Don't stress, movie lovers: we've taken the grunt work out of staying on top of film casting news and compiled the week's most important bits for you! This week saw some big news for X-Men: Days of Future Past, while a few other big stars like James Franco are officially in negotiations for new roles. Don't be left in the dark — find out what went down!
Bill Murray takes on a presidential role as Franklin D. Roosevelt in the upcoming film, Hyde Park on Hudson. He's joined by Laura Linney, playing his distant cousin (and love interest?) Margaret Stuckley. Based on true events, the film takes place over a weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of England came to visit the president at his residence in Upstate New York. It may sound stuffy, but you know it can't be a snooze with Murray leading the way.
It's refreshing to see the former Ghostbuster in a period role like this. He gives the wheelchair-bound FDR some spark without making a caricature out of him. I also like the Downton Abbey-esque way some of the story is being shown from the point of view of the maids and servers of the house. I'm not totally convinced I'm into it yet, but with a Dec. 7 release date, you can bet this is prime Oscar bait. Check out the trailer when you read more
Orlando Bloom joined Sympathy For Delicious costars Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Thornton, and Laura Linney last night at a screening of the film. It was over a year ago Sympathy For Delicious made its first debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and last month Mark, who also directed the piece, released a new trailer. Christopher wrote the story and plays the lead character in the unique story about a DJ who finds himself with the ability to heal people through faith. Orlando has the role of another band member in the movie, which gives fans the opportunity to see him decked out in rock star leather pants and muscle tees. This is the second screening for Orlando in a week, having already walked the red carpet over the weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival with his "hot" wife, bikini model Miranda Kerr, in support of The Good Doctor.
When Sympathy For Delicious premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, we got an early peek at the film, which is Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut. In the movie, wheelchair-bound "Delicious" Dean O'Dwyer (Christopher Thornton) is a former DJ whose outlook and life have suffered since he's become paralyzed. When he discovers a unique ability to heal people with his hands, he teams up with a priest (Ruffalo) and pursues the path of faith healing, although he's unable to cure himself.
Unsatisfied with his new do-gooder status, Dean decides that he'd rather exploit his gift to become a rock star, a life in which he still doesn't find the gratification he's looking for. His bandmates offer us the opportunity to see more famous faces: Orlando Bloom is the lead singer, Juliette Lewis is the bassist, and Laura Linney is the manager. Though there's a ton of talent in the lineup, the movie wasn't my favorite at Sundance. Still, the trailer is worth checking out for Bloom in full rock star regalia. Watch it when you read more
The Golden Globes continue to honor new shows: Laura Linney is the Golden Globe winner for best actress in a TV musical or comedy for The Big C. She beat out Toni Collette, Tina Fey, Lea Michele, and Edie Falco. Do you agree with this win?
Don't forget to weigh in on all of the winners by voting in my polls!
The TCA rolled on with presentations from Showtime and The CW yesterday after their star-studded party the night before. Showtime kicked off the morning with The Big C starring Laura Linney and Gabourey Sidibe. Laura spoke passionately about the show and her character, while Gabourey touched on how she still can't believe the past year of her life. The cast of Dexter brought a different tone, as Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter and company gave us hints about Dexter's season five before he sat down with us for an exclusive chat. Last up for the network was Matt LeBlanc's Episodes, in which the Friends star plays a fictional version of himself taking on a new acting gig. The trailer was full of jokes about his beloved sitcom, including a Ross and Rachel reference early on. Matt was adorable on stage talking about getting recognized as Joey daily and when asked if he was the first pick for the part, he was quick to joke, "Schimmer said no. . .so did Perry and Lisa."
We spent the afternoon with The CW checking out their two new shows, Nikita with Shane West and Maggie Q, as well as Ashley Tisdale and Aly Michalka's Hellcats. Then it was time for the really fun stuff, moving onto Gossip Girl in Paris! Josh Schwartz took the stage with Ed Westwick, who represented the cast as the rest stayed behind in NYC to shoot and premiere Chace's movie Twelve. Ed was charming as always, though he gave the juiciest tidbits to us at Wednesday's bash. He and Josh revealed lots of exciting news including whether or not Taylor Momsen will return and who else will be making a comeback. There's still lots more to come, so stay tuned to Buzz on Twitter for updates from the panels!
For more pics from the panels, just read more
Day 2 at the Summer TCA is all about Showtime and The CW, kicking things off with Showtime's new series The Big C. The show, which will premiere on Aug. 16 after Weeds, is a comedy about Cathy (Laura Linney), a teacher who changes her outlook on life when she learns that she has cancer. Rounding out the cast are Oliver Platt as her husband and Gabourey Sidibe as one of her sassier high school students. At today's panel, Linney described the general themes of the show, while Sidibe discussed her own life's lessons.
For more on what to expect from Showtime's newest comedy, just
Hollywood may come up notoriously short with roles for women over 40, but not for Laura Linney. Though she's been a working actress since the early '90s, her career took off after crossing the middle-age threshold six years ago.
Now she's tackling mortality in The Big C, Showtime's new comedy about a 42-year-old woman with incurable cancer. In a New York Times Magazine profile, she says her own grappling with aging, mortality, and the deaths of friends — including Natasha Richardson, who died suddenly just months before she was offered the part — drew her to the dark comedy.
All that introspection is paying off. She's learned to appreciate aging by reframing her thoughts. Whenever she wants to complain, she remembers friends who've died and imagines them "taking me by my shoulders and shaking me: 'Snap out of it!'"
Aging is a privilege, she says, one that "a lot of people don't get."
I've been looking forward to Showtime's latest original series, The Big C, since the Winter TCA, when I had a brief look. Today everyone gets a peek at the new trailer for the show, which premieres this Summer.
In it, Laura Linney plays Cathy, a woman who resolves to change bits of her life when she learns she has breast cancer. As grim as that may sound, this is no downer show — from the promo, you see that The Big C is heavier on comedy than melodrama. Cathy starts out droll, but the influence of her diagnosis sends her into a feisty tailspin, to the surprise of her family and students. Speaking of students, Precious's Gabourey Sidibe stars as one of Cathy's, as sassy and mouthy as Sidibe herself is on the red carpet.
Watch the trailer when you read more
