Annette Bourdeau

Michael Shannon On Becoming 'The Iceman'

2013-05-16T16:51:15-04:00

It's difficult to imagine anyone other than Michael Shannon tackling the complex role of Richard Kuklinski, the ruthless hitman who led a double life as a devoted husband and father to his oblivious family.

The acclaimed actor, who in recent years is perhaps best known for playing the intense puritan Nelson Van Alden on "Boardwalk Empire," masterfully captures Kuklinski's dual sides in "The Iceman." The film hits select theatres this week, and co-stars Winona Ryder as the innocent wife, Chris Evans as the icy accomplice, Ray Liotta as the intimidating mob guy and James Franco as a shady low-life.

We caught up with Shannon while he was in Toronto during the Toronto Film Festival, and heard his thoughts on everything from Frogger to typecasting to what it's like working with Franco.

On how he would unwind after a tense day of shooting...
On a shoot like "Iceman," where it goes so quickly when you have so little time, and you're shooting really long days, usually by the end of the day you're just pooped. You just want to go and relax and get a bite to eat if you can. I would get my dinner and go play Frogger for like an hour and then go to sleep.

On how "The Iceman" shoot was broken up...
[Director] Ariel [Vromen] wanted to break it into the work chapter and the family chapter. So when I got there, Ray [Liotta] and David [Schwimmer] were already there, and they were doing all of the mobster stuff. And then I plugged into that, and we shot all that, and then they left and Winona showed up and we did the family stuff. So it wasn't like I would do a day of family and then a day of shooting someone. It was compartmentalized, which is something that I think everybody, including me, appreciated. Particularly Winona. She didn't want to see any of the grisly stuff. She felt like it would make it harder for her to do her part, which made sense.

On why he wanted to play Kuklinski...
I thought it is a very sad story. I didn't think, 'Oh cool, I get to be a hitman and I'll wear leather gloves and clothes from the '70s and I'd just be super cool.' I would watch the videos [of the real Kuklinski] and think 'Oh my God, this is one of the saddest people I've ever seen in my life.' In a less extreme way, it reminds me of people that I've known in my life that have been prisoners to themselves. They know better, but they still do things that even though they have the intellect and the wisdom to know that it's wrong, they can't help themselves. That, I think, is worth exploring dramatically. As a person, he merits some thought. How could you not be curious about that man and how his mind works?

On how he approached the role of Kuklinski...
A lot of people, when they watch those interviews [with the actual Richard Kuklinkski], think they're just watching some sick, depraved lunatic who enjoys killing people, which to me is just not very accurate. I always saw a guy who is deeply wounded and really did regret the fact that he felt like he couldn't do anything else. And I guess the way he looked at it was most of the people, the large majority of the people he wiped out, weren't the greatest people themselves. It doesn't exonerate the crime by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not like he was going around knocking off priests and Red Cross workers. It was the piranha pool and he was one of the piranhas.

On working with James Franco...
I shot that scene with James Franco, which is fairly powerful, but at the end of every take he hops up and he's got this little book. He was reading a book about theatre history. So they'd said, "Cut!" and he'd sit up on the couch and read his textbook. Or at one point he just stone-cold fell asleep.

On being accused of playing the same role over and over...
I honestly don't know what people expect. It's gotten to the point where I find it mildly offensive. I don't understand. For me, Kuklinski is not like any other guy I've played. I don't think Kuklinski is just like the guy I played in "Pearl Harbor." I do see a correlation maybe between him and Curtis from "Take Shelter," just because they're both so devoted to their families, but they're both totally different people. But people couch the question. I've answered it an infinite variety of ways and I think I'm going to start boycotting it.

On the types of roles he'd like to tackle...
There are things I would have liked to have done that I wasn't considered right for. It's not all up to me. There was a big, big romantic comedy that I got very close to being a part of. I read with the lead female actress, and the director, a very prominent director, seemed very excited about it. And then it wound up going to someone who you would much more expect it to go to than me. And it's not like I went home and cried myself to sleep or anything, but it was like, I kept thinking when I was in the audition with the leading lady, I just wish all the journalists were in here with me to see me doing the scene so I could say see, I was here! I just didn't get the part.

When Hollywood Couples Collaborate

2013-05-16T10:54:28-04:00

Much has been written about how often Judd Apatow collaborates with his wife, actress Leslie Mann. But why should they get all the ink when there are plenty of other Hollywood couples who manage to work quite well together, too?

Take actress/director Katie Aselton and her prolific writer/director/producer husband Mark Duplass, for instance. (Duplaselton, if you will, as inspired by Aselton's Twitter handle @duplaselton.) The two co-star on the hilarious FX comedy The League. And most recently, they teamed up on Black Rock, a thriller hitting select theaters this week. The two wrote it together, and Aselton helmed the director's chair and shared the screen with Lake Bell and Kate Bosworth.

The spooky script follows three childhood friends, played by Aselton, Bell and Bosworth, who embark on a girls' getaway that goes very awry. Like, scary horror-worthy awry, not just bitchy cat-fight awry.

Clearly Duplass has no qualms about working with family. In addition to working with Aselton, he frequently collaborates with his brother, Jay. The two have co-directed several films together, including Cyrus and Jeff Who Lives at Home. They also play the hilarious "midwives with attitude" on The Mindy Project.

Duplaselton's frequent collaborations have inspired me to compile a list of other noteworthy significant others who make good movies together. Here are five couples who have produced great work:

1. Jared and Jerusha Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre). This dynamic duo first shot to fame when Napoleon Dynamite, the flick they co-wrote, became a cult fave. So how do they do it without bickering? They have a surefire way to solve any creative differences that may arise. "It's just so easy with Jared because I know him. If I don't like his idea, I can tell him to sleep on the couch," the lady Hess quipped to Collider.

2. Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano (Ruby Sparks). Screenwriter/actress Kazan couldn't help but think of her actor boyfriend Dano as she was writing the script for Ruby Sparks, a story about a writer (played by Dano) whose fictional love interest comes to life (played by Kazan). After the two moved into a tiny New York apartment, Kazan was "wondering if I was now defined by this person I was living with. We were in a serious relationship before but here was this new step, and I think I felt claustrophobic. There's a lot of what I was feeling at that moment in the film," she told The Guardian.

3. Jennifer Westfeldt and Jon Hamm (Friends With Kids). Everyone wants a piece of hunky Hamm, including his screenwriter/director/actress partner, Westfeldt. She told Marie Claire that the two savored the extra time they had together while filming Friends With Kids, Westfeldt's project that Hamm co-starred in. "We've had so much chaos with Mad Men, Jon's incredible fame, and flying back and forth just to spend 36 hours together, that this was the most day-in, day-out interaction we've had in a while. It was great."

4. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine, Ruby Sparks). Kazan and Dano weren't the only couple working on Ruby Sparks. Longtime collaborators (and spouses) Dayton and Faris co-directed the movie. Bouncing ideas off of each other helps them overcome creative roadblocks. "So often we'll be stuck on something and one of us will say something, and having that back and forth can sometimes get a problem dislodged," she told Film School Rejects.

5. Roma Downey and Mark Burnett (The Bible). Actress/producer Downey and super-producer Burnett spent four years pouring their hearts and souls into The Bible, the epic mini-series they made for History. Instead of driving each other crazy, the intense experience brought them closer together, Burnett told me. "We actually have become better buddies and more in love over the last four years. I never thought that could be possible," he said.

Black Rock opens in theaters on May 17.

Weed Control: Worst Garden Weeds And How To Get Rid Of Them

2013-05-13T17:31:01-04:00

The sun is shining, your plants are blooming…and pesky weeds are starting to crop up all over your garden. What’s a gardener to do?

It’s not always easy figuring out how to tackle your garden’s unwanted guests. If you get too tough, you run the risk of damaging your beloved plants that you’ve spent so long nurturing. If you don’t get tough enough, though, the weeds can sap vital nutrients away from your chosen ones. Plus, they can be quite the eyesore in your otherwise pristine garden.

To help you get your garden back under control, we’ve compiled a list of 10 weeds that drive Canadian gardeners crazy — and tips on how to banish them from your yard forever.

LOOK: 10 Common Garden Weeds

Dodder: This ugly predator is also known as strangleweed, thanks to its proclivity to, well, strangle other plants. It spreads by seed, so when you set about removing it from the plant you’re trying to protect, Landscape Design recommends laying plastic around it t o prevent the seeds from getting back into the soil. It also suggests cutting the host plant down to below where the dodder has latched on to be sure you’ve gotten rid of it all.

Garlic Mustard: It may sound delicious, but garlic mustard is the bane of many gardeners’ existence. If you spot it in your garden, Fine Gardening suggests nipping them in the bud, so to speak, by cutting the flower stalks in the spring to keep them from spreading their seeds. If they’re not too close to your other plants, you can also try hand-pulling them. Be sure to get rid of everything you snip and pull to keep it from popping right back up.

Bindweed: These suckers have long roots, which makes them nearly impossible to hand-pull. Be patient in your quest to free your garden from bindweed: it will take more than just one attempt. If the bindweed isn’t too close to your preferred plants, Gardening Know How recommends pouring boiling water on it to kill it off. If that isn’t an option, be diligent about cutting it down to the root to keep it from photosynthesizing.

Crabgrass: It turns out that the boiling water trick works on crabgrass, too. Simply pour boiling water directly onto the crabgrass in order to kill it at the root. If crabgrass has invaded your lawn, too, this video from eHow has some helpful tips on how to banish it from your yard entirely.

Spotted Spurge: This dense, low-growing weed isn’t easy to get rid of, so your best offense is a solid defense. The University of California suggests constantly keeping an eye out for its telltale dark green leaves, and hand-pulling it immediately before it has a chance to multiply.

Dandelion: Some love ‘em. Most hate ‘em. If you fall into the latter camp, vinegar may be your best friend when it comes to booting dandelions out of your garden. Household vinegar won’t cut it, so pick up some specialty vinegar that has an acidity level of at least 20 per cent from your local gardening store. Weekend Gardener recommends pouring vinegar onto the dandelions and hand-pulling them, for an effective two-pronged attack.

Canada Thistle: This long-rooted menace likes to sink its tentacles into soil with low fertility. So Gardening Know How recommends improving your soil’s fertility to make it less attractive to Canada thistle. Or, you could use a reliable weed killer like Roundup or 2, 4-D to take it out. (The latter has been banned in some municipalities, so check to make sure it’s not on your city’s list of forbidden herbicides first.)

Ragweed: For allergy sufferers, ragweed is the worst weed of them all. The University of Minnesota suggests being vigilant, and hand-pulling young ragweed as soon as you see it. You can also wipe herbicide directly onto it to boot it out of your garden.

Bermuda Grass: It may look like crabgrass, but Bermuda grass is actually much worse than its pesky friend. Why? Because it doesn’t die off at the end of the season – it simply becomes dormant during winter. Organic gardener Wayne Kessler told Redding that his best defense against Bermuda grass is a rototiller, which he uses diligently to prevent it from accessing the energy it needs to survive.

Common Burdock: If you’re vigilant about removing burdock’s flower stalks, it will eventually die off. Ontario Wildflowers recommends cutting burdock down to the root to get rid of it – it’s not necessary to dig up the root.

Kyle Richards Talks 'Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' And Baby Rumours

2013-05-13T12:00:12-04:00

Kyle Richards really does seem to have it all. The most level-headed "Real Housewife of Beverly Hills" has a hunky husband, (Mauricio), four lovely daughters, radiant skin, impossibly shiny hair, a covet-worthy closet and now her own boutique.

That doesn't mean she has a drama-free life, though. During Season 3 of "RHOBH," we saw her strive to get closer to her sister, Kim, who has been struggling to overcome alcoholism. We also saw her drift further apart from fellow housewife Lisa Vanderpump, who became closer to resident mean-girl Brandi Glanville. During the reunion show, Brandi reduced Kyle to tears when she questioned whether she really wants the best for Kim.

When she's not side-stepping drama on the "RHOBH," Kyle keeps busy taking care of her family and speaking out on behalf of March of Dimes, a charity that supports healthy pregnancies. HuffPost TV caught up with Richards and chatted about everything from Brandi's jabs to her biggest beauty secrets to why she got involved with March of Dimes.

HuffPost TV: How has your life changed since you joined the "RHOBH"?
Kyle Richards: My home life has not changed at all, but I'm extremely busy every single day and there is never any downtime. Having people on the street know so much about your personal life is interesting, to say the least.

What's your favourite part about the show?
The Reunion! [Laughs] Just kidding! I really enjoy filming the show. I love the crew and our production company and everyone involved. I just don't like watching the show on television. It's extremely stressful.

Are you happy with how you're portrayed on the show?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Most times it's accurate but then there are other times when the viewer doesn't always know the back story and that can be really frustrating.

What do your kids think of the show? How has it impacted their lives?
They don't watch the show and they don't care about it. They're not impressed with it.

What does Mauricio think?
He takes it with a grain of salt. He keeps me calm when things get crazy and I get stressed out from it. He always tells me that when it gets to be too much, he doesn't want me doing it anymore.

What's it like having women writing into Bravo asking about your husband's shoe size? How does he react to things like that?
I think it's hilarious. Before the show, he was a nice Jewish boy and now he's this hot Latino. It makes us both laugh.

It seems as though a lot of Real Housewives have gotten divorced after joining the show -- why do you think that is?
I believe a lot [of the women] go into the show as a way out of their unhappy marriage. They think they can gain financial independence and that's why they sign up for it.

Brandi seemed to be stirring the pot a bit during the Reunion show this season. Why do you think she says the things she does? Do you think she's trying to be hurtful?
I don't know if she's trying to or it comes naturally. [Laughs] I was very hurt by her comments, but she has apologized and I get over things quickly.

What is your relationship with Kim like right now? How is she doing?
Our relationship is great right now. I don't think any sibling relationship is perfect all the time. We have really come a long way.

I read that you're thinking about having another baby -- what prompted that decision?
That was blown way out of proportion. I don't know if I'll ever feel like I'm done having children. I love children and I love being pregnant.

How did you get involved with March of Dimes?
As a mother of four children, I can't think of anything more important than having a healthy baby. I've always admired the work that March of Dimes does, so I was proud and honoured to be partnering with them for their IMBORNTO campaign.

You have amazing skin and hair -- what are your biggest beauty secrets?
Less is more, with everything! I love the electric facial that you've seen on the show, but I don't do the facials too frequently. I don't like to use product in my hair, or use high heat. I do take the hair care vitamin called Nourage. I use shampoo from the supermarket and I do a moisturizing hair masque twice a month.

Shelf Life: Do These Pantry Foods Expire?

2013-05-10T12:30:51-04:00

If you let expiration dates dictate how long you keep your food, you're probably wasting a big chunk of your grocery budget.

“People definitely waste too much food,” says Janice Revell, co-founder of online shelf life guide Still Tasty. “A big, big problem is people throwing food out before they have to.”

