Betty White

THE LORAX Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 1:15 pm

Dr. Seuss wasn’t afraid to provide serious messages in his books.  Not everything he wrote was Green Eggs and Ham (which, in all fairness, stresses the importance of trying new things).  Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is a moving story that could be read to anyone at any age and still be meaningful.  The Lorax didn’t have the joy and humor of his other books but instead left its readers with a poignant message and dire warning.  Illumination Entertainment’s big 3D CGI-animated adaptation could care less about either.  The Lorax gives a begrudging nod towards environmentalism, a halfhearted tip of the hat to Dr. Seuss, and then pours all of its energy into being hip and funny but succeeded at neither.

8 Movie Clips from DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 9:37 pm

From the creators of Despicable Me comes the animated feature film adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, a beloved cautionary tale of environmental conservation wrapped up in a colorful children’s story.  We’ve previously brought you images, trailers and even a Super Bowl ad spot for Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda’s The Lorax, which stars Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Betty White and Danny DeVito. Now we have eight clips from the movie, which will mark Universal’s third Dr. Seuss feature after How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat. On what would have been the author’s 108^th birthday, The Lorax will land in theaters on March 2^nd.  Hit the jump to check out the clips.

New Images from THE LORAX Starring Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, and Danny DeVito

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 30th, 2012 at 10:00 am

Universal has released new images from the 3D CGI adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.  Some of the images show the actors doing their voice recordings.  If you couldn’t imagine what Zac Efron would look like if he were in a sound booth and speaking into a microphone, your mind is about to be blown.  There’s also an image of the Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito) playing cards with woodland creatures instead of giving dire environmental warnings.  There’s no time for games when the environment is on the line, Lorax.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also features the voices of Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, and Betty White.  Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax opens March 2nd in 3D.

SAG Award Winners Announced; THE HELP Wins Best Ensemble, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 29th, 2012 at 7:13 pm

The 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award winners were announced tonight, and The Help took home the top film prize, “Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture”.  The drama also took home awards for Best Actress (Viola Davis) and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer).  If you think that’s no big deal in terms of affecting the Oscar race, I have one word for you: Crash.  Granted, The Help didn’t even pick up an Oscar nomination for Best Director, but actors make up the largest block of Academy voters (25 percent).  And as we’ve seen, actors really like movies that make us think we’ve defeated racism, which we totally have.  That’s why all African-American actors pull in huge salaries.  Actors like Will Smith and…Will Smith.  I wouldn’t put The Help ahead of The Artist just yet, but Davis and Spencer should now be considered serious contenders in their respective catagories (Spencer is almost at a lock at this point).

Australian Trailer for THE LORAX Has More Footage, Less Romance

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 8th, 2011 at 2:51 pm

In the domestic trailer for Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, we got a sense of the romantic angle that directors Chris Renaud (Despicable Me) and Kyle Balda want to take, along with the story of the title character. A new Australian trailer for The Lorax omits the romance entirely in favor of a few new bits of footage. This promo focuses more on the legend of The Lorax (Danny DeVito) and his run-in with the Once-ler (Ed Helms).

The Universal Pictures interpretation of the Dr. Seuss classic will bring the grumpy Lorax to life in “IMAX Tree-D.” The film also features the voice talents of Taylor Swift, Betty White and Rob Riggle. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax opens on March 2, 2012. Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.

First Trailer and 10 Hi-Res Images from DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 27th, 2011 at 7:16 am

The first trailer for The Lorax has gone online. Directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me), the film is based on the classic Dr. Seuss enviromentally-conscious children’s book that centers on a boy who is searching for the one thing that will win him the girl of his dreams. In order to find it, he must learn the story of The Lorax, a creature whose world is in danger.  As you’ll see in the trailer, there’s the unmistakable Suessian architecture and it certainly looks colorful enough.  But there are little things in this trailer that are making me a bit nervous about the film.  The framing device shows a bright and colorful world so the Once-ler chopping down all the trees hasn’t been too much of a problem.  Also, while I understand it’s a family film that wants to play up the comedy, I hope the Lorax’s message won’t be diminished by making him a creature of fun rather than a bearer of grave warnings.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with ten high resolution images . The film features the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, and Betty White.  The Lorax opens in 3D on March 2nd, 2012.

Taylor Swift Joins Voice Cast of THE LORAX; New Image Released

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 17th, 2011 at 11:58 am

In Valentine’s Day, singer Taylor Swift showed that acting was not her strong suit.  Universal is hoping that perhaps she’ll have better luck with voice acting and has cast her as one of the leads in the CGI animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.  Swift will play Audrey the dream girl of the main character, Ted (voiced by Zac Efron).  Ted is on a search to find the Lorax (Danny DeVito) and in his search comes across the enigmatic Once-ler (Ed Helms) and the greedy financial king O’Hare (Rob Riggle).  Betty White will voice Ted’s wise Grammy Norma.

Hit the jump for the full press release along with a new image from the film.  The Lorax is set to be released in 3D on March 2, 2012.

2011 SAG Awards: THE KING’S SPEECH and THE FIGHTER Each Win Two Awards

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 30th, 2011 at 8:16 pm

The Screen Actors Guild handed out awards for the 17th time tonight with The King’s Speech and The Fighter each taking home two wins.  Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech won awards in the “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture” (more or less, SAG’s equivalent to the Academy’s “Best Picture” category ) and “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role” for Colin Firth.  Meanwhile, David O. Russell’s The Fighter dominated the supporting categories by landing “Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role” awards for both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo.  In what should be (in my opinion, at least) an open-shut case for the Academy, Natalie Portman was awarded “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role” for her stellar work in Black Swan.

For those wondering what, if any, effect the SAG Awards may have on the eventual Academy Awards, it’s important to note that the event is believed to be a better gauge of Oscar winners than its most recent predecessor (the Golden Globes).  This is because the Screen Actors Guild is comprised mostly of American actors (the largest branch of the Academy) as opposed to the Globes which is made-up of a smaller group of foreign journalists known as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  Long story short (though certainly not etched in stone), look for The King’s Speech to take home Best Picture next month.

Hit the jump to check out the complete list of winners (television included) from the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Danny DeVito to Voice THE LORAX; Zac Efron, Betty White, Ed Helms, and Rob Riggle to Co-star

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 24th, 2010 at 8:38 pm

Danny DeVito will voice the title character in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.  In a statement to USA Today, Illumination head Chris Meledandri said of DeVito, “Danny has this wonderful ability to be acerbic and grouchy but at the same time absolutely lovable.  It’s almost like Walter Matthau had. His comedic edge was very sharp, but he always maintained that warmth.”  Apparently, Melendandri has never seen an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or he’s just really hoping that you haven’t.  I am constantly amazed at how gross they’re willing to make his DeVito’s character, Frank Reynolds.  However, since DeVito is only voicing the character, perhaps it won’t be so easy to envision his disgusting Sunny antics.

Hit the jump to learn about what roles Zac Efron, Betty White, Ed Helms, and Rob Riggle will be playing in the 3D animated film.

TV Casting Call: Laura Vandervoort Returns to SMALLVILLE, Betty White Joins COMMUNITY, Dolph Lundgren & Harry Dean Stanton for CHUCK

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: July 14th, 2010 at 3:48 pm

Here’s a bit of ripe TV casting news including a superhero, a villain and a sweet old lady. First up, EW reports that Laura Vandervoort will reprise her role as Clark Kent’s cousin Kara (aka Supergirl) to wrap up the character’s story with one episode during the final season of Smallville. Vandervoort hasn’t been seen since the seventh season of the series, but she’ll be making he final appearance as Supergirl fairly early on in the final season with the episode tentatively set to air sometime in October. Surely there’s plenty more surprises in store for Smallville fans as the series comes to an end after ten seasons.

Hit the jump for casting additions to the Emmy snubbed comedy series Community and the solid action-comedy series Chuck.

Producer Jerry Weintraub Makes Brilliant Pitch for OH, GOD! Remake Starring Betty White as God

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 12th, 2010 at 11:52 pm

Producer Jerry Weintraub (The Ocean’s Eleven trilogy) and Warner Bros. have been trying to remake Carl Reiner’s 1977 George Burns comedy Oh, God! for some time now.  Deadline reports that Weintraub (who produced the original) may have finally hit upon an idea to make it happen.  The site reports that Weintraub has pitched Betty White to play God, who was played by Burns in the original, and Paul Rudd as the hapless mortal who God recruits to spread his message.

However, the studio isn’t completely happy with the script they currently have and it’s unknown whether or not White and/or Rudd have even been contacted about doing the film.  But it’s a great idea, although I keep wanting Rudd to play more oddball characters rather than being typecast as the beleaguered straight man.  But White is the real stroke of genius and I love that she’s one of the hottest actresses working right now.  It’s encouraging that her new found fandom genuinely likes her and it’s not an ironic appreciation.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer for original film.

GOLDEN GIRLS Star Rue McClanahan Passes Away at 76

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 3rd, 2010 at 10:08 am

Rue McClanahan, best known for playing Blanche Devereaux (for which she won an Emmy) on the popular 80s sitcom The Golden Girls, has died today at the age of 76.  People reports that McClanahan had suffered a minor stroke earlier this year while recovering from bypass surgery.  At the time of her death, McClanahan reported “had her family with her. She went in peace.”

Betty White, who is 88, is now the only living member of the cast.  Bea Arthur died last year from cancer and Estelle Getty passed away in 2008.  Our condolences to McClanahan’s friends and family.

YOU AGAIN Trailer Starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Chenoweth, and Odette Yustman

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 4th, 2010 at 7:36 pm

Walt Disney Pictures has just debuted the the trailer for You Again, the family-friendly comedy with an impressive cast led by Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Chenoweth, Odette Yustman, and Betty White.  Andy Fickman (Race to Witch Mountain) directs this tale of the successful Marni (Bell), who finds out that her brother’s fiancée is the same girl who tormented Marni throughout high school.  On top of that, the mother of the bride happens to have played the same role in the formative years of Marni’s mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) a generation earlier.  You can check out the trailer after the jump.

TV News: Summer Glau Cast Dons THE CAPE, Katherine Heigl Exits GREY’S ANATOMY, and Betty White Finds Herself in THE MIDDLE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 12th, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Today we have three of television’s finest female actors at three very different stages in their careers.  Constantly poised to break out beyond her current cult stardom, Summer Glau has nabbed the lead role in the pilot for NBC’s superhero hourlong, The Cape.  Over on ABC, the outspoken Katherine Heigl has already gotten her big break, and so is eager to abandon her post on the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy to pursue her blossoming film career.  Meanwhile, internet darling Betty White continues to enjoy a recent resurgence in the twilight of her career, earning a role in the season finale of family sitcom The Middle.

Details on each item after the break:

Betty White Confirmed to Host May 8th Episode of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

by Christopher Gilbreth    Posted: March 11th, 2010 at 12:57 pm

Golden gal Betty White has been tapped by Lorne Michaels to host the May 8^th episode of Saturday Night Live.  USA Today reports that the Mother’s Day centric episode will also feature guest appearances by numerous SNL alums. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Molly Shannon are set to appear, among others. Obviously well known for her hilarious roles in The Mary Tyler Moore show and The Golden Girls, Betty White has won six Emmy Awards and has been nominated an astounding 18 times. Recently, Betty White has appeared in The Proposal along with Ryan Reynolds and newly minted Oscar recipient Sandra Bullock.  Oh, and she can be seen currently in that hilarious Snickers commercial where she gets clobbered into the ground while playing football. If a Snickers candy bar can cure one of lackadaisical play on the field, has anyone tried feeding one to Oakland Raiders Quarterback JaMarcus Russell? That guy need’s a case of ‘em.

We’ve also received an official press release which you can check out after the jump.

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