A sunny Thursday arrives with news on Ashley Tisdale, Jessica Biel, Kevin Smith, and more. Dig in below.

- "They Came From Upstairs." She came from "High School Musical." Ashley Tisdale joins cast of alien invasion teen flick for feature film debut. (Hollywood Reporter)

- Jessica Biel joins romantic comedy "Easy Virtue," based on a Noel Coward play. (Hollywood Reporter)

- From Ben to Matt. "Gone Baby Gone" actress (and likely best supporting actress winner) Amy Ryan joins Paul Greengrass's "Imperial Life in Emerald City" alongside Mr. Damon. (Variety)

- Kevin Smith blogs from the set of "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." (Silent Bob Speaks)

- Did Morgan Spurlock actually find Osama Bin Laden for new documentary? (/film)

We're early yet in the awards season, but one name has emerged out of the many would be contenders as the closest thing to a sure thing. Forget Daniel Day-Lewis and Cate Blanchett and even Javier Bardem. If you're looking an early Oscar front-runner, it's Amy Ryan.

Yes, thanks to a scene-stealing turn as a mother of questionable skills in Ben Affleck's directing debut, "Gone Baby Gone," the New Yorker has earned prizes from the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Associations, the National Board of Review, and just last week, a Golden Globe nomination.

I met up with Ryan at a West Village coffee shop recently to talk about the part of a lifetime for the actress and why she's filled with excitement and terror all at once.

MTV: Can you take me back to the audition for "Gone Baby Gone"? Read more...