Charlie Bewley as Demetri

Twilight’s Charlie Bewley (Demetri) and Daniel Cudmore (Felix) of the Volturi vampire clan were in Chicago on November 1, 2012 to speak with the press about their upcoming film “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2.” I interviewed them via phone and had a great time chatting with these enthusiastic actors.

Charlie Bewley confirmed that he grew up on a small farm in middle England just outside the town of Loughborough. He plays Demetri and is a valued member of the Volturi guard.

Daniel Cudmore grew up in a small town named Squamish about 45 miles north from Whistler Mountain in Canada. This 6’6” heartthrob, enjoys performing his own stunts in the Twilight movies. “It’s becoming more and more of a trend with actors that they are preforming their own stunts and honestly when you do get a part, you instinctively want to do as much of the work as you can yourself,” he said.

Gerard Butler attends "Machine Gun Preacher" Los Angeles Premiere 9/21/2011. Photo Credit” JB Lacroix/WireImage

Gerard Butler Chats About His Role in “Machine Gun Preacher"

Most people know Gerard Butler from his work as the rough and tough guy in the film “300.” What’s interesting about Butler’s film career is that his films roles have varied significantly in scope. He’s played a single dad in “Nim’s Island” and tackled comedy in “The Ugly Truth.” Many people are also familiar with his myriad of work in independent films.

In the film “Machine Gun Preacher” he plays a real life guy, Sam Childers, a former drug dealer and ex con whose life is transformed by his belief in God and his strong-willed wife (played by Michelle Monaghan). Ultimately, Childers takes a trip to Sudan, Africa and begins an all out campaign to help orphaned and kidnapped children. He rescues kids, gives them a place to stay in the orphanage he built, preaches and shoots his machine gun if necessary.

Butler was in Chicago on a whirlwind press tour promoting his new film. We met along with other journalists in the conference room at the Four Seasons Hotel on August 23, 2011 on a clear, crisp day.

Butler has played other epic characters and this one certainly fits that description. When asked how he approached portraying Sam Childers, Butler stated that if you compare Sam to other characters that he has played, Sam falls into that category along with other aspects.

Butler said, "The Phantom from “Phantom of the Opera,” Beowulf in “Beowulf & Grendel” and King Leonidas in “300,” all have really exceptional powers whereas Sam is a very charismatic man, but he’s still just a man. What I really connected with was the fact that he had all of that going on. He had incredible courage, incredible determination and endurance and yet, at the same time, he’s full of shame and anger. This violence just kind of simmers underneath the surface and that to me was how to make this character more fascinating and more gripping.”

Kyle Lane and Jim Belushi
(Photo credit: Heather Scholl)

Without a doubt Jim Belushi is a household name.  An icon of comedy, acting, and music, he is best known for his roles in About Last Night…, Red Heat, According to Jim, and his revival of The Blues Brothers band.  As a Chicago area native and Second City alum, Belushi comes back to Chicago whenever he can.  As a new partner in The Comedy Bar, we can surely plan on seeing him around town more often.

Kyle Lane, a friend of Jim’s son Robert, is the owner of The Comedy Bar (157 West Ontario Street in River North).  Lane is an actor, comedian, and successful entrepreneur.  Thanks to Lane’s vision and work ethic, The Comedy Bar took off at an incredible pace not too long ago, and he began looking for investments and ways to take it to the next level.  As a friend of the Belushi family, he had discussed it with Jim over time and eventually the partnership became official.

The Comedy Bar celebrated its official re-launch (Oct. 18 & 19) as a dual partnership between Lane and Belushi, complete with stand-up, improv, and Belushi’s rendition of Sweet Home Chicago.  I attended the event and it was incredibly fun with lots of laughs and an outpouring of support from fans and the community.  Before the show on Thursday, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Jim, Kyle, and Robert about how the partnership came about and what they are most looking forward to.

Listen here or read the transcript below.

Mason Cook, Alexa Vega, Rowan Blanchard and Sarah Adamson

“Spy Kids: All the Time in the World”, in 4D will open August 19, 2011. Cast members were in Chicago to promote the film including one of the original spy kids, Alexa Vega. Two new spy kids who play twins in the film, Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook chatted with me in Chicago on July 22, 2011 at the James Hotel.

Backstage Notes: The kids were delightful and very excited to talk about their new movie and all the fun they had making it. Rowan and Mason are both 11 years old and they handled themselves like seasoned press tour pros. Alexa Vega, 21, is one of the original spy kids who’s appeared in all of the films to date. She’s sweet, grounded and a very beautiful young lady. When we first met, we talked about nail polish and the fabulous shoes she was wearing.

