Energies were high as Academy Award winner (The Queen), Dame Helen Mirren and Academy Award winning director (Ray), Taylor Hackford, who is also her husband, graced the red carpet of Cinema Chicago’s Spring Gala. Mirren received the prestigious Gold Hugo Award for her Career Achievement in Acting and Hackford received the same for his Career Achievement in Directing. In a rare moment of “communal red carpeting”, Mirren and Hackford walked the carpet together, his arm tightly around her waist, and her holding his hand firmly there, never more than an inch from each other’s side. The two have been married for over 20 years and together for almost 35.
With the elegance and sophistication that we have come to know from Mirren, she discusses how she chooses roles and why she decided to get married after so many years. Iin a light hearted and off-the-cuff response from Hackford, we learn if directing means being a best friend or being a bastard. To watch the video that accompanies this audio interview, go to http://TheDinnerParty.tv/podcast
Cinema/Chicago, the parent organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a year-round non-profit arts and education organization dedicated to fostering better communication between people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image.
For more information, visit chicagofilmfestival.com and http://TheDinnerParty.tv/podcast .
Despite the glitz of the red carpet, Emmy and Golden Globe Winner, Jeremy Piven, stopped for a funny chat with host of The Celebrity Dinner Party, Elysabeth Alfano to discuss tips for actors, the trickiness of relationships and his French Bulldog, Bubba. Piven was back in Chicago leading a discussion with Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award Winner, Kevin Spacey.
The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago celebrates the art of cinema with multiple annual festivals international in scope, independent and classic films, premieres, and retrospectives. Internationally recognized for its original film programming, the Film Center is a vibrant cultural destination in Chicago that attracts a diverse and creative annual audience of over 80,000. www.siskelfilmcenter.org.
For more information, visit http:thedinnerparty.tv .
In the dizzying spin of the red carpet, Academy Award winner, Kevin Spacey, stopped for an intimate chat. From Frank Underwood to his mom to Mike Nichols to the importance of the Gene Siskel Film Center’s impact on young artists, Spacey shared his thoughts about the highs and lows of being an artist and an actor. Spacey is the recipient of the School of the Art Institute's Gene Siskel Film Center's Renaissance Award.
The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago celebrates the art of cinema with multiple annual festivals international in scope, independent and classic films, premieres, and retrospectives. Internationally recognized for its original film programming, the Film Center is a vibrant cultural destination in Chicago that attracts a diverse and creative annual audience of over 80,000. www.siskelfilmcenter.org.
For more information, visit http://TheDinnerParty.tv/podcast .
So you have an idea for a movie which basically revolves around you and your friends drinking beer and making pranks...or should I say shenanigans? If you are one of the gazillions of fans of the cult classic, Super Troopers, you know what I mean. On this episode of The Celebrity Dinner Party with Elysabeth Alfano, actor, writer, author, stand-up comedian, and Super Troopers director, Jay Chandrasekhar, joins me at my kitchen table. As Super Troopers celebrates its 15th year, Jay has come out with a new book, Mustache Shenanigans, Making Super Troopers and Other Adventures in Comedy.
In addition to Super Troopers, Jay has directed The Dukes of Hazzard, starring Burt Reynolds and Jessica Simpson, episodes of Psych and Arrested Development, and several movies, such as Beerfest and Club Dread, which he created with members of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, an improv group he started in college.
So grab a beer and listen in. Jay and I dish on his creative process, the stories behind Super Troopers and his unexpected, blow-up fights with his all-time hero, Burt Reynolds. For more information, visit http://TheDinnerParty.tv/podcast .
Gideon Raff (Writer, Producer of Homeland) and Ariel Vromen (Director of The Iceman) join for a quick conversation at the gala event supporting the Let the Animals Live-Israel Organization. For more information, visit http://LetLive.org.il/eng and http://TheDinnerParty.tv . We ask the question, "What do you stand for?" Gideon and Ariel discuss why the support animal welfare and being vegan.