Miley Cyrus, you have a famous partner in your crusade on behalf of gay marriage and equal rights . At a press conference Sunday for the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards, Shane Grimes touched on a number of topics, from her career to her mother’s comfortable couch to her feelings on Canadian values/laws versus those in America. Regarding the latter, this 90210 actress expressed absolute shock over the “prejudice” in the United States and how she’s her proudest moment as Toronto native took place when she moved to Los Angeles and realized just how far behind the times many can be in this country. Will she get in trouble for such pointed remarks? Or will she gain a newfound level of respect for her honesty and open-mindedness toward all religions, races and sexual orientations? Watch the interview and decide for yourself: Shenae Grimes Speaks on Gay Marriage, “Ridiculous” America
ML turns the spotlight on three filmmakers screening new work at the Los Angeles Film Festival this week. Directors with films in the festival’s Narrative and Documentary competitions have offered up their observations on their latest and greatest. Monday’s titles include three docs: Jeff Howlett’s A Band Called Death , Mai Iskander’s Words of Witness and Dominga Sotomayor’s Thursday Till Sunday . And trailers are included (naturally). A Band Called Death , directed by Jeff Howlett [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early ’70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family chronicle, the story of Death is one of brotherly love and fierce, divinely inspired expression. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Jeff Howlett: Howlett gives his take on A Band Called Death : A Band Called Death is a documentary about the Hackney’s, three African-American brothers from Detroit that formed the proto-punk band “Death” in the early 70s. The film is a family story of brotherly love, and the human spirit that uncovers a treasure in the form of a 1974 demo tape that established their name in American Punk Rock History. And why audiences should check the film out at the LA Film Festival: The audiences should check out our film to discover an inspiring story about a band who not only played infectious, groundbreaking music but also had a rich family history to tell. The audience is taken back into a neighborhood where Motown was the religion and rock and roll was, as the Hackney’s eldest describes it best “white-boy music”. Following 35 years of their lives we take a journey with the Hackney family as they tell us their personal stories, the struggles of being black in a “protopunk” band and having the spirit to never give up on your dream. Some anecdotes from the shoot: Our film was as one of our friends put it “discovered on twitter and produced through email”. Since each of the directors and producers were spread out across the map, the challenge became only viable through these virtual channels. Short end of that story is that a year into the project Mark and I were at the end of our budgets with working on the film to which we either needed to stop production or make it a ten year project. That very day it was brought to our attention that Scott Mosier was Tweeting about a trailer we had made and posted online, and saying how he would love to know more about the film. This conversation led to Scott turning on Matt Perniciaro, Kevin Mann and Jerry Ferrara who then helped develop it into the feature film it is now. About the trailer: This clip is of Brian Spears of Groovesville Productions who takes us on a virtual tour of the studio as the band records their first album, “For the Whole World to See.” — Words of Witness , directed by Mai Iskander [Documentary Competition] Synopsis: Updating your Facebook status is a political act in this visceral, on-the-ground documentary of a 21st century revolution in progress. When the Egyptian people rose up against President Mubarak, Heba Afify was a 22-year-old journalist for an English-language paper. Her Facebook and Twitter accounts, along with those of many young Egyptians, become essential weapons in bringing down the former regime, a means to rally support and focus the movement’s strength. Director Mai Iskander follows Afify into the homes and offices of protestors, organizers and citizens caught up in revolutionary fervor, providing a thrilling perspective on a populace rising up to demand the right to live their own lives. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Responses by Mai Iskander: Iskander gives her take on Words of Witness : Words of Witness is a feature-length documentary that follows 22-year-old journalist Heba Afify as she navigates Egypt’s revolution and the rigid boundaries of her concerned mother to examine the struggles, hopes and fears of a people on the brink of democracy. And why audiences should check the film out at the LA Film Festival: Despite the cultural, linguistic and societal differences that separate Egypt and the United States, Words of Witness reveals at least one universal truth: where there is no struggle, there is no progress. Whether the rallying cry is, “Out with Mubarak” or “We are the 99 percent,” people everywhere know that the first step in making their country better, is to “lead themselves.” Through the lens of a country on a path to self-determination, Words of Witness inspires audiences—wherever they are—to reflect on the value of democracy and their role in the democratic process. Iskander shares some observations about the shoot: Since