News

A Family Affair is Netflix’s latest rom-com directed by Richard Lagravenese from a screenplay by Carrie Solomon. The Netflix film follows the story of Zara, a young woman with aspirations of becoming a film producer, but currently, she works as an assistant for a self-obsessed and childish movie star, Chris Cole. While Zara hates her job and boss, she still tolerates them, but things get worse when she finds out that her mother and boss are romantically involved. A Family Affair has an amazing cast, including Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Joey King, and Kathy Bates. So, if you loved the romance, banter, and hijinks of A Family Affair, here are some similar romcoms you could watch next.

The Idea of You (Prime Video) Credit – Prime Video

The Idea of You is a romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay co-written by Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt. Based...

Paxton Whitehead, the Tony-nominated British actor best known for his snooty roles on “Mad About You” and in the Rodney Dangerfield comedy “Back to School,” died Friday at age 85, according to his son, Charles Whitehead.

In the latter feature film, he memorably played Dr. Barbay, the disapproving dean of the business school who is horrified to learn that Rodney Dangerfield’s low-brow middle-aged character has bribed his way into college. Whitehead also had a recurring role on ’90s sitcom “Mad About You” as the “neighbor from hell” Hal Conway. The actor additionally guested on a number of series including “Frasier” and “Friends.”

Also Read:

Barry Reardon, Former Warner Bros. Theatrical Distribution Chief, Dies at 92

Actress Dana Ivey remembered him fondly on Twitter: “I’ve just heard that my beloved friend Paxton Whitehead has died, on Friday the 16th. We first worked together in ‘My Fair Lady’ in 1964, and the...

Paxton Whitehead, the prolific and acclaimed actor whose career stretched from 17 Broadway productions, a recurring role on the hit 1990s sitcom Mad About You and a memorable turn as a snooty professor who takes an instant disliking to Rodney Dangerfield’s crude self-made man in 1986’s Back to School, died June 16 at a hospital in Arlington, Va. He was 85.

His death has been confirmed by his son Charles Whitehead, with many friends and colleagues sharing their memories on social media.

Actor Dana Ivey wrote: “We first worked together in My Fair Lady in 1964, and the last time was in Importance of Being Earnest in 2010 — friends for 59 years. I loved him so. Heartbroken.”

Tony-nominated for his performance as Pellinore in the 1980 revival of Camelot, Paxton, born in English village of East Malling, made his Broadway debut in a short-lived production of Ronald Millar’s The Affair. His next Broadway show — Beyond the Fringe...

Patrick Harrison, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ longtime top official in New York, has been let go by the organization, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The exit of Harrison was communicated to the Academy’s roughly 1,000 Tri-State area members in an email sent last Friday by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang. The official began his career in 1991 as an assistant to the Academy’s executive administrator and left in 1995 to work on awards campaigns at Miramax. He then returned to the Academy in February 2001, serving as director of New York programs and membership until July 2022, when he was promoted to VP member relations and global outreach.

“Since we met with you in October, there have been some changes in the Tri-State operation,” Kramer and Yang’s missive acknowledged. “As some of you know, Roger [Mancusi, Harrison’s deputy] left the Academy in the fall, and Patrick has been on leave.

Over the course of its original 10-season run, "Murphy Brown" was consistently considered one of the best sitcoms on television and made a star out of its leading lady Candice Bergen. One of its key ingredients for success was the character of Jim Dial, the lead news anchor for "Fyi," played by Charles Kimbrough. With his overly articulated speech and rich baritone, he made what should be the face of trustworthiness and intelligence into a delightful straight-laced buffoon, earning the actor an Emmy nomination in 1990.

Sadly, Charles Kimbrough has passed away at the age of 86. Appearing on stage and screens big and small, the Tony-nominated actor had a robust career going all the way back to the late 1960s that ranged from Shakespeare on Broadway to voicing Victor the gargoyle in Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" to a supporting role in the romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner." He worked...

Click here to read the full article.

[The following story includes major spoilers from Wednesday season one and plot details from Smallville.]

With the Netflix series Wednesday, creators Al Gough and Miles Millar gave viewers something they had never seen before: the world of Wednesday Addams, away from her kooky, lovable family.

The breakout show, which opened to the second-largest premiere week in the two-year history of Nielsen’s weekly rankings, is the latest in a long list of Addams Family adaptations. What’s unique about Wednesday, however, is that it largely follows one member of the clan (with a helping hand, ahem, from Thing) and her life at Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for “outcasts, freaks and monsters.” Within days of being at her new school, the teen goth icon is wrapped up in a fantastical whodunnit that she’ll spend the entirety of the first season solving: Who’s killing Nevermore students, and why?

By the end of the finale, Wednesday discovers that her almost-beau,...

"Normal" and "creepy" are relative terms, especially when discussing the mysterious, spooky, and altogether ooky Addams Family. First introduced in the pages of The New Yorker in 1938, Charles Addams' series of macabre and hilarious single-panel cartoons became the foundation for one of America's most popular — and most enduring — fictional families. Television shows and movies, both live-action and animated, have featured the family's morbid antics since 1964, with a new Netflix series debuting later this year.

If there's anything the Addams Family teaches us, it's that "normal" is in the eye of the beholder and that looks can be deceiving. At the same time, part of the fun of the Addams Family is that they allow us to get in touch with our own darkness, our own weirdness, and celebrate the creepier side of life. While there are many extended family members in the Addams clan, this list will stick to the major players,...

