As hard as it is to believe, Curious George - the adorable monkey who loves to go on adventures - has been around for 65 years. Even more difficult to comprehend is that it's taken six decades for a major studio to produce a full-length feature film about the cute little troublemaker. (Photo © Richard Chavez)

Producer Ron Howard and Imagine Entertainment united with Universal Pictures to bring "Curious George" alive on the big screen. Catching up with two-time Oscar winner Howard (Best Picture and Best Director for "A Beautiful Mind") at the Hollywood Premiere of "Curious George," Howard explained why it took so long to bring the monkey to moviegoers and how important it was to show the proper respect to the source material.

Interview with Producer Ron Howard on "Curious George" and Capturing the Right Tone with 2D Animation

Rather Watch the Interview? - Play the Ron Howard Interview Video

Preview the Super Bowl Commercials

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" Super Bowl Commercial

"The Shaggy Dog" Super Bowl Spot

Commercial for the Animated Movie "Cars"

And Speaking of the Super Bowl - Some of the Best Football Movies

Jack Johnson Discusses "Curious George"
Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson is not a fan of red carpets. The laidback musician admitted he was totally out of his element when he had to walk the red carpet and talk to the media before taking in a screening of "Curious George." (Photo © Richard Chavez) But Johnson fought off his nervousness because providing the songs for "Curious George" meant he played one of the most important roles in the animated movie. His songs are basically the voice of George, who doesn't speak but does convey his feelings by way of Johnson's music. So why'd the busy singer take on the task of writing songs for the soundtrack? Johnson explains that and more in this video from the January 28th premiere of "Curious George:"

Jack Johnson and Clint Howard Talk About Their Involvement with "Curious George"

"Curious George" Photo Gallery

Because It Needs to Be Said - Not All Photographers are Paparazzi
One of the coolest things about covering premieres in Hollywood is the opportunity to run into what we call 'random' celebrities. 'Random' as in they're not in the movie being premiered and therefore aren't expected to show up so when they do, it's like a bonus prize in your box of Cracker Jacks. Anyway, this all leads into a random celeb sighting at the Hollywood premiere of Universal Pictures' animated family movie, "Curious George." I'm not writing this up to name drop but instead to give my camera man and my videographer public thanks for containing themselves and acting professional when many others might not have.

It seems Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, and their new baby made a trip to the Body Factory next to the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood, unaware their need for a drink coincided with the check-in time for the press covering the "Curious George" premiere. My videographer Gary saw Heath and Co. in front of the Body Factory, exchanged head nods with the actor and then - along with still photographer Richard Chavez - did their best not to bring attention to the fact Ledger and Williams were 25 feet away. With all the bad publicity surrounding anyone who takes photos of celebrities recently, I wanted to take this opportunity to point out a couple of guys who chose not to point their cameras (which would have caused the 25+ photographers nearby to spring into action) and instead did things right. Thanks guys - I know the photos/video would have brought in cash and I'm glad you decided to respect the privacy of a couple of celebrities who just happened to be thirsty.

"Brokeback Mountain" Picks Up 8 Oscar Nominations
5,798 members of the Academy received ballots and when the votes were tallied it was the romantic drama "Brokeback Mountain" which wound up capturing the most nominations with eight, followed closely by Paul Haggis' "Crash" and George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck" with six. (Pictured: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal © Focus Features)

While "Brokeback Mountain," "Crash" and "Good Night, and Good Luck" were expected to load up on the nominations, there were more than a couple of surprise nominations and snubs. Terrence Howard has been mostly overlooked for his outstanding performance as a pimp/wannabe rapper in "Hustle & Flow" but the Academy voters thought he deserved a nomination. Other surprises in the acting categories include Dame Judi Dench (an Academy favorite) in "Mrs Henderson Presents" and Keira Knightley for "Pride & Prejudice" who both picked up nominations in the Best Actress category. William Hurt's Best Supporting Actor nomination is also a little surprising as he only appears for a couple of minutes and though he did steal scenes, it might have been easy to forget his performance. It was also a shocker that "Walk the Line" failed to earn a Best Picture nomination when its two lead actors were both included in the acting categories.

2006 Academy Award Nominees are Lead By "Brokeback Mountain," "Crash" and "Good Night, and Good Luck"

More on the Nominees:

Exclusive Interview with Terrence Howard from "Hustle & Flow"

Jake Gyllenhaal Discusses "Brokeback Mountain"

Joaquin Phoenix on "Walk the Line" and Johnny Cash

George Clooney Talks About "Good Night, and Good Luck"

Felicity Huffman Takes on Her Most Challenging Role to Date in "Transamerica"

Dame Judi Dench on "Mrs Henderson Presents" and Working with Bob Hoskins

Catherine Keener Discusses "Capote" and Philip Seymour Hoffman's Performance

OSCAR POLLS - Cast Your Vote:
Best Director / Best Picture / Best Actor / Best Actress / Best Supporting Actor / Best Supporting Actress