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Birth of the Vibrator: Tanya Wexler Explains ‘Hysteria’
Tanya Wexler, the director of “Hysteria,” takes on the history of the vibrator — yeah, that vibrator — in her new film, which opens on Friday. "Hysteria" stars Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal as, respectively, a doctor inventing the vibrator and a young feminist finding her way to self-expression.
Coming from a show-business family – the niece of famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler and the half-sister of Daryl Hannah – Wexler has the fearlessness of a busker, along with four kids and a partner-wife. She wanted to tell a light comedy, she says in a chat with Sharon Waxman.
SW: What made you want to make a romantic comedy about the invention of vibrator in Victorian England? Aren’t you a serious filmmaker?
Also read: 'Hysteria' Review: Nothing Like a Feel-Good Victorian Vibrator Comedy
TW: I was at the point where I had a lot of small kids, and I was exhausted. My emotional energy was very limited. And I wanted to laugh. They told me the idea, and I laughed.
So my first goal was to make a pleasurable romantic comedy that delivered on that level first, about a topic that said something to me.
Also, it’s a thinking woman’s romantic comedy – it’s for a night out with girlfriends. I wasn’t interested in the Battle of the Sexes in that way. I made a feminist romantic comedy about a guy. Could have been 'Education of Mortimer Granville.' The joke is, the vibrator was invented for a guy, a labor-saving device for a guy.
SW: That is pretty funny. Hugh Dancy plays a doctor who is looking for a way past having to physically stimulate these women who are, in fact, sexually frustrated. Is that how it happened historically?
TW: The plot is lifted from screwball comedy. We used the facts to reverse-engineer and build a story. The facts are that a doctor called Mortimer Granville invented the first electric vibrator. He invented it for muscles. But within three months there were doctors treating women for hysteria by “manual massage to paroxysm” – immediately using his invention to take an hour-long treatment to 10 to 15 minutes. It was a profit center.
SW: Hysteria was a real disease, wasn’t it?
TW: Yes, from the 19th century to the 1940s. The conductor of the score of the movie said his grandmother’s death certificate said the cause of death was hysteria. It was a catch-all diagnosis; some of it was sexual frustration. Nymphomania, frigidity. There was a lot of hormonal imbalance that got diagnosed as that.
SW: And doctors manipulated women to orgasm as a treatment?
TW: If a penis wasn’t involved, it wasn’t sex. It was to bring the uterus back into line. It was a physical malady causing discord.
SW: Let’s talk about filming the orgasms.
TW: We showed four women at different ages having orgasms on screen. I thought, ‘You may never see that (in movies).’ You see sex, and body parts, but you don’t see that many people having fun. We got an R rating. No bad language, no body parts, just people pretending to have orgasms — and we get an R.
SW: There is a lot of latent politics in this film.
TW: It is about empowerment. It is a political film. But the root of it for me was I wanted to laugh and have fun. Maggie as Charlotte is a modern-day Katharine Hepburn character. If I could have been anyone back then, I would have loved to have been Charlotte.
SW: I presume you did a lot of research on the history of the vibrator?
TW: There’s an antique vibrator museum associated with the Good Vibrations store in San Francisco. I gave one to every single person on the cast and crew.
We constantly were having a conversation about the internal and external of it all. I don’t know the Venn diagram about the dildo and the vibrator, but the 1918 Sears catalogue had it as a home-aid every woman appreciates: The mixer, the curling iron and the vibrator. It was like the back massager. When it hit porn is when it went back underground.
SW: Are you worried this movie might pigeonhole you?
TW: No. Now I have movies I have to make. I have stuff I have to say. And I feel much more solid than I would have a decade ago. My strategy is to get it out, and let the audience that is supposed to find it, find it.
We had the hardest time convincing people that there was an audience for it. The people who write the checks (in movie making) are straight white dudes of a certain age. Ninety percent of the women who read the script "got" the movie. All the gay guys who read it "got" the movie. But the 27 people who writes checks didn’t get it: “Uh: What’s the audience?” Answer: “Uh – everybody else.” Sony Pictures Classics has been incredibly supportive. Michael (Barker, SPC co-chairman) saw it in Toronto at 9 a.m. on Friday morning. They were peeing laughing.
SW: You gave everyone on the crew a vibrator?
TW: I did. I gave everyone a bullet vibrator, "Welcome to the shoot." But also like: we’re not gonna pretend. We’re not gonna be in denial. The comedy in the movie is about being in denial. One of the guys was like: "I don’t want the competition." But one of the other guys on the crew said to him, "Don’t think of it as competition, think of it as a member of your team."
Bill Murray and the Moonrise Kingdom Cannes Tween Dance Party
Ain’t no party like a Bill Murray dance party? Vulture had a front row seat at Cannes: “At the request of [Moonrise Kingdom co-star Jared] Gilman, who just had his bar mitzvah and has a taste for dub-step, Bill Murray led the troop onto the dance floor, where the four kids and their accompanying man-child wiggled and jumped around with abandon. It was a scene of such next-level adorability that nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity pulled out a camera phone. ‘We’re just chilling! We’re just chilling!’ Murray shouted out as he put the kibosh on each video in turn. Then he’d go back to more happy wriggling to songs like ‘I’m So Excited.’” [Vulture]
Amber Portwood Released From Jail, Has a Lot on Plate
Amber Portwood has been released from jail. She got sprung yesterday.
The troubled Teen Mom star was placed back behind bars last week after violating the terms of her probation by failing to appear in an Indiana court.
The 22-year-old allegedly lied about a medical condition to get out of a drug test. Her probation officer called the bluff, asking her doctor directly.
Some very sleepy-eyed Amber Portwood mug shots soon followed.
How’s the reality star feeling now that she’s back on the other side?
“OK,” Amber told E! News. “Just hustling. I’ve got a lot on my plate.”
Naturally.
According to her brother, Shawn Portwood, Amber’s “new goal is to join the military.” Yes, apparently he’s serious. “She was going to work hard to get her charge reduced,” added Shawn. “She’s been doing so well.”
The Teen Mom trailer would suggest otherwise, but here’s hoping.
Courtney Stodden as Bo Derek
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Sean Penn Explodes in Cannes: ‘The Whole F—ing World Abandoned Haiti’
Sean Penn accused the media of abandoning Haiti on Friday during a news conference for a benefit for the impoverished country.
"It's not only celebrities who went for a day," he said to a room full of journalists at the Cannes film festival, when asked about his long-term commitment to the country. "It's the whole fucking world. It's all of you."
He added, "The reason we have Haiti fatigue is because there was never a commitment in the first place."
The activist-actor, who spends much of his time in Haiti, said the country finally had a chance to reestablish itself after decades of turmoil. He said that because of the commitment among young people there, "You see the very tangible success story that Haiti can be."
Also read: Cannes 2012: Roman Polanski Tells His Story – ‘How Do You Like Me Now?’
Haiti recently elected a new president, Michel Joseph Martelly, and Penn called on President Obama to meet with him. "It's time our elegant and formidable president stood side by side" with the new president in Haiti, he said.
Penn was at a news conference with Czech supermodel Petra Nemcova and film director Paul Haggis, each of whom have non-profit organizations working in Haiti. They are joining forces with the Cannes Film Festival at a benefit for Haiti on Friday night.
For his part, Haggis hailed Penn as an "honest to God hero" for using his celebrity to address suffering in Haiti.
The Cannes Festival announced just last week that they would officially support a fundraiser for Haiti during the festival, an unusual event since it is not related to any film.
The Carnival in Cannes will be a star-studded event, with Ben Stiller, Gerard Butler, David Schwimmer, Hayley Atwell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jason Clarke expected to attend.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux offered to support Sean Penn’s Haitian Relief Organization, Paul Haggis’ Artists for Peace and Justice and Petra Nemcova’s Happy Heart’s Fund.
An incongruously glamourous set of sponsors include designer Giorgio Armani and the jewelry house Chopard.
Laura Harring Christina Ricci Nadine Velazquez Garcelle Beauvais
Tom Murro Chats With Kris Jenner, Victor Cruz and Bette Midler On The Fox Morning Extra
Celebrity Magnet Tom Murro caught up with the very fun and flirty Kris Jenner at the Pierre Hotel where they supported the Lighthouse International organization to treat the visually impaired. That same night, Tom also spent some time with N.Y. Giants Victor Cruz and Singer Ricky Martin during the Time en Espanol 50 most beautiful [...]
Miley Cyrus Returns Home
Miley Cyrus returned home with her adorable little dog and her mother, Tish, and sister, Brandi. I’m not sure if the trip was meant to be a Cyrus ladies vacation or what, but Miley certainly made quite a splash. She … Continue reading »
CW Redeveloping ‘Hunger Games’-Like ‘Selection’; ‘Deadman’ Not Dead
The CW is redeveloping "The Selection," a "Hunger Games"-like series that it passed on for the 2012-13 season — and the network continues to develop a series about the D.C. comics hero Deadman, network president Mark Pedowitz said Thursday.
Pedowitz spoke to reporters after the network unveiled its 2012-13 lineup to advertisers, including another drama based on a D.C. comics hero, the gritty "Arrow." He said he planned to meet with the producers of "The Selection," based on the book by Kiera Cass, to discuss it. He said it was too soon to say whether the show will be recast. "Friday Night Lights" star Aimee Teegarden had been cast in the lead.
Also read: Can CW's 'The Selection' Catch 'Hunger Games'' Fire?
Like "The Hunger Games," is about a young girl in a futuristic, war-torn nation who is chosen by lottery to compete for fame and fortune against a backdrop of hunger and carnage. Unlike the "Hunger Games"' Katniss Everdeen, the girl at the center of "The Selection" is competing for the affections of a prince, not killing other teenagers.
"Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke, who also created NBC's upcoming "Revolution," is developing the Deadman series.
Susan Sarandon Joins ‘Still of Night’ Opposite Michelle Monaghan
Susan Sarandon is in final negotiations to join "Still of Night," Exclusive Media said Friday.
The Oscar-winning actress would join Michelle Monaghan ("Mission: Impossible III") in the thriller with Jonathan Mostow ("Breakdown") on board to direct.
"Still of Night" follows a young woman (Monaghan) in a desperate search to find her missing sister. After finding herself entangled in a conspiracy, she must outwit a devious criminal (Susan Sarandon) to save herself.
Also read: 'Bladerunner' Writer Cooks Up Sequel Plans
Sarandon has kept busy in recent years, etching memorable supporting roles in films such as Peter Jackson's murder fantasy "The Lovely Bones," "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" and the upcoming financial drama "Arbitrage."
Exclusive Media will finance and produce the film along with writer/director Jonathan Mostow and Steve Alexander ("Season of the Witch")
The project is scheduled to start shooting in August 2012.
Obama Divorce Story: New Book Claims Michelle Nearly Left Barack in 2000
The controversial new biography of President Barack Obama claims that his wife, Michelle Obama, planned to leave the future president in 2000.
Is the divorce story real? Is anything in the book?
The unauthorized biography, which Klein claims is based on nearly 200 interviews, has been dismissed by presidential spokesperson Eric Schultz.
“Ed Klein has a proven history of reckless fabrication in order to sell books,” he said. “Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one.”
Nevertheless, the Obama divorce story is the latest revelation in the book – which also discusses his ex Genevieve Cook – to generate major buzz.
In The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House, out this week, Klein claims the divorce nearly happened eight years into the Obamas’ marriage.
After Obama failed to listen to his wife’s warnings in challenging Bobby Rush for his U.S. House seat in 2000 and got creamed, their relationship cooled.
“During the dark days that followed his defeat, he turned to Michelle for comfort. But she was in no mood for sympathy,” Klein reportedly writes.
“He had refused to listen to her warnings about taking on Rush.”
The primary left them in debt and Barack depressed, Klein claims. “Michelle actually had divorce papers drawn up,” he writes, citing one of her friends.
“Obama was so depressed that some of his friends worried that he was suicidal,” the book adds, without elaboration on that particular point.
Obama, of course, was still in the Illinois State Senate, and went on to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2004 that helped establish his national credentials.
But Michelle almost vetoed the Senate race, too.
Northwestern University professor Steven Rogers told Klein that Obama talked about his ambition after they met at a golf fund-raiser.
“My wife will not allow me to run for the Senate until I clear up the debts from my unsuccessful run for Congress,” Obama said, according to Rogers.
[Photo: WENN.com]
Cannes 2012: ‘Last Days on Mars’ Begins Shooting with Liev Shreiber, Olivia Williams
Qwerty Films and Focus Features International have added Elias Koteas, Tom Cullen, Johnny Harris and Yusra Warsama to the cast of "Last Days on Mars," a sci-fi drama now shooting in Jordan and the UK with a cast that also includes Liev Schreiber and Olivia Williams.