Elizabeth Marvel has joined the star-studded cast of Blitz Bazawule’s adaptation of “The Color Purple”.

The forthcoming Warner Bros. musical movie is an adaptation of Alice Walker’s iconic American novel, as well as the Oscar-nominated 1985 film and Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that it inspired.

Production is currently underway for the project in Georgia, where the story is set. Directed by Bazawule, from a screenplay by Marcus Gardley (“The Chi”), the story spotlights Celie, a Black woman whose personal awakening in the American South of the early 20th century is at the center of this epic story.

Told through a lens of magical realism, dance and an uplifting musical score infused with African American jazz, gospel and blues, the movie aims to astonish lovers of earlier adaptations and introduce these beloved characters to a new generation.

Marvel will assume the role of Miss Millie — the unpleasant and overbearing mayor...

Barry Sonnenfeld leaped from hot cinematographer status to A- list director with this sure-footed big screen adaptation of the TV show based on Charles Addams’s marvelously morbid New Yorker cartoons. The cast is ideal: Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia complement TV’s Carolyn Jones and John Astin without inviting comparisons. Winning an imaginary award for making sick jokes safe for PG-13, the script has true wit. The characters have depth as well, which is wonderful. Daring to be out of step with the times, the elaborate production, costumes and special effects are all on the same page: director Sonnenfeld and producer Scott Rudin see to it that the goofy premise never wears thin. The 4K encoding is a dazzler.

The Addams Family

4K Ultra-hd + Digital Code

‘With More Mamushka!’

Paramount Home Video

1991 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date November 23, 2021 /

Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson,...

One of Joe Dante’s finest pictures speaks heart-to-heart to gee-whiz space fans — transporting us from our backyard to the far reaches of the galaxy. With a boost from aliens unknown, Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson are the intrepid space cadets that construct a fantastic vehicle from mysterious dream-signals, no Interociter required. Their dreams hint at the secret desires in their adolescent imaginations, even without an it’s-all-a-dream sandpit. They dare fly where no man has flown before, a genuine escape from the petty pressures of Junior High. New and old input on the Blu-ray finally tells the full story of the making of an underrated wonder movie.

Explorers

Blu-ray

1985 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 109, 106 min. / Street Date May 25, 2021

Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson, Amanda Peterson, Dick Miller, Dana Ivey, James Cromwell, Brooke Bundy, Robert Picardo, Leslie Rickert, Mary Kay Place.

Cinematography: John Hora

Film Editor: Tina Hirsch

Production Design: Robert S.

Mary-Louise Parker could add a second Tony Award to her mantle this year to join her 2001 trophy for “Proof.” After receiving rave reviews for her performance in “The Sound Inside,” industry watchers pegged her as the early Tony frontrunner for Lead Actress – Play. The only problem is that she will face stiff competition….from herself.

“The Sound Inside” marked the Broadway debut of the Pulitzer Prize finalist author Adam Rapp (“Red Light Winter”). Parker starred as college writing professor Bella, who lives a mostly solitary life. The only person she seems to have time for is the sole other character in the drama, Christopher (Will Hochman), one of her students. Bella brings the audience on an emotional journey as she deals with the emotional turmoil surrounding a cancer diagnosis. The hypnotic script gifted Parker with a meaty role (she never left the stage) full of dense language and complicated emotions.

The Acting Company presents a one-night-only benefit reading of Driving Miss Daisy, the beloved play by Alfred Uhry, at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, on Monday, November 11 at 700 Pm. The performance reunites Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and five-time Tony Award nominee Dana Ivey, who created the iconic roles of Hoke Colburn and Daisy Werthan in the original 1987 production Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons.

Out of all the nominees spread across the 26 categories at the 2018 Tony Awards, 20 of them stand out as particularly noteworthy. Check out the complete list of nominations here.

The following Broadway productions from this past season were completely shut out by the nominating committee: “Head Over Heels,” “Straight White Men,” “Pretty Woman,” “The Nap,” “The Lifespan of a Fact,” “American Son,” and “True West.”

This year marks the second time this decade that the category of Best Musical consisted of five nominees, the first being in 2016. It’s also the third time for both Best Play (which had five nominees in 2014 and 2018) and Best Play Revival (which had five nominees in 2016 and 2018). And this year marks the fourth instance when the category of Best Musical Revival had only two nominees; the previous times were in 1995, 2002, and 2011.

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Two of this year...

For most actors, a Broadway debut would be the highlight of their year. For Jeremy Pope, he followed up his sensational Broadway debut with another hit show within the same season. Thanks to his stellar notices in “Choir Boy” and then “Ain’t Too Proud,” Pope could pull off the rare feat of earning two Tony nominations within the same season.

Pope played the lead role of Pharus Jonathan Young in “Choir Boy.” The actor was involved with the production since Manhattan Theater Club commissioned the work in 2013. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”), the coming of age story follows Pharus, the leader of the student choir at a boy’s prep school. He learns to confront bullying, his sexuality, and identity, and gets to sing a slew of glorious gospel songs.

Critics heaped praise on Pope, declaring a new Broadway star was born. David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter) thought...

Our resident VOD expert tells you what's new to rent and/or own this week via various Digital HD providers such as cable Movies On Demand, FandangoNOW, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical Chappaquiddick Shock and Awe The Leisure Seeker (romantic comedy; Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay, Janel Moloney, Dana Ivey, Dick Gregory, Kirsty Mitchell...

Chicago – Helen Mirren keeps establishing herself as an international treasure with each new role. She is the prime motivator in the new film “The Leisure Seeker,” about a retired couple taking one last spin in their Rv, which takes its nickname from the title of the film. Along the way secrets are revealed and the devastation of dementia is exposed, but the story never gets too serious or heavy handed.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Donald Sutherland portrays the dementia-riddled husband in the couple, and he delivers a spot-on interpretation of the “needle skip” nature of the disease. The film is adapted by four screenwriters, including director Paolo Virzi (“Like Crazy”), from a novel by Michael Zadoorian. The story is the star, and it is rendered precisely by Virzi, with even the supporting roles having interesting significance… kudos to the casting of Janel Moloney and Christian McKay as their nervous adult children. The themes of aging,...

Jan Maxwell, a beloved mainstay of New York City theater, died on Feb. 11 at the age of 61. Over the course of her illustrious career, in which she appeared in 13 Broadway and numerous Off-Broadway productions, Maxwell earned five Tony Award nominations for her work in both musicals and plays, comedies and dramas, displaying a near-unparalleled mastery of both genres.

Maxwell first appeared on the Great White Way in the original production of “City of Angels” as an understudy, swing, and replacement. Her first bid at the Tony Awards came over a decade later for her featured role in the musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in 2005, for which she won her first Drama Desk Award. She went on to earn Tony nominations for her performances in the play “Coram Boy” (2007) and in revivals of “Lend Me a Tenor” (2010) and “The Royal Family” (2010), taking home her second Drama Desk for the latter.

Her...

Author: Zehra Phelan

Universal Pictures has graced hump day with a heartfelt trailer for the upcoming The Leisure Seeker starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland in the twilight of their life.

Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Michael Zadoorian, the film is directed by Paolo Virzi and stars Donald Sutherland, Helen Mirren, Christian Mckay, Janel Moloney, Dana Ivey and Dick Gregory.

The Leisure Seeker is released in the UK on May 4th 2018

The Leisure Seeker Official Synopsis

The Leisure Seeker explores the American “on the road” genre, updated by the ironic and compassionate poetry of Paolo Virzì and rendered even more extraordinary by the vitality of two exceptional stars, Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, in the roles of Ella and John, a couple on the run in their old camper.

The post Helen Mirren & Donald Sutherland take a heartfelt road trip in the new trailer for The Leisure Seeker...

The Leisure Seeker Sony Pictures Classics Director: Paolo Virzi Screenwriter: Stephen Amidon, Francesca Archibugi, Francesto Piccolo, Paolo Virzi based on Michael Zadoorian’s book Cast: Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay, Janel Moloney, Dana Ivey, Dick Gregory Screened at: Critics’ DVD, NYC, 11/24/17 Opens: In December for awards consideration. January 18, 2018 Maurice Chevalier once said […]

The post The Leisure Seeker Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

on this day in history as it relates to showbiz

30 BC Cleopatra commits suicide, allegedly by purposeful snake bite. I don't remember that scene in Liz Taylor's Cleopatra but it might have been at the four hour mark and t'was possibly asleep

How to honor this day: play with someone's snake. In the absence of a suitable one, wink at someone as saucily as Liz

← 1915 "Of Human Bondage" by W Somerset Maugham published. 19 years later it becomes a movie and marks Bette Davis's ascent to superstar actress

How to honor this day: Let it all out like Bette in that performance that's pure...

A version of this article originally appeared on Entertainment Weekly.

Not based in the Big Apple but don’t want to miss the opportunity to catch Ingrid Michaelson, Ellen Burstyn, Ramin Karimloo, and more on stage together?

No fear! Beginning at 8 p.m. Et this Saturday, Entertainment Weekly will be live-streaming the “Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out!” fundraising event as it’s happening at The Town Hall in New York.

The concert will mix songs, comedy, and commentary to raise money for five national organizations, including Planned Parenthood, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Immigration Law Center, The Sierra Club Foundation,...

Red Bull Theater today announced the complete cast for their 2016-'17 Season kick-off, a special benefit reading and party on Monday, October 10th 730pm at Symphony Space Moliere's Tartuffe, translated by Richard Wilbur, directed by Marc Vietor who directed last season's acclaimed The School for Scandal, and starring Bill Camp, Julie Halston, Dana Ivey, Reg Rogers, Derek Smith, and Michael Urie, along with Christian DeMarais, Gretchen Hall, Naomi Lorrain, and Ben Mehl.

Many of the special guest readers have been announced for the Shakespeare Birthday Sonnet Slam on 422 in Central Park which include stars of stage amp screen Michael Urie, Dana Ivey amp Frances Barber both starring Off-Broadway in The School for Scandal, Ryan Spahn, Wyatt Fenner, Jenny Lee Mitchell Mad Jenny, Carra Patterson, Shakespeare Illustrator Jean Noel Vandaele, NYC Deputy Parks Commissioner Liam Kavanagh and Deputy British Consul General Nick Astbury.

