Red

When I saw the trailer for this movie with Helen Mirren and Mary Louise Parker, I knew for sure that I wanted to see it! Red is a movie about ex-CIA undercover agents forced to come out of retirement when they found out that they were being hunted down one by one by their former agency. It's an action comedy that also stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich as other "retirees". Mary-Louise Parker's character only gets involved with the group because Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) develops an infatuation with her. Her character, Sarah, a government employee, is in charge of sending Frank's pension checks. Frank, wanting to have a reason to call Sarah back, tears his pension checks when he receives them. The CIA finds out that Frank has been communicating with her so they think they might have a relationship. Because of this, Sarah's life is now also in danger that Frank decides to kidnap her to keep her safe. Ironic is it not?

What follows is a James Bond/Matrix/A-Team-esque action comedy to uncover the plot and their true nemesis. Though some parts of the plot are predictable or even too good to be true, the movie turned out to be really entertaining and quite enjoyable! Just seeing Helen Mirren brandishing that 50 calibre gun in her white gown is fun in itself. She also has some best lines in the movie. John Malcovich is spot on as the very paranoid Marvin Boggs. He does the quirky and bizarre perfectly. Karl Urban (of Eomer fame from LOTR) is William Cooper, the agent after them. He's pretty intimidating. There are twists and turns and some cameos from seasoned actors like Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfus.

The movie may not be Oscar worthy but it surely is a fun night at the movies.

Listen To The Dark Side

Mary-Louise Parker is featured in this video of singer Charlie Mars called Listen To The Dark Side. The song is also featured in this season's Weeds episode 11 which aired Aug. 17th. Read MLP's interview from Spin Magazine about appearing in the video here.

The Hempress is Back!

Check out the new poster for the Fifth Season of Weeds! The season starts on Monday June 8. I can't wait!

A Desperate Housewife

I think I read somewhere that nobody does desperation like Mary-Louise Parker. Having been a fan of hers in Weeds I totally agree with that statement. So here comes another role of a desperate housewife, Hedda Gabler produced by the Roundabout Theatre. I saw it 2 saturdays ago. Written by Henrik Ibsen, the play is said to be the Hamlet of female roles so I was really excited to see the it.


I did like it. Having said that, I have read the play but it is my first time seeing a production of Hedda so I have nothing to compare it to. Hedda (MLP) is a priveleged daughter of a general who marries a bland scholar Jorgen Tesman (Michael Cerveris) to everyone's surprise. He is mostly preoccupied with his scholarly research and it is soon found out that Hedda doesn't love the man she's married to but has only done so because of her circumstance. Their lives are thrown into disaray when Ejlert Lovborg (Paul Sparks) reappears. He is Tesman's rival and Hedda's former lover. Lovborg has recently worked with Thea Elvsted (Ana Reeder), Hedda's former rival, and has written a brilliant manuscript. With this manuscript Lovborg starts to get acclaim and this threatens Tesman since both of them are candidates for a professorship that Tesman desperately wants. Jealous of Mrs. Elvsted's influence on Lovborg, Hedda tries to come between them and tests her ability to seduce Lovborg.

** SPOILERS
One night after a party, Tesman comes home saying that he had found Lovborg's manuscript which Lovborg somehow has lost. When Hedda sees Lovborg, he is so distraught that he has lost his masterpiece. Instead of telling him that they had the manuscript, Hedda convinces Lovborg to commit suicide because to her "that is the only heroic and noble thing to do." Yes she is not a very likeable character if I may say so. She gives him her gun to help him accomplish the deed. Hedda then burns the manuscript and tells her husband that she did it to secure their future. Lovborg is then found dead in a brothel. When news of Lovborg's death spreads Tesman feels guilty and believes that he owes it to his dead rival to get his manuscript completed. Mrs. Elvsted now reveals that she kept all of Lovborg's notes so that Tesman is encouraged and volunteers to collaborate with her in reassembling Lovborg's masterpiece. The very creepy Judge Brack (Peter Stromare) who's had intentions towards Hedda now tells her that Lovborg's death was actually not a suicide but really an accidental shooting. His gun that was in his pocket had gone off while he was in the brothel. This was devastating news to Hedda but in addition to that, Judge Brack knew that the gun Lovborg had was Hedda's and starts implying his power over her. Hedda now feels the trapness of another man's "control" then moves to her room and shoots herself in the temple. For her, it is the "only beautiful and freeing thing to do".

Mary-Louise Parker was great specially in the scenes when she manipulates and seduces. But I also have to mention that it's also wonderful to watch her when her character starts to crumble and realizes that she doesn't have the hold on people that she used to have. It's fascinating watching her dissintegrate. Michael Cerveris who I've always loved, played Tesman very blandly which I thought was effective because I found his character very boring. Paul Sparks was good as the lover still attracted to Hedda. Peter Stromare also was very effective because he just exudes creepiness during the show. Ana Reeder, well, don't know how to put it but her character was just annoying to me. And I don't know if that's direction or just her acting choices.

One thing I must say though is that I never realized that this play would have the audience laughing several times. Mary-Louise Parker has great skill in line readings that she was a sarcastically funny Hedda (yes in the Violet Weston August Osage County way). That was so refreshing to me. Another thing I also noticed (and that made me more understand why the show was panned by the NY Times) is that the characters were in period costumes (done beautifully by Ann Roth) and yet the dialogue was very modern. Now, I understand that they wanted to modernize the play to appeal to a contemporary audience but I just felt that it was disjointed. It didn't connect. Much of Hedda's dilemma stems from a trapped bland loveless marriage but as an audience member you couldn't feel her entrapment because of the modern dialogue. With this modern dialogue, the characters movement, gestures and demeanor on stage was also very modern. So juxtaposed with the period costumes, it did feel incohesive.




I did go to the stagedoor after the play. There were only about 7 people there. Mary-Louise Parker didn't come out but I thought that it was nice of her to send her dresser out to let people know that she wasn't going to come out since she was resting for the evening show. I thought that was nice of her and I'm cool with that.



poster by the stagedoor


the marquee at the American Airlines Theatre

MLP on Leonard Lopate Show

Mary-Louise Parker was interviewed at the Leonard Lopate Show March 6. She talks about playing Ibsen's Hedda Gabbler. Listen to the interview here.


(photo from WYNC.org)

An Interview With Hedda

Broadway.com has a great interview with the current Hedda Gabler on Broadway, Mary-Louise Parker. In it she discusses touchy subjects such as NY Times' Ben Brantley and NY Post's Michael Reidel. Check it out here.

(photo from Broadway.com)

Speaking of Hedda....

Mary-Louise Parker was on Regis and Kelly last Friday to promote her play on Broadway, Hedda Gabler. She also talks about her character in Weeds, Nancy Botwin and some recent stage mishaps. Have a look!

I See Real People

It's again quite amusing to find out that a great actress (and certainly one of my favorites) such as Mary-Louise Parker fangirls Broadway people (take note of minute -7:16)! In this vlog, Cat On The Prowl, by her good friend Cat Davis, the actress attends the Emery Awards and is honored by the Hetrick-Martin Institute for her work with the LGTB community. Great acceptance speech! Cheyenne Jackson, accompanied by Seth Rudetsky, croons and sweeps her off her feet! I love her reaction "I just want to take him shopping!" LOL! But make sure you watch the last 5 minutes never before seen episode when she's in the video helping her gal pal, Cat, pick up the ladies......It's hilarious!!!! And it's the episode that inspired the whole Cat On The Prowl Vlog

(photo from AfterEllen.com)

Mind The Gap

My Gap holiday catalog came in the mail the other day. Check out the stage and tv folks appearing in the new ad.......


Mary-Louise Parker (tv's Weeds and Broadway's Proof and soon to be Hedda Gabler)


The SNL men Jason Sudekis, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers (love him!) and Will Forte

I've also seen Jennifer Hudson, John Hamm (Mad Men) and Jennifer Westfeld (remember her from Kissing Jessica Stein and Broadway's Wonderful Town revival), Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) in magazines......

Hedda on Broadway

Oh I'm so excited for this one! One of the great classics from Chekov with a great cast: Mary-Louise Parker (Hedda), Michael Cerveris (as Hedda's husband Tesman) and Paul Sparks (Lovborg). Plus it's a new adaptation by Christopher Shinn with direction by The Seagull's Ian Rickson.


From the pressnotes:


A woman of dangerous independence restrained by a conventional marriage, Hedda Gabler (Mary-Louise Parker) indulges in a cruel game, amusing herself with the misfortune she inflicts on those around her. As Hedda struggles to balance her wild desires against her chosen life, she sets into motion a manic chain of events that bring her story to a chilling end.


(Photo from HeddaOnBroadway.com)

Newsweek's Emmy Roundtable

The Emmy Awards are just around the corner so Newsweek did this feature interview with TV actors nominated this year. It's an Emmy roundtable discussion with Rachel Griffiths (Brothers and Sisters), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Rainn Wilson (The Office) -- the 3 incidentally worked together in Six Feet Under, Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) and John Slattery (Mad Men). The actors talk about being nominated, acceptance speeches, their characters, nudity, kids in the business as well as their love for the stage. Check out the videos here.

(photo fr Newsweek)

Mommy Dearest

I guess Agrestic came to visit Spring Awakening last Aug. 18th. Yes, Mary-Louise Parker who plays Hunter Parrish's mom in Weeds came to the show! Hunter Parrish who plays Melchior was scheduled to debut on the 18th but as mentioned earlier on this blog he started a week early. More pictures can be found on Broadway.com.

Here's an interview he did about coming to Broadway with New York Magazine:

‘Weeds’ Star Hunter Parrish on His ‘Spring Awakening’ Debut (by Rebecca Milzoff)

Rising actor Hunter Parrish is best known to pot-loving Showtime subscribers as sullen teenager, recent MILF-bait, and burgeoning marijuana grower Silas Botwin on Weeds. This month, he continues the tradition of playing rebellious, frequently disrobing heartbreakers as he takes on the lead role of Melchior in Spring Awakening on Broadway. Parrish, a lifelong theater geek who started his run a week early — such was his enthusiasm for the show — spoke to Vulture about Spring Awakening groupies, having sex onstage (and on-camera), and the benefit of having Mary-Louise Parker on speed-dial when making your stage debut.

So, is it more nerve-wracking to do a sex scene onstage than it is on Weeds?
Actually, it’s less. When you do it on camera, there’s only four or five people around, but it’s so intimate because you’re not projecting any emotion, it’s just right there, so it’s a little weird — a little close. Plus then it’s on tape, so it makes it onto the Internet, and it’s frozen in time. Onstage, all that awkwardness just doesn’t exist.

TV actors usually drop into flashy cameos in, like, Hairspray when they come to Broadway. How did you know you were ready to carry a whole show?
Broadway’s been like a goal of mine since I was six, so it’s definitely something I was thinking about and wanting to do. I’m excited that Melchior gets to be at the forefront of telling this story. I have a minimum six–months contract, but hopefully I’ll go longer…

Are you aware of the groupies that seem to follow playing Melchior?
Absolutely not! I mean, Weeds has a little cult following. It’s not the most popular show. To come into something and know how much they liked Groff, it’s a hard thing to know you have big shoes to fill. But they’ve been kind so far.

We interviewed Jonathan Groff last week. You both seem like really wholesome guys.
Did you see Passing Strange? It talks in that about how, for someone who’s an artist, your art is more your reality. I was sort of touched by that. I just did this movie, Seventeen Again, and I play this bully. I was the one growing up who got beaten up, so it was cool for once in my life to be the bully. Or to be Silas and smoke pot every week — I don’t smoke pot, so it’s fun to pretend in a sense.

Did Mary-Louise give you any Broadway advice?
She’s known I do theater since we’ve known each other, but I was actually texting her the whole time I was auditioning. She was doing Dead Man’s Cell Phone right before we went back to season four, so I was talking to her the whole time, like, “Okay what does this mean, what does that mean?” She was kind of the calming voice in the back of my head. And they just said she’s doing Hedda, right? So we’ll get to do theater at the same time!

Do you find people expect you to be a guy who can give them weed in real life?
Totally, I was in L.A. like five months ago and someone yelled from across the way, “Hey, where the weed at?!” That’s the best recognition I’ve gotten. But the number one question I’m asked is, “So do you guys smoke real weed?” And I’m always like, “Really?!” We live in L.A., but it’s not like we have medical marijuana cards.

So you’re not much of a rebel in real life?
I am such a goody-two-shoes. I would rather sit at home with my girlfriend and play frickin’ Wii.

(photo above fr. Broadway.com)

OMG! A New Hedda Gabler

I've been hearing this rumor from ATC for the past few weeks but I guess today they made it official!


Mary-Louise Parker will be back on Broadway this winter in a new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. The adaptation will be by Christopher Shinn and produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company. It starts previews on Jan. 6 and will open on Jan. 25, 2009.


From Broadway.com:
In Hedda Gabler, newlywed Hedda Tesman finds herself bored with married life to her scholar husband, George. As the daughter of General Gabler, she had grown accustomed to the freedom and exciting social world of her father's home. When her rival, Mrs. Elvsted, reenters her life with Hedda's former lover, Eilert Lovberg in tow, Hedda sets out on a shocking path of destruction that affects the lives of everyone around her.


What about rumors of her playing Ivy in the film adaptation of August: Osage County? If I know the ATC, they're usually right. I'm crossing my fingers.

Funny Girl

MLP (Mary-Louise Parker) is indeed a funny woman! In this Late Show with David Letterman appearance she shows her sense of humor and talks about her Emmy nomination in a tough category, her "Eve" poster ad for Weeds and her children. I'm really impressed too that she talked about Reactive Attachment Disorder! Sounds like she's a good mom. Check it out.

MLP on Letterman

MLP (that's Mary-Louise Parker) arrives at the taping of The Late Show with David Letterman July 28, 2008. Yes, your favorite suburban mom from the hit show Weeds, MLP who plays Nancy Botwin will grace the show. The episode will air tonight (CBS 11:30 PM ET/10:30 CT). Incidentally, she turns 44 tomorrow 8/2 but isn't she fabulous??!!!!

Hopefully she'll discuss her recent "punishment" from El Jefe from last Monday's episode titled "Yes I Can". It was hilarious! I love this season (Season 4) so far. It's getting edgier and funnier but it's also nice to see familiar faces again. (Note the vague review of season 4 to prevent spoilers for co-bloggers)

More pics can be found here.

(Photo from Zimbio.com)

Dead Man's Cell Phone

Last Sunday, 7/13, I went to the matinee of Sarah Ruhl's play Dead Man's Cell Phone at the Steppenwolf with my friend Abbi. We were both intrigued by the premise of the play.

Jean, an ordinary meek woman who's sleepwalking through her life answers a person's cell phone at a cafe after she couldn't stand the incessant ringing. Little did she know that the man who owned the cell phone was dead. As she answers questions about the man's last moments.......well.......actually, Jean fabricates lies about his last moments and about his feelings towards his family in order to console them........Jean ensnares herself into their lives. This throws her into a series of adventure with the man's wife, his mother, his mistress and his brother.

Given the dark premise of someone dying, this play is actually a comedy.......more on the whimsy side. Today cell phones have been a constant companion for us. It has all our contacts and keeps us connected to the world. Didn't you ever feel that you're missing something when you don't have your cell phone with you? Well, it comes with no irony that this play is about finding connections. Jean finally jumps starts her life through this dead man's family and discovers how animated it could be.

I did like the play but somehow it lost me in the second act when Jean travels to the afterlife and back. I don't know, for me it was just too out there and it lost it's hold on me......there was a kind of a "Huh?? Where did that come from feeling" that I got. I thought it was only me but my friend Abbi felt the same. Also the actress playing Jean I wasn't too enamored with. The first 10 minutes of the play I already said to Abbi "Oh I don't like her". I'm not quite sure if it was the character, the direction or the acting choices that she made but she just irritated me. I must say that the supporting characters were great! Marc Grapey who played Gordon (the dead man) was hauntingly great specially in his monologue at the top of Act 2. Marilyn Dodds, who played Mrs. Gottleib was acerbically funny as the dead man's mother.

I missed out seeing this play in March when I was in NYC. It was playing it's world premiere at Playwright's Horizon and I tried to get a ticket but the show was sold out. Rightfully so because Jean was played by Mary-Louise Parker who I heard was wonderfully beguiling in the role.

Growing More WEEDS!!!!

Showtime has ordered 2 more seasons of Weeds!!! Yay!

At the Television Critics' Association press tour, Jenji Kohan, the creator of Weeds talked about the future plans of the show from this article from Watch with Kristin:

Look Into Nancy's Future: Unless there is a major reversal sometime in season six or so, it seems like Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) is out of the neighborhood drug business for good. According to Jenji, "She's definitely going bigger picture. She's off the sales floor, as they say."

We might also get more insight into Nancy's family and background in the newly ordered season five and six. Says Jenji, "There was a lot of interest in [the writers' room about] the sister she referenced when she thought Peter was going to kill her. And there's a father floating around; not sure about a mother."

All-New Drug Dealer Boyfriend: Nancy is about to get deeply involved with drug kingpin Esteban (Demian Bichir). Per Jenji, "He is a formidable match for her...I think this is someone possibly she could imagine a real relationship with, which is something she hasn't contemplated since Judah."

Brooks Is Gone: Despite the much-heralded introduction of Albert Brooks' Lenny Botwin, it seems that his exit was quiet—and permanent. When Jenji mentioned, "We knew we were going to lose Albert." I asked if he was returning at all later in the year, and she told me, "Not this season. He's done." Hmmm...

Your Eyes Do Not Deceive You: If you thought there was some Andy-Nancy chemistry in the past couple of eps, you weren't imagining it. Jenji says Andy (Justin Kirk) does have some burgeoning feelings for Nancy, but that for now those feelings are a one-way street. Says Jenji about Andy's Nancy-crush, "I think he would be self-protective, because I don't think his feelings would be reciprocated in that way, [even though] they've entered into this partnership...Although, biblically speaking, you are supposed to take on your dead brother's wife." Biblical mandates aside, "Ultimately I don't think it's going to play out this season, because she has other fish to fry."

Oh my an Andy-Nancy thing!?? I don't know he's such a sleazeball I don't think I want to see that except of course if he matures and steps up to the plate!

From the same forum this article by David Gabber has Jenji Kohan and Mary-Louise Parker dishing about Weeds:

I grabbed my turn at the mike and asked Mary-Louise which one of her co-stars on "Weeds" fueled her own performance.

"Well, I don't get to work with Elizabeth (Perkins) that much, but pretty much everything she does I'm kind of enthralled by.
Whenever I do get to work with her, it's pretty -- she's pretty intoxicating to work with. I find -- I just think she's kind of peerless. Especially in terms of comedy, I think she's kind of extraordinary.

And Justin, the same thing. I work with him probably a little bit more than Elizabeth, so I feel like I have a certain chemistry with him that I really love working with him.

Hunter too. I think Hunter is pretty awesome, and he just gets better all the time. He's a lot younger than some of the rest of us, and I think he's just getting better every day. So I think we've got an amazing cast," shared Parker.

Kohan went on to say that HBO passed on "Weeds," like "Mad Men" which was snapped up by AMC.
Kohan revealed, "Yeah. HBO passed. They didn't want to do a show with kids. That was their reason. I don't know. And so next up was Showtime.
I think their mandate at the time early on was to make some noise, and this was a noisy subject matter. And they jumped in with both feet. It was terrific."

And what about love? Look to Esteban, (Demian Bichir) the kingpin drug lord who Nancy fancies. The possible Andy (Judah's brother) romance is lurking out there too.

Speaking of Mary-Louise.....

I just finished re-reading the script for Proof.......hence this post.

Proof is a David Auburn play about Catherine, a daughter of a known mathematics genius grappling with her gift in math and mental illness. Mary-Louise Parker was perfect for the role of Catherine and won all the acting awards in 2001 including the Best Actress Awards at the Tonys. I love her interviews because she answers very honestly and intelligently. Here's a Charlie Rose interview where she discusses the play and her love for theatre (1st 20 mins.):


In 2005, she was again nominated for her role as Rachel in Craig Lucas' play Reckless (she was again, amazing!). Here's a really good in depth interview of her delving into her more private side discussing her new role as a mom (Oh my gosh....she teared up!)....take note her interview starts at 31:00 min.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

Folks.......Nancy Botwin has left Agrestic! Check out the awesome promo trailer for WEEDS Season 4! I LOVE this show!!!!!!

Deliciously Subversive and Sickeningly Addictive

I usually avoid adding tv shows to my netflix queue because I know I'll get sucked into watching them and not be able to do anything else. Well, I broke down and rented Weeds. It all started the night of the 2008 Tonys. Mary-Louise Parker was a presenter for the Best Featured Actor in a Play category and I said I should check out Weeds because I've heard good things about it. That was the end of me.......I've been addicted to the show after seeing the first season in one sitting! I had to go out and buy seasons 2 and 3 after that and blazed through it in 5 days!

Weeds is a show about Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) who is suddenly widowed and had to find a way to support her 2 sons and maintain her suburban lifestyle. What does she do? She becomes a pot dealer........and finds out that she's good at it too. Kinda like the soccer mom version of Michael Corleone or Tony Soprano.......without the whacking. Strange premise for a show isn't it? But Weeds is actually a satire for suburbia.........underneath the well manicured lawns and picket fences, there's a dark underbelly of secrets, affairs and drugs. Created by Jenji Kohan, I must say the writing of this show is very sharp and witty. You think you know what's going to happen next then they completely turn it the other direction. It keeps viewers constantly surprised. I love that! I do think too that as you go from seasons 1 to 3, the episodes get more subversive and exciting.

The show is perfectly casted. Kudos to the creators for that! Mary-Louise Parker plays Nancy with an honest vulnerability and disarming charm. I've always loved her since Fried Green Tomatoes and having seen her in Proof. She's amazing to watch on the small screen because in one moment her face can show a myriad of emotions and bring the heartbreak in comedy. Elizabeth Perkins (of He Said, She Said fame) plays her blunt neighbor Celia Hodes. She's always in everybody's business and just says what she thinks. She's the neighbor you'll love to hate but at the same time she's also hilarious in her bluntness. Justin Kirk (Bobby in Love, Valour and Compassion) plays Andy Botwin, Nancy's pathetic sleazeball of a brother-in-law. Justin plays his role so convincingly that I cringe whenever he's up to his antics. Kevin Nealon plays the pot head accountant, Doug. Her sons Silas and Shane are played by Hunter Parrish (who will be joining Spring Awakening this August as Melchior) and Alexander Gould (the voice of Nemo....yes in that Pixar cartoon). She also has her pot supplier Helia James played wonderfully by Tonye Patano and the ever faithful Conrad (Romany Malco). Gee, even the maid, Lupita (Renee Victor) has excellent one liners!

I should also mention that the music supervisor for the show should also be commended. Weeds has an opening theme song called "Little Boxes" by Malvina Reynolds. It perfectly describes suburbia.......identical houses, picket fences, SUVs and manicured lawns.....good choice! As you get to season 2, they get different people/bands to cover the song such as Elvis Costello, Joan Baez, Laurie Berkner etc. I found it amusing and sort of a game to try to guess the artist. Also, they choose the PERFECT song for critical moments of the show. It just gives a more emotional tug to the scene.

Currently, Season 4 started on June 16. I am doomed! I don't know if I can wait that long for the dvd to come out. I've even contemplated on ordering Showtime from my cable company............help me I'm addicted!

Check out the video below Mary-Louise Parker talks about Nancy Botwin and Weeds: