Chris O'dowd Page 4

Critics have plenty to say about St. Vincent, the soon-to-be-released comedy drama written and directed by Theodore Melfi, but not all of it is as positive as the film.

Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy star in St. Vincent.

Read More: Guess What Bill Murray Went And Did?

Continue reading: Is Bill Murray's Performance Strong Enough To Save 'St. Vincent' From Critics' Sneers?

Missed out on James Franco starring as George in the recent Broadway adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1937 tale Of Mice and Men? Don't despair as the National Theater Live is bringing the show from the stage to the screen and broadcasting recorded performances at cinemas around the US and Canada.

James Franco at the photocall for Of Mice and Men.

Read More: James Franco Uses Venice Film Festival To Shoot Scenes For New Movie Sporting A Shaven, Tattooed Head.

Continue reading: National Theater Live To Bring 'Of Mice & Men', Starring James Franco, To US Cinemas

Geeks: once the deeply awkward and much-maligned members of society- ridiculed by Jocks and long stereotyped on TV and film as socially inept weaklings with a love of bow ties, thick-rimmed glasses and high-waisted slacks. But oh how things have changed. Ever since Adam Brody’s intensely loveable Seth Cohen appeared on screens in the mid noughties as the lonely, quick-witted, Death Cab For Cutie loving geek on The O.C, the tables have been well and truly turned. ‘Geek Chic’ prevails, the once laughable clothing choices of society’s most brainy and introverted have been re-appropriated by the masses. Everyone is falling over themselves to replicate a look that twenty years ago would have posited the wearer of such garments as a human punch-bag for meat-headed bullies.

Adam Brody has been credited with helping makes geeks cool through his O.C character Seth Cohen

In the world of TV, sci-fi shows such as Star Trek and Stargate are geek staples but the recent role reversal of geeks as the cultural vanguard posits fantastical shows that would have more likely been derided several years ago as universally acclaimed hits. Game Of Thrones is arguably the biggest TV show in the world whilst The Big Bang Theory, which maintains the long-held geek stereotypes has made veritable superstars of its cast. Here then, is a list of those geeky TV shows that we just can’t get enough of.

Continue reading: The Geek TV Shows We're Not Afraid To Love

Clearly James Franco is not busy enough currently starring in the Broadway revival of Of Mice and Men. The actor/film director/writer/producer/lecturer/social media fiend has now decided to become a theatre director.

Franco is currently starring alongside Chris O'Dowd in a Broadway production of Of Mice and Men

Franco is set to direct Robert Boswell’s The Long Shrift in New York this summer. The play, which is about a man who is released from jail after he was accused of rape in his teens, will launch the 20th anniversary of the Rattlestick Playwrights theatre, which is based in the West Village. The production will star Ahna O’Reilly, Brian Lally, Scott Haze, Allie Gallerani and Ally Sheedy. Haze appeared in Franco’s 2013 film As I Lay Dying, based on William Faulkner’s 1930 novel.

Continue reading: James Franco To Direct 'The Long Shrift' At Rattlesticks Playwrite Theatre

It’s Tony season!  The night of gratuitous musical numbers is almost upon us. The nominations were announced on Tuesday and this year, they feature a couple of new names. The nominees list includes Tony vets Neil Patrick Harris and Audra McDonald, but one of the biggest new names on the list is Bryan Cranston.

Bryan Cranston is moving from the Emmys straight into the Tonys.

Continue reading: "Gentleman's Guide", "Hedwig" Lead Tony Nominations

Of Mice And Men premiered on Broadway last night, giving critics a chance to cast their eyes over Anna D. Shapiro's all-star adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic 1937 play. Lead actors James Franco, Chris O'Dowd and Leighton Meester may feel more comfortable in front of a lens on a big budget Hollywood set but their roles in this Depression-era drama serve to show their dramatic prowess extends beyond the glitzy confines of tinseltown.

The 'Of Mice And Men' Cast Premiered Their Production On Broadway Last Night.

