Ed Burns

Tom Hanks was the man of the hour last night at the 36th Film Society of Lincoln Center's Gala in NYC. Rita Wilson sparkled on his arm, while Ron Howard framed the perfect shot of Tom and Julia Roberts. Fresh off her trip to Venice, Charlize couldn't help but gush about Salma Hayek's wedding and how beautiful the bride looked in her gown. Julia got the most attention of the night due to her miniroast of Tom. She teased him about a few of his past movies and used the f-word so many times to describe everything from his wife's body to wearing the same dress as his publicist that Tom called out her potty mouth in his own speech.

To see more photos including Christopher Walken, Steven Spielberg, and Ed Burns, just read more

In a Summer where HBO is lacking any of its signature series, the network's hopes must be sky-high for Generation Kill. The seven-episode miniseries from The Wire's David Simon and Ed Burns premieres Sunday night, and from the early reviews, it seems like it's everything I'd expect from a Simon/Burns project.

What that means: On the plus side, it's well-written, in-depth, and revealing. This review called it "rewarding in its complexity," not unlike The Wire. That, of course, comes with an inherent minus: The series is complex and not always easy to watch — or even tell who's who, especially in the first episode or two.

Personally, I'm planning to watch with a glossary, a chain of command chart, and a map at the ready; they're all available over here. Even if it is confusing at first, I have confidence that it will pay off in the end. (Also, special note for Wire fans: James Ransone, who played Ziggy in season two, has a major role.)

Will you be tuning in? To watch a preview (which has some profanity; you've been warned) and a "making of" video, just read more

HBO may not have any series on its schedule for the Summer, but it does have Generation Kill, a seven-part miniseries about the new face of the American military.

The miniseries, written by The Wire's David Simon and Ed Burns, is based on a book of the same name by Rolling Stone writer Evan Wright. In 2003, Wright was embedded with a Marine Corps special operations unit with the motto "Swift, Silent, Deadly." The book painted a portrait of the soldiers in his unit as they lived on the front lines of a war that was then just beginning.

Though Simon and Burns don't know the military nearly as well as they knew Baltimore, Generation Kill seems like a logical step after The Wire nonetheless. The stories of rank-and-file soldiers confronting a military bureaucracy probably have something in common with those of rank-and-file police officers, dock workers, and teachers confronting a machine much larger than themselves. Plus, Simon and Burns have experience bringing a certain dark humor to even the most grim and gritty situation.

Generation Kill will run for seven Sundays beginning July 13. Want to get a taste of what it's about? You can check out the trailer and a clip from the scene where Wright meets the troops for the first time if you read more

Spring weather may still be just a tease in NYC, but the ladies went legs, legs, legs at the Food Bank For New York City's 5th Annual Can-Do Awards and 25th Anniversary last night. Fresh from the weekend's big celebrity wedding in Manhattan, Gwyneth Paltrow had her mom Blythe Danner by her side for the night and showed off those stems posing with Helena Christensen. Petra Nemcova was also looking all glam on the red carpet, but less conspicuous without a certain A-List actor date on her arm. All teasing aside and as usual, big credit goes to all the celebs who took the time to come out for such a good cause last night.

To see more from the party including Mario Batali, Michael Stipe, Petra Nemcova, and others just read more