Somewhat lost amidst the shock and sadness of Kristen Stewart cheating on Robert Pattinson is the other side of this dishonest coin: Rupert Sanders, with whom Stewart made out on at least one occasion, is a married man with two children. And in an ironic bit of timing, his wife – 33-year old model Liberty Ross – opened up to YOU Magazine just two weeks ago about her marriage to the director. It’s not excuse whatsoever, but there clearly have been problems at home. “I romanticized domesticity for a while, and loved having a shopping list of groceries stuck to the fridge for the first time,” Ross told the publication. “But moving here and starting a life all over again was a lot harder than I had anticipated. I just didn’t think it would be as isolating and daunting as it turned out to be.” With Sanders off filming Snow White and the Huntsman , Ross admits she got very lonely. “I would never say out loud that I am raising my children alone, but a lot of the time it has felt like that.” Ross also lamented how she went from working in the modeling industry with stalwarts such as Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano… to “living on an isolated hilltop with my husband gone most of the time.” However, she ended the interview on a positive note: “That’s why everything feels so amazing now. We rode through the really hard times and we stuck it out.” Yeah. About that… Sanders issued his own apology yesterday after news of his dalliance with Stewart broke. He said: “My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together.”
Here is the latest in the ever-growing Jackson family saga: With Katherine Jackson supposedly safe and sound in Arizona, Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson appeared on The Insider yesterday and expressed consternation and anger over the whereabouts of their mother. “We’ve been told that our mother is safe,” Marlon told Kevin Frazier. “She’s doing well. But we have not spoken to her. We have not talked to her and I don’t know where my mother is.” The brother of Michael Jackson then choked up and grew animated. He lashed out: “All I know is she is in Arizona, and whatever doctor is saying I can’t talk to my mother you call ME!” Marlon’s sibling, Randy, claims he whisked Katherine off to Arizona under doctor’s orders. But no one has been able to explain why she’s gone nearly two weeks now without making any contact with some of her kids and all three of her grandchildren. As a result of this mystery, TJ Jackson is pursuing legal avenues to take over guardianship of Paris, Prince and Blanket (MJ’s daughter and sons). Most believe this giant mess is related to Michael Jackson’s will, which is being contested by Randy Jackson because it leaves the entirety of the singer’s estate to his children and he’s now using Katherine to try and get the document invalidated. Tito Jackson, however, backed away from that plot this week, publicly stating that he wanted nothing to do with a letter sent by Jermaine, Janet, Rebbie and Randy that challenged the authority and actions of the executor’s of MJ’s will. “I completely retract my signature from the July 17th letter sent to the Executors of my brother Michael’s estate and repudiate all the claims made against them,” Tito told TMZ. “I don’t want any part of that letter whatsoever.”
Kate Gosselin Shopping Reality TV Dating Show Know any guys looking to play stepdaddy to eight adorable kids??? Kate Gosselin is looking for a new boo, and of course she’s turning to familiar territory to find him — reality tv! The divorced mother of eight has signed up to do a dating show and is in the process of looking for a network to televise her quest for love, E! News has exclusively learned. “She is ready to get back into the dating game,” a source tells us. “She is ready to find love again and to move on from her past. She’s excited, this is a chance to start something new.” “She finds it hard to meet men in her day to day life,” the source continued, “and so a dating show will give her exactly the help she needs. She is willing to travel around the country in order to meet Mr. Right.” They could call it The Amazing Kate! Gosselin, hubby Jon and their eight kids spent five seasons on cable together, then Kate went it alone (not counting the children, of course) on Kate Plus 8 for another two seasons and appeared on Dancing With the Stars in 2010. She remains a household name, but the 37-year-old celeb has been out of the limelight for about a year. Now might be just the right time for a comeback, though. “She looks fantastic,” our source adds, “and she’s in a really great space. She’s in fantastic shape because of all her marathon training, this feels like the right time for her.” Sure enough, you eligible bachelors out there, you better be fit if you plan to keep up with Kate—she ran a half-marathon in San Diego, Calif., last month and a 3-mile “mini marathon” in Chicago yesterday. Womp Womp… Seriously, playing stepdaddy to 8 kids is one thing, but any guy who has every seen an episode of Kate’s old show already knows this woman is the epitome of a major beyotch! Source WENN
