How did Curtis Hansen teach Eminem how to "act"?
John Harkness
<kas...@uselessspamaccess1.net> wrote:
>I've heard many actors claim that, with regards to acting, "you either
>have it or you don't." When Eminem first stood in front of the cameras,
>Curtis Hansen said that he was beyond bad: too self-conscious, said his
>lines unnaturally, spastic movement, etc.
>
>But after six weeks of rehearsals, all of a sudden Eminem goes from
>'Glitter'-bad to 'Rocky'-great.
>
>I would love to know what Curtis Hansen did to teach Eminem how to
>"act". I find it fascinating that someone like Eminem can be a decent
>actor but an icon like Madonna can't do it to save her life. They both
>seem cut from the same cloth: working-class backgrounds, controversial
>button-pushers, ambitious, mercurial personalities, and all that.
>
Well, it helps, I suspect, that Eminem is in essence playing someone
like himself -- I doubt that Hansen could have got him to give a
passable Hamlet in six weeks. Perhaps he screened him a couple of
Madonna movies and asked "do you want to be compared to that?"
>Maybe it's the gift of language that makes some people actors and others
>just wannabes? Some feminist writer recently said that the reason
>Madonna can't act is because she has a tin ear for language. I would
>definitely agree with that. And from my own observations, I'd say she's
>also incapable of putting her ego in check and hasn't yet realized that
>the world truly doesn't revolve around her and her needs and therefore,
>she cannot completely let go of her ID to inhabit another character's
>being. She wants to be Madonna all the time.
Well, given the variety of personae -- Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady,
Eminem -- it's not entirely sure who Eminem wants to be.
John Harkness
Ovum
>And now that I think about it, Eminem's lyrics speak mostly of emotions
>and relationships, whereas Madonna sings mostly about things or shallow
>feelings of "lost love". Hmm.
And this is based on how many Madonna albums you've listened to all the way
through?
"Papa Don't Preach": teen pregnancy
"This Used to Be My Playground": the loss of her mother
"Oh Father": an abusive father
"Spanish Eyes": war
"Die Another Day": alter egos
The woman has sung Sondheim (a beautiful duet with Many Patimkin on the "Dick
Tracy" soundtrack), not to mention the songs from "Evita."
I don't agree with Madonna's expliciteness or constant advocation of sexual
rebellion, but the woman is, indeed, an artist. Unlike these pre-package,
focus-grouped marketing products like Aguillera and Spears, Madonna has the
talent to: (1) write hit songs (2) sing (3) dance (4) perform "image
management," and (5) direct her own career. Doing any one of those things well
takes rare talent.
Lois
------------------------------------------------
Step Two: "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us
to sanity."
kyle.
she's
>also incapable of putting her ego in check and hasn't yet realized that the
world truly doesn't revolve around her and her needs and therefore, she cannot
completely let go >of her
Madonna is the biggest star in the world. Most people can't see the biggest
star in the world as anything but that. She's been an icon for 20 years, how
can we believe her as anything other than that?
>I gotta give him credit; love him or hate him, Eminem is a force to >reckon
with. And I'll bet Madonna is just seething with jealously over this punk kid,
who once again shows up the world and comes out >on top. I love it.
I like both of them very much. Eminem just said recently on Madonna. "She's the
only woman in this business I respect. She's been around 20 years and is still
releasing huge records and still has people everywhere talking about her.
That's the career I want."
I truly think their both in the same vein.
kyle.
Porn Star Quote Of The Week
"I looked at this guy and thought, 'If I just do him & not look at him and have
pleasure, then I can do anything."
-Ginger Lynn on Ron Jeremy
kyle.
>talent to: (1) write hit songs (2) sing (3) dance (4) perform "image
>management," and (5) direct her own career. Doing any one of those things
>well >takes rare talent.
Agreed- & she does them all.
Like Eminem said, what other artist 20 years into their career is doing that?
Releasing #1 albums, songs & still breaking records with her albums, songs &
tours. What other artist 20 yearz into their career is still as relevant today
as they were when they started? Talked about daily in newspapers all the time.
Its crazy.
trotsky
"kyle." wrote:
>
> >. I would definitely agree with that. And from my own observations, I'd say
> she's
> >also incapable of putting her ego in check and hasn't yet realized that the
> world truly doesn't revolve around her and her needs and therefore, she cannot
> completely let go >of her
>
> Madonna is the biggest star in the world. Most people can't see the biggest
> star in the world as anything but that. She's been an icon for 20 years, how
> can we believe her as anything other than that?
>
> >I gotta give him credit; love him or hate him, Eminem is a force to >reckon
> with. And I'll bet Madonna is just seething with jealously over this punk kid,
> who once again shows up the world and comes out >on top. I love it.
>
> I like both of them very much. Eminem just said recently on Madonna. "She's the
> only woman in this business I respect. She's been around 20 years and is still
> releasing huge records and still has people everywhere talking about her.
> That's the career I want."
Of course, if Eminem doesn't think her movies are absolute shit, then he
really is stupid.
trotsky
"kyle." wrote:
>
> >Madonna has the
> >talent to: (1) write hit songs (2) sing (3) dance (4) perform "image
> >management," and (5) direct her own career. Doing any one of those things
> >well >takes rare talent.
>
> Agreed- & she does them all.
>
> Like Eminem said, what other artist 20 years into their career is doing that?
> Releasing #1 albums, songs & still breaking records with her albums, songs &
> tours. What other artist 20 yearz into their career is still as relevant today
> as they were when they started? Talked about daily in newspapers all the time.
> Its crazy.
Not really. Which are the really good Madonna songs worth mentioning?
Does Em think "You will be my lucky star" is a clever lyric? I doubt
it. He was just talking trash.
Mark Steese
<kas...@uselessspamaccess1.net> that wrote news:kasmith-
C6BE74.201...@rcache1.srv.hcvlny.cv.net, on the day of 08 Nov
2002:
[snip]
> Maybe it's the gift of language that makes some people actors and
> others just wannabes? Some feminist writer recently said that the
> reason Madonna can't act is because she has a tin ear for language. I
> would definitely agree with that.
I don't. She can write decent songs; she wrote or co-wrote *all* of the
songs on the "Like A Prayer" album, none of which suggests a 'tin ear.'
> And from my own observations, I'd say she's also incapable of putting
> her ego in check and hasn't yet realized that the world truly doesn't
> revolve around her and her needs and therefore, she cannot completely
> let go of her ID to inhabit another character's being. She wants to be
> Madonna all the time.
She's hardly what I'd call a good actress, but she was fine in
Desperately Seeking Susan, and she did a better job than Beatty in Dick
Tracy. (Everything you said about Madonna in the above paragraph applies
much better to Beatty.) She's certainly no worse than a star like Tom
Cruise, whose principal talent lies in picking scripts. (Though he comes
a cropper on occasion - I'd love to know what made him think he could
convincingly portray a 19th-Century Irish emigrant.)
> On the other hand, Eminem, with his brilliant rhythmic lyricisms, has
> the ear for language. Granted, the role he plays in "8 Mile" isn't much
> of a stretch from his own personality, but still; even Madonna couldn't
> star in a movie about herself. She'd fuck it up somehow.
She *did* star in a movie about herself, Truth or Dare, which got good
reviews. She also got good reviews starring in Evita. Don't let your
dislike of her get in the way of the facts, though.
> And now that I think about it, Eminem's lyrics speak mostly of emotions
> and relationships, whereas Madonna sings mostly about things or shallow
> feelings of "lost love". Hmm.
If you're that ignorant of what Madonna sings about, you shouldn't be
judging her.
> I gotta give him credit; love him or hate him, Eminem is a force to
> reckon with. And I'll bet Madonna is just seething with jealously over
> this punk kid, who once again shows up the world and comes out on top.
> I love it.
Why would she be seething with jealousy? She got good reviews for her
first movie, too. Let's see how well Eminem's doing twenty years from
now.
-Mark
--
It was the saying of Bion, that though the boys throw stones at frogs in
sport, yet the frogs do not die in sport but in earnest. - Plutarch
Tom Cervo
talent (he calls him "Marshall", BTW). He only noted the fact that he wasn't a
trained actor and needed some help doing something he'd never done before.
Hanson's also quick to credit him for being a quick study.
Judy Garland said how terrified she was when she started to act in a movie,
until Mickey Rooney told her that it was the same thing as singing from the
heart. I don't know why anyone's surprised when a singer turns out to be able
to act as well.
Of course there's always Tony Bennett in "The Oscar" to prove the rule.
MeanMary
: I've heard many actors claim that, with regards to acting, "you either
: have it or you don't." When Eminem first stood in front of the cameras,
: Curtis Hansen said that he was beyond bad: too self-conscious, said his
: lines unnaturally, spastic movement, etc.
: But after six weeks of rehearsals, all of a sudden Eminem goes from
: 'Glitter'-bad to 'Rocky'-great.
Eminem plays many characters on his CDs. He probably just
had to get used to acting in a different context and once
he did he just "popped."
MeanMary
--
Copyright 2002 Mary Ballard // I do not speak for Appalachian State U.
// ball...@pm.appstate.edu - remove *s* and *a* from spam to email me.
--
If you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever
wanted, in one moment, would you capture it? Or just let it slip?
Eminem
Mark Steese
that wrote news:aqi94c$p36$1...@lester.appstate.edu, on the day of 08 Nov
2002:
[snip]
>: But after six weeks of rehearsals, all of a sudden Eminem goes from
>: 'Glitter'-bad to 'Rocky'-great.
>
> Eminem plays many characters on his CDs. He probably just
> had to get used to acting in a different context and once
> he did he just "popped."
So you're saying he's basically an acting zit?
Mark Steese
<pres...@REMOVESPAMBLOCKcrawfordsolutions.com> that wrote
news:slrnasp9s0....@serpentor.cobrala, on the day of 08 Nov
2002:
> In article <Xns92C0DD1CA974m...@130.133.1.4>, Mark Steese
> wrote:
>>> let go of her ID to inhabit another character's being. She wants to
>>> be Madonna all the time.
>>
>> She's hardly what I'd call a good actress, but she was fine in
>> Desperately Seeking Susan, and she did a better job than Beatty in
>> Dick Tracy. (Everything you said about Madonna in the above paragraph
>> applies
>
> The previous poster has an excellent point.
The right size and style of hat will conceal that problem.
> Madonna's best acting job (IMHO) was in League of Their Own. A role in
> which she wasn't the center of attention.
How many stars in Hollywood *don't* always want to be the center of
attention? Madonna's hardly the only performer who can't "inhabit
another character's being" (i.e., play a part convincingly). 'Actors'
like John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone have made careers out of
playing a goofball and a lug, respectively (although Travolta, at least,
turned in a decent performance in Pulp Fiction, so he's not completely
hopeless.) Tom Cruise has made a career out of taking 'challenging'
roles and them playing them all in exactly the same way, i.e.,
restraining himself from grinning like an idiot and raising his voice to
show that he's being emotional. Warren Beatty hasn't turned in anything
remotely resembling a performance since "Shampoo."
All of them, though, have had more successful movie careers than Madonna,
which leads me to believe that there must be a better explanation for her
failure than egocentrism.
MeanMary
: So you're saying he's basically an acting zit?
No. I teach karate and when someone goes through a sudden
surge of development in sparring or forms, we say that
they "popped." I'm really not sure where it comes from,
perhaps from the popping sound of the gi when one learns
to throw a kick correctly.
MeanMary
--
Copyright 2002 Mary Ballard // I do not speak for Appalachian State U.
// ball...@pm.appstate.edu - remove *s* and *a* from spam to email me.
--
Not even on my radar, so won't you please jump off my fovl and
stay off, and follow me as I put these crayons to chaos from
seance to seance, as-a-aw-ch-a-aw. Eminem
trotsky
Mark Steese wrote:
>
>
> How many stars in Hollywood *don't* always want to be the center of
> attention? Madonna's hardly the only performer who can't "inhabit
> another character's being" (i.e., play a part convincingly). 'Actors'
> like John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone have made careers out of
> playing a goofball and a lug, respectively (although Travolta, at least,
> turned in a decent performance in Pulp Fiction, so he's not completely
> hopeless.) Tom Cruise has made a career out of taking 'challenging'
> roles and them playing them all in exactly the same way, i.e.,
> restraining himself from grinning like an idiot and raising his voice to
> show that he's being emotional. Warren Beatty hasn't turned in anything
> remotely resembling a performance since "Shampoo."
Oh sure, "Heaven Can Wait" was just a hack job.
John Harkness
Not to mention Reds. And he's very funny in Bulworth.
John Harkness
trotsky
Agreed on all counts.
Drumm...@aol.com
I think if you can get in front of an audience and sing, then you
possess a certain type of confidence that enables you to let go and
act. It's two sides of the same coin. Of course, the are other
personality factors that can detract from your acting ability. If you
have an ego and aren't willing to give to the other actors, you won't
look good.
kyle.
>really is stupid.
I think he was talking more about her music career
kyle.
>Does Em think "You will be my lucky star" is a clever lyric? I doubt
>it. He was just talking trash.
>
I doubt it. Her current song Die Another Day is a bonafide smash. The 3 songs
off her last album were all huge too.
Sean O'Hara
>
> K. Smith writes:
>
> >And now that I think about it, Eminem's lyrics speak mostly of emotions
> >and relationships, whereas Madonna sings mostly about things or shallow
> >feelings of "lost love". Hmm.
>
> And this is based on how many Madonna albums you've listened to all the way
> through?
>
> Tracy" soundtrack), not to mention the songs from "Evita."
>
people as an adequate representation of a singer's artistic message.
Coincidentally, this means I classify Britney, Mariah, and Celine
as completely devoid of meaning.
--
Sean O'Hara
"Thanks to these sterling efforts, they’re bringing significantly
closer the day when the entire Middle East, much of Africa and even
Europe will be under the Saddamite nuclear umbrella and thus safe
from Bush’s aggression." -Mark Steyn
Mike Richey
in message news:3DCD60CA...@myrealbox.com...
> Ovum wrote:
> >
> > K. Smith writes:
> >
> > >And now that I think about it, Eminem's lyrics speak mostly of
emotions
> > >and relationships, whereas Madonna sings mostly about things or
shallow
> > >feelings of "lost love". Hmm.
> >
> > And this is based on how many Madonna albums you've listened to
all the way
> > through?
> >
> > The woman has sung Sondheim (a beautiful duet with Many Patimkin
on the "Dick
> > Tracy" soundtrack), not to mention the songs from "Evita."
> >
> I don't know about you, but I don't count songs written by other
> people as an adequate representation of a singer's artistic message.
>
> Coincidentally, this means I classify Britney, Mariah, and Celine
> as completely devoid of meaning.
>
As is most classical music, right?
--
Mike Richey
"A shark on whiskey is mighty risky. A shark on beer is a beer
engineer."
-Dr. Worm
trotsky
"kyle." wrote:
>
> >Not really. Which are the really good Madonna songs worth mentioning?
> >Does Em think "You will be my lucky star" is a clever lyric? I doubt
> >it. He was just talking trash.
> >
>
> I doubt it. Her current song Die Another Day is a bonafide smash. The 3 songs
> off her last album were all huge too.
So you think Em measures quality by how well the record sells? Is he a
big Britney Spears fan, then?
Ovum
role of Eminem's mother in "8 MILE." Those two together on the screen would be
riveting!
Kim Basinger did an OK job. She's gorgeous, of course, but she had some weird
southern accent in the role. Did Curtis Hanson ask her to do that? If so, why
would somebody living in Michigan have a southern accent -- and never have it
explained?
John Harkness
>Actually, what would have been interesting is for Madonna to have played the
>role of Eminem's mother in "8 MILE." Those two together on the screen would be
>riveting!
>
>Kim Basinger did an OK job. She's gorgeous, of course, but she had some weird
>southern accent in the role. Did Curtis Hanson ask her to do that? If so, why
>would somebody living in Michigan have a southern accent -- and never have it
>explained?
>
>Lois
>
>
Of course, Basinger is Southern -- she's from Georgia. And there's a
very large Southern component in Detroit's working class -- there was
a sizeable migration, black and white, from the South to work in
Detroit's auto plants that began in the 1940s and didn't really stop
until the 60s.
Anyway, it's America, people can live where they want, wherever they
were born.
John Harkness
Mark Steese
wrote news:3dcd052f...@nntp.attcanada.ca, on the day of 09 Nov
2002:
>>> Warren Beatty hasn't turned in anything remotely resembling a
>>> performance since "Shampoo."
>>
>>
>>Oh sure, "Heaven Can Wait" was just a hack job.
I didn't see this post when it first appeared, but I am surprised that
anyone would choose "Heaven Can Wait" as an example of Beatty's acting
skill, given that he doesn't even do as well as Robert Montgomery in the
original. When you can't outact Robert Montgomery, you're just not
trying.
> Not to mention Reds.
Please don't. The only thing that saved him from being the worst actor
in that movie was Diane Keaton's staggeringly off-key performance as
Louise Bryant. Even though the character of Eugene O'Neill was as badly
misconceived as Reed and Bryant, Nicholson still managed to outact Beatty
just because he knows how to invent a character.
> And he's very funny in Bulworth.
If you consider that funny, feel free. In my opinion, he was terrible;
there was no point at which he was believable as a politician or a
suicide, and if he was even trying to act like a man who hadn't slept for
several days he gave no evidence of it. It seems he would rather have
all the other characters constantly remind us of how exhausted Bulworth
is rather than try to play an exhausted man. Some critics bought it; I
say show, don't tell.
-Mark Steese
kyle.
>people as an adequate representation of a singer's artistic message.
>
Madonna writes her own songs.
in TODD we trust
>>I don't know about you, but I don't count songs written by other
>>people as an adequate representation of a singer's artistic message.
>>
>
>Madonna writes her own songs.
She shouldn't.
Cheers,
Todd "But then quality isn't her priority" McNeeley
.
email: mcneeley at enteract dot com
Alan said...
>very large Southern component in Detroit's working class -- there was
>a sizeable migration, black and white, from the South to work in
>Detroit's auto plants that began in the 1940s and didn't really stop
>until the 60s.
Indeed. Being from Michagan and having worked in factories where the
complement consisted of far more than just a few Southern accenters, I always
refer to this state as "New Texas"
... said Alan S Emerson.
Tom Cervo
>complement consisted of far more than just a few Southern accenters, I always
>refer to this state as "New Texas"
Being from Michigan myself, anyplace along I-75 south of Saginaw Bay has its
own "Little Missouri" or "Little Arkansas". (North of that line the hillbillies
are completely native.) There happens to be a classic American novel, "The
Dollmaker" about that very migration--the oldest son is an early version of
"Rabbit"--the dislocation never resolved itself in some families.
kyle.
>
>Cheers,
Why? Youre in the minority. She's had more hits than everyone but Elvis, and
only has 3 more to beat him.
& she's the top selling female artist in the world, and behind only Elvis & The
Beatles. So apparently, she's doing something right.
dawn...@pacifier.com
>
>>She shouldn't.
>>
>>Cheers,
>
>Why? Youre in the minority. She's had more hits than everyone but Elvis, and
>only has 3 more to beat him.
>
>& The
>Beatles. So apparently, she's doing something right.
Millions of people eat Hamburger Helper, too. Make of that what you will.
Dawn
Patra
<Drumm...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1qcqsu4pvoj9tequk...@4ax.com...
> I think if you can get in front of an audience and sing, then you
> possess a certain type of confidence that enables you to let go and
> act.
Olivia Newton -John was horrible in all her movies. (Grease doesn't count).
Mariah Carey was awful.
Neil Diamond was awful.
Barbra Streisand. Blech! (Then again I can't stand her).
Whitney Houston was pretty good.
Dolly Parton was ok.
So, I guess it depends.
John Harkness
wrote:
>
><Drumm...@aol.com> wrote in message
>news:1qcqsu4pvoj9tequk...@4ax.com...
>> I think if you can get in front of an audience and sing, then you
>> possess a certain type of confidence that enables you to let go and
>> act.
>
>Olivia Newton -John was horrible in all her movies. (Grease doesn't count).
Oh yes it does.
John Harkness