Larry Hagman, a veteran actor best known for his role as J.R. Ewing on Dallas , has passed away. He was 81. The star created the role on the original series and reprised it last year when TNT rebooted the popular drama. He announced in the summer of 2011 that he was being treated for cancer, and then followed that up a few months ago by telling the world he was in “remission.” But he lost his battle yesterday at Medical City Dallas. Said Warner Bros. TV and Dallas executive producers Cynthia Cidre and Michael M. Robin in a joint statement: Hagman was “a giant, a larger-than-life personality whose iconic performance as J.R. Ewing will endure as one of the most indelible in entertainment history. He truly loved portraying this globally recognized character, and he leaves a legacy of entertainment, generosity and grace.” He is survived by his wife of 58 years; two kids; and five grandchildren. Our thoughts go out to Hagman’s loved ones.
Bradley Cooper says it wasn’t a stretch to call Robert De Niro “Dad” in Silver Linings Playbook . The Hangover actor plays Pat Solitano, the bipolar son of De Niro’s extremely OCD Pat Solitano, Sr. in the film, and at the New York premiere party , Cooper told us that his prior working relationship with De Niro on Limitless , which blossomed into a friendship, made it easy to channel that familial bond with the Taxi Driver actor. At a press conference for the movie earlier that day, Cooper, who lost his actual father in 2011, told the gathered media that he had trepidations about playing the role of a Philadelphia area man struggling with bipolar disorder. “He really did champion me” to get the part, Cooper said of De Niro, adding that he decided to take the role, in part, because, “I knew that I could say ‘Dad’ and look at him and it would come from a real place.” During the party at the Royalton hotel in midtown Manhattan, I asked Cooper to elaborate upon that comment, and he replied that because of his work with De Niro on their last movie, “We sort of became great friends,” adding: “I love him.” That relationship, he explained, became “a real bonus” when it came to the onscreen dynamic of the two actors in Silver Linings Playbook . With any movie role, Cooper explained, “You need certain anchors, and when I would say say the word ‘Dad’ to him, it just felt very deep and grounded.” In the David O. Russell -directed movie, De Niro gives his most authentic performance as a father since he directed himself in the 1993 picture A Bronx Tale . He even weeps in the movie — an unscripted moment that was caught on the last take of a highly charged scene shot in the attic of the Solitano family home. Russell, who, during the press conference, repeatedly referred to the veteran actor as “Mr. De Niro,” said the emotional moment caught him completely off-guard. “I was behind him in the attic going, ‘What’s happening?'” the director recalled. Russell’s son, Matthew, who plays a nosy teen-aged neighbor with a video camera, struggled with a different emotion while shooting a confrontational scene with De Niro: nervous laughter. The director recalled at the press conference that his son said to him that acting opposite De Niro ” was like waking up in Raging Bull . ” Russell said that he chided his son for the inappropriate outburst, telling him, “You’ve got to stop laughing.” But De Niro, he added, figured out a way to work with Matthew’s anxious laughter to ratchet up tension in the scene. Silver Linings Playbook opens in limited release on Friday. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
If you weren’t one of the scores of moviegoers who contributed to Skyfall’ s $90 million box office take this past weekend and you’re still in spoiler-avoidance mode, then you should stop reading right here. If you did see the movie over the weekend, then you’re probably still thinking about the surprises that Skyfall holds for James Bond fans. Key among them is the reveal in the movie’s final scenes that Naomie Harris , who opens the movie by accidentally shooting Daniel Craig ‘s Bond, is the franchise’s sexy new Ms. Moneypenny. In an interview with Movieline , Harris talks about becoming the first black woman to join James Bond’s MI6 support team (Colin Salmon played Chief of Staff Charles Robinson in Tomorrow Never Dies , The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day ) and how, after playing a zombie-killing bad-ass in 28 Days Later and a secret agent in Skyfall , she’s well-equipped for the apocalypse. Movieline: When you took the role of Eve in Skyfall, were you aware that you were going to be revealed as Moneypenny and what that would entail? You are clearly going to be in other Bond movies as a result of this. Harris: Let’s see, who knows! But yes, when I took the role, I was told about the role fully. And that was part of the reason that it really excited me. I knew that my character was going on this amazing journey — and in a really modern way, which is fantastic. You are the first black woman to be cast as a member of the MI6 support team and, let’s presume, in a recurring role in the franchise. Have you thought much about the cultural significance of that? I was brought up in Britain, and I’m very proud of my Britishness and my culture. And Bond is a big part of that. So, I’m very aware of the significance of this role and being in a Bond movie. I don’t take it lightly at all. Barbara and Sam and Michael auditioned actors of all different ethnicities around the world, and there was no sense of, we just want a black person for this role. I love that kind of open casting. It’s really brilliant and speaks so highly of them. It’s fundamentally who they are. They’re