Trailer 2: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” starring James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: An origin story in the true sense of the word, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is set in present day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale — a science fiction/science-fact blend where mankind’s hubris leads to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. from trailers.apple.com

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis

In theaters: August 5th, 2011

 

 

 

 

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Dramatic Actress Roundtable – 7 Great Television Actresses talk about their careers, acting and more!

I love these roundtables that The Hollywood Reporter does throughout the year. They gather a group of fantastic actors and talk to them about their careers and acting and it ends up being the most incredible conversation.

This time around, they gathered some of the best actresses on TV; Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Regina King (Southland), Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy), Melissa Leo (Treme), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights).

Below are 2 clips and the full on hour conversation. I could seriously watch these roundtables all day.

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Screenplay: “Hanna” starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett

Want the screenplay to Hanna?

Sure you do!

Click here for the script

 

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng

Writers: Seth Lochhead, David Farr

 

 

Jennifer Lawrence talks “X-Men: First Class”: “I still do the movies for the same reasons. I still love the script, I love the director, I love the character”

Jennifer Lawrence has gone through a transformation during the past 2 years; from Louisville, Ky. native to under-the-radar indie actress to Hollywood ”It Girl”. She has earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in “Winter’s Bone,” and now she has taken on the part of  young shape-shifter Mystique in “X-Men: First Class.”

This role will be her first in a blockbuster film, but certainly not her last. Lawrence is playing the teen warrior Katniss Everdeen in the popular post-apocalyptic book series “The Hunger Games,” which is currently shooting in Wilmington, N.C.

Lawrence is taking all of the “blockbuster” talk and fan fare in stride. Aside from the budget, she does not see  how indie films are any different from the blockbusters. “It’s all filmmaking. The behind the scenes is always different: you have a bigger trailer, there’s better food. Things like that. I still do the movies for the same reasons. I still love the script, I love the director, I love the character and the other actors involved. So all of the reasons why I was there, they were all the same. It’s kind of like camping versus going to a resort. They’re both fun, they’re just different kinds of fun.”
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NYC Theater Company will produce a play written by Jesse Eisenberg for 2011-12 Season

New York City’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater clicked the “Like” button on Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg’s play Ascunsion on Thursday, announcing it as part of its 2011-12 season.

According to the New York Times, Ascunsion will begin a limited run this Oct. 12 at the Cherry Lane Theater and officially open there Oct. 27. The play tells the story of anti-imperialistic blogger named Edgar (played by Eisenberg) and his friend Vinny, who is after a Ph.D in black studies. Their “self-perceived open-mindedness is put to the test when a Filipina woman named Asuncion becomes their roommate,” explains the Times.

Stage veteran Kip Fagan has been tapped to direct Ascunsion. Eisenberg’s fellow cast members haven’t yet been announced, but are expected to be this summer.

Other productions rounding out the Rattlestick’s upcoming season include season-opener The Wood, addiction chronicle Horsedreams, the wilderness-centric Yosemite, murder tale Massacre and black comedy 3C.

Via the New York Times

Norbert Leo Butz: “I’ve never said no to a job in my entire life”

Playing the role popularized by Tom Hanks with 2002’s Catch Me If You Can in the film’s musical adaptation has put Norbert Leo Butz on the radar screens of many. Still, as he explains in a recent interview with the New York Post, he doesn’t view himself as anything more than a “journeyman actor.”

“I’ve never said no to a job in my entire life. I have three young daughters! I have a long way to go…” the humble 44-year-old told the Post. “I’ve never been given the luxury of having an ego.”

In addition to his current role as FBI agent Carl Hanratty in Catch, he actor’s stage credits include Wicked, ENRON and Rent, and he also holds the distinction of replacing Entourage star Jeremy Piven in Speed-the-Plow after that actor’s reported mercury-poisoning. “(Piven) left so abruptly that he left all of his stuff in his dressing room,” said Butz, who took Piven’s place on just five days’ notice. “A flat-screen TV, a video game, a case of wine, an iPod. All of which I took. That was my payback.”

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Screenplay: “Tron: Legacy”

Want the screenplay to Tron: Legacy?

Sure you do!

Click here to download the script

Director: Joseph Kosinski

 

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett

 

 

 

 

Q & A: Greg Grunberg and Constance Zimmer talk “Love Bites”

Greg Grunberg and Constance Zimmer (Entourage) filmed the pilot for their new NBC series, Love Bites, last summer.

The show was originally set to debut last fall but problems with a contract for one of the leads (Jordana Spiro), co-star Becki Newton‘s pregnancy and the departure of original show-runner kept pushing back the premiere. In fact, both Grunberg and Zimmer didn’t even think that think the series would ever air.

Well, that’s changed because they are both out in full-force promoting the show which begins airing June 2nd.

I got a chance to talk to them in a conference call where they talked about the show, their love of comedy and, as an added bonus, Greg talks about Heroes and Constance talks about the final season of Entourage!

So tell me what drew you guys to this series?

Greg Grunberg: Well first of all, I’ve been wanting to do a comedy forever. And truth be told, I have talked about it with friends and also with Constance for a long time. But we – I got so lucky that I got to work with Constance.

I really have always wanted to do a comedy and something I could be very real in, not, you know, shticky and something where I regret how I say a punch line or even that has a punch line.

I just wanted it to be very real. And that’s what – you know, Constance is – that’s her acting. That’s the way she does things. So it was great. I loved every second of this. And, you know, the – I hope, and we’ve talked about this, I hope we get to work together for a very long time.
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What Makes A Great Monologue?

This is a guest post by  Gywn Gilliss

What makes a great Monologue?

1. One that entertains us.
No one in the industry wants to watch an actor working really hard to impress them with their “acting” when the piece is boring to begin with. Choose a monologue you LOVE doing so WE WILL LOVE WATCHING YOU.

2. One that “fits you like a glove” so we believe you.
Know your type and range as far as being cast-age appropriate and physically accurate. It’s agonizing to watch a 25 year old try to be 45 or vice versa, a guy from Minnesota try to be an Italian Mafioso from Brooklyn or a plain Jane try to pull off being a femme fatale. A monologue is the time to SHOW WHO YOU ARE, not to add layers of dialects, character traits, a limp or something outrageous to impress. Avoid props UNLESS it is so essential to the scene that it won’t work without one. If they can’t tell you are “acting,” THAT IS GOOD ACTING.

3. One that is serio-comedic – not just comedic or tragic.
Show us some change in emotion but keep us laughing. Serio-comedic monologues are my favorite choices. Start with a piece that is funny, quirky and gets people to laugh and then “turn the screw.” Hit them with something that’s heartbreaking or touching. They’re already in your corner and you’ve won them over! Be compelling to get them involved in LIKING YOU, LOVING YOU, HIRING YOU!
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James McAvoy on British films: “We dumb our movies down because we want Americans to understand them”

“X-men: First Class” star James McAvoy insists the British film industry has chosen to”dumb down” its productions in order to appeal to the American audience and he believes this attitude will lead to a rocky future for the UK film industry.

“We dumb our movies down because we want Americans to understand them,” the actor says. “The Americans watch it and go, ‘this is a really unsophisticated dumbed down movie. Why would we want this? Why do we like this? We don’t’.” He adds, “It’s like we’re patronizing them and short changing ourselves.”

McAvoy went on to say Tom Hooper’s award winning ”The King’s Speech“ is proof that intelligent British films do have a niche in the American market. “I think the whole thing is to keep trying to make the best possible movie that you can and hopefully the cream rises to the top.”

via digital spy

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