Q&A: BD Wong and Cherry Jones Talk ‘Awake,’ Auditioning and Winning a Tony Award

In NBC’s new drama, Awake, Jason Isaacs plays Michael Britten, a Detective who is trapped in two separate realities. In one reality, his wife survived, but his son has died; in the other, his son is alive, but his wife is gone. In each world, Britten is ordered into therapy by his department to help him come to grips with his personal tragedy.

Britten’s two therapists, Drs. Lee and Evans, are played by BD Wong (Law & Oder: Special Victims Unit) and Cherry Jones (24). After 11 years on SVU, Wong wasn’t looking to play another therapist but he liked the script for Awake so much, that he didn’t even care he was about to play another Psychiatrist.

While both Wong and Jones are primarily known for their television work, at least for me, their theater work is impresses me most. Jones is a two-time Tony Award winner for The Heiress and Doubt and Wong won his statue for M. Butterfly.

They are two of the nicest people you’ll ever talk with and you can totally tell this in the Q&A. Here, they talk about Awake, how Cherry is the “worst auditioner in the world” and what it’s like to win a Tony.

Read this! Read more

Full List of 2011 SAG Award Screeners and Digital Downloads

SAG has just confirmed the list of screeners and digital downloads it’s members are going to receive and we’re getting some good ones!

As we previously wrote, SAG members should have already gotten The Help. The rest of physical DVDs are below.

DVDs:
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
Moneyball
Read more

And the First SAG Screener of the Year is…

The Help!

The film received 4 SAG Nominations:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Viola Davis

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Jessica Chastain

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture  Read more

SAG Actor Who Leaked ‘Black Swan’ on the Internet to Plead Guilty

What would a card-carrying member of the Screen Actor’s Guild get out of leaking movie screeners to the Internet? 

Wes DeSoto might be the most unpopular man in Hollywood right now as a leaked screener of Black Swan during its theatrical release has been traced back to him. 

It’s also suspected that DeSoto leaked four other films too, including The King’s Speech and The Fighter.  DeSoto, whose only major on-screen appearance was a bit part in an episode of CSI in 2010 — received the screeners through a section of the iTunes store that is offered only to SAG members. 

DeSoto will plead guilty to copyright-infringement charges when he is taken to trial next month.  That normally carries a three year prison sentence, but the prosecutors are instead seeking three years probation and “restitution,” whatever that means.  I mean, I don’t see how restitution could properly be calculated in a case like this… but I’m sure some lawyer has his or her calculator out.   Read more

This years SAG Awards Screeners will be…

SAG has released what screeners members will receive this year:

The Kings Speech and The Social Network

Also, they’ve released the films that members can get into with Movie Cash; The Fighter, The Kings Speech and True Grit.

Per their website: “Only members eligible to vote will be able to download Movie Cash coupons. These coupons will allow you one free ticket to use at participating theaters across the country. Your individual movie code is printed at the top of the address box on your voting information postcard (below your voter PIN outlined in red). The movie code number will allow you to go to a special Movie Cash web page set-up for eligible SAG members to download coupons for selected films offered by the studios.  Movie Cash coupons will be available soon for download for the following films: . More information on Movie Cash and other ways studios will be offering their films will be posted later this week once all details are finalized.”

And finally, below are links to films that have special screenings, mostly in LA and New York. Check the SAG Awards website for updates.

THE FIGHTER
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE TOWN
TRUE GRIT

SAG Actors: Screeners are coming!

If you’re a paid up SAG-member, 5 great movies are coming your way in the next couple of days.

AN EDUCATION

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

JULIE & JULIA

PRECIOUS

UP IN THE AIR

I’ve seen all of them except An Education but I will gladly take and watch a couple of them again (Inglourious Basterds and Up In The Air specifically).

Don’t forget to vote for the SAG Awards!

Wanna bet on the Oscars?

I’m not sure why you’d want to waste your money on betting on the Oscars. I prefer wasting my cold, hard cash betting on the NFL if I’m in Vegas… and booze.

According to BetUS.com, here are the front runners:

Mickey Rourke – Best Actor
Anne Hathaway – Best Actress
Heath Ledger – Best Supporting Actor
Penelope Cruz – Best Supporting Actress
Slumdog Millionaire – Best Picture

Best Actor - I still think Sean Penn is going to win Best Actor. He actually turned himself into Harvey Milk. Mickey Rourke was great, but I still think he was playing a version of himself.

Best Actress - I haven’t seen Rachel Getting Married yet (I just got the screener) or or any of the other films except for Doubt so I can’t really give my opinion.

Best Supporting Actor – You gotta give it to Heath Ledger, right? If not..who?

Best Supporting Actress - I have Viola Davis from Doubt. It was a really small part but she was just excellent. I still remember the whole scene so that says something.

Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire or Milk.

Never mind me. What do you think?

‘Slumdog Millionaire’, Kate Winslet, 'John Adams & '30 Rock' clean up at the Globes

Did you watch the Golden Globes?

I half-watched it last night. Since it really doesn’t mean anything (according to DHD it’s all crap!) I tend to just have it on in the background while surfing the internet.

The couple things I did come away with was that I really have to watch “Slumdog Millionaire” (the winner of Best Movie, Drama), “In Bruges” (Colin Farrell won Best Actor, Musical or Comedy), Vicky Christina Barcelona (winner of Best Movie, Comedy), seasons 1 & 2 of Mad Men (winner of Best Television Series, Drama), Happy-Go-Lucky (Sally Hawkins won Best Actress, Musical or Comedy) and WALL-E.

I have screeners of “Slumdog Millionaire” and “In Bruges” and “WALL-E” is sitting on my counter from NetFlix, I just haven’t gotten around to watching them.

Looks like I have a lot of TV time coming up.

Here’s some articles on the Globes here and here.