Star-studded cast in Lifetime original movie
Emmy and Grammy award winner Harry Connick, Jr. will star in the Lifetime original movie called Living Proof. The movie, currently being filmed in Connick’s hometown of New Orleans, is produced by Renee Zellweger, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron who all worked on Chicago together. The film is about Dr. Dennis Slamon, the UCLA doctor who developed a drug for breast cancer. Living Proof tells the true story of this doctor’s struggle to keep the drug trials going and save the lives of thousands of women.
Harry Connick, Jr. is joined by Amanda Bynes (Hairspray), Angie Harmon (Women’s Murder Club), Swoosie Kurtz (Pushing Daisies), Bernadette Peters (Boston Legal), Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie), Regina King (Ray), Tammy Blanchard (Life with Judy Garland: Me and my Shadows), John Benjamin Hickey (Flags of Our Fathers), Paula Cale (Providence) and Trudie Styler (Empire).
The film will air in October as Lifetime’s centerpiece for the network’s annual awareness campaign Stop Breast Cancer for Life.
Hilary Swank Shines at “P.S. I Love You” Premiere
Hilary Swank Shines at “P.S. I Love You” Premiere
It’s destined to be the date movie of the Holiday Season, and as “P.S. I Love You” premiered last night, Hilary Swank gave onlookers plenty to talk about with her interesting style choice.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood was the place to be last night, as “P.S.” stars Swank, Gerard Butler, Gina Gershon, James Marsters, Lisa Kudrow, Harry Connick Jr., and Kathy Bates all showed up to premiere their new movie.
According to a source, “Swank plays a forlorn young widow who is encouraged to get along with her life by periodic messages delivered in surprising ways all of which end with P.S. I Love You. The messages were meticulously planned and timed by her passionate and funny husband (Gerard Butler) before his untimely death due to illness.”
Other than the film, everyone was talking about Hilary’s fluffy black dress. It was a floor-length strapless black gown with a mermaid train and massive ruffled accents on the front. The gold belt went well with her accent jewelry.
And there’s mixed reviews on her look. Some say it’s a fashion-forward triumph, while others maintain she should’ve stuck to something a little safer.
“P.S. I Love You” opens in theaters December 21st.
More presenters announced for the Tonys
CBS has secured even more celebrities to grace the stage at Radio City Music Hall next Sunday. Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment), Julie Chen (Big Brother), Harry Connick, Jr. (Will & Grace), Laurence Fishburne, Mandy Patinkin (Criminal Minds), David Hyde Pierce, Lily Tomlin and John Waters (Til Death Do Us Part) have been added as presenters. These actors and actresses (and, er, Julie Chen) will join an already stellar list of presenters and host Whoopi Goldberg.
I have to admit it. I’m getting a little excited for The Tonys. I usually find them boring. The performances are fantastic but the awards in between are a bit of a snore. However, this cast of presenters is intriguing. I’ll at least be flipping back and forth hoping to catch the performances and my favorite stars.
The 62nd Annual Tony Awards will be held on Sunday June 15th from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
Renee Zellweger is producing a Lifetime movie
Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actress Renee Zellweger is taking on another prestigious role: executive producer of a Lifetime Original Movie. Zellweger will produce Living Proof, based on the true story of Dr. Denny Slamon. Harry Connick, Jr. is playing Slamon, a doctor and developer of Herceptin 2, a type of breast cancer medication. According to E!, the actress has a personal connection to the Living Proof story. Nanci Ryder, Zellweger’s publicist and friend, was one of Dr. Slaman’s patients.
While she’s never produced anything for television before, Zellweger served as an executive producer on her 2006 film Miss Potter. The TV movie’s premiere is set for October, National Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Living Proof is a significant part of the cable network’s annual Stop Breast Cancer for Life campaign. A movie created for the 2006 campaign, Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy, received an Emmy nomination. The story is pretty standard TV movie fare: a noble doctor neglects his personal life and battles a pharmaceutical company to get life-saving medicine to the women that need it. Will Lifetime viewers tune in for Zellweger’s newest project?