I Heart Huckabees

[last days of gerry the elephant]

That was great...

What I'd like to see is the fist fight on the set of Three Kings, or did I miss that for good?

[hedwig]

What I'd like to see is the fist fight on the set of Three Kings, or did I miss that for good?

i hope i'm wrong but i think anyone who wasn't on set that day missed it for good.

[Pwaybloe]

Updated link...

[MacGuffin]

Lily Tomlin Reacts to Leaked Videos
Source: Miami New Times

Even 67-year-old actresses can have their moments of Internet infamy, as Lily Tomlin discovered this week, when the sister blogs of celebrity snark, Gawker and Defamer, posted guerrilla video shot on the set of I Heart Huckabees, the 2004 film in which Tomlin clashed with director David O. Russell. Along with the sparks, F-bombs and even the "C" word fly.

The video was the subject of a New York Times article in 2004, when it was rumored to be making the rounds of West Coast talent agencies.

Miami New Times spoke to Tomlin the day after it appeared online for the first time. New Times was interviewing the actress in advance of her upcoming show at the Carnival Center, but we couldn't resist a mention of the formerly clandestine video, which has since migrated to YouTube.

"Oh my God, the one in the car is on there too?" Tomlin asked, referring to one of the two videos, which were shot during two different scenes. In "the one in the car," Tomlin tells Russell: "Leave me the fuck alone! Do you know what the fuck is going on, period? Fuck you! Fuck you motherfucker!"

"I can't believe the damn car is in there. I've never seen it. Is that when I'm sitting in the seat and really going nuts? Oh my God, I'm gonna die when I see that," Tomlin told New Times, laughing.

"I love David," she said. "There was a lot of pressure in making the movie — even the way it came out you could see it was a very free-associative, crazy movie, and David was under a tremendous amount of pressure. And he's a very free-form kind of guy anyway."

In the second video, shot on the set of the office of Tomlin's detective character, Russell turns the freak out around on Tomlin: "Fuck you! I'm just trying to help you, you understand me? I'm not here to be fucking yelled at!" He sweeps his arm across the desk at which Tomlin sits, scattering its contents. "I've been working on this thing for three fucking years, not to be yelled at by some fucking cunt! So just fuck yourself!"

"Adults have fights and go through stuff," Tomlin said Tuesday. "I know some people are more dignified in the world, that if you transgress against that kind of professionalism, that it's some kind of great sin, but I don't see it that way."

She called the episode "in a way liberating... now it's all over, and so what, and I don't have to keep up some great pretention I'm the most dignified, eloquent, elegant, perfect, smart-thinking, kind, generous person. I'm just a plain old human with a whole bunch of flaws."

Tomlin mostly laughed off the incident, and the leak of the video from the set. "After poor Britney Spears, with her poor little legs open ... I'm not the least bit upset about it," she said. "That's part of the upside and the downside of the Internet."

[hedwig]

that's a really cool reaction. i love lily tomlin. she's a dignified, eloquent, elegant, perfect, smart-thinking, kind, generous person.

[MacGuffin]

Lights, Camera, Tirade! Hollywood's Elite Seen Online
Source: New York Times

In the YouTube age, Hollywood celebrities might want to rethink whether to have temper tantrums — or, at least, have them far from the cameras on movie sets.

A video clip from the filming of "I Heart Huckabees," the 2004 existential comedy directed by David O. Russell, surfaced on YouTube and several gossip blogs last week. The 2 1/2-minute video shows the actress Lily Tomlin expressing her frustration at Mr. Russell, who retaliates by sweeping papers off the desk in front of her, kicking a part of the set, and knocking a lamp to the floor. The tirade is so abusive that only one sentence — "Act like a grown-up; you're not a baby" — is printable.

Another video clip that was posted online last week shows Ms. Tomlin losing her temper during a shoot and cursing at Mr. Russell and her fellow actors.

The set of "I Heart Huckabees" was notoriously fractious, with Ms. Tomlin and Mr. Russell clashing on several occasions. And Mr. Russell is well known for his violent conflict resolution: He was in a fistfight with the actor George Clooney on the set of the 1999 film "Three Kings," and once resolved a casting dispute with the director Christopher Nolan by putting Mr. Nolan into a headlock at a Hollywood party.

Reports of the video's existence first surfaced in a 2004 article in The New York Times about Mr. Russell and the movie's filming, but last Monday marked the first time that either video was made available to the public. Almost as soon as they were posted, efforts were made to quash the leak. The original versions of the two videos, named "Screaming Huckabees" and "Screaming Huckabees 2," were soon removed from YouTube, apparently by their original poster.

The videos were reposted and removed several times over the week, but by the weekend, they appeared to be firmly entrenched in the blogosphere. One version of Mr. Russell's tantrum that was posted on YouTube on Tuesday had been played more than 150,000 times by Saturday, making it one of the week's 50 most viewed videos.

Mr. Russell and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the clips. Neither did Ms. Tomlin's representatives, although the actress addressed the matter in an interview published Thursday with The Miami New Times, an alternative newspaper.

"There was a lot of pressure in making the movie," she said, adding that she was "not the least bit upset" about the leaks. "Adults have fights and go through stuff."

[last days of gerry the elephant]

"He was in a fistfight with the actor George Clooney on the set of the 1999 film "Three Kings," and once resolved a casting dispute with the director Christopher Nolan by putting Mr. Nolan into a headlock at a Hollywood party."

This guy is truly a life loser.

[MacGuffin]

Clooney denies Huckabees leak
Source: Guardian Unlimited

George Clooney has denied being responsible for the public release of embarrassing out-takes showing I Heart Huckabees director David O Russell yelling at actor Lily Tomlin.

Clooney contacted the US gossip sites Radaronline.com and Defamer.com late last week to make clear it was not he who released the footage of the dustups, which found its way on to many websites and blogs.

Both sites had suggested the Oscar-winning actor might be the source because of his well-publicised feud with Russell, which began on the set of the 1999 (first) Gulf war drama Three Kings. Clooney had also recently been working with sound mixer Ed Tise, who worked on Huckabees.

In his missive to the sites, the actor wrote: "Contrary to popular opinion, neither the sound man, Ed Tise, nor yours truly sent in the David O Russell tape.

"I saw it when we were working on Ocean's 12 and there have been quite a few copies travelling around town for the last couple of years. Any rumour that either of us put it on the internet is simply false. And I'd offer a million bucks to anyone who would prove otherwise."

[squints]

Paul Rudd and Michael Showalter re-enact the Huckabee's "fiasco".

http://www.collegehumor.com/picture:1750993/

This is funny stuff. If you haven't watched any of Michael Showalter's showalter then you're missing out (previous guests include Galifinakis, Michael ian black, and david cross)

[MacGuffin]

''Huckabees'' Whacks
EW.com Exclusive: George Clooney says that while notorious Web clips of David O. Russell's blowup at Lily Tomlin give context to his own run-in with the director, he condemns posting such material online

Director David O. Russell's 2004 film I Heart Huckabees is, in large part, a meditation on the quest for spiritual enlightenment. But there was little meditative about two behind-the-scenes clips shot during the film's production that turned up on the Internet last month, showing one of the film's stars, Lily Tomlin, at loggerheads with Russell.

In the more memorable of the two, the director loses his temper with the actress, who is filming a scene with Jason Schwartzman and Dustin Hoffman. ''F--- you!'' he shouts. ''I'm just trying to f---ing help you, do you understand me? I'm being a f---ing collaborator.'' Russell then angrily pushes some papers off the desk behind which Tomlin is sitting and continues: ''I worked on this f---ing thing for three f---ing years not to have some f---ing c--- yell at me in front of the f---ing crew when I'm trying to f---ing help, you bitch.''

After the footage surfaced, a rumor began circulating that its emergence was in some way connected to George Clooney, who had gotten into a physical confrontation with Russell on the set of the 1999 film, Three Kings. Clooney subsequently issued a statement denying responsibility for leaking the footage and offering a $1 million reward to anyone who could prove otherwise.

While being interviewed about the forthcoming Ocean's Thirteen for EW, Clooney answered a couple of questions about the I Heart Huckabees clips.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You've denied leaking the Huckabees footage. But is it possible we will ever see any similar material from Three Kings?
GEORGE CLOONEY: The funny thing is that that tape has been going around for about two and a half years. And everybody's seen it. I saw it when we were shooting Ocean's Twelve. I felt bad for Lily but I also felt a little vindicated for anyone that thought that that had anything to do with me on [Three Kings]. But, you know, the last thing in the world I would have done is stick it on the Internet. I don't even know how to get onto YouTube. So there's not going to be any Three Kings things. There are pranks I like to play [but] that [posting this kind of footage online] falls into the world of screwing with people's careers. I'm up for a good fight, but not sneaky. I like 'em face-to-face.''

Do you think this kind of thing is going to happen more and more?
Sure. I just think the Internet is a free-for-all now. Ultimately a lot of crap comes out. There's going to be tons of things. You're going to have someone filming in somebody's hotel and get them when they have Spanktro-vision on and put that on the Internet and that will be a career-ender for somebody. There's gonna be plenty of that going on. Until someone figures out how to tame the wild wild west then I don't really know you can put the genie back in the bottle. Maybe it's good. Maybe it'll make people behave themselves on sets.

[MacGuffin]

Friends defend Russell as 'Huckabees' video gathers steam
Director's on-set tirade against Lily Tomlin is a much-viewed video online. But it doesn't show the whole man, colleagues say.
Source: Los Angeles Times

As director David O. Russell's now infamous "I {heart} Huckabees" on-set freakout on Lily Tomlin, posted as a Web video, reaches the parody phase, his friends are coming forward to defend his shocking tirade — and his colorful directing style.

Sure, they say, he's "exacting" and doesn't suffer fools; to an outsider, they admit, his tantrum toward the film's costar captured on video might look like a madman's rant. But one obscenity-laden fit shouldn't define Russell, who, they point out, is also a brilliant writer and gifted filmmaker.

"He has his own unique bearing; you've got to know that going in," said "Smokin' Aces" director Joe Carnahan. "And he's not an apologist."

Some folks in the industry called Russell's behavior "unprofessional" and "irresponsible." To others in Hollywood, however, making such a clip public — leaking it from the set, then posting it on YouTube.com, for example — violated a basic industry code: What happens on the set, stays on the set.

"It's just hard to understand unless you're part of the club in a certain respect," said "I {heart} Huckabees" cinematographer Peter Deming. "When people see this clip, particularly if you're not in the film business, they'd think, 'This guy's insane!' But he's not. Things happen when you're in this machine that's been rolling along for several months."

The fight was almost comic in its melodrama, starting with Tomlin griping to Russell about his direction, saying, "We're not all as brilliant as you." Russell soon erupts, sweeping papers off Tomlin's desk, then stomps around, kicks a trash can, tosses a hat stand, storms out screaming, then stomps back in, still yelling. One crew member is seen ducking in the background to avoid flying objects.

Producer Greg Goodman, a longtime friend and producer on "Huckabees" and Russell's earlier film "Three Kings," said the clip was taken out of context.

"He's a very responsible filmmaker who wants to make sure we're coming in on budget," said Goodman. (And indeed, "Huckabees" came in on time and on budget). "He is an individual. You embrace that."

Carnahan said everyone knows Russell has a strong personality and that signing up for one of his films is "you know, in for a penny, in for a pound." "Huckabees" costar Mark Wahlberg and Tomlin herself have worked with Russell more than once.

Most people who know the business acknowledge that movie sets are often pressure cookers and that the directors are usually the first to blow. Sometimes, the argument goes, the creative process demands an ugly outburst. Consider the history of similarly "passionate" directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Sam Peckinpah and James Cameron.

For his part, Russell hasn't talked publicly about the episode since the video surfaced on YouTube last month, and he declined to comment for this article. But Tomlin has come forward to proclaim her enduring love for Russell, and George Clooney, who clashed with Russell during the making of "Three Kings," swiftly dismissed rumors that he was the one who leaked the footage. This week Clooney told Entertainment Weekly that the video was "sneaky" and that it was messing "with people's careers."

Meanwhile, amateur parodies have cropped up online, and recently actors Paul Rudd and Michael Showalter posted their own amusing version of the tantrum on Collegehumor.com.

Friends say Russell isn't too bothered by the publicity.

"His response was to sort of ignore it," said Deming. "Though I'm sure he's sort of disappointed that someone would do this. It's like someone selling naked pictures of Madonna. Things happen during your life, and someone captures it and exploits it."

The existence of the "Huckabees" video was first reported in a 2004 New York Times article, and the clip began circulating among talent agencies in summer 2003. Clearly its most recent release hasn't damaged Russell's career. In the midst of all the online Russell bashing, Columbia Pictures and Red Wagon Pictures announced his latest project: an adaptation of the book "Sammy's Hill" by Kristin Gore, daughter of former Vice President Al Gore.

Doug Wick, founder of Red Wagon Entertainment, said that Kristin Gore "knows him and also felt that he has such a unique comic vision that always kind of finds a reality and heightens it."

Russell made news as a hothead long before this video surfaced. He and Clooney famously came close to choking each other on the 1999 set of "Three Kings." In a 2000 interview in Playboy magazine, Clooney called the shoot "without exception, the worst experience of my life." He went on to say that the director grabbed him by the throat after Clooney confronted Russell about berating the crew, particularly an incident in which he threw an extra to the ground and kicked him.

(Goodman says Russell's reputation for outbursts is just "a bad bounce of the ball" and that the "Three Kings" shoot was high pressure due to the physical demands and filming conditions.)

In 2003, three months before Russell began shooting "Huckabees," Russell reportedly grabbed director Christopher Nolan at a Hollywood party and put him in a headlock because he believed the director was trying to poach Jude Law from his cast of "Huckabees."

As for the leak of the "Huckabees" footage, the culprit behind it is still a mystery. Goodman said there was an attempt back in 2004 to track down the person responsible.

"It's a symptom of technology and a change in our society that really troubles me," said producer Goodman. "It feels like nothing feels safe or private. You can take 30 seconds of the fight and make somebody look like anything you wanted. It would be impossible to show somebody 72 hours of tape, which could really show the nature of the professional relationship, which with Lily and David was largely incredibly positive. On that day in particular, we were back shooting in an hour. They completely reconnected, and we moved on."

[hedwig]

Though I'm sure he's sort of disappointed that someone would do this. It's like someone selling naked pictures of Madonna.

what? no. maybe if russell himself had released the clips..

[Pubrick]

the whole last paragraph is full of other stupid comments.

russell's not that great anyway, he's like the Travis of movies isn't he? that's how i've always thought of him.

[squints]

the whole last paragraph is full of other stupid comments.

russell's not that great anyway, he's like the Travis of movies isn't he? that's how i've always thought of him.

like..."Why does it alway rain on me?" Travis? Yeah, i guess i could see that...