The key to extending the shelf life of kitchen staples ranging from flour to mustard is proper storage, says Revell. “People often don’t understand the power of their freezer. Foods that have been frozen properly will stay safe forever.”

Of course, something that has been frozen for years may not taste as great as it once did. Revell has come up with the best tips on how to get the most flavour for your buck out of your go-to kitchen staples.

LOOK: 15 foods and do and don't expire:

Mayonnaise:
This picnic staple often gets a bad rap, says Janice Revell, co-founder of online shelf life guide Still Tasty. But it actually lasts much longer than most people think. “Mayonnaise will last a long time because it has a relatively high acid content and there are a ton of preservatives put into commercially made mayonnaise,” she says. “Usually it’s going to last at least six months after the date on the container.”

Flour:
White flour will last for one year in the pantry, while whole wheat flour will last just six months because of its higher oil content, Revell explains. Both freeze quite well for up to two years.

Sugar:
White sugar will be good forever, as long as it doesn't start to crystallize, says Revell. To keep it from crystallizing, keep it tightly sealed in a heavy plastic bag or a sugar canister, she advises.

Cereal:
This breakfast fave will start to lose its texture and flavour about three to four months after it has been opened – and that’s assuming it has been stored properly. Revell recommends keeping the box well-covered to keep your cereal crispy longer.

Honey:
This sweet treat is another staple that will keep indefinitely if it’s stored properly. “Bacteria really can’t grow on either of those substances (honey and sugar),” Revell points out. If your honey hardens, Revell recommends heating it up to get it back into liquid form again.

Rice:
Every type of rice will keep indefinitely except for brown rice, says Revell. “It’s got a much higher oil content. It will last for six months before it starts to taste different,” she explains.

Pasta:
Dry pasta is a common culprit when it comes to foods that are thrown out prematurely, says Revell. “Dry pasta will last at least a couple of years,” she says. Just make sure it is wrapped up well to keep out things like dust and insects.

Coffee:
\Java is the one staple that people most likely aren’t tossing before they have to. Revell says once it’s ground, coffee will start to lose its flavour after just one-to-two weeks in your pantry. “This is a question of quality, not safety,” she points out. She recommends freezing it to preserve its rich flavour.

Eggs
Revell notes that eggs have a very long shelf life, typically lasting three to four weeks after the date on the package

Bacon/Ground Beef:
“If you’re dealing with something with a high fat content, then you’re looking at two-to-three months in the freezer,” says Revell. “The issue is quality. With ground beef and bacon, you’re going to have more problems with the texture and the taste because of the fat content.”

Canned Soup:
Tomato-based soups will last about 12 to 18 months in an unopened can. After that, the colour, texture and taste will start to change because of the acid, Revell warns. Soups that don’t have an acidic base will last three-to-five years – just make sure the can isn’t damaged, she advises.

Peanut Butter:
Put this sandwich staple in the fridge to keep it fresher longer, Revell advises – especially if it’s all-natural and doesn’t have any preservatives in it.

Ketchup:
For best results, keep the opened ketchup bottle in the refrigerator. It will only last about one month in the pantry, or six-to-eight months in the refrigerator, Revell says.

Canned Beans:
Plain beans, without anything acidic like tomato paste in the mix, will retain their flavor for three-to-five years in the pantry in an unopened can, Revell says.

Why Isn't Aaron Eckhart More Famous?

2013-05-09T13:27:26-04:00

He's been in some of the biggest movies of the past decade, but Aaron Eckhart isn't exactly a household name. What gives?

I'm not saying he needs to be gracing tabloid covers every week, Kardashian-style. I'm talking about the kind of respectable name recognition where most people's parents would know who you were talking about if you mentioned his name. Like Robert Redford. Eckhart's got all the hallmarks of a timeless movie star: He's a great actor. He's funny. He's smart. He knows how to pick good roles, for the most part (I'll give him a pass for Love Happens and Battle: Los Angeles). To top it all off, he even looks a little bit like Game of Thrones super-hunk Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

In next week's action-packed release, Erased, he stars alongside Olga Kurylenko as a former CIA agent on the run with his daughter in tow. Expect to see Eckhart in incredibly fine form: Entertainment Weekly reports that he spent four months doing jujitsu and MMA training to prep for this very physical role.

If the massive success of Liam Neeson's Taken movies are any indication, audiences can't get enough of ass-kicking dads doing whatever it takes to protect their daughters. So who knows, if Erased does well, it just might turn into a little franchise Eckhart could headline, Neeson-style. That certainly wouldn't hurt his profile.

I'm not entirely sure what Eckhart has up his sleeve next. His IMDB page is relatively sparse when it comes to future projects, aside from a horror called I, Frankenstein slated to come out in 2014. Here's hoping he's got something amazing in the works that will catapult his career to the next level.

In the meantime, I've compiled a list of my own favourite Eckhart roles thus far. He certainly has amazing range, doesn't he?

1. The Dark Knight. Eckhart is so perfect as Harvey Dent, I can't even imagine anyone else in this two-faced role. Like Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, this character could have easily become a one-dimensional caricature in a lesser actor's hands.

2. Thank You For Smoking. Nick Naylor is not an easy character to like. He works for the Man, at the expense of the little guy. Yet Eckhart manages to humanize the role, and actually turn Nick into someone we can relate to and, yes, maybe even root for. It doesn't hurt that he's a master of zippy one-liners.

3. Erin Brockovich. The hair! The beard! The manly tank tops! The suave, clean-shaven Eckhart we've come to know is almost unrecognizable in his role as sassy Erin's sensitive biker boyfriend George. He's totally believable though, and very easy to fall for.

4. Rabbit Hole. This must have been an intimidating role to tackle. Playing a grieving father opposite Oscar winner Nicole Kidman is no easy task, but Eckhart not only holds his own, he adds unique layers to his character's raw anger.

5. In the Company of Men. "Cold, unblinking, reptilian." That's how Roger Ebert described Eckhart's character, Chad, in his review of this late-'90s flick. Eckhart sure is good at playing bad, isn't he? But, he's also quite skilled at playing complex, emotionally tormented men, which is part of what made this movie so engaging.

Ten Actresses I'd Rather See in the Iron Man Suit

2013-05-02T12:24:21-04:00

When the first Iron Man movie came out in 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't exactly Ms. Popular. But she certainly wasn't despised to the same degree she is now. Her weekly dose of sanctimonious 'Goop,' her oblivious refusal to stop name-dropping her BFFs Jay-Z and Bey, and now her proclamation that everything -- even bell peppers and tomatoes -- is bad for you in her new book 'It's All Good' have contributed to her rapid elevation from 'annoying' to 'reviled.'

It certainly hasn't helped that People just named her The World's Most Beautiful Woman. Seeing her smug mug leering at you from the cover while you're stuck in the endless line at the checkout stand is nothing short of infuriating. This Paltrow-hatred has gotten so bad, some people are worried that it will affect their ability to enjoy Iron Man 3. Vulture has even written a six-step guide to help you put your hatred on hold for two hours, so that Paltrow's Pepper won't ruin one of the summer's biggest blockbusters for you.

I applaud Vulture's practical approach to the matter. But I've decided to take the daydreamer's route instead by compiling a list of the top 10 actresses I'd rather see rocking the Iron Man suit on the big screen. (Yes, Pepper apparently gets her own suit this time around. And Paltrow has smugly told media that she wasn't a "crybaby" about wearing it like co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle.)

One thing I will give Paltrow is that she's a relatively age-appropriate choice to play RDJ's love interest. After all, they're only 8 years apart, which is nothing by Hollywood standards. (She's 40, he's 48.) That said, there are still plenty of other age-appropriate actresses who'd make the Iron Man franchise even better.

Here are my top choices to play Pepper (in the event that we could turn back time and re-cast Paltrow.)

1. Sandra Bullock. She'd be perfect. She's got the comedic chops for the required banter with Tony Stark, and the action background to pull off the suit scenes. Plus, she's a crowd-pleaser. I don't know anyone who doesn't like her!

2. Mary-Louise Parker. Few actresses spar better than MLP. She'd be a great foil for our egomaniacal hero.

3. Elizabeth Banks. Smart. Sassy. Blonde. The perfect Pepper!

4. Julianne Moore. Well, we already know there'd be chemistry -- at least on RDJ's end, anyway. Remember his flirtatious nod to Moore at the 2011 Golden Globes?

5. Tina Fey. Fey is at her funniest when she's trying to boss around the unbossable, like Tracy and Jenna on 30 Rock. So she'd be great as Pepper, who's constantly trying to keep Tony in line.

6. Lena Headey. We've seen her prop up kings on Game of Thrones and kick ass as Sarah Connor in the small screen's Terminator adaptation, so she's already demonstrated her ability to portray two of Pepper's most important traits: propping up Tony and keeping evil at bay.

7. Maria Bello. Remember how funny she was in Thank You For Smoking? She more than held her own against Aaron Eckhart, and I'd love to see her go head-to-head with RDJ.

8. Cate Blanchett. Some might say Blanchett is too delicate to play steely Pepper, but is there really anyone more delicate than Paltrow, who's afraid to eat eggplant?

9. Naomi Watts. Like Bullock, Watts is incredibly likable, and she's proven she can handle more physical roles in flicks like The Impossible.

10. Portia de Rossi. She's great as the ditzy Lindsay Bluth on Arrested Development, but we haven't seen de Rossi's sly wit on display since her Ally McBeal days. I'd love to see her deliver withering one-liners to RDJ.

Did I miss anyone? Let me know below.

'Iron Man 3' opens in theatres on May 3.

'Panic Button': 10 Freaky Facts About the New Show

2013-04-30T14:23:55-04:00

If "Fear Factor" was too tame for your taste, you're in for a treat. A new reality show called "Panic Button" premieres this week, and it goes way beyond making participants eat bugs.

In each episode, participants arrive at a lab-like "Free from Fear" facility, gear up in red jumpsuits and black helmets, and then enter a stark white room equipped with just a desk and a computer. (Each person goes through the experience alone.) An omniscient voice informs them that they're about to encounter the things in the terrifying images being flashed across the computer screen. "We put them through a 'slow boil' first," explains producer Jonathan Dueck.

Next, they're blindfolded and directed into a metal coffin, which flips around and flings them through a ring of fire. They're then ushered into a room where they're given their panic buttons, which are attached to their suits. "Guys are walking through [the entire thing] with their hand on the button," says executive producer Kevin Healey.

From there, it's on to the most frightening maze you've ever seen, where participants have to crawl in dirt, slime, rodents and reptiles. "Fifty percent of people don't get past the maze," says Healey. Even if they make it through, it's not home-free for the participants. They have to complete two more levels that are tailored to confront them with their own individual fears.

In the first episode, blonde realtor Ruth has to face her fear of spiders by taking off her shoes and standing near a roaming tarantula -- all while being forced to eat maggot-covered strawberries. Meanwhile, Vanessa the bubbly young teacher who's afraid of snakes has to retrieve items from a giant snake's mouth before she can carry on. Things get even crazier beyond that, but we won't give away the grand finale.

To help brace you for this extreme new show, we've compiled a list of 10 freaky facts about "Panic Button."

1. There's no prize -- people are motivated purely by the desire to overcome their fears. "A lot of people say, 'Thank you, this was one of the greatest days of my life,' says Healey. "When people lose on 'Fear Factor' they're mad because they came to win money."

2. There are four levels, each more terrifying than the last. "They say 'What? How many levels are there?'" says Dueck. "They think they're trapped in 'Saw.'"

3. A lot of participants don't make it past level 1. "Women are managing the stress better [than men]," says Dueck.

4. Each participant faces different challenges. "We call it a thinking man's reality show, because we don't repeat an experience twice," says Healey.

5. The rats, snakes, cockroaches and spiders are all real. For one participant, they even threw in a Doberman.

6. The course includes a "malfunction" curveball, where an alarm goes off and the lights go out. That's when people really start to freak out. "Nothing competes with the darkness," says Dueck.

7. Expect screaming. Lots of screaming-from the men and women. You may want to keep the volume low so your neighbors don't think you're being murdered.

8. The participants drop more F-bombs than you can shake a stick at. "Our bleep budget is off the charts," says Dueck, laughing. The next most common things you'll hear them say are "Omigod," and "No, no, no, noooo!"

9. There are 43 cameras to catch all of the freaky moments.

10. Over 50 percent of applicants are rejected. "Anyone with a phobia is screened out," says Dueck, adding that they're also assessed for fitness levels since the maze can be quite physically demanding.

"Panic Button" premieres on Space Channel on Tuesday, April 30 at 10 p.m. ET.

Upside Down Review: Kirsten Dunst Keeps It Interesting

2013-04-25T08:19:27-04:00

Kirsten Dunst has pulled off a feat that very few actresses can claim: she's successfully transitioned from child actress to 'it' girl du jour to a respected actress with a long and diverse resume.

Part of Dunst's success may very well be due to the fact that she rarely plays it safe. In recent years in particular, she's more likely to gravitate towards boundary-pushing work by celebrated directors than big budget rom-coms. This week's release, "Upside Down, " is no exception.

The sci-fi tale of star-crossed lovers by Argentinean director Juan Solanas stars Dunst and Jim Sturgess as citizens of two isolated worlds. The people up top, where Dunst's character Eden resides, are wealthy and exploit the resources of those down below, where Adam (Sturgess) lives.

The two worlds are kept apart by two separate forces of gravity. Adam and Eden have a chance encounter as children one day as they're each exploring two mountaintops that almost meet. They try to defy gravity in order to be together. Then one day the border police catch them, Adam is locked up and Eden has a nasty spill.

Ten years later, Adam hasn't forgotten about Eden. In a somewhat eye-rolling turn of events, though, Eden's accident caused her to suffer from amnesia. Adam sneaks his way into the world above (where apparently his urine still defies gravity), but, alas, Eden doesn't know who he is.

The movie's plot is a tad cheesy at times; in the absence of the dystopian sci-fi concept, this would have been just another run-of-the-mill romance as Adam literally defies gravity to win Eden back. But the stunning cinematography and imaginative setting make this a flick worth seeing.

In fact, most of the films Dunst has chosen in recent years have had some sort of element that made them worth checking out - even if they were less than perfect. She (or someone on her management team) must have a sixth sense for such things when it comes to sorting through scripts.

It's a smart strategy. Instead of topping the box office a few times and then fizzling out, a la Katherine Heigl, Dunst has taken a slow and steady approach. She tackles interesting projects, and seems to genuinely enjoy her craft. With that in mind, I've compiled a list of my own top five favourite Dunst roles to date.

"The Virgin Suicides." A young Dunst was nothing short of captivating as Lux Lisbon, the most beautiful (and perhaps most precocious) of the five ill-fated sisters in this Sofia Coppola classic.

"Melancholia." Dunst's impressive range was on full display in Lars von Trier's apocalyptic drama. Her emotionally unstable character goes through manic highs and depressive lows, and then strangely becomes a rock as the end of the world approaches faster and faster.

"Bachelorette." Dunst proved she can do funny, too, in this raunchy wedding flick that was no doubt inspired by Bridesmaids. Dunst was perfect as the uptight, type A bitch who's jealous of instead of happy for her friend getting hitched.

"Marie Antoinette." Clearly, Dunst and Coppola work well together. This stylized period piece inspired by Marie ("let them eat cake") Antoinette is visually stunning, funny and a unique take on the oft-told tale of Antoinette and Louis XVI.

"Bring It On. " Dunst didn't do just any cheerleading movie: she did the cheerleading movie. "Bring It On" inspired a legion of sequels and knock-offs, and still airs regularly on Saturday afternoon cable--more than 10 years after its release.

'Continuum' Season 2: Rachel Nichols Says It's A Wild Roller Coaster Ride

2013-04-19T13:17:57-04:00

"Continuum" fans, rejoice: the hugely popular sci-fi show about a foxy cop from the future is back this weekend with Season 2.

Last season's action-packed finale left the show's die-hard fans eager for more. Star Rachel Nichols, who plays main character and cop-from-the-future Kiera, promises that the new season will not disappoint. "Season 1 was calm on the roller coaster scale compared to Season 2," she says.

HuffPost Canada TV pressed Nichols for as many details as possible about what we'll see in Season 2. While she was understandably tight-lipped about the major plot points, she did let it slip that there will be plenty of relationship drama, trust issues and moral dilemmas. Sounds like good TV to us!

The show has been so successful! What kind of feedback have you been getting from fans? What has them so hooked?
The beauty of the show is that it's so multi-faceted that any TV fan enjoys it. There are the sci-fi elements, there's the time travel, there's the procedural element, the crime-solving. It's also very character-based, and I've found in my interaction with fans, they love the characters. There are so many characters on the show. You've got your goodies and your baddies and your in-betweens. Everybody can find somebody on the show they can relate to.

What can we expect from the new season?
The second season is very interesting. Obviously the first season was very centered on getting home. I wanted to go home. I would be friends with the baddies, I would partner up with Liber8, whatever it took to get home. It's obviously still important to me in the new season. However, the theme of Season 2 is responsibility. Kagame had a speech at the end of the last season about how, if you drop a pebble on one side of the world, it will become a tsunami on the other. For Keira that's very, very important, because she wants to get home to her husband and her son. Very early on in season 2, she starts asking questions: what am I going to be returning home to? Am I costing my husband and son their lives? Will they never be born? Will I never be born because of what I'm doing now? It's a lot to wrap your head around! [Laughs]

No kidding! In the first episode of Season 2, other characters refer to Kiera as a vigilante. How do you see her? Is she still a cop at heart?
It's interesting. In the year 2077, where we find Kiera at the beginning of the show, Season 1, she's very clear on who she is, the battle that she's fighting, black and white, good vs. evil, she's on the right side of the law. She comes back and throughout the first season she's shown a different world, and starts to see that even though Liber8's tactics may not be the best, or the most humane or appropriate, there's this grey area that exists in this time period. She really has to assess whether the future she lives in could be improved by changing the things that are happening in the present day. At the beginning of Season 2, she's a lone wolf. Vigilante? Yeah, kind of. She works better without being constrained by the confines of modern law enforcement.

How has her relationship with Carlos changed?
I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you! [Laughs] It gets stronger. It changes. She relies very heavily on Carlos in Season 2. She needs him to be her friend, to be her co-worker.

What's going on with Alec this season? He's an interesting character because he's so young and he's going through all of this strange stuff...
Yeah! Imagine someone coming to you when you were 18 saying you're going to become this person, and it may not be a great person, but a brilliant person, a very successful person, a person who runs the free world. He's got a complicated life. We shot his stepfather at the end of the last season, he's got a delinquent, scheming, Liber8-supporting stepbrother. His mom is torn between the two, and Alec is very concerned about what he becomes in the future. Can he still do good things and not become a bad person ... or is he a bad person? He goes through a lot. Kiera needs him very badly, but he is scared that in being there for her, he is becoming the man he doesn't want to become. I try to help, but I'm not super helpful because I do have my own agenda -- I do want to get home. And for me to get home, I need him to follow the same path. It's very complicated! [Laughs]

The Liber8 team seems to be pretty shaken up. What can we expect to see from them in Season 2?
Oh, Liber8! They will never cease to amaze and entertain. There's a lot that went on at the end of the last season. Then there's the Kellog debate, which many fans were not happy with. That's still around. He's sort of the middleman, as far as the crossover between myself and Liber8. And Kellog is very intensely involved in Season 2. I can't tell you why! You'll know within the first couple of episodes.

Has Kiera adapted more to her place in time, or is she still very much a fish out of water?
She's definitely adapted. She's learning more, she's adapting more, but there's still definitely the fish-out-of-water element as well.

I know that sci-fi fans can be pretty intense. Have you had any memorable encounters with fans of the show?
Sci-fi fans are awesome. They're very smart, they like to be involved, they like to ask questions. I've been asked questions I don't even know the answer to. I've never had any aggressive interactions. I've had lovely interactions. At Toronto Fan Expo, a guy actually brought a caricature that he had drawn of Kiera that was so good I had it professionally framed and it's hanging in my house in L.A.

Season 2 of "Continuum" premieres on Showcase on Sunday, April 21 at 9 p.m. ET/PT in Canada. It premieres on Friday, June 7 at 10/9 p.m. ET/CT on SyFy in the U.S.

10 Things I Learned While Watching To The Wonder

2013-04-18T13:57:51-04:00

To the Wonder, the latest flick by legendary director Terrence Malick, was one of the most hotly debated movies to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. It certainly looks good on paper, with Malick at the helm and big stars like Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem and Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko.

Some loved it, including the late Roger Ebert. His thumbs-up to Wonder was actually the last review he filed. He praised Malick for his attempt to "reach beneath the surface, and find the soul in need."

Most who saw it, however, didn't exactly love it. I happen to fall into the latter camp. The film is undeniably beautiful, I'll give it that. But beauty alone does not make a good movie. Or even watchable, for that matter.

Wonder drags on and on, with hardly any dialogue and no decipherable point aside from "life is hard, even for beautiful people in love." The movie jumps around, making it difficult to keep up and easy to wonder just how much you missed when you spaced out for a few minutes (as you inevitably would during a flick like this one).

At its core, this seems to be a movie about love and loss. It follows a couple, Neil and Marina (Affleck and Kurylenko) who meet in Paris and move to Oklahoma with Marina's young daughter Tatiana. When Neil won't put a ring on it, Marina moves back to Paris. Neil hooks up with his childhood sweetheart, played by Rachel McAdams. He seems to grow tired of her, and Marina moves back, this time without her daughter. They go to church a lot. But really, who wouldn't when Javier Bardem is the priest!

Some might say that there's more to this film than meets the eye, and that it requires some thoughtful reflection upon watching it. So, with that in mind, I've given it some thought and compiled a list of the top 10 things I learned from watching To the Wonder.

(If you're worried about spoilers, don't be. It's hard to give things away when there isn't a plot!)

1. It sounds artsy when you whisper everything instead of actually talking.

2. Silent Midwestern men are irresistible to beautiful women from around the world -- stunning Parisians and alluring ranchwomen alike.

3. It's totally normal to have a handsome European priest living in a hick town in the Midwestern U.S.

4. Pearls and denim work quite well together, as proven by the classy ranch-hand ensembles sported by Rachel McAdams.

5. People dance around alone more than you might think. Sometimes they dance around with farm animals (like roosters!).

6. Good-looking people in hick towns don't appear to have any friends, aside from a random foreign woman who pops up out of nowhere to tickle you, yell at nothing and throw your purse into the bushes.

