Patrice O'Neal Dead: Comedian, Actor, Dies at 41

Comedian Patrice O'Neal has passed away at the age of 41, after suffering a stroke back in October. Best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, O'Neal acted in a handful of films in his career, including 'The 25th Hour,' 'Head of State' and 'Scary Movie 4.' The news of his death was confirmed by a tweet from Gregg "Opie" Hughes, this host of 'The Opie and Anthony' show on SiriusXM, where O'Neal was a frequent guest: "Yes it's true that our pal Patrice O'Neal has passed away. The funniest and best thinker I've ever known PERIOD. #devastated." According to TMZ, O'Neal passed away on Monday night. His most recent movie was 2010's 'Furry Vengeance,' starring Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields. Patrice also made an appearance during the Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen back in September. [via TMZ and HuffPost Comedy] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Eddie Redmayne on My Week With Marilyn and the Quest For the Right Role

He’s won a Tony Award (for Red) and held his own onscreen opposite everyone from Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon (The Good Shepherd) to Julianne Moore (Savage Grace) to Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age). But there’s something about Eddie Redmayne’s role in My Week With Marilyn — as Colin Clark, a glorified film-set gofer mediating the relationship between Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and her Prince and the Showgirl co-star and director Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) — that hints at just the right screen role at just the right time. Well-seasoned at 29 years of age yet still navigating the indies’ treacherous leading-man trenches, Redmayne spoke with Movieline recently about getting to know both Clark and the sexpot whose story he told — all while plotting that all-important next career step. So how’s things? Good, man, good. I was doing a play in NY the first time I read the script, and I met Michelle for the first time in NY. So it feels like there’s this wonderful symmetry being back here to open it. I love this city. It’s funny, because I was at that first NY Film Festival preview, and while it seemed successful, it seemed like there was some apprehension in everybody’s body language — exposing the movie for the first time. What was your reaction? There’s this great quote from this play I did, Red, about Mark Rothko, the artist. And he talks about putting a play into the world. And John Logan, who wrote Hugo, actually wrote the script; he said that putting a painting into the world is like putting a baby into a room full of razor blades. I think there’s always that moment where you’ve watched anything you’ve worked on for the first time — anything you’ve bled for and cared about — and of course you car what people think. And it’s a terrifying prospect: We knew that was the first audience to have watched it, particularly with the added status that comes when you’re representing so man icons, as it were. And I just remember that first moment when that journalist said they had worked with Lee Strasburg and Marilyn Monroe… I mean, I connected it. I know Michelle, of course, representing Marilyn Monroe, was apprehensive. So it was wonderful for her to hear that. We’ve all seen that and know how extraordinary it was, but I think it was a great validation for her. What was your experience getting familiar with this material — the role, with Colin, and just rounding out this character who is obviously based on someone in real life? The sort of wonderful thing about this sort of scenario is that you have the source material right in front of you. Not only do you have The Prince and the Showgirl and My Week With Marilyn and a huge amount of documented photos of the time; it’s lovely to link into that and use those as your resource. But the other thing that happens when you do literary adaptations is that there comes a moment where you have to disassociate yourself from the truth of what’s there and start playing the script. You can do all of that ground research, but there’s nothing worse than an actor showing their homework onscreen. And so you start playing the piece. But I think Adrian [Hodges, the screenwriter] has done a great job of keeping true to the story. There were two ladies I met — one was the script supervisor, and another who was sort of a publicist assistant. I went and spoke to them, and they talked about how gregarious Colin was — how he sort of charmed everyone and had this energy. That was interesting to hear and try to use. I spoke with Simon recently about that very subject — having to let the film stand alone from its source material, and also from The Prince and the Showgirl. When you’re shooting these scenes right out of the movie — the movie within a movie — how do you separate the two and make your performance its own thing? That’s really interesting. I think it was probably a bit of a first for all of us — how this life-imitating-art aspect was going on. You’d walk into the studio at Pinewood, and then within the studio at Pinewood, there would be the set of The Prince of the Showgirl. But we were shooting both the studio and the set. Do you see what I mean? Of course. You were never quite sure when you were in your film’s reality or the reality of The Prince and the Showgirl. In the same way, Michelle’s dressing room was Marilyn’s dressing room, and the Parkside, where she was staying, was Marilyn’s [rental]. But I can’t help but think that all those things added an authenticity and an excitement to the way that we felt — to feel that you’re treading in the actual paths where these extraordinary figures have lived and performed. It was really riveting. That’s the other thing: You’re playing a young man at a turning point in his life and career who runs across the biggest celebrity in the world at that time. How in thrall were you to the myth of Marilyn Monroe as it existed in the personage of Michelle Williams? I feel like everyone was aware — for both Kenneth and Michelle — what an undertaking it was. So as a troupe — as a company almost — we were trying to be as supportive as we possibly could. And watching them… I’d get into the makeup trailer in the morning and just sort of comb my hair, and they would gradually, piece by piece, transform over an extended period, whether it was through makeup or wigs or prosthetics or whatever. And then they were into costumes. Watching that transformation happen was enthralling. I suppose the ultimate in acting is playing someone else, but when you’re playing someone that is so renowned, it’s the ultimate challenge. So as actors, we were trying to everything we could to support that — much in the way, I suppose, that Colin was doing everything he could to support Marilyn. And it was fascinating to observe, I have to say. There is also a level of verisimilitude for you as well; you have a similar background to Colin as well, right? Yeah, we went to the same school [Eton]. Coincidence? Does that inform your character at all? I hope it’s coincidence. I hope I wasn’t cast because of that. [Laughs] But yeah. When Colin was taking Marilyn around Eton, and I was taking Michelle around Eton, and all the boys were Eton boys, because they knew I went there, they were all running up and asking what she was like in real life. It extended in many ways — that meta side to it. And that’s what made the filming experience so unique: that element of blurred lines. I’ve been watching you for what feels like a long time; I think my first exposure to you was in The Good Shepard. There are good movies in there since then, but I’ve always wondered when you’re going to get just the right role. Right! Right. When this came to you, did it feel like that right role? It’s really interesting to hear you ask that. [Pauses] On so many levels, acting in film and TV is so much the sum of its parts, and somewhere in there, there’s an alchemical thing that makes something happen or not — that makes something connect or not. Now, of course you want to make work that people see, but the enjoyment I get out of acting is playing characters. So I’ve done films that very few people have seen, then much more commercial films, then parts of different sizes and accents and heritages. I try to just take it step by step and choose the work dependent on whether or not I feel the challenge in it. When I got this part, I suppose the most interesting thing was that it was the part closest to myself that I’d ever read. And some people say — my mum, for example — “Well that actor only ever plays himself.” And I say, “You have no idea how hard it is.” I’ve never really done that. So actually, though I would defer to Michelle and Kenneth having their work seriously cut out for them in this, in my own way I had sort of a personal challenge: to try and play someone who’s not that far from who you are, really. But it was a challenge in itself. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Body of Proof Planning Casey Anthony-Inspired Episode

Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Wilson Like Law & Order's ripped within the mind lines episodes, ABC's Body of Proof will need about one of the 2010 finest mind lines: Casey Anthony. The episode in mind, slated to air Jan. 3, may have a young lady named Hilary Stone who's found innocent of killing her boy, according to Entertainment Weekly. Marcia Gay Harden remains attracted onto go through the Nancy Sophistication-like journalist, Sheila Temple, while Rita Wilson will portray Hilary's mother. See the relaxation of current day news "[The trial] increased being this sensational situation country wide," executive producer Sunil Nayar notifies playboy. "There has been very human elements. [Inside our episode], we explore what continues when the media will get control a scenario.Inch Anthony was discovered innocent of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, about this summer time 5, but was sentenced to four years in jail for giving false information to police government bodies. Anthony was presented with credit permanently behavior and time offered - she'd already spent 997 days in jail.

