Jude Law Nearing Deal to Join Melissa McCarthy's Spy Comedy ‘Susan Cooper’ (Exclusive)

THE WRAP
MOVIES | By Jeff Sneider on March 6, 2014 @ 10:48 am



With two Fox Searchlight movies opening in the next several weeks, Jude Law is nearing a deal to work with the studio's parent company 20th Century Fox, as he's in final negotiations to join Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne in Paul Feig's spy comedy “Susan Cooper,” an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.

“Susan Cooper,” which is being developed as a potential franchise in the same tone as “The Heat,” will be a realistic comedy about a female James Bond-type. Frequent action movie hero Jason Statham is confirmed to co-star in the movie.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.thewrap.com/jude-law-nearing-deal-join-melissa-mccarthys-spy-comedy-susan-cooper-exclusive/

Brendan Gleeson Gets Threatened For Being Too Nice In Calvary Trailer

CINEMA BLEND
Author: Nick Venable | published: December 12, 2013 8:44am PST



With his second film, director John Michael McDonagh has quite a task in trying to create something that was half as memorable as his first: 2011’s howlingly funny comedy The Guard. And it probably didn’t help that his brother, Martin, followed up In Bruges with last year’s excellent ensemble crime comedy, Seven Psychopaths. Judging from the above trailer, though, McDonagh is headed in a more introspective direction with the dark comedy Calvary, and I can’t wait to be a part of its flock.

For Calvary, Brendan Gleeson reteams with the director to play Father James Lavelle, a priest with nothing but inspiration and hope to pass to his overly troubled parishioners without appearing sanctimonious. Trouble comes to him in the oddest of ways when someone walks into the other side of the confession window and threatens to murder him for being too kind to people, giving him a week to get his affairs in line. But in order to try and get his life spared, Father Lavelle must enter the lives of his troubled churchgoers to discover their moral centers in trying to figure out the identity of his soon-to-be murderer.

Gleeson could win over audiences in a film all on his own, but he’s got a stellar cast of mostly Irish actors whose characters make the priest’s life all the more complicated. Chris O’Dowd (Thor: The Dark World) plays an oafish butcher, while Aidan Gillen (The Wire) plays a much more intense hospital worker. The middle ground is filled out by characters played by Dylan Moran (Black Books), Domnhall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), David Wilmot (Ripper Street), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), Marie-Josée Croze (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and Isaach De Bankolé (24).

READ MORE HERE: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Brendan-Gleeson-Gets-Threatened-Being-Too-Nice-Calvary-Trailer-40663.html

Tom Hiddleston tries to explain Avatar to Chris O'Dowd

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Brendan Gleeson & Co Are Blessed With Irish Locations for 'Calvary' 31 Oct 2012 : By Steve Cummins (IFTN)

'Calvary' cast on set in The Carlyan pub in Rush

It may be a typically dull and dreary day in north Co Dublin but the small, seaside town of Rush is alive with activity. In off the main street four or five heavy duty lorries are parked beside a number of trailers and temporary dressing rooms.
Men in high-visibility vests, equipped with buzzing walkie-talkies roam up and down the street, past The Carlyan pub and on down to a newly-built temporary wooden church. John Michael McDonagh’s ‘Calvary’ is in town and excited locals are trailing the streets, pen and paper in hand, hoping for a glimpse of the film’s stars, Chris O’Dowd, Aidan Gillen, Kelly Reilly and, of course, Brendan Gleeson.

It’s the reunion of Gleeson and writer and director McDonagh, following the huge success of ‘The Guard’, that is the cause for much of the excitement. From the chatter among the locals to the media invitation to visit the set, comparisons aplenty are made to McDonagh’s surprise 2011 hit. The priest Gleeson is playing in ‘Calvary’ is, we are told, “the flipside to ‘The Guard’s Sergeant Gerry Boyle” and, like ‘The Guard’, the film is set in the west of Ireland. Cast and crew may now be stationed in Rush, but the bulk of the five-week shoot has taken place in Co Sligo.

Described as a dark, comedy-drama, the plot of McDonagh’s ‘Calvary’ follows Gleeson’s priest, a good-natured man who has become increasingly shocked at the behaviour of the locals in his small country town. After being threatened during confession, he’s forced to battle the dark forces closing in around him.

“I think that it’s got the best ensemble cast that’s ever been assembled for an Irish movie,” McDonagh says from inside The Carlyan pub where he’s just completed filming a pub scene with Gleeson, Gillen, O’Dowd and Reilly. The rest of the ensemble cast he speaks of include a number of well-known Irish names - from Dylan Moran, David McSavage and Pat Shortt, to Domhnall Gleeson and David Wilmot.

“I wanted it to feel, not only Irish, but sort of international as well,” continues McDonagh as he explains his casting decisions. “So you’ve got Isaach De Bankolé, who’s been in ‘Casino Royale’ and Jim Jarmusch films, and Marie-Josée Croze, who’s been in ‘The Diving Bell & The Butterfly’. So I don’t want it to feel like a small film, or a parochial film. I want it to feel like a film that could play on an international circuit.”

Cutting a relaxed figure, the English-born filmmaker says he always had Gleeson in mind for the lead role. Indeed, the idea for ‘Calvary’ stemmed from a bar room conversation between the two towards the end of shooting ‘The Guard’.

“It was the last night in Galway so there was a lock-in in the pub,” McDonagh remembers. “All the cast were there, and that, and at a certain point in the evening I said ‘I bet that loads of people are planning scripts about bad priests and dealing with the whole subject in a really depressing way’. I thought that it would be good to do the opposite – to do a film about a good priest - because it’s quite difficult to do films about good people. Usually, the hero is flawed in a major way or they’re an anti-hero.

“Brendan just said, drunkenly, ‘I’ve always wanted to play a good priest’. So that’s where the idea hatched. The editing of ‘The Guard’ went on so long that I wrote the script during it. So when that was finished I had the next one ready to go and Brendan really liked it. So then you’ve already got your lead actor.”

READ MORE: http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4285536&tpl=archnews&force=1

Production starts on new Brendan Gleeson movie Calvary (ENTERTAINMENT IE.)

 Production has started on 'Calvary' John Michael McDonaghs follow up to the box office hit 'The Guard'. Filming has currently got under way in Sligo for the upcoming movie and will see McDonagh team up again with Brendan Gleeson.

Gleeson will play an entirely different character to 'The Guards' drunk and corrupt cop Gerry Boyle in the role of priest Father James Lavelle a man with good intentions who wishes to make the world a better place but is continually shocked and saddened by the inhabitants of the small town he lives in. life soon turns a dark corner for him when he is threatened in confession.

The dark comedy will star Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes, Eden Lake), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, Shadow Dancer), Dylan Moran (Run Fat Boy Run, Shaun of the Dead), Marie Josée Crozé and Isaach De Bankolé . Other well known irish actors to grace our screens will include Domhnall Gleeson Pat Shortt and David Wilmot.

Speaking about film McDonagh said 'It is with great excitement, bordering on tumescence, that I am looking forward to collaborating once more with Ireland's greatest actor, Brendan Gleeson, and working with the finest ensemble cast ever assembled in the history of Irish cinema.

Colin Firth: Euro hit spreads its reach with Oscar tip Friday, September 28, 2012The Sentinel

LOOSELY based on a true story, Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache's crowd-pleasing comedy has smashed box office records in France and charmed audiences around Europe.

An English-language remake, reportedly starring Colin Firth with director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) at the helm, is already in the works, attesting to the film's potential as a dark horse at next year's Oscars.


Dubbed by some wags as Driving Monsieur Daisy, this feel-good confection centres on the culture clash between a wealthy white aristocrat and a street-smart Senegalese ex-con.

Untouchable boasts some uproarious interludes and Toledano and Nakache's film is anchored by a stellar performance from Omar Sy as the jailbird, who teaches his stuffy employer to loosen up by trading Vivaldi for Earth, Wind & Fire.

However, for all its endearing qualities the picture trades heavily in racial stereotypes and you're left to contemplate whether the writer-directors are guilty of crude insensitivity or flagrant racism.

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt; others will be less charitable and forgiving.

Philippe (Francois Cluzet) is a wealthy aristocrat who suffers terrible injuries in a paragliding accident.

He roams his Parisian mansion in a wheelchair and requires constant care to accomplish everyday tasks.

In an opening montage, a series of eminently qualified carers apply for a position in Philippe's household but he is unmoved by their glib answers.

READ MORE: http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Euro-hit-spreads-reach-Oscar-tip/story-17004349-detail/story.html

Brendan Gleeson will star alongside his son Domhnall when he teams up next month with director John Michael McDonagh to shoot new movie Calvary.

Shadow Dancer star Domhnall Gleeson (29) has landed a part opposite his dad's lead role in the €5m production which will be filmed over five weeks in Sligo and the east coast of Ireland.

Gleeson - probably best known for his role as Mad-Eye Moody in the Harry Potter films - will portray Fr James Lavelle, who is tormented by various members of his Sligo parish.

READ MORE: http://www.rte.ie/ten/2012/0825/gleesonb.html

Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Smith, Chris O'Dowd: My looks: the unlikely sex symbols What Matt Smith, Andrew Garfield, Chris O'Dowd, Stephen Mangan and Benedict Cumberbatch think about being unlikely sex symbols (THE GUARDIAN)

Benedict Cumberbatch: 'I look in a mirror and I see all the faults I’ve lived with for 35 years, and yet people go kind of nuts for certain things about me.' Photograph: Spencer Murphy for the Guardian

"Do I like being thought of as attractive? I don't know anyone on Earth who doesn't, but I do find it funny. It's new to me, and I'm sure I'll get used to it and find a way of dealing with it, but at the moment it is quite odd. I look in a mirror and I see all the faults I've lived with for 35 years, and yet people go kind of nuts for certain things about me. It's not me being humble. I just think it's weird. I dislike the size and shape of my head. I've been likened to Sid the sloth from Ice Age… I have a long face, retroussé nose and have been known to be quite camp… I know I don't fit into some archetype. I'm comfortable with it. People have a hindrance if they are extraordinarily beautiful. It can be a problem. You are not given the challenges and then, when you are, all eyes are on you to see if you can pull anything off other than being beautiful to look at."

Chris O'Dowd: 'As guys, we have an easy time. The Hollywood body-conscious thing doesn’t really affect my life.' Photograph: Contour/Getty Images

"I'm 6ft 4in and I like being tall now, but it wasn't so great when I was growing up. I was 6ft when I was 11 and my features hadn't grown around that yet. So I had this big nose, big lips and a giant big rubbery head. I was a foot taller than everyone else, so there was certainly a Quasimodo situation going on. I figured out girls like laughing. So thank God for that physical abnormality. I would walk girls home who would ask about my friend. I was the funny best friend. In terms of stuff I don't like, I don't know where to start. I could get rid of this spare tyre for a start.

'Sex symbol? I don't quite know what to do with it apart from smile and say, "Hurrah!" ' Photograph: Frederike Helwig for the Guardian

"Am I really a sex symbol? I'll take that as a compliment. What can you do about it apart from enjoy the compliment? It's not like it's a tangible thing. "Sex symbol." I don't quite know what to do with it apart from smile and say – if that is indeed the case – "Hurrah!" I shall embrace it with open arms… I don't think I'm handsome enough, I think I'm more of a Bond villain."




READ MORE: 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jul/27/unlikely-male-sex-symbols

Colin Firth: Making France's "Intouchables" bankable in the U.S. (REUTERS)

Colin Firth is attached to play the Francois Cluzet role, and "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig will helm it. The role of the black, petty criminal portrayed by Sy has yet to be cast.

"I'm very curious to see how they navigate that very delicate minefield which we had to in France," Sy said. "How will they adapt it to the American context? That's the big challenge."

When asked who he imagines in his role, he smiled broadly and said, "Meryl Streep. She has such amazing depth and range that she would be entirely capable of playing this."

(The story was refiled to fix typo in co-director name, Eric Toledano)

(Reporting by Jordan Riefe, Editing By Bob Tourtellotte)


READ MORE:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/25/entertainment-us-intouchables-idUSBRE84O16J20120525

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt in 'Five-Year Engagement' opens soon; can you spot Ann Arbor scenes? By Julie Hinds Detroit Free Press Staff

When “The Five-Year Engagement” opens April 27, there will be plenty of Ann Arbor-spotting opportunities — like the supporting role given to Zingerman’s Delicatessen and Bakehouse. The movie, which filmed in the Ann Arbor area last year, stars Jason Segel and Emily Blunt as an engaged couple who keep encountering speed bumps on the path to the altar. In the storyline, Blunt’s character finds out she’s gotten a job at the University of Michigan for a couple of years.

The film’s preview includes several snowy scenes of Ann Arbor and a few glimpses of the U-M campus. Zingerman’s is featured in the movie because it’s the place where Segel’s character, Tom, works. There was footage shot where Tom, as a Zingerman’s baker, is making loaves of bread. The cast and crew essentially took over the Zingerman’s Bakehouse on Plaza Drive for a day of shooting. They also filmed at Zingerman’s Delicatessen on Detroit Street, according to Pete Sickman-Garner, Zingerman’s service network marketing manager.




READ MORE:  http://www.freep.com/article/20120413/ENT01/120413051/Jason-Segel-Emily-Blunt-Five-Year-Engagement-opens-soon-can-you-spot-Ann-Arbor-scenes-

Colin Firth may star in "Untouchable", remake of a French Dramedy (HIT FIX)

Paul Feig may be venturing into considerably darker territory with his next film.

The "Bridesmaids" helmer is in early talks with the Weinstein Co. to write and direct a new dramedy entitled "Untouchable", based on the hit French film "The Intouchables", about a wealthy man who becomes a quadriplegic after a tragic accident and later bonds with his young caretaker.

What's more, Academy Award winner Colin Firth - most recently seen in Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" - is negotiating to take the lead role in the film, which sounds like some pretty serious awards bait. Could the actor already be heading for his second Oscar? The news was broken by Variety.


READ MORE:  http://www.hitfix.com/articles/colin-firth-may-play-a-quadriplegic-in-new-film-from-bridesmaids-director

Colin Firth: Bridesmaids Director Paul Feig May Go For Oscar Bait With Colin Firth (CINEMA BLEND)

Variety reveals Feig has entered early negotiations to write and direct the American remake of the heralded French dramedy Intouchables.

Based on Philippe Pozzo di Borgo's heartwarming memoir Le Second Souffle, TWC's Untouchable centers on an affluent aristocrat whose adventurous life changes dramatically following a crippling paragliding accident.

Now quadriplegic and deeply depressed, he unleashes his frustration upon a string of caretakers.



READ MORE:  http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Bridesmaids-Director-Paul-Feig-May-Go-Oscar-Bait-With-Colin-Firth-30198.html

Michael Fassbender wins Best Actor for Shame at IFTA awards (The Vote)

'Guard' nabs five prizes at Irish Awards

Haul includes film, director and script

By Adam Dawtrey

 

 

John Michael McDonagh's "The Guard" was the big winner at the ninth Irish Film & TV Awards on Saturday evening at Dublin's Convention Center, taking five prizes including best film.

 

McDonagh won for director, script and the Rising Star award, while "The Guard's" Fionnula Flanagan was named best supporting actress. Flanagan also received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

But "The Guard" didn't have everything its own way. Michael Fassbender took the actor prize for "Shame" ahead of Brendan Gleeson, while Ryan Gosling won the international actor award for "Drive" ahead of Don Cheadle.

 

Saoirse Ronan was named best actress for "Hanna." Glenn Close won the international actress prize for "Albert Nobbs," which also took awards for makeup and hair, sound and original score.

 

Best supporting actor went to Chris O'Dowd for "Bridesmaids," while "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" won the prize for best international film. 

 

 

Read further:  http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118050120?refcatid=13

 

 

 

Irish Film and Television Rising Star Awards (the Journal)

Chris O'Dowd from Bridesmaids

THE IRISH FILM BOARD and the Irish Film and Television Awards have announced the four nominees for this year’s IFTA Rising Star Award.

The nominees are: actor Chris O’Dowd of Bridesmaids; John Michael McDonagh, the writer and director of 2011 hit Irish film The Guard; actor Emmett Scanlan of Charlie Casanova; and Rebecca Daly, who wrote and directed The Other Side of Sleep.

John Michael McDonagh, centre, phographed with Liam Cunningham, Don Cheadle, Katarina Cas and Brendan Gleeson of The Guard

“All opposition must be crushed,” he added. “Especially Chris O’Dowd, who will be starring with Brendan Gleeson in my next film late this year. If he wins, his role will have to be recast.”
“I’m that vindictive.”

Meanwhile, O’Dowd said he was especially looking forward to the awards night and the “glorious shindig in the big schmoke”. He also asked if he could meet Bosco.

IFTA’s chief executive Áine Moriarty said that the Rising Star category spotlights “great Irish talent making a significant mark in the film industry at large” and described each of this year’s four nominees as “world class talents in their respective fields”.

The winner will be announced during the IFTAs on 11 February.


http://www.thejournal.ie/all-opposition-must-be-crushed-ifta-nominee-sets-sights-on-rising-star-award-330730-Jan2012/

Bridesmaids Gag Reel - Even funnier than the movie

BAFTA Boys: Meet the rising stars of 2012 (The BAFTAs for 2012)

The BAFTAs are just around the corner and the line up for the Rising Star short list has now been revealed.

And if the award which recognises actors that are speeding up the ranks of the film industry is anything to go by, in 2012 the faces to watch are all masculine.

My Week With Marilyn star Eddie Redmayne is one of the best known contenders, and the newcomer could also walk away with Best Actor for his role in the film alongside Michelle Williams.

Thor heartthrob Chris Hemsworth will go head-to-head with Tom Hiddleston, his co-star in the comic book adaptation and a cast member of Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.

Also in the running is Adam Deacon for his turn in Kidulthood, while the IT Crowd's Chris O'Dowd tops off the list of hopefuls for his role in Bridesmaids.

Although delighted to be in the running, nominee Tom revealed that the concept could be misleading.

"It's amazing, because I'm 30 years old and I've been acting for 12 years.” he said.

"People sometimes think success in this business happens overnight - and the truth is it doesn't".

The Rising Star Award is the one BAFTA category that is voted for by members of the public.


http://bafta.hellomagazine.com/bafta-awards-2012/20120109849/rising-star-shortlist-revealed/

Critics Choice Awards - 'The Artist' wins best picture (CBS News)

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From left, director Michel Hazanavicius, actress Berenice Bejo, actor Jean Dujardin and producer Thomas Langmann, winners of the Best Picture Award for "The Artist," pose in the press room during the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Jan. 12, 2012, in Los Angeles.

(Credit: Getty)

(CBS/AP) Updated 10:38 p.m. ET

"The Artist" waltzed off with the most awards at Thursday's 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards, including the night's top honor.

The black-and-white silent film directed by Michel Hazanavicius led winners with four honors, earning trophies for best picture, score, costume design and director.

"I don't like to speak so much," Hazanavicius admitted during his best picture acceptance speech, before inviting the actors on stage to celebrate the win.

Southern drama "The Help" also came out a big winner, with best and supporting actress honors for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer and a best acting ensemble win for the cast.

Other winners in the acting categories included George Clooney as best actor for "The Descendants," Christopher Plummer as best supporting actor for "Beginners," and Thomas Horn as best young actor for "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close."

"The Artist" beat out "Hugo," "The Descendants," "Drive," "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," "The Help," "Midnight in Paris," "Moneyball," "The Tree of Life" and "War Horse" to win the best picture category. Hazanavicius also earned directing honors for the homage to silent film.

Other winners included "Bridesmaids" as best comedy movie (producer Judd Apatow put the censors to work by dropping a series of F-bombs while accepting the award), "Drive" as best action movie, "Rango" as best animated feature, "A Separation" as best foreign film and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" for best makeup and best sound.

The evening started off as a face-off between "The Artist" and "Hugo," Martin Scorsese's sweeping 3-D family film, with 11 nominations each. The awards were handed out at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, in a ceremony hosted by comedians Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Olivia Harrison presented Scorsese with the Critics' Choice Music + Film Award, with a special musical tribute from Bob Dylan. Dylan was the subject of Scorsese's PBS documentary "No Direction Home," and in 1976 the director captured his performance at the Band's "Last Waltz" concert.

