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It’s 1970, and as the astronauts of Apollo 13 ventured around the dark side of the moon, they faced a life-threatening crisis. Who helped save the day? Judith Love Cohen. Judith had helped create the Abort Guidance System that would ultimately rescue those astronauts.

But wait, it gets better. Judith was still working on a problem for the Apollo program, the day she gave birth to a son. She took a printout to the hospital, called her boss to say she’d finished it, and then casually gave birth to the future star of School of Rock, Po himself, the man who brought Bernie Tiede to the silver screen, the one-and-only Jack Black. Talk about multitasking!

Now, with a mom like that, you’d think Jack would be all about the math and science, right? Well, not exactly. Jack was a kid who was not great at academics, but had a knack for making people laugh.

On Saturday July 13, 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks borrowed his father's Ar-15 style rifle and parked himself atop a building near the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, from which he fired eight bullets in the direction of former President Donald J. Trump. This being 2024, we can reasonably conclude from the myriad of cameras present — television, phone, and whatnot — that this happened. We also know for a fact that Trump's ear was bloodied by something, that three other people were struck by Crooks' bullets, and that one of these bullets killed 50-year-old Corey Comparatore. Finally, it is an incontrovertible fact that Thomas Matthew Crooks is dead.

Why Crooks did this is still under investigation, though it does appear he acted alone. How he evaded Secret Service to claim such an advantageous perch has prompted furious finger pointing within the long-embattled agency. What, if anything, this means for the upcoming presidential...

Tim Robbins is shutting down any “deranged” comparisons between his 1992 film “Bob Roberts” and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Conspiracies surfaced on social media after Thomas Matthew Crooks killed a Trump rallygoer and tried to assassinate the former president, injuring two others in the crowd as well. Robbins weighed in after one theory claimed the shooting was arranged by convicted felon Trump to boost his campaign for re-election, much like the plot of Robbins’ political drama “Bob Roberts.”

“To anyone drawing a parallel between my film ‘Bob Roberts’ and the attempted assassination of Trump, let’s be clear. What happened yesterday was a real attempt on a presidential candidate’s life,” Robbins wrote. “Those that are denying the assassination attempt was real are truly in a deranged mindset. A human being was shot yesterday. Another killed. They may not be human beings that you agree with politically but for shame folks.

Actor-director Tim Robbins is calling out the conspiracy theories following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, including that it was a staged event akin to a plot point in his 1992 movie Bob Roberts.

Robbins wrote on X/Twitter, “To anyone drawing a parallel between my film Bob Roberts and the attempted assassination of Trump, let’s be clear. What happened yesterday was a real attempt on a presidential candidate’s life. Those that are denying the assassination attempt was real are truly in a deranged mindset. A human being was shot yesterday. Another killed. They may not be human beings that you agree with politically but for shame folks. Get over your blind hatred of these people. They are fellow Americans. This collective hatred is killing our souls and consuming whatever is left of our humanity.”

In the movie, Bob Roberts is a right-wing Senate candidate who go through a...

Chicago – The seemingly middle-of-the-road character actor Bob Balaban has more to his legacy than just a ton of appearances from the 1960s to present in classic films and TV. His Chicago family were pioneers in film exhibition and the movie executive suite during the studio system in the early days of the history of film. It is in his DNA.

The amazing story of Chicago’s Balaban family began soon after they emigrated from Russia. His uncles formed a coalition with Sam Katz to build theaters. The Balaban & Katz brand meant the highest quality movie palaces eventually, the ultimate in the early 20th Century movie experience before television … two prominent theaters still standing are the city-symbolic Chicago Theatre and the still-closed-but-still-standing Uptown Theatre. Bob was born in Chicago, and his father built his favorite theatre icon (as told in the Podtalk below). For the final flourish, his uncle Barney Balaban...

Fred Ward, the versatile character actor who starred in films like Tremors, The Right Stuff and Henry & June during a career that spanned five decades, has died at the age of 79. Ward’s rep, Ron Hoffman, confirmed the actor’s May 8 death in a statement, though no cause of death was provided.

An Air Force veteran and amateur boxer before becoming an actor — his tough guy look and gruff exterior was attained thanks to a few broken noses in the ring — Ward was equally adept when featuring in dramas,...

