August, 2008

Don Cheadle delivers a believable performance in Traitor, an intense film which focuses on terrorism with a twist: As federal agent Samir Horn, Cheadle goes deep undercover within a terrorist cell, but is forced to grapple with his own demons – particularly when one operation goes completely wrong.

Finding himself not so different from the people he’s determined to expose, Cheadle must evade government authorities who obviously haven’t gotten the memo that he’s one of them, at the same time serving as the main point man in a terroristic plot against his own country. The vehicle also stars Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential), Said Taghmaoui (Vantage Point), and Neal McDonough (Minority Report).

Ever watch a commercial and think the voice over guy sounds familiar? Or wonder why a toilet paper commercial suddenly reminds you to check your TiVo for the latest episode of Scrubs?

The reason is because many of our favorite celebrities are lending their voices to many of our favorite products.  So, which A-Lister is featured in your favorite ad? Check out the list below.

Gary Sinise – GoArmy “There’s Strong and then There’s Army Strong” Gene Hackman – Lowe’s “Lets Build Something Together”

Zach Braff – Cottonelle (hence the “Scrubs” reference earlier) – he’s the voice of the actual puppy. David Duchovny – Pedigree Patrick Dempsey – Mazda and State Farm Donald Sutherland – Volvo John Corbett – Applebee’s

Kevin Spacey – Honda “Maybe making the perfect isn’t just about the road, but rather everything beyond it.” Morgan Freeman – 2008 US Olympics Visa Will Arnett – GMC “It’s not more than you need, just more than you’re used to” Jeff Bridges – Duracell “Trusted Everywhere” Sam Elliott – Coors Beer – Coors Banquet “Coors, the Banquet Beer” Sally Kellerman – Milky Way “Ode to A-7” and “Ode to an Impulse Buy”

Dennis Quaid – Visa “Life Takes Visa” Thomas Haden Church – Icehouse Beer

As if there wasn’t enough banter at the judges table, American Idol goes one better. The new season will introduce a fourth (yes fourth!) judge to add more anxiety for the already over-anxious wannabees. 

Sources say Kara DioGuardi will be joining Paula “Say what?” Abdul, Randy “You my dog” Jackson, and Simon “Crusher” Cowell. 

While DioGuardi’s name may not be familiar to most of us mere mortals, her influence in the music world is well documented. 

Her songs have been recorded by Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood and a host of others. 

Still, I wonder what characteristics she’ll bring to the table. Literally.

Dancing with the Stars officials revealed this season’s lineup, which includes more than a few recognized performers, such as R&B Grammy award-winner, Toni Braxton. 

Joining Braxton will be ABC’s All My Children egomaniac, Susan Lucci; Sugar Ray frontman cum celebrity reporter, Mark McGrath; TV and stage legend, Cloris Leachman; “Beautiful-but-is-she-really-talented?” Kim Kardashian; former ‘N Sync boy band member, Lance Bass; Ted McGinley, best known as Al’s Bundy’s next door neighbor on Married With Children; Olympic volleyball gold medalist, Misty May-Treanor; celebrity chef, Rocco Dispirito; and Brooke Burke, former Wild On E! and Rock Star host. 

Wow…and to think there was nothing to look forward to this season.

Diane Farr, who plays investigator Megan Reeves on the hit series Numb3rs, gave birth to twin girls on Wednesday.

Sawyer Lucia weighed in at 4 lbs., 12 ounces while Coco Trinity came into the world just one minute later, weighing 5 lbs., 14 ounces.

Farr and husband Seung Chung, who runs a marketing shop, also have a 17-month old son, Beckett. Farr and Chung are the latest celebrity parents of twins – a seeming growing trend in Hollywood.

This is the end, my only friend; we now live in a world without The Doors.

In 2003, Doors drummer John Densmore and the parents of the late, great Jim Morrison sued the other two members of the band for invoking the name of “The Doors” without the permission of the others.

A lower court in California ruled in favor of Morrison’s parents and Densmore, requesting that keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger stop using the band’s name as well as fork over about $5 million to the plaintiffs.

The ruling was on hold though while Manzarek and Krieger appealed to the California Supreme Court…until last week, when the Court finally refused to hear the case, slamming the door on The Doors.

One of the issues at the heart of the case was the desire of Densmore (on behalf of himself and Morrison) to refuse to sell their music for use in commercials.

Manzarek and Krieger now tour under the name Riders On The Storm and Densmore performs in his band Tribaljazz.

Holly Hunter is one of four movie star-turned TV actresses competing for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmys Sept. 21.

If she wins the Emmy, she’ll have to make room for it next to her Academy Award. Before she played her hard-drinking, fast-living character, Grace, on TNT’s Saving Grace, Hunter won Best Actress for her performance as a mute woman entering an arranged marriage.

Born the youngest of seven children in Georgia, Hunter played Helen Keller in a fifth grade play and went on to study drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Upon graduation she went to New York to pursue an acting career, and –  just like Grace –  she might just have a guardian angel.

In a chance encounter in a stalled elevator, Hunter met a famous playwright and starred in some of her plays. In one of those she caught the attention of Oscar-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen. In addition to living together with the Coens, Frances McDormand and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, Hunter gained notoriety in the Coens’ Raising Arizona. 

After a string of movies and Oscar nominations for Broadcast News, The Firm and Thirteen, Hunter decided to star in her first network television series.

While preparing for her transition into television, Hunter told TVgasm that she was worried about having to memorize so many lines, so she called her Home for the Holidays costar, Dylan McDermott, who starred in The Practice.

He told her, “It’s a scary ride when you first get on and you’re going to be able to do it,” and she realized he was right.

She told Tvgasm that among her favorite things about playing Grace, she’s inspired by how alive Grace is and that she would love to emulate her vivacity.

One of the most beloved on-screen couples will be together again this December in the film Revolutionary Road.

Last seen together in the 1997 film Titanic, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio hope to charm audiences with their on-screen chemistry portraying a suburban couple from Connecticut that struggle to achieve their individual goals and keep their romance alive.

The storyline is based on a highly-praised 1961 novel by Richard Yates.

The film is the first collaboration between Winslet and husband Sam Mendes.

“We knew that if we were going to do something again, it had to be something big and emotional,” Winslet said of reuniting with DiCaprio, which she arranged, according to US Weekly.

The Longshots, directed by Fred Durst, succeeds as a somewhat predictable, but far from formulaic, family film. It works because of the uplifting performances of its two stars, Keke Palmer and Ice Cube.

They both deliver the goods; Palmer as Jasmine Plummer, the first female quarterback to play in the Pop Warner football championship, and Ice Cube as her uncle/coach, Curtis Plummer. The script plays it safe but the performances by its two stars are enough to make The Longshots a touchdown.

Jasmine is an outcast at school until her uncle comes along and introduces her to football, a game that’s in the Plummer’s genes. Jasmine aspires to be a model like her idol, Tyra Banks, and wants no part of football…at first; Curtis teaches her the basics of being a quarterback by setting up targets of her idols pictures to throw the football at. Needless to say, she doesn’t miss a throw. The team, which is struggling, finds its savior in the form of a female quarterback.

Durst does a good job of capturing the spirit of a small, down on its luck, community willing to rally behind its (Pop Warner) Super Bowl bound, Minden Browns, and their star quarterback and earnest new coach. No matter how you look at it, The Longshots is a winner.