Posts Tagged ‘Golden Globes’

★ Amy Poehler (above) visits fellow Mass-hole Conan O’Brien.

★ Boston set “Fringe” moves to Friday nights–not a good sign.

★ Kennedys miniseries rejected by the History Channel will air on Reelz Channel instead.

★ 2010’s “Best and Worst Movie Posters” feature movies made in Massachusetts, as well as New England stars and story lines.

★ Lowell police officer stars as himself in The Fighter.

★ The formely red-hot Mass. movie industry may be showing significant signs of decline but Mass. economic secretary plans a pow pow with LA studios, NBC-Universal, Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, FOX, Paramount, and others to pick up the pace.

★ Newton’s Matt LeBlanc talks to Boston Magazine about his new TV show, and putting in a kitchen in Brighton.

★ Ben Affleck looks pissed–in a Bostonian sort of way…

★ Boston’s Maria Menounos shows her Patriots pride on the Golden Globes red carpet.

2010 has been a big year in Hollywood East, with many made in Massachusetts films coming to the big-screen with much fanfare and success, as other future TV and film projects went to work in the Bay State, ensuring more New England flavor will be infused into Tinseltown’s productions for years to come. We took a look back at some of the major stories that you wanted to know about.

The Company Men, starring Ben Affleck, debuted at the Coolidge Corner Theater in February as part of the Sundance Film Festival. Writer/director John Wells sat down and talked to us about his film, which also co-starred Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, and Massachusetts native Chris Cooper, as a group of executives who were laid off in a corporate down-sizing. The movie had filmed in Boston and surrounding suburbs in late spring and early summer 2009.

Also in February, we got an update on the Plymouth Rock Studios, where we found out that the studio had been downsizing and moving ahead with financing efforts in an attempt to get the construction of the project successfully off the ground. Not much else has been heard from the studio since then.

In March, the Massachusetts state legislature made several attempts to cap the successful  film tax credit program, putting various versions of the bill with amendments to vote, before finally laying it to rest in favor of the notion that capping the bill would limit film-making in the state, negatively affecting potential job creation that occurs as a result of these films.

In May, filming began of the romantic comedy, What’s You’re Number, starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans. Numerous casting calls were held in advance of production, calling for both union and non-union extras that were needed to fill the various wedding and crowd scenes in the film. Filming continued throughout Boston’s neighborhoods, including the North End, Back Bay, Financial District, and waterfront from mid-May to mid-July.

This summer and fall, we saw the first of a number of made in Massachusetts flicks get released, including Furry Vengeance, Knight and Day, Grown Ups, and The Social Network. Many of these films were shot in the area during the spring and summer of 2009.

In July, we spoke to Christopher Murphy, Film and TV Development Executive at MyTV New England, who formally announced a new distribution program that would help bring locally made TV shows and films to broadcast TV through branded entertainment and budgeting made in-line with already acquired funds. This new type of programming has already helped bring viewers around New England Debra Crosby’s Talent Quest TV show, and a new independent film series that will be debuting in February.

In September, Ben Affleck’s second directorial endeavor, The Town, debuted in theaters, co-starring Blake Lively and Chris Cooper. Affleck, who also starred in the movie, filmed the movie throughout Boston and Charlestown in the summer of 2009. The film is based on the book of the same name, and is set in Charlestown.

In October, the state of Connecticut announced formal plans to break ground on a $50 million studio sound stage that will also include a hotel, restaurant and shopping complex, and will create as many as 500 union construction jobs over the next year.

Earlier this month, The Fighter debuted at theaters, instantly garnering award-season buzz, starting out with 6 Golden Globe nominations. Starring Dorchester’s Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, the real-life story of fighter Mickey Ward was filmed in the greater Boston area in the late spring and early summer of 2009, and will continue to be a favorite as Oscar season draws nearer.

This month also marked the end of Nick Paleologos’s tenure as  executive director of the  Massachusetts Film Office, as a recent bill passed in August that reorganized the duties of the office, and a new agency called the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership was created which will be responsible for the development and promotion of film and sports events in Massachusetts from 2011 onward.

Overall, 2010 marked a great year for Massachusetts, and Hollywood East in general, and we look forward to bringing you all the excitement to come in 2011!

On Tuesday morning, the nominees for the 2011 Golden Globes were announced, and New England is well-represented once again.

Leading the pack with six nominations each were the (at least partially) made in Massachusetts flicks, The Social Network and The Fighter. Nominations for The Social Network included newcomer Jesse Eisenberg as best dramatic actor, Andrew Garfield as supporting actor, and David Fincher as director. Four of The Fighter’s nominations came in acting categories, including best actor for Dorchester, Mass. native Mark Wahlberg, and supporting honors for Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. David O. Russell was also nominated for best director.

Additionally, Harvard alum Natalie Portman was nominated for her psychosexual turn as a ballerina in Black Swan.

On the TV side, “Glee”, which is helmed by writer/producer Brad Falchuk of Newton, Massachusetts, was nominated in the comedy or musical category of Best TV Series. Concord’s Steve Carell was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, also in the comedy or musical category, for his work in his final year on “The Office”.

The 68th Annual Golden Globes will air live on NBC on Sunday, January 16th, at 8PM.

★ The Improper Bostonian features Brittany Curran (above), featured previously here on Hollywood East Connection!

★ The Boston Pops pays tribute to the Kennedy brothers.

★ A local New Bedford man’s hour-long documentary on the Rolling Stones earns him a ticket to party it up in Cannes.

★ Queen Latifah accepts an award from the Boston Women’s Fund at event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

★ Insiders report that Tom Cruise completely lost his cool on the set of Knight and Day.

★ “Glee” star Jane Lynch marries her girlfriend in Sunderland, MA over Memorial Day weekend.

★ A Berklee alum uses his degree to work behind the scenes on “American Idol”.

★ A former Golden Globes reporter and editor for the Boston Globe dies.

On Sunday night, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 67th Golden Globes aired on the tumultuous NBC network featuring stars of both television and film. Though the unusual amount of rain meant the usually glittery red carpet arrivals were somewhat subdued by oversized umbrella accessories, the downpours did little to dampen the festivities indoors. Hollywood East well-represented in the winners’ circle, as stars originally hailing from the area, or simply connected to it through recent projects, took home awards left and right.

On the television side, the inventive Fox musical series “Glee” picked up a Globe on its very first nomination for Best Television Series–Comedy or Musical. The series is helmed by Newton, Massachusetts bred creator, Brad Falchuk.

In movies, double nominee (in the same category no less) and perennial favorite, Meryl Streep, won in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture–Comedy or Musical category for her delicious performance as the Boston-based Julia Child in Julie and Julia. Darien, Connecticut born Chloë Sevigny won in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her role in HBO’s “Big Love”. Sandra Bullock, star of the filmed in Boston flick, The Proposal, and recently named biggest box office star of 2009, continued to do big things in 2010, winning a Globe in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture–Drama category, for her role in the Blind Side. The eternally down-to-earth star also made news for donating $1 million for disaster relief in Haiti, a huge gesture that will truly affect the globe.

With the nominations announced for the 2010 Golden Globes, New England’s own Matt Damon had his name called twice, for Best Actor in The Informant! and Best Supporting Actor in Invictus.

In the former, Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a vice-president of a company accused of price-fixing who becomes an informant for the United States government.  The Informant! was well-received and is based on a true story.  It was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.

Matt Damon is a Cambridge, MA native who was drawn to Invictus for a reason that has enthused many actors and actresses to take roles in the past – the chance to work with director Clint Eastwood.  It’s a film about the famous South African President, Nelson Mandela, who encourages the nation’s rugby team to win the Rugby World Cup in 1995.

It’s appropriate that Damon should accept the role as the rugby team captain in Eastwood’s Invictus, since according to the news site TheAge.com.au, in high school he was an open advocate for Mandela’s release from prison.

While Damon won an Academy Award for Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting along with childhood friend, Ben Affleck, in regards to his acting, he’s only been nominated for a Golden Globe or Oscar in the past and has yet to win.  No matter whose name is called to accept a Golden Globe the night of January 17th, Matt Damon has done the greater Boston area proud, and shows no sign of slowing down.

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.