so progressive. They were looking for the best person for the role. [Smiles] Exactly. Related Story: ‘Skyfall’ Producers On 007’s Post-9/11 Progressive Streak & Idris Elba Rumors: Could Bond Be Black, Gay, Or A Woman? Bérénice Marlohe told me that she found the concept of being a Bond girl very abstract. Is it different for you because James Bond is so firmly rooted in your culture? I don’t have a problem with the label. I don’t necessarily think it’s relevant anymore, but I don’t have a problem with it. If that’s what people want to refer to me as, then I’m more than happy. [Being a Bond girl] means glamor, sexiness, classiness and having an enigmatic quality. It means all good things really. But I do think they’re the building blocks for more. So, I would hate to be just that. That’s the starting point, basically. You’ve got to have so much more. You’ve also got to be extremely fit. I was surprised by all of the physical training you had to undergo for the role. Were you aware of this going in or did it surprise you? Sam did say to me, “It’s an action role, but you’ve done action stuff before. You’re used to that.” And in the audition, I was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll do anything. I can ride. I can shoot.” So I kind of agreed to it, and then I didn’t realize how intense it was going to be. It was two months, five days a week, two hours a day working with a personal trainer who did running and circuit training and yoga. Then it was three days a week on the gun range: machine guns, Walther PPK’s, sniper rifes. Then it was two days a week doing stunt driving. And once a week with the stunt guys doing combat training as well. So, for a girl who does not exercise, that was a big physical change. And I have to say it was really tough in the beginning, but by the end of it, I got used to it. I loved it, actually. Do you own a gun? No! I certainly do not own a gun, although I went through my bag the other day and discovered that I had a dummy gun in there that we used while we were filming. Good thing you didn’t go to the airport with that. I know! I definitely would have gotten arrested. Between 28 Days Later and Skyfall , you are clearly prepared for the apocalypse. I am. I’m the woman to be with if there’s any crisis going down. What are you doing next in between your Bond films? I finished Bond and then two days later, I flew to South Africa to play Winnie Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom . I finished that a month ago. So, I’m going to do this tour for Skyfall , which is over a month long, and then I’m having a break. It’s a year of non-stop work. Have you talked to Danny Boyle about doing any more work with him? I haven’t, but I would always work with Danny because he’s an amazing director. I really credit him with giving me the career that I have. He’s the guy who — when I had just left drama school — took a risk on me and cast me in 28 Days Later , which changed my life and my career. And then 10 years later, he was the guy who cast me in Frankenstein on the Olivier stage when I hadn’t done theater for 10 years. And that’s how I got Bond, which has brought my career to a whole new level. So I would always work with Danny. Have you ever thought about directing? No. I think that if I was going to do anything it would be writing. That’s what my Mum does. [Editor’s Note; Harris’ mother is sitcom writer Lisselle Kayla.] That’s what I grew up around. But at the moment, I have no real interest in that. I always imagine myself retiring and writing somewhere in the countryside. Let’s see. Read more on Skyfall and celebrate Bond’s 50th anniversary with all things 007. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The controversy over Zoe Saldana being cast as Nina Simone continues to rage on and this time it’s India.Arie speaking about the role many feel she should have played! Via NinaSimone.com WHAT I FEEL ABOUT THE NINA SIMONE MOVIE: People have been asking me for weeks, months, years about a Nina Simone movie, when I heard about Zoe Saldana being cast I reserved judgement, you NEVER know what People are MEANT to do. SO TODAY I saw the images of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone… AND I THINK THEY ARE RIDICULOUS! Yes there should be a movie made, and YES they should have chosen someone who LOOKS like Nina Simone, ESPECIALLY since her RACE played such a PIVOTAL role in WHO, WHAT and WHY, she was. THAT ASIDE for a second, this just looks WEIRD, it looks like a person in Black(er) face with a fake nose … REALLY?!!!! DOES NOT THE ONE NINA SIMONE’S LEGACY DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS? If they were going to pick a person who looks NOTHING like Nina Simone … why not her daughter Simone *shrug* just saying … As hard as Nina had to fight for what she wanted BECAUSE she was black and looked the way she did … THIS looks like a parody. If it has to be FORCED this hard something’s not right! I am VERY opinionated about music, I can dissect VOCALS ALL DAY, I don’t KNOW ACTING LIKE THAT! But I trust that through her obvious admiration of Nina, that Zoe Saldana can pull off the portrayal ENERGETICALLY … But these images … just make me feel … SAD. Not because I want to play Nina Simone but because IT FEELS OUT OF PLACE WITH WHAT NINA SIMONE MEANS IN AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL CONTEXT!!!! (yes I yelled just now – I am emotional about OTHER things today, and I’m riding the wave of that, but this IS WHAT I FEEL…) I have always been OPEN to playing Nina, but I never saw its as my RIGHT! I am clearly Nina Simone’s Physical Heir Apparent, THAT doesn’t mean I SHOULD play her, its been tossed around A LOT, for a LONG TIME. I back down because I feel her legacy deserves better than a FIRST TIME MOVIE ACTRESS, I’m like that about my heroes. If I ever FELT I was truly CALLED to play her, I would. And maybe Zoe Saldana REALLY is BEING CALLED SPIRITUALLY TO PLAY THIS ROLE … But I DO NOT LIKE these PICTURES. AT ALL. SEEING Nina Simone changed my life, when I was 17 My cousin and I tried to call her … Whole NOTHER story …. I will END this by saying I think VIOLA DAVIS should be playing Nina Simone Well dayuuuuuum. India went in! Do you agree with her that Viola Davis is the right person for the part? Do you think she was too easy on Zoe Saldana for accepting the role? Discuss! WENN/Retna/FameFlynetPictures