Web Series Directors Prove a Big Budget Isn't Necessary to Make Quality Independent TV

Kate Wetherhead and Andrew Keenan-Bolger, "Submissions Only" The theater community has embraced Kate Wetherhead and Andrew Keenan-Bolger's actor-centric Web series "Submissions Only," and guest stars Kristin Chenoweth, Rachel Dratch, and Chita Rivera are only the start of the show's A-list talent. But despite their fame, these actors still look to Wetherhead and Keenan-Bolger for advice."You would think at a certain point people stop looking for direction, and it really has not been the case," says Keenan-Bolger, who created, directs, appears in, and writes the show with Wetherhead. "You sort of don't expect that. Us giving direction to these ridiculous Tony winners is always sort of mind-blowing."The show's high-profile guest stars also exemplify the tight-knit nature of the theater world, as Wetherhead and Keenan-Bolger filled all the roles with friends and acquaintances. Ironically for a show about auditioning, the creators have never auditioned anyone. "We go through our mutual friends on Facebook," Keenan-Bolger says of how they cast the first season. "The world needed to see how talented some of these people were."For the second season, which airs exclusively on BroadwayWorld.com, the duo asked a local casting director for help. Officially the show has no casting directoraside from the fictional ones on the series.However, casting directors, directors, and writers have reached out to the team for a chance to be on the show. "I think it's funny that this is the acting opportunity they want," says Wetherhead, who also stars as down-on-her-luck actor Penny Reilly. But you won't see these creatives playing themselves. "That's one of our rules," Wetherhead explains. "If you're not an actor and you are on the show, you can't play what you do."No casting director is attached to the series at this time. Email submissionsonly@yahoo.com to inquire about casting opportunities. Ned Ehrbar, "Co-op of the Damned" It's dangerous to be an actor sometimes. "One of our actresses accidentally ingested fake blood," says Ned Ehrbar, creator, writer, and director of "Co-op of the Damned," a sketch comedy Web series about a haunted apartment building. "One was handcuffed to a chair and we couldn't find the key."The series just completed shooting its five-episode second season, and the creative team is talking with websites about hosting it. Ehrbar shoots the show episodically and uses a casting director to keep up with the demand for new characters. Casting director Jonathan Groce also proved helpful when Ehrbar had to ask actors to appear nudea tricky situation, especially for a low-budget Web series. "You're just very up-front and respectful and clear," Ehrbar says, "and try not to pull the rug out from under them at any time during the negotiations."Although Ehrbar writes the show, it relies heavily on improvisation, a skill he looks for in all his actors. "I write sort of a very basic description of what's going to happen, and then the actor fills in a lot of the blanks," he explains.To stay on track, Ehrbar storyboards every episode. "We take the individual panels and put them on a big board somewhere on set," he says. "We tear them off as we finish them. As long as we get that done, then anything else that anyone comes up with is fantastic."To contact Jonathan Groce, the casting director of "Co-op of the Damned," email jgroce724@gmail.com or mail submissions to 805 N. Dillon St., L.A., CA 90026. Sean Becker, "The Guild" "The Guild," created by and starring Felicia Day, is the poster child for successful Web series, but director Sean Becker still has plenty of competitors. "Our competition is not only other Web series but also viral videos on YouTube," he says. "With sites like Hulu and Netflix, now we're competing with actual TV and actual film."The popular showits YouTube channel has more than 300,000 subscriberschronicles the escapades of a group of online gamers, and Becker, who won the 2010 Streamy Award for comedy directing, has been with the series since Season 2. After five successful seasons and a partnership with Microsoft, the show has the luxury of a production crew, which gives it a competitive edge.Despite its success, however, "The Guild" is confined to a tight budget. The creators have only about 14 days to shoot a 12-episode season; that's eight to 11 pages a day. "From a directing standpoint, I would love to shoot episodically, because then you get to focus on that single moment," Becker says, adding that he shoots the show as he would a feature film. "But that's not practical."There are no rehearsal days before the shoot, and all the extras work for free. Luckily, fans of the show don't seem to mind. "They have actually created their own group called the Guild of Extras," says Becker. "They've bonded being fans of the show and being on set while 'The Guild' is being made."The casting director of "The Guild" is Helen Geier. No contact information was provided for this article. Scott Brown, "Asylum" Scott Brown lies to his actors. Well, not technically. The director of "Asylum" keeps the show's mysteries alive by hiding plot points from the actors, thereby generating a more truthful reaction in them. "Because the actor doesn't know, it causes this interesting need to find out in their character," he explains.Directing a psychological drama was something of a mystery for Brown himself. As a writer and director specializing in comedy, he met "Asylum" creator Dan Williams while they were studying screenwriting together at the University of Southern California. Brown took the opportunity to direct drama as a way of challenging himself and growing as an artist.But drama is a challenge for another reason as well. "If people go to the Web, they've got five minutes and they want to laugh," Brown says. "It's hard to get a five-minute fix of drama.""Asylum" recently partnered with BET.com for the show's second season and will have a larger platform to help give it legitimacy. "We try to develop an audience who's willing to make a commitment to the arc of all the episodes," Brown says. "Drama is a great storytelling medium, and there's a place for it on the Internet." While BET picked up "Asylum" as an exclusive Web series, no casting director is attached to the series at this time. Creator Dan Williams is available for inquiries at dan_williams@mac.com.

