BuzzSugar

Joan Jett, Michael Shannon, and Floria Sigismondi Talk Runaways, Rocking, and Kristen

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:30:20 -0700

I've already gotten to tell you what I think about rock biopic The Runaways, with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, but now it's time to hear from the stars and the others behind the scenes of the movie. Pop chatted up Kristen Stewart on the red carpet in NYC, but we also have some choice words from its inspiration Joan Jett, costar Michael Shannon, and director Floria Sigismondi.

Joan Jett on the message of the film: Ultimately, to follow your dreams. That good old cliché of following your dreams, because I really feel that people beat down other people’s dreams constantly. I see it a lot with writers, when I talk to them about this. I guess a lot of writers must be told, "You’ll never make money that way, get a real job!" A lot of writers want to write . . . To me, I just think it’s really important to try and follow your dream. And if for some reason life takes you a different way, then at least you made an attempt.
Joan on first meeting Kristen: I met her last New Year’s Eve. She came up to see a gig and I kind of just dumped on her about The Runaways for several hours and asked her if she was going to cut her hair. She said yes, and I had great faith that she was going to be able to pull this off because she seemed very dedicated and genuine and authentic. We had a few weeks before filming started to spend some time, and she picked my brain.

To read Michael Shannon and Floria Sigismondi's thoughts, just read more.

Joan on the process of making the film: Working with the actors was great. They were brilliant. The whole process was brutal, but in general working with the actors was great.

Michael Shannon on working with so many young actresses: They’re all very nice people, and they’re all very nice to me. There’s no tension, really. Everybody was so focused on trying to do a good job, Kristen was constantly with Joan, trying to learn as much as she could and absorb as much as she could from her. Dakota was always practicing her moves and getting inside of Cherie’s frame of mind. It wasn’t a very social kind of thing.

Michael on whether the set was all work and no play: I always approached it in that way. I guess that makes me sort of boring. But you get paid a lot of money to show up and do this stuff, so I figured it should pretty much be all work, no play. I sort of wish I was more like George Clooney - sort of show up and crack jokes. But I was really intimidated by the prospect of playing Kim Fowley.
Michael on working with such vulgar dialogue: It was f-ing amazing. (Laughs.) Sorry. It was vulgar - I mean, I asked them if we could clean it up a little bit. But they said, "Well that’s not the way it happened." The bottom line is we’re trying to re-create something that actually happened, so we had to stick to those parameters. That’s the way they talked. They were comfortable talking to each other that way.
On meeting Kim Fowley with Kristen: My first day of shooting, I hadn’t met him yet. We did a scene and at the end of the day Joan and Kristen were like, "You should really meet him; you’re playing this guy." I was like, "Yeah, you’re right." So they set up a dinner. We had dinner at this Denny’s in the Valley, and he came with all these pictures and clippings, told me his whole life story in about two hours.
Floria Sigismondi on how Kristen got cast: It started with Art Linson, he’d worked with her on Into the Wild, so I saw her in that - the short amount of time she was on screen, she was so captivating. Her eyes just tell a lot. And when I think of teenagers, and these girls, too, teenagers don’t really sit there and express their feelings and talk - it’s all in the face. I really wanted someone who would emote visually, not talking that much. She’s got that kind of quality. So when I met her, I instantly knew I wanted her for Joan.
Floria on Dakota joining things: Dakota kind of became that age right at the time we started to cast, so I was writing and I hadn’t thought of her. When she was interested, I was really excited because of the fact that everybody’s grown up with her and that you would know how it would feel for a 15-year-old to do the things she did.
Floria on getting the girls ready to rock: We put them through some lessons, but [Kristen] already knew how to play guitar, but really just to have them kind of polish up - actually all the girls. And then Dakota, I actually put her in front of a live band to rehearse so she knew what it would feel like to compete against drums and big amps and really loud music.
Floria on Kristen’s transformation into Joan: I could see her change onstage when she was rehearsing with the girls - from the back, her body started to change, really, physically transform. And I think it was because she was standing like Joan does and getting that kind of arch in her shoulders and so that was really interesting to see.
Floria on how Joan’s presence on set affected Kristen: It gave her a comfort level that if she veered to something wrong, someone would say something. They had a close relationship.

High Society's Tinsley Mortimer Talks Reality, Outrageous Comments, and Bad Behavior

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:30:31 -0700

Did you catch last week's premiere of High Society? On the latest reality show set among the rich, Tinsley Mortimer is the girl in the center - an NYC socialite going through a public divorce with a cast of outrageous friends, enemies, and frenemies around her.

I got to chat with Tinsley about the show and upcoming episodes today - and of course, her response to the wildly offensive behavior of costars Jules Kirby and Paul Johnson Calderon.

On controversial friends Jules and PJC:
Look, nobody said that these were my best friends, obviously. There are people on the show that I'm closer with than others. Paul is somebody that I've known for years - he used to date my former husband's brother - he is like that, but he's actually really funny and he just kind of amps it up and plays it up. With or without the cameras, he's going to do those sort of things. But he just kind of likes the attention; he's just kind of playing and being kind of frivolous and careless and those things. He's a fun guy and I don't spend so much time with him all the time, but I do see him out a lot at night and he can be fun.

