Old girls' club It's been a banner year for female directors, with Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker"), Mira Nair ("Amelia"), Lone Scherfig ("An Education"), Jane Campion ("Bright Star"), Nora Ephron ("Julie & Julia"), Anne Fontaine ("Coco Before Chanel"), Drew Barrymore ("Whip It") and Karyn Kusama ("Jennifer's Body") all garnering kudos for their work. Could this be the year that the fourth (yes, only the fourth ever), or even -- gasp -- a fifth woman grabs an Oscar nomination?

The final reel Rumors are flying about "Thor" casting, with Robert DeNiro, Jude Law and Dominic Cooper all named in connection with Kenneth Branagh's film. ... Laura Dern (left) will play headmistress to "The Little Fockers" in the second sequel to "Meet the Parents." ... Angelina Jolie is talking with Ridley Scott about a role in "Gucci" as the scorned woman who plotted the fashion legend's murder. No names attached yet to the man himself. ... Disney princess Selena Gomez (right) has been signed to star in "What Boys Want," a comedy about "a teenage girl who can hear what men are thinking." Besides its blatant theft from the Mel Gibson/Helen Hunt comedy "What Women Want," this seems a little creepy. And obvious -- who doesn't know what men are thinking?

CYNTHIA DICKISON