One of North America’s biggest annual film events released details of its lineup Tuesday morning including 17 Galas and 45 “Special Presentations” that will screen in the 37th Toronto International Film Festival in September. Festival CEO and Director Piers Handling as well as TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey announced the lineup this morning in Toronto at a live event about this year’s festival, which includes 38 world premieres. As revealed earlier , Looper with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis will open the festival. Debuts from directors worldwide including Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Costa-Gavras, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Margarethe von Trotta, Joss Whedon and Yaron Zilberman are in the lineup. TIFF takes place September 6 – 16. Today’s lineup follows. More details from the festival will be announced the coming weeks… “We are thrilled to announce so many exciting and prestigious films today, with many more to follow,” said Handling in a statement. “This year’s Festival is looking particularly strong with bold, adventuresome work coming from established and emerging filmmakers.” “This year we present our most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada,” added Bailey. “Toronto’s red carpet is a global one and we’re excited to welcome some of the world’s best filmmakers and greatest stars to Canada.” Toronto lineup details provided by the festival : Galas : Looper by Rian Johnson, USA World Premiere (Opening Night Film) In the futuristic action thriller Looper , time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. Also starring Emily Blunt, Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels. A Royal Affair by Nikolai Arcel, Denmark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany North American Premiere A Royal Affair is a gripping tale of brave idealists who risk everything in their pursuit of freedom for the people. Above all, it is the story of a passionate and forbidden romance that changed an entire nation. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander. Argo by Ben Affleck, USA World Premiere When militants storm the U.S. embassy in 1979 Tehran, six Americans manage to slip away. Knowing it’s only a matter of time before they are found, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist comes up with a plan to get them out of the country: a plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies. Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Kyle Chandler. The Company You Keep by Robert Redford, USA North American Premiere Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a civil rights lawyer and single father, must go on the run when a brash young reporter (Shia LaBeouf) exposes his true identity as a former 1970s radical fugitive wanted for murder. Sparking a nationwide manhunt, Grant sets off on a cross-country journey to clear his name. Also starring Susan Sarandon, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Stanley Tucci, Chris Cooper and Nick Nolte. Dangerous Liaisons by Hur Jin-ho, China North American Premiere As war looms in Shanghai, glamorous libertine Mo Jietu (Cecilia Cheung) runs into playboy Xie Yifan (Dong-gun Jang), an ex-boyfriend who’s never stopped loving her. She persuades him to play a treacherous game: Xie must seduce the innocent and naïve Du Fenyu (Zhang Ziyi) and then dump her. But the game becomes increasingly dangerous as Xie falls in love with Du, leading them all to tragic and shocking consequences. English Vinglish by Gauri Shinde, India World Premiere Money, fame and a knowledge of English. In India, these 3 factors play a huge role in how society judges an individual. English Vinglish is the story of Shashi, a woman who does not know English and in turn is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large. The film is the lighthearted yet touching and transformational journey of Shashi. Circumstances make her determined to overcome this insecurity, master the language, teach the world a lesson on the way to becoming a self assured and confident woman. This film marks the comeback of India’s biggest female star, Sridevi. Free Angela & All Political Prisoners by Shola Lynch, USA/France World Premiere Legendary radical activist Angela Davis’ words and actions made her a revolutionary icon in the 1960s. The documentary Free Angela & All Political Prisoners tells the dramatic story of how a young philosophy professor’s social justice activism implicates her in the botched kidnapping attempt of a judge that ends in bloody shootout. Newsweek asks: what would prompt Angela Davis, “the daughter of the black bourgeoisie, to take a desperate turn to terrorism?” Great Expectations by Mike Newell, United Kingdom World Premiere Based on the Charles Dickens classic. Orphan Pip rises from humble beginnings thanks to a mysterious benefactor. Moving through London’s class-ridden world as a gentleman, Pip uses his new status to pursue Estella, a beautiful, heartless heiress he’s always loved. The shocking truth behind his fortune will have devastating consequences for everything he holds dear. Starring Holliday Grainger, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Irvine. Hyde Park on Hudson by Roger Michell, United Kingdom World Premiere In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Academy Award® nominee Bill Murray) and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson in upstate New York. With Britain facing imminent war with Germany, the Royals are desperately looking to FDR for support. But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of FDR’s domestic establishment. Seen through the eyes of Daisy (Academy Award nominee Laura Linney), Franklin’s neighbour and intimate, the weekend will produce not only a special relationship between two great nations, but also a deeper understanding of the mysteries of love and friendship. Inescapable by Ruba Nadda, Canada World Premiere One afternoon, on a typical day at work, Adib is confronted with devastating news: His eldest daughter, Muna, has gone missing in Damascus. Now Adib, who has not been back in over 30 years, must return to Syria and deal with his secret past in order to find her. Inescapable is a thriller about a father’s desperate search for his daughter and the chaos of the Middle East he left behind. Starring Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomei and Joshua Jackson. Jayne Mansfield’s Car by Billy Bob Thornton, USA/Russia North American Premiere Jayne Mansfield’s Car is a funny, poignant and searching look at three generations of fathers and sons in the South during the tumultuous ‘60s. It follows the family’s heartfelt — and sometimes hilarious — struggles with long-held resentments, secrets, the memories of war, and how life, death and loss shaped them all. Starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, Billy Bob Thornton and John Hurt. Love, Marilyn by Liz Garbus, USA World Premiere Nearly 50 years after her death, two boxes of Marilyn Monroe’s private writings and musings were discovered in the home of her acting coach. These papers, brought to life in this innovative documentary film by some of our contemporary icons and stars, give us a new understanding of Monroe — revealing her carefully guarded inner life. Featuring Elizabeth Banks, Lindsay Lohan, Evan Rachel Wood, Ben Foster, Uma Thurman, Paul Giamatti, Viola Davis, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Burstyn, Adrien Brody, Marisa Tomei and Glenn Close. Midnight’s Children by Deepa Mehta, Canada/ United Kingdom World Premiere “Born in the hour of India’s freedom. Handcuffed to history.” Midnight’s Children is an epic film from Academy Award-nominated director Deepa Mehta, based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie. At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, as India proclaims independence from Great Britain, two newborn babies are switched by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. Saleem Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor Hindu woman, and Shiva, the offspring of wealthy Muslims, are fated to live the destiny meant for each other. Their lives become mysteriously intertwined and are inextricably linked to India’s whirlwind journey of triumphs and disasters. Starring Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Soha Ali Khan, Anita Majumdar, Zaib Shaikh and Darsheel Safary. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mira Nair, USA North American Premiere Based on the best-selling novel of the same title, that was translated into 25 languages, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting international political thriller that follows the story of a young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street, who ultimately finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American dream, a hostage crisis and the enduring call of his family’s homeland. Starring Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland and Liev Schreiber. Silver Linings Playbook David O. Russell, USA World Premiere An intense, loving, emotional and funny family story from The Fighter director, David O. Russell. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence find themselves partners in a secret arrangement to rebuild their broken lives. Robert De Niro yearns to get closer to his son (Cooper), as he tries to keep the family afloat with his compulsive bookmaking. Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker co-star. Thermae Romae by Hideki Takeuchi, Japan North American Premiere Ancient Roman architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) is too serious. His inability to keep up with the fast-moving times costs him his job. When a friend takes the dejected Lucius to the public bathhouse to cheer him up, Lucius accidentally slips through time and resurfaces in a modern-day public bath in Japan. There, he meets aspiring young manga artist Mami (Aya Ueto), along with others of the “flat-faced clan.” Shocked by the many inventive aspects of Japan’s bathing culture, Lucius returns to ancient Rome and garners tremendous attention when he implements these novel ideas back in Rome. As he time-slips back and forth between ancient Rome and modern-day Japan, Lucius’ reputation as the ingenious, new bath architect begins to grow. Twice Born by Sergio Castellitto, Italy/Spain/Croatia World Premiere Gemma visits Sarajevo with her son, Pietro. Sixteen years ago they escaped the war-torn city while the boy’s father remained behind and later died. As she tries to repair her relationship with Pietro, a revelation forces Gemma to face loss, the cost of war and the redemptive power of love. Starring Penelope Cruz and Emile Hirsch. Special Presentations : A Few Hours of Spring by Stéphane Brizé, France North American Premiere Forty-eight-year-old Alain Evrard is obliged to return home to live with his mother. This situation causes all the violence of their past relationship to rise to the surface. Alain then discovers that his mother has a fatal illness. In the last months of her life, will they finally be capable of taking a step toward each other? Anna Karenina by Joe Wright, United Kingdom International Premiere The third collaboration of Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley with acclaimed director Joe Wright, following the award-winning box office successes Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, is a bold, theatrical new vision of the epic love story, adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s timeless novel by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love). The story powerfully explores the capacity for love that surges through the human heart. As Anna (Knightley) questions her happiness and marriage, change comes to surround her. Also starring Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
There are television shows about families with 19 kids. And television shows about teenage mothers. There’s even one that features strange addictions such as eating laundry detergent. Yet One Million Moms – a conservative group that went after JC Penney after it hired Ellen DeGeneres as a spokesperson – believes an upcoming NBC sitcom titled The New Normal is “attempting to desensitize America and our children” because it centers on a gay couple and a surrogate.
These broads ain’t isht ! A Florida mom who ditched her 1-year-old baby and escaped in the midst of an alleged theft at a Wal-Mart was apprehended the next night outside a dance club, according to reports. Ocala police say they collared Allison Niemeyer, 19, along with her sister, Laura Niemeyer, 22, Saturday after the pair allegedly tried to steal from the store Friday afternoon. As the scheme went awry, Allison Niemeyer’s son was left behind, and authorities went searching for both women on charges of felony child neglect and retail theft, according to The Gainesville Sun. The women had allegedly stuffed items into the baby’s diaper bag — a bathing suit, men’s undershirts and four women’s shirts worth $57.12, Central Florida News 13 reported. But as they tried to leave the store, a security guard called them back. That’s when police say the pair bolted. Allison Niemeyer took off immediately, leaving the baby with her sister, according to reports. Laura Niemeyer soon broke free from the officer as well, but reportedly left behind the baby and the loot. The women got away in a blue Ford Aerostar van that was waiting for them in the parking lot, police said. A tip, however, led police to find the women’s car at the Ocala Entertainment Complex on Saturday, The Sun reported. Police had the owner of the car paged, and when the sisters appeared outside, they were arrested. Besides the neglect and theft charges, Laura was charged with resisting a merchant and Allison was charged with violating her probation. Police said Allison is under house arrest until 2021 for her involvement in a home invasion robbery with a firearm that occurred in 2010 while she was pregnant. A 61-year-old man was pistol-whipped during the break-in, according to reports. Laura also has three previous convictions for retail theft and grand theft, according to News 13. Allison Niemeyer’s son was placed in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families. These chicks sound like bad business. Thievin’ azz broads. Teaching that baby to steal before he can even talk — then leaving him behind… SMH! Source
The Dark Knight Rises finally arrives this weekend, and curiously, amid the hype attending Christopher Nolan and his top-flight cast , two other performers have been strongly covered in the media: The behemoth tank that is The Tumbler , and the exciting off-shoot vehicle known as The Batpod. Considering the latter is one of the most arresting two-wheelers ever featured on-screen, we celebrate its revival by highlighting nine other curiosities Hollywood has offered up in the motorcycle category. Captain America Chopper – Easy Rider At first it might seem a pedestrian selection, but upon release in 1969 this was in fact a striking departure for motorcycle design. Following World War II, returning veterans kicked off a wave of automotive redesign with self-created modifications; garage-built hot rods rose in popularity, and similar to that were the emergence of “bobbers,” motorcycles mechanically altered by their owners. This involved taking a showroom motorcycle and trimming away parts deemed superfluous, such as fenders and foot boards, in an effort to make a streamlined and lighter bike. By the 1960s bobbing gave way to more extreme experimentation. Owners began making changes to the basic structure of the motorcycle itself, cutting and welding the frames into new shapes in a practice called “chopping.” This produced wholesale alterations to the appearance, and Easy Rider opened America’s eyes to the new practice. Features such as the lowered rider position, extended forks, and raised sissy-bar seat backs were stark visions at the time, and soon the term “chopper” entered the national lexicon to describe the lengthened cruising style motorcycle. Light Cycles – Tron , Tron Legacy It’s one thing to design a new look to motorcycles artistically, but to have that creation become iconic makes a real statement. Initially conceived for the video visual realm in the original movie, the light cycles quickly became one of the most popular components of the cult classic. These concept vehicles even became a linchpin component to the related video game. When Disney announced plans to remake their property years ago, much of the anticipation surrounded what the new light cycles would look like,and the studio made the digital vehicles a center point in their marketing. Where previously the design involved the characters morphing into a pixilated cycle, the new version had the rider stretched forward across and becoming incorporated into the cycle, remaining visible on camera. Even as both films had a number of detractors, the light cycles from each have maintained high levels of appreciation. Kaneda’s Street Bike – Akira What is probably the most popular anime out of Japan is one that instantly calls to mind a lone visual; any mention of the title automatically provokes the image of this highly-stylized motorcycle. Conceived with a futuristic combination of street-bike esthetics and over-sized touring-bike comfort, this vehicle provokes envy while challenging engineering. There have been many attempts over the years to replicate the physics of this hand-drawn creation into a reality (Kanye West even commissioned one to be built for a music video), but the results of those builds to date have underwhelmed. Fans still hold out hope that the proposed, yet oft-delayed, live-action version of the film will someday bring about a fully realized physical version of the famed bike. The Lawmaster – Judge Dredd When Sylvester Stallone donned the famous helmet of the violent jurist (and angered many by removing said helmet), he also had to carry forward other elements from the British comic. The opulent uniform was both true to form and ridiculous in execution (the codpiece was a nice touch); conversely, his famous ride paled in comparison to the comic origins. This is due to the motorcycle having rather cartoonish features in print, so when Stallone rode into frame for his introduction, the famed Lawmaster came off as almost a disappointment, and thus an afterthought. At the recent Comic-Con, footage of the reboot generated positive responses. Hopefully the producers worked on this detail. The Bonnevile Bike – The World’s Fastest Indian Some may have questioned Anthony Hopkins trying to pass himself as a Native American, but the Indian in the title actually refers to the make of motorcycle featured in the film. This is the true story of a New Zealand motorcycle racer named Burt Munro, who, in the 1960s, set a series of land-speed records on a bike of his own creation. Rather than state-of-the-art engineering, Munro modified his cycle entirely in his own garage simply with the tools at his disposal. More stunning was his doing so using a nearly 50-year old motorcycle. He cracked the 200mph threshold on his archaic ride, and even more amazingly, one of his speed records is still in place today. The Demon Chopper – Ghost Rider As a child stunt rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the Devil; later in life he is enlisted by Old Scratch to serve as a bounty hunter. In paying off his debt, Blaze changes into The Ghost Rider, and as he does the motorcycle transforms as well — into a rather daft looking set piece. As Johnny is full ablaze he lays his hands on the gas tank of his cherished bike (probably not the wisest move), and we watch as his ride morphs into a garish piece of machinery with a massive skull perched between the handlebars, long forks made of chain link, and an aforementioned gas tank webbed with bony fingers. The end result truly appears less a menacing conveyance from Hades than it does a goofy prop you’d likely see on stage during a GWAR concert. The V-Rex – Fast & Furious The fourth iteration of this car-intensive series features Paul Walker perched in the saddle of this wildly conceived motorcycle. The futuristic appearance also features a unique design function. The front wheel is not held by a traditional fork assembly but instead has a swing-arm mount, the sort normally seen as a rear-wheel set up. It is dampened by a solitary large shock absorber positioned beneath the twin halogen headlamps. This gives a vaguely robotic appearance, one which was actually pitched to Michael Bay as a possible component for the second Transformers . (He ultimately dismissed featuring a robotic motorcycle gang in that franchise.) Rather than a piece of fancy from a Hollywood design garage, this vehicle is actually a production model by Travertson, a Florida manufacturer. Moto Terminators – Terminator: Salvation One of the components included in the attempt at rejuvenation of this franchise was a collection of automaton two-wheeled terminators, outfitted with heavy ordnance and shown as distinctively riderless. The automatic gun turrets featured an articulated mounting that served as counter-balancing when the motorcycle leaned into turns. Sporting artificial intelligence and rocket launchers, the end result was a motorcycle gang on the roads more intimidating than the Hell’s Angels. The Turbine Bike – Priest Last summer’s Priest was soon forgotten by those few who watched it, and yet there has been one enduring memory: The title character’s motorcycle. The story is an odd one, set in both in a dystopian future and an alternate universe, involving a centuries-long battle between humans and vampires. Paul Bettany plays a warrior priest who breaks from the church to wage a battle, yadda-yadda. The one takeaway for most viewers was the striking bike Bettany uses to run down a train carrying vampires, a curiosity featuring an impressive turbine engine, mounted where one might normally expect the gas tank to be found. BONUS: Tricked-Out Scooter – Quadrophenia In this 1979 film adaptation of the classic Who album, disillusioned youths play out a dramatic existence in London, and mini-motor-bikes feature prominently. Some may find it a stretch to conjure a fully appointed Lambretta scooter serving as a metaphor, but the appearance of the multi-mirrored ride is enough to bring about a grin. [Clip language NSFW] Brad Slager has written about movies and entertainment for Film Threat, Mediaite, and is a columnist at CHUD.com . His less insightful impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter .
Famed voice actor Peter Cullen still remembers the feeling of surprise he had at his first fan convention when he realized how much characters like Optimus Prime, whom he voiced throughout the Transformers series and films, meant to fans. In an extended chat at Comic-Con , Cullen revealed how a pre-audition chat with his Vietnam veteran brother inspired his take on the Transformers hero and how, years later, he’s working with NASA and HASBRO to foster interest in science, math, and space in the latest generation of young fans. (Scroll down for the full 30-minute chat and let your nerd hearts melt, people.) Movieline correspondent Grace Randolph was on hand at Comic-Con to speak with Cullen, whose heartfelt discussion of his work on Transformers , G.I. Joe , and other seminal cartoons of the ’80s can be seen in its entirety below. “I based the character on my own brother, Larry Cullen,” recalled the voice acting legend of the day he headed to audition for Transformers . “Larry was a Marine Corp officer in Vietnam, he was a wounded medal recipient – he had two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star – and we lived together in Burbank, California.” “You’ve got to understand that Larry is six inches taller, he’s got a deeper voice, and he’s probably the most honest, truthful, gentle, understanding, strong guy I ever known,” he continued. “He was my hero. I said, ‘I’m going to audition for a truck.’ He said, ‘What a way to make a living.’ I said, ‘But Larry, he’s a hero.'” “He says, ‘Interesting – well, Peter, be a real hero. Don’t be one of those Hollywood prototypes, be real. Be strong enough to be gentle, don’t be yelling and screaming all the time. That’s my advice, Peter – take it or leave it.'” His brother’s advice informed Cullen’s audition for Optimus Prime, and the rest is history. “Larry just jumped off the page when I started reading him,” he remembered, “and inside, spiritually, I felt something really connect. I had a feeling. I said, this is going to work. This is good. Nobody’s ever heard anything like this before. Nobody’s done it like this before. I left that audition and I said to myself, ‘If I don’t get this, there’s something wrong in the world.’ Cullen, who reprised the role of Optimus Prime on The Hub’s Emmy-winning Transformers: Prime series and says he saw himself as a sort of latchkey father figure to his young fans throughout the years, is working with HASBRO, The Hub, and NASA to encourage interest in the sciences and space in youngsters. The effort “will benefit the children of this country and around the world, to develop their enthusiasm for space, whether it’s in fiction or whether it’s in fact, science, technology, math, medicine – everything that’s connected with space. “If Optimus Prime can stir up enthusiasm in some form of interest that will benefit mankind by creating that enthusiasm to venture somewhere above and beyond our earth, I think Prime should.” Watch the full chat with Peter Cullen below. Read more from Comic-Con 2012 here . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The daughters of Demi Moore are reportedly serious: they are done with their mama’s drama! Following reports that claimed Scout, Rumer and Tallulah Willis were sick of dealing with their troubled parent, Radar Online now says the children have hit a “breaking point” and… “… are seriously considering taking out a restraining order against Demi to stop her from contacting them. They made it clear to her weeks ago that they do not want to talk to her right now.” According to this anonymous insider, Moore has been phoning her daughters “incessantly and emailing them, leaving them tearful messages and begging them to call her.” Adding to the awkward situation? Scout, Rumer or Tallulah remain close with Ashton Kutcher , leaving their mom “beside herself” and all alone, the source claims. This would all be very sad if we believed a word of it.
