Showing posts with label Meryl Streep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meryl Streep. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2012

Brad on CBS, Oscar Lunch + movie outing







 

Read my lips... I'm Angelina Jolie's son! Little Knox proves he's inherited the star's famous bee-stung pout

By Jade Watkins

Last updated at 11:41 PM on 6th February 2012

Her plump lips have helped make her one of the most recognised and revered faces in Hollywood.
And it seems that Angelina Jolie's twin son Knox has hit the gene pool lottery.
The adorable three-year-old showed off a bee-sting pout almost identical to his mother's as the pair visited the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood over the weekend.
Look familiar? Angelina Jolie's son Knox showed off a bee-sting pout almost identical to his mother's as they arrived at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood
Look familiar? Angelina Jolie's son Knox showed off a bee-sting pout almost identical to his mother's as they arrived at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood 
Arriving to watch the Disney classic The Lady And The Tramp, Knox  appeared to be blowing kisses to the family's bodyguard as they headed inside the famous film venue.

The 38-year-old actress was beaming as she held her young son in her arms.
The duo were joined by Knox's father Brad Pitt, who once again wore his black all-in-one jumpsuit, which he had been sporting the week before when the family went to see Cirque Du Soleil in Santa Monica.
Cute: Arriving to watch The Lady And The Tramp, Knox appeared to be blowing kisses to the family's bodyguard as they headed inside the famous film venue
Cute: Arriving to watch The Lady And The Tramp, Knox  appeared to be blowing kisses to the family's bodyguard as they headed inside the famous film venue
Brad was seen carefully lifting Knox out of the car and passing him to his partner of seven years, who cuddled and carried the blonde-haired tot.
Like Brad, Angelina was also dressed in head-to-toe black, slipping her slim figure into a pair of black trousers and matching sweater.
The couple's other children were not spotted, but the family did arrive in a giant blacked out SUV.
Despite being the pictured perfect image of a doting mother and humanitarian, Brad has recently revealed that his partner continues to have a naughty side behind closed doors.
So happy: The 36-year-old actress was beaming as she held her young son in her arms
So happy: The 36-year-old actress was beaming as she held her young son in her arms
'She's still a bad girl,' the actor revealed on CBS This Morning Monday.
'Delightfully so. It's not for public consumption.'
Angelina had admitted in an interview with 60 Minutes in November that her inner bad girl now 'belongs to Brad.'
The heavily tattooed actress once lived a what she described as a 'dangerous' life and was famous for her dark and provocative nature.
Comfort dressing: Brad Pitt wore his black all-in-one jumpsuit, which he had been sporting the week before as he joined the family
Comfort dressing: Brad Pitt wore his black all-in-one jumpsuit, which he had been sporting the week before as he joined the family
She infamously wore then-husband Billy Bob Thornton's blood in a vial around her neck.
She also gave brother James Haven a passionate kiss on the lips at the 2000 Academy Awards and has spoken publicly about bisexual trysts.
She had a lesbian love affair with her Foxfire co-star Jenny Shimizu, of whom she has said: 'I would probably have married Jenny if I hadn't married my [first] husband [Jonny Lee Miller].'
As well as focusing on her huge family and UN efforts, she is also attempting to make her name as a director with her latest film In the Land of Blood and Honey.
Doting parents: Brad was seen carefully lifting Knox out of the car and passing him to his partner of seven years, who cuddled and carried the blonde-haired tot
Doting parents: Brad was seen carefully lifting Knox out of the car and passing him to his partner of seven years, who cuddled and carried the blonde-haired tot
The actress also wrote the film, which is a dark love story set during the Bosnian war in the early 1990s.
Pitt spoke about his six children with Angelina - Maddox, 10, Pax, eight, Zahara seven, Shiloh, five, and twins Knox and Vivienne, three.
'They're quite used to a bit of jet lag and moving to a new location, as long as we're together,' the Oscar nominee said.
Hold on tight: Angelina had wrapped Knox up in a blanket for the outing
Hold on tight: Angelina had wrapped Knox up in a blanket for the outing
Legendary: The family watched the Disney classic at one of Hollywood's most famous venues
Legendary: The family watched the Disney classic at one of Hollywood's most famous venues

'The home is always in tact.'
'They've got to pack their own bags,' Pitt added.
'And they're responsible if they leave their chargers behind, and so on and so forth.'
Still bad: Brad has recently revealed that his partner continues to have a naughty side behind closed doors
Still bad: Brad has recently revealed that his partner continues to have a naughty side behind closed doors

 

'She's still a bad girl': Brad Pitt on the naughty side of Angelina Jolie that's now reserved just for him

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:55 PM on 6th February 2012
She transformed her wild child image into that of a doting mother and humanitarian.
But Brad Pitt, 48, has revealed Angelina Jolie, 36, continues to have a naughty side behind closed doors.
'She's still a bad girl,' the actor revealed on CBS This Morning Monday.

A sparkle in his eye: Brad Pitt gave an interview on This Morning with co-host Charlie Rose
A sparkle in his eye: Brad Pitt gave an interview on This Morning with co-host Charlie Rose


'Delightfully so. It's not for public consumption.'
'Still a bad girl': Angelina Jolie at the SAG Awards last month
'Still a bad girl': Angelina Jolie at the SAG Awards last month 

Angelina had admitted in an interview with 60 Minutes in November that her inner bad girl now 'belongs to Brad.'
The heavily tattooed actress once lived a what she described as a 'dangerous' life and was famous for her dark and provocative nature.
She infamously wore then-husband Billy Bob Thornton's blood in a vial around her neck.

She also gave brother James Haven a passionate kiss on the lips at the 2000 Academy Awards and has spoken publicly about bisexual trysts.

She had a lesbian love affair with her Foxfire co-star Jenny Shimizu, of whom she has said: 'I would probably have married Jenny if I hadn't married my [first] husband [Jonny Lee Miller].'
As well as focusing on her huge family and UN efforts, she is also attempting to make her name as a director with her latest film In the Land of Blood and Honey.
The actress also wrote the film, which is a dark love story set during the Bosnian war in the early 1990s.
Pitt spoke about his six children with Angelina - Maddox, 10, Pax, eight, Zahara seven, Shiloh, five, and twins Knox and Vivienne, three.
'They're quite used to a bit of jet lag and moving to a new location, as long as we're together,' the Oscar nominee said.
'The home is always in tact.'
'They've got to pack their own bags,' Pitt added.
'And they're responsible if they leave their chargers behind, and so on and so forth.'
Family man: The Moneyball star also discussed his brood of six during the interview with Charlie Rose
Family man: The Moneyball star also discussed his brood of six during the interview with Charlie Rose

 

Brad Pitt: Angelina Jolie Is 'Still a Bad Girl'

Monday February 06, 2012 11:05 AM EST
Brad Pitt: Angelina Jolie Is 'Still a Bad Girl' | Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Kevan Brooks/AdMedia


Angelina Jolie recently told 60 Minutes that, despite her philanthropic efforts and six children, she still has a dark side – something her partner Brad Pitt now happily confirms.

"She's still a bad girl," a grinning Pitt, 48, said Monday on CBS This Morning. "Delightfully so. It's not for public consumption."

It might be one of the only private aspects of his and 36-year-old Jolie's family life, which is often in the spotlight as the couple travels around the world with their children in tow.

"They're quite used to a bit of jetlag and moving to a new location, as long as we're together," Pitt told co-host Charlie Rose of their brood. "So the home's always intact. They've got to pack their own bags, and they're responsible if they leave their chargers behind, and so on and so forth."

Of their children – Maddox, 10, Pax, 8, and Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 5, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 3 – Pitt told Rose of the sheer joy the family has "because we are together," and how the best actor Oscar nominee's work has even "gotten better because I worry less about it. I mean, it's not as important as family."



 Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt took Vivienne and Knox to a screening of Lady and the Tramp at Hollywood's El Capitan Theater yesterday.


Inside Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Hammond

By PETE HAMMOND | Monday February 6, 2012 @ 7:09pm PST
Pete Hammond






Today’s 31st annual Oscar nominees luncheon was typically relaxed and collegial — a place where there were only winners, at least for today — and contenders could catch up with old friends who also just happen to be rivals in this year’s race.

So there were Best Actor nominees George Clooney and Brad Pitt walking into the ballroom together deep in conversation. And Best Picture producing nominees Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese walked up to the risers, arms around each other, standing together until Academy COO Ric Robertson called their names to come up onstage and get their nomination certificates. All the 150 (out of 188) of Oscar’s class of 2011 lined up more or less alphabetically for the annual “class photo” — starting with Transformers: Dark Of The Moon nominee Erik Aadahl and ending more than a half-hour later with Moneyball co-screenwriter Steven Zaillian. At my table, Hugo screenwriting nominee John Logan observed, “Scanning this stage how can you not be getting your heart beating?” Our table-mates included Academy Governor Paul Mazursky, Iron Lady makeup artist Mark Coulier, Moneyball sound-mixing nominee Ed Novick and past Academy President Arthur Hiller. Logan listened raptly as Hiller recalled the making of The Americanization of Emily and The Hospital, both written by screenplay god Paddy Chayefsky.

All the tables mixed nominees from various disciplines. Academy President Tom Sherak noted in opening remarks that the seating arrangements were deliberate since all nominees were equal and all films were equal. There was no War Horse or Descendants table, just a collegial family feeling. Sherak also revealed that this year’s Governors Ball would not be a sit-down dinner as in the past, but rather a party atmosphere with food and drink and “mingling”. It’s a good idea because sitting down at that event is never easy for winners — or those who go home without Oscars. As for this sit-down lunch — which began 31 years ago when just 40 nominees showed up — Sherak said, “We know awards season can be exhausting. Today is about taking a moment, taking a breath and realizing what a special family this is… So take the applause. This is probably the last time you’ll be applauding each other.”


One of the games pundits play at this event is trying to gauge the amount of applause each nominee receives as their name is called by Robertson to receive their certificate of nomination. By that measure it was no contest: 82-year-old Max von Sydow. He told me he had cracked six ribs a few days earlier and was the only one of the 150 in attendance to be seated on a chair in front of the risers throughout the certificate ceremony. Several friends made a point of saying hello as they made their way to the stage and by the time his name was finally called the place erupted with the biggest hand of the day. Clooney, Pitt, Gary Oldman, Jean Dujardin, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Octavia Spencer and Glenn Close were among others who scored impressively on the applause-o-meter, but I would say Viola Davis and Demian Bichir probably eclipsed them. After lunch Harvey Weinstein stopped by Bichir’s table to congratulate him. “That was a lot of applause you got. I saw Clooney and Pitt looking nervous, even my guy” Dujardin from The Artist,  he said. I showed Bichir an email I had received earlier morning from an Academy member who had just seen his film. “We watched it last night, and my view on immigration has totally changed. It was a very poignant and meaningful film, which we loved and were totally moved,” it read. Bichir, clearly touched, said that was exactly the kind of response he hoped his nomination would elicit. Bichir also started a trend when his name was called by bowing and blowing a kiss to his fellow nominees on the risers.

Speaking of Weinstein, he ran into Ludivic Bource, Oscar-nominated composer of The Artist, in the Hilton lobby before lunch and Bource proudly presented him with the entire written score autographed with his thanks. Bource also made Harvey turn to one specific blank page where it said, “Love Theme From Vertigo”, and just below was his handwritten note: “Call Kim Novak”. Weinstein cracked up at the reference to Novak who took out a trade ad complaining about the inclusion of a small part of Bernard Herrmann’s Vertigo music in one scene in the film. When I caught up with The Artist Best Actor nominee and SAG winner Dujardin I congratulated him on his recent Leno appearance where he killed with his John Travolta impression. “And John Wayne too,” he reminded. “I liked Jay Leno. He is a nice man. He has 130 cars. He said he drove the French car Citroen that day in my honor and showed me his parking spot.” Dujardin was heading back to Paris shortly after the lunch and then on to next weekend’s BAFTA awards in London.

Later during lunch 84th Oscar show producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer took the stage to congratulate the nominees, beg them to be brief and meaningful in their acceptance speeches, and offering a few details about the show (which will not include performances of the two nominated songs. What? No Muppets?). “Billy Crystal has a fantastic film with all of you and your movies in it to open the show,” said Grazer who also emphasized the producing pair’s goals, basically to be funny with lots of comedy, to have some class and to come in on time. The theme this year will be the importance of a shared experience seeing films in an actual movie theatre. As such the Kodak (or whatever it’s called by show time) will be outfitted like a classic movie palace. As for speeches Mischer emphasized “Speak from the heart. Tell us how you feel. We hope you will give that thought. Be memorable and you will be remembered. If you just read off a long list of names no one will remember you,” he said. Actually if Brad Pitt gets up and reads a list I have a feeling people will still remember him. With that they rolled the annual Tom Hanks filmed primer on the proper way to accept an Oscar.


If only the Oscars ceremony could have the relaxed vibe of this event it would be a completely different show.  Academy first VP Hawk Koch says it is a one-of-a-kind thing. “I just had the most incredible thing happen to me here,” he said. ”I talked to (supporting actress nominee) Octavia Spencer and she said, ‘don’t you remember me?’ I asked where I met her and she said she was an assistant in the casting department on The Long Walk Home, the movie I produced in Alabama in 1990!”
Only at the Oscar nominees lunch.



February 6, 2012, 6:28 pm

A Harbinger of a Longish Awards Show

Brad Pitt at the Academy Award nominees luncheon. 
Monica Almeida/The New York TimesBrad Pitt at the Academy Award nominees luncheon.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.— If you believe in signs, they are pointing toward a longish Oscar show. The annual nominees luncheon here on Monday went long, at any rate. The yearly gathering of as many Oscar nominees as will attend (this year 150 showed up) was scheduled to last between noon and 2 p.m. in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. But it was 2:08 by the time Ric Robertson, the chief operating officer of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, got around to introducing Brian Grazer and Don Mischer, who will be producing the Feb. 26 Oscar ceremony.
Mr. Grazer promised a show that will have comedy, class, and be on time. “I think it’s gonna be fun,” he offered, sounding just a little big like his “aw-shucks” movie-producing partner, Ron Howard.
But some minutes later, a video homily by Tom Hanks on how to give a short Oscar speech was still unspooling its tips, as nominees like Glenn Close and hangers-on like this reporter slipped out the ballroom door.
Tom Sherak, the academy’s president, had opened the luncheon with an admonition that the Oscar show should last only three hours. But even the nominees luncheon stretched toward that mark. That was partly because Mr. Sherak spoke at length, and made a point of introducing the new talent manager for the Oscar show, the outgoing talent manager, the supervising producer, 29 of the academy’s governors and a whole pack of past presidents.

Then came the ritual nominees photograph, and the handing out of nomination certificates, one by one, in alphabetical order. Meryl Streep, deep into the “S”s, gamely lounged on the top row of a stadium-style photo set, waiting for the likes of Aaron Sorkin and Olivia Spencer to pick up their certificates first.
You have to wonder what Ms. Streep does with all those certificates — this is her 17th. Maybe that’s what she and Brad Pitt were chit-chatting about while they waited their turn. Notably, Mr. Pitt took a spot next to Ms. Streep in the top row, even though the other “P”s were generally aligned a step or two beneath. Stars attract stars of similar magnitude, it seems.
Max von Sydow had an even longer wait for his certificate. But Mr. von Sydow was incredibly close, as he sat in the front row rather than standing way on top, and the applause when he stepped up was extremely loud. The last guy to get his honor was Steve Zaillian, as a writer of “Moneyball.” As a life-long member of the “Z”s, alphabetically speaking, Mr. Zaillian looked resigned to his long wait in line. He lounged against a rail on the top row, waited for Michelle Williams and one or two others to pick up their paperwork, then picked up his, with a smile for the crowd.



Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Rooney Mara Talks Super Bowl, George Clooney Enjoys "Free Booze"

February 6, 2012 5:46:20 PM by Marc Malkin
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
 
If the Oscars are just a little over two weeks away, it must mean it's lunchtime.
The Beverly Hilton hotel was packed earlier today for the Academy's annual nominees luncheon.
What went down and what was everyone talking about?
Things got off to a nice start when George Clooney announced to reporters during the pre-lunch press conferences, "I thought I'd get here early—free booze!"
Rooney Mara was in Indianapolis yesterday for the Super Bowl. If for some reason you don't know by now, the Mara family owns the New York Giants. "It was really fun," she said. "It was very exciting. It was great."
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star said she hasn't found an Oscar dress yet. She also told me that she's "signed up for the other two" Dragon Tattoo flicks, "but I'm not sure when we're going to start doing them."
Jonah Hill said he has been the victim of Moneyball costar Brad Pitt's pranks. "I call him the Bobby Fischer of pranks because you try to prank him and he's immediately three moves ahead of you," Hill explained.


Pitt revealed that fellow Best Actor nominee Demián Bichir gave him a bottle of tequila from his native Mexico.
Bichir said he hoped his nomination for his work as an immigrant worker in Los Angeles in A Better Life would bring more attention to immigration issues. "This could make a big difference if the right people see the film, if the guys in Congress take a look at it and get touched by it," he said.
The one awkward moment during the press conference? When a reporter from French newspaper Le Monde asked The Artist star Jean Dujardin if he thought his recent naughty movie poster controversy would hurt his chances of winning the Oscar.
Said reporter was immediately shut down when the press conference moderator cut her off and moved on to the next question.


