There always seems to be celebrity death hoaxes that pop up online every couple of months, usually they are started by bored people on the internet who think it’s funny and other times it’s by the celebrity’s publicist looking to get a bit of publicity for the celeb. Here are 8 memorable ones that IBT came up with:
Hugh Hefner
Despite loads of recent Internet rumors, Hefner is not dead. For the past few years, celebrity death hoaxes virally spread faster to mass amounts of people with each new development in social media. Whether creating a celebrity death hoax is a fad done by bored Internet users or crafty publicists looking for free publicity for a stagnant star, it’s up to you to decide. Here are seven celebrities who falsely made it to heaven.
Justin Bieber
Pronounced dead twice in one day, a viral tweet spread around that Justin was shot by a publicist and then killed in a car accident back in June. He tweeted, “Wait … turns out I’m alive.”
Wesley Snipes
Again, Twitter users are the culprit for the latest scandal in fake Hollywood deaths, Snipes, who is said earlier this week to have been killed in a fight. The actor is alive in prison after being charged for defrauding the U.S. in 2006.
Lindsay Lohan
It’s debatable if she’s well, but LiLo is definitely alive, though she was reported dead on Wikipedia. Recently, she was targeted again by a Twitter user under a misspelled Kim Kardashian alias that she had died of an overdose.
Britney Spears
On the same day as Michael Jackson died, a hacker posted on Britney’s Twitter, “Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come.” Ellen Degeneres and P.Diddy were also attacked by the same hacker that day.
Tom Hanks
Back in November 2006 before Twitter, a fake news site said that Hanks fell from a cliff in New Zealand, citing police officials and an exact time.
Will Smith
After being reported dead in a car crash back in 2009, Smith was claimed dead again on the Internet from falling off a cliff in New Zealand. Sound familiar? Hint: See Tom Hanks above.
Paris Hilton
During her stay in the Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility, it was reported that Hilton was dead, either from suicide or being stabbed seven times, neither of which were true.
I think it’s disgusting for a person to come up with rumors like this. What do you think? Any that should have been on this list but were forgotten?
It’s all in Spanish, but you don’t need to speak the language to crack up at clip.
Tom Hanks has pretty much done everything when it’s time to promote a new movie.
And during his recent visit to Miami for his latest movie ‘Larry Crowne‘, the two-time Academy Award winner had some fun over at Spanish network Univisión, when he was a special guest on their morning show, ‘Despierta America’.
During a cooking segment, Hanks tried some mexican ingredients, including tasting some very spice chilis that made him sweat and even get a bit teary-eyed a bit.
But he surely proved he was game for everything, speaking a little bit of Spanish and even getting his dance on during the weather segment, alongside co-host Chiquinquirá Delgado.
Given the fact that 3 celebrity couples have broken up in the past week that we all thought would have made it last it has made NY Mag come up with a list of couples that we are all expecting to make it. Here are the couples:
Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
Okay, so she’s not famous in her own right, but being Bon Jovi’s High-School Sweetheart Who He Married is enough to make this pair an A-List duo. New Jersey would be devastated if they broke up. Though, if he wrote “Shot Through the Heart” after dating Diane Lane only a short while, imagine the opus he could come up with if these two split! Actually, we’d rather not.
Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly
Intel Chris saw them on the street the other day outside the magazine offices! They looked like they are in love. Also, he’s practically albino and she was in Labyrinth, so what could possibly go wrong?
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
Who doesn’t want this couple to make it? Oh, yeah. Every single gay-marriage foe in the country who is threatened by the fact that a normal lesbian couple is in living rooms in middle America each afternoon. But other than that?
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard
If they split up, it would be a real blow for Brooklyn.
Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt
You may think this pair is not going to make it, as Jennifer is suffering from the disadvantage of Having Dated Somebody Incredibly Attractive Since Before He Was Famous. But last year Intel Jessica spotted them at an SNL taping full-on making out, and they’d already been dating for years. Normal couples aren’t even like that. Also, it’s Jon Hamm. Nobody is letting go of that for as long as they still have hands.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
As Vulture Kyle observed, “That would be sadder than your own mom and dad divorcing.”
Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich
Everything about Julianne Moore gives us warm feelings, even her terrible Boston accent on 30 Rock. Which is why we’re rooting for her and her director husband, despite the fact that we’ve never watched a movie he’s written or directed. If Julianne likes him, he has to be worth keeping.
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson
Normally we wouldn’t put ScarJo — who dated Josh Hartnett, for God’s sake — on a list like this. But then she surprised us by managing to conduct a relationship with another celebrity for a long time, all in secret, such that we didn’t know she was even dating the Van Wilder star until they were practically married. You still never see them together, really, which makes us think there’s something to this relationship. Like, they might even have conversations.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
You may not like his or her politics, but you’ve got to admit, at this point they’re like America’s almost-gorgeous-but-actually-kind-of-weird-looking aunt and uncle. Apparently, back when aspiring New York governor Andrew Cuomo was married to a Kennedy, none of the rest of the clan liked him in Hyannis because he wouldn’t play football and horse around. You KNOW Arnold horses around. Better than anybody.
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber
Did you read the story in which our reporter took a cab home from the airport with Liev and before he even got in the door he took their kids to the park to play? We rest our case.
I agree with this list, but after all this is Hollywood and they all tend to bite the dust sooner or later.
source: Celebrity Couples We Still Believe In [NY Mag]
These days most actors are only in the business to make a quick dollar and get famous, but there are some who actually still care and enjoy acting. Cinema Blend have come up with a list of 20 actors who do care and deserve your support.
Ricky Gervais
In 2004, The Office became the first British sitcom ever to win a Golden Globe for Best Comedy. They never filmed another episode. Three years later, despite reported requests to guest star from Madonna, Brad Pitt and Will Ferrell, Ricky Gervais decided not to film another season of Extras. Walking away from a starring role on a major sitcom just as it becomes most profitable is almost unheard of, doing the same thing twice is either a sign of lunacy, a testament to just how much he really cares or an almost superhuman belief in his own abilities as a comedian. Decades ago, people said the same thing about Bob Newhart, more recently, they’ve said it about Dave Chappelle. I haven’t the slightest idea what the truth is, but that’s pretty damn good company to be in. Ricky Gervais deserves your support because he left two brilliant, critically-adored television shows of his own creation to do a movie lampooning God. Then he followed it up with a sentimental dreamedy about growing up in England. It’s as if he’s deliberately killed all momentum he had, cocksure he could rebuild again at any time of his choosing. We’ve yet to see the best out of Ricky Gervais, and when it comes, Cinema Blend will be the first in line to say I told you so. We’ll probably end up sharing credit with Barry from EastEnders.
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen is a smolderer. He opens those intense, I-know-how-to-build-my-own-kitchen eyes, and he wins my girlfriend over every time. Obviously, I want to hate him because anyone that ruggedly handsome has to be despised on principal alone, but like Paul Newman and his absurdly delicious salad dressing, there comes a day when you just have to admit a dude’s alright. Viggo Mortensen could have gone the way of Eric Bana, it certainly would have been expected by this writer, but since The Lord Of The Rings climaxed, he’s done nothing but take intense borderline indies and one movie about horses. Turns out that’s excused because he’s reportedly just real into horses. I would write a movie about polish sausage if someone paid me, a man can’t change who he is. Viggo Mortensen is a character actor at heart, he’s a method, no-restraint genius who looks like a mechanic, crossed with zoo keeper, crossed with a brooding former model turned emotionally-tortured bad boy. I need to stop holding that against him. If not for my own credibility, so he won’t steal my girlfriend and kill me with his bare hands in my sleep on his way to winning at least three Oscars before he’s done.
Bill Murray
Bill Murray doesn’t have an agent. He has an answering machine. Leave him a message and if he likes your movie, he might call you back. Most likely he won’t. I suspect Bill Murray cares about life more than he cares about movies. He spends his days on drunken golf outings or eating lunch with Anthony Bourdain. When he chooses a movie it’s only because he thinks it’ll enrich his life to do it. Maybe it’ll enrich yours too. He’ll show up on set when he feels like it and when he arrives, he’ll be everything you could ever hope Bill Murray would be. He’ll hang out at crack jokes, he’ll entertain the crew between takes. When someone turns the camera on, he’ll give it his dead pan all, he’ll elevate every scene he’s in, he’ll make your movie better than it ever could have been if you’d cast anyone else. Then he’ll wander off back to his life, randomly tending bar in Austin and doing whatever it is that Bill Murray does with his endless weekends. He’d like to win an Oscar, he probably should have gotten one for Lost in Translation. But he doesn’t care about pleasing his fans, he won’t do anything just because you want him to. He’ll only do it if he wants to. Bill Murray mostly he cares about life and while you’re cashing paychecks for doing movies about giant robots, he’ll be out there living his.
Kate Winslet
I think Kate Winslet would be better off if she made more movies like The Holiday. That opinion, along with many others, is why I’m not necessarily a writer you should support. For all the laurels I’ve rested on, all the middle-of-the-road, audience-pleasing editorials I’ve delivered, I could never be Kate Winslet. Conventional wisdom dictates one should take roles which further her career, monetarily or critically, Kate Winslet has spent the last decade and a half taking movies like Little Children and The Reader which have merely reinforced her reputation as a woman more interested in achieving than pleasing. There’s nobility in that aim. Only the virtuous would sacrifice manufactured emotion for brutal honesty. That’s why I’m willing to sacrifice Michael Caine, who was originally going to be on this list. 20 actors is more search friendly than 21. Kate Winslet is better than that. That’s why she gets her own paragraph.
Crispin Glover
I’m pretty sure I get Crispin Glover about thirty percent of the time. That’s about twenty percent higher than most people and twenty percent less than Crispin Glover gets himself. Maybe. The how’s-and-why’s of the most honestly, happily eccentric man in show business are too confounding for a single paragraph. There was his Letterman appearance where he fired a roundhouse kick at Dave’s head, his republishing of a book about rats with CIA-style blackouts, his asking the director to remove all of his lines in Charlie’s Angels. The outlandish idiosyncrasies are enough to make OCD-patients look benign. He’s either accidentally stumbled upon that genius level of insane a few people have every generation or he’s carefully calculated an intentionally eerie public persona, the likes of which haven’t been topped since Nero. Lou Reed, on his most desperately anti-social day, skewers toward mass appeal projects twenty percent more than Crispin Glover. It’s like he carefully measures out just enough rope to almost hang himself and then climbs further up the tree. Peeping Toms, one-armed bellhops, Andy Warhol, these are the men Crispin Glover puts life into. He’s a personification of the mystery box, a creepy, off-putting Knave of Hearts lurking behind door number three. I can support that, at least thirty percent of the time.
