Dear Hollywood: This is why more women need to be more films. Because sausage-party photo calls are SO BORING. These are pics of Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington at the Madrid photo call for their new film, Safe House. I saw the trailer recently, and I wasn’t very impressed – here it is:

It’s like they’re refiguring the Jason Bourne formula, right? And are we buying Ryan Reynolds as the reluctant action star? Are we buying Denzel as the badass super-spy? I don’t know. It just seems like a weird movie.

As for the photo call – Ryan looks good, I have to admit. He doesn’t look so gerbily, and he doesn’t look he’s gone overboard on the bronzer. Blake Lively’s influence, I’m hoping. Denzel, meanwhile, looks like he’s about to punch someone in the face. Ryan, perhaps. People Mag had an interesting story about what happened between Ryan and Denzel while they filmed Safe House:

It turns out that action star Ryan Reynolds may be just as dangerous off-screen as he is on. Denzel Washington says that Reynolds gave him a black eye while they were filming Safe House in South Africa.

“I’ve never had a black eye in my life!” Washington, 57, told reporters Saturday while promoting the film, which hits theaters Feb. 10. “There’s a scene where I reach over to try to choke him while I have handcuffs on. We were flying around in the car. It just happened that as I was reaching forward he was flying back … and POW.”

Reynolds, 35, plays a CIA newbie who is forced to watch over Washington, a notorious fugitive. The two eventually end up on the run together, with plenty of brawls between the brawny costars.

Reynolds joked that this punch was a highlight of his career. “That was my early retirement,” he said. “I’ve given Denzel Washington a black eye and I should probably go home.” But Reynolds admitted that he was a little embarrassed after the incident, saying, “It was weird to feel my face on fire.”

Regardless, said Reynolds, “I’m glad I was your first. If it had to be anyone, it was an apologetic Canadian.”

[From People]

LOL at “apologetic Canadian.” THAT is who Ryan is, right? He’s not a badass action star, he’s an apologetic Canadian.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

When I first glanced through these photos of Jennifer Lopez, I swear to God, I thought Jennifer had stopped the event half-way through so she could do a costume change. Now that I’m looking more closely though, I think Jennifer was just wearing a very light beige coat over a hoochie-mama Gucci bustier-esque dress, and she kept the coat on for the “seated” portion of the photo-op, and then revealed the dress for the “standing” part of the event. If this was a club opening, sure. A movie premiere? Perfect. But this event was for the Boys and Girls Club of America. Denzel Washington was introducing Jennifer as his new co-spokesperson for the great organization. And Jennifer shows up in this white Gucci. Inappropriate? Her tatas are for the children! Here’s the press release:

Who: Denzel Washington has served as national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) since 1992. An alumnus of the Club in his hometown of Mount Vernon, N.Y., Denzel has proven a tireless advocate for the Clubs and the young people they serve. He has participated in five national advertising campaigns, has served as an active member of BGCA’s Board of Governors since 1996, appeared before Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill, and wrote a book about mentorship –A Hand To Guide Me – with proceeds benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs. In 2008 he launched the BE GREAT campaign, asking more than 20 fellow Club alumni to give back by supporting the organization that helped them open the door to a great future.

By inviting fellow-alumnus Jennifer Lopez to join him as national spokesperson, Denzel is expanding this key role to two people for the first time in the organization’s 104-year history. The announcement commemorates the 20th anniversary of the organization’s name change from “Boys Clubs” to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, marking the expansion of the mission to reach all young people in need.

Why: From academic failure and gang violence to poverty, drugs and obesity, America’s youth face a daunting array of problems – with serious consequences for young people, families, communities, and the nation. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is committed to addressing these issues – and challenging our nation to support effective solutions. According to a 2007 Harris survey, 57 percent of Boys & Girls Club alumni reported, “The Club saved my life,” while 28 percent credited the Club with keeping them in school. The U.S. high school graduation rate currently stands at 68%. For Club members, the graduation rate is 90%.

About J LO: An alumnus of the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx, N.Y., Jennifer learned to sing and dance as part of the Club’s renowned “K Company” performing arts program. Today, a multi-talented entertainer, she is also a successful businesswoman, and the proud mother of twins.

About BGCA: For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has changed lives, saved lives, and created great futures – by enabling young people, especially those who need Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4 million youth through Club membership and community outreach, providing guidance-oriented programs emphasizing academic success, character and leadership development, community service, and healthy lifestyles.

[From Jennifer Lopez’s fansite]

I didn’t know that Jennifer was in the Boys and Girls Club when she was growing up. That must mean a lot to her, being named co-spokesperson, and sharing the honor with someone as respected and beloved as Denzel. I have no doubt that Jennifer will work her ass off for the Boys and Girls Club… but I have doubts as to whether or not she will be dressed appropriately while doing her good works.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

This may be the biggest comeback story of the year, and all Bronson Pinchot had to do was give one gossipy, hilarious, intelligent interview to The Onion’s AV Club. Earlier this week, we reported on Pinchot’s interview, where he slammed Tom Cruise (as “homophobic” and “the biggest bore”), Denzel Washington (describing Denzel’s attitude as “cowardly” and “abusive”) and Bette Midler (a “bitch”). The interview has been getting a lot of play, and the Wall Street Journal decided to contact Bronson to see if he wanted to pull any takesies-backsies. He didn’t. He even goes after Denzel harder:

The Wall Street Journal: Were you serious or joking when you said Tom Cruise made “constant unrelated homophobic comments” while on the “Risky Business” set?
Pinchot: The context of the question was, “how did he strike me as a person” at a point in his career when he was a virtual unknown. And my answer was that, coming straight out of the world of theater, as essentially all the supporting male actors did, where homophobic language was not heard, I remember thinking his use of it was remarkable and excessive; however, it is also true to say, in hindsight, that for a 20 year-old with no background in theater, such language is actually unremarkable. Which I did not know at 23.

What about the remark that Denzel Washington is one of the most unpleasant people you’ve met?
I regret my choice of words there, and would like to amend my statement by saying I found his willingness to be ungenerous, unkind, knowingly hurtful both mentally and physically to myself and the crew to be the saddest misuse of stardom I have ever experienced or hope to experience.

Did either actor, or their reps, contact you after the story broke?
No.

Are you surprised at how quickly your remarks went viral on the Web?
Yes.

What do you think of celebrities who have Twitter accounts and Facebook pages?
Well, I am on Twitter but I have no idea how to use it.

Is it strange to suddenly be in the media spotlight again?
Being in the spotlight is the same as riding a bicycle or having a zit; once you’ve experienced it, no matter how much time goes by, it’s just like old times.

Have you heard from anyone unexpected?
My mom called and said she very much liked the Onion article because I said I was sorry for being brittle with Rebeca Arthur (who played my girlfriend on Perfect Strangers) toward the end of the run. And I am.

In interviews, do you generally talk openly and honestly about people you’ve worked with/experiences you’ve had in the industry?
I don’t believe I ever have been quite so forthcoming as I was in The Onion. In the same spirit of letting-it-all-hang out, I mentioned less-than-admirable aspects of various people, I don’t think I was any less forthcoming about my own weak points. Of course, no excerpted version of the Onion article will ever be able to communicate that, and it doesn’t make a juicy sound byte, but it’s true.

What if, for instance, I asked you what Scorsese was like on the set of “After Hours” or what you think of Eddie Murphy who you appeared with in the Beverly Hills Cop movies, would you answer forthrightly?
Yes, absolutely. Scorsese gave me a great one-liner for all my film work, for all time, and Eddie has seen the highs and the lows and is still gettin’ ‘er did.

