Joaquin Phoenix...eerie supernatural event! Letterman post a mystery!

Well, if you have a subscription to my blog - the Tattler - you obviously encountered quite a few kooky moments going down at the google web site earlier this afternoon if you attempted to peruse a post on talk-show host Dave Letterman and the return of Joaquin Phoenix to the Late Show next week!

Shortly after I penned the post - and published it to the blog - I proof-read it one more time before I intended to beg off.

When I spied a couple of snafus in the post, I proceeded to open the edit bay, with the express intent of eradicating the flaws running rampant here-and-there.

In fact - on at least two occasions - the changes were reflected at the site as soon as I re-publlished - but, darn it - glitches popped up elsewhere on the page requiring a little more finesse in getting the polished post out before folks on the Internet began to surge by to glance over the material.

At one point, when I clicked on the dashboard to open up the body of the post for editing purposes, the report simply vanished into thin air before my very eyes!

But, here is the eerie part!

If  a key is hit in error - and the body of the material inside the edit box is flushed out - the post should still remain published verbatim on the Internet (until it is overwritten by a fresh published post).

But, get this!

For some inexplicable reason, the caption remained published, but the story material disappeared!

When you consider the fact that the post focused on the topic of odd-behaviour by Joaquin Phoenix - and questions that Dave pointedly put to the audience - "Is he here?" - it is downright intriguing stuff by any stretch of the imagination.

Post:  09/14/10

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/09/dave-letterman-late-showjoaquin-phoenix.html

News at 11!

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Dave Letterman Late Show...Joaquin Phoenix rises from ashes! Thursday Sept. 16th!

Was Dave Lettermann spooked by Joaquin?

Joaquin Phoenix continues to play peek-a-boo!

And, Dave Letterman is keen on nabbing the kudos, for his tie-in.

"Joaquin Phoenix here?"

According to the cheeky talk-show host, that was the question everyone was asking - after the thespian's must-see television appearance with Dave in 2009 - that is now part of the just-released documentary (Casey Affleck/Director).

"I'm Still Here."

And, on Wednesday (September 22nd) Joaquin returns to Letterman's LATE SHOW for his first television appearance since "the incident".

I attended the actor's red-carpet appearance at the Chinese Theatre last year - where I personally witnessed the free-falling Phoenix sip liquor out of a silver flask tucked away in a coat pocket - as he mystified the paparazzi with a bizarre bare-knuckled message written in a scrawl on stubby fingers.

"Good Bye!"

Joaquin's swan song was conjured up just shy of his announcement to quit acting.

So, like so other fans - I await with bated breath for Joaquin's return - on the CBS talk fest.

Though, the critics have panned it.

Just maybe, a repeat of his original appearance on Letterman (to be broadcast on Thursday) may save him from the lions.

If not, just remember, good actors are a dime-a-dozen!

Who the heck needs him?

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Joaquin Phoenix...losing it? Rehab on the way...

At the glittering red carpet premiere of Che at Mann's Chinese a few weeks ago, it was obvious to the paparazzi on hand that something was out-of-whack with Joaquin Phoenix!

As the well-heeled elite exited sleek limos that purred at the curb and sauntered up the press gauntlet into the much-anticipated screening, one wild and woolley-looking dude was inclined to go against the natural flow and stroll down the carpet to a perch near the street.

Once recognized, the actor caused quite a stir!

When a couple of celebrity interviewers tossed a handful of questions his way, Phoenix was mum for a second or two.

Then, the controversial actor did something strange.

He clenched his hands and thrust them forward into the crowd to reveal two words scribbled on his unkempt fingers.

"Good Bye"

A buzz rippled through the press corps.

Had the off-beat actor gone mad?

Then, I personally spied Joaquin whip a flask out of his jacket pocket and guzzle down a huge gulp of the mysterious liquid inside.

One for the road?

Next day, on the heels of this odd-ball behaviour, news zipped around the Globe.

Phoenix was calling it quits to become a rap star!

And, at the tail end of February, the retired thespian made good on his promise.

He actually turned up at a low-key Vegas joint to utter a few catchy rap beats.

In tow, was Casey Affleck, who was filming the entire fiasco for a documentary he'll release on the nutso actor-turned-rapper later in the year.

But, if a tumultuous appearance this past weekend at another watering hole was any indication, his stab at incoherent fast-mumbling may not pan out as expected.

Shortly after the poet in-his-own-mind stumbled on stage, a heckler got his goat - at which point - he scurried into the audience to confront the red-neck interloper.

Allegedly, security dragged Phoenix back towards the stage, then tossed him out of the spotlight into the street.

Was that a rap - um - wrap?

News at 11!

Gladiator role best acting assignment to date

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AFI FEST...Che! Joaquin Phoenix appears on star-studded red carpet. A show of force for Latino Community...

AFI FEST staff rolled out the red carpets, cordoned off the perimeters of the front entrance to Mann's Chinese Theatre, as black-suited security guards scouted the area for potential gate-crashers.

Shortly thereafter - sleek limos purred to the curb with their precious charges inside - a handful of celebrated actors ready to run the gauntlet past a frenzied gaggle of high-profile journalists and paparazzi on Safari and out for a kill.

Just about an hour earlier, the heavens opened up unexpectedly and a torrent of rain descended upon the city, heightened by streaks of lightning amid wild cracks of thunder.

I wondered, an auspicious sign from the Gods?

About an hour later, though, the skies cleared and I headed on up to the much-anticipated premiere of Che at Mann's Chinese Theatre.

When I heard the first shouts of the paparazzi at curbside one thing was evident.

It was showtime!

Up at my end of the carpet near the entrance to the Theatre, a reporter from People magazine scrutinized a sheet of "mug shots" I provided her so she could keep track of the Che stars as they paraded by.

Meanwhile, reporters from In Touch, US Weekly, and MTV jockeyed for their positions alongside me; after all, although all the press folks were given designated perches, face-space onto the carpet to facilitate interviews was still quite tight.

There was a strong turn-out by the Latino community , too.

Che - for those who were not aware of it - was filmed entirely in Spanish with English subtitles.

Understandably, the Latino press was there to show support and bask in the glory.

The creative end didn't disappoint either.

All the lead actors who starred in the two-part four hour (plus!) bio - not only showed up to tout the much-ballyhooed feature - but strike up idle chit-chat with the media.

For the most part, it was quite the fashion show, too.

The ladies tended to saunter by in smart simple cocktail dresses with tasteful elegant jewellery - while their counterparts, the peacocks of the species - showed off a definite flair for designer suits and well-coordinated ensembles that sparked a touch of romanticism.

At one juncture - Steven Soderbergh, Benicio del Toro, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Joaquin De Almeida - posed for a "cast" photograph mid-runway.

Joaquim De Almedia - who often plays the bad guy in commercial popcorn movies out-of-Hollywood - was cast in Che as a politician in the ambitious offering from Steven Soderbergh.

When I asked him how he liked playing those roles, he shrugged and smiled.

"That's the way they see me."

When I asked if there was a dream role he'd like to sink his teeth into, he noted that in Europe he has acted in over forty films playing a wide variety of characters.

"In one recent film, I'm quite a nice guy."

He's a charming fellow, unaffected by the trappings of Hollywood.

Fortunately, I screened Che last week - so I was able to ask a few intelligent questions of one of the original writers for Che biopic.

When I pointed out that I found the film a bit long, the articulate fellow was inclined to admit that the script originally started off quite modestly.

"It grew over time."

Gosh, I wonder why?

The tall elegant screenwriter's next project will be about a character by the name of David Livingstone who the Hollywood player appears to be fascinated with.

Although I was in an interview with a guest when Lou Diamond Phillips alighted next to me to chat with a reporter, I managed to overhear a funny story about celebrity he recalled for her.

Apparently, a woman once mistook the charismatic actor for the boxer, Oscar De La Hoya.

When the befuddled woman asked Phillips about his "moves" in the ring, he did not want to disappoint, so he played along.

Impromptu, he spun a yarn on the spot, which focused on his alleged strategies, and the "art" of boxing.




Jacqueline Bisset was so low-key on the carpet - that she nearly escaped my radar - as she strolled by with an unidentified man on her arm

Gorgeous, as ever!




But, a star that caught everyone's eye - and caused a buzz to ripple through the crowd - was Joaquin Phoenix.

Suddenly, and without warning, he waltzed out of the dark recesses of the theatre - sort-of going upstream against the flow of celebrities heading the other way - and proceeded to take a drag on a cigarette.


At first, the Gladiator star wasn't recognizable!

If anything, he was "wild and woolly" in appearance.

The image he gave off - in the ubiquitous over-sized gold-tinted shades - was that of a reclusive rock star.

Then, oh my gosh, I spied the actor take a surreptitious swig from a flask, he casually spirited up from the inside of his jacket pocket.

HO2 or something with a little more kick to it?

Maybe those revelations about quitting the business are true.

Is the life of a superstar actor a strain for the psyche, do 'ya think?

News at 11!


Joaquin Phoenix & Gwyneth Paltrow star in "Two Lovers" at AFI Fest

We Own the Night...Phoenix riveting!

Essentially - "We Own the Night" - is a cop film.

But, unlike the others in the genre that harp about honor and duty, this little gem focuses more on "family".

Apparently, it was booed at the Cannes Film Festival.

But, I liked it!

It's kind-of an intimate tale about a young man who must make a troubling decision when his wild lifestyle puts his father and brother in harm's way.

Joaquin Phoenix is the manager of a trendy dance club, who thrives on the adrenalin-rush of the night life, high-energy music, and the thrill of rubbing shoulders with an exotic mix of dangerous low-life personalities.

The path of least resistance, also appeals to the independent nature of the young man, too.

Occasionally, he snorts a whiff of cocaine and engages in a little wild sex.

Yeah, ignorance is bliss.

His comfortable carefree existence is interrupted one evening when a Machiavellian drug dealer saunters into the club and starts to shake up the status quo.

The scumbag attracts so much attention, in fact, that the club becomes the focus of a drug investigation instigated by Phoenix's brother (Mark Wahlberg)and headed up by their father (Robert Duvall).

When the brothers' heads start to butt - and Wahlberg's character ends up seriously injured after a professional hit by the underworld - Phoenix is compelled to reevaluate his lifestyle.

In the film - "The Departed" - I found Wahlberg's acting a little over the top and out-of-sync with the other seasoned actors he played against.

Here, the studly actor has found a proper balance which works.

Not an exceptional bit of acting, but it satisfies.

As usual, Robert Duvall turns in a quality performance.

However, when roles in films overlap a little, there are bound to be some repetitions.

Thus, his crusty portrayal of the Police Chief amounts to the - same old same old - I'm afraid.

Nothing to write home about.

In contrast, Phoenix turns in stunning performance which steals the show!

His performance is not only nuanced, but a multi-faceted characterization, which rivets the audience.

Phoenix's acting is a revelation with touches of brilliance.

When actors talk about the "method" - realistically portraying an emotion and crafting a seamless performance - this is was what they are talking about.

Having succeeded in fleshing out his character - Phoenix is subsequently able to touch, mesmerize, and render - a haunting lasting impression.

The film was directed by James Gray, who carved a bit of a niche for himself in the industry, with projects like "Little Odessa" and "The Yards".

In this instant case, the direction is a little pedestrian.

But, the cinematography is rich and impacts the eye; enough so, that the audience remains connected to the action.

Yes, there's plenty of that, but not in a distracting exploitative way.

"We Own the Night" is not innovative or great filmmaking.

But, the movie is entertaining, none-the-less.

A good popcorn movie to cuddle up at home with on a dark stormy night.