Dragon Tattoo

Woody Allen earned his 20th nomination Thursday for a Writers Guild of America Award for his original screenplay for "Midnight in Paris. " Allen, 76, received his first nomination from the WGA 46 years ago for "What's New Pussycat?" and won for 1977's "Annie Hall," 1984's "Broadway Danny Rose," 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and 1989's "Crimes and Misdemeanors. " Comedies made a strong showing among the nominees this year. Joining Allen in the original screenplay category are Will Reiser for "50/50"; Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig for "Bridesmaids"; " Diablo Cody for "Young Adult"; and Tom McCarthy for "Win Win" (McCarthy shares story credit on the film with Joe Tiboni)

— In a pleated white dress, her jet-black bangs neatly trimmed, Golden Globe nominee Rooney Mara looks nothing like Lisbeth Salander as she relaxes in the drawing room of New York's Crosby Street Hotel. But it doesn't take long for the 26-year-old to show the resolve that helped land her the coveted lead role in the U.S. version of Stieg Larsson's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," vaulting over a scrum of top Hollywood actresses. Mara previously was best known for her opening tête-à-tête with Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network.

As the lone artistic voice behind Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor regularly had the pleasure of answering to no one during NIN's approximately 20-year run of emotionally damaged hard rock. Now in his mid-40s and into his second career as a film composer, Reznor not only is having to learn a new discipline, but adjust to ceding control and holding back his reflex of saying 'no.' Take, for instance, the music that opens David Fincher's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which marks the second film score for Reznor and his latter-days NIN producer Atticus Ross.

Geraldine James' face — those high cheekbones, sky-blue eyes and, what one London theater critic called her "Titian locks" — might look vaguely familiar. James is 61 now but still recognizable as Sarah Layton, the pivot point and conscience of "The Jewel in the Crown. " The 14-part "Masterpiece Theater" drama on the last days of British rule in India drew wide acclaim and a huge U.S. audience when it aired in 1984, thrusting the then-thirtysomething actress to the top rank of her profession.

Bettina Browne trained tigers for Fox's new family film "We Bought a Zoo," but of all the felines she's recently wrangled for movies, she considers the toughest customers to be the ordinary house cats she was tasked with taming for director David Fincher's dark, biting thriller, Sony's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. " "Tigers and lions are a little bit more dog-like in the sense that they still do like to please you," said Browne, who worked for Birds and Animals Unlimited on the two films.

The season's last two movies, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" and "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," have been roundly ignored by key critics groups handing out their year-end baubles. Will they connect any better with motion picture academy voters? We'd ask the films' producer, Scott Rudin, but we're afraid he'd embargo the answer until Valentine's Day. So let's soldier ahead, alone and unencumbered … BEST PICTURE 1. "The Artist" 2. "The Descendants" 3. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" 4. "The Help" 5. "Hugo" 6. "War Horse" 7. "Midnight in Paris" 8. "The Tree of Life" 9. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" 10. "Moneyball" Bubbling under: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2," "Shame," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Young Adult," "The Ides of March," "Margin Call.

David Fincher's highly anticipated take on the popular Swedish film "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which has finally hit theaters, is already leaving its mark on moviegoers. The movie, starring Rooney Mara, opened in 2,700 theaters nationwide at 7 p.m. Tuesday and grossed a respectable $1.6 million, based on an estimate from distributor Sony Pictures. Those who saw the picture, based on the first novel in Swedish author Stieg Larsson's bestselling trilogy, loved it —giving it an average grade of A, according to market research firm CinemaScore.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday. R. Kelly says he is ready to film 32 new chapters of his infamous melodrama hip-hopera series, "Trapped in the Closet. " All he needs is a little funding. ( TMZ ) "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is already doing well at the box office. Look out, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" -- the No. 2 spot is up for grabs. ( Los Angeles Times) Josh Krajcik sings a duet with Alanis Morissette during the final performance episode of "The X Factor.

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' MPAA rating: R for brutal violent content, including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language Running time: 2 hours, 32 minutes Playing: In general release