Fan Fare

“Ides of March” stars play politics, or not, at TIFF

Politics may make for good films, but don’t expect the stars of “The Ides of March” to run for office any time soon.

George Clooney, who directs and stars as governor Mike Morris in the political drama, has already said he isn’t interested in a real-life political career.

As for Ryan Gosling, who plays the central role of press attache Stephen Myers in the film about the U.S. Democratic primary race, when asked at the TIFF press conference on Friday if he would ever consider throwing his hat in the political ring, his answer was a blunt “No”.

Not even a little joke.

This from the man who earlier compared Clooney’s directing style to watching the birth of a unicorn. Perhaps working on a film about the dirty side of politics has made a cynic of the Canadian actor.

In “The Ides of March,” Gosling’s character becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game of sex and power in a critical look at the reality behind political rhetoric. Clooney said the film is not meant to be a commentary on the state of politics in the United States, but rather a look at human morality.

As for whether the morally ambivalent characters who dot the film could exist in the political sphere north of the border, Gosling said Canadians are just “too nice.”

from Global News Journal:

George Clooney, UN Security Council descend on Sudan

George Clooney has been roughing it recently, on the latest of his trips to Sudan to highlight the problems there. 

The Hollywood superstar and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador was touring semi-autonomous south Sudan ahead of a planned January 2011 referendum on whether southerners in Africa's biggest country should secede from the Khartoum-led north. Tensions are high because of fears the plebiscite could be delayed, sparking a new war between the predominantly Muslim north and the heavily animist and Christian south.

The U.N. Security Council delegation I traveled to Sudan with was in Juba, the scruffy capital of south Sudan, at the same time as Clooney. But we reporters never saw him. The  journalists covering the Security Council's African trip were barred from the party that Clooney, council diplomats and U.N. officials attended. According to several of those present, Clooney and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, had a long huddle to discuss the problems of Sudan, including the referendum and the 7-year-old conflict in Sudan's remote western Darfur region. Of course Sudan was not the only interesting thing about the evening -- one U.N. official boasted of having seven pictures of her and Clooney on her digital camera.

Leaving south Sudan was not so easy. Our plane had engine trouble and we were all marched to a Russian peacekeeper base. Four local Sudanese reporters with us were told by U.N. officials that there no sandwiches for them and initially ordered to remain on the press bus.

When the delegation boarded a different plane, it was discovered that there was one too many passengers on the aircraft. A U.N. security officer decided that a Sudanese Reuters photographer would have to leave the plane, even though he had been invited to join the delegation and had all his permits in order. The Reuters photographer protested but was told he would be ejected forcibly if he didn't comply. When I asked why he was being singled out, the answer was: "He was the last one on." The Reuters photographer realized that the only way to avoid an ugly confrontation was to retreat, so he did. The three other local Sudanese reporters -- one of whom was a Reuters cameraman -- joined him out of solidarity.   One diplomat noted that while all the other envoys went alone or with a single advisor, the U.S. ambassador brought two advisors and two security personnel. If her entourage had been smaller, the diplomat said, there wouldn't have been a problem with space. (Others, however, suggested that the strict security policies of the U.S. government might have made a smaller entourage impossible.)

Because of the tight schedule and security concerns, the council had far less time for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Abu Shouk refugee camp near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, than they had for George Clooney back in Juba.  

They spent around 15 minutes on the ground talking with refugees, who complained of hunger, unemployment and poor security in the camp. 

Mad Men, Modern Family win top Emmys as fresh faces abound

The Emmys got off to a fun start at 5 p.m. local time with organizers getting six of the comedy categories out of the way at the outset. But first: the requisite intro, which is sure to mortify Bruce Springsteen’s stoic fans.

5:05 p.m. Jimmy Fallon does Bruce Springsteen in a Glee-style version of “Born to Run.” He grabs Jane Lynch’s breasts, as she sings “Strap your hands across my engines.” A few minutes later, he ditches the Boss-style blue jeans and white-T for a tuxedo, and gets in the first Conan joke, asking “what can possibly go wrong?” when he relates how NBC asked him to host a late-night show. Camera pans to O’Brien, whose late version of “The Tonight Show” is nominated for best variety, music or comedy series.

5:12 p.m. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY: ERIC STONESTREET (MODERN FAMILY). Tears are streaming down the cheeks of his on-screen partner and fellow nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Stonestreet takes the stage to deliver a heartfelt paean to the entertainment industry in general and his co-workers  specifically. “All I wanted to be was clown in the circus when I was a kid growing up,” says the portly actor, who only plays gay on the screen.

5:21 p.m. BEST WRITING, COMEDY “MODERN FAMILY.” Two-for-two for TV’s hottest comedy, as co-creators STEVEN LEVITAN and CHRISTOPHER LLOYD take the prize for writing the pilot. Star Ed O’Neill’s mouth is open in wonderment.

