20 September 2013

Susan Sarandon may have performed as a string of alcoholics in her latest movies but the actress says she doesn’t mind because it’s better than playing dead.

The Thelma And Louise star will next be seen as the drunken mother of Dakota Fanning in a movie about the last days of legendary movie star Errol Flynn, played by Kevin Kline.

Speaking on the red carpet of a glittering benefit in Beverly Hills where she was being honoured by world hunger charity Heifer International, Susan said she was not quite sure why she was being so frequently cast as inebriated women.

“I did three films in a row playing alcoholics and Melissa McCarthy just asked me to do something on her TV series where I’m playing another alcoholic so I don’t know what that means. But it’s better than dying all the time, which I was doing for a while, so I don’t mind.”

The activist has recently completed a movie with The Heat star Melissa, which was directed by the funnywoman’s husband Ben Falcone.

Speaking about working with a couple, Susan said: “They were great, she’s very thorough, he’s the official director but she’s also really thinking about the whole and we really had a blast, it was fun.”

Susan was the honoured guest at the Beyond Hunger charity event, hosted by Heifer International, which gives livestock to those in need.

Dressed in a black and red Vivienne Tam dress and white shirt, Susan said: “Heifer is a group I’ve been working with for a long time, they do what they do very well and I’ve seen first hand what they do.”

However, Susan said she wouldn’t be falling over herself to cuddle up to the goat, sheep and cow that also attended the party.

“Goats aren’t the cuddliest things but sheep sometimes are. I’ve had some sheep experience and I’ve recently worked a full day with a llama which was a little unpredictable. In the Heifer film you see me at a gifting of pigs where me and the pigs are dressed alike with wreaths round our heads.”

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20 September 2013

Justin Timberlake isn’t sure the music world could handle “the hairstyles” if ‘N Sync reformed to rival One Direction.

The singer-and-actor was reunited with his ‘N Sync bandmates for a special performance at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. ‘N Sync was a worldwide sensation during the ‘90s, but One Direction are now ruling the charts. However, Justin believes joining forces could lead to global domination.

“I mean, really, come on. Can ten of those kind of hairstyles really be on the same stage?” Justin quipped on UK TV show Daybreak when asked if he would consider reforming ‘N Sync to rival One Direction. “I think we already know the answer to that question.

“We should just form some super group. It would be hilarious.”

Justin admits he doesn’t know much about the British boy band. But the 32-year-old has been impressed by how they have handled being in the spotlight.

“I haven’t seen the One Direction lads too much just because I am constantly moving at probably the same pace they are,” he explained. “But what I have seen is that they seem grounded to me and I like that about them.”

Justin is currently promoting his new movie Runner Runner, which sees a poor college student crack an online poker game. The star insists he is different from his film character as he doesn’t enjoy gambling or taking risks in real life.

“No not really. I gambled in Vegas a few times, but I am not the gambling type,” he said.

When asked if he saw his decision to marry Jessica Biel as a risk, Justin smiled and replied: “No, I am happy with that one.”

The heartthrob is constantly travelling around the world with his music and movie commitments.

Justin still views home as being near his family, even if his parents do sometimes nag him too much.

“For the most part I am making home wherever I am a lot more efficiently. I have a place in Los Angeles, New York and I have my house in Tennessee where I would spend the most amount of time if I wasn’t on the road. So home is still pretty close to my parents, yeah,” he revealed. “It’s nice, but also they are your parents, you know what I mean? It doesn’t change; they are your mom and your dad. It’s like, ‘I don’t like your shoes, or take that silly hat off.’”

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21 September 2013

Quentin Tarantino is reportedly going for leading man status, as he heads in front of the cameras for a biopic about filmmaker Roger Corman.

The Oscar-winning director, who often makes cameos in his films, has reportedly been cast in the lead role in The Man With The Kaleidoscope Eyes, said the Daily Telegraph.

The film, which would be directed by Joe Dante, follows the making of Corman’s controversial drug drama The Trip, which was released in the 1960s and starred Jack Nicholson in the lead role.

“It’s the story of how I made The Trip in the 1960s about LSD. It starred Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles and I took LSD so I knew what it was all about,” Roger told the paper.

“It was very controversial but it was the only American picture invited to the Cannes Film Festival that year. I have a cameo role in the movie about it, playing the executive who didn’t want me to make the film,” he added.

Colin Firth was previously linked to the Corman role.

It would mark the first starring role for Quentin, who has appeared in his films such as Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

The 50-year-old’s biggest role to date has been in Robert Rodriguez’s comedy horror From Dusk Til Dawn opposite George Clooney in 1996.

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19 September 2013

Zac Efron reportedly first sought professional help for his addiction in March this year.

Earlier this week, reports emerged that the former High School Musical star had completed a stint in a facility due to alcohol issues. However, it was then claimed Zac had been treated for a “serious” cocaine problem.

TMZ is now reporting that the 25-year-old had already received treatment in March and sought professional help for a second time after relapsing while shooting Neighbors.

“Zac has been doing cocaine for more than two years but tried to clean himself up in March …” according to the website. “We’re told he left California and stayed in a private residence where he received intensive outpatient care for several weeks.

“Our sources say after the film [Neighbors] wrapped up he got a second dose of outpatient care.”

It has been alleged Zac sometimes didn’t show up to Seth Rogen‘s movie set and it was “common knowledge” the heartthrob was using drugs.

According to TMZ, the star’s spiral into addiction was sparked by several factors.

The website claims Zac was feeling frustrated with his movie career, which has failed to take off despite him shooting to fame in the High School Musical franchise.

He is also said to have been struggling with “girl issues”, but his former girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens isn’t believed to be the subject of his heartache.

It has been claimed that the star was spending time with “a bad group of friends”, who introduced him to cocaine. However, since his rehab stint Zac has since decided to cut them out of his life.

Earlier this week it was reported Zac and some pals engaged in a cocaine “rager” at the SkyLofts at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Finally, there is speculation the actor has a difficult relationship with his parents. According to reports, Zac’s mom and dad are still trying to assert control over his life.

Zac is now believed to be “healthy” and “happy” and is eager to focus on his career.

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19 September 2013

Jeff Bridges has revealed that he felt “a little underwhelmed” with R.I.P.D.

The Oscar-winning actor and Ryan Reynolds starred as dead policemen who patrol the afterlife in Robert Schwentke’s big-screen adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book Rest In Peace Department.

The supernatural comedy had a disappointing run in the US box office upon its release, making around 33 million US dollars domestically and 68 million US dollars worldwide. It opens in the UK tomorrow (September 20).

“I had such a great time working on that movie. I remember what we were doing. I thought, ‘This could be fun to see.’ And when I saw it, I was a little underwhelmed,” he told US GQ.

“For my mind, the studio made some, uh, choices that I wouldn’t have made,” the 63-year-old added.

Jeff – who has starred in country music drama Crazy Heart, Western drama True Grit and comedy The Big Lebowski – admitted he had initial doubts when he was first approached about the role.

“I remember when someone pitched me the project, I couldn’t quite grasp what they were talking about,” he recalled.

He also likened watching the film’s box office numbers to seeing a horse race.

“It’s kind of fun when the movie’s coming out. It’s like having a horse in the race. And they’re lining up, and they’re off! And you’re rooting for your horse. And in this case, the jockey fell off the horse and you came in last,” he added.

Kevin Bacon and Mary-Louise Parker also star in R.I.P.D., which was released in the US in July.

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15 September 2013

Catherine Zeta-Jones is reportedly losing weight and chain smoking as her separation stress continues.

The Welsh actress has been struggling to come to terms with her recent separation from her husband Michael Douglas.

Although the couple have both been spotted wearing their wedding rings, the fact that Michael is away to promote his Liberace movie Behind the Candelabra is putting even more strain on Catherine.

“Catherine’s in a dark place and is struggling to cope with the separation. She’s been bombarding Michael with calls while he’s been promoting his latest film in Europe, begging him to return home.

“Her mum Pat has moved into her place in New York to help look after the children and cook for her. But despite at trying to encourage her to eat, Catherine’s had little appetite,” a source told British magazine Closer.

As well as not eating, Catherine has also been seen heavily smoking.

It has been reported that Catherine and Michael led increasingly separate lives prior to the split, but neither appear to be ready to let their marriage go.

“She’s been chain-smoking up to two packets of cigarettes daily. Everyone’s really worried about her. She’s suggested intense therapy sessions and has told Michael she doesn’t want it to end in divorce.

“He’s due back in New York next week before he goes to LA for the Emmys, so she’s hoping they can have a proper heart to heart about their future then. She says he’s still the love of her life,” the source continued.

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15 September 2013

Jennifer Aniston has revealed she tapped into her dark side “all too easily” for her role as a downtrodden wife and kidnapping victim in her latest movie.

The Friends actress stars as housewife Mickey Dawson in Life of Crime, based on the novel by Elmore Leonard.

She hit the red carpet in Toronto in a pale grey Vivienne Westwood dress as the movie closed the prestigious international film festival.

In the film, Jennifer’s character suffers at the hands of an adulterous husband, played by Tim Robbins, before she is kidnapped by a trio of criminals.

Asked about the darkness of the role, she said: “I think we are all able to tap into that, it’s just part of life. It’s something that we all experience or have watched or met a woman like that.”

The star said she was embracing the opportunity to show a different side of herself in the movie.

“It feels exciting, I love that I’m being asked to play different parts and that I can keep delivering the best that I can and am being given these opportunities. I loved her arc, she was so kick ass and the story was riveting and the actors involved were fantastic.”

However, she added the role wasn’t without it’s challenges. “The physical scenes, the attempted assault, those are the ones where you just want to wrap it up,” she said.

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15 September 2013

Ron Howard has promised Rush is not the typical sports biopic audiences may be expecting.

Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl star in the Oscar-winning director’s movie about 1970s Formula 1 racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

Ron said: “People expect a sports biopic to unfold in a fairly typical way, but everything about Rush is unexpected; the emotional twists and turns, and the action on the track.

“The story was violent, sexy and, ultimately, very emotional and triumphant. To me, it was a gift. Where else can you find a story that can operate on so many levels, and entertain and engross people in so many different ways?”

But the former Happy Days star admitted he had had his doubts about how to address the racing scenes in the film.

The 59-year-old confessed: “I assumed the racing scenes would be really embarrassing. I never thought for one minute that we’d dramatise the racing because of the sheer cost involved. To this day, I still don’t know how they did it.”

And he’s delighted by the awards buzz the film has attracted as he hopes it will attract viewers who may not have gone to see it.

“I think that’s great, particularly for a movie which frankly fights to define itself a little bit,” he said. “It encourages people to say this is worth overcoming any questions we might have about it, and give it a chance.”

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14 September 2013

A renovated opera house in a small US city that has served as a movie theatre for decades will get a dose of star power when actor Hugh Jackman visits for its reopening.

The international star’s appearance at the 114-year-old Metropolitan Theater in Iowa Falls in northern Iowa on September 21 may seem unusual, but new theatre owner John Whitesell does not think so.

He says the Australian actor, who is a family friend, called him a few months ago expressing appreciation for his efforts to restore the rundown theatre.

John, a retired lawyer, bought the building out of bankruptcy in May and has spent the summer renovating it, including installing two digital projectors.

Now, all the old theatre needs is visitors. John and other organisers are hopeful Hugh’s visit will be the right start.

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