Happy Friday! For today’s top ten celebrity quotes of the week, we have Jimmy Kimmel talking about “Lost”, Sarah Silverman’s good influence and Sarah Jessica Parker talking about going topless! Enjoy!
“Watching Lost is what I imagine it must be like to be trapped inside the brain of Paula Abdul.”
– Jimmy Kimmel, at ABC’s upfront presentation of its new fall schedule
“No surgical tweaks. No Botox either. I think it is terrible, these girls in their late 20s injecting their faces and lips. One told me, ‘If I kill my muscles now, I’ll never get wrinkles.’ Can you imagine?”
– All-natural beauty Salma Hayek, weighing in on Hollywood’s anti-aging obsession, to InStyle
“I will not be singing and don’t expect any track suits at my wedding.”
– Engaged star Jane Lynch, on keeping her Glee alter ego, Sue Sylvester, out of her wedding plans, to People
“You don’t want to see me topless.”
– Sarah Jessica Parker, on why she’s the only Sex and the City star to not have done a nude scene, to Eonline.com
“Sorry, but the last time I had baby food, I believe I was 1. I’ve been on solids for about 40 years now.”
– Jennifer Aniston, denying reports that she was on “The Baby Food Cleanse,” to People
“It’s like Superman with the cape.”
– Bret Michaels, on continuing to wear his signature bandanna even during his hospital stay for his brain hemorrhage, on The Oprah Winfrey Show
“I’ll starve to death before I’ll cook for myself. I think I could survive a week without eating.”
– Megan Fox, to Allure magazine
“I took a picture with Ron Howard last year at the Oscars. I thought it was the funniest thing. I asked, ‘Is it for your kids?’ He said, ‘No, it’s for me.’”
– Robert Pattinson, to USA Today
“I’ve always wanted to be a woman. For 5 minutes.”
– Sting, who got his wish when he appeared in drag for a rendition of “Big Spender” at the Rainforest Fund’s 21st birthday celebration, to People
“I’m terrified this is what [young] people are going to think adults are supposed to be like. It makes me feel like I actually am a good influence on kids.”
– Sarah Silverman, on reality shows like The Real Housewives and The Bachelor, to People
You know how when you go see a movie and it seems the director is always using the same actors over and over? Well here is a list of 10 pairs that need to just give each other a break and work with other people.
10. Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton (5 films together)
Helena Bonham Carter, believe it or not, used to be a distinguished actress who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in The Wings Of A Dove. Since with Burton, however, she only seems to find work in his films slumming around in creepy makeup. Apart from some appearances in the Harry Potter series, the actress hasn’t made a notable splash outside the Burtonverse since 1999’s Fight Club and it seems like there is no slowing down this husband/wife movie making duo. Burton has three projects slated for production that will likely feature the quirky actress.
9. Denzel Washington and Tony Scott (4 films together)
Have you ever noticed a couple at a party and one person was so clearly out of the other person’s league that it left you dumbfounded? This is the feeling I get every time Denzel Washington agrees to make another film with Tony Scott. Washington is one of the greatest actors of this generation, has two Oscars and is a considerable box office draw and yet he chooses to work so faithfully with the lesser of the Scott brothers (I was hoping that American Gangster would steer him in the direction of the more talented brother). There has to be some secret to their working relationship that keeps Washington coming back for more. Whatever it is, I hope Washington wises up and starts working with directors worthy of his talent as soon as possible.
8. Keira Knightley and Joe Wright (2 films together)
These two have only made 2 films together but their working relationship became stale somewhere around the middle point of Atonement. Perhaps the problem is that Keira Knightley seems to only play in period dramas (she’s done 5 in the last few years) and thus her work with Wright seems redundant? There were rumors that the two were going to take on My Fair Lady but luckily they abandoned that project. Knightley is marginally talented and Wright seems to have a good eye but unless the two of them break out of their comfort zones (each other), they will forever be pigeonholed into the realm of glossy period productions.
7. Tom Hanks and Ron Howard (4 films together)
Although their works have been spread out over 3 decades, the recent one-two punch of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons was enough to suggest these two go on permanent hiatus from each other. With the critical ‘meh’ that the first film received, I was shocked the sequel (based on the much less popular book) was ever greenlight in the first place. Hanks and Howard are both capable of producing good work but rarely do so together. Perhaps the two should look into doing another comedy a la their 1984 classic Splash?
6. Penelope Cruz and Pedro Almodovar (4 films together)
It’s hard to fault this pairing because most of their work together has been stunning but the Spanish duo’s last film together, Broken Embraces, left a lot to be desired. Almodovar has always relied on muses and Cruz has served him well over the years but now seems like a good time for them to take a break from each other. Cruz has become a hot commodity in the US and Almodovar needs to take on a new direction. Interestingly, Almodovar is turning to one of his former muses, Antonio Banderas, for his next film.
5. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott (5 films together)
I’m a big fan of Sir Ridley Scott but the ‘Russell Crowe’ years have led to his most boring films as a director. Sure, their initial pairing (Gladiator) re-established Scott as an auteur and turned Crowe into a bonafide star but their subsequent pairings have done nothing for me as a viewer. With Scott setting his sights on 2 Alien prequels, it seems unlikely that he will find room for Crowe in those films but going back to a past success doesn’t bode well for a reinvigoration of the director’s creative potential.
4. Scarlett Johansson and Woody Allen (3 films together)
Woody Allen does love his young blonde starlets, doesn’t he? Sometimes he is able to garner fantastic performances out of them (Mira Sorvino in Mighty Aphrodite) but he hasn’t had such luck with Ms. Johansson. She’s starred in quite possibly his worst film to date (Scoop) and been the least interesting part in the better of his more recent efforts (Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Now that the actress is over the age of 25 perhaps old Woody will grow tired of her and move on to younger stars to fill his creative void. That’s the thing Allen loves about his stars, he gets older but they stay the same age.
3. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass(3 films together)
If Green Zone proved one thing it is that Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon should probably avoid each other outside of the Bourne series if they don’t want inevitable comparisons to their previous work. It would be hard not to draw those comparisons since the trademarks of the Bourne series are Greengrass’ signature directing style and, of course, the appearance of Matt Damon. There are still rumors of these two doing a 4th Bourne film but if they plan to work together outside the series they are going to have to lay off the breakneck action sequences and go for something less recognizably Bourne. Perhaps a romantic comedy (with shaky cam)?
2. Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson (4 films together)
This is a duo who I wish would just take a break from filmmaking altogether. Jovovich is a stunning beauty but is one of the least talented actresses I have ever witnessed on screen. Anderson, similarly, is one of the least talented directors I’ve ever had the displeasure of seeing films by. When you put them together, you get one of the worst action-adventure-scifi franchises of the last twenty years, Resident Evil. With that series coming to an end this year, the director already has plans to cast his wife in his next feature; a 3D retelling of the Three Musketeers. Maybe they’ll get a divorce and spare us all their future collaborations?
1. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton (6 films together)
It’s hard to argue with success (their most recent film, Alice in Wonderland, has garnered their highest box office) but Tim Burton’s reliance on Depp has reached a level of near parody. Their collaborative efforts have become more and more predictable and the once exciting duo has been reduced to a bland mix of dayglow hot topic merchandise. Their last truly great film together was Ed Wood in 1994 and found both at their career best. It is possible for them to reclaim this glory but Burton is going to need to cast Depp more appropriately instead of dressing him up in garish make up and wigs and letting him run on autopilot.
This list would be 100% correct if they had of added Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese to this list. Is there any actor/director pairs you are sick of seeing working together?
source: 10 Director/Actor Pairings Who Need A Break [The Film Stage]
A lot of child stars fade away or else end up on drugs and ruin what hope they could have had a long lasting career, I’m looking at you Lindsay Lohan, but some of them actually do make. Here are 13 child stars who had a long career.
Natalie Portman
Spotted in a Long Island pizza parlor at age 11 by a modeling rep, Portman landed the role of an assassin’s sad-eyed sidekick in 1994′s The Professional one year later. Unlike most of her Hollywood peers, Portman (who uses a stage name to protect her family from media attention) took a break from acting — to study psychology at Harvard. She says her parents keep her grounded. ”I value my private life and security way more than getting parts by flashing my boobs on some magazine or being a sex symbol in films,” she told EW in 2000. —Chris Nashawaty
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio was barely 16 when he began popping up on TV, and before he’d even hit 20 there were clear signs of the nuanced work to come. In fact, in 1993, it was impossible not to notice the kid who held his own against a tyrannical Robert DeNiro in This Boy’s Life as well as channeling a mentally-challenged boy in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Three years later, the post-modern Romeo + Juliet made DiCaprio a budding hearthrob, a job title he virtually redefined following the colossal success of Titanic in 1997. DiCaprio spent years avoiding celebrity and making dodgy choices. Beginning with Gangs of New York in 2002, however, he found a rewarding niche as Martin Scorsese’s go-to leading man. Nice work if you can get it. —Jeff Giles
Ron Howard
Born into an acting family in Oklahoma, Howard was The Andy Griffith Show’s freckle-faced Opie at 6. By 19, he was the star of Happy Days. But Howard’s interest always lay behind the camera — he shadowed George Lucas on the set of 1973′s American Graffiti and soon thereafter enrolled at USC film school. ”I was disappointed by the scripts I was getting after Graffiti,” he told EW in 1999. ”So I had a decision to make.” Howard chose directing. Twenty movies and four Oscar nominations later, it’s clear he made the right call. —Chris Nashawaty
