ScottFeinberg.com

PLEASE NOTE: The following rankings and remarks reflect my personal opinions and do/will not in any way impact my projections or analysis on this site, wherein I strive above all else to correctly forecast what will happen, not what I believe should happen. My demonstrated ability to do that over the years is what has led most of you to my site, and any failure to do that will undoubtedly lead you away from it, so you can rest assured that I mean it when I say that one has/will have no bearing on the other.

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This weekend, moviegoers who check out the new vampire flick “Let Me In” (Overture, 10/1, trailer) will, at some point, inevitably turn to those around them to inquire about the female star, “Who is that girl?!” The answer is Chloe Moretz, a 13-year-old acting prodigy who has been in the game since she was six; made a strong impression in “500 Days of Summer” (2009) and “Kick-Ass” (2010); and has, as a result of her haunting performance in “Let Me In,” solidified her standing as the most talented child star working in Hollywood today and become a legitimate awards season conteder. (I’m not alone on this.) I spoke with Moretz by phone for about 20 minutes earlier today, and you can listen to the audio of our conversation by clicking here.

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• New York Press: Armond White, always the contrarian, trashes “The Social Network” — the most critically-acclaimed film of the year — for “sanctioning Harvard’s ‘masters of the universe’ mystique,” “[celebrating] moral confusion, social decline and empire building,” and “excusing Hollywood ruthlessness,” among other assorted ridiculous reasons. (Can somebody give this guy some Zoloft?)
• The Hollywood Reporter: Paul Bond reports that publicists for Disney, the studio that will be releasing “Secretariat,” have adopted the same promotional strategy employed by “The Blind Side” last year that led to huge box-office returns and Oscar nods for best picture and best actress: “going after what industry insiders like to call the ‘faith-based audience.’”
• The Playlist: Kevin Jagernauth obtains details about the soundtrack for the upcoming film “Country Strong,” which he refers to as “‘Crazy Heart’ 2.o,” and will feature songs performed by Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, and Leighton Meester. CDs will arrive in stores on October 26th, almost two months before the film goes into limited release.
• New York Times: Dave Kehr pays tribute to the director Arthur Penn, who passed on Tuesday (a day after his 88th birthday), and who “transformed the American film industry” through his film “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), as well as other classics including “The Miracle Worker” (1962), “The Chase” (1966), and “Little Big Man” (1970).
• The Odds: Steve Pond learns that Harrison Ford has been selected as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 2011 recipient of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, which will be presented to the actor at a black-tie gala on November 19 — one week after the film “Morning Glory,” in which Ford stars, opens in theaters. Douglas quipped, “It’s always a pleasure to honor these young actors who do so well.”
• Gold Derby: Tom O’Neil shares the full list of Academy screenings scheduled for September and October, noting that “audience reaction is closely monitored by studio reps and award consultants, who count attendees and the number of walkouts, monitor applause (sudden loud clapping when the name of a director or costume designer appears on screen as the credits roll may mean a nomination is ahead), and eavesdrop on chatter in the lobby afterward.”
• Thompson on Hollywood: Anne Thompson confirms that the Academy’s submission deadline for all foreign language and short films (live action and animated) is 5pm PST this coming Friday, October 1. Each country is invited to enter one foreign language film for consderation, and over 55 have been submitted, thus far.
• Thompson on Hollywood: Sohpia Savage offers her take on the 30 most influential indie films from the past 30 years, as selected by 27 members of the board of directors of the Independent Film & Television Alliance on the occasion of the group’s 30th anniversary. The list includes “My Left Foot” (1989), “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), “Juno” (2007), and even “Twilight” (2008), but inexplicably excludes “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006).
• USA Today: Anthony Breznican describes the plans of Lucasfilm to convert all six “Star Wars” films into 3-D (under the oversight of John Knoll, visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic) and then begin re-releasing them in theaters in 2012 (in the order in which they take place, as opposed to the order in which they were released).
• The Hollywood Reporter: Carl DiOrio explains the debate within the film industry over whether/how to respond to audiences’ demand for “on-demand” without killing off retailers. One idea: “Those paying $25-$50 to watch a movie on their cable or satellite PPV service would qualify for a coupon redeemable at disc retailers for a free DVD of the same title.”
• Vulture: Ross Kenneth Urken writes that Chris Noth, aka “Mr. Big” in the “Sex and the City” TV show and films, showed up at the premiere of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s “Jack Goes Boating” and responded to a question about “Sex and the City” from New York magazine by saying: “It’s over. The franchise is dead. The press killed it. Your magazine fucking killed it.” To which I say, “Some labels are best left in the closet!”

Photo: Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford in “Morning Glory.” Credit: Paramount.