Diary of a mad director In a "Spanish diary" he purportedly kept for the New York Times while filming "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Woody Allen displays humor seen only intermittently in his recent films. "Shot a torrid love scene today between Scarlett and Javier," he notes. "If this were a scant few years ago, I would have played Javier's part." "Crowds turn out in the streets to watch us work. Mercifully they realize I've no time to give autographs, and so they ask only cast members." Those 14 Oscar nominations for best screenplay (and two wins) were no fluke.

The final reel Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig and Mila Kunis star in Mike Judge's workplace comedy "Extract." It does feature a controlling boss, but the freak industrial accidents keep it from being simply "Office Space 2." ... "Quantum of Solace" has been pushed back a week to Nov. 14, now that that pesky Harry Potter is gone. ... Cher is rumored to be Christopher Nolan's choice to play Catwoman, as a "vamp in her twilight years." ... Michael Keaton will be the voice of Ken (as in Barbie and) in "Toy Story 3." ... "Astro Boy" has lined up an all-star voice cast including Nicolas Cage, Scarlett Johansson, Kirsten Bell and Freddie Highmore.

CYNTHIA DICKISON