Martin Short

Blu-ray Review: Modest Release For Surprisingly Fun ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’

BrianTT — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:11:15 -0400

CHICAGO – An injection of A-list voice talent (including Bryan Cranston, Martin Short, Frances McDormand, and Jessica Chastain) along with a new setting proves to be just what the “Madagascar” franchise needed. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is the best of the three films, a fun, clever ride that works for both kids and adults. While the past two films had tons of bonus material with their Blu-ray releases, this one’s a little lackluster. But the movie itself should make thousands of wee ones happy this holiday season.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Europe’s Most Wanted” is no Pixar-level animated classic but it’s just a fun movie. The cast gels better than ever and each of the characters gets a nice arc, along with some entertaining new ones. The movie still gets weighed down in too many pop culture references but it’s more fun than a vast majority of increasingly lackluster animated franchises (I’m looking at you “Ice Age”).

The previous Blu-ray releases for “Madagascar” films included new shorts and copious bonus material. While there’s a commentary here, there’s no new short and the rest of the material is somewhat lackluster. The deleted scenes are more storyboards than anything else and some of the featurettes run just a minute or two.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012
Photo credit: DreamWorks

Synopsis:
Your favorite characters are back, in their most hilarious adventure yet! Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria find themselves on-the-run through Europe in this wildly entertaining and outrageous comedic adventure that film critics are calling “charming and very funny!” (Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun Times). With the fame-loving King Julien and the take-charge Penguins along for the ride, the whole crew joins the circus to escape Captain Dubois of Animal Control. Full of high-flying action and colorful new characters, it’s a MAD extravaganza everyone will love. Get ready to wig out!

Click here to buy “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”

Special Features:
o Marty’s Rainbow Wig
o Big Top Cast
o High Flying Deleted Scenes
o Mad Music Mash Up
o Filmmakers’ Commentary
o Get Them To The Train
o The Animators’ Corner
o Trivia Track
o Ringmasters
o Madagascar 3 Round Table
o High-Flyin’ Deleted Scenes

“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” features voice work by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bryan Cranston, Martin Short, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, and David Schwimmer. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Film Review: ‘Frankenweenie’ is Visually Rich, But Lacks Monstrosity

PatrickMcD — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:13:00 -0400

CHICAGO – The immersion that is possible in modern animated films is so rich now that it is practically reality. “Frankenweenie,” the newest puppetry-style film from director Tim Burton, is heroically painted onto the screen’s canvas, but the limp retelling of the Frankenstein movie myth doesn’t live up to the visual tone.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Burton and screenplay writer John August fashion kid and animal characters that are reminiscent of the Universal Studios Frankenstein movies of the 1930s, and put them into the same situations – with variations for other monster movie tributes. Besides the poignant beginning regarding a boy and his dog, the rich look of the film and a strangely drawn science teacher, the story relies more on a kid crew that sounds and acts like Igor, Boris Karloff and of course the hero child Victor Frankenstein. They don’t do anything new, sharp or particularly funny, so essentially “Frankenweenie” ends up being a nice but predictable homage.

The setting is the America of the past, probably the late 1960s to early ‘70s. Victor Frankenstein (voice of Charlie Tahan) is a boy science nerd, with few friends, besides his loyal dog Sparky. Victor’s life changes when Sparky is killed in an accident, and he is further isolated in his life. But conditions are about to improve, as the new science teacher Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau), shows the class how extreme electricity can reanimate dead tissue.

Young Victor takes this to heart, and sets up an attic laboratory. He digs up Sparky and puts him through the treatment. The pooch is alive, once again. Victor now must hide his experiment from his mother and father (Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara) and his nosy classmate ‘E’ Gore (Atticus Shaffer), who can’t keep a secret. When the word of the miracle emerges, the townsfolk will gather pitchforks and torches to bring down this menace of science.

“Frankenweenie” opens everywhere on October 5th. See local listings for 3D show times. Featuring the voices of Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer. Screenplay by John August, story and characters by Tim Burton. Directed by Tim Burton. Rated “PG”

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Frankenweenie”

Victor Frankenstein (voice of Charlie Tahan) and Sparky from ‘Frankenweenie’
Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Frankenweenie”

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 ‘Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil’ DVDs With Hayden Panettiere

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:19:57 -0400

CHICAGO – In our latest comedy/animation/family edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 10 DVDs up for grabs in advance of the home entertainment release of “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil” with Hayden Panettiere!

“Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil” debuted on DVD on Aug. 16, 2011. The film also stars Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton, Martin Short, Amy Poehler, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, David Ogden Stiers, Cory Edwards, Brad Garrett, Andy Dick, David Alan Grier and Phil LaMarr from director Mike Disa and writers Cory Edwards and Todd Edwards.

To win your free “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil” DVD courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.

“Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil” debuted on DVD on Aug. 16, 2011.
Image credit: The Weinstein Company

Here is the plot description for “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil”:

The good… the bad… the Twitchy. The sequel finds our heroine, Red (Hayden Panettiere), training with a mysterious covert group called the Sisters of the Hood. But Red is forced to cut her training short when she gets an urgent call from Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers): the head of the super secret Happily Ever After (HEA) agency.

A wicked witch (Joan Cusack) has abducted two innocent children: Hansel (Bill Hader) and Gretel (Amy Poehler). Nicky needs the whole Hoodwinked gang – Red, Granny (Glenn Close), the ever-clueless Wolf (Patrick Warburton) and his over-caffeinated little partner Twitchy (Cory Edwards) – for the search-and-rescue mission.

The movie trailer for “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil” can be watched now below.

To secure your free DVD, you must be logged into your HollywoodChicago.com Web site account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having a free Web site account with a valid e-mail address is required to win this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup.

Next, simply answer our question below. You must submit your answer using this confidential, Web-based submission form. Comments have been disabled on this page.

You must include your first and last name, e-mail address and physical mailing address in your submission. Your personal information will not be sold or shared, will be kept strictly confidential and is only for awarding winning entries. You must own a DVD player. Please answer our question below.

Who would be the subject of your most important search-and-rescue mission?
Note: Comments have been disabled on this page.

This Hookup is simple: 10 lucky readers will be selected as the winners of our free “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil” DVD Hookup! The winners will be mailed their DVDs at our expense. Good luck!

Disclaimer
HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and
its partners and doesn’t assume any liability for this giveaway.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: 7-Portrait Comedian Gallery of 2011 ‘Just for Laughs Chicago’

PatrickMcD — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 01:27:39 -0400

CHICAGO – Last week, June 14-19, Chicago felt the roar of hilarity as it hosted the 2011 “Just for Laughs” festival, sponsored by the TBS Network. For five rollicking days, the Windy City entertained audiences at venues all around town, with both name comic celebrities, local stand-up and the Chicago school of improvisation.

HollywoodChicago.com’s Joe Arce was there to photograph the big name acts, collected in the following slideshow. Highlights include “Steve Martin and Martin Short in a Very Stupid Conversation” (June 19), Seth Meyers (June 18), “Jeffrey Ross Roasts Chicago” (June 17) and Whitney Cummings (June 16).

Click “Next” and “Previous to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All images © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.

Laughs1: Steve Martin begins his very stupid conversation with Martin Short.
Laughs2: Martin Short makes a point in his usual understated way.
Laughs3: Steve Martin has a point to make while at the Chicago Theater.
Laughs4: Martin Short just needs to sing.
Laughs5: Seth Meyers of “Saturday Night Live” onstage at the Vic Theatre, Chicago
Laughs6: Jeffrey Ross roasts Chicago as only he can.
Laughs7: Whitney Cummings demonstrates the Money Shot

TBS Network and Twix® bars presented “Just For Laughs Chicago” 2011. Click here to get Just for Laughs highlights on the TBS website.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Preview: 2011 TBS ‘Just for Laughs Chicago’ Kicks Off June 15

PatrickMcD — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:29:01 -0400

CHICAGO – Hilarity is back in the Windy City as the annual “Just for Laughs” festival comes to town to kick off summer. Over the next five days, Chicago venues will be rocking with comedy legends like Steve Martin, and the smaller clubs around town will also be featuring up-and-coming acts.

Every day through Saturday, June 18th, over one dozen acts and venues will be open to catch the hottest comedians working. HollywoodChicago.com has compiled the highlights of each day, with both the big acts and something more Chicago-centric to celebrate one of comedy’s great American cities. For a complete schedule, including ticket buying information, click here.

Scott Adsit and John Lutz of ‘Adsit and Lutz’
Photo credit: Just for Laughs

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15

”Adsit and Lutz” of “30 Rock”

The Producer (Scott Adsit as Pete Hornberger) and one of the Writers (John Lutz as Lutz) of the hilarious sitcom “30 Rock” make an appearance at the legendary Improv Olympic (IO) Theater near Wrigley Field, and will perform three shows of off-the-cuff improv. June 15, 10:30p & 11:59p and June 16, 10:30p, IO Theater, 3541 N. Clark St.

”Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film!”

The downtown Gene Siskel Film Center will be hosting comedy films and shorts throughout the Just for Laughs festival. “Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film!” is a documentary on the current indie comedy scene, and features “Flight of the Concords” favorite Kristen Schaal. June 15, 8p, Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

”Demetri Martin & Special Guests”

Demetri Martin hosts ‘Demetri Martin & Special Guests’
Photo credit: Just for Laughs

The deadpan surreal “alt” comic Demetri Martin hosts a night of off-kilter laughs at the historic Chicago Theater, with the subtitle stating “Who Are Also Comedians And Are Friends of His.” June 16, 7:30p, Chicago Theater, 175 N. State St.

”New Faces of Chicago”

Nick Vatterott hosts a showcase of Chicago’s newest and freshest comics at one of the coolest new venues in town, Lincoln Hall. You can say “I saw them when”… June 16, 7:30p, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.

FRIDAY, JUNE 17

”Joel McHale & Friends and Acquaintances”

The host of E! Network’s “The Soup” and the star of NBC’s “Community,” Joel McHale, will be hosting a night of his funniest compadres and barely known connections. June 17, 7:30p, Chicago Theater, 175 N. State St.

Joel McHale in ‘Joel McHale & Friends and Acquaintances’
Photo credit: Just for Laughs

”Jeffrey Ross Roasts Chicago”

The Roastmaster General of Comedy Central’s insult extravaganzas hits Chicago to present a piece of the roast to the city. The “Meanest Man in Comedy” will be going after Windy City legends and audience members. June 17, 7:30p, The Vic Theater, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave.

”The Andy Kaufman Funhouse”

Subtitled “Featuring the Andy Kaufman Award Winners and Finalists,” this night promises a cutting-edge and unconventional night of laughs in the spirit of the “Man on the Moon.” at an intimate comedy club on Chicago’s northside. June 17, 8p & 10p and June 18, 7p & 9p, Lincoln Lodge, 4008 N. Lincoln Ave.

Louis CK in ‘Louis CK & Three Very Special Guests’
Photo credit: Just for Laughs

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

”Louis CK & Three Very Special Guests”

Louis CK, one of the hottest and funniest comedians in the country, and the star of the cult FX sitcom “Louie,” brings his act to Just for Laughs with three special guests and two shows. June 18, 7:30p & 10:30p, Chicago Theater, 175 N. State St.

”Seth Meyers”

Saturday Night Live’s head writer, and anchor for “Weekend Update,” Seth Meyers returns to his Chicago roots (Northwestern University, IO) with his political and pop culture stand-up. June 18, 7:30p, The Vic Theater, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave.

”George Lopez & Russell Peters”

The host of “Lopez Tonight,” George Lopez, and Russell Peters (whose Green Card Tour performance was the highlight of last year’s Just for Laughs) combine for a multicultural comedy act in a venue just outside Chicago. June 18, 8p, The Rosemont Theater, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont, Illinois.

”Alone: Chicago’s Best Solo Acts”

The great (and typically Chicago) storefront theater The Playground hosts a night of solo artists for some different type of comedy. June 18, 10p, The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted.

’Steve Martin and Martin Short in a Very Stupid Conversation’
Photo credit: Just for Laughs

SUNDAY, JUNE 19

”Steve Martin and Martin Short in a Very Stupid Conversation”

Closing Night of Just for Laughs hits a grand slam with two comic legends. Steve Martin has done it all for over forty years, and Martin Short established a new wave of laughter with SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Yes, it will be stupid, but it also will be damn funny. June 19, 7:30p, Chicago Theater, 175 N. State St.