Focus is currently selling rights to the film in the Cannes marketplace for all territories except the UK, where Universal Pictures will handle the release.
"Last Days on Mars" is based on a short story by Sydney J. Bounds about a group of astronauts who discover colonies of bacteria living on the red planet. The story was adapted by Clive Dawson and will be the feature debut of Irish director Ruari Robinson, who won an Oscar nomination for his animated short "Fifty Percent Grey" in 2001.
The project was originally announced at the American Film Market in the fall of 2011.
‘Game of Thrones’ Episodes 8 and 9: Sneak Peek
"Game of Thones" episode 8 is coming — but probably not quickly enough for the fanatical followers of the series. So HBO is sating fans' bloodlust with an enticing look at the upcoming episode, titled "The Prince of Winterfell."
And because it's Friday and everyone deserves a special treat for getting through yet another week, they've tossed in a glimpse of episode 9 as well.
The photo from episode 8 finds Tyrion Lannister hanging out with resident eunuch Varys while doing a little light reading — namely, he's perusing "An History of the Great Sieges of Westeros."
The second photo, from the upcoming episode "Blackwater" (airing May 27), features Bronn preparing to let loose with a flaming arrow.
Take a shot yourself and tell us: What do these shots reveal about the upcoming episodes?
Photos by Helen Sloan
Britney Spears’ ‘X Factor’ Makeover
Photo credit:
Splash News
She was surrounded by friends and family at her Cinco de Mayo party in her Brentwood, Calif., home — her sons were there, as were her fiancé Jason Trawick, her sister Jamie Lynn and even her niece Maddie. So it's no surprise Britney Spears let it all hang out on May 5, wearing rather dumpy jean shorts and splurging on fat-laden Mexican fare like carne asada and guacamole.
CW Plans New Way of Measuring Viewers, Choose-Your-Own Adventure-Style Online Programming
The CW has complained for years that Nielsen ratings don't adequately gauge its young audience, and now the network is doing something about it — by developing its own measurement system.
At its upfront presentation to advertisers Thursday, CW also detailed plans for a new digital studio called CWD, which will be an online source of game shows, comedies, animation and personality-driven shows. One of its features will allow viewers to choose the outcome of a situation, choose-your-own adventure style. Viewers might decide whether a character kisses someone or storms out of the room, for example.
Also read: CW Redeveloping 'Hunger Games'-Like 'The Selection'; 'Deadman' Not Dead
Talking to reporters after the upfront presentation, CW president Mark Pedowitz was secretive about details of the new measurement system, which will measure online views as well as how many people watch TV shows in real time.
He said the CW, which was born five years ago from a union of Warner Bros.' WB and CBS's UPN networks, was not working with any other networks on the system. The network targets viewers 18 to 34, a younger audience than the 18-to-49-year-olds sought by the four biggest broadcasters.
Asked it he hoped the new system would become an industry standard, Pedowitz said, "I think everybody has to make their own choice. I have no idea. … We may just be a very different network from everyone else."
As its ratings slipped this season, the CW noted that its audience is as comfortable with computer and tablet screens as television ones, and watches much of its programming online. It says that at any time 7 percent of its viewers watch shows on its website, CWTV.com.
It has also made streaming deals with Netflix and Hulu that have added to the network's financial stability and made it less reliant on ratings. The Netflix deal alone is expected to earn the CW up to $1 billion, providing a fresh revenue source beyond advertising.
Here are the projects planned for CWD, as described by the CW:
* “Gallery Girl,” a digital animated comedy series showcasing a savvy, cool and acerbic gallerina who gleefully takes down the celebrities who are brave enough to enter her SoHo art gallery. Armed with her deep knowledge of art and an equally deep reserve of sarcastic attitude towards her patrons, Gallery Girl is fearless towards whomever enters her wake. Executive produced by Brad Roth and Mark Feldstein of Stun Creative, an LA-based advertising agency/production company whose previous digital credits include The Single Life (DBG/Dentyne Ice), Jen & Barb Mom Life (Specific Media), The Writers Room (Crackle/Sony) and Obamourage (Atom).
* “Fandemonium,” a combination of a traditional game show and a competition show, where The CW’s 50 million Facebook fans can compete for the title of The CW’s #1 fan, using social media platforms including Pinterest, GetGlue and Klout.
* Untitled Justine Ezarik Project, starring YouTube sensation Justine Ezarik (“iJustine”), who dispenses advice on her vlog to her followers that she can’t quite seem to get right for herself. Executive Producers are The Tannenbaum Co., Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, The Collective and Richie Keen.
* “Stupid Hype" is a live-action series created by and starring “Hart of Dixie” star Wilson Bethel. Earlier this year Bethel wrote and produced Rachel "Thug Lite" Bilson’s online rap debut, “Call Me Doctor,” which went viral almost instantly after posting on Funny or Die. “Stupid Hype,” chronicles the (mis)adventures of a former breakdancer turned rising rap star in 1990. The series will feature original music from Bethel and his super-producer brother Charlie Bethel, aka Chuck Wild, and will be directed by Dugan O’Neal, twisted creative guru behind “Call Me Doctor.”
TOYA WRIGHT AND HER PREMIERE PALS
Reality star Toya Wright was accompanied by her husband Memphitz Wright and her daughter Reginae Carter,13, to last night’s Battleship screening in Atlanta. Other celebrity in attendance for the event were reality star Marlo Hampton, local radio personality Frank Ski …
Mean Cages
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Exclusive Media, Cross Creek Partnership Launches with Liam Neeson Thriller
Exclusive Media has signed a three-year deal with Cross Creek Pictures to finance, develop and produce at least two films a year.
The two companies will split financing, production and development evenly, aiming for budgets up to $65 million.
Cross Creek will control domestic distribution through its deal with Universal Pictures. Exclusive Media will hold its international rights.
The first film under this long-term agreement will be “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” a thriller starring Liam Neeson as an unlicensed private detective hired to find the kidnapped wife of a drug dealer. The former NYPD cop and recovering alcoholic must conquer and harness his own demons to track down the kidnappers.
Scott Frank, who wrote and directed "The Lookout" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, will do the same for this project.
Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher of Double Features Films are producing with Danny Devito’s Jersey Films.
‘“We feel like we won the trifecta by getting the one star who is perfect for Scott’s great script that he was born to direct,” Shamberg and Sher said in a statement.
The film will begin production next February in New York.
Courtney Stodden as Bo Derek
Yesterday at 6:17 am Comments (0)OMG GIRLZ AND DIGGY GET READY FOR ESSENCE FESTIVAL
PHOTOS: Diggy Simmons at Wango Tango 2012
This is the first year in the history of the Essence festival that a fourth day will be added and with that comes another first. The festival will be the stage for new and …
SAMHSA, Department Of Health To Honor Cyndi Lauper At Heroes Of Hope
On May 9, 2012 (that’s tomorrow!) in Washington, D.C., the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will present Heroes of Hope, a tribute in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. During the 2012 Awareness Day, SAMHSA will honor America’s youth who’ve overcome [...]
Amber Portwood Released From Jail, Has a Lot on Plate
Amber Portwood has been released from jail. She got sprung yesterday.
The troubled Teen Mom star was placed back behind bars last week after violating the terms of her probation by failing to appear in an Indiana court.
The 22-year-old allegedly lied about a medical condition to get out of a drug test. Her probation officer called the bluff, asking her doctor directly.
Some very sleepy-eyed Amber Portwood mug shots soon followed.
How’s the reality star feeling now that she’s back on the other side?
“OK,” Amber told E! News. “Just hustling. I’ve got a lot on my plate.”
Naturally.
According to her brother, Shawn Portwood, Amber’s “new goal is to join the military.” Yes, apparently he’s serious. “She was going to work hard to get her charge reduced,” added Shawn. “She’s been doing so well.”
The Teen Mom trailer would suggest otherwise, but here’s hoping.
Reality TV Hits the Cannes Red Carpet
Reality TV is getting the Cannes treatment at the world’s premiere film festival. Italian director Matteo Garrone (pictured above right with actor Nando Paone) brought Reality to the fest’s competition, following up his critically acclaimed gangster pic Gomorrah several years ago. The film centers on a village fisherman who sacrifices everything for the perceived chance to become a reality-television celebrity.
