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  • Oliva Munn, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender of ‘X-Men’ Offer Hilarious Read of ‘The Big Lebowski’

    Olivia Munn, Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender of X-Men: Apocalypse took part in a hilarious table read of the 1998 Coen brothers hit comedy The Big Lebowski.

    The reading of The Big Lebowski, a cult-classic film that starred Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and John Turturro, took place during Friday’s Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal.

    Also helping out at the festival were Patton Oswalt, Dennis Quaid, Mae Whitman, Mike Judge, Martin Starr and T.J. Miller, People magazine reported.

    Olivia Munn and her co-stars took part in the celebrity reading that was organized by director Jason Reitman.

    A crowd of about 1,300 were treated with the reading.

    According to UPI, one of the funniest moments came when Oliva Munn, who was reading the lines of Bunny, accidentally read a line meant for Jennifer Lawrence, who was reading Maude’s lines. The error resulted in complete confusion for the cast.

    “It was highlighted, mother[expletives,]” Olivia Munn said before switching script pages with Jennifer Lawrence.

    “We’ve been waiting three hours to get to my part and it’s all falling to [expletive,]” Lawrence joked about the error.

    For Friday’s table reading, Michael Fassbender read the part of The Dude (originally Jeff Bridges) while Jennifer Lawrence played Maude (Julianne Moore). Patton Oswalt played Walter (John Goodman), Olivia Munn was Bunny (Tara Reid) and Dennis Quaid made a surprise appearance as the Big Lebowski (David Huddleston).

    Well done Olivia Munn!

  • Meryl Streep: Jeff Bridges ‘Managed to Elude Me’ Throughout Her Career, Until Now

    Meryl Streep: Jeff Bridges ‘Managed to Elude Me’ Throughout Her Career, Until Now

    Actress Meryl Streep has several reasons why she chose to play the order-keeping chief elder in the big-screen adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 Newbury Award-winning, young-adult novel The Giver — one of those was the opportunity to work alongside Jeff Bridges.

    “I’d always wanted to work with this gentleman here,” said the Oscar-winning actress at a press conference in New York Tuesday.

    “My entire career, I never got the chance. Somehow, he managed to elude me. So, that was a big, big part of the draw. I am also a big admirer of Phillip’s films,” she continued, referring the the film’s director, Phillip Noyce. “I think he is a pure, pure filmmaker with great taste and I knew, to bring this to life, especially the colorless parts of it, it would take a great artist.”

    Another reason for wanting to do the movie is her connection to the book through her children. Streep said the two youngest of her four children read Lowry’s book when they were in elementary school.

    “They had a list of required reading over the summer and it was always…,” Streep stopped mid-sentence to make the sound of a whip cracking, “… to get them to do it. That’s one of my parenting methods. But that [book] was put in front of them and they devoured it.”

    Streep, 65, said the role provided a unique challenge in her acting repertoire.

    “It’s an interesting thing to play — someone who has suppressed emotion, but I felt that the chief elder didn’t take her medication, as well, on certain days,” she said, referring to the hero’s refusal to ingest daily drugs that block emotions and memories.

    “Do you know what I mean? Like, we all skip, probably. Because, clearly, she had some deep history with the Giver,” she said of Bridges’ character. “And I think that was something that intrigued me about the script. But I think that is sort of the point of the book. You can’t keep things in. You can’t suppress the things that make us human and it is pointless to try.”

    Streep had one other important reason for deciding on the role.

    “Well, I like to be boss, so that was a good thing,” the three-time Oscar-winner said.

    Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Brenton Thwaites and Odeya Rush also star in The Giver, which opened nationwide Friday.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • The Big Lebowski Festival Draws Fans To Los Angeles

    There are films, films with cult followings, and then The Big Lebowski.

    Released in 1998 and written by the Joel and Ethan Coen—hereby referred to as the Coen Brothers—the film features idiosyncratic characters, dream sequences, unconventional dialogue, and of course, Jeff Bridges as the character Jeff Lebowski.

    And since its release, it has generated a cult following that few other films have. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Lebowski Fest 2014, complete with bowling pins, bathrobes, white Russians, and even Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” making an appearance with his band.

    The festival has been held around the country since its inception in 2002 and lasts two days—the first day with a band and a screening of The Big Lebowski, followed by a second day costumed bowling party.

    It’s a two day celebration of all the goodness that is The Big Lebowski and 2014 was no exception.

    Taking place in Los Angeles, California, at the Wiltern Theater, fans filled the venue to capacity and Jeff Bridges and his band performed the 30-minute set, with an opening from Kyle Gass, the other half of Jack Black’s band Tenacious D, according to The Associated Press.

    Actors with minor roles in the film signed autographs and one man even traveled from as far as North Dakota for his 20th birthday to take part in Lebowski Fest.

    But even Jeff Bridges couldn’t upstage the real attraction of the night—a showing of the movie those in attendance had seen once or twice or a hundred times. Fans in the audience shouted out some of the lines and applauded at others.

    Asked about what draws moviegoers to the festival, Mike Sullivan, a four-time festival-goer who says he has the film memorized, said, “What you got here is a bunch of pot-smoking hippies having a good time.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lebowski Fest: Jeff Bridges, Fans Celebrate Film

    Trekkies have nothing on the Dude-ers.

    Hundreds packed the Wiltern Theater in midtown Los Angeles Friday to pay homage to Joel and Ethan Coen‘s 1998 cult film The Big Lebowski.

    Even the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, performed with his band.

    The theater was decked out with inflatable bowling pins and the drink menu featured white Russians “made with Ralphs half-and -half,” in honor of the film’s opening scene when the Dude writes a check for 69 cents to buy half-and-half from a Ralphs supermarket to make his favorite drink.

    This is the13th year of the annual two-day festival that celebrates the Dude, bowling, white bathrobes and White Russians.

    Fan Steve Lewis has never missed a Lebowski Fest.

    “It’s the people here that are so awesome,” said Lewis, who says he has seen the film more than 100 times. “It’s a community.”

    The 37-year-old went so far as to make his own Army dog tags to recreate one of John Goodman’s costumes from the film. Lewis has been to 11 festivals and has traveled to festivals in New York and Louisville with his friend J.D. Lloyd, who searched eBay to find the exact sweater Bridges wears in the film.

    “That’s a real Pendleton,” Lewis said. “That was expensive.”

    Connor Linnerooth, 20, who traveled from North Dakota to celebrate his birthday at the fest, wore a red bodysuit and carried oversized scissors like the character that terrorizes the Dude in his dreams.

    “Lebowski, he is a very cool guy,” he said, speaking in character. “I love the movie and I’m a big fan of it, and I really wanted to be around other people who are also big fans of the movie.”

    Matt Goforth tended bar in costume and said he’s been looking forward to the event for months.

    “First of all, I knew it was going to be a good crowd. Second of all, it’s a fantastic movie. Thirdly, Jeff Bridges’ band is amazing,” Goforth said. “It’s fun. I’ve had my picture taken maybe 35 times. It’s just a great atmosphere.”

    Friday night ended with a screening of the film, peppered with fans yelling out lines and cheering for favorite scenes.

    Saturday’s event featured a costumed bowling party.

    Mike Sullivan, a four-time festival-goer who says he’s memorized the movie, has a theory about the fest’s success.

    “What you got here,” he said, “is a bunch of pot-smoking hippies having a good time.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • ‘The Giver’ Trailer Released: Does it Live Up to the Book?

    The Weinstein Company released their first trailer for the upcoming movie The Giver. The film is a screen adaptation of the beloved children’s book of the same name. The Giver follows Jonas (played by Brenton Thwaites in the film) as he discovers that this utopian society is more dystopian than he once believed: it tries to deprive people of emotions and create Sameness. Jonas inherits the position of ‘Receiver of Memory.’ He will be the person who stores all the memories of the time before this society existed. Jonas begins to question things when he meets “The Giver (Jeff Bridges),” who shows him the beauty and pain that exists beyond this world.

    The Giver was published in 1993, and received a Newbery Medal the following year. The novel begins a loosely formed series of four books: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son (the only direct sequel to The Giver). The other three books in the series were created seven years after the original book.

    One noticeable difference from the book and the movie is Jonas’ age; he’s only 12 in the book, but looks around 16 in the movie (in real life Thwaites is 24). Another really big difference from the book version of The Giver and the movie is the film’s usage of color. In the book most of the characters are colorblind. Jonas, however, sees in color. Doing the entire film in color really makes fans of the book wonder if the film’s creators can be true to the essence of the book if they fail to keep one important element of it.

    The movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s beloved book also stars Alexander Skarsgard, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and Taylor Swift. The Giver’s trailer will appear in theaters on March 20, and opens in theaters on August 15.

    Everyone loves The Giver, but will anyone love this movie?

    Image via The Giver, Facebook

  • Katie Holmes to Play Manhattan Socialite in ABC Pilot

    Katie Holmes will return to the small screen in her first starring role since Dawson’s Creek.

    The pilot, which will air on ABC, is currently untitled. Homes will play a Manhattan socialite who is described as Audrey Hepburn-esque.

    Homes will star opposite British actor Rufus Sewell. The pilot will be written and executive-produced by Richard LaGravenese, who has written screenplays for Beautiful Creatures, Freedom Writers, and P.S. I Love You.

    The pilot is set in New York City, where Holmes moved with daughter Suri, 7, following her much-publicized divorce from actor Tom Cruise.

    In August, Holmes will star alongside Jeff Bridges, Alexander Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, and Taylor Swift in the movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s Newbery Award-winning young adult novel The Giver.

    Holmes’ other recent projects include starring roles in Days and Nights, Mania Days, and Miss Meadows.

    When she’s not working, trying to keep her daughter from becoming tabloid fodder, or advocating for breast cancer awareness, the actress can be found enjoying New York City.

    “I love the community in New York. I love New Yorkers. I ran into someone on the street the other day that I went to high school with,” she says. “I love the moments of spontaneity every day.”

    “I love the theater, the galleries in my neighborhood. Stuff [like] that is so much of what makes me love this city. I love the Knicks. I love talking to my neighbors in the elevator. I like feeling a part of something big.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Marisa Tomei: One of Many Celebs Getting Older Today

    Who knew? December 4th is a big day for Hollywood. Academy Award winner Marissa Tomei turned 49 on Wednesday. And she’s in good company.

    Also blowing out birthday candles today are actors, rappers, comics and models. Talk show host and former Victoria Secret/Sports Illustrated model Tyra Banks is celebrating a milestone birthday. She is now 40. If you’re looking for the person who is probably throwing the biggest bash, search no further than rapper/producer/mogul/Nets owner Jay-Z, who is 44.

    Jay-Z and Beyonce have a very special goal in mind in honor of the “Empire State of Mind” singer’s birthday. He wrote on Tuesday on his Life + Times blog that the couple was going vegan. “On December 3rd, one day before my 44th birthday I will embark on a 22 Days challenge to go completely vegan, or as I prefer to call it, plant-based!! This all began a few months back when a good friend and vegan challenged me to embrace a “plant-based breakfast” every day. It was surprisingly easier on me than I thought. Why now? There’s something spiritual to me about it being my 44th birthday and the serendipity behind the number of days in this challenge; 22 (2+2=4) coupled with the fact that the challenge ends on Christmas day…It just feels right!”

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    And the list of December 4th birthdays continues. Looking for a laugh, former Saturday Night Live standout and Portlandia star Fred Armisen is 47. And finally, another Oscar winner is celebrating a birthday today, Mr. Lebowski himself, Jeff Bridges is 64.

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