The talented Julianne Hough stars along with Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, and the rest of the all star cast in the new musical film, Rock of Ages. Hough, who is a talented dancer, injured herself while making the film. She tried to perform through the pain, but her co-star, iconic actor Tom Cruise, shared some of his wisdom with her that he learned on the way to becoming one of the biggest stars in movie history, and told her not to push it if she is hurt. (Click on the audio player to hear Julianne Hough)
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Hell’s Kitchen is a beloved cooking competition show. The television series, which makes its season premiere tonight 8/7 central on FOX, is now entering its tenth season, and has turned Chef Gordon Ramsay into one of the most popular television personalities today. Not many television shows has had the longevity of Hell’s Kitchen.
Chef Ramsay credits FOX as one of the key reasons why the show has been on as many seasons as it has, and is as popular today as it has ever been. (Click on the audio player to hear Gordon Ramsay)
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Snow White and the Huntsman was the box office champion, taking in $56,255,000 in its debut weekend. The film, staring Kristen Stewart and Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, performed well despite lukewarm reviews, proving that Stewart can have a smash hit outside the Twilight universe. Universal Pictures, the studio who released Snow White and the Huntsmen, regained a bit of momentum after the box office debacles of Battleship and The Five Year Engagement. Universal’s day in the sun, however, will be short-lived, as Madagascar 3 and Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi film Prometheus debut next weekend.
Last week’s top movie Men in Black III fell to #2, grossing $29,300,000. The film has made $112,300,000 domestically. Despite MIB3 star Will Smith taking four years off from acting, the success of MIB 3 proves the A-list star may have been temporarily gone, but he wasn’t forgotten.
The superhero movie The Avengers came in at third place taking another $20,273,000. The film has now made $1,355,237,000 worldwide, making it the third highest grossing movie of all time. The film now trails James Cameron’s two blockbusters Titanic and Avatar.
Although it placed at #4, the action flick Battleship earned a paltry $4,810,000. The film has done solid business internationally, but it has been a box office disaster in North America. Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy The Dictator came in at fifth place with $4,725,000.
It was announced yesterday that Saturday Night Live cast member, Andy Samberg, is leaving the show after seven seasons. Samberg, who is known for his famous digital shorts, spoke today at a press event promoting his new film, That’s My Boy, where he co-stars with fellow former SNL star Adam Sandler, and told us that he thought it was the right time to depart the show; nothing else factored into his decision. (Click on the audio player to hear Andy Samberg)
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Adam Sandler, who was with Samberg today, was a cast member of SNL starting as a writer in 1990. He then went on to be a features cast member, and ultimately a regular, leaving the show in 1995.
Sandler then became one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Sandler remembers leaving the show and how scared and nervous he was at first. He also told us that it saddened him that the show went on without him, although he enjoyed sitting at home and watching the show that made him a household name. (Click on the audio player to hear Adam Sandler)
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Catch Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg in the comedy, That’s My Boy, opening in theatres on June 15.
The Madagascar film franchise is one of the most successful animation film franchises of the past 10 years. The first Madagascar film released in 2005, and the second film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, released in 2008, have made over $1 billion worldwide. On June 8th, the third film in the franchise, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, opens in theatres.
Original cast members Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, and Jada Pinkett Smith will be returning, along with some new characters voiced by Martin Short and Jessica Chastain. We previewed a short clip of the film, and it is sure to be a movie that people of all ages will enjoy. Get a first look at Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted and let us know what you think!
Film and television star Hank Azaria has been voicing characters for the FOX animated series, The Simpsons, since the show originated in 1989. For 23 seasons, Azaria has voiced more than 30 characters, most notably Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and Moe Szyslak. After all these years, Azaria told us that while he doesn’t dislike any of the voices, a few of them, including Duffman and Bummbleman are hard to do. (Click on the audio player to hear Hank Azaria)
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There are also some voices Azaria holds very close to him, such as Professor Frink which he modeled after comedian Jerry Lewis, who he loves. Azaria went on to tell us that he is surprised that some people don’t know who Jerry Lewis is, and reminisces about doing a Halloween episode (at his urging) with Jerry Lewis a few years ago. (Click on the audio player to hear Hank Azaria)
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Check out The Simpsons Sunday nights 8/7 central on FOX!
Maria Bello who is best known for her movie role in “A History of Violence,” and her TV roles in “Prime Suspect” and “ER” is now set to star in FOX’S hit show, “Touch.” Maria was more than thrilled to be a part of this special series since she is a huge fan of Kiefer Sutherland. Her character premieres tonight on the season finale and she gave us the scoop on what to look forward to. We also learned a lot more about Bello than we anticipated, she is one special lady. She talks about acting as well as her other passions and loves.
Check out our special interview with Maria Bello and don’t forget to check out the 2 hour season finale of “Touch” at 8/7c on FOX!
One of the most intriguing movies of the summer is Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, which is his first venture back into the sci-fi world after three decades. Scott previously directed the sci-fi classics Alien and Blade Runner.
Prometheus takes place in the same universe as Alien and seems to have many of the same elements that made Alien so successful. The film stars Academy Award winner Charlize Theron as one of the films heroines, and Michael Fassbender. Scott, who has directed many fine actors and actresses including Susan Sarandon, Russell Crowe and Harrison Ford, thinks that Fassbender (who previously starred in as X-Men: First Class and Shame) is one of the best actors working in films today. (Click on the audio player to hear Ridley Scott)
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Robert Pattinson is one of the biggest heartthrobs starring in films today. His role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga films turned him into an international star. Since starring in those films, Pattinson has gone on to star in movies such as Remember Me and Water For Elephants, where he gave solid performances. Pattinson could have easily been pigeonholed in his career for playing the same character for years in films like the Twilight films, however Pattinson told us that starring in the Twilight films was just like any other job. (Click on the audio player to hear Robert Pattinson)
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Pattinson’s next film, Bel Ami, opens in theaters in limited release on June 8 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part Two) will be released November 16.
For four decades, Samuel L. Jackson has been a working actor and today is considered one of the best actors working in film. Over his incredible career, Jackson has worked with some of the greatest directors the big screen has ever seen, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino.
Jackson has worked on classic films such as Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction, and got to live his boyhood dreams starring in action movies, including The Avengers, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, and Star Wars Episodes 1-3. Films that Jackson has made have grossed over $3 billion, making him one of the highest grossing actors in movie history.
Before reaching stardom, Jackson was a struggling actor going from acting job to acting job. We spoke to Jackson and asked him if he recalls his first acting job. (Click on the audio player to hear Samuel L. Jackson)
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