NEW YORK — Charlize Theron dishes on her favorite scene from her latest film, “Young Adult.”

The gorgeous actress also explains to Blast how she humanizes a bitchy character.

“Young Adult” is the latest film written by “Juno” writer Diablo Cody. It was directed by Jason Reitman and also stars Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt.

The film hits theaters on Friday.

Really cool having Jeff Bridges present “A Serious Man.” Gotta say, it is appropriate to have “the Dude” present the Coen Brothers’ movie. New update for those who dont know — Jeff Bridges is starring in the brothers’ remake of “True Grit,” the movie that John Wayne won his Oscar for. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are costarring, so expect the upcoming western to be an awards contender in 2010.

Got to love how they pick these presenting duos. The only connection between Jake Gylenhaal and Rachel McAdams… they are both really hot.

Best Adapted Screenplay is another stacked category. Just another example of how strong a movie year 2009 was. Wow! First big upset. “Up in the Air” had been the heavy favorite for months. I wonder if the spat between writers Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner had anything to do with it. Reitman definitely took a big PR hit with how dickish he seemed to be at the Golden Globes. Honestly, if it wasn’t “Up in the Air” I would have preferred “An Education.” Nick Hornby’s script was gorgeous.

And what an awkward but heartfelt speech by Geoffrey Fletcher.

“I wrote that speech for him.” Steve Martin, you are comic gold. And Queen Latifah, looking beautiful in pink, presents another montage. This one for the Governor’s Award.

“Up in the Air” director Jason Reitman does not want you to judge his characters. Oddly enough, Reitman, in most of his films, chooses main characters to whom the audience initially wants to do just that — a tobacco lobbyist, a pregnant teen — and in “Up in the Air,” a guy who fires people for a living.

Blast got a chance to sit down with Reitman about why he finds himself drawn to such unlikable characters like UITA’s Ryan Bingham (George Clooney).

“I think a lot of people will come in ready to vilify the guy,” Reitman said. “But I’m used to making movies about characters that are normally vilified. I have the most charming actor on earth, so I’m not as worried about people being ready to hate him. I seem to be drawn to tricky characters that I like to humanize.”

Reitman spoke candidly about his film as he absentmindedly removed and replaced his beanie, fidgeting with his chin-length salt-and-pepper hair. This is the third film on which Reitman has been both writer and director, and he revealed that he had specific actors in mind before he even started the writing process, many for which this will be their first big role.

“I wrote eight of the characters in this film for the actors specifically,” Reitman said. “I find it a lot easier to write once I know the voice of the character.”

One of these characters was spunky do-gooder Natalie Keener, played by 24-year-old Anna Kendrick. Kendrick’s performance has generated a lot of Oscar buzz.

“I’d seen her in ‘Rocket Science,’” Reitman said, “and in that saw a girl so different from everyone of her generation with such an articulate, pointed way of speaking. A know-it-all who is like many of the girls I’ve fallen in love with in my life, who are always kind of the smartest girl in the room and who are frustrated by their own brilliance. And that’s exactly who she is.”

Another hand-picked actor was Vera Farmiga, who plays Alex Goran, possibly the most unlikable character. In her biggest role to date, Farmiga plays a foxy 30-something to George Clooney’s debonaire 40-something. Reitman said that with the character of Alex, he needed an actress who could accept the character at face-value.

“What I liked about Vera is that she doesn’t judge her characters,” Reitman said. “I was portraying a very specific woman. A woman in her late 30s who is going through kind of a mid-life crisis. I needed a woman who could be as masculine as she was feminine, completely in control of her sexuality and not judge what happens from the beginning to the end of the film.”

Another of Reitman’s chosen actors was one he’s used many times before — J.K. Simmons. Simmons has figured prominently in most of Reitman’s films, but in this, he plays a man who’s just been laid off. But don’t let the size of the role fool you — it’s one of the most meaningful scenes in the movie.

“I hope J.K.’s in every movie I ever make,” Reitman said. “He’s my muse. Woody Allen and Alfred Hitchcock had these beautiful women, and I have J.K. Simmons.”

With the current economic climate, Reitman conceded that viewers might be more likely to despise his main character now than they would have before. But Ryan’s job is just a backdrop to the larger story, Reitman claims, and when he started writing the script seven years ago, he couldn’t have anticipated his impeccable timing.

“I feel like downsizing isn’t what the movie’s about, at the end of the day,” Reitman said. “The movie’s about a guy trying to figure out who and what he wants in his life. This economy has served as an interesting location for the film, and it’s become a more prominent location from when I started writing the script seven years ago. But it’s never been a movie about actually firing people. That’s just his job. That’s the location.”

