The Sundance Film Festival has come and gone, which leaves us scouring the lineup for this year's "Whiplash" or "Boyhood." Several titles could fill that role. Whether they'll drum on to a Best Picture nomination in 2016 is for the next 11 months to determine, but, for now, we've compiled the 14 films you should put on your post-Sundance radar. Plenty of excellent films emerged from the festival, but these are the buzziest breakouts that could find substantial niche audiences or become players in next year's Oscar race. Most don't have release dates yet, so put them on your cinematic back burner as their success continues:
14 Movies That Should Be On Your Radar After The Sundance Film Festival
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Lady Gaga Offers Sam Smith Advice About His Career, Fame
Before Sam Smith was an international sensation, he was a little monster.
It seems the golden-voiced, openly gay darling of the music industry would cite Lady Gaga as an inspiration -- but she was, in fact, much more than that to the star. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Smith opens up about how he used to cut class in high school in order to attend Lady Gaga concerts.
In fact, he even cites Gaga as the reason he decided to move to London and struggle as a barback, copying Gaga's early struggles as an artist.
In response to this revelation, Gaga had some advice for the budding superstar:
Smith first publicly came out in 2014 during an interview with The Fader, though he stopped short of using the identifiers "gay," "queer" or "bisexual." This past December, it became apparent that the "Stay with Me" singer was dating an extra from the "Like I Can" video, but it seems the two recently broke up.
It seems the golden-voiced, openly gay darling of the music industry would cite Lady Gaga as an inspiration -- but she was, in fact, much more than that to the star. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Smith opens up about how he used to cut class in high school in order to attend Lady Gaga concerts.
In fact, he even cites Gaga as the reason he decided to move to London and struggle as a barback, copying Gaga's early struggles as an artist.
In response to this revelation, Gaga had some advice for the budding superstar:
My advice is that while everything he knows begins to change around him, to stay as relaxed and grounded as possible. Fame doesn't change the artists as much as it changes those around them. Continue to suffer for your art, Sam, but don't allow anyone around you who is not putting your talent and happiness first. That is where your creativity lives. Keep those things and your creative process very precious, and someday when one of your fans becomes a star, support them. Pass along your gift to the world. You will be remembered forever.
Smith first publicly came out in 2014 during an interview with The Fader, though he stopped short of using the identifiers "gay," "queer" or "bisexual." This past December, it became apparent that the "Stay with Me" singer was dating an extra from the "Like I Can" video, but it seems the two recently broke up.
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This Might Be The Best SXSW Lineup In Years
This year's South by Southwest Film Festival lineup will include some of the biggest names in Hollywood: Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Judd Apatow, Ryan Gosling, Paul Feig, Oscar Isaac, Russell Brand, Al Pacino, Lena Dunham, Steve Carell and Amy Schumer. But that robust lineup of stars fits with the huge festival itself: 145 total features, 60 titles from first-time filmmakers, 100 world premieres, 13 North American premieres and 11 U.S. premieres. South by Southwest saw a record number of submissions for 2015, with 7,335 in total.
"The final number is more than ever," Head of SXSW Film Janet Pierson said in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment. "It's kind of a mixed blessing for us. We were actually trying to cut back. We've been at around 133 features the last couple of years, and we were trying to cut it down to 125, but instead we went in the other direction. It's just because we saw too much that we liked. We saw too much that we felt like we had to show and that our audience will love. We programmed films with different things in mind: films that are so entertaining right off the bat, films that are so provocative, films that are the mark of a new filmmaker, films that are just a fascinating subject. There are all these different ways that we look at the work. Even at this increased number, we turned away a fair amount of high quality stuff."
Which is saying something based on the "stuff" actually screening at the Austin, Texas-based festival in March. In addition to previously announced films like "Ex Machina" (with the aforementioned Isaac), "Brand: The Second Coming" (a Russell Brand documentary) and "Hello, My Name Is Doris" (with Sally Field and Max Greenfield), SXSW 2015 will include premieres of high-profile studio comedies like "Get Hard" (with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart) and "Spy" (with Melissa McCarthy). A work-in-progress cut of the Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer comedy "Trainwreck" will also screen. Other comedies include Sundance faves "The Overnight," "Results" and "Unexpected" and SXSW debuts like "Fresno" (with Natasha Lyonne) and "Night Owls" (with Adam Pally).
"I don't know that it feels different to us than normal," Pierson said when asked about the major comedy lineup. "There are plenty of films that are really serious here. I wouldn't say there has been an increase in comedies this year -- that's not true. But we certainly like them!"
![ryan gosling lost river]()
Other major features screening at SXSW include Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, "Lost River," documentaries on Gamergate ("GTFO: Get The F% Out"), Steve Jobs ("Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine") and Kurt Cobain ("Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck"), and television series debuts such as "Angie Tribeca" (co-written and directed by Steve Carell) and "iZombie" (from "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas). SXSW Keynotes will feature presentations from Ava DuVernay, Mark Duplass and RZA.
"We intentionally think about who's current, who has something to say about the industry or creativity that would work well for us now. We figured with someone like Ava, we so admire everything she's doing," Pierson said about the keynote speeches. "We knew she'd have something to say no matter how the last six months played out."
As a complement to having a bigger lineup than ever, SXSW also expanded its narrative and documentary competition sections from eight to 10 films. Highlights there include "6 Years" (with Taissa Farmiga), "Manson Family Vacation" (with Jay Duplass) and the documentary "She's The Best Thing In It," about Broadway legend Mary Louise Wilson.
The 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival runs from March 13 through March 21. Check out the feature and documentary lineup below, via a press release from SXSW. (The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on Feb. 10; the complete conference lineup and schedule is out Feb. 17.)
"The final number is more than ever," Head of SXSW Film Janet Pierson said in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment. "It's kind of a mixed blessing for us. We were actually trying to cut back. We've been at around 133 features the last couple of years, and we were trying to cut it down to 125, but instead we went in the other direction. It's just because we saw too much that we liked. We saw too much that we felt like we had to show and that our audience will love. We programmed films with different things in mind: films that are so entertaining right off the bat, films that are so provocative, films that are the mark of a new filmmaker, films that are just a fascinating subject. There are all these different ways that we look at the work. Even at this increased number, we turned away a fair amount of high quality stuff."
Which is saying something based on the "stuff" actually screening at the Austin, Texas-based festival in March. In addition to previously announced films like "Ex Machina" (with the aforementioned Isaac), "Brand: The Second Coming" (a Russell Brand documentary) and "Hello, My Name Is Doris" (with Sally Field and Max Greenfield), SXSW 2015 will include premieres of high-profile studio comedies like "Get Hard" (with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart) and "Spy" (with Melissa McCarthy). A work-in-progress cut of the Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer comedy "Trainwreck" will also screen. Other comedies include Sundance faves "The Overnight," "Results" and "Unexpected" and SXSW debuts like "Fresno" (with Natasha Lyonne) and "Night Owls" (with Adam Pally).
"I don't know that it feels different to us than normal," Pierson said when asked about the major comedy lineup. "There are plenty of films that are really serious here. I wouldn't say there has been an increase in comedies this year -- that's not true. But we certainly like them!"
Other major features screening at SXSW include Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, "Lost River," documentaries on Gamergate ("GTFO: Get The F% Out"), Steve Jobs ("Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine") and Kurt Cobain ("Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck"), and television series debuts such as "Angie Tribeca" (co-written and directed by Steve Carell) and "iZombie" (from "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas). SXSW Keynotes will feature presentations from Ava DuVernay, Mark Duplass and RZA.
"We intentionally think about who's current, who has something to say about the industry or creativity that would work well for us now. We figured with someone like Ava, we so admire everything she's doing," Pierson said about the keynote speeches. "We knew she'd have something to say no matter how the last six months played out."
As a complement to having a bigger lineup than ever, SXSW also expanded its narrative and documentary competition sections from eight to 10 films. Highlights there include "6 Years" (with Taissa Farmiga), "Manson Family Vacation" (with Jay Duplass) and the documentary "She's The Best Thing In It," about Broadway legend Mary Louise Wilson.
The 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival runs from March 13 through March 21. Check out the feature and documentary lineup below, via a press release from SXSW. (The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on Feb. 10; the complete conference lineup and schedule is out Feb. 17.)
The 2015 SXSW Film Festival will feature:
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Ten world premieres, ten unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,372 films submitted to SXSW 2015.
6 Years
Director/Screenwriter: Hannah Fidell
A young couple bound by a seemingly ideal love begins to unravel as unexpected opportunities spin them down a volatile and violent path and threaten the future they had always imagined. Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, Peter Vack, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Molly McMichael, Jason Newman (World Premiere)
THE BOY
Director: Craig Macneill, Screenwriters: Craig Macneill, Clay McLeod Chapman
THE BOY is an intimate portrait of a 9-year-old sociopath's growing fascination with death. Cast: David Morse, Rainn Wilson, Jared Breeze, Bill Sage, Mike Vogel, Zuleikha Robinson, Aiden Lovekamp (World Premiere)
Creative Control
Director: Benjamin Dickinson, Screenwriters: Benjamin Dickinson, Micah Bloomberg
In near future Brooklyn, an ad executive uses a new Augmented Reality technology to conduct an affair with his best friend’s girlfriend...sort of. Cast: Benjamin Dickinson, Nora Zehetner, Dan Gill, Alexia Rasmussen, Reggie Watts, Gavin McInnes, Paul Manza, Himanshu Suri (World Premiere)
Funny Bunny
Director/Screenwriter: Alison Bagnall
Funny Bunny is a serious comedy about a friendless anti-obesity crusader and a trust fund manchild who vie for the heart of a reclusive animal activist and incest survivor, releasing her demons and forming an unlikely 'family' in the process. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Joslyn Jensen, Olly Alexander, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Josephine Decker, Louis Cancelmi, Grace Gonglewski, Nicholas Webber, Caridad de la Luz (World Premiere)
The Grief of Others
Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Wang
Based on Leah Hager Cohen’s critically-acclaimed novel, a family struggles with a tragic loss when an unexpected visitor arrives. She stirs the pain of past betrayals but might also offer an unforeseen gift: a way out of their isolating grief. Cast: Wendy Moniz, Trevor St. John, Oona Laurence, Jeremy Shinder, Sonya Harum, Mike Faist, Rachel Dratch, Chris Conroy (World Premiere)
KRISHA
Director/Screenwriter: Trey Edward Shults
When Krisha returns for a holiday gathering, the only things standing in her way are family, dogs, and turkey. Cast: Krisha Fairchild, Robyn Fairchild, Bill Wise, Chris Doubek, Olivia Grace Applegate, Chase Joliet, Alex Dobrenko, Bryan Casserly, Augustine Frizzell, Trey Edward Shults (World Premiere)
Manson Family Vacation
Director/Screenwriter: J. Davis
The story of two brothers: one who’s devoted to his family, the other who’s obsessed with the Manson Family. Cast: Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts, Tobin Bell, Adam Chernick, Davie-Blue (World Premiere)
Quitters
Director: Noah Pritzker, Screenwriters: Noah Pritzker, Ben Tarnoff
A teenager's family falls apart, so he goes in search of a better one.
Cast: Benjamin Konigsberg, Mira Sorivno, Greg Germann, Kara Hayward, Kieran Culkin, Morgan Turner, Saffron Burrows, Scott Lawrence (World Premiere)
Sweaty Betty
Directors/Screenwriters: Joseph Frank, Zachary Reed
On the border of Washington DC, two stories of big dreams take place – a family is determined to turn their 1000 pound pig into the Redskins’ football team mascot, and two teenage fathers scheme a better life for themselves and their children. Cast: Rico Mitchell, Seth Dubose, Floyd Rich III, Chris Rich, Tarich Rich, Floyd Rich V, Chrissy Rich, Charlotte the Pig, Cassy the Dog (World Premiere)
Uncle John
Director: Steven Piet, Screenwriters: Erik Crary, Steven Piet
Uncle John is an intimately told story that revolves around the struggle to keep a mysterious disappearance unsolved. Cast: John Ashton, Alex Moffat, Jenna Lyng, Ronnie Gene Blevins (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Selected from 1,018 submissions, ten world premieres, ten real world stories that demonstrate innovation, energy and bold voices.
Breaking a Monster
Director: Luke Meyer
Breaking a Monster chronicles the break-out year of the band Unlocking The Truth, as the 12 and 13-year-old members first encounter stardom and the music industry, transcending childhood to become the rock stars they always dreamed of being. (World Premiere)
Deep Time
Director: Noah Hutton
Ancient oceans teeming with life, Norwegian settlers, Native Americans and multinational oil corporations find intimacy in deep time. (World Premiere)
FRAME BY FRAME
Directors: Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli
After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own – reframing Afghanistan for the world and for themselves. (World Premiere)
Madina's Dream
Director: Andrew Berends
An unflinching and poetic glimpse into a forgotten war, Madina’s Dream tells the story of rebels and refugees fighting to survive in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains. (World Premiere)
Peace Officer
Directors: Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber
A former sheriff will stop at nothing to confront the SWAT team he founded. (World Premiere)
Poached
Director: Timothy Wheeler
Obsessive egg thieves rob the nests of rare birds while a UK national police force tries to stop them. Poached delves into the psychology of these criminals, showing that when passion turns it can destroy the very object of one's desire. (World Premiere)
The Sandwich Nazi (Canada)
Director: Lewis Bennett
Deli owner Salam Kahil is an art collector, a former male escort, an amateur musician, and a sandwich maker to the homeless in Vancouver's poorest neighbourhood but his true passion is talking about blowjobs. (World Premiere)
She's The Best Thing In It
Director: Ron Nyswaner
Broadway legend Mary Louise Wilson teaches her first acting class, smashing her students’ red carpet illusions. An examination of acting and the sacrifices required, featuring Frances McDormand, Melissa Leo, Tyne Daly, Valerie Harper and others. (World Premiere)
Twinsters
Directors: Samantha Futerman, Ryan Miyamoto
Imagine there was someone out there who you'd never met, looked exactly like you and was born on your birthday. Twinsters is the story of two strangers who discovered they were potentially twin sisters separated at birth. (World Premiere)
A Woman Like Me
Directors: Alex Sichel, Elizabeth Giamatti
By creating a fictional character based on herself, filmmaker Alex Sichel learns how to navigate a terminal disease with grace and humor. (World Premiere)
HEADLINERS
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major & rising names in cinema.
BRAND: A Second Coming (UK)
Director: Ondi Timoner
BRAND: A Second Coming follows comedian/author Russell Brand’s evolution from addict & Hollywood star to unexpected political disruptor & newfound hero to the underserved. Brand is criticized for egomaniacal self-interest as he calls for revolution. (World Premiere)
Ex Machina
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller Ex Machina, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander (North American Premiere)
Get Hard
Director: Etan Cohen, Screenwriters: Story By Adam McKay And Jay Martel & Ian Roberts, Screenplay By Jay Martel & Ian Roberts And Etan Cohen
With a ten-year stint in San Quentin hanging over his head, yuppie Brad hires city Darnell to toughen him up for prison life. Cast: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Tip "T.I." Harris, Alison Brie,
Craig T. Nelson. (World Premiere)
Hello, My Name is Doris
Director: Michael Showalter, Screenwriters: Laura Terruso, Michael Showalter
An isolated 60-year-old woman is motivated by a self-help seminar to romantically pursue a younger coworker, causing her to stumble into the spotlight of the local hipster social scene. Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Jack Antonoff, Natasha Lyonne, Tyne Daly. (World Premiere)
Love & Mercy
Director: Bill Pohlad, Screenwriters: Oren Moverman, Michael Alan Lerner
Love & Mercy presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, iconic leader of the Beach Boys. Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti (U.S. Premiere)
Manglehorn
Director: David Gordon Green, Screenwriter: Paul Logan
Reclusive small town locksmith, A.J. Manglehorn, who has never recovered from his losing his true love embarks on a new tenuous relationship with a local woman he meets at the bank. Cast: Al Pacino, Holly Hunter, Harmony Korine, Chris Messina (U.S. Premiere)
Spy
Director/Screenwriter: Paul Feig
Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is an unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst, and the unsung hero behind the Agency’s most dangerous missions. But when her partner (Jude Law) falls off the grid and another top agent (Jason Statham) is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global disaster. Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Peter Serafinowicz, Morena Baccarin and Jude Law (Premiere)
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
Director: Alex Gibney
An evocative portrait of the life and work of Steve Jobs that re-examines his legacy and our relationship with the computer. (World Premiere)
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW.
7 Chinese Brothers
Director/Screenwriter: Bob Byington
A man unaccustomed to telling the truth learns to at least describe it. Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Tunde Adebimpe, Eleanore Pienta, Olympia Dukakis, Stephen Root (World Premiere)
The Automatic Hate
Director: Justin Lerner, Screenwriters: Justin Lerner, Katharine O'Brien
When Davis Green's alluring young cousin Alexis shows up on his doorstep, he discovers a side of his family that had been kept secret his entire life. As the two get closer, they set out to uncover the shocking secret that tore their families apart. Cast: Joseph Cross, Adelaide Clemens, Richard Schiff, Yvonne Zima, Vanessa Zima, Catherine Carlen, Caitlin O'Connell,
Ricky Jay, Deborah Ann Woll (World Premiere)
Bone in the Throat (UK)
Director: Graham Henman, Screenwriters: Graham Henman, Mark Townend
Bone in the Throat based on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's novel of the same, is a gritty fast paced story about a young ambitious chef who is mixed up with the East End London mob. While showing off his culinary skills, he finds himself trapped. Cast: Ed Westwick, Tom Wilkinson, Rupert Graves, Vanessa Kirby, John Hannah, Steve Mackintosh, Andy Nyman (World Premiere)
The Final Girls
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson, Screenwriters: M. A. Fortin, Joshua John Miller
Max and her friends are mysteriously transported into a famous 1980s horror movie that starred Max's mother, a celebrated scream queen. Reunited, they team up to fight the film's maniacal killer and find their way back home. Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Adam DeVine, Thomas Middleditch, Alia Shawkat, Alexander Ludwig, Nina Dobrev (World Premiere)
Fresno
Director: Jamie Babbit, Screenwriter: Karey Dornetto
Fresno is a comedy that follows lonely but stoic lesbian Martha (Natasha Lyonne), whose sister Shannon (Judy Greer), a sex addict with no impulse control and a long history of poor decisions, winds up back in Fresno cleaning hotel rooms with her. Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Judy Greer, Aubrey Plaza, Fred Armisen, Jessica St. Clair, Molly Shannon, Michael Hitchcock, Ron Livingston (World Premiere)
The Frontier
Director: Oren Shai, Screenwriters: Webb Wilcoxen, Oren Shai
A desperate young woman, on the run from the law, discovers a violent gang of thieves at a desert motel and hatches a plan to steal their loot. Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Kelly Lynch, Jim Beaver, Izabella Miko, Jamie Harris, AJ Bowen, Liam Aiken (World Premiere)
The Goob (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Guy Myhill
The Goob combines the dirty roar of stock car thunder with the visceral vision of a teenage boy’s first love. Cast: Liam Walpole, Sean Harris, Sienna Guillory (North American Premiere)
I Dream Too Much
Director/Screenwriter: Katie Cokinos
Dora Welles is an imaginative college grad ready to experience all the excitement of life. Instead she finds herself in snowy upstate New York caring for her reclusive great aunt (who has lived a much more exciting life than anyone realizes). Cast: Eden Brolin, Diane Ladd, Danielle Brooks, James McCaffrey, Christina Rouner (World Premiere)
Ktown Cowboys
Director: Daniel (DPD) Park, Screenwriters: Danny Cho, Brian Chung
Against the alluring backdrop of LA’s Koreatown, 5 legendary partiers go out for one more night of “Ktown” debauchery, eventually growing up by throwing down like they did in their glory days. Cast: Danny Cho, Bobby Choy, Peter Jae, Sunn Wee, Shane Yoon, Eric Roberts, Steve Byrne, Kim Young Chul, Simon Rhee, Daniel Dae Kim (World Premiere)
Lamb
Director/Screenwriter: Ross Partridge
When a man meets a young girl in a parking lot he attempts to help her avoid a bleak destiny by initiating her into the beauty of the outside world. The journey shakes them in ways neither expects. Cast: Oona Laurence, Ross Partridge, Scoot McNairy, Jess Weixler, Lindsay
Pulsipher, Joel Murray, Tom Bower, Jennifer Lafleur (World Premiere)
Life in Color
Director/Screenwriter: Katharine Emmer
With no place to live, two strangers are stuck house sitting together. To get back on their feet, this odd couple reluctantly help each other overcome the very personal obstacles that are holding them back in life and from each other. Cast: Josh McDermitt, Katharine Emmer, Adam Lustick, Fortune Feimster, Jim O'Heir (World Premiere)
The Little Death (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Josh Lawson
An outrageous romantic comedy about sex; secrets; fate; fetish; told through the lives and desires of five ordinary couples. Cast: Bojana Novakovic, Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Patrick Brammall, Kate Box, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, TJ Power
(U.S. Premiere)
Mania Days
Director/Screenwriter: Paul Dalio
Two manic-depressive poets meet in a psychiatric hospital and begin a romance which brings out all the beauty and horror of their condition until they have to choose between sanity and love. Cast: Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby, Christine Lahti, Griffin Dunne, Bruce Altman
(World Premiere)
Night Owls
Director: Charles Hood, Screenwriters: Seth Goldsmith, Charles Hood
After Kevin has a one night stand with Madeline, he discovers she’s actually his boss’ jilted mistress. When she takes a bottle of sleeping pills, Kevin has to keep her awake... and over the course of the night they begin to fall for each other. Cast: Adam Pally, Rosa Salazar, Rob Huebel, Peter Krause, Tony Hale (World Premiere)
Wild Horses
Director/Screenwriter: Robert Duvall
A Texas ranch family's idyllic life unravels as the Texas Rangers reopen and investigate a 15 year-old missing person case. Cast: Robert Duvall, James Franco, Josh Hartnett, Luciana Duvall, Adriana Barraza, Jim Parrack, Angie Cepeda, Devon Abner (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at SXSW.
Bikes vs Cars (Sweden)
Director/Screenwriter: Fredrik Gertten
The bicycle, an amazing tool for change. Activists and cities all over the world are moving towards a new system. But will the economic powers allow it? (World Premiere)
Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play
Director: Jerome Thélia, Screenwriters: John Fox, Jerome Thélia
Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play takes us to the far reaches of the globe and the deep recesses of our ancient past to answer the question: Why do we play ball?
(World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story
Director: Sara Hirsh Bordo
From the producers of the most viewed TEDWomen event of 2013 comes A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story, a documentary following the inspiring journey of 25-year-old, 58-pound Lizzie from cyber-bullying victim to anti-bullying activist. (World Premiere)
Deep Web
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Winter
Deep Web gives the inside story of one of the the most important and riveting digital crime sagas of the century -- the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht, the entrepreneur alleged to be “Dread Pirate Roberts,” leader of online black market Silk Road. (World Premiere)
For Grace
Directors: Kevin Pang, Mark Helenowski
A documentary about food, family and sacrifice: The kitchen became Curtis Duffy's refuge after an unimaginable tragedy. Now as one of the country's most renowned chefs, he's building his dream restaurant - but at another point of personal crisis. (World Premiere)
For the Record
Director: Marc Greenberg
For the Record explores the “steno culture,” tracking several court reporters and captioners as they strive to attain the Guinness title of World's Fastest Court Reporter. (World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
GTFO: Get The F% Out
Director: Shannon Sun-Higginson
Almost half of all gamers are women; yet, female gamers are disproportionately subject to harassment and abuse. GTFO seeks to investigate misogyny in video game culture and questions the future of this 20 billion dollar industry. (World Premiere)
Kingdom of Shadows
Director: Bernardo Ruiz
The drug war casts a dark shadow on the lives of a Mexican nun, a U.S. Federal agent and a former drug smuggler who wrestle with the far-reaching repercussions on both sides of the
border. (World Premiere)
Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro
Directors: Michael LaHaie, Christopher Wilcha
In Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro, comedian Tig Notaro travels across the country in order to put on a series of performances in the homes, back yards, barns, and basements of her most loyal
fans. (World Premiere)
Out To Win (USA/Canada)
Director: Malcolm Ingram
Out to Win is a documentary film that serves as an overview and examination of lives and careers of aspiring and professional gay and lesbian athletes who have fought and struggled to represent the LGBT community and their true selves. (World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
Raiders!
Directors: Jeremy Coon, Tim Skousen
In 1982, two 11 year-olds in Mississippi set out to remake Raiders of the Lost Ark. After seven turbulent years, they finished every scene except one. 30 years later, they attempt to finally finish their fan film and realize their childhood dream. (World Premiere)
Rolling Papers
Director: Mitch Dickman
In 2014, recreational marijuana sales began in Colorado. With all eyes on ground zero of the green rush, The Denver Post appointed the world’s first marijuana editor. Pot is legal, journalism is ignited and The Cannabist is covering it as it unfolds. (World Premiere)
Sneakerheadz
Directors: David T. Friendly, Mick Partridge, Screenwriter: David T. Friendly
An in-depth look into the exploding subculture of sneaker collecting and the widespread influence it has had on popular culture around the world. (World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
Son of the Congo
Director/Screenwriter: Adam Hootnick
Serge Ibaka’s improbable journey has taken him from the violence of Congo to the top of the NBA. In Son of the Congo, Ibaka returns home, hoping his basketball success can help rebuild a country and inspire a new generation to dream of a better life. (World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
Stone Barn Castle
Director: Kevin Ford, Adrien Brody
Stone Barn Castle is a documentary portrayal of the pursuit of dreams and the distance one must travel to achieve them. (World Premiere)
Tab Hunter Confidential
Director: Jeffrey Schwarz
In the 1950s, Tab Hunter was number one at the box office and on the music charts. Nothing, it seems, can damage his skyrocketing career. Nothing, that is, except for the fact that Tab Hunter is secretly gay. (World Premiere)
T-Rex
Directors: Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari
17-year-old Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields from Flint, Mich. dreams of being the first woman in history to win the gold medal in Olympic boxing. But in order for her to succeed, she'll need to stand her ground both inside and outside the ring. (World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
VISIONS
Visions filmmakers are audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape who demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.
Ava's Possessions
Director/Screenwriter: Jordan Galland
Ava is recovering from demonic possession. With no memory of the past month, she must attend a Spirit Possessions Anonymous support group to figure out what happened. Ava's life was hijacked by a demon, now it's time to get it back. Cast: Louisa Krause, Whitney Able, Deborah Rush, William Sadler, Zachary Booth, Wass Stevens, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, John Ventimiglia, Jemima Kirke, Stella Schnabel (World Premiere)
Babysitter
Director/Screenwriter: Morgan Krantz
A dysfunctional L.A. family hires a mysterious babysitter who changes their lives in this modern twist on the Mary Poppins narrative. Cast: Max Burkholder, Daniele Watts, Valerie Azlynn, Lesley Ann Warren, Amy Landecker, Kitty Patterson (World Premiere)
Barge (USA/New Zealand)
Director: Ben Powell
Dry land’s misfits find purpose and direction twenty-eight days at a time as the steady hands of a towboat due for the port of New Orleans. (World Premiere)
Disaster Playground (UK)
Director: Nelly Ben Hayoun
Hollywood relies on Bruce Willis to save the world in Armageddon, but who are the real-life heroes seeking to save our civilization from the next major asteroid impact? (World Premiere)
God Bless the Child
Directors: Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Screenwriter: Robert Machoian
After their mother leaves at dawn, Harper, 13, spends the day looking after her four younger brothers, uncertain whether or not her mother will return. Cast: Harper Graham, Elias Graham, Arri Graham, Ezra Graham, Jonah Graham (World Premiere)
Honeytrap (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Rebecca Johnson
Honeytrap is a tragic teen romance, set in London and inspired by true events. It tells the story of 15 year old Layla, who sets up the boy in love with her to be killed. Cast: Jessica Sula, Lucien Laviscount, Ntonga Mwanza, Naomi Ryan, Danielle Vitalis, Lauren Johns, Savannah Gordon-Liburd, Tosin Cole (North American Premiere)
Just Jim (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Craig Roberts
In a small town where people talk to themselves we meet Jim. Sixteen,mediocre looking and frankly quite boring. Things change dramatically when Dean moves in next door. They quickly become friends and set on a journey together to help Jim come of age. Cast: Emile Hirsch, Craig Roberts (World Premiere)
Naz & Maalik
Director/Screenwriter: Jay Dockendorf
Two closeted Muslim teens have their Friday afternoon ruined by FBI surveillance when their secretive behavior and small-time scheming start to look like fledgling steps toward violent radicalism. Cast: Curtiss Cook Jr., Kerwin Johnson Jr., Annie Grier, Anderson Footman, Bradley Custer, Ashleigh Awusie (World Premiere)
Nina Forever (UK)
Directors/Screenwriters: Chris Blaine, Ben Blaine
A fucked up fairy tale. Holly loves Rob and tries to help him through his grief - even if it means contending with his dead girlfriend Nina, who comes back, bloody and broken, every time they make love. Cast: Abigail Hardingham, Cian Barry, Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Elizabeth Elvin, David Troughton (World Premiere)
The Nymphets
Director/Screenwriter: Gary Gardner
A well-to-do 30-something man invites two rowdy young girls to party in his loft, leading to a night of provocation and cruelty, all in the name of getting laid. Cast: Kip Pardue, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Jordan Lane Price, Paulina Singer (World Premiere)
One & Two
Director: Andrew Droz Palermo, Screenwriters: Andrew Droz Palermo, Neima Shahdadi
Two siblings discover a supernatural escape from a troubled home, but find their bond tested when reality threatens to tear their family apart. Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Timothee Chalamet, Elizabeth Reaser, Grant Bowler (World Premiere)
Petting Zoo (Germany/USA/Greece)
Director/Screenwriter: Micah Magee
A story of love, sex and teen pregnancy in San Antonio, Texas. Petting Zoo is the portrait of a young woman coming into her own, in an environment that does not always present ideal circumstances. Cast: Devon Keller, Austin Reed, Deztiny Gonzales, Kiowa Tucker (North American Premiere)
Planetary (UK/USA)
Director: Guy Reid, Screenwriter: Steve Watts Kennedy
A contemplative exploration into what it means to live on Earth, the roots of our current crises, and the change in perspective that could transform our shared future. (World Premiere)
Sailing A Sinking Sea
Director: Olivia Wyatt
Sailing a Sinking Sea is a feature-length experimental documentary exploring the culture of one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in Asia, the Moken of Thailand and Burma. (World Premiere)
Uncle Kent 2
Director: Todd Rohal, Screenwriter: Kent Osborne
In a desperate search to create a follow-up to Joe Swanberg's 2011 film Uncle Kent, Kent Osborne travels to a comic convention where he confronts the end of the world. Cast: Kent Osborne, Kate Herman, Lyndsay Hailey, Jennifer Prediger, Steve Little, Joe Swanberg (World Premiere)
Unfriended
Director: Leo Gabriadze, Screenwriter: Nelson Greaves
Ushering in a new era of horror, Universal Pictures’ Unfriended unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance. Cast: Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson, Heather Sossaman (U.S. Premiere)
A Wonderful Cloud
Director/Screenwriter: Eugene Kotlyarenko
When Eugene’s ex-GF Katelyn lands in LA to disband their business, the two of them must negotiate between past tensions and future possibilities, in this raw bittersweet rom-com that walks the line between fiction and reality. Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Eugene Kotlyarenko, John Ennis, Vishwam Velandy, Rachel Lord, Lauren Avery, Elisha Drons, Niko Karamyan, Tierney Finster, Mikki Olson (World Premiere)
EPISODICS
Featuring innovative new work aimed squarely at the small screen, Episodic tunes in to the explosion of exciting material on non-theatrical platforms, including serialized TV, webisodes and beyond.
Angie Tribeca
Director: Steve Carell, Screenwriters: Steve Carell, Nancy Carell
From the minds of Steve & Nancy Carell comes the new TBS comedy Angie Tribeca, a wildly satirical take on police procedurals starring Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole and Andree Vermeulen. Cast: Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Deon Cole, Andree Vermeulen, Jere Burns (World Premiere)
The Comedians
Director: Larry Charles
Pilot Written by Ben Wexler, Matt Nix, Larry Charles, Billy Crystal
Episode Two Written By: Ben Wexler
In FX’s The Comedians, Billy Crystal plays a comedy legend who is reluctantly paired with Josh Gad, an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late night sketch comedy show where egos and generations collide. Cast: Billy Crystal, Josh Gad (World Premiere)
iZOMBIE
Director: Rob Thomas, Screenwriters: Rob Thomas, Diane Ruggiero-Wright
From Rob Thomas and based on the comic book, the CW Network’s iZOMBIE centers on Olivia “Liv” Moore, a bright young woman who’s also a newly turned zombie. She clings to her humanity by working in the city morgue and helping the police investigate unsolved murders. Cast: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley, David Anders (World Premiere)
Mr. Robot
Director: Sam Esmail
Mr. Robot is a psychological thriller about a young programmer who works as a cyber-security engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. The USA Network series stars Rami Malek (24) and Christian Slater (Adderall Diaries). Cast: Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin (World Premiere)
UnREAL
Director: Peter O’Fallon, Screenwriters: Marti Noxon, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
From Co-Creators Marti Noxon (Mad Men) and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro (Sequin Raze), Lifetime’s highly-anticipated scripted series UnREAL is a provocative drama that gives a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition program. Cast: Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, Craig Bierko, Freddie Stroma (World Premiere)
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Showcasing the sounds, culture & influence of music & musicians, with an emphasis on documentary. New for 2015: Open to Music badgeholders.
808 (UK)
Director: Alexander Dunn, Screenwriters: Alexander Dunn, Luke Bainbridge
The heart of the beat that changed music. (World Premiere)
All Things Must Pass
Director: Colin Hanks, Screenwriter: Steven Leckart
All Things Must Pass is a feature documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records, and the legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon. (World Premiere)
THE DAMNED: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead
Director: Wes Orshoski
From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk, The Damned. (World Premiere)
Danny Says
Director: Brendan Toller
Danny Says is a documentary unveiling the amazing journey of Danny Fields. Fields has played a pivotal role in music and culture with seminal acts including: the Doors, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, MC5, Nico, the Ramones and beyond. (World Premiere)
Dominguinhos (Brazil)
Directors: Joaquim Castro, Eduardo Nazarian, Screenwriter: Di Moretti
Dominguinhos reveals this genius of Brazilian music, creator of a deeply authentic, universal and contemporary work. The film values the sensory cinematic experience, a journey driven by Dominguinhos himself. (U.S. Premiere)
The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Julien Temple
The most extraordinary rock 'n' roll story of recent times. A legendary musician diagnosed with incurable cancer who managed to defy his death sentence. (World Premiere)
Gloria (Mexico)
Director: Christian Keller, Screenwriter: Sabina Berman
A bold and compelling tale of ambition, betrayal and redemption, Gloria, based on a true story, chronicles the life of international pop star Gloria Trevi, the “Mexican Madonna.” Cast: Sofía Espinosa, Marco Pérez, Tatiana Del Real, Ximena Romo (U.S. Premiere)
Hot Sugar's Cold World
Director: Adam Bhala Lough
After a very public break-up with his internet-famous girlfriend, Nick Koenig (aka Hot Sugar) - a brilliant young musician - takes a magical journey around the world to find new sounds for his album, and find himself. (World Premiere)
JACO
Directors: Paul Marchand, Stephen Kijak, Screenwriters: Paul Marchand, Robert Trujillo
JACO tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who changed the course of modern music. Never-before-seen archive unveils the story of Jaco’s life, his music, his demise, and the lasting victory of artistic genius. (World Premiere)
The Jones Family Will Make a Way
Director/Screenwriter: Alan Berg
A rural, Pentecostal preacher and a jaded rock critic form an unlikely alliance that pushes them both in unexpected ways. (World Premiere)
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Director/Screenwriter: Brett Morgen
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a raw and visceral journey through Kurt Cobain’s life and his career with Nirvana through the lens of his home movies, recordings, artwork, photography, and journals.
Landfill Harmonic
Directors: Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley
Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra, a youth group that plays instruments made entirely from trash. When their story goes viral, they are catapulted into the world spotlight. However, a recent event could present their biggest challenge. (World Premiere)
Made in Japan (USA, Japan)
Director/Screenwriter: Josh Bishop
Made in Japan is the remarkable story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world’s first Japanese country music superstar. It is a funny yet poignant multi-cultural journey through music, marriage, and the impact of the corporate world on the dreams of one woman. (World Premiere)
Mavis!
Director: Jessica Edwards
Her family group, the Staple Singers, inspired millions and helped propel the civil rights movement with their music. After 60 years of performing, legendary singer Mavis Staples’ message of love and equality is needed now more than ever. (World Premiere)
A Poem Is A Naked Person
Director: Les Blank
A time capsule of Les Blank's take on Oklahoma in 1974 about Leon Russell and his band, with Willie Nelson, George Jones, and some amazing eccentric characters. At least two major critics have declared it the best film ever made on Rock and Roll. (World Premiere)
Sir Doug and the Honkey Texas Cosmic Groove
Director: Joe Nick Patoski, Screenwriters: Joe Nick Patoski, Jason Wehling
Wild hippie cowboy musician with too much music inside, takes his talent from San Antonio to San Francisco to Austin and the world. (World Premiere)
Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents
Director/Screenwriter: Don Hardy
Theory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective The Residents. A story that spans over 40 years and is clouded in mystery. Many details surrounding the group are secret, including the identities of its members.(World Premiere)
They Will Have To Kill Us First (UK)
Director: Johanna Schwartz, Screenwriters: Johanna Schwartz, Andy Morgan
Islamic extremists have banned music in Mali, but its world-class musicians won’t give up without a fight. From conflict, to exile, to homecoming, this film follows the story of Mali’s musicians as they fight for their right to sing. (World Premiere)
We Like It Like That
Director: Mathew Ramirez Warren
We Like It Like That tells the story of Latin boogaloo, a colorful expression of 1960s New York City Latino soul. From its origins to its recent resurgence, it’s the story of a sound that redefined a generation and was too funky to keep down. (World Premiere)
Y/OUR MUSIC (Thailand/UK)
Directors: David Reeve, Waraluck Hiransrettawat Every
The sounds of Thailand from ricefield to leftfield. (North American Premiere)
SXGLOBAL
A diverse selection of International filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries, premieres, festival favorites and more.
15 Corners of the World (Poland)
Director/Screenwriter: Zuzanna Solakiewicz
Imagine the sound that can be touched and seen by each of us. You can see unknown corners of the world. Just let your eyes follow your ears. (U.S. Premiere)
The Avian Kind (South Korea)
Director/Screenwriter: Shin Yeon-Shick
A novelist's search for his wife, who disappeared from view 15 years ago. Cast: KIM Jeong-Suk, Soy KIM, JUNG Han-Bi (North American Premiere)
The Ceremony (Sweden)
Director/Screenwriter: Lina Mannheimer
France's most famous dominatrix, two close friends and two lovers share their innermost thoughts about love, friendship, dominance and submission - as we meet the unusual and fascinating author Catherine Robbe-Grillet and her inner circle. (North American Premiere)
Free Entry (Hungary)
Director/Screenwriter: Yvonne Kerékgyártó
Free Entry is an adventurous journey to adulthood as two 16-year-old girls risk their first steps towards independence, in different ways at the biggest international summer festival of Hungary. Cast: Luca Pusztai, Ágnes Barta, Péter Sándor, Róbert Kardos, Ádám Kovács, Barnabás Janka, Tibor Szolár, Anna Nemes, Katica Nagy (North American Premiere)
Good Things Await (Denmark)
Director: Phie Ambo, Screenwriters: Phie Ambo, Maggie Olkuska
Niels is one of the last idealistic farmers in the agricultural country of Denmark. But Niels’ ways of farming in accordance with the planets and the primal instincts of the animals are not too popular with the authorities. (U.S. Premiere)
Invasion
Director: Abner Benaim
Invasion documents the US military siege of Panama that ousted dictator Noriega 25 years ago while wreaking untold collateral damage. It sets out to shatter the willful amnesia of a country all too eager to bury its troubled past.
Limbo (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Anna Sofie Hartmann
A small town on the outskirts of Denmark. Two women - a teenage girl and her schoolteacher - build a strange connection that transforms both of them. A subtle, beautiful, personal film on the state of youth and the uncertainty of being. Cast: Annika Nuka Mathiassen, Sofía Nolsøe (North American Premiere)
Monte Adentro (Colombia/Argentina)
Director/Screenwriter: Nicolás Macario Alonso
Monte Adentro explores the universe of one of the last muleteer families in Colombia and follows the lives and mule train of two brothers as they get together for an epic mule driving journey to the highest peaks of the Andes. (North American Premiere)
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Acclaimed standouts & selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.
