TOMORROW - Ben Stiller, David Cromer re: "The House of Blue Leaves" on Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose)

In THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Ben Stiller is Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper and wannabe songwriter, who is trying to cope with a schizophrenic wife (Falco), an impatient girlfriend (Leigh) and a visit from the Pope, all while sustaining his dream of hitting it big. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is a satirical take on celebrity, religion, and the frequent merging of the two.

Writer John Guare will also be sitting around the table with Stiller and Cromer. The show's short description says "and others," so co-stars Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh may also be there. For once, I'm posting this a day ahead of time, so you may actually see this in time to tune in tomorrow night.

The House of Blue Leaves' website is here.
Find a station or watch the show online here.

TONIGHT - John Leguizamo on Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose)

Ghetto Klown is the next chapter in John Leguizamo’s hugely popular personal and professional story. It follows in the unabashed, uncensored, and uninhibited tradition of his Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak, and Sexaholix…a Love Story. In Leguizamo’s trademark style, the piece explodes with energy, leading audiences on a fever-pitch adventure and heating up the stage with vivid accounts of where he’s been and the colorful characters who have populated his life. Leguizamo takes audiences from his adolescent memories in Queens to the early days of his acting career during the outrageous 80s avant-garde theatre scene, and on to the sets of major motion pictures and his roles opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Leguizamo explains, “Ghetto Klown is all the things I say to my therapist and my manager, but would NEVER want the general public to know. It’s cheaper than a lawsuit and I get to take a bow at the end. It’s like Wikileaks but with no international manhunt. Yet.”

I've never quite been on the Leguizamo wagon - no reason why, particularly - but perhaps I should be. The show is getting great reviews. He'll be chatting with Charlie Rose tonight (Monday). In case you miss it, you can watch it online tomorrow.

Ghetto Klown's website is here.
Watch the show online here.

Show the Monster (The New Yorker)

Del Toro was a playfully morbid child. One of his first toys, which he still owns, was a plush werewolf that he sewed together with the help of a great-aunt. In a tape recording made when he was five, he can be heard requesting a Christmas present of a mandrake root, for the purpose of black magic. His mother, Guadalupe, an amateur poet who read tarot cards, was charmed; his father, Federico, a businessman whom del Toro describes, fondly, as “the most unimaginative person on earth,” was confounded. Confounding his father became a lifelong project. ...

Although del Toro makes suspenseful movies, he often seems less like a disciple of Alfred Hitchcock than of Hieronymus Bosch. “I don’t see myself ever doing a ‘normal’ movie,” del Toro said. “I love the creation of these things—I love the sculpting, I love the coloring. Half the joy is fabricating the world, the creatures.” The movie that he most longs to make is an adaptation of a grandly ridiculous H. P. Lovecraft novella, “At the Mountains of Madness,” in which explorers, venturing into Antarctica, discover malevolent aliens in a frozen, ruined city. Some of the aliens mutate wildly, which would allow del Toro to create dozens of extreme incarnations. He said, “If I get to do it, those monsters will be so terrifying.”

This profile of Del Toro was mentioned in the article from the previous post, and I'm sorry to say I missed it when it was first published. I'm a huge fan, so even though this is from Feb., I'm posting anyway. Definitely worth the read.
Read the full article here.

TONIGHT - 2011 Oscar Special on Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose)

2011 Oscar Special with nominees Michelle Williams, Sebastian Junger, Aaron Sorkin, Natalie Portman, Mark Wahlberg, David Fincher, Javier Bardem, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Annette Bening, Charles Ferguson, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Lisa Cholodenko, Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Tom Hooper.

Though Charlie can be a little bit of a fawner when it comes to actors and directors, he still does a great job of asking insightful and interesting questions. Tune in on PBS tonight!
Read the full article here.

The Hard Luck and Beautiful Life of Liam Neeson (Esquire)

But by the time I handed him a pencil and asked him to draw the house he grew up in, he'd told me stories for two hours, in great and gory detail: the boxing that took him to sixteen. The jobs he'd held — forklift driver in a Guinness factory, training to be a teacher, blueprint maker for an architect. His motorcycle accident. The journey to see his dying wife. This guy ... he remembers.

