Mediaite » Steve Martin

Gossip Cop: Steve Martin Swindled In Art Forgery Scandal

Jon Bershad — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:54:15 +0000

In a scandal the likes of which would be gradually and delicately revealed over the course of his new novel (yes, I read it and, yes, I quite enjoyed it), it appears that Steve Martin has been caught up in an art forgery scandal. Our friends over at Gossip Cop have confirmed the story with a “a source close to the comedian.” Presumably Martin would have talked about the case himself but, every time he tries, people get bored and send up notes asking him to do quotes from The Jerk instead.

Martin is just one victim in what Spiegel is calling “Germany’s biggest art forgery scandal since World War II.” Apparently though, he got his pretty hard.

From Gossip Cop:

“The actor-author-musician, who set his recent novel ‘An Object of Beauty’ in the art world, purchased what he thought was a 1915 painting by Heinrich Campendonk called ‘Landscape With Horses’ for approximately $850,000 in 2004.

When he attempted to resell the work 15 months later, Martin’s painting took a big loss, fetching only about $600,000.”

Ouch. I guess he’ll have to do a few more movies he doesn’t want to talk about. Either that or everyone can buy his latest book. Oh! Then we can all talk about it! Mediaite book club!

Actually, Every Year Someone Calls The Academy Awards ‘Worst Oscars Ever’

Danny Groner — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:13:34 +0000

If it seemed like everyone was ganging up on James Franco, Anne Hathaway, and the Oscars yesterday, it’s because they were. In one of many brutal takedowns, Rolling Stone‘s Peter Travers said, “The stirrings I felt from the 83rd annual Oscar show made me want to puke. How could so many stars bore so many people breathless?” Few critics could find anything positive to say about the ceremony, and many echoed the same declaration of “Worst Oscars Ever.” But that phrase may sound familiar – it’s been summoned on several occasions in years past (it’s also somewhat accepted that 1989′s show was really the worst ever). Here, a look at how reviewers of the annual spectacle have summoned the same refrain:

2010 ceremony: “Worst. Oscars. Ever,” said movie critic Peter Howell in the Toronto Star. “Yes, I know I’ve said this before. But the Academy keeps coming up with new lows.” Hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin led a show that “was a desperate attempt to look hip,” and, at three-and-a-half hours long, it “wasn’t the longest Oscar broadcast ever, but it sure felt like it.” In fairness, “I should qualify my rant slightly. This wasn’t the worst Oscars ever, it was the worst Oscars broadcast ever.” They did pick the right winners. Still, in the spirit of one of the year’s most popular films, I wish we had “our own avatars to watch the show in our place, saving us from having to endure it ourselves.”

2009 ceremony: In a piece titled “The Worst Oscars Ever,” The Daily Beast’s Lee Siegel said the “show was an embarrassingly contrived spectacle that only served to prove how insecure Hollywood is about its own future.” Hoping to re-establish “cultural relevance they used to” have, the organizers “desperately seized on a whole new format.” It was a “disaster,” to say the least. “No wonder the show’s main sponsor was JC Penney, who it seems is embarking on an ad campaign to rebrand itself from a downscale discount outlet to an upscale discount outlet.” The night concluded with the airing of trailers for some upcoming films, which “was like watching a nervous breakdown.”

2008 ceremony: “[A]ll in all, it was The Worst Oscars Ever in the History of Hollywood,” said Nikki Finke in LA Weekly. It was the lowest-rated, partially “because this was really the 11th-hour Oscars” thrown together “after the sudden and unexpected settlement” of the writers’ strike. Putting on a show with just two-weeks notice is tough, and it showed. Most of the time, host Jon Stewart “just stood there uncomfortably, searching for a few words to say.” But this “debacle” wasn’t all Stewart’s fault. It’s about the movies, and No Country for Old Men took home top honors. Would it really “kill the academy to include crowd-pleasers” like action films or comedies? “Usually, academy voters are painfully out of touch with the tastes of the American public. Now the show is a pathetic anachronism too.”

2007 ceremony: “This was the most tedious Oscars show ever,” said Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield. There’s a lot to complain about here. “Dumb montages. Dumb comedy bits. And sorry, but after two speeches by Al Gore, several speeches about him and a Melissa Etheridge song,” I’d had enough. “Christ, Al, would it have killed you to just win Tennessee?” Spare us, please.

Does that make Jon Stewart‘s 2006 show the best ever?

Panel Nerds: 2010′s Best Panels and Quotes

Panel Nerds — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:32:34 +0000

Over the course of 2010, we covered an array of politicians, authors, entertainers, media mavens, and others as they discussed their crafts and their industries. We enjoyed most of the panels, lectures, and debates we took in, while some of them fell short. Here, a rundown of our 5 favorites, followed by the 10 quotes that defined the year in New York City media panels:

THE 5 BEST PANELS OF 2010

1. Who: Billie Joe Armstrong, Michael Mayer, interviewed by Jordan Roth
Where: 92nd Street Y
When: September 19
What we said: “Mayer says that theater has always told the stories of the active and vocal generation of the time; American Idiot follows in that tradition. So what’s Armstrong think of his songs being performed on stage? They’re “two different animals,” he assures. He admits, though, that certain songs have been adapted so well to Broadway that the band now plays them differently on tour. It seems that the art forms have worked in tandem even better than the duo could have imagined.”

See the full review.

2. Who: Jonathan Alter, David Remnick, moderated by Abigail Pogrebin
Where: The JCC in Manhattan
When: October 13
What we said: “Getting the president to open up was a different story. Each of the writers got around an hour total to ask Obama questions for their respective books. Neither of them found him very forthcoming. They each, separately, came to similar conclusions about the president’s childhood and demeanor. He’s deliberate, disciplined, cool, and detached, they said. What perplexes them, though, is how he rose up and became known as a communicator yet struggles in those areas today.”

See the full review.

3. Who: Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers, interviewed by Ken Auletta
Where: W Hotel – Union Square
When: March 2
What we said: “Both Meyers and Michaels were entirely upfront about the process they go through to put the show on the air. Michaels says that his show requires a certain precision and camera timing to put together that doesn’t allow for improvising, despite the comedians’ proficiencies and wishes. However, when Michaels was asked about the way NBC handled the Leno-Conan handover, he quickly silenced himself. It showed how disciplined Michaels is, and prefers his show to be.”

See the full review.

4. Who: Jimmy Fallon, interviewed by Brian Williams
Where: Paley Center for Media
When: May 27
What we said: “While not educating the audience, the pair was yukking it up in ways only they can. Fallon danced through the aisles, re-positioned his chair for the sake of a joke, did celebrity voice impressions, among other overall wackiness. Williams aptly played the straight man, picking his spots carefully and making the crowd laugh with his body movements and positioning. At one point, the way Williams simply moved his chin in response to some of Fallon’s antics made us laugh.”

See the full review.

5. Who: Steve Carell, interviewed by Tad Friend at the New Yorker Festival
Where: Acura at SIR Stage37
When: October 3
What we said: “Carell said that his favorite character on The Office is Toby because he does so much with so few lines and minimal amounts of screen time. This isn’t surprising though once you consider that Carell, in his roles, chooses his spots wisely, largely blending in as observers until his much-awaited entry and timely punchline. He said he’s committed to making his comedy “genuine and real” in order to avoid cliches and anything else predictable.”

See the full review.

THE 10 BEST QUOTES OF 2010

1. “He’s the least crazy president we’ve had in a century. He’s probably the least crazy person I know.”
- David Remnick shares his thoughts on the president’s psyche

2. “Is this boring?”
- Steve Martin wonders aloud whether his interest in art speaks to the 92Y audience

3. “When you get to the afternoon, Fox goes from the attractive Munster daughter to the monster under the stairs.”
- Brian Williams looks at how the news competition shapes up

4. “I don’t think my special brand of self confidence comes from anyone outside of me.”
– Gabourey Sidibe is fine with herself

5. “If you feel the audience is ahead of you, you’re losing.”
- Lorne Michaels recognizes his important it is in comedy to out think your viewers

6. “I plan to continue covering the media until I write about myself: ‘David Carr got laid off today.’”
- David Carr is going to create another Moses conundrum

7. “The only acting I did in high school, I was the rear end of a horse.”
- James Earl Jones has grown into larger parts since then

8. “Those who shout the loudest don’t necessarily deserve to be heard the most.”
- Tony Blair dealt with this firsthand as he faced down a disruptive protester proclaiming him a “war criminal”

9. “The structure of banking is what brought us to the precipice; it destroyed our economy.”
- Eliot Spitzer wants to rebuild the foundations

10. “The Long Island social scene is hanging out in the parking lot of a mall so [my acting career] was my saving grace.”
- Natalie Portman doesn’t know the joy of drinking slurpees outside a CVS

Panel Nerds: Steve Martin Isn’t A Wild and Crazy Guy Anymore

Panel Nerds — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:47:17 +0000

Who: Steve Martin, interviewed by Deborah Solomon
What: “Steve Martin with Deborah Solomon”
Where: 92nd St. Y
When: November 29, 2010
Thumbs: Down

Midway through the Steve Martin’s discussion with Deborah Solomon, a 92Y representative walked onto the stage to hand Solomon a card. Not only did the audience wonder what the card said, Martin asked Solomon about it. She then told us all that she’d been instructed to ask more questions about Martin’s career instead of focusing exclusively on his new book, An Object of Beauty, as she had to that point. We’d never seen the interviewer pushed in a different direction with such a public display.

