Behind the Candelabra: The Real Story of Liberace and Scott Thorson

Posted on May 24, 2013 at 3:50 pm

Behind the Candelabra premieres this weekend on HBO. It is based on the hard to believe but true story of one of the most popular and flamboyant stars of the 1950’s and 60’s, who went by just one name: Liberace.

Wladziu Valentino Liberace was an American of Polish/Italian heritage, a gifted classical pianist, a masterful showman, and a pioneer in the art of celebrity branding and marketing. He was multi-platform before the term was invented For decades he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world. He had record albums, endorsements, and movie and television appearances and his own series, but it was his live stage show that was what people loved most. He never tried for a career as a serious classical musician, performing with orchestras in concert halls. He liked to play what he called “classical music with the boring parts left out.” And the show was as important as the music, from the flashy pianos to costumes Lady Gaga would envy. Ermine capes. Crystal-encrusted tuxes. Feather boas. Chandeliers and of course candelabras. Excess was not enough.

It was a different era. Liberace was not openly gay. On the contrary, when a British newspaper called him “a deadly, winking, sniggering, snuggling, chromium-plated, scent-impregnated, luminous, quivering, giggling, fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of mother love,” he sued under their notoriously strict libel laws. testified under oath that he was not a homosexual, and won.

In the late 70’s, Liberace met a handsome teenager named Scott Thorson. They were together for five years, and after they broke up (and Thorson was “fired” as Liberace’s chauffeur), Thorson sued him for “palimony.” It was settled out of court. Thorson is now in jail, charged with identity theft. He has had removed the plastic surgery prosthetic Liberace paid for so that Thorson would look more like an idealized version of himself when young. Thorson’s book, Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace, tells the story of their love affair and the unimaginable excesses of their life together and is the inspiration for this film. It is in competition at Cannes and will be released theatrically overseas, but in the US no studio would back it, so it is on HBO.

Steven Soderbergh (“Oceans 11,” “Traffic,” “Erin Brockovich”) directed and it stars Michael Douglas as Liberace, Matt Damon as Thorson, and Debbie Reynolds, who knew Liberace, as his mother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqAC1yiIROw

BFCA Television Award Nominees

Posted on May 22, 2013 at 9:14 am

The nominees for this year’s Broadcast Film Critics Association television awards were just announced:

BEST COMEDY SERIES

· The Big Bang Theory – CBS

· Louie – FX

· The Middle – ABC

· New Girl – FOX

· Parks and Recreation – NBC

· Veep – HBO

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

· Don Cheadle (House of Lies) – Showtime

· Louis C.K. (Louie) – FX

· Jake Johnson (New Girl) – FOX

· Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS

· Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) – NBC

· Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) – ABC

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

· Laura Dern (Enlightened) – HBO

· Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) – FOX

· Lena Dunham (Girls) – HBO

· Sutton Foster (Bunheads) – ABC Family

· Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) – HBO

· Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) – NBC

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

· Max Greenfield (New Girl) – FOX

· Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS

· Alex Karpovsky (Girls) – HBO

· Adam Pally (Happy Endings) – ABC

· Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) – NBC

· Danny Pudi (Community) – NBC

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

· Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) – ABC

· Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS

· Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) – ABC

· Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS

· Eden Sher (The Middle) – ABC

· Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) – ABC

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES

· Melissa Leo (Louie) – FX

· David Lynch (Louie) – FX

· Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS

· Patton Oswalt (Parks and Recreation) – NBC

· Molly Shannon (Enlightened) – HBO

· Patrick Wilson (Girls) – HBO

BEST DRAMA SERIES

· The Americans – FX

· Breaking Bad – AMC

· Downton Abbey – PBS

· Game of Thrones – HBO

· The Good Wife – CBS

· Homeland – Showtime

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

· Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) – AMC

· Damian Lewis (Homeland) – Showtime

· Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) – AMC

· Timothy Olyphant (Justified) – FX

· Matthew Rhys (The Americans) – FX

· Kevin Spacey (House of Cards) – Netflix

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

· Claire Danes (Homeland) – Showtime

· Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) – A&E

· Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) – CBS

· Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) – BBC America

· Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) – AMC

· Keri Russell (The Americans) – FX

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

· Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) – AMC

· Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) – HBO

· Michael Cudlitz (Southland) – TNT

· Noah Emmerich (The Americans) – FX

· Walton Goggins (Justified) – FX

· Corey Stoll (House of Cards) – Netflix

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

· Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) – Showtime

· Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) – HBO

· Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) – AMC

· Regina King (Southland) – TNT

· Monica Potter (Parenthood) – NBC

· Abigail Spencer (Rectify) – Sundance

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES

· Jim Beaver (Justified) – FX

· Jane Fonda (The Newsroom) – HBO

· Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife) – CBS

· Carrie Preston (The Good Wife) – CBS

· Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones) – HBO

· Jimmy Smits (Sons of Anarchy) – FX

BEST MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES

· American Horror Story: Asylum – FX

· Behind the Candelabra – HBO

· The Crimson Petal and the White – Encore

· The Hour – BBC America

· Political Animals – USA

· Top of the Lake – Sundance

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES

· Benedict Cumberbatch (Parade’s End) – HBO

· Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra) – HBO

· Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra) – HBO

· Toby Jones (The Girl) – HBO

· Al Pacino (Phil Spector) – HBO

· Dominic West (The Hour) – BBC America

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES

· Angela Bassett (Betty & Coretta) – Lifetime

· Romola Garai (The Hour) – BBC America

· Rebecca Hall (Parade’s End) – HBO

· Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Asylum) – FX

· Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake) – Sundance

· Sigourney Weaver (Political Animals) – USA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES

· James Cromwell (American Horror Story: Asylum) – FX

· Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake) – Sundance

· Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story: Asylum) – FX

· Sebastian Stan (Political Animals) – USA

· David Wenham (Top of the Lake) – Sundance

· Thomas M. Wright (Top of the Lake) – Sundance

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES

· Ellen Burstyn (Political Animals) – USA

· Sienna Miller (The Girl) – HBO

· Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Asylum) – FX

· Lily Rabe (American Horror Story: Asylum) – FX

· Imelda Staunton (The Girl) – HBO

· Alfre Woodard (Steel Magnolias) – Lifetime

Best Reality Series

· Duck Dynasty – A&E

· The Moment – USA

· Pawn Stars – History Channel

· Push Girls – Sundance

· Small Town Security – AMC

· Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan – BBC America

BEST REALITY SERIES – COMPETITION

· Chopped – Food Network

· Face Off – Syfy

· Shark Tank – ABC

· So You Think You Can Dance – FOX

· Survivor – CBS

· The Voice – NBC

BEST REALITY HOST

· Tom Bergeron (Dancing With the Stars) – ABC

· Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance) – FOX

· Gordon Ramsay (Hell’s Kitchen/Masterchef) – FOX

· RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race) – Logo

· Ryan Seacrest (American Idol) – FOX

· Kurt Warner (The Moment) – USA

BEST TALK SHOW

· Conan – TBS

· The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – Comedy Central

· The Ellen DeGeneres Show – Warner Brothers Television Distribution

· Jimmy Kimmel Live! – ABC

· Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – NBC

· Marie – Hallmark Channel

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

· Adventure Time – Cartoon Network

· Archer – FX

· Phineas and Ferb – Disney Channel

· Regular Show – Cartoon Network

· The Simpsons – FOX

· Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Cartoon Network

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New DVD Giveaway: Word Girl vs. The Energy Monster

Posted on May 19, 2013 at 8:00 am

One of my favorite television series for kids is the wonderful PBS show “Word Girl,” and this new release is one of the best: Wordgirl vs the Energy Monster.

WORDGIRL and her sidekick CAPTAIN HUGGY FACE fight the good fight against dastardly villains and bad vocabulary in this thrilling collection!

Dinner Or Consequences (Parts 1 & 2): Dr. Two Brains and the Energy Monster want to turn the whole city into cheese! It’s up to WordGirl to stop them even if it means missing her family feast and facing the consequences.

Best Fan Club Meeting Ever: TJ plans to divulge a secret about WordGirl to International WordGirl Fan Club members, until Tobey threatens to destroy the clubhouse. Will WordGirl save the clubhouse and her fans?

Day at the Museum: Scoops takes Becky, Bob, and Violet to the museum to find inspiration for his next news story. When they go in search of a haunted treasure, The Butcher follows right behind! WordGirl enriches vocabulary skills, fosters better reading comprehension and instills a love of language in all children.

And what great words will she learn?

I have a copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with WordGirl in the subject line and tell me one of your favorite long words. Don’t forget your address! I’ll pick a winner on May 20. (US addresses only)

Interview: Candace Cameron Bure of “Finding Normal”

Posted on May 16, 2013 at 8:00 am

It was great to catch up with Candace Cameron Bure to hear about her new film, “Finding Normal,” premiering this week on GMC-TV. She plays a brilliant type-A surgeon who is completely focused on status and her career until she gets stuck in a small town and sees a different way of life.

What is the definition of normal?

Is there one. I don’t know. Normal is different for everyone. For me finding my normal I think it really is about finding balance in life because I’ve lived in a lot of places and the truth is I know who I am and where I like to live. I am a city girl and I do love staying busy. And I love working and I love my family and my children and my husband and all those things. I don’t think that for everyone that it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go out and move to the country and live rural life to find what’s important to you. but it’s about being able to stop and smell the roses or make sure that whatever you are doing, whether you are working or you’re with your family or you’re spending time on your own that you’re really connected in those moments. And just enjoying them. Every moment of what you’re doing.

Tell me a little bit about your character and about the story.

I play Lisa Leland, an LA doctor who is moving to the Hamptons with her doctor boyfriend. And she just cares about herself, her life, and her own happiness. And all the stuff that she can have. After driving to the Hamptons she gets stuck in this little town with real people who are doing real life in a hardworking kind of way. And that’s where she ends up finding herself and finding that there is more to life than just her own selfish desires.

So in a way you were experiencing some of what your character experienced in exposure to small-town life.

I totally was. We all were.

I understand it was shot in Louisiana.

Yes, and we had a blast. It was in this little town of Columbia. The population was just over 300 people. The first time we drove through it even I was like, “Is this a real working town?” Because it was like a half a block. The whole town. It was so tiny and just in the middle of nowhere. I stayed at someone’s house. It was like there weren’t even hotels around. But the town was so excited to have us and to have a film crew in there.

How long were you there?

We shot this movie very fast. We shot it in 12 days. Which was insane. I have never done a movie that quickly. We basically shot two six-day weeks and just produced a great little movie.

Did you think about what your characters background might have been? What her family might have been? To make her think that the things were important that she thought were important?

I did. I thought a lot about that because certainly your family has an influence on you and in what you believe to be important. And so I figured that this woman is so driven in her career so that she could have major luxuries in life. You know probably she had or could have had parents that had the same type of motivation that maybe didn’t give her the love that she needed but just pushed to drive her to be competitive and maybe she was just bossy her whole life. Maybe that’s how her parents expressed love to her. Or it could be the very opposite where she didn’t come from much and maybe it pushed her into overdrive to be able to accomplish things. Maybe she had lazy parents and there was something in here that went “I don’t want to be this way.” So yes, as an actress I certainly had to put in a backstory. I chose the first on for her. I certainly gave it thought.

What do you do to teach your children, based on what you just said, to not be like those parents and to teach your children who they are?

Well you know we live in LA. I know that my children have so many luxuries that so many children around the world do not have. What I do to balance that is to make sure that we are serving, volunteering and doing charitable work and just helping wherever we can. And take all of those opportunities. So whether it’s at school or whether it’s through our church. I mean even this Saturday we are going with our church and we are putting on a carnival for union rescue mission which houses homeless families. So I take every opportunity I can to bring my children and go serve places. And I think that certainly shows them a perspective of their life and how other people live and builds compassion in their hearts. And gives them the tools to be able to love others and serve others. And that’s a really great feeling.

The last time I talked to you I asked you for a bible verse and you gave me a beautiful one Philippians 1:6. I wondered if you wanted to share a different one this time.

Well one that has kind of been on my heart has kind of been my life verse. Its Esther 4:14. And that it probably the most known verse from Esther. And it says “for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” And that verse has stood out to me in terms of where I have been put in this industry right now. And if I don’t speak up or if I remain silent then God would not be able to use the things, the tools or the gifts that he has given me to use it for his purposes. So I feel like I kind of cling to that verse in terms of being outspoken about my faith and to be a proponent in family programming. To just keep good things out there on television for families to be able to watch and it encourages me to continue to just pick and choose the right projects that are positive and have good messages.

“Finding Normal” premieres on GMC TV Saturday, May 18th at 7pm, 9pm and 11pmET.

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Morgan Freeman’s Wormhole Series Starts a New Season

Posted on May 14, 2013 at 8:00 am

Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman returns to Science Channel to host the fourth installment of the Emmy® nominated Through the Wormhole series on Wednesday, June 5, at 10:00 PM (ET/PT). Featuring nine riveting episodes, this all-new season poses thought-provoking and awe-inspiring questions spanning science, space, and humankind sure to satisfy viewers’ insatiable curiosities. Season four’s premiere episode dives right into mystery and controversy with exploration of the charged topic, “When Does Life Begin?”

“One of the inherent characteristics of mankind is our need to understand truth and meaning. Our drive to ask ‘how,’ ‘why’ and ‘what if’ makes us who we are – and provides the basis for Through the Wormhole,” said Freeman. “Working on Through the Wormhole gives me the opportunity to bring together renowned physicists, cosmologists and neuroscientists to explore some of science’s greatest questions.”

Each episode boasts innovative scientific research and groundbreaking theories brought to viewers by scientists who break down the walls of today’s most compelling subjects. Every week viewers will be challenged to consider new perspectives and confronted with ideas that push the envelope of conventional television. Other questions tackled in this new season include, “Did God Create Evolution?”, “How Do Aliens Think?”, “Can Our Minds Be Hacked?”, and “Will Sex Become Extinct?”

