0

Vanessa Minnillo: Ready For Movie Stardom

Posted by Vogt
at May 22, 2008

Vanessa Minnillo: Ready For Movie Stardom

Looking stylish as she strutted through the terminal with her faithful pooch in arms, Vanessa Minnillo was spotted catching a flight out of LAX airport on Monday (May 12).

The former Miss Teen USA has kept things low-key as of late, both personally and professionally, but appears ready to jump back into the spotlight with two new movie roles.

Minnillo will be starring alongside reality star Kim Kardashian and former Playboy pinup Carmen Electra in Disaster Movie (also referred to as Goodie Two Shoes).

The film, which is currently shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, tells the tale of “a group of young friends who embark on a wacky, life-changing adventure.”

Vanessa also landed herself a starring role in the upcoming flick, Redefining Love - for which very few details about the plot, characters, and castmates have been revealed at this time.

According to an insider close to the situation, “Minnillo’s role in Love is apparently a big one and word is the budding actress is nervous and hopes to do justice to the part that the film’s writers so carefully crafted.”

Celebrity Style
0

Anne Heche Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

Anne Heche.jpg

A waifish blonde, Anne Heche (pronounced ‘haytch’) was still relatively unknown when she made headlines in April 1997 disclosing her relationship with comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. Almost immediately, there was speculation and questions about whether the actress’ decision to reveal her lesbianism would adversely affect her career, particularly as Heche had been cast as Harrison Ford’s love interest in “Six Days/Seven Nights” (1998). Reportedly, the marketing campaign for the film was altered to play up the adventure aspect of the film instead of the romance, but it was for naught: not only did Heche’s bid for movie stardom fizzle quickly, her much-discussed relationship with Degeneres also collapsed in 2001 and she suffered a highly public 2000 meltdown in which she was found wandering in a dazed state concerned about aliens. Neverthless, she managed to collect herself and reclaim her acting career, as well as become and wife and mother away from the set.

Before becoming a topic of late nighttalk show monologues, Heche had already proven herself as an actress. The daughter of a Baptist minister who was a closet homosexual and succumbed to AIDS complications in 1983 (although Heche has hinted he committed suicide in interviews), the thin wide-eyed performer began her career as a singer and dancer in dinner theater. After her father’s death, Heche did not perform for several years until graduating from high school. Within weeks, she had landed her first major role, that of good and evil twins, Vicky and Marly on the NBC soap opera “Another World”. During her four year stint, Heche earned a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Younger Actress in 1991 and engaged in a high profile romance with her co-star Richard Burgi.

Feeling stifled, Heche decided to leave the show after four years and enroll at the Parsons School of Design. Instead, she landed a role alongside Jessica Lange in the CBS production “O Pioneers!” (1992) and decided to concentrate on an acting career. Film roles soon followed, including her debut as Mary Jane Wilks in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1993). She gradually landed larger roles in “I’ll Do Anything” (1994) and the TV-movies “Against the Wall” (HBO, 1994), as Kyle MacLachlan’s wife, and “Kingfish: A Story of Huey Long” (TNT, 1995), as the politician’s mistress. Heche landed the breakthrough role of a doctor friend of Demi Moore who falls victim to a hit man in “The Juror” (1996). She went to co-star with Catherine Keener in the indie “Walking and Talking’ (also 1996) before landing the role of Johnny Depp’s neglected wife in “Donnie Brasco” (1997). Later that year, Heche was teamed with Tommy Lee Jones in the disaster flick “Volcano” and won praise for her turn as a presidential advisor in Barry Levinson’s political satire “Wag the Dog” (a role written for a man which Heche played with no changes to the dialogue). By the time of the latter’s release, Heche and DeGeneres had taken their relationship public. While pundits fretted over what the disclosure might do to Heche’s career, the actress pressed on landing co-starring roles with Harrison Ford in the romantic adventure “Six Days, Seven Nights” and Vince Vaughn in “Return to Paradise” (both 1998). She further solidified her rising star status by tackling the role of Marion Crane (again opposite Vaughn as Norman Bates) in a color remake of Hitchcock’s classic “Psycho” (also 1998)

Heche’s feature career cooled when her image as a lesbian interfered with being cast in conventional heterosexual roles. In 1999 she portrayed the skeptical daughter of a woman proposed as a candidate for sainthood in “The Third Miracle,” rumors persisted that she was the model for the ruthlessly ambitious actress played by Heather Graham in Heche’s ex-beau Steve Martin’s comedy “Bowfinger” (1999), and she wrote and directed the “2000″ segment of the Emmy-nominated HBO movie “If These Walls Could Talk 2″ (2000), an anthology about the lesbian experience in America, with Degeneres and Sharon Stone as a couple trying to have a baby–however, after the film aired she and Degeneres called their relationship quits. Shortly after, Heche was discovered wandering in a confused state in Fresno, California, looking for a spaceship manned by aliens/angels and referring to herself as “Celestia”–she later admitted, in her 2001 memoir Call Me Crazy that she was on Ecstacy, and explained that her extraterrestrial leanings were the result of a psyche fractured since her youth, reportedly due to sexual abuse by her father, a closeted gay Baptist choir master who later died of AIDS. Heche’s claims in the book, written in just six weeks, were denied by her family but, true or not, her revelations did seem to quickly stem the widespread ridicule that had been aimed her way. The actress was soon back in a heterosexual relationship, with Coleman Laffoon–a cameraman she met while filming a documentary about DeGeneres–married him and became pregnant with his child in short order.

As Heche’s life seemed to settle back into a pattern of seeming normalcy, her career also got back on track. She had featured roles in the Denzel Washington thriller “John Q” and as Dr. Sterling in the long-delayed adaptation of Elizabeth Wurtzel’s bestseller “Prozac Nation” (2001) and television writer-producer David E. Kelley cast her in a recurring role as Melanie West, the eccentric, tic-addled soul mate of John Cage (Peter MacNicol) during the 2000-2001 season. She also took over for Jennifer Jason Leigh in the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama ‘Proof’ on Broadway in 2002. In 2004 she played a drug-addicted mother who neglects her children in the Lifetime movie “Gracie’s Choice” and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. That same year she joined the WB drama “Everwood,” as a love interest for star Treat Williams on the small screen and appeared opposite Niccole Kidman in “Birth” on the big screen, and on the legit stage was nominated for Broadway’s 2004 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for a revival of “Twentieth Century.” Clearly, by the time she took on a recurring role on “Nip/Tuck” in 2005 as an ex-mob wife and Witness Protection Program subject who requires plastic surgery from Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and becomes involved with him, Heche had reclaimed a great deal of her once-tarnished professional luster.

Family
Significant Others
Education
Milestones
Celebrity Biography
0

Sandra Bullock Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

sandra_bullock.jpg

One of Hollywood’s leading contenders for the coveted title of “America’s Sweetheart” in the mid-1990s, the unconventionally beautiful, raven-haired Sandra Bullock first gained widespread attention as Sylvester Stallone’s partner in the satirical sci-fi actioner “Demolition Man” (1993). The daughter of a German opera singer mother and an American voice coach father, she began performing on stage as a child extra in her mother’s operas. After college, Bullock landed some Off-Broadway roles and a part in the TV-movies “Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman” (NBC, 1989) and “The Preppie Murder” (1989) before nabbing the lead in the short-lived TV sitcom version of “Working Girl” (NBC, 1990).

After snagging the female lead in a small indie “Who Shot Patakango?” (1989), Bullock saw her feature career began to excel. She co-starred in the romantic comedy “Love Potion No. 9″ and delivered a superb performance as a cynical feminist artist in “When the Party’s Over” (both 1992). “Demolition Man”, coupled with her appearance as an aspiring country & western singer in Peter Bogdanovich’s ill-fated “The Thing Called Love” (1993), introduced her to a wider audience, paving the way for her first taste of movie stardom as Annie, the reluctant bus driver opposite Keanu Reeves, in the blockbuster “Speed” (1994). Her innate wit, intelligence and general likability helped elevate what could have been a standard “girl” role, allowing her to drive off with the film’s best notices.

In a part originally intended for the overpriced Demi Moore, Bullock headlined the romantic comedy “While You Were Sleeping” (1995), a surprise hit co-starring Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher as the other points of a love triangle. Now a full-fledged movie star, she was equally adept in a Julia Roberts-type role as a hapless computer operator stumbling onto a major conspiracy in “The Net” (1995). Bullock rebounded from the pallid caper comedy “Two If By Sea” (1996, opposite Denis Leary) with a dramatic supporting turn as a law student who finds herself attracted to a married Southern lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) she is assisting in Joel Schumacher’s feature version of the John Grisham’s best-seller “A Time to Kill” (also 1996). Unfortunately, Richard Attenborough’s “In Love and War” (1996), based on the real-life romance between author Ernest Hemingway (Chris O’Donnell) and the nurse he fictionalized in “A Farewell to Arms”, proved a disappointment with the actress miscast as the slightly older woman. Equally disappointing was the inevitable (and misguided) sequel “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997), which teamed her with Jason Patric on a luxury liner taken over by a madman. Bullock earned a reputation through interviews as a fun-loving type who nonetheless doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and her mixture of brazenness and caginess only served to warm the hearts of audiences. Trying to shake the girl-next-door image with which she’d be saddled, she managed to make herself seem even more down-to-earth, still a girl-next-door, but a smart, edgy and witty one.

Bullock wrote, produced, directed and co-starred in (opposite McConaughey who shared producing duties) “Making Sandwiches” (1997), a 40-minute short screened at the Sundance Film Festival. As executive producer of “Hope Floats” (1998), she proved she had an eye for the type of Everywoman role that had earned her kudos in the past. The film garnered generally favorable reviews and generated a respectable box office. Later that year, the actress lent her vocal talents to the character of Miriam in DreamWorks animated biblical tale “The Prince of Egypt” and co-starred with Nicole Kidman as sisters who use witchcraft to solve their romantic problems in “Practical Magic” (which she also co-executive produced). Bullock continued to prove her savvy by teaming with Ben Affleck in the romantic road movie “Forces of Nature” (1999).

While prior and subsequent producing efforts were successful, Bullock and co-star Liam Neeson couldn’t save the awkward and unfunny crime comedy “Gun Shy” (2000). She returned to form later that year as a NYC writer and party girl sentenced to “28 Days” of rehab. Here the actress capably portrayed both the often hard-to-watch human weakness as well as humor of her addict character. She next impressed moviegoers (if not many critics) with a turn as a tomboyish streetwise FBI agent posing as a polished beauty queen in the romantic comedy “Miss Congeniality”. Paired with Benjamin Bratt, Bullock further proved to be a delightful comedic actress, flaunting her character’s newfound grace with the appropriate gracelessness–she revised the role for the 2005 sequel, “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous” (2005), this time posing as a Las Vegas showgirl. An active producer and actress, Bullock went forth into the new millennium with many projects on her plate, including strangely appropriate mentions for such iconic heroine roles as Wonder Woman and Lois Lane.

While she didn’t play any superheroes, Bullock was very busy for the next few years taking on a variety of roles in rapid succession. In 2002, she starred as a homocide detective in “Murder by Numbers,” and as a southern playwright in the film adaptation of “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” She next went back to her romantic comedy roots, starring with Hugh Grant in the underwhelming “Two Weeks Notice” (2002), with the actress playing the aide-de-camp to a reckless mogul who doesn’t appreciate the doting care she gives him. At this point in her career, Bullock was entering dangerous Doris Day territory, playing winsome, klutzy roles that were better suited for someone younger. However, her very brief turn in the racially charged, multi-plot drama “Crash” (2005) was a step in the right direction, with Bullock playing a middle aged white L.A. woman of privilege who, after a traumatic carjacking, angrily acts out on all of her worst prejudices and racial fears.

The actress then played To Kill a Mockingbird author Nelle Harper Lee opposite Toby Jones as Truman Capote in the biopic “Infamous” (lensed 2005)–not to be confused with 2005’s “Capote” with Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the same roles–as they become involved with convicted killer Perry Smith (Mark Ruffalo) in a film based on Gore Vidal’s oral biography. Bullock next re-teamed with her “Speed” co-star Keanu Reeves for “The Lakehouse” (lensed 2005), as a doctor and an architecture school dropout who live in the same house two years apart and fall in love via letters they exchange through a mailbox that mysteriously bridges time. She was then set to star opposite Julian McMahon in the thriller “Premonition” (lensed 2006), which follows a housewife whose husband dies in a car crash only to reappear alive the next day.

Family
Significant Others
Education
Milestones
Celebrity Biography
0

Kirstie Alley Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

kirstie_alley.jpg

Sultry and deep voiced, with a wealth of wavy dark hair, Alley has made a name for herself as both a wacky comic and an impressive dramatic actor primarily on the small screen. First known as the beautiful Vulcan Lt. Saavik in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), Alley struggled through a series of unrewarding roles in the early 1980s. In features, she followed “Star Trek” (she lost the role of Saavik in the third feature after reportedly asking for a salary on par with original franchise stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy) with “Champions” (1983), “Blind Date” and “Runaway” (both 1984) and the teen comedy “Summer School” (1987). On TV, she played a trucker in the NBC pilot “Highway Honeys” (1983), a spy in the short-lived “Masquerade” (ABC, 1983) and turned up in such TV-movies as “Prince of Bel-Air” (ABC, 1985) and “Infidelity” (ABC, 1987).

None of these projects knew how to use Alley’s quirky gifts, though she gained a bit of prestige as Gloria Steinem in “A Bunny’s Tale” (ABC, 1985) and in the successful miniseries “North and South” (ABC, 1985) and its 1986 sequel. Her big break came when she became the female lead (after Shelley Long departed) in the long-running hit NBC sitcom “Cheers” in 1987. Alley was cast as neurotic overachiever Rebecca Howe, who despite an attraction to bar owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson), tended to become involved with wealthy powerful men who might improve her status in life. Her small screen success led to movie stardom as a flustered single mom in the surprise 1989 hit, “Look Who’s Talking” and its the less successful sequels “Look Who’s Talking Too” (1990) and “Look Who’s Talking Now” (1993).

Projecting intelligence, vulnerability, and a Lucille Ball-like comedic talent, Alley has carved a niche in TV and films. She finally gained respect as a dramatic actress with her brilliant Emmy-winning performance as “David’s Mother” (CBS, 1994), a slovenly woman raising a mentally-challenged son. Besides appearing on numerous awards and tribute specials, Alley was a voice-over on “Peter and the Wolf” (ABC, 1995), and played another put-upon mother in “Radiant City” (ABC, 1996). She made her bow as executive producer with the ABC drama “Suddenly” (1996), in which she also starred.

Alley’s film career has been rockier. While filming “Cheers”, she moonlighted in such poorly-received features as “Loverboy” (1989), “Madhouse” and “Sibling Rivalry” (both 1990). After the sitcom ended in 1993, Alley returned to features in John Carpenter’s unnecessary remake of “Village of the Damned” (1994) and co-starred with Steve Guttenberg and the Olsen twins in the romantic comedy “It Takes Two” (1995). She has continued to appear in a variety of projects ranging from the revisionist Western “Nevada”, about a town seemingly populated only by women, to Woody Allen’s “Deconstructing Harry” (both 1997), as the title character’s ex-wife. That same year, she co-starred with Tim Allen as a married couple on the run from the IRS who hide out among the Amish in “For Richer or Poorer”. She rounded out the year by returning to series TV as the star of the NBC sitcom “Veronica’s Closet”, a less than stellar effort that nevertheless managed to run for three years. Alley continued to appear in the occasional feature, such as playing a controlling mother of an aspiring beauty queen in the pageant comedy “Drop Dead Gorgeous” (1999) and frequently headlined high profile telepics and miniseries including “The Last Don” (1998), the Marilyn Monroe mini “Blonde” (2001), “Salem Witch Trials” (2002) and the particularly well-acted “Profoundly Normal” (2003), opposite Delroy Lindo, about the true-life romance between a mentally challenged couple.

The actress also remained in the public eye as the pitchwoman in a series of commercials for the home furnishing company Pier 1 from 2001-2003, although media attention began to focus on how the former sex symbol’s once jaw-dropping figure had begun to expand in middle age–she later revealed she weighed as much as 219 lbs. Always an outspoken actress with a button-pushing sense of humor, Alley played off the tabloid obsession with her weight by agreeing to star in the Showtime series “Fat Actress” (2005 - ), playing a comedic interpretation of herself as a once-successful actress struggling in Hollywood after packing on extra pounds. As a result, Alley–who revealed that her weight was strictly moniored during her sit-com days, and brashly confronted talk show host Jay Leno for his fat jokes at her expense–also became a spokeswoman for the weight loss system Jenny Craig and began dramatically shedding her excess weight.

Family
Significant Others
Education
Milestones
Celebrity Biography