James Franco as Freddie Quell? It almost happened, the actor revealed during a panel at the Austin Film Festival, until The Master director Paul Thomas Anderson asked Franco one little question: “Do you feel like you can do this?” Franco’s confidence, he says, is what did him in as he and Anderson chatted about The Master ‘s troubled, potion-drinking veteran before Joaquin Phoenix came into the picture. “Paul Thomas Anderson was getting ready to make The Master and he called me and we met,” Franco said (as reported by EW ). “And we talked and we ended up meeting for coffee. We didn’t talk about The Master but I met him to chat. And then he kept calling me and he wanted to talk and talk but I didn’t know what he wanted to talk about because we’d always just kind of bulls— on the phone.” He continued: “So then when he started talking about the role he said, ‘Do you feel like you can do this?’ And I said ‘Yeah, totally. Look, I think you’re like the best American director. I feel confident. I know I can do this.’ And he said to me, ‘But I want this to scare you. I want this role, going on this journey to scare you.’ And I was like ‘Scare?! I know I can do it.” “And so, incredible movie, needless to say I didn’t get the part. I guess I wasn’t scared enough or something, or whatever reason I didn’t get it. And then when I saw Joaquin in that movie I realized ‘Oh, he wanted me to like lose my mind.'” Yes, James Franco! PTA wanted you to completely lose your shit , lick windows, and freak out inside of a prison cell like a caged animal in the name of art. It’s hard to envision anyone other than the feral, Ed Grimley-esque Phoenix as Freddie Quell but I imagine Franco’s version would’ve been a lot more smiley, and a lot less scary. That said: I would in a heartbeat watch two filmed hours of PTA and James Franco calling each other for phone dates. Concluding his Master story, Franco added a zinger at the Oscars, to which he famously contributed one of the more bizarre hosting performances in awards history. “The Oscars was challenging because the material they gave me was CRAP!” Guess Franco and Phoenix have one more thing in common . [via EW ] Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
This Friday Tyler Perry makes his action movie debut in Rob Cohen’s Alex Cross. The multi-million dollar director, producer and actor reprises the role popularized…
Wee-ooh-wee-ooh-wee, wee-ooh-wee-ooh-wee… Houston Police Sergeant In Big Trouble Over “Model” Pics Online According Click2Houston She has 175 friends on Facebook, but it’s not the Facebook picture of her in a Houston Police Department uniform that’s getting Stacey Suro in trouble. It’s the risqué photos she plastered on Model-Mayhem.com that’s stirring up all of the controversy. In fact, Suro, who’s a police sergeant, has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation… …The 42-year-old single mother didn’t have much to say when we stopped by her Sugar Land home to get her side of the story. But sources told KPRC Local 2 that the sexually suggestive photos could cost her her job. The investigation into this supervisor’s online activity started last Wednesday. Sources said that’s when the higher ups at HPD learned Suro had posted nearly 100 pictures — some of them nude — on the modeling site. The images we posted in our video story are not the most revealing. We obtained some photos that are just too racy to show you. They depict Soro in fet!$h, b0nd@ge and other compromising positions. How ironic, a freaky cop that’s into chains and whips, sounds like Rihanna’s dreamgirl… Suro has since taken the link down. But before she did, KPRC Local 2 found her bio where she called herself “Tessoro.” She clearly stated she was a model and was charging photographers for work. Sources told KPRC Local 2 that many of her subordinates at West Side Patrol have seen these photos. LMMFAO! @ “many of her subordinates at West Side Patrol have seen these photos.” Apparently her co-workers are as freaky as she is! KPRC Local 2 reviewed the department’s policy on conduct. It says, “Employees shall exhibit professional conduct at all times and shall not engage in any activity, including unlawful activity that would degrade or bring disrespect upon the employee or the department.” So, will the department be forced to give this 20-year veteran the pink slip for posting naked pictures of herself online? KPRC Local 2 is still waiting for an answer to that question. Meantime, Police Chief Charles McClelland would not go on camera but he released a statement saying that the department is aware of the allegations but he could not comment until the investigation is completed. What the hell were you thinkin’ lady?! Did you not think that any of your pervy co-workers would ever stumble across your lil’ photoshoot while they are enjoying some fap-fap time?? Images via Model Mayhem/click2houston Take a look at Officer Suro in all her splendor (or lack thereof) below.
