Movie News
Seth Rogen Says Beyonce Got a Standing Ovation at The Lion King Premiere for "Just Existing." All hail Queen Bey! During a guest appearance on Wednesday's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Seth Rogen told the story of how Beyonce received a "standing ovation for just existing" at the world premiere of The Lion King. It all happened when the film's director, Jon Favreau, introduced the cast to the audience and invited each star to walk across the stage. As soon as he announced the Grammy winner's name, everyone in the crowd started "losing their mind." "Beyonce was called out and the audience stood up and went crazy," Rogen recalled. "I was like, 'She's getting a standing ovation for just existing.' Like, her mere presence was a reason to stand and go crazy, and I totally got it. I was like, 'Yeah, we should be celebrating. We made it. We're all in a room with Beyonce. That's what you want.'" While Rogen knew the applause was primarily for the 37-year-old singer, he couldn't help but soak in the moment. "I know they weren't clapping for me, but I was on the stage, and I, for a brief moment, felt like what it must feel like to have that adulation," he continued. "All I was thinking was, 'Oh, people don't like me that much. I don't get one iota of this.' No, I get, like, a smattering at best." Even Rogen admitted he was a little overwhelmed by Beyonce's presence. In fact, the 37-year-old actor waited until she approached him backstage -- as he "wasn't going to go up to her mostly for fear." Actually, the last time Rogen did approach Beyonce they were at the Grammys, and her security team "knocked [him] so hard" that he spilled his drink all over himself. "I was wary of going near her because I look like someone who you would want to keep away from Beyonce in general," he said. Although, it seemed like this interaction was much better. "She was very nice," he said. "My beard actually got stuck in, like, her sequins a little bit. If you look closely, you'll see some gray hair on her shoulder." In the remake, Rogen plays Pumbaa while Beyonce plays Nala. The two even share a song credit. "It must be a big deal for her. So, I'm happy," he quipped. "She's worked hard." Fans can see The Lion King in theaters starting July 19. (Eonline)
Jason Alexander Joins Cast of 'Faith Based'. He will play the "eccentric head of a weight loss tea pyramid scheme" in the Christian film industry satire. Jason Alexander has joined the cast of Christian film industry satire Faith Based from director Vincent Masciale and writer Luke Barnett. The movie is currently filming in Los Angeles. It follows two friends (Funny or Die regulars Barnett and Tanner Thomason) who come to the realization that all "faith based" films are "extremely profitable and set out on a mission to make one of their own." Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza on Seinfeld, will play Nicky Steele, "the eccentric head of a weight loss tea pyramid scheme and hero to Barnett's character." Alexander joins an ensemble that includes Lance Reddick (The Wire, John Wick), Danielle Nicolet (The Flash), Carly Craig (American Housewife), Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld) and Christoph Sanders (Last Man Standing). Faith Based is the second film from Masciale and Barnett, whose first feature was horror-comedy Fear, Inc., starring Abigail Breslin. As producers, their credits include Anderson Falls (starring Gary Cole and Shawn Ashmore), Painkillers (Madeline Zima, Mischa Barton) and Loitering With Intent (Sam Rockwell, Marisa Tomei). The duo is also developing television projects. Lone Suspect is producing the film with Giles Daoust (The Death of Stalin, The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then Bigfoot) for Title Media, Tanner Thomason and Tim Kerigan. Catherine Dumonceaux, Lance Reddick and Matthew Emerson are executive producing. (Hollywood Reporter)
Barbra Streisand Donates $1M to Academy Museum to Put Name on a Pillar. J.J. Abrams and Jason Blum also have pledged money to claim a column in the forthcoming Saban Building in Los Angeles. When visitors walk in to the forthcoming Saban Building at the Academy Museum -- a soaring space that was once a May Company department store -- they encounter towering square concrete pillars that had been obscured beneath the store's once-decorative columns. "It was a happy surprise, to be honest," says Daniel Hammerman, architect at Renzo Piano Building Workshop. "We didn't know what they would look like because they had been covered for so many years." Once revealed, the square pillars had an appealing grained texture, with traces of the imprint from the wooden boards used to form them. In the original construction of the 1939 building, the concrete was used as fireproofing for the steel girders underneath. "That was a cost-effective means of fireproofing the steel," Hammerman says. "Nowadays, [concrete] would be a very nice finish and rather expensive." The pillars became such an important feature of the redesign that newer supports duplicate them. But beyond the physical presence, they have taken on a symbolic importance, says museum fundraising chair Bob Iger. "Like the museum, they represent the past, the present and the future," he says. And now the pillars are part of a final sprint to get the museum to its total fundraising goal of $388 million, 80 percent of which has been raised. Led by actress Laura Dern and Oscar-nominated producer Kimberly Steward, the Pillar Campaign offers column naming rights for a minimum pledge of $1 million. It already has brought in $35 million from naming 28 pillars (some donors gave more than a million; 35 more pillars are still available). "I'm excited to watch our community of pillars grow and can't wait to see who steps up next," says Dern. Those who already have include entertainment companies such as Cinepolis, MGM and Viacom and Hollywood heavyweights like Jason Blum, J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan and Barbra Streisand. "It's wonderful that the museum is treating the pillars with such reverence and using the bones of a historic building to literally uphold its new chapter as a film center," Blum said in a statement to THR. And apropos of the Academy Museum's status as a shrine to moviemaking, some donors are dedicating their pillars to legendary figures, both the widely known (Sophia Loren is honored by high-tech investor John Scully and his wife, producer Regina K. Scully) to the often-overlooked (another column has been dedicated to pioneering director Alice Guy-Blache). "We're hoping that some other people will come along and dedicate pillars to some of the other directors or stars who should be better known than they are right now," says museum director Kerry Brougher. "When these pillars take on that kind of form, they become part of the history instead of being just about the donor." (Hollywood Reporter)
Jason Alexander Joins Cast of 'Faith Based'. He will play the "eccentric head of a weight loss tea pyramid scheme" in the Christian film industry satire. Jason Alexander has joined the cast of Christian film industry satire Faith Based from director Vincent Masciale and writer Luke Barnett. The movie is currently filming in Los Angeles. It follows two friends (Funny or Die regulars Barnett and Tanner Thomason) who come to the realization that all "faith based" films are "extremely profitable and set out on a mission to make one of their own." Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza on Seinfeld, will play Nicky Steele, "the eccentric head of a weight loss tea pyramid scheme and hero to Barnett's character." Alexander joins an ensemble that includes Lance Reddick (The Wire, John Wick), Danielle Nicolet (The Flash), Carly Craig (American Housewife), Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld) and Christoph Sanders (Last Man Standing). Faith Based is the second film from Masciale and Barnett, whose first feature was horror-comedy Fear, Inc., starring Abigail Breslin. As producers, their credits include Anderson Falls (starring Gary Cole and Shawn Ashmore), Painkillers (Madeline Zima, Mischa Barton) and Loitering With Intent (Sam Rockwell, Marisa Tomei). The duo is also developing television projects. Lone Suspect is producing the film with Giles Daoust (The Death of Stalin, The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then Bigfoot) for Title Media, Tanner Thomason and Tim Kerigan. Catherine Dumonceaux, Lance Reddick and Matthew Emerson are executive producing. (Hollywood Reporter)
Barbra Streisand Donates $1M to Academy Museum to Put Name on a Pillar. J.J. Abrams and Jason Blum also have pledged money to claim a column in the forthcoming Saban Building in Los Angeles. When visitors walk in to the forthcoming Saban Building at the Academy Museum -- a soaring space that was once a May Company department store -- they encounter towering square concrete pillars that had been obscured beneath the store's once-decorative columns. "It was a happy surprise, to be honest," says Daniel Hammerman, architect at Renzo Piano Building Workshop. "We didn't know what they would look like because they had been covered for so many years." Once revealed, the square pillars had an appealing grained texture, with traces of the imprint from the wooden boards used to form them. In the original construction of the 1939 building, the concrete was used as fireproofing for the steel girders underneath. "That was a cost-effective means of fireproofing the steel," Hammerman says. "Nowadays, [concrete] would be a very nice finish and rather expensive." The pillars became such an important feature of the redesign that newer supports duplicate them. But beyond the physical presence, they have taken on a symbolic importance, says museum fundraising chair Bob Iger. "Like the museum, they represent the past, the present and the future," he says. And now the pillars are part of a final sprint to get the museum to its total fundraising goal of $388 million, 80 percent of which has been raised. Led by actress Laura Dern and Oscar-nominated producer Kimberly Steward, the Pillar Campaign offers column naming rights for a minimum pledge of $1 million. It already has brought in $35 million from naming 28 pillars (some donors gave more than a million; 35 more pillars are still available). "I'm excited to watch our community of pillars grow and can't wait to see who steps up next," says Dern. Those who already have include entertainment companies such as Cinepolis, MGM and Viacom and Hollywood heavyweights like Jason Blum, J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan and Barbra Streisand. "It's wonderful that the museum is treating the pillars with such reverence and using the bones of a historic building to literally uphold its new chapter as a film center," Blum said in a statement to THR. And apropos of the Academy Museum's status as a shrine to moviemaking, some donors are dedicating their pillars to legendary figures, both the widely known (Sophia Loren is honored by high-tech investor John Scully and his wife, producer Regina K. Scully) to the often-overlooked (another column has been dedicated to pioneering director Alice Guy-Blache). "We're hoping that some other people will come along and dedicate pillars to some of the other directors or stars who should be better known than they are right now," says museum director Kerry Brougher. "When these pillars take on that kind of form, they become part of the history instead of being just about the donor." (Hollywood Reporter)
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