Clooney presented Sean Penn with the fifth annual Joel Siegel Award, which the actor and humanitarian accepted via satellite from Haiti. The award, which honors those who understand that celebrity is a platform to do good works for others, pays homage to the late "Good Morning America" film critic Joel Siegel. 

BFCA members voted on films that were released in 2011 for Thursday's awards show. Last year, the ceremony served as a predictor of the Academy Award nominations as well as winners, with all four of the acting category winners - Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo - accepting awards at the Critics' Choice as well as at the Oscars.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57358289-10391698/critics-choice-movie-awards-the-help-takes-an-early-lead/

Tom Hiddleston up for Rising Star gong

 

(UKPA) – 10 hours ago

War Horse's Tom Hiddleston and The IT Crowd's Chris O'Dowd have been shortlisted for this year's Rising Star award at the film Baftas.

The prize, which goes to a relatively new face who is tipped for the top, has previously been won by Tom Hardy and Twilight's Kristen Stewart.

Also on the all-male shortlist are Adam Deacon, Eddie Redmayne and Chris Hemsworth.

Tom has also appeared in films such as The Deep Blue Sea and Thor in recent months.

Chris is known for his role in the Channel 4 sitcom, but has also branched out into movies such as Gulliver's Travels and Bridesmaids, as well as Judd Apatow's forthcoming This Is 40.

The shortlist for the The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award was drawn up by filmgoers from a jury selection. Members of the public will vote for the winner which will be announced at the Baftas on February 12.

Eddie's work includes My Week With Marilyn and the soon-to-be-screened BBC adaptation of Birdsong, while Adam became known for roles in films such as Kidulthood and Adulthood before co-writing, directing and starring in Anuvahood. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth took the title role in Thor and will play Formula One legend James Hunt in Rush.

Tom said of his nomination: "It's absolutely amazing to be up for it. The list is an incredible group of young actors, most of whom are already stars - they're not rising, they're burning brightly in the firmament."

Eddie confessed he found awards ceremonies daunting.

"I've presented awards once or twice, which is my worst nightmare. Actors were not built to read autocues... It's terrifying because you're at a theatre in front of Hollywood, girls fall over dresses, skirts unravel, we slip on our new borrowed shoes, the whole thing can be a bit of a disaster."


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jt0tE2WqjPaRWbTCzyMf4I0FUC0Q?docId=N0917581326280340109A

Eddie Redmayne and Chris O'Dowd to go head to head for Orange Rising Star Award at Baftas (Daily Mail)

By Andrea Magrath
Last updated at 1:32 PM on 11th January 2012


My Week With Marilyn star Eddie Redmayne and Bridesmaid's Chris O'Dowd are among the new faces to be shortlisted for this year's Rising Star award at the film Baftas.

The actors, who have both made waves in the industry this year with standout performances, are going up against War Horse star Tom Hiddlseton, his Thor co-star Chris Hemsworth and Kidulthood's Adam Deacon.

The prize, which goes to a relatively new face who is tipped for the top, has previously been won by Tom Hardy, James McAvoy and Twilight's Kristen Stewart.

Soaring stars: Eddie Redmayne (left) and Chris O'Dowd are among the nominees for the Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award at the upcoming Baftas

Buzz: Redmayne's starring role in My Week With Marilyn is attracting plenty of attention as awards season kicks off

Recently-engaged O'Dowd, 32, is known for his role in the Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd, but has attracted international attention thanks to his roles as loveable cop Officer Nathan Rhodes in last year's smash-hit Bridesmaids and goofy General Edward in Gulliver's Travels.

He has collaborated again with the Bridemaids team (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Jon Hamm) in Friends With Kids, which premiered at this year’s International Toronto Film Festival.

O'Dowd will next be seen in This Is 40 opposite Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, and the new HBO series Girls.

Eddie Redmayne, 30, has been on the radar for some time now, scooping the Tony and Laurence Olivier Awards in 2010 for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his performance in Michael Grandage’s critically acclaimed theatrical production Red.

Loveable: Chris O'Dowd rose to prominence on The IT Crowd but won international acclaim for his role in last year's smash-hit Bridesmaids

Brit power: Tom Hiddleston (right) is currently making waves in War Horse

He played the protagonist Colin Clarke in My Week With Marilyn opposite Michelle Williams, for which he has been longlisted for the Best Actor Bafta.

Eddie's My Week With Marilyn co-star Emma Watson sent her well-wishes to him over Twitter today, writing: 'Huge congratulations to Eddie Redmayne on his @BAFTA Rising Star nomination! X'
The actor has also set pulses racing starring in the cheeky new Burberry campaign.
Tom Hiddleston, 30, broke onto the big screen earlier this year in Kenneth Branagh's Thor. Tom’s recent projects include Woody Allen’s film Midnight In Paris and The Deep Blue Sea opposite Rachel Weisz. This week he attended the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.

Hot competition: War Horse's Tom Hiddleston, Anuvahood's Adam Deacon and Thor's Chris Hemsworth are also nominated

Tom has recently finished filming The Avengers which is due for release in May 2012.

Hiddleston's Thor co-star Chris Hemsworth has also made the cut. The Australian actor, who made his name on Home and Away, became an overnight sensation as the title character in the Marvel Comics blockbuster.

He will reprise the tole of Thor in next year's The Avengers. Hemsworth, 28, is currently filming Snow White and The Huntsman alongside Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron.

He has also just signed on to play Formula One driver James Hunt in Ron Howard’s Rush.

Hollywood hunk: Australian actor Chris Hemsworth set pulses racing as superhero Thor

Kidulthood star Adam Deacon rounds out the list. The 28-year-old rose to fame in the Noel Clarke film, before reprising the role in the follow-up Adulthood and again working with Clarke in 4321.

Adam then went onto make his own mark on the film industry by co-writing, directing and starring in Brit comedy and box office success Anuvahood.

The shortlist for the The Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award was drawn up by filmgoers from a selection made by a jury which included Simon Pegg, Sienna Miller and Harry Potter director David Yates. Members of the public will vote for the winner which will be announced at the Baftas on February 12.

London talent: Adam Deacon is the star of Anuvahood (pictured), Kidulthood and 4321

Shortlist: (L-R) Eddie Redmayne, Adam Deacon and Tom Hiddleston were in London today for the announcement

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2085140/BAFTAS-2012-Orange-Rising-Star-Award-Eddie-Redmayne-Chris-ODowd-head-head.html#ixzz1jA2OZhGm

Were Bridesmaids' Oscar Chances Just Boosted—and Harry Potter's Sunk—by Producers Guild? (E OnLine)

Today 10:52 AM PST by Joal Ryan

Suzanne Hanover/Universal Studios

The Producers Guild nominations were announced today—and the Best Picture field for the Oscars just might have been set.

So, get ready to count in Bridesmaids.

Maybe.


The indisputable good news for Kristen Wiig's Bridesmaids is that it's one of 10 PGA nominees for film of the year.

Its competition is made up of George Clooney films and the other now-usual suspects: The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball and War Horse.

All but Dragon Tattoo, the closest thing to a mild surprise here, are up for the top awards at the Golden Globes.

Notably absent from the PGA Awards' field are some heavyweights that have made it a habit of being notably absent from the season's top races: Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio's J. Edgar; Terrence Malick and Brad Pitt's The Tree of Life; Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; and, Gary Oldman's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

And, no, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 didn't get nominated, either, so that's pretty much the end of that film's dream.

Last year, a PGA nomination just about guaranteed a berth at the Oscars, with nine of the 10 PGA films going on to compete for the top prize at the Kodak Theatre.

But here's the problem for Bridesmaids, which would now seem poised to finally bring honor to puke-accented, R-rated comedies: The Oscars may not nominate 10 films this year.

There's always something, isn't there?

Elsewhere, the critically trashed Cars 2 will compete for top toon honors against The Adventures of Tintin, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rango.

Mildred Pierce and The Kennedys are up for the TV-movie/miniseries prize opposite Cinema Verite, Downton Abbey and Too Big to Fail.

The PGA earlier announced its slate of TV series nominees.

The 23rd Annual Producers Guild of America Awards are set to be presented Jan. 21.

PHOTOS: 2012 Oscars Cheat Sheet!

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