Kenny Rogers bringing “Christmas & Hits Tour” to Tulsa
TULSA – Legendary country performer Kenny Rogers is returning to The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa on Dec. 2, but this time he’s coming to help celebrate the holiday season.
Tickets are $50 and go on sale Oct. 13.
It was 25 years into his storied career before Rogers branched out to record his first holiday album, “Christmas,” in 1981, which peaked at No. 10 on the US Country chart. The holiday release led to the first “Christmas & Hits Tour” that is now in its 30th year as an annual event.
In the last two decades, Rogers has released seven holiday albums with the most recent being 2006’s “Christmas Collection.”
Among Rogers’ most popular holiday performances are “Kentucky Homemade Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Christmas in America,” “The Greatest Gift of All” with Dolly Parton, and “Mary, Did You Know?” with Wynona Judd. He has also recorded the more traditional popular songs, including “O Holy Night,” “Silent Night,” “Silver Bells” and “White Christmas.”
Rogers will also perform selected hits from a career that has included the release of more than 65 albums, which have sold more than 120 million copies worldwide. His work has resulted in three Grammys, eight Academy of Country Music awards and five Country Music Association awards.
To date, Rogers has released 24 singles that have reached No. 1, including “The Gambler,” “Love Will Turn You Around,” “Lucille,” “She Believes in Me, “Coward in the County” and “Islands in the Stream” with Parton.
Rogers’ most recent release is 2011’s “The Love of God,” which features 12 gospel songs and is sold exclusively at Cracker Barrel locations.
For more information on Rogers, visit www.kennyrogers.com.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is located off of Interstate 44 at exit 240. Ticket prices and information on upcoming shows are available online in The Joint section of www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com or by calling (918) 384-ROCK. The Joint box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. All guests must be 21 years of age or older.
-BAM
Listen: Amber Hayes’ Oklahoma high school football anthem “Friday Night Fight”
Take a listen to “Friday Night Fight,” the anthem country recording artist Amber Hayes has cut to be used as the official theme song for all televised Cox cable high school football games in Oklahoma.
Tonight’s Cox game of the week, Putnam City North at Midwest City, kicks off at 7:30 and will air on channel 3 (or 703 in high definition).
A native of Weleetka, Hayes co-wrote “Friday Night Fight” with Angela Sullivan and guitarist Bill DiLuigi and appears in the video segments that introduce the televised games each week. The music video, which isn’t available online, was shot during a high school game in Moore.
“Growing up in Oklahoma and being a cheerleader in high school, I understand exactly how important football is in these communities and across the whole state,” says Hayes, who currently lives in Nashville, Tenn., in a news release.
“I still remember the excitement and the adrenaline rush you’d get being out there on the field, so when I got the opportunity to write and record this song, I didn’t think twice about it. I’m really proud to be associated with this Thursday and Friday night tradition in the great state where I grew up.”
Since June, Hayes has been performing shows around the country with FUNL label mate Ty Herndon and visiting radio stations in support of her current single, “Wait.” The song is steadily moving up the charts and jumped two spots this week to No. 45 on the Billboard Indicator chart. “Wait” follows Hayes’ 2010 debut single, “C’mon,” which was a Top 40 success on the Music Row Country Breakout chart.
In May, the rising star made her first movie appearance in the Oklahoma-filmed rodeo-themed family movie “Cowgirls N’ Angels.” Starring James Cromwell (“Babe,” “L.A. Confidential”), Bailee Madison (“Just Go With It,” “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” “Bridge to Terabithia”), Jackson Rathbone (“Twilight,” “New Moon”) and Frankie Faison (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “Meet the Browns”), Hayes plays a supporting role as a honky tonk singer in the Timothy Armstrong-directed film. Hayes’ original songs, “C’mon” and “Right as Rain,” as well as one new unreleased track, are featured prominently in the movie. “Cowgirls N’ Angels” was shot in several cities across Oklahoma, including Stillwater, Guthrie, Pawnee and Oklahoma City and is scheduled for 2012 release.
Next Thursday, Hayes will perform at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville for the Forget-Me-Not Alzheimer’s benefit, and later in October she travels to Japan and China for additional shows, including the Country Gold Festival. Hayes remains busy writing and recording new material in Nashville for her sophomore album, to be released in 2012.
