James Gray, who directed the last film - Two Lovers - that Joaquin Phoenix appeared in before announcing his retirement from acting and transition to a career in rap, has come out and publicly slammed his efforts. He insists that Phoenix is "making a fool of himself."

In February, Phoenix appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote Two Lovers. Instead of showing up as the clean-cut actor he used to look like, he sported a scraggly beard and sunglasses. Gray is furious with Phoenix for failing to cooperate with Letterman because his actions took public attention away from the film.

Gray says:

"It's like, Letterman was trying to get the movie out there, but the only thing that's out there now is a crazy person with a beard making a fool of himself!"

Many have speculated that Phoenix is simply pulling off an elaborate hoax, especially after it was discovered that his brother-in-law, Casey Affleck, was filming his new foray into the world of rap music.

Gray, however, fears that Phoenix may be taking his new project seriously:

"I've seen him in his house, and he has his own recording studio that he built right there. So if this is a hoax, then it's the most elaborate thing that I have ever seen.

Are Lifetime movies too far off now?

Lindsay Lohan just can't catch a break. Her last film, 2007's "I Know Who Killed Me", was bomb and earned a record number of Razzies. Now, her latest film - Labor Pains - is skipping the cinemas and will premiere on cable TV this July, before heading to DVD in August.

In Labor Pains, Lohan plays a woman who fakes pregnancy in a bid to keep her job.

Since her 2007 flop, she's also lost out on the lead role in Tim Burton's forthcoming remake of Alice In Wonderland. In a recent interview, however, Lohan claims to be working on a new movie with Sean Penn.

Nevertheless, a straight-to-DVD release is never a good sign, and a straight-to-cable-TV release is even worse.

Officials at the Vatican are said to be planning to authorize a boycott of the upcoming film, "Angels & Demons", the prequel to 2006's smash-hit "The Da Vinci Code." The film, which stars Tom Hanks, is based off the bestselling novel by Dan Brown, and is due for a summer 2009 release.

The church called for a boycott of the first film, and it now looks like this film will also be stirring up some controversy with its religious overtones. On Friday, the Vatican's official newspaper, Avvenire, ran a story stating that the Catholic Church "cannot approve" of the movie. Another Italian publication, La Stampa, has warned that officials will call for a boycott ahead of the film's May release.

While the story is set in Rome, filming was delayed after Vatican officials refused to grant the crew permission to shoot in the religious site and at other important sites in the city.

Angels & Demons opens worldwide on May 15.

Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre shift from elite Hollywood actor to embarrassingly talentless rapper has been the speculation of much of the media. Is it a prank, or has he seriously lost it? Well now fellow actors are beginning to weigh in with their opinions on the matter.

While being interviewed by MTV UK, Gwyneth Paltrow was asked about her "Two Lovers" co-star, Joaquin Phoenix. She believes that his departure from acting and the launching of a hip-hop career could be an elaborate hoax, despite his publicist insisting otherwise:

“I think that there might be some other explanation or something going on. I’m not quite sure what, but I can’t believe that he’s really going to quit [acting] forever to become a rapper. It seems odd.”

When asked what advice she has for Phoenix, she replied:

“Hmm … maybe to go live in the projects for a few years to get some authenticity, maybe.”

British actress Natasha Richardson is currently in critical condition in a Montreal hospital after she was severely injured during a skiing accident in Quebec on Monday. The Tony award-winning actress and wife of Liam Neeson is said to have suffered a head injury.

According to People.com, Richardson, 45, was initially taken to a hospital near the luxury ski resort Mont Tremblant in Quebec, but was later transfered to Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal. A family member confirmed the accident.

Kika Markham, who is the wife of Richardson's uncle, Corin Redgrave said:

"We know that she has had an accident but we really do not know any more details. We are very concerned."

