A deleted scene from This Is 40 has been released online.  The film is a spin-off of Knocked Up and follows married couple Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) as they deal with marriage and family.  I’m surprised this scene was cut since it’s emblematic of the film: it’s intermittently funny, it goes on way too long, and it’s mostly the actors riffing on a topic intended to be too blunt for the audience to handle (Anal sex in a handicapped bathroom stall!  Edgy!)  If you saw the movie this past weekend and still can’t get enough, then this clip is for you.

Hit the jump to check out the clip, which also stars Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Robert Smigel, and Annie Mumolo.

Universal Pictures has released a large batch of images from writer/director Judd Apatow’s upcoming comedy This Is 40.  For those unaware, the film is a “sort-of sequel” to Apatow’s 2008 film Knocked Up and picks up with the characters played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann five years later as they’re navigating new challenges to their careers, parents, marriage, and children.  I’m encouraged by what we’ve seen thus far, and if anyone can bring a brutally honest portrayal of a marriage to the screen with equal parts charm and heartbreak, it’s Rudd and Mann.  These new images provide a colorful look at Apatow’s impressive cast.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, Charlyne Yi, Jason Segel, and Melissa McCarthy.  This Is 40 opens on December 21st.

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards have finally been unveiled. Many of the categories have fallen in line just as most have predicted (I fared alright with my predictions, but not great), with Hugo scoring 11 nods, followed closely by The Artist with 10. The biggest surprises are War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close getting in for Best Picture, the exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin from Best Animated Feature, and The Tree of Life nabbing Best Picture and Best Director nods (hooray!). On the snub side of things, despite landing the most precursor critics awards of any other actor in the race thus far, Albert Brooks was denied a Best Supporting Actor nod for his stellar work in Drive (boo). Additionally, Tilda Swinton was overlooked for giving the best performance of the year in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and AMPAS has no love for Michael Fassbender‘s haunting work in Shame.

There’s still plenty to be happy about, as Gary Oldman has his first ever Oscar Nomination (yes, that’s right) and Melissa McCarthy is a Best Supporting Actress nominee. Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees. The 84th Academy Awards will be presented by Billy Crystal on February 26th.

As I’ve been covering awards season pretty extensively here on the site over the past few months, I figured it would be appropriate to (foolishly) try to predict the upcoming Oscar nominations. It’s been a fairly tame year, as a few frontrunners were singled out early in the race and have held their ground throughout the grueling awards season. We haven’t been without a few surprises, as Steven Spielberg’s War Horse took a massive tumble following snubs from most of the major guilds, and David Fincher has surged back into the race bringing his adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with him.

Though there are plenty of safe bets when it comes to the 2012 Oscar nominations, there are still a few wildcards and tricky categories. I’ve put on my prognosticating cap (those interested can purchase one of these nifty hats at your local Target) and compiled a list of who and what I think will make the cut. Hit the jump to see how I think the nods will stack up when they’re announced on January 24th.

Kristen Wiig co-wrote her own breakthrough role in last year’s Bridesmaids.  The film is Universal’s highest-grossing romantic comedy ever and naturally the studio would love to have a sequel.  However, Wiig tells THR, “We aren’t working on that.  Annie [Mumolo] and I aren’t planning a sequel. We are writing something else.”  There’s some speculation that Wiig and her co-stars were unhappy with the $100,000 bonus they received for the movie even though it ended up grossing $288 million worldwide.  Universal reportedly offered Wiig and eight-figure payday to return, but she declined the offer and now the studio is looking to hang the sequel on Bridesmaids‘ other breakout star, Melissa McCarthy.

Hit the jump for more.

Judd Apatow continues to round up his friends for his latest directorial effort, as he’s just added two more names to the cast of his currently-filming Knocked Up spin-off. Saturday Night Live writer Robert Smigel and Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumolo are the latest additions to a cast toplined by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. THR’s report doesn’t have any details regarding their roles, but the two have a history with Apatow. Smigel co-wrote the Adam Sandler comedy You Don’t Mess With the Zohan with the director, and Apatow produced Mumolo’s monster hit comedy Bridesmaids.

Mumolo is riding the wave of success following the hit comedy, as she and Bridesmaids star Melissa McCarthy (who also appears in Apatow’s new movie) recently sold a pitch to Paramount. Mumolo and Smigel join a cast that now includes Rudd, Mann, McCarthy, Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, Chris O’Dowd, Ryan Lee, Lena Dunham, Charlene Yi, and Wyatt Russell. The untitled film opens December 2012.

The Judd Apatow-produced comedy Bridesmaids hits theaters this weekend, and it’s pretty much getting raves from everyone who’s seen it. One of the breakout stars of the film is Melissa McCarthy, and now McCarthy and Bridesmaids co-writer Annie Mumolo have sold a comedy pitch of their own to Paramount. Deadline reports that Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn will produce the flick, which is being developed for McCarthy to star.

Originally hatched by McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone (who also appears in Bridesmaids), the premise is described as follows: “When your husband is ill and his doctors are out of ideas, piling in the minivan with your pals to steal the Stanley Cup is one way to go.” McCarthy, Mumolo and Falcone are all Groundlings vets. If you’ve haven’t seen Bridesmaids yet, do yourself a favor and go see one of the best comedies of the year.

Matt Lucas is trading in his suspenders and horizontal stripes for something a little more formal.  According to THR, Lucas (who recently played both “Tweedledee” and Tweedledum” in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) has agreed to join Universal’s Judd Apatow-produced comedy Bridesmaids (he was “in talks” last month).  While his role in the film has yet to be announced, one can only assume that the British actor will not be required to wear the CGI “Sumo-Suit” used to create “Tweedledee/Dum” in the shooting of Alice (although it could certainly be fun to have around the set).

The comedy, co-written by SNL gem Kristin Wiig along with actress/writer Annie Mumolo, will star Wiig as a maid of honor doing her best to keep a group of wealthy, stuck-up bridesmaids happy during the pre-wedding events leading up to her best friend’s wedding day.  Helming the film is veteran television director Paul Feig (Nurse Jackie, The Office, Arrested Development).

If Bridesmaids already sounds more promising to you than recent wedding film disasters (and when you consider 27 Dresses and Bride Wars, really how could it not?) then hit the jump to see the potentially hilarious cast joining Wiig in the film.

I think as long as you put “Freaks and Geeks creators Paul Feig and Judd Apatow reunite for X,” you can get people excited and rightly so since Freaks and Geeks is one of the best TV shows ever made.  In this case, Feig and Apatow’s X is an untitled comedy starring Kristen Wiig.  Despite playing awful, unfunny characters week after week on Saturday Night Live, Wiig is a great comedic presence in films.  Her untitled comedy (which she co-wrote with Annie Mumolo) is about two women battling to plan their friend’s wedding party.

According to THR, Apatow will produce with Barry Mendel, Wiig and Mumolo will co-produce, and Feig will serve as an executive producer.  If both Apatow and Feig are willing to lend their names to a project, then it has to be worthy of attention.  While I obviously wish that one of these gents would get in the director’s chair or contribute to the script, my main hope is that more Freaks alums will come along.  Then again, they all might be busy since Apatow helped to launch the careers of most of the actors on his shows.  Wiig may not have been on Freaks and Geeks, but she’s pretty great in her own right and I’m sure some quality talent will join her on this project.