Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Remy Was Robbed?

Was Ratatouille -- that adorable, moving, clever, funny, charming, brilliant, beautiful piece of wonderful cinematic wonderfulness -- get robbed of an Academy Award Best Picture nomination? Yes, yes: it was nominated for a Best Animated Picture Award (along with only two other movies), but that's not the same thing. Why distinguish? It's all film. It all takes tremendous dedication, talent, and sacrifice on behalf of its actors, director, and staff.

Should Ratatouille, about an ambitious young rat in Paris who dreams of becoming a chef, as a piece of cinematic art, be considered alongside No Country for Old Men and Atonement? Should Brad Bird, Ratatouille writer, director, and all-around creative genius, see his name up there with the Coen Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson and DGA Best Director winner Julian Schnabel?

The difference really only boils down to very specific artistic techniques. Is sequencing an animated scene in which Remy the rat runs all over the kitchen any different than tracking a shot in which our hero runs away from gunfire in the street from all directions? Well, yes, it's technically different -- but does it require a difference in skill level? Creativity level? Is it different in artistic merit?

Now some critics are saying the film was robbed, seeing how the movie has been dubbed the "best reviewed film of the year" by Tom O'Neil of The Envelope, plus scoring killer reviews and a score of 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. What do you think? Should we just let movies be movies? Or are these categories necessary?

--Anna Bengel

L.A. Auditions at a Glance

Culled from the hundreds of casting and job notices listed daily on BackStage.com, below are this week's audition highlights for the West Coast, organized by the day the auditions are being held.

To find the full details for each of these projects -- including the audition times, locations, requirements, and alternate submission methods -- simply locate the project using the BackStage.com Casting & Jobs Search Engine, and then open the notice to view all of the info.

When searching, try any of the following: (1) Run a search for all the categories and countries you're interested in, and then sort the results based upon the date of the auditions by clicking on the triangular arrows found near the top of the "Audition Dates" column on every page of the search results; (2) Try an "exact phrase" Keyword search using one of the project titles/casting notice headlines listed below (hint: put the project title, audition headline, production company, or casting director name in "quotation marks" to get the best results); (3)  try an "exact phrase" Keyword searches using dates such as Nov. 28, Dec. 5, and so on, to discover other opportunities that have audition dates, performance dates, and deadlines for the date you specify. See the Casting FAQ for additional search hints.

LOS ANGELES AREA AUDITIONS

Wed., Jan. 30
UCLA, Comedy & Drama Projects (Student Films)
Untitled Reality Show (Reality TV)
Ice House, Wednesday Open Mic (Comedy & Improv)

Thurs., Jan. 31
Geffen/Alley 2007-08 Season (Union Stage)
'Taking Steps' (Union Stage)
SMC 2008 Season, Singers (Union Chorus Calls)
'Lumping in Fargo' (Nonunion Musicals)

Fri., Feb. 1
There are no auditions scheduled on this date.

Sat., Feb. 2
PCPA 2008 Summer Season (Union/Nonunion Musicals)
CalArts One-Act Play Festival (Nonunion Stage)
'Spring Musical Theatre Revue' (Nonunion Musicals)
Solo Artist Showcase (Singers)
'Playhouse Disney: Live On Stage!' (Theme Parks)
IL & TX, 'The Mole' (Outside CA - Reality TV)
TX, 'The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940' (Outside CA - Nonunion Stage)

Sun., Feb. 3
'The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)' (Union Stage)
'Tallgrass Gothic' (Union/Nonunion Stage)
TX, 'The Traveling Lady' (Outside CA - Nonunion Stage)

Mon., Feb. 4
ACT 2008 Season (Union Stage)
Ray Bradbury's 2008-09 Season (Union/Nonunion Stage)
'Moon Shine' (Nonunion Musicals)
CD Workshop, Peter Pappas (Groups & Workshops)
'Shear Genius' Season Two (Northern CA - Reality TV)
TX, 'The Giver' (Outside CA - Union/Nonunion Stage)

Tues., Feb. 5
The Laugh Factory, Tuesday Open Mic (Comedy & Improv)
TX, 'Top Design,' Season Two (Outside CA - Reality TV)

Wed., Feb. 6
Kaiser Permanente 2008-09 Season (Nonunion Stage)

Thurs., Feb. 7
LAPC Spring Season (Nonunion Stage)
Azamara Cruises (Cruise Lines)

Fri., Feb. 8
There are no auditions scheduled on this date.

