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GenArt & Delta Team Up For Sundance Shorts

Molly — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 11:02:20 PDT

Think you'll never have a chance to get to Sundance? Well, if you're into making shorts this is your lucky day. For the second year, GenArt and Delta airlines are teaming up for a short film competition, "Delta's Fly-In Movies." Filmmakers are invited to submit short films into the contest and five finalists' movies will be shown on Delta flights and flown out to the Sundance Film Festival where the winner will be announced and awarded $10,000 and a pair of round-trip plane tickets.

Viewers on both the selected transcontinental Delta flights as well as online (where the finalists' films will be available) will be able to vote for the winner. I'll probably end up catching the films online, but the inflight viewing idea is great. Considering the impulse to watch whatever an airline is showing, no matter how insipid, the thought of watching a few short films sounds like the perfect way to cut the boredom on a lengthy cross-country flight. Very cool. If you're interested in learning more, check out the full set of rules and regulations here. Thanks to Cinematical for the heads up on this competition!

Plane image source

Some "Glamorous" Short Films By Hudson, Dunst, Wilson

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:29:08 PDT

A while back I brought you the preview for Julia Stiles' short film directorial debut, Raving, which stars the lovely Zooey Deschanel. Stiles' project was a part of a women-in-film series put on by Elle Magazine, and now there's news of the next crop of short filmmakers for Glamour's film project, Reel Moments. The series gives female A-listers the opportunity to adapt and create short films based on essays submitted by Glamour readers. Next up in the series: films by Kate Hudson, Kirsten Dunst and Rita Wilson.

Hudson's movie sounds the most intriguing: "The '70s-period father-daughter story stars Kurt Russell opposite Dakota Fanning, comedian Kevin Hart and Chevy Chase. 'I'll get my brothers out there stopping traffic,' said Hudson, who has always enjoyed writing. 'Directing is something I always thought I'd do, but not in this way.'" I love that she got Chevy Chase to be in her movie.

About her own short film, Rita Wilson (wife of Tom Hanks, among other things) says, "'It's a story about someone getting in touch with who she is.' Jeanne Tripplehorn, Aisha Tyler, Camilla Bell and Channing Tatum star."

Details about Dunst's film were mysteriously missing from the Variety article, though we've gotten tidbits about it here and there in previous news items. Apparently it's a ghost story, and if Dunst has her way, her buddy Michelle Williams will star.

Source

Pearl's Final Performance Before Retirement

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:12:31 PDT

You probably remember little Pearl from her winning performance in the Will Ferrell short "The Landlord." Well, the good news is Pearl's back on screen in "Good Cop, Baby Cop," kicking ass and taking names. The bad news? This is Pearl's farewell performance!

According to the press release (thanks to PopCandy for posting this!), Pearl has issued the following statement:

“My ventures as an actor on the internet have been rewarding and spiritually fulfilling, but now I must look to broader challenges as I approach my 26th month,” says Pearl. “I shall always reflect upon these days with much fondness, and also, I have no idea what I just said, and I want banana-nana and the upside down show.”

In the short film, Pearl plays a ruthless cop known as "The Confession Machine," who brutally interrogates Will Ferrell's character. There is some strong language, so you may want to don some headphones. To watch the adorable - yet terrifying! - little star in her final performance,

Zooey Deschanel to Star in Julia Stiles' Short Film

BuzzSugar — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 10:13:29 PDT

Elle Magazine just got so much cooler: The women's magazine is getting into the production business, and it's kicking off a series of "creative projects" with a short film directed by Julia Stiles and starring Zooey Deschanel. The 20-minute movie, titled Raving, is about two strangers in New York "on destructive paths who, over the course of an extended encounter that starts out hostile, nudge each other toward something better." The film debuts on May 8 on the Sundance Channel.