An interview with Liam Neeson. It's a little on the melodramatic side - because of the writer, not the interview - but if you're a fan like I am, worth the few minutes to peruse.
Read the full article here.

TONIGHT - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck on Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose)

Charlie Rose will be talking to THE TOURIST director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck tonight - he's the focus of one of three segments tonight. If you can't watch it when it airs, you can catch it on the website tomorrow.

See the interview here.

New Model Army (FilmMaker Magazine)

In this series of short profiles, Filmmaker asked a number of leading independent producers about their producing models and how they’re finding everything from financing to material to office space.

This article has short profiles on a great selection of indie filmmakers, including:

Jay Van Hoy & Lars Knudson - For Parts & Labor
Ron Yerxa & Albert Berger - Dona Fide Productions
Diane Weyermann - Participant Media
Lynette Howell - Silverwood Films
Jack Heller & Dallas Sonnier - Caliber Media
Jonathan Schwartz - Super Crispy Entertainment
Jane Wagner & Tina Di Feliciantonio - Naked Eye Productions
Gary Hustwit (director)
Jake Abraham - InDigEnt & Dandelion

Definitely worth checking out!

Read the full article here.

TONIGHT - Russell Crowe on Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose)

Charlie Rose hosts Russell Crowe for the hour tonight. If you can't watch it when it airs, you can catch it on the website tomorrow.

See the interview here.

DGA Interview: Ridley Scott (DGA Quarterly)

On Robin Hood, to get the beach scene at the end in nine days, we had to have up to 18 cameras. The beach is a mile long and the boats are pegged out between where the effects will begin. I've only got eight boats, but coming in digitally there will be 400 French ships. I've got 125 horsemen, but digitally there will be 400 horsemen. On the top of the cliff, I've only got 200 archers, but on the cliff top there will be 1,000 archers. But there is no cliff. It was sea, beach, dune, and farmland. That cliff was brilliantly put in on every shot by the visual effects company. I boarded that out and realized I needed 18 cameras. We had nine days to shoot this when we should have had, in my opinion, four weeks. But I said, give me the cameras, we'll be through in nine days, and we got through in nine days.

A fairly in-depth interview with Ridley Scott. He talks about how he got involved in film and then touches on a number of his major films. Love him or hate him, how many directors are there that get the OK for 18 cameras? Not many, which is why it's worth the read.

Read the full article here.

Violence, Nudity, Adult Content: The Comeback of Chris Albrecht (GQ)

For years, Chris Albrecht was unstoppable. He was the man who made HBO, the programming genius who brought us The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire and more, revolutionizing the way we watch, and revere, TV. Then, one night in Vegas, he seemed to throw it all away: He roughed up his girlfriend outside the MGM Grand, and his life exploded in a spectacular blaze of shame. Now, more than three years later, he talks for the first time about what happened that night—oh, and how he plans to turn Starz into the next HBO.

Really interesting article about Albrecht. It doesn't shy away from making him sound like an ass, nor like a TV genius. But bottom line, I think we can safely say this guy gets it, and isn't that kind of what it's all about?

Read the full article here.

Emergency Mine Rescue (NOVA & PBS NewsHour)

This one-hour film chronicles the fate of the 33 miners trapped in a collapsed Chilean gold and copper mine in August 2010 and investigates the many challenges faced by both the miners and those working around the clock to bring them safely to the surface. NOVA was on-site at the San José mine in Chile by early September. Conferred special access, NOVA’s film crew interviewed engineers, NASA experts, medical personnel, and key figures from the companies that provided drills and crucial rescue equipment to give a more detailed scientific account of the unfolding events. The resulting film, using footage from the scene as well as advanced animation, showcases the extraordinary feats of engineering as well as the biological and geological factors inherent in the rescue. “Emergency Mine Rescue” also examines the psychological and physiological impact of this kind of prolonged ordeal on the miners and those involved in the rescue efforts.

I'm posting this simply because I find it amazing, fascinating and inspiring. 65 days underground, one sip of milk and a teaspoon of tuna every two days, three completely separate drilling plans and worldwide involvement.

The special NOVA presentation can be found here.

PBS Newshour has a preview of the show, as well as a really interesting interview with one of the general contractors on the rescue project (and CEO of the company that created part the successful "Plan B" technology). The segment can be found here - it starts at timecode 40:47.

