President Joe Biden mocked former president Donald Trump for boasting about how he won two golf trophies during an awards ceremony at the Trump International Golf Club last weekend.
“It is my great honor to be at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach tonight, Awards Night, to receive The Club Championship Trophy & The Senior Club Championship Trophy,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I Won Both!”
“A large and golfing talented membership, a Great and difficult course, made the play very exciting,” he continued. “The qualifying and match play was amazing. A large and distinguished group will be there tonight. Very exciting, thank you!!!”
“Congratulations, Donald,” Biden wrote mockingly on X on March 24. “Quite the accomplishment.
Biden attached a screenshot of Trump’s post to his post.
The Trump campaign fired back at the current president in a statement in which they attacked their opponent’s physical capabilities.
“It is my great honor to be at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach tonight, Awards Night, to receive The Club Championship Trophy & The Senior Club Championship Trophy,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I Won Both!”
“A large and golfing talented membership, a Great and difficult course, made the play very exciting,” he continued. “The qualifying and match play was amazing. A large and distinguished group will be there tonight. Very exciting, thank you!!!”
“Congratulations, Donald,” Biden wrote mockingly on X on March 24. “Quite the accomplishment.
Biden attached a screenshot of Trump’s post to his post.
The Trump campaign fired back at the current president in a statement in which they attacked their opponent’s physical capabilities.
- 3/29/2024
- by Alessio Atria
- Uinterview
While in office, Donald Trump played more golf than any modern president, and the stories about him cheating at the sport are rampant. There’s an entire book devoted to his alleged flaunting of the game’s rules. Despite his reputation, Trump insists on claiming he regularly wins tournaments, but suspiciously only at his own courses.
The former president on Saturday wrote on Truth Social about a recent senior tournament at Bedminster, his New Jersey links, claiming he won its senior tournament. “I am pleased to report, for those that care,...
The former president on Saturday wrote on Truth Social about a recent senior tournament at Bedminster, his New Jersey links, claiming he won its senior tournament. “I am pleased to report, for those that care,...
- 8/27/2023
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
A United Nations Foundation grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa.
Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The people of The United Methodist Church, and Major League Soccer’s Mls W.O.R.K.S.
In the poorest parts of the world, where effective window screens are lacking, insecticide-treated bed nets are arguably the most cost-effective way to prevent malaria transmission. One bed net costs just $10 to buy and deliver to individuals in need. One bed net can safely last a family for about four years, thanks to a long-lasting insecticide woven into the net fabric.
Celebrity supporters
Nothing But Nets has 17 known supporters, including Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, and America Ferrera
Areas of...
Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The people of The United Methodist Church, and Major League Soccer’s Mls W.O.R.K.S.
In the poorest parts of the world, where effective window screens are lacking, insecticide-treated bed nets are arguably the most cost-effective way to prevent malaria transmission. One bed net costs just $10 to buy and deliver to individuals in need. One bed net can safely last a family for about four years, thanks to a long-lasting insecticide woven into the net fabric.
Celebrity supporters
Nothing But Nets has 17 known supporters, including Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, and America Ferrera
Areas of...
- 8/8/2023
- Look to the Stars
Big Breakfast, the Propagate-owned production company behind series including truTV’s Adam Ruins Everything, has set a new top table.
Jason Schrift, former co-exec producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has been named President, while Luke Kelly-Clyne, who was formerly President and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Healey are exiting the business.
Schrift was part of the launch team of Kimmel’s late-night ABC comedy and more recently was an exec producer on the Alec Baldwin/Kelsey Grammer multi-camera comedy from Modern Family’s Chris Lloyd and Vali Chandrasekaran that had received an ABC straight-to-series order but was subsequently passed on.
Schrift left Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018 and other credits include ESPN’s Homecoming with Rick Reilly, ABC’s The Alec Baldwin Show and HBO music doc series Shangri-La with Rick Rubin.
He previously had an overall deal for scripted and unscripted television with NBCUniversal.
“We are thrilled to bring Jason...
Jason Schrift, former co-exec producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has been named President, while Luke Kelly-Clyne, who was formerly President and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Healey are exiting the business.
Schrift was part of the launch team of Kimmel’s late-night ABC comedy and more recently was an exec producer on the Alec Baldwin/Kelsey Grammer multi-camera comedy from Modern Family’s Chris Lloyd and Vali Chandrasekaran that had received an ABC straight-to-series order but was subsequently passed on.
Schrift left Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018 and other credits include ESPN’s Homecoming with Rick Reilly, ABC’s The Alec Baldwin Show and HBO music doc series Shangri-La with Rick Rubin.
He previously had an overall deal for scripted and unscripted television with NBCUniversal.
“We are thrilled to bring Jason...
- 1/31/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump” is a frightening documentary that can leave you scared to death about the prospect of Donald Trump remaining in the Oval Office a day longer than is absolutely necessary. It’s a cautionary tale that can offer some degree of insight into the mind of our commander in chief. But it’s also a political documentary that can make you wonder whether film is even the right medium with which to take on Trump, and whether a movie like this can connect with anybody who doesn’t already believe everything it has to say.
The film by director Dan Partland is timely, of course, hitting select theaters and virtual cinemas on August 28, at the end of the week of the Republican Convention, and heading to streaming and VOD on Sept. 1. And it is tied into current news: Its focus on psychoanalyzing the president fits...
The film by director Dan Partland is timely, of course, hitting select theaters and virtual cinemas on August 28, at the end of the week of the Republican Convention, and heading to streaming and VOD on Sept. 1. And it is tied into current news: Its focus on psychoanalyzing the president fits...
- 8/25/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The issue of whether Donald Trump is mentally unfit to be president — or, to put it more bluntly, whether he suffers from a serious mental disorder — isn’t one to be taken lightly, yet it sometimes seems destined to be tinged with comedy. In 2017, when speculation about Trump’s mental state was first reaching full boil, Allen Frances, the psychiatrist who wrote the criteria that defines narcissistic personality disorder, published a righteous letter in The New York Times insisting that Trump was not an example of that syndrome. I looked up the criteria on several prominent medical websites, and guess what? Trump meets every one of the criteria.
