A judge has tossed out a defamation lawsuit against Bristol Palin brought by the man seen heckling her in West Hollywood last year – an incident which later aired on Life’s a Tripp . Bristol Palin Responds to Heckler With Gay Comment Stephen Hanks sued the reality star in June for defamation, invasion of right to privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and misappropriation of right of publicity. The court wasn’t buying it. Palin’s lawyer, John Tiemessen, says the suit was dismissed . Hanks famously ran into Bristol Palin at a West Hollywood bar and ripped her mother, Sarah Palin, and baby daddy, Levi Johnston. She then asked if he was gay. Parts of the exchange were caught on camera, and Hanks objected to clips of it that were used in promos for Life’s a Tripp , which briefly aired on Lifetime. A judge has ordered Hanks to cover Palin’s legal fees. The court victory is welcome news for the single mom, whose reality show was axed after less than a season, and who was voted off Dancing With the Stars … and who had to find out Levi Johnston and Sunny Oglesby married last weekend through the media like everyone else.
As is often the peril with movies of giant ambition, Cloud Atlas walks a crooked line between the glorious and the ridiculous, its reach unencumbered by sensible decisions or restraint. Adapted with reasonable faithfulness from a novel of equally epic sweep by British author David Mitchell, the film spans eras and genres, intertwining tales of men at sea in the 1850s with a 1970s conspiracy-based mystery with a dystopian future Seoul. Through these settings and the characters that populate them, the movie highlights themes of reincarnation and of the warring nature of mankind as empathetic and self-sacrificing versus competitive and brutal. Directed by Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski , Cloud Atlas matches the scope of its settings and its motifs with an equally bold filmmaking choice: it reuses its actors in different roles in the different story threads, recasting them with the help of make-up and prosthetics across ethnicities and sometimes genders. Halle Berry plays the Jewish wife of a 1930s Belgian composer in one storyline and an African-American journalist in San Francisco in another. Hugo Weaving plays a female nurse working in a modern British old age home and an incarnation of the devil in a distant future version of Hawaii. Tom Hanks is a duplicitous 19th century doctor picked up in the Chatham Islands and the thuggish Cockney author of a popular novel in the present day. It’s a wild choice that underscores the film’s suggestion of the transmutation of souls. As the main character — who’s marked by a comet-shaped birthmark and played by various actors — makes his/her way through the eons and different lives, the recurrence of performers provides a visual reminder of this theme, tying together narratives that are wildly diverse in tone and content. It’s also a technique that provokes some unavoidable amusement. Despite the quality of the production, there’s only so much that can be done to plausibly turn Korean star Bae Doona into a freckled white aristocrat, Ben Whishaw into a blonde woman or Jim Sturgess into an Asian rebel leader. And yet, there’s something fiercely admirable about the film’s dedication to this particular type of color-blind casting, even when it fails. (Well, almost color-blind — the black characters are all played by black actors.) Its hero, after all, is a soul, so why stand on ceremony about the malleable bodies in which it, and others, are housed? That protagonist starts off, in the earliest story, as a villain — Dr. Henry Goose (Hanks), who treats the naive Adam Ewing (Sturgess) on their trip to San Francisco by ship in the mid-1800s with a medicine that is quite deliberately making him worse. He is reborn, in the ear between World Wars, as Robert Frobisher (Whishaw), an English composer whose love affair with another man gets him disinherited, he leads to him working for an established talent named Vyvyan Ayrs (Jim Broadbent) who’s not as benign an employer as Frobisher would like. In the 1970s, he’s become a she — Luisa Rey (Berry), a Californian journalist whose investigation into a nuclear plant cover-up lands her in danger. In 2012, she’s Timothy Cavendish (Broadbent), an aging publisher who gets both lucky and unlucky with a hit book and who finds himself committed to a militant nursing home from which he’d like to escape. In New Seoul in the near future, he’s become Sonmi-451 (Bae), a cloned waitress at a chain restaurant who experiences an awakening from the conscripted life that labor “fabricants” are intended to have. And in the far-flung reaches of the film’s timeline, she’s become Zachry (Hanks), one of a small community of peaceful villagers living in Hawaii after the collapse of civilization and trying to avoid the savage cannibalistic faction the remaining humans on the island have become. These stories connect within each other and, unlike the nesting doll structure of Mitchell’s novel, they’re intercut. The film stays with one story for long minutes or dips into another for a brief glimpse. Every thread is, in essence, about the powerful oppressing the powerless and what it takes to put oneself at risk to help others, whether it be an escaped slave stowaway or a manufactured corporate server. Despite the showiness of the structure, it’s the films smaller moments that leap out as emotionally wrenching: an encounter with an old love at the top of a cathedral, a man carrying his sick friend out to sit in the sun, a rallying cry at a pub. Cloud Atlas strives continually for transcendence and only sometimes grasps it, but the sincerity with which it pursues the emotion and the very idea of the reverberating impact selfless actions can have is quite moving. It’s rare, these days, to see a movie declare its aims for greatness so openly and without a leaden sense of self-importance. And though the film doesn’t achieve all of its goals, it does offer an indelibly powerful vision of a throughline from the past to today and on through the end of things, that expresses faith in the ability of people to overcome animalism. It’s spiritual but entirely humanistic, and salvation, when it comes, arrives from within or from other people — an outrageous, silly and beautiful ode to the better nature of mankind. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
