Get out the Kleenex

Just saw this at Cinematical:

In October of 2009, Kristian Anderson was diagnosed with bowel cancer -- and the news got worse: it had spread to his liver. The 35-year-old husband and father didn't let the diagnosis get him down, though -- and has since spent his time between chemotherapy treatments urging men to get tested early and often, saying "If I had got tests done when I first suspected something, I might have only had bowel cancer and they could have just gone straight in and cut it out ... It doesn't matter if it's nothing but the best thing you can do is find out it's nothing."

With his wife Rachel's birthday approaching, Anderson wanted to do something special for her. He got in touch with a local radio show who helped him reach out to actor Hugh Jackman and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. With those two on board (Rachel's from New Zealand, hence the Prime Minister's appearance), Anderson made her a special birthday video that's sure to have you reaching for the Kleenex.

Rachel's Birthday Video from Kristian Anderson on Vimeo.

Good on Hugh Jackman for participating in this special video! I was in tears...

Lipton Ice Tea with Hugh Jackman, Full Version.

Thanks to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books for the heads up!

14 Romantic Movies I love from the Last Decade

Valentine's Day is out this weekend, trying to recapture the magic of Love Actually, one of my favorite romantic films from the last ten years.  Are these films all Oscar worthy? No. But I love them, and would stop and watch them again on cable any day. Not necessarily in order:

14. (500) Days of Summer.  That musical dance scene still makes me smile just thinking about it.  I love how this film is not constructed as every other romantic boy meets girl is scripted.  They was robbed for not getting a screenplay Oscar nomination!

13. Moulin Rouge. Ewan McGregor in an angst filled frenetic musical. What's not to love?! And it's Baz!

12. Amelie. A French film filled with whimsy.



11. The Holiday. Jack Black is sweet, but Jude Law redeemed himself to me (somewhat), and that took some doing. He's what we call mommy porn in this movie, and I just try to ignore Cameron Diaz.

10. Far From Heaven. Modeled after the melodramas of the 50's and just beautiful to look at, too.   I'm so excited to hear that the director of Far From Heaven will be doing the 5 part mini-series Mildred Pierce starring Kate Winslet on HBO.  Can't wait!


9. Lost in Translation. Not everyone likes this film, but I adore it. Bill Murray is so great in this, and from someone who knows him, totally himself in it.

8. 40 Year Old Virgin. What could have been just a crass comedy, is actually incredibly sweet. The first of the Judd Appatow dynasty.

7. Pride & Prejudice. Nothing can match Colin Firth's mini-series, but this movie does a great job capturing the essence of the romance in a two hour film.


6. Bridget Jones Diary. Hilarious, and also you have Colin Firth spoofing his own performance as Darcy from the Pride and Prejudice mini-series.

Bridget: Wait a minute... nice boys don't kiss like that.
Mark Darcy: Oh, yes, they f**king do.

5. Twilight. Swoon! An excellent film version of the novel.

4. Once. A simply magical little film. The two musicians in the film became lovers in real life, although I heard they just broke up.

3. Brokeback Mountain. If Heath Ledger won the Oscar for playing the Joker, partly for being robbed for his amazing portrayal of Ennis. I dare you not to cry when he clutches those two shirts, one inside the other at the end.

2. Kate & Leopold. I absolutely adore Hugh Jackman in this movie as the Duke. It's my favorite film of his, and it tickles me pink that he and Liev Shreiber were reunited in Wolverine, where Liev will play Sabretooth.






Horse scene with the purse snatcher:

Leopold: I warn you scoundrel, I was trained at the King's Academy and schooled in weaponry by the palace guard. You stand no chance. When you run, I shall ride, when you stop, the steel of this strap shall be lodged in your brain.
[bag snatcher throws down the bag an flees, onlookers applaud]

Kate: Are you for real?
Leopold: I believe so.

