After a brief but concentrated period of friction over the release date for their Oscar-bait drama The Reader, Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin issued a joint statement late Sunday confirming the film would arrive in theaters Dec. 12, 2008. Thus anticlimactically ended Rudin/Weinstein Death Match II, their first since The Hours, another Stephen Daldry film that endured a litany of tweaks and torment coming down to the awards-season wire in 2002. While Defamer scorekeepers last week favored Rudin in the tilt, a late flurry of Weinstein jabs sent the superproducer reeling to the canvas — or maybe not quite the canvas, but at least a sort of easy détente few saw coming when Harvey insisted on receiving Daldry's first edit a week from today. Let alone Rudin's congested awards roster also including Doubt and Revolutionary Road, the latter of which positions Reader star Kate Winslet in a potential race against herself for Best Actress. No word yet on whether or not Winslet will promote The Reader so close to Sam Mendes's Revolutionary Road or what kind of platform release the film faces with MGM out of the picture, but official word from Rudin, Weinstein and Daldry after the jump suggests at least three-quarters of a happy family:The Joint statement released Sunday was kind of lovely in an eerie, WTF way: "We are issuing this statement together to emphasize the fact that we are in complete agreement on the date we have chosen to release The Reader," said Rudin and Weinstein. "Working together, we developed a plan to extend the post-production schedule in order to give Stephen Daldry the additional time he needs to successfully complete the film in time to release it on December 12, 2008." One report places that extended schedule at a full month, overlapping with Daldry's current adaptation of Billy Elliott for Broadway. By all indications, a Factory Girl-esque race to final cut was the last thing the director wanted (at least he can skip the reshoots), but he's got his public happy face on for now. "On their own, Scott and Harvey spent this weekend working together to find a way to accommodate my needs so that I may fulfill my obligation to the studio without compromising my vision for the film," he said. "I am thrilled and relieved that we have all found a way forward to work together to bring The Reader to theaters this year." Great — The Harvey Renaissance is back on! Let's keep it this way, Fanboys notwithstanding.

Though Tina Fey has publicly voiced a desire to stop playing Sarah Palin in November, Lorne Michaels issued the Emmy winner the comedy equivalent of a stop-loss last night, conscripting Fey for a second tour of duty as Palin on Saturday Night Live. This time around, Fey and Amy Poehler spoofed the vice-presidential candidate's bungled sit-down with Katie Couric, and though the sketch will forever live in the shadow of the instant classic original (and we would rather have seen Kristen Wiig play Couric than the hugely pregnant Poehler), there were still some worthwhile bits. Our favorite? Fey-as-Palin's talking points meltdown (at 2:50 in the video). The sketch, after the jump:Click to view

Paul Newman, actor and dedicated philanthropist, died yesterday at the age of 83 after a long bout with cancer. The Method trained actor learned his craft at Yale and the Actors Studio and went on to become one of Hollywood's most enduring screen icons, starring in over 65 films such as Cool Hand Luke, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler and Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. However, it wasn't until he recreated his storied performance as "Fast" Eddie Felson in 1986's The Color Of Money that he collected his first Academy Award; he collected nine nominations across his career and also was awarded with the Jean Hershholt Humanitarian Award at the 1994 Oscars (as pictured). And just two years ago, he won an Emmy for his work on Empire Falls.Newman will likely be remembered as much for his philanthropic contributions as he will for his storied acting career. As a result of the success of his Newman's Own brand of salad dressings, popcorn and pasta sauces, he donated more than $250 million to various charities —including the Scott Newman Center, devoted to anti-drug education— over the course of the last twenty-plus years. We leave you with what is one of our favorite on-screen moments of Newman's acting career, the legendary "No man can eat 50 eggs" scene from Cool Hand Luke.

· If the 2008 Emmy Awards were a DVD, this would be our extended director's cut. And this would be our broadcast edit. And just for fun, view the supplemental features. · And Josh Groban may have saved the whole show, but don't take our word for it. He can speak for himself. · Rosh Hashanah is the new Ari Emanuel. Who knew? · Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are a couple? Really? Says who? Oh. · Meanwhile, Clay Aiken dropped a big gay bombshell that leveled the quaint city of Claymatishima. · Neither Tina Fey nor Margaret Cho could shake the sultry, haunting image of Sarah Palin. · Kim Kardashian begs to differ with our PrivacyWatch tipsters about that whole "hating hurt people" thing. · Travis Barker and DJ AM escaped a plane crash with their lives and are recovering as we speak. · We sought to get to the bottom of why the hell a woman would leave Hugh Hefner for Criss Angel. · First Scott Rudin, then MGM. Harvey Weinstein has had better weeks. · Meet Dominique Arganese, Verne Troyer's stunning new ex-girlfriend! · David Letterman announced his candidacy for President of Breaking John McCain's Balls. · Sam Rockwell is not a sex addict, he just plays on one Defamer. · Q: What's the best thing about Dane Cook's dog poop lawsuit? A: It's over.

