The Woodman cometh
As Woody Allen, age 77, gets ready to premiere his 45th film, "Blue Jasmine," this month, he reflects on the benefits of steady work. "You know in a mental institution they sometimes give a person some clay or some basket weaving? It's the therapy of moviemaking that has been good in my life. ... I could sit here suffering from morbid introspection, ruing my mortality, being anxious. But it's very therapeutic to get up and think, 'Can I get this actor; does my third act work?' All these solvable problems that are delightful puzzles, as opposed to the great puzzles of life that are unsolvable, or that have very bad solutions. So I get pleasure from doing this. It's my version of basket weaving."
The final reel
Cameron Diaz will play Miss Hannigan in "Annie." … Keira Knightley will play the title role in the 1920s drama "The Other Typist." … Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow co-star in the sex-addiction dramedy "Thanks for Sharing." … "Fifty Shades of Grey" will be released Aug. 1, 2014, whether it has a cast or not. … "Django Unchained" co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx will reteam for the detective story "Mean Business on North Ganson Street." … Christian Bale has ruled out playing Batman in the upcoming "Justice League" movie.
CYNTHIA DICKISON
