“There are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.”
- Anton Ego, Ratatouille
Here is the pitch for Away We Go that arrived in my inbox, and which put me to sleep before the second paragraph:
Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the news from Burt’s parents Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara), that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving away from Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple’s main reason for living there.
So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities, eventually realizing that they must define home on their own terms.
If that sounds riveting, skip my review and see the movie – the less you know walking in, the better.
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EW is reporting that, contrary to published reports, funny lady Maya Rudolph will not be returning to Saturday Night Live.
Rudolph told NBC execs just yesterday that she is dropping out of her eight season on the show. No official reason for her departure has been given, but a spokesperson for NBC says, “We wish Maya nothing but the best.”
Rudolph was also absent for a large part of last season while she was on maternity leave.
She will be best remembered for her impeccable impressions of Donatella Versace, Whitney Houston, and Beyonce.
Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig are now the show’s only remaining female cast members. However, new players may join the show, which will feature the rest of the ‘06-’07 cast.
Turns out even celebrity actresses can’t avoid bad landlords and bedbug-infested apartments.
“Saturday Night Live” star Maya Rudolph and her husband, movie director Paul Anderson, have launched a $450,000 lawsuit apartment broker Halstead Property LLC and owner Francis Feeney after being attacked by bedbugs in their new SoHo apartment, which they and their year-old baby moved into last month.
“The plaintiffs were bitten over portions of their bodies by bedbugs,” the court papers say. “Apparently unbeknown to plaintiffs, the premises were infested with bedbugs.”
The papers, filed Wednesday in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court, continue to say that Rudolph and Anderson had been told the apartment was “perfect” and was in a “first-class luxury” building. They were renting the third-floor condominium for $13,500 a month, and had already paid two months rent and a month’s security, plus another month’s rent as broker’s commission.
On top of that, the elevator in the building was out of order for at least six of the family’s first 11 days living there.
The family were advised to leave the apartment by an exterminator on Oct. 17.
The lawsuit seeks $450,500 in compensatory and punitive damages, repayment of rent and broker’s fees and legal fees.
