2011′s Acting Overachievers

It seemed everywhere you turned in 2011, there was a gorgeous new actress tearing up the screen. Whether playing a dim bulb Southern belle, a long-suffering wife, a young Mossad agent or a Shakespearean muse, Jessica Chastain was pretty much flawless. And it’s likely she’ll grab an Oscar nomination for her role in The Help (though some have championed her work in The Tree of Life). Regardless, Chastain is 2011′s biggest overachiever with roles in 7 films…. However, she’s not alone. Take a look at this list of the year’s biggest stars and their multiple film roles.

2011′s Big Screen Overachievers:

1. Jessica Chastain: She’s the undisputed breakthrough star of the year and is being hailed as the heir to the Meryl Streep/Cate Blanchett throne.
Her output this year~ The Help, Take Shelter, The Tree of Life, The Debt, Corolianus, Texas Killing Fields, Wild Salome

2. Michael Fassbender: this sexy star first turned our heads in Inglorious Basterds. Now, he has three potential Oscar contenders and should grab his first nomination for his soul and body baring role in Shame.
His films: Shame, A Dangerous Method, X Men: First Class, Jane Eyre

3. Robin Wright: the critically respected actress finally parted ways with Sean Penn a while back and has been working nonstop in critically respected films big and small turning out amazing work this year, especially in Rampart as a conflicted boozy litigator and as the stoic woman being held responsible in the assassination of Lincoln in The Conspirator.
Wrights films: The Conspirator, Rampart, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

4. Daniel Craig: Mr. James Bond had a rather roller coaster year with a big summer bomb (Cowboys & Aliens) and a smash end of the year hit (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Craig’s films: Cowboys & Aliens, Dream House, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

5. Matt Damon: the guy just never stops working and he’s always good even when the movies are bad…
Damon’s films: The Adjustment Bureau, Contagion, Margaret, Happy Feet 2, We Bought a Zoo

And some honorable mentions go to these busy actors over the past year…

Kate Winslet: Carnage, Contagion and the epic miniseries Mildred Pierce
Ryan Reynolds: poor guy was bomb central with The Green Lantern, Fireflies in the Garden (what?) and The Change Up
Emma Stone: The Help, Friends with Benefits, Crazy Stupid Love
Chris Evans: Puncture, What’s Your Number, Captain America: The First Avenger
Dame Judi Dench: Jane Eyre, My Week with Marilyn, J. Edgar

And I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few, so if you want to add to the list, hit me up in the comments. And who do you think will be 2012′s overachiever?

My Big Bold 2011 Emmy Winner Predictions

This Sunday Sept 18th is television’s big night, the Emmy Awards honoring the best on the tube in the past year. Emmy winner Jane Lynch (Glee) is up for another award this year and is our fearless host for the show that airs live at 8pm on the East coast (5pm for ya’ll on my side of the country). It should be a great show and we could see a wide variety of winners. However, I think the two big races will look like repeats from last year with Modern Family and Mad Men repeating in the Comedy and Drama categories… So, who else do I think will and should win? Take a look at my big bold perhaps clueless Emmy winner predictions below and watch the big show on Sunday night on Fox.

My Big Bold 2011 Emmy Winner Predictions~

Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, Mad Men
Will win: Mad Men
Should win: The Good Wife
Spoiler: Boardwalk Empire

Comedy Series:
The Big Bang Theory, Glee, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock
Will & Should win: Modern Family
Spoiler: Parks and Recreation

Lead Actor Drama Series:
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Hugh Laurie (House), Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
Will win: Jon Hamm
Should win: Michael C. Hall (hello, he’s never won, what???… yeah, it’s just my personal thing. However, apparently Jon Hamm really does deserve it for his submission episode “The Suitcase”)
Spoiler: Steve Buscemi

Lead Actress Drama Series:
Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), Mirielle Enos (The Killing), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), Juliana Marguiles (The Good Wife), Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men)
Will & Should win: Juliana Marguiles
Spoiler: Elizabeth Moss

Lead Actor Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carrell (The Office), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Louis C.K. (Louie), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Will & Should win: Steve Carrell
Spoiler: Jim Parsons

Lead Actress Comedy Series:
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Laura Linney (The Big C), Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly), Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
Will & Should win: Amy Poehler (yes, I’m going out on a big limb here)
Spoiler (and a very deserving one): Laura Linney (she’s never lost an Emmy race mind you… but she already has 3 of em!)

Supporting Actor Drama Series:
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age), Josh Charles (The Good Wife), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Walter Goggins (Justified), John Slattery (Mad Men)
Will win: Alan Cumming
Should win: Peter Dinklage
Spoiler: Walter Goggins
~this one is a serious horse race. Any of them could prevail

Supporting Actress Drama Series:
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Michelle Forbes (The Killing), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Kelly MacDonald (Boardwalk Empiret), Margo Martindale (Justified), Archie Penjabi (The Good Wife)
Will & Should win: Margo Martindale
(I have a soft spot for Michelle Forbes though and would be thrilled if she pulled off an upset)
Spoiler: Archie Penjabi

Supporting Actor Comedy Series:
Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Chris Colfer (Glee), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Ed O’Neil (Modern Family), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Will win: Ty Burrell
Should win: Chris Colfer
Spoiler: Eric Stonestreet (seriously, it could be anyone but Cryer and I’d be happy)

Supporting Actress Comedy Series:
Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Jane Lynch (Glee), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family), Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live), Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)
Will win: Betty White
Should win: Julie Bowen (even though White is still super awesome)
Spoiler: Jane Lynch (she has an amazing episode submission dealing with the softer side of Sue Sylvester and her sister’s death)

TV Movie/Miniseries:
Cinema Verite, Donwtown Abbey, The Kennedys, Mildred Pierce, The Pillars of the Earth, Too Big Too Fail
Will win: Downtown Abbey
Should win: Cinema Verite
Spoiler: Mildred Pierce (it was the most nominated program of the year by the way and that always helps)

Lead Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Idris Elba (Luther), Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood), William Hurt (Too Big To Fail),Greg Kinnear (The Kennedys), Barry Pepper (The Kennedys), Edgar Ramirez (Carlos),
Will win: William Hurt
Should win: Barry Pepper
Spoiler: Edgar Ramirez

Lead Actress TV Movie/Miniseries:
Taraji P. Henson (Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story), Diane Lane (Cinema Verite), Jean Marsh (Upstairs Downstairs), Elizabeth McGovern (Downtown Abbey), Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce)
Will win: Kate Winslet
Should win: Diane Lane

Supporting Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Bryan O’Byrne (Mildred Pierce), Paul Giamatti (Too Big to Fail), Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce), Tom Wilkinson (The Kennedys), James Woods (Too Big To Fail)
Will win: James Woods
Should win: Tom Wilkinson
Spoiler: Guy Pearce

Supporting Actress TV Movie/Miniseries:
Eileen Atkins (Upstairs Downstairs), Melissa Leo (Mildred Pierce), Maggie Smith (Downtown Abbey), Mare Winningham (Mildred Pierce), Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce)
Will & Should win: Maggie Smith
Spoiler: Evan Rachel Wood

Reality Competition Show:
American Idol, Amazing Race, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef
Will win: American Idol (they’ve never won and this feels like their best chance or they will probably never win)
Should win: Project Runway or So You Think You Can Dance
Spoiler: Top Chef

Will “Carnage” make Mincemeat out of the Oscars?

Adapting a four character play set in one location for the big screen is a pretty daunting task, and when you realize the play is the Tony winning smash God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, it seems practically impossible. However, Hollywood is giving it a try of course. And Sony Pictures Classics has attached some big guns to the project now titled Carnage  to ensure its success. The film is directed by Oscar winner Roman Polanski (The Pianist) and stars Oscar winners Jodie Foster (The Accused, The Silence of the Lambs), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Oscar nominee John C. Reilly (Chicago). That’s a strong pedigree which will hopefully make for a great picture. The movie is a dark comedy about two sets of parents clashing together after their sons get in a fight at school and it presents a lot of opportunity for scenery chewing. Just check out the trailer below. We may see all four actors in the Oscar race again. It will be interesting to see if they campaign them in separate categories with Foster and Reilly going Lead while Waltz and Winslet go Supporting as some pundits have suggested. We will know about its kudos chances after it premieres at the upcoming Venice Film Festival. Until then, check out your first taste of Carnage below.

Carnage trailer

The Contagion is Coming…

Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t touch anyone. Don’t leave your house…. Because it’s coming… No, I’m not talking about Carmageddon. I’m talking about Contagion, the new film from Oscar winner Steven Sodebergh (Traffic). Chronicling the aftermath of a deadly infectious disease, this action thriller follows the doctors contracted by the CDC to fight this horrible outbreak and features a bevy of big stars including Oscar winners Marion Cottillard (La Vie en Rose), Kate Winslet (The Reader), Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) plus Oscar nominees John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Laurence Fishburne (What’s Love Got to Do With It), and Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley). That’s a heck of a pedigree and judging from the first trailer, they all deliver. Check out the clip below and get ready to get infected by this potential Oscar contender Contagion when it hits theatres September 9th.

Contagion trailer