Anyone close to James Franco knows he writes his own poetry and is very into the arts. That was why it was so funny when he picked up a part in General Hospital, but that is how James is. Ever the artist, he likes to do different things. Now in the role of a life time for James – he will be playing the part of Allen Ginsberg opposite Mary Louise Parker – with cameo appearances from archived footage of the legendary poet Allen Ginsberg himself. You can catch James tonight at the Sunset Tower Hotel where he is hosting a benefit for L.A.N.D. with our friends.

“Howl: is a drama centered on the obscenity trial that Allen Ginsberg (Franco) faced after the publication of his poem, Howl. Watch the trailer on The Daily Truffle. This film will be out in October 2010. Executive produced by Gus Van Sant, directed by Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman.

New Trailer:

Opening in New York and San Francisco on September 24th, 2010 and in Los Angeles on October 1st, 2010.

Directed by: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman
Starring: James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, Alessandro Nivola, Treat Williams, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels

Starring James Franco in a career-defining performance as Allen Ginsberg, HOWL is the story of how the young poet’s seminal work broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. In his famously confessional style, Ginsberg — poet, counter-culture icon, and chronicler of the Beat Generation — recounts the road trips, love affairs, and search for personal liberation that led to HOWL, the most timeless work of his career. HOWL interweaves three stories: the unfolding of the landmark 1957 obscenity trial; an imaginative animated ride through the prophetic masterpiece; and a unique portrait of a man who found new ways to express himself, and in doing so, changed his own life and galvanized a generation.

HOWL is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and stars James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, Alessandro Nivola, Treat Williams, with Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels. The film is produced by Elizabeth Redleaf and Christine Kunewa Walker for Werc Werk Works and executive produced by Gus Van Sant and Jawal Nga. The animation design is by Eric Drooker, with cinematography by Edward Lachman, production designer by Therese DePrez, costume design by Kurt and Bart and a score by Carter Burwell.

Crossposted on the Daily Truffle. Read the Original Post here.

This story was re-published courtesy of The Daily Truffle. It was written by Caroline M. Roman, an owner at The Daily Truffle. The Daily Truffle is a Los Angeles social diary written by a circle of high school friends who grew up together in L.A. View more society, fashion and party writing on The Daily Truffle.

Below are my suggestions for the top programs and performers in the drama and comedy series categories. To qualify, series must have been televised and the performers’ work seen between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010.

Television being as richly rewarding as it is these days, it is damn near impossible to narrow most of these categories down to a mere six suggested nominees, so in some cases I won’t. Each category is followed by my choice for the program or performer that deserves not simply to be nominated, but to win.

Outstanding Drama Series

Breaking Bad (AMC) – Breaking went to some very bad places in its third season with several nerve-frying episodes that will be talked about for years to come. This was the best drama series on advertiser supported television, but it faces a strong challenge for the honor of TV‘s best from pay-cable favorite Dexter.

Damages (FX) – As with Breaking Bad, the third season proved the best yet for FX’s unabashedly grown-up legal thriller. This series may be too good for basic cable. HBO, anyone?

Dexter (Showtime) – John Lithgow’s season-long guest turn as a serial killer so twisted he makes Dexter Morgan look like a mild mannered accountant may give this show the boost it needs to finally win TV’s top honor.

Friday Night Lights (DirecTV/NBC) – This modest production remains scripted television’s most extraordinary accomplishment, having maintained maximum dramatic impact and strong emotional connections throughout four seasons without benefit of stories revolving around cops, doctors, lawyers or serial killers. So why does the Academy shamefully ignore it?

Lost (ABC) – Although it ended a bit too easily (with most of its characters conveniently assembling in an all-purpose purgatory where time and narrative continuity didn’t matter) there is no denying that this mad mix of science-fiction, the supernatural and powerful character-driven drama remained TV’s wildest ride until its final frame.

Mad Men (AMC) – The destruction of the Drapers’ marriage, the revelation of Don’s damning secrets and the turmoil at Sterling Cooper made for so much great drama that a three-peat victory for Mad Men in this category would not be unwelcome.

My choice for the big award here is a toss-up between Breaking Bad and Dexter. I’ll be thrilled with a win for either one. Meantime, I don’t really expect the egregiously overlooked Friday Night Lights to be nominated, so look instead for CBS’ freshman hit The Good Wife or HBO’s Treme or True Blood to be among the chosen.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Archer (FX) – Family Guy fans won’t agree, but FX’s animated spy spoof quickly established itself as the smartest and funniest cartoon series on television. It’s also the sexiest, for whatever that’s worth.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) – The most reliably funny situation comedy on television has done so well in its third season that CBS next fall will use it to open its all-important Thursday night lineup. But I fear the Academy will pass it by once again.

Glee (Fox) – It’s not every season that television produces a true pop-culture phenomenon, and it’s even rarer when said success expands the definition, the understanding and the future expectations of its genre. Glee scored at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards earlier this year, making it a formidable contender here.

Nurse Jackie (Showtime) – There’s nothing funny about the title character’s drug addiction, and it sometimes seems as if the writers of this series are cramming two season’s worth of storylines into one season’s worth of episodes, but even with these issues Nurse Jackie is the most entertaining comedy series on pay cable.

The Middle (ABC) – Last season’s happiest surprise was the success of The Middle, a sitcom that revolves around an absolutely average family dealing with the everyday lunacy of working class life. Even if the Academy chooses not to honor the Hecks, here’s hoping they stick around for years to come.

Modern Family (ABC) – One of the many great things about ABC’s smart and sophisticated single-comedy smash is that it takes the most overplayed sitcom concept in the book – the foibles and frustrations of a funny, well-to-do family – and makes it feel so fresh and new it’s as if we have never seen it before.

The competition here comes down to only two contenders: Glee and Modern Family. The latter is arguably the best comedy in this category, but if buzz counts for anything Glee will be golden. As for the nominations, it’s okay with me if the Seinfeld reunion arc on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm earns the show a nomination and displaces one of the above. Meanwhile, it won’t surprise me if CBS’ uneven How I Met Your Mother and NBC’s tired The Office and tiring 30 Rock are favored over Nurse Jackie, Archer and The Middle, but I can dream, can’t I?

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jensen Ackles - Supernatural (The CW)
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael C. Hall – Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie – House (Fox)
Timothy Olyphant – Justified (FX)

This may finally be Michael C. Hall’s year coming off his big wins at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards. But Jon Hamm outdid himself last season, especially in the episode where he revealed the shocking secrets of his past to his suddenly assertive wife, so he’s a fine choice, too. Meanwhile, Bryan Cranston was as creepy and conflicted as ever, so a third consecutive Emmy would not be underserved. Jensen Ackles doesn’t have a chance in hell of landing a nomination here, though I would hold his work in Supernatural up to just about anyone else’s in this category. Simon Baker of CBS’ The Mentalist doesn’t make my list, but I won’t be surprised if he makes the Academy’s.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Glenn Close – Damages (FX)
Holly Hunter – Saving Grace (TNT)
January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)
Katey Sagal – Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

What a challenging category! Glenn Close was breathtaking as ever as powerhouse attorney Patty Hewes on Damages, a role that has already brought her two Emmys. But this feels very much like Julianna Margulies’ year for her much quieter turn as a legal professional on a learning curve on The Good Wife. And yet, it can be argued that nothing these two women did can compare to the galvanizing force that Katey Sagal brought to the second season of Sons of Anarchy, a show Academy members will likely ignore. (If they ignore Sagal as well, I expect to see Anna Paquin of True Blood or Mary McCormack of USA Network’s In Plain Sight among these nominees.) All that said, it would be a shame to let Saving Grace run its course without recognizing the uncompromised intensity of Holly Hunter’s performance – unless the Academy finally decides to award the Emmy to the equally deserving Kyra Sedgwick.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Joel McHale — Community (NBC)
Matthew Morrison – Glee (Fox)
Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Tony Shaloub – Monk (USA Network)

Alec Baldwin has owned this category in recent years and he’s looking like a winner all over again, though Matthew Morrison and Emmy favorite Tony Shaloub are strong contenders. Me, I’m rooting for Jim Parsons. His performance in The Big Bang Theory is the one people will still be laughing at years from now in syndication.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Toni Collette – United States of Tara (Showtime)
Courteney Cox – Cougar Town (ABC)
Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
Lea Michele – Glee (Fox)
Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (Showtime)

Given the demands of her role on United States of Tara as a woman dealing with multiple personalities, Toni Collette would seem to be a lock here for a second consecutive win, though long-time Academy favorite Edie Falco deserves something for her increasingly intense work on Nurse Jackie. It’s hard to imagine any of the other likely nominees in this category winning over Collette or Falco, but if the Academy should decide to focus on comedic rather than dramatic (or musical) talent it wouldn’t suck if they showed some love to Courteney Cox, the first member of the Friends cast to score a second hit on television. Of course, she needs to be nominated first!

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Zach Gilford – Friday Night Lights (DirecTV/NBC)
Walton Goggins – Justified (FX)
Josh Holloway – Lost (ABC)
Gregory Itzin – 24 (Fox)
Taylor Kitsch – Friday Night Lights (DirecTV/NBC)
John Lithgow – Dexter (Showtime)
John Noble – Fringe (Fox)
Dean Norris – Breaking Bad (AMC)
Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad (AMC)
Martin Short – Damages (FX)

This category is so overstuffed with extraordinary performers that I can’t help but overindulge and list ten of my favorites as deserving nominees. And yes, I realize that Campbell Scott of Damages, John Slattery of Mad Men, Justin Chambers of Grey’s Anatomy, John Goodman of Treme, Michael B. Jordan of Friday Night Lights and Michael Emerson of Lost also did outstanding work this season. It doesn’t really matter, though, because John Lithgow is a lock here for creating one of the most terrifying characters in the history of television. Personally, I would like to see the award go to the awesome Zach Gilford, but I’ll be happy enough if he receives a nomination, given the Academy’s consistent and exasperating refusal to acknowledge the greatness of Friday Night Lights. If by some chance in hell Lithgow doesn’t win I expect to see Martin Short or Aaron Paul take home the award.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Gless – Burn Notice (USA Network)
Anna Gunn – Breaking Bad (AMC)
Cherry Jones — 24 (Fox)
Sandra Oh – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Chloe Sevigny – Big Love (HBO)
Chandra Wilson – Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

Lily Tomlin was a revelation as the scheming matriarch of a disgraced society family on Damages, but FX has submitted her work in the category Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (where her most formidable challenge should come from Tyne Daly in Burn Notice). That clears the way for Anna Gunn of Breaking Bad to take home the award, unless the Academy decides to finally recognize either Sandra Oh or Chandra Wilson, who were both spectacular in the nerve-frying season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. In a perfect world Connie Britton of Friday Night Lights and Callie Thorne of FX’s Rescue Me would be nominated here, but these brilliant actresses haven’t been nominated in the past and I don’t think this year will be any different.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ty Burrell – Modern Family (ABC)
Chris Colfer – Glee (Fox)
Peter Facinelli – Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Simon Helberg — The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Kunal Nayyar – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Ed O’Neill – Modern Family (ABC)

Here’s another category overwhelmed by deserving potential nominees. I think the six listed above were the funniest of all, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillon of HBO’s Entourage, Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother and/or Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family to displace some of them (especially the underappreciated Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar). I think Ty Burrell is the front runner, but I’m gonna go out on a limb here and pick Peter Facinelli of Nurse Jackie as the best of the bunch. His comedic and complex portrayal of the egotistic yet insecure Dr. Fitch Cooper is a true original. (Note to Facinelli: If you are nominated and you do win, hold the F-bombs on Emmy night, dude.)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Eve Best – Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julie Bowen – Modern Family (ABC)
Jane Lynch – Glee (Fox)
Elizabeth Perkins – Weeds (Showtime)
Anna Deavere Smith – Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Sofia Vergara – Modern Family (ABC)

The smashing Jane Lynch is the popular choice for her instant classic portrayal of acerbic Sue Sylvester, the sinister cheerleading coach with a hidden heart of gold on Glee. But my vote would go to Julie Bowen for her restrained but hilarious turn as a quietly neurotic wife and mother on Modern Family.

This column was originally published in the MediaBizBloggers section of JackMyers.com.

Mother & Child–written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia best known for directing HBO’s beloved series, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, and In Treatment–is cathartic and painstakingly well cast film. From starring roles to cameos, the actors–tapped from the best that independent film, theater, and television have to offer–coalesce to form an extraordinary ensemble. Audiences may not be familiar with every name, but they will recognize the glowing performances of Bening, Watts, and Washington joined by Samuel L. Jackson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Cherry Jones, Jimmy Smits, Eileen Ryan, Shareeka Epps, Lisa Gay Hamilton, David Morse, Amy Brenneman, Elipidia Carrillo, and Simone Lopez.

While the screenplay’s structure may strike some as transparent, the story following the transgenerational trauma of loss and longing (embodied by teen pregnancy, forced adoption, and random infertility) is riveting. It reveals the wonder of the mother/child dyad–no matter how threatened by aging, infertility, or death–that remains a resilient force. Merkerson’s Ada won’t abandon Washington’s Lucy even when she vehemently disagrees with her life choices. Ada steps up to mother her and her newly adopted baby when crisis ensues. Karen’s (Bening’s) devotion to her mother and love for her daughter transcend perceived rejection and death. These relationships also live on in unusual twists of mentorship and grandmotherhood.

Mother & Child is very much Garcia’s film, but the tragic touch of executive producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) is palpable. Though the characters written for Smits and Jackson are compelling, Garcia speculates the enigma that “my women characters have been more complex than [the] men” may have freed him “to write about emotional subjects more emotionally.”

If authentic portrayals of fierce attachment indicate artistic success and connecting with what moves audiences in a time of uncertainty and isolation, then Mother & Child may be a critical and popular victory.

Winter’s Bone–director/co-writer, Debra Granik, and actress, Jennifer Lawrence, whose work I barely knew–was a revelation. This unusual story–adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s novel in which 17-year-old Ree Dolly is the unlikely, but convincing heroine–takes us to the spooky, Ozark backwoods. To save her impoverished and helpless family from homelessness, Ree must find her father, a meth-addicted criminal. Dad, having used the decrepit home and land as collateral for his bail bond, has vanished.

This film about family survival is shocking at times in terms of the violence it portrays, but remains respectful about the region’s culture. It never turns away from the theme about the brutality of poverty and its resultant climate of crime, drug addiction, and subjugation. In a pre-production and shooting process that drew from the principles of anthropology and the canons of cinematic art, Granik and her crew got to know the people of southern Missouri. In close collaboration with the novel’s author and his wife, they met musicians, vocalists, folklorists, scholars, and others immersed in Ozark culture.

Their painstaking efforts transformed this film into something that supersedes the enigma of Deliverance, rivals some of the themes in The Grapes of Wrath, and evokes the memorable, heart-wrenching images of photographer Dorothea Lange.

Jennifer Lawrence’s sublime performance as Ree is supported by the talented, veteran character actors John Hawkes (Teardrop) and Dale Dickey (Merab), the debuts of Isiah Stone and Ashlee Thompson playing the young brother and sister, and cameos by Marideth Sisco–a Southern Missouri folklorist serving as the music advisor–as a singer and other natives playing gifted musicians. From performance to music and dialogue to mise-en-scene, if Winter’s Bone struck any false notes, I was too captivated to notice.

In Solitary Man, co-directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, Michael Douglas plays middle-aged Ben Kalman whose girlfriends (Mary-Louise Parker, among others) get younger and younger after he divorces Nancy (Susan Sarandon), his college sweetheart. Following this impulsive act, Ben’s success wanes and his business goes belly up. His often offensive behavior (comments about women’s post-40 bodies and refusing to admit he’s a–”Shh!”–grandfather) should make us hate him, yet Douglas finds the humanity in Ben. He runs faster and faster getting nowhere in maintaining denial about his mortality. Hubris is transformed into humility as Ben as slings hash with Jimmy Merino (Danny DeVito), his friend who remained in the college town of their youth.

Besides admirable supporting performances by Sarandon and Parker, look for charming screen moments by Jesse Eisenberg, Olivia Thirlby, Imogene Poots, and Jenna Fischer. In spite of all the wonderful support, Douglas is the shining star evoking the charm of Grady Tripp in Curtis Hanson’s Wonder Boys.

Turn to Women Without Men to experience the visual splendor of Iranian-born Shirin Neshat in collaboration with partner Shoja Azari (a man whose current art exhibit was described as wreaking with subversive feminism). Neshat’s first feature won her the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion for directing. Ultra-sharp focus and other magic realism elements come off as more sophisticated than the uneven acting and rough dialogue co-written with Azari. The film was inspired by the novel by Shahrnush Parsipur (who has a cameo as the Tehran brothel’s madam) banned by Islamic censors in 2004 (not for politics but depictions of losses of female virginity).

The film’s story revolves around four contrasting women who live in 1953 Iran: Faezeh, a middle-aged woman in a loveless marriage; Zarin, a prostitute ravaged by the inhumanity of the brothel; Munis, a budding radical, unmarried and pushing thirty, an embarrassment to her traditional brother; and Fakhri, a devout woman secretly in love with Munis’s brother until she is raped for nothing more than looking into a male-only cafe.

Neshat brought politics into greater prominence in her narrative about the Anglo-American backed military coup that ousted democratically elected, prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh–who dared to nationalize the oil industry under British control–from office reinstating the Shah, a brutal dictator replete with secret police.

Faezeh leaves her powerful husband, purchases a home in an orchard that becomes her haven (and symbol for heaven and freedom), and welcomes Zarin and Fakhri. Meanwhile, Munis, once living only for the inspirational political reports on her radio sequestered in her brother’s home frees herself in death as part spirit and part freedom fighter working with idealistic young communists who try to stop the coup. The film is also laced with Persian and Islamic mysticism, and the women serve as an allegory for a once peaceful, naive, and later, exploited nation.