'Breaking Dawn' Premiere: Christina Perri Goes Behind the Scenes

Because you obviously can't get enough of 'Breaking Dawn,' here comes pop singer Christina Perri with a behind-the-scenes peek at the big 'Twilight' premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night. "I can't believe this is real life," self-described Twi-hard Perri told AOL Music. (Perri contributed the song "A Thousand Years" to the 'Breaking Dawn' soundtrack.) You can see Perri's own photos at Moviefone sister site AOL Music, and check back here all week for some expanded 'Twilight' coverage. Watch Perri's video for "A Thousand Years" ahead. 'Breaking Dawn' is out in theaters on Friday, y'all! [via AOL Music] [Photo: Christina Perri] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Universal Music buys EMI Recorded Music

It's official: French conglom Vivendi and it is Universal Music subsid Friday introduced an offer to get battling EMI from Citigroup for around $1.9 billion. Vivendi stated it might finance the transaction from existing lines of credit and selling about 500 million pounds price of non-core Universal Group assets. Universal may be the world's greatest group. "We're very proud to welcome EMI in to the Vivendi family. All of us respect labels within EMI along with the artists and employees who lead to the success. They'll find inside our group a secure, lengthy-term home, based in Europe," stated Vivendi Boss Jean- Bernard Levy inside a statement. EMI labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone, Virgin Classics and Virgin Records. Levy known as the cost "attractive," and stated Vivendi is "certain that we'll have the ability to create additional value for the investors because of our understanding of the profession and our proven history of effective integration." Lucian Grainge, chairman-Boss of Universal Group, stated the offer is "an historic acquisition for UMG as well as an important part of protecting the legacy of EMI Music. For me personally, being an Englishman, EMI was the prominent music company which i was raised with. Its artists as well as their music provided the soundtrack to my teenage life. Therefore, UMG is devoted to both protecting EMI's cultural heritage and artistic diversity, as well as trading in the artists the ones to develop the business's assets for future years.Inch EMI continues to be on the market since last summer time, but owner Citibank apparently yanked it once the bids all arrived lacking. Citibank vice chairman Stephen Volk, that has been becoming EMI's chairman, stated the transaction achieves "Citi's objective of making the most of the need for EMI." The closing remains susceptible to numerous conditions, including regulating approval within the nations and continents concerned. This deal includes just the recorded music part of EMI. Another, separate cope with an organization brought by The new sony is stated to become close to obtaining the background music posting business for $2.2 billion. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com