Hugh Jackman is out to prove something

“You try to find the triggers you need to inhabit a character, and then, when you’re confident you’ve found the triggers to change into that other character, you don’t have the burden to live a part. And if that weren’t the case, you’d very quickly get divorced - although my wife likes to say that because she married an actor, she gets to have an affair with a new man every three months.”

Click here for the story

Mel Gibson screws a screenwriter

Screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald has filed a lawsuit claiming he was screwed out of $10 million from the 2004 film ‘ The Passion of the Christ‘.

According to Fitzgerald’s court documents, Mel Gibson got the writer to accept a lower-than-normal fee to cowrite the film by insisting it was a very low-budget indie production and that Gibson himself would refrain from taking any revenue until he had properly compensated his crew.

Then it went on to become a blockbuster and gross $600 million. So now, Fitzgerald wants some ‘Payback‘.

Click here for the story

Don’t let this happen to us

We have some great people who visit this site. Michael Russnow left a comment on a previous post and it was too good not to share it with everyone.

He writes: “You ought to look at the following short video produced in Cologne, Germany by TV Star Andreas Stenschke. It points to what is at stake for writers, actors and directors regarding the potential loss of income when reruns of TV shows and movies go to the Internet rather than on cable and broadcast TV, where they currently show. It is particularly relevant as the Writers Guild is now in a battle with the AMPTP over their reneging of the Internet residual formula agreed to at the end of the strike in February.

The Europeans’ (and other international artists) situation is absurd and the AMPTP producers and networks would like nothing more than to remake that as their modus operandi on our shores as well.”

New Mexico Sucks Up To Famous People

With more and more filming fleeing California and Gov. Arnold doing nothing about it, this story warms our heart.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson hosted a star-studded dinner party last weekend to thank moviemakers and celebrities, including George Clooney, Kevin Spacey and Paul Sorvino, for shooting films in the state.

Lured by hefty financial incentives and the availability of production facilities and technical crews, more than 110 feature films and television series have been shot in the state, earning it the nickname “Tamalewood.”

Click here for the story

SAG: Questions and Answers regarding negotiations

Why should we vote to authorize a strike?
We need to show management that we are willing to fight to preserve our ability to earn a living as union performers; otherwise, management will take that away from us.  Nearly half of our earnings as union performers come from residuals, but management wants us to allow them to make programs for the Internet and other new media non-union and with no residuals.  This means that as audiences shift from watching us on their televisions to watching us on their computers and cell phones our ability to earn a living will go away and future generations of actors may never be able to earn a living through their craft.  This change will happen faster than you think.

Read more

Pilots and a Film

Pilot for the Family Channel The Secret Life Of The American Teenager Peter Pappas 3500 W. Olive Ave. Suite #780 Burbank, CA 91505

SAG Feature Film Freeloaders Wendy O’Brien Casting 2233 Barry Ave., 2nd Fl. LA, CA 90064

Pilot for the CW Light Years CBS Radford Studios 4024 Radford Ave. Studio City, CA 91604 Edit 2, Room 5

Pilot for ABC In The Motherhood Greenstein/Daniel Casting 6671 Sunset Blvd. Suite 1527 Los Angeles, CA 90028

Economy is affecting the way writers sculpt future shows

The buzz around Hollywood is that shows portraying over-the-top wealth like ABC’s flashy “Dirty Sexy Money” are on their way out. Writers believe the time is again ripe for working class comedies like 1980s sitcom “Roseanne” and 1970s blockbuster “All in the Family.”

Click here for the article

William Hurt: Typecasting & Acting

William Hurt has some words for Hollywood: “People want persona in this town, that’s what they crank out so you’re always working against that cheapening of your talent and ability.”

In his upcoming film, The Yellow Handkerchief, he plays an ex-con with a troubled past. How did he get into character? “I spent the night in a maximum security prison, I guess I’m one of the first people who’s ever done that and I spent the night talking around the corner to a guy who’s going to be in there for two thousand years and we never saw each other’s faces. I wanted to authenticate that and I wanted to show people whose existence comes from the ground up, from the dirt on which we walk,” he said.

Michael Chiklis talks about ‘The Shield’

“How many times in an actor’s career does a role like Vic Mackey come along where you have to live with it for years?” said Michael Chiklis.

“It was almost symphonic. Vic has this tremendous conscience at the same time he has these sociopathic tendencies.”

Click here for the article

Alan Rosenberg responds to the recent developments regarding SAG’s TV/Theatrical negotations

James Franco talks kissing Sean Penn… then kisses Letterman

The secret SAG meeting that didn’t happen?

Nikki Finke rocks. If you don’t read her site you are missing out.

That being said, there is a story going around about a “secret” SAG meeting last month. This supposed meeting in the back room of an Italian restaurant had high-powered film stars (Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Nick Nolte, Annette Bening) being asked by SAG higher-ups whether we should strike or not. The vote came in for a strike to happen.

Problem is: The scene never happened.

Read about here at DHD

Thanksgiving Week Bookings

Phillipe Simon booked Eleventh Hour	Amelia Hoy booked Dollhouse	Aisha Kabia booked Knight Rider	Chet Grissom booked a Guest Star on Criminal Minds
Jess Rowland booked How I Met Your Mother	Tim Coyne booked Chuck	Mandy McMillian booked Flower Girl (Hallmark MOW) and Lie To Me

An interview with Allison Pill. Don’t know her? You will.

Who is Allison Pill? The New York Times just picked her performance in Milk (as the “brassy” lesbian hired by gay rights activist Harvey Milk to take charge of his fourth, ultimately successful, campaign for city supervisor) as one of “5 to watch” this year.

Familiar to New York theatergoers for her Tony-nominated turn in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and, Off Broadway, in Neil LaBute’s reasons to be pretty, Pill’s film work includes Peter Hedges’s Dan in Real Life and Pieces of April.

Check out the interview here

Can TV take strike two?

As word got out yesterday that SAG was preparing for a possible strike, TV executives, who normally would be embarking on a Thanksgiving vacation, were working on contingencies. For now, there are no plans to cancel or shorten the primetime series’ holiday hiatuses, scheduled for the last two weeks of December, in order to get more episodes in the can.

The bulk of primetime scripted series will have 60%-75% of their episodes completed before they stop for a holiday break and as many as five unaired episodes in various stages of postproduction.

Click here for the article

SAG President Alan Rosenberg interviewed

Alan Rosenberg was interviewed on KTLA about the recent dismantling of the negotiations.

“They expect us to sign on to the deals that WG (WGA) and the DG (DGA) signed on to, but those unions asked no questions about how the new media impacts actors,” he added.

It’s a good interview - check it out.

Here’s the link (with video)

Questions, questions, question for James Franco

Milk is coming out soon and James Franco has been on the interview circuit.

Click here, here and here for some of the better ones.

Spin-Off, Pilot and a Low Budget Film

Spin-off of The L-Word for Showtime Beth Klein Showtime - “The Farm” 10880 Wilshire Blvd Suite 1500 LA, CA 90024

NBC Pilot Legally Mad Valko/Miller Casting 3500 Olive Ave., #780 Burbank, CA 91505

SAG Low Budget Hit List Kari Kurto 1502 Murray Drive LA, CA  90026

NCIS, House and Criminal Minds

TUESDAY Peter Gannon NCIS Bartender Nov. 25th CBS @ 8pm

TUESDAY Alex Sol House Role - Larry Nov. 25th FOX @ 8pm

WEDNESDAY Spencer Hill Criminal Minds Co-Star Nov. 26th CBS @ 9pm

Lillo Brancato’s murder trial is about to start

The train wreck that is Lillo Brancato’s life is about to start his murder trial today. Brancato was the star ‘A Bronx Tale‘ and appeared in a handful of ‘Sopranos‘ episodes.

Brancato is being tried on a second-degree murder charge in the 2005 death of Officer Daniel Enchautegui. Authorities say he and Steven Armento broke into a Bronx apartment to steal drugs after a night of drinking at strip club in nearby Yonkers. Enchautegui, who lived next door, came out to investigate. Armento shot the 28-year-old officer in the heart. Enchautegui fired back, wounding both men.

Click here for the story

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