For the first time ever, Wormhole fans will be granted exclusive access behind the scenes with Morgan Freeman and the producers of to get a glimpse of how each question is explored and explained. Find out about Freeman’s deep interest in science and the methods used to visualize and simplify complicated, often philosophical, subjects incorporating the latest discoveries from scientists in the field. The never before seen footage will be available only at sciencechannel.com/wormhole.

Season Four will include:

Episode 1: WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN?

Premieres Wednesday, June 5 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

The premiere episode explores what defines the beginning of a life. It is a debate that has raged for centuries’. Groundbreaking evidence reveals that inside all of us are traces of cells from our relatives, blurring the lines between one life and another. Technology is now giving birth to new life forms made of surprising components—from droplets of oil in a Petri dish, to conscious robots and to a new global internet-connected life form comprised of all humanity.

Episode 2: CAN WE SURVIVE THE DEATH OF THE SUN?

Premieres Wednesday, June 12 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

The Sun holds a dark secret. Someday it will bathe us in a fiery, planetary holocaust.. Will the Sun someday, bathe us in a fiery, planetary holocaust? How will we survive the death of our star? The technology to move our entire civilization to Mars sounds like sci-fi, but it is almost within our grasp. Reaching a second Earth across the galaxy could be possible thanks to a radical new propulsion technology from manmade black holes.

Episode 3: HOW DO ALIENS THINK?

Premieres Wednesday, June 19 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

By studying the non-humans in our midst, scientists are learning how alien minds might function. Biologists and computer scientists watch “dumb” ants form an intelligent super-organism; neuroscientists probe the mysterious brains of octopuses; and a team of researchers show that even plants behave in ways we normally only associate with animals. Meanwhile, a linguist tries to imagine advanced alien language by recreating centuries of human language evolution, a researcher teaches humans to feel an alien sense and a groundbreaking psychologist finds that super-intelligent aliens may still be ruled by emotions.

Episode 4: CAN OUR MINDS BE HACKED?

Premieres Wednesday, June 26 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

Our minds store our entire lives, our memories and our deepest desires and our brains are biological computers. Could brain hackers someday be able to rewrite our thoughts similar to how computer hackers hack email? For the first time, neuroscientists are translating patterns on a brain scan into specific pictures and words. They have learned how to insert ideas into people’s minds as they sleep and one pioneering MIT scientist has shown he can inject emotions, on demand, into a living brain.

Episode 5: WILL SEX BECOME EXTINCT?

Premieres Wednesday, July 3 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

Every single person who has ever lived was created from the genes of one man and one woman but human sexual reproduction, unchanged for millions of years, is about to undergo a radical revolution. Technology is on the brink of making children from two fathers, or two mothers. Marine biologists are using mechanical wombs to birth live sharks and humans could be next. We may soon cure diseases by making children with more than two genetic parents, or even give our offspring genes from the animal kingdom. If this is the case, will sex become extinct?

Episode 6: ARE ROBOTS THE FUTURE OF HUMAN EVOLUTION?

Premieres Wednesday, July 10 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

From our smartphones to our vacuum cleaners to our cars, we have robots that live and work beside us. We are designing these everyday objects to think for themselves giving them the power to learn to move on their own. Is it possible that these new life forms evolve to be smarter and more capable than humans or will we choose to merge with the machines, combining the best of our world with the best of theirs?

Episode 7: IS REALITY REAL?

Premieres Wednesday, July 17 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

Do we live in the “real world,” or is it all in our mind? Our perception of reality is controlled by society. We make unrealistic assessments about our own reality, thanks to “the optimism bias,” a twist of the brain that rejects negative information about ourselves. Human senses capture only a small part of nature, and new physics suggests we may be blind to entire dimensions of space or there could be less to reality than we think.

Episode 8: DO WE HAVE FREE WILL?

Premieres Wednesday, July 24 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

What if everything that has or will happen in the universe has already been determined and we are unable to change our inevitable destinies? Until the discovery of quantum uncertainty, physicists were convinced free will does not exist. Now neuroscientists and geneticists have stepped into the fray, arguing that free will is an illusion thanks to the genes we are born with, the automatic processes working in our brains, and the conforming pressures of society.

Episode 9: DID GOD CREATE EVOLUTION?

Premieres Wednesday, July 31 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT)

Is life the product of evolution or is it thanks to the guiding hand of God? Believers in Intelligent Design argue complex life could not have evolved randomly. One evolutionary scientist is filling in the gaps in the fossil record by bringing extinct creatures back to life as robots. An engineer has discovered a single pattern that appears throughout the entire universe. Is the existence of a “moral molecule” in our brains a sign that God created humanity? Was life created by evolution, by God or both?

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