After being persuaded to apply for the Italian version of Big Brother, Luciano gets a follow up interview in Rome. He is initially reluctant to pursue the role, but after an interview he thinks went well, Luciano begins to believe he’s in the running for the series. After returning to Naples, he begins to believe he’s still “being cast” as he goes about his daily life. Soon, he lives as if he’s already on the show. A chance meeting with people from Rome turns into an “incognito casting session,” and soon it gets worse as he loses sense of actual reality.
“After Gomorrah, I was waiting for a theme that would be as powerful,” Garrone said in Cannes on Friday morning. “I wanted a surprising film, but after Gomorrah, I didn’t realize I’d be hitting a brick wall.”
The film is chock full of thematic takeaways, including the religious metaphor that through good works, one can achieve paradise: In the film, Luciano begins to give up his worldly possessions, believing the people secretly watching him will be charmed by his selflessness — much to the horror of his family. Reality could also be an indictment of the meteoric rise of reality television itself over the past decade, though Garrone said the film takes a neutral stance — at least officially.
“We shot the film without trying to be critical in any way,” he said. “The main character…
Philip Roth’s ‘American Pastoral’ Being Made into Movie
Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "American Pastoral" will be made into a movie from director Fisher Stevens.
The book is one of Roth's most critically heralded and offers a look at the social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s as seen through the eyes of a once legendary high school athlete, Seymour “Swede” Levov.
"American Pastoral" helped kick off a career renaissance for the author and is the first novel in Roth’s American postwar trilogy — a grouping that also includes "I Married a Communist" and "The Human Stain."
Film versions of Roth's novels have been hit and miss over the years. "Elegy" (2008), adapted from his "The Dying Animal," was acclaimed, and "Goodbye, Columbus" (1969) helped make Ali MacGraw a star.
However, "The Human Stain," (2003) with Anthony Hopkins improbably playing a man of mixed race, and "Portnoy's Complaint" (1972), which kept Roth's title but not his humor, are generally considered duds.
"American Pastoral" is being backed by Lakeshore Entertainment and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE). Stevens will direct a screenplay by John Romano ("The Lincoln Lawyer").
Stevens is currently directing "Stand Up Guys," starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin for SKE and Lakeshore Entertainment. He won an Oscar for producing the 2010 dolphin hunting documentary, "The Cove."
Jennifer Gareis Laura Harring Christina Ricci Nadine Velazquez
‘Hysteria’ Review: Nothing Like a Feel-Good Victorian Vibrator Comedy
"Hysteria" is a fun fling of a movie about medical science at its shakiest. Literally.
This amusing period comedy chronicles the invention of the vibrator in the late Victorian era, when doctors used early versions of the electrical device to bring women to sexual satisfaction. This was done in the name of treating women thought to be suffering from “hysteria,” a vague diagnostic catch-all that covered pretty much all female complaints from melancholia to mania.
The male doctors, unable even to envision what to them was the then-preposterous notion that women might have sexual needs or could achieve actual orgasm, viewed the vibrator as a scientific device that relieved female patients of built-up, ahem, pressure, leaving them calm and appropriately docile.
As Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), the initially priggish but idealistic young English doctor who first uses the vibrator in “Hysteria,” claims, “It’s strictly a medical treatment that stimulates the nervous system.”
Tell that to the scores of eager female patients crowding his waiting room.
The medical use of electrical vibrators by doctors to cure women’s “hysteria” in the 1800s was also the subject of “In the Next Room,” a well-reviewed, emotionally complex play by Sarah Ruhl that was done on Broadway in 2009 and at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, Ca. in 2010.
Director Tanya Wexler takes a lighter approach in this — let’s just say it — feel good comedy. “Hysteria” is actually more of a romantic comedy, since a major component of its story is how Mortimer finds himself engaged to Emily Dalrymple (Felicity Jones), a proper Victorian maiden, while strongly attracted to radical Charlotte Dalrymple (Maggie Gyllenhaal), her social activist older sister. Both women are the daughters of the pompous, successful establishment physician (Jonathan Pryce) for whom Mortimer works as a junior partner in London.
When a wealthy inventor friend (Rupert Everett) develops the vibrator, Mortimer is quick to grasp its medical potential. He and his fellow physicians had been manually masturbating their female patients before, a practice that required lengthy sessions until patients found relief and which led to cramps and soreness problems from repetitive use in the physician’s fingers and hands. The “percussor,” as Mortimer dubs his vibrator, cuts the time spent with patients down to minutes and relieves the physical stress on the doctor.
“Hysteria” conveys all of this with admirable economy and humor. Just as Mortimer here performs his buzzy medical magic from behind decorous partial curtains which shield the patient from actual view, so the movie deftly suggests more than it actually specifies either visually or verbally.
Dancy makes for an appealing leading man, all shy charm and embarrassment, while Gyllenhaal provides a lively foil, her character merrily challenging Mortimer with her progressive views at every turn.
Historical note: There was an actual J. Mortimer Granville who devised a medical vibrator in 1880, but the movie does little more than appropriate his name, invention and era. The real Granville specified that his vibrators were to be used to relieve commonplace muscle aches and vociferously objected when medical peers began applying his massagers to women’s private parts. (For everything you ever wanted to know about sexually-flavored medical treatment for women during that era, click here.)
Ryan Murphy: No One’s Leaving ‘Glee’
Cast tweeting and the fact that several characters on the show are about to graduate from high school have led to speculation that certain "Glee" cast members might be headed to the unemployment line after Tuesday's season three finale.
Not so, says "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy.
"We had a meeting, and you know, we've become like a family, and I said to them, 'Anybody who wants to stay on the show will stay on the show,'" Murphy told Vulture.com.
"They're all coming back," Murphy continued. "Anyone who is a regular is coming back. Everyone said yes."
Also read: Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker Guesting on 'Glee'
Murphy doesn't guarantee that everyone is coming back for the whole season of the show, which will move from Tuesdays to Thursdays for its fourth season in the fall.
"It doesn't mean everyone will be doing 22 episodes, but everyone wants to stay in our family and our world,'" Murphy said. "I wanted to make sure those actors know that if they want to have a home, they have a home. If they want to explore new and different things while also having a home, that is also an option."
Photo from Fox
Bill Murray and the Moonrise Kingdom Cannes Tween Dance Party
Ain’t no party like a Bill Murray dance party? Vulture had a front row seat at Cannes: “At the request of [Moonrise Kingdom co-star Jared] Gilman, who just had his bar mitzvah and has a taste for dub-step, Bill Murray led the troop onto the dance floor, where the four kids and their accompanying man-child wiggled and jumped around with abandon. It was a scene of such next-level adorability that nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity pulled out a camera phone. ‘We’re just chilling! We’re just chilling!’ Murray shouted out as he put the kibosh on each video in turn. Then he’d go back to more happy wriggling to songs like ‘I’m So Excited.’” [Vulture]
Gloria Estefan on GLEE!
Oh, Glee! You always know how to cast talented celebrities to play parents of these gifted McKinley students… and (as Daniel Tosh would say) for that, we thank you! For the season finale of this hit Fox show on Tuesday at 8 PM ET/PT, big-time musical artist Gloria Estefan will appear as a new Glee [...]
John Travolta’s Mother’s Day Gift To Kelly Preston
Travolta's super romantic directorial debut is a Power Point love letter to wife Kelly Preston that features People magazine covers of the couple and a Barbara Streisand soundtrack. Enjoy?
A mother's day gift from John My husband, Johnny, made his directorial debut creating a special Mother's Day video for me. I was so moved and love it so much that we wanted to share it with all of you. Happy Mother’s Day to anyone who mothers a child. Directed by John Travolta Photos by:
by Kelly Preston
Love, Kelly
Edited by Mike Falkow
Song by Barbra Streisand “That Face”
Andrew Macpherson
Michael Doven
K&K Photography
Sante D'Orazio
Robin Layton
Michael Williams
Ron Phillips
Tracee Falkow
Jeff Vespa
Andrew Matusik
Yariv Milchan
LINK: via DListed – Another Day, Another Story About How John Travolta Tried To Get Himself Some Peen
Did Justin Bieber Dump Selena Gomez?
For the past few months, everything has seemed beyond hunky dory for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez.
They’ve been spotted holding hands, Rachel Barnes has said they are adorable, they kissed each other in front of 20,000 people at the Lakers game.
But then the following Tweet appeared on Bieber’s account last night, sent out to over 21 million followers before quickly being deleted:
This is all the information we have at this time, but it’s hard not to read something rather cryptic and Selena-related into those words, wouldn’t you say?
