DESIRING HAYDEN.NET PRESS ARCHIVE

At a press junket held today in Los Angeles to promote the upcoming release of Writer/Director/Star Zach Braff’s Garden State on July 30th, Ms. Portman spoke briefly about her work in the upcoming final part to the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Episode III.

Promoting a smaller film like Garden State, the popularity of the Star Wars films affords Portman the added benefit of extra exposure. “It’s a wonderful opportunity that I’ve had to be in those films because it does get people more familiar with you, and maybe, hopefully, will make them see other things that you are working on.”

With the release of Episode III looming less than a year away, Portman says she is about to go back for her final work as Amidala. “I finished principal photography on the third one last summer, like a year ago, and we do re-shoots in a month in London. I haven’t been told anything. For all I know, it could be, like, walking, or a shot of my hand… Or it could be, like, a whole new storyline, so I will be as surprised as you are.”

With all the recent rumors about the latest reworking Lucas is doing for the original trilogy’s release on DVD in September, I asked Portman if she had shot scenes for the original films. She didn’t really seem to know what I was talking about, so that probably answers that: “I don’t really know much about that, unfortunately.”

Both Hayden Christensen and Portman alike were met with some harsh criticisms in regard to their chemistry in Episode II. Portman says that having now both experienced the Star Wars world in at least one previous film, their second time around went well. “I think we both really work well with each other. He’s a great actor and he did a really great job in this. I think we worked really hard on this and we all were really comfortable. And this is also the first time that each of us has had experience in a Star Wars film before, because it’s such a different kind of movie that, you know, because of all the blue screen, you have to create so much and you have to imagine the different characters and locations and stuff in your mind, and so it’s a lot more work. It was very challenging, so I think we all put in a lot of effort on this one.”

After spending nearly a decade working on the Star Wars prequels, Portman says that, while she is looking forward to her future, she will also miss everyone she’s worked with on Star Wars. “I think everything, every end in any phase of your life, there’s always an excitement to start something new and a new phase and always a little bit of sadness in leaving the last phase, obviously. Now, having made three Star Wars films, it’s been like ten years of my life from when I signed on to when the final one will come out. And, I mean, being 23, that is really significant. It is a huge portion of my life and I’ve met some amazing people and it’s been a really unique experience so, you know, I look back on it and it’s part of forming who I am now and I am happy to start something new.”

Be sure to check out the full interview with Natalie Portman next week. The as-yet-untitled Star Wars: Episode III opens on May 19, 2005. Garden State hits screens next week on July 30th.

Source: Film Force

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Natalie Portman, who reprises the role of Padme Amidala in the upcoming prequel film Star Wars: Episode III, told SCI FI Wire that she is scheduled for reshoots next month with director George Lucas. “I haven’t been told anything, so for all I know, it could be [simply] walking or an insert shot of my hands, or it could be a whole new storyline,” Portman said in an interview while promoting her latest film, Garden State. “So I will be as surprised as you are.”

Portman added that her onscreen chemistry with co-star Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) has improved since the second prequel, Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones, because he is no longer distracted by the technical difficulties of making a Star Wars film. “Because it’s such a different kind of movie, because of all the blue screen, you’d have to imagine so much,” she said. “You’d have to create other characters and locations and sets in your mind. So it’s a lot more work, and it was really challenging. [Now], each of us had had experience on a Star Wars film before.” Star Wars: Episode III is scheduled for release on May 19, 2005.

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LOS ANGELES – The teaser trailer for the next – and reportedly last – Star Wars film landed in theatres on Friday.

The short clip is a promo for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which will be released on May 19, 2005. Hayden Christensen appears at the Toronto premier of ‘Attack of the Clones’ in 2002.The movie is the third in George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, and fans of the space series expect that it will tie up all of the six-part saga’s loose ends.

It stars Canada’s Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Knight who becomes Darth Vader.

The trailer shows glimpses of a lightsabre duel on a volcano planet between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).

It also shows an army of Wookies, the shaggy aliens that are like a cross between dogs and apes.

Natalie Portman is seen sporting a bun hairdo similar to the one originated by Carrie Fisher in the original Star Wars film, which came out in 1977.

Portman’s character, Padme, will become the mother of Fisher’s Leia in Revenge of the Sith.

The trailer is available online to members of Hyperspace, the Star Wars fan club, and AOL subscribers. It will be available for free starting Monday.

It is also being shown in theatres this weekend ahead of The Incredibles, the newest animated feature from Pixar.

Already, Star Wars devotees are dissecting the trailer in internet discussion forums, pointing out such arcane facts as the name of the volcano planet: Mustafar.

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Lucafilm and 20th Century Fox have released the official teaser poster for director George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

Darth Vader is in the foreground while Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is seen in the background holding his red lightsaber.

The third and last prequel in the “Star Wars” saga will be opening on May 19 and picks up when the Clone Wars are nearly at an end after three long years of relentless fighting. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is ordered by the Jedi Council to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice.

Meanwhile back in Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) has grown in power and his political changes transform the war-weary Republic into a mighty Galactic Empire. He’s also attempting to lure his closet ally, Anakin to the dark side by revealing the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force.

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The dark side of the Force rules in “Revenge of the Sith,” the finale of the Star Wars saga, due in theaters May 19, 2005.

Looking for proof? Filmmaker George Lucas expects the film to have a stricter rating than any of his previous Star Wars adventures, all of which have been rated a family-friendly PG.

The sixth “Star Wars” film (actually “Episode III” in the mythical timeline) details how Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) falls prey to “the dark side” and becomes Darth Vader, the iconic baddie first seen in 1977’s “Star Wars,” now called “ Episode IV: A New Hope.”

“This is the darkest of them all,” said Lucas, speaking at a New York event to promote the recent release of his “ THX 1138” DVD. “I don’t think it’s going to be rated like the other ones. It’s just more emotionally intense.”

The PG-13 rating makes sense, considering the story line, said Scott Chitwood of TheForce.Net, a “Star Wars” news Web site.

“From the original trilogy, we know that in ‘Episode III,’ Anakin is horribly burned, Padme (Amidala, the queen and senator who becomes the mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia) dies, Mace Windu dies, Luke and Leia are separated, and the Jedi are wiped out,” he said. “It would be hard to do them justice without the film being PG-13.”

A move to that rating for “Sith” isn’t likely to hurt attendance. Those with children ages 10 and 11 might think twice, said Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, “but their kids probably already have video games at home that are PG-13 in violence levels.”

Source: RGJ.Com

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Veteran filmmaker and reality show producer R.J. Cutler (“American High”) is developing two new unscripted programs at cable network FX, including one entry produced by Hayden and Tove Christensen. Details on Cutler’s two FX projects remain sketchy, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, one involves race relations.

The Christensens are working with Cutler on “Masterpiece,” which has received a pilot presentation order from FX. The show will look at a budding young artist and his rise to fame. Casting for the show’s central artist is already moving forward.

Source: Zap2it.Com

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“Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” won’t open until May 19, but fans and Web sites already are gearing up for the final film in George Lucas’ space saga.
“Everyone is getting really, really excited,” says Jewels Green, 33, a Philadelphia stay-at-home mom who plans to be one of the first in line, three weeks before opening night.

Lucasfilm has created stir by slowly releasing details, including a Sith “teaser trailer” that premiered last month with “The Incredibles.”

“Ever since the trailer came out, the fans have really been revving themselves up,” Lucasfilm fan relations chief Steve Sansweet says by phone from Spain.

He is there talking with fans at Sitges Film Festival.

The dark plot of “Sith” follows Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen) transformation into Darth Vader.

While the first two Star Wars prequels grossed $431 million and $311 million, respectively, many fans didn’t believe they lived up to expectations.

