SMH at this guy . John Mayer is still doing damage control over all that dumb isht he said TWO YEARS AGO: Following two explosive interviews with Playboy and Rolling Stone in 2010, where he likened his chemistry with Jessica Simpson to “sexual napalm” and blamed his split with Jennifer Aniston on his frequent tweeting, Mayer felt the need to escape. “It was a very strange time and it sort of rocketed me into adulthood. It was a violent crash into being an adult,” Mayer, 34, said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday. “For a couple of years it was just figuring it all out ,and I’m glad I actually stayed out of the spotlight. Because I think back then I would of said, ‘Give me two weeks or let me get out and do Ellen and let me explain myself.’ It was like, ‘No, idiot. Go away and be 33 and 34 instead of 28 for the fourth year.” Mayer said he “had to go home for a minute” to heal from the backlash in 2010. “The plan that originally gets you out of high school and your hometown, in front of people, that plan was over. I had done it. I just sort of lost my head for a little while.” The “Shadow Days” singer — whose new album, Born and Raised, will be released May 22 — was forced to cancel his 21-city tour in March in order to remove a granuloma just above his vocal cord. (He first had surgery to remove the enlarged nodule in October 2011.) “It’s not a health concern whatsoever, but it has taken me out of singing,” Mayer told host Ellen DeGeneres, 54. “I tried to beat it the first time and couldn’t.” Mayer then explained how the medical procedure works. “They cut this thing out of your throat and then they inject your vocal cords with Botox, which freezes your vocal cords so that this thing can heal without smacking up against the other side,” he said. “I just need more Botox next time.” SMH @ them mentioning him fouling up Jen Aniston and Jessica Simpson but leaving out the n-word and the fact that he said he has a racist peen that would only let him close to black women that look like Kerry Washington or Holly Robinson Peete. Karma is a muhfugga though. Prolly why his voice is all messed up now! Source Continue reading →
Comedian-turned-director Bobcat Goldthwait has always displayed an incredibly dark sense of humor in his work behind the camera, from his 1991 alcoholic birthday party performer debut Shakes the Clown to bestiality-themed rom-com Sleeping Dogs Lie to World’s Greatest Dad , in which Robin Williams plays a high-school English teacher whose son’s death becomes a way for him to realize his unfulfilled dreams of being a writer. But no matter how black the comedy, these films had warmth to them, too, and the possibility of things getting better and characters, however painfully, changing and growing. That’s not the case in God Bless America , Goldthwait’s latest effort, an overly bleak film ready to write off the world and go down in a blaze of gunfire, both middle fingers raised. Joel Murray plays Frank, a divorced father and depressed office worker who gets laid off and diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor all in the same day, providing enough push for him to finally load up his revolver and set off on the murderous spree he’s been dreaming of for years. “I know it’s not normal to want to kill,” he muses in the opening voiceover, “but I also know that I am no longer normal.” When making his first hit, of a bratty teenage reality show star named Chloe (Maddie Hasson), he picks up a surprise sidekick named Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), a smart, alienated high schooler who thinks that what Frank did is the best thing she’s ever seen. The two partner up and Bonnie and Clyde their way along a bloody road to nowhere while working out the logistics of who it is they’re targeting. Frank hates people who are inconsiderate, who are rude and who take pleasure in making fun of others. Roxy hates more specifically — NASCAR fans, people who high-five, Diablo Cody. As for who Goldthwait hates, you get the sense it’s all of the above and more — anyone who watches American Idol, anyone who competes on American Idol, morning show radio hosts, cable news blowhards, the Tea Party, parents who overindulge their children and people who talk during movies (the last leads to the film’s most rewarding scene). God Bless America sets these figures up to mow them down, and while there’s a minor satisfaction to be taken from seeing these bloody revenge fantasies brought to life — take that , Westboro Baptist Church! — the film’s judgments come so easily, its targets portrayed as so one-dimensional that it feels like a cheat. The world in which the film is set is so universally monstrous that it deserves to be blown up, but it’s an embittered, exaggerated take, a giant straw-man argument. When Frank flips on the television, all he sees are people making fun of a mentally disabled reality show contestant. When Frank gets the news of his illness, his doctor takes a call in the middle, from his car dealership. And when Frank tries to talk with his daughter about her upcoming weekend with him, she tries to extort a present from him in exchange for coming. It’s only Roxy to whom Frank can relate, with her kewpie doll face and ability to rant about the greatness of Alice Cooper. The scenes of Frank and Roxy hanging out are the film’s only soft spots, their relationship a gentle but precarious mix of paternal and platonically romantic. Roxy eggs Frank on and keeps him going, masterminding their murderous binge, but she’s rarely seems solid in the way that Frank does. She’s a figure of wish fulfillment, a vessel for what feel like the filmmaker’s direct complaints with the world as well as his fondnesses, a teenage girl who loves Star Trek and throws herself at our resistant protagonist, who is hypersensitive about being perceived as a pedophile. Visual inventiveness isn’t Goldthwait’s strong suit as a director, but God Bless America does represent a step forward there, with stand-out moments including an overhead shot showing just how close Frank is to his noisy neighbors or a failed attempt at walking away from an explosion, action hero-style, without looking back. Goldthwait is best and most brutal at recreating the worst of TV — an early scene in which the insomniac Frank flips through the channels includes savage and dead-on takes on Fox News, Jersey Shore -style reality clashes, energy drink commercials, Jackass and, yes, American Idol. Sure, it’s a line-up that would be enough to make you want to shoot somebody, but also those aren’t the only things on air. God Bless America only wants to see the worst in people — in fact actively seeks it out in order to be disgusted, and that feels almost as bad as the behavior the film is critiquing. One of the few characters who’s let off the hook is the boyfriend of Frank’s ex, a cheery, dumb and genuinely well-meaning cop who spots our hero waiting outside his former wife’s house and stops by to say hi. When asked by Roxy whether Frank wants to kill the man, he tells her no, “I want him to suffer.” It’s only a sucker who’d stick around to live life in this film, and that’s too bitter a pill to be swallowed. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
It’s a tough life being a Broadway standby — knowing a part backward and forward, exhibiting months, even years of patience while literally waiting in the wings for your chance to play the role you’re backing up for the star of the show. On the bright side, at least now you’d have an entire film telling your story — one for which Movieline is pleased to present a first look ahead of The Standbys world premiere this weekend in New York. Directed by Stephanie Riggs, The Standbys introduces viewers to a few of the performers who’ve made livings — and eventually, in some cases, made names — in some of the most thankless positions in all of theater: Standby and understudy. The documentary opens the Tony Awards Film Series this Saturday at the Paley Center in Manhattan; below, have quick glimpse at the film, featuring the sobering insights of Broadway icon Bebe Neuwirth. Here’s more about The Standbys and this Saturday’s screening; we’ll keep you up to date about a theatrical and/or video release as events warrant: This dramatic documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of performers rarely glimpsed by audiences. These performers, known as “standbys,” remain backstage, prepared to go on at a moment’s notice. In this evocative behind-the-scenes documentary, the at times heartbreaking and hilarious lives of Broadway’s understudies and standbys are finally brought into the spotlight. “The Standbys” follows three undiscovered performers for several years through their ups and downs, struggles and triumphs, onstage performances and private lives. When these standbys are finally given the chance of a lifetime, anything can – and does – happen. The film features never-before-heard stories from industry insiders and celebrities who reveal the unimaginable struggles these under-appreciated performers endure as they wait in the wings for their shot at a dream that may never come true. The Standbys screening will be followed by a talk-back panel of Tony Award-winning Broadway stars who got their start as understudies or standbys. [Panelists include Tony Award Winners Katie Finneran and Cady Huffman, Merwin Foard, Ben Crawford, Alena Watters and director Stephanie Riggs.] The Standbys follows actors Ben Crawford (standby for Shrek), Merwin Foard (standby for Gomez in The Addams Family) and up and comer Aléna Watters (standby for Anita in West Side Story). Other interviewees include: Jerry Zaks, Bebe Neuwirth, Brian D’Arcy James, Cheyenne Jackson, Sutton Foster, David Hyde Pierce, Katie Finneran, Nelle Nugent, Michael Riedel, Zachary Quinto.
A slew of new projects for various directors and stars were unveiled today, including new work for Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple and Nick Cassavetes. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt is apparently signing on to push a high-end women’s perfume. Read on for more in Tuesday afternoon’s Biz Break. Focus Features Accepting Entries for 5th Africa First Program The initiative, with funds earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, is for the fifth consecutive year offering eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. Entries accepted May 14 – August 20. Around the ‘net… Brad Pitt is the New Face of Chanel No. 5 Go figure, but Brad Pitt is now hawking women’s perfume. But as E! Online points out , “If ever there was a man pretty enough to render that particular point moot, it’s Brad Pitt.” A source tells the site he will be shooting his ads for the perfume soon in London. Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple & Johnny Knoxville Walk to Wild Side The road trip drama will be directed by Jesse Baget from a script he co-wrote with Stefania Moscato, Deadline reports . Avengers Breathes Life into John Carter John Carter zoomed up the domestic box office office chart from No. 38 the week before to No. 12 – thanks to being paired with The Avengers at more than 150 drive-ins across the country, THR reports . Career Watch: Scarlett Johansson, Beyond the Black Bodysuit Thanks to The Avengers , attention is back on Johansson the kick-ass action babe rather than Johansson the nude-photo-hacking-scandal babe . But is Black Widow the best Johansson can do? Thompson on Hollywood looks at the star’s trajectory. Nick Cassavetes to Direct Kristen Stewart’s Cali Voltage Prods. and New School Media are producing the gritty action pic from a script by Michael Diliberti. The story revolves around a San Fernando Valley couple who sell a “fake snuff film and ride off with a bundle of cash.” Years later, the girl (Stewart) must “return from the dead” to save the younger sister she left behind, Variety reports . Richard Regen to Adapt A Matter of Honor for Kennedy/Marshall Richard Regen has been set by Kennedy/Marshall and New Franchise Media to adapt A Matter Of Honor , the bestselling novel by Jeffrey Archer. The story revolves around a disgraced army colonel who gives a mysterious letter to his only son. After the envelope is opened, a deadly chain of events unfold that have global implications. Deadline reports .
Between Johnny Depp , Tim Burton , and the reliably bizarro fashion statements of Helena Bonham Carter , the Dark Shadows premiere promised a veritable feast of eccentricities. But guess what? The best and weirdest photo ops from last night’s to-do came not from the aforementioned mavens of macabre (granted, HBC was M.I.A.), but from the bizarre antics of an unlikely duo whose red carpet shenanigans made Burton and his cast of lovable weirdos look downright… mundane. Unexpected smooches, yoga poses, the good ol’ bunny ears photo bomb — if it was slightly awkward or distracting, premiere guests Cloris Leachman and Steven Tyler were involved. Who knew they’d make such an electrifying couple? To quote the film’s tagline, “Strange is relative.” Indeed . But don’t take my word for it. Browse Movieline’s gallery from the Dark Shadows premiere to see Depp, Burton, co-stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz, and composer Danny Elfman smile for the photogs as Hurricane ClorVen (Stevris? Leachler?) steals the spotlight. Even Alice Cooper didn’t seem to know what to make of it, and that’s saying something. Click for images from the Dark Shadows premiere.
