With Mother’s Day approaching, Moms’ Night Out’s May 9th release is simply perfect timing. Sarah Drew, who plays the charmingly neurotic April Kepner on Grey’s Anatomy, headlines the story as Allyson, a mom takes break from her kids to hang with her friends. Sean Astin is Allyson’s hubby, who is predictably helpless without his wife minding the store.
The six-week shoot for Moms’ Night Out took place in Birmingham, Alabama, and Drew recently chatted about the difference of starring in a feature film and working on Grey’s Anatomy. “It feels like going away to summer camp,” said Drew, who also co-stars in Moms’ Night Out with Patricia Heaton and Trace Adkins. “It’s just this really heightened experience with a ton of adrenaline. Everyone is meeting each other for the first time and excited to get to know each other and bond, and we’re all working for so hard for this tiny, tiny chunk of time. It’s like this moment in time (that’s) frozen.”
Sarah Drew, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, CR: Kelsey McNeal)
Working on Grey’s Anatomy, the series which catapulted the career of producer Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, Private Practice), has been a creative and professional boon for Drew. Although April Kepner started out as a frequently harried and nervous resident during her first years at Seattle Grace Hospital (it’s since been renamed Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital), she has gradually become more confident in her abilities.
To hear the actress talk about the joys she gets from playing April Kepner on Grey’s Anatomy (she’s actually my favorite character on the show), click on the media bar below:
Moms’ Night Out, directed by Jon and Andrew Erwin (October Baby), opens Friday. The season finale of Grey’s Anatomy airs May 15 on ABC.
Blowfish Meets Meteor is an iOS block breaker that received a significant upgrade earlier this month. The latest iteration contains enhanced iPad compatibility, an improved physics engine, as well as new sound effects, animations, and music. I didn’t download the game upon its initial release, so I came to this adventure with the freshest of eyes. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed.
The story has players taking on the role of a concerned, underwater living dad whose mermaid daughters are held captives by various creatures under the sea. Armed with dynamite, oysters, and a bouncing red ball, our hero must free his children by destroying surrounding blocks and killing various enemies along the way. After you complete a number of stages, you’ll need to defeat a boss to advance to the next level.
Along with the boss fights, there’s also treasure to be had. Depending on how well you do on each stage, you will earn different colored gems which are used to unlock some deep mystery in an area called the gemstone cavern.
Gemstone Cavern (Left), Boss fight w/ Electric Eel (Right)
Along with the beautiful hand drawn animations, Blowfish Meets Meteor also delivers in the game play. Most of the game deal focuses on the mechanics of the brick breaking aesthetic, as you’ll be moving your diver from side to side as he throws the red ball at his targets. However, getting the chance to actually blow up bricks or kill your enemies with TNT adds an extra dimension to this well worn genre. On my iPad, I used a left finger to aim my dynamite at a target while my right finger slide my diver to keep the ball from passing me by. It’s a multitasking maneuver which took me more than a few tries to master, but in the end all that frustrating work was worth it.
The visual design of each stage also kept the proceedings fresh throughout my two hour experience, as each puzzle has a unique identity of its own. During certain sections, you’ll need to navigate the mermaids past hungry piranhas, and on other stages you’ll need to successfully juggle falling penguins and your red projectile. Currently, my favorite Blowfish Meets Meteor moment is the silhouette portion. I know it’s an oft-used style these days, but playing in the shadows is just my cup of tea.
Blowfish Meets Meteor currently costs $1.99 to download on the App Store, but thankfully once you plunk down the cash you won’t be asked to shell out more cash for in-app purchases. With 60 levels and over 10 hours of gameplay, that’s a pretty good bargain.
I really enjoyed my time with Blowfish Meets Meteor, and it’s a pick up and play experience that is a step above the average brick breaker experience. Saving mermaids isn’t such a bad gig either – especially when you’re swimming with family.
Kiefer Sutherland is back as Jack Bauer for a 12-episode run on 24: Live Another Day. The special event, whose two-hour premiere is slated for Monday, May 5 (Fox, 8 pm et/pt) features Jack Bauer reteaming with Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) in London. Since its November 6, 2001 premieres, 24 has garnered 73 Emmy nominations which eventually led to an Outstanding Drama Series win in 2006. Sutherland has also received Golden Globe and Emmy awards for his work as Bauer.
24: Live Another Day (FOX, CR: Daniel Smith)
During a recent interview, Sutherland explained the secrets to the franchise’s staying power. “Well, the format is interesting ,you know, I mean the format is exciting, but inherently at the root of the character,” said the actor, who also starred in the TV series Touch. “This is a guy who’s trying to do the right thing and in many cases succeeds at the large goal, but invariably loses in smaller ones. And so, I think very much like life you might get the raves and the promotion, but your child isn’t doing as well in school this year for some reason because maybe you’re not at home as much. Nothing’s black and white, nothing’s that clear cut.”
In the clip below, Sutherland talks about the evolution of Jack Bauer and 24 over the years, and he also explains why audiences simply can’t get enough of the series:
Now playing in select theaters, Belle is the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the biracial daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode). Although her aristocratic lineage gives her various privileges, there are still huge challenges Belle must face. Tom Wilkinson co-stars as Lord Mansfield, the great uncle who raises Belle along with his wife (Emily Watson), and Sarah Gadon plays Belle’s cousin Elizabeth.
Directed by Amma Asante, this 18th century England period drama appealed to Mbatha-Raw, who grew up an avid Jane Austin fan.
Belle (Fox Searchlight)
“I certainly grew up watching Colin Firth’s and Jennifer Ehle’s TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice,” said Mbatha-Raw. “That is what I used to watch on Sunday nights with my mum. I read the books as well and in fact Amma recommended to watch again Sense and Sensibility, the Emma Thompson version. And that for me is so inspiring, not only because she wrote it as well but the sisterhood that is between the Dashwood sisters is something I tried to emulate with the relationship with Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) in the film.”
Click on the media bar below to hear the English actress talk about one of the many fascinating aspects of Dido Elizabeth Belle’s life and respective descendants:
Nicolas Cage has received excellent reviews in director David Gordon Green’s evocative drama Joe, a project which features him as the titular ex-convict. Hell bent on staying out of trouble, the kindhearted yet temperamental Joe is pulled back into a life of complication after befriending a 15-year-old boy (Tye Sheridan).
Green wrote Cage a letter expressing his interest in the actor for Joe. Cage then read the script and also perused the novel Larry Brown’s novel. After visiting the filmmaker in Texas for several days and bonding over tacos, it was essentially a done deal.
For Cage, the return to naturalistic acting on Joe was a change of pace from what he describes as a abstract style of Western kabuki acting he applied to his action adventure roles.
Joe (Roadside Attractions, CR: Linda Kallerus)
“I was at this point where I wanted to find a part where I didn’t design the performance,” said the actor, who also did excellent work opposite John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens in The Frozen Ground. “Whatever mistakes I made in the past, which I won’t go into detail with, I wanted to put them into a character (and give) a portrayal of understanding. Use the mistakes so I wouldn’t have to act so much.”
“When I read the script (for) Joe, I understood why he was in the situations he found himself in,” said Cage. “I understood his need for restraint. I understood the dialogue and so I thought, ‘this is what I’m looking for, I could just be. I could just feel this.”
Nicolas Cage’s first feature film was the 1982 flick Fast Times at Ridgemont High (he is credited as Nicolas Coppola), so one would assume he has tones of great acting advice to offer.
Click on the media bar below to hear Cage explain why putting yourself on video is an important element of the audition process:
Joe is now playing in select theaters and is available on iTunes and VOD.
In anticipation of director Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” my neurotic mind drifts to last year’s “Before Midnight” press conference. The “Before” stories, which detail the lifelong romance between Jessie (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) bears a spiritual kinship to “Boyhood,” a project Linklater shot from 2002 to 2013.
Clocking in at 160 minutes, “Boyhood” gives us a peek into the life of Mason (Ellar Coltrane), the son of divorced parents (Hawke and Patricia Arquette). As the trailer suggests, we see Mason (and Coltrane)grow before our very eyes. Although it’s a one shot film and “Before” may be ongoing series, both narratives deal with our relationship to aging.
My favorite Jackson Browne album moniker is “Time the Conqueror,” and such a concept may be applied to Linklater’s work. For better and worse, the years do have an affect on our collective spirits, and it’s what we do with that time that truly matters.
Boyhood (IFC Films)
Humanity’s ever expanding scope and reach serves as Richard Linklater’s creative canvas, and don’t expect the director to work with anything less, even if his films don’t pack ’em in like some bloated, nonsensical, summer blockbuster.
“We do have this small audience in mind when we get to a crossroads and we think, ‘Oh well, cinema, storytelling language says if this plus this equals an unlikable character then you just don’t do it,'” said Linklater during the ‘Before Midnight’ interviews. “We think, ‘well that’s a construct, that’s not really real. It’s the narrative, storytelling bubble (that) cinema exists in.'”
Click on the media bar below to hear Linklater explain why movie lovers play an important part in the creative drive behind “Before Midnight,” and it’s a conversation that I’m sure can be applied to the aesthetics behind “Boyhood.”
On last night’s “American Idol,” we said goodbye to C.J. Harris, and even though he tried to finish his rendition of “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band, his emotions got the better of him as his fellow Idol colleagues took to the stage and hugged him.
“This whole journey has been amazing,” said Harris after the show. “The people that I’ve met. This whole experience has been something I can’t even explain to people. You’ve got to go through it and really figure it out, man. It’s amazing.”
C.J. Harris – American Idol (FOX, CR: Michael Becker)
For judge Keith Urban, watching any of these artists go home is tough to watch. “At this point, I feel close to every one of them,” said Urban. “So yeah it’s a little bit sad to see them go. Particularly C.J., because he’s such a good heart and good spirit. But he’s got a killer voice and he’s going to be fine.”
Don’t expect the Alabama native to fade into the woodwork anytime soon, as Harris is taking part in this summer’s “American Idol” tour. During his post-elimination interview, the singer showed a ton of class and heart by talking about his fellow Idol colleagues. His easygoing and kind demeanor are just a few reasons this talented musician was one of this season’s most likable artists.
Click on the media bar to hear C.J. Harris talk about his love and respect for his fellow “American Idol” competitors:
The top 5 singers continue their “American Idol” run next Wednesday at 8 pm et/pt on FOX.
Last week’s “Salem” pilot was a rather bewitching debut, especially if you love the manipulative tendencies of the show’s main character, Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery). During the narrative’s opening moments, we’re on Mary’s side as she essentially mortgaged her own humanity to ensure lover John Alden’s (Shane West) return to Salem.
Their reunion, however, is met with its share of compromise, as the town has sunk into a deeper pit of immorality and violence. Mary Sibley, the supposed heroine of the story, has done, in Montgomery’s own words, some pretty “horrific things” during her journey.
“Salem” – Shane West as John Alden, Seth Gabel as Cotton Maher (WGN America)
“Salem’s” second episode, titled “The Stone Child,” has Alden trying to figure out what the heck is really going down in Salem. Although she’s the leader of the true witches of Salem, Mary Sibley still holds deep feelings for Alden. Will human love triumph over witchcraft, or is Salem literally going down in flames. And what the heck is the stone child?
“Salem” airs Sunday, April 27 on WGN America at 10 pm et/ 9 pm ct.
Here’s a clip of Janet Montgomery talking about why she loves playing Mary Sibley:
Documentary filmmaker Mark Mori met Bettie Page through his entertainment attorney back in 1996. After reading the biography Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-Up Legend, Mori was inspired to shoot a documentary on Page’s troubled yet ultimately triumphant life. Now out on Blu-ray and DVD (it’s also available as a VOD rental), Bettie Page Reveals All is Mori’s detailed look into Page’s history.
The project is actually narrated by Page, as her voice was lifted from Mori’s interviews with the late model (she passed in 2008). I talked to the Academy Award nominated filmmaker over the phone this week, and he shared a few insights about his subject. Although Page never allowed the director to put her on camera, the documentary’s visual detail isn’t lacking thanks to the plethora of interviews and photographs within the piece. Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, Bettie Page Reveals All definitely has a lot to say.
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How long were your interviews with Bettie Page?
Well I did several lengthy audio recordings, a total of about five or six hours where I just tried to get everything. Originally, it was just for research. But her voice was really magic, her genuine personality comes through and I used that as the narration. I also have over 1,000 photographs of Bettie Page in the film and we used comic book panels and a lot of other things to illustrate her story.
BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL (Music Box Films)
The documentary starts off with Bettie Page’s funeral. Was it easy to receive access to the funeral?
I had Bettie’s blessing. This was the authorized documentary so people like Artie (Arthur Felig) the Camera Club photographer, Harry Lear her third husband, Paula Klaw from Movie Star News and even her agent and manager, I was able to get access with everything connected to Bettie because she wanted this film to get made. Anybody who was a fan of Bettie or wanted to hear her story told was interested in working with me on (the project).
What were your impressions of Bettie Page during your interviews? She seemed like a very strong woman.
Well that’s one of the things you get from her in the film. She was constantly overcoming tragedy and constantly getting knocked down, including ten years in a mental institution (Pagewas released from Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino County in 1992).