Lucasfilm is launching a force of publicity behind “Sith”:

Hasbro rereleased a line of classic “Star Wars” toys and action figures to coincide with the fall release of the original trilogy DVD box set.

The Millennium Falcon and the Darth Vader Voice Changer mask have been hot holiday sellers. The hard-to-find mask retails for $35 but is selling on eBay for $150. In February, Hasbro will introduce a preview line of “Episode III” action figures.

This month, the official StarWars.com began offering new “Sith” stuff, including mugs, hats, T-shirts and a Christmas ornament with Yoda dressed in a Santa suit.

A new season of Cartoon Network’s Emmy-winning animated series “Star Wars, Clone Wars” will première March 21. The series bridges the gap between “Episode II” and “III.”

The “Sith” theatrical trailer and poster will be released in March.

About 30,000 fans are expected to turn out for Star Wars Celebration III, a fan convention April 21-24 in Indianapolis. Four-day admission is $40 to $95.

In New York, 350 members of NYLine.org will hold a “Star Wars”-themed sidewalk party outside the Ziegfeld Theater beginning April 30.
“The event aspect surrounding ‘Star Wars’ has always been there, but even more so this time with the final chapter of the saga,” says Green, a member of NYLine.org.

“It may be the last ‘Star Wars’ film that George makes, but it’s not the end of ‘Star Wars’,” Sansweet says.

Lucasfilm is eyeing future possibilities including games, comics and television, he says.

“As long as fans want it, ‘Star Wars’ will be there for them.”

Source: Tucson Citizen

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Hollywood hype shows are nothing new, they’ve been around for ages and no matter where you look there’s someone airing a bit of dirty laundry on some celebrity who’s done something weird, but Canada seems to have an answer to this format in Toronto 1′s The A-List, a show that seems to genuinely be about the entertainment, not the trash.

Well, this week The A-List has been counting down the top 20 “Hottest Canadians”. Amongst the singers and actors named, Ryan Reynolds (who you can currently catch co-starring in Blade: Trinity as Hannibal King) topped the list, followed by hottie Pamela Anderson, and uber-hottie and sweetheart Elisha Cuthbert.

Other names on their list included Scott Speedman, Shania Twain, Hayden Christensen, and Avril Lavigne.

THE A-LIST TOP 20 HOTTEST CANADIANS:

20. Avril Lavigne
19. Jennifer Tilly
18. Glenn Lewis
17. Estella Warren
16. David Usher
15. Natasha Henstridge
14. Paul Gross
13. Tamia Hill
12. Hayden Christensen
11. Kim Cattrall
10. Trish Stratus
9. Keanu Reeves
8. Kristin Kreuk
7. Shania Twain
6. Jesse Palmer
5. Rachel McAdams
4. Scott Speedman
3. Elisha Cuthbert
2. Pamela Anderson
1. Ryan Reynolds

Source: The Gate’s News

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A bunch of very cool and interesting pictures have made their way to the web this past week. We’ll start off with a couple of shots from the upcoming STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH. IESB was sent this promotional image of a very disturbed Anakin Skywalker from the latest trailer and the shot below shows that very same Anakin about to lay the smacketh down on a whimpering Dooku. Look ma, no hands.

Source: JoBlo

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With just five months to go chatter about the final instalment of George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge Of The Sith, is heating up and today The GATE has snagged two of the first images from the film. One, featuring a close-up of Anakin and another of Anakin with Obi-Wan.

Without any further ado, here they are. The top picture shows Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, alongside Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, while the bottom one is a closeup of Christensen as Anakin.
Star Wars: Episode III opens in theatres on May 19, 2005 and stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and Frank Oz.
The Story: After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.

Source: The Gate

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TheForce.net reported that the soundtrack for Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith will be released on May 3 and the set will include a bonus DVD. The site didn’t report what the DVD would contain.

The soundtrack comes out a little more than two weeks before the film itself, the third prequel in George Lucas’ epic SF saga and presumably the last Star Wars movie. Episode III, starring Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor, opens May 19.