Jules - obviously that [Kirby's use of the N-word in the premiere] was tremendously shocking. I didn't see any of that stuff because I wasn't there when they were filming it, so to hear her comments is outrageous. And of course I've never been around her when she's ever said anything like that, but I would never tolerate that. Again, I'm friends with her through my sister, I have spent nights out with her, but I've never heard her say that. She did, in fact, say those things, and it's not accepted; it's really shocking and horrible. I think you'll see that the show doesn't tolerate her behavior either, and she will inevitably face the consequences of her behavior.

To read more of my interview with Tinsley, including why she's beefing with Devorah Rose and why her Prince boyfriend flipped out last week, just read more.

On why villainess Devorah Rose dislikes her:
Devorah came on the show and started to say a lot of things that are completely untrue. Of course that's going to cause tension and drama, and it was completely shocking to me. I was never friends with her and certainly now never will be after the things that she said. But it's difficult - to come out on television and lie about somebody . . . I really don't know why she did it, I have no idea.
On whether we'll see more of her boyfriend, Prince Casimir, and why he freaked out in the first episode:
I don't want to spoil anything, but you will see him a bit. It's crazy - it's weird to see, on a reality show, the cameras being referenced, because usually you want them to be behind the scenes, of course. And he is very uncomfortable with the cameras - when they got too close, he started to freak out. I was also completely shocked, I remember being there at the time and being so shocked by his behavior, but then watching it, I was floored. I can't even believe how he behaved, it was crazy. You will see him, you will see him a bit more.
On what viewers can look forward to this season:
My mom becomes this crazy character that says a lot of things that are upsetting to me, and you'll see a lot more of that. There's Jules, God, she's yelling at the housekeeper at the hotel where she lives with my sister - shocking. We'll see what happens with me in Paris. And certainly there's some girl fights, and some drinks getting thrown, some other crazy stuff. But it's not all about the craziness - there's other fun moments, fashion moments, and all that. It is a cutthroat world and people are always trying to get in top and it creates a lot of situations that are pretty dramatic.

Chris Weitz Wishes He Could Cut the Frolicking Vampire Scene From New Moon

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:17:58 -0800

Twilight fans still have a few months to go before Eclipse hits theaters this Summer, but they'll flock to the stores in a few weeks to pick up copies of New Moon on DVD on March 21. There are a few editions featuring all kinds of bonus features, and I was lucky enough to chat with director Chris Weitz on everything from his favorite scene, to Rob and Kristen's relationship, to what he wishes had ended up on the cutting room floor.

There are lots of different editions of the New Moon DVD. Which bonus features are you particularly excited about? I'm excited that my voice will finally be heard! For me, the fun thing was doing the commentary with Peter Lambert, my editor, because it kind of re-created the atmosphere in the cutting room. Peter's a really funny guy, and we were able to delve into not only the behind-the-scenes moments, but to explain why certain things were shot or cut together in certain ways. So that, for me, was the most fun.
When you go back and watch it again, are there things you'd like to change if you could? I would like to never have shot Rob and Kristen running through the forest and Kristen's just turned into a vampire. Because everybody always laughs and it makes me feel terrible. [Laughs] I would have shot it a different way so it wouldn't get that response. But otherwise, I'm very happy with things.
You must get lots of questions abut Rob and Kristen. Do you laugh it off or are you totally sick of hearing about it? I'm somewhat clueless - when you're the director, you're kind of like the school principal. Nobody really tells you anything. You really have no idea what's going on. I'm the last person who would know about this kinda stuff. I'm sure you could get more from reading the paper.

To see what Chris had to say about Breaking Dawn and his favorite scenes in New Moon, just read more.

What was your favorite scene to shoot in New Moon? I'm very fond of the memories that a lot of the scenes invoke in me. My favorite scene is probably somewhere between the very last scene, and the cliffhanger that it's left on, and the scenes in Italy. Just the experience shooting those scenes was so magnificent. We were in this beautiful hillside town in Tuscany, and going home to fresh-made pasta every night, and surrounded by thousands of fans of the series while we were shooting it. I know I'll never experience anything like that ever again.
We still don't know who will be directing Breaking Dawn, but what's your take on the rumors that it will likely be two movies, possibly in 3D? 3D seems to be the new thing that everything has to be. I think the good thing about 3D is that it can lend tremendous depth to a picture, and really make it extraordinarily lush, visually. And also that it gets people to go out to the theater. Film directors want people to see things in the theater, on the big screen, at least the first time. So that's a good thing. As for the book being broken up into two films, I think it's a good idea. There's so much material in the final book that I think it's warranted.
How would you direct Breaking Dawn? Very carefully, because I think that you want to deliver the fans a faithful version of the book that they love. Yes, there's a lot of extraordinary goings-on. So it'll have to be done carefully.
How do you think the movie franchise has been affected by using different directors? I think it's good for it, because I think there's a tremendous amount of coherence thanks to a very strong cast, who care about getting their characters right. And I think that the fans' interested will be un-dimmed, and I think it's interesting to see the different visual approaches, different stylistic versions, different choices that different filmmakers take.
Are you excited to see Eclipse, or will you inevitably be thinking about how you would have done it differently? I'm really excited to see it. I'm very excited to see it. I'm sure he's done a really great job. I think that he's, amongst other things, a much better action director than I am. So I'm really keen to see the action sequences. I think that there are a lot of things that I would have been very daunted by the prospect of shooting, which he will have taken in stride. I'm excited to see it whenever I can.

Zach Levi and Joshua Gomez on Chuck and Morgan's Bromance

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:58:49 -0800

Now that those pesky Olympics are finally out of the way, tonight kicks off the return of some of my favorite shows - and Chuck is right at the top of my list! The last we saw of Chuck and the gang, Chuck and Hannah were locking lips (much to poor Morgan's chagrin), while Sarah explored her feelings for Shaw. Zach Levi and Joshua Gomez hopped on a conference call with reporters the other day to chat about Chuck and Morgan's relationship and what's left for the rest of the season.

Gomez on the evolution of Chuck and Morgan's relationship: I think that Morgan and Chuck have both obviously and in sort of parallel ways mirrored each other throughout these three seasons in their own different ways. But they both have matured, they both have become different people from where we started. I mean, you look back at that and you go wow, you know, I was eating garbage out of a refrigerator in the break room and now, you know, now I still do that but less. And as an assistant manager I do it. So, yeah, (intending) with Chuck, you know, I mean, he's sort of - you know, he's obviously come a long, long way. So, you know, and I think their relationship reflects that, you know, they're sort of different men now and - but that's also - that also saddens me, you know, I miss the old Chuck and Morgan sometimes.
Levi on how Morgan's new role as assistant manager will affect Chuck You'll see how it, you know, progresses and affects both Morgan's character and my character, you know, and my ability to sneak out the way that I always do. I'm surprised it's taken this long to be honest. Like how do I keep leaving the Buy More and never come back with really any results? Maybe like a black eye. I don't think I've sold or fixed anything in three years.

To see what the guys had to say about a new love interest for Morgan and whether or not Morgan and Chuck will duke it out for Hannah, just read more.

Gomez on whether Morgan will punish Chuck for hooking up with Hannah: I don't think Morgan would be capable. I think that it's an honest true friendship and I just think that if there's any kind of whatever, it's like hey, you know, I think it's always been a thing of like talk to me dude and, you know, Chuck's wanting to do nothing more than talk to Morgan. You know, if there was a person that would understand and be, you know, Chuck realizes it would be, you know, Morgan. Not that he wouldn't be maybe a liability to the world's safety but I just mean as a friend goes I don't think it's in Morgan's nature to, you know, do anything that would cause, you know, direct hurt to his friend, you know, or anything malicious.
Gomez on whether or not Morgan will get a new love interest: Nothing permanent that I think plays out in this season. But he stays the lone wolf. I think he has bigger things on his plate. And so, you know, Buy More is, you know, assistant managing is tough biz, no it's not really actually I do nothing. But, yeah, so unfortunately no.
Levi on Emmett's abrupt death: Very shocking and certainly, you know, kind of started the season off I think letting everyone know like hey there's going to be some gnarly stuff that happens. But it was unfortunate in many ways. I mean, Tony Hale is - I feel like I say the same thing about everybody who's on the show but - and it feels like, you know, when you say it about everybody maybe you don't mean it about anyone. But I truly do, and Tony Hale is wicked talented. So smart, so funny, such a sweetheart, was a pleasure to have him on the show and was really a bummer to see him shot. You know, we found ourselves in a place with the show where, you know, coming back by the skin of our teeth we didn't have all the resources in the world to keep the show going the way that it was going as far as monetarily being able to keep everyone around and, you know, we have a lot of cast members and a lot of people to service. And so I'm not sure all of the things that went into ultimately the decision of having Emmett go bye-bye. But I do believe that they, you know, that Josh and Chris and our other writers I think they handled it in a really good way. And I know that Tony enjoyed his time with us and, you know, and I hope that, you know, I hope that he gets to come back and play Emmett's twin brother or something, I mean. Or maybe Emmett's not really dead, you know, you never know.
Levi on Christopher Lloyd's upcoming guest spot: When I found out Christopher Lloyd was doing our show I think I had an accident in my pants. Now I just need a hoverboard and my life will be complete.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Bryan Greenberg Talks About How to Make It in America

BuzzSugar — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:30:36 -0800

HBO premieres new series How to Make It in America tonight, the latest venture from producer Mark Wahlberg. Like Entourage, we're following a group of guy friends - but this time we're on the isle of Manhattan. At the center of the story is Ben, an aspiring designer hustling his way to the top of one of the biggest fashion scenes - alongside his business partner and BFF Cam.

