EXCLUSIVE: 'American Idol' viewers are still wiping away tears after watching Chris Medina audition in honor of his brain-damaged fiancee this week, and The Script, the Irish trio responsible for the heart-wrenching ballad he sang, tells PopEater they're "moved" by his performance of 'Breakeven' and are pulling for him to win.
"We write our music from a pure and honest place and to see Chris singing 'Breakeven' moved us all," singer Danny O'Donoghue tells us. "The world would be a better place if more people were more like him. Too often we place our admiration on people who don't deserve it but in this case we have a rare individual, a selfless individual who truly puts others ahead of himself."
Medina's fiancee, Juliana Ramos, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident just two months before their wedding. In his touching story, Medina said he believed Juliana would have wanted him to audition and make it through to Hollywood. He wowed the judges and brought viewers to tears with his story of devotion to her.
The Script's guitarist Mark Sheehan is similarly impressed, both with Medina's performance of 'Breakeven,' and also his character.
"The biggest pay off for us with our music is when it finds real people like Chris Medina for him to sing it like it was his own song about something so personal," he said. "That to me is why we make music. His story touched us so much we can only hope that we will all stand by our loved ones like him. That takes a real man. He's already a winner to us."
O'Donoghue adds that he's pulling for Medina to go all the way on 'Idol.'
"It was an honor to hear words we wrote in our darkest day sung so beautifully by this extraordinary man and I hope he makes it all the way to the final, and moves the world on his way there."
An estimated 25.2 million people watched Medina's impressive run-through of 'Breakeven' on Wednesday's show.
The video package that 'Idol' prepared for him was filled with the type of poignant, emotionally taxing imagery that viewers have come to expect. But when Medina had finished singing, the judges asked to meet Juliana, and when she was wheeled in, viewers got the full scope of her injuries. Seated in a wheelchair rocking back and forth, her face was partially paralyzed.
After guarded greetings from Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler bent down, embraced her as a father would to a young child and told her that Medina couldn't have done it without her.
"I just heard your fiance sing, and he's so good. You know, because he sings to you all the time. I could tell," he said, then whispered, "That's why he sings so good, because he sings to you."
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Oscar Nominations: Who Got Dissed and Who Got Some Surprise Love
The Academy Award nominations were released this morning and were full of snubs and surprises. The biggest diss was an obvious one: 'Inception' director Christopher Nolan, whose film received eight nominations including best picture, failed to score a best director nomination. Mila Kunis, Ryan Gosling and Michael Douglas, all of whom were shortlisted by critics groups and the Golden Globes in the lead-up to the noms and were expected to be on the ballot, also all failed to land nominations.
With 12 nods, 'The King's Speech' leads all nominees with the Coen brothers' box office smash 'True Grit' hot on its tail with a surprise 10 nominations, and while the 'Social Network' scored an impressive eight nods (tied with 'Inception' for third best), supporting players Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake didn't feel any Oscar love. Nor did Ben Affleck's acclaimed hit 'The Town' -- its only nomination came for Jeremy Renner in the best supporting actor category.
So who came out of nowhere to take their place? After the jump, we break down who got left in the cold and who got invited to the big show instead.
►Best Actor: Javier Bardem ('Biutiful') in, Ryan Gosling ('Blue Valentine') out
While Gosling has been touch-and-go throughout awards season, having received a best actor nomination for 'Blue Valentine' at the Golden Globes but failing to receive any love from the Screen Actors Guild, he seemed to be gaining steam heading into the Oscar noms. His low-budget film is a small-scale hit, and critics love his performance as a young husband trying to resuscitate his failing marriage. Even in the moments before the best actor announcement, things were looking good for the handsome actor as his on-screen other half, Michelle Williams, landed on the best actress list. But it wasn't meant to be (at least this year) for Gosling, with Bardem (an Oscar winner for 'No Country for Old Men') sweeping in with his Spanish-language film to score a surprise best actor nod. Bardem's nom comes entirely out of left field -- while he's certainly received raves for his performance in 'Biutiful,' this is the first major American award nomination for his performance. He also edged out 'Get Low' legend Robert Duvall, whose SAG nod seemed to make him Gosling's truest competition for a best actor nomination.
►Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld ('True Grit') in, Mila Kunis ('Black Swan') out
That Steinfeld received a nomination isn't really a surprise, but that she received it as best supporting actress might be. Her inclusion here instead of in the lead actress category almost certainly pushed Kunis, who up to this point had been nominated for every major award, out. 'True Grit's' studio, Paramount, campaigned hard for Steinfeld to be nominated for best supporting actress, though many -- including the British Academy, who nominated her 'Grit' turn for best actress -- believe (rightly) that she is the film's female lead. Conventional wisdom was that Steinfeld's performance straddled the line between supporting and lead and she stood a better shot at a nomination in the supporting category. (Conventional wisdom here appears to have been correct.) A reverse of this same situation occurred in 2009, when Miramax tried to push Kate Winslet's role in 'The Reader' as a supporting one, but the Academy wasn't having it and nominated her for lead actress (which she went on to win) instead. Either way, Kunis will have to content herself with 'Swan's' five other nominations, including best picture and best director (Darren Aronofsky).
►Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes ('Winter's Bone') and Mark Ruffalo ('The Kids Are All Right') in, Michael Douglas ('Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps') and Andrew Garfield ('The Social Network') out
Hawkes' nomination might be the biggest surprise among the acting nominees, but you won't hear us complaining. ('Winter's Bone' deserves every bit of Oscar love it received.) Not hearing Mo'Nique call Andrew Garfield's name, however, was perhaps even more jarring, as he seemed as assured an acting nom for 'The Social Network' as co-star Jesse Eisenberg, who did earn a nod for his lead performance. And while Douglas always seemed like a bit of a long shot for 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,' his Golden Globe nod and the general goodwill he's experiencing after recently announcing that his cancer is in complete remission made him a contender -- especially since many consider 'The Kids Are All Right' to be more of a showcase for Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, which has made Ruffalo a take-him-or-leave-him inclusion throughout awards season.
►Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen ('True Grit') in, Christopher Nolan ('Inception') out
Frankly, we could have subbed just about any of the very talented directors who made it into this category over Nolan in place of the Coen brothers. Simply put, the deft and assured hand Nolan brought to the challenging 'Inception' deserved a nomination, and all major pundits expected he would be included. How can a film be recognized for its music, screenplay (which Nolan wrote), sound, visual effects, cinematography, art direction and overall quality (best picture) but not earn a nod for the man who controlled all of those things? Its screenplay and best picture nods indicate Academy members viewed 'Inception' as more than a technical achievement, so leaving out the man who not only conceived the film as a writer but executed it (with apparent technical precision) as a director is a crime against cinema.
►Best Picture: '127 Hours' in, 'The Town' out
Since its early fall release, Ben Affleck's second film as a director, 'The Town,' seemed a likely Oscar nominee. The best picture field was opened to 10 films last year in an effort to include more highbrow studio fare (i.e. films that middle America actually saw), and 'The Town' is a perfect fit: a star-studded, critically acclaimed box office hit (it grossed $92 million in the U.S.) from a director well liked by the Hollywood establishment. Of all the disses this year, the chilly reception for 'The Town' (it received only one nomination) is high on the list, and it's even more surprising that it was brought down by Danny Boyle's '127 Hours,' a buzzed-about indie that got left in the dust, making just $11 million while other specialty releases -- like 'Black Swan' ($83 million), 'The King's Speech' ($57 million) and 'The Fighter' ($72 million) -- went on to find mainstream audiences (something their many Oscar nominations should continue to help them with) and box office glory.
With 12 nods, 'The King's Speech' leads all nominees with the Coen brothers' box office smash 'True Grit' hot on its tail with a surprise 10 nominations, and while the 'Social Network' scored an impressive eight nods (tied with 'Inception' for third best), supporting players Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake didn't feel any Oscar love. Nor did Ben Affleck's acclaimed hit 'The Town' -- its only nomination came for Jeremy Renner in the best supporting actor category.
So who came out of nowhere to take their place? After the jump, we break down who got left in the cold and who got invited to the big show instead.
►Best Actor: Javier Bardem ('Biutiful') in, Ryan Gosling ('Blue Valentine') out
While Gosling has been touch-and-go throughout awards season, having received a best actor nomination for 'Blue Valentine' at the Golden Globes but failing to receive any love from the Screen Actors Guild, he seemed to be gaining steam heading into the Oscar noms. His low-budget film is a small-scale hit, and critics love his performance as a young husband trying to resuscitate his failing marriage. Even in the moments before the best actor announcement, things were looking good for the handsome actor as his on-screen other half, Michelle Williams, landed on the best actress list. But it wasn't meant to be (at least this year) for Gosling, with Bardem (an Oscar winner for 'No Country for Old Men') sweeping in with his Spanish-language film to score a surprise best actor nod. Bardem's nom comes entirely out of left field -- while he's certainly received raves for his performance in 'Biutiful,' this is the first major American award nomination for his performance. He also edged out 'Get Low' legend Robert Duvall, whose SAG nod seemed to make him Gosling's truest competition for a best actor nomination.
►Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld ('True Grit') in, Mila Kunis ('Black Swan') out
That Steinfeld received a nomination isn't really a surprise, but that she received it as best supporting actress might be. Her inclusion here instead of in the lead actress category almost certainly pushed Kunis, who up to this point had been nominated for every major award, out. 'True Grit's' studio, Paramount, campaigned hard for Steinfeld to be nominated for best supporting actress, though many -- including the British Academy, who nominated her 'Grit' turn for best actress -- believe (rightly) that she is the film's female lead. Conventional wisdom was that Steinfeld's performance straddled the line between supporting and lead and she stood a better shot at a nomination in the supporting category. (Conventional wisdom here appears to have been correct.) A reverse of this same situation occurred in 2009, when Miramax tried to push Kate Winslet's role in 'The Reader' as a supporting one, but the Academy wasn't having it and nominated her for lead actress (which she went on to win) instead. Either way, Kunis will have to content herself with 'Swan's' five other nominations, including best picture and best director (Darren Aronofsky).
►Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes ('Winter's Bone') and Mark Ruffalo ('The Kids Are All Right') in, Michael Douglas ('Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps') and Andrew Garfield ('The Social Network') out
Hawkes' nomination might be the biggest surprise among the acting nominees, but you won't hear us complaining. ('Winter's Bone' deserves every bit of Oscar love it received.) Not hearing Mo'Nique call Andrew Garfield's name, however, was perhaps even more jarring, as he seemed as assured an acting nom for 'The Social Network' as co-star Jesse Eisenberg, who did earn a nod for his lead performance. And while Douglas always seemed like a bit of a long shot for 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,' his Golden Globe nod and the general goodwill he's experiencing after recently announcing that his cancer is in complete remission made him a contender -- especially since many consider 'The Kids Are All Right' to be more of a showcase for Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, which has made Ruffalo a take-him-or-leave-him inclusion throughout awards season.
►Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen ('True Grit') in, Christopher Nolan ('Inception') out
Frankly, we could have subbed just about any of the very talented directors who made it into this category over Nolan in place of the Coen brothers. Simply put, the deft and assured hand Nolan brought to the challenging 'Inception' deserved a nomination, and all major pundits expected he would be included. How can a film be recognized for its music, screenplay (which Nolan wrote), sound, visual effects, cinematography, art direction and overall quality (best picture) but not earn a nod for the man who controlled all of those things? Its screenplay and best picture nods indicate Academy members viewed 'Inception' as more than a technical achievement, so leaving out the man who not only conceived the film as a writer but executed it (with apparent technical precision) as a director is a crime against cinema.
►Best Picture: '127 Hours' in, 'The Town' out
Since its early fall release, Ben Affleck's second film as a director, 'The Town,' seemed a likely Oscar nominee. The best picture field was opened to 10 films last year in an effort to include more highbrow studio fare (i.e. films that middle America actually saw), and 'The Town' is a perfect fit: a star-studded, critically acclaimed box office hit (it grossed $92 million in the U.S.) from a director well liked by the Hollywood establishment. Of all the disses this year, the chilly reception for 'The Town' (it received only one nomination) is high on the list, and it's even more surprising that it was brought down by Danny Boyle's '127 Hours,' a buzzed-about indie that got left in the dust, making just $11 million while other specialty releases -- like 'Black Swan' ($83 million), 'The King's Speech' ($57 million) and 'The Fighter' ($72 million) -- went on to find mainstream audiences (something their many Oscar nominations should continue to help them with) and box office glory.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Valerie Bertinelli: I Would Love to Flaunt Bikini Bod With Carrie Fisher
Valerie Bertinelli is putting on the pressure on Jenny Craig's newest spokesperson, Carrie Fisher.
The "Hot in Cleveland" actress, who famously shed 47 pounds on Jenny Craig, told PopEater she'd love to show off her new body with Fisher once the former Princess Leia reached her goal of losing 30 pounds.
"I would love to do a swimsuit reveal with Carrie," Bertinelli said. "I've always looked up to her, so I'd love to film a commercial with her showing off her weight loss. I'm proud of the progress she has made so far.
Bertinelli joined up with the weight loss program in 2007, dropping from 172 pounds to and astonishing 125 pounds. She already showed off her new bod in 2009 on the cover of People magazine.
The "Star Wars" actress recently signed up with Jenny Craig in an effort to look more like Princess Leia and less like Jabba the Hut. But she insists that she won't be putting on the famous two-piece no matter how much weight she loses.
"I would like to have the option of getting back into the metal bikini," she said at the Jenny Crag announcement press conference. "I won't be doing that, but I'd like the option."
The "Hot in Cleveland" actress, who famously shed 47 pounds on Jenny Craig, told PopEater she'd love to show off her new body with Fisher once the former Princess Leia reached her goal of losing 30 pounds.
"I would love to do a swimsuit reveal with Carrie," Bertinelli said. "I've always looked up to her, so I'd love to film a commercial with her showing off her weight loss. I'm proud of the progress she has made so far.
Bertinelli joined up with the weight loss program in 2007, dropping from 172 pounds to and astonishing 125 pounds. She already showed off her new bod in 2009 on the cover of People magazine.
The "Star Wars" actress recently signed up with Jenny Craig in an effort to look more like Princess Leia and less like Jabba the Hut. But she insists that she won't be putting on the famous two-piece no matter how much weight she loses.
"I would like to have the option of getting back into the metal bikini," she said at the Jenny Crag announcement press conference. "I won't be doing that, but I'd like the option."
Love (2011): E.P by Corinne Bailey Rae– Track List (MP3 Songs)
Corinne Bailey Rae's E.P "Love" is released on January 25, 2011 via Capitol Records.
Track List of "Love" - E.P by Corinne Bailey Rae:
Also a Digital Booklet for the E.P "Love".
Track List of "Love" - E.P by Corinne Bailey Rae:
| 1. I Wanna Be Your Lover 2. Low Red Moon 3. Is This Love 4. My Love 5. Que Sera Sera (Live) |
Why Do All 'The Bachelor' Ladies Already Love Brad?
The last time we saw Brad Womack, he was crushing the hearts of two perfectly lovely women on national television. During the season 11 finale of 'The Bachelor,' Brad decided to break the show's famous proposal tradition and dumped both finalists, DeAnna Pappas and Jenni Croft, in one of the most memorable moments in 'Bachelor' history.
Three years later, after slander in the tabloids, unbearable loneliness and intensive therapy, Brad's back. And this time he claims he's serious about finding true love -- he only reminds us 50 times per episode. The one thing we have to wonder is, will the new contestants, most of whom are aware of Brad's commitment-phobic track record on 'The Bachelor,' be able to trust him enough to want to be there at the end?
Surprisingly enough, it seems like they already do.
Aside from one well-placed slap in the premiere, the 14 remaining women are only in week three and already seem to have completely forgotten about the DeAnna and Jenni debacle, sprouting signs of the desperation for intimacy that makes 'The Bachelor' what it is. Cat fights? Check. Jealousy? Check. Creepily following Brad around no matter who he's talking to or what he's doing? Check. But why? Why would these women crumble into tears, both after being eliminated and in general, over the one guy famous for not committing?
There are plenty of factors in the ladies' disregard for Brad's checkered dating past, but we're willing to bet most of it stems from a truckload of man-centric trust issues resonating through the cast. Six of the remaining women have terribly sad backstories regarding the men in their lives. We're talking disappearing dads, infidelity, divorce, untimely death, addicts, illegitimate children, homelessness, the list goes on. Not to mention that Brad discovered, through a three-year long therapy session, that his commitment issues are derived from his own absentee father.
That is a lot of common baggage for one group of people. And longing to fill the emotional gaps left by neglect and trauma, coupled with the fact that Brad is pretty damn hot and the only guy to interact with for miles, breeds some crazy behavior.
Take Michelle Money, for instance. She's the eldest of the bachelorettes, having just turned 30, and is extremely vocal about her hatred of having to share Brad with more than a dozen other women. She often fantasizes -- to the camera, no less -- about taking them out one by one. Meet Michelle:
Charming, really. To Michelle, this not a competition, it's survival. Though CelebTV unearthed footage of her movie-making past, we can't imagine being this nuts 24/7 is all an act. The single mom balances stalking Brad like a hawk with taking advantage of his insecurities by making him feel guilty for wooing the other contestants -- although it's the exact aim of the show. In only three weeks, Michelle has manged to completely alienate herself in the house, make an enemy of Chantal (the justice slapper), pout and make a scene like a spoiled teenager on her 30th birthday, managing to paint herself as a delusional, desperate and manipulative aspiring cat lady.
Now, most of the women don't run to this extreme. Some seem like they'd be perfectly normal in real life. But the pressure of 'The Bachelor' has become a catalyst to their emotions, rendering them completely vulnerable to this one man. No matter how tough the ladies seemed on day one, they're are all pretty much in love with Brad by now. Remember Chantal? Our femme-power "This is for all the women in America!" justice slapper? Even she was reduced to tears during a particularly deep conversation with Brad about not being able to reconnect with her estranged father before he passed away. And then they made out. Come to think of it, most of the first kisses came about after a big emotional reveal. Thank goodness for daddy issues, or Brad might not get any action.
The funny thing is, the one girl who on the surface seemed nuts, Madison Garton (who wore prosthetic fangs and bragged about meeting the leader of the underground vampire world -- which is a thing, apparently), was by far the most rational when it came to her potential relationship with Brad. After hearing Emily Maynard's tragic love story, she realized there were women who had much more at stake than she did. So she decided to go home, in hopes that her absence would make the road to 'The Bachelor' that much easier for the ones who think they need love, not just want it.
So it's not all about Mr. Womack after all. Sure his rugged good looks, chiseled body, deep pockets and Texan charm don't hurt, but at the end of the day, 'The Bachelor' could be any decent guy, and these women would be falling all over him just the same. They're not looking for love with Brad Womack, they're looking for love, period. It just so happens they ended up on Brad's (second) season.
Three years later, after slander in the tabloids, unbearable loneliness and intensive therapy, Brad's back. And this time he claims he's serious about finding true love -- he only reminds us 50 times per episode. The one thing we have to wonder is, will the new contestants, most of whom are aware of Brad's commitment-phobic track record on 'The Bachelor,' be able to trust him enough to want to be there at the end?
Surprisingly enough, it seems like they already do.
Aside from one well-placed slap in the premiere, the 14 remaining women are only in week three and already seem to have completely forgotten about the DeAnna and Jenni debacle, sprouting signs of the desperation for intimacy that makes 'The Bachelor' what it is. Cat fights? Check. Jealousy? Check. Creepily following Brad around no matter who he's talking to or what he's doing? Check. But why? Why would these women crumble into tears, both after being eliminated and in general, over the one guy famous for not committing?
There are plenty of factors in the ladies' disregard for Brad's checkered dating past, but we're willing to bet most of it stems from a truckload of man-centric trust issues resonating through the cast. Six of the remaining women have terribly sad backstories regarding the men in their lives. We're talking disappearing dads, infidelity, divorce, untimely death, addicts, illegitimate children, homelessness, the list goes on. Not to mention that Brad discovered, through a three-year long therapy session, that his commitment issues are derived from his own absentee father.
That is a lot of common baggage for one group of people. And longing to fill the emotional gaps left by neglect and trauma, coupled with the fact that Brad is pretty damn hot and the only guy to interact with for miles, breeds some crazy behavior.
Take Michelle Money, for instance. She's the eldest of the bachelorettes, having just turned 30, and is extremely vocal about her hatred of having to share Brad with more than a dozen other women. She often fantasizes -- to the camera, no less -- about taking them out one by one. Meet Michelle:
Charming, really. To Michelle, this not a competition, it's survival. Though CelebTV unearthed footage of her movie-making past, we can't imagine being this nuts 24/7 is all an act. The single mom balances stalking Brad like a hawk with taking advantage of his insecurities by making him feel guilty for wooing the other contestants -- although it's the exact aim of the show. In only three weeks, Michelle has manged to completely alienate herself in the house, make an enemy of Chantal (the justice slapper), pout and make a scene like a spoiled teenager on her 30th birthday, managing to paint herself as a delusional, desperate and manipulative aspiring cat lady.
Now, most of the women don't run to this extreme. Some seem like they'd be perfectly normal in real life. But the pressure of 'The Bachelor' has become a catalyst to their emotions, rendering them completely vulnerable to this one man. No matter how tough the ladies seemed on day one, they're are all pretty much in love with Brad by now. Remember Chantal? Our femme-power "This is for all the women in America!" justice slapper? Even she was reduced to tears during a particularly deep conversation with Brad about not being able to reconnect with her estranged father before he passed away. And then they made out. Come to think of it, most of the first kisses came about after a big emotional reveal. Thank goodness for daddy issues, or Brad might not get any action.
The funny thing is, the one girl who on the surface seemed nuts, Madison Garton (who wore prosthetic fangs and bragged about meeting the leader of the underground vampire world -- which is a thing, apparently), was by far the most rational when it came to her potential relationship with Brad. After hearing Emily Maynard's tragic love story, she realized there were women who had much more at stake than she did. So she decided to go home, in hopes that her absence would make the road to 'The Bachelor' that much easier for the ones who think they need love, not just want it.
So it's not all about Mr. Womack after all. Sure his rugged good looks, chiseled body, deep pockets and Texan charm don't hurt, but at the end of the day, 'The Bachelor' could be any decent guy, and these women would be falling all over him just the same. They're not looking for love with Brad Womack, they're looking for love, period. It just so happens they ended up on Brad's (second) season.
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Return of 'Fringe' Recap: 'The Firefly' Glowed With Love, Loss, and Christopher Lloyd
Fringe returned in its new time period on Friday night with “The Firefly,” an exemplary episode designed to bring joy, deep satisfaction, and uneasy fears to the hearts of its fans. I’ll deal with the joys and satisfactions first.
The hour began not with a previously-standard pre-credits, scare-case-of-the-week introduction, but rather a beautiful scene between Walter and Peter that had those elements of comedy and poignance that Fringe combines like no other current television. Peter came upon Walter in the lab, the latter preparing to inject himself in his leg with something concocted to “make myself smarter,” the better to replace the missing parts of his brain (I know I’ve just lost every non-regular-Fringe viewer reading this with that phrase; sorry) and to approximate the intelligence of Walternate. Peter gently warned his father to recall that Walter had asked William Bell to snip out those brain-parts “because you were afraid of what you were becoming.”
Then, cut to a nursing home in Boston, where a patient who would prove to be guest star Christopher Lloyd was seen on security cameras conversing with an unknown hospital visitor. The patient was Roscoe Joyce, the former keyboardist for Walter’s favorite rock band, Violet Sedan Chair, and the stranger was Joyce’s dead son, Bobby, come to deliver a message. Bobby, who’d died in 1985, joined up with our most familiar Observer (Michael Cerveris), who told Bobby that, with his brief mission accomplished, “I’ll take you home now.”
Once Fringe Division is called into this scenario because the cameras also picked up the presence of the Observer, it was bliss to see Walter’s reaction when he realized that the drawn, haggard ex-rocker before him was Roscoe Joyce. Lloyd’s hopeless demeanor was as perfect as his wardrobe — the no-shirt vest plus jewelry get-up of a man who indeed looked like a refugee from a decades-old, now-defunct (art-? prog-? psychedelic-?) rock band. Walter’s elation at meeting one of his heroes, even in this fallen, sedated state, was tempered by the Observer sighting: “Every time the Observer appears, it has something to do with you,” he said to Peter, worry creasing his face. “Something bad.”
But soon after, we saw two Observers discussing Walter, not Peter. Our Observer says to his colleague, “I think he has changed.” The other one disagrees. Most of the Observer scenes in “The Firefly” were mysterious, confusing, until the end of the hour. Shortly before this our Observer foiled a jewlry store robbery and saved a woman tied up during the burglary by locating her asthma inhaler, from which she desperately needed a dose. He pocketed the inhaler. It was very cool to see an Observer in an action scene — catching the robber’s bullets, disabling the thief with a series of sharp elbows and in-close punches. But… to what end?
With Roscoe brought to Walter’s lab, the scientist tried to draw out the musician’s memories, and in the process, Walter explained that he’s made a “liquid base to aid in the process of bran-mapping.” Roscoe Joyce observed wryly that Brain Mapping would make a great name for an album. Walter had mixed the liquid with milk “as a bonding agent,” and put it in his fridge in an ordinary milk bottle. Uh-oh…
The Observer appeared to Walter and asked to talk. What followed was the crux of the episode. The Observer and Walter discuss “various possible futures” and how “every action causes ripples.” He told Walter a story that gave the hour its title and was, we thought as we watched, a metaphor: It was about Peter as a boy catching a firefly, which caused another child to not catch one and go wandering off. Her father went looking for her in his car, skidded and hit and killed a boy. The Observer broke off from his story to ask Walter for his help: “When the time comes, give him the keys and save the girl.” Walter was baffled by this apparent non sequitur.
But then Walter went back to the lab and Roscoe had remembered something: Bobby called him years ago to tell him about a dream which involved a bald man and a nursing home; Roscoe said it was their last conversation, because shortly after, Bobby was fatally hit by a man driving a car. Walter realized that, in a roundabout way, he was responsible for this death (because of his Peter catching the firefly) and Roscoe comments that the grief over Bobby’s death is the real reason Violet Sedan Chair broke up. So Walter is also responsible for the break-up of his favorite band! I’d have cheered at this cleverness in the script by producers J. H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner had I not been so moved by the multiple unhappinesses that were caused in what the Observer called actions-causing-ripples. “That man lost a son because I was unwilling to lose mine,” is how Walter will boil it down a few minutes later to Astrid. Walter also realized that the Observer “wants me to help him un-do all the damage… But in doing that I would lose [Peter] all over again.”
The Observer’s non sequitur to Walter made sense when the Observer caused an auto accident and the woman with asthma was again placed in jeopardy. At the scene of this accident, Olivia chased after the Observer; Peter told Walter he wanted to go help Olivia but that Walter should stay with the young woman and that he needs their car.
“Give me the keys and save the girl,” Peter says to Walter. Thunderstruck, Walter realizes this had been the Observer’s plan all along. “They’re going to take you from me!” he cried out in anguish. Yet Walter cannot allow the asthmatic girl to die. He handed over the keys and improvised a cure for the woman. This delayed him from getting back to the lab, where Peter, thirsty, reached in for the milk and went into a seizure — a reaction to Walter’s brain-mapping elixer. A frantic Olivia called Walter, who guided her through an anti-coagulant injection.
Later the Observers spoke about all this. “You were right, he’s changed. He was willing to let his son die,” is what they conclude. “Yes, and now we know: When the time comes, he will be willing to do it again.” Fade to black.
But wait! There was the night’s other plot: Olivia received a book in the mail, If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him! (This is an actual book, published in 1972 by Sheldon B. Kopp, that carries the subtitle, “The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients.”) At first, Olivia was put off by this, handing it off to Peter as being intended for “her” — i.e., Altivia. But then Peter explained, with a lovely sincerity and earnestness, “The book wasn’t meant for her. It was meant for the Olivia Dunham that I’ve spent the past couple of years of my life with… You’re the person I wanted to share it with.” It was meant to help explain why he can be so distant and disengaged. If The Buddha is about finding one’s own path, altering the narrative of one’s past, and commences with a section that’s very apt for this music-minded episode of Fringe: “Take From No Man His Song.” With its chapters about “spoiled identity” and “a search for belonging,” this book is something I’m going to have to dip into further. I’ll keep you posted on what I find; let me know if you’ve read it yourself.
“The Firefly” stands among the finest Fringe episodes. The pull of family; the knotty complexity of romance; the way sci-fi can provide fresh metaphors for the most frequently explored ideas and emotions; the way we encounter humor and surprise even in the midst of anguish and regret — this is the stuff of which Fringe is made. Hallelujah.
Oh yes, those uneasy fears I mentioned at the top of this piece. I do fear — with great delight — for the future implications of the Observers’ ominous exchange and what it means for Walter later in the season. Walter undergoing another traumatic challenge about the possibility of losing a son seems almost too much for the man to bear. It will also make for great drama.
Fringe benefits:
• The episode title was also, of course, a nod to Fringe‘s new Friday night Fox death-trap time period, once the quicksand-grave for Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
• It’s rumored that the Violet Sedan Chair’s album Seven Suns exists, and can be found in various independent record stories throughout the country. From what I’ve heard, Chair music is less psychedelic than I’d thought the band would be — more influenced by American British-invasion-influenced bands ranging from the Beau Brummels to The Three O’Clock. In other words: Fab.
• How many of you initially thought, as I did, that Bobby wasn’t a transported-from-1985 Bobby, but the alterna-Bobby, from the Other Side?
• The Observer shooting Peter with his “magic air gun” — wish I had one of those.
What did you think about the return of Fringe and “The Firefly”?
The hour began not with a previously-standard pre-credits, scare-case-of-the-week introduction, but rather a beautiful scene between Walter and Peter that had those elements of comedy and poignance that Fringe combines like no other current television. Peter came upon Walter in the lab, the latter preparing to inject himself in his leg with something concocted to “make myself smarter,” the better to replace the missing parts of his brain (I know I’ve just lost every non-regular-Fringe viewer reading this with that phrase; sorry) and to approximate the intelligence of Walternate. Peter gently warned his father to recall that Walter had asked William Bell to snip out those brain-parts “because you were afraid of what you were becoming.”
Then, cut to a nursing home in Boston, where a patient who would prove to be guest star Christopher Lloyd was seen on security cameras conversing with an unknown hospital visitor. The patient was Roscoe Joyce, the former keyboardist for Walter’s favorite rock band, Violet Sedan Chair, and the stranger was Joyce’s dead son, Bobby, come to deliver a message. Bobby, who’d died in 1985, joined up with our most familiar Observer (Michael Cerveris), who told Bobby that, with his brief mission accomplished, “I’ll take you home now.”
Once Fringe Division is called into this scenario because the cameras also picked up the presence of the Observer, it was bliss to see Walter’s reaction when he realized that the drawn, haggard ex-rocker before him was Roscoe Joyce. Lloyd’s hopeless demeanor was as perfect as his wardrobe — the no-shirt vest plus jewelry get-up of a man who indeed looked like a refugee from a decades-old, now-defunct (art-? prog-? psychedelic-?) rock band. Walter’s elation at meeting one of his heroes, even in this fallen, sedated state, was tempered by the Observer sighting: “Every time the Observer appears, it has something to do with you,” he said to Peter, worry creasing his face. “Something bad.”
But soon after, we saw two Observers discussing Walter, not Peter. Our Observer says to his colleague, “I think he has changed.” The other one disagrees. Most of the Observer scenes in “The Firefly” were mysterious, confusing, until the end of the hour. Shortly before this our Observer foiled a jewlry store robbery and saved a woman tied up during the burglary by locating her asthma inhaler, from which she desperately needed a dose. He pocketed the inhaler. It was very cool to see an Observer in an action scene — catching the robber’s bullets, disabling the thief with a series of sharp elbows and in-close punches. But… to what end?
With Roscoe brought to Walter’s lab, the scientist tried to draw out the musician’s memories, and in the process, Walter explained that he’s made a “liquid base to aid in the process of bran-mapping.” Roscoe Joyce observed wryly that Brain Mapping would make a great name for an album. Walter had mixed the liquid with milk “as a bonding agent,” and put it in his fridge in an ordinary milk bottle. Uh-oh…
The Observer appeared to Walter and asked to talk. What followed was the crux of the episode. The Observer and Walter discuss “various possible futures” and how “every action causes ripples.” He told Walter a story that gave the hour its title and was, we thought as we watched, a metaphor: It was about Peter as a boy catching a firefly, which caused another child to not catch one and go wandering off. Her father went looking for her in his car, skidded and hit and killed a boy. The Observer broke off from his story to ask Walter for his help: “When the time comes, give him the keys and save the girl.” Walter was baffled by this apparent non sequitur.
But then Walter went back to the lab and Roscoe had remembered something: Bobby called him years ago to tell him about a dream which involved a bald man and a nursing home; Roscoe said it was their last conversation, because shortly after, Bobby was fatally hit by a man driving a car. Walter realized that, in a roundabout way, he was responsible for this death (because of his Peter catching the firefly) and Roscoe comments that the grief over Bobby’s death is the real reason Violet Sedan Chair broke up. So Walter is also responsible for the break-up of his favorite band! I’d have cheered at this cleverness in the script by producers J. H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner had I not been so moved by the multiple unhappinesses that were caused in what the Observer called actions-causing-ripples. “That man lost a son because I was unwilling to lose mine,” is how Walter will boil it down a few minutes later to Astrid. Walter also realized that the Observer “wants me to help him un-do all the damage… But in doing that I would lose [Peter] all over again.”
The Observer’s non sequitur to Walter made sense when the Observer caused an auto accident and the woman with asthma was again placed in jeopardy. At the scene of this accident, Olivia chased after the Observer; Peter told Walter he wanted to go help Olivia but that Walter should stay with the young woman and that he needs their car.
“Give me the keys and save the girl,” Peter says to Walter. Thunderstruck, Walter realizes this had been the Observer’s plan all along. “They’re going to take you from me!” he cried out in anguish. Yet Walter cannot allow the asthmatic girl to die. He handed over the keys and improvised a cure for the woman. This delayed him from getting back to the lab, where Peter, thirsty, reached in for the milk and went into a seizure — a reaction to Walter’s brain-mapping elixer. A frantic Olivia called Walter, who guided her through an anti-coagulant injection.
Later the Observers spoke about all this. “You were right, he’s changed. He was willing to let his son die,” is what they conclude. “Yes, and now we know: When the time comes, he will be willing to do it again.” Fade to black.
But wait! There was the night’s other plot: Olivia received a book in the mail, If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him! (This is an actual book, published in 1972 by Sheldon B. Kopp, that carries the subtitle, “The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients.”) At first, Olivia was put off by this, handing it off to Peter as being intended for “her” — i.e., Altivia. But then Peter explained, with a lovely sincerity and earnestness, “The book wasn’t meant for her. It was meant for the Olivia Dunham that I’ve spent the past couple of years of my life with… You’re the person I wanted to share it with.” It was meant to help explain why he can be so distant and disengaged. If The Buddha is about finding one’s own path, altering the narrative of one’s past, and commences with a section that’s very apt for this music-minded episode of Fringe: “Take From No Man His Song.” With its chapters about “spoiled identity” and “a search for belonging,” this book is something I’m going to have to dip into further. I’ll keep you posted on what I find; let me know if you’ve read it yourself.
“The Firefly” stands among the finest Fringe episodes. The pull of family; the knotty complexity of romance; the way sci-fi can provide fresh metaphors for the most frequently explored ideas and emotions; the way we encounter humor and surprise even in the midst of anguish and regret — this is the stuff of which Fringe is made. Hallelujah.
Oh yes, those uneasy fears I mentioned at the top of this piece. I do fear — with great delight — for the future implications of the Observers’ ominous exchange and what it means for Walter later in the season. Walter undergoing another traumatic challenge about the possibility of losing a son seems almost too much for the man to bear. It will also make for great drama.
Fringe benefits:
• The episode title was also, of course, a nod to Fringe‘s new Friday night Fox death-trap time period, once the quicksand-grave for Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
• It’s rumored that the Violet Sedan Chair’s album Seven Suns exists, and can be found in various independent record stories throughout the country. From what I’ve heard, Chair music is less psychedelic than I’d thought the band would be — more influenced by American British-invasion-influenced bands ranging from the Beau Brummels to The Three O’Clock. In other words: Fab.
• How many of you initially thought, as I did, that Bobby wasn’t a transported-from-1985 Bobby, but the alterna-Bobby, from the Other Side?
• The Observer shooting Peter with his “magic air gun” — wish I had one of those.
What did you think about the return of Fringe and “The Firefly”?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Guns N' Roses Show No Love to 'Glee'
The cast members of 'Glee' won't be heading to Paradise City anytime soon.
Guns N' Roses have reportedly turned down the hit TV show's request to feature their songs, according to Entertainment Weekly. In a Sunday interview with the magazine, Slash said didn't give details on how the band voted, but made it clear that if it were solely up to him, he'd rather be watching 'Grease.'
"In the current climate of what's going on in entertainment these days, I try to be more optimistic than negative because it's really easy to get negative about it, but I draw the line at 'Glee,'" he said.
"When 'Grease' came out I was like, 'Oh, c'mon, give me a break,'" Slash, who's currently touring with Ozzy Osbourne, said. "Actually, I look at 'Grease' now and think (that) between 'High School Musical' and 'Glee,' 'Grease' was a brilliant work of art."
Guns N' Roses are one of just a handful of high-profile musical acts to decline the invitation. Coldplay and Kings of Leon have passed on the show, but given that Glee becomes more of a cultural juggernaut every week, both have been rumored to be reconsidering the offer.
