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Yesterday it was reported that Zooey Deschanel has been cast as the lead in a new HBO half hour dramedy pilot. I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie is based on the memoir by Pamela Des Barres, detailing her exploits as a groupie for the likes of Frank Zappa, Mick Jagger and Jimmy Page. The book is rumoured to have also provided inspiration for Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous, in which Deschanel had one of her first roles as the main character’s older sister.

As a big Zooey fan this is exciting news, especially if this gets commissioned for a full series, as it means no more waiting long lengths of time between seeing Zooey in occasionally brilliant, but mostly mediocre films.

HBO could also do with a new successful series as they are increasingly being outshone by AMC and Showtime, particularly by Mad Men and Dexter.

Oscar nominations were announced early this afternoon (or this morning in the US) and were mostly predictable, nominations for In The Loop and District 9 being the only gladly received surprise nominations. Below are my predictions, marked (p), and hopes, marked (h), for the Oscars. In some categories it was a hard choice as some of my favourites of the past year go head to head.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Avatar (p)

Up in the Air (h)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (p)

George Clooney for Up in the Air (h)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (p)

Carey Mulligan for An Education (h)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (p,h)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (h)

Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (p)

Best Achievement in Directing

James Cameron for Avatar (p)

Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (h)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

The Hurt Locker : Mark Boal (p)

Inglourious Basterds : Quentin Tarantino (h)

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

In the Loop : Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche (h)

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire : Geoffrey Fletcher (p)

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Avatar : Mauro Fiore (p)

Inglourious Basterds : Robert Richardson (h)

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Avatar : Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg (p)

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus : Anastasia Masaro (h)

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Avatar (p)

District 9 (h)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Fantastic Mr. Fox (h)

Up (p)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (p)

Best Documentary, Features

The Cove (p)

Best Short Film, Animated

Wallace and Gromit in ‘A Matter of Loaf and Death’ (p,h)

Vanity Fair recently tasked acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz with photographing the creative forces behind the past year’s greatest films, focussing on “the bond between actor and director.” The results can be seen here and show the likes of Meryl Streep and Penélope Cruz posing with their respective directors.

Within the twelve photographs there is one notable exception which you can see above; for some reason James Cameron is posing not with Sam Worthington and/or Zoe Saldana but with his revolutionary camera. I find this particularly odd considering him constantly stating that the acting in Avatar is every bit as real as in a fully live action film, yet here Cameron is almost calling the camera his biggest collaborator. Weird.

Oscar nomination coverage coming much later, the nominations are not exciting enough for immediate reaction.

From what I had heard about Paper Heart I was not expecting to enjoy it; a documentary about love with a fictional love story thrown in did not appeal to me. Once I started watching I found myself moved by the real life stories of love and loss, even liking the possibly over-cutesy puppet re-enactments that accompanied them. Charlyne Yi, most recognisable as Kenneth’s brief love interest from 30 Rock, makes for an awkward interviewer which helps to ground the fictional part of the film, her love story.

Running alongside the story of Yi travelling America to find if love truly exists, is her awkward on camera romance with Michael Cera, played deftly by Michael Cera. The romance is played subtly and realistically, affecting the way Yi interviews the real public and the documentary affected the progression of the fake love story.

While at times it was hard to like the lead character/interviewer Paper Heart does a good job of showing what love means to different people and is at times touching and amusing. The DVD extras include deleted scenes, some deeply annoying outtakes and a short Making Of which I was grateful for to help me get clear in my head, what was real and what was fiction.

The DVD is out on February 8th in the UK and while I enjoyed it I’d be wary of recommending Paper Heart as it is not for everyone. Probably better to rent than buy.