You can listen to us discussing these films at length on the podcast on the show, but please do check out the list below for perpetuity. Sam’s list is annotated and included below, Tom’s is not annotated and its right here. This just means you will have to check out the podcast to hear Tom’s viewpoints. So check out Sam’s choices after the jump, along with a few choice thoughts and honourable mentions. Enjoy!

10. Fish Tank

Andrea Arnold’s excellent second film is not quite the match of the stunning Red Road, but the performance from Katie Jarvis and the touch of the director in the interpersonal scenes elevates this to somewhere that the script doesn’t quite merit, notably given the slight overcooking towards the end. Some amazing scenes, however, and some beautifully constructed and openly-interpretive moments between characters make this nigh-on unmissable.

9. Star Trek

Easily the best blockbuster of 2009, this film is not far off perfect, outside of the terrible scene involving the original Spock. Delete that and you have an indecently entertaining film with, perhaps, the best ensemble cast of the year. The character moments, especially those involving Chris Pine’s Kirk and Karl Urban’s McCoy, are charming and packed with charisma and comedy. Unexpectedly, a Star Trek movie was the most accessible and entertaining action film of the year.

8. Up

Though it’s somewhat messy for the most part, the first ten minutes of this film are enough to give it a solid top ten spot. The ‘life’ sequence at the start, wordless and annotated only by music and tiny personal moments, is completely breathtaking but the rest is a rag-tag road movie with a terrific sense of adventure, just a slight lack of focus. The character moments are sweet and touching, the story itself, focusing on the Pixar-favoured topic of fatherhood, is perfectly pitched and the animation, and imagination involved in that, is wonderful. Forgetting Cars, will they ever truly misstep?

7. Let the Right One In

A very Swedish take on the vampire movie, this was another driven by likeable characters and a sweet romance, but oh so much more bite and existential interest than that other abominable vampire movie. The performances from the two child leads are perfect, but the best thing here is Alfredson’s filmmaking, his camera retaining a stillness throughout which mean that the explosions of violence and disturbing themes are allowed to breathe enough to get under the skin of the audience.

6. Funny People

I wasn’t completely alone in loving this film, but I might be completely alone in loving the film as much as I did. Adam Sandler gives a great performance in this sprawling, hyper-personal exploration of comedy by Judd Apatow. Sandler’s character seems oddly close to his own life, which Apatow is intimately familiar with, and is used to examine the psychological make-up of comedians and the mindset they hold which prevents them from truly connecting. It’s not about all comedians per se, but it explores that mindset held by those who need to keep misanthropy a part of their act. Beyond that, the character interplay is perfect and there are just plenty of fascinating, emotionally open scenes. It’s Apatow’s passion project and, for whatever reason, I just connected completely.

5. Fantastic Mr Fox

Unexpectedly, a huge return to form from Wes Anderson. Ostensibly taking Roald Dahl’s tale as a starting point, Anderson imprints his own style on the source material without losing the overall spirit of the original. The voice performances are perfect, especially the great Jason Schwartzmann, but the star of the show is Anderson’s directorial choice-making. Plenty of great jokes and, in the stop-motion, the best choice he has made in his whole career, completely suited to his minutiae-fetishism on one level and just so aesthetically-pleasing on another. It’s also the first of his films since Rushmore where he seems to genuinely like his characters, a difference which is so important in how much love you can build up for the film.

4. Synecdoche, New York

I love achingly personal filmmaking and this, from the cavernous mind of Charlie Kaufman as both writer and director, is self-examination to the point of borderline insanity. The film drives from meta level to meta level, getting further and further lost inside itself but never, for me, losing the neurosis at its centre: the need to be remembered for something great. It evokes the madness of attempting to create great art, the subjectivity of the world which prevents this from ever being truly possible and the intense need and desire to achieve something, whatever it may be, before death.

3. Where the Wild Things Are

A mad mess of ideas and inspiration, Spike Jonze proved himself once more to wholly understand the spirit of his story, creating a narrative which takes Maurice Sendak’s book and expands it into a swirling, mad imagination picture. It captures the moment when children begin the journey to adulthood, when they realise that they are no longer the centre of the world and have to compromise to the needs of others. Max may well be a disturbed and troubled young child, but I think the feelings and thoughts that he has just capture those that most children would have at that age in his situation, just more vividly than may would perhaps have liked. It’s slightly self-indulgent in places, but it evokes and engages with childhood in ways that modern movies simply never even try. All that and the soundtrack is the absolute best of the whole year.

2. The Wrestler

Low-key and often too close to stereotype in the script, this is a film elevated an enormous amount by the amazing performances, direction and cinematography. Aronofsky shifted away from the insane ambition of The Fountain to deliver and measured, appropriate directing job to prove his versatility, Marise Alberti’s cinematography captures the cold isolation of the characters and the supporting players, notably the ever-brilliant Marisa Tomei, are superb. But, come on, the star of the show is Mickey Rourke. His performance goes somewhere beyond acting onto a meta level that suggests this will be a once-in-a-lifetime role. If that’s the case, he took his chance with both hands and booked his place back amongst the greats after all those year’s in the wilderness.

1. The Hurt Locker

Iraq filmmaking has proved itself a difficult art. The shift has gone from those explicitly exploring the experience of soldiers with a heavy political stance to those exploring the soldiers coming home with a heavy political stance. None of them have been absolutely awful (outside of Redacted and Stop-Loss) but none have managed to explicitly understand the experience of soldiers from an entirely apolitical viewpoint. The Hurt Locker is not only the most exciting, tense film of the year, but it’s understanding of the psychology of the soldier, and its focus upon this, captures what is actually important about Iraq. This was Jarhead with a boatload of action and without the showy visuals, though the visual style here is gripping. Kathryn Bigelow should and hopefully will win the director Oscar this year, not just for the construction of scenes and her understanding of space, but for her focus on the relationship between the lead characters and subsequently their relationship to the warzone. Emotionally and physically, this is a breathless film.

Honourable Mentions

District 9 – Thrilling allegorical sci-fi, only let down by reliance on genre traits.

Milk – Stately and finely-tuned biopic, excellent acting, slightly ponderous in some places.

Slumdog Millionaire – Overrated undoubtedly but still extremely entertaining and sweet. Superb direction.

(500) Days of Summer – Arrival of a talent in Marc Webb and career-best performance from Zooey Deschanel.

Moon – Lovely, charming sci-fi with immense central performance and best performance by Kevin Spacey in years.

Zombieland – Hugely fun and rollicking zombie ride.

Rachel Getting Married – Career-maker for Anne Hathaway, only dips because of hyper-long wedding sequence.

Bronson – Tom Hardy’s performance dominates but Winding Refn’s work is, as always, bracing.

In the Loop – Satire at its highest, only let down because it never quite reaches the Strangelove-ian heights it’s going for.

Anvil: The Story of Anvil – Heartfelt, sweet hair metal homosocial love story.

Doubt – ACTING! And more ACTING!! Stagey at times but otherwise nye-on perfectly judged.

Drag Me to Hell – Raimi returns to horror with fun, cheeky ride with great horror performance from Alison Lohman.

A Serious Man – Obtuse, uber-Coen exploration of Book of Job. For fans only, maybe. If you’re a fan though, world class.

Five tracks in my iTunes library with titles that contain the word “Hello”:

1. “Hello Heartbreak,” Michelle Williams. Poor Michelle Williams — do a Google Image search and the Destiny’s Child third wheel doesn’t even show up until page 3, thanks to a better-known Michelle Williams, at right. Plus, I feel bad that Beyoncé released her album “I Am Sasha Fierce” like a month after Michelle released her solo pop album, which included this song. If the “turn the lights out / ho!” bit sounds familiar, perhaps you’ve heard it on … Beyoncé’s song “Sweet Dreams,” which the same guy produced. Papa Knowles can’t let those other girls have anything to themselves!

2. “Hello Hopeville,” Michelle Shocked. I bought this tape — that’s right, a cassette tape, kids! — for the incredibly weird song “When I Grow Up,” (they’re gonna have a hundred and five / ten / fifteen /twenty babies). This and “Captain Swing” are my two favorite albums by her.

3. “Hello City,” Barenaked Ladies. “Gordon” makes me think of my former coworker Crystal, who loved this band and would play this disc in the old Get Out office. Their song  “If I Had $1,000,000″ mentions a K-Car, with which I was saddled for a few years.  My Plymouth Reliant-K  had a radio with those hard push-buttons that allowed six stations, no tape player and near the end of its life started to smell like antifreeze anytime I used the heater. (The vinyl top failed to make it classier, either.) Eventually I traded up to a Plymouth Neon (with spoiler, as TBond would point out). Note to lottery winners: Do not buy anyone a K-Car. That’s just mean.

4. “Hello I Am Your Heart,” Sara Hickman. Another track from Rubaiyat, the Elektra label’s “happy anniversary to us!” release. I had never heard the original version by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band before today.