Even, Oscar nominated actress and all-around Hollywood sweetheart Anne Hathaway will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of 'Glee,' according to E! News.
Creator Ryan Murphy confirmed the news backstage at the Golden Globes, right after the hit show won a Golden Globe for Best Series. According to Us Weekly, the 'Love and Other Drugs' star is scheduled to play Kurt's lesbian aunt in an upcoming episode.
Guns N' Roses have reportedly turned down the hit TV show's request to feature their songs, according to Entertainment Weekly. In a Sunday interview with the magazine, Slash said didn't give details on how the band voted, but made it clear that if it were solely up to him, he'd rather be watching 'Grease.'
"In the current climate of what's going on in entertainment these days, I try to be more optimistic than negative because it's really easy to get negative about it, but I draw the line at 'Glee,'" he said.
"When 'Grease' came out I was like, 'Oh, c'mon, give me a break,'" Slash, who's currently touring with Ozzy Osbourne, said. "Actually, I look at 'Grease' now and think (that) between 'High School Musical' and 'Glee,' 'Grease' was a brilliant work of art."
Guns N' Roses are one of just a handful of high-profile musical acts to decline the invitation. Coldplay and Kings of Leon have passed on the show, but given that Glee becomes more of a cultural juggernaut every week, both have been rumored to be reconsidering the offer.
Even, Oscar nominated actress and all-around Hollywood sweetheart Anne Hathaway will make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of 'Glee,' according to E! News.
Creator Ryan Murphy confirmed the news backstage at the Golden Globes, right after the hit show won a Golden Globe for Best Series. According to Us Weekly, the 'Love and Other Drugs' star is scheduled to play Kurt's lesbian aunt in an upcoming episode.
For Natalie Portman and Others, One Film Can Mean Major Success and Real-Life Love
Listening to Oscar frontrunner Natalie Portman's best actress acceptance speech at the Golden Globe Awards, it became all too clear that the glowing starlet got a lot more out of the 'Black Swan' experience than just a hit film. In 'Swan,' Portman found not only the role of a lifetime, she also met the man who would become her fiance and father her child, French ballet dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied.
While the actress certainly isn't the first Hollywood star to start a relationship on-set -- doesn't it seem like most actors find love (or something like it) while filming? -- Portman can lay claim to being one of the few experiencing the best of both worlds: Not only is her film a career-defining smash, earning her the best reviews of her 16-year film career, her relationship with Millepied looks like the real deal.
Only a handful of other stars can point to one film as a game-changer the way Portman can. Find out who else fell in love (and stayed that way) on the set of a career-defining film, after the jump.
"Thank you to Benjamin, who is helping me continue this creation of creating more life. Benjamin choreographed the film, and also you might remember him in the movie as the guy when they ask, 'Would you sleep with that girl?' and he's like, 'Pfft, no.' He's the best actor; it's not true, he totally wants to sleep with me," Portman laughed during her acceptance speech. Millepied could not have looked more proud and smitten.
To date, 'Black Swan' has made $75 million at the box office. With awards season just getting into full swing, the indie hit, which cost only $13 million to make, seems en route to a gross of more than $100 million and is already Portman's biggest hit (you know, that doesn't start with the words 'Star Wars'). With multiple award wins already under her belt, the actress seems a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination and already has been pegged as the frontrunner to take home this year's Best Actress Oscar. Millepied will no doubt be by her side throughout, beaming as his Swan Queen sweeps through Tinseltown's biggest honors.
Portman and Millepied, however, are still decades removed from the gold standard of on-set Hollywood romances: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Newman and Woodward met initially while working on the Broadway play 'Picnic' in 1953, while Newman was still married to his first wife, Jackie Witte. It wasn't until they reunited on the set of 'The Long, Hot Summer' in 1957, before either had broken out, that their romance flourished. The pair wed in 1958 and had been married for more than 50 years when Newman passed away in the fall of 2008.
'The Long, Hot Summer' was Newman's first major starring vehicle after nearly a decade of smaller parts, lesser films and TV work. Like her future husband, Woodward was a relative newcomer on the film scene -- though her star really took off while she was filming 'Summer' in '57, when 'The Three Faces of Eve,' for which she won the Best Actress Oscar, was released.
Newman and Woodward went on to have three daughters together and starred opposite each other in 10 different films, including 1990's 'Mr. & Mrs. Bridge,' for which Woodward earned her fourth Academy Award nod. Newman even directed Woodward to an Oscar nomination for 1968's 'Rachel, Rachel.'
'Summer's' success was just the beginning for Newman, whose career exploded following its release. That same year, he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the classic film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' which brought him the first of eight Best Actor Oscar nominations. (He earned a best supporting actor nod for 2003's 'The Road to Perdition.') In the decade that followed, he starred in 'The Hustler,' 'Hud' and 'Cool Hand Luke.'
Woodward remained a constant in the actor's life, and when asked about infidelity in Hollywood, the philanthropic star famously quipped, "Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?"
If Newman was famous for being faithful, one of his contemporaries, Warren Beatty, was, um, not. From the time he became a movie star, in 1961's 'Splendor in the Grass,' Beatty was a notorious ladies man. For 30 years, the handsome actor romanced some of the most famous women in the world, from Madonna and Diane Keaton to Cher and Ann-Margret. It has even been speculated that Carly Simon's classic song 'You're So Vain' is about Beatty.
But not even the world's most notorious lothario can resist Cupid's arrow when the right lady comes along, and there's little doubt that Beatty now looks back on his 1991 hit 'Bugsy' as far more than the film that last brought him an Oscar nomination as an actor -- it's where he met the mother of his four children, Annette Bening. Beatty has starred in only three films since 'Bugsy's' release nearly 20 years ago, but he's stood steadfastly at Bening's side and watched her career flourish. In the year's since 'Bugsy,' Bening's jumped from one acclaimed movie ('The American President,' 'The Seige') to the next ('American Beauty,' 'Being Julia') and is presently Portman's biggest competition for this year's Best Actress Oscar for her Golden Globe-winning turn in 'The Kids Are All Right.'
Not long after her film wrapped, Bening, like Portman, found herself pregnant with she and Beatty's first child, and the pair married in March of 1992. "After years of running around and having a good time, I began to realize with some embarrassment that in most ways my movies all seem to return to one fairly unoriginal recurring theme: 'Love conquers all,'" Beatty told the Express of Bening in 2007. "I don't know if it's true, but it seems to be true for me."
'Bugsy' was a late career high point for Beatty the actor, but meeting Bening on-set was a revelation for Beatty the man, whose wild ways appear tamed. "She [Annette] has a great capacity to be happy, which is a great gift to me and an even greater gift to her children," Beatty told The Independent. "For me, the highest level of sexual excitement is in a monogamous relationship. I would hate myself if I failed to live up to it."
And, of course, if we are talking about couples meeting on the set of a career-defining (or redefining) movie, we can't forget Hollywood's golden couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. While 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' was by no means a breakout film for either actor, it was, in many ways, a return to form for both, and its success essentially set the stage for Jolie's career in recent years. (Don't pretend you didn't notice she's played a spy in a few different movies recently.) Before 'Smith,' Jolie was in a bit of a career drought, having gone four years without a true hit. Pitt wasn't doing a whole lot better; sure, he had the 'Ocean's' franchise, but 'Troy' was a big budget bust, and his other star vehicles weren't delivering box office numbers fitting his stature in Hollywood.
Then came 'Smith,' which grossed a massive $478 million worldwide -- the film is the biggest hit of both actors' careers -- and introduced the world to Brangelina. Ever since the tabloids caught wind of their romance and its curious-seeming overlap with the end of Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston, the pair have been caught in a perpetual whirlwind of drama, but Pitt and Jolie forged what seems like an unshakable bond, one that has weathered controversy after manufactured controversy. And they have six beautiful children to show for it.
"Not a lot of people get to see a movie where their parents fell in love," Jolie told the New York Times in 2008 of one day showing 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' to her children. It is indeed a rare luxury, one she and Pitt share with Bening and Beatty and Portman and Millepied. Now, let's just hope Portman and Millepied can keep 'Black Swan' under wraps until their baby is old enough to understand just how much work mommy and daddy put in to making the film a tour de force of acting and dance.
While the actress certainly isn't the first Hollywood star to start a relationship on-set -- doesn't it seem like most actors find love (or something like it) while filming? -- Portman can lay claim to being one of the few experiencing the best of both worlds: Not only is her film a career-defining smash, earning her the best reviews of her 16-year film career, her relationship with Millepied looks like the real deal.
Only a handful of other stars can point to one film as a game-changer the way Portman can. Find out who else fell in love (and stayed that way) on the set of a career-defining film, after the jump.
"Thank you to Benjamin, who is helping me continue this creation of creating more life. Benjamin choreographed the film, and also you might remember him in the movie as the guy when they ask, 'Would you sleep with that girl?' and he's like, 'Pfft, no.' He's the best actor; it's not true, he totally wants to sleep with me," Portman laughed during her acceptance speech. Millepied could not have looked more proud and smitten.
To date, 'Black Swan' has made $75 million at the box office. With awards season just getting into full swing, the indie hit, which cost only $13 million to make, seems en route to a gross of more than $100 million and is already Portman's biggest hit (you know, that doesn't start with the words 'Star Wars'). With multiple award wins already under her belt, the actress seems a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination and already has been pegged as the frontrunner to take home this year's Best Actress Oscar. Millepied will no doubt be by her side throughout, beaming as his Swan Queen sweeps through Tinseltown's biggest honors.
Portman and Millepied, however, are still decades removed from the gold standard of on-set Hollywood romances: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Newman and Woodward met initially while working on the Broadway play 'Picnic' in 1953, while Newman was still married to his first wife, Jackie Witte. It wasn't until they reunited on the set of 'The Long, Hot Summer' in 1957, before either had broken out, that their romance flourished. The pair wed in 1958 and had been married for more than 50 years when Newman passed away in the fall of 2008.
'The Long, Hot Summer' was Newman's first major starring vehicle after nearly a decade of smaller parts, lesser films and TV work. Like her future husband, Woodward was a relative newcomer on the film scene -- though her star really took off while she was filming 'Summer' in '57, when 'The Three Faces of Eve,' for which she won the Best Actress Oscar, was released.
Newman and Woodward went on to have three daughters together and starred opposite each other in 10 different films, including 1990's 'Mr. & Mrs. Bridge,' for which Woodward earned her fourth Academy Award nod. Newman even directed Woodward to an Oscar nomination for 1968's 'Rachel, Rachel.'
'Summer's' success was just the beginning for Newman, whose career exploded following its release. That same year, he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the classic film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' which brought him the first of eight Best Actor Oscar nominations. (He earned a best supporting actor nod for 2003's 'The Road to Perdition.') In the decade that followed, he starred in 'The Hustler,' 'Hud' and 'Cool Hand Luke.'
Woodward remained a constant in the actor's life, and when asked about infidelity in Hollywood, the philanthropic star famously quipped, "Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?"
If Newman was famous for being faithful, one of his contemporaries, Warren Beatty, was, um, not. From the time he became a movie star, in 1961's 'Splendor in the Grass,' Beatty was a notorious ladies man. For 30 years, the handsome actor romanced some of the most famous women in the world, from Madonna and Diane Keaton to Cher and Ann-Margret. It has even been speculated that Carly Simon's classic song 'You're So Vain' is about Beatty.
But not even the world's most notorious lothario can resist Cupid's arrow when the right lady comes along, and there's little doubt that Beatty now looks back on his 1991 hit 'Bugsy' as far more than the film that last brought him an Oscar nomination as an actor -- it's where he met the mother of his four children, Annette Bening. Beatty has starred in only three films since 'Bugsy's' release nearly 20 years ago, but he's stood steadfastly at Bening's side and watched her career flourish. In the year's since 'Bugsy,' Bening's jumped from one acclaimed movie ('The American President,' 'The Seige') to the next ('American Beauty,' 'Being Julia') and is presently Portman's biggest competition for this year's Best Actress Oscar for her Golden Globe-winning turn in 'The Kids Are All Right.'
Not long after her film wrapped, Bening, like Portman, found herself pregnant with she and Beatty's first child, and the pair married in March of 1992. "After years of running around and having a good time, I began to realize with some embarrassment that in most ways my movies all seem to return to one fairly unoriginal recurring theme: 'Love conquers all,'" Beatty told the Express of Bening in 2007. "I don't know if it's true, but it seems to be true for me."
'Bugsy' was a late career high point for Beatty the actor, but meeting Bening on-set was a revelation for Beatty the man, whose wild ways appear tamed. "She [Annette] has a great capacity to be happy, which is a great gift to me and an even greater gift to her children," Beatty told The Independent. "For me, the highest level of sexual excitement is in a monogamous relationship. I would hate myself if I failed to live up to it."
And, of course, if we are talking about couples meeting on the set of a career-defining (or redefining) movie, we can't forget Hollywood's golden couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. While 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' was by no means a breakout film for either actor, it was, in many ways, a return to form for both, and its success essentially set the stage for Jolie's career in recent years. (Don't pretend you didn't notice she's played a spy in a few different movies recently.) Before 'Smith,' Jolie was in a bit of a career drought, having gone four years without a true hit. Pitt wasn't doing a whole lot better; sure, he had the 'Ocean's' franchise, but 'Troy' was a big budget bust, and his other star vehicles weren't delivering box office numbers fitting his stature in Hollywood.
Then came 'Smith,' which grossed a massive $478 million worldwide -- the film is the biggest hit of both actors' careers -- and introduced the world to Brangelina. Ever since the tabloids caught wind of their romance and its curious-seeming overlap with the end of Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston, the pair have been caught in a perpetual whirlwind of drama, but Pitt and Jolie forged what seems like an unshakable bond, one that has weathered controversy after manufactured controversy. And they have six beautiful children to show for it.
"Not a lot of people get to see a movie where their parents fell in love," Jolie told the New York Times in 2008 of one day showing 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' to her children. It is indeed a rare luxury, one she and Pitt share with Bening and Beatty and Portman and Millepied. Now, let's just hope Portman and Millepied can keep 'Black Swan' under wraps until their baby is old enough to understand just how much work mommy and daddy put in to making the film a tour de force of acting and dance.
Kristin Cavallari Is in Love With Jay Cutler
Love is definitely in the Chicago air as far as Kristin Cavallari is concerned. During her talk with PEOPLE about her relationship with Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, she said, "I'm in love."
Cavallari was in Las Vegas Saturday night celebrating her 24th birthday at a swanky nightclub where she also revealed that things were going well between the couple.
Sadly, Cutler was not by her side during the celebrations as he was preparing for the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, which the Bears won on Sunday.
Cavallari said she wanted to be there with Cutler and was bummed that he was not in Vegas to celebrate her birthday.
Cutler, however, made up for his absence when he sent a large bouquet of pink flowers to her table.
Cavallari also said that the city of Chicago has been great for her as she wanted to be away from the public eye and she loved hanging out with her mom, who resides in the city.
Cavallari was in Las Vegas Saturday night celebrating her 24th birthday at a swanky nightclub where she also revealed that things were going well between the couple.
