Fox SearchlightThis summer, the LA Times reported that the Obamas had requested a copy of "Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer" to watch with Sasha and Malia at the White House. That is a terrible thing to do to the President of the United States, who might want a night away from work that doesn't make his presumably perpetual headache worse. Now the NY Post says the Obamas have requested another movie, a much better one. But wait until Fox News gets a hold of this.

Universal PicturesA lot of film critics get really grumpy when summertime comes around. Stretching from early May until late August, the summer movie season is when the studios' most expensive action blockbusters are revealed, and for a lot of my colleagues it means one numbing explosion after another. I don't feel that way. I came of age as a moviegoer by seeing films during the summer as a kid, and so the warm-weather months always make me a little giddy. Even this year I was really excited for the possibility of a "Wall-E" or a "Dark Knight." Well, that'll show me for being optimistic: Summer 2011 was one of the worst in a while. By the time "The Change-Up" came around in early August, I was very ready for self-important Oscar movies.

Vito Amati/WireImage.comLars Von Trier has decided not to give interviews anymore, which just a darned shame, but his movies aren't going to promote themselves. Thus, it's a job for the actresses; they're prettier anyway. Thus, a double-plus good Vulture interview with Charlotte Gainsbourg, co-star of Von Trier's "Melancholia," which opens in theaters Friday (and is available on demand now). Von Trier is one of our most skilled, challenging directors, and from him, you can learn handy tricks of the trade for dealing with actors. Here are some tips, taken from Gainsbourg's interview:

Jerritt Clark/WireImage.comDuring the big Martin Scorsese "Hugo" lovefest over the weekend -- which featured Scorsese lovingly espousing the virtues of 3D, once again making Roger Ebert's head explode -- James Cameron hosted another Q&A himself and said what he thought of the film, and the usage of his beloved 3D. (James Cameron is the great wise man of 3D. The way to become a great wise man is to make billions of dollars.)

He was impressed, to say the least. It is good to know that James Cameron has looked upon Martin Scorsese and said, "I, James Cameron, dub your cinematic artistry satisfactory." Thank you, James Cameron.

Bobby Bank/WireImage.comLast night, Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, released a statement in response to the big Brett Ratner controversy of yesterday. In case you missed it, Laughing Boy Ratner said during a "Tower Heist" question-and-answer session that "rehearsing was for f-gs." This is the type of statement that in the ultra-macho NBA will get you fined and/or suspended; one shudders to think of the ramifications in the world of Hollywood, which, after all, is populated with, you know, actors. But Sherak is standing by his man.

Jacopo Raule/Getty Images• You think Clive Owen ever wonders what his life would have been like if he'd ended up being James Bond? Hopefully not: He's had a good career regardless, but still ... put it this way, that what-if game would definitely eat us up at night. Anyway, he's just signed on to "Recall," where he'll play an NSA agent investigating a hostage rescue that went terribly wrong. On an unrelated note, look how ridiculously handsome this guy is. It makes us really sad: No amount of crunches we could ever do would compensate for that. [Showblitz/Variety]

Warner Bros.Like Grierson, I think Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" is better than most critics seem to be giving it credit for. The acting is uniformly excellent (it's another strong Leonardo DiCaprio performance, but I mostly found myself tapping my feet waiting for Armie Hammer to come back on screen), it has some legitimately moving moments, and it's impressively even-handed about J. Edgar Hoover, recognizing his many strengths along with his (much more well-known) weaknesses. But the movie has many faults, almost all of which can be laid at the feet of Eastwood himself.

John Shearer/Getty Images for LXD

• Joss Whedon, as we previously mentioned, may be on the precipice of becoming a Big-Time Movie Person. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have regrets. One of the biggest is that he never was able to make his big-screen version of "Wonder Woman." He talked about the project a bit in a recent interview, but his best quote has nothing to do with the woman with the golden lasso. "Well, I think the world is largely awful, and getting worse, and eventually the human race will die out," he says. "And it'll be our own fault." But make sure you see "The Avengers" first! [Rookie via Vulture]