Christos Vassilopoulos with Zalman King on the set of "Kamikaze Love"

Erotic cinema maestro Zalman King, known for “Nine 1/2 Weeks” and “Red Shoe Diaries”, had just completed his latest film a few months before his death. In his final movie, titled Kamikaze Love, the lead actor is Christos Vassilopoulos.

Vassilopoulos came to Hollywood a few years ago from his native Greece, and had the luck to work with Zalman King but also the misfortune to lose one of the best directors he ever worked with, just a few weeks after the completion of their collaboration on the film. King was impressed with Vassilopoulos’ work and there is a high chance the two would have worked together again.

The late director had written an e-mail to Christos a few weeks before his death:

“Your performance was everything I could have wished for. You are a serious talent.  I’m writing some new stuff that I think you’ll like. Can’t wait to work with you again.”

Unfortunately this had to be the first and last movie they would ever shoot, but as Vassilopoulos says in an exclusive interview with the Greek Reporter, “Zalman will always stay in my heart, as he will also stay in every person’s heart who had ever met him.”

When did you first learn about this wonderful director and how?

I never knew who Zalman King was. But I knew as a young boy the super sexual 9 1/2 weeks, Wild  Orchid and many more of Zalman’s films.Everybody, even my parents were talking about all these sexual scenes and I would dare to say, that a lot of us as teenagers fantasized with Zalman’s films. In my opinion, he changed the definition of sexuality, worldwide! Especially in the era of mid 80′s.

In an exclusive interview with Greek Reporter Nick Cassavetes, the Greek-American actor, writer and director talks about his new movie “Yellow” and his Greek heritage.

Yellow is a dramedy centered on Mary Holmes, a young woman with a drug habit and a myriad of other problems. Cassavetes has also directed “My sister’s Keeper,” ”The Notebook” and “Alpha Dog”Gotti among other films.

Nick Cassavetes

Cassavetes was born in New York City, the son of actress Gena Rowlands and Greek-American actor and film director John Cassavetes. As a child, he appeared in two of his father’s films: Husbands (1970) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974). After spending so much of his youth surrounded by the film industry, Cassavetes originally decided he did not want to go into the field. He instead attended Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship. His athletic career was effectively ended by an injury, and he decided to rethink his aspirations, ultimately deciding to attend his parents’ alma mater, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

Ed O'Ross portrays Van Vlahakis (right) in Paramyth's "A Green Story"

Van Vlahakis left Greece five decades ago with 22 dollars in his pocket. He arrived in the US hoping for a better future for him and his family. Eftehios – as is his Greek name-  not only managed to live the American dream for himself, but also created Earth Friendly Products, a US giant for environmentally friendly cleaning products. His story, which is not just about transforming his life but also the lives of the ones around him as the owner and CEO of Earth Friendly Products, is becoming a motion picture titled “A Green Story.” The movie is set to hit the big screens in 2012.

For the production of the film Earth Friendly Products, a leader in manufacturing award-winning, eco-friendly cleaning products, formed Paramyth Films, a development and production company that will create full-length motion pictures for theatrical release, starting with “A Green Story.” The announcement was made by Van Vlahakis himself, also a Co-founder of Paramyth Films.“My partners and I are very excited to announce the creation of our new venture that will develop motion pictures primarily for theater, but also for television and DVDs,” exclaimed Vlahakis. “We have one project already underway and are looking for other scripts that we can develop and bring to screens in the U.S. and abroad.” Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, Paramyth Films Co-founder and the Vice President of Earth Friendly Products said, “Motion pictures have contributed to our knowledge, created public opinion and attitudes, and have had a profound impact on human behavior and culture. Our mission is to create films that will inspire and illuminate, as well as foster greater understanding among people through the most influential medium of our time.”

“Paramyth means ‘story teller’ (in Greek) and all great motion pictures tell stories that shed light on human behavior, what motivates people to act as they do, and why we make certain choices in our lives. We are delighted that our first film is going to be an inspirational one, but we will be looking to develop scripts and concepts like our first one that will be competitive entertainment properties in all genres” added David Agiashvili, the new film company’s head of development.

Located in Beverly Hills, Paramyth Films is a fully financed development and production company that produces story driven content for theatrical release and straight-to-DVD markets with budgets of $2M to $3M.

A Green Story
Paramyth’s first property is a story about the American dream. “It’s the tale of a young immigrant’s vision for a brighter future, the struggle to create an entity that placed people ahead of greed, and threatened billions of dollars in corporations’ profits,” explained Nika Agiashvili, President of Production. “This first film is based entirely on a true story.”

Written and directed by Paramyth’s Nika Agiashvili, “A Green Story” chronicles the life of Greek immigrant Van Vlahakis, who arrived in America with only $22 in his pocket and eventually founded the Earth Friendly Products company.

The movie stars, Ed O’Ross, Malcolm McDowell, Billy Zane, Louis Mandylor, Debbie Matenopoulos, Shannon Elizabeth, Annabella Sciorra, George Finn, Alessandra Toressani, Alexis, Georgoulis, Julianna Guill, Michalis Giannatos and Roger Bart. (View stills from the movie below)

Agiashvili said, “We felt that if we were going to tell the story of Van Vlahakis, we needed to tell it in the most authentic way possible. When we started pre-production, we were committed to not only shooting in Greece, but also casting Greek actors. To be able to shoot in such a historic location like Greece is a dream for me as a filmmaker and will allow audiences to have an accurate account of what took place early in Mr. Vlahakis’s life.”

The movie centers on the modern day Vlahakis (O’Ross), who is misdiagnosed with cancer and given only few months to live. During this time, he reflects on his early life as an immigrant (Finn) during the 1950’s and ultimately decides to push himself to the limit by closing one final business deal that will concretize his company’s success, even if he is not around to see it.”

Van Vlahakis talking about his life stated “I am from Chania, Crete. I stayed there until I was 18 and then I came to the United States to study medicine and I ended up studying chemistry which was a very smart idea. Chemistry was very interesting. At the time I had no idea of business; my first job was working as a chemist. By 1967, I was already a chemist for ten years working in research and development. I lost my job and that is when I started my business right outside of Chicago.”

Alexis Georgoulis, one of Greece’s most famous and acclaimed actors plays George, the general manager of Vlahakis’ company. The Greek actor stated that “I am very grateful that I participated in a production that tells such an interesting and meaningful story of another fellow Greek.”

“I feel very lucky that I learned Van’s story first hand and I am very proud that I am helping make the story known through my participation in the film. Vlahakis’ story also has a meaning for all the Greeks around the world and crisis-hit Greece. When Greeks set their mind to do something nothing will stop them. It is a very valuable and contemporary message. We need to learn not to give up even under harsh circumstances and that’s what this story is all about,” Georgoulis added.

A Green Story began production on November 4th in Chicago and Los Angeles. Filming was completed in Vlahakis’ native Crete, the largest island of Greece.

“I have to say how impressed I was with my crew in Athens, adds Nika Aghiasvili. Our production coordinator there was Dimitri Birbilis who did an amazing job of setting everything up for us. The Greek crew was one of the most professional crews I have worked with. We were really happy with all their hard work and dedication.”

Nika Agiashvili produced the pic alongside John Edward Lee, Chadwick Struck and Deanna Plascencia. Zac Reeder and Glen Reynolds from Circus Road Films will represent the movie worldwide.

This marks the second feature for Agiashvili, who wrote and directed the feature film, 5 Nights in Hollywood, which he also produced alongside John Edward Lee and EP Jim Regan. 5 Nights In Hollywood was released nationwide in Wal-Mart, Blockbuster and Amazon on November 1st.

After “A Green story” Paramyth is in talks about doing a co-production with Greece, Georgia and the US to produce a film based on the story of Greek mythology Jason and the Argonauts.

About Earth Friendly Products
Earth Friendly Products is the leader in the development and production of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies for household and commercial use with over 150 products manufactured, distributed, and sold in the USA, Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia. All Earth Friendly Products are created with only replenishable and sustainable plant-based ingredients that are safe for people, pets, and the planet. The company proudly adheres to its strict “Freedom Code”, a list of harmful and toxic ingredients that are not found in any of its products. Earth Friendly Products has proudly received the 2010 GEELA Award, 2009 Green PatriotTM Green 100TM Designation and the Champion level recognition from the US EPA through the Design for the Environment (DfE) Program’s Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative.