Morgan Freeman
Wanna know what Morgan Freeman is up to right now? He’s narrating Through The Wormhole on the Discovery Channel. Let’s take a second to think about that. Morgan Freeman, a beloved actor with his handprints at the Chinese Theater, is doing the voice work for a little-seen basic cable documentary series. It’s certainly not because he can’t get work or because he’s somehow now incapable of acting, Morgan Freeman is still at the height of his cinematic power and influence, which is why he’s narrating one of the most fascinating programs on the origins of life I have ever seen. Maybe Through The Wormhole shows up without Freeman’s involvement, in fact, it likely does, but would Discovery be running highly-rated marathons of it? I seriously doubt it. Morgan Freeman invokes an aura of legitimacy. Even when he does absolute shit like Evan Almighty, it never really tarnishes his ability, probably because he never stoops or panders, grovels or lowers himself to embarrassment. All the greats, Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams, they struck out too, but they did so with class, with a confident, I’ll-get-you-next-time grin. Don’t believe me? Then go ahead and stamp your forms, sonny. I doubt Morgan Freeman gives a shit.
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams made a movie about walking around town looking for your dog, and it was one of the best movies of 2008. If there’s a great movie you’ve never heard of, odds are she’s in it. She could do blockbusters, where she’d invariably be cast as some superhero’s girlfriend. She’s pretty enough, she’s talented enough, and she’s well known enough. I’m sure Marvel wishes they could get her in The Avengers. They can’t. I doubt they’d even ask. Michelle Williams isn’t in it for the glory, or the money, or even accolades. She’d have to be in movies people are likely to see, to get any of those. I’m left to assume that she works because she genuinely likes acting, and chooses her roles accordingly. She’s quietly perfect in everything she does. When she’s in an ensemble you may not even notice her, because she’s so good she’s simply that character. She’s famous, but when you see her you’ll almost never think “hey that’s Michelle Williams”. Even though you’ll never notice, everything is better with her in it, and if it wasn’t already good she wouldn’t be in it anyway. Got a lost dog? A midget in need of a friend? A gay husband in need of a confidant? Got a quiet, incredibly smart movie which probably won’t sell tickets but really should be seen anyway? Give Michelle Williams a call.
Tom Hanks
More than anything else, this list is a celebration of risks. It’s an ode to the men and women who try new things, carve their own paths and make us alter the way we see movies; why is why, at first glance, Tom Hanks seems a bizarre fixture amongst the Viggos and Kate Winslet’s. There’s something intuitively safe about Tom Hanks. One big budget film a year in which he plays a loveable good guy tearing at the audience’s sympathies. But like a wise father who knows when its time for discipline and when it’s time for ice cream, Tom Hanks is only safe because he’s consistently proven for two decades that he knows what he’s doing. Ask people what their favorite Hanks movies are and not only will you get different answers, you’ll get different genres. Philadelphia is a legal drama about AIDS. Saving Private Ryan is a horrifying World War II picture. That Thing You Do, my personal favorite, is a disposable piece of early 60s nostalgia. Cast Away, The Green Mile, Catch Me If You Can, Bachelor Party, hell even You’ve Got Mail has its ardent supporters, me included. Tom Hanks may not stray us too far from our comfort zones, but right now, at this moment, he is the only actor in Hollywood who still carries a legitimate seal of quality. This paragraph was written in the USA and is Hanks-approved.
Edward Norton
I’ve never played Clue with Edward Norton, but I’m almost positive he takes notes on the questions other players ask, just like I’m positive he buries players for cutting across the middle, argues like a woman scorned and consistently orders the best thing on the menu. Edward Norton is the type of guy who despises second place performances and phoned in efforts with every ounce of his will power. One could argue he simply fights for the sake of fighting, obsesses for the sake of obsessing, his difficult-to-work-with reputation would probably speak to that, but I honestly believe he’s just life-or-death invested in everything he does. You can’t partially commit to paying a skinhead, nor can you obscure your own identity behind a mask for an entire movie because it somehow selfishly helps you. Edward Norton cares, probably too much. He’s the guy who corrects the teacher when he’s misinformed, even when he knows it’ll get him kicked out of class. What’s worse being a tedious failure or a disliked genius? I don’t know. Let me rewatch Primal Fear before I answer that.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Lewis spent eight months learning and training for his character in The Last Of The Mohicans. This is not unusual in itself—the training—even the guys in The A Team went to Army Boot camp. But the performances of Daniel Day-Lewis are different from that of Bradley Cooper not simply because of Day-Lewis’ clearly superior acting or his ability to mold dialogue (which are obviously not part of Bradley Coopers will-be-handsomer-than-thou schtick), but in the choosing of characters and the projects he picks. This becomes obvious with only one glance at Day-Lewis’ Filmography. While the man has been on the radar since the mid eighties and has been given leads since ’88, when he played in Philip Kaufman’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being, in the last twenty years, he has acted in nine films. Nine, yes the same number, yes, there’s a joke in there somewhere, but we’re not finding it so let’s move on. Suffice to say, we should support Daniel Day-Lewis, because if we don’t, he might actually have to take his first role for a paycheck in decades. I hear Phil’s character needs a father in The Hangover 2.
