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Who Should Play Bill Clinton - Now and Forever?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:30:36 -0700

I've been monitoring some interesting casting news for a movie titled Special Relationship, about the Clinton White House, which will be written and directed by Peter Morgan (of Frost/Nixon). The project is the latest in a group of movies penned by Morgan - including The Queen - and it will "show how Bill's 'inappropriate relationship' with White House intern Monica Lewinsky nearly ended his time in power." Yowza, right? Morgan is associated with and respected for his personal, fictionalized portrayals of those in power, so this will most likely be more than a melodramatic retelling of the the former president's indiscretions.

Anyway, there have been lots of rumors about who's playing the ex-prez, but the latest is Dennis Quaid! Can you believe it? Supposedly, Russell Crowe, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, and Tim Robbins were also in the running. Julianne Moore has been cast as Hillary Clinton, and Michael Sheen will once again play British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Now, Clinton is no stranger to having actors fill his shoes on the big and small screens (John Travolta played a character based on him in Primary Colors, and both Darrell Hammond and the late Phil Hartman portrayed him on Saturday Night Live) but I'm curious who you guys imagine playing Bill Clinton in a movie like this. Is it Quaid? Or is there someone else you picture in your mind forever and always as Bubba?

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Buzz Gift Guide: Favorite Aunts and Uncles

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:30:28 -0800

For today's holiday gift guide, I'm looking at goodies for aunts and uncles.

If your aunt or uncle is into golf, or just enjoys a heartwarming rags-to-riches story, The Greatest Game Ever Played is a sweet movie gift. Plus, it stars a young, adorable Shia LaBeouf as the little plebian who rises beyond class boundaries to play the gentlemen's sport, so there's something in it for everyone!

One of the most acclaimed films of 2006, The Queen is a fascinating peek into Queen Elizabeth II's experiences in the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic death. Your aunt or uncle might like to receive this superb film which also earned Helen Mirren the Best Actress Oscar this year.

For the serious(ly) Grey's Anatomy fan in your life, check out ABC's Grey's Anatomy gift set, which comes stocked with a Seattle Grace thermos and hoodie, a red "Seriously" T-shirt and mug, and a Grey's trivia game.

Just as Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation appeals to many a grandparent, his new book Boom! may be of particular interest to the adults in your family who lived through the 1960s, one of the most special and intense periods of American history.

Sequel to The Queen in the Works

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:27:32 -0700

Technically, this is the third in a "Blair trilogy," but according to Variety, "Screenwriter Peter Morgan has started work on a sequel to The Queen, which will dig into former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair's relationships with U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush." The article continues:

The movie will focus on Blair's reaction to the handover of power between Clinton, a natural liberal ally, and Bush, who came from the other end of the political spectrum.

Morgan initially considered tackling the more obvious drama surrounding the run-up to the Iraq war, when Blair fatally compromised his own premiership by his whole-hearted support for Bush's invasion plans. But in the end Morgan decided that the roots of those events lay in Blair's difficult adjustment to the transition from Clinton to Bush a few years earlier.

Morgan's trilogy started with the telepic The Deal and continued with The Queen, which won Helen Mirren an Oscar for her depiction of Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. No word on whether she'll appear in this third film, though Michael Sheen is expected to reprise his role as Blair.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:25:37 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

The Queen
This critical darling won about a zillion awards, including a Best Actress Oscar for Helen Mirren, who plays Queen Elizabeth II. The drama follows the Royal Family in the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997. Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair while James Cromwell is impressive as Prince Philip. Like Best Actor comrade Forest Whitaker who won for his portrayal of a ruthless Ugandan dictator, Mirren earned accolades for her humanization of a public figure many people deemed cold and distant.

Two more if you read more

Planet Earth: The Complete Collection
Currently airing on the Discovery Channel with a narration by Sigorney Weaver, this version of the Planet Earth series is the original U.K. broadcast narrated by David Attenborough. The 5-disc, 11-part documentary doles out overviews of various parts of the earth, from grassy plains to ocean depths. Having already seen several of the chapters on the Discovery Channel I can say with certainty that this series is incredibly impressive. The filmmakers spent thousands of hours, often in difficult terrain, waiting in camouflage to capture rare footage for HD. The result is so entertaining and absorbing, you don't even notice you've learned something.

Night at the Museum
Sure, it's a kids' movie starring Ben Stiller, but Night at the Museum has a fun premise and a great supporting cast which includes Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams and Dick Van Dyke. Stiller plays a night guard at a natural history museum who suddenly meets all the museum's, uh, citizens when he re-awakens an ancient curse. To learn more about this fantastical romp, check out my review.

What 2007 Oscar-Winning Movie Do You Want to See Next?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:22:29 -0800

Now that the 2007 Oscars have come and gone, I am anxious to catch up on my movie viewing! Though I've seen most of the winners, there are a few Oscar movies I missed.

What 2007 Oscar winner have you not seen that you really want to see next?

Helen Mirren Having Tea With the Queen?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:27:05 -0800

In her wonderfully gracious acceptance speech at last night's Oscars, Best Actress winner Helen Mirren gave a sincere and playful shout-out to Queen Elizabeth II, who she portrays in The Queen, saying "For 50 years and more, Elizabeth WIndsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty, and her hairstyle."

It seems Her Majesty may have been paying attention: Variety is now reporting that Helen Mirren may actually be having tea with Queen Elizabeth II. According to a palace spokesman:

"The Oscar winner - along with director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan - are in discussions to have a sitdown with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in the near future."

To watch Mirren's very lovely acceptance speech, read more

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Oscar Roundup: Best Picture Breakdowns

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 07:45:16 -0800

This week I've been breaking down the good and bad qualities of each 2007 Best Picture nominee. Just in case you need a refresher, here is a recap of all five Best Picture breakdowns; hopefully they will help you make an educated guess on the Oscar ballot!

Letters From Iwo Jima
The Academy are suckers for these historical dramas - and for director Clint Eastwood - yet there are no other big names involved and not many people actually saw it.
Chances of winning: Moderate

The Queen
Having already won tons of critics' awards, the film may or may not be just a vehicle for Helen Mirren.
Chances of winning: Slim to Moderate

Three more, so read more

Little Miss Sunshine
Well-crafted and uplifting, the movie did wonderfully with both critics and viewers, if not in box office sales. However, it actually might be too uplifting for the Academy's often somber tastes.
Chances of winning: Slim

The Departed
All-star cast, esteemed director, good screenplay, and critical acclaim make for an impressive package, but it being a violent almost-action film (quite different from a bloody war film, mind you) reduces the movie's chances for the top award.
Chances of winning: Good

Babel
Some critics adore this film while others loathe it; it could go either way, but the Academy does like to reward these big theme dramas.
Chances of winning: Good

Letters and Departed photos courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source, Source, and Source

2007 Oscars: My Predictions

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:04:55 -0800

Have you filled out your Oscar ballot yet? I sure have! Some categories really are a toss-up - Best Picture, for example - while others are highly predictable.

Helen Mirren has already won about a gazillion awards for her performance in The Queen, and if anyone else gets the little gold man for that category, it will truly be shocking. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories, however, could easily end up surprising everyone. As for the visual categories, I have high hopes for Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth in many of the visual categories and will be supremely disappointed if they lose.

As for the other categories, I present to you my predictions for this year's Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE
Babel

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

To see the rest, read more

BEST ACTOR
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren, The Queen

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cars

ART DIRECTION
Pan's Labyrinth

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Children of Men

COSTUME DESIGN
Curse of the Golden Flower

BEST DOCUMENTARY
An Inconvenient Truth

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Blood of Yingzhou District

FILM EDITING
Children of Men

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Pan’s Labyrinth

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Babel

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Listen” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler
Lyric by Anne Preven

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
“West Bank Story”

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Letters from Iwo Jima

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Dreamgirls

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

ADAPATED SCREENPLAY
Children of Men

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Little Miss Sunshine

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Best Picture Breakdown: The Queen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:08:59 -0800

From now until the 2007 Oscars air this Sunday night, I'll be breaking down each Best Picture nominee and giving you the scoop on why certain movies might win and why others probably don't have a chance. Yesterday, we looked at Little Miss Sunshine, and today's featured movie is The Queen.

This docudrama focuses on Queen Elizabeth II in the aftermath of Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997. Helen Mirren went through a startling transformation to portray this real-life member of the Royal Family, a performance that will likely earn her the Best Actress win. As for The Queen's chances in the Best Picture category, read more

Why It Might Win

By and large, critics adored the film for its humanization of a public figure who many perceived to be cold and unfeeling.
Mirren's performance has obviously garnered a lot of buzz, but the Academy also thinks highly of the film beyond her work, as The Queen earned a total of 6 Oscar nominations.
The film has more pre-Oscar honors under its belt than any other Best Picture nominee. It has earned a whopping 44 awards, including Best Picture wins from BAFTA and the Toronto Film Critics Association. Granted, the vast majority of the other wins were for Best Actress and Best Screenplay, but still...

Why It Might Not Win

The subject matter is essentially too narrow, the themes not quite universal enough.
All bets are on Helen Mirren to win Best Actress, and because her performance is a huge part of the movie's success, the Academy might think the acting award is enough.
In comparison to some of the bigger, more commercial films (Babel, The Departed), The Queen is very quiet and possibly too intimate to win the big one.

Chances of Winning: Slim to Moderate

The BAFTA Awards: The Winners

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 22:35:59 -0800

Though they were understandably overshadowed by the Grammys, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts also held its annual awards ceremony on Sunday, in London. The reason we're paying attention, of course, is to get even more Oscar buzz. In case you weren't sure already, both Helen Mirren's and Forest Whitaker's chances are looking pretty sweet right now. Here's a list of who and what won.

FILM
The Queen

THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD for the Outstanding British Film of the Year
The Last King of Scotland

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film
Andrea Aarnold (Director) - Red Road

THE DAVID LEAN AWARD for Achievement in Direction
United 93, Paul Greengrass

To see the rest, including acting winners, read more

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Little Miss Sunshine - Michael Arndt

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Last King of Scotland - Peter Morgan/Jeremy Brock

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Pan's Labyrinth - Alfonso Cuarón/Alvaro Augustin/Guillermo del Toro

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Happy Feet - George Miller

ACTOR in a LEADING ROLE
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

ACTRESS in a LEADING ROLE
Helen Mirren - The Queen

ACTOR in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine

ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD for Achievement in Film Music
Babel - Gustavo Santaolalla

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Children of Men - Emmanuel Lubezki

EDITING
United 93 - Clare Douglas/Christopher Rouse/Richard Pearson

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Children of Men - Jim Clay/Geoffrey Kirkland/Jennifer Williams

COSTUME DESIGN
Pan's Labyrinth - Lala Huete

SOUND
Casino Royale - Chris Munro/Eddy Joseph/Mike Prestwood Smith/Martin Cantwell/Mark Taylor

ACHIEVEMENT IN SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - John Knoll/Hal Hickel/Charles Gibson/Allen Hall

MAKE UP & HAIR
Pan's Labyrinth - José Quetglas/Blanca Sànchez

SHORT ANIMATION FILM
Guy 101 - Ian Gouldstone (to view, click here)

SHORT FILM
Do Not Erase- Asitha Ameresekere

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

Eva Green

THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
Anne V Coates

THE MICHAEL BALCON AWARD for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
Nick Daubeny