Styles & Scenes

Will "Sunshine" heat warm up Oscar voters?

Isn’t it a tad early to be talking about a summer sleeper that could get Oscar attention in 2007?

Nope.

Insiders are already buzzing about possible Oscar nods for “Little Miss Sunshine” and its all-star comedic cast: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell and Alan Arkin, and fresh faces Paul Dano and Abigail Breslin.

The film, which got audience raves at the recent Los Angeles Film Festival, opens July 26. And many predict that “Sunshine” will duplicate surprise summer sleepers such as “The Full Monty" and “The Sixth Sense," both small movies that did big box office and got major Oscar nods.

In 1998, “Monty” won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Music or Comedy Score and was nominated for three more little gold men, including Best Picture.

“Sense” got six nods in 2000, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment) and Best Supporting Actress, none other than “Sunshine” star Toni Collette.

“Sunshine” could definitely follow that path. The quirky black comedy about a dysfunctional family’s road trip to fulfill a little girl’s dream has a fairy tale back story. Five years in the making, it was snapped up at Sundance by Fox Searchlight for a whopping $10.5 million, making it the most expensive movie ever sold at the fest.

Searchlight President Peter Rice explained to the trades why they wanted co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' "Sunshine" so badly: "The film got a rapturous response (at Sundance). People broke into applause during the movie, and people were crying and laughing. For first-time directors, the film is made with such an assured hand."

Collette, who knows first hand about sleeper success, did her part to get Oscar buzz going for "Sunshine" this week by making a stop at the Australians in Film screening at the Harmony Gold Theatre.

“I love this movie! Thank you so much for coming to see it,” the Aussie told the packed house, including actresses Peta Wilson and Sean Young, New Line’s “Snakes on a Plane” producer George Woud, “Kinky Boots” actor Joel Edgerton and his brother Nash, “Wolf Creek” director Greg McLean and some top casting folks such as Deborah Aquila (“The Shawshank Redemption”).

Reactions at the post-reception were two thumbs up. Sometimes four. "I could already see this movie a second time," admitted one AIF member.  Another one asked, "Can they rewind it and show it again tonight?"

The Australians in Film group has some pretty impressive ambassadors such as Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, Baz Luhrmann, Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe.

But it also boasts scads of lesser known members who are voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (think Oscars), the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (think Golden Globes), BAFTA/LA, and the Directors, Screen Actors and Writers Guilds.

Come time to fill out awards ballots, don't think voters won't recall Collette making time to stop by the AIF Monday night "Sunshine" screening before racing to an important dinner meeting. Voters also won't ignore that the "Sunshine" directors, Kinnear, Arkin, Dano and little Abby Breslin all posed with their yellow VW van at the Los Angeles Film Fest's closing night premiere. 

Photo Credits: The directors and cast of "Little Miss Sunshine" take their act on the road and pull into the Los Angeles Film Festival on July 2, 2006
WireImage/Jordin Althaus

Photo Credits: Toni Collette - seen here at the February "In Her Shoes" DVD launch and charity shoe auction - introduced "Sunshine" at the AIF screening/reception on July 17.
WireImage/Gaye Gerard

Los Angeles Film Fest goes to the dogs

It was Funny Boy’s night out at Sunday’s premiere of "Little Miss Sunshine," the closing night film of the wildly successful 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival.

“Sunshine”’ stars Alan Arkin, Steve Carell and Greg Kinnear hit the red carpet at the Wadsworth Theatre to  support their quirky comedy; a story about chasing your dreams in a win-or-die society and the important life lesson of losing.

Former child star Haley Joel Osment was also on hand. As was a pig-tailed Zooey Deschanel, Christina Applegate, Lisa Edelstein, Adam Arkin, Alan’s son, and Film Independent’s always stylish Dawn Hudson.

But the real star of the night was Abigail Breslin, who plays Olive, the little girl obsessed with winning the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.

Abby, who turns 10 in September, has already appeared in TV shows such as “Hack” and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” as well as M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs.”

She’ll also star with Catherine Zeta-Jones (she plays her niece) in an Untitled Scott Hicks project, currently filming in Brooklyn and Greenwich Village in New York City.

Move over, Dakota Fanning - there's a new kid on the block!

Guests couldn’t help noticing that Abigail, a very little girl, was toting a very large purse. Given her small size, it looked more like carry-on luggage. Hmm. A pooch pouch, perhaps? No one was at all surprised when Abby produced an adorable cream-colored flop-earred fluffball that she clutched tightly and carried down the carpet.

She wasn’t sure if her little mixed breed puppy was a malti-poo, a cocka-poo, a setter-poo or a bichon-poo. Whatever he is, he sure did steal the show.

Miss Abby has been seen lugging her little fur ball all over town. Some folks say she's even been spotted at the Body and Soul Gym in West Hollywood whenever her mom is working out and/or spinning there.

Oh, the insidious impact of Paris Hilton’s penchant for pocket pooches.

Photo Credits: Abigail Breslin's hot date to the LAFF premiere of  "Little Miss Sunshine?" Her adorable puppy!
WireImage/ John Shearer

Charlize gets laughs at LAFF

As a young girl, Oscar-winner Charlize Theron wanted to be a dancer, not an actor.

But at the Film Independent/Los Angeles Film Festival's "Spirit of Independence Award" dinner, she didn’t dance around why she ditched her ballet slippers for a Hollywood film career.

“I think I loved to dance because it was telling stories without speaking. I wasn’t the best dancer and I would never have made a good ballerina because I was too tall. But if you put me on a stage and told me I was a dying swan, I f-----ing died!”

Theron definitely didn’t die during her conversation with NPR’s Elvis Mitchell at the lavish poolside dinner at the W Hotel in Westwood Wednesday. But she was so funny, she should probably do more comedy.

After a montage of clips from her past films – “North Country,” “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,”  “Aeon Flux,” “Monster” and “Cider House Rules,” the  chameleon-like actress marveled, “Wow. That was amazing! You tend to forget so much about your films. And boy, I went to the hairdresser a lot.”

Theron, wearing tousled hair, a very sexy slit-sleeved gown and a huge gold necklace, spoke of her admiration for Tom Hanks (“If he ever wants to do a remake of “Splash,” I’m in!”) and why she improvised cigarette-rolling in “Cider House Rules.”  “I was supposed to be this worldly, intimidating woman and rolling my own cigarette conveyed that.”

She also explained why “Monster” writer/director Patty Jensen forced her to do endless takes of a scene in which her character, convicted serial killer/prostitute Aileen Wuornos, shoots a man in the back.

“It was the longest day of shooting and we had one more scene to do. And it was the toughest. I told Patti when we first met, if I was gonna do this, she had to kick my ass. And she did. Instead of letting me go home and do that last scene the next morning, she made me do seven more takes and I’m so grateful for that.”

As well she should be. After all, the film won her an Oscar.

But the comedy continued.....

Photo Credits: Charlize Theron poses doggy-style with the Target pooch at the Spirit of Independence Awards at the W Hotel.
WireImage/Jim DeGuire

LAFF's first fabulous weekend

Whew. Some highlights from the Los Angeles Film Fest’s first weekend:

Jason Alexander, Donald (You’re Fired!) Trump, and Perry Reeves, who plays Ari Gold’s wife on HBO’s “Entourage,”  hung out at the “Ira and Abby” Los Angeles Film Festival’s premiere after-party at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica Friday night.

The man himself, Leonard Cohen, looking trim and healthy, showed up for the premiere of “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man” on Saturday June 24,  at the John Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. Also on hand, Robin Tunney, Lian Lunson, the film’s tall statuesque blonde director and Kevin Beggs, president of Lionsgate Television.

Fest honorary co-chair Allison Janney, Catherine Bell, Amy Smart, Peter Horton, Kelly Rutherford, Lisa and Dean Devlin, Frances Fisher and Summer Glau, best known for her role on the cult hit series, “Firefly,” kicked off LAFF’s June 24th Green Day festivities at the screening of “Who Killed the Electric Car” along with the entire cast and crew.

Former Vice President Al Gore and former Second Lady Tipper Gore, Dawn Hudson and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa attended the Los Angeles Film Festival’s biggest event yet, a special Green Day outdoor screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” Saturday at the California Plaza.

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora rocked out, and Truth’s director Davis Guggenheim spoke to the crowd of several thousand about the importance of taking environmental protection action. Like now.

Photo Credits: "Ira and Abby” screenwriter Jennifer Westfeldt with Jason Alexander from the film at the Viceroy Hotel.
WireImage/Arun Nevader

Photo Credits: Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen with director Lian Lunson at the LAFF screening of “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man.”
WireImage/John Sciulli

Photo Credits: Film Independent’s Dawn Hudson with Al and Tipper Gore at the screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” at the California Plaza.
WireImage/Amy Tierney

Fashion goes to the "Devil"

The big question at Thursday night’s LA premiere of "The Devil Wears Prada” was “Where’s Meryl Streep?"

Turns out the Oscar-winning actress - who plays the film’s formidable fashion editor - was at home celebrating her 57th birthday.

That made her "Devil" co-stars Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci the biggest celebs at the 12th annual Los Angeles Film Festival’s opening night in Westwood.

Except for Adrian Grenier, who plays Hathaway’s boyfriend in the film. If you’ve been keeping up with the ratings for HBO's "Entourage," Grenier may be the hottest actor in Hollywood. This week.

And there was also a brief but thrilling Nicole Richie moment. Wearing a demure white lace high-necked mini dress, Richie posed for the photographers but then turned and ran down the red carpet to avoid nosy reporters who wanted to ask who designed her dress. She trotted so fast on her peep toe black Jimmy Choos that she dropped her T-Mobile Sidekick in the process. No worries, her faithful assistant picked it up for her.

Since “Devil” is the story of an intern at a fash rag working for a spot-on facsimile of real-life “Vogue" editor Anna “Nuclear” Winter, the flap was mostly about, duh, fashion.

Grenier wore a dark Gucci suit, explaining, “I’m in pre-school when it comes to having fashion sense. I can’t even pronounce designer’s names.” Repeat after me, Goo-Chee.

Tucci was in his fave designer - Hugo Boss - and credited “Devil’ costumer Patricia Fields for helping him “find” his magazine art director character through the clothes she put him in. As you might imagine, it would be very hard to act like a fashion fop if you aren’t dressed like one.

The very sweet Hathaway – who plays the very sweet intern – was hard to miss in a taxi cab yellow Prada bubble dress, talking about how the film “increased my appreciation for fashion as a business.”  Oh dear. Someone needs to go to Sound Bite 101.

Even Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa looked pretty slick in a dark suit with a shiny peach tie. I tried to find out who designed it, but Mr. V said he had “no idea." Yeah, right. Frankly, I think he did know but didn't want to seem too, you know, metro.

The fest’s honorary co-chair Allison Janney wore a short sparkly black Heike Jarick dress that she bought five years ago at Jennifer Nicholson’s shop on Montana. And I was very  impressed that Janney’s publicist, Karen Samfilippo, was wearing cool Prada shoes and even carrying a Prada purse. She fessed up, “The bag was a gift and the shoes were on sale.” Well, I'm still impressed.

“Desperate Housewives”  Andrea Bowen admitted that while she enjoys getting designers clothes to wear for big events, “You don’t have to spend a lot of money to look good.” She really loves Urban Outfitters. Me too. No, really. I bought my 2006 Oscar dress there. Scoff if you will, but it was on sale for $129 and no one laughed at me. Or if they did, I didn’t hear them.

Oh, before I forget, Film Independent's exec director Dawn Hudson looked pretty hot in a black halter top and slacks.

But all Hudson wanted to talk about was the popularity and growth of the darn festival. And she was all hopped up about Saturday’s big Green Day activities starting with a 12:45 p.m. screening of “Who Killed the Electric Car” at the Landmark Regent and ending with a free screening of of “An Inconvenient Truth,” former Vice President Al Gore’s environmental film, at 8 p.m. at the California Plaza downtown. And of course, Al will be there.

Jeez, like the environment is more important than fashion.
   
Photo Credits: Anne Hathaway celebrates with her "Devil" boyfriend, Adrian Grenier at the LAFF opening night.
WireImage/Lester Cohen

Photo Credits. Nicole Richie, doing what she does best, posing at the LAFF opening night premiere of "The Devil Wears Prada."