The Academy Throws a little-Film Festival Connected using the Governors' Honours

Kristian Dowling/Picturegroup The Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences' classy Governors Honours dinner, searching for November. 12, may be strictly invitation only, with invasive TV cameras pointedly not requested, nevertheless the Academy has made a decision to provide the general public a glimpse, via celluloid, in the nominees. Monday, it introduced its first-ever Governors Honours Film Series. The title itself might be a grand. The series includes just three representative films -Body each for that famous host the famous host oprah Winfrey, who's to find the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, together with the 2 Honorary Award individuals who win, James Earl Manley making-up artist Dick Cruz. The series starts November. 9 within the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Slopes getting a showing of 1973's Alien, through which Smith's work aided transform Linda Blair in to a demonic, mind-spinning, little terror, additionally to looks by Cruz, Academy governor Leonard Engelman, fellow make-up artist Ron Cruz and cinematographer Owen Roizman. The following evening, the program will give you Steven Spielberg's 1985 The Color Crimson, that Winfrey received a best supporting actor nomination. Academy leader Tom Sherak will introduce the evening, which will include actress Margaret Avery, who was simply also nominated for your film. The best feature, on November. 11, will probably be 1970's The Fantastic White-colored Hope, directed by Martin Ritt, that Manley acquired an Oscar nomination that belongs to them. The program includes Sherak, director Phillip Noyce and actor Courtney B. Vance. Tickets will probably be available to everybody beginning November. 1 at internet.oscars.org by mail. Governors Honours James Earl Manley The famous host the famous host oprah Winfrey AMPAS

X-Treme Transformation: Marvel's X-Males Go Anime on G4

X-Males Everyone's favorite mutants are going to TV. The X-Males, Marvel Comics' legendary team of super-powered outcasts, have become a significant transformation in the gritty and dynamic new animated series premiering tonight at 11/10c on gaming/geek-designed cable network G4.Following a wealth of Iron Guy and Wolverine, which opened up the 2009 summer season, X-Males might be the 3rd in many Marvel anime shows round the network. (A fourth show, Edge, starring Lost's Harold Perrineau, launches within the month of the month of january.) Based on story outlines by author Warren Ellis - who created acclaimed comics The Authority, Planetary, Transmetropolitan, Global Frequency and Red-colored-colored - the half-hour episodes were animated by Japanese production company Madhouse, the studio behind Supernatural: The Anime Series.Getting already starred in live-action films and traditional animated programs, anime was the next logical area of the franchise's evolution, according to Cort Lane, Marvel Entertainment's v . p . of animation development and production. "Our adult fans will be clamoring for suggests that speak with them. And joining track of Madhouse made an appearance like a powerful way to do that, to create adult-specific animation," Lane states. "We particularly selected characteristics that needed advantage of the talents of anime. Anime action is actually visceral together with the X-Males you desire to deliver that." The knowledge and dialogue really are a little edgier and more personal and much more personal than most superhero cartoons.X-Males features the fan faves Wolverine, Storm, Animal, Professor Xavier, Emma Frost and Cyclops, voiced by Friday Evening Lights vet (and noted comic-book fan) Scott Porter. They travels to Japan in order to save a teenage girl named Hisako Ichiki, who'll eventually become Armor, a personality who first came out in Joss Whedon's run in the Astonishing X-Males comic in 2004. Throughout the time from the 12 episodes, fans could possibly get nods to classic comic-book tales, together with a dent segment based on what's possibly the widely used story, "The Dark Phoenix Saga.""A Few Things I love relevant for this show is, even though it's a new twist [round the X-Males], you will discover shows a couple of from the classic late '70s and early eighties tales with the season," Lane states. "Fans will get a lot of rewarding stuff." And, he teases, the entrance will probably be left open for just about any second season: "There's some a cliffhanger following a credits of episode 12, that's conventional Marvel."To offer you a concept in the tone in the series, here is a unique clip from episode 6: Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

The Three Musketeers in Film: A Movieline Timeline

This weekend, Paul W.S. Anderson brings his own adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Three Musketeers to movie theaters. This is hardly the first feature film foray for the titular trio of sword-fighting adventurers though. The Three Musketeers, first published in 1844, has been interpreted for the screen over twenty times in the past century and framed as everything from a silent film to a Russian musical to a Charlie Sheen star vehicle. In celebration of this weekend’s latest rendering of the classic, let’s re-examine the Musketeers’ long cinematic history. 1921: By this time, Hollywood had already cranked out three silent iterations of the The Three Musketeers, the most notable being the 1916 feature starring vaudeville stars Louise Glaum (as Milady de Winter, the beautiful and remorseless spy for Cardinal Richelieu) and Dorothy Dalton. But it wasn’t until 1921 that the U.S. enjoyed its first big Musketeers remake with silent swashbuckling star and that era’s “King of Hollywood” Douglas Fairbanks. As d’Artagnan — the hotheaded youth who is ultimately befriended by the Musketeers and protected as a son — Fairbanks at one point performed a one-handed handspring to grab a sword during a fight scene which was considered one of the greatest stunts of this era. 1939: Four years after Hollywood released its first English-language talking Three Musketeers (one that still paled in comparison to the Fairbanks adaptation), Hollywood decided that the Dumas novel was ready for a comedic take. Hence 1939’s musical comedy Three Musketeers which stars Academy Award winner Don Ameche (Cocoon) as D’Artagnan and comedy trio the Ritz Brothers as his cowardly helpers, who dance and sing about chicken soup. 1948: The Three Musketeers got its technicolor close-up in 1948 with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s splashy adaptation starring Gene Kelly as D’Artagnan, Lana Turner as Countess de Winter and Angela Lansbury (at just 23 years old) as Queen Anne. Although Gene Kelly may have given off more of a dashing vibe than the dangerous and quick-tempered sensibility ascribed to his character in the novel, his physical ability made him one of the most graceful and acrobatic Musketeers in film history.

