Adrian Grenier Talks Fame, the Paparazzi and Paris Hilton

Adrian Grenier, the person, has a bit more depth than Vince, the character, he plays on 'Entourage.'

Take Grenier's new project, 'Teenage Paparazzo,' which debuts at Mon., Sept, 27 at 9PM ET on HBO. The documentary chronicles the life of a 14-year old paparazzo named Austin who stalks celebs in the middle of the night in Los Angeles.

But Grenier -- who wrote, directed and stars in 'Teenage Paparazzo' -- broadens the scope of his doc to make it a multi-layered look at celebrity in our fame-obsessed world. He becomes a paparazzo himself and and interviews high-wattage stars Alec Baldwin, Paris Hilton, Matt Damon, Lindsay Lohan about their experiences, plus talks to big-idea thinkers like Noam Chomsky and Jake Halpern about fans' "relationships" with celebs. It's that pseudo relationship that's fueling today's paparazzi frenzy, according to Grenier's documentary.

'Teenage Paparazzo' depicts a celebrity culture spinning out of control with blame evenly distributed to all sides. It's also quite comical piece at times, with Grenier and Hilton -- a rather insightful celeb, we might add -- gauging the scope of today's interest in fame by staging faux media events.

Grenier, who also directed the doc 'Shot in the Dark' for HBO in 2007, checked in with us to chat about 'Teenage Paparazzo' and to tell us that teen paparazzo Austin is doing fine these days.

It took you about three years to complete this project. What surprised you the most?
I guess at the end of day, I didn't realize that as much as I was trying to guide and teach this young boy (Austin) about the ethics of paparazzi, I would ultimately be staring myself down this hall of mirrors and have to learn that lesson myself.

Rightly or wrongly, you said a journalist like myself is part of the situation ... I'm part of the problem.
I wouldn't say problem but we're all contributing to the same landscape of images. The smorgasbord of reflections, for better or for worse, that what we're a part of. It's not just me and it's not Austin, but it's now everybody. We all have cameras now. We all have an opportunity to communicate -- the question is what kind of pictures do we want to tell?

There were some very telling scenes when Austin was out shooting and a crew was taking pictures of him, then another crew was taking pictures of that crew. Basically, everybody was just standing around taking pictures of each other.
I had went to find Austin who was sort of blowing me off for another interview and when I showed up it was like a circle jerk of media. Everybody was sort of indulging each other with pictures.

And when you went to film the paparazzi in a different scene, they didn't want to get their pictures taken. Seems hypocritical.
Yeah, it's true. They have a guilty conscience. They're paranoid that everybody has the same guilty intentions as they do, the same selfish intentions. I was determined to prove them wrong and to demonstrate how best to put forth respectful media, self-conscious media, with personal responsibility.

You also go in-depth about the idea of para-social, or one-sided, relationships with authors like Jake Halpern.
I was trying to create a language for people to talk about this subject. I think people instinctively understand these themes and ideas, but there's not a common language we share that we can communicate and respond to these ideas. I think if people have a language, it allows them to be more concrete. If you go to the website Teenagepaparazzo.com, I'm looking to sort of make this film experience non-linear so it's not just a passive watch-the-movie and be done with it. But we have a list of all the books that influences the movie on the site.

What was Paris Hilton's reaction to the documentary? She really breaks down the concepts being discussed.
She saw it and her response was quote-unquote "dope'' ... She was very generous to invite me into her world and share her experiences. I rather like Paris. She's a cool girl who, dare I say it, is an artist and her art form is the tabloid.

What do you hope from your future 'Entourage' work? (Ed. note: In the season finale, police found a bag of cocaine on Vince.)
I have no idea what's going to happen, but I look forward to digging myself out of this mess as Vince.

Via 'Entourage' and now this movie, you've kind of become an observer of what's going on our celebrity-inundated world. Is that a role you perhaps look forward to developing?
Media and the sociological and philosophical aspects of how media affects all of us has always been something that has interested me and it's such a vital and burgeoning topic, especially with the way technology is really making everything explode. If I can continue to study this topic, maybe I'll make a career out of going around and talking about it?

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'Boardwalk Empire' Season 1, Episode 2 Recap (VIDEO)

['Boardwalk Empire' - 'The Ivory Tower']

"What do you want from me?" Margaret Schroeder to Nucky Thompson

In its second week, 'Boardwalk Empire' was still in world-building mode, and complications ensued for each character even as we were re-introduced to who they were and where they fit in the grand scheme of things.

We got a healthy chunk of exposition when Agent Van Alden explained to his superior who Nucky was and why the boss of Atlantic City was quite possibly a much juicer target than Arnold Rothstein. Clearly Rothstein is a canny gambler and an important underworld figure. But, as Van Alden explained, Nucky sits atop a giant organization that is riddled with corruption. And thanks to Jimmy's ill-timed shootup in the woods, it's pretty clear that Nucky's engaged in some unsavory activities, with bootlegging newly at the top of the long list of crimes.

Still, the flow of liquor, money and everything else makes Nucky a very dangerous man to cross, which Jimmy learned in this episode. Sure, nobody is stopping Jimmy from grabbing opportunities, but Nucky is teaching him that opportunities often bring unintended consequences. After more or less pulling off that theft with Al Capone, Jimmy's in hock to Nucky, who, once repaid, plays roulette with Jimmy's $3,000 (which is more than $34,000 in 2010 dollars).

Nucky's unspoken point to Jimmy was, "Think through what you do next time, or your quest for money could bring you much more than the crushing feeling you get when your bankroll disappears at the roulette table."

Jimmy can't really catch a break -- his kid doesn't love the vacuum he got his fiance, and Al Capone won't help him out. After feeling temporarily good after the heist, he sinks to a new low: He ends up stealing from his mother to cover the debt.

Truth be told, one of my (few) problems with 'Boardwalk Empire' is that Gretchen Mol, who plays Jimmy's mom Gillian, looks only a few years older than Michael Pitt, who plays Jimmy. I asked the show's creator, Terence Winter, about that here, and he said that the idea is that Gillian got pregnant at age 13. If her IMDb.com birthday is correct, Mol will soon turn 38, which makes it plausible that her character could have a son in his early 20s. Perhaps the problem is more that Pitt looks his real age, which is 29. Ah well.

In any case, the reunion of Gillian and Jimmy involved some intentional misdirection; Gillian's ecstatic reaction to seeing him led to the reasonable assumption that Jimmy might have a lady friend on the side. But no, it was a rather strange mother and child reunion, one that showed how committed Jimmy is to making up for various things -- he wants to replace his mother's long-gone necklace, be a provider for his family, be a better man than his absent father. And of course he still wants Nucky's approval, which he just made much tougher to get.

Speaking of complications, things are still very unsettled in the gangster world. Rothstein masterfully handled the triggerman in the Big Jim Colosimo shooting, telling him, via a chilling anecdote, that he will do anything to find out who had the Chicago boss whacked. It's not clear later, when Rothstein and Nucky speak, that the New York gangster knows who had Big Jim killed, but relations between those two men are at a very low point. Prohibition upset the applecart in a lot of ways and those reverberations are just starting to be felt.

And Nucky is facing the additional complication of Agent Van Alden, who can't be bought off with liquor, money or women. I adore Michael Stuhlbarg's controlled performance on 'Boardwalk Empire' (I find Rothstein very reminiscent of Gus Fring on 'Breaking Bad'), and I'm likewise impressed by the ferocious presence that Michael Shannong brings to Van Alden. I didn't quite get why he instantly became smitten with Mrs. Schroeder, but perhaps he's one of those badge-holders with a rescue complex. Virtuous, penniless Mrs. Schroeder is a victim in his eyes, an innocent who must be saved from brutal husbands and remorseless gangsters.

As for Mrs. Schroeder, she asks the question that is at the heart of 'Boardwalk Empire,' where almost all relationships involve transactions of one kind or another. She's who has the guts to question why he's paying her off; she wants to know exactly what's expected of her.

Steve Buscemi was great in that moment, just before he asked her to vote Republican. The scenes between Kelly Macdonald and Buscemi are one of the best things about 'Boardwalk Empire'; they both create complex characters who you root for but also know are capable of very shrewd thinking. Nucky is finding that there's a lot more than meets the eye to the well-read Mrs. Schroeder.

In Van Alden and Margaret Schroeder, Nucky has found interesting challenges to his unquestioned power. And as Jimmy found out, he's not always nice when his empire is under threat.

A few last thoughts:

- As a former reporter for the Chicago Tribune, I can attest that asking hard questions on occasion produced a prickly response. Fortunately for me, no one ever kicked my face in as I attempted to do my job. I love progress.

- If the Commodore or the Klan have anything to do with it, there won't be any progress for women or African-Americans. The scene in which the Commodore humiliated his maid proved not only what a horrible man he is, it also showed that Nucky is a different class of person altogether. He not only isn't needlessly cruel like the Commodore, Nucky also knows he must do business with the black community to stay in office. That sort of crude behavior isn't called for or helpful in his world, but Nucky's more thoughtful values are under threat from those who don't feel they need to play by any rules of any kind.

- There was a shot of Nucky coming out of an elevator and looking at his watch; he looked for all the world like a busy executive checking his Blackberry. Fortunately for him, he's not tethered to such an infernal device, and one of the benefits of a period-set drama is that all the things that make life easier (and make in-person meetings and conversations much harder to justify in present-day programs) are not a factor. Nucky finds it most convenient to do business in person -- he even gladhands a salesman he meets on the boardwalk. That beauty contest line must have worked plenty back in the day. That's Nucky, always of service.

'Boardwalk Empire' airs 9PM ET Sundays on HBO.

Follow @MoRyan on Twitter.

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First Official Scream 4 Image Online

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

The first Official released image for Scream 4 has hit the net, and it features Courtney Cox Arquette reprising her role as Gale Weathers.

I think Courtney is getting better with age.

And of course, every picture we see with Ghostface and a cast member in it means we can scratch them off the “who’s the killer” list.

Or can we? (cue dramatic musical chord!!)

Via

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Alex Winter Confirms Bill and Ted 3

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

We recently heard Keanu Reeves mention that he would like to see a Bill and Ted 3, and whilst offering up a killer Herzog impression it seemed idle talk.

But now Bill S. Preston, Esquire himself, Alex Winter, has confirmed that it is in the works.
Most righteous!

MTV Says:

Lest you think that Reeves was pulling our leg, we turned to the other half of the righteous duo, Alex Winter, for further confirmation. According to the actor and director, “Bill & Ted 3? is absolutely in development.

“We kicked around the idea over the years and had always thought if we could make something that was as kind of genuine in spirit as the originals and without falling prey to kind of retro cynicism or something that was unnecessary, it would be worth doing,” Winter told MTV’s Adam Rosenberg in an interview arranged, amusingly, via Twitter. “Now the cat’s out of the bag, and the truth is that, yeah, we have finally hit upon an idea that we think is pretty great.”

“We’ve been working on it for the past couple of years, honing that idea and getting it into shape,” he continued. “[Screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon] are working on it now. The bottom line is that we still all feel like we need to sit down and look at a script and see if it’s everything that it can be before we set about doing anything with it.”

Winter wasn’t able to divulge much about what “Bill & Ted 3? will focus on, though he emphasized that the movie won’t be “cynical.”

“The essence of what we’ve always wanted to do is to make a ‘Bill & Ted’ movie,” he said. “We don’t want to make a cynical ‘here’s Bill and Ted — you guys are our kids, now YOU guys go be Bill and Ted and the franchise can live for another 25 years!’ It’s not that. It’s a straight up, what’s the funniest and most surprising take on where Bill and Ted would be right now if we stopped back in on them? That’s what we’re doing.”

I love that idea. Where Bill and Ted would be right now if we stopped in on them. Perfect.

I don’t want to see them try to play a Bill and Ted from 20 years ago.

Now that it seems more than just banter between old friends, I can officially get excited. I wonder if the title will be more modern slang? Bill and Ted’s Leet Epic Mission!!

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Iron Man 2 Alternate Opening Online

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

With the release of Iron Man 2 on BluRay and DVD next week, we now get a sneak peek at the alternative opening scene that I think works a lot better.

The “you complete me” line was perfect, and we were teased with it in early trailers only to be robbed of the clever banter in the theatrical release.

This one also lends more to the illusion that him leaping from the plane was an actual mission and not just some grand entrance to Stark Expo – which was also spoiled for us in the trailer.

I would have rather had NOT seen that in the trailer and then DID see this in the movie.

Via

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Paranormal Activity 2 Teaser Online

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

I get really annoyed when these videos get labeled as viral. Viral cannot be created, it happens on its own naturally.

But still they insist on calling this social network marketing and teasers. And one such teaser is for Paranormal Activity 2.

Creey as that is, I don’t think the sequel will be near as big as the original.

Via

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Emma Stone being Courted for Spider-Man’s Girlfriend and 21 Jump Street

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

Seems Jonah Hill never got over Emma Stone in Superbad, and now that the rest of the world wants her too, he is talking to her about playing a role in his potential 21 Jump Street
adaptation.

Worst Previews reports:

Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland) is in talks to play the female lead in Jonah Hill’s “21 Jump Street” movie, which will be directed by Phil Lord (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and begin filming early next year.

Stone is also on the short list to play one of two female leads in the upcoming “Spider-Man” reboot, along with Lily Collins (The Blind Side), Teresa Palmer and Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland). Entertainment Weekly says the two roles are for Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.

So Entertainment weekly says there WILL be a Mary Jane Watson? We were told that MJ would not be in the movie, and the love interest was

However if they are going with MJ, Emma Stone could be the supermodel to be provided she could put aside that charming dorkiness that I so enjoy in her. She certainly looks the part.

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Forgotten Friday: Wall Street

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat, Reviews

Thanks for checking out our Forgotten Fridays feature. This is a feature to review some older films that maybe you have forgotten about or maybe never got around to seeing that we just want to share. They may not be old, maybe not forgotten, but they are not new. Just fun to share.

Today, with Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps coming out, I thought it was fitting that we review the original Wall Street!

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Staring: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Terence Stamp, Daryl Hannah
Released: December 11, 1987

THE GENERAL IDEA

Bud Fox is an ambitious stock trader who will do just about anything to get into the big leagues. He has been actively courting Gordon Gekko, one of the biggest stock speculators on Wall Street. Gekko manipulates the market using inside information and his motto best describes his approach: greed is good. Nothing will stop him from pursuing a good deal and he takes advantage of Bud’s burning to desire to succeed. Soon, Bud finds himself getting information from any source and using to gain an advantage. It all comes to a head however when Gekko targets Blue Star airlines, the company where Bud’s father has worked for 24 years, secretly planning to break it up and plunder the employees’ retirement fund.

THE GOOD

Charlie Sheen illustrates early in his young career just how he deserves to be on the big screen. He is awesome in this and you can really feel his struggle as he deals with the tough ethical challenges he faces.

Michael Douglas is the real star here. You want him to succeed. He isn’t the bad guy, he is just the rich guy. You feel endearing to him when he takes Bud Fox under his wing and shows him how to play with the big boys. Even when things turn, you still feel for Gekko.

And Gekko’s “Greed is Good” speech is the hardest thing to hear because it reveals the most base of emotions in the human condition but he is so right about it in its brutal honesty. And will be remembered as one of the greatest speeches ever given in film.

THE BAD

I didn’t care much for the love interest story, and it wasn’t fleshed out at all. It didn’t need to happen at all in this movie and nothing would have changed. Other than that, I have nothing against this film. At all.

OVERALL

The film is worth a watch, if even just to remind yourself of what went on in Wall Street before running out to see Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps (which gets its title from a line in this film). In the first film, we see Gekko’s 3 year old son Rudy who is referenced in Money Never Sleeps, but not a daughter.

Also as a side note of Trivia, Stone had Charlie Sheen’s father Martin Sheen portray Bud Fox’s father in the film.