Sadly, Cutler was not by her side during the celebrations as he was preparing for the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, which the Bears won on Sunday.
Cavallari said she wanted to be there with Cutler and was bummed that he was not in Vegas to celebrate her birthday.
Cutler, however, made up for his absence when he sent a large bouquet of pink flowers to her table.
Cavallari also said that the city of Chicago has been great for her as she wanted to be away from the public eye and she loved hanging out with her mom, who resides in the city.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Mila Kunis On Love Blindness, Actual Blindness
The "Black Swan" star reveals secret struggle with partial blindess.
It's not surprising that moviegoers and TV audiences have been finding Mila Kunis' piercing gaze a welcome distraction over the years.
What is surprising is that the actress has been banking on that in an effort to hide a struggle with partial blindness.
The "Black Swan" star recently revealed the surprising severity of her visual impairment.
"I was blind in one eye for many years, and nobody knew," Kunis explains in the February issue of Cosmopolitan. "I had surgery a couple of months ago. They cut it open and dropped a new lens in there. I'm not blind anymore."
Kunis, who recently split from Macaulay Culkin after eight years, went on to admit that she does remain blind in matters of the heart. When asked what she looks for in a guy, who responded "Confidence, not cockiness."
"Looks go; they fade," says Kunis. "I don't think looks matter."
It's not surprising that moviegoers and TV audiences have been finding Mila Kunis' piercing gaze a welcome distraction over the years.
What is surprising is that the actress has been banking on that in an effort to hide a struggle with partial blindness.
The "Black Swan" star recently revealed the surprising severity of her visual impairment.
"I was blind in one eye for many years, and nobody knew," Kunis explains in the February issue of Cosmopolitan. "I had surgery a couple of months ago. They cut it open and dropped a new lens in there. I'm not blind anymore."
Kunis, who recently split from Macaulay Culkin after eight years, went on to admit that she does remain blind in matters of the heart. When asked what she looks for in a guy, who responded "Confidence, not cockiness."
"Looks go; they fade," says Kunis. "I don't think looks matter."
Johnny Weir 'Waited for Love' to Lose Virginity
Johnny Weir finally admits he's gay in his new autobiography, 'Welcome to My World,' and the 'Skating With the Stars' judge revealed to me recently that readers should expect candid talk about his personal life.
"I delve into a lot of the nitty-gritty about my sex life, which people have been waiting for, but I wanted to wait until I could tell it in my own words," the Olympic skater said on my HDNet show, 'Naughty But Nice With Rob.'
So, he talks about his first time? "Well yes, I talk about waiting for love for [losing] my virginity. ... I waited."
In 'Welcome to My World,' Johnny explains why he waited so long to speak publicly about his sexuality and addresses the bashing he's taken over the years from gay-centric blogs.
"I'm not ashamed to be me. More than anyone else I know, I love my life and accept myself. What's wrong with being unique? I am proud of everything that I am and will become," Johnny writes. "All the gay websites couldn't figure out why I was such a jerk that I wouldn't talk about it."
He writes that all the pressure to come out from total strangers didn't help matters.
"Pressure is the last thing that would make me want to 'join' a community. ... The massive backlash against me in the gay media and community only made me dig my 'closeted' heels in further."
One person he didn't keep his identity hidden from was his mother, whom he came out to at age 18.
"No mother wants to hear her son say he's gay," Weir says in the excerpt. "Those two words rip the picture of a daughter-in-law and grandchildren into pieces. I felt sorry for my mom and wanted her to know everything was going to be all right. But then she said, 'I don't really care, Johnny, as long as I know that you are going to be happy.'"
Tuesday is a big day for Johnny Weir fans. While you're online buying 'Welcome to My World' for that Kindle you just got for Christmas, be sure to pick up a copy of his single, 'Dirty Love,' on iTunes.
"I delve into a lot of the nitty-gritty about my sex life, which people have been waiting for, but I wanted to wait until I could tell it in my own words," the Olympic skater said on my HDNet show, 'Naughty But Nice With Rob.'
So, he talks about his first time? "Well yes, I talk about waiting for love for [losing] my virginity. ... I waited."
In 'Welcome to My World,' Johnny explains why he waited so long to speak publicly about his sexuality and addresses the bashing he's taken over the years from gay-centric blogs.
"I'm not ashamed to be me. More than anyone else I know, I love my life and accept myself. What's wrong with being unique? I am proud of everything that I am and will become," Johnny writes. "All the gay websites couldn't figure out why I was such a jerk that I wouldn't talk about it."
He writes that all the pressure to come out from total strangers didn't help matters.
"Pressure is the last thing that would make me want to 'join' a community. ... The massive backlash against me in the gay media and community only made me dig my 'closeted' heels in further."
One person he didn't keep his identity hidden from was his mother, whom he came out to at age 18.
"No mother wants to hear her son say he's gay," Weir says in the excerpt. "Those two words rip the picture of a daughter-in-law and grandchildren into pieces. I felt sorry for my mom and wanted her to know everything was going to be all right. But then she said, 'I don't really care, Johnny, as long as I know that you are going to be happy.'"
Tuesday is a big day for Johnny Weir fans. While you're online buying 'Welcome to My World' for that Kindle you just got for Christmas, be sure to pick up a copy of his single, 'Dirty Love,' on iTunes.
‘Whip My Hair’ Cover Artist Katie Gavin Benefiting From Willow Smith Love
YouTube is littered with cover versions of Willow Smith's 'Whip My Hair.' But few have attracted attention like 18-year-old Illinois native Katie Gavin, whose acoustic, bluesy take on the pop hit has garnered more than 210,000 views.
Praise from MTV's Buzzworthy was far from the end for Gavin's cover. Last week, Smith chimed in her approval of Gavin's version, telling PopEater in a video interview, "Thank you, Katie Gavin, for doing an awesome version of my song."
For Gavin, that alone would be enough to have made the cover successful. "To hear Willow say that she likes the cover and she thought I was good -- and to hear my name leave her lips -- was such a crazy thing," Gavin tells PopEater. She found out about Smith's name-check via Twitter while at school. "To be acknowledged by her and for the song itself to get her seal of approval means so much to me. It's kind of the point where I can be truly satisfied with everything that's happened because I like her, and I like her song."
That would be enough, but it's not even close to the benefits Gavin has seen from her cover sensation. "This video is the reason I've had attention from people in New York and in LA, and I'm connecting with people that have started listening to my songs," says Gavin, who will play shows in New York on Friday, Jan. 14, and Monday, Jan. 17. "And I think that's actually the most rewarding out of all this -- that people started listening to me as an artist because they liked the cover. They went to my page, started listening to my original songs and have become fans of my music."
Praise from MTV's Buzzworthy was far from the end for Gavin's cover. Last week, Smith chimed in her approval of Gavin's version, telling PopEater in a video interview, "Thank you, Katie Gavin, for doing an awesome version of my song."
For Gavin, that alone would be enough to have made the cover successful. "To hear Willow say that she likes the cover and she thought I was good -- and to hear my name leave her lips -- was such a crazy thing," Gavin tells PopEater. She found out about Smith's name-check via Twitter while at school. "To be acknowledged by her and for the song itself to get her seal of approval means so much to me. It's kind of the point where I can be truly satisfied with everything that's happened because I like her, and I like her song."
That would be enough, but it's not even close to the benefits Gavin has seen from her cover sensation. "This video is the reason I've had attention from people in New York and in LA, and I'm connecting with people that have started listening to my songs," says Gavin, who will play shows in New York on Friday, Jan. 14, and Monday, Jan. 17. "And I think that's actually the most rewarding out of all this -- that people started listening to me as an artist because they liked the cover. They went to my page, started listening to my original songs and have become fans of my music."
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