The award-winning director in an exclusive interview with Kimon Kalamaras talks about his new movie “The Descendants,” working with George Clooney, his experience at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and his 13 Greek cousins that he met in Greece!

”Bring me the Greek”, Alexander said from the other side of the line. ”Sorry, I didn’t hear you”, I mumbled .”Bring me the head of the Greek” he repeats steady and crystal clear, with a sense of humor and the ice breaks immediately. But, that is what Alexander knows very well. That is what he explores in his films. Stories of human beings trapped into their selves, into their emotions, isolated, trying to learn breaking their own ice within, to reach happiness.

At a first glance your films remind us of the magnificent Hollywood. But the themes are closer to the American Independent Cinema, I guess. Can you comment?

Well, you say two things. You say old… excuse me but did you use the word magnificent?

That’s correct.

That’s fantastic! Thank you. But that to me doesn’t say independent, it says studio films but of the great period you know, 30′s, 40′s, 50′s, 60′s and 70′s. You see I am very influenced by the American films of the seventies. That’s when I was a teenager and going to the cinema you know two times a week and seen all those films that now we consider masterpieces. At the time they were just movies. You know these were American movies. Now we see, ”oh the seventies’ new Hollywood films, what a classic period ”. But those were precisely the films that I wanted to make and which, as American cinema changed, to get in the late seventies and the eighties, and became much more blockbuster oriented. Those films which used to be standard American films suddenly became art films, which is too bad. And then had to become independent films. So if that’s the tradition of films that you see mine in, then I thank you, and you are correct. Those are the films that I try to make.

After making a movie have you ever felt that the audience may overlook the depth of your film for the superficial and less artistic part?

Well you are asking at a way for an arrogant answer. Of course the arrogant director will say ”yes, I make comedies, I want films to be entertaining”. Even Kurosawa said first and foremost films should be entertaining. But yeah, I think comedy should not be a mask for a detraction from serious themes underneath. Now, I ‘m not going to take my films very seriously myself. Because I am always trying to improve and to learn from film to film. But yeah, I would like to think that there is a certain depth in my films, which of course I want each time and as I grow older -I am 50 now- to become more deep. Unless I am just making a fun film and there is nothing wrong with just a fun film to give people a good time.

In the film Paris je t’ aimes we saw you as Oscar Wilde and at the end as an American stunned by the beauty of Paris. How deep are you influenced by European literature and in
general by European culture?

Well, look, I am American which comes from Europe, I am Greek American which comes from Greece. In university I studied History and Literature, specifically Latin American literature. So, I always accuse myself of not having read enough, because there is so much to read and there is so much classic literature and history that I have not read. Even if the books are sitting on my selves, in front of me right now, which they are, unread you know, we all have that. But I am also, maybe in my work, very influenced more by world cinema. And you ask about ”Paris, je t’aimes”, you know, it’s a nice little short film, five or six minutes, but, and this I realized only later after making the film, it was very much influenced by David Lean’s ”Summertime”, a 1955 film where Katharine Hepburn goes to Venice. Have you seen that film?

Unfortunately no.

Oh, I recommend it highly, and in fact David Lean said that was his favorite film, of his films. Yeah, I watch movies from all over the world and from every period. So movies are a big
influence on me, too.

Your films negotiate subjects such as loneliness, isolation and the conflicts of human relationships. How contemporary is this trend for existentialism and do you find fertile
ground for such an inner search, to blossom in a country like USA?

So I don’t know about a trend. I mean that’s not for me to say, that’s really I think for critics or observers, to observe trends. Because I work, I think all artists work in a vacuum. At least
consciously. Maybe their part of the collective unconsciously, because of the way the wind of culture are blowing, and how those winds blow through the artist and then blow through
collectively many artists. But being individualist are unaware of those things. I think those themes you mention are extremely universal. And of course an American audience
could respond, but those are universal themes, my God …isolation, desire for connection, desire for family. You know you see those things in films from the beginning, in literature from the beginning. I know I would like to see more such films in the United States because I don’t see enough human films coming from the United States. You know human films instead of blockbuster which are like cartoons. Which is fantastic but not at the exclusion of all other types of films. Every year we have in the United States five to ten at the most, films which are interested in a human level and which receive significant distribution. And a few films from other countries. That’s fantastic but it’s not enough for me. I want more.

Favorite directors that have influenced you?

Yeah, now of course Kimon it’s difficult for me to say that they have influenced me directly, but the directors whose work I have studied, even simply to learn principles, which then I apply in my own specific way, would be Kurosawa of course, Antonioni, Fellini to a degree, Billy Wylder of course, Anthony Man, he’s directed for example many westerns, beautiful westerns in the 50′s. Sergio Leone, I ‘ve watched his films many many times, and then many others. You know when you watch a lot of movies as I do it’s..oh and Bunuel, Bunuel is my god. So it’s not so much that their work directly influences you but it’s like you have a kind of mental spice rack. You have a mental selection of spices. It could even be one line or a dialogue, or one scene or one shot, those kinds of things.

How challenging was your collaboration with George Clooney which apart from a superstar is a director?

Oh, it wasn’t challenging at all, it was easy. He’s fantastic. He makes things very easy for the director because he has directed himself. So, those are the best actors, because they understand the directors’ problems and they know how to make things easier for the directors. I had the same experience with Jack Nicholson. He was wonderful.

The plot of the Descendants unravels in Hawaii. Are you aiming at even a greater twist of plot than that of your previous films?

Well, no, it’s not a twist of plot, I would say and it’s not so much plot but, look, when I go to make a movie there are two major considerations. One is the story. What are the emotions of the story, the feelings of the story the specifics of the story. A story which can be told anywhere. Then comes the question where. Where are we going to make this movie. In that degree I think more like a documentarian than a narrative film maker, because I want very much to show very accurately the world of the film. In this case the aristocracy of Hawaii. So that is what is going on in my mind.

Press is talking about Oscar nomination, if not an award, for the Descendants. What are your expectations?

I don’t have expectations, I have hopes, I have aspirations which is the people to like the movie. You know, if they don’t that’s ok. You know I had fun making the film. If some people enjoy watching it then I am very happy. I am happy to give them entertainment experience and maybe thinking experience. All these things about oh, box office, or Oscar, you know it’s nice but then again it has nothing to do with me. I enjoy making the film. Now, of course I enjoy to receive compliments, I enjoy the people really like the film. But in my brain there is always the thought, ”I am glad you liked the film because it helps me do more films”. My goal is the act of making films. That ia what is very enjoyable to me.

Should we expect in the future a triple Greek American collaboration between you, Phedon Papamichail and Zach Galifianakis ?Or maybe Jenifer Aniston instead of Zach?

It’s difficult for me to say in advance what the script will require and what sort of actors. So I don’t know. I don’t think in general I would like to work with Zach Galifianakis or with Jenifer Aniston. I don’t think that way, or Dimitri Martin, he is another comedian, he is Greek. No, I don’t think that way.

Few days ago you were in Thessaloniki for the Film Festival. Is there something that you took back in USA after that visit, emotionally speaking?

Well there were two things emotionally. One was of course to be there during the crisis. So it was a very superficial trip. Only three days, you know. But, even three days is better, is something. At least I could walk down the street and talk to people and hear anecdotes, hear little stories about how they are thinking about the crisis and how the crisis affecting them. Which leads me to the number two thing I took away with which was that thirteen of my cousins came from Greece, from Aigio, they came in Thessaloniki. It was beautiful, so yeah, they came to see the movie on Friday night and then Saturday afternoon we had a very long lunch at a taverna in Thessaloniki and it was very beautiful for me. I was so touched that they came to see me and support me and have that time with me. And of course when we looked into each others eyes, there’s the understanding not just of the culture but of the family. And it’s beautiful when you see the DNA transcend time and culture. Very beautiful and I loved it very much.

