Nashville: Chatting with Sam Jaeger and Sarah Hagan

I'm back in NYC, yo. So let's wrap up Nashville coverage with some odds and ends, starting with two familiar television actors who had movies in the festival, Sarah Hagan and Sam Jaeger.

Sam Jaeger, you may recognize as "Joel" from Parenthood or series regular stints on short-lived series like Eli Stone and Girls Club. We spoke in the late afternoon on a day when the VIP tent was strangely empty. Without competition for attention (his world premiere was the next evening and he'd just arrived) I yanked him my way, verbally. He was super amiable, funny and made no attempt to escape the conversation. (Ha! See, I always wonder if actors dread the constant need to be "on" while they talk to press, fans, or industry types.) We talked about his directorial feature debut Take Me Home, which is about a down on his luck photographer who ends up on an emotional roadtrip with a stranger in his part time gig as a cab driver. I revealed my surprise to him that when I got to the end of the screener I was surprised to see his name everywhere: writing, directing, producing in addition to acting. (The best thing about festivals for me is seeing films without any buzz, hype or information clouding the experience.) He had a self-deprecating sense of humor and revealed that he figured no one else would star in it with the amount of money he was planning on paying the lead. Heh.

From there we talked about Parenthood and I told him about my skeptical initial reaction to his character: 'oh i know exactly where this is going. TV is so conservative and the stay-at-home dad always morphs into a cheating villain' (see Brothers and Sisters for a recent cliche example). To my great surprise his character didn't turn out like that at all. He was not suddenly a "recurring" character instead of a regular. He laughed...

I'm glad they didn't fire me, too!

Parenthood is still awaiting word on renewal for its third season but he says he's feeling confident that they're getting picked up. If you watch Parenthood, you should read this piece at Vulture about what it does right and a few areas where it needs more work. I rarely agree so whole heartedly with an indepth analysis such as that. (Though I fear any attempt to "complicate" the Joel & Julia characters would result in some clichéd cheating that I have no interest in seeing as a plot development.)

Sarah Hagen I didn't recognize quite as immediately. But when she walked past me I did one of those 'I know this person' double takes. It took me a few seconds before I was like "Slayerette! Millie!" Though she's always a welcome small screen presence she is one of those actors who looks quite different offscreen, more traditionally glamorous and pretty than she ever is in onscreen since she's often playing "geeks" (hence: Freaks and Geeks).

Sarah Hagan in (fromt left to right): Buffy, Freaks & Geeks, and Jess+Moss

After we chatted briefly she walked me over to meet her director Clay Jeter, who is originally from Tennessee (hence the "Spirit of Tennessee" award announced yesterday). I congratulated him on Jess+Moss's recent festival win (Dallas) and asked if they'd found distribution yet. They hadn't but the awards notice and reviews had them feeling positive about a pickup. Her director wanted to know how I'd recognized her. I told him Buffy the Vampire Slayer and he said that's the number two response but he hears Freaks and Geeks most often. That was the clincher, I tell him, a one-two punch. And only two of the best television series of all time, lucky girl! Hagan, who turns 27 next month, plays Jess, a recent high school graduate in a memory piece film about a shared summer with her cousin Moss (Austin Vickers).  I asked her if she's eager to move on from the mental association we have of her as a highschooler. "Play young as long as you can, right?" she says with a smile and shrug and I guess that's true for actors of all ages. Unfortunately I was unable to fit a screening in before I had to catch my plane back so Jess+Moss remains unseen... for now. But it certainly looks intriguing in stills and was apparently shot on degraded film stock.

Link People

Towleroad a few words about what's out in theaters and about Black Swan's midnight movie plans.
AV Club Chloe Moretz to play La Pfeiffer's daughter in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows..
Movie|Line interviews Barbara Hershey on Black Swan and her new role in Insidious. She also name checks some of her best work. Yay, Hershey.
The Awl a "write in" campaign for a particularly stone faced Best Villain performance at the MTV Movie Awards

My New Plaid Pants "ways not to die" visits Psycho's staircase. Yes, it's been a Psycho heavy week. I blame Manuel Muñoz.
Self Styled Siren one more Elizabeth Taylor tribute but it's wonderful. The Siren always is.
Cinema Blend All Superman movies are coming out in a dvd box set. My fav is #2 of course.

Kneel before General Zod!

Tom Shone reviews Mildred Pierce in full. I didn't finish the article though it was quite good because we're only halfway through but he has interesting things to say on Wood vs. Winslet, with Wood triumphant.
The Fug Girls think this is the best that Liv Tyler has ever looked? What's going on with Liv anyway? Few movie moments of the past decade thrilled me more than her "If you want him, come and claim him" Fellowship of the Ring bit.

Finally, I must thank the fab Lipp Sisters of Basket of Kisses for always keeping us up-to-date on Mad Men news. They are wonderful ladies and good bloggers which is a combo I quite like, don'cha know. A deal has been reached for AMC's flagship show. You can read the details and lots of daily conversations about Mad Men at their fansite. But the nuts and bolts of it is that we get at least two more seasons of the show (it will end with either season six or seven) but we have to wait for March 2012 for Season Five to begin. It'll be so weird not to have Mad Men to fill the space inbetween Oscar seasons.

Gotta Link!

blogging rhythm's got me. everybody link ♪ ♫

BIG SCREEN
MUBI Farley Granger gorgeous star of Rope and Strangers on a Train has died at 85. RIP
Cinema Blend Our friend Katey is vlogging from Cinema Con in Vegas.
Antagony & Ecstacy has an amusing April movie preview.
IndieWire limits it to 8 limited release films that you must see.

