QPORIT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Jagger

MICK JAGGER PROMO

Just a little bit of background about the artists: Mick is just a bit older than most of the SNL audience.

MICK JAGGER, an Englishman, more properly known as Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, once a student at the London School of Economics, once a "bad-boy" now properly knighted, born July 26, 1943 (68 yrs old), has been the lead singer of the Rolling Stones for roughly 50 years.

The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger became famous (or notorious) for their songs, (including "I Can't Get No... Satisfaction" and "Sympathy For The Devil"), as well as for their sexual liaisons, and their drug use.

MICK JAGGER ON WIKIPEDIA

THE ROLLING STONES ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones

Jagger has also worked as a producer, writer, musician and actor in movies and television:

MICK JAGGER ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001396/#Actor

The FOO FIGHTERS is an American band, founded in Seattle in 1994 after the death of Kurt Cobain, by Dave Grohl, formerly the drummer in Nirvana.

FOO FIGHTERS ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_Fighters

ARCADE FIRE is a Canadian band, known for their use of a multitude of instruments. They won a Grammy for Album Of The Year ("Suburbs") in 2011, along with many other awards.

ARCADE FIRE ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_Fire

JEFF BECK (67) is one of the great guitarists of Rock & Roll history! He performed with The Yardbirds, with many musicians including Mick Jagger, and as a solo artist.

JEFF BECK ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Beck

Here are links to some of the movies and music of Mick Jagger, Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire and Jeff Beck!

.........

AND HERE IS THE RECAP OF TONIGHT'S SNL:

This was a pretty good SNL. After a soft open, it came alive whenever Mick Jagger was on, and finished well.

COLD OPEN: LAWRENCE WELK -- Jon Hamm plays a Lawrence Welk Italian romantic singer. The Manneken Pis & Kristen Wiig scene is sort of amusing, but not much heft in this sketch. Not one of the great giggly skits, or super opens.

MONOLOG – Mick Jagger is terrific in one of the best SNL monologues ever. His favorite band, he says in a FAQ he asks and answers himself, (other than the Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, and the Rolling Stones) is… the FreeCreditReport.com band.

AD (real) -- A clever (real) ad for Google Chrome. There were a lot of good film ads on the show. But added to too many not-so-good (not film) ads, it was another night of commercials interrupted by sketches.

GAME SHOW: THE SECRET WORD – Somehow this tired concept seemed fresh and hilarious tonight. Jagger was a hoot as a flamingly fey action hero movie star.

KILT -- Are you BRAVE enough to wear one? Honestly, I’m not sure if this was a clever real commercial for Disney’s BRAVE, or a fake commercial, or a funny fake commercial that’s actually a real commercial. BRAVE is a real animated film, opening wide in June, set in the mythical, mystical Scottish Highlands.

INSURANCE CONFERENCE AFTERPARTY KARAOKE – Jagger plays Kevin, a sad shy soul who can’t get up and sing. Two guys sing Stones’ songs really badly, and two girls love it, while Kevin complains they’re not doing it right. And the girls leave with the guys, leaving him alone. He sings “Satisfaction” really badly to himself… and even when he sings it really badly, it’s terrific, terribly sad, about someone who really can’t get no satisfaction. A classic sketch. Jagger is very sharp, and might think about trading in his day job (or night job, more accurately) for a gig as a comedian and actor. I think he’s been seriously under-used as an actor in films.

LAZY SUNDAY – I never figured out what was going on here. I’ll have to see it again on a clip. Is this a real fake ad for SISTER ACT and Broadway? Or the opposite?

AL SHARPTON & POLITICS NATION – Not a very well constructed sketch, but it had its funny moments. Sharpton calls J P Morgan “gyp Morgan.” Jagger as a financial spokesman talks doubletalk. And Sharpton mispronounces and misunderstands everything. Remember Fractured French? Call this Fractured English.

JAGGER AND ANGEL FIRE – Sounds great. Jagger’s energy is contagious. I heard the words “the last time” many times, but I never quite understood what happened for the last time. Ah lyrics!

WEEKEND UPDATE – Not an especially funny episode. (FYI – Carlton Banks was a character played by Alfonso Ribeiro on Will Smith’s The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.) Stefan has never been funny and gets less funny each time. (But, to be fair, there was one good line – a “roaming dragger” is “a dog with short legs and a long penis”). Not a good choice for the last Update of the year.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AT AN OUTDOOR MUSIC FESTIVAL – This would have been a terrible sketch, but it was saved, first by the impression of Santana, and then by the role-reversal we’ve been waiting for: Mick Jagger impersonating Steve Tyler (instead of the other way around).

MICK JAGGER WITH FOO FIGHTERS – An even better sound than the first musical set, but the lyrics were repetitive, repetitive, repetitive, re…etc. Ah lyrics!

THE CALIFORNIANS – I like this sketch. It has no big point, but so many little digs at soaps & Californians that it’s still fun.

MICK JAGGER, JEFF BECK AND BLUES. – Sounds fantastic! Jeff Beck is amazing! The lyrics not so much. With the right words this could have been a world class event. I’ve got doubts about the wisdom of the words. Ah lyrics!

GRADUATING CLASS – The last show of the year; some cast members will not be returning. Kristen Wiig has been, for many years and many, many sketches, one of the biggest breakout, most versatile, funniest female (or other) cast members on SNL ever. She was saying goodbye to everyone. (Hopefully, she’ll be reincarnated as a host.)

I enjoyed the show, especially when Mick Jagger was on. I hope we'll see more of him in films! The GRADUATING CLASS sketch was rather touching and a worthy end to the season!

HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL SNL STORIES IN QPORIT:

SNL -- MAY 12, 2012 -- WILL FERRELL WITH USHER

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/05/snl-may-12-2012-will-ferrell-with-usher.html

SNL -- MAY 5, 2012 -- ELI MANNING WITH RIHANNA

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/05/snl-may-5-2012-eli-manning-with.html

SNL -- APR 14, 2012 -- JOSH BROLIN WITH GOTYE

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/04/snl-apr-14-2012-josh-brolin-with-gotye.html

SNL -- MAR 3, 2012 -- LINDSAY LOHAN WITH JACK WHITE

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/03/snl-mar-3-2012-lindsay-lohan-with-jack.html

SNL -- FEB 11, 2012 -- ZOOEY DESCHANEL WITH KARMIN...

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/02/snl-feb-11-2012-zooey-deschanel-with.html

SNL -- JAN 21, 2012 -- EMMA STONE & COLDPLAY (rerun from Nov 12, 2011)

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/01/snl-jan-21-2012-emma-stone-coldplay.html

SNL -- JAN 14, 2012 -- DANIEL RADCLIFFE WITH LANA DEL REY

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/01/snl-jan-14-2012-daniel-radcliffe-with.html

SNL -- DEC 10, 2011 -- KATY PERRY WITH ROBYN

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/snl-katy-perry-with-robyn.html

SNL -- DEC 3, 2011 -- STEVE BUSCEMI WITH THE BLACK KEYS

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/12/snl-steve-buscemi-and-black-kids.html

SKETCH HIGHLIGHT CLIPS

MICK JAGGER MONOLOGUE

MICK JAGGER WITH ARCADE FIRE -- "THE LAST TIME"

MICK JAGGER WITH FOO FIGHTERS - MEDLEY

KARAOKE

SHE'S A RAINBOW -- FAREWELL HOMAGE TO KRISTEN WIIG

SLEEP NO MORE

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:06:55 PDT

SLEEP NO MORE
Nicholas Bruder as Macbeth and Sophie Bortolussi as Lady Macbeth
Photo by Yaniv_Schulman

SLEEP NO MORE is a hypnotic, atmospheric, brilliant, amazing, immersive, interactive, theater/dance/movement/art-installation/mystery/adventure. It has been said to induce insomnia.

Based loosely on that Scottish play (the title comes from Act 2 Scene 2) plus a dash of Hitchcock, it takes place in a long abandoned, but newly, intricately restored hotel in Chelsea. You, entering this building through a dark corridor, divest yourself of coats and packages, take a playing card which is your entrance key, don a mask -- Eyes-Wide-Shut-like -- embark on an elevator from which you are dropped off on one of six or so dark floors nearly every inch of which contains something strange and interesting, left to examine the space on your own, find the cast of players (recognizable because they are maskless/barefaced), and experience whatever may happen.

What happens is breathtaking set-pieces of movement, fascinating spaces, mostly ominous music, a story that is hard (nay, impossible) to follow on a single visit, and surprises.

The movement/dance in the set-pieces, suggestive of singular moments from the sources, but almost wordless, are fantastic.

See it if you can. See it again if you can.

SLEEP NO MORE, created by Punchdrunk.

www.sleepnomorenyc.com

SNL -- MAY 12, 2012 -- WILL FERRELL WITH USHER

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:23:25 PDT

WILL FERRELL, one of the breakout stars from SNL, returns tonight as host, with musical guest, USHER:

This was a consistently funny, sometimes surreal, but rarely outrageous, SNL. Even the Weekend Update, which usually hovers between pretty good and uninteresting, was consistently funny; though to be honest I’m not sure what to make of Liam Neeson. The show was kind of top-loaded; it ended with amusing sketches, but no great finishing punch.

Almost every sketch was a mini-classic in its own way.

Here's a re-cap of the show: (See below for video clips!)

Cold open -- Biden and Barack on gay marriage, toy trains, and Biden’s "imaginary" friend, George (Bush, stuck in a closet these four years looking for a blue butterfly – “ ‘Mission Accomplished’ – That’s what I say when a problem isn’t solved, but I don’t want to talk about it any more."). Great OPEN.

Monolog – a Will Ferrell original Mother’s Day message for his mom!

A COLD MEDICINE (AD) -- Hilarious Will Ferrell sneezing. (“Just sneeze like a normal person!”)

LGBT DANCE – Will Ferrell’s classic – tho’ never very funny – old fuddy-duddy teachers talking and singing and playing piano. Nice sounding song with funny lyrics. Even if it’s not terribly funny, it was nice to see them again.

1994 ESPN CLASSIC WOMEN’S LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP SPONSORED BY MAXIPADS – Funny plugs for maxipads; sidekick who oscillates between honest assessments that deflate the anchor’s hype, and clueless idiocy. Meanwhile a TV on-site reporter is unprepared to report on the OJ driving in the Broncho story.

100^TH SNL DIGITAL SHORT – A tribute to the SNL digital short, suckin’ their own dongs & all. (But no laser cats.)

USHER -- Seemed to be having fun! (but was that a little bit of fumbling with the props?) High energy entertaining!

WEEKEND UPDATE – Funny all the way through. Best line – to Time Magazine, on the picture of the older boy standing on a chair breast-feeding -- “You should have photo-shopped out the chair. (Illustration supplied.) In The Cage with Liam Neeson (& Nicholas Cage): Liam seemed less happy to be there than even the real Cage was when he showed up. Most guests seem to be playing along; Liam seemed to be steamed. It was perhaps a great absurdist rendition of an unhappy guest at an imbecilic interview. Cage’s next film: he plays a rogue marble that escaped from hell.

FUNKYTOWN DEBATE -- This surreal debate of candidates for the mayor of Funkytown was played with great restraint, perhaps catching the true spirit of the least useful debates, which still, despite everything, tell us something of the inner nature of the candidates...

BROADWAY SIZZLE -- A local live reality show in which singers come to an open mike. Will Ferrell keeps singing songs that he suddenly realizes, in the middle, should be sung by a girl, not a boy… durn it. An amusing sketch.

USHER – strikes quite a different tone here than in his first number.

HAPPY 25^TH ANNIVERSARY -- Strange relatives and stranger strangers grab the mike at a couple’s 25^th anniversary party. – (Note: The sketch is OK, but not the most inspired of the night. The show is losing steam. The last ten minutes should be the time for the truly inspired raunchy sketches.)

ALMOST PIZZA (AD) It looks like pizza. But it’s not pizza.

Note: Mick Jagger hosts the season finale.

I enjoyed the show. I'm looking forward to Jagger as host.

SNL - HOME

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002071/

WILL FERRELL ON IMDB

WILL FERRELL ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Ferrell

USHER ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usher_(entertainer)

CLICK ON THE ICON FOR ACCESS TO WILL FERRELL'S FILMS:

CLICK ON THE ICON FOR ACCESS TO USHER'S MUSIC:

SELECTED CLIPS

COLD OPEN - OBAMA VISITS BIDEN

COLD COMMERCIAL

THE 100TH - AN SNL DIGITAL SHORT

FUNKYTOWN DEBATE

WEEKEND UPDATE: REALLY??? - TIME MAGAZINE COVER

FOR ALL SNL CLIPS & FULL EPISODES:
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/

STREAMING MEDIA EAST 2012 - MAY 14-16

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:18:17 PDT

Alas, too many tech events are held out west.

But Hey! Streaming Media East is one of the premier tech events -- it's in New York and it arrives next week!

STREAMING MEDIA EAST 2012

MAY 14-16

For a complete program see:

STREAMING MEDIA EAST -- THE PROGRAM
http://www.streamingmedia.com/conferences/East2012/Program.aspx

STREAMING MEDIA - HOME PAGE
http://www.streamingmedia.com/

SNL -- MAY 5, 2012 -- ELI MANNING WITH RIHANNA

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sat, 05 May 2012 23:59:57 PDT

Eli Manning is the quarterback of the Superbowl winning New York Giants football team.

Singer Rihanna has been called the "Most Beautiful Woman in the World"

The show was a mid-level SNL. It was good humored. Eli was a good sport, and appeared in many sketches, but his flat delivery, which was the impetus for many of those sketches, tamped down most of the results to humorous, from what might have been hilarious.

Here's a brief summary of the show --

COLD OPEN - FOX & FRIENDS -- in a quick and efficient segment they effectively skewered the Fox Morning Show, an easy target to be sure. What would comedians do without Fox? But Fox never changes. (Ridicule, humiliation, and the like may once have been instruments of change -- not so much, anymore. In fact, some careers are built from it.)

OPENING MONOLOG -- Good humored but a bit stiff. “I finally feel like a real New Yorker. “ “I play for the NY Giants and all my games are in NJ”

AMAZON COMMERCIAL – Funny advertising parody. As the family brings in Mother’s Day gifts, the moms are all discovered reading Fifty Shades of Grey. They should get it on their Kindle.

EA SPORTS MOTION CAPTURE STUDIO – The studio is looking to film a signature Touchdown Celebration Move. Eli Manning can’t deliver anything but bland. This is the first of several humorous, but not terribly funny, parodies of Eli’s personality.

REAL KINDLE COMMERCIAL “Light my fire!” (Nice when they parody a commercial before the real commercial.)

TRIAL – Eli Manning gives murder testimony – zillions of messages to women to establish an alibi. But when it gets to revealing his search requests, he’d rather confess to the murder. Humorous.

LITTLE BROTHERS – Eli defends little brothers against their bullying big brothers. “Treat your younger brother with respect, Peyton.” (Note to the sports-clueless: Peyton Manning, Superbowl winning quarterback for the Denver Broncos, is Eli’s older brother.)

WXPD NEWS NY – The Old Reporter on site at Occupy Wall Street. The concept is better than the sketch. They’ve done versions of this sketch before. It’s not funny. Never was. And this version's even less funny than other times.

RIHANNA -- I like the look, but the sounds don't do it for me (baby).

WEEKEND UPDATE – OK jokes. Special appearances by the Tanning Mom (“You look like a baseball glove.") and Admiral General Almadeen, the Dictator (who brought along Martin Scorcese to provide a good review for THE DICTATOR under torture).

WHAT IS THIS? – THE WORLD’S EASIEST GAME SHOW -- This was the best sketch idea of the night, but the execution was a bit lame. Game Hostess is a pretty woman who introduces the 3 contestants and mentions she's been dating contestant #3 (Eli). Contestant #1 is shown a picture of a tree. Q – What is this? A – Tree. Contestant #2 is shown a picture of a house (or anything). Q – What is this? A – A house. Contestant #3 is Eli Manning. Q – So we’ve been going out for 4 months, what I want to know is What is this???

HELGA LATELY - Swedish gibberish. Simple gibberish with an occasional English word (usually about sex). Eli’s flat version of gibberish was actually the funniest.

RIHANNA – “Where have you been all my life?” -- Kind of a ridiculous song and a ridiculous dance, but silly enough to be fun.

DRAGWORLD -- Eli is the second runner up in the DRAG WORLD Pageant. Not winning, he storms off. Host: Where’s your dignity? Eli “I've disappointed my fan.”

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES: Cheech & Chong’s 3rd member, Richard Armstrong. -- Excerpts from Cheech & Chong’s stoner movies with Eli as Richard Anderson, who bales out whenever the dope comes in.

All in all I enjoyed the show. The musical segments looked and sounded better than usual. Eli was a good sport and really did a lot of sketches, most of which poked fun at him.

SNL -- BEST CLIPS FROM OLD SHOWS HERE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Manning

ELI MANNING ON WIKIPEDIA

RIHANNA ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rihanna

LINK TO RIHANNA ON AMAZON...

KENTUCKY DERBY 2012

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:10:53 PDT

Kentucky Derby

Purse: $2 Million

Distance: 10 Furlongs

Finish No Horse Jockey ($$Win, $$Place, $$Show)

1. 19 I'll Have Another Mario Gutierrez ($32.60, $13.80, $9.00)

2. 6 Bodemeister Mike Smith ( -- , $6.20, $5.60)

3. 5 Dullahan Kent Desormeaux ( -- , -- . $7.20)

4. 13 - Went the Day Well ,

5. 8 - Creative Cause ,

6. 20 - Liaison ,

7. 4 - Union Rags ,

8. 7 - Rousing Sermon ,

9. 14 - Hansen ,

10. 10 - Daddy Nose Best ,

11. 2 - Optimizer ,

12. 11 - Alpha ,

13. 16 - El Padrino ,

14 17 - Done Talking ,

15. 18 - Sabercat ,

16. 15 - Gemologist ,

17. 9 - Trinniberg ,

18. 12 - Prospective ,

19. 3 - Take Charge Indy ,

20. 1 - Daddy Long Legs

Winning Owner: Reddam Racing LLC
Winning Trainer: Doug O'Neill
Fractions: :22.32, 45.39, 1:09.80, 1:35.19

EARLIER TODAY:

Here are my picks (Race live after 6 on NBC.)

FYI-- I've been doing this for years and I've never even been close to being right. (Note 7PM: in () the actual finish)

1 - Gemologist (14)

2 - Alpha (12)

3 - Bodemeister (2)

4 - Dullahan (3)

5 - Union Rags (7)

6 - Creative Cause (5)

7 - Daddy Long Legs (20 - dead last).

Here's a recipe for Mint Julep!

MINT JULEP RECIPE

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2010/05/mint-julep-for-kentucky-derby-2010.html

KENTUCKY DERBY SITE:

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses

Note: Watch QPORIT for late notes on SNL: Live tonight with Eli Manning & Rihanna.

ELLES

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:36:39 PDT

ELLES is terrific. Juliette Binoche is amazing; this is one of her great performances. Anais Demoustier is lovable. Joanna Kulig is sexy and beguiling.

A journalist (Juliette Binoche) is writing a story for ELLES about college students who use prostitution as their day job (or night job) to pay for college and a better standard of living. Following the journalist for a few days while she researches the story and prepares for a dinner party, we experience an eclectic and wide ranging set of notions about sexuality. The two college students, the lovely Anais Demoustier, and the sultry and flirtatious Joanna Kulig, seem to enjoy their work, while the scenes we see of their lives seem much less idyllic.

Do we believe what they say? Do we believe our eyes? Or are our eyes and the beliefs we bring to the film too (negatively?) judgmental?

At the same time that we are wondering about ourselves, the journalist is wondering herself, contrasting her very bourgeois family life with the lives of her subjects, comparing their lives to the lives of her own children, and their johns with her husband and his friends.

Through the brilliant performances of Juliette Binoche, and the complete cast, we seem to get to know the characters and even their families, and their thoughts and emotions, even when they themselves seem not to understand them.

Most of the judgements/reviews of this movie that I've seen seem to be largely shaped by the (pre-existing?) attitudes of the reviewer as they come in to see the film (as is this review, perhaps), each one seeing a their own personal version of the film; but it seems to me the film is more exploratory and questioning than any single interpretation can capture. And it suggests a great complexity in sexual relationships. I suspect each viewer will bring to the film their own life and see it from that perspective. But I encourage everyone to see the film with as few preconceptions of sexuality and relationships as they possibly can.

Also listen to the film. It has one of the most brilliantly arranged musical commentary I've ever heard. It is a common (and sometimes accurate) cliche to say a film's location is a character; in this case, the music is a character -- akin to the chorus in classic Greek theater.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JULIETTE BINOCHE

ELLES - ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1549589/

THE DIRECTOR - WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C5%82gorzata_Szumowska

JULIETTE BINOCHE - WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliette_Binoche

OUR ARTICLE ON ANAIS DEMOUSTIER

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2011/03/anais-demoustier.html

HEADSTRONG

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:39:41 PDT

Ensemble Studio Theatre
Tackles Football's Post-Concussion Syndrome
World Premiere
HEADSTRONG
By Patrick Link,
directed by William Carden
with Ron Canada, Tim Cain, Alexander Gemignani & Nedra McClyde

(UPDATE - 5/2/2012) Today's death of Junior Sean, together with a death by suicide of another player within the last month, plus today's news of suspensions of Saints' players for getting a bounty for rough hits highlights the importance, relevance, and timeliness of HEADSTRONG!

HEADSTRONG
Nedra McClyde and Ron Canada
Photo by Gerry Goodstein

HEADSTRONG is an earnest, effective play about an issue that should be of great concern to every parent and every athlete -- the current studies into possible brain damage from recurring trauma to the brain.-- not just major trauma but also repetitive minor trauma.

(Note: following a discussion of the issues of the play, see below for a review which - Warning! -- will containing spoilers!)

Recent studies have sown suspicion that contact sports like football and even head-banging activities like repeatedly heading the ball in soccer could cause measurable and observable damage to the brain, which cumulatively could express itself in pathological mental behavior.

The play concerns itself with attempts to obtain the brain of a football player who died young after exhibiting behavioral symptoms that suggested he had suffered brain damage.

The current state of medical research is a need to correlate post-mortem studies of a brain with features that might be observable (through specialized MRI's or other brain scanning technologies) while a player is alive.

The most pressing issues are

-- When should a concussion in a professional player prevent them from returning to a game or playing again?

-- What evidence of possible damage to a child’s brain should be sufficient to require changes in the rules of football, soccer, or other sports, or even ban them entirely from schools?

-- To what extent does the value of sports override the possibility of possible injury to the brain?

Following one preview to the play, there was an interesting discussion of these issues with Irvin Muchnick, a leading reporter and writer on concussions in sports & Dr. Annegret Dettwiler-Danspe.ckgruber, Associate Research Scholar at The Princeton Neuroscience Institute.

VIDEOS OF THE POST-SHOW DISCUSSION:
http://ensemblestudiotheatre.org/now-playing/current-productions/estsloan-presents-headstrong/

HERE IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE WORK AT PRINCETON:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S31/80/06C59/index.xml?section=featured

HERE IS THE BOOK BY IRVIN MUCHNICK:

Damage to the brain from repeated trauma is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). An organization that is devoted to CTE in football and other sports is the

SPORTS LEGACY INSTITUTE

http://www.sportslegacy.org/

The play is being performed at EST as part of the Sloan Program (which supports plays that "explore the world of science and technology") at the

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATER (EST).

http://ensemblestudiotheatre.org

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE SLOAN PROGRAM AT EST:

http://ensemblestudiotheatre.org/programs/estsloan-project/

Performances of Headstrong are Wednesday through Monday at 7:00pm, matinees Saturdays at 2:00pm and Sundays at 5:00pm through May 13. Tickets are $30, $20 for student/seniors.

To order tickets:

Call 866.811.4111
Click www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/134 .

Note 5/2

Headstrong Post-show discussion with Neuropsychologist Dr. Jill Brooks & Reuters Health Editor Ivan Oransky: Wednesday 5/2

WARNING!

SPOILER ALERT!

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

HEADSTRONG is a well acted, well directed, funny, serious, important play.

The play is performed in the signature style of EST, which is straightforward, intelligent, real, and believable. The simple bare stage of EST is well dressed to convey a believable room in a believable, comfortable home. EST does not do kitchen sink reality drama, they do dining room reality drama, and they do it very well!

HEADSTRONG is well written from moment to moment with believable, sharp, often funny dialog. It feels, however, like it could and should be much more rich dramatically.

From the moment the play starts, there is a distraction: the 3 excellent actors sound perfect, but they do not have the physical reality -- not the bulk nor the spunk -- of a very successful pro football star, the wife of a pro football star, or a pro wrestler.

At the end of the play there are some more questions. First, nearly everything in the play seems to have been there just for the purpose of the play. For example, a morsel dropped earlier, when dad gives his daughter a pair of shoes, is just enough off-kilter that it is too obvious there is more to the story. And, sure enough, in the final scene, that turns out to be the reveal: dad is beginning to suffer from memory problems just like those the wife's deceased husband suffered from.

The characters have very little life outside the needs of the play, and where there is some life it is more confusing and contradictory than enriching. In the first scene this gentleman caller uses persuasive arguments to obtain permission to study the widow's husband's brain. In the second scene, he says: maybe she was right to refuse. He pressured and pressured her, yet he doesn't believe it himself? He seems more like a hypocrite than a conflicted soul. In the third scene, the widow tells her dad she is moving out of her dad's place. Then we discover she knows her father is starting to suffer dementia. It makes her seem cruel. The play has told us nothing about her but a few facts related to her late husband and her child; and it has shown us nothing about her emotional life except that she refused permission to study her husband's brain in scene 1, and -- offstage -- gave permission in scene 2.

As the play is not long and has no intermission, it has room to grow and expand the on-stage portrayal of the life of these characters (outside the single issue that defines the play -- getting permission to study the widow's husband's brain). And it would help, I think, if the physical life of the characters on stage matched the outsize life of pro wrestlers, and pro football champions, and their families.

But even with (and to some because of) its single-minded focus on the importance of studying the brains of football players who have died because of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, this is a play that should be seen and talked about.

PLANETARY RESOURCES

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:51:20 PDT

Note: (TUE 4/24 10:00 EDT == 7:00 PDT) -- We'll have more information, direct from Seattle, during and after the presentation -- which begins at 10:30 AM today PDT (Seattle time) == 1:30 PM EDT (NY time) Please come back again later for the update!

Note: (TUE 4/24 12:38 EDT == 9:38 PDT) -- There seems to be a public webcast at

http://www.spacevidcast.com/live/

Here is the latest announcement from Planetary Resources:

Space Exploration Company to Expand Earth's Resource Base

WHAT:

"Join Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.;

leading commercial space entrepreneur Eric Anderson;

former NASA Mars mission manager Chris Lewicki;

and planetary scientist & veteran NASA astronaut Tom Jones, Ph.D. today at 10:30 a.m. PDT via webcast at http://bit.ly/PlanetaryResources , as they unveil a new space venture with a mission to help ensure humanity's prosperity."

"Supported by an impressive investor and advisor group, including Google’s Larry Page & Eric Schmidt, Ph.D.; film maker & explorer James Cameron; Chairman of Intentional Software Corporation and Microsoft’s former Chief Software Architect Charles Simonyi, Ph.D.; Founder of Sherpalo and Google Board of Directors founding member K. Ram Shriram; and Chairman of Hillwood and The Perot Group Ross Perot, Jr., the company will overlay two critical sectors – space exploration and natural resources – to add trillions of dollars to the global GDP. This innovative start-up will create a new industry and a new definition of ‘natural resources’."

WHO:

Charles Simonyi, Ph.D., Space Tourist, Planetary Resources, Inc. Investor

Eric Anderson, Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources, Inc.

Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources, Inc.

Chris Lewicki, President & Chief Engineer, Planetary Resources, Inc.

Tom Jones, Ph.D., Planetary Scientist, Veteran NASA Astronaut & Planetary Resources, Inc. Advisor

Here is the schedule of events, according to the Museum of Flight where the event will be held:

Schedule of Events

10-10:30 a.m.
     Media & Guest Check-In – Charles Simonyi Space Gallery

10:30-11:30 a.m.
     Press Conference

Noon-1:30 p.m.
     Lunch and
     Presentations by Tom Jones, Ph.D. and Chris Lewicki

1:30 p.m.
     Book Signing with Peter H. Diamandis, M.D. and Tom Jones, Ph.D.