As a 26-year-old who has never done anything remotely like directing, Stiles may seem like a shaky choice for this kind of project. But Deschanel's co-star, Bill Irwin, told Elle he was very impressed with her abilities:

"As an actor - and this is the ultimate compliment - I would love to do it again," says the Tony-winning Irwin. "A first-time director can give you pause, but even under the pressure of a four-day shoot when it's 102 degrees, Julia had the presence of mind to stop and think-and then say something just right."

In fact, the trailer for the film looks pretty good, especially the part at the end when Deschanel is singing "Hello, Dolly!" in her sultry voice. Check out the preview and tell me what you think.

Kristen Stewart Rocks Short Shorts to Party With Robert Pattinson

Katie Henry — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:33:00 PDT

Kristen Stewart slipped out of her Reem Acra gown and into a Dolce & Gabbana t-shirt and sexy black shorts for Robert Pattinson's Cosmopolis Cannes Fim Festival afterparty. Earlier in the evening, Rob hit the red carpet solo at the film's formal premiere while Kristen stuck close to his best friend, and her On The Road costar, Tom Sturridge. The trip to France came right in the middle of Kristen's international Snow White and the Huntsman press tour. The film opens in theaters June 1 and Kristen's headed back to the States next week for a few more promotional stops. As for Rob, he's in the running for two of the hottest roles in Hollywood. New reports say Rob's considering the part of Finnick Odair in Catching Fire, the follow up to The Hunger Games, and he's among the sexy guys competing to play Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey.

Jennifer Garner Sticks Close to Seraphina as Violet Finishes Up Her First School Year

Katie Henry — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:38:17 PDT

Jennifer Garner gave 3-year-old Seraphina Affleck a piggyback ride into the Brentwood Mart yesterday. The girls picked up a gift and coffee to go and then headed on their way. Later in the day, Jen spent one-on-one time with her eldest daughter, Violet, after school. Jen's been on a break from acting since giving birth to Samuel earlier this year, though she's making her debut on the Internet in a new short film. Jen stars with Alfred Molina in the Youtube feature Serena. Their 12-minute film documents a complicated relationship between a serial liar, played by Garner, and her priest, Molina.

Ben Affleck and Jen have a few more months to enjoy time at home with the family, including baby Samuel, before they return to work this Fall. He's starring in and directing the CIA thriller Argo, due out in October, and Jen shares the big screen with Joel Edgerton in Disney's The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which is set for release in August.

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Pregnant Sienna Miller Goes Boho With Her Maternity Style

Katie Henry — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:55:00 PDT

Pregnant Sienna Miller was all smiles during a stroll through her Primrose Hill neighborhood today. She stepped out in a short flowy dress and accessorized her baby bump with a low-slung belt. Sienna's been hanging in London while her fiancé Tom Sturridge traveled to Cannes for the world premiere of On the Road. Tom cleaned up his beard and wore a suit on the red carpet, where he posed alongside his big-screen costars Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, and Kirsten Dunst. Tom's best friend Robert Pattinson was also in Cannes to support Kristen and Tom's project. The film is expected in theaters later this year, which gives Tom more time to hang close to home with his own leading lady, Sienna.

Link Time: Watch Happy Food, a Film About the Perils of Fast Food

Susannah Chen — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:56:24 PDT

Watch Happy Food, a one-minute film on the perils of fast food - Eater
Know when to toss those leftovers - KitchenDaily
A look at Alice Waters's latest dining concept - The Braiser
Michelle Obama's new recipe contest - Delish
Behind the scenes at Food52 - Food52
The recipe that'll turn anyone into an anchovy lover - Yahoo! Shine
IHOP's going back to basics with breakfast - NRN
A stuffed burger that we can't wait to re-create - Zagat

Video: Jennifer Garner Confesses to Being a "Naughty" Nun in New Short Film

Karli Bulnes — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:43:41 PDT

Jennifer Garner stars in a new short film called Serena, in which she makes some outrageous confessions onscreen! Hear her talk about being a "naughty" nun in today's PopSugar Rush.