12:39 PM EDT 05/09/2012

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Why Did Lindsay Lohan Dine with Woody Allen? | Lindsay Lohan, Woody Allen

Lindsay Lohan Dines with Woody Allen in Manhattan

Originally posted 05/07/2012 11:00AM

It appears that Lindsay Lohan is sticking to her post-probation plan to enjoy "low-key dinners."

Lohan, 25, dined at Manhattan restaurant Philippe over the weekend with Woody Allen, her rep confirms to PEOPLE.

There's no word on whether Lohan, who was recently cast as Elizabeth Taylor for an upcoming Lifetime movie, has plans to work with Allen professionally – but it's probably an opportunity she would welcome.

"They had dinner together [Saturday] in New York," Lohan's rep tells PEOPLE. "Lindsay very much admires Mr. Allen."
Liz Raftery and Liz McNeil

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POLL: Which Should Win Best Picture of the Year?

Oscars 2012: Which Should Win Best Picture of the Year?

Originally posted 02/25/2012 05:45PM

Make no mistake: Oscar loves the movies.

Of the nine films in contention to be named Best Picture, the two with the most overall nominations – Hugo, with 11, and The Artist, with 10 – focus on the art form in its infancy and each is a Valentine to the medium – but will one of them snag Oscar's heart?

Having already earned Martin Scorsese a Golden Globe for his direction, Hugo sets its story in Paris, where orphan Hugo Cabret helps the real-life 1900s screen pioneer Georges Melies (played by Ben Kingsley) enjoy renewed appreciation in 1931.

With a number critics' circle awards as best picture of 2011, BAFTA's and the Producers Guild best picture of the year awards and the best musical or comedy motion picture Golden Globe, The Artist, set in 1927, examines of Hollywood's transition from silents to talkies as it affects a successful leading man (Jean Dujardin) who staunchly refuses to adapt to the new process.

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Oscar Trivia: What You Don't Know About Hollywood's Big Night | Billy Crystal, Rooney Mara

Oscars 2012

Oscar Trivia: What You Don't Know About Hollywood's Big Night

Originally posted 02/23/2012 01:15PM

Pop quiz: What annual awards show airs this Sunday night? If you're as into the Oscars as we are, you likely just yawned and said, "Easiest. Question. Ever." And you'd be right.

Now, let's try a few more challenging questions. Which of the current crop of Best Actress hopefuls honeymooned at George Clooney's Italian villa? The Help's Jessica Chastain earned a scholarship to Julliard funded by which Oscar-winning comedian? War Horse composer John Williams's son sang for which classic rock band?

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Snubs, What Snubs? PEOPLE Critic Takes on the Oscar Nods

Oscars 2012

Oscar Nominations: PEOPLE Critic's Take

Originally posted 01/24/2012 02:00PM

Nominations are out for the 84th Academy Awards. Here is PEOPLE Magazine critic Alynda Wheat's take on what went down at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Hugo?! Fine, Hugo.
Leading the pack with 11 nominations is Martin Scorsese's kids movie that's not actually for kids. I confess that I still don't get it. Technically, Hugo is a triumph (you'll notice that the vast majority of its nominations are for technical awards), and Scorsese's nod for Best Director is certainly justified. But as a movie-going experience I still think it's remarkably cold (lectures about film history don't really move me). For my money, it's still a race between the French silent film The Artist and The Descendants, starring George Clooney, who did get nominated and Shailene Woodley, who missed the cut. Which brings me to my next point:

Snubs? What snubs?
Okay, sure, Golden Globe nominee Woodley might be a tad disappointed, as might Albert Brooks (Drive), Michael Fassbender (Shame), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) and even Steven Spielberg, whose amazing animated The Adventures of Tintin didn't rate a Best Animated Film nod, and who wasn't on the Best Directors list, in spite of the fact that his War Horse is a Best Picture nominee. But are these omissions actually snubs? Not really.

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Penélope Cruz & Javier Bardem Will Have a 'Super Baby,' Predicts Woody Allen | Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz

Penélope Cruz & Javier Bardem Will Have a 'Super Baby,' Predicts Woody Allen

Originally posted 09/15/2010 01:00PM

Penélope Cruz and her husband of just over two months, Javier Bardem, may be keeping mum on the topic of her pregnancy, but that's not stopping their friends from extending their good wishes.

