Awards Show Manic Depression
November 21, 2011
Oscars and Globes make me bipolar
Why, you ask? I’ll tell you. It’s the hosts. Back and forth and up and down – I’m happy, I’m sad, I’m…dizzy. But it looks like the dust has settled for the main shows this year – the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes both have hosts. But how do we feel about those hosts? Let’s find out.
The Depressive
This honor goes to Billy Crystal as host of the Oscars. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Crystal and enjoyed his schtick when he hosted the show 172 years in a row. But after Brett Ratner stuck his giant foot in his mouth, causing his
Billy Crystal...stepping up to the plate
withdrawal as producer of the show and Eddie Murphy’s immediate bail I was hoping for some fireworks. My initial misgivings about Murphy hosting had given way to anticipation – maybe he was going to bring some zing to the proceedings.
When it all fell apart I was disappointed, but also excited to see what such chaos might bring to the broadcast. Surely things would be different now! They had to get a producer and a host in such a short time! Oh, the glorious anarchy of it all!
Alas, it was not meant to be and my dreams of an Oscar broadcast that broke the mold were dashed. Brian Grazer stepping in as producer made me nervous, but Billy Crystal stepping up to the plate as host sealed the deal – it’s going to be the same old, same old. Sigh.
It’s not that I don’t understand, I do. When in a pinch it’s always wise to go with the tested, the tried and true, the familiar. It’s definitely the most prudent move by the Academy. But it’s so safe, so boring, so depressing. I’ll still watch, and for the most part I’m sure I’ll enjoy. But in the back of my mind will be visions of the delicious, shocking chaos that might have been. The kind of chaos that would bring audiences flocking back to watch the fireworks at the Oscars.
Oh, well, maybe next year.
The Manic
I would never leave you all on such a down note. There’s good news to be had! After taking a beating last year for being, well, funny, Ricky Gervais has actually been invited back to host the Golden Globes! And he’s accepted! It wasn’t that NBC didn’t want him back, it was the Hollywood Foreign Press (whose show it is) that balked. They really didn’t like Gervais
Oh Ricky you're so fine...
picking on the stars in attendance at last years event. The stars agreed. They don’t want to be anything but fawned over at these public awards spectacles and Gervais simply didn’t provide the ass kissing to which they are accustomed. Boo-fricking-hoo.
Even my beloved Robert Downey, Jr. had his undies in a bundle over Gervais. While causing me some momentary cognitive dissonance I decided to stand firm for snark over celebrity. Downey and the rest need to grow up and realize that they are the most privileged of the privileged. The rest of the world watches them live large every single day while a lot of people in this country are worried about losing their jobs or their homes. Do we like to see someone have some fun at the expense of pampered celebrities? You bet we do!
Word is that the ‘industry’ (you know, the rich, famous people) feel that Gervais makes the show all about him, instead of being a proper celebration of the stars. Bullshit. Or not. I don’t care why he does the things he does – he’s funny and not concerned with celebrity brown nosing and I, for one, look forward to watching the show this year.
Last year I actually missed the broadcast in a stupor of apathy. I didn’t care, I was saving my tolerance for fawning for the Oscars and missed the spectacle, seeing only bits and pieces later on. But not this year. I’m thrilled that NBC prevailed and that Ricky is coming back – I will most certainly be watching. I only hope that he’s not swayed by last years hooha into becoming a nice, tame host that the stars can pet and hand feed.
This year The Golden Globes is the awards show to watch. If I had to pick one I would choose the acerbic and unpredictable Gervais over the probably mildly amusing and safe Crystal any day of the week. Here’s to award show chaos – bring it, Ricky!
And Eddie Murphy is……..OUT!
November 9, 2011
I can’t keep up with these people.
Honestly. I was just coming around to the idea of Eddie Murphy as Oscar host. Initially, I was firmly opposed to the choice. But then I was seeing the previews for Tower Heist, thinking that it looked like the old Eddie might be back on
Eddie's happy! I'm sad.
form. A little less of the Daddy Day Care Eddie. A little more of the Delirious Eddie. I was starting to look forward to Oscar night, anticipating the possibility of some upheaval in the status quo.
