Queen of the road

"My great ambition is to be in a 'Fast and Furious' movie." These words were uttered by no other than Dame Helen Mirren in an interview with Yahoo! Movies. "My claim to fame is I always do my own driving — I was on [the BBC show] 'Top Gear,' and I did [my lap] in a very good time. I keep putting it out there, and they never ask me. I love Vin Diesel. It's partly because of him I'd like to be in one, but also the driving."

No offense, J.K.

Ethan Hawke isn't bitter about not winning an Oscar for "Boyhood." In fact, he says his life's goal is to beat Peter O'Toole's record of eight nominations and no wins. He added: "So much mediocrity is strung up the flagpole. I'd rather not win." … Gillian Flynn ("Gone Girl") will write the adaptation of the 1980s TV series "Widows," to be directed by Steve McQueen ("12 Years a Slave"). … Matthew McConaughey stars in the modern-day mining drama "Gold." … Disney is planning a live-action "Mulan." … Boston native Mark Wahlberg will produce "Patriots' Day," about the Boston Marathon bombing.

Everybody rejoice

"The Wiz" will be this year's live musical on NBC. It will be produced in conjunction with Cirque du Soleil and will play on Broadway after it airs Dec. 3. … Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star in Netflix's "Grace and Frankie" (premiering May 8) as women who form a bond after their husbands become lovers. … Not so new anymore: Fox has renewed "New Girl" for a fifth season. The network also gave a fourth season to "The Americans." … Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell have made "A Deadly Adoption," a spoof of Lifetime movies that will air on, yes, Lifetime.

Nuke-lear option

A science writer who says he was defamed in "American Hustle" has survived the first round of his lawsuit against the film's producers. At issue is a comment made by Jennifer Lawrence's character that microwaves take the nutrition out of food, claiming she read it in an article by Paul Brodeur. The writer claims that by the late 1970s, when the movie took place, he had changed his tune on the safety of microwaves and that "Hustle" makes him look like a crackpot.

CYNTHIA DICKISON