Theater Actors to Watch 2011

Theater Actors to Watch 2011 October 21, 2011 Patti Murrin in "Lysistrata Jones" Patti Murin Where you've seen her: Patti Murin was most recently seen in an Off-Broadway production at the Judson Memorial Church, playing a determined basketball cheerleader in the Aristophanes-inspired musical "Lysistrata Jones" and garnering rave reviews. Written by Douglas Carter Beane and composer-lyricist Lewis Flinn, the show is now slated to open on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Dec. 14. Previously, Murin understudied the roller-skating female lead in the 2007 Broadway tuner "Xanadu" and went on 40 times, she says. Prior to making her Broadway debut in that zany production, she performed at regional theaters across the country, playing leading or featured roles in close to 20 musicalssome of them revivals but most of them new works, including "Princesses," which almost made it to Broadway; "Clueless: The Musical" and "Give It Up," which morphed into "Lysistrata Jones."Upcoming projects: Besides preparing for her debut as a lead on Broadway, Murin is spending her limited free time participating in readings for various new musicals that are hoping to land backers. But her thoughts are focused on the challenges of doing eight shows a week in a lead and maintaining her physical and especially vocal health. "I never performed eight times a week; the most was seven performances," she says, adding, "I feel very strongly about not taking time off and missing performances because of vocal problems." On the other hand, she feels confident because she created the role and has had a chance to hone her acting and singing chops at the Dallas Theater Center, where the project began, and later Off-Broadway.Breaking in: Brought up in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., Murin had her sights set on a musical theater career at an early age. She majored in musical theater at Syracuse University and moved to New York City two weeks after graduation in 2002. Her career trajectory to date has been steady and workmanlike. She concedes that she was lucky to land day jobsincluding an on-and-off three-year gig with an insurance companythat allowed her to take time off for auditions, callbacks, and work in various regional productions. Other day jobs, as a guide with the "Sex and the City" bus tour and as a freelance babysitter, have been equally flexible. She's now in the enviable position of being able to focus exclusively on her true vocation without worrying about day labor.Keeping a healthy perspective: Part of her good fortune, Murin says, is having a wonderful support system that includes friends, family, and, most central, her husband, actor Curtis Holbrook. Both are committed to the marriage, she says, and don't go out of town for long periods: "My marriage now determines a lot of what I do and don't do. Being married also reminds me that there is something else beyond the next audition." Indeed, she says, it's very important to have friends outside the business for added perspective. Another aspect of a healthy outlook is to make a genuine effort to mitigate feelings of envy when an actor friend walks off with a role you auditioned for, she says. "I now feel if I don't get a part, I should be happy for an actor friend who does. We have no control over it anyway, and whether you get a role or not has nothing to do with who you are. You may be just an inch too tall. So feel good for your friend."Simi Horwitz Edward Tournier Where you've seen him: Edward Tournier, who was born in Paris and grew up in Boston, has been active in Southern California theater since he moved to L.A. five years ago. His many successful and challenging stage roles include characters in "Futura" at Theatre @ Boston Court (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination), "Supernova" at the Elephant Theatre (LA Weekly nomination for best ensemble), and "Mercury Fur" for Needtheater (Ovation nomination for best ensemble). About his portrayal of an oversexed, alcoholic teenager in "Supernova," Back Stage wrote, "The superb Tournier juggles his character's boorish behavior alongside the hurt feelings that have festered in the family, creating a compelling portrait of inner turmoil." Tournier is a dedicated member of the theater company Rogue Machine, where he appeared in "Razorback," and has enjoyed the opportunity to cut his teeth as a producer and assistant director with the troupe. "I think those jobs fell to me because I was willing to step up and take them, as often happens in theater," he says. "As I did more and more plays, I got more familiar with how it all works, more skilled and experienced, and started seeing things from a wider point of view. Directing and producing seemed like a natural growth from acting." Tournier also has TV shows to his credit, including "Without a Trace" and A&E's "The Cleaner."Current project: Tournier is playing the unusual role of a bonobo (similar to a chimpanzee) in the world premiere of Henry Murray's "Monkey Adored," at Rogue Machine through Nov. 20. "This species of ape is known primarily for its democratic sex drive, not discriminating by age, gender, or status," the actor explains. The allegorical play, which includes several humanlike animals, is set in a brutally violent world where the repressed animal characters are planning a revolt. Tournier calls his role very challenging, physically and otherwise, but says it's "an absolute blast to play." He adds, "I get to really 'monkey around' and leave my inhibitions at the door."Breaking in: The role that Tournier believes got his career rolling was that of an aspiring actor, who grows from 16 to 26 years old, in "Secrets of the Trade," Jonathan Tolins' bittersweet play, which premiered in 2008 at the Black Dahlia Theatre and was later produced Off-Broadway. Tournier's ambitious young character forges a relationship with a famous middle-aged actor-director (played by John Glover), who becomes his mentor. "That was the first play I did in L.A. that got a lot of attention," says Tournier. "It was very popular with audiences and had a sold-out run. It was a critical success, and there were a lot of good things that came out of it."His philosophy: Tournier says something that happened in his career that he never planned for was working almost exclusively on new plays. He describes it as "incredibly rewarding." Beyond that, his vision includes making a living in film or TV. "That's why I'm out here," he says. "My passion and background are on stage, but when it comes to making a living, that only seems possible if you have a film or TV thing going." Yet he would feel especially fulfilled to be able to do it all. "That's the dream," he says.Les Spindle Annaleigh Ashford Annaleigh Ashford in "Rent" (Photo by Joan Marcus) Where you've seen her: Annaleigh Ashford has been a steady presence on the NY theater scene since she graduated with a bachelor's degree in acting from Marymount Manhattan Collegeat 19. "I was on the fast track," Ashford says. Months after graduating, she landed in the NY Musical Theatre Festival production "Feeling Electric"an early version of the Pulitzer Prize winner "Next to Normal"which she considers her big break. That show got her a gig in the first national tour of "Wicked," understudying Glinda. She went on to create the role of Margot in the musical "Legally Blonde" and play Jeannie in "Hair" on Broadway last summer. She also had a bit part in the first "Sex and the City" movie and is a recurring guest star on the NYbased Web series "Submissions Only."Current projects: Ashford is currently starring as Maureen, the volatile performance artist, in the Off-Broadway revival of "Rent." While she was nervous about following in the footsteps of Idina Menzel, who originated the role on Broadway, Ashford brought her own experience to bear. "When I was in college, I knew quite a few performance artists who were working consistently downtown, so I've seen a lot of performance art," she explains of her new take on the bohemian lesbian activist. "I wanted to explore more elements of the physical. And they understood what I was going for, and it was extremely exciting." While her first love is the theater, she's excited about acting in all mediums. She'll appear in the much-anticipated midseason series "Smash" on NBC. "As an actor, I really would just love to work in any way that I can," Ashford says. "I've been given the opportunity to explore that mediumbecause it is so different from the theater, that's been exciting creatively. It's a different world. But the acting stays the same. The process stays the same. It's just a different medium. I'm partial to anything where I get to act." Endless auditioning: Like any actor, Ashford must deal with the unpredictability of the profession. "I always tell people that I have more job interviews in a week than most people have in their life," she says. "I think that's the hardest part about being an actor: You have to have the continual belief in yourself, in your craft." A self-proclaimed horrible judge of auditions, Ashford says she never knows how to feel after one: "When I auditioned for 'Legally Blonde: The Musical,' I thought I did a terrible job and there was no way I was getting a callback. And then I got a call literally the next morning saying I got the job in one audition." Always be creating: To keep her craft sharp, Ashford values her training. "Working in musical theater, it's like flexing a muscle," she says. She regularly takes dance classes and has kept up with voice lessons since she was 9. She trained in clowning with David Shiner while working on the Cirque du Soleil show "Banana Shpeel," and she has taken Bob Krakower's on-camera class and Craig Carnelia's musical theater class. "It's actually an important part of the creative process, to always be creating," she explains. Ashford's dream roles include Nina in "The Seagull" and Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "That's not going to happen for years," she says. "As an actor, your career is your whole life, or at least it should be. You can act until the day you die."Suzy Evans Hunter Parrish (Photo by Michael Muller/CPi Syndication) Where you've seen him: Hunter Parrish has been acting since he was about 6 years old but still considers himself a student, always willing to learn from his peers and veteran co-stars. Born in Richmond, Va., and raised in Plano, Texas, Parrish has guest-starred on several TV shows, such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." He has also appeared on Broadway as Melchior in the musical "Spring Awakening" and in the movies "RV," "Freedom Writers," "17 Again," and "It's Complicated." For the last six years, he has played Silas Botwin on Showtime's Emmy-winning drama "Weeds." Current project: Parrish is currently making his second appearance on Broadway, starring as Jesus in the revival of "Godspell," now in previews and scheduled to open Nov. 7. Though he's playing a biblical figure, the musical "is about love and community," he says. "People have their personal [ideas] for what or who Jesus is and what he means. I'm staying far away from that and I'm focusing on how much love he as a man had to offer and to teach other people how to spread their love as well."Breaking in: Parrish's interest in performing began at 5 years old. During a church service, he enjoyed singing alongside his family, and the next summer, he visited NY and saw "Cats" on Broadway. "I started crying," he remembers. "From watching people on stage moving, singing, dancing, I was like, 'I got to do that.' I wanted to be on stage." He soon took Peter Sklar's Beginnings workshop and starred in its end-of-term showcase, after which a manager offered to represent him. Parrish began working on stage and moved into film and television roles as he became older, though he never lost his affinity for theater. When he was about 17, he received the script for "Weeds." He was home in Texas at the time, so a friend taped his audition and he mailed it in. He heard nothing for some time and assumed the producers were not interested. Then he was told it was a choice between him and two other actors to play Silas, the son of a pot-dealing suburban mom played by Mary-Louise Parker. Parrish flew out to Los Angeles and won the role. "I guess they saw something," he says. Time leap: When he replaced Jonathan Groff as Melchior in "Spring Awakening," Parrish needed to play a character living in late-19th-century Germany. He found it an interesting challenge: "I spent a lot of time right before each show listening to music that wasn't necessarily from the time period but that took me from present day and focused me." He adds with a laugh, "I have a crazy personality, and my brain is incredibly scattered and needed that to bring myself down." What he's learned: "Trusting myself was the biggest obstacle, and still is," Parrish says. "Every time I sit down with any script, I read it closely and get into it, so I can see where to make big decisions and go for it, because that's what people respond to." Frank Nestor Andre Holland (Photo by Michael Tammaro) Where you've seen him: Andre Holland got bitten by the Shakespeare in the Park bug after his first year in NY University's MFA acting program, when he appeared in the ensemble of the Public Theater production of "Much Ado About Nothing." Last summer he returned to Central Park, playing Bertram in "All's Well That Ends Well" and Claudio in "Measure for Measure." He considers his first professional break after graduating from NYU in 2006 to have been the play "Blue Door" at Playwrights Horizons. "NY Times" critic Charles Isherwood wrote, "On the evidence of this blazingly good performance, I can confidently say that Mr. Hollandis an actor of some serious potential." In 2009, Holland made his Broadway debut in "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," and in 2011 he received rave reviews for his work in Manhattan Theatre Club's production of "The Whipping Man." (Isherwood called him "one of the most engaging young stage actors of his generation.")Upcoming projects: This fall, Holland can be seen guest-starring on the fifth season of USA's "Burn Notice." The final episode of his short-lived TV show "Friends With Benefits" aired in September, and he is taking some time out now to work on writing projects. He's writing his first full-length screenplay, something he is "dying to do," he says. "I'm having a hard time finding the parts that I want to be doing next. I think it's up to me to create those opportunities for myself. Not only do you have to be a good actor, but you also have to be a good creator and care enough about it to go out and make it yourself if you have to. That's tough. But it's also equal parts exhilarating and exciting."Mama's boy: In Alabama, where Holland grew up, his mom was a champion for him and his two sisters, and she put him in a community theater production even though he was too young. "She sort of forced them to let me be a part of it," he remembers. His mother's "you have not because you ask not" philosophy has helped him throughout his career. "Be persistent," advises Holland, who wrote letters incessantly to the Public Theater requesting an audition that first summer. "If you want to do it and you know you want to do it, then knock on every door you can find. Audition for anybody that will let you audition for them. Really go after it."Permission to act: Holland didn't always have acting on his mind. He played baseball in high school and initially studied political science at Florida State University. Walking by the college theater building one day, he saw a flyer for a black theater festival run by Woodie King Jr. of Off-Broadway's New Federal Theatre. Using more of his mother's moxie, he convinced the department to let him participate in the event. "At the end of it," he recalls, "Woodie King Jr. caught me in the hallway and he said, 'Son, I want you to go home, call your mama, and tell her Woodie King Jr. said it's okay for you to be an actor." But he still wrestled with finding his place. While studying in London, he saw Adrian Lester in Peter Brook's production of "Hamlet," which changed Holland's outlook. "In my mind, I never put together [that] a black man could be playing Hamlet well," he says. "Seeing him do it really just broadened my horizons. It gave me permission to be where I am right now. To play in Shakespeare in the Park. Had I not been in that theater, I probably never would have had the courage to risk going after it."Suzy Evans Adam Chanler-Berat (Photo by Norma Walter McBride_Retna Ltd.) Where you've seen him: Adam Chanler-Berat created the role of Henry in the Pulitzer Prizewinning musical "Next to Normal," then went on to originate the character Peter in "Peter and the Starcatcher," the much-raved-about Off-Broadway adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's prequel to J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan."Current project: Chanler-Berat is now tackling one of the most iconic musical theater roles of the '90s, playing Mark Cohen in the Off-Broadway revival of "Rent" at New World Stages. The show opened in August and has been well-received by critics and audiences.Big shoes: Stepping into an established role was not easy for Chanler-Berat after creating two originals. "It was a little shocking," he says. "It's tough. There is a certain idea of the role that I wanted to honor in some way." Having worked with Anthony Rapp, the original Mark Cohen, in "Next to Normal" (Rapp was the assistant director), Chanler-Berat was especially anxious to pay tribute to the character. "But I think getting caught up in that is just asking for trouble," he says. "And I think Michael [Greif, the director] was so gracious to let us really figure out who these people are."Born this way: "As clich as this sounds, I think it's true that you are born an actor, and I was born with this bug," Chanler-Berat says. "I tried to run away from it at a couple points in my life, and I just found myself back in its loving arms again." As a young boy, he performed for friends and family every chance he got. Every time a costume could be worn, he was in one. "I made a play about the Easter Bunny, and I'm not religious," he says. "And my family is pretty much Jewish. But I made up plays for any holiday I could. I've been doing it privately. Now I just get paid for it."Emily Cegielski Theater Actors to Watch 2011 October 21, 2011 Patti Murrin in "Lysistrata Jones" Patti Murin Where you've seen her: Patti Murin was most recently seen in an Off-Broadway production at the Judson Memorial Church, playing a determined basketball cheerleader in the Aristophanes-inspired musical "Lysistrata Jones" and garnering rave reviews. Written by Douglas Carter Beane and composer-lyricist Lewis Flinn, the show is now slated to open on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Dec. 14. Previously, Murin understudied the roller-skating female lead in the 2007 Broadway tuner "Xanadu" and went on 40 times, she says. Prior to making her Broadway debut in that zany production, she performed at regional theaters across the country, playing leading or featured roles in close to 20 musicalssome of them revivals but most of them new works, including "Princesses," which almost made it to Broadway; "Clueless: The Musical" and "Give It Up," which morphed into "Lysistrata Jones."Upcoming projects: Besides preparing for her debut as a lead on Broadway, Murin is spending her limited free time participating in readings for various new musicals that are hoping to land backers. But her thoughts are focused on the challenges of doing eight shows a week in a lead and maintaining her physical and especially vocal health. "I never performed eight times a week; the most was seven performances," she says, adding, "I feel very strongly about not taking time off and missing performances because of vocal problems." On the other hand, she feels confident because she created the role and has had a chance to hone her acting and singing chops at the Dallas Theater Center, where the project began, and later Off-Broadway.Breaking in: Brought up in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., Murin had her sights set on a musical theater career at an early age. She majored in musical theater at Syracuse University and moved to NY City two weeks after graduation in 2002. Her career trajectory to date has been steady and workmanlike. She concedes that she was lucky to land day jobsincluding an on-and-off three-year gig with an insurance companythat allowed her to take time off for auditions, callbacks, and work in various regional productions. Other day jobs, as a guide with the "Sex and the City" bus tour and as a freelance babysitter, have been equally flexible. She's now in the enviable position of being able to focus exclusively on her true vocation without worrying about day labor.Keeping a healthy perspective: Part of her good fortune, Murin says, is having a wonderful support system that includes friends, family, and, most central, her husband, actor Curtis Holbrook. Both are committed to the marriage, she says, and don't go out of town for long periods: "My marriage now determines a lot of what I do and don't do. Being married also reminds me that there is something else beyond the next audition." Indeed, she says, it's very important to have friends outside the business for added perspective. Another aspect of a healthy outlook is to make a genuine effort to mitigate feelings of envy when an actor friend walks off with a role you auditioned for, she says. "I now feel if I don't get a part, I should be happy for an actor friend who does. We have no control over it anyway, and whether you get a role or not has nothing to do with who you are. You may be just an inch too tall. So feel good for your friend."Simi Horwitz Edward Tournier Where you've seen him: Edward Tournier, who was born in Paris and grew up in Boston, has been active in Southern California theater since he moved to L.A. five years ago. His many successful and challenging stage roles include characters in "Futura" at Theatre @ Boston Court (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination), "Supernova" at the Elephant Theatre (LA Weekly nomination for best ensemble), and "Mercury Fur" for Needtheater (Ovation nomination for best ensemble). About his portrayal of an oversexed, alcoholic teenager in "Supernova," Back Stage wrote, "The superb Tournier juggles his character's boorish behavior alongside the hurt feelings that have festered in the family, creating a compelling portrait of inner turmoil." Tournier is a dedicated member of the theater company Rogue Machine, where he appeared in "Razorback," and has enjoyed the opportunity to cut his teeth as a producer and assistant director with the troupe. "I think those jobs fell to me because I was willing to step up and take them, as often happens in theater," he says. "As I did more and more plays, I got more familiar with how it all works, more skilled and experienced, and started seeing things from a wider point of view. Directing and producing seemed like a natural growth from acting." Tournier also has TV shows to his credit, including "Without a Trace" and A&E's "The Cleaner."Current project: Tournier is playing the unusual role of a bonobo (similar to a chimpanzee) in the world premiere of Henry Murray's "Monkey Adored," at Rogue Machine through Nov. 20. "This species of ape is known primarily for its democratic sex drive, not discriminating by age, gender, or status," the actor explains. The allegorical play, which includes several humanlike animals, is set in a brutally violent world where the repressed animal characters are planning a revolt. Tournier calls his role very challenging, physically and otherwise, but says it's "an absolute blast to play." He adds, "I get to really 'monkey around' and leave my inhibitions at the door."Breaking in: The role that Tournier believes got his career rolling was that of an aspiring actor, who grows from 16 to 26 years old, in "Secrets of the Trade," Jonathan Tolins' bittersweet play, which premiered in 2008 at the Black Dahlia Theatre and was later produced Off-Broadway. Tournier's ambitious young character forges a relationship with a famous middle-aged actor-director (played by John Glover), who becomes his mentor. "That was the first play I did in L.A. that got a lot of attention," says Tournier. "It was very popular with audiences and had a sold-out run. It was a critical success, and there were a lot of good things that came out of it."His philosophy: Tournier says something that happened in his career that he never planned for was working almost exclusively on new plays. He describes it as "incredibly rewarding." Beyond that, his vision includes making a living in film or TV. "That's why I'm out here," he says. "My passion and background are on stage, but when it comes to making a living, that only seems possible if you have a film or TV thing going." Yet he would feel especially fulfilled to be able to do it all. "That's the dream," he says.Les Spindle Annaleigh Ashford Annaleigh Ashford in "Rent" (Photo by Joan Marcus) Where you've seen her: Annaleigh Ashford has been a steady presence on the NY theater scene since she graduated with a bachelor's degree in acting from Marymount Manhattan Collegeat 19. "I was on the fast track," Ashford says. Months after graduating, she landed in the NY Musical Theatre Festival production "Feeling Electric"an early version of the Pulitzer Prize winner "Next to Normal"which she considers her big break. That show got her a gig in the first national tour of "Wicked," understudying Glinda. She went on to create the role of Margot in the musical "Legally Blonde" and play Jeannie in "Hair" on Broadway last summer. She also had a bit part in the first "Sex and the City" movie and is a recurring guest star on the NYbased Web series "Submissions Only."Current projects: Ashford is currently starring as Maureen, the volatile performance artist, in the Off-Broadway revival of "Rent." While she was nervous about following in the footsteps of Idina Menzel, who originated the role on Broadway, Ashford brought her own experience to bear. "When I was in college, I knew quite a few performance artists who were working consistently downtown, so I've seen a lot of performance art," she explains of her new take on the bohemian lesbian activist. "I wanted to explore more elements of the physical. And they understood what I was going for, and it was extremely exciting." While her first love is the theater, she's excited about acting in all mediums. She'll appear in the much-anticipated midseason series "Smash" on NBC. "As an actor, I really would just love to work in any way that I can," Ashford says. "I've been given the opportunity to explore that mediumbecause it is so different from the theater, that's been exciting creatively. It's a different world. But the acting stays the same. The process stays the same. It's just a different medium. I'm partial to anything where I get to act." Endless auditioning: Like any actor, Ashford must deal with the unpredictability of the profession. "I always tell people that I have more job interviews in a week than most people have in their life," she says. "I think that's the hardest part about being an actor: You have to have the continual belief in yourself, in your craft." A self-proclaimed horrible judge of auditions, Ashford says she never knows how to feel after one: "When I auditioned for 'Legally Blonde: The Musical,' I thought I did a terrible job and there was no way I was getting a callback. And then I got a call literally the next morning saying I got the job in one audition." Always be creating: To keep her craft sharp, Ashford values her training. "Working in musical theater, it's like flexing a muscle," she says. She regularly takes dance classes and has kept up with voice lessons since she was 9. She trained in clowning with David Shiner while working on the Cirque du Soleil show "Banana Shpeel," and she has taken Bob Krakower's on-camera class and Craig Carnelia's musical theater class. "It's actually an important part of the creative process, to always be creating," she explains. Ashford's dream roles include Nina in "The Seagull" and Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "That's not going to happen for years," she says. "As an actor, your career is your whole life, or at least it should be. You can act until the day you die."Suzy Evans Hunter Parrish (Photo by Michael Muller/CPi Syndication) Where you've seen him: Hunter Parrish has been acting since he was about 6 years old but still considers himself a student, always willing to learn from his peers and veteran co-stars. Born in Richmond, Va., and raised in Plano, Texas, Parrish has guest-starred on several TV shows, such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." He has also appeared on Broadway as Melchior in the musical "Spring Awakening" and in the movies "RV," "Freedom Writers," "17 Again," and "It's Complicated." For the last six years, he has played Silas Botwin on Showtime's Emmy-winning drama "Weeds." Current project: Parrish is currently making his second appearance on Broadway, starring as Jesus in the revival of "Godspell," now in previews and scheduled to open Nov. 7. Though he's playing a biblical figure, the musical "is about love and community," he says. "People have their