"Anna
Nicole" review by Suzanne
Premieres Saturday, June 29th at 8pm ET/PT on
Lifetime.
I didn't really know much about Anna Nicole Smith before
watching this movie. I knew that she was had a reputation as
being one of those people who is just famous for being
famous (and having big boobs), and that she had married an
old rich guy, and that she died of a drug overdose, and then
there was fighting over her estate. I didn't even know that
she had been a playboy centerfold! That's because I
generally avoid celebrity gossip unless it's about actors or
actresses that I already know and like.
If this movie is accurate, she was a small town girl
whose mother did not treat her all that well, and she got
pregnant and married at a very young age, and then became a
stripper to support her son after her divorce. She always
wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, so the first chance she got,
she got bigger breasts. This made her a much more successful
stripper. Also, she started taking pills mixed with alcohol
in order to get up the courage to strip. I don't know
why she didn't try to get into acting other ways or why, if
she loved having attention, she had to take pills and drink
in order to overcome stage fright. This movie doesn't really
dig too deeply into the "why" of anything.
The movie goes into a lot of details about her subsequent
marriage to the aforementioned old guy, and how she treated
her son, and all of the partying she did, and how she got
rich and famous. Frankly, after watching the movie, I
have far less sympathy for her (assuming the movie is true).
She was selfish and kind of slutty, and she went after fame
and fortune in any way possible except for working at it.
She dragged down her son with her and then left behind a
tiny baby (who's probably better off without her). Lots of
women come from bad parents or poor families, and they don't
destroy their lives so well as Anna Nicole Smith did, and in
such a public and embarrassing way.
OK, back to the movie. The actors do a fantastic
job, particularly star Agnes Bruckner; and Martin Landau,
who plays the creepy older guy she marries; and Adam
Goldberg as Howard K. Stern; and the two actors who play her
son. The script is very average but moves along at a good
pace. If you want to see how Anna Nicole Smith came
into being, you will want to see the movie. Or watch it for
a fun popcorn romp, to a certain extent. It's pretty sad,
especially near the end. Overall, it is enjoyable if
you don't mind wallowing a bit.
Anna Nicole follows the swift rise and fall of
Vickie Lynn Hogan, a Texas high school dropout and
single mother with dreams of a better life. Realizing
the power of her beauty, Vickie accepts a job as a
dancer at topless bar, where she changes her name to
Anna Nicole Smith and first makes her mark. With a new
persona and a shocking marriage to octogenarian
millionaire J. Howard Marshall, Anna’s career blasts off
when Playboy features her in a pictorial spread
that evokes comparisons to Marilyn Monroe. But after
her husband’s death, Anna’s financial support ends and
her hard-partying ways, excessive drinking, drastic
weight fluctuation and endless pill-popping take their
toll, inevitably setting the stage for the fading
starlet’s tragic descent.
Premieres Saturday, June 29, at 8pm ET/PT
LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE ANNA NICOLE TO PREMIERE JUNE 29
Starring Agnes Bruckner as Anna Nicole Smith
with Academy Award®-Winner Martin Landau, Oscar® Nominee
Virginia Madsen, Adam Goldberg and Cary Elwes
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 22, 2013) – The
Lifetime Original Movie Anna Nicole tells the
rags-to-riches story of the iconic supermodel who
captured the world’s attention with her beauty and
unconventional lifestyle. Exploring the sordid details
that created her infamous persona, from stardom to
untimely death, the world premiere will be on Saturday, June 29, at 8:00pm ET/PT.
The film, starring Agnes Bruckner (Lifetime’s The
Craigslist Killer, Private Practice) as cultural
icon Anna Nicole Smith, Academy Award and Golden Globe®-winner
Martin Landau (Ed Wood), Oscar nominee Virginia
Madsen (Sideways), Adam Goldberg (Saving
Private Ryan) and Cary Elwes (The Princess
Bride), is from executive producers Craig Zadan and
Neil Meron (Lifetime’s Steel Magnolias,
Oscar-winning Chicago) and Judith Verno
(Lifetime’s Drew Peterson: Untouchable, The
Craigslist Killer, Natalee Holloway). Directed by
Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol)
and written by John Rice and Joe Batteer (Blown
Away, Chasers), Anna Nicole is from Sony
Pictures Television.
Anna Nicole follows the swift rise and fall
of Vickie Lynn Hogan (Bruckner), a Texas high school
dropout and single mother with dreams of a better life.
Realizing the power of her beauty, Vickie accepts a job
as a dancer at topless bar, where she changes her name
to Anna Nicole Smith and first makes her mark. With a
new persona and a shocking marriage to octogenarian
millionaire J. Howard Marshall (Landau), Anna’s career
blasts off when Playboy features her in a
pictorial spread that evokes comparisons to Marilyn
Monroe. But after her husband’s death, Anna’s financial
support ends and her hard-partying ways, excessive
drinking, drastic weight fluctuation and endless
pill-popping take their toll, inevitably setting the
stage for the fading starlet’s tragic descent.
Hungry for celebrity, Anna launches her own hit
reality show and soon gives birth to her daughter. But
her newfound happiness and positive outlook on life is
shattered when her son dies of an overdose while
visiting his mother and newborn sister in the hospital.
Unable to overcome the devastation over his death, in a
tragic twist less than one year later, Anna herself dies
of a fatal combination of pills, adding her name to a
long list of icons who have succumbed to the temptations
of fame.
Madsen portrays Anna’s mother Virgie, Goldberg is
Anna’s lawyer, Howard K. Stern; Elwes plays Marshall’s
son, E. Pierce; and Graham Patrick Martin (Two and a
Half Men) stars as Anna Nicole’s son, Daniel.
Anna Nicole is executive produced by Verno’s
Peace Out Productions and Zadan and Meron’s Storyline
Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures
Television. Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot
Andy Warhol) directed the screenplay by John Rice
and Joe Batteer (Blown Away, Chasers).
ABOUT SONY PICTURES
TELEVISION
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a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the
television industry’s leading content providers. It
produces and distributes programming in every genre,
around the world and for a multitude of platforms. In
addition to one of the industry’s largest libraries of
award-winning feature films, television shows and
formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current
program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and
game shows, landmark off-network series, original
animated series and critically acclaimed primetime
dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT has 18 wholly-owned
or joint venture production companies in 13 countries
outside the U.S. and also maintains offices in 33
countries. SPT’s worldwide television networks portfolio
includes 124 channel feeds available in 159 countries,
reaching more than 840 million households worldwide.
SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE’s
premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns
production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of
cable channel Game Show Network (GSN), 3D channel 3net,
premier horror/thriller website and VOD service FEARnet
and national U.S media sales company ITN Networks, Inc.
SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national
advertising sales companies and handles the commercial
inventory in SPT’s syndicated series as well as in U.S.
digital businesses including FEARnet, DrOz.com and
PlayStation.
ABOUT LIFETIME
Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality
entertainment and information programming, and
advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. In 2012, as a result of its aggressive
triple threat programming strategy doubling its amount
of original programming spanning scripted dramas,
reality series and movies, Lifetime posted its strongest
year-on-year growth among the key demographics in 10+
years, while also reaching its youngest median age in 16
years. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women®
and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment
Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E
Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television
Group and Hearst Corporation.
Show Credits
Anna Nicole Credits
THE CAST
Anna Nicole Smith
Agnes Bruckner
J. Howard
Marshall
Martin Landau
Howard K.
Stern
Adam Goldberg
Danny
(Teen)
Graham Patrick Martin
With
E. Pearce
Marshall
Cary Elwes
And
Virgie
Virginia Madsen
PRODUCTION
Directed By
Mary Harron
Written By
Joe Batteer & John
Rice
Executive
Producers
Neil Meron & Craig
Zadan
Executive
Producer
Judith Verno
Produced By
Robert J. Wilson
Casting By
Susan Edelman, C.S.A.
Director of
Photography
Michael Simmonds
Production
Designer
William Arnold
Edited By
Etienne Des Lauriers, A.C.E.
Music By
Zack Ryan
Based on
the Article “Paw Paw & Lady
Love,” Written by Dan Paul
Lee,
Published
in New York Magazine
BIOS
Agnes
Bruckner
Agnes Bruckner is no stranger to being in front
of cameras, having begun acting at the age of
12. In 2002, she earned the attention of
critics nationwide for her leading role in
Blue Car, an independent drama about a
gifted teenager whose world of turmoil becomes
increasingly complicated after a unique
relationship forms with her English teacher.
For her work in Blue Car, Bruckner was
nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the
category of “Best Female Lead.”
Bruckner has
had a successful run on the silver screen during
the past several years. After the triumphant
debut of Blue Car, she went on to star
alongside Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gosling in
Warner Bros.’ Murder By Numbers. Soon
afterwards Bruckner starred opposite Val Kilmer,
Carrie Fischer and Rachel Leigh Cook in Samuel
Goldwyn Films’ Stateside, before
appearing in 2007’s MGM fave Blood and
Chocolate with Hugh Dancy. Other film
projects include Dimension’s Venom,
Sony Pictures’ Dreamland, and Sony
Pictures’ The Woods. Bruckner also
starred in a number of successful independent
films including Home Room with Busy
Philipps and Erika Christensen; Rick
with Bill Pullman and Sandra Oh; Haven
with Orlando Bloom; Peaceful Warrior
with Nick Nolte and Amy Smart; Kill Theory;
Breaking the Girls; The Millionaire Tour;
The Pact and The Citizen.
In 2011 Bruckner starred in the Lifetime
Television movie The Craigslist Killer,
a crime thriller about a seemingly normal man
who lived a dark and secretive online life.
Also on the small screen, she has had
significant roles on Covert Affairs, 24,
Private Practice, Fairly Legal, Hawaii Five-0,
Dirty Sexy Money and Law & Order:
Criminal Intent, to name a few.
Bruckner currently resides in Los Angeles,
California.
Martin
Landau
Martin Landau’s distinguished acting
career spans five decades. He has
been honored with many awards
including a 1994 Oscar for Best
Supporting Actor for his performance
as ‘Bela Lugosi’ in Tim Burton’s
Ed Wood. Landau also received
two prior Oscar nominations: in 1988
for his performance as ‘Abe Karatz’
in Francis Ford Coppola’s Tucker,
and in 1989 for his role as ‘Judah
Rosenthal’ in Woody Allen’s
Crimes and Misdemeanors. Most
recently, he reunited with Tim
Burton for Frankenweenie.
A native of Brooklyn, New York,
Landau studied Fine Art at the
prestigious Pratt Institute and went
on to work as an artist at the New
York Daily News. In his early
twenties, he began to study theatre
at Lee Strasberg’s Actor’s Studio
and went on to forge a successful
career on Broadway. Landau’s early
stage credits include the role of
“Juvan” in Franz Werfel’s Goat Song,
as well as roles in Stalag 17,
First Love, The Penguin and
Middle of the Night.
As television quickly gained
prominence, Landau soon landed
starring roles on several network
programs including Omnibus
Presents Oscar Wilde’s Salome,
opposite Eartha Kitt and Patricia
Neal. He also appeared on Studio
One, The Philco Playhouse, Goodyear
Playhouse, Kraft Theatre, Armstrong
Circle Theatre and Playhouse 90,
among many others during
television’s Golden Age.
It was Landau’s performance in
the national tour of Paddy
Chayafsky’s hit Broadway play
Middle of the Night that caught
the attention of Hollywood’s
producers and directors. He was
soon to appear on the big screen in
Alfred Hitchcock’s North By
Northwest, Lewis Milestone’s
Pork Chop Hill, George
Stevens’ The Greatest Story Ever
Told, John Sturges’ The
Hallelujah Trail, Henry
Hathaway’s Nevada Smith and
Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ Cleopatra,
with co-stars Elizabeth Taylor,
Richard Burton and Rex Harrison.
Recently added to Landau’s long
list of over 100 films, are Frank
Darabont’s The Majestic, in
which he co-starred with Jim Carrey,
Ron Shelton’s Hollywood Homicide
with Harrison Ford and Josh
Hartnett, starring as “Gepetto” in
Pinocchio and The New Adventures
of Pinocchio, Shiner
with Michael Caine and Wake produced
by daughter Susie Landau Finch, and
written and directed by son-in-law,
Roy Finch.
On television Landau is probably
best known for his work on two
hugely popular series Mission:
Impossible and Space: 1999,
as well as literally hundreds of
episodic shows as a guest-star. His
credits also include dozens of
movies-of-the-week and miniseries.
Currently, Landau is appearing as
Anthony LaPaglia’s father on the hit
TV series Without a Trace,
in which he was nominated for an
Emmy Award.
After a 15-year hiatus from
theatre, Landau recently returned to
his roots, appearing on-stage in the
world premiere of a play about a
Palestinian and a Jew entitled
Sixteen Wounded at New Haven’s
Long Wharf Theatre. He was so
affected upon reading the piece, he
immediately committed to appearing
in it. The response by both critics
and public was staggering. The
play, by Eliam Kraiem sold out every
night during its six-week run,
breaking a 36 year house record at
the Long Wharf’s popular Stage II,
leaving its audiences in a tearful
state of shock.
In addition to his Oscar,
Landau’s body of work has earned him
many other honors and numerous
awards including three Golden Globe
Awards, The Screen Actors Guild
Award, three Cable Ace Nominations,
one Cable Ace Award, three Emmy
Nominations, numerous Critics Awards
including The New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago, Texas, Boston and National
Society of Film Critics Awards, a
Belgian Viewers Best Actor Award, a
Brazilian Saci Award and a Biography
in both Who’s Who in America and
Who’s Who in the World. In December
2001 he was honored with a Star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He
recently received several Lifetime
Achievement Awards: the German
Golden Camera Award (Berlin Film
Festival), the REMI Award (Houston
Film Festival), the Wedgewood Award
(Chicago’s Goodman Theatre) and the
Lifetime Achievement Awards from the
Charleston, San Diego and the 2002
Independent Film Festivals. Martin
Landau is Executive Director, along
with Mark Rydell and Sydney Pollack,
of the Actor’s Studio’s West Coast
Branch.
Landau lives in Los Angeles.
Adam
Goldberg
Actor, director, and
producer Adam
Goldberg is a
familiar face to
movie and television
fans alike. On the
big screen, he has
appeared in
(UNTITLED),Dazed
and Confused,
Steven Spielberg’s
Saving Private
Ryan,A
Beautiful Mind
and Zodiac.
He has also
directed two
features -- the
comedy Scotch
and Milk and
the thriller I
Love Your Work
-- and produced the
travel documentary
Running With the
Bulls.
Goldberg is known
for memorable
television roles
including Matthew
Perry’s unstable
roommate on
Friends and a
movie producer’s
spoiled son on
Entourage. He
has also starred on
ABC’s The
Unusuals and in
CBS’s NYC 2-2.
Goldberg was born
in Santa Monica,
California, and as a
teen studied acting,
which he pursued at
Sarah Lawrence
College.
Goldberg lives
in Los Angeles and
plays in the band
LANDy. His latest
endeavors on the
movie app Vine have
garnered
international
attention.
Graham
Patrick
Martin
Graham
Patrick
Martin
is
currently
starring
in the
indie
film Somewhere
Slow,
which
recently
screened
at
Cinequest
Film
Festival,
Omaha
Film
Festival
and the
Vail
Film
Festival.
He also
co-stars
in the
TNT
series
Major
Crimes,
opposite
Mary
McDonnell.
Martin
has
recurred
on the
last
three
seasons
of the
hit
comedy Two
and A
Half
Men, alongside
both
Charlie
Sheen
and
Ashton
Kutcher,
playing
the son
of
Courtney
Thorne-Smith
and the
best
friend
of Angus
T.
Jones.
Martin
was born
in
Thibodaux,
Louisiana.
At the
age of
eight,
he
attended
French
Woods
Festival
of the
Performing
Arts
summer
camp,
where he
began
his
acting
career
on the
stage.
He has
since
performed
in over
25
musical
and
dramatic
stage
productions.
In 2003,
Martin
was cast
in his
first
professional
role in
Christopher
Durang’s
Mrs.
Bob
Cratchit’s
Wild
Christmas
Binge,
for
which he
was
nominated
for Best
Performance
by a
Child
Actor at
the Big
Easy
Awards.
In
2004, he
played a
supporting
role in
Tennessee
Williams’
A
House
Not
Meant to
Stand.
In
2005,
Martin
relocated
to New
York
City,
where
his
focus
shifted
from
theatre
to film
and
television.
Initial
commercial
work
soon led
to a
guest-starring
role on
Law
& Order:
Criminal
Intent.
All the
while,
he was
training
at
Fiorello
H.
Laguardia
High
School
for
Music
and
Performing
Arts.
After
expanding
his
resume,
Martin
moved to
the west
coast in
2007,
landing
a role
at his
very
first
Los
Angeles
audition
to play
a series
regular
on the
TBS
sitcom The
Bill
Engvall
Show.
He
played
the son
of Bill
Engvall
and
Nancy
Travis,
and
brother
to
Jennifer
Lawrence.
This
role
earned
Martin
a Young
Artist
Award for
Best
Performance
by an
Actor in
a Comedy
Series.
Martin
has
guest-starred
on
numerous
television
shows,
including The
Closer,
Law &
Order:
Criminal
Intent,
Love
Bites,
iCarly,
Good
Luck
Charlie
and
Jonas.
He has
also
appeared
in
several
indie
films,
including
Jack
Ketchum’s
The
Girl
Next
Door
and
Rising
Stars.
Recently
Martin
wrapped
filming
on Bukowksi,
James
Franco’s
directorial
debut
and
biopic
of the
late
writer,
Charles
Bukowski,
set for
a 2014
release.
Martin
lives
in Los
Angeles.
Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes made his cinematic debut in 1984 in Marek Kanievska’s film Another Country based on the award-winning play. He then starred in the highly acclaimed historical drama, Lady Jane. That same year, Elwes starred in the classic fairy-tale The Princess Bride. The following year, he joined Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington in the Academy Award® winning civil war epic Glory. Elwes then joined Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to work on the high-speed action movie, Days of Thunder. His body of work also includes Hot Shots; Bram Stoker’s Dracula;Robin Hood: Men in Tights; Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book; Twister; Liar, Liar; Kiss the Girls: From the Earth to the Moon; Cradle Will Rock; Shadow of the Vampire and The Cat’s Meow. Elwes also starred in the smash hit psychological thriller, Saw. He was also in Garry Marshall’s Georgia Rule alongside Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan. Elwes recently worked with Garry Marshall again in New Year’s Eve for New Line. His other credits include A Christmas Carol for Robert Zemeckis and The Adventures of Tintin for Steven Speilberg. Elwes just wrapped Behaving Badly opposite Selena Gomez, Nat Wolff and Mary Louise Parker.
Elwes lives in Los Angeles.
Virginia Madsen
A cool, classic beauty, with a vibrant blonde mane and an exuberant flair for the dramatic, Virginia Madsen is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and unique actresses to date. Not only did she receive amazing reviews for her Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominated performance in Alexander Payne’s hit film, Sideways, but this Independent Spirit Award-winning actress has an illustrious resume of roles alongside the most notable and respected actors in the business.
This past year, Madsen filmed AMC’s Hell on Wheels, and the independent feature The Wilderness ofJames, the NBC pilot Hatfields & McCoys and also starred in the feature, The Magic of Belle Isle, directed by Rob Reiner, opposite Morgan Freeman. She starred in the independent features The Hot Flashes, alongside Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, and Wanda Sykes, Crazy Kind of Love and TNT’s Hornet’s Nest this past year. In 2010, Madsen starred opposite Kevin Spacey in the indie comedy Father of Invention and in Red Riding Hood in 2011. Madsen was also seen on the television shows Scoundrels, MONK, and starred in the Lions Gate thriller The Haunting In Connecticut.
Also on Madsen’s slate is her production company with partner Karly Meola called Title IX Productions. Their first project is the documentary I Know a Woman Like That, which premiered at the Chicago Film Festival. The doc was directed by Virginia’s mother, Elaine Madsen, about the lives of extraordinary women ages 64-94. Next in the company’s lineup is the film adaptation of The Bitch Posse to be directed by Catherine Hardwicke and co-produced with Ambush Entertainment.
Madsen’s other films include starring roles opposite Harrison Ford in the action thriller Firewall, Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in Robert Altman’s last film, A Prairie Home Companion and Forest Whitaker in the existential drama The Ripple Effect. She also starred opposite Jim Carrey in New Line’s 2007 psychological thriller The Number 23, directed by Joel Schumacher, as well as opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the 2006 comedy The Astronaut Farmer. In 2008, she starred in the Sundance hit Diminished Capacity alongside Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda for IFC.
Madsen also appeared in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker with Matt Damon in 1997, the cult classic Candyman, Hot Spot, directed by Dennis Hopper, HBO’s first feature Long Gone and David Lynch’s Dune. Her versatility was seen in the independent film, Almost Salinas and in American Gun, opposite Academy Award winner James Coburn.
It was destiny for Madsen to become a star as her determination and talent quickly paid off. When a Polaroid landed on the desk of the famed director David Lynch, he instantly cast her in his film Dune. Immediately following, Madsen landed her first leading role in MGM’s Electric Dreams in 1984.
When Madsen became pregnant with her son, Jack, she put her successful career on hold. It wasn’t until Jack was in pre-school that the actress had notions of reentering into her Hollywood career. Upon hearing of Madsen’s desire to act again, Francis Ford Coppola asked her to audition for his latest project, the film version of John Grisham’s legal thriller, The Rainmaker, a role that reestablished her dynamic career. And with the critical acclaim she received for her portrayal of “Maya” in Sideways and her roles in Firewall, A Prairie Home Companion, The Astronaut Framer, The Ripple Effect and Number 23, it was clear that her hiatus to raise a family did nothing to hinder this go-getter from resilient success.
Madsen comes from a very talented family. In addition to her Emmy award-winning mother, Elaine Madsen, her brother is the gifted actor, Michael Madsen. Madsen lives in Los Angeles with her teenage son.
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Agnes
Bruckner
Martin
Landau
Adam
Goldberg
Graham
Patrick
Martin
Cary Elwes
Virginia Madsen