Alexa Vega’s first Spy Kids film debuted in 2001. Having a history with the films, she explained her relationship to the new family in “Spy Kids 4” and the other connections. Jessica Alba stars as the step mom and Joel McHale as the dad of twins.

BEN AFFLECK Photo Credit: Getty Photos

Ben Affleck Talks Directing and the Making of “Argo”

I interviewed Ben Affleck on behalf of the Warner Bros. film “Argo,” on September 11, 2012 in Chicago at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. Affleck looked stylish in his gray, cable-knit cardigan sweater, black shirt, dress tweed slacks (with flecks of black and white) and his very hip, black ankle boots with side gold zippers. From the get-go he was unassuming, funny and charming. He sat next to me on the couch as the other two journalists, Steve Prokopy from Ain’t It Cool News and Brian Tallerico from Hollywood Chicago, sat in chairs facing us. As round tables go, this one worked beautifully as we were granted 30 minutes. The audio will air on Hollywood 360 Radio Network in its entirety in two parts.

Affleck’s been involved with numerous films while expanding his repertoire to include directing and producing. In “Argo” he directs and acts as the main character, CIA agent Tony Mendez. During the Iranian hostage crisis in ’79, Mendez was responsible for rescuing 6 Americans who escaped out the back door during the take-over and were secretly ‘house guests’ of the Canadian ambassador for months. Mendez helped devise a plan of rescue by fabricating an outlandish scenario in which the ‘house guests’ would pose as Hollywood filmmakers scouting a location for the sci-fi film, “Argo.”

The film is an exhilarating thriller based on a true story, one that keeps you on the edge of your seat while reliving the Iranian conflict. Comic relief is added whenever the landscape shifts to Hollywood. John Goodman and Alan Arkin play ‘Tinsel town’ execs and their lines are absolutely hysterical, which is not an easy feat to incorporate in such a serious historical event.

Affleck has created a miraculous film and it’s no wonder as he majored in Middle Eastern cultures in college while attending Harvard. He has a built in connection and intrinsic motivation for bringing such a story to the big screen and we can be thankful for that. As the secret story unfolds, we are shown the urgency of the situation, the red tape of our bureaucracy and the courage of our CIA agents. Add in the feel-good effects of incorporating Hollywood into the equation and it leads to major success.

When asked about the Toronto screening of “Argo” Affleck replied: “We really had a great screening. And you know there’s a little bit of hometown love in there, so we definitely got some appreciation. And there’s definitely Canadian jokes too, not at the expense of Canada, but jokes that Canadians would get that kind of fall flat in the U.S. and it got big laughs at the premiere. [Laughs] So it was a nice boost, and we’re excited to come out here. We did Boston and now here and then I’ll go to St. Sebastian [Film Festival], then I’ll come back and do San Francisco and then New York and L.A., and finally the movie will come out at some point.” [Laughs]

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Pictured: Paul Brittain - Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBC

When I reminiscence upon my past career as a gifted reading teacher of nine and ten year olds, in Naperville’s Project IDEA program, I often wonder where those students are or what they are doing in this world. It just so happens that Paul Brittain is one of my former students. He was in my fourth and fifth grade class at Ellsworth School in Naperville, Illinois. When I learned that Brittain was selected as a new Saturday Night Live cast member this past season, a smile quickly came across my face and a feeling of, ‘Wow, he made it to the big time,’ flooded my thoughts.

As an avid SNL fan, you can be sure that I either taped the shows or watched them live. While viewing the shows each week, I couldn’t help but feel proud every time Brittain appeared onscreen, I can only imagine how his parents must have felt.

SNL’s season finale was May 22, which has allowed Brittain’s schedule to free up, somewhat. Chicago’s Just For Laughs Comedy event is scheduled for June 14–19, and it’s no surprise that Brittain is performing.

We chatted by phone this past week and it was great to catch up after all these years. He talked about Naperville, writing sketches for SNL and the Improv Olympic Theater where he got his start in comedy.

Here’s part of our conversation:

Q: First of all, I can’t tell you how excited and happy I am for you as you’re performing on one of my all time favorite TV shows, SNL.

A: Thank you very much.

Q: Who were your comedic idols growing up?

A: I was a huge fan of SNL when I was growing up from the time I was about nine years old – Dana Carvey, Judd Hirsch and that whole crew. I used to watch reruns that featured John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. I could easily list at least 200 people. Comedy was my favorite thing; I would sit there and watch comedy all the time and I’d watch stand up as well.