As competitive and cutthroat as Hollywood can be, it can also be a place where deep friendships can be forged. Not the kind of buddies like the “We’re the most successful, talented, good-looking and famous – let’s be best pals” breed, of the present Ocean’s Eleven variety, or even the old school Rat Pack, but the bonds formed through long days of auditioning, taking day jobs and hoping for that one big break – and even more rare, the alliances that last as some of the friends succeed wildly while the other still struggle.
That’s the sort of tie that’s endured between actor Vince Vaughn, actor-writer-director Jon Favreau, child star-turned-producer Peter Billingsley and standup comic Ahmed Ahmed, who all met during their salad days trying to make it in showbiz in the early 90s and stayed tight during the unpredictable ebbs and flows of their careers.
Today the old gang is back together again in Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, which documents the 30-city comedy tour across America Vaughn organized and hosted in 2006, and they explored their own long roadtrip to success together with Hollywood.com.
High Note: Rihanna
No fashion downpour for the “Umbrella” singer – it was all blue skies for Rihanna in a ruffled and feathered cobalt dress by Zac Posen and Chopard’s extraordinary diamond barrel cuff, diamond stud earrings and their So Happy diamond ring. [PAGEBREAK]
High Note: Beyonce
Dipping into her tulle box: A blonded Beyonce made for a bedazzled Dreamgirl in her sky blue tulle and silver beaded Elie Saab haute couture gown and contrasting angled cuffs. Her uber-glized, uber-glammed Cinderella look fit the Grammy red carpet like a glass slipper.[PAGEBREAK]
High Note: Fergie
Looking every bit as regal as any Duchess, Fergie’s chic, cleavage-friendly canary yellow Calvin Klein gown was a sophisticated knockout that left us with Black Eyes.[PAGEBREAK]
Low Note: Fantasia
Maybe Fantasia needed a sorcerer’s apprentice to make some fashion magic: to her credit, her retro 80s, reverse skunk-color scheme ‘do does detract from her crushed black gown that looks like it spent a few days rolled up in the trunk of her ride.
[PAGEBREAK]
High Note: Carrie Underwood
After signing about smashing up a cheatin’ ex’s car, Carrie was simply smashing in her vivid multi colored floral print halter gown with rock beaded waist and draped front from the Murad Spring 2008 collection, and her Mary Norton clutch popped ours.[PAGEBREAK]
Middle Range: Alicia Keys
Alicia’s custom Giorgio Armani Privé sapphire duchess satin gown and Diamond in the Rough earrings wasn’t entirely off-key – love the showcased shoulders – but not nearly as splendid as the dress she donned for her Sinatra duet on-stage. Her towering fauxhawk, however, was for the birds.[PAGEBREAK]
High Note: Natasha Bedingfield
The “Unwritten” singer made sure she’d get some ink in all the Grammy fashion write-ups: Natasha’s sweeping violet Reem Acra gown, creamy clavices and soft curls proved Old Hollywood glam is alive and well, even on a Brit.[PAGEBREAK]
Low Note: Corinne Bailey Rae
If Corinne was looking to add some edge to her smooth, mellow groove, dressing like an electric blue disco ball (by Brit designer Luella) and the socket-shock ‘do wasn’t the right spin. Put your records on, and take the dress off.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Do you think that’s because he’s an actor too?
AR: Yeah. I think it has to do a lot with him being an actor and also because he knows Boston so well so if there were some elements that I might’ve shied away from he’d just give me some pushes, like, “No. This is true. You can do that here. This would be true to that character in this neighborhood.” [PAGEBREAK]
HW: What sort of a back story did you create for Helene or did you?
AR: No. A lot of the stuff that didn’t make it into the script I read out of Dennis [Lehane] novel. He goes into great description, two pages maybe of some of her thought processes as she’s watching Wife Swap two days after her kid was kidnapped. Also, then just physically it was really just taking on that accent and greasing up the hair and the makeup. I said to the hair and makeup people, ‘I think that she looked pretty good three days ago, her version of good, and then when the news happened that her child was kidnapped I don’t think she’s washed her hair or her face since. She’s probably been in the same clothes too.’ I thought that was just a good place to start for her.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: You’ve had such a career in theater, television and film. Who inspired you and made you want to become an actor?
AR: Oh, gosh, it was really like Shirley MacLaine and as I got older it was the performances of and watching Meryl Streep and even Cate Blanchett. These are women that I’ve drawn great inspiration from over the years. It’s really been like a tapestry of performances from women and Gene Hackman even…it’s just endless.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: What was the best acting advice you’ve ever received and who was it from?
AR: I’m still waiting for it, I guess [laughs]. Actually it was from a friend named Chris Bauer who’s an actor on The Wire. He plays Sobotka and he said, “Get out of your own way.”
