Russell Crowe And Christian Bale Interview 3:10 To Yuma
The nice thing about writing an intro to an interview with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale is I dont have to explain who they are. I really dont think there is a person on this planet that couldnt identify at least one of them.
So rather than give their background, how about what 3:10 To Yuma is about.
The film stars Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol and Ben Foster, in a modern take on the classic Western short story by Elmore Leonard. The film was directed by James Mangold (WALK THE LINE) and produced by Cathy Konrad, from a screenplay by Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt & Derek Haas.
In Arizona in the late 1800's, infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) and his vicious gang of thieves and murderers have plagued the Southern Railroad. When Wade is captured, Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Bale), struggling to survive on his drought-plagued ranch, volunteers to deliver him alive to the "3:10 to Yuma", a train that will take the killer to trial. On the trail, Evans and Wade, each from very different worlds, begin to earn each others respect. But with Wades outfit on their trail and dangers at every turn the mission soon becomes a violent, impossible journey toward each man's destiny.
A little while ago I posted a number of movie clips, so in case you missed them you can click here.
During the short press conference, the two of them talked about the challenges of filming in freezing conditions, location filming, and the special relationship between a man and his horse.
As always, you can either read the transcript below or download the audio as an MP3 here. And since I wont be transcribing the other interviews I was able to participate in for the movie, heres the links to the audio for Peter Fonda and Ben Foster, writers Michael Brandt/Derek Haas and director James Mangold and producer Cathy Konrad.
3:10 to Yuma opens everywhere this Friday.
BALE: Morning all, I recognize a number of faces here (to Crowe) Ive had to do Rescue Dawn just recently.
CROWE: Right.
BALE: Im like a regular right now.
Q: Youve played American roles before, but were you surprised to be asked to be in a western?
BALE: Not for a second, no.
CROWE: No, it didnt surprise me. Id spent quite a bit of time with Jim Mangold about six years ago. I didnt realize that he was spending time with me I was recording an album in the studio at the time, and he was spending time with me because he was prepping Walk the Line. I didnt realize that at the time, but we became conversational friends. So when he sent me the script I read it and I enjoyed the dynamics between the two characters, so thats basically decision made, you know.
Q: Russell youre known as an actor who does a lot of research and preparation for period roles, whats the real story of the level of work you put into things like this?
CROWE: Well, I think we should decide not to talk about preparation just this once, because then it just all becomes about the preparation and not about the movie. The thing is, I was working on another movie right up til this, and then promoting another film in Europe, so I didnt really do that much preparation, but as you may know I have a working farm, so theres a lot of things on this movie thats just part of my day to day.
Q: Would it be okay to ask if there was anything from the other western you did, The Quick and the Dead, that also applied here?
CROWE: I had the good fortune of working with a guy called Thell Reed who was an armorer on Quick and the Dead in a period in my life where Id never actually touched a handgun, so he utilized that, put a lot of information in my head because he didnt have to get past things that my dad had taught me incorrectly, or my uncles had taught me badly, as he finds with a lot of American actors when he works with period guns. So it was just a matter of taking that same information and refreshing it in my mind and then changing the style of how this particular guy killed people.
Q: Can you guys talk about being in New Mexico and filming on location and also working together?
CROWE: Youve been silent for awhile Batman - Im going to do that all day you know.
BALE: I was kind of guessing that. New Mexico, I dont really now that I think about it I have no recollections of Santa Fe particularly, but the canyons, being out in the high desert, that was nice; being out, riding your horse, shooting your guns, thats a lot of fun.
CROWE: It was really cold.
BALE: It got to be bloody freezing, especially some of the night shoots; it got cold.
CROWE: Terrifyingly cold
BALE: We had the worst winter storm in recorded history came in.
CROWE: And we were surrounded by four and a half feet of snow doing scenes that talk about the drought. It was one of those sort of movie experiences.
BALE: And he (meaning Crowe) was just a real bastard to work with.
CROWE: And Peter Fonda started something that I think SAG should pick up on. One day he actually said that he couldnt act in period costume, on location, below 13 degrees.
BALE: Which is superb, Im having that put in my contracts.
CROWE: I reckon SAG should work on it, because I reckon theres - like you shouldnt do Shakespeare in a draughty hall in tights below, say, eight degrees, there should be a whole scale.
Q: Christian, you had just come from a very uncomfortable location for this when you were shooting Rescue Dawn, was that more uncomfortable than this one or was this one a little more challenging for you?
BALE: I kind of like movies where I just get to just be dirty and crawling in the mud, Rescue Dawn it was all very primordial stuff, and with this one it was all about wearing the same clothes day after day and getting sweaty and dirty and sun exposure, and its meant to be like that; westerns are meant to be dirty, they shouldnt be all nice and clean. And I like getting my hand dirty.
Q: Russell did you like the fact that the bad boy had a conscience?
CROWE: I didnt really read it that way. Hes just very efficient at surviving whatever situation that hes in. The end result is an example of that. Obviously that group of men that hes gathered together, theyre probably a little dangerous now, so lets just move on and clean the slate.
Q: Im from Equestrian News so I have to ask a horse question
(both actors nay and Crowe hits the desk with his hand like a horse would count with his hoof)
Continued on the next page ------------>
Boston Marathon Runners Thwarted By Volcano – Soccer- Nbcsports.
BOSTON - David Gray should be making his final preparations for his first Boston Marathon. Instead, he's stuck in hotel room in Brussels, Belgium, trapped in Europe by a massive ash cloud spewed from an Icelandic volcano that's caused hundreds of flight cancellations.
Gray is not the only runner in danger of not making it in time to run the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday. Boston Athletic Association officials say they have heard from about two dozen runners stranded in Europe, including Abdellah Falil, a Moroccan in the elite field who's waylaid in Paris.
Falil, who competed in the 10,000 meters at the Beijing Games, was supposed to arrive Wednesday, but now he's not expected until Saturday night at the earliest. The race is Monday.
Race officials said Friday that European participants who can't make it to Boston in time to pick up their race bibs this weekend can do so Monday morning.
Gray has tried everything to get out of Belgium. He's asked to be rerouted through Italy or Spain, figuring they were far enough south to avoid the ash cloud. But the only way he can get there is by train or rental car, and they are all booked.
"Boston is different," said Gray, a 41-year-old New Yorker and television commercial producer who's twice run the New York City Marathon. "It's not the biggest marathon in the number of runners as far as majors go, but as far as I am concerned, it's the best of the best, with the best runners, and it's a bit of a badge of honor to say you've run Boston."
He's also asked about flying out of Moscow, and going over the North Pole rather than the North Atlantic. All his efforts have failed.
"To have an act of God like this happen is really frustrating," said Gray, who had planned on meeting his wife and two young sons, who he has not seen in three weeks, in Boston.
"I was talking to my 3-year-old son, explaining about the volcano and why I wouldn't see him for a few more days, and he said, 'Daddy, why they can't they fix it?'"
Martin Cunningham, 47, of Bromley, England, said he has been waiting for a couple of days after British Airways sent him a tweet that his flight to Boston was canceled.
"I really set my heart on doing Boston after completing a marathon in Berlin last September," he said.
Cunningham said he has been training hard since December.
Late Friday, Cunningham said on Twitter that British Airways had canceled his Saturday flight and that he wouldn't be coming to Boston after all. "Game over," he tweeted.
The Boston Marathon isn't the only race affected by the volcano.
"We've got the exact same problem runners can't make it to Vienna," said Andreas Maier, an organizer of Sunday's Vienna City Marathon.
And in soccer, Premier League referee Steve Bennett has been replaced for Saturday's Manchester derby between City and United after getting stranded in Romania at a training course.
He was due to fly back Friday. The Premier League said he was expected to referee the derby at Eastlands but has been replaced by Martin Atkinson.
In response to the flight delays, organizers in Boston have extended the traditional Sunday night check-in deadline, and may even allow check-in the day of the race.
"I've had bad luck traveling, but this is up there," Gray said.
Associated Press writers Russell Contreras, Jimmy Golen and William J. Kole contributed to this story.
Michael Pollan Love
A few things to start off the post..
#1- the Calphalon Pans winner!! is.. JIL from PeaceLuvMunchies!
Congrats girl! Email me your shipping address and info and theyll be send right on over to you Thank you to everyone who participated, I hope to have another giveaway in the works soon as well.
#2- Remember the Costa Rica yoga retreat I went on in January? It was beyond amazing and an experience of a lifetime. Well, yoga teachers Camille and Heather are at it again and the dates are June 19-26. I made up the flyer and wanted to let everyone know about it. I couldnt recommend it more, I did it now knowing anyone and left having life long friends and a better understanding of who I am. If youre interested you can contact Camille or Heather. Their contact info is at the bottom of the flyer.
So why the Michael Pollan love? Last night Michael Pollan was scheduled to speak at Goucher College. Its only about a 20 minute drive from me and when Jordan told me about the event a few months ago I immediately reserved my ticket.
I went to a hot vinyasa class last night then quickly grabbed a quiznos veggie sub and drove to pick up Jordan. Her boyfriend had saved us up close and personal seats and I was ready to hear my main man speak. It was a conversational interview so he made sure to answer lots of questions from the interviewer as well as the students of the college.
Michael Pollan went to a small liberal arts college in Vermont and graduated with an English major. He then continued to receive his Masters at Columbia. He believed he would go on to be an English professor. It shows how your career has all sorts of turns in order to get you where you end up.
When asked by a student what should college students eat? He responded that when he was in college he was a bad eater himself. He was a big McDonalds lover.
The main answer to this question was be conscious of what you eat. Give it a little thought. Your decisionsrepresenta vote and your values. When you think about what you are eating you will make better choices that will benefit the land and animals.
When speaking about his book Omnivores Dilemma he explained that two opposite effects happened. Some people came up to him and said after I read your book, I had to go vegetarian and others said I was vegetarian until I read your book, then I realized that I can consume meat and have it come from the right places.
When asked if he eats meat the answer was a definite yes. He eats meat, but theyre not fromfeedlots. He tries to eat close to the source but food miles is not the only metric. You need to consider how theyre produced. The way the meat was produced is much more important than how it was transported.
Another question asked was eating healthy is very expensive, so how to eat healthy on a lower end budget
He answered to getting off of processed foods. Invest your time instead of money. You can cook 3 to 4 meals on Sunday and freeze them for the upcoming week. Eat oatmeal for breakfast, buy beans in bulk. There are options that we can take to still eat quality food but not spend lots of money on it. Cooking is the only way we can control our diets.
We can change the price of food with our decisions we make. In America, we spend less than 10% of our income on food. That is less than any people that have ever lived. Health care costs have gone up because of this. Cheap food has underwritten linings, and the goal should be to make sure people have enough money to buy healthier food, not to make food cheaper. We can vote with our food dollars.
Europe spends 16-17% of their income on food. We should not have to choose between food and healthcare.
He also stated that the word organic creates a healthy halo around foods. The facts are simple.
Organic junk food is still junk food. We need to be fueling ourselves with real food and focus on that.
Fun fact: He used to own a pet pig when he was younger named Kosher.
Im so thankful to have had the opportunity to hear him speak. We are starting a movement here, a food revolution and we can decide the future.
I waited in line after the speech to get both my books signed. Unfortunately he didnt have time to personalize them, otherwise I would have had him write AS + MP forever, or AS + MP = love. haha
Jordan was able to snap a pic of me while I asked him where he ate while he stayed in MD? His answer? PF CHANGS! Never would have guessed. He got the salmon for all of you who are wondering
Icelandic Volcano Spews Ash, Grounds Planes, Gets Real: Wake-up.
Normally, Wake-Up Video is dedicated to the past, taking note of an important event in music history or paying homage to important artists on birthdays or anniversaries. But today, we have to address the crazy-insane volcano in Iceland that is currently spewing ash all over Europe.
The volcano erupted from underneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier for the second time in a month. What began as an incredible display of the power of the natural world (the gaseous cloud is visible from space, for crying out loud) has grown into a huge logistical problem. In the immediate area in Iceland, there are concerns about flooding and giant chunks of ice that have been sent airborne thanks to the explosive power of the eruption. Though the cloud isn't noxious or poisonous, it has created scores of visibility problems, and concerns that tiny particulates floating in the cloud would disrupt airplane engines have wreaked havoc on flight schedules. Air travel in Europe has essentially been suspended, leaving thousands stranded and forcing unnecessary strain on roads in surrounding countries.
In fact, the volcano could have a direct effect on this weekend's Coachella festival, which kicks off today with sets by Jay-Z, Them Crooked Vultures, LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit and dozens of others. British indie punks the Cribs (featuring ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr) already had to cancel their appearance today and are hoping to find a way to get to the U.S. later in the weekend. Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbits have also had trouble getting to the States. The volcano could even threaten international relations, as there was doubt as to whether or not President Obama would be able to make it to Poland on Saturday (April 17) for the state funeral of President Lech Kaczynski, who recently passed in a devastating plane crash.
It has created chaos over Europe, but it only drives home the sometimes savage beauty of nature. In honor of the Earth's ability to keep us guessing, enjoy Veruca Salt's "Volcano Girls."
