December 2011
96 posts
13 tags
The 2011 Best (and Worst) List of Films and Actors
As the year comes to a close and I have some free time, I’ve finally compiled our year-end Best and Worst list.
These are the Best, Worst and Most Disappointing films of the year as well as the Best Actors, both lead and supporting.
Check them out and let me know if you agree, disagree or want to throw rotten fruit at me because I’m so damn wrong.
Best Films 50/50 Crazy Stupid Love...
15 tags
Simon Pegg Talks About His Unlikely Success in Big...
Comedic actor/writer Simon Pegg might have to watch the jokes he writes now that he’s become a popular supporting actor in big budget films like Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Years ago, in an episode of his popular television series, Spaced, he once said, “As sure as day follows night, as sure as every odd numbered Star Trek movie is crap.”
The problem? Pegg...
16 tags
John C. Reilly: "I try to just be really committed...
“Academy Award Nominee John C. Reilly.”
Don’t forget that accolade next time you watch Reilly goofing off with Will Ferrell in a Funny or Die video. Since Reilly is better known these days for his hysterical roles in comedies it’s often easy easy to forget that he’s earned critical success as a dramatic actor — in fact, of the four films Reilly appeared in...
14 tags
Tom Hiddleston looks back on 2011, quotes 'Hamlet'...
Actor Tom Hiddleston is enjoying the recent rise of success in his acting career. Previously a regular in the British TV series Wallander, the thirty year old has been off and running this year with a slew of new movie roles.
Filming back to back for the films Thor, Midnight in Paris, and Spielberg’s War Horse, Hiddleston sounds as though he’s taking it all in stride while talking...
14 tags
Colin Hanks Talks 'Dexter', the Doomsday Killer...
One of the best highlights of the latest season of Dexter is due in large part to actor Colin Hanks. The thirty-four year old played a crucial role as one of the biggest threats to Dexter, a role that seems to have fallen into the talented actor’s lap out of no where.Â
Talking about his role with Vulture, Hanks says that the opportunity came untraditionally for him. “It came...
10 tags
Judge Says Anonymous Actress Must Reveal Her Name...
We’ve been following the IMDb age discrimination for months: Amazon.com, the parent company of IMDb, is embroiled in a lawsuit filed by an actress over IMDb not only listing her birth date on its website but refusing to remove it.
The anonymous actress has claimed that because of rampant age discrimination in Hollywood that revealing her true age significantly damages her chances of...
14 tags
Book Review: 'The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June...
I originally posted this review back in October but I love it so much that I wanted to re-post it.
I love Broadway.
I’m fortunate enough that I get to New York a couple times a year and see as many shows as I can. Some are good, some are great and yes, some are bad. But, no matter the quality, I always get that excited feeling when the lights go down and the actors walk onto the stage.
I...
13 tags
Jessica Chastain: "It's recently come into focus...
Jessica Chastain has been nominated for numerous awards this season for her roles in this year’s Take Shelter and The Help, and even already won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress for those two roles as well as well as her supporting role in The Tree of Life.
She’ll likely rack up a few more nominations in the New Year. Chastain also appeared in...
14 tags
Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin Talk "Mediocre"...
For An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, the two stars take songs from their repertoire to weave together a story for their concert audience. The two recently spoke with The New York Times about their friendship, but also about Broadway, actors, and even the consumer.
When LuPone was asked about the standard she holds other actors to, she says, “It’s always about the audience. I mean,...
15 tags
Jeremy Irvine's 1st Role Was Playing a Tree on...
You’d think that for someone whose screen credits didn’t extend beyond bit parts on the Disney Channel and who had recently played a tree on stage, a simple “You got the role!” would’ve sufficed, but for young British actor Jeremy Irvine, Steven Spielberg informed him he’d been cast in upcoming drama War Horse in a more creative fashion.
“Read this to camera, but don’t turn it over until we say...
18 tags
Noomi Rapace: “Done With” Lisbeth, Moving to...
Although Swedish-stunner Noomi Rapace is best known for her role in the original adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the actress is ready to move on from the part. The role of hardcore hacker turned detective, Lisbeth Salander, in Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy has proved to be a career-making turn which has led to several parts in upcoming blockbusters.
Rapace is more than happy...
19 tags
What’s Next for Michael C. Hall and Will 'Dexter'...
Season six of Dexter ended Sunday with its usual flair for the dramatic and shocking—its fans have come to expect no less from the serial-killer protagonist, played by Michael C. Hall.
In an interview with Parade, Hall notes that the finale provided “some pretty fundamentally earthshaking things,” but the actor isn’t so sure about the ultimate fate of his character.
