According to the old adage, Hollywood’s greatest actors are ones who can triumph even if the script is a phone book. In Marlon Brando‘s case, Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills has the next best thing this weekend – the late actor’s actual personal phone book.

The starting bid for this item is $500, and while many of the numbers may no longer be in service, it’s still a great dinner party conversation starter:

A burgundy leather three-ring binder telephone book circa 2003 containing hundreds of Brando’s personal friends and business contacts worldwide. Some names include Michael Jackson, Johnny Depp, Alec Baldwin, Johnnie Cochran, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Jane Goodall, Faye Dunaway, Jane Fonda, Madonna, Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, John Travolta, Barbra Streisand as well as noted scientists in various fields of study, press contacts and the United Nations and many other noteable entries.

If that’s not good enough, you can also bid this weekend on a Golden Globe the actor refused to accept for his portrayal of Don Corleone in The Godfather.

Former DCist.com unpaid contributor, current paid editor of Huffington Post’s Eat the Press -  the man with the best name for a blogger ever – Jason Linkins has written a post titled “How The Huffington Post Works (In Case You Were Wondering).”

Linkins writes:

This is how it all works. Yes, The Huffington Post is like a public square, for conversation. But that’s been built and maintained by people who work at it every single day, at all hours. We’re glad to have created that space, and we’re overjoyed that it gets filled every day, and we’re happy to promote the writing of others. But the building and the maintaining and the promoting of that space for people to play — that’s takes daily work, and that’s a big part of what I’m paid to do.

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Yes the Alana Semuels in the LAT’s article referenced the Alec Baldwin Hulu ads about the plot by aliens to get us to watch more television so our brains turn into more palatable mush.

But seriously here, folks…

The Nielsen Co.’s “Three Screen Report” — referring to televisions, computers and cellphones — for the fourth quarter said the average American now watches more than 151 hours of TV a month. That’s about five hours a day and an all-time high, up 3.6% from the 145 or so hours Americans reportedly watched in the same period last year.

It goes great with Chicken Fried Bacon With Gravy.

Although Alec Baldwin hosted on Saturday – this opening sketch featured Dan Akroyd as Congressman John Boehner.

“As Republicans, we don’t have to agree on everything. You like Rush, Eric here likes Sean – someone else can like Michael Savage – we’re a big tent party. But at the end of the day, we stick together – that’s why we’re on such a political hot streak.”

We watched two scripted (yay scripts!) television shows last night, 30 Rock and Ugly Betty.

On 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin‘s character said,”Thank you for telling me what I already know – you should work at the Huffington Post.”

And then on Ugly Betty – Michael Urie‘s character remarks that a big exclusive party even has Arianna Huffington at it. No cameo – just a mention.

So Huffington’s ‘media plantation‘ is getting plugged on prime time? Good for her. Read her interview on I Want Media as to why she doesn’t pay opinion writers:

IWM: Why doesn’t HuffPost pay most of the bloggers who are providing content for your site?

Huffington: HuffPost pays its editors and its reporters. We don’t pay for opinion pieces but, then again, bloggers have no deadlines or commitments. They contribute when they want, and as often or as infrequently as they like.

Newspaper opinion contributors don’t have ‘deadlines or commitments’ and they still get paid (or we will once the bankruptcy court frees up the cash). But maybe that’s why they’re dying…by paying for content. Cough.

Some top actors are pleading with the Screen Actors Guild to not call for a vote on a strike next month.

From NYT:

In a petition, more than 130 well-known actors – including George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and Sally Field – urged guild leaders to halt the strike authorization vote.

“We support our union and we support the issues we’re fighting for, but we do not believe in all good conscience that now is the time to be putting people out of work,” the petition stated.

Seriously, what other union is threatening to strike right now? Serious? We’re in the middle of an economic meltdown. In the middle. Not even done. Still melting as we speak. And SAG doesn’t feel like they’re getting a fair deal?!

Bed-wetters.

Nikki Finke has all the details (as usual) on DHD.

Hard to figure out which is more embarrassing…Rosie O’Donnell and this sickly attempt at a talk show, as the Hollywood Reporter maintains, or Alec Baldwin attempting to turn into Jack Paar. See the clip.

Just in case you missed it. This is the first of two sketches Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was in at SNL. Alec Baldwin also made a cameo. Palin says that Stephen Baldwin is her favorite Baldwin brother. Stephen Baldwin has been saying he’ll move to Canada if Barack Obama is elected. He thinks Canada is a refuge for anti-intellectual, neo-conservative zealots…like he’s confusing it with Alaska.

Anyway, there’s also the Sarah Palin Rap by Amy Poehler. It’s what she’ll be noted for 50 years from now. Amy…not Sarah.

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After winning awards and kicking up a Hollywood stink, Running With Arnold, the documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial campaign will finally be screened for the L.A. masses on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Sunset Laemmle 5.

An after-party will follow the screening the California Pizza Kitchen downstairs (free with a ticket stub for the $10 movie).

NetFlix is releasing the film as part of a promotion for DVD rentals of the docu. In addition to winning the Zurich International Film Festival’s Best Documentary prize, the film also showed at the Montreal WorldVision Film Festival, the Rio Di Janeiro Film Festival and South by Southwest.

Film director Dan Cox tells FBLA he hopes Arnold accepts his invitation to the screening but has “no major expectations.” Personally, we’re hoping Alec Baldwin shows up.

The readers of Nikki Finke (i.e., everyone who’s still interested in the outcome of the WGA strike) respond to her question:

What Should Happen Next?

with varying degrees of naivete (get the general public involved!),

realpolitik (prepare to take whatever the DGA gets),

general nuttiness (go back to work now and then strike when SAG’s contract is up),

and flat-out insanity (televised hearings on Hollywood accounting practices)

That’s the way to get America on your side–make ‘em watch book keepers–American Bean Counter. Project Double Entry. Monkey Points with the Stars.

Elsewhere

Is the strike benefiting the video game industry? Yes, say the Death Knights of Naxxramas.

Alec Baldwin is fed up with the WGA ‘s negotiators.

Robert Elisberg corrects Baldwin’s errors but stops short of calling him an idiot.

And Elizabeth Fies is just waiting for her film, The Commune, to open.