1. Love Actually. I remember seeing this movie in the theater with a friend, and the first thing she said when it ended was, "I want to see it again!" There are so many great moments in this movie (Hugh Grant dancing!), but I love Colin Firth and his maid who only speaks Portuguese. He learns enough to come back and propose to her:

[in Portuguese]
Jamie: Beautiful Aurelia, I've come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I seems an insane person - because I hardly knows you - but sometimes things are so transparency, they don't need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England.

Hugh Jackman in a snowball fight

Cate Blanchett dropped her three boys off for a play date with Hugh Jackman's son Oscar Sunday.  Hugh took them all to a park in New York for a snowball fight!  Yeah, he has to be a great dad on TOP of being a sex symbol.

Just Jared has some more great pics, as well as Bauer-Griffin.

Hat tip:  Pink is the new Blog. 

Hugh Jackman Works Out On The Beach

 

 

 

Hugh Jackman is vacationing in St. Bart's after finishing up his play A Steady Rain with Daniel Craig on Broadway.  He did some yoga on the beach this weekend and then took a dip. 

And the rest of the world is grateful for our early holiday present.  Thanks for unwrapping!

Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman give the shirts off their backs for Charity

Oh, man!  I wish I had been there.  Can you imagine the hearts stopping when Hugh said, "Lock the doors!"  Where's the cellphone video, people?!

Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman have given a steamy private performance to a Broadway audience.
At the end of the play A Steady Rain, Jackman said "lock the doors" and told the audience he and Craig were trying to raise funds for the Broadway Cares charity, for AIDS research.
"Then he and Daniel started to peel off their shirts," says Aussie Jan Murray, who was in the audience with Julian Brown. "They announced they were going to auction their singlets for charity."
After a moment's (stunned) silence in the crowd, an all-out bidding war broke out. "It became a frenzied bid among New York's female fans for the sweaty tees of Wolverine and James Bond," Murray says.
The actors raised more than $20,000 in donations.

Hugh Jackman won't be hosting the Oscars

I started wailing, "Noooooooo!" when I read this on Variety.com. My son came in and asked me who died! Hugh Jackman won't be back to host the Oscars, and I am very disappointed. At least he left the door open for another year.

The thesp, who's starring on Broadway with Daniel Craig in the drama "A Steady Rain," quietly turned down the job within the past few weeks, sources said.
Jackman drew praise for his first Oscar hosting gig in February under producer Laurence Mark and exec producer Bill Condon. He may take on hosting duties again in the future, but it's understood that he didn't want to do the show two years in a row.

Well, with Adam Shankman producing, there's still hope for a song and dance man. Maybe Neil Patrick Harris is ready? Or even bring back Billy Crystal who can do funny and killer opening numbers.

New Producers for the Oscars

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences announced yesterday that there will be two new producers for the Oscars, director Adam Shankman and former 20th Century Fox Studio Head Bill Mechanic.

The producers of the last Oscars, Bill Condon and Laurence Mark were busy with other projects.  They brought back some showbiz pizazz to the show with host Hugh Jackman.  This year's host has not yet been announced, but you know that I'm praying they can get Hugh back.  He was amazing!!

Adam Shankman, who directed Hairspray, I think will bring that same kind of energy to the show.  In the official press release, Adam Shankman noted, "The last time I was on the show was as a dancer, and to come back as a producer is such an unbelievable honor."  Shankman was a dancer for the 1989 Little Mermaid Best Song number:

"I was one of Paula Abdul's 'Under the Sea' pirates," Shankman said. "The last time I was at the Oscars, I was in Lycra, with a pirate hat on." 

I first heard about Adam Shankman as his work as a choreographer, back in my days of obsession over Brendan Frasier.  He was the choreographer of  the movie Mrs. Winterbourne, with his kitchen tango scene that I love, love, love.  He went on to direct The Wedding Planner, and finally his big success was Hairspray.  He also directed the very funny Prop 8 Musical.