· We don't know how long that Whoopi Goldberg has been on The View —we suppose we could look it up, but it's Friday night and we're tired as shit— but nary a day goes by when we don't think to ourselves, "How in tarnation is Whoopi qualified to be The View's de facto leader?" Today's evidence of her ineptitude involved her trenchant (and bipartisan!) insight that Barack Obama and John McCain have each "stuck their foot in the doo-doo and are walking around making dookie spots" in their dealings with our country's cratering economy. Check please! [The View] · Looking to make a name for yourself in the high stakes world of blog commenting? Try heading over to our sister site Gawker for their Presidential Debate liveblog, moderated by some of the biggest names in microcelebrity. Should be a good one! [Gawker] · If the above bullet sounds interesting to you, feel free to prep for your high pressure blog commenting debut with this little nugget: Sarah Palin is being encouraged to step aside from the presidential race by none other than leading conversative columnist Kathleen Parker. Who, we might add, is also a female. Try slapping a sexist tag on that! [National Review] · Statler & Waldorf somehow snagged themselves an Op-Ed in today's New York Times. Yes, the muppets. [NY Times] · And lastly, for those of you who could give a rat's ass about politics, we turn our attention back to the world of entertainment. Namely, exactly how much is Tina Fey worth? However much it is (hint: she's made $17 million in her career to date), we think she probably deserves more. [Portfolio]

Thou Shalt Not Worship False Idols: And now, from the Deseret News, comes this story of a Utah man who cut 12 acres of his cornfield into a maze in the shape of American Idol runner-up David Archuleta. "We really thought of Obama and McCain at first, but everyone we talked to was sick of the candidates," creator Brett Herbst said. "Then we said, 'Let's do Archuleta.'" Words fail us, so we'll defer to Deseret News commenter "asiangirl": "WOW!!!! THE EXTENT OF LOVE FOR THE MOST LOVED!! I LOVE IT!!!!..." A refugee from the Clayboard, perhaps? [Deseret News]

Forget it — we're not even bothering with happy hour tonight. We're going straight for our Dirt Sandwich, a heaving helping of all the entertainment news and scandal that's fit to consume from the busy week behind us. This episode features the uniquely robust flavor of Clay Aiken's truth and consequences, the savory zing of Lohan/Ronson revelations, and a soothing aftertaste of Emmys, Dancing with the Stars and swimsuit legend Sarah Palin. How about some extreme face time with Joe Biden? Hungry yet? Fine — you can have the whole thing, crafted from scratch by Defamer's resident video-delicatessen wizardess Molly McAleer. Bon appetit!

No one around here really wants to have the Save-a-Fading-Hollywood-Icon conversation every day. But less than 24 hours after Ed McMahon's sad, bought-and-paid-for declaration that "I am officially a rapper," the quiet dumping of Diane Keaton's new film Smother (or the fact that there even is a Diane Keaton film called Smother) leaves us no real choice. The Oscar-winner's latest is her fourth consecutive Straight-to-Flopz™ effort since 2007, as well as the third during that time (alongside Because I Said So and Mama's Boy) in which she's portrayed a suffocating harpy mom. Worse yet — depressingly so — Smother is the first Diane Keaton film in our adult lifetimes that we didn't even know existed until after it opened. Not. Cool. And it's not like rookie distributor Variance Films didn't have a trailer (follow the jump), a decent cast (Liv Tyler, Dax Shepard, Mike White) or even a fun poster to market. So what happened?Part of it is Keaton's own fault. After a tandem comprising Something's Gotta Give (her most recent Oscar-nominated role) and The Family Stone, Keaton has coasted chronically through paycheck after paycheck. We'd seen hints as recently as 2001, when her mob comedy Plan B went straight to video, but her reputation as a selective stateswoman of American cinema slid for real with Because I Said So and the heist flick Mad Money. They combined for $62 million domestically but were generally reviled as beneath their star. And they were beneath Keaton; The Family Stone wasn't going to make anyone forget Annie Hall as a whole, but as late-career matriarch roles go, she was as good as she'd ever been. Then came the DVD- (and hell-) ready Mama's Boy, co-starring Jon Heder and essentially remade as Smother with a date-movie-palatability quotient bumped up. Neither found traction with critics, but Variance didn't bother with press or preview screenings at all. That settled it for critics, with Ebert-thwacking indie grump Lou Lumenick positing "Diane Keaton Scrapes the Barrel" and another reviewer asking: "Does Diane Keaton owe some loan sharks a considerable amount of cash? Are there incriminating photos of her that she’s insistent never see the light of day?" We wouldn't rule it out. And the thing is, she's still so smart and funny and beautiful — too much so for all of this. Smother, Diane? Really? The optimist in us has to move ahead assuming it's a rough patch, but so help us, if we her selling credit reports in a miniskirt on Pimp Ed McMahon's arm, we'll come save her ourselves. This is serious.

