Posts Tagged ‘Tom Cruise’

The 60th Emmy Awards this past September turned up some first time winners and nominees like Bryan Cranston, Gabriel Byrne, Lee Pace and others. The 2008 Oscars also introduced first time nominees and winners such as: Tony Gilroy, Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton, just to name a few. But does adding “Award Winner” or “Nominee” to a resume help a career? Let’s take a look at winners and nominees from the 2000 awards season to see if Oscar or Emmy has helped them climb the Hollywood ladder.

The 2000 Academy Awards gave Russell Crowe his first nomination for “The Insider.” Since then, he’s seen his most notable role yet as Maximus in “Gladiator,” which lead to an Oscar win. He also received another nomination for “A Beautiful Mind.” Just an Oscar nomination has lead this actor into stardom.  

Hilary Swank had her first nomination and win for “Boys Don’t Cry.” She has since gained an Oscar for “Million Dollar Baby” where she worked with acclainmed director Clint Eastwood. Julianne Moore received her second nomination for “The End of the Affair” which has lead to staring in movies with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep, Clive Owen and others. On the flip side, Janet McTeer collected her first and only Oscar nomination.  She has done other projects, but nothing to the magnitude of “Tumbleweeds.”

The Best Actor in a Supporting Role category introduced newcomers Michael Clarke Duncan, Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law. All three have had hugely successful careers since their nominations. Duncan had a reccuring role in the “The Whole Nine Yards” series and has costared with Will Ferrell, John C. Rielly, and Clive Owen. Osment received nominations for “Pay it Forward” and “Artificial Intelligence: A.I.” Jude Law has had staring roles in “Enemy at the Gate,” “Road to Perdition,” and “Cold Mountain.”

The Best Director category brought the first win for Sam Mendes director of “American Beauty.” Mendes later heads up films such as “Road to Perdition” and “Jarheads.”  This category also saw the first (and only) nomination for Spike Jonze director of “Being John Malkovich.” He will later direct “Adaptation.”

Switching to the Emmy’s and their effect on the crew that works for the small screen.

In the Outstanding Drama Series category, the winner was new TV drama “The West Wing.” This was the first nomination and win for the series, which continued gaining momentum in 2002 and 2003 by winning the same award and picking up Emmy’s in multiple categories each year it was on the air. Viewership topped out at 15 million per week on average! Emmy worked her magic on this beloved television show.

The Outstanding Lead Actor for a Drama showcased James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano. His second nomination, but first win (he will also win in 2001 and 2003) encouraged a proserous career completing nine films so far. On the other hand, Jerry Orbach’s first and only nomination for his work on “NYPD Blue” never landed him a statue or another Emmy nomination.

Leading Actress in a Comedy Series went to Debra Barone aka Patricia Heaton.  She will also win in 2001, but only receive nominations after that.  She recently stared in a show with fellow 2000 nominee Kelsey Grammer, but it was canceled. Two of the other four nominees have shows currently on television, Jane Kaczmarek and Debra Messing, proving that awards don’t necessarily improve a resume.

2000’s Emmy’s brought Thomas Schlamme a directing award for “The West Wing.” He would eventually win one more for directing. He would later direct the short lived “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Allen Coulter, another 2000 directing nominee, directed or has worked on multiple highly accredited TV shows such as “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City”, “Rome” and others, but no Emmy wins so far.

The 2000’s Emmy’s brought a win (and two nominations for two episodes) to writer and creator Aaron Sorkin for “The West Wing” during its second year on the air. After “West Wing’s” end, Sorkin worked on a similar style show “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” which ran for a year. He switched to film, working on critically acclaimed “Charlie Wilson’s War” in which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He’s currently working on two films as a writer making those Emmy statuettes work for his credibility.  For writer Linwood Boomer, it’s a different story.  2000 would be the only Emmy for this writer for his work on “Malcolm in the Middle” even though he received one other nomination the following year. To date, “Malcolm in the Middle” was the last show he worked on, which ended in 2006.

It seems that being handed a statue with your name on it has a 50/50 chance of bettering your career in the compeititve entertainment world. You’re either a Jude Law or a Linwood Boomer.

The 81st Academy Awards will occur on February 22, 2009.

Sorry to put a damper on things for you Shrekkies out there, but those “Could-it-be-true?” rumors of Tom Cruise lending his voice to lovable Shrek’s upcoming flick, “Shrek Goes Forth,” are just that: rumors.

The blogosphere was inundated with “sources” who swore that Cruise was considering the role. And the situation really got out of hand once the mainstream media validated it.

NOT SO, says Cruise, whose next project looks like a film with buddy Ben Stiller. Seriously. In any event the Shrek thing is out…at least for now. That’s the rumor anyway.

I’ve got a secret. Gossip Girls star Leighton Meester looked sophisticated in this white, curve hugging Nina Ricci dress at the Piaget event in NYC, People Magazine reports. Paired with black pumps and Van Cleef and Arpel diamonds and this scandalmonger girl sparkled in jaw dropping fashion.

Kim Kardashian kept no secrets with her simple and elegant Voom dress by Joy Haan at the Cheetah Girls premiere. The little black dress plays up her curves and the bow at the shoulder adds a touch of sweetness.

Oh Mamma, mamma. Katie Holmes didn’t steal the show from husband Tom Cruise at the Tropic Thunder movie premiere, she owned it. This sultry navy halter and leather top dress was designed by the lady herself with a little help from Gene Young. The trendy cage heels and pixie cut certainly prove what a fabulous woman she really is.

She’s no housewife. In her Yves Saint Laurent heels and J-Brand jeans, Eva Longoria sizzles, People Magazine says. But this style icon is also smart, her tan safari jacket from Old Navy is only $38.50…I predict Old Navy will have a run on tan safari jackets.

An espionage film, which was to star Tom Cruise, has been reassigned to Angelina Jolie. Cruise has opted out of the film to pursue other interests.

The script will have to go through some revisions (which is obvious given that the original title is “Edwin A. Salt”), but sources say Columbia Pictures was more than happy to accommodate – since it’s quite obvious Jolie can hold a film on her own. Not to mention she’s more than fit to fill anyone’s spy shoes. (Have you SEEN Mr. & Mrs. Smith?)

Although Jolie’s only recently given birth to twins, we’re betting she still has all the right moves.

Here are 10 movies that aren’t even out yet, but are already creating that infamous buzz.

1. Watchmen – The next in line of comic books adapted to film series, Watchmen was “all the rage” at Comic Con.  Set in 1985, but in an alternative USA, this graphic novel series is supposed to take apart what is normally thought of when it comes to superheroes.  Set to release March 6, 2009.

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – I recently wrapped up reading the 6th book in J.K. Rowling’s series and it was terrific.  A lot of the energy surrounding this episode of H.P. is that it takes a darker look into the enemy’s youth as well as saying some goodbyes.  Set to release November 21, 2008.

3. W – An unconventional look at life through our 43rd President’s eyes. To be released while the real George W. Bush is still in office, it’s the “will it make fun of the President or support him” question that has people talking. Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss and James Cromwell.   This is gonna be one hot topic of a film. Set to release October 29, 2008.

4. Angels & Demons – The book before “The Da Vinci Code”, Dan Brown’s Vatican City novel is hitting theaters soon.  No one is forgetting the controversies of “The Da Vinci Code” and this edition possess more challenges because it actually takes place in Vatican City as well as on the grounds itself.  Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Ewan McGregor team up to bring us another mystery. Set to Release May 15, 2009.

5. Twilight – If you haven’t heard of the novels by Stephanie Meyer yet then you officially live under a rock. The teenage vampire saga is receiving a lot of attention from not only the MTV crowd, but the VH1-ers as well. The series, made up of 4 books, has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 40 weeks.  Set to release December 12, 2008.

6. Eagle Eye – Shia LaBeouf is a guy suddenly thrown into a deadly version of a scavenger hunt by some mysterious woman on the phone watching every move he and Michelle Monaghan make.  And I have a sneaking feeling there will be a twist no one is expecting.  Set to release September 26, 2008.

