Stewart O'Nan meets his director
Hollywood’s crazy ways: Stewart O’Nan, who has written 11 novels, including the much praised 2007 Night at the Lobster, has finally seen one of his books brought to the screen. Snow Angels, a dark drama starring Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell, opens in March. (Click here to see our previous post about the film and watch its trailer.) Curiously, O'Nan first met the film’s director, David Gordon Green, at yesterday’s press junket in Los Angeles and our Nancy Mills says he didn’t seem at all bothered that he had no input on the film. “It’s about 75-80% faithful to the book,” O’Nan says, “although the film is a little lighter.” He describes the theme of both book and movie as “How people come to do these terrible things to people they love.” O’Nan is continuing with dark themes for his next book, which he says will be about “two women in their late seventies. They’re sisters-in-law who don’t like each other but come to realize they’re responsible for each other.” Watch below to see O'Nan doing a reading from Snow Angels.
Green also has Pineapple Express in the works and says Huey Lewis & the News just finished the theme song for it. Green says he told Lewis, "‘We don’t want it too far from your 80s work that we love so much. We want you to say a lot of the plot in it and the title as many times as you can and a lot of alto sax.’” The film, another comedy produced by Judd Apatow, stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as a pothead and his drug dealer, respectively, who get mixed up with crooked cops. It is scheduled for release in August. Green says he welcomed a chance to do comedy: “I needed to be able to incorporate fart jokes. When they sent me the script, I visited the set of Knocked Up and realized they used a process similar to mine. They were making commercial comedies with a loyal crew base, lots of improvisation and the insistence on natural moments. On Snow Angels, I was more respectful of the actors. On Pineapple Express, I constantly talked during takes. We were all yelling at each other all day. If you’re going for the gag, it’s not like you’re interrupting a dramatic moment. You’ve got to shout out a funny idea before you forget it.”
Bob Harper on 'Biggest Loser'
I'd never watched NBC's The Biggest Loser until this season and then I tuned in only because one day I needed something to keep me going on my treadmill. I slipped in the DVD NBC sent me, set the "weight loss" program on the machine and and whatd'ya know? I got hooked. I'm not the only one. Audiences love Biggest Loser, even in Australia. And that's where our Who's News contributor Gayle Carter, no stranger to working out herself, found Bob Harper (at left), one of the show's two trainers. He and Jillian Michaels, the other trainer, were promoting the show in Australia. We are doing a piece on Bob for the magazine column but he's so full of advice I couldn't get it all in. And he has a new book coming called Are You Ready!
Harper told Gayle he wants to “show people that no matter how much you’ve got to lose, make a game plan starting today. That’s going to be your first big step. For many it’s so overwhelming, when they think 'I have so much weight to lose,' they feel like it’s a lost cause."
He does have some indulgences of his own: "Chocolate and peanut butter...they go together. I’m not going to have it every day, but I work it into my calories and my work outs a few times a week.”
He's proud of having fans from his hometown, Adams, Tenn.: “Oh my gosh. They’re all just so proud, they’re really happy to see my transformation and that’s why I’m so proud of this book. I’m proud of the accomplishment. I feel like even though I’ve never been the overweight kid, I understand what these contestants go through. I go through every single day of every single season. When people tell me of all the bad they feel about themselves — that’s the one thing I’ve learned is to change that inner tape recorder, it’s a big part of my book — it’s soul damaging."
He has worked with some celebs: "I’ve had Ellen [DeGeneres], in particular. She can definitely work on that spiritual side. She got that what I do has a real spiritual side — that’s what I try to do. Recently, Reese Witherspoon called, she wanted to work out, I was like ‘Baby you’re perfect.’ I worked out with her in a class — I never had the privilege to work with her one-on-one — where I taught exercise classes in Nashville at a gym."
