News and updates on the work of Scottish actors around the world.
Director F. Gary Gray, via Twitter, reports that Law Abiding Citizen will be previewed in 15 cities. Los Angeles is holding a preview this evening with Gerard, Bruce McGill and Regina Hall in attendance. Other cities include New York City (opening Urbanworld on September 23), Atlanta and Philadelphia.
Craig also did an interview for the September 28 issue of People magazine. Someone was cool enough to post scans of the article, which you can see here.1. You've been sober for nearly 18 years. Why did you write this memoir now?
When I spoke at the White House Correspondents Dinner (January 2008), it felt like a punctuation mark. I took an inventory of my life, and it seemed like the right time to take a crack at it.
2. How did your fellow Scotsmen react when you became an American citizen?
The ones I talked to had no problem. Being an American doesn't make me any less Scottish.
3. After you dropped out of school at 16, you were a drummer in a punk rock band. What was that like?
It was a wild time. It involved a lot of drinking and fighting, but I'm not sure if I was being a punk rocker or just Scottish.
4. You've had a lot of different jobs — milkman, construction worker, stand-up comic. If the hosting gig didn't work out, what would you be?
I was happiest as a construction worker. The hours are long, the work is hard, but at the end of the day, you feel like you've done something.
5. Favorite TV guests?
I have to say Betty White. It's always a pleasure to have her. And Drew Carey. We've been friends a long time, and it's so easy when you know someone.
You can go here for the rest of the interview.
One of those pleasant gems you hope to stumble upon at any film festival, The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a wonderfully entertaining little thriller from British screenwriter and first-time director, J Blakeson. Set almost entirely in an enclosed apartment, Blakeson’s story takes a simple premise — “So you’ve kidnapped a beautiful heiress. Now what?” — and wrings out of it a darkly humorous and utterly unpredictable tale of greed gone wrong, with shades of Rope, Shallow Grave and Deathtrap. The titular heiress is played by Quantum of Solace star Gemma Arterton, who squeezed in this film between her two upcoming blockbusters, Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans. Rounding out the triangle are the two kidnappers, the elder and more volatile man played by Eddie Marsan — star of Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake and Happy-Go-Lucky and Will Smith’s super-nemesis in Hancock — and the younger played by Martin Compston, a Scottish actor discovered by Ken Loach (who gave him the lead in Sweet Sixteen). Both are superb in their roles. Movieline spoke to Marsan and Compston this morning at TIFF, for what it turns out was their first official interview in support of the film.There’s a fair bit of nudity required of everyone in Alice Creed. How did you feel about that?
COMPSTON: You never feel really comfortable being naked among strangers, but it was nothing compared with everything Gemma went through, so you just think, well, get on with it. The one scene that sort of freaked me out had a [full frontal shot], but it was quick and you couldn’t really see it. But one of our producers said, just wait until the DVD comes out and people press pause!
"These first dozen titles offer a wonderful preview to our lineup which is a survey of the year's significant films," said festival artistic director Rose Kuo "They represent a diversity of voices and we take great pride in being able to bring them to Los Angeles audiences for the first time." [Variety]
Craig Ferguson, who earned his pilot's license last week, says he loves aviation because it's the complete opposite of show business.
The host of CBS' ``Late Late Show'' says that getting ahead in entertainment means claiming to be able to do anything that's asked. In aviation, Ferguson says, a person has to tell the truth or risk death.
He likes to keep much of his life involved in more ``rational areas'' than entertainment, Ferguson told reporters Monday at a meeting of the Television Critics Association.
Asked to assess guests he's had on his show, Ferguson says his favorite was Betty White. His least favorite? An actor he declined to name. [Lynn Elber]
You can also read a summary/review of Craig's new autobiography American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot which will be released on September 22. The entire review is here, but I've posted an excerpt below:
Craig Ferguson, by his own account, is a Scotsman with a brogue and excellent teeth. A former punk-rock drummer. A recovering alcoholic. A sitcom star (well, supporting star) on Drew Carey's show. A film director-writer-leading man. A standup comic and overall "vulgar lounge entertainer."
Ferguson is also, of course, host of CBS' "Late Late Show," where he displays a gift for sly, often silly humour, a range of loony impersonations and a curious mind that, when he's interviewing, puts him in the rare league of Dick Cavett or even Bill Moyers.
Ferguson is also a proud American citizen (as of January 2008).
Any of this would serve as selling points for Ferguson's new memoir, "American on Purpose." [The Canadian Press]
The hospital staff is left to deal with the aftermath of George’s passing. Hitting the staff hard, they all find unique ways to get through the various stages of grief. George’s mom returns, faced with the difficult task of deciding what to do with his organs. In the second episode, entitled “Goodbye”, time has passed… Everyone is struggling after losing one of their own and are turning to any distraction they can find. Meredith and Derek seem to be consummating their marriage anywhere and everywhere, while Cristina and Owen have been instructed to abstain from sex by Dr. Wyatt. [BSCreview]Source
The Tournament will open this year's Screamfest at Grauman's Theater on October 16. The 9th annual festival will take place from October 16 to October 25 at the Mann Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, California. For more information call the Screamfest Horror Film Festival at 310-358-3273 or visit www.screamfestla.com to order tickets.
And nine runner up winners get:
