Maya Rudolph

GROWN UPS 2 Adds Cheri Oteri and Nick Swardson

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 11th, 2012 at 8:24 pm

Adam Sandler has added fellow SNL co-star, Cheri Oteri (Liar Liar) and Happy Madison mainstay, Nick Swardson (Just Go With It) to the cast of Grown Ups 2.  Featuring the return of Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek and Maya Rudolph, Sandler’s first ever sequel will feature newcomers Taylor Lautner, Oliver Cooper and David Henrie as fraternity brothers who antagonize Sandler and Co. Dennis Dugan will also return to direct the sequel for Happy Madison and Sony.  Hit the jump for details on Oteri and Swardson’s characters.

Taylor Lautner Joins Adam Sandler in GROWN UPS 2

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 4th, 2012 at 5:12 pm

Twilight’s Taylor Lautner has apparently outgrown vampires and is now interested in comedies.  Enter Adam Sandler’s first-ever sequel, Grown Ups 2.  Lautner is reportedly in negotiations to star opposite Sandler in a role that would allow him to go “toe-to-toe” with the veteran comedian.  Details are in short order at the moment, but reports specify this only as a “fun” role for Lautner, who is looking for another big movie to hang on to. Since The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 will be closing out the franchise when it hits theaters November 16th, and even with the lackluster box office response to Lautner’s Abduction, the young star might just strike gold in Grown Ups 2. The original film about a reunion of childhood friends grossed over $160 million domestically. Hit the jump for more on the sequel.

7 Clips from FRIENDS WITH KIDS Starring Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Megan Fox, Kristen Wiig, Jennifer Westfeldt and Maya Rudolph

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 10:53 am

With writer-director Jennifer Westfeldt’s (Kissing Jessica Stein) Friends with Kids opening March 9, we’ve been provided with seven clips from the very funny comedy.  Boasting an incredible cast featuring Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns, Friends With Kids centers on a pair of thirtysomething best friends (Scott and Westfeldt) who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people.

Right after the film premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, I landed exclusive interviews with Megan Fox, Jon Hamm and Adam Scott.  Just click the links to read or listen to them.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Hader and More Join Voice Cast for TURBO; Plus a Teaser Image from the Film

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 23rd, 2012 at 5:57 pm

DreamWorks Animation has assembled its ginormous ensemble voice cast for the snail-centered film Turbo. Ryan Reynolds is already onboard to voice the protagonist, an ordinary garden snail who obtains extraordinary speed through a freak accident and sets out to race in the Indianapolis 500. Now Heat Vision reports that (deep breath) Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Hader, Michael Pena, Luis Guzmán, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, and Snoop Dogg are set to join the cast. David Soren is directing from a script he co-wrote with Robert Siegel (The Wrestler) and Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After).

I love the voice cast here but I’m not wild about the premise. Pixar already tried to do a movie set in the professional racing world twice to less than stellar results, and this new teaser image doesn’t exactly alleviate any of my concerns. It should be said that it’s still early in the animation process and this image doesn’t exactly reflect the finished film, but I certainly don’t think it’s a great start. Hit the jump to check out the image for yourself. Turbo is slated for July 19th, 2013.

Full List of 2012 Oscar Presenters Includes Christian Bale, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis and the Cast of BRIDESMAIDS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 23rd, 2012 at 2:22 pm

We’re only a few short days away from the 84th Academy Awards, which means all that prognosticating and “fake controversy” business will finally come to an end on Monday morning. Until next year, that is. Nevertheless, a number of presenters have been announced over the past few weeks and we figured we’d bring you a full list of all the pretty celebrities scheduled to appear during Sunday night’s telecast. Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Emma Stone, The Muppets and the leading ladies from Bridesmaids will (hopefully) be bringing the funny, and today the Academy announced that last year’s winners in the acting categories will return to present. I really, really liked the way the awards were given out a few years back with past winners speaking directly to each of the nominees, so I’m hoping Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Natalie Portman, and Colin Firth will be doing something similar.

Hit the jump to read the full list of presenters and performers, and be sure to check back this weekend to see how yours truly and Matt Goldberg think the awards will stack up in our predictions feature. Billy Crystal hosts the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 26th.

Lindsay Lohan to Host SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on March 3rd

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: February 20th, 2012 at 11:36 am

That’s right, folks. Despite the fact that Lindsay Lohan has nothing to promote and the troubled actress really doesn’t have much of a career beyond some risque photo-shoots showing up on the internet every couple weeks, the Freaky Friday and Mean Girls star is set to host Saturday Night Live on March 3rd with musical guest Jack White, making his debut as a solo artist outside of his work with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs.

NBC announced the news during a commercial break on this past weekend’s SNL with host Maya Rudolph, and while we’re not sure how the new episode with Lohan is going to turn out (or if people even care anymore), last weekend’s episode was an absolute laugh riot. Not only did it mark the return of SNL veteran Rudolph as host, but Justin Timberlake, Amy Poehler (on both Weekend Update and a Bronx Beat sketch), Bill O’Reilly and Kate Upton all made surprise appearances, and you can check out those and a few of our favorites sketches from the show after the jump.

Red Band Trailer for FRIENDS WITH KIDS Starring Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, and Kristen Wiig

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 16th, 2012 at 2:03 pm

A red band trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, the story centers on two best friends (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) who decide to have a baby together without being in a relationship. The cast is fantastic (Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Edward Burns, Megan Fox, and Chris O’Dowd), and I’m excited to see Scott take on his first leading role. This trailer delves more deeply into the plot and, as it’s red band, there are a few more off-color jokes (who doesn’t like masturbation humor?). The jokes work, and I really like the chemistry between Scott and Westfedlt. I’m looking forward to checking the full film out. You can read Matt’s review here.

Hit the jump to watch the red band trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th.

Maya Rudolph to Host SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on February 18th

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 3:16 pm

It’s always fun when Saturday Night Live alums return to host, so it’s great to hear from NBC that Maya Rudolph, who can currently be seen on the comedy series Up All Night, will return to Studio 8H on February 18th. That likely means we’ll see the Bridesmaids star reprise some of her characters from years past including her outrageous Whitney Huston and maybe even a new Bronx Beat if Amy Poehler can be coaxed to make a guest appearance. Rudolph will be joined by musical guest Sleigh Bells making their network television debut.

First Trailer for FRIENDS WITH KIDS Starring Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Adam Scott

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 11th, 2012 at 5:38 pm

The first trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written, directed by, and starring Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), the film boats a fantastic cast that includes Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. The story centers on a pair of thirtysomething best friends (Scott and Westfeldt) who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people. The trailer looks right up my alley, as it highlights some promising performances, chemistry, and a fair amount of laughs. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t exactly won over, but Scott has been killing it in supporting roles for years and I’m excited to see him finally take on a lead.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th. If you missed them, be sure to check out Steve’s interviews with Hamm, Scott, and Fox from TIFF regarding the film.

BRIDESMAIDS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 29th, 2011 at 11:16 am

Coming into 2011, Bridesmaids looked like it might be another in a string of recent Judd Apatow-related misfires. But appearances are deceiving as the film quickly found an audience and was one of the biggest hits of the summer. Boo-yah for director Paul Feig, and co-writer and star Kristen Wiig. They nailed it. The film is a charming and real look at a woman in her thirties whose best friend (Maya Rudolph) is about to get married, and how friendship can be strained – but is often resilient – during such stressful but happy times. Our review of the Blu-ray of Bridesmaids follows after the jump.

TIFF 2011: Lionsgate Buys FRIENDS WITH KIDS; Music Box Picks up THE DEEP BLUE SEA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 19th, 2011 at 8:04 am

While a slew of films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival have already been picked up for distribution, there are other high-profile titles still hammering out their deals.  Variety reports that Lionsgate has acquired Jennifer Westfeldt’s new comedy Friends with Kids.  The story stars Westfeldt and Adam Scott as lifelong friends who decide to have a kid but keep their relationship platonic and open.  I was slightly disappointed by the film, but it’s got a great cast (the film also stars Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O’Dowd) and I can see the flick having wide appeal.

In other TIFF picks-ups, Music Box has picked up the U.S. rights to Terrence Davies’ romantic drama The Deep Blue Sea starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston.  Weisz plays the wife of a high court judge who leaves her husband to move in with a dashing young ex-RAF pilot (Hiddleston), with whom she has fallen passionately in love.  Weisz picked up strong notices for her performance and I’m glad I’ll have a chance to see the film eventually.  No U.S. release dates have been announced for Friends with Kids or The Deep Blue Sea.  Hit the jump for Music Box’s press release regarding The Deep Blue Sea.

TIFF 2011: FRIENDS WITH KIDS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 11th, 2011 at 9:17 pm

Jennifer Westfeldt’s directorial debut Friends with Kids shares some key qualities with her 2001 film Kissing Jessica Stein (which she wrote).  Both films are funny, harmless comedies that take an emotionally satisfying and challenging conceit before scampering back to the status quo.  Westfeldt puts an interesting twist on the parenting-and-marriage sub-genre by rethinking conventional notions of fidelity.  She even goes so far as to examine why the convention exists in the first place.  But ultimately her movie becomes lethargic, predictable, and bland despite the Westfeldts’ strong chemistry with co-star Adam Scott.

Hilarious Alternate Takes from BRIDESMAIDS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 25th, 2011 at 2:05 pm

Bridesmaids is a must-see comedy and if you’ve already seen it, then you’ve probably guessed that there’s plenty of brilliant stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor.  Rather than endure an excruciating wait to see all of the alternate takes on the Blu-ray and DVD, the good folks at Funny or Die have now released at least some of those alternate takes online, and there as funny as you’d hope.  My personal favorite is Jon Hamm’s one-liner at the 2:57 mark.

Hit the jump to check out the video.  Bridesmaids is currently in theaters and you need to go see it.

BRIDESMAIDS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 13th, 2011 at 7:25 am

The takeaway from Bridesmaids shouldn’t be “Look!  Women can be raunchy too!  Equality!”  If Bridesmaids simply featured a bunch of women engaging in gross-out humor, it would be a tiresome, soulless exercise just as gross-out humor between guys is a chore if you don’t care about the guys.  What makes Bridesmaids work isn’t just that some sophomoric gags are expertly timed and executed.  Bridesmaids comes alive because of rich characters and tremendous performances, particularly from co-writer and star Kristen Wiig and co-star Melissa McCarthy.  While the film does begin to drag its main character a little too low in the third act and there are some pacing problems in its romantic subplot, Bridesmaids is ultimately heartfelt, witty, and damn funny.

NBC Picks Up Comedies UP ALL NIGHT and WHITNEY, Steven Spielberg Produced Musical SMASH, and PRIME SUSPECT Remake

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 9:11 pm

After last night’s huge influx of news from Fox about series pick-ups, renewals and cancellations, it’s now NBC’s turn to announce some of their new series that we can look forward to in the fall. As of now there seems to be some dissension amongst the news outlets online as to whether or not Wonder Woman will actually get picked up, and other potential series like The Playboy Club are rumored for a pick-up but we haven’t heard anything official yet.

After the jump, check out the four new series that have definitely been picked up to premiere sometime this fall including a new sitcom from stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, another comedy from Christina Applegate, a Broadway musical series from producer Steven Spielberg, and the stateside remake of the British crime drama Prime Suspect.

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