Designers, gather round: we've got an announcement. Though the sixth season of Project Runway is filming right now in downtown LA, it may be a long time before the episodes see the light of day — if ever. Already pushed to January 2009, Runway has just been rocked by a new development in the contentious lawsuit hatched when the Weinstein Company moved the show to Lifetime over the fierce protestations of proud gay parent Bravo. Now, the judge in the case has ruled against the Weinsteins, unraveling their plans like an errant thread pulled too far:

Click to viewBoomp3.com At the Washington DC premiere of The Secret Life Of Bees, a young male fan took a major step forward in his relationship with actress Dakota Fanning. After taking the photo, Billy Walsh asked Fanning if she would be okay with him changing his relationship status on his Facebook profile. Fanning said she wouldn’t mind, but didn’t understand why Walsh would seek her approval. Walsh took a deep breath and explained that Fanning and him have been internet dating for quite some time now and would like to their relationship to the next level. Walsh said, “I’m just started the seventh grade. It’s high time that I settle down with a good girl. A girl like you, Dakota. I can’t be spend all of my junior high years running wild with my bro dawgs looking for a cheap thrills at Stevie Gordon’s pool party. I need to settle down with somebody like you. So, would you mind if it says on Facebook, that ... we’re ... you know ... together?” Fanning was unsure of how to answer Walsh’s question and wanted to think about it overnight. A feeling of dejection swept over Walsh’s young face. He was about to say something when Fanning interrupted him and said, “It’s not a no, but why ruin a good thing by putting a label on it?” [Photo Credit: Splash Pics] *A Call To The Bullpen is a work of fiction. Although the pictures we use are most certainly real, Defamer does not purport that any of the incidents or quotations you see in this piece actually happened. Lighten up, people ... it's a joke.

Hugh Hefner has had better weeks. In the span of three days, Hef managed to lose not one, not two, but ALL THREE of his Girls Next Door. But don't feel too bad for the doddering old coozehound. After all, we think that we may have found a replacement girl that can quickly step into Holly, Kendra and Bridget's high-heeled shoes. Yes, that's right, our very own Molly McAleer is actively campaigning for the job (with a few caveats, natch). She makes her case and delivers you this weekend's To Do's after the jump. Enjoy!· Calvin Harris at the Fonda. · Found Footage Festival at M Bar. · Carlos Mencia at Gibson Amphitheater. SATURDAY · We the People Festival at LA Historic Park. · Juliana Hatfield at Largo. · Valley Film Festival at El Portal Theater. SUNDAY · West Hollywood Book Fair in West Hollywood Park. · Abbot Kinney Festival on Abbot Kinney. · MxPx at the House of Blues.

Appletinis for Everyone: He's known as a tomcatting party boy, but at Wednesday's Outfest Legacy Awards, NBC topper Ben Silverman told the audience he had a confession to make (after first confirming that industry gossip Nikki Finke was nowhere to be found). “I debated whether or not to say this, as I am a bit of a press target," he began tentatively, cradling the "Outtie" award he accepted on behalf of NBC Universal. The well-heeled gay audience craned forward; was Ryan Seacrest's best pal "Beijing Ben" about to come out of the closet? Might this explain all those suspiciously well-informed WeHo jokes Silverman had made on KISS-FM? “No, it’s not me,” he continued. “But my mother is gay.” Silverman then got back to work on his latest fall revamp: Kath & Kim & Gay Bubbe. [The Advocate]

Click to viewBoomp3.com Something must be going wrong in Hollywood today as megawatt star Naomi Watts dropped off her own clothes at a Brentwood area dry cleaner. Watts tried to maintain a low profile, but her radiant smile —not to mention the small army of shutterbugs trailing her— gave her away. Before cataloging all of Watts’ items, the owner of the dry cleaner offered the standard issue deal for celebrities. The owner said, “Now if you bring in a signed head shot of any kind, it’s free dry cleaning for life, except for comforters. Those things just take too long to clean.” [Photo Credit: Splash Pics] *A Call To The Bullpen is a work of fiction. Although the pictures we use are most certainly real, Defamer does not purport that any of the incidents or quotations you see in this piece actually happened. Lighten up, people ... it's a joke.

After a lull in Bruno sightings that felt like an unfabulous forever, Universal's $42-million dollar man leapt back onto the publicity hamster wheel Thursday with an appearance at Fashion Week in Milan. From the looks of the accompanying news video, things probably could have gone better with the police (have you ever spent the night in a squalid, rapey Italian jail?), but from the looks of the wire photos snapped before security shot out the lights, Sacha Baron Cohen's trailblazing German model clearly outmatched any of the dingy frocks in Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's spring collection. All the evidence is after the jump. And for the last time, Associated Press: Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male is the title we made up. Or half of it, anyway. You're welcome!

Until their recent breakup, the unlikely pairing of actress Natalie Portman with scruffy, Manson-resembling troubadour Devendra Banhart had people asking, "What exactly does she see in him?" We tried to explain that starlets love themselves some hairy hippies, but still, the naysayers would not be deterred. Now, Banhart may have provided some insight into the matter with the album art for his upcoming side project, Megapuss. Baring all in a very, very NSFW manner, the folk singer shows off what had until recently been the sole property of one Queen Amidala:

Recoveries: After that horrible plane crash last week, it seems the sole survivors DJ AM and Travis Barker are doing a little better. AM has been released from the hospital in Georgia and is on his way back to LA. His publicist says, “While he is deeply saddened by the events, he is thankful for all of the love and support he has been receiving from fans and friends world wide. We ask that you continue to respect his privacy as he rests and heals and mourns the loss of his friends.” Meanwhile Jermaine Dupri just visited Travis in the hospital and told People Magazine all about it. “He's doing good, he's gonna be alright. He's just got a lot of healing to do,” says the producer. What’s more, Travis is getting his hospital room all tricked out with iPods and computers so he can be more comfortable. “He's supposed to send a message out to everybody in a couple of days to let everybody know that he's feeling better.” Glad to hear it. [People]

It feels just like old times today at MGM, where the dawn of a new, Weinstein-free era shines on the horizon and staffers are once again evacuating MGM Tower — "Running with boxes of precious scripts and screeners under my arm," in one Defamer operative's words — in the wake of yet another bomb threat. An official e-mail circulating now notes that the LAPD are en route and that, if everything checks out, operations are expected to resume around 2 p.m. We also hear that Fanboys was safely moved to an undisclosed location until Harvey arrives to pick it up after work; hopefully the worst is over. Official MGM correspondence follows after the jump. Be careful, Lions!

Click to viewBoomp3.com Popular pint-sized canuck Ellen Page took a slightly uncomfortable seat on an apple box on the set of Whip It. Page wished that the box had a padded cushion hidden inside, but Page made the most of her situation. It was an altogether different story for her co-star Landon Pigg, though. Pigg said, “Well, I’m just sitting on air. I took a couple of mime classes back in France.” Page was impressed by Pigg’s incredible feat of flexibility and dexterity, but she felt it was an even bigger feat of strength and skill to sit on a box for a prolonged period. [Photo Credit: INF Daily] *A Call To The Bullpen is a work of fiction. Although the pictures we use are most certainly real, Defamer does not purport that any of the incidents or quotations you see in this piece actually happened. Lighten up, people ... it's a joke.

Everyone's got his her or her thing, and bless Dominique Arganese's heart, she likes midgets. Like, two of them. At the same time, according to reports, which cite Verne Troyer's lithe new girlfriend and partner-in-steak as a two-timing dwarf seductress. And her latest conquest? Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, naturally, with whom the Montreal-based model is rumored to appear in compromising photos currently making the rounds. We can't make this up, nor would we really want to. Troyer may be small, but his heart breaks as big as anyone's, and after all of his bitter, tax-resolving sex-tape misfortune last summer, we're deeply sorry for his loss. Or at least we were before Arganese's gossipy publicity jig was up seconds later:

When TechCrunch, the blog for startup fetishists, published leaked screengrabs of MySpace's just-launched music service, Michael Arrington wrote: "We’ve been pounding our sources for screenshots of the new service for weeks without any luck." Now we know what he meant. A tipster tells us, and another source confirms, that Arrington's been dating Dani Dudeck, MySpace's VP of global communications, for months.We're told Dudeck leaked Arrington not only the MySpace Music screenshots, but also tipped him to a story about MySpace friend-in-chief Tom Anderson's brush with the FBI as a hacker in the 1980s. The article served to burnish Anderson's rather questionable geek credentials. MySpace has helped Arrington's business in other ways besides feeding him stories. The News Corp.-owned social network was a major sponsor of the recent TechCrunch50 conference. Arrington has no issue bragging privately about his relationship with Dudeck. And Dudeck, our source says, has "no issues to sleeping with key influencers." Before Arrington, we hear, the rumor was Dudeck dated MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe. But don't believe us — let's go to the tape. Check out this clip of DeWolfe and Dudeck together at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, caught by Kara Swisher for AllThingsD. The way Dudeck leans in to DeWolfe to stay warm tells you more than any of our anonymous sources. Kara's quippy response — "You don't have to love me" — reminds me of an anecdote my boss once related about Dudeck. The flirtatious MySpace flack accosted him at a conference last year and said, "We really need to work on our relationship." Sorry, Dani — Owen doesn't swing that way.