Reitman shared that the making of this film has been an educational process for him.

“I had to grow up and learn about life,” Reitman said. “When I started writing it I was a single guy living in an apartment. By the time I finished writing it I was married, I was a father, I had a mortgage.”

Also enlightening was the act of actually interviewing people who had been laid off and trying to completely understand the firing process.

“The astonishing thing is,” Reitman said, “if you had asked me before I made this film, ‘What’s the hardest part about being fired?’ I would have probably said the loss of income. I didn’t make a movie about people who worked on a factory line, I made a movie about people who went to college and started careers and had real salaries and a mortgage and often two car payments and kids about to go to college who are left suddenly with nothing. And I said, ‘Oh, it must be the loss of income.’ But what I came to realize, at least when it came to the people, and I talked to a lot of people, it was the loss of purpose. The reason to get out of bed in the morning. The thing they would say that scared me the most was ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know where I’m supposed to go.’ We’d do the interview, and they’d say ‘I could get in my car after this interview and I don’t need to be anywhere.’ And that seems to be the most frightening thing.”

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

“Up in the Air” has been one of the most talked-about and anticipated movies of the year, and for good reason. This charming, timely character-driven film is “a story about real people,” said supporting actress Anna Kendrick recently to MTV. “And everybody likes that.”

“How much does your life weigh?” This is the question Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) asks. “Up in the Air” follows Bingham, who makes a living out of traveling the country firing people. We quickly learn Ryan thrives in his solitary existence, racking up frequent flier miles and spending less than 50 days a year at home in Omaha. Bingham’s life is very light, which supports his philosophy that “moving is living.” His flow is interrupted by Natalie Keener, a Cornell grad and his company’s newest hire. Natalie bursts onto the scene chock full of bright new ideas for the company’s technological advancement that would put Bingham exactly where he doesn’t want to be — grounded. Bingham decides to take Keener on a trip to show her the ropes, and on the course of their journey, they both learn something about love, ending a career and each other.

During the first part of the film, it’d be easy to think this movie was a comedy — and a good one. We all know Clooney is a pro at the adorable head-dip and boyish smile, but we get a chance to see his funny side in Bingham’s consistent frustrated jabs toward Keener. When her boyfriend breaks up with her via text message, Bingham doesn’t miss a beat, replying, “Yeah, it’s kinda like firing someone over the internet.”

The most charming, hilarious scene in the movie is the first meeting between Bingham’s foxy fellow traveller Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga). They bond over their mutual obsession with “elite status,” comparing notes on the best car companies to use (Hertz, apparently) and what membership cards they share. They end up in bed together and start a loose relationship, shacking up in hotels across the country. When Bingham expresses initial discomfort at the idea of getting into a relationship, Goran lays his fears to rest: “Thing of me as yourself, but with a vagina.”

However, about 3/4 of the way through, the movie takes a drastic, bleak turn. Keener’s plucky optimism about her “firing over the internet” idea is effectively shut down when she actually has to look into the eyes of hopeless Americans and tell them they are no longer needed. Bingham opens his mind to the possibility of a relationship with Goran only to be crushed when he finds that she is married. The movie ends where it started with Keener off to a different job and with Bingham back up in the air.

The cast in this film deliver a pitch-perfect performance. Newcomer Anna Kendrick has been receiving praise for months, due in part for her acting but also undoubtedly to the amazing fact that she’s so young. Clooney is great, as always, and we see a new side of him as heartbroken and deserted. But the best performance comes from Farmiga. Unless you read this review beforehand, you won’t anticipate that she’s married until the last minute. A veritable newcomer to the big screen, she handles Clooney expertly while also bringing something of her own to the table. Anna Kendrick will doubtless receive an Oscar nomination.

It must also be mentioned that there are some great cameos by Blast favorite Zach Galifianakis and Director Jason Reitman favorite, J.K. Simmons. The only forced part of the movie is its documentary-style conversations with people who have been laid off. Reason number one why you stick with professional actors. Despite that, it’s great to say that for once, the movie lives up to the hype, if not surpassing it.

Three Paramount announcements today:

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures announced that “The Lovely Bones,” from director Peter Jackson for release on December 11 in limited release with an expansion on December 25 and a wide release on January 15, 2010.

Paramount Pictures’ “Paranormal Activity will be released on September 25 in limited release.

Paramount Pictures’ “Up in the Air” from Director Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney will be released on November 13 in limited release and expanding on November 25.

We don’t have the Boston release dates yet, however.