Adult Beginners (US Premiere)
Director: Ross Katz, Screenplay: Jeff Cox, Elizabeth Flahive
Cast: Rose Byrne, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale
Out of a job after a disastrous product launch, a big-city yuppie retreats to his suburban childhood home, in this heart-warming and hilarious film about crashing hard, coming home and waking up. Cast: Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Joel McHale (U.S. Premiere)
Being Evel
Director: Daniel Junge, Screenwriters: Daniel Junge, Davis Coombe
Millions know the man; few know his story. Academy Award-winning director Daniel Junge and producer Johnny Knoxville take a candid look at American daredevil Evel Knievel, while reflecting on our voracious public appetite for heroes and spectacle.
* SXsports screening
Best of Enemies
Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon
Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.
City of Gold
Director: Laura Gabbert
City of Gold is a documentary portrait that takes us into Jonathan Gold’s universe to tell the improbable story of a revolution inspired by the pen, but driven by the palate.
Entertainment
Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington
En route to meet his estranged daughter and attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan
Finders Keepers
Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel
Finders Keepers follows recovering addict and amputee John Wood in his stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction.
Heaven Knows What
Directors: Joshua Safdie, Benny Safdie, Screenwriters: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Cast: Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, Buddy Duress, Necro
The latest from acclaimed sibling directors Josh and Benny Safdie (Daddy Longlegs) blends fiction, formalism and raw documentary as it follows a young heroin addict who finds mad love in the streets of New York.
The Last Man on the Moon (UK)
Director: Mark Craig
One man's part in mankind's greatest adventure... (North American Premiere)
The Look of Silence (Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/UK)
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Director Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to the earth-shattering, Academy Award® nominated The Act of Killing.
Lost River
Director/Screenwriter: Ryan Gosling
A family tries to hold on to their home in the ruins of a disappearing city. Cast: Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan, Matt Smith, Reda Kateb, Barbara Stele, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn (US Premiere)
Ned Rifle
Director/Screenwriter: Hal Hartley
Ned Rifle is the third and final chapter of Hal Hartley's tragicomic epic begun with Henry Fool (1998) and continued with Fay Grim (2007). In this swiftly paced and expansive conclusion, Henry and Fay's son, Ned, sets out to find and kill his father. Cast: Liam Aiken, Martin Donovan, Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Robert John Burke, Bill Sage, Karen Sillas (US Premiere)
The Overnight
Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Brice
Two families meet at the park and set up a playdate that has unexpected outcomes for all. Cast: Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Taylor Schilling, Judith Godrèche
Results
Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski
A take on self improvement culture in America - with all it's promise and absurdity - stuffed into a peculiar romantic comedy. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker, Constance Zimmer
* SXsports screening
Salt of the Earth (France)
Director: Wim Wenders, Juliano Riberio Salgado, Screenwriters: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders
For the last 40 years, photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, which is a tribute to the planet’s beauty.
Unexpected
Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier
An inner-city high school teacher discovers she is pregnant at the same time as one of her most promising students and the two develop an unlikely friendship while struggling to navigate their unexpected pregnancies. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern
The Visit (Denmark/Austria/Ireland/Finland/Norway)
Director/Screenwriter: Michael Madsen
This film documents an event that has never taken place – man’s first encounter with intelligent life from space.
Welcome to Leith
Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker
A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.
Western
Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Experiential cinema, cult re-issues & much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected & unique one-off film events.
7 Days In Hell
Director: Jake Szymanski, Screenwriter: Murray Miller
A fictional documentary-style expose on the rivalry between two tennis stars who battled it out in a 1999 match that lasted seven days. Cast: Andy Samberg, Kit Harrington, Michael Sheen, Will Forte, Lena Dunham, Fred Armisen, Mary Steenburgen, Karen Gillan, John McEnroe, Serena Williams (World Premiere)
* SXsports screening
Doug Benson & Master Pancake interrupt Leprechaun 3 (1995)
Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
“The directness with which this movie went to video is apparent in nearly every single element.” Tim Brayton, Antagony and Ecstasy. Cast: Warwick Davis, John Gatins, Lee Armstrong
Jonathan Demme Presents Made In Texas
Directors: Louis Black, Mark Rance
The restoration of six films made in Austin in the early 1980s including David Boone's Invasion of the Aluminum People. The program was originally curated by Jonathan Demme and presented at the Collective for Living Cinema in NYC. (World Premiere)
The Road Warrior (Australia)
Director: George Miller, Screenwriters: Terry Hayes, George Miller
In the post-apocalypse future, where humans fight over the few remaining stores of gasoline, Mad Max offers to drive a tanker through a gauntlet of psychos to safety on the coast. Special Q&A to follow with George Miller. Cast: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Virginia Hey, Emil Minty, Kjell Nilsson, Max Phipps, Vernon Wells, David Slingsby, Steve J. Spears
A Space Program
Director: Van Neistat, Screenwriters: Van Neistat, Tom Sachs
The artist Tom Sachs and his team of bricoleurs build a handmade space program and send two female astronauts to Mars. Cast: Sam Ratanarat, Mary Eannarino, Tom Sachs, Evan Murphy, Chris Beeston, Pat McCarthy, Nick Doyle, Kevin Hand, Jeff Lurie, Jared Vandeusen (World Premiere)
Trainwreck
Director: Judd Apatow, Screenwriter: Amy Schumer
Blockbuster filmmaker Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This Is 40) directs Universal Pictures’ Trainwreck, starring breakout comedic actress Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer). Cast: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda Swinton, Lebron James, John Cena (Debut of a Work in Progress)
Vertical Cinema
Director: Sonic Acts
Vertical Cinema is a series of ten newly commissioned large-scale works by experimental filmmakers and audiovisual artists, which are presented on 35mm celluloid and projected vertically with a custom-built projector. (North American Premiere)
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'Sister Wives' Kody Brown Divorces One Wife To Marry Another
Get ready for a big shake-up on TLC's "Sister Wives."
The reality show's patriarch Kody Brown has divorced one woman so he can marry another, E! Online has confirmed. Before the divorce, Brown was only legally married to Meri, but called three other women his spouses: Janelle, Christine and Robyn. Under the radar, Brown recently divorced Meri and is now legally wed to Robyn, the youngest sister wife.
"We have chosen to legally restructure our family," the Brown family said in a statement obtained by E! News. "We made this decision together as a family. We are grateful to our family, friends and fans for all their love and support."
Though neither Brown nor TLC explained why the family went forward with the divorce, entertainment website Zap2it suggests the swap may have been made to provide Robyn's three kids from a previous relationship with more security within the family.
Between the four wives, the Browns have 17 children.
In the past, Brown has said that his plural marriage is similar to any other marriage in that all of his wives are free to walk away from the relationship at any time.
"We chose to be married," he told Today in 2013. "Nobody forced us to do this, and we choose to stay in it out of love and commitment. Just like any marriage. I hate to say it, because I don’t like divorce -– nobody likes that –- but my wives are free to leave, if they make that choice."
Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our newsletter here.
The reality show's patriarch Kody Brown has divorced one woman so he can marry another, E! Online has confirmed. Before the divorce, Brown was only legally married to Meri, but called three other women his spouses: Janelle, Christine and Robyn. Under the radar, Brown recently divorced Meri and is now legally wed to Robyn, the youngest sister wife.
"We have chosen to legally restructure our family," the Brown family said in a statement obtained by E! News. "We made this decision together as a family. We are grateful to our family, friends and fans for all their love and support."
Though neither Brown nor TLC explained why the family went forward with the divorce, entertainment website Zap2it suggests the swap may have been made to provide Robyn's three kids from a previous relationship with more security within the family.
Between the four wives, the Browns have 17 children.
In the past, Brown has said that his plural marriage is similar to any other marriage in that all of his wives are free to walk away from the relationship at any time.
"We chose to be married," he told Today in 2013. "Nobody forced us to do this, and we choose to stay in it out of love and commitment. Just like any marriage. I hate to say it, because I don’t like divorce -– nobody likes that –- but my wives are free to leave, if they make that choice."
Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our newsletter here.
↧
'Magic Mike XXL' Poster Is A Work Of Art
The marketing team working on "Magic Mike XXL" is brilliant. The first poster for the film, due out July 1, is ... just ... perfect. Channing Tatum, respected Hollywood A-lister, is shirtless, wearing a bandana, flat brim and jeans. He's ... coming.
The sequel also features Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Andie MacDowell and Michael Strahan. They're coming too, we assume, and so is a trailer -- at least judging by Tatum's tease to watch "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday.
The sequel also features Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Andie MacDowell and Michael Strahan. They're coming too, we assume, and so is a trailer -- at least judging by Tatum's tease to watch "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday.
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↧
Rapper Lil B Launches Vegan Emoji App, Because That Egg In A Skillet Isn't For Everyone
Brandon McCartney, also known as Lil B, also known as The BasedGod has a lot of names and, seemingly, a lot of hobbies. Most recently he launched a vegan emoji app.
The rapper partnered with the vegan company Follow Your Heart (producers of the mayonnaise alternative, Vegenaise) to create vegEMOJI, an emoji app that features cute vegan foods and sayings like, "Cool people are kind to animals" and "Let's meet at the farmers market."
![veggie]()
Lil B told The Daily Dot that he's learning to code and helps with the design of all of his apps (including Basedmoji, which unveiled last fall). The performer doesn't keep a vegan diet himself; he is, reportedly, "ashamed of eating meat," but feels closely connected to the vegan cause. “I don’t normally like to align myself with companies, but I really support what they are doing,” he said to the Daily Dot. “I only want to do things that help people." And sometimes animals, it seems.
![veggies]()
The free app is currently available for download in the iTunes store and Follow Your Heart says that they're working on an Android version. Once a user downloads the app, he or she can send the objectively adorable emoticons to all of their contacts -- even ones who don't have the app on their smartphones.
While the pairing sounds a little, well, random, the act of publicly promoting veganism appears to be on trend. Beyonce (also not a vegan) just launched a vegan home delivery meal service and IKEA recently announced that they'll be adding vegan meatballs to their menu. A change is gonna come.
Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr.
The rapper partnered with the vegan company Follow Your Heart (producers of the mayonnaise alternative, Vegenaise) to create vegEMOJI, an emoji app that features cute vegan foods and sayings like, "Cool people are kind to animals" and "Let's meet at the farmers market."
Lil B told The Daily Dot that he's learning to code and helps with the design of all of his apps (including Basedmoji, which unveiled last fall). The performer doesn't keep a vegan diet himself; he is, reportedly, "ashamed of eating meat," but feels closely connected to the vegan cause. “I don’t normally like to align myself with companies, but I really support what they are doing,” he said to the Daily Dot. “I only want to do things that help people." And sometimes animals, it seems.
The free app is currently available for download in the iTunes store and Follow Your Heart says that they're working on an Android version. Once a user downloads the app, he or she can send the objectively adorable emoticons to all of their contacts -- even ones who don't have the app on their smartphones.
While the pairing sounds a little, well, random, the act of publicly promoting veganism appears to be on trend. Beyonce (also not a vegan) just launched a vegan home delivery meal service and IKEA recently announced that they'll be adding vegan meatballs to their menu. A change is gonna come.
Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr.
↧
The First Two Minutes Of The 'Walking Dead' Midseason Premiere Answers A Big Question
"Walking Dead" spoilers! There is no sanctuary.
After the huge moment in the midseason finale, the future of our favorite "Walking Dead" survivors was up in the air. Until now.
AMC released the first two minutes of the "Walking Dead" midseason premiere on Tuesday, and now we finally know where the group is headed: near Richmond, Virginia. In the "Walking Dead" comics, the survivors also go to Virginia, but Eugene's big reveal that he doesn't know the cure for the zombie virus put that in question. Now, like "Walking Dead" star Josh McDermitt recently told HuffPost Entertainment, it appears things are "getting back to a version of some stories from the comic."
McDermitt also said that the second half would get "darker," and if the show is getting back to what's in Robert Kirkman's original stories, it may be because that one major villain is finally on the way.
"The Walking Dead" airs Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.
After the huge moment in the midseason finale, the future of our favorite "Walking Dead" survivors was up in the air. Until now.
AMC released the first two minutes of the "Walking Dead" midseason premiere on Tuesday, and now we finally know where the group is headed: near Richmond, Virginia. In the "Walking Dead" comics, the survivors also go to Virginia, but Eugene's big reveal that he doesn't know the cure for the zombie virus put that in question. Now, like "Walking Dead" star Josh McDermitt recently told HuffPost Entertainment, it appears things are "getting back to a version of some stories from the comic."
McDermitt also said that the second half would get "darker," and if the show is getting back to what's in Robert Kirkman's original stories, it may be because that one major villain is finally on the way.
"The Walking Dead" airs Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.
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Mary Lambert Wants Transgender People To Be More 'Accurately Represented'
Singer-songwriter Mary Lambert, who shot to fame when her powerful voice was featured on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' equality anthem "Same Love," has but one wish: to see more transgender visibility.
The songstress, whose new solo album is called "Heart On My Sleeve," told HuffPost Live on Monday that while artists like herself, Sam Smith and Frank Ocean have helped normalize "being gay," she'd like to see the trans community more "accurately represented."
"I would love to see the media and the rest of pop culture be chill with it," she told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. "So it would make it easier, I think, on a lot of people that may be struggling in transitioning."
She said trans people are either "not represented at all or hugely misrepresented," which could be easily resolved by just asking the community how they'd like to see themselves portrayed.
