Ray Romano
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
12/20/1957
Forest Hills, NY |
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Brother Bear Review
November 12, 2003 8:57am ESTAs the Ice Age ends we meet Kenai a headstrong teenager anxiously waiting to receive his "totem" or symbol from the Great Spirits that will help guide him through life. His two older brothers Sitka and Denahi have really cool totems--an eagle and a wolf respectively--and Kenai is hoping to get something equally manly. Yet when Kenai is given a bear totem which represents love the young man is humiliated and he vents his frustrations by charging after a bear that's stolen a basket of fish. His brothers rush to stop him and the ensuing battle with the bear ends in tragedy: Sitka dies trying to save Kenai and the grief-stricken younger brother vows to hunt the fleeing animal down in revenge. Just as Kenai catches and kills the bear the Great Spirits start their fun transforming Kenai into a bear and telling him that to become human again he must find the place where "the lights touch the mountain." Kenai a very reluctant bear sets out on his quest picking up a traveling companion--an oh-so-cute bear cub named Koda--who knows the way. Kenai begins to see the world through the bear's eyes and as he gains respect for the animal he finds the true meaning of his totem. Imagine that. It's a formulaic story but somewhat enjoyable and certainly no kid will find fault with it. Despite thematic similarities Brother Bear is no Ice Age. While both films succeed in conveying a heartwarming message about man and nature during prehistoric times Ice Age is full of clever dialogue and witty banter giving stars such as Ray Romano and John Leguizamo a chance to shine as animated characters. Brother Bear's dialogue sounds more preachy and Saturday morning cartoonish which leaves the voice cast very little to work with--including the Oscar-nominated Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai; Bernie Mac's Jeremy Suarez as little Koda and D.B. Sweeney as Sitka. The saving graces at least for the parents in the audience are Rutt and Tuke a pair of wisecracking moose. Voiced by old friends and SCTV alums Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas the moose performances recall brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie a hilarious pair of Canadian brewery workers Moranis and Thomas immortalized on SCTV (and in film too--remember the 1983 Strange Brew?). Of course Rutt and Tuke are a slightly modified version of the McKenzie brothers since they don't actually wear down jackets drink copious amounts of beer or complain about the hosers of the world eh? Still you can tell pros Moranis and Thomas had fun as their moose counterparts commenting on whichever situation they happen to find themselves in. Pay particular attention to their banter as they catch a ride on the backs of some traveling woolly mammoths. Disney's Brother Bear animators use all their handy little tricks to paint a rugged and spectacularly beautiful Pacific Northwest landscape but Bear ultimately comes off as another commercial Mouse House product made to generate Christmas merchandising bucks. You get the feeling these guys can do this stuff in their sleep and you suspect they probably did. Even the original songs which usually stand out in a Disney film seem fresh off the assembly line. Singer-songwriter Phil Collins penned six brand new songs for this movie including the main theme song "Great Spirits " but they all seem to hearken back the formula he used in the Academy Award-winning "You'll Be in My Heart" from 1999's animated Tarzan--similar rhythms same basic tune if a little easier on the bongo drums. This is the Pacific Northwest after all not the African jungle.
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Trouble on CBS' "Raymond"
August 26, 2003 10:02am ESTThings are getting a little dicey over on the set of the hit CBS show Everybody Loves Raymond. Production on the sitcom's eighth season premiere was pushed back Tuesday after co-star Patricia Heaton, who plays star Ray Romano's wife on the show, called in sick for the second consecutive day, due to migraine headaches, Variety reports. As well, co-star Brad Garrett, who plays Romano's brother, has said he will not return to the series until contract negotiations are opened up and was subsequently written out of the season premiere. Variety reports the actor's reps at Raw Talent decried in a statement released Tuesday morning CBS' unwillingness to discuss a pay hike. "CBS elected to make a one-year deal with Ray Romano, making him the highest-paid sitcom actor ever," the statement read. "Ray deserves every penny, plus the profits he will earn. At the same time, despite our repeated attempts to discuss Brad's salary over the past seven months, CBS has refused to talk to us. Brad earns less than 10 percent of Ray's salary and is the lowest paid member of a grossly underpaid supporting cast. "All Brad wants is compensation commensurate with what other similarly situated actors have made in the past and are making today. Again, CBS will not talk to him. Instead, it is our understanding CBS simply instructed Phil Rosenthal to write Brad out of the series," the statement said. Raw Talent told Variety: "If we don't come to a fair deal, we feel comfortable walking away." CBS, on the other hand, praised Garrett's work on the show and said it has negotiated new contracts twice with him in the past four years, Variety reports. "We have accommodated Brad's request to negotiate new contracts twice over the past four years," the net said. "The most recent agreement calls for Brad's services through the eighth season of 'Everybody Loves Raymond.' It's unfortunate that he is not honoring his contract." The production start was pushed back a week to Monday, CBS spokesman Chris Ender told The Associated Press Wednesday. The series' eighth season, however, will begin airing as scheduled on Sept. 22, he added.
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"Raymond" Works Out Deals With Stars
August 26, 2003 9:56am ESTEverybody Loves Raymond decides to return some of that love to its stars. Quelling the recent storm that has been swirling around on the Emmy-winning CBS series, Patricia Heaton, Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts have each made deals to receive back-end profits from the sitcom, a sum which could generate upward of $500 million in its first five years of syndication, Variety reports. Word is still out, however, on the fifth cast member Brad Garrett, who would receive the same back-end deal as his co-stars but who is still holding out for salary increase. Variety reports CBS reps have begun talking to the actor about a raise that could double his income for the coming season but nothing has been set. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the Raymond cast were each granted a half-percentage point in the show, valued at $5-$7 million during the next few years, after existing participants agreed to collectively hand over a total of two percentage points in the show to divide among Heaton, Boyle, Roberts and Garrett. Those "existing participants" include CBS, HBO Independent Prods., Worldwide Pants, exec producers Phil Rosenthal and Ray Romano, who all agreed to give up some of their profits into order to spread the wealth. The initial Raymond mutiny--where, in recent weeks, Heaton, Boyle and Roberts all mysteriously called in sick at various times delaying the production start for the eighth season, while Garrett flatly refused to return and was subsequently written out of the series' season premiere--seemed to stem from show creator Rosenthal and star Romano and their ambivalence towards doing a ninth season of the hit show. Both Rosenthal and Romano have been saying they want Raymond to go out on top and didn't want to fall into a rut of tired material. But the other actors had already signed contracts with CBS that included a ninth season. Now, according to Variety, if the ninth season never happens, the co-stars will at least be guaranteed to make as much in back-end money as they would have made in salary for that ninth season. And if Romano and Rosenthal agree to do a ninth season, the back-end coin is gravy. Attorney Bill Skrzyniarz, who negotiated Heaton's deal with attorney Jim Hornstein, told Variety Heaton was happy with her new deal. "Patty and her reps are pleased that we, the network, the studio and many, many other parties were able to put our heads together and work out a mutually fair resolution to certain long-standing compensation issues, in particular, financial compensation in the show," Skrzyniarz said. "The set continues to be a happy and productive one," he added. "It was a very complex situation, which normally would spell a lot more trouble. But since all parties believe so strongly in and so loved the show, it was always just a matter of talking things out, which has been accomplished." The same cannot be said for Garrett. One industry insider familiar with the situation told Variety that CBS has offered the actor a deal that would pay him at least $10 million for the upcoming season of Raymond, including profit participation--more than two-and-a-half times the roughly $4 million Garrett is currently making. That would put him on the same level with Roberts and Boyle, but Garrett is said to be holding out for a deal equal to Heaton's salary. Although production is moving forward on another episode of Raymond without the actor who plays Ray's brother Robert, Variety reports both sides continued to talk with some hope that a deal could be reached to get Garrett back on the show in time for taping of this week's episode, slated for Sept. 29.
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News, July 21: Woody Allen Opens Venice Fest, LeBlanc May Get Spin-Off, "Raymond"... Without Ray? More…
July 25, 2003 11:39am ESTTop Story: Raymond May Go On Without Romano Even though there could be no more Ray in Everyone Loves Raymond, Variety reports CBS is still mulling over the idea of continuing the Emmy-winning show for a ninth season. Ray Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal have made it clear that, as of now, the upcoming eighth season would be their last, citing a desire to go out when the sitcom is still on top of its game. CBS topper Leslie Moonves told Variety, however, "We're talking about all sorts of permutations," including a spin-off starring Brad Garrett's long-suffering character Robert. "It may very well be the last year for Raymond, but we hope not," Moonves said. "We're working on Ray's wife and kids." Allen's Next Film Opens Venice Film Festival Woody Allen's new film Anything Else will kick off the 60th Venice International Film Festival, with most of its stars--including Allen, Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs and Danny DeVito--expected to make an appearance, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In typical Allen fashion, the film has been kept tightly under wraps, but the trade paper reports the story revolves around a struggling New York artist (Allen) who gets sentimentally entangled with a younger girl (Ricci). Biggs plays Ricci's boyfriend and DeVito plays her father. "I'm looking forward to going to the festival," Allen told The Reporter. "Venice has been so generous and supportive to me, and I love it so much that it will be a great honor." The Venice fest runs Aug. 27-Sept. 7. Joey May Spin Off NBC and Warner Bros. TV are in talks with Friends star Matt LeBlanc to develop a spin-off sitcom revolving around Leblanc's alter ego, soap opera actor Joey Tribbiani. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that no deals have been made but negotiations are being stepped up, especially since LeBlanc just received his second consecutive Emmy nomination for his performance on the hit show. CBS Won't Scrap Hillbillies Despite a major backlash from politicians and organizations, CBS is still considering to go ahead with the new reality show based on The Beverly Hillbillies, Reuters reports. The show, which would transplant a Southern rural family to one of America's poshest cities--à la the hit 1960s sitcom--has been called a demeaning "hick hunt" by groups such as the United Steel Workers union. Reuters reports CBS executives in the past have promised the show would not be demeaning if it were to run. Nolte Was Not in Violation of Probation A judge ruled Friday that actor Nick Nolte did not violate his probation, even though an anonymous caller in January had told prosecutors they saw the actor leaving a liquor store while intoxicated, The Associated Press reports. An investigation into the alleged violation found Nolte only bought the liquor at the store and was driven away. "There was no confirmation that he was under the influence," AP reports Deputy District Attorney Lorraine Petersen told the judge. The probation stems from his arrest last December on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of drugs in Malibu, Calif. Coldplay Singer and Paparazzi Butt Heads Chris Martin, leader singer of the band Coldplay and Gwyneth Paltrow's boyfriend, had a run-in with the paparazzi in Sydney, Australia Sunday, AP reports. According to Sydney paper The Daily Telegraph, freelance photographer Jon Lister followed the singer to the beach, where, upon emerging from the water, the furious Martin demanded Lister erase the photos from his digital camera, Lister told the paper. The popular British band played at a music festival in the northern New South Wales beach town of Byron Bay over the weekend. Role Call: Bacon's Pet Project, Kennedy Holds Afterparty Kevin Bacon and Tribeca Films are attached to a pet project for New Line Cinema. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story revolves around a man seeking a better life who sees his wish to switch identities with his dog come true… Talk about originality. Jamie Kennedy is set to star in The Afterparty for Warner Bros, which, according to the Reporter, centers on the misadventures of a guy who gets really drunk at his bachelor party in Las Vegas and promptly forgets everything that happens. He soon gets a rude awakening as the strange characters he befriended during his drunken blackout turn up the week before his wedding. What, A Guy Thing II?
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News, May 12: Swimsuit Model Wins "Survivor," Romano Nets Big Pay for Season 8, Ozzy Osbourne Dumps Record Label, More…
May 12, 2003 2:24pm ESTTop Story: Model Jenna Survives for $1 Million Twenty-one-year-old swimsuit model Jenna Morasca was named CBS' Survivor: The Amazon's newest millionaire after the final ballots were tallied and announced during the live finale Sunday. Morasca beat runner-up 33-year-old restaurant designer Matthew Von Ertfelda, who won $100,000. She told The Associated Press that in December she returned home to Pittsburgh from her adventure expecting that the sealed vote had gone Von Ertfelda's way: "He embodies everything a survivor is. He's an amazing guy." "But I'm so proud of myself," she added, "and happy that I won." What does she plan to do with the money? Pay school loans and take her mom on a vacation, Morasca told AP. "Then we'll see if there's anything left." Cruise Bids Fond Farewell to New Zealand After wrapping his latest film The Last Samurai in the Taranaki province of New Zealand, Tom Cruise, who spent four months there with his two children, admitted to a local New Zealand radio station he was going to miss the locale, AP reports. "I'm going to miss the fish and chips, we're going to miss our Friday night McDonald's you know, we are going to miss the beach at night," the actor said. Moore Released From Hospital Roger Moore, best known for playing James Bond in seven movies during the '70s and '80s, was released from the hospital Friday after being fitted for a pacemaker to control normal heart rhythm, AP reports. Moore, 75, collapsed last Wednesday during a guest cameo in the Broadway comedy The Play What I Wrote but was able to finish the show. Romano Stays On for $50 Million Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano will soon be known as the highest-paid actor in television. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Romano has agreed to do an eighth season of his Emmy-winning sitcom, which will net him nearly $50 million. The comedian will be making about $1.7-$1.8 million per episode, surpassing the record of $1.6 million held by Frasier's Kelsey Grammer. NBC Slates Six New Shows for Fall After much gnashing of teeth, NBC has chosen six new shows--three comedies and three dramas--to fill out their fall schedule. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network has made 13-episode orders for untitled Tracy Morgan and Whoopi Goldberg comedies and an adaptation of the BBC ensemble comedy Coupling, as well as an untitled Las Vegas drama starring James Caan, an ensemble legal drama with Rob Lowe, and the dramedy Miss/Match starring Alicia Silverstone. Osbourne Says So Long to Sony Rocker Ozzy Osbourne has decided to part ways with Sony Music after 23 years--and he is taking his daughter Kelly with him. Business Wire.com reports wife Sharon is negotiating the separation deals for Ozzy and Kelly, who signed with Sony in 2000, and said in a statement, "We've had 23 great years together. We've shared many great successes, but sometimes you have to search out fresh blood to get fresh ideas which is a philosophy that every record company, especially Sony, understands." Three Men Caught RentingIllegal Military Props Two ex-soldiers and a third man who run a thriving Hollywood props shop have allegedly been caught falsifying Army documents to gather weapons and military gear to rent to the movie industry, the Los Angeles Times reports. One of the props, an Army mechanic's toolbox, was used in the 1997 film McHale's Navy, according to a 16-count federal indictment filed in March. Named in the complaint were former Army Sgt. Matthew Robert Anderson, former Army Reserve Capt. Steve Goyen and Jared Jeffrey Chandler, who allegedly falsely claimed to be an Army Reserve sergeant. Carol Channing Weds Childhood Sweetheart Eight-two-year-old Carol Channing, best known for originating the part of Dolly in the musical Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, married her childhood sweetheart, 83-year-old Harry Kullijian, in San Francisco, Calif. Sunday. Reuters reports the two were once an item when they were in junior high, but when Kullijian found out Channing wanted to see him after all these years, he admitted to the San Francisco Chronicle, "I thought she was dead." He then added, "She still had the same spark. I just knew it was the right thing to do."
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News, April 21: Possible End for "Raymond," Dangerfield Moved From ICU, Grammys, AMAs Shuffle Dates, More...
April 21, 2003 1:11pm ESTTop Story: The End of the Road for "Raymond"? Say it isn't so! Comedian Ray Romano is dropping hints that the ninth season of his hit CBS comedy Everybody Loves Raymond may be its last. Romano, who attended a concert Saturday in Las Vegas to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation, joked about how he keeps the series fresh and original: "You stop after one more year." The comedian credited his writers for always drawing on their own lives and bringing new material to the show, but said it's hard work. "You start to repeat yourself," Romano, 45, told The Associated Press. "The trick is to get out when you're still wanted--not too soon, but not too late." Juliette Lewis Files for Divorce Natural Born Killers star Juliette Lewis has filed for divorce from her husband of nearly four years, professional skateboarder Steve Berra. Lewis' publicist told the AP Thursday "the divorce is mutual and amicable." It was Lewis' first marriage. The 29-year-old actress was nominated for an Oscar for playing a teenager stalked by a deranged convict in the 1991 remake of Cape Fear. Buscemi Protests Close of NY Firehouse Actor Steve Buscemi joined about 50 demonstrators in New York Saturday to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg's cost cutting proposal to close eight firehouses. Buscemi, who starred in films such as Fargo and Reservoir Dogs, was a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984. Bloomberg said last week at least 30 more might have to be closed if the city does not receive state or federal to close a $3.4 billion budget deficit, the AP reports. Dangerfield Moved From ICU Rodney Dangerfield was moved from the UCLA Medical Center's intensive care unit to a private room Friday, the AP reports. The comedian's publicist said he might be allowed to go home in the next few days if he continues to recover. Dangerfield, 81, underwent a 12-hour brain surgery April 8 to improve his blood flow for an upcoming heart valve replacement, tentatively planned for late May. Grammys, American Music Awards Change Dates The 2004 Grammys are switching from its usual late-February date to Sunday, Feb. 8 to avoid a head-on collision with the Academy Awards, which will move next year from March to late February. Billboard reports that next year's Grammys are also expected to return to L.A. after this year's stint in New York. The American Music Awards, meanwhile, are set to move from early January to Nov. 16, 2003 so the show can air during sweeps. In its January slot, the AMAs found itself competing with too many awards shows. Pop Stars Unite for Iraqi Children Pop stars including Paul McCartney, George Michael, David Bowie and Avril Lavigne released an album Monday to raise money for child war victims in Iraq, Reuters reports. Profits from the album will go to War Child, a relief and development charity set up after the war in former Yugoslavia. The charity said the album, Hope, was not political. "The plight of children transcends politics. These songs are a plea for hope without which the children of Iraq have nothing at all." New Museum Dedicated to Science Fiction A museum dedicated to the art, literature and film of science entertainment is set to open in Seattle thanks to billionaire Paul Allen. Tentatively named the Science Fiction Experience, the exhibit is slated to open in the summer of 2004 in Allen's Experience Music Project (EMP). Visitors can expect to see science fiction props, including Captain Kirk's original command chair from the Star Trek TV series, a complete set of autographed first editions of the Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov and a collection of Astounding Science Fiction magazines and artwork depicting the future. Blacklisted Actress Karen Morley Dies Actress Karen Morley, who starred in early 1930's movies such as Mata Hari and Dinner at Eight, died of pneumonia on March 8 at the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, Calif., the AP reports. She was 93. Morley's film career was cut short in 1947 when she testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and refused to answer questions about her possible enrollment in the Communist Party. Afterward, she continued promoting left-wing causes and, in 1954, ran unsuccessfully as a New York lieutenant governor candidate for the American Labor Party. Quintessential Western "Shane" Turns 50 Paramount Pictures premiered the Western Shane starring Alan Ladd 50 years ago this week in New York, the AP reports. The cowboy pic, based on a 1949 book by Jack Schaefer, went into general release over a five-month period and garnered six Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. It only won one for cinematography (Loyal Griggs). Shane follows a disillusioned gunfighter who becomes an unwilling participant in a feud between an old ranching family and new homesteaders. It is told through the eyes of the son of a family that takes Shane in and famously ends with Shane riding off after he's been shot in the climactic gunfight with the boy hollering "Shane ... Shane ... come back!" Role Call: Silverstone Joins "Scooby-Doo" Sequel Alicia Silverstone, best known as Cher in the 1995 hit Clueless, will star opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Seth Green in Warner Bros.' Scooby-Doo sequel for director Raja Gosnell. Silverstone will play a relentless reporter named Heather. The sequel begins shooting April 14 in Vancouver and is slated for release March 26, 2004.
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Catch Me If You Can Review
March 26, 2003 12:17pm ESTFrank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) never aspires to become one of the youngest people ever to make the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List--it just kind of turns out that way. His adventures begin in 1967 when he runs away from home at 16 just as his parents are divorcing. He finds himself alone in the Big Apple unsuccessfully trying to cash fake $20 checks. One day Frank notices how much respect is given to two airline pilots and he decides impersonating a Pan Am co-pilot might be just the ticket so to speak. Thus begins his brilliant three-year run as a master of deception. After infiltrating Pan Am he changes careers--he's a pediatrician then a lawyer--all the while perfecting his forgery skills. Cashing fake checks all over the country Abagnale amasses millions and quite literally becomes a kid in a candy store buying sports cars and fancy suits losing his virginity and pretending he is James Bond. Still the fact remains Frank is just a kid. Even after all these adult experiences his main objective is to get his father Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken) a down-on-his-luck store owner hounded by the IRS back together with his now-remarried mother (Nathalie Baye). Frank's nefarious activities eventually catch the authorities' attention and Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) a no-nonsense FBI agent in charge of the bank fraud division is soon hot on Frank's tail. But Frank doesn't mind. Part of him wants to get caught and he baits Hanratty to never give up the chase. Hanratty never does and finally brings his man to justice. Catch Me's acting ensemble shines. Given the fact DiCaprio is in two high-profile movies this holiday season--this one and Gangs of New York--puts the actor back on the radar after a hiatus (perhaps he was licking his wounds after starring in the disastrous 2001 The Beach). Yet if you were to match the performances DiCaprio's stellar turn as Abagnale definitely stands out as the better of the two (the Golden Globes feel the same recently giving DiCaprio a nod for best actor in a drama). He fits the part like a glove--all at once charismatic childish vulnerable and deadly intelligent. DiCaprio easily shows how Frank isn't necessarily a sociopath but more a needy kid looking for acceptance. Say what you will about DiCaprio's movie star qualities he still has the acting chops to make it work. Walken as Frank Sr. also gives one of the better performances of his career playing a sad man who knows the apple doesn't fall from the tree but who is too proud to admit his mistakes--even to his son. Hanks is superb as well (is there anything this man can't do?) playing the by-the-book Hanratty completely devoid of emotion--but making us laugh anyway every time he comes on the screen. He doesn't mean to of course but to see Hanks play something so obviously straight somehow brings out the humor in the situation even more. Just don't ask Hanratty to tell you a joke. TV's Alias honey Jennifer Garner also makes a nice cameo as a prostitute--watch out folks she's heading for the big screen. Based on the real-life memoirs of Frank W. Abagnale Jr. Catch Me If You Can is a fascinating study of a brilliant mind which isn't by nature criminal--just slightly misguided (ironically the real Abagnale now in his 50s is a legitimate businessman who also acts as an consultant for the FBI's bank fraud division). Under the skillful hands of director Steven Spielberg Catch Me has a great deal of fun going for a very '60s tongue-in-cheek Pink Panther feel from the opening credits to the ease at which Frank goes about his merry way conning everyone including himself. The motto of the film has to be "never deny." Frank accepts everything and things just fall into his lap. Even when Frank tries to tell the truth to the father (played by Martin Sheen) of a woman he wants to marry it works to his advantage. Yet the meat of the film is Frank's inner turmoil at the breakup of his parents of wanting his family back together again and of his need to come clean. Frank secretly wants to be disciplined told what to do and that's why Hanratty becomes so important almost a fatherly figure to him. The film probably plays about a half hour too long especially in explaining what happens to Abagnale after he gets caught but otherwise it totally engages you.