7. Sometimes handsome priests pretend they're not home when crackheads stop by unannounced.

8. Goofing off at the grocery store seems like a lot of fun for adults, especially being pushed around in carts, flashing your significant other and running around with mops.

9. If a strange man dressed completely in denim with a pickup truck gives you a weird instrument you've never seen before, it's impossible not to have an affair with him.

10. Moving across the ocean from your 10-year-old daughter is totally fine if it's for a silent, brooding Ben Affleck. (He'll push you around in shopping carts! Whee!)

'Hemlock Grove': Everything You Need To Know

2013-04-18T12:25:06-04:00

At the foot of a sweeping grand staircase in the foyer of an imposing early 20th century mansion, Famke Janssen is stoically explaining what's going to happen next to Bill Skarsgard as he fights back tears.

The two are filming a scene of "Hemlock Grove," the epic new Netflix series helmed by horror-master Eli Roth. The show is based on Brian McGreevy's novel of the same name, and follows two teenage boys (Skarsgard and "Degrassi" alum Landon Liboiron) at the center of a murder mystery in a creepy small town full of supernatural elements.

Its horror-esque approach and broad mix of supernatural beings may sound a lot like "True Blood" (which stars Skarsgard's older brother Alexander), but "Hemlock" is carving its own path. "We started by casting an entirely different Skarsgard," jokes McGreevy, who serves as an executive producer on the show.

Janssen plays Skarsgard's mother, the matriarch of the wealthy and powerful Godfrey family. Dougray Scott is her brother-in-law, Norman. "Battlestar Galactica" alumni Aaron Douglas and Kandyse McClure round out the cast as two characters (a cop and a "doctor," of sorts) investigating the murder.

HuffPost TV caught up with Janssen, Skarsgard, Scott, the creators and the rest of the cast to find out everything there is to know about "Hemlock Grove."

1. It feels more like a 13-hour movie than 13 one-hour episodes. "Like a novel, it's designed to work as a whole," explains McGreevy.

"The cool thing about doing it for Netflix is there are no act breaks," adds Douglas. "You don't have those shlocky breaks where you have to watch a soap commercial and then wait to find out what happens. It's seamless in that way."

"This is something completely fresh and new," agrees Skarsgard. "You hear 'werewolf' and 'vampire,' and think 'Oh, God, this is something I've seen a million times before.' But our show takes that and reinvents it and makes it a weird, special, unique show. I hope people appreciate this as something that's completely different."

2. The beautiful house used in the show is a real place. The sprawling Godfrey mansion is actually Parkwood Estate, a national historic site in Oshawa, Ontario. It has everything you could hope for in a sinister old manor, including a creepy waterless indoor pool, an old-timey bowling lane, an elaborate formal dining room and the aforementioned grand staircase.

3. It isn't as "dark" as you might expect a horror series to be. "We wanted something lush, a slightly more colorful palette," says McGreevy, explaining the show's visual sensibility. "To a certain extent, we wanted echoes of Old Hollywood."

"It didn't surprise me that 'Hemlock Grove' was based on a novel," says Lili Taylor ("Mystic Pizza," "Six Feet Under"), who plays Peter's mother. "It has that depth to it -- that depth and complexity. It sort of reminded me of the '70s and Robert Evans and all that stuff that was happening then, along with the freedom that the writers and directors were having. It felt like an independent film with all the creative control Netflix gave us."

4. There's plenty of family drama mixed in with the murder and monsters. "[The Godfreys] really do argue over what's for dinner," says Joel de la Fuente, who plays Dr. Johann Pryce.

"I feel like humans are ultimately worse than monsters," says Liboiron with a smile. "The town has normal people, like the sheriff [Douglas] ... they're all reacting to this supernatural energy that they can't explain. You see them slowly progress into their deeper, darker spots and they can't fully grasp the seriousness of the situation. As soon as things get a little out of control, humans can do some pretty wacky things."

5. This is more of a psychological horror than a physical horror. Don't expect non-stop gore or straight-up drama, but something in between. "This is certainly not blood-and-guts gore horror," says executive producer Lee Shipman. "This is psychological horror, like Roman Polanski or Stanley Kubrick, and that's what we tried to draw on here."

"A major influence for me growing up was Alfred Hitchcock," says McGreevy. "The way he could pick a relatively mundane scenario and set the camera at a weird angle to make me think about it in a completely different way. That was very influential when I was thinking about the book."

6. "Hemlock Grove" is not a show about werewolves and vampires. "I don't really see it as a vampires-and-werewolves kind of show at all," says Douglas. "It says it right on the poster: 'The Monsters Within,' and it's a human hand coming out of a creature ... it's more (at least for me) about the dramatic human interaction and how human beings are with one another when strange things start happening."

"We get asked the 'Twilight' question a lot," says the book's author. "There are unavoidable parallels between my work and that series, but in no way did I write the book with that franchise in mind."

7. Liboiron and Skarsgard have a natural, instant bond -- both in real life and as their characters. "This show is going to live or die based on the relationship between Peter and Roman," says Shipman. "When you talk to them, you know it and you see it -- these are the guys."

"[The relationship between Roman and Peter] is not really explained, and I don't think it's one of those relationships that needs to be explained," says Liboiron. "The two of them see eye-to-eye on a level that they haven't been able to see eye-to-eye on with anybody else. It's like a supernatural, personal understanding of each other. In a strange way, Bill and I connected on a weird level in real life as well. We started talking about relationships, love and personal shit almost right away ... there were no barriers. It was immediate."

"I don't think I can explain [Roman and Peter's] relationship," says Skarsgard. "It's supernatural. It's relatable, though, because sometimes you meet somebody and it's just meant to be. There's some chemistry that just makes sense. In this case, Roman sees through Peter's mask and vice versa. It's an unspoken connection of understanding."

8. This is Netflix's first-ever original series. "House Of Cards" is based on a British TV series, and the upcoming "Arrested Development" block is (obviously) continuing from its previous run. "Hemlock Grove," though it's based on a book, is wholly original and differs quite a bit from page to screen.

McClure's character (Dr. Clementine Chasseur), and Taylor's character are definitely expanded from their roles in the book. In a way, McClure's character acts as a conduit of information to the TV audience, and Taylor's motherly role is an anchor to her wayward son.

"Dougray's character, Norman, at first glance seems like a really good person," says Janssen. "But he also does bad things too. There are clashes between good and bad, as well as class differences. All of this stuff is going on at once."

9. It's a slow burn. The first three episodes serve as a sort-of primer, and from there, the characters and storylines take off. When asked about her matriarchal, powerful character Olivia, Janssen balks at explaining the whole story. "I'm not going to tell you what's going on with Olivia, because I think it's best to watch the 13 episodes an let it unfold as it does," she says. "But I will say however someone seems on the outside is not necessarily how they are on the inside."

"This show is like a roller-coaster, going up those first three episodes -- tick, tick, tick -- and then as soon as it goes over the hill, it takes off," says "Hemlock Grove" director Deran Sarafian. "After the first three episodes it gets exponentially more exciting. I can't wait for people to see our 13-hour movie.

"This isn't network television," agrees executive producer Mark Verheiden. "You can set things up and not pay them off for a while. Stuff in Episode 2 doesn't pay off until Episode 9, and in this case, you don't need to wait 9 weeks for it to happen. If you're binge-watching, you may have seen it four or five hours ago. When making this show, we didn't have to play into any of the usual expectations."

10. "Hemlock Grove" was inspired by classic horror, including "Dracula," "The Wolf Man" and "Frankenstein." "The genesis of the novel came from a simple premise," says McGreevy. "I wanted to take the major archetypal monsters of the modern era and put them in my high school. Resolving my feelings about monstrosity, and my feelings about adolescence were the same thing."

"There's some very subtle naming going on in the book too," says McGreevy with a laugh. "Godfrey ... Shelley..."

"Hemlock Grove" premieres on Netflix on April 19. All 13 episodes will be available for streaming.

Casting Sons And Daughters For A-Listers: No Easy Task

2013-04-11T14:21:28-04:00

Ryan Gosling certainly casts a long shadow. That made casting his son a daunting task for The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance. After all, any believable spawn of Gosling's would have to have a certain intangible "it" factor, wouldn't he?

Luckily, Cianfrance found Dane DeHaan, who bears a striking physical resemblance to Gosling and, perhaps more importantly, effortlessly captures the shy, brooding essence Gosling projects in many of his films, including this one. Those of you who didn't catch Pines on the festival circuit are likely wondering why a 27-year-old is playing Gosling's son, when young Gosling is just 32 himself. There's a simple explanation for that: Pines is a multi-generational tale told in three sections that span decades. Also, DeHaan plays a teenager. Quite convincingly, too, with his slight frame, youthful complexion and self-conscious mannerisms.

Gosling carries the first third of the flick, and co-star Bradley Cooper steps in to carry the middle chunk. The third section follows the two characters' sons, which means Cianfrance was also faced with casting Cooper's son. Emory Cohen, perhaps best known for playing Leo on Smash, landed the role.

While he's good as Cooper's beefy, meat-head son, you don't look at Cohen and think "Wow, the likeness is uncanny" as you do with DeHaan and Gosling. But that's OK. We can't expect lightning to strike twice. (Though I wouldn't be surprised to see Gosling and DeHaan share the screen again, perhaps as brothers.)

DeHaan is a particularly impressive find, since he was relatively unknown before Cianfrance cast him in Pines (though he was quite charismatic in Chronicle). It's not like there was a known Gosling doppelganger out there, just waiting to be cast. While we're on the subject of known Hollywood doppelgangers, I'm still waiting for the day when Brad Pitt plays Robert Redford's son. Sure, they teamed up for Spy Game, but not as a father/son duo. I would love to see Jennifer Aniston play Barbra Streisand's daughter, too. I thought Aniston's Harper's Bazaar photo shoot styled as Streisand may have been foreshadowing an announcement that they'd be sharing the screen, but alas, that hasn't materialized as of yet.

Instead of longing for what hasn't happened, though, now seems like a good time to acknowledge some well-cast parent/child duos that have happened. Here's a list of the top five most appropriate parent/child pairings on the big screen. (Warning: there's one spoiler in there, so if you haven't seen Crazy, Stupid, Love yet you may not want to read on.)

1. Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg in That's My Boy. OK, so this one stretches the realm of the believable a tad, since the two actors are just 12 years apart in age. But they share so many qualities, I was willing to look past that. (Plus there was an amusing subplot to explain the age thing.) Both Sandler and Samberg are incredibly funny, instantly likable and they have the rare ability to balance silliness with heart.

2. Julianne Moore and Emma Stone in Crazy, Stupid, Love. This mother/daughter plotline may have been even less believable than That's My Boy's, but that's OK. I totally buy Moore and Stone as mother and daughter. Their similarities stretch well beyond their trademark red hair and porcelain skin. Both are warm and quick-witted, with a wry sense of humour.

3. Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart in Panic Room. Even though K-Stew was just a wee child way back in 2002 when Panic Room came out, she was totally believable as Foster's child. The two actresses sported the same ugly bob for the flick (though neither 'do was as unsightly as Jared Leto's cornrows), which reinforced their physical similarities. Both are quite good at projecting vulnerability and strength simultaneously -- no easy feat.

4. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones. Like Sandler and Samberg, Connery and Ford are just 12 years apart in age. But really, could you imagine anyone else as the senior Mr. Jones? The role of Indy's Dad had to go to a larger-than-life actor. After all, it would take an exceptional man to produce an intrepid adventurer like Indiana Jones! I can't think of anyone better-suited for the role than Connery. He and Ford may not share many physical characteristics, but you'd be hard-pressed to come up with another two actors who can do "stubborn hot-headed genius" better than these guys.

5. Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci in The Addams Family. Huston and Ricci were perfect as the dark matriarch Morticia and her brooding daughter Wednesday. They both pulled off the superficial aspects the roles called for very well, including the raven hair, the pasty complexions and the black wardrobes. But their connection extended beyond that. You could easily see Ricci's Wednesday blossoming into Huston's Morticia one day. (After overcoming all of that pre-teen angst and embracing Morticia's zest for the dark life, of course.)

The Place Beyond the Pines opens in theatres on April 12.

'Perfect Storms': TV Show Investigates Weather That Changes The Course Of History

2013-04-08T12:28:37-04:00

Talking about the weather is a national pastime (especially during those awkward elevator encounters) here in Canada. So it's a safe bet that History's new series, "Perfect Storms," is sure to fuel plenty of water cooler conversations across the country. It delivers a unique look at some of the most extreme weather in history, from hurricanes to earthquakes to volcano eruptions.

The series explores an incredibly diverse range of storms, from a thunderstorm in 9 A.D. that changed the course of history to the Great Kato Earthquake of 1923 that killed between 120,000 to 140,000 people in Japan.

HuffPost Canada TV caught up with the show's producer, Steve Gamester, to find out everything from how these storms have shaped history to whether Sandy fits their criteria for a perfect storm.

HuffPost TV: How did you choose the storms?
Gamester: When you look back through thousands of years of history, unfortunately there's no shortage of massive disaster stories to choose from. We wanted to have a range of different types of stories to choose from. We knew we wanted to do a volcano story, we knew we wanted to do some kind of hurricane story, some kind of earthquake story. And we also wanted to have a range by time period. Of course, we went for the best tales that we could find, that we thought were particularly intriguing and had massive consequences on world history.

For the older events, like the one in 9 A.D., what sorts of sources did you find during the research process?
The further you go back, the more critical you have to be of your sources in some cases. But we did have accounts of this battle, Roman accounts, that had been passed down. There's inevitably a degree of broken telephone, but you do have those first-hand accounts of the fact that this battle happened, that it had a huge impact on the Roman Empire. Because this event is seen as one of those history-turning points, it has received quite a bit of serious scholarship. There's a great book out there called "The Battle That Stopped Rome," where they use a lot of archaeological evidence to try to piece together what happened in this battle. They found remnants of the battlefield, they found some human remains. So it's a jigsaw puzzle of combining first-hand historic accounts, archaeological information and the work done by modern historians.

What was the process of recreating the storms like?
Recreation is always a tricky business because the audience is pretty savvy about this stuff. They see big Hollywood feature films with incredible production value. So we knew we couldn't attack it on the same scale. When it came to those, that's when our approach really came to try and give the audience a sense of the experience of a couple of individuals, and really bring it down to that scale. We knew that we could cover the big scale through the animation to give the audience a sense of what these disasters would have looked like through a bird's eye view, to give that epicness. But we used the dramatizations to go into that individual experience. So for instance, if you look at some of the episodes, we use things like slow-motion effects and blurring, which is actually based on the actual physiological response that people have to disasters.