5. “Say Hello,” April Wine. My freshman year in college, my friend Tracy made me a mix she labeled “keg tunes,” which was filled with all of the music they used to play at the high school kegs I never went to. This was one of them. And … $1.29 for April Wine?! Seriously? Remember when the labels said they’d charge $1.29 for the really in-demand songs but drop the prices of less-popular tracks to like 79¢? It is 11th in line when you do a search for “Say Hello,” which is no surprise considering the song is 30 years old. The fact the label still wants to charge $1.29 is just annoying.

WHAT SAM WORE: 12-23-09
The sweater: Merino wool V-neck from Gap.
The shirt: Button-collar cotton dress shirt by Façonnable, from Last Chance
The pants: Boot-fit trousers from Banana Republic.
The shoes: Suede sneaker on clearance from bananarepublic.com. In a happy coincidence, my latest order showed up at work today.

2000

I remember seeing this dress for the first time.  Charlize was the first, in a long time, to channel the old hollywood glamour and it was a huge and memorable hit.    

Charlize Theron Vera Wang Dress

2001

Another monumental dress.  The night of the Oscars, not only did Julia win the Oscar, but this vintage Valentino also won her the best dressed acclamation.    

Julia Roberts Vintage Valentino Oscar Gown

2002

I can’t say I don’t remember this vintage looking cap sleeved lace Valentino gown.  Reese looks absolutely stunning.   

Reese Witherspoon in Lace Valentino Gown

 2003

Kate Hudson, spotted in the 2003 Oscars, in a regal champagne Versace gown looking stunning, and like a clone of her mother.  

Kate Hudson in a Champagne Versace

2004

Chloe Sevigny looks dazzling in this sequined cocktail dress.  The only thing I am thinking about is, I want this dress NOW!  It fits perfectly in 2010.  

Chloe Sevigny in a silver cocktail dress

2005

Ahhh, the power of a female back.  This amazing Guy Laroche midnight blue gown looks demure from the front, but the back speaks sexy.  This was by far the first time Hilary Swank looked like a real woman.  

Hilary Swank in Midnight Blue Guy Laroche Gown

The sexy back!

2006

It was hard for me to pick between Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams.  But Keira won!  I don’t know if it is Michelle’s dress color on her skin tone or just that you can never go wrong with Valentino and White? 

Keira Knightley in White Valentino

2007

Georgina Chapman, one half of the Marchesa design duo, looked stunning at the Vanity Fair Party, in none other than a Marchesa gown.  Who doesn’t love Marchesa, and THIS one especially? 

Georgina Chapman in Marchesa

2008

Penelope Cruz is the definition of modern day classic.  I don’t know what this dress is, but I love it.  

Penelope Cruz in a Ruffled Train Gown

2009

This was a hard one.  I didn’t like the pictures they chose, AT ALL, but I decided to pick my favorite fashionista of the year. Rihanna that is.  

Rihanna in Dolce & Gabbana

What’s better than a dad? A superhero dad. And, yes, my friends, they do exist. Look no further than John Wesley Shipp. Not only did he play a bonafide masked crusader in The Flash as, um, The Flash but he was also the most kick ass dad Capeside ever had on Dawson’s Creek.

Shipp and I discussed Mitch’s most memorable scenes, the heyday of soap operas and his independent film work.

TeenDramaWhore: What was it like living and filming in Wilmington? It’s so far from Los Angeles where most things are filmed.

John Wesley Shipp: You know, it’s funny. Not just in terms of where to work but at different points in my career when I’ve really wanted to have an experience, I’ve noticed that if I really hold it in my mind, the experience will present itself. Right before Dawson’s happened, I was thinking, you know, I’m sick of living in L.A., the land of perpetual glare. I sure would like to do a series somewhere that had seasons. I’m from the Southeast, so close to my family, which is all in Atlanta, would be nice. Not a series like The Flash, where I’m killing myself every day, practically opening a vein with each episode. But something that had some interest and was cool. Dawson’s Creek presented itself so it’s kind of what I asked for. At least in the beginning, the parents had vital storylines. Of course, they were subsidiary but they were independent and intersecting with what the kids were experiencing. That was fun. It was fun for a couple of years and then it was fun again at the very end. But in terms of working in Wilmington, Wilmington’s a cool town. I love the fact that the water–which Dawson’s Creek used very effectively–was almost a character in the series. It was very effectively used. It’s very much a part of the landscape. And the town is sort of like traditional, small town, historical society, Southeastern coastal town meets Hollywood. And then there’s the beach culture. On one side, it’s all new, the Outer Banks, cool places, houses to rent, condos. The other side, which is on the Cape Fear River, is older, historical. They had downtown candlelit carriage rides to view the houses that had been restored. There’s a river culture. There’s even a little sophistication in it. They had this wild club there for a while. They have cool cigar bars and eateries and restaurants down on the river. So I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot. I also think that given the fact that the show exploded the way it did and we had such a young cast–and I know it was a pain in the ass for them being separated as the years went on–I think the production probably benefited from the fact that we weren’t in L.A. or we weren’t in the fastest-track place, because those kids became international stars overnight. Even as intelligent and well-intentioned as they were, it probably would’ve been very heady stuff for them had we been, say, in L.A.

TDW: Let’s throw New York into the mix, because you filmed in New York City, too, when you were on Guiding Light.

Shipp: Yeah, I lived in New York City for 14 years. I love New York City. I started my career there and I had my first success there. When I was living there, I was living there the way you’d want to live there. I had a great apartment on the Upper West Side overlooking the river and I had a house on six-and-a-half acres in Woodstock to go to on the weekends. So that kind of was the ideal way to live in New York. Then I went back in 1992 for a year when I did Dancing with Lughnasa on Broadway and a stint on All My Children. I don’t know if it was my youth or my success that I remember fondly or if it’s entirely New York but I’m actually wanting to move back there. L.A. can be very oppressive. There’s many opportunities about L.A.; I don’t want to be a whiner about it. But it is a one-industry town and everyone is in the motion picture industry. Everyone has a script in tow and everyone is an actor and everyone is a producer and everyone is on the hustle, getting this project made–you know what I mean? It can be a bit mind-numbing. Plus all that sun. New York is, as they call it, the great teeming metropolis. It’s teeming with life. Everybody does something different and nobody is particularly impressed with what you do because everybody is so busy carving out a piece of the rock themselves, a piece of that island for themselves. It’s just such a melting pot and it’s exciting. You walk out onto those streets and you’re alive. So many different people from so many different worlds. I think for an artist or an actor, it’s probably much healthier creatively to live in New York than L.A. But I’ll only speak for myself.

TDW: If you came back to New York City, would you want to do Broadway again or another soap? One of the ones that’s still here, anyway.

Shipp: I don’t know about daytime. Daytime seems to be in a pretty tough spot at the moment. I wonder, and I’ve heard speculation, about whether there will be any daytime dramas left in 5-7 years. Certainly I would like to do theater. I’m attached right now to the production of a little play with the Firebone Theatre Company called Song of the Bow. I’m attached to that and they’re looking at production next September. I’m also, after our phone interview, talking to a producer from Atlanta. He’s actually in New York right now checking out theater space. They’re taking the play from Atlanta to New York in January and he’s talking to me about the possibility of whether it would be a good fit for me. I would love that. I would love going back to New York doing a play. I think it would be the best thing for me right now so we’ll see. We’ll see if it holds true that what I hold in my mind happens. Of course, first choice, I’d really like to do an interesting series in New York because (whispers) that’s a lot more money. We’ll see what happens.

TDW: What was your reaction when you found out Guiding Light was going off the air after 72 years?

Shipp: Well, the Guiding Light I knew, from everything I had heard, no longer existed. They weren’t shooting in a studio anymore. It was practically students with handheld cameras in driveways.

TDW: That was very much my understanding of it as well, from what I’ve read and from watching it.

Shipp: I would watch it. It would be on at the gym and I’d look up. I just thought the production values had flipped. I was at a Guiding Light Emmy party at Krista Tesreau’s on August 29 in L.A. I have some pictures up from that party on my Facebook page. It seemed like ancient history. I left that show, what, 25 years ago? A quarter of a century. It was exciting. Guiding Light was a great time and it was a great time to be in daytime. That and when I went over and did the story on As The World Turns with Julianne Moore and Steven Weber. It was a time when the youth explosion, the numbers, the ratings were way up from what they had ever been before. As a consequence, the networks and Proctor & Gamble were putting money in. I went to the Spanish Islands on location. I went to St. Croix on location. Of course we also went more regionally. I don’t think they did even local locations anymore. We went up to Connecticut, Kent Falls, where we did the whole Laurel Falls Kelly-Morgan wedding and story. It was an exciting time. If you were going to do daytime, the early to mid-80s was the time to do it. I was very fortunate to work for Douglas Marland on both Guiding Light and As The World Turns. I had the best of the best in my daytime experience.

TDW: So if that was so wonderful, what 10-15 years later made you switch not only to primetime but a teen drama?

