Specials: Ebert on "Crash"-lash. Gaiman gets DeNiro and Pfeiffer. Lois Lowry's "The Giver."

IF YOU VOTED FOR CRASH, DOES THAT MEAN YOU HATE GAY PEOPLE?
Roger Ebert asks the question that needs to be asked: Just ’cause I didn’t vote for Brokeback, does that make me a homophobe? Good question. And by the way, if Hollywood is so homophobic, why did they spend the evening congratulating themselves for being so progressive? And why did they give Ang Lee Best Director? Why did they give Capote Best Actor?

DE NIRO AND PFEIFFER GET STARDUST-ED
Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer… together at last in Neil Gaiman’s Stardust.

THE GIVER GIVEN TO PERELMAN
Several people who have excerpts from my novel Auralia’s Colors have asked me if it was inspired by Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver. As a matter of fact, no, I’ve never read it. But the frequent comparisons have intrigued me.

Now, it looks like I’ll not only read the book, but I’ll see the movie, which will be directed by Vadim Perelman (who happens to be one of the only film directors who has ever contacted me to comment on my review of his work!) I was impressed with Sand and Fog, so I’m looking forward to this…

The story centers on Jonas, a 12-year-old boy living in an idyllic future society where all memory of human history has been erased. His life is thrown into turmoil when he is designated to inherit the role of the Giver — the sole keeper of the vast range of human emotions. Perelman will work from an earlier draft penned by Todd Alcott. Jeff Bridges and Neil Koenigsberg of AsIs Prods. and Orly Wiseman and Nikki Silver of On Screen Entertainment are producing.