Warner Bros. Re-releases “Michael Clayton”

Filed under: Film GossipSusan Sleeper at 3:01 am on Saturday, January 19, 2008

I read on buzzsugar.com that “Michael Clayton” is being released again later this month. If you didn’t see this movie last fall in its first release, don’t miss it. Apparently it is at the top of numerous critics list (Golden Globe & BAFTA nominations) and it was at the top of mine. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson all give superb performances but apparently no one saw it!! I saw it at the Angelika in Soho sipping a cappucino (which always makes every movie more enjoyable to me!) Let me know what you think if you saw it and if you haven’t check it out later this month.

2008…Ready or Not!

Filed under: Opinion, Television Gossip, Theatre GossipSusan Sleeper at 4:17 am on Friday, January 18, 2008

Sundance is happening! Award Shows are Not! It is most definitely an election year as we follow the candidates from state to state! Everyone is waiting to hear when and if favorite TV shows are returning! American Idol is back on TV with a kinder, gentler Simon Cowell and the same, boring pre performance format! How many times can we make fun of bad singers and get high ratings? Clay Aiken of Idol fame is joining the cast of Broadway’s “Spamalot” tomorrow–hmmm? Perfect timing! Think it was planned? Above all I want to take advantage of the many cultural offerings in New York that I often miss–I recommend a new blog at The New Yorker Magazine: Goings On - Cultural happenings in New York and elsewhere. to help you keep up with Manhattan’s happenings.

I am resolving to attend more plays, ballet, art shows, openings, book signings etc. and am starting with an Off Broadway show and a workshop presented by two actors this weekend. Two new shows that are at the top of my list to see: 39 Steps” at the Roundabout Theatre. I had lunch with UK Casting Director Simone Reynolds, who cast the UK original version, and found out all about this hilarious spoof on Alfred Hitchccok’s movie thriller. 4 actors play about 100 roles which I would think makes for a really creative piece! Also, I hope to soon see Steppenwolf’s “August: Osage County” since I have been hearing raves about it since Chicago. As the writer’s strike continues it is good to have Broadway up and running. Having just returned from Los Angeles (where it is very quiet for actors right now) it is good to have a new year of theatre revving up!

Actors - Find your Voice

Filed under: UncategorizedSusan Sleeper at 4:17 am on Friday, January 18, 2008

Sen. Hillary Clinton said in her speech after her New Hampshire Primary win that she had “found her voice.” To find your voice can mean many things: to discover who you are, to express your self freely or simply to not be afraid to be who you really are, not who you think people want you to be. Are you trying to be the person that will win the election, get the job, win the award, get cast. Actors have many voices or do they? Maybe it is one voice expressing itself in different ways. So much of an actor’s audition these days is the interview - self-expression - who the actor is, how he behaves, “personality.” It’s not just the talent but also who you are and what you are like to work with that can land the part. That is where the actor’s voice comes in. An actor has his own voice and should have the confidence to express it. Hillary finding her voice reminded me of Sally Field when she won her Academy Award: “You like me, you really like me.” Underneath it all, presidential candidate, actress, person on the street, we are all trying to find our own voice and just have it heard. Vernice Klier, an international acting and voice coach, who I met with in Los Angeles recently, said that she always has any actors studying with her work in a different art form in addition to acting. For example, painting, singing, journalling etc. To me, this stretches the actor - makes their world not just about acting but focuses on them as “a person” who acts. The more an actor develops confidence, branches out, grows as a person, the more he can bring to any audition. Actors find your voice!