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.

Julian Schnabel on the Controversial Miral and His Empathy for Steven Soderbergh (New York Magazine) / TONIGHT - Julian Schnabel on Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose)

Julian Schnabel is no stranger to being the subject of intense debate and discussion in his primary career as a painter, but now he's feeling that heat in his side gig as a filmmaker. With two rapturously reviewed movies included in his sparse filmography (2000's Javier Bardem drama Before Night Falls and 2007's Oscar-nominated The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Schnabel decided to mount a big-screen adaptation of Rula Jebreal's novel MIRAL, but the response to it has been divisive: Festival audiences gave the movie mixed reviews in the fall (it's now being released in a shorter, leaner cut), and some Jewish organizations are protesting the film for its sympathetic take on conflict in Israel through the eyes of a Palestinian woman. Vulture sat down with Schnabel this week to discuss how he feels about the controversy and his reluctance to making movies.

An interesting and quick interview with Julian Schnabel that certainly makes me want to see his new film Miral.

On a related note, Schnabel will be on Charlie Rose tonight. If you can't watch it tonight, you can watch it online here tomorrow.

Read the full article here.

HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE in Theaters March 4 / How I Met Your City, The Real One (New York Times)

Please hit the theatres and support this lovely indie film - and WINNER of the Sundance Audience Award! - produced by my good friend Jesse Hara and his company Tom Sawyer Entertainment. It was one of my favorite scripts and I still wish the company I was working for had been smart enough to get involved when they had the chance!

Josh Radnor (CBS' Emmy-nominated "How I Met Your Mother") wrote, directed and stars in HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE, a sharp comedy centered on a group of 20-something New Yorkers struggling to figure out themselves, their lives and their love.

There's also a great write-up in the New York Times, with a quote from the aforementioned Jesse Hara! (This is particularly exciting since I can now say I'm only once-removed from the NYT - which to me, is a big deal. Huge. And of course, this IS about me, right?)

And though New York may be the backdrop for HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE the title was inspired by Los Angeles. Mr. Radnor came up with it after hearing secondhand about the preachings of a “self-helpish teacher-slash-L.A. guy my friend used to go listen to in the valley,” he said. “He talked about your communication with the universe. He said that when you’re feeling something wonderful, being grateful is not enough. You have to say, ‘More, please.’"

“I never thought the title would stick,” he added. “But the first thing I heard from some people was that they loved it. There’s a positive charge around those words.”

Read the rest of the New York Times article here.
Please check out the film's website here, and find theater and show time info 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.

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.

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.

Turner Classic Movies launches 7-part 'Moguls and Movie Stars' (LA Times / AP)

TCM will broadcast a seven-part documentary series, "Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood," beginning Monday. The series, narrated by Christopher Plummer, will run for seven weeks and cover Hollywood's history from 1890-1970. ...

"The underlying theme of this series is essentially Hollywood power: Who had it, how did they get it, what did they do with it, and how did they lose it."

I'll definitely be checking this out. I'm guessing it'll be good enough to be required viewing for anyone interested in the industry.

Get more info at the "Moguls & Movie Stars" website.

Read the full article here.

Obama to Appear on ‘Daily Show’ TONIGHT (The Daily Show)

This is the first time a sitting president has appeared on The Daily Show. If that's not reason enough to tune in, don't forget the goodness that is Jon Stewart.

If you can't tune in tonight, you'll be able to watch the video here tomorrow.

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.

Taylor Hackford & Helen Mirren (Charlie Rose)

In case you missed Taylor Hackford and Helen Mirren discussing LOVE RANCH on Charlie Rose last night, you can watch the segment here.