stars on screen
hollywood q&a By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Who is Barbara Broccoli? I’ve seen her name on a couple of James Bond movies, but I don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere else (and it’s the sort of name you remember). A: You’re right, you haven’t seen Barbara Broccoli’s name anywhere but on Bond-film credits, because that’s pretty well all she’s done. Barbara is the daughter of Albert R. Broccoli, the more prolific British film producer who co-produced the first big-screen Bond film, “Dr. No,” in 1962, and backed every subsequent one until his death in 1996, at which time his daughter and stepson, Michael G. Wilson, stepped up to run the family blockbuster-producing business (officially titled EON Productions). Young Barbara was already involved in the films by that point, though. In fact, she worked her way up to the top, starting as a member of the publicity department for “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), then as an assistant director on “Moonraker” (1979), “Octopussy” (1983) and “A View to a Kill” (1985). She stepped in to the producer role with 1987’s “The Living Daylights” and has been there since. As for why she hasn’t done any other movies, the Bond franchise is a full-time job, as it was for her father. Though Albert came to the series as an established producer, he, too, focused almost exclusively on the Bond films afterwards. Given that there have been 23 Bond films in the 51 years since they began, it’s easy to see why. And the work continues. Barbara is hard at work on the 24th and 25th installments, both as yet untitled. Little is known about them except that Daniel Craig will be returning as the famed secret agent. Q: I was just watching the first “Bourne Identity” movie and was wondering what happened to the lead actress in that movie. Has she done anything since? A: Franka Potente hasn’t had as much post-”Bourne Identity” (2002) success as star Matt Damon. Indeed, most of her success came before. Damon was something of a Hollywood it-boy ahead of being cast as the titular super-agent with amnesia, riding the crest of a wave of hits that included “Saving Private Ryan (1998) and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999), but many forget that Potente was in much the same position. A year before appearing in “The Bourne Identity” as the rootless Swiss woman who is swept up in Bourne’s frantic race to discover his identity, Potente appeared in the edgy 2001 drama “Blow” opposite another handsome Hollywood hero, Johnny Depp. However, what first brought Potente to people’s attention was her starring role in the 1998 low-budget indie smash “Run Lola Run.” She appeared as Lola, a girl who is in a race of her own, to deliver 100,000 Deutschmarks to some criminals to pay off her boyfriend’s debt. If nothing else, it showed the “Bourne” producers that Potente could keep up with the pace of the film. Since the “Bourne Identity” (and a brief reprisal of her role in its 2004 sequel “The Bourne Supremacy”) Potente has appeared mostly in less-celebrated indie fare, and films in her native Germany. Her most notable role on this side of the Atlantic was in the BBC America series “Copper,” which was just canceled after two seasons. She also had a brief arc in the second season of “American Horror Story.”
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DECEMBER 1 - 7, 2013
played by Cameron Mathison (“All My Children”). It’s a topsyturvy love story with a holiday backdrop, and airing right in the Holiday hijinks: It’s December at last, and we all know what middle of the holiday shopping season — when people may be that means: the airwaves are already filled with festive holiday feeling a little “holidazed” themspecials, and there’s a lot more to selves — it may be the perfect excuse to slow down for a couple come before we hit the big day of hours with the whole family. on Dec. 25. A few of the other stars ABC Family is pulling out all headed to ABC Family for the “25 the stops this year in its annual Days of Christmas” event include “25 Days of Christmas” programming event. Starting on the Nicholas Cage in “The Family Man” (2000) on Dec. 1, and first of the month and running Matthew Broderick in “Deck the through to Christmas Day, the Halls” (2006) on Dec. 4. cable channel will air holiday Most of the films and events specials of its popular programs, some old-time favorites that crop have encore presentations throughout the month, so no up every year, and even a few matter when you need a bit of original movies. downtime to shake off the “holSpeaking of original movies, one in particular has been attract- idaze” feeling, there’s probably ing some early buzz. “Holidaze,” someone famous waiting for you on ABC Family. which premieres on Sunday, Dec. 8, stars Jennie Garth (“BevHot in Dallas: Just when erly Hills, 90210,” “What I Like we thought things About You”) as a corporate couldn’t get any executive stuck in an alhotter in “Dalternate reality in which las,” TNT goes she didn’t leave her and proves us quiet life in her humble wrong. hometown. Instead, The sequel to she ended up married the to her former fiance, Cameron Mathison and Jennie Garth star in “Holidaze” By Andrew Warren TV Media
original prime-time soap of the same name (which ran from 1978 to 1991), “Dallas” has met with both critical and audience acclaim, and it’s adding a sexy new star to the cast for the upcoming third season. Argentine actor Juan Pablo Di Pace has signed on to play the smoldering Nicolás Treviño in the TNT drama, a powerful and wealthy businessman who comes across as a good guy, but beneath the surface may be something more sinister. Di Pace may not be a household name yet, but this multitalented actor and model has had a diverse and successful acting career. After getting his start on stage, he popped up on television in the U.K. with appearances in “New Tricks,” “The Catherine Tate Show” and “River City.” He had a recurring role in this past summer’s “Camp” on NBC, and in 2008 starred in the big screen production of “Mamma Mia!” The resurrected “Dallas” has been a ratings hit for TNT, with last season’s episode featuring J.R. Ewing’s funeral bringing in a season high. The episode followed the passing of Larry Hagman, who’d also portrayed the ruthless oil baron J.R. in the original series. The third season, which was confirmed back in April, will return with Di Pace in early 2014. A second murder: NBC is rebooting a beloved classic, and it’s leaning on an Oscar winner to do so. “Murder, She Wrote” was a huge hit during its run on CBS from 1984 to 1996, and NBC is probably hoping that lightning will strike twice. The network has tapped Octavia Spencer to fill the lead role in the revamped murder mystery series. It’s a casting decision that (if the reaction on the Internet is any indication) seems to have many fans of the original series feeling torn. While Spencer herself has met with near-universal acclaim, the announcement that her character’s
crime-fighting adventures will have a decidedly more lighthearted note than Jessica Fletcher’s (Angela Lansbury, “Nanny McPhee,” 2005) may have stirred up a bit of a hornet’s nest. Spencer, though, is a force to be reckoned with. She took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as outspoken maid Minny Jackson in the 2011 film “The Help,” made audiences laugh in “Dinner For Schumcks” (2010), and has enjoyed bit parts in a list of movies as long as her arm. The original series followed Fletcher, a retired teacher who’d found new success as a writer of mystery novels. In a premise that isn’t too far removed from today’s “Castle” on ABC, she found herself near murder scenes with a frequency that could only happen on television. Fletcher then used her finely honed skills of perception and deduction to solve crimes that stymied the local authorities. The new series will reportedly find Spencer’s character working as a hospital administrator who has self-published her own mystery novel. While the setup may be different, the payoff should be the same: a perceptive novelist solving the crimes that the cops can’t seem to solve. With a pilot episode on order, it’s yet to be seen if this rebooted “Murder, She Wrote” will be given an order for a full series.
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS