Exciting Days For Gerry

Having his profile and name sharing equal space with Ralph Fiennes on the New Coriolanus movie poster and the release of the Machine Gun Preacher poster and trailer,  this has to be a very rewarding week for the Gerard Butler.

With another movie starting to come together with the hiring of an actor to play the central character (Mavericks), the announcement of a promising role in the spy drama The Bricklayer, and the good buzz for his turns in both Machine Gun Preacher and Coriolanus, he must feel like a million bucks.

It was a bold and savvy move by Ralph Fiennes (and/or producers-distributors), giving Gerry face time in that kind of poster, which almost insures bringing in the 300 male fans who fondly remember Gerry's turn as the "kick ass" Leonidas.  Where Ralph's reputation may bring in the Shakespearean fans, Gerry will bring in the action guys.  The more serious movie fan will discount the poster altogether and go for the performances of a stellar cast.  Win win for Ralph's directorial debut and passion project.

As for Machine Gun Preacher, I liked the trailer and I think G looks to give a good performance.   I will withhold raves until I see the movie though. Like everyone else I worry a little about the accent. But to be honest, if he captures the emotional center of the character and the director has done his job well, the accent will not matter.

I wish Gerry sunshine and shooting stars with this one.  If it's good and brings in the kind of audience that usually goes to action films (and again that includes the 300 young male fans), as well as those that already know about the topic,  the hope is that it brings a little awareness to the plight of these innocents in Sudan to a segment of the population that might not normally give attention to it.

The arts should illuminate dark corners and perhaps this movie, along with others in this vein, will do that for some people.   Even if parts of the real Machine Gun Preacher's (Sam Childers) life has its own darkness, the good things he's done and continues to do, hopefully balance the scales in his favor.

And if Gerry, in his performance,  should come across as a little more sympathetic than the real Sam, well all the better for Sam's cause and the children that stand to benefit from the likewise sympathetic people who will respond to this movie, hopefully with their supporting $$$ for the Angeles of East Africa and other charities like it.

Perhaps I'm being overly Pollyanna-ish in this, but one can hope.

Machine Gun Preacher Poster

Link to HD Machine Gun Preacher Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eddnloOFjwY

The happy face looks genuine for Mr. B. and with good reason.

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

Hitting the Waves Again

*Gerry looking fit.

Good to see Gerry hitting the waves again in Malibu in preparation for his role in Mavericks and hopefully for the thrill of the sport too.

And on the topic of waves, I went to opening night of the LeRoy Grannis exhibition at M & B Gallery in West Hollywood last month.   It featured some wonderful limited edition framed photos by the well known local Hermosa Beach surfer/artist who passed away earlier this year.  I would have loved to purchase one of them, but settled for a book of his work instead.

While I was browsing several other books at the exhibition,  one of the  surfers of the era was showing me his vintage VW parked on the coast in one of the photos as he and his friends headed down to the beach with their boards.  It was very cool and the guy still looked good and very fit/slim.  In his sixties, he was still surfing, of course.  Grannis surfed well into his 80's.

http://thephotoexchange.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/leroy-grannis-commemorative-show-at-mb-gallery/

http://www.effluviamagazine.com/effluviablog/2011/07/13/not-to-be-missed-mb-gallery-leroy-grannis-the-commemorative-s

Old Shows:

http://www.mbart.com/exhibitions/_39/_img/

http://www.mbart.com/exhibitions/_39/

I grew up near the beach so it was very nostagic.  Now I live a couple of blocks from some popular surfing spots where old timers mix with the new kids.

There used to be several fraternity houses right on the strand in Hermosa.  A very large house is still standing on First Street (painted bright yellow now) and has been renovated and made into a private residence again.

Actor and surfer, Jonny Weston

Some nice memories of spaghetti and beer bashes with live bands there and some very dedicated surfers who never went to bed some nights, partying, then hitting the books before surfing the waves in the morning before school.  I still remember the names and the faces.

But back to the movies...

Mavericks finally  has a lead in the person of Jonny Weston, who will play Jay Moriarity to Butler's Frosty Hesson in the Curtis Hanson directed surfing flick filming this fall.

It's looking like a good year for the muse, with the promotions for Machine Gun Preacher and Coriolanus gearing up and the buzz for both films very positive.

Life is sweet for Mr. B. at the moment and it looks like he is enjoying it, despite the paparazzi.

Life is a beach (and a good wave).

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate



*Photo courtesy of JJ.