Richardson comes from a long line of British acting royalty. She is the eldest daughter of Oscar-winning Vanessa Redgrave the late director Tony Richardson. Her maternal grandparents - Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson - were both actors, and her uncle Corin and aunt Lynne Redgrave are also both actors. Natasha's sister, Joely Richardson, is also an actress and is perhaps best known for her role in the television series "Nip/Tuck".

Her husband, Liam Neeson, immediately left a film set in Toronto upon learning of her accident. The couple have two sons.

Following the infamous altercation with boyfriend Chris Brown that left her battered and bruised, Rihanna is looking to put the focus back on her career. She's reportedly been in the studios, and is now rumored to be seeking a role in a remake of the 1992 hit film "The Bodyguard."

Following in the footsteps of Whitney Houston, who starred in the original film, Rihanna is set to take on her role as a music star who lives in fear of a stalker.

A source told the New York Daily News, "Before the situation with Chris, Ri was getting a lot of scripts. She's been wanting to do movies for a while now."

Next week is an exciting week in downtown Cleveland. Not only will the city play host to the annual St. Patrick's Day parade on Tuesday, but next week also marks the start of the 33rd annual Cleveland International Film Festival to be held at Tower City Cinemas. The festival kicks off on Thursday, March 19 with the opening night gala, featuring the film "Lightbulb", and runs through March 29.

Over 140 features and 170 short subjects from more than 60 countries will be shown. Films will run daily from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm, with midnight movies on both Friday and Saturday evenings. You can pick up a program guide regional, including at all Dollar Bank locations. The schedule is also searchable online at clevelandfilm.org.

Tickets can be purchased on-site at The Film Festival Store located in the lobby of Tower City Cinemas, or by calling 1-877-304-3456. Tickets can also be purchased online at clevelandfilm.org. CIFF accepts American Express, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. Ticket prices are as follows: Members - $10, Non-Members - $12, Students & Seniors - $10.

Popular Video Rental Chain Hosting Bloodrive to Promote vampire movie "Twilight"

Blockbuster is offering free ice cream to the first 50 people who donate blood at selected bloodrives. The movie rental chain is promoting the film "Twilight" which will be released at midnight at the store.

"The millions of 'Twilight' enthusiasts out there may be different ages and from different parts of the country, but there's one thing we know about all of them: to love this movie, they've got heart," said Alan Ziegel, Sr. Director Retail Film with Blockbuster Inc. "In addition to giving these fans the 'Twilight' movie and products they've been waiting for, Blockbuster wants to give this passionate group the chance to give the life-sustaining gift of blood to local communities."

Here is the entire list of the stores that will be hosting blood drives on March 20th:

-- Atlanta: 3944 Peachtree Road NE
-- Austin: 2110 Slaughter Lane
-- Boston: 342 Washington St., Weymouth
-- Chicago: 2025 Lincoln Highway, Charles
-- Cleveland: 7480 Broadview Road, Parma
-- Dallas: 5649 Lebanon Road, Frisco
-- Denver: 9871 Parker Road, Parker
-- Houston: 588 Sawdust Road, Spring
-- Los Angeles: 17945 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills

Forbes' has just released a list of Hollywood's Most Valuable Young Stars, and not surprisingly, topping the list are two of the young entertainment world's most recognizable faces: Daniel Radcliffe and Miley Cyrus. Each has been the face of a hugely popular franchise; Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Cyrus as Hannah Montana.

The list was published as a part of Forbes' recent Star Currency Survey, which evaluated the star power of 1,400 actors in Hollywood. The choices were sent to 157 people working in various parts of the movie industry, who then evaluated the actors on specific factors.

Criteria used included:

The amount of financing that flows to a project is significantly determined by the individual actor’s presence in a film.

The individual actor’s presence in a film guarantees theatrical distribution.

The individual actor’s presence significantly drives the film’s theatrical box-office performance.

If the individual actor’s involvement is essential in securing rights deals for revenue streams, including DVD, pay/free TV, video-on-demand and online/downloading/streaming (when applicable), as well as a project’s ultimate financial performance in those areas.

If the individual actor can attract audiences in any film genre.