awards

Backstage At The Oscars: Jeff Bridges

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Does Jeff Bridges think he’s “The Dude” or is he just grateful that he got to play that role?  Either way, we love him.

Q.      As we see tonight, for a lot of your career you’ve been defined by one movie, The Big Lebowski.  Will this put that to rest?
A.      I’m digging the Dude.  You know, I love him.  That’s wonderful.  You know, the success that he’s had.  I was a little disappointed, when it first came out, it didn’t do much.  But now we have Lebowski fests and all kinds of things.

Q. I was wondering what you were listening to on your iPod this morning when you were walking through Beverly Hills?
A.      I was digging a little Benji Hughes.  Do you know Benji Hughes?
Q.      I don’t.
A.      Check him out.

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Backstage At The Oscars: Sandra Bullock

Monday, March 8th, 2010

After the winners get off stage, they head back stage to be interviewed.  Here’s what Sandra Bullock had to say about the possibility that her husband was tearing up over her win.

Q.   What’s it like for him, to be able to make a tough guy like that cry on national television.  He was tearing up right in front of….
A.      Did he cry?  He doesn’t cry.  He doesn’t cry.  No.  He’s right there.  Don’t piss him off.  He had something in his eye.  It’s very dusty from the dance music.

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Must See: “Crazy Heart”

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Crazy Heart has been flying under the radar, but with the kudos Jeff Bridges has been receiving for his performance and his very possible win as best actor at The Golden Globes this Sunday, it’s just about time for this film to bust out.  So, now’s the time to get to know this film.

Bridges stars as a washed up country-and-western singer named Bad Blake.  The cast also includes Robert Duvall and Maggie Gyllenhaal.  Here’s what the Los Angeles Times had to say “ The grim parts of the film present the bourbon-battered Blake slowly (or, at times, quickly) losing his grip on life. But there’s also a comically bleary ballet to the performance by Bridges, who plays Blake as a gifted songwriter who never loses his supple intellect or candor even as his body gives out to his liquored life.”

The film is starting to open in wider release now and you can find out where it’s playing near you by visiting the official website here. Become a fan on Facebook here and enjoy the trailer below.

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Picks On DVD: “Hurt Locker” and “Moon”

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

What a great week for DVD’s and a perfect time to catch some major award winners you may have missed.

We first told you about The Hurt Locker here and it’s been collecting awards and accolades ever since.  While the film is powerful just based on the subject matter of the Iraq war alone, the style of the filmaking is equally impressive.  The film is certain to be nominated for a bunch of Academy Awards, including some in smaller categories.  And now,  you’ll have the edge  in your office Oscar pool you see it pop up  in categories like Sound Editing.

Sam Rockwell is “Sam”, in director Duncan Jones sci-fi thriller, Moon.  We loved this movie and appreciated it’s storytelling and throwbacks to thrills that involve human drama rather than scary space creatures.   And check out our interview with director Duncan Jones here.

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Extra Hip/Hidden Gem Alert: The Damned United

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Take a peek at the trailer below for a little British football movie coming out October 9th. Starring Michael Sheen ( Frost/Nixon), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge)  and Colm Meaney (he’s the new Michael Caine! What hasn’t he been in?), The Damned United tells the confrontational and darkly humorous story of Brian Clough’s doomed 44 day tenure as manager of the reigning champions of English football Leeds United. Previously managed by his bitter rival Don Revie, and on the back of their most successful period ever as a football club, Leeds was perceived by many to represent a new aggressive and cynical style of football – an anathema to the principled yet flamboyant Clough.  

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Extra Hip Alert! “Rock Of Ages” Cast Album Available To Preorder Now

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

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Pre-order yours on itunes now. And get another copy when it comes out on June 2nd just because. Enjoy this video of the cast recording the album below.

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“Next To Normal” Rocks Broadway and Green Day

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

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We were blown away this Saturday by the multi-Tony nominated “Next To Normal” on Broadway. There’s a great review here that sums it all up really nicely, but let’s just say, that you could have heard a pin drop in the theater, that’s how enraptured everyone was. It was an incredible show by some incredibly talented people. 

So, when we looked a little closer at the Playbill later, we saw that composer Tom Kitt did the string arrangements for the new Green Day record! Read more about the Green Day record here.  Check out the Next to Normal website here and follow them on twitter here.

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Spin Magazine Talks “Rock Of Ages”

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

con_rock1Constantine Maroulis, make that Tony nominee (!) Constantine Maroulis and the gang from the Tony nominated Best Musical Rock of Ages got a cute write up in Spin magazine this month. Click here to read more. And our most heartfelt congratulations to the entire Rock of Ages gang! Well deserved.

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DVD Wednesday: Benjamin, Wendy And Lucy Taken. Curious?

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Sorry for that headline. It’s our twisted homage to Gene Shalit. This weeks dvd releases are Wendy and Lucy and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

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Wendy and Lucy is one of those indie movies that you either love or hate. Here’s the story: a woman’s life is derailed en route to a potentially lucrative summer job. Then her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, and the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is led through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions. Michelle Williams gives another great performance but the movie is slow. We say “see it”, but take a peek at the trailer below to decide for yourself.

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Benjamin Button is aging backward and given little hope of survival. But, he’s Brad Pitt and there’s a movie to be made here people, so of course you know he’s going to get more handsome and fall in love with the beautiful Cate Blanchett (Daisy). It’s the kind of  heartwarming fantasy/love story/ fable that makes for e a great movie.  And, we can’t forget the Oscar nominated performance of Taraji P. Henson as the woman who cares for Benjamin, Queenie .  Enjoy the video review by Mr. Gene Shalit below.

 

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Now if you don’t feel like getting out the hankies this weekend, kick some ass with Liam Neeson in Taken

Liam Neeson is a CIA badass who must rescue his daughter after she is kidnapped in Paris by human traffickers. It’s a solid film that won’t make you feel like you wasted your time or money.  Although, you may wish that his daughter stayed kidnapped at times. Enjoy the trailer below. 

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And The Nominees Are…. Complete List Of Tony Award Nominees

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

 

tony_award288Congratulations to all! Below is the complete list of Tony nominees.

Best Play
Dividing the Estate
Author: Horton FooteProducers: Lincoln Center Theater, Bernard Gersten, Andre Bishop, Primary Stages

God of Carnage
Author: Yasmina RezaProducers: Robert Fox, David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Jon B. Platt, The Weinstein Company, The Shubert Organization

Reasons to Be Pretty
Author: Neil LaButeProducers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, MCC Theater, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Ted Snowdon, Doug Nevin/Erica Lynn Schwartz, Ronald Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Kathleen Seidel, Kelpie Arts, LLC, Jam Theatricals, Rachel Helson/Heather Provost

33 Variations
Author: Moises KaufmanProducers: David Binder, Ruth Hendel, Goldberg/Mills, Latitude Link, Arielle Tepper Madover, Bill Resnick, Eric Schnall, Jayne Baron Sherman, Wills/True Love Productions, Tectonic Theater Project, Greg Reiner, Dominick Balletta, Jeffrey LaHoste

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Producers: Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions, Weinstein Live Entertainment

Next to Normal
Producers: David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Second Stage Theatre, Carole Rothman, Ellen Richard
Rock of Ages
Producers: Matthew Weaver, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, Barry Habib, Scott Prisand, Relativity Media, Corner Store Fund, Janet Billig Rich, Hillary Weaver, Toni Habib, Paula Davis, Simon and Stefany Bergson/Jennifer Maloney, Charles Rolecek, Susanne Brook, Israel Wolfson, Sara Katz/Jayson Raitt, Max Gottlieb/John Butler, David Kaufman/Jay Franks, Mike Wittlin, Prospect Pictures, Laura Smith/Bill Bodnar, Happy Walters, Michele Caro, The Araca Group
Shrek The Musical
Producers: Dreamworks Theatricals, Neal Street Productions

Best Book of a Musical

Billy Elliot, The Musical

Lee Hall

Next to Normal
Brian Yorkey

Shrek The Musical
David Lindsay-Abaire

[Title of Show]
Hunter Bell

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Billy Elliot, The Musical
Music: Elton John
Lyrics: Lee Hall

Next to Normal
Music: Tom KittLyrics: Brian Yorkey

9 to 5: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Dolly Parton

Shrek The Musical
Music: Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

Best Revival of a Play

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, Andre Bishop, Bernard Gersten

Mary Stuart
New Version: Peter Oswald
Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Debra Black, Neal Street Productions/Matthew Byam Shaw, Scott Delman, Barbara Whitman, Jean Doumanian/Ruth Hendel, David Binder/CarlWend Productions/Spring Sirkin, Daryl Roth/James L. Nederlander/Chase Mishkin, The Donmar Warehouse