After creating a public persona with at least as much swagger as the character with whom he’s most strongly identified — Star Trek ’s Captain Kirk — it came as little surprise that the first thing William Shatner said at the beginning of Movieline’s interview for his new documentary was an explicit statement of purpose. “My film Get a Life is debuting July 28th on EPIX,” he said without being asked. “We’re going to show it at Comic-Con on Saturday – and we’re all excited about it.” Shatner is, deservedly, an icon: 45-plus years after first playing Kirk, he’s more beloved than ever, in great part because he has wholeheartedly embraced the adulation of hundreds of thousands of Trek fans. But in naming his documentary after the 1986 Saturday Night Live skit in which he jokingly challenged Trekkies to find something else to do with their time, he demonstrates that he’s not above a little self-satire, especially when it’s those fans who have continued to keep his career alive. That said, neither is he beyond some passing exasperation over hearing the same questions over and over again – evidenced most strongly when he’s finally asked something new. Shatner spoke to Movieline Wednesday morning from Kentucky, where he’s tending to his own obsession – horse breeding. While trying to get at what has made Star Trek such an enduring property, the actor revealed how he came to terms with being James T. Kirk, reflected on how the questions brought up in his first directorial effort, Star Trek V , were oddly answered 23 years later in Get a Life , and explained why fans probably shouldn’t ask him too many questions about Trek mythology. When you first started to examine why people continue to celebrate Star Trek , how in-depth did you intend to get? Was this meant to be sort of a reward for fans’ devotion or a video essay for you to try and understand it? Well, that’s exactly right. You know, the process of making a documentary is one of discovery, and like writing a story, you follow a lead and that leads you to something else and then by the time you finish, the story is nothing like you expected. And that’s the discovery I made – what you see happening to me on film is happening to me on film. I had no idea what to expect, and what I saw, my face reflected the astonishment of these various truths that came out that made it a far deeper experience than I ever thought of. How quickly did the examination become so existential? Was that something you saw in fans’ responses, or did that largely come from your conversation with the Joseph Campbell expert? That’s exactly right – from the fans’ responses, which led me to other fans that had a deeper understanding of what we were looking at, and then it just became exploration. And then bewilderment, and then wonderment! And it was something that was totally unexpected, and I expect that will be the audience’s experience as well – a totally unexpected observation of why people go to conventions, and about what the enduring fascination has been. So that’s the fascination, and that’s the secret behind the endurance of Star Trek – it has become part of the mythology of this culture. And nobody that I knew had a valid answer when I asked, “What do you think is the reason for the endurance of Star Trek , and why do you think people devote their lives to it, so much money and time, and bring their children to it?” The various answers I gave – science-fiction, the story, the appeal of the fact that we exist 300 years from now, all of those are part of it, but the real answer is more mystical than that. At what point did you decide to have that conversation with the Joseph Campbell expert? When I met him, the more I talked to him, the more fascinated I became, and so I decided to get a real setting and sit down and do a real interview. I’ve had some fun doing interviews in the past on television, and brought that experience to bear on him – and there was this whole philosophy laid out in front of me that put the whole documentary to a cohesive whole that I never expected. And had I not had it, it would be that much less. At what point did you really embrace or accept the fandom that your role as Kirk inspired? Quite a while ago. Over the years and talking to 10,000 people on an ad-lib basis, it kind of hones your skills for entertaining an audience in an [improvisational] way. And I began to use those experiences as a way of being an actor in front of an audience, and evolve stories and anecdotes that appeal to them. I wrote some books about it and ended up doing a one-man show about it last year – and we’ll be going out again this year – that exists because I’ve stood in front of large audiences not knowing what the next word coming out of my mouth was going to be. So I embraced the audiences a long time ago and sought to entertain them in various ways – this being one of them, the observation of what they are actually doing. How much are you able to apply the values and characteristics that fans see in Kirk into other creative ventures – to capitalize on the