5:25 p.m. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: JANE LYNCH (GLEE). “This is outlandish,” she says, thanking her parents from the south side of Chicago. “I rarely identify myself as anything – I’m Buddhist in that way, although I’m not a Buddhist … they do seem like a very calm people – but I am an actor.” She thanks her wife, Laura.

5:33 p.m. BEST DIRECTING: “GLEE.” The fourth nomination and first win for series creator Ryan Murphy. “Glee is about the importance of arts education, so I would like to dedicate this to all my teachers who taught me to sing and finger paint,” he says.

5:38 pm., LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY: JIM PARSONS (THE BIG BANG THEORY). It’s shaping up as the year of the newbies, as Parsons gets the award on his second attempt, ending fellow nominee Alec Baldwin’s two-year winning streak. Addressing the show’s writers: “Thank you for stories that are so worth working on, and God bless you for giving me a character to work on. I feel so lucky to be working at all, but to get to work on this character is really beyond fortunate.”

Tom Cruise tipped to play film version of John Edwards

The tale of John Edwards’  personal and political downfall will be coming to a movie theater near you.

But who will play the disgraced politician?

Aaron Sorkin, best known for penning the hit White House drama series “The West Wing” has bought the rights to the book penned by Andrew Young — the former aide to the Democratic presidential hopeful throughout his affair with Rielle Hunter.

Sorkin described  Young’s  book “The Politician: An Insider’s Account of John Edwards’ Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down” as a “first-hand account of an extraordinary story filled with motivations, decisions and consequences that would have lit Shakespeare up.”

The entertainment and political world is already agog with speculation on who will land the role of the former golden boy of Democratic politics.

Tom Cruise, who bears a resemblance to Edwards,  Dennis Quaid, George Clooney and British actor Michael Sheen are among the early front-runners in the eyes of the celebrity media.

But it is Cruise — also a one-time golden boy whose image has slipped in the past few years — who is emerging as the favorite.  Cruise is seen as having the charm, the smile and the acting skills to pull off  the role.

George Clooney: My Italian villa is not for sale!

Poor George. If it’s not his latest girlfriend the celebrity media is speculating about, it’s got to be his fondness for living in Italy. We can empathize, somewhat, because we spend a lot of time chasing George Clooney stories — some, not so true.

Today’s latest was that Clooney was selling his mansion at Lake Como in Italy. The story was picked up in a lot of newspapers, including here. Some sites said David Beckham was going to buy it. Read one of those, here. The problem is, it’s simply not true, says Clooney.

The Oscar-winning movie star on Wednesday answered the reports of an impending sale of his home with a statement from his Los Angeles spokesman that reads:

“A story saying that George Clooney was sellig his Italian home in Lake Como and was going to by a home in Loreto Island, which is near Lake Como, has been republished in one form or another by various outlets. According to Clooney, ‘To complete the news cycle. I’m not buying an island and am not selling my house in Italy. The story was made up…then picked up…and now denied…end of another day of false news.”

It reminded us on Fan Fare of last month’s story that Brad Pitt and Angelina were on the brink of breaking up. That bit of gossip — which by-the-way has been around almost since the day Brangelina went public with their relationship — has caused the Hollywood couple to sue the publication for printing what they claim is a false story. Read about that one here.

“Avatar”, “Precious”, Clooney, Cruz? Who should get movie awards?

The Hollywood awards season is shaping up nicely after a week of  critics awards and nominations for top movies and performances from the  Golden Globes organizers and the Screen Actors Guild.

So far , the movies with the biggest momentum behind them seem to be “Up in the Air”, with George Clooney,  harrowing  urban tale “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”,  Quentin Tarantino’s  summer box office hit war fantasy “Inglourious Basterds”,  the much-talked about sci-fi epic  “Avatar”, glittering musical “Nine”,  Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker” and  British coming of age movie “An Education”.

Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Colin Firth,  newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren and Jeff Bridges are among the names that keep popping up for acting honors.  But which of them are most likely to be in the running for the most coveted honors — the Oscars — when those nominations are announced in February?

Only a few weeks ago, Bullock’s performance in “The Blind Side” looked to be too mainstream for audiences tastes, but after nominations for both Golden Globes and SAG Awards this week, she looks like a lock on a best actress nomination. Blogger Anne Thompson on IndieWire calls her “the big news of the week. … it’s a classic case of a comic actress going serious in a drama.”

Movie critics get a look at the upcoming movies weeks ahead of ordinary folk. And  some of the movies have not yet been released or are in only a handful of theaters in big cities like New York and Los Angeles.

So after all the chat this week, which movies are you most looking forward to seeing  — “Nine”, “Avatar”, the Meryl Streep/Alec Baldwin comedy “It’s Complicated”, “Up in the Air”?

Directors direct via email and iChat

Two movies — one complete and one in the works — have underlined how technology is changing the way films are made.

Wes Anderson partly directed his animated “Fantastic Mr. Fox” using a computer, streaming images from multiple animation sets live on to a screen in front of him, allowing him to guide animators from another room, town, or, more often, country. That guidance often came in the form of emails, something which did not endear the film maker to some of the animators, according to a recent piece in the L.A. Times. George Clooney provided the voice of Mr. Fox, and London’s Three Mills Studios carried out the paintstaking, old-fashioned stop-motion animation.

