, awkward conversational pauses and disoriented way of speaking, interview Holly Hunter? I kept waiting for Ashton Kutcher to step out from behind the camera to assume his seat on the Punk'd throne, but no such luck. Believe it or not, this was the real deal.

When I named TNT's "Saving Grace" one of my top 10 reasons to keep watching TV this summer, it was mostly because of Holly Hunter. Granted, the premise of the show, which premieres tonight after "The Closer," sounded a little too "Touched by an Angel" for my liking — alcoholic, sex-fueled cop nearly kills someone and is sent a "last chance" angel to put her back on the straight and narrow. But I trusted that Hunter, whom I always find wonderfully watchable, could keep the show grounded.

Based on the first couple of episodes, at least, the show is a fine vehicle for the Oscar-winning actress to showcase the toughest, angriest and most acerbic end of her range. Hunter plays Det. Grace Hanadarko, a hard-living, tough-love cop who drinks too much and has too much sex with far too many of the wrong men. One night, in a moment of extreme weakness, she asks for help — and gets it in the form of a gruff, tobacco-chewing, invisible angel named Earl. But this is no easy story of redemption, so read more