Here's all the Archived News items for August, 2007. Back to Current News.
24/08/07
Sky
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lost Boy - ep. 1 stills - W/o T Thanks everyone for great news
24/08/07
WITHOUT A TRACE
VIEW ALL LISTINGS FOR WITHOUT A TRACE [NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TEAM SEARCHES FOR THE ADOPTED SON OF A CELEBRITY COUPLE WHO IS KIDNAPPED FROM HIS HOME, ON THE SIXTH SEASON PREMIERE OF "WITHOUT A TRACE," THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 ON CBS TELEVISION NETWORK James Marsters ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel") Guest Stars as Grant Mars, a Detective who Helps Vivian with an Unsolved Case Scenes Shot on Location in New York City "Lost Boy" - When a 2-year-old boy who was adopted from Sudan disappears from his home, the team questions whether the abduction is connected to his parents' celebrity or the boy's native country, on the sixth season premiere of WITHOUT A TRACE, Thursday Sept. 27 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. SERIES REGULARS:
Jack Malone: Anthony LaPaglia
GUEST CAST:
Angela: Vanessa Britting
WRITTEN BY: Byron Balasco and Greg Walker, one of the series' executive producers DIRECTED BY: John Polson RATING: To Be Announced
24/08/07
MARSTERS AT THE MILE HIGH CLUB James will be doing a concert at Busby's Mile High Club in Los Angeles on October 27, 2007. Tickets go on sale Monday, August 27 at www.clubloaded.com. Doors will open at 5 pm for the 8:00 concert. Visit http://jamesmarsters.com/jamesgig.html for more details. James will also be returning to Cardiff, Wales on November 17, 2007 for another concert – specific details will be posted shortly.
24/08/07
Flying suspender clip among challenges shooting 'P.S.'
"P.S." production: Although writer-directors benefit from being able to shape their movies from Day One, they also face some special challenges as a result of wearing two filmmaking hats. When directors go from writing mode to directing mode they find themselves having to make decisions about how to treat or even cut material they've written and feel close to. Moreover, while they're writing they must consider the difficulties they could face during production when they must bring to life things that are easy to put on the page but aren't so easy to film. With those thoughts in mind, I was happy to be able to talk recently about writing and directing to Richard LaGravenese, whose writing credits include such films as "The Bridges of Madison County," "The Horse Whisperer" and "The Fisher King," for which he received an Oscar nomination. His directing credits include "Freedom Writers," which he also wrote, and "Living Out Loud." When we spoke LaGravenese had just finished postproduction on his new drama "P.S. I Love You," whose screenplay by LaGravenese and Steven Rogers is based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern. "P.S." stars Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow, Harry Connick Jr., Gina Gershon, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, James Marsters, Nellie McKay and Kathy Bates. It was produced by Wendy Finerman, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove and Molly Smith and executive produced by John H. Starke, Lisa Zupan, Donald A. Starr, Daniel J.B. Taylor and James Hollond. The Alcon Entertainment production opens wide Dec. 21 via Warner Bros. "The book by Cecelia Ahern was a property of Wendy Finerman's over at Warner Bros.," LaGravenese said, referring to the producer of such films as the Oscar best picture winner and boxoffice blockbuster "Forrest Gump" and the hit comedy "The Devil Wears Prada." "There was a script on it by Steven Rogers. I was brought in to do a rewrite and to direct. I read the script and read the book. First of all, I love Ireland (the film is set in Ireland and New York). Several years ago my wife and I discovered Ireland and absolutely fell in love with it. We go more than once a year. "The book was an Irish-based story. Cecelia Ahern is the daughter of the prime minister of Ireland. She wrote the book in her early 20s. (I was attracted to it) between the book and the story, which was all about love and loss and losing someone you love, and (which had) a lot of humor." In the film Swank plays a woman whose husband (Butler) dies, but who's written a series of letters to be delivered to her after he's gone to help guide her through her grief and rediscover herself. Each of the letters is signed "P.S. I Love You." "It's a story of a young woman who married the love of her life when she was 19," LaGravenese replied when asked about the story. "They've been married 10 years and he's kind of an anxious type, worried about their future, their finances, etc. Right before he turns 30,the worst happens -- he dies. The story is about how he guides her to a new life after his death. And it's also about marriage