My "New Year's Eve" Coverage

New Year's Eve stars share their New Year's resolutions By Raymond de Asis Lo L.A. Correspondent (The Philippine Star) Updated December 09, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - Call it cliché or whatever but nearly everyone has his own resolutions to get better, be nicer, smile often, love more, hate less and all the usual promises as the year draws to a close — and when this writer says everyone, I mean, everyone, even the A-lists of Hollywood, that is.

And yes, oh yes, they do! Just this Sunday, the stars of New Year’s Eve, Warner Bros.’ latest star-studded movie from well-loved director Garry Marshall, shared their New Year’s resolutions (and because this movie celebrates one of the biggest holidays of the year, some also shared their favorite holidays to this writer’s delight) during the movie’s press junket in Beverly Hills.

For Hollywood superstar Michelle Pfeiffer, who graces the big screen again after a brief absence, the last few days of the year are the perfect opportunity for her to reflect on the things and events of the past year although, unlike many others, she doesn’t keep a list of things to do.

“It’s pretty much the same every year,” the beautiful actress says. “My resolution is always to reflect back and look at ways that I can simplify my life and find ways that I can just appreciate the many blessings that I have.”
She adds, “It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race of everything that you forget that it’s all good, you know. Maybe not all of it is good but most of it is really, really good. There’s a lot of blessings we have and a lot to be thankful for.”

Michelle leads the all-star ensemble cast that includes Oscar winners Halle Berry, Robert de Niro and Hilary Swank. Music superstars Jon Bon Jovi, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Common are also in the cast, along with teen favorites Lea Michele, Zac Efron and Abigail Breslin. Handsome screen leading men Ashton Kutcher and Josh Duhamel are also in the stellar cast along with sexy and beautiful actresses Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Katherine Heigl

Garry, whose resolution is “to stop swearing at inanimate objects” and who also gave us last year’s similarly star-studded Valentine’s Day, has assembled another dizzying array of stars to give life to Katherine Fugate’s intertwining stories of love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts amid the chaos and charm of New York City on the most exciting day of the year, New Year’s Eve.

Asked how he managed to gather all these stars together, the 77-year-old director replied in his usual humorous style. “Well, I don’t want to startle you but we do pay them,” he said, eliciting chuckles from everyone including Hilary Swank, who said that she would love to work for Garry anytime.

Hilary is cast in the movie as the person overseeing the biggest job in the world on New Year’s Eve, the “ball drop” in Times Square.
The two-time Oscar-winner shared that her favorite holiday is not New Year’s Day but Thanksgiving “because there’s so much to be thankful for.”

She remains thankful even if she had a particularly rough time this year. The star was embroiled in an ugly controversy when she made an appearance at a party honoring a Chechen dictator. This regrettable incident was attributed to poor judgment by several of her management team with whom she has severed ties already.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Hilary likes Thanksgiving more because “you don’t have that pressure of finding the perfect gift for that person even though that’s one thing you want to do but there’s so many people that you have in your life and that can become a real stress. So the idea of everyone that you love just getting together and being with your family around the kitchen table is my favorite thing to do.”

“To sit with my family and friends just around the kitchen table over a great meal is, hands down, always my favorite, favorite holiday,” she adds.

As soon as Hilary finished telling us her Thanksgiving stories, the screenwriter immediately announced that she has just finished writing another screenplay called Thanksgiving to the amusement of everyone.
There was a running joke during the junket on what big holiday will Garry decide to make next. Josh suggested Columbus Day or Veterans Day.

However, for Oscar-nominated teen star, Abigail, Halloween would be it. Even if she considers it the “most stressful” holiday of all, she still considers it her favorite. The 15-year-old star recalled how during one Halloween she had difficulty choosing what costume to wear and when she finally decided on one, all the houses in her neighborhood were already either closed or out of candies that she ended up going to the 24-hour store and just bought candies instead.

Hilary Swank

On the topic of New Year’s resolutions, teen heartthrob Zac, who delighted everyone when he obliged Michelle’s request to perform the “dougie” (a type of dance which the good-looking actor spelled out for me when me met in the bathroom later), would want to spend more time with his family this year.

“I really want to make an effort to spend more time with my family because I just feel like they’re so, so instrumental in my life and I never get the chance to go out with them individually. I want to take them on the Appalachian Trail,” Zac says of his goal. “I also want to spend some time with my mom, solo.”

For Glee sensation, Lea, who proudly shared that she made a successful resolution a few years ago not to go to bed wearing girl’s boxers and T-shirts and wear “something nice so that I feel good after” said that her resolution this year is to “continue to be healthy and work hard… but also to spend time with my family, it’s important!”

New Year’s Eve is now showing in theaters nationwide. Make it your resolution to catch this fun and heartwarming movie.

My interview with Robin Williams (2011)

Revel in the genius of Robin Williams By Raymond de Asis Lo, L.A. Correspondent (The Philippine Star) Updated November 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (1)

The very energetic Robin returns as Ramon and Lovelace in Warner Bros.’ Happy Feet 2
| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - How can you tell you are at the Happy Feet 2 junket? Simple, you have funnyman Robin Williams providing an impromptu comic performance for the press  and it’s free of charge.

It’s been ages since the comedian has performed a stand-up routine. This writer and the other international journalists during the movie’s press conference at theBeverly Hilton a couple of weeks ago were among the few lucky ones who experienced the actor’s funny antics and off-the-cuff humor for nearly 40 minutes.

If only this writer can transfer to paper all of the actor’s jokes, fans of the comedian would surely be thanking me until Christmas. But I couldn’t. I could let in a few, perhaps, but not entirely. I don’t have copyright clearance, if you must know. I was trying to make a joke there and, I know, I wasn’t funny. Let’s leave the jokes to Robin then, shall we?

Here’s a sample of how funny the actor can get.

Setup — He saw an iPhone (which also doubles as a voice recorder) placed in front of him and he immediately picked it up and had the following imaginary exchange with Siri, the latest software featured in the current iPhone release.

Robin: Siri, where’s a good restaurant in Paris?

Siri: I’m sorry, Robin. I am not able to get the full locations in France.

Robin: Siri, why?

Siri: I can’t answer that question, Robin, legally.

The very energetic Robin returns as Ramon and Lovelace in Warner Bros.’ Happy Feet 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2006 Oscar-winning and box-office hit animated movie. The sequel also features the voice of Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood, who is back as Mumble. Hank Azaria, who provides the voice for The Mighty Sven, the penguin who can fly, and Grammy-winner Common, who provides the voice for Seymour, the leader of a new penguin colony, are the new additions to the stellar voice cast along with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara and pop music superstar Pink (billed in the movie as Alecia Beth Moore.)

Elijah, Common and Hank were also at the junket along with director George Miller and they were just as captivated by Robin’s funny antics as we were.

The Oscar-winning actor is so witty he could turn any simple, innocent questions into something crazy, irreverent and just damn madly hilarious.

Asked what he thinks of the latest 3D technology craze, which was used to great success in Happy Feet 2 (the underwater scenes featuring the krill swarm are mighty impressive!), Robin quipped: “One thing I don’t want to see in 3D is porn!”

“I think that would like, ‘Whoa! Put it away!’” he exclaimed. “I mean the technology is extraordinary but I’ve seen a good 3D and an okay 3D. When I saw Avatar in 3D, it was so vivid because of the whole world, that’s why it was so expensive because of the details.”

Elijah Wood is also making a comeback as Mumble

Happy Feet 2 reportedly cost $120M to make because of the state-of-art 3D technology employed during production.

“The shots in this movie, under water, having dived off the coast of Australia — it’s created an immersive experience,” he added. “I’ve talked to a lot of people and children who have been to the screenings of this movie and they were all like this, (Robin paused and formed a delighted expression on his face), in awe, which is a wonderful thing. The technology is increasing on a daily basis. Once you write the program, someone builds up the next program.”

Robin recalled that when he did the effects-laden Jumanji some 15 years ago, “one of the hardest programs to write was the monkey because of the hair and I am going, ‘Wow, I’ll be working for a while!’” he joked.

But he was wrong. Peter Jackson would revolutionize the motion-capture technique in only five short years and in 2001, Lord of the Rings changed the whole ballgame.

The actor referred to a conversation he had with a fellow actor recently about Andy Serkis’ (the actor who played Gollum in the LOTR trilogy) performance in this year’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, “It’s one of the most vivid characters I’ve seen in film in recent history,” he said, “and that’s done with CG but with a person behind it, driving it, which is a wonderful combination of technology and humanity. Even though it’s an ape, he gives it such depth and it’s just powerful.”

“That thing that Copolla said years ago at the Academy Awards, ‘the technology will always need great storytelling to work together’ — that’s happening and it is driven by directors who know the technology… and I am just in awe. I just become a child sometimes watching these movies,” the actor further added.                

One journalist asked Robin what among the movies he’s done so far would he like to see on 3D and he quickly replied, “None so far,” before getting into another series of bellyaching jokes.

“I don’t know. I think Birdcage in 3D will just be gayer,” he said before standing up and doing a routine from the movie. Later he would joke: “Michelle Bachman’s husband, come out! Come out, Mr. Bachman, come out! Join us!”

The room was filled with laughter when he was doing this and his co-stars, especially Hank filled Robin in with materials by suggesting movie titles.

“Awakenings in 3D would be good,” Hank suggested, referring to Robin’s 1991 Oscar-nominated movie with Robert de Niro about a man who woke up from years of catatonia.

“Oh my god,” Robin reacted by acting all stiff and said, “that is like the attack of the giant snails!”

“There’s one French guy going, ‘You could make a movie like that, it will be called The Fabulous Killer Snails and it will be eight hours long… and they come and they put salt on you while you sleep.’”

It was one of the most enjoyable interviews this writer ever had and if only I could share my recording of the entire interview, all you readers can also revel in the genius of the man.

(Happy Feet 2 is now showing in theaters.)

My Coverage of Entourage

Adrian & Jeremy: Is there life after Entourage? By Raymond de Asis Lo, L.A. Correspondent (The Philippine Star)

Two scenes from the hit comedy series: (Top) Adrian Grenier, center, with Kevin Dillon, left, and Scott Caan. (Above) Jeremy Piven, right, with Rex Lee.
| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - In 2004, a young sexy newcomer arrived in Hollywood and set the town on fire. His good looks landed him many parts and, at the height of his career, he even did a superhero movie! His is the most quintessential career — one that’s riddled with gossips, failed relationships, sensational paparazzi scandals, porn star girlfriends, etc. The actor also had a group of hangers-on called enablers in extreme cases but otherwise an actor’s entourage when described affectionately.

The actor could be any person working in Hollywood. Name anyone and in some measure he could perfectly fit the bill but, nope, the actor in our story is no real actor. We are talking about Vince Chase, the alter ego of green-eyed and equally good-looking actor Adrian Grenier in the hit showbiz satire Entourage, whose eighth and final season started airing last Nov. 9 on the HBO Signature channel.

In the series, Vince Chase started as an up-and-coming actor who, over seven seasons of the show, saw his career go up in Hollywood. The whole series evolved around Vince’s misadventures with fame along with his three buddies and his odd love-hate relationship with his foul-mouthed agent, Ari Gold, brilliantly portrayed in the series by veteran actor Jeremy Piven, who already received three Emmy awards for his role.

When Entourage premiered more than seven years ago, the comedy series instantly became a hit and the cast became enormously popular that some writers were calling them the male version of the Sex and the City girls. Thankfully, the actors’ real-life fame did not go into their heads and they did not mirror their characters’ shenanigans in the series.

In late July this year, the two lead stars of the series, Adrian and Jeremy, did separate interviews with The Philippine STAR during the Los Angeles junket of Entourageto talk about the final season of the series and to share their thoughts on their characters, their post-Entourage plans, and whether a movie version of the series is ever going to get made.

Adrian sat at the roundtable first and below are excerpts of the interview with the 35-year-old star who described his character as “maybe more lazy than he is dumb” and who is “actually quite savvy.”


This is going to be one of your last interviews for Entourage, how do you feel about it?
“Whoa! Don’t be so sure.”


Do people mistake you for Vince when you are out?
“At times. And they are often disappointed that I am not. I am only partly as cool as Vince but not quite.”


How is your relationship with your own agent compared to Vince and Ari’s?
“It’s different. It’s very different. I sometimes feel like maybe I need to be a little more aggressive like Vince and then I find myself saying some of the same lines that Vince does and then I think, ‘Are they gonna take me seriously?...’ It’s hard because on one hand, Vince empowers me but on the other hand, he doesn’t allow me because he has already taken all the good lines.”


The Hollywood life that you portray on the show, how close is that to reality?
“It’s definitely sort of “reality-heightened” but some things are downplayed. A lot of times we have to underplay a situation because people wouldn’t believe it even though it actually happened in real life.”


Can you cite an example?
“You take Vince dating a porn star and doing one of his drug benders, who does that remind you of?”


Does Vince’s story reflect your own reality?
“My reality? I have six porn star girlfriends!” (He joked.) “Sometimes I go to a club and people are a little bit disappointed that I am not a big superstar and I am right there hanging with my friends who are a little nerdier. My friends would say that I am more of, sort of, down-to-earth.”


Are you going to continue making documentary movies as a director after the series is over? (Adrian did a popular documentary called Shot in the Dark, which chronicled his search for his estranged biological father in 2002.)
“Actually, Teenage Paparazzo (his current film that premiered earlier this year) is still alive and well. We just launched what we call the Teenage Paparazzo Experienceand it’s a college tour, a non-traditional venue tour for the film coupled with an educational curriculum, an art exhibit and guest speakers. We are going from town-to-town partly to recoup some of our investments but more importantly as an educational tool to share the ideas with young people, students…”


How do you feel about doing a movie version of Entourage?
“Oh yeah, don’t you guys wanna see it? I mean, we must do our duty and make a movie. Yes, sir! We all have the task to make the film as explosive and as epic as possible.”

After the interview with Adrian, Jeremy joined the roundtable and the forty-something actor talked lengthily about his character and his immediate plans now that the series is over. Below are excerpts from that interview.


Do you miss Ari?
“I don’t. I am incredibly fulfilled. I got to play this wildly abrasive, aggressive character and then, this year, the wife leaves him and he is completely emotionally gutted so I get to reveal his humanity, show this transformation from the shark into being human. As an actor, you can’t ask for anything more and if you want anything more, you are too greedy. I am wildly fulfilled so I don’t want to ask for too much.”

How is your blood pressure now after playing him with all that anger? Did it affect you in any way?
“I guess it did. It did affect me. I had some health problems at one point. I don’t know any other way but to give everything I have in every single take. I have never ‘phoned in,’ as they say, a moment as an actor. When you are playing rage or fear, or now, sadness, for 14 hours a day, it takes its toll but that’s the game you’re in and I think that my quest now is to find balance in my life. Actors want to act and I’ve gotten a chance for eight years to do that and I am very grateful.”


While shooting, are you able to disconnect yourself from your character at all?
“I am able very much to disconnect because it is such a release. It is so cathartic to be able to do these things: to yell and fire people, to hurl insults and to what-not — I am a stage actor from Chicago and I have been doing yoga for 20 years and to inhabit a character — whom I do not necessarily want to be in the same room with — to be honest with you, is pretty fun.”


Is that why you don’t miss him?
“I don’t miss him because I don’t have any regrets. There’s a great cliché about sports: You want to leave it all on the field. I’ve left it all on the field. There’s nothing left.”


Are there anything left for the movie?
“Yes! The movie could be great. It could be wonderful. We’ll just take a moment and see how all these settles in and how we end up and maybe people will miss us a little bit and we come back.”


Are you going back to the theater? (Jeremy famously left a Broadway play three months into the engagement in 2008.)
“Sure, I am going back to the theater as soon as I find a great play.”
Entourage airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on the HBO Signature channel. Now, go fix your schedule and track the last days of Vince and his gang.  — (With reports from Anselmo Manosca)