Neil Patrick Harris
You could argue it began with his Golden Globe-nominated feature film debut in 1988′s Clara’s Heart, but we all knew Harris as Doogie Howser, MD, the 16-year-old doctor giving his appendicitis-suffering girlfriend Wanda a pelvic exam. (It’s still traumatizing.) Today, he’s a Broadway vet, an Internet star (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), a three-time Emmy nominee for his work on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother, and the man you call to host the Tonys and Emmys and to open the Oscars. In other words, he’s still an overachiever. —Mandi Bierly
Jodie Foster
At 3, Foster was the Coppertone kid. By 6, she was a regular on TV. And by 14, she was nominated for an Oscar for Taxi Driver. Foster left Tinseltown to attend Yale and later returned to acting feeling more centered. By age 29, she’d won Best Actress Oscars for The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs and directed her first film, Little Man Tate. ”Everybody tells you as a child actor that by the time you’re 18, it’ll be over,” she told EW in 2007. ”My mom got me … prepared for that …. My goal [was] to be in this for a really long time.” —Chris Nashawaty
Ryan Gosling
Gosling got his first big break at age 12 on TV’s The Mickey Mouse Club (along with castmates Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Keri Russell). ”Those kids were prodigies,” Gosling said to EW in 2007, crediting the Disney show for surrounding him with other young performers he could relate to and instilling discipline. Now he is one of Hollywood’s best young actors and has scored an Oscar nom for 2006′s Half Nelson. —Chris Nashawaty
Anna Paquin
As a wide-eyed 11-year-old, Paquin became the second youngest Oscar winner in history, taking home Best Supporting Actress for her role 1993′s The Piano. Working steadily in arthouse films (Hurlyburly), blockbusters (the X-Men trilogy), and TV, she’s now a Golden Globe winner for her performance as telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse on HBO’s True Blood. —Mandi Bierly
Ricky Schroder
Child stars never came cuter than Schroder in the 1979 tearjerker The Champ. By 12, he was starring on Silver Spoons, and at 28 (as ”Rick”), he took a high-profile role on NYPD Blue. ”There was never a period in my life when I didn’t work,” the actor told USA Today in 1998. ”I’ve always done two movies a year; they may not be blockbusters, but they’ve been good, honorable work.” —Chris Nashawaty
Drew Barrymore
For a while there, it looked like Barrymore might end up as a child-actor cautionary tale. Heir to a legendary acting dynasty, she was cast in a Puppy Chow commercial at just 11 months old. At 7, the adorable moppet played Gertie in E.T. Her tweens were a soap opera of drugs, alcohol, and virtually no parental supervision — she had her first drink at 9 and was in rehab by 13. She got sober the next year. ”I had to figure everything out for myself,” she told People in 2004. Today Barrymore is among the most bankable — and dependable — actresses in Hollywood. She also directs (Whip It). —Chris Nashawaty
Joseph Gordon Leavitt
The script version of his life would have him checking into a reality TV show with other faded child sitcom stars. Gordon-Levitt, who’d popped up with guest turns on TV series from the time he was 7, really hit it big at the awkward age of 15 on the hit show Third Rock from the Sun. Grounded by his time at Columbia University, Gordon-Levitt has since proved himself not only a fierce actor but a nifty song-and-dance man in the utterly romantic (500) Days of Summer. —Karen Valby
Jason Bateman
Bateman made his debut at 12 on Little House on the Prairie. His father was a TV director, and both he (Silver Spoons, The Hogan Family) and his sister, Justine (Family Ties), were household names before they could drive. Bateman admits to some lost years in the ’90s, but his persistence paid off (Arrested Development, Juno). ”I want to be around for a long time,” he told EW in 2007. ”Now that I’ve got another flash of relevancy, I don’t want to screw it up.” —Chris Nashawaty
Raven Symone
Raven was 3 when she showed up in the Huxtables’ living room — and ours. As The Cosby Show’s precocious Olivia, she was a regular on the sitcom’s last three seasons before enjoying a second act (if you can have a second act at 6!) on Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper. Since then, the now 24-year-old has juggled TV (That’s So Raven) and a music career. ”No matter how old you are, if your name is up there, they’re going to treat you like an adult,” she told EW in 2007. ”You can have fun, but it’s a job.” —Chris Nashawaty
Christina Ricci
After making her big screen debut as Cher’s daughter in Mermaids, Ricci became the adolescent ”it” girl through her roles in The Addams Family, Casper, and Now and Then. By her late teens, she successfully transitioned into more provocative material, earning a Golden Globe nomination for playing Dede in The Opposite of Sex. Steadily working over the last 20 years, Ricci has continued to choose diverse roles in films including Monster and Black Snake Moan, which has helped her fend off typecasting. Next up, she’ll tackle the period piece Bel Ami, with Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. —Emily Exton
Barack Obama gets a surprise visit in the night from ex-Presidents Bush Sr., Bush Jr., Clinton, Ford, Reagan and Carter to get a few pointers about the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and why it’s so important.
