10. Seth Rogen in “Zack and Miri Make A Porno”

9. Daniel Radcliffe in Equus

8. David Duchovny from “Californication”

7. Kyle McLachlan in “Desperate Housewives”

6. Gilles Marini in “Sex In The City: The Movie”

5. Neil Patrick Harris in “How I Met Your Mother”

4. Hunter Parish from “Weeds”

3. Stephen Moyer from “True Blood”

2. James Franco in “Milk”

1. Jason Segel in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”

I hated that character from the second she flounced on the screen. I remember distinctly Portman telling Zach Braff's character that she was "weird" and then doing a silly little dance to illustrate her "weirdness." Honestly? Anyone who telegraphs their so-called weirdness so outlandishly is not actually weird, they're merely quirky enough to be vaguely interesting without having their own thing going on. They're completely mainstream but have one really big tattoo, or occasionally sing really loud in the shower! "Oh, Natalie," the A.V. Club writes, "your unconventional ways are so inspiring, and your beauty is surprisingly non-threatening!"

As the A.V. Club deftly notes, "Like the Magical Negro, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype is largely defined by secondary status and lack of an inner life. She's on hand to lift a gloomy male protagonist out of the doldrums, not to pursue her own happiness." Since they've defined it so succinctly, I've realized that many recent films employ the MPDG stock character — Forgetting Sarah Marshall, for instance, where Mila Kunis's character is a free spirited nymph deposited on the shores of Hawaii in order to encourage Jason Segel to write the vampire rock puppet musical he's been fantasizing about for years. But what of the dude? You know, the brooding artsy loser in need of a MPDG to revive his creative and sexual juices? The ones who use MPDG's to stroke their fragile egos and project their muse-fantasies on? What should we call him? I think he deserves a name because these movies, and the notion of the MPDG, are really about him: his needs, his desires, his artistic endeavors.

Wimpster, while appropriate, lacks the specificity of MPDG and also is so four years ago. Maybe the new bromantics, because that term emphasizes their dudeliness but also their childish notions of romantic attachment? In any event, these self-absorbed whiners are to be avoided in real life, though, like (adorable!) Jason Segal in FSM, new bromantics can be charming in film.

Wild Things: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls [AV Club]
Soapbox [The Petite Sophisticate]
Meet The Wimpster [The Black Table]

Yes, via Videogum, this is the cock that has dominated the talk-show circuit and even provoked an epistolary Battle of the Sexes today between pro-dick VF.com contributor Lizzie Hurlbut and anti-dick Movie City News editor David Poland:

LH: I guess my point here is that I actually thought Jason Segel's penis played an important role in some of the film's key scenes. When Sarah shows up to dump him, he's fresh out of the shower, the towel drops, and he's standing there literally stripped bare, vulnerable, exposed. And she rejects him. OUCH. Rock bottom, baby. Naked and dumped. Toss in the fact that an unexpected visual of a penis incites full-on surge of awkwardness for a gal, and you're feeling precisely what that scene was trying to evoke: horrifying, awkward vulnerability.

DP: Really, Lizzie ... how does a woman react to her ex's junk parading around while she's trying to break up? Would he think she would find it attractive? Would she see it as anything remotely sexual? Would she actually try to keep from having eye contact with it? That's where the big laughs live—in behavior that the audience identifies with ... whether it's a flesh-covered punch line or not.

And with that, dear reader, we will never ever ever mention motherfucking Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Jason Segel's cock again on the pages of Defamer. It's been a long week.

• Finally! Jason Segel's Penis In Full, Glorious Color [Videogum]
• Members on Film: A Genital (and Genial!) Correspondence [VF.com]

• WATCH VIDEO

• WATCH VIDEO

1. The Forbidden Kingdom - $20.9 million
Lionsgate's action picture starring venerable martial arts masters Jackie Chan and Jet Li (and newly minted Kung Fu superstar Michael "Who?" Angarano) may not have registered too highly on your own new-release radar. But its surprise #1 finish meant there was indeed an audience looking for a fresh spin on the increasingly hackneyed plots served up by the genre, and who simply couldn't get enough of this touching story of two dads, as deadly fisted as they are in love, trying to raise their troubled teenage son the best way they know how.

2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $17.3 million
It outperformed the Apatow Pictures Group's previous two releases, but not even its ubiquitous Sharpie marketing campaign and an unobstructed view of Jason Segel's semi-chubby man-parts were enough to earn Sarah Marshall the kinds of Superbad and Knocked Up numbers responsible for ushering in Hollywood's Golden Age of the Paunchy, Lovelorn, Post-Adolescent Jew. Still, a respectable second-place finish hardly suggests genre-fatigue. Perhaps all that's needed to again crack the $30 mil mark is to up the male-nudity ante, finally conquering Hollywood's long-standing cyclops taboo in a close-up sequence that involves a frantic Seth Rogen bending over to fish his wedding ring out of a shower drain.

3. Prom Night - $9.1 million
Sony's re-envisioning of the 1980 Jamie Lee Curtis slasher dropped 56% and two positions in its second week, but it hopefully performed strongly enough overall to convince the studio to give another Curtis effort from that year—the David Copperfield- and trannie-packed choo-choo classic Terror Train—the remake treatment.

4. 88 Minutes - $6.8 million
We're thrilled to report that Al Pacino's latest effort has inched ahead in the Metacritic tracking from its original score of 2 to a much more respectable 17, though, not surprisingly, it has been stripped of its bronze medal in the Shitty Film-A-Lympics.

5. Nim's Island - $5.65 million
Not even a second-billed Jodie Foster could get parents interested in the goings-on on Nim's Island, where mad scientist Dr. Nim, played by the lovable Abigail Breslin, successfully fused animal and human DNA in her misguided attempts to play God.

• WEEKEND BOX OFFICE April 18-20, 2008 [Box Office Mojo]

Defamer: It's well known that Jason Segel shows his dick in this movie. What was it like on those days of the shoot?
Nick Stoller: Well, Jason wanted to make sure his penis wasn't too small because it was cold in the studio. But it was a fine line, because having an erection while getting dumped wouldn't really read as truthful. So, he would be backstage with "materials" provided to him by the prop master, and then would he would yell, "I'm ready, I'm ready," and then come running out, and we'd shoot.

D: Was he ever too hard to shoot a scene?
NS: No, he wasn't. His problem was that he couldn't get...uh, I don't know if 'hard' is the right word for it—more like a semi-chub. He didn't feel like he got to that place. To me, it always looked like a totally normal penis, but then again, I wasn't the one showing it.

D: At any time during the filming of this movie, did you get to see Mila Kunis or Kristen Bell naked? I know they're not naked in the movie, but did you get to see it?
NS: No, they always wore pasties. They were actually very cool about all that stuff. They just didn't want it to end up on the Internet. Plus, it would have freaked them out if I were trying to sneak around their dressing room. It wouldn't instill that trust you need as a director.

D: Richard Roeper said your movie made his list of the 50 funniest comedies of all time. What was it like to blow him?
NS: He's a gentle lover. Very generous in bed. He gave back. It wasn't just a one-way street.

D: How did your involvement with Judd Apatow get started? How did you work your way up in the ranks of the Apatow offices?
NS: Of Apatown, you mean? Well, I started out by writing on Undeclared—his college show. And from there I wrote a few screenplays with him. And then, I've been friends with Jason Segel forever, so I offered to guide him through the writing process [of F.S.M.] if he would support me as a director. And he said yes, and suddenly it was all happening.

D: But why did they trust a first-timer like you to direct this movie?
NS: I have no idea. Early on I said that I would just be very up-front with the fact that I didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't gonna lie at all, and I just decided to ask everyone questions.

D: What's a typical day like in Apatown?
NS: Everyone walks around with their penises out. I should just say it. We all have our dicks out all day. That's really what it is. Judd has what we call The Apatower in West LA, and you go there for meetings, but for the most part, everyone writes at home. And then we go to the meetings and all take our dicks out.

D: So, who has the biggest dick in Apatown?
NS: I'm contractually obligated to say Judd. But really it's me.

D: How involved is Judd in the movies he produces?
NS: He's very involved in the writing and casting. And having done this once, those two elements seem like the most important parts of a movie. Especially a comedy. And he's heavily involved in post. He's only around a little bit for production, but his producing partner Shauna Robertson is often on set. Basically, Judd creates a zone where we can kind of just do what we want. But, ultimately, he's very involved and wants to make sure that each movie hits some central truth.

D: Did you get into any arguments with him?
NS: Uh, no. We have a really good working relationship. He's very respectful and understands that I'm directing the thing. There were certain moments where I would insist upon a joke or a line and he would say, "Well, it's your movie. You can do it." But I've learned over the years that he's more right than wrong.

D: What is the test screening process like? Did you get any annoying notes from the studio? Anything crazy on the comment cards?
NS: Because Judd's so powerful right now, the studio was pretty hands off. As for comment cards, it ranged from audiences being way too savvy and literally talking about whether the movie would have appeal in the 18-25 demographic to being pretty dumb. The funniest ones were from guys in the audience who were so mad at having to see Jason Segel's penis, but in a homoerotic way. They were like, "Why do we have to see his penis for so long? I hate looking at his penis. It makes me want to make out with my roommate."

D: Well, I've seen them both, and I truly believe that Forgetting Sarah Marshall is better and funnier than Knocked Up. So, are you a better director than Judd Apatow?
NS: Ha. No comment. Judd, I think, is one of the best comedy directors ever. All of the things I employed on Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I learned from him.

D: How much of your current success comes from luck and knowing the right people versus actually working hard?
NS: The door opens, and you're very lucky when the door opens, but you do also have to be prepared. I would say it's about 1% hard work and 99% good luck. Though I do try to work a lot and be prepared for any kind of opportunity that presents itself.

D: Your career has just entered the next level. You're a big man in Hollywood right now. So, what does that feel like? Are people kissing your ass?
NS: Not as much as I'd hoped they would be. But we'll see. It all depends on opening weekend.

D: Forgetting Sarah Marshall opens on April 18th. Here's what else is coming out that day: 88 Minutes (the Al Pacino movie), The Forbidden Kingdom (the Jackie Chan/Jet Li flick), and Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? (the Morgan Spurlock doc). Why should people go see your movie over the competition?
NS: First I would go to 88 Minutes, then if I still had time I would go to see the Spurlock documentary, then I would see mine, and then I would see The Forbidden Kingdom. And then I'd see Smart People. But really, much like it's important to see a big action movie in the theater, it's nice to see a good comedy in a movie theater because everyone is laughing and having fun together.

D: What does it feel like to have a major movie opening this weekend? Are you gonna check BoxOfficeMojo every second?
NS: It's really odd. With the moviemaking process, you start out really intense and it slowly trickles off as you do post and stuff. So now, I haven't really worked on it in a while. I've just been doing press. It kind of feels like the movie came out already because I've watched it so many times. But then I wake up in the middle of the night very nervous because I realize it's coming out Friday.

D: You and I have known each other for a very long time. That's why, as a testament to our friendship, I want you to give me a scoop about your upcoming Muppet movie that will set the Internet afire.
NS: You know it's kind of all been said. It's gonna be an old school Muppet movie like The Great Muppet Caper or Muppets Take Manhattan. Basically the Muppets have to put on a show to save their studio. And in the intervening years, there's been a Muppet Diaspora, so the main Muppets need to go off with Jason [Segel] and collect other Muppets from all around the world. We're in the middle of writing it now. We're on page 50.

D: Alright, one last question. How awesome is Iron Man gonna be?
NS: So awesome!

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall opens in theaters today (April 18th). Do yourself a favor and go see it.

WHAT'S NEW: Chockablock with tropical raunch and waaaay more of Jason Segel than you ever wanted to see, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has Variety suggesting that the film's "R" rating could push it down to a opening weekend "in the low- to mid-teens." Not half-bad for a studio comedy budgeted at $30 million, but probably not enough to surpass the PG-13 Jet Li-Jackie Chan action-fantasy The Forbidden Kingdom, which is predicted to top out around $18 million on roughly 3,100 screens. Also opening: Morgan Spurlock's gonzo War-on-Terror doc Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?; the portentous Uma Thurman-Evan Rachel Wood drama The Life Before Her Eyes; the Ben Stein entry Expelled; and the throwaway MGM thriller Pathology.

THE BIG LOSER: Prom Night stands to drop as much as 70% from last week's No. 1 spot, but really, we're just waiting to see what kind of audience revolt ensues at screenings of 88 Minutes. Already recognized among the decade's most reviled films, the Al Pacino suspenser will likely draw about $30 million in masochistic lookie-loos, with $25 million being returned shortly thereafter in angry box-office mutinies around the country.

THE UNDERDOG: We haven't even seen the Jenna Jameson crossover vehicle Zombie Strippers, but that's no reason for us to withhold our zeal. Plus, let's face it: The world needs a Robert Englund comeback in the worst way.

FOR SHUT-INS: New on the DVD shelf this week are special editions of the essentially interchangable Juno and Alien vs. Predator - Requiem; other titles include the Sidney Lumet drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Ryan Gosling's sex-doll romance Lars and the Real Girl and the long-long-awaited complete fourth season of Melrose Place.

Take a few minutes and call your own shot for the weekend — can male full-frontal knock Jackie Chan out of the multiplex? Are you getting your pitchfork and/or torch ready for 88 Minutes?

Back in 1994 when Bruce Willis was still with Demi and still managed to maintain that sexy tough guy image, he revealed the full monty in Color Of Night. And the industry's most dedicated fan of showing off his package, Ewan McGregor, memorably lounged naked throughout several scenes in Young Adam. And we all remember the time from a chiseled Kevin Bacon subtly proved to the world how lucky Kyra Sedgwick is via steamy shower scene in Wild Things.

Before Ewan McGregor, Harvey Keitel was Hollywood's go-to full-frontal actor, stripping down for both Bad Lieutenant and The Piano. But our all-time favorite appearance by a male actor's schlong has to go to Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights. Yes, it was a hefty prosthetic, and no, we don't learn just how much junk Marky Mark is packing, but the highly anticipated revelation of Dirk Diggler's legendary package was worth waiting two porn-y hours for back in 1997.

[Photo credits: Entertainment Weekly, Celebritycandids.com, nudemalestars.com, Maxim, malecelebrities.biz]

• 'FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL' LETS IT ALL HANG OUT [LAT]

boomp3.com

Much to his dismay, Jonah Hill was ironically photographed at the premiere of Forgetting Sarah Marshall standing in front of the word "FAT", which appears on the somewhat clever / somewhat annoying posters for the movie. The photographer chuckled rather loudly after taking the picture and considered the photo to be a wake up call in light of recent events like portly comic Artie Lange's recent departure from the Howard Stern show. Hill thought it was unnecessary and uncalled for, seeing as he's just trying to have a good time at the screening.

[Photo Credit: Splash Pic]

Jaded as we can be, the actual human in us does bristle a wee bit at the tasteful YES YOU LOOK FAT IN THOSE JEANS SARAH MARSHALL and I HATE YOU SARAH MARSHALL plugs scrawled all over our nation's metropolitan hubs. We'd love to think the anonymous San Francisco reactions picked up Tuesday by Hollywood Elsewhere are simply meta-culture critiques of media saturation and the General Absurdity of It All. Still, we wouldn't put it past the postmodern jokers at Uni to have stripped a batch of interns of their ID's, put $50 cash in their pockets and quietly sent them out like Watergate plumbers to fight their nasty word-of-mouth against trees, street lamps and anything else tape will stick to. Either way, we're guessing the real Sarah Marshalls of the world are considering viral marketing overall the stupidest idea ever right about now.

• Bay Area 'Sarah' Backlash? [Hollywood Elsewhere]