Word of mouth on Watchmen has been so negative since the film's release last Friday, that even I -- a fan of the graphic novel -- am wondering if I'll ever find the motivation to see it before it leaves multiplexes. Friends (Alan Moore faithfuls and plebeians alike) have gotten me so bummed about the supposed lack of suspense, the fight scenes, the crap acting, and the almost three-hour runtime. My only reason for seeing the movie now is to check out its most preposterous aspect: that infamous sex scene. Sensing this rapidly spreading vitriol, two people -- one with a strong connection to the film, and one who feels strongly connected to it -- have taken to the interwebs to plead with us, go watch Watchmen!

Muse: Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) in Watchmen.
Style: Over-the-knee boots, skin-tight long gloves, yellow.

● Are you going to see Watchmen this weekend? So is everyone else. Eighty midnight screenings sold out last night, and the studios are expecting a $70 million opening, despite a 2.5 hour run time. [deadlinehollywooddaily]
● Exciting news for CurbYour Enthusiasm/Seinfeld fans: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards will all appear in a multi-episode arc on the new season of CYE, overseen by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David of course. This is the first time in 11 years the whole cast will appear on the same show. [EW]
● Daft Punk will add some much need awesomeness to Tron 2.0 by scoring the film. [LAT]

[See also our interview with Watchmen's Jackie Earl Haley, a.k.a. Rorschach]

Swedish-born actress Malin Akerman has had quite a busy few years. She starred in numerous character-based romantic comedies such as 27 Dresses and The Heartbreak Kid. In Watchmen, Akerman turns up the heat taking on the role of superhero Laurie Jupiter, a.k.a. Silk Spectre. Watchmen is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated movies of 2009; directed by Zack Snyder, it also stars Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, and Patrick Wilson. “All the characters have real human qualities,” says Akerman. “We’re not superhuman. We’re just people trying to figure out within ourselves good vs. evil.”

Tell me about your character in Watchmen.
I approached Laurie like a woman who had a stage mom who pushed her into a career that wasn’t really her own choice. When we first start this movie, we come into Laurie’s life where she is sort of breaking free because she had been this sheltered woman. She hasn’t really had her own identity or her own choice in life. She just followed and did what she had been told.

When it comes to comic book adaptations, it’s no secret that fanboys are ready and willing to die for their favorite work. So if you’re adapting, serializing, reinventing, or resurrecting their beloved—and already perfect—work of art, prepare for the worst, and just try your darndest not to fuck it up. The internet has created a new critical battlefield, an invisible front of fansites and message boards in which geeks lob long-range comments and messages at their latest pariah, to inflict mass damage to the ego, and boy can it hurt. Just ask George Clooney.

● Now that we’ve all heard the Christian Bale freak-out, it’s time for the re-mix! Lucian Piane (RevoLucian) has done a brilliant club mix of Bale’s meltdown that’s bound to scream in your head all day. [PerezHilton]
● P Diddy is being sued by artist Tom Patti, who claims that the bottle design for Diddy’s fragrance “Unforgivable” is ripped from his sculpture. [TMZ]
● Vincent Gallo wants you to buy a wallet. Not just any wallet -- the Lucky Buck Lucky [Bleep] Wallet ($750). That’s a hefty price tag, but Gallo promises it will “open doors” and “garner respect,” but most importantly the wallet will “get you laid.” No word on whether it gets you a discount on Gallo's efforts to retail his own sperm. [P6]

● Christina Aguilera is said to be the next celeb designer for TopShop. [MirrorUK]
● LA it-boutique Tracey Ross will close shop after two decades on New Years Eve. The reason? The economy, but of course. [LAT]
● Heather Mills is being sued by her former nanny for sexual harassment. Alleged offenses include naked spray-tanning sessions and 7:30 a.m. call times. [Daily Mail]

The New Leading Man: Would the cast of 'Ocean’s 47' please clear the room for Patrick Wilson? By George, Hollywood’s most underappreciated character actor has finally grown into a bona fide box office draw!

For a man whose long-term plan was to tread the New York theater circuit, Patrick Wilson has taken a seriously wrong turn. “It’s been awesome,” says the 35-year-old Tony Award nominee and star of Angels in America, Hard Candy and Little Children. “I really love making movies.” And with another four in the can, including the recently released thriller Lakeview Terrace and the upcoming superhero behemoth Watchmen, Wilson is meandering dangerously close to leading man territory. “I don’t even know what that means!” he says. “I’m glad my movies make money, but if it’s leading man or character man, it’s all good.”

Patrick Wilson is living in a pre-Watchmen world. The Florida-born actor has been gamely employed since playing a pedophile in the indie thriller Hard Candy opposite Ellen Page. But on March 6 (assuming a current legal battle between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox doesn't delay its release), an adaptation of the most celebrated graphic novel of all time will hit theaters featuring Wilson in a plum role as the superhero Nite Owl. But until Watchmen hits, Wilson's got some promotin' to do, namely for Lakeview Terrace, in theaters today.