For awhile, I’ve been lazily contemplating whether Gerard Butler or Robert Pattinson possesses a more rabid fanbase, and the issue remains at a deadlock. I will say, as evidenced from a reasonably-sized sample of collective hate mail, that Butler fans do tend to have a better grasp upon the English language than those whose idea of complex literature is the Twilight saga. Stick that in your Cullenism and smoke it.

Call it the curse of the scruffily handsome actors of dubious hygiene. Like Pattinson, Butler seems bound within a purgatory of vacuous roles meant only to satisfy the romantic fantasies of audience members who toss the “jealous” label onto any critic of their respective man. Still, both actors are capable of more than just shaking their asses for the camera. It hasn’t been that long since Butler appeared in The Cherry Orchard (an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play), and Pattinson professed a desire to commence “breaking boundaries” after his work in the Harry Potter franchise. Nowadays, Pattinson contents himself with using his hair as a metaphor for the unwashed masses who stalk his every move. For his part, Butler has set his ubiquitous Scottish burr in motion to romance manly women & bona fide lesbians onscreen before leaving work to hit the karaoke club and perfect his bedside manner. Undoubtedly, more drastic measures were necessary to cope with the insufferable Rainbow Killer known to the general public as “Katherine Heigl.”

Originally scheduled for an April release, The Ugly Truth has been pushed back to a July 24 release date. Since the only real competition on that weekend comes from the family-oriented G-Force, The Ugly Truth will probably earn more than respectable box office receipts. However, if the film’s charming promotional poster and clichéd, “dry toast” plot are any indication, this romantic comedy will be as insufferable as Heigl herself and manage to thoroughly insult both sexes in the process. Good times, mates.

Imagery: Sony Pictures