Views Of Volcanic Ash Plume Over Europe – The Lede Blog – Nytimes.com
Updated | 6:23 p.m. As my colleagues Nicola Clark and Liz Robbins report, a high-altitude cloud of ash drifting south and east from an erupting volcano in Iceland has closed airports in northern Europe. Flights have been canceled because volcanic ash contains silicates, or glass fibers, which can melt inside jet engines, causing them to flame out and stall.
Here is a map showing the spread of the ash plume and the restrictions on air travel on Thursday afternoon, based on data from Britains National Weather Service, from the Web site of Spiegel, the German magazine:
Another map from the same Web site shows the reach of the ash above Europe at 1 a.m. Central European Time.
The ash is coming from an eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, located near a glacier of the same name (which, for those not fluent in Icelandic, is pronounced AYA-fyatla-jo-kutl, according to NASA or something like this) in southern Iceland, which began erupting last month for the first time in nearly 200 years.
The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, which monitors weather patterns from space, has some dramatic images of the ash clouds movement on the home page of its Web site.
The organization explains:
Meteosat-9 observes the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption under Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in Iceland. Initially the cloud shows a distinctive black color, due to ice particles which initially mask the ash signature. As the cloud progresses eastwards the cloud takes a reddish hue, clearly indicating the presence of volcanic ash.
Here is a later view from the same satellite, showing the movement of the ash between 0:00 and 13:30 UCT today:
Another video made from Eumetsats images was posted on YouTube earlier, as Adam Gabbatt notes in a live blog tracking the disruption caused by the ash on The Guardians Web site.
As The Lede explained last month, the spectacular images of the eruptions early stages had tourists rushing to the scene, though it may not be necessary to hurry, given that the last time there was an eruption at Eyjafjallajokull, in 1821, it continued for two years.
Closer views of the volcano, from three Web cams, can be had online although one camera is currently down for maintenance. A handy interactive graphic from The Guardian shows how the ash is spreading across European airspace.
The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Center part of a global network is posting updated volcanic ash advisory maps on its Web site. The most recent map, made at 18:00 GMT is here. Montreals Volcanic Ash Advisory Center is also keeping an eye on Eyjafjallajokull.
In Iceland itself, The Icelandic Review reports that winds pushing the ash east, away from the capital, have allowed Keflavik airport, near the capital, Reykjavik, to remain open, for now, although flights to Europe have been canceled or disrupted. The Review adds:
There is nothing to indicate that the eruption is about to subside. The cloud of smoke rising from the volcanos summit turns black every now and then, resulting in ash fall. The winds blow the ash towards the east.
This video report from Britains Channel 4 News looks at the disruption to flights, and explains what has happened to jets in the past that flew through clouds of volcanic ash:
As a reader notes, the ash could bring spectacular sunsets to Europe. Robin Scagell, of the Britains Society for Popular Astronomy, told The Daily Mail on Thursday: Be ready to enjoy some dazzling arrays of colors especially purples and reds looking much stronger than usual. The most amazing sunsets Ive ever seen were in Australia after the El Chichon volcano went off in Mexico in 1982. The sky turned an intense purple and even the moon turned blue. We may also see a phenomenon called a Bishops Ring a huge brown or blue halo around the sun that was first noticed when the Krakatoa volcano exploded in 1883.
A colleague draws our attention to the fact that Edvard Munchs famous painting, The Scream, may have been inspired by the experience of such a sunset. A description of the painting on an art Web site includes this quote from the painter:
I was out walking with two friends. The sun began to set. I felt a breath of melancholy. Suddenly the sky turned blood-red. I paused, deathly tired and leaned on a fence looking out across the flaming clouds over the blue-black fjord and towns. My friends walked on and there I still stood, trembling with fear and I sensed a great, infinite scream run through nature.
The site adds: Astronomers now speculate that the red sky he saw might have been caused by the 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, half a world away in Indonesia, that sent massive dust clouds up into the atmosphere, leading to a series of intense and other spectacular sunsets.
Some observers of volcanic activity in Iceland have even speculated that disturbances to the atmosphere in Europe following a huge eruption in Iceland in 1783 may even have helped incite the French Revolution by destroying crops and breeding discontent. As Paul Simons notes in an article in Londons Times on the possible effects of the ash on Britains climate, the haze over Europe after that eruption certainly caused fear among the superstitious:
The summer of the year 1783 was an amazing and portentous one, and full of horrible phenomena, wrote the naturalist Gilbert White, in Hampshire. The country people look with a kind of superstitious awe at the red louring aspect of the sun thro the fog.
