pierce brosnan fanatic

St. John’s Caritas Gala To Honor Actor Pierce Brosnan, Surgeon Donald Morton

2011-08-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

The trustees of St. John’s Health Center Foundation and the Irene Dunne Guild will host the 18th Caritas Gala, Saturday, Oct. 15 at The Beverly Wilshire.

Actor Pierce Brosnan will receive the Caritas award. The two-time Golden Globe nominee is internationally known for his work both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes as a producer. “The extraordinary passion Pierce Brosnan brings to his family, his profession and his community reflects the true spirit of Caritas. It is for this and his great friendship to St. John’s that he is being honored with the award,” said Donna Tuttle, foundation chair.

Dr. Donald Morton is being recognized with the Spirit of St. John’s award for his life-saving contributions to cancer research at John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) at St. John’s.

His pioneering innovations, such as the Sentinel Lymph Node Technique, have changed the way cancer is analyzed, detected and treated worldwide, and become the standard of care for melanoma and breast cancer.

As JWCI’s chief of the Melanoma Program and director of the Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program, Dr. Morton started the institute 30 years ago and made it a world-renowned cancer center. So far, JWCI has trained more than 120 young surgeons now serving as leaders at major cancer centers across the nation, providing specialized care and leading research teams.

Proceeds from the gala benefit the health center’s programs and services including the Child and Family Development Center, Women’s Health Services and the Irene Dunne Guild Gift Shop.

For more information or to buy tickets, contact Rosa Hernandez, director of special events, 310-829-8441 or rosa.hernandez@stjohns.org.

“Please join me in urging President Obama to impose tough trade sanctions on Iceland for its illegal slaughter of whales.”

2011-08-05T03:21:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of The Natural Resources Defense Council:

“The time has come for Iceland to pay a steep price for its inhumane and illegal slaughter of whales.

But that may only happen if hundreds of thousands of us speak out now with one powerful voice that cannot be ignored.

Let me explain. The U.S. Commerce Secretary has just formally declared that Iceland is defying the international ban on commercial whaling.

That declaration starts the clock ticking on a 60-day period during which President Obama must decide whether or not to impose trade sanctions on Iceland.

Please join me in urging the President to impose tough sanctions and make Iceland pay a real, measurable price for its mass killing of whales.

Iceland has proven that it will thumb its nose at anything less — and will go right on slaughtering whales for profit. In 2004, the United States denounced Iceland in the same manner — but failed to impose sanctions — and Iceland proceeded to ramp up its awful slaughter.

Since 2006, Iceland has killed 280 endangered fin whales and more than 200 minke whales. In the last two years alone, it has exported millions of dollars worth of whale meat, blubber and oil to Japan, Norway, Latvia and Belarus.

Iceland is not only flouting the ban on whaling, it is depleting whale populations at an alarming rate. It’s practically begging to be sanctioned.

Please ask President Obama to make Iceland pay a price at long last — for the sake of whale survival. For starters, he could target imports by those Icelandic seafood companies directly tied to the whaling industry.

But do not assume for a second that such presidential action is a sure thing. In fact, the U.S. has never before imposed sanctions on another nation for whaling. That’s why it’s so important that President Obama feel a groundswell of public support if he is to take this next historic step.

Please make your own voice heard inside the White House.

You can be sure that Iceland will not end the abhorrent practice of whaling until it is forced to do so. Let’s fight ‘em. Again and again.

Sincerely,

Pierce Brosnan
Natural Resources Defense Council”

bag of bones...............

2011-07-23T01:19:00.000-07:00

"Bag of Bones" (2011)

The main character, Mike Noonan, is an author living in Derry, Maine who suffers from severe writer's block after the death of his wife, Johanna (called Jo), from an undiagnosed brain aneurism. Particularly disquieting to Mike is that his wife had just bought a home pregnancy test, but never revealed the pregnancy to him. Mike languishes after his wife's death, and finds himself unable to write due to panic attacks. Fortunately, he has four unpublished manuscripts, and using them he keeps his agent and editor unaware of his problem.

Four years after Jo's death, Mike begins to experience nightmares set at his summer house in TR-90, an unregistered township in Maine. He decides to confront his fears and moves to the house, known to locals as "Sara Laughs". On his way to town, Mike encounters a small child, Kyra Devore, walking down the middle of the road. Mike worries that something might happen to the child if she continues walking like that, so he scoops her up and returns to his car with her. A moment later, Kyra's mother, Mattie Devore, comes flying up the road in her old jeep. Mike's initial reaction is that Mattie is a "white trash" mom who will yell at the child and possibly beat it due to her own inattentions, but he is pleasantly surprised when Mattie clutches the child for dear life and begs her never to run off again. The two talk for a few minutes and Mattie drives off.

Later, while in town, Mike learns from the locals that Mattie's late husband, Lance, was the son of Max Devore, a rich and influential man from the town who didn't approve of his son's marriage to Mattie. Max, now well into his 80's and bound to a wheelchair, wants custody of his granddaughter, and is using his money and influence to paint Mattie as an irresponsible mother. Through his caretaker, Bill, Mike learns of Mattie's past, her marriage, and her custody woes.

When Max finds out that Mike ran into Mattie and Kyra, he threatens him via telephone. Despite the threats, or perhaps because of them, Mike hires John Storrow, a custody lawyer, for Mattie as an act of kindness, and he gradually develops feelings for Mattie despite the almost twenty-year age difference between them. Through his various crooked connections, Max manages to drag Mike into the custody battle even further by forcing him to make a deposition for the impending custody hearing. Accompanied by a local lawyer, Romeo Bisonette, Mike makes the custody lawyer hired by Devore look foolish by beating him at his own game and calling his bluff.

Mike begins to write again, while both Kyra and Mike experience hauntings in their homes. The author realizes that the ghost of Jo is assisting him in solving the mystery of Sara Tidwell, a blues singer whose spirit is haunting Mike's house. Mike asks the locals about what happened to Sara Tidwell, and is warned to refrain from digging in old scandals. He also learns that Jo frequently returned to the town in the year before her death, without telling him.

Max Devore threatens Mike again, and in an encounter with Mike, Max and his personal assistant, Rogette, almost succeed in drowning him. It's only due to the help from his wife's spirit that he's able to survive the attack. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Max Devore commits suicide, which seemingly leaves Mattie and Kyra free from his influence.

Mike, Mattie, John, and Romeo Bissonette, the lawyer that assisted Mike during his deposition and a detective are having a party when a gunman shows up and shoots everyone in sight, Mattie fatally. Mike, the only adult not hit, takes Kyra back to Sara Laughs as a huge storm breaks. He is acting under the influence of the ghost of Sara Tidwell and finds himself preparing to drown Kyra and commit suicide himself, going so far as to give Kyra cocoa and Benadryl to make her sleep, and drawing the bath. But there are still pieces to the mystery that Mike doesn't understand, and the ghost of Jo is trying to prevent him from doing what he is doing.

As Kyra sleeps, Mike goes to Jo's studio to search for answers. He discovers documents that Jo had hidden away before her death, and among the papers is a genealogy showing Mike's blood relationship to one of the town families. Several had firstborn children with "K" names who had been murdered or died under suspicious circumstances. The genealogy shows that Mike and Jo's child (who was going to be named Kia) would have been the next firstborn child with a "K" name in the family line, had she been born.

Mike realizes this must be Sara Tidwell's curse for something that had been done to her. He returns to the house, checks on the still-sleeping Kyra, and drains the bath meant for her drowning. He can feel Sara's influence to take Kyra to the lake, but he fights it off. He leaves the house once more with a shovel and a bottle of lye to search for Sara's grave, knowing that the only way to break the curse and keep Kyra safe will be to destroy Sara's bones. On his way to where Mike suspects Sara is buried, the ghosts of Max Devore's grandfather and several other town men appear to him and try to block him from getting to the grave. Mike learns through a vision that these men had viciously raped and killed Sara, and drowned her son Kito in the lake. Furthermore, all the "K" children who had died were descendants of those men. Mike makes it to the grave site, but Sara's ghost doesn't want the curse ended prematurely. She tries to stop Mike, and attempts to assume corporeal form to do so. Jo appears in corporeal form herself and tells Mike he must hurry as Sara has enlisted the help of "The Outsider" to harm Mike and prevent him from reaching Sara's bones. Jo struggles to fight off The Outsider while Mike digs up and destroys Sara's bones with the lye, ending the curse.

Returning to the house, Mike discovers that Max Devore's assistant Rogette has kidnapped Kyra. Mike follows Kyra and Rogette to a neighboring property, arriving just as Kyra bites Rogette and attempts to escape onto a dock heaving in the waves from the storm. Mike tries to hit Rogette and keep her away from Kyra when Mattie's ghost appears and knocks Rogette into the Lake. Rogette attempts to pull Mike into the lake with her, but she is impaled by wreckage from the dock. Mattie's ghost says her goodbyes to Mike and Kyra, and she tells Kyra that she is now Mike's daughter.

The story ends with an epilogue in which Mike has retired from writing, and is attempting to adopt Kyra. His status as a single, unrelated male complicates things, and the adoption has taken longer than Mike anticipated. Still, the state has allowed Mike to visit Kyra, and she has been allowed overnight stays with him. The outcome of the adoption is left unresolved at the end, but there is hope that it will be a positive outcome.

pierce brosnan Bag of Bones (TV Series 2011)

2011-07-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Brosnan, 58, will play the role of Mike Noonan, a novelist mourning the death of his wife. In King's horror story, her spirit returns to help Noonan uncover dark secrets hidden in the quiet Maine community where the couple owned a summer home.

Actress Annabeth Gish, known for playing Special Agent Monica Reyes on "The X-Files" TV show, will also star in the series, which premieres in late 2011.

Director Mick Garris, who has worked on several King projects including "The Shining," "Riding the Bullet" and "Sleepwalkers," will direct the TV movie that will be filmed in Nova Scotia, Canada.

First Look At Susanne Bier’s ‘The Bald Hairdresser,’ Set For August 2012 Release

2011-06-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

First Look At Susanne Bier’s ‘The Bald Hairdresser,’ Set For August 2012 Release

2011-06-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

While Susanne Bier is best known for her tough dramas like “Open Hearts,” “After The Wedding,” “Brothers” and most recently, the Oscar winning “In A Better World,” the director is using her Academy Award to go and do something completely different. Make a romantic comedy.

First announced earlier in the year under the title “All You Need Is Love” with Pierce Brosnan set to star, production company Zentropa have revealed some (admittedly microscopic) first look photos, a new title for the film as well as the cast. First up, the movie is now being titled “The Bald Hairdresser” (uh, not so hot) and in addition to Brosnan, the cast is rounded out by Sebastian Jessen, Molly Egelind, Paprika Steen, Kim Bodnia, Line Kruse and Trine Dyrholm (who also starred in “In A Better World”).

Details on the actual story are being kept close to the chest, but filming on the Amalfi coast in Italy, and centered around a Danish family, Brosnan described it earlier in the year as a “delightful love story….which has punch and deals with loss and a great love.” We also chatted with Bier back in March, and while she was reluctant to say too much about it, she did reveal the movie would be “bilingual, partly Danish and partly English.”

Zentropa is readying the film for an August 2012 release (likely in Europe), so expect it to hit our shores sometime after that. And this can move way up the list of potential Cannes 2012 films. We’d imagine they will want to premiere the film there—surprisingly, Bier has never unspooled a film in the main selection—and they might be eager for a Danish helmer who isn’t Lars Von Trier for a change. And yeah, we’ll update the photos once some higher res versions come in.

Kevin Jagernauth posted to Actors, Pierce Brosnan, Directors, Foreign Directors, Susanne Bier, Foreign Films, All You Need Is Love, The Bald Hairdresser at 10:09 am on June 9, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)

pierce brosnan(march 17th,2011)

2011-03-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

March 17th, 2011

Dear Friends,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Please join me tonight in raising a glass of good cheer to all our Irish brothers and sisters! I will be spending an enchanting evening filled with music, song, dance and poetry readings at Royce Hall with my fellow countrymen and conductor /composer Eimear Noon. Yours truly will be reading W.B. Yeat’s, Easter 1916.

I have just returned home after completing principal photography on "I Don’t Know How She Does It" in New York City with the lovely and incomparable Sara Jessica Parker. Based on Allison Pearson’s bestselling book and directed by Douglas McGrath, the talented cast of this romantic comedy also includes Greg Kinnear, Olivia Munn and Kelsey Grammer.

I was also in Ireland recently to introduce Her Excellency Mary McAleese at the Irish Film and Television Awards (where I happily collected an award for Best Supporting Actor for "The Ghostwriter"). I then had the privilege of speaking to a group of Irish film students associated with Cinemagic (a Belfast-based organization) at Pepperdine University. It is inspiring to watch the next generation of artists come up through the ranks.

Next up, I will be working in Italy on a film tentatively titled "All You Need Is Love," with Susan Bier who won an Oscar this year for the Best Foreign Language Film, "In a Better World." This delightful love story mixes the lighthearted with serious and humorous and begins production on the Almalfi coast this spring. I encourage you check out Susan’s movies, including "After the Wedding" and "Open Hearts" to name a few.

This summer look for "Salvation Boulevard" in theatres near you. Based on a novel of the same name, Salvation Boulevard written by Larry Beinhart and directed by George Radliff, follows a former Deadhead-turned-born-again-Christian who finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega church who will do anything to protect their larger than life pastor (yours truly). Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei, Sam Elliot, Jim Gaffigan, and Jennifer Connolly contributed to this hilarious all-star cast.

I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragedy, loss of life, suffering and hardship that has befallen Japan. There are no words to adequately express my feelings of sorrow. Life turns in a moment and always reminds us what a gift each day truly is. My thoughts and prayers are with our Japanese friends at this difficult time.

Love and only love,

Susanne Bier Set to Direct Pierce Brosnan for 'All You Need is Love'

2011-03-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

After taking home the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film last weekend for her Danish film In a Better World, director Susanne Bier is venturing into the world of romantic comedy. 24 Frames reports the filmmaker will collaborate with actor Pierce Brosnan on All You Need is Love, a romance that will apparently be lighter fare than her previous work on films like Things We Lost in the Fire. The filmmaker says, "It’s a tender story with a much lighter atmosphere than my previous works: Enough with conflicts." Little is know about the story, but it follows a Danish family and was written with Pierce Brosnan in mind.

Brosnan has been no stranger to romantic comedies recently with a turn in Mamma Mia!, and I'm looking forward to seeing him do anything to help wash the terrible taste out of my mouth after seeing him in the wretched religious comedy Salvation Boulevard at Sundance (read my mini-review here). As for the film's focus on a Danish family, it's not clear if the film will still be in English (apparently Brosnan doesn't speak Danish), but it may just be a bilingual film. Either way, the actor is definitely excited about the film saying it's a "delightful love story which has punch and deals with loss and a great love." Anyone interested?

Vanity Fair Campaign Hollywood 2011 - Artists For Peace & Justice Fundraiser With Brioni & Hosts Paul Haggis And Pierce Brosnan - Chrysler Arrivals (

2011-02-23T00:23:00.001-08:00

Actor Pierce Brosnan signs the Chrysler 300 at Vanity Fair Campaign Hollywood 2011 with Chrysler celebrating Artists for Peace and Justice presented by Brioni held at Eveleigh on February 22, 2011 in West Hollywood, California.

Vanity Fair Campaign Hollywood 2011 - Artists For Peace & Justice Fundraiser With Brioni & Hosts Paul Haggis And Pierce Brosnan - Chrysler Arrivals

Pierce Brosnan and Cinemagic come to Pepperdine

2011-02-23T00:23:00.000-08:00

Pierce Brosnan will be at Pepperdine on Wednesday to help educate and motivate Los Angeles high school students to pursue careers in film and television.
Pepperdine has partnered with the Cinemagic International Film & Television Festival, a Belfast-based film charity. The organization uses film to teach, encourage and inspire young people through annual youth-produced film festivals, screenings, workshops and other events. It is the largest youth film event in Ireland and the UK.
There will be nearly 100 students from three Los Angeles schools attending the event. Special guest Pierce Brosnan and his wife will address the students in the afternoon about their experiences in the filmmaking industry.
Pepperine and CIFTF will be hosting a program of educational and entertaining film screenings, workshops and Q&A sessions. Among the clips shown will be a short film produced at CIFTF's first international film camp held in Belfast last year, entitled "Gone." The film was made by young people from Belfast, Donegal, Dublin, New York, and Los Angeles.

Pierce Brosnan Picture - Pierce Brosnan 'Irish Film And Television Awards' At...

2011-02-15T00:11:00.000-08:00

Brosnan And Ronan Big Winners At Irish Film & Television Awards

2011-02-15T00:05:00.001-08:00

Irish stars PIERCE BROSNAN and SAOIRSE RONAN took home top acting prizes at the Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs) in Dublin on Saturday (12Feb11).

The former James Bond won Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Ghost, while the 16-year-old actress' turn in The Way Back earned her the supporting actress honour.

Martin MCCann was named Best Actor for Swansong - Story of Occi Byrn, while Amy Huberman was crowned Best Actress for Rewind at the ceremony celebrating the Irish film and television industry.

Bosnian war drama As If I Am Not There received three trophies, including the IFTA for Best Film, Director and Script for the film's Irish writer/director Juanita Wilson.

In the international categories, The Social Network won the top film prize, with its star Jesse Eisenberg winning Best Actor. Annette Bening took Best Actress for The Kids Are All Right.

In the TV categories, the fourth and final series of The Tudors was named Best Drama Series, while the show's producer Morgan O'Sullivan received the Outstanding Contribution to Industry Award.

Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker film "I Don't Know How She Does It" (Pierce Brosnan)

2011-01-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer Will Join Sarah Jessica Parker Film

2011-01-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

SJP starts shooting “I Don’t Know How She Does It” in mid January, with Douglas McGrath directing. McGrath is the congenial man behind the “other” Truman Capote movie, called “Infamous” (well worth renting), “Nicholas Nickelby,” and “Emma” with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Now I’m told that Pierce Brosnan has signed on to the Weinstein Company feature as SJP’s love interest. Also being made an offer this week–and likely to accept–Kelsey Grammer. Kelsey is wrapping up a long run on Broadway in “La Cage Aux Folles,” and ready for a new challenge. I’m told that TWC’s Donna Gigliotti ran into him in the last few days and literally told him he was coming to work. She wants him!

For Parker, this film will set the tone for her post- “Sex and the City” career. Her past tries–”Family Stone,” “Failure to Launch”– fell a little short, But there’s no reason why she’s not a movie star of smart romantic comedies.

Salvation Boulevard” Goes to IFC and Sony Pictures by Nigel M Smith

2011-01-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions have partnered to acquire North American rights to George Ratliff’s religious comedy “Salvation Boulevard,” which had its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival earlier this week in the Premieres section.

“George Ratliff takes a big leap forward with this film which, aside from featuring a powerhouse cast in Pierce Brosnan, Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Jim Gaffigan and Jennifer Connelly, is a clever and sharp comedy that delivers,” said Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films.

Cathy Schulman, President, Mandalay Pictures and “Salvation Boulevard” producer added, “This unique alliance between IFC Films and Sony will enable ‘Salvation Boulevard’ to take advantage of the most cutting edge distribution strategies. Mandalay strives to realize the vision of each of our filmmakers, and this distribution partnership will further that goal.”

FC FILMS AND SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS JOIN TO TAKE NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO GEORGE RATLIFF’S SALVATION BOULEVARD

Park City, UT (January 27, 2011) – IFC Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) announced today from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival that the companies are partnering to acquire North American rights to George Ratliff’s SALVATION BOULEVARD, which premiered this week in the festival’s Premieres section. The film, with a screenplay by Ratliff (whose previous films include Hell House and Joshua) and Doug Max Stone, based on the novel by Larry Beinhart, stars Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Jim Gaffigan and Marisa Tomei. The film, a Mandalay Vision production of a Mandalay Pictures film, was produced by Cathy Schulman, Celine Rattray and Peter Fruchtman, and will be released theatrically via IFC Films.

In the film, Pastor Dan (Brosnan) is a charismatic preacher who has captivated a city with his charm. Ex-deadhead and recovering hippie Carl (Kinnear) is one of the loyal sheep in his flock. When Dan finds himself in a compromising situation, Carl is called into service in a most unconventional way. The megachurch is cast into shadow, and a hellish storm begins brewing that could jeopardize its entire existence. The road to hell—in this case, SALVATION BOULEVARD—is paved with good intentions—gone hysterically wrong.

Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: “George Ratliff takes a big leap forward with this film which, aside from featuring a powerhouse cast in Pierce Brosnan, Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Jim Gaffigan and Jennifer Connelly, is a clever and sharp comedy that delivers.”

“This unique alliance between IFC Films and Sony will enable SALVATION BOULEVARD to take advantage of the most cutting edge distribution strategies. Mandalay strives to realize the vision of each of our filmmakers, and this distribution partnership will further that goal,” says Cathy Schulman, President, Mandalay Pictures and SALVATION BOULEVARD producer.

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films and Betsy Rodgers, Vice President of Business and Legal Afffairs for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Scott Shooman, SPWA Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions, and Michael Helfand, SPWA SVP of Business Affairs, and Rena Ronson and Richard Klubeck at UTA on behalf of the filmmakers.

Ratliff grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and went to film school at the University of Texas in Austin. His first feature film, Plutonium Circus (1995), a documentary about the extremely secretive Pantex Nuclear Weapons Plant in Amarillo, won the award for best feature documentary at the SXSW Film Festival and started his career. His next documentary, Hell House (2001), tracked a megachurch’s annual Halloween ritual of staging a haunted house to scare kids into Christianity. His thriller Joshua screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released through Fox Searchlight. Ratliff lives with his wife and three sons in Santa Monica.

pierce brosnan

2011-01-07T01:59:00.001-08:00

Ronan & Brosnan Make Critics’ Circle Shortlist 21 Dec 2010 :

2010-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

Both Saoirse Ronan and Pierce Brosnan have received Critics’ Circle Film Award nominations. Pierce has been nominated in the category of British Actor in a Supporting Role for ‘The Ghost’ whilst Saoirse has been shortlisted in the category of Young British Performer of the Year for ‘The Way Back’.

Though both actors are Irish, a note on the Critics’ Circle Film Awards website explains that the word ‘British’ in the title of the awards is simply to distinguish them from the general best actor/director/film awards. Irish citizens are eligible for these awards but the awards organisers are of the opinion that many Irish actors and directors work on what are technically British films. ”There is no intention to suggest that Irish talent is British should an Irish citizen be nominated in the "British" categories and all Irish nominees know this. It simply recognises the complex nature of film making, a collaborative affair often crossing national boundaries,”it concludes.

Golden Globe nominee Pierce Brosnan has been shortlisted in the category of British Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Roman Polanski’s thriller, ‘The Ghost’. His fellow nominees include David Bradley for ‘Another Year’; Andrew Garfield for ‘The Social Network’; Tom Hardy for ‘Inception’ and Peter Wight for ‘Another Year’.

IFTA winner Saoirse Ronan is one of five nominees in the group of Young British Performer of the Year for her role in Peter Weir’s ‘The Way Back’. The other young performers shortlisted in the category include Jessica Barden for ‘Tamara Drewe’; Conor McCarron for ‘NEDs’; Will Poulter for ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ and Thomas Turgoose for ‘The Scouting Book for Boys’.

The 31st Critics’ Circle Film Awards will be held for the first time at BFI Southbank on February 10th, to benefit the group’s new charity partner, the BFI Archive. For a full list of nominees visit www.criticscircle.org.uk/film

cassandra brosnan in memory of.......

2010-12-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

SALVATION BOULEVARD First Movie Photos with Greg Kinnear

2010-12-06T04:20:00.000-08:00

Check out the first photos from SALVATION BOULEVARD starring Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei, and directed by George Ratliff. You can read all our coverage of Salvation Boulevard here.

Salvation Boulevard Synopsis: An evangelical preacher who has captivated a city with his charm frames an ex-hippie for a crime he did not commit.

Salvation Boulevard will have its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Check out the photos below.

Roman Polanski wins best European picture award

2010-12-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer," a story of a journalist hired to write the memoirs of a British prime minister, has won the prize for best film at the European Film Awards.

Polanski, who was awarded the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin Film Festival, also took five other key prizes at the ceremony held in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, late Saturday.

Nominated in seven categories, the movie won the best director prize, best actor for Ewan McGregor, and best screenwriter went jointly to Robert Harris and Polanski.

"You have awarded a truly European venture. This is too much ... thank you very much," Polanski said in an acceptance speech through a Skype connection from an unknown location. "I wish to thank — before anything — this wonderful crew I had, a truly European crew."

It was not the first time that the Polish-born director has received recognition from the European Film Academy.

The 77-year-old Oscar winning director of movies like "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" was honored with a lifetime achievement award in 2006 in Warsaw, Poland.

In Tallinn, French composer Alexandre Desplat was awarded for best composer while his compatriot film editor Herve de Luze won the production designer prize for Polanski's movie, which was mainly shot in Germany.

"The Ghost Writer," about the memoirs of a politician, played by Pierce Brosnan, is loosely based on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Its production was a tangled tale for Polanski.

As he was finishing the movie in September 2009 Polanski was taken into custody at Zurich airport by Swiss police at the request of U.S. authorities to face prosecution in a 1977 child sex case. He had to finish editing the film while in Swiss prison before being released on house arrest.

In July, Polanski was freed after the Swiss government declined to deport him to the United States. But he still faces an Interpol warrant in 188 countries. Most European nations, including Estonia, have an extradition treaty with the United States.

McGregor, who played the ghostwriter, said he had a "fantastic time" while making the film.

"More than any other part I've played I feel like the director Roman Polanski had his hands really on my performance and is as worthy of this award as I am," McGregor told the audience through a video message from Thailand, where he is currently shooting a film.

Among other prizes at the academy's 23rd annual awards ceremony, Swiss actor Bruno Ganz was honored with a lifetime achievement prize handed out by German director Wim Wenders.

Ganz, 69, with a screen career that spans five decades with memorable performances in Wenders' "Wings of Desire" and "The American Friend," in which he costarred with Dennis Hopper. He is also remembered from his acclaimed performance as Adolf Hitler in the 2004 German drama "Downfall" that portrays the last days of the Third Reich.

French actress Juliette Binoche presented the European achievement in world cinema award to Lebanese composer and musician Gabriel Yared, who has written scores for "The English Patient" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

The prizes — the European equivalent of the U.S. Academy Awards — have been presented since 1988 by the European academy to celebrate the continent's film industry as a European counterweight to the Oscars.

The Big Names Return for Sundance’s Unofficial Section

2010-12-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES— Here come the stars: the Sundance Film Festival announced its roster of films playing out of competition on Thursday and the selections – unlike those in the competitive slate – include marquee names on both sides of the camera.

Among the films sure to be catnip for audiences and the remaining indie distributors in this less-highbrow section of the Sundance Film Festival, which will take place Jan. 20 to 30 in Park City, Utah, are several from well-known filmmakers. Tom McCarthy, the director and screenwriter behind “The Visitor” and “The Station Agent,” returns with “Win Win,” the tale of a disheartened lawyer (Paul Giamatti) moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach. Kevin Smith (“Clerks,” “Dogma”) pops up with “Red State,” about a group of misfits that encounter extreme fundamentalism in America’s heartland. And among documentarians, Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me”) is back with “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” described as a look at branding, advertising and product placement in Hollywood.

Bigwig actors and actresses are also sprinkled throughout the selections. Tobey Maguire stars in “The Details.” Directed by Jacob Aaron Estes (“Mean Creek”), that film has one of the more bizarre descriptions in the entire festival: hungry racoons discover worms living under sod in a couple’s backyard, leading to a wild and absurd chain reaction that includes organ donation and murder by way of bow and arrow.

“Margin Call,” directed by the newcomer J.C. Chandor, is a thriller set against the backdrop of the financial crisis that stars Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci and others recognizable names. Directed by George Ratliff (“Joshua”), “Salvation Boulevard” focuses on an evangelical preacher – one of several films at the 2011 festival that will deal with faith and religion – and stars Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear and Marisa Tomei.

John Cooper, Sundance’s director, said hopes are high that this section of films, which includes subsections for horror and avant garde pictures, will yeild brisk sales to distributors – something that would mark a change from recent years when turmoil in the film industry and the recession held back buyers. While Sundance does not make selections based on what it thinks is commercial, Mr. Cooper said the festival pays close attention to sales because filmmakers need all the financial backing they can get.

“Last year we were completely nervous about whether anything would sell,” Mr. Cooper said. “I think people are more optimistic this year.”

Below is a list of the entire out-of-competition slate:

FEATURES
Cedar Rapids/U.S.A. (Director: Miguel Arteta; Screenwriter: Phil Johnston) — A wholesome and naive small-town Wisconsin man travels to big city Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. Cast: Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alia Shawkat, Sigourney Weaver.

The Convincer/U.S.A. (Director: Jill Sprecher; Screenwriters: Jill Sprecher & Karen Sprecher) — An insurance salesman, caught in a caper involving a rare musical instrument, sets off a series of dramatic consequences. Cast: Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Billy Crudup, David Harbour.

The Details/U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jacob Aaron Estes) — When hungry raccoons discover worms living under the sod in a young couple’s backyard, the pest problem sets off a wild and absurd chain reaction of domestic tension, infidelity, organ donation and murder by way of bow and arrow. Cast: Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert.

The Devil’s Double/Belgium (Director: Lee Tamahori; Screenwriter: Michael Thomas) — An extraordinary chapter in recent history providing a chilling vision of the House of Saddam comes to life through the eyes of the man who knew too much. Cast: Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Mimoun Oaissa, Raad Rawi, Philip Quast.

I Melt with You/Canada, U.S.A. (Director: Mark Pellington; Screenwriter: Glenn Porter, based on the story by Glenn Porter and Mark Pellington) — Four friends gather every year to celebrate their friendship. This year they are unexpectedly forced to confront a forgotten promise they made 25 years earlier. As they examine choices they’ve made, they realize that what they said they would do with their lives and what they have done are entirely different. Cast: Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, Christian McKay, Carla Gugino.

Life in a Day/United Kingdom (Director: Kevin Macdonald) — Life in a Day is a historic global experiment to create the world’s largest user-generated feature film. On July 24, 2010, professional and amateur filmmakers captured a glimpse of their lives on camera and uploaded the footage to YouTube, serving as a time capsule for future generations.

Margin Call/U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: JC Chandor) — Over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis, the key people at a investment bank struggle to decide how to handle an emergency business situation while examining the personal and moral implications of every action they take. Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci.

The Music Never Stopped/U.S.A. (Director: Jim Kohlberg; Screenwriters: Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks, based on the story “The Last Hippie” by Oliver Sacks) — A father struggles to bond with his estranged son who suffers a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. He learns to embrace his son’s choices and to try to connect with him through the power of music. Cast: J.K. Simmons, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Lou Taylor Pucci, Mia Maestro.

My Idiot Brother/U.S.A. (Director: Jesse Peretz; Screenwriters: Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall) — After serving time for selling pot, Ned successively moves in with each of his three sisters as he tries to get back on his feet. His best intentions quickly bring the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity. Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer.

Perfect Sense/United Kingdom (Director: David Mackenzie; Screenwriter: Kim Fupz Aakeson) — A poetic and magnetic love story about two people who start to fall in love just as the world begins to fall apart. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane, Denis Lawson and Connie Nielsen.

Red State/U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kevin Smith) — A group of misfits encounter extreme fundamentalism in Middle America. Cast: Michael Parks, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo.

Salvation Boulevard/U.S.A. (Director: George Ratliff; Screenwriters: Doug Max Stone and George Ratliff, based on the novel by Larry Beinhart) — An evangelical preacher who has captivated a city with his charm frames an ex-hippie for a crime he did not commit. Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei.

The Son of No One/U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Dito Montiel) — Two men in post-9/11 New York are forced to relive two murders they committed as young boys. Their lives start to unravel by the threat of the revelation of these shocking and personal secrets. Cast: Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche.

Win Win/U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Tom McCarthy, based on the story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni) — When a disheartened attorney moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach stumbles across a star athlete, things seem to be looking up. That is, until the boy’s mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor.

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES
With the expanding impact and popularity of documentaries in our world today, Documentary Premieres is a new section for 2011 that furthers the Institute’s commitment to this important form of storytelling by showcasing films on big subjects and new works by master filmmakers.

Becoming Chaz/U.S.A. (Directors: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato) — Born biologically female, Chastity Bono invites the viewer into a deeply personal journey as he transitions from female to male, embracing his true self, which is Chaz.

Bobby Fischer Against the World/U.S.A. (Director: Liz Garbus) — The drama of late chess-master Bobby Fischer’s career was undeniable,as he careened from troubled childhood, to World Champion and Cold War icon, to a fugitive on the run.

Granito/U.S.A. (Director: Pamela Yates) — A documentary film intertwines with Guatemala’s turbulent history and emerges as an active player in a nation’s struggle to heal itself and serve up justice.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold/U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Spurlock) — A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement is financed and made possible by branding, advertising and product placement.

The Interrupters/U.S.A. (Director: Steve James) — From the Academy Award-winning director of Hoop Dreams comes a story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.

Reagan/U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Eugene Jarecki) — Reagan examines the enigmatic career of one of the revered architects of the modern world – icon, screen star, and two-term president Ronald Reagan.

Rebirth/U.S.A. (Director: Jim Whitaker) — Weaving together five stories of individuals whose lives were profoundly altered by the 9/11 attack with unprecedented time-lapse footage of Ground Zero composed over ten years, what emerges is a chronicle of grief’s evolution and a nation healing.

These Amazing Shadows/U.S.A. (Directors: Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton) — The history and importance of the National Film Registry unfolds in a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.

NEXT (< =>)
Eight American films selected for their innovative and original work in low- and no-budget filmmaking.

Bellflower/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Evan Glodell) — A ballad for every person who has ever loved and lost – with enough violence, weapons, action and sex to tell a love story with apocalyptic stakes. Cast: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes.

The Lie/ U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Leonard; Screenwriters: Jeff Feuerzeig, Joshua Leonard, Mark Webber and Jess Weixler, based on the short story by T. Coraghessan Boyle) — A man overwhelmed and disappointed with life tells a lie to avoid going to work… what could possibly go wrong? Cast: Joshua Leonard, Jess Weixler, Mark Webber, Alia Shawkat, Jane Adams and Kelli Garner.

Lord Byron/ U.S.A. (Director: Zack Godshall; Screenwriters: Zack Godshall and Ross Brupbacher) — When he’s not pursuing women, Byron is smoking weed and loafing around. But he’s grown restless in his middle-age and feels the need to escape – he just doesn’t know where to go. Cast: Paul Batiste, Gwendolyn Spradling, Kayla Lemaire.

The Off Hours/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Megan Griffiths) — A passing truck driver brings an unfamiliar sense of optimism to a woman working the night shift at a quiet diner, reminding her it’s never too late to become the person you always wanted to be. Cast: Amy Seimetz, Ross Partridge, Scoot McNairy, Lynn Shelton, Bret Roberts, Tony Doupe.

Prairie Love/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Dusty Bias) — When a mysterious vagrant living out of his car among the snowy plains discovers a nearly-frozen local with a pen-pal girlfriend, he sees an opportunity to change his lonely existence. Cast: Jeremy Clark, Holly Lynn Ellis, Garth Blomberg.

Restless City/ U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Dosunmu; Screenwriter: Eugene M. Gussenhoven) — An African immigrant survives on the fringes of New York City. Music is his passion, life is a hustle and falling in love is his greatest risk. Cast: Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa, Babs Olusanmokun.

sound of my voice/ U.S.A. (Director: Zal Batmanglij; Screenwriters: Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling) — A young couple infiltrates a cult that meets in a basement in the San Fernando Valley. Cast: Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, Brit Marling.

to.get.her/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Erica Dunton) — Five girls come together for one fateful night where anything goes. They all had secrets, but their friendship was the only thing they knew to be true. Cast: Jazzy De Lisser, Chelsea Logan, Adwoa Aboah, Jami Eaton, Audrey Speicher.

SPOTLIGHT
Cinema we love.

Attenberg/ Greece (Director and screenwriter: Athina Rachel Tsangari) — Marina, a young woman living with her father in a decaying, seaside factory town, acquires a new perspective on the mysteries of human nature after she meets a stranger. Cast: Ariane Labed, Yorgos Lanthimos, Vangelis Mourikis, Evangelia Randou.

Elite Squad 2 (Tropa de Elite 2)/ Brazil (Director: José Padilha; Screenwrtiers: Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha and Rodrigo Pimentel) — Captain Nascimento of Rio de Janeiro’s special operations police unit has a new enemy: widespread corruption within the city. Cast: Wagner Moura, Seu Jorge, Tainá Müller, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz.

I Saw the Devil (Akma-reul bo-attda)/ South Korea (Director and screenwriter: Kim Jee-woon) — A young secret agent tracks a brutal serial killer who murdered his fiancée. Cast: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi.

In a Better World (Hævnen)/ Denmark (Director: Susanne Bier; Story: Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen, Screenplay: Anders Thomas Jensen) — The lives of two Danish families become intertwined as an extraordinary but risky friendship develops. Cast: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard and William Jøhnk Nielsen. U.S. Premiere

Incendies/ Canada, France (Director: Denis Villeneuve, Screenwriters: Denis Villeneuve with the collaboration of Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, based on a stage play Incendies by: Wajdi Mouawad)— A mother’s last wish sends Jeanne and Simon, twins living in Canada, on a journey to the Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard.

Kaboom/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Gregg Araki) — A science fiction story centered on the sexual awakening of a group of college students. Cast: Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple.

Letters From the Big Man/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Christopher Munch) — An artist and government hydrologist surveying a remote part of southwestern Oregon befriends a sasquatch man and must take bold steps to protect his privacy, as well as her own. Cast: Lily Rabe, Jason Butler Harner, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Jim Cody Williams, Fiona Dourif.
Meek’s Cutoff/ U.S.A. (Director: Kelly Reichardt; Screenwriter: Jon Raymond) — In 1845, three families who have hired mountaineer Stephen Meek to guide their wagons over the Cascade Mountains get lost and face hunger, thirst and a lack of faith in their instincts for survival. Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Zoe Kaza, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson.

Old Cats (Gatos Viejos)/ Chile (Directors and screenwriters: Pedro Peirano and Sebastián Silva) — An old woman who realizes that her mind is quickly deteriorating desperately tries to hide this condition from her daughter, who waits keenly for any sign of senility in order to take her apartment. Cast: Bélgica Castro, Claudia Celedón, Catalina Saavedra, Alejandro Sieveking.

Submarine/ United Kingdom, U.S.A. (Director: Richard Ayoade; Screenwriter: Richard Ayoade from the novel by Joe Dunthorne) — Fifteen-year-old Oliver Tate has two big ambitions: to save his parents’ marriage and to lose his virginity before his next birthday. Cast: Craig Roberts, Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins, Yasmin Paige.

Uncle Kent/ U.S.A. (Director: Joe Swanberg; Screenwriters: Joe Swanberg and Kent Osborne) — A pothead cartoonist in Los Angeles spends a weekend trying to sleep with his visiting house guest – a woman from New York he met on Chatroulette. Cast: Kent Osborne.

PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT
Home to horror films and extreme comedies. “Black Dynamite” “The Blair Witch Project” and “Saw” are among the films that have screened here.

The Catechism Cataclysm/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Todd Rohal) — After becoming disinterested with the church, a priest tracks down his old classmate, a former metalhead whom he idolized in high school. When the two embark on a canoeing trip together, all hell breaks loose. Cast: Steve Little, Robert Longstreet, Walter Dalton, Miki Ann Maddox, Koko Lanham.

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Madeleine Olnek) — A shy greeting card store employee unknowingly falls for a lesbian space alien while two government agents closely track their romance. Cast: Lisa Haas, Susan Ziegler, Jackie Monahan, Cynthia Kaplan, Dennis Davis, Alex Karpovsky, Rae C Wright.

Hobo with A Shotgun/ Canada (Director: Jason Eisener; Screenwriter: Johnathan Davies) — A hobo hops from a train with dreams of a fresh life in a new city, but instead finds himself trapped in an urban hell. When he witnesses a brutal robbery, he realizes the only way to deliver justice is with a shotgun in his hands and two shells in the chamber. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Molly Dunsworth, Gregory Smith, Brian Downey.

The Oregonian/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder) — After surviving a brutal car accident, a simple farm woman limps down the road into the nightmarish unknown. Cast: Lindsay Pulsipher, Robert Longstreet, Matt Olsen, Lynne Compton, Barlow Jacobs, Chadwick Brown, Jed Maheu, Roger M. Mayer.

Septien/ U.S.A. (Director: Michael Tully) — A reclusive sports hustler returns home to his family farm after years of absence to reunite with his two eccentric, unhinged and emotionally damaged brothers. Cast: Robert Longstreet, Onur Tukel, Michael Tully, Rachel Korine, Mark Robinson, John Maringouin.

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren)/ Norway (Director: Andre Ovredal) — A group of student filmmakers get more than they bargained for when tangling with a man tasked with protecting Norway from giant trolls. Cast: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Hans Morten Hansen, Johanna Mørch, Tomas Alf Larsen.

Corman’s World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel / U.S.A. (Director: Alex Stapleton) — Tracks the triumphant rise of Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director-producer, the true godfather of independent filmmaking. Cast: Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, James Cameron, Roger Corman.

The Woman/ U.S.A. (Director: Lucky McKee; Screenwriters: Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee) — When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to “civilize” the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy. Cast: Pollyanna McIntosh, Sean Bridgers, Angela Bettis, Lauren Ashley Carter, Zach Rand.

NATIVE SHOWCASE
Following President and Founder Robert Redford’s original vision, Sundance Institute has remained committed to supporting indigenous filmmaking. This showcase highlights new work that contributes to a worldwide understanding of and appreciation for these artists.

Grab / U.S.A. (Director: Billy Luther) — Three families in the Laguna Pueblo tribe prepare for Grab Day, when they throw groceries from a rooftop to the community waiting below – an annual community-wide prayer of abundance, thanks and renewal. Documentary, narrated by Parker Posey. World Premiere.

NEW FRONTIER
Works that push the limits of traditional cinema aesthetics and the narrative structures of filmmaking.

Jess + Moss/ U.S.A. (Director: Clay Jeter; Screenwriters: Clay Jeter and Debra Jeter) — Without immediate families that they can relate to, and lacking friends their own age, second cousins Jess and Moss only have each other. A series of visceral vignettes conjure memories of companionship and sexual awakening during a summer shared together on their Kentucky farm. Cast: Sarah Hagan, Austin Vickers.

The Mill & the Cross/ Poland, Sweden (Director: Lech Majewski; Screenwriters: Michael Francis Gibson and Lech Majewski) — A visually vibrant and masterful work that seamlessly fortifies rich painterly compositions with digital effects, bringing Peter Brugel’s 1564 painting, The Way to Calvary, to real life. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Michael York, Charlotte Rampling, Joanna Litwin.

The Nine Muses/ United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: John Akomfrah) — An allegorical fable divided into overlapping musical chapters, this film retells the history of mass migration to post-war Britain through the suggestive lens of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey.

!Women Art Revolution/ U.S.A. (Director: Lynn Hershman Leeson) — One part of a transmedia project that includes the interactive video installation RAW WAR presented at New Frontier, this seminal documentary depicts the history of women artists who have used art as an activist practice to fight oppression and protest gender and racial exclusion – creating what many historians feel is the most significant art movement of the late-20th century.

The Woods/ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Matthew Lessner) — A satirical nod to ethnographic film fashions a critique on media technology dependence, when eight young Americans move deep into to the woods to start their own utopia. Cast: Justin Phillips, Toby David, Adam Mortemore, Nicola Persky, Chris Edley.

pierce brosnan out with a friend and having a ball newyork on november 23....

2010-11-25T03:41:00.000-08:00

Pierce Brosnan And His Skateboardin' Son

2010-11-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

Pierce Brosnan was seen carrying son Paris' skateboard as the two had an afternoon of father-son bonding on Thursday (November 18).

The former Remington Steele star is set to return to series television for the first time in 20 years in a new project for Sony Pictures TV. The show is said to be about an international operative and problem solver for hire.

James Bond Comes Back To Television

2010-11-19T03:29:00.000-08:00

Unless your name is Sean Connery, the career gods don’t seem to be that kind to former James Bonds; Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore both pretty much retreated into the background, and don’t get me started on George Lazenby. But Pierce Brosnan? He’s headed back to television with a show about the man to make everything alright…

Deadline reports that Sony Pictures Television has greenlit a pilot for a show co-created by er vet Jack Orman and Brosnan about a “fixer,” a specially trained private investigator with a specialty for solving difficult crimes and situations internationally. Brosnan will produce and star in the show, but not as the lead; that role will go to someone younger and more willing to do the stuntwork required.

The series is being offered to international broadcasters first, with the hope that pre-sales will make it more attractive to American networks.

the ghost writer...oscar for best director-or best actress

2010-11-16T00:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/r....r-actress-45451

Should Polanski Get an Oscar for Best Director -- or Best Actress?

11/15/2010

by Tim Appelo

At Sunday's Q&A after the DGA screening of Summit Entertainment's The Ghost Writer, Olivia Williams, who plays the knife-sharp wife of ex-British Prime Minister Pierce Brosnan, said director Roman Polanski's involvement with actors is so deep, he deserves more glory than we know. "He acts the scene for you," said Williams. "And if you don't copy what he does, he goes, 'No! Like this,' -- pause, movement, intonation, the works. So the prize for any performance really does go to Roman."

Polanski shot Brosnan's toughest scene first, a seven-page rant reminiscent of Jack Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth!" soliloquy. "Your heart's pounding on the first day," says Brosnan, whose character hires a hack (Ewan McGregor) to rewrite his memoir. Polanski made Brosnan wait six hours or so ("I went back to my trailer and paced back and forth"), then finally shot a take, and said, "That's very good, yes, but when you laugh you gotta laugh from the top of your cock." "This is really doing my head in," said Brosnan. But Polanski's odd advice did make Brosnan's laugh resonate onscreen.

"It's so bewildering," said Williams. Eight hours into a 22-hour scene with Jim Belushi, "he decided Belushi should not have any hair. They shaved his head." On the Chinatown DVD commentary, she had just watched Polanski boast of yanking a hair off Faye Dunaway's head. "To me he said, 'Your ear is bizarre!' So I thought, is it going to get the Faye Dunaway treatment?"

"Once you're on the set, you're in his domain," said Brosnan. "His life is a constant, I dunno, investigation of his own weird shape of heart and mind. You feel it when you're on the set." "He creates incredible parameters," said Williams. "You're really no more important nor less important than a beam of light."

Williams got an illuminating glimpse of Polanski's mind when he closed his eyes during her tough bedroom scene. "Roman had his head in his hands, and I said, 'Roman, as a woman crying, shagging, naked, when you've got your head in your hands it's a bit disappointing. Can you give me some feedback here?' He didn't at the time. Later, he said, 'When I've got my head in my hands, I'm closing my eyes trying to see the original model I had in my head before all this -- he waved at all of us, cameras, equipment -- arrives."

"In the dinner scene," said Williams, "Roman had chosen the food, eaten the meal, said the lines, to see how many mouthfuls we were gonna get. I had some quibble. Roman said, 'What do you think? I wrote this script in front of the fucking football?' [The great Robert Harris, who wrote the Ghost Writer novel, shares screenwriting credit.] Ewan said to me, 'It's actually insulting.' So I backed down most of the time." Even though Brosnan said Polanski didn't shoot lots of takes, he made Williams do one scene 25 times, so the trousers she carried precisely caught the light, got set on the bed with no crease, and Williams still managed to seem effortlessly lifelike.

Polanski wasn't inflexible. He let Williams make her character a lowborn intellectual snob instead of an aristocrat, and Brosnan based his role partly on Tony Blair "even though Roman was saying, 'No no no! You're not playing Tony!' " Asked if Polanski gave equal praise and criticism, both Williams and Brosnan said, "I wouldn't say equal."

Williams thinks Polanski "honors actors," evident in his hiring Kim Cattrall for an utterly un-Samantha-like Ghost Writer role. "One advantage of his extraordinary isolation is he doesn't engage in the pigeonholing that popular culture does." Polanski is now the poet of isolation, the vital ghost in his own machine. In exile, his vibe has become more like D.H. Lawrence's line: "The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer."

If the directing Oscar should go to the most totally controlling auteur, maybe it should go to Polanski.

the ghost writer leads european film award nominations

2010-11-08T04:06:00.000-08:00

the Ghost Writer Leads European Film Award Nominations

Monday 8th November 2010 - 09:51:31

The Ghost Writer, which is directed by Roman Polanski, has joined the Oscar race in spectacular fashion after landing a string of top nominations for the upcoming European Film Awards.

Members of the European Film Academy have singled out the movie for potential Best Film and Best Director (Polanski) honors, while star Ewan McGregor is up for a Best Actor prize.

In the Best Film category, the movie, which also features Pierce Brosnan, will compete with Turkish film Honey, France's Gods & Monsters, Lebanon, Soul Kitchen and Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language Film The Secret in their Eyes.

The winners of this year's EFAs will be announced on 4 December (10).

European Film Awards Nominations

European Film:
Bal (Honey)
Des Hommes et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men)
The Ghost Writer
Lebanon
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes)
Soul Kitchen

European Director
Olivier Assayas, Carlos
Semih Kaplanoglu, Bal (Honey)
Samuel Maoz, Lebanon
Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Paolo Virzi, The First Beautiful Thing

European Actress:
Zrinka Cvitesic, Na Putu
Sibel Kekilli, When We Leave
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Sylvie Testud, Lourdes
Lotte Verbeek, Nothing Personal

European Actor:
Jakob Cedergren, Submarino
Elio Germano, La Nostra Vita
Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer
George Pistereanu, If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
Luis Tosar, Cell 211

European Screenwriter:
Jorge Guerricaechevarria & Daniel Monzon, Cell 211
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Samuel Maoz, Lebanon
Radu Mihaileanu, The Concert

Carlo di Palma European Cinematographer Award:
Giora Bejach, Lebanon
Caroline Champetier, Of Gods and Men
Pavel Kostomarov, How I Ended this Summer
Baris Oezbicer, Honey

European Editor:
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier, Carlos
Arik Lahav-Leibovich, Lebanon
Herve de Luze, The Ghost Writer

European Production Designer:
Paola Bizzarri & Luis Ramirez, I, Don Giovanni
Albrecht Konrad, The Ghost Writer
Markku Paetilae & Jaagup Roomer, The Temptation of St Tony

European Composer:
Ales Brezina, Kawasaki’s Rose
Pasquale Catalano, Loose Cannons
Alexandre Desplat, The Ghost Writer
Gary Yershon, Another Year

European Discovery (FIPRESCI Prize):
The Double Hour
If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
Lebanon
Nothing Personal
When We Leave

European Film Academy Animated Feature Film:
The Illusionist
Planet 51
Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage

European Film Academy Documentary:
Armadillo
Nostalgia for the Light
Steam of Life

European Film Academy Short Film:
Amor
Diarch
The External World
Hanoi Warsaw
Here I Am
Joseph’s Snails
Lights
The Little Snow Animal
Maria’s Way
Out of Love
Rendez-Vous in Stella-Plage
Stay, Away
Talleres Clandestinos
Tussilago
Venus vs Me

SHEFFIELD INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL AWARDS

The Special Jury Award: Pink Saris, Kim Longionotto
Special mention: Nostalgia for the Light, Patricio Guzman
The Sheffield Inspiration Award: Kim Longionotto
The BT Vision Sheffield Innovation Award: The Arbor, Clio Barnard
The Sheffield Green Doc Award: Rainmakers, Floris-Jan Luyn
The Sheffield Student Doc Award: No Easy Time, Will Woodward
The Sheffield Youth Jury Award: The Battle for Barking, Laura Fairrie
BCS Digital Revolutions Award, Amateur Category: This Chair Is Not Me, Andy Taylor-Smith
BSC Digital Revolutions Award, Professional Category: The Scanner, Edward McGown

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2010-10-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

007: Licence to Till

2010-10-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has got a new licence to till - flogging groceries for cut price Spar supermarkets in Austria.

The one-time 007 appears in a series of ads for the budget stores wearing the legendary spy's trademark black dinner jacket.

Star Brosnan has become the face of the stores' upmarket 'Premium' range with luxury chocs, pasta and vodka for Bond's favourite vodka martinis.

Last year the discount stores signed up supermodel Cindy Crawford to promote a new line of beauty products in Europe.

"He'd certainly be able to get his trolly to the front of the queue if he still had all James Bond's gadgets on it," said one shopper.

mr brosnan

2010-10-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

Mr Brosnan, I want to personally thank you for your support of the Serengeti World Heritage Site. As you may be aware there are tens of thousands of people working hard to stop this highway from bisecting the Wildebeest migration route. People from across the world have joined together in an online network cause site and through facebook to share information, gather e-signatures for petitions, and to continue pressuring the Tanzanian government to reconsider this illogical and damaging decision. While I note that the Ambassador cites the need for development in her response on Friday, it is important to cite the data about this development issue: there are very few people living along the route of the planned road, and the alternative southern route that is being proposed by 300 international scientists and 23,000+ individuals will serve 5x the number of people and save tourism economy and jobs for countless Tanzanians.

Your voice is important to continue to shine the spotlight on this travesty in the making, and I encourage you to consider lending your voice to this worldwide effort to save the Serengeti. To find out more about how you can help, you can email us at stopserengetih@gmail.com
You can also visit our website: http://www.savetheserengeti.org/
You can also join the 23,000 people working to save this precious resource on our facebook page, in the link provided in the subject line of this post.

Thank you again for bringing the world's attention to the plight of the Serengeti, and potential death of 1.2 million wildebeest should this road become a reality.

I've recently read an article on the "global water shortage" and while some of it was not news, the projections for water supplies to even the "developed world" is a cause for great concern. The outlook for African nations especially is very bleak indeed, as I am sure is of no suprise to anyone given the current of the continent in general.

So, while the call to the people of developing nations of Africa who's lives are directly affected by these events to take a lead is naturally the first line of defense, it is the people, organisations and governments of the "developed" world that must applaud and support (financially and otherwise) efforts at conserving our delicate and already decimated ecosystem.

Unfortunately, if history is anything to go by financial development will always take precedence over environmental conversation, and most if not all governments see conversation as a hinderance and an expenditure rather that the range of long term benefits that comes with it.

The people of Africa are an integral part of the world's Eco-system, delicately balanced on the edge of extinction. Nature, animals and the people are seldom put together in the planning of their mutual future. We have exported technology and our problems into a culture that still needs the basics. They have a deep thirst for knowledge and education. Yet, without the necessary clean water and seed production to increase their basic nutrition, as well as education to handle the technology, they lack the skills to determine their own future.

When people’s well being, education, natural resources, conservation management become part of the psyche of international and local corporations and African governments, when the people in government begin to use those words and observe the value and success of sustainable transparent development; when the IMF and the World Bank insist on transparency and accountability; when African governments provide representation with affordable taxation to the people; when African companies and jobs include accountability and transparency; when people elect representatives that truly serve them and not corruption, then and only then will African Leaders develop governments that support the infrastructure and education that will grow their countries and its people to be independent, self-sustaining, successful entrepreneurs. Then others will invest wisely in Africa and its future.

License to Save?

2010-10-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

My life has always been connected to nature -- from the banks of the River Boyne in southern Ireland where I grew up as a child, to the shorelines of California and Hawaii where Between these two worlds and an ocean of time spent traveling the world as a working actor, I have seen the beauty of what man can achieve on this earth and also what can happen when he lets nature slip through his fingers.Last evening I was at the World Bank where we saw excerpts from National Geographic’s soon-to-be aired global programming event, “Great Migrations”, that show just how fragile the lives of some of the great animals of our world are today. The majestic African elephant, or the fleet wildebeest, are confronted with obstacles in their daily existence that threatens their very continuation as a species. As we expand our human footprint across the planet, we have paved over their breeding grounds, plowed under their grazing areas, depleted their sources of water, and disrupted their historic migratory routes.

Climate change is adding to the immense dangers facing bio-diversity. In my native Ireland, at least eight species of birds, such as the gray partridge, face extinction, due to the loss of habitat, reduction in food supplies, poisonings from pesticides, and wide scale development. In my adopted home, here in the United States, the Grey Whales that migrate north and south just off our California coast have survived since the ice age. Yet, these whales face more threats today than ever before from ship strikes, loss of habitat, pollution, and other human activities. Climate change is destroying the food chain they need to survive.

In its series “Great Migrations”, National Geographic turns its spotlight to two species. Across the great Serengeti Plain and National Park, hundreds of thousands of wildebeest make a long, hazardous trek every year to reach their breeding grounds. The wildebeest migration, the last great migration on Earth, faces one of its biggest challenges ever. Plans to build a road through this “designated wilderness area” would make the journey of the wildebeest even more arduous.

Tanzania’s leaders are faced with a difficult choice: road transport is important and necessary for development and poverty reduction, no one can deny that. But a win-win situation can emerge if alternatives to this road can be found – and surely this would be in the best interests of everyone, and in the best interest of the wildlife.

In Mali, Gourma elephants, the biggest and tallest in Africa, live on the continent’s northern, dry reaches, roaming hundreds of kilometers annually in search of water. These water resources are now under threat. The government of Mali is making noble efforts to channel water to where the elephants range. But, in the struggle to provide the citizens of Mali with enough water, getting water to elephants may not be the number one priority.

We all know that even with all the mitigation efforts, there are impacts of climate change that these animals will need to deal with. We need to bolster rather than clear habitats, manage water supplies more sustainably to assist them to adapt to a climate-changed world.

We must ask ourselves: in Tanzania, in Mali, and in countless other places, do we have the “wisdom and the will” to make the right choice, the statesman’s choice? I believe the answer to this question can be “yes!” I believe that people can move from poverty to prosperity, and that we can protect our plant and animal species at the same time. Development and conservation must go hand in hand in a world where climate change is a reality.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick and pierce brosnan

2010-10-08T01:07:00.000-07:00

Actor Pierce Brosnan (L-R), National Geographic Global Media President and CEO Tim Kelly and World Bank President Robert Zoellick walk before an advance screening of clips of the National Geographic's film "Great Migrations" at the World Bank headquarters building in Washington October 7, 2010.…Actor Pierce Brosnan (R) and World Bank President Robert Zoellick speak before an advance screening of clips of the National Geographic's film called "Great Migrations" at the World Bank headquarters building in Washington October 7, 2010

heyyyyyyyyy man !

2010-10-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

Diet another day: Pierce Brosnan makes no secret of big belly as he piles on the pounds
He made his name by playing tall, dark and handsome James Bond on the big screen.But Pierce Brosnan looked nothing like a secret agent yesterday as he stepped out in Los Angeles.The Irish-born actor was sporting a rather rotund physique as he ran errands, and with his stomach dropping over his waistband, the 57-year-old is clearly cle not the sexy spy he used to be.The GoldenEye star made no effort to hide his burgeoning belly, wearing a tight white shirt that emphasised every unflattering bulge.And with this new look, it's not likely Pierce will be asked to reprise his hunky James Bond role.These days, the actor seems to be thinking more about environmental issues than his increasing weight gain.
I don't think he is that proud of his Irish roots. I remember him as a scruffy little kid in Navan Ireland. My gran took him in and looked after him when he was suffering from family problems. getting out of there was the best thing that happened to him.Tomorrow never diets: Pierce looks nothing like his sexy super agent role

pierce brosnan:Rockford Residents to appear in Jane Goodall film

2010-09-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Gary Haun and Renee Reynolds, both residents of Rockford, will appear in the film, Jane’s Journey, which is about Gary’s good friend, Dr. Jane Goodall.

Jane Goodall is best known for her research of the chimpanzees in Africa. She travels over 300 days out of the year to lecture on animal preservation and conservation as well as other environmental issues. Dr. Goodall wrote the Introduction for Gary’s first book, Vision From the Heart, which includes chapters detailing his climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and his dive with the Great White sharks in South Africa.

Gary met Jane several years ago and they became good friends. Dr. Goodall mentions her relationship with Gary during most of her lectures around the world. She also refers to Gary as one of her Reasons for Hope in the book of the same name.

In 1995, Gary brought Dr. Goodall to Rockford to speak at the Rockford Women’s Center and Rockford College. At the time Gary gave “Dr. Jane” a stuffed animal for her birthday. She named the animal Mr. H and it has travelled with her on her many trips around the world. Mr. H has been touched by over three million people and many of the world’s leaders.

As the Amazing Haundini, Gary has performed magic at the Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots summits. Roots and Shoots is a program of the Jane Goodall Institute that gets children involved with projects that help other people, animals and the planet.

Although blind for over thirty five years, Gary has performed magic throughout the world. In 2000, Gary appeared on the Rosie O’Donnell Show. It is interesting that Rosie appeared in the film A League of Their Own, which was about the Rockford Peaches. Gary gave Rosie a Rockford Peaches t-shirt that was signed by some of the original Peaches.

In April 2009 a film crew came to Rockford from Munich, Germany to film Gary’s part in the film. His part was filmed at Rock Valley College with the assistance of Mike Webb, Director of Theatre at RVC. Angelina Jolie and Pierce Brosnan will also appear in the film. While Angelina’s husband, Brad Pitt, does not appear in the film, Gary said he would like to thank Brad for all his charitable contributions that have helped so many people.

The film premiered in Germany in September and is getting rave reviews.

The film will make its North American premiere at the Hampton Film Festival. Gary and Renee will be guests of Dr. Jane Goodall’s and Gary’s other good friend, Lorenz Knauer of Munich, Germany who directed the film.

Gary and Renee are both graduates of Auburn High School and say that they are glad that Rockford is part of this full length theatrical documentary film. The film is also scheduled to appear on the Animal Planet Channel in the fall.

Gary’s newest book, Diary of a Blind Magician, is now available. It is a magic book for those just beginning in magic or anyone interested in magic. The Introduction was written by David Copperfield.

Annual SeaChange Summer Party To Benefit Oceana - Arrivals

2010-09-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

LAGUNA BEACH, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Pierce Brosnan arrives at the Annual SeaChange Summer Party To Benefit Oceana on September 10, 2010 in Laguna Beach, California.

Salvation Boulevard

2010-08-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Production year 2011

genre : Crime, Thriller

Director

George Ratliff

Cast

Pierce Brosnan
Jennifer Connelly
Marisa Tomei
Ed Harris
Greg Kinnear

Producer
Cathy Schulman (Crash, The Illusionist))

Country

USA

Celebrity Pastor Dan Day (Pierce Brosnan) is a hero to his congregation, with a TV show, real estate ambitions, and leadership position in the community. Two of his strongest followers, Carl Vanderveer (Greg Kinnear) and his wife Gwen (Jennifer Garner), are also pillars of the community. Carl is hoping to go into business with Dan, who is planning to build a huge complex, his “City on the Hill”, with apartments, movie theatres, ships and restaurants, all dedicated to the power of his vision.

But what his supporters don’t know is that Dan isn’t the moral, devout pastor they believe him to be. Carl and Gwen attend a public debate between Dan and Professor Peter Blaylock (Ed Harris), a well-known atheist and outspoken skeptic of Pastor Dan’s theories. Retiring after the debate to Blaylock’s office to continue the discussion over a drink, Dan invites Carl to join them.

Hoping this is his opportunity to pitch for his business, Carl eagerly accepts. The men talk cordially at first and admire Blaylock’s collection of antique guns, but the conversation soon becomes heated and Dan reaches for one of the guns to a make a point. It goes off, hitting Blaylock, who collapses onto the floor.

Fearful that his antagonistic relationship with Blaylock gives him motive for murder, and knowing that an arrest of scandal could derail his lofty ambitions, Dan convinces the shocked Carl that they should leave as quickly as possible and keep the shooting a secret.

Afraid that Carl will go to the authorities in spite of his promise, Dan turns to one of his most loyal followers, Jerry Hobson (Jim Gaffigan) for help. They decide to cover-up the accident to make it looks like a suicide attempt. But it leaves Carl as the wild card, and the two men agree they have to get rid of him permanently. Jerry kidnaps Carl and drives him out to the desert to kill him, but they fight, and Carl manages to escape. He finds his way home and confides in Gwen and her father, Jim, (Sam Elliot), an ex-marine, but they don’t believe him. They are still under Pastor Dan’s spell.

Carl knows the only way the truth will come out is if he can prove it, but there are more than enough supporters of Pastor Dan who are willing to hunt Carl down to silence him. He becomes obsessed with finding the evidence, while his personal life and relationship with Gwen begin to deteriorate under the strain.

Unexpectedly, Carl is approached by construction mogul Jorge de Vaca. De Vaca has the evidence Carl is looking for, a copy of the surveillance DVD from Blaylock’s university, which clearly shows the shooting. But de Vaca isn’t interested in justice. He knows the Pastor is crooked and has been trying to find something illegal on Dan for years so he can blackmail him into getting the exclusive contract for “The City on the Hill”. He, too, just wants to make sure that Carl keeps quiet. But Carl wants no part of more lies and deceit, and behind de Vaca’s back, switches the discs so he has the copy of the shooting.

When de Vaca meets Dan to show him the DVD, to expose the cover-up and make the deal, he realizes that Carl has tricked him and he has nothing to blackmail Dan with. Enraged, de Vaca stabs and kills Dan.

Not knowing that Dan is dead, Jerry and his cronies make one last, violent effort to silence Carl to protect their preacher. But it backfires with horrific results as Carl gets away again. Blaylock, who has been lying in a coma since the shooting, awakens and reveals to the media and the authorities what really happened. But with Dan missing, the community is in denial over his crimes and Carl realizes his safety may still be in jeopardy.

Salvation Boulevard How big would this movie be?

2010-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Romanian director to work on Pierce Brosnan film

2010-08-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

Adrian Popovici will co-direct, alongside Mo Ramchandani, the film “Bonded”, starting in November, in Lost Angeles, for six weeks. Pierce Brosnan stars in the move as the cop who “exposes a network which peddles children from underdeveloped countries, from Mexico, Romania, India, forced to work in basements, like slaves”, mostly in the clothing industry. Whereas the protagonist will be a Mexican boy named Jesus, sold by his father and smuggled into the United States to be exploited, fooled into thinking he would be taken to Disneyland, the film will also feature a Romanian little girl – whom the boy will get to know in the basement where he is working like a convict.

The two directors will work with 20 children, but none of the parts have been cast yet. Pierce Brosnan will be working pro bono, as the production company representing the American side is owned by his son, Sean: Irish Dream Time. The film’s total budget amounts to almost USD 3 M, Adrian Popovici stated, for Cinemagia, out of which the Romanian contribution is almost USD 250,000, that is, the amount which the production company Artis Film won in this edition of the cinematographic projects competition.

“We have an American agent who recommended the film to us,” Popovici stated, adding that he is not nervous in any way, although he is about to shoot with Pierce Brosnan, as he has already worked with other foreign actors, such as Michael Ironside (Top Gun, Total Recall, Free Willy), Dustin Milligan, Amy Beth Hayes – for the film “Eva”, and is now in production with “Se cauta o mama” (Mom Wanted), starring the selfsame Michael Ironside, vas Blackwood and actors from Moldova, as the story is set in Transdniestr.

Adrian Popovici argues “you either go to the festivals or make a commercial movie”, and that he “tends” to make commercial movies, as “we can’t be left only with the festival features, while the rest of the movies are left lying in the National Centre of Cinematography’s cellars”. However, his 2008 production, “Un acoperis deasupra capului” (A Roof On Top of One’s Head), brought only 739 viewers and, after four weeks, was pulled out of the cinemas, while Romanian film critics blamed him of having ruined a script which had great potential.

pierce brosnan life

2010-08-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

Pierce Brosnan
Recognized internationally as one of the most dashing and skilled dramatic actors in Hollywood today, two time Golden Globe Award nominee Pierce Brosnan will be seen in no less than four films this year.
Brosnan began the year starring in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief based upon the best-selling novel by Richard Riordan. Audiences then saw him star with Ewan McGregor in Roman Polanski’s critically acclaimed film The Ghost Writer, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in mid-February. Then he co-starred with Robert Pattinson in Remember Me and starred with Susan Sarandon and Carey Mulligan in The Greatest which premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009.
His film credits include the smash hit film adaptation of the Broadway hit Mamma Mia! (2008) opposite Meryl Streep, Married Life (2007) in which he starred with Rachel McAdams, Patricia Clarkson and Chris Cooper for director Ira Sachs, the Civil War drama Seraphim Falls (2007) in which he starred opposite Liam Neeson, The Matador (2005) for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture and a nomination for Best Actor in a Lead Role from the Irish Film & Television Academy, John Boorman’s critically acclaimed film from the novel by John LeCarre, The Tailor of Panama (2001), Sir Richard Attenborough’s Grey Owl (1999), Mars Attacks (1996), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) alongside Barbra Streisand, Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) with Robin Williams and Bruce Beresford’s Mr. Johnson (1990).
But he is perhaps best known worldwide as James Bond. Brosnan reinvigorated the popularity of the Bond legacy in box-office blockbusters Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). Brosnan’s first three Bond films earned over a billion dollars at the international box-office and Die Another Day alone garnered almost a half-billion dollars worldwide.
In addition to his four Bond films, three other Brosnan films – The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Dante’s Peak (1997) and The Lawnmower Man (1992) combined have earned hundreds of millions of dollars internationally, cementing him as one of the world’s most bankable stars.
Most recently Brosnan completed filming Salvation Boulevard with Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly and he will next star for director Walter Hill in St. Vincent with Billy Bob Thornton which will begin filming later this year.
In addition to his work in front of the camera, Brosnan has always had an interest in the art of filmmaking. Having achieved international stardom as an actor, Brosnan expanded the range of his film work by launching his own production company, Irish DreamTime in 1996, along with producing partner Beau St. Clair.
Irish DreamTime has produced seven films to date: The Nephew (1998), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Evelyn (2002), Laws of Attraction (2004), The Matador (2005), Shattered (2007) and The Greatest (2010). The company's first studio project, The Thomas Crown Affair, was a critical and box-office success and one of the best-reviewed and highest-grossing romantic thrillers in years. Evelyn, directed by Bruce Beresford, opened to critical acclaim at the Toronto and Chicago Film Festivals and also garnered rave reviews. Laws of Attraction, a romantic comedy, starring Brosnan and Julianne Moore, as dueling divorce attorneys who fall in love. The Matador co-starring Greg Kinnear earned Brosnan critical success and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award, Shattered, starred Brosnan with Maria Bello and Gerard Butler and The Greatest with Susan Sarandon and Carey Mulligan.
Upcoming projects for Irish DreamTime include St. Vincent and the second installment of The Thomas Crown Affair.
Some of Brosnan’s many accolades include the 2007 Goldene Kamera Award for his environmental work, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chicago Film Festival, the International Star of the Year at the Cinema Expo in Amsterdam, an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology, an Honorary Doctorate from the University College Cork and an Order of the British Empire bestowed by Her Majesty the Queen.
Brosnan was born in County Meath, Ireland and moved to London at age 11. At 20, he enrolled in drama school and while in London, performed in several West End stage productions including Franco Zeffirelli’s Fulimena and Tennessee Williams’ The Red Devil Battery Sign at the York Theater Royal. Brosnan relocated to Los Angeles in 1982 and immediately landed the role of private investigator Remington Steele on the popular ABC television series of the same name.

pierce brosnan...04.08.2010....kauai.....

2010-08-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

pierce brosnan:Humane Society launches ‘Celebrities Supporting The HSUS’ Facebook fanpage

2010-07-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

We all love reading about celebrities—a guilty pleasure for most—and if you are here on This Dish Is Veg, you probably have a deep love for animals—love me, don’t eat me! The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) obviously understands our needs and has launched a celebrity supporter Facebook fan page to share news about “your favorite animal loving celebrities.”

The fan page will feature current events, photos, and videos from stars who support The HSUS. Featured celebrities include Ellen DeGeneres, Moby, Kristen Bell, Hayden Panettiere, Pierce Brosnan, James Cromwell, and Emily Deschanel, among many others—all who are labeled with symbols representing the cause that is near and dear to their heart.

To keep up with your favorites in Hollywood, “Like” Celebrities Supporting The HSUS on Facebook. While you are at it, hook up with us too.

Follow us on Twitter @thisdishisveg and Facebook [NEW!]

Pierce Brosnan: Licensed to Spay/Neuter Pets

2010-07-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Pierce Brosnan: Licensed to Spay/Neuter Pets
Brosnan creates artwork for a "Spay and Neuter Saves Lives" license plate in California
Recognized for his tireless work advocating for the protection of marine mammals and the oceans, acclaimed actor and producer Pierce Brosnan is using his considerable talent as a painter to raise awareness of another animal cause close to his heart: pet overpopulation and the importance of spay and neuter programs.
Joining forces with The California Spay and Neuter License Plate Fund and the California Veterinary Medical Board, Pierce has created original artwork for a “Spay and Neuter Saves Lives” license plate that will provide funding for free and low-cost spay and neuter surgery programs across California. Pierce’s colorful and adorable painting features Coco and Shilo, the cat and dog .
The California Spay and Neuter Plate Program is unprecedented in California and has been hailed as a brilliant initiative that will benefit animal shelters and help curtail the number of homeless and unwanted dogs and cats throughout the state.
By pre-ordering the “Spay and Neuter Saves Lives” license plate today, you can be among the first to display this unique, eye-catching plate on your vehicle. The state of California will begin production of the new plate after 7,500 pre-orders have been submitted. For more information and to order plates online, click here or call (800) 390-1541.
So don’t delay, license your car to spread the word about spay/neuter and the heartbreaking problem of pet overpopulation—it may encourage other states to follow suit.
A big thank you to Pierce Brosnan—an animal advocate who’s using his voice and creativity to make a difference on behalf of all animals.

july 24,2010 pierce brosnan

2010-07-26T01:23:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2010

Dear Friends,

I have just returned from a much-needed vacation and am happy to report that collectively we have achieved an enormous victory for great whales worldwide. A controversial proposal that would have legalized whaling for Japan, Iceland and Norway was defeated at last month's International Whaling Commission meeting in Morocco. Concerned individuals, animal lovers, and environmental groups worldwide fought to maintain the 1982 global moratorium on commercial whaling. Against all odds, we prevailed! After several years of closed-door negotiations, the Obama Administration and other conservation-minded governments wisely said no to this new proposal designed to legalize commercial whaling and approve quotas to kill whales in an international whale sanctuary in the Southern Ocean.

This last minute reprieve is good news for whales, but they aren’t saved yet. Whales face more threats today than ever before…from entanglement in marine debris and fishing gear, to ship strikes, noise pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, ocean acidification, and pollution and contaminates--particularly toxic metals. Roger Payne’s Institute, Ocean Alliance, has just released a report from their 5-year voyage around the world measuring baseline levels of toxic metals and POPs (persistent organic pollutants--substances like DDT, PCBs and fire retardants) in the skin and blubber of sperm whales. They brought back 955 sperm whale biopsy samples from all the world’s oceans.

Marine toxicologists John Wise at the University of Southern Maine and Maria Christina Fossi at Italy’s Sienna University analyzed these samples. They concluded that sperm whales are contaminated wherever they are found--even in ocean regions that lie far from major industry and corporate agriculture. Research indicates the worst problem to be chromium--a major carcinogen. (The film "Erin Brockovich" is about chromium pollution.) Roger chose to study sperm whales because they live at the top of the ocean food chain, in all oceans. Humans also live at the top of ocean food chains, which means that what is happening to sperm whales may also be happening to us.

As for whaling, the moratorium on commercial whaling (which has saved tens of thousands of whales worldwide) and the creation of the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary in 1994 were both attained with high level, bi-partisan support from the United States. That same level of leadership and commitment is needed again now, following the International Whaling Commission meeting in Morocco to secure previous gains, end illegal / commercial whaling, and to put the International Whaling Commission on course for a sustainable, conservation-based future.

Our current administration must now implement a new agreement and pass legislation (H.R.2455 The International Whale Conservation and Protection Act of 2009) that will guarantee both the conservation and the rehabilitation of whale populations for generations to come. The health of the oceans and the ocean ecosystem will be greatly diminished if we do not protect these majestic creatures (some of the most endangered species in the world).

The vast majority of Americans support whale conservation. They recognize that whales are of great aesthetic and scientific interest to mankind and are a vital part of the marine ecosystem. Thus, we need to influence, persuade and sometimes pressure our government to: Encourage Japan, Iceland and Norway, the last three countries killing whales to halt the international trade in whale products and to join the global movement for whale conservation. As whales migrate throughout the world's oceans, international cooperation is essential to successfully protect them. Join Australia, New Zealand and other nations in funding state-of-the-art, non-lethal research on whales and their habitats.
Work through the IWC conservation committee to advance state-of-the art conservation plans that safeguard threatened whale species and populations.
Reform and recast the IWC as a more transparent and accountable "International Whale Commission" with a clear and compelling conservation mandate for the 21st century.
Restore the primacy of the IWC scientific committee as the recognized international authority on whale conservation science and engage its expertise to improve human understanding of whales and the numerous threats they face. Consider environmental issues related to climate change as well as the possible adverse effects from high intensity anthropogenic sound, and new offshore industrial developments for energy projects. I am often asked: how can I help?

The answer is simple: use your voice. Stand up for what you believe is right. Ask our President and your state representatives to pass legislation to protect whales and their habitat.

Everything begins with education. The most important thing anyone can do is to align themselves with an environmental organization that is committed to issues they believe in. We work with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Ocean Alliance because of their interest in protecting marine mammals and the oceans.

Next up I am heading back east to make a picture called St. Vincent, which I will produce with my partner Beau Marie St. Claire, at Irish DreamTime. The action-thriller, written by Cameron Young, and directed by Walter Hill, details the story of an Irish hit man returning to his former New York City neighborhood to terminate an informant. In order to get close to his target, the hit man is forced to masquerade as a priest and soon he finds himself taking the confession of the informant …and discovering GOD.

Last spring I made a new film titled "Salvation Boulevard" based on a novel of the same name, written by Larry Beinhart, (who also wrote, "Wag the Dog"). "Salvation Boulevard" was directed by George Radliff and follows a former Deadhead-turned-born-again-Christian who finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega church who will do anything to protect their pastor (yours truly). Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei, Sam Elliot, Jim Gaffigan, and Jennifer Connolly contributed to this hilarious all-star cast.

Wishing you a great summer ahead.

See you at the movies.

Love and only love,

Brosnan to star in Double Lives in China this September

2010-07-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

The Chinese-American co-production for "Double Lives" held a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, CFP.cn reports.

The film's budget is over 100 million US dollars and stars Pierce Brosnan, American actress Brit Morgan, and actor Billy Zane. The director, Rob Cohen, collaborated with Jet Li in "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" in 2008 which was also a Chinese-American co-production.

The director attended the conference, along with stars Zane and Morgan. Although Brosnan was absent, he sent an email apologizing and promised that he will definitely take part in the filming this September.

Cohen expressed his curiosity and favor for China at the conference, and he highly acknowledged the achievements of past Chinese directors. His first impressions of China came from the films of Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and John Woo, all of which helped him learn about China and then later inspired him to make films here. Besides "The Mummy 3," Chinese audiences are familiar with his previous projects such as "The Fast and the Furious" and "XXX."

He also said he will add Chinese elements to this film, including using a few Chinese actors and actresses. However, the production company has not given any details

Billy Zane was in the 1997 film "Titanic," where he played Rose's fiancé Caledon 'Cal' Hockley. He revealed that "Double Lives" is a story about a treasure hunt while police from China and America work together to track down an international criminal. The actor said the film had comedic elements similar to Jim Carrey's style.