Angelina the Conqueror (Vanity Fair)

Writing for a man, then swapping gender, is, as it turns out, the best way to create an utterly liberated hero, a character with none of the tropes that writers, even if they don’t mean to, fall back on when creating a role for a woman. “You think it would be easy [to change],” Jolie told me. “You just flip the character from Edwin to Edwina. But it was a lot trickier than we thought.” ...

In the end, the role seems like part of Jolie’s greater project: to combine beauty with a Harrison Ford—like physicality. In action movie after action movie, she has played against type, creating a new type in the process. Political without being political, she’s a stealth feminist, expanding gender roles from the inside, taking the blockbuster male lead and adding a vowel to the end of the character’s first name, “Edwin to Edwina.” In a larger sense, it’s less about gender than about power, control. It’s something Jolie seemed to understand from her earliest films: no one admires a lady in distress, no matter how beautiful. Domination is the thing, revenge, the sound of the guns.

For those of you who didn't pick up a hard copy of the mag, here's the cover story/interview (Aug. 2010). Enjoy!
Read the full article here.

Bruce Campbell on the horror franchise that launched his career: 'All roads lead to "Evil Dead" ' (LA Times)

I also feel that they're handmade in a way. I'm not making a judgment call on whether the movies are good or bad. I think they're not stamped out by a studio. They're slightly weirder stories with an off-kilter lead character. It doesn't make for mainstream success, but I think it makes for long-term success. "Evil Dead" was successful when it came out, "Evil Dead II" was in profit before we even made the movie, and "Army of Darkness" was a flat-out bomb. But now, it's on American Movie Classics, so go figure. Twenty years later, it's a classic. Last time I remember it was a bomb.

It's crazy to think that the "Evil Dead" franchise started almost 30 years ago - 1981 !! - when most assistants in Hollywood weren't even born yet! But it's a classic for a reason, and it's fun to read about the making of the films from someone who was there from day one. Plus, I just love Bruce Campbell - he's pretty much my favorite part of "Burn Notice." (Must be the mojitos.)
Read the full article here.

‘Modern Family’ creator: Why I took on Hulu (THR)

The iPhone and iPad are very successful, but, with all due respect to the prophetic Steve Jobs, I don't see Apple giving them away. It's very simple. Shows like "30 Rock" and "Lost" and "The Office" are expensive to produce. Plus these "hits" cover the costs of all the misses. If viewers want to continue to see quality content like that, then we have to find a way to keep it profitable. Otherwise, we'll all be watching clips of a sneezing panda -- which, by the way, were adorable.

Levitan opinions make perfect sense on all points. As someone who "cut the cord" and gets all of my television from the Internet, I'm in favor of keeping Hulu and similar sites free. As someone who may have content on these types of sites someday, I'm also in favor of making sure creators are paid and audiences are counted. What's the middle ground?
Read the full article here.

AICN Interviews Guillermo Del Toro (Ain't It Cool News)

I think that most of my imagination was shaped as a kid, so it obviously permeates my movies. But I really love the idea that fear can make you go back to your childhood and make you vulnerable and make you susceptible to really not just the sophisticated world, but the world of the otherness and the beyond, you know?

I'm such a fan of Guillermo Del Toro - I think he has an imagination and sensibility like no other. I found this interview quite interesting, and thought maybe you would too. Enjoy!
Read the full article here.

'Sons of Anarchy' star Charlie Hunnam on Jax's rough ride (Chicago Tribune)

These guys that live this, they've got 40 people to rely on. Most of us in our lives, we have one or two people we can call if the going gets really rough. Maybe you call on your family or a couple of dear friends. My friends that live this life, they have 40, 50, 60 guys that they can count on for anything at any time. It's kind of a beautiful thing. It's kind of a nice, dysfunctional community these guys have set up for themselves. ...

Even if some of the behavior is questionable, the founding values that these clubs are set up on are really admirable. And also, it's just sticking a finger up to the man. You have to have freedom. I just think the whole world is getting gentrified and generic. Everyone's living the same kind of existence. I really admire these guys for saying, "Fuck it. I'm going to live the way life makes sense to me." Within that world, it does get a little nasty and people get hurt. But for the most part, you can do whatever the hell you want.

SONS OF ANARCHY returns Sept. 7 and I cannot wait! This is a very good interview with the show's star Charlie Hunnam, and includes links to interviews the author did with numerous other cast members, as well as the show's creator, Kurt Sutter. Definitely worth checking out.
Read the full article here.

Stan Lee Talks the Future of Comics, Comic Book Movies and Superheroes (Moviefone Inside Movies)

Q: But there seems to be so many superhero movies these days; do you think audiences will ever reach a breaking point?

A: Only when the writers run out of ideas. I'll give you an example: Ever since I can remember, and I can remember a long way back, there have been gangster movies. There have been movies about, you might say, cops and robbers -- movies involving detectives, police and criminals. Now, they still have movies like that. You would say, "Well, isn't the public sick of seeing cops chasing the bad guys on the screen?" Not if it's done well and not if each story contains some surprises.

A nice little interview with Stan Lee, who sounds as if he's going as strong as ever. And he's still enjoying himself, loving the creative process, and has remained unjaded.
Read the full article here.

Emmy Roundtable - Party of Six (Newsweek)

Emmy-nominated actors Matthew Fox, Christina Hendricks, Eric Stonestreet, Bryan Cranston, Connie Britton, and Chris Colfer discuss their worst first gigs, most embarrassing moments, and behind-the-scenes secrets, like how 'Lost' really ended. ...

Cranston: That’s a very common thing that you hear from the civilian population. They think that there’s an actual destination, that every actor going into this business wants and needs to be a star. For me, that was never the case. All I cared about was to be a working actor.

Britton: And even the differentiation between film and television. That was always a thing, and still to some degree is. You know, “Oh, well, you know, it’s really about film,” or whatever. But for me it’s really about doing something that I’m just having the best time doing.

Hendricks: It’s funny, the assumption that’s like, “You’ve reached this amount of success with your television career, so naturally now you want to do movies.”

Fox: I think there’s so much better stuff going on in television than there is in film. They’re taking a lot more chances in television. They don’t have to put so many fannies in the seats, so there are more brave things happening on television, more interesting and new ideas..

I've always loved Newsweek's awards roundtables, and this one is no exception. Especially since they had the good sense to include Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights). Enjoy!
Read the full article here.
Watch a video of the complete conversation here.

UPDATED | Piranha 3D Director Alexandre Aja on Putting 80,000 Gallons of Blood to Good Use (New York Magazine)

It may be the most blood ever used, and it is violent and graphic somehow, but it’s never, I hope, disgusting or over-the-top. I didn’t make this movie to use that much blood. Because 20,000 kids getting attacked at spring break is a lot of blood in the water. I just respect the medical rules: one gallon equals one person.

I love that last sentence - one gallon for each person. It just cracks me up. And as an unabashed fan of the ridiculous SyFy movies, this one is definitely on my list to see. I think some good, campy fun is the perfect way to end the summer. I'm not sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way, we started to take our tentpoles a little too seriously, don't you think?
Read the full New York Magazine article here.

UPDATE: The LA Times has a similar article about PIRANHA 3D that I'd thought I'd throw up here as well. Read the full article here.

How to Be an Ideas Factory: Loosen Your Grip on Your Creations (BNET)

Years ago, when I would have ideas it used to do my head in, because I was trying to make them work by myself. I thought, “I’ve got to own it 100 percent, so I have to build everything about it.” But as I got older I realized, “No, I’m an ideas person.” I can take an idea through prototype. If it’s a TV series, I can shoot a little bit, give it a great title, and write a draft. Now, I’m not going to try and make that series; I’m going to meet with a company that makes TV shows in that genre. And I’m just going to retain a small amount of ownership, because I want to do other things. Before, I’d get tangled up in the making of the thing. It took six months out of my life. Now we have partnerships.

Personally, I think this is great advice, and while the quote above talks about it on a macro scale, I think it would work just as well on smaller scale things - even every day things. So many people in this industry are afraid to share ideas and get outside feedback, and I think it hurts us all in the long run. Keeping a hold on an idea and its development doesn't mean it has to be with a death grip.
Read the full article here.