and it's also about friendship and it's about a woman growing into maturity with the help of a man who adores her. Gerry said in an interview once, and I thought he said it really well, that his (character's) whole thing is just about loving this woman. And so even after death there's a love story that goes on between the two of them. "A couple of years earlier I had lost a dear friend of mine and so it felt like a personal story I could use to tell (the film's story). Many of the things I had wanted to express about having lost my friend I was able to use 'P.S. I Love You' to express. So between those two things it was something I really wanted to do and it was during the period when 'Freedom Writers,' which took six years to get made, was in one of its low periods where there wasn't a lot happening so I was looking for something else to focus on. And it was a love story, which I like doing." When LaGravenese came on board to direct no one was attached to star in the film. "Absolutely no one," he said. "It was really just out of a personal love of Ireland and wanting to tell the story about a friend of mine that I had lost. Those are just the two motivating factors (in his coming on board). During 'Freedom Writers' I was working with Hilary Swank and we became very close. She had read it and loved it. I was in production on 'Freedom Writers' and I had to give up the idea of directing 'P.S. I Love You.' And then between that period and being in post on 'Freedom Writers,' it left Warner Bros. Molly Smith, a producer, took it out of Warner Bros. and brought it to Alcon Entertainment. They decided to make it and got the financing for it. In April of 2006 while I was in postproduction on 'Freedom Writers' they said, 'We have the financing for this, but we have to go right away.' "So I said yes and while I was doing post on 'Freedom Writers,' I was prepping 'P.S. I Love You.' So both of them kind of overlapped. Hilary and I went straight from one to the other. Right before we started in September of last year, several months before (that) '300' came out and I met Gerry Butler and cast him. And then we took it from there. We found Lisa Kudrow and Kathy Bates and Harry Connick Jr. It's a wonderful cast and the performances are great." Asked how he worked with his actors, LaGravenese replied, "I had a lot of personal meetings with the actors to go over the script. We didn't do any rehearsing. We didn't have time. There was a very rough schedule. Our first week was in Ireland and was a six-day week. So we didn't have rehearsal time. What I did do though -- because the core of the movie is the marriage and the love story between Hilary and Gerry -- was have (my) great production designer Shepherd Frankel ('Step Up') build before the set was even built a mock set (that was) an exact duplicate of the apartment for me. Gerry and Hilary and I rehearsed this opening scene that takes about 10 to 13 pages (and is) just about their marriage. "I felt that if I had that relationship as the core, the rest of the movie would fall into place. So we rehearsed that scene quite a bit because there's a lot of movement in it and it's fast paced. It's about a couple who are sort of undressing and arguing at the same time and it reveals all the different sides of their marriage. The other actors came in and we rehearsed as we went along." With LaGravenese having started out as a writer, I asked if that makes any difference in terms of how he directs. Is there a writer's mindset that he brings to directing? "I think I still direct like a writer," he told me. "I'm still working out style and cinema language and how to use a camera. To me, I'm at the beginning (of directing) and I'm looking forward to learning much more about it and learning much more about how to use the camera to tell a story and how to use cinematic language. I think in my movies right now the script is still very much the more dominant force." While directing "P.S.," LaGravenese pointed out, he also had no time to storyboard: "With the next one, I would love to do that. I did not have time on this. This was a very tight production so we had to sort of move along. I had Terry Stacey ('Friends With Money,' 'The Nanny Diaries') as my cinematographer and we had a wonderful relationship. I wanted to make a movie that was very romantic and I told him that the movies of the '30s and '40s were where I was coming from a little bit (but) in a modern style. But, as far as the feeling, I wanted it to be sort of unapologetically romantic. He took that (point of view) and so the lighting and how the girls were shot (reflected that). We took pains to make it as beautiful as we could." Looking back at production, LaGravenese observed, "The schedule was a huge challenge. I had done a rewrite of my own rewrite. I had done another rewrite on it and added a section that happened in Ireland that hadn't been in there before. Everyone loved it, but the schedule was already set and the budget was already set so we had to squeeze a fatter script into a tight schedule. So we had long days and it was a real challenge, but everyone was so wonderful to work with and Alcon was such a great partnership to have. They were so supportive. We all got really close. What happens is that when you're all on the same side it can be a really great experience." Shooting was done over a 45-day period: "We had a couple of incidents during (production). We had an accident with Hilary that happened on set. We had to close production for about five days. There's a strip that Gerry Butler does with suspenders and we shot all of his coverage. Then the next day we turned cameras around and (in) the very first shot he was doing it for Hilary and the camera was on Hilary. The suspender clip got caught under a table -- it was like a TV tray table -- and Gerry didn't know it (because) his back was to it and Hilary couldn't see. All she thought was that he was stuck and she was laughing, but in a split second the suspender snapped and ricocheted over Gerry and hit Hilary in the head. "She was amazing. We all turned white. She kept our spirits up and said, 'It's going to be fine. Don't worry about it.' We rushed her out and we had to take a few days for her to heal on that. But she never lost her cool. She was completely supportive. She was taking care of me about it. But it was just a freak accident that happened so quickly it was before anybody could do anything." Weather was another challenge LaGravenese had to deal with. "It's a real challenge to shoot in Ireland because you get four seasons in one day," he explained. "It can be misty and gray in the morning and then it could be blue sky and then it can rain and then the sun can move. So matching shots is a real challenge when you're on a country road in Ireland. We were there for two weeks (and ran in to that a lot), but I love it. It's a wonderful country. I love going there." After shooting in Ireland the production moved to New York. "It was great," he said. "We had great weather. We were in the city on the Lower East Side and Brooklyn (in) Williamsburg. We had a great time. We were at Hell's Gate Studios. I think it was an old coffee factory or something (before being turned into a studio). As you're coming from New York to Queens on the Triborough Bridge it would be to your right. It's at that point in the river that they call Hell's Gate, which is one of the more violent parts of the river." Postproduction was particularly important on "P.S.," he noted, because, "The story is a real mix of humor and drama and finding that balance was a challenge. So really the key there is having great actors -- and I did. We had just the best, a wonderful ensemble of actors who all give terrific performances." LaGravenese didn't shoot a tremendous amount of coverage: "There wasn't a lot of takes, again, because of the schedule. We moved pretty quickly. But the actors loved the script and loved their characters and really understood it. There's a lot of chemistry between the ensemble so they worked very well (together and) I was very lucky."
16/08/07
August
Is there a particular George F. Walker character that you would like to play?
How much of your time, when not filming, do you spend thinking of your characters? Do you spend time creating back-stories, etc?
Do you agree that all is fair in love and war?
What's the best decision you ever made?
Other than the Macbeth project, do you have any personal ambitions that you haven't fulfilled yet?
What are your thoughts on country music?
Either/Or
Leno or Letterman?
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Next session: September 15
16/08/07
JAMES JOINS CBS HIT DRAMA WITHOUT A TRACE James has been cast in a recurring/guest star role on the hit CBS one hour drama Without A Trace. He will portray ‘Detective Mars’, who is described as: mid 30s to 40. Attractive in a real way, a bright, full-of-life personality, charming, possibly from around the Washington DC area, so could have a slight southern accent. Mars is a Police Detective who has started to investigate what seems to be a ring of Human Trafficking. He has information our FBI team is interested in and comes to New York to speak to Vivian about what he knows. Eventually he will become part of a task force to deal with Human Trafficking. GUEST STAR, RECURRING ROLE. The role films in both New York and Los Angeles. Once we have air dates, we will post them.
16/08/07
More "Doomsday" from Amazon Amazon has put up a quick peek and short interview clip with James regarding his Superman: Doomsday project. Go here to view. Photo pre-orders for Dragon Con now available Pre-ordering is now available for DragonCon photo ops with James and other guests. To pre-order, please visit http://www.froggysphotos.com/news.html.
16/08/07
supes doomsday short interview Someone at CDS found the Amazon little interview thingy with JM about Superman: Doomsday, this is the link to watch it here at Amazon
More caps and an avi download here
16/08/07
Spring Fever Photo Competition All images are copyrighted to their respective owners. Please do not post elsewhere or reproduce for commercial purposes. To view the photographs, visit http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/photocomp.shtml
08/08/07
FRIDAY FUN WITH JAMES Spend Friday night of DragonCon, August 31, with James Marsters at an exclusive party event. Just 100 lucky people will be able to spend quality time with James at a restaurant near the main DragonCon hotels in Atlanta. James will mix and mingle, chatting one on one and in small groups with his guests for at least two hours. The venue, one of Atlanta's premium party spots, will provide an open bar and delicious finger food. Tickets for this special event will be $125 per person, payable in CASH ONLY at the door (no checks or cards) by prior reservation only (see below). Reservations will be accepted for up to two people per advance booking. Entry includes unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks and a finger buffet. To book for the party: * email Steve Himber at himberent@aol.com with the full name and address of one or both persons attending * bookings for two must provide name and address of both parties; any booking only giving one name will be taken as for one person * payment will be by cash at the door of the event * bookings are not transferable; anyone unable to attend must notify the organisers in order for their reservation to be transferred to the next person on the list * you will receive a confirmatory email with your booked name/s and further details of the venue, which you must bring with ID for admission. * reservations will be allocated to the first 100 people to book in strict order of receipt of email *a waiting list of up to 20 people will be kept so that any returns can be allocated in similar order * anyone failing to attend without at least two days prior notice will be billed for full ticket price * persons needing wheelchair access or any other disabled support are asked to state this in their booking email * beer, wine and soft drinks will be available at the open bar and the food includes vegetarian options * still photography allowed; no audio, video or posed shots * attire: casual _______________ Please note that this event takes place in the USA.
08/08/07
HOW ABOUT A COUPLE OF EXTRA QUESTIONS THIS MONTH -
What's the secret to starting an interesting conversation with a complete stranger?
Favorite Saturday Night Live cast member?
08/08/07
James Marsters "Shadow Puppets" available on my YouTube channel. I have uploaded ALL centric James Marsters scenes from his latest film titled "Shadow Puppets" to my youtube (goldenbean1029) channel. The DVD was released this past Tuesday, July 24, 2007. Shadow Puppets (2007): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc8_4UsOE8U
08/08/07
HU dayrunner @ jmf Check out the blog & pics @ http://community.livejournal.com/torch_wood/1579767.html
08/08/07
July
What gadget should someone invent that would make your life easier?
Did you have a particular childhood pet that you might tell us about?
What is the hardest thing about guitar playing for you?
Do you sing in the shower, and if so, with what song and/or artist does your soap usually get serenaded?
I often hear people saying they want 'world peace'. Do you think the human race could ever achieve peace? Or do you feel that as a race we were genetically constructed to struggle and fight our way to the proverbial top?
What were you scared of as a child?
What is the more discouraging response in theater, unintentional laughter at a serious moment, or no laughter at a funny moment?
Favorites: Batman Villain: I'll have to go with the pat answer and say The Joker because he's the smartest of Batman's nemeses. He exposes Batman's weakness most effectively, which is Batman has no super powers - he's a collection of gadgets, and it's easy to make him bleed. The Joker is smarter than Batman I think. Batman's incredibly intelligent, probably a genius, but I think The Joker is even a step above him. It's only through faith and not giving up that Batman can win over The Joker. But I've always been a Batman guy - I like a hero who bleeds.
Song to cover:
Next session: August 15
08/08/07
Hello. Sorry we disappeared there for a bit. JMLive is back online, slightly high on caffeine, and all systems are go. For those of you who may have missed out on the important news, James will be appearing in concert in Cardiff on Saturday 21 July. He will be performing at The Point in Mount Stuart Square. Tickets cost £20 (subject to booking fee) and are now on sale from The Point. Full details of the concert are available here.
The Don't Kill Spike Club is owned and operated by Jamie Marsters.
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