The Happening

Chicago’s ‘August: Osage County’ Shines at Tony Awards; ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Gets Green Light

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:56:01 -0700

CHICAGO – The 62nd-annual Tony Awards, which were held on Sunday night, reflect a diverse but weak year for original theatre. Revivals bested originals nine to two.

Taking home the most awards that night with seven was Bartlett Sher’s revival of the Oscar Hammerstein classic “South Pacific”. The original musical “In the Heights” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “August: Osage County” got three and four awards respectively.

“August: Osage County” got its start at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Company member Rondi Reed took home the Tony for best actress in a play.

Though the Tony Awards were one night celebrating American theatre, sources point to the stagehand strike and a lack of runaway hits like “Spring Awakening” or “Jersey Boys” this year as the foundation for Broadway failing to set new box-office records as it has done the past three years. The full list of the 2008 Tony Awards follows.

Book (musical): “Passing Strange” (Stew)
Original score (music and/or lyrics): “In the Heights” (music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda)
Revival (play): “Boeing-Boeing”
Revival (musical): “South Pacific”
Actor (play): Mark Rylance, “Boeing-Boeing”
Actress (play): Deanna Dunagan, “August: Osage County”
Actor (musical): Paulo Szot, “South Pacific”
Actress (musical): Patti LuPone, “Gypsy”
Featured actor (play): Jim Norton, “The Seafarer”
Featured actress (play): Rondi Reed, “August: Osage County”
Featured actor (musical): Boyd Gaines, “Gypsy”
Featured actress (musical): Laura Benanti, “Gypsy”
Direction (play): Anna D. Shapiro, “August: Osage County”
Direction (musical): Bartlett Sher, “South Pacific”
Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, “In the Heights”
Orchestrations: Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman, “In the Heights”
Scenic design (play): Todd Rosenthal, “August: Osage County”
Scenic design (musical): Michael Yeargen, “South Pacific”
Costume design (play): Katrina Lindsay, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”
Costume design (musical): Catherine Zuber, “South Pacific”
Lighting design (play): Kevin Adams, “The 39 Steps”
Lighting design (musical): Donald Holder, “South Pacific”
Sound design (play): Mic Pool, “The 39 Steps”
Sound design (musical): Scott Lehrer, “South Pacific”

Previously Announced:
Regional Theater Tony Award: Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Special Tony Award: Robert Russell Bennett
Lifetime Achievement Award: Stephen Sondheim

In other news, the graphic novel “Cowboys & Aliens” is coming to the big screen. Robert Downey Jr. is currently in talks for the starring role as a former Union Army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson. Even though the comic book has only been out a few years, the film has been in development for the last decade.

The comic cover for “Cowboys & Aliens”.
Image credit: Platinum Studios Comics

The latest draft of the screenplay was written by Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus (“Iron Man,” “Children of Men”). DreamWorks and Universal are currently seeking a 2010 release for the film. The story conceived by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley follows the adventures of Old West settlers, Native Americans and – of course – aliens from space.

Finally, the big green brought the green into the movie theaters this weekend. “The Incredible Hulk” took the No. 1 spot at the box office with Jack Black’s “Kung Fu Panda” coming in second. M. Night Shamalyan’s “The Happening” performed better than expected.

Weekend Box-Office Estimates:
1) “The Incredible Hulk”: $54.5 million (gross), $54.5 million (cume)
2) “Kung Fu Panda”: $34.3 million (gross), $118.0 million (cume)
3) “The Happening”: $30.5 million (cume), $30.5 million (cume)
4) “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”: $16.4 million (gross), $68.8 million (cume)
5) “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”: $13.5 million (gross), $275.3 million (cume)

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Podcast, Episode 1: Summer Blockbusters

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:37:53 -0700

CHICAGO – In the inaugural HollywoodChicago.com podcast, our staffers debate 2008’s summer blockbuster films. Staffers Adam Fendelman, Dustin Levell, Patrick McDonald and Lauren Fendelman all chime in and cast their predictions on this 24-minute podcast.

Our discussion covers the full gamut of summer blockbuster films including “The Dark Knight,” “Wanted,” “WALL-E,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Get Smart,” “The Happening,” “Hancock,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Iron Man,” “The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” “The Rocker,” “Step Brothers,” “Pineapple Express,” “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Tropic Thunder”.

Listen to the episode-one podcast immediately in streaming mode.
Download the full HollywoodChicago.com episode-one podcast now.
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Subscribe to the HollywoodChicago.com podcast in iTunes.

Clockwise from left to right: HollywoodChicago.com staffers Adam Fendelman, Lauren Fendelman, Patrick McDonald and Dustin Levell discuss 2008’s summer blockbuster films in episode one of the HollywoodChicago.com podcast.
Image credit: HollywoodChicago.com

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

M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Happening’ a Creepy, Paranoid Ride Through Today’s Environment

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:56:44 -0700

CHICAGO – Trying to understand the thought process of writer and director M. Night Shyamalan is akin to analyzing Jell-O. What keeps it wiggling and what binds it together?

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“The Happening,” which is his latest creepy film, is a modern cautionary tale ripped from the collective sensibilities of life after Sept. 11, 2001 and the status of human beings in their interaction with today’s environment.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Happening” in our reviews section.

View our full “The Happening” image gallery.

Mark Wahlberg stars as Elliot Moore: a sensitive high school science teacher in Philadelphia. When an incident occurs in New York City, the whole northeastern part of the United States is put on alert.

Another teacher, Julian (John Leguizamo), manages to get train tickets for himself and his daughter to a more rural area. He invites Elliot and his emotionally distant wife, Alma (Zooey Deschanel), to travel with them in hopes of staying clear of the impending trouble.

The train is forced to stop because of communication problems and a paranoia of “every man for himself” creeps into the evacuees. Groups split up and start off by car – and then by foot – hoping to hide deeply into rural Pennsylvania.

Episodes of strange, chilling deaths that defy reason and boggle the mind in their shocking destructiveness erupt in major American cities in “The Happening”.
Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal, 20th Century Fox

Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) and Alma (Zooey Deschanel) take a closer look at an encroaching and powerful threat in “The Happening”.
Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal, 20th Century Fox

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “The Happening” review.