"I just feel like it's so often I'm watching something that's supposed to represent a trans person and I'm like, 'God, you missed it. You missed it. You had a great opportunity," she said, later adding, "Come on. Get it together, people."
Watch the full interview with Mary Lambert here.
Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!
The songstress, whose new solo album is called "Heart On My Sleeve," told HuffPost Live on Monday that while artists like herself, Sam Smith and Frank Ocean have helped normalize "being gay," she'd like to see the trans community more "accurately represented."
"I would love to see the media and the rest of pop culture be chill with it," she told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. "So it would make it easier, I think, on a lot of people that may be struggling in transitioning."
She said trans people are either "not represented at all or hugely misrepresented," which could be easily resolved by just asking the community how they'd like to see themselves portrayed.
"I just feel like it's so often I'm watching something that's supposed to represent a trans person and I'm like, 'God, you missed it. You missed it. You had a great opportunity," she said, later adding, "Come on. Get it together, people."
Watch the full interview with Mary Lambert here.
Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!
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Suge Knight Hospitalized After Court Appearance
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Former rap music mogul Suge Knight pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and attempted murder charges before complaining of chest pain and being rushed to a hospital.
No further information about his condition was immediately available, Los Angeles County sheriff's Officer John Gardner said. Knight's attorney David Kenner said he was on the way to the hospital to see his client but had no further details.
Knight wore orange jail attire at the morning court appearance where he entered not guilty pleas to four felonies, including hit-and-run charges, filed after the Death Row Records founder struck two men with his pickup truck last week.
The 49-year-old Knight could face life in prison if convicted.
Knight is accused of intentionally running down two men, including a friend, in Compton on Thursday. Knight's attorneys have said he hit the men by accident as Knight fled a vicious attack.
Knight is charged with killing Terry Carter, 55, and attempting to kill Cle "Bone" Sloan, 51, in a burger stand parking lot after an argument occurred at a separate site where the movie "Straight Outta Compton" about the rise of the rap group N.W.A. was being filmed.
Kenner, said his client is remorseful about Carter's death but that does not mean he's guilty of the crimes.
"He feels bad that somebody that he knew is deceased," Kenner said. "It's not his fault."
Michael R. Shapiro, an attorney who represents Sloan, said his client has a mangled left foot and some neurological issues and is recovering from his injuries under heavy security.
Knight was at the center of one of the most notorious rap conflicts of the 1990s, pitting Tupac Shakur against Biggie Smalls in an East Coast-West Coast rivalry.
Knight was sent to prison for nearly five years for badly beating a rival with Shakur at a Las Vegas hotel, just hours before Shakur was fatally shot while riding in Knight's car in 1996.
In the current case, Knight struck two men with his pickup in a Compton parking lot. The collision killed his friend Carter, a founder and owner of Heavyweight Records who was viewed as a community father figure who tried to mentor young men, said Doug Young, a friend and hip-hop music promoter. Sloan is an actor and film consultant.
Authorities said Knight visited the set for "Straight Outta Compton" and argued with Sloan, who was working at the location. Sheriff's deputies providing security asked Knight to leave.
A short time later, the argument resumed in a parking lot a few miles away where Knight and Sloan exchanged punches through a window of the pickup before the two men were run down, authorities said.
Knight's former attorney James Blatt has said Knight was attacked by four people, including Sloan, as he pulled into the lot after Carter requested he show up for a meeting. Blatt said Knight hit the gas as he fled in fear.
Knight is due back in court on Feb. 9 when a judge will consider whether to set bail.
___
AP writer Tami Abdollah in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
___
Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
No further information about his condition was immediately available, Los Angeles County sheriff's Officer John Gardner said. Knight's attorney David Kenner said he was on the way to the hospital to see his client but had no further details.
Knight wore orange jail attire at the morning court appearance where he entered not guilty pleas to four felonies, including hit-and-run charges, filed after the Death Row Records founder struck two men with his pickup truck last week.
The 49-year-old Knight could face life in prison if convicted.
Knight is accused of intentionally running down two men, including a friend, in Compton on Thursday. Knight's attorneys have said he hit the men by accident as Knight fled a vicious attack.
Knight is charged with killing Terry Carter, 55, and attempting to kill Cle "Bone" Sloan, 51, in a burger stand parking lot after an argument occurred at a separate site where the movie "Straight Outta Compton" about the rise of the rap group N.W.A. was being filmed.
Kenner, said his client is remorseful about Carter's death but that does not mean he's guilty of the crimes.
"He feels bad that somebody that he knew is deceased," Kenner said. "It's not his fault."
Michael R. Shapiro, an attorney who represents Sloan, said his client has a mangled left foot and some neurological issues and is recovering from his injuries under heavy security.
Knight was at the center of one of the most notorious rap conflicts of the 1990s, pitting Tupac Shakur against Biggie Smalls in an East Coast-West Coast rivalry.
Knight was sent to prison for nearly five years for badly beating a rival with Shakur at a Las Vegas hotel, just hours before Shakur was fatally shot while riding in Knight's car in 1996.
In the current case, Knight struck two men with his pickup in a Compton parking lot. The collision killed his friend Carter, a founder and owner of Heavyweight Records who was viewed as a community father figure who tried to mentor young men, said Doug Young, a friend and hip-hop music promoter. Sloan is an actor and film consultant.
Authorities said Knight visited the set for "Straight Outta Compton" and argued with Sloan, who was working at the location. Sheriff's deputies providing security asked Knight to leave.
A short time later, the argument resumed in a parking lot a few miles away where Knight and Sloan exchanged punches through a window of the pickup before the two men were run down, authorities said.
Knight's former attorney James Blatt has said Knight was attacked by four people, including Sloan, as he pulled into the lot after Carter requested he show up for a meeting. Blatt said Knight hit the gas as he fled in fear.
Knight is due back in court on Feb. 9 when a judge will consider whether to set bail.
___
AP writer Tami Abdollah in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
___
Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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Kylie Jenner Is Almost Unrecognizable As A Blonde In Love Magazine Photo Shoot
Posing for Love magazine's Spring/Summer 2015 issue was a family affair for the Kardashian-Jenner girls.
Older sisters Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner already made headlines for their racy photos, and now it's Kylie Jenner's chance to turn heads.
The 17-year-old is almost unrecognizable as she was (temporarily) transformed into a blonde for the shoot with photographer Steven Klein:
The magazine, which was guest-edited by Cara Delevingne, hits newsstands on Feb. 9.
Older sisters Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner already made headlines for their racy photos, and now it's Kylie Jenner's chance to turn heads.
The 17-year-old is almost unrecognizable as she was (temporarily) transformed into a blonde for the shoot with photographer Steven Klein:
The magazine, which was guest-edited by Cara Delevingne, hits newsstands on Feb. 9.
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Britney Spears Strips Down To Promote Her Lingerie Line
Who better to model Britney Spears' lingerie line than the pop icon herself?
The 33-year-old stripped down to a pink lacy bra and underwear set, complete with garter belts and thigh-high stockings to promote her clothing line, the Intimate Collection by Britney Spears, which launched in September 2014:
![britney]()
This isn't the "Toxic" singer has modeled something from her own collection, either. In July, Spears teased the label on her Twitter account with a photo of herself in skimpy black lingerie:
All of these sexy photoshoots confirm what we've known about Britney for years:
![im-not-that-innocent]()
The 33-year-old stripped down to a pink lacy bra and underwear set, complete with garter belts and thigh-high stockings to promote her clothing line, the Intimate Collection by Britney Spears, which launched in September 2014:
This isn't the "Toxic" singer has modeled something from her own collection, either. In July, Spears teased the label on her Twitter account with a photo of herself in skimpy black lingerie:
Coming very soon... The Intimate Collection, by yours truly. http://t.co/HmtLIXYd83 Just a peek at what's to come. xo pic.twitter.com/6sE2rEuUFE
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) July 23, 2014All of these sexy photoshoots confirm what we've known about Britney for years:
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Ian Ziering Planned A ‘Beverly Hills, 90210' Reunion, But No Network Wanted It
Die-hard “Beverly Hills, 90210” fans have been waiting for a reunion show since the popular drama went off the air back in 2000, but according to Ian Ziering, television networks haven't been nearly as interested.
The actor told HuffPost Live on Tuesday that he had planned a televised reunion of the original cast, which was to air on Sept. 2, 2010 (a clever “90210” reference).
“I tried to produce [a reunion show] a couple years back. I was going to have dinner at Ian’s, where I was going to invite the whole gang over,” Ziering told host Ricky Camilleri. “Of course, this was landscaped, not scripted. There would be cameras all over the place, and we would just talk about specific moments around the dinner table. Very informal.”
But Ziering had trouble pitching the concept of the show.
“I couldn’t get any of the networks to buy it,” he said. “You know, maybe I should put a little Kickstarter, [GoFundMe] thing together and make it happen.”
But there's still hope: Ziering assured that a reunion could definitely be in the works one day.
“It’s entirely possible. We’re all still really good friends. … We have reunions all the time,” he said. “They’re not on TV, we’re just hanging out. I had breakfast with Luke [Perry] the other day. Jason [Priestly], I talk to once in a while. Brian [Austin Green] and I talk all the time.”
Although the actors have had a few bumps in their friendship -- for example, the feud between Jennie Garth and Shannon Doherty or the drama surrounding Jason Priestley's memoir -- Ziering explained that their squabbles are nothing more than tension between siblings.
“There’s always drama amongst brothers and sisters, so it’s more like that than it is adversarial. We’re like a family. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a reunion show," he said.
Watch the full conversation with “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant Ian Ziering here.
Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!
The actor told HuffPost Live on Tuesday that he had planned a televised reunion of the original cast, which was to air on Sept. 2, 2010 (a clever “90210” reference).
“I tried to produce [a reunion show] a couple years back. I was going to have dinner at Ian’s, where I was going to invite the whole gang over,” Ziering told host Ricky Camilleri. “Of course, this was landscaped, not scripted. There would be cameras all over the place, and we would just talk about specific moments around the dinner table. Very informal.”
But Ziering had trouble pitching the concept of the show.
“I couldn’t get any of the networks to buy it,” he said. “You know, maybe I should put a little Kickstarter, [GoFundMe] thing together and make it happen.”
But there's still hope: Ziering assured that a reunion could definitely be in the works one day.
“It’s entirely possible. We’re all still really good friends. … We have reunions all the time,” he said. “They’re not on TV, we’re just hanging out. I had breakfast with Luke [Perry] the other day. Jason [Priestly], I talk to once in a while. Brian [Austin Green] and I talk all the time.”
Although the actors have had a few bumps in their friendship -- for example, the feud between Jennie Garth and Shannon Doherty or the drama surrounding Jason Priestley's memoir -- Ziering explained that their squabbles are nothing more than tension between siblings.
“There’s always drama amongst brothers and sisters, so it’s more like that than it is adversarial. We’re like a family. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a reunion show," he said.
Watch the full conversation with “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant Ian Ziering here.
Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!
↧
Lennon & Maisy Covered Charli XCX's 'Boom Clap,' And It's Totally Picture Perfect
Just in time for the return of "Nashville," the ABC show's youngest stars have released a new duet -- this time a cover of Charli XCX's chart-topping tune "Boom Clap." It's the first video uploaded to the duo's YouTube page since March of 2014.
Lennon and Maisy Stella's rendition of the hit song is so magical that we can almost guarantee all the hairs on your arms will stand up. Enjoy.
"Nashville" airs Wednesdays at 10 pm EST on ABC.
Lennon and Maisy Stella's rendition of the hit song is so magical that we can almost guarantee all the hairs on your arms will stand up. Enjoy.
"Nashville" airs Wednesdays at 10 pm EST on ABC.
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Jeff Bridges Still Has The Jelly Sandals From 'The Big Lebowski'
Jeff Bridges has been a lot of things: a stoner who loves bowling, a boxer, a computer programer, a country musician and even a ghost-hunting dead U.S. marshal from the 1800s. But there's a first for everything, including his latest character: a witch-hating, dragon-fighting, all-powerful master.
That's Bridges' role in "Seventh Son," an adventure fantasy that reunites the actor with his former "Big Lebowski" co-star Julianne Moore. She plays an evil witch-dragon hybrid and he's John Gregory, aka the Spook. (Sadly, they don't have a bowling dream sequence again.) But besides strangling giant bears and blowing glitter into a possessed child's face, Bridges has also recorded an album to help people fall asleep. (Hey, why not?) HuffPost Entertainment sat down with the Oscar winner to listen to him hum and find out how The Dude inspired many of his recent roles.
You’ve said before that you like to resist working unless you’re really intrigued by a project. What was it about this film?
I’m a big fan of myth, of Joseph Campbell and author Robert Johnson. Myths are these ancient stories that, if we pay attention to them, we can learn quite a bit about our current situation. This is the myth of the Seventh Son having special powers. That was intriguing. And reading Joseph Delaney's book The Spook's Apprentice, I really enjoyed that. Sergei Bodrov directed our film, knowing that he was going to be the head of this deal, and of course Julianne coming on board.
Did she join the film after you did?
I think so, yeah. Then production designer Dante Ferretti ["Shutter Island," "Gangs of New York"] doing the sets. Seeing his sets just transcended all my expectations. Jackie West ["Argo"], the costume designer, and then Ben [Barnes], he was wonderful to work with. So it all came together like that.
What was it like working with Julianne again?
There was a sense of having a long weekend between jobs, but it’s been 17 years. She remembers it very well because she was pregnant during “The Big Lebowski” and her son’s now 17 years old, so that’s a constant reminder.
![tv show gifs]()
Image via Tumblr
Have you kept in touch since?
