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'Game Of Thrones' Star Joins 'Hunger Games'

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"Game of Thrones" star Natalie Dormer has been cast as Cressida in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2," this according to Lionsgate. Dormer plays Margaery Tyrell on the popular HBO series, and appears in the upcoming films "Rush" and "The Counselor." She also starred in "Captain America: First Avenger" and "W.E."

For "Hunger Games" fans who are a little rusty on their "Mockingjay" memories, Cressida is a "resident director from the Capitol who joined the rebellion" and catalogs Katniss Everdeen's adventures as a symbol of the resistance. From the "Hunger Games" Wiki: "Cressida is described as a young woman whose head is shaved bald and tattooed with vivid green vines."

Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone and Sam Claflin are all expected to star in "Mockingjay." Francis Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer) will direct the final two films, from scripts by Danny Strong ("Lee Daniels' The Butler"). Here's the Lionsgate plot summary of "Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2":

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PARTS 1 & 2 make up the third and fourth installments of heroine Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) journey as she leads the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical and corrupt Capitol. As the war that will determine the fate of Panem escalates, Katniss must decipher for herself who she can trust and what needs to be done, with everything she cares for in the balance.

First things first: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is out on Nov. 22, 2013. The first part of "Mockingjay" will arrive next year.


Penelope And Javier Back On Same Film Set

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Madrid, Aug 22 (EFE).- Spain's Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, who got their start on the big screen together two decades ago, are back on the same film set once again, this time for Ridley Scott's "The Counselor."

The celebrity couple, who got married in 2010 and have two children, including a newborn, will not share any scenes during this latest picture, which is based on a Cormac McCarthy novel.

They first met as co-stars of the low-budget 1992 Spanish comedy/drama film "Jamon, Jamon" when they were virtual unknowns.

Years later, after becoming major Hollywood stars, they worked together on Woody Allen's 2008 film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," for which Cruz won a best supporting actress Oscar.

Bardem had won the Oscar for best supporting actor the year before for his role in the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men," which was also based on a McCarthy novel.

"The Counselor," some scenes of which were shot in different parts of Spain, will premiere in the fall.

The film stars Michael Fassbender in the lead role and also features Brad Pitt and Cameron Diaz.

Bardem, who plays the movie's villain, Reiner, will sport another curious hair style just as he did in "No Country."

"The Counselor" tells the story of a respected attorney (Fassbender) whose life spirals out of control when he gets involved in drug trafficking as a quick fix to his financial problems.

David Brake: 51 Pieces of Movie Trivia You May Not Know

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Film trivia is vital to breaking awkward silences and enlivening the dullest of evenings everywhere, so prepare to dazzle your friends with these 51 trivia facts you might not know.

1. Die Hard originated from the failed script of Commando 2.

2. Samuel L. Jackson demanded that the studio keep Snakes on a Plane as the title because it was the only reason he accepted the role.

3. Rather than use CGI, Tim Burton had 40 squirrels trained to crack nuts for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

4. Due to a zipper breaking, Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into the trousers she wears in the last carnival scene of Grease.

5. The sounds made by the Brachiosaurs in Jurassic Park were a combination of whale and donkey sounds.

6. In National Treasure, the good guys in the movie use Google and the bad guys use Yahoo!

7. Django Unchained is the first time in 16 years that Leonardo DiCaprio didn't get the top billing.

8. For Dr. Strangelove, Peter Sellers was paid $1 million, 55 percent of the film's budget. Stanley Kubrick quipped "I got three for the price of six."

9. Ryan Gosling was cast as Noah in The Notebook because the director wanted someone "not handsome."

10. When Harvey Weinstein wanted to edit Princess Mononoke to make it more marketable, the director Hayao Miyazaki sent him a katana with a simple message: "No cuts."

11. For LOTR: Return of the King, Elijah Wood had Alka Seltzer tablets in his mouth so he'd foam when Shelob stabbed him.

12. The total footage shot for 2001: A Space Odyssey was some 200 times the final length of the film.

13. The director of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan had to wear William Shatner out by doing multiple takes until he'd get tired enough to start actually acting. Extra clarity here.

14. In Halloween, Michael Myers' mask is actually a Captain Kirk mask which was altered for the film. It was purchased for less than $2.

15. In Iron Man/Avengers, J.A.R.V.I.S is an acronym for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System." Side note -- the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S, Paul Bettany, recently admitted he has never seen any Iron Man or Avengers film.

16. The phrase "old sport" is said 55 times during The Great Gatsby (2013).

17. Kevin Spacey was cast in Se7en two days before filming began.

18. The pile of excreta that the young Jamal jumps into in Slumdog Millionaire was made from a combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Delicious.

19. Josh Hutcherson read the entire Hunger Games trilogy in five days to prepare for his role as Peeta.

20. After Top Gun was shown in cinemas, recruitment into the Navy by young men went up by 500 percent.

21. In total, Daniel Radcliffe went through 160 pairs of prop glasses by the end of the Harry Potter series.

22. Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 48 hours to achieve a suitably wasted look for his cameo as a drugged-up felon in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

23. In 2002, Steven Spielberg finally finished college after a 33-year hiatus. He turned in Schindler's List for his student film requirement.

24. The director of Cannibal Holocaust had to prove in court that the actors were still alive and didn't get killed during the movie.

25. The Soviets made a version of The Hobbit movie in 1985. It's available in full on YouTube. It's... something.

26. The voice actors of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from the 1930s got married in real life.

27. James Franco was originally set to play Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role of Arthur in Inception.

28. Ewoks are never referred as Ewoks in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

29. In the scene in Alien when the alien comes out of John Hurt's stomach, the actors were not actually told it was going to happen. It shows.

30. Martin Scorsese's Hugo was the director's first film in twelve years not to feature Leonardo DiCaprio.

31. Bender from Futurama was named after John Bender from The Breakfast Club.

32. Pierce Brosnan was contractually forbidden from wearing a full tuxedo in any non-James Bond movie from 1995-2002.

33. Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because he had made "that disgusting movie Psycho."

34. Pumbaa in The Lion King was the first character to fart in a Disney movie.

35. The boy -- Billy Redden -- who played the banjo in the famous Deliverance scene briefly reprised his role, 31 years later, in Big Fish.

36. Every time John Travolta is in the bathroom in Pulp Fiction something bad happens.

37. Ron Jeremy is an extra in Ghostbusters.

38. Steven Seagal was choked unconscious on a movie set by "Judo" Gene LeBelle, and Seagal shit himself.

39. Peter Ostrum, Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, never acted in another movie after that and is now a veterinarian.

40. Fox passed on The Watchmen because they thought the script was "one of the most unintelligible pieces of shit they had read in years."

41. The Space Jam soundtrack went sextuple platinum, and the movie grossed over $230 million.

42. Christopher Nolan has never had a movie rated as "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes and his lowest rated movie is The Prestige at 76 percent.

43. In Drive, when Ron Pearlman is getting beat up on the beach, he actually does shatter his kneecap, and his screams of pain are real.

44. The lineup in The Usual Suspects was originally meant to be serious, but Benicio del Toro couldn't stop farting so they laughed throughout.

45. On the set of 1982's The Thing, the whole cast and crew was male.

46. The house in which the true story of The Conjuring is based on had eight generations of families live and die in the house before the Perrons moved in. Andrea Perron suggests that some of the spirits from the families never left. Deaths include two documented suicides, a poisoning death, the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, two drownings, and the passing of four men who froze to death. Most deaths occurred within the Arnold family from which Bathsheba Sherman was descended.

47. The cake in the movie Sixteen Candles is made of cardboard.

48. Neither Michelle Rodriguez nor Jordana Brewster had drivers' licenses or even learners' permits before production of Fast and the Furious.

49. The original raw footage of Apocalypse Now consisted of 1,250,000 feet of film which is over 230 hours' worth.

50. Walt Disney paid the animators on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs $5 for any gag that made it into the final version of the movie.

51. Katherine Hepburn only drank water throughout The African Queen production as a protest against John Huston and Humphrey Bogart's alcoholism. However, most of the cast and crew became sick from the water and only Bogart and Huston were unaffected because they only drank whiskey.

Lindsay Lohan Is All About #TBT

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Lindsay Lohan was feeling particularly nostalgic this Thursday afternoon, and decided to partake in the cultural phenomenon known as "Throwback Thursday"

The 27-year-old actress was apparently close enough with Meryl Streep to try to pucker up with the legendary actress at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006, where the two were promoting the film "A Prairie Home Companion." Lohan posted a photo of herself with the three-time Oscar-winner, and simply wrote: "#tbt"

The photo was taken a year before Lohan's legal problems began and she was still considered a promising actress with a long career ahead of her.

lindsay lohan merly streep

lindsay lohan meryl streep

The "Mean Girls" star also traveled way down memory lane, posting two photos from her child modeling days:


'Butler' Filmmaker Responds To Theater Controversy

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"Lee Daniels' The Butler" is expected to compete with the horror film "You're Next" and the young adult adaption "Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" for the top spot at the box office this weekend, just one week after surprising Hollywood with a strong debut frame. For screenwriter Danny Strong, the continued success of the film proves that movies like "The Butler" are capable of making money in an industry dominated by franchises and sequels.