Julianne Moore
Do you remember Julianne Moore in The Fugitive? I do, and I saw that movie once, probably five years ago, played on cable with commercials. And it’s not just her hair (that would clearly cause members of South Park to riot), it’s not her height, her lissom lack of curves, or even her charming smile. It’s not the role she plays in the film—she’s a doctor who helps Harrison Ford’s character in a modestly important part. There’s something more important than a striking appearance in Moore’s portrayal of Doctor Anne Eastman. She’s memorable, and whether her convincing acting was the entire culprit or whether her body language and facial features played a part is an entirely beside-the-point argument, because on the merit of this role in The Fugitive, Spielberg cast her as a lead in The Lost World without an audition. Then, P.T. Anderson had to actually court her repeatedly for his film Boogie Nights. I’d like to present a few more points of evidence. Ms. Moore has often and repeatedly taken roles that would offer her more interesting parts over more money, although she has had successful box office hits. Her recent foray The Kids Are All Right exemplifies this. She once said, “I don’t understand fame without content.” And if there is anything a movie watcher should support, it’s content over fluff. Julianne Moore has taken the acting world into two hands and triumphed. And maybe, just maybe, Julianne Moore could be the one ginger South Park residents could love.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 29 years old. In acting years, this is the equivalent to Julianne Moore appearing in the made for tv-movie Money, Power, Murder. It’s Pacino before The Godfather, Spacey before Glengarry Glen Ross… it’s Costner while his scenes were being deleted from the Big Chill. I know, I know, the opposite argument could be applied to this paragraph—that many actors begin youngish careers and are successful. What separates Joseph Gordon-Levitt from these other young career seekers is his choice of roles. He’s not picking roles blindly, he’s not an “if you find a fork in the road, take it” kind of guy, but he’s also not simply an obscure-indie-loving, “I took the road less traveled by,” kind of guy. By straddling two worlds, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is able to have his cake and eat it too. Which means we get to see him play fresh characters across the board, from Brick to The Lookout, from (500) Days of Summer to Inception. Even when he chooses big budget films like G.I. Joe, he still feels Downey fresh. Pretty clean for a kid who began his career doing peanut butter commercials.
Jet Li
Jet Li is on this list because he isn’t Jackie Chan. Both once had an unmatched talent for brilliant action sequences. Earlier in his career and right up through the 90s, Jackie Chan made better movies than Jet Li. He just did. Jackie had better stunts, Jackie has a sense of humor. Jet Li simply has the ability to kick ass. But in the new millennium, as they both got older and the stunts got harder to do, Jackie Chan sold out. He stopped doing his own stunts and lied about it. He started doing horrible, Hollywood babysitting movies, just for the paycheck. And while early in his career Jet Li was never as good as Jackie Chan, later in their careers he’s the one who didn’t sell out. Instead of using his fame to get big paychecks doing terrible movies, Li used it to fund passion projects like Hero and the beautiful martial arts history movie Fearless. When he does do a big Hollywood movie, he tries to pick something interesting. His movies aren’t perfect and neither are his choices. But even though he’s older and the stunts that made him famous are getting harder to do, Jet Li hasn’t sold out. Jet Li will never be as fun to watch as Jackie Chan, he’d never be able to pull of a real acting role like Jackie’s in The Karate Kid. Jet Li’s idea of slumming it is doing a ridiculously fun movie like The Expendables or being the best thing about a bad Mummy movie. Jet Li will never be a babysitter and his work, while far from perfect, is almost always worth the price of admission.
James Franco
James Franco is not a good actor. But it’s not a lack of effort which makes him mediocre at best, merely a lack of talent. Franco compensates by making it a point to be interesting. He picks roles he has no business doing, seeks out projects that better actors might be afraid to touch, and damn his ability he’s doing them anyway. James Franco should probably try to get by solely on his James Dean good looks, he should probably go wherever that crooked smile takes him, but he’s not interested. Talented or not he’s out there doing the insane and the ridiculous. He shows up when you least expect him, playing the weirdos, the stoners, pulling off the crazed hillbilly cameo in a movie for an audience which will ultimately forget he was ever in it. James Franco does soap operas, just because it seems like fun. He finds his way into movies which, if his role were played by someone else, might have won them an Oscar. James Franco’s only real asset is that he’s pretty, but he refuses to use it. James Franco is not a good actor and many of the movies he’s been in might have been better if his role were given to someone else. But that’s not his fault, that’s not his problem. Some of those movies wouldn’t have been made at all without him. James Franco is not a good actor, but that hasn’t stopped him from giving it his all. He’s too small to play running back, too slow to hit a fast ball, too short to dunk on an NBA regulation hoop. Sure he could give it up, move to China, and have a successful career in men’s table tennis instead; but he’s out there, giving it everything he’s got anyway. James Franco should probably be Ashton Kutcher, but he’d rather be Dustin Hoffman. He’ll never get there, and I suspect he knows it, but you have to love the guy for trying.
Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges didn’t really like making movies at first. He did it because everyone else in his family did it, and they sort of talked him into it. But Jeff wasn’t going to stick with it, unless he really fell in love. At some point, he did. These days Bridges doesn’t do it unless he loves it. Jeff is Hollywood legacy, he doesn’t have to make movies, he chooses to make them. When he chooses one, he chooses it only because it’s something he believes in, only because it’s something he thinks you’ll believe in. Sometimes he’s wrong (The Door in the Floor) but most of the time he’s right. Every time Jeff Bridges shows up on screen there’s always reason to think and hope that this could be the next Big Lebowski, the next Fisher King, the next Tucker, the next Starman. Jeff Bridges cares about what he’s doing. He cares about the characters he’s playing. He cares about his audience. Maybe he’ll make the occasional wrong move, every once in awhile he’ll do The Men Who Stare At Goats. It doesn’t matter, the movie may be bad, but odds are he’ll still be the best thing about it. He’ll probably even make it watchable. The day Jeff Bridges stops caring is the day he stops doing it and holes up somewhere to focus entirely on his photography. It doesn’t matter what Jeff Bridges is in, rest assured that he’s only doing it because he believes it’s worth your time.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is so good that she’s become a cliché. She’s good in everything and everyone knows it. She’s a character actor, when you need someone to play a culinary Big Bird or the bitch from hell boss. She’s a leading lady, whenever you need someone to make out with Alec Baldwin. She has two Oscars, but she’d probably have more, except these days everyone just expects Oscar-worthy performances from her. Lately, she delivers at least one of those, almost every year. She’s done it by being good and making it a point to work with good people. These days she really doesn’t have to go through the effort. She’s Meryl Streep and if she’s attached to a project other good talent will surely follow. So she could phone it in, and let the Steve Martin carry the load. But she won’t. She’s the consummate professional. Meryl’s name on a movie poster is a symbol of quality, it means something, the way Ford used to back when Henry was still alive and the company gave a damn. The way Disney used to, before everyone found out Walt was probably a secret Nazi. The way GE used to be, back when they were all about making great toasters. Most of the names we’ve come to rely on have long since had their reputations tarnished. But not Meryl Streep. She’s still going strong.
Adrien Brody
After winning an Oscar for his work in The Pianist Adrien Brody had the hardware he needed to chart his own course. He could have carved out a career doing period dramas and kissing girls in corsets. That’s what respectable Oscar winners do. Or he could have thrown it all away for a series of big paychecks lending credibility to horrible films, let’s call that the Cuba Gooding Jr. method. Instead he decided to make movies about things he liked and Adrien Brody, it seems, loves smart quirky, genre movies. He likes brain-benders about science run-amok. He likes detective stories, and time travel and fantasies about strange other worlds. Maybe his choices haven’t always worked out, I don’t think anyone would argue in favor of The Jacket, but they’ve all come from the right place. Brody picks movies because he thinks they’re interesting, or because they’re about things he’s interested in. Whether or not that results in something good every time around, it always seems to result in something that tries. The thing is, Adrien Brody is out there trying. He’s not cashing paychecks or chasing more awards attention, he’s just doing movies he thinks he’d like to see on screen and in the process hopes that it’s something you’d like to see too. Everything Adrien Brody does at least attempts to be something bigger than the sum of its parts. It’s not the usual shlock. He could do Transformers 3, and maybe he’d make more money. He could do a Jane Austen movie, and he’d almost certainly get more respect from the cinematic snobs. But instead Adrien Brody does Splice and Adrien Brody does Predators, because Adrien Brody is doing what he loves.
Leonardo DiCaprio
As I write this, Leonardo DiCaprio has 22 film projects in development. He’s not starving for an audience; in fact, he may be one of four individuals whose films I will see regardless of whether I am interested in their content (the others being Day-Lewis, Spacey, and Cruise). I’m not choosing to write about him because I feel an urgent need for readers as individuals to support DiCaprio—he is such a prevalent icon at this point regardless of whether you liked his accent in Blood Diamond or the authenticity of his knife throwing skills in Gangs of New York. In the last decade, nearly every movie he’s made is watchable, in the sense it has some interesting shit going on, often because of DiCaprio himself (and most often because these films are good). Did you read the Richard Yates book Revolutionary Road is based on? It’s like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, only it gets more aplomb in critical circles. The reason I bring up Revolutionary Road, is because the narrative closely follows my feelings on DiCaprio. The first thirty pages are classic, filled with new and interesting narrative styles and ideas, the ideas. If you reread again there is always something new, something you missed the first time that you wouldn’t have even known how to look for. After that, the book sort of takes on its own vibe, goes in directions that aren’t reassuring or familiar, and are sometimes even unlikeable. Yet for some reason, it is still compelling, and you find yourself sucked in to the very end. This is DiCaprio’s talent, to try new things, to sometimes steer off course, to go out to sea, but to know that when he’s going, to paraphrase Chris Rock, he’s going out fucking.
Ellen Page
Ellen Page has no business being on this list. She’s only 23. She hasn’t been around long enough to earn a place on it. We didn’t want to put her on it, but her work demands it. The thing is, Ellen Page may be only 23 but she’s already been in more good movies than more famous, more well-traveled, better respected Hollywood actors twice her age. That just can’t be an accident. Sure she had a role in the mostly terrible X-Men 3, but the brilliant part of that decision is that the entire movie was so shallow and empty odds are you’ve already forgotten it. But starting with Hard Candy in 2005 she’s made it a point to show up in some of the best and most interesting movies released every year and worked with some of the best writers and directors the movie industry has to offer. Maybe it’s her unconventional look or her even more unconventional style of acting that keeps them casting her, but a lot of it, you have to think, has been up to her. It’s not just that she keeps picking good movies, but she keeps picking different movies. Movies that no one else is doing. She’s been a molested child out for revenge, a pregnant hipster, a genius prodigy, a roller girl, and a dream designer. All of that in a space of less than five years. Ellen Page is too young to be on this list, too new to have a reliable track record. But here she is anyway.
Russell Crowe
It feels like Russell Crowe has made about thirty bad movies in a row. I looked it up. In actuality, he’s made nine movies in a row worse than A Beautiful Mind. That’s ten movies in a row worse than Proof Of Life, eleven movies in a row worse than Gladiator, and twelve movies in a row worse than The Insider. That’s not to say everything he’s done since The Insider has successively debilitated like the reflexes of Mohammed Ali after Joe Frazier beat the living hell out of him in Manilla, but it has been a slow, yet steady chug down from the untouchable good graces of the American public. Twelve movies in a row worse than The Insider, yet Russell Crowe is on this list largely at my behest. I can’t fully explain it away, or excuse his choices, but I can say I still believe in Russell Crowe. I believe in him because he narrates documentaries about Robin Hood on the History Channel, because he did a fucking Western. His recent choices may not have proven fruitful but it wasn’t because they were back-up plans. This is a man who truly cares about getting other men right, getting the nuances down, getting stories he believes in made. Cinderella Man is a good movie; so too are American Gangster and 3:10 To Yuma; they can’t all be better than The Insider. But if you keep watching long enough, another one of ‘em will be.
source: 20 Actors Who Deserve Your Support [Cinema Blend]
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]
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]
Are you all ready for a bit of depression? Forbes have released their annual list of the Top-Earning Celebrity Couples and just like last year the top spot is owned by Beyonce and Jay-Z. But unlike last year the couple made $162 million, this year they earned $122 million. A sign of the recession?
01. Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles : $122 million
Between Jay-Z’s musical empire, Beyonce’s chart-topping hit “Single Ladies” and several clothing lines and ad deals, this couple knows how to use their fame to make money. Jay-Z has a hit with “Empire State of Mind,” which he performed with Alicia Keys at the World Series. His next tour launches in February. Last year Beyonce sang at Obama’s inaugural ball and her film, Obsessed, earned $74 million at the worldwide box office.
02. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart : $69 million
For the past few years Ford has stayed out of the spotlight, but he returned in a big way in 2008 with Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Ford earned $65 million for his work in the role. His girlfriend, Calista Flockhart, is no lazy daisy. She stars on the ABC show Brothers & Sisters.
03. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie : $55 million
Pitt and Jolie have always gotten plenty of attention, but now they’re making plenty of money too. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was one of Pitt’s highest grossing films, earning $334 million at the worldwide box office. Jolie is profiting by embracing her inner action hero. Wanted earned $341 million at the worldwide box office. Later this year she’ll appear in Salt as a disgraced CIA agent.
04. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith : $48 million
Smith is without a doubt the biggest movie star in the world. His films have earned a total $5.7 billion at the worldwide box office and studio heads say he earns every penny of his $20 million paycheck. Most of the couple’s earnings come from Smith, but Pinkett Smith has a growing career of her own. She’s been writing and producing films as well as voicing Gloria the hippo in the Madagascar films.
05. David and Victoria Beckham : $46 million
Beckham is still a worldwide soccer sensation at the ripe old age of 34. Part of the year he’s a star in Los Angeles with the Galaxy. The rest of the year he plays for A.C. Milan, which should help him land a spot on the England team to appear in a record-tying fourth World Cup this summer. Beckham’s wife, Victoria (better known as Posh Spice), is scheduled to appear as a guest judge on this year’s American Idol.
06. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi : $36 million
DeGeneres has become an entertainment mogul. She has a successful talk show, shills for American Express and owns part of a dog food company. Next she’ll take over for Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol. Her significant other, de Rossi, stars in the ABC show Better Off Ted, which has garnered a cult following but seems poised for cancellation.
07. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson : $35.5 million
As one of the few actors in Hollywood who can still command a $20 million paycheck, Hanks is the main breadwinner in his house. He had another hit this year with Angels & Demons. The film earned $486 million at the worldwide box office. This summer he’ll once again voice Woody in Toy Story 3. Wilson has a much more low-key career, but she still pops up in best friend roles. She recently appeared with Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated.
08. Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy : $34 million
Carrey and McCarthy have been a couple for the last four years and in that time McCarthy’s profile has risen considerably. She’s gone from a Playboy model to an outspoken (and controversial) vaccine opponent. Carrey contributes the majority of money to the pair, but McCarthy will soon have her own television show under Oprah’s Harpo banner.
09. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes : $33.5 million
Cruise and Holmes are a source of endless fascination for tabloids and they’re also very rich. Cruise is the family breadwinner, earning $33 million between June 2008 and June 2009. Holmes still acts a little. In 2008 she starred in Mad Money alongside Diane Keaton. Up next for Cruise: Knight & Day with Cameron Diaz.
10. Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow : $33 million
As the front man for the group Coldplay, Martin outearns Paltrow. The group’s latest album, Viva la Vida, sold 2.6 million copies in the U.S. and 3 million in Europe. Paltrow will be the high-profile spouse in 2010 though when she reprises her role as Tony Stark’s assistant, Pepper Potts, in Iron Man 2.
Lists like this make me really depressed, especially after I look at my bank account.
I’m starting to wonder if Julia Roberts even ages, she seems to look exactly like she did twenty years ago which you can see in these pictures from last night, anyway that isn’t the point of this post.
She said, “alright well, it’s late and I’m paying my babysitter overtime and I have to pee, so Tom, everybody fucking likes you. All my bits are gone. Listen, I had lunch today with Rita [Wilson, Hanks' wife], and her tits were here [motioned high] and her waist was here [motioned small] and her ass was like that [motioned high], so what can I tell you that’s new? Tom Hanks, what the fuck?”
She then went on to speak about his movie career saying “I love the Cohen brothers, but the hair Tom [in Ladykillers], I didn’t even know what the fuck that movie was about! You in the airport with the accent (Terminal), It was a pass for me. Airport? Were you just an immigrant lost? I didn’t know. I love you, and I didn’t know what to do, really. God, I’m wearing the same fucking dress tonight as your publicist! Listen, I’ve got to get home. But this much we know … I will say this: Tom Hanks, I love you.”