A little bit. We’ve bumped into each other. It’s wonderful to play with her again. Even today was just a joy, the interviews, sitting in a room where you do one after another, 60, 70 times. But to have a playmate there, that makes it all the more fun.
A lot of your recent roles, including this one, have been a wise, mentor-type character, from “True Grit” to "R.I.P.D." and of course "The Giver."
Yeah, right! And I’ve got another movie coming out where I’m kind of a sage-like guy in “The Little Prince,” an animated film.
You’ve been acting for so long, what’s it like to play that type of figure at this point in your career?
That’s funny, I never planned it that way or thought too much about it. It just kind of worked out that way. Even The Dude -- I’ve got a buddy who’s a Zen master, Bernie Glassman. He told me a few years ago, “You realize The Dude, among many Buddhist circles, is considered a Zen master.”
Yeah, there’s the Dudeist religion!
I said, "What are you talking about man!" He said, “Yeah, the movie is full of modern day kōans. Look who directed the film, the Co-ahn brothers.” [Laughs] And we ended up writing a book called The Dude and the Zen Master. So that’s been in the cards, that character.
![tv show gifs]()
Image via Tumblr
There’s even a scene in this where your character is sitting and meditating in the mountains. Is that something you filter into a lot of your roles?
Maybe so. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or fate that that aspect of my own life -- that’s kind of the first way I approach all the characters I play. What are some aspects that line up with my own life? Sometimes I’ll magnify those or kick them to the curb. Meditation is something I’m interested in and that applied to some of these recent characters. “The Giver,” I guess, probably did a lot of meditation.
You’re also doing more movies that attract a younger audience. Do you have a lot of interactions with fans of a younger generation?
Oh, yeah. I love that “Lebowski” has these Lebowski fests where it’s whole rooms full of people who love that movie of all different ages. My band, The Abiders -- our name is taken from that movie -- we’ve played several of the fests. It’s great to see that movie lives on and has an audience like that. When it came out not many people saw it.
While you were making it did you have any idea --
Oh, yeah, it was funny as hell. And the Coen brothers are masters. But it was a bigger hit in Europe and then started to pick up steam. That’s one of my favorite movies, whether I was in it or not.
Do you still have any of The Dude’s wardrobe from the film, a lot of which was famously taken from your own closet at the time? The Japanese baseball tee? The jelly shoes?
Yeah, yeah, I stole that from my brother Beau, the shirt, I’ve got that. And those jelly sandals, those are mine.
You also just released your sleep album you worked on for the Squarespace. How did you get the idea for that?
I’m hoping that depending on the success of the website, to continue and make it an ongoing thing, but I was approached by Squarespace to do a Super Bowl commercial. They had a bunch of different ideas for me to pick through. We settled on this strange thing, "Sleeping Tapes." Just the title was so archaic: you know, "tapes," that’s something from out of the past. So I started to really get more excited about it. My dear friend Lou Beach designed the cover and the four stories I read are his stories. We had Doug Sax, the guy who mastered Pink Flyod’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”
What was that process like, creating music to put people to sleep?
So you know the one where my wife comes in? So I’m out on the side of our house there in the morning doing -- [breaks into humming] -- just humming. And I end it, and she comes out and goes “What are you doing? You’re doing the ‘Sleep Tapes’ now?” And this is all like real time, so that’s on [the album track].
A lot of it’s done on an iPhone. I wanted it to have a funky feeling, not knowing where the mic is. Then mixing that with some things we did in the studio, some things we did on field recordings. We got to hike into Mescal Canyon, that’s the B Side. We had a ball. Then the clincher of the whole thing, the most important aspect of it is that all the sales goes to support No Kid Hungry. That’s a wonderful campaign all about ending childhood hunger in our country and not many people know how serious a problem it is.
"Seventh Son" opens Feb. 6.
That's Bridges' role in "Seventh Son," an adventure fantasy that reunites the actor with his former "Big Lebowski" co-star Julianne Moore. She plays an evil witch-dragon hybrid and he's John Gregory, aka the Spook. (Sadly, they don't have a bowling dream sequence again.) But besides strangling giant bears and blowing glitter into a possessed child's face, Bridges has also recorded an album to help people fall asleep. (Hey, why not?) HuffPost Entertainment sat down with the Oscar winner to listen to him hum and find out how The Dude inspired many of his recent roles.
You’ve said before that you like to resist working unless you’re really intrigued by a project. What was it about this film?
I’m a big fan of myth, of Joseph Campbell and author Robert Johnson. Myths are these ancient stories that, if we pay attention to them, we can learn quite a bit about our current situation. This is the myth of the Seventh Son having special powers. That was intriguing. And reading Joseph Delaney's book The Spook's Apprentice, I really enjoyed that. Sergei Bodrov directed our film, knowing that he was going to be the head of this deal, and of course Julianne coming on board.
Did she join the film after you did?
I think so, yeah. Then production designer Dante Ferretti ["Shutter Island," "Gangs of New York"] doing the sets. Seeing his sets just transcended all my expectations. Jackie West ["Argo"], the costume designer, and then Ben [Barnes], he was wonderful to work with. So it all came together like that.
What was it like working with Julianne again?
There was a sense of having a long weekend between jobs, but it’s been 17 years. She remembers it very well because she was pregnant during “The Big Lebowski” and her son’s now 17 years old, so that’s a constant reminder.
Image via Tumblr
Have you kept in touch since?
A little bit. We’ve bumped into each other. It’s wonderful to play with her again. Even today was just a joy, the interviews, sitting in a room where you do one after another, 60, 70 times. But to have a playmate there, that makes it all the more fun.
A lot of your recent roles, including this one, have been a wise, mentor-type character, from “True Grit” to "R.I.P.D." and of course "The Giver."
Yeah, right! And I’ve got another movie coming out where I’m kind of a sage-like guy in “The Little Prince,” an animated film.
You’ve been acting for so long, what’s it like to play that type of figure at this point in your career?
That’s funny, I never planned it that way or thought too much about it. It just kind of worked out that way. Even The Dude -- I’ve got a buddy who’s a Zen master, Bernie Glassman. He told me a few years ago, “You realize The Dude, among many Buddhist circles, is considered a Zen master.”
Yeah, there’s the Dudeist religion!
I said, "What are you talking about man!" He said, “Yeah, the movie is full of modern day kōans. Look who directed the film, the Co-ahn brothers.” [Laughs] And we ended up writing a book called The Dude and the Zen Master. So that’s been in the cards, that character.
Image via Tumblr
There’s even a scene in this where your character is sitting and meditating in the mountains. Is that something you filter into a lot of your roles?
Maybe so. I don’t know if it’s coincidence or fate that that aspect of my own life -- that’s kind of the first way I approach all the characters I play. What are some aspects that line up with my own life? Sometimes I’ll magnify those or kick them to the curb. Meditation is something I’m interested in and that applied to some of these recent characters. “The Giver,” I guess, probably did a lot of meditation.
You’re also doing more movies that attract a younger audience. Do you have a lot of interactions with fans of a younger generation?
Oh, yeah. I love that “Lebowski” has these Lebowski fests where it’s whole rooms full of people who love that movie of all different ages. My band, The Abiders -- our name is taken from that movie -- we’ve played several of the fests. It’s great to see that movie lives on and has an audience like that. When it came out not many people saw it.
While you were making it did you have any idea --
Oh, yeah, it was funny as hell. And the Coen brothers are masters. But it was a bigger hit in Europe and then started to pick up steam. That’s one of my favorite movies, whether I was in it or not.
Do you still have any of The Dude’s wardrobe from the film, a lot of which was famously taken from your own closet at the time? The Japanese baseball tee? The jelly shoes?
Yeah, yeah, I stole that from my brother Beau, the shirt, I’ve got that. And those jelly sandals, those are mine.
You also just released your sleep album you worked on for the Squarespace. How did you get the idea for that?
I’m hoping that depending on the success of the website, to continue and make it an ongoing thing, but I was approached by Squarespace to do a Super Bowl commercial. They had a bunch of different ideas for me to pick through. We settled on this strange thing, "Sleeping Tapes." Just the title was so archaic: you know, "tapes," that’s something from out of the past. So I started to really get more excited about it. My dear friend Lou Beach designed the cover and the four stories I read are his stories. We had Doug Sax, the guy who mastered Pink Flyod’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”
What was that process like, creating music to put people to sleep?
So you know the one where my wife comes in? So I’m out on the side of our house there in the morning doing -- [breaks into humming] -- just humming. And I end it, and she comes out and goes “What are you doing? You’re doing the ‘Sleep Tapes’ now?” And this is all like real time, so that’s on [the album track].
A lot of it’s done on an iPhone. I wanted it to have a funky feeling, not knowing where the mic is. Then mixing that with some things we did in the studio, some things we did on field recordings. We got to hike into Mescal Canyon, that’s the B Side. We had a ball. Then the clincher of the whole thing, the most important aspect of it is that all the sales goes to support No Kid Hungry. That’s a wonderful campaign all about ending childhood hunger in our country and not many people know how serious a problem it is.
"Seventh Son" opens Feb. 6.
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Adriana Lima Stuns In A Cutout Dress
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Tom Hanks And Rita Wilson Divorce Rumor Is 'Utter Rubbish'
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are not getting a “$400 million divorce,” despite another ridiculous story from Star, an outlet that seems to fabricate bogus divorce cover stories whenever it gets bored.
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You Have To See Emma Stone React To Hearing She Looks Beautiful
Emma Stone may be nominated for a dramatic turn in "Birdman," but she's still one of the funniest actresses around.
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8 Behind-The-Scenes Stories You've Never Heard About The Backstreet Boys
"So many people, even my friends in high school, were like, it's never going to amount to anything. It's just lost hope and fleeting dreams. And thankfully they were wrong," A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys told The Huffington Post during an interview to promote the band's new documentary, "Show 'Em What You're Made Of." After selling more than 130 million albums worldwide and becoming the best-selling boy band in history, those high school friends, including Ryan Gosling, were certainly wrong.
You might have been an avid fan of the group while growing up -- learning their songs during piano class and having the Burger King action figures of the band from when they did a Marvel comic, for instance -- but probably haven't given too too much thought to the Backstreet Boys since. If that's the case, the documentary is a surprisingly satisfying deep look into the band's early days and current status. Funny stories and pictures are shared, the trivia is often crazy (the band watched porn together) and relationship dynamics you really should have picked up on as a tween obsessive seem to be presented honestly for the camera. The documentary, directed by Stephen Kijak, isn't just a weak nostalgia trip, but legitimately compelling. Backstreet's back, all right?
HuffPost spoke to both McLean and Kevin Richardson, the oldest member of the band -- who joined after working as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Aladdin at Disney World -- both of whom explained some key moments from the Backstreet Boys past. Ahead, eight stories you've never fully heard before about the boy band that was larger than life:
1. Ryan Gosling was almost in the Backstreet Boys when they were first starting out.
![85224424]()
As you should remember, Gosling used to be a Mouseketeer. (Looking back at those early tapes with Justin Timberlake, it's certainly hard to see him later beating a man to a pulp in "Drive.") Gosling -- along with other Mouseketeers -- used to live in the same rent-controlled building as McLean, who invited Gosling to be in McLean's new band one day on the basketball court.
"Basically, when I first moved to central Florida from south Florida, where I was born and raised, I was living in this apartment complex along with Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and two other Mouseketeers," McLean said. "My apartment was literally adjacent to a racquetball-slash-basketball court, so I was out there everyday after school shooting hoops. Ryan and I became friends just playing basketball together. Literally right around that time is when I went through the audition process and I was the very first Backstreet Boy to ever be put in the group -- which was actually in 1992."
McLean said he jokingly suggested to Gosling that the actor join their group. "He just kind of nodded and was like, 'Huh,'" McLean recalled.
Gosling would later tell Celebuzz in 2013 that he thought this new boy band would be too much like New Kids on the Block. In the end, Gosling admitted he was wrong not to join the group.
"It would have been very very different if Ryan Gosling was in the Backstreet Boys I would have to say," McLean added. Gosling started his own band in the late 2000s, Dead Man's Bones, which actually ended up being pretty good.
2. The Backstreet Boys used to watch porn together.
![112493385]()
The Backstreet Boys original founder, Lou Pearlman, would have the boys over to his house to hang out on a regular basis. According to McLean and Richardson, this house had things that particularly appeal to young kids, such as the original Darth Vader and C-3PO behind glass, Shaq's first basketball shoes, a vintage Coca-Cola machine, a Yoo-hoo machine and a pool table. "Hanging over at Lou's was like going to Disney Land. He had every freaking toy you could imagine," McLean said. Richardson mentioned big life events were enjoyed over at the house too. "When one of us would have a birthday party it would always be at Lou's house."
One of these big life events was watching porn, where Howie Dorough saw a girl kissing a girl for the first time.
"That was just kind of what young boys would do," McLean said. "One night all five of us were just -- Lou was on a phone call or something -- and the five of us were going through the laser disc shit and we found a porno, popped it on and it was just hilarious. We all just sat there and were watching it. That was Howie's first time seeing a girl kiss a girl. It was almost like being in a fraternity. That was like a frat party minus the drinking and the chicks. It was just fun, you know."
"Occasionally, we would sneak into Lou's stuff," Richardson added. "Back then you didn't have DVDs, you had laser-discs. They look like a big LP record and you'd put them in and occasionally one of the guys would throw in a pornographic film and we'd all be like, 'Ooooohh.' But for the most part it was just good clean fun over there. We had a blast."
In 2007, a Vanity Fair investigative article deemed Pearlman to have a "passion for boys" and referenced how Pearlman showed teenagers pornographic material. According to the piece, McLean's mother said that Nick Carter had an event at the house that made Carter particularly uncomfortable. HuffPost did not bring up this instance with the Backstreet Boys, but McLean did have this to say about Lou's house:
3. Nick Carter and AJ McLean got in a fist fight over "Mario Kart."
![77584821]()
A few of the Backstreet Boys shared the same apartment for awhile, where they'd all hang out and play video games. One time a game of "Mario Kart" got particularly heated between Carter and McLean.
"I think Nick got mad and threw the remote at AJ and they just locked up and started rolling around the floor," Richardson said. "And it was really funny they were both really young. Nobody got really injured or anything, but I think maybe they scuffed up their faces a little bit. Some carpet burn, something like that. But no real injuries occurred."
According to Richardson, the fight went on for a couple minutes and there was no clear winner. It was mostly all in good fun. "Yeah, we broke them up. We let them go for a little bit and laughed at them, then me and Brian broke them up. We were like brothers so we had a lot a lot of passion for what we do," he said. "Sometimes it gets heated, but at the same time we all love each other."
On the Backstreet Boys Cruise in 2014, Nick Carter actually played a fan in "Mario Kart" and said he used to play it all the time. There was no fist fight after this round.
4. The Backstreet Boys were paid relatively nothing for the first few years, being forced to live on a "McDonald's diet."
![112920670]()
Pearlman ended up going to jail for running a huge Ponzi scheme, but before his empire collapsed, he was exploiting the Backstreet Boys throughout their early days. The band would sell out stadiums and receive relatively no money for their performances.
"Obviously, most of us all were all really young. Nick and I were still in school, so you know, X amount of dollars -- even if it was $100 -- is a lot to a 14-, 15-year-old back in the day," McLean said. "I don't exactly recall the exact amount that it was, but we were on a weekly per diem that we were living on, just for like food during rehearsals. I was living on the McDonald's diet for the better portion of probably six or seven years of our career."
In the Vanity Fair article about Pearlman, specific numbers are given for how much Pearlman was paying them throughout their rise:
Richardson told HuffPost that $12,000 a year seemed correct. "Lou was very good at [cough] keeping us happy when we were off the road," he said. "He'd call us all and say, 'Hey, I'm picking you up, let's go have dinner.' There wasn't a lot of expenses, we didn't have a lot of living expenses because we were traveling and working so much."
Much of the insult the Backstreet Boys felt was that Lou was splitting his time with new projects. "That on top of the fact that NSYNC learned from our mistakes, in a sense that when they were working for Lou," McLean explained. "Lou was not 1/6th of them like he was with us. So anything, anything we made, Lou made the same exact amount. And Brian obviously was the catalyst for the lawsuit and it really made his stomach turn upside down."
Talking about when they realized Pearlman had done this to them, McLean said, "I've kind of compared it to if your parents are married for 20 plus years and your dad just comes home one day and sits you all down and says, 'Oh, by the way, I've been having affairs with hookers for the last 20 years.'"
5. AJ McLean tried cocaine for the first time right before filming "The Call" music video.
![75988788]()
The Backstreet Boys maintained a clean-cut image, but McLean was known as the wild one. What wasn't exactly known at the time was that McLean was starting to experiment with drug use during the band's height, even being visibly high on cocaine during "The Call" music video, perhaps explaining the sunglasses at night look.
"We knew that the video shoot was going to be only a night shoot and I had just gotten dinner and I had a few glasses of wine and I went back to my room to kind of just laid down for a little bit," he said. "I definitely wasn't drunk or even tipsy, I was just tired because I knew that my solo call time was like 3:30 in the morning. So I got back from dinner around 9 p.m. and I was exhausted and my buddy was like 'Well, I've got something that will be a little pick me up.'"
At first he was worried that the cocaine would kill him instantly. The '80s college basketball star, Len Bias, who was drafted second in the NBA Draft and then died of a cocaine overdose just days later, was on the singer's mind.
"I was in total fear of doing this because I was thinking what if I do it once and I fucking drop dead," McLean said. "And I did it and I liked it and I did a couple bumps off of my room key. Then I was up ... I went to the video shoot. I was in the makeup chair. I was just a chatterbox and I confided in my makeup artist, 'Dude, I'm on fucking coke right now. I'm freaking out. I don't know what to do.'"
McLean said he didn't tell anyone else in the band, however, and still managed to shoot the video without any problems. "Fortunately, for the video we are not lip syncing, we're not dancing, we're just kind of acting," he said. "So, I pulled it off and nobody ever knew. No one was ever wiser. But unfortunately after that night, my body had gotten a taste of something new and I was hooked."
6. During the height of Backstreet Boys fame, AJ McLean had VIP status at a Florida strip club and played topless bowling with the strippers. (He'd also run around naked through hotels.)
![75529808]()
By now, McLean's closest friend was starting to worry about him, but the party continued on.
"At that point I had kind of, I wouldn't say partial ownership, but like VIP status at a strip club back in Orlando," McLean said. "I knew all the girls and I basically had them come over to the bowling alley after they got off work and we just had topless bowling. We drank heavily and did a lot of drugs and my best friend just sat there and watched and was just mortified. Because this was one of the first times he'd ever really seen me party. And obviously I had offered him stuff and he was like, 'No I'm good,' which is why we've been best friends for almost 20 years. He's stood by me through all the hardships."
McLean said by that point he felt like a "god." He had also attracted a lot of hangers-on and leeches trying to get him to keep on partying since he could fund everything. To try and not make his drug use a problem for the rest of the band, however, McLean would mostly just party by himself in whatever hotel they were staying in while on tour.
"I think the craziest rock star thing that I would do would be maybe streaking down the hallway of a hotel. I got locked out of my room twice naked. That would be the extent of my rockstarness," he said. "But believe it or not, I did a lot of my partying alone, as sad as it is to say. Because even though it was a bad way to live, I didn't want to be out in public and I didn't want to embarrass myself or the group or put myself in harm's way. Obviously, looking back on it, I could have done a hell of a lot more, but I'm glad that I didn't, because I'd either be dead, institutionalized, or in jail.
7. Brian Littrell was "almost a father figure" to Nick Carter, and the two were inseparable.
![111186811]()
Nick Carter was almost a decade younger than the oldest member of the band, Kevin Richardson, and about a half a decade younger than Brian Littrell. The two would kind of good cop/bad cop parent him, and as Littrell was the former of those two roles, Carter really latched on to him as someone to look up to -- a "big brother" and "father figure" according to McLean.
"Those two were two peas in a pod. They were Frick and Frack, which fans had nicknamed them," McLean said. "They were inseparable. Basketball. Video games. If you didn't know where Brian was, just ask for where Nick is. That's how it was for years. And I think because of what Nick's gone through with his family and losing parents in the sense that they divorced and just all the stuff he's been through with his family over the years. He looked up to Brian."
"Brian and Nick have a special relationship," Richardson added. "Nick idolized Brian in the group. When we were first starting out, when we were really young they bonded. They were inseparable. They were real tight in the beginning. Brian is a really good athlete, he's a great basketball player. Brian used to play hoops all the time, whatever country we were in. If we had any time off they'd be like, 'All right, we're leaving the hotel, we'll find a gym and play basketball,' and that's what they did. And a lot of times Nick's mother and father were not out on the road with him even though they were supposed to be and we basically parented Nick."
In "Show 'Em What You're Made Of," Carter gets in a fight with Littrell, saying he's no longer afraid of him and that he's a "dick." This fight actually went on for much longer than is shown in the movie, but in the end, Carter came around and admited that he always thought of Littrell as Michael Jordan and himself as Scottie Pippen. It seemed as if Carter almost needed Littrell in his life at this point as a parent figure and mentor. But as Littrell started growing up -- he got married -- the changes made things difficult for Carter.
"Brian was growing up as all of us do and starting his own life, I think it really really broke Nick's heart," McLean explained. "Because then it was all about Brian and Leighanne [Littrell's wife] and it wasn't Brian and Nick anymore. It wasn't that Frick and Frack relationship anymore. And I think that really started this downward spiral for Nick as far as the relationship between him and Brian. And for years after that I think Nick was always intimidated a little bit by Brian."
8. Fans would go through crazy measures to get close to the Backstreet Boys, even sneaking into hotels and tour buses.
![53068634]()
Fans would follow the Backstreet Boys venue to venue, and learned all of the group's tricks for trying to escape fans' attempts to get as close to the band as possible.
"There are moments where we'd come back from the show and we would normally do a 'quick out' from the venue," Richardson said. "That's when as soon as we leave the stage, we run and we jump in a van before the band even stops playing. The final drumbeat and the lights go out, we've already left the venue. So we go straight to the hotel and a lot of times we'd have police escorts and stuff like that."
Richardson explained how fans had left early from the concert knowing the Backstreet Boys would do the same. Sometimes, they'd even make it up to their hotel rooms.
"Well, a knock was at my door and I thought it was our wardrobe person so, I have a towel wrapped around me and I got my clothes in a bag, so I open the door to hand them the bag, and it was like five fans," Richardson said. "Somehow they had got on our floor. They were like [Richardson makes screaming noise]. And I was like, 'Okay, that is not our wardrobe assistant.'"
BSB loved their fans, but at times it certainly got a bit intense...
![TK TK gifs]()
In an interview with MTV Buzzworthy, the band was asked about the weirdest or craziest fan moment. Brian Littrell responded, "Some fan stuck a knife under Nick Carter’s hotel room to see if he was in there!" McLean elaborated, "Some girl slipped a note under his door, and he went to reach for it and all of a sudden a knife slipped in!"
Another time a fan stowed away in their bus and offered the band something she really shouldn't have, as Littrell explained in that MTV interview:
McLean also chimed in for this one: "The [same] German girl that stowed away on the bus," he said, "she gave us two gold rings that turned out to be her parents' wedding rings!"
The Backstreet Boys certainly loved and love their fans, but talking with them, you certainly get the sense that maybe, just a few times, it was just a bit too much.
"There were always fans getting on the floors and knocking on our doors throughout the night," Richardson told HuffPost. "Especially in Spain and America, there'd be like 10,000 to 15,000 fans outside the hotel, singing our songs all night, through the night. I mean, I'm talking until 5 a.m., they were singing, serenading us under our hotel windows as we were in our room. And that, that was beautiful and amazing and at the same time it was really weird."
All images Getty unless otherwise noted.
You might have been an avid fan of the group while growing up -- learning their songs during piano class and having the Burger King action figures of the band from when they did a Marvel comic, for instance -- but probably haven't given too too much thought to the Backstreet Boys since. If that's the case, the documentary is a surprisingly satisfying deep look into the band's early days and current status. Funny stories and pictures are shared, the trivia is often crazy (the band watched porn together) and relationship dynamics you really should have picked up on as a tween obsessive seem to be presented honestly for the camera. The documentary, directed by Stephen Kijak, isn't just a weak nostalgia trip, but legitimately compelling. Backstreet's back, all right?
HuffPost spoke to both McLean and Kevin Richardson, the oldest member of the band -- who joined after working as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Aladdin at Disney World -- both of whom explained some key moments from the Backstreet Boys past. Ahead, eight stories you've never fully heard before about the boy band that was larger than life:
1. Ryan Gosling was almost in the Backstreet Boys when they were first starting out.
As you should remember, Gosling used to be a Mouseketeer. (Looking back at those early tapes with Justin Timberlake, it's certainly hard to see him later beating a man to a pulp in "Drive.") Gosling -- along with other Mouseketeers -- used to live in the same rent-controlled building as McLean, who invited Gosling to be in McLean's new band one day on the basketball court.
"Basically, when I first moved to central Florida from south Florida, where I was born and raised, I was living in this apartment complex along with Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling and two other Mouseketeers," McLean said. "My apartment was literally adjacent to a racquetball-slash-basketball court, so I was out there everyday after school shooting hoops. Ryan and I became friends just playing basketball together. Literally right around that time is when I went through the audition process and I was the very first Backstreet Boy to ever be put in the group -- which was actually in 1992."
McLean said he jokingly suggested to Gosling that the actor join their group. "He just kind of nodded and was like, 'Huh,'" McLean recalled.
Gosling would later tell Celebuzz in 2013 that he thought this new boy band would be too much like New Kids on the Block. In the end, Gosling admitted he was wrong not to join the group.
"It would have been very very different if Ryan Gosling was in the Backstreet Boys I would have to say," McLean added. Gosling started his own band in the late 2000s, Dead Man's Bones, which actually ended up being pretty good.
2. The Backstreet Boys used to watch porn together.
The Backstreet Boys original founder, Lou Pearlman, would have the boys over to his house to hang out on a regular basis. According to McLean and Richardson, this house had things that particularly appeal to young kids, such as the original Darth Vader and C-3PO behind glass, Shaq's first basketball shoes, a vintage Coca-Cola machine, a Yoo-hoo machine and a pool table. "Hanging over at Lou's was like going to Disney Land. He had every freaking toy you could imagine," McLean said. Richardson mentioned big life events were enjoyed over at the house too. "When one of us would have a birthday party it would always be at Lou's house."
One of these big life events was watching porn, where Howie Dorough saw a girl kissing a girl for the first time.
"That was just kind of what young boys would do," McLean said. "One night all five of us were just -- Lou was on a phone call or something -- and the five of us were going through the laser disc shit and we found a porno, popped it on and it was just hilarious. We all just sat there and were watching it. That was Howie's first time seeing a girl kiss a girl. It was almost like being in a fraternity. That was like a frat party minus the drinking and the chicks. It was just fun, you know."
"Occasionally, we would sneak into Lou's stuff," Richardson added. "Back then you didn't have DVDs, you had laser-discs. They look like a big LP record and you'd put them in and occasionally one of the guys would throw in a pornographic film and we'd all be like, 'Ooooohh.' But for the most part it was just good clean fun over there. We had a blast."
In 2007, a Vanity Fair investigative article deemed Pearlman to have a "passion for boys" and referenced how Pearlman showed teenagers pornographic material. According to the piece, McLean's mother said that Nick Carter had an event at the house that made Carter particularly uncomfortable. HuffPost did not bring up this instance with the Backstreet Boys, but McLean did have this to say about Lou's house:
Staying at Lou's house was a sanctuary. After rehearsals we'd all go over there and have Subway or pizza and watch movies ... shoot pool. For a short period of time, Kevin was living there. And you know, Kevin really looked up to Lou like a father figure. Kevin lost his father. It was a lot of fun for the time that we had there. I have no regrets. I have no resentment. I believe there are no mistakes in this world. Even the most catastrophic things that have happened in the entire world I hate to say it, but everything happens for a reason and sometimes we'll never understand that reason.
3. Nick Carter and AJ McLean got in a fist fight over "Mario Kart."
A few of the Backstreet Boys shared the same apartment for awhile, where they'd all hang out and play video games. One time a game of "Mario Kart" got particularly heated between Carter and McLean.
"I think Nick got mad and threw the remote at AJ and they just locked up and started rolling around the floor," Richardson said. "And it was really funny they were both really young. Nobody got really injured or anything, but I think maybe they scuffed up their faces a little bit. Some carpet burn, something like that. But no real injuries occurred."
According to Richardson, the fight went on for a couple minutes and there was no clear winner. It was mostly all in good fun. "Yeah, we broke them up. We let them go for a little bit and laughed at them, then me and Brian broke them up. We were like brothers so we had a lot a lot of passion for what we do," he said. "Sometimes it gets heated, but at the same time we all love each other."
On the Backstreet Boys Cruise in 2014, Nick Carter actually played a fan in "Mario Kart" and said he used to play it all the time. There was no fist fight after this round.
4. The Backstreet Boys were paid relatively nothing for the first few years, being forced to live on a "McDonald's diet."
Pearlman ended up going to jail for running a huge Ponzi scheme, but before his empire collapsed, he was exploiting the Backstreet Boys throughout their early days. The band would sell out stadiums and receive relatively no money for their performances.
"Obviously, most of us all were all really young. Nick and I were still in school, so you know, X amount of dollars -- even if it was $100 -- is a lot to a 14-, 15-year-old back in the day," McLean said. "I don't exactly recall the exact amount that it was, but we were on a weekly per diem that we were living on, just for like food during rehearsals. I was living on the McDonald's diet for the better portion of probably six or seven years of our career."
In the Vanity Fair article about Pearlman, specific numbers are given for how much Pearlman was paying them throughout their rise:
Almost from the moment Pearlman achieved his first real success in the music industry, in 1997, the foundations of his little empire began to quake. It started when one of the Backstreet Boys, Brian Littrell, couldn't understand why he was seeing so little income from their nonstop touring and European record sales; Littrell hired attorneys who calculated that, while Pearlman had taken in several million dollars in revenue since 1993, the five singers had received barely $300,000, about $12,000 per member each year. Littrell sued, and in May 1998, his bandmates joined the litigation; during discovery they learned that, among other things, Pearlman was paid as the sixth member of the band.
Richardson told HuffPost that $12,000 a year seemed correct. "Lou was very good at [cough] keeping us happy when we were off the road," he said. "He'd call us all and say, 'Hey, I'm picking you up, let's go have dinner.' There wasn't a lot of expenses, we didn't have a lot of living expenses because we were traveling and working so much."
Much of the insult the Backstreet Boys felt was that Lou was splitting his time with new projects. "That on top of the fact that NSYNC learned from our mistakes, in a sense that when they were working for Lou," McLean explained. "Lou was not 1/6th of them like he was with us. So anything, anything we made, Lou made the same exact amount. And Brian obviously was the catalyst for the lawsuit and it really made his stomach turn upside down."
Talking about when they realized Pearlman had done this to them, McLean said, "I've kind of compared it to if your parents are married for 20 plus years and your dad just comes home one day and sits you all down and says, 'Oh, by the way, I've been having affairs with hookers for the last 20 years.'"
5. AJ McLean tried cocaine for the first time right before filming "The Call" music video.
The Backstreet Boys maintained a clean-cut image, but McLean was known as the wild one. What wasn't exactly known at the time was that McLean was starting to experiment with drug use during the band's height, even being visibly high on cocaine during "The Call" music video, perhaps explaining the sunglasses at night look.
"We knew that the video shoot was going to be only a night shoot and I had just gotten dinner and I had a few glasses of wine and I went back to my room to kind of just laid down for a little bit," he said. "I definitely wasn't drunk or even tipsy, I was just tired because I knew that my solo call time was like 3:30 in the morning. So I got back from dinner around 9 p.m. and I was exhausted and my buddy was like 'Well, I've got something that will be a little pick me up.'"
At first he was worried that the cocaine would kill him instantly. The '80s college basketball star, Len Bias, who was drafted second in the NBA Draft and then died of a cocaine overdose just days later, was on the singer's mind.
"I was in total fear of doing this because I was thinking what if I do it once and I fucking drop dead," McLean said. "And I did it and I liked it and I did a couple bumps off of my room key. Then I was up ... I went to the video shoot. I was in the makeup chair. I was just a chatterbox and I confided in my makeup artist, 'Dude, I'm on fucking coke right now. I'm freaking out. I don't know what to do.'"
McLean said he didn't tell anyone else in the band, however, and still managed to shoot the video without any problems. "Fortunately, for the video we are not lip syncing, we're not dancing, we're just kind of acting," he said. "So, I pulled it off and nobody ever knew. No one was ever wiser. But unfortunately after that night, my body had gotten a taste of something new and I was hooked."
6. During the height of Backstreet Boys fame, AJ McLean had VIP status at a Florida strip club and played topless bowling with the strippers. (He'd also run around naked through hotels.)
By now, McLean's closest friend was starting to worry about him, but the party continued on.
"At that point I had kind of, I wouldn't say partial ownership, but like VIP status at a strip club back in Orlando," McLean said. "I knew all the girls and I basically had them come over to the bowling alley after they got off work and we just had topless bowling. We drank heavily and did a lot of drugs and my best friend just sat there and watched and was just mortified. Because this was one of the first times he'd ever really seen me party. And obviously I had offered him stuff and he was like, 'No I'm good,' which is why we've been best friends for almost 20 years. He's stood by me through all the hardships."
McLean said by that point he felt like a "god." He had also attracted a lot of hangers-on and leeches trying to get him to keep on partying since he could fund everything. To try and not make his drug use a problem for the rest of the band, however, McLean would mostly just party by himself in whatever hotel they were staying in while on tour.
"I think the craziest rock star thing that I would do would be maybe streaking down the hallway of a hotel. I got locked out of my room twice naked. That would be the extent of my rockstarness," he said. "But believe it or not, I did a lot of my partying alone, as sad as it is to say. Because even though it was a bad way to live, I didn't want to be out in public and I didn't want to embarrass myself or the group or put myself in harm's way. Obviously, looking back on it, I could have done a hell of a lot more, but I'm glad that I didn't, because I'd either be dead, institutionalized, or in jail.
7. Brian Littrell was "almost a father figure" to Nick Carter, and the two were inseparable.
Nick Carter was almost a decade younger than the oldest member of the band, Kevin Richardson, and about a half a decade younger than Brian Littrell. The two would kind of good cop/bad cop parent him, and as Littrell was the former of those two roles, Carter really latched on to him as someone to look up to -- a "big brother" and "father figure" according to McLean.
"Those two were two peas in a pod. They were Frick and Frack, which fans had nicknamed them," McLean said. "They were inseparable. Basketball. Video games. If you didn't know where Brian was, just ask for where Nick is. That's how it was for years. And I think because of what Nick's gone through with his family and losing parents in the sense that they divorced and just all the stuff he's been through with his family over the years. He looked up to Brian."
"Brian and Nick have a special relationship," Richardson added. "Nick idolized Brian in the group. When we were first starting out, when we were really young they bonded. They were inseparable. They were real tight in the beginning. Brian is a really good athlete, he's a great basketball player. Brian used to play hoops all the time, whatever country we were in. If we had any time off they'd be like, 'All right, we're leaving the hotel, we'll find a gym and play basketball,' and that's what they did. And a lot of times Nick's mother and father were not out on the road with him even though they were supposed to be and we basically parented Nick."
In "Show 'Em What You're Made Of," Carter gets in a fight with Littrell, saying he's no longer afraid of him and that he's a "dick." This fight actually went on for much longer than is shown in the movie, but in the end, Carter came around and admited that he always thought of Littrell as Michael Jordan and himself as Scottie Pippen. It seemed as if Carter almost needed Littrell in his life at this point as a parent figure and mentor. But as Littrell started growing up -- he got married -- the changes made things difficult for Carter.
"Brian was growing up as all of us do and starting his own life, I think it really really broke Nick's heart," McLean explained. "Because then it was all about Brian and Leighanne [Littrell's wife] and it wasn't Brian and Nick anymore. It wasn't that Frick and Frack relationship anymore. And I think that really started this downward spiral for Nick as far as the relationship between him and Brian. And for years after that I think Nick was always intimidated a little bit by Brian."
8. Fans would go through crazy measures to get close to the Backstreet Boys, even sneaking into hotels and tour buses.
Fans would follow the Backstreet Boys venue to venue, and learned all of the group's tricks for trying to escape fans' attempts to get as close to the band as possible.
"There are moments where we'd come back from the show and we would normally do a 'quick out' from the venue," Richardson said. "That's when as soon as we leave the stage, we run and we jump in a van before the band even stops playing. The final drumbeat and the lights go out, we've already left the venue. So we go straight to the hotel and a lot of times we'd have police escorts and stuff like that."
Richardson explained how fans had left early from the concert knowing the Backstreet Boys would do the same. Sometimes, they'd even make it up to their hotel rooms.
"Well, a knock was at my door and I thought it was our wardrobe person so, I have a towel wrapped around me and I got my clothes in a bag, so I open the door to hand them the bag, and it was like five fans," Richardson said. "Somehow they had got on our floor. They were like [Richardson makes screaming noise]. And I was like, 'Okay, that is not our wardrobe assistant.'"
BSB loved their fans, but at times it certainly got a bit intense...
In an interview with MTV Buzzworthy, the band was asked about the weirdest or craziest fan moment. Brian Littrell responded, "Some fan stuck a knife under Nick Carter’s hotel room to see if he was in there!" McLean elaborated, "Some girl slipped a note under his door, and he went to reach for it and all of a sudden a knife slipped in!"
Another time a fan stowed away in their bus and offered the band something she really shouldn't have, as Littrell explained in that MTV interview:
After performing in Hamburg, Germany, we had these two women sneak in to our tour bus. Our manager was looking for his bag, he reached for his backpack and felt something weird and it was the girl’s knee! We drove a couple hundred miles with them hiding there!
McLean also chimed in for this one: "The [same] German girl that stowed away on the bus," he said, "she gave us two gold rings that turned out to be her parents' wedding rings!"
The Backstreet Boys certainly loved and love their fans, but talking with them, you certainly get the sense that maybe, just a few times, it was just a bit too much.
"There were always fans getting on the floors and knocking on our doors throughout the night," Richardson told HuffPost. "Especially in Spain and America, there'd be like 10,000 to 15,000 fans outside the hotel, singing our songs all night, through the night. I mean, I'm talking until 5 a.m., they were singing, serenading us under our hotel windows as we were in our room. And that, that was beautiful and amazing and at the same time it was really weird."
All images Getty unless otherwise noted.
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Ashton Kutcher Couldn't Stay Cute Forever
Mila Kunis tells the story of how Ashton Kutcher made her download a dating app early on in their relationship, and accidentally makes him sound like a creep.
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Lance Bass Recalls The Moment He Came Out As Gay To His *NSYNC Bandmates
Newlywed Lance Bass recalled the moment he came out to his *NSYNC bandmates in a HuffPost Live interview that aired this week.
Bass, who tied the knot with husband Michael Turchin in December 2014, said he'd been dating his first boyfriend for just a few weeks when bandmate Joey Fatone spotted the two cuddling by a computer.
"My boyfriend was the only person I'd ever told I was gay, so one person knew at that point," Bass said. "Joey was the second person."
Though Fatone and the other *NSYNC members were ultimately supportive, Bass said he still felt tremendous anxiety when it came to speaking out publicly about his sexuality.
"With *NSYNC, I had four of my best friends with me and their careers in my hands," he said. "I thought if anyone found out I was gay, we'd be the most hated band in the world, and the guys would hate me and I'd be kicked out of the group."
Bass and Turchin's nuptials are the focus of new E! special, "Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding." which airs Feb. 5. The broadcast will reportedly mark the first time a same-sex celebrity wedding has been televised.
Bass, who tied the knot with husband Michael Turchin in December 2014, said he'd been dating his first boyfriend for just a few weeks when bandmate Joey Fatone spotted the two cuddling by a computer.
"My boyfriend was the only person I'd ever told I was gay, so one person knew at that point," Bass said. "Joey was the second person."
Though Fatone and the other *NSYNC members were ultimately supportive, Bass said he still felt tremendous anxiety when it came to speaking out publicly about his sexuality.
"With *NSYNC, I had four of my best friends with me and their careers in my hands," he said. "I thought if anyone found out I was gay, we'd be the most hated band in the world, and the guys would hate me and I'd be kicked out of the group."
Bass and Turchin's nuptials are the focus of new E! special, "Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding." which airs Feb. 5. The broadcast will reportedly mark the first time a same-sex celebrity wedding has been televised.
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