Bwog was curious about the large-ish metal movie trailers currently outside the Starbucks on Broadway. We spotted a man who appeared to be fixing a faulty hinge on a door to the trailer. The man informed us that the trailers were for the movie Gigantic. "Who's in it?" we asked. "John Goodman!" the man replied, very obviously as excited as we are.

IMDB informs us that the movie, (which is described as "a comedy centered around a mattress salesman and the young woman whom he meets at his store"), also stars unfortunate bowling pin accident-victim Paul Dano and surprisingly talented singer Zooey Deschanel.

UPDATE 2:48 PM: Paul Dano spotted outside Starbucks smoking a cigarette. Swoon/gag.

Tipster Jenny Lam has good news for fans of Freaks and Geeks and Spider-Man:

"Stalkers, plan accordingly: I was at the Whitney Museum administrative offices for an internship interview this afternoon. I'm signing in at the security desk, only to look up and see "JAMES FRANCO" written above my name. I turn around, and, sure enough, a scruffy-looking Harry Osbourne is being introduced to a Whitney employee by a British girl, and his hair is a nice shade of bottle blond (orange, rather). As I'm waiting for security to contact my interviewer, I hear JFranc say that he's enrolled at the Columbia MFA Writing Program for Fall 2008, and he'll be taking classes at Tisch as well."

Another tipster tells us that Teh Internets are already all atwitter at the news, at least over on oldschool Livejournal community/celebrity gossip blog Oh No They Didn't. Some highlights from the comment thread on their post (which, incidentally, appears also to have been written by Lam):

"lolz poor dood he's going to get stalked by creepy people omg
but omg jelisss celebrity sightings"

"I might be doing the summer drama program and Tisch. LOLOLOL I'm going to eat his face off."

"I would pound that like maize"

Bwogger Pierce Stanley was lucky enough to attend CPU's presentation on microfinance (starring Natalie Portman!) Here, he reports back with notes on Natalie's outfit, micro-lending, and Village Banking.

So it looks like Homeboy Jeffrey isn't the only celebrity with a Harvard degree taking on poverty at Columbia these days. Fresh off the releases of Wes Anderson's Hotel Chevalier and The Darjeeling Limited, none other than Natalie (nee Hershlag) Portman descended on Lerner 555 today for an all too brief, hour-long discussion of microfinance and the fight against world poverty entitled "Action and Leadership in the Fight Against Poverty." While Natalie was rather autumnal in a super-short pumpkin-colored dress and sandals that looked more like mini deconstructed baskets, the event sponsored by the CPU and FINCA was ultimately more bark than bite.

Microfinance was the topic of the hour (Natalie is the FINCA Ambassador of Hope), however the event turned out to be a lot of fluff: more an exercise in watching Natalie sip a Starbucks grande latte and wax poetically about her trips to Uganda than an engaging discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of microfinance lending. Indeed, it was hard to take Portman seriously. When asked later about this apparent disconnect, Portman said, "Its not about feeling bad about what we have, its about giving and sharing what we have with others. Its very easy to condescend. Seeing the reality of the situation changes everything, so you have to travel."

Just when you thought that this year's oratorical cavalcade couldn't possibly get any weirder, Friendly Fire has invited world-renowned pornographer free speech activist Larry Flynt to speak here on Thursday at 5 PM in the Lerner Party Space (the email says to get there early). No announcement yet on whether there'll be an afterparty at the Hustler Club, but Bwog is holding out hope.

One event whose after party certainly won't be held at the Hustler Club (like that transition?) is the College Republican's candlelight vigil to "remember and acknowledge the untold millions who unduly suffer under the tyranny of state-enforced Islamic extremism." In today's Spec, awesomely-named CUGOP board member Diana Lawless called the event a chance for people to "put aside their politics and differences."

And such opportunities for communal harmony abound during Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week. David Horowtiz, C '59 is speaking Friday afternoon (register here), and if that isn't enough to satisfy your curiosity/raging Islamophobia/hatred of Islamofascism, there's an "oppression panel" with speakers from CUNY and the American Enterprise institute on Wednesday at 8 in Math 203.

You can bet that the Progressive Jewish Alliance won't be attendance. Their Facebook group petitioning Hillel to officially condemn the week's events currently has 99 members.

And if you still want to see Natalie Portman talk about poverty reduction tomorrow at 1 in Lerner 555, Bwog recommends you email ec2454@columbia.edu as soon as possible.

-ARR

If you were caught up in the spectacle of the Homecoming Carnival, you might have missed Jack Nicholson and his sunglasses outside of Low giving autographs and scaring children.

Just in, from an anonymous tipster:

"I'm at work in my humble cubicle in the Journalism School right now.For some reason Danny Glover is sitting next to me on his cell phone discussing some movie that he wants to be 2 and a half hours long and financed by $18 million."

As long as you promise you're done with your Lethal Weapon days, whatever floats your boat, Danny boy.

Edit: Apparently he was moderating a panel for Journalism School students this morning -- in case you wanted to know what in the world he's doing on campus in the first place.

This just in: Bob Saget (not to be confused with Sagat) has been sighted taking a college tour with his daughter.

Bwog is a fan, but not this much of a fan.

After Prof. Janaki Bakhle opened her morning class surprised that anyone bothered to show up with "Denzel and Russell Crowe [pictured at right on another set for the same movie] filming at 116th and Riverside," where she was excited that she "saw limos," Bwog could not resist checking out the scene west of campus, where yet another crew was turning our neighborhood into a stage set, this time for the remake of American Gangster. Vintage 70s cars, buses, and police cruisers vied with extras in period dress all along Claremont and Riverside, but, despite the curious absence of security (or perhaps because of it), the two celebs were nowhere to be seen.

What brought the film here? IMDB summarizes the film's provocative plot: "A drug lord smuggles heroin into Harlem during the 1970s by hiding the stash inside the coffins of American soldiers returning from Vietnam." We can't wait.

Meanwhile, a tipster reports seeing "Alec Baldwin was at the Literature and Citizenship event with Orhan Pamuk," which was "part of the Havel series. Baldwin and his female companion were ushered out a back exit after the event ended." Does anyone have further info? Confirmations of these celebs' whereabouts?

-CJS

Though clearly not all celebrities have the starpower of Scarlett or DMX, we still like to note when celebrities, especially cool ones, end up on campus. So, here's Bwog contributor Brendan Ballou's anecdote from yesterday:

"David Byrne was just on campus!... He was wearing a black suit, white yellow shoes, and a tiny yellow backpack. Plus he had the really intense David Byrne stare and hair."

And his explanation for his silence:
"...I think the absolute only thing I could do is sort of nod and nonchalantly walk away. And even that would only work if I was a beautiful woman with a cigarette."

Sorry to disappoint. That vision in pink you may have seen preening on Low Steps is actually Laura Belle Bundy, playing Elle Woods in the upcoming Broadway musical Legally Blonde, which debuts at the Palace Theater in April. She and her coterie of publicists, camera people, and small dog held their publicity shoot on Low Steps because, as overheard by a frequent Bwog tipster, "I know it takes place at Harvard Law School, but this is the closest we could do."

Bwog is unsure of whether or not to be offended. Elle wouldn't have gotten into Columbia anyway.

As always, Bwog feels compelled to do its part in propagating the scandalous rumor of the week. According to IvyLeak, everyone's favorite director of racialized films, Spike Lee, is taking a humanities class at Columbia. The grapevine reports he's in Hamilton from 6:10-8:00 Tuesdays and Thursdays. Bwog assumes he's taking lit hum, brushing up on his dead white men, and therefore speculates he may be with G. Gajula (an un-Culpable prof) in section 55, room 607. So we may have pushed your pawn into the conservatory and handed you the lead pipe, but please, don't do it. He doesn't need to be stalked by you. He may be at CU, but he's still too cool for school.

Bwog speculated on this last spring, and has now recieved visual confirmation! A savvy tipster sighted Viggo's son Henry Blake Mortensen, who's made a few appearances himself, moving into Hartley last night. He's apparently sporting a blue mohawk...Bwog would have checked facebook, but we already quit.

Self-proclaimed "loyal bwog reader" Xavier Estevez writes in about Freedom Writers, a movie being shot outside Barnard today. Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey has been spotted. Take a stroll around 117th, maybe you'll bump into the film's star, Hilary Swank.

Starring: Max Minghella (previous credits: Syriana, Bee Season, Art School Confidential)

Also featuring: Joey Alvarado, Liz Strauss

Location: Cafe Swish, Kim's, JJ's Place

Plot Summary: New York Times decides to profile progeny of esteemed director Anthony Minghella, cute freshman friends provide sense of natural environment. Rising actor eschews usual activities of the young and famous and avoids stardom even at Columbia, where he's been sighted in John Jay dining hall, enveloped in a hooded sweatshirt. Foreshadowings of failed expectations.

Now playing everywhere.

People reports what we've known all along: not even Scarlett Johansson is allowed to oust our picnics. She is welcome to join, however, as long as we get to slather her with sunscreen.