John Leguizamo
American Buffalo's Poor Reviews Possibly Foreshadowed
The reviews of the opening of David Mamet's American Buffalo at the Belasco have been unenthusiastic. The critics almost unanimously describe poorly cast stars—John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer, and Haley Joel Osment—going through the motions with wooden dialogue. ("Ssssssssst. That whooshing noise coming from the Belasco Theater is the sound of the air being let out of David Mamet's dialogue," wrote Ben Brantlee in The New York Times.)
But signs that the play might lay an egg were already in evidence last Friday afternoon at Café Une Deux Trois, where a press lunch with the cast had been scheduled. Instead of excited actors ready to begin the new Broadway run of a perfectly timed critique of inflated valuation, a near empty restaurant, and a sheepish hostess greeted the Daily Transom. read more »
General Lee
Miracle at St. Anna
160 Minutes
Written by James McBride
Directed by Spike Lee
Starring John Turturro, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Matteo Sciabordi, John Leguizamo
Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna, from a screenplay by James McBride (in English, Italian, German and Spanish, with English subtitles), is based on Mr. McBride’s heavily researched novel. Before launching into my very mixed review of Mr. Lee’s 20th feature film in an over-20-year largely self-promoted career in the industry, I must note that Mr. Lee once insulted me on an ABC Nightline panel after I had expressed my reservations about what I perceived as the excessive artiness of some of his projects. read more »
Waverly High School, Class of 2013!
When Daily Transom first broke the story about the opening of Greenwich Village High School—a new private school founded by Vanity Fair deputy editor, Aimee Bell—little information was available other than an earnest slogan: "Work Hard, Be Kind, Take Risks."
But in today's Times piece about the high school, we learned that Ms. Bell's little project happens to be backed by some important names including her boss, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, president of the New School Bob Kerrey and his wife, television and film writer Sara Paley, actor John Leguizamo, and President of Scholastic Richard Robinson.
The Daily Transom asked Mr. read more »
John Leguizamo and Cedric the Entertainer Revive Mamet on Oct. 31
This Halloween, Mamet is returning to Broadway (again) with a revival of American Buffalo. Directed by Robert Falls, previews will begin Oct. 31 with a premiere set for Nov. 17. Latin "Sexaholic" John Leguizamo and "Original King of Comedy" Cedric the Entertainer will lead the cast about "the bungled heist of an old nickel by three lowlifes based in a Chicago pawnshop." According to press notes, the play suggests how the language and practice of American business and power politics are insidious forces in our society.
David Mamet's 1976 Obie Award-winning play, American Buffalo, originally opened at Chicago's Goodman Theater.
Night Falls
The Happening
Running Time 91 minutes
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo
There’s a moment in the boring, brain-dead new M. Night Shyamalan film The Happening when Mark Wahlberg turns to the camera, trying to suppress a grin, and asks, “Can this really be happening?” I ask the same question every week, but it just gets worse.
It’s not a good sign when a director casts Mr. Wahlberg, a ruddy rapper-turned-actor who looks like a choirboy selling crack in the apse, as a science teacher pondering the mystery of why honeybees are disappearing from coast to coast. read more »
More Sexy Ingenues!
THE BABYSITTERS
Running Time 90 minutes
Written and directed by David Ross read more »
John Leguizamo: 'I Am Not a Scab!'
We caught up with actor/author John Leguizamo last night at the premiere of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. The native New Yorker stars in the forthcoming adaptation of fellow Colombian Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, which premieres tomorrow. But last night Mr. Leguizamo seemed more focused on a film that is scheduled for release next June, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening.
“The [project] that I love is The Happening,” he told The Daily Transom, although he kept mum about the nitty-gritty. “You know how M. Knight is,” he said, “you’re given the coded scripts with your name on it; you can’t get any changes unless you hand in the other changes.” Mr. Leguizamo did assure us, however, that the discreet director is “amazing to work with,” he said, later citing cast-and-crew perks like a group trip to Fiji.
Besides listening to his favorite “hot” new album this season, Alicia Key’s As I Am,” he is also working on writing new material, although he immediately added that he will not challenge the writer’s strike.
Grumbling a little, Mr. Leguizamo went on, “I’m writing for myself, not to sell. I’m not crossing any lines, I’m not a scab or a rat. I don’t want that rat in front of my apartment building!... I’m stuck with all this stuff.”
Gore Inherits the MTV Culture War
John Leguizamo Plays At Least 36 Parts in His One-Man Show Freak and, Oh, Boy-Can Multiple-Personality Acting Wreak Havoc on the
One Man, Four Shows, Three and a Half Raves
An Aïda on Fire; Catch Dixie Carter