(photo by Trae Patton/NBC)
Questions for Trisha Yearwood
Most people know country star Trisha Yearwood (at left) for her music, but did you know she's also an avid cook? She's got a new book coming out in April, called Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, that's chock full of down-home recipes and personal stories about Yearwood's Southern upbringing. Kathy's talking to her next week. We're wondering what hubby Garth Brooks' favorite recipe is, but what questions do you have for Yearwood? Let us know in the comments below.
Don't miss Discovery's 'Human Body' series
I asked our Who's News writer Gayle Carter to take a look at a new
Discovery Channel special on the human body and a funny thing happened.
Her 5-year-old loved it. Though the four-part series Human Body: Pushing the Limits
(starting Sunday at 9 p.m. ET) sounds complex — it explains strength,
sight, sensation and brain power — "you'll not only enjoy it but you
will marvel and be astonished at what the human body can do. Both my son
and I sat riveted during the strength episode as we watched a man
survive being sucked into a tornado because he became unconscious and
his limp body was able to absorb the shock." Gayle says the show is
appropriate for children but if you have an inquisitve child it would
be best to watch together. She interviewed producer John Grassie, who
explained, "We're not trying to answer every single question...we're
not a graduate student lecture series. We want to pique the imagination
so [viewers] come out saying, 'Gee, I didn't know that.'" Gayle
reports that she and son Ben are still talking about how much goes into
making their hands move, so Grassie has accomplished at least that. For a sneak peek at the first episode, check out the clips here and here.
Happy birthday to the leap babies
I hope these stars are having a BIG party today, since their birthdays only come around once every four years. Antonio Sabato Jr. is 36 today, Dennis Farina is 64 and Ja Rule is 32.
February 28, 2008
A third season for Friday Night Lights
Hey Friday Night Lights fans — and I know there are many of you out there. I have good news on the status of the show, about which NBC has been very vague. FNL's exec producer Jason Katims tells us that he is confident the show will return for a third season. Hurray! Whether it will be seen on NBC is another question. There are many potential scenarios — a partnership with another network among them. Katims hopes that "whatever happens, we continue to maintain a presence on NBC," but he says the cast and crew is open to anything. And, Katims says, “Despite our ratings, everyone at the network and studio have shown genuine support for and belief in the show ..." He calls the latest endeavor by NBC and Universal to find a partner for the show "evidence to me of their continued commitment."
So, which of the current FNL storylines are you eager to see continued? Lyla and Tim and the Christian boyfriend? Smash's departure to a small college? Tyra and Landry? Something else? Tell us in a post below.
(photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBC)
Happy birthday to Alan Thicke
It's all birthday boys today: John Turturro turns 51, Robert Sean Leonard turns 39, Mario Andretti turns 68 and Alan Thicke turns 61.
February 27, 2008
Edie Falco's new gig
Edie Falco fans take note: She is at work on a new series for Showtime, a "dark comedy" to be shot in New York (she's pictured at left in her most recent comedic outing, as Alec Baldwin's girlfriend on 30 Rock). Here is how the Showtime folks describe it: "Falco will play an indomitable nurse with a special calling, who doesn’t hesitate to challenge her superiors – and the often untenable status quo – by taking matters into her own hands in order to save lives. While brilliantly in control on the job, her personal life is precarious, unpredictable, and demanding in ways that she is surprisingly not always prepared for." Kind of sounds like George Clooney's old character on ER, Dr. Doug Ross. Anyway, there's no premiere date yet but the show is being "fast-tracked" so keep your fingers crossed for summer.
Showtime also is crowing about having Diablo Cody's next project, The United States of Tara. Cody, you will remember, won an Oscar Sunday night for penning Juno. Tara is set to begin shooting in Los Angeles on April 14. The comedy, based on an original idea by none other than Steven Spielberg, stars Toni Collette as a wife and mother with dissociative identity disorder. I know what you're thinking. Sounds real hilarious. But, hey, Cody made teen pregnancy amusing.
