The Fighter

• Chloe Sevigny to star in HBO's miniseries about Lizzie Borden — Deadline
• Find out why Gilbert Gottfried was fired from his job as the voice of the Aflac duck — TV Squad
• Mark Wahlberg is still talking about a sequel to The Fighter — Inside Movies
• Logan Marshall-Green (Trey from The O.C.!) cast as the lead in Prometheus — /Film
• Disney is no longer moving forward with its Yellow Submarine remake —MTV Movies Blog
• Kristin Chenoweth joins the pilot for Good Christian Bitches — TV Line
• A Sam Cooke biopic is in the works — Vulture
• Christina Hendricks signs on to Neil LaBute's Seconds of Pleasure — The Wrap
• Take a tour of the American Idol mansion — CasaSugar

The Fighter

Mark Wahlberg plays real-life boxer Micky Ward in this moving film, which landed seven Oscar nominations. It charts the rise of Ward's boxing career, which had been held back by his influences in working-class Lowell, Mass., including his drug-addict brother Dicky (Christian Bale) and meddling manager mother (Melissa Leo). Inspiring, foul-mouthed, and entertaining, it was one of my favorite movies last year, owing to the incredible performances of the whole cast (in case you missed it, Bale and Leo took home Academy Awards for their roles). DVD extras include deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, and a commentary track from director David O. Russell.

90%

The Switch

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman are paired in this romantic comedy as Kassie and Wally, two platonic best friends. When single Kassie decides she wants to get pregnant via artificial insemination, a drunken Wally switches the sperm sample with his own. Fast forward a few years later, and Wally meets Kassie's son, Sebastian, and is quite sure they're related. The interaction between Wally and Sebastian makes this movie a sweet, funny rom-com, even if the premise is a little disturbing and the ending more than a little predictable. The DVD includes deleted scenes and an alternate ending as extras.

52%

One more release to check out after the break.

• Lost's Josh Holloway will guest star on the Community season finale — EW.com
• Get a sneak peek at AMC's newest series — TV Squad
• Watch the cute trailer for a new Toy Story short film — /Film
• Mark Wahlberg is already talking about a sequel to The Fighter — MTV Movies Blog
• 25 actors who've donned fat suits on film — Moviefone
• Check out the trailer for Mars Needs Moms — Rotten Tomatoes
• Malin Akerman and Nicolas Cage will star in Medallion — Vulture
• Is Off the Map dead already? — TV Line
• Remembering actress Jane Russell — BellaSugar

Christian Bale was in a happy mood as he celebrated his big win for best supporting actor back the press room. He's been busy filming The 13 Women of Nanjing in China, but he was overjoyed to return home from overseas to such a warm welcome. Bale also talked about how soon we can see Batman again, and admitted that he missed costar Melissa Leo's acceptance speech, because he was having a little too much fun with Dicky.

On the positive response to his performance: "It's just a genuine thing. I'm so flattered when any one person walks up to me [and says] they were really touched by a performance. I really love hearing that. What we do becomes so much bigger than ourselves, and I appreciate that so much. I've been in China, I haven't been part of the campaigning that's been going on. To just get back and hear people tell me how much it means it's just wonderful. This is a very bizarre thing, but at the same time, I can't help but be touched so dearly by it."

On whether or not playing Dicky Eklund is his favorite role: "Every single role that you do is a cherished friend. The point that I believe I made in the speech is that I was thanking David O. Russell for communicating our work so that it meant something to the audience. Because that's where you're out of control. You can do something that really rips you apart on set, but if the director and editors don't take it and make it mean something to the audience, then there is nothing."

On missing Melissa Leo's acceptance speech: "I was at the bar with Dicky [Eklund] and my wife, thinking that it was like the other awards were you could just walk on in and go out, but unfortunately I missed Melissa [Leo]'s acceptance speech, because they wouldn't let me in. I was literally banging on the door with Dicky going "Let us in!" but they wouldn't let me in, so that was my just mistake, and I'll know better if I ever return to the Academy Awards. So I missed the F-bomb, but I've laid down many of them myself before, so I think I know what it's all about."