ORIGINAL POST April 19:

For just $25 (while tickets last) and a plane ticket to Seattle (or a half-day off from work at Microsoft), you can attend (but will it be streamed?) a presentation (TUE 4/24 10:30 PDT) at the Seattle Museum of Science on the "Future of Space" by

Eric Anderson, Commercial Space Entrepreneur and Chairman of Space Adventures, Ltd.

Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., Commercial Space Visionary, Chairman of the X Prize Foundation, and Author of “Abundance”

and Tom Jones, Ph.D., Veteran NASA Astronaut and Co-author of “Planetology”

According to the program: "A new company will be unveiling its mission to revolutionize current space exploration activities and ultimately create a better standard of living on Earth"

Reportedly (see the links), the company's investors include Larry Page and Eric Schmidt from Google, and director James Cameron.

And, according to the twitter feed:

@PlanetaryRsrcs

New space venture with mission to expand Earth's resource base & help ensure humanity’s prosperity. Learn more on April 24, 10:30PT

@MuseumofFlight -

Bellevue, Washington · http://planetaryresources.com

"...expand Earth's resource base..." Does that mean lunar, Martian, and asteroid mining?

Here's a talk by Peter Diamandis at TED (from several years ago):

SOME MORE LINKS TO INFORMATION (AND SPECULATION):

MUSEUM OF FLIGHT

http://www.museumofflight.org/event/2012/apr/24/future-of-space

https://twitter.com/#!/museumofflight

PLANETARY RESOURCES

http://www.planetaryresources.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Planetary-Resources/160940827358574

http://www.youtube.com/planetaryresources

https://twitter.com/#!/PlanetaryRsrcs

HERE IS A LINK TO THE
KECK INSTITUTE FOR SPACE STUDIES (JPL)
ASTEROID RETRIEVAL FEASIBILITY STUDY

http://www.nss.org/settlement/asteroids/Asteroid_Retrieval_Feasibility_Study_2012.pdf

PETER DIAMANDIS ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Diamandis

NEWS REPORTS (AND SPECULATION)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57416120-76/is-asteroid-mining-in-our-near-future/

http://www.space.com/15336-planetary-resources-space-exploration-announcement.html

http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/18/2957585/planetary-resources-space-exploration-company-james-cameron-google

MERYL STREEP, KEVIN KLINE, ROMEO, JULIET, AL PACINO

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:00:48 PDT

THE PUBLIC THEATER will celebrate five decades of free
Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater with the 2012 Gala

ROMEO AND JULIET Featuring
Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Gala Honoree: Al Pacino

This one-night-only event will be performed on the Delacorte’s 50th Anniversary, June 18, 2012

Conceived by Joe Papp, The Delacorte Theater in Central Park officially opened on June 18, 1962 with its first production, The Merchant of Venice featuring George C. Scott and James Earl Jones. During the past five decades, more than five million people have enjoyed free Shakespeare in the Park thanks to the support of Partners and Sponsors.

Tickets for The Public Theater’s Anniversary Gala on Monday, June 18 begin at $1,500 and include dinner al fresco in Central Park and a post-show dessert celebration. For more information, please call 212-539-8547 or visit

http://shakespeareinthepark.org/gala/

www.ShakespeareInThePark.org .

The Public Theater | 425 Lafayette Street | New York, NY | 10003 | 212-539-8734

http://www.publictheater.org/

Note: For more about Joe Papp & The Public Theater, see:

http://bobooblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/free-for-all.html

COLUMBIANA

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:41:59 PDT

COLUMBIANA is a terrific film -- The plot is straightforward -- drugs, murder, revenge -- the execution is inventive, explosive, thrilling, often surprising, and always clear.

Zoe Saldana has killer looks, killer moves (literally), and is drop-dead gorgeous. Her acting is letter perfect.

Amandla Stenberg who plays her character as a little girl (Amandla plays Rue in THE HUNGER GAMES) is amazing, beautiful, and a perfect match for Zoe. The opening sequence ends with a sensational chase that is among the very best of all non-FX chase scenes in all films.

This a a great midnight movie. (And, yes, I just saw it at midnight on STARZ.)

COLUMBIANA is a French-American co-production, with a screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, directed by Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3 and many French films).

LINKS

COLUMBIANA ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1657507/

ZOE SALDANA ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757855/

AMANDLA STENBERG ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3964350/

HERE'S A LINK TO COLUMBIANA:

HERE ARE SOME MORE FILMS OF ZOE SALDANA

GIRLS

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:36:14 PDT

The concept (normal -- that is, not glamorous -- twenty-something girls and their friends loose in Manhattan) has terrific potential.

But the boys seem obnoxious, the girls annoying and a bit unpleasant, and the adults (boss, parents) cold-hearted, clueless caricatures.

If the potential is not realized soon with a more compelling story and characters that are easier to enjoy watching, this will be at best a cult favorite.

GIRLS - HBO Sundays at 10:30
http://www.hbo.com/girls?cmpid=ABC1193

Written and directed by Lena Dunham.

IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723816/

CAST INCLUDES:

Lena Dunham - Hannah

Jemima Kirke - Jessa

Zosia Mamet - Shoshanna

Allison Williams - Marnie

Christopher Abbott - Charlie

Adam Driver - Adam

SNL -- APR 14, 2012 -- JOSH BROLIN WITH GOTYE

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:22:38 PDT

This was not one of SNL's classic shows. Nothing terrible, but not that much was memorable. It felt like Josh had not that much to do, and what he did seemed not quite written/directed to his strengths. His best sketch was the last, and he didn't quite get the right tone to make the drunk school teacher on the podium at the prom confessing his affair with a student both scandalous and funny.

What was scandalous was the number of commercials:

after the music 7 commercials
before Weekend Update; then 7 commercials
before a CNN sketch; then 6 commercials
before a HS sketch and digital short; then an amazing 10 commercials and 5 minutes
before a musical segment; then 5 commercials
before the prom sketch -- which seemed to be cut off before it ended for 4 commercials
before the show ending goodbyes.

a staggering 39 commercials in the last 45 minutes. (And one of those commercials, GE, also plugs Budweiser -- does that make 40?) It's impossible to develop any comic momentum with so much chaff.

Here's a quick summary of the show:

COLD OPEN -- An amusing reunion of all the GOP hopefuls (wow, there were a lot), as each remembered... "There was a time when I was the front runner," and then all together, "This campaign was the time of my life..." (Romney, Gingrich, Bachman, Perry, Santorum & Cain).

MONOLOG -- Josh seemed a bit worried. Jay Pharoah came on as Will Smith in MEN IN BLACK 3, but then Josh had almost nothing to say as the young Tommy Lee Jones.

GAME OF THRONES -- If the TV show really has as much sex this year as this sketch claims (GoT directed by a horny teen?) maybe I'll try watching it again, and the hell with trying to understand the plot.

SOAP NET - THE CALIFORNIANS -- A sometimes funny soap parody about Californians who worry mostly about the traffic routes. For some reason the cast had trouble keeping a straight face. They seemed to find it funnier than I did.

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND / TOP PARODY ARTIST -- This parody of TV contest shows lacked wit in executing the various parodies. Best line (from JAY-Z) "My songs aren't parodies."

SPIELBERG'S LASER CATS 7 -- Yes, that Spielberg contributed to the SNL Digital Short, in a more sophisticatedly funny episode than those cats normally manage.

GOTYE (pronounced GOteeYay) Musical Segment -- Nice sound. Different. He's been described as something akin to Sting. There's some similarity but Sting seems much deeper.

WEEKEND UPDATE -- On the "Secret Service" Scandal: it should now be called the "Can't Keep A Secret Service". (But, What's the point of the Song Duo segment?)

CNN PIERS MORGAN SHOW -- Some funny moments: a new Florida law: "An Eye for an iPad." The funniest bit of the whole night was Kim Kardashian.

WOODRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL -- The Slow Motion Hallway, where the cool kids -- and everyone else -- slow down, was the most original, clever sketch of the night.

ANOTHER SNL DIGITAL SHORT -- Gotye was nicely gracious in this gentle parody of Gotye's music videos.

GOTYE Musical Segment 2 -- The SNL mix often leaves the lyric's words incomprehensible underneath the music. Gotye did not allow that to happen here: repeating, loudly, many, many, many times, "We walk the plank with eyes wide open..."

PROM -- The last sketch is often the most arresting. PROM had possibilities. Pharoah was hilarious even though (or because?) I couldn't make out what he was saying. Brolin had the big role (and his biggest scene of the night) as the teacher who comes out drunk and announces his affair with a student. But his character -- as mentioned above -- never quite found the right note to ice the sketch.

This was a big night for Jay Pharoah. Even though he's not listed as one of the regulars, he had solid and funny appearances in several sketches. He's the new guy to watch.

All in all, I enjoyed the show, except for the excessive commercials.

Here's some info on the Host and Musical Guest:

Josh Brolin is a 44 year old actor, married to the actress Diane Lane; the son of actor James Brolin. Among his most important recent films have been: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, W, and TRUE GRIT.

He is soon to be seen in MEN IN BLACK 3.

JOSH BROLIN ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Brolin

JOSH BROLIN ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000982/

FILMS WITH JOSH BROLIN

Gotye is a 31 year old singer/songwriter originally from Belgium, born Wouter "Wally" De Backer.

GOTYE ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotye

GOTYE'S HOME PAGE

http://gotye.com/

MUSIC BY GOTYE

SNL HOME PAGE

http://www.tfana.org/season/taming-shrew/overview

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:14:01 PDT

Maggie Siff is a shrew. In all too many productions of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, the "shrew" is not a shrew, but just a bit cross with her language, and the play makes no sense: there is no shrew to tame. In this production, Maggie bursts onto the stage in an obnoxious roar. Katharina is a shrew. It justifies, explains, and humanizes the whole play.

Andy Grotelueschen appears on stage announcing he's there to find a woman. When he hears that Katharina is available, has a rich dad and a fine dowry, he's pleased; and when he hears she's feisty and more, and worse, (and more worser! still), he's delighted. It's a challenge, a game he's happy to play. And he spells out his method, so there's no question he's about to play a game he's going to enjoy... and is playing to win.

Andy Grotelueschen and Maggie Siff
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
Photo by Henry Grossman

This production of Shakespeare's The Taming of The Shrew, with Maggie Siff as Katharina and Andy Grotelueschen as Petruchio, directed by Arin Arbus at Theater For A New Audience (TFANA) is enjoyable, understandable, entertaining and generally excellent.

Theatre for a New Audience Presents
The Taming of the Shrew
By William Shakespeare

The Duke on 42nd Street

Andy Grotelueschen and Maggie Siff
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
Photo by Gerry Goodstein

The Taming of The Shrew (TTOTS) is one of Shakespeare's early plays, based on several sources from which different plot elements of the play are taken (including a whole tradition of plays about "taming" women). It was published long after it was written, and there is only one version of the play. (This, of course, leaves open the possibility that the play we have is not exactly what Shakespeare wrote -- that it might contain parts he did not write, and that parts he did write might be missing.)

Another play, published anonymously (close to the time when TTOTS) was first written, called THE TAMING OF A SHREW (TTOAS), contains both similarities and differences to Shakespeare's play.

Structurally, both plays begin with a section, called the "Induction," in which a passed-out drunk is discovered by a rich man, who decides to play a prank: he dresses the drunk, Sly, as a rich man and instructs his attendants to convince Sly when he awakes that Sly has just awoken from a years-long drunken madness, and that he is really a rich man. Then the rich man arranges to have a play, namely "The Taming of The Shrew" performed for Sly. So TTOTS is actually the play within the play, introduced by the "Induction".

The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Othello, are all politically incorrect plays. Shrew is about misogyny, Merchant is about a merciless money-lending Jew, and Othello is about a black man drawn to jealous murder of his innocent white wife.

Modern stage directors typically deal with these unPC themes in some combination of three ways:

-- most often, they emphasize the humanity that Shakespeare gives his character ("Hath not a Jew eyes?");

-- least often, they embrace the slur ("And if you wrong us, do we not revenge?" ... "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe.");

-- and sometimes, they deny the obvious political incorrectness and try to create an interpretation of the play that enables a politically correct production.

-- less typically, they find a way to finesse the incorrectness of the story.

Arin Arbus uses a combination of all these techniques. Most obvious, in this production, is denial: the play in this production is not misogynist: Petruchio does not "tame" Kate, but rather allows her to find herself. Petruchio is playing a game; Katharina is an obnoxious shrew only out of frustration with her inability to communicate with her family and her dislike for any apparently available suitors; and when she warms up to his game and realizes she is in tune with Petruchio (impressed, though skeptical, that he says everything he is doing is for her benefit), Katharina and Petruchio truly fall in love and Katharina can dispense with the bad behavior and become herself. She is not changed, not tamed, but allowed to self-realize her true nature.

As for the other techniques, the production embraces Katharina's early shrewishness, and the production gives all the characters their full measure of humanity and realistic behavior.

Moreover, this production includes the "Induction," the first scene of the play (often omitted from a staging) which establishes "The Taming of the Shrew" as a play with a play, finessing its unPC theme by giving it an extra measure of distancing, or plausible deniability as to its intrinsic misogyny.

The production does have some problems: while the lead characters are terrific, and speak clearly and understandably; and most all the acting is excellent, some of the speeches of some of the characters are at times completely incomprehensible.

Also, Bianca, (played nicely by the pretty -- tho' improbably tall for her character -- Kathryn Saffell, in her OB debut), and the Widow (Owen Fouere) rather suddenly and without dramatic justification turn from ostensible models of "good" behavior (in contrast to the shrew) at the beginning, to models of truculence against whom Katharina can then rail at the end.

As mentioned before, in the script of The Taming of The Shrew that has come down to us from some years after Shakespeare's time, there is an "Induction," an opening scene which sets up the play, "The Taming of The Shrew" as a play within a play, performed to a drunk who has been dressed up by a rich prankster. The "Induction" is the only scene in which the framing characters appear. In this production, the characters from the framing -- which is placed inexplicably in the Wild West -- sit in the audience throughout the evening to watch the performance of TTOTS , and even have a few words borrowed from another play ("The Taming of A Shrew"), in which there is also a framing device. But then there is nothing more. It would have been more satisfying at the end of the play, even if the framing characters had no more words, to -- at least -- give them a bit of business (perhaps a spotlight on the character, Sly, at the end as he applauds the play he's seen, or show him walking away from the scene thoroughly confused, or still drunk and fast asleep), to complete the framing.

A talk-back after the show (there's another after the Saturday April 14 matinee) made some interesting points. Julie Crawford, from Columbia University stressed the idea that the play as written by Shakespeare embraces simultaneous and conflicting interpretations, while Robert Michels, a Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell was interested in the interpretation of this production which centered -- as described above -- on the way that Katharina and Petruchio find love with each other.

There was also considerable discussion at the talk-back of the framing device of the Induction which, in addition to serving to distance the play from its presumptive misogyny, also casts a spotlight on the fact that in the original productions of this and Shakespeare's other plays, the roles of women were played by boys and men; and that the role one plays in society can seem to change so easily, here just by dressing up in better clothes.

This production of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW is to be highly recommended. It plays through April 21.

For more information and tickets:

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

SOME INTERESTING LINKS:

THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE (TFANA) is one of New York's most important theaters for the consistently excellent production of Shakespearean plays.

www.tfana.org

TFANA has put together a detailed analysis of the play and this production:

http://www.tfana.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/The-Taming-of-the-Shrew-360-A-Viewfinder-2012.pdf

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW - WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taming_of_the_Shrew

The Taming of A Shrew (Anonymous), similar in some ways to The Taming of The Shrew (TTOTS), is often taken to be a garbled version of (a possibly early draft of) TTOTS, with elements, perhaps, of other plays as well:

http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/taming.html

MAGGIE SIFF (Katharina) ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Siff

MAGGIE SIFF ON IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1745019/

ANDY GROTELUESCHEN (Petruchio)

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Trinity/actor-andygrotelueschen/

KATHRYN SAFFELL (Bianca)

http://kathrynsaffell.com/

HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO
SCRIPTS AND VIDEOS

TAMING OF THE SHREW

ALL VARIATIONS:

(Note: Please check that you are getting the format and version you want;

the same play comes in many variations!)

SNL -- MAR 3, 2012 -- LINDSAY LOHAN WITH JACK WHITE

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:51:04 PST

Lindsay Lohan was a terrific child actress. Not that well known, to anyone who has been living on another planet the last few years, is that she hit a speed bump turning into an adult actress.

On SNL she is making a very public LIVE comeback as a responsible performer, and she succeeded. Her monologue was a good send-up of the risks that SNL was taking. Her first big sketch role proved her still a little shaky. It was the kind of sketch that required high energy and complete mastery with a lot of words, and she kind of tentatively muddled through it, seeming to look too carefully for the cue cards. She got stronger with each sketch, though mostly in small supporting roles. It wasn't a triumph, but it was fine -- she was a good host overall.

The show itself seemed quite toned down. There were no real breakout sketches and some scenes fell flat.

It also seemed like there were an enormous number of commercials -- SNL: a 90 minute medley of commercials with an occasional sketch break.

Jack White, I think, finally demonstrated how singers need to approach the SNL music segment: An interesting sound, lots of energy, and a unique look work, lyrics do not.

Just for the memories, here are links to some Lohanalia. I think Lindsay is on her way back. She'll have to work hard, and her material needs to relate to the way she now looks. She has a special look: an angular, pretty face, a somewhat gravelly voice, some age and hardness beginning to show, but some innocence still inside trying to come out.

After the links there's a recap of the show.

AND LOTS MORE

LINDSAY LOHAN

NOTE that videos may be DVD, BLU-RAY, Widescreen OR Streaming. Be sure you select the format you want.

RECAP:

COLD OPEN: Romney is always funny, but not that funny. Almost all the jokes are "I'm rich," "I'm clueless," or "I'm stiff." The impersonations are getting stronger, but the jokes are getting older.

MONOLOGUE: Lindsay was game for jokes about her reputation and the risks of having her host.

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DISNEY -- A nice concept and well executed. Funny.

PSYCHIC AWARDS -- Another good idea. It was very funny until a somewhat lame ending.

SCARED STRAIGHT -- This sketch did not work. The concept has been done before and in this version neither the cops nor the bad young boys nor the prison veterans had the right material. The only good joke was that Lindsay used her own name. Lindsay had a little trouble with her lines, but the sketch was DOA anyway.

WEEKEND UPDATE had some good jokes. Carville was funny. Snooki was not... except for a surprise guest (Snooki's baby(?)'s father(?) ) that was the best joke. (Spoiler alert -- The surprise guest not surprisingly is in a movie soon with SNL cast members.)

DELINQUENT TEEN GIRL GANG had one recurring joke; nothing else to recommend it.

DIGITAL SHORT -- I just didn't get it.

B108FM -- Another "bad radio show". Not very well written. But lot's of energy!

CHANTIX COMMERCIAL -- On the money: Have you ever listened to the disclaimers explain how much terrible harm a drug can do with its side effects?

HOUSE SITTER (BUTT CALLING) -- A good sketch, but I think there was a great sketch lurking in the idea.

JACK WHITE -- I liked the sound and the energy, and I didn't care about the lyrics.

RUDE BUDDHA -- Good thing it's a passive religion.

WEIRD GUY BY A FIRE -- He was no more weird than the guys that really do sit by a fire in the hi-falutin cultural shows.

*** *** ***

Check'm out...
==> 2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT
==> OUR 2011 ACADEMY AWARDS STORY

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

http://www.filmlinc.com/,

*** *** ***

RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA 2012

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:16:59 PST

RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA

March 1-11, 2012

The Film Society of Lincoln Center,
UNIFRANCE FILMS,

the IFC Center and BAMcinématek

OPENING NIGHT

FRENCH SENSATION THE INTOUCHABLES

IN-PERSON APPEARANCES INCLUDE

MATHIEU AMALRIC, CAROLE BOUQUET, FRANCOIS CLUZET,

MATHIEU DEMY, BENOIT JACQUOT, VINCENT LINDON,

TAHAR RAHIM, AUDREY TAUTOU AND MANY MORE

PLUS!

DOCUMENTARIES AND RARELY SEEN CLASSICS

IN THE NEW SIDEBAR

RENDEZ-VOUS +

(For more about RENDEZ-VOUS + please scroll down!)

More than two dozen New York premieres will be showcased during the 17th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, including box-office sensation THE INTOUCHABLES; new work from master directors André Téchiné, Benoit Jacquot and Alain Cavalier, a beautifully restored print of one of the best-loved masterworks of French cinema and the special Centerpiece, Marcel Carné’s CHILDREN OF PARADISE; plus the Closing Night selection, DELICACY, the latest from Audrey Tautou, who will be on hand to present the film.

This year also marks the first collaboration with Emerging Pictures on a select number of titles including Delphine Gleize’s MOON CHILD, Rabah Ameur-Zaïméche's SMUGGLERS’ SONGS, Alain Cavalier's PATER, Laurent Achard's THE LAST SCREENING, Daniel Auteuil's THE WELL-DIGGER'S DAUGHTER and Mathieu Amalric’s THE SCREEN ILLUSION. The films will be showing in over 50 venues across the country contemporaneously with their showings at Lincoln Center via Emerging's network of digital theaters. Q&A's from the Film Society venues will be broadcast live to many of those locations.

Filmmakers and talent who will be in attendance at this year festival include - Mathieu Amalric, Laurent Achard, Carole Bouquet, Pascal Cervo, François Cluzet, Delphine and Muriel Coulin, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Mathieu Demy, Ismael Ferroukhi, David and Stéphane Foenkinos, Benoit Jacquot, Nicolas Klotz, Jean-François Laguionie, Vincent Lindon, Frédéric Louf, Olivier Nakache, Sylvie Pialat, Tahar Rahim, Audrey Tautou, Eric Toledano and Rabah Ameur-Zaïméche.

Opening Night launches with THE INTOUCHABLES, an unprecedented box-office phenomenon in France, where it shattered records to become the second most successful French film of all time. The Intouchables tells the true story of the unlikely friendship between a handicapped white millionaire and his unconventional Senegalese caretaker. Paralyzed from the neck down in a paragliding accident, Philippe (Tell No One star François Cluzet) has grown weary of the pitying attentions of his live-in help. So he hires Driss (Omar Sy, in a breakout performance), a recently paroled convict who only applied for the job in order to continue receiving his welfare payments. Gradually, these two men from very different worlds grow close, sharing in the joy and pain of each other’s lives in this hilarious and heartwarming crowd-pleaser from directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, who will be in attendance along with François Cluzet. The Weinstein Company plans to release the film May 2012.

Other highlights at this year’s festival include New French Shorts, a prize-winning selection of provocative short films from France; a 60th anniversary tribute to pioneering French film magazine Positif with Michel Ciment, the founding editor in person presenting some of his favorite seldom-seen films; and screenings for the family, including a beautifully hand-drawn animated film ZARAFA, and, a collaboration with the New York International Children’s Film Festival for a special screening of Jean-François Laguionie’s wonderfully touching animated fable THE PAINTING.

Tickets are available online for each participating venue at

http://www.ifccenter.co/m and

www.BAM.org/BAMcinematek respectively,

as well as directly from the box offices.

For more information, call The Film Society at (212) 875-5601,

the IFC Center at (212) 924-7771, or

BAM at (718) 636-4100 x2

or please visit: http://www.rendezvouswithfrenchcinema.com/.

and for more about French films, see Unifrance Films:

Unifrance Films, founded in 1949, is a government-sponsored association of French film industry professionals dedicated to the international promotion of French films, providing financial and logistical support to theatrical distributors and major film festivals showcasing new and recent French cinema throughout the world. For more information, visit

http://en.unifrance.org/

VENUES:

FSLC’s Walter Reade

165 West 65th St.

(between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway),

The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

144 West 65th Street (between Amsterdam and Broadway)

Alice Tully Hall
1941 Broadway (on 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam).

The IFC Center

323 Sixth Ave. at West 3rd Street.

BAM
30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2012, March 1-11

Alice Tully Hall (ATH)

BAMcinématek (BAM)

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (EBM)

IFC Center (IFC)

Walter Reade Theater (WRT)

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FILMS & THE SCHEDULE:

A SCENE FROM THE OPENING NIGHT FILM
THE INTOUCHABLES

OPENING NIGHT

THE INTOUCHABLES (INTOUCHABLES)

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, 2011, France; 112m

A phenomenon in France, where it shattered box-office records to become the second most successful film of all time, The Intouchables tells the true story of the unlikely friendship between a handicapped white millionaire (François Cluzet) and his unconventional Senegalese caretaker (breakout star Omar Sy). A Weinstein Company release.

*Thurs., March 1, 7:30pm – ATH; *Sun., March 4, 1:05pm - IFC

*In person: Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache and François Cluzet

Audrey Tautou
in LA DELICATESSE

CLOSING NIGHT

DELICACY (La DÉlicatesse)

David and Stéphane Foenkinos, 2011, France, 108 min.

Audrey Tautou returns with this touching portrait of a woman trying to put her life back together after the loss of her husband, including embarking on an unexpected affair with a co-worker. A charming adult fable about starting over. A Cohen Media Group release.

*Sun., March 11, 6pm & 9pm - WRT

*In person: David & Stéphane Foenkinos and Audrey Tautou

17 Girls (17 FILLES)

Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin, 2011, France, 90 min.

Based on a headline-grabbing incident in the U.S., sisters Delphine and Muriel Coulin’s provocative debut feature follows the fallout in a sleepy French coastal town when a group of teenage girls all decide to become pregnant at the same time. A Strand Releasing film.

*Fri., March 2, 9:15pm – WRT; *Sat., March 3, 9:30pm – IFC; *Sun., March 4, 1pm - WRT

*In person: Delphine and Muriel Coulin

A scene from
J'AIME REGARDER LES FILLES

18 Years Old and Rising (J’AIME REGARDER LES FILLES)

Fred Louf, 2011, France, 92 min.

As France prepares for a presidential election that will determine the fate of François Mitterand, a young man from the provinces falls head over heels for a bourgeois girl from Paris in this charming and inventive spin on a classic tale of first love.

Mon., March 5, 6pm – IFC; *Sat., March 10, 3:45pm - WRT

*In person: Frédéric Louf

38 Witnesses (38 TÉMOINS)

Lucas Belvaux, 2012, France/Belgium, 104 min.

A woman is brutally murdered in front of an apartment building, but all of the residents claim to have seen and heard nothing in this taut, haunting thriller from RAPT director Lucas Belvaux. Inspired by New York’s infamous 1964 Kitty Genovese case.

Fri., March 2, 7pm – IFC; Sat., March 10, 6:15pm – WRT; Sun., March 11, 1:30pm – WRT

Americano

Mathieu Demy, 2011, France, 105 min.

When thirty-something Martin (played by actor-writer-director Mathieu Demy) travels from Paris to Los Angeles to settle his estranged mother’s estate, the journey dredges up long-submerged emotions...and unexpected revelations about a woman he hardly knew. Salma Hayek and Geraldine Chaplin co-star. An MPI release.

*Sat., March 3, 6:30pm – WRT; *Sun., March 4, 6:45pm – IFC; *Tues., March 6, 7:30pm - BAM

*In person: Mathieu Demy

Special CENTERPIECE Screening!

Children of Paradise (LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS)

Marcel Carné, 1945, France, 163 min.

At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, one of the most eagerly awaited events was the unveiling of Pathé's newly restored version of Children of Paradise, one of the best-loved masterworks of French cinema and the special Centerpiece at this year’s Rendez-vous. In 1830s Paris, theatrical mime Baptiste (the amazing Jean-Louis Barrault) falls in love with an actress and notorious woman about town, Garance (Arletty, enough said); when she’s falsely accused of a crime, Garance must seek the protection of one of her admirers. Yet Baptiste’s passion, once kindled, never really dies. Made in the last years of the War, Children boasted the largest set ever constructed for a French film, a tour-de-force for legendary production designer Alexander Trauner (who worked in secret because of the occupation) and a sparkling script from acclaimed poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert. Carné moves the action effortlessly between stage and audience, teeming streets and intimate boudoirs, bringing the world of these characters to pulsing, vibrant life. A Janus Films release, opening on March 9th at Film Forum.

*Wed., March 7, 7pm – WRT

*In person: Positif editor Michel Ciment

Farewell TO THE Queen (LES ADIEUX À LA REINE)

Benoit Jacquot, 2012, France, 97 min.

A brilliant snapshot of the final days of Marie Antoinette, starring a terrific Diane Kruger as the ill-fated Queen and rising star Léa Seydoux (MIDNIGHT IN PARIS) as her quietly ambitious lady-in-waiting. This was the Opening Night Film, 2012 Berlin Film Festival.

*Fri., March 2, 6:30pm – WRT; *Sat., March 3, 1:30pm – WRT; *Sat., March 3, 7pm – IFC; *Sun., March 4, 6pm – BAM

*In person: Benoit Jacquot

Free Men (LES HOMMES LIBRES)

Ismael Ferroukhi, 2011, France, 99 min.

During the German Occupation of France, an Algerian black marketeer (A PROPHET star Tahar Rahim) is coerced into spying on the denizens of the Paris Grand Mosque, whereupon he discovers a clandestine operation to provide North African Jews with fake Muslim IDs. A Film Movement release.

Fri., March 2, 1pm – WRT; *Sat., March 3, 9:15pm – WRT; *Sun., March 4, 4pm - IFC

*In person: Ismael Ferroukhi and Tahar Rahim.

A Gang Story (LES LYONNAIS)

Olivier Marchal, 2011, France, 102 min.

Based on the autobiography of a real crime boss, A GANG STORY follows aging ex-gangster Momon (Gérard Lanvin) as he agrees to break his old partner (Tchéky Karyo) out of prison. A solid return to the gangster genre—in the French style, of course! A Weinstein Company release.

Sat., March 3, 4:45pm – IFC; Thurs., March 8, 8:45pm – WRT; Fri., March 9, 4pm - WRT

Guilty (PRESUMÉ COUPABLE)

Vincent Garenq, 2011, France, 102 min.

A breathtaking, fact-based journey into a Kafka-esque judicial nightmare: a provincial court bailiff (the extraordinary Philippe Torreton) is accused of horrifying crimes against children. Imprisoned, he maintains his innocence, even as his reputation and family life are destroyed.

Mon., March 5, 6:15pm – WRT; Tues., March 6, 1:30pm – WRT; Thurs., March 8, 10:25pm – IFC

Headwinds (DES VENTS CONTRAIRES)

Jalil Lespert, 2011, France, 91 min.

Benoît Magimel (THE PIANO TEACHER) gives perhaps his greatest performance as a struggling writer who tries to start a new life in the coastal Brittany of his youth after his wife (Audrey Tatou) mysteriously vanishes. He is joined by an all-star cast, including Isabelle Carré, Bouli Lanners and Aurore Clement. Based on Oliver Adam’s best-selling novel.

Tues., March 6, 6pm – IFC; Thurs., March 8, 4pm – WRT; Fri., March 9, 6:15pm - WRT

Here Below (ICI-BAS)

Jean-Pierre Denis, 2012, France, 100 min.

The brief, tempestuous relationship between a nun and a priest working for the French Resistance is the focus of director Denis’s taut, suspenseful look at closing months of WWII and the transformation of private passion into national politics.

Sat., March 3, 4:15pm – WRT; Sun., March 4, 9:30pm – IFC; Wed., March 7, 4:40pm - WRT

The Last Screening (LA DERNIÈRE séance)

Laurent Achard, 2011, France, 81 min.

CINEMA PARADISO meets PSYCHO in a provocative genre film about the dutiful manager/projectionist (Pascal Cervo) of a repertory cinema in the French provinces...and the many secrets he holds.

*Tues., March 6, 8:30pm – WRT; *Thurs., March 8, 6pm – IFC; *Sat., March 10, 1:30pm – WRT

*In person: Laurent Achard, Pascal Cervo and producer Sylvie Pialat

Louise Wimmer

Cyril Mennegun, 2011, France, 80 min.

In a tough, unapologetic work of social realism, director Mennegun observes the daily life of a middle-aged chambermaid (the riveting Corinne Masiero) who lives out of her car while desperately trying to make a fresh start.

Sat., March 3, 3pm – IFC; Mon., March 5, 2pm – WRT; Tues., March 6, 6:15pm - WRT

Low Life

Nicolas Klotz and Elisabeth Perceval, 2011, France, 120 min.

Carmen, a young French student, enters into an intense affair with Hussain, an Afghan poet living illegally in the country, in this bracingly radical movie about the revolt of the human spirit against a heartless, unjust world.

*Sun., March 4, 8:30pm – WRT; *Mon., March 5, 10:05pm – IFC; Wed., March 7, 2pm - WRT

*In person: Nicolas Klotz

The Painting (LE TABLEAU)

Jean-François Laguionie, 2011, France, 76 min.

A touching, wonderfully inventive animated fable, THE PAINTING takes place within the borders of an unfinished canvas, where the fully drawn and colored creatures lord their privilege over the half-drawn and merely sketched underclasses. Presented in collaboration with the New York International Children’s Film Festival

Sat., March 3, 1:15pm – EBM; *Sun., March 4, 11am - IFC

*In person: Jean-François Laguionie

Paris by Night (UNE NUIT)

Philippe Lefebvre, 2012, France, 100 min.

Roschdy Zem gives a tour-de-force performance as a police commander supervising Paris’s demi-monde of bars, discos and strip clubs in this searing voyage into the City of Light’s darkest corners.

Mon., March 5, 4pm & 8:30pm – WRT; Tues., March 6, 10:10pm - IFC

PATER

Alain Cavalier, 2011, France, 105 min.

France’s most unpredictable filmmaker, Alain Cavalier, teams up with actor Vincent Lindon for a witty, semi-improvised look at men, power and politics, starring Cavalier himself as a fictional French President and Lindon as his newly appointed Prime Minister.

Fri., March 2, 3:45pm – WRT; *Fri., March 2, 9:15pm – IFC; *Sat., March 3, 6:30pm – BAM; *Sun., March 4, 3:30pm - WRT

*In person: Vincent Lindon

The Screen Illusion (L’ILLUSION COMIQUE)

Mathieu Amalric, 2011, France, 77 min.

Commissioned by La Comédie-Française, actor-director Mathieu Amalric’s wildly inventive update of Corneille’s popular 17th century tragicomedy follows a hotel concierge on the trail of a missing young man who seems to have left many a young female heart aflutter.

*Sun., March 4, 6:15pm – WRT; *Sun., March 4, 9pm – BAM; *Mon., March 5, 8pm – IFC; *Tues., March 6, 4pm - WRT

*In person: Mathieu Amalric

Smugglers' Songs (LES CHANTS DE MANDRIN)

Rabah Ameur-Zaïméche, 2011, France, 97 min.

The 18th century folk hero and bandit Louis Mandrin is the inspiration for this strikingly relevant period tale, tracing the efforts of Mandrin’s followers to distribute his songs and stories in the build-up to the French Revolution.

*Wed., March 7, 9:30pm – IFC; *Thurs., March 8, 6:15pm – WRT; Fri., March 9, 1:30pm - WRT

*In person: Rabah Ameur-Zaïméche

The Snows of KilImanjaro (LES NEIGES DU KILIMANDJARO)

Robert Guédiguian, 2011, France; 107m

When a newly retired union rep (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is robbed, thwarting a dream vacation to Kenya, he finds himself reflecting on the many compromises and lost ideals of his career. An engaging, affecting drama from one of the cinema’s great observers of the politics of everyday life.

*Tues., March 6, 7:45pm – IFC; Thurs., March 8, 1:30pm – WRT; *Sat., March 10, 9pm – WRT

*In person: Jean-Pierre Darroussin

Unforgivable (IMPARDONNABLES)

André Téchiné, 2011, France/Italy, 111 min.

In the latest from acclaimed director Téchiné, a blocked mystery novelist (André Dussolier) on vacation in Venice falls for an expat real estate agent (Carole Bouquet). Then jealousy rears its head and the writer puts a detective on the trail of this possibly unfaithful femme. A Strand Releasing Film.

*Wed., March 7, 6:30pm – IFC; *Fri., March 9, 8:45pm – WRT

*In person: Carole Bouquet

The Well-Digger’s Daughter (LA FILLE DU PUISATIER)

Daniel Auteuil, 2011, France, 107 min.

Daniel Auteuil, veteran of Marcel Pagnol adaptations Jean de Florette and Manon des sources, returns to Pagnol for his first work as a director, telling moving story of a hardscrabble well digger, his eldest daughter and her passion for the son of a local shopkeeper. The cast also includes Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Sabine Azema, and Kad Merad. A Kino Lorber release.

*Thurs., March 8, 8pm – IFC; *Sun., March 11, 3:45pm – WRT

*In person: Jean-Pierre Darroussin

ZARAFA

Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie, 2011, France; 78m

In this beautiful hand-drawn animation, 10-year-old Maki and the orphaned giraffe, Zarafa, go on an epic adventure from the Sudan, where Maki escapes from slave traders, to Alexandria, Marseille and Paris. Ages 7+. In French with English subtitles.

Sat., March 3, 1:15pm – IFC; Sun., March 4, 1:15pm – EBM; Sun., March 11, 10am – EBM

NEW FRENCH SHORTS

Sun., March 4, 7:20pm – EBM; Wed., March 7, 4pm - EBM

BURNERS (Brûleurs)

Farid Bentoumi, 2011; 15m

Departing Oran with his new camcorder in hand, Amine, a young Algerian, tracks his and his friends’ boat journey across the Mediterranean.

AUTONOMY: 12 HOURS (12 heures d’autonomie)

Christophe Tobin M’B, 2010; 19m

Rudy, a young thief, is approached by Gael, an underage fugitive who is miopathic and moves about in a heavy electric wheel chair. Gael, whose breathing aid has only 12 hours of battery life, joins Rudy in his wanderings and soon asks him for a favor.

My Sweetheart (Mon Amoureux)

Daniel Metge, 2011; 22’40

Roman is my love. We French kiss, will marry and have children. We’ll even have sex. But this is forbidden at Eglantine, so on Saturday my sister will pick us up and take us to the countryside.

Nijinsky 1912

Christiane Comte, 2011; 3’30

Reconstruction of a lost Nijinsky film based on historic footage.

A Real Eye Opener (Les Yeux de la tete)

Pierre Mousquet, Jerome Cauwe, 2011; 7m

While playing golf in France, an American actor gets hit in the face and loses one eye. But he can count on the excellent European medicine and the emergence of Chinese economy to recover.

The Last Caravan

Foued Mansour, 2012; 16m

On a small construction site lost in the middle of nowhere, three workers receive the dreaded visit of a representative of their employer.

Elvis of Nazareth

Ranni Massalha, 2011; 16m

A street boy of Nazareth develops a friendship with a 72 year-old man who imagines himself as Elvis.

60 YEARS OF POSITIF

at BAMcinématek

60 YEARS OF POSITIF

A FEW DAYS WITH ME (QUELQUE JOURS AVEC MOI)

Claude Sautet, 1988, 131 min.

In a César nominated performance, Daniel Auteuil plays the sensitive Martial, heir to a chain of department stores run by his mother (Gallic acting doyenne Danielle Darrieux) in this comic fable meets bourgeois critique by acclaimed director Sautet. Emerging from a nervous breakdown, Martial is sent to the provincial town of Limoges, where he has a dalliance with a young waitress and prostitute (Sandrine Bonnaire), and discovers that the chain’s regional director (a frostily understated Jean-Pierre Mariell, also César nominated) is embezzling money. An exploration of the contemporary upper class and its laissez-faire mores, this charmingly affable sketch of France in the 80s is an underrated discovery.

*Mon., March 5, 7pm

*In person: Positif editor Michel Ciment

MOON CHILD (LA PERMISSION DE MINUIT)

Delphine Gleize, 2011, France, 110 min.

Vincent Lindon and Emmanuelle Devos star in this affecting drama about Romain, a teenager afflicted since birth by a rare genetic disorder that makes him unable to stand exposure to daylight. Romain finds a surrogate father figure in David, a dermatologist who is passionate about his case and has treated him since infancy, but both of their lives are thrown into turmoil when David must leave to take a job in Switzerland.

With Vincent Lindon, Emmanuelle Devos and Quentin Challal.

*Sat., March 3, 9:30pm

*In person: Vincent Lindon

RENDEZ-VOUS +

Rendez-Vous + is a selection of over a dozen contemporary documentaries and classic films. The new addition to the 2012 lineup was made possible by the support of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

Highlights include SEE HOW THEY FALL, the directorial debut of acclaimed filmmaker Jacques Audiard (THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED and A PROPHET); a marvelous new restoration of Jean Gremillon’s masterpiece, Lumière d'été, courtesy of the Cinematheque Française; cult favorite Jean Rollin’s 1970 film THE SHIVER OF VAMPIRES; and MICHEL PETRUCCIANI, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Michael Radford (IL POSTINO) returns to his documentary roots in this touching look at the extraordinarily gifted jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani.

Additionally, writer-director Jacques Bral’s drama EXTERIOR NIGHT will be presented in its 2010 restoration that was rereleased in French cinemas to widespread critical acclaim and Yasmina Ada’s richly detailed documentary HERE WE DROWN ALGERIANS, referring to one of the darkest incidents in recent French history, and draws on some remarkable period footage and photographs, as well as interviews with some of the survivors and their families.

General Public Tickets for the entire 2012 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema series will go on sale February 16th. Tickets are available online at www.filmlinc.com as well as directly from the box offices. For more information, call The Film Society at (212) 875-5601. To review the entire previously announced lineup, please visit www.filmlinc.com .

FSLC’s Walter Reade Theater’s address is 165 West 65th St. (between Amsterdam

Avenue and Broadway) and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center’s address is 144 West 65th Street (between Amsterdam and Broadway).

Rendez-Vous +, March 1-11

Films, Descriptions & Schedule

All screenings will take place at the

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center,

144 West 65th Street,

unless otherwise noted at the

Walter Reade Theater (WRT)

165 West 65th St. (between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway)

EXTERIOR NIGHT (Extérieur, nuit)

Jacques Bral, 1980, France, 112m

A jazz musician (Gérard Lanvin) and a struggling writer (André Dussollier) fall under the spell of a mysterious female taxi driver (Christine Boisson) in director Bral’s moody, boozy, rediscovered cult classic.

Thurs., March 8 – 6:30PM

Garde à vue

Claude Miller, 1981, France, 86m

On New Year’s Eve, a hard-boiled police inspector (Lino Ventura) interrogates a wealthy lawyer (Michel Serrault) about the rape and murder of two young girls. A clockwork, claustrophobic thriller that never lets the audience off the hook.

Fri., March 2 – 6PM; Sun., March 4 – 3:10PM

Here We Drown Algerians (Ici on noie les Algériens)

Yasmina Ada, 2011, France, 90m

A richly detailed account of a dark episode in 20th century French history: the attack by French police on a peaceful Algerian independence march on October 17, 1961, and its subsequent cover-up.

Sun., March 4 – 9:20PM; Mon., March 5 – 4:15PM

In Mondrian’s Studio (Dans l’atelier de Mondrian)

François Lévy-Kuentz, 2011, France, 52m

Creating an exact replica of Mondrian’s famous Paris studio, François Lévy-Kuentz offers some fascinating insights into life and worldview of one of the true masters of modern art.

Screening with

Frida Kahlo
Xavier Villetard, 2011, France, 53m

Frida Kahlo’s public and private lives come together in this perceptive portrait of her life and art that includes some very rare footage of Kahlo, Diego Rivera and their amazing circle.

Mon., March 5 – 8:15PM; Tues., March 6 – 1:30PM

Into Our Own Hands (Entre nos mains)

Mariana Otero, 2010, France; 87m

A superb documentrary about the workers of the Starissima factory outside Orleans, who band together into a cooperative when they learn the business is about to be shut down. Fri., March 2 – 2PM; Sat., March 3 – 8:15PM

Juliette Gréco, Without Limits (Juliette Gréco, l’insoumise)

Philippe Pouchain and Yves Riou, 2011, France, 70m

Two films about artists who, in their individual ways, came to embody their respective generations. Moving to Paris when she was barely out of her teens, Juliette Gréco quickly fell in with the intellectual and artistic demi-monde of the Latin Quarter: Jean-Paul Sartre, Boris Vian, Miles Davis. She began a singing career, often using songs written by her artist friends, and drew raves from critics and audiences around the world. At 85, Ms. Gréco shows no sign of slowing down, and this terrific film by Philppe Pouchain and Yves Riou captures her preparing for and then giving a series of concerts in Paris, accompanied by her husband, pianist Gérard Jouannest.

Screening with

Philip Roth, Without Complexes/Philip Roth, san complexe

William Karel, 2011, France, 52m

Philip Roth, Without Complexes is a surprisingly frank portrait of a major American author who’s as popular in France as in the U.S. Roth speaks candidly abut his upbringing, the success and the fallout from Portnoy’s Complaint, and his feelings about aging in this illuminating work by expert French documentarian William Karel (The World According to Bush, My Dad Is Into Terrorism).

Sun., March 4 – 5PM; Tues. March 6 – 3:45PM

Life After the Camps (Apres les camps, la vie)

Virginie Linhart, 2010, France, 75 min.

A rare Holocaust documentary focused on survivors, using personal records, family albums and personal reminiscences to create a revealing look at the courage, strength and sometimes contradictory emotions of those who had been to hell and back.

Fri., March 2 – 4PM; Tues., March 6 – 6:15PM

Restored by the Cinematheque Française!

Lumière d'été

Jean Grémillon, 1943, France, 112m

A marvelous new restoration of Jean Gremillon’s masterpiece, scripted by Jacques Prévert and Pierre Laroche, about the couplings and uncouplings of the weekend guests at a remote country estate.

Sat., March 3 – 6PM; Thurs., March 8 - 1:15PM

Michel Petrucciani

Michael Radford, 2011, France/Germany/Italy; 102m

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Michael Radford (Il postino) returns to his documentary roots in this touching look at the gifted jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani, who achieved fame on both sides of the Atlantic despite a debilitating physical condition.

Fri., March 2 – 8PM; Mon., March 5 – 2PM

Muslims of France (Musulmans de France)

Karim Miské and Mohamed Joseph, 2009, France; 160 min.

An extraordinary, three-part epic journey through the history of Muslims in France, beginning in the early 20th century and stretching to the present day.

Sat., March 3 – 3PM; Thurs., March 8 – 3:30PM

See How They Fall (Regarde les hommes tomber)

Jacques Audiard, 1994, France, 90m

A Prophet director Jacques Audiard’s made his superb debut with this sharply etched, darkly funny modern noir about the relationship between a small-time hood on the lam (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and the slow-witted lost soul (Mathieu Kassovitz) he reluctantly takes under his wing.

Mon., March 5 – 6:15PM; Wed., March 7 – 2PM

The Shiver of Vampires (Le frisson de vampires)

Jean Rollin, 1970, France, 95 min.

Considered the first mature work by the late cult favorite Jean Rollin, Shiver follows two attractive newlyweds as they stop for the evening in a picturesque castle and find themselves in the lair of a pack of lesbian vampires.

Sat., March 3 – 11:15PM - WRT

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:39:23 PST

NOMINEES AND WINNERS

THE ACADEMY AWARDS

SUNDAY FEB 26

7:00 PM (East) 4:00 PM (Pacific) ABC

HERE'S A HANDY CHART WITH THE NOMINEES

If you haven't seen a nominated (or WINNING) film, or you want to see it again,

you can link to DVDs, BLU-RAYs, and INSTANT STREAMING VIDEO

of the Academy Award Nominees (and winners!) from this chart, above!

Notes (2/26/2012, just before midnight on Oscar Night) -- It was a good show. It moved along. It was funny, tho not hilarious. Crystal was an efficient, pleasant host. There were no great moments, but some good ones. Streep and Plummer -- the old timers -- gave the best speeches. THE ARTIST was the big winner. It's a brilliant and tremendously entertaining film. Ironically, this show, THE ARTIST, written, produced and directed by Frenchmen was the only film shot entirely in LA!

FEATURE FILMS

Best Picture

=>"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer

"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer

"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers

"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

"The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined

"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Here are some notes on Oscar favorite THE ARTIST

Berenice Bejo
THE ARTIST
At NYFF 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

THE ARTIST is one of the best films of this year... or any year.

It is a brand new, modern, black & white (mostly), silent (mostly) film about the end of black & white, silent pictures. And love!

The film is chock full (yes, that's probably a vintage-ly accurate expression) of Gallic irony and humor, wisdom, cinematic wizardry, and intelligence. And love of films.

It's a French film, but it has no French (hey, it's silent!), and it was made in Hollywood by an American crew.

It was brilliantly written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius...

Michel Hazanavicius, Writer-Director
THE ARTIST
At NYFF 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

The director and cast members(l to r) Michel Hazanavicius, Berenice Bejo, Penelope Ann Miller,Jean Dujardin, Beth Grant, James Cromwell
THE ARTIST
At NYFF 2011
Photo by Eric Roffman

...And perfectly executed by a large cast, toplined by the terrific pair of French actors, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, assisted by a powerful American cast of supporting players.

THE ARTIST ON IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655442/

And here are some notes on THE DESCENDANTS, also a top Oscar contender:

George Clooney and friend, Stacy Kiebler
At the NYFF 2011 Closing Night
Red Carpet for THE DESCENDANTS
Photo by Eric Roffman - QPORIT

George Clooney plays an unusually befuddled character in The Descendants, the Closing Night film at the 2011 New York Film Festival (NYFF), and also a featured screening at the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival (the same weekend)!

Returning home from a more-or-less perpetual business trip because his wife fell into a coma after a boating accident, Clooney must deal with two daughters who are somewhat alien to him, the fate of his wife, and a big decision on how to divest a huge parcel of spectacular, pristine Hawaiian landscape that he is heir to and, most important, the custodian for -- on behalf of his extended family of relatives.

The film is not perfect: the awkwardness of the characters with each other at the beginning is, well, awkward; and parts of the plotting and resolution (without giving away any spoilers, here) seem a little too pat, but over all The Descendants is a very interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining film,

Director Alexander Payne's camera and direction take us into the private as well as the lush Hawaii.

Director Alexander Payne
On the set of THE DESCENDANTS
PHOTO BY: Merie Wallace.

The acting is excellent by all the major characters, and the minor ones too. Three young actors create impressive, strong characters,

From L to R- Shailene Woodley as "Alexandra,"
George Clooney as "Matt King,"
Amara Miller as "Scottie"
and Nick Krause as "Sid"
In THE DESCENDANTS
Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Judy Greer is emotionally affecting in her climactic scenes, George Clooney is terrific from beginning to end, and even his comatose wife is convincing, without moving or saying a word. It's funny, but in a film like this, which revolves in part around a silent, motionless woman, it is her presence which determines whether the film can succeed, for she must be believable as the someone who can be at the center of of attention.

And Robert Forster, as the aggrieved father of the comatose wife, mother, and daughter, adds punch.

A 3D video of George Clooney and friend, Stacy Kiebler
At the NYFF 2011 Closing Night
Red Carpet for THE DESCENDANTS
As the Press Photographers get a little wild.
3D Video by Eric Roffman - QPORIT

A note about 3D video on YouTube. It should start as a 3D video for Red/Cyan glasses. If it does not, or if you prefer one of the other viewing methods, follow the instructions to change the 3D viewing method. Sometimes it requires a few tries before YouTube kicks in with the correct format.

QPORIT 3D videos on YouTube SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE VIEWED IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FORMATS: (but as mentioned above, the current state of the art is that it may take a few tries to change the format).

1 - 2D

2 - 3D Anaglyph (Red/Cyan glasses or other color pairs)

3 - On a 3D TV

4 - On a 3D device (without glasses!) such as a 3D tablet, game console or phone (such as the HTC EVO 3D)

5 - Using the NVIDIA 3D system for a computer.

Foreign Language Film

"Bullhead" Belgium

"Footnote" Israel

"In Darkness" Poland

"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada

=>"A Separation" Iran

Documentary (Feature)

"Hell and Back Again"

Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner

"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"

Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"

Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky

"Pina"

Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel

=>"Undefeated"

TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Animated Feature Film

"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli

"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson

"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller

=>"Rango" Gore Verbinski

ACTORS DIRECTOR AND WRITERS

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"

George Clooney in "The Descendants"

=>Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"

Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Rooney Mara at HIFF 2009Nominated for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Photo by Eric Roffman

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"

Viola Davis in "The Help"

Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

=>Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"

Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"

Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"

Nick Nolte in "Warrior"

=>Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"

Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Jessica Chastain
NOMINATED FOR THE HELP
Rising Star / Breakthrough Performer at HIFF 2010
Photo by Eric Roffman

Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"

Jessica Chastain in "The Help"

Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"

Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"

=>Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

Directing

=>"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius

"The Descendants" Alexander Payne

"Hugo" Martin Scorsese

"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen

"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

=>"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan

"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius

"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor

=>"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen

"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

SHORT FILMS

Short Film (Animated)

"Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon

=>"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg

"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa

"A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

"Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

"Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane

"Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren

=>"The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George

"Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey

"Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø

Documentary (Short Subject)

"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement"

Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin

"God Is the Bigger Elvis"

Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson

"Incident in New Baghdad"

James Spione

=>"Saving Face"

Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

ART AND SOUND

Art Direction

"The Artist"

Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan

=>"Hugo"

Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

"Midnight in Paris"

Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil

"War Horse"

Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth

=>"Hugo" Robert Richardson

"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki

"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

"Anonymous" Lisy Christl

=>"The Artist" Mark Bridges

"Hugo" Sandy Powell

"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor

"W.E." Arianne Phillips

Film Editing

"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius

"The Descendants" Kevin Tent

=>"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

"Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker

"Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen

Makeup

"Albert Nobbs"

Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin

=>"The Iron Lady"

Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

"The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams

=>"The Artist" Ludovic Bource

"Hugo" Howard Shore

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias

"War Horse" John Williams

Music (Original Song)

=>"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie

"Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Sound Editing

"Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce

=>"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl

"War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson

=>"Hugo"

Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

"Moneyball"

Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin

"War Horse"

Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson

=>"Hugo"

Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

"Real Steel"

Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

*** *** ***

SHATNER'S WORLD

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:43:26 PST

SHATNER'S WORLD

SHATNER'S WORLD is more than pure entertainment -- and it is very entertaining: funny, interesting, and inspiring! -- SHATNER'S WORLD is a reflection on why and how entertainment becomes more than entertainment: art, inspiration, politics, humor, comfort and knowledge about life, love and death.

Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It is a one-man show written and performed by William Shatner -- with anecdotes about his life and his work and what they mean to him and to others -- and directed by Scott Faris.

William Shatner is 80 (b March 22, 1931), but he could pass for 40 or fifty. Most people think of him only for one or another of his many lives... Captain Kirk in Star Trek, or Denny Crane in Boston Legal. But his career is truly amazing. Some of his many credits are listed below. He has acted in Shakespeare; owned champion horses; starred in many films, written several novels...

He describes himself as an entertainer. This show, fundamentally, at its core, at its heart, is a muse on how -- just by trying to entertain well -- the vehicles in which he has appeared (pun intended) have fundamentally influenced and inspired major changes in human lives. He knows he can not take credit for the space program. But it is clear that Star Trek has been an inspiration to many of those involved.

He describes anecdotes from his long career in entertainment. Watching this show should be a compulsory element of the education of an actor. It describes the disconnect between the effect and impression that entertainment has on its audience, and the experience of being the entertainer. Shatner has the quality of understanding and commenting on both a subjective and objective awareness of his work that illuminates both (and he does it all with sophisticated and ironic humor). It provides examples akin to what Rita Hayworth meant when she (allegedly) said her trouble with men was that "They go to bed with Gilda (her sensuous character in the movie "Gilda") and they wake up with me." What Shatner has come to realize is essentially that "me" and "Gilda" are both important. They are different. "Gilda" is important to the audience that knows little about "me". But "me" is important, because without it there would be no "Gilda". (To apply to this show, of course, change "Gilda" to "Start Trek" and Gilda to Captain Kirk.)

Star Trek only lasted three years. His other series lasted a few years. That's a fraction of a 60+ year professional career. He's been broke -- even after he was famous -- divorced, in love. He seems to be happy now.

Shatner also muses on love and death (How do you play, "dying"? -- is something he really thinks and talks about) and the treatment of animals, and the nature of humor... all with jokes and (often ironic and self-deprecating) humor.

His delivery is casual; he seemed to fluff a few lines and swallow a few punch lines, but without seriously impeding the flow of the show.

He concludes the show with a nice talk-singing rendition of one song from one of his albums: He'd be great as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady!

I found the show illuminating, entertaining, and inspiring.

In fact, here's what it seems to me is so interesting: I think this show is inspiring both to comedian/actors ... And Rocket Scientists. Not many shows on Broadway can say that.

Here's a selection of Shatner's enormous list of film and TV credits:

ACTOR
2011 Psych (TV series)
2011 William Shatner: Bohemian Rhapsody (video short)
2010-2011 $#*! My Dad Says (TV series)
2011 Horrorween
2010 Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
2008 Gotta Catch Santa Claus (TV movie)
2004-2008 Boston Legal (TV series)
2007 The Tuttles: Madcap Misadventures (Video Game)
2007/I Live Life (short)
2007 Everest (TV mini-series)
2006 Star Trek: Tactical Assault (Video Game)
2006 Star Trek: Legacy (Video Game)
2006 Star Trek: Encounters (Video Game)
2006 Over the Hedge
2006 The Wild
2006 Stalking Santa
2005 Atomic Betty (TV series)
2005 Last Laugh '05 (TV movie)
2005 Invasion Iowa (TV series)
2005 Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
2005 Lil' Pimp (video)
2004 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
2004 Chilly Beach (TV series)
2004 The Practice (TV series)
2003 A Carol Christmas (TV movie)
2002 Groom Lake
2002 American Psycho II: All American Girl (video)
2002 Shoot or Be Shot
2001 The Kid (TV movie)
2001 Bob Patterson (TV series)
2001 Osmosis Jones
2001 Falcon Down
2000 Miss Congeniality
1999-2000 3rd Rock from the Sun (TV series)
1999 A Twist in the Tale (TV series)
1998 Land of the Free
1998 Hercules (TV series)
1998 Free Enterprise
1997 Cosby (TV series)
1997 The First Men in the Moon (video)
1997 Perversions of Science (TV series)
1997 Star Trek: Generations (Video Game)
1997 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Video Game)
1996 Dead Man's Island (TV movie)
1994-1996 TekWar (TV series)
1996 The Prisoner of Zenda, Inc. (TV movie)
1993-1995 Eek! the Cat (TV series)
1994 Janek: The Silent Betrayal (TV movie)
1994 Star Trek: Generations
1994 TekWar: TekJustice (TV movie)
1994 TekWar: TekLab (TV movie)
1994 SeaQuest 2032 (TV series)
1994 TekWar: TekLords (TV movie)
1994 TekWar (TV movie)
1976-1993 Columbo (TV series)
1993 Family of Strangers (TV movie)
1993 Loaded Weapon 1
1993 Star Trek: Judgment Rites (Video Game)
1992 The Larry Sanders Show (TV series)
1992 Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Enhanced (Video Game)
1991 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1991 Voice of the Planet (TV mini-series)
1989 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
1988 Broken Angel (TV movie)
1988 The Trial of Standing Bear (TV movie)
1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
1982-1986 T.J. Hooker (TV series)
1985 North Beach and Rawhide (TV movie)
1985 The Ray Bradbury Theater (TV series)
1984 Secrets of a Married Man (TV movie)
1984 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
1982 Airplane II: The Sequel
1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
1982 Visiting Hours
1982 Police Squad! (TV series)
1980 The Babysitter (TV movie)
1980 The Kidnapping of the President
1979 Star Trek: The Motion Picture
1979 Disaster on the Coastliner (TV movie)
1979 Riel (TV movie)
1978 Crash (TV movie)
1978 Little Women (TV series)
1978 The Third Walker
1978 Land of No Return
1978 The Bastard (TV movie)
1978 How the West Was Won (TV mini-series)

... Lots more stuff ...

1973-1974 Star Trek (TV series -- 22 episodes)

... Lot's more stuff ...

1961-1965 The Defenders (TV series)

... Lot's more stuff including Twilight Zone & Howdy Doody ...

And, to start it off...

1953 Space Command (TV series)
1951 The Butler's Night Off

Much more as Producer, Writer & Director...

Here's a link to Shatner's movies, books and music on Amazon:

LINKS

SHATNER'S WORLD -- OFFICAL SITE

http://shatnersworld.com/

WILLIAM SHATNER'S OFFICIAL SITE

http://www.williamshatner.com/

WILLIAM SHATNER on WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shatner

WILLIAM SHATNER on IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000638/

And, by the way...

GILDA on IMDB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038559/

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californication_(TV_series)

*** *** ***

CALIFORNICATION

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:32:41 PST

I've always enjoyed Californication. David Duchovny as Hank has a unique quality that mashes up sarcasm and sincerity, truth and infidelity, love and more infidelity. The show is kinky. Far out.. Fun and funny.

But tonight was more than usual. Tonight's episode, set against the background of everything that has happened in the story, was absolutely brilliant. It was one of the best half hour stories/shows I've ever seen on television!

(This is episode # 5.6 "Love Song".)

LINKS:

CALIFORNICATION ON WIKIPEDIA

CALIFORNICATION HOME PAGE

http://www.sho.com/site/californication/home.sho

IMDB on DAVID DUCHOVNY

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000141/

IMDB on MEAGAN GOOD (Plays KALI in this episode)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0328709/

SNL -- FEB 11, 2012 -- ZOOEY DESCHANEL WITH KARMIN...

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:54 PST

Zooey Deschanel hosts SNL tonight. She has been a charming, wacky presence in a number of fine movies, including (500) Days Of Summer and Gigantic.

While she sometimes plays a somewhat flaky young woman, Zooey herself is no flake at all: She actually has an amazing film resume... see the list below! (Also, links to some of the films on Amazon, at the end of this post.)

I first saw her in Almost Famous, but first really noticed her as quite a kinky presence in WEEDS as a "love" (or sex) interest of Andy Botwin, the brother of Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker). She is best known, currently, as the new girl on New Girl. (My own take on this show is that it could -- and should -- sharpen its concept a bit, and tighten up the quality of the writing. It's getting awards, but some hard, creative work on the writing and direction could take it to another level.)

In addition to her film and TV work Zooey is a very skilled, singer, song-writer, and musician -- on several instruments. I wonder if SNL is going to let her be musical.

Some personal notes that may come up in the show: Zooey is 5' 6", and just turned 32 -- born January 17, 1980. She recently separated from her husband. She's rumored to be "affiliated" with Russell Brand, who just separated from Katy Perry, who could almost be a twin of Zooey, separated at birth.

SNL SHOW SYNOPSIS:

{

COLD OPEN: Romney as the common-man (not!) had a few laughs at the start, but then petered out into a bland routine that was too much like the real thing to be particularly funny, and not real enough to be particularly funny either. Romney is not a very funny guy.

MONOLOGUE: WEIRD little girl dress, but it was on purpose, I guess. At least the hearts, for Valentine's day. The song was amusing.

CLINTWOOD CHRYSLER COMMERCIAL came in three parts. #2 was the payoff!

PIERS MORGAN was the least effective element of the sketch: interviews about the FINGER episode at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Zooey was terrific as the downspun morality queen. The DECENCY STRAP -- a brilliant invention to prevent the FINGER -- got spontaneous-sounding applause from the audience!

LES JEUNES DE PARIS was again a great sketch (see 1/21/12 SNL Emma Stone -
http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/01/snl-jan-21-2012-emma-stone-coldplay.html) Jean Dujardin (from THE ARTIST) made a surprise appearance. He seemed to be enjoying himself as always.

THE DAILY POST required the most sophisticated acting I've seen on SNL. It was a nice little sketch about movie actors that talk too fast in those movies about newspaper reporters and editors.

KARMIN was wearing an outfit even stranger than Zooey's opening monologue dress. It also looked like she had a dark slinky on her head.

Some interesting commercials. There was a commercial (then a second one later) for William Shatner's limited-run Broadway Show. (I'm looking forward to see it next week. Check back for a report.) CAMRY had a good commercial. And there was a sketch about selling Verizon 4G service which seemed easier to understand than their usual commercials, so I wasn't sure whether it was a parody fake commercial or a funny real commercial.

WEEKEND UPDATE was pretty good. Spot-on impression of Ariana Huffington. Then the "IN THE CAGE" spot, which is usually pretty dreadful came alive with Nick Cage interviewing Nick Cage (clones!) Nick Cage explained a Nick Cage movie as one in which "All the dialog is either whispered or screamed." Cage (the real one) did a perfect deadpan throughout the routine. He was great.

BEING QUIRKY WITH ZOOEY explained the process of quirkification. During the sketch they knitted a sweater for an octopus.

CRAB BLAST parodied the failure to produce. I'm afraid there will be more of these until one finally pays off.

WE'RE GOING TO MAKE TECHNOLOGY HUMP was not as effective as the last time. The setups were more elaborate, but the humping was not as convincing.

ENGLAND 1860 was a bunch of letters from two women to each other about their men. The men were funny, and the sketch had a few laughs. But it was letters. It ended with something about the women getting together with each other, gay marriage in California, and surfing in 1960.

Most all the sketches were either funny or interesting. Zooey was an active participant and did well. Going back to my muses before the show: Zooey did sing, but did not mention her separation or Russell Brand. Except for the monologue, there was no mention of Valentine's Day.

}

ZOOEYS FILMS:

2011-2012 New Girl (TV series) - Jess

2011 Your Highness -- Belladonna

2011 Our Idiot Brother -- Natalie Rochlin

2010 Havin' a Summah (video short)

2010 Drunk History (TV series) -- Mary Todd Lincoln

2010 Funny or Die Presents -- Mary Todd Lincoln

2009 Bones (TV series) -- Margaret Whitesell

2009 (500) Days of Summer -- Summer Finn

2008 Yes Man -- Allison

2008 Gigantic -- Happy Lolly

2008 The Happening -- Alma Moore

2008 The Simpsons (TV series) -- Mary (voice)

2007 Tin Man (TV mini-series) -- DG

2007 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford -- Dorothy Evans

2006-2007 Weeds (TV series) -- Kat

2007 Surf's Up -- Lani Aliikai (voice)

2007 Surf's Up (Video Game) -- Lani Aliikai (voice)

2007 Raving (short) -- Katie

2007 Flakes -- Miss Pussy Katz

2007 Bridge to Terabithia -- Ms. Edmunds

2007 The Go-Getter -- Kate

2007 The Good Life -- Frances

2006 Live Free or Die -- Cheryl

2006 Failure to Launch -- Kit

2005 Once Upon a Mattress (TV movie) -- Lady Larken

2005 Winter Passing -- Reese Holden

2005 American Dad! (TV series) -- French Maid/Candy Striper Stripper (voice)

2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Trillian

2004 Eulogy -- Kate Collins

2004 Cracking Up (TV series) -- Heidi

2003 Elf -- Jovie

2003 House Hunting (short) -- Christy

2003 It's Better to Be Wanted for Murder Than Not to Be Wanted at All -- Gas Station Girl

2003 All the Real Girls -- Noel

2003 Whatever We Do (short) -- Nikki

2002 Frasier (TV series) -- Jen

2002 Sweet Friggin' Daisies (short) -- Zelda

2002 The New Guy -- Nora

2002 Big Trouble -- Jenny Herk

2002 Abandon -- Samantha Harper

2002 The Good Girl -- Cheryl

2001 Manic -- Tracy

2000 Almost Famous -- Anita Miller

1999 Mumford

Here are some pix with Zooey:

Here's some music by Karmin:

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

*** *** ***

CHEKHOVEK

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:25:21 PST

The Actors' Ensemble and GoShow Entertainment present

Chekhovek

The New York Premiere of a New Comedy

Based on Nine Short Stories by Anton Chekhov

ArcLight Theatre

Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm

Matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm

Through March 4.

http://chekhovek.com/

Eddie Allen, Celia Schaefer, Elizabeth Fountain, David Anderson, Rob Leo Roy
Cast of Chekhovek

Chekhovek, a new comedy adapted and directed by Melania Levitsky from nine of Anton Chekhov's best known short stories, with new music composed by Jonathan Talbott, in its New York City premiere, brings the short fiction genius of the Russian master to the stage, with nine of his most famous and theatrical stories performed by five actors and one musician. The Chekhov short stories are...

The Lady with the Dog,

Death of a Government Clerk,

The Ninny,

A Blunder,

The Huntsman,

The Chemist's Wife,

The Black Monk,

Vanka,

The Chorus Girl,

and Gusev (makes ten, but it's just a little Coda from a lyrical -- not tragic -- piece of this story).

Anton Chekhov was an author of brilliant short stories, he wrote hundreds, yet he is best known today as one of the world's greatest playwrights. His short stories are filled with the compassion and humor of an observer who is both uncle and journalist, critic and poet, witnessing episodes in the lives of a vast array of flawed men and women. Chekhov's stories most concisely express his sentiments about the human character: we are beautiful and ridiculous and funny and heartbreaking.

THE NAME:

"Chekhovek" [Russian; derived from chelovek, meaning person; vek, meaning century, or life (arch.); and Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, author, 1860-1904]

A comedy about desire, death and foolishness, in 15 scenes.

CAST & CREATIVE CREW

Starring in Chekhovek, presented in this engagement by The Actors' Ensemble and GoShow Entertainment, are Eddie Allen, David Anderson, Elizabeth Fountain, Rob Leo Roy, and Celia Schaefer.

Director and adaptor Melania Levitsky, who has lived in Russia, has been working on adapting Chekhov short stories for the stage for some time. Last year, a version was performed upstate by Walking the Dog Theater, for which she is associate artistic director.

Scenic design is by David L. Arsenault, lighting is by Nastassia Jimemez and costumes are by Erica E. Evans.

CHEKHOVEK is an entertaining enactment of stories by Chekhov, adapted by Melania Levitsky.

There have been many adaptations of Chekhov's stories for the stage, notably including Neil Simon's The Good Doctor on Broadway. I've even done some myself.

There have been many styles of adaptation. The style chosen for Chekhovek is to narrate excerpts from the stories and then dramatize and perform selected sections, especially those with dialog in the original story. This works very well. Checkhov, even when translated, is a very subtle writer, and hearing selections verbatim enriches the story (as compared with a pure, narration-less dramatization).

Perhaps the most extreme version of this technique is GATZ, Elevator Repair Service's adaptation of The Great Gatsby. This production of Chekhovek does not go to the extremes of GATZ -- it is several stories, excerpted, not a single story from beginning to end; and it uses stage design and costumes effectively. But thinking about both GATZ and Chekhovek suggests the power of this technique on stage. (Would it work in film?) It suggests that it might be interesting to try this approach to stage the complete story, "Lady with a Lapdog," rather than just an except mixed with other stories.

The cast is very good. The most effective is perhaps Celia Schaefer, in both Lady with a Lapdog and The Chemist's Wife.

Eddie Allen and Celia Schaefer
Lady with a Lapdog
Chekhovek

There was a feeling, however, that some of the performances were still a bit tentative. At the early preview that I attended, some of the actors seemed to be trying out different approaches to speaking the language in a way that suggests Russian characters, causing a bit of inconsistent characterization; they seemed to sometimes be most uncomfortable with the heavy use of names with patronymics. ("Yegor Vlassitch"..."Dmitri Dmitritch"..."Ilya Sergeitch Peplov and his wife Kleopatra Petrovna Peplova")

I think there might have been a deliberate choice in the adaptation of "Lady with a Dog" (note: personally, I prefer the translation of the title as "Lady with a Lapdog") to make Celia (as Anna) seem younger and more attractive as she falls in love. Still, I would have like to see her looking radiant -- though distracted and lost and very secretly looking for adventure -- at the very first moment we encounter her.

The second act seemed to include quite a few sad and troubling stories, so the play ends on a bit of a down. Even Lady with a Lapdog, a story about finding true love, has an ending that is quite complicated in tone, and not just "happily ever after:"

"And it seemed as though in a little while the solution would be found, and then a new and splendid life would begin; and it was clear to both of them that they had still a long, long road before them, and that the most complicated and difficult part of it was only just beginning."

I suspect that reading Chekhov's stories before seeing this play would enhance it's enjoyment. (And if you can't do that, I would strongly recommend reading the stories after! Melania Levitsky has indeed picked a terrific selection of stories. )

In addition to Lady with a Lapdog, my favorite section was the portrayal of "The Chemist's Wife".

All in all, the play Chekhovek did give an accurate impression and a very enjoyable account of nine of Chekhov's most brilliant stories.

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1475594/

*** *** ***

SNL -- FEB 4, 2012 -- CHANNING TATUM WITH BON IVER

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:44:53 PST

SNL got off to a very strong start, with a great Open, and an excellent monologue by Channing Tatum, host of tonight's SNL -- a hunky (6' 1"), award winning (Teen Choice Awards), 31 year old actor (born April 26, 1980), known for

Dear John
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Public Enemies
Fighting
Stop-Loss
Step Up 2: The Streets
Step Up

and other films (plus several more in post-production!) See below for links to some of his films and to his IMDB & WIKIPEDIA pages!

But after a terrific start, the rest of SNL tonight was kind of lame. Also, too many commercials. It seemed like there were more line flubs than usual... Trouble with the teleprompter & cue cards, perhaps?

Here's a brief synopsis:

Cold Open: The MOON President was a hot start. Alas, if the Earth blew up, the moon would fly away. But that would be the least of the problems.

Monologue: One of the best. Channing's description of life as a young stripper worked, and promised greast things for the rest of the show. (Not realized, alas.)

It's Getting Freaky was kind of pointless.

The promo for Downton Abbey was kind of fun.

The best sketch of the night was the filming of a promo for NBC football. That's how they do it, for sure.

Secret Word was funnier than usual.

Bon Iver has quite a high voice. Not much else to say about the music.

Real commercials for Twilight Saga and Drive DVD's. Links to Amazon below. Alas, this was the start of a huge number of commercials.

Weekend Update was OK; gently humorous. "Lana Del Rey" defended herself well against what were apparently excessive lots of complaints online. This was our take on that show:

QPORIT: SNL WITH DANIEL RADCLIFFE & LANA DEL REYhttp://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/01/snl-jan-14-2012-daniel-radcliffe-with.html

Happy Bat Mitzvah had great promise, but wimped out when they coulda shoulda hada really wild dance.

Ruby Tuesday / Go Giants didn't work.

Go-Techs Flex wasn't well done. Didn't work.

Bongo's Clown Room seemed like it had promise as a sketch idea, but it wasn't especially interesting, and it wasn't funny.

Below are some videos and links...

Here's the music of Bon Iver:

VIDEO

Here are some links to films with Channing Tatum:

STEP UP is where Channing met his wife, Jenna Dewan:

Here are the DVD's promoted on the show:

TWILIGHT SAGA

DRIVE

LINKS -- More about Channing Tatum

CHANNING TATUM ON IMDB

CHANNING TATUM ON WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channing_Tatum

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

*** *** ***

BIG* NIGHT ON THE SMALL** SCREEN!

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:14:55 PST

The lineup tonight (especially 9 PM) is truly awesome (see below), and quite disturbing if your DVR is out of whack (like mine).

* There are an awful lot of shows tonight, but the question is whether it is a big night?, an awesome night? an awful night? or whether the various channels are simply competing each other to death by fragmenting the audience? True, the stations are hedging their bets (most of them) by scheduling re-showings of the films later and later and on other days, and on their other channels. And many homes now have separate screens for each member of the house, and some people even monitor more than one screen. And most people (not me, tonight) can time-shift some shows with the help of their DVR. But I still don't know if putting everything together on Sunday is such a big idea.

** The "small" screen is an increasingly inaccurate description of what is (in this context) broadband/cable TV. The "small screen" is not always small >> sometimes it is now a 54" or bigger 3D behemoth, and sometimes it's tiny (watching the show wi-fi'd to a smartphone). And "TV" is not the only thing to watch there either, since the internet is often channeled to the TV monitor.

So, here's (some of) what's on tonight:

7:00

E! SAG RED CARPET LIVE

8:00

TBS & TNT - SAG AWARDS

9:00

CBS - THE GOOD WIFE
HBO - LUCK
HBO2 - BLACK SWAN
SHO - SHAMELESS
CNBC - INSIDE FACEBOOK
WNET - DOWNTON ABBEY

10:00

SHO - HOUSE OF LIES

10:30

SHO - CALIFORNICATION

For the SAG awards, see:

http://qporit.blogspot.com/2012/01/sag-awards.html

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT

QPORIT - Quick Previews of Random Interesting Things

*** *** ***

SAG AWARDS

noreply@blogger.com (QPORIT) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:28:02 PST

18th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

WINNERS IN RED!
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo - “A BETTER LIFE” (Summit Entertainment)
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King - "THE DESCENDANTS” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover - "J. EDGAR" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JEAN DUJARDIN / George - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)BRAD PITT / Billy Beane - "MONEYBALL" (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs - "ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher - “THE IRON LADY” (The Weinstein Company)
TILDA SWINTON / Eva - “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe - “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier - “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN” (The Weinstein Company)
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson - "J. EDGAR" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand - "MONEYBALL" (Columbia Pictures)
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon - “WARRIOR” (Lionsgate)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal - “BEGINNERS” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy - "THE ARTIST" (The Weinstein Company)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan - “BRIDESMAIDS” (Universal Pictures)
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page - "ALBERT NOBBS” (Roadside Attractions)
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson - “THE HELP” (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE ARTIST (The Weinstein Company)
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy
JAMES CROMWELL / Clifton
JEAN DUJARDIN / George
JOHN GOODMAN / Al Zimmer
PENELOPE ANN MILLER / Doris

BRIDESMAIDS (Universal Pictures)
ROSE BYRNE / Helen
JILL CLAYBURGH / Annie’s Mom
ELLIE KEMPER / Becca
MATT LUCAS / Gil
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan
WENDI McLENDON-COVEY / Rita
CHRIS O’DOWD / Rhodes
MAYA RUDOLPH / Lillian
KRISTEN WIIG / Annie

THE DESCENDANTS (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
BEAU BRIDGES / Cousin Hugh
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King
ROBERT FORSTER / Scott Thorson
JUDY GREER / Julie Speer
MATTHEW LILLARD / Brian Speer
SHAILENE WOODLEY / Alexandra King

THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Sony Pictures Classics)
KATHY BATES / Gertrude Stein
ADRIEN BRODY / Salvador Dali
CARLA BRUNI / Museum Guide
MARION COTILLARD / Adriana
RACHEL McADAMS / Inez
MICHAEL SHEEN / Paul
OWEN WILSON / Gil

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURENCE FISHBURNE / Thurgood Marshall - “THURGOOD” (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke - “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)GREG KINNEAR / Jack Kennedy - “THE KENNEDYS” (REELZ CHANNEL)
GUY PEARCE / Monty Beragon - “MILDRED PIERCE“ (HBO)
JAMES WOODS / Richard Fuld - “TOO BIG TO FAIL” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
DIANE LANE
/ Pat Loud - “CINEMA VERITE” (HBO)
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham - “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)
EMILY WATSON / Janet Leach - “APPROPRIATE ADULT” (Sundance Channel)
BETTY WHITE / Caroline Thomas - “HALLMARK HALL OF FAME: THE LOST VALENTINE” (CBS)
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce - “MILDRED PIERCE” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross - “SUITS” (USA)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson - “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor - “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS” (DirecTV)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - “DEXTER” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
KATHY BATES / Harriet Korn - “HARRY’S LAW” (NBC)
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes - “DAMAGES” (DirecTV)
JESSICA LANGE / Constance - “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (FX)JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson - “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
JON CRYER / Alan Harper - “TWO AND A HALF MEN” (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton - “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
DOMINIC CHIANESE / Leander Cephas Whitlock
ROBERT CLOHESSY / Ward Boss Jim Neary
DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
JOSIE & LUCY GALLINA / Emily Schroeder
STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
HEATHER LIND / Katy
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
RORY & DECLAN McTIGUE / Teddy Schroeder
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
BRADY & CONNOR NOON/ Tommy Darmody
KEVIN O’ROURKE / Mayor Edward Bader
ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
JACQUELINE PENNEWILL / Lilian
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
PETER VAN WAGNER / Isaac “Icky” Ginsburg
SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson
MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Chalky White
ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky

BREAKING BAD (AMC)
JONATHAN BANKS / Mike
BETSY BRANDT / Marie Schrader
RAY CAMPBELL / Tyrus Kitt
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White
GIANCARLO ESPOSITO / Gus Fring
ANNA GUNN / Skyler White
RJ MITTE / Walter White, Jr.
DEAN NORRIS / Hank Schrader
BOB ODENKIRK / Saul Goodman
AARON PAUL / Jesse Pinkman

DEXTER (Showtime)
BILLY BROWN / Chicago Mike
JENNIFER CARPENTER / Debra Morgan
JOSH COOKE / Louis
AIMEE GARCIA / Jamie Batista
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan
COLIN HANKS / Travis Marshall
DESMOND HARRINGTON / Joey Quinn
RYA KIHLSTEDT / Michelle
C.S. LEE / Vince Masuka
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS / Professor Gellar
JAMES REMAR / Harry Morgan
LAUREN VELEZ / Lt. Maria LaGuerta
DAVID ZAYAS / Sgt. Angel Batista

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
AMRITA ACHARIA / Irri
MARK ADDY / King Robert Baratheon
ALFIE ALLEN / Theon Greyjoy
JOSEF ALTIN / Pypar
SEAN BEAN / Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark
SUSAN BROWN / Septa Mordane
EMILIA CLARKE / Daenerys Targaryen
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU / Ser Jaime Lannister
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister
RON DONACHIE / Ser Rodrik Cassel
MICHELLE FAIRLEY / Lady Catelyn Stark
JEROME FLYNN / Bronn
ELYES GABEL / Rakharo
AIDAN GILLEN / “Littlefinger” Petyr Baelish
JACK GLEESON / Joffrey Baratheon
IAIN GLEN / Ser Jorah Mormont
JULIAN GLOVER / Grand Maester Pycelle
KIT HARINGTON / Jon Snow
LENA HEADEY / Queen Cersei Lannister
ISAAC HEMPSTEAD WRIGHT / Bran Stark
CONLETH HILL / Lord Varys
RICHARD MADDEN / Robb Stark
JASON MOMOA / Khal Drogo
RORY McCANN / Sandor Clegane
IAN McELHINNEY / Barristan Selmy
LUKE McEWAN / Rast
ROXANNE McKEE / Doreah
DAR SALIM / Qotho
MARK STANLEY / Grenn
DONALD SUMPTER / Maester Luwin
SOPHIE TURNER / Sansa Stark
MAISIE WILLIAMS / Arya Stark

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Diane Lockhart
JOSH CHARLES / Will Gardner
ALAN CUMMING / Eli Gold
MATT CZUCHRY / Cary Agos
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick
CHRIS NOTH / Peter Florrick
ARCHIE PANJABI / Kalinda Sharma
GRAHAM PHILLIPS / Zach Florrick
MAKENZIE VEGA / Grace Florrick

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)
SCOTT ADSIT / Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy
KATRINA BOWDEN / Cerie
KEVIN BROWN / Dotcom
GRIZZ CHAPMAN / Grizz
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI / Jenna Maroney
JOHN LUTZ / Lutz
JACK MCBRAYER / Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN / Tracy Jordan
MAULIK PANCHOLY / Jonathan
KEITH POWELL / Toofer

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
KALEY CUOCO / Penny
JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski

GLEE (FOX)
DIANNA AGRON / Quinn Fabray
CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel
DARREN CRISS / Blaine Anderson
ASHLEY FINK / Lauren Zizes
DOT MARIE JONES / Coach Beiste
JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
KEVIN McHALE / Artie Abrams
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
CORY MONTEITH / Finn Hudson
HEATHER MORRIS / Brittany Pierce
MATTHEW MORRISON / Will Schuester
MIKE O’MALLEY / Burt Hummel
CHORD OVERSTREET / Sam Evans
LAUREN POTTER / Becky Johnson
AMBER RILEY / Mercedes Jones
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez
MARK SALLING / Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman
HARRY SHUM, JR. / Mike Chang
IQBAL THEBA / Principal Figgins
JENNA USHKOWITZ / Tina Cohen-Chang

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily
JULIE BOWEN / Claire
TY BURRELL / Phil
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell
NOLAN GOULD / Luke
SARAH HYLAND / Haley
ED O’NEILL / Jay
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria
ARIEL WINTER / Alex

THE OFFICE (NBC)
LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone
CREED BRATTON / Creed Bratton
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott
JENNA FISCHER / Pam Beesly Halpert
KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer
ED HELMS / Andy Bernard
MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor
ELLIE KEMPER / Erin Hannon
ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin
JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson
B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez
CRAIG ROBINSON / Daryll Philbin
JAMES SPADER / Robert California
PHYLLIS SMITH / Phyllis Lapin-Vance
RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute
ZACH WOODS / Gabe Lewis

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
COWBOYS & ALIENS (UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (WARNER BROS. PICTURES)TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (20TH CENTURY FOX)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)SOUTHLAND (TNT)
SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA (STARZ)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award

MARY TYLER MOORE

*** *** ***

2011 SUMMARY & TOPICAL INDEX OF STORIES IN QPORIT

PLEASE VISIT ALL OUR WEBSITES:

BOBOOBLOG - Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway Blog

SONNETS-BY-SHAKESPEARE -- Sonnets & other works by & about Shakespeare
QPORIT3D - A new blog about consumer 3D

VIDEOS FROM QPORIT