Since all of these Forgotten Friday reviews are going to be what I would already give a high rating to, I had a Tv, Rent or Buy scale going on, but it would seem that an overwhelming majority of my picks get a BUY rating.

So with every Forgotten Friday you see from now on, you get to rate your anticipation for yourself!

TV – If you are at least a little curious, catch it if it comes on TV.
Rent – If it is something you have heard of and forgotten, or just remember enjoying this as much as I did once upon a time, go rent it.
Buy – But if you are like me, and you agree with my review you should go buy it. If its featured here, I already have.

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Kate Beckinsale returns for Underworld 4

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

The woman that would look appealing in a burlap sack and bedhead will once again be returning to the snug leathers and gothic allure of the Underworld franchise.

Live for Films shares:

Kate Beckinsale will be getting back in the tight leather costume of Selene, the Death Dealer for the fourth Underworld movie.
John Hlavin wrote the script but J. Michael Straczynski (Changeling, World War Z, Babylon 5) has given it a polish.

Word has it that they are still hunting for a director, and a young woman to play Selene’s daughter.

With Beckinsale absent from the third film, it feels like they are making up for something, but honestly I don’t care as long as we get to see her in that leather corset again.

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Chloe Moretz joins Emily the Strange

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

The long rumoured Emily the Strange feature film has found itself its actress, and no surprise, Chloe Moretz will be taking on the dark quirky character.

Cinemablend says:

Moretz seemingly can’t stop being cast in every “spooky little girl” role up for grabs. Next up, according to Deadline, is Emily the Strange, Dark Horse Entertainment and Universal Pictures’ adaptation of the graphic novel, clothing and apparel empire.

I see no end to this wonderful little actress’ career. But like many child stars, a long career is not a guarantee and she could be talking about the “good old days” when she is 25 too.

Still, I see a wealth of talent in this adorable little girl that one day I hope will be bigger things, but she is in demand right now.

Emily the Strange doesn’t have a deep lore outside of the imagery of the character, so it should be interesting to see what they do with the story. Whatever it is, I am sure that Miss Moretz will be up to the task.

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Nolan Talks Batman 3 and Superman Reboot Directors

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in News Chat

I wish they woudl stop interupting Christopher Nolan so he can finish his work on Batman 3 and throw some thumbs up at Superman reboot.

Nolan got chatting about the progress thus far, and its progress.

Obsessed with Film shares:

Although he was reluctant to dicuss Batman 3, he did give us some insight as to how far along the project was.

“I don’t like to talk too much about things until I’m further along with them. I’m working on the script right now. My brother Jonah has done a draft of the script and now I’m writing on it.”

When questioned about whether or not the movie was yet to be greenlit, Nolan said:

“We have set a release date [July 20th, 2012] and as far as the film being officially greenlit – they haven’t told me they don’t want to do it. So I’m hopeful!”

He also talked about the shortlist for a Superman director:

Tony Scott (Unstoppable, The Taking of Pelham 123)
Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield)
Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles, Clash of the Titans 2)
Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code)
Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch)

I am going to blindly vote for Matt Reeves to carry on the tradition of completely unrelated people in Superman films with Reeve in their name.

George Reeves played Supes in the 50s, Christopher Reeve played Superman in the late 70s and 80s, so its appropriate that they let Matt Reeves Direct.

Come on! Matt Reeves middle name is GEORGE. How can they pick anyone else???

Who would you pick.

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First Look at Evans and Atwell on Captain America Set

Posted by Rodneyon 24. 09. 2010in Headlines, News Chat

Today we get a pair of sources, both offering first looks at the filming of Captain America: The First Avenger.

First we get a look at Chris Evans sporting a dapper 40s hairstyle, but sadly not in the Cap outfit.

And people said he wouldn’t be big enough? Check out the pipes and those broad shoulders. That’s got superhero written all over them.

And check out the brief clip of Evans chasing down a car in his bare feet:

Via

And our first look at Hayley Atwell on the set of Captain America


And a video captured from across the street with Miss Atwell running out of a shop and a car exploding.

Via

This is shaping up quite well, and I am confident no one will be thinking about the Human Torch when they see this film.

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