TBS Network and Twix Present “Just For Laughs Chicago,” Wednesday, June 15 through Sunday, June 19, 2011. Click here for FULL schedule and ticket information.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

TV Review: Rose Byrne, Glenn Close Return in ‘Damages’

BrianTT — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:27:41 -0500

CHICAGO – The second season of ‘Damages,’ recently released on DVD, was still quality television but felt like a bit of a letdown after the spectacular first season of this amazing show. Naturally, expectations are high for the premiere of season three. Will the show return to peak form, stabilize, or continue to slide? For now, it’s a hung jury.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

In its third year, the structure of “Damages” is familiar (and maybe too much so) - one large case throughout a season told in a chronologically jumping style, opening with a shocking moment and then working back and forth through time so the end of the season explains just how we got there. The first season featured a bloodied Rose Byrne running from an apartment building and the second her character shooting someone.

Damages
Photo credit: FX

The third season will work its way back to an opening car accident involving anti-hero Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), the tough-as-nails attorney who will go to any lengths to win a case. As we’ve learned over the course of two seasons, there’s really no line that Patty will not cross. Ellen (Rose Byrne), the woman whose life Patty both simultaneously destroyed and catapulted into the complex world of high-profile legal battles, hasn’t seen Patty in a year and comes back into her circle of chaos because of an internationally scandalous case of a businessman accused of defrauding his clients a la Bernie Madoff. A tagline of the season is “Main Street Has Taken Enough Bull” although one wonders if people haven’t moved on from the Madoff crisis, making the overall plot of “Damages” feel like something that would have played more strongly in the middle of last year.

Damages
Photo credit: FX

The financier at the center of this season of “Damages” is Louis Tobin (Len Cariou), a man with an entire family that will clearly play a role. Like Madoff’s family, the extended Tobin clan maintains innocence and works to keep secrets. Son Joe Tobin (Campbell Scott) appears to honestly want to come forward and clear his name but family attorney Leonard Winstone (Martin Short) keeps him and Louis’ wife Marilyn (Lily Tomlin) on a short leash.

Like season one, Hewes is once again working for a large group of people after being hired by the U.S. government to recover billions of dollars in assets from the largest investment fraud in U.S. history. When Ellen’s boss begins investigating the Tobin case, she gets sucked back into the Hewes-verse. Keith Carradine will also guest star and Ted Danson is reportedly returning later in the season as the legendary Arthur Frobisher.

The first episode of this season of “Damages” hints at a softening of Patty Hewes. She is hit on by someone (Carradine) at a dinner party and then gets into the car accident that will be the center of the show. When she gets out of the car, whoever hit her has fled. Just by making Hewes the victim of an apparent crime instead of the perpetrator changes the “Damages” dynamic a bit. It’s a softening that seems more prominent when she unexpectedly offers Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan) his name above the door (although, of course, there could be ulterior motives there).

It’s too soon to tell where “Damages” is going. The cast this season is typically fantastic with particularly surprising work from Short, someone completely believable as a high-priced NYC lawyer. Tomlin has always been underrated and one gets the feeling that Campbell Scott could steal the entire season. He’s always fantastic and perfectly cast here. Close, Byrne, Donovan have been great since the first episode and that’s not about to change. The ensemble is the best thing about “Damages” and one of the most talented on television.

As for the writing, the jury is still out. I think the structure of “Damages” and the way it flashes back and forth is becoming a bit of a distraction. The first season would have been dramatically resonant without it. A structure like this needs to be a cherry on the sundae, not the scoop and it feels like it’s being over-used at the beginning of the third crazy case of Patty and Ellen’s life. I suppose getting rid of it at this point would be like asking “24” to take place over two days, but they could pull back on the use of it and focus on the characters without bouncing around quite so much. I swear the first episode has a title card that says “6 Months Later” a dozen times.

Ultimately, “Damages” is one of the best shows on television because it has one of the best ensembles. Close, Byrne, Donovan, Short, Scott, Tomlin - all possible nominees as soon as this season is eligible for awards. That kind of acting must be seen, even if the writing may not be what it used to be. And with a cast this talented and a set-up this interesting, there’s no reason to believe that this won’t develop into a more consistent season than the last, one that started strongly but ended somewhat cluttered and uninspired. Like a complicated case, it’s hard to judge until we hear from the last witness. I will say that the end of the first episode features a shocking moment that will shake the show forever and make it hard NOT to watch through this season’s closing arguments.