Shipp: It was what was offered. I mean, I had been through The Flash and that was disappointing in many ways. It was handled so badly by the network and that’s not just my opinion. That’s the network’s opinion. We had a number of things going against us for that show, even though we were a critical hit and the industry really dug us. But we had a network that had the oldest demographic so all of our in-house advertising fell on deaf ears. Plus we debuted in the fall and then we were off for baseball because CBS had the World Series that year. So we went on and off then we went back on. Then the Gulf War broke out. Then we went back on and George H.W. Bush threw up in Japan so we were preempted again. Then they moved our night. So it was impossible to find an audience, although it’s doing well now on DVD. It was released in 2006. So after that I went back to New York and did the play Dancing at Lughnasa on Broadway and a series of guest shots and TV movies and things like that. And then Dawson’s Creek presented itself. The interesting thing about that is they had already shot the 20-minute pilot presentation. I believe at the time they were auditioning for Mitch, I was in Moab, Utah with David Carradine, Lee Majors, Cathy Lee Crosby and Michelle Greene doing a movie called the Lost Treasure of Dos Santos. What a cast, huh? It was a riot. But, anyway, then I heard about this project. They were deciding to go in a different direction with the father and they sent me the pilot presentation. If you can think back to before Dawson’s Creek exploded on TV–and as a result of it, so many spin-offs and so many teen dramas and so much saturation and copy-cat shows to the point where it became something of a cultural joke almost–if you think back before Dawson’s Creek, there was nothing like it. I mean, yeah, you had Beverly Hills 90210 but it was completely different in tone. The kids were beautiful and–ours were, too–but theirs were popular and sexy and with it and hip, slick and cool and, let’s face it, didn’t have the brain power of our characters. What was interesting about Dawson’s is that it was not slick. The kids were not hip, slick and cool. They were a little bit on the outside. Joey Potter [Katie Holmes], that whole story–not exactly your typical teen queen there with the problems in her family. Pacey Witter’s [Joshua Jackson] father being a drunk. And that Michelle Williams [Jen] character being a real outcast at the beginning. And even Dawson [James Van Der Beek], his mom cheating on his dad and experimenting with an open relationship. There really was nothing like it. And, also, I noticed the language that these kids were using. I thought, wow! We were even criticized for that. We’re writing up to the youth audience; we’re not writing down to them. Why would you criticize that? Isn’t that a good thing? You mean the dialogue is too smart? That’s a criticism? But, anyway, how did I come to do it–I didn’t really look it as a teen drama. Now, when [creator] Kevin Williamson left the show [between seasons 2 and 3] and it became more and more of that and the parents were increasingly de-emphasized, that led to my leaving. At the end of the four seasons and the kids were going to be going to college, I saw the handwriting on the wall. We would be standing in the background with Lily and waving at Parents Day and I really had no interest in doing that. So when they wanted to renegotiate our contact, I set my price really high. Then they started production on the fifth season and two weeks into production, the WB shut them down because they had no story and that’s when Paul Stupin came to me in L.A. and said if we gave you the money you were asking, would you come back and kill the character? I kind of budged my heart for a minute but I have to tell you, it was a great decision. It was the perfect time to leave Dawson’s Creek. I did indeed get two beautiful episodes that made me feel like the previous four years had been about something. You know what I mean?

TDW: Yes. Those episodes [5.03, Capeside Revisited & 5.04, The Long Goodbye] are just incredibly moving. For a show that was, at times, a lot about sadness, those really stand out as sadder moments and turning points for Dawson, his mom, for the way that it affected his relationship with Joey. We got that in that episode after Mitch’s death. We see how his death has affected everyone as there’s those flashbacks or re-imaginings of Mitch with each of the characters.

Shipp: And imagine for me–what a sendoff?! And what a tribute to Mitch. I mean, I really got to tie up each relationship. I got a retrospective of what Mitch had been and, as you say, what he had meant to everyone and went out on a real high note. It worked out really well for me.

TDW: The other scene [in episode 2.05, Full Moon Rising] that stands out in my mind–and I was talking about it to someone just a few weeks ago; they were watching the series for the first time–was the scene where you’re in the kitchen with Dawson and he’s kind of confronting Mitch about having an open marriage and Mitch kind of breaks down and says, you know, “I was never taught what to do if my wife had an affair.” And the way that you just delivered that line was just heartbreaking.

Shipp: Honey, thank you so much. I loved that. Kevin Williamson wrote that episode. I didn’t even have to act it, you know what I mean? Just the idea of this man and those words. You can barely even say them. I think I even heard you choke up trying to say them.

TDW: Yeah, it’s true.

Shipp: “My dad taught me how to do this, he taught me had to do that but he never taught me what to do if my wife cheated on me. I never knew to ask.” I mean, I can barely say those lines now. So beautifully written and so incredibly vulnerable, particularly for a male character on television. I love that scene. I love that episode.

TDW: Did you keep up with the show or its storylines after you left?

Shipp: Not at all. I never saw it after I left. And it’s not that I sat down and made a conscious decision and it’s not that I had a resentment about the way things went down, because it was totally a collaboration. They needed something from me and I wanted something from them and we both got it. But, having said that, when you’re such an integral part of a family–and that’s what you become and it’s also an impact of being in Wilmington because we only really had each other. So on the weekends, you’ll be going out on boats and going out to Masonboro Island, we’d throw the football around, ride around on wave runners. We did everything together so it was very much a family and to know that your family was going on without you, it was too sad for me. I really had to make a clean break. It’s interesting. They had asked me to come back recently. AFI–was it in AFI?

TDW: The Paley Center. They had the panel.

Shipp: They asked me to come and be a part of it but I couldn’t do it. I think James did it and Meredith [Monroe, Andie].

TDW: Yep. It was James, Meredith, Kevin, Paul Stupin and Busy Philipps [Audrey].

Shipp: They had actually asked me to do it and I wish I could’ve. That would’ve made me feel like a part–it would’ve completed something for me to be able to do it. But I’ve been up in San Jose. I’ve been very busy and I just got back from doing an independent film in Ohio that I’m very excited about and had another, a comedy with Jodie Sweetin, play to really good notices at two film festivals, one in Wilmington.  And another film I had premiered in New Orleans at the New Orleans Film Festival in the last several months so, you know, I’ve been busy. But one thing James had said–they said something about the death of his father and he said “I was really sad because I wouldn’t get to see John anymore” and that’s the way it was. I was literally killed off. When you leave a show, you leave a show. And it was accentuated by the fact that we were sequestered in Wilmington. So, no, I never saw an episode after I left.

TDW: Well, I can tell you that, in the series finale, Gale [Mary-Margaret Humes] actually remarried.

Shipp: Yeah, I knew that because I keep in touch with Mary-Margaret. But do you know that I just found out–and I mean a couple of months ago–that Jen died, right?

TDW: Yes.

Shipp: I just found that out, like two months ago.

TDW: If you have the time, I really recommend picking up the complete series and watching the last two seasons. The emotion that we talked about earlier was there for Jen’s and maybe that goes back to the fact that Kevin Williamson returned for the series finale after he had been gone for so long. You really had his voice, his emotion and his rawness that he would put into things.

Shipp: I’ll tell you, those are good words to describe it. It seemed to me that–this goes back to the pilot presentation when I first watched it–this had a sound and a look and a feel that was unlike anything that was on television. It’s difficult now to imagine as there’s been so many copy-cats and spin-offs and it’s been run into the ground. There was a rawness amidst the sophistication. There was a bumpiness, a sense of dis-ease about the emotional lives. And also I always felt that Kevin really was Dawson, I think. I haven’t had this discussion with him. I could be wrong. But I thought we were seeing all of this life on the creek through the eyes of Dawson, which were Kevin Williamson’s eyes. I felt for James after Kevin left because I really felt that Kevin is the only one that really gets Dawson and I’m sure that was difficult for James after Kevin left. It was much easier to write for Pacey, much easier to write for Joey. To a lesser degree I think it was easier to write for Jen. I don’t really think they quite knew–they experimented with different things. But it was easier to write for Pacey and Joey. But the more awkward unique perspective of a Dawson was Kevin’s voice. I mean, my god, Greg Berlanti is a wonderful writer and oh, god, the man–I just blanked on his name–who wrote my last two episodes was just brilliant and some of the best stuff I had. But I do feel the show suffered from Kevin’s awkwardness and the lack of the Kevin’s awkwardness. There was something really awkward in the writing of Dawson that Kevin really got that we missed after he left.

TDW: Going back to you and your storylines, did you think the show gave a realistic portrayal of parent-child and husband-wife relationships?

Shipp: I don’t know about realism. I think realism is overrated. I would say it gave an interesting perspective. One thing I will say is with the explosion of information with the Internet and the sophistication of kids–I mean, my nine-year-old niece and twelve-year-old nephew have their computers in school and their this and their that and they’re so much more aware of the world and what’s going on–that I sort of think that the parents, adults, have a much wider ranger of possibilities. They’re not locked into authoritarian roles in modern society. In other words, in the 40s and 50s you started wearing suits and you got a corporate job and the dad was the head of the house and the mother was the nurturer and the father was the provider and everybody knew what their roles were and everybody got old very soon. I sort of think after the 60s and 70s and all that, and certainly today, there’s a much wider range of possibilities and, in a sense, the kids are growing up faster and the parents aren’t growing up as fast, getting old as fast. So they’re meeting in the middle. Does that make sense? I know what I’m trying to say. It’s that consequently you have a lot of more options. What I enjoyed was when Kevin would turn the–and he did it many times–he would turn the father-son relationship on its head. Another thing we were criticized for. I read things saying what kind of parents were these, what kind of role models, blah, blah, blah. But what I enjoyed was the intentional flip-flopping, the parent becomes the child and the child becomes the parent. I think that was interesting writing. Is it realistic? I don’t know. Again, I think realism is overrated. If I want realism, I don’t have to ever turn on the TV. I just live my life. But I think it has to be true but it doesn’t have to necessarily be real if there’s a sense of truth in it, and I think there was. I was tickled to death that Dawson goes out on his first date and I’m more comfortable talking about it than he is. I tell him, “Have fun, play safe.” And he’s all “For chrissake, dad!”  You know, coming in and finding his parents making love on the coffee table, he’s totally grossed out and disgusted by that but I thought that was great. I loved that. It certainly was more fun for me as an actor than if I had to come in and be “the dad,” you know what I mean? I mean, who was Mitch? What did he do for a living? Who was this goofy, kind of lovable, sensitive, lost character? There was a certain wisdom that he had, simple wisdom. Certainly he wasn’t the stereotypical patriarch of the family and I was glad ‘cause that would’ve been boring as hell.

TDW: Are you recognized for the role at all when you walk down the street?

Shipp: Oh, yeah. Constantly. You know what I’m most amazed about? And my mom has picked up on this, too. The amount of times I get recognized for Guiding Light. I wouldn’t even recognize myself from Guiding Light! But the two things I get recognized the most for are, of course, Dawson’s Creek and The Flash.

TDW: Are you back in touch with any of the Dawson’s Creek cast or crew?

Shipp: Yeah. I never was out of touch with some of the people. Mary-Margaret and I, in fact, our friendship if anything has grown deeper since the show. We’re very close. We’re constantly in touch and she kind of plays the mom role and gets the gang together every now and then. I haven’t talked to Katie in years but she and I have messaged. She sent a message through an agent at the premiere of a movie but she’s got her own thing going on now and that’s consuming her. I’ve actually seen Meredith several times and her husband. Michelle, of course, has been in New York. The person I’ve most consistently been with–and I keep up with everybody through her–is Mary-Margaret.

TDW: One of the films–I think you already mentioned it–that you’ve been working on is Port City.

Shipp: Yeah, that was the comedy with Jodie Sweetin at the festival in Wilmington.

TDW: Well, coincidentally, that also stars Matthew Laurance and Barabra Alyn Woods, who also played parents on teen dramas.

Shipp: Oh, yeah.

TDW: Matthew was on 90210 [as Mel] and Barbara was on One Tree Hill [as Deb].

Shipp: It’s like, where do teen drama parents go to die? Port City. (laughs) And then this last film that I did–I just got back a couple of weeks ago from Ohio where we filmed it–was a company out of Chicago called Glass City Films. It’s a wonderful script called Separation Anxiety, in which a young man either falls to his death accidentally from an icy dam or commits suicide and we don’t know which. His two best friends, one female and one male–there’s also some sexual tension there that we find out about–and his father, who is me, spend the movie trying to make sense out of his death based on what we need to believe. Interestingly enough, the father needed to believe it was suicide, which I immediately found interesting. He saw his son as kind of a drifter, where his life was just sort of a series of accidents. It was intolerable for him to think that at the end of his life, it was just one more accident. He needed to believe that it was an intentional act that he set out to accomplish and accomplished. Now isn’t that an interesting perspective? That’s not something I’ve ever seen, where his father needs to believe his son committed suicide. We fight it out, the three of us–me and the two best friends. Most of my scenes are with the girl who–that’s a complicated relationship so I won’t go into it but it’s more than just best buddies with her and my son. We spend a lot of time hashing and thrashing that out and what we need to believe and finally come to an accommodation where I’m able to go bury my son. It was a good group of people, a talented crew and cast. I can’t wait to see it put together.

TDW: Where we can we actually see you next? Is Port City going to get a wide release or is it just doing festivals?

Shipp: I don’t know. Karma Police, which debuted at the Dallas Film Festival the year before last, is out on DVD and on I think–I can’t keep up with these sites–Blockbuster Online or Netflix, so I know it’s out there. Grotesque, my little short film that I’m so proud of, we banged out in New Orleans last year in about a week. I play a priest with a dubious past. That’s online and the trailer for that is in my Facebook videos and there’s a link to the actual 29-minute version. And then Separation Anxiety will also do the festival market.

TDW: Do you like the festivals better than a major motion picture that’s in theaters everywhere?

Shipp: No. I would rather it be straight to theaters. Again, it’s a matter of what’s offered. I will say one thing–and it’s not just my particular insight–but there’s a lot more creative freedom the less money there is riding on a project, you know what I mean? The more money, the more hands in the pie. The more sets of suits that have their handprints on the script and the edit and the this and the that, the more of a business it is. I understand that. It’s wonderful and spontaneous and creative working in an independent film atmosphere but make no mistake: I would not turn down an A film that would be set for a major release.

TDW: I hope to see you in one soon! And I’d really like to see Port City.

Shipp: You know, it’s funny. I was kind of worried about it because it’s sort of a screwball comedy and my character’s really a jerk, a goofy filthy jerk and that’s not necessarily been my trademark but all the feedback I’ve gotten is “Wow! What a great departure! You should do more comedy!,” which my brother has been telling me for years because he knows how innately ridiculous I am. But I’ve managed to shield the rest of the world from that.

TDW: Hopefully not for long!

Shipp: I’ve actually taken off the last year, for all intents and purposes. Those projects that I mentioned came to me of their own volition. I’ve not been interviewing. I’ve not been auditioning. My dad came up to San Jose to pastor a new liberal church out here that’s been facing some difficulty and then he had heart surgery. Well, I came up to San Jose and they ended up losing their music director and my background is music. I was an opera major at Indiana University in Bloomington before switching my major to theater and I’ve studied keyboards since the age of 5 so I grew up with music of the church and for the last year, that’s been my primary occupation–rediscovering my love of music and my spirituality in a very inclusive and liberal atmosphere. It’s been great for me being of service to my parents, who are now back in Atlanta. My dad’s doing fine. And I agreed to stay on at the church through Christmas, the Christmas Eve service. So I have two more Sundays to plan musically and then I’ll be flying to Atlanta to be with my family and probably re-engage my career full-time beginning in February.

TDW: Mary-Beth Peil was an opera major as well.

Shipp: Yep. She has a glorious voice. A wonderful woman. People who only knew who her from Dawson’s Creek have no idea who that woman is.

TDW: I interviewed her, via e-mail actually, last month and I would’ve loved to hear her real voice because I know her Grams voice isn’t actually hers.

Shipp: No, she’s young and sexy and funny. You just wouldn’t know her with her hair down and all that. And she tends to be play those severe, more matronly parts because she’s good at it. She’s on a series now, isn’t she?

TDW: Yes, The Good Wife with Julianna Margulies.

Shipp: Right.

TDW: Alright, well, I’m glad we were finally able to connect.

Shipp: My pleasure, Shari. It’s been great talking to you.

Come back next week for another exclusive interview!

TDW Interview Index

Sundance here we come!

KV BIJOU is happy to announce we’ve been selected to be the official and exclusive jeweller of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Gift Lounge to the stars!

I literally couldn’t believe my eyes when I received an email back in early November asking my company to be the exclusive jeweller!  The Gift Lounge is a 2 day event that takes place at the end of January.  Coincidentally, it’s the same month as when I quit my job last year to pursue my dreams of doing this full-time.  What a year it’s been!

Some of the stars rumored to be attending: Katie Holmes, Natalie Portman, Jessica Alba, Kristen Stewart, Ben Affleck, Kate Hudson, Kevin Costner, Chace Crawford, Marisa Tomei, Tommy Lee Jones, Amy Adams, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Dakota Fanning, James Franco, Ryan Reynolds, Rob Patterson, Naomi Watts, Samuel L Jackson, Malin Akerman,   … and many more!

I’ll keep you posted on news as well as what designs I end up bringing for the event.

Kelsey

• Lee Norris (Mouth, One Tree Hill) recorded a message for fans.
• The True-Love Tale of Boyfriend and Girlfriend, starring Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill) and Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill) with narration by Cullen Moss (Junk, One Tree Hill), has been released, according to a vlog from Burton.
• You can vote Gossip Girl as the Best Scripted Television Series of 2009 in an E! Online poll.
• You can vote for Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl), Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) or Michelle Williams (Jen, Dawson’s Creek) as the Most Stylin’ Star of 2009 in another E! Online poll.

