1. It gives a modern-day take on my favorite fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. The producers of Beastly have revealed that this movie is actually based on the 2007 book of sci-fi writer Alex Flinn, but the plot is obviously influenced by the classic fairytale, sans the beast’s heavy fur.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2. Vanessa Hudgens finally ditches the bubblegum mold for a more mature role. She plays the role of Lindy, a modern-day Belle who goes for “substance over style.” There will be no high school sing-and-dance routines this time, thank goodness.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3. British actor Alex Pettyfer will make you swoon, trust me. This chiseled, handsome 20-year-old has acted in British films in the past, but I believe his lead role in Beastly will make him a Hollywood A-lister in no time. I’d be worried if I were you, Robert Pattinson!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

4. Mary-Kate Olsen is back! She finally goes back to the big screen, and this time she isn’t starring as the cutie patootie twin in a self-produced movie. In Beastly, she plays the “witch” Kendra who puts a spell on the self-centered school hottie Kyle, played by Alex Pettyfer.
 
 
 
 
 
 

5. Neil Patrick Harris is part of this teen flick! C’mon, you know that NPH is the man and anything he says is most likely true! “Usually these teen movies are full of masturbation jokes,” he told MTV. “But this is a very classy movie, actually. It looks great. I think the performances are strong. I think it’s better than your average teen film.” NPH plays the blind tutor who was hired by Kyle’s father as an attempt to keep his beastly son hidden from the world.
 
 
 
 

6. The special effects and makeup look realistic. Since the beast isn’t going for the traditional furry animal look, the producers turned Kyle into a heavily tattooed and scarred dude to fit the contemporary New York setting. He actually looks more like a body artist gone overboard.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

7. Although the storyline is predictable (of course you know that Kyle is going to be shirtless and oozing with hotness and “beauty” at the end of the movie!), the producers and cast are keeping certain details of the film under wraps. For example, who is playing Kyle’s father? Will there be cameos from other teen stars? Which rock acts are part of the soundtrack? Will they dance the waltz in a royal ball? The suspense is killing me!

If you won’t take my word for it, then check out the trailer.

Edaward who? Jacob who?

Here’s something all you dog lovers will enjoy. PBS produced a new documentary about assistance dogs called Through A Dog’s Eyes, which is based on the Jennifer Arnold book of the same title.

If the book and movie Marley & Me brought you to tears, then you will enjoy this touching documentary that follows the journey of service dogs and the people whose lives they change. The dogs are so adorable! See the trailer below.

The producers also enlisted the help of Neil Patrick Harris. The How I Met Your Mother actor is the narrator of the film, which will air on April 21, 8 p.m. ET. A dog owner himself, Neil told the Associated Press that he was moved “by the strong emotional connection between the service animals and those who rely on them.”

If you can’t view PBS on your local cable, you can download PBS flicks on iTunes or view it through other sources. Click here to find out how.

Now that Avatar has bagged a few Oscars, we can finally move on and focus on the original blue-skinned creatures—The Smurfs.

Sony has bagged the rights to produce Smurfs: The Movie, which will be a blend of animation and live action, according to Moviefone. A roster of Hollywood stars will lend their voices to the little blue creatures.

NPH: “Gargamel’s Coming!”

The fantastic Neil Patrick Harris is giving life to the “lead Smurf,” although insiders have yet to reveal which Smurf exactly. I’m betting on Brainy Smurf or Vanity Smurf. Other celebrity voices are: Katy Perry as Smurfette, Alan Cumming as Gusty Smurf, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf, and Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf.

Directed by Raja Gosnell (Beverly Hills Chihuahua), Smurfs will begin filming next month and will be out in July 2011.

Sing with me now: La-la, la-la la-la, la la-la la-la…

Can NPH get any cooler? He’s a Broadway actor, TV actor, comedian, TV host, awards show host, and now, musical director.

Tony Award-winning Rent is premiering at the Hollywood Bowl for three days—August 6-8, to be exact. This will mark Neil Patrick Harris’ directorial debut of a musical. I’m sure he won’t have any problems handling this job. He starred in the LA production of Rent back in 1997, wherein he won a Drama League Award for his role as Mark Cohen.

Sing with me now, “525,600 minutes…”

Three-time Grammy nominee Leona Lewis performed the song “Happy” from her sophomore album “Echo.”

Big names such as Neil Patrick Harris, Kate Hudson, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson showed their full support to the real “stars” that night.

“There are so many awards shows every year for the Hollywood community that participating in something as effective as this makes those others feel inconsequential and provides perspective,” Neil Patrick Harris said.

The ceremony honored top 10 ordinary citizens all over the world for making a difference in the lives of other people. CNN viewers voted for their favorites from the 28 finalists, and the top ten heroes each received $25,000. The biggest winner of the night is 28-year-old Efren Penaflorida Jr. from the Philippines, who received a grant of $100,000 for being CNN’s Hero of the Year.

CNN Hero of the Year, Efren Penaflorida. Photo from Ako Mismo.

Penaflorida was recognized for his “pushcart classroom”—a program that educates poor children by bringing a pushcart of books to the slums. As a child, he chose school over the gang life and vowed to help other children choose the same path. His small idea grew into the 10,000-member Dynamic Teen Company, which has taught reading, writing, and hygiene to 1,500 kids so far.

To see which stars paid tribute to which heroes, watch the coverage on 9 p.m. EST Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Espanol. Also visit CNN’s website.

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 20: Host Neil Patrick Harris performs onstage during the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre on September 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Reminiscent of his Tony Awards performance this year, NPH’s opening act was a song-and-dance number that didn’t disappoint. Never mind that he didn’t win Best Supporting Actor for How I Met Your Mother. If you missed it, view it here:

His hosting was so good that when Jeff Probst accepted his award for Best Reality Host for Survivor, he said in his acceptance speech: “Neil Patrick Harris, THIS is how you host the Emmys. Nice job.” Now I remember. Jeff was one of the five hosts in last year’s show.

If that wasn’t enough, Jon Stewart, who accepted the Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series award for The Daily Show, paused in the middle of his speech to compliment NPH on doing a great job.

As for the winners that night, there wasn’t much surprise as most of the awards were given to the same winners as last year’s Emmys. See the full list here.

“The Emmy cast with Harris in charge not only was remarkably stylish, fun and brisk but could even make viewers forget last year’s disastrous format with five hosts, none of whom could rise to the occasion,” commented Frazier Moore of the AP.

First the Tonys, and now he saves the Emmys. What’s next for NPH—the Oscars?