Showtime recently announced...
14 tags
Jared Harris: "Even when I am playing a real...
Sherlock Holmes’ archenemy — who actually only appears in two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories — has been portrayed on radio, television, and film by such acting luminaries as Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, John Huston, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
So when Jared Harris stepped into the role for the latest Holmes film, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock...
16 tags
Rachel Griffiths on 'Other Desert Cities' and Her...
Rachel Griffiths might be making her Broadway debut in Other Desert Cities, but she has a long history of appearing on both television (Six Feet Under, Brothers & Sisters) and on the stage in her native Australia.
Although Griffiths didn’t have much time to prepare for the role, she tells TheaterMania.com that she had no problems with stepping into it.
Griffiths says that her...
15 tags
After Being Away From Theatre for 8 Years, Clark...
Clark Gregg might be most known as Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Movie Universe, but he’s had an extensive career in film and television and is a member of the Atlantic Theater Company.
He currently appears in Ethan Coen’s collection of one-act plays, Happy Hour, on the New York stage. Gregg gave an interview to The Gothamist about returning to the stage after a prolonged...
13 tags
Robert Downey Jr. Talks Improvising, Co-Stars and...
One of the most anticipated sequels of the year was finally being released this past weekend: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Returning to the role of the English detective is Robert Downey Jr., who received rave reviews for his portrayal in the 2009 original. But ever the team player, Downey won’t take sole credit for the film’s success: in an interview with Collider, Downey...
12 tags
Octavia Spencer On 'The Help': "I guess the...
Actress Octavia Spencer from this summer’s box office hit The Help from director Tate Taylor gave Huffington Post the back story on her role as Minny Jackson, the maid and friend of Emma Stone’s character Skeeter, a fresh new journalist who pens a novel on the African-American maids and their hardships during the 1960’s.
Discussing her character, Spencer spoke about how Minny...
15 tags
J.B. Smoove: "I like to dive in there and have fun...
When J.B. Smoove appeared seemingly out of nowhere as the Hurricane Edna-displaced Leon Black in the sixth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, most probably didn’t guess that Smoove would continue to guest appear in episodes in the subsequent two seasons.
Yet even less people were aware that Smoove has a long history in comedy, including a stint as a writer on Saturday Night Live. In an...
20 tags
Gary Oldman: "There’s always room for a white...
Once best known for villainous roles in films like Leon: The Professional, Air Force One, and The Fifth Element, Gary Oldman has more recently become recognized for his “good guy” supporting roles in Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and the Harry Potter series.
Oldman continues his transformation into heroic roles in Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy as MI6 spy George Smiley, and,...
15 tags
Broadway Review: 'Lysistrata Jones'
With a book by Douglas Carter Beane and music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn, Lysistrata Jones, based on Aristophanes Greek comedy, follows the awful Athens University basketball team who haven’t won a game in years. When Lysistrata jones transfers to the school, she joins the cheerleading squad and then challenges the girls to stop “giving it up” to their player boyfriends till they win a game.
Go...
16 tags
Daniel Craig Talks Auditioning, 'Dragon Tattoo'...
British actor Daniel Craig covers all the bases in a recent interview with Time Out London. The long time performer, who has a series of highly anticipated movies enter the box office this year, discussed everything from his upcoming role in David Fincher’s adaption of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well his attachment to the James Bond franchise, landing work before his studies ended...
15 tags
Jeremy Renner: "Finding the humanity in a villain...
“As an actor, you just want to be challenged,” Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner recently shared in an interview with Stltoday, and that’s exactly what the actor is in for.
The forty year old Renner, a California native, has been busy working on several soon to be box office hits. Renner will not only show up in the Brad Bird’s Dec. 21st release Mission: Impossible — Ghost...
15 tags
Albert Brooks on his 'Drive' Role: "First and...
Was there a bigger surprise performance this year than Albert Brooks in Drive? The Broadcast News funnyman reached an unprecedented level of dramatic performance for his role in Drive.
As he explains to Interview Magazine, that challenge was his main motivating factor with taking the role on, and he also comments on all the awards buzz that his role has generated.
Many have commented on how...
14 tags
Are You A Sloppy Networker?
by Emily Grace
The holiday season is a great time to network because there are holiday parties galore. But just because most peeps are in a festive mood, that’s no reason to get sloppy with your networking.
Let me share some of my best practices for effective networking, even as you’re living it up with free drinks and finger foods.
Set goals
Each event will appeal to a specific...
12 tags
Matt Damon On A Star's Short Shelf Life: "Every...
