BUT WILL THERE BE REFERENCES TO "BUTTERSTICK"? The WB, apparently not content with pretty boys and pretty girls doing pretty things, have greenlit a DC-set pilot, which (Variety's words, not mine) "will take a 'Wonkette'-style look at young people working in the nation's capital." Next up will be Oddjack does Vegas, followed by Gawker does NYC.

ENTER SANDMAN: Looks like Kirsten Dunst was right. Sony has posted the first picture of Thomas Haden Church playing Spidey's next nemesis, the Sandman.

Thanks to Popwatch for the link.

IF THAT'S YOUR BASS PLAYER (SHE WAS LAST NIGHT): Forgive me if I'm slightly depressed that nine-time Grammy nominee Meshell Ndegeocello is now just some backing player in Gwen Stefani's concert band.

TAX CUTS FOR AFRICA? I actually only flipped in and out of the live West Wing debate (between Treehouse of Horror XVI and the Eagles Game Of Horror which followed), so I figured y'all could tell me if I missed something good.

TELL THE FOLKS AT HOME WHAT THEY'RE VIEWING, ROGER: For East Coast natives of a certain age -- i.e., most of the people who read this site -- anticipation for the film release of Rent is a given.

But for the rest of America, and especially the 12-25 year olds who drive the box office these days, I wonder what it's going to take to see a movie with no bankable stars and no songs they know. The marketing seems to be They're Young! They're In Love! They're In New York! And They're Singing!

Which is true, I guess, but only to a point. Because there's also the fact that they're all (romanticized) poor and some are living with HIV and AIDS. Or the compelling personal story of Rent creator Jonathan Larson, and how huge of a Broadway phenomenon it has been. Or the La Boheme angle.

I just wonder if they might have been better off going with a star-driven cast, with Justin Timberlake as Roger, magical elf Clay Aiken as Mark Cohen, and then you can sneak in Idina Menzel and Wilson Heredia from the original cast (and of course, keep Taye Diggs -- because he's Taye Diggs).

So, how do you get America to see a movie where they don't know any of the stars and don't already know the story? Am curious about your thoughts -- or am I sensing a problem you don't think exists?

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I HAD A DREAM THAT WENT LIKE THIS: A WNBA star is gay? America yawns. Two NFL cheerleaders arrested while engaged in relations in a bar bathroom stall? This story may have, um, legs.

FERRIS AND THE VIN NUMBERS: Today's NYT article on The Producers and the non-"star"ness of Matthew Broderick and some of the gaps in his acting career got me to thinking about what roles Matthew Broderick could have (or should have) been up for in the intervening years that might've been perfect for him.

He's not a romantic lead; he's more of the Timid Everyman Who'd Like To Think He's Smart (which makes him perfect for Leo Bloom), and he plays Aggrieved By The World pretty well. Which got me to thinking: how good of a job would Broderick have done playing Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo? He might have even been better than William H. Macy, if that's possible.

Your thoughts on other Broderick Acting Triumphs in an alternative universe are welcome.