Damages
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Home Video

Season two of “Damages” was recently released on DVD to coincide with the debut of season three.

Official synopsis: “The second season of this Emmy Award-winning show comes to DVD! After her unprecedented victory over billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) has the legal world at her feet. Just as she’s pondering her next move, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), a man from Patty’s past, throws her into a new legal challenge. What starts as a domestic murder case escalates into the highest reaches of government as Patty unearthes a vast conspiracy.

At the same time, Ellen (Rose Byrne) is on a mission to take down Patty. She’s agreed to act as an informant for the F.B.I., assisting them in their criminal investigation of Patty and the firm. As Patty unraveles the mystery surrounding Daniel Purcell, she must also negotiate the perilous minefields both inside and outsife her office. Also starring Tate Donovan, Marcia Gay Arden, Timothy Olyphant, Ted Danson and William Hurt.”

Special Features:

o Cast and Crew Commentaries (2.1 - “I Lied, Too”; 2.8 - “They Had to Tweeze That Out of My Kidney”; 2.12 - “Look What He Dug Up This Time”; 2.13 - “Trust Me”)
o Deleted Scenes
o Season 1 Recap
o Season Two: Post Mortem
o 7 Character Profiles

‘Damages,’ which airs on FX, stars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Martin Short, Lily Tomlin, Campbell Scott, and Len Cariou. The third season premiere airs on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 9PM CST.

‘Damages: Season Two’ was released by Sony Pictures Home Video on DVD and stars Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, and Timothy Olyphant. The 3-disc set was released on January 19th, 2010 and is unrated. It runs approximately 504 minutes.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview Highlights of 2009: Quentin Tarantino, Jason Reitman, Rachel Weisz, More

BrianTT — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:42:49 -0500

CHICAGO – The staff at HollywoodChicago.com met with some living legends and some rising stars in 2009. As we prepare to bring you even more in 2010, we thought we’d look back at a few of our favorite quotes from the year. Enjoy.

Highlights of the year in chronological order:

Writer/Director Kyle Newman on the troubled production of “Fanboys” - ““It was very disheartening to watch everything that you’ve done positive be undermined in a week by a bunch of idiots, this team that was brought in to do this. Mainly just the director who they brought in to re-shape it who was opening his mouth online and really offending our core audience. So, I was shocked. I was like, “Oh my God.” It was just getting out of control and here we are on the sidelines and I’m watching the movie fall apart. I’m watching our fanbase dissipate.””

Writer/Director Henry Selick (“Coraline”) on taking chances with modern animation - “And I am not just talking about stuff like Robot Chicken or South Park. The current version of Batman is dark—it is great and beautifully art-directed and that is what my 10-year-old loves the most. I think it is a strange thing, with movies in particular, that people want to pretend that it is 20 years ago and there is no Internet or adventurous animation on television—that is where we are being prevented from reaching kids.”

Craig Robinson in “The Office”
Photo credit: AP Photo/NBC

Actor Craig Robinson on “The Office” - “The show will always have a lot of heart even though it is set in a world where the most outrageous things can happen. I am actually surprised sometimes on how much heart they put in it, balanced with the humor.”

Actor Tony Curtis on what advice he would give his younger self: “Pay attention to everyone around you. Learn little subtleties about what the human condition is like. You’ll meet people who don’t ever express who they are or what they want to be. We’re all made up of secrets.”

Actress Angie Dickinson on her career - “Some roles were great, some not so great. But just like a ballplayer, if you hit .375 that’s not too bad.”

James Toback and Mike Tyson
Photo credit: Tracey Morris, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Writer/Director James Toback on his subject’s response to seeing his film “Tyson” - “People always used to say they were afraid of me and I wondered, ‘Why? What are you afraid of? Why would people be scared of me?’ Watching the film tonight I realized that I’m scared of that guy.””

Writer/Director Pete Docter (“Up”) on what makes Pixar unique - “We have a system where people are selfless about giving up their own time, their own energy, their own comments,” says Docter. “Brad [Bird] will be off in the middle of directing something and we’ll drag him in to watch this movie and he’ll spew out all these great ideas that I get to use and then I’ll do the same with whoever comes along next. Between that and the philosophy of “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not taking enough risk.” We’re sort of expected to fail along the way. It’s expected that we’re going to falter and pull the emergency cord and get everybody on board to make this good.”

Actress Rachel Weisz on her chemistry with Adrien Brody in “The Brothers Bloom” - “You just get to know them. That stuff is very unconscious. You can’t make chemistry happen. It just have to happen. You’re playing a character and what happens between the characters is what happens. It’s fiction, but it’s real.”

Writer/Director Duncan Jones in the inspiration for “Moon” - “Most of the stuff was quite personal, to be honest. Story-wise, it was really something that I came up with because I wanted to address a few things in my own experience - the idea of being able to meet yourself and talk to a younger version of yourself and maybe give yourself a little slap. Or tell yourself that everything is going to be okay. That was something I found interesting and assumed that everyone has gone through - wanting to be able to tell the younger you that either everything is going to be fine or that you need to change something.”

Writer/Director Harold Ramis on the ensemble approach to comedy - “Well, you know, I can only think of one comedy director who does it all. That’s Woody Allen. He trusts his own instincts totally. I come from the kind of comedy where it’s only funny and as good as the people
around you. People think directors tell actors what to do, but essentially a big part of the job is hiring the person who’s already doing it right or already doing it better than you even imagined it.”

Writer, director and actor Harold Ramis strikes a pose for his hometown HollywoodChicago.com
lens before being honored with the Just for Laughs lifetime achievement award at the Chicago
premiere of his latest film “Year One” on June 16, 2009 in Chicago.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Actor Martin Short remembering friends Gilda Radner and John Candy - “Gilda and John were two very close friends of mine, and they are the same memories that you would have with any close friends. A million laughs, a million funny dinners and hysterical moments. Great times. I can see them walking through that tent (pointing) right now. Sometimes when you so saturated with people they never leave you. That is what is great about them.”

Writer/Director Neil Blomkamp on Peter Jackson’s involvement with “District 9” - “When I got Halo and when they helped me make District 9, I was very grateful. To give a film as big as Halo to a first-time director was a big deal and that hinged on Pete. When that collapsed, they allowed this to happen. When I was making the film, you get lulled into a sense of repetition. You’re existing and not thinking because you’re working like a motherf**ker. At the end, now that the film is done, I’m starting to realize again how appreciative I am. It’s pretty rare for a first time filmmaker to get “go off and make what you want to make”.”

FX’s ‘Damages’ Adds New Cast Members For Third Season

BrianTT — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:58:58 -0400

CHICAGO – FX’s award-winning legal thriller “Damages” is adding four new actors, Campbell Scott (“Royal Pains”), Martin Short (“Primetime Glick”), Lily Tomlin (“Desperate Housewives”) and Keith Carradine (“Dexter”), to the cast for the upcoming season which premiers in January. Production on the series 13-episode season begins in New York tomorrow.

Glenn Close in Damages.
Photo credit: FX

Scott, Short, Tomlin and Carradine join series stars Close, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan on the hit series. Other actors appearing in the upcoming third season will include Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“John Adams”), Michael Gaston (“Fringe”) and Darren Goldstein will reprise his role as Chris Sharp.

For a second year, “Damages” received seven Emmy Award nominations, with Glen Close winning her second Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role of ruthless attorney Patty Hewes. Byrne received her first Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series for her role of Patty’s protégé Ellen Parsons.

Close is the first actress from a basic cable series to win the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama. Zeljko Ivanek became the first actor from a basic cable series to take home an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Drama Series and “Damages” was the first basic cable series to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series. “Damages” earned the most Golden Globe nominations of any series during the show’s first season.

During the past two seasons, “Damages” featured the most impressive cast members and co-stars out of any series on television - Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, Anastasia Griffith, Noah Bean, Tom Aldrege, Philip Bosco, Nichael Nouri, Peter Facinelli, Peter Reigert, Mario Von Peebles, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Kevin Corrigan, Paige Turco, Tom Noonan, and Garret Dillahunt.