(photo by Nicole Rivelli/NBC)
Roy Scheider's last role
If it worked for 300, which told the story of the battle at Thermopylae in 480 B.C., why not use CGI (computer-generated images) to retell more recent history? In the documentary Chicago 10, opening Friday, a mixture of motion capture technology and documentary footage brings to life the madcap militants who disrupted the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention and went on trial for conspiracy. My L.A. eyes, Nancy and Bart Mills, point out that the events of 40 years ago were both comic and horrific, but the movie plays much of the story for laughs. Funniest is the late Roy Scheider, in one of his last roles, as the voice of the unintentionally hilarious Judge Julius Hoffman (no relation to Yippie defendant Abbie Hoffman, voiced by Hank Azaria). Other actors lending their voices to the proceedings are Nick Nolte, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Dylan Baker and Jeffrey Wright. Check out the trailer below, and let us know what you think about mixing animation with real-life footage.
Bill Clinton's new title
One of my favorite things about culling through my reader email is finding quips, comments and short notes in response to something I've written. These quick communications are often not meant for publication; they are just jokes to share, or insight to offer. For example, in a recent magazine column I answered a reader's question about what we will call former president Bill Clinton if Hillary Clinton is elected president. I consulted Carl Anthony, an author and expert on first familes and first ladies, who suggested that Bill Clinton's "unofficial" title will be "first gentleman," or "first gent" for short. My readers responded with saracastic humor. Here are a few of their comments.
• If Hillary Clinton is elected president, Bill will be "The First Stud, in charge of Intern Selection and Training."
• In the now unlikely event Mrs. Clinton is elected our 44th president, it would be difficult to call Bill the "first gentleman." There is no evidence he has ever been a gentleman or is one now.
• You are correct in saying that the rational unoffical title for Bill Clinton would be first gentleman. But
the term should not be taken too literally. Gentlemen should carefully monitor Bill if their wives or
daughters are around.
• Why did your reply not mention Bill's own (?) clever play on words instead of "first LADY", he would be called the "first LADDIE" ?
What do you think we should call the former president if Hillary Clinton is elected? Post your thoughts and suggestions below.
(photo by Ralph Alswang/Clinton Foundation)
The Bank Job: True like Titanic
If, like me, you followed the dotty Diana inquest in London, you know that Mohamed al-Fayed, the super-rich father of Princess Diana’s last boyfriend, Dodi al-Fayed, has claimed that British intelligence was behind the 1997 death of Dodi and Diana in a horrific car crash in Paris. The retired chief of Britain’s MI6 Secret Intelligence Service, Sir Richard Dearlove, labeled al-Fayed’s accusations “without substance, utterly ridiculous and completely off the map.” In other words, dead wrong.
That same British intelligence is at the center of the about-to-be-released Jason Statham thriller The Bank Job and some are wondering if Sir Richard will surface again to debunk allegations made in the movie. The propaganda for the film says it’s based on a true story. That’s correct, but the movie is true like Titanic was true. There was indeed a big robbery in London in 1971 in which thieves tunneled into the safe deposit vault of a bank on Baker Street. They got away with a massive haul of cash and other valuables and were never brought to justice. In the movie, the thieves are recruited by British intelligence to rifle the vault and retrieve compromising pictures of the Queen’s fun-loving sister, Princess Margaret. The spooks cover the gang’s tracks and stifle police and press inquiries. Fun? Yes. Believable? I bet Sir Richard would say no. Check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Happy birthday to Josh Groban
Lots of birthdays today, including crooner Josh Groban (at left), who turns 27, and Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor, who turns 76. Two political names also share birthdays today: Chelsea Clinton is 28, and newly announced presidential candidate Ralph Nader is 74. Michael Bolton is 54, Howard Hesseman is 68, Gregg Rainwater is 42, James Worthy is 47 and Andres Gomez is 48.