You came in the worst week for Greece. There was no government etc.

Yes, but how beautiful that I came on the worst week. You know it’s funny how I have a very different life as an American than I would have as a Greek. I am not saying better or worst. I ‘m just saying different. But it’s interesting how in times of crisis my DNA is activated. It makes me feel very Greek and very connected and interested, very interested.

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Ivana Chubbuck is the founder and director of the Ivana Chubbuck Studio and creator of the cutting edge and widely adopted Chubbuck Technique. There are 16 ongoing classes at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Hollywood, ranging from introductory to master classes. The Studio maintains a focus on producing and nurturing working actors in a rigorous professional environment. It is Ivana’s mission to empower her students with the tools to become successful and to make dynamic, empowered choices in their work.

Some of the actors Ivana has worked with during her 30-plus year career include Academy Award winners and nominees: Halle Berry,  James Franco, Brad Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Elisabeth Shue, Terence Howard, Catherine Keener, Terence Howard,  Charlize Theron, Jon Voight,  and Djimon Honsou.

She’s also worked with:  Jim Carrey, Chris Pine, Eva Mendes, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Beyonce Knowles, Siena Miller, Gerard Butler, Kate Bosworth, and many others.

In Athens
On December 21 from 13:00 till 17:00, Greek actors will be able to get a taste of how it is like to work with Hollywood’s most renown acting coach at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation. In the line of Act and Re- Act: Master Classes which is a new initiative on the fields of Education and Arts, Cacoyannis Foundation will host Chubbuck for a unique lecture, including film clips, and group exercises that will help in more thoroughly understanding the Chubbuck Technique — a technique most of contemporary cinema stars work with.  All you’ll need is a notebook and pen. To learn more about the vent and rsvp click here.

The Chubbuck bible
In October of 2004 Penguin Books published Ivana’s book, The Power of the Actor. The book became an instant success, spending weeks on the Los Angeles Times top ten Bestsellers List. For more than a year it was the number one selling book about acting at Barnes and Noble. Currently her book is being adopted for use as a textbook in many colleges and universities across the country, as well as having been translated into a number of languages around the world, including Spanish, Hebrew, Romanian, Italian, Danish and soon to be  Portuguese.

The book has changed the lives of thousands of actors and it is considered the bible for teaching acting students script analysis and character development.

Ivana has also been a guest master teacher at The Juilliard School of Drama in New York, teaching a selected group of premiere fourth year students. She has also taught workshops around the world, including: Australia, Denmark, The Netherlands, London, Israel, Canada, etc.

Ivana Chubbuck was honored by The Russian International Film Festival (she is of Russian decent) with a lifetime achievement award for her contributions to the film industry alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, William Friedkin, and Francis Ford Coppola. She has worked with the directors and the stars of three movies that got selected into Sundance Film festival, that’s 3 out of 12 selections — and there were thousands of submissions.  

From the inside
Chubbuck is known for her talent for reading people, all their utterances and body language, in their finest unaware detail. Her teaching is based on deep, full-body listening. Her deep, almost creepily empathic, intuition sees right through the person she has opposite her. She reads her students like a text. She takes in what you say and how you say it. She watches your eyes, you shoulders, your hands. Even when she has an idle conversation with you, it’s never idle.  “The words say one thing but behaviour never lies,” she says.  She expounds, there’s no right or wrong in acting, just less effective or more effective choices.  Ultimately, it’s about discovering and exploring the truth of being a human being.  Her techn    cique draws from behavioral science and psychology.  “If you’re going to recreate real human behavior, you have to go to the source of being human,” she says.

She is also known for her passion. She has a forceful way about her, fierce and aggressive, and she’s physical and raw in her teachings. Her acting classes bear a lot of similarities to self-empowerment seminars. She cannot put up with victims or moaners. She’s a doer and she demands from her students to be doers as well. Every actor, she says, must know what the character’s objective is in a scene—to win someone’s love, respect, sympathy, compassion, power—and then must have determination even ruthlessness about achieving and thereby WINNING the objective.

