Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are lost in space! The trailer for Gravity is here, and it looks to be part action, part scary movie, and, well, just plain stressful. Hear all the details, plus more headlines!
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock provide a gripping two-man show in the breathtaking trailer for Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity. The two play astronauts who become stranded in space after their shuttle is destroyed by debris. That's right, they're stranded . . . in space. Let that sink in for a minute. The trailer, though simple, feels like a very real nightmare. At first everything is all peaches and cream and beautiful views of the sun coming over the Earth, the next minute they're essentially space orphans.
This already reminds me of Open Water, another movie that had me feeling claustrophobic even when the main characters are surrounded by open atmosphere, only without the sharks. My main question is: are Clooney and Bullock really the only actors in the movie? If any duo in Hollywood can carry a film, I believe in them, but that's still a pretty tall order. The movie hits theaters on Oct. 4, and until then, you can watch the trailer after the jump.
Sandra Bullock took a break from her latest project, Gravity, in London today while modeling a short wig and holding a script. She was without her costar George Clooney, who's visiting Italy with his girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis. Sandra's been keeping busy on set between shooting and looking after her son, Louis. It seems George has developed a soft spot for the youngster, as he was spotted taking iPhone snaps of Louis over the weekend. Louis is becoming a pro at hanging out on location already, having joined Sandra and her costar Tom Hanks on the set of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in NYC during the Winter.
Breaking casting news! The sci-fi film Gravity, which has already played musical chairs with its leading ladies (Sandra Bullock is now finally locked in to star), is swapping its leading man as well. Though Robert Downey Jr. was originally signed on as the film's main guy, the latest word is that George Clooney will be taking his place in the movie. Hey, if you can't have your first pick, Clooney is definitely an excellent second option!
Natalie Portman is out; Sandra Bullock may be in. After news that Portman has passed on Gravity — the sci-fi flick about a female astronaut struggling to survive in space — Bullock is now reportedly in talks with Warner Bros. for the role.
Bullock is just one actress in a long line of names who've been mentioned for the sought-after part. To recap: Angelina Jolie was originally attached but dropped out, then Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively were rumored, then Portman soon followed. Robert Downey Jr. is still locked in as the film's leading man, but hopefully Bullock will pull through and end this never-ending game of switcheroo. At this point, I'm tired of keeping track.
Natalie Portman's career is about to shoot off — into space. The actress has been offered the starring role in Gravity, a sci-fi flick that originally had Angelina Jolie attached. Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively were both potential replacements, but Portman is the front-runner after early raves of her turn in Black Swan convinced the studio to reach out to her.
If Portman accepts, she'll star as a woman stranded on a space station after debris kills the rest of her crew (Robert Downey Jr. is signed on for a supporting role). The part is said to have the same sort of solitary nature as Tom Hanks's character in Cast Away, which means she'll have to carry the film pretty much by herself. The only downside: it's in 3D, and we know how Portman feels about that.
The Iron Man is going to blast off! Robert Downey Jr. has lined up his next big blockbuster: the actor is in talks to star in Gravity, a sci-fi film directed by Alfonso Cuaron.
This is just the latest in Downey Jr.'s string of action flicks — Iron Man 2 is out May 7, and he starts shooting the sequel to Sherlock Holmes this Fall. Bonus: Gravity will go somewhere (besides space) the actor hasn't gone before: it'll be in 3D! RDJ will play the leader of a group of astronauts who is left alone in orbit with a female colleague when his team is destroyed by an exploded satellite. Angelina Jolie was reportedly attached to the costar role, but has since dropped out.
I have no trouble envisioning RDJ in the part since he's already proved to be one of my favorite action stars. What say you?
You are asking and I'm answering...
Dear FitSugar,
I walk up six flight of stairs to teach a class – I'm a university TA. I climb these stairs at least three times a week and I am always out of breath by the time I reach the top. I am an active person and run regularly. What gives?
– Breathless Betty
I too am always amazed how out of breath I become when climbing the six flights of stairs to the office. Stair climbing seems to really tax my cardiovascular system and I run regularly too.
The main difference between running and climbing stairs is gravity. As you climb up those stairs you are fighting gravity, which really can be a force to reckon with. You are carrying your body weight against gravity, and that is also why climbing real stairs is harder than using a stair stepper machine at the gym, too. When using those machines you are using the power of your legs to push the stair down not to pull yourself up against gravity. Even celeb trainer Bob Greene agrees with me on this one. Plus, you are probably carrying a backpack or book bag with you up those stairs which you don't ordinarily have on your regular runs.
So think about it. Can you imagine running up a hill that is six stories high? Plus, the incline of stairs is steeper than most hills we climb (unless you live here in SF because we have some doozies). To make your regular stair climb easier, you should run hills or workout on stairs by climbing more flights than you do in your regular climb. While it seems somewhat counter intuitive to train hard aerobically to tackle your daily stair climb, cardio workouts do make the activities of our daily lives easier. Training sprints has made running after my girls so much easier.
Keep climbing!