Could Justin have been referring to Gomez when he told GQ this month that you simply can’t trust anyone? We’ll update this story as more news breaks.
Cannes 2012: Paul Schrader To Write Kremlin-Financed Russian Ballerina Drama
Paul Schrader, writer of “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull,” has signed to write a drama about Mathilde Kschessinska, a famed Russian ballerina and mistress to the last Russian tsar, in a ground-breaking project backed by the Kremlin.
Producers David American producers David Weisman and Anatoly Davydov announced the project at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
The film will be financed by the V. Vinokur Fund for the Support of Russian Culture & Arts under the auspices of the Kremlin, and is an unusual collaboration between a renowned American screenwriter and a Russian-backed production.
The film will be shot in English with a mixed Russian and American cast.
Kschessinska played mistress to at least four aristocratic men who controlled the crumbling Romanov dynasty, including Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II. Rising from poverty, through her extraordinary gift for ballet, Kschessinska lived a life of luxury on the cusp of the Russian revolution.
“Kschessinska’s life is a powerful metaphor for Russian culture and evokes the best of Russian arts,” said Schrader. “She was a first native prima ballerina in the country that saw the highest achievement in that art form. She was not only a witness to the critical period of Russian history, she was a player in that history, only to be thrown aside.”
Said Weisman: “Kschessinska was worshipped and reviled,” said Weisman. “Nicknames such as ‘Black-eyed She-Devil of the Imperial Ballet’ and ‘Mathilde the Magnificent’ echo the seething jealousy and boundless admiration Kschessinska provoked during her time. Having narrowly escaped the Bolshevik bloodbath, for fifty years she taught ballet in Paris where she died only a few months before her hundredth birthday, in 1971.”
Schrader is the legendary writer of “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull.” His directing credits include “American Gigolo” and “Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters.”
Ratings: ABC Hits Lows; Fox Wins Night With ‘American Idol’
The season finale for CBS' 'Criminal Minds' enjoyed a considerable boost Wednesday night, while ABC suffered a series of lows and Fox took a decisive if predictable win with "American Idol," according to preliminary numbers.
Fox easily took first place in ratings and total viewers with an average 4.8 rating/14 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and 17.3 million total viewers. The network ran "American Idol" from 8 to 10, which rose 7 percent from last week's episode.
CBS took second place in ratings and total viewers with an average 2.7/8 in the demo and 10.4 million total viewers. The network ran repeats with the exception of the "Criminal Minds" season finale at 9, which grew 21 percent in the demo for a 3.5/10 and drew 13.5 million total viewers.
ABC came in third in ratings and total viewers with an average 2.3/6 in the demo and 6.6 million total viewers. The network saw declines across the board, save for "The Middle" at 8, which nonetheless tied for a series low in the demo with a 1.9/6, and took 6.5 million total viewers.
The "Suburgatory" finale at 8:30 dropped 14 percent in the demo from last week for a 1.8/6 — its lowest demo performance to date — and received 5.4 million total viewers. "Modern Family" at 9 dipped 11 percent in the demo to a season low of 3.9/11, and drew 9.3 million total viewers.
"Don't Trust the B—- in Apt. 23" at 9:30 was also down, dropping 13 percent in the demo to tie a low of 2.3/6, with 4.8 million total viewers. "Revenge" at 10 dropped 9 percent in the demo for its lowest showing to date, a 2.0/5, and received 6.8 million total viewers.
Univision took fourth place in ratings and fifth in total viewers with an average 1.5/4 in the demo and 3.8 million. "Una Familia Con Suerte" at 8 drew a 1.5/5 in the demo and 3.6 million total viewers, while "Abismo de Pasion" the following hour posted a 1.5/4 in the demo and 3.7 million total viewers. "La Que No Podia Amar" at 10 received a 1.6/4 in the demo and 4 million total viewers.
NBC came in fifth in the demo and fourth in total viewers with an average 1.3/4 and 4.5 million. "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" at 8 posted a 1.4/5 in the demo and 5.1 million total viewers, while a second episode at 8:30 drew a 1.5/5 and 5.4 million total viewers. Following a "Law & Order: SVU" repeat at 9, an original airing of the series drew a 1.7/5 and 5.5 million total viewers.
