It’s been a busy week for Russell Crowe. Yesterday alone the actor was said to be part of the saving grace that would allow Akiva Goldsman to direct his gestating adaptation of Winter’s Tale, and then later in the evening it was said Darren Aronofsky was looking to Crowe to take the titular role in the Biblical epic Noah. Now it sounds like Crowe is simultaneously up for another big role as a Twitter update from Variety report Jeff Sneider revealed that the actor is also potentially being lined up for RoboCop, the remake from director José Padilha of Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. I’m not sure what role sounds better for Crowe. Full story here.

Man on a Ledge is the latest film from noted Na’vi Sam Worthington and noted Steve Carell seducer Elizabeth Banks. This isn’t some artsy fartsy title. The movie is literally about a man on a ledge. The set designers may not win an Academy Award, but we applaud such simple, straightforward filmmaking. More movies should take place in a single setting or small space. Multi-location shoots are for chumps. Here’s our list of the laziest (in a good way) movie productions. Check out the full story at Maxim.

The nominees are in and there are no surprises here. Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and silent film “The Artist” lead the way in number of nominations. Both are considered contenders to run away with most wins this year. Check back for my picks. Below is the full list of nominees.

Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
JC Chandor, “Margin Call”
Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, “Bridesmaids”

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
John Logan, “Hugo”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, “Moneyball”
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughn, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Animated Feature
“A Cat In Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2″
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Original Score
“The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams
“The Artist,” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo,” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse,” John Williams

Best Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Achievement in Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Cinematography
“The Artist”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Costume Design
“Anonymous”
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”
“W.E.”

Best Documentary Feature
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”

Best Documentary Short Subject
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?”
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
“Incident in New Baghdad”
“Saving Face”
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”

Best Achievement in Film Editing
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”

Best Achievement in Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“The Iron Lady”

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film
“Pentecost”
“Raju”
“The Shore”
“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
“Drive”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

We’ve seen our share of movie heroes launch daring missions to save their kidnapped wives, children, and other family members. After all, “hostage situation” is strategy #1 in the Hollywood playbook behind “Adam Sandler does something.” But missing family members seems to be a recurring problem for certain actors. Check out the following stars who just can’t keep a hold of their families. The FULL LIST at Maxim.

Here’s the entire list of winners:

Best Picture, Drama: The Descendants
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: The Artist
Best Actor, Drama: George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”
Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation.”
Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”
Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”
Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”
Best Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION
Best Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.
Best Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.
Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”
Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”
Best Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.
Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”
Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”
Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”
Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

With every film critics’ group, major Hollywood organization, and pajama-clad movie blogger making their lists of the best films of 2011, Quentin Tarantino wanted to get in on the action, so, for the second year in a row, he’s served up his own personal ranking of the best cinematic offerings of the year. You might expect a hardcore cinephile like Tarantino to go with some obscure choices for his favorites—an Indonesian women-in-prison exploitation movie, say, or a Korean horror flick—but his picks are surprisingly mainstream. Last year Tarantino named Toy Story 3 as the best film of 2010, and this year his choice for the top slot is Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. That’s not to say his choices are all conventional: Rise of the Planet of the Apes at number 2? The Artist and Our Idiot Brother tied for 10th place? The Three Musketeers at number 11? (We’re guessing that one’s a joke.) See the list at EW.

While we have gotten other looks at the film, such as this still, which was released just last week, this is actually the best shot we’ve seen of Benjamin Walker in his full Lincoln makeup. While he’s not wearing his classic stove-pipe hat, I’ll be damned if this doesn’t look exactly like our 16th president. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter tells an alternate tale about one of our nations greatest leaders, by telling the tale about his adventures in killing the undead. Joining Walker in the cast is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Jimmi Simpson, Rufus Sewell, and Alan Tudyk. For more go to CinemaBlend.

Mark Wahlberg is making the publicity rounds today on behalf of Contraband, which opens Friday, but he has spent a good amount of time answering questions about The Fighter. It is somewhat understandable – David O. Russell’s Oscar-winning picture was a big hit for the actor, but it also earned him some respect as a producer that money-making efforts like The Other Guys can’t muster. Check out the full story at CinemaBlend.

Last September we got word that iconic chart-topping musician Elton John was looking to team up with screenwriter and playwright Lee Hall for Rocketman, a project described as a biographical musical fantasy about the flamboyantly bespectacled singer and songwriter. The two last teamed up for a Broadway adaptation of the film Billy Elliot, and now John says an official announcement regarding this fantastical biopic should be expected very soon. While it’s not clear if that announcement will simply be officially revealing the project itself, John already has an idea of who should bring himself to life on the big screen. Check out the full story at FirstShowing.

If you love “best of” lists or if you can’t stand them, check out this out-of-the-ordinary master list for 2011, which features everything from “Best Drama” to “If We Had To Choose Between Slamming Our Dick in A Car Door and Watching This Movie, We’ll Take The Door”. Check out the complete list at Maxim.