The NY Times focusses on the lead trio's performances and hasn't a bad word to say about any of the Broadway newbies' theatre turns: "O'Dowd ("Bridesmaids") is such a likable and endearing actor that he automatically brings goodwill to a role," says Joe Dziemianowicz, adding "Franco's confident, straightforward, no-frills performance works just right. He can do a lot with a look" and "Meester brings out the yearning and sadness of the unnamed wife."

Continue reading: 'Of Mice And Men' Brings Out Broadway Talents Of James Franco, Chris O'Dowd

In 2006 'The I.T Crowd' welcomed us into the basement of Reynholm Industries to meet Moss, Roy and Jen and make sure we’d ‘tried switching it on and off again' first. The successful Channel 4 comedy brought us four series of laughs and ridiculous scenarios before bidding us goodbye with a special episode late last year. Entitled, ‘The Internet Is Coming’, its just picked up four BAFTA nominations, including one for best sitcom, giving a fitting tribute to one of the decades funniest and unique sitcoms.

Richard Ayoade played Maurice Moss in the 'IT Crowd'

Created by Graham Linehan, one half of the duo that gave us 'Father Ted', the 'IT Crowd' delved in to the world of computer nerdom, celebrating it in a way that British television had never seen before. Set in the IT department of Reynholm Industries, confined to the building’s basement, Jen, played by Katherine Parkinson served as our guide into the world of computers and the internet, even though she didn't know what IT stood for. Jen was faced with the role of being relationship manager to Moss and Roy, the socially inept IT technicians who would fix any computer problem in their own time and if they could be bothered. The two best friends, played by Richard Ayoade and Chris O’Dowd were bonded together by their love of computer games and all things geeky and also the fact that no one else could really put up with them.

Continue reading: After BAFTA Nominations, We Remember 'The I.T Crowd'

Dawn O'Porter, the wife of actor Chris O'Dowd (who called X-Factor fans racist this week), has been nominated for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2014 for her debut teen novel Paper Aeroplanes. Best known for her documentaries on body image, O'Porter's book was inspired by her experienced growing up in Guernsey.

Dawn O'Porter at a Waterstones Photocall for 'Paper Aeroplanes'

Other nominees include Call the Midwife actress Emerald Fennell and performance poet Laura Dockrill for their books Shiverton Hall and Darcy Burdock. The 'age 5-12' category - which also includes Piers Torday, Sandra Greaves and Katherine Rundell - is led by the director and screenwriter Soman Cainani who will surely be considered the favourite for The School For Good and Evil, a New York Times bestseller that has already been picked up by Universal Pictures.

Continue reading: Chris O'Dowd's Wife Dawn O'Porter Up For Major Children's Book Prize

The Bridesmaids actor Chris O'Dowd says he is a "big x factor fan" though feels for black contestants because the "the viewing public is so racist." The 34-year-old made the comment during an interview to the Radio Times, saying, "Generally my favourites go out in the first few weeks and, of course, because the viewing public is so racist, all the black, strong singers go out in round five."

Chris O'Dowd Thinks YOU'RE A RACIST, X Factor Viewer.

Last year's contestant Hannah Barrett had received racist abuse while appearing on the show and spoke out about the importance of addressing the issues of race and appearance in the music industry.

Continue reading: X-Factor Viewer? Yeah, Chris O'Dowd Thinks You're A Racist.

The legendary John Steinbeck novel, Of Mice and Men doesn’t exactly need translating to a younger audience, considering most study it in English lessons across the Western World, but putting a Hollywood golden boy and comedy funster on a Broadway adaptation of it certainly seems like something to get excited about.

James Franco will play Of Mice and Men's George

It doesn’t take a genius to work out who’s playing whom, but we’ll spell it out anyway. Franco will take on the role of George, an aspirational man during the dilapidated period of the great depression. Quick-witted and confident, George is always thinking of ways to change his own situation.

Continue reading: James Franco, Chris O'Dowd, Broadway, 'Of Mice And Men' - Sounds Good Doesn't It?

The remarkable story of the rise and fall of cyclist Lance Armstrong will be translated in a new feature-length biopic directed by Stephen Frears. The glory of Armstrong's triumph over testicular cancer and subsequent Tour de France wins in the 90s has been overshadowed by the shame that accompanied him being stripped of all seven of his consecutive titles last year due to doping evidence.

Ben Foster To Play Lance Armstrong.

The movie will chart Armstrong's rise and fall as a sportsman as well as the vociferous work of journalist David Walsh to expose doping within the sport. Written by regular Danny Boyle collaborator John Hodge ('Trance'), the movie will be based on Walsh's book, Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong.

Continue reading: Ben Foster Playing Lance Armstrong Alongside Chris O'Dowd In Cycling Biopic

Ben Foster will play the part of Lance Armstrong in Stephen Frear’s biopic, and he will be joined by Chris O’Dowd, who’ll play journalist David Walsh, who campaigned tirelessly to expose the biggest cheating scandal in the world of sport, Deadline report.

Ben Foster and Chris O'Dowd will both star in the untitled biopic

Foster, while bearing a resemblance to the disgraced cyclist, has seen his reputation grow of late with performances in Kill Your Darlings – alongside Daniel Radcliffe - and Lone Survivor, which also stars Mark Wahlberg. The Irish actor O’Dowd has become a household name stateside due to his performances in Bridesmaids and the popular sitcom, Girls.

Continue reading: Ben Foster To Play Lance Armstrong In Biopic, Chris O'Dowd, His Nemesis, David Walsh

Everything’s coming back now, some worse than others so we should be thankful that the latest ‘thing’ to announce its return is something very good indeed – The IT Crowd! No before you all get excited it is just coming back for a one-off special, but apart from that you can all get very excited indeed because Channel 4 have confirmed that the show’s creator Graham Linehan will be writing the script (something he’s also Tweeted), while the main stars of the show will all be back too – Chris O’Down, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry. Cor!

"Only the power of Graham's magical writing could bring back together four of the UK's brightest comedy stars," said Nerys Evans, deputy head of comedy of Channel 4, according to the BBC. The show originally ran between 2006 and 2010 before finishing, but ever since it has there have been rumours that a reunion was imminent. O'Dowd – who has since gone to star in the film Bridesmaids and US series Girls – has been among the voices who’ve wanted a comeback, arguing that the characters need closure.

Linehan had revealed in 2012 that he’d written a script for a new IT Crowd but had been waiting for the finish of his BBC2 sitcom Count Arthur Strong to finish. It looks like the time is finally right.

Continue reading: Ctrl Alt Explode With Joy! The IT Crowd Back For New One-Off Episode!

It’s been knocking around for a few months now, so much so that we reviewed it back at the end of last year, but Chris O’Dowd-starring Wayne Blair-directed The Sapphires is finally gaining a limited-run release in US cinemas this weekend, after a series of film festival appearances, and it looks like the American critics are more than ready to take to the true story adaptation.

The story is based around four Australian Aborigine girls who sing together, the quartet discovering new things about themselves, their friendships and wider issues with the world when they are picked up by a scouting agent (O’Dowd) and end up performing in front of US troops at the Vietnam war in 1968. Rolling Stone wrote of the film, “You could call it an Aussie Dreamgirls. I'd call it a blast of joy and music that struts right into your heart.” Bloomberg News meanwhile comments “Not even sweet soul music can turn Vietnam circa 1968 into a feel-good trip, but "The Sapphires" tries its darnedest,” while the New York Post adds “For the most part Aussie director Wayne Blair's feature debut is snappy and fresh.”

Continue reading: The Sapphires Receives Good US Reviews Ahead Of Debut Weekend

Christopher Guest, the king of improv comedy and best known for hit movies such as Spinal Tap and Best In Show, returns to our screens with Family Tree, a show that he has created along with Jim Piddock and which stars Chris O’Dowd, Tom Bennett and Nina Conti. O’Dowd plays the central character Tom Chadwick, who loses his job and his girlfriend and starts to look into his family tree after he receives a surprise box from a great aunt that he has never met. As he delves deeper into his family history, he gains a greater understanding of who his family really is.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in January, Guest explained that each episode of the new HBO series was crafted with just eight pages of script, or plot guidelines and the rest was improvised. “Each of these episodes is an eight-page outline,” he explained. “But we've written a huge back history for every character, which took us six or eight months to come up with. We've done an entire family tree going back to the 1700s. So when I talk to the actors prior to shooting, everyone knows who they are. It's not just ‘Hey, let's start yapping here.'”

A trailer for the show has been released online and it shows O’Dowd’s character arriving in California to uncover some of his relatives. 

Continue reading: Family Tree: New Comedy From Spinal Tap Star Christopher Guest

Chris O’Dowd will star in a new ‘mockumentary’ from Spinal Tap star Christopher Guest. Guest, who played the hapless Nigel Tufnell in the rock comedy Spinal Tap, has good form when it comes to semi-improvised, faux-documentary comedy such as this. He also worked on Best In Show, the applauded comic dog show movie and now, the BBC have snapped him up to write, direct and star in a new series, Family Tree. The series follows the story of 30 year old Tom Chadwick (played by O’Dowd), who suffers an identity crisis after losing his girlfriend and job.

The series will require actors to improvise material, as Chadwick gains a “growing sense of who he is,” after receiving a mysterious box of possessions from a great aunt that he never knew he had, The Independent reports. Janice Hadlow, the Controller at BBC2, said “I am delighted to welcome Christopher Guest to BBC Television. It will be his first television series for British audiences and one I am proud to have here on the BBC. It has a stellar cast led by the fantastic Chris O’Dowd and is an exciting collaboration with NBCU International and HBO. Family Tree will form a key part of the channel’s comedy next year.”

O’Dowd has become hot property in the comedy world, after his role in the hit movie Bridesmaids. When asked about working with Christopher Guest, he said “I’m terribly excited and monumentally under-qualified to work on an improvised show with Chris Guest. I call him Chris ‘coz we are friends. He calls me George. I don’t know why.”

Shoot your wife for cancer? It may seem a bit extreme, but Dawn Porter and her husband Chris O'Dowd from the IT Crowd, are making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of a good cause. That's right Chris O'Dowd will shoot his wife for the cause... with a paint pellet. If Dowd shoots his wife, Stand Up To Cancer will get a massive £10,000!

The entire affair is an extravagantly star studded event, and celebs have done a whole host of things to support it from pulling the trigger on their better halves, to donating a pair of shoes for the public to wear. The Telegraph reported on Tuesday (Oct 16th) that the public could try on the shoes of "Gwyneth Paltrow, Davina McCall, Twiggy, Sir Chris Hoy, Coleen Rooney and Dame Maggie Smith" in Leicester Square for one day only, before being sold in a silent auction that ends on Friday.

Plus, Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory has jumped on board to lend his support, by giving an earnest plug before every showing on Channel 4 and its sister channel E4. And you can see him supporting the cause in a hilarious music video called Up2 You + Me on YouTube.

Continue reading: Stand Up To Cancer, Shoot Your Wife For Cancer, Give Money To Cancer

‘Fake it ‘til you make it’: that was the approach that Chris O’Dowd took to singing when he was cast in his latest movie The Sapphires. Set in Australia in 1968, movie tells the tale of four talented young singers, whose girl group The Sapphires (think an Aussie version of The Supremes) are tasked with entertaining the US troops in Vietnam.

The Bridesmaids star O’Dowd belts out a few numbers of his own in the movie but insists that he was winging it – even when it came down to the piano playing. “I learned a few tunes when I got cast,” he told ITN at the movie’s premiere, “but it’s really piano by numbers. I didn’t really have long enough to learn it properly, so I think of it as ‘I know what I’m doing works, but I have no idea why.’

So far, the movie seems to have won over the critics. It may look like a lightweight take on a number of similar movies, such as Dreamgirls or The Runaways but it’s gone down well with the likes of the Hollywood Reporter – who described it as “A jewel-bright charmer about four spunky indigenous women whose powerhouse voices catapulted them onto the 60s-era world stage as Australia's answer to the Supremes” and the Daily Telegraph, who praise Chris O’Dowd’s performance, saying “A jewel-bright charmer about four spunky indigenous women whose powerhouse voices catapulted them onto the 60s-era world stage as Australia's answer to The Supremes.”