Variety On the Town

HBO's Bloody Good Time

At the Thursday night premiere for Alan Ball’s new HBO vampire skein “True Blood,” entertainment prexy Sue Naegle got a big laugh for her witty introduction.

“A bizarre cult of mythical creatures: They look like us, they talk like us, but they’re not like us. They’re predators that feed on the living, but enough about the republican convention,” she said.

While Anne Rice often gets credit for creating Louisiana vampire lore, this didn’t daunt author Charlaine Harris prior to penning her own series “Southern Vampire Mysteries” in 1999 centering on a young telepathic femme protag.

“I thought, let’s create the flip side of Anne Rice: What if vampires lived in Northern Louisiana instead of Southern? What if they were funny instead of angst-ridden? That’s how it evolved,” explained Harris prior to the screening.

Mesmerized by Harris' blend of humor and emotion in "Mysteries," Ball sunk his teeth into adapting them as his second HBO series.

“I was wasting time in a book store (before a dental appointment) and came across the first book.  The tagline on the cover was ‘Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea.’ That made laugh,” said the Oscar-winning scribe.   — by Anthony D'Alessandro 

Photo: Alan Ball at the "True Blood" premiere in L.A. (WireImage)

'Entourage' Takes Manhattan

In its fifth season, “Entourage” is still one of the hottest tickets in town, even when that town is New York. Over 1200 HBO guests made their way downtown to Mansion, a multi-room dance club, after viewing the season’s first two episodes at The Ziegfeld on Wednesday. “We try to create something that is relatable and real and I think people in Los Angeles and outside of the city appreciate that,” skein’s creator and exec producer Doug Ellin explained.
Occasionally the show hits a little too close to home for some of its LA viewers.
“We have gotten a couple of angry calls here and there,” Ellin admits. “But the truth is we aren’t usually too negative.” Not negative enough to scare off this season’s crop of guest stars including execs, Fox’s Tom Rothman and NBC’s Ben Silverman, as well as thesps Leighton Meester and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who mingled at the after-party with cast members Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Rex Lee and a fashionably late Jeremy Piven. - by Addie Morfoot

photo: Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Doug Ellin, Jeremy Piven, Mark Wahlberg and Rex Lee at the "Entourage" season 5 premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater. (WireImage)

'Express' Stops in L.A.

Sony's "Pineapple Express" premiere pulled out all the stops at a huge after-party in Westwood on Thursday. Seth Rogen and James Franco celebrated their pot pic alongside guests Jim Carey and Kanye West and producer Judd Apatow. In keeping with the theme, the event included hookahs and "munchies" such as mini grilled cheese sandwiches and nachos. Guests were also able to pose with fake drugs, guns and more thanks to politeinpublic.com an innovative twist on photo booths. 

The Art World's Feminine Touch

Scantily clad mannequins on Hollywood Blvd. are nothing new. But German  filmmaker Eckhart Schmidt, brings a new twist to these fake figures in his photo exhibit “Window Girls,” at the German Consulate General July 18 -  September 30 , before moving to the Seyhoun Gallery on Melrose in October. Schmidt, who’s made numerous docus on Hollywood’s industry of desire, produces images that not only show the mannequins but also the reflection of street life in the glass windows. The result is a mix of sad doll eyes and a genuine delight in the seedy side of Los Angeles. “To me, these dolls are like empty silver screens for our desires. I look at them and I see the loneliness that characterizes life in Los Angeles,” explains Schmidt. “I happen to love this loneliness. It sparks creativity because the only way to meet people in Los Angeles is through work.”

Across town, Schmidt’s daughter, Judith Liebe, deals with a similar juxtaposition in her own show at GALLERY 17 in Venice entitled “Pandora’s Box - Transformation of a Woman” July 10 – 27. Her eye-catching exhibit also uses sexy images of the female body but in the form of a photo collage , many of them appropriating famous figures such as Kate Moss, provocatively sliced, diced and released from their original glamour mag origins.  There are also strong visual references to German Expressionist works of painters such as Otto Dix, whose Weimar Republic society figures are clearly kin to Liebe's edgy portraits of 21st century feminine fast-lane malaise.  “In Greek mythology Pandora opens a box, which she has been told not to open,” says Liebe.  “As a punishment for disobedience, evil spirits are released, but one thing is left inside of the box – hope. In my work I try to create a balance between hope and sin.”   

Asked if it's "coincidental" that both father and daughter have exhibits featuring images of erotically-charged young women, Schmidt says, "Absolutely not. We are both obsessive about females. All of my feature films have also been about women." Liebe, however, explains that her "obsessive" mission couldn't be more different from her father's: "I don't know what he's looking for in his films or his 'Window Girls,' but in my paintings, I am looking for my own identity."
- by Steven Gaydos and Katja Hoffman

Preem's Monkey Business

Lined with banana and coconut trees, the yellow carpet premiere of “Space Chimps” got off to a fun-filled afternoon in Los Angeles with ice cream trucks, XBOX gaming stations and a BBQ buffet on the Fox lot. "This is a great chance for parents to laugh at the movies with their kids,” Cheryl Hines said at Saturday's preem. Joining Hines was the pic's director Kirk De Micco, and c0-stars Andy Samberg and Kristin Chenoweth. When asked who would reign in an intergalactic battle between “Space Chimps” or his SNL short “Lazer Cats,” Samburg chuckled. “It’s tough. With “Lazer Cats” it depends on who’s hands they fall into. So they could be good or evil. Where as 'Space Chimps' are just good. But that’s like asking me to choose between my children…which I would totally do—don’t get me wrong!”
- by Stuart Oldham

Carell Out Smarts Reporters

It can't be easy promoting a film around the world when at the same time going through a very public scandal. Anne Hathaway has been trying to take the high road as she jets to Mexico City, Australia and New York tub thumping "Get Smart" while her ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, has been arrested on charges of wire-fraud conspiracy and money laundering. It had been pretty smooth sailing until Monday's Rome premiere when despite being told no personal questions were allowed on the red carpet, a reporter went ahead and asked Hathaway how she was dealing with the break-up. People magazine reports that Hathaway "attempted a slight smile" before co-star Steve Carell stepped in to ease the awkwardness telling the reporter; "In my role of agent [for] Miss Hathaway, I would like to say that she does not answer questions relating to this subject."
(Photo: WireImage)

Will Smith Pumps Up Preem Crowd

It's a sight you don't normally see at premieres. The film's star performing a mini concert at the after-party. But that's exactly what happened Monday night at the Hollywood bow of "Hancock" where  Will Smith joined his former cohort, DJ Jazzy Jeff, for a five-song set that got industry folks on their feet. It's hard to picture other leading men doing such a thing. Could you imagine Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise leaping up out of their VIP booth at a preem after-party to sing "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It?" While Smith may be a tireless entertainer, he also knows a thing or two about promoting a film and made sure to use his time on stage to plug the pic's release date and thank director Peter Berg and co-stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman who were all bouncing their head to the beat.

Stars Sing for 'Mia!'

"Mamma Mia!" stars Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried brought their musical to Leicester Square on Monday for the pic's world premiere. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who are producers on the film were also on hand.

Firth told the The Press Association that singing in the film was "delightful and mortifying" adding, "I love singing but I have only really ever done it in the shower." Brosnan echoed the sentiment when talking to the BBC saying, "To see an ex-MI6 thespian singing and dancing in the world of Mamma Mia... people are going to howl."

Photos: Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Amanda Seyfried/ Colin Firth with wife Livia Giuggioli/ Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan: WireImage

Film Fest's Cheers for Cheadle

“Everyone involved with independent films is there for the love of the game,” said Don Cheadle on Sunday as he was honored at the L.A. Film Fest with the Spirit of Independence Award. Halle Berry was on hand at the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood to present her friend with the kudo. After clips from Cheadle’s career along with a short docu about his work in Darfur were shown, he took the stage to accept his award saying, “I like for my work to entertain and at the same time make people think a little.”  by Kurtis Lee

Photos: WireImage

A Touch of Glamour

Kyle MacLachlan and wife Desiree Gruber were brave enough to open up their L.A. home Wednesday night to stars, fashionistas and lookey loos who gathered to toast the new senior West Coast Editor of Glamour magazine, James Patrick Herman, at an intimate cocktail party. Guests such as Nicollette Sheridan, Mila Kunis and "American Idol's" David Cook were spread around the picture perfect abode nibbling on hors d'oeuvres while trying not to be too nosy and sneaking glances at the couple's personal photos framed through out the house. MacLachlan played host chatting with guests and tending to his eight-month pregnant wife who also celebrated her birthday at the soiree with a 'happy birthday' serenade and a cake.

Pictured: MacLachlan and Sheridan/ Jason Statham, James Patrick Herman and actor Clifton Collins Jr.  - WireImage