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This week the "The Mouse House" (ABC/Disney) is all about the red and the blue.From news pertaining to studio heads, actors, producers, and writers, find out what sorts of waves Penn alumni are making this week!
Showing posts with label 1996. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1996. Show all posts
DT's B&P: 6 Reasons Why ABC Is Really Loving On Penn Alumni This Week
Friday, September 25, 2009This week the "The Mouse House" (ABC/Disney) is all about the red and the blue.From news pertaining to studio heads, actors, producers, and writers, find out what sorts of waves Penn alumni are making this week!
This Musician Wrote the Jingle for ABC's "Modern Family" (VIDEO)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
If you didn't fastforward through the credits, you would have seen that the show's composer is a Penn alum (and DT favorite!)
Find out who!
DT's B&P: They're ALL Hollywood Producers To Watch
Friday, September 11, 2009
Some exciting entertainment tidbits from our alumni film producers...
Mike Karz (C'89, W'89)'s Sorority Row (as reported HERE on DT ) debuts today.The film is about "A group of sorority sisters try to cover up the death of their house-sister after a prank gone wrong, only to be stalked by a serial killer."
Past posts about Mike's film projects here
More of my Penn "Film Producer" posts here
Adding to our "Alumni on Important Lists" series, husband and wife team, Elizabeth Banks (C'96) and Max Handelman (C'95, AEPi) are now 2 of Variety's "Top 10 Producers To Watch".More Here!
More of Liz's busy actress life HERE
Check back in weeks to come! I have a ton of developing stories from Penn alumni film producers!
The Remaining 21 Videos of Advice From our Hollywood Penn Panel
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
(l to r): Lew Schneider (C'83), event producer Reg Tigerman (C'07), Zach Lutsky (C'97),
Sherri Cooper Landsman (C'94) and Jason Resnick (C'92)
Back in February, I posted a whole bunch of videos from our LA Penn in Pictures 2008 panel including Jason Resnick (C'92) (Universal acquisitions), Sherri Cooper Landsman (C'94) (Brothers and Sisters Writer), Zach Lutsky (C'97) (ER Medical Consultant) and moderator Lew Schneider (C'83)(Everybody Loves Raymond, New Adventures of Old Christine).
In that series, I posted about 4 videos from the Q&A session with the audience and the panel.
...However, I never got around to posting the remaining 21 videos from that QA that I'm sure you're all find very interesting.
Continue reading to (finally) watch the remaining videos and a quick guide to all the videos in the series...
The remaining Q&A videos:
- QA5 - Who has gone on from a Penn performing group to the entertainment business? (Lew)
- QA6 - What's the best way to break into scripted television? (Sherri)
- QA7 - What is the reality behind the stories on medical dramas? (Zach)
- QA8 - What do you look for when selecting a film for distribution? (Jason)
- QA9 - What is the state of documentaries? (Jason)
- QA10 - Can you put me in touch with actresses on your show? (Sherri, Lew, Zach)
- QA11 - Why are distribution costs so high? (Jason)
- QA12 - How do you choose the actors for their roles? (Sherri)
- QA13 - Are you developing any pilots right now? (Sherri)
- QA14 - Do you pay attention to production design when choosing a film? (Jason)
- QA15 - How did you get your first game show hosting job? (Lew)
- QA16 - Will the studios go back to making musicals? (Jason)
- QA17 - Were there any moments at Penn that led you to your career now? (All)
- QA18 - What is the future for multicamera comedies? (Lew)
- QA19 - What do you think of content being redistributed online? (Lew, Sherri)
- QA20 - What was the inspiration behind Everybody Loves Raymond? (Lew)
- QA21 - Would the writers be behind a new online distribution plan? (Lew)
- QA22 - Do you expect a SAG strike? (Sherri, Lew)
- QA23 - Do you notice trends in film? (Jason)
- QA24 - If you had to do it all over, what would you do differently? (All)
- QA25 - Is there a future for art house films? (Jason)
- Lew Schneider speaks
- Sherri Cooper Landsman (1/2)
- Sherri Cooper Landsman (2/2)
- Zach Lustky (1/2)
- Zach Lustky (2/2)
- Jason Resnick (1/2)
- Jason Resnick (2/2)
- QA1 - Can someone give me a job? (All)
- QA2 - What makes a good pitch? (All)
- QA3 - Why was your spec script successful? (Sherri)
- QA4 - Where does Sherri get ideas for stories? (Sherri)
A special thanks to editor David Chalfin (C'96), a fantastic editor living in Los Angeles who recorded and edited all the Penn in Pictures videos. Check out his reel here!