SMALL SCREEN
Basket of Kisses is in tight with Matthew Weiner of Mad Men creation fame. I know because I went to a viewing party they threw in which he showed up! He spoke to them about what's going on with the show in light of all the negotiations and the dread news that we won't get the show again until 2012.
Basket of Kisses and here's some dire speculation about the cast cutting. Seriously, how on earth would they cut some of the headliners and still have the show?
The Daily Blam looks like they've already adjusted Wonder Woman's costume (previously discussed) to get rid of that vinyl shine on the pants.
A Socialite's Life Shangela from RuPaul's Drag Race got cast in a pilot for a hairdressing show starring Don Johnson. Kind of funny if you stop to think about it since Shangela was the one queen who couldn't style a wig for shit.
Pajiba lists the worst TV theme songs currently on the air.

How on earth do you cut this cast way down? They make the show!

OFF SCREEN
La Daily Musto Can this be true? Scissor Sisters asked to tone down their sparkle when opening for Lady Gaga. Boo! Never tell that awesome band to tone it down.
Cheyenne Jackson in the dentists chair. Hee. Truly nothing is private anymore. (thx)

"in your satin tights, fighting for your rights... ♪ "

She makes a hawk a dove, stops a war with love, makes a liar tell the truth. She's a wonder, wonder woman.

Yes, it's the first official photo of 27 year old Adrianne Palicki (Tyra from Friday Night Lights) as the new Wonder Woman. I'm not sure what the rights issues are for this Big Three DC character but they've been rejecting movie concepts forever, whilst the the DoubleW watches Supes and Batman get multiple big screen reboots. So why not TV again for the Amazon? THR has some extremely vague details on the show. Cary Elwes will play the CEO of the company Diana owns and Elizabeth Hurley a rival CEO and thus, we assume, the Big Bad. David E. Kelley, aka Mr M. Pfeiffer, aka TV's favorite legal dramedy hit-and-miss machine is the man flying this particular invisible plane. Invisible for now that is...

And maybe forever. You never know with TV shows. Movies don't have "pilot season" in which entire crews and casts and production happens before studios decide whether or not to give the property a go. They'll do their pilot and NBC will take a looksee at this (and all the other pilots) and in May they'll order some of them to series. So if they say yes, we'll see it. TV is so volatile. Movie studios have to order basically the same amount of stuff every year. TV does too but whether or not it's new stuff is a different equation. All of the new pilots will only be competing for the open slots after all so they're all undoubtedly hoping for several series to be cancelled so that there are more slots to fill.

But for now we have the new costume to ogle. I know people are going to hate it but I think it's okay. It's not like Wonder Woman can be uncheesy. Her costume requires tiara, lassos, bracelets, and multiple colors so it's always gonna be busy. It also requires patriotism which is the final straw; ever noticed how silly people look when wearing their national flags? So for what it needs to be, I kinda like it. But I'm not trying to make your opinion for you. Do you?

Here's all the spins from the original "Wonder Woman"s second season with Lynda Carter.

 If the new Wonder Woman doesn't spin, I'm out. That's always the best part.

NBC is promising that this is a serious and non campy take on WW, but I'm hoping that Kelley manages to shove in a few musical numbers because that's always endeared me to him. The best part of Ally McBeal was that he found a way to gave every cast member the opportunity to belt their little lungs out at least once.

linker like me

Did you see last night's Glee "Original Song"? I always feel so melancholy at Regionals episodes because I know that means no Glee for awhile. For a show I often actively dislike on account of lazy writing, wasted opportunities and ridiculously unnecessary pandering (People loved the show before it started pandering to them! Why bend over backwards to worry about what people might like now?), sometimes the show makes it really hard for me to pretend that I don't just love it, warts and all. So many highlights in this one, from Brittany's always dependable split second deadpan "favorite song: my headband" to a rare Mercedes showcase "Hell to the No" to a gay kiss played emphatically and without apology, to the return of undergirding themes (Rachel's future completely obvious stardom versus small town limitations) to that killer joyous finale "Loser Like Me" in which the kids learn the age old oppressed minority trick of turning insults into empowering F-you pride. Anyway, loved it. I still wish that show I loved last year about small town Broadway geeks trying to find their voices would come back but the new now old Glee is still great cathartic fun when it remembers to be.

Gold Derby on Mark Wahlberg's dreams of The Fighter Mickey Ward 2. Some sound-Oscar-reasoning from Wahlberg's Fighter alter ego Mickey Ward.
Awards Daily Natural Selection (feature) and Dragonslayer (documentary) win jury hearts at SXSW
Just Jared Seann William Scott taking care of personal and health matters in treatment. Best wishes. I think he's adorable even if he has way too many consonants in his name.
Movie|Line Ewwwww. They're rebooting Daredevil now?
Playbill Kathleen Turner (nearly back on Broadway in High) will be interviewed in the Times Talk series in May. Tickets available.
Movie|Line bizarre lengthy Tarzan audition tape
Gordon and the Whale Hey, if Alessadro Nivola gets Michael Fassbender's cast offs, maybe Fassbender should say no a little more often? I love them both but Nivola has been way too neglected and I don't want Fassy to burn out.

Beatrice Dalle and Jean-Hugues Anglade in BETTY BLUE

Acidemic "Beatrice Dalle My What Big Teeth You Have." Beatrice is on my mind as I just watched this newish french flick Domain where she is typically vivid and dangerous feeling, even while simply strolling through a park or ordering a glass of wine.  Have you ever seen Betty Blue? Still one of the craziest movies ever to snag a Best Foreign Film Oscar nom.
Towleroad Remember that story about Jake Gyllenhaal being photographed in a men's room at SXSW. It's been animated. (The transformation into Jack Twist is a funny touch.)
Serious Film revisits Viggo Mortensen's Oscar worthy work in A History of Violence.