[From The Wall Street Journal]

I’m surprised Xenu hasn’t issued a missive to all of his minions: “Take Down Balki.” But maybe Tom has bigger fish to fry. And, hey, maybe in Tom’s eyes it’s not such a bad thing for a former costar to describe you as a homophobe and a bore. That’s certainly not the worst thing Tom’s ever been called. As for Denzel… well, I’m willing to acknowledge that he may be a total douche. I’m taking Balki’s word for it.

I am from a generation that knows Bronson Pinchot as two characters: the hilarious art gallery manager in Beverly Hills Cop and Balki, the happy-go-lucky comic relief on the hit 1980s show Perfect Strangers. As it turns out, Bronson has had a pretty steady career as an in-demand character actor for 25 years, working with such superstars as Tom Cruise (Ricky Business), Denzel Washington (Courage Under Fire), and Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop). The last decade, Bronson has worked mainly in television, and I remember he’s sketchy role as some sleezeball on Law & Order: Criminal Intent a few years ago.

Character actors don’t get enough love, so The Onion’s AV Club decided to do a lengthy interview with Bronson. They got him to dish the dirt on some of his former costars, and he’s got a lot to say:

BP on Risky Business and Tom Cruise:
We didn’t know it was going to be a big hit. We thought Tom [Cruise] was the biggest bore on the face of the Earth. He had spent some formative time with Sean Penn—we were all very young at the time, Tom was 20, I was 23. Tom had picked up this knack of calling everyone by their character names, because that would probably make your performance better, and I don’t agree with that. I think that acting is acting, and the rest of the time, you should be you, but he called us all by our character names. He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, “You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?” I mean, his lingo was larded with the most… There was no basis for it. It was like, “It’s a nice day, I’m glad there are no gay people standing here.” Very, very strange.

Years and years later when people started to torment him with that, I used to think “God, that’s really fitting, because he tormented a lot of people as a 20-year-old.” He made such a big deal about it. Same thing with Eddie Murphy—I remember somebody calling and saying, “You’ll never guess who was just caught with a transvestite!” [Laughs.] And I remember thinking that seemed fitting, because there are certain people in showbiz who make it an agenda, every third sentence has to have something knocking that life choice, and you think, “What are you doing?” Like, these women came up to me in a restaurant—I was wearing a bright red shirt, and I was with some friends, and they said, “Would you like to join our club? We wear red.” What kind of choice is that? If you spent many years in the theater, and then you show up in movies, and people have on their to-do list for the day that they’re going to make a comment every third sentence, it strikes you as very strange. I just thought it was very funny that years later, that became his bugaboo. Which is a nice 1930s term I thought you’d enjoy.

I thought the movie would disappear. It just goes to show you, I obviously don’t have the antennae for that. I didn’t see it at all, but neither did any of the actors. All of the actors who talked about him were like, “What is this guy all about?” And you know, honestly, I never got it, and I don’t get it to this day. But it was his breakout film. He always talked about himself like he was a mega-superstar; that was weird, too.

BP on Denzel Washington and his “burning ambition”:
It’s just a different kind of animal, like a racing greyhound versus a mutt that sits in your lap. I guess I’m a mutt that sits in your lap. I don’t know what that is, but I’ve seen it many times. I think Denzel Washington has it—he’s one of the most unpleasant human beings I’ve ever met in my life, but he’s this mega-superstar.

BP on Tom Hanks:
He is a wonderful and genuine and lovely and down-to-earth person. I don’t know how he does that. I first met him when he was doing his spate of not-successful movies. There was a period in the ’80s when he did The Man With One Red Shoe and Joe Versus The Volcano and all those movies that weren’t doing well, and that’s when I first met him, and I would run into him on and off over the years. Then two years ago, I did a play with his wife, and there he was at his absolute height. He’s always been a delightful person, so it’s not really true that big stars need to be driven and repulsive, because he’s anything but.

