Happy Holidays! Jane Lynch gets Golden Globe nom!

Happy Holidays from the AreUaStar Team!

We are so happy and excited for AreUaStar friend Jane Lynch - who this morning was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of the crafty and crazy character Sue Sylvester on Fox's GLEE. Her performance each week is a delight to watch.

The AreUaStar Casting Team just completed work on an upcoming Lifetime movie "The Pregnancy Pact", based on the real life story of 18 high school sophomores from Gloucester, Mass who became pregnant in the same year. The film, which should air in January, stars Thora Birch, Nancy Travis, Camryn Manheim and newcomer Madisen Beaty.

Wishing you a wonderful 2010.

The Emmys and more...

Well, the Emmy's were a lot of fun. I thought Neil Patrick Harris did a spectacular job of hosting and it was exciting to see a number of our friends win Emmys. Toni Collette's win for Best Actress in a Comedy was a surprise but she is so good in the role.

We're finishing up the casting on The Pregnancy Pact. We've added Emmy winner Camryn Manheim to the cast as well as James McCaffrey from "Rescue Me". It's a nice group and as soon as I know its air date, I will pass that along.

Reading 15 year old girls was lots of fun. Our producer really wanted girls that were actually 15, rather than casting 18 years to play younger. While this will make it much harder to film (given the limitations on using minors in film/television), it provides a sense of authenticity that will be very clear on film. While many 18 year olds look younger, they often have a sense of maturity that comes through.

Casting Updates

We've set the two leads for "The Pregnancy Pact" for Lifetime. Nancy Travis will be playing the conservative, abstinence promoting mother of a teenager and Thora Birch will play a journalist who comes to the town to investigate the pregnancy spike in the local high school. We're excited about these cast members and hopefully will have more to share soon.

The movie will be shooting in New Orleans, and Jason Wood is currently in Atlanta doing some of the location casting. We've seen some amazing young girls for the roles - and are really trying to cast real 15 year olds (not 18 to play 15) because it creates a feeling of reality... there is still a sense of innocence in these girls.

More to follow....

The Pregnancy Pact

We're working on another movie for Lifetime. It's called "The Pregnancy Pact" and is based on the real life story of 18 high school sophomores who got pregnant during the same year in Massachusetts. It was a big news story a couple of years ago, and this is a movie based on the story. Right now we're casting the two leads, but soon we'll be opening up the process to cast a bunch of 15/16 year old girls for all the roles (as well as the other parts).

The producer is Bob Sertner of VonZernick/Sertner Films - they've done a ton of Lifetime movies in the past and he is a great guy to deal with.

My film "Boutonniere" won Best Short in the LA Shorts Film Festival, so that is very exciting news.

Stay tuned for more updates... I'll try and fill you in on the casting for "Pregnancy Pact" as it moves forward.

The Tony's

I haven't blogged for ages, and I apologize. I haven't been all that busy - just haven't had much to say. However, I watched the Tonys the other night and was absolutely blown away by the great theatre that is on Broadway right now. I am ashamed to say that I haven't yet taken my yearly pilgrimage to see any shows, but after watching the Tonys and my friend Neil Harris do a spectacular job of hosting... I have got to go to NYC! I saw HAIR when I was 9 years old in San Francisco. I am fairly certain it was the first time I saw a man naked, and I remember not being prepared to see that! But I've always love the music and can't wait to see it brought to life on stage again. I thought that Shrek looked really fun - I can't believe that Christopher Siebert does the entire play on his knees. Really, how does he do that??

I loved the opening number from HAIR where all of the nominated players came out and joined in on "Let the Sun Shine" after Shrek and Liza and Dolly Parton and many more. Also, poor Brett Michaels smashed his face in at the end of his number! I just thought the whole evening was great and it was so wonderful so see so many journeyman actors win (Greg Jbarra, Marcia Gay Harden, Alice Ripley and so many others).

American Idol auditions are starting up and AreUaStar.com is going to be there, passing out our cool new postcards to the crowds! We start in Boston on Sunday, then on to Atlanta, Chicago, LA, Dallas and more! I'll let you know how it goes.

I also wanted to share that "Maneater" aired during the last weekend of May and did fantastic numbers for Lifetime. The reviews of the cast were, without exception, stellar. We are very proud of the cast and looking forward to working with Lifetime again soon.

American Idol - America gets it wrong

Wow - I'm very sad tonight at the outcome of American Idol. To me it was such an incredibly clear outcome, but much like politics, there are often many people who see it differently. I think Kris Allen is cute, but Adam Lambert has so much star quality and insane vocal power. He'll end up having a much bigger career than Kris - who I believe will fade away like Taylor Hicks.

I didn't know it would bother me as much as it does, but I really am shocked.

Wanted to report back on the Milan Film Festival, where "Boutonniere" has it's European premiere. It was very exciting to be there for the festival. There were some terrific shorts and some pretty awful ones as well. The one I enjoyed the most was "Mother, Mine" by British filmmaker Susan Everett. This is a dark and twisted short, which I thought had terrific promise as a full length feature. "Boutonniere" was very well received, although the subject matter of homeschooling was a foreign concept to the Italian audience. People asked many questions about it. The audience enjoying seeing Zach Quinto in his cameo role, as "Star Trek" had just opened 3 days prior.

Looking for Stars world wide

Hello:

It's been a while since I've written because I have been traveling the world. I've found people who are aspiring stars in Israel and France on my trip, and am now traveling to Milan for the Milan Film Festival. The short film that I produced and cast, "Boutonniere" is having its European premiere at this festival, so I am going to represent the film. As you may recall, this film stars Wendi McClendon-Covey (from Reno 911) and has a cameo appearance by Zach Quinto - who stars in the upcoming "Star Trek" film as Mr. Spock. It will be interesting to see how the Italians react to the film and if they recognize the actors. In Sundance, there was a noticable "a-ha" moment when Zach's face filled the screen.

I'll let you know how it goes once I get there and participate. In the meantime, I've been watching American Idol online and continue to be blown away by Adam Lambert. Is there really any other choice?

Susan Boyle - where is her star quality?

The whole world (and Simon Cowell) have been caught offguard by the surprising and charming talent of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. On YouTube her video has been watched over 8 million times as of today! What is so remarkable to me, though, is that this is a perfect example of someone who does not have star quality, but who possesses one special talent - singing.

The true test of star quality and star potential is an inner radiance and confidence that shines through when you walk in the door. It doesn't turn on when you start to sing. So, as wonderful as the Susan Boyle video is to watch - I wouldn't say that she is a star.

It is interesting that what many actors love about acting is that they get to be someone else. I have seen numerous actors who aren't dynamic light up when they begin to portray a character. So I'm not proposing that one cannot be a great actor without star quality, only that star quality is a characteristic unique unto itself.

But - watch for yourself.... what do YOU think about Susan Boyle? Is she a star? I'm interested to see if her subsequent performances sustain the level of interest in her around the world.

Is Adam Lambert gay - and does that matter to his star potential?

I think Adam Lambert of American Idol is a huge star. I think his voice and performance level is SO beyond any of the other Idols this year... there is an interesting article in today's NY Times that talks about whether Adam's sexual orientation can impact his ability to win the competition. I think it does not. I think America could finally be in a place where little girls who call in repeatedly for their favorite performer might embrace Adam's incredible talent - and not care about his personal life. It's going to be very interesting to see.

Seems like Adam would be a good fit for the next "Twilight" film - with his dyed dark locks and lashes - he is current, sexy and different. He definitely has star quality.

Do YOU have star quality? AreUaStar.com will answer that question.

PEDRO is coming to television

The film we cast last year, PEDRO, will be showing on April 1st on MTV, mtvU and LOGO. This movie is about the life of Pedro Zamora - the HIV positive youth who became the face of the AIDS epidemic when he was on the MTV show REAL WORLD. The script was written by now famous Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, and the movie stars newcomer Alex Loynaz and the wonderful Justina Machado.

Have your tissues at the ready... this is a powerful, but sad story of a brave young man who helped to change attitudes and bring awareness about AIDS to an entire generation.

American Idol - star quality

I want to cast Megan and Chris. I don't think either of them will be the American Idols, but I want to put them in a tv show. Megan has such a unique likable quirkiness - pretty and funny. Chris is super cute - he reminds me of Chris Evans when he was still doing television.

I'm enjoying watching the show again this season.

Academy Awards

Well, no great surprises from the Academy Awards in terms of winners, but I thought the show was pretty wonderful. Hugh Jackman did a great job of the opening number, and Anne Hathaway was a really nice surprise in terms of her belting ability.

I was really glad that Sean Penn won for MILK. Thought he was incredible in his performance; in fact, it was hard to find Sean Penn in there - really felt like we were watching Harvey Milk. I loved Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona so was pleased to see that result as well. And even though I had a hard time with THE READER, I did think Kate Winslet turned in a great performance, nuanced and complete.

I guess it was a foregone conclusion that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE would win the best picture category, and I thought it should. It was so different than an American movie- fresh, bold and fun to watch. So, here's a funny story- yesterday afternoon I was at the Santa Monica Pier, which is a long pier that has amusement park type rides and crappy food. It was a weekday, so very quiet, and we went on the Ferris wheel. I looked down at the roller coaster, and what did I see? All of the child actors from SLUMDOG and the director Danny Boyle going round and round and having the times of their lives. This young actors, some of whom were plucked out the slums, were soaking in every minute of this carnival like park, and Danny Boyle seemed to be really enjoying watching the kids live it up. Made me smile.

Rounding out the Maneater cast

We are so excited with the Maneater cast! We've added some great people to the cast - including handsome Paul Leyden (an Aussie), Marla Sokoloff, Shalim Ortiz (from Heroes) and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon. This is a really wonderful ensemble of actors... we went to Scottsdale for the table read and it was fantastic! Sarah Chalke is so likable and funny and she is surrounded by a great group. The chemistry between Sarah and Philip Winchester, who plays her beau, is just terrific.

They put us up at the Valley Ho hotel, which was just super. It's an old 50's style hotel totally redone in a retro-modern sort of way. There is a Trader Vic's in the lobby and the beds were incredibly comfortable. If I had to stay in a hotel for any period of time, I'd want it to be the Valley Ho!

SAG awards

It was fun to watch the SAG awards last night, and my respect for Frieda Pinto grows as she was the ONLY actor to mention the Casting Director last night! She gave a shout out to Loveleen Tandan while her group was accepting the Feature ensemble award for Slumdog Millionaire.

It would have been nice for the casts of 30 Rock or Mad Men to acknowledge the original work of the Casting Director in bringing together these talented actors. But since they didn't, I will... the talented CDs are Jennifer McNamara (30 Rock) and Laura Schiff & Carrie Audino for Mad Men.

Casting Directors really are unsung heroes. We enter a project at the very beginning, work directly with the writer and director - often before any other department head is engaged. What would a film or television show be like without a Casting Director or with a different CD? The choices that ultimately end up on screen most always start with a Casting Directors idea. It's very frustrating to compile an ensemble and then not receive the credit for it, but Casting Directors have learned to live with that. (Do I sound like a martyr?).

Anyway - it was fun to watch the actors get together and celebrate themselves... it would just be nice if they remembered who was on their side in the beginning - who pushed for them to get the job - who stopped their auditions, whispered in their ear to make a subtle change that got them the job, etc.

Just a thought: does anyone else think it's weird that Slumdog Millionaire was eligible for a SAG award, even though none of it's cast are members of SAG? I certainly have no problem with their talent deserving the award, but aren't there rules about these kinds of things?

Academy Award nominations

So, what do you think of the nominations? Here is the list of acting noms:


Performance by an actor in a leading role:
Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

The big surprises have got to be Melissa Leo for Frozen River and Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road. Both of these actors have been around for some time, but have never
gotten this kind of attention. I applaud and congratulate all the nominees, but I always like
to root for an underdog. I haven't yet seen all of the performances, but I did think that Sean Penn was amazing as Harvey Milk. I would have rather seen James Franco get the nod for his supporting role in Milk, as opposed to Josh Brolin, who I thought was fine. Also, pleased for Richard Jenkins - who most people know from his work as the dead father in "6 Feet Under". I also loved Penelope Cruz in "Vicky Christina Barcelona".

I will post my picks after I've seen all the performances - I will now spend the next few weeks making sure that I see them all before the Academy Awards on February 22nd.

Here's an update on the casting for the Lifetime Mini-series "Maneater": we've hired Judy Greer and Noureen Dewulf to join Sarah Chalke in the cast. Judy is best known for starring in the series "Misguided" and also for her great turns in movies like The Village, The Wedding Planner and Adaptation. Noureen is a very funny fresh face, who has been very busy doing lots of tv and film roles and who was named one of Maxim's Hot 100 in 2007.

From Sundance

It's day 2 for me at the Sundance Film Festival. My short film that I Executive Produced and cast, "Boutonniere" premiered last night in the short category. There were about 300 people in the audience, and the film - which stars Wendi McClendon-Covey (Reno 911), Zach Quinto (Heroes) and ndwcomer Sara Swain- got a great audience response! The writer/director Coley Sohn attended, as did Sara Swain and the other Exec. Producers. It was a late night showing, but the audience was alert and enthusiastic, laughing a lot at the characters and the content.

You can watch the trailer here.

We were also thrilled to get great reviews of our film "Pedro" that is showing this weekend at the Palm Springs Film Festival. This particular review pays very positive attention to the casting.

Also, check out the David Faustino webseries "Starv-ing" that we cast. The first episode is now available at the Sony Digital site Crackle.com. Remember, it's pretty dark, funny and adult content so just be aware there will be some language and content that may not be appropriate for all.

Sad news.... Steven Gilborn

One of the loveliest guys in show business, Steve Gilborn, passed away last week at his home in New York. You probably remember Steve from his role on Ellen as her father. He was a wonderful, talented actor, and a friendly easy going guy. It really felt like a family on the set. I will always remember him voice... "Hi Ellie". He will be missed.... our love to his family.

Movies, movies, movies

It's been a great time for movies. While I haven't seen all of the winter offerings, I really enjoyed both Benjamin Buttons and Slumdog Millionaire. The casting in Slumdog Millionaire is remarkable, in fact, so much so, that the director Danny Boyle gave the Indian casting director, Loveleen Tandan a "co-director" credit! This is an extraordinary display of collaboration, certainly never before seen in an American film. In fact, the DGA keeps the Casting Director to be listed in the credits as Casting Director. In American films, you will only see "Casting by" or "Casting" in the credits, but never "Casting Director".

The other issue this brings up is the lack of an Academy Award for Casting Directors. We've been advocating for one for a long time. The success of any film is, of course, dependent on having a stellar cast, who elevate the material. And while directors can and should certainly take credit for many areas on a film, they are assisted in every department by experts. There is an Oscar for costume design and set design and makeup design, so why not one for "cast design". The old school academy hasn't yet been willing to open up to this idea, but the Casting Director members of the Academy are working on it diligently.

Anyone else looking forward to tomorrow's season opener of "American Idol"? I saw David Cook in the Apple store in Sherman Oaks a few days ago and I got all excited about the show starting. It will be interesting to see what the new judge adds to the panel.

Actress of the week: Frieda Pinto - this breathtakingly beautiful Indian actress radiates from the screen in Slumdog Millionaire, and is sure to become a huge star. Watch for her to take Hollywood by storm.

Exciting "Maneater" Casting News!

Well, we're off to a great start in 2009. The Maneater cast is coming together very well... we've set Gregory Harrison and Maria Conchita Alonso as Sarah Chalke's parents and the dashing Philip Winchester (star of NBC's "Crusoe") in the role of Sarah's love interest. Lifetime is excited about the project and we feel really excited about choices that we have for the other roles as well. It's great to work on such a strong script - we've had such positive response from actors and actresses.
We're enjoying working with this strong creative team.

Ok - I've talked about this before, but I have to reiterate my pet peeve from casting sessions.. actresses and actors who wear heavy perfume or cologne. Today, I walked into my waiting room and it was almost stifling. There were competing fragrances and our poor associate Anthony was hardly able to breathe. So, actors, remember this... while it may smell good to you, we have to meet and work with many actors each day, and each one of them bringing their own special "odeur" can make for a pretty overwhelming day. You will never win points for wearing cologne or scent in my book and I know this is a sentiment shared by many of my colleagues.

Congrats to Christina Applegate on her People's Choice award this past week for "Samantha Who". I am so very proud of this wonderful actress, who I have known since she was 15. Keeping my fingers crossed for her this weekend on the Golden Globes. I would have to say that the GGs are my favorite awards. This combination of film and television all in one place - its really the only time that happens during the year. I find the show to be much more fun to watch because the actors are more relaxed and it's not overly produced. Good luck also to Kevin Connolly, who is nominated for Best Actor for Entourage. I cast Kevin and worked with him for 5 seasons in a series called "Unhappily Ever After" for the WB written and produced by the brilliant Ron Leavitt. I know he's a long shot, but what a great thing to be nominated in a category including Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, David Duchovny and Tony Shalhoub!