On the topic of Cruz's recently evident baby bump, Woody Allen, who directed the sizzling couple in 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona (for which Cruz won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar) joked, "I had nothing to do with it!"

He then added, "I think it's great. I'm crazy about both of them – Javier and Penélope. And I'm sure they'll have a super baby, because their genes are award-winning."

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Carla Bruni Films Woody Allen Movie in Paris with Owen Wilson | Carla Bruni, Woody Allen

Carla Bruni Films Woody Allen Movie in Paris with Owen Wilson

Originally posted 07/27/2010 05:05PM

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, whose accomplishments already include supermodel, singer-songwriter, and French First Lady, has another impressive addition to her resume: actress.

Dressed in a white blouse and jeans, Bruni-Sarkozy stepped before cameras alongside Owen Wilson in Paris Tuesday afternoon in a film directed by Woody Allen. The scenes, shot around the Pantheon in Paris's fifth arrondissement, will appear in Allen's current project, Paris In Midnight.

"Carla and Woody got along incredibly well on the set," a source tells PEOPLE. "They talked constantly and laughed quite a lot between takes. Owen as well."

The source says Bruni-Sarkozy's first day of shooting lasted nearly five hours and included many takes. "They must have shot the same set up, where she walks along holding a baguette in her hand going into a supermarket ... around 32 [times.]"

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Woody Allen's Dream Muse: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy! | Carla Bruni, Woody Allen

Woody Allen's Dream Muse: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy!

Originally posted 06/19/2009 07:40AM

Woody Allen thinks he's found the perfect muse for his next film: France's First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

In Paris to promote his latest romantic comedy Whatever Works, the American director told reporters he would love to have Bruni-Sarkozy star in his next film.

When asked what real-life personality he'd cast in an upcoming project, the 73-year-old director replied: "If I could, Carla Bruni. Without a doubt.

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Freida Pinto's Screen Career Takes Off | Freida Pinto

Movie News

Freida Pinto's Screen Career Takes Off

Originally posted 03/26/2009 06:15AM

After captivating audiences in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Freida Pinto is on a roll, racking up plum job assignments with top-notch directors from Woody Allen to Julian Schnabel.

For Allen, Variety reports, the 21-year-old Indian-born model-turned-actress – who also is being talked as a possible Bond Girl opposite 007 star Daniel Craig – will costar with Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins in an as-yet-untitled film to be shot in London.

Before that, the trade paper also reports, she will start filming Miral on April 19 in Israel and the Palestinian territories for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly director Schnabel. Adapted from Rula Jebreal's book about Hind Husseini, who founded an orphanage in Jerusalem in the wake of the 1948 partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel, the movie features a screenplay by Schnabel.
Stephen M. Silverman

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Jennifer Aniston Dines with Woody Allen & Wife

Jennifer Aniston Dines with Woody Allen & Wife

Originally posted 08/27/2008 11:15AM

Looks like some new Friends in the making: Jennifer Aniston dined with director Woody Allen and his wife Soon Yi Tuesday night at the West Hollywood Italian eatery Madeo.

A relatively unfamiliar figure out West, Allen – who shared a booth in the back of the restaurant with Aniston, Soon-Yi and another gentleman – was barely noticed by the other patrons, while Aniston appeared to keep her profile low.

Came time to leave, the actress exited through the back of Madeo, while the Allens encountered the 30 or so paparazzi out front. Must've made the filmmaker feel like he was back in New York.
Abby Stern and Stephen M. Silverman

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Scarlett Johansson Making Directorial Debut | Scarlett Johansson

Movie News

Scarlett Johansson Making Directorial Debut

Originally posted 01/14/2008 01:15PM

She's known for turning heads onscreen, but bombshell Scarlett Johansson is going to try her hand behind the camera. The actress will make her directorial debut this year with New York, I Love You, her rep confirms to PEOPLE.

Johansson, 23, a New York native, is one of 12 directors who will each create five-minute love stories set in various parts of the Big Apple. Other directors confirmed to participate in the project, which will be produced by the folks behind 2006's Paris, Je t'aime, include Zach Braff and Mira Nair.

The news was first reported by the New York Post's Page Six Monday.
– Beth Perry