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Letters to Juliet: Undeliverable

PopSugar — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:30:00 PDT

Amanda Seyfried is finally a successful enough leading lady to carry a film all on her own, and her new movie, Letters to Juliet, features her name alone above the title. It's a big step for any actress, so a lot is riding on this movie for Amanda.

Just as in her last big movie, Dear John, Amanda plays a character whose path to love centers on those old timey things people used to write to each other called letters. This time, Amanda is Sophie, who's on vacation with her fiancé Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal) in Verona. He's a restaurateur scouting for recipes and wine, and his business adventures leave Sophie all alone and looking for company. She finds herself spending afternoons with a group of women charged with responding to love letters written to Shakespeare's fictional heroine, Juliet. Sophie writes back, decades later, to a woman who left Italy and her true love Lorenzo behind. Her advice is so inspiring that the woman, widowed Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), turns up to track down the man of her dreams - if he's still alive.

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read more. Claire's petulant grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) goes begrudgingly along with her plan. He thinks it's a terrible idea for Claire to try to find her "true love" - after all, he's upset that it wasn't his grandfather and he's also doubting why his grandmother would feel so inspired by the advice of a complete stranger (which, frankly, seems legitimate enough). He takes his plentiful frustration out on Sophie as she tags along on Claire's adventure to find her Lorenzo. As Sophie travels with Claire and Charlie, I felt a bit confused at first - isn't this a love story centered around Sophie? Well, first it's all about Claire as she treks through the gorgeous Italian countryside looking for Lorenzo. Vanessa Redgrave is fun to watch, and she's still beautiful on the big screen. Sophie's relationship drama comes in due time, after we're given a sufficient chance to wonder if she'll ultimately be attracted to or repelled by Charlie's bad behavior. But, where's Victor through all this? It was exciting to learn that Gael and Amanda would team up for Letters to Juliet, so I was disappointed to learn his role is a wee one. Amanda is charming as always in the movie, and its picturesque locations had me itching for a Summer getaway or at least some pasta and red wine. After her stint in Greece for Mamma Mia, I'm also wondering what genius picks her projects. The film is filled with allusions to Shakespeare, but the literary aspirations are a stretch at times. Despite the old world setting, Letters to Juliet seems like one to watch in a very modern way, whether it's on-demand or a rented DVD enjoyed from the comfort of your couch.

Gael Garcia Bernal and Christopher Egan Tell Us the Importance of Love Letters!

PopSugar — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:30:40 PDT

I chatted with Amanda Seyfried on working with Kate Winslet and her hot Italian nights with her boyfriend while in Verona last week with the cast from Letters to Juliet. Now we're on to the boys of the film, both of whom play Amanda's love interest. Gael Garcia Bernal was adorable talking about the importance of writing love letters so his children can read them later on in life, while Australian cutie Christopher Egan confesses he hasn't taken a pen to paper in years. Check 'em out!

To see Chris show off his cute Italian accent, just

Christopher Egan: Playing a Jerk & Working With Vanessa

PopSugarTV — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:30:00 PDT

Letters to Juliet's leading man Christopher Egan tells us it was difficult to act mean to Amanda Seyfried and it was wonderful working with Vanessa Redgrave.

Amanda Seyfried Has a Few Choice Letters of Her Own

PopSugar — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:30:00 PDT

Amanda Seyfried wore a messy fishtail braid and a strapless dress as she and her Letters to Juliet costar Christopher Egan premiered their film last night in LA. Their movie opens this Friday, and Amanda has been busy all over the world with the accompanying press tour. We chatted with her recently about filming in Verona and her costar wish list during their junket in Italy. Amanda also sat down this week for an interview on Chelsea Lately, where she talked about the scandalous foot tattoo her long-distance love Dominic Cooper apparently suggested she get. Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth hit the red carpet together to show off their own ongoing love story before his Eclipse promotional duties. Amanda is also up for two MTV Movie Awards - best female and best scared as sh*t performance!

To see more from the Letters to Juliet premiere, just read more.

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TV Tonight: Kings

BuzzSugar — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 07:30:48 PDT

NBC's Kings, which premieres tonight, is a vastly ambitious series, set in an alternate universe at a time of war and based on the Biblical story of David and Goliath. It has a fantastic cast, including Ian McShane as the powerful King Silas and relative newcomer Christopher Egan as young David. And while it doesn't necessarily get everything right in tonight's two-hour premiere, I'm curious to see how the show develops in the coming weeks.

Tonight's premiere introduces us to Gilboa, a fictional modern world, where a war is raging. In the first two hours, we're introduced to the main players - including David, who leads a mission that ends up saving the king's son. He's swept into a magestic, upper-class world, and watching him deal with sudden fame is one of the more intriguing parts of the premiere.

The show's pacing is a bit odd - events in the first two hours either happen very quickly or seem to take forever to develop - and the Bible parallels are a bit heavy-handed at first, as though the writers wanted to make very sure that we get what they're doing here. But its production is impressive and the acting strong, and I'm looking forward to seeing what turns the show takes next.

Will you check it out tonight? To watch a preview, just

First Look: Kings

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:30:44 PST

NBC's Kings had one of the more infamous panels at the TCA press tour last Summer, complete with star Ian McShane berating reporters. Lost in the drama, though, was the fact that the clips we saw of the show actually looked pretty great. Set to the regal sounds of Coldplay's "Vida la Vida," the show played out like a hypercolor modern version of the David and Goliath story, with McShane as the powerful King Silas Benjamin and relative newcomer Christopher Egan as young David.

Sadly, I never found that trailer online, but a new one popped up on NBC's site recently introducing us to Gilboa, a fictional land which bears the butterfly on its flag (hence all the butterfly imagery throughout). According to the network:

Silas must deal with the tensions rising between Gilboa and neighboring nation Gath. When several prisoners of war are taken, a young soldier, David Shepard, defies orders and crosses enemy lines to save them. Unknown to David, the soldier he saves is Jack Benjamin, the son of the king. From that day forth, David’s life will never be the same.

Sebastian Stan, Allison Miller, and Susanna Thompson also star. The show doesn't have an airdate yet (it's not on NBC's new January schedule), but I'm keeping an eye on it. All the bits and pieces I've seen so far are slick and beautiful, if a little confusing, so I can't wait to experience a full episode. To check out the trailer, just