How did all this started in the first place? What drove you to become an acting trainer?

I found that I loved being the nurturing force behind a performance much more than being the one in front of the camera (or on the stage).  My students growth, awards, stardom, or what have you, is what makes me swell with pride in the same way a mother sees her children’s advances.

How quickly did you find your stride as a teacher of acting?

I believe that a great teacher never stops learning. Understanding anything, especially in the arts, is an infinite journey. I continue to explore and grow as I teach.  If I ever stop, I will lose my effectiveness as a teacher.  Therefore, as excellence is what I strive for, “my stride” will be the bar that I continue to raise in order to be the best.  And when that happens, to be even better.  It is my obligation as an educator.

How did you decide to teach a masterclass in Athens?

I love the art of acting, and where better to teach acting than where classical theater was born.  Without theater, and all that the early Greeks brought to this art-form, we wouldn’t have cinema.  Movies are, after all, theater conceptualized in a different medium. AND, interestingly enough, The play that first got me enthralled with theater was Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles.  So bringing my technique to Greece is bringing it all back to the root of my passion.

What’s your general philosophy of teaching? Tell us a bit about your famous Ivana Chubbuck Technique.

Most techniques espouse that the end result in a great performance is to solely find the truth and to really feel the characters pain and trauma.  I don’t think that’s enough.  I mean, who wants to see someone immersed in their pain? The result is often self-pity.  We don’t like to be around those kinds of people for free, why would be want to pay money to see them perform?!  In my technique, I take personal pain and trauma, not as an end in itself, but rather as a fuel to impassion the need to overcome and win.  This is the recipe for a truly dynamic character.  My technique makes the performer try to succeed in spite of, and because of huge obstacles that the character faces.  This gives the performance catharsis.  It also allows the audience to feel hope, as they are watching a character who shares the same pain as the audience member, actually do something about it (rather than wallow in it) and ultimately win with it.  To CONSTRUCT is always better than to destruct – and so much more enjoyable to the audience and the actor.

How are your classes are structured? How much time is spent on doing actual scenes, and how much on overall philosophy?

It’s all scene work.  First we take the character, and figure out why and what he/she needs out of life.   How that character manifests those needs, regarding information garnered from their behaviors and dialogue.  Then we figure out how that relates personally to the human being who is playing the role.  In this way, instead of playing the character, the actor BECOMES the character.

In one of your previous interviews you quoted one of your students, Rob Schneider, who said that your sessions are like therapy but without the cure. Tell us a bit about this parallelism. What’s same? What’s different? And what about the cure?

Therapy helps the patient to be able to cope with their feelings and to allow them to have a life unencumbered by their past traumas.  In acting, those same traumas are used as colors to paint a compelling picture on the canvas that is theater or film.  Thus, acting, using my technique, allows the actor (writer, or director) to CREATE with the pain, not just complain or sit with the pain.  Which is much more satisfying for everyone.

What’s your goal when working with an actor?

To push them beyond what they believe is their limitations.  All great art is created by thinking outside the box, to never say that you’ve done all you can do.  There’s always more to explore and discover about the character, and therefore yourself.  To create something that isn’t merely good, but to create something that is spectacular!

In a previous interview of yours on Hally Berry you said “I asked her if she was ready to push the envelope,” what did you mean by that? How did Berry manage to push that envelope and win an Oscar?

I asked her to truly deal with and use in her work her darkest and scariest fears.  Using this is frightening for an actor, as it forces them to deal with it, not only as the character, but in real life as well.   Halle’s a fearless actor, and “went there” creating a gritty and raw portrayal of a woman in heightened emotional jeopardy.   It’s difficult to deny a performance that is coming from such a deep place, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts acknowledged this by giving her the Oscar.

What does it take to make it in today’s Hollywood?

Two things: 1 A strong work ethic, 2 taking risks in the choices you make as an actor.

Can a good acting coach take a so-so actor, and change him into a star?

Yes.  Just because you start “so-so” doesn’t mean you have to remain that way.   With hard work, study, and fearless choices an actor can become great.

Have you worked with Greek actors? What’s your opinion?