-BAM
Video: Kyle Roberts and David Nghiem talk about the new music video for “Dum Dum Dah Dah”
Up-and-coming film director and producer Kyle Roberts, owner of the Oklahoma City-based film company Reckless Abandonment Pictures and a videographer for NewsOK, is up to more of his stop-motion animation cleverness.
This time, Kyle has worked with Norman indie rockers The Nghiems to create a retro video game-themed music video to their buoyant song “Dum Dum Dah Dah.”
Kyle and lead singer David Nghiem recently sat down with NewsOK video host Angi Bruss to talk about the making of the video, and David caps it off by performing the show in our NewsOK studios.
The full video will be premiering on the Internets about 9 a.m. Saturday. Should go nicely with morning coffee and you won’t even have to change out of your pajamas to witness more of Kyle’s lovingly crafted stop-motion greatness.
To watch the trailer for “Dum Dum Dah Dah” video, click here.
-BAM
Watch: Preview The Nghiems’ video for “Dum Dum Dah Dah,” by Kyle Roberts
Up-and-coming film director and producer Kyle Roberts, owner of the Oklahoma City-based film company Reckless Abandonment Pictures and a videographer for NewsOK, is up to more of his stop-motion animation cleverness.
This time, Kyle has worked with Norman indie rockers The Nghiems to create a retro video game-themed music video to their buoyant song “Dum Dum Dah Dah.” Check out the trailer after the break.
The full video will be premiering on the Internets at 9 a.m. Saturday. Should go nicely with morning coffee and you won’t even have to change out of your pajamas to witness more of Kyle’s lovingly crafted stop-motion greatness.
NY Times writer Thom Shanker to sign new book “Counterstrike” Sunday and Tuesday in his native Oklahoma City
Thom Shanker
Oklahoma City native and New York Times correspondent Thom Shanker will sign copies of his new book “Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda” at two different events next week in his hometown.
Shanker will participate in a book signing at 2 p.m. Sunday at Full Circle Bookstore in 50 Penn Place. For more information, go to www.fullcirclebooks.com.
He also will be at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday for a book signing and conversation. He will share his insights about terrorist threats facing America today. For more information, go to www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.
The book, which Shanker co-authored with fellow New Times correspondent Eric Schmitt, has eared critical praise since its August release. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Rick Atkinson calls it “a remarkable detective story by two of the nation’s best reporters.”
Shanker and Schmitt dig into the United States’ nuanced efforts to combat the worldwide terrorist network of Al Qaeda. Drawing on their many sources, the correspondents take readers deep into the realm of the military, spy agencies and law enforcement.
“Al Qaeda surprised itself on 9/11,” Shanker told The Oklahoman‘s Ken Raymond in a recent phone interview. “I think they had no idea they could actually bring down the two towers and hit the Pentagon. They were surprised at what they did. They were also surprised by the ferocity of the American response. I don’t think they thought that the U.S. would invade Afghanistan, bring down the Taliban, et cetera.”
“Counterstrike” also includes a chapter with dramatic new details surrounding the May 2011 operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
As Shanker and Schmitt note, however, bin Laden’s death doesn’t end the war on terrorism. “Terrorism inspired by Al Qaeda cannot be defeated as it is defined today,” they write.
To read more of Ken’s interesting interview with Shanker, click here.
-BAM
Oklahoma fiddler Byron Berline records Bill Monroe tribute album
Bill Monroe in 1983 (AP file)
A version of this story appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma fiddler records Bill Monroe tribute album
Internationally acclaimed fiddler Byron Berline, who lives in Guthrie, has recorded a new tribute album in honor of the late bluegrass legend Bill Monroe. The album is aptly titled “Byron Berline Thanks Bill Monroe”
Berline is selling the album and performing with his band Friday and Saturday at the 15th Annual Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie.
The 14-track CD includes Monroe classics like “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” “My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin’” and “Rawhide.”
“It’s all these goodies,” said Berline, who founded and organizes the Guthrie festival. “I wanted to thank him for all he’s done for me and for bluegrass.”
Byron Berline
Many bluegrass musicians are paying tribute to Monroe this fall. The architect of bluegrass and a country music pioneer, Monroe would have turned 100 on Sept. 13. He died in 1996 at the age of 84.
He left behind a legacy that’s more vital and thriving than ever, and a diaspora of former players and acolytes who continue to spread his music today, reports the Associated Press. Bluegrass, developed from roots deep in the soil of his native Kentucky, has spread around the world. It’s evolved with each generation that’s passed since that mythic “birth of bluegrass” concert in December 1945 at The Ryman Auditorium that featured the debut of pioneering banjo player Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt.
Monroe, born on a farm near Rosine, Ky., was already arguably country music’s greatest mandolin player when he formed his Blue Grass Boys in 1938 and began refining his sound, according to the AP.
“Bill Monroe was one of the greatest experimenters of them all,” Ricky Skaggs told the AP. “The whole creation of bluegrass was an experiment. It was a test-tube baby.”
By the time he found Scruggs — Monroe reportedly began to dance with joy as Scruggs showed him his new three-fingered playing style — he was writing songs that would help redefine country music.
“One time he told me, `People don’t know it, but I learn from them,’” Del McCoury, who was Monroe’s lead singer for a year in 1963-64, told the AP. “He meant other musicians. His music comes from a lot of different styles, jazz and what he heard as a kid.”
In turn, he would influence new generations of young listeners with his sound. One of the primary missions of the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival is to educate young people about bluegrass and other acoustic music, Berline said.
The Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival includes a full lineup of acoustic music performances, workshops, children’s activities, youth music contests and more. Activities begin at 9 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday at the festival grounds on Cottonwood Creek, State Highway 33 at U.S. 77, Guthrie.
For more information, call 282-4446 or go to www.oibf.com.
— BAM
Best Bets for Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011: Check out the Czech Festival, Woofstock, Oklahoma Regatta Festival and more
Life-size displays are part of the " Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs" exhibit at Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman. (Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman)
Here are my Best Bets for what’s happening in Oklahoma over the weekend, as published in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
1. YUKON — Take in a carnival, arts and crafts show, tractor museum and traditional food, music and dancing at the 46th annual Czech Festival Saturday in and around the Czech Building, Fifth and Cedar, and Czech Hall, 205 N Czech Hall Rd. The festivities will officially begin at 10 a.m. with a grand parade down Main Street. Information: 206-8142 or www.yukoncc.com.
2. NORMAN — Hear International Acoustic Music Award winners Horseshoe Road, led by acclaimed fiddler Kyle Dillingham, open the Winter Wind Concert Series at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Norman Depot, 200 S Jones. Information: 307-9320 or www.pasnorman.org.
3. Check out the live music, children’s area, fireworks and plenty of rowing, kayaking and dragon boating action at the Oklahoma Regatta Festival in the Boathouse District on the Oklahoma River. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday. Information: 552-4040 orwww.oklahomariverevents.org.
4. Listen to music that makes you go “argh” at the Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s “Pirates on the High Seas,” part of the Discovery Family Series, at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: 842-5387 or www.okcphilharmonic.org.
5. NORMAN — Take your pooches to participate in the outdoor activities at Woofstock and then leave them with the Doggy Valet or in the Puppy Play area and take advantage of free admission to the new temporary exhibit “Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs” from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave. Information: 325-4712 or www.snomnh.ou.edu.
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Plaza District Festival grows with the neighborhood; 15th annual event set for Saturday
Children paint on the outdoor mural wall at 2010 Plaza District Festival. (Photo by K.O. Rinearson)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Plaza District Festival grows with the neighborhood
BAM column: The once-blighted area has been revived into an artistic hot spot, and it will be celebrating the state’s creativity Saturday.
Even on a quiet, average weekday afternoon, you can find plenty to see, do and buy in the burgeoning Plaza District.
Check out a variety of artwork by Oklahoma artists, peruse handmade crafts or hunt for vintage treasures. Shop for fine Mexican crafts, try a healthy version of Irish fish and chips or sample Guatemalan delicacies.
Get a haircut. Get a new outfit. Get a tattoo, for that matter.
From noon to midnight Saturday, the already interesting northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood will get even more festive during the 15th annual Plaza District Festival in the 1700 block of NW 16, just west of N Classen.
Flamenco Fantastico performs at the 2009 Plaza District Festival. (Photo by K.O. Rinearson)
“When there was nothing down here, it was really like a neighborhood block party, but now it’s like a real festival,” said Kristen Vails, executive director of the Plaza District Association, over a serving of divine Chocolate Guinness Cake at Saints Irish pub. “Now that we have businesses and artists down here, it’s really been able to grow into a big event.”
In the 1930s, the Plaza District was a bustling commercial area featuring shops, restaurants, bars and the landmark Plaza Theatre. Decades later, the declining district was plagued with crime and urban decay. In the late 1990s, area residents banded together and started renewal efforts. In the past few years, Lyric Theatre’s renovation of the Plaza Theatre, a streetscape paid by a city bond issue and the opening of several studios, galleries and businesses has transformed the once-blighted neighborhood into a city hot spot
Nowadays, the Plaza District emphasizes local, independent and artistic ventures, and its festival mirrors that philosophy. This year’s event will celebrate the state’s creative spirit with 45 artist booths, live music and entertainment, children’s activities and food and beer vendors.
“The whole festival is everything local. The artists are all from Oklahoma, the musicians are all Oklahomans, the food and beer is from Oklahoma,” Vails said. “We specifically turned away artists who aren’t from Oklahoma. To us, it’s like, ‘We have plenty of talent and creativity here in Oklahoma, and we want to keep that talent and creativity here, too. If you’re bringing in competition from outside, you’re not helping them.’”
Along with the eclectic offerings at the neighborhood’s art galleries, the festival artists will peddle “everything from handmade, indie craft to fine paintings, so it’s a wide range,” she said.
Coop Ale Works Brewery, Big Truck Tacos, Copper Cup Catering and Atomic Hot Dogs will serve up their popular eats to festival-goers.
The diversity will extend to the live entertainment on the Fowler VW Stage. Performers from the Plaza District’s own Everything Goes Dance Studio and Lyric Theatre, along with Oklahoma Academy of Irish Dance, Okie Stomp and OKC Improv will entertain festival-goers from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The event’s live music lineup will begin at 4 p.m. and feature an assortment of Oklahoma talents: The Boom Bang, Junebug Spade, The Copperheads, Brother Gruesome, The Wurly Birds and Kacey Walkingstick.
From noon to 6 p.m., the festival will foster creativity in the younger generation with an array of hands-on children’s activities, including a beading table, scavenger hunt and moon bounce. Youngsters will get to paint on an outdoor mural or make paper sack puppets and act out plays with them.
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic will present its “Music Playground,” where children will get to experiment with all the instruments used in the symphony alongside professional
The sun sets at the 2009 Plaza District Festival. (Photo by K.O. Rinearson)
musicians, and four teaching artists from Norman’s Firehouse Art Center will give lessons in drawing, foil sculpting and mask making.
The event will even offer activities for dogs: At the Plaza Pup Booth, canines and their people can receive free treats, buy gourmet snacks, take a water break and dress up for photos.
In addition, two new businesses — Urban Wineworks, a Plaza District-based winery, and Urbanology, a vintage, retro and antique furniture and home décor shop —will celebrate their grand openings during the festival.
Several established galleries, shops and other businesses will offer their own special activities to complement the festival, which is expected to bring thousands to the Plaza District.
“We want to do the kids’ activities and visit the booths, but we really want them to also check out the shops and galleries down here,” Vails said. “We want to showcase our progress and what we have to offer all the time.”
Going on
15th annual Plaza District Festival
When: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Plaza District, NW 16 between Indiana and Blackwelder.
Street closing: NW 16 and some of the side streets through the district will be closed during the festival.
Information: 367-9403 or www.plazadistrict.org.
-BAM
Small works make a big difference at Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s 12×12 Art Fundraiser
Martha Green of Oklahoma City created her mixed-media piece "Jasmine" for Saturday's 12x12 Art Fundraiser.
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Small works make a big difference at 12×12
The unusual art auction raises funds for the nonprofit Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, which supports visual artists living and working in the state.
The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition takes the adage big things come in small packages to heart every year with its 12×12 Art Fundraiser.
