http://www.metro.usen-us Anna Christie first appeared in the these pages back in 2006, when she was among the frequent street performers in Suburban Station. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/08/4522-82/index.xml For a reality TV show, “Ace of Cakes” presents an almost unheard of problem to fans. Instead of delving into petty problems between castmates, it focuses on the cake — no backstabbing, no messy hook-ups, no drama except the occasional bumpy fondant. Which is fine, until you fall in love with cutie decorator Jeff and what to know more than his theories on royal icing.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/08/3934-82/index.xml REVIEW. No matter how this review of ‘New Moon’ ends, whether this critic loves or loathes the film, is irrelevant. If you’re one of the legions of “Twi-Hards,” you’ll be stepping on heads to see it this weekend anyway.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/08/1838-82/index.xml With their characters entangled in such a deep, passionate love affair, it’s only natural that fans would project the same emotions onto “Twilight” stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and no one understands that better than the actors themselves. “I completely understand why they want us to be together and all of that,” says Stewart, referencing the endless tabloid stories about their supposed real-life romance. “I just have to not think about it.”http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/08/1342-82/index.xml Taylor Lautner wants to clear something up: He has no problem with going shirtless onscreen. “One thing that I have heard recently, which is not true and I didn’t say, was that I will never take my shirt off for a movie again,” says the 17-year-old actor, whose abs and pecs have been under an unprecedented amount of scrutiny since he packed on 30 pounds of muscle for “New Moon,” the second film in the “Twilight” series. “I didn’t say that,” he insists. “If the character requires it, I will.”http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/08/0858-82/index.xml REVIEW. Like most kid flicks, “Planet 51” is aware that it must entertain the little ones and please their rides to the theater. It takes this  mission seriously, cramming adult winks and parent-approved morals into the story: It’s OK to be different, don’t fear the unknown, the burnout in the VW bus doesn’t score the girl, and neither does the nerd who works at the comic book store (get a job with benefits, kiddos).http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/08/0213-82/index.xml REVIEW. The buzz about how great “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” is has been quite loud, but it’s not deafening enough to block out how utterly uneven and bizarre it is.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/07/5726-82/index.xml How does Wilmer Valderrama do it? The actor has dated a bevy of Hollywood beauties, from Mandy Moore to Lindsay Lohan (pre-career implosion) to Hilary Duff. He’s even claimed that Ashlee Simpson and  Jennifer Love Hewitt have had a piece of Vaderrama-action. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/07/5159-82/index.xml Some shows have it easy — one look at Joan Holloway wiggling across the office, and you’re a “Mad Men” fan for life. But what if you’re one of the many spin-offs, supernatural dramas or crime shows that debuted this fall? How do you wiggle and hook an audience? Some clever strategies are behind the front-runners — and lacking in the others.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/07/4538-82/index.xml The Stanton Social is the place that brought hip to the Lower East Side. And unlike most other places that tried to notch up the cool factor in the enclave, the Stanton Social remains while other flashes in the pan have burned out. This is thanks in part to chef Chris Santos, who opened the restaurant four years ago and maintains the restaurant’s status through his hard work — and camera-ready face.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/07/3823-82/index.xml REVIEW. At about what feels like three quarters of the way through “The Blind Side,” massive, mild-mannered high school football phenomenon Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) finally takes the field. (In reality, you’re only halfway through.) http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/07/0252-82/index.xml Ryan Landry and his Gold Dust Orphans have long been having their way with some of the greatest films of all time. Finally, the men, women and not-so-easily-identifiable members of this ridiculously talented troupe take on the big kahuna of camp, “Valley of the Dolls.”http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/06/5734-82/index.xml When Metric first went to record “Help I’m Alive,” one of the more inescapable alterna-hits of the past few months, they were off the mark.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/20/02/0855-77/index.xml Johnny Depp has been chosen as People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” yet again (he also won the honor back in 2003). “Johnny Depp has magical powers. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/19/03/0115-82/index.xml He’s been lauded around the world as an “art-world rock star,” but 36-year-old Swiss artist Urs Fischer insists his work is rooted in the simplest of instincts.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/19/02/4727-82/index.xml To research his historical piece on the Harlem Renaissance, “Uptown,” Ailey star Matthew Rushing used modern technologies. “YouTube was a great help.  I searched for Charleston and Lindy Hop, started purchasing books and DVDs,” he explains. “Part of the dance is called ‘Rent Party’ — the Harlem Renaissance is where rent parties started.”http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/19/02/4411-82/index.xml Set 15 years after the original, “Dracula: The Un-Dead” shares many of the same characters — including Mina and Jonathan Harker, and Lucy’s suitors, John Seward and Arthur Holmwood — and unveils them to be, well, in a state of post-traumatic stress after slaying Dracula...http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/18/22/5257-81/index.xml If your New Year’s resolution is to think outside the Broadway box, look no further than the Under the Radar fest, held Jan. 6 to 17 at The Public Theater, which exhibits new, independent and sometimes radical theater and performance from the U.S. and around the world. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/18/22/3840-82/index.xml Bill Nighy has played a plethora of different characters — and species — over his long career, and it’s something he’s rather proud of. “I’ve been a vampire, a zombie, a squid. I’ve been a stoned-out rabbit who sings ‘You’ve Really Got Me’ by the Kinks. I’ve been an albino ex-lab rat with brain damage. I get around,” he says. “I don’t mind when it gets a bit stupid. I kind of like it. And I feel very blessed that I’m able to play a range of parts. Often you don’t.”http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/18/06/3836-82/index.xml The members of the Harvard Lampoon had two reasons for writing their “Twilight” parody. “One of our super-goals is to meet Stephenie Meyer,” says Matthew Grzecki, president of the student-staffed magazine and one of the authors of “Nightlight: A Parody” (Random House, $14).http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/11/18/06/3529-82/index.xml