A bit high-pitched and shrill, the few audiences that have seen Lincoln ahead of its World Premiere next month at AFI Fest may have been surprised by the voice of America’s 16th President as played by Daniel Day-Lewis . The two-time Oscar-winner made a rare public appearance speaking before a small audience presented by Time Magazine in New York Thursday. The actor, who appeared along with Steven Spielberg , spoke in his native British accent, which was in audible contrast to his latest on-screen character. Many assume Lincoln spoke in a blaring baritone, though Lewis explained that that myth is likely untrue. “Well you look for the clues, as with any aspect of the work,” he said of finding the voice. “You begin with the places that would have made a huge difference in his life. Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, and the counties that he came from. There are some early recordings, but no contemporary recordings — lucky for me, so no one can say positively that it’s not what he sounded like,” said Lewis as quoted in THR . He surmised that the Civil War President’s pitch aided him and his oratory skills in reaching a higher number of people in an era well ahead anything resembling public address systems. “There are also a number of contemporary accounts about the quality of his voice,” Day-Lewis said. “And I’m inclined to think that having had a voice that was intended to be in the higher register, tended to be placed more in the head tones, that helped him reach a greater number of people in his public speaking. Stump speaking was such a huge part of their lives, they spoke sometimes for two hours or more without notes, at that time regularly. And beyond that, I suppose it really was just an act of imagination.” Lincoln centers on the period after Lincoln’s re-election in 1864 in the months leading up to his death in April of the following year, when he struggled to get the 13th Amendment passed by the House of Representatives. The Amendment abolished slavery once and for all in the United States. Though he had ordered the Emancipation Proclamation earlier, Lincoln feared the provision would only be held up as a “war power” and would become redundant after the war’s end — meaning, those legally freed would be immediately sent back into servitude. Lewis also said it took him a good year to get “comfortable with his character.” Spielberg said at the event he didn’t like the idea of waiting that long, but he is glad he did so. He also offered up his take on the Lincoln voice at a separate NYC screening event at the recent New York Film Festival. “Research talks about his high shrill voice,” Spielberg said. “I think we’d be criticized if we did it the way he’s heard by Disney’s Epcot Center with a low-tenored voice.” [ Source: THR ]
If human cloning has begun, I’d like to wager some money that Tom Hanks is an early adopter. The actor has been everywhere over the last week, making the media rounds to promote his latest picture, the ambitious Cloud Atlas , and his friend Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln as well. On Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report on Thursday night, the actor worked in a clever nod to the six roles he plays in Cloud Atlas (well, four of them, anyway) in a Halloween-themed skit that featured kids costumed as some of the more memorable characters that Hanks has portrayed over the years, including Woody from Toy Story , Chuck Noland from Cast Away , replete with a “Wilson” volley ball cut open to function as a candy bag, astronaut Jim Lovell from Apollo 13 — an “Oscar-denied hero” as Hanks pointed out — and Captain Miller from Saving Private Ryan . His co-star in that film, Matt Damon , even made a cameo dressed as a soldier to grouse about being in the skit and say that that he’d rather be drunk at a movie theater “heckling Argo,” his bud Ben Affleck’s picture. I particularly love Hanks having fun with his nice guy image — at one point, he grouses about “that punk Joseph Gordon Levitt nipping at my heels” — and the self-promotion chores of Hollywood. After telling Colbert: “Six characters in one movie, isn’t it great!”, one of the kids in Cloud Atlas costumes declares: “I smell Oscar buzz!” The segment ran almost 10 minutes, but the there was more of Hanks to be had on TV that night. If you had your DVR recording The Late Show with David Letterman , Hanks also appeared in what the talk-show host claimed was a clip from Spielberg’s Lincoln . Funny, I never knew that they served popcorn and trash-can sized cups of soda at the Ford Theater back in Lincoln’s day. Two more reasons why Hanks isn’t just aces as an actor, he’s one of the most entertaining talk-show guests out there. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Producer tells MTV News of sending track to Em, in Mixtape Daily. By Rob Markman Eminem on the set of his “Space Bound” music video Photo: Eric Ford / On Location News Behind the Beats: Jim Jonsin Before Eminem could make the heart-wrenching “Space Bound” a hit single, the song’s producer, Jim Jonsin, had to rework the track, which he had previously recorded with British songwriter Steve McEwan. “It was actually a full song with verses, b-section, chorus,” Jonsin told MTV News of the original Eminem-less version. “Me and Steve McEwan actually wrote the song, we actually did it here in New York on guitar — it was just a guitar vocal on an iPhone,” the multiplatinum producer said. “We took the idea later in Miami, like three months after, and produced the track, and we sent it out to Eminem to see what he thought about it. He loved it. So he interpreted