We’ve been talking about casting news and rumors for “New Moon” over on this post. Come join in the discussion! That’s the much-anticipated sequel to “Twilight,” scheduled for a 2010 release date.

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, star Kristen Stewart (pictured) confirmed that shooting for “New Moon” will begin in March.

She said, “A lot of the book takes place in Italy, and I think we’re going to get to go to Italy, which is so cool. For a while there, they were like, Oh, we don’t know if we have the money, but now I think we may have the money!”

To listen to Seacrest and Stewart’s interview, click here or on the image below.

Image: Kristen Stewart, Newscom

Cheech & Chong are making a comeback! They’re currently on their “Light Up America Tour,” and you can check out the dates and locales on their Web site. A documentary about the tour will be out sometime in 2009.

There’s also a Cheech & Chong Roast airing tonight, Sunday, 10 p.m. on TBS. I won’t miss it, because, well, I love those guys.

I talked to Tommy recently about what’s going on in his life, including his documentary, “A/k/a Tommy Chong,” released on DVD earlier this year. It chronicles how Tommy got busted for selling bongs, and how the cops stormed his house with dogs and helicopters.

Read on for Tommy’s thoughts, and learn what happened when I asked him to say, “Dave’s not here.”

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Wow, talk about mining a movie franchise for all it’s worth. Last month, I heard that 20th Century Fox was working on a remake of “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” called “Genesis: Apes.” The story is reportedly about Caesar, the first talking ape who started the whole apes-in-charge theme.

Now Fox is talking about a possible prequel, with more info in between showings of the “Planet of the Apes” movies on Fox Movie Channel this weekend.

“We are very close at Fox on a new Apes script,” said Fox’s Tom Rothman. “This one is a kind of prequel story before the first story, with a return to the social thematics that mark the first one, but with an entirely contemporary setting - Earth 2009.”

Hmmm … not sure what to think about this, but it kind of makes me want to watch the original “Apes” movies again and see what all the hoopla is about. Any thoughts on this? Has the franchise already been done to death?

Image: Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox, 1968

I was thinking the other day that the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is probably my favorite trilogy ever. And that’s saying a lot, when you think about “Indiana Jones,” “Star Wars,” and all the rest. LOTR had everything in terms of storyline, casting, dialogue, music … everything!

So “The Hobbit” is one of my most anticipated movies in the coming years — well, actually TWO movies, since it’s being split into two parts, premiering December 2011 and December 2012. It’s got Guillermo del Toro writing and directing, and Peter Jackson writing and producing, so you’ve gotta think it’s going to be awesome. Also, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Andy Serkis (Gollum) are rumored to be reprising their roles.

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I’m such a sucker for romantic comedies, and the good ones can be so fun and uplifting. Plus, I really like Katherine Heigl, and we’ll see how much chemistry she has with Gerard Butler in “The Ugly Truth.”

Heigl stars as a romantically challenged morning show producer who’s reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent (Butler). I keep thinking this is a remake of an old classic movie. Where’s my classic movie buffs out there? 

See what you think of the trailer. Looks fun, doesn’t it?

The celebs came out in full force to the Hollywood Christmas Celebration at The Grove Tree Lighting and Concert held at The Grove at Farmers Market in L.A.

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Today’s DVD giveaway is a package of three Cartoon Network DVDs:

1) “Ben 10 Alien Force, Vol. 1″ - 5 episodes about 15-year-old Ben and his intergalactic battles. Official Site

2) “Chowder, Vol. 1″ - 10 stories about Chowder and the town of Marzipan City. Official Site

3) “Bakugan: Battle Brawlers, Vol. 2″ - 4 episodes about Dan and his friends. Official Site

THE GIVEAWAY: I have ONE set to give away, meaning one winner will take all three DVDs. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Images: Amazon.com

I posted the official “Star Trek” trailer last week, but here’s a new one with a few extra little scenes. Are you as super-excited about this movie as I am?