On where he will keep his statue: "I know I'll get home and my daughter will say, thank you very much, and take that and stick it wherever she wants."
On a response to Charlie Sheen: "Like I said: been in China. No clue."

On how soon we can expect to see him back in the bat suit: "I'm in the middle of filming a movie in China right now, when I finish the movie in China it's straight on to Batman, so absolutely, much more Batman."

The Oscars are under way, and I'm live in the press room where the winners are stopping in after collecting their trophies. First up is best supporting actress winner Melissa Leo, who was glowing about completing her award season sweep for her role in The Fighter. She apologized for her F-bomb and gushed about Kirk Douglas, but was a bit short about her recent Oscar campaign:

On swearing during her speech: "I had no idea. Those words, I apologize to anyone that they offend. There's a great deal of the English language that is in my vernacular . . . I really don't mean to offend, and probably a very inappropriate place to use that particular word in particular."

On Kirk Douglas stalling the winner announcement: "You know, it's really funny, you know, because he's an old actor. If anybody is an actor, he's an actor, right? And actually, he was doing us all this huge favor, because the longer he strung it out, the calmer I got to be. I got to take more than one glance over at Amy, who was sitting just in front of me away from where he was. I wanted to watch him, because he was delightful to watch, and I wanted to peek at Amy, so he strung it out in a rather delightful way for me and actually allowed a heart rate that had gotten fairly high as the category was announced to settle a little bit and wait and see what the envelope said."

On whether she feels vindicated about her controversial Oscar campaign: "There's nothing to vindicate, and there was no campaign. It was a photograph in a magazine; I wanted a pretty photograph in a magazine, that's all it was."

The Fighter wasn't on my list of movies to see. I'm not a fan of boxing, and underdog sports movies are notorious for their cheese. But the real life story intrigued me, and I've always thought Christian Bale to be a tremendous actor. I am so glad that I saw this film; to say that it's inspiring and well-acted is an understatement, and I already have plans to see it again before it leaves theaters. In the meantime, I am bringing the lessons that I learned from the movie in with me when I hit the gym, yoga mat, and climb a wall. (I'm also dusting off my jump rope!)

• Never say never — In a champion's vocabulary, the word "never" isn't spoken very often. Despite the numerous adversities Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) faced, both personal and professional, he didn't give up on his dream of making it back into the ring and walking away a champion. (And he did everything that was required of him to make sure it happened.) Along these same lines, it's never too late to start: whether your dream is to run a marathon or hit the gym three days per week, never isn't an option toward your success.
• Nothing comes without hard work — While having a dream is a good place to start, it means nothing if you're not motivated to do the work. Six-pack abs don't come from dreaming about them, and completing a tri isn't going to happen if you don't get in the water. For Micky, this meant grueling training sessions. It also meant coming face to face with years of family strife, and in some cases turning his back — at least for awhile — on the people he loved most.

See what other lessons I learned from The Fighter when you read more

Got plans for Oscar night? I've been throwing out some best picture-themed ideas for how to host your very own Academy Award get-together. Today's inspiration: The Fighter. So put up your dukes, put on your best Boston accent, and check out my tips below.

Plus, don't forget to download your own Oscar ballot to pass around to guests, and fill out our online ballot for the chance to win a Samsung HDTV.

• Who to invite: Your family, and the more the merrier! Just be sure to seat your significant other and your seven sisters at separate tables, unless you want a brawl to break out.
• Dress code: Get done up like you're a boxer in training in a hoodie, sweatpants, and some boxing gloves. And ladies, don't be afraid to tease your hair or pull it up into a scrunchie. Yes, I said a scrunchie. Nineties hair accessories are totally apropos.
• Table setting: Simplicity is key. The dinner should feel like a casual, at-home meal at mom's house, so break out a faded tablecloth and use your oldest dishes.

More tips after the jump.