Cake or Death's Groovy News

[thanks Barbara!]

An urban fairytale from the backstreets of Manchester. It is Christmas Eve and everyone is getting ready for the big day; everyone that is, except Anthony, a strange, enigmatic being who wakes up in the street, not knowing where he is or what he’s here to do. But Anthony has a remarkable ability: the power to find the lost… But is Anthony’s ability real, or just an illusion?

We are delighted to announce that we will be joined at the screening by Eddie Izzard (Anthony), Larry Mills (Goose), John Hay (Writer/Director), David Logan (Writer), Elliot Jenkins (Producer) and Sue Nott (Executive Producer). Please note Lost Christmas is most suitable for children aged 8 and above.

Preview courtesy of CBBC and Impact Film and Television.

Trailer:

TICKET/SCREENING INFO>> at BFI.

[from sun.co.uk]

EDDIE Izzard got so attached to the crutch he used as Long John Silver he took it HOME.
The actor and comedian learned to walk with it because his right leg is lopped off in the first episode of Sky1’s Treasure Island.

But Eddie, 49, couldn’t do without it — even after filming ended. He admitted: “I grew to love the crutch. It looks great.”

Eddie shaved his head to play the legendary pirate role and used a Cockney accent instead of the usual West Country twang. He said: “It twisted it a bit and made it mine.”

And he relished the gritty nature of the Christmas two-parter. He said: “I thought Treasure Island was like panto, but this has real edge.”

>> PHOTO HERE

[from digitalspy.com]
Eddie Izzard: ‘Sky1’s new Treasure Island is kick-ass like Goodfellas’

Eddie Izzard has compared his Sky1 adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island to the Hollywood gangster film Goodfellas.

Izzard said that he had previously considered the story to be more like a “pantomime”, but claimed that the new two-part drama was “evil enough” to lure him into taking part.

“I agreed to do it because it is a Goodfellas style kick-ass version.” said the comic.

Izzard plays pirate villain Long John Silver, alongside a cast including Phillip Glenister, Donald Sutherland, Elijah Wood, Rupert Penry-Jones, Daniel Mays and Keith Allen.

“The line that I was using was that the original Batman was quite a campy Batman. Then Tim Burton took it, kept it still for the family, but added a real edge to it. This is like the first Tim Burton Batman films,” said Izzard.

“We want to keep everyone watching it, but we also want to add a real edge to it.”

Shot on location in Ireland and Puerto Rico, the two-part adaptation was written by Stewart Harcourt (Poirot, Marple) and directed by Steve Barron (Merlin).

Treasure Island will air on Sky1 over Christmas and New Year.

[thanks Jean!]

The British comedy star and actor, along with director Steve Barron, were in Cannes to promote Treasure Island, the RHI-produced film whose partners include Sky, who will air the feature in the UK this Christmas.

Izzard plays Long John Silver, but guarantees no “arrrr”s or “Jim lad”s: this is a gritty, realistic and muscular rendition of the classic tale. “We wanted this punk element”, said the star.

Watch out for trailer extracts within the interview!

>> ANOTHER INTERVIEW

[from belfasttelegraph.co.uk]

It appears Nick’s casting takes the place of Eddie Izzard, who had previously been linked to one of the roles.

>> REST OF ARTICLE

[from metro.us]

Eddie Izzard has quite the crowded business card these days: actor, stand-up comedian, political activist, marathon-runner, avid Twitterer. And with “Cars 2,” he joins the ranks of Pixar voice actors as Miles Axelrod, a Range Rover-ish entrepreneur who’s designed a new, environmentally friendly fuel, Allinol. The incredibly busy Mr. Izzard sat down with Metro just hours after arriving in L.A. from Paris, where he’s doing a series of stand-up shows. In French.

So, you’ve never really considered yourself a big car person?

I do like cars, but I’m not a car nut. I always thought, “Well I’m doing OK, I’ve got a bit of money, let’s get a stupid car, a crazy car.” And I started hiring a few, and nothing really grabbed me. I kept coming back to the Beetle or a Mini because they’re kind of cool, and they didn’t separate me. I wasn’t saying, “Hey, look how good I’m doing.” But having said that, I’d go for any type Jag, or an Aston Martin DB5 or 6 — there’s a five and a six, and I keep looking at them going, “What’s the difference?”

In this you’re playing what looks like a Range Rover.

I’m playing Sir Miles Axelrod, the … am I a millionaire or a billionaire? I can’t remember. All the positive side of Miles Axelrod has something Richard Branson-esque — or me-esque, because I was at some point studying accounting and financial management. And I am someone that, I suppose I have been taking my comedy around the world, and I’ve tried to do that in a very positive way.

You’ve definitely become something of a do-gooder in real life.

Yes, we’ve raised some money on the marathons. The positive attitude I like about business is like the Pixar model. You don’t have to be a rape-and-pillage business. You know, you can still make a profit. You don’t have to be an ogre. Just you have to work a bit harder at it.

How have you found balancing all the different work you do?

It’s tricky. I think if you just had a lot of films going — film after film after film — then you would just have to juggle those together. Instead I have a film, and then do France in French, and then maybe run some marathons, and then do something political in an election campaign. So it’s mixing things together that I want to do.

Owen Wilson and Larry The Cable Guy are back as Lightning McQueen and Mater in the all-new animated comedy Cars 2, which finds our heroes competing in the first-ever World Grand Prix while also becoming involved in a bit of international espionage. Ryan J. Downey recently met up with both voice actors, as well as franchise newcomers Emily Mortimer and Eddie Izzard, with their director John Lasseter, to discuss this action-packed racetrack adventure.

>> VIEW VIDEO

[from BelfastTelegraph.co.uk]

Eddie Izzard and Bob Hoskins are reportedly in talks to play dwarves in Snow White.
Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan and Steven Graham are also in negotiations to sign up to Rupert Sanders’ big-screen adaptation of the classic fairytale, the Heat Vision blog said.

Eddie is tipped to play Tiberius, the biggest and burliest dwarf of the crew, with Bob as blind dwarf Constantine and Toby as timid dwarf Claudius.

They would join Ian McShane, who is also apparently waiting for the part of Caesar, the leader of the dwarves.

Kristen Stewart is already on board as the eponymous heroine, with Charlize Theron as her evil stepmother and Thor’s Chris Hemsworth as the huntsman who trains the princess to fight back.

Eddie will next be heard as part of the Cars 2 voice cast, while Toby will be seen in The Adventures Of Tintin and Captain America: The First Avenger alongside Dominic Cooper.

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/izzard-hoskins-take-dwarf-roles-16014779.html#ixzz1Q1eQxXrj

[thanks Jean]

United States of Tara trailer:

Cars 2: Sneek Peek

[from contactmusic.com]

JOHN TURTURRO and EDDIE IZZARD have landed new roles in the CARS sequel.

O Brother, Where Art Thou star Turturro will voice Italian race car Francesco Bernoulli, while British comedian Izzard will portray former oil baron Miles Axlerod.

The two additions were confirmed by Cars 2 director John Lasseter on Monday (14Feb11).

Lasseter also revealed the sequel would be “a spy movie”.

Other new characters in the film, which is scheduled for a June 24th release, include superspy Holley Shiftwell, voiced by British actress Emily Mortimer.