The Norman Conquests
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian, Richard Winkler, Dan Frishwasser, Pam Laudenslager/Remmel T. Dickinson, Jane Dubin/True Love Productions, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Isaacson, The Old Vic Theatre Company

Waiting for Godot
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Elizabeth Ireland McCann

Best Revival of a Musical

Guys and Dolls
Producers: Howard Panter and Ambassador Theatre Group, Tulchin/Bartner, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, Tom Gregory, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., David Mirvish, Michael Jenkins/Dallas Summer Musicals, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Sonia Friedman Productions

Hair
Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Inc., Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick, Jujamcyn Theaters, Joey Parnes, Elizabeth Ireland McCann

Pal Joey
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Marc Platt

West Side Story
Producers: Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller, Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman/Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman/Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company, Broadway Across America

Best Special Theatrical Event

Liza’s at The Palace
Producers: John Scher and Metropolitan Talent Presents, LLC; Jubilee Time Productions, LLC

Slava’s Snowshow
Producers: David J. Foster, Jared Geller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Marinoff Cohn, John Pinckard

Soul of Shaolin
Producers: Nederlander Worldwide Productions, LLC; Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film & Television Group; China on Broadway

You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush
Producer: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Home Box Office Inc., Gary Sanchez Productions, Bat-Barry Productions, Ken Davenport, Ergo Entertainment, Ronald Frankel, Jon B. Platt, James D. Stern, The Weinstein Company, Tara Smith/b. Swibel, Dede Harris/Sharon Karmazin, Arny Granat

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage
Raul Esparza, Speed-the-Plow
James Gandolfini, God of Carnage
Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King
Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be
Pretty

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Hope Davis, God of Carnage
Jane Fonda, 33 Variations
Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart
Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish ‚ Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gavin Creel, Hair
Brian d’Arcy James, Shrek The Musical
Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages
J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Stockard Channing, Pal Joey
Sutton Foster, Shrek The Musical
Allison Janney, 9 to 5: The Musical
Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

John Glover, Waiting for Godot
Zach Grenier, 33 Variations
Stephen Mangan, The Norman Conquests
Paul Ritter, The Norman Conquests
Roger Robinson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Hallie Foote, Dividing the Estate
Jessica Hynes, The Norman Conquests
Marin Ireland, Reasons to Be Pretty
Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
Amanda Root, The Norman Conquests

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

David Bologna, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Marc Kudisch, 9 to 5: The Musical
Christopher Sieber, Shrek The Musical
Will Swenson, Hair

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Jennifer Damiano, Next to Normal
Haydn Gwynne, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Karen Olivo, West Side Story
Martha Plimpton, Pal Joey
Carole Shelley, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Rob Howell, The Norman Conquests
Derek McLane, 33 Variations
Michael Yeargan, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Robert Brill, Guys and Dolls
Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Scott Pask, Pal Joey
Mark Wendland, Next to Normal

Best Costume Design of a Play

Dale Ferguson, Exit the King
Jane Greenwood, Waiting for Godot
Martin Pakledinaz, Blithe Spirit
Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregory Gale, Rock of Ages
Nicky Gillibrand, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
Michael McDonald, Hair

Best Lighting Design of a Play

David Hersey, Equus
David Lander, 33 Variations
Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Hugh Vanstone, Mary Stuart

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, Hair
Kevin Adams, Next to Normal
Howell Binkley, West Side Story
Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti, Mary Stuart
Gregory Clarke, Equus
Russell Goldsmith, Exit the King
Scott Lehrer and Leon Rothenberg, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, Hair
Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Peter Hylenski, Rock of Ages
Brian Ronan, Next to Normal

Best Direction of a Play

Phyllida Lloyd, Mary Stuart
Bartlett Sher, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage
Matthew Warchus, The Norman Conquests

Best Direction of a Musical

Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Greif, Next to Normal
Kristin Hanggi, Rock of Ages
Diane Paulus, Hair

Best Choreography

Karole Armitage, Hair
Andy Blankenbuehler, 9 to 5: The Musical
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Randy Skinner, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Best Orchestrations

Larry Blank, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical
Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal
Danny Troob and John Clancy, Shrek The Musical

* * *

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Jerry Herman

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Phyllis Newman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Shirley Herz

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