In the Galveston episode it was really interesting to see the U.S. Air Force's Hurricane Hunters ... I didn't realize such a unit existed!
The Hurricane Hunters is pretty unique. It's an unbelievable capability they have to fly into these hurricanes. Hurricane science is incredibly complicated. One thing the Hurricane Hunters can do is provide warning. They won't be able to tell exactly where a hurricane is going, but they'll have a pretty good idea. That does save lives.

Did anything surprise you while you were researching the show?
The Tokyo story is one that really stuck with me, because it was a story that I didn't know much about. We interview a woman who survived the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake that hit Tokyo. She's 108 years old. She told us her survival story. You know, that really wasn't that long ago if it's within living memory. And 120,000 to 140,000 people were killed in that disaster. Most of Tokyo burned to the ground. And some historians believe that disaster was really what set Japan on a path towards the Second World War. Because in the chaos of disaster, one of the only institutions that was able to restore order and reorganize society was the military. So the military gained power in Japan, and less than 20 years later Japan is one of the instigators of the Second World War. These events, there's the immediate impact where lots of people are killed and displaced, and there's lots of property damage. But the ripple effect of a lot of these disasters throughout history is pretty amazing.

Would Sandy make your list of perfect storms?
We've developed ten more episodes for a possible Season 2, maybe we'll be lucky and get another season. And Sandy is on that list. It would be a bit of an outlier if we did that one. It's obviously very recent, so do we have enough perspective to tell that story? Did it change world history? Well it's obviously way too early to tell, but certainly it does seem to have had an impact. Some people believe that it might have handed Obama the election, that Romney surged just before the hurricane hit, and that Obama's response to the hurricane and very public appearances helped push him over the hump. Who knows? The other thing you hear about its impact on immediate history is that, like Katrina, it's another piece of concrete evidence for the general public that there might be something to this global warming thing. Sandy would certainly be an interesting story to tell.

Who do you think the show will appeal to?
I think it appeals to anyone who's interested in history, anyone who's interested in science. A lot of people are very interested in weather. And I think people are interested in a great story. We didn't want this to just be 'watch the volcano explode.' We wanted to provide the story of people who went through these events. These are people worth remembering.

"Perfect Storms" premieres on History on Monday, April 8 at 9 p.m. ET/ PT.

'Hannibal': Lara Jean Chorostecki On Filling Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Shoes

2013-04-04T11:02:13-04:00

One of literature's creepiest psychiatrists ever is back to haunt our nightmares. That's right -- Dr. Hannibal Lecter, that uppity cannibal with an affinity for mind games, is returning, this time to TV. He's going to be toying with us during primetime in "Hannibal," from creator Bryan Fuller ("Pushing Daisies," "Dead Like Me").

The show will feature another one of author Thomas Harris's most fascinating characters: Freddie Lounds, the ladder-climbing tabloid reporter who sinks her (or his) teeth into a story and never lets go. Freddy, as a he, has been played by the likes of Phillip Seymour Hoffman ("Red Dragon") and Stephen Lang ("Manhunter").

This time around, Canadian actress Lara Jean Chorestecki ("Camelot," "Copper") is tackling the juicy role alongside Hugh Dancy, who plays Special Agent Will Graham, and Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the infamous Hannibal.

HuffPost TV caught up with Chorestecki to chat about the real-life journo her incarnation of Freddie is inspired by, what it was like stepping into Seymour Hoffman's shoes, what really creeped her out on set and those inevitable comparisons to "The Following."

HuffPost TV: So what sparked your interest in the project initially?
Chorostecki: What wouldn't spark your interest? When you get Hugh Dancy on board, that would spark any woman's interest immediately. He's so fantastic in this series. People are going to be so amazed with his work. And to get to work with Mads Mikkelsen, who is already a superstar in Europe and has started to make his way over with "Casino Royale." It's been a real learning experience to work opposite him. And then of course you've got Laurence [Fishburne]. So the cast is heaven, with Bryan Fuller at the helm!

Speaking of amazing actors, did Claire Danes ever pop by set to visit [husband] Hugh?
Of course! And their baby is beautiful! He's a wonderful, wonderful little baby. She popped by just after they wrapped "Homeland." When Cyrus was born we got to see him a couple of times. And they also have a very beautiful dog, which kind of became our set mascot.

Can you tell us a bit about your character?
So Freddie used to be a he, for those who know the Tom Harris novel and the previous incarnations of this character. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was incredible in this part. The resemblance that she bears to "he" is a little bit here and there. Certainly Freddie is brave. She has a good eye for a story. She's patient. She's also a little obnoxious, like he was. [For my] character, Bryan showed me a picture of Rebekah Brooks the first time I met with him, who's a journalist who ran News of the World at a very young age. And now she's been arrested in the phone hacking scandal. She's got wonderful, ferocious, tangled red hair on her head. And as you will see in the promo shots, I also have a big tangled mess of red hair on my head. So right down to the look of Freddie, Bryan took that characterization from Rebekah Brooks. Fans of the mythology know where he/she ends up. I have been told that is the plan. Where we go in the meantime between now and the "Red Dragon" storyline is up to the brilliance of Bryan.

What's it like playing a she who used to be a he? How do you channel that energy?
I think it's actually freeing to channel the masculine energy, but I tend to not really need it. You get the freedom of not being compared to previous incarnations. I don't have to be scared of being compared to Phillip Seymour Hoffman because they're just not going to be the same.

Did you ever think you might one day share a role with Phillip Seymour Hoffman?
No! I think it was TVLine that broke the casting announcement, and the headline was something like Hannibal Taps "Camelot" Actress to Fill Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Shoes. I remember my agent and I just went "Wow!" You couldn't pay to get a title like that. It's wonderful to have my name and his name in the same breath, but no, I did not expect that at all! [Laughs]

Who do you think the show will appeal to?
I really think everyone. Bryan's been calling it operatic, because horror really has an operatic feel to it. Anyone who's a fan of Bryan's work will just adore it. There is something for everyone. That said, it is also gory, so be forewarned. But I really think those who get a little icked out by the gore factor, it's not in a gratuitous way. It's an exploration of the psychological stuff that comes along with this kind of storyline.

Were you ever icked out by anything on set?
Yes! [Laughs] I have a fear of things growing on things. I don't know where it came from. But I go hiking a lot, and sometimes I can't handle moss growing on trees or tumors on trees or mushrooms. The special effects team does some amazing stuff. In the second episode, there's some things growing on some things, that is pretty gross. One day I was on set and one of these special effects things walked by me and I had a little bit of a scared moment seeing this person covered in things!

How does "Hannibal" compare to projects you've worked on before?
It's really different, having come off a long stint of period pieces. It's really nice to be back in modern-day costumes. It's fun to be in heels not on cobblestone streets! [Laughs] I've been really fortunate. I did "Camelot" a couple of years ago and also worked with a really incredible cast on that production. Joe Fiennes was amazing, Claire [Forlani] was amazing, James Purefoy was fantastic. You often get a richer vocabulary when you're doing period pieces, but Bryan's vocabulary is so rich and wonderful, anyone who knows his work knows his writing is very intricate.

Speaking of James Purefoy, do you think that "Hannibal" will appeal to the same audience that watches "The Following"?
Our show is in the same realm, of course, because they're both about serial killers, but it's different. People are naturally going to draw the parallels. When you put the Bryan Fuller stamp on it, it's so surreal and so inventive in some ways that I think it will stand out on its own as well. They're both two quality TV shows. I hope it will attract the same audience. You'll get a double-dose of horror through the week!

"Hannibal" premieres on NBC in the U.S. and City in Canada on Thursday, April 4 at 10 p.m. ET/ PT.