qualities that they seem to respond to? Well, the series appeals on a high moral level, that [Gene] Roddenberry engendered, and they’re universals – people are good, eventually people will be good, the evolvement of man is towards the positive, life will exist and we’ll work our way out of these problems. All of the positive aspects of life are there, and for me that certainly is a personal philosophy. How much at this point do you really know about Star Trek ? Can you go toe to toe with these fans and trade minutiae? No, no, no – I know nothing. My wife has to remind me of my name every so often. You know, it’s 40 years ago – why would I remember? It was a three-year job and then it was over, and then that was it. And then people began to remind me of what I had done. Which episode or part of the Trek world do you get asked about the most, and which do you find they ask about least, or seldom mention? There are many, many general questions, the likes of which you’re asking, and so, yeah, they’re just about what you think they are – your favorite episode, the philosophy, and why it has remained. Those questions still exist. But we sought in the documentary to bring this to another level to show these people – some in need, some in joy – but everybody being attracted to the Star Trek ideals, and yearning – that’s a word I haven’t used before – yearning for them to be true. And hoping, and living for that moment when the beauty that man can exude will be real and paramount. That’s what I think all of these people are looking for. What thing in your life gives you the same kind of passion – the fandom – that people show to Trek ? Well, right now I’m talking to you from Kentucky, where I’m competing for horses, in the horse world that I exist in for a large part of my life other than as an actor. My wife and I are totally involved in horses, and that is one of our great passions. And it’s interesting that I’m talking to you about Star Trek from another area of my life that makes me feel equally good. So in the way your fans know the mythology of the series, you would know the geneology of horses, maybe. Yes, exactly – you’re exactly right. The details of the horses are comparable to the details people ask me about Star Trek , only I think I’m far more knowledgeable about the horses than I am about Star Trek . Star Trek V , which you directed, confronted questions of faith and identity, and in retrospect it almost feels like you’re addressing the subtext of that film in this documentary. What an interesting observation. My God, man – that’s pure intelligence. My respect for you has increased enormously. That’s a wild conclusion, and yes, I agree with you. Had I known what I know now – because I had so many troubles and problems with getting the story for the search for God that Paramount wouldn’t let me make and Roddenberry wouldn’t let me make – I would have had more ammunition to convince them that the story I wanted to tell, and the story they forced me to tell made one or two compromises too many. That’s the lesson I learned on Star Trek V : When do you stand your ground and when do you compromise? We’re looking at that in our government right now, and that’s the problem with our government – everybody is standing on principle. Looking at that film and Get a Life as bookends, do you feel like you were asking questions then that you’re maybe finding answers for now? That’s right, man – you are absolutely right. I wanted to ask the question, if you were able to take a spaceship and find God, what would you find? And if you found the opposite, a fallen angel, what would you find? That’s the question I wanted to ask. That was going through my mind. Eric Van Lustbader used to write novels about an American in Japan and didn’t fit in in Japan, I wanted him to write that movie because he would have been the perfect guy to understand the philosophical questions being asked and put them into action. And the studio and Van Lustbader fought over the book right, and Van Lustbader never got to write the movie – which I think was a blow to what I would have liked to have done. So I never did accomplish in Star Trek V what I wanted to, but in this documentary, exploring those questions – where do we go, what do we do, what is mythology, what were the Greeks thinking when they made up those mythological beings, and what were they looking for. All of those questions that belonged to the universalities of man, those were some of the questions I wanted to ask in Star Trek V . And science-fiction allows us to do that because science-fiction is, in effect, the search for God. Absolutely. And that’s really all I have time to talk to you for. It’s a shame because your questions are now approaching unique – uniqueness. But I don’t have time for you. Todd Gilchrist is a Los Angeles-based film critic and entertainment journalist for a variety of online and print publications. You can follow his work via Twitter at @mtgilchrist . Read more from Comic-Con 2012 here. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