BP on working with Denzel Washington in Courage Under Fire:
That was a low point, because Denzel Washington was behind the incredibly cowardly bullshit of “This is my character, not me.” He was really abusive to me and everybody on that movie, and his official explanation was that his character didn’t like me, but it was a dreadful experience. I spent my salary on time with my shrink just for helping me get through it, and what that led to was the very next big movie that I did. I should have said to the producers, “You get that guy in line, or I’m out of here.” Life’s too short.

[From The AV Club]

I’ll totally believe all of the Tom Cruise stuff. I love how Bronson makes it seem like no one liked Tom and they all thought he was a total dork. But isn’t it disappointing to hear that about Denzel Washington? I don’t want to believe that he’s a bastard. Anyway, the whole interview is an interesting read. Bronson is, after all, a Yale graduate who either f-cked or gotten high with everybody. Or both. So he’s got a lot of dirt to dish on. He should write a book.

Since it’s Martin Luther King day today, it seems appropriate that we write an article relevant to Dr. King’s message. But of course with our own celebrity twist. Denzel Washington was on “The Early Show” on Monday, and he talked about how the civil rights struggle affected his own upbringing and that of his children. Washington did an incredible job portraying Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s 1992 biopic. Malcolm X fought for civil rights in a very different way than Martin Luther King. Washington has great perspective on the history and the struggle.

On The Early Show Monday, co-anchor Harry Smith asked Washington whether Dr. King was “a part of the conversation” in his household. “You know,” Washington responded, “My father was a minister. So there was this talk of this other guy, Malcolm X, that was not allowed to somehow be talked about, and of course there was Martin Luther King.

“In retrospect, I think what he and Malcolm X and John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy had in common is they were the first television stars, if you will, leaders. Television activists, I mean. Of course, I remember the March on Washington, famous speech and things like that. You know, you had this image, (and) now this person’s in your house.”

[From CBS News]

Washington also says his parents did their best to shield their kids from discrimination. He described family trips taken to his father’s home state of Virginia, when the family couldn’t stop at restaurants and other places due to the different social climate at the time. Yet his parents never told him why.

“You know what was interesting for my generation,” Washington remembered, “is that, because we were sort of protected, I remember taking trips down South – our father grew up in Virginia – and I remember us not being able to stop at places. I didn’t quite know why. It was like, we hit the Jersey Turnpike, he gassed up. You went all the way to Virginia. You hit the last Howard Johnson’s, and that was it, you know? Or they brought the food with us, you know? And I didn’t exactly know why.

[From CBS News]

Denzel goes on to note that his parents’ attempts to protect him had good and bad results. He really believed that the world would be a good place and people would be treated equally, and was surprised when that didn’t turn out to be true.

”…you thought, in your lifetime, ‘Oh, everything’s going to be perfect, like Martin Luther King said.’ And then you get out there in the real world, and it ain’t. I try to teach my children there are going to be obstacles. Someone may not like you just because they don’t like themselves. You know what I mean? But don’t you get bogged down, and don’t be a hater, you know? Don’t let hatred destroy you, you know? Overcome it. Move on. Educate them, if you will.”

[From CBS News]

I saw Denzel’s movie “The Great Debaters” recently, and it seems like he really brought that message to it. Denzel directed and starred in the film. The idea to not let hatred destroy you and to overcome it is an incredibly valuable message that applies not just today but to our lives as a whole, and the human condition. Today is a great day to take some time and reflect on Martin Luther King’s message, how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go.

Denzel Washington is known for his generous charity, some of which has become the stuff of legend. The Oscar winning actor stars in the upcoming film The Great Debaters, which is out this Christmas and focuses on the success of the debate team in the 1930s at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Denzel visited Wiley last week to screen the film, and gave the small predominantly African-American college $1 million to re-establish its debate team.

The gift was announced Tuesday by school officials.

Washington was in Marshall last week to screen The Great Debaters, the story of Wiley’s 1930s debate team. He stars as educator and poet Melvin Tolson, who led the all-black college’s elite debate squad.

During his appearance, the 52-year-old actor-director said he would like to see the team get going again.

Marshall is a city of about 24,000, located 140 miles east of Dallas. Wiley has about 900 students.

The Great Debaters opens Christmas Day. It has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best picture drama.

[AP Story found at AZCentral.com]

Urban Legend site Snopes.com notes that Washington has also given $1 million to the Children’s Fund of South Africa and $2.5 million to the Church of God. Washington is a devout Christian, according to Wikipedia. Washington, who turns 53 next week, has been married to his wife Pauletta since 1983. They have four children, John David, 23, a professional football player, Katia, 20, a student at Yale University, and twins Olivia and Malcolm, 15.

This week’s National Enquirer had another story of Washington’s kindness on a smaller scale. He made a young struggling actor’s day when he personally called an agent to ask him to represent him:

Denzel suddenly strode into swanky Saks Fifth Avenue [in Beverly Hills] for last-minute Christmas shopping. The superstar soon had a bright-eyed young salesman hopping to fill his orders, and the guy kept making great gift suggestions. Impressed, Denzel learned he’d just arrived in Hollywood from Virgina to follow his dream of becoming… an actor. He was struggling to make ends meet, of course, but told Denzel about a long shot Big Break: A powerful showbiz agent had hinted that he might sign him as a client – but it was a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” situation.

Speaking with quiet authority… Denzel said “Get that agent on the phone now!” When the awed kid made the connection, Our Hero took the phone and said “Hi, this is Denzel washington. I’m with this nice young man who says he’s waiting to hear whether you plan to represent him or not. I want to know if you’re planning to sign him… yes or no. Otherwise, I’ll call my agent – right now – and we’ll find him someone else.”

The stunned agent replied: “Er, yes… of course! I’ll represent him.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, December 24, 2007]

The article goes on to report that Denzel wrote down his assistant’s number for the young man and told him to call him if he needed any more help.

I love that story! Denzel Washington seems like such a great guy and it’s nice to know he’s still having a lot of success with his career.

Here’s the trailer for the film, thanks to the Evil Beet for linking it. It is directed by Denzel, produced by Oprah and also stars Oscar winner Forest Wittaker. It looks incredible, but it also might get weighed down with too much emotion and predictable tugging at heartstrings, it could go either way judging by this trailer.

Here’s Denzel and his wife Pauletta along with Oprah, Samuel L Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson at The Great Debaters premiere on 12/11/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, and Jeremy Piven were among the Hollywood luminaries with anger management issues at American Gangster industry screening in Hollywood last night. Denzel Washington stars in American Gangster as Frank Lucas, a hugely successful drug lord in early 70s Harlem. Crowe plays a detective out to catch Lucas, and the film draws moral parallels between the two characters, with neither shown as morally superior or more deserving.

Comingsoon.net has an interview with Crowe and Washington about the upcoming film and their respective roles:

ComingSoon.net: Can you talk about the delicate balance between good versus evil we see between your two characters?
Washington: (laughs for a long time) Now, who was the good guy and who was the evil guy? That’s the delicate balance.

CS: One could say that the cord runs parallel to both.
Washington: Right, and there you have it. (laughter) The cord runs parallel to both. Jump in there, Russell. (laughs)
Crowe: Well, I think that’s one of the fascinating things about the two characters and about the story itself. That none of that’s clear. There’s not a clear singular morality, and when you get the opportunity to play that sort of thing, which is nothing more than reality and the sort of humanity as it exists, it’s just a bit of fun. You know, Richie’s an honest guy and all that sort of thing, but as his wife calls him out in the court: you’re only honest in one area — you try and buy yourself favorites for all the sh*t that you do. I just think that’s an honest appraisal of who he was at that time, but it also leaks into that area of discussing why people go bad in the first place, or what the process of Frank Lucas was to become a drug dealer. If Frank Lucas had been befriended by somebody else and educated in a different area, he might get in a situation where a university’s named after him. He’s a very smart guy and he uses things that he’s learned to the best of his ability to change his life and change the life of his family at that time. But it just happened to be that Bumpy Johnson was his teacher. We were joking yesterday about doing his sort of course work on the street, PhD in criminality under Bumpy Johnson.
Washington: Yeah. (laughter)

[From ComingSoon.net]

Here’s the trailer. The film looks like it kicks ass, and I’m in the states now and think that I’ll see it this weekend:

The real Frank Lucas, on whom Denzel Washington’s character is based, is now out of prison after two separate stints, the most recent ending in 1991. He is 77 and is confined to a wheelchair. A documentary will air about Lucas on BET on October 31st.

American Gangster is getting largely positive reviews, and is out in US theaters on Friday.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these premiere pictures, which also include Oliver Martinez. The lights there must have been bright, because everyone looks like they’re squinting. There are also stills from the film, thanks to allmoviephoto.

Russell Crowe sure has a mouth on him – but at least semi-interesting things pop out of it once in a while. Crowe recently gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly in which he was more than willing to chat about several of his famous co-stars – including some pretty personal stuff. He revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio was a virgin when Crowe first met the then-17-year-old. And apparently DiCaprio wouldn’t shut up about it.

“You know, I worked with Leonardo [DiCaprio] when he was 17,” Crowe recalls. “He was a virgin and he’d talk about that constantly.”

Of course, Leo has made up for lost time – what with his conquests of supermodels Gisele Bundchen and Bar Rafaeli, among others. So Crowe is looking forward to debriefing the lothario on their upcoming “Body of Lies.”

“I’m hoping … he can fill [me] in on what’s happened in between, maybe show some photos,” Crowe laughs in Entertainment Weekly. “I’m sure life’s different now.”

[From the New York Daily News]

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I don’t consider being a virgin at 17 to be anything bad. But then again I collect vintage candles and yell at my mom for listening to the television too loudly, so there you go. Crowe also talks about spitting on Denzel Washington. Because that’s always a good career move.

The Oscar winner, who talks to EW with Denzel Washington, remembers meeting his “American Gangster” co-star 12 years ago, on the set of “Virtuosity.”

“We had to do a scene where there’s a piece of cyclone wire fencing between us,” says Crowe. “I had to be really rabid and weird, and … a bit of spit comes out of my mouth … and it weaves itself neatly through the fencing and lands right on Denzel’s lip. … And I’m going, Oh man … I’m doing my audition, and I spit on Denzel Washington. I might as well just go home and hang myself right now. … He just kept on doing the scene, and at the end, they said ‘cut,’ and he’s looking at me and the spit’s still sitting there and he goes, ‘I love the taste of warm saliva in the morning.’?”

[From the New York Daily News]

That Denzel Washington is a good guy. If Russell Crowe spit within ten feet of me I’d launch a pack of rabid, wild dogs on him. You know he’s been around the block with some unsavory women. It’s a wonder Denzel didn’t get Chlamydia from the guy. Yes I know you can’t transmit it through spit. But I’m pretty sure Russell Crowe has so many other STDs that there’s nowhere left for the Chlamydia to go, and they get forced upwards. I’m joking, I’m joking. Mostly.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Russell Crowe with wife Danielle Spencer at the American Gangster New York Premiere on October 19th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

“Inside Man” starring Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen premiered last night in NY. The film is an action movie featuring Washington as cop negotiating with a bank robber who has taken hostages:

Initial reviews are positive despite the familiar plot, and with such a talented cast it should be a great film.

Foster, Owen, and Washington attended last night’s premiere. Other celebrities pictured include featured stars Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Darryl Mitchell, and Kim Director. Well known names in attendance were Wesley Snipes, Jill Hennessy, Mariska Hargitay, Lynn Whitfield, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and Russell Simmons – without his annoying wife.

12 more pictures after the jump.

(Read more…)