It has been a while since we updated the blog and since then the JO-related news has been busy. Ms. Ormond currently has two projects out. First is the Australian film "Ladies in Black," playing in theaters
II. "Forever" is a comedic TV series starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen currently playing on Amazon Prime.
What, you may be asking, is "Forever" about? Rolling Stone has you covered. Beware, though, the article contains spoilers to the show's many mysteries. Best to just watch the trailer and then go into the show completely unawares of where it will be taking you.
III. "Gold Digger" looks to me like it might be one of the most interesting projects Ms. Ormond has done in a while.
Broadwayworld describes the BBC One six-part mini-series as being "about a woman falling in love with a much younger man and the effect it has on her already damaged family," co-starring Ben Barnes (Westworld, The Punisher).
IV. Julia also appeared in a video speaking at the Skoll World Forum, powerfully describing her "Aha! Moments: When I Changed Course."
She also took part in a discussion presented by the USC Price Athenian Society entitled "Ending Trafficking: A Discussion on Human Rights."
"Howards End" premiered today in the UK. The Starz/BBC 4-part mini-series will air in the U.S. early next year. The trailer for the mini-series dropped a few days ago and contains a brief line of dialogue from Julia Ormond, playing a scene with series star Hayley Atwell.
The BBC website contains more footage from the adaptation of E.M. Forster's classic novel.
II. Julia will be appear in a new Australian film called "Ladies in Black." It is based on a bestselling novel by Madeleine St John. IMDB describes the film as follows:
"Ladies in Black is set in Sydney in the summer of 1959, against the backdrop of Australia's cultural awakening, breakdown of class structures, and liberation of women. It tells the coming-of-age story of suburban schoolgirl Lisa, who while waiting for her final high school exam results with dreams of going to the University of Sydney, takes a summer job at a large department store. Here she works side-by-side with a group of saleswomen who open her eyes to a world beyond her sheltered existence, and foster her metamorphosis."
"Ormond will play a Slovenian emigre who’s the manager of the high-fashion floor. Other cast members include Rachael Taylor as Fay Baines, Alison McGirr, Vincent Perez, Ryan Corr, Susie Porter, and Shane Jacobson."
III. True Sioux Hope Foundation, an organization dedicated to "assisting the Oglala Lakota Sioux Native Americans from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota," recently held its second annual True Sioux Hope Gala. The non-profit "reached out to donors including Donna and Dick Pickup, Tim and Stephanie Busch, Linda and Burton Young, Leroy and Kelly Breinholt, Cheryl and John Joliffe, Marilyn Robinson and Julia Ormond to build local interest and bring in financial backing."
IV. Are you still disappointed that Lifetime cancelled "The Witches of East End" on a cliffhanger? This may be the consolations you're looking for:
"On Tuesday, Summer on East End: Triple Moon, the young adult spinoff novel series by Witches of East End author Melissa de la Cruz, arrives in bookstores, and with it comes “Mirror Souls,” a short story conclusion to the TV series."
This story is an old one at this point but I missed it the first time around. If you missed it, too, and are a fan of the tv series, pick up the book!
V. "Remember," the sci-fi thriller starring Peter Dinklage, Martin Donovan, Anton Yelchin and Julia Ormond will become available on blu-ray on November 28th. Julia is all over the trailer (yay!!!). This one looks like it could be really good.
Julia Ormond has joined Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Tracey Ullman and Philippa Coulthard for a BBC/Starz four-part mini-series production of Howards End, based on the classic E.M. Forster . Yes. You heard that right. Julia Ormond - and - Hayley Atwell... in the same mini-series! You may recall that the novel was also adapted into a very popular 1992 Merchant-Ivory film starring Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins. Filming has wrapped
"Howards End tells the story of two couples caught in a swirling landscape of social and class divisions in turn-of-the-century England. Playground is executive producing in association with City Entertainment and KippSter Entertainment. Kenneth Lonergan is penning the adaptation, directed by Hettie Macdonald.
It focuses on Margaret Schlegel (Atwell), an intelligent, idealistic, bohemian young woman who is courted by the older Henry Wilcox (Macfadyen), a self-made conservative businessman, after his wife Ruth Wilcox (Ormond) dies unexpectedly. Meanwhile, Margaret’s passionate and capricious younger sister Helen Schlegel (Coulthard) takes up the cause of Leonard Bast (Quinn), a young bank clerk who falls on hard times at work and at home with his partner Jacky (Eleazar). In the absence of their parents, who have died, the sisters’ loving but interfering Aunt Juley (Ullman) tries to keep the young ladies and their brother Tibby (Lawther) on the straight and narrow."
II. Rememory, Julia's new SF drama, co-starring Peter Dinklage and the late Anton Yelchin premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews. Entertainment Weekly has a plot description and clip from the film (featuring Dinklage):
The first season (10-episode) episodes of Syfy's INCORPORATE concluded to generally positive reviews. The author of this Vanity Fair article is clearly a fan!
No word yet on whether the series will be picked up for a second season but Bustle lists the reasons why it should be!
Wait -- what's that, you say? Oh... right. Incorporated been cancelled. ::sigh::
IV. Tour de Pharmacy, the star-studded HBO mockumentary about doping in the world of professional cycling, had its first trailer released. Considering its colossal cast I wonder if this will be a blink-or-you'll-miss-her role for Julia. That will probably apply to most of the actors credited in the trailer. The movie premiers on July 8th.
Julia Ormond is celebrating a birthday! I'm sure all of her fans wish her a very happy birthday today. Incorporated is half-way through its first season and the reviews have been generally positive. It's certainly been my favorite project Ms. Ormond has been involved with in recent years. The SyFy Channel series is very much worth checking out if you haven't