A decade before The Great Gatsby,
Bazmark gifted us with the absolutely brilliant film
that was Moulin Rouge!. It was after watching and
falling in love with this film that I decided to create
'Baz the Great!', and Moulin Rouge! still remains
my favourite movie of all time.
To celebrate the film's 10th
anniversary,
MTV.com will be hosting "Moulin Rouge at 10: A
Spectacular Spectacular MTV News Event" on Monday, May
2, at 3:00pm (US EST). MTV reports that this event will
be a live internet stream that will include special
appearances and live interviews while looking back at
how the film came to be and how its legacy continues to
grow. Check out the full article below.
Fans can also submit their questions
through Twitter. I have already submitted some questions
through my
Twitter account, and I encourage fellow fans to do
the same! Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend
the event, as I will be away that week without internet
access. However, hopefully MTV will post a full
transcript on their website after the event!
Celebrate
'Moulin Rouge' 10 Years Later With MTV Live Stream
Ten years ago, Baz
Luhrmann brought us into the world of the "Moulin
Rouge," a sexy, musical take on the subculture of
turn-of-the-century Paris based on the story of Orpheus
and Eurydice. It starred Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman
and featured over-the-top costumes and reinventions of
modern songs from "Lady Marmalade" to "Smells Like Teen
Spirit."
To commemorate that movie's 10th anniversary, MTV News
reunites Luhrmann, Kidman and McGregor to celebrate
"Moulin Rouge at 10: A Spectacular Spectacular MTV News
Event" on Monday, May 2, at 3 p.m. ET on MTV.com. The
director and stars will be joined by co-star John
Leguizamo, who played artist Toulouse-Lautrec, and
Catherine Martin, who won the Oscar for costume design
and art direction. Hosted by MTV News' Josh Horowitz,
the live stream will include special appearances and
live interviews while looking back at how the film came
to be and how its legacy continues to grow.
To get in on the fun, fans can submit questions for the
"Moulin Rouge" director and talent via the @MTVNews
Twitter handle with the hashtag #AskMoulin.
The film premiered in 2001, quickly permeated pop
culture and reinvented the modern movie musical. Its
influence can still be seen today with the success of
musical television shows like "Glee" and "American
Idol." It's also had an impact on fashion, graphic
design and style.
The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best
Picture and Best Actress for Nicole Kidman, and it won
two, for art direction and costume design. It was the
first musical nominated for Best Picture in 22 years.
"Moulin Rouge" also took home two MTV Movie Awards for
Best Musical Sequence (Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor)
and Best Female Performance (Nicole Kidman).
22 April
2011
Affleck out
as Tom Buchanan - Fisher in as Myrtle Wilson?
On Tuesday,
Deadline was once again the first media resource
to provide an update about Luhrmann's The Great
Gatsby, which I have now added to my
Great Gatsby
page. This most recent casting news has now spread
across the internet, causing even more speculation about
the upcoming project.
It has now been confirmed that Ben
Affleck will not play Tom Buchanan, due to scheduling
conflicts with another film he has already committed
too. Luhrmann is now looking for a replacement, and word
is that he is trying to get an Australian actor.
Personally, I would love it if Luhrmann chose Richard
Roxburgh or David Wenham to play Tom Buchanan. Both
actors have worked with Luhrmann before in Moulin
Rouge! and I think they would be great in the role.
But we'll have to wait and see...
It has also been reported that
Australian actress, Isla Fisher, is in talks to play Tom
Buchanan's mistress, Myrtle Wilson. I must say that,
personally, I think Fisher is a surprising choice for
this character, as she is not the type of actress I
would have imagined in the role. However, I am sure that
Bazmark have chosen her for good reason, and it will be
interesting to see if her casting is confirmed.
Ben Affleck
Can't Do 'The Great Gatsby' (Deadline, 19
April 2011)
Though director Baz Luhrmann
wanted Ben Affleck to play Tom Buchanan in his 3D update
of The Great Gatsby, the actor won't be taking part in
the movie adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald literary
classic. Luhrmann offered Affleck the role in early
April and courted him hard. The problem was, the film
will shoot in Australia, and the scheduling just didn't
match up on Argo. Affleck is committed to direct that
film, about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in the Middle
East. They tried to work it out but ultimately couldn't.
So far, Luhrmann has commitments from Leonardo DiCaprio
to play Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan to play Daisy
Buchanan, and Tobey Maguire to play Nick Carraway.
Warner Bros is in talks with Isla Fisher to play Myrtle,
the wife of a gas-station owner who is cheating with
Buchanan. Luhrmann is looking for another actor to play
him. Word is he's trying to get Australian actors for
some of the roles because it helps the film's financial
situation. Luhrmann, who wrote the script with Craig
Pearce, is producing with his Luhrmann/Bazmark Films
partners Catherine Martin and Catherine Knapman, and Red
Wagon partners Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher.
Finally, according to a variety of other
sources, such as
The Herald Sun, "production kicks off in about a
fortnight". It has been previously reported that
pre-production may begin in May, and I can only assume
that this is where this information has come from.
However, pre-production is different to actual
production, and I'm not sure how the media can report
that production "kicks off" in a fortnight when casting
is still underway! Furthermore, we still have not
received any official confirmation from Bazmark
regarding the production schedule. So far, we have had to rely on various media reports, which is
obviously adding to the widespread confusion and
speculation surrounding this project.
9 April
2011
Ben Affleck
to play Tom Buchanan?
Deadline has again been the first to report
further news about Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.
On 7 April 2011, it was reported that Ben Affleck is "in
talks" to play the role of Tom Buchanan. However,
Affleck must first clear up some scheduling
difficulties, as he is preparing to direct another
Warner Brothers movie.
Reuters has reported that Affleck's film,
Argo, is set to begin in September however, as has
been previously reported, The Great Gatsby may
begin filming in August. Deadline indicates in
their article below that "signs point toward him making
time in his schedule", but we will have to wait and see
whether Affleck officially joins the cast.
Ben Affleck
Circling Big 'Great Gatsby' Role (Deadline, 7
April 2011)
EXCLUSIVE: Ben Affleck is in talks to play the role of
Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, the Baz Luhrmann-directed
3D adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald literary
classic at Warner Bros. Now, Affleck will have to work
to fit this in. After starring in and directing The
Town, he’s prepping to direct Argo, a film about the
1979 Iran hostage crisis. But signs point toward him
making time in his schedule to join Leonardo DiCaprio,
Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan in Gatsby. Both
projects are at Warner Bros.
Tom Buchanan is the husband of Daisy (Mulligan), in a
role originated by Bruce Dern in the 1974 film. DiCaprio
plays Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford starred in the
original) and Maguire plays Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston
in the 1974 pic). Luhrmann, who wrote the script with
Craig Pearce, is still in the process of setting the
roles of Jordan Baker (originated by Lois Chiles), the
gas station owner George Wilson (Scott Wilson) and his
wife Myrtle (played by Karen Black in the original). Tom
is having an affair with Myrtle, and they all play a
role in a tragedy.
Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and Catherine Knapman of
Luhrmann/Bazmark Films will produce with Red Wagon
partners Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher. G Mac Brown will
also produce. WME reps Affleck.
1 April 2011
'Gatsby'
Countdown to Pre-Production in May
April is now upon us and there has not yet been any
further news about Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby.
On 16 March 2011,
The Daily Telegraph reported that Bazmark Films advised them over
the telephone, "The Great Gatsby will commence
preproduction in Sydney in late May as planned."
Therefore, based on this, the countdown has begun to
next month when pre-production of the movie will
(hopefully) begin!
'For The
Record: Baz Luhrmann'
In the meantime, while we wait for more Gatsby
news, anyone living near Los Angeles should check out a
popular Baz Luhrmann dinner show now showing at the
Vermont Kitchen & Bar. For more details, check out the
following excerpts from
The Los Angeles Times (click on the link to view
the full article). Also, don't forget to check out the fantastic
trailer, which I have embedded below! :)
Night Life: The movies sing
at 'For the Record' - First Quentin Tarantino. Now Baz
Luhrmann. Filmmakers' work gets transformed into a
dinner show at Vermont in Los Feliz
Los Feliz, one of the crown
jewels of L.A. hipsterdom, has long been known as a
hotbed of underground music, film and art, but not so
much for its blithe way with musical theater. Which is
likely why a new series of dinner shows at Vermont
Kitchen & Bar is playing weekend after weekend to a
sold-out room … The series, called "For the Record," is
a mixture of cabaret and dinner theater but doesn't fall
easily into either category. That's because each show is
tailored around the music, and bare-bones plots, of
films by a particular director … The show, created by
producer-director Shane Scheel and musical director
Chris Bratten, features talented performers (many with
Broadway résumés) singing songs from "Romeo + Juliet,"
"Strictly Ballroom" and "Moulin Rouge." And since
Luhrmann specializes in bringing edgy, unexpected
modernity to classic tales, the entertainment is very
pop 'n' roll.
Intriguing renditions of
timeless tunes such as "When Doves Cry," "Roxanne,"
"Rhythm of the Night" and "Time After Time" are
performed on every possible open surface inside Barre,
vt (the small lounge just off Vermont Kitchen, which
serves as the main restaurant). Actors shimmy and jump
across the bar, croon beneath a deer's head at the back
of the room, sullenly emote from barstools and dance
dexterously on both the main stage and a devilish little
riser in the center of the room that will trip you if
you're not careful. Quarters are tight. And that's the
fun of it. With a cave-like ceiling, a mess of tightly
packed tables and dim lighting, Barre, vt feels like
part Parisian boîte and part underground New York City
tavern.
And that's just how Scheel
likes it. "I don't ever want it to feel like it's dinner
theater," he says. "I'm not asking people to come and
experience 'The Music Man.' " The show can be uneven at
times. "Moulin Rouge," with its abundance of corsets and
high-energy numbers, casts a formidable shadow over the
more mild-mannered rendition of "Romeo + Juliet," which
errs on the side of saccharine. But the quality of the
acting makes up for this imbalance, as does the overall
experience. Affable waiters bob and weave through the
room serving pan-seared mahi-mahi, juicy rib-eye steaks,
crisp flatbreads piled with fresh vegetables and cheese
and creative absinthe cocktails. Eye candy is as
abundant as the booze, in the form of a live band,
flexible dancers and sexy costumes.
Standout performances include
newcomer Michael Motroni, who is searingly visceral as
Harold Zidler; Darryl Semira ("Mamma Mia!" and "Bombay
Dreams" on Broadway), who oozes charm and charisma as
Romeo and the Duke; Ginifer King ("Gypsy" on Broadway,
opposite Bernadette Peters), whose powerful voice and
striking figure overwhelm the small stage; and the
sultry persona and soulful presence of Dionne Gipson (a
songwriter, she co-wrote songs with Q-Tip and Babyface)
… Luhrmann is the third in the series [after Tarantino
and] (the second featured the 1980s-centric nostalgia of
John Hughes), but it's the first one that Scheel feels
has achieved the kind of technical quality that he'd
wanted. "Shane picks directors that any age can relate
to, whether you're 21 or 60," says Elias. "People are
looking for more than just a nice atmosphere. They want
to be wowed."
