§ A webcomicker has won the prestigious Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at Sundance, as Talk About Comics reports:

“Everything Will Be OK,” directed by Don Hertzfeldt and based on his webcomic “Anesthetics,” has won the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival, it is reported. As Marc pointed out in comments, “It’s extracool news considering it was up against all the live action movies – animation almost never wins at Sundance! Go animation!!”

More here and here.

§ Is Kate Beckinsale set to play Carrie Stetko in the movie version of Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber’s WHITEOUT? So says Film Ick:

Joel Silver is producing a heist-come-chase film called White Out. It’s apparently a bit like Hard Rain, but instead of being set amidst torrential floods, it all goes down in the middle of a calamitous snowstorm; and it’s also a bit like Insomnia in that the Antarctic setting is about to be plunged into months of darkness as the story gets underway.

Kate Beckinsale is reportedly set to star as US Marshall Carrie Stetko, our heroine in pursuit of the robber-killers.

§ Is Ari Gold teaming up with Stan Lee for an Unstoppable Force? This little bit from a profile of actor Jeremy Piven, who plays driven agent Gold on ENTOURAGE, seems to provide a clue:

“We’ve got a really exciting project that we’re working on with (Marvel comics genius) Stan Lee.” Called “Huckster,” it considers the “world of politics and p.r.”

§ BTW, do you remember that Bruce Campbell Old Spice commercial we so admired recently? turns out it was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the Little Miss Sunshine directing duo. Click link for AdWeeks analysis of the campaign and word of who painted the world’s longest ship.

§ WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO hopeful profiled

Like most kids, Malik is like a parrot, and Frison’s remarks in front of the TV that day last year didn’t go unanswered. “This is a dream of yours, isn’t it?” he said. “Yeaaahhh,” Frison said. “You’re going to be on the show next year.” That sealed it. When auditions in 10 cities were announced for the second season, the 39-year-old software trainer fashioned XSeven, who can absorb personalities and abilities of up to seven people at a time, and pieced together a skintight uniform adorned with orange and gold flames.

§ Kill yourselves now. The director of GARFIELD: A TAIL OF TWO KITTIES is planning a CG-Live action feature starring ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS.

§ Doink recalls Bam Bam at funeral:

“We’d be walking through an airport, and maybe because of the travel schedule he might not have slept for 28 hours,” recalled Ray Liccachelli of Rockaway, N.Y., who was Bigelow’s main adversary for several years in his role as Doink the Clown. “I was always very fortunate because people didn’t recognize me. I was always under a costume. But poor Scott. It was like the circus was in town. And he always tried to be as gracious as he could. “Could I have an autograph? Sign my shirt? Sign my back, sign my leg?’ He was always nice to them.

“One year I wrestled 297 days, and I know Scott did at least that or more, with 13 overseas trips thrown in there. At one point I wrestled Scott every day for seven months, in what seemed like every town across America, and the world.”