7. Terminator Salvation – As if Christian Bale doesn’t have enough on his plate, people are already talking about his next movie where he plays the boy the Terminator was sent to save.  Set to release May 22, 2009.

8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Adding on to the X-Men series, but in a different way, is the story of Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman.  Set to release May 1, 2009.

9. Tropic Thunder – Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. are the reasons why audiences will fall out of their seats for this movie. Also starring Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rooney, Nick Nolte and Bill Hader.  Set to release August 15, 2008.

10. Australia – People are talking about the chemistry and steamy love scenes between two native Australians, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (looks like he’s going to have a busy year!) in a war film about their homeland.  Set to release November 14, 2008.

A troubled marriage is a crap situation for any and all parties involved; the couple themselves, any children, friends, extended family. And many people will agree with me when I say that the only people in the world who know what goes on in any relationship are the people within the relationship.

Yet over the course of the next few months, you and I are going to be buying the rag mags and reading all of the internet gossip, and ultimately discussing the Matthew Broderick/Sarah Jessica Parker scandal as if we’d talked extensively with the party’s in question. We should not feel shame for this.  To feel sympathy for our neighbors while judging them and gossiping about them behind their backs; it is the American Way.

Not only do we have the parallel of SJP’s marriage being publicly scrutinized just as alter ego Carrie Bradshaw finds true love, but who would have believed that a guy as square as Matthew Broderick would turn out to be an adulterer? How did this happen?

They were the toast of Manhattan, mega-stars of stage and screen, our American Posh and Becks (with a higher I.Q.). Did we idolize them too much? Did we, their people, put them on too high of a pedestal to the point where the only direction left for them to go was down? One cannot help but wonder: Was the pressure just too great?

With a breaking news story like this, after what seemed like such a pure, truly happy relationship, tabloid headlines might do less damage if they simply take the couple in question, nail them each to their own respective crosses, and stick them right in the middle of Times Square (replacing, perhaps, the naked cowboy?).

After all, with success like the Parker/Broderick establishment, it would be unsurprising to learn that the press has been looking for a juicy tidbit of news to crucify the couple with for years. And no doubt, the same ones who exposed this affair are out there right now, following TomKat, Brangelina, and any number of megastar couples waiting to find a scandal to expose that would bring all of these castles in the sky crumbling down to our world below. People have pondered this dilemma for years:  Would Hollywood marriages have a higher success rate if they were simply left alone?

But while we await the news of TomKat’s split (we are all assuming that’s in the bag, right?) and all the rest like them, while it is in our nature to have opinions and concerns about people that have nothing to do with us, we’re surprised to still possess an inkling of hope. Afterall, we still have Russell and Hawn, Affleck and Garner, Cheech and Chong. In our mind’s eye, a Hollywood Ending is still possible. But why is it that we root for some more than others?

“He’s the biggest celebrity in the world, but is he ready to lead?” This is a fair question indeed. Even at the apex of his fame, Tom Cruise could only roust Renee Zellweger when he asked, “Who’s coming with me?”

The governator seems be holding his own in Kuhlifahnia, but he may be the biggest celebrity in the world according to girth, not fame, which presents all sorts of semantic questions best not explored.

Thankfully, the good folks at the McCain campaign have provided us with a definitive answer to this question, which, coincidentally enough, they themselves posed.

A recent ad approved by Senator McCain features a picture of his opponent, Barack Obama, alongside photos of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. After what some have called Obama’s “rock-star” reception overseas, the comparison could not be more apt to Britney Spears, who just last week was met with raucous applause by 200,000 enraptured Germans after she personally met with several acting heads of state. Come to think of it, that was probably Obama.

Also, Britney’s position on offshore drilling is presently unknown, but I’m working on it. Okay, so maybe the Britney Spears connection is somewhat tenuous, but hey, do you know what else is in Europe besides an entire continent of people who want Obama elected and a bunch of restaurants owned by Johnny Depp? You guessed it: Paris.

What’s more, Obama probably had to stay in hotels over there, and one of them could well have been a Hilton, or a Hyatt, and that would be close enough for anyone who would seriously compare Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.