She was always able to pick herself back up and she just was very strong willed. She was just this force of nature and she didn’t try to make herself into something. She lived her life how she saw fit. She was an independent woman in the ‘40s and ‘50s and a sexual being that couldn’t understand why people had a problem with her sexuality.
One thing that’s not in the film that you get in the DVD extras is she talks about wanting to join a nudist colony. Feeling free in her nudity was actually a part of her being.
Bettie Page in Mark Mori’s BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL (Music Box Films)
What are some of the other bonus features on the Blu-ray and DVD release?
In the documentary, you get a minute or two of a phone call that we arranged between Paula Klaw and Bettie. It was the first time they had spoken in 35 years. In the DVD extras you get the whole 15 minute phone call, a and you get a different angle on who Bettie is.
I also got from the Klaws nine of what Bettie called her “wiggle movies.” The old Irving Klaw movies where she’s dancing around in these 16 mm/ 8 mm films – we restored nine of those. For the purpose of the DVD we put them to songs to Bettie. There’s a couple of other original songs that people may have never heard before that we discovered or that people brought to us.
We also have more of Bettie’s voice talking about her early life and we have more special photographs of her that did not make it into the documentary. There are also a few deleted scenes from the movie.
How would you explain Bettie Page’s continued popularity?
It’s her authenticity. This is why her photographs are so appealing. She’s gorgeous but there’s a real person there. It comes through in her eyes and what she’s doing. There’s no artifice. She’s just being genuine. You get a richer picture when you hear her voice and see that along with the pictures. There will never be another Bettie Page and she wasn’t trying to be the world’s greatest model. She didn’t even understand why anybody thought what she was doing was a big deal.
Were Bettie’s final years happy ones in your opinion?
She did enjoy the attention. She didn’t want to go out in public. She didn’t want that kind of attention but she was flattered that people were interested in her. Between the money and the attention she was getting, she did enjoy her later years in life. One thing I heard was she would give pizza boys $100 tips. So she was okay.
What was is like to have a project and work on it for so many years? Even though it must have been a difficult process, is getting feedback from fans of Page part of the joy in doing the documentary?
It’s both. It’s a hard thing when you’re going through it. There’s moments of sheer terror when you think, ‘What have I done?’ Then when it works and it’s successful and I’ve been through it several times now, then it seems worthwhile.
In fact it was in the process of making the documentary when I began to (really) appreciate Bettie. These young women would tell me about how they had a pure emotional connection with her. It was clear to me that they were getting their sexual confidence by identifying with Bettie Page.
The dominant culture was giving a negative message that if you’re not some preconceived notion of beauty, then you’re really not anything. Bettie Page was a means for these women (to overcome) that and for them to gain confidence in themselves.
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For more info on the Blu-ray and DVD release of Bettie Page Reveals All, check out its official website.
“For No Good Reason’s” main selling point as a documentary is the interaction between Johnny Depp and Ralph Steadman, the British artist who’s best known for his collaboration with author Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman’s expressionistic, larger than life images of an America gone mad, coupled with Thompson’s gonzo journalism swagger, made for an iconic pairing. The doc investigates their close knit and frequently tumultuous relationship.
Although the pleasurable conceit of the documentary has Depp visiting Steadman at his Old Loose Court in Kent residence during one lazy day, “For No Good Reason” was shot over a 15-year period. Such a lengthy process did not deter filmmaker Charlie Paul, who found himself consistently intrigued by Steadman and his work.
Ralph Steadman – “For No Good Reason” (Sony PIctures Classics, CR: Charlie Paul)
“Ralph has been an artistic hero of mine since I was in art college,” said Paul. “To be allowed access into the world of someone like Ralph obviously was such an engaging thing for another artist to make a film about. Ralph is constantly surprising so there was never a time when I thought I’m running out of subject here. When things got dry, we’d turn ten degrees and suddenly a whole new world is there.”
I’ll be doing more posts on “For No Good Reason,” but for now check out this following clip as Charlie Paul discusses how having tons of footage on Steadman lead to his crafting an “honest” and “open” documentary (producer Lucy Paul is also heard in the clip):
“For No Good Reason,” which also features interviews with director Terry Gilliam, Jann Wenner, and actor Richard E. Grant, opens in New York on April 25 and the following week in Los Angeles.
What was is like to have a project and work on it for so many years? Even though it must have been a difficult process, is getting feedback from fans of Page part of the joy in doing the documentary?
