After 20 years, a new generation is discovering the wacky trip that is Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle… including star John Cho‘s kids.
The actor said that his teenage son had a “pretty good takeaway” after seeing the stoner comedy for the first time as he and co-star Kal Penn recently celebrated the milestone 20th anniversary of the first entry in their trilogy.
“My 16-year-old apparently saw it,” Cho revealed this week on The Today Show. “I had to ferry the daughter out of the house, she’s not ready for it. But apparently he saw it, and his takeaway was, ‘So, you have met Ryan Reynolds?!’ It’s a pretty good takeaway. Not a bad thing.”
Cho’s interview comes after Penn and producer Nathan Kahane recounted how Reynolds’ cameo as a nurse “got the movie greenlit,” following Penn’s appearance in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002).
“Ryan was...
The actor said that his teenage son had a “pretty good takeaway” after seeing the stoner comedy for the first time as he and co-star Kal Penn recently celebrated the milestone 20th anniversary of the first entry in their trilogy.
“My 16-year-old apparently saw it,” Cho revealed this week on The Today Show. “I had to ferry the daughter out of the house, she’s not ready for it. But apparently he saw it, and his takeaway was, ‘So, you have met Ryan Reynolds?!’ It’s a pretty good takeaway. Not a bad thing.”
Cho’s interview comes after Penn and producer Nathan Kahane recounted how Reynolds’ cameo as a nurse “got the movie greenlit,” following Penn’s appearance in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002).
“Ryan was...
- 8/28/2024
- by Glenn Garner
- Deadline Film + TV
John Cho and Kal Penn are reflecting on how the marketing campaign for “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” back in 2004 “refused” to take race out of it.
The duo star as the titular best friends who set out to fulfill a craving for White Castle burgers while stoned. The 2004 comedy led to two sequels.
“I remember the trailers were all about race, and they should have been about friendship,” Penn told Rolling Stone during a 20th anniversary oral history piece. “The first cut of it mentioned that this movie starred ‘the Asian guy from “American Pie” and that Indian guy from “Van Wilder.”‘ I said, ‘I would love for you to not refer to us with racial signifiers because the movie speaks for itself.'”
Penn continued, “They refused, and instead added the line, ‘From the white guy who directed “Dude, Where’s My Car?”‘ I mean, if you...
The duo star as the titular best friends who set out to fulfill a craving for White Castle burgers while stoned. The 2004 comedy led to two sequels.
“I remember the trailers were all about race, and they should have been about friendship,” Penn told Rolling Stone during a 20th anniversary oral history piece. “The first cut of it mentioned that this movie starred ‘the Asian guy from “American Pie” and that Indian guy from “Van Wilder.”‘ I said, ‘I would love for you to not refer to us with racial signifiers because the movie speaks for itself.'”
Penn continued, “They refused, and instead added the line, ‘From the white guy who directed “Dude, Where’s My Car?”‘ I mean, if you...
- 7/30/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
During the weekend of July 30, 2004, moviegoers had a choice between two high-profile new releases: The Village, the latest twisty entry from M. Night Shyamalan; and the Jonathan Demme-directed remake of the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep.
Oh, and one other contender opened that day, too: Titled Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, it was a lowbrow, zero-frills comedy centered on two friends in New Jersey who, in a single night that turns from mild to wild, seek out their favorite burger joint to satisfy their munchies.
Oh, and one other contender opened that day, too: Titled Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, it was a lowbrow, zero-frills comedy centered on two friends in New Jersey who, in a single night that turns from mild to wild, seek out their favorite burger joint to satisfy their munchies.
- 7/30/2024
- by Mara Reinstein
- Rollingstone.com
Neil Patrick Harris initially gained recognition for starring in Doogie Howser, M.D., a role that defined much of his early career. It wasn’t until the 2004 buddy comedy film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle that he managed to break free from the character. The film features the actor portraying a fictionalized version of himself.
Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson | Credit: CBS
It received a positive reception, earning over $19 million at the box office, and served as a turning point for Harris, allowing him to shed his Doogie Howser image and paving the way towards the biggest role of his career as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother.
Harold & Kumar Helped Neil Patrick Harris to Land the Role of Barney Stinson
In an interview with GQ, the Emmy-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris reflected on how he landed the role of Barney Stinson in the...
Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson | Credit: CBS
It received a positive reception, earning over $19 million at the box office, and served as a turning point for Harris, allowing him to shed his Doogie Howser image and paving the way towards the biggest role of his career as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother.
Harold & Kumar Helped Neil Patrick Harris to Land the Role of Barney Stinson
In an interview with GQ, the Emmy-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris reflected on how he landed the role of Barney Stinson in the...
- 5/15/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
The hits don’t stop for Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, the trio behind Cobra Kai and most recently, Netflix’s latest No. 1 hit, Obliterated.
Obliterated is a return to the trio’s roots which began with raunchy comedies like Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) and its follow-ups Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam (2008) and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011); American Reunion (2012); Blockers (2018); and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), among others.
The new 8-episode Netflix series, currently available to stream in its entirety, follows an elite joint-special operations team assembled from various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and intelligence services to stop a deadly terrorist network from blowing up Las Vegas. Obliterated stars Nick Zano, Shelley Hennig, Terrence Terrell, Paola Lázaro, C. Thomas Howell and Eugene Kim.
As Deadline reported earlier this week, the series took over...
Obliterated is a return to the trio’s roots which began with raunchy comedies like Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) and its follow-ups Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam (2008) and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011); American Reunion (2012); Blockers (2018); and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), among others.
The new 8-episode Netflix series, currently available to stream in its entirety, follows an elite joint-special operations team assembled from various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and intelligence services to stop a deadly terrorist network from blowing up Las Vegas. Obliterated stars Nick Zano, Shelley Hennig, Terrence Terrell, Paola Lázaro, C. Thomas Howell and Eugene Kim.
As Deadline reported earlier this week, the series took over...
- 12/15/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been over a decade since Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) last graced our screens, but the stoner duo could finally be returning for Harold & Kumar 4.
Harold & Kumar screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg spoke with ComicBook.com to confirm that Harold & Kumar 4 is something that everyone involved wants to do. “Well, first of all, we are dying to make another one. We’ve been a little bit busy lately between Cobra Kai and Obliterated,” the pair said. “We had a dinner not long ago. About a month ago with John (Cho) and Kat (Penn). We’re all talking about making another one. It’s really just a matter of time. It’s figuring out when it could all fit into all of our schedules. It’s something that we’re all determined to do. We just need to find the time to do it.“
Related...
Harold & Kumar screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg spoke with ComicBook.com to confirm that Harold & Kumar 4 is something that everyone involved wants to do. “Well, first of all, we are dying to make another one. We’ve been a little bit busy lately between Cobra Kai and Obliterated,” the pair said. “We had a dinner not long ago. About a month ago with John (Cho) and Kat (Penn). We’re all talking about making another one. It’s really just a matter of time. It’s figuring out when it could all fit into all of our schedules. It’s something that we’re all determined to do. We just need to find the time to do it.“
Related...
- 11/17/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
May 2022 represents the calm before the storm for Amazon Prime Video. Early June will see the arrival of the much-hyped third season of The Boys. Before all that, however, Prime has some other streaming goodies to tide you over.
This month is highlighted by a handful of intriguing original series. Season two of Amazon’s sleeper hit The Wilds premieres on May 6. This pulpy mystery series about a group of teenage girls marooned on an island is Prime Video’s version of Lost or Yellowjackets so give it a watch if that kind of thing sounds up your alley. Also arriving on May 6 is the true crime docuseries The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith.
Canada’s finest comedy goobers The Kids in the Hall return in a rebooted version of their sketch series on May 13. The week after that J.K. Simmons will try his hand at sci-fi once again...
This month is highlighted by a handful of intriguing original series. Season two of Amazon’s sleeper hit The Wilds premieres on May 6. This pulpy mystery series about a group of teenage girls marooned on an island is Prime Video’s version of Lost or Yellowjackets so give it a watch if that kind of thing sounds up your alley. Also arriving on May 6 is the true crime docuseries The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith.
Canada’s finest comedy goobers The Kids in the Hall return in a rebooted version of their sketch series on May 13. The week after that J.K. Simmons will try his hand at sci-fi once again...
- 5/1/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
A determined Turkish mother takes on the authorities in Rabiye Kurnaz Vs. George W. Bush, Andreas Dresen’s drama that takes a light approach to a moving true story.
Dresen’s first Berlin Film Festival competition film since 2015’s As We Were Dreaming, it stars comic actress Meltem Kaptan as Rabiye Kurnaz. She’s a cheerful, effervescent woman living in Germany, whose grown son, Murat, is unexpectedly imprisoned during his travels and sent to Guantanamo. Convinced of Murat’s innocence, Rabiye bulldozes her way into the offices of a local human rights lawyer, Bernhard Docke (Alexander Scheer), who agrees to take the case.
The more Docke investigates, the more they are both aghast at the situation, but even with the press on their side, it’s a long and stressful journey to potential justice.
While Dresen and screenwriter Laila Stieler touch on those stresses in a couple of emotional scenes,...
Dresen’s first Berlin Film Festival competition film since 2015’s As We Were Dreaming, it stars comic actress Meltem Kaptan as Rabiye Kurnaz. She’s a cheerful, effervescent woman living in Germany, whose grown son, Murat, is unexpectedly imprisoned during his travels and sent to Guantanamo. Convinced of Murat’s innocence, Rabiye bulldozes her way into the offices of a local human rights lawyer, Bernhard Docke (Alexander Scheer), who agrees to take the case.
The more Docke investigates, the more they are both aghast at the situation, but even with the press on their side, it’s a long and stressful journey to potential justice.
While Dresen and screenwriter Laila Stieler touch on those stresses in a couple of emotional scenes,...
- 2/12/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Though Marvel has decided to consolidate all of its cinematic universe offerings onto Disney+, some outliers still live on for other streaming services. In May 2021, Hulu is set to premiere the latest non-canon Marvel series.
The animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is set to premiere on May 21 and stars Patton Oswalt as the titular Marvel villain. Oswalt’s Modok is every bit the devious floating head that he’s depicted as in the comics. He’s also your every day family man and the show will take on the format of a workplace sitcom. Sounds kinda fun! It’s no wonder that M.O.D.O.K. is the last Hulu Marvel show standing.
In non-Marvel offerings this month, Shrill will debut its third and final season on May 7. This comedy based on Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL‘s Aidy Bryant has been a consistently bright presence on the streaming scene since...
The animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is set to premiere on May 21 and stars Patton Oswalt as the titular Marvel villain. Oswalt’s Modok is every bit the devious floating head that he’s depicted as in the comics. He’s also your every day family man and the show will take on the format of a workplace sitcom. Sounds kinda fun! It’s no wonder that M.O.D.O.K. is the last Hulu Marvel show standing.
In non-Marvel offerings this month, Shrill will debut its third and final season on May 7. This comedy based on Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL‘s Aidy Bryant has been a consistently bright presence on the streaming scene since...
- 5/1/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
As a most unusual holiday season begins, it’s going to be harder for streaming services to demand our attention. With its new releases for December 2020, Amazon Prime is trying its best anyway.
This is actually an uncommonly jam-packed and intriguing roster of content for Bezos’s outfit. The list this month is highlighted by the release of The Expanse season 5 on Dec. 16. The beloved sci-fi series made the jump from Syfy to Amazon last year and things went well enough that it’s coming back for more. That returning show is complemented by another new genre series. The Wilds premieres on Dec. 11 and will follows a group of teenage girls lost (or Lost) on a deserted island.
Amazon’s original movies in December are just as intriguing. Riz Ahmed plays a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing in Sound of Metal on Dec. 4. Rachel Brosnahan stars as a mother...
This is actually an uncommonly jam-packed and intriguing roster of content for Bezos’s outfit. The list this month is highlighted by the release of The Expanse season 5 on Dec. 16. The beloved sci-fi series made the jump from Syfy to Amazon last year and things went well enough that it’s coming back for more. That returning show is complemented by another new genre series. The Wilds premieres on Dec. 11 and will follows a group of teenage girls lost (or Lost) on a deserted island.
Amazon’s original movies in December are just as intriguing. Riz Ahmed plays a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing in Sound of Metal on Dec. 4. Rachel Brosnahan stars as a mother...
- 11/30/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Hard as it is to believe with everything going on right now, but Christmas is only about five weeks away, and the streaming market is already looking crowded. Although Netflix can probably expect to continue their dominance over subscribers through the end of 2020, Amazon Prime are releasing some notable titles for the last month of the year, including original films like I’m Your Woman and new episodes of The Expanse.
In terms of the former, it stars Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in a picture about a woman who has to go on the run after her husband gets into trouble with his business partner. We’ll also be seeing the much-anticipated Sound of Metal, which features Riz Ahmed as a heavy metal drummer who develops hearing loss. This one will receive a limited theatrical release before heading to Amazon on December 4th. And elsewhere, viewers can expect...
In terms of the former, it stars Rachel Brosnahan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in a picture about a woman who has to go on the run after her husband gets into trouble with his business partner. We’ll also be seeing the much-anticipated Sound of Metal, which features Riz Ahmed as a heavy metal drummer who develops hearing loss. This one will receive a limited theatrical release before heading to Amazon on December 4th. And elsewhere, viewers can expect...
- 11/19/2020
- by Jessica James
- We Got This Covered
Hulu is out with its list of everything new coming to the streaming service in the month of September — and everything that’s leaving.
Highlights in the new category include Season 2 of “Pen15,” which stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle as their middle school selves, out Sept. 18. Another highlight is the series premiere of “Woke,” inspired by the life and work of American cartoonist Keith Knight. That’s out Sept. 9.
Leaving at the end of the month are movies like “50 First Dates,” “A Mighty Wind,” and “Best in Show.”
See the full list below.
Sept. 1
Mike Tyson Mysteries: Complete Season 4 (Adult Swim)
Jeopardy!: Episode Refresh (ABC)
50 First Dates (2004)
Absolute Power (1997)
Aeon Flux (2005)
American Dragons (1998)
An American Haunting (2006)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Anywhere but Here (1999)
Back to School (1986)
Bad Girls from Mars (1991)
The Bank Job (2008)
Because I Said So (2007)
The Birdcage (1997)
Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (2004)
Call Me (1988)
Carrington (1995)
The Cold Light Of Day...
Highlights in the new category include Season 2 of “Pen15,” which stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle as their middle school selves, out Sept. 18. Another highlight is the series premiere of “Woke,” inspired by the life and work of American cartoonist Keith Knight. That’s out Sept. 9.
Leaving at the end of the month are movies like “50 First Dates,” “A Mighty Wind,” and “Best in Show.”
See the full list below.
Sept. 1
Mike Tyson Mysteries: Complete Season 4 (Adult Swim)
Jeopardy!: Episode Refresh (ABC)
50 First Dates (2004)
Absolute Power (1997)
Aeon Flux (2005)
American Dragons (1998)
An American Haunting (2006)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Anywhere but Here (1999)
Back to School (1986)
Bad Girls from Mars (1991)
The Bank Job (2008)
Because I Said So (2007)
The Birdcage (1997)
Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (2004)
Call Me (1988)
Carrington (1995)
The Cold Light Of Day...
- 9/1/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
As one of the weirder “back to school” seasons in living memory rolls out, Hulu is heading back to school in its own way for September 2020.
The biggest Hulu original arriving to the streaming services stream this month is season 2 of coming-of-age comedy Pen15…which of course stars two adults who have already come of age playing their middle school selves.
Speaking of middle school, perhaps the biggest non-original addition to the Hulu library this month is the arrival of all The Twilight Saga movies on September 1. That should prove to be a real nostalgia trip for interested parties. Other library titles of note include Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, The Terminator, and 2019’s Judy on September 25.
Bookending Hulu’s originals this month is another intriguing comedy, Woke. This series will star Lamorne Morris as a Black cartoonist who gets an unexpected wakeup call.
Here is everything else...
The biggest Hulu original arriving to the streaming services stream this month is season 2 of coming-of-age comedy Pen15…which of course stars two adults who have already come of age playing their middle school selves.
Speaking of middle school, perhaps the biggest non-original addition to the Hulu library this month is the arrival of all The Twilight Saga movies on September 1. That should prove to be a real nostalgia trip for interested parties. Other library titles of note include Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, The Terminator, and 2019’s Judy on September 25.
Bookending Hulu’s originals this month is another intriguing comedy, Woke. This series will star Lamorne Morris as a Black cartoonist who gets an unexpected wakeup call.
Here is everything else...
- 8/19/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
If Kal Penn gets his way, a fourth “Harold & Kumar” movie will be streaming on a service near you.
“I feel like it’s gotta be a streamer because people just love watching [these movies] in the comfort of their own home on a Friday night at 2 a.m., which is more streaming ‘binge-able’ than it is going to the theater,” Penn, 42, told Variety.
Penn and co-star John Cho cemented their legacies in the stoner comedy world with 2004’s “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” as two buddies whose pot-fueled munchies trip turns into a zany misadventure that includes Neil Patrick Harris and riding a cheetah.
The comedy became a hit and spawned two follow-ups, 2008’s “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and 2011’s “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.”
And sounds like Cho would be on board, too.
“We would love to do a fourth movie. John...
“I feel like it’s gotta be a streamer because people just love watching [these movies] in the comfort of their own home on a Friday night at 2 a.m., which is more streaming ‘binge-able’ than it is going to the theater,” Penn, 42, told Variety.
Penn and co-star John Cho cemented their legacies in the stoner comedy world with 2004’s “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” as two buddies whose pot-fueled munchies trip turns into a zany misadventure that includes Neil Patrick Harris and riding a cheetah.
The comedy became a hit and spawned two follow-ups, 2008’s “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and 2011’s “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.”
And sounds like Cho would be on board, too.
“We would love to do a fourth movie. John...
- 3/11/2020
- by Audrey Cleo Yap
- Variety Film + TV
Kevin Smith hit his Twitter account hard today in response to a comment made by Neil Patrick Harris about Smith's pal and frequent collaborator Jason Mewes. The discussion is summarized as neatly as possible in the three retweets I picked out, but you'd be well served to sift through the questions Smith has been answering all day. Nph chimed in later in the day on his own account with an apology.
In other Twitter-Wood exchanges today, Edgar Wright and Bryan Lee O'Malley teased their unreleased trailer for "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" and Brian Lynch and Diablo Cody pondered a mad plot to craft an "Empire Records" sequel. Check out those posts below along with a shot of Amanda Bynes at 9 years old and a run-in between Terry Gilliam and Salman Rushdie. I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is the Twitter-Wood report for December 4, 2010.
Twitter Pic of the Day:
@amandabynes check me...
In other Twitter-Wood exchanges today, Edgar Wright and Bryan Lee O'Malley teased their unreleased trailer for "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" and Brian Lynch and Diablo Cody pondered a mad plot to craft an "Empire Records" sequel. Check out those posts below along with a shot of Amanda Bynes at 9 years old and a run-in between Terry Gilliam and Salman Rushdie. I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is the Twitter-Wood report for December 4, 2010.
Twitter Pic of the Day:
@amandabynes check me...
- 1/4/2010
- by Brian Warmoth
- MTV Movies Blog
New York -- The creators of the "Harold & Kumar" franchise have smoked out a new project.
Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who wrote "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" and wrote and directed "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," will write and direct " 'Til Beth Do Us Part," a comedy that has been set up at Warner Bros.
Principato Young is producing the feature, which will focus on two twenty?something males whose friendship is put to the test when one of them becomes engaged.
The movie will share some elements with the stoner franchise for which the writer-directors are known -- most notably, the comedic bond between two young males -- but will be more grounded and contain fewer of its zany flourishes.
The project, which is casting its two male leads, is aiming for a first-quarter shoot. Paul Young and Peter Principato are producing via their banner; Greg Silverman...
Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who wrote "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" and wrote and directed "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," will write and direct " 'Til Beth Do Us Part," a comedy that has been set up at Warner Bros.
Principato Young is producing the feature, which will focus on two twenty?something males whose friendship is put to the test when one of them becomes engaged.
The movie will share some elements with the stoner franchise for which the writer-directors are known -- most notably, the comedic bond between two young males -- but will be more grounded and contain fewer of its zany flourishes.
The project, which is casting its two male leads, is aiming for a first-quarter shoot. Paul Young and Peter Principato are producing via their banner; Greg Silverman...
- 9/25/2008
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harold + Kumar To Return
Comedy duo Harold + Kumar are returning for a third movie, after this year's sequel proved a box office hit.
Harold + Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay made nearly $40 million (GBP20 million) at the box office, off a budget of just $12 million (GBP6 million) - prompting film bosses to quickly commission a second sequel.
Actors John Cho and Kal Penn will reprise their roles as the marijuana-loving protagonists in the new movie.
Harold + Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay made nearly $40 million (GBP20 million) at the box office, off a budget of just $12 million (GBP6 million) - prompting film bosses to quickly commission a second sequel.
Actors John Cho and Kal Penn will reprise their roles as the marijuana-loving protagonists in the new movie.
- 7/25/2008
- WENN
I am yet to see a single Harold and Kumar film, but I was sent the Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay Blu-ray so that is sure to end soon, but I am not sure if I want to watch it before seeing the much higher praised Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. And now that Variety reports they are making a third film I really better get my ass in gear. Word is Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who penned the first two films, will return to write and direct a third installment for Mandate Pictures. The storyline is being kept quiet, but even though I haven't seen the films it isn't hard to guess what the gist of the story is going to be as, stars John Cho and Kal Penn are expected to reprise their roles as the ganja-loving duo as both have options in their contracts for the third installment.
- 7/25/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Rob Corddry lands 'Project A'
Rob Corddry has landed his first starring role with Project A, a New Line action comedy being produced by Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld via their Red Hour shingle.
Corddry will star as the "A" in the venture, playing a man trained by the U.S. government as a Cold War experiment to become the world's biggest jerk. The script is written by Etan Cohen, one of the writers of Stiller's upcoming Tropic Thunder.
The project has been in development for several years, and Corddry has long wanted in on it.
"Ben and Stuart gave it to me to read years ago, and it's always been the first thing I ask my agents and managers about," Corddry told The Hollywood Reporter. "They've always said, 'Go open a movie first!' "
Corddry is onscreen in New Line's Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay and What Happens in Vegas, stealing scenes as he's always done since his getting his start as a correspondent on The Daily Show.
He said he's happy to reach the stage of his career where is being considered for larger roles.
Corddry will star as the "A" in the venture, playing a man trained by the U.S. government as a Cold War experiment to become the world's biggest jerk. The script is written by Etan Cohen, one of the writers of Stiller's upcoming Tropic Thunder.
The project has been in development for several years, and Corddry has long wanted in on it.
"Ben and Stuart gave it to me to read years ago, and it's always been the first thing I ask my agents and managers about," Corddry told The Hollywood Reporter. "They've always said, 'Go open a movie first!' "
Corddry is onscreen in New Line's Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay and What Happens in Vegas, stealing scenes as he's always done since his getting his start as a correspondent on The Daily Show.
He said he's happy to reach the stage of his career where is being considered for larger roles.
- 5/15/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Baby Mama' legit at the boxoffice
Baby Mama delivered a No. 1 opening for Universal this weekend, bouncing into the domestic boxoffice with an estimated $18.3 million.
That bested the $14.6 million bow by New Line/Warner Bros.' runner-up Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Fox's Ewan McGregor starrer Deception debuted in 10th place with just $2.2 million.
The previous frame's No. 1 film, The Forbidden Kingdom -- from Lionsgate, the Weinstein Co., Casey Silver Prods. and Relativity Media -- slipped 48% to ring up $11.2 million in third place with a $38.3 million cume. Universal's R-rated comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall was still on the minds of enough moviegoers to register $11 million in fourth place, as a modest weekend-over-weekend drop of 38% shaped a 10-day cume of $35.1 million.
Sony's Al Pacino starrer 88 Minutes fell 48% in its second session to $3.6 million in eighth place with a $12.6 million cume. Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain's documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" tumbled from the top 10 on a 54% decline in sophomore grosses to $1.4 million, with a $5.3 million cume.
Industrywide, the final weekend of the spring boxoffice notched a second consecutive three-day uptick, as $91 million in collective grosses marked a 17% improvement over the same frame last year, according to Nielsen EDI.
Yet overall, seasonal tallies have declined 18% from spring 2007, at $830 million. And 2008's $2.55 billion in year-to-date grosses represents a 2% dip from tallies over the same portion of last year.
In a limited bow this weekend, MGM's Burt Reynolds starrer Deal grossed $31,000 from 51 playdates. That was just $620 per engagement, boding a quick detour to DVD.
Newstyle Releasing's family adventure film A Plumm Summer debuted in 58 theaters in four markets and rung up $60,668, or a thin $1,046 per venue.
That bested the $14.6 million bow by New Line/Warner Bros.' runner-up Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Fox's Ewan McGregor starrer Deception debuted in 10th place with just $2.2 million.
The previous frame's No. 1 film, The Forbidden Kingdom -- from Lionsgate, the Weinstein Co., Casey Silver Prods. and Relativity Media -- slipped 48% to ring up $11.2 million in third place with a $38.3 million cume. Universal's R-rated comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall was still on the minds of enough moviegoers to register $11 million in fourth place, as a modest weekend-over-weekend drop of 38% shaped a 10-day cume of $35.1 million.
Sony's Al Pacino starrer 88 Minutes fell 48% in its second session to $3.6 million in eighth place with a $12.6 million cume. Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain's documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" tumbled from the top 10 on a 54% decline in sophomore grosses to $1.4 million, with a $5.3 million cume.
Industrywide, the final weekend of the spring boxoffice notched a second consecutive three-day uptick, as $91 million in collective grosses marked a 17% improvement over the same frame last year, according to Nielsen EDI.
Yet overall, seasonal tallies have declined 18% from spring 2007, at $830 million. And 2008's $2.55 billion in year-to-date grosses represents a 2% dip from tallies over the same portion of last year.
In a limited bow this weekend, MGM's Burt Reynolds starrer Deal grossed $31,000 from 51 playdates. That was just $620 per engagement, boding a quick detour to DVD.
Newstyle Releasing's family adventure film A Plumm Summer debuted in 58 theaters in four markets and rung up $60,668, or a thin $1,046 per venue.
- 4/27/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warners plots New Line 'Escape'
Two weeks after being absorbed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the new New Line is beginning to take shape.
Warner Bros. is moving in quickly to take over distribution of New Line movies, starting with the April release of Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Also, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D will keep its July 11 slot, after being temporarily in release-date limbo. After New Line's downsizing, announced Feb. 28, Journey moved into purgatory state with talk within corporate circles of it being moved to October or even next year.
New Line president of theatrical distribution David Tuckerman introduced Journey on Wednesday during a presentation at ShoWest, saying "Warner Bros. will release it" on its original date.
There was concern that releasing the movie July 11 would conflict with Warner Bros.' July 18 release of The Dark Knight, though after screenings, it became clear that the high-testing Journey skews young and would not cannibalize the same audience.
The news about Journey came as speculation continued about the fate of New Line production chief Toby Emmerich.
Warner Bros. is moving in quickly to take over distribution of New Line movies, starting with the April release of Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Also, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D will keep its July 11 slot, after being temporarily in release-date limbo. After New Line's downsizing, announced Feb. 28, Journey moved into purgatory state with talk within corporate circles of it being moved to October or even next year.
New Line president of theatrical distribution David Tuckerman introduced Journey on Wednesday during a presentation at ShoWest, saying "Warner Bros. will release it" on its original date.
There was concern that releasing the movie July 11 would conflict with Warner Bros.' July 18 release of The Dark Knight, though after screenings, it became clear that the high-testing Journey skews young and would not cannibalize the same audience.
The news about Journey came as speculation continued about the fate of New Line production chief Toby Emmerich.
- 3/13/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay
South by Southwest
AUSTIN -- Innumerable sharks lurk in the ocean between New Jersey and Cuba, and Harold and Kumar just jumped every one of them.
The stoner duo's second film, Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay, lacks the fresh charm that made their first such an unexpected (if guilty) pleasure. Word-of-mouth likely will be bad, so producers should pray that their bong-hitting target audience is alert enough to get out on opening weekend. Escape bows April 25. It screened over the weekend at the South by Southwest film festival.
The odd-couple protagonists are drawn more broadly here than in their debut, an approach that Harold (John Cho) survives better than his co-star, Kumar (Kal Penn).
After the funny plot-starting sequence, in which Kumar brings a high-tech bong on an international flight and gets them both mistaken for would-be bombers, the character's string of stupid moves plays out less like endearing haplessness than like willful, inexplicable attempts to wreck his buddy's life.
The boys get sent to Gitmo, depicted not with any political edge but as a generic house of squalor and sodomy. They quickly escape on a raft -- going on the lam in the direction of Texas via Miami. There, a well-connected acquaintance (who's about to marry Kumar's ex-girlfriend) might help get the Feds off their backs. Those G-men are led by Rob Corddry, a gifted comedian who, even after years of studied cluelessness on The Daily Show, can't make the script's one-note Patriot Act-enabled incompetence entertaining for more than a few minutes.
The ensuing road trip has a bright spot or two (a fantasy menage a trois with a bag of pot and an earnest love poem built around a nerdy math conceit) but seems intentionally dumbed-down.
By the time a George Bush look-alike arrives to offer unlikely assistance, the audience will rightly expect the script to fumble that comic opportunity as well.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
New Line
New Line, Kingsgate Films, Mandate Pictures
Credits:
Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Screenwriters: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Producers: Nathan Kahane, Greg Shapiro
Executive producers: Joseph Drake, Carsten H.W. Lorenz
Director of photography: Daryn Okada
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: George S. Clinton
Co-producers: Nicole Brown, Jon Hurwitz, Kelli Konop, Hayden Schlossberg
Costume designer: Shawn Holly Cookson
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Harold Lee: John Cho
Kumar Patel: Kal Penn
Himself: Neil Patrick Harris
Maria: Paula Garces
Ron Fox: Rob Corddry
Dr. Beecher: Roger Bart
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
AUSTIN -- Innumerable sharks lurk in the ocean between New Jersey and Cuba, and Harold and Kumar just jumped every one of them.
The stoner duo's second film, Harold & Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay, lacks the fresh charm that made their first such an unexpected (if guilty) pleasure. Word-of-mouth likely will be bad, so producers should pray that their bong-hitting target audience is alert enough to get out on opening weekend. Escape bows April 25. It screened over the weekend at the South by Southwest film festival.
The odd-couple protagonists are drawn more broadly here than in their debut, an approach that Harold (John Cho) survives better than his co-star, Kumar (Kal Penn).
After the funny plot-starting sequence, in which Kumar brings a high-tech bong on an international flight and gets them both mistaken for would-be bombers, the character's string of stupid moves plays out less like endearing haplessness than like willful, inexplicable attempts to wreck his buddy's life.
The boys get sent to Gitmo, depicted not with any political edge but as a generic house of squalor and sodomy. They quickly escape on a raft -- going on the lam in the direction of Texas via Miami. There, a well-connected acquaintance (who's about to marry Kumar's ex-girlfriend) might help get the Feds off their backs. Those G-men are led by Rob Corddry, a gifted comedian who, even after years of studied cluelessness on The Daily Show, can't make the script's one-note Patriot Act-enabled incompetence entertaining for more than a few minutes.
The ensuing road trip has a bright spot or two (a fantasy menage a trois with a bag of pot and an earnest love poem built around a nerdy math conceit) but seems intentionally dumbed-down.
By the time a George Bush look-alike arrives to offer unlikely assistance, the audience will rightly expect the script to fumble that comic opportunity as well.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
New Line
New Line, Kingsgate Films, Mandate Pictures
Credits:
Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Screenwriters: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Producers: Nathan Kahane, Greg Shapiro
Executive producers: Joseph Drake, Carsten H.W. Lorenz
Director of photography: Daryn Okada
Production designer: Tony Fanning
Music: George S. Clinton
Co-producers: Nicole Brown, Jon Hurwitz, Kelli Konop, Hayden Schlossberg
Costume designer: Shawn Holly Cookson
Editor: Jeff Freeman
Cast:
Harold Lee: John Cho
Kumar Patel: Kal Penn
Himself: Neil Patrick Harris
Maria: Paula Garces
Ron Fox: Rob Corddry
Dr. Beecher: Roger Bart
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 3/10/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SXSW panels, additions set
NEW YORK -- Helen Hunt, Michael Eisner and sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison will appear in a series of "conversation" panels at the upcoming South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival. New Line Cinema's long-awaited Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay will have its first known public screening at the fest, one of six new additions to the lineup. Stuart Townsend's Battle in Seattle, David Modigliani's Crawford, Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely, Steve Conrad's The Promotion and Emily Hubley's The Toe Tactic.
The fest runs Mar. 7-15 in Austin,...
The fest runs Mar. 7-15 in Austin,...
- 1/16/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gilsig fires 'Bullets'; 'Death' for Cho
Jessalyn Gilsig has joined NBC's one-hour pilot Backyards and Bullets as a regular, and John Cho has been tapped for a multiepisode arc on Fox's comedy series 'Til Death.
Bullets, from Sony Pictures TV and Pariah, revolves around a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry. Gilsig will play the wife of the character played by Mathew St. Patrick.
Gilsig, who co-starred on such series as Nip/Tuck and Boston Public, most recently recurred on NBC's Heroes as Claire's (Hayden Panettiere) fire-starter birth mother and co-starred on the Fox drama pilot The Apostles.
The actress, who next will be seen in the remake of Prom Night, is repped by SDB Partners and Framework Entertainment.
On "'Til Death," also from SPT, Cho will play the arch nemesis to Jeff Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas). In three episodes, Cho will play the principal of a prestigious private school who squares off with Woodcock, the public school's vice principal.
Cho is best known for starring opposite Kal Penn in the feature Harold & Kumar and its upcoming sequel.
Bullets, from Sony Pictures TV and Pariah, revolves around a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry. Gilsig will play the wife of the character played by Mathew St. Patrick.
Gilsig, who co-starred on such series as Nip/Tuck and Boston Public, most recently recurred on NBC's Heroes as Claire's (Hayden Panettiere) fire-starter birth mother and co-starred on the Fox drama pilot The Apostles.
The actress, who next will be seen in the remake of Prom Night, is repped by SDB Partners and Framework Entertainment.
On "'Til Death," also from SPT, Cho will play the arch nemesis to Jeff Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas). In three episodes, Cho will play the principal of a prestigious private school who squares off with Woodcock, the public school's vice principal.
Cho is best known for starring opposite Kal Penn in the feature Harold & Kumar and its upcoming sequel.
- 8/7/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Recognition 'wonderful,' Wolf says
Dick Wolf was happy for Law & Order: SVU co-star Mariska Hargitay's nomination for lead actress in a drama series. "It's wonderful to think that people are starting to recognize the consistent level of acting that takes place on all three ('Law & Order') series," he said. "It's hard for procedurals to get Emmy nominations because they're not showy; they're more about the story." NBC's "SVU" also garnered noms for guest stars Marcia Gay Harden and Leslie Caron.
Sally Field initially found out about her Emmy nomination for lead actress in a drama series from her teenage son. "He ran into the house yelling, 'Mom, you were nominated, ' " said Field, who garnered her seventh Emmy nomination for her role as Nora Walker on ABC's freshman series "Brothers & Sisters." Field, who would follow the news by going about the day in her normal fashion -- commuting to work from Malibu to Burbank -- said it's the devotion to her family that her character has, despite everything that she thinks she has, that resonated with audiences. "It's about a mother who has gone through some changes and loves her children more than anything. It's about love, hate and all that's involved with these people you are bound to for your entire life." Field added that she hasn't really tapped into what it is about playing this particular character that stands out from the myriad others she has played. "I really won't know that 'til I'm sitting on the porch some day," she said. But when asked how she'd celebrate her Emmy win, Field replied with one word: "Work". "I'm glad to be working", she said.
The prolific Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of Fox's American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, both of which scored nominations Thursday, said the news of his nomination was "delightful, isn't it? I'm really happy with it. The live finale of 'So You Think You Can Dance' is tonight, so it's a tough day!" Idol, nominated 29 times since its 2003 start and with no wins to date, is a team effort, he said. "The worst thing is when you're not nominated. It's sort of a ritual and it's terrific and fantastic to be nominated and we don't think, 'We're going to win!' Each year, we say it can't be 'The Amazing Race' again and then we go congratulate 'The Amazing Race.' It's a shame we all start with the same 'A' vowel. My ass is always half off of the seat when they start to read the winner and you hear the 'Aaaa' sound." Remarking on the previous season of Idol, Lythgoe said, "With 'Idol Gives Back, ' we really went to town and had some good mentors: the editors, the camera teams, the director, Bruce Gowers, who doesn't know what's going to hit him every week." Shooting for four days in Africa and locations in the U.S. like New Orleans he said, "was like two finales and we were continuing to do the show and a lot of hard work went into it." Next up, Fox's "The Search for the Next Great American Band."
After receiving a nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series, Neil Patrick Harris has decided it is time to start acting like a star. "I've decided to be an absolute monster on-set," he said. "Or at least, now, my monstrous behavior is well justified." The co-star of CBS' How I Met Your Mother said he is still numb to the good news. "It's such a communal experience working on a show," he said. "We're all big fans of each other. We have great writers, and there are a lot of people that made it happen. To get a nomination reflects the show's worth." The former child actor is thrilled to be acknowledged for his work in an adult role. "It's a different chapter. It's nice to commit to a part and take a big strong stab at it and take recognition for it." Next up, Harris will appear as himself in New Line Cinema's Harold & Kumar 2 and participate in reading of The Marriage of Bette and Boo, which he hopes will lead to more theater work. "I love doing stage, and it complements the sitcom well," he said. "It's a nice way to keep flexing your muscles."
There are a lot of perks that come with an Emmy nomination, but The Office co-star Rainn Wilson said he is most excited about the title. "Now anytime anyone mentions my name they're going to say 'Emmy-nominated Rainn Wilson ... table for two.' " Wilson, who is shooting Fox Atomic's The Rocker, a film about a heavy metal drummer who gets a second shot at fame with his nephew's high school band, said he felt stunned and grateful when everyone from producers to publicists called to tell him about his nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series for the NBC show. Wilson said it's only a matter of time before his character, Dwight, has his unmistakable face on Mount Rushmore. "I was at an airport, and a baggage handler showed me a text on his phone that said, 'I can and do cut my own hair, ' which is a Dwight quote. He said, 'My daughter and I send Dwight quotes back and forth.' I'm iconic!" Until he returns to The Office set Aug. 6, Wilson is writing a film for Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking), in which he will star as a down-and-out ninja.
Mary-Louise Parker said that she was just glad it wasn't an emergency when the phone rang at 5:45 a.m. Thursday at her Los Angeles home. Instead, it was her publicist notifying her of her new status as a double Emmy nominee -- for lead actress in a comedy series for her role as the pot-dealing mom Nancy Botwin on Showtime's Weeds and for lead actress in a miniseries or movie as Zenia Arden on Oxygen's The Robber Bride. "It was really early here", Parker said. "Honestly, I was completely surprised -- I'm always surprised." Parker said she's also amazed that her Weeds character has gone over so well with audiences. "I'm not really sure why -- I really thought people were going to object to the ('Weeds') character and find her controversial," Parker said. "A lot of people must smoke pot or something because nobody has really objected to it." To celebrate, Parker is taking part in a Southern California summer tradition: "I'm taking my boy to Disneyland tomorrow," she said. "I guess I'll get some extra cotton candy or something."
Tim Daly was driving to work to shoot the first day of ABC's Grey's Anatomy spinoff Private Practice when his publicist called to tell him about his nomination for outstanding guest actor in a drama series as J.T. Dolan on HBO's The Sopranos. "It was a total surprise. I didn't even know the nominations were coming out," Daly said. "I know it's very cliche, but the people with whom I share this nomination are just unbelievable." Daly, who comes from a clan of esteemed actors, chalked up his first nom to the family genes. "My father (James Daly) was nominated for an Emmy, and my sister (Tyne Daly) has won a million, so it's one of the happy side effects of the congenital disease in my family I guess," he said. "It's certainly better than a sharp stick in the eye." He said that he would be looking forward to September's Emmy ceremony. "I don't think of acting as a competition sport. It's just nice for people to be acknowledged and to see people in a nice suit," Daly said. "Beyond that, it's all sort of silliness."
Anna Paquin was lying in bed having her coffee, watching a little TV and checking e-mails when the phone rang early in the morning. "I was curious to why someone was calling," said Paquin, who was nominated for supporting actress in a miniseries or movie for her role in HBO's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee but didn't even know the Emmy noms were being announced. "After I found out I thought, 'OK, that's really awesome.' That's the best way to find out about something so nice -- for it to be unexpected." Paquin, who recently finished shooting the HBO pilot True Blood, said she was proud to be a part of the docudrama that garnered 17 nominations, including nods for fellow castmembers Aidan Quinn and August Schellenberg. "I'm so glad a story is out there that took the viewpoint of one of the many Native Americans who were influenced by such tragedies," she said.
Sally Field initially found out about her Emmy nomination for lead actress in a drama series from her teenage son. "He ran into the house yelling, 'Mom, you were nominated, ' " said Field, who garnered her seventh Emmy nomination for her role as Nora Walker on ABC's freshman series "Brothers & Sisters." Field, who would follow the news by going about the day in her normal fashion -- commuting to work from Malibu to Burbank -- said it's the devotion to her family that her character has, despite everything that she thinks she has, that resonated with audiences. "It's about a mother who has gone through some changes and loves her children more than anything. It's about love, hate and all that's involved with these people you are bound to for your entire life." Field added that she hasn't really tapped into what it is about playing this particular character that stands out from the myriad others she has played. "I really won't know that 'til I'm sitting on the porch some day," she said. But when asked how she'd celebrate her Emmy win, Field replied with one word: "Work". "I'm glad to be working", she said.
The prolific Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of Fox's American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, both of which scored nominations Thursday, said the news of his nomination was "delightful, isn't it? I'm really happy with it. The live finale of 'So You Think You Can Dance' is tonight, so it's a tough day!" Idol, nominated 29 times since its 2003 start and with no wins to date, is a team effort, he said. "The worst thing is when you're not nominated. It's sort of a ritual and it's terrific and fantastic to be nominated and we don't think, 'We're going to win!' Each year, we say it can't be 'The Amazing Race' again and then we go congratulate 'The Amazing Race.' It's a shame we all start with the same 'A' vowel. My ass is always half off of the seat when they start to read the winner and you hear the 'Aaaa' sound." Remarking on the previous season of Idol, Lythgoe said, "With 'Idol Gives Back, ' we really went to town and had some good mentors: the editors, the camera teams, the director, Bruce Gowers, who doesn't know what's going to hit him every week." Shooting for four days in Africa and locations in the U.S. like New Orleans he said, "was like two finales and we were continuing to do the show and a lot of hard work went into it." Next up, Fox's "The Search for the Next Great American Band."
After receiving a nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series, Neil Patrick Harris has decided it is time to start acting like a star. "I've decided to be an absolute monster on-set," he said. "Or at least, now, my monstrous behavior is well justified." The co-star of CBS' How I Met Your Mother said he is still numb to the good news. "It's such a communal experience working on a show," he said. "We're all big fans of each other. We have great writers, and there are a lot of people that made it happen. To get a nomination reflects the show's worth." The former child actor is thrilled to be acknowledged for his work in an adult role. "It's a different chapter. It's nice to commit to a part and take a big strong stab at it and take recognition for it." Next up, Harris will appear as himself in New Line Cinema's Harold & Kumar 2 and participate in reading of The Marriage of Bette and Boo, which he hopes will lead to more theater work. "I love doing stage, and it complements the sitcom well," he said. "It's a nice way to keep flexing your muscles."
There are a lot of perks that come with an Emmy nomination, but The Office co-star Rainn Wilson said he is most excited about the title. "Now anytime anyone mentions my name they're going to say 'Emmy-nominated Rainn Wilson ... table for two.' " Wilson, who is shooting Fox Atomic's The Rocker, a film about a heavy metal drummer who gets a second shot at fame with his nephew's high school band, said he felt stunned and grateful when everyone from producers to publicists called to tell him about his nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series for the NBC show. Wilson said it's only a matter of time before his character, Dwight, has his unmistakable face on Mount Rushmore. "I was at an airport, and a baggage handler showed me a text on his phone that said, 'I can and do cut my own hair, ' which is a Dwight quote. He said, 'My daughter and I send Dwight quotes back and forth.' I'm iconic!" Until he returns to The Office set Aug. 6, Wilson is writing a film for Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking), in which he will star as a down-and-out ninja.
Mary-Louise Parker said that she was just glad it wasn't an emergency when the phone rang at 5:45 a.m. Thursday at her Los Angeles home. Instead, it was her publicist notifying her of her new status as a double Emmy nominee -- for lead actress in a comedy series for her role as the pot-dealing mom Nancy Botwin on Showtime's Weeds and for lead actress in a miniseries or movie as Zenia Arden on Oxygen's The Robber Bride. "It was really early here", Parker said. "Honestly, I was completely surprised -- I'm always surprised." Parker said she's also amazed that her Weeds character has gone over so well with audiences. "I'm not really sure why -- I really thought people were going to object to the ('Weeds') character and find her controversial," Parker said. "A lot of people must smoke pot or something because nobody has really objected to it." To celebrate, Parker is taking part in a Southern California summer tradition: "I'm taking my boy to Disneyland tomorrow," she said. "I guess I'll get some extra cotton candy or something."
Tim Daly was driving to work to shoot the first day of ABC's Grey's Anatomy spinoff Private Practice when his publicist called to tell him about his nomination for outstanding guest actor in a drama series as J.T. Dolan on HBO's The Sopranos. "It was a total surprise. I didn't even know the nominations were coming out," Daly said. "I know it's very cliche, but the people with whom I share this nomination are just unbelievable." Daly, who comes from a clan of esteemed actors, chalked up his first nom to the family genes. "My father (James Daly) was nominated for an Emmy, and my sister (Tyne Daly) has won a million, so it's one of the happy side effects of the congenital disease in my family I guess," he said. "It's certainly better than a sharp stick in the eye." He said that he would be looking forward to September's Emmy ceremony. "I don't think of acting as a competition sport. It's just nice for people to be acknowledged and to see people in a nice suit," Daly said. "Beyond that, it's all sort of silliness."
Anna Paquin was lying in bed having her coffee, watching a little TV and checking e-mails when the phone rang early in the morning. "I was curious to why someone was calling," said Paquin, who was nominated for supporting actress in a miniseries or movie for her role in HBO's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee but didn't even know the Emmy noms were being announced. "After I found out I thought, 'OK, that's really awesome.' That's the best way to find out about something so nice -- for it to be unexpected." Paquin, who recently finished shooting the HBO pilot True Blood, said she was proud to be a part of the docudrama that garnered 17 nominations, including nods for fellow castmembers Aidan Quinn and August Schellenberg. "I'm so glad a story is out there that took the viewpoint of one of the many Native Americans who were influenced by such tragedies," she said.
- 7/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Meloni, Franco checking in at 'Rodanthe'
Christopher Meloni and James Franco have been cast opposite Diane Lane and Richard Gere in Warner Bros. Pictures' Nights in Rodanthe. George Wolfe is directing the romantic drama, which is being produced by Denise Di Novi.
An adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, the story sees a doctor (Gere) stop at an inn in North Carolina while traveling to reconcile with his estranged son. At the beach town, the doctor has a life-changing romance with an unhappily married woman (Lane). Ken Hixon and Ann Peacock worked on the screenplay.
Meloni is playing the role of Lane's husband, while Franco plays Gere's estranged son.
Doug Claybourne, Alison Greenspan, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Berman are exec producing the movie, which is a Village Roadshow co-production.
Meloni stars in NBC's long-running Law & Order: SVU, which last year garnered him an Emmy nomination. Featurewise, he will be seen in the upcoming indie Carriers with Lou Taylor Pucci and stars in John Krasinski's film Brief Interviews With Hideous Men. He also recently shot Harold and Kumar 2, reprising his role from the first film.
An adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, the story sees a doctor (Gere) stop at an inn in North Carolina while traveling to reconcile with his estranged son. At the beach town, the doctor has a life-changing romance with an unhappily married woman (Lane). Ken Hixon and Ann Peacock worked on the screenplay.
Meloni is playing the role of Lane's husband, while Franco plays Gere's estranged son.
Doug Claybourne, Alison Greenspan, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Berman are exec producing the movie, which is a Village Roadshow co-production.
Meloni stars in NBC's long-running Law & Order: SVU, which last year garnered him an Emmy nomination. Featurewise, he will be seen in the upcoming indie Carriers with Lou Taylor Pucci and stars in John Krasinski's film Brief Interviews With Hideous Men. He also recently shot Harold and Kumar 2, reprising his role from the first film.
- 5/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cho hanging with CBS' Silveri pilot
John Cho is set to star in CBS' untitled Scott Silveri comedy pilot.
Phillip C. Vaden also has been cast in the Warner Bros. TV project, which revolves around a group of people who hang out at an all-night diner from midnight-6 a.m.
Cho will play a regular at the diner, where he conducts business via his laptop. Vaden will play another regular, a preoccupied insomniac who is collecting doctorate degrees.
Cho recently wrapped Harold & Kumar 2, in which he reprises his role as Harold Lee. He next appears in The Air I Breathe and West 32nd, both of which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and Smiley Face, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
He is repped by the Gersh Agency, Principato-Young and attorney Alex Kohner.
Vaden, who will next be seen in the indie feature Man Maid, is repped by the Stone Manners Agency and manager Matthew Lesher.
Phillip C. Vaden also has been cast in the Warner Bros. TV project, which revolves around a group of people who hang out at an all-night diner from midnight-6 a.m.
Cho will play a regular at the diner, where he conducts business via his laptop. Vaden will play another regular, a preoccupied insomniac who is collecting doctorate degrees.
Cho recently wrapped Harold & Kumar 2, in which he reprises his role as Harold Lee. He next appears in The Air I Breathe and West 32nd, both of which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and Smiley Face, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
He is repped by the Gersh Agency, Principato-Young and attorney Alex Kohner.
Vaden, who will next be seen in the indie feature Man Maid, is repped by the Stone Manners Agency and manager Matthew Lesher.
- 4/13/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Three guests go full primetime
Missi Pyle, who is guest starring on the first episode of Wedding Bells, David E. Kelley's upcoming series for Fox, has joined the cast of the show as a regular.
Meanwhile, Henry Simmons, who has recurred on CBS' Shark since the series' second episode, has been upped to a regular. Also promoted to a regular status is Alicia Coppola, who has recurred on another freshman CBS drama, Jericho.
Bells, from David E. Kelley Prods. and 20th Century Fox TV, revolves around three sisters (Teri Polo, KaDee Strickland, Sarah Jones) running a family wedding-planning business. In the first episode, Pyle guest stars as a high-maintenance bride client, a character that is featured prominently in the on-air promos for the show. After her wedding, the former bridezilla will go on to become a board member of the company.
Pyle guest starred on Kelley's legal drama for ABC Boston Legal in November, which led to her guest stint on Bells. She also recently did a two-episode arc on NBC's Heroes.
On the feature side, she is filming Harold & Kumar 2 and next will be seen in Feast of Love, Spring Breakdown and Patriotville.
Pyle is repped by UTA, McKeon-Myones and attorney Neil Meyer.
Meanwhile, Henry Simmons, who has recurred on CBS' Shark since the series' second episode, has been upped to a regular. Also promoted to a regular status is Alicia Coppola, who has recurred on another freshman CBS drama, Jericho.
Bells, from David E. Kelley Prods. and 20th Century Fox TV, revolves around three sisters (Teri Polo, KaDee Strickland, Sarah Jones) running a family wedding-planning business. In the first episode, Pyle guest stars as a high-maintenance bride client, a character that is featured prominently in the on-air promos for the show. After her wedding, the former bridezilla will go on to become a board member of the company.
Pyle guest starred on Kelley's legal drama for ABC Boston Legal in November, which led to her guest stint on Bells. She also recently did a two-episode arc on NBC's Heroes.
On the feature side, she is filming Harold & Kumar 2 and next will be seen in Feast of Love, Spring Breakdown and Patriotville.
Pyle is repped by UTA, McKeon-Myones and attorney Neil Meyer.
- 2/26/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Helms gets promotion at 'Office'
Ed Helms is becoming a permanent fixture around The Office.
The actor, who has been recurring on the NBC comedy series, has been upped to regular.
Helms, who joined the cast at the beginning of this season, plays Andy Bernard, an employee of paper supply company Dundler Mifflin's now-defunct Stamford, Conn., office. Bernard and Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) have since been transferred to the Scranton, Pa., branch, where the series is set.
Jones continues as a recurring on the show, from Reveille and NBC Universal TV Studio.
Helms, who has a talent holding deal with NBC Uni TV, starred in the studio's 2005 comedy pilot for NBC "Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To."
He also was a senior correspondent for five years on Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, where he worked alongside Office star Steve Carell. Helms will appear alongside Carell in the feature film Evan Almighty.
In addition, Helms has a role in the upcoming sequel to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
He repped by CAA, Principato-Young Entertainment and attorney Ira Schreck.
The actor, who has been recurring on the NBC comedy series, has been upped to regular.
Helms, who joined the cast at the beginning of this season, plays Andy Bernard, an employee of paper supply company Dundler Mifflin's now-defunct Stamford, Conn., office. Bernard and Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) have since been transferred to the Scranton, Pa., branch, where the series is set.
Jones continues as a recurring on the show, from Reveille and NBC Universal TV Studio.
Helms, who has a talent holding deal with NBC Uni TV, starred in the studio's 2005 comedy pilot for NBC "Lies and the Wives We Tell Them To."
He also was a senior correspondent for five years on Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, where he worked alongside Office star Steve Carell. Helms will appear alongside Carell in the feature film Evan Almighty.
In addition, Helms has a role in the upcoming sequel to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
He repped by CAA, Principato-Young Entertainment and attorney Ira Schreck.
- 2/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Harold & Kumar 2' takes red-eye
Pot-smoking duo Harold and Kumar are making another run, and they've added 11 actors to the quest.
David Krumholtz, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Paula Garces, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris and Eric Winter will join John Cho and Kal Penn in Harold & Kumar 2 for Mandate Pictures and New Line Cinema.
The sequel is set in motion on the same morning that Harold and Kumar finally satisfy their munchies at White Castle and the object of Harold's affection, Maria (Garces), sets off for Amsterdam. The pair decide to pursue her so Harold can proclaim his love. But when an overzealous passenger mistakes Kumar for a terrorist, the plane is diverted and the boys are off on a new escapade of mistaken identity. From Guantanamo Bay through the Deep South, Harold and Kumar encounter myriad wackos, jerks and whores as they are pursued by the Department of Homeland Security all the way into Bush Country.
David Krumholtz, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Paula Garces, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris and Eric Winter will join John Cho and Kal Penn in Harold & Kumar 2 for Mandate Pictures and New Line Cinema.
The sequel is set in motion on the same morning that Harold and Kumar finally satisfy their munchies at White Castle and the object of Harold's affection, Maria (Garces), sets off for Amsterdam. The pair decide to pursue her so Harold can proclaim his love. But when an overzealous passenger mistakes Kumar for a terrorist, the plane is diverted and the boys are off on a new escapade of mistaken identity. From Guantanamo Bay through the Deep South, Harold and Kumar encounter myriad wackos, jerks and whores as they are pursued by the Department of Homeland Security all the way into Bush Country.
- 1/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Man of Steel may soon have a serious case of the munchies. According to MTV News, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh is in talks to join John Cho and Kal Penn in a follow-up to their 2004 stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Neil Patrick Harris will also return for the untitled sequel, which follows the misadventures of the pair evading Feds, who suspect them of fowl play. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg will pen the screenplay. Filming is scheduled to begin next month in Shreveport, Louisiana.
- 12/13/2006
- IMDbPro News
Production Weekly reports that John Cho and Kal Penn are set to star in the follow-up to their 2004 buddy comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg will pen and co-direct the untitled sequel, formerly titled Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam. The film follows the further misadventures of the munchy-lovin' duo as they try to sneak a bong on board their flight to Holland, but wind up becoming suspected terrorists instead. The pair set out on a cross-country journey in an attempt to ditch the Feds. No word yet if Neil Patrick Harris or any cheetahs will join the chase. Production begins late January in Shreveport, Louisiana.
- 10/30/2006
- IMDbPro News
Penn inks for spot in new '24' plot
Kal Penn has joined the cast of Fox's action drama 24 as a recurring character. The Harold & Kumar star will play a guy who is somehow involved with the Islamic guru running the neighborhood mosque and might be the key to a terrorist plot. Penn, along with John Cho, toplined New Line Cinema's 2004 comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and is attached to the upcoming sequel, Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam.
- 8/21/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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