Once inside the ballroom, nominees were called onto the wooden riser for the annual portrait. They were then given certificates and a commemorative sweatshirt. Yup, a sweatshirt!
Oscar coproducer Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced that the home of the Oscars, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, would be transformed to have the look of a "timeless" movie house for the big night.
A short film narrated by Tom Hanks about the do's and don'ts of an Oscar acceptance speech followed.
The take away? Make it memorable, but no more than the allotted 45 seconds.
Because no one likes being cut off by the orchestra.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Angie & Meryl

What Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep Have in Common

Blogs by Melissa Silverstein | December 7, 2011 | 
I know I am lucky.  I get to watch and think about movies and write about them and talk about them.  But being a blogger, I don't very often get to see the people in the movies or those who make the movies - especially when they are big stars. Yesterday was different -- I saw two major icons, two of the most genuine and powerful women in the film business Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep.  Both are talking about their upcoming movies.  Streep is in The Iron Lady opening on December 30th and Angelina Jolie wrote and directed In the Land of Blood and Honey which is opening on December 23rd.
I have to say they were both beyond impressive.  First Jolie.
I'm not writing about the movie (which I really liked) this is about the woman.  This is about a woman who could really rest on her laurels, hang out with her kids and partner, make action films and bank enough money to retire by the time she is 40.  But she doesn't want to do that.  She wants to use whatever power she has for good and to educate people about important topics.
So she chose the Bosnian War.  Who the hell does that?  A war that people even the people who lived it don't talk about.  Oh and she showed up at the press conference with multiple cast members and had the whole thing moderated by NPR correspondent Tom Gjeltten who covered the war and was clearly moved by the authenticity she brought to the piece.  A big star like Jolie could have shown up at the press conference by herself or with the two leaad actors, but she didn't.  She brought many cast members, and they all spoke and shared incredibly moving stories of their experiences during the war.  One of the actors Ermin Sijamija was even in the army during the war.  This man was moved to tears when he talked about his experiences.
Here's what she said when talking about why she made the film:
"I had been haunted by years of traveling in the field by a lack of intervention to the trauma people face in post conflict situations and my frustration in seeing their pain and wondering if we could have prevented this, if we could have done something before...So I sat down privately to write something and this led me clearly to Bosnia because it was a war of my generation to my generation and it was one I felt a responsibility to learn about because I didn't know and the more I learned the more I was overwhelmed by the guilt of how little I knew and was shocked by how long this went on." 
This is the world's highest paid female movie star.  This is what she cares about.  This gives me hope.
Now to Ms. Streep. I finally got my chance to see The Iron Lady but I won't be writing about that today either (her performance is truly amazing.)
I've never seen her speak in person and she did a q and a with the director Phyllida Lloyd and my take away is that woman is completely genuine and it an incredibly fierce advocate for women, and especially for older women.  This is what interests her.  This is what she wants to talk about.  This is what she is passionate about.  And I for one am so glad because she's real.  Just like Angelina Jolie you don't get any sense of posturing.  This is who she is.
She wants to push the envelope.  And she says it much better than I do.
"I do have an interest in things we don't want to handle in movies or look at because I think anything forbidden is exciting.  Nudity is nothing, it's not really a provocation.  Try and talk about leaving and dying and all those things... And this particular take that Abi Morgan took with this screenplay was really great - 3 days in the life of of a little old lady who just happens to be the person who was the longest serving prime minister in the 20th century and the only female in the western world, who ruled a nuclear country.  Pretty interesting stuff to look at a life ebbing in its diminishment.  That really interested me."
She also is very interested in looking at women and power and leadership and here's what she said about that.
"This appealed to every feminist bone in my body and I know it is a dirty word nowadays, it did, the achievement, how she got there.  How hard it had to have been.  How she had to have been 10 times more prepared than everybody."
That almost made me weep.  To hear Meryl Streep talking about feminism and the movies.  And how interesting it is to have it enmeshed with Margaret Thatcher who no one would call a feminist ever.
I was able to get in a question about gender and her relationships to women - because there is a line in the film where she talks about how she prefers the company of men (and by the way she really is the only woman in the room throughout her political career).
Here's how she answered my question
"We live in a world still where sons are favored.  She was one of 2 daughters at a time when perhaps that was true in England, I don't presume to say, but we do know that that feeling exists a round the world and it's a vestigial one.  This father favored -- we feel -- this golden girl who seemed to be so bright and have so much promise but her road was very unusual.  We can't emphasize that enough.  First of all to get a place in chemistry at Oxford and then decide to read law and then decide to go into politics was unusual to say the least."
And lastly she was asked about what she wants people to take away from the movie and she talked about the invisibility of older women.
"I would like to think that when everybody got on the subway and saw some old lady sitting across that they would imagine that there was a whole huge life lay behind those wrinkles and that seemingly nondescript forgettable...  There is almost nothing less interesting in our consumerist society than an old lady. Dismissed.  We don't make movies for her, we don't give a damn, can't sell her anything because she doesn't buy anything...everything is in there and just to imagine that.  That's what I would hope."
Yesterday was this feminist girl's dream come true.  To see two such icons, to realize and to sense for myself their authenticity has me walking on air and knowing that it is great to hae women of their stature in our camp.