“It’s a big event and the last few years, we’ve had over 1,000 people there. Every year, it keeps growing, and every year, we’re getting more fun with more going on,” said Kelsey Karper, associate director of the coalition, a nonprofit organization that supports visual artists living and working in Oklahoma.
A one-night-only art auction that showcases Oklahoma art, music and food, this year’s 12×12 will start at 7 p.m. Saturday at 50 Penn Place. The coalition’s sole annual fundraiser, it will feature works from 150 state artists, samples from 30 local restaurants and live music from Norman singer/songwriter/musician Penny Hill.
"Spawn" (encaustic, lithography, collage) by Ada artist Kate Rivers will be included in Saturday's 12x12 Art Fundraiser.
Still, 12×12 isn’t your ordinary art auction. The event’s committee invited Oklahoma artists from the four corners of the state to each contribute one piece to the event.
The catch: Each work must be no larger than 12-inches-by-12-inches, or for three-dimensional pieces, 12 inches high, wide and deep.
“And the artists tend to use all the space we allow them,” Karper said with a laugh. “The committee makes it a point to invite artists who will give us a good variety of styles and media and are representative of the whole state.”
Since the works are relatively small and affordable — bids for each piece begin at $168 — even first-timers can feel comfortable participating in the silent auction.
“It really is a good place for somebody to begin a collection,” Karper said.
Again, there’s a catch: 12×12 isn’t just a silent auction, it’s a blind silent auction.
“People put their bids in an envelope, and they can’t see what others have bid, so you kind of have to strategize and figure out how much you want to bid because you can’t see who’s the highest bidder. So that makes it a little more exciting,” Karper said. “People have a lot of fun with it and occasionally they get very competitive.”
Participants who fall in love with a particular piece and don’t want to risk losing it can opt to pay the “Buy It Now” price and trump the auction.
New this year, attendees also can enter the drawing for five different prize packages that highlight Oklahoma City’s artistic and cultural offerings. The prize packages include a private dinner for eight from chef Kathryn Mathis at the new Chesapeake Finish Line Tower on the Oklahoma River; two tickets to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s Art on Tap beer tasting part, plus a night at the Colcord Hotel and dinner at a Good Egg Dining Group restaurant; a glassblowing class for six with a Mustang Brewing Co. beer tasting; a private dinner for six from chef Bo Taylor at the 1007 Rooftop in downtown; and a Plaza District gift package.
Raffle tickets are $5 each, or 25 tickets for $100.
To keep up their strength during the event, participants can sample tasty treats from popular local restaurants specializing in a wide variety of cuisine, including steak, sushi, bistro
Oklahoma City artist and TV anchor Linda Cavanaugh created "Red Earth, Blue Moon" (acrylic on canvas) for Saturday's 12x12 Art Fundraiser
fare, pizza, burgers, Mexican food, barbecue and cupcakes.
Last year’s 12×12 raised more than $65,000 through sponsorships and art sales.
“12×12 is an opportunity for individual Oklahomans to directly support working Oklahoma artists, even in times when government support is not always available,” said Margo Shultes von Schlageter, co-chairman of the 12×12 Art Fundraiser committee, in an email. “It is a real chance to give back to the community and see artists produce work as a result of the money raised by 12×12.”
The event raises funds for all the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s programs, including grants and business workshops for artists, exhibitions and awards and the coalition’s magazine, Karper said.
In addition, this year’s 12×12 won’t just sell art, it will become part of creating art. Edmond photographer Lori Oden plans to mount 12 pinhole cameras in the venue to create in essence a four-hour time-lapse exposure of the event.
After all, “it’s a good place to see a nice variety of what’s being made by artists right here in Oklahoma,” Karper said.
Going on
12×12 Art Fundraiser
When: 7 p.m. Saturday.
Where: 50 Penn Place, 1900 Northwest Expressway.
Tickets: $30 in advance and $35 at the door.
Tickets and information: 879-2400 or www.12x12okc.org.
-BAM
Anna Kendrick finds something different with cancer comedy “50/50”
Anna Kendrick and Joseph Gordon-Levitt appear in a scene from "50/50."
Listed on wimgo Movies under Comedy drama
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read more of what Anna Kendrick had to say about “The Twilight Saga,” click here. To read my review of “50/50,” click here.
Anna Kendrick finds something different with cancer comedy “50/50”
The actress, best known for her Oscar-nominated turn in “Up in the Air” as well as her supporting role in “The Twilight Saga,” plays an inexperienced therapist trying to help a young cancer patient in the Toronto Film Festival favorite.
Toronto Film Festival favorite “50/50” certainly qualifies as a bit of an anomaly: a based-on-a-true-story comedy about coping with cancer.
Within that unusual premise, Academy Award-nominated actress Anna Kendrick found an opportunity to play a different sort of role in Katherine, a fledgling therapist trying to help her third patient, 27-year-old Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who has just started treatment for a massive, malignant tumor growing along his spinal column. According to his Internet research, the understandably shell-shocked Adam has a 50/50 chance of survival, despite his youth and otherwise excellent health.
In movies, psychiatrists are often portrayed as older, wiser and a bit enigmatic, but Kendrick, 26, was drawn to her “50/50” character’s vulnerability, uncertainty and obvious nervousness.
“It’s not a character I’ve really seen before, but I think anytime like someone sort of admits, ‘I’m just trying to my best here, you know, I’m just trying to find my way,’ I think that’s the kind of moments that intrigued me about this character,” Kendrick said in a phone interview from Dallas, where she was promoting the film.
“It wasn’t specifically that this is a new take on the profession as much as it was that I just liked someone who is expected to know what they’re doing being able to admit, you know, that they’re trying their best.”
For Kendrick, “50/50” gave her the chance to show off one of her best assets as an actress: her versatility. After all, Kendrick began her career playing Dinah Lord in the 1997 Broadway musical production of “High Society,” becoming the second-youngest Tony Award nominee in history with her nod for best featured actress in a musical.
The Maine native made her first foray into film with the 2003 movie-musical “Camp,” earning an Independent Spirit Award for best debut performance. She received another Independent Spirit Award nomination in her breakout role as a fast-talking high-school debater in the 2007 teen dramedy “Rocket Science.”
Her movie career soared to new heights with two vastly different projects: First, she became part of the supernaturally popular vampire romance series “The Twilight Saga” with her supporting role as Jessica Stanley, a gossipy classmate of human heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). She will reprise the role in the hotly anticipated two-part franchise finale “Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” opening Nov. 18, and “Breaking Dawn — Part 2,” due out in fall 2012.
Next, Kendrick garnered an Oscar nomination playing an ambitious young executive opposite George Clooney in writer-director Jason Reitman’s acclaimed drama “Up in the Air.”
“The ‘Twilight’ thing, it’s funny. It’s like this whole other thing where, you know, girls kind of recognize me on the street, but it hasn’t actually affected my career in any way. I’ve never really gotten a job because of ‘Twilight.’ It’s just a funny thing where, yeah, like someone will say hi to me at the supermarket, but it feels sort of separate from other movies,” she said.
“There are a lot of ‘Twilight’ fans who haven’t seen anything else that I’ve been in, and there’s a lot of people who see movies religiously but haven’t seen ‘Twilight.’ So they feel weirdly separate to me, actually.”
As far as her Oscar nomination, Kendrick said “it doesn’t impact my life on a daily basis so … I just think about it as something that was amazing that happened.” But she did find that her superb performance in “Up in the Air” had some unintended career consequences that made her role in “50/50” all the more appealing.
“You do a movie and you get offered a lot of the same kind of thing that you’ve just done. I was getting a lot of sort of very ambitious, precise, insensitive characters offered to me. And this was a nice surprise, to be offered something different,” she said. “It’s nice to sort of show some vulnerability and show that kind of nervous energy. I like that she was sort of soft.”
The film is based on screenwriter Will Reiser’s own cancer battle. Seth Rogen, Reiser’s buddy and fellow alumnus of the British import comedy series “Da Ali G Show,” co-stars as the best pal of Gordon-Levitt’s protagonist and serves as a producer. Not only did she admire Reiser’s script, Kendrick said he also was lovely to work with on set.
“It’s just really honest. And honest dialogue is usually the funniest or the most touching or whatever it’s trying to achieve. Nothing felt forced. And that’s what I liked about it,” she said.
“You know, there are moments in this movie where I didn’t expect them to be as funny as they are, but they’re some of the biggest laughs in the movie.”
-BAM