(photo courtesy joshgroban.com)
February 26, 2008
Forest Whitaker is a workaholic
Last year’s Best Actor Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, who is pictured at left presenting the Oscar to this year’s Best Actress Marion Cottillard on Sunday, keeps his own Oscar out and available to admire. “When you go down the steps in my house, it’s sitting right there so people can pick it up,” he says. Whitaker, now playing an Everyman in the political thriller Vantage Point, had a very good year after winning that Oscar for The Last King of Scotland. He's been working non-stop. Here's a look at what he has coming:
* In April, Street Kings, a film about police corruption in Los Angeles. “I play the head of a crime family of police,” Whitaker says. “Keanu Reeves plays my enforcer. Eventually his eyes open up to what I’ve had him doing.”
* Next year, the film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic, Where the Wild Things Are. Whitaker plays the biggest Wild Thing. My daughter loved that book as a child; we read it constantly so I was interested to hear how they are making the movie. Director Spike Jonze is using puppets as the characters, according to Whitaker, but he filmed all the actors during several months of rehearsals “so that the characters could imitate our movements. They’ll try to CG (computer graphic) our faces into the characters.” During rehearsals, the Wild Things practiced lying on each other and having rock fights, although Whitaker says they used bread instead of rocks. “Spike got these big barrels of rolls, and we were throwing them at each other.”
* Also next year will come Repossession Mambo. “The movie deals with health care,” Whitaker says. “Jude Law and I are best friends, and we repossess body parts that people use to sustain life.” Let’s hope our health care system doesn’t come to this.
(photo by Michael Yada/ ©A.M.P.A.S.)
Kyra Sedgwick returns in The Closer in July
Good news for we fans of The Closer. The writers' strike did little damage to TNT's summer schedule. The network announced today that its crime drama starring Kyra Sedgwick will return in July. So will Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter. TNT also annoucned a new legal drama by Steven Bochco starring Jane Kaczmarek, from Malcolm in the Middle. TBS, the other Turner network, is bringing back My Boys and The Bill Engvall Show, both in June.
Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson in Tudor England
Yesterday I got an early look at The Other Boleyn Girl, a lovely period drama opening Friday starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson that I found unfortunately lacking in context if not in good performances. Because I had read the 2001 Philippa Gregory historical novel by the same title, I hoped for a more layered story than the one that can be told in one hour and 50 minutes. (Visit the movie's web site to see Gregory talk about the movie.) Perhaps that's why I am so taken with Showtime's series about life in Tudor England — which also centers on King Henry VIII's affair with Anne Boleyn. The Tudors, with a terrific Jonathan Rhys-Myers as Henry, returns for a second season at the end of March and I can't wait. But back to the movie. Portman is Anne Boleyn and Johannson is her sister, Mary, the "other" Boleyn girl, but the one with whom Henry is first smitten. Lucky for her, it doesn't last or she might have ended up like her poor beheaded sister. Eric Bana is the icy King but this movie isn't about him. It's about the young women, what they are asked to do for their family, and their relationship with each other. It's difficult to think of two other young actresses who could have done what these two do with this material -- or look so fabulous in the lush period costumes while they do it. Check out the trailer below.
Happy birthday to Fats Domino, Erykah Badu
Happy birthday to a classic R&B singer, Fats Domino, who turns 80 today, and a new R&B star, Erykah Badu (at right), who turns 37 today. Actress Jennifer Grant (daughter of Cary Grant) celebrates her 42nd birthday today.
(photo courtesy erykah-badu.com)
February 25, 2008
Star birthdays
I'm feeling a little sheepish today because I got so caught up in Oscar day yesterday I missed wishing my handsome and talented nephew a very happy 11th birthday. So, Davis James Francis Lynch, happy belated birthday.
Now, onto stars who are celebrating today: Téa Leoni, who turns 42, and Sean Astin, who is 37.
Andy Richter, in Semi-Pro, talks b-ball
L.A. writer Nancy Mills recently caught up with Andy Richter for us; he was home in Los Angeles briefly to visit his wife and kids because he is shooting They Came from Upstairs in New Zealand. You may know that Andy has a key role in Semi-Pro, opposite Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Will Arnett, opening Friday. He plays the coach of a basketball team trying to make it in the NBA. "It was probably the height of working with people I like in terms of the movies I've done," Andy says. "It was almost embarrassing to get paid to do it. I've known half the cast for 10 years or more. It was pretty easy to go to work and have fun." His biggest challenge? "Wearing polyester pants. Sometimes I get tired of how easy it is to have my skin breathe." What about playing a superhero? "I'll need a corset first, and I'll wear tights. But you'll have to pay me."
