As our recent top 10 list of her best work made clear, we love Nicole Kidman. So it’s no surprise that my pick of yesterday’s internet action is this fascinating piece the Oscar-winning actress wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, reflecting on the making “Eyes Wide Shut” with Stanley Kubrick. In it, she touches on her personal discovery of Kubrick’s work, her affectionate, admiring relationship with a director that she refused to glorify and her closeness to Tom Cruise during filming — despite media suspicions that the film wrecked their marriage. She writes: “Stanley wanted to use our marriage as a supposed reality… He used the movie as provocation, pretending it was our sex life — which we weren’t oblivious to, but obviously it wasn’t us.” Essential reading: more of this kind of thing, please. [THR]
A second interesting dose of personal reflection comes from “Cloud Atlas” co-director Lana Wachowski, who spoke candidly and movingly about her experience with a transgenderism at an award presentation last weekend. [Slate]
Speaking of the Wachowski’s, Christopher Borrelli takes a tour of their secluded directors’ workship in the Windy City. [Chicago Tribune]
With the film now having received Oprah’s endorsement, indie distributor Participant Media are planning an Oscar campaign for the acclaimed “Middle of Nowhere,” from African-American writer-director Ava DuVernay. [The Envelope]
Meanwhile, Lionsgate has their eye on Golden Globe attention for their Al Pacino-Christopher Walken comedy “Stand Up Guys,” which will be getting a qualifying release in December. [The Playlist]
Jon Weisman compares “Silver Linings Playbook” to “Smashed,” and concludes that the latter is getting shortchanged in the Oscar race. [The Vote]
Robbie Collin sits down with “The Master” star Philip Seymour Hoffman for a substantial interview. [The Telegraph]
Sasha Stone goes deep on the Best Actress race — and is predicting a nomination for Anne Hathaway in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Let’s just say I don’t quite see it. [Awards Daily]
Robert De Niro is as willing as anyone to admit he hasn’t really been on award-winning for a long time prior to “Silver Linings Playbook.” [AV Club]
Looking ahead to 2013, Alfonso Cuaron’s eagerly awaited, agonisingly delayed sci-fi “Gravity” has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA — which means it’s finally finished. [Cinema Blend]