Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART- Page 2
Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
#25Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 3:01pm
I didn't realize that Cooper was actually attached to Felix; I knew he'd expressed interest. I definitely see him as more of a Bruce, though that's not to say he wouldn't make a good Felix.
I'll be very curious to see who else they get for the film. The initial cast is really solid.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#26Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 3:07pm
The only reason The Normal Heart exists as it does now is because Joseph Papp was one of the few people who could stand up to Kramer and got him to cut down his huge, meandering script.
However, I have a lot of reservations for this film. One, and this is terrible, but I feel like it's being made 10-15 years too late. HIV/AIDS is seen by many as yesterday's problem. What drove the revival was that it opened to a community and city in which this is not the opinion, plus featured Stars Live On Stage.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
srg129
Stand-by Joined: 7/15/08
#27Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 4:19pmUh oh, Julia Roberts? I immediately thought of the Will and Grace episode where everyone keeps saying, "mismatch". That's what people will be saying after seeing this film. She'll be competing with Taylor Swift for the "most miscast" of 2012. Thank god her scenes don't make up the majority of the script though. So far it looks like the rest of the cast is great. I'm still not convinced that Ryan Murphy is the best director for this project though.
#28Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 5:16pm
"She'll be competing with Taylor Swift for the "most miscast" of 2012."
And you say that, why? To sound cool? Or can you back that up with something other than "Omigod I read people don't likez her an I wanna be like themz" because unless you can give actual reasons why this academy award winning actress and star of films ranging from simple romantic comedies to historical dramas doesn't have the chops to portray a supporting role as a doctor in this filim, your opinion is nothing but that of a little child who wants to be let into the clubhouse.
#29Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 5:19pm
Hmmmm I wonder if Emma's going to be given a big horsey laugh? Oh, I hope so!
Will work so well in her monologue!
Those Blocked: SueStorm. N2N Nate. Good riddence to stupid! Rad-Z, shill begone!
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#30Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 6:07pm^ It's Doctor Bruckner, not Frau Blucher.
#31Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 7:21pm
>> However, I have a lot of reservations for this film. One, and this is terrible, but I feel like it's being made 10-15 years too late. HIV/AIDS is seen by many as yesterday's problem.
But I think that's WHY it's more suitable to made as a film now. Had it been made back in the day it would have been a small, art house, "gay" film that nobody would see outside of an LGBT film festival.
Now that it may be seen as "yesterday's problem", it can be made with big name straight Hollywood stars, and people might actually see it--because people think it's ancient history. Just like Milk.
But, of course, it's not ancient history to many of us who were alive and around and aware of those days. And it's good that younger people will see these stories being told, and straight people will see these stories being told, and people will realize the huge battle that was being fought by a small group of people--whom we should all be grateful to.
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Side note: Although it might seem unrelated, I would recommened a documentary called "Pink Ribbons, Inc.", which is about how the fight against cancer turned from "marching in the street" to "running for a cure." The film asks, with so much money raised for cancer research, why has so little been accomplished?
I think you can compare this to AIDS, where people *did* "march in the streets" and those people *did* accomplish quite a lot. In a relatively short period of time, HIV was discovered, prevention efforts were launched, and treatments were created.
Compare with cancer, which kills far more people and has none of the gay stigma that AIDS has. A thousand times more money has been raised, and research has been going on for decades. Yet science doesn't even know what causes cancer.
So, I think the story that is told in The Normal Heart is very relevant today. It's an important piece of recent history. And hopefully the film will turn out well, and peole will be able to learn about these unnamed heroes who fought the Man for the betterment of all.
Trailer for Pink Ribbons, Inc. : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc96Vp6Dux4
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
#32Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 9:11pm
I just wanted to add that Gail, Joe Papp's last wife, played a huge role in editing and streamlining Kramer's initial drafts.
I'm very excited for Roberts. Murphy... not so much.
"In theater, the process of it is the experience. Everyone goes through the process, and everyone has the experience together. It doesn't last - only in people's memories and in their hearts. That's the beauty and sadness of it. But that's life - beauty and the sadness. And that is why theater is life." - Sherie Rene Scott
random person 112
Broadway Star Joined: 6/26/11
#33Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 9:17pmJordan the reason people are saying roberts is mismatched, is that even in the films where she supposedly gives a 'strong performance' many people feel like she really isn't doing anything different than when she does a more traditional julia roberts movie. And frankly a typical julia roberts performance won't suit this character.
#34Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 9:21pm
That's a good note, defygravity11.