In all honesty, though, this was a necessary measure to take. As soon as Solomon announced her orders, the audience cheered, making it clear they wished to hear more about Martin, the actor, and less about Martin, the author. Most interesting, however, was the 25 minutes that followed which demonstrated Martin’s dismay, despite public pressure, to discuss his past roles and experiences. For Martin’s sake, Solomon’s instincts were right to keep to his current project and endeavors. But she, Martin, and the audience didn’t see eye to eye on what the event was supposed to be, one spectator even commenting afterward that “it was like they were somewhere we weren’t.”

So what did they talk about? Art. Martin’s new novel is set inside the New York City art world, a world that he became familiar with through the years dating back to his time exploring galleries, museums, and libraries while on tour in different American cities. To Martin’s credit, he seems to know a good deal about the subject – he can even talk at length about the differences between the “uptown” scene and the “downtown” scene in New York.

While intriguing at times, this discussion went on too long for many audience members who wished to hear more about the Martin they knew already. In this way, Solomon was too rigid, twice “catching” Martin talking about himself, instead of about the book, and quickly turning her – and in turn his – attention back to the novel. To her credit, once prompted, she did ask more general questions. She even tried to tie together all the various things Martin has done. Soon after, though, Solomon went back to asking questions about plot points and process to the novel. Their discussion ended with Martin admitting, after a heavily leading question about the structure of the book, “I never thought about it, and I don’t care about it.”

What They Said
“I assume the title doesn’t apply to you.”
- Deborah Solomon jokes that Steve Martin isn’t worthy of being called a thing of beauty

“Is this boring?”
- Steve Martin wonders aloud whether his interest in art speaks to the 92Y audience

“After you look at thousands of paintings you get a sense of what a good picture is.”
– Steve Martin’s advice on how to become a better art critic and art lover

“I’ve had comic sex scenes and then I’ve had real sex scenes that just aren’t sexy.”
– Steve Martin says that his acting roles have run the gamut

“You know what’s really hard? To tell a story well. What’s not so hard? To break the rules.”
- Steve Martin has shown a more serious side in recent decades

What We Thought

Solomon should have broken up the hour better. If she wanted to spend a good deal of time on the book, she could have. But moving onto other subjects is part of any good conversation, as Solomon should know from her time doing her The New York Times interviews.
It’s actually quite impressive how capably Martin is to bounce back and forth from acting pursuits, to musical ones, to literary ones. It’s one thing to have all those talents; it’s quite another to be able to fit into so many circles and groups. Martin seems to be well-liked by all of them, a true testament to his vast array of skills.

PANEL RULES!
Some audience behavior seems to repeat itself panel after panel. We’ll be updating a running list of “PANEL RULES!” that will help ensure that you are not the dweeb of the Panel Nerds.

Panel Nerds don’t like…Disrespecting Audience Questions
Because Solomon was so taken aback by the request to ask more general questions, she had a hard time taking a back seat to the audience-submitted questions. So when the first one atop the pile dealt with “Who is the real you?” Solomon preceded reading the question with a warning that Martin would “hate this question.” At that point, no matter what it asked, the question would be perceived as a dud. Martin did a fair job responding to it – offering some reflections about working with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin on It’s Complicated – but the damage had already been done. The person who wrote that question must have felt humiliated. It was a fair question to ask, and one that, we felt frankly, Solomon could have posed during her time.

Tina Fey “Thanks” (Blasts) Sarah Palin While Receiving Mark Twain Award

Colby Hall — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:55:38 +0000

Earlier this week, Tina Fey became the youngest individual ever to be awarded The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. And while the usual suspects of entertainment peers came out to adulate Ms. Fey on her accepted and prominent spot in the American humor canon, some took umbrage when she “thanked” Sarah Palin, aiming some sharp jabs at the conservative political leader whom Fey has impersonated with great effect.

Writing for the Washington Post, Paul Farhi reported:

Some famous friends from both coasts swooped into Washington to hand Fey the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the annual award for a lifetime of creating comedy — or in Fey’s case, as more than one presenter noted, half a lifetime.

There was a parade of Fey highlights: the Weekend Update anchor years on “Saturday Night Live,” the “30 Rock” years, with its witty writing and Oprah walk-ons, Fey’s movies (“Mean Girls” and “Baby Mama”) and, of course, her career-revolutionizing Sarah Palin impersonation.

However, editors at the right-of-center Breitbart.tv saw it his way:

“30 Rock” creator and SNL alum Tina Fey became the youngest ever recipient of the country’s top humor prize on Tuesday. She appropriately thanked Sarah Palin:

I would be a liar and an idiot if I didn’t thank Sarah Palin for helping me get here tonight. My partial resemblance and her crazy voice are the two luckiest things that have ever happened to me.

Always the class act, Fey noted that the rise of conservative women is good, “unless you don’t want to pay for your own rape kit . . . unless you’re a lesbian who wants to get married to your partner of 20 years . . . [or] unless you believe in evolution.”

Watch the local news report from the Tuesday night event on ABC:

Thrice Hail! It Appears That Steve Martin Has Joined Twitter

Colby Hall — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:36:18 +0000

Hey do you like Twitter, but only wish it were somehow funnier? Well good news! Banjo legend, and sometimes comedian Steve Martin has now joined Twitter! And guess what? He’s really funny. Perhaps 140 characters is the perfect solution to a Ramblin man. R-A-M-B-L-I-N. Apostrophe. (Approximately 45 Mediaite readers will understand the reference to his first comedy album, Let’s Get Small.) Examples of funny jokes below!

Note – I suppose it’s possible that this is the work of some impostor. But who cares?! The jokes are still funny!

Some examples of the debut tweets:

@SteveMartinToGo: My publicist is nervous about my becoming a Tweeter. He says celebrities tend to make such monumental gaffes. He’s such a typical Wop!

@SteveMartinToGo: I would like to apologize for my previous Tweet. What I meant to say was that my publicist’s a Sammy, which means he’s a Samoan.

@SteveMartinToGo: I would like to cancel my previous apology. What am I if not a man?
@SteveMartinToGo: I would like to reinstate my first apology. It has been explained to me that I might never work again. Clearly, I am not a man.

@SteveMartinToGo: I would like to cancel my previous negation of my first apology.

@SteveMartinToGo: I would like to apologize to the people of certain parts of Manhattan, Italyville, but not Texas.

@SteveMartinToGo: I would like to apologize to the people of glorious Italy where I sometimes like to vacation. I love-a your spicy meat-a bolls!

@SteveMartinToGo: I’m actually part Italian, so I can make those jokes!

@SteveMartinToGo: I apologize for lying about being part Italian. I’m really Samoan.

Follow Steve Martin on Twitter here.

Alec Baldwin Hosts SNL Season Finale: The Highlights

Glynnis MacNicol — Sun, 16 May 2010 13:21:50 +0000

Alec Baldwin hosted the SNL season finale last night and while he may not have inspired the Betty White hysteria of last weekend (nor the ratings one imagines) he’s certainly a familiar face on the SNL stage. This was Baldwin’s 15th go-round as host, tying him with Steve Martin (who made a quick appearance via satellite in the monologue). Highlights from the show below, click through for video clips. Plus, scroll down for Baldwin’s opening monologue.

SNL: Bill Hader’s Stefon Has More Fun In New York Than You Do: In an otherwise lackluster SNL (sorry, Alec Baldwin), the standout was Bill Hader’s new character, club kid Stefon, whose detail-rich descriptions of New York’s hottest nightspots are creative, hilarious, and sound like the kind of ridiculous fun that is the stuff bachelorette parties gone wrong are made of.

SNL: Alec Baldwin Pokes Facebook: This week sees the return of Grady Wilson’s Sex Tips, featuring Kenan Thompson as elderly lothario Grady Wilson getting some help from Alec Baldwin’s mustachioed Greek sexpot in gold lamé. Yes, Facebook poking jokes are old, but familiar funny jokes executed in a slightly new way will always get a snicker.

SNL Digital Short: Andy Samberg’s Cokehead Tour-de-Force: The SNL Digital Shorts are often odysseys of goofiness and non-sequiturs, usually featuring Andy Samberg’s elastic face, and rarely disappointing, even when you don’t quite get the joke. Tonight’s was no exception as Samberg dances through life with a heaping dusting of coke across his face.

SNL: “And Now A Message From The People Who Ruined Our Ocean”: President Obama will like this quick, pithy open from SNL tonight: They rag on the oil company executives and their ridiculous solutions for fixing the massive BP spill in the Gulf. Short, sweet, reminds you how much you hate Halliburton.

Alec Baldwin on SNL: He’s No Betty White, But He’ll Do: Yes, Betty White was great last week. And yes, she brought SNL its highest ratings since the election. And no, tonight’s SNL season finale host Alec Baldwin probably will not match her ratings. But he’ll probably do okay.

Oscars 2010, The Longest Show On Earth: Highlights Edition

Glynnis MacNicol — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:50:21 +0000

Did you make it all the way to the end of last night’s marathon Oscar broadcast? It wasn’t the longest one in history – that was 2002 — but boy did it ever feel like it. Between Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin’s Catskill-esque opener, a number of extra longs montages, an even longer dance number, and this new thing they are doing when five actors laud their five best actor counterparts…well you’d be forgiven for not making it to the end. It was a good end however, Kathryn Bigelow made Oscar history by becoming the first woman to win for Best Director, and Sandra Bullock’s speech was utterly charming and down to earth: “Did I really deserve this or did I just wear you down?” Just before the clock struck midnight Hurt Locker walked away with the top prize.

In case you missed any of it — the red carpet fashions, the tears, or even the dolphins — you can find all of Mediaite’s coverage and videos here….without the boring parts. And yes, the dude abides.

Mediaite’s Oscars 2010 Coverage

Oscar 2010 Best Picture: Hurt Locker!

IT’S A GIRL! Kathryn Bigelow Wins Best Director

THE DUDE ABIDES! Jeff Bridges Takes Home Oscar For Best Actor

Sandra Bullock’s Funny, Humble, Touching Best Actress Speech

O Basterds! My Basterds! Why Quentin’s Nazi Revenge Flick Will Win Best Picture

Meryl! Clooney! Oprah! Why The Best Actor and Actress Tributes Is A Great New Oscar Tradition

In Memorium: Oscars Remember Those They’ve Lost, Except For Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur

Ben Stiller Goes Na’vi as Oscars Presenter [Video]

Sam Jackson’s Possible Eye Roll After Mo’Nique’s Speech

Mo’ Awards For Mo’Nique! She’s The Best Supporting Actress For “Precious”

The Oscars’ Best Documentary Short Speech Gets Kanye’d (Video)

Best Presenters, Best Speech: Tina Fey & Robert Downey Jr. Present Best Original Screenplay to Mark Boal for “Hurt Locker”

Oscars 2010: “The Weary Kind” Wins Best Song (Unsurprisingly)

George Clooney Does Not Think Steve Martin And Alec Baldwin Are Funny

NPH!! Doogie Dazzles In Surprise Oscar Opening Number

Oscars Red Carpet 2010! Styleite Ranks The Hits, The Misses, And Everything In Between

That Basterd! Christoph Waltz Wins Best Supporting Actor

Blue People, Red Carpets, Gold Statues: Mediaite’s 2010 Oscars Live Blog

George Clooney Does Not Think Steve Martin And Alec Baldwin Are Funny

Glynnis MacNicol — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:06:15 +0000

Was George Clooney part of the act or was he really as disgusted with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin’s opening act as his face seemed to suggest. Twitter seems to think the former…but wouldn’t it be great if it were the latter? George Clooney is the Wayne Gretzky of the Oscars! Video below…make up your mind for yourself.

NPH!! Doogie Dazzles In Surprise Oscar Opening Number

Rachel Sklar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:52:16 +0000

Well this one we didn’t see coming: The Oscars opened with the Best Actor and Actress nominees smilingly arrayed on the stage — a glittering tableau broken by the showstopping opening number, starring…Neil Patrick Harris? NPH hosted the Emmys, back in September; this awards show is being hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Well, whatever — obviously Oscar high commandant Adam Shankman wanted a sassy, spectacular opening number, so NPH it was. And, it was — a big, showstopping be-sequined number, complete with feathery showgirls, and cute lyrics about the state of Hollywood (though not nearly as zingy as they might have been, alas). It was short and sweet, and a way to introduce “the biggest pair since Dolly Parton” — Baldwin and Martin, descending from the ceiling into a jokey comedy routine that, alas, lacked the energy of the preceding act. Was it a good move? Yes to open with NPH; no to not push Martin and Baldwin to be part of it. Ceding this huge moment was them playing it safe — and if there’s one place to play it safe, fine, it’s the Oscars, but still. Wish we could have seen their descent from the sky as a lead-in to something larger. NPH is a crowd pleaser galore, but what would have pleased the crowd more: An opening number by the actual hosts. Anyhow — here’s NPH with the oddly-titled, “No-one Wants To Do It Alone.”