Photos from past Penn in Pictures events HERE!
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You're Going to Love This Penn Alum Entrepreneur's Savory NYC Restaurant!
Monday, August 17, 2009
To kick things off for my Penn Foodies series, here's a great inspirational story about one Penn alum entrepreneur who went from the telecom world to tremendous success in the restaurant world.After working in the telecom world for a number of years (Centric Telecom, eLink Communications), Marc Glosserman (C'96, Sigma Chi) went on to earn his MBA from Columbia University where he won seed funding for his first restaurant venture, "Hill Country Barbecue Market", by the school’s Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Fund’s new business plan competition.
Not only is "Hill Country" considered a hot new restaurant in NYC (30 West 26th Street), but it has been given great reviews by the NY Times, NY Magazine and The Wall Street Journal to name a few.
And what makes his restaurant so unique? I'll give you a hint. You're going to need a lot of napkins!
Continue reading...
It's all about Texas barbeque at "Hill Country" ...and it stems from Marc's grandfather who was the mayor of Lockhart, Texas where his family dates back four generations.
Per Marc, as a child,
Tell me you're not salivating after watching that video above! Incidentally, the most popular item is the Brisket (Marc’s favorite is the Prime Rib!)."I looked forward to my Texas visits, where I indulged in all the local traditions, including eating smoked sausages and barbecue at the legendary Kreuz Market, drinking Big Red Soda, cooling off with Blue Bell Ice Cream, and enjoyed the sounds of Austin’s rock, blues and country music. Whether I was listening to my grandfather’s proud tales of growing up in the Lone Star State, or traveling with family and friends through Central Texas “Hill Country,” these are the memories that inspired me to open a New York City restaurant to honor the barbecue and live music capital of Texas."
"No other barbecue place that has opened in recent years has gotten it so right, right out of the gate. Hill Country is one of the finest new barbecue spots to open in New York in quite some time. The brisket is a thing of balance and beauty." -NY TimesAnd with the quote above, I don't think you can go wrong with whatever you order!
Check out his menu below! +/-
...And if you think you've seen the "Glosserman" name before on DT, you're right. Let's not forget about Marc's younger successful filmmaker brother Scott Glosserman (C'99, Sigma Chi, Friars)!
Get in touch with Marc: marc at hillcountryny.com Visit Hill Country and be sure to tell Marc you read about him on DT!
More posts about Penn entrepreneurs HERE
These 3 UPenn Alumni Release a Hot New Futuristic Trailer Starring Bruce Willis
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Move over Terminator, another high tech film is coming out this Fall and it looks really cool.
Last week I posted my review (and photo with Betty White!) of Todd Lieberman's (C'95, Mask and Wig, AEPi) The Proposal premiere. (Incidentally, it opened on Friday...go out and support Todd!)
Now Todd, as well as co-producers Max Handelman (C'95, AEPi) and Elizabeth Banks (C'96) have recently released a trailer for their hot new futuristic film The Surrogates. The story is as follows:
"FBI agents (Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell) investigate the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves - fit, good looking remotely controlled machines that ultimately assume their life roles - enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The murder spawns a quest for answers: In a world of masks, whos real and who can you trust?"
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Hanging Out with Todd Lieberman at His Very Engaging Hollywood Premiere of The Proposal
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Before I get to the actual Hollywood "scene" of this premiere, I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie and it feels good to know that a guy I call one of my best friends is glowing at the response of having a hit movie on his hands. The casting was right on the money with Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, and Betty White (plus a great scene stealer from "The Office"'s Oscar Nunez). Not only were there many funny scenes due to the pleasantly awkward tension between Bullock's and Reynolds' characters, but there was some great heart to the film as well. Definitely a great date movie.
Here's a good summary summary of the movie (per Yahoo Movies):
"When high-powered book editor Margaret faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew, who she's tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences."Now onto the afterparty...
Some highlights included catching up with other Penn alumni including Todd's wife Heather (Zeegen) Lieberman (C'94, SDT), and actress Elizabeth Banks (C'96) and her husband and film producer Max Handelman (C'95, AEPi).
And then I saw a bunch of celebs, but decided to approach only two. And before I tell you what I said, I fully acknowledge the awkwardness in my attempt at conversation with some of these celebrities, yet in the following 2 cases, I felt the need to approach them:
- I said hello to Jesse James and complimented him on how well he performed in this past season's "Celebrity Apprentice". He was very nice and thanked me. While his wife Sandra Bullock was right beside him in another conversation, I decided to save my "you were great in the movie" comment and walk away with my dignity.
- I had to say hello to "Golden Girl" Betty White. She was extremely nice and approachable and I thanked her for all the years of laughter she brought to me (I know this sounds really cheesy, but it was sincere). She was very gracious and agreed to take a picture with me.
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Elizabeth Banks Goes Batty With Jay Leno, Does Cannes & Seems to Be the "It" Girl with THESE Upcoming Films
Monday, May 25, 2009
From newly announced films, to her appearances on "Scrubs" this past season, I've got the latest Liz Banks (C'96) updates below
- She appeared on Leno (see video above) recently and talked bats with Russell Brand
- A stunning Liz walks down the red carpet in Cannes last week (see pic on right)
- Liz will be starring with James McAvoy, and Laura Linney in “The Details”. Per Variety, the story is about "a couple (McAvoy and Banks) who discover an infestation of raccoons in their back yard. Disagreements over how to deal with the animals lead to an escalating series of events." Shooting for the film began last week in Seattle.
- Liz will star in and produce the workplace comedy "Forever 21." (source)
- The Uninvited came out on DVD. Liz basically plays a wicked stepmother in this film.
- She will star in What Was I Thinking?, with actresses Leslie Mann. Per Reuters the film will explore the comic side of bad relationships. The film is based on the nonfiction book What Was I Thinking?: 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories and centers "around a woman who gets dumped during her engagement party. Her friends spring into action and whisk her away on a ski trip for healing and hedonism. Threading through their adventures on the trip are four flashbacks dealing in "worst ex-boyfriend" tales. Mann (who happens to be married to Apatow) would play a woman who dates a lot but never seems to have serious relationships, while Banks is a woman on the rebound."
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He Beatboxes In The Internet Symphony That Went Around The World (VIDEO)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
On this happy Cinco de Mayo day, I have a fun, music filled, Penn related, celebration treat for all of you...Did you catch the Youtube Symphony project that was going around the web a couple of weeks ago?
If you watch closely in the video above, at minute 4:07, you would have found Adam Matta (C'96, Mask and Wig) beatboxing the "brake drum and snare" parts in the Mashup Video.
Adam has gone international with his beatboxing recently:
- He headlined the Human Beatbox Convention in London, at the Southbank Centre.
- Was in Austria the same week, rehearsing with Nihan Devecioglu, who will be a guest artist at the show at BAM Cafe in June. More info about the BAM gig HERE
More Penn musician posts here
Click to see what other 1996 Penn grads are up to
Check out who is registered on DuelingTampons.com
His Nursery University ...And You Thought Getting Into Penn Was Hard
Friday, April 24, 2009
As I reported HERE the other week via exclusive videos, despite having good grades and extra curricular activities, there is still much anxiety associated with a prospect waiting to find out if he or she will get into Penn.
If you think this is bad, imagine what some parents need to do to get their child into ...nursery school!
Documentary filmmaker Marc Simon (C'96, SAM) has created a movie that many parents...especially in the NY and California regions will relate to. The film covers the (absurd!) process of getting their child into nursery school and what nursery school admissions is all about.
Per Marc (kneeling in picture below),
"From the moment parents learn they are "having a baby", they focus on providing a happy and healthy environment and the best opportunities for their kids. This includes planning for their children's education, and today, for moms and dads across this country, the pressures associated with schooling begin early - very early. Nursery University gets inside nursery school admissions -- a modern day cultural right of passage -- with sensitivity and a great sense of humor, inviting the audience behind the scenes to experience and learn from this stranger-than-fiction reality."
Nursery University Opens April 24th@ PHOENIX ADLABS IMAGINASIAN THEATRE
239 EAST 59TH STREET, NYC - BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD
Friday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Saturday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Sunday 11:30, 1:45, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15
Monday - Thursday 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
www.movietickets.com
**Q and A's after every screening with the film makers, families, heads of schools. and pre school experts.
Alumni with New Films, TV & Music + His Recurring Role on a Popular Soap Opera!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Some Hollywood bits and pieces from our Alumni this week:
- New sci-fi film being produced.
- New reality TV show debuting in May.
- New music featured on a TV show.
- New TV guest appearances on 2 popular shows (one tonight!).
Dig into the details HERE.
Reality honcho Mark Cronin (ENG'86), debuts his next VH1 reality show, "New York Goes to Work"
More details here
My past posts about Mark and all his reality shows here
Todd Lieberman (C'95) will produce the film (based on the book) Grandma's Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast. Per Variety, "The story revolves around a boy who goes to visit his hippie grandmother for the first time and discovers that her inn caters to vacationing aliens, a secret that she has been able to keep from her small town."
