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50/50's Seth Rogen and Will Reiser Talk About Their Real Friendship and "Amazing" Joseph Gordon-Levitt

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:05:00 PDT

50/50 star Seth Rogen and screenwriter Will Reiser sat down with us to talk about this week's comedy drama about a guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who gets cancer at a young age. The two friends talked about how they came to make the film (Reiser based it on his own experience with cancer), whether they ever actually tried to pick up girls using Will's illness, and how impressed they were by Gordon-Levitt's performance. Watch now.

Video: 50/50 Writer Will Reiser on Friendship With Seth and Translating His Own Real-Life Cancer Battle Into Comedy

PopSugar — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:45:00 PDT

50/50 writer Will Reiser had a particularly emotional time in Toronto for TIFF, since the heartwarming cancer comedy is also based on his real-life battle with the disease. After receiving a standing ovation from the audience at the premiere, we sat down with Will to talk about what inspired him to translate his story to the big screen with the help of good friend Seth Rogen. Will also revealed the truth behind the complicated female characters in the film, especially his relationship with his mother. Check out our interview with Will and see 50/50 when it hits theaters Friday.

JGL, Seth, Anna, and Bryce's Cancer Comedy 50/50 Earns a Standing Ovation at TIFF

Molly Goodson — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:37:31 PDT

The ensemble cast of 50/50 had a busy Monday at the Toronto Film Festival. Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt joined forces for an afternoon press conference followed by their red carpet premiere and afterparty, where they posed with director Jonathan Levine and screenwriter Will Reiser. Bryce, who also made her debut as a producer with Restless at TIFF last week, chose shades of blue for yesterday's photo opportunities. Over the weekend, Bryce also celebrated at a Kate Spade party, thrown in her honor, where she reunited with her cast mate from The Help, Jessica Chastain. Anna is coming from work on the set of End of Watch in California, and she was recently spotted cozying up to costar Jake Gyllenhaal, though she was on her own in Toronto. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen play best friends in the film, which earned a standing ovation after its debut screening last night.

Buzz News Roundup, 10/10

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:30:12 PDT

USA has renewed Burn Notice and Psych. - Entertainment Weekly
Seth Rogen will co-write a comedy with Will Reiser titled I'm With Cancer that will tell Reiser's autobiographical tale of a 25-year-old who finds out he has the disease. - The Hollywood Reporter
This is Your Life is the latest classic TV show to be revived. - Broadcasting and Cable
A Barcelona-based production company is set to produce Fake Orgasm, a documentary about why people feign pleasure. - Variety
Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy has been given a Nov. 23 release date - which, if it happens, would mean we all get free Dr Pepper. - Billboard
It looks like Josh Brolin will go from playing George W. Bush to playing Jonah Hex in a film adaptation of the DC Comics property. - Variety
The redheaded Rebecca Mader (who plays Charlotte on Lost) will be joining George Clooney and Ewan McGregor in the movie Men Who Stare at Goats. - ComingSoon
YouTube will start streaming full episodes of some shows, starting with a handful of CBS classics and the original Beverly Hills, 90210. - The Hollywood Reporter

Photos courtesy of USA

NBC Axes Perfect Couples For Paul Reiser

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:24:53 PDT

Well, we all saw this one coming: after renewing all of its returning comedies last week, NBC has pulled the plug on newcomer Perfect Couples. As of April 14, The Paul Reiser Show, a comedy starring - wait for it - Paul Reiser, will take over the time slot between Community and The Office. This doesn't mean Perfect Couples is absolutely canceled, but it's a 99 percent death sentence. Many of you pledged your love for the show just a few weeks ago, so are you going to miss Olivia Munn and the gang on Thursday nights?

Photo courtesy of NBC

Link Time - Johnny Depp Will Be in 21 Jump Street

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:40:11 PDT

Johnny Depp confirmed to cameo in the 21 Jump Street movie - Coming Soon
NBC cancels The Paul Reiser Show after two episodes - TV Squad
Find out which actors the studio wanted for The Bourne Legacy before Jeremy Renner - Moviefone
Vera Farmiga joins Ryan Reynolds in Safe House - /Film
Watch a clip from Lady Gaga's HBO documentary - Vulture
Ron Livingston to play Mark Wallace in HBO's Game Change - Deadline
Emile Hirsch cast in Savages - The Playlist
Reese Witherspoon talks about communicating with elephants - PetSugar

The Artist Leads the Way For the 2012 Spirit Award Winners

Becky Kirsch — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:06:40 PST

We're in the home stretch of award season, but before the Oscars close things out, Hollywood honored some of the best in independent films with the Spirit Awards. Christopher Plummer continued to sweep the best supporting actor category for Beginners, while Shailene Woodley got her first win for her work in The Descendants. Oscar nominees Jean Dujardin and Michelle Williams both got an early boost from Spirit wins as well. The Artist was the biggest winner of the night, taking home four awards including best feature.