"When a movie like this does well, it's just great for the business. Then, more movies like this will get made," Strong told HuffPost Entertainment in a recent interview. "Partly how this movie got made was because 'The Help' was so successful. Had 'The Help' not been so successful, who knows if we would have gotten made. Now, we've gotten made and we're successful; '42' was successful financially. Hopefully this will start opening the door for more adult dramas in general, and dramas on this subject matter."

Starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and many other famous faces, "Lee Daniels' The Butler" focuses on the civil rights movement as told through the relationship between a White House service worker (Whitaker) and his rebellious son (David Oyelowo). Strong spent four years on the screenplay, which he based, in part, on the life of Eugene Allen.

"It's so difficult getting any movie made," Strong said. "To do a civil rights drama with an African-American cast, I don't know that we've seen that before. For audiences to go embrace it and for it to come in at number one at the box office -- it was just an extremely gratifying feeling."

The film's opening weekend, of course, was not without controversy: A Regal Cinemas theater in Silver Spring, Md. was criticized by patrons for ordering an enhanced police presence during showings of the Lee Daniels film. (In a statement, a representative from Regal noted that the police presence was to assist with security, owing to the fact that "The Butler" was so popular at the Maryland multiplex.)

"I think whoever ordered that security to do that to that audience needs to sit down and see our movie," Strong said when asked about the incident. "We made the movie not just for them, but in the hope that people like that would potentially be influenced in a positive way."

With "The Butler" continuing its theatrical run, HuffPost Entertainment spoke to Strong about reactions he's heard about the film from politicians, industry players and general audiences.

Lots of influential people have loved "The Butler" so far. What did you hear about the screening where George H.W. Bush saw the film?
I heard it went great. There were public quotes from President Bush saying how much he loved the movie -- I think Barbara Bush had some quotes as well -- but Lee was sitting by them and he told me that they just loved it. It was a great experience for him to be watching it right next to them. He said they were really taken by it.

That seems to be happening with many viewers.
We did screenings for Academy voters in New York and Los Angeles, and for the Producers Guild and Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild on both coasts, and they were giving us standing ovations after our screenings.

This film does have a lot of Oscar buzz for so early in the season. What do you think about that chatter?
What's so great about the Oscar buzz right now is that it gets people more interested in seeing the movie. It's a really helpful to have that out there, because it makes people think that if other people are talking in those terms, the film is something they should go see. As far as our actual awards-season prospects, it would be amazing if we got to go through an awards season on this. I have to say that just the fact that the movie got made and people are going to see it -- I feel like I'm a winner already. If we're still talking about it in January, February and March, that'll be the icing on the cake. Right now, though, the cake is pretty darn good.

You've seen this film with a lot of audiences. Does one screening in particular stand out?
I have one moment that kind of made the entire process -- the entire four years -- worth it, one thousand times over. A woman came up to me after a screening. I don't know how old she was -- maybe in her late 60s? She whispered in my ear, "I was a Freedom Rider and no one thanked me before. So thank you." I wrote the movie as a love letter to the Freedom Riders. To have an actual Freedom Rider come up to me and tell me that ... I started to tear up.

On the whole, though, the response has just been wonderful. I think we're really touching upon people in a way that's really affecting them -- in a way that we hope to affect them. I think people are seeing this in a unique perspective. It's the story of the civil rights movement through the eyes of an African-American family, and not through the eyes of a generous white person that we constantly see in these kinds of movies.

Which is what sets this film apart from something like "The Help."
I definitely don't want to knock "The Help" or other films that tell civil rights stories through the eyes of white characters. For example, one of my favorite movies of all-time is "To Kill A Mockingbird." Those films, I think, are wonderful films. It's just too bad that those are the only films that exist about that era. I think, hopefully, there will be more films along these lines.

Are there plans to show the film to Barack Obama?
I don't know. I certainly hope so. I think one of the problems why we weren't able to make it happen yet is because he's on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. I was told he was just out of town when the movie opened. I heard Michelle Obama saw it and loved it, but I have not heard if he had seen it or not. I'm hopeful that there will be a screening.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

7 Signs Kanye West Is Secretly An Introvert

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Kanye West gave perhaps the best interview of his career when he appeared on Kris Jenner's talk show on Aug. 23. In addition to introducing the world to his daughter North, the rapper let down his typically guarded persona and we discovered that the man who has dubbed himself Yeezus is secretly an introvert. Here are seven signs that could have tipped us off.