'True Grit' 2010: Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges. 'True Grit' 2010 review: 'Far Superior' to 1969 John Wayne Western I've gotten to the point with the Coen brothers where I just expect something wonderful every time they make a movie. For me, that was the case even with an effort like True Grit. For others, however, it was different. When the Coens announced their plans to adapt Charles Portis' novel, heads turned and were scratched by many. After all, not only were the brothers going to adapt a book, something they had done only once before (twice if you count The Odyssey), but they were going to remake a movie made famous by John Wayne in 1969. To many, especially lovers of Westerns, touching True Grit was sacrilege. But the Coens weren't deterred, and thankfully so. Their adaptation of True Grit is not only far superior to Henry Hathaway's 1969 version, it...

'Sleepless in Seattle': Meg Ryan 'Sleepless in Seattle' review: Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in an affair to forget In Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Red, the last installment of his "Three Colors" trilogy, the word "magic" is never bandied about. No need to. Magic is just about everywhere in that lyrical tale about love and fate. On the other hand, the word "magic" seems to crop up every other minute in writer-director Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle. Ephron and fellow Oscar-nominated screenwriters Jeff Arch and David S. Ward (plus an uncredited Delia Ephron) were apparently trying to create screen magic through the power of suggestion. If you repeat it often enough... Following in the footsteps of Claude Lelouch's 1974 hit And Now My Love, with added touches borrowed from Leo McCarey's 1957 romance classic An Affair to Remember (itself a remake of McCarey's own 1939 Love Affair), Nora Ephron...

Stars: Simon Helberg, Melanie Lynskey, Maggie Grace, Zachary Quinto, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Cantor, Gioianna Digiorgio, Dana Ivey, Judith Light | Written by Simon Helberg | Directed by Jocelyn Towne, Simon Helberg

Review by Andrew McArthur

Joined by his wife Jocelyn Towne, The Big Bang Theory‘s Simon Helberg turns director with autobiographical romantic comedy We’ll Never Have Paris. Helberg supposedly bases his film on a true story, making this charmless and aimless picture all the more tragic.

Neurotic thirty-something Quinn (Helberg) is planning on popping the question to his girlfriend of ten years Devon (Melanie Lynskey), until his colleague (Maggie Grace) confesses her love for him. This new found revelation results in the nervous Quinn botching his proposal and breaking-up with Devon. However, he realises he has made a huge mistake and attempts to win her back.

We’ll Never Have Paris is a romantic comedy with no focus, a film...

On Monday afternoon, with the Oscar nomination voting period winding down -- voting ends at 5 p.m. Pt on Wednesday, Jan. 8 -- Focus Features threw a Peggy Siegal-coordinated luncheon for East Coast Academy members at New York City's Monkey Bar restaurant to celebrate its primary Oscar contender, Dallas Buyers Club, and its stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, who were in attendance. The gathering was hosted by legendary Oscar winner Liza Minnelli, who welcomed guests -- including several dozen voters from across the branches of the Academy, among them actress Dana Ivey, animator Jimmy Picker, casting director Bonnie Timmermann, writer

read more...

Nathan Lane, Harold Prince, Angela Lansbury, Laura Osnes, Harriet Harris, Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen, Alfred Uhry will salute actress Dana Ivey and arts patron Barbara Fleischman at The Acting Company's Gala on Monday, October 21 at Capitale. Ms. Ivey will receive the John Houseman Award recognizing her profound commitment to the development of American actors and a national audience for the theater. Ms. Fleischman will be presented the Warburg Humanitarian Award for her outstanding philanthropic endeavor and support of the arts. Harriet Harris Cinderella and Barclay Collins are Gala Chairs, Nathan Lane The Nance and Hal Prince 21 Tony Award winner will present the awards Stephen DeRosa Boardwalk Empire will host, Laura Osnes Cinderella will perform. Tributes will be offered by a host of celebrities. Three hundred guests complete an industry-filled audience of producers, directors, entertainers and other notables including TheHonorable Thomas Kean, record producer Clive Davis, playwrights Alfred Uhry and Elizabeth Egloff,...

From originating the titular role in the stage version of "Driving Miss Daisy" to playing a key part in "The Addams Family" films, there's quite a lot of variety on Dana Ivey's resume.

The 71-year-old Georgia native has had more than 30 film roles and appeared in close to two dozen TV shows, which makes her a perfect subject for "Isn't That ... ?," a new HuffPost feature highlighting those character actors you recognize from a variety of projects, but don't know much else about.

The five-time Tony-nominated Ivey will appear in one of the final episodes of "The Big C" as a fellow cancer patient of Cathy's (Laura Linney). "I was thrilled to be asked to be on it," Ivey said in a phone interview with HuffPost. "It's such a good show. I've been watching it since the beginning and DVRing it and watching every episode. I just love it. I...

Welsh-born actor and Richard Burton's first wife, she moved to the Us after their split and co-founded a famous New York disco

Sybil Christopher, who has died aged 83, was the injured party in Hollywood's most famous on- and off-screen romance, that between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor during the making of Joe Mankiewicz's blockbuster epic Cleopatra (1963). Sybil Williams, as she was born, was the girl from the Welsh valleys whom Burton had married in 1949. Theirs was a tenacious and loving relationship that survived the actor's affairs with Claire Bloom and Susan Strasberg, among many others, and his hell-raising exploits.

Having ditched her own career as an actor to follow his star – and raise their two daughters – she always remained discreetly quiet about the marriage, filing for divorce in 1963 on the grounds of "abandonment and cruel and inhumane treatment". Moving to New York, she made a new career for herself on a tide of goodwill.

At The Acting Companys 40th Anniversary Ruby Ball on Monday, December 3, 2012 at Capitale, James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director of the Signature Theatre and the Richard Rodgers Director of Juilliards Drama Division, will accept the John Houseman Award recognizing his profound commitment to the development of American actors and an audience for the theater. Earl Weiner, Board Chairman of both The Acting Company and the Theater Development Fund Tdf will receive the Warburg Humanitarian Award for his outstanding philanthropic endeavor and leadership. According to Barbara Fleischman, Gala Chair, Harriet HarrisThoroughly Modern Millie, upcoming in Cinderella and Dr. Kate Levin, Commissioner of New York Citys Department of Cultural Affairs, will present the awards Jim Dale will host, Kate Baldwin Finians Rainbow, upcoming in Giant will perform and tributes will be offered by Angela Lansbury, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, Dana Ivey, Hamish Linklater, Joe Dowling, Director of The Guthrie and Michael Kahn,...

The Acting Company will present a benefit staged reading of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer at 7 pm on Monday, February 13 at the Mainstage Theater Playwrights Horizons. The performance, starring Dana Ivey The Help, Importance of Being Earnest, Rebecca Brooksher The Good Wife, Betsy Aidem Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling, Chad Hoeppner Come Back Little Sheba, Butley Neal Huff When I Come to Die, The Little Dog Laughed and Pamela Nyberg Doubt tour will be followed by a reception with the cast and director, Jodie Markell The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond. Ms. Ivey serves on the Board of The Acting Company Chad Hoeppner and Pamela Nyberg are both Acting Company Alumni Members. Tickets 35 are available from 212-258-3111.

Everett John Franklin and Dana Ivey in “The Addams Family,” (1991)

A New York theater mainstay, Dana Ivey has lived in the city for over 30 years, starring in everything from Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” to Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George.” She’s won Tony’s and Obie’s, and that’s just for her work on Broadway. But before Ivey took her first bow on the Great White Way, she could be found in curtains and drapery section of Davidson’s,...

Many times, producers have attempted to turn a successful television series into a big blockbuster movie. Sometimes the resulting movie requires too much knowledge of the original series and non-fans are lost (The X-Files: Fight the Future). Sometimes, the film bears little or no relation to the original series and is not strong enough to stand on its own (Starsky and Hutch). Sometimes the connection goes the other way around, and a poor to middling film becomes a hit television series (Stargate, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). But every now and again, a film inspired by a television series stands on its own as a huge success, enriching the television series for its fans and providing a solid couple of hours’ entertainment for non-fans. These are just six of the best.

Dad’s Army (dir. Norman Cohen, 1971)

Dad’s Army was a phenomenally successful British sit-com of the 1970s. Based on...

The Hangover: Part Two

Opens: May 26th 2011

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong

Director: Todd Phillips

Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.

Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.

The wait didn't last long.

What becomes a legend most? Amanda Wingfield is of course the iconic mother in "The Glass Menagerie," Tennessee Williams' autobiographical play about his family life. Judith Ivey is the deeply respected actor who won Tonys for "Hurlyburly" and "Steaming," starred on Broadway in the revival "Follies," and originated roles in "Park Your Car in Harvard Yard" and "Precious Sons," not to mention her vast screen credits. But as Ivey tells it, Amanda may be the role of her lifetime.This week the version directed by Gordon Edelstein and starring Ivey begins its run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, following the Long Wharf's premiere presentation last year and its move this spring to the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York. It also stars Patch Darragh as Amanda's son, Tom.When Back Stage spoke with Ivey, the production was in previews at the Taper, having completed about 200 performances on the East Coast.

Now that "Rabbit Hole" has a formidable distributor (Lionsgate), there's talk of the screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play being nominated for best picture. So far only two plays that won the Pulitzer were adapted into movies that won best picture at the Oscars. One was "You Can't Take It With You" (1937). What was the other? To see the answer, click on the "Continue Reading" link below. Answer: "Driving Miss Daisy" won the Pulitzer in 1988 and was transferred to the screen one year later, starring Jessica Tandy in the role originated by Dana Ivey when the play opened Off Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre in 1987. That first production won...

Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Egan, Letters to Juliet Tony Award winners James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave, the latter recently seen on-screen in the romantic comedy-drama Letters to Juliet, will join forces in the Broadway premiere of Alfred Uhry‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Driving Miss Daisy. Under the direction of David Esbjornson, Driving Miss Daisy will have its first presentation on Oct. 7 at the John Golden Theatre. An official opening will follow on Oct. 25. Driving Miss Daisy opened Off-Broadway in 1987. Morgan Freeman and Dana Ivey played the leads. Directed by Bruce Beresford, the 1989 film version earned Broadway star Jessica Tandy a Best Actress Academy Award, while Morgan Freeman, reprising his stage role, received a Best Actor nomination. Playwright Uhry, for his part, won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film itself won that year’s Best Picture Oscar as well, even though director Beresford wasn’t even nominated.

Well, it started out as an Off-Broadway play, and now it’ll be making its Broadway debut, which I suppose shouldn’t at all be a surprise, regardless of how you feel about the material – the film specifically, which is likely how most of you know it.

The original 1987 play by Alfred Uhry, about the relationship of an elderly Southern Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur, over several years, starred Morgan Freeman and Dana Ivey. Freeman, as we all know, then went on to star in the 1988 filmed version of the play, opposite Jessica Tandy, whose performance was nominated and won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1989. The film also won the Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars that same year, becoming the only film based on an off Broadway production ever to win an Academy Award for Best Picture (a little trivia for ya).

Spike Lee will never forget that year,...

Actors' Equity Association has elected Nick Wyman as its new president, the union announced Monday. A longtime member of Equity's national council, Wyman succeeds Paige Price, who, as first vice president of the union, has fulfilled the president's duties since December, when Mark Zimmerman stepped down as president.

In addition to serving for more than 20 years on the national council, Wyman has also sat on several of the union's Production Contract negotiating teams, as well as the House Affairs and National Public Policy committees. He is currently the chair of Equity's Alien committee and has been a trustee of the union's pension and health funds for 10 years.

More than 6,500 votes were cast in an election that also saw 18 members win seats on Equity's national council.

In the Eastern region, Dana Ivey, Maureen Moore, Judy Rice, Wally Dunn, Scott Evans, Kristine Nevins, Craig A. Meyer and Joe Zaloom were elected in...

Actors Equity Association has elected Nick Wyman as its new president, the union announced today. A longtime member of Equity's national council, Wyman succeeds Paige Price, who, as 1st vice president of the union, has fulfilled the president's duties since December, when president Mark Zimmerman stepped down.In addition to serving more than 20 years on the national council, Wyman has also sat on several of the union's production-contract negotiating teams, as well as the House Affairs and National Public Policy committees. He is currently the chair of Equity's Alien committee and has been a trustee of the union's pension and health fund for 10 years.More than 6,500 votes were cast in an election that also saw 18 members win seats on Equity's national council. In the eastern region, Dana Ivey, Maureen Moore, Judy Rice, Wally Dunn, Scott Evans, Kristine Nevins, Craig A. Meyer, and Joe Zaloom were elected in the principal category to five-year terms.

***Spoiler Alert*** This post contains spoilers on an upcoming episode of Ugly Betty.

Ryan McGinnis as "Austin"

all photos courtesy ABC/Patrick Harbron

There are only six episodes of Ugly Betty left to go, so if the show really is going to address the questions surrounding Justin's sexual orientation as executive producer Silvio Horta promised, it's going to have to happen soon.

The simplest way to do that is to give him a potential love interest, and that's why a character being introduced in the March 17th episode has our curiosity piqued. Here's the casting call that went out for the part:

[Austin] male, to play 15-17, Caucasian, good-looking, great personality, Must be a strong actor. Please only submit actors under 18. Recurring Co-star/Possible Guest Star.

Couple that possibility of a recurring role along with the teaser for the March 17th episode...

" Justin loves his acting class, but finds himself in...

See clips from "Ghost Town" starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni, Alan Ruck, Kristen Wiig, Bill Campbell, Dana Ivey, Aasif Mandvi, Dylan Clark Marshall. Bertram Pincus (Gervais), a man with non-existent people skills is in for a nightmare of a time when he dies and is brought back to life after seven minutes. That's not the nightmare though - the problem is that he can see dead people, and they irritate the life out of him. Every ghost wants something from Pincus, focus is on one in particular ghost called Frank (Greg Kinnear) whose on Bertram's back to break up the marriage of his widow Gwen (Leoni) to another man. Check out these clips...

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks have released their Fall/Holiday Preview kit with a few new images from The Soloist starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx plus Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais and more! 

{sidebar id=1}The kit included synopsis and info from several films, however the Eagle Eye pics have already been released so I didn't include those and Benjamin Button had no images attached. Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge!

"Ghost TOWNÂ.

DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present

A Pariah Production

Â.Ghost TownÂ.

Executive Producers Roger Birnbaum Gary Barber Ezra Swerdlow

Produced by Gavin Polone

Written by David Koepp & John Kamps

Directed by David Koepp

Cast: Ricky Gervais, Téa Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell, Kristen Wiig, Dana Ivey

Synopsis: In the comedy "Ghost Town," Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a man whose people skills Read more...

Paramount Pictures has just made available new pictures from four of their five upcoming Fall/Holiday features with David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button being the only film not getting a visual accompaniment. However, we have new images from The Soloist, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Ghost Town[/link] as well as a gallery for Eagle Eye made up of images that were already released. Titles, release dates, cast and the synopsis for each film are listed below as well as the brand new trailer for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which just debuted on Moviefone. Note: Instead of clicking on the gallery links throughout the article you can click on any one of the thumbnails at the end of the article to check out all of the new images in one gallery. Ghost Town September 19 Photo: DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Click Here To Browse The Picture Gallery Cast: Ricky Gervais,...

Paramount Pictures announced September 19, 2008 release date for David Koepp's Ghost Town. September releases are becoming more known as "dump month," which leads me to believe there is something wrong with the movie, which centers on a dentist who dies briefly during routine dental surgery and gains the ability to see dead people who ask him for help in contacting the living. Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Kristen Wiig, Tea Leoni and Dana Ivey all star in the romantic horror pic. Read on for the first still.