Burning with Joy of the Sport

That is the only thing necessary to say about Gerard Butler's sojourn into the ranks of his sport heroes and being part of the Celtic Legends team that played against the Manchester United Legends to raise funds for Oxfam and the famine spreading throughout East Africa.

He went from being a sickly looking lad one day to a kid in a candy store grabbing all the goodies his hands could hold the next and it only goes to show that the chameleon that is this man keeps reinventing himself, despite the silly observations of followers like me that can't seem to get it right no matter how much we comment.

"Can't believe I'm here?"

This is a photo of the man that keeps me cheering for him because though one minute he seems totally jaded by the some of the trappings and obligations of stardom,  the next moment he is big kid giving his all and sharing the passion of the sport with his heroes and loving every exhausting minute of it.

Congratulations on another dream come true this day Gerry and I hear that congratulations are also in order over another new role in the spy thriller The Brick Layer.

Others may ooooh and aaahh over your looks and a lot of the externals like weight and age and lines and hair, but it is really none of those things that get my attention about you as much as your constant tenacity to keep reaching for the things that you want and then going at it with everything you have once you commit to it....and the sheer joy with which you find your niche among those that you really want to be around.

If some of the stories are to be believed, your love life may not alway be a bed of roses (or it very well may be just that), but the respect and friendship of those that matter mean a lot and those are some of the lasting things when some of the others have fallen by the wayside.

Keep smiling and thumbing your nose at those who would say otherwise and always keep a little bit of your heart safe from the cynicism that prevails in the heart of so many these days.  Keep that little boy alive because he is somehow a very essential part of the charm of the man, wild man look and all.

I wish you the best.


Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate


Photo courtesy of Gals.

Roman Candle Burning Low?

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."
                                                                              Jack Kerouac

Is Gerard Butler, roman candle that he is, looking a little like his flame is burning low these days?  That is how I would describe the mood some of the latest photos taken of the muse during the Foreign Press luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel today made me feel.

As a matter of fact, my exact words at seeing them were:

"Damn, he's lovely in some of these shots, but in an ethereal way that is disturbing, if appealing."

Almost ethereal looking here.

People have been talking about his shrinking frame for some time now, but it's not so much the weight loss (described by witnesses as "svelte" or "gaunt," depending on the perspective), which I think is probably mostly healthy for him, as it is the tired/sad look that some part of me hopes is just him trying to prove to someone that he can be/look a certain way for a role that he wants.   Actors have been known to audition in this way when they have been told they may not have the right look for a part.

Is the latter just wishful thinking or is Gerry coping with something a little more than normal "Hollywood (or self) induced' stress from lack of roles offered, too much competition, aging woes,  etc.,  or is it  just jet lag from his jet setting, "burn the candle at both ends," way of life?

Even knowing as much as I always THINK I know, all that keeps going through my head at this moment is "Be well, dear muse."

Beautiful Roman Candle that is Butler

I have been dealing with a little delayed reaction from several losses myself and, empathetic person that I am, I can almost feel the sad coming off of a few of these shots.  I fervently hope it's just me being stupidly female...because I have a sentimental attachment for this person and I think a small corner of my mostly liberal, bleeding heart would shrivel up if he were not somewhere in my distant orbit.  A muse is a very hard thing to give up.

Gerry.  Whatever (if anything but my wild imagination) is going on that is making you feel low, the sun will come out tomorrow, just like it did today.

Despite the fact I have used the "roman candle" metaphor from my favorite Kerouac saying to describe you before,  the only way I want you to explode is with wonderful acclaim for a professional job well done or with a mirth or joy too heartfelt to be contained.
 

And, if I am being overly melodramatic in this post, my apologies. I shall write off  this momentary lapse in common sense to my own "fork in the road" search brought about by some truths reaching out from the past and some of those messy drawers I had slammed shut to cope through the storms, needing to be cleaned out.

I still remain the cockeyed optimist and life is still the great adventure.   I wish the same for you.  You are not responsible for my projection or my interpretation of what I think I see in these photos.  Only for how you really are and what you project.

Thrust out the noble chin and brace yourself for the upcoming blitz of promotion I know you dread, but goes with the territory.   Just calm yourself and handle it with grace.  Dig deep.  It's there, man.

And smile with your eyes.  It's one of your greatest assets.

xxoo

Z


PS:  Perhaps he just hated to leave NY and return to the work necessary to stay in the limelight.  Yes, I know a lot of you think he seeks this out.  I, in turn, think he is getting to hate some of it just a little, even if he does it so well.


Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate