Category: General

You might remember Nicholas Hoult from the 2002 film, ‘About a Boy.’  Hoult played a bit of an outcast, and received a lot of praise for his performance.  At the time, Roger Ebert said that he liked that Holt isn’t “conventionally cute,” and every moment he has on screen is authentic.  Eight years later, I think it’s safe to say that Nicholas Hoult is now “conventionally cute.”   Since ‘About a Boy’, Hoult’s most known role is in the UK television show, ‘Skins’.  The main reason I chose him for this week’s post though, is because of his very touching performance in the 2005 film, ‘Wah-Wah.’  The film was written and directed by British actor Richard E. Grant, and it is loosely based on his own childhood in Swaziland, during the last days of the British Empire in Africa in the 1960’s.  The story is secondary to the characters, so keeping the audience engaged was a formidable task that Hoult easily lived up to.  I’m surprised that it didn’t garner more attention, but perhaps the limited release had something to do with it.  I realize he’s only 20, so it’s slightly odd to call him “underrated” at such a young age.  But with those great credits on his resume so far, I think it’s fitting.

Jason Segel joins the long line of actors that like to bite the hand that feeds them.  In an interview with GQ, Segel (best known as that guy with the big schlong from ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’) expressed his frustration with being tied to ‘How I Met Your Mother’ for eight seasons, saying that “playing one character for eight years isn’t what [he’s] trying to do.”  He also said that the cheesy writing doesn’t help.  I’m not sure why television actors have such disdain for the projects that make them famous.  Furthermore, actors don’t sign eight year contracts when they join a show.  That means that Segel re-signed his contract at some point in the game, and though he might regret it, he has only himself to blame.  But shouldn’t he be happy that he has a consistent, high-paying gig?  Wait till the offers dry up.

The New York Post has had a lot of fun launching grenades at Elliot Spitzer, and the news of his CNN gig is no exception. Though there is no outright name-calling, just take some time to read between the lines. They often refer to Spitzer as a “disgraced” former Governor, along with a needless explanation about his liason with a hooker/Ashley Dupre. Here’s my issue: aren’t you the same guys that hired Ashley Dupre to write your sex column? The Post presumably hired Dupre to write ‘Ask Ashley’, because Rupert Murdoch allegedly hates Spitzer, and likely thought that keeping Dupre in the public’s consciousness would prevent him from ever running for office again. While that’s pretty crafty on Murdoch’s part, you’re both paying Dupre for services rendered.  That’s not to say that the Post has a problem with hypocrisy. I’ve attached two example articles below, and I’ve labeled them “exhibits” so that I can at least get some use out of this whole being-a-lawyer thing. Sigh . . .

Exhibit A
Exhibit B

TV Guide revealed that Seth Rogen was initially considered for the role of Turtle on Entourage.  This news is so fascinating because of the contentious relationship Rogen has with the show.  You might remember an Entourage episode where Turtle referred to Seth Rogen’s ugliness as “oddly fascinating.”  Rogen wasn’t pleased with the mention, and subsequently called Executive Producer Doug Ellin, a “moron” and an “asshole.”   The TV Guide article drew my attention though, because it exposed that Seth Rogen is actually responsible for starting this feud in the first place.  It all began with a 2008 interview with GQ, when Rogen said that Entourage “isn’t funny,” which obviously angered Ellin enough to write an episode about Rogen’s “ugliness.”  I’m not sure why Rogen would feel the need to gratuitously insult a show he has nothing to do with.  I also don’t know why Rogen played the victim regarding this episode, given that he started it.  What happened to the good old days when men used to fist fight?  Do you think these guys cried to their mommies at some point during this “feud”?