Alan Ball draws blood and sociopolitical ire
Alan Ball is not one to shy away from difficult subject matter. He won an Oscar for his screenplay for "American Beauty," a story about suburban dysfunction and unrest, and...
All Stories
Cheadle says he’s where he wants to be
Like his "Ocean's" buddies -- George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt -- Don Cheadle is as socially conscious as Hollywood stars come. This is often evident in his work,...
‘Hamlet 2’ star goes for laughs any way he can
Film-goers might have seen Steve Coogan in "24 Hour Party People," "Tristram Shandy" or "Marie Antoinette." Kids might recognize him from his toy-size Roman general role in "Night at the...
Boys rule
Watch your back, Hannah Montana! The heir to your Disney-fied throne is taking over. Make that heirs. Whether they're playing live or rocking out as part of a Disney Channel...
Plastic bagged
It's an everyday conundrum, a question we're all asked once, twice, maybe several times a week: "Paper or plastic?" How about, "Neither, I've got my own"? What was once the...
‘Thunder’ road
Jack Black isn't a man who's afraid to appear on screen in his underpants. But strapped to a water buffalo? "I dreaded doing it," he says, then imitating the animal...
From child’s play to ‘Clone’ directing gig
Dave Filoni was 3 years old when the first "Star Wars" film came out in 1977. Today, he's the supervising director on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," both the animated...
Welcome to the jungle
Ben Stiller's "Tropic Thunder" examines what happens when a group of self-absorbed Hollywood A-listers go deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia to heighten the realism of the war movie...
Days of ‘Thunder’
Tom Cruise does a cameo in "Tropic Thunder" as a bald, profane and very angry studio executive. It is said to have been inspired by his dealings with Sumner Redstone,...
Higher learning
"Pineapple Express" stars James Franco and Seth Rogen both began their acting careers on the 1999 Paul Feig and Judd Apatow TV series "Freaks and Geeks." When the show was...