The Playlist

Watch: Reading Of Dustin Lance Black's Prop '8' Play Featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John C. Reilly, Kevin Bacon & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
March 5, 2012 11:58 AM
|
2 Comments

News

With the election year in full swing, the gay marriage issue continues to be a major talking point, with the battle over defining the instution being critically discussed in both parties. But the battle has long been waging in California, where the right for gays to marry was recently overturned and constitutionally banned with the passage of Prop 8. It was a blow for basic human rights and equality for all, and it's a fight that continues in the state. Thus, it's no surprise that the issue has become a cause célèbre for Hollywood stars and they came out in full force over the weekend.

More:

John Hawkes Wanted For 'The Walking Dead'; Kevin Bacon Faces A Serial Killer For Kevin Williamson & More

By Simon Dang
|
February 5, 2012 8:49 AM
|
1 Comment

Television

We'll try to dance around spoilers but the finale of the second season of "Boardwalk Empire" was shocking not only in terms of storyline but also with the fact they tore out the heart of the show, or at least what/who we thought was being developed as such. We're fascinated to see where the show goes from here, but at the very least, it looks like they'll be gaining one great character actor.

More:

Kevin Bacon Wants To Get 'R.I.P.D.'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
July 29, 2011 3:19 AM
|
2 Comments

Kevin Bacon must be getting a thrill these days out of playing the baddie. We're only halfway through the year he's been on screen in three straight films where he's the villain: he was the drug dealing Jacques in "Super"; the twisted Sebastian Shaw in "X-Men: First Class" and the wife-stealing co-worker of Julianne Moore in this weekend's "Crazy, Stupid, Love." Well, people must like what they've been seeing because he's ready to make things difficult for the heroes in the forthcoming "R.I.P.D."

More:

Review: Chemistry Really Cooks In The Uneven, But Super Charming 'Crazy Stupid Love'

By Drew Taylor
|
July 27, 2011 5:39 AM
|
5 Comments

Precariously mixing elements of broad comedy, bittersweet heartache, charming romance and soulful, surprisingly mature dramatic moments, "Crazy, Stupid, Love" is an endearing and winning summer comedic drama. It succeeds in spite of some messy plotting, dicey adulteration of tones, and too convenient and ridiculous sequences that threaten to unravel a well-made, mostly well-written picture about love and marital discord.

More:

John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick & Ray Stevenson Round Out Cast For 'Jayne Mansfield's Car'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
June 14, 2011 10:43 AM
|
0 Comments

Geez, with all the testosterone flying around this film, you might get pregnant just from reading the cast list of Billy Bob Thornton's next effort behind the camera, "Jayne Mansfield's Car."

More:

'X-Men: First Class': The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
June 6, 2011 5:47 AM
|
13 Comments

By this point, it's more than likely that you've checked out "X-Men: First Class" (although its underwhelming box office suggests that there were fewer of you than we thought). And, if the film's strong exit scores are anything to go by, you, like most of The Playlist team, found it as entertaining a superhero movie as any in the last few years: fresh, exciting and well-directed, with a brace of star-making performances, it's certainly given a much-needed kick up the ass to a franchise that's had two awful entries in a row.

More:

SXSW Review: James Gunn's 'Super' With Rainn Wilson & Ellen Page Is Twisted, But Uneven

By Gabe Toro
|
March 13, 2011 6:41 AM
|
6 Comments

“Shut up, Crime!” bellows Rainn Wilson in “Super.” Such a random demand is highlighted by the outsized appearance of the speaker, clad in thick red fabrics, stocky and pear-shaped within a makeshift superhero costume. It serves as a power fantasy for him, a power fantasy for us. As seen through the eyes of writer-director James Gunn, a man of notably questionable taste, this is no ordinary fantasy.

More:

New Pic From 'X-Men: First Class' Shows Off The Secret Lair Of Emma Frost & Sebastian Shaw

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
March 2, 2011 3:48 AM
|
3 Comments

Despite the reportedly rushed production -- and what the ramblings of way-too-invested nerds would have you have believe -- "X-Men: First Class" is still looking like the uh, classiest, of the crush of comic book movies set to hit in the next few months. We're not sure what it is -- the casting, the period setting -- but Matthew Vaughn's film is thankfully devoid of the dorky stink that surrounds its competitors.

More:

Matthew Vaughn Hated The Leaked Image Too & More From The Cast Of 'X-Men: First Class'

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
January 20, 2011 2:56 AM
|
4 Comments

Michael Fassbender & Kevin Bacon Talk Shop; Also, Jennifer Lawrence Is All Kinds Of AwesomeTalk about dominating the news cycle: after months of relative inactivity, the 20th Century Fox promotional machine went into full gear yesterday -- perhaps a bit before was originally intended -- in support of the still-filming "X-Men: First Class," with set visits, official stills and a poster all hitting the net, hot on the heels of the underwhelming first look at the cast in full costume/make-up. Now, some of the members of the cast have been talking about the film as well, with Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Kevin Bacon (villain Sebastian Shaw) and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) all discussing the film with various outlets.

More:

Now That's Muuuuch Better: More Realistic 'X-Men: First Class' Photos Appear Online

By Edward Davis
|
January 19, 2011 11:29 AM
|
5 Comments

Director Matthew Vaughn Says He's Never Felt This Much "Pressure" On Making A MovieOK, this is muuuuuch better. Recent photos of Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class" leaked on the Internet with the cast in costume and well, they essentially looked like cast off test images from Brett Ratner's "X-Men: The Last Stand" -- definitely not anyone's favorite of the "X-Men" franchise. Heralded as a back-to-basics prequel set in the '60s, the leaked image -- apparently it wasn't ready for public consumption, but once it's out it's out -- seemed to be antithetical to the idea of a group of mutants first finding one another and eventually becoming part of a school of mutants and then a super hero team.

More: