Adam Brody showed up for our interview toting an old-model Nikon camera and some heady memories of his time on the set of The Romantics, a sprawling ensemble dramedy about marriage, unmarriage, post-college malaise and the families we make of our friends. Starring as Jake, the engaged would-be novelist who may or may not catch the cold-feet bug going around his pal Tom's (Josh Duhamel) wedding (time alone in an attic with Malin Åkerman would do that to anyone, let's be honest), Brody brings his customary wry deadpan to the subject of fading ambition. He elaborated on this and other topics -- including the "surreal" qualities of Scream 4 and the failure of last year's Jennifer's Body -- this week in New York.
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It's only a few days until this Saturday's Toronto Film Festival premiere of It's Kind of a Funny Story, and already, something feels very different for filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. It isn't just the assurance that Focus Features will release the film in theaters October 8 -- as Boden puts it, "It's nice to be able to go to a festival and enjoy the response to the film without that added pressure of having to sell it" -- but the realization that after making very challenging, independent movies like Half Nelson and Sugar, Boden and Fleck have turned in a third feature that could finally be their mainstream crowd-pleaser.
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Quite the bundle of talent convened in New York this morning to discuss The Romantics, the ensemble dramedy about a group of college friends who gather roughly 10 years after graduation to celebrate a wedding among them. Or maybe not "celebrate" -- Laura (Katie Holmes) has some lingering bitterness over bride-to-be Lila (Anna Paquin) stealing her boyfriend Tom (Josh Duhamel). The ensuing seaside snafu ensnares pals Malin Åkerman, Elijah Wood, Adam Brody, Rebecca Lawrence and Jeremy Strong, all of whom joined Holmes and Duhamel today to meet the press.
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As gay teen Marshall on United States of Tara, Keir Gilchrist often seems to be too preternaturally sensitive for the real world, and his lead role in the Toronto-premiering It's Kind of a Funny Story (adapted from the Ned Vizzini novel by indie directors Ryan Boden and Anna Fleck) takes that personality type to its logical conclusion: His character, Craig, checks himself into a mental hospital after life seems like too much to bear. Gilchrist talked to Movieline about booking the role, improvising with costar Zach Galifianakis, and why he's not a big fan of preparation.
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Producer. Director. Oscar-nominee. Name brand? We'll see if it's in the cards for Lee Daniels, the multi-hyphenate behind Precious: Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire who made history this year as the first black director of a Best Picture candidate (and only the second African-American ever nominated for Best Director). Daniels today is among the mobilizing forces behind Prince of Broadway, a gritty, low-budget drama finally escaping festival purgatory en route to limited theatrical release. (It opens today in NYC and next week in LA.) Is this a toe-dip in the pool of a would-be empire-builder? Or just a guy paying his good fortune forward?
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Project Runway's addictive drama hinges on the appearance of Tim Gunn, the competing designers' mentor who adds doses of advice, wit, and professorial integrity to the workroom. Movieline caught up with Gunn to discuss his new book Gunn's Golden Rules (and that chapter about J. Edgar Hoover's Vivian Vance drag), "crackpipe"-smoking judges, and even his favorite film scene of all time.
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The season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm left Cheryl Hines in an interesting position: Would her character rekindle a relationship with her estranged husband Larry David, or was her habit of not using a coaster too much for him to bear? When I ran into Hines at an Emmy party recently, I tried to pry her for information about how involved she'll be in the upcoming eighth season, but as you'll see, she had a spoiler policy even Matthew Weiner would be impressed by.
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Here's one notable difference between France's film industry and America's: Vanessa Paradis is among the country's most famous actresses (not to mention a well-known singer and the wife of Johnny Depp), and yet she had never really made a romantic comedy until Heartbreaker, opening in the States on September 10. In it, Paradis plays a cool and collected woman about to be married who meets a romantic rogue (Romain Duris) hired by her father to seduce her and break up the wedding. She told Movieline how she lobbied to make the script more romantic, how she manages to balance all her separate careers, and why she didn't end up in the Pirates of the Caribbean role that sounded tailor-made for her.
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Glee may not have taken home the Best Comedy prize on Emmy night, but at least Jayma Mays can console herself with a trophy boyfriend in the form of John Stamos, who'll be appearing as Emma's love interest (and Will's rival) over the next season. Prior to the Emmys, Movieline caught up with Mays to discuss the new character, what's in store for Emma this year, and what she'll be doing in the show's Britney Spears episode.
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Turns out that being the son of a 90210 star doesn't necessarily mean you believe acting is your calling -- just ask Zander Eckhouse (the son of Walsh paterfamilias James Eckhouse), who only recently discovered he loved the work. Ahead of his ABC Family series Huge's first season finale, Eckhouse talked to Movieline about his studly "fat camp" counselor George, working with Jeremy Piven on a new movie, and the incredible statue he helped David Hasselhoff put in his study.
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People often like to compare Odette Yustman to Megan Fox, and on the one hand, you can see their point. Both actresses are knockout brunettes, and when Yustman plays the former high school mean girl tormenting the nerdy Kristen Bell in You Again, it's almost as though she's doing a less supernatural take on Fox's haughty Jennifer Body's performance. The key difference is that Yustman has a more expansive range and a more extroverted nature, especially in person, when she practically leaps from her seat while answering questions. The super-sweet 25-year-old told Movieline how good it is to be bad, what's behind the world domination of her You Again costar Betty White, and what auteur she plans to stalk.
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Among the bundle of projects with which Lee Daniels may follow Precious, only one has remained nameless since it was announced last March: "Untitled Lee Daniels/HBO Project (2011 TV Movie)," its profile currently reads. Not good enough for Movieline, which today sought at least a little elaboration to the Oscar-nominated producer-director's TV debut.
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We'll get to our full Project Runway recap momentarily, but first, let's chat with last night's losing chatterbox, Mr. AJ Thouvenot. The St. Charles, Missouri native was sent packing after a grueling team challenge that was made no easier by his tyrannical team leader Gretchen. We spoke with Thouvenot about her behavior, Tim Gunn's harsh criticisms, and his Nina Garcia phobia.
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For the past two weeks, Jimmy Fallon has been spending his Late Night vacation days in Los Angeles as he prepares to host this Sunday's 62nd Emmy Awards, an esteemed gig that will put him in the company of legendary entertainers like Lucille Ball, Ed Sullivan, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Carson. Unlike the hosts before him, the Saturday Night Live alum will be relying on his Twitter network for intros and in turn, NBC will be relying on Fallon to smoothly move the telecast along, skirting any potential grenades that the Outstanding Variety Series winner might bring.
With this in mind, Movieline caught up with the late night host at an NBC party a few weeks ago to discuss his take on award shows, his recent social networking failure, and Will Arnett's greatest Emmy diss.
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On a sanguinary series like True Blood, there are all sorts of bursts of shocking red, but none pops more than the brassy hairdo on top of the equally brassy waitress Arlene, played by Carrie Preston. This season, Arlene's had plenty to deal with, including an unwanted pregnancy from her bad seed ex, a vampire coworker at Merlotte's, and the mysterious machinations of Holly (Lauren Bowles), who seems oddly invested in Arlene's pregnancy. Preston talked to Movieline about those juicy moments, her character's "drag queen" looks, her husband (Lost's Michael Emerson), and her impressively Law and Order-studded resume.
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