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Screen Actors Guild Honors "Chicago"
March 10, 2003 3:29pm ESTIt was all about that jazz at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles tonight, as the Screen Actors Guild handed out its top honors in its annual ceremony. Miramax's musical spectacular Chicago emerged as the big winner, snagging the best cast performance award. The musical's Renee Zellweger won best actress honors for her kewpie-doll murderess Roxie Hart, and Catherine Zeta-Jones was named best supporting actress for her vixen Velma Kelly. The very pregnant Zeta-Jones made it up to the podium and declared, "If I wasn't pregnant, I'd do it all over again!" Of course, Zeta-Jones' chances may have been further enhanced by the absence of Meryl Streep's name on the list. In a rather embarrassing snafu, Sony Pictures submitted her name to SAG in the best actress category for her role in Adaptation rather than in the supporting category. Since Paramount Pictures had also submitted Streep's performance in The Hours for best actress honors, many felt the two cancelled one another out and cost her any nomination at all. Streep still got honors from several of the winners, however, including Edie Falco, who won best actress in a drama series for her work in The Sopranos. As she came on stage, she took a deep breath, saying, "I just locked eyes with Meryl Streep--I need to collect myself for a moment." Another admirer was Will & Grace's Megan Mullally, who, after winning the award for best actress in a comedy series, quipped "I am so busted! I was trying to tell Meryl Streep that I love her and I tripped on the stairs!" Other film winners included Daniel Day-Lewis, who picked up the award for best actor for his performance as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York, and Christopher Walken, who won the award for best supporting actor for his turn as Frank Abagnale Sr. in Catch Me If You Can. The slightly disoriented Walken seemed a little surprised at his win, but joked, "We are all family and I hope we all work together--soon." The evening's best acceptance speeches, however, belonged to the winners in the television categories, including James Gandolfini, who took home the best actor in drama award for his mob boss on The Sopranos. The burly actor, looking even more menacing with a full beard, made light of his recent contractual woes with HBO. "It's a great place to work!…Enjoy it while it's happening 'cause it can get weird later on," referring to the recent lawsuit he has filed against the cable channel for breach of contract. The cast of Everybody Loves Raymond had a few things to say about Gandolfini's troubles as well. As they headed up on stage after winning the best TV comedy series ensemble, Ray Romano handed the mike over to co-star Brad Garrett, claiming "[Brad] never gets enough lines." Without missing a beat, Garrett admitted, "This is an exciting time for me because I'm going to be auditioning for the lead in The Sopranos next week." Then turning to his co-stars, he nervously asked, "Is [Gandolfini] laughing?…This is why they never let me talk." Sean Hayes, who won for best actor in a comedy series for Will & Grace, hammed it up. "I'm completely shocked. I have nothing prepared. But now I can get these," lifting up his shirt to show markings for plastic surgery on his stomach. "They said I'd have six-packs in no time." All joking aside, Hayes got a little emotional, thanking his co-stars. "I wasn't that long ago I couldn't pay my rent. And now I can pay all of you guys' rent. Thank you." Other television wins included HBO's Six Feet Under for best TV drama series ensemble, William H. Macy for best actor in a TV movie/miniseries for TNT's Door to Door and Stockard Channing for best actress in a TV movie/miniseries for The Matthew Shepherd Story. Tough guy Clint Eastwood received SAG's lifetime achievement award and was introduced by Romano, who freely admitted he thought it was a little odd that he was chosen as the person to introduce Eastwood, even though they "went way back." Here's the complete list of nominees and winners: Movies Actor Adrien Brody, The Pianist Nicolas Cage, Adaptation Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York--Winner! Richard Gere, Chicago Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt Actress Salma Hayek, Frida Nicole Kidman, The Hours Diane Lane, Unfaithful Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven Renee Zellweger, Chicago--Winner! Supporting Actor Chris Cooper, Adaptation Ed Harris, The Hours Alfred Molina, Frida Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can--Winner! Supporting Actress Kathy Bates, About Schmidt Julianne Moore, The Hours Michelle Pfeiffer, White Oleander Queen Latifah, Chicago Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago--Winner! Cast Performance Adaptation Chicago--Winner! The Hours The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers My Big Fat Greek Wedding Television Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries Albert Finney, The Gathering Storm, HBO Brad Garrett, Gleason, CBS Sean Hayes, Martin & Lewis, CBS William H. Macy, Door to Door, TNT--Winner! John Turturro, Monday Night Mayhem, TNT Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries Kathy Bates, My Sister's Keeper, CBS Stockard Channing, The Matthew Shepard Story, NBC--Winner! Helen Mirren, Door to Door, TNT Vanessa Redgrave, The Gathering Storm, HBO Uma Thurman, Hysterical Blindness, HBO Actor in a Drama Series Michael Chiklis, The Shield, FX James Gandolfini, The Sopranos, HBO--Winner! Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox Treat Williams, Everwood, WB Actress in a Drama Series Lorraine Bracco, The Sopranos, HBO Amy Brenneman, Judging Amy, CBS Edie Falco, The Sopranos, HBO--Winner! Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC Lily Tomlin, The West Wing, NBC Actor in a Comedy Series Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC--Winner! Matt LeBlanc, Friends, NBC Bernie Mac, The Bernie Mac Show, Fox Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA Actress in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston, Friends, NBC Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City, HBO Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC--Winner! Ensemble in a Drama Series 24, Fox CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS Six Feet Under, HBO--Winner! The Sopranos, HBO The West Wing, NBC Ensemble in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS--Winner! Frasier, NBC Friends, NBC Sex and the City, HBO Will & Grace, NBC
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Screen Actors Guild Announces Nominees
January 28, 2003 8:16am ESTWith the Golden Globes behind us and the Academy Awards still to come, the buzz surrounding Chicago and The Hours has made them virtually old standards on nominee lists. The Screen Actors Guild list of nominees, announced this morning, is no exception; Chicago has five nominations and The Hours four. That's not to say that SAG, known for honoring performances that the other major kudos-giving organizations tend to ignore, has broken with its long-standing tradition of putting less-awarded--yet truly great--performances in the spotlight. This year, the recipients of that largess are Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina, nominated for lead actress and supporting actor respectively for their work in Frida; Michelle Pfeiffer in the supporting actress category for White Oleander; and Christopher Walken in the supporting actor category for Catch Me If You Can. Chicago's main players, Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger, received nods in the lead acting categories, while supporting nods went to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah. Given that, it's not surprising that the film was nominated in the best ensemble category as well. As for the much-touted performances in The Hours, Nicole Kidman snagged a nomination in the lead category, while Julianne Moore and Ed Harris got supporting nods. (Moore also competes against costar Kidman in the lead category for her work in Far From Heaven.) And where, you might ask, is Meryl Streep? Nowhere on this list--not for her performance in The Hours, though the ensemble cast is nominated, and not for her supporting work in Adaptation, whose ensemble also made the list. In fact, Streep is probably the biggest SAG snub this year, with the possible exception of Edward Norton and Barry Pepper, whose work in Spike Lee's 25th Hour has gone largely unnoticed during awards show season. In the television arena, Globe winners Tony Shalhoub and Kim Cattrall also got SAG nominations, Cattrall in the lead actress category this time, since there are no SAG awards for supporting performances in TV. Cattrall shut out her costars, even the ubiquitous Sarah Jessica Parker, who wasn't nominated for the first time since 2000. Other than that, the TV nominees are pretty much the usual suspects--The West Wing, The Sopranos and Friends all made the list as expected, although the inclusion of Lily Tomlin in the lead acting category for The West Wing may come as a bit of a shock. Of course, her costar, perennial nominee and sometime winner Allison Janney, is on the list, too, though Stockard Channing isn't. She'll be around, though, since her work on the TV movie The Matthew Shepard Story has been honored. The full list of movie and television nominees follows: Movies Actor Adrien Brody, The Pianist Nicolas Cage, Adaptation Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York Richard Gere, Chicago Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt Actress Salma Hayek, Frida Nicole Kidman, The Hours Diane Lane, Unfaithful Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven Renee Zellweger, Chicago Supporting Actor Chris Cooper, Adaptation Ed Harris, The Hours Alfred Molina, Frida Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can Supporting Actress Kathy Bates, About Schmidt Julianne Moore, The Hours Michelle Pfeiffer, White Oleander Queen Latifah, Chicago Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago Cast Performance Adaptation Chicago The Hours The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers My Big Fat Greek Wedding Television Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries Albert Finney, The Gathering Storm, HBO Brad Garrett, Gleason, CBS Sean Hayes, Martin & Lewis, CBS William H. Macy, Door to Door, TNT John Turturro, Monday Night Mayhem, TNT Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries Kathy Bates, My Sister's Keeper, CBS Stockard Channing, The Matthew Shepard Story, NBC Helen Mirren, Door to Door, TNT Vanessa Redgrave, The Gathering Storm, HBO Uma Thurman, Hysterical Blindness, HBO Actor in a Drama Series Michael Chiklis, The Shield, FX James Gandolfini, The Sopranos, HBO Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox Treat Williams, Everwood, WB Actress in a Drama Series Lorraine Bracco, The Sopranos, HBO Amy Brenneman, Judging Amy, CBS Edie Falco, The Sopranos, HBO Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC Lily Tomlin, The West Wing, NBC Actor in a Comedy Series Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC Matt LeBlanc, Friends, NBC Bernie Mac, The Bernie Mac Show, Fox Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA Actress in a Comedy Series Jennifer Aniston, Friends, NBC Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City, HBO Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC Ensemble in a Drama Series 24, Fox CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS Six Feet Under, HBO The Sopranos, HBO The West Wing, NBC Ensemble in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS Frasier, NBC Friends, NBC Sex and the City, HBO Will & Grace, NBC Lifetime Achievement Award Clint Eastwood
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News Roundup, Jan. 21: Bobby Brown Hospitalized While in Jail
January 21, 2003 10:33am ESTTop Story Bobby Brown, who began an eight-day sentence for drunken driving last week, was hospitalized Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office in Georgia told AP the singer was taken to the hospital around 3 a.m. but would not release Brown's medical condition. Brown is eligible for release on Wednesday under a "good time" policy which reduces the jail time by 25 percent for good behavior. The sheriff's office spokeswoman told AP Brown could be released from custody without having to return to jail. Celebs Famed caricaturist Albert Hirschfeld, who worked seven decades for the New York Times, drawing celebrities ranging from the Marx Brothers to Jay Leno, died in his sleep Monday in his Manhattan home. He was 99. Movies Now that she doesn't have to go to jail, Winona Ryder is set to do the comedy Eulogy with Everybody Loves Raymond's star Ray Romano. Variety reports the black comedy follows three generations of a dysfunctional family as they come together for the funeral of the family patriarch and let loose all their hidden secrets. The film also stars Debra Winger, Hank Azaria, Monica Potter and Rip Torn. Getting behind the camera for the first time since his Oscar-winning Braveheart, Mel Gibson's new film The Passion is a $25 million biopic starring Jim Caviezel that chronicles the day Jesus Christ was crucified. The project is very hush-hush, but according to Variety, Gibson, a devout Catholic, told Time magazine last week the film is being shot in two languages: Latin, the language of Palestine's Roman conquerors, and Aramaic, the main language of the region's Semites 2,000 years ago. Here's the catch: there will be no subtitles. Gibson told Time, "The audience will have to focus on the visuals." The privately financed film has yet to find a distributor. Industry AP reports the Walt Disney Co. settled a $20 million lawsuit filed by a former employee who claims she was fired because she refused to help the company allegedly cheat the IRS. The case was scheduled to go to trial Jan. 27 but was settled last week, according to the Los Angeles Times. The terms were not disclosed. Tube Despite ABC's decision to run one of the NFL playoff semifinals during primetime Sunday, NBC's 60th Annual Golden Globes telecast won the evening's ratings war despite falling to a six-year low. Variety reports Nielsen numbers showed the Golden Globes "averaged roughly 20 million viewers," a 15 percent drop-off from 2002 and the smallest turnout for the award show since 1997. AP reports Madonna will guest star on NBC's Will & Grace, making her first appearance on a TV series. The show will air during May sweeps. No other details of the episode have been made available, although the show's star Debra Messing told Entertainment Tonight at the Golden Globes that Madonna would not be playing herself on the episode. Now that Friends has made the deal to end things for good after its 10th season, NBC is renewing negotiations to develop a spin-off series around Matt LeBlanc's character Joey Tribbiani. It's not a sure thing, as the producers and LeBlanc still need to come up with the right concept for a show--and the right amount of money. Music Bob Dylan was nominated for a W.C. Handy award for best blues song of the year for his song "Stepchild." The Blues Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes the music genre, announced their nominations in 25 categories, including five nods each to Shemekia Copeland and Magic Slim & the Teardrops.