I do not look particularly Egyptian, I was often stopped and questioned as to why I was there. People were often very suspicious, and I certainly don’t blame them. This was a very tumultuous, volatile time. Here they were ripping at the seams of a regime that had been in place for 30 years. A revolution is a very vulnerable time for a country—it is only natural that they should question everything. And some insight on the trailer: I hoped to communicate the deep desire to shape one’s own fate—which dwells within not only a people, but also within every individual. I wanted to tell a story that shows how this desire cannot be quelled indefinitely; eventually it will overcome any obstacle in order to be realized. — Thursday Till Sunday , directed by Dominga Sotomayor [Narrative Competition] Synopsis: In the soft pre-dawn light, a young family loads into their car and begins a journey that will affect them all far deeper than the usual weekend get-away. With a mixture of nostalgia and anxiety, Thursday till Sunday deftly captures the end of a childhood as the young daughter, from her vantage point in the back seat, begins to realize that something is strained — or possibly broken — between her mother and father. With uncommon beauty and style, writer/director Dominga Sotomayor perfectly captures the emotional dynamics of a young family at a crossroads and the claustrophobia of the open road. [Courtesy of Los Angeles Film Festival] Sotomayor gives her take on Thursday Till Sunday : It’s the road trip of two children and their parents to the north of Chile during a long weekend. Everything is seen from 10-year old Lucía’s distant and fragmented point of view. As the landscape gives in to the desert, the parents’ crisis is revealed and the holiday slowly turns into a possible last family trip. And why audiences should give it a look at the LA Film Festival: I hope they will connect with real feelings, along with their own childhood memories and the sensation of being a kid. Some anecdotes from the set: The anecdotes are several (shooting almost everything within the constraints of a car; having kids in every shot; traveling with the whole crew out of the city), but most of these were self-imposed challenges and ended up working in favor of the film. I personally believe the greatest challenge of the film was creating a sense of intimate atmosphere and an overall intimate film when surrounded by a very ‘un-intimate’ environment during the production (trucks, crew, grip, etc); keeping the children’s energy upbeat and have them feel this trip as a long game. An observation about the trailer: I wanted to transmit the overall atmosphere of the film, its ability to convey genuine emotions, and introduce the point of view of the 10-year old girl that drives the whole film.
Wepa!!! President Obama Announces New Policy To Stop Deportation Of Illegal Immigrants In a scene unfolding in many Latino communities throughout the country, the graduation ceremony at Garcia High School in Chicago was especially celebratory Saturday: 20 percent of the graduating seniors are illegal immigrants who can now put their education to use with work permits authorized by President Obama’s new immigration rules. “What the president did this week was an amazing gift to me and other students who are undocumented,” graduating senior Andrea Labra, 18, told CNN. “It’s just an emotional thing to have the same opportunities that other students have and that we didn’t have just because we didn’t have papers,” added Labra, who was born in Mexico and came to the United States at age 5 with her family. For the class of 2012, the routine tossing of mortarboards in the air was more emotional than anticipated, said classmate Rodrigo Espinoza, 18, who’s also an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. His family brought him to the United States when he was 3 months old. “It’s so unexpected,” Espinoza said of Obama’s executive order, announced Friday. “It’s like a dream. I can finally do something with my life now.” Espinoza is going to study bio-engineering on a scholarship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He wants to find a cure for cancer, he said. “I’m determined to do it now that I have a chance to do it,” said Espinoza, who will be the first one in his family to go to college. As an honors graduate, a yellow sash topped his blue cap and gown. “This is going to change my life. It was a life-changing experience for all of us and for my family,” he added about the new immigration rules announced Friday. Juan Rangel, the leader of Chicago’s largest Hispanic advocacy organization that runs Hector P. Garcia High and 10 other city charter schools, said the White House announcement was “a high note for the graduating ceremony.” Ol’ Barry O is pushing the right buttons to get those votes as we get closer to the election. Your move “Money Makin” Mitt… Hit the flip to find out exactly what the POTUS’ new executive order means for these hard-working immigrant students. Source Image via AP
Enormous, breaking news, members of the celebrity gossip world: Kim Kardashian has changed her Twitter handle photo. We repeat… KIM KARDASHIAN HAS CHANGED HER TWITTER HANDLE PHOTO. It’s unclear what sparked the monumental decision, but it affects literally millions of people around the country, who woke up today to a never-before-seen shot of this reality star, one we could not even track down in our extensive gallery of Kim Kardashian photos . Peep it now and then react: So… what do you think?!?!?!?!?!?
Duo spotted on Nashville set of Jake Nava-directed clip, which will debut later this month. By James Dinh B.o.B and Taylor Swift on the set of “Both of Us” Photo: B.o.B and Taylor Swift are an unlikely musical duo, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything in common. On Thursday (June 14), Bobby Ray and Swift paid tribute to their country roots on the Nashville video set for their summery sweet duet, “Both of Us.” The Jake Nava-directed clip (Beyonc
Pixar Animation storyboard artist Emma Coats took to Twitter last month to share the storytelling tips she’s gleaned during her time at the Oscar-winning animation house, and taken together they comprise one of the most comprehensive, sensible, must-follow rules for writing you can find. ( Ridley Scott , Damon Lindelof , whoever’s working on the next Prometheus — are you listening?) Among Coats’ best tips, as collected by blog The Pixar Touch (via i09): “Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.” Amen to that. #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. #2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different. #3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite. #4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. #5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free. #6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal? #7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. #8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time. #9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up. #10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it. #11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone. #12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself. #13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience. #14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it. #15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations. #16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against. #17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later. #18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining. #19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating. #20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like? #21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way? #22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there. Coats, who has written and directed her own short, Horizon , and is a credited storyboard artist on Brave , is still engaging in storytelling talk over at Twitter and on Tumblr . [ The Pixar Touch via i09 ]
Fans of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages may throw tomatoes when they see the big screen version; director Adam Shankman , screenwriter Justin Theroux and even Tom Cruise himself made some major changes to the plot of the stage show. Some make the edgy musical more family friendly, but others sharpen the story. Will fans embrace their toned-down Rock of Ages movie? In the film version Cruise stars as Stacee Jaxx , a legendary hair metal rocker with existential issues. Meanwhile, at The Bourbon Room, where Jaxx is performing his last show before going solo, Sherrie ( Julianne Hough ) and Drew (Diego Boneta) are falling in love. Sherrie just moved to L.A. to pursue her dreams; Drew has been paying his dues and gets the chance to open for Jaxx, but the rock n’ roll world splits up the young lovers. But exactly how Rock of Ages unfolds from there differs notably from the Tony-nominated stage musical. Movieline spoke with director Shankman, writer Theroux, and star Hough about five major changes in the Rock of Ages movie, for better and worse. 1. Sherrie and Stacee no longer, uh, do it A major plot point in the stage musical is that Sherrie sleeps with Stacee during the “I Wanna Know What Love Is” number and that’s what leads to her split from Drew. In the movie, the incident is reduced to a misunderstanding involving a spilled bottle of scotch — Drew gets the wrong idea when he sees Stacee zipping up his pants in close proximity to Sherrie — which kinda makes Drew look like a moron. In the stage version, Stacee later comes back to Sherrie when she is working at a gentleman’s club, where she gives him a lap dance. Oddly, Shankman went ahead and shot the lap dance scene with Hough and Cruise, but took it out of the movie. “‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ was the duet that I did with Tom and it is bad frickin’ ass,” Hough revealed at the Rock of Ages press day. “I mean, literally ass . No literally, this was the sexiest but roughest performance in the movie and I think it was a little bit too much for people. I think that people, especially women, didn’t really like Sherrie after that.” It wasn’t just women, but a very specific