Greek people are very expressive and passionate.  This is an excellent combination in making an amazing actor!

Actor, singer, and musician Constantine Maroulis, who was recently honored by the Elios Society in San Francisco, talks exclusively to Greek Reporter about being a single dad, his Greek heritage, and his role in the upcoming film “Rock of Ages.”

The long awaited “Immortals” movie, written by Greek-American brothers Vlass and Charles Parlapanides is finally here. The film’s star-studded world premiere and red carpet took place at the Nokia Theater in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday November 7th. The movie is a result of the collaboration of the producers of “300″ with “Greek Gods” of screenwriting, Vlas and Charlie Parlapanides. “Immortals” may be the biggest Greek mythology-themed blockbuster of the year and is set for release on November 11th.

Director Tarsem Singh on the Red Carpet

Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge…until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope.excellent cast and crew to shoot the most expected movie with a mythological subject of the year, the Immortals.

The cast includes Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, Joseph Morgan, Freida Pinto, John Hurt and Mickey Rourke. The movie is directed by Tarsem Singh.

“50/50″ is a comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Levine, written by Will Reiser, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. The film is loosely based on the life of screenwriter Will Reiser.

In the film, also stars Marie Avgeropoulos, a Greek-Canadian rising star who seems to have come to Hollywood to stay.

Inspired by a true story, the comedy is centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease. Avgeropouls plays the role of Alison in the film.

The Greek-Canadian actress was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Marie – as her official imdb page states- “grew up fishing, hunting and camping.”

It was there, in shadow of “The Sleeping Giant ” and on the shores of Lake Superior, where she would learn the survival skills needed for making her dream of becoming an action heroine (something she often fantasized about as a young girl) possible.

Her first break in the entertainment industry came when she was 21 as a result of her favorite hobby, playing drums. While studying broadcast journalism in Ontario, a friend alerted her to a casting call in Vancouver for a clothing commercial which was looking for drummers.

After leaving her small town, the opportunity landed her an agent and after appearing in various national commercials she caught the eye of director Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Rent) who hired the budding actor in her first feature role for “I Love You, Beth Cooper”.

Although her thriving career has garnered her a lot of attention as of late, Marie continues to prove that she hasn’t forgotten her small town roots, often riding her motorcycle and playing with her 100lb bull-mastiff in the rugged west coast wilderness when she’s not on set. Marie splits her time between Vancouver and Los Angeles.

Sid Ganis with his wife Nancy

The greatly anticipated new ABC show “Pan Am” has finally hit television screens and acquired TV fans. Former A.M.P.A.S. president Sid Ganis is an executive producer of the show along with his wife Nancy Hult Ganis, a former flight attendant with “Pan Am” who makes it her business to keep Pan Am honest

Nancy Hult Ganis was with Pan American World Airways from 1968 to 1976. She spent hours upon hours meticulously researching her former employer and getting jet-age stories from other past employees.

The TV series is centered around the iconic airline Pan American World Airways during the 1960s. The period drama, from writer Jack Orman (ER) and director Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), will focus on the pilots and flight attendants working for the world-famous airline in 1963.

The cast of the show includes Christina Ricci, Kelli Garner, Michael Mosley, Mike Vogel, Karine Vanasse and Margot Robbie.

The Greek-American executive producer of the show talked to us about how “Pan Am” came to be and what it is all about. Watch the interview below:

Greek Reporter’s Christina Aloupi met Theo Alexander at the Greek Film festival and asked him to give advice to new actors who want to come to Hollywood. The “Greek Vampire’ talks about his heritage, how to make it in Hollywood and admits that “once you land in LA you represent Greece.”

Over the last few years, Alexander has appeared on True Blood as “Talbot” and guest-starred on Chuck, CSI: New York and Pushing Daisies. He has twice appeared on the cover of Status magazine in Greece and won the Greece People’s Choice Awards Man of the Year in 2007.

Known as Theodoris Zouboulidis in his native Greece, he changed his stage name to Alexander in America after Alexander the Great, his role model and hero.

He graduated from Boston University in 2002 with a degree in management and later studied acting at New York’s Circle in the Square theatre school.