Dear Alec Baldwin, Don’t Retire From Panels

Panel Nerds — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:23:53 +0000

Who: Alec Baldwin interviewed by Janet Maslin
What: TimesTalks’ “Live with Alec Baldwin”
Where: The Times Center
When: December 3, 2009
Thumbs: Up

After hearing Alec Baldwin talk about the state of Hollywood, it’s easy to understand why he wants out. He says that movies are largely driven by business and marketing today, and the days of great actors are well behind us. Every actor has to make the choice between acting in great, perhaps overlooked films, and blockbuster pictures that earn you lots of money. Fifteen years ago, Baldwin says he made the mistake of going after the money.

Baldwin was very forthcoming about his decisions and his career, just not when interviewer Janet Maslin requested it. In fact, the whole interview seemed like a long charade for Baldwin who alternated between regaling the audience with stories, cracking jokes, making analogies, and doing impressions. Through the chaos of Baldwin’s act and contradictions of his words — and his many asides, to the audience’s delight — Maslin somehow managed to keep the actor relatively on track.

What drew Baldwin back to the topic at hand was the opportunity to express his admiration for those who came before him on the big and little screens. For the upcoming It’s Complicated, a romantic comedy whose screened clips were raunchier than you’d expect from the aging actors, it was the chance to work with Meryl Streep. That seems to be consistent with Baldwin’s proclaimed agenda for his Academy Awards’ hosting duties in the spring when he’ll aim to combine the reverence of the biggest night in cinema with his antics on stage with longtime friend, Steve Martin.

Jack Donaghy, Baldwin’s character on “30 Rock,” appears to have grown to be more like Baldwin himself, though he claims he only contributes ideas, not lines. After word came out that Comcast was taking over a controlling stake at NBC Universal, Baldwin suggested Donaghy barricade himself in his office. He says that these kinds of meta-references have pleased General Electric’s executives, but not so much NBC’s people.

Maslin pointed out that earlier in his career, because he was so good looking, not many people credit Baldwin for being funny, despite his work on “Saturday Night Live.” Now, and maybe because of his declining looks, Baldwin wryly pointed out, everyone seems to give him credit – be it for his comedic ability, his environmental efforts, or a possible future run for political office.

Everyone, and we suspect Baldwin himself is with that group, is trying to figure out the same thing: What’s next for Alec Baldwin?

What They Said
“Movie audiences date you and TV audiences marry you.”
- Alec Baldwin is going to stop having affairs

“Public officials deserve a lot more scrutiny than public figures.”
- Alec Baldwin believes that the public has no right to know what he does in his personal life

“Comcast is in Philadelphia, G.E. is in Fairfield, and that’s all I know.”
– Alec Baldwin knows less than Jack Donaghy about the inner workings of NBC Universal

“It’s like ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ without the wit or charm.”
- Alec Baldwin insults “The Room,” but in a way that “The Room” fans would probably celebrate

What We Thought

We found Baldwin’s comments about the decline of modern movies fascinating. He claims that John Travolta was the last true movie star, someone whose persona could draw customers to his movies and then deliver on that stardom. Since then, Baldwin says actors are used more to get people into the seats, but it’s the technicians who have to do the real work on the product.
After drilling Baldwin on some more serious points, Maslin tried to lighten the mood by asking Baldwin a series of true-or-false questions based on what she read about him online. This Internet fact-check revealed that Baldwin once had a job as a waiter at Studio 54. It also left him wondering whether the audience came to hear him talk about that.

Panel Nerds don’t like…Reminiscers
It was nice of so many of Baldwin’s old neighborhood friends (and dentist) to come out and support the Westchester County native. But did they all have to make their ways to the microphone? The first time it was endearing, but by the third and fourth example we were wishing for strangers to bypass the memory keepers in the line. With limited time and access to Baldwin, we wanted to hear more questions and answers. Instead, we heard a series of anecdotes that didn’t lead to anything but self-indulgence. Let’s keep the focus on the celebrity panelist, not those who shared a backyard with him.

Mediaite’s Top Thanksgiving Movie Moments

Glynnis MacNicol — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:55:35 +0000

What’s not to love about Thanksgiving? For one day in the middle of the week (a fact which used to fascinate and confuse me as a child growing up in Canada) an entire country of 300,000 million people stops everything they are doing to sit down, stuff themselves with food and drink, and watch football (I’m told…about the football party anyway). So yes, that part’s great. The part about being crammed into a house with various your family members may or may not be great depending, but that’s where the tryptophan and liquor come in!

Also, our Thanksgiving day marathon of top movie and TV Thanksgiving moments, which you can alternately choose to watch whilst stuck in a plane, train, or automobile or, when you need a break from being asked to explain to family members what exactly it is you write about on the Internet all day long. Fortunately! Some of these movies are available in their entirety on YouTube…meaning someone had their family Thanksgiving cap on. Anyway, enjoy it now, enjoy it later and if you have suggestions feel free to leave in the comments and we will do our best to add. In the meantime, have a safe Getaway Day and a Happy Thanksgiving.

Planes, Trains, And Automobiles

Home For the Holidays

As God Is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

Miracle On 34th St.

Hannah And Her Sisters

The Ice Storm

Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving At The West Wing

Pieces Of April

Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving (NSFW)

I Think That’s A Conehead: Barneys’ Weird SNL Windows

Philip Bump — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:53:58 +0000

If you’ve ever seen the television network Video Hits 1 (a.k.a. VH1), you’re probably familiar with flamboyant Barney’s creative director Simon Doonan and his one-man crusade to reintroduce the cravat into mainstream fashion. He’s known for his typically catty comments on the I Love the series, where what follows the word “the” in the title is any number from 1915 to 2020.

In his real life, Doonan is the Creative Director of the New York department store Barneys, and is responsible for, among other things, the store’s street-level window displays. Earlier this week, the store revealed its displays for the season the theme of which, in the grandest of holiday traditions, is Saturday Night Live. If you find that to be an odd choice, I’d guess you’re not alone.

The displays are heavy on allusion to various characters, scenes and personalities from the series’ 35 years – but deciphering each of those references is hindered by the primary mode of presentation, papier-mâché. (Or, as Americans say: paper mache. Barney’s generally prefers the fancy French spelling.) I can’t help but suspect that this medium was chosen primarily to evoke sympathy – after all, it’s possible, if not probable, that they were actually made by a class of fourth graders. If their teacher saw fit to distribute gold stars for their hard work, who could possibly mock them?

Well, me. I’ve done my best, below, to identify the references in each of the four windows. I have done poorly. Therefore, I appeal to you, Internet, to help fill in the blanks as much as these somewhat dark and small photos will allow. Hop to!

Window 1

Let me demonstrate my immense SNL knowledge right off the bat: this is primarily about the Coneheads. (Don’t be intimidated by my powerful intellect folks. Just do your best.)

In the close-up, at right, you can see how I pieced this one together. The mouth full of cigarettes, the six-pack of beer, the capes – all hints toward which long-running gag this pays testament to. Also, the shape of the heads.

(You may not have known, though, that the Coneheads were also big fans of Vanity Fair. Is it possible that a similar cranial structure is what’s buried beneath all that hair?)

Window 2

This one is a bit more complicated. Will Ferrell as Janet Reno, while an odd choice, is easy to spot, as is Dana Carvey‘s Church Lady and Brian Fellow, whose name is helpfully written (and misspelled) on his glasses. Father Guido Sarducci is between these two, in the center back.

There are five other floating heads here that are near incomprehensible. For example, the one behind Brian Fellow appears to be Matt Foley, though I only guessed that because, underneath him, it says, “In a van down by the river.” It also says, “Suck it, Trebek,” though, so who knows.

Oh, I just realized that the two in the upper left of the small photo are Wayne and Garth. Good luck on the two remaining.

>>>NEXT: Paper-mache Tina Fey, Sarah Palin, Gilly and Pat

The 375 Worst Actors and Directors of the Past Decade

Philip Bump — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:37:37 +0000

Rotten Tomatoes has unveiled what it deems its Worst of the Worst, those movies of the past decade that received the worst reviews.

Not surprisingly, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever was the number one worst movie, with a grand total of 0% good reviews. The cast was promising: – Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu – so why so bad? Do you really want to see it to find out? That goes pretty much for all the movies on the list — from Glitter to Swept Away to The Hottie And The Nottie.

Which prompted a natural follow-up question: what directors and actors had the worst results on Rotten Tomatoes from 2000-2009? Thanks to computers, we have the answer.

First, the methodology. Each person (actor or director) was given a number of points that corresponded to how badly the movie did. The 100th worst movie earned a participant 1 point – Ecks vs. Sever earned 100. Directors, however, deserve special blame for resultant crappiness, so they were given a 50% mark-up on their scores.

Which leads us to our list: the 375 Worst Actors and Directors of the Past Decade. (To be fair, most of these people were in one moderately bad movie, but that title is so catchy, we’re sticking with it.)

Here are the top ten:

Aaron Seltzer
Uwe Boll
Jason Friedberg
Roberto Benigni
Stephen Dorff
Eddie Griffin
Larry the Cable Guy
Lucy Liu
Natascha McElhone
Zach Cregger

Number 1 is no surprise Aaron Seltzer, who, along with #3 Jason Friedberg, makes the insipid Movie movies which are designed to cost a minimal amount and make up for it by fooling enough teenagers into coming that they end up being profitable (Seltzer did Date Movie without Fraiberg, which accounts for his exalted status). Likewise #2 – Uwe Boll. Somehow, a director who makes deliberately terrible movies is still given money to do so.

As for number 4 – Roberto Benigni‘s role as actor and director of the terrible Pinnochio did double damage. Is it fair to ding him twice for it? Yes.

Anyway, here’s the full list, as a sortable Google Doc. Points are calculated as above; “dings” are counted each time the person was in or directed a movie, regardless of rank. What do Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Dianne Weist, Scott Baio, Kal Penn, Brent Spiner, Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Kate Beckinsale, Charlotte Rampling, Steve Martin and DJ Pooh all have in common? They’re aaaaaall in here. Enjoy.

Did Elle Magazine Help Get Alec Baldwin His Oscar Gig?

Robert Quigley — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:02:20 +0000

It’s official: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will be co-hosting the Oscars. Martin, who’s successfully hosted the Oscars twice in the past, is a common-sense pick; teaming him up with Baldwin, who’s never hosted before, is a bolder move.

How’d he get the gig? The answer may be in these four words: Elle Women in Hollywood.

Theories from the plausible to the far-fetched have abounded about the Baldwin pick. The Business Insider brings up his popularity thanks to 30 Rock; The LA Times‘ Gold Derby blog says it has something to do with Martin and Baldwin co-starring in an upcoming romantic comedy called “It’s Complicated;” Reuters’ Fan Fare blog guesses that Oscar organizers are trying to “generate some publicity and maybe even some controversy given Baldwin’s history with social and political activism.”

But as recently as October 19th, Baldwin hosted the Elle Women in Hollywood awards and brought down the house. As the LA Times’ Dish Rag blog mentions (they have a lot of Hollywood blogs): ”guess who was in the audience? Oscar co-producer Adam Shankman. And when Carol Burnett suggested in front of the audience that Baldwin host the upcoming Oscars, Shankman just smiled.” Two days after the event, Variety wrote that Baldwin so stole the show that “it’s possible that Baldwin now sits on the hosting shortlist.”

Some definite winners here: Elle, whose event generated a ton of buzz in Hollywood even before the Oscar hosts were announced, Shankman, who is winning early praise on the ‘Nets for his inspired pick, and of course Baldwin himself. In the Oscar press release, he called hosting the event “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Not to be overlooked: J.R. Havlan and Stewart Bailey, who collaborated to write the Elle WIH routine that served Baldwin so well. Havlan has been a writer at The Daily Show since it started, and has written material for Jon Stewart’s Oscar gigs; Bailey is a former co-executive producer of The Daily Show and is now a highly regarded television producer in his own right.

Given their momentum, they’re likely to be in high demand in the near future: a number of previous Oscar hosts, like Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien, have brought their writing teams over from their shows in the past, and history could repeat itself with Baldwin’s Elle of a performance. Judge for yourself:

Alec Baldwin And Steve Martin To Co-Host The Oscars

Glynnis MacNicol — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:57:13 +0000

Double your pleasure, double your fun? It’s just been announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host this years Oscars. Per The Wrap:

“We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars,” said Oscar producers Shankman and Mechanic. “Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event.”

“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.

“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

Here’s a quick preview of the sort of thing you may be able to expect.

SNL Alum Movie Grosses: Eddie Murphy First, Tina Fey Last, Rob Schneider FTW

Rachel Sklar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:30:29 +0000

This is fantastic – the folks at Daily Fill & Movie Fill have done a major data cull, ranking SNL alumni by their total movie grosses and Rotten Tomato rankings. The results? Eddie Murphy dominates (thank you, Norbit), Tina Fey is in last place (but give her time), and Rob Schneider’s doing better than Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase and Billy Crystal (When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers? Really).

Less impressive are the tomato rankings — most of the SNL alums don’t do so well by that count, with half or more of the films registering a splat (here Fey can claim bragging rights, and also Bill Murray, the clear artiste of the lot).

It’s not perfect — the absence of Steve Martin is a glaring omission, hardly made up for by the inclusion of Kristen Wiig — but it’s pretty damn good, with a lot of fun data to slice and dice. (UPDATE: I’m an idiot, Steve Martin was never actually a cast member, my childhood memories of King Tut and the Festrunk brothers notwithstanding. But they did leave out Jay Mohr – Jerry McGuire had to have made some crazy bank, right?) It’s also yet another way to look at the massive body of work that has been spawned by SNL and its players over the years.

For the full-page data pore, go here. Don’t forget to tip your hat to Muppets From Space, the only tomato film on Rob Schneider’s list.

SNL Alums: By The Numbers [Daily Fill/Movie Fill]