This country’s public education system has been in dire need of a boost for years — just look at the evidence collected by the diligent folks at Next Movie ; they’ve created a PSA from all your favorite movie student/slackers (because not all of America’s bright young stars of tomorrow can argue their way from a C+ to an A-). Ah, the classroom movie. So ripe a setting for tales of crap teachers learning to lead and crap students learning to learn. For some reason the ultimate movie about teaching and teachers is absent from the above honor roll — yes, I speak of 1995’s Dangerous Minds , the movie that taught us the most important lesson of all: That even a two-hit wonder like Coolio could make one of the best (according to Billboard ) ditties of all time. Seriously, kids. If Coolio can make it, so can you. [via Next Movie ]
Ahead of tonight’s official kick-off of the Tribeca Film Festival with the world premiere of Universal’s The Five-Year Engagement , festival brass reflected on the event’s 10 years — and its upcoming second decade — at a pre-launch mimosa (and bloody mary) breakfast event downtown where it all began in 2002. “It’s been many things since we started, but it’s always come back to community, discovery and innovation, which are our core values,” said TFF co-founder Jane Rosenthal. Her partner Robert De Niro — one of Tribeca’s biggest trump cards in terms of public exposure — made a salutary drive-by today as well, quickly introducing the festival’s revamped programming team before shuffling off. “It’s best to let the programmers speak,” he said. “We’re excited for this year’s festival and ready for our next decade,” Tribeca Enterprises creative director Geoff Gilmore said to the gathering of about 100 people. “The biggest change here has been the programmers, but you’ll see major range and diversity in this year’s lineup.” Range and Diversity and a ‘Wild Ride’… Though the festival has become more streamlined compared to five years ago — when it screened about 120 features compared to this year’s 90 or so — Tribeca’s programmers describe this year’s lineup as a “balance” that showcases American and foreign work, reflected in the festival’s seven sections. “The competition is a snapshot of the range of the program,” said Genna Terranova, TFF Director of Programming. “And that competition points to the diversity of the other sections of the festival.” She went on to cite examples including Morgan Spurlock’s Spotlight section world-premiere Mansome , a documentary exploration of the rise of ‘man-scaping,’ and directing duo Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s Knuckleball! , another debut doc that deconstructs the erratic pitching style of the film’s title. Terranova then continued on to another festival section: “Tribeca’s Viewpoints includes films that push the boundaries of storytelling, including [world premiere] Resolution , which infuses genre elements. And the Cinemania section is a wild ride where most of our genre movies can be found, including Graceland from the Philippines to Jackpot from Norway.” What is a “Tribeca film”? Tribeca’s identity has dogged the festival almost since its start. Its earliest incarnation kept the bulk of the festival’s programs in the Tribeca neighborhood, and Hollywood fare didn’t figure as prominently as it will in 2012, when Five-Year Engagement and The Avengers open and close the festival, respectively. After the festival lost some key venues in the downtown area, it moved north to theaters in the East Village, Chelsea and beyond. (Like past openers, tonight’s premiere will take place at midtown Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Theater.) But organizers say Tribeca is less about where it is than what it says it hopes to reflect. “What is a Tribeca Film?” Gilmore asked rhetorically, perhaps hoping to head off a question some journalist inevitably brings up every year. “That is not an easy answer. We’re born of a diverse community, and we want to showcase quality and discovery for that audience, and we have no geographical limits.” “Not Pandering” to World Premiere Status… “We don’t have the same pressures to program only world premieres here,” said Tribeca’s new Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer, adding that programming an event where world debut status is obligatory usually spells doom in terms of quality for most festivals outside Cannes (where Boyer programmed Directors Fortnight) or Sundance. Still, the festival will be a launching pad for 54 titles this year — in addition to other North American and U.S. premieres. It’s the economy, stupid… Four years after the first wave of the financial crisis, Movieline asked if the after-effects of the meltdown were reflected in this year’s crop of films, since many have been conceivably in production in the last two or more years. “It’s not as popular a theme as you might think,” Gilmore said, though Terranova and Tribeca Film Festival executive director Nancy Schafer contended that the “great recession’s” aftermath can be found in a number of films in the festival. “[Competition drama] Nancy, Please is a product of economic anxiety that is born out of the crisis,” said Schafer, who added that the budgets of American filmmakers overall are significantly lower compared to pre-crisis levels. Looking forward, Tribeca’s programmers touted the festival’s evolution into the online space reflected in its ongoing Tribeca Online Film Festival component and are looking beyond, teasing a broader agenda to re-evaluate or even redefine what it is to be a film festival. “I think the Tribeca Film Festival has come into its own over the decade,” said Gilmore, who served 19 years as director of the Sundance Film Festival before joining Tribeca in 2009. “We are advancing strategies online, and we’re going to expand that going forward. We’re looking at how Tribeca can be on the cutting edge of how film festivals will be in the future. That’s our agenda right now.” Read all of Movieline’s Tribeca 2012 coverage here . [Top photo of [L-R] Frédéric Boyer, Geoffrey Gilmore, Genna Terranova, Nancy Shafer: Getty Images; middle photo of Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro: Movieline]
Looks Real To Us: UFO Sighting Over Seoul Korea Is Real Or Fake? [Video] Turn the page for another sighting that was captured by NASA camera’s just the other day.