With the first decade of this century almost at an end and most people looking back, we at On Celluloid look forward to the UK film releases worth anticipating in 2010:

1. Up In The Air (due for release: 15 January 2010) - A film which is likely to figure large come Oscar sees Juno director Jason Reitman helming a film starring George Clooney as a consultant who lives the jetset life helping corporates to restructure and shed staff whilst trying to rack up 10 million air miles forced to contemplate being grounded.  Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick co-star.

2. Un Prophete (due for release: 22 January 2010) – One of the most praised films from the Cannes and London film festivals this year, Jacques Audiard’s prison film should become a breakout foreign language hit as an Arab prisoner gets sent to a French jail.

3. Edge of Darkness (due for release: 29 January 2010) – Mel Gibson stars in a film for the first time for several years in this revenge thriller directed by Casino Royale helmer Martin Campbell in which Gibson plays a detective hunting for the killer of his activist daughter.

4. The Princess and the Frog (due for release: 5 February 2010) – Much has been made of this film having the first black heroine in a Disney film but the film also sees a return to hand-drawn 2D animation for the House of Mouse which when the trend is to stick any old animation in 3D, this must be applauded.

5. Youth in Revolt (due for release: 5 February 2010) – Michael Cera stars in the dual roles of Nick Twisp and Francois Dillinger in this adaptation of C.D. Payne’s novel in which Twisp hopes for Portia Doubleday’s Sheeni will be the girl to take his virginity.  Talented helmer Miguel Arteta directs.

6. Shutter Island (due for release: 19 February 2010) – This film featured in my second half of 2009 anticipated movies but was unfortunately delayed.  Martin Scorsese adapts the novel from Denis Lehane (of Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone fame) in which Leonardo diCaprio stars as a detective.  Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer and Michelle Williams co-star.

7. Everybody’s Fine (due for release: 19 February 2010) – It’s a been while since Robert de Niro appeared in a decent film but he is getting rave reviews for his performance as a widower who takes a road-trip to re-unite with his grown-up children.

8. A Couple of Dicks (due for release: 26 February 2010) – Kevin Smith returns directing Bruce Willis in a comedy about a pair of cops.  Expect more laughs as Seann William Scott, Adam Brody and Jason Lee co-star.

9. Green Zone (due for release: 12 March 2010) – Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon re-team for this adaptation of the best-selling book Imperial Life in the Emerald City in which a US army officer goes rogue in Baghdad.  Jason Isaacs and Brendan Gleeson co-star.

10. Season of the Witch (due for release: 19 March 2010) – I know very little about this but it stars Nicolas Cage who was mental in Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant in a story based in the 14th century about knights transporting a witch to a monastry.  Promises to be mad as a box of frogs.

11. Cemetery Junction (due for release: 7 April 2010) – After the disappointing The Invention of Lying, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant re-team for a comedy starring Ralph Fiennes in a story about three men working in an insurance company.  Lets be optimistic!

12. Lebanon (due for release: 9 April 2010) – Israeli director Samuel Moaz’s film is a claustrophobic take on the Israeli-Lebanon war of 1982 showing the war through the experiences of paratroopers in a lone tank searching a hostile town.

13. City of Life and Death (due for relase: 16 April 2010) – The “rape of Nanjing” remains a controversial event in the histories of China and Japan which still causes tension between the two countries.  Chuan Lu’s epic won the Golden Seashell at the San Sebastian film festival for its dramatisation of this 1937 event.

14. Robin Hood (due for release: 14 May 2010) – Sir Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe re-team for another take on the mythology of the Nottinghamshire outlaw as Crowe plays the titular character with Cate Blanchett as his Maid Marian.

15. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (due for release: 28 May 2010) – Can Jerry Bruckheimer do for the video game adaptation what he did for the theme park ride adaptation with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise?  Jake Gyllenhaal will certainly hope so as he stars as the title character in this franchise starter.  Gemma Arterton co-stars as the English heroine.

If you don’t have her music somewhere on repeat, your not of this world…this artist is that infectious. Houston Texas own Letoya Luckett has that “it” factor. For an artist to be so down to earth and is not afraid to show personality to the fans is unheard of yet simply amazing. Letoya started out singing in the choir then received her piece of stardom as one of the founding members of the group Destiny’s Child. Later she split from that group and moved onto the next, Anjel which never really got off the ground due to production company difficulties. Even with all the music industry let down and media uproar which dug her name through the mud, Letoya Luckett obviously kept persevering now with a platinum debut album self titled Letoya and a new release titled Lady Love climbing the charts along with two clothing boutique and a few tv/movie gigs present and coming 2010. ”Not Anymore” off her latest album is my jam it reminds me of the past and empowers me to look towards the future in relationships especially with the lines “Mmm, no more settling for less i’m looking for that kind of man that’s gonna give his best ’cause I’m giving my best” (chile AMEN) c’mon do yourself a favor and get into her music both albums are in stores now!

Director: Martin Scorsese

Writers: Laeta Kalogridis (Screenplay)
Dennis Lehane (Novel)

With Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams

The film is based on the 2003 Novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane.
In 1954, two U.S Marshall investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island in Massachusetts. They run into trouble when they are deceived by the hospital’s chief administrator, a hurricane hits and an inmate riot traps them on the island……

Someone is missing……

Release Date:
19 February 2010 (USA)

http://www.shutterisland.com/

A lot has been happening on Broadway these last few weeks. Here are the biggest of the announcements:

Closing soon

Bye Bye Birdie has offically announced that it will play its final performance on Jan 24. Though technically an extension of its limited run, many had expected this expensive production to run much longer, and producers are definitely walking away with losses.

RUMOR: Michael Riedel of the New York Post is saying things aren’t looking good for Broadway’s Ragtime: “Officially, the producers say, ‘there are no plans to close at this time.’ Unofficially, it’s likely to close Jan. 3 at a total loss, several production sources say.”

Though not Broadway, this one is a big blow for NYC theatre. Altar Boyz, the longest running Off-Broadway musical to open in more than a decade (the 9th longest of all time), will play its final performance at New World Stages on Sunday, January 10th at 7:30 PM.

Opening soon

Million Dollar Quartet will officially begin previews at the Nederlander Theatre on March 13, 2010 and open on April 11, 2010. The Broadway production will be independent of the Chicago company, which will continue there. Broadway casting has not yet been announced.

All About Me, which had announced an opening in a few months at the John Golden Theatre, will instead take over Henry Miller’s Theatre now that Bye Bye Birdie is vacating.

Producer Ken Davenport has announced that Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell, which had been scheduled to begin previews at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in September 2008, is now aiming for a Broadway bow during the 2010-11 season. The revival will be directed by Daniel Goldstein. No casting has yet been announced.

Cast albums

PS Classics and Nonesuch will team to release the new Broadway cast album of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. The cast of the Trevor Nunn-directed revival will record the album Jan. 4, 2010. No release date has yet been announced.

The cast album for the Broadway revival of Finian’s Rainbow will be available on Feb. 2, 2010 (though the disc will be at the St. James Theatre three weeks before that). The new Broadway cast album will be produced by PS Classics.

Broadway’s Memphis has recorded a cast album with Delray Records. The national release will be announced shortly, but in the meantime fans may purchase it at the Shubert Theatre where the musical opened in October.

Broadway casting announcements

Corbin Bleu of High School Musical fame is going to play the role of Usnavi in In the Heights starting January 25th. Regarding the casting (which has met with a lot of nay-saying online), Lin-Manuel Miranda had this to say:

Javi is amazing. Jon Rua is too.
Michael Balderrama makes the drama ring true.
They’re big footsteps; I wrote a really big shoe.
This one is Lin-approved: Mr. Corbin Bleu.

Producers have announced that the Broadway production of Sondheim on Sondheim, opening April 22, will star Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton and Matthew Scott.

Kelsey Grammer has signed on to star in the Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles, as Georges. He will star alongside Douglas Hodge, who will continue in the role of Albin, the drag queen star, which he played to critical acclaim in London. The revival opens on April 18, 2010 at the Longacre Theatre.

Matt Cavenaugh will play his last performance as Tony in West Side Story on Dec. 13. His understudy Matthew Hydzik will resume the role on Dec. 15.

Broadway’s Mary Poppins welcomes Valerie Boyle to the role of household cook Mrs. Brill Dec. 4 and Tony nominee Jonathan Freeman to the company on Dec. 12 at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams will join the musical Chicago on Broadway starting Feb. 8. Williams is slated to star as Roxie Hart in the production until mid-April.

Grammy-nominated cast albums

The Grammy Award nominations were announced, and the Best Musical Show Album contained nominations for Ain’t Misbehavin’, Hair, 9 to 5, Shrek and West Side Story.

Wicked sets a new record

Wicked hit a major milestone Thanksgiving weekend, becoming the first Broadway production to report sales of more than $2 million for a single week.

Musicals on the Silver Screen

Variety is reporting that “Shakespeare in Love” director John Madden is in talks to direct the film version of My Fair Lady with a screenplay by Emma Thompson. Keira Knightly and Daniel Craig have been rumored to star in the Cameron Mackintosh and Duncan Kenworthy produced movie musical.

Tony Award-winning actress Donna Murphy (Passion, The King and I) has joined the cast of the new Disney animated musical Rapunzel. Murphy will voice the role of the witch, alongside Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken will compose and Byron Howard and Nathan Greno will direct.

Amateur rights available

Rights for the 2008 Tony Award winner for best musical, In the Heights, are now available through R&H Theatricals. For more information or to license the show, click here.

Musicals on Time’s Top Ten of Everything list

Time Magazine unveiled its “The Top 10 Everything of 2009,” rating news, entertainment, pop culture and more. Ragtime, Finian’s Rainbow and Fela! all appeared on the “Top 10 Plays and Musicals” list and Marion Cotillard on the “Top 10 Movie Performances” list for her turn in the film version of Nine.

New equity leadership

Actors’ Equity Association announced Dec. 11 that Mark S. Zimmerman has resigned as president, effective immediately. Equity’s vice president Paige Price will now carry out the duties of the president until a new president is elected.

Touring soon

Dreamgirls concludes its Harlem run Dec. 12 prior to embarking on a national tour. The production, starring Moya Angela, Syesha Mercado, Adrienne Warren, Margaret Hoffman, Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Chester Gregory, Trevon Davis and Milton Craig Nealy was directed by Robert Longbottom (Side Show, Flower Drum Song, Bye Bye Birdie), who co-choreographed with Emmy-nominated hip-hop artist Shane Sparks.

CHARLAMAGNE DA GOD

MISS MOUTH: What’s popping babes, how are you?

CHARLAMAGNE: I’m blessed and highly favored. Allah Loves Me!!

MISS MOUTH: How is life after Philly’s 100.3 The Beat?

CHARLAMAGNE: It’s the same it’s always been. Charlamagne Tha God is going to always be Charlamagne Tha God. My quality of life never changes.

MISS MOUTH: I’ve been fired on several occasions and usually the other employees walk around acting all shady because everyone knew it was going down but me. Was that your experience also?

CHARLAMAGNE: Not @ all. In this situation it happened so quickly that it was a shock to everyone. Nobody saw that coming I’m sure upper management knew but not the other employees like myself.

MISS MOUTH: Do you still talk to Kendra G, Shamara and the rest of the gang?

CHARLAMAGNE: Yes Kendra G is my sister and Shamara even though she worked @ the rival station that’s my peoples. She was my peoples before I worked @ 100.3 The Beat so I’m not the type to stop dealing with folks because I’m your competition or because we don’t work together anymore. Those folks.

MISS MOUTH: You still reside in Philly?

CHARLAMAGNE: I actually never lived in Philly. I would drive 2 hours to work every morning. I got a spot in North Jersey, a couple of spots in South Carolina so @ the time I was living in North Jersey so I would just hit that Turnpike. Allah told me don’t make that move just yet and I was actually about to move the week Allah decided it was time for me to move on from the Beat.

MISS MOUTH: Has Beans even reached out to you since the incident? And if so, what is your relationship with him now?

CHARLAMAGNE: I never knew Beans before the interview, so why would I expect him to reach out? I’m glad he reached out that Friday morning to do the interview to begin with. That interview was GREAT for my career and my brand. If you didn’t know Charlamagne Tha God before that you know him now.

MISS MOUTH: I’m a fan of his, but quite personally I’m getting tired of him whining about Jay. It’s gay. How do you feel about him potentially signing to G-Unit?

CHARLAMAGNE: It only gets gay when people stop caring. I think it’s @ the point were people have stopped caring. The only way it could be news now is if Jay responds which he won’t or maybe he will later when it’s beneficial to him and not Beanie. To answer your second question I don’t think it matters who you sign to nowadays. If you’re not popping on your own doing it by yourself to begin with it’s not any brand in music that can make you hot. Only Beanie can make Beanie hot.

MISS MOUTH: I just thought about something Charlamagne. Diddy hates you, Jay may have gotten your black azz fired are you at least cool with 50 Cent?

CHARLAMAGNE: Does it matter? Allah Loves Me. That’s the problem with the game people so busy wanting relationships with these folks and they don’t care about your black ass. The only relationship that matters to me is the one I have with God. I dig 50 though he don’t seem like an industry sucker to me. Plus we share the same astrological sign and I’m cool with people around him. Salute to Nelson and Jeremy. They show me a lot of love on www.thisis50.com

MISS MOUTH: It seems like you got tons of press after The Beat fired you, but your departure (I’m tired of saying fired babes) from WBLS was bigger news in my opinion. What was the complete story behind that?

CHARLAMAGNE: I think because of the circumstances surrounding the Beat firing. Like people knew it was shady. My numbers were good; I was bringing the station a lot of press, so people knew it had to be something funny. Did Jay get him fired? The situation @ WBLS was just a layoff, economy was fucked up around the end of 2008. They fired the whole staff of the Wendy Williams Experience along with two other jocks Champagne and Vaughn Harper who had worked their for 20 plus years. You know the media only cares about the drama….

MISS MOUTH: Speaking of WBLS, I loves myself some Wendy Williams. How did she become your mentor and has your relationship with her always remained platonic? Of course it’s always remained platonic.

CHARLAMAGNE: Her husband Kevin Hunter is my manager and one of my best friends. She became my mentor when they grabbed me up from South Carolina and made me co host of her show. She’s my peoples in and out of the business. I love her to death…..

MISS MOUTH: I know that you have to be extremely proud of her being inducted into The Radio Hall of Fame. Do you plan to make a cameo on her new talk show?

CHARLAMAGNE: I’ve been on her show a few times. I do a man on the street segment on her show. I actually presented her with her [Radio Hall of Fame] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S39bw9La1Q)

MISS MOUTH: Do you know if the rumors of her husband being very adulterous and abusive towards her are true? And did the two of them really try to “do in” (then rival New York) radio personality Miss Jones?

CHARLAMAGNE: False, False, False, False, False.

MISS MOUTH: You’ve had some very controversial interviews on WBLS. Did you ever get to smash Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child? I heard that interview. She was practically throwing “the p*ssy” in your face. LMAO, even Wendy picked up on it.

CHARLAMAGNE: There is nothing controversial about my interviews other than the fact they are always honest and truthful. I guess being that the industry is full of lies and falsehood the truth could be considered controversial. I love Tenitra (Michelle) that’s my homegirl and I have never smashed that. I actually just saw her when I was in Chicago went to meet her @ the hotel we had some wine in her room. Wait don’t take that out of context it was like 4 or 5 of us in that hotel suite. She’s a lovely person…..

MISS MOUTH: I typically ride hard for anything “Team Charlamagne,” except when comedian Andrew Dice Clay ripped you a new asshole. I was ROTFLMAO. I’m sorry babes I had to jump ships that day. Were you expecting that?

CHARLAMAGNE: Yes. That’s Andrew Dice Clay but it was also a lot of editing done in that piece. That’s why Dice Clay said Charlamagne got me with a few things but I still one. Dice is a legend, he’s a beast and it wasn’t about me winning it was about me getting that reaction from him. That’s what made that piece entertaining….

MISS MOUTH: Lil Duvall says that you’ve been overly spiritual since your firing from The Beat, is that the case?

CHARLAMAGNE: My name is Charlamagne Tha God. I don’t call myself the God because it sounds good. I used to do youth ministry for Muhammad Mosque Number 38 in Columbia SC. I was raised Jehovah’s Witness; I study Islam anybody that knows and listens to me thru my 10 years in this business knows that’s my whole foundation. Duvall was making a joke, which was quite hilarious.

MISS MOUTH: Are you a five percenter?

CHARLAMAGNE: I’ve studied the 5% teachings of Islam. God is a Greek work derived from the Aramaic words Gumar Oz Debar which means wisdom, strength, and beauty. The first letter of each word was used by Greek students in their identification of their all wise ancient Egyptian masters. So I’m just calling myself what I am. Another reason I call myself the God. Genesis 1:26 says God created man in his own image according to his likeness. So to be God’s and Goddesses is what he wanted for us. It’s a mind state that I strive for everyday. Even though I fall short at times, but what would you rather me call myself a dog? I never understood why people would want to call themselves a dog. No disrespect to Snoop just never understood it dogs lick they own asses….

MISS MOUTH: Was interviewing the minister Louis Farrakhan a humbling experience for you?

CHARLAMAGNE: Without question. The Minister is the ONE divided by none. If people would actually listen to the minister’s words and the things he says we would all be better off for it.

MISS MOUTH: I know that you’re into music, tell me a little about that and your website.

CHARLAMAGNE: Well I’m in the middle of revamping my website Stupiddopemoves.com but the music is all South Carolina based. That’s where I’m from and we have a music scene down here that is popping. So I’m just striving to bring that to the forefront. Salute to Dj Frosty.com, Dj Chuck T, Dj Blord, Boss G, Trapstar, A Rizzla, Lil Brod, Marly Mar, Primo Star and everybody else pushing the SC movement….

MISS MOUTH: What is your sign, I’m curious?

CHARLAMAGNE: Cancer [NOW WHY DID I KNOW THAT DUDE WAS A CANCER……SHOUT OUT TO ALL OF THE CANCERS, WE RUN THIS BYATCH!!!!