Richter is not much of a sports fan. "I'm okay with basketball," he says. "I like to play it and watch it live. But I don't have a passion to watch sports on TV. I'm a wuss when it comes to that. Usually I'm watching what my kids (William, 7 this year, and Mercy, 1) are watching. My son plays basketball at school, but I don't see myself managing his team. My role in terms of my children and school will probably be MC-ing fundraising auctions. That's a useful skill."
80th Oscar finish
Another Oscar season is put to rest. And though I'm a little bleary-eyed while writing this I have to say I'm glad the writers' strike was settled in time for the ceremony to go on. However, I am officially giving up on all "countdown to Oscars" shows from the red carpet hours before the ceremony, particularly those hosted by people who make it all about themselves and can't be bothered to do their homework on the stars who will be attending.
But I want to know what you think? Did the Oscars live up to the hype? Did you like Jon Stewart as host - how about when he gave an Oscar moment back to one of the played off winners? Did you have a favorite Oscar moment? Gary Busey attacking Jennifer Garner on the red carpet perhaps? Post your thoughts below. I'm eager to hear.
Javier Bardem has a case of nerves
Javier Bardem, who took his mother as his date (though his girlfriend Penelope Cruz was a presenter), finally arrived backstage and told the gathered press that he had been nervous before his win as best supporting actor. He made everyone laugh when he confessed that his mother asked why he was nervous when the academy wasn't going to give him the award. He talked about working with the award-winning Coen brothers but did admit he is happy he no longer has the awful haircut of his character.
(photo ©A.M.P.A.S.)
February 24, 2008
Marion Cotillard sings for the press
Marion Cotillard, who won best actress over my favorite, Julie Christie, went backstage where our Jeanne got to ask her what actresses she admired over the years. She loves all actresses, but allowed as how she was so in love with Peter Sellers when she was a kid - she's still a kid! - that she wanted to marry him. One reporter asked her to sing a song from the movie and she accommodated with Padam Padam.
(photo ©A.M.P.A.S.)
Accessing Hollywood takes friends
Here's a shout out to our good friends at Access Hollywood - Nancy O'Dell, Billy Bush, and all the producers and directors. The Access team was incredibly hospitable to Kathy and me when we were in Los Angeles for the SAG Awards last month. Thanks to them, we got a great spot on the red carpet to see all the biggest stars. Check out the Access Hollywood Web site tonight.
Tilda Swinton meets the press
Tilda Swinton (at right) just finished up backstage with the press, telling reporters that no one was more surprised than she was that she won for best supporting actress. Who did she think would win? Anybody else. She said that when they called her name it was like everything was in slow motion. Swinton, 47, was as funny backstage as she was in front of the audience — told her dress was "interesting" she said that was a "euphemism" but that it was comfortable. She said she was surprised people didn't know she's funny. "I'm funny all the time," she says. "I'll have to work on that." Swinton was irked to be asked about her unconventional living arrangement, which reportedly includes her partner of 18 years and her boyfriend who is 20 years younger. The press room is still waiting for Javier Bardem to show up ...we'll keep you posted.
(photo ©A.M.P.A.S.)
Fashionably late
OK, we're already halfway into the show but here's a catch-up post. As always, there was a crush of the biggest names arriving on the red carpet at once — and with just enough time to do a quick TV interview or two and zip into the Kodak Theatre. Calista Flockhart with live-in love Harrison Ford (at left), Johnny Depp with live-in love Vanessa Paradis, Jessica Alba, Faye Dunaway, Cate Blanchett, John Travolta
and wife Kelly Preston (at right), McDream... I mean, Patrick Dempsey and wife Jillian Fink. As show time drew closer the actors would bypass, graciously in most cases, the masses of media, though Jeanne reports that a few celebs ignored the reporters as if they were homeless on the nearby streets.
