The 2011 Telluride slate is out, and topping the hot list are Alexander Payne ‘s The Descendants and Rodrigo Garcia and Glenn Close‘s Albert Nobbs (which I knew about but couldn’t report). Michel Hazanavicius‘s The Artist (seen it), David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method (great!), Wim Wenders‘ Pina and Steve McQueen‘s Shame are also slated — excellent news.

A Telluride tribute is set for George Clooney and they’re not going to screen The Ides of March, which he directed (and which just premiered in Venice)? The Telluride fathers must be planning on announcing March as a special surprise because to not show it would be somewhat…make that definitely weird.

Martin Scorsese‘s George Harrison: Living in the Material World — all three and half hours’ worth — has been announced as a Telluride attraction…more orgasms!

There’s also a Tilda Swinton tribute plus a screening of We Need To Talk About Kevin. (Dave McNary‘s Variety report called it Weed to Talk About Kevin, as in “we need to get high in order to talk about this effing kid or forget it.”)

The initial Telluride lineup didn’t include Butter, the Jennifer Garner-Ty Burrell butter-carving cramedy, but word around the campfire is that it might turn up as a surprise screening. (Written from a small table in the rear of a natural-foods store in Mancos, Colorado.)