THE HOT SEAT WITH CAMERON CROWE
"I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen." "Show me the money!" "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."
When it comes to penning highly quotable lines, director and writer Cameron Crowe had us at hello. His knack for tapping into the Zeitgeist turned movies like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Say Anything," "Almost Famous" and "Jerry Maguire" into instant pop culture classics.
On October 14th Crowe will be back with his first feature film in four years: "Elizabethtown," in which a young man (Orlando Bloom) heads back to Kentucky - and an eccentric group of relatives - for his dad's funeral. Along the way, he meets flight attendant Kirsten Dunst and, as you might imaginge, witty romantic complications ensue.
Q: In "Almost Famous," you chronicled your past as a young rock writer. Is "Elizabethtown" autobiographical too?
A: Sort of. It's inspired by things that happened when my dad died, but it's kind of a banquet plate full of characters.
Q: So what's it about, in a nutshell?
A: It's a bunch of different things. It's a love story and a folk tale about how loss can open doors to the greatest things in life, and it's four days in life of this guy who goes back to Kentucky to bury his dad he didn't really know very well.
Q: How did the idea first come about?
A: My wife [Nancy Wilson] is a musician - she plays in Heart - and she talked me into joining her on her tour bus. I woke up one morning on the bus, and looked out the window, and there was Kentucky. This is a place that's a big part of my family history - I hadn't been back since my dad's funeral. And I just had to get off the bus.
I rented a car, and I just got lost in Kentucky for days, with no intention of writing. Of course, that's when the ideas really come. The whole idea of this movie really arrived there. It's a story about discovering your family roots, and who you are, and your whole lineage. And how this feeling of what it's like to be truly alive can come from tragedy, or chaos, or failure.
Q: So then how'd you end up with a British actor, Orlando Bloom, in the lead role?
A: I auditioned a lot of guys and Orlando I had worked with before. The one commercial I had ever done was with him, and I really enjoyed working with him. He really soaks up music, and I knew I wanted that. There's a lot of music in this movie, even more than in "Almost Famous," which is all about rock.
Q: So you didn't have trouble thinking of Orlando as an elf.
A: I didn't have any archery associations - he's simply a man. [laughs]
Q: Before you settled on Orlando, Ashton Kutcher was up for the role. What happened?
A: I did have a detour with Ashton. This has happened to me before - I think the part ends up in the hands of the guy who's destined to play it. Tom Hanks was originally Jerry Maguire. Brad Pitt was originally Billy Crudup's character in "Almost Famous." With Ashton, it seemed like it was going to work out, and I think we just figured it wasn't quite the right thing. I think there's a big performance in Ashton, and he's inching toward it.
Q: Did Orlando have problems with the accent?
A: He really worked on it, he's completely diligent and only spoke in the [American] accent. It was wild because he basically left "Kingdom of Heaven," got off the plane in Kentucky and started being this rather un-bronzed guy. He pretty immediately fell into it.
Q: Country musician Patti Griffin has a cameo in this movie - any others?
A: Loudon Wainwright plays Uncle Dale, Orlando's uncle. And My Morning Jacket play the band Ruckus in the movie - that's his cousin's band.
Q: Will we spot any shout-outs to your other movies?
A: There are some motifs in the movie that kinda call back other movies I've done. Like the phone call. For me, John Cusack in "Say Anything" is the king of the phone call scene. And in tribute to him, I've written other phone call scenes. I started writing this one, and it got longer and longer, and it was like, either cut it out or turn it into something big.
Q: And you did the latter.
A: Yeah, it's this big conversation - one of those all-night calls where you're getting to know someone, and you go into deeper water where you're admitting all these truths. And then you agree to meet the next day, and it's that kind of thing where you don't really know the person yet and you're kind of embarrassed to have admitted all these things. And now you have to deal with fact that you've told them all these secrets. And you kind of don't remember what they look like, and here they are in different clothes.
Q: How is your directing style changing as you get older?
A: I'm trying get more visual, to not depend on dialogue all the time. Hal Ashby was a music lover, and Wes Anderson is the same way - they're music lovers who also paint with visuals, and the two come together in their stuff. I like visuals that tell the story more than I used to. Say what you will about "Vanilla Sky," it was a turning point for me in terms of using visuals. And on this movie, I think we really shot Kentucky in a cool way.
Q: You tend to include an airport scene in your movies. Why?
A: I guess the appeal is that it's kind of a passageway. It's this hermetically sealed capsule where you've come from someplace, and you're going someplace and you're stuck in time with other people. I've done that so much, just sitting and watching the flow of human traffic. It's my favorite thing to do. I've gotta stop writing it into scripts! But I've really enjoyed shooting airports and doing scenes in airports. It sort of peaks with Kirsten playing a flight attendant, I think.
Q: So are you a good flier?
A: I'm a terrible flier - but I'm great in the airport.
The score
Name: Cameron B. Crowe
Birthdate: July 13, 1957
Born in: Palm Springs, CA
Married to: Musician Nancy Wilson of rock group Heart
Big break: Writing for Rolling Stone magazine while in high school
First script: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982)
Awards: Best Original Screenplay Oscar for "Almost Famous" (2000)
Cameos: Club interviewer in his own film, "Singles" (1992); bus passenger in Spielberg's "Minority Report" (2002)
ODDS ON OSCARS
Two-thirds of the way through the year, only two serious candidates for the Best Picture Oscar have yet emerged: "Crash" and "Cinderella Man." But the next four months are Hollywood's favorite time for prestige pictures, bringing us the return of Oscar favorites Steven Spielberg, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Crowe and Sean Penn. Here's a tip sheet for the early Oscar favorites.
Good Night. And Good Luck (Oct. 7)
George Clooney's second effort as a director tackles up-to-the-minute issues, taking on Sen. Joe McCarthy through the eyes of Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). Though the film is small in scale and shot in black and white, no political story gets Hollywood more excited than an attack on McCarthyism.
Prospects: Best Picture and Screenplay, Clooney for Best Director
Elizabethtown (Oct. 14)
Crowe's first film since the uneven "Vanilla Sky" is a hugely anticipated return to semi-autobiography for the writer-director of "Almost Famous," which won him a screenwriting Oscar. Orlando Bloom stars in this comedy-drama about a workaholic who buries his father but is cheered up by a stewardess (Kirsten Dunst). "Lord of the Rings" elf Bloom hasn't proven he's an actor yet, but with all the armor he's been lugging around lately, he hasn't had a chance.
Prospects: Crowe for Best Director and Best Screenplay
Northcountry (Oct. 14)/Walk the Line (Nov. 18)
This year's "Ray" wannabe is "Walk the Line," starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Nashville-bred Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash. Phoenix got an Oscar nomination for his campy work in "Gladiator," but can he rule the screen the way Cash ruled country music? Director James Mangold's films have been hyped before ("Cop Land," "Girl, Interrupted") but he's never had much success. An equally juicy role goes to Charlize Theron in "North Country," about a landmark sexual harassment suit among miners that features Oscar favorite Frances McDormand. Beautiful women who play deglamorized blue-collar types are practically guaranteed Oscar glory.
Prospects: "North Country" for Best Picture, Phoenix for Best Actor, Witherspoon and Theron for Best Actress, McDormand for Best Supporting Actress
Jarhead (Nov. 4)
Based on Marine sniper Anthony Swofford's memoir of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, "Jarhead" has everything you look for in an Oscar film: a literary pedigree, an Oscar-winning director ("American Beauty" helmer Sam Mendes) and an acclaimed cast featuring Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Prospects: Best Picture, Foxx and Sarsgaard for Best Supporting Actor, Mendes for Best Director
The New World (Nov. 9)
Reclusive director Terrence Malick ("Badlands," "The Thin Red Line") retells the story of Capt. John Smith and Pocahontas (newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher). But Malick's films are weirdly muted, and Hollywood's been tiring of perennial almost-star Colin Farrell.
Prospects: Best Screenplay, Malick for Best Director, Kilcher for Best Actress
Breakfast on Pluto (Nov. 18)
Neil Jordan's latest will make Cillian Murphy a star, if he isn't one already on the strength of his attention-grabbing turns in "Batman Begins" and "Red Eye." Murphy is said to be spectacular as a rocking Irish drag queen in the IRA-themed drama. Ever since 1992's "The Crying Game," Jordan pretty much owns the IRA cross-dressing subgenre.
Prospects: Best Picture and Screenplay, Murphy for Best Actor, Jordan for Best Director
Rent (Nov. 23)/The Producers (Dec. 21)
Inspired by the success of "Chicago," two big Broadway musicals are coming to the screen. The tragic, AIDS-themed "Rent" is directed by "Harry Potter" helmer Chris Columbus with Rosario Dawson and Taye Diggs as stars. There's also "The Producers," which brings back stage stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and adds Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman.
Prospects: Best Picture for either, Lane for Best Actor, Dawson for Best Actress
Memoirs of A Geisha (Dec. 9)/Brokeback Mountain (Dec. 9)
A film Spielberg originally was set to direct went to Chicago's Rob Marshall instead: "Geisha," another literary adaptation, stars the indestructible "Crouching Tiger" star Ziyi Zhang. And "Crouching Tiger" director Ang Lee is back, too, with the gay-cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain," starring Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in a film that has to be better than its log line.
Prospects: Best Picture, Ang for Best Director, Zhang for Best Actress
All The King's Men (Dec. 16)
Another politically hot December film, this remake of the 1949 Best Picture winner about sleazy politics is sure to take a whack at the Bush White House. It stars another committed lefty, Sean Penn, along with Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins. Top screenwriter Steven Zaillian takes his first directing job.
Prospects: Best Picture, Zaillian for Best Director and nods for Oscar favorites Penn, Law and/or Hopkins
Munich (Dec. 23)
The Christmas season brings out the really big gun: Steven Spielberg, who examines the Israeli agents assigned to assassinate the terrorists who killed Israeli athletes during the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich. Originally titled "Vengeance," the script is tightly guarded. But it's written by leftist playwright Tony Kushner and is said to have found inspiration in a book slanted against the Israelis. So observers assume it's going to cast a harsh eye on the Mossad's actions. The star is "Layer Cake" breakout Daniel Craig.
Prospects: Best Picture and Screenplay, Spielberg for Best Director
Studios Mull Changes to Movie 'Windows'
LOS ANGELES - Someday the phrase "Coming soon to a theater near you" could be replaced with "Coming soon to a Wal-Mart near you." The tradition of major films debuting first in theaters, then across staggered release "windows," including pay-per-view, home video, cable and, finally, broadcast TV, is being openly questioned.
Robert Iger, CEO-elect of The Walt Disney Co., recently suggested the day could come when a DVD is released while the movie is still in theaters. The millions of dollars that studios spend marketing first-run movies would serve double duty promoting the more profitable DVDs, making for a faster and more efficient return on investment.
"Consumers have a lot more authority these days and they know that by using technology they can gain access to content and they want to use the power that they have..." Iger told financial analysts earlier this month. "We can't stand in the way and we can't allow tradition to stand in the way of where the consumer can go or wants to go."
Iger's remarks are heresy to theater owners who fear people with flat screen, high-definition, surround sound systems in their living rooms will abandon the megaplex.
"Mr. Iger knows better than to tell consumers — or Wall Street analysts — that they can have it all, everywhere, at the same time," said John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners. "He knows there would be no viable movie theater industry in that new world — at least not a theater industry devoted to the entertainment products of Hollywood."
Theaters have already seen profits shrink as movies move more quickly to home video. Studios and theaters split profits in the early weeks of a movie's run, with the theater making most of its money from concessions. The theater's split gets larger the longer the movie plays, giving studios an incentive to release films on DVD even earlier.
Studios make the majority of their profits from home video sales, with theatrical runs serving largely as marketing for the DVD.
That has led some to question business models that have not kept pace with technology or consumer demands.
"Why do we make the assumption that five months later people are still interested in your product?" said Todd Wagner, co-owner with Mark Cuban of 2929 Entertainment.
"If I hear a song on the radio, they don't say, `Five months from now you can buy the CD.'"
The gap between a movie's opening weekend in theaters and its debut on home video has been narrowing from about six months in 1994 to about four months in 2004.
Some studios release their DVDs even sooner. The action sequel "XXX: State of the Union," which fizzled at the box office, hit video shelves 11 weeks after its theatrical debut.
Many studios announce the release date of a movie on home video while the film is still in theaters — a practice that infuriates theater owners.
"This is something that drives us nuts," Fithian said. "When Wal-Mart starts putting up signs a month and a half or two months into the movie's run, that just kind of tells the consumer: 'Wait — it's coming.'"
Before Iger's remarks, studio executives spoke of releasing DVDs simultaneous with a theatrical run only in the context of fighting piracy. Many studios are already premiering films around the world on the same date to undercut pirates who distribute illegal copies of films in China, Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
In the United States, studios are pressured by a box office slump and a DVD glut that has led to a sharp decline in sales for new releases that compete for shelf space with old TV show box sets and older hits.
New technology is adding to the competition as cable operators promote video-on-demand services and phone companies, such as SBC and Verizon, are creating high-speed Internet networks that will make on-demand viewing even easier.
Advances in wireless are also challenging old business models. In Europe, Sony Pictures has released a full-length version of "Spider-Man II" for viewing on a cell phone.
For some industry players, simultaneously releasing a movie in theaters and on DVD makes perfect sense.
"Most packaged entertainment — books, CDs, games — most all of these make their debut at retail," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix Inc., which rents DVDs by mail. "It isn't that radical a proposition that movies could follow that same path."
In April, 2929 Entertainment, which owns two television networks, a chain of movie theaters and film and television distribution companies, announced a partnership with Oscar-winning film director Steven Soderbergh to direct six films and release them simultaneously in theaters, on TV and on DVD.
Wagner, the company's co-owner, said under his model, theater owners share in the revenue made from distributing films on DVD and other media.
"We want the exhibitors to be a part of this because they should be and from my perspective, they always should have been," Wagner said.
Wagner also disputes the notion that people would stay away from theaters if they could watch the same movie at home.
Wagner and Cuban own the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, which still draws a crowd when games are broadcast on radio and TV.
"It didn't kill professional sports when it was available simultaneously on different mediums," he said. "They cross promote each other and they're all doing just fine."
MTV Video Music Awards Splash Down in Fla.
MIAMI - MTV dodged two major disasters — one from nature, the other from the barrel of a gun — as the Video Music Awards unfolded Sunday night with flashy performances, over-the-top bling and a few blasts from the past.
The annual bash was briefly overshadowed by Hurricane Katrina, which hit southern Florida on Thursday and killed several people. As the storm passed, a celebratory mood took over the city — until early Sunday morning, when rap mogul Suge Knight was targeted by gunfire at a Kanye West party.
MTV vowed that neither event would affect the ceremonies — and they didn't.
"The theme of tonight is, anything can happen," proclaimed host Diddy, whose entrance included dancers, pyrotechnics and a cascading waterfall — a spectacle that rivaled the show's actual performances.
Ludacris managed to turn his hedonistic "Pimpin' All Over the World" into a multicultural Mardi Gras-like extravaganza, complete with steel drummers, African dancers and, of course, around-the-way booty-shaking girls.
When it comes to booty shaking, Luke of 2 Live Crew fame is the king with his infamous dancers, and he brought a bevy of women a dance with Diddy and R&B heartthrob Omarion.
But one of the biggest surprises was a performance from MC Hammer, recapturing some of his glory while shaking to his '90s hit, "U Can't Touch This."
Another flashback moment came in a tribute to Diddy's protege, the late Notorious B.I.G., that featured Diddy "conducting" a string orchestra as the legendary rapper's songs played. Snoop Dogg came out at the end and delivered a verse on the B.I.G. hit "Warning."
West and Kelly Clarkson were among the early winners. Clarkson won for best female video for "Since U Been Gone," while West won for "Jesus Walks."
"I guess they're saying, 'We're going to give him his award early so we don't have to worry about nothin'," said West, referencing his infamous American Music Awards tantrum last year.
Green Day, who arrived in the vintage green convertible from their "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" video, won best rock video for the clip — one of the eight awards they were nominated for, making them the most nominated act of the year.
"It's great to know that rock music still has a place at MTV," said lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, speaking of hip-hop's recent takeover.
The evening's most inexplicable moment may have come from R. Kelly, who remains a chart-topper even though he's awaiting trial on child pornography charges.
On a bedroom set that looked like a scene from a Tyler Perry play, Kelly deliberately lip-synced highlights of his five-part soap opera infidelity song, "Trapped In The Closet," then debuted a new chapter involving a cheating wife, a cheating husband and his boyfriend.
Some of the night's more decadent moments came during the pre-show arrivals. Lil Jon came by sea, on what looked to be a three-story, pimp-my-yacht contraption. The prison-bound Lil' Kim arrived on the white carpet in a Rolls Royce Phantom, though she looked somewhat demure in her low-cut mauve dress — no pasties or dangling appendages this year from the diminutive rapper.
"I might show some leg," teased the star, who is due to start serving a year-and-a-day sentence in September on a perjury charge. When MTV personality Sway delicately asked if she had anything to say to fans who "might not see you for a while," Lil Kim said: "You can write me letters."
"Entourage" star Jeremy Piven couldn't help but tease her about her upcoming bid as they presented best rap video, which was won by Ludacris.
"You know, she's about to go to the big house, for lying," he said of Lil Kim. "I'd like to place a call to the warden and upgrade your situation."
The much-hyped white carpet was one of one of the Diddy-designed elements of the show. Another was the "Diddy Fashion Challenge" — in which he vowed to give away $50,000 each to the charities of the best dressed female and male at the event. Amerie, Gwen Stefani and Eva Longoria were the three female finalists; Usher, West and a pimped-out Snoop Dogg were the male finalists. Diddy himself was out of the running, though you wouldn't know it — he made three wardrobe changes in the first half-hour.
The awards typically snowball into a weeklong party with decadent A-list bashes, but Hurricane Katrina forced the cancellation of some events. Several stars, like West, were late arriving to Miami because of the weather.
Knight, the Death Row Records founder who has been at the center of some of hip-hop's most violent moments, was shot in the leg early Sunday morning at a star-studded party thrown by West. His injuries were not life-threatening; no arrests were made.
2005 Video Music Awards Winner's list:
Video Of The Year
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
Best Male Video
Kanye West, "Jesus Walks"
Best Female Video
Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"
Best Rock Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
Best R&B Video
Alicia Keys, "Karma"
Best Dance Video
Missy Elliott with Ciara & Fat Man Scoop, "Lose Control"
Best Rap Video
Ludacris, "Number One Spot"
MTV2 Award
Fall Out Boy, "Sugar, We're Going Down"
Best Hip-Hop Video
Missy Elliott with Ciara & Fat Man Scoop, "Lose Control"
Best Special Effects In A Video
Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc."
Best Pop Video
Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"
Best Group Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
Best Choreography In A Video
Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl"
Best Art Direction In A Video
Gwen Stefani, "What You Waiting For?"
Best Editing In A Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
Best New Artist In A Video
The Killers, "Mr. Brightside"
Best Cinematography In A Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"
Breakthrough Video
Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc."
'40-Year-Old Virgin' Retains No. 1 Spot
LOS ANGELES - Steve Carell's second time at the top of the box office was almost as good as the first. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," starring Carell as a middle-aged man who has never had sex, remained the No. 1 movie with $16.4 million, a strong hold from its opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," a fantasy starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the 19th century fairy-tale siblings, debuted in second place with $15.1 million.
"The Cave," an underground monster movie featuring Morris Chestnut, Piper Perabo and Cole Hauser, opened weakly at No. 6 with $6.2 million.
The weekend's other new wide release — the romance "Undiscovered," featuring Ashlee Simpson and Pell James as gal pals who fabricate media buzz to help a friend's music career — flopped with just $690,000, finishing far out of the top 10.
A movie slump continued, with the top-12 films taking in $82.8 million, down 2.5 percent from the same weekend last year.
Hollywood is having its worst year since the late 1990s, with summer attendance expected to come in 12 percent behind last year, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
There have been bright spots amid the slump, notably the racy R-rated comedies "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Wedding Crashers," which are holding well on the strength of good reviews and word of mouth.
"Wedding Crashers," starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as buddies who intrude on strangers' nuptials to pick up women, remained the No. 5 film with $6.25 million, lifting its seven-week total to $187.7 million.
The release of "The Brothers Grimm" was delayed for a year as Gilliam feuded over the final version with brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the heads of Miramax Films, whose Dimension banner released the movie.
"The Brothers Grimm" is among a rush of long-delayed Miramax movies now being released as the Weinsteins prepare to depart Disney-owned Miramax for a new film company they have formed.
For Gilliam ("The Fisher King," "Twelve Monkeys"), it was his first film since 1998's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." "Brothers Grimm" got mixed reviews at best, though.
"It's a respectable opening," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "You can't underestimate the following that Terry Gilliam has."
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," $16.4 million.
2. "The Brothers Grimm," $15.1 million.
3. "Red Eye," $10.4 million.
4. "Four Brothers," $7.8 million.
5. "Wedding Crashers," $6.25 million.
6. "The Cave," $6.2 million.
7. "March of the Penguins," $4.6 million.
8. "The Skeleton Key," $4.4 million.
9. "Valiant," $3.35 million.
10. "The Dukes of Hazzard," $3.05 million.
McCready Accused of Violating Probation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country music singer Mindy McCready is accused of violating her probation on a drug conviction, authorities said.
A spokeswoman for the Pinellas County sheriff's department said McCready was jailed Friday on an arrest warrant issued earlier this month.
According to the warrant, McCready left Tennessee without getting permission from her probation officer and didn't report to the officer during July.
Authorities said it is McCready's second probation violation, which means she cannot post bail this time and likely will have to serve time in jail.
The probation violations stem from charges brought against the singer last year, when she pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining the painkiller OxyContin. She was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.
McCready violated her probation in May when she was charged with driving under the influence in Nashville.
A few days later, McCready's boyfriend, William McKnight, was charged with attempted murder after allegedly breaking into her home and beating her.
McCready was released from a Florida hospital last month after an apparent suicide attempt at an Indian Rocks Beach hotel, authorities said.
The 28-year-old singer had a No. 1 hit in 1996 with "Guys Do It All the Time."