group of women, said Shankman. “Super easy to explain,” Shankman said of the scenes that didn’t test well pre-release. “It really upset mothers. The mothers literally turned against her character because her character sold out so much and she was such an animal in the scene. On top of which, where that scene was placed, it was at the top of the third act and you just want her to get to the Bourbon with those records. It was this huge deviation from the story in order to just do this number.” It also makes sense as a story omission because without their sex scene, what’s the point of a lap dance? Shankman said empowering teenage girls in the audience was the most important factor. “The number, frankly, it is on the extended version and will be on Netflix and all that, you’ll understand why it got cut because it really upset mothers,” Shankman said. “I was like, I can’t have mothers saying to their teenage daughters, ‘No, you can’t go see this movie because Julianne Hough is lap dancing Tom Cruise in a G-string — [and doing it] very well.’” 2. Stacee Jaxx’s redemption On stage, Jaxx remains a creep and flees the country dodging statutory rape charges. Not only would this ending be irrelevant to the new story, it would also be a lame and creepy move for a Tom Cruise movie. Now the climax of the film involves Jaxx reading an article written by a reporter (Malin Akerman) in Rolling Stone. For the first time, Jaxx sees how he and his management screwed over hard-working music promoters like the owners of The Bourbon Room. To make amends, Jaxx returns to the Bourbon for a free benefit show, thus paving the way for a real finale where Sherrie and Drew join Jaxx on tour — and giving Cruise’s Jaxx a means of redemption. Screenwriter Justin Theroux credited Cruise himself with the new ending. “That was actually an invention of Tom,” Theroux said. “He was like, ‘This guy needs to connect somewhere at the end of the movie.’ He treats it like it’s a dramatic part and he says, ‘No matter what, you still need to have these motivating factors and you need to have this. There needs to be a beginning, middle and an end to this guy. It can’t just be a guy who’s just floating around being funny. He actually has to have something to perform.’ The character of Stacee Jaxx was looking for something and being so famous that he couldn’t even identify it. That thing is, in our movie, love and someone telling the truth. And then also how do we resolve that in a comedic way? [After] that scene where he’s walking and makes out with a girl on his way to make out with the girl — how would that guy find love? That was really the fun part of creating that.” 3. New songs added, some songs gone Of course, it would be hard for any movie adaptation to keep every single song from its stage iteration, so a few rock classics had to go. Rock of Ages had the unusual problem of obtaining even MORE music than the stage show, and having to make sure to find places for them in the story. “Well, the movie couldn’t be two hours and 40 minutes long, which is basically the show,” Shankman said. “I also had the opportunity that the play didn’t have — Def Leppard, Joan Jett and Guns n’ Roses opened up their catalogs to the movie, which I would have to attribute to Mr. Cruise’s involvement. I never talked to the guys but I would think that that is what sort of did it. On top of which, the Hairspray cred, people knew that I wasn’t going to make fun of anything.” Thanks to that, we now get to hear Cruise sing “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” Worth it. 4. A whole new family values subplot The plot of the stage show involves two developers battling a city planner over a Sunset Strip land deal, a pretty convoluted angle involving the politics of historical landmarks and zoning districts. The movie invents the character of the mayor’s wife (Catherine Zeta Jones), who is protesting The Bourbon Room on moral grounds, as a Christian crusader against rock n’ roll. It’s clean, simple and pays off when the reasons for her repression are revealed. In the film, the mayor’s wife steals the song “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” from her land developer counterparts in the musical; it becomes the anthem for her church protest group. 5. Goodbye, Fourth Wall The biggest change musical buffs will notice is that the movie Rock of Ages has no narrator. The stage show not only had a character narrating the story, but it also broke the fourth wall and addressed the audience. The climax of the stage show had the characters realize some playwright gave them a sad ending, so they go and change it. Meta humor is all well and good but in a movie that might have felt like a cheap cop out. Shankman decided to tell the story linearly, so it has a traditional, feel-good movie plot. The characters succeed because of their own actions, not thanks to some clever meta-device. In taking out the narrator, Shankman decided to make it Sherrie’s story (which also makes it more important that she not lose the audience with her sexual exploits — see #1.). “By taking out the narrator I had to give it the point of view of somebody, and I thought it would be best to give it to the person who’s new to Los Angeles,” Shankman said. Stay tuned for more on Rock of Ages , which opens this Friday. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Pop Queen continues to flash her flesh by baring her backside following her much-publicized breast flash last week. By John Mitchell Madonna Photo: Dani Pozo/ AFP/ Getty Images Madonna is back in action, but this time she’s mooning the audience instead of flashing her breasts. Late last week, while performing “Human Nature” during her sold-out concert at Istanbul, Turkey’s T
‘As a married person myself, I don’t know what it’s like to be told I can’t marry somebody I love,’ Underwood says. By Gil Kaufman Carrie Underwood Photo: Getty Images Carrie Underwood is the latest public figure to come out in support of gay marriage. Joining the likes of Jay-Z , Snooki and JWoww and the Wanted the country superstar told England’s The Independent that she believes same-sex couples should have the same rights as she does. “As a married person myself, I don’t know what it’s like to be told I can’t marry somebody I love, and want to marry,” she said. “I can’t imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love.” The paper noted that Underwood, who has just released a new album Blown Away has a large Evangelical Christian fanbase and has spoken frequently about her faith, making it the subject of one of her biggest hits, “Jesus, Take The Wheel.” She told the paper that her liberal attitude about same-sex marriage is actually a result of her Christian values, not in conflict with them. “Our church is gay friendly,” said Underwood, 29, who was raised as Baptist, a denomination that tends to condemn homosexual behavior, but who now worships in a non-denominational congregation with hockey-player husband Mike Fisher. “Above all, God wanted us to love others. It’s not about setting rules, or [saying] ‘everyone has to be like me’. No. We’re all different. That’s what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It’s not up to me to judge anybody.” Underwood’s comments come in the midst of a presidential campaign in which gay marriage is likely to be a hot-button issue. President Barack Obama recently said that he personally supports same-sex unions while rival Republican Mitt Romney has spoken out against gay marriage. Related Artists Carrie Underwood
Werk it Isis, werk it. American Apparel is using a familiar face for their latest line of tees, a collaboration with GLAAD for Pride month. America’s Next Top Model Transgender Contestant Face Of American Apparel/GLAAD Pride Tees GLAAD posted about the new line on their blog : Clothing giant American Apparel has teamed up with GLAAD on a new line of equality tees, just in time for LGBT Pride Month. And in a company first, AA is featuring an openly transgender model in its ad campaign! GLAAD worked alongside American Apparel in casting for the new ads, which will run online and in print. Former America’s Next Top Model contestant and openly transgender model Isis King is among those donning the Pride shirts in ads that will appear online and in print across the nation. Joining her in the ad campaign are four current and former GLAAD staff members, among others. Fifteen percent of all proceeds from the shirts benefits GLAAD’s work to share stories that build support for equality. American Apparel employees will also join GLAAD staff in LGBT Pride marches across the country, including in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Participants will each receive an AA tee, courtesy of American Apparel. “We’re super proud to support LGBT Pride again this year and partner with GLAAD in these events. It’s time for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, to accept each other and thrive in harmony. We hope everyone comes out and joins us,” said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel. “American Apparel is showing bold leadership by being among just a few companies to include transgender people in its national ads,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “Additionally, the company’s statement that ‘Gay is OK’ will reach millions and send an important message in support of equality.” Do you like the American Apparel tees? Check out Isis and the GLAAD staff models below:
