'The Great Gatsby' Trailer Gets the Party Started
Next Factor: 'Chernobyl Diaries' Star Jesse McCartney
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Heartthrob Jesse McCartney has already established himself as a singer-songwriter, with three solo albums under his belt. He's also stacked up quite the résumé as a television actor, with recurring roles on "All My Children" and "Greek"; and he's the voice of Dick Grayson/Nightwing on the animated series "Young Justice."
But as a film actor, McCartney remains relatively unknown. That's likely to change this Friday when McCartney headlines the cast of "Chernobyl Diaries," a radioative-mutant horror thriller from Oren Peli, the guy behind "Paranormal Activity." Cue the screams. Get More »
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Next Factor: 'Battleship' Star Rihanna
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Rihanna is already an international superstar as a musician, but this month marks her official transition from singer to actor, with her debut role in the board game-based summer release "Battleship" (May 18). The Caribbean hitmaker follows in the footsteps of such multi-hyphenate talents as Jennifer Hudson, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé, but Rihanna's acting-career potential will potentially sink or swim with the fate of the $200 million blockbuster.
We're willing to bet most of her fans (us included) will want to see the "Umbrella" singer kick some alien butt from a state-of-the-art "Battleship." Get More »
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Next Factor: 'Dark Shadows' Star Gulliver McGrath
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Back in his pre-"Alice in Wonderland" days, Tim Burton took a chance by casting Winona Ryder, a relative unknown at the time, in "Beetlejuice." In doing so, he catapulted her career into the stratosphere. More than 20 years later, Burton is taking another chance on a dark-haired, fair-skinned young actor -- an Australian boy named Gulliver McGrath. Burton handpicked him out of a slew of hopefuls to join the ensemble in his star-studded vampire comedy "Dark Shadows." While it's pretty early to bet, we have a good feeling this kid will go places like Ryder. And we're not talking about prison.
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Next Factor Q&A: 'Think Like a Man' Star Terrence J
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The host of BET's "106 & Park" by day, emerging actor Terrence J (who also goes by his given name, Terrence Jenkins) is just one of the heartthrobs in the romantic comedy "Think Like a Man," in which a group of friends turn the tables on their women.
In the movie, based on Steve Harvey's best-selling book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," the men find out that their girlfriends have been manipulating them with the help of the advice in Harvey's book. Feeling betrayed, they set out to use the book and manipulate them right back -- with predictably unpredictable results.
Terrence, who plays mama's boy Michael in the film, talked to us about working with Steve Harvey, the romantic advice we should expect from this film and how he'd love to play a certain president. Get More »
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Next Factor Q&A: 'The Lucky One' Star Taylor Schilling
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In "The Lucky One," the latest adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks bestseller, Taylor Schilling plays the owner of a rural Louisiana dog kennel who reluctantly hires and then falls for Zac Efron, a U.S. marine sergeant home from his third tour of duty in Iraq. The romantic drama features steamy summer nights and Schilling frustratingly rubbing dishes while gazing at Efron hauling huge bags of dog food around the property. When he reveals how he came to find her, Schilling doubts his true intentions while being unable to deny her own blossoming feelings.
The 27-year-old Schilling grew up in Boston and made her film debut in the Meryl Streep movie "Dark Matter" before landing her breakout role on the TV medical drama "Mercy." We got to know a little bit more about the lady Efron gets "Lucky" with on-screen when we sat down for a chat with the accommodating actress who seems game for any acting challenge. Get More »
Filed Under: Interviews Next Factor
Next Factor: 'Cabin in The Woods' Star Jesse Williams
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The buzz around "The Cabin in the Woods" is deafening, and Jesse Williams is in the middle of the beehive.
The former teacher, model and "Grey's Anatomy" hot doc is part of the ensemble headed off to the "Woods" cooked up by cowriter Joss Whedon and writer-director Drew Goddard. His character Holden is a smart cookie who can also kick some butt, which comes in handy when he and his friends run into some serious trouble during a weekend getaway. To know more is the spoil the fun, so don't read any reviews -- just head for the "Cabin," and get to know a little bit more about Williams first. Get More »
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Next Factor Q&A: 'Damsels in Distress' Star Analeigh Tipton
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It's hard to define it — but we know it when we see it. We knew Jennifer Lawrence had it, way back in "Winter's Bone." Emma Stone had it in spades in "Superbad," small part or no. And when we saw Analeigh Tipton as the lovelorn babysitter in last year's "Crazy Stupid Love," there it was.
Tipton appears next in Whit Stillman's latest film, "Damsels in Distress" — his first since "The Last Days of Disco" in 1998 — and it's clear that our gut instinct was dead on: This girl has enough it to spare, and "Damsels" won't be her last starring role.
When we met Tipton in New York City, the 23-year-old actress tipped us off to the linguistic benefits of working with Stillman, what we can expect from her upcoming zombie movie, "Warm Bodies" and how much of a total nerdface she is, deep down. (Hint: It's a lot.) Get More »
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Next Factor: 'We the Party' Star Mandela Van Peebles
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Working in movies isn’t just a dream for Mandela Van Peebles -- it’s practically his birthright, given that he's the son of Mario Van Peebles ("Ali," "New Jack City") and the grandson of Melvin Van Peebles, the "godfather of black cinema," whose revolutionary 1971 film "Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song" remains one of the highest-grossing indie films ever made.
Just as Melvin cast Mario in his films, Mario cast the 17-year-old Mandela to star in "We the Party," a multicultural teen comedy that attempts to fill the gaping hole "House Party" left in 1990. The movie, inspired by all-ages underground clubs, features rappers Snoop Dogg, YG, The New Boyz, The Rej3ctz and The Pink Dollaz.
The multi-talented Mario also coproduced music videos for two soundtrack singles by MVP Boyz, a rap duo he formed with his brother Makaylo; and he's hard at work on his directorial debut, the short film "Flipped," which he's coproducing with "We the Party" costar Patrick Cage II.
The high school senior talked to us about which dances from the movie he can still do, his first on-screen kiss and the real reason everyone in his family has a name that starts with M.
Filed Under: Interviews Next Factor
Next Factor Q&A: 'Mirror Mirror' Star (And Future Clary Fray) Lily Collins
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The term "It-Girl" is overused by media types like us. It should be saved for special cases – like that of Lily Collins.
Daughter of pop icon Phil, the 22-year-old was -- until very recently -- heading toward a career as, well, a media type like us, studying broadcast journalism at USC. Then the acting bug bit, and Collins won her first movie role, playing daughter to Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock in 2009's surprise hit "The Blind Side."
She's since played niece to Paul Bettany's badass man of cloth in "Priest" and love interest to Taylor Lautner in the actioner "Abduction."
Now she's the Friend of Dwarves herself, Snow White, in "Mirror Mirror" (opposite Julia Roberts' Evil Queen) and will soon be headlining the eagerly anticipated "Mortal Instruments" (as YA heroine Clary Fray), among a slew of other projects. Get More »
Next Factor: The Hunger Games' Star Dayo Okeniyi
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Hollywood newcomer Dayo Okeniyi has been thrust into the spotlight as Thresh, one of the Tributes in "The Hunger Games" who is, as he puts it in his Twitter bio, "the reason Katniss makes it to Catching Fire No biggie." Uh, yeah, it's a biggie! And so is Dayo, who moved to Los Angeles just a few years ago to become an actor. Hey, he's always got a bachelor's degree in Visual Communications Design if this whole "being awesome" thing doesn't work out. We suspect it will, though. Get More »
Filed Under: Next Factor The Hunger Games