It’s wild how much Boston actor Matt Damon has evolved over the years. After breaking into mainstream movies as the rough and tough bean town genius in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, Damon has since appeared in a slew of movies, with the the Bourne Franchise and The Departed being probably the most well known.
What does the now forty-one year old think about the younger generation...
14 tags
Viggo Mortensen: "Life is too short to work with...
Whether he is playing the king of Middle Earth, or one of the founders of modern psychoanalysis, Viggo Mortensen is always concerned with truth.
The actor was recently interviewed by The New York Times regarding his role as Sigmund Freud in A Dangerous Method (2011), but had a lot to say about his career and the life of actors in the industry.
Mortensen offered up his views about being a...
20 tags
Watch: Meryl Streep Talks 'The Iron Lady' and...
In her latest role, Meryl Streep stars as Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom in The Iron Lady and if you’ve watched the trailer, you’ll see that she once again disappears into her part.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Streep explained that some of the roles she takes on, she can just roll out of bed and do, but the role of Thatcher was more...
13 tags
Michael Fassbender: "I'm pretty good at washing...
It’s a given that some actors will be personally affected by the roles they play, and for thirty-four year old Shame actor Michael Fassbender, portraying his character Brandon, a sex addict, was no different.
Discussing the dynamics of his alter ego in the Steve McQueen directed picture with Moviefone, Fassbender says there was a time when he thought he was going a little...
19 tags
Watch: Actresses' Roundtable featuring Carey...
Once again, The Hollywood Reporter has brought together some of the best actresses from the years most talked about films.
This year’s Actress Roundtable features Carey Mulligan from Shame and Drive, Glenn Close of Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer of The Help, Michelle Williams of My Week With Marilyn and Charlize Theron of Young Adult.
The video is an hour long and...
12 tags
Actors Take the Los Angeles Stage to Recall Their...
Actors aren’t typically shy when recounting stories of their worst auditions. So it shouldn’t be a surprise — in fact, it’s likely a stroke of genius — that actress Christine Lakin (who is probably best know for her role on the long-running ABC family sitcom Step By Step) created the show Worst Audition Ever.
After three trial performances, on Tuesday, December 6,...
12 tags
4 Clips from 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'...
I’ve talked to a handful of people who’ve seen Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and half tell me that they loved it. That they had tears streaming down their face and that the film will definitely get a nomination for a Best Picture at this years Oscars.
The other half tell me that it’s predicitable, boring and just plain bad.
I”ll go with the first group and hope that...
12 tags
9 Clips from 'War Horse' and an Interview with...
Here’s 9 clips from Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Oscar bait, War Horse.
I also added a 6 minute interview with Spielberg where he talks about the film, the cast and the challenges of making a movie about where the horse is the lead.
I wonder Joey the Horse didn’t get a SAG nomination this morning? He deserved it!
The film stars newcomer Jeremy Irvine (this is his first big...
13 tags
18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations
The nominations for the 18th Annual SAG Awards were announced this morning while I was patiently sitting in an airport waiting to board my flight to JFK.
Congrats to all the nominees!
But, I just have one WTF as I go through the list: Glee was nominated as in the Ensemble category? The cast is fine with Jane Lynch, Heather Morris and Matthew Morrison being the standouts but nominating the cast...
13 tags
The 3 'C's of How to Audition and Book the Job:...
written by Benson Simmonds
As actors we all want to know the secret to giving great auditions and booking more work.
I’d like to begin a series for Daily Actor readers to help you jump start the career of your dreams. So let’s begin by explaining the 3 “C”s of auditioning well.
Of course most of us would agree that we all need to work on our CRAFT, to understand how to...
14 tags
Dominic West Talks About Connecting to his Role as...
The Sundance Channel’s Appropriate Adult, stars Dominic West, a serial killer responsible for the murders of over a dozen young women.
West was concerned about the potential risk in making a film about the famous UK investigation, but was intrigued by the angle the film takes. He recently talked with the Los Angeles Times about his experience.
Many actors play historical figures, but in this...
14 tags
Mandy Patinkin Talks ‘Homeland’, Theatre and His...
Mandy Patinkin, currently starring on Showtime’s Homeland and opposite Patti Lupone in the Broadway show, An Evening with Patti and Mandy, certainly has a busy schedule.
The actor talked with Playbill about his working in TV and Broadway, the future and his desire to star in an original musical.
When asked how he handles working in television and on stage at the same time, Patinkin says,...
21 tags
Forbes Lists 'The Hardest Working Actors in Show...
