Posts Tagged ‘Tom Cruise’

Throughout the 80s, Bronson Pinchot came to be known by his popular sitcom character/ alter ego, Balki Bartokomous, on the hit show “Perfect Strangers”. Since that show ended in 1993, Pinchot has guest starred and even had full-fledged character arcs on everything from “Step by Step” to “3rd Rock from the Sun” to “Hey Arnold” and even “The Young and the Restless.” He’s also made cameos in movies, such as Beverly Hills Cop III, The First Wives Club, and Courage Under Fire, and even starred on Broadway. But now, Pinchot is returning to regularly scheduled TV with a new series on the DIY network, called “The Bronshon Pinchot Project”.

Pinchot, 52, was born in New York city and raised in Pasadena, California. After graduating number one in his high school class, he attended Yale University in Connecticut on a full scholarship. He initially majored in fine art. While at Yale, he pursued acting. He graduated in 1981, and was soon cast in an off-Broadway play, where he was seen by a casting director and was given a role in the 1983 Tom Cruise flick, Risky Business.

Pinchot’s new show is a total departure from his previous comedic works; “The Bronson Pinchot Project” is about renovating houses in his adopted hometown of rural Harford, Pennsylvania. Apparently Pinchot has long been into antiques and the like. In the first episodes this season, viewers get to see his Ionic-columned mansion and Decker House, a smaller home rehabbed with salvaged wood from demolished old buildings, windows from an abandoned farmhouse and floors from a property formerly part of late heiress Doris Duke’s estate. The entire series promises to reveal a side of Pinchot that audiences had no idea was there.

“The Bronson Pinchot Project,” premiered Feb. 11 on the DIY Network, and airs every Saturday at 10:30 p.m.

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.

★ On a recent appearance on “The Daily Show”, Julianne Moore (above) discusses the Kenmore Square inspiration for her Boston accent for her stint on “30 Rock”.

★ Actor Michael Weatherly, who grew up in Connecticut and attended Brooks Academy in Andover, MA,  just signed an “NCIS” deal.

★ Executive producer and Dorchester native Mark Wahlberg appears at the premier of season 7 of “Entourage”.

★ “Body of Evidence,” filming entirely in Rhode Island, gets picked up for full season on ABC and name gets changed to “Body of Proof”.

★ New England Patriots player and actor Brian White talks to Boldfacers.com about his charity work and new TNT series, “Men of a Certain Age”.

★After dismal domestic numbers for the made in Mass. movie, Knight and Day, foreign fans could decide the fate of Tom Cruise’s future life at the box office.

★ First look at Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy in new History Channel miniseries.

★ Facebook creator and Harvard alum Mark Zuckerberg to appear on “The Simpsons” this fall.

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.

★ 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.

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!

In case you managed to see Cameron Diaz filming in downtown Boston or Tom Cruise diving onto cars on interstate 93, you can now watch the final cut in the newly released trailer of the action-comedy Knight and Day!  Catch scenes of Logan airport, interstate 93, and that infamous plane crash in Bridgewater, Mass.

In Knight and Day, Cruise and Diaz have a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure, where nothing and no one – even the now fugitive couple – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust. Filming wrapped up in Massachusetts earlier this year and continued in Spain, Austria, and parts of the tropics. The film is due in theaters July, 2010.

★ Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise talk to “Entertainment Tonight” on the docks at Boston Harbor.

★ Twilight dreamboat Kellan Lutz stops by Boston just before his new film, New Moon, does $140.7M in its opening weekend.

★ This NH episode of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” will be airing November 29.

★ The Harvard Film Archive features films shot by Oscar winning cinematographer Gordon Willis, November 20-30.

★ Suri Cruise puddle hops through Boston with mom Katie Holmes.

★ Tom Cruise thanks the city of Boston for their hospitality in his blog.

★ Connecticut’s James Van Der Beek (aka Dawson from “Dawson’s Creek”) files for divorce.

★ Knight And Day crews wrap up filming at the build crew site in Woburn this week. Then it’s off to Europe to continue filming. Check out Tom Cruise during his final days of filming in Hollywood East after spending a weekend around Boston with Katie Holmes.

★ Comics Come Home in Boston raises money for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer and featured Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke, among others.

★ Cameron Diaz professes her love for Boston.

★ The Boston Jewish Film Festival coasts through the Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston.

★ The Food Network’s Guy Fieri launches his roadshow in Lowell on November 17.

★ The Social Network turns Philips Academy in Andover into a winter wonderland.

★ Actor James Woods returns to his childhood home state of Rhode Island for a lawsuit he brought against the hospital where his brother died.

★ The Knight and Day build crew is still hard at work behind the Woburn Mall (above).

★ Knight and Day films in Melrose, featuring stunt doubles for Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

★ Suri Cruise with mom Katie Holmes goes Halloween costume shopping in Natick, dressed in her finest princess attire.

★ “Today Show” TV crew stops by Salem.

★ Celebrity boxing event held in Springfield features Rodney King.

★ Patrick Dempsey talks about his cancer wellness center in Maine on “Good Morning America”.

★ Kim Kardashian comes to Boston for Gypsy Bar’s anniversary party.