it his own way.” The initial concept remained mostly intact, and the song’s chorus acted as a guide for the Detroit MC to add his own twist. “The chorus was based off of a chase, a guy who’s chasing after a woman that he’s crazy about,” Jonsin said of the theme. “He loves her; she’s everything to him. I’m a rocket ship aiming at her heart, her heart’s the moon — I’m going full-on.” It was Jonsin’s manager who suggested that he send the track to Slim Shady, which he did, even though he didn’t believe anything would come of it. “He had me strip down the verses, take them out, and make the track a little more hip-hop, and he sent it out,” he said. “I didn’t really believe that it would end up on Eminem’s album, let alone be a single.” The video for “Space Bound,” now the fourth single off of Em’s multiplatinum 2010 Recovery album, was released last week on iTunes. The clip, which stars ex-porn actress Sasha Grey, depicts a rocky romance that eventually leads the rapper to kill himself with a single shot to the head. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Photos Eminem’s ‘Space Bound’ Video Shoot Related Artists Jim Jonsin Eminem
‘I miss VJs,’ stars tell MTV News. By Kara Warner Tom Hanks Photo: MTV News Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts’ new movie, “Larry Crowne,” is, in a nutshell, about a middle-aged man who, after constantly being looked over for managerial promotions at work due to his lack of college degree, enrolls himself in his local community college, where he finds himself being taught by and falling in love with the lovely Mercedes Tainot (Roberts). When MTV News caught up with Hanks and Roberts at the press day for the film, we attempted to discuss Hanks’ return to the director’s chair after a 15-year hiatus (the last film he helmed was 1996’s “That Thing You Do!”), but first the two superstars took a moment to talk about us. “I miss VJs,” Roberts lamented of MTV’s onetime team of on-camera personalities. “I miss VJs, too,” Hanks agreed. “I miss, you know, ‘The Rock Hour!’ ” he added, likely meaning “120 Minutes,” hosted by Matt Pinfield, which has been resurrected over at MTV2. “What’s on MTV now?” Roberts asked. “Pregnant teenagers,” quipped Hanks. Hanks and Roberts then briefly discussed MTV’s current slate of programs, citing “The Real World,” “Jersey Shore” and “16 and Pregnant,” but admitted only to hearing stories about them, not to having watched any of those shows themselves. Once we were able to bring the focus to the topic at hand, we asked Hanks about his return to the director’s chair, and what inspired him to take on so many roles for this film — he directed, acted in, co-wrote and produced “Crowne.” “Somewhere I think in 2009 a switch just goes off in my head that goes, ‘I really want to direct this,’ ” he recalled, equating his passion for the project to a fever he had to have cooked out of him. “It takes you out of the marketplace for a long time, which is fine. I have a lot of things going on, but it ends up being like this personal letter that you’re writing to your mom where you want it to be right, you want it to be authentic, you want it to actually reflect who you are and where you are at this point, and so that’s why you end up directing a movie and being in it.” For Roberts, signing on to the film was mostly about working with her good friend. She and Hanks worked together once before in “Charlie Wilson’s War,” which, according to Roberts, cemented their friendship for life. “I knew I had a friend for the rest of my life,” she said, recalling one specific day on the “Wilson’s War” set that involved Hanks, Roberts and some joke with a little box. “He [makes] me want to live a longer life,” she gushed. “What a great answer!” Hanks said with a big smile. “It’s true, I love Tom. It’s kind of retarded for us sitting here trying to be professionals because we’re friends,” she said. “I love his wife, I love his kids.” “This is what we’d be doing if we were sitting around or having lunch,” Hanks added, speaking to the pair’s easy rapport. “We’ll laugh for three hours together.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Larry Crowne.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
“Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, together at last!” That’s the marketing hook for Hanks’s film Larry Crowne, which he co-wrote and directed – or at least what’s supposed to be appealing about this. Then again, they were in Charlie Wilson’s War together, and that disappeared. The first trailer played up the idea of a man Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : ScreenCrave.com Discovery Date : 10/06/2011 22:21 Number of articles : 2
“Sheen is feeling more and more like OJ driving up the 405,” tweeted David Poland earlier today. “I don’t even think people realize they are just waiting for the gun to go off.” Oy. Well, how about a drive down memory lane instead — to a happier, more innocent time when Charlie Sheen actually volunteered to leave a TV show after a healthy payday.
It’s already shaping up to be a huge year for Teresa Palmer. Last month, the Australian actress kicked serious alien ass as a mystery assassin in the Michael Bay-produced I Am Number Four , and was rumored to be dating Zac Efron. This weekend, Palmer officially emerges from the shadows of her Twilight doppelgänger Kristen Stewart with her leading role in the 80’s romantic comedy Take Me Home Tonight co-starring Topher Grace.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as cartoons? An unbeatable box office combination. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as live-action middle-aged dudes on a jungle adventure? Hopefully an unbeatable box office combination. At least that’s what Disney is probably hoping. According to THR , they’ve cast Hanks and Allen in Jungle Cruise , a “big action-adventure movie with unique aspects that will make it more than just a straight-up adventure.” Unique aspects like animating Hanks and Allen as a couple of toys? No? Oh. [ THR /Heat Vision ]