Then Brett Ratner had to open his mouth. Now really, I have nothing against the man or his work but how stupid do you have to be to throw around incendiary words and graphic tales of your sexual exploits while promoting your movie? And how much more exponentially stupid do you have to be to do so 3 months before you’re scheduled to produce the Academy Awards telecast? I’ll tell you – really freaking stupid.
So Ratner stuck both feet in his mouth, promptly apologized, withdrew as Oscar producer and Murphy followed. Now they have no producer and no host. Terrific!
Think before speak, Brett.
Let’s see what they can put together on the fly to entertain the 50 billion (fine, that’s probably an exaggeration – I don’t know, I made it up) people who are going to watch and critique every moment of the show! Awesome.
Actually, even though it’s too bad that we won’t see Eddie have a chance to show his stuff, it’s kind of exciting. What ARE they going to do? The Academy must be a giant ball of bundled undies right about now. If there’s anything they have historically not liked, it’s unexpected complications. They like control. They like familiarity. They like their comfort zone. In searching for a way to draw more viewers to the broadcast they inadvertently set themselves up for the sort of last minute chaos that must make their sphincters clench.
So maybe this isn’t such a bad thing – maybe we’ll see some real spontaneity at this years Oscar broadcast. Wouldn’t that be a rare and wonderful thing?!? Or terrible? Who knows, but I’ll definitely be watching.
Eddie Murphy, Oscar Host? No.
September 9, 2011
Yes, I do need to question the Academy’s every decision…
So have you heard? Eddie Murphy is hosting the Oscars this year. It isn’t as much of a head scratcher as last year’s choices, but I don’t think it’s a good one either.
I like Eddie Murphy. When I was in college, an audio tape of Delirious circulated through my dorm for months and it was absolutely hilarious. To this day I still bust out with an occasional “Now that’s a fire!”.
Can Eddie Murphy defy the odds at the Oscars?
But that was in the olden days. By my reckoning, Eddie Murphy hasn’t been really funny since the 80s. So why drag him out as Oscar host now? I think I know – it’s because he’s gone mainstream but they’re hoping that some of his old edgy reputation will draw viewers to the often-staid broadcast. They want the appearance of hip irreverence without the bothersome presence of actual irreverence.
Last year’s experiment with “Youth” didn’t go so well. Anne Hathaway did okay, but grated on some traditional viewers with her frequent “Woo-hoo”-ing. James Franco, though he was a good sport, was just too laid back. The pair never coalesced at all. The year before, the Academy doubled up with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. I thought they were fine. Sometimes funny, sometimes not and a good fit for those looking for the traditional.
The standout in recent years, for me, has been Jon Stewart. He knows exactly how to respond fast and funny to the unpredictable moments the show inevitably serves up and draws in the younger crowd the Academy seems desperate to please. He’s also smart, funny and very comfortable on camera – we see that every day on The Daily Show. But…maybe he doesn’t want to do it anymore. Or maybe he’s too political, or too sarcastic, or too dang hip. Whatever the case, I dearly wish he would come back.
But it isn’t happening this year. This year we get Eddie Murphy. Not the Murphy of Delirious or Raw, the Disneyfied, middle aged, not very funny anymore Murphy. The Daddy Day Care Eddie Murphy. I do love the Oscars and tend to enjoy them regardless of who hosts. And I hope Eddie Murphy goes out there in February and kills it. You never know – the same talent that produced Delirious is still in there. But my gut feeling is that he will be another in a long line of awkward, uncomfortable hosts, reigned in hard by producers who claim to want to shake up the broadcast but cave to the strident voices of old-school viewers every time that comes even close to happening.
It’s too bad – I would love to here his old raucous laugh and biting humor. But it isn’t going to happen. They’ll squelch him. Congratulations, Academy, on setting the stage for another record low number of Oscar viewers. You couldn’t do more to make the broadcast irrelevant if you tried.
Eddie, if you love us, tear it up out there in February. We all know you can do it. It’s time to really Shake Things Up! Check out Delirious – you’ll see. Anything’s possible…
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Hunger Games Gets a Cinna
May 24, 2011
Wait…Who?
I love the way Lionsgate has gone about casting The Hunger Games. An excellent but not widely typecast actress in Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. Two fairly well known but not overexposed actors as the male leads Peeta and Gale and a whole host of newcomers as the other tributes.
The adult cast is marked by a combination of up and comers like Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane and Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket and stellar established talents like Stanley Tucci as Ceasar Flickerman and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch.
Now they’ve cast my favorite adult role – that of Cinna, the stylist who becomes Katniss’ confidant. It’s not a huge role, but it’s an important one and it’s going to Lenny Kravitz.
I didn’t see that one coming.
According to Rolling Stone, director Gary Ross made the choice after seeing the movie Precious. Kravitz plays a nurse
who apparently embodies the qualities of Cinna. Okay. But I was really hoping to see an actor with a serious pedigree in this role. You know, someone we know can act. Aside from his role in Precious, the only thing he’s acted in is The Rugrats Movie back in 1998. He was the voice of the newborn baby. I’m not kidding.
This is the first bit of casting that leaves me a little cold. Not because he sucks, but because he has no real track record and could easily suck as one of my favorite characters. This character is supposed to be very subdued in both actions and appearance, thing I don’t much associate with Kravitz. If he bursts into song at any point I will weep. Maybe Stanley Tucci will give him acting lessons during lunch breaks.
I’m not happy about this piece of the Hunger Games cast, but sincerely hope Kravitz proves me wrong and knocks it out of the park. It doesn’t dim my enthusiasm for the film, either. I’ll be there with the rest of the 14-year-old girls waiting to see the Games come to the big screen. I saw Jennifer Lawrence on Letterman the other night and she showed an amazing picture of herself as Katniss. Her hair is dark like it’s supposed to be and she is perfect – long braid, bow and arrows and all. It was completely awesome.
That’s right. I’m a fangirl.
photo by Jose Cruz
Hunger Games Casts Haymitch!
May 11, 2011
Actors signing on quickly
So many actors in such a short time! Not long ago Lionsgate and director Gary Ross cast Jennifer Lawrence to play
Jennifer Lawrence
the lead role of Katniss in the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ bestseller The Hunger Games. I thought at the time – and still do – that she was a perfect choice for the role. She’s proven herself more than capable of not only carrying a movie but of being tough as nails with her Oscar nominated performance in Winter’s Bone.
Not long after, she was joined by Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson as Gale and Peeta, the young male leads, and the cast continues to fill out beautifully.
So far we have Katniss’ family:
Willow Shields, in her first big screen performance, will play little sister Primrose.
Paula Malcomson, who you’ll recognize from her many, many TV appearances and her role in The Green Mile, will play the girls’ mother.
We have the other “tributes”:
Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg, in some of their first roles, will be Thresh and Rue, the tributes from District 11.
From the very privileged District 1 we have Jack Quaid (son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid) playing Marvel and
Isabelle Fuhrman
Leven Rambin playing Glimmer.
From the almost equally privileged, and highly competitive, District 2 we have Alexander Ludwig from Race to Witch Mountain as the thug Cato (he doesn’t look very thuggish) and Isabelle Fuhrman – who you’ll remember from her fantastically creepy lead role in The Orphan – perfectly cast as the wicked Clove.
The only other named tribute is the clever Foxface from District 5, who will be played by Jacqueline Emerson in her first big screen role.
The rest of the tributes have been cast with newcomers. I really like how they’ve turned to young, relatively unknown actors for these roles.
We also have some of the “staff” – those running the Games:
American Beauty‘s Wes Bentley, currently starring in There Be Dragons, will be playing Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker. I anticipate loving to hate him.
