Ms. Informed

Paul Rudd and Jason Segel hit it big with their latest comedy, I Love You, Man. I honestly wasn’t sure if Paul Rudd could pull off a lead role, as he is more commonly known for playing the second banana or some other lesser part — the husband in Knocked Up, the coworker in 40-Year-Old Virgin, the step-brother/love interest in Clueless — but Rudd’s performance was stellar, and perfectly complimented by the performance of his co-star, Segel. Rudd’s character is the epitome of awkwardness and Segel’s is just plain hysterical. And if that’s not enough…Lou Ferrigno is in it!

But the one thing I did not love, man, about this movie was all that damned product placement. I don’t know if I’m more sensitive to it now, or if TV- and movie-makers are craftier (more crafty? hmm..) than ever before (perhaps in effort to battle the DVRs and TiVos that tout the luxury of television without commercials), but I have never seen a movie with more product placement than this one. From Peter Klaven’s (Rudd) iPhone, his playlist on iTunes which he plays on his Dell notebook, to the blatant mentions of P.F. Changs, T.G.I. Friday’s, HBO and Facebook, it’s everywhere you turn.

Signs for Barnes and Nobles, Bank of America and Starbucks can be seen as Peter drives around California. Klaven and his buddy Sydney Fife (Segal) drink Heinken beer, Peter loves to watch Chocolat and the Devil Wears Prada, and Sidney borrows Peter’s Lost (season 2) DVD set.

I even noticed an extra with this Coach bag walk across the screen. Accident? I think not.

So much for subliminal messages, because these product nods are right in your face. Is this the new wave of advertising, and can we expect more bombardment from advertisers each time we shell out the cash to enjoy a movie? With ticket prices starting at $10, haven’t we paid enough?

The girls of Sex and the City will reunite once again for a sequel to last May’s box office hit. While not all participants have inked a deal just yet, sources say everyone is “on board.” And they’d be stupid not to be. SATC is a cash cow and anything even remotely related to is sure to bring in the bucks, Big time.

SATC, the sequel? According to sources, good ol’ horseface herself is in talks with the series’ creator Michael Patrick King for a part two.

To not do this movie would be ridiculous. Haven’t they learned that ANYTHING — seriously, ANYTHING AT ALL — that has any resemblance or linkage to SATC sells like hot cakes? Sex sells, people. (Pun clearly intended, in true Bradshaw form.)

…All in favor?

There’s no denying that David Beckham’s Emporio Armani underwear campaign that dropped this week is anything less than magnificent, but the Daily Mail among other sources are saying Becks had a little…”help” in some…”areas.” I guess Vicki B. can be the judge of that one. But for Becks’ sake, let’s remember that great things sometimes come in small packages.

(click for bigger images…no pun intended.)

And on this side of the pond, it was PhotoShop to the rescue again — but this time it was Justin Timberlake, and there was no super-sizing necessary. JT’s package had to be digitally altered for Mike Myer’s new flick “The Love Guru” because it was TOO BIG. Apparently bigger isn’t always better.

While it is not yet official, sources are confident that the finishes touches will be put on a deal that could end the WGA writer’s strike as early as Monday.  Couch potatoes all over the country are breathing a a heavy sigh of relief.

Rest assured, the Oscars will go on, and movies (like the Da Vinci code’s prequel) and television shows (like Ms. Informed’s all time favorite, Scrubs — in it’s final season!!!) that have been at a stand-still since the fall will go back into production.

We’re happy to see the settlement and hope the writers will now get the residuals they deserve for material appearing on DVDs, the internet, cellphones and other new media devices.

According US Weekly, Heath Ledger’s ex-fiance Michelle Williams drove the late actor to rehab in 2006, but Ledger didn’t want to go. Sources tell the magazine that Williams witnessed Ledger’s abuse of alcohol cocaine, heroin and “a variety of pills”.

Williams took Ledger to Promises Treatment Center in Malibu in March 2006, but he wouldn’t admit himself and promised her he would get sober. A year-and-a-half later, the couple parted ways, but Williams insisted Ledger be tested for drug use before his visits with the couple’s 2-year-old daughter Matilda.

Production on William’s latest project Blue Valentine are on hold, while Terry Gilliam, the director of Ledger’s final project The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus , is trying to figure out a way to finish the movie through the use of CGI. Gilliam plans to dedicate the film to Ledger’s memory.

Sad, sad story.

{image courtesy of people.com & Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic}

TMZ reports that HSM star Zac Efron was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday to for an emergency appendectomy. The 20-year-old hottie is had his appendix removed and is now recovering from the surgery.

Efron is currently shooting a movie with Friends star Matthew Perry, Seventeen, and has also signed on for a third installment of HSM titled High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

HSM1 and 2 co-stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabee will also star. While HSM 1 and 2 were both made for TV movies aired on the Disney Channel, HSM3 will be a feature film.

{image courtesy of Chris Pizzello/AP}