1. Kanye finds small talk incredibly cumbersome.
TK TK gifs

2. Kanye goes to parties -– but not to meet people.
kanye introvert

3. Kanye has definitely been called "too intense."

4. He's easily distracted.

5. Performing in front of thousands of people is less stressful than having to talk to a few people afterward.
kanye west introvert

"When I'm onstage or I've finished a new album, I can talk about the new album. But when I'm walking down the street I'm a bit more shy," he told Jenner.

6. He's in a relationship with an extrovert.
kanye west kim kardashian

7. He notices details that others don't.
kanye introvert

"I might be one of the only guys in the world that knows how to pick out a pair of shoes for a girl," West said during his interview on "Kris."

Still The Most Popular After All These Years

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The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

1. (2) Paul McCartney; $3,620,049; $131.27.

2. (3) Taylor Swift; $3,126,773; $86.58.

3. (4) Kenny Chesney; $2,182,829; $75.32.

4. (New) One Direction; $1,805,905; $65.73.

5. (5) Fleetwood Mac; $1,427,403; $110.90.

6. (6) Phish; $1,391,413; $48.76.

7. (7) Justin Bieber; $1,225,230; $80.77.

8. (8) Dave Matthews Band; $1,134,333; $55.10.

9. (9) Bruno Mars; $1,027,571; $71.30.

10. (10) New Kids On The Block; $807,690; $65.24.

11. (11) Blake Shelton; $672,657; $32.24.

12. (12) Tim McGraw; $603,511; $38.11.

13. (14) Rascal Flatts; $567,025; $40.02.

14. (13) Brad Paisley; $551,796; $36.88.

15. (17) Widespread Panic; $376,122; $47.11.

16. (18) Bad Company / Lynyrd Skynyrd ; $311,304; $31.44.

17. (19) The Postal Service; $230,087; $40.66.

18. (New) Imagine Dragons; $203,574; $34.34.

19. (22) Hillsong United; $197,990; $31.04.

20. (New) Alice In Chains; $175,522; $49.24.

Tori Spelling's New TV Home

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While some of us are still mourning the loss of "Bunheads," ABC Family has been busy with three new comedy pilots and Tori Spelling.

On Friday, the network announced that Spelling will star in "Mystery Girls," a comedy that follows a former starlet (Spelling) who turns her attention to a life of crime-solving with her former TV co-star after a witness to a crime refuses to talk to anyone but the infamous "Mystery Girls."

Additionally, the network has greenlit "Work Mom," a workplace comedy centering on Heather, a young woman working at marketing firm who gets roped into hiring her mother, and the food-centric "Young & Hungry," which will be executive produced by Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum of "Two and a Half Men," along with Ashley Tisdale and Jessica Rhoades. The plot centers around Nick, a well-off young tech entrepreneur, who hires Gabi, a feisty young food blogger, to be his personal chef.

“We have seen great success with our comedy series and look to grow our comedy offerings," ABC Family Executive Vice President Kate Juergens said in a statement. "These pilots offer a great mix of humor and iconic characters."

How do the new ABC Family pilots sound to you? Sound off in the comments.


Why The Rock Isn't Playing Batman

IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING

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“They’re doing a performance.” So said Joey Fatone's dad (also named Joseph Fatone) to RadarOnline, thus confirming one of the most '90s things ever: an *NSYNC reunion

“I think it’s exciting," Fatone Sr. said. "I couldn’t even say why he’s doing it though. Why, at this point in his life. Now he’s his own man."

He's almost certainly doing it because the VMAs are a gigantic stage and because buddy Justin Timberlake is receiving a big time award on Sunday, but there are admittedly other reasons to which we may not be privy.

According to E!, the boys are currently in a rehearsal space trying to hammer out the details.

Lance Bass slow-walked the rumors while discussing them on his radio show earlier in the week, leading at least one site to speculate that the reunion was not going to happen. Anyone who watched the Super Bowl, however, remembers that sometimes performers lie about whether or not they're going to once again dance in the shadow of their more famous former bandmates.

DISMISSED!

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Paula Deen's legal troubles are over -- for now.

On Friday afternoon, Judge William T. Moore of the US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia signed an order of dismissal in Jackson v. Deen [pdf], the discrimination lawsuit first filed in May 2012 that brought down one of the biggest celebrity chef empires in the country.

The case was dismissed "with prejudice," which means that the same suit cannot be filed in court again. The court did not award damages or fees to either party; however, the order of dismissal was filed under the name "Settlement Agreement," which could mean that it was brought about by an out of court settlement of some kind.

The full dismissal of the case comes two weeks after the court dismissed the racial discrimination part of Lisa Jackson's lawsuit reasoning that, as a white woman, she lacked proper standing for such a complaint.

Another document filed in the court on Friday [pdf] indicates that Deen's high-powered legal team tried to turn the tables on their adversaries. They filed a motion to get Jackson's lawyer Matthew Billips dismissed from the case after several improprieties of his emerged in evidence. Namely, they said he:

...used possible media attention to threaten Defendants (Doc. 101 at 2-4), made inappropriate comments on Twitter that referenced Defendant and this lawsuit (Id. at 4-7), asked irrelevant and purposely embarrassing questions during depositions (id. at 7), filed documents in this Court to pressure Defendant Deen to settle (id. at 8), and previously engaged in generally unprofessional conduct by using misogynistic, vulgar, and offensive statements in comments unrelated to this litigation.

Though Judge Moore refused to grant the motion for dismissal, he wrote that "the Court was likely to impose some form of sanctions for his conduct at the conclusion of this case." If you try to cook in Deen's kitchen, it seems, you're always at risk of getting burned.

Later in the day, however, Deen's attorneys filed another motion withdrawing their earlier request to have Billips removed as Jackson's lawyer "pursuant to the Parties' joint stipulation and their Agreed Order of Dismissal with Prejudice." That supports the theory that the parties settled the case out of court.

This story is developing; we've reached out to all involved parties and will update you with more information as we get it.

UPDATE: 8/23, 6 p.m. -- Deen's publicist sent The Huffington Post written statements from both Deen and Jackson, indicating that the case ended to satisfaction of both parties. Deen said she was "pleased that the judge dismissed the race claims and I am looking forward to getting this behind me, now that the remaining claims have been resolved." Pretty much what you'd expect. Jackson's statement, though, is a blockbuster... here's the full thing, with emphasis added:

"I assumed that all of my complaints about the workplace environment were getting to Paula Deen, but I learned during this matter that this was not the case. The Paula Deen I have known for more than eight years, is a woman of compassion and kindness and will never tolerate discrimination or racism of any kind toward anyone. I now know that the workplace environment issues that I raised are being reviewed and will in the future no longer be at issue. I wish Ms. Deen and her family all the best in all of their future endeavors and I am very pleased that this matter has been now been resolved and can now be put behind us."

That's quite a different tune than she was singing a couple months ago. Could a lucrative settlement be behind her change of heart? We may never know for sure.

CORRECTION: This piece has been amended to clarify the nature of "dismissal with prejudice."

'Nikita' Star Talks New 'Euro Trip'-Style Webseries

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On August 15, The CW launched CW Seed, a digital studio focused on developing original series on the Web, with the goal of establishing projects that can ideally be ported over to the broadcast network if they connect with an audience.

It's a strategy that's worked well for shows like Lisa Kudrow's "Web Therapy" on Showtime and Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital," and CW Seed has launched with a diverse array of comedies, like the third season of critically-acclaimed "Husbands"; globetrotting "Backpackers" starring "Nikita's" Dillon Casey; "The P.E.T. Squad Files" produced by "Heroes'" Milo Ventimiglia; and animated "Gallery Mallory," which will feature guest voices from CW stars like Misha Collins, Justin Hartley and Kat Graham.

In an attempt to get over a serious case of cold feet, "Backpackers" finds recently engaged Ryan (Noah Reid) and Beth (Meghan Heffern) embarking on separate European adventures leading up to their wedding. While traveling they are free to act single, adopting the mantra “what happens in Europe, stays in Europe.” But hours into his adventure with his party animal, womanizing best friend Brandon (Casey), Ryan realizes he’s made a huge mistake and sets off in search of Beth. One problem: He has no idea where she could be. The series consists of eight episodes, each around 12 minutes in length.

HuffPost TV caught up with Casey to discuss the appeal and challenges of working on the Web, the experience of filming on location across Europe, and how he feels about his "Nikita" exit.

