Little Children and White Worms

Let's move away from a disappointingly boring Wimbledon to happier news. Today is the 83rd birthday of one of our favorite directors, Ken Russell.
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Russell has made a career out of directing artistic films heavy on sex, powerful imagery and incredible visuals. He's best known for 1969's "Women in Love", for which Glenda Jackson was awarded an Oscar for Best Actress and for which Russell received a nomination as Best Director, and for 1975's "Tommy" with Roger Daltrey, Elton John and Tina Turner. But his film which we love the best is the demented, wildly sexual "Lair of the White Worm" with Amanda Donahoe as a snake cultess who casts an evil spell over a small English town. The film was also our introduction to a 27 year-old, very handsome, very charming young actor named Hugh Grant. Russell is currently working on a new film version of "Moll Flanders".
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(a young hugh grant)
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Today is also the 48th birthday of Tom Cruise, but as we just wrote about a few days ago, his career is struggling as of late to overcome the dark pall of crazy with which he has painted his reputation. His current film,
"Knight and Day", was Cruise's worst opening film in over twenty years.
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(patrick wilson)

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We're much happier to celebrate the 37th birthday of a much saner, and much sexier actor, Patrick Wilson. We've always been a fan of Wilson's work, he especially amazed us with his singing ability in "Phantom of the Opera", and then amazed us even more with his ability to look good naked in "Little Children". That scene of hot, sweaty, basement banging between he and Kate Winslet... oh my. Next up for Patrick Wilson is "Morning Glory", starring Diane Keeton, Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams.
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