Tim Robbins has signed onto the series adaptation of Hugh Howey’s “Wool” at Apple, Variety has learned.

Robbins will star alongside previously announced cast member Rebecca Ferguson. “Wool” is a set in a ruined and toxic future where a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Robbins will play Bernard, the head of It for the Silo. “Wool” represents one of several regular television roles that Robbins has had in the past few years. Most recently, he appeared in Season 2 of the Stephen King Hulu series “Castle Rock.” He also recently starred in the HBO shows “Here and Now” and “The Brink.”

Robbins is best known for his feature work, having won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for “Mystic River” in 2004. He was previously nominated...

The legendary punk god joins us to talk about movies he finds unforgettable. Special appearance by his cat, Moon Unit.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Tapeheads (1988)

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary

A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Meet John Doe (1941)

Bob Roberts (1992)

Bachelor Party (1984)

Dangerously Close (1986)

Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary

F/X (1986)

Hot Rods To Hell (1967)

Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)

While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Spider-Man (2002)

The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary

Serpent’s Egg (1977)

The Thin Man (1934)

Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)

The Hidden Eye (1945)

Eyes In The Night (1942)

Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary

Red Dawn (1984)

Warlock (1989)

The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary

Secret Honor (1984)

The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...

And just like that – here comes spring. Amazon Prime‘s list of new releases for April 2021 isn’t as cheery as one would expect from the sunny season. But perhaps that’s by design – you should be outside anyway!

Amazon’s most prominent original series for April 2021 is undoubtedly Them from multi-hyphenate Lena Waithe. This horror anthology’s first season, subtitled “Covenant”, will center on a Black family in the 1950s who move from North Carolina to a white neighborhood in Los Angeles. It premieres on April 9. Given its name and premise, Them is drawing some (largely joke-y) comparisons to Jordan Peele’s Us on social media. But hey, the world could always use some more Us.

Read more TV Does the Latest Lord of the Rings Amazon Series Cast Exit Signal Trouble? By Joseph Baxter TV New On Amazon Prime Video UK March 2021: Invincible, Coming 2 America and More!

A collection of Alan Rickman’s personal diaries will be published together as a single book and be made available in 2022, according to The Guardian.

The actor known for the “Harry Potter” films and “Die Hard” wrote 27 volumes of diaries that span 25 years and date back to the early ’90s. “The Diaries of Alan Rickman” will be edited into one book and will be published in the U.S. and the U.K. in the fall of 2022.

The handwritten volumes are described as “witty, gossipy and utterly candid” in their description of his daily life. Rickman had intended that they would one day be published, with him writing up until his death of pancreatic cancer at age 69 in 2016.

Alan Taylor, editor of the Scottish Review of Books, is editing “The Diaries of Alan Rickman” for publisher Canongate in the U.K. and Holt in the U.S. Taylor previously put...

Tim Robbins thought he’d come up with a timely idea for a new comedy.

The subject of his new satire would be an unhinged billionaire-turned-president who uses the Oval Office to sow racism and division. Robbins’ film would focus on his struggles to maintain his grip on power during a tumultuous year in which he faces an uphill climb to re-election. Parallels to Donald J. Trump are obvious and intended, Robbins says.

“It’s definitely Trump,” he told Variety. “But it’s the Trump behind the scenes — the one from the unsourced reports of him belittling aides and behaving in an even more narcissistic fashion.”

Initially, Robbins reached out to “The Big Short” writer and director Adam McKay about lining up financing for the feature film. But the pandemic upended those plans, making it nearly impossible to secure backing and complete the film by Election Day on Nov. 4. That...

This is no festive prank, these movies are hilarious.

Let’s face it, the world is a wreck. Every day things look bleaker than they did the day before. It’s gotten to the point where, if you can’t learn to laugh at our misery, you’re finished. If you need some help figuring out how to find humor in even the worst bits of the human experience, dark comedies work, Netflix has them, and we’ve made a list of the good ones. Click on the films’ titles to be taken to their Netflix pages.

Pick of the Month: This Must Be the Place (2011)

I can’t think of another movie in recent times that’s been so good and gotten so little love and attention in return. Maybe that’s because the concept of a former 80s glam rocker who still wears his makeup (Sean Penn) tracking down the Nazi concentration camp guard who...

My guest for this month is Herb van der Poll, and he’s joined me to discuss the film he chose for me, the 1992 American-British satirical mockumentary film Bob Roberts. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.

Show notes:

The cast is seriously insane, with Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, Ray Wise, Gore Vidal, John Cusack, Peter Gallagher, Alan Rickman, and Susan Sarandon Oh and also James Spader, Helen Hunt, Jack Black, Jeremy Piven and his sister Shira, and Bob Balaban Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know we have an election happening The film shows some strong parallels to the presidency of George W. Bush Ray Wise, of course, was famously Laura Palmer’s dad on one of my all time favorite shows, Twin Peaks In this film, he and Alan Rickman play Dick Cheney and Karl Rove type figures Folk music is often in the service of liberal causes,...

Tim Robbins really brought Hillary Clinton supporters to the brink on Monday. “Bob Roberts” star Robbins came under intense social-media fire after stumping for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Wisconsin, where he diminished Clinton’s February win in the South Carolina primary and appeared to liken her supporters to “sheep.” Appearing for Sanders in Green Bay, Robbins gave a speech in which he criticized the “propaganda” that insists that Clinton is the Democrats’ presumptive nominee. Also Read: Bernie Sanders vs. Colonel Sanders: 7 Key Differences to Consider This Election Season (Photos) While Robbins said that voters “who feel Bernie in their hearts but.

Alan Rickman, the British actor who portrayed likable villains in films like Die Hard and the Harry Potter series, has passed away. "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends," his family wrote in a statement confirming the actor's death, the BBC reports.

Rickman's acting career began on the stage with a stint in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as well as roles on numerous BBC productions. In 1987, a RSC production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses came to Broadway,...

Armando Iannucci has left the building. Since mid-April, HBO has housed probably the best 90-minute comedy block on television, with the tech world satire of "Silicon Valley" transitioning into the political satire of "Veep" and closing with the sharp-eyed comedic advocacy of "Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver." With those three comedies and even a lackluster-by-its-high-standards "Game of Thrones" season, HBO has had the Sunday quality TV crown on lockdown for months. But change is in the air. Iannucci, TV's keenest tweaker of governmental process, announced earlier this spring that he was stepping back from his showrunning responsibilities on "Veep." I've resisted panic, because the "Veep" creative bench is deep and I believe a solid foundation is in place to maintain much of the momentum beyond last Sunday's season finale.  Sadly, the momentum of HBO's Sunday is in free fall and nowhere is that more evident than in the 10:30 comedy slot,...

Johanna Bennett’s and Mandy Ward’s third annual celebration of first time filmmakers concluded on March 9 with a tribute to no one other than Harvey Weinstein. The festival, one that puts forth newly formed filmmakers with the audience they deserve, makes sure that all aspects of filmmaking are met and that the aspiring filmmakers know what to do with their next film. Weinstein, of the famed The Weinstein Company, along with his brother Bob, has shown himself over the years to have supported first time filmmakers when no one else would. And his trust in these filmmakers have only proven themselves to be some of today’s best directors, writers, actors, and more.

In many ways, Weinstein’s support of such filmmakers has created them. Quentin Tarantino would not be a household name had Weinstein not decided to produce Reservoir Dogs, the same goes for Steven Soderbergh’s Sex,...

The first trailer for Kristen Wiig's comedy Welcome To Me has been released.

The film follows Alice Klieg (Wiig), a massive Oprah Winfrey fan with Borderline Personality Disorder, who wins $86 million in the lottery.

Alice decides to buy herself a talkshow with her winnings, and soon finds her fame increasing as she shares all of her thoughts and opinions on subjects from food to relationships.

James Marsden, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack and Wes Bentley also star in the Toronto Film Festival hit, produced by the likes of Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Wiig.

The film has been directed by Shira Piven, a writer-filmmaker who has also acted in Step Brothers and Bob Roberts.

Welcome To Me is released in the Us on May 1.

Having commissioned the pilot episode of The Brink – a half-hour dark political comedy – last year, HBO has now ordered the show to series, with Tim Robbins and Jack Black heading the cast.

The show centres around the main players caught in a geo-political crisis. Tim Robbins plays the Us Secretary of State, Walter Hollander, who has little patience for war-mongers, while Jack Black plays Alex Coppins – a Foreign Service Officer dealing with the crisis in the field. A third main role – that of a Navy fighter pilot – has yet to be cast, although the wider cast list includes Aasif Mandvi and Meera Syal. The pilot was written by brothers Roberto and Kim Benabib – Roberto having previously worked on Ally McBeal and Weeds. Both will also serve as executive producers, alongside stars Black and Robbins, Jerry Weintraub (Behind The Candelabra) and Jay Roach (The Austin Powers franchise, The Campaign), who also directed the pilot.

Adam McKay -- director and co-writer of "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" -- is Moviefone's Guest Editor from December 16 - 20. Watch for exclusive features from him throughout the week. Below, McKay reveals his picks for the five funniest movie characters of all time.

Roger Davis (Jack Black), 'Bob Roberts'

Jack Black's obsessed, wild-eyed character who was in love with Tim Robbins right-wing folk singer character Bob Roberts is amazing. You can't take you're eyes off him. And, although I don't think he has more than four lines in the movie, everyone I know who saw the movie walked away asking, "Who is that guy?"

Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen), 'Borat'

If there were any justice, there would be five more Borat movies. He's both endearing and dangerously ignorant at the same time. I can never get enough of this character. Go check out the old Ali G...

Now that the Presidential debates have wrapped up for the 2012 election, Time has compiled a list of the ten best debate scenes in film history. Included in the comedy-heavy list are Woody Allen's Fellini rant in "Annie Hall," Alicia Silverstone's gum-popping Haitian refugee speech in "Clueless" and Reese Witherspoon's brittle overachiever Tracy Flick opposite slacker Jessica Campbell in "Election." Full list below, along with a few clips. What debate scenes has Time left out that should be added to the list? 1. Tim Robbins opposite Gore Vidal in "Bob Roberts" 2. Denzel Washington's Wiley College debaters opposite the all-white Harvard team in "The Great Debaters" 3. Will Ferrell's Frank the Tank opposite Jeremy Piven in "Old School" 4. Robert Redford as Bill McKay in "The Candidate" 5. Alicia Silverstone's Cher expounding on Haitian refugees in...

In the 1990s, the already well regarded actor Tim Robbins, kick started a directorial career that was not only promising, but was met with the great acclaim. Starting with the 1992 political parody "Bob Roberts," three years later Robbins followed it with the excellent death row drama "Dead Man Walking" which earned four Oscar nominations including Best Director, and won his then wife Susan Sarandon Best Actress. Then four years later he returned with the uneven, but no less ambitious (and political) "Cradle Will Rock." And then? Virtual silence on the directing front. There was another political comedy in form the of the straight-to-video "Embedded" that died pretty quickly, and other than a TV pilot and a couple episodes of "Treme," there hasn't been much else. Until now. THR reports that Robbins will take the helm of "City Of Lies," a long developing project formerly known as "Wencelas Square," based on.

It's true! After a long hiatus, Tim Robbins has elected to direct a feature film again after several small TV gigs iincluding a two-episode stint on HBO's "Treme." Last seen in the feature film director's chair back in the 90s (Bob Roberts, Dead Man Walking, and Cradle Will Rock), Robbins replaces Phillip Noyce (Salt) on the spy story City Of Lies.  An adaptation of Arthur Phillips' short story Wenceslas Square by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Captain...

Tim Robbins' directing credits have been sparse in recent years, but he's about to step behind the camera again for City Of Lies. The spy drama is based on the short story Wenceslas Square by Arthur Phillips. The narrative takes place in Czechoslovakia at the end of the Cold War, and revolves around two spies on different missions, who find time to fall in love when their paths cross. Shouldn't they have been more focused on photographing the secret papers (or whatever)? Can't get the staff these days.The film was originally earmarked for Phillip Noyce (Salt), but Robbins has picked it up after Noyce's departure. Robbins has recently directed a couple of episodes of HBO's Treme, but this will be his first really major behind-the-camera project since the triple-whammy of Bob Roberts, Dead Man Walking and Cradle Will Rock in the 1990s.Screenwriting team Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely...

Novelist, playwright and essayist with a complete mastery of the scene he described

Gore Vidal, the American writer, controversialist and politician manqué, who has died aged 86, was celebrated both for his caustic wit and his mandarin's poise. His public career spanned seven decades and included 25 novels, numerous collections of essays on literature and politics, a volume of short stories, five Broadway plays, dozens of television plays and film scripts, and even three mystery novels written under the pseudonym Edgar Box. After 9/11 and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, he returned to centre stage with a series of blistering pamphlets and public pronouncements that led many, including his former friend Christopher Hitchens, to pounce on him. But Vidal never looked back.

Despite his output as a novelist and playwright, many critics considered Vidal's witty and acerbic essays his best work. Often published first in such journals as the New York Review...

Sometimes the most upsetting news comes in twos. It was only a few years ago that, in what was surely the toughest one-two punch to cinephiles in modern history, we lost Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni on successive days. Now, it’s happened again: two days after Chris Marker’s passing, Gore Vidal has died. A prolific screenwriter (he was such a good script doctor that, at one point in the 1950s, MGM had him on their weekly payroll) and sometimes-actor (screen appearances included roles in Gattaca and Bob Roberts), his contributions to the film world were notable (Caligula aside – yikes!). Yet taken on their own, they would hardly have earned Vidal the outpouring the media is giving his death.

As you know, dear reader, that is because Vidal was far more than a screenwriter or actor. He was a novelist, essayist, playwright and memoirist, playing the now more-or-less-extinct role...

A brainy, provocative, clever, often cynical novelist, playwright, essayist and screenwriter, Gore Vidal had quite a few movie credits. His 1968 novel Myra Breckenridge was filmed in 1970 to universal condemnation but has aged into something of a cult classic. His play Visit To A Small Planet a satire on the post- WWII fear of Communism, was turned into a Jerry Lewis vehicle in 1960 and his screenplay credits included Ben Hur (uncredited), Suddenly Last Summer, and Caligula. He dabbled in acting with small roles in Bob Roberts and Gattaca but more often was happy to play himself. Gore Vidal died Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills of complications of pneumonia at age 86.

From The Los Angeles Times:

Gore Vidal, the iconoclastic writer, savvy analyst and imperious gadfly on the national conscience, has died. He was 86.

Vidal died Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills of complications of pneumonia, said nephew Burr Steers.

Gore Vidal passed away on Tuesday at the age of 86 after succumbing to complications from pneumonia. Vidal was best known as an acclaimed author, playwright and essayist, but he also wrote some iconic Hollywood screenplays. As the New York Times noted, Vidal was even a contract writer for MGM.

It was there that he contributed to his most famous film, 1959's "Ben Hur." Directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston, won 11 Academy Awards -- tied for the most ever with "Titanic" and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." Vidal isn't a credited screenwriter on the film -- according to Vidal, 12 versions of the script were written; he called it "gorgeously junky"-- but he gave the film a homoerotic subtext.

"I said, 'Look, let me try something. Let's say these two guys when they were 15 or 16 -- they had been lovers. Now, they are meeting again, and...

From Ben-Hur and Caligula to Bob Roberts and The Us vs John Lennon, celebrated author Gore Vidal, who died yesterday, also took the Hollywood shilling as a screenwriter

Suddenly, Last Summer

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Gore Vidal followed in the footsteps of William Faulkner and F Scott Fitzgerald when he took the Hollywood shilling and signed on as a screenwriter for MGM. He scored an early success with his pungent adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Suddenly, Last Summer, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift. Williams, though, took all the credit.

Ben-Hur

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Just how much involvement did Vidal have in Ben-Hur, William Wyler's Oscar-winning chariot opera from 1959? The writer served as a script doctor and later claimed to have introduced a simmering gay subtext to the rivalry between Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and Messala (Stephen Boyd...

In a world more to his liking, Gore Vidal might have been president, or even king. He had an aristocrat's bearing – tall, handsome and composed – and an authoritative baritone ideal for summoning an aide or courtier.

But Vidal made his living – a very good living – from challenging power, not holding it. He was wealthy and famous and committed to exposing a system often led by men he knew firsthand. During the days of Franklin Roosevelt, one of the few leaders whom Vidal admired, he might have been called a "traitor to his class." The real traitors, Vidal would respond, were the upholders of his class.

The author, playwright, politician and commentator whose vast and sharpened range of published works and public remarks were stamped by his immodest wit and unconventional wisdom, died Tuesday at age 86 in Los Angeles.

Vidal died at his home in the Hollywood Hills at about 6:45 p.

Gore Vidal, a literary powerhouse, essayist, screenwriter and political activist, has died. Vidal passed away today at his home from complications of pneumonia, his nephew tells the Los Angeles Times. Vidal wrote 25 novels, including the groundbreaking The City and the Pillar,among the first novels about openly gay characters, and the Tony-nominated play The Best Man, revived on Broadway in 2012. His hundreds of satires included Myra Breckinridge and Duluth. His pieces on politics, religion, sexuality and literature drew praise as well as criticism. He won a National Book Award in 1993 for his United States Essays, 1952-1992. Woven throughout his works were anecdotes from his famous friends, including Hollywood stars Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and Kennedy family. His screenplay credits include Suddenly Last Summer, Ben Hur, and Billy The Kidd. He also played himself in Fellini’s Roma, and a Us senator in Bob Roberts. He made two unsuccessful political runs,...

Known for his rousing performance as a wannabe rock star in School of Rock and his outrageous HBO series (and band) Tenacious D, his voice is also heard in the animated blockbusters Ice Age and Kung Fu Panda. Here are five things you may not know about Jack Black, whose new dark comedy Bernie features him portraying a flamboyant Texas mortician who ends up killing a wealthy widow.  

1.Born Thomas Jacob Black on August 28, 1969 in Santa Monica, CA -- his parents were both engineers who literally worked as rocket scientists.

2. Was a member of Tim Robbins' acting troupe while studying at UCLA and it was through this collaboration that led to his 1992 film debut in the political comedy Bob Roberts.

3. Established himself in the business by appearing in a series of TV shows including Life Goes On, Northern Exposure, Mr. Show, Picket Fences, and The X-Files.

4. Filmed a TV pilot in 1999 called Heat Vision and Jack -- a parody...

On paper, Tim Robbins ought to enjoy one of the more natural actor-to-singer transitions. His late father was a bona fide folkie and had a No. 1 hit in 1961 as a member of the Highwaymen. As a leading man, Robbins sang throughout a largely musical film, with 1992’s satirical “Bob Roberts.” His influences, like his intentions, are in all the right places, with Bruce Springsteen at the top of the list. What’s not to work? But on paper, you can’t hear Robbins sing. And his voice, as heard on his debut...

Columbia courtesy of Everett Collection Owen Wilson and Jim Carrey in “The Cable Guy”

Although Jim Carrey is well-known for moving from broadly comic roles to more serious fare, there was a time before he was taken seriously as an actor. “The Cable Guy,” directed by Ben Stiller, gave audiences the first glimpse at his darker, more sensitive side, and even though it received mixed reactions at the time it was released in 1996, some critics rank it as one of his best films.

With Tsr Buzz, you’ll find links to articles, videos and other random things that will help you waste your time just a little bit more.

This year’s British Independent Film Award nominations were released recently. Let’s hope this is the only time during award season that we see Kick-Ass up for … anything. This young kid wowed Youtube with his version of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.” Now, he is making the push to be the next young talent of pop. If you ask me, Justin Bieber has nothing to worry about. There’s a reason that Augustana records sell far less than those by Chris Brown, etc.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_sAUdtsAXE

Another talk show appearance that people are talking about -- Due Date star Zach Galifianakis blatantly smoking a blunt on “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySySC_MaeJ4

Rotten Tomatoes...

It's Election Day, and U.S. citizens are heading to the polls! In celebration of our blessed freedom, "Extra" has put together a list of some of the best political movie quotes. Check em' out! And get out there and vote!

Top 20 Political Movie Quotes'Man of the Year' (2004)

"Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently, and for the same reasons." —Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams)

'Swing Vote' (2008)

"All the world's...

My greatest fear? Stupid people with guns

Tim Robbins, 51, was raised in New York. After graduating from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, he founded the Actors' Gang, an experimental theatre group in Los Angeles. His acting credits include The Player and The Shawshank Redemption, and he made his directorial and screenwriting debut on Bob Roberts, in which he also played the lead; he won a best supporting actor Oscar in 2004 for his role in Mystic River. Last year, he split from his long-term partner, Susan Sarandon. His band, Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band, have just released their debut album and are now touring Europe.

When were you happiest?

When I was shooting The Player – I was in love with life and fulfilled by my creative experience.

What is your greatest fear?

Stupid people with guns.

What is your earliest memory?

The Empire State Building, age three.

There are certain stars that seem to burn brightly when given brief exposure, and yet may fade or twinkle less when overexposed. Sometimes, with just a cameo or a secondary, even tertiary role, an actor's presence is like a welcome fresh breeze. It's like tapas, a perfect sampling of their talent and verve that never overstays its welcome.

The following 12 actors are pretty awesome when nibbled as amuse bouche. I'm recognizing the greatness of these actors in ensemble pieces, roles with less screen time, or even just bit parts. That's not to say all of them should never have leading roles. That's not to say that there haven't been better cameo performances. It's just that when shining in brief glimpses, these actors and actresses tend to be at the top of their game.

Kevin Spacey: Moon, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Glengarry Glen Ross

Jack Black: Anchorman, Run Ronnie Run,...

Remember when it seemed Steven Spielberg had it all figured out? Releasing a big effects-heavy blockbuster in the summer then an Oscar-baiting drama in the fall was genius, and probably knowingly done to exploit the stupid Hollywood awards system. Will Smith has done it, too, but he doesn't really get the same out of it as SS, who could more heavily be represented come Oscar season by filling up the highbrow (picture, director, etc.) and the lowbrow (sound, effects, etc.) categories in order to be the true king of the world (suck it Jc, you're a prince at best).

Nowadays it's all about covering as much acting categories as you can. That's likely why the stars seem to give more and more shits about the Golden Globes each year. There are more slots! Last year, both Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet showed us that it pays to do either a...

Oscar rules prohibit stars from being nominated twice in one category, but Meryl Streep will probably compete against herself at the Globes. Don't assume she'll split her votes and lose. When Tim Robbins reaped rival bids for best comedy/musical actor of 1992 for "The Player" and "Bob Roberts," he won for "The Player." Best Comedy/Musical Actress Front-runners Sandra Bullock, "The Proposal" Marion Cotillard, "Nine" Zoey Deschanel, "(500) Days of Summer" Katherine Heigl, “The Ugly Truth” Meryl Streep, "It's Complicated" Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia" Possible Julia Roberts, "Duplicity" Ellen Page, "Whip It" Related Posts Inside track: Golden Globes' race for best musical-comedy actor Inside track: Golden Globes' race for best drama actress Inside track: Golden...

Who has time to go to the movies, darling, when there’s all those fashion shows to attend and fabulous celebrities to stalk? But did you know that DVDs are for more than porn? Ich had no idea. So instead of the disgusting multiplex, where it’s all proles and unfabulous people anyway, you can stay in your magnificent Austrian bunker and still sound uber cool on Monday, when the press hounds you with questions about how you spent ihr Wochenende. When they ask, “Did sie see that Bruno movie?” you can tell them to bumsen off, you saw that Fälscher Sacha Baron Cohen in other roles instead. Instead Of: Bruno, in which Sacha Baron Cohen dons gayface in order to send up homophobia... Watch: Well, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, for starters, to see Baron Cohen in fine mocking form as an...

Whether it expresses befuddlement, exuberance, or just plain goofiness, Jack Black's countenance is one of the most expressive and distinctive in contemporary movies. With Year One hitting theaters this week, we at Rt thought it would be a good time to take a look at the many faces of Black. Even in his debut movie role, the political satire Bob Roberts, Black had already perfected his patented mugging. And as with later roles, he played a young man who paid tribute to his musical heroes, in this case, the folk singing right-wing politician of the title. In High Fidelity, Black...

On the heels of a politically motivated film festival that wrapped Saturday in Dallas, a couple more are on the way, including a bipartisan effort from directors Barry Levinson and John Sayles and one that, like the Dallas effort, leans to the right. From Levinson and Sayles comes the Political Comedy Festival, a function of Levinson's alma mater, the American University School of Communication. The festival opens Thursday in Washington with the new Sayles satire Silver City and also includes the feature films Wag the Dog, Primary Colors, Election, Bob Roberts and the Preston Sturges classic The Great McGinty. Scheduled speakers include Levinson and Primary Colors anonymous author Joe Klein, as well as speechwriters for former Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.