Trump is the kind of screw-loose blowhard who has inspired all too many of us to play armchair psychiatrist. We’ve been putting him on the couch for the entire run of his presidency. So most, if not all, of the insights...
Trump is the kind of screw-loose blowhard who has inspired all too many of us to play armchair psychiatrist. We’ve been putting him on the couch for the entire run of his presidency. So most, if not all, of the insights...
- 8/22/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
In his new book Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, Rick Reilly writes of visiting the president’s signature golf property, Trump Doral. He was shocked by how few people were patronizing the Miami, Florida, resort. “I went there and it was so empty you could shoot a machine gun,” he told Rolling Stone last month. “In fact, the day I left someone did come in and sprayed the place with a machine gun and no one got hurt, because no one was there. I walked all over, and I saw one group.
- 5/15/2019
- by Ryan Bort
- Rollingstone.com
ESPN, the sports-media giant with an influence that extends across several types of media, is getting out of one particular venue: print.
The Disney-controlled company said Tuesday that it would shut down ESPN The Magazine, an influential sports publication that has been on newsstands since 1998, in September. The publication was no longer breaking even, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“Consumer habits are evolving rapidly, and this requires ESPN to evolve as well. The only change here is that we are moving away from printing it on paper and sending it in the mail, following September’s release of ‘The Body’ Issue,” the company said in a statement. “Our data shows the vast majority of readers already consume our print journalism on digital platforms, and this approach will maximize our reach and impact. In the future, we will explore releasing tentpole collections such as ‘Body’ in special,...
The Disney-controlled company said Tuesday that it would shut down ESPN The Magazine, an influential sports publication that has been on newsstands since 1998, in September. The publication was no longer breaking even, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“Consumer habits are evolving rapidly, and this requires ESPN to evolve as well. The only change here is that we are moving away from printing it on paper and sending it in the mail, following September’s release of ‘The Body’ Issue,” the company said in a statement. “Our data shows the vast majority of readers already consume our print journalism on digital platforms, and this approach will maximize our reach and impact. In the future, we will explore releasing tentpole collections such as ‘Body’ in special,...
- 4/30/2019
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
If President Trump knows anything, it’s how to promote a brand. He thinks George Washington could have done himself a favor.
On Wednesday, Politico published a story about a trip the president and first lady took to Mount Vernon last April with French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. Mount Vernon is the sprawling Virginia estate of George Washington that has been turned into a historical center and common destination for middle school field trips. Trump was dismayed that the first president didn’t slap his name all over the place.
On Wednesday, Politico published a story about a trip the president and first lady took to Mount Vernon last April with French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. Mount Vernon is the sprawling Virginia estate of George Washington that has been turned into a historical center and common destination for middle school field trips. Trump was dismayed that the first president didn’t slap his name all over the place.
- 4/10/2019
- by Ryan Bort
- Rollingstone.com
Last month, Golf.com reported that President Trump’s 2018 club championship at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, may not have been totally legitimate. Though a plaque at the club lists the president as the victor, the championship was actually won by a hedge fund manager named Ted Virtue. Trump didn’t even compete in the event, but when he ran into Virtue at the club on a later date, he challenged him to an impromptu nine-hole match for the right to the title. Virtue couldn’t not accept.
- 4/2/2019
- by Ryan Bort
- Rollingstone.com
Bill Murray still fondly remembers his days working as a “looper”: “You know, a caddie, a jock.” We’ll let this guy explain it to you.
In the new documentary “Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk,” Murray narrates the history of the caddie’s importance to the game of golf and even recounts some of his own memories.
“When I first started, I got three dollars a bag. Then they bumped it to four,” the former “Caddyshack” star says in the exclusive trailer obtained by TheWrap. “The money got out of control.”
Also Read: 5 Crazy Stories You Didn't Know About the Making of 'Caddyshack'
As it’s explained in the trailer, an 18-hole round of golf was called a loop, so caddies in turn called themselves “loopers.”
But the documentary “Loopers” goes deeper into the bond shared between golfers and their caddies as they spend hours of time together,...
In the new documentary “Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk,” Murray narrates the history of the caddie’s importance to the game of golf and even recounts some of his own memories.
“When I first started, I got three dollars a bag. Then they bumped it to four,” the former “Caddyshack” star says in the exclusive trailer obtained by TheWrap. “The money got out of control.”
Also Read: 5 Crazy Stories You Didn't Know About the Making of 'Caddyshack'
As it’s explained in the trailer, an 18-hole round of golf was called a loop, so caddies in turn called themselves “loopers.”
But the documentary “Loopers” goes deeper into the bond shared between golfers and their caddies as they spend hours of time together,...
- 4/1/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Donald Trump plays golf more than any other modern president. And he cheats more, too. A new book is coming out Tuesday titled, Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, and goes into great detail describing how, exactly, President Donald Trump cheats on the links, and the New York Post published excerpts on Saturday. To write the book, author and former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly spoke with golf professionals and celebrities who have played with the president and discovered they each had a story about his cheating. [Find the book on Amazon here...
- 3/31/2019
- by Peter Wade
- Rollingstone.com
In dozens of tributes, Dan Jenkins — who died at 90 on March 7th in his birthplace of Fort Worth, Texas — was cited as the most influential and/or the greatest sportswriter, period, of all time. The author of 23 books and untold hundreds of articles and columns was at the outset most noted for his first novel, Semi-Tough (1971), a groundbreaking, raucous deep-dive into the world of pro football that became a celebrated 1977 film starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson and Jill Clayburgh.
Jenkins left indelible imprints in journalism, particularly in his nearly 25 years at Sports Illustrated.
Jenkins left indelible imprints in journalism, particularly in his nearly 25 years at Sports Illustrated.
- 3/12/2019
- by Tom Walsh
- Rollingstone.com
After hearing the news that Kevin Durant is joining Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the Golden State Warriors, several sports commentators had something to say, but sportswriter Rick Reilly posted a bizarre reaction Tuesday that sparked a lively debate on Twitter. Reilly tweeted that adding the NBA star to a winning team like the Warriors was "like giving Kate Upton a 3rd breast. Nothing appealing about it." People responded immediately to his tweet, calling it "sexist/unfunny" and telling him to delete his account. Adding Kevin Durant to a Warriors team that already had Curry + Thompson is like giving
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- 7/5/2016
- by Jennifer Konerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Espn announced the renewal of its agreement with Major League Eating to televise the annual Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest through 2024 on Tuesday. It's a 10- year extension of a pre-existing contract between the two parties. Coney Island, N.Y., has hosted the world-renowned food frenzy, which gives participants 10 minutes to consume as many hot dogs (and buns) as possible, for over four decades, and Espn management appears satisfied to keep the show on its cable network. See video: Espn's Rick Reilly Rips Donald Sterling: He's ‘Marge Schott With Larger Breasts’ “The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has become.
- 7/1/2014
- by Travis Reilly
- The Wrap
If this whole pitching thing doesn't work out for Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, perhaps he has a second career in painting. Probably not though, as the artwork created in the below clip from MTV2's Major League Baseball show “Off the Bat From the Mlb Fan Cave” is not exactly museum quality. Fortunately for Kershaw, that pitching thing is going quite well for him — the lefty has won two Cy Young Awards in the past three seasons. See video: Espn's Rick Reilly Rips Donald Sterling: He's ‘Marge Schott With Larger Breasts’ In the below segment shot during the off-season,...
- 5/27/2014
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Espn's Rick Reilly didn't mince words when making fun of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling on Monday's “Conan.” Also read: Justin Timberlake Slams Donald Sterling in Billboard Award Acceptance Speech (Video) The author's insults ranged from “Sterling is really just Marge Schott with larger breasts” to ”You just want to shower in Listerine after you've met the guy,’ and “When you shake his hand, you really just want to die.” Also read: NBA Officially Files Charges to Strip Donald Sterling of La Clippers Reilly, who has known the embattled team owner since 1981, expects that the NBA's process of ousting the notoriously litigious Sterling could.
- 5/20/2014
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
In his heyday, Joe Namath made headlines all the time, and now it seems his wardrobe has been creating all the buzz.
The NFL great served as an honorary captain at the Super Bowl Xlviii coin toss yesterday (February 2) and his fur coat was quite the fashion statement.
Soon after the start of the big game, Namath’s attire scored its own account on Twitter, named simply @JoeNamathCoat.
For its first tweet, the popular pelt wrote, “Be honest. How many of you truly thought that me and my coin toss would actually be The highlight of this game?”
Several notable figures, including Rick Reilly, Rachel Nichols and Ron Burgundy weighed in on the fantastic fur, as it seems “Broadway Joe” has returned!
The NFL great served as an honorary captain at the Super Bowl Xlviii coin toss yesterday (February 2) and his fur coat was quite the fashion statement.
Soon after the start of the big game, Namath’s attire scored its own account on Twitter, named simply @JoeNamathCoat.
For its first tweet, the popular pelt wrote, “Be honest. How many of you truly thought that me and my coin toss would actually be The highlight of this game?”
Several notable figures, including Rick Reilly, Rachel Nichols and Ron Burgundy weighed in on the fantastic fur, as it seems “Broadway Joe” has returned!
- 2/3/2014
- GossipCenter
The Armstrong Lie
Written and directed by Alex Gibney
USA, 2013
“I gotta win this fuckin’ race,” Lance Armstrong said in his hotel room in 2009, a moment captured on camera and edited into director Alex Gibney’s newest documentary, The Armstrong Lie. Gibney’s voice can then be heard off-camera, his tone agreeable. “My whole documentary is counting on you,” he says. In that moment the audience can see everything behind this picture: what brought these two men together, what lies they were telling to each other and themselves, and why it would take 4 more years for the entire story to be told. And yet, the movie as a whole reveals very little.
Gibney’s original plan was to cover Armstrong’s return to the Tour de France cycling race in 2009, 4 years after Armstrong had won the last of his seven consecutive Tours. Armstrong, whose entire career had been plagued by accusations of doping,...
Written and directed by Alex Gibney
USA, 2013
“I gotta win this fuckin’ race,” Lance Armstrong said in his hotel room in 2009, a moment captured on camera and edited into director Alex Gibney’s newest documentary, The Armstrong Lie. Gibney’s voice can then be heard off-camera, his tone agreeable. “My whole documentary is counting on you,” he says. In that moment the audience can see everything behind this picture: what brought these two men together, what lies they were telling to each other and themselves, and why it would take 4 more years for the entire story to be told. And yet, the movie as a whole reveals very little.
Gibney’s original plan was to cover Armstrong’s return to the Tour de France cycling race in 2009, 4 years after Armstrong had won the last of his seven consecutive Tours. Armstrong, whose entire career had been plagued by accusations of doping,...
- 11/9/2013
- by Mark Young
- SoundOnSight
The nickname of Washington, D.C.'s pro football franchise has been a focus of much controversy lately. Some sports reporters and political commentators have banded together to swear off referring to the team as the Redskins, out of belief that the name is racially offensive and insensitive to Native Americans. In a new column, Espn commentator Rick Reilly defended the team's name.
- 9/18/2013
- by Andrew Kirell
- Mediaite - TV
Another week and another announcement from Jeff Zucker’s ratings-challenged CNN. As of tonight, Anderson Cooper 360 is being moved out of its 10 Pm repeat slot for (Get To) The Point. The move follows the soft-rated launch of The Lead With Jake Tapper two weeks ago and the naming on March 28 of Kate Bolduan to co-host the upcoming CNN morning show this spring with Chris Cuomo. CNN says that the Danny Deutsch-led Point will run for only a week, but a source tells me the fate of the panel show could change quickly depending on viewer response. Espn columnist Rick Reilly, author Margaret Hoover and Espn NFL analyst Jason Taylor will also appear. The AC 360 encore, which has been repeating after Piers Morgan’s interview show since July 2011, will be shown at 11 Pm for the next week, CNN says. Related: CNN’s ‘The Lead With Jake Tapper’ Hits Demo Low...
- 4/1/2013
- by DOMINIC PATTEN
- Deadline TV
CNN has replaced re-airings of Anderson Cooper 360 in the 10 p.m. timeslot with (Get to) The Point, a week of special programming with a panel of guests including adman-pundit Donny Deutsch. The Point panel will also feature Espn columnist Rick Reilly, Espn NFL analyst Jason Taylor and author Margaret Hoover. CNN confirms that right now, The Point is a week of special programming with AC360 repeats shifted to 11 p.m.. But sources at the network say that it is part of broader experimentation at the network aimed at revitalizing the lineup - and not just at 10 p.m.
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- 4/1/2013
- by Erin Carlson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mike Tyson claims to have gotten a prison officer pregnant when he was in jail. The 45-year-old retired boxer - who served three years of a six-year prison sentence for rape in 1992 and returned to jail for nine months in 1998 following a road rage conviction - revealed the woman in question did not have the child, but he refused to elaborate on any other details. Asked by Espn host Rick Reilly what he has left out of his one-man show 'Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth', he said: 'I didn't talk about getting a prison official pregnant. 'Oh yeah. In prison, stuff happens. But she had no baby.' Former heavyweight champion Mike - who has eight children - also discussed...
- 4/20/2012
- Monsters and Critics
Former boxing champ Mike Tyson once impregnated a prison official while serving time behind bars.
The retired sportsman has been revealing all about his controversial career and personal life as part of a one-man stageshow, titled Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, which recently debuted in Las Vegas, but there was one interesting topic from his time behind bars that he left out.
In a TV interview with Espn's Rick Reilly, Tyson fails to state when exactly the incident occurred, but reveals the prison employee terminated the pregnancy soon after their encounter.
He says, "I didn't talk about getting a prison official pregnant. Oh yeah. In prison, stuff happens. But she had no baby."
Tyson, who is a father of eight, served three years of a 10-year sentence for rape in 1992.
The retired sportsman has been revealing all about his controversial career and personal life as part of a one-man stageshow, titled Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, which recently debuted in Las Vegas, but there was one interesting topic from his time behind bars that he left out.
In a TV interview with Espn's Rick Reilly, Tyson fails to state when exactly the incident occurred, but reveals the prison employee terminated the pregnancy soon after their encounter.
He says, "I didn't talk about getting a prison official pregnant. Oh yeah. In prison, stuff happens. But she had no baby."
Tyson, who is a father of eight, served three years of a 10-year sentence for rape in 1992.
- 4/19/2012
- WENN
Singer-songwriter and actress Mandy Moore is in the Central African Republic distributing life-saving mosquito nets with the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign and Population Services International right now.
The United Nations has identified an urgent need for anti-malaria mosquito nets in the Central African Republic. Mandy Moore, Psi, and Nothing But Nets are raising awareness to fill this critical gap by distributing 837,000 nets—one for every family who needs one. Malaria is a leading killer in Africa, where a child dies every 45 seconds from the disease. Long-lasting, insecticide-treated mosquito nets are one of the most cost-effective ways of preventing malaria. It costs only $10 to purchase and distribute a bed net and to educate communities about its proper use.
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands...
The United Nations has identified an urgent need for anti-malaria mosquito nets in the Central African Republic. Mandy Moore, Psi, and Nothing But Nets are raising awareness to fill this critical gap by distributing 837,000 nets—one for every family who needs one. Malaria is a leading killer in Africa, where a child dies every 45 seconds from the disease. Long-lasting, insecticide-treated mosquito nets are one of the most cost-effective ways of preventing malaria. It costs only $10 to purchase and distribute a bed net and to educate communities about its proper use.
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands...
- 9/29/2010
- Look to the Stars
Beyonce teases, is Adam still Idol's top screamer, are fake presidents better, a trinity of hotness, plus Calvin & Hobbes.
Spurf™ talks to producer David Marshall Grant about the one-year time jump on Brothers & Sisters, and it seems it’s all about Kitty getting to be single and Sarah with Luc, with nary a mention of how this affects Kevin and Scotty. If they jump forward a year, we’re going to miss the birth, and likely the move out of the loft.
In sad news, actress Lynn Redgrave has passed away at age 67. A prolific artist, she’s appeared in countless stage productions, and recently in such gay favorites as Gods & Monsters, Ugly Betty, and Desperate Housewives. Our condolences to her friends and family.
In other sad news, Helen Wagner, who played matriarch Nancy Hughes on As the World Turns has passed away at age 91. She holds the record...
Spurf™ talks to producer David Marshall Grant about the one-year time jump on Brothers & Sisters, and it seems it’s all about Kitty getting to be single and Sarah with Luc, with nary a mention of how this affects Kevin and Scotty. If they jump forward a year, we’re going to miss the birth, and likely the move out of the loft.
In sad news, actress Lynn Redgrave has passed away at age 67. A prolific artist, she’s appeared in countless stage productions, and recently in such gay favorites as Gods & Monsters, Ugly Betty, and Desperate Housewives. Our condolences to her friends and family.
In other sad news, Helen Wagner, who played matriarch Nancy Hughes on As the World Turns has passed away at age 91. She holds the record...
- 5/3/2010
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
In a slow, deliberate, 12-minute address by Tiger Woods, one of the greatest athletes of all time, he apologized and shed some light on his future plans. It began with a slow walk alone to a podium in front of a blue curtain ("It looks like a magic show," said Rick Reilly on Espn) and ended with a hug from his mom who was sitting in the front row of the small audience. Here's what happened in between, with video of the statement.
- 2/19/2010
- by Steve Krakauer
- Mediaite - TV
Do you believe Tiger’s caddie didn’t know about his affairs?
In an intriguing new interview, Tiger Woods‘ caddie Steve Williams is finally speaking about the scandal — and he wants to make it clear he knew nothing about it! “Obviously, I understand Tiger has got a problem,” he tells New Zealand’s Sunday News. “What people fail to realize is I [just] work for Tiger Woods. … When he is not competing, I am back in New Zealand. I have no knowledge of what he is doing.”
Williams says the media frenzy surrounding the scandal has affected his own family life more than people know, and he was especially irked that Espn columnist Rick Reilly blatantly suggested that Williams was helping Tiger cover up his indiscretions.
“[Woods] needs to clean house,” Reilly said in one column. “If he wants to keep his wife, he has to get a new agent, a new caddie and some new friends.
In an intriguing new interview, Tiger Woods‘ caddie Steve Williams is finally speaking about the scandal — and he wants to make it clear he knew nothing about it! “Obviously, I understand Tiger has got a problem,” he tells New Zealand’s Sunday News. “What people fail to realize is I [just] work for Tiger Woods. … When he is not competing, I am back in New Zealand. I have no knowledge of what he is doing.”
Williams says the media frenzy surrounding the scandal has affected his own family life more than people know, and he was especially irked that Espn columnist Rick Reilly blatantly suggested that Williams was helping Tiger cover up his indiscretions.
“[Woods] needs to clean house,” Reilly said in one column. “If he wants to keep his wife, he has to get a new agent, a new caddie and some new friends.
- 12/13/2009
- by Andy Swift
- HollywoodLife
Steve Carrell is loosely attached to star in a golf comedy based on a novel by Espn's Rick Reilly, says The Hollywood Reporter. The Office star is slated to play a bumbling golfer in Missing Links. Carell will also co-produce the film via his Carousel Prods banner. Reilly’s novel follows a group of Boston area friends who attempt to scheme their way into an elite golfing club. Break-Up (more)...
- 10/28/2009
- by By Mike Moody
- Digital Spy
The lovable and hilarious Steve Carell is a bona-fide TV star, but his big screen career has never taken off quite the same way. There were plenty of successes along the way, and he hasn't had an honest to goodness flop (actually, Evan Almighty lost a whole lot of money), but he just hasn't had that movie role that makes you think "Uh-oh, I think Scranton is going to get a new branch manager," you know? I don't know if Carell's latest will be the role that makes him into a full-fledged movie star, but The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Business Blog is reporting that the comedian is in talks to star in the golf-comedy Missing Links.
Links is based on Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly's novel by the same name, and it centers on a group of working class friends who scheme to sneak into an elite country club...
Links is based on Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly's novel by the same name, and it centers on a group of working class friends who scheme to sneak into an elite country club...
- 10/28/2009
- by Jessica Barnes
- Cinematical
Warner Brothers has acquired .Missing Links,. a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn.s Rick Reilly, with Steve Carell attached to star as a golfer dreaming of a better course to play.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carell will produce through his Carousel Productions company. Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock will executive produce. Bobby Cohen is also producing.Jay Lavender will write the screenplay. Reilly.s 1997 comedic novel tells of an eccentric group of golfers who are regulars at the worst public golf course in America. They come up with a series of schemes that they hope will lead to them playing at an elite golf club.
- 10/27/2009
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Risky Business reports that Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired Missing Links , a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn's Rick Reilly, with Steve Carell loosely attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play. Carell will produce via his Carousel Productions, while the company's Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock are on board as executive producers. Bobby Cohen ( Revolutionary Road ) is also producing. The Break-Up screenwriter Jay Lavender is penning the screenplay. You can learn more about the book here .
- 10/27/2009
- Comingsoon.net
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Steve Carell has signed on to star in Missing Links, a golf-themed comedy based on a novel by Espn journalist Rick Reilly. The story involves a group of golf buddies who regular play on the worst golf course in the country. They make a bet about which of them can successfully score a round of 18 at the upscale private club next door.
Jay Lavender, who wrote The Break-Up, will pen the script. Reilly previously wrote the screenplay for the George Clooney-directed comedy Leatherheads.
Other Carell projects include next year's comedy Date Night, starring Tina Fey, and Mark Wahlberg. He will also star in the Jay Roach-directed comedy Dinner for Schmucks and lend his voice talents to the animated movie Despicable Me.
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 10/27/2009 by Rich Z
Steven Carell | Jay Lavender | Rick Reilly | Despicable Me | Dinner for Schmucks | Date Night...
Jay Lavender, who wrote The Break-Up, will pen the script. Reilly previously wrote the screenplay for the George Clooney-directed comedy Leatherheads.
Other Carell projects include next year's comedy Date Night, starring Tina Fey, and Mark Wahlberg. He will also star in the Jay Roach-directed comedy Dinner for Schmucks and lend his voice talents to the animated movie Despicable Me.
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 10/27/2009 by Rich Z
Steven Carell | Jay Lavender | Rick Reilly | Despicable Me | Dinner for Schmucks | Date Night...
- 10/27/2009
- by Rich Z Zwelling
- Reelzchannel.com
Risky Business is reporting that Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired Missing Links, a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn's Rick Reilly, and that Steve Carell is attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play.
Carell is already attached to produce the picture via his Carousel Productions, while the company's Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock are on board as executive producers. Bobby Cohen (Revolutionary Road) is also producing, and Jay Lavender (The Break Up) is penning the adaptation.
Reilly's 1997 comedic novel tells of the group of bumblers who, after playing for years at a run-down municipal golf course in a working-class Boston neighborhood, concoct a series of schemes that they hope will lead to them teeing off at a nearby elite club.
Carell will next be seen in the romantic-comedy Date Night, and is also on board for the sequel to Get Smart.
Georgine...
Carell is already attached to produce the picture via his Carousel Productions, while the company's Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock are on board as executive producers. Bobby Cohen (Revolutionary Road) is also producing, and Jay Lavender (The Break Up) is penning the adaptation.
Reilly's 1997 comedic novel tells of the group of bumblers who, after playing for years at a run-down municipal golf course in a working-class Boston neighborhood, concoct a series of schemes that they hope will lead to them teeing off at a nearby elite club.
Carell will next be seen in the romantic-comedy Date Night, and is also on board for the sequel to Get Smart.
Georgine...
- 10/27/2009
- Screenrush
I enjoy Rick Reilly. Everything gets a little funnier when you see sporting life through his perspective. A 1998 article about Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer began, “How are you with condoms?” And in a seamless transition, he pivots right to their national championship hopes, as if the two ideas have any kind of connection together, when he continues to say, “Anything you might know about them could help No. 1-ranked Ohio State win college football’s national championship.” The idea being that Katzenmoyer couldn’t pass an AIDS awareness class. Reilly’s defection to Espn was like Benedict Arnold; it’s strange to see an eleven time sportswriter of the year switch boats in midstream. Unfortunately, he co-wrote Leatherheads, which not even George Clooney could save. But the good news is that now his comedic novel Missing Links is being adapted by screenwriter Jay Lavender (The Break-Up), according to Risky Business.
- 10/27/2009
- by Jacob
- Beyond Hollywood
Warner Bros. has picked up Missing Links, a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn.s Rick Reilly, with Carell loosely attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play.
Steve Carell for Missing Links
Carell will at least produce Missing Links and, if he likes what he sees from the script, he will likely get in front of the camera for it also. Warner Bros. has given the task of writing the screenplay to The Break-Up scribe Jay Lavender. As long as the comedy is nothing like The Break-Up, the production is off to a good start.
Steve Carell for Missing Links
Carell will at least produce Missing Links and, if he likes what he sees from the script, he will likely get in front of the camera for it also. Warner Bros. has given the task of writing the screenplay to The Break-Up scribe Jay Lavender. As long as the comedy is nothing like The Break-Up, the production is off to a good start.
- 10/27/2009
- www.canmag.com
Steve Carell is set to produce "Missing Links" for Warner Bros. Pictures. The film will be based on the Rick Reilly novel and adapted by Jay Lavender. Focuses on a group of golfing friends at a run-down Boston golf course. They learn that they've been playing next to an elite club and hold a competition over who will be the first to play a round. Carell is starring with Tina Fey in "Date Night" for Fox which comes out next April.
- 10/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore…Missing Links? Even if you don't spend all your time watching The Golf Channel, you still have to be pleased Steve Carell has decided to make a comedy set in the world of golf, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Business blog. Why? Because as those other movies prove, golf can be really, really funny. (The Legend of Bagger Vance, notwithstanding). Based on a novel by Espn's Rick Reilly, Missing Links features a foursome who conspire to graduate from their shoddy municipal course—one in which an elevated train passes through—to play at a fancy shmancy local club nearby. Hijinks, we imagine, ensue. Can't wait to see who...
- 10/27/2009
- E! Online
Warner Bros. studios recently picked up the rights to Missing Links, a comedy based on a novel by Espn magazine columnist Rick Reilly.
The novel tells the story of a group of golfers who get tired of playing the shabby municipal course in their working-class neighborhood, and try to scheme their way to moving up to an elite club instead.
Steve Carell has signed on to produce the film under the Carousel Prods. banner, and is unofficially set to star in Missing Links as well. Jay Lavender, writer of The Break-Up, will be writing the screenplay for the film.
No production details have been revealed yet.
Ron Livingston Has a Dinner For SchmucksParamount Picks Up Air GuitarNBC Filming New Comedy with Adam CarollaDoes New Line Really Know ‘What Boys Want’?...
The novel tells the story of a group of golfers who get tired of playing the shabby municipal course in their working-class neighborhood, and try to scheme their way to moving up to an elite club instead.
Steve Carell has signed on to produce the film under the Carousel Prods. banner, and is unofficially set to star in Missing Links as well. Jay Lavender, writer of The Break-Up, will be writing the screenplay for the film.
No production details have been revealed yet.
Ron Livingston Has a Dinner For SchmucksParamount Picks Up Air GuitarNBC Filming New Comedy with Adam CarollaDoes New Line Really Know ‘What Boys Want’?...
- 10/27/2009
- by Carly
- Atomic Popcorn
While I admit that I do still love the curly haired comedic force that is Will Ferrell, his recent foray into nonsensical off-the-wall sports comedies (e.g. Semi-Pro) is beginning to lose its appeal. Thankfully he's moved on and seems to be passing the reins over to Steve Carell, as THR's Risky Biz Blog reports that the actor will star and produce Missing Links, a comedy set in the world of golf about a player angling for a better place to drive his balls. Okay that sounded dirty, but we've all seen 40-Year-Old Virgin so I think we can handle it. Writer Jay Lavender (The Break-Up) adapted the script from a novel by Espn’s Rick Reilly. More specifically, Reilly's novel "tells of a group of bumblers who, after playing for years at a run-down municipal golf course in a working-class Boston neighborhood, concoct a series of schemes that they...
- 10/27/2009
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
The guy from "The Office" gears up for a round of big-screen golfing. Steve Carell is in talks to join "Missing Links," a sports comedy Warner Bros. is developing based on the novel by Espn journalist Rick Reilly.
Risky Business says funny guy Carell would play a golfer who's played at a run-down Boston golf course for years and now finally decides to do whatever it takes to get to play his favorite sport at an elite club.
Jay Lavender, who previousy penned the shockingly terrible comedy "The Break-Up," is taking a stab at the script. He's also prepping "The Golden Tux."
Carell is a busy man these days. The star of "Get Smart" has several projects coming soon, including "Date Night" and "Dinner for Schmucks." He is also voicing a character in 2010's "Despicable Me."...
Risky Business says funny guy Carell would play a golfer who's played at a run-down Boston golf course for years and now finally decides to do whatever it takes to get to play his favorite sport at an elite club.
Jay Lavender, who previousy penned the shockingly terrible comedy "The Break-Up," is taking a stab at the script. He's also prepping "The Golden Tux."
Carell is a busy man these days. The star of "Get Smart" has several projects coming soon, including "Date Night" and "Dinner for Schmucks." He is also voicing a character in 2010's "Despicable Me."...
- 10/27/2009
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
What is it about golf that makes it so easy to parody? Is it the stereotypical, rich businessmen that play? Is it the incredible boredom that comes from watching it on television? Is it the pants? While other sports, like basketball and boxing, have films that include Hoosiers and Raging Bull, golf's most notable cinematic treatments are Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore. Don't expect that to change anytime soon. According to THR, Steve Carell has signed on to star in Missing Links, a golf comedy based on the novel of the same name by Espn columnist Rick Reilly. Carell will play one of a group of buddies who, getting sick of a decrepit local course named worst in the country, discovers an incredible private course right next to theirs. A bet is then made to see which member of the group can sneak in a round of 18 (think American Pie with...
- 10/27/2009
- cinemablend.com
By the Hollywood Reporter
Warner Bros. has acquired “Missing Links,” a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn’s Rick Reilly, with Steve Carell attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play.
Carell will produce via his Carousel Productions banner. “The Break-Up” scribe Jay Lavender is writing the screenplay.
Read more in the Hollywood Reporter.
Warner Bros. has acquired “Missing Links,” a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn’s Rick Reilly, with Steve Carell attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play.
Carell will produce via his Carousel Productions banner. “The Break-Up” scribe Jay Lavender is writing the screenplay.
Read more in the Hollywood Reporter.
- 10/26/2009
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
Is funnyguy Steve Carell thinking about putting his little white balls in some holes while everyone watches? Seems to be the case -- Carell is attached to a Warner Bros. golf comedy called Missing Links, being written by Jay Lavender (The Break-up). Based on a 1997 book by Espn’s Rick Reilly, the story follows a "group of bumblers who, after playing for years at a run-down municipal golf course in a working-class Boston neighborhood, concoct a series of schemes that they hope...
- 10/26/2009
- by Dave Davis
- JoBlo.com
Warner Bros. and Steve Carell are aiming for the fairway. The studio has acquired "Missing Links," a golf comedy based on a novel from Espn’s Rick Reilly, with Carell attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play. Full story...
- 10/26/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that actors should usually stay in front of the camera and leave directing to those focused enough to control the magic. While the Academy has undoubtedly given unfair reward to the likes of Robert Redford, Ron Howard, Kevin Costner, and even Clint Eastwood over the years, the truth is that most actor-helmed movies are sh!t. George Clooney, of all people, has proven to be an incredible exception to the rule with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck. With Leatherheads, his attempt at a screwball comedy centered on the rough, early days of pro football, he's fallen into the trap. Clooney stars as the aging bad-boy player Dodge Connelly and John Krasinski as fresh-faced rising star Carter Rutherford, Leatherheads attempts to chronicle the origins of the league in a "kooky" manner meant to reflect just how crazy the times were.
- 9/23/2008
- by Domenic Padulo
- Rope of Silicon
George Clooney has withdrawn from the Writers Guild of America (Wga) after the union rejected his request for a writing credit on new movie Leatherheads.
The star directed, produced and starred in the football-focused film but sought acknowledgement for his contribution to the script, alongside writers Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly.
But his request was denied and, angered by the snub, Clooney reportedly decided to quit the union.
He tells Variety.com, "When your own union doesn't back what you've done, the only honourable thing to do is not participate."
However, according to the website, the actor changed his mind and chose only to downgrade his membership, as leaving the union completely would have left him unable to work on all Wga-covered projects.
The move, which is irrevocable, means Clooney is still covered by his basic contract, but loses his voting rights and will no longer be allowed to attend Wga meetings.
Clooney reportedly withdrew from the union last year but kept the news quiet in a bid to avoid moving attention away from the union's strike, which ran from November 2007 until February 2008.
The star directed, produced and starred in the football-focused film but sought acknowledgement for his contribution to the script, alongside writers Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly.
But his request was denied and, angered by the snub, Clooney reportedly decided to quit the union.
He tells Variety.com, "When your own union doesn't back what you've done, the only honourable thing to do is not participate."
However, according to the website, the actor changed his mind and chose only to downgrade his membership, as leaving the union completely would have left him unable to work on all Wga-covered projects.
The move, which is irrevocable, means Clooney is still covered by his basic contract, but loses his voting rights and will no longer be allowed to attend Wga meetings.
Clooney reportedly withdrew from the union last year but kept the news quiet in a bid to avoid moving attention away from the union's strike, which ran from November 2007 until February 2008.
- 4/4/2008
- WENN
By Neil Pedley
This week is something of a nostalgia trip with a period comedy, Freddie Prinze Jr. and a concert documentary about a group of men who, by all the laws of man and nature, should not still be alive and walking around.
"The Flight of the Red Balloon"
After being nominated for the Palme d'Or an incredible five times at Cannes, it's no wonder that director Hou Hsiao-hsien has become a Francophile. In his first film outside of Asia, the "Three Times" auteur directs the country's first lady of cinema, Juliette Binoche, in a story about an overburdened mother who receives a much-needed lift from her son's Chinese nanny (Song Fang) as they turn the City of Lights into a magical playground for the 7-year-old Simon . a tribute to Albert Lamorisse's 1956 short. In French with subtitles.
Opens in limited release.
"Jack and Jill vs. the World...
This week is something of a nostalgia trip with a period comedy, Freddie Prinze Jr. and a concert documentary about a group of men who, by all the laws of man and nature, should not still be alive and walking around.
"The Flight of the Red Balloon"
After being nominated for the Palme d'Or an incredible five times at Cannes, it's no wonder that director Hou Hsiao-hsien has become a Francophile. In his first film outside of Asia, the "Three Times" auteur directs the country's first lady of cinema, Juliette Binoche, in a story about an overburdened mother who receives a much-needed lift from her son's Chinese nanny (Song Fang) as they turn the City of Lights into a magical playground for the 7-year-old Simon . a tribute to Albert Lamorisse's 1956 short. In French with subtitles.
Opens in limited release.
"Jack and Jill vs. the World...
- 3/31/2008
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
George Clooney's "Leatherheads" is a movie you want to like. The Roaring '20s costumes, sets and music all look terrific, and a story about the early days of professional football -- a sport then relegated to college play -- is a fresh movie subject.
But Clooney, the film's director and star, can't make up his mind how to approach the story. One minute it's a romantic comedy. Then it switches to slapstick, then to screwball comedy before sliding into Frank Capra territory with a crusading female reporter and a phony hero before settling on a gridiron version of "The Natural", a tall tale about how legends are made. It's all over the place but never feels comfortable in its own period clothes.
Trying out all these comic subgenres takes time. The film overstays its welcome by a good 20 minutes, making the climactic game feel anti-climactic. Clooney and co-star Renee Zellweger certainly will lure customers, but story weaknesses and ill-defined characters will challenge their most ardent fans to root for anything other than a swift ending. Boxoffice prospects looks mediocre domestically, and you can forget about overseas.
The year is 1925, the same year Harold Lloyd made his classic "The Freshman", to which the football action looks surprisingly similar. Pro football is a pitiable thing, drawing dozens of fans, mostly tanked up on Prohibition hooch, and bored cows to tiny fields while college boys, paid only with scholarships, draw tens of thousands. Clooney's Dodge Connelly -- now that's a football moniker! -- aging star and guiding light of the Duluth Bulldogs, means to change all that.
He entices college star Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford John Krasinski) -- or to be accurate, his manager CC Frazier (Jonathan Pryce) -- to play for the Bulldogs. He is not only a football hero but also a World War I hero, having captured an entire German regiment (the details keep changing) single-handedly. Historical accuracy pretty much flies out the window here since a college player would've played pro under an assumed name, and he certainly would not have a manager.
Zellweger is the "His Girl Friday" news hen, Lexie Littleton, who is assigned to suss out the real story behind the war-hero act. In the process, she seemingly falls for both Dodge and Bullet, if only for their names alone. She gets her story, and the fate of pro football hangs on its accuracy -- but not really. In fact, far too much time is taken up by this dubious subplot that has nothing to do with pro football.
The parts never add up. The journalistic aspects are all stolen from "The Front Page" and "It Happened One Night" and feel tired. The chases, fisticuffs and pratfalls are exceedingly lame. And the romances never are convincing. Our Lexie wouldn't fall for either of these mugs.
The film shifts styles so often that it strips its gears. Characters turn up, often coincidentally, to push the story along, but the script by one-time Sports Illustrated colleagues Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly relies heavily on old movies and not enough on historical invention. The haphazard nature of the narrative speaks to the clumsiness of every unlikely plot turn and character.
Clooney's character -- part Clark Gable, part Cary Grant, part you name it -- is too shifty and conniving to be a rogue gentleman. Zellweger's goes way too misty-eyed at the prospect of marriage to fulfill the Rosalind Russell role. And Krasinski spends the entire movie being manipulated rather than allowed to assert a nature that is perhaps more heroic than he's given credit for.
The music is great fun, though -- a mix of era-perfect soft jazz and old standards -- while the design, perhaps a bit self-consciously, does put us in a '20s mood.
LEATHERHEADS
Universal
A Smokehouse Pictures/Casey Silver production
Credits: Director: George Clooney; Screenwriters: Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly; Producers: Grant Heslov, Casey Silver; Executive producers: Barbara A. Hall, Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer, Sydney Pollack; Director of photography: Newton Thomas Sigel; Production designer: Jim Bissell; Music: Randy Newman; Costume designer: Louise Frogley; Editor: Stephen Mirrione. Cast: Dodge Connelly: George Clooney; Lexie Littleton: Renee Zellweger; Carter "The Bullett" Rutherford: John Krasinski; CC Frazier: Jonathan Pryce; Suds: Stephen Root; Coach Ferguson: Wayne Duvall; Commissioner: Peter Gerety.
MPAA rating PG-13, running time 114 minutes.
But Clooney, the film's director and star, can't make up his mind how to approach the story. One minute it's a romantic comedy. Then it switches to slapstick, then to screwball comedy before sliding into Frank Capra territory with a crusading female reporter and a phony hero before settling on a gridiron version of "The Natural", a tall tale about how legends are made. It's all over the place but never feels comfortable in its own period clothes.
Trying out all these comic subgenres takes time. The film overstays its welcome by a good 20 minutes, making the climactic game feel anti-climactic. Clooney and co-star Renee Zellweger certainly will lure customers, but story weaknesses and ill-defined characters will challenge their most ardent fans to root for anything other than a swift ending. Boxoffice prospects looks mediocre domestically, and you can forget about overseas.
The year is 1925, the same year Harold Lloyd made his classic "The Freshman", to which the football action looks surprisingly similar. Pro football is a pitiable thing, drawing dozens of fans, mostly tanked up on Prohibition hooch, and bored cows to tiny fields while college boys, paid only with scholarships, draw tens of thousands. Clooney's Dodge Connelly -- now that's a football moniker! -- aging star and guiding light of the Duluth Bulldogs, means to change all that.
He entices college star Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford John Krasinski) -- or to be accurate, his manager CC Frazier (Jonathan Pryce) -- to play for the Bulldogs. He is not only a football hero but also a World War I hero, having captured an entire German regiment (the details keep changing) single-handedly. Historical accuracy pretty much flies out the window here since a college player would've played pro under an assumed name, and he certainly would not have a manager.
Zellweger is the "His Girl Friday" news hen, Lexie Littleton, who is assigned to suss out the real story behind the war-hero act. In the process, she seemingly falls for both Dodge and Bullet, if only for their names alone. She gets her story, and the fate of pro football hangs on its accuracy -- but not really. In fact, far too much time is taken up by this dubious subplot that has nothing to do with pro football.
The parts never add up. The journalistic aspects are all stolen from "The Front Page" and "It Happened One Night" and feel tired. The chases, fisticuffs and pratfalls are exceedingly lame. And the romances never are convincing. Our Lexie wouldn't fall for either of these mugs.
The film shifts styles so often that it strips its gears. Characters turn up, often coincidentally, to push the story along, but the script by one-time Sports Illustrated colleagues Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly relies heavily on old movies and not enough on historical invention. The haphazard nature of the narrative speaks to the clumsiness of every unlikely plot turn and character.
Clooney's character -- part Clark Gable, part Cary Grant, part you name it -- is too shifty and conniving to be a rogue gentleman. Zellweger's goes way too misty-eyed at the prospect of marriage to fulfill the Rosalind Russell role. And Krasinski spends the entire movie being manipulated rather than allowed to assert a nature that is perhaps more heroic than he's given credit for.
The music is great fun, though -- a mix of era-perfect soft jazz and old standards -- while the design, perhaps a bit self-consciously, does put us in a '20s mood.
LEATHERHEADS
Universal
A Smokehouse Pictures/Casey Silver production
Credits: Director: George Clooney; Screenwriters: Duncan Brantley, Rick Reilly; Producers: Grant Heslov, Casey Silver; Executive producers: Barbara A. Hall, Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer, Sydney Pollack; Director of photography: Newton Thomas Sigel; Production designer: Jim Bissell; Music: Randy Newman; Costume designer: Louise Frogley; Editor: Stephen Mirrione. Cast: Dodge Connelly: George Clooney; Lexie Littleton: Renee Zellweger; Carter "The Bullett" Rutherford: John Krasinski; CC Frazier: Jonathan Pryce; Suds: Stephen Root; Coach Ferguson: Wayne Duvall; Commissioner: Peter Gerety.
MPAA rating PG-13, running time 114 minutes.
- 3/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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