Jack Black, one of the nice guys, was toasted at a reception last night at the Four Seasons in BeverlyHills for his comedy, “Bernie,” nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Two headlines–first, I asked Jack about “School of Rock,” his classic film that never had a sequel. He told me: “I have to be careful about that. We’d need a great script. That movie will be on my tombstone, so a sequel would have to be amazing.”

Second: among the guests were many Academy voters including Bud Cort, best known forever as the star of “Harold and Maude.” Cort brought Jack a terrific Christmas gift: the largest ever Whitman’s Sampler of candy anyone has ever seen. “We could try them now!” Jack exclaimed, but of course there was already plenty of food including many mouth watering desserts. The Whitman’s Sampler is headed to the Black family home.

Meantime, the reception was chockablock with interesting people we only get to see during Oscar season. Among them was Piper Laurie, Terry Moore (once the girlfriend of Howard Hughes, and looking now like several million bucks), our pal Robert Forster, plus Brad Douriff, Michael Nouri, Francine York (who count the old Batman TV show in her credits), Margaret Blye, and Tommy Cook.

Some names you may not know, but the Academy is almost 6000 strong. The largest segment is actors. And the majority of them are older, and not completely famous, but hard working veterans who’ve been in Hollywood a long time.

So what do they like? I took some unofficial polls last night, asking people to give one word responses to the names of films and actors. Some observations: everyone loves Jennifer Lawrence, Daniel Day Lewis, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway. Bradley Cooper has a big fan base.

Some people think “Lincoln” is dull during its first hour. “Les Miz” is a hit in every category. “Zero Dark Thirty” –everyone objected to the waterboarding scene, which was interesting. “Django” got high marks. So did “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” The whole group like “Argo” but no particular actor in it. Denzel Washington in “Flight” has a lot of support but he needs more of a push.

What works? Meeting cast, directors, etc.

More to come…

December 21st: I do believe the world is supposed to end today. Also, it’s the winter solstice. And Jane Fonda, the two time winner of the Academy Award, the great American actress after Katharine Hepburn and before Meryl Streep (and who gave us Meryl Streep in “Julia”), mother, grandmother, sister, activist, speaker of her mind, visionary, writer, and friend turns 75 years younger today. God bless her.

There have been books written about her, and she’s given us a full length memoir. Years and years ago, DA Pennebaker shot an entire documentary about her. For the smart people, she’s a hero–Jane Fonda gave voice to a generation when she was just finding her own, and enabled us to ask important questions of our government when it wasn’t fashionable, when it was dangerous, and when she had everything to lose after winning an Oscar for “Klute.”

After all she was also the daughter of a beloved movie star; she was Hollywood royalty. But she’d repositioned herself from sex kitten to thoughtful advocate. And she completely represented how the Sixties of pillbox hats and the Twist became the early Seventies of protests and ultimatums.

If your head remains buried in the sand, she’s still Hanoi Jane sitting on that tank. Please. She’s apologized over and over. The internet is still full of fictional tales about so called treasonous acts– all made up, well documented fantasies. Mistakes were made, yes, she’s the first to admit them. But we have to appreciate it when someone who has a lot to lose leverages their world to make a difference in ours. Fewer people do that every day.

Her GCAPP (Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention) foundation in Atlanta has helped thousands of teenage girls. Her work out books, tapes, and DVDs have always been cutting edge primers for mental and physical health.

None of this is accomplished without amazing focus, tenacity, and sheer brilliance. And it hasn’t been easy: her mother committed suicide. Her father was distant and difficult. She could have coasted, and taken life easy. She committed herseld instead to having the fullest life, mistakes and all, lived out in the open, come hell or high water.

It’s not over by a long shot. Seventy five? Jane Fonda does not retire. She’s got movies, and plays, and projects. She’s just been around the world promoting more workout DVDs. When she goes to the Cannes Film Festival–as she did in 2011–she steals the show from all the ingenues. Hot, sexy and smart at 75, that’s Jane Fonda, without hesitation.