MISS MOUTH: I’m popping loads of sh*t right now, but I’m a huge fan of yours. I love that you care more about expressing your opinions then trying to befriend these celebrities like other radio jocks. How shady is the “radio game” really?

CHARLAMAGNE: Radio is fucked up. Most of these executives only care about the bottom line which is money. They don’t care about the actual people that listen to the station they care more about having a relationship with the peoples whose music they play on the station. They care about what record labels think not about what the community thinks. The radio game is really shady I will be expounding more on it in my book “Pull Your Damn Pants Up” coming out on Wendy’s book imprint in 2010.

MISS MOUTH: What are your predictions for the future of commercial radio?

CHARLAMAGNE: Commercial Radio is gonna continue to be full of jocks that are really robots that have no opinions of their own. Program Directors who don’t really program they just play whatever research and the higher-ups who don’t live the culture tell them to play. Then when people look around and it’s only 1 urban station per market they are going to say to themselves what happened?

MISS MOUTH: Honestly, your candidness makes you extremely sexy, but definitely not “smashable.” You talk too gyat d*mn much!!! That’s probably why Michelle passed it up.

CHARLAMAGNE: Have you ever heard about anybody I fucked? Exactly…….

MISS MOUTH: I know that you write for Ozone Magazine, how did that come about?

CHARLAMAGNE: JB called me one day and asked me do I want to do it. I love writing; Ozone could help me expand my brand so I said yes.

MISS MOUTH: Ozone’s founder Julia Beverly is receiving tons of heat from the article she published on Gucci Mane’s manager Johnnie Cabbell. What is your take on the whole situation?

CHARLAMAGNE: I don’t care. I’ve done business with Johnnie before and he’s always been straight up with me. I know he adds a little tax on to his bookings for himself but that’s part of the game. I’ve never had any issues with Johnnie before every time I booked an artist thru him they were I needed them to be. So we straight….

MISS MOUTH: I love your web series “The Hood State Of The Union,” with crazy azz Lil Duvall. How did the two of you link up?

CHARLAMAGNE: Thank You. I really don’t know he peeped what I was doing, I peeped what he was doing and we said let’s come together and make something happen. I like Duval that’s my guy. Plus we not in the same lane I’m a media person, he’s a comedian so we not competing he does what he does I do what I do and it works.

MISS MOUTH: The two of you come off as “frenemies,” is there a genuine friendship there?

CHARLAMAGNE: Yes. That’s my guy. We are both very honest with each other and we can take each other being honest with each other. Do we piss each other off sometimes yes, but to me that’s genuine shit. I would rather have somebody around me telling me the utmost truth then somebody around me telling lies.

MISS MOUTH: Isn’t he the one that started the whole trending topic on Twitter about you getting fired?

CHARLAMAGNE: Yep. He called me and said you want to be a trending topic? I said hell yeah, see we get it. These other dudes out here don’t get it. You can’t hurt us because we inflict pain on ourselves because it all benefits our brands at the end of the day.

MISS MOUTH: Did he and Atlanta comedian Shawty work out their indifferences?

CHARLAMAGNE: Duval not thinking about Shawty…..

MISS MOUTH: What about you and Wale? He was talking real greasy.

CHARLAMAGNE: God bless Wale. I don’t understand these artists who let another man’s opinion get them upset. All I said was I think Wale dresses like a dork, and he got upset. When people say shit like that to me I don’t even care. I think they need to stop caring it’s just and opinion…..

MISS MOUTH: Did you know that you have a Twitter addiction? You are always online

CHARLAMAGNE: I sure do. I’m always online, I’m always in these streets, it’s all work. Plus it’s all relevant to the brand of Charlamagne Tha God.

MISS MOUTH: My dawg Jazzy F. Baby calls the drama that takes place on Twitter, “birdness,” is that where you get most of your topics for Hood State Of The Union?

CHARLAMAGNE: Our topics come from life in general……
MISS MOUTH: You roasted Tila Tequila for being what I like to call a “Smash Bunnie,” and your auto bots annihilated Rocsi’s ear deformities. Have you ever been confronted in person by any of the celebrities you’ve insulted?

CHARLAMAGNE: Never been confronted by any of the celebrities and don’t plan to be and if I am you will hear about it. Salute to Rosci though that was one of those times I was out of line. I tend to be and asshole @ times….

MISS MOUTH: “Hood State Of The Union” did a hilarious skit called “The Light Skinned Awards.” Did the two of you get any criticism or negative feedback from it? That tends to be a touchy topic for folks.

CHARLAMAGNE: Not really. It was mindless entertainment, something to get a laugh from the people. Nothing more nothing less….

MISS MOUTH: Define a “basic broad?”

CHARLAMAGNE: Any chick you see on love of Ray J, or Real Chance of Love is a Basic Broad.

MISS MOUTH: Are there any “basic broads” masquerading in the industry as “five stars,”? If so, care to name a few?

CHARLAMAGNE: Cassie, Foxy Brown, New York, even though she came from one of the “I Love” shows so she doesn’t count. The thing about a Basic Broad though it’s only so long they can pretend.

MISS MOUTH: And what f*cking rock did yall pull Serious Jones’s azz out from under? I haven’t seen dude since Smack lol?

CHARLAMAGNE: Ha, Ha, Serious is on his grind. That’s my guy….

MISS MOUTH: Charlamagne, you are originally from South Carolina, but uninterested in working in radio down south. Why?

CHARLAMAGNE: I never said I was uninterested in working radio down south. It just has to be the right situation. I love being down south. I’m a country boy. South Carolina, North Carolina Atlanta. I’m all in if the right situation presents itself.

MISS MOUTH: You have a pretty boy vibe, do you get that often? It’s ironic because most of the men I meet from S.C are. With the exception of Charleston of course, those muthf*ckas are GOONS!!!!!

CHARLAMAGNE: Charleston is the home of the GOONS. That’s my birthplace North Charleston is the number 8 most dangerous city in America. Check my arrest record that goon shit is in me. I’m older so I move different now. I’m getting the feeling you want to sleep with me?

MISS MOUTH: Whatever lol!!!!!

MISS MOUTH: I honestly wish you continued success with all of your endeavors. And keep pissing people off because it is truly entertaining?

CHARLAMAGNE: Thank you baby. I appreciate that.

MISS MOUTH: Charlamagne, do you prefer red wine or white?

CHARLAMAGNE: White. Moscato, but I’m a liquor drinker. Patron and Remy.

MISS MOUTH: Cool, whenever you’re down in Tampa, make sure to swing through my Gossip Grill. I will get “you right” with that authentic Floridian cuisine.

CHARLAMAGNE: I’m gonna take you up on that offer baby.

MISS MOUTH: But Duvall has to stop f*cking with everyone before he can swing through

CHARLAMAGNE: I’m a make sure I tell him that! Peace and blessings to you baby.

Eight and a half Stars out of Ten Stars (********½/**********)

When this film first came to my attention half-way through 2005, as a sexually confused 18 year old boy I was understandably incredibly excited. You couldn’t really get much more ‘target audience’, could you? A gay cowboy movie, with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Hell, at that point in my life I was clearly going to lap this up and call it Citizen Kane whatever. Come on, it had been eight years since Leo and Kate met on the Titanic – I needed myself an event movie.

And then up limbered this glacial, delicate, almost underplayed love story. Brokeback Mountain is not without its flaws, which are slightly more apparent to me with the passing of time, but nevertheless it remains a searing mix of tragedy and frail beauty, underpinned by heart-wrenching performances and stunning lensing.

For me the film succeeds by capturing the intimacy and fleeting happiness of the two lovers as they grow to know each other whilst working on Brokeback Mountain. These scenes are fantastically beautiful; with stunning landscapes interspersed with intimate shots of the two young men. Ang Lee envelops us in their world for the first part of the film, and so all the subsequent action off the mountain, all the pain and tragedy of a love that is never really able to be fulfilled, hits home with complete authenticity.

Michelle Williams plays a blinder with limited screentime as Ledger’s struggling wife, owning two incredibly powerful scenes; the first as she inadvertently witnesses her husband embrace Gyllenhaal, and the second as she finally confronts him about it many years later. Anne Hathaway is also memorable in her final scene. Unfortunately, the film often lags in the second half, with only Heath Ledger’s searing portrayal of repression remaining truly visceral. The actors seem to age awkwardly, and the additions of further minor characters, such as Gyllenhaal’s father-in-law, or Ledger’s new girlfriend, and oldest daughter, seem superfluous and bog down the pacing. But this doesn’t really matter, as we are able to stay with Ledger. In fact, in many ways these moments are intentionally plodding, and convey the endurance which the character feels he must weather.

Ledger’s final scenes never fail to stir up really deep emotions within me. We remember, as he does, his happiest moments on Brokeback Mountain, and because of this we can feel, as well as just see, the pain he must have from letting those times pass in to a memory. I find it to be a truly affecting piece of cinema.

Photo of myself and her by [her]

1. .BEANIE KNIT HATS.

There is nothing worse than facing the cold with wet hair. But, it’s 8 AM. You’re hair is so dirty it’s almost clean again. Enter stage left: the beanie. Cozy and adorable, this cold weather accessory has concealed some of my laziest beauty days.

2. .STURDY BOOTS.

But now it’s 8:30. An obligatory coffee detour has cut your schedule a little too close for comfort. Not the time for some stylish booties or blister-inducing flats. Give me a no-frills pair of Fryes  (or its Target lookalikes) and I promise I will haul my caffeinated self to my destination on time.

3. .PRINTED SCARVES.

Ever step out the door in late winter only realize that your life-stifling boredom has turned your wardrobe black? Monchrome has its time and place and the bleak winter landscape is not it. Energize your outfit and maybe even your mood with some pops of texture or color. The printed scarf is the easiest path to choose here. The draping options are innumerable and the effect is immediate. Plus, cold necks are the worst.

4. .TOGGLE COATS.

One good coat is just not enough. Every day you can pick out a winter outfit and what do you top it with…your jacket. I have me a puffer, a belted swingcoat, a trench–all good to have in stock. But, only with the addition of a toggle jacket will I finally be content with my outerwear rotation. I’ll keep scanning the local thrift racks, so let the ladies below convince you to do the same.

5. .LAYERING.

This one goes without saying. The more items, the less freezyness. And if anything says bohemian winter, its carelessly haphazard layering.

6. .FAIR ISLE SWEATERS.

The Scandinavian sweater is a warm, cabin-cute trend that has caught my eye. It’s another piece I’m planning to obtain via trusty Goodwill. Diane does it the best, but note the fearlessness that is Rihanna–singlehandedly killing two trends with one stone (fair isle and poncho). Brave woman.

Stay warm!

Peace,

Derek Blanks: This Atlanta-based photographer took Freud from the textbook to the Trap with his renowned “Alter-Ego” photo shoots.

Watch This Space: and your face

celebritybabies.info

zimbio.com

zimbio.com

♥  my favorite so far ♥

fabsugar

[source]

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[source]

[source of my love for the god-like creature above]

[source]

I’ve always been intrigued by side profiles. Perhaps the fascination derives from the fact that I barely recognize my own side view. Maybe Audrey will trade me. Aren’t these people beautiful?

Peace,

Title: “You’ll Never Be a Man”-Elvis Costello

This is not exactly a new release, but I’m going to review it anyway because this is the first chance I had to see it as it never actually got a cinema release here. This is the directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman (known for his excellent writing in among others Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, etc) and I can honestly say that Charlie Kaufman being given reign to direct his own script is possibly the best thing to happent to cinema in the past few years and that this, undoubtedly, is the best film of said timespan.

Synecdoche, New York is an oftentimes surreal drama detailing the life of a depressed theater director with something close to hypochondria and an intense fear of death and, perhaps, fear of everything – in particular loneliness, something which he is crippled under for his entire life. As the movie and his life trots along, seemingly becoming more and more downtrodden and depressing by the minute, friends and family dying around him – it becomes more and more surreal. He aims to put on a play, a play which grows, eventually encompassing entire cities, with plays inside the play whose plot is his life and the very mounting of said play. Characters appear in duplicates, our director directs himself directing himself in the story of his life, and boundaries between reality and fiction are not broken, but crumbled into a dust, completely indistinguishable amongst the rubble that is director Caden Cotard’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) life.

Kaufman, it seems, has outdone himself. Always he has lived on the border between fiction and reality – to the point where I suspect a prospective autobiography might be titled “Breaking the Fourth Wall: The Charlie Kaufman Story” – but this time it all comes together. Ideas about life itself, about death, about family, about friendship, about the connection between people are all discussed in the telling of Cotard’s life – for Cotard is every person. As events unfold as Cotard directs actors playing every person who has been a part of his life, one realizes that they are all just that – part of his life. His life encompasses them all, encompasses everything, yet he is completely alone, and he is inevitably dying.

I’m going to keep this pretty brief. Kaufman has written this perfectly, and while his direction is not pronounced I daresay no other direction could even make sense of his vision for this film. The casting is absolutely amazing, and every actor is perfect. I don’t know what else to say than that this is possibly one of the best movies to come out of the American film industry for many, many years. It left me feeling uplifted, it left me feeling depressed, it left me feeling agitated, it left me thinking about life, death, and how precious time is. When the absolutely fantastic monologues began towards the end I was torn between a transfixion with the events I saw on screen and an urge to get out of my seat and do something, anything, immediately, as not to waste any time.

Everyone needs to watch this movie. It is painfully sad, alarmingly real and, maybe, extremely true. Kaufman’s directorial debut is one of the best I have ever seen. I felt completely connected to every character, and I cannot remember ever feeling this much during a film. It stands close to my heart.

5/5

Word on the Street – or Google News anyway – is that former Dawson’s Creek star  (and mother to the late great Heath Ledger’s gawgeous daughter Matilda) Michelle Williams is planning to tackle the role of actress Marilyn Monroe in a new biopic called Marilyn and Me, based on a book written by the late Colin Clark.
Michelle was not the first actress in the running to play the blonde bombshell, Scarlett Johansson was attached to the project for a brief period but after the actress claimed she felt no connection to the iconic star rumours fell flat. Director Simon Curtis and producer David Parfitt are now hoping to sign up Williams for the part, but the actress has yet to agree to the role.
My Week With Marilyn is the second of Clark’s books based on his time on working with Monroe during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir Lawrence Olivier and the project has already caused some controversy among Monroe fans who have questioned the late author’s close relationship with the star during the shoot.

My Week With Marilyn is expected to commence shooting in 2010.

team post!

We here at TCC  have gathered a few of our fave celeb slip & dip’s.

Hope you enjoy em. Which do you think is funniest?

Beyonce *the YIKES!!! fall*

Lady Gaga…twice SMH!

(in the second video her dancer falls @ 1:43 & she falls @3:50)

More falls after the jump!

Lil Wayne (too hyper!)

Britney Spears (you’d think it’d be easy to walk while lip syncing)

Drake [at the 33s mark]

Michelle *the “how the fuck” fall*

&& Kelly Rowland couldn’t be the only DC member w/o a fall

Jazzmine Sullivan – thou shall NOT fall at pride! tisk

Mya

Justin Timberlake

Shakira

Jennifer Lopez

Michelle Williams

Marilyn Monroe

By Robert Falconer  - CinemaSpy.com

A few months ago it was reported that Scarlett Johansson was leading a list of actress under consideration to play Marilyn Monroe in director Simon Curtis’ biopic, “My Week with Marilyn”. Kate Hudson, Amy Adams and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) were also mentioned as possible contenders for the role.

Production Weekly has now learned that Johansson is out of the running and that its Williams who is in-talks with Curtis to top line the movie, set to begin lensing in June, 2010.

My Week will be based on the diary of Colin Clark, an employee of Laurence Olivier, who looked after Monroe when she came to London to film Olivier’s “The Prince and the Showgirl” in 1957. Although Colin was technically considered the third assistant director, his unofficial role was to keep Monroe out of Olivier’s way.

Clark published excerpts of his diary a year later, but left out the details of one week. Those unreleased chapters form the basis of the movie.

Frankly, it’s probably one of the toughest roles to cast. Monroe’s body movements, mannerisms and vocal inflections are legendary. Difficult to master, impersonators who have done so typically haven’t looked that much like the late actress. Alternatively, those who look somewhat like Monroe have more often than not had a tough time duplicating her essence. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out…and if Curtis decides to employ today’s current state-of-the art CG to give his leading lady a little extra “authenticity,” or if he simply allows her to develop a close individual interpretation of the Monroe essence, sans special effects.

Amazon Specials!

It’s funny how people see me and treat me, since I’m really just a simple, boring person.

– Finbar McBride

It has been a long time since I have given an FB Recommendation to a film. This time around I offer actor Tom McCarthy’s debut movie, The Station Agent. When this movie was released in 2003, there was considerable buzz surrounding the film. It was nominated for numerous awards including the Independent Spirit Awards and Screen Actor Guild Awards. Too bad that the Oscars didn’t recognize this gem of a movie.

An introverted dwarf, Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) inherits a train depot in Newfoundland, New Jersey when a business partner suddenly dies from a heart attack. Finbar is perfectly content with this lonely existence when he meets Joe (Bobby Cannavale) who sells Cuban food out of his father’s truck. Joe is an annoyance for Finbar who doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Walking down a windy road one day, Finbar is almost run over by Olivia (Patricia Clarkson). Olivia tries to apologize to Finbar, but like with Joe, he doesn’t want to have any contact with her. These three souls come together in an organic way and learn what make each other tick.

The longer Finbar stays in Newfoundland, the more his world expands with him befriending the pregnant librarian Emily (Michelle Williams) or a chubby black girl, Cleo (Raven Goodwin).

This movie is much understated. It’s not trying to jam social issues down your throat. It’s not trying to overtly indie with it’s look or story. A quiet movie has nuanced performances from all of the actors involved.

Rating: ****1/2