<<

LIFESTYLE35 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2015 Features Drew Barrymore talks her new book, having a family Review

he last time Drew Barrymore released that? them and will be every single day for the However, I feel so grateful for the opportu- a book about her life, it was 1991’s Barrymore: It’s stories; it’s not a memoir. rest of my life, no matter how nuts they nities I got along the way because being a T“Little Girl Lost,” about her troubled It’s thinking about things and times in my drive me. young twenty-something and asking to be childhood. Her new book is titled life that were meaningful and special. I AP: You’re a boss at your production given the opportunity to do films and work “Wildflower,” and it reflects the positive always wanted to write, and I was never company and also an actress. What do you in this business and be trusted ... however changes in her life. The 40-year-old actress brave enough and I never had the time, say about the Hollywood pay gap? much I always want to support everyone, I is now married to art consultant Will which with two kids it’s ironic - that gave Barrymore: Obviously, it should be equal also want to always remain very, very grate- Kopelman and the mother of two young me the time, but I pushed so many other and that’s that. I don’t think there’s much ful. —AP daughters. She has a beauty line called things aside in my life to be present with more to say on it. It’s just a matter of fact. Flower and runs a production company my kids that it made me have these win- called Flower Films. Her new film, “Miss You dows to write. You get to a certain moment Already,” with Toni Collette opens Nov 6. in your life when it’s different and you get This photo provided by Warner Bros. Barrymore says it isn’t easy juggling vari- reflective and I thought, ‘Let’s try this.’ ous career demands with being a mother. “I AP: You write about your family in the Pictures shows, Ann Dowd, from left, as Nell, just don’t know any mom who’s like, ‘Yep, I book. It must be a great feeling to know Sandra Bullock as Jane and Reynaldo feel like I’ve figured it out, I’ve got this great that your daughters have a strong family Pacheco as Eddie, in Warner Bros. Pictures system and it makes me feel guilt-free,’” she unit. and Participant Media’s satirical comedy said. “I think it feels really difficult a lot of Barrymore: Will is a good father and he “Our Brand Is Crisis,” a Warner Bros. Pictures the time.” is a good person. Their grandparents are release. — AP Barrymore added: “I think it’s positive for great people. My sister-in-law and her kids my kids to see me working and loving what are an amazing tribe and unit. There’s a I do. I want to teach them responsibility whole world set up there that I really and work ethic. I want them to be the kind respect and admire. They also will have Our Brand is Crisis of kids like, ‘Yeah, mom worked.’ Not ‘work family with each other because they are sis- made mom not be around.’” Barrymore ters. I always idealized sibling relationships. Bullock entertains as a ruthless talked about “Wildflower,” having a family Just to have someone in life you can look to and the Hollywood pay gap in a recent and have this amazing connection to campaign operative interview with The Associated Press. whether you’re close or not is extraordi- AP: This book is about your life but it’s nary. They have me, who is not going any- hey say timing is everything - or at least a whole not really a memoir. Can you talk about where - ever. I am unbreakably in love with lot. And on several fronts, the George Clooney- Tproduced “Our Brand is Crisis,” starring Sandra Bullock as a damaged, ruthless political consultant, has absolutely perfect timing. First, it’s election season: Enough said! And sec- ond, with all the recent discussion about the need for more diverse, open-minded casting, here’s a role that was originally written for a man. And happily, in retrospect, the role seems like it SHOULD have been written for a woman - for Bullock, in fact. It’s a thornier, meatier role than she’s had in a while, one that allows her to use her well-honed comic chops while also digging deep- er into a complicated, very flawed character. As for the film itself, directed by David Gordon Green, it’s undeniably entertaining, but a conun- drum. At times, it seems like a funny and pene- trating political satire along the lines of “Veep” on HBO. (Check out the amusing llama scene. Yes, we said llama.) At others, it’s trying to be a much weightier morality tale (It’s based on - or rather “suggested by” Rachel Boynton’s 2005 documen- tary of the same name). At moments, these two aims mesh well enough; at others, the zig-zag effect is jarring. Bullock is Jane Bodine, otherwise known as Calamity Jane, famous for winning elections at any cost. “The truth is what I tell the electorate the Drew Barrymore poses for a portrait to promote her new book “Wildflower,” This photo provided by Dutton, Penguin Random House shows the cover of truth is,” she likes to say. When we first meet Jane, in New York. —AP photos the book, “Wildflower,” by Drew Barrymore. she’s retired from the down-and-dirty world of politics, having been felled by a scandal involving the violation of election laws. She’s living in the boondocks somewhere, making pottery. She Roman Polanski ‘very happy’ doesn’t drink or smoke anymore, and says she can finally look herself in the eye. But, like the proverbial wizened former cop brought in for one last case, Jane is convinced to join the campaign of a failing candidate in Bolivia. with Polish court ruling It’s good money, but the real reason she agrees is that an old nemesis, Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton, channeling James Carville - who actual- oland cannot extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski to sound and unlikely to offend again. ly did work on the 2002 Bolivian election) is the US on a charge that he had sex with a minor The California judge then said he was going to send already down there working for the opposition. Pnearly four decades ago, a judge ruled Friday, a deci- Polanski back to prison for the remainder of the 90 days sion that could finally close the case in the country where and that afterward he would ask Polanski to agree to a “vol- These two are warriors to the death. the Oscar-winning director grew up and still makes movies. untary deportation.” Polanski fled from the United States Arriving in La Paz, Jane confronts a candidate “I can breathe now with relief,” Polanski told reporters in on Feb 1, 1978, the day he was scheduled to be sentenced who is standoffish, elitist, and 28 points behind Krakow, where the case was heard. “I pleaded guilty. I went to the additional time. (Portuguese actor Joaquim de Almeida is perfect to prison. I have done my penalty. The case is closed.” The Mazur said Polanski served his punishment in the US, for the role, and will be readily recognized by fans Polish prosecutor who argued for extradition on behalf of and later for 10 months - partly under house arrest - in of “24”). After some initial sluggishness (and slap- the United States did not immediately say whether there Switzerland in 2009 and 2010, when the US unsuccessfully sticky altitude sickness) her competitive juices would be an appeal. The vic- sought his extradition from kick in. tim in the case has repeated- there. Mazur found that US Observers of US politics will recognize every ly called for the prosecution judges and prosecutors vio- to be dropped. lated legal procedures, broke lesson learned here; When Pat seeks to exploit Judge Dariusz Mazur, the 1977 plea deal, denied Jane’s candidate’s short temper, resulting in the who ruled in Krakow, where Polanski the right to a proper candidate punching a man, Jane stops her team Polanski has his apartment, defense and appeared from crafting an apology, and frames the punch said the case was very com- biased. He said Polanski had as a sign of his no-crap approach. It’s classic spin. plicated but an extradition reason to fear he would be Jane gets her guy to doff his suit jacket and roll would violate Polanski’s sentenced to more than the up his sleeves. His poll numbers rise. “Our brand,” human rights because he remaining 48 days. Jane tells the team, “is crisis.” Convince voters could be held in confine- Los Angeles District they’re in crisis, and tell them how you’re gonna ment while it was happen- Attorney Jackie Lacey said save them. The backdrop is the contentious rela- ing. she was disappointed with “I find no rational answer the ruling, but it was up to tionship between Jane and Pat. While their byplay to the question: What is the the US State Department to is entertaining, it’s also frustrating. We don’t learn In this file photo, date not known, actor Al real point of the US extradi- decide whether to pursue an enough about the background; it would help to Molinaro points to a plastic duck on his head, tion request?” said Mazur, appeal. She said she’ll contin- know more, and sooner. while promoting a fund-raising event in his who spent more than two ue to pursue justice in the It all ends with the election, of course, but a hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin. —AP hours explaining his reason- Filmmaker Roman Polanski tells reporters he can case as long as she’s district subplot involving an idealistic young volunteer ing in the court. Polanski’s “breath with relief” after a Polish judge ruled attorney “because justice has (appealing Bolivian actor Reynaldo Pacheo) keeps attorneys had argued that that the law forbids his extradition to the US, never been served.” “It just the film honest, as it were, with an ending aimed the US request was legally where in 1977 he pleaded guilty to having sex isn’t fair to allow someone at making us wonder what it all was for in the first ‘’ flawed and contended he with a minor, in Krakow, Poland. —AP with resources to escape jus- place. had already served prison tice for so long,” Lacey said. time under a plea-bargain Polanski was not in court An excellent supporting cast includes Anthony actor Al Molinaro deal with a Los Angeles judge. for the ruling, but followed live TV coverage. The 83-year- Mackie and the terrific Ann Dowd as fellow consult- old appeared exhausted and thin when he spoke to ants. Yet it all rests on Bullock. She’s fun to watch. dies at 96 ‘Voluntary deportation’ reporters afterward. “I am glad that I have trusted Poland’s Check out her priceless final remark in that llama Polanski was initially charged on six felony counts, justice system,” he said. “I knew it would end well ... scene. Her brand is Bullock, and it works pretty well. l Molinaro, known for playing “Big Al” Delvecchio including rape by use of drugs, but was allowed to Listening to the court today I was really moved because I “Our Brand Is Crisis,” a Warner Bros release, is rated R on the hit US “Happy Days,” died Friday, plead guilty in 1977 to one count of unlawful sexual had not imagined the judge would know the case in such by the Motion Picture Association of America for Areports said. He was 96. Molinaro passed away in intercourse with a 13-year-old girl during a photo shoot detail, with all the dates quoted correctly. There was not “language including some sexual references.” a California hospital from complications of a gall blad- in Los Angeles. In exchange, the judge agreed to drop one mistake.” He said he now needs to return to working Running time: 107 minutes. Two and a half stars out der infection, his son Michael told the Los Angeles the other charges and sentenced him to prison for a 90- on a movie he is planning to shoot in Warsaw. “This case of four. —AP Times. Molinaro played the owner of the 1950s Arnold’s day psychiatric evaluation. Polanski was released after held up everything for a year,” Polanski said. “Now we need Drive-In on the popular TV show “Happy Days,” which 42 days by an evaluator who deemed him mentally to pick up the pieces and put them together.” —AP ran from 1974 to 1984. It was here that the main characters would gather- including leather-jacketed bad boy Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, played by Henry Winkler, and the clean-cut sets Stephen Kings 11.22.63 premiere date Richie Cunningham, depicted by Ron Howard. Molinaro played Delvecchio in more than a 100 episodes, accord- ulu will debut “11.22.63,” based on the time-travel novel by Netflix’s binge-friendly strategy of releasing the entire season of ing to the LA Times, which quoted him as saying: “When Stephen King about the JFK assassination, on Presidents a show at once. you live with a character as long as I have, you know HDay, Feb. 15, 2016. JJ Abrams, Stephen King, Bridget The series will be available exclusively to Hulu subscribers on how he would talk in almost any situation.” Carpenter and Bryan Burk serve as executive producers for either the $7.99 monthly plan with ads, or the $11.99 commercial- Molinaro also starred in the “Happy Days” spinoff “11.22.63.” The nine-hour limited event series stars James Franco as free option. Hulu, owned by Disney, 21st Century Fox and “,” as well as in “The Odd Couple,” a high-school history teacher who travels back in time to stop the NBCUniversal, has been steadily ramping up its slate of original and appeared in commercials later in life. Molinaro also assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “11.22.63” also stars series with big-name talent in a bid to win more paying customers- co-founded a chain of diners called Big Al’s in a bid to Chris Cooper, Josh Duhamel, TR Knight, Cherry Jones, Sarah Gadon, and compete more aggressively against Netflix and Amazon. Hulu’s capitalize on his on-screen success, the Washington Lucy Fry, George MacKay and Daniel Webber. recently debuted originals include “” season 4 Post reported. The diners eventually went out of busi- Scottish director Kevin Macdonald (“Last King of Scotland,” after Fox canceled the show, and ’s “,” ness. Born in Wisconsin, Molinaro was the son of Italian “State of Play”) directs and executive produces the first two which will be returning for a second season. Hulu had previously immigrants. —AFP hours. Hulu will release episodes of “11.22.63” on a weekly basis, styled the name of the series as “11/22/63,” the same as King’s book, as it has done for its other original series. That’s in contrast to but now refers to it as “11.22.63.” —Reuters