Tyler Perry’s on the cover of Essence…again. Opening up about his new role as Alex Cross, Perry praises black women (his number one fan base according to Essence), and takes a serious moment to talk about the late greats Whitney and MJ. Telling the mag, “When Black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move heaven and earth…”, you can’t help but realize that even Tyler knows the huge number of female supporters, particularly those with religious backgrounds, have had a lot to do with his successful career. According to The Grio… Essence estimates that Perry’s film enterprise spawned from the beloved stage character Madea — a fierce-talking mother figure — is worth an impressive $1 billion. After parlaying his Madea plays into movies, the actor-producer aims to extend his entertainment brand even further by playing the complete opposite of the grandmotherly mad woman. Yes, get ready for: Tyler Perry, Action Star. Taking over the role of Alex Cross, which was previously played by Morgan Freeman, Perry beat out Idris Elba among others for the role in the coming eponymous film. “Rising past the haters — and the sheer desolation of losing his beloved mother — Tyler Perry has only just begun to soar,” the magazine states about the iconic producer. “Respected as a writer, director and mogul, the man behind the $1 billion-plus Madea franchise is now moving into unchartered territory: Action hero.” Perry’s Alex Cross, in which he plays the butt-kicking lead, is certainly a departure from his female-oriented melodramas. On the heels of the announcement that Tyler Perry will be uniting with Oprah Winfrey to produce original, scripted series for her OWN network, this is shaping up to be quite an exciting week for the performer who is also a seasoned television producer. We’re glad to see Perry moving into a different genre but we wonder if he can finally shake off all the Madea stigmas he’s boxed himself into. Images via Essence
How long do you think it took Arnold Schwarzenegger to come up with the title “Total Recall” for his autobiography? Probably slightly longer than it took him to spill the beans on his ” outrageous affair ” with his Red Sonja (1985) co-star Brigitte Nielsen . Ah-nold claims Brigitte was unaware of his relationship with live-in girlfriend/future wife Maria Shriver at the time, placing the blame on him and his wandering sperm-inator. But according to Time magazine, there’s a silver lining to this dark cloud of steroid-fueled infidelity: ” Schwarzenegger writes that he knew the fling with Nielsen wouldn’t last and in fact it only made him realize that he wanted to marry Shriver. ” How…romantic? Anyway, as we all know, Arnold went on to knock up a housekeeper with more than a passing resemblance to Russ Meyer queen Kitten Natividad and Brigitte went on to very publicly make out with Flavor Flav on cable TV. So needless to say, this wasn’t exactly a low point for either of them. But Brigitte also went on to do some outstanding nudity in Domino (1989)– and you can see this statuesque stunner in action right here at MrSkin.com!
We’ve got a great assortment of skin for you to choose from this week as the premium cable does what it does best. First, you may remember hot blonde Marin Ireland from her role on Homeland last year, but now she’s back, brunette, and nuder than ever before for her role as an attorney on Boss . This week Marin got a guy to drop his trousers by dropping the charges against him, a move that Mr. Skin’s team of legal experts has deemed ” totally awesome .” Also nude this week, redhead Christiane Seidel made her nude debut trying to get cozy with the very chilly Michael Shannon on Boardwalk Empire , and things are looking up (and pointing up) for Dexter’s seventh season as Officer Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington)’s shady past with a strip club owner is revealed. Keep your eyes peeled for softcore favorite Christine Ngyuen, who exposes her left breast while working the pole. Speaking of working the pole… More after the jump!