Neshat’s passion to reveal accurate, historic circumstances weighs down some of the Women Without Men’s narrative, but the extraordinary images that reflect Persian ideals and the painless history lesson are worth giving into. The film’s message that Mossadegh’s anti-British policies (limited to regaining control of its oil) might have been a more peaceful scenario than 26 years under the Shah giving rise to today’s reactionary, repressive Islamic Republic of Iran may be a bitter pill for some Westerners to swallow.

Somebody new is drooling over Mary-Louise Parker nude.

The beautiful actress has gone public with Charlie Mars, a musician she started seeing in early June. Sources told People the singer/songwriter and the Weeds star spent all of last weekend together, spending time in Los Angeles for the Emmy Awards.

Last year, Parker appeared in the artist’s video for “Listen to the Darkside,” the first single off his record Like a Bird, Like a Plane.

Mars reminds us a bit of John Mayer – for Parker’s sake, though, let’s hope he’s far less of a douchebag than his fellow guitar player.

Parker had previously been involved in a roller coaster relationship with Jeffery Dean Morgan.

Some things just get better with age.

Heroes and Entourage? Not among those things.

Kristin Chenoweth and Mary-Louise Parker, though? Wow. At age 41 and 45, respectively, these two actresses continue to amaze with talent and beauty.

Before winning the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress for the now-canceled Pushing Daisies, Kristin looked dazzling on the red carpet – literally.

Mary-Louise, meanwhile, did not win Best Actress despite a hilarious array of Weeds quotes, but she won accolades for her one-strapped purple frock.

Who looked better?

There were some predictable outcomes and a few surprises. Overall, the 2009 Emmy Awards got it more or less right. See below for a full list of winners at last night’s awards show. Did your favorite show or actor/actress win?

Best Series, Drama

Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men – WINNER

Best Series, Comedy

30 Rock – WINNER
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight Of The Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Weeds

The cast of NBC’s award-winning 30 Rock.

Best Actor, Drama

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad – WINNER
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Laurie, House
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Simon Baker, The Mentalist

Best Actress, Drama

Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Glenn Close, Damages – WINNER
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series

William Shatner, Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Michael Emerson, Lost – WINNER
John Slattery, Mad Men
William Hurt, Damages

Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series

Rose Byrne, Damages
Hope Davis, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Cherry Jones, 24 – WINNER

Best Actor, Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell, The Office
Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men
Jemaine Clement, Flight Of The Conchords

Best Actress, Comedy

Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Toni Collette, United States Of Tara – WINNER

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men – WINNER
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies – WINNER
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds

Best Reality-Competition Program

American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
The Amazing Race – WINNER
Top Chef

Best Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Heidi Klum, Project Runway
Jeff Probst, Survivor – WINNER
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, Top Chef

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series

Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart – WINNER

Gosselin, Hailey Glassman Picture” height=”107″ />

Whether she’s cooking half-naked in Esquire or firing off hilarious Weeds quotes left and right, the gorgeous and talented star amazes us year after year.

It’s an honor to celebrate her birthday this second day of August.

Click to enlarge some of the images below, a little tribute we put together of classic photos of Mary-Louise Parker nude, close to it, and more covered up …

A lack of Mary-Louise Parker sex scenes.

Sure, the actress was railed from behind by her drug lord of a baby daddy, but forced intercourse isn’t very arousing.

Fortunately, the good folks at Esquire feel our pain and have published the sexiest photos of Parker in recorded history. If this is what cooking is all about, why have men stayed out of the kitchen for so long?!?

In the past, Mary-Louis Parker has said that nude photos weren’t a big deal. We beg to differ.

But MORE magazine asked the actress about a bathtub scene she filmed near the end of that season and she expressed regret over it.

“I didn’t think I needed to be naked,” she said in that publication’s June issue. “I fought with the director about it, and now I am bitter. I knew it was going to be on the Internet: ‘Mary Louise shows off her big nipples.’ I wish I hadn’t done that. I was goaded into it.”

It’s a goading millions of men are thankful for, of course.

The show’s co-executive producer, meanwhile, defended the shot, saying that nudity was necessary to convey the character’s vulnerability.

“We felt at that point in her life, defenses had been so thoroughly stripped away,” Roberto Benabib said. “There was a nonchalance to the nudity that informed the scene… I thought it was wonderful, one of the five best scenes Mary-Louise has ever done [on Weeds].” 

The fifth season of Weeds premieres on Showtime on June 8.