Oscar buzz is looming over all our heads… debauchery is at a coke-induced high… and news of exciting new projects are everywhere.  It’s a great time of year for the Hollywood elite… which makes for an even better time to start reading your Hollywood Crack!

The Office: What could NBC do to possibly make me love the Office even more?  Aside from not letting Steve Carell leave?  How about bring Will Ferrell on for a 4-episode story arc!  Yeah that’ll do it!!!!  No exact word as to when he’ll pop in… so keep your eyes peeled!

Snow White: It’s about that time.  “What Time?” you ask…. time for another live-action Snow White remake.  We’ve seen some pretty evil and twisted reincarnations of the age-old fairytale… this time Universal is taking a stab at it with “Snow White and the Huntsman“.  So who could they possibly pull-in to play the fairest of them all?  How about Kristen Stewart?  According to THR.com the movie is in “deep casting mode” and is looking at Stewart for the Lady White… Viggo Mortensen as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron for the evil queen.  We like Stewart enough, but Viggo & Charlize… that’ll be the real crowd pleaser for us.

HIMYM: Fun news for what is probably one of my favorite sitcoms “How I Met Your Mother“!  Barney finally gets to meet his dad!  Who will play his elusive father?  (Thankfully not a has-been wannabelegit soap actor!!)  No, For this honor CBS went to one of the best of the best.  A man who bridges the vast gap between comedy brilliance and terrifying thriller.  John Lithgow!  He’s gone mano-y-mano with Denzel, made an alien race funny, ruled as a midget king, terrorized Sly on the side of a mountain and befriended bigfoot.  But now he takes on the hardest role of all… Barney’s dad.  Suit up Mr. Lithgow!

Grimm: NBC had a dilemma… get a new show out that takes the tried-and-true format of a cop drama, but make it fresh and new.  How the hell would they pull this one off?  How about a dash of Grimm’s Fairy Tales?  According to THR.com NBC has given a pilot pick-up to “Grimm”.  A cop drama described as:

A dark but fantastical project about a world in which characters inspired by Grimm’s Fairy Tales exist

Surprisingly… I can see this one working.  The cop thing is just tired.  If they can do this without a bunch of the crappy lameness they plugged into “The Cape” it might actually go somewhere.  The fact that it’s backed by writer/exec producers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt (Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel) just may give it the edge it needs.  I’ll check it out.

2 and 1/2 Men: We already talked about Charlie Sheen’s shenanigans HERE, and I’m sure you can turn on any radio or TV channel to get a regular update on what he’s up to today, but what about CBS?  Did Charlie take two seconds to think about the fact that he is the main player on CBS’ highest rates comedy?  Hell, the highest rated comedy on all of TV.  Side-note did you know Charlie Sheen is the highest paid actor on TV?  All TV!!!  To attempt to fill the 2.5 Men gap, CBS has ordered additional episodes of Rules of Engagement and Mike & Molly.  I’m a big fan of Rules of Engagement so that isn’t really a bad thing for me… but Mike & Molly always falls a little short for me.  Guess I’ll finally venture out and see what the other Networks are doing around that time.

Natalie Portman: At the WGUB we are fans of Natalie Portman.  Her acting chops are massive, she’s one hell of a cutiepatoodie and her run on SNL with Andy made us completely fall in love with her!  Now she can add one more title to her business card.  Successful business owner.  Her production company Handsomecharlie films is upping its game.  Namely, they are working with Lionsgate films to make the mass-hit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  We love classic literature… and we adore zombies (for help on surviving them, check HERE), and this book has been a huge hit.  Excited to see it, and excited to see Natalie kickin ass!

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The Stand: Stephen King is the high-ruler of all things that go bump in the night… this is an undeniable fact!  But let’s be real… his screen adaptations tend to leave us a little lacking.  I’d say 1 in 4 of his movies/TV miniseries really hit home the way his books do.  I’d put the 94′ miniseries for his monstrous “The Stand” in the lacking category… even with its seriously awesome all-star cast.  But hey, it was the 90’s.  Word is now that Warner Bro’s & CBS Films are pulling their collective powers to make the big-screen adaptation of this King juggernaut!  My first questions… how in god’s name are they going to make this a 2-3 hour movie?  The book was what, over 1,100 pages?  Anyway… I loved the book, and am excited to see it given some real backing.  With this news, and the Dark Tower Movie News, I think Mr. King may be ramping up for a next generation comeback!!!  With modern movie magic abilities… they could really have some fun with his books!