I've already shared some first photos of the series, but I recently chatted with star Bryan Greenberg who plays Ben to get his take. Greenberg is no stranger to TV, given his turns on shows like October Road. Still, he'll be the first to admit that he's not usually known for stuff this edgy (remember when he crooned on his guitar on One Tree Hill?). Listen in:

On why he loves his new gig: "It’s an amazing project, a really intelligent series. It's fun! We shot it in all the cool locations in New York. I'm working with really talented directors like Julian Farino and other guys like Joshua Marston who did Maria Full of Grace and Jonathan Levine of The Wackness. Working at HBO, everything's quality over there. They take risks, and this show has an edge to it. It's different for me, because it's a little edgier. I loved it - I hope I can come back for a second season."

To hear more from Greenberg (including his own story of how he made it), just read more.

On shooting in New York: "It’s awesome, 'cause I'm from the Midwest and I live in L.A., but I consider myself a New Yorker from the time I spent here [as a student at NYU], and I'm just in love with the city. I've been all over the world, and this is my favorite place to be. I constantly work in New York; people think I'm a New Yorker for some reason, but I'll take it because it's the best city in the world. For How to Make It, I'm hanging out with downtown artists, skateboarders, DJs, a fast-paced nightlife crowd - a whole street culture vibe that I was aware of just peripherally, but I've never been immersed into like I was."

On what he's doing with his own group of friends to celebrate the premiere: "We just had the premiere Tuesday night, and it was unbelievable. It was great turnout, and the reception so far has been over the moon, and I'm really excited about it. So I'm enjoying the ride. I'll be back in L.A. Sunday night, probably hanging out with friends, and get a drink. I don't know."

On his own hustling, how-he-made-it story: "As soon as I finished at NYU, I was living in New York in a small East Village apartment with my roommate and my girlfriend at the time. I was working as a mortgage broker assistant, a caterer, bartender, waiter - it was definitely hustling to get auditions and try to make it to Hollywood. But you have to."

Buzz Interview: Britt Robertson Talks Lux on Life Unexpected

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:00:00 -0800

I've been digging the CW's heartfelt midseason hit Life Unexpected, and as of last week's second episode, you guys are too. Tonight we'll be treated to another installment following adopted teen Lux, played by Britt Robertson. I had a chance to chat with Robertson about her character, her hopes for the show's relationships (love triangle ahead), her costars (she's roommates with Shiri Appleby!), and the show's warm reception. Here are highlights:

On the positive reaction to the show: It's really exciting! We came in the second day after it premiered and everyone was so excited, like "Oh we did so well," and everybody's happy. It's just nice; we've been doing it for a few months now and we've been really working and feeling connected to this project, so it's nice to actually have people watch it, and like it, for that matter. It's just a great feeling and it makes us want to work even harder.
On whether she did research into the foster system: I did. I didn't know any foster children, I hadn't experienced group homes or people who had been adopted in their life, so I definitely had to do some research. I went online, I read a lot of blogs. It was important to connect with that side of Lux, and to know people who felt positive about the system and also had negative experiences, because I think that was Lux. There's a lot of good and there's a lot of bad, and to have both sides of the story was really important. I also did some research with a specific program called the Casey Family Program in Pasadena, CA, that specifically gears itself toward 18- to 25-year -olds who are trying to get emancipated and trying to get out of the system, and so I thought that that would be pretty helpful for what Lux is going through.

To hear what else Robertson had to say, just read more.

On the appeal of the show: One of the great things about the show is that our characters are really real, and they're different and they're put in these extraordinary circumstances. It's really cool; it's a really great show you want to sort of dive in to, and really feel for these characters. You want them to explore all these relationships and explore all these emotions, and you want to go on this ride with them, and I think that's the great appeal for our show.
On whether she was a fan of Gilmore Girls or Juno, which the show has been compared to: Yeah! I actually didn't start watching Gilmore Girls until it was off the air because my sister became obsessed with all the DVDs, and she was like, you have to watch this, so I finally watched it and was like, wow this is really good, so I really got into it, but I got into it after the fact but it's a great show nonetheless. And Juno was such a great movie, especially for independent film. Ellen Page is brilliant, and Diablo Cody is a tremendous writer, and so it does lend itself to being original and creative and I think that's what our show is.
On her relationship with TV parents Shiri Appleby and Kristoffer Polaha: With Shiri, she does this funny thing - she'll do it with everyone - she's just a very maternal person. She just takes care of people, it's in her nature. So she definitely does that with me, but I feel like offscreen we're definitely more friends than mother and daughter. We're roommates in real life here in Vancouver, and so we definitely have the offscreen friendship; at the same time, she gives me advice all the time, and Kristoffer gives me advice. But we definitely have a great relationship offset, but it's not too far different from what you see onscreen.
On how she came to be roommates with Appleby: She house-swapped with a friend of hers and had a spare bedroom and was like, "You want to live with me?" and I was like, "OK." And it just so happened to work out, and it works for the show. I think now that we've gotten to know each other so well, it really sparks onscreen in the later episodes.
On whether she watched costars Kerr Smith on Dawson's Creek and Appleby on Roswell and the weirdness factor: I did - I was obsessed with Dawson's Creek, and I actually tuned into Roswell in the later seasons. It is a little bit bizarre, but you know, it's been a while since I've watched. Roswell was on eight years ago or something, and Dawson's Creek was a while ago, so it's weird, it's like when I was younger these were the people I looked up to and watched and now that I'm older, they're my parents! It's kind of a bizarre thing. But I see them as who they are as people and not really who they are as characters now, but originally it was kind of weird.
On who she wants to see Cate with: I think Lux sort of wants Cate and Ryan to be together. I don't think she really sees a Cate/Baze relationship until later in the season; I think she keys into it a little bit, as does everyone. I think for me personally, it's hard because I think Cate and Ryan have such good chemistry, and Cate and Baze have such different chemistry. I feel like my mind changes every scene that I see them in. They all do such a great job of that, sort of coaxing the audience one way or another.
On frustrations she has with her character: In the beginning episodes Lux can't seem to feel OK with having these people as being her parents after 16 years. They were just her biological parents for so long, and they become her real parents and they start parenting her, and I think she doesn't know how to handle that, and she becomes a little bitter and angsty in the beginning because she has all this pent-up aggression from the past, and I think that's frustrating because I'm like, "Get over it, just love them already, they love you!" But it's hard because she has to go on this journey to find herself and reconnect with her past in order to feel like she's able to be their daughter.
On what 's coming for Lux: She goes to a new school, she meets new friends, a new guy. She ends up dealing with her past family and sort of incorporating them into her new family, and just sort of settling into her own and settling into this new family. You'll see what her life was like before meeting Cate and Baze and get a glimpse into her past.
On being happy her show is wholesome: It's exciting that it's a show my whole family can watch - my brother and my sisters and my mom and my dad - they can all watch it as a family and they're not like, "Close your eyes" or "Don't listen to that"or "Don't do that." It's something they can watch and I can be proud of and they don't have to shield their eyes or anything.

Buzz Interview: Katee Sackhoff Sees a New Day

BuzzSugar — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:00:00 -0800

You probably recognize Katee Sackhoff from her iconic role as Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, but the actress is ready to keep her feet on the ground as a newcomer on 24. Sackhoff will be playing Dana Walsh, a CTU analyst with some skeletons in her closet. Season eight kicks off its big season premiere tomorrow night, and I recently had the chance to chat with Katee about her character, Kiefer Sutherland, and why she still hasn't seen Avatar. Here are highlights:

On landing her new part: I was excited. When it was presented to me, I had another offer to do a TV show at the same time. As a fan of 24, I was so curious. I dug a little deeper and talked to the producers about it, and obviously I had auditioned for it. Ultimately it was such a great move for me, creatively and career-wise. I just kind of jumped at it, it was fantastic. And I continue to be excited about it, it's great.
On the sense of camaraderie on the set: It's all like a big family. 24, if there's anything they do well, it's welcome new cast members. They have so many new cast members that come on every single season that they're very good at it. Especially Mary Lynn [Rajskub], she's like "Hey, welcome aboard, I hope you don't die!" So, it's great. I've learned over the years to treat this as a job and not get too caught up in it and emotionally attached to anything. It's difficult but it has served me well on 24, because you never know what's comin'. I'm very aware that my place on 24 and in this business is finite.
On keeping things light on the set: Kiefer has Air Supply "All Outta Love" on his cell phone. So every time it rings, we hear Air Supply. That kind of starts it. Like, at one point we all broke into song. So it's great. Kiefer is a very, very, very funny man. I know that on the panels he doesn't show that side of him, but he is absolutely hysterical and everyone on the show has a great sense of humor. It's pretty easy to have fun.

To see what else Katee had to say about loving sci-fi fans and leaving Battlestar in the dust, just read more.

On preparing for a role when you never know what's next: You just have to be committed to every moment that you play. It's a blessing and a curse, but I knew a little bit more about my character than most people would going in, just because I had so many questions about it. It hasn't shocked me too much, and I kinda knew how to play her. But it's definitely something that you have to think about, that they could turn you into a German tomorrow. You have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen.
On BSG's rabid fan base: I love the fans. I owe Battlestar and SyFy channel so much that the only reason I would be sick of it is if I didn't have something to look forward to right now. Because I do, I get to look back on it fondly instead of with resentment. It's great. I love the show, I love the fans. It's phenomenal. I have no desire to go back - it was two years ago, and I've definitely left it behind me, and I've moved on to hopefully just as exciting work.
On loving sci-fi: I grew up watching Star Trek, because in my family we had one television and two channels. So it was between Star Trek and the mating rituals of beavers. With a school teacher for a mother, you're kind of like, "Dang it, please don't make me watch another beaver special." So I definitely love sci-fi. The first movie I ever remember watching with my father was Alien. Sigourney Weaver is still my favorite actress of all time. I could only hope to have the career she's had. She's pretty amazing.
On Avatar: I haven't seen Avatar yet, 'cause I'm avoiding it until people stop seeing it. I'm not very good with crowds. I went to go see Sherlock Holmes over the holiday, and there were so many people in there. I cracked open my beer and everyone turned, and I was like "Why is everyone looking at me? Oh, it's because I snuck beer into the theater. I forgot about that." I like to sit there and pull out my food from home, like my veggie snacks and my Miller 64. I don't want to be judged. So I'm gonna wait until people stop seeing Avatar, and I'll be like the second billion dollars they make.
Will we ever see her in comedy? I don't see anyone hiring me for a half hour comedy in the near future. Which is fine, I enjoy drama. And for right now, I'll do what people want to see me do. Which is beat people up.

Alison Brie Talks Dancing on Mad Men and Loving Community

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:30:00 -0800

Joel McHale wasn't the only Community cast member I chatted with at the 2010 Winter TCA. I also was lucky enough to talk to adorable Alison Brie, who pulls double duty as Annie on the show and as Trudy on Mad Men. Brie gushed about how much fun she has on the set of Community, mentioning that Annie will be getting a new love interest on the show (yay!), and also dishing on her hopes for Trudy. Here are highlights:

On Community: We're having so much fun, I can't even tell you. I drive to work every day - Danny Pudi, for Christmas, amongst other gifts, he gave us a mix CD of music from the show, and inspired by . . . so I've been listening to it in my car on the way to work, and I'm such a jerk to other people sitting in traffic going to these jobs that they hate, and I'm like "I love my job! I'm so happy to go to work!" We're just having the best time.
On the atmosphere on the set: It's such mayhem all the time. We won't shut up. Everybody talks and jokes constantly. It's like kids on a playground. It's great. It really trickles down into the episodes. They let us have our fun onset and through that, our jokes in between takes, we're working in little things that are making their way into the next takes. It's amazing. I love these people, we all felt instantly connected after we shot the pilot, and now after five months of working together I think we feel even closer. It's amazing.
On working with Joel McHale: You can't keep a straight face around Joel because he is ready to make fun of your outfit, or your hair, or your taste in music at any time. And you just want him to, because he's so charming.
On the next season of Mad Men: I can't even begin to imagine what's going to happen on that show. I just want to still be involved. I would love to see Trudy trying to help out in the new office and it being a disaster. It was great to shoot the finale and shoot that scene where she brings them all sandwiches.

To see what Brie had to say about working with Jack Black and upcoming guest stars, just read more.

On shooting tonight's episode: We have Jack Black, who came and shot with us. It was amazing. It was as good as you would think it would be. We were all so excited to have him there, and he's just so laid-back and cool, and then just turned it on and was Jack Black. He's dreamy! We were all awkward fangirls and -boys, wanting to hang out with him between takes. But he was super cool, just hung out with us and was very gracious to do it. He tries to join our study group in the episode but he's a little unstable and we have a problem with that.
On upcoming guest stars: We just learned that we're gonna have Katherine McPhee guest starring, so that should be fun. She'll be playing Chevy's stepdaughter, I think. So we'll see what happens with that.
What else can we expect on Community? Annie gets a love interest which is cute. It's fun to see Annie blossom out of her shell. She's becoming more of a woman, romantically. And in other ways maturing. And that's fun to play, to go back to that time and seeing everything for the first time and think of your first crush, and your first kiss. It makes it a fun character for me to play because she's so naive and constantly learning so much about life.
On the Jeff and Annie kiss: I don't know what's gonna happen with the Jeff and Annie thing, that was sort of unexpected. You know, the writers throw so many different things out and kinda see where we go with them. When we shot the debate episode I do not think it was the writers plan to have Jeff and Annie end up together but the fan feedback was so incredible, and very supportive of that union. I'm sure the writers are taking that into consideration, but the age difference might be a bit of a problem.
On filming that amazing dance sequence on Mad Men: We actually took lessons, Vincent Kartheiser and I, for maybe three weeks or so before shooting that episode. And then we practiced a bit in our free time. It was so much fun. When we shot the scene, it was a long scene that party scene. It went on into the night and by the time we got around to shooting the Charleston it was maybe 2 a.m., 3 a.m., and luckily the dance is so fun and upbeat that we didn't have to do it too many times. We just got right out there and had a blast.

Buzz Interview: Donald Faison and Dave Franco on Scrubs 2.0

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:45:02 -0800

Scrubs is finally back tonight, but not without a complete Sacred Heart shakeup: founding star Zach Braff will only appear in a handful of episodes at the beginning of the season, but to cushion the blow, we'll meet three brand new characters. The newbies include Dave Franco (yes, James's younger bro), who plays one of the new med students mentored by Turk, Donald Faison's character.

I'm super excited about the changes on the show and very curious about the new focus - so it was lucky that I was treated to a chat this week with Franco and Faison about what the new characters and roles mean for Scrubs this season.

Donald, on whether there's a new vibe on the show: It's definitely new. It's a new show but it pretty much has the same vibe. It's still wacky, still very fast paced; there's just new characters in the world. It opens up the world and fans get to see what it's like to be a med student this time, instead of an intern. If anything, it definitely in my opinion will bring more viewers to the show strictly because of these guys: one, they're funny, two, they're all good, and three, they're all, really really gorgeous.
Dave, on his character, Cole: Cole is a med student, and his father pretty much paid for the hospital on campus. So it allows Cole to pretty much do and say whatever he wants, which results in him being an ass to everyone. No one really likes him, including his girlfriend. But as the episodes go on you kind of see a different side to him, and kind of understand why he is such a jerk to everyone and hopefully start to sympathize with him a little bit.

To hear what else Donald and Dave had to say about the show and whether James Franco will guest star (I had to ask!), just read more.

Donald, on the most exciting part of the new Scrubs: Just being back is exciting for me. I'm gonna keep it real with you, I'm trying to make history here! I got a long ways to go, but I'm trying to make history here - I'm trying to be the first African-American on television for over 20 years. I'm just saying, I'm going for it. Over 20 years. I'm trying to do a 30-year stint. It's just great, that's what's really exciting - it's great to be back and working with these fresh new faces and it's great that they're all as excited as I am.
Dave, whether Cole has any redeeming qualities: He's ridiculous - he's out there but he tells it like it is. He says what he thinks, and also, you'll find out in his own weird way he is a good boyfriend. It's easy to laugh at him; he laughs at himself, and hopefully you'll either like him or love to hate him.
Donald, on whether Turk has to grow up this season: He's a mentor now, so he has to a little bit. But I think Turk kind of feels like he's one of the guys, one of the kids, and they quickly tell him that he's not.
Donald, on who gets voice over duties with Zach Braff gone: There's a new character, and the great thing about it is that Zach does six episodes at the start of the series, and so it's an easy transition for the new character, Lucy, played by Kerry Bishe, to do the voice over, because the story's about the med students this year.
Donald, explaining Carla's absence: She's at home with the kids! They have a lot of kids now, so Turk is at work trying to make money to pay for his children.
Dave, on being one of many new cast members: It definitely was nice to have some other new people with me who could relate. We're surrounded by very genuine, grounded people, which honestly is lucky. From the very the start they've been so welcoming and have done everything they can to make us as comfortable as possible, and at this point there really isn't a single person on set who I don't get along with. It kind of stems from the creator, Bill Lawrence. He has this policy - the "No Hassle Policy" - where no matter how talented you might be, he won't hire you if he doesn't think you're a good person. So it's a really, really, fun, easy set to be on.
On whether Dave's brother James will stop by for a guest appearance:
Dave: I don't know; he's a busy guy, he's got a lot of stuff going on. It would be cool, but he's done his hospital show on ABC and i don't think he necessarily needs to do another one.
Donald: We've already got a Franco on Scrubs! We don't need another one! That's too many Francos! This ain't The Franco Show!

Buzz Interview: Jason Reitman Talks Clooney and Up in the Air

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:30:44 -0800

I've been anxiously anticipating Jason Reitman's third film, Up in the Air, from the moment I first read about the project. With George Clooney on board I was practically giddy, so imagine how excited I was to have the opportunity to talk to the director himself when he stopped in San Francisco during his promotional tour.

The film is one of the many buzz-worthy December movies, and it opens in limited release this Friday. Reitman talked about everything from Clooney to the economy to how he handles garnering so much acclaim for his first three films. Here are the highlights:

On traveling: I love travel and there’s a reason I started doing this movie - even when I started doing commercials I’ve been a psychotic frequent flier, so I enjoy it. I enjoy having the itinerary, going to the airport, I enjoy the being nowhere and unplugging which being on an airplane allows you to do.
On whether or not he fell victim to one of Clooney's pranks: No, there wasn’t, I’m sorry I wish I had a better story. But we were making a movie at the end of the day. And it was a shorter shot - maybe he’s used to these Ocean movies where they have time for fun, but we were hauling ass, so no fun stories.

To see what Jason had to say about working with his father, Ivan Reitman, and how he's grown since making Juno, just read more.

On whether he intended to make a film about the current state of the economy: No. First of all, it’s based on a book, so I found the book seven years ago and I started adapting it and it basically took me six years to write, and I never intended to make a movie about the economy. The economy doesn’t interest me as much as [it's] just sort of a backdrop or metaphor for human connection, which was more important to me and that’s what I wanted to tell a story about. But certainly as the world changed and we went from an economic boom to one of the worst recessions on record, I had to take it seriously and scenes that were originally humorous were scenes that I had to make authentic and real and dramatic. And that’s why I started to use real people for people who’ve lost their jobs, people who actually lost their job instead of actors. I never wanted to be Michael Moore, as much as I respect him as a filmmaker. He has a tendency to try to give you answers and try to push people to believe something, and my point of view is to push people to be as open-minded as possible and not judge, so I think I have agenda-less films and hopefully they act more as a mirror so you simply see yourself in it.
On using "anti-heroes" in his films: I don’t know why I'm drawn to anti-heroes but I certainly am, I made three films. The first one [Thank You For Smoking] is about the head lobbyist for a big tobacco, second one’s [Juno] about a pregnant teenager, and the third one’s about a guy who fires people for a living. So for whatever reason I guess I’m somewhat contrary and I enjoy humanizing tricky characters. There was a line in the Thank You For Smoking book that said working for Greenpeace is easy, working for the Red Cross is easy, try working for big tobacco - that’s a job. And I can’t help but think the same way to a certain extent about filmmaking. Humanizing good people is kind of boring and I don’t really see the value in it. Showing romance of two people who are just kind of charming and deserve each other, what’s the work in that, what’s the value in that? Humanizing tricky characters for me is exhilarating and making audience films out of indie subjects excites me. At the end of the day I don’t know why I’m drawn to it.
On why Up in the Air is more deeply personal than his previous films: Each one of my movies is addressing a question I have for myself. Thank You For Smoking was about being libertarian and having a heart at the same time, Juno was about the moment you decide to grow up and it was personal for me. I had a child right before I started Juno and I felt like I was going through all the character’s experience and I was constantly drawing on my own emotions while making that film, but this was a script that I wrote over six years, and six very important years. When I first started writing I was single, I was a commercial director, I basically had zero life responsibility, and over six years I became a feature film director, I got married, I have a beautiful daughter, and I started to learn what was important in life, at least for me. And when I first read the script (because I would never go back and reread I would just go forward over those years), so five years in when I finally went back and read it, it was like watching myself grow up and watching myself re-evaluate what was important to me and I could watch my own sophistication change. So to have a film that speaks to so many questions I have, and perhaps the most important question of all - where do you find purpose in life and what do you want in your life, who and what do you want to play your life with? That makes it exceedingly personal, and you never know, maybe two years from now I’ll say this was the most important film, but I can’t help but think that they are very transformative years in my life and they get encapsulated in this film. You don’t have a question, you just have a camera.
On other actors he'd like to work with: I really love Laura Linney, I really love Rachel McAdams, love Joan Allen, I love Matt Damon, I think he’s actually really great . . . who else? I like Jonah Hill a lot, I like Seth Rogen. I mean, everyone I’ve worked with is great. Right now it becomes one of those hard things where, do you ever have that thing where you have old friends and you meet someone new, and then you have that new friend then you want to spend all this time with your new friend, but you also want to spend time with your old friends? I think that’s kind of how it is with actors. I got all these actors that I’ve already worked with that I really want to work with again. I worked with Rick Allen again, and Allison Janney, and Anna Kendrick is phenomenal and I want to work with her again, and Danny McBride. And then there’s the new group, and it’s like, if I work with the person I’ve already worked with, it’s like I already know how great they are and I know won’t be disappointed. I do get excited about working with new people.
On writing roles for actors: It’s kind of cool, I never know if people are going to say yes, there are plenty of people that will certainly say no, but there is a very good chance of them saying yes and that’s an exciting way to work. This movie I wrote for eight of the actors that are in it. It was cool to write for George and for Vera and for Anna and Danny and Zach and J.K, and Bateman, to know that they’re going to show up, it’s a cool feeling to have as you’re writing.
On working with his father Ivan Reitman for the first time: It's interesting because I avoided working with my dad for a while because I was so sensitive of being accused of the idea of nepotism, and it’s been important to me for so long to establish myself on my own. I remember when I was 19 years old I started a desk calendar company to pay for my first short film just so I could say one day my daddy didn’t pay for my first short film. And I really established myself through the film festival world, starting at Sundance and lots of film festivals and really took on a different style of film from my father and made my first two movies on my own, and really it was once after the second film that I felt, "OK, I think I’ve established myself as a director now and I’m going to go do a movie." But it’s something I’ve been looking forward to because I love my father and we have such a strong bond and I look up to him as a filmmaker and a storyteller, so it was great and when I see the credits and it says produced by Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, my heart swells. It’s really really cool.
On how he's grown as a director: There’s nothing like "Oh, that was the day I learned to do this," it’s more so you just become a more sophisticated filmmaker. I mean, look, the job is this: I have an idea and I want the audience to feel something specific. I want at each moment to articulate something in a way so that I make you laugh here, and make you envious here and I make your heart swell here, romance here, you feel heartbroken here, and as a director you get better and better at nailing those moments specifically. So when I look back at Thank You For Smoking, I see broad strokes but some of the detail work is not as strong as my last film. And that’s just over three films, so my only hope is that as I continue to make more and more films I’ll get better and better at making them, because you make 2,000 decisions a day as a director, sometimes more, even if you’re not even thinking about it, even if you’re responding to something. So you just become better at making these tiny, tonal decisions that if you add them up almost like a binary thing, they amount to the feelings so that when the joke happens or the line happens or the moment happens or when the song comes in, the audience feels it right there.
On handling success and awards show buzz: Well look, first of all it’s wonderful. And film festivals are really how I establish myself as a director, and I counted on them to give me legitimacy. So when a film festival honors me it really hits home for me, and as far as moving forward - I never a make a movie with the intention of some sort of award or nomination or whatever it is. I really just try to tell movies that are in my heart and I know when I respond to something - I read a book or an article or something and I have an instinctual response to it and I just try to follow that all the way through and I’ve been lucky. So far, [I've made] three movies people seem to like, but there’s a bad one waiting around the corner for me. Honestly, it happens. And my hope is that as long as I make movies for the right reasons, the ones that fail won’t hurt as much as if I made a movie for the wrong reasons, like I made it for money or something big, then I imagine the failing would hurt more.