The X Factor Week 2 Recap: The Judges Play Mean

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The X Factor wrapped up its audition rounds phase on Thursday night, pulling in some of the most original talent of the competition so far both good and positively awful. In the spirit of saving the best for last, well run down the worst first, and that had to be the judges behavior. Sure, Clarissa Cheatham, a 27-year-old office clerk, who goes by the nickname Cashmere, was awful as she gave a tone deaf rendition of Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey, but Simon Cowell was worse. Clarissas smile faded when Simon, in front of thousands, couldnt control his giggling as he told her, Cashmere, when you said that people screamed after [you performed] karaoke, I dont think that was a compliment, giving the impression he was laughing at her. More brutal than Clarissa having the wind taken out of her sails was L.A. Reid telling Emily, one-half of teenage Glee-esque group (think Rachel and Kurt) Ausem, that only her partner Austin was a star. No disrespect, L.A. began as Emilys face dropped, but Im not convinced of the duo. Luckily, Simon lobbied for them, and they got through. As for the good stuff, there was plenty, beginning with a pint-sized teen with a heck of a lot of attitude Brian Bradley. The little man, just 14, hit the stage, demanding in his rap that the listener, stop looking at my mom! You are arrogant, obnoxious, argumentative, but you are one of the most talented young people Ive heard in a long, long time, Simon said. L.A., however, had much, much loftier praise. I used to run this label called Def Jam, and all the years that I was there I was looking for you and you never walked in, so Im the luckiest guy in the world that you walked into my life today, he said. Tora Woloshin, 21, hit the stage looking like a blend of Lady Gaga and Kat Von D, but when she opened her mouth to sing The Jackson Fives I Want You Back she rocked the number out with a rock grit to her big, poppy voice. Theres something about you, the minute you walk out, Simon raved. Thats why this show is called The X Factor its more than just a voice, its something else and I think you could be really special. Pretty-on-the-eyes Brennin Hunt, 26, from Nashville, Tenn., looked like a model, but he wasnt just a pretty face, performing an original song How We Make It and easily sailing through the judges vote. Jazzlyn Little was petrified when she hit the stage, and could barely respond when Simon asked her simple questions like her age 16 but when the music came on (Mary J. Bliges Im Going Down), she was nowhere close to a shy little girl. Paula Abdul and Nicole hugged each other in disbelief and L.A. wondered aloud where her big sound came from. With the auditions over, The X Factor will return with its boot camp round next Wednesday at 8/7 C on FOX. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Full Movie

Snapshots

Susie McMonagle and Gene Weygandt remember themselves as teens (played by Megan Long and Nick Cosgrove) in Snapshots. A Northlight Theater presentation of a musical in two acts conceived by Michael Scheman and David Stern with book by Stern, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Additional music and lyrics by David Crane, Seth Friedman, Marta Kaufman, Alan Menken and Charles Strouse. Directed by Ken Sawyer. Music direction and arrangements, Steve Orich; musical staging, Karl Christian.Sue - Susie McMonagle Dan - Gene Weygandt Susie - Megan Long Danny - Nick Cosgrove Susan - Jess Godwin Daniel - Tony ClarnoWith a collection of both famous and obscure songs by Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked," "Pippin") threaded through an older couple's retrospective of their own boy meets girl, boy gets girl (finally!), boy and girl confront an empty nest story, "Snapshots" is too fully plotted to be considered purely a revue, but still a bit too sketchy to be a full-scale jukebox musical. Instead, this new conglomeration with book by David Stern, premiering at Chicagoland's Northlight Theater, sits mostly in an awkward but not altogether displeasing musical purgatory, with some redemptive emotional power emerging at the very end. Show begins with Sue (Susan McMonagle) packed and ready to leave her husband of many years Dan (Gene Weygandt). Dan finds her in the attic of their home, and the inevitable confrontation waits as long-stored photographs spur a lifetime's worth of reminiscences. Younger versions of the couple (Megan Long and Nick Cosgrove as teenage buddies, Jess Godwin and Tony Clarno as young lovers and parents) appearing before them to bring the "snapshots" to life, defining each turning point or emotional insight with a song or two. Subtitled "a musical scrapbook," the show's concept has a surefooted logic that keeps the piece cohesive and coherent. But it's easy to be left with a gnawing nostalgia for the old-fashioned revue, where curated songs with their own unique back-story of context and creation would form the scrapbook. Instead, some very fine songs are now re-conceived to service the emotional content of memories from characters who never become more than bougie stick figures, despite the fine performances, particularly from Broadway pros Weygandt and McMonagle. The most interesting insights exposed here involve the disproportionate number of Schwartz's best songs that involve youthful yearning -- "Corner of the Sky" from "Pippin" recurs a few times here, as does "Lion Tamer" from "The Magic Show." Songs from "Pippin" dominate the first act -- "No Time at All," "With You," "Morning Glow" in addition to "Corner" -- plus a sprinkling of "Wicked" with shards of tunes "Popular" (because the young Danny isn't) and "I'm Not That Girl" (when Susie sees Danny with another girl). Unfortunately, there's so much thematic repetition that Susie and Danny's constant refusal to voice their affection becomes more irritating than cute or moving. In the second act, songs involving more adult themes like dating and parenthood bring in examples from less well-known shows such as the comic "Personals" and the highly emotional "The Children of Eden" ("In Whatever Time We Have" provides the emotional climax, which really works), as well as the always welcome "Fathers and Sons" from "Working." But the true core of the show rests with examples from Schwartz's non-show album of personal songs, "Reluctant Pilgrim." This collection provides the title song at the top, as well as the song that best defines Sue and Dan's adult relationship ("The Code of Silence") and the final, hopeful "So Far." The production values come off mostly as serviceable, like the plotting. Director Ken Sawyer keeps it all grounded, but the fact that Karl Christian's contribution is called "musical staging" rather than "choreography" says all that needs to be said about the practicality rather than the expressiveness of the movement. There's a lot of plopping down on the bean-bag Jack Magaw keeps center stage for the first act. "Snapshots" has a few too many "Glee"-style mash-ups that keep some songs from generating momentum. But despite all its flaws, "Snapshots" certainly makes the argument that Schwartz's songs are always well worth hearing, and reflect a full lifetime's worth of musical life lessons.Set, Jack Magaw; costumes, Elizabeth Flauto; lighting, Jesse Klug; projections, Mike Tutaj; sound, Lindsay Jones; production stage manager, Rita Vreeland. Opened Sept. 23, reviewed Sept. 24, 2011; runs through Oct. 23. Running time: 2 HOURS, 5 MIN.Musical numbers: "Snapshots," "New Kid in the Neighborhood," "No Time At All," "Popular," "Lion Tamer," "I'm Not That Girl," "Making Good," "Extraordinary," "Corner of the Sky," "With You," "Two's Company," "All for the Best," "Morning Glow," "If We Never Meet Again," "Nothing to Do With Love," "Endless Delights," "That's How You Know," "Moving in With Susan," "Chanson," "The Spark of Creation," "All Good Gifts," "Father's Day," "Fathers and Sons," "The Hardest Part of Love," "Code of Silence," "In Whatever Time We Have," "So Far." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Watch a Movie

Warner Bros Buys Spec Killings & Purchases For KatzSmith Productions

EXCLUSIVE: Warners has bought author Jonathan Stokes’ spec scriptMurders & Purchases for just about any low six figures. The purchase marks the initial acquisition by Warners for producers Seth Graham-Cruz and David Katzenbergs KatzSmith Entertainment, which recently closed an over-all deal with the studio. The knowledge comedy is about a Wall Street stock broker who becomes the mark from the hit in the rival firm. Stokes last written the script El Gringo, starring Christian Slater, which was just produced by Joel Silvers genre label Dark Castle Entertainment and During The Night Films. Stokes latest spec,Blood stream Mountain, is presently making the models. He's repped by UTA and Entertainment.

'Fartiste' to Off Broadway

Former Fringe Festival musical "The Fartiste" lands Off Broadway next month in a commerical run.Show had its preem at the 2006 NY Intl. Fringe Festival, where it won one of the fest's top tuner kudos. New incarnation will see the production open at Sophia's Downstairs, the venue where "Miss Abigail's Guide to Etiquette" opened last year and is still running, with "Fartiste" playing in rep with "Abigail."Nick Wyman ("Catch Me If You Can"), Lindsay Roginski, Herndon Lackey, Analisa Leaming and Rachel Kopf star in the show about the real-life Moulin Rouge performer whose on-command flatulence made him popular. Charlie Schulman pens the book, and Michael Roberts provides the score. Tuner follows in the footsteps of another Fringe alum with a wacky title, "Silence! The Musical," which opened Off Broadway over the summer and is playing an extended run. "Fartiste" uses the flexibility of Off Broadway scheduling to run fewer perfs (five instead of the usual eight) and to concentrate them in more audience-friendly weekend slots. The Shulberts, the producing entity led by the tuner's two creatives, will produce with Robert Dragotta and co-producers Stephen Hanks and Diane Proctor. "Fartiste" begins previews Oct. 9 ahead of an Oct. 27 opening. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Watch Transformers 3 Dark Of The Moon For Free

Modern Family Season 3: Cam and Mitchell Face the Pros and cons of Adoption

Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson Modern Family's household will develop. Within the finish of Season 2, Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) made a decision they preferred to consider another child. So when you thought that only agreed to become a sentimental aside, you think wrong! Executive producers Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan the 3rd season of ABC's Emmy-winning comedy will explore the measures the happy couple would go to obtain another child. "If last season involved [the families] maturing, this season is about them growing," Lloyd notifies TVGuide.com, revealing that Cam and Mitchell need a selecting since there is a lady in Lily. Exclusive: It Is The holidays on Modern Family! "We're doing numerous tales on that subject," Lloyd states. "We're trying to deal with it in the real way. You don't just decide you have to adopt a baby boy after which it rub both of your hands plus it happens. You have to register with agencies. The businesses have to come and interview you together with take a look within the atmosphere the little one might be elevated in. Frequently, you have to virtually audition for your birth mother and discover how she will get about placing her child together with you. We are type of exploring a number of these steps in route on their behalf really obtaining a youthful child.Inch Fall Preview: Get scoop inside your favorite returning shows One of the primary hurdles will come in the premiere episode. Mitchell, who's been working nearly non-stop simply because they adopted Lily, realizes he is probably not entirely fit to enhance two children. "Mitchell, that has not shouldered many of the raising of Lily, starts to own some fears about how precisely he'll end up like a parent with a boy, particularly," Lloyd states. "As they has some a troubled relationship along with his own father too as with our season premiere after they go to a dude ranch, he's trying to actually assess the quantity of your guy he's and the way prepared he's to experience a boy in your home.In . Concurrently, Cameron, who's been the stay-at-home mother (See: "Mothering SundayInch episode), begins to know he's too close to Lily. "He's along with her constantly and he's have a virtuoso if this involves the products they can do while really holding her," Lloyd states. "There's hardly any household activity he can't do without getting her on his stylish. But he starts to fear that Lily has become so close to him that she's unlikely to tolerate a completely new child in your home so he's trying to type of break themselves in the Lily habit in one episode." Get scoop on Modern Family's Thanksgiving episode Both Stonestreet and Ferguson agree arrived showing the entire process of adoption since the comedy began together just getting custody of the children from the kids of Lily. "In my opinion lots of people, gay and straight, have to use alternate method to expand their family members,Inch Ferguson states. "There's lots being told because story. We met them within the peak from the pleasure, so it'll be great to find out their struggle." Adds Stonestreet: "It's a story that needs to be told since many families undergo that process therefore we are excited to make it happen in the comedy way." The adoption may not go as planned, though. "You'll probably uncover their location undergo plenty of pros and cons this season getting an unexpected ending that individuals shouldn't reveal yet," teases Levitan. Modern Family premieres Wednesday at 9/8c on ABC.

'The Raid' Director Signs with Management 360

Toronto Film Festival Gareth Evans, among the organization company directors who increased being one of the talks of Toronto along with his Indonesian action movie The Raid, has signed with Management 360. TORONTO REVIEW: The Raid Evans written and directed Raid, which started the Evening time Madness area of the Toronto Worldwide Film Festival and increased being this kind of sensation it ended up winning festival's Evening time Madness audience award. The interesting factor about Evans is always that he is not even Asian, but married a girl of Indonesian-Japanese descent, gone after Indonesia, and situated themselves used in TV and film there. STORY: Toronto 2011: Hot Indonesian Action Movie 'The Raid' Sells The Planet (Exclusive) His first feature was Merantau, a 2009 action movie which dedicated to the Indonesian fighting kind of silat. With Raid, he upped the ante buy showing gunplay on top in the mana-a-mano action. Raid notifies the story from the SWAT team that becomes in a tenement run having a callous mobster, outfitted with two highly violent fighting styles killings plus an military of machete-swinging, machine gun-transporting retailers and thugs. STORY: Toronto 2011: 'The Raid' Starts Evening time Madness around the Butt-Kicking Note The brand new the new sony Pictures Worldwide Purchases at Cannes acquired the film for domestic distribution and was pre-offered by other nations, nevertheless the makers in the movie, Abc Films, could become not possible the comfort around the world on the potency of that wildy raucous and happy premiere. It absolutely was following a premiere that agencies and management companies descended on Evans, trying to sign him. He's still without any agency. Toronto Worldwide Film Festival

Rosie ODonnell Makes Red-colored-colored Carpet Debut With New Girlfriend

NEW You'll be able to, N.Y. -- Rosie ODonnell features a new talk show, a completely new home in Chicago, now shes got a completely new lady in their existence girlfriend Michelle Models. Rosie and her girlfriend, made their red-colored-colored carpet debut last evening within the Building Dreams for kids Gala within the NY Marriott Marquis. An origin told Individuals who the two Rosie as well as the IT company headhunter really met inside a coffee shop. They met inside a Local coffee shop a few several days ago, an origin told the magazines website. They are adorable together and so are very, happy. Rosie and her last girlfriend, Tracy Kachtick-Anders, were reported to own split in February 2011 after a minimum of annually of dating. For your home, the Chicago Tribune reported the other day the talk show host was contracted to buy a 6,000 square-ft home inside the Lakeview area of the city, for your price of $2.5 million. Her new show, The Rosie Show, premieres on October 10 at 7 PM round the The famous host the famous host oprah Winfrey Network. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved.These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bravo Confirms 4 Housewives Leaving NYC Cast

NEW YORK., N.Y. -- The casting drama of The Real Housewives of NY City appears to finally be settled. Amid reports of whos in/whos out, Bravo released an official statement on Saturday, confirming who would be returning and who would be leaving. As had been previously rumored, Alex McCord, Jill Zarin, Kelly Bensimon and Cindy Barshop will not return for the upcoming fifth season, Bravo confirmed. Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan and LuAnn DeLesseps will be returning for season five of The Real Housewives of NY City, the network said in a statement to Access Hollywood. Weve had a fabulous run with all the ladies and appreciate them sharing their lives with our viewers. However, according to Bravo, they are cutting ties (for now) on good terms with the departing Housewives. It is a friendly departure among the other ladies and we continue to have on-going discussions with them, the networks statement continued. A rep for Barshop also confirmed the news to Access. She wont be returning for the next season, Barshops rep said. McCord posted a message on her Twitter page late Saturday about her departure. Nothing was decided until today, but as of tonight a decision has been reached. SimonvanKempen & I are leaving #RHONY, sadly but amicably, she Tweeted, noting husband Simon would obviously also be leaving the show. Meanwhile, a rep for Zarin issued the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: Jill is out of town with her husband Bobby and they are visiting her daughter Ally at college for family weekend so she is not speaking with the press. I can tell you that she is very happy and extremely busy with the national launch of her shapewear line Skweez Couture by Jill Zarin which will debut at Lord and Taylor stores across the country this month and then roll out at other national retailers in the coming months. Jill is humbled by the extraordinary amount of media interest in her response and looks forward to personally opening up about all of this very soon and announcing some exciting new projects. On Friday, prior to the announcement, Access spooke with Barshop at her day spa, Completely Bare, in NY City, where she said her decision to return next season could be based on who returns and who doesnt. I would need to see whos coming back. If it was just Sonja, Ramona, myself, no! she said with a laugh at the time. I loved working with Kelly, LuAnn and Jill. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Watch Transformers 3 Megavideo

Auteur Albert Brooks Feels the 'Drive'

Auteur Albert Brooks Feels the 'Drive' By Jenelle Riley September 15, 2011 Photo by FilmDistrict Actor-director Albert Brooks. He broke into movies when Martin Scorsese, a fan, cast him as a campaign worker in "Taxi Driver." But Brooks often eschewed other acting roles to pursue writing and directing his own filmscerebral comedies such as "Modern Romance," "Lost in America," and "Defending Your Life"whose respectable but hardly blockbuster box office didn't fully reflect the enormous cultural impact his work had. (Anyone who has ever called someone a "little brain" owes a debt to "Defending Your Life.") Outside of his own projects, Brooks has flourished. He earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as an underappreciated reporter in "Broadcast News." And he's beloved by children and adults as the voice of Marlin, Nemo's fretful father, in "Finding Nemo." At 64, Brooks seems to have accomplished everything he set out to in the entertainment world.But with 2011, Brooks might be having one of his best years yet. He released his first novel, "2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America," a look at a future in which curing cancer has drawbacks and health insurance inanities still exist. And this week, audiences will have the opportunity to see him as never before, playing Jewish gangster Bernie Rose in "Drive." Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, best known for violent thrillers "Bronson" and the "Pusher" trilogy, and starring Ryan Gosling as a man known only as Driver, the stylish film has earned raves along the festival circuit since debuting at Cannes, where Refn won the best director award. In a cast of greats, including Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman, Brooks stands out as the most sinister, threatening, and amusing villain seen onscreen in a long time."I don't know whose idea it was to cast Albert Brooks as a badass," Gosling admits. "But we're all in competition to take credit for it now." Everyone wants to take credit for casting you in "Drive" how did the role come to you? Albert Brooks: I don't know whose initial idea it was. And Ryan's not joking. Nicolas takes credit for it now; even Bryan Cranston says, "I told them!" I don't know whose idea it was, but I liked the idea. I got a call from my manager on a Thursday; the following day I was going to San Francisco. The casting director Mindy Marin had said [to my manager], "This director's in town for two days; I'd like to send you a script. If Albert likes it, will he go meet with him?" It all happened within an hour: I got a script, I read it, I really did like it, and I went and met him. They didn't say, "It's yours if you want it"they just said to go meet him. So we had this weird dance. It was like an interview for a law firm. Nicolas says, "So, why do you think you should play this?" And I had a very good answer for him. I said, "The same 10 people always play the bad guy, so if you want everybody to think your movie's old hat, cast them." We talked some more, and he told me that when he was younger he sat in a theater and watched "Lost in America" and I scared him when I yelled at my wife. So then I pinned him up against the wall to show him I had strong arms, and I left. Wait, did you really pin him? Did he know you were going to? Brooks: I really did. He had no idea. And let me tell you something; for a guy who films all this violence, I don't think he likes to be touched. I just grabbed him. It was at the end of the interview and I was walking out and we were by the door. And I grabbed him and said, very quietly, "To be violent, you don't have to scream at people."That's a bold move, but I guess it didn't backfire? Brooks: As I was doing it, I thought, "I don't know if this is the right move." But I wanted to do it. I was sort of pissed at the slow interview, and I wanted to do something. I mean, if this had been for, like, a secretarial position, I wouldn't have done it. But I thought it was important to show actual physical strength. Were you at all surprised you were being asked to play a villain? I can't remember seeing you play a bad guy. Brooks: I played a bad guy in "Out of Sight," but he was a pussy. He needed protection in prison, he needed people to stick up for him, he had security guards around him. He wasn't a guy who would take action himself; he paid people to do it. So I've never played a guy who you wouldn't want to cross physically, for your own safety.Because you've created so much of your own work, you've bypassed the audition stage quite a bit. When you sign on to a film as an actor only, do you generally have to audition? Brooks: I have a lot of meetings with directors. Mostly because I made my own movies, I turned down so many great roles, and those were offers. But there have been a few times where I fought for something. I remember I wanted "One Hour Photo." I met the director, and I think in his mind he'd already cast Robin Williams. We met at the Chateau Marmont; I prepared for the meeting, I really thought about it. And when I left I thought, "Jesus, I'd give it to me." But I don't think it was ever in question; I think it was just a formality.As a director, do you understand that? Brooks: Sure, if your heart's set on somebody, it's hard to yank it away. But if you're not set on anyone, these meetings are good. But somebody has to not have it precast, otherwise they're just agent thank-you meetings. And believe me, I've gotten those calls on my films: "Would you meet him, please?" And I said, "I know who I want. I love them but I don't want them for this." And I don't take the meeting, because I think it's an insult; if I know I don't want you, I don't want to waste your time. With "Drive," Nicolas either wanted me, thought he wanted me, or had no idea who he wanted. That was a meeting I was happy to take, and by the way, you're doing it for you, too. You want to sit in a room with someone and say, "Can I work two and a half months with this person?" "Drive" is a fun movie that audiences seem to love, but have you been surprised by all of its critical success? Brooks: It came out of Cannes shot from a cannon. And I was nervous about it. I said to them, "Is it good to take it to Cannes?" Because it's weird: If you have a movie like this and you go there and fail and you're coming out in September, you have the summer just to die. If it's the opposite of word of mouth, you're dead. I was on a book tour so I couldn't go, but Nicolas and Ryan called me and were so excited and saying, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God!" I was getting this contact high. So when it came out of Cannes, I started to get excited because I've been in many movies where I loved the performance, but no one saw it. I shot a movie in Toronto called "Critical Care" with Sidney Lumet where I played an 80-year-old alcoholic doctor, and I was very proud of that whole performance, and seven people saw it.Is that heartbreaking or just part of the business? Brooks: It's just the way it is; sometimes they go nowhere. Years later, someone might stop you on the street and say they saw it, and that's a great feeling. I made this movie I thought was very sweet called "My First Mister." It was released exclusively at Lincoln Center two weeks after 9/11. Not only that, it was the theater that had the anthrax scare. If there was a black hole, that would have been a better place to show it.As a filmmaker, what do you attribute the critical success of "Drive" to? Brooks: I think that's Nicolas. He's showing some chops here, just in the way he constructed the movie. If you took this movie on paper and gave it to 10 other people to make, eight would be a movie you've seen before and wouldn't do much for you. To really be able to make this into a cinematic experience, which he did, is an accomplishment. Both my wife and I saw it, and usually when I see a movie the first time, I'm looking at what was cut out, but with "Drive," I got lost in it. And more importantly, four days later I had these images in my head and the music was haunting me. It stuck with me, and I don't even know how that happened exactly. It was like subliminal advertisinghe might be throwing in some "Deep Red"s there!You mentioned before that you've turned down some great roles. I know you were offered "When Harry Met Sally" Brooks: I was offered "Pretty Woman" I was offered "Big" and "Dead Poets Society." But what was important to me in those years was to make movies, to make these Albert Brooks movies. And if you take your eye off the ball, you don't get the funding. You can't stop once you've started; you have to bring it to completion. There was one part I really wanted, and I had just begun preproduction on "The Muse." It was the Burt Reynolds role in "Boogie Nights." I really wanted to work with Paul Thomas Anderson, but once you start to even assemble a skeleton crew, you can't say to everyone, "Hey guys, I'm going to go off to film this other movie."Did you ever think, from a business standpoint, that if you did those movies, it might make you a bigger name and help your films get funding? Brooks: But the thing is, the goal was never to be a star; the goal was to try to write these movies and get the creativity out. It was really important to get my movies made, or they never would have been made. There's a time when it's right to do those things. And I'm happy with every decision. I don't think the goal is, how big a star did you ever become? I think the goal is, were you able to express yourself? And if you're able to say yes, in any field, you've won. If you paint, write, do mosaics, knitif it's solving that part of your brain saying, "I need to do this," you've won. Nobody gives a shit if your career is here or hereit's all temporary anyway. As an actor, do you think you have empathy for actors who audition for you? Brooks: Definitely. And I'm a good person; I wish all the times I had to go through that, I could have someone like myself because I do it and I understand it and I'm very respectful of the craft. When I audition, I understand what it takes and the insecurities that come with it. If I do anything, I put actors at ease. I used to tell directors who weren't actors, the best thing they could do was take an acting class for a couple of months. Just to understand. Because some directors don't have any feeling for it, and you're on your own. What would you like actors who audition for you to know? Brooks: Auditions are just part of the job. If you take any of this personally, you're in the wrong business. It has nothing to do with you. How many people didn't get a part who would have been better than the person who got the part? Thousands. But it feels very personal. Brooks: It does, because a person is saying no, thank you. But it has nothing to do with you. Somebody has a preconceived notion of what they want, and you might give a better performance or be a better person than what they get, but you look like their aunt and they don't want to spend a week with you. You don't know the reasons. It's like going out on a date. Why do some people get turned down? What do you do? You go on to another person. People's decisions come from things that have to do with them; it's not about you.I read somewhere that you didn't intend to be a comedian. So how did your career in comedy come about? Brooks: It's true, I never wanted to be a comedianI wanted to be an actor. I came back from a year at college, and at 19 I couldn't get any acting jobs. I had a couple of comedy bits I did for my friends, one of which was the world's worst ventriloquist. I did it at a party, and somebody heard about it, and I was offered "The Steve Allen Show." So I started on network television; there were no comedy clubs. So at 19, 20 years old, I started coming up with stuff in my bathroom. Then I got "The Dean Martin Show." These weren't big breaksthese were just laying pipe. I had done about 60 television shows, from "Ed Sullivan" to "The Hollywood Palace," before I ever went to "Johnny Carson." At the time, that was the showcase for comics. And I couldn't believe it. When did you truly feel you had broken through? Brooks: I'll tell you the moment my whole life felt different. Bob Hope used to walk on "The Tonight Show" a lot unannounced. It's fine when you're watching it at home, but when you're on it and he shows up, it's a little jarring. He shows up 10 minutes before the show, and you know he wants to walk out and plug his special. In those days, Johnny Carson used to always tell me I was crazy. He'd say, "You're insane, where do you get this stuff, you are crazy!" And Bob Hope's whole act was using celebrities as punch lines: "Hey, I just saw Helen Reddyboy, I'm a woman now!" That's all he did. So after he plugged his show, Bob Hope said, "Hey, I gotta run but you've got a lot of great people here. I just saw Albert Brooks; he's on the couch now!" And he got a big laugh. I thought, "Oh, my God, Bob Hope got a laugh saying I'm insane! I've made it!" I recorded that and for about eight months, it was on my answering machine.OUTTAKES Other films Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in include "Real Life," "Mother," and "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" Spent two years on the road opening for Neil Diamond Penned an infamous essay for Esquire magazine called "Albert Brooks' Famous School for Comedians" Was offered a job on the first season of "Saturday Night Live." He didn't want to continue with sketch comedy but agreed to make several short films for the show, which he considers his "graduate course in filmmaking." Auteur Albert Brooks Feels the 'Drive' By Jenelle Riley September 15, 2011 Actor-director Albert Brooks. PHOTO CREDIT FilmDistrict He broke into movies when Martin Scorsese, a fan, cast him as a campaign worker in "Taxi Driver." But Brooks often eschewed other acting roles to pursue writing and directing his own filmscerebral comedies such as "Modern Romance," "Lost in America," and "Defending Your Life"whose respectable but hardly blockbuster box office didn't fully reflect the enormous cultural impact his work had. (Anyone who has ever called someone a "little brain" owes a debt to "Defending Your Life.") Outside of his own projects, Brooks has flourished. He earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as an underappreciated reporter in "Broadcast News." And he's beloved by children and adults as the voice of Marlin, Nemo's fretful father, in "Finding Nemo." At 64, Brooks seems to have accomplished everything he set out to in the entertainment world.But with 2011, Brooks might be having one of his best years yet. He released his first novel, "2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America," a look at a future in which curing cancer has drawbacks and health insurance inanities still exist. And this week, audiences will have the opportunity to see him as never before, playing Jewish gangster Bernie Rose in "Drive." Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, best known for violent thrillers "Bronson" and the "Pusher" trilogy, and starring Ryan Gosling as a man known only as Driver, the stylish film has earned raves along the festival circuit since debuting at Cannes, where Refn won the best director award. In a cast of greats, including Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman, Brooks stands out as the most sinister, threatening, and amusing villain seen onscreen in a long time."I don't know whose idea it was to cast Albert Brooks as a badass," Gosling admits. "But we're all in competition to take credit for it now." Everyone wants to take credit for casting you in "Drive" how did the role come to you? Albert Brooks: I don't know whose initial idea it was. And Ryan's not joking. Nicolas takes credit for it now; even Bryan Cranston says, "I told them!" I don't know whose idea it was, but I liked the idea. I got a call from my manager on a Thursday; the following day I was going to San Francisco. The casting director Mindy Marin had said [to my manager], "This director's in town for two days; I'd like to send you a script. If Albert likes it, will he go meet with him?" It all happened within an hour: I got a script, I read it, I really did like it, and I went and met him. They didn't say, "It's yours if you want it"they just said to go meet him. So we had this weird dance. It was like an interview for a law firm. Nicolas says, "So, why do you think you should play this?" And I had a very good answer for him. I said, "The same 10 people always play the bad guy, so if you want everybody to think your movie's old hat, cast them." We talked some more, and he told me that when he was younger he sat in a theater and watched "Lost in America" and I scared him when I yelled at my wife. So then I pinned him up against the wall to show him I had strong arms, and I left. Wait, did you really pin him? Did he know you were going to? Brooks: I really did. He had no idea. And let me tell you something; for a guy who films all this violence, I don't think he likes to be touched. I just grabbed him. It was at the end of the interview and I was walking out and we were by the door. And I grabbed him and said, very quietly, "To be violent, you don't have to scream at people."That's a bold move, but I guess it didn't backfire? Brooks: As I was doing it, I thought, "I don't know if this is the right move." But I wanted to do it. I was sort of pissed at the slow interview, and I wanted to do something. I mean, if this had been for, like, a secretarial position, I wouldn't have done it. But I thought it was important to show actual physical strength. Were you at all surprised you were being asked to play a villain? I can't remember seeing you play a bad guy. Brooks: I played a bad guy in "Out of Sight," but he was a pussy. He needed protection in prison, he needed people to stick up for him, he had security guards around him. He wasn't a guy who would take action himself; he paid people to do it. So I've never played a guy who you wouldn't want to cross physically, for your own safety.Because you've created so much of your own work, you've bypassed the audition stage quite a bit. When you sign on to a film as an actor only, do you generally have to audition? Brooks: I have a lot of meetings with directors. Mostly because I made my own movies, I turned down so many great roles, and those were offers. But there have been a few times where I fought for something. I remember I wanted "One Hour Photo." I met the director, and I think in his mind he'd already cast Robin Williams. We met at the Chateau Marmont; I prepared for the meeting, I really thought about it. And when I left I thought, "Jesus, I'd give it to me." But I don't think it was ever in question; I think it was just a formality.As a director, do you understand that? Brooks: Sure, if your heart's set on somebody, it's hard to yank it away. But if you're not set on anyone, these meetings are good. But somebody has to not have it precast, otherwise they're just agent thank-you meetings. And believe me, I've gotten those calls on my films: "Would you meet him, please?" And I said, "I know who I want. I love them but I don't want them for this." And I don't take the meeting, because I think it's an insult; if I know I don't want you, I don't want to waste your time. With "Drive," Nicolas either wanted me, thought he wanted me, or had no idea who he wanted. That was a meeting I was happy to take, and by the way, you're doing it for you, too. You want to sit in a room with someone and say, "Can I work two and a half months with this person?" "Drive" is a fun movie that audiences seem to love, but have you been surprised by all of its critical success? Brooks: It came out of Cannes shot from a cannon. And I was nervous about it. I said to them, "Is it good to take it to Cannes?" Because it's weird: If you have a movie like this and you go there and fail and you're coming out in September, you have the summer just to die. If it's the opposite of word of mouth, you're dead. I was on a book tour so I couldn't go, but Nicolas and Ryan called me and were so excited and saying, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God!" I was getting this contact high. So when it came out of Cannes, I started to get excited because I've been in many movies where I loved the performance, but no one saw it. I shot a movie in Toronto called "Critical Care" with Sidney Lumet where I played an 80-year-old alcoholic doctor, and I was very proud of that whole performance, and seven people saw it.Is that heartbreaking or just part of the business? Brooks: It's just the way it is; sometimes they go nowhere. Years later, someone might stop you on the street and say they saw it, and that's a great feeling. I made this movie I thought was very sweet called "My First Mister." It was released exclusively at Lincoln Center two weeks after 9/11. Not only that, it was the theater that had the anthrax scare. If there was a black hole, that would have been a better place to show it.As a filmmaker, what do you attribute the critical success of "Drive" to? Brooks: I think that's Nicolas. He's showing some chops here, just in the way he constructed the movie. If you took this movie on paper and gave it to 10 other people to make, eight would be a movie you've seen before and wouldn't do much for you. To really be able to make this into a cinematic experience, which he did, is an accomplishment. Both my wife and I saw it, and usually when I see a movie the first time, I'm looking at what was cut out, but with "Drive," I got lost in it. And more importantly, four days later I had these images in my head and the music was haunting me. It stuck with me, and I don't even know how that happened exactly. It was like subliminal advertisinghe might be throwing in some "Deep Red"s there!You mentioned before that you've turned down some great roles. I know you were offered "When Harry Met Sally" Brooks: I was offered "Pretty Woman" I was offered "Big" and "Dead Poets Society." But what was important to me in those years was to make movies, to make these Albert Brooks movies. And if you take your eye off the ball, you don't get the funding. You can't stop once you've started; you have to bring it to completion. There was one part I really wanted, and I had just begun preproduction on "The Muse." It was the Burt Reynolds role in "Boogie Nights." I really wanted to work with Paul Thomas Anderson, but once you start to even assemble a skeleton crew, you can't say to everyone, "Hey guys, I'm going to go off to film this other movie."Did you ever think, from a business standpoint, that if you did those movies, it might make you a bigger name and help your films get funding? Brooks: But the thing is, the goal was never to be a star; the goal was to try to write these movies and get the creativity out. It was really important to get my movies made, or they never would have been made. There's a time when it's right to do those things. And I'm happy with every decision. I don't think the goal is, how big a star did you ever become? I think the goal is, were you able to express yourself? And if you're able to say yes, in any field, you've won. If you paint, write, do mosaics, knitif it's solving that part of your brain saying, "I need to do this," you've won. Nobody gives a shit if your career is here or hereit's all temporary anyway. As an actor, do you think you have empathy for actors who audition for you? Brooks: Definitely. And I'm a good person; I wish all the times I had to go through that, I could have someone like myself because I do it and I understand it and I'm very respectful of the craft. When I audition, I understand what it takes and the insecurities that come with it. If I do anything, I put actors at ease. I used to tell directors who weren't actors, the best thing they could do was take an acting class for a couple of months. Just to understand. Because some directors don't have any feeling for it, and you're on your own. What would you like actors who audition for you to know? Brooks: Auditions are just part of the job. If you take any of this personally, you're in the wrong business. It has nothing to do with you. How many people didn't get a part who would have been better than the person who got the part? Thousands. But it feels very personal. Brooks: It does, because a person is saying no, thank you. But it has nothing to do with you. Somebody has a preconceived notion of what they want, and you might give a better performance or be a better person than what they get, but you look like their aunt and they don't want to spend a week with you. You don't know the reasons. It's like going out on a date. Why do some people get turned down? What do you do? You go on to another person. People's decisions come from things that have to do with them; it's not about you.I read somewhere that you didn't intend to be a comedian. So how did your career in comedy come about? Brooks: It's true, I never wanted to be a comedianI wanted to be an actor. I came back from a year at college, and at 19 I couldn't get any acting jobs. I had a couple of comedy bits I did for my friends, one of which was the world's worst ventriloquist. I did it at a party, and somebody heard about it, and I was offered "The Steve Allen Show." So I started on network television; there were no comedy clubs. So at 19, 20 years old, I started coming up with stuff in my bathroom. Then I got "The Dean Martin Show." These weren't big breaksthese were just laying pipe. I had done about 60 television shows, from "Ed Sullivan" to "The Hollywood Palace," before I ever went to "Johnny Carson." At the time, that was the showcase for comics. And I couldn't believe it. When did you truly feel you had broken through? Brooks: I'll tell you the moment my whole life felt different. Bob Hope used to walk on "The Tonight Show" a lot unannounced. It's fine when you're watching it at home, but when you're on it and he shows up, it's a little jarring. He shows up 10 minutes before the show, and you know he wants to walk out and plug his special. In those days, Johnny Carson used to always tell me I was crazy. He'd say, "You're insane, where do you get this stuff, you are crazy!" And Bob Hope's whole act was using celebrities as punch lines: "Hey, I just saw Helen Reddyboy, I'm a woman now!" That's all he did. So after he plugged his show, Bob Hope said, "Hey, I gotta run but you've got a lot of great people here. I just saw Albert Brooks; he's on the couch now!" And he got a big laugh. I thought, "Oh, my God, Bob Hope got a laugh saying I'm insane! I've made it!" I recorded that and for about eight months, it was on my answering machine.OUTTAKES Other films Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in include "Real Life," "Mother," and "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" Spent two years on the road opening for Neil Diamond Penned an infamous essay for Esquire magazine called "Albert Brooks' Famous School for Comedians" Was offered a job on the first season of "Saturday Night Live." He didn't want to continue with sketch comedy but agreed to make several short films for the show, which he considers his "graduate course in filmmaking."

Test footage for The Goon appears online

Early test footage from comic-book movie The Goon has been posted online, featuring the voices of Clancy Brown and Paul Giamatti."This is early rough test animation for the David Fincher/Blur Studios/Dark Horse produced film The Goon," the two-minute video clip begins.The project is based on the Dark Horse Comics series written by Eric Powel.This is good fun and shows off the comics' dark sense of humour, but you really owe it to yourself to head over to Blur's website and watch the more finished footage.The Goon isn't in full production yet. As the test footage says, "This film is still looking for funding."

Watch Transformers 3 Online