Ed Harris

"House of Cards," a political thriller starring Kevin Spacey and directed by David Fincher, will be filmed in Baltimore starting this spring, it was confirmed Thursday by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The production, which involves 13 one-hour episodes for television, comes from Media Rights Capital and  Netflix and is expected to launch the company known primarily for DVD distribution as a major creator of original dramatic programming. Netflix, which has more than 20 million subscribers, outbid such traditional producers of quality TV drama as HBO and AMC for the rights.

On weekday mornings, I'll post the most controversial, shocking and (of course) ridiculous stories for your reading pleasure. That way, when you walk into work, you'll be the master of witty conversation. National  • Hey, big spender: Romney hauls in $10 million in a single da y. (AP)  • Not to be outdone: Obama lists assets worth millions . (CNN)  • Amazing: Man 'cured' of AIDS . (CBS)  • Seriously? Facebook-loving couple names baby "like.

HBO has set premiere dates for its two big-ticket political projects filmed in Maryland last year. "Game Change," the made-for-TV movie starring Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, will premiere March 10, according to Stuart Levine in the Hollywood trade publication Variety . "VEEP," the half-hour political satire that finished filming its first season in December in the Baltimore area, will debut April 22....

The mob films continue. The latest is ''State of Grace,'' in which the Irish-Americans are the hoods.The film is based on the lives of the Westies, an Irish gang that operated a few years back and, for a time, terrified the West Side of New York.They don't so much terrify as befuddle in the film. The movie, done in very naturalistic style by director Phil Joanou, is more muddled than entertaining. Usually, the basics of a mob plot are enough to carry it along, compensate for bad sound and dense dialogue, but not here.

Remember the Baltimore sightings of Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson last summer? Well, here's the trailer for the HBO film they were shooting here, "Game Change," a docudrama about the 2008 presidential election that focuses on the GOP ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin. How do you think Palin's depicted in this film based on the trailer? I wonder, though, about the timing with Palin all but having dropped out of national consciousness after toying with a run and pulling back 10,000 times this year.

Overall, the Golden Globe nominations proved kind to made-in-Baltimore productions. HBO's political drama "Game Change" -- the story of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's 2008 vice-presidential run -- earned the most TV nominations with five: best TV movie or mini-series; best actress in a TV movie or mini-series (Julianne Moore); best actor in a TV movie or mini-series (Woody Harrelson); best supporting actress in a TV movie, series or mini-series (Sarah Paulson); and best supporting actor in a TV movie, series or mini-series (Ed Harris)

For almost two decades, Baltimore was mainly seen by the TV industry as a place to make shows about cops and crime. But now, the city is looking more like the nation's capital to some of Hollywood's top producers. On Thursday, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced that "House of Cards" - a Washington-set TV series starring Kevin Spacey - will be filmed in Baltimore this spring, making it the third political drama to be produced in Maryland in less than a year. "This current run of going three for three with Washington political stuff is really something," said Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office.

Good news for Sean Penn fans: At the end of Milk - SPOILER ALERT - you get to watch your hero get blown away by gunfire. Sorry, but that seems to be the price Penn must pay if he wants to win another Oscar to match the chunk of academy gold he nabbed for 2003's Mystic River. That's because gay roles that win Academy Awards for actors almost always must suffer ghastly deaths. No star has ever won an Oscar for portraying a gay, lesbian or transgender person who lives happily ever after.

HOLLYWOOD -- It's a sign of the times: Before the annual luncheon for Oscar nominees this past week, Nicole Kidman fielded questions not only about her attire -- black suit over pale lace camisole -- but on whether war and politics have a place at the Academy Awards. While she diplomatically responded that she can see both sides of the question, others were more pointed. Daniel Day-Lewis, nominated for his turn as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York, said: "It would seem obscene if we're seen bouncing up the red carpet grinning when people are dying.

With Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck has taken a best-selling Dennis Lehane novel and made a compelling, sometimes terrifying, and, on occasion, bleakly funny urban mystery about failure. His private-eye hero, Patrick Kenzie (Affleck's younger brother Casey), struggles to crack the kidnapping of a 4-year-old girl named Amanda McCready from the rough Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. His quest exacts a cost in emotion and moral certainty each step of the way. With every advance in his investigation, Kenzie faces some shortcoming or breakdown in individuals and organizations.