Director — Ron Howard
Gerald Ford — Chevy Chase
Jimmy Carter — Dan Aykroyd
Ronald Reagan — Jim Carrey
George Bush — Dana Carvey
Bill Clinton — Darrell Hammond
George W Bush – Will Ferrell
Barack Obama — Fred Armisen
Michelle Obama — Maya Rudolph
This Funny or Die really had me cracking up… but with a cast like that, how could they go wrong?
Celebrity endorsements mean a lot to marketing executives as their cash cows bring in the dough from the consumers. Take Tiger Woods, for instance. Before he crashed into that tree and cheated on his wife with numerous women, he was the spokesperson for Nike, Tag Heuer, Accenture and more name brands who trusted his name and face to their campaigns.
According to Gerry Philpott, the reason that we bother with celebrities at all goes something like this:
“In a very crowded media environment its hard for companies to stand out. They need those names to cut through the clutter.”
According to E-Poll, the highest ranked A-list celebrities made the cut for the highest in trustworthiness, awareness and appeal.
10. Denzel Washington
The Academy Award-winning actor has never shied away from Tinseltown’s more meaty roles, portraying historical heavyweights like Malcolm X and Hurricane Carter. Among the results: He commands his viewers’ attention–and respect–whether he’s playing a corrupt cop in Training Day or a depressed detective in The Bone Collector.
9. Bill Cosby
The Cosby Show star has earned himself an “America’s Dad” nickname and an instantly endearing image–and advertisers have taken notice. In fact, over the course of his decades-long career as an actor and comedian, he’s served as a spokesman for Jello, Kodak, Coca-Cola and Ford, among others.
8. Will Smith
The former Fresh Prince star has reigned over the box office with commercial blockbusters like Independence Day, Men In Black and I Am Legend. With talent, charm and a stable family life on his resume, Smith is the kind of celebrity marketers can’t help but drool over.
7. Ron Howard
The name–or better yet the freckled face of–Ron Howard conjures images of an adorable redhead named Opie Taylor (on The Andy Griffith Show) or an endearing teen by the name of Richie Cunningham (on Happy Days). But Howard has since proved that he has talent on the other side of the camera as well, directing and producing Oscar-caliber films like A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 and Cinderella Man. Up next he’ll update his 1980s flick Parenthood starring Peter Krause and Lauren Graham on NBC.
6. Sally Field
In recent years the Norma Rae star has garnered attention–and fans–as the Emmy-winning matriarch of the Walker family on ABC’s long-running drama Brothers & Sisters. Off set she’s lent her star power to a postmenopausal osteoporosis medication called Boniva.
5. Morgan Freeman
The Academy Award-winning actor and director is often described as the man who made films like Million Dollar Baby, Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption the successes that they were. Still others instantly associate him with reserved image and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has put the latter to good use–he replaced Walter Cronkite as the voice that introduces the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
4. Mike Rowe
As host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs as well as the narrator for other series like Deadliest Catch and Ghost Lab, Rowe has endeared himself to an ever-expanding fan base. To date, companies like Ford and W.W. Grainger have already attempted to connect with those adoring fans–and their wallets.
3. Michael J. Fox
As Alex P. Keaton on the 1980s sitcom Family Ties, actor Michael J. Fox earned viewers’ affection. As a leading activist in the fight for Parkinson’s disease funding (a disease he was diagnosed with more than a decade ago), he has earned their respect. For these and other reasons (like talent and fame), Fox is among the marketing world’s safest bets.
2. Tom Hanks
Audiences laughed with Hanks as a wisecracking cross-dresser on the early 1980s cult comedy series Bosom Buddies. They cried with him as a homosexual AIDS victim in the 1993 tearjerker Philadelphia. And they rallied with him as a slow-witted Southerner in the 1994 runaway hit Forrest Gump. Throughout these and other roles the Academy Award-winning actor and director managed to earn their esteem, respect and confidence.
1. James Earl Jones
Jones boasts one of the most instantly recognizable voices in entertainment history –and a commanding presence to match. Still best known as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, he’s also lent his voice to the CNN tagline and NBC’s Olympic coverage and his acting skills to everything from Conan the Barbarian to Field of Dreams.
Who would you add to the list? Who’s your favorite most trustworthy celebrity?
source: The 10 Most Trusted Celebrities – [forbes]
