Joe Biden looks pretty good and handles himself like a grade-A smoothie. The car is cool. Michelle Obama arguably delivers the best performance. Nancy Pelosi is…she’s fine. I don’t get the John Boehner panda bear gag.

L.A. Times reporter Steven Zeitchik has explained what the Grace of Monaco conflict between Harvey Weinstein and director Olivier Dahan is basically about. Their dispute has resulted in two Graces — a darker French version vs. a somewhat lighter “Harvey Scissorhands” American version. Dahan’s French version will open the Cannes Film Festival, as if anyone cares. I don’t believe that anyone in my realm gives a toss…really. In my head all hopes for Grace of Monaco went south many months ago once the U.S. opening began getting bumped. Everyone smelled trouble, and nobody was all that interested to begin with. DOA, VOD…forget it.

“The Weinstein version of Grace apparently shows Grace Kelly‘s story as a light fairy tale with a strong dose of wish fulfillment,” Zetichik reports. “Dahan and producer Le Pogam have fashioned a more melodramatic‎ account that highlights Kelly’s hardships upon her arrival in the monarchy.” Zeitchik adds that Dahan’s original director’s cut “was far darker than either cut and is no longer in play.”

Compared to the 1954 original, it’s quite obvious that the new Godzilla in the 5.16 Warner Bros. release is plus-sized. This has been noticed and complained about by Japanese fans. The visual evidence is irrefutable. It’s almost certainly an allusion (subconscious or otherwise) to the obesity levels in this country, which have gone through the roof over the last two or three decades. Are you telling me that designing a fat Godzilla was…what, arbitrary?

Current version in Gareth Edwards’ film

Original model in 1954 Gojira.

TMZ and RadarOnline reported yesterday that on 4.28 Ben Affleck was allegedly banned for life from playing blackjack at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Affleck’s crime was counting cards, i.e., “advantage play” and/or “moving his money with the count.” Big deal. What got me was a sentence about “the 41-year-old actor [being] in Las Vegas earlier this week with wife Jennifer Garner so the pair could spend some quality time together before he heads off to Detroit to film the new Batman movie.” If there’s one place a married couple can’t find quality time under any circumstance, it’s Las Vegas. That toxic Vegas vibe I’ve written about several times is based upon attracting the most wasteful, emotionally immature, physically unattractive, spiritually undeveloped people in the universe 24/7. What husband or wife says to the other, “Hey, honey, we need to hit Vegas together so we can settle down and just be with each other and be gentle and intimate and nourish our marriage“?

Last January Everest star Josh Brolin and a 40-member crew shot scenes in Nepal (i.e., at a Mount Everest base camp, local airports and in Kathmandu) before moving on to Pinewood Studios. On 4.18.14, while an Everest second-unit crew was shooting remaining scenes at Camp II on Everest, an avalanche in a nearby area killed at least twelve Sherpa guides. Yesterday Brolin and s.o. Kathryn Boyd mass-mailed the following plea for Sherpa relief. “Any help (even the lowest number available) is greatly appreciated. We have never done this before but having just recently worked with many Sherpas, all of whom knew or were related to those recently killed on Mount Everest, we know this to be a very personal and serious situation. Please give anything you can and feel free to pass this email along to your friends and loved ones. We will make absolutely sure that monies donated will be received by those families directly affected by this tragedy.” Everest will open on 9.18.15.