Booth Theatre, New York

Through Jan. 14

It's easy to see why Nathan Lane would be attracted to the title role of "Butley", Simon Gray's little-seen play that has not been revived on Broadway since its 1972 production starring the Tony-winning Alan Bates. The character, a burnt-out English university professor addicted to booze and cigarettes who must cope with myriad professional and personal disappointments in one long day, displays the kind of bitter anger that always has been an essential element of Lane's comic performances.

The current revival, directed by Nicholas Martin and arriving on Broadway after a previous production several years ago at the Huntington Theatre Company, indeed offers its lead performer great opportunities to chew the scenery, a task made easier by the fact that his character is onstage for the entire duration.

The play itself doesn't seem to hold up particularly well, seeming rather anemic when compared with such richer Gray works as "The Common Pursuit" and "Quartermaine's Terms." It is essentially a character portrait in which its titular figure suffers a procession of indignities: His marriage is dissolving and his wife (Pamela Gray) has found another man; his officemate and lover Joseph (Julian Ovenden) has engaged in a similar betrayal; and a fellow professor (Dana Ivey) is about to get her book published, while his own, on T.S. Eliot, is languishing. All the while, he's dodging a succession of students desperate for a few minutes of his time.

What makes Butley's travails interesting to watch is his scathing wit, and Lane delivers his verbal put-downs and sarcastic asides with his trademark expert comic timing and vocal bluster. But he uncharacteristically fails to command the stage here, not managing to convey the authority that would make his character's rapid descent moving. It is a fatal flaw if we are to care for this essentially obnoxious, self-involved figure.

The supporting players make vivid impressions in their often fleeting roles, with particularly strong work by Ivey as the deceptively astute professor and Darren Pettie as the romantic rival who violently puts Butley in his place (even here, though, the casting seems off, as Lane is not exactly a formidable physical presence).

Technical elements are excellent; especially striking is Alexander Dodge's set design of a claustrophobic attic office that seems to be closing in on its occupants.

BUTLEY

Elizabeth Ireland McCann, Stephanie P. McClelland, Chase Mishkin, Erik Falkenstein, Debra Black, Barbara Manocherian/Larry Hirschborn, Barbara Freitag, Jeffrey Sine/Frederick Zollo and Joey Parnes present a Huntington Theatre Company production

Credits: Playwright: Simon Gray

Director: Nicholas Martin

Set designer: Alexander Dodge

Costume designer: Ann Roth

Lighting designer: David Weiner

Sound designer: John Gromada

Cast:

Ben Butley: Nathan Lane

Joseph Keyston: Julian Ovenden

Edna Shaft: Dana Ivey

Anne Butley: Pamela Gray

Mr. Gardner: Roderick Hill

Reg Nuttall: Darren Pettie

Miss Heasman: Jessica Stone...

Suggested by -- as opposed to based on -- "A Prayer for Owen Meany", Mark Steven Johnson's "Simon Birch" is a sincere if somewhat treacly rendering of the John Irving novel.

In condensing the material, Johnson has smoothed over most of the quirky Irving edges, leaving precious little to keep the sentimental element in check.

But while heartstrings get yanked with regularity, Johnson's assured first-feature direction and uniformly strong cast make it palatable. Good word-of-mouth could help overcome the lack of big names (unless you count Jim Carrey's straight narration and bookend screen appearances) and give little "Simon" a modest boxoffice boost.

Impressive 3-foot-1, 11-year-old newcomer Ian Michael Smith plays the colorful title character -- the smallest child born at fictional Gravestown Memorial Hospital -- who grew up, in a manner of speaking, to become an outspoken troublemaker with an old soul and a funny voice.

Basically ignored by his parents, Simon usually hangs around his best friend Joe Joseph Mazzello), born out of wedlock to a pretty, perky mother (Ashley Judd) and an unknown father.

But the boys' more or less idyllic childhood receives a rude awakening when a towering foul ball hit by Simon During an afternoon baseball game meets with tragic results and the secret identity of Joe's dad becomes a pressing concern.

Meanwhile, Simon, who has always believed himself an instrument of God, is given an opportunity to put destiny to the test when a wayward busload of school children (shades of "The Sweet Hereafter") plunges into icy waters.

In addition to Smith's casting-agent's-dream of a performance, the picture benefits greatly from Mazzello's strong, sensitive turn, while the always-effective Judd is cast perfectly as Joe's dream of a mom. Providing sturdy support are Oliver Platt as Judd's kindly beau, David Strathairn as a stiff reverend who manages to let Simon's theological outbursts get under his skin, Dana Ivey as Joe's stern grandmother and Jan Hooks as a frazzled, chain-smoking Sunday school teacher.

Carrey -- obviously recruited to lend the little film some "Truman Show"-sized significance -- appears only briefly at the beginning and end while biding time in between providing sporadic, largely unnecessary narration.

While the script is not without charm and humor, there is an inescapable episodic feel to the period piece, no doubt a result of trying to cut the Irving book to a feature-length serving.

But it all certainly looks great. The extensive Canadian backdrops are basked in warm golden hues thanks to cinematographer Aaron E. Schneider, who neatly captures the story's fable-like aspects. David Chapman's small-town '60s production design and the costumes credited to Betsy Heimann and Abram Waterhouse are also right on the money, while Marc Shaiman's score sounds appropriately wide-eyed.

In a final bid to lure the "Phenomenon" crowd, Babyface wrote and performs the pining end-title track, "You Were There". Guess Eric Clapton was busy.

SIMON BIRCH

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Buena Vista/Hollywood Pictures presents in association with Caravan Pictures

a Roger Birnbaum and Laurence Mark production

A Mark Steven Johnson film

Director-screenwriter: Mark Steven Johnson

Suggested by the novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by: John Irving

Producers: Laurence Mark and Roger Birnbaum

Executive producer: John Baldecchi

Director of photography: Aaron E. Schneider

Production designer: David Chapman

Editor: David Finfer

Costume designers: Betsy Heimann,

Abram Waterhouse

Music: Marc Shaiman

Casting: Mary Gail Artz and Barbara Cohen

Color/stereo

Cast:

Simon Birch: Ian Michael Smith

Joe Wenteworth: Joseph Mazzello

Rebecca Wenteworth: Ashley Judd

Ben Goodrich: Oliver Platt

Rev. Russell: David Strathairn

Miss Leavey: Jan Hooks

Grandmother Wenteworth: Dana Ivey

Hildie Grove: Beatrice Winde

Running time -- 110 minutes

MPAA rating: PG...

After an inspired launch, in which writer-director Stanley Tucci creates a loving homage to silent cinema with a sidewalk cafe brawl between down-and-out actors played by himself and Oliver Platt, this slapstick ship doesn't quite run aground, but it has trouble maintaining its forward momentum.

Slated for a fall domestic release, Fox Searchlight's "The Impostors" is leagues off course from the poignant, gentle humor of Tucci's acclaimed debut "Big Night", but it's an entertaining, well-crafted voyage into silly waters.

Even the Marx Bros. had trouble maintaining the breakneck rhythms of their physical humor, role-playing goofiness and barbed one-liners. With a few too many pratfalls, subplots and over-the-top performances, "The Impostors" is inspired by history but irreverent toward accuracy, with most of the action taking place on an ocean liner bound for Europe in the 1930s. Getting modern audiences to jump on board, however, will take some special razzle-dazzle in the marketing campaign.

The early part of the film before the on-ship hilarity is the strongest, with the travails of hungry, unemployed thesps Maurice (Platt) and Arthur (Tucci) leading to several deliciously amusing sequences, including an instant replay of the opening Laurel and Hardy-like schtick with play-by-play commentary.

A botched scam involving a baker results in the leads earning free theater tickets to a performance of "Hamlet" starring one Jeremy Burtom (Alfred Molina). In a bar afterwards, Maurice insults Burtom and a fight ensues. Hiding in a crate on the docks from searching police, Maurice and Arthur fall asleep and wake up stowaways on a cruise ship. So far, so good, and the introduction of the many passengers and crew members that figure in the ensuing looniness whets one's appetite.

Cliches of depression-era cinema abound and the twisted caricatures of the floating "Grand Hotel" lineup are mostly successful, with some performers hitting their stride early and others never quite rising to the occasion. Campbell Scott is a hoot as the icy German head steward and Lily Taylor has the expected New World spunkiness as his long-suffering female counterpart. Matt McGrath is winning as the shy Italian ship's detective and Billy Connolly plays a blustery gay tennis star with manly finesse.

One-or-two-scene wonders include Teagle F. Bougere as a sheik who draws the leads into a nutty dance, Allan Corduner as the lovesick captain and Tony Shalhoub playing a radical plotting to blow up the ship and engaging in ship-to-shore wireless sex. Some of the higher profile cast members are shortchanged by the script, including Steve Buscemi as a one-note suicidal singer, Isabella Rossellini as a weepy deposed queen and Dana Ivey as a desperate English divorcee.

The lower decks of the production are occupied by Allison Janney and Richard Jenkins as a pair of randy con artists, and Hope Davis barely treading water as the glum daughter of Ivey's character. The first-class cabins go to Tucci and Platt, who have great chemistry and one actually feels connected to them. When they use their talents as actors to save the day, the film's shenanigans climax in a raucous party scene and showdown on the foggy poop deck, with several characters switching identities.

UN CERTAIN REGARD

The Impostors

Fox Searchlight

A First Cold Press production

CREDITS:

Screenwriter, director--Stanley Tucci

Producers--Beth Alexander, Stanley Tucci

Executive producer--Jonathan Filley

Director of photography--Ken Kelsch

Production designer--Andrew Jackness

Editor--Suzy Elmiger

Music--Gary DeMichele

Costume designer--Juliet Polcsa

Casting--Ellen Lewis

CAST:

Maurice--Oliver Platt

Arthur--Stanley Tucci

Sheik--Teagle F. Bougere

Happy Franks--Steve Buscemi

Sparks--Billy Connolly

Captain--Allan Corduner

Emily--Hope Davis

Mrs. Essendine--Dana Ivey

Maxi--Allison Janney

Johnny--Richard Jenkins

Marco--Matt McGrath

Jeremy Burtom--Alfred Molina

Queen--Isabella Rossellini

Meistrich--Campbell Scott

First Mate--Tony Shalhoub

Lily--Lily Taylor

Color/stereo

Running time -- 102 minutes...