Sat., Feb. 9
'Top Design,' Season Two (Reality TV)

Sun., Feb. 10
'The Mole' (Reality TV)
'Dirty Mean Tricks' (Nonunion Stage)
'On Golden Pond' (Nonunion Stage)
'The Glass Menagerie' (Nonunion Stage)
'Some Summer Night' (Nonunion Musicals)

Mon., Feb. 11
Intiman 2008-09 Season (Union Stage)
'All Night Strut' (Union Musicals)
'1001' (Union/Nonunion Stage)
'Picnic' (Nonunion Stage)

Tues., Feb. 12
ISF & GLTF 2008 Season (Union Stage)
NV, 'Phantom of the Opera,' Dancers (Outside CA - Union Chorus Calls)

Wed., Feb. 13
NV, 'Phantom of the Opera' (Outside CA - Union Musicals)

Thurs., Feb. 14
NV, 'Phantom of the Opera,' Singers (Outside CA - Union Chorus Calls)

Heath's Final Film Might Be Salvaged

When an actor dies during filming, most projects get scrapped. For example, as reported by E! Online, singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 before completing her scenes on the last two Matrix movies, and the Wachowski brothers couldn't salvage her footage. When River Phoenix overdosed on the sidewalk in front of the Viper Room in 1993, his last project, Dark Blood, was scrapped immediately.

However, when Brandon Lee was infamously -- and accidently -- shot by a faulty prop gun on the set of The Crow, only eight days of production were left and director Alex Proyas soldiered on. A stuntman was used as a body double, and Proyas used special effects to put Lee's face on the stuntman's body.

Now it seems Terry Gilliam is looking to keep Heath Ledger's last work alive with the magic of CGI as well. Ledger's co-star on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and veteran actor Christopher Plummer told PEOPLE that "Terry's throwing himself into the job of trying to salvage the picture," in the hope of being able to dedicate the $30-million picture to the late Australian actor.

--Anna Bengel

NYC Auditions at a Glance

Culled from the hundreds of casting and job notices listed daily on BackStage.com, below are this week's audition highlights for the East Coast, organized by the day the auditions are being held.

To find the full details for each of these projects -- including the audition times, locations, requirements, and alternate submission methods -- simply locate the project using the BackStage.com Casting & Jobs Search Engine, and then open the notice to view all of the info.

When searching, try any of the following: (1) Run a search for all the categories and countries you're interested in, and then sort the results based upon the date of the auditions by clicking on the triangular arrows found near the top of the "Audition Dates" column on every page of the search results; (2) Try an "exact phrase" Keyword search using one of the project titles/casting notice headlines listed below (hint: put the project title, audition headline, production company, or casting director name in "quotation marks" to get the best results); (3)  try an "exact phrase" Keyword searches using dates such as Nov. 28, Dec. 5, and so on, to discover other opportunities that have audition dates, performance dates, and deadlines for the date you specify. See the Casting FAQ for additional search hints.

NEW YORK CITY AREA AUDITIONS

Thu. Jan. 31
'Mammoth'
'Dai (Enough)'
'Time of My Life,' CT
Stages St. Louis, 2008 Season, MO
'Beauty & the Beast,' Females
'Grease,' B'way, Dancers
'Happy Days,' CT
'The Backyardigans Live!,' Nat'l Tour

Fri. Feb. 1
'Mammoth'
'Peace Man'
Stages St. Louis, 2008 Season, MO
'Happy Days,' CT
'Double V,' Tour
'Evita,' Tour
CityDance Ensemble, DC
Norwegian Cruise Line

Sat. Feb. 2
'The Search'
TN, IL, NY, 'The Mole'
'Lysistrata'
Spellbound Winter Season
'S.M.U.T.'
Nickelodeon & Sony BMG
Bernier Dance Co.
GA & TN, Dollywood

Sun. Feb. 3
FUCT Comedy Troupe
Orange Factory Music
FL, Walt Disney World Stunt Auds.

Mon. Feb. 4
'Mammoth'
NY & TN, 'Legally Blonde'
'Titanic,' VA
'The Lion King,' Dancers
'Titanic,' Singers, VA
'Carnival Café'
'Love of the Black Woman'
'The Crucible'
'I Love a Piano'
CA, 'Shear Genius'

Tue. Feb. 5
'Mammoth'
TX, 'Top Design' Season Two
NJ, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ
Saint Michael's Playhouse, VT
'Sedition,' NJ
'Titanic,' VA
'Mary Poppins,' B'way, Singers
'The Lion King,' Dancers
Gotta Sing/Open Mike Tuesdays
Azamara Cruises

Wed. Feb. 6
'Mammoth'
Saint Michael's Playhouse, VT
'Mary Poppins,' B'way, Dancers
North Shore Music Theatre, MA

Thu. Feb. 7
'Mammoth'
'Duplicity'
NY, 'Last Comic Standing'
Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, NE
Saint Michael's Playhouse, VT
'The Frogs'
'13,' CT
North Shore Music Theatre, MA
Stages St. Louis, MO, Dancers
'The Crucible'
'13,' CT

Fri. Feb. 8
'Mammoth'
NY, 'Top Design' Season Two
'Sweet Storm'
'Barnum,' VT

Recording for Blind Seeks Volunteer Readers

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, a national nonprofit organization that serves over 185,000 people, seeks volunteers to bring people with print disabilities the books they need to learn and succeed.

Readers at RFB&D narrate the text of a book and describe any visual elements, such as charts, graphs, pictures, maps, or mathematical equations. Currently, RFB&D is facing a shortage of specialized readers proficient in math, science, finance, accounting, computer science, foreign languages, and other technical areas.

They also are in need of volunteers to read general K-12 titles. RFD&B produces the books in digital format on CD to offer students greater ability to search for and retrieve information quickly and easily.

All of the books in RFB&D's library are recorded by volunteers working in 30 studios or at home across the country.  Visit www.rfbd.org/support_1.htm for to find the addresses and phone numbers of the nearest studios.

More information can also be found by calling the RFB&D's headquarters office at 800-803-7201 or sending an e-mail to [email protected].

-- Ronni Reich

Hulk Smash!

Poor Bill Bixby. As Dr. David Bruce Banner, he really got his ass whupped every week on the '70s series The Incredible Hulk. Lou Ferrigno got all the glory as the muscle-bound green goliath. Bixby just got mad.

Check out this complete list of the 117 things that made the Hulk mad over the course of that seminal show. They range from "being mauled by a bear" and "placed in a small room with a ravenous black panther" to "attempting to turn off the boiling hot water for the waxmaker, only to have the faucet break off in his hand and scald him, and then inexplicably slipping and rolling around in same boiling hot water."

My favorites have to be  numbers 44 and 52. You really wouldn't like him when he's angry...

-- Daniel Lehman

ECNY Awards

The ECNY Awards, New York's original comedy awards, were presented at Comix last night to  "the most hilarious and hard-working comedians in New York City." Sixteen awards were handed out over the course of the two-hour show.

The winners include:

Best Director:
Kurt Braunohler (Penelope: Princess of Pets, Big Black Ballet, Police Procedures)

Best Improv Group:
I Eat Pandas 

Best One Person Show:
Nick Kroll (Fabrice Fabrice)

Best Sketch Comedy Group:
Harvard Sailing Team

Outstanding Achievement in Postcard or Flyer Design:
Keith Huang & Matt Johnson (The Apple Sisters)

Best Technician:
Pat Baer

Best Short Comedic Film:
"Minesweeper" (Elephant Larry) 

Best Web Site (Original Comedic Content):
The Onion News Network

Best Web Site (News or Commentary):
The Apiary (Nate X)

Best Host(s):
Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter (Tearing the Veil of Maya @ Union Hall) 

Best Variety Show:
The Greg Johnson and Larry Murphy Show

Emerging Comic Award:
Joe Mande 

Best Musical Comedy Act:
The Apple Sisters 

Best Male Stand Up Comedian:
John Mulaney 

Best Female Stand Up Comedian:
Kristen Schaal

The ECNY Awards are produced by Alex Goldberg (Fearsome), Jon Friedman (The Rejection Show), Carol Hartsell (Drink at Work), Nate (The Apiary), and Alexander Zalben (SketchFest NYC).

Producers said, "Winners were selected by combining a public voting process, and voting by a committee composed of industry professionals. The Awards have been completely revamped with a new production team after an almost two year hiatus. Whereas the previous awards only recognized the "emerging" category of comedic artists, the current ECNYs celebrate all the comedic performing arts in NYC by honoring the best, funniest, and most creative performers, shows, and producers working in the field. Hence, the original name of the awards has been eliminated, and they will be referred to only by their former acronym: The ECNY Awards."

-- Daniel Lehman

"Juno" What? It Sucks

Hey! It's teens having sex and getting pregnant! There's extended dialogue about alt-rock bands! And a nerdy kid in running shorts! Plus a scene in a hospital with some crying! But it's happy crying!!

Really?

I can't possibly stand alone in detesting Fox Searchlight's surprise hit "Juno," the coming-of-age teen dramedy with a relentlessly annoying central character who is somehow stupid enough not to use protection and yet manages to command the vocabulary of a 50 year-old comedy writer-slash-Cornell humanities professor.

I mean, really?

It was early December, a blissful time when almost no one had heard of this film yet. Neither had I.

"You'll like it, it's a comedy. You like comedy," my friend said, pointing at my oversized David Letterman sweatshirt.

But then, for the next 96 minutes, as my film-going companion (along with the rest of the moderately-filled theater), laughed uproariously at the young white girl sarcastically claiming to be Morgan Freeman on her shiny plastic hamburger phone, I rolled my eyes and shifted in my seat. Little did I know that weeks down the line, the American public would make this pretentious, irritating16 year-old the second most beloved fictional protagonist next to Nicolas Cage looking for some more treasure.

Juno is a "misunderstood" high-school student who finds herself impregnated by (cue laugh track) the running geek who apparently owns no clothing other than sweatsocks and his team's uniform. Tedious scenes follow where Juno has to tell her parents and friends, in her appallingly self-righteous way, that she is with child. Confrontations with the track and field dork ensue, along with predictably uncomfortable episodes with the rich couple who wants to adopt Juno's
baby- awkward because Juno even further puffs up her bratty self to show how inappropriate she can be at all times. And because she is the lead character in a super progressive "indie" movie, no one ever slaps her. The prospective adoptive mother is played by Jennifer Garner, who
(sadly) refuses to utilize the ass-kicking skills she learned on the set of  "Alias" to beat some sense into any of the other characters.
In that regard, Juno is lucky to be pregnant. Pregnant ladies, as a rule, should not get smacked by Jennifer Garner.

When the nerdy baby daddy turns cold on our poor pregnant alterna-teen, who of course, for the dramatic visual, continues to attend classes at eight months, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone who miraculously grew some common sense and walked away from this haughty, entitled know-it-all who conveniently erases those traits when it comes time for a kitchen table talk with Dad about true love, or an awkward exchange with the sonogram technician- that's when, lump in throat (!) Mommy comes to the rescue and dresses the bitch down.

I should have seen it coming. Everything from the "dude"-peppered screenplay on down to the teeth-clench inducing orange and green animated graphic that accosts my daily web activities reeks of cold film executive calculation.

"So, it's gonna have funky rock music, right?"

"Right! So people will know it's a 'funky, alternative' kind of movie."

"And an angry teen who talks back to her parents in hyper-literary language that could never come out of the mouth of a real 16 year-old."

"Exactly, that will make critics like it. But don't forget, eventually there's acceptance and crying! And someone has a baby!"

Critics, check. Suckers for rom-coms, check. Edgy teen pregnancy subject matter street cred, check. Michael Cera in running shorts, triple check.

So, it's not a "surprise" hit after all. It's almost as deliberately commercial as, well, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, quite frankly. Don't be fooled by the absence of Nic Cage and "'splosions."
I know I wasn't.

Despite its 0 for 3 status at the Golden Globes, the film will continue to make millions of dollars and collect a slew of other award nominations, maybe even a few major wins.

But I will never cave. I don't care what America says.

I still say this movie sucks, "Juno?"

-- Miki Yamashita
SAG   AFTRA   AEA

Ensler's Latest Edition

Throughout the past decade, Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues has been performed at hundreds of "V-Day" events worldwide, raising awareness of and money to stop violence against women. In 2006, a program of new short material was presented in New York as part of a festival called Until the Violence Stops. Written by a variety of women -- and some men -- the monologues, poems, and sketches shined a spotlight on such issues as domestic battery, gang rape, female genital mutilation, and sexual slavery, along with less sensational but nevertheless horrific incidents of physical and psychic violence. Contributors included Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Edward Albee, and Monica Szlekovics, an incarcerated woman who wrote about a childhood visit to a mental ward to visit her mother.

The end that Ensler and Doyle are pursuing with this collection of writings from that program is to duplicate the success of The Vagina Monologues by instigating a new series of consciousness-raising events. Much of the work is potent. Some pieces have a biting, sophisticated dramaturgy, such as Anna Deavere Smith's playlet, "None of Us Are Monologuists (aka Chill)," about a Tutsi woman from Rwanda who becomes a fashion model in New York. Others are more abstract, especially Robin Morgan's "Connect: A Web of Words," a word-association collage that invites all sorts of imaginative staging possibilities. Some of the best selections are straightforward stories, such as "Banana Beer Bath," Lynn Nottage's heartbreaking retelling of the true tale of a Ugandan mother's ultimate sacrifice.

It would seem callous to fault this anthology for being a downer given the dead-serious subject matter. Thankfully, there are some selections, such as Elizabeth Lesser's "The Next Fantastic Leap," that manage to be hopeful. And at least one piece -- Kathy Najimy's droll "Maurice" -- might provoke a chuckle, or at least a knowing, bittersweet smile.

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, And A Prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women And Girls, Edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle, Villard, 2007, paperback, 208 pages, $12.95.

-- Reviewed by Mark Dundas Wood

 

Lucci Among AFTRA Award Recipients

Longtime soap opera star Susan Lucci, ABC reporter Sam Donaldson, and pop singer Maureen McGovern will receive awards for media and entertainment excellence from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Monday, Jan. 28, at Gotham Hall in Manhattan.

-- Andrew Salomon