(photos ©A.M.P.A.S.)
Tell us your favorite dress. Post below
One of our posters (Kelli) commented on the fabulousness of Helen Mirren's dress and it seems the Oscar-winning actress either got the red dress memo or was the catalyst for the evening's predominant color scheme. Our own Jeanne Wright saw Mirren's dress up close and tells us "it looked amazing and the top seemed to shimmer like diamonds."
Our Kathy Rowings, here with me in Washington, D.C., noted the similarities between Anne Hathaway (at left) and Katherine Heigl's gowns so we are wondering: with all the red dresses being worn tonight, which one is your favorite?
Here are our picks:
Lorrie: Katherine Heigl
Kathy: Anne Hathaway, above
And TJ Walter, also here in Washington with us: Anne Hathaway
Lisa Rinna could be worst interviewer
Worst interviewer of the evening award has to go to Lisa Rinna, who missed a wonderful opportunity to introduce George Clooney's girlfriend Sarah Larson (at right) to viewers. She then went on to embarrass herself by congratulating Amy Adams on being at the Oscars for the first time - forgetting that Adams had been a nominee two years ago. When Amy said that she had been there before Lisa tried to recover but flubbed even worse, congratulating her on her second nomination. She's not nominated, but her song from Enchanted is. Who's your pick for worst interviewer in a pre-show? Post below.
(photo ©A.M.P.A.S.)
Wolfgang Puck's chocolate treats
Chef to the stars Wolfgang Puck (at left) made an appearance on the red carpet early in the afternoon and he got whoops and yells, too, because he was tossing out to the crowd the little gold chocolate Oscars he'll be serving at the end of the supper he's prepared for the 1,600 stars and suits who will attend the Governors Ball. He's also serving Austrian chocolate in honor of one of the nominated foreign films, The Counterfeiters.
(photo by Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.)
Lisa Rinna anchors TV GUIDE pre-show
Our Jeanne Wright reports that TV GUIDE pre-show host and former Dancing With the Stars competitor Lisa Rinna got a few whoops from the crowd when she walked the carpet. Lisa looks great, as well she should after the Botox, dieting and exercise regime she puts herself through to be ready for these events. I do wish she'd spend a little more time developing questions for the stars so her conversations could go a little beyond "what are you wearing?" What would you ask tonight's nominees if you had their attention for just a few moments? Post your questions below. I'll send them to Jeanne and you never know, she might get a chance to ask yours when the stars come backstage during the show.
Clooney does red carpet with girlfriend Sarah Larson
Well, if you're watching the pre-shows - I've got TV GUIDE's on — you'll see that George did indeed bring his beautiful girlfriend Sarah Larson as his date to tonight's Oscars. He's not a favorite to win, though he's always my favorite. He's got a great sense of humor and was quoted saying he feels a bit like Hillary Clinton must be feeling these days, "It's just not my year."
George Clooney arrives at Oscars
It's Oscar Sunday and the excitement on the red carpet is already palpable. Our Jeanne Wright is wedged in among the hundreds of reporters lining the walkway up to the Kodak Theatre but that doesn't make it any less fun. It's a little early for the crush of REALLY big stars — except for George Clooney, who never takes himself too seriously. He has arrived and Jeanne reports that the crowd went wild when they got a glimpse of the Oscar nominated star. In fact, they started shouting: "George, George, George." He's at the far end of the red carpet giving interviews now and spending quite a bit of time at it, says Jeanne. "I hope he spends that much time up (further on the carpet) here with us." We'll see. We'll also see if he brings his new girlfriend Sarah Larson. When George brings a date to the award show, you know it's serious. I'll never forget the day he arrived on the red carpet for the Emmys, back when he was still doing ER, with his then very new French girlfriend Celine Balitran. She looked a little shell-shocked when she saw the reception he was getting, as if she had not quite understood just how big a star she was dating. She definitely got the picture that night.