Before running of the stage she then added “it’s so dark out there, I feel like I’m in space, thank you, whoever just made it light. J.J. Abrams, are you here?”
I love Julia Roberts, always have and always will, I especially love her when she’s like this – I love a woman who isn’t afraid to say fuck.
Japanese citizen, Hiroshi Nohara had been living at Mexican Airport, Benito Juarez International for an entire three months. Sound like a movie that we’ve all seen? (Ahem, “The Terminal”, anyone?)
Nohara flew to Mexico on September 2nd with a tourist visa and a return ticket, but didn’t leave, until he disappeared suddenly over the weekend. A Mexican report said that he left with a woman who had visited him at the airport.
Just like Tom Hanks’ character in the movie, Viktor Navorski, Nohara became a quasi-celebrity at the center of the terminal. The only difference is that Nohara was able to leave the terminal and just chose not to, for some unknown reason. He also possessed a return ticket to his native Japan.
When speaking with journalists, Nohara never explained his motives for staying at the terminal, but did pose for pictures and sign autographs.
The woman he disappeared with had reportedly visited him twice during his three month stay at the airport terminal. He probably fell in love with a tourist and took off with her. The Japanese Embassy still has no idea where he is.
Parade magazine have come up with a list of 10 actors, who they believe are America’s Favorite Stars, the list features the usual people you would expect:
#1 Will Smith
Will Smith seems to glide from success to success without much effort. He’s a big presence. When he walks into a room, you know he’s there. In addition to hits like Ali, Men in Black, and Hancock, he cares about family and affecting the future.
Committed to the charity Malaria No More, he has traveled to Africa with his family to witness the devastation the disease can cause. “I think a large part of why I’ve been successful is that I have, essentially, a white-collar career with a blue-collar mentality,†he says. “I can never really relax. I’m always waiting to see what’s next. It’s always, ‘OK, something different is gonna happen here.’â€
Next month he stars in the drama Seven Pounds. “I believe that the guy who works the hardest generally wins,†Will says. “ Nelson Mandela once told me that when he was in prison, he was able to watch one American film every six months. He said our films are about hope and what the world should be. He told me to keep doing exactly what I’m doing, because there’s a struggle somewhere that I’m helping. I got really inspired by that.â€
#2 Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks is so likable, we’d follow him to the moon. In fact, we already did in Apollo 13. Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, and Big are other Hanks movies you watch over and over on DVD. “To me, this isn’t work—to go off and pretend to be somebody else,†he says.
“I couldn’t believe when they paid me $285 a week to act, much less the raises I’ve received since. I shouldn’t be called the nicest guy in Hollywood. I should be called the luckiest guy, because I still can’t believe it.â€
#3 Reese Witherspoon
Some people bully their way to success. Reese Witherspoon rose to the top with “please†and “thank you,†the hint of a Southern drawl, and a winning smile. Legally Blonde put her on the map; Walk the Line won her an Oscar.
Now she’s a mom of two and a successful producer. “I try to be that person who can look in the mirror and be OK with myself,†she says. “I feel a certain responsibility to represent women who pay the bills, take care of the children, and try to have a fulfilling life themselves. I constantly feel like I’m striving to do better.â€
#4 George Clooney
Clooney can kid about himself better than anybody. He’ll joke about turning Dr. Ross on ER into everybody’s fantasy guy. He’ll joke about wearing the Batsuit. But he does take some things very seriously. He’s passionately committed to bringing attention to the tragedy in Darfur. He’s determined to make worthy films like Good Night, and Good Luck and Syriana, as well as blockbusters.
Says Clooney: “My father has always inspired me. He said, ‘Don’t wake up at 65 and think about what you should have done.’ The great lesson is that you get a sort of credit card for being famous, and I’ve thought a lot about spending it in the right instances, for people and causes I can help.â€
#5 Meryl Streep
She has an uncanny ability to transform herself into every character she plays, from a tragic heroine in Sophie’s Choice to the silly star of Mamma Mia! And she always seems to be enjoying herself—and embracing life. “Anybody who picks acting as a profession is bathed in insecurity,†she says.
“Even when you’re young, you think you’re not beautiful enough or you’ll never work again or ‘ I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I’ve had those feelings. People gave me a lot of confidence early on and encouragement to keep going. Each project I take is different—it intrigues me or makes me angry or tickles me in a new way.â€
#6 Brad Pitt
Brad’s striking looks and love life make headlines, but he’s also a good guy, more down-to-earth than seems possible. He picks challenging movie roles like Babel or Fight Club. Next: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
“You need a game plan,†he says. “You either succeed because people want you to or you stay around because you make them let you. I try to stay dedicated to my work. If I were to dwell on any of the fame and celebrity stuff, I’d make decisions for the wrong reasons. I look at my kids and realize that they will inherit this world. So, if you’re going to throw your weight around, use it to make the world a little bit better.â€
#7 Julia Roberts
The star of Pretty Woman has a megawatt smile that still works its charm. Onscreen, she can be one of the guys (see her with Clooney and Pitt in the Ocean’s movies) or a sassy fighter (Erin Brockovich). Offscreen, she’s a mom who took time off to raise her babies.
