Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attended the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival, where Jolie received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award, on Saturday (July 30) at the Sarajevo National Theatre in Bosnia.

“I’m so happy to be in this remarkable city in this beautiful country and I’ve spent the last year lucky enough to experience not just the warmth and the hospitality of the local people but also your extraordinary talent,” she said during her acceptance speech.
“In my career, I have never worked with such disciplined and talented artists as I was able to this last year.”  She was referring to filming her directorial debut “In the Land of Blood and Honey”.

The 36-year-old actress wore an Elie Saab gown, Tiffany & Co. earrings and shoes and a clutch by Jimmy Choo.

Director Nathan Ruegger

Coming from an entertainment family, he was lucky to see that success is possible in this business. He saw early success himself as a young voice over actor on the animated show “Animaniacs”.  His own work as an actor helped shape his vision of how to be a hands-on director and pull amazing, true-to-reality performances from his actors. His hard work and determination to make a film that truly speaks for those who may not always be able to tell their story is bringing him accolades for his film “Another Life” which recently screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nathan for a Q & A interview.

Kali Cook:  How was the casting process for Another Life?

Nathan Ruegger: This film was cast-dependent. We hired an amazing casting director, Cheryl Faye, who has worked with Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi. We spent a while with the breakdowns, called in about 200 hundred actors and narrowed that down to approx. 10 actors for each part in the callbacks.

KC:  What were you looking for in the lead role of Angela? The actress you choose was incredible.

NR: The most important thing was that she be believable as being in Iraq killing people, yet also vulnerable and likable.

KC: That is a lot to ask for, what stood out with Tracy?

NR: I think what stood out the most was the way I could see the whole movie on her face without her saying a word.

KC: And Robert, what was key in choosing him to play Scott?

NR: Robert actually made us cry with his audition. We managed to hold it in until he left the room.

KC: What type of prep did you do with these two before filming? Their chemistry exploded on screen.

NR: We rehearsed for about a week and they both had their own processes with becoming the characters. For example Tracy took her uniform home to wear it and immerse herself  with being a veteran.

KC: Can you tell us a little about the other actors?

NR: Harrison’s scene is so complicated, he plays the mob boss and has the job of setting up the whole story, as well as this character needing to scare people almost to death. Bobbie, who plays Kaylie is just adorable and so easy to work with. She played the scene perfectly when she knows her Dad has been killed, it shows in her eyes so subtlety.

KC: What made you interested in writing this film?

NR: I love crime dramas and thrillers, they interest me the most. I didn’t want to just make a fun movie, I wanted it to tell a real story.

KC: You absolutely accomplished that. Lets talk directing for a moment. What would you say your style on set is?

NR: Soft spoken. Very focused. I like to work with each actor individually to get the moments the scene calls for.

KC: The colors of the film are so “real” and beautiful, what inspired this?

NR: Jay Visit and I have similar styles, very easy going, so we work well together. We chose the colors for Tracy’s world, thinking in terms of cold, blues, shadows. Robert’s world is warm, bright and yellows.

KC: I have to say, the ending surprised me. Did you always know that is how you wanted it to end?

NR: I wrote 20 drafts of the script. I grappled with how to end it. A mentor had told me that a short needs to be emotional 1 or 2 moments. Angela is trapped, can’t see a way out.

KC: Do you have a particular message you would like viewers to leave with after watching Another Life?

NR: Very much so, “Talk to someone”. Angela could not see a way out, she felt done. She should have talked to someone. Reached out. I want people to see and know that we aren’t alone. To reach out to someone before it becomes too late, no matter what that is.

KC: In closing our interview, what would you say was something influenced you growing up?

NR: My grandfather was an actor and a director, my Dad is a producer, Mother, actress. Each of them taught me and showed me different areas and I gained endless knowledge from their particular perspective.

For more info on the film and Nathan Ruegger, visit: www.anotherlifefilm.com.

Two Hollywood film giants, one behind the camera and one in front, reunite for a fourth project in eight years about the investigation of a woman who murdered her children called “Shutter Island”.  “Nightline” co-anchor Cynthia McFadden sits down with legendary director Martin Scorsese and award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio to talk about the film, how they met, their feelings about each other, their audience and the price of show business.  Here are some excerpts from the fascinating McFadden interview, courtesy of ABC News Nightline…

On the joy of making movies:

Cynthia McFadden: So it’s a lot more fun to make the movies than to talk about the movies, I suspect, yes?

Martin Scorsese: Sometimes.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Sometimes, yeah. And fun is not always the operative word when making a movie. In this case, I don’t know, would you describe this one as fun? I wouldn’t describe it as fun — it was hard work, very rewarding and, you know, for me anyway, it uncovered a lot about the character that wasn’t necessarily on the page on first glance. … I never expected the experience to be, what it was, I really didn’t.

On DiCaprio’s acting methods:

LD: “Rage, no it’s not hard,” the actor said. “I don’t think so. I like that, that kind of stuff. It’s a release, because it allows me to do things that I would absolutely never normally be able to do in real life or wouldn’t allow myself to do. It allows you to go to places that you, that I, for whatever decisions I’ve made in my life, won’t allow myself to go. So it is like embodying somebody else for a period of time, and then you get to walk away from it. And then it becomes burned into celluloid and it’s something that you can look at, like a book on your shelf.”

On the price of playing dark roles:

LD: “Every time I play one of these roles, the loss of control that you have, it’s suffocating, in a way, and it’s something that — it’s so dark — it’s something that you don’t like to dwell on too much. So for me, you know, playing these roles, as much as you don’t want to let any of that stuff penetrate your real life, there was a mood that I had throughout this entire film that was very somber, there was a very somber feeling on set, especially shooting in an abandoned mental ward as well. Literally, you could feel the stories around you.”

On how they met:

MS: He introduced me to him. And he told me when he did “This Boy’s Life,” he says, “There’s this young kid you have to work with sometime, he’s very good, doing this film now, “This Boy’s Life.” I say, “What’s his name?” He told me, so I watched that and I watched “Gilbert Grape,” and I say he’s good, he’s interesting — and you were very young at that the time, what was it?

LD: I was 16.

On the dynamic between DiCaprio and Scorsese:

CM: But I’m interested — it’s so hard to put into words these kinds of things. … What is it between the two of you?

MS: Part of it is having gone through the experience of “Gangs of New York,” and then it was sort of galvanized by “Aviator” I think, because it was such a complex character that we were trying to play with there. But then “Departed” was another one. That really touched upon areas and levels that I hadn’t expected, which was good, which meant he’s maturing…

On their conflicts:

CM: When was the last time you had a fight? Have you?

LD: We don’t really have fights.

MS: No.

LD: That sounds really like an old, married couple in therapy.

On their appreciation of each other:

CM: Liking each other must make it better?

LD: It does, yeah, absolutely. Look, for me it’s very simple, I’m getting to work with a master filmmaker and I am inspired by working with him. And more so than all that, he kind of has this infectious appreciation for cinema as an art form … and when you’re around someone that loves movies that much and has such a commitment to making good movies, you get on that rollercoaster too, and everyone enjoys that process — it’s infectious.

CM: What do you think you give him?

LD: I think you’d have to ask him that — I’d never be so presumptuous as to sit here and say…

On a potential Sinatra film:

MS: We’re trying, we’re trying. There’s a couple…

CM: What do you think?

LD: I don’t know, I have no answers for that, I don’t know. He’s working on it.

CM: Would you like to do it if it’s offered?

LD: If he calls me up for something, it’s hard to say no, it’s hard to say no, but we’ll see.

CM: As a betting man, do you think you’ll be making that picture?

MS: It could be, it very well could be. We just had some meetings on it in Los Angeles and we’re going to the nest step and see what we can do, you know. It’s a matter of timing too.

LD: Timing, money.

On DiCaprio playing Sinatra:

CM: But is Leo who you’d like to see play the character?

MS: I think so, yeah. I feel that. It’s a matter of how do you approach that character? Where do you start, where do you end? It’s a big job.

On audience approval:

CM: Does it matter whether people like it or not?

MS: Of course, you want an audience to, I’d like people to like my work, that’s nice — or responding to it. Respond, right? I mean it’d be nice if they do, touch certain chords in the audience, that sort of thing.

LD: The only one thing I’ve learned in my career … the only thing you know is that you have no control of what people think, you only can go in there with the best intentions, give everything you possibly can, try your best to make the best possible movie you can. Then it’s kind of like giving birth, you give it out to the world and it will either become a juvenile delinquent or the next president of the United States.

Cynthia McFadden’s interview with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio airs on ABC News “Nightline” Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 11:35pm (ET/PT).  For more excerpts, click HERE.

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir.  James Goldston is the executive producer.  “Nightline” airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

Lindsay Proce cut the ribbon and kicked off the event

Lipstick Jungle star Lindsay Price celebrated the grand opening of Laguna Champagne Bar at The Palazzo. The VIP event was hosted by Moet Hennessy. Lindsay was all smiles wearing a black cocktail dress and gorgeous Simon G sapphire and diamond ring as she cut the red ribbon to kick-off the evening.

When asked about the event, Lindsay Price responded, “This is a girlfriends’ weekend. We are having a great time and love The Palazzo. And who doesn’t love champagne? It’s so fresh!” While mingling with guests, Price was seen sipping on glasses of Dom Perignon. She also loved the Laguna Champagne Bar’s Flower Eclipse signature champagne cocktail. This signature drink is a mix of St.Germain Elderflower Liquer, fresh lemon juice, topped with Moet & Chandon champagne, and nectar.

Lindsay Price enjoyed glasses of Dom Perignon

Before the event, Price checked into The Palazzo’s luxurious two-bedroom Lago Suite and enjoyed an amazing selection of fine cheeses at Morels French Steakhouse and Bistro. At The Palazzo’s New York-based SUSHISamba, later that evening, Price dined on Yellowtail tartare taquitos, tuna tataki and a cocktail tree with her friends. Then they headed over to LAVO for some late night dancing and partying. The single and loving it Price plans to spend the rest of the weekend enjoying Spa treatments with the girls at Canyon Ranch SpaClub and then a healthy lunch at Canyon Ranch SpaClub’s café!

Remember Pee-wee Herman, the goofy gray-suited character with a red bow tie that had a guileless attitude and laugh that begged to be impersonated? He’s making a comeback after a humiliating arrest that sidelined the actor’s career for decades. Pee Wee Herman, played by Paul Reubens who developed this character at The Groundlings, became a cult classic figure with children and adults after the 1985 Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, directed by the then unknown Tim Burton and the 1988 sequel movie, Big Top Pee-wee. This led to a CBS Saturday morning children’s program, Pee-wee’s Playhouse which only secured his fame and recognition even more.

After the 1991 indecent exposure arrest in an adult theater, the bad press dramatically changed the public’s view of Reubens and his once beloved character, Pee Wee. Since then, he appeared in Mystery Men and the blockbuster Blow with a few cameos on Reno 911, Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock and Dirt. But with a new Pee-wee Herman stage show in Los Angeles set to open at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood running November 19 through December 20.

The November issue of DETAILS Magazine hits stands next week and we discover how Paul Reubens will prove to Hollywood that Pee-wee can still pack a house.

Click HERE to read the full DETAIL Magazine article about Pee-Wee’s big comeback.

Photo Credit: DETAIL Magazine’s Chris McPherson

Actor Ray Park who stars in the upcoming action movie “G.I. Joe” as  Snake Eyes, personified evil playing Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace and scared audiences stiff as the headless horseman in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, finally reveals himself to loyal fans for the first time without a mask or costume in the upcoming season of “Heroes“.

Though his moves and martial artistry is certainly recognizable, his face has been curiously obscured in nearly every film in which he’s appeared until now.  Ray Park will come out from ‘behind the mask’ on September 21st, 2009 starring as the character, Edgar, in the first episode of the new season of Heroes.

Training to the Top

Scottish-born Park always set his sights to be in the movies, but his true passion was martial arts. At the tender age of seven, he began practicing martial arts. Park mastered the traditional Chinese Northern Shaolin Kung-fu (in the Chin Woo style) and various other styles, including Wushu. Soon becoming a regular fixture at martial arts exhibitions and tournaments, the now defined and disciplined athlete dominated Great Britain’s martial arts championships before later traveling to Malaysia to refine his skills.

Masked Acting Roles

After he conquered the martial arts world, Park set his sites on acting and became a natural on the set, gaining more roles as he the industry recognized his abilities as both actor and martial artist. He was later contacted by stunt coordinator Nick Gillard to audition for George Lucas’ upcoming Star Wars prequel. Offered the job by producer Rick McCallum, Park was given the creative freedom to develop his choreography by an impressed Lucas, while gaining confidence to develop his role to the best of well trained skill set.

After playing headless horseman in Sleepy Hollow (1999), Park finally saw his face and voice joined on the silver screen (his voice was dubbed in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace) with his role as Toad in Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000). Park took the lead as the title character in Iron Fist later the same year. Though curious Star Wars fanatics clamored to rumors that Park would return as Darth Maul in the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), their many speculations were shot down by George Lucas himself with the announcement that although that specific character would not return for the sequel, Park would indeed play a role in Episode II. Currently, Ray is starring as Snake Eyes in G.I. Joe.