Frankly, most of my doubts about the movie come from the Murphy and Kramer side of things.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#35Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 9:45pm
I also wonder when this is going to shoot. Parsons' role is relatively small, but he's using his hiatus from THE BIG BANG THEORY to do HARVEY for Roundabout right up until he goes back to filming the series, so for him to be involved, I imagine they'll shoot in New York over the summer and he'll film during the day.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 1/21/12 at 09:45 PM
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
beautywickedlover
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/07
#36Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 10:09pmI'm not surprised that Roberts is starring this since Ryan Murphy directed one of most recent films, 'Eat, Pray, Love'.
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#38Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 11:36pm
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Phyllis Rogers Stone
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
#40Roberts, Baldwin, Bomer, Parsons Join NORMAL HEART
Posted: 1/21/12 at 11:44pmI think Ryan's past work with Julia brought her to the project, as noted above by beautywickedlover. As much as his work produces critical and audience venom, lots of people around Hollywood love to work with him and often re-appear on other projects (some of the guest-star coups he has gotten like Gwyneth Paltrow on Glee is a major example of that).
#41THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 12:40am
Idiot wrote:Ryan Murphy is a spectacularly successful bad storyteller. At least with NORMAL HEART, the story's already been told.
Sure. Except that film is a director's medium and directing as as important a form of storytelling as scriptwriting is.
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somethingwicked wrote:Ryan Murphy directing this is not a big mystery at all... given how hot he is right now.... I completely agree that Murphy is far from the best choice, but, without him, this would never be happening.
Forgive me, you're right. The big, puzzling mystery is how he got so "hot" in the first place. And the film not happening if it's not going to happen without Murphy might be the preferable option. We'll get to save a great deal of wasted time and money.
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Jordan Catalano wrote:
Julia is a PHENOMENAL actress... She's going to be great, I know it.
I think she's great. It often surprises me how resourceful she can be as an actress. She's worked on some awful films, but I think she has a great deal more to offer than sometimes meets the eye. I don't have a problem with her being cast in this.
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luvcaroline wrote:
I am somewhat surprised at all the hate for Murphy. Parts of AMERICAN HORROR STORY were absolutely spectacular.
Maybe 15% of it was pretty good, although that might be slightly generous. The rest of it was a slew of predictable and derivative mediocrity that was sometimes disguised by some really good acting. I am somewhat surprised that so many people fell for it.
Musical Cyberspace: a tribute to the musicals of Broadway and beyond.
Updated On: 1/22/12 at 12:40 AM
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#42THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 1:24am
"But how wonderful if Patrick Breen, for me the highlight of the revival, would play Mickey."
Patrick Breen and Mickey's monologue and Jim Parson's reaction to it redeemed the play for me, if not the playwright and his tawdry little post-show hand-outs.
Twitter @NamoInExile
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#43THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 1:29amAfter the show one night Larry Kramer showed me how to put a condom on a plantain.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#44THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 1:30amOn a side note, I wonder if either Bomer or Parsons might think about coming out in conjunction with this film's eventual release. And I don't mean some big "Yes I Am Gay" magazine cover. Just some sort of public acknowledgement of their partners.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#45THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 1:36am
I wouldn't if I were him. All I ever see nowadays when somebody like him comes out, among many (not all) of my friends and colleagues on Facebook and other places is, "Duh!", "About time!" and "Tell us something we DON'T know."
At this point, I would just tell everybody to go eff themselves.
Twitter @NamoInExile
Instagram none
Updated On: 1/22/12 at 01:36 AM
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#46THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 1:47amI agree Namo, that's true of a lot of my friends too. But there are so many Big Bang and White Collar fans out there who are totally clueless, and a public declaration still carries a lot of weight, even if it shouldn't. And given the subject matter of the film, any kind of statement would be nice indication of how far we have come.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#47THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 1:52am
I think the film should just speak for itself. Just let it be created and exist and be. Thank the lord it will be playing in too many theaters for Larry Kramer to run around passing out leaflets saying NOTHING is any better, everything is as horrible as it always was, we lost the battle.
Although I am sure he'll probably argue to get that all printed onscreen before the closing credits roll.
Twitter @NamoInExile
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SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#48THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 2:55amRemember...Kramer may be doing some re-writes and/or tailoring these characters to best suit the actors.
#49THE NORMAL HEART Film Version
Posted: 1/22/12 at 3:02am
SondheimFan5, I seriously doubt it. Kramer's unwillingness to do any re-writes (specifically leading up to and during the proposed shooting schedule) is what caused the friction between him, Streisand, and the studio the last time the film was in development (and is part of the reason the studio pushed Streisand to bring in someone else to do the adaptation.)
Odds are that the draft he has already handed in is set in stone.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
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