Katie Couric talks to Hugh Jackman

Video: Hugh Jackman & Daniel Craig go off book

I know you’ve probably seen Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig go all improv on this audience member but I wanted to post this anyway.

My thoughts.

1. I really want to see this show.
2. How can you get yelled at by Hugh Jackman in front of a packed audience only to later have your phone ring again! This is Wolverine and Bond, jackass. Turn off your phone!
3. How come no one is asking about the guy who recorded this? Who records a Broadway show? Should I be looking on torrents for shows?

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig talk their careers and “A Steady Rain”

From USAToday.com:

On the show, A Steady Rain:
The gritty account of two Chicago policemen whose lives are upended by shattering events, some inspired by a real-life case, marks Craig’s Broadway debut.

Daniel Craig: “I just was fascinated by this great piece of writing, very emotional and disturbing but quite funny at points.”

Hugh Jackman: “It’s very raw — there are not many plays like it on Broadway.”

On Their Roles and careers:
Jackman: “I suppose the roles are different from others we’ve done, but that’s what you want. To be remembered for different things is something that motivates both of us.”

Craig: “We both come from places where the movie industry isn’t something you can walk straight into.”

Jackman: “Or make a living in.”

Craig: “In drama school, we’d have one day a term where someone brought a camera in, and we’d film each other mucking about. That was it, basically. People say that acting in theater and film are different disciplines, but I can’t agree completely. The only thing that matters in acting is truth. It’s all about making the audience believe you.”

The importance of working with a great actor:
Craig: “I don’t know how much smoke I should blow up his a—, but Hugh’s tremendously talented. When you’re on stage, you want to be looking at someone who’s intelligent and who’s got your back. It makes my job that much easier, lazy actor that I am.”

First look at Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman in the Broadway play 'A Steady Rain'

I think I might need to take a trip to NYC to see this show. Who’s with me?

“Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman star in the most anticipated theatrical event of the season: A Steady Rain. This new American play by Keith Huff tells the story of two Chicago cops who are lifelong friends and whose differing accounts of a few harrowing days change their lives forever. Directing is John Crowley.” (via asteadyrainonbroadway.com)

The show runs from September 10 through December 6th.

Click here for the website and ticket information

Hugh Jackman gets immortalized

Hugh Jackman was just immortalized at the Grauman’s Chinese theater.

He told a story about his first trip to the theater with his wife, saying it was the first Hollywood landmark he visited in Los Angeles, and while there he put his hands into the prints of late comedian Peter Sellers.

“Here we are, 12 years later. It’s a very humbling moment as an actor to be here. You look down at the names, from Fred Astaire to Cary Grant, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Steve McQueen, John Wayne, and to think that those people have been immortalized and pretty soon I’ll be putting my hands in wet cement,” he said, before placing his hands in the cement.

Oscars: What did you think?

I’ve been reading the reviews of last night’s Oscars and I really didn’t think it was as bad as people are saying.

I think it’s probably cool to rip the show every year but it wasn’t terrible.

The funny moment’s were few and far between. There was Ben Stiller as Joaquin Phoenix. And Steve Martin and Tina Fey presenting the screenwriting awards. Oh, and I almost forgot Robert DeNiro introducing Sean Penn – that was good.

That’s it from what I remember. Did I miss anything?

The acting awards pretty much went as expected. A lot of people thought that Mickey Rourke should have gotten Best Actor but I think they got it right by giving it to Sean Penn, don’t you?

Other than that, it was pretty uneventful. I thought Hugh Jackman was great (I could have done without the opening number) and how they did the awards in order of the movie-making process was inventive.

And, the ratings were up 6% so obviously it wasn’t as bad as everyone has written.

Hugh Jackman to host the Oscars naked

Yup. It’s true. He said it so himself.

“One of my favorite moments at the Oscars was when the streaker came across [past] David Niven. And we’re upping it a level and we’re just going to do most of the show naked. Um, well, there hopefully will be YouTube moments….Drunk and nude, yes. So that’s our new fresh approach. It’s the Australian way.”

Hugh Jackman rehearsing for the Oscars

How cool is this? And listen for his Letterman jab.

“Oprah. Uma. Uma. Oprah.”

Hugh Jackman on the Oscars: "Celebration is the key."

Hugh Jackman answered some questions about the Oscars as his upcoming stint as the host nears.

“Celebration is the key. I’m certainly going to have a good time. If I’m not going to have a good time, how the hell is anybody else?” said Jackman, who sounded up for the job in a phone interview Friday, less than two weeks before the Feb. 22 ceremony airing on ABC.

He isn’t openly rooting for anyone but….

“I can’t hide the fact that I would really love for that honor to be bestowed upon him,” Jackman said of his fellow Australian. “It would be fitting and I think he deserves it.”

How would he compare his Tony experience to that of the Oscars?

The Oscars is obviously a very different beast. There’s a lot of hype. There’s so much anticipation. … I chatted with Steve Martin on the phone who gave me some great tips. The first five or six minutes you’re going to have possibly the best audience you’ve ever had in your life, because all of them know they’re going be on camera at any moment, none of them have lost yet and they’re all sort of generally ready for a good time. He said from that point on, just move it on quickly. Just be quick.

In terms of style, there’s a quantum shift happening this year, and fingers crossed we get a lot of it right. … There’s an obvious amount of business that has to happen in the night. There’s 24 awards; you can’t change that. But I think Oscars could do a little more of the show in show biz. I think there’s been a little too much business.

The producers intend to try different things. Does that add to your excitement or trepidation?

I think it’s great. … Obviously I’m not a standup comedian and generally there’s been comedians who are actors as well (who) have been doing it for the last however many years. So there’s not the same pressure. I don’t think people expect me to come out and do seven minutes of bang-bang-bang jokes. … They really just encourage me to do what I feel I do best. It’s a night to have a feeling of celebration, of community.

The look of the theater is very different. It’s more like the nightclub of your dreams. It’s very intimate. … It’s got to be a lot closer. It’s been a little austere in the past. You know, there’s that stage, the host being up above the stalls, looking down at everybody. … But this is a lot more intimate. It’s still spectacular, being in the Kodak Theatre. But it’s a real difference in the way things are laid out.

"Australia" another letdown for Nicole Kidman

Did you see “Australia“? I the movie and I really liked it. Maybe it’s cause I’ve been to Australia? Or I have a man-crush on Hugh Jackman?

Whatever the reason, the public didn’t want to see it… and it looks like Nicole Kidman is getting the blame.

Despite winning an Oscar in 2003 for “The Hours,” Kidman is not a big box office draw. The 41-year-old actress has never headlined a movie that grossed more than $100 million in North America. Her recent flops include “The Invasion” and “Fur.” Forbes magazine reported in September that she was Hollywood’s most overpaid celebrity.

Click here for the story

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