So, I have high hopes for this years Oscars.  With choosing Adam Shankman, I'm betting we don't just get a stand up comedian doing a monologue, and if not Hugh, someone else will be doing a song and dance opener!

Shankman told Canoe:

"I personally want to kick up the funny a little bit. Movies are an invaluable source of entertainment during a very tough time in our country's history. Since entertainment is what we're selling, we want to celebrate that aspect and not just have it be that we're sitting around congratulating ourselves and patting ourselves on the back."

Happy 41st Birthday Hugh Jackman

Sigh. Can anyone beat Hugh Jackman in a tux? I hope he hosts the Oscars again. He was amazing. Also, I may have to drag out my DVD of Australia in honor of Hugh's birthday so I can fast forward to the good parts, like the famous shower scene above. Thank you again, Baz Luhrmann!!

Hugh Jackman talks about the cellphone incident with Katie Couric

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Hugh Jackman & Daniel Craig vs. the Cellphone

In character, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig react to a cellphone that goes off twice during their Broadway play, 'A Steady Rain.'

I saw Hugh Jackman in Boy From Oz and he would stop the show, in character, and call out people who came in late. "Traffic, darlings? We'll wait."

Hugh Jackman will be PT Barnum in a new musical

Remember Anne Hathaway's duet with Hugh Jackman in the Oscar's Opening number? Well, Hugh Jackman has signed on to film a brand new musical starring as PT Barnum, 'The Greatest Showman on Earth', and rumors abound that Anne Hathaway will be his Jenny Lind. Mika may even write the music, and Jenny Bicks, writer of 'Sex in the City' is helming the script.

The film will be produced by Laurence Mark ("Dreamgirls"), Jackman and his Seed partner John Palermo. It is an outgrowth of their work together on the 81st Academy Awards, on which Jackman was host, Mark was exec producer, and Bicks was part of the Emmy-nominated writing team.

Jackman will play the showman with a penchant for hoaxing a gullible public as he creates the three-ring circus that made him famous. The musical also focuses on his infatuation with singer Jenny Lind -- the so-called Swedish Nightingale.

Hugh Jackman also wants to remake Carousel. Hugh Jackman singing and dancing -- don't care who he plays, you can count me there! I saw him live in Boy From Oz, and it is a night I will never forget. Believe me, Hugh really is the Greatest Showman on Earth.

Daniel Craig AND Hugh Jackman in Broadway Play!

I had a very difficult afternoon, but my husband gave me the best news when I got home. I thought Hugh Jackman was going to do a musical next on Broadway, maybe a Carousel revival or a new play about Houdini. Instead, he's doing a serious play about two Chicago cops with Daniel Craig, in Craig's Broadway debut!! You better believe I will be flying to NYC to see this one!!!

From the Chicago Suntimes:

Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are set to star in Keith Huff's play "A Steady Rain" slated for this fall. They’re playing Chicago cops, no less. In what’s perhaps the ultimate good cop/bad cop scenario, the drama tells the story of two best friends and partners who — after answering a call about a domestic dispute in an inner-city neighborhood that results in the accidental death of a boy — find their friendship put to the ultimate test.

The play won several local theater awards in its run in Chicago in 2007.

The NY Post reports:

Craig, whose Bond movies "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace" are among the highest grossing films of all time, will be making his New York stage debut. He started off in the theater in London, playing bit parts, but he has not appeared in a play in several years.

Jackman won a Tony Award in 2004 for his role as Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz."

Although the musical received mixed reviews, Jackman became a box-office sensation, shaking a pair of maracas and flouncing around the stage in tight leopard pants.

"The Boy From Oz" regularly grossed more than $1 million a week. Jackman became the most sought-after leading man in the theater, though he's turned down every offer to star in another show until now.

"Everybody wanted him to do a musical, but he wanted to do a serious play," a theater source says. Theater sources say Craig and Jackman have the potential to match Broadway's biggest box- office champ, Julia Roberts, who sold over $10 million worth of tickets in just 12 weeks in the play "Three Days of Rain" in 2006.

Although "A Steady Rain" is harsh and harrowing, one Broadway wag predicted that even those theatergoers whose tastes run to splashy musicals will want to see it.

Said the wag: "Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman in police uniforms? All the boys will be there!"

Hey, I'd love to see Hugh do another musical, but I'll take whatever he has on offer. I sat third row center for Boy From Oz, and it is a night I will never forget. Hugh Jackman is simply amazing and he doesn't always need to have metal claws to get me to buy a ticket. A play about two cops doesn't sound like Hugh and Daniel will be shirtless, but we can still hope!

Hugh Jackman and Robert Pattinson in the SAME movie?!

Be still my heart! Just read this amazing news on Rope of Silicon:

Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman ... are set to join the latest young Hollywood heart throb, Twilight’s Robert Pattinson in Unbound Captives, a period drama to be directed by Madeleine Stowe. The film will mark Stowe’s directorial debut and for those that don’t recognize the name, I would say the best role to remind you of her would be her turn opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans as Cora Munro. Bells ringing now?

Stowe also penned the script for Unbound Captives, which was originally envisioned for her to star in but that was before she was able to land such a stellar cast. Now, Weisz will play the lead female role, a woman whose husband is killed and her two children kidnapped by a Comanche war party in 1859. She is rescued by a frontiersman, to be played by Jackman. Pattinson will play the son.

This may be a film to keep a serious eye on as the Variety article carrying the news says Fox offered her upwards of $5 million for the script with the expectation it would be directed by Ridley Scott and star Russell Crowe, a couple of fellas known for turning in some worthwhile features.

Variety carries a quote from Stowe, talking about turning down the Fox offer, saying, “There was never a moment’s hesitation on my part, but it felt unreal, and I can remember my husband putting a finger across his neck to signal not to take the offer,” Stowe said. “There are moments in life where you need to follow your heart. The script remained my singular focus, but directing it myself wasn’t something I ever dreamed of.”

The film is currently eyeing a year-end production start.

Very cool to have a woman director, and I can very much see Hugh and Rachel in a period piece. Whoo boy! This just made my day!!

Hugh Jackman auctions off autographed Tim Tams

Hugh Jackman is auctioning on eBay the "last" box of Pepperidge Farms Tim Tams in the US.

Highest bid is only $205, but the charity auction doesn't end till May 14th.

They may not have Hugh's Hancock, but I at least know I can get my Tim Tam fix at my local World Market store!

Got Milk?

I think I'm thirsty...

Hugh Jackman dancing on Spanish TV

The man is promoting his little heart out for Wolverine in Spain. That's some dancing!!

Hugh Jackman Naked

The Wolverine movie, in a nearly complete version with some unfinished effects, has leaked on the internet. Perez has some screen shots for us of Hugh Jackman emerging naked from the lab. View the galery of 15 shots here!

Latest Wolverine Trailer

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

I didn't realize Cyclops was in this movie so much. Coolio.

Love Liev Schreiber's growl at the end, "Ooh. Shiny." LOL!

Hugh Jackman and Robert Pattinson have a karaoke night

Oh, to be a fly on the wall! Right after the Oscars, Hugh Jackman and Baz Luhrmann flew out to Tokyo to promote Australia, and on the same flight were the actors of Twilight, including Robert Pattinson. From Just Jared:

At around 10PM on Wednesday (February 26), Rob joined Australia star Hugh Jackman, director Baz Luhrmann and producer John Palermo at a karaoke bar near their hotel, as first reported by E!. Here’s the connection: On Sunday, Rob presented at the Oscars, Hugh ably hosted the swank event, John created the flashy opening number, Baz choreographed the “Musicals Are Back!” number and everyone wound up taking the same flight to Japan together. A Tokyo journalist confirms to JustJared.com that the foursome (plus friends) sang for a few hours before Rob’s costars Kristen and Taylor joined in on the fun.