Elizabeth Banks, who you’ll recognize as Avery Jessup from 30 Rock as well as from The Forty Year Old Virgin, will be playing Effie Trinket. Effie is an awesome role – she’s Katniss’ “Handler” for the games, in charge of prepping her for the spectacle. I picture her as fussy and stuffy, managing to be uptight while still sporting some of the elaborate fashions popular in the Capitol while the rest of the country starves. This is a plum role.
Stanley Tucci
In a major coup for the movie, Lionsgate landed the uber-fabulous Stanley Tucci to play Ceasar Flickerman, the interviewer and basically host of the televised Hunger games. Ceasar is flamboyant and funny and outrageous even though he’s part of the system that cruelly victimizes the District teens every year. He’s known to everyone
in the country. Stanley Tucci owns every role he plays, from dastardly villain in The Lovely Bones to loving, good-natured husband in Julie & Julia. What a great addition to this young cast!
And finally, finally, we have a Haymitch!
Haymitch is the only surviving winner of the Games from District 12. mostly because nobody ever wins from the nations most impoverished district. He’s a drunk and seen as a buffoon. He’s also tasked with guiding and training
Woody Harrelson
Katniss and Peeta for the Games. Ouch. But he won once, there has to be something under his unimpressive exterior. Or so Katniss and Peeta hope.
Woody Harrelson has signed on for the role of Haymitch. My first reaction was…not much. He isn’t someone I ever pictures in the role. but the more I think about it the more I love it. Haymitch has to be both a comic foil and deadly serious. I think Harrelson is perfectly suited for that disparate personality. He’s done both heavy drama and comedy successfully. I’m excited to see him work with the other actors, bringing experience to this very young cast.
One more?
I’m still looking to see who plays Cinna, Katniss and Peeta’s dresser who designs their flaming personae. He’s an interesting character, different from the other Capitol denizens, and I hope he makes it into the movie.
The Hunger Games is set to release March 23rd, 2012. A whoooooole year of anticipation! Let the Games begin!
photos by Pamela Littky, smoothdude, hyku and David Shankbone
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Helen Mirren: Action Hero
April 13, 2011
The Queen is The Bomb
Has anyone else noticed that Helen Mirren has gone significantly badass lately? The Oscar winning channeler of Queen Elizabeth has gone rogue, donning combat boots and toting sniper rifles.
I love it.
I last saw her in RED – kicking ass and taking names while remaining regal and terrifically proper. She looked like she
Helen Mirren is one classy Dame
was having a blast. In August we’re going to see her in another role as an assassin, this time without the tongue in cheek whimsy of her outing with Bruce Willis.
Directed by John Madden, The Debt follows a group of Mossad agents, all heroes in their country, across a span of 30 years. We open in 1997 when they get some disturbing information on their icon status-creating mission back in 1966 – perhaps the tracking and capture of a known Nazi war criminal was more complicated than they knew.
That's a cryptic poster
Mirren is joined by Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hinds as the 1997 agents. We also flash back to 1966 where the three are played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington.
Chastain has a good look for a young Mirren, the men…not so much. It isn’t as if we’re going from childhood to adulthood here, where almost anything goes (in Hollywood) as far as changes in appearance. Worthington and Csokas simply look nothing like their older counterparts except in basic coloring. I feel dubiousness creeping in…
But lets face it. Mirren, no matter if she’s 30 or 150, is a stone cold fox who can own any role she pleases. It’s going to be Chastain who has the difficult job of matching her abilities. Being pretty is one thing, being Helen Mirren quite another. I look forward to seeing her try.
Let’s take a look at the trailer.
photo by Caroline Bonarde Ucci
Kevin Costner Predicts Golf’s Future
April 7, 2011
Rory McIlroy is from Holywood, North Ireland. That’s with one “L”, thank you, although some might suggest the 21 year old golfer hails from Hollywood, California after he jumped out to lead the Masters golf tournament in its first of four rounds.
That’s because the golf prodigy who helped Europe win the Ryder’s Cup and has already played in the Masters three times before is leading after the first round.
Kevin Costner and Ron Shelton collaborated on this unlikely turn of events in 1996′s golf movie Tin Cup. Shelton had already written his share of sports movie hits and previously had teamed up with Costner in Bull Durham. Costner played Roy McAvoy, a beaten-down Texas driving range instructor who qualifies for the US Open. The pair subbed in the name of the tournament held outside Washington after they didn’t get clearance to use the Masters’ branding.
Eager to impress Dr. Molly Griswold (Renee Russo), Costner’s McAvoy shots a course record 62 in the movie to qualify at the tournament. A stubbornness central to the plot causes McAvoy to drop from his tournament-leading position on the tournament’s last day as you can see in the clip below.
And real-life Rory McIlroy?
Playing less than a year ago on the world’s oldest golf course in Scotland, McIlroy shot a 63, the lowest ever first round in tournament play there. Like his movie counterpart, he shot an 80 the next day and ended up finishing third in the tournament.
Today he sits atop the leaderboard at the Masters, playing against some of the pros who made a cameo in Tin Cup. And while Rory didn’t make the cut in 2010′s Masters or US Open, he is doing quite nicely, thank you, with $6.2 million in lifetime earnings. Embattled golf champion Tiger Woods is tied for 24th. Phil Mickelson who appeared in Tin Cup was tied for 7th place in early play. And Kevin Michael Costner is getting ready to shoot the Superman reboot soon. This time, the actor plays Supe’s foster daddy, Papa Kent.
Hunger Games Has a Katniss!
March 31, 2011
Everdeen, that is, Katniss Everdeen
When I first talked about the Hunger Games movie back in February, all we really had was the source material and a director (Gary Ross). Well, and a commitment from Lionsgate and a timeline, but no real details about the production.
But times they are a’changin’ my friends! For now we have ourselves a lead actress! The role of Katniss Everdeen was reportedly a seriously hot property and a lot of actresses either wanted it or were considered by the filmmakers. In the end, newcomer extraordinaire Jennifer Lawrence captured the coveted role.
Author Suzanne Collins, who also wrote the first draft of the script, is thrilled with the choice, according to Lionsgate, saying “I never thought we’d find someone this perfect for the role”.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the book (and it’s two sequels), The Hunger Games takes place in a dystopian future where each year a contest is held. Contest is probably not the right word – more like a televised slaughter. A group of teenagers is forced to participate in a “game” where there is only one winner. And only one survivor. Though the basic story isn’t particularly novel, the books have been hugely successful with both their intended Young Adult demographic as well as adult readers in the US and worldwide.
A big part of that success is undoubtedly due to the lead character, Katniss Everdeen. When Katniss’ sister is picked by lottery to participate in the games, Katniss volunteers to replace her.
This is a seriously plum role for Winter’s Bone actress Lawrence. Having scored an Academy Award nomination for her outstanding work in that film, she was set to appear in some indie-ish films this year and an X-Men movie. That’s great, but it’s not rocket-onto-the-A-list great. Hunger Games is that great.
Based on the target audience and its cross-demographic success, it’s hard not to see a twinkle of Twilight potential in this film (though I expect it to be far better in every way). Lawrence is a gorgeous actress, but with the ability to be not only ordinary, but gritty and intense. Her ability to project internal strength and vulnerability in tandem is a large part of what made Winter’s Bone such a powerhouse. I think she can do the same for Hunger Games.
With firm and excited support from writer, director and studio, I think Lawrence will be a terrific Hunger Games heroine. The film is set for release on March 23, 2012.
Alex Cross Getting a Movie Reboot?
March 8, 2011
Morgan’s out….who’s in?
We love them. We hate them. We love to hate them. I’m talking about movie adaptations of popular books and characters, of course. And the single most debated topic when it comes to these films is casting of the central role. As we’ve seen with the debate over who should play Mitch Rapp in the movie version of Vince Flynn’s Consent To Kill, opinions abound among fans of the books when it comes to casting their hero.
Now it looks like detective Alex Cross, creation of writer James Patterson, is stepping up to the movie plate for the second time.
Morgan Freeman first embodied Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. The movies were good if not great and Freeman did a good job of capturing the essence of Cross. But the passage of time being what it is, Freeman is a little too old now to reprise the role.
First it’s important to recognize that the passage of years hasn’t been particularly kind to Alex Cross, either As
Idris Elba
James Patterson has become an odd almost-parody of a thriller writer (how many times now has he sold his name to a “co-writer”?) his series has gone from decent critical acclaim to, well, kind of a parody of decent critical acclaim. I have to admit that I gave up on Alex Cross books years ago as I saw the series begin to deteriorate. I gave up on James Patterson when I saw “his” books become shells written by others. I just lost interest.
But not so Hollywood. For a time it was said that Idris Elba (who I recognize mostly from his stint as Charles Miner on The Office but most normal people undoubtedly know him as a gritty, intense actor from projects like The Wire) would be the next actor to embody Alex Cross and be directed by David Twohy (who as a screenwriter went from the sublime to the ridiculous with The Fugitive and Waterworld).
But apparently not. Word is that Tyler Perry will now take on the Alex Cross reboot with Rob Cohen directing. Perry isn’t how I envision Alex Cross. Cohen directed The Fast and the Furious and xXx. That’s a fairly major change in direction.
Tyler Perry
I know that Tyler Perry pretty much owns the whole world, but what can he bring to Alex Cross? I guess we’re going to find out, but I can’t quite see Cross solving murders in drag. My biggest question, though, is whether or not anyone cares anymore since Patterson flushed his reputation down the toilet (and the quality of his work right along with it). Are there any Alex Cross fans left out there? Or is this just another Tyler Perry vehicle masked as the reboot of a book to film series?
I guess we’ll find out. Personally, I’m skeptical – but what do I know? Oh, that’s right – I know whether or not I’d buy a ticket to see Tyler Perry play Alex Cross on the big screen. The answer to that one is no, I wouldn’t. Elba, maybe. Perry, no. They’ll need to put out a hell of a trailer to make me consider otherwise.
So who would you cast as Alex Cross if you had the chance?
photo by lukeford.net
Mitch Rapp Final Poll – Butler, Bana, Jackman
March 5, 2011
With Friday Night Lights done, actor Kyle Chandler could have joined Orion Team
All New Mitch Rapp Movie Update – June 2011!
We asked Mitch Rapp fans who should play the Orion Team operative. After 40 million votes, America spoke, and oops, that’s American Idol.
But hundreds of you voted about Mitch Rapp’s Hollywood alter-ego. The results were surprising. There were great write-in candidates that gained only a little traction, Hawaii Five-O’s Alex O’Loughlin and Timothy Olyphant may have been the best. Here is what blew our minds about your voting.
Two Aussies and a Scot.
For those of you who don’t like headlines, that’s Gerard Butler, Eric Bana and Hugh Jackman. Not to be waving a flag, but this is Mitch Friggin’ Rapp. You guys couldn’t vote for an American? Fourth place finisher Colin Ferrell is Irish by birth, which left John Hamm, carrying 8% of the vote, as the lone American in the top 5. We knew the situation was bad when Hugh Laurie had to cross the Atlantic to play a smartass American doctor because Lord knows there aren’t enough of those around.
My favorites for this role are Rob Morrow (FBI agent Don Epps from Numb3rs), Kyle Chandler (last seen on Friday Night Lights and coming up in J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 summer blockbuster) and Hung’s Thomas Jane.
But the time for throwing names in the ring is over. Now we get to choose the fan favorite to play Mitch Rapp in Consent to Kill. People have complained about everything from Butler’s accent work to Jackman’s inability to convincingly blend in with a crowd. Cast your vote today for one of the three finalists: Butler, Bana, Jackman, oh my!
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