I’m hoping to finally do my “The Cove”/”Food Inc.” double feature in the next few days or so, but it’s certainly encouraging to hear that news of “The Cove” has spread and is starting to make a difference. For those who don’t know, this documentary about the slaughter of dolphins in a Japanese fishing cove also features the trainer of the dolphin in “Flipper” and his quest to undo all the damage he created through the use of dolphins as entertainment. Apparently, September 1, usually the first day of the slaughter, has come and gone and not a single person has been spotted in the cove yet. Not only that, but according to Rich O’Barry, an activist who has been fighting this for years, as he “was talking with the police, as the international journalists stood around listening, suddenly a camera crew arrived from Japan! And then another! And then still another!” He went on: “You have to understand that this is SO IMPORTANT. These TV stations have REFUSED to cover the story in Taiji for years and years. NOW, for the first time, they have shown up, with cameras rolling.” Who says film can’t make a difference?

Looks like Germans loved the revisionist history of “Inglourious Basterds.”

Meanwhile, director Joe Lynch (“Wrong Turn 2″) is next making “The Knights of Badassdom,” which John Landis describes as a “heavy metal horror adventure;” Rob Zombie would love to make a “nasty,” “realistic” pirate movie; and the Weinstein Company has pre-bought “The King’s Speech,” about a stuttering King George VI.

Photos

• “The Host 2“—This prequel will have none of the cast or crew returning from the first, exquisite film.
• “MacGruber“—Ryan Phillippe, Will Forte, and Kristen Wiig star in this film based on a “Saturday Night Live” skit that spoofs “MacGyver.”
• “Machete“—Robert Rodriguez is expanding his fake trailer from “Grindhouse” into a feature-length film starring Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, and Lindsay Lohan.

In the Grave

Variety‘s head critic Todd McCarthy destroyed the long-awaited adaptation of author Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” saying it “falls dispiritingly short on every front, showing clear signs of being test-screened and futzed with to death.” He believes the star, Viggo Mortensen, “lacks the gravitas to carry the picture; suddenly resembling Gabby Hayes with his whiskers and wayward hair,” and says that director John Hillcoat “just hopscotches from scene to scene in almost random fashion without any sense of pacing or dramatic modulation.” The story, about a father and son wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland, does flit from scene to scene, but it also does have a “sense of pacing” and “dramatic modulation.” Such a brutal review does not sound good for the film’s Oscar prospects, which is especially bad for the struggling Weinstein Company.

The “Downfall” parodies have officially come to an end:

Posters

• “2012“—Roland Emmerich’s (“Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow”) latest disaster epic comes out November 13.
• “House“—The sixth season of Hugh Laurie’s medical drama television show debuts September 21.
• “Where the Wild Things Are“—There is also a new New York Times Magazine article that starts off by quoting my colleague Devin Faraci. That’s twice for him this year. Congrats!

Back From the Dead

Continuing the LACMA Misadventures, Los Angeles County Museum of Art director Michael Govan announced that he plans to raise the film program’s budget from $350,000 to $500,000 and raise between $5 million and $6 million in endowments. But his choice of naming the new $50 museum membership add-on “CineClub” infringes on UCLA’s three-year-old “Cineclub” program and he has said that the new club will be renamed immediately. Also, the Los Angeles Times recently ran a photo gallery with quotes from major movie directors remembering the museum’s film program.

Trailers

• “The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day“—Troy Duffy returns after a decade to continue his story of two brothers out for justice.
• “Defendor“—TAJN-fave Woody Harrelson stars as a deluded crime fighter in this comedy with Sandra Oh, Kat Dennings, and Elias Koteas.
• “Extract“—Mike Judge’s old characters, Beavis and Butt-head, introduce some clips from his new comedy.
• “Fantastic Mr. Fox“—A new behind-the-scenes featurette on Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated film that still somehow stays within his distinctive visual style.
• “Leslie, My Name Is Evil“—A jury member at a Manson Family trial falls in love with the defendant. And it’s a comedy.
• “El Superbeasto“—Some very quick cuts from Rob Zombie’s long-awaited dirty, dirty animated film.

Unoriginal Content

Book Adaptations of the Week—John Goodman plays Paul Bunyon and Jeff Foxworthy is his faithful blue ox, Babe, in MGM’s animated “Bunyon & Babe,” about an evil developer (Kelsey Grammar) trying to ruin a small town. Paul W.S. Anderson (“Alien vs. Predator”) and Andrew Davies (“Bridget Jones’ Diary”) are working together on a “Three Musketeers” flick in 3D! (sigh)

Comic Adaptations of the Week—Jon Favreau is directing Robert Downey, Jr., in D.W. Mark Fergus’ and Hawk Ostby’s (“Iron Man”) script for “Cowboys and Aliens” for producers Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard, though Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (“Transformers”) are rewriting it with Damon Lindelof (“Lost”) first. Guy Ritchie (“RocknRolla,” the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes”) will direct Don Payne’s (“Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”) PG-13 script for “Lobo” for Akiva Goldsman and Andrew Rona. Michel Gondry’s “The Green Hornet” finally started shooting three days ago with Seth Rogen, Edward James Olmos, Tom Wilkinson, and David Harbour. Nicolas Cage is still in negotiations to appear in the film, which is scheduled to debut December 17, 2010.

Sequels of the Week—”Tron Legacy,” which has started post-production work, will be in theaters on December 10, 2010, and Randi Mayem Singer is writing “Big Momma’s House 3.”

Remake of the Week—Rebecca De Mornay will star in director Darren Lynn Bousman’s (“Saw 2-4,” “Repo! The Genetic Opera”) “Mother’s Day.”

Final Words

“True Blood” is one of the best shows on television right now and I just recently figured out the only way to describe it: it’s the flamboyant gay guy of TV shows. And I mean that in the best way possible. It started out shaky, trying to figure out how to combine comedy and horror and sex and camp and really only started to find its voice halfway through the first season. Now that its second season is coming to an end, I’m amazed to see how far this show has progressed. It’s one of only a handful of series that I feel comfortable rewatching over and over and tonight is our chance for a whole mini-marathon. In anticipation of next week’s season finale, HBO is using this week’s timeslot to air the previous three episodes to get everyone caught up for the big showdown between the maenad, Maryann Forrester (played by the awesome Michelle Forbes), and Anna Paquin’s telepathic protagonist, Sookie Stackhouse. The festivities start at 9 P.M.