Kanye West Is Head Over Heels About Kim Kardashian This dude cannot be serious. We don’t know whether to laugh or cry! Yeezy is so gone off that Kardashian cooch , he’s elevated her to King Bey status. According to US Weekly reports : A pal tells the new Us Weekly, out now, that Jay-Z’s close friend and collaborator West, 34, has fallen “genuinely head over heels” for Kardashian, 31, with whom he was photographed gallivanting around NYC late last week. “It’s not a PR stunt,” the source insists of the rapper and reality star. “They’re perfect for each other. He thinks she’s his Beyonce!” (Jay-Z, 43, and Beyonce, 30, celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary last week — their first since welcoming daughter Blue Ivy Jan. 7.) Indeed, after years of a flirty friendship — West pursued Kardashian “for a long time,” another source says — the stars were finally aligned for the twosome (who share a fondness for luxury and the spotlight) to finally get romantic. The “Otis” rapper split with model Amber Rose in 2010, and Kardashian is famously in the midst of an ugly divorce battle with Kris Humphries five months after she filed papers. “Now that Kim has gotten over the Kris drama . . . she sees how much Kanye loves her,” a Kardashian source tells Us. Jeez Louise… It’ll be all good ’til she borrows his Derek Lam blouse or something and then he’ll be calling her Farrah Franklin. More On Bossip! Part 3 Beyonce Never Seen Photos Of Family Plus Her And Blue Ivy Take A Stroll [Video] Vida Guerra Wants To Remind You She’s Alive By Showing Off Her Tight New Body On Twitter! We Want Prenup!!! Ruben “Teddy Bear Swag” Studdard Doesn’t Have To Hand Over A Dayum Dime To Golddiggin’ Ex-Wife High And Dry: The Most Disrespected Exes Of All Time
Get ready for Sarah Palin vs. Levi Johnston, Round 289! The former V.P. candidate claims her daughter Bristol’s baby daddy is straight up lying with his recent claims that the Palins actively try to keep him from his son. This all started after Johnston got Sunny Oglesby pregnant … and accused Sarah Palin of hatching a plan to block him from Tripp, his three-year-old child with Bristol. Levi’s implied accusation didn’t sit well with Sarah. In response to Levi’s accusations about them, Sarah and Todd Palin issued a statement to TMZ (this story would be funny if it ended right there), saying: “We have never hidden Tripp from Levi or discouraged Levi from spending time with him. Any suggestion we have is false and contrary to our core beliefs.” “The last time either of us recall a conversation with Levi was in the summer of 2010 when Levi sat down at our house with us and personally apologized about the lies he told to the media about our family. Neither of us have talked to him since.” “We’re disappointed that he continues to spread falsehoods to garner media attention. We encourage Levi and all non-custodial fathers to be fully engaged and to positively, fully participate in their children’s lives.” “This includes not making misstatements about his child’s grandparents.” Don’t bet on that. Which side are you on? [Photos: WENN.com]
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