Posts Tagged ‘Chris Rock’

While it’s no secret Boston has become the unofficial capital of Hollywood East, with numerous films and TV shows shooting here each year, it’s been hard not to stumble across camera crews and make-shift sets, despite sometimes very well-guarded production details. What has been kept slightly more hush hush has been the hotspots in the Hub that the stars of these projects hit when they’re not on the clock.

Boston’s restaurant scene has caught the Hollywood wave and starting offering more upscale options. Not surprisingly, many of the celeb favorites are centered around the Back Bay/Newbury Street area. Long-time favorite Sonsie has played host to Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Hulk Hogan, Roger Clinton, and Donnie Wahlberg.

For dessert, it seems that everyone in fact does scream for ice cream. The Newbury Street location of Ben & Jerry’s posts pictures on their walls of the famous faces that often stop by their store. Alec Baldwin, John Mayer, Jane Fonda, Ellen Pompeo, and players from the Celtics have all grabbed a cone recently.

In order to keep in shape (and perhaps work off the pounds from all that ice cream) the Sports Club/LA, adjacent to the Ritz Carlton hotel is arguably one of the most upscale gyms in town. That’s why it’s not surprising that The Rock, Justin Timberlake, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, and Emilio Estevez, Reese Witherspoon, and Britney Spears have all been spotted working out there at one time or another.

To blow off a little steam in a different sense, Felt Nightclub is a big favorite with the glitterati. Stars like Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Chris Rock have all made a presence there in the past year or so while they’ve been in town for projects. Other stars like Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, and Ben and Casey Affleck frequent the hip spot whenever their roots call them home again.

Speaking of Mark Wahlberg, he and Will Farrell will be at his  restaurant, Alma Nove, in Hingham, MA celebrating the premiere of their new flic, The Other Guys, showing at the Patriot Cinemas in Hangham.  The Alma Nove restaurant is owned by three Wahlberg brothers, including chef Paul Wahlberg, and family friend Ed St. Croix.

There’s a plethora of other places HEC has spotted celebs during their off hours. Singer Seal was seen in Boston’s Public Garden last spring while he was in town to sing the national anthem at Fenway Park. Actress Natalie Portman was in Cambridge in February for a friend’s wedding. Brooke Shields was spotted in her off-time from shooting Furry Vengeance at South Boston eateries Flour2 and Sportello. Funnymen Denis Leary and Lenny Clark grabbed lunch at the Four Seasons last spring while Leary was in town for his son’s graduation from Emerson College. Grown Ups costars David Spade and Colin Quinn were seen last summer grabbing a weekend bite at Sel De La Terre on Boylston Street.

Two features filmed in Hollywood East and chock full of celebs will premiere in the next couple of weeks! Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, will premiere at the Lowes Boston Common theater at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 25. If you’re from the area you might see someone you know in background since many of the extras were found by Boston Casting.

You’ll also be supporting the MA Production Coalition (MPC), the voice for the production industry in the commonwealth. Tickets for the premiere are $35, but order in advance because they won’t be sold at the door. Even if you’re not into action films come support the Legislative Committee in their fight to preserve and protect the MA Film Tax Credits. That, and Cameron Diaz is her usual smokin’ self. For more info take the jump to www.massprodcoalition.org.

If Thursday nights are more your thing, check out the Grown Ups premiere with its huge ensemble cast of the usual suspects of the comedy cub. Who better to play a group of immature 30-somethings than Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider?  Even better, Grown Ups was filmed in Massachusetts so watch out for familiar sites around the Bay state.

You can catch the sneak peek preview at 7:30 p.m. on June 24 at Fenway’s Regal Cinemas. Two pre-screen receptions on the 24th will be held at the Landmark Center Atrium (next to Regal) from 6-7 p.m. for $25. Come try the clam chowder from  Woodman’s of Essex, which is a featured spot throughout the film. If you really want to make a night of it, a VIP reception will take place at Burtons Grill on Boylston Street, complete with appetizers, drinks and a ticket to the premiere, all for $100. For more info on the preview take a look here.

While the proverbial NBA battle of Hollywood East versus west may be over, we saw a plethora of celebrities and other famous faces packing the stands, cheering their favorite team on.

So which stars cheered for which team? On the Boston Celtics side, “Access Hollywood”  cohost, Medford-born Maria Menounos, a graduate of Emerson College, Cambridge-born comedian Dane Cook, retired New England Patriots linebacker (and recent Health Expo attendee) Tedy Bruschi, Boston-born actor Mike O’Malley, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, Red Sox owner John Henry, Everett’s Ellen Pompeo, Watertown’s Eliza Dushku, and Dorchester’s Donnie Wahlberg. Chief executive of DreamWorks Animation and film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who donated $1.25 million to Boston University in 2006, was also assumed to be cheering for the Celtics.

Rooting for the Lakers, as always, was Jack Nicholson, singer Justin Timberlake, Sylvester Stallone, director Spike Lee, Sean P. Diddy Combs, Snoop Dogg, actor Leonardo DiCaprio who spent some time in Boston in 2008 while filming Shutter Island, Kevin Connolly, and Andy Garcia. Stars of the E! reality show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Kris, Kim, and Khloe Kardashian, wife of Lakers forward Lamar Odom, attended the games in L.A., but were absent on the east coast. Khloe did, however, find herself the target of some unique taunting by Boston fans at the TD Garden; fans were seen waving cardboard cutouts of her in hopes of distracting Odom.

Others famous faces that have been spotted at some of the games, included, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, singer Christina Aguilera, Olympic gold medalist from Jamaica, Usain Bolt, musicians Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh of the Eagles, “Saturday Night Live” performer Seth Meyers, singer Anita Baker, and comedian Will Ferrell. Actors Chris Rock and Adam Sandler, who have been heavily promoting their movie, Grown Ups, throughout the games, also spent time in Boston last summer filming their new flick, and were spotted sitting courtside in L.A.

The stars in the stands weren’t the only TV and film personalities in attendance. Lakers star Lamar Odom has been featured numerous times alongside his wife on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” as well as its spin-off “Khloe and Kourtney take Miami”. Celtics star Ray Allen, who began his college career at the University of Connecticut, has also starred in a number of films, including Spike Lee’s He Got Game, and Harvard Man. At a press conference after game 4, Celtics players Nate Robinson and Glen Davis even likened themselves to characters from the popular Shrek movies. Perhaps we’ll see them on set at the next film shot in Hollywood East during their off season!

A slew of Massachusetts-filmed movies began hitting theaters in February and continue to roll out this summer.  Furry Vengeance hit theaters last Friday coming in at number five in the box office. The kid flick chronicles a standoff between titan real estate developer Brendan Frasier and some cute and not-so-cuddly woodland critters fighting to keep their habitats preserved. Furry Vengeance also stars Brooke Shields. The Lightkeepers, starring Richard Dreyfuss, opened in March. Set in early 20th century Cape Cod, Dreyfuss plays a reclusive lighthouse keeper who has sworn off women.

And in February, Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese, hit theaters containing scenes shot mostly in or around Boston (including Peddocks Island) and the creepy Medfield State Hospital campus.

Summer blockbusters Grown Ups and Knight and Day are both due out June 25th, but that’s not the only thing they have in common. Both were filmed in Massachusetts, but that’s about where the similarities end. Grown Ups features a star-studded cast headed by Adam Sandler, Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Maya Rudolph, and Tim Meadows (whew!). The group reunites as adults after their high school basketball coach dies and inevitably hilarity ensues. Knight and Day pairs up Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on an action-adventure with a tinge of comedy. The two play a globetrotting fugitive couple on the run who realize nothing is what it appears to be, even each other.

The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake) and the The Town (Ben Affleck and Blake Lively) are due out this fall. Every college kid will identify with The Social Network with its history and evolution of ex-Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg’s creation of Facebook (which has its roots in Cambridge).  In The Town, Ben Affleck is a bank robber who’s feelings for a bank manager get in the way of his next heist.

Set to come out in 2010 with no official release dates are The Company Men and The Fighter. Ben Affleck is having a busy year, also starring in The Company Men along side Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones which premiered earlier this year. The Fighter (Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and Amy Adams) takes a look at boxer “Irish” Mickey Ward’s early career in the 1980s. Local actress Erica McDermott also makes an appearance.

It seems like no matter where you look this year, there’s a good chance you’ll see Massachusetts in many shots on the big screen!

Adam Sandler and the cast and crew of the new movie Grown Ups have been spotted filming for the past couple of days at the home of Dan and Meredith Doherty on Harbor Avenue in Marblehead, MA. Working around the gathering fans and taking advantage of the good weather, the crew constructed a front gate covered in fake roses as well as an addition to the actual house to resemble an LA mansion. Watch a glimpse of the actors on the set discuss the movie:

The film, which is slated to be released next summer, had been filming for the past couple of months in Southborough, Water Wizz in East Wareham, and Essex, and ended shooting their Marblehead scenes on Wednesday. The film stars, in addition to Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph.

Of the many fans that came out to catch a glimpse of the Grown Ups stars, only a few reported seeing Sandler on the set. According to the North Shore Sunday, the actor was spotted giving high-fives to neighborhood kids and playing basketball in a neighbor’s driveway. He even got out of his arriving SUV to take a look at a lemonade stand set up by two young Marblehead girls. Friday was the last day of filming for the movie, which is slated for a June 25, 2010 release.

We caught Grown Ups crew setting up at Woodman’s yesterday in Essex, MA. The restaurant closed as crew members prepared for filming this week. Grown Ups will star Adam Sandler, Maya Rudolph, Salma Hayek, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Maria Bello, David Spade, and Chris Rock. The movie is about five good friends who reunite 30 years after their high school graduation for a Fourth of July holiday weekend. The script was written by Adam Sandler, a New Hampshire native, and “Saturday Night Live” writer Fred Wolf. According to the Internet Movie Database, Grown Ups is currently scheduled for release on March 12, 2010.

C.P. Casting is seeking extras and photo-doubles of the following actors at age 12 years old for a feature film shooting this spring in MA called Lake House: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Kevin James.  If you know any kids who have an uncanny resemblance to these actors when they were 12, call C.P. Casting at 617-451-0996 or attend this open casting event at Felt nightclub, 533 Washington Street in Boston on Saturday, May 2 from 11:00am – 2:00pm.  Casting Directors Roger Mussenden and Carolyn Pickman will be there looking for the photo-doubles and for several other open speaking roles for kids and adults.  Don’t forget to bring a photo of yourself.