May the best Schmuck win, in Steve Carell’s new movie Dinner for Schmucks, out July 30th.Paul Rudd is a rising exec and to please his boss, he has to bring the best idiot he can find to the Dinner for Schmucks. The co-worker that finds the dumbest dunce gains favor with their boss. Rudd’s character sees his shining opportunity when he meets Barry the Taxidermist (Carell). When Rudd finds out the point of the meal is to embarrass the guests, he has to decide which is more important: his job or his conscience.
Steve Carell at the 2010 SAG Awards Courtesy Thomas Attila Lewis
This is just one of Steve Carell’s several projects, and probably the most anticipated. His departure from “The Office” has freed him up to do movies like Get Smart 2, Missing Links, and Of All Things. Despicable Me, out earlier this summer, showed how kid-friendly Carell can be, too.
“I just think it’s time. I want to fulfill my contract. When I first signed on I had a contract for seven seasons, and this coming year is my seventh. I just thought it was time for my character to go,” said Carell in an interview with E!
Early Thursday morning, the nominations for the 2010 Emmy Awards were announced in California, and Hollywood East was left far from being out of the running. A number of TV shows and actors with connections to the New England area were nominated this year.
In the Outstanding Comedy category, “Glee” was nominated. The series is helmed by Newton, Massachusetts bred creator, Brad Falchuk. In the Outstanding Actress in a Drama category, Glenn Close, from TNT’s “Damages”, was nominated. The critically acclaimed actress was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, and first cultivated her acting chops at Choate Rosemary Hall High School in Wallingford, Connecticut.
In the Outstanding Reality Show (Competition) category, “American Idol”, “Project Runway”, and “Top Chef” have all been nominated, which have all featured contestants from New England this past season.
Looks like cable’s biggest funny man is taking some vacation days. Steve Carell has officially given word that season 7 of “The Office” will be his last, while the rest of the cast carries on without him. When asked why the Mass native is leaving a hit TV show with a huge fanbase, he simply said that he’s going to fulfill his contract but just wants to spend time with his family. Office fanatics might not be appeased by that answer, but fans of the Massachusetts native won’t be disappointed. He’s got a ton of stuff in the works (check out a previous Hollywood East Connection article about his upcoming projects) so he might not have as much family-time as he’s leading on.
He has two movies hitting the theaters in the next few weeks. Despicable Me, out July 9th, and Dinner for Schmucks, coming out July 30th, are just the tip of the Carell iceberg. According to IMDB.com, he is involved with no less than ten projects in the foreseeable future. To name a few, be on the lookout for Get Smart 2 and an currently untitled marital crisis comedy with Marisa Tomei, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
To get the most funny for your money, check into “The Office” Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC before it’s too late. It’s not like the the other guys and gals of in the office aren’t great, but you know Dunder-Mifflin won’t be the same without the infamous Michael Scott.
Just off his recent Golden Globe nomination, funnyman Steve Carell likes to keep a low profile in the entertainment industry, as the Concord, Massachusetts native is not terribly fond of talk show appearances or interviews. However, his current schedule is jam-packed with a number of projects currently in the works or soon to begin in the near future. About to be released on April 9, his newest movie, Date Night, costarring Tina Fey, combines action and comedy as the funny flick follows an unlucky married couples’ misadventures after an unfortunate case of mistaken identity on their night out on the town. The movie also happens to costar Dorchester’s Mark Wahlberg.
Already in post production, Carell also has 2 movies, Dinner for Schmucks and Despicable Me, of which he is using his voice talents. The talented star of “The Office” and the 40 Year Old Virgin has eight other movies currently in development, including Get Smart 2, two untitled projects, and Missing Links, written by Jay Lavender, who wrote The Break-Up.
On January 6th, the 2010 People’s Choice Awards show will air, selecting the best in music, movies and TV as voted by…well, the people of course! Amongst the nominees that were announced on November 10 in Los Angeles, Hollywood East is well-represented. In the Favorite TV Comedy Actress category, Burlington, MA born Amy Poehler was nominated. In the Favorite Comedic Star category, Adam Sandler is among those selected, who got his start at a Boston comedy club, and spent much of his summer in the area working on Grown Ups and The Zookeeper.
Of movies that were filmed in the hub that were also on the nominations list: The Proposal was nominated for Favorite On-Screen Team, Favorite Movie, as well as Favorite Comedy Movie, as was Bride Wars. Maine’s Patrick Dempsey was nominated in the Favorite TV Drama Actor, and Concord, MA native Steve Carell was no surprise in the Favorite TV Comedy Actor category.
On the musical side, Fairfield, Connecticut’s John Mayer was nominated for Favorite Male Artist. The twisty-faced tune-smith is fond of keeping in touch with his fans via Twitter, and no doubt used this social medium to play to his advantage while votes were being cast.
The 2010 People’s Choice Awards will air live on CBS on Wednesday, January 6, and will be hosted by Queen Latifah.
The Boston Society of Film Critics recently picked its favorites in the past year’s cinematography, and its list includes well-known favorites as well as hidden gems. For her role as the iconic TV cooking show host in Julie and Julia, Meryl Streep was named best actress, and Stanley Tucci was runner up in the supporting category for his role in that film as well. The Hurt Locker, an independent modern war drama, was named the year’s best film.
Founded in 1981, the Boston Society of Film Critics was started to help give voice to “Boston’s unique critical perspective” on both a national and international level. Each year they recognize both national and local film endeavors, as well as theaters and film societies. Past winners include Mystic River, Schindler’s List, and The Silence of the Lambs. This year’s awards will be handed out at a local ceremony, date to be determined, in early 2010.
The Golden Globe nominations were announced on Tuesday and there’s a host of Massachusetts connections amongst many of the nominees. Meryl Streep (what a surprise) was nominated for playing Boston-based author and cook Julia Child in the true story, Julie and Julia, which likewise was nominated for a Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy award. Joining Streep in the Best Actress category is Sandra Bullock for her role in The Proposal, which was filmed in and around the Boston area. In the Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) category, Boston’s own Matt Damon is nominated for his role in The Informant!, as well as in the Supporting Actor category for his role in Invictus. On the TV side of things, “The Office” was nominated for a Best Comedy or Musical Television Series award. The quirky show features Concord, MA’s Steve Carell, who was also nominated for a Best Actor award.
Newton, MA native and star of “The Office” John Krasinski was in Boston this weekend for a variety of promotional events for his new independent film, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, his directorial debut.
John Krasinski Courtesy Kristin Dos Santos
The 29-year-old actor, whose work includes roles in the movies Leatherheads, Jarhead, and Kinsey, wasted no time in his brief local tour, making stops at the Brookline Booksmith for an autograph signing, Boston.com/The Boston Globe and WHDH for interviews, before heading over to the Kendall Square Theater in Cambridge for screenings of his new film.
An insider at WHDH tells Hollywood East Connection that the talented actor was friendly and approachable to staff members seeking autographs and pictures when he appeared at the studio for an interview with one of the Channel 7 anchors. The smiley star “Seems like a nice guy who ‘gets’ that he’s famous, knows he has a lot of fans, and wants to give them a chance to meet him. It was nice to see such a famous actor be pretty down to earth.”