“Mustering up enough self-esteem to say, ‘I want to be an actor,’ was a big turning point,†she says. “I also said, ‘I can’t wait to be a mom.’ No five-year plan for me—I’m on the five-minute plan. I enjoy my life. You can’t be joyfully participating in the day if you’re thinking too much down the road.â€
#8 Johnny Depp
What a grand joke that Johnny Depp—the handsome rebel of Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd—is now known for his riotous, rum-soaked (and moneymaking) Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
The dad of two says: “My kids opened my eyes. I feel as though some great fog was lifted. Now I do what I want, without compromise, and try to maintain dignity and integrity. People like to think I’m a brooding, angry, rebellious guy. I’m not any of that. I’m not trying to be anything other than what I am.â€
#9 Jennifer Aniston
Aniston has a way with a comic line that makes America want to hug her, take care of her—and look just like her. We’ll always think of her as Rachel, the favorite pal on Friends. Jennifer often is called today’s Mary Tyler Moore, because she shares the same endearing style.
“I was always the class clown with a lot of ideas,†she says. “I didn’t map out my life, and I still don’t. Can’t you tell? I consider myself a spiritual person. I sometimes feel like I am guided. I trust in life, I really do. I get asked all the time, ‘What’s next?’ and the fun is that I’m wondering too!â€
#10 Patrick Dempsey
In addition to playing Dr. McDreamy on the TV hit Grey’s Anatomy, Dempsey is the romantic hero in movies like Enchanted and Made of Honor.
“I’ve just about achieved some perspective on everything that’s happened,†he says. “I’ve worked hard to get to this point, so I don’t worry that ‘I don’t deserve this.’ I’m grateful for every opportunity. I just want to do it right.â€
Kim Kardashian isn’t all butt and lip gloss — she has a heart too! Kim took part of the Dream Foundation‘s efforts in granting a wish.
Ms. Kardashian says,
I had a very magical day! I spent it with an amazing, strong girl named Jenni.
Jenni is battling her third diagnosis with cancer. She was first diagnosed when she was nine weeks old, then again in her senior year of high school and now again at 21 years old.
Her lifelong wish has been to meet Tom Hanks! The Dream Foundation granted her wish! During her stay in Los Angeles, I spent the day with her and we got our hair and make up done, which was another one of her wishes!
She is so strong and has such a positive attitude, which I think is so important when your life is being challenged. She shared her story with me and I can relate due to my dad passing of cancer.
After we spent the day together, we went to a charity event where we auctioned off items to help raise money for The Dream Foundation. My step brother Brandon and his fiance Leah performed there! They are in a band together and signed by Warner Brothers Records.
I feel so lucky to have been touched by Jenni’s spirit. I have learned so much from her.
Ok… I like Kim Kardashian just a little more than I used to — just a little.
George Clooney might have a gazillion bucks in the bank but he’s apparently a union man through and through.
In a two-page letter released Thursday, Clooney adopted a neutral stance in the dispute between the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild.
“What we can’t do is pit artist against artist,” he wrote.
AFTRA has already reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios. SAG wants AFTRA members to vote against the deal, saying its approval will handcuff SAG at the bargaining table. Both unions’ current contracts are set to expire Monday, leaving Hollywood on edge about a possible replay of the 100-day writers strike that ended in February. Results of the AFTRA vote are expected July 8.
Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and others have joined hundreds of actors in signing an online petition urging actors to ratify the AFTRA pact. Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen and Holly Hunter have endorsed a SAG ad calling for AFTRA to return to the negotiating table to get a better deal.
Clooney called the fight counterproductive. “Because the one thing you can be sure of is that stories about Jack Nicholson vs. Tom Hanks only strengthens the negotiating power” of the studios, he said.
Clooney also called on higher-paid actors to chip in a greater share of union dues and for 10 A-listers — “people that the studio heads don’t often say ‘no’ to,” he suggested, listing only Nicholson and Hanks by name — to sit down with studio heads once a year to “adjust the pay for actors.”
The idea of millionaire actors unionizing, let alone going on strike, has always struck me as ludicrous. But Clooney’s instinct here is right: if they’re going to organize, the big money stars ought to take care of the little guys. It makes sense to have a system in place for the folks struggling for scale jobs trying to get regular employment. Not so much one that has the likes of Clooney and Hanks walking a picket line.
Tom Hanks came to a bride’s rescue, when filming of his new movie delayed her arrival for the wedding services.
A girl’s wedding day is arguably the most nerve-wracking of her life, and she certainly goes to sleep the night before hoping everything will run smoothly. Of all the things that could throw a spanner in the works, however, a Hollywood movie star blocking the way to the church with his latest production is not usually top of her list of worries.
That’s exactly what happened to one Rome bride-to-be this week, however, when the path to the church was blocked by Tom Hanks and the crew of Angels And Demons, who were busy lensing scenes from the latest adaptation of the The Da Vinci Code author’s work outside the Pantheon.
The cameras stopped rolling momentarily, though, allowing Tom to help the young lady and her father on their way. The movie heavyweight chivalrously offered the bride his arm and even helped keep her long veil from trailing on the ground.
His good deed done, Tom got back to work on set with Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer – last seen opposite Dennis Quaid in Vantage Point. In the new flick the raven-haired beauty’s character Vittoria joins forces with Tom’s brooding symbologist Robert Langdon on a mission to unlock the secret world of the deadly ancient brotherhood known as the Illuminati, before they can kill again
All hope is not lost — Tom Hanks is living proof of that.
source: Tom comes to bride’s rescue after mystery filming delays wedding [hello magazine]
In a two-page letter released Thursday, Clooney adopted a neutral stance in the dispute between the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild.
