MD Poll: The Batmen

From vintage movie serials to popular TV series to blockbuster motion pictures, many an actor has donned the cape and cowl of the legendary comic book dark knight known as the Batman. But who is your favorite man behind the mask (or, in some cases, the man behind the microphone)?

Cast your vote in this week's MD Poll (located in the sidebar to your right) and check back in two weeks -- same Bat-time, same Bat-channel! (I've always wanted to say that) -- to find out who will reign supreme as the ultimate Caped Crusader.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed; click here for the results, and click here to vote in the current MD Poll.

MD Poll: See That Girl, Watch That Scene ...

" ... Dig in the Dancing Queen". It may not be Friday night and the lights aren't particularly low, but Movie Dearest readers had their say, and they chose the young and sweet (but only seventeen) "Dancing Queen" as their favorite ABBA song. It was a close one too, with "The Winner Takes It All" almost, well, taking it all.

Mamma Mia! the movie opens today (it's already a hit overseas, and the soundtrack albumjust debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard charts), but before you make your way to the theater, check out the comments section below for the full rundown of this MD Poll, and click here to vote in the latest.

MD Poll: ABBA-licious Movie Music

The inherently danceable songs of ABBA survived the death of disco, stood the test of time, and even provided a few memorable moments in movie music.

Who could forget Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths pulling of an impressive recreation of "Waterloo" in Muriel's Wedding? Or how about Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce lip-synching it up to "Mamma Mia" in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (which also included Terence Stamp's classic retort, "No more f***ing ABBA"). And before all that: ABBA: The Movie.

Which leads us to Mamma Mia! the movie, as in the movie version of the international stage sensation, in theaters July 18. And, as the soundtrack albumis about to be released next Tuesday, our anticipation of the likes of Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth warbling the ABBA catalog of hits grows (no need to wait for Amanda Seyfried though ... you can hear -- and see -- her "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" right here).

In the meantime, brush up on your Anni-Frid/Benny/ Björn/Agnetha and pick your favorite ABBA song in this week's MD Poll, located in the sidebar at right. Check back in two weeks (the day Mamma Mia! hits theaters) for the results.

And for more Mamma Mia! fun, visit the movie's official website and MySpace page.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed; click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Fantasy Tops Drama

The American Film Institute chose it as its #1 fantasy film of all time, and you agreed: The Wizard of Oz topped the latest MD Poll, which asked you to pick your favorite of AFI's #1s from their recent 10 Top 10 countdown.

But it wasn't an easy victory, with Dorothy and friends facing some tough competition from the courtroom: To Kill a Mockingbird placed a strong second. Rounding out the top five were the mysterious Vertigo, the gangsta classic The Godfather and sci-fi favorite 2001: A Space Odyssey. See the comments section below for the complete rundown and stats.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: AFI's Best of the Best

Wrapping up our coverage of the American Film Institute salute to their 10 Top 10 (which recently named the ten best films in ten classic genres), this week's MD Poll asks you to pick the best of the best.

Snow White, Dorothy Gale, Vito Corleone, HAL 9000, Ethan Edwards, Jake La Motta, Madeleine Elster (or is it Judy Barton?), the Tramp, Atticus Finch and T.E. Lawrence all want to know: of the AFI's ten #1 movies, which one is your favorite?

Cast your vote in the poll located in the sidebar to your right, and check back here in two weeks for the results.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Philadelphia Freedom

Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia, the Academy Award winning drama (starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington) that was the first studio release to deal with the subject of AIDS, has been selected by Movie Dearest readers as the GLBT-themed film most worthy of induction into the National Film Preservation Board's National Film Registry (see the comments section below for the complete statistics of the poll).

So, here is where you have to do a little work to make this all worthwhile. Below you will find a short sample letter requesting that Philadelphia be considered for inclusion in the NFR. Simply copy it and go to the NFR's nomination page to email it to them. Feel free to add your own personal thoughts about the film as well (and share them in the comments section below if you wish).

Dear National Film Registry:

Please consider the 1993 motion picture "Philadelphia" for induction into the National Film Registry this year. As a supporter of film history and preservation, I feel that this film fulfills the criteria for inclusion due to its historical significance as the first major studio release to address the subject of AIDS.

As a member of/ally to the GLBT community, I also feel that its inclusion will increase the diversity represented within the National Film Registry.

As it states on the NFR website, nominations by the general public are very important in the board's selection process, so be sure to submit your vote to help increase the presence of GLBT-themed films in the NFR (for more information on the NFR, see my original post). I will also be submitting an email elaborating on this whole project and how the film was selected, but please take a few minutes to send your own email as well.

The announcement of the 25 films selected for this year's induction will take place the last week of December.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Preserve This

Since it was founded in 1988, the National Film Preservation Board and the Librarian of Congress have chosen 25 classic American films each year to be inducted into the National Film Registry. Prints of each movie, selected for their cultural and historical significance, are "preserved for all time"; including last year's inductees, the registry now houses 475 films.

A quick scan of the complete list of these films reveals that, for the most part, the movies represented are, well, pretty straight. Sure, there's the two men dancing in the Dickson experimental sound film of 1894, as well as such "celluloid closet" classics as Wings, Rebel Without a Cause and Ben-Hur. Also represented are the works of such revered gay directors as F.W. Murnau, James Whale and George Cukor, plus such all-time gay faves as The Wizard of Oz, All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard. However, the closest we get to actual "gay movies" on the list are Some Like It Hot, Midnight Cowboy, Cabaret and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not exactly representative of "queer cinema", right?

But there is a way to rectify this situation: the NFR is open to nominations from the general public. Therefore, starting this year, we here at Movie Dearest will spearhead an annual campaign (in "Gay Pride Month", June, naturally) to get more GLBT-themed movies placed on the National Film Registry. Each year, one film will be chosen, and we will submit it for consideration along with testimonials (ours and yours) on why it should receive such an honor. And here's where you come in: you get to pick the movie!

This year's ten nominees range from studio forays into the genre (The Boys in the Band, Making Love, Personal Best, Philadelphia) to indie hits (Desert Hearts, Parting Glances, Tongues Untied, Go Fish) and award winning documentaries (The Times of Harvey Milk, The Celluloid Closet). (If you're wondering where, say, Brokeback or Hedwig are, the films have to be at least ten years old -- and American -- to be eligible.)

So head on over to the sidebar at right to cast your vote in the latest MD Poll, and check back in two weeks to see what movie has been selected by you to be the official Movie Dearest choice for the National Film Registry 2008.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed; click here for the results. Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Believe We Are Magic

In what turned out to be a close race to be named your favorite "screen-to-stage" Broadway show of the season, Xanadu eventually triumphed with roughly one-third of the votes (see the comments section below for the complete rundown). First, the 2007 Dearie, now this, could the 2008 Tony for Best Musical be next?

The answer is "yes!" if pint-sized YouTube sensation Cubby Bernstein has anything to say about it. The super-secret Tony Campaign Manager ("I smell a Tony!") has gone viral, choosing Xanadu as the one the win this year, so be a good "Fanadu" and board the "Cub-oose", buy a "Cub-cake" and watch all his videos, with special guest stars Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson and Nathan Lane and more! Xanadu? Yes, it can!


And in more Xanadu news: London is calling.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: From Screen to Stage, Class of 2007-2008

With the 2007-2008 Broadway season now at its end (and the Tony Awards just around the corner), the latest MD Poll asks you to take a look at the six "screen to stage" productions that have trod the boards of the Great White Way over the past year and asks "which is your favorite?"

Five musicals (A Catered Affair, Cry-Baby, The Little Mermaid, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein) and one play (The 39 Steps) are in the running, so make your choice and place your vote in the poll located in the sidebar to your right. Results will be revealed in two weeks.

