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Matthew Vaughn is proving to be quite a prolific director of comic book movies. The filmmaker is currently shooting his 3rd foray into that world, having all ready made “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class.” This new one is called “The Secret Service,” based on the book by Matt Millar and Dave Gibbons.

The cast of the film, which has been described as “James Bond meets My Fair Lady,” contains contains a trio of veteran thesps- Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Firth, and Michael Caine. But the director has sought out three fresh faces for other pivotal roles. Taron Egerton and Sophie Cookson play two of the leads, and Deadline is now reporting that Sofia Boutella has been cast as the female antagonist.

For Boutella, a French dancer and model, this will be her first Hollywood role.

The story centers on a veteran spy (Firth) that takes his nephew (Egerton), a street kid,...

Chicago – Baseball gets the metaphor-for-life treatment once again in “Trouble with the Curve,’ starring Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams. Eastwood plays an aging baseball scout estranged from his daughter (Adams) and seeks redemption in both arenas of his life. Making his directorial debut is Robert Lorenz, who has worked with Eastwood since “Bridges of Madison County.’

Lorenz is from the Chicagoland area, and made the big move to Los Angeles in the late 1980s, with no connections or job opportunities. A fluke answer to a job ad led to his first feature “Femme Fatale” (1991), and a string of assistant director jobs until “Bridges of Madison County” (1995). From there, he became one of the right hand men in Eastwood’s production company, either fulfilling the capacity of first assistant director (“Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”) or producer (“Flags of Our Fathers/”Letters from Iwo Jima”). “Trouble with the Curve...

As much as we love all that summer has to offer, fall is where it's at for true cinephiles. The movie lover's season officially kicks off (according to us, anyway) the same day the annual Toronto International Festival launches every year in early September.

As has been the case for several years now, Toronto serves as a platform for studios to launch their Oscar hopefuls and for smaller indies to find a home (and maybe some awards down the line). "The King's Speech," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Precious" and "The Artist" all played at the festival before going on to Oscar glory while films like "Beginners," "Killer Joe" and "Your Sister's Sister," all came into the event without a distributor, and left with one.

As is usually the case, this year's slate looks supremely promising, with new films from Terence Malick, Ben Affleck, Neil Jordan, Brian De Palma, Joe Wright and a slew of others.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned a perfume ad featuring teenage actress Dakota Fanning, saying it could be seen to sexualize a child. Read more at the BBC.

Here are other hot topics for November 9!

Ellen DeGeneres Named Global Envoy for AIDS Awareness -- Reuters

Toni Braxton Discusses Revenge with Anderson Cooper - AndersonCooper.com

Taylor Swift Adopts... an Adorable Kitten! -- Instagram

Britney Spears' Dad Scores Small Fortune for Femme Fatale Tour...

Joe Jonas will join Britney's Femme Fatale tour in Europe - People Now there's a third feature film based on Snow White in development - Huffington Post See Avril Lavigne get rushed on stage by an excited fan - TooFab Best friends Selena and Taylor will go head to head at Teen Choice Awards - Us Weekly Tom Hardy and Colin Firth team up in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Rotten Tomatoes Why was Kate Bosworth's Coldplay appearance such a bold move? - Lainey Gossip Nicole Kidman steps out in white pumps and a short skirt - D-Listed Shakira and Gerard Pique couple up for a charitable cause - JustJared Who should Hollywood cast in a film about the debt crisis? - The Daily Beast AnnaLynne McCord perfects her signature kissing pose - Hollywood Tuna Elton John and family vacation in St. Tropez - Pink Is the New Blog...

Subject: Colin Firth, 50-year old English actor

Date of Assessment: March 30, 2011

Positive Buzzwords: Underrated, mainstream

Negative Buzzwords: Stiff, posh, bore

The Case: The good news, as accurately declared by Colin Firth in his recent (Best Actor) Oscar acceptance speech, is that his career really has just peaked. The bad news, however, is that in the event of a career peak, a downward slide might be inevitable. In the best case scenario, it is entirely possible Firth could parlay his Oscar win into more exposure for the sorts of roles that he's played before and for which he hasn't yet received proper recognition.

Most of us know Firth as the quintessential Englishman and for good reason. He's quite notorious for his straight-out-of-the-novel portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the six-episode miniseries Pride and Prejudice, in which he performed the classic Regency version of a one-man wet t-shirt contest. Indeed, there's something strange...