Forbes Magazine always likes to put together all kinds of “most successful” lists. Of course, Forbes’ latest list, which is supposed to list the Hardest Working Actors in Show Business, has interesting criteria. “To come up with our list we looked at all movies that earned more than $20 million since 2007” and picked the actors who have appeared in the most $20...
22 tags
Trailer: 'Rock of Ages' starring Julianne Hough,...
Rock of Ages: Based on the hit Broadway musical, Rock of Ages tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison,...
20 tags
Trailer: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' starring Dwayne...
When you watch this, does Bruce Willis look like he’s in a different movie?
G.I. Joe: Retaliation: The G.I. Joe team faces off against Zartan, his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influence.
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, RZA, Joseph Mazzello, Elodie Yung, and Walton Goggins
Director: Jon M....
12 tags
Keira Knightley Talks 'A Dangerous Method': "It's...
After signing on to play psychoanalyst and former patient of psychiatrist Carl Jung, Sabina Spielrein, (who had a rumored romance with Jung) in director David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, Keira Knightley had her work cut out for her.
Talking with Interview Magazine, the always seemingly open and talented actress shared that she poured over books and data for four months, researching...
16 tags
Forbes List Of Hollywood's 'Best Actors for the...
Delivering their annual list of Hollywood’s Best Actors for the Buck, Forbes has revealed who came out on top in Tinseltown this year.
Based on the performers three major releases in the last five years, the news giant named Twilight actress Kristen Stewart at No. 1. The twenty-one year old actress, who plays Bella Swan in the Stephenie Meyer vampire adaption, earns $55.83 for every $1...
12 tags
9 Clips from 'Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows'
Here’s 9 clips (yes, 9!) from the Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.Â
The Guy Ritchie film, which opens this weekend, also stars Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams and Stephen Fry, and has the two sleuths matching wits with a new criminal mastermind - Professor Moriarty.Â
Mycroft (Stephen Fry) surprises Sherlock (Robert Downey Jr.) and...
11 tags
Hulu Unveils Impressive Face Match Feature
“Who is this guy? I know I’ve seen him before. I’m going to be preoccupied with his face for the entire movie if I can’t figure out where I know him from!”
If you’re a human, this thought has run through your head more than once. You know the drill — you find yourself searching IMDB for the screen credits of a random actor while you miss important plot points in the movie that was supposed to...
16 tags
Danny Burstein on the Broadway Revival of...
Danny Burstein plays the part of Buddy Plummer, in the revival of Follies, a James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim musical which first opened in 1971. Burstein never saw the original before he received the part, but of course, there were a lot of opinions about how the part should be played.
NPR recently talked with the actor about his role: “Everyone thought it should be this way, or everybody...
13 tags
Michael Fassbender Talks Backstory and Research...
Gah! I have still yet to see Shame.
Michael Fassbender’s been on a tear with some great roles this year and this is one of the films that I’ve been eagerly waiting for. Fassbender stars as a man who avoids intimacy with women but has no problem feeding his desire with a compulsive addiction to sex.
In this video from FOX, Fassbender discusses how conversations with real life sexual...
12 tags
Trailer: 'Men in Black 3' starring Will Smith,...
Men in Black 3: In Men in Black™ 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that...
16 tags
Patton Oswalt: "I don't think your career should...
Comedian Patton Oswalt might be best known for his standup routines (or lurking creepily in episodes of King of Queens), but he actually has shown some impressive dramatic depth as an actor in films like Big Fan and the upcoming Young Adult.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Oswalt talks about the challenges of making Young Adult and why his career has taken the unique path that...
18 tags
Back on Broadway, Stick Fly's Dulé Hill Says : "At...
Whether he was tiptoeing around the Oval Office as the President’s personal aide on The West Wing or breaking out antiquated hip-hop moves as co-owner of a psychic detective agency on Psych, Dulé Hill has always been about the dance.
“At the root of it, I’m a dancer,” the 36-year-old told New York magazine in a recent interview promoting his appearance in upcoming Broadway production Stick Fly....
22 tags
Trailer: 'What to Expect When You're Expecting'...
What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan find that their high-octane celebrity lives don’t stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy’s husband,...
17 tags
Kristen Wiig on Auditioning, Writing Her Next...
Kristen Wiig is not sticking to just comedy anymore. As award season approaches, Wiig is drawing attention for possible nominations for her writing of the smash-hit Bridesmaids but she’s not the sort of person to rest on her laurels.
With upcoming movies Friends with Kids, Imogene, and The Comedian, Wiig said in an interview with Papermag, that she is “writing something by myself that’s...