personal [ideas] for what or who Jesus is and what he means. I'm staying far away from that and I'm focusing on how much love he as a man had to offer and to teach other people how to spread their love as well."Breaking in: Parrish's interest in performing began at 5 years old. During a church service, he enjoyed singing alongside his family, and the next summer, he visited NY and saw "Cats" on Broadway. "I started crying," he remembers. "From watching people on stage moving, singing, dancing, I was like, 'I got to do that.' I wanted to be on stage." He soon took Peter Sklar's Beginnings workshop and starred in its end-of-term showcase, after which a manager offered to represent him. Parrish began working on stage and moved into film and television roles as he became older, though he never lost his affinity for theater. When he was about 17, he received the script for "Weeds." He was home in Texas at the time, so a friend taped his audition and he mailed it in. He heard nothing for some time and assumed the producers were not interested. Then he was told it was a choice between him and two other actors to play Silas, the son of a pot-dealing suburban mom played by Mary-Louise Parker. Parrish flew out to Los Angeles and won the role. "I guess they saw something," he says. Time leap: When he replaced Jonathan Groff as Melchior in "Spring Awakening," Parrish needed to play a character living in late-19th-century Germany. He found it an interesting challenge: "I spent a lot of time right before each show listening to music that wasn't necessarily from the time period but that took me from present day and focused me." He adds with a laugh, "I have a crazy personality, and my brain is incredibly scattered and needed that to bring myself down." What he's learned: "Trusting myself was the biggest obstacle, and still is," Parrish says. "Every time I sit down with any script, I read it closely and get into it, so I can see where to make big decisions and go for it, because that's what people respond to." Frank Nestor Andre Holland (Photo by Michael Tammaro) Where you've seen him: Andre Holland got bitten by the Shakespeare in the Park bug after his first year in NY University's MFA acting program, when he appeared in the ensemble of the Public Theater production of "Much Ado About Nothing." Last summer he returned to Central Park, playing Bertram in "All's Well That Ends Well" and Claudio in "Measure for Measure." He considers his first professional break after graduating from NYU in 2006 to have been the play "Blue Door" at Playwrights Horizons. "NY Times" critic Charles Isherwood wrote, "On the evidence of this blazingly good performance, I can confidently say that Mr. Hollandis an actor of some serious potential." In 2009, Holland made his Broadway debut in "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," and in 2011 he received rave reviews for his work in Manhattan Theatre Club's production of "The Whipping Man." (Isherwood called him "one of the most engaging young stage actors of his generation.")Upcoming projects: This fall, Holland can be seen guest-starring on the fifth season of USA's "Burn Notice." The final episode of his short-lived TV show "Friends With Benefits" aired in September, and he is taking some time out now to work on writing projects. He's writing his first full-length screenplay, something he is "dying to do," he says. "I'm having a hard time finding the parts that I want to be doing next. I think it's up to me to create those opportunities for myself. Not only do you have to be a good actor, but you also have to be a good creator and care enough about it to go out and make it yourself if you have to. That's tough. But it's also equal parts exhilarating and exciting."Mama's boy: In Alabama, where Holland grew up, his mom was a champion for him and his two sisters, and she put him in a community theater production even though he was too young. "She sort of forced them to let me be a part of it," he remembers. His mother's "you have not because you ask not" philosophy has helped him throughout his career. "Be persistent," advises Holland, who wrote letters incessantly to the Public Theater requesting an audition that first summer. "If you want to do it and you know you want to do it, then knock on every door you can find. Audition for anybody that will let you audition for them. Really go after it."Permission to act: Holland didn't always have acting on his mind. He played baseball in high school and initially studied political science at Florida State University. Walking by the college theater building one day, he saw a flyer for a black theater festival run by Woodie King Jr. of Off-Broadway's New Federal Theatre. Using more of his mother's moxie, he convinced the department to let him participate in the event. "At the end of it," he recalls, "Woodie King Jr. caught me in the hallway and he said, 'Son, I want you to go home, call your mama, and tell her Woodie King Jr. said it's okay for you to be an actor." But he still wrestled with finding his place. While studying in London, he saw Adrian Lester in Peter Brook's production of "Hamlet," which changed Holland's outlook. "In my mind, I never put together [that] a black man could be playing Hamlet well," he says. "Seeing him do it really just broadened my horizons. It gave me permission to be where I am right now. To play in Shakespeare in the Park. Had I not been in that theater, I probably never would have had the courage to risk going after it."Suzy Evans Adam Chanler-Berat (Photo by Norma Walter McBride_Retna Ltd.) Where you've seen him: Adam Chanler-Berat created the role of Henry in the Pulitzer Prizewinning musical "Next to Normal," then went on to originate the character Peter in "Peter and the Starcatcher," the much-raved-about Off-Broadway adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's prequel to J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan."Current project: Chanler-Berat is now tackling one of the most iconic musical theater roles of the '90s, playing Mark Cohen in the Off-Broadway revival of "Rent" at New World Stages. The show opened in August and has been well-received by critics and audiences.Big shoes: Stepping into an established role was not easy for Chanler-Berat after creating two originals. "It was a little shocking," he says. "It's tough. There is a certain idea of the role that I wanted to honor in some way." Having worked with Anthony Rapp, the original Mark Cohen, in "Next to Normal" (Rapp was the assistant director), Chanler-Berat was especially anxious to pay tribute to the character. "But I think getting caught up in that is just asking for trouble," he says. "And I think Michael [Greif, the director] was so gracious to let us really figure out who these people are."Born this way: "As clich as this sounds, I think it's true that you are born an actor, and I was born with this bug," Chanler-Berat says. "I tried to run away from it at a couple points in my life, and I just found myself back in its loving arms again." As a young boy, he performed for friends and family every chance he got. Every time a costume could be worn, he was in one. "I made a play about the Easter Bunny, and I'm not religious," he says. "And my family is pretty much Jewish. But I made up plays for any holiday I could. I've been doing it privately. Now I just get paid for it."Emily Cegielski

REVIEW: Tense, Timely Margin Call Evokes Occupy Wall Street Outrage

Margin Call isn’t the first film to peer into the moneyed, aspirationally heartless world of finance, and it’s not going to be the last, but it’s got a fair shot at being the one with the most masterful timing. J.C. Chandor’s feature debut aims to offers insight into the mindset of bankers poised to plunge the country into the 2008 economic crisis because of their own reckless conduct, and it reaches screens as Occupy Wall Street has spread across the U.S. and internationally, fueled in part by outrage about a lack of accountability in the financial and corporate world. The film’s not an indictment or a satire — it’s a tense but contemplative exploration of being on the other side of one of those mirrored skyscraper windows, of being in a precarious place of privilege, power and, most important of all, carefully guarded remove. Margin Call unfolds over 24 hours, give or take, and it rarely ventures out of the Manhattan office building in which its unnamed firm is based. When it does, it’s to head to other protective bubbles — the warmly lit interior of an upscale bar, the glide of a town car making its way through nighttime traffic, a walk around the block with headphones on. As, over the course of the night, higher and higher-ups within the company are called in like escalating bosses in a video game, they appear as if by magic, immaculate in businesswear at three in the morning. The highest-up of all, the reptilian John Tuld (Jeremy Irons), is flown in via helicopter to land on top of the building, as if he’s reached a point in his life and his career where his feet need not ever touch the ground. “It’s not a prison,” one character scoffs when another asks if he can go out for some air, but Margin Call makes it clear that membership here is a type of trap, one never more obvious than when you’re cast out. The film begins with layoffs, HR representatives circling a floor of people trying their best to concentrate on their work and pretend it’s just another day while awaiting the dreaded tap on the shoulder. Eric Dale (a very good Stanley Tucci) is let go that day, escorted out by security per corporate mandate, his phone already shut off. On his way down, he hands what he was working on to junior analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto), who plugs in some holes in Eric’s research and uncovers the fact that the firm’s been working outside its own risk algorithms for the last few days and is poised to lose everything in an increasingly unstable market headed for a crash. Margin Call’s high-powered cast — Kevin Spacey oversees the trading floor, Paul Bettany is his right hand man, and Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Penn Badgley and Aasif Mandvi fill other roles up and down the corporate ladder — adds to the seductive air of the whole environment. These people are painfully smart and so sleek in their pricey suits, and if they all seem to be miserable workaholics, well, that’s the price of being on top of the world. Bettany delivers a monologue explaining how he spent his $2.5 million salary last year, on a convertible, on his mortgage, on clothes and restaurants and booze and hookers (the last two he’s discovered he can write off as “entertainment”), while standing on top of the building overlooking the city and smoking an illicit cigarette. It doesn’t sound like a moment of triumph, but rather one of disillusionment — it’s just more money in your pocket to be spent. There’s a touch of wish fulfillment to Margin Call’s introspections — we’d like to believe there’s a sense of regret, or shame, or emptiness to this world. But it’s hard to find it wholly plausible that when an underling hears his boss’ outlandishly high salary he’d observe “that’s fucked up” instead of just imagining the life he’d lead if it were his and thinking of it as something to aspire to. Characters pause to deliver monologues every once in a while, and while the aforementioned one from Bettany and a similarly number-filled rant from Tucci are memorable, another from Irons is awfully on the nose, as are exchanges like this: “It’s like a dream.” “I don’t know, seems like we may have just woken up.” But these are minor quibbles — Margin Call’s strengths are of mood and the slick surfaces of things, and these elements are haunting long after the credits have rolled. How do you decide to screw over all of your colleagues and the rest of the world? By committing yourself to the koan that it’s just business, it’s just business, it’s just business, it’s just the way things are and always have been. “You have to believe you’re necessary,” one character insists, before telling another he’s certain to get fired. How do you let these things happen to everyone else? By avoiding being everyone else for as long as you possibly can.

Grey's Anatomy Exclusive: True Bloodstream Star Signs on as Alex's Competition

Grey's Anatomy's Alex is going to possess some competition. True Blood's Vedette Lim has signed on as Dr. Polly Preston, who gets to Dallas Sophistication having a child fellowship, TVGuide.com has learned solely. Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) will require a liking to Polly, a lot to ensure that she'll boot Alex (Justin Chambers) from her cases. Catch on instances of Grey's Anatomy by reading through our recaps Lim, who described Tara's lesbian lover around the 4th season from the Cinemax series, will first come in Episode 8. Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.

AMCs Breaking Bad Finale Up, FXs AHS On Track For Top 18-49 Spot In L+3 Ratings

Last night’s Season 4 finale of AMC’s Breaking Bad drew 1.9 million viewers in its original airing. That was up 19% from the series’ third-season finale last year. For the night, including encores, Breaking Bad averaged 2.9 million viewers, 1.8 million of them in 18-49. This was Breaking Bad‘s highest-rated season ever in 18-49, up 24% from Season 3. Over at FX, the premiere of new drama American Horror Story grew some 40% in adults 18-49 from Live+Same Day to Live+7 (2.0 million to 2.8 million) and is now the second-highest-rated FX debut in the demo behind The Shield (3.0 million), and tied with The Riches. AHS is on track to supplant or at least tie the iconic cop drama as FX’s top-rated series premiere ever in the 18-49 in the Live+7 ratings. The horror series already owns the title in several other demos, including adults 18-34 (1.5 million, tied with The Riches.)

Greek filmmakers protest cutbacks

The Greek Film Center's funding woes have spurred filmmakers to support those protesting budget cutbacks. As Greek public servants shut down cities with strikes to protest the belt-tightening sweeping the country, the film business has joined in the chorus of malcontent."The crisis unveiled completely the structural deficiency of the Greek Film Center and the Ministry of Culture regarding cinema," says Filippos Tsitos, helmer of black comedy "Unfair World." He adds that the Film Center, for decades, the primary source of coin for local filmmakers, has been promising funds -- sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars -- although it has not been dispersing any coin in the past two years. The center won't even give out the 20% required by most co-production agreements needed to partner with foreign productions, says Tsitos, who adds that the Film Center has massive debts, although numbers weren't available.Calls and emails to the Film Center have not been returned. Long criticized by the emerging generation of Greek filmmakers for being a haven of cronyism and red tape, the org was slated for reform with the passage of a new film funding law last year that included tax incentives and streamlining rules. But the changes were put on hold when the latest wave of austerity measures, forced on the debt-laden country by European lenders, took hold, say Greek film officials who did not want to be named. With Greek filmmakers unable to raise even their 20% share of budgets, they'll no longer be able to join forces with countries in better financial health, as other small nations in the region do. That's frustrating to the new wave of Greek filmmakers like Athina Rachel Tsangari ("Attenberg") and Yorgos Lanthimos ("Dogtooth"), who are winning kudos abroad and rely on co-production coin to make their films.But the problems of Greece go well beyond the nation's borders. The world financial community doubts the beleagured country will be able to dig itself out from under its 340 billion ($454 billion) debt as it struggles to find legal ways to slash constitutionally protected state jobs.The Thessaloniki Film Festival, which unspools Nov. 4-13, has been spared some of the pain, thanks to a European Union grant, support by the EU's Media program and coin dedicated to its digital market library and Crossroads co-production forum. The fest is on firm footing for at least the next two editions after 2011, says fest prexy Dimitri Eipides, who adds that after taking over the public-sector organization last year, his team has reduced the fest's $8.6 million debt to just $2 million, and is working to pay it off entirely. Other key film orgs have not been as fortunate. The Hellenic Audiovisual Institute, which coordinates media support programs, and Greece's national film archive, the preserve of thousands of historic prints, are being shuttered. And the larger of pubcaster ERT's two channels is set to stop operations, eliminating scores of jobs."The government could have shut down other useless organizations instead of giving up on something that actually has to do with our national culture, in terms of films, TV documentaries and audiovisual material," says Greek helmer Constantine Giannaris, whose films are getting a retrospective at Thessaloniki.Despite all the closures, Giannaris says, there seems to be a renaissance taking place. "It is on a low-budget level, but, nevertheless, there seems to be an explosion of creativity and a lot of work being done, particularly by younger filmmakers in their 30s and early 40s," Giannaris adds.That the creative surge is taking place amid a national crisis, says Giannaris, is all the more inspiring. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com