LA’s the Place caught up with Ray to find out what his thoughts are about his  current role and his ‘coming out’ role on Heroes.

LA’s The Place: Your costume in G.I. Joe looked really constraining, was it hard for you to move in it during the action sequences?

Ray Park: Yes, it was a challenge and I was a bit freaked out at first. I wasn’t expecting it to be so thick and I couldn’t really move my head or breathe very well. I asked them to give me a practice costume so I could practice moving in it.  I started going to the sauna and wearing hoodies and as much clothes as possible so that I could work through it and overcome it. Eventually it became standard to put the mask on and channel the character.

LATP: Heroes is your first TV role; how is it different from film?

RP: For me, it’s very different the setups are shot quicker and there is not a lot of time for making mistakes. On a movie you spend a lot of time in your trailer but with Heroes you go straight to the set. I’m really enjoying it

LATP: Heroes will be the first time your fans get to see your face.  Are you excited?

RP: Very excited! I hope that it will open up more opportunities for work. I think it’s going to be great.

LATP: How did you prepare to play Edgar?

RP: Circus and carnival are my key words for this role. I really channel them when I’m playing Edgar. I sat down and created my own thoughts on him before I ever met with the writers and producers. This is the first time I have used knifes, aside from cooking so I practiced a lot. I definitely took some tips from the chefs at Benihana’s.

LATP: Do you help to create the action sequences?

RP: That would be really nice if I did but it’s a team effort. I don’t create the action sequences but I know the producers want me to show off the best moves I can do so we work together. The sequences are already mapped out but we have to go over them to find out what works best.

LATP: Can you let us in on any secrets from the season?

RP: You will just have to wait and find out…

Cynthia McFadden’s

Excepts from the Tyra Banks interview are below, courtesy of ABC News’ Nightline…

On Having Children:

CYNTHIA MCFADDEN: Are we going to see little Tyra’s?

TYRA BANKS: I think you will. I think you will. I don’t know when but sooner than later definitely. I have a lot of success and make a good living but after while you start going why? Why are you doing all this, especially because I’m not materialistic so it’s not like “ooh yeah I’m making all this let’s get the jet plane you know! I don’t have that so I need to be able to pass this down. I need to be able to share it with a family and go to “Toys R Us” and buy a lot of toys for my child- you know what I’m saying, like what is the point? Because right now my life…when I was a model it was all about me, like how many covers can I get, how many…me me me …I’m gonna break barriers, I’m gonna do this and then now in my career I’m so excited about discovering stars, making other people stars and creating shows and my talk show has hundreds of people whose livelihood, depends on me showing up every single day, so that excites me more and to me that goes more into having a child because it’s not really all about me, it’s about giving sustenance in life to other people.

On Being a Diva:

CM: How much of a diva are you?

TB: I wish I was more of a diva. I wish I was harder, I wish I didn’t care so much about being the nice girl all the time because a lot of the time people can take kindness for weakness, so I wish I had a little bit more “oomph” in me. When it comes to being in charge, being a boss, being an executive producer because you know a lot of the times they are probably like, “Oh it’s Tyra, she’s cool, she’s not gonna trip” so I could learn maybe from some people, and you know what? It’s not a diva…it’s about being a strong businesswoman and being a better leader I can learn to do that.

On Status:

CM: The New York Times famously called you America’s next top mogul. Do you feel like a mogul?

TB: No I don’t! I think I’m too young to be a mogul. I think I’m too young for that when I think about moguls I think like Donald Trump. He owns NYC practically, that’s a mogul I feel like…I’m a on my way to a lot more but mogul is a really serious thing. I think it’s a word that gets thrown around easily.

CM: There’s been a lot of talk about money and reports that you make upwards of 20 million dollars a year, are they in the ballpark?

TB: I don’t know, I always say it could be a hell of a lot less, and it could be a hell of a lot more. My mother told me don’t talk about your money.

CM: Money doesn’t buy happiness but it does buy some things…

TB: I love being able to go to a store let’s say…a store like Topshop or Zara or maybe even Macy’s depends on what department and not have to look at the price tag.

CM: Well you could go lots of places and not look at the price tag.

TB: Rodeo Drive and all that I’m looking at the price tag and gulping even with success and the, you know…

CM: So you’re not buying $10,000 pocketbooks?

TB: Don’t own one. And when I do, means I didn’t buy it.

CM: Really?

TB: Really.

CM: You don’t have a taste for that?

TB: No, I don’t like expensive things, I buy property, and that has a lot more zeros behind it than a $10,000 bag but to me I like things that appreciate! I don’t want to take something and the minute it leaves the shelf it depreciates!

CM: Sounds like a mogul to me!! A mogul in training here!

TB: I started buying a couple of designer clothes and I put it on and I’m like wow this looks really really good but then I just can’t help looking in a magazine for the splurge and the save….and I go but dang, I just paid all this but look at her.. she paid like 20 bucks ..that is still in me I don’t know what that is.. Some person told me I had like a poor man’s syndrome or something…I never was really poor.

CM: Do you have an extravagance though, is there something that you…

TB: Property, I like to buy property. And my accountant says that I’m like the best blackjack player in Vegas because I bet on the right stuff. I know when something is gonna appreciate. I just have a gift for that!

On Her Future:

CM: So much has gone right in your life, but the man thing has never quite gelled.

TB: Wouldn’t say it hasn’t gelled, I just, because I’m not married is that why?

CM: Maybe it’s because we don’t know!

TB: Exactly.

CM: You’ve been very private about all of it, why?

TB: Because, sharing your relationship does nothing except for share your relationship doesn’t help people, it doesn’t do anything it just creates gossip fodder.

CM: So you don’t look and say, oh well I’m 35, I’m not married. You’ve talked a lot about models trading in their pretty…for rich husbands. That certainly wasn’t your path, have you sort of gone the other way with a vengeance!

TB: I don’t have that OMG I gotta get married thing! If it happens it happens, but it’s never been like oh I need to do that! I don’t know, it’s a little difficult for me to understand actually when women really want to get married. I don’t understand it.

CM: Really?

TB: Not in today’s day and age. When my friends really want to get married I’m like OK I’m gonna help you find a husband, I go and I do it and I set them up on blind dates and all that but I don’t understand that. I think it’s because I’m a product of divorce, my parents divorced so I don’t understand that whole married thing when 70 percent of marriages fail and 50 percent of second marriages fail…so that forever and ever thing and people get divorced…i don’t know, I’m trying to figure it out.

CM: So would you have a baby without getting married?

TB: I don’t know! Not sure.

CM: Is the biological clock ticking?

TB: Child, 50 year olds are having babies now, I think I’m ok!!

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline” airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

Most recently, you might have seen Sorbo play the hunky, scantily-clad Captain co-starring with Carmen Electra in the comedic movie, “Meet the Spartans”. But Sorbo has accomplished an almost Herculean feat by having one of the most enduring and bankable careers in Hollywood; Electronics Media Magazine named Sorbo TV’s third most bankable star behind Oprah and Regis!

Minnesota native, Kevin Sorbo, was just another Tinseltown wanna-be when he arrived in LA at age 27 with aspirations of hitting it big. And boy did he. His success was not overnight but grew steadily. He began consistently booking beer, hair care products and clothing commercials while going to acting class with some of Hollywood’s biggest actors like Brad Pitt, Matthew Perry and Sharon Stone.

Sorbo says of his early days in LA,“I was one of the lucky guys. For about a three-year period in the early ‘90’s, I was one of the top three male actors in terms of booking commercials.”

Hercules Is Huge

In 1992, he lost the lead role of Superman in “Lois and Clark” to Dean Cain but was offered the part of Hercules in a new syndicated show. “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” show evolved into a sweet gig that most actors can only fantasize about. It ran for seven years until 1999 and aired in 140 countries, surpassing “Baywatch” as the most watched TV show in the world.

Art Imitates Life

Fame and fortune was not the only thing the “Hercules” show provided Sorbo. “Talk about art imitating life,” Sorbo says of meeting his real-life leading lady, Sam Jenkins, on the show. She made a guest appearance as one of Hercules’ love interests in 1996. Sam and Kevin married in 1998 and they had their first ‘Hercules Jr.’ in 2002, followed by two more children.

Beam me up, Sorbo

During the last 3 months of shooting the “Hercules” role, he was a hot commodity and simultaneously landed the lead role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the sci-fi action series “Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda”. Seemingly to bestow the golden touch on anything Sorbo got involved with, “Andromeda” held the #1 hour show spot for its entire five year run.

Film Appearances

Sorbo also is a prominent film actor while juggling his busy TV career. In 1997, Sorbo made his feature film debut in “Kull, the Conqueror”, a prequel to “Conan, the Barbarian”. Other films include, “Walking Tall, the Payback”, “Walking Tall, Lone Justice, “The Last Chance Café”, “Something Beneath”, “Clipping Adam”, and most recently, “The Avenging Angel” which aired on Hallmark summer of 2007 and was the third highest rated movie in the history of Hallmark. Another ’08 release for Sci-Fi cable network was “Fire From Below”. “The House Next Door” and “Prairie Fever” were two other 2008 movies he starred in. The year 2009 and 2010 is a flurry of activity for Kevin. Here are a few films he’s working on: “What If…”, “The Illuminati: Out of Chaos Comes Order”, “Sleeping with the Lion”, and “Puzzle Vision”. Read below in LAs the Place’s face to face with Sorbo about more film and TV appearances in 2009 and 2010.

TV Appearances

Since his two big TV hit series, Sorbo has guest starred on numerous other hit shows like “Just Shoot Me”, “According to Jim”, “Hope and Faith”, “Two and a Half Men”, USA networks “Psych”, and had recurring appearances on “Dharma and Greg”, and on Fox’s “The OC” in 2006-2007. In 2005, he signed an unprecedented development deal with ABC/Touchstone Television that resulted in the creation of “Bobby Cannon”, a half-hour comedy pilot written by Barry Kemp of “Coach” and “Newhart” fame.

An Actor with Heart

Despite juggling family and career demands, Sorbo makes being a spokesman for A World Fit for Kids a priority. A World Fit for Kids is a non-profit organization that provides gang, drug and dropout prevention to teens through mentoring programs.

He was also named national spokesperson as successor to Arnold Schwarzenegger for The After School Alliance, a nonprofit organization working to ensure that all children have access to safe, enriching after school programs by the year 2010.

Swinging for Charity

Lately, he has combined his passion to give to others in need and his passion for golfing. He tours around the country playing in charity golf tournaments raising funds to find  cures to cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, melanoma cancer, among others. Read here about his Second Annual  Kevin Sorbo Celebrity Golf Tournament  at Dragon Ridge Country Club in Henderson, NV on October 8th and 9th. The event is held in support of A World Fit For Kids!

LA’s The Place Editor-in-Chief Jane Emery got a chance to chat with actor Kevin Sorbo discovering his views on what it takes to succeed, politics, and his charity work among sharing some insightful words of wisdom.

On Success

KS: I always push myself, I look at successful people and I ask them how they became successful and I learned that failure is a positive thing, not a negative thing. In a town like Hollywood, a political mafia, you have to put up with so much crap and there are so many reasons to fail in this town and there are so few reasons to even get a chance at success. All the doors that slammed for me just fueled the fire and it is perseverance for me more than anything else. I’m a 13-year “overnight success”. It’s just a matter of sticking with it and never ever giving up. Most people are afraid of failure so they just stay where they are and they don’t make that movie role or have anything good happen to them.

On Bettering Our Future

KS: We can’t be sitting still and blaming other people for our losses. It’s like come on, you guys. If you look, for instance, at Bill Cosby - he came off and said this is what we need to do as African Americans and they jumped on him and called him an Uncle Tom. Here is a guy that went through all kinds of racism in his life, and he rose above it, he studied hard and he found a way to get to a successful place in life. Everybody goes through it. It’s all about making things happen for themselves and not pointing fingers.

On Developing Work Ethic

KS: You know, I started a paper route when I was only in the second grade, I was eight years old, and I held it for 7 years. For 7 years, I got up at 3 or 4 in the morning, 6 days a week. I was out there in Minnesota, 25 below zero in winter, and I’d get up to ride my bike through snow covered streets covering my sales route. I worked hard. And in the summers, I worked at my dad’s golf course where he was a manager there.

On Being Resilient

KS: I think the biggest thing happening in our country is people are just giving up, they are just getting lazy and they want the government to take care of them. I’m just scared of what’s going on in this country. For the last 20 years, I’ve just been seeing this weird entitlement thing. It happens every single year, where people just say, “Oh what the heck”. You know? And it’s kind of sad to me in a way. It’s like this country was built on doers, not on people sitting around expecting people to take care of them. JFK said one of the greatest lines ever when he gave his inauguration speech and he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” and we’re getting away from that, we need to get back to that.

On the Effects of Fame

KS: I never really got to clear my head and deposit the fact that it took me so many years to achieve success so I think I appreciate it a little more. I mean there are young kids that are between 18-25 yrs old and they’ve had success when they were young in their lives and their attitudes are quite different. In the back of my mind, I’m always thinking when the shows over, lets see where you are because it ain’t easy. It’s hard to keep things going and those are the reasons Hollywood decides when and where something is over.

On America’s Public Education

KS: You look at public education and it’s horrendous, we should be embarrassed. And everyone from Obama on down has said that their going to make public education better and they haven’t. Now I’m not a public schoolteacher and I don’t want to get in trouble for this but it’s ridiculous that the only communist business that we have in this country is public education. Now if you’re a teacher for 15 years and you’re a bad teacher, and you don’t do what you need to do to teach children what they need to know and they come out not knowing how to read and write…

On Getting Back What You Put Out

KS: I think teachers should be paid by the jobs that they do and not just because they’ve been teaching 20 years so they get paid the same. It’s ludicrous. If I worked for IBM and I sold 300 billion dollars worth of computers and my other buddy sold 300 million dollars worth of computers and we get paid the same salary, I’d be a little upset like wait a minute, I worked my butt off. If he worked 40 hours a week and I worked 100 hours a week, I want to be paid for that. I don’t begrudge anybody’s success. I just don’t. I have friends who complain about their bosses and I’m like wait a second, your boss took all the chances and was able to raise all the money to accomplish something in this business, and now you’re going to rag on your boss? Go create your own company then. People that do this stuff, it blows my mind that they are able to do these things. I’m a champion for democracy but this country needs to get back to the great country that it was and we’re losing ourselves.

On His Part to Improve LA Public Schools

KS: I decided that I’d always wanted to work with kids that weren’t necessarily unhealthy but lived in very unhealthy environments. So I’ve worked with World Fit For Kids to raise 3 million dollars a year that enables us to work with twelve LA schools and 12,000 kids. There is a 54% dropout rate in LA public schools and we have a 100% of the kids of the 12,000 in our program graduating. We have parents knocking down our doors to work with their child. We received a gold star from Gov. Schwarzenegger for the best after school program this year. We’re kicking off our second annual fund raising golf tournament in October 8th and 9th 2009 in Las Vegas. To get involved, check out: www.worldfitforkids.org.

On His Latest Acting Projects

KS: Right now I’m working on an independent film in Baton Rouge called “Flesh Wounds”. I’ve got a movie called “Fire from Below” in September on the Sci-Fi channel. A feature film called “Paradox” is coming out in theaters in January 2010 and another feature film, “Tales from an Ancient Empire” in January or February. And also “Lighting Strikes” on Sci-Fi channel in December. I’ve been filming a lot of movies, but I’d like to get back on TV and get another series going.

Check out his website to see where Sorbo is in front of the camera and also wielding his golf club for good next. www.kevinsorbo.net

Kevin Sorbo lives in LA with his wife Sam and their three young children.

Dramatic actors get all the attention for taking risky roles. A guy puts on a dress or a girl wears a prosthetic nose and somehow it’s instant Oscar nomination. But what Kevin Farley did as leading man in An American Carol showed more daring than all the cross dressers and accent deliverers combined; he dared to spoof director Michael Moore in a satirical look at Moore, Hollywood and America’s politically correct culture.

LAs The Place Daily TV Interview with Kevin

An American Carol

Farley’s warmth and charisma prevents An American Carol from ever coming off as mean spirited. He removes the soapbox as a potential set piece by never taking himself too seriously while portraying Moore’s cinematic doppelganger, “Michael Malone”. What’s striking about Farley is that he always seems at ease in interviews or even when confronted by wandering paparazzi. Perhaps it is this quality of Farley the man that speaks to Farley the actor’s ability to perform without pretense.

From getting slapped in succession by General George S. Patton, President John F. Kennedy, and Bill O’Reilly or firing at ACLU zombies that are attacking a courthouse, Farley delivers an organically hilarious performance. He holds his own while acting with a cast of Hollywood heavyweights like Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight, Dennis Hopper, James Woods and Leslie Nielsen.

Hollywood & Wine

Farley is surrounded by family and long time friends in his writing and directorial debut, Hollywood & Wine. Joining him in writing the film were his brother John Farley, sister in law Jennifer Farley (as Jennifer Herron) and Matt Berman. Berman also joined as co-director on the project, which stars SNL‘s Chris Kattan.

John Farley, Kevin Farley

Starring in the film is Nicky Whelan, the fresh-faced Australian import known for her work as Pepper Steiger on the television drama Neighbours. She appears poised for a sensual takeover of American audiences as Whelan’s undeniably stunning appearance is matched only by an affable and inviting charm.

Whelan plays Diane Blaine, an aspiring actress who can’t land a role because her face is “Too Jamie Stephens”; a Britney Spears/Lindsey Lohan type that has fallen on hard times. When her boyfriend (played by Chris Kattan) becomes indebted to a mobster, Whelan’s Blaine must play the only role ever really meant for her; pretending to be Jamie Stephens as she has dinner with the crush-struck mobster. The film also stars Norm MacDonald, Chazz Palminteri, David Spade, Horatio Sanz, Chris Parnell, Pamela Anderson, Vivica Fox and includes an appearance from Farley himself.

Back in the Saddle

Farley has now turned his attention to starring in Back in the Saddle. A devout fan of the film Blazing Saddles, Farley wrote Back in the Saddle as an homage to the Mel Brooks classic. Back in the Saddle (a western comedy) is the story of a train-robbing cowboy who tries to go straight. He retires to the town of Tumbleweed to live his life happily ever after. Unfortunately, rumors of an impending railroad coming to town have the jealous sheriff and ambitious mayor of Tumbleweed grabbing for gold and looking to neutralize any opposition…to their dismay, our hero comes out of retirement to ride again. “We want to shoot in Wyoming because people care about real characters, and I wanted the locations to be as real as the characters on screen,” said Farley.

American Regal

He’s also partnered with Fay Byrd to develop a clothing line that caters to bigger men. Farley and Byrd are tweeting the progress of American Regal on Twitter at www.twitter.com/americanregalby. Kevin also updates his fans through his personal page, http://twitter.com/kevfarls.

More About Kevin

At first, Farley resisted the call of comedy. Growing up in a family that used humor to deal with life, it was fate that he’d end up sharing that laughter with the world. Once he graduated from Marquette University with a degree in business, he began work for his father’s asphalt company, Scotch Oil. While that road may have been paved by good intentions his love for making people laugh grew too strong to ignore. He would get off work and jump on stage at the local comedy club. Farley studied at the famed Second City in Chicago, and would spend time watching his brother Chris Farley and cast create comedy for Saturday Night Live, which was a tremendous education, before moving to Los Angeles and landing a role in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy, and never looked back.

Chris Farley and Kevin Farley clown around as kids.

His breakthrough role came as boy band member Doug Linus in the MTV parody 2gether: The Series. The role was distinctly different from anything that Farley had done and attracted high praise from many reviewers.

Farley’s roles include films such as Joe Dirt, Beverly Hills Ninja, The Third Wheel and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. He lent his voice to Eight Crazy Nights and has had guest appearances on programs like That ’70s Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Just Shoot Me and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Many thanks to the beautiful $35 million dollar refurbished LA landmark Hotel Shangri La for hosting our interview with Kevin Farley.

www.shangrila-hotel.com
1301 Ocean Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 394-2791

Alec Baldwin, actor, 30 Rock

Playboy:  Setting up this interview was like trying to shoot a moving target. It took months for you to carve out time in your schedule. Not many actors your age are so busy.
Alec Baldwin:  For me to have any career opportunities at the age of 51 is a miracle. But it’s all about 30 Rock. We’ve won every prize they give out, some twice. People need to laugh right now. Tina Fey and her writers are so good, they’ve skewed things for me.

Playboy:  How?
AB:  People send scripts now, and I read them and go [breathes in loudly], “I don’t know. It’s more cute than funny.” I work with people who are really funny. It sets the bar high.

Playboy:  You, Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan are very different. On what level do you connect?
AB:  I love Tracy because he is this sweet kid from the Bronx, a real New Yorker who went from comedy clubs in the outer boroughs into the 212 area code with Caroline’s and then stardom on SNL. But he’s still childlike. When he was told he was going to host SNL, he burst out crying in front of us; he couldn’t believe they’d asked him. He’s among a handful of people in my life who always make me laugh. He’s sick and perverted but in a wonderful way. He’s my favorite pervert.

Playboy:  How about Tina Fey?
AB:  Tina’s a smart and sexy woman who writes with an edge and thinks like a guy. The success of 30 Rock is not how many people watch the show but who’s watching the show. Industry people watch. There are shows far more successful than we’ll ever be that nobody in my business watches. So when NBC chief Jeff Zucker or NBC programming honcho Ben Silverman or SNL and 30 Rock producer Lorne Michaels are having lunch at the Grill and people walk up and say, “My kid downloads that show, and we watch the DVD boxed set,” it’s enormously gratifying.

Playboy:  You’ve had enough classic moments on SNL to fill your own DVD. Which skit do people bring up most often?
AB:  “Schweddy Balls.” It’s going to be on my tombstone: HERE LIES ALEC BALDWIN AND HIS SCHWEDDY BALLS.

Playboy:  Did you turn down any sketches for being too outrageous?
AB:  Probably a few. It’s hard to remember. I’m often asked if I think about going into politics. If I do, these guys will have a field day. I’ve given them so much crap to use against me—Canteen Boy, Schweddy balls. I just did the Wii sketch. Did you see that?

Playboy:  Describe it.
AB: I did this with two SNL guys. I’m their father, and I show them that the best way to shake the Wii wand is to go like this [simulates masturbation], and we’re doing this obscene, horrible thing. Google or YouTube that one; it’s just ridiculous. While I’m doing it, I’m thinking, If I run for political office, they’ll have a forest of material to kill me with.

Playboy:  Can comedy be held against you?
AB:  I always hope people will understand that what I do as an entertainer is totally different from the way I behave. The day you say “I am a candidate,” you have a different responsibility. You hope the American public has the ability to delineate what of your private behavior matters and what doesn’t. If a guy’s a drunk driver, he has shown a lack of judgment that could hurt people. A womanizer? Well, you don’t know what someone’s going through in their marriage. Maybe he or she was miserable and unhappy, and if they were seeking companionship from someone else, that’s none of my business. If they don’t pay their taxes? That I’d worry about. The truth is, you have to assume they’ll slam you for all of it.

Playboy:  Your hosting career spans 14 SNL episodes. Who are the most impressive cast members you’ve worked with?
AB:  Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell and Will Forte. Hartman used to just amaze me. But maybe the most impressive moment I witnessed on the show involved Mike Myers. He hosted a Japanese game show in which Chris Farley is tortured when he doesn’t answer the questions right. Myers took my breath away. He just so nailed it, doing all this phonetic Japanese. We were peeing in our pants.

Playboy:  Do you watch a lot of television?
AB:  No. I’ve watched 60 Minutes and The Sopranos on Sunday nights, and I cried when The Sopranos ended. I don’t watch anything else.

Playboy:  Why did you say yes to 30 Rock?
AB:  It’s shot in New York. Lorne Michaels made a provision in my contract that says I would never miss my visitation with my daughter. I work a limited number of days a week, and then I’m on a plane. That was the biggest consideration. The pilot was funny, the show got funnier, and by the end of the first season people were saying glowing things.

Playboy:  You’ve clashed with studio heads and producers. What bothers you about the way Hollywood works?
AB:  I worked for Warner Bros. on The Departed, and I just did My Sister’s Keeper with Cameron Diaz. My problem with Warner Bros. is that it’s part of the same company as TMZ, and it’s like that with all these companies—Extra, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight. I would be so happy if those shows went off the air. It is a huge problem in our business—this microcosmic analysis and elevation of people who are just witless and talentless, or people with talent, like Lindsay Lohan, who struggle. Who gives a shit about their personal trivialities? It hurts the business.

Playboy:  TMZ’s Harvey Levin ran the audio of the biting voice-mail message you left your daughter. How mad were you?
AB:  I thought about suing Warner Bros. My attorneys told me digital or electronic property of a minor is the intellectual property of the parent or legal guardian. TMZ was not allowed to release that tape without my approval. I don’t think they did anybody any favors. Everybody knows Levin is a human tumor, a graceless character who lives in that weird netherworld. I don’t blame those pathetic people; they are what they are. This is about the company. Warner Bros. wants me to do a movie and then shoves it up my ass with another company down the hall. You work for Paramount, and they say, “We want you to promote the movie you’ve done for us by going on a TV show we own. We’re going to double dip and make money on you both way”. They’re not paying me serious appearance fees, and as a union member I have a big problem with that. You want me to do appearances now on Entertainment Tonight? Pay me. Are you making a profit on Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight? Everybody says, “Do it for free because you’re promoting your movie”. Pay me.

Playboy:  We take it you’re not winning this one.
AB:  It’s the stance my union should take. Promotional activities for films and television shows have replaced talented marketing and publicity departments. These division heads want to walk into a meeting and say, “We ran this star up the flagpole, nobody saluted, and the movie bombed. So the movie bombed because nobody liked so-and-so.” They’ve relieved themselves of any responsibility by tying the marketing to the star’s name. They psychologically abuse talent by going, “Hey, if the movie bombs, it’s bad for you.” They’ve psyched you into thinking you’ve got to run around the country for four weeks, telling the same anecdotes over and over until you want to drop dead. You miss your child’s volleyball game because if the movie doesn’t do well, it reflects on you. They’ve conspired to wash their hands of any responsibility.

Playboy:  Would you be reluctant to work with Warner Bros. again?
AB:  Well, I did My Sister’s Keeper after that. The publicity I do now is modest because I don’t think it makes a difference. Why am I even here with you? Do you think this is something I enjoy?

Playboy:  It’s not?
AB:  I want to assure you of something. Four out of five actors I know wouldn’t do this if their life depended on it—unless they felt pressure to promote a film. That’s exactly how I feel. I wouldn’t be sitting here with you, talking about this crap and my opinions of the business. I wouldn’t bother. I like you personally. I wouldn’t talk to somebody who was a shit heel. If Harvey Levin wanted to interview me, I would tell him to go drown. But if this wasn’t about promoting My Sister’s Keeper and maybe 30 Rock and the movie I’m now doing with Meryl Streep, I wouldn’t waste fucking five minutes on it.

Playboy:  Did you always feel this way?
AB:  When you’re younger you get sold that it’s vital. Bit by bit you see through that. Like the Today show. I’m on an NBC show, and Today was considered vital. But when that voice-mail tape thing happened, Matt Lauer interviewed Levin before he even called me. Lauer put Levin on Today, and they never phoned me. When it’s in their interest to reach me, they know how. I saw that and said, “My relationship with the Today show is over.” I’ll never do Today again, ever. Life’s too short.
P:  But media everywhere focus on TMZ.
B:  NBC will periodically give you that NBC-family spiel. I expected that, since I was starring on an NBC show, I would have gotten a phone call and they would’ve said, “Would you like an opportunity to come in and talk about it?”

Playboy:  Would you have accepted?
AB:  I probably would have done that before I did The View. I raced in to do that show. Whoopi Goldberg is a friend. I called her and said, “Do you think I can get a fair shake?” Because when you talk about family law and parental alienation, there is this unfortunate gender-based dynamic. Could I walk into a show with a strong female audience? Would they understand my point of view? I trusted Whoopi and Barbara Walters. Whoopi is an impeccably decent person, and I am grateful she gave me a forum.

Playboy:  When you hit back at Levin, reports say you outed him as a homosexual. Was that fair?
AB:  No, I don’t think I outed him. I thought Levin had been candid about that. But for a long time he wasn’t. I have nothing against people who are homosexual, but I find it funny that people in that tabloid world keep their own secrets. They want the world at large to respect that but spend their lives outing the secrets of others. I find Levin peculiar and hypocritical.

Playboy:  You’ve had a front-row seat at intrusive celebrity coverage—helicopters at your wedding, photographers trying to snap pictures of your newborn. Is it still this bad for you?
AB:  No. Those magazines focus on people who are younger and newer. I’m 51 and have moved into another world, where they’re done with you—unless you do something. The three quickest ways to get back into that loop are: Don’t pay your federal income taxes, get drunk and try to bolt through airport security with a gun in your suitcase, and last but not least, get a DUI and be arrested in Malibu. A series of events could heat up that pot again, but the benefit of being older is they don’t care about me.

Playboy:  Why is there such an insatiable appetite to see stars in unflattering moments?
AB:  This society is very wired together, and it’s the most neurotic a society has ever been. Twitter, all this stuff, I don’t view as anything good. Everyone is so hyperaware of what everybody else is doing. Everybody has been convinced their opinion should count. We all need to be spouting opinions. I’m now giving you an opinion about opinions.

Playboy:  You are.
AB:  Another element is how distant government has become for the average person. People want their opinion to count somewhere, so they’ve transferred the desires and expectations of their democratic voice over to entertainment. They don’t have any input into what the government does. There is a chasm thousands of miles wide between Washington and the people. That’s why shows like American Idol are so important: People want to think they can affect something in that Roman gladiatorial way—thumbs up or thumbs down. I’m not saying public officials are exempt, because every time the people can gang up and condemn a public official, they do.

Playboy:  When you hosted SNL recently, you jokingly thanked Christian Bale. Whose audio tirade was worse?
AB: Mine was worse by far because it involved parenting. Christian Bale’s was a skirmish with a colleague on set, and the only odd thing was how long it went on. Probably on half the films I’ve done I’ve seen someone lose it. You’re shooting and someone gets in your eye line, or a light blows when you’re really onto something as a performer. A phone goes off or a walkie-talkie. I’ve seen people lose it on behalf of their creative expedition. It’s frustration, nothing personal. Mine was so much different.

Playboy:  What reaction hit you hardest?
AB:  The most harrowing for me was negative mail I got from people who were critical but not hating or condemning. What hurt was that it was heartfelt. They’d say, “My father or my mother did this to me one time, and I’ve never forgotten it, never gotten over it.” Wow. I still believe the people who released the tape only made it worse, but the worst part for me was the way it touched the people who parent their kids. I’m thinking of my next book being about this.

Playboy:  After all that, you’ll write a book about parenting?
AB:  It will be ironic for some people, but I’m going to write a parenting book. We’re at, not a crisis, but an awful place right now in terms of parenting. People are raising their children with the belief that we need to be friends with our children. Kids have too much power and call too many of the shots, telling their parents what they will and won’t do.

Playboy:  Why has this happened?
AB:  In my gut I feel it’s another manifestation of how hard life has become. People are working hard to make money and manage their feelings about what the country’s going through. We live in stressful times. People come home, walk up the driveway, put the key in the door, and they just can’t do another hard job. Parenting your children effectively is a tough job.

Playboy:  You write in your book that after the tape leaked you offered to leave 30 Rock and even thought of jumping out a window. How serious were you?
AB:  Very serious.

Playboy:  What did you learn from all this?
AB:  Don’t lose your temper and act out in that way. I spoke to a lot of professionals, who helped me. If I hadn’t left that message, I wouldn’t have left myself open for that. On the other hand, I left the message with the presumption of privacy. I never dreamed they would do that. I was mortified, stunned. And not for me, because if I blew my brains out, a cadre of people on the other side would be elated. If I committed suicide, they would have considered that a victory. Destroying me was their avowed goal.

Playboy:  This is your ex’s legal team?
AB:  Oh, it’s a whole them. But the important thing is, when they released that, I was devastated for my daughter, who goes to school with other showbusiness kids. When parents are doing their job, these kids admire their moms and dads as entertainment professionals. When you go the opposite way, and this happens—I couldn’t imagine anything more overwhelming for my daughter.

Playboy:  How did you repair your relationship with her?
AB:  All I will say is, I met a therapist, one of the few smart therapists in the court-appointed family-law business. Most of them are racketeers who turn you upside down and shake your pockets out onto the table. But this guy said, “This is hard for you to believe right now, but you are the child’s father, and a child has only one father. Your child will come back to you. Her nature is to come back to you.” And over time that’s indeed what happened.

Playboy:  Ironically, in your new film, My Sister’s Keeper, you play a lawyer in a child-custody battle.
AB:  [Laughs] I tried so hard to put just a little sheen of oil on him.

Playboy:  Did your experiences shape your character?
AB:  No, because if I had put in the things I might have wanted to, it would kill the movie. My character is very sympathetic, an epileptic who has a seizure in the middle of the trial. My guy’s on the right side of the issue, representing a young girl in a medical-emancipation case. He’s not a divorce lawyer, but I tried to give him the requisite oily sheen of most lawyers I know.

Playboy:  Do you really have it in for lawyers?
AB:  I’ve met women since I’ve been single, and the minute I find out one is a lawyer, I’m like, “Check, please.”

Playboy:  Compared with the controversial things you’ve said in the past, your words seem more measured now.
AB:  I think it just doesn’t help anybody. I’ve watched people go at it, like Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump. All the negativity in my ugly assessments of Harvey Levin or my ex-wife’s divorce lawyers, all the negativity that has been in my life—I don’t want that. Let’s say there are 10 people I’ve had real tension and conflict with in the past. I never think about them anymore; none of them live in my life now. I did The Marrying Man with my ex-wife at Disney. A lot went wrong. Almost 20 years ago I did things I would do differently now. Yet 15 years later Michael Eisner called and asked me to do his interview show on CNBC, and he was a delight to talk to. Did I enjoy doing the movie when he ran Disney? No. I set that aside. Jeffrey Katzenberg ran the studio back then, and many of the frictions I had on The Marrying Man were with him. He called and said, “Would you come and do Madagascar with us?” I had a great time; he was an absolute gentleman. You’ve got to set those things aside.

Playboy:  When did you come to this realization?
AB:  For me, everything changed when I turned 50.

Playboy:  How?
AB:  Suddenly life is too short. 30 Rock has spoiled me in terms of realizing there’s nothing like having an audience for what you do. You realize you have plenty of time left but none to waste. And you don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do anymore.

Playboy:  What’s the biggest downside of being 51? What do you miss about the guy who starred in The Marrying Man and The Hunt for Red October?
AB:  About being younger? Having dark hair. When you get older, you look older, and there’s nothing you can do.

Playboy:  At least you have plenty of hair, even if it’s gray.
AB:  I’ve got hair for five guys. That’s one thing I am proud of. I don’t miss much else. I still throw a football with people at work all the time. I play tennis. But now, at 51, boy, my arm hurts the next day. You don’t recover as well, and you don’t want to get hurt. I ski, but if visibility is low, I don’t want to go out. I get a little scared. I don’t have time to lie in bed and recover for four or six weeks from a broken back or collarbone. But I’ll answer that question in a different context, in terms of what I went through in divorce. My only regret in life is that my daughter had to go through what she went through. I wonder how she’ll feel years from now, how it will affect her relationships. That is one of the greatest tragedies of the system, the reason I wrote the book. The most important thing is what is in the best interest of the child, but the system treats parents like mules. They just beat you with this incessant metronome of what’s best for your child. Who cares how much you suffer or how much you spend financially or emotionally? It’s not about you. That is a lie and a huge mistake. It should be that both parents deserve to have a life as well, with some dignity, decency and privacy, without the intrusion of these judges and lawyers, who are just the worst people you’ve met in your life.

Playboy:  Could even a perfect legal system mitigate the bitterness that obviously existed between you and your ex?
AB:  They have to ignore the emotionalized part of it. Judges should sit down and say, “If either of you alienates the child from the other, I will give primary and sole custody to the other person. Don’t do it.” But they don’t want to get in the way of the gamesmanship. Once one alienates the other, it’s more lawyer fees. If you get divorced, if your wife keeps your kids from you, you’re going to spend money to get them. The courts don’t want to get in the way of that commerce. A woman walks in, takes all your behavior as a father, puts it in the blender with the lawyer and paints you as a bad father for the purposes of alienating your child. That has to change.

Playboy:  How did growing up with five siblings in the Long Island town of Massapequa shape you?
AB:  You discover as years go by how much that determines who you become as a person. There are times I love living alone and other times I really miss a house filled with a big family. My dad was a teacher. He didn’t have money, and his six kids had to entertain themselves. My friends had money, boats, country houses, finished basements with pool tables. We had none of that. So it was my brothers and I, playing football, baseball, softball in a field adjacent to a golf course near our house. We lived there. At home everybody told jokes, finding a way to be funny. That led to what we’re all doing.

Playboy:  Were you surprised they followed you into acting?
AB:  My brothers had been putting one another on and entertaining one another out of necessity since they were five years old. I realize ending up in this business was natural for them. I was formed in my home, with my family, living a very simple life. I’m not some bling kind of person, no privatejet guy with big gold-encrusted jewelry. I linger on this because when I think about what the average American is, I think of my dad—the average American who wakes up every morning, puts in the hours trying to hold on to his job and do it well. If I run for office, my goal is to recognize that government doesn’t need to have lower taxes, a smaller budget. It’ll be smaller than now because we are undergoing a correction. But government needs to spend money more responsibly. It’s the only entity in this country authorized to stick its hand in your pocket and take your money, and if you don’t pay, you go to jail. It’s a disgrace, the way they just piss it away. Government needs to build roads, put satellites in the air, have bombs, ships and planes for the defense department, and schools. We need basically everything we have now. We just need to do it better. Let’s say I want you to build a highway. I’d have people come in from all around the world and explain how they built one in Germany, Italy or Riyadh, and I would turn to people in my country and say, “You’ve got six months to build the highway, and if you don’t, you’re fired.” It becomes a reservoir a certain group of politically connected people drinks from. That has to stop.

Playboy:  How?
AB:  Make everyone understand that when you steal on a government contract, it’s almost like treason. If I were president, I would make defense fraud treason. I would make it a treasonous act to play on the security fears of the American people, to have them authorize the building of all these things to defend and protect us, and then have you steal money inside the life of that contract. I’d send you to prison for treason.

Playboy:  What about bailed-out companies like AIG cutting bonus checks?
AB:  That’s a complicated question I don’t even think experts can answer now. People have contracts; it would be illegal to void them. These things were rushed by the former administration. What we need is an SEC that matters. The reason I think I would want to run for office and be good at it is, the way all this should be done is overwhelmingly obvious to me.

Playboy:  Explain.
AB:  You want business, but you’ve got to stand up to business. If a company says, “Hey, you break our chops about exhaust, about our factories…,” you turn to them and say, “Go. Leave. Because the jobs and tax base we’ll lose are less than what it would cost to clean up your mess, what we’ll pay later in hospitals for the people who get cancer from what you’re going to do.” I think our society is evolving that way now. This is the thing that excites me about Barack Obama: He gets that you’ll pay now or later. Tell that corporation to drop dead, get out of your state and move someplace where they need jobs so bad they’ll sell their souls for short-end money.

Playboy:  Every article written about you cites your decision to do A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway—which cost you Patriot Games—as the reason you dropped off the superstar track. Would you do it differently now?
AB:  I don’t know if I’m so certain and self-assured about the choices I’ve made. Sometimes I think, What if I had done it their way? Where would it have led? You are asked to be a part of a system in which the bulk of the films you make will be forgettable but will give you an opportunity to do certain things creatively. I look at Tom Cruise, who made films that called for him to be young, fit and charming, and that appeal made him a star. When Tom wanted to give a real performance, he made Magnolia. It was like watching some alien that looked like Tom Cruise, because it was nothing you’d ever seen Tom do. That he was not given the Oscar that year for Magnolia was devastating to me. I thought he was breathtaking. Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich—like Tom, she’s beautiful, charming, smart, funny and winning, yet she plays a self-serving woman, a little coarse and willing to go to considerable lengths to get her way. She won the Oscar. Could I have done that?

Playboy:  How might that system have worked for you?
AB:  You can get into that rhythm of “I’ll do one for them, one for me.” I didn’t do that. I wanted independence. I thought, You want me to do these movies, and they suck. Only later do you realize that if you do the one that sucks, you could do the one you wanted to do and have an audience for it. In spite of the reversals he has had over the past several years, the person who has done the most with that is Mel Gibson. He has made great films in all genres. Mel is everything you want in a movie star, but there’s a layer underneath him. I don’t know if the word is danger or pathos, but there’s a complexity to Mel. Apocalypto is one of the most overwhelming, exhilarating but hideously violent films I’ve ever seen.

Playboy:  You mentioned to me after our first session that you had never made a truly great film. The Departed won an Oscar. You made Glengarry Glen Ross, The Hunt for Red October, The Good Shepherd, Married to the Mob. How can you say that?
AB:  What I meant was, it’s one thing to make a small contribution to a great film. The goal of a film actor is for your name to be above the title in a film that is a soaring commercial success or wins an Oscar. Not you, necessarily, but the film wins something significant.

Playboy:  Is that still your goal?
AB:  I had to let go of that. Whatever dreams of glory I had, so to speak, I no longer have. I’m doing the TV show. When that is over, my eye is looking toward doing something else.

Playboy:  Won’t TV momentum help your future in movies?
AB:  I’ll be too old by then.

Playboy:  Is there a performance you are most proud of?
AB:  No. I don’t have the feeling for anything I’ve done in movies that equals anything in the plays I’ve done. I liked them, but take every supporting role and throw it out the window. You just come in and play your scene. I remember being around Leo DiCaprio in The Aviator and thinking, God, how gifted this guy is, how he’s taking advantage of his opportunities. I love to watch the young actor transition into the grown man on film. There was always something boyish and puckish about Johnny Depp, but I’ll never forget watching Sweeney Todd and feeling profoundly impressed by his performance.

Playboy:  You say you have no regrets, but it sounds as if you wish you had trusted the system more.
AB:  Yes, not that I should have but rather what might have resulted if I had? A lot depends on who sponsors you in that club. If you’re a young De Niro and you forge into a unit with Martin Scorsese or Woody Allen and the company of actors that included his former wife, or Leo with Scorsese—I didn’t have that. It’s like they’re asking you to walk down a dark alley. If it’s the right people, a door at the end leads to a fabulous wonderland. But the people who asked me to come down the alleyway? I was like, “Eh…let me get back to you.”

Playboy:  Should you have gone down the alleyway anyway?
B:  From time to time I wonder. Maybe I say this to myself just to medicate whatever anxiety I have, but had it worked out, I might have been seduced into doing that the rest of my life. I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. There are other things I want to do. I do what I do on a case-by-case basis, and I see that this is going to end, probably very soon.

Playboy:  By your choice?
AB:  It doesn’t really matter. More my choice, since I want to do other things. This is the jail with golden bars, but it would be so horrible for me to read this article and not have said there is a lot of wonderful in this business, a lot I’m going to miss. God knows, to walk away will be hard, but I’m trying to have the discipline to understand that I want to have other experiences. Maybe a private life.

Playboy:  Is that realistic?
AB:  I have this silly fantasy. I get married again, I have a kid. I’d love another shot at that, with everything I’ve learned. My kid’s like eight, comes home and says, “Dad, Jimmy’s mom says you were a famous actor on TV and in the movies. Is that true?” And I go, “Yes, Johnny, Dad was famous.” I whip out my scrapbooks and my DVDs and say, “Believe it or not, that’s your dad.” And my kid’s like, “You used to be on TV and everything? And now you stay home and just clean the house all day while Mom works?” “That’s right, son.” It’s a dream, that the kid doesn’t know anything about that part of my life. Our normal life is uncontaminated by it.

Playboy:  How long are you committed to 30 Rock?
AB: I’ve got three more years to go.

Playboy:  Will you run for office?
AB:  I’ll put it this way. The desire is there; that’s one component. The other component is opportunity. A law firm in a liberal Democratic bastion in Ohio state politics sent me a binder with a cover letter that read, “Mr. Baldwin, here’s who we represent, the kinds of cases we handle, our credentials in Ohio state politics. We want you to move to Ohio and run for governor. We will launch your career.”

Playboy:  Could you live in Ohio?
AB:  I have sometimes thought I could move to New Jersey or Connecticut and run. I’d love to run against Joe Lieberman. I have no use for him. But it’s all fantasy. I’m a carry-me-out-in-a-box New Yorker. Here, anything can happen. Who thought Eliot Spitzer would go down the way he did? Senator Hillary Clinton left to serve as secretary of state. Two of the biggest forces gone. Maybe Andrew Cuomo will run for one of their old seats. How much longer will Chuck Schumer stay as senator? After 2013 Bloomberg will be gone. What happens then? Do I run for Congress on Long Island? What’s Tim Bishop going to do? He represents my district. People get sick, die. They’re offered lucrative deals and want to cash in and make money for their retirement. People misstep. Unfortunately, an opportunity for me may mean bad things for someone else. I don’t wish that.

Playboy:  How does all this factor into your career?
AB:  I’m done in 2012. In March 2012 I’ll wake up and say, “What am I going to do now? Am I done?” I think I will be done. I may finish a play or something, but I’m retiring at the wrap party.

Interview courtesy of Playboy. To view the interview as it originally appears, click here.

Recently, Cynthia McFadden interviewed American Idol judge Paula Abdul on ABC News “Nightline”. In the wide-ranging interview, the award-winning singer discussed her journey to stardom, rumored prescription drug and alcohol use, her tempestuous relationship with Simon Cowell, her thoughts on adding fourth judge Kara DioGuardi, and other projects she has currently in the works. Here are some excerps, courtesy of ABC News Nightline…

On the Addition of a Fourth Judge on the Show:

Cynthia McFadden:  So were you consulted before they added the 4th judge?

Paula Abdul:  Well, yes, you want to know when?  I just got out of this hospital this past August. I had three days to pack and go on the road. I found out on the way to the airport.

CM:  To this season’s auditions?

PA:  to go to the first city.

CM:  Well I wouldn’t say that’s consultation.

PA:  that’s being informed. Nor was Randy. Randy found out hours before me and…

CM:  Were you mad?

PA:  I thought that respectfully all of us as a group, maybe we could even figure this out together and I was surprised because Simon has always been against the 4th, we’ve had guest judges come in before and he banned that from happening anymore. 

Cynthia McFadden with Paula Abdul

On Kara DioGuardi:

 

PA:  Well, I started her success. And I’m proud of it. Happy of it. I moved a stranger from NY, told her to give 2 week’s notice to billboard magazine, and moved a stranger into my home in LA…

CM:  So how is it now? Do you sense that at least some of the audience would love to have the 2 ladies fighting?

PA:  I actually think that Simon got mad that we are friends and that I actually knew her and that her humble beginning began sleeping in my guest bedroom and I just believed in her.

CM:  No tension between the two of you?

PA:  None, seriously.

On Simon Cowell:

PA:   He’s a bully, he’s a masterful bully.

CM:  So of all the egos is Simon’s the biggest?

PA:  Without a doubt without a doubt.  And I go the first day I went to work on season one I quit 7 times. 7 times.

CM:  Why?

PA:  Because I couldn’t believe that that someone was actually getting away with crushing fragile kids. This happens behind your back, [not] in front of your face.
I couldn’t take the pain that I saw and I think being an artist who has had success it’s very vulnerable when you are the talent.  And when someone attacks you with criticism that isn’t constructive sometimes it’s hard to take.

On her Idol Contract:

CM:  So is your contract up?

PA:  Cynthia, this is my last season under contract.

CM:  Do you think she [Kara] will replace you?

PA:  I don’t think anyone [can].  First of all Kara says “I could never replace you”. And I said I whenever there is change it’s not about replacing anybody it’s about possibly moving on.

CM:  So do you want to stay on the show or not?

PA:  I love the show, I do. I love what I do on the show and I’m loving it more this season than ever. It’s taken me a while to get comfortable in my own skin with the show.

On Rumored Prescription Drug and Alcohol Use:

CM:  So let me just ask you the question straight up. Absolutely crystal clear you have not abused prescription drugs?

PA:  Never.

CM:  You have not consumed alcohol before going on the air?

PA: Never. I’ve never been drunk in my life I don’t like it. It’s not my thing. Spending money on clothes and shoes that’s another thing.

On her Chronic Pain from a Neck Injury Suffered in 1992:

CM:  There’d be no dishonor in taking pain medication if you’re in pain. 
Vicadin, Oxycontin, those drugs?

PA:  No, no. no no no. Will not take those drugs. And you can check my medical records there is nothing like that. I was never on Oxycontin or Vicadin or anything like that. I was on nerve medicine and anti-inflammatories.

CM:  But on your reality show [Hey Paula] there are so many times where you don’t look like you are really there. You’re eyes are closing, you’re head is falling back…

PA:  Because I’m falling asleep and a camera is on me. I don’t have anything that is shameful. I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about that was NOT accurate documentation of my life.

Excerpts courtesy of ABC News “Nightline”.

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

LA’s The Place: Tell us about how you feel your career has progressed since DOND.

Hayley Marie Norman: I try to be the best “me” I can possibly be and work towards my dreams and becoming a better person every single day. I have been very blessed and the hard work has started to pay off in that I’ve been able to do not only “Deal Or No Deal,” but several other TV and films projects including “Fired Up.”

LATP: What was it like on the set of “Crash”?

HMN: So much fun! We shot the series in New Mexico. It was my first time there and it’s just really a beautiful place! And, it’s seriously one of the coolest and most fun cast and crew that I have ever worked with! Definitely one of my best experiences yet!

LATP: Was it fun shooting “Fired Up”? What was your favorite part of working on the film?

From suitcases to cheerleading camp, Hayley Marie Norman’s dollface is plastered everywhere these days. LA’s the Place catches up with this firecracker.

Over the past year, actress Hayley Marie Norman has steadily climbed her way up the entertainment industry pyramid. Most recognizable as the holder of briefcase #25 on NBC’s “Deal or No Deal.” Now, Hayley’s charm, beauty and acting abilities have given her the opportunity to open more than a suitcase filled with money; they have opened up doors up and coming actors vie for. With roles in the big screen films “Hancock”, and “Norbit” and recurring roles on the television series The Young and the Restless and Crash, Hayley is making her mark in the world of entertainment.

Actress/Personality Hayley Marie Norman

HMN: More than fun! What’s a word that means “fun” but to the umpteenth degree?? [Laughs]. First of all, I just love working so it’s always fun for me to be on set, and second, it was a cheerleading movie…how could that not be fun? My inner high-schooler who always wanted to be a cheerleader totally came out and it was awesome!

LATP: What do you prefer TV or movies, and why?

HMN: Both are great, however I really like movies because you never know where they’re going to take you and there’s just something so adventurous and wonderful about going from movie set to movie set. Which is funny that I like that- because I am such a creature of habit and can be a bit apprehensive about change in general…But I guess I just love the excitement!

LATP: What is your favorite thing about living in LA?

HMN: My family! I’m born and raised here and so I’m aware of how lucky I am to be in this town and have my family right by my side. LA is really all I know long term living-wise, but almost every day I look around at the eclectic people, the beautiful palm trees, the wonderful weather, and think about what a great place it is. Yes, it is easy to lose yourself in this town, or perhaps feel a bit lonely at times, but as long as you don’t have a tenuous grip on your true self, you’ll be just fine and can enjoy it for all its worth! I am, however, also in love with New York and plan on being bi-coastal one day in the hopefully not too far future.

Photos by Larissa Underwood

Best Actress Oscar nominee Kate Winslet sits down with ABC News “Nightline’s” Cynthia McFadden and shares her thoughts on her sixth nomination and how she prepared for her Oscar-nominated role in the film “The Reader”.

Winslet can currently be seen in her two incredible Golden Globe–winning performances, in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader”. “The Reader” could yield a long-overdue Oscar win for her. She has been nominated six times, a record for someone her age.

As part of “Nightline’s” Inside Hollywood series leading up to the Academy Awards, Ms. Winslet talks about how she prepared for her role as a Nazi prison guard, the busy awards season, and the challenge of juggling her career and motherhood.

On her nomination:

McFadden:  Nominated for the Oscar again. Sixth time’s a charm, do you think?
 
Winslet:  I can honestly say, for a start, I’m tremendously lucky that in my life I have received these nominations and got to play these extraordinary parts but I think this year more than any other year that I have been aware of it feels very, very special. 
 
McFadden:  Will you expect you’re not going to pretend you don’t want it? That you do want to win this year?
 
Winslet:  Well, I said I’d like to at some point in my life.
 
She continues:   But now it would be a feeling for me if it were to happen at some point in my life on just personal satisfaction. What an amazing feeling that would be for me to have been doing this for 15, 16 years and to now what it feels like to lose a great many times. It would be nice to know what it feels like in that situation to win sometime.
 
McFadden:  Indeed, if you don’t win this year you’re going to get a distinction all of its own. The most-nominated non-winner.
 
Winslet: The most-nominated loser, which is what I’ve been hearing people saying.  Yes, no, I don’t really want to be the most-nominated loser…
 
McFadden:  Did it hurt a little bit not to get nominated for “Revolutionary Road”?
 
Winslet:  I can’t say that — I am so genuinely happy that I have been nominated for “The Reader”. I really, really am. I mean, it was a huge turning point for me, that film, because I — when I first read the script, you know, I really thought, oh, no, no, I can’t do this. I mean, I really don’t think I’ve got the stuff to do this. I don’t have enough — I don’t have enough tools with which to play this part.
 
On her Golden Globe win:
 
McFadden:  We all know you were surprised by the second win… So when you got to the podium, unprepared we might say.
 
Winslet:  Completely unprepared. She continued:  So you win some, you lose some. I mean — the one thing that has surprised me about this thing of winning awards is that I thought that people just reviewed the films. I didn’t realize that they reviewed speeches, too. I mean, I really didn’t know that. Call me stupid but I had no idea. I don’t tend to read reviews of things but when people are reviewing a speech and being somewhat unkind about it,  well, what can you say, but no, I wasn’t prepared at all. I really didn’t think I was going to win and I was genuinely overwhelmed…
 
On Her Role as a Nazi Prison Guard:
 
McFadden:  How did you come to feel about her at the end of the day? 
 
Winslet:  I can’t say that I liked her, no. But I can say that I understood her fully…I do think it is crucial as an actor to understand the role that you’re playing, really, and to empathize with them and the choices that they do or they don’t make.

On Body Image:
 
Winslet:  I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t look at herself in the mirror before she walks out, whether it’s for a date with her husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever, red carpet event… I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t stand up and check the tushie before she walks out the door and those women will go, uh. You know? Most do. I’ve decided I am going to start loving my backside, really just saying, yes. Because I don’t know anyone who does that, you know? And for my daughter I want to be able to say to her, I love this, I love this, look, my belly does this because I had you guys and this is what happens to breasts when you nurse two children. Gravity and nature takes its toll and I don’t want to be batting her away, saying, no, no, no, no, no. I don’t want to do that. I want her to say, yeah, yeah, great. No one ever did that for me. Never.

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

After growing up in the TV spotlight for the past eight years of her life, teen actress Taylor Atelian is saying goodbye to all she has known. At just five years old, Taylor landed the role of Ruby, the precocious and spirited daughter of Jim Belushi on the successful ABC television series “According to Jim.”  It was the first series she had ever auditioned for, and she impressively landed the role after one audition. Taylor has been awarded for her hard work on the show, receiving nominations at the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Young Actress Age Ten or Under.         

Now as “According to Jim” airs its eighth and final season, Taylor is excited for what is coming up next in her career. She plans to use her dancing, acting, and singing skills in her next project, an all girl “tween” group called Pink-E-Swear. With their debut album recorded and a television pilot written, the girls are currently pitching their projects to both record labels, and select television networks. Many are calling them the next Cheetah Girls…

LAsthePlace.com got to ask Taylor some questions about what’s up in 2009…

LA’s The Place: Were you excited about season eight?

Taylor Atelian: Yes and it was really fun!

LATP: Of the whole cast, who are you the closest to?

TA: Probably Billi Bruno. She plays my little sister, and we have been close since the first day we started the show. When people who don’t know us ask if we are sisters, we say yes.

LATP: How have you grown throughout the series?

TA: It was weird growing up on camera, but it was fun. I think I have grown a lot in my acting ability as well. I am excited about what lies next.

LATP: Tell me about your girl group Pink-E-Swear. It’s already growing a buzz!

TA: We are an up and coming tween girl group and we each have our own genre of music. I am the pop girl, Sydney is the rocker, KC is the country girl, and Saige is the hip hop girl. We have recorded about 15 songs, and we have a TV show in the works. We are all really close, and good friends. I can’t wait to push this project. Check our Myspace out at www.myspace.com/pinkeswear.

Photo credit Arpit Mehta

You may recognize Ginger from the film “Spiker,” directed by Gerry Lively (“Hellraiser,” “Friday”). The DVD release came out over the holidays. Ginger starred as “Nikki McLean,” a sassy high school senior who made the mistake of spending the weekend in the woods with five friends. However, after “Spiker” and “Notorious,” Ginger still has several projects in the works and even more stirring up.  She has a supporting role in the feature film “Made for Each Other,” a comedy starring celeb brothers Danny and Chris Masterson, due out in this spring. This girl keeps busy as she will also star in the film “SubHysteria” with G-Train productions and Cantera Films.  She plays “Hannah,” a law student with a hidden past. Due out theatrically March 13, 2009 in Venezuela, the film co-stars popular Spanish soap stars Osvaldo Benavides and Rebeca Aleman. Currently there is no definitive date for a US release but we will definitely be on the lookout!

Also, “Secrets” is another project Ginger has signed on for, again with G-Train productions. The film starts production in March 2009. Ginger stars as “Carol,” a young actress with a dark secret. But it doesn’t stop there. Ginger is set to star in season two of the web series “Horrible People.” Fun fact– she was handpicked to play Danielle by creators A. D. Miles and Joe Lo Truglio (MTV’s “The State”). “Horrible People” had a successful first run co-starring Mather Zickel (Rachel Getting Married) and Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords). She also stars in a Bollywood film titled, “New York” with the supporting role of character Sarah. The film is directed by one of Bollywood’s top directors, Kabir Kahn and stars the “Johnny Depp” of Bollywood, John Abrams- swoon much? The film is set for theatrical release this March.

We got a chance to ask this lovely lady some questions about her busy career… Check it out!

LA’s The Place: What was it like working on “Notorious”?

Ginger Kroll: It was real honor to work on a film so important in pop and urban culture. There was so much passion and dedication to making the film as authentic as possible and a real representation of Christopher Wallace’s life. Mrs. Wallace was often on the set showing her support, and  letting everyone know how proud she was of the film and of us honoring her son’s name.   The cast is so talented and the music in the concert scenes was done live, listening to Naturi Naughton perform as Lil Kim gave me chills! She has such a beautiful, powerful voice.
 
LATP: So you did your own fight scene stunts, tell us more about that!

GK: It was a lot of work and really fun! Initially the production had hired a stunt double for my role, but the actor hired had hair color that didn’t quite match my own and they asked me on the spot, “can you do it?” and I just said, “absolutely, let’s go!” Both myself and Antonique Smith (Faith Evans) had a stunt choreographer and we just went for it. There’s a lot of flying fists, hair pulling and smacks in the face, and a few times Antonique would throw a punch that would accidentally follow through and we’d stop in the middle of the heated scene and say, “oh my god! Are you alright?” and then just get back into beating each other up! It was really funny!

LATP: What was it like working on a Bollywood film?

GK: Bollywood is a completely different world where production seems to come together in a freer fashion. Bollywood isn’t under union jurisdiction, so hours can be longer. But it really was a wonderful experience and the production team was like one large extended family.  I’m excited to see the Hollywood’s reaction to Bollywood in the years to come and what collaborations will come from such large industries working together.
         
LATP: What projects do you have coming up in 2009 that you are most excited about and why?

GK: The film I’m most excited about is called SubHysteria, it’s a small project, but unique and exciting because it was shot in the style of the Blaire Witch Project – sequentially and with complete improvisation. In the film, sixteen people get stuck in a subway car in NYC for 36 hours, without communication, food, way to escape, and a fatal sensation that they are going to die. It’s a raw display of human behavior when one confronts the possibility of death. Myself and 15 other actors worked for weeks training with improvised scenes, in-depth character analysis and then we were given an outline and were told to just go!

And I have a lot of other projects in the works! I have a supporting role in the feature film “Made For Each Other,” a comedy starring Danny and Chris Masterson, which is due out in the spring of 2009 and “Spiker,” a film directed by Gerry Lively (“Hellraiser,” “Friday”) is a direct to DVD release due out December 11, 2008 where I star as Nikki McLean,  a sassy high school senior who makes the mistake of spending the weekend in the woods with five friends. Secrets also signed on with G-Train productions (SubHysteria) starts production in March of 2009. I play the role of Carol, a young actress with a dark secret, that I can’t tell you about!

And it It doesn’t stop there! I am also set to star in season 2 of the web series “Horrible People.” I was handpicked to play Danielle by creators A. D. Miles and Joe Lo Truglio (MTV’s “The State”). “Horrible People” had a successful first run co-starring Mather Zickel (Rachel Getting Married) and Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords).

To learn more about Ginger Kroll, please visit www.gingerkroll.com.

On her nomination:

MCFADDEN: It’s award season. Good time of the year for you or bad time of the year for you? I mean do you still get the little nervous feelings?

STREEP: Oh yeah, very very much so. It’s very nerve-wracking. But you know there’s so much more chatter about it. There’s so much more writing about, blogging about it and everybody sort of decides way ahead of when things are decided. You know by the voting thing so that it all gets very hyperbolic.

MCFADDEN: Do you get your feelings hurt if you don’t win?

STREEP: I feel honestly that I’ve won my Oscar, you know. I feel validated. But yeah, there’s a part of you that thinks every time you do the work as well as you hope you can do it, you get caught up in the thing… Here’s what you get caught up in. when you lose you think my work wasn’t any good. But it’s an honor to be nominated and it is! It is. But you just feel worse when you lose than you did before you got nominated. Ok? I’ll say that.

MCFADDEN: The truth!

MCFADDEN CONTINUED: How does the world’s greatest living actress’ mantel sit?

STREEP: It’s completely honestly, Cynthia, it is meaningless…

MCFADDEN: Meaningless?

STREEP: Yeah because there is no such thing, there is no such thing. There is no such entity.

On Playing Powerful Women:

MCFADDEN: You said you like to play difficult women?

STREEP: Yeah I do.

MCFADDEN: Why?

STREEP: Because their contradictions are so vivid and we’re all so good at hiding ours. So in the course of a normal day, we all suppress what’s hideous and the people that are interesting and sort of the one who just let it hang out.

MCFADDEN: You know watching the film, I looked at Sister Aloysius and I wondered if she was the Miranda Priestley of the convent. They have a lot in common, these two women. Women in power, women with authority, women that other people are sort of pushed back by a bit. What do you think?

STREEP: Well I see sort of a parallel in that women in power are still kind of terrifying to us and so Sister Aloysius is terrifying because of her demeanor and so is Miranda Priestley. But we are uncomfortable still with women in power and we don’t really know, still, I think it’s a complicated negotiation on the part of the person who has the authority and the people that she’s bossing around.

STREEP CONTINUED: So sometimes it’s easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand. The nicer the boss, the more mushy it gets and the more the female needs to ingratiate and be loved as it comes into it. With Miranda and Sister Aloysius that’s all sort of jettisoned.

MCFADDEN: Let me ask you about this last year about women in power. How did women do in the last year with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin do you think? Are women in power seen in a more positive light do you think, or not?

STREEP: Well, we’re on our way. We’re on our way to understanding all of it. I think we are just getting closer and closer as an evolving species to being able to accept this. But look around but look around the world this is – women are living as we were in this country but in the 19th century in many, many, many parts of the world. They’re bartered, they are property, they don’t have the rights we have – it’s very difficult for us to understand all those things. But we do have a sense that for us, that is in the past.

STREEP continued: But all those vestigial things are in every negotiation I have with people in my business. And it’s still, it’s informing, it’s coloring, it’s coloring.

On Whether “Doubt” is Really About Religion…

MCFADDEN: You know, so many people think it’s about the priest and the nun and in fact—in some ways of course it is. Is it about religion?

STREEP: No I think it’s about dogmatism of all sorts. I think John [Patrick Shanley] has talked about how he wrote it, when we wrote it at a time when in our country there was a lot of posturing about the certainty of our course of how to go ahead. I think it’s about fundamentalism of every sort. And yeah, that’s what I would say.

On her future:

MCFADDEN: You’re far from being an old lady, but do you have a vision of who you want to be when you are one?

STREEP: Well, my mother was a pretty good role model. But I’m just never going to measure up, she was just something. But that’s my goal. Part of the thing is she didn’t work full time. And part of her gifts were the richness of her friendships and that’s really hard. It’s not texting each other, it’s face to face. You have to be in your friends’ faces and in their lives. That’s something that I think I’ve missed by working so hard and having so many thousands of kids.

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

Meryl Streep’s nominations to date:

Actress in a Leading Role

1. Sophie’s Choice (1982) (win)
2. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981)
3. Silkwood (1983)
4. Out of Africa (1985)
5. Ironweed (1987)
6. A Cry in the Dark (1988)
7. Postcards From the Edge (1990)
8. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
9. One True Thing (1998)
10. Music of the Heart (1999)
11. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
12. Doubt (2008)

Actress in a Supporting Role

13. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) (win)
14. The Deer Hunter (1978)
15. Adaptation (2002)

“Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

Excerpts courtesy of ABC News “Nightline”.

Very rarely does an acting student land a role directly following graduation, but Joe Manganiello, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native, made the transition look like an everyday occurrence. Joe received a BFA in acting from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and within a week from graduating, auditioned and eventually landed the role of  “Flash Thompson” in the mega hit “Spider Man” which he reprised 5 years later in “Spider Man 3“. Since his break-out role, he has starred in many movies, including the film “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia“.

Not limiting himself to feature films, Joe took the television world by storm. In between shooting for movies, Joe appeared in back-to-back roles on many top-rated series. Aside from guest starring roles on “Jake in Progress”, “Las Vegas“, “Scrubs”, “Close to Home“, and “CSI“, Manganiello also plays some reoccurring characters in multiple television favorites. This year, he will be returning as “Stu” on “Til Death”, and the producers of “How I Met Your Mother” have contacted Joe several times trying to work out scheduling to bring “Brad” back… so expect that sometime in the near future.

“One Tree Hill” fans will be excited to hear that his character “Owen” is back in a big way this season. Any avid watcher knows that “Owen” has some serious apologizing to do to “Brooke”!

On top of juggling his re-occuring guest star roles, Joe will soon be seen in two upcoming films. Henry Jaglom’s “Irene in Time” is a movie dealing with the relationship between fathers and daughters. “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia” stars Joe as the leader of a Navy SEALS squad that is wrongfully accused of a crime against the Colombian government. Each film is completely different in terms of content and style, and both stand as a testament not only to Joe’s acting ability, but also to his diverse taste in material.

After speaking to Joe about his experiences on set he offered some interesting insight on the film industry. “Irene in Time” was shot over three years ago, and we will see Joe sporting a full beard and a shoulder-length haircut. Joe described Henry Jaglom‘s directing technique as an “unorthodox approach to filmmaking”, relying heavily on the actors’ improvisation skills. “He basically explains the scene to you right before, whispers a few things privately into each of the actor’s ears and rolls camera…it was a blast!”

Unlike the fly-by-your-seat ways of Henry Jaglom, shooting “Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia”, a studio action film, proved to be a much more structured and designed experience. Joe trained for 6 weeks with a trainer/nutritionist, worked out in a gun range, learned Filipino knife fighting from a martial artist, and consulted with Navy SEAL Geoff Reeves at a gun range and in a classroom environment. With such a high level of production and a rigorous shooting schedule, there was not much room for improvisation.

So how does Joe balance creating drama on “One Tree Hill”, making people laugh on “How I Met Your Mother”, and kicking ass as a Navy SEAL? Joe credits his Alma Mater, The Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. There he learned almost every acting style, the historical significance of every time period, and even how to pick up foreign languages. Joe admits that, at first, casting directors viewed him very one-dimensionally. They saw him only playing the role of a bully. However, taking a look at Joe’s recent credits proves that he is much more than merely an athlete who can do his own stunts.

Acting jobs in Hollywood are some of the most difficult jobs to get and also the most difficult to keep, but don’t say goodbye to this actor…it’s obvious that the powers-that-be are onto this hot talent.

LATP: If you could play any role, which would be the ultimate role for you?
 
Alice Greczyn: Oh I’m glad you asked that question because I could go into that at length. But in short, I admire the unsung heroic pioneer women who settled this country. They were the true mothers of invention, innovative and persevered in a way that would leave most of us ashamed to complain about anything. There are so many untold stories, so many amazing women who continue to go unappreciated and continue to be unheard of. That’s why I am drawn to them. For me to play a role as one of these women would be a way to commemorate them, to thank them in a way. I believe their inspiring stories deserve leading roles to carry the film, too.
 

LATP: How about the roles you play now?

AG: Each one of the girls I portray has layers of personality which I love to play! There are so many facets of an individual so it’s a learning curve to really explore each and every one. The role of Mary, an Amish girl I play in “Sex Drive” really has some pent up energy she needs to release. It was a lot of fun to play her, especially with actor Clark Duke.
 
LATP: What is your favorite passion?

AG: Cooking and the study of other cultures. Whether it be visiting my ice mountain climbing sister in Alaska or how to cook a meal in Mongolia, it is travel and being with my family.
 
Presently Greczyn can be seen in the role of Mandy on CW’s new hit series “Privileged”
and in Summit Entertainment’s latest feature film “Sex Drive” in theaters now.

Contributed by Capri Ryan

Cassandra Hepburn

With a multi-cultural upbringing (being raised in Asia, Europe, as well as the United States), Hepburn began her film career at only 11 years old, with a role in Stephen King’s “The Stand.” After graduating high school at 14, Hepburn bravely decided to pursue her dream of performing by moving to New York City where she started out in soap operas. After roles in off-Broadway productions and stints on MTV, Hepburn tried her luck out in France before moving to London to perfect her craft at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

With several guest starring and recurring roles on network television under her belt, Hepburn knows this is only the beginning. For more on Hepburn, check out her article on LA’s The Place at or visit www.cassandrahepburn.com or her IMBD page. To see her acting reel, click here…

Since being back in Los Angeles Jacquie has been training at The Actor’s Lab in the master class with J.D. Lewis. She has been actively creating a career that she is proud of. Jacquie has had training in Improv at ACME in Hollywood. She also takes as many short-term, specialized classes as she can. Jacquie feels that it is an actor’s duty to keep herself well-trained and ready for any challenge that may arise. Jacquie also loves to participate in theatre as she knows there is no class that can build your acting chops like performing live on stage. One of Jacquie’s favorite accomplishments was co-starring in and producing “Win/Lose/Draw” with Carolyn Curtis. She played three different characters and grew tremendously as an actor. 

Jacquie’s most recent accomplishment is an original production The Actor’s Lab took to The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in August and then to Limerick, Ireland in January for their theater festival. Written and directed by J.D. Lewis “AmerWrecka” is a politically charged and character driven play that makes you look at what we can do to change the world. Jacquie played Allison Krause, one of the four students shot in the Kent State Massacre of 1970 who is sent on a mission to shake things up. This was an exciting and challenging role that Jacquie loved playing. The group received great reviews and a warm embrace in Scotland. And the experience in Ireland was more amazing than anything she has experienced. A highlight for Jacquie was bringing it home and showing it at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica.. The American audience truly understood the show and the industry people loved it! Jacquie feels blessed that she was able to partake in such a rewarding journey.

Jacquie is ever grateful of the love and support she receives as she chases her dreams. Even though she knows it is hard work and there are no guarantees, Jacquie stays unshakably committed. She knows that every day she gets to be an actor is a gift and as long as she gets to do work she loves, she’ll be happy.

Produced by Alan, the acclaimed musical series will showcase some of “Today’s Brightest New Voices in New York.”        
Goodgold will be adding her own flair to the songs of Lowdermilk and Kerrigan, an award winning duo.              
Goodgold’s excitement shines through as she beams: "I’m so blown away that I will be on the same stage with these amazingly talented people. Since I was a baby- all I could hear was music in my heart.”
Barbra Streisand, Joan Rivers and Woody Allen are only some of the performers to have graced the same stage at the Duplex, where Hal Holbrook was the first booking agent.
The “Monday Nights, New Voices” series will feature new works from up and coming as well as legendary composers, including Frank Wildhorn, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, Galt MacDermot, Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa, Andrew Lippa and more.
Barbara Anselmi will be featured on the piano and will be the evening’s musical director.
Goodgold’s past experience working on various recordings and productions have only helped to prepare her for this opportunity. She has has sung lead and background vocals in Austin’s Bridge (by Broadway writer/director Bill C. Davis), Music Theatre’s International’s Broadway Junior Collection (MTI) CD recording of Once on This Island, HBO, Scholastic Rooms to Go Kids, Starbucks and Co. with Tony Award nominee Rebecca Lurker and Danny Burstein and has performed in well-known clubs including Don’t Tell Mama and Swing 46.
Currently, Goodgold is assisting Keith Levenson, a well-known musical conductor who has worked with Nell Carter, Sally Struthers, Deborah Gibson, MacKenzie Phillips and others in Broadway and National Touring productions of acclaimed productions including “Annie,” “Grease,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Chess.”
For more information on Shauna Goodgold’s appearance on April 14, 2008, or to reserve tickets, visit www.theduplex.com or call (212) 255-5438. The Duplex Cabaret Theatre is located at 61 Christopher Street in New York City.
To see Shauna Goodgold at The Spirit of Broadway Theatre this summer (located at 24 Chestnut Street in Norwich, CT) in the American Premiere of the British musical “Tomorrow Morning” by Laurence Mark Wythe, visit www.spiritofbroadway.org for more information.
Goodgold’s previous New York credits include: The Last Starfighter at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Off-Broadway’s Christmas Rappings (Judson Theatre), Opa! (Snapple Theatre), Minnie Fay in Hello Dolly! (Hangar Theatre), Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof (Cider Mill Playhouse) and Cha Cha in Grease! (Hoerner Theatre). She can also be seen in the hilarious mockumentary webisode The Battery’s Down with Jonathan Groff and Jen Cody.

MacFarland began her career as a stunt double by chance. She says, "I had a role in the film ”A Lot Like Love” (2005), opposite Ashton Kutcher. In the middle of the shoot the director came over and asked me if I could run into a glass door as Amanda Peet’s stunt double. Like any Hollywood up and comer I said yes!" Since then, MacFarland has booked many stunt double roles, including precision driving for Nissan, Saturn, Mazda and Chrysler as well as when she was buried alive as Ana Claudia Talancón’s stunt double in ”The Virgin of Juarez” (2006).

MacFarland began her career in front of the camera in Las Vegas. In 2000 she landed a role as a spokesperson for Cadillac, and another role as the host for the television show "Totally Band in Vegas". Looking for more demanding roles MacFarland made the move to Los Angeles. She immediately landed the leading role in the independent film "Camden" (2001), which became the Official Selection at the California Independent Film Festival.

While enjoying the physical demands of stunt work, MacFarland says she is equally thrilled to play characters that she must tap into on an emotional level. MacFarland says, "As an actress I have played anyone from a dying cancer patient to an abused wife from the girl next door to a Navajo Indian. Moving to Los Angeles was the best decision for my career. I wanted a challenge and to build my repertoire of characters."

Along with being an actress and stuntwoman MacFarland also works as a professional hand model. She was Hilary Swank’s hand double for the film ”Freedom Writers” (2007). For this role she learned to write left handed to emulate Swank’s actions. She has also hand modeled for commercials including Baby Einstein, WalMart, and the Food Network. MacFarland remains busy in Los Angeles and she explains, "I play so many diverse roles and yet I have found a balance between the physical and emotional elements to capture a character. As long as I remain flexible I will continue to be satisfied."

MacFarland is currently working on a lead acting role in a film for the 168 Film Festival. She is playing a photojournalist trying to take her life back after spending time in Afghanistan and witnessing the horrific events unraveling over there.

See MacFarland at work at www.lindsaymacfarland.com.

Since his debut, Justin has been steadily working in film and television with credits on IMDB that read like a seasoned veteran. When he’s not filming, (which is rare these days), Justin is hard at work honing his craft with top acting coaches and acting classes. His hard work in such a short time has definitely paid off. And Hollywood is paying attention to this rising star recently cast in the eagerly anticipated vampire trilogy “Twilight” based on the popular novels by Stephanie Meyer.

Justin Chon’s crossover role from TV to film was in the Disney Channel tele-film, "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" as the title character’s older brother Peter Wu. His standout performance attracted the attention of top producers and directors and he recently starred in the Weinstein Company feature film : "Crossing Over" directed by Wayne Kramer of “Running Scared” and “The Cooler”. The film also stars Harrison Ford, Sean Penn and Ray Liota. Not bad for a guy that still likes to eat at In-N-Out and finds free time to surf.

His other starring films include the comedy “Balls Out” (originally titled “Gary the Tennis Coach”) starring opposite Sean William Scott and Randy Quaid and the soon to be released comedy-horror flick “Hack” with Danica McKeller and William Forsythe.

Born and raised in California, acting for Justin may have been in his genes. His father was a well-known TV and film actor in Korea, and his mother a pianist. Both have influenced Justin as he also plays several instruments including the guitar, piano, violin and the saxophone.

Although he had originally planned to go into business, (his degree is in business administration), he decided to take some acting classes just for fun. He’s been working non-stop ever since and his success is partly due to his down-to-earth attitude and his willingness to take on challenging roles. Justin Chon is definitely a rising young star to watch with a long and bright future ahead of him.

In an exclusive interview with LATP’s MR Hunter, Justin talks about acting and his upcoming feature films.

MR Hunter: What led you to pursue acting?

Justin Chon: I decided it was the best job in the world.

MH: How much like your own life as a high school student in LA is similar to the life of your character, Tony Lee, in Nickelodeon’s Just Jordan?

JC: My own life is somewhat similar to Tony’s life. I would have to say that my life as a high schooler was way cooler than Tony’s.

MH: Can you tell us a little more about your starring role in the Weinstein produced film “Crossing Over”?

JC:  I play a Korean immigrant who is having a hard time adjusting to American life.  He is very misguided and ends up with the wrong crowd in a strange new city, Los Angeles.

MH: What was it like working with such veteran actors as Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, and Ray Liota?

JC: We all have our own story lines so I really did not get to work with them that much.  Just being in the same film with these industry greats though is very humbling and educational.

MH: Who are some of your favorite actors?

JC: There are so many good actors today.  My favorite actors include Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Johnny Depp.

MH: When you’re not acting, I hear you like to surf. What other things do you enjoy doing?

JC: When I’m not acting I enjoy hiking, watching movies, and playing the guitar.  Yes, I love to surf!

MH: Did you have to learn how to play tennis for your role in the film “Gary the Tennis Coach”?

JC: They have actually changed the name of the film to "Balls Out".  Yes, I learned to play tennis.  We arrived 2 weeks early to get intensive tennis training.

MH: You start filming “Twilight” this month. Can you tell us more about your role and the films based on the books by Stephanie Meyer?

JC: I play a character named Eric.  He is a friend of the lead character and once again, I am playing a high school student.  We have not started filming yet and we are keeping the details about the film on the low down!  I am thrilled and honored to be a part of this cast.

MH: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to be an actor?

JC: If you want to be an actor you should learn the craft. Join a theater group and take classes before you start auditioning.  The most important thing is to love what you do!

Although the suite was crowded and a bit choatic, celebs were still able to enjoy the suite and the lovely offereings from the vendors that came to honer and gift the attendees.

Millie’s Cheesecakes were available to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. These scrumptious taste treats are based on a family recipe and come in a variety of  flavors and crusts including banana, sweet potato, caramel and pineapple. Labeled as "the greatest cheesecakes on Earth," Millie herself was in attendance to pass out her sweet temptations that were not only delectable, but sugar free!

After indulging in one’s sweet tooth, biotene was on hand to pass out gift bags full of oral care products. Focusing on those with dry mouth (which would have been perfect for the Golden Globe nominees, were they given the opportunity to make acceptance speeches this year), biotene is the number one recommended treatment for this condition which affects more than 80% of adults. Included in biotene’s oral care kits were mouthwash, dry mouth moisturizing, toothpaste, dry mouth gum, and even First Teeth toothpaste for babies.

To assist the stars in looking and feeling their best, Sphatika handed out makeup bags filled with travel sized facial toner, Citrus Crystal Mist, cleansing cream, Vitamin A Night Cream, Citrus Toner, moisturizer, and exfoliating cream. Offering the highest quality of pure, natural, chemical-free botanical products, Sphatika products are rich with nature’s own nourishing antioxidants, oxygenating ingredients and uplifting essential oils. A Beauty Fragrance Entrepreneur for Fashion Group International Rising Star Award finalist, Sphatika also handed out their very own Golden Globes in the form of quartz crystal balls wrapped in gold foil.

After receiving the products necessary for beautiful skin, it was on to Leonor Greyl to take care of the hair. Made with delicate aromas and plant extracts, Leonor Greyl gave out products to each guest based on their hair type to ensure more brilliant, glamorous and beautiful locks. Using natural ingredients and vitamins in their shampoos, this hair care line also offers products specifically designed for those with dandruff, dry hair and long hair. Leonor Greyl received the prestigious Prize of Excellence by Marie Claire in 1999, as well as the Prize of Consumers and the Cosmetic News Oscar given by the professionals in the same year.

Living up to her reputation for extravagant suites, Natalie Dubois also offered selected guests two amazing trips. Bora Ubora will send the DPA selected guests first to the Radisson Plaza Resort & Spa Kumarakom in India, and will offer 5 and 7 Nights Packages, along with Aryurvedic Spa treatments. Located in Nairobi, Kenya, Bora Ubora, in collaboration with Diani Reef Beach Resort & Spa, will also offer 5 and 7 nights packages. In addition, Heritage hotels will provide its guests with the high-quality safari products and personal services for which East Africa is renowned, by offering 2 nights at Samburu Intrepids and two nights at Mara Explorer, their flagship tented camp in the heart of world renowned Maasai Mara.

Another highlight of the suite was the launch of couture designer Georges Obeika Atelier from Lebanon. With evening gowns valued up to $60,000, Georges Obeika also displayed specially created clutches and men’s tuxedo shirts at the event.

Other lavish items at the "2008 World Experience DPA Gift Lounge" included gifts from Energetix, Henderson Designs, Marchon Eyewear, Pucci sunglasses, Fendi sunglasses, Scandihoovians, Lomography, Xtreme Lashes, Soaptopia, Cellnique, lucy b, The Wellbox, Bips and Burp, Modern Me Baby, Fifibear’s Brasserie Frozen Organic Baby, Soma, The Chopra Center, LMG Studio, STUDIO at Fred Segal, Indian books, Burray Olson tee shirts, Deepak Chopra, Tito Vodka, and Expressive Fortune Cookies.

We caught up with this busy actress who recently returned from NY where she reprised her role as the drugged out daughter of the President in "The Beastly Bombing," to give us some insight into what drives her and her plan to make her mark on Hollywood

LA’s the Place: Heather, you seem to have a lot going on in your career.  You have "Crash N Burn" which will be released in November, "Under the Knife" in post-production and "American Summer" which comes out in theatres in February.  In addition, you were nominated as Best Actress for the short ‘Blinders’ in the Hollywood DV Festival, as well as "The Beastly Bombing" which won Best Musical of the Year at the LA Weekly Awards, in which you are the lead female. But I would like to know, how did you achieve this coming from a small town, Utica, outside of Detroit, to make this leap to Hollywood?

Heather Marie Marsden: Well, it definitely didn’t happen all in one day! I had a dream, and I was absolutely determined to live my life doing what I always dreamed I would do. I remember literally looking through the Detroit Classifieds for work as an actor. I knew it was a job, and isn’t that where you look for a job? Obviously, there was nothing there (although they seemed to need a lot of *ahem* "dancers" downtown) and it was then that I realized, "’Tis time for me to go".  So, I went.

LATP: What were some of the challenges that you faced as a new actress in Hollywood with no experience, trying to acquire representation?

HMM: Fortunately, when I moved to Hollywood, I had a National Tour of Sweet Charity, and some other theatre under my belt. My NY agent referred me to my LA agent.  However, as most new actors in L.A. experience, getting that elusive SAG card was a doozy. You have to work in film or TV to get it, but you can’t work in film or TV unless you have it. It is a very frustrating loop. But, with blissful naiveté, insane stick-to-it-ness and dedication to make every audition a priority, including getting to a lot of them on the same 10-speed bike my Mom had given me for my 15th birthday, I eventually booked a guest star role on a TV show and got my card. Bottom line, keep the faith, and keep on truckin’.  Or peddlin’.

LATP: You have obviously done quite a lot of work, to name a few, "Charmed" "Suddenly Susan," "Drake & Josh," among several others.  How do you prepare for these roles to set yourself apart to stand out as an actress?

HMM: I don’t deliberately try to set myself apart. I think that would seem false. Fortunately, as people, we’re all so different, that none of us are going to say the same line the same way, anyways.  For me, I need to fall in love with what I’m doing. When I’m working on a script, I usually fall in love with the character I’m developing, and therefore, end up handing myself over to it. On the downside of that theory, every time I don’t get a role, it’s like going through a bad breakup!

LATP: Most actors would be scared to do a live stage show, because they know with film they can redo their scenes and with editing they can look brilliant.  Here you are as the female lead in "The Beastly Bombing," a stage show, which won Musical of the Year at the LAWeekly Awards, and is nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Musical, as well as being sold out in New York. How do you make that transition from Film to Stage and which one do you prefer? 

HMM: That’s a tough question. It’s like trying to separate the peanut butter from the chocolate.  My goal with my acting is to be the most complete artist I can be. I feel very fortunate to be able to work in all theatrical mediums, and I believe they actually feed each other. Maybe it’s because I started in the theatre, but theatre definitely feels like home. There’s just something so delicious about treading the boards with the feeling in your stomach that you’re flying without a net…. I love it. With stage, you also have the opportunity to go back each night and tweak your performance or try something new. And I love the immediate human connection between actor and audience. You can really feel it up there.  With film, the work is done in more of a bubble, and when your work is done, it is done. That brilliant new idea that you have in the car on the way home from set doesn’t always get a chance to be explored, and you certainly have no idea how the film is going to turn out until the end.  However, filmmaking is more prone to happy accidents. In one of my films, we were setting up to shoot a spiteful, argumentative scene in a really tiny room in a bar.  The camera wouldn’t fit through the door, so, to make the shot work, my costar and I had to be positioned in such a way that forced us to do the scene nose to nose.  This, of course, changed the whole energy and approach to the scene. So, ultimately, in having to respond to the needs of the camera, the big, loud argument scene became a sexy, witty, intimately barbed scene that ultimately is one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever shot.

LATP: In "The Beastly Bombing" you play the drugged up daughter of the President. In American Summer," you go from a Real Estate Agent by day to a dominatrix at night. With such diverse roles, how do you prepare for these roles? Do you rent movies and observe the druggies?  Do you go to a place to observe a dominatrix? How do you embody the character to make it as natural as possible?

HMM: I was invited to a dominatrix barbeque… that would’ve been a riot, huh?  As far as "the doing of the drugs for research", I haven’t really seen it work for anyone yet. One of the things I do when prepping for a role to help "make it natural", is discovering how similar and dissimilar I am from the character I will play. For example, I’m a precocious and curious person, but the characters in Beastly and American Summer take precociousness and curiosity to a whole other level..  A level that in real life would put me in jail!

LATP: Do you have a preference as to whether you would like to be on a television series or if you would like to do film next? 

HMM: When it’s a good script, and good characters, that’s what matters.  Making movies is like dating, you get to fall in love with different characters and stories, then you move on to the next.  Being on a series is like a marriage. Hopefully you’re in love with it, and hopefully together you can make it to a golden anniversary!  Either way, I’m always on the lookout for good and interesting projects.

LATP: I understand you are also a singer, tell us about that.

HMM: I have co-written and released two albums, "Pieces of Skye", and "The Harratt Sessions", as well as had a Billboard hit with the single "Venice Freak". My music has been heard on LA radio (thanks 103.1 fm!!) as well as international and satellite radio, and MTV Europe.  I’ve had a lot of surreal moments with my music, for example, I was in a Macy’s and looked up at the music video they were playing in the store, and thought, "wow, that girl looks familiar…" then I realized it was me in my video…. Or when my song "Stalker" (they call it "Gonna Get You") from "Pieces of Skye" was used on a Law & Order episode.  The storyline had the main character, a recording artist, singing in the studio as well as performing in her music video. They used my song for all of that.  It was super trippy hearing my voice come out of another actress’s body.  She did a great job, by the way. I think my most memorable music moment to date, however, is when, early one morning, while looking my most elegant, (hair in a ponytail and pjs on the body), while executing the most glamorous of tasks, (pooper scooping my front lawn), my record label called to congratulate me with the news that not only had I charted in Billboard my first week out, but I was also being released on a Divas Compilation album. Ah, the irony of life.

LATP: Do you see something like producing or directing in your future?

HMM: I have zero desire to direct. Nada. I do have one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read, "That Time of the Month," in the developmental stage that I am a producer on.  

LATP: What do you see as a dream role that you would like to play, that would stretch you as an actress and show your acting chops?

HMM: I would LOVE to do a movie musical in the essence of  "Mahogany" or "The Fabulous Baker Boys"…. Maybe a story based on Ann-Margaret.

LATP: What is interesting is that I notice you sheep herd with your Aussie dog Viggo, which is very unusual. You are a snowboarder, a dancer and a singer.  Is there anything else that your audience is yet to learn about you?

HMM: Besides everything that I haven’t learned about my own self yet, I’m obsessed with the "Thin Man" movies, I organize my closets according to color, "Shiny Disco Balls" is my favorite Dance Dance Revolution song, and yesterday I just made my first piece of pottery. It was a bowl. It was crooked.

LATP: Which actor and actress do you admire?

HMM: Wow. That’s a loaded question. I get compared to Reese Witherspoon and Naomi Watts a lot.  I will see anything that Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster, Helena Bonham Carter or Cate Blanchett is in, and I’d like to have a sit-down lunch with Cher. Followed by a gelato with Johnny Depp.

LATP: If you couldn’t be an entertainer, what other career would you choose?

HMM: Good Question.

www.HeatherMarieMarsden.com