Arriving in theaters next month, DARK SHADOWS is director TIM BURTON’S spoofy big screen adaptation of the ’60s daytime TV soap opera that took the country by storm. A cult favorite, the gothic drama centers on vampire Barnabas Collins and his family as they deal with various creatures of the night. Under BURTON’S direction, the new cast features JOHNNY DEPP, MICHELLE PFIEFFER, CHLOE GRACE MORETZ, EVA GREEN, JONNY LEE MILLER, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and JACKIE EARLE HALEY. We spoke with DEPP recently and he talked about reuniting with long-time collaborator TIM BURTON. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)
One of NBC’s funniest (if not most popular) sitcoms, COMMUNITY has a loyal and vocal fanbase. When the network pulled the series for a short term, it was the fans who made their displeasure known via emails and tweets. A delightfully quirky and pop-centric comedy, the show stars an ensemble cast that includes JOEL McHALE, CHEVY CHASE, GILLIAN JACOBS, DANNY PUDI, YVETTE NICOLE BROWN, ALISON BRIE, DONALD GLOVER, KEN JEONG and JIM RASH.
Opening in theaters next month, G.I. JOE: RETALIATION is the sequel to 2009’s G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA and features some personnel additions in the form of DWAYNE JOHNSON and BRUCE WILLIS. Directed by JON M. CHU from a screenplay by RHETT REESE and PAUL WERNICK, the cast also includes CHANNING TATUM, ADRIANNE PALICKI, RAY STEVENSON, WALTON GOGGINS, JOSEPH MAZZELLO and RZA.
Although Lawrence Kasdan has directed two first rate Westerns (Silverado, Wyatt Earp), a highly revered film noir (Body Heat), and several evocative dramas (The Accidental Tourist and the thematically ambitious Grand Canyon), getting a movie made in Hollywood, even for him, has been an uphill climb.
Mr. Kasdan’s last feature was 2003’s Dreamcatcher, a project based on the Stephen King novel. A studio green light for Darling Companion, his eleventh film, was simply not in the cards, even though it’s headlined by Diane Keaton and frequent Kasdan collaborator Kevin Kline.
“I made ten movies in the studio system and they were not all slam dunks,” says Kasdan. “But the studios were much more open to what they were willing to do. And obviously the situation has changed completely. They don’t want to make movies like this. They’re not interested in people so much. Their comedies are very extreme and mostly they’re not even comedies. They’re giant, spectacular, effects movies. And that’s a reasonable business for a multinational corporation. Luckily that was not the situation when I started making movies. Studios were still making movies that were dramas and human sized stories. That’s changed.”
Co-written by Kasdan’s wife Meg Kasdan (she also co-wrote Grand Canyon), Darling Companion centers on Joseph and Beth (Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton), a married couple barely speak to one another. When Joseph loses their dog, they spend several days in the Rockies, along with Joseph’s sister Penny (Dianne Wiest), their nephew (writer/director Mark Duplass), and Penny’s boyfriend (Richard Jenkins) searching for their beloved mutt.
Sans a sizable budget, the actors worked on the project for scale and Kasdan, with the aid of cinematographer Michael McDonough (he DP’d Winter’s Bone and Albert Nobbs), shot Darling Companion on digital, using the Red One camera.
During this week’s Darling Companion press junket, Kasdan talked about the advantages of shooting on digital:
Darling Companion, released by Sony Pictures Classics, is now playing in New York and Los Angeles.
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posted by Greg Srisavasdi (Twitter: @gsrisavasdi )
R.I.P. ‘Dark Shadows’ Star Jonathan Frid
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It’s been reported that actor JONATHAN FRID has died at the age of 87. Apparently, the Canadian actor passed away last Friday in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. Probably best known for his role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the hugely popular 60’s daytime soap DARK SHADOWS, FRID will soon be seen reprising the role in TIM BURTON’S highly anticipated big-screen reboot. During the television heyday of DARK SHADOWS, FRID was one of the most recognizable stars on the air. Here’s a great interview clip from THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW.Kathy Griffin Aims To Shake Up Talk Shows With ‘Kathy’
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Making its debut tonight on Bravo, KATHY is a weekly one-hour pop-culture talk show hosted by two-time Emmy Award-winner KATHY GRIFFIN. TV’s original gossip girl promises to continue her deflation of the egos of everyone who’s anyone and plans to enforce a strict “no celebrities” policy. We caught up with her yesterday at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena and she laid out her plan.
Appearing yesterday in Pasadena to talk to entertainment reporters about the upcoming season of their hit NBC talent competition show, AMERICA’S GOT TALENT, judges SHARON OSBOURNE and HOWIE MANDEL shared thoughts about the passing of legendary impresario DICK CLARK.
We sat down yesterday with FASHION STAR mentors JOHN VARVATOS and NICOLE RICHIE to talk about the popularity of the show and how it’s influencing the way women are shopping for apparel via the internet. Going off topic, the subject of RICHIE’S dad, recording superstar LIONEL RICHIE, came up and she wasted no time in giving major props to pops for his new #1 album TUSGEKEE and his recent CBS television special.
TUSKEGEE is available now
As an internationally known, best-selling author whose novels MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, A WALK TO REMEMBER, THE NOTEBOOK, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, DEAR JOHN, THE LAST SONG and, now, THE LUCKY ONE have all been adapted for the big-screen, NICHOLAS SPARKS has brought tears to the eyes of millions of moviegoers and readers.
Arriving in theaters next month, the long-awaited and much-anticipated super-hero epic THE AVENGERS gathers together some of Marvel Universe’s most revered characters for what fans hope will be a comic-book movie for the ages. Written and directed by fanboy fave JOSS WHEDON, the cast includes CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., SCARLETT JOHANSSON, JEREMY RENNER, CHRIS EVANS, MARK RUFFALO, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, GWYNETH PALTROW and CLARK GREGG.
