The Furniture: John Waters, Small-Business Advocate

Team Experience is celebrating John Waters for his 75th birthday. So here's a special episode of "The Furniture," by Daniel Walber, our series on Production Design. 

Pecker is a rare, quiet(er) film in the John Waters filmography. It’s not as outrageous as Pink Flamingos or Female Trouble, nor as bombastic as Hairspray or Serial Mom. It’s plenty lewd, of course, and it’s hardly devoid of yelling. But it’s understated.

After all, it’s a movie about photography - pictures over words, that sorta thing. It’s about capturing the essence of Baltimore in crisp snapshots. The titular Pecker (Edward Furlong) is an amateur photographer with a passion for the little moments of his life: a burger on the grill, the Hampden neighborhood welcome sign, rats mating in an alley...

Click to read more ...

Sundance: Discussing Grief in “Mass”

By Abe Friedtanzer

 It’s always interesting to see actors step behind the camera to direct, both for the subject matters they choose and the times they decide not to cast themselves in their projects. I was particularly moved by William H. Macy’s debut in that role with Rudderless, which played at Sundance in 2014 but didn’t go very far after that. It dealt with a father struggling to connect with his late son through his music after a school shooting. Now, Fran Kranz, who I always remember as Topher on Dollhouse, is exploring a similar concept as writer and director of Mass.

The film opens with church staff members setting up a room for an awkward meeting set to occur between two sets of parents...

Click to read more ...

Showbiz History: Casper, Martha Plimpton, Pete Davison, and Silver Linings Playbook

11 random things that happened on this day, November 16th, in showbiz history...

1934 The White Parade about a nursing school starring Loretta Young opens in theaters. Later it's nominated for Best Picture.

1945 Happy 75th Anniversary to both the Best Picture nominee The Lost Weekend and the animated short "The Friendly Ghost" which introduced Casper to the world. The whole short is available on YouTube and it's much darker than you might remember it if you ever saw it as a kid. Poor Casper really needs a hug and or friends...

Psycho, The Sound of Music and celebrity birthday suits after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Would you rather?

Our dumb celebrity-gawking game to get your week off to a silly start. Would you rather...

... have a whiskey at a poetry reading with Martha Plimpton?
... wander the Universal sound stages with Jeff Goldblum?
... snake charm with Anya Taylor Joy?
... take in an art exhibit with Carla Gugino?
... play shadow games with Glenn Close?
... get piggy with Billy Magnussen?
... shop for tasty pastries with Kim Cattrall?
... wear mythological creatures with Juliette Binoche?
... take a drive to Sundance with Olivia Colman, Kaitlyn Dever, Alice Englert, and Thomas Mann?
... pose on the red carpet with Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, and Patty Jenkins? 

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide!

Click to read more ...

Would you rather?

Time for our ever silly celebrity watching Instagram game. We do so enjoy your comments on these posts, so revealing of priority and fixation. Haha. So answer it!

Would you rather...

... dress up for a xmas party with Mindy Kaling?
... take a swim with Naomie Harris in Anguilla?
... go boating in Thailand with Lewis Tan?
... dance with Kate Beckinsale?
... have a sunday roast with Martha Plimpton?
... pull a prank on Ryan Reynolds?
... book club-it on the beach with Emma Roberts?
... visit Santa and the Mrs. with Isla Fisher?
... see the Fushimi Inari Shrine with Ryan Phillipe?
... or choose an outfit with Diane Keaton?

As ever the photos are after the jump to help you decide...

Click to read more ...