Meanwhile, Peter Jackson used iChat to co-direct the upcoming, big-budget feature “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”. Actor Nick Frost, who plays Thomson in the film, said Jackson would be linked up live to the U.S. set from New Zealand, from where he would add to Steven Spielberg’s pearls of wisdom on set. “It was weird”, was his description of the experience. The blockbuster will feature motion capture technology, producing the kind of effect seen in “The Polar Express”.

According to Hollywood trade publications, while Spielberg was on set for just over 30 days, Jackson will have spent the best part of 18 months converting the data into an animation movie by the time it hits theatres some time in 2011. The balance has led some to question whether Jackson should be given the directorial credit rather than Spielberg. It also raises the possibility of more and more movie makers spending less and less time on set, particularly where animation is concerned.

Clooney, Reitman are “Up In the Air.” Audiences are over the moon

A Hollywood studio probably could not ask for a better beginning to an Oscar campaign than Paramount Pictures currently is getting for director Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air.”

All of you who’ve been reading Reuters and Fan Fare this past two weeks know that we are currently at the beginning of the film industry’s award season, and smack in the middle of the final of three festivals that launch Academy Award campaigns — at Telluride, Colorado, Venice, Italy, and here in Toronto, Canada.

Reitman and star George Clooney are back in the hunt for Oscar glory this year with comedy “Up In the Air.” No need to introduce Clooney, but maybe Reitman. He is the director of 2007 hit “Juno,” the quirky little indie movie about a pregnant teenager who decides to give up her baby for adoption, as well as the satirical movie “Thank You for Smoking.”

“Juno” earned Reitman an Oscar nomination for directing, along with others for writing (Diablo Cody, she won), actress (Ellen Page) and best motion picture. Paramount, which will release “Up In the Air” in November, wants to do better and it very well may. Still, there’s a long way to go and many movies to see.

“Up In the Air,” which looks at the life of a man (Clooney) whose job is to fire people in corporate restructurings and who claims not to need any family, friends or personal relationships, proved to be a darling of Telluride’s notoriously savvy festival crowds. Saturday’s Toronto premiere was both packed and star-studded (Oprah was in the house!). Reitman earned a standing ovation from a portion of the crowd. Although it was somewhat difficult to tell whether they were standing for him or just standing to watch Oprah exit.

Regardless of which way the celebrity gawkers were gazing (or gazers, gawking) “Up In the Air” will be a film to watch in this year’s Oscar race. We were at the premiere and below is the 10-minute Question and Answer session after it was over. If you haven’t been to a festival and seen the Q&A’s, it’s interesting. Pay attention to Clooney as he waves his bandaged hand. He shut it in a car door.

Fair warning on the video, though, it’s a long one, so give it some time to load.

Another embarrassing press conference moment

Seeing reporters humiliate themselves in front of major Hollywood stars is nothing new at film festivals around the world. The appearance of an A-lister, male or female, tends to bring out the worst in journalists who variously express their undying love or ask for hands in marriage. Usually the star in question laughs off the comments, and tries to turn the conversation back to the film he or she is in town to promote.

Today’s press conference involving George Clooney and Ewan McGregor, who star together in the comedy “The Men Who Stare at Goats” was more embarrassing than usual, however. After tactfully avoiding a question about his sexuality, Clooney then looked on while a man, announcing he was gay, proceeded to take of his shirt and trousers while declaring his love for the actor and asking him for a kiss. To make matters worse, he had not even seen the film.

Clooney’s response? “There’s a little ambulance on its way.”

If Hollywood were high school, Robert Pattinson would be …

Hollywood is all about popularity, just like that other institution — high school. So, in the spirit of all things popular, movie ticket website Fandango.com has released its “Celebrity Yearbook Awards,” based on votes from fans about which stars they think are the most likely to succeed, and which ones already made their mark one way or another.

“Twilight” star Robert Pattinson and “Grey Gardens” actress Drew Barrymore were named “most popular” in the survey of about 1,000 movie fans.

Another actor from “Twilight,” rising star Taylor Lautner, was named “most likely to succeed,” along with Ellen Page from the 2007 film “Juno.”

But Page’s “Juno” co-star Michael Cera fared much worse, being named “most awkward.” As it happens, not all the “Twilight” stars came out on top, because the movie’s female lead, Kristen Stewart, was also named “most awkward.”

After being largely absent from film screens for the last couple years, Sandra Bullock made good this summer in romantic comedy “The Proposal,” which has made $235 million at worldwide box offices. Poll respondents  named her “best personality,” along with perennial Hollywood leading man George Clooney.

And of course, that key high school concern, namely how you look, was highlighted in the “worst hair” category of the poll, with Nicolas Cage and Renee Zellweger winning the honors.

If nothing else, the poll proves it’s good to be out of high school.