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Actor Musicians and Musician Actors Part 4: Hugh Laurie, James Denton and Greg Grunberg a.k.a. The Band From TV

Posted on August 15, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Band from TV featuring James Denton, Greg Grunberg and Hugh Laurie
Band from TV featuring James Denton (on the left), Greg Grunberg (right) and Hugh Laurie (lying).Image from 22dakika.org

When you are talented and have the time and money to pursue your hobby, it would be a shame not to just give it a shot. Well, it is very common for musicians to step into acting, and for actors to play in bands. Some even get successful enough to overshadow their acting careers and some just have a blast. Previously I covered Kevin Bacon, Keanu Reeves and Jon Bon Jovi, John Travolta, Bruce Willis; David Bowie and Shane West. Here are 3 more rockin’ actors
James Denton, Hugh Laurie and Greg Grunberg appeared in movies alright but they didn’t shoot to fame and stardom until they got leading or co-starring roles on hit TV shows. They formed the band to help raise money for charities, but they are also having a blast. The band also features other celebrities, but I’ll be talking about these 3 men a lot of us know and like.

James Denton has been playing Mike Delfino on Desperate Housewives since the show first aired in 2004. He has been the love interest of Susan (Teri Hatcher).Mike and Susan had their ups and downs but they are currently happily married. James is not one of the housewives- obviously- but the show just wouldn’t be the same without this ruggedly handsome plumber named Mike. His character also joins some jamming sessions with the husbands/boyfriends of the other housewives on several episodes. Old D

You might also catch a younger James in the movie That Old Feeling starring Bette Middler and Dennis Farina.

Greg Grunberg might have increased his popularity with his character Matt in the TV series Heroes but I first saw and liked him as the adorable CIA agent Eric Weiss, best friend and partner of Michael Vaughn in Alias.

Hugh Laurie: And, if you haven’t caught at least caught one glimpse of Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House in House, I would really have to ask you what rock you’d been hiding under for the past 6 years!

So as very cleverly called The Band from TV, these men rock out to their liking. Being a good singer, piano and guitar player are not only talents of actor Hugh Laurie- he is also a published author of a crime novel.

Related Posts

Actor Musicians and Musician Actors: Keanu Reeves, Jon Bon Jovi, Kevin Bacon

Actor Musicians and Musician Actors, part 2: John Travolta and Bruce Willis

Actor musicians and musician actors, part 3: Shane West and David Bowie

Desperate Housewives starring Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and James Denton

Alias starring Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan

Other Posts feat. Hugh Laurie and House

Absolute Hugh Laurie and House Trivia: 21 Facts About Hugh Laurie and His TV Series House

Use of Social Media in TV Series featuring Castle, The Mentalist, House, Cougar Town and NCIS Los Angeles

Television’s 3 Most Brilliant, Emotionally Broken Men: Patrick Jane, Gregory House and Jack Bauer

House starring Hugh Laurie

ACTORS AND LITERATURE: Ethan Hawke, Hugh Laurie and Viggo Mortensen

22 Tall Actors From Hollywood

The British Actors We Love Part 2: The Hughs

Hollywood Stars in Friends, Including Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and More



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Filed Under: Movies and Actors, TV shows Tagged With: actors, alias tv show, band from tv, desperate housewives, eric weiss, greg grenburg, Gregory House, Hugh Laurie, James Denton, mike delfino, music, rock n' roll

Ordinary People starring Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch

Posted on August 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Ordinary People starring Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch
Ordinary People starring Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch. Made in 1980, directed by Robert Redford. Image: cinemoviehistory.com

The life of an ordinary family has gotten turned upside down by 2 tragic and shocking events: First, the older son Bucky (Scott Doebler) died in a boating accident during a trip he went with his younger brother Conrad (Timothy Hutton). Then, some time after the accident Conrad attempted suicide by cutting his wrists and very nearly succeeded.

When C onrad comes home from a4-month stay at a psychiatric hospital, he tries to adjust his settings.  While his father Calvin (Donald Sutherland) does his best to make him feel better, his mother Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) for some reason seems uncomfortable by his son’s presence.

Conrad goes back to his high school and the swim team but he can’t help but feel disconnected. He loved his brother a lot and his mother’s coldness isn’t helping matters. So he unwillingly starts seeing a psychiatrist named Berger (Judd Hirsch). Disconnected from his mother and friends, Conrad is missing the hospital.

Will Conrad eventually be able to let go of his anger, guilt and depression? Will Calvin manage to reconnect with his son and try to figure out his wife, who seems to be more interested in romantic getaways and social gatherings than her own son’s well-being?

***

Ordinary People, unlike its title, is an extraordinary movie. The plot summary might not have intrigued you all that much but trust me, this movie is an amazing emotional experience. The tagline “some films you watch…others you feel” couldn’t have been more appropriate. This very humane story is directed by Robert Redford. And even though a very young Timothy Hutton’s name is written 4th on the opening credits, the heavy-lifting is mostly on his shoulders as he brilliantly portrays Conrad, a character you like, understand and feel the pain of. And the academy agrees as Timothy won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar with this role. The movie has 3 more Oscars: Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Judd Hirsch, Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore are expectedly good (note that Judd Hirsch was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Moore for Best Actress) but if you do cry, it is probably gonna be Hutton who makes you.

Based on the novel Judith Guest. Written by Alvin Sargent and Nancy Dowd. Directed by Robert Redford.

Rated 7.8 on IMDB and a solid 8 from me, Ordinary People is a must see. The coldness and the weird way Conrad’s mother’s mind works will give you the chills and you won’t be able to help but feel for the father who is trying his best to hold his family together despite what’s happened and what’s still happening.

Fun notes:

  • The first time we see Conrad’s friends is when they pick him up for school. The guy in the front seat is a very young Adam Baldwin, who you might remember from Chuck- he plays John Casey.
  • Do you remember the classic Tom Cruise comedy Risky Business? You may not remember the fil exactly but it is the film where his parents go away for a while and our high school kid ends up having a relationship with the prostitute. The classic scene is Tom Cruise wearing a white shirt over his underpants and white socks, wearing sunglasses and dancing in the house. Well, that role could have been Timothy Hutton’s. But after Ordinary People and Taps, Timothy wasn’t really impressed with the storyline so he turned it town. You might see it as a strategic mistake but I have to say, I can see how Timothy would haven’t seen it as a challenge after these two.

Other Movies  and Posts featuring Donald Sutherland

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Donald Sutherland

Canadian Celebrity Trivia:  Donald Sutherland, Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds & More

Other Posts on Robert Redford Movies

3 Movies with Indecent Proposals: The Box, Indecent Proposal and A Perfect Murder

Lions for Lambs starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise

Other Movies and TV series with Timothy Hutton

The Absolute Timothy Hutton Trivia

The Killing Room starring Timothy Hutton, Chloe Sevigny and Peter Stormare

Serious Moonlight starring Timothy Hutton and Meg Ryan

City of Industry starring Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton

French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton

Taps starring Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn

Leverage TV Series starring Timothy Hutton

The Ghost Writer starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. Feat. Timothy Hutton

The Good Shepherd starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. Feat. Timothy Hutton

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Academy-award winning movies, Adam Baldwin, donald sutherland, drama, Judd Hirsch, Mary Tyler Moore, movies, Ordinary People, ordinary people movie, Robert Redford, robert redford movies, Scott Doebler, Timothy Hutton, timothy hutton movies, timothy hutton ordinary people

Serious Moonlight starring Timothy Hutton and Meg Ryan

Posted on August 12, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Serious Moonlight starring Timothy Hutton, Meg Ryan, Justin Long and Kristen Bell
Serious Moonlight starring Timothy Hutton, Meg Ryan, Justin Long and Kristen Bell. Image via arti24.com

Ian (Timothy Hutton) is cheating on Louise (Meg Ryan) – his wife of 13 years with the younger Sara (Kristen Bell).He has planned to spend some romantic time at his and Louise’s summer house with Sara before they go to Paris together.

Louise is a busy and accomplished lawyer but unaware of Ian’s affair, she comes to the summer house early to surprise him. When he unwillingly confronts her, she gets upset and demands to talk things through. Ian, however, can’t wait to leave her for good. When he doesn’t want to talk it over, Louise gets mad and knocks him out. Ian wakes up, duct-taped to a chair. Louise wants Ian to think things over and she seems to think that this might actually help them save their marriage. This pisses Ian off and he tries anything to set free.

Louise does her best trying to remind him of the good times and how much they loved each other. She even manages to send Sarah away quickly after she arrives – telling her that Ian has agreed to spend one last night with her, going through the details of break-up.

Just when Ian thinks things couldn’t get any worse, he is proven wrong when Louise goes to town for shopping. The lawnmower guy (Justin Long) arrives and realizes that he has the perfect opportunity to rob the house. The only guy resident is duct-taped to a chair!

So of course by the time Louise arrives and shares the same faith with her husband, Ian has already realized that spending a couple more minutes with Louise may not be the worst thing that can happen to him. In fact, afraid for both their lives, it is beginning to seem like the only thing that matters. But will the guy let them go? Will he rape Louise? And he doesn’t seem to be in a rush to leave the house.. And what the hell will Sara do when Ian doesn’t meet her at the airport?

This is one crazy and sweet little romantic comedy, with the comedy and crazy parts being more dominant. The crime comedy parts with Justin Long are also fun. It is not exactly hilarious but it is really entertaining. I can say that guys can enjoy this one too, although I suspect women will have a little more fun with what Louise does to her cheating husband. Maybe it is not the most likely of scenarios but there is no reason it couldn’t happen either.

I read one user review that said the characters aren’t likable. I beg to differ. While Ian doesn’t exactly come off as a sweetheart, he is representing a big group of men who feel stuck in their marriages and decide they can be happier with a much younger girlfriend. And while what Louise does is a little wacky, I can’t promise I would be nice to my cheating husband either. While I may not go overboard with duct tapes and everything, I am likely to punch him in the face and kick him in the groins as hard as I can. So it is not that hard to like or at least feel a little sympathy for Louise- Ian has been her best friend and husband for 13 years, and there is a history behind it.

But boys and romcom haters, worry not! This is not typical. It has pretty funny situations and the story is more concerned about entertaining you than focusing on who Ian will end up with.

Funnily enough, this is the second time Kristen Bell plays a bitchy character with a name that sounds like Sara. Remember Forgetting Sarah Marshall?

It is fun. And it is a must see for any Timothy Hutton fan as you get to see a lot of him. As always, his performance is good and he sis at his best when his character gets emotional. And it is always fun watching Meg Ryan, Kristen Bell and Justin Long in comedies.

Warning: Cheating husbands may not enjoy this film.

Unfortunate trivia: Writer Adrienne Shelly was murdered in 2006. Directed by Cheryl Hines.

5.4/10 on IMDB

 7/10 from me. They would have been better of, had they not given too many clues about the ending. Still, it is so much fun.

Other Posts feat. Timothy Hutton

Taps starring Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn

Leverage TV Series starring Timothy Hutton

The Ghost Writer starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. Feat. Timothy Hutton

The Good Shepherd starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. Feat. Timothy Hutton

Posts featuring Meg Ryan

You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan

City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan

Posts feat. Kristen Bell

Couples Retreat starring Vince Vaugh, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau…

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Russell Brand

33 Actors From My Generation- Actors Born Between 1980&1990

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Adrienne Shelly, Cheryl Hines, comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Justin Long, Kristen Bell, Meg Ryan, movie serious moonlight, movies, romance, romantic comedy, romcom, Serious Moonlight, serious moonlight movie, Tim Hutton, Timothy Hutton, timothy hutton movies

My 26 Movie Reviews on Another Website

Posted on August 11, 2010 Written by ripitup

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I’ve been writing on Triond for so many months, I realized I have written a total of 26 movie reviews there. Well, I wrote more movie posts if you count the collection posts (such as Top 5 Movie Endings, Ewan Mcgregor Movies: 10 Films Featured and Only One Recommended) and actor trivia posts.

Worry not!  I will later update this post so that all my movie-related articles will be under one roof. But for now, enjoy your links and descriptions to 26 different movies’ reviews that give info about the cast and plot and don’t contain spoilers without warning you.

Enjoy!

New Moon The second movie of the Twilight Saga starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

He (She) is Just Not That Into You starring Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johannson, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Justin Long and Drew Barrymore.

Playing by Heart starring starring Angelina Jolie, Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, Madeleine Stowe, Jon Stewart, Gillian Anderson, Jay Mohr, Ellen Burstyn and Ryan Phillippe

The Last Time starring Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser and Amber Valletta

The Saint starring Val Kilmer and Elizabeth Shue

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee starring Robin Wright Penn, Keanu Reeves, Alan Arkin, Blake Lively, Winona Ryder, Monica Belluci and Maria Bello

 Made of Honor starring Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd

 Enchanted starring Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams and James Marsden

 Forever Young starring Mel Gibson Jamie Lee Curtis and Elijah Wood

 Just Like Heaven starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo

 Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx

 It’s a boy girl thing starring Kevin Zegers

 Braveheart starring Mel Gibson, Catherine McCormack and Sophie Marceu

 Dorian Gray starring Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin and Rebecca  Hall

 Gamer starring Gerard Butler, Amber Valletta, Michael C. Hall

 The Day After Tomorrow starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenaal and Emmy Rossum

 Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts

 At First Sight starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino

 The Usual Suspects starring Kevin Spacey and Benicio Del Toro

 Beyond Borders starring Clive Owen and Angelina Jolie

 Wolf starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Jack Nicholson and James Spader

 Yours, mine and ours starring Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo

 Closer and Titanic

 Fight Club starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton

 You’ve Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks

 The One Jim Carrey Movie to Hate: I Love You Philip Morris starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: at first sight, beyond borders, Braveheart, closer, dorian gray, enchanted, Fight Club, Forever Young, Gamer, he is just not that into you, I love you phillip morris, it's a boy girl thing, Jim Carrey, just like heaven, Law Abiding Citizen, made of honor, mine and ours, movie reviews, movies, New Moon, playing by heart, pretty woman, the day after tomorrow, the last time, the private lives of pippa lee, the saint, the usual suspects, titanic, Wolf, you've got mail, yours

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