The second season of Glee has been an important one for Heather Morris. The actress -- who portrays Brittany, the ditzy New Directions member who believes that Dr. Pepper is a dentist -- became an official series regular, made her singing debut (in her character's titular episode), out-danced Britney Spears and established herself as the most reliably funny actor on the Emmy-nominated series. Knowing all of this, Movieline made a point to track down the Arizona-raised back-up-dancer-turned-actress at Tuesday night's Fox TCA Press Party to ask the break-out triple talent about her hilarious viral rap video, the possibility of a lesbian relationship on the show and her character's patented one-liners.
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Last night, Fox hosted a party in Pasadena for the TCA Press Tour and nearly all of the Glee cast members stopped by (except for -- cough, cough -- Lea Michele). It was a feeding frenzy for the nation's television journalists and when Matthew Morrison appeared at the event, like Fox-branded chum being thrown into violent waters, he was immediately swarmed by critics wielding tape recorders. Movieline braved the chaos and came out with the world's shortest interview with Matthew Morrison ever. Enjoy, though be warned: White-rapping was discussed.
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When filmmaker Edgar Wright returns to Los Angeles this weekend to curate his second guest programming run at the New Beverly Cinema, he's bringing more of his favorite films to share. The first time Wright brought his encyclopedic film knowledge to the local institution back in 2007, his fortnight of cult and genre double features packed the house and kicked off a spate of popular guest programming series by the likes of Eli Roth, Joe Dante and Jason Reitman. Now Wright's back to present over two weeks of double bills including paired screenings of Brazil & Delicatessen (Jan. 16-17), American Graffiti & Animal House (Jan. 20-21), Wild at Heart & True Romance (Jan. 26-27), and more - and it all begins with an already sold-out triple feature of Wright's own Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Jan. 14-15).
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Mamie Gummer may have notched her film debut in her mother Meryl Streep's film Heartburn at age 3, but the actress has gone to great lengths to learn acting the formal way. She graduated from Northwestern University's theater program in 2005 and soon won roles in Evening, Stop-Loss, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, and Taking Woodstock. Now, alongside fellow NW grad Zach Gilford, Gummer stars on ABC's new drama Off the Map, a Shonda Rhimes medical serial set in exotic South America. Just ahead of tonight's premiere, we caught up with Gummer to discuss her theatrical past, her feelings for TV, and the Meryl Streep movies she keeps meaning to see.
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Michel Gondry, best known for directing cerebral, handmade films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, might at first seem peculiar as the director associated with the big-budget superhero movie The Green Hornet. Yet Gondry has been attached to The Green Hornet on and off since 1997, creating a long road for Gondry to complete what was supposed to be his first Hollywood film; stars including George Clooney, Jason Scott Lee, Greg Kinnear, Mark Wahlberg, Jet Li, Jake Gyllenhaal and Nicholas Cage were all at some point associated with The Green Hornet. Finally, it comes down to this weekend and Seth Rogen.
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Allison Janney returns to primetime Feb. 9 on the ABC comedy Mr. Sunshine, playing Matthew Perry's unpredictable boss. The four-time Emmy champ will exercise the comic chops she brought to Juno and Hairspray, dotting her punchlines with classic C.J. Cregg smarts. We caught up with Janney at the TCA press tour in Pasadena and discussed Mr. Perry's candid commentary, her love-hate relationship with auditions, and her response to West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin's dialogue in The Social Network.
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We're coming up on a year since Jacki Weaver strolled into Park City, Utah with her Animal Kingdom director and castmates, dazzled the Sundance Film Festival and commenced a run of acclaim that continues to this day. But while the film's sweep last month of its native Australian Film Institute Awards was all but a foregone conclusion, Animal Kingdom's Stateside fortune -- particularly Weaver's chances in the Supporting Actress race at the Golden Globes and, Academy willing, the Oscars -- is a little more vague. So! Guess who's back on American soil this week?
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There was a time when critics and Oscar pundits thought Danny Boyle's 127 Hours was a lock to nab one of the coveted 10 Best Picture slots -- if not in the top three, at least landing somewhere in the comfy middle of the pack. Then came the infamous faintings and those sluggish box-office receipts, and the jaunty amputation biopic started slipping downward in the weekly charts into the dark nether regions of the awards-season landscape, pinned between its rock-solid 93 percent Tomatometer and a very hard place: the outliers of the Best Picture 10.
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We'll have more with the cast of ABC's new medical series Off the Map on Tuesday, but for now, immediately following the show's panel at the TCAs, we grabbed a quick moment with Zach Gilford and played Movieline's favorite parlor game, My Favorite Scene. What did the Friday Night Lights champ say was his favorite film scene ever? Join us for Matt Saracen's full-hearted cinematic moment.
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Last time Movieline caught up with Paul Giamatti, the actor was still getting his head around having played a version of himself in the curious indie Cold Souls. Then last year in Toronto, we reconvened to discuss a matter of similar weight and import: How a guy from Brooklyn came to play one of the most celebrated characters in recent Canadian literature -- in a film adaptation all of Canada had its eyes on.
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It's one thing to have to learn the essence of a character when preparing for a role, but it's quite another to have to try and learn an entire language. That's the task Jay Chou faced when he took over as the ever-present sidekick Kato to Seth Rogen's titular superhero in Michel Gondry's The Green Hornet. Well, that and the fact that Chou -- already an internationally famous recording artist in eastern Asia -- is making his American debut in a role that also introduced the States to Bruce Lee.
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It has been one of the most discussed parts of Saturday Night Live since comedian Jay Pharoah was added as a featured player last September: Would the young impressionist -- who does a pretty mean Barack Obama -- replace incumbent Fred Armisen as the fake Commander-in-Chief. To the consternation of some, he hasn't thus far, but that's not because of Armisen. Movieline caught up with the comedian -- who is now in his ninth season on the legendary sketch show -- to discuss his Obama impression, his seniority at studio 8H, and how he keeps his relationship with Saturday Night Live fresh after all of these years.
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Guy Pearce wouldn't mind not being in an Oscar-winning film for a change. Not to say that he's not fully behind The King's Speech (or even the dark horse Animal Kingdom), but considering that his work in those films involve limited screen time -- not unlike his role in last year's Best Picture-winning The Hurt Locker -- "good-luck cameo" isn't a role Pearce necessarily wants to get used to.
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Forget True Grit and The Fighter; the folks at Paramount know what kind of movies those Academy-voting Steak Eaters really love. The kind where poop flies and people get hit in the head with dead slimy fish! To complement a press release announcing the March DVD/Blu-ray release of the feces-splattered daredevil docu-film Jackass 3D, the studio debuted their bid for consideration in 11 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Visual Effects. Quentin Tarantino must be pumped!
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Guys, The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection is great. Iman melts mortals in a way Heidi Klum will never achieve, and Isaac Mizrahi gives spot-on critiques every single week. Following last night's "wedding" episode featuring a trio of gay couples (Hooray!), we're checking in with Isaac to discuss guest judges Johnny Weir and Rachel Zoe, that hideous menswear, and the greatest Shakespearean metaphors you'll read all month.
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