Natasha lyonne

While the search goes on for the next 007, Liam Neeson has revealed that the role of James Bond was once his for the taking – except his partner had other ideas. Following the success of Schindler’s List in which he played the title role, Neeson’s star was high in the early 1990s, and the James Bond people came calling. Neeson told The Times of London that he had expressed his strong interest in the role, until his then girlfriend, actress Natasha Richardson, intervened, wary of what Neeson called the “gorgeous girls in various countries getting in and out of [Bond’s] bed.” The actor revealed Richardson had told him she wouldn’t marry him if he took the role, and so he turned it down – leaving the licence to kill free for Pierce Brosnan to collect. Instead, Neeson and Richardson did get married in 1994 and had two sons before the actress’s death following a skiing accident in 2009. Neeson’s career has contained more than his fair share of high-octane action … [Read more...] about Liam Neeson Reveals Why He Turned Down The Role Of James Bond Before It Went To Pierce Brosnan

Hundreds of WGA East members who work for Hearst Magazines Media are planning to stage a walkout Thursday to demand a fair contract. The half-day action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET and will last the remainder of the day. “ WGA East members at Hearst have been bargaining a first contract for over two years and their last scheduled day of negotiations is March 28,” the guild said. “With only one bargaining session left, the Hearst Union is taking collective action with a unit-wide walkout in their fight for a fair first contract.” Rallies in support of the walkout will be held at four locations: outside the Hearst Tower in Manhattan; at the Hearst offices in Easton, PA; at the Hearst offices in Ann Arbor, MI; and the Hearst offices in Birmingham, AL. The guild represents some 500 of the publishing giant’s editorial, video, design and photo staff at more than 25 brands including Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, … [Read more...] about WGA East Sets Walkout At Hearst Magazines For Thursday; Hundreds Sign Petition

Jeffrey Vandergrift , a longtime and beloved San Francisco radio host and disc jockey known as DJ JV , has been confirmed dead after going missing last month. A body found yesterday in San Francisco Bay near Pier 39 has been identified by the medical examiner as the 55-year-old Vandergrift. Police do not suspect foul play. A statement released by radio station Wild 94.9 today reads, “With a heavy heart, we must confirm that the body found near Pier 39 on Wednesday afternoon has been identified as our dear friend, family member & colleague, JV. We are devastated to know that JV is gone. Please keep his wife Natasha, his family, and close friends in your thoughts and prayers.” Since Vandergrift was last seen alive on Feb. 23, the search for him captivated San Franciscans, especially the fanbase he built over a three-decade radio career. Earlier this month, his wife Natasha Vandergrift tweeted a statement expressing gratitude to i-HeartRadio and its listeners while … [Read more...] about Body In San Francisco Bay Identified As Longtime Radio Disc Jockey Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift

In a Broadway season that might be remembered for a lovely, pared-down minimalism – the intriguing starkness of A Doll’s House with Jessica Chastain, the less-is-more near-concert-style presentations of Into the Woods and Parade – director Thomas Kail’s Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will stand out for, among many other attributes, its full-on, unabashed ambition. A prodigious theatrical event that aims for greatness and achieves it, this revival of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler masterpiece is not to be missed. With Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford leading a flawless, 25-member cast that also includes Stranger Things ‘ Gaten Matarazzo (given one of the scores most beautiful songs in “Not While I’m Around,” and nailing it), the revival, opening tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, makes the case that Sweeney just might be Sondheim’s greatest work (at least until the next production of Sunday in the Park comes along). A … [Read more...] about ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ Broadway Review: Josh Groban & Annaleigh Ashford Triumph In Sondheim Masterpiece