Ben Kingsley’s character in Iron Man 3 is a terrorist who sets off explosive devices across America for maximum death and destruction. He hacks into national television telecasts to spread his fear, promising his attacks will soon target the president.
Movie stars are the coin of the realm in Hollywood, but casting recognizable actors in some roles can work against a film. So far, the first official look at The Butler, the new film from director Lee Daniels, finds seeing
For an alcoholic, living a sober life and reconnecting with loved ones is a deeply personal quest. Richard Wallrath opened up about his drunken past in order to prevent others from making the mistakes he made. Deep in the Heart tracks
The First Family must know its compulsion for throwing lavish, star-studded parties, at a time when the country is still reeling from the Obama “recovery,” is a recipe for lousy optics. So the family tried–and failed–to keep secret an inauguration
Clint Eastwood’s “empty chair” speech blasting President Barack Obama at last year’s Republican National Convention drew withering reviews from the press. Celebrities mocked Eastwood’s political theater as well, breaking the unwritten rule not to trash fellow actors. Look who’s laughing
Special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen didn’t need computer wizardry to bring his nightmarish creatures to life. All he required was a camera capable of shooting a single frame of film at a time. His boundless imagination took care of the
New declassified files show that the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind Zero Dark Thirty got some unexpected tips on penning the film. The CIA asked Mark Boal to trim “torture” sequences which it worried would reflect poorly on the organization, according to
The Broadway show Orphans got all the publicity–both welcome and unwelcome–any production could demand. Not only does the show star Alec Baldwin, but co-star Shia LaBeouf left mid-production in a huff. The latter feud earned the show even more press
Donald Trump is nothing if not predictable. If you take a verbal swing at him he’s going to counter-punch–hard. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show fame found that out when he dashed off a lazy swipe at the real estate
Dennis Michael Lynch recalls standing on stage at a Long Island film festival, doing his best to answer the question all filmmakers get at some point–what’s your next project? Lynch had nothing officially planned, but he understood he had to
Beyonce just doesn’t get it. The singer/actress finally had to answer some questions regarding her recent trek to Cuba along with her husband, rap star Jay-Z. What the Q&A revealed is that the press isn’t too interested in grilling Beyonce
There’s a simple reason why Fox News decimates its competition. The news channel understands the media tilts to the left, so it offers a blend of conservative opinion and stories that matter to right-of-center audiences. See a need in the
The Mandarin didn’t stand a chance. Neither did any other movie playing in theaters this weekend. Iron Man 3, the superhero sequel that kicked off the summer movie season Friday, crushed both the box office competition as well as a
Squeaky clean stand-up Jim Gaffigan might be the least offensive comic on the comedy circuit. He’s hilarious all the same, but an innocent tweet he made about women’s nails drew the kind of social media hate usually reserved for shock
Clear-eyed viewers watched Breitbart News’ own Ben Shapiro take down Piers Morgan anew during Thursday’s CNN broadcast. Chris Evans, who plays Captain America in several Marvel films, sided with the low-rated CNN host after watching the exchange. Shapiro demolished Morgan during
Certain topics, like our unabashed love of celebrities, seem too extreme for satire. Enter Brandon Cronenberg, son of famed director David Cronenberg, who proves that’s hardly the case with Antiviral. The new science fiction film takes our obsession with the
The main character in The Reluctant Fundamentalist flashes a brief smile while watching the Twin Towers collapse on Sept. 11, 2001. It’s a brash bit of theater, particularly in a film asking us to question whether the character has become
If industrialist Tony Stark were handed Iron Man 3 and asked to fix it, he’d probably put on a pot of coffee and tell his secretary to hold all his calls. It would take a ton of tinkering to make
The much-discussed film adaptation of American Sniper, the autobiography of late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, finally has its director. Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg will oversee the film, to star Bradley Cooper as the decorated warrior. Spielberg is one of Hollywood’s most
The media collectively shrugged when President Barack Obama vowed to close Guantanamo Bay again this week, five or so years after he first promised such action. President Blame-a-Lot said Congress stood in his way, and the supplicant press nodded and
***CLARIFICATION Due to Netflix Streaming losing almost 2,000 streaming titles, Wednesday was dubbed “Streamageddon,” and in the course of the frenzy some misinformation was passed on, including by us. In a game of editorial telephone, we reported what Mashable reported
The Pigford saga offers a perfect storm of injustice–minority farmers as victims, greedy lawyers and massive government waste. So you’d think members of the celebrity community would rally to expose the matter. You know, Pigford-themed ribbons worn at awards presentations,
Veteran comic actress Catherine O’Hara is as busy as ever, even if you don’t always see her face on the big or small screen. The SCTV alum and Home Alone star works nonstop in the animated realm, lending her comic timing and
Matt Damon’s Promised Land is a passion project against the potential downside of the energy creating process known as fracking. Only Damon, who starred and co-wrote the 2012 drama, instinctively knew telling that tale the way he wanted to wouldn’t
The 2013 Summer movie lineup brings to mind one of Yogi Berra’s finest witticisms–“it’s like deja vu all over again.” Hollywood is reduced to a “better safe than sorry mode,” meaning sequels and reboots are now the prime vehicles for
Garry Trudeau, the creator of Amazon’s Alpha House, uses up so many anti-GOP cliches in the show’s pilot it’s a wonder any remain to fill out a full season. Alpha House, part of Amazon’s foray into original programming, plays out like
Spike TV is known for catering to a young male audience with hardcore reality shows, wrestling and even swimsuit programming. The cable channel is shaking up its image with a new scripted series based on the Sept. 11, 2012 attack
Singer/songwriter Seth Swirsky followed all the requisite cool bands as a youngster in the 1970s, from ageless Beatles tracks to the Doors. “At the same time I loved Mott the Hoople and the Carpenters,” Swirsky tells Big Hollywood. “To me, music
Bringing The Mandarin, Iron Man’s arch-enemy, to the superhero franchise’s third installment required a delicate touch. The supervillian began life as an Asian stereotype, at least as seen through our modern lens. So the makers of Iron Man 3, opening
Hugo Chavez’s death may have ended his reign in Venezuela, but the late leader’s clampdown on free speech continues. A Calif. lawmaker is calling on the Venezuelan government to release a U.S. filmmaker being held prisoner in the country. Timothy
Robert Redford assembled a glittery cast for his latest directorial effort, The Company You Keep. The acclaimed star/producer also garnered his fair share of softball interviews with the likes of ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. That wasn’t enough to prevent the film
This week’s gathering of the nation’s former and current president at the George W. Bush Presidential Library opening gave Americans the chance to see a truly bipartisan moment in politics. No rancor, just smiles–and a mutual understanding of how difficult
Like a fading singer leaning on moldy hits in concert, Natalie Maines is still bashing President George W. Bush in the press. The former Dixie Chicks singer, who drew headlines while critiquing Bush during an overseas concert appearance back in
Road trip movies embrace the unusual, rumbling over one clunky comic pothole after another. Arthur Newman, a road trip reinvention movie, restrains itself from such devices but doesn’t offer enough meaty moments to replace them. Colin Firth plays Wallace Avery, a
Hollywood and the mainstream media have been portraying the Tea Party movement as racist and violent ever since it rose up during the early months of President Barack Obama’s first term. Never mind that the Occupy Wall Street movement set
Will Smith’s character in The Pursuit of Happyness would have little to say to the protagonists in Pain & Gain. Both movies are based on true tales, but Smith’s film showcases the hard work, determination and glory of the American dream. Pain &
Adam Carolla is no stranger to the P.C. police. He simply refuses to hold his hands out so they can slap the cuffs on him. Carolla offered some advice to his fellow comedians during a recent podcast on how to
You’d think the cast of The Reluctant Fundamentalist would be concerned that their film is coming on the heels of yet another terrorist attack carried out by extremist Muslims. Instead, director Mira Nair used the film’s promotional push to blast modern
Ticket-holding farmers had a rough time at Sunday’s screening of Gasland Part II at the Tribeca Film Festival, getting denied a seat for daring to shout tough questions to the film’s director and celebrity supporter, Yoko Ono. At least they didn’t
Singer/poet Amanda Palmer isn’t backing away from feeling empathy for the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing. In fact, she feels sorry for those who can’t summon her brand of empathy for two men who appear to be responsible for