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One of the pleasures of DVDs is discovering small films that never received much of a theatrical release. Without the pressure of weekend box-office performance — which can often see a film immediately bumped off screens — smaller efforts can thrive and find loyal audiences on DVD. Here are a few 2004 releases worth checking out if you’re in the mood for a movie or two:
SHATTERED GLASS: Hayden Christensen, right, plunges headlong to the dark side. No, not in his future role as Darth Vader in Episode III, but as a young, accomplished journalist whose life disintegrates when his editor learns his stories — and sources — are pure fiction.

Source: Canoe-Jam

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The term “drop-dead gorgeous” applies with a rather matter-of-fact accuracy to actor Hayden Christensen, a k a Annakin Skywalker of the “Star Wars” series and one of America’s most visible teen heartthrobs.
He sauntered into the interview room of the Shinjuku Park Hyatt Hotel (“My favorite place to stay in Japan!”) with an easy, effortless grace before sinking into a chair and asking politely for a cup of tea.
He then turned to the interviewer and some subconscious inner switch seemed to light up inside him, unleashing a warm flow of charm, wit and natural, unaffected sophistication. The atmosphere in the room shifted perceptibly and all those present seemed to bask in the golden glow — confirming for all of us what it was to be in close quarters with Hollywood glamour.

Christensen was in Tokyo to promote “Shattered Glass,” a project he started and engineered through his own production company. His role is real-life journalist Stephen Glass, who completely fabricated over 20 stories while working as a reporter for The New Republic. The movie showcases the range and nuances of Christensen’s acting ability and personality, hitherto mired in the digital netherlands of “Star Wars.”

What got Christensen involved in such a project, which is a far cry from the movie that made him famous? “I got the idea from an article I read in Vanity Fair about Stephen Glass. I was fascinated by him. It’s not that I recognized myself in him, but I got the feeling his life and the things he chose to do would make a great film.”

Glass and Christensen do, however, share some qualities: They both had an irresistible, boyish appeal that works its magic on both men and women. (In the movie, Glass’s colleagues defend him until his professional demise.) And Christensen is also more bookish than his Hollywood profile suggests: “I like writing and writers. . . . One of my favorite authors is Herman Hesse and I’ve always wanted to do a movie based on one of his books. I’m not trying to justify what Stephen did but at the same time I can recognize his talent.”

What made Stephen Glass do it? “I think he had a deep emotional neediness and this was how he did tended to it. Despite his brilliance as a writer, there were parts of him that he just didn’t bother to develop, and he had to pay for it later. Basically, his problem was family.”

Indeed, in the movie Glass gets upset at the mere mention of his strict parents — they were against him becoming a journalist and wanted him to go to law school. “To earn the support of his parents, he had to really excel at writing. I imagine the pressure was enormous.”

And what about Christensen’s own parents? “I’m very lucky. . . . My parents have always supported my career. I’ve been doing it all my life, practically.”

Now 23 years old, Christensen has been acting since the age of 7 and made his movie debut with John Carpenter’s “Into the Mouth of Madness.” While “Star Wars” has brought him the Hollywood brand fame he had once only dreamed about, Christensen says he thinks he’s at a time of his career when he “should be doing roles that are difficult and contradictory and real.” And when it comes to challenges, “Shattered Glass” fits the bill. “Most of the shots were long ones, filmed without breaks and so everything depended on the delivery of the dialogue, the changing of facial expressions.”

The crucial moment for him came in the scene where Glass is finally called on the carpet by The New Republic editor Chuck Lane for his fabrication of stories. “There I am, sweating through every pore and helpless and humiliated. Stephen is at his most vulnerable, life for him is ruined. And then, one minute later, he has the audacity to ask Chuck for a ride to the airport. I felt like the whole essence of both Stephen’s character and of the film, was condensed into that one line. As an actor, it was a scene I’ll never forget.”

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