My past posts about Todd and his films here
Actor Roy Vongtama (C'96) will appear on tonight's "Dollhouse" (April 3) at 9 pm (playing a yoga instructor)!
Roy will also be recurring on "Days of Our Lives" starting April 21st and 22nd on NBC at 1pm as Doctor Richman! As you may recall from my earlier posts, Roy is actually a doctor in real life. How great is that!
My past posts about Roy here
Matt Kap's (C'97) band's (The Moving Picture Show) song "The Boy Who Lives Backwards" was featured this season in minute 10 of "The Real World: Brooklyn" episode above.
Listen to "The Boy Who Lives Backwards" here:
The story behind the song? Per Matt:
"The Boy Who Lives Backwards" basically came out of a regret. I was going to take some summer classes at NYU and met a girl the first day in the dorm through a friend. She'd had a bad day and her friend wasn't around so I decided to try and cheer her up. We had a really incredible night but I was so shy at the time and thought she had a boyfriend so I didn't ask her out. Years later I thought of that while singing a melody and began thinking about regrets we have in life - the person we didn't kiss, the bully on the playground we didn't stand up to, the clever comebacks that we wished we'd said in an argument and that's what the song is about. It also really reminds me of New York City in the fall which is my favorite time of year."Check out Matt's performance at our very own Pennfest 2007:
My past posts about Matt here
More about The Moving Picture Show
Past "DT Hollywood Bits and Pieces" posts here
Actress Elizabeth Banks Talks Trash And You're Going To Like It
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Check out the video above where "Mercy Corp will help with almost everything, except talking tabloid trash and boob jobs."
Other Penn actors here
She's the L'Oreal Deal: Elizabeth Banks Teams Up with Eva Longoria and Beyonce (VIDEOS)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Did you catch Elizabeth Banks (C'96) in her new L'Oreal Paris commercial during this past Sunday's The Celebrity Apprentice? She looked stunning!
Apparently there are other versions of the commercial in which Liz is alongside Eva Longoria and Beyonce.
In the videos above, check out a portion of the commercial and some behind the scenes video
-what Beyonce has to say about working with Liz
-some behind the scenes shananigans of Liz and Eva Longoria looking at their headshots and talking about their "bad sides" (what bad sides, right?!)
-what it means for Liz to be a covergirl (besides 1 million dollars richer!)
-who Liz's beauty icons are
+More!
More of my past Liz Banks posts here
Get Liz's recently released films here:
Other Penn actors here
New to DT? 14 easy suggestions to get started!
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DT HB&P: His Big Job Change, Their New Films, Shows & Channel, She's a Broadway Doll
Friday, February 27, 2009
Some good Penn alumni Hollywood news in my roundup this week:
- Big Wig makes big job change
- Mogul announces new TV show
- Chairman debuts new channel
- TV and Film Producer with 2 new films in the work with big name attached
- Actress appears in Oscar nominated film and is now on Broadway
- Actress with new DVD out
Per Cynthia’s Cynopsis, after 19 years with the Sundance Film Festival (he’s been the Director most recently), Geoffrey Gilmore (C'74, Penn in Pictures 2002 panelist) just changed jobs and joined New York-based Tribeca Enterprises as CCO where "he will lead the company's international content strategy, development efforts and brand expansion. Geoffrey will also be a part of Tribeca's Board of Directors."More of my posts about Geoffrey here
Rich Ross (C’83, Penn in Pictures 2003 panelist) announces a new Disney channel for boys.
More of my posts about Rich here
Mark Cronin (ENG ’86) picks Ricki Lake as headmistress of the next installment of “Charm School 3”.
Mark's beginnings in showbiz
More posts about Mark's abundance of reality shows here!
Mike Karz (C’89, W'89) will produce the film Valentine’s Day: “a love story which revolves around five relationships in Los Angeles, all of which are put through the paces over the course of one Valentine's Day.
Mike will also be producing the romantic comedy “Five Killers” starring Katherine Heigl. Per Screamingdemon, “Story kicks off when a woman meets the man of her dreams while on vacation. Married bliss is turned upside down when they discover that their neighbors may be assassins hired to kill them.”
Past posts about Mike's film projects here
More of my Penn "Film Producer" posts here
Kate Jennings Grant (C’92, Counterparts) plays Diane Sawyer in the Oscar Nominated film Frost/Nixon.
She is also now starring as Sarah Brown in the Guys and Dolls revival on Broadway with Lauren Graham.
Look for more about Kate on DT in the near future!
More of my Penn alumni actor posts here
Liz Banks' (C’96) W is now out on DVD
More of my scintillating Liz posts here
More of my Penn alumni actor posts here
Past Hollywood Bits and Pieces posts here
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