19Dec

Reflecting on Meeting Some of the Cast and Crew from “The Greatest Showman,” a Musical Feast

thegreatestshowman

Disclosure: I attended a screening and press junket hosted by 20th Century Fox. I was not paid to write this post. It's so crazy that two weeks ago I knew very little about Phineas Taylor Barnum. I knew he started the circus I grew up with, but little more. Since seeing the upcoming Christmas motion picture "The Greatest Showman," I have thought little else but this man, his life, and the story that inspired this beautiful new movie, which is fortunately a musical but not just a musical. He was not ony a brilliant business man, but he was a family man Read More

24Feb

Talking with Eddie the Eagle’s Hugh Jackman, Taron Egerton and Ania Sowinski

EddieTheEagle-Poster

I'm a sucker for feel good films that make me want to get up and do something.  Some movies have made me feel as though as I could do anything, like Billy Elliot and Shirley Valentine, for example. These movies have a major theme in common - determination and fulfilling life long dreams. I've seen both again and again and have been waiting for another film to come along in the same vein. And along comes Eddie the Eagle - another British film, ironically, like the two mentioned above, and like both films, it's about people from a lower-class background Read More

13Dec

The Real @RealHughJackman

In a recent Q&A with the cast of Les Misérables, Anne Hathaway turned to the audience of journalists and said to them quite sternly, "I don't want you to walk out and be charmed by Hugh Jackman.  What he does is inspiring and he's our leader - a deep, serious, profoundly gifted actor." To that Hugh turned to everyone and said "I'll shut up then." Thankfully he didn't. But it gave credence to his twitter handle @realhughjackman, that is for sure. But wait.  There is more.  As if he didn't already seem like the nicest man alive, then he Read More

11Dec

Hugh Jackman Compares Les Mis to NYC Random Act of Kindness

A few weeks ago NYC media embraced the story when New York City Police officer Lawrence DePrimo gave a barefoot homeless man a pair of boots. The story went viral and within a day the story had been viewed 1.6 million times, and by the following morning had drawn nearly 350,000 "likes" and 85,000 "shares" – and was a hot topic of discussion on morning television. During a Q&A with the cast of Les Misérables, Hugh Jackman said his character Valjean reminds him of Lawrence DePrimo.  They both undergo a transformation and spiritual change and he Read More

11Dec

Les Misérables – The Timeless Story Goes Celluloid (and Giveaway)

I saw Les Misérables well before its release and it has been difficult keeping quiet.  There has been so much buzz about this movie. Everyone wants to know how the cast and crew pulled off a remake of the longest running show on Broadway in our history.  I've heard various reactions since the screening.  I know people who loved it and I actually know people who hated it. I know there are members of the Broadway community who are fuming that the likes of Anne Hathaway won the role of Fantine and I'm curious to hear their opinions after they see the film. Read More

27Dec

My Pop Culture Best of List 2011

Here's a short top 10 of my richest pop cultural experiences of 2011: Best Movies: I loved that my son enjoyed the dazzling film directed by Martin Scorcese, Hugo, just as much as I did. A long time fan of Woody Allen, I adored Midnight in Paris and found it just as compelling and genuine as some of his early films.  I saw it in a Brooklyn film house with other longtime Woody Allen fans and it was one of my most memorable cinematic experiences of the year.  I laughed out loud with all the ladies of the hit movie Bridesmaids and am thrilled that Read More

06Oct

Meeting the Real Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman

When I was invited to a screening of Real Steel and a chance to interview and meet the real Hugh Jackman (his Twitter handle is @RealHughJackman and he apparently tweets from that account himself!) this week, I was elated.  I have been a fan for a long time when I first saw him in the movie Kate & Leopold and have been following his career ever since, from Australia to The Prestige to Wolverine.   Of course, as the Culture Mom, I have always been keenly interested in his theater career and have often knocked myself on the head for not seeing The Boy Read More