UPDATE: This polll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Jonesin' for Action

The internet has virtually exploded over Indiana Jones this week (for example, check out all the posts tagged "Indy 2008" -- as in 2,008 posts -- on Cinematical alone), so it is no big surprise that the classic adventurer tops the latest MD Poll as your favorite action movie hero.

Harrison Ford's iconic Raider of the Lost Ark netted nearly one-quarter of the votes, with James Bond coming in a close second. Supercop John McClane and superspy Jason Bourne also placed in the double digits, while the low-tech ape-man Tarzan rounds out the top five.

See the comments section below for a complete rundown of the stats, and click here for the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Call to Action

Lights! Cameras! Action!

The newest MD Poll wants to know who your favorite movie action hero is ... is it Bond or Bourne, Harry or Indy? Or maybe one of the Johns: McClaine, Rambo or Shaft. Or perhaps one of the old school heroes, like Tarzan, Zorro or Robin Hood.

Place your vote in the poll, located in the sidebar to your right, and check back in two weeks to see who is most definitely not the last action hero.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed, click here for the results. To vote on the latest MD Poll, click here.

MD Poll: Cliff Noted

In the two recent MD Polls asking for your favorite Ugly Betty characters, it was one extreme to the other as far as the results were concerned. On one hand, Marc's lovable boyfriend Cliff (played by David Blue) dominated the male side with almost 50% of the votes (Marc himself had to settle for second). ABC, are you listening? The audience has spoken, and we want more Marcliff!!

But the real race was with the women, specifically a neck and neck nail-biter between Betty herself and her vampy nemesis Amanda (the always fabulous Becki Newton), who triumphed in the end with merely 0.5% of the votes more then our plucky unplucked heroine.

See the comments section below for the full stats on both polls, and click here for the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Ready for Betty

Ugly Betty is back, so it's time for you to pick your favorite characters from the Dearie Award-winning comedy in this week's MD Poll. And don't worry if you can't pick between the fabulous fashionista Wilhelmina Slater or her ever-faithful assistant Marc St. James, as we've split the cast in half along gender lines, since there are way too many great characters to choose from on this show.

So be sure to vote in both polls, located in the sidebar at right, and tune in right here in two weeks to see the results.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here for the results, and here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Desperate Measures

Proving that perfectionism does pay off, Bree Van De Kamp Hodge (played to, well, perfection by Marcia Cross) was easily voted the favorite of the Desperate Housewives in the latest MD Poll, with over one-third of the votes. (Boy, first the Founders' Day Award and now this; Bree has had quite the week.)

As for the Desperate husbands, the race was a little tighter, but hunky new hubby Mike Delfino (James Denton), Wisteria Lane's resident plumber, was able to wrench (ouch) away victory in the end.

See the comments section below for the full stats, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: Desperate Times

In celebration of this Sunday's return of Desperate Housewives on ABC, this week's MD Poll asks you to not only name your favorite lady from Wisteria Lane, but also your favorite desperate husband as well.

So be sure to vote in both polls, located in the sidebar to your right, and tune back in right here in two weeks (same time, same channel) for the final results.

In the meantime, here's a handy-dandy refresher (courtesy of Televisionista) of all the mysterious goings on over at the Mayfair house to get you up to speed in time for this weekend's first post-strike episode.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed, click here for the results. And to vote in the latest MD Poll, click here.

MD Poll: The Odd Couple

It was a tight race for the MD Poll title of "Favorite Classic Comedy Couple", but in the end, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau came out on top.

The original Odd Couple (who co-starred in nine other movies together, including The Fortune Cookie, The Front Page and Grumpy Old Men) surged ahead in the final voting past strong contenders William Powell & Myrna Loy and Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant. In fact, for a while there it looked like there would be a three-way tie for the number one spot.

For the complete stats on this week's poll, see the comments section below.

UPDATE: TCM's Movie Morlocks takes their own look at classic comedy pairs.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.