Our forum posters have adapted Hollywood's favorite game to the Emmy race for best TV movie/mini actor to prove that nominee Kevin Bacon ("Taking Chance") isn't far removed from the other four gents in his category. 

Many thanks to our posters Abe, adamunc, Boomer, 742 and True Tenor for connecting these Bacon dots. Check out the forums thread for more.

KENNETH BRANAGH, "WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND"
•  Bacon starred in "Mystic River" with Laura Linney, who appeared in "Love Actually" with Emma Thompson, who was in "Dead Again" with Branagh.

BRENDAN GLEESON, "INTO THE STORM"
• Bacon starred in "Flatliners" with Julia Roberts, who was in "Ocean's Eleven" with Brad Pitt, who was in "Troy" with Gleeson.

KEVIN KLINE, "CYRANO DE BERGERAC"
• Kline starred in "Chaplin" with Diane Lane, who was in "My Dog Skip" with Bacon.

• Bacon appeared in "Frost/Nixon" with Frank Langella, who starred with Kline in "Dave."

IAN MCKELLEN, "KING LEAR"
• Bacon was in "Apollo 13" with Tom Hanks, who starred with McKellen in "The Da Vinci Code."

• Ian McKellen was in the "X-Men" movies with Patrick Stewart, who was in the TV movie "King of Texas" with Marcia Gay Harden, who was in "Mystic River" with Bacon.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND, "24: REDEMPTION"
• Sutherland starred with Bacon in "A Few Good Men" and "Flatliners."

Photo: Sony Pictures

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"Funny People" star Adam Sandler and writer-director Judd Apatow shared a cramped apartment when they were both starting out as stand-up comedians. Two decades on, they are two of the most successful mirth makers in Hollywood. Sandler has starred in 10 pictures that have earned more than $100 million apiece domestically. And Apatow has crafted some of the most successful comedies of the past few years as a writer, director and producer.

Though Sandler and Apatow may be laughing all the way to the bank, funny men aren't taken seriously by the top tier of movie awards. Perhaps "Funny People" can change all that.

Apatow has fashioned a story about a successful comic actor (Sandler) forced to examine his life when confronted by illness. Apatow's longtime protege Seth Rogen plays Sandler's sidekick, while the helmer's wife Leslie Mann is featured as Sandler's love interest.

"Funny People" scored only 60 at Meta Critic and 50 among the cream of the crop of critics surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes. There was a smattering of strong notices from the likes of Claudia Puig of USA Today, who thought "Funny People" to be "a rumination on mortality, fame and life choices, punctuated with Apatow's trademark raunchy humor." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone were equally enthusiastic. However, most critics carped about the split personality of the picture and a running time of almost 2½ hours. 

Adam Sandler earned his only Golden Globe nod for his first serio-comic role in 2002's "Punch Drunk Love." He lost the lead actor in a musical or comedy race to Richard Gere for "Chicago." Sandler has shelves full of trophies from the likes of the Kids, Teen and People's Choice Awards as well as the MTV Movie Awards.

Six weeks ago Mariah Carey went on the offensive in her ongoing war of words with Eminem by releasing the single "Obsessed" and seeming to mock the rapper in the video version of the song. Yesterday, the Oscar-winning singer-songwriter ("Lose Yourself") responded with the obscenity-laden song "The Warning."

As one of the only printable lines of the song says, “I’m obsessed now?/ Oh, gee that’s supposed to be me/ In the video, with the goatee?" Eminem goes on to describe intimate details of a long-ago liaison with Mariah Carey, to mock her husband of 16 months Nick Cannon, and to threaten the release of compromising pictures and voice mails of the songstress.

Mariah Carey has always prided herself on her songwriting abilities. In "Obsessed," she wrote in a rap directed to Eminem, "Why are you so obsessed with me / Boy I wanna know / Lying that you're sexing me/ When everybody knows / It's clear that you're upset with me."

While Eminem has said that he and Carey were one-time lovers, she repeatedly has denied his claim. On his new album "Relapse" released in mid-May, Eminem referenced Carey and Cannon in a less-than-flattering light on the track "Bagpipes From Baghdad." This newest track is not from that album but was released only online.

"Obsessed" was the first single from Carey's new album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" due out Aug. 25. This 12th studio album by Mariah Carey just makes the new Aug. 31 cut-off for Grammy Awards eligibility.

Though Mariah has racked up 34 Grammy nominations (among female artists, second only to Aretha Franklin), she has managed only five wins. And none of those victories came in the top categories of album, record and song of the year.

Over the years, Eminem has won nine Grammys but lost both his bids for album and record of the year. As a songwriter, he has contended for song of the year just twice. And he did not land a best new artist nod when he burst onto the music scene.

Carey was named best new artist in 1990 for her self-titled debut album. And she won best pop vocal, female, that year. Then, though her follow-up albums all went platinum, there was a Grammy Awards drought until her smash hit "The Emancipation of Mimi."

Larry David -- co-creator of "Seinfeld" -- has convinced the four stars of that classic Emmy-winning sitcom to reunite for a multiepisode arc on the upcoming season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." As David explained at a TCA presser yesterday, "For years, I've been asked about a 'Seinfeld' reunion. We'll see the read-through, parts of rehearsals, the show being filmed."

Jerry Seinfeld is set to appear in five episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" while the other "Seinfeld" cast members -- Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards -- slated to appear in four installments.

And as per David, "The season finale will be about the reunion show. It could very well be [a one-hour episode], but I haven't finished editing it yet. But that's a good possibility."

Seinfeld had a cameo in the Season 4 finale of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." And both Alexander and Louis-Dreyfus appeared as versions of themselves in the second season as the show explored the so-called "Seinfeld" curse.

While Emmy rules dictate that "cameo appearances in which the person plays himself/herself are not eligible for entry" -- such as Seinfeld's earlier unbilled appearance on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- these upcoming multi-episode stints will surely qualify.

Playing variations of themselves on the two seasons of "Extras" earned a quartet of stars -- Ian McKellen, Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, and Kate Winslet -- guest acting Emmy nods. And Emma Thompson won for guest actress in a comedy series back in 1998 when she played herself on "Ellen" -- the twist there was that she was really an American only pretending to be British.

Perhaps Alexander can finally win an Emmy to go along with his 1989 lead actor Tony Award for "Jerome Robbin's Broadway." He lost seven successive Emmy bids for best supporting actor (1992-1998) for his work on "Seinfeld."

Three of those defeats were to co-star Richards. This will be the first acting gig for Richards since his infamous meltdown at a comedy club three years ago. Richards was the big Emmy winner for "Seinfeld," winning three of his five supporting actor bids (1993, 1994, 1997).

Louis-Dreyfus won on the fifth of her seven consecutive supporting actress Emmy nominations for "Seinfeld" in 1996. A decade later she won the lead actress Emmy for the first season of "The New Adventures of Old Christine." She has contended in that category every year since, including this current derby.

Seinfeld lost five consecutive lead actor races (1992-1996) for "Seinfeld." His only Emmy for "Seinfeld" came as a producer when the show won best comedy series in 1993. David shared in that win and picked up another Emmy that year for scripting the classic episode "The Contest."

The Emmys' plan to "time-shift" eight of the 28 awards bestowed on the upcoming Sept. 20 telecast may seem bizarre and unfair, but is it?

It will be done to save time on the Emmycast and it will entail bestowing those awards before the main ceremony, then featuring the winners' acceptance speeches in full — or so Emmy chiefs promise for now. Also, they promise that all nominees in those categories will still be mentioned. Huh? How much time can be saved in that case? Emmycast producer Don Mischer claims that 12 to 15 minutes can be salvaged, but that doesn't make sense. It doesn't take that long for the winners in eight categories to walk up to the podium. Theoretically, that's the only time being saved if Mischer doesn't slash the acceptance speeches. Some Emmywatchers don't trust that promise.

Conspiracy theorists not only believe that those speeches will be edited down, but that there is a bigger, more sinister plan behind all of this. The eight categories being denied live presentation — best miniseries, movie, supporting actor and actress, drama series writing, movie/mini writing, variety directing, movie/mini directing — just so happen to neglect the four broadcast networks that rotate presentation of the Emmy ceremony: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Combined, those networks only have four out of the 40 nominations in those races. This year's telecaster, CBS, only has one single nomination (supporting movie actress, Marcia Gay Harden, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler"). Emmy chiefs aren't doing this to categories that include major nominations important to the big four networks.

Most of the bumped categories involve movies/minis — those are races dominated by HBO, which is furious about this news. "For a show that has always recognized the best in the television industry, it now seems to be increasingly focused on recognizing broadcast network television," says a spokesman. "That is unfortunate given the range and caliber of talent represented in these categories which are being singled out for time-shifting."

Next year is the last year of the "wheel deal," which calls for those four broadcast networks to pay a license fee of about $7 million each to telecast the show. Rumor has it that the TV academy is kissing up to those networks to renew the current deal. If that falls through and the telecast must be shared with lower-rated cable networks such as AMC — which pulled off historic wins last year for best drama series ("Mad Men") and lead actor (Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad") — the license fee and Nielsen ratings will drop significantly.

Is that such a bad thing? Inevitably, it has to happen sometime, so the academy better prepare for it. TV's top award should, ideally, be shared with all major channels that are seriously in the Emmy game, don't you think? Staging a perfect Emmy ceremony is not about earning the most money and Nielsen ratings. It's about putting on the best salute to the best of TV at the industry's family reunion. Like other families' reunions, they shouldn't always be held at rich Uncle Harry's mansion.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences still hasn't elected a new president of its board of governors, but it just made some other leadership progress by deciding who'll represent its members in the directors' branch.

Edward Zwick ("Blood Diamond," "Glory") will join Martha Coolidge ("Material Girls," "Lost in Yonkers") and Curtis Hanson("L.A. Confidential," "Wonder Boys") as representatives of the academy's helmers on the board.

The move follows' Zwick's defeat of Gil Cates ("I Never Sang for My Father," "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams") in an unprecedented run-off election.

Last year, "The Wrestler" took the top prize of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. While star Mickey Rourke did not win the best actor award – that went to Silvio Orlando in "Giovanna's Father" – he launched a comeback that culminated in a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination.

Likewise "Rachel Getting Married" star Anne Hathaway missed out on a best actress award here – Dominque Blanc won for "L'Autre" – but won the Critics Choice prize and contended for the lead actress Oscar. 

Neither "The Wrestler" nor "Rachel Getting Married" earned an Oscar nod for best picture. However, two years ago, best picture nominees "Atonement" and "Michael Clayton" were launched at Venice. The previous year it was "The Queen" which made it into the final five at the Oscars. And in 2005, both Golden Lion winner "Brokeback Mountain" and "Good Night, and Good Luck"  contended at the Oscars.

While front runner "Brokeback Mountain" lost the best picture race to "Crash," helmer Ang Lee did win the Oscar. Two years ago, Lee won another Golden Lion as director of "Lust, Caution." He is back at this year's festival as jury president.

That second win by Lee was a surprise, as "Atonement" was expected to take the top prize at Venice. That period piece did go on to land seven Oscar nominations, including that best picture nod. Venice best actress winner Cate Blanchett slipped down to the supporting race come Oscar time for "I'm Not There." And while Venice best-actor champ Brad Pitt ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford") did not get a nod, his on-screen adversary, Casey Affleck, was a supporting nominee.

The year before, Casey's older brother, Ben Affleck, was the surprise winner of the best actor prize at Venice for "Hollywoodland." Because the festival offers only one acting category, Affleck's supporting turn as TV's Superman George Reeves edged out leading performances, including that of the film's nominal star, Adrien Brody as an anguished detective investigating Reeves' suspicious death. Though Affleck landed a Golden Globe supporting nod, he was snubbed come Oscar time.

Fifty-seven years ago today "High Noon" came out with all barrels blazing in U.S. theaters, earning rave reviews and an impressive $3.5 million in ticket sales.

" 'High Noon' is a cinch to win the trophy as best picture of the year and gain added glory through the victories of Gary Cooper as best actor, the title tune as best song and the script by Carl Foreman as the best screenplay," said Variety when reporting the result of its industry straw poll forecasting who'll win Oscars for films released in 1952.

"High Noon" had won best picture and director from the New York Film Critics Circle and was tied for the most Oscar nominations with "The Quiet Man" and "Moulin Rouge" (seven).

