It was a pleasant surprise for my penis to see former “Angel” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Charisma Carpenter pop up in an episode of “Legend of the Seeker” last year and again this summer in Sly Stallone’s must-see shoot’em up The Expendables. But, it was an absolute shock for it to discover that the pretty Las Vegas native turned 40 in July.

Carpenter—who still rocks a 23-year-old’s body—appears to be on the comeback trail. The doe-eyed starlet is set to headline director Jason Bourque’s survival-frightener Crash Site. Principle photography is already underway in Vancouver.

Crash Site stars Carpenter and Ty Olsson (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) as a vacationing couple stranded deep in the woods after an automobile accident. The duo must survive the elements to make it back to civilization.

Carpenter can also be seen in the upcoming straight-to-DVD British horror film Psychosis. The film is said to feature Carpenter in violent sex scenes (I will investigate this immediately).

Actress Julianne Moore (Hannibal) has never been shy about showing off her body, but the 50-year-old cougar really appears to be stepping up her T&A game lately. Aside from her recent nude lesbian romp with Amanda Seyfried in the psychological-thriller Chloe, Moore is now raising temperatures in Venice, Italy with a sexy marketing campaign for jewelery and fashion giant Bulgari.

The ads, featuring Moore’s nude body tactfully covered by a handbag and lion cubs, were set to be displayed on billboards in the city’s famous St. Mark’s Square, but have now  been banned by Venice mayor Giorgio Orsoni.

Said Orsoni:

I take account of the fact that Venice is part of the real word…but we cannot accept these Hollywood-style images. There are intelligent sponsors, and we need to come up with advertising that suits Venice, not Times Square.

Bulgari will now put up billboards featuring Moore in more conservative poses (not pictured here).

Ever wonder why so many actresses start to go nude more frequently as they get older? The answer is simple: Like wine, low self esteem only gets better with age.

When a Hollywood starlet is in her 20’s, she can get away with rocking a bikini or employing body doubles for a role. But after 30, competition for the media spotlight gets fierce. Despite box office success and/or critical accolades, an actress’s insecurity can get the better of her, leading to more stroke-worthy career decisions.

Like Lucy Lawless, Monica Belluci, and Marisa Tomei, Moore continues to use her sex appeal to compliment her acting chops and show-up her younger peers. You gotta love that!

Talulah Riley’s role in Chris Nolan’s subconscious-mind-control thriller Inception may have been small, but the blonde 24-year-old Brit has been extracting nighttime emissions from my Level 3 wet dreams since I caught the flick.  Needless-to-say, I’m thrilled to learn that Riley has signed on to star in Gold Film’s 3-D alien invasion frightener Transmission.

Described as Pitch Black meets 28 Days Later, Transmission follows an extraterrestrial invasion of earth set during a solar eclipse. Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) is reportedly in talks to star opposite Riley. Bob Hoskins (Doomsday)and Jason Flemying (Clash of the Titans) are already onboard.

Director Roger Christian, best known for the critically-panned, commercial flop Battlefield Earth (John Travolta’s love letter to L. Ron Hubbard), is in negotiations to helm the project.

What could be more frightening than giant crocodiles? Having Yancy Butler’s career. The once smoking-hot up-and-comer was poised for stardom in 2001 when, after cutting her teeth on the action hits Hard Target and Drop Zone, scored the titular role in TNT’s “Witchblade” series.

But, alas, it was not meant to be.

Now, Butler—still sexy at 40—is playing a “feisty female hunting guide” out to land a giant croc in Sony Pictures Lake Dead 3, available Oct. 26 on DVD and Blu-ray disc.

Peep the unrated trailer (via Beyond Hollywood):

Sony has released an official synopsis for the film, but the only thing you need to know about this release is that:

Lake Placid 3 has a running time of 93 minutes and is unrated. The film contains graphic violence and full frontal nudity.

Man, it is great to see filmmakers embrace full-frontal nudity as a metaphor for vulnerability and/or spiritual openness. Without shots of young, tight vaginas, the graphic violence in Lake Placid 3 would just be frivolous.

Lake Placid 3 is directed by Griff Furst (Swamp Shark) and costars Colin Ferguson (“Eureka”), Kacey Barnfield (Resident Evil: Afterlife), Kirsty Mitchell and Michael Ironside (Terminator: Salvation).

The original 1999 Lake Placid film was written by Emmy-winner David E. Kelly (“Ally McBeal,” “The Practice”) and was actually a really good horror flick. It starred Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, and Betty White.