To see the full list of the winners, just

BEST FEATURE
The Artist

BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Margin Call

BEST MALE LEAD
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SCREENPLAY
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Will Reiser, 50/50

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Gui-omme Shiffman, The Artist

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Pariah

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Interrupters

FOREIGN FILM
A Separation

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call

Announcing the 2012 Critics' Choice Nominations

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:05:11 PST

Award season is officially around the corner, which means the nominations are coming in droves now. The Critics' Choice nominees feature some of the same contenders we've been expecting, like The Descendants and The Artist, but also has a few surprises. Namely, Martin Scorsese's Hugo has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, leading the pack with 11 nods.

Brad Pitt's got not one but two movies up for best picture, with Moneyball and The Tree of Life, not to mention a best actor nod for himself. The Help also cleaned up with eight nominations. On a personal note, we're excited to see some of our favorite 2012 comedies getting some recognition, like The Muppets, Horrible Bosses, and of course, Bridesmaids.

The show doesn't air until 2012, but check out the full list of nominees when you

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, The Help
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

See the rest of the list when you

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan, Shame
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield, Hugo
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Steven Spielberg, War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
50/50 – Will Reiser
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
Win Win – Tom McCarthy, Story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni
Young Adult – Diablo Cody

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Eric Roth
The Help – Tate Taylor
Hugo – John Logan
Moneyball – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman
Drive – Newton Thomas Sigel
Hugo – Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse – Janusz Kaminski

BEST ART DIRECTION
The Artist – Production Designer: Laurence Bennett, Art Director: Gregory S. Hooper
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo – Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo
The Tree of Life – Production Designer: Jack Fisk, Art Director: David Crank
War Horse – Production Designer: Rick Carter, Set Decorator: Lee Sandales

BEST EDITING
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
Drive – Matthew Newman
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
War Horse – Michael Kahn

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Artist – Mark Bridges
The Help – Sharen Davis
Hugo – Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre – Michael O’Connor
My Week With Marilyn – Jill Taylor

BEST MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
My Week With Marilyn

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
The Tree of Life

BEST SOUND
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Super 8
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Drive
Fast Five
Hanna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8

BEST COMEDY
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
In Darkness
Le Havre
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Where Do We Go Now?

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Buck
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Project Nim
Undefeated

BEST SONG
“Hello, Hello” – performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga/written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – Gnomeo & Juliet
“Life’s a Happy Song” – performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“The Living Proof” – performed by Mary J. Blige/written by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, and Harvey Mason, Jr. – The Help
“Man or Muppet” – performed by Jason Segel and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“Pictures in My Head” – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis, and Chen Neeman – The Muppets

BEST SCORE
The Artist – Ludovic Bource
Drive – Cliff Martinez
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Hugo – Howard Shore
War Horse – John Williams

Seth Rogen Makes Cancer-Stricken Joseph Gordon-Levitt Laugh in the 50/50 Trailer

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:41:26 PDT

I still think of Seth Rogen as a raunchy comedy guy, but in Funny People he showed that he can pull off understated comedy as well. In 50/50, he's revisiting the subject of a friend with cancer, only this time, he's coming from a place of personal experience. Based on his friend Will Reiser's cancer diagnosis at the age of 27, the film is produced by Rogen and written by Reiser. Rogen also stars as Kyle, the best friend of Adam (the character based on Reiser), who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. We see him go from a healthy young man who's shocked to find out he has a tumor to someone battling illness and its physical and mental repercussions. Adam has help in the form of his supportive and yes, funny, friend Kyle and a youthful therapist played by Anna Kendrick.

Despite the delicate theme, it looks like Rogen and co. have hit just the right balance; it seems funny but restrained, and objective about Adam's diagnosis while neither downplaying it nor manipulating the audience. I think Gordon-Levitt was the perfect casting choice for Adam, since the actor has the chops for a meaty role like this, and he's able to play straight man to Rogen's sense of humor. Watch the trailer for 50/50 when you

Announcing the 2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominees

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:50:49 PST

Kate Beckinsale and Anthony Mackie were up early this morning to present the nominees for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The Artist and Take Shelter lead the pack with five nominations apiece. Right behind it was Drive, which picked up four nods, including one for leading man Ryan Gosling. The Descendants also scored four nominations, though George Clooney was left off the list this time. Though two of our favorite movies of the year didn't pick up quite as many nods, I was happy to see that Beginners and 50/50 got some love, including nominations for best feature.

To see the full list of the nominees, just

BEST FEATURE
50/50
Beginners
Drive
Take Shelter
The Artist
The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR
Mike Mills, Beginners
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Another Earth
In the Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Tom McCarthy, Win Win
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Patrick DeWitt, Terri
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachel Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

BEST MALE LEAD
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joel Hodge, Bellflower
Benjamin Kuh-Sulk, The Off Hours
Darius Kond-Jee, Midnight in Paris
Gui-omme Shiffman, The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron, The Dynamiter

BEST DOCUMENTARY
An African Election
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here

BEST FOREIGN FILM
A Separation
Melancholia
Shame
The Kid With a Bike
Tyrannosaur

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Chad Burris, Mosquita y Mari
Sophia Lin, Take Shelter
Josh Mond, Martha Marcy May Marlene

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Simon Arthur, Silver Tongues
Mark Jackson, Without
Nicholas Ozek, Mamitas

AVEENO TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Heather Courtney, Where Soldiers Came From
Danfung Dennis, Hell and Back Again
Alma Har'El, Bombay Beach