How did you first get involved with "Backpackers"?
“Backpackers” is a project that’s actually been around for a while. I auditioned for it first almost five years ago. It was one of these things where I was about to head back to Los Angeles; I had just moved there, and I was in Canada for a couple days. I went in for this thing where we were gonna get to do a lot of improvising and chemistry reads. It was a very vague idea of what it was going to be. So, I went in and had fun and, originally, I was cast with this guy named Chris Turner, so we originally went to Barcelona, Chris and I, and shot the presentation pilot that was about these guys who made this deal to go across Europe and have an amazing time.

Ryan, Chris’s character at the time, who is now played by Noah Reid, is trying to find his fiancée. She could be anywhere in Europe, but they made this deal where they’re allowed to go across Europe and have as much sex as they want, until they meet up two weeks later and get married. He quickly decides that he doesn’t want to do that, but by that time, she’s already lost, and my character, Brandon, is trying to keep his head on straight and make sure he has fun, but in the meantime he’s helping him find Beth ... Half of that was how I got involved, and half of that was the plot of the show. [Laughs.]

Brandon is the wingman on the show, so is his goal in all of this to just screw his way across Europe and have as much fun as possible?
Well, I don’t want to paint him with that brush -- his mission is to love his way across Europe, not “screw.” [Laughs.] He’s bringing a little bit of happiness to European women. He’s there for his buddy -- he’s the best man, he’s the best friend. They couldn’t be more opposite when it comes to their love lives. Ryan is marrying his high school sweetheart, and Brandon has never been in a relationship in his life. So, I think that he’s looking for love, but he’s more open to the other stuff, I guess. So his mission is actually to get Ryan to screw his way across Europe. He’s already done it himself, it’s no big deal for him, so this is more for Ryan than for him.

Is Ryan still going to be tempted over the course of the show, or after the pilot is he pretty firmly set in his quest to find Beth now? It seems like Brandon might end up being the devil on his shoulder, whispering, “Oh, you should just hook up with someone while we’re here ..."
I look at it as: Brandon’s the angel on his shoulder, saying, “You have this deal that she’s made with you, and you made this deal, so there’s obviously something there. There’s cracks in the foundation.” He’s the one saying to him, “Have fun. Here we are, we’re in amazing places." We start off at the Eiffel Tower; we go to the Trevi Fountain; we go to Spanish steps. We’re all over -- we’re in Prague, we’re in Rome, all these places -- and you can’t get it better than that. Ryan's saying, “Oh, where’s Beth, where’s my girlfriend? I can’t find her!” Brandon is thinking that she’s out having an amazing time, so he’s trying to make sure that his buddy doesn’t regret this. He’s given a great opportunity here and he’s trying to help him have fun.

As you said, you traveled across Europe while filming -- what was the shooting process like, and how long were you spending in each of these cities?
We started off in Prague. We were there for four days, but we were just doing a lot of inside stuff. We were in hostels, mainly ... it was such a blur, it happened so fast. Then ... I don’t remember the name of the town, maybe Santa Marinella -- it was this beautiful, coastal town in Italy. We were there for four days. Then we went to Rome, and Rome is amazing to look at. The problem was we had so little time, it was just a sprint to the finish as soon as we got there. So it was like going through these incredible amusement parks and not being able to touch the rides. When we got to Paris ... it's just amazing, A lot of these cities, they’re beautiful, but you don’t have that variety. Paris, we finally got somewhere with some variety; it was just what we needed.

The chemistry between you and Noah is so believable, I could totally buy that you were childhood friends. Did you know him beforehand, or was it just a spontaneous connection?
We had met, but never really hung out ... He did a pilot called “Three Inches” for Syfy, and I played a character in it that was the typical [jerk] -- he had a crush on this girl and I was the bully guy who had the girl. We had one scene together, and we didn’t even get a chance to talk or hang out, it was very quick. So, I didn’t really know the guy, but then we met and right off the bat, hit it off. We had similar sensibilities, a similar sense of humor ... It’s really hard to explain it, but we get each other, which was nice for us, I think, but the crew started to get frustrated with our inside jokes after a while. [Laughs.] It was nice. It relaxed everything -- we didn’t have to try anymore, it was just natural.

Was it a fully written series by the time you signed on, or was it just a pilot script?
When I auditioned for it, what I saw on the page was essentially a concept, kind of like an arc. It was written, but then once we got there and started shooting, there’s so many factors that are out of your control because we’re on location, that we had to start tweaking the script. First, when Chris and I did it, five years ago, we came up with our own scene that made it into the show, the one in the laundry room at the end [of the first episode]. That’s a scene that Chris and I improvised.

