How serious is Ryan Gosling? He's willing to walk out of a role over creative differences even after packing on 20 pounds for the part.

In fact, Variety reports that that's exactly what the "Lars and the Real Girl" actor just did, pulling out of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel, "The Lovely Bones." Mark Wahlberg, a fine actor but not quite on the same level as Gosling, has stepped into the role of Jack Salmon, for which Gosling had also begun growing a beard. Shaving is easy, but losing 20 pounds? We don't treat that quite so lightly.

What do you think about Gosling's choice? Would the weight gain influence your decision as an actor? Any weight-loss tips for Ryan?

With penis trinkets in tow, I climbed aboard a bachlorette party bus this weekend with a group of friends in Rockford and headed for the Cadillac Ranch in Bartlett. Not familiar with the club? Think country tunes, cowboy hats and line dancing. Oh, and then think dance beats and sweaty, drunken grinding on the dance floor. Yes, this spot does both!

I'm a little fuzzy on the timeline, but the scene was totally country when we rolled in around 10:30 p.m. I made a bee-line for the dance floor and managed to scoot my boots without drawing blood from my companion (I was wearing stillettos). Country tunes gave way to the occasional dance mix as the bar got darker (and our group got more drunk). Before I knew it the club was packed and everyone was grinding away on the dance floor. My cowboy hat-clad dance partner was already riding off into the sunset. Or maybe he just took his hat off.

Verdict: This 4 a.m. spot is a fun place to party for a special occasion, but I wouldn't have minded a change of scene after a couple of hours (um, more than the country-mouse, city-mouse switch). If I ever go back, I'll go for the line dancing and skip the tired late-night club scene.

Yes, with Halloween approaching Josh Hartnett's disappointing vampire flick "30 Days of Night" topped the box office this weekend. Of course, its $16 million take isn't any more impressive than Hartnett's latest sucky performance, but it was more than enough to stay ahead of the next-highest new movie, "Gone Baby Gone," which made only $6 million to land at No. 5. The terrible sports spoof "The Comebacks" came in at No. 6 with $5.85 million, and the week's big loser was "Rendition," the Reese Witherspoon-Jake Gyllenhaal topical thriller which placed ninth with $4.17 million. Did "30 Days of Night" scare you? Why didn't Reese draw more viewers to "Rendition"? Is the American public just tired of movies related to terrorism and the Iraq war?

This weekend I popped into the recently opened La Madia to check in on our Best Bartender finalist, Jennifer Contraveos, the beverage manager at this River North newcomer. After getting a taste of her signature Cane Juice cocktail (Clear Creek Pear Brandy, 10 Cane Rum, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, homemade ginger simple syrup and a cinnamon sugar rim) at our big bash earlier this month, I tried the full-size version on the menu at this upscale pizzeria and lounge: delicious! But her Crimson Crush (Stoli Citros vodka, pomegranate juice, fresh lemon sour, muddled mint, rock-candy syrup and soda water) was equally mouth-watering — and much too easy to drink — so just be careful when sipping her tasty concoctions.

As for La Madia itself, the bar and lounge area at the front—plus the windows that open to the street and a side patio nook—look to be a real draw. The rest of the space is outfitted with booths and seating at the "pizza bar," where you can watch your thin crust get popped into the fire-y oven. Prices were reasonable ($10-$15 for pizzas) and the atmosphere is upscale yet laidback. Drawing a consistent crowd at their Grand Avenue location will be La Madia's real test.

What's the best thing about attending a Morrissey concert alone? Well, yes, there is a certain poetic harmony to it -- it's Morrissey, after all. But for me, it's being able to mill about in the parking lot with about 50 other acolytes for as long as it takes to watch the singer emerge from the stage door. After his Saturday concert at Star Plaza Theater in Merrillville, Ind., we waited about 45 minutes to catch just a few additional seconds of the man. A bewildered parking lot security guard asked us, "You like him that well, huh?" When we assured her that, yes, in fact we did, she replied. "Well, I have never heard of him before, but he's got a wonderful voice. I'll give him that." When Morrissey finally came out of the buildign, he smiled, waved to the crowd, climbed into his chariot and took off. A fan ran after the bus, but the security guard just shrugged.