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

Just for Laughs Chicago: Martin Short on His Own Character

PatrickMcD — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:21:23 -0400

CHICAGO – Martin Short, the classic comic performer of SCTV, Saturday Night Live and film, came to Chicago as part of Superstation TBS “Just for Laughs” Festival, hosting and performing in the “Let Freedom Hum” revue on June 17th.

Martin Short (as Lawrence Orbach) and friend as part of ‘Just for Laughs’ Chicago
Photo credit: ©2009 Jeremy Freeman for TBS ‘Just for Laughs’ Chicago

Dusting off some of his famous characters, like inept talk show host Jiminy Glick, Short also introduced some of the top comedy stand-up talent in the country, including John Pinnette, Tom Papa, Greg Giraldo, Jeremy Hotz and Kathleen Madigan.

HollywoodChicago.com caught up with Short right after the taping of the special, which will air June 26th on TBS (check listings). He spoke about the Canadian sensibility of comedy, the two second cities and some memories of then and now.

HollywoodChicago.com: How did being born and raised in Canada inform and help develop the comedy that came out of your particular early era (the one that evolved into SCTV)?

Martin Short: I think in Canada we got a lot of other sensibilities, while getting the American comedy sensibility. We got ABC, NBC, CBS…but also BBC 1&2 and CBC and CTV. We got shows like Benny Hill before America and the Pythons right when they started. And that did influence people like Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, my SCTV colleagues and myself. The absurdity was more of the common strain, rather than, for example, political satire.

HC: What, in your experience, was the main difference between Chicago’s Second City troupe and Toronto’s version in your early career?

MS: I always thought Chicago’s Second City was politically more astute and there were more characters and insanity going on at the Second City in Toronto.

Martin Short in Chicago on June 17, 2009
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

HC: How did it feel to do some of your old characters in “Let Freedom Hum”?

MS: This was fun, there were a lot of characters I hadn’t done in a long time. Lawrence Orbach, insecure stand-up comedian, is a character I haven’t done in 20 years, so that was kind of cool.

It’s the Day in the Life of a Stand-up, we see Lawrence at home. And then when we tried his material at a club, it was expected to bomb, but it didn’t so we had to change the tone of the whole piece (laughs).

HC: When you did your character of talk show host Jiminy Glick, is it more fun to do that with comedians, because they are into it?

MS: All characters are different, some are written and structured, Jiminy Glick is a weird one for me, I just talk. I look back at the playback later and think, ‘what the…’, did I say that? I use expressions I’ve never used before, it’s all very perverse.

HC: Peter Sellers once said that he didn’t know where his characters ended and he began. You are known for getting completely immersed in your characters. Do you ever have the same feeling as Sellers had and why?

MS: I would never even try to put myself in the same camp as Peter Sellers.

I do think that sometimes you can hopefully get so lost in a character that your improvising within that character and staying with it through the character.

I never have problems shaking a character. I’m not that good (laughs). Peter was different at that.

HC: What are your favorite memories of Gilda Radner and John Candy, now that it’s been awhile since they’ve unfortunately passed?

MS: Gilda and John were two very close friends of mine, and they are the same memories that you would have with any close friends. A million laughs, a million funny dinners and hysterical moments. Great times.

I can see them walking through that tent (pointing) right now. Sometimes when you so saturated with people they never leave you. That is what is great about them.

Martin Short’s “Let Freedom Hum” will air Friday, June 26th on Superstation TBS. Check listings for show time. ‘Just for Laughs’ Chicago runs through June 21st, 2009. Click here for tickets and details.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Interview: ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ Writer Holly Black on First Feature Film

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 04:19:52 -0500

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com publisher Adam Fendelman has interviewed “The Spiderwick Chronicles” writer and co-executive producer Holly Black about her first feature-film fantasy adaptation, why she loves fairies so much and how she developed the film’s unique characters.

Click here to listen to the Holly Black interview!

“The Spiderwick Chronicles,” which opened on Feb. 14, stars Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, David Strathairn, Seth Rogen and Martin Short.

Click here to see our huge “The Spiderwick Chronicles” image gallery!

“The Spiderwick Chronicles” writer Holly Black
Image courtesy of Holly Black

Freddie Highmore in “The Spiderwick Chronicles”.
Image credit: IMDb

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com