Then, as Noah and I developed the chemistry and the show started to evolve, you couldn’t really have much set in stone. You had a plan, but you didn’t have to stick to it. All of the scenes started to evolve with us, and it got to a point where we would get a tenth of the way through a scene, and then Noah and I would -- I don’t know if they liked this -- we would do our own thing anyway. [Laughs.]

So there was a lot of improvisation?
It was written, but at the same time, we’d change things and be like, “This doesn’t really work,” and Josh [Levy], the director, and Jay Bennett, the producer, were awesome enough to let us experiment and try. If we came up with something that was funnier than the page, and shootable, then we would do it. So that was really cool, being able to do that. I wouldn’t say that we wrote it or anything -- we just were able to take this great concept and these great locations and play with them.

"Backpackers" looks really great -- obviously it's on a much smaller budget than TV, but it's still well-produced. Did you guys ever feel constrained by the budget while shooting?
I try not to think about that too much. That’s the producer’s concern. We actually saw the budget concerns in a different way. All of our time management; you have the camera guys setting up the cameras, the director setting up the shot, the location people scouting the places and all that. A mistake that’s often made is they set up all these things and it’s the actors’ turn to jump in, and what they’ll always say to the actors is, “Guys, we don’t have any time, so get this done as fast as you can.” That, in my opinion, is a mistake, because that’s going to end up on screen.

For a show like “Backpackers,” we’re in Paris, we’re in Rome, we’re in all these incredible places, and the background is cool, I’m sure people are going to love that part of it. But to me, one of the most important things is the relationship, 100 percent. I look at a show like “Seinfeld” -- you can shoot that show under the sea, it’s still “Seinfeld.”

So, for me, it was all about the relationship, and making sure you get that right, and there were moments when we’re running, we’re trying to get it done -- there’s union rules and people are tired and this and that, but you still need to know that you’ve got to slow down and get it till it’s right, because when you get home and you’re in the editing room, you shoot yourself in the foot worrying about a lighting problem rather than a scene being right.

You've been producing your own Web series, "Living in LA with Dillon Casey," for a few years now, so you've had some experience with web content. What do you think the appeal of the Web is; what's the selling point for creatives who want to do this kind of project themselves?
It’s so hard to get a show made on television these days, and there’s so much competition. So much is out of your hands, and there’s such a formula to it that if you don’t fit the exact formula and you don’t immediately have an audience based on some flawed ratings system, by the third episode, your show’s off the air. You don’t get another chance. The good thing about the net is that it’s still in the experimental phase, so you can take advantage of that and be able to create things with a lot less rules.

It is hard to find an audience -- it’s always hard to find an audience. There’s a billion people on the Internet, but I think you get to have more control over your content, and you’re able to reach out to your viewer a little more directly. You can count the views, people will comment right then and there, and myself, if I upload an episode of the Web series I did, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ll sit in front of my computer and refresh it for hours to see who’s watching it, what people are thinking of it. You don’t get a round of applause when you do television. People are watching it ... but what’s happening [on the Web] is that you get that instant reaction, which is nice.

You feel more connected to your consumer, and for a producer, once you’re able to connect to your consumer directly, that helps you with advertising and making money, so you know exactly what your show is, exactly what the market is. I think it’s one of those things where Internet and television are merging into one -– look at Netflix, they’re virtually going to be one and the same.

Switching gears for a moment, did you know that fans are still mourning your death on "Nikita"? I still get tweets and comments lamenting Sean's demise.
Are they still doing that? I’m glad that I didn’t become one of those characters that they were happy to see go. It’s cool. I had fun doing the show. He died well, and it was very sad ... That's kind of flattering. “Nikita” fans are great. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. I don’t know if Alex [Lyndsy Fonseca] and Owen [Devon Sawa] are going to hook up ... I talked a little bit with Shane [West], and he’s said that filming’s going really well, and they’re sad to see it go, because it’s only six episodes, but they feel they can wrap it up nicely and do a good job, so that’s nice to hear.

Lastly, what's your advice for people wanting to create or star in a Web series? What should people know before getting involved?
A lot of people, they want to hang out with their friends, and they have all these inside jokes and are like, “This is funny, we should film this!” That becomes a Web series. But you still need to be original. You can go buy a camera and shoot it, just make it original, and just have fun. I mean, I wouldn’t want anyone following my advice ... [Laughs.] Just don’t be afraid to experiment. It’s the Internet -- you can put it up, you can get a reaction, you can take it back down. Their attention span is a double-edged sword. You get a really low attention span [in viewers], so you can put something up that’s horrible and get rid of it the next day, put up something else. It’s free to upload, download, so just keep making them till you hit your stride, is what I would say.

Watch the first episode of "Backpackers" now on CW Seed. The second episode will go live on September 5.

Oh Goody, A Brand New Farrah Abraham Rumor Making The Rounds

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Farrah Abraham is being considered for the new season of "Dancing with the Stars," according to unfounded rumors started by unreliable outlets.

Eminem Joins Instagram, See His First Photo

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Eminem has joined Instagram -- in typical Shady fashion. On Thursday, the rapper posted a photo of a laptop on which he's seen giving the finger.

Cara Delevigne's Movie, 'Kids In Love,' Is Officially Underway

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Gossip flew in early August that Cara Delevingne was crossing over from the modeling world into movies with a rumored film project described as "rich kids who live a wild lifestyle filled with parties and drugs."

Which sounded just about right for Delevingne, who comes from a wealthy English family and is quite the partier herself. But now we can stop speculating and start following: The movie, called "Kids In Love" appears to be a go, based on several photos the 21-year-old model posted to Instagram on Thursday tagged #kidsinlove.

CatwalkQueen.tv notes that included in Cara's photos are also Alma Jodorowsky, Gala Gordon, Sebastian de Souza (of "Skins"), Preston Thompson and director Chris Foggin, who also posted a revealing Instagram pic: a shot of the black and white clapperboard bearing the project title "Kids In Love."

So there you have it, folks. Cara Delevingne is officially in a movie, and you probably won't even have to bother seeing it -- we bet the entire shoot will be documented on Instagram before it's even done.

PHOTOS:

Get ready to see more of this face:

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.


'A Role Model For The Entire Planet'

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Ricky Martin is getting nothing but love in Australia.

After participating as a coach in the latest season of “The Voice Australia,” the Puerto Rican singer has established a strong bond with his fans Down Under. But the country wants more Rickys in the world, which is why the September cover of Australia’s GQ presents the star as “a role model for the entire planet.”

GQ’s Tiffany Bakker interviewed the singer in his native Puerto Rico and accompanied the star during his New York photo shoot for the magazine. In the excerpt released online on Thursday, the journalist describes a well-rounded and mature Ricky who has “grown into his looks – the wrinkles around his eyes suit him and let the wider world know that, at 41, he’s not the fresh-faced kid he once was.”

Bakker emphasizes that the star has come a long way from his Menudo boy-band days of flirtatious lyrics and dance moves. She also notes that despite having publicly come out as gay in 2010, Ricky’s “appeal crosses boundaries -- age, gender, sexuality, hipsterdom” as was evident when several older women were drawn to the singer during their time in New York.

“Why not?” Ricky told Bakker. “Why discriminate? I love everyone!”

Photographer Miguel Reveriego captured Ricky for GQ Australia’s September issue. Check out some of the images below:

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The New Captain Von Trapp

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LOS ANGELES — Steven Moyer will play Capt. Von Trapp in NBC's upcoming live production of "The Sound of Music."

The network announced Friday that the "True Blood" star has been cast in the Dec. 5 holiday special. Carrie Underwood is set to play the governess Maria.

The production is based on the 1959 Broadway play and produced by Academy Awards telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

Moyer was last seen on stage in a production of "Chicago" at the Hollywood Bowl, in which the actor portrayed Billy Flynn.

Another Famous Face On 'Glee'

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NEW YORK — Demi Lovato is taking her big voice to "Glee."

The 21-year-old singer-actress will appear in multiple episodes of the show's upcoming fifth season, her publicist confirmed Friday.

"Glee" star Lea Michele tweeted Thursday that she was excited that two of her "very best friends" – Lovato and Broadway vet Phoebe Strole – would appear on the Fox show, and thanked creator Ryan Murphy for making it happen.

Lovato is in her second year as a mentor on "The X Factor." She starred on the Disney Channel's "Sonny With a Chance" for two seasons.

The new season of "Glee" premieres Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. EDT.

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Online:

http://www.fox.com/glee/

http://www.demilovato.com/

It's A Girl!

Pregnant Jennifer Love Hewitt Goes For A Stroll With Fiance Brian Hallisay

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Jennifer Love Hewitt took her beautiful baby bump for a walk in New York City yesterday.

The actress walked hand in hand with her fiance, actor Brian Hallisay, and looked casual chic in dark denims, a white tank top, high top sneakers and aviator sunglasses.

Hewitt revealed the news of her pregnancy and her engagement back in June, saying she and Hallisay are "thrilled and happy to start a family."

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