"High Noon" starred Gary Cooper as a retiring frontier marshal who's compelled by conscience to linger in his job long enough take on a mad gunman without any help from cowering townspeople.

" 'High Noon' is a stinging comprehension of courage and cowardice, done with directness and momentum in a familiar Western frame," cheered Bosley Crowther in the New York Times review. "It bears a close relation to things that are happening in the world today, where people are being terrorized by bullies and surrendering their freedoms out of senselessness and fear." Crowther was referring to Washington D.C.'s recent attack on Hollywood leftists, including "High Noon's" scribe Carl Foreman, who, Crowther added, "is virtually an enforced exile from Hollywood where he finds doors shut to his talents. He is now living abroad."

Foreman had fled to England when he was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee because "High Noon" mocked its bully tactics and attack on civil liberties. The Screen Writers Guild responded by fearlessly giving "High Noon" its award for best American drama. Since the film was loosely based upon a short story, "The Tin Star," written by John W. Cunningham for Collier's magazine, Foreman technically shared the prize with Cunningham. It's an award I own today as part of my personal collection of historic showbiz prizes. See photo below, after the jump.

While the two dozen films in contention for prizes at the Venice Film Festival could include several Oscar contenders, two of the movies with the most awards buzz – "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "The Informant!" – are screening out of competition. "Sexiest Men" George Clooney and Matt Damon topline these two comedy dramas. These long-time pals worked together on the "Ocean's" trilogy as well as "Syriana," which won Clooney the 2005 supporting actor Oscar.

Part-time Italian resident George Clooney returns to the fest with "The Men Who Stare at Goats," a serio-comic film based on Jon Ronson's 2004 nonfiction bestseller about the US Army's use of the paranormal for interrogation purposes.

Set in Iraq, Clooney is a so-called psychic soldier with four-time Oscar nominee Jeff Bridges (three supporting and one lead) as his mentor, two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey ("The Usual Suspects," "American Beauty) as a camp commander, and Ewan McGregor as a questioning reporter.

In 2005, Clooney debuted "Good Night, and Good Luck" – his second film as a director – at the festival. Grant Heslov – who produced and co-wrote that picture with Clooney who also co-starred – helms this new film slated for release stateside on Nov. 6. 

"The Informant!" is in the vein of Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh's ("Traffic") 2000 best picture contender "Erin Brockovich." His new biopic tells the true story of Mark Whitacre, a corrupt executive turned whistleblower at agricultural giant ADM.

The Venice Film Festival has announced 23 of the two dozen films to screen in competition at the 66th edition beginning Sept. 2. The final pick will be unveiled on Sept. 5. These 24 pics will contend for the coveted Golden Lion with the winner to be announced at the festival's conclusion on Sept. 12. Last year's champ was "The Wrestler," which earned Oscar nods for Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. Among the films in the running for the top prize at the Venice Film Festival this year are four each from Italy and France, four from around Asia, two from the Middle East as well as the following five from the USA.

Leading off the American contenders is the new Michael Moore documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story." Moore won the 2002 feature documentary Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine" and contended two years ago for "Sicko." In 2004, "Fahrenheit 9/11" bowed out of the doc race to vie for one of the five best picture slots to no avail. With the number of nominees for best picture doubled this year to 10, could there be a place for a well-received documentary about such a timely subject?

Also in contention is "The Road," the much-delayed film version of the bleak 2006 novel by Cormac McCarthy ("No Country for Old Men"). The post-apocalyptic drama – adapted by Oliver-winning playwright Joe Penhall ("Blue/Orange") and directed by John Hillcoat ("The Proposition") – stars Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen ("Eastern Promises") as a father who takes to the road with his son (newcomer Kodi Smith-McPhee) following the loss of his wife. She is seen only in flashbacks and played by Oscar winner Charlize Theron ("Monster").

Werner Herzog helms "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" which draws on certain elements from the 1992 cult classic "Bad Lieutenant." Oscar winner Nicolas Cage ("Leaving Las Vegas") stars as a drug-addicted detective working both sides of the law in a post-Katrina New Orleans. Herzog contended for the Golden Lion in 1991 for "Cerro Torre" and was an Oscar nominee last year for his feature documentary "Encounters at the End of the World."