It is reported the cast crew will visit some outdoor lots in Beijing, Hangzhou and Hengdian, preparing for the film's shooting.

Cohen also told the media that he is planning another film called "Kung Fu," and he has already contacted Jet Li. The Kung Fu star said he would be glad to participate in the film if invited.

Pierce Brosnan on Mamma Mia! sequel rumours

2010-07-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

PIERCE BROSNAN has addressed the speculation about another

mamma mia movie.He starred as architect Sam Carmichael opposite Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried in the 2008 Abba-themed musical comedy based on the West End hit

There have been rumours about a follow-up but Brosnan has ruled out the idea.

He told us: "Leave them wanting more, less is more, and I don't think we could top what we did the first time. It was such a phenomenal success."

The actor can be seen as Chiron the centaur in fantasy adventure Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, now out on DVD and Blu-ray.

He added that he was enjoying trying new roles after becoming well-known as James Bond in four 007 movies.

Brosnan said: "I've always seen myself as a working actor and I will remain a working actor for as long as I'm in this business. I was trained and I was lead to believe that I could play many different roles.

"James Bond was a phenomenal chapter in my life and I'm very grateful I played that role - it's allowed me to go on and create my own movies and to be in movies like Percy Jackson.

"Hopefully I can stay at the table for as long as I can. For me now, you want to be an unexpected surprise.

"[Director] Chris [Columbus] and I worked together on Mrs Doubtfire and [Percy Jackson] is a wonderful book, very fertile ground, so I'm deeply proud to be part of it."

pierce brosnan (the blue project)

2010-07-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Blue Project

By: Photos by Steven Lippman June 10, 2010

“Roll on, deep and dark blue ocean, roll. Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain. Man marks the Earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore.”
—Lord Byron

The worldwide oceanic preservation movement is a perpetual struggle of Biblical proportions. In an attempt to augment that prodigious battle, we’ve created The Blue Project, a celebration of environmental activism featuring local athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs alongside ocean-based charities and non-profit organizations—each promoting to the general health and majestic beauty of mother ocean.

Learn more about ways you can contribute to The Blue Movement.
Visit www.malibublueproject.org.

WHO: Pierce Brosnan, Actor/Humanitarian

ORGANIZATION: International Fund For Animal Welfare

“What angers me about whaling? There is no economic justification for it, no scientific justification for it, and there is no moral justification for it. It shouldn’t happen. It is a heinous act that I have fought against for almost 15 years. The senseless slaughter of whales and dolphins is utterly shocking.”

ABOUT: The IFAW started four decades ago as a small group of concerned citizens trying to protect white coat harp seals from being brutally slaughtered for their pelts and has now grown into one of the world’s leading animal welfare organizations. Consisting of teams of scientists, legal and political experts and dedicated campaigners, the IFAW now garners 1.2 million supporters worldwide and holds steady with its mission “to create a better world for animals.”

Take a stand. Stop the bloodbath.
ifaw.org

Pierce Brosnan selling his Malibu retreat

2010-07-01T04:03:00.000-07:00

A gated Mediterranean owned by actor Pierce Brosnan has come on the market in Malibu at $3.9 million -- reports the LA Times.

Designed as an artist's retreat, the two-story beach house includes a separate space that can be used as an office or media room. The living room has soaring wood-beam ceilings, walls of glass, a fireplace, plank oak flooring, built-in cabinetry and two balconies with ocean and mountain views. Skylights and picture windows bring light into the kitchen. The master suite includes a sitting area, balconies and a bathroom fireplace. In total there are five fireplaces, three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

Before Brosnan, 57, starred as James Bond in "GoldenEye" (1995), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997), "The World Is Not Enough" (1999) and "Die Another Day" (2002), he played the title role on the television series "Remington Steele" from 1982 to 1987

galaxy 2010

2010-06-30T12:16:00.001-07:00

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Blu-ray)

2010-06-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Author Rick Riordan says on one of the bonus features that his popular series about youthful half-gods in contemporary times began as a bedtime story. I don't know how rough that first ad-libbed version was, but his juvenile novels are wonderfully structured.

If you remember your classical mythology, the gods' lives were like one big soap opera. They plotted, they schemed, they got jealous, they fought, they betrayed, they punished, and they had more romantic dalliances than you could fit into an episode of "As the World Turns." Sometimes they had affairs with mortals, and their offspring--demigods like Hercules, Achilles, and Perseus--became larger-than-life heroes of the human world. If you remember the plot of "Clash of the Titans," the gods played with human lives as if they were pawns on a chessboard.

But what if the gods didn't die with ancient Greek civilization? What if they were real immortals who still live today? What would they be like? What forms would they take when they came down to earth? And what kind of adventures might their half-god, half-human offspring have? Well, in this film adaptation of the first book, someone has stolen the lightning bolt from Zeus (Sean Bean), who's convinced it must be the son of his brother-rival, Poseidon (Kevin McKidd).

That's the brilliant premise behind Riordan's series, with the first installment brought to the big screen by Chris Columbus--the guy who directed two kid point-of-view hits ("Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York") and the first two Harry Potter films. Columbus not only knows the action-fantasy model, but like John Hughes before him he has a knack for understanding what his young characters think, fear, and secretly desire. Yet, the Harry Potter films weren't just teen and 'tween fare, and neither is "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief." It's a full-fledged family film that adults can also enjoy. One big reason is that the plot cleverly incorporates elements and stories from Greek mythology, so the film is full of things which, once recognized, bring a smile. And unlike films intended only for children, there are no goofball or clueless adults. All the characters have real flesh on their bones, and the special effects are interesting enough--especially the water features.

In the books, Percy and his friends were junior high school students, but in the film they've been promoted to high school--ostensibly because how else could they get behind the wheel of a car, as required in several scenes? In the book they took the bus as they went on a quest to find the pearls they could use to enter the underworld to rescue someone dear to them, but cars get these young heroes from New Jersey to Nashville to Las Vegas to Hollywood more quickly and with more flair.

Logan Lerman does a fine job playing Percy Jackson, a boy who spends seven minutes at a time sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool because it helps him relax. He lives at home with his mother (Catherine Keener) and an abusive slob of a stepfather (Joe Pantoliano). But his life changes dramatically when he's on a museum field trip learning about classical gods and one of the teachers turns into a fury and tries to attack him. Suddenly it's scramble mode, as his crippled best friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) throws off his crutches and his wheelchair-bound teacher, Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) loses his chair. They beat a hasty exit for his home, telling his mother there's no way to hide anymore. And they take him to the only place he'll be safe: Camp Half-Blood, a sort of Hogwarts in the woods for demigods to learn ancient combat with shields and swords and train to become modern-day heroes. Here, he's instantly "chosen" as a friend by Luke (Jake Abel), son of Hermes (winged-footed messenger of the gods), and enters into a tentative relationship with the attractive warrior Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), daughter of Athena (goddess of wisdom and battle).

It turns out that Percy could spend all that time underwater because he's the son of Poseidon, whom the Romans called Neptune. And he quickly learns that his best friend was actually his protector, a satyr with hairy goat legs and a Hugh Hefner-sized libido. And Mr. Brunner? He's really Chiron, the centaur, and it's more than a little enjoyable seeing Brosnan take this shape, just as it is watching Uma Thurman have fun as Medusa, who appears in contemporary times as the owner of a garden statuary. Naturally, she doesn't have to pay wholesale for her statues! Fun too is an outing at a Vegas casino that's set up to be the modern equivalent of the island of lotus-eaters that detained Odysseus and his men.

PİERCE BROSNAN LİFE

2010-06-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

PİERCE BROSNAN AND CASSANDRA BROSNAN

2010-06-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Pierce Brosnan and Son Sean Brosnan Are BONDEDPierce Brosnan and Son Sean Brosnan Are BONDEDPierce Brosnan and Son Sean Brosnan Are BONDEDPierce Brosn

2010-06-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

The uthe upcoming thriller bonded will star and is being produced by Pierce Brosnan’s son, Sean Brosnan. Brosnan the elder will have a cameo in Bonded. Please note: Bonded has absolutely nothing to do with the James Bond franchise, but it still sounds like an interesting film. According to The Wrap, the film is about “a Mexican teenager who, after the death of his mother, is sold by his father and smuggled into America, where he’s forced to work as a bonded slave laborer in a Los Angeles sweatshop. While imprisoned there, he befriends a young woman, but when she is claimed by a sex trafficker, he must make a daring escape in order to rescue her.”

Both Brosnans will play cops in the movie. The film, written and directed by Mo Ramchandani (Devil’s Creek), is based on true events that took place in El Monte, Calif. in the early ’90s. The film is still in the process of casting the male lead.

pierce brosnan wife Cassandra Harris Memoirs:3

2010-06-18T03:40:00.000-07:00

There were many ways in which I was not the typical teenager during my middle school and high school years. Talking entertainment was just one of many.

Although I did subscribe to Seventeen Magazine for a while, it wasn't for the latest gossip and interviews surrounding the latest "boy bands," "bubblegum pop" teenyboppers, and the stars of cultivated "chick" films. With the exception of Garth Brooks and Gilda Radner, none of my favorite stars ever got a mention anywhere except online. In fact, with the exception of the two G's (that would be Garth and Gilda), no one had even heard of the celebrities I looked up to. They were all obscure. To make matters worse, only people of a certain audience really knew them seriously - and I wasn't a part of even that audience! I was just myself.alone ,itseemed.

I once lamented in the car with a group of friends. One of our group's mothers was driving us somewhere downtown for an outing, and - not surprisingly, especially given the age group - the subject of arts and entertainment arose. "I hate talking favorite actresses with people," I said, "because my favorite is dead and nobody knows who she is."

The mother, who apparently considered herself somewhat a connoisseur of obscure things (she had a son with obscure interests, after all), tried to appease me. "Who is she?" she asked.

"Never mind," I said, gradually lowering my voice to a murmur. "you've never heard of her.

"How do you know?" replied the friend's mother cheerfully. "You haven't even told me who she is!"

"Okay, Okay... Cassandra Harris."

"Never heard of her. Who is she? Who is she? Come on! Indulge us!"

Oh Lord! I was afraid of that! I had pretty much had this conversation with nearly everyone I knew, and being the relatively unsociable person that I am, I grew quite fatigued (socially speaking) from explaining very quickly. How do I explain Cassandra to people who don't recognize her by name or by face? There is so much more to her story than simply the fact that she was married to Pierce Brosnan, was an actress who never quite made it big, and died of ovarian cancer. Anyone who has ever read the Pierce Brosnan biography by York Membry (published 1997) would know from the three chapters which focused almost solely on her, one of which contained her entire life story! And as most people who have read my posts might recognize, I tend to give an overview of what such people mean to me, rather than provide a biography of information they could easily find elsewhere.

However, Cassandra's history seems shady enough to your average person that a biography would almost be necessary.

But first, however, I suppose a traditional tribute-style post from me would be essential. Like I said earlier, I am not even of those typical audiences who recognize her name - those are audiences that consist of die-hard Pierce Brosnan fans, which I never was. This had been an incorrect speculation of many people throughout my teenage years, but the truth was I would only read about Mr. Brosnan to see if any Cassandra mentions were present - a ritual I did not perform as religiously as speculated - it really takes no time at all when you know all the google searching tricks, which my computer-programmer dad taught me.

It was my mother who I can partially blame for first giving me my Cassandra "fixation." You see, my mother used to watch Keely Shaye Smith (Pierce Brosnan's current wife) on programs like the Home Show (a home/garden/family recreation-type show back in the 80's/early 90's), and later Unsolved Mysteries. I rather liked Unsolved Mysteries a lot. I would actually sit down and watch it with my mother which was rare for me because I hated watching TV as I found watching anything to be too passive and as a result, boring. Eventually, I got to the point where I would do my homework with Robert Stack's voice narrating in the background as I needed something to break the monotony of all that reading and writing. It was quite possibly my first exposure to the dark, mysterious world which has become somewhat a trademark for my artwork. Quite odd - I loathe the unknown because I am such a control freak, yet I think it makes the most attractive artistic backdrop...

I decided to check out the show's website one day, which had hers and Robert Stack's biographies. The last line of hers had read that she and actor Pierce Brosnan had recently had a baby. I mentioned earlier how uninterested in pop culture I was; I had never heard of this Pierce Brosnan person... ever. I was curious, however, so I looked him up. One of the things that struck me the most was how he spoke of his late wife, Cassandra. She sounded like quite a character: strong-willed, gorgeous, stubborn and decisive, but tender-hearted and loyal, and apparently quite a beautiful actress as well. I was intrigued.

With the exception of politicians, there is something about obscure people with shady public histories that fascinates me a great deal. This is especially true when the subject happens to be a performer or artist, or some other professional who I feel never got the recognition they deserved. Maybe because I am such an obscure person who feels like nobody knows the "real me" too well... who has many times felt the agony of not being recognized rightfully (relative to what I am capable of, that is) and therefore, defying the old rule of physics that opposites attract, I am instead attracted to figments of my own kind.

Cassandra was the first celebrity I "discovered" who was one of those figments.

pierce brosnan wife Cassandra Harris Memoirs:2

2010-06-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

Between her income from For Your Eye Only and Brosnan's from Manions of America, the couple now felt financially secure enough to marry after a three-year courtship - a delightful contrast from Cassandra's previous unrequited, on-off relationship with Dermot Harris. The wedding took place at King's Road Registry Office in Chelsea - the ideal setting considering Cassie's last notable acting role (and of course, what the then-unknown name Brosnan was to become years later). This was not only home to some of Britain's biggest screen stars, but also where Ian Fleming completed his first Bond novel, and the fictional home of agent 007 himself.

Cassandra's popularity amidst London's social scene once again prompted a picture story from the Sunday People magazine. Wedding photos showed Brosnan donning a fawn-colored suit, and Cassandra, ravishing as ever, in a matching skirt and top. The two children wore their best outfits. The photo captions stated Brosnan's age as 27, and Cassie was listed as "30." She was much older, however; some twelve years older than her new husband. Had the magazine's writers known this, no doubt they would have dubbed him her "toyboy."

Becoming wife to Pierce Brosnan gave Cassandra a new sense of direction in life. From the date of their marriage on December 27, 1980, she became devoted to helping her new husband succeed.

pierce brosnan wife Cassandra Harris Memoirs:

2010-06-18T03:14:00.000-07:00

Following the end of her eight-year relationship with Dermot Harris, London's Daily Mail, true their form of brightening up their pages with her extravagant image, reported in January 1979, that "actress Cassandra Harris has a new man in her life."

That man was Pierce Brosnan, then a student at the local Drama Centre - lightyears away from playing Britain's top spy, and even further off from being a famed actor. Due to Cassandra's popularity, however, his face, too, would become well-known on the London social front; anyone seen with her was sure to be noticed. "We met at a party six months ago," Cassandra revealed. "Eventually we hope to marry."

In actuality, the initial meeting between Cassandra Harris and Pierce Brosnan, who was then practically in the midst of the "starving artist" phase in his career, was a bit more private and a bit less of a pleasant affair than the intimate bonding that ultimately occurred during their first real chance to get up close and personal. Brosnan had been going through acting school with David Harris, one of famed actor Richard and former boyfriend of Cassandra Dermot's nephews. David had been living with Cassandra while in school, and thought of her as an aunt despite the fact that she and his uncle Dermot would never marry. According to Brosnan, the younger Harris spoke of his aunt frequently, and with great affection.

"One day I was reading for a part in Chelsea," Brosnan recalls, "and he said, 'You must come out and visit.' I went out to visit and I walked into his house, his aunt's house, and on the dressing table there was this photograph of this beautiful woman, with two little children beside her. And I said, 'This is your aunt? My God, what a fine looking woman.'" It was a few days later that the two actually met face to face. Brosnan was again invited to David's aunt's house for a drink and a poker evening, and apparently David had told him to help himself to the chicken in the refrigerator if he was hungry - and he did so, right as Cassandra walked in the door. She did not look overtly happy.

"She's just been out on a date with this nerdy banker," Brosnan would recall years later. Of course, coming home to an unexpected visitor (who was a complete stranger at that) eating her food was certainly not going to lift her spirits any higher! Suffice to say, Cassandra's first impression was not a positive one. "I certainly had no interest in him at all," she later recollected. "Here was this funny-looking man with this short haircut and definitely overweight-although he's very slim now. I didn't dream this wonderful person existed underneath."

Unlike Cassandra, Brosnan was instantly enamored. However, he never disputed her lamenting of his physical appearance, the accompanying outfit and hairstyle of which were for a part he was playing in a local production of a play entitled Filumena. "I looked absolutey ridiculous," he said, proceeding to recall his intrigue with Cassandra, who physically speaking, was his polar opposite. "She was absolutely raving beautiful, long blond hair, tanned... I was totally bowled over by this beauty. I never realized that she'd be my wife-but that was it, for me, when I first saw her. It wasn't for her, though. It took some wooing. Actually, I think she felt sympathy for me."

Apparently she did. Cassandra could have had anyone, as Brosnan pointed out ("There were lots of men around her at the time I met her.") Her sympathy alone, however, was not enough to win her over. She threw a party some days later at her house and Brosnan was invited by David, the nephew, as he often was. The ice seemed to melt somewhat, especially after Brosnan was one of the last guests to leave, though even this more personable meeting didn't appear to be love at first sight. David, however, was convinced there was something going on. "My friend kept on telling me she liked me," recalled Brosnan, "so I eventually decided to do something about it and see how she really felt. I bought a bottle of wine and some flowers and rang the doorbell and never looked back."

As for Cassandra, her first impression of "the Irishman with the funny haircut" was not final. "Once I got to know him I discovered we had so much in common - acting, books, music - and we never stopped talking," she said.

Perhaps their blossoming relationship was strengthened by the fact that their similarities went beyond the superficiality of just sharing the same passions. Both came from divorced families, and both were "survivors." When Pierce Brosnan came into Cassandra's life, much animosity was generated. "When I met her she was a woman who'd been hurt by a man who didn't quite know what he had in this wonderful lady and who was in pain himself," Brosnan said, alluding to her previous romantic partner Dermot Harris. "She had gone through a lot of suffering herself, a lot of negative pain."

The debonair Irish actor, then a long way away from his cultivated Hollywood image, and honey-blonde Australian beauty Cassandra Harris were living together just months after they met. With Cassandra's two young children now in the picture, his role as her significant other doubled as that of the fatherly figure to Charlotte and Christopher. Unlike many broken families, luckily for Pierce and Cassie (as he affectionately referred to her), this proved to be the least of their problems. The children, perhaps partly from never having enjoyed a real relationship with their biological father, instantly adored their new stepfather. "From the beginning, Pierce was just 'Dad,'" recalls Charlotte, "I can't honestly say either Christopher or I had any difficulty adapting to a stepfather. We all had a lot of laughs."

Never-ending laughs certainly never solved their financial problems, however. Both Cassie and Pierce found themselves struggling to make ends meet, and as a result each made the commitment to take whatever acting jobs they could muster no matter how minor or unflattering the roles might be; it was no longer about fulfilling a dream, but now was rather about supporting their newfound family. Brosnan subsequently landed the lead in what would later become a renowned mini-series, the Manions of America, about a nineteenth-century Irish-American family during the potato famine. It was an offer that came to him, oddly enough, after Cassandra beat him to the Bond scene; she'd landed the role of Countess Lisl in the upcoming 007 adventure, For Your Eyes Only opposite Roger Moore.

The production was under the direction of veteran John Glen, who directed over twenty motion pictures in the series featuring England's top spy. Glen remembers Cassandra fondly. "Cassie was a delight to work with and we had a ball," he said.

The filming took place in Corfu, and granted Cassandra and her family a free six-week holiday in the sun. Daughter Charlotte especially has fond memories of the vacation, and of watching her mother's on-screen chemistry with Roger Moore. "I remember Roger Moore sitting us all down and taking lots of photographs," she said. "He always seemed to have time for us, even though Mum told us not to pester him. I was allowed to watch some of the filming and the bit I always remember is Roger sidling up to Mum and saying, 'Your nightie's slipping, and so is your accent, Countess.' I was in stitches.

Though exactly how big of a stepping stone portraying a Bond girl can be varies from actress to actress, it is safe to say Cassandra - talented on screen, and well-respected by the directors and by Roger Moore himself - had proven her competency on the big screen. Moreover, the role of Countess Lisl, although only ten minutes in length, enabled Cassie and her boyfriend Pierce to find the down-payment for a mortgage on a big, terraced house near Wimbledon.

Pierce Brosnan: 'My Wife Breaks My Heart' 2

2010-06-18T03:12:00.001-07:00

Pierce Brosnan: 'My Wife Breaks My Heart'

2010-06-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has said his wife "still breaks his heart" after nine years of marriage.

Brosnan, 56, has been married to US journalist Keely Shaye Smith, 47, for nine years and they have two children together - Dylan, 13, and Paris, nine.

He said to Britain's Reveal magazine: "We like each other and enjoy each other's company. She's very good at what she does, as a mother, as a friend, in our partnership, and I know when to say: 'Yes, dear!' "She's beautiful, she still breaks my heart. We've come through a lot together, which is bonding, and, God willing, we still have a long way to go."

Global Green Millennium Awards Honor Eco-Luminaries

2010-06-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Established 14 years ago, the yearly Millennium Awards is held by national eco-non-profit organization Global Green USA – a branch of former Soviet Union President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s Green Cross International – in order to celebrate individuals and companies that take sustainable action to help the environment.

Winners of previous Millennium Awards include some of the most notable eco-stewards of our time, including media mogul and bison enthusiast Ted Turner, the creator of the Clif Bar Gary Erickson, the Obama administration’s former Special Advisor for Green Jobs Van Jones and Leonardo Di Caprio, Pierce Brosnan, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick (all for the Entertainment Industry Environmental Leadership Award).

Brie was lucky enough to wear L.A. designer Deborah Lindquist’s fantastic sonic-fabric crafted bustier and shrug, both of which incorporate recycled cassette tapes, leather and cashmere into the design.

Mitra, who achieved mainstream fame in television’s Boston Legal and is now starring in ABC’s new supernatural crime drama The Gates, expressed frustration and ‘stagnation’ regarding BP oil spill clean-up efforts because despite trying to volunteer via multiple websites, no one ever contacted her.

Celebrities turned out in full force at this year’s glitteringly green soiree, from pierce Brosnan who made the most of the opportunity by screening their new Save The Whales public service announcement to Sharon Lawrence, Judy Greer, Cheryl Tiegs, Michele Rodriguez, Amy Smart, Rhona Mitra and Alison Brie, who portrays Mad Men’s Trudy.

pierce brosnan: CA Spay & Neuter License Plate

2010-06-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Internationally Renowned Actor / Producer Pierce Brosnan to Launch Spay and Neuter Program

2010-06-04T02:19:00.000-07:00

Groundbreaking Initiative Developed by the California Spay and Neuter License Plate Fund Will Kick Off at the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter on June 8, 2010

LOS ANGELES, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Spay and Neuter License Plate Fund, along with the California Veterinary Medical Board is launching a California Spay and Neuter Specialty License Plate Program to provide funding for free and low-cost spay and neuter surgery programs across California. The plates will feature original artwork created and donated by distinguished actor and artist Pierce Brosnan. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mr. Brosnan, Councilman Paul Koretz, Councilman Richard Alarcon, and other special guests will appear Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 11 a.m. at the West L.A. Animal Shelter at 11361 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 90064 in celebration of this special program."The Spay and Neuter License Plate Program is unprecedented in California and a brilliant initiative," noted Dr. Stephanie Ferguson, Vice President of the California Veterinary Medical Board. "The proceeds from this program will tremendously benefit animal shelters and help curtail the number of homeless animals throughout the state. We're also extremely fortunate to have the generosity and crucial support of Pierce Brosnan and other well-known celebrities," she added.
The California Spay and Neuter License Plate Program will help raise awareness about the overwhelming number of homeless and unwanted dogs and cats in California and the importance of spaying and neutering pets to save animal lives. The program will fund spay and neuter surgeries through local animal care and control agency voucher programs and through in-house or local veterinary clinics. Animal lovers and supporters can pre-order the special license plates online at www.CASpayPlate.com starting June 9, 2010.
According to the latest figures available from the California Department of Public Health, the total number of dogs and cats euthanized (killed) in public shelters rose from 378,445 in 2004 to 432,512 in 2008. When the State's private shelters are included, it is estimated that one million pets enter California's shelters each year, with over half (500,000) of them euthanized.

The increase in animals entering shelters and the resulting euthanasia rates are caused by several factors, including people abandoning their pets due to the mortgage and unemployment crisis, accidental litters from unaltered pets, over-breeding of dogs and cats, and stray dogs and cats reproducing. Initiatives such as the California Spay and Neuter License Plate Program can have a positive impact and significantly reduce pet overpopulation through increased spay and neuter.

The new specialty plates will be produced and issued once an initial 7,500 prepaid applications have been collected per the Special Interest License Plate Program requirements. Net proceeds from the sale and annual renewal of these plates will fund spay and neuter surgeries, not shelter overhead costs.

The program will be managed and administered by the California Spay and Neuter License Plate Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Foundation's volunteer board members include Judie Mancuso, Dr. Gary Michelson,pierce brosnan, Ellen Lavinthal, Lisa Avery, Esq. and two representatives from the California Veterinary Medical Board: Vice President Dr. Stephanie Ferguson and former Board President Linda Starr.

pierce brosnan pleads us to help end the killing of whales for profit

2010-05-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Help OO7! To the rescue James Bond! Brosnan is saving the whales and needs our collective help. Assist Pierce and his campaign with Natural Resources Defense Council to stop the International Whaling Commision (IWC) and their nightmare commercial whaling proposal. Please help stop the IWC and their attempts to reverse nearly three decades of progress to “save the whales.” Let’s have a say in international law, as now we have an opportunity to join together and become the voices for the whales. Please help us put an end to commercial whaling. Keep reading to see the letter Pierce sent me today together with NRDC to help stop the killing of whales for profit

Here is the letter

Dear pierce brosnan fanatic I was appalled to hear — on Earth Day of all days — that the International Whaling Commission has put forward a deal that would legalize commercial whaling for the first time in a generation.

Even worse, the Obama Administration has backed this deadly proposal, which would suspend the international ban on whaling and make it legal once again to kill whales for profit. During his campaign, President Obama promised America he would oppose the killing of these magnificent creatures. It’s time for you and me to hold him to that promise.

Obama Administration officials claim that the IWC deal would be a “step forward” for whales because it could rein in Japan, Iceland and Norway, which have killed thousands of whales since 1986 by exploiting loopholes in the whaling ban.

But, in fact, this new deal is a giant step backward. It rewards those three nations for years of defying international law. It does their bidding by suspending the whaling ban for 10 years. It opens up the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to whaling. And it will not stop them from trading in whale meat or killing whales under legal loopholes like “scientific permits.”

Don’t believe for a minute that this kind of deal would phase down whaling. Instead, it would breathe new life into a dying industry. Worst of all, the deal gives moral cover to the absurd notion that we can save whales by killing them — instead of by banning their slaughter. There is no moral justification for killing whales. There is no scientific justification for killing whales.

And if the Obama Administration persists in supporting a deal that encourages the killing of whales, it will tarnish not only the White House but our entire nation.

Thanks to the efforts of NRDC, you and I have prevailed so many times in defense of our planet’s whales. We saved the gray whale’s last untouched nursery in Mexico’s San Ignacio Lagoon against Mitsubishi’s plans for industrialization. And we reined in the Navy’s use of dangerous sonar systems around marine mammals. Now, with our own government supporting an unthinkable deal that would legalize the commercial killing of whales, we must unite again and say: Not on our watch!

Please join me in telling President Obama to vigorously oppose this deal and instead push for a deal that closes the loopholes and ends commercial whaling once and for all!

I hope you’ll make your own voice heard inside the White House today. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Pierce Brosnan
Natural Resources Defense Council

Thank you Pierce for sending this letter, and helping us spread the word for the endangered whales. Thanks also to all our readers for considering this cause and sending a letter to our government now, to end the killing of whales for profit.

Brosnan the style icon

2010-05-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

Brosnan the style icon

Pierce Brosnan has topped People's magazine '50 most beautiful people' on more than one occasion, going on to be voted ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ in 2001. His roles as the international man of mystery, 007, or as Robert Pattinson's distant grieving father in 'Remember Me' has seen Brosnan styled impecably. It is also something that he carries with an ease into his day to day life, accessorised with the charm and charisma of a true gentleman.

Not one to be typecast, the fifty-six year old Co Meath native will have starred, impresssively, in at least five new films by the close of the year. His most recent, 'The Ghost Writer', directed by the controversial Roman Polanski, sees him play an ex British prime minister who finds himself accountable for war crimes.

He epitomises relaxed yet tailored style. He's often seen in a suit, but he's just as good at pulling of a great off-duty look. It's easy to dress like Pierce, even for those who find the concept of casual Friday a bit dau

HAPPY BİRTHDAY PİERCE BROSNAN

2010-05-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

pierce brosnan .... St. Vincent.....

2010-05-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Stars visit 'St. Vincent'
Brosnan, Thornton, Bello, Ribisi join Hill thriller
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

Pierce Brosnan, Billy Bob Thornton, Maria Bello and Giovanni Ribisi are blessing helmer Walter Hill's "St. Vincent."

The crime thriller is being financed by Premier National Studios, Quickfire Films and Stuart Ford's IM Global, which also is handling international sales and shopping the title at Cannes.

Hill ("48 Hours," "Southern Comfort") begins lensing in Detroit on July 12 from a script by Cameron Young.

Announcement was made by producer Jon Turtle and IM Global CEO Ford.

Along with Turtle, producers are Claudio Castravelli and Irish Dreamtime's Beau St. Clair.

Ford, James Atherton, Stephen Simmons and Gus Palkovi are exec producing.

"St. Vincent" follows a hitman (Brosnan) who goes undercover as a priest to get close to his target, a gangland traitor (Thornton). The hitman soon discovers that playing the good guy is more dangerous than being a mob killer.

IM Global reports brisk sales on the film.

IM Global's slate of titles in post-production include Oren Peli's "Area 51," Will Ferrell starrer "Everything Must Go," James Wan's "Astral" and John Cusack thriller "The Factor."

In active pre-production are Halle Berry starrer "Dark Tide," Kevin Costner directing and starring vehicle "A Little War of Our Own," Dwayne Johnson topliner "Protection" and Madonna's directorial debut "W.E."

Earlier this month, IM Global announced that India's Reliance Big Pictures had acquired a majority interest in the company.

pierce brosnan clippings photo 2

2010-05-06T23:59:00.001-07:00

pierce brosnan....? ..BOND AND BEYOND......

2010-05-03T01:34:00.000-07:00

Critics liked him; so did the box office. In between his four Bond outings, he made the self-produced The Thomas Crown Affair and Mars Attacks!, directed by Tim Burton. “There’s a wonderful stable of directors I’ve worked with,” he says, “and work I’ve done that has dignity and meaningfulness.”

Brosnan was keen to do a fifth Bond and was full of ideas for making the sex dirtier, the violence more real. He wanted, he said, to get back to the spirit of the original Casino Royale. Did it annoy him when the Bond people did just that, without him? “Yeah! Oh yeah!” He flings his arms wide, fizzes with angst.

“Quentin Tarantino wanted to direct it! Quentin Tarantino! Quentin and I had cocktails one night, and he said: ‘You’re the best f****** Bond! I want to do it with you!’ But they would have nothing to do with me or he.”

He sighs, then laughs a meaningful laugh. “It’s funny because on Goldeneye Barbara [Broccoli] gave me a first edition of Casino Royale, with ‘Here’s to New Beginnings’ on it. Delightful present.”

It’s what Brosnan did next that so endears him to me: make a very funny, dark movie called The Matador, in which he played a hitman going mad. In one scene, he strode through a hotel lobby dressed only in well-packed black underpants and boots. It could have been even more subversive, save that the original script was “too on the nose”.

He honks with laughter. “There’s quite enough ambivalence about my character’s sexuality: I thought me bonking bellhops would be a little too much.” He honks, again. “Yes, The Matador was a sharp left turn. At this point in the career, anything goes.”

He took another sharp left with Mamma Mia!, which, despite featuring Brosnan singing ‘like a water buffalo’ (according to one US critic), has brought him an entirely new, Bond-averse generation of fans.

Whether that includes casting Aaron Johnson and Carey Mulligan in his latest, rather mawkish production, The Greatest, I’m not sure, anyway, they’re there, as are Brosnan and Susan Sarandon. The film is about parents’ grief for a dead son, killed in a car accident.

Brosnan nearly lost Sean to such an accident, off the Pacific Coast Highway. “The phone rings at 4.30am and there’s a man going: ‘Pierce, Pierce, Pierce — please, we’re really f****** up. We’ve had an accident, we’ve gone off the mountain.’ And I was mega miles an hour up the PCH and there’s a helicopter in the sky and an ambulance, and this man saying: ‘We’ve got six victims, one critical.’ And up came my son, on a backboard, straight into the helicopter, and I’m holding his hand, hoping it’s not his last breath.”

Sean recovered after a six-month stay in hospital, and is now acting. Brosnan laughs, forcedly. “So yeah. No acting required. I love the film. It’s not for everyone, but I don’t care. You make the pictures for yourself.”

And, if you’re Pierce Brosnan, you recall the happy, hippy days when you performed in Puckaree, an Irish rock musical, at the Edinburgh Festival and had to prance around the stage, wearing “this mighty, mighty codpiece of a phallus”. He chortles: “I could have laughed from the top of my codpiece!”

Brosnan is now an American citizen — he voted for Obama, for whom he has high hopes — and has homes in Malibu and Hawaii.. He does a lot of charity work, worries about the environment and has been awarded an OBE for services to the film industry.

pierce brosnan..HARD ROAD TO HOE

2010-05-03T01:30:00.000-07:00

Brosnan has had a hard road to hoe himself. His father abandoned him and his mother, May, when he was two; May soon left Navan, County Meath, to train as a nurse in London. Brosnan was brought up first by his grandparents and then by other family members. At six, he fell into the hands of the Christian Brothers. “Oh,” says Brosnan, puffing the air out from his cheeks.

“Oh, the Christian Brothers were fairly mangled fellows in Navan. Some men speak highly of them; unfortunately, I never saw that. I just remember the brutality: the paddy-bats, the straps that would fly out of the soutane like vipers’ tongues, the beatings amidst the prayers — whack! Or some boy standing at the blackboard trying to remember the Psalms and being hit across the calves as the s*** ran down his legs. I remember that. I remember that.”

It certainly toughened him up for his next oh-so-sensitive school: a comprehensive in Putney, to which he went after arriving in England on August 12, 1964 — “the same day Ian Fleming passed on” — to join his mother and her new husband

His accent was thick, his nickname ‘Irish’ — “I wore it as a badge of pride”. He ‘jumped school’ at 16, worked as a commercial artist (he still paints) and got involved with fringe theatre, where he learnt to breathe fire, a stunt he pulled off on The Muppet Show when he was Bond.

At 19 he went to the Drama Centre, and then moved into film, television and stage work — an appearance in a duff Tennessee Williams play elicited a telegram from Williams that read: “Thank God for you, my dear boy.”

He fell in love with an Australian actress, Cassie Harris, who was 12 years older than him — she already had two children, whom he adopted after their father died. In 1982, on a “wing, a prayer and Freddie Laker”, they decamped for Hollywood, he yearning to be in the next Scorsese movie. Instead he landed the part of Remington Steele, a roguishly charming former con man.

The show ran on television for five years; he became, he says with a chortle, “Smooth Git No 1”. But is it a chortling matter? Doesn’t he regret the indelible immersion in the soup of suavity? “I don’t regret it. I certainly fell hook, line and sinker into that whole world. But I knew I was going to have a hard time getting out of it.”

Not that he wanted to then: in fact, in 1986 he was tapped to succeed Roger Moore as Bond. “I thought: ‘I’ve become a TV star. It’s time to be a movie star.’ And I did the wardrobe fittings, went to Pinewood, sat with Cubby Broccoli [the Bond producer], took photos outside by his Rolls-Royce — and years go by, and somebody gave me those photos. And I look like such a boy. Such a pretty, moptop lad.”

A lad whose hopes were dashed; he was still, contractually, bound to Remington Steele. ‘Greed’ won and he was forced to do a paltry six more shows. Broccoli wasn’t prepared to have his Bond smarming it up elsewhere: Timothy Dalton got the gig. It was, he says, “powerfully gut wrenching”.

“But it was more devastating for Cassie, God bless her, because she really hung her hat on the whole thing. And we moved the children into private schools here — we set up this infrastructure. But it wasn’t meant to be. When catastrophe strikes like that, you just have to let it go. Fast.”

But catastrophe kept coming. In 1991, Cassie died. Brosnan was inconsolable. He tried grief counselling, but “it just didn’t fly with me. I went to my religion.”

Despite the Christian Brothers? “Despite the Christian Brothers. I have strong faith in my God.” He had, too, the children, Charlotte, Christopher and Sean, the son he and Cassie had in 1983.

“I tried as best I could to counsel them but it didn’t seem to be working.” He looks away, his mouth working powerfully. “A very dark, painful time. Just as any man or woman who’s suffered. And we all…” he pulls himself together. “It’s just part of life.”

And work helped enormously: “I just kept the foot on the pedal.” And, at length, got Bond.

Pierce Brosnan

2010-05-03T01:24:00.000-07:00

For a chap once voted Sexiest Man in the World, Pierce Brosnan fights pleasingly shy of narcissism: certainly, he takes one look at the hotel room in which we’re meeting and moves his chair so that it sits beneath a large, gilt-framed mirror rather than facing it. “I don’t want to talk about myself and look at myself at the same time,” he says, his voice affably tinged with Irishness.

His loss, really: what he would have gazed upon is a handsome, bronzed 56 year-old, a few flecks of grey at the temple, wearing a black Tom Ford jacket with silver buttons, a black Tom Ford shirt, black Ralph Lauren trousers and a pair of brown suede brogues from Gucci.

It’s a pretty soigne look and one befitting a man whose global fame has revolved around his portrayal of suave and dashing types — James Bond, Thomas Crown, Remington Steele, Sam, the overpoweringly good-looking architect-cum-Casanova of Mamma Mia! But it’s also a look that seems to speak of an old-fashioned film star rather than an actor. Which is he?

Brosnan chuckles lightly, perhaps nervously — he certainly chews at the inside of his mouth a lot and frequently pushes the tip of his tongue firmly into his left cheek. “Well,” he answers, that tongue in overdrive, “I think the pendulum is swinging back to being an actor once more. I’ve done my bit in the limelight as a movie star.”

But did he like being a movie star? “Oh, I liked it all. Because I wished it, I wanted it, I desired it. And I revelled in it, in my own way. But then…” He trails off, reflects. “Then how do you get out of that corner? How long does it last? These are questions I never really ask myself in too much detail.”

Maybe. Or maybe this amiable fellow just has a sensibly solid take on the way the movie world works. He has, for instance, just shot a film, Remember Me, with Robert Pattinson, currently the world’s teen heart-throb.

“Lovely lad, lovely lad,” Brosnan says. “Just caught up in the vortex of fame. There we’d be, on the streets of New York, and I’d come out of my trailer and there’d be hundreds and hundreds of young girls. And I’d get a lovely round of applause and waves and photographs and I’d trip up the steps of the Plaza [Hotel, where they were shooting], feeling chuffed that I still had the juice. And then — then Robert would appear and I’d hear this bedlam of beauties, this monstrous, monstrous cacophony of screams and shouts.”

He shakes his head, wryly. “And the circle grows,” he says, portentously, “the circle grows. And you move on.”

Brosnan does have a tendency to invoke fate and say, sonorously, that things just weren’t meant to be. And indeed to remind me that the first film he saw in England was Goldfinger and say of the time Shirley Bassey came upon him, smoking a cigarette, at the premiere of GoldenEye: “Ah! The old Jungian synchronicity! It happens time and time again. And you hope to have more of it before there’s less of it, especially the good stuff” — which ranks high in the league of opaque utterances.

It’s an opacity that’s eminently suitable for a politician, which is what Brosnan plays — very well — in Roman Polanski’s excellent thriller, The Ghost (Titled The Ghost Writer outside Europe). Brosnan plays Adam Lang, a former British prime minister, reviled at home yet feted in the United States, under legal pursuit for his part in prosecuting an unpopular war and trying to knock his memoirs into shape with the help of a ghostwriter, played by Ewan McGregor.

The film’s adapted from a novel by Robert Harris, who was once a great friend of Tony Blair. “This man Lang’s a rock star, he’s a craze — it’s all Tony Blair. All roads lead to one man,” Brosnan says. “So I began to play tapes of Tony Blair as PM.” The result, he says, is “a sketch of what it was, a light brush.” A brush he’s applied acutely: as one reviewer put it, Brosnan plays the part with ‘toothy insincerity’.

Polanski affected to see things differently. Brosnan was ‘intrigued beyond words’ as to why Polanski wanted him for the part. “But I never asked the question. I just asked: ‘Where do I stand in regards to playing Tony Blair?’” To which Polanski replied — and here Brosnan adopts a nasal, whiny mittel-European accent — “‘No, no, no, no, you’re not playing Tony Blair. Don’t worry about that.’ So we got that out of the way, fairly quickly. And then we talked about life, children, love...” He takes a beat, thinks, I presume, about the death of his first wife, Cassie, and continues, “and losing wives. He spoke briefly and tenderly about Sharon [Tate, Polanski’s murdered wife], and that she was the light of his life.”

Which doesn’t alter the fact that on Brosnan’s first day of shooting Polanski was a pain. As a director, Brosnan says, Polanski’s ‘all-encompassing’. “The actors, the way the camera moves, the props, the make-up, how the blood was going on when I have my brains blown out. He was futzing,” he says. Futzing?

Well, Brosnan’s first day was a Monday and his first scene was one of his longest, most psychologically complex. “And I’m: ‘S*** me; this is not good. I’m walking into the lair’ — and, you know, this man is mischievous.”

The scene takes place on a plane: “So we run through it, and I’m ready, seconds out. And Roman begins to talk about what sort of computer my secretary [in the film] should be using, and he begins to futz with the luggage, and he begins to futz about the gun my security man has, he begins to do anything but point the camera and shoot. But the energy’s still going and at five minutes to one, he gets out his viewfinder — he always has this viewfinder, burnished with age, he’s obviously had it since Knife in the Water — and he’s looking through it and he says: ‘Ah, this is good. The camera goes right here, we do a 27 lens on Pierce — after lunch.’ And I thought: ‘Is he messing with me? Is this something to throw me off?’ And I look at Ewan and I say: ‘Has it been like this all the time?’ And Ewan says: ‘Oh, yeah. I’m so glad you’re here — I’ve had three weeks of this.’”

In due course, the scene is shot, and Polanski says how marvellous it is — save for one thing. Brosnan has to laugh and Polanski tells him he has to laugh “from a certain part of my anatomy. From beneath. From the lower regions. From the top of my groin. And I think: ‘Oh, b***** me! I don’t care! Bring it on, man!’ And we did it again, and I laughed from my groin. And I said: ‘Will that be OK?’ And thereafter, we got on.”

Brosnan has spoken to Polanski since ‘the troubles’, most recently via conference call to the Swiss house where he’s under arrest. “And his spirit is indomitable. His humour never leaves him. He said: ‘Just speak to the press about me as the man you know. Tell them I’m a genius!’

Does Brosnan think Polanski should be taken back to Los Angeles for trial? There’s a long pause. “It looks like he could be taken back.” He sighs. “And, er, I think it would be good to see closure for this man and his family, and this woman. For this man, 76, that’s a long road to hoe. Oh, it was wrong in every way, what happened, but I think he’s done his time, in many regards.”

”

He clears his throat, chooses his words carefully: “I can see where there could be a deep fragility of the spirit and mind. And a time when everything was possible, and the revolution in sexuality was in full bloom, next to the intoxication of drugs and music, and the shiny, glittering claws of that town [Hollywood]. So I think there was a certain breakdown in his judgment. A deep, deep grief in his life, so brutally played out in the media.” He pauses. “I don’t know. It’s none of my business — except that he’s a magnificent director.”

Movie production lands in county

2010-04-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

An action scene for "Salvation Boulevard" starring actors Pierce Brosnan and Jennifer Connelly was shot Friday at a Brighton Township gravel business, a company tied to the production reported.

Actors Greg Kinnear, Jim Gaffigan and Isabelle Fuhrman were featured in the scene shot at Sunset Sand & Gravel, 12640 Jacoby Road, near the township's border with Milford.

The business site was used as a quarry location for the film.

As of Friday, Brosnan and Connelly hadn't arrived in Michigan.

"Salvation Boulevard" is participating in the state's film tax-incentive program, which provides up to a 42 percent rebate on all production-related expenditures. The production isn't expected to return to Livingston County, but will shoot in several metro Detroit locations including Wixom, Livonia and Plymouth through May 27.

''Oceans,'' $6 million.

2010-04-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, ''Oceans'' offers up-close glimpses of blue whales, walruses, sea turtles, spider crabs and other aquatic life. Since opening on Earth Day Thursday, ''Oceans'' has taken in $8.5 million.

''Oceans'' played in narrower release than other new movies, averaging $4,975 in 1,206 theaters, a fair result for a documentary. By comparison, ''The Back-up Plan'' averaged $3,735 in 3,280 theaters and ''The Losers'' averaged $3,271 in 2,936 cinemas.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. ''How to Train Your Dragon,'' $15 million.

2. ''The Back-up Plan,'' $12.3 million.

3. ''Date Night,'' $10.6 million.

4. ''The Losers,'' $9.6 million.

5. ''Kick-Ass,'' $9.5 million.

6. ''Clash of the Titans,'' $9 million.

7. ''Death at a Funeral,'' $8 million.

8. ''Oceans,'' $6 million.

9. ''The Last Song,'' $3.7 million.

10. ''Alice in Wonderland,'' $2.2 million.

Pierce Brosnan urges global ban on whale hunting

2010-04-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan is urging people to request the government to put a ban on whale hunting all around the world.

The Irish actor became passionate about preserving marine life since narrating new Disney nature documentary Oceans, which explores the seas and what lies beneath them. He wants officials to take a no-tolerance policy, reports hollywood.com.

'They (US government) seem to be in favour of allowing Japan and Norway to go out and hunt whales again. It means they can go out there and start killing whales. It's in moratorium so it's not determined how many they can kill,' hollywood.com quoted him as saying.

'Normally, there's no justification for killing these creatures. Scientifically, there's no justification. So if you want to do something about stopping the possible slaughter of whales, then you have to pick up the phone and call The White House.'

He hopes his new nature film will encourage youngsters to fight to save the world's whales.

'That is why this film is so important to be seen. I think it will inspire many young people to do good things for the ocean... That is why I'm so passionate about this movie, so people can go see it and hopefully oppose this deal agreement. These creatures are in jeopardy once more,' said Brosnan.

pierce brosnan clippings photo 1

2010-04-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

pierce brosnan photo 1

2010-04-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

pierce brosnan APRİL 22 2010.

2010-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

April 22, 2010

Dear Friends,

Happy Earth Day,

In the spirit of Earth Day, I have some extremely important information to pass along to you. The Obama Admin (NOAA) is proposing an agreement among fellow member nations of the International Whaling Commission that would significantly undermine the protection of whales. It has been illegal to kill whales now for a generation, and tens of thousands of whales have been saved as a result. However, this deal would make it legal once again to kill them for profit. The United States needs to oppose this deal – and oppose it vigorously. The way forward for the IWC must not be a step backward into legalized killing of whales. During his campaign, President Obama said he would oppose the killing of these superlative creatures. Whales are the largest and most magnificent creatures ever to inhabit the Earth. They are not just commodities, but an integral part of our ecosystem. It is immoral and wrong to kill them. We owe it to our children and future generations to protect them. Please call the White House and take a stand for the whales this Earth Day.

You can also celebrate this Earth Day 2010 by taking your family to see "Oceans," a documentary I narrate, produced by Disney Nature, the studio that presented the record-breaking film "Earth." Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud feature spectacular never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, offering an unprecedented look at the mysteries that lie beneath the seas while exploring the harsh realities and amazing creatures that live within. In honor of every guest who sees "Oceans" during opening week (April 22-28, 2010), Disney Nature will make a contribution to The Nature Conservancy to help save coral reefs.

Thank you for your support at the box office. I am pleased that "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" opened in February at #2 at the box office and that it has delighted young fans across America. "The Ghost Writer," based upon the book "The Ghost," written by Robert Harris and directed by Roman Polanski has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter, and Rolling Stone. On March 12th, "Remember Me" starring Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, and myself opened nationwide. Kirk Honeycutt for The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Remember Me" is a smart, engaging drama about young love flourishing amid sadness and loss. Claudia Puig for USA Today said "Remember Me" is a touching love story, but its broader tale of familial relations packs a greater emotional punch.

Also in theatres, "The Greatest," starring one of the most beautiful and candid women in cinema, Susan Sarandon and the luminous Carey Mulligan, which I produced with Beau Marie St. Claire, my partner at Irish DreamTime, and Lynette Howell. "The Greatest" which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, was written and directed by Shana Feste, who made her debut as a first time director with this inspired independent feature film.

This spring I begin production on a new film titled "Salvation Boulevard" based on a novel of the same name, written by Larry Beinhart, (who also wrote "Wag the Dog"). "Salvation Boulevard" follows a former Deadhead-turned-born again Christian who finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega church who will do anything to protect their larger-than life pastor (yours truly). Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei, Sam Elliot, Jim Gaffigan, and Jennifer Connolly round out this all-star cast. The film will be directed by George Radliff.

Wishing you a great year ahead. See you at the movies.

Love and only love,

PIERCE BROSNAN AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME

2010-04-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

PIERCE BROSNAN AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME

BY MARJORIE LEWIS, PHOTOGRAPHY GREG GORMAN

April 2010

It’s a gorgeous Malibu day and I’m sitting in the lobby of a luxury beachfront hotel, gazing out the window at a sky so blue and perfect it takes my breath away, and then he walks in. The blue eyes trump the sky in color and intensity, and seem to literally twinkle. The familiar, chiseled face that has stared back at me from the large and small screen is still gorgeous at 56, and although he’s not wearing a tux — and is in fact dressed “Malibu casual” — there is an air of urbane elegance that clings to him like a second skin. There is star quality and then there is movie-star quality and let me tell you, folks, there is a very big difference. Although there are lots of good-looking men in Malibu and vicinity, as well as plenty of good-looking actors all over Southern California, there is only one Pierce Brosnan. As we settle into our booth in the dining room, the previously unflappable concierge blushes to the roots of her hairline and the waitress’s hands tremble as she takes our order. The once quiet room seems to hum with the whispers of the “ladies who lunch,” who have begun to notice his arrival. This is a man who by the very act of entering a room can turn women of all ages into sighing, whimpering masses of jellylike substance, and he’s been doing it for over 25 years. That’s movie-star quality, and Pierce Brosnan has tons of it. He is also funny, charming, self-deprecating, and honest, and I’m proud to say he’s been my friend for many years. This is our first interview together and I’d love to be “unbiased” here, but the fact is I adore him. He’s a brilliant artist, an amazing human being, and he’ll always and forever be my favorite James Bond, because... nobody does it better.

Brosnan was born in Ireland on May 16, 1953, and moved to England at age 11. His father left the household when Pierce was a child and he was raised by his mother, May, and his stepfather, Bill. At age 20, Brosnan began training at the Drama Centre in London. After several years of stage work throughout the U.K., he began to work in television and film. He appeared in films such as The Long Good Friday (1980), in which he played an IRA hitman, and in The Mirror Crack’d (1980). He also played small parts in various British TV programs. His work in the popular 1981 ABC mini-series, “The Manions of America,” brought him to the attention of American audiences. In 1982, Brosnan moved to Southern California and quickly became famous playing the title role in the NBC detective series, “Remington Steele.” When that series ended in 1987, Brosnan went on to appear in several screen projects, including The Fourth Protocol (1987), The Deceivers, and James Clavell’s NBC miniseries, “Noble House” (both in 1988), and The Lawnmower Man (1992). In 1993, Brosnan starred along with Robin Williams and Sally Field in Mrs. Doubtfire. In 1994, amidst much fanfare, Pierce Brosnan was unveiled as “the new Bond.” In the several years that followed, Brosnan starred as the suave secret agent in GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). Together, his four Bond films have grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide.

In 1996, Brosnan, along with his producing partner, Beau St. Clair, created a Los Angelesbased production company and named it Irish DreamTime. The company’s first film, The Nephew (1998), shot in Ireland, featured Brosnan in a small supporting role. Next up was Irish DreamTime’s first studio project, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), which was both a critical and box-office success. A sequel is currently in development at MGM. Brosnan played in a wide range of films in between his Bond duties, ranging from Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, to The Mirror Has Two Faces alongside Barbra Streisand (both in 1996), to Dante’s Peak (1997), and the title role in Grey Owl (1999), a biopic about Englishman Archibald Stansfeld Belaney who became one of Canada’s first conservationists. In 1997, Brosnan was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Brosnan’s first post-Bond role was in 2004’s Laws of Attraction, produced by Irish DreamTime. That same year, Brosnan starred in After the Sunset with Salma Hayek. For his star turn as Julian in his company’s production of The Matador (2005), Brosnan received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture. He also worked in the Civil War drama, Seraphim Falls (2007), and in 2008 starred opposite Meryl Streep in the smash-hit film adaptation of the Broadway hit, Mamma Mia!

Brosnan has homes in Malibu and Kauai where He also has three grown children from his first marriage to the former “Bond girl” Cassandra Harris, who passed away in 1991.

This spring, Brosnan will begin production on a new film titled Salvation Boulevard, based on a novel of the same name, written by Larry Beinhart. The story follows a former Deadhead-turned-born-again-Christian, who finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega-church, who will do anything to protect their larger-than-life pastor, played by Brosnan. The film also stars Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei, Jim Gaffigan, and Jennifer Connelly, and will be directed by George Ratliff.

In Shana Feste’s new drama, The Greatest, Brosnan and Susan Sarandon play parents who are grieving for their teenaged son, who was killed in a car accident. It’s a grueling part, and one that Brosnan felt a special kinship with, as he too has experienced grief, not just over the loss of his first wife, but also as a result of almost losing their son, Sean, in a serious accident several years ago.

Here’s what transpired...

Venice: You’re terrific in The Greatest, and there are three other films you’ve done in the last year or so — Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Remember Me, and The Ghost Writer. It seems like they’re all being released around the same time. How did that happen?

Pierce Brosnan:

I’m so proud of The Greatest. I woke up this morning with an air of contentment and thought how happy I am with how well it turned out now that it’s finally being released. You know we did The Greatest two years ago; we sold it then and the company that bought it [to distribute] kind of collapsed. Then Paladin picked us up and kept us going. It looks like I have been working back-to-back, but there’s been some time in between films. I did Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and you know I played a horse’s ass. [laughs] [Editor’s note: he played a centaur.] I did that for my kids; it’s a great franchise and I love it. Then I went into Mr. Polanski’s world for Ghost Writer, and after that I did Remember Me. That’s the order in which things happened.

How does an actor of your stature decide to work with a first-time director, who also happens to be female, on such a small, intimate film?

I have fallen in love with this woman [filmmaker Shana Feste]. Her writing was so simple in its narrative and yet complex in its emotions. She poured her heart into it, shereally did, and based on how well she’d written the story and the characters, I thought she’d know how to point a camera — and if she doesn’t, I’ll tell her how. [laughs] And of course we had hired the great [cinematographer] John Bailey, and once we got him as the DP, I mean he’s one of the grand masters of cinematography. Plus, Shana’s take on Ordinary People was a solid blueprint to emulate for our film. I thought if we can make something as good and as beautiful as that film was all those years ago, well, then, yes. Then I heard Susan Sarandon was interested and that filled me with confidence. I called her up and left a voice message that said, “Look Susan, Shana’s just left my office and I like this project. I think it’s great and I hear you might want to do it. If you agree to do the film, we’ll come to you, we’ll shoot it in New York, and you and I will get to play together and hang out for a while. Why not?” She called me right back and she said, “You got me at ‘why not?’”

You wear two hats. How do you merge the actor point of view with the job of the producer? At some point, does the actor read a script that he likes and the producer says, “I don’t think so,” or vice versa?

I don’t think of it as two hats, really. I tend to come to it with the emotion and the intuition of an actor. First and foremost I consider myself a working actor. Then I ask the producer- type questions. How much? What’s the package? Where’s the location? How long will the shoot take? How hard will it be? Then you hire the team and hope you don’t get any screamers and shouters; the goal is to surround yourself with good people you admire and respect. You create a haven from that, where you allow yourself to do your best work and have fun. And Beau [producing partner Beau St. Clair] is such a great mate and very talented at what she does, and I always feel so secure with her. I feel like we can do anything.

On the films you produce, you’re in charge of the film as a whole. How is it different when you go into a project where you are simply an actor for hire and you’re not the boss of anything? You’re just “the guy.”

I’ve been “just the guy” all my life. [laughs] I just show up and do it. You know your lines, you keep reading the material, move it around in your head, work on it, dream about it, read it and read it, and think about it. When you’re into the domain of, say, Roman Polanski, it’s an exotic and beautiful and amazing space. He’s a taskmaster; he can be a little ... [laughs] you know he’s a wee man, quite short, but Roman walks like he’s six-foot-five. God, and he can be intimidating. But you’re there to work and you get on with it. I do love that movie [The Ghost Writer], and I am happy for all the accolades it’s received, great reviews and all that.

You actually read the reviews? Most actors I know do not.

I try to stay away from them. There’s a woman from the NY Times, Manohla Dargis; a couple of years ago she cut me to ribbons and kicked me to the ground. I thought, “Wow, you cruel bitch.” [laughs] That particular review was something where she was celebrating someone else and I became the by-product of, “Thank goodness he’s being kicked off this franchise.” It hurt; I admit it. So when her review of Ghost Writer came out, I read it and thought, “Oh, okay. I’ll send you a Christmas card. I love you again.”

I’m guessing that review you’re talking about had to do with the Bond movies. Yet it appears to me that once you stopped playing Bond, it opened the doors to doing a wider variety of roles as an actor.

Yes, I was free. When you are in the restraints of “Bond,” you are in that world. They have you hook, line, and sinker. They have every part of you and that always rankled my head and my heart. But the celebration and excitement of playing such a role was really something very good. It’s just, “How do you get out of it?”

At what point did you get tired of playing James Bond?

I remember starting the first day on that film [Tomorrow Never Dies] in an aircraft, flying a jet, an F-16 fighter plane, and it was 102 degrees and I’m wearing a helmet and sweater, and then I’m being strangled over and over again and I thought, “Oh my God, this bloody character is going to kill me.” The press tour for that film was 22 countries. When I did it I knew the movie wasn’t up to speed; it wasn’t as good as GoldenEye and you have to bang the drum loudly to get the attention.

And yet there is no doubt you came out of the whole “Bond” experience as a better actor. And you’re definitely in demand. How do you explain that?

A better actor? I don’t know if I could say that, but there is a maturity, there’s a gravitas, and this is what I do. I’m as energized now as I was at 25 about the game of acting. I crack the whip with the agents and I say, “Guys, don’t put me up on a pedestal. Let’s be honest about where we are at here, for my career. I have to work and want to work and I love to work, so find me the good stuff. Let’s spread our wings here. Take it that I can do anything, I can play anything, be anything. Let’s start with that.”

And do you feel you’ve proven that with the “post-Bond” work?

It’s been a nice workout, like at the gym. It’s been repertory theater; a bit of this, a bit of that. I just want to shake myself up and to work. Doing The Greatest for me was like a workshop. You get a good script and a bit of money and we’ll get great players and we’ll make a movie.

The Greatest deals with grief head-on, which is such tough subject matter. How do you “get there” as an actor for such gutwrenching stuff?

I used the experience of almost losing my boy, Sean, on a dark, dark night in Malibu. The thought of him being airlifted out, his broken body on a stretcher. Just that was enough. You just keep it in abeyance; you read the scene and think this man has held all this in for all this time. Then you quietly sit on the sofa and just test the waters with yourself, some sense memory and it’s just right there. You keep all this pushed aside until the day comes, and then the night before you work you carry it in your head and you’ll go into battle with this emotional baggage.

In Remember Me, you also play a father. What made you decide to do that film?

Well, it’s like a bookend. It felt right to do; it fit into the time frame of what I could do, scheduling wise, and it was good work — an ensemble piece about this young man, and [whispers] I thought I’d jump onto Robert Pattinson’s coattails.

You’re no stranger to fame and paparazzi. What did you think about all the hoopla that surrounds Robert?

It was amazing. I’d never had that level of celebrity at that age. I came to my little bit of fame and girls screaming out your name much later in life, not as a 22-year-old. So here’s this young lad and you feel rather protective towards him and you want the best for him. He’s a lovely fellow, a charming young man, and you want to help him sort it all out. We’d be shooting in the Plaza Hotel in New York, and at one end of the block were 3,000 girls and I’d walk to set and all the girls would shout and I thought, “Oh, that’s nice, they remember me.” Then as I’m going up the stairs I’d hear this incredibly loud noise, this sort of screaming masses of hysteria, and that would be Robert coming in behind me. [laughs]

Speaking of young and famous, The Greatest also stars Carey Mulligan, who has become quite the “it girl” since then. What advice do you give these young actors?

Just enjoy it. Keep your head about your shoulders, stay true to yourself, be honest, be on time, show up, know your lines, and be prepared.

I read that your son, Sean, is following in your footsteps and becoming an actor. How do you feel about that?

Yes, it’s true, and I’m excited about that. He went to the Academy in London and trained with the Royal Shakespeare and he’s really got the chops. He’s found a producing partner and they’re trying to do some films. It is flattering and I do support him in this as much as I can. We do sit and talk about it, the whole career thing. My youngest son, Paris [age 9], is quite a showman too; he loves an audience. We were out in Santa Monica recently and I look over and he’s break-dancing in the middle of the promenade, just putting on a show for everybody. So, yes, if my children want to be actors, it’s fine with me. I liked hearing Jeff Bridges talk about his dad, Lloyd, and how he celebrated acting. It’s a great profession.

What is your favorite character of all that you’ve played?

Julian in The Matador. I think it’s because he came into my life at the right time and it was such a liberating experience to actually play this guy. To create something that’s big and bold and had a voice and a swagger. On any given day I never knew what was going to come out of my mouth or how it was going to work. Some of it was planned, some of it just happened. I got to have a belly in that film; yes, the belly was relaxed, and I didn’t have to be cool. Also it was a great script, really good writing that I connected to. So yes, Julian was my favorite so far.

And what would be your least favorite?

Bond. I thought I got it right by the end, but it was one of those things I always struggled with. I never felt that I really nailed it. There was always a hint of — well an echo of Sean [Connery] and Roger [Moore] that was so indelible in my own mind. But I’m proud of it too; it’s a small group of men, a prestigious group to be in the company of.

What about making The Thomas Crown Affair? Was there an “echo” of Steve McQueen in that for you?

I tipped my hat to Mr. McQueen every other day. I love that character; we’re going to do it again. I want to do the sequel very much. There was a cinematic alchemy there; it was perfect timing. You know, it started with Beau and me having coffee one morning and talking about Malibu and Steve McQueen and how much we loved him and how cool he was. We ended up talking about Thomas Crown and then we rented the film and we both watched it that night. I knew there was a character in there I could do, albeit differently from the way Steve did it.

There were some pretty great sexy scenes in that film between you and Rene Russo, and yet you’re happily married. Is it difficult to balance your relationship at home with the one onscreen?

[laughs] I just love Rene, so that helps. I love them all, actually. I love Salma Hayek and Halle Berry, Sophie Marceau, and of course, Susan Sarandon. It’s easy to fall for any of these women, in the theatrical sense, onscreen. No acting required. Meryl Streep, I fell in love with her; she was easy to fall in love with. I’ve loved her for a long time as a guy sitting in the audience. Loved her as a woman, loved her as an actress. She just gave of herself. Julianne Moore and Julianna Margulies, they’re so talented and professional. I really do love them all, but you do the work and then you go home.

Julianna Margulies was your co-star on Evelyn, also produced by your company and Beau St. Clair. What are the criteria for the films chosen by Irish DreamTime?

I just said to Beau this morning that we have a little trilogy here with The Nephew, Evelyn, and now The Greatest. They’re three very poignant and personal films. It’s great to work on that type of canvas; you don’t do it for the box-office or the glory, you do it to make worthwhile films you care about. We wanted to make films in Ireland, for several reasons, and Evelyn was something I could really relate to from my own childhood in Ireland, being wrenched away and feeling abandoned.

Why do you think many of the most successful characters you play require you to be handsome, debonair, and, well, glamorous?

Yes, well that’s been my bread and butter [points to his face], the old mug. It scrubs up well and shoulders back, head high, put the twinkle in your eye and play it with a wiggle. [laughs] You get sick of that, too. In The Greatest, there is no vanity; there’s a middleaged man there, having a crisis, and broken and sorrowful and feels forgotten and it’s great to play with all of that. Then you can turn around and put the tux on, and do all the rest.

And do you still want to “turn around and put the tux on?”

You bet I do. Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s worked before and hopefully it will work again. I have no problem with all of that. It’s a wonderful time right now. I feel like I’m just beginning. There’s a real sense of contentment.

Is there any part you’ve taken that you wished you had not? Where, looking back, it might have been a mistake?

No. I have loved them all. There’s the joy of getting the job and then just going there and doing it. It might not be the most money or the location you want or it may not be the best script, but I’m a working actor so you just go out there and do your best.

Are there any roles you’ve turned down that you wished you said yes to?

Yes, there was a film that got nominated for an Academy Award and the director had asked me and I turned it down. There are a few things that have gotten away. I remember earlier in my career, meeting Bob Rafelson and he was doing a movie about the explorer, Richard Burton, and I wanted that so badly and I didn’t get it. I carried the remorse of that one for ages.

What actors have inspired you? Whose work do you most admire?

Robert De Niro, always, Anthony Hopkins, always, Daniel Day-Lewis is a hell of an actor. And Clooney. [laughs] Yeah, I love George; it’s just the way he does his thing.

What director would you most like to work with?

Peter Weir. I’d love to work with Peter Weir; I’ve always just thought he was masterful at what he does. I’d love to work with Kathryn Bigelow; I’d love it if she’d do the next Thomas Crown. I’d love to step out with her. I think she’s fantastic.

What would you do if you couldn’t act anymore? Say the career ends tomorrow — what would you do with your time?

I’d do something in the arts. I’d be in the art world, somehow. I’d get a gallery and paint more. I’d try to make a living with my art.

What do you think the secret is to being a great actor?

Relaxation. Not to push it. It takes repetition and repetition. Some guys have it right from the get go, but for me it’s always been a work in progress. You prepare as much as you can. You do your homework. There is also perseverance. [laughs] I never gave up.

PIERCE BROSNAN at Disneynature OCEANS Premiere April 17, 2010

2010-04-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

tod's star-studded beverly hills store opening

2010-04-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Tod's star-studded Beverly Hills store opening
A host of celebrity guests turned out for the opening of the refurbished Tod’s boutique in Beverly Hills.

By Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director
Published: 16 Apr 2010

There’s no business like shoe business! Especially when you are the billionaire Italian footwear baron, Diego Della Valle, and you are in Hollywood.

Della Valle - the man behind the de luxe moccasin with 133 little rubber "nodules" on the sole - hosted a star-studded party to celebrate the reopening of the refurbished Tod’s boutique and Tod’s Home Concept, last night, in Beverly Hills, California.

Among the celebrity guests were Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Kate Bosworth, Pierce Brosnan, Kate Beckinsale, Anjelica Huston, Jessica Capshaw, Marisa Tomei, Jacqueline Bisset, Jordana Brewster, and Jim Belushi.

Dante Ferretti, the Oscar-winning production designer and art director (The Aviator, Sweeney Todd), created a 1940s Hollywood-themed VIP showroom on the third floor of the boutique. The Academy Award-winning costume designer, Milena Canonero, (Barry Lyndon, Chariots of Fire, Marie Antoinette), who was also the costume designer for the TV series, Miami Vice, created a special new bag, "The Script", in conjunction with Tod’s design studio, especially for the relaunch.

The reception was followed by a dinner at the Tower Bar to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

pierce brosnan ...freedom of thought ..

2010-04-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

If these women are in low in fat, ugly, anyway.

Why did not you marry a paparazziyle

I would get rid of us

to see that ugly face.

Pierce Brosnan stick like a leech

Your environment pollution

Pierce Brosnan loves to be intimate with women are sex offender

fuck yourself and then make each occasion, the force

I hate a woman like you to have a reason

Brosnan also when you go home to your disgusting filt

these women do not divorce because they have two children

h offender is exposed to vagaries

pierce loves this woman's children is not

Smit divorced woman who is not already in the invitation will be exposed as foolish excess

lacks feelings of pride and honor

Pierce Brosnan fans, we have an upset stomach as you

Leave us alone in our films who turned against you, if not get it

Are you going anywhere like Frog

As fans we want our rights

Mr Brosnan films I see your face, he paid the money not your wife

Now we do not accept our kind of adjectives critics loads even with the power of money off our blog do you get

If the correct thing in saying what they fired nine long live the village dublin

young Irish fans just love you

We do not suck, we have the right to criticize

freedom of thought low-women, non-sectarian keely smit

Unfortunately, your partner in such cameras to photograph their loves her love machines

photographic machines to spread radiation to the environment in every shot

Keely Smit environmentalists say how much politicians who cucumber

The only difference is that women's magazines monkey

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - APRIL 15: Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry attends the Tod's Beverly Hills Reopening To Benefit MOCA at Tod's Boutique on April 15,

2010-04-16T00:59:00.000-07:00

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - APRIL 15: Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry attends the Tod's Beverly Hills Reopening To Benefit MOCA at Tod's Boutique on April 15, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California.

Paul Verhoeven Bows Out of 'Thomas Crown Affair 2'

2010-04-16T00:57:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a sequel planned to the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. Director Paul Verhoeven was brought aboard to direct the film, with Pierce Brosnan returning to reprise the title role, and possibly featuring Angelina Jolie by his side.
Then, the project just seemed to go away, possibly into that wonderful realm Hollywood insiders refer to as "development hell".

Now, in a new interview with MTV, Paul Verhoeven reveals what happened with himself and the project.

"No, I am not [involved] anymore," Verhoeven said. "Things happened there, the regime changed. The initial ideas that they had about 'Thomas Crown 2' were interesting I thought. There was a script written by two young writers that used the fact that now we're living 15, 20 years later."

"Ultimately, [the studio] decided not to [use] that script anymore," he added "... And basically I felt that I could not follow [on the project]."

What this means for the sequel is anyone's guess, but the recent reorganization over at United Artists and MGM — the film's production company and distributor, respectively — are probably what Verhoeven is referring to. The Thomas Crown Affair was one of those rare examples of a sequel that actually surpassed the original, so it would be interesting to see what another installment might hold.

For now, though, it seems everything is on hold.

Playing politics with Polanski helps Pierce Brosnan escape 007 tag

2010-04-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

The leap from secret agent James Bond to troubled Tony Blair-type ex-Prime Minister is a big one, but Pierce Brosnan has made it with ease. And in so doing, thinks he's finally rid himself of the Bond ties, even though his last 007 role was in 2002's Die Another day

"After Bond, the character continued to live with me," says Brosnan, who is co-starring with Ewan McGregor in director Roman Polanski's political thriller The Ghost. "Bond permeates your life so you have to break the shackles of that

"Only a small group of men have played the role and it's a rather elite club," he says. "But I'm a working actor trying to define my career."

In The Ghost, he's an ex-Prime Minister working on his memoirs with a suspicious ghost-writer, Ewan McGregor.

Although set in Massachusetts, it was filmed in Germany as Polanski is under house arrest in Switzerland over a 30-year-old rape case and cannot enter America freely. Brosnan has sympathy with the director.

"I'd like to see closure for the man, his family and the woman involved, who's forgiven him," he says. "The passion with which he makes movies is exhilarating. I had a wonderful experience and the film is mysterious, spellbinding and mildly macabre.

"The Prime Minister was led to believe he was a great politician, though he was a hollow man. He signed papers for a war that was untimely and unjust," he says. "It's not about Tony Blair... but it's all about Tony Blair."

Brosnan, 56, features in four other films this year. He's Rob Pattinson's dad in Remember Me and a centaur in Percy Jackson & The Olympians. He produces and stars in The Greatest, as a dad coping with a son's death, and he narrates the ecological documentary, Océans.

Though in constant demand, Brosnan seems to not quite believe his good fortune.

"There are many things I'm thankful for," he says. "I'm a family man within this crazy, egotistical profession and it's my sanctuary. It makes what

His older children call him Gentlemen's Relish, after a condiment he favours, but he admits his cool, suave style is from vintage films.

I do all the more meaningful."

"I watched old Cary Grant movies and the next thing I know I'm Mr Sophistication," he chuckles. "But I created something for myself.

"I've been blessed to be able to afford the good things of life," he says. "I don't know if it would have happened if I hadn't had Bond in my career.

"I'm in a good place creatively. It's a fertile time... finding parts, acting, testing myself in roles and shaking up what went before," he adds.

I'm not a star: Pierce Brosnan

2010-04-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

Bond star Pierce Brosnan doesn't want to think too highly of himself because he feels it will limit his options as an actor.

"I'm not a Hollywood star, someday maybe it's a work in progress. I play leads and I have had some success here and there. But I want to work, so how do you deal with wanting to work and not letting the ego of self get in the way of that?

"You can trip yourself up by saying that you don't want to play something because it's a supporting role and you could end up with a whole lot of nothing," imdb.com quoted Brosnan as saying.

et in the way of that?

"You can trip yourself up by saying that you don't want to play something because it's a supporting role and you could end up with a whole lot of nothing," imdb.com quoted Brosnan as saying.

pierce brosnan... Topkapi Affair

2010-04-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Beaks: I'll use my last question to ask about the status of the THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR sequel. The first film has endured; it's really a terrific little movie. Is the sequel moving forward? Is it still called THE TOPKAPI AFFAIR?

Brosnan: It won't be called THE TOPKAPI AFFAIR. At the moment it's just THOMAS CROWN. Or THOMAS CROWN 2. TC2. That's what's on the scripts - and there have been a few. (Laughs) We'll do it. We must do it. It wasn't my idea to do it, but I'm going to do it. No names mentioned of who wanted us to do it, but studio heads have such bright ideas. Yes, the character has endured; it seems to have created its own life. So to see this man ten years down the line still doing what he does - living the life, doing a bit of thievery, and a love affair with some beautiful woman - why not? We're making our best effort to do it. It's not easy, but our best effort. Dear old MGM is... dear old MGM, you know? (Laughs) It's just trying to sort itself out again.

You're probably tired of hearing about this, but what is the latest on The Thomas Crown Affair 2?

PB: Well, oh dear. Well, again, the studio is in such disarray at the moment. We're not sure who's going to buy it. I think someone's bought it. We have the script in; I think this is about the fourth draft. We're all very happy with it, but it still needs work. So there you go. I would like to say that come the autumn we will be ready to start shooting... There's a few other things before that, other pictures I'm signed up to do, so I still have employment...

pierce brosnan fanatic

St. John’s Caritas Gala To Honor Actor Pierce Brosnan, Surgeon Donald Morton

“Please join me in urging President Obama to impose tough trade sanctions on Iceland for its illegal slaughter of whales.”

bag of bones...............

"Bag of Bones" (2011)

pierce brosnan Bag of Bones (TV Series 2011)

First Look At Susanne Bier’s ‘The Bald Hairdresser,’ Set For August 2012 Release

First Look At Susanne Bier’s ‘The Bald Hairdresser,’ Set For August 2012 Release

pierce brosnan(march 17th,2011)

Susanne Bier Set to Direct Pierce Brosnan for 'All You Need is Love'

Vanity Fair Campaign Hollywood 2011 - Artists For Peace & Justice Fundraiser With Brioni & Hosts Paul Haggis And Pierce Brosnan - Chrysler Arrivals (

Pierce Brosnan and Cinemagic come to Pepperdine

Pierce Brosnan Picture - Pierce Brosnan 'Irish Film And Television Awards' At...

Brosnan And Ronan Big Winners At Irish Film & Television Awards

Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker film "I Don't Know How She Does It" (Pierce Brosnan)

Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer Will Join Sarah Jessica Parker Film

Salvation Boulevard” Goes to IFC and Sony Pictures by Nigel M Smith

pierce brosnan

Ronan & Brosnan Make Critics’ Circle Shortlist 21 Dec 2010 :

cassandra brosnan in memory of.......

SALVATION BOULEVARD First Movie Photos with Greg Kinnear

Roman Polanski wins best European picture award

The Big Names Return for Sundance’s Unofficial Section

pierce brosnan out with a friend and having a ball newyork on november 23....

Pierce Brosnan And His Skateboardin' Son

James Bond Comes Back To Television

the ghost writer...oscar for best director-or best actress

the ghost writer leads european film award nominations

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

007: Licence to Till

mr brosnan

License to Save?

World Bank President Robert Zoellick and pierce brosnan

heyyyyyyyyy man !

pierce brosnan:Rockford Residents to appear in Jane Goodall film

Annual SeaChange Summer Party To Benefit Oceana - Arrivals

Salvation Boulevard

Production year 2011

Director

Cast

Producer Cathy Schulman (Crash, The Illusionist))

Country

Salvation Boulevard How big would this movie be?

Romanian director to work on Pierce Brosnan film

pierce brosnan life

pierce brosnan...04.08.2010....kauai.....

pierce brosnan:Humane Society launches ‘Celebrities Supporting The HSUS’ Facebook fanpage

Pierce Brosnan: Licensed to Spay/Neuter Pets

july 24,2010 pierce brosnan

Brosnan to star in Double Lives in China this September

Pierce Brosnan on Mamma Mia! sequel rumours

pierce brosnan (the blue project)

Pierce Brosnan selling his Malibu retreat

galaxy 2010

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Blu-ray)

PİERCE BROSNAN LİFE

PİERCE BROSNAN AND CASSANDRA BROSNAN

Pierce Brosnan and Son Sean Brosnan Are BONDEDPierce Brosnan and Son Sean Brosnan Are BONDEDPierce Brosnan and Son Sean Brosnan Are BONDEDPierce Brosn

pierce brosnan wife Cassandra Harris Memoirs:3

pierce brosnan wife Cassandra Harris Memoirs:2

pierce brosnan wife Cassandra Harris Memoirs:

Pierce Brosnan: 'My Wife Breaks My Heart' 2

Pierce Brosnan: 'My Wife Breaks My Heart'

Global Green Millennium Awards Honor Eco-Luminaries

pierce brosnan: CA Spay & Neuter License Plate

Internationally Renowned Actor / Producer Pierce Brosnan to Launch Spay and Neuter Program

pierce brosnan pleads us to help end the killing of whales for profit

Brosnan the style icon

Brosnan the style icon

HAPPY BİRTHDAY PİERCE BROSNAN

pierce brosnan .... St. Vincent.....

pierce brosnan clippings photo 2

pierce brosnan....? ..BOND AND BEYOND......

pierce brosnan..HARD ROAD TO HOE

Pierce Brosnan

Movie production lands in county

''Oceans,'' $6 million.

Pierce Brosnan urges global ban on whale hunting

pierce brosnan clippings photo 1

pierce brosnan photo 1

Producer
Cathy Schulman (Crash, The Illusionist))