The Oscars were for “Klute” and “Coming Home.” But in the 70s Jane took control of her career. Now every actress has a production company. Then, only Jane Fonda did. “Julia,” “The China Syndrome,” “On Golden Pond,” “9 to 5,” not to forget “The Morning After,” “The Electric Horseman,” “Comes a Horseman”– what a run. Even when  film didn’t quite work, like “Stanley and Iris” with Robert DeNiro, you could see the intentions were good.

The quintessential Jane Fonda film shows the main character on a learning curve. She starts with an established idea, or ethic, that is perfectly reasonable. Lots of people could live like the characters as we first meet them. But then everything is quesitoned, slowly, like an onion being peeled. And Fonda’s heroines learn something new. And we learn with them– even if it’s funny, as with “9 to 5” when Judy Bernly gradually realizes what her life could be.

Jane saw a long time ago what her life could be. I think she’s basically an optimist, which is sort of amazing. How does a person become that after everything that’s happened to her? Yesterday she wrote on her blog:

“When I was young–up till my 50s–I was sure that if I lived this long I’d be miserable, decrepit, ugly and alone.

Instead, I’m happier than ever, more at peace, healthy–well, there are times when my body hurts all because I have osteoarthritis. But that doesn’t define me. I’m basically healthy and have loving, intelligent, challenging children, grandchildren, friends and lover. I feel very blessed. I also know that this didn’t just happen, I’ve worked hard (and continue to) for this to be so.

I will turn 75 tomorrow, Friday 12/21/12, the day that the Mayans and others predicted a many-thousands-of-years-old era would come to an end. There are those who interpret this prediction as End of Days. I feel—as do many others–that it will, instead, mark an awakening, a new beginning.”

Really, no kidding, words to live by.

The avalanche of bad reviews for Tom Cruise in “Jack Reacher” has begun. The film maintained an 80 rating on rottentomatoes.com mostly from bloggers and junketeers. But now the big guns are coming in, and “Reacher” has slipped to 66%. It may go lower as a few more reviews trickle in. (The review in the NY Times is especially bad. Ouch!)

Third update: Down to 59%. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post says: “A wildly ill-advised miscalculation.”

UPDATE Friday 12-21-12: it’s down to 63%. Second update: down to 61%.

“Reacher” is hobbled by circumstances beyond its control. It’s vigilante movie that begins with a sniper picking off five people including a nanny with a small child. In light of the tragedy in Connecticut, this will be a massive deterrent. Even gung ho young men may not want to see this right now.

I have not seen “Reacher” due to scheduling. I will try and see it this weekend. My colleague Leah Sydney blanched at the unfortunate connection to news events at her screening. It’s hard to evaluate this kind of film in light of current events.

No matter what anyone says, Tom Cruise did as little as possible to promote “Reacher” because of his personal problems. Even though the tabloid supermarket weeklies have him “reuniting” with Katie Holmes, this is fiction. Amusing, but fiction.

“Reacher” is a test for Cruise, who hasn’t had a real non “Mission Impossible” hit in years. “Knight and Day” was a dud, and “Valkyrie” was a calamity. Cruise is trying to reinvent himself, but it’s unclear what his constituency is after seven years of tabloid fodder concerning Holmes and Scientology, couch jumping and the like.

The other test is for “Reacher” writer director Christopher McQuarrie, whom Crusie wants for “Mission Impossible 5.” McQuarrie told this site’s Paula Schwartz that he’s been chosen but can’t discuss it yet. It may be Paramount will wait and see how “Reacher” does before giving McQuarrie such a big project. Stay tuned…

Box office from Wednesday: Barbra Streisand once sang she had nothing to be guilty of, and that’s still true. “The Guilt Trip,” a mild comedy with Seth Rogen, did fine on its opening day. In wide release “The Guilt Trip” did over $1 million, and finished second to “The Hobbit.” No one ever thought the comedy about a mother son road trip would be doing “Skyfall” like numbers.

As the season progresses, “The Guilt Trip” should skew older and find a nice audience among those who don’t want to see snipers (“Jack Reacher”), insane comic  violence (“Django Unchained”), or waterboarding (“Zero Dark Thirty”).

Meantime, the lure of waterboarding–not water skiing or surfboarding– and lots of nutty criticism fueled the first day for Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty.” It made $125,000 on 5 screens. That’s very strong but not the bonanza discussed elsewhere. I’m rooting for this film because it’s so well made, not because of its faux controversies.

Otherwise, Oscar balloting continues apace and so does the campaigning and celebrating. On Tuesday, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter hosted a classy lunch at his Monkey Bar for Richard Gere, a Golden Globe nominee for Best Actor in “Arbitrage.” Director Nick Jarecki was there, so was Mrs Gere aka Carey Lowell, and plenty of society types and celebs. Carter makes a cameo in the very clever film produced by Laura Bickford. “Arbitrage” is ‘the little movie that could’. It’s had a decent box office run worldwide, and excellent on demand video sales. It’s well crafted, with solid stars like Gere and Susan Sarandon. Bravo!

Last night there was a reception for Robert DeNiro and “Silver Linings Playbook,” the sleeper film of the season and the one most people I talk to say they “loved” unequivocally. This film has a little less press because its main players, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, are shooting films right now. But don’t worry–this beauty of a dramedy is making a big impact with Academy voters. It may surprise everyone.

On the plane out to Los Angeles today, I went on YouTube and watched all the versions of the “Les Miz” songs from the past, including the essential and marvelous Lea Salonga. I must say the movie versions hold their own nicely, surprisingly. All the praise for Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Eddie Redmayne, among others, is deserved. I think when “Les Miz” finally is seen by regular audiences, people are going to go nuts for it.

Jon Hamm has made his move. The award winning star of “Mad Men” has signed with Creative Artists Agency after his long time talent agent, Carol Bodie, was dropped from ICM Partners. In a change that will sting for a long time, Hamm “ankled” ICM yesterday for CAA. Now that he’s filming the penultimate season of “Mad Men,” Hamm has got to make preparations for his big screen movie career. And trust me, he will have one. If anyone in a TV series was set for movie stardom, it’s Hamm. He’s already done a ton of extra curricular work to get ready, from movies like “The Town” to constant work with “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live,” Tina Fey, and Kristen Wiig. In the last year, Hamm co-starred in girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt’s terrific comedy, “Friends with Kids.” He recently finished playing Larry David’s nemesis in David’s HBO movie, as well. By the time “Mad Men” finishes in 2014, Hamm will have made a smooth transition from Don Draper to work as a leading man.

“Bowling for Columbine,” the anti-gun documentary that put Michael Moore on the map for good, has been posted all over the internet for free. Moore has placed it on YouTube, with NetFlix and on Current TV’s website for free so anyone can see it. In light of the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy. “Bowling for Columbine” comes off as more prescient and genius like than ever before.

The film can be seen in its entirety in our video player at the bottom of our home page. Also, here’s the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fAouWXzi-1Q

“Bowling for Columbine” won the Academy Award, the Broadcast Critics Award, the 55th anniversary prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and ever other award except the Golden Globe in 2002-2003.

Also, if you’re in Traverse City, Michigan on Thursday. Moore and wife Kathleen Glynn are screening “Bowling for Columbine” for free at 6:30pm at the State Theater.

Meantime. Moore writes on his website, www.michaelmoore.com:

“I am truly beside myself this time. I tried to ring a warning bell about this a decade ago. The disease has only gotten worse.

But…you feel something different in the air across America tonight, don’t you? People have had it and the outrage is loud and visible. I’m convinced the majority of Americans will now back strong gun control laws. And a better mental health care system. And perhaps a few are willing to look at the deeper issue of how this country officially sanctions violence as a means to an end.

The NRA, for the first time ever, has gone silent. They’ve taken their Facebook page down. They know they can’t show up in Newtown next week and stick it to the people there, like they usually do after one of these mass killings. Let’s face it, the gun lobby tonight is on the ropes. Now is the time to act. We can’t let this sad moment pass without a true response and a president willing to be a strong leader.

I’ll send some more thoughts tomorrow, but for now I thought I’d share with you what I’ve been sending out over Twitter this weekend. (If you’re not on Twitter, please consider it. I know – not one more social media stop, please! But I’ve found it to be a quick and easy way to communicate with millions. Please give it a try. I send things out on it every day and I’d like you not to miss them.)”

Yes, believe it or not: Robert DeNiro, age 69, is training for a boxing match with Sylvester Stallone, age 66. It will be “Raging Bull” vs. Rocky when the two actors each won Oscars years ago for playing famous or fictitious boxers meet and sock it out for the first and only time. This is all for a movie called “Grudge Match,” directer by Peter Segal and just about to shoot. And yes, it’s a real boxing match and DeNiro has been training like crazy while shooting “Last Vegas”–which just wrapped– and promoting his Oscar-bound supporting role in “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Last night DeNiro and “SLP” director David Russell were toasted at a final pre-Christmas celebration at the very posh Le Cirque restaurant in the Bloomberg building following a Q&A for the Screen Actors Guild. DeNiro told me he’s been working with a trainer– he does look very fit–and he’s excited about working with Stallone.

Meantime, the guests at the party ranged from Barry Levinson (“Rain Man”) to Stephen Daldry (“Billy Elliott”) who had never met before and were thrilled to to be introduced. DeNiro had a reunion with famed character actress Rutanya Alda, who appeared with him years ago in his first two films. Bob Balaban, Robert Wuhl, Bob Dishy, John Gabriel, Giancarlo Esposito, filmmaker Barbara Kopple, and playwright Israel Horovitz were among the guests at the party hosted by Dr, Mehmet Oz– Dr Oz himself, featured this month on the cover of Oprah’s O Magazine– the first time ever a man has graced the cover with Oprah.

DeNiro was so excited to have his picture taken with Le Cirque’s legendary Sirio Maccione he emailed it directly to wife Grace Hightower, who was home with their son, Elliott, from his phone.

He was also excited because he’s received his first ever Screen Actors Guild SAG nomination for acting with “SLP.”

That was fast. The tracks from the “12-12-12” concert are up on iTunes and there’s a list of songs that will be available soon on a physical CD. (No word on a DVD yet, but that involves editing of film, etc.) Strangely, the online album has no tracks or evidence of a performance by Kanye West, who was only one of two black artists featured on the show. (The other was Alicia Keys.) Kanye has been excised entirely, even  though he executed 11 of his, uh, songs including “GoldDigga,” his biggest hit. It’s unclear what happened, whether Kanye was snubbed or didn’t want to be on there by his own choice.

Also missing from the offering is most of Paul McCartney’s set. Only his opening number, “Helter Skelter” is on the iTunes album. The rest of his extremely lively performance–remarkable especially for the late hour is MIA including “Live and Let Die,” “Blackbird,” “I Got a Feeling,” and his collaboration with Nirvana on “Cut Me Some Slack.” All the other artists are represented by two or three tracks each including the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, The Who, Alicia Keys. Eric Clapton, and Roger Waters. But missing are the two Springsteen-Bon Jovi duets.

Technically, the entire show could be on iTunes since there’s no space or time limit. The CD’s, of course, would have to be shorter. The album is available through Columbia Records.

Don’t get excited just yet. I have been told by a very good source that Prospect Park Productions has contacted Susan Lucci, aka Erica Kane, about a revival of “All My Children” online and maybe on cable. There have been reports in the last couple of days that Prospect Park, whose license with ABC on “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” is trying to re-activate the much-missed soap operas. A friend of Lucci told me yesterday: “There have been some talks, but the word wasn’t supposed to get out yet.” Hmmmm….

Prospect Park — run by controversial manager Jeff Kwatinetz, late of the Firm, and Rich Frank, late of Disney–had gotten a license from ABC to put the canceled shows online. At the 11th hour, however, everything fell apart. If the deals had gone through, Prospect Park would have had the shows up and running last January 2012. “OLTL” went off the air then, and some of its characters, its executive producer and head writer, transferred to ABC’s “General Hospital.”

Lucci was at a loss by then. There had been talks with Prospect Park in 2011 prior to the September conclusion of “All My Children,” but they mysteriously stopped, she told me. Lucci more than any other actor from either show would have to be included or it simply wouldn’t be worth it. She and “OLTL” star Erika Slezak are linchpins of their respective shows.

Another key “OLTL” player, Robert S. Woods, told me yesterday that he’d heard rumblings about Prospect Park’s renewed interest, but that he had not been contacted yet. “They may not know how to find me,” said Woods, who’s been kicking back in upstate New York after 30 something years of service to “OLTL” as leading hero Bo Buchanan.

There have been reports, though, that Prospect Park has finally made deals with SAG-AFTRA and may be closing deals with the other guilds.

Reviving the shows could be done, but it’s tricky. Pieces of  “OLTL” live in “General Hospital,” which is having a ratings surge. For “All My Children,” it’s harder. Lucci has made other deals since “AMC’ ended. Plus, that show was in tatters thanks to ABC’s mismanagement of it for years. In either case, creator-writer Agnes Nixon would have to be brought back as well, since she has the secret sauce recipe that made the shows a success.

And then again, it’s possible Prospect Park is just faking it to extend their license arrangement. ABC might like the shows back now considering their alternative programming has failed. “General Hospital” is booming. And really, the only thing network execs know is success. Soaps, which they trashed for years, are looking good again. If Procter and Gamble were smart, they’d look to a revival of their own shows, “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light.”

We’ll wait and see if this is just another cliffhanger with no pay off…

The times, they are a changing. Remember when the best directors were Robert Altman. Alan Pakula, Hal Ashby, Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, and Sydney Pollack? Now the vets are Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. But it’s the new generation that’s taken over. This year’s crop of Best Directors, aside from Spielberg, are all recent Oscar winners or nominees.

Tom Hooper just won Best Director two years ago with The King’s Speech,” and comes with his masterful version of “Les Miseables.” David O. Russell–whose “Three Kings” is a oft-forgotten gem–made his mark with “The Fighter.” Now he’s got “Silver Linings Playbook” lined up for victory. Kathryn Bigelow was the first female Oscar winning director with “The Hurt Locker.” Her “Zero Dark Thirty” is powerful and controversial. Ben Affleck won accolades for “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone.” Now “Argo” is  name on everyone’s lists. Paul Thomas Anderson has “The Master” after “There Will Be Blood” put him on the map for good.

Quentin Tarantino? He’s a young old timer, dating back to 1992 with “Reservoir Dogs.” He and the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, make the bridge from the vets to the newcomers.

These are the new generation of directors who will take us into the next episode of the Oscars. We still have Woody, Marty, Steven. But this new group is formidable.

Hooper is really the upstart. He first won major Emmys for landmark HBO series “John Adams” and “Elizabeth I.” A Brit, Hooper sometimes seems aloof. He’s not. He’s just tired. Hooper delivered a wet print of “Les Miz” to New York on Friday, November 23rd and never looked back. He’s criss crossed the US without sleep several times. This week he’s in Australia helping Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe launch the film in their country. He may spend the holidays in the UK with his family. For a minute. Then back to the US for awards season.

And “Les Miz” hasn’t even opened yet. And Hooper, who looks 30, has only just–finally– turned 40.

It’s a lot of pressure. “Les Miz” has only been seen in the industry so far. We’re still a few days off from its exposure to audiences who are chomping at the bit.

I do think Hooper has done the impossible–he’s taken a three-dimensional stage experience and reinvented it as a film, a piece of cinema that humanizes history and focuses very specifically on the main characters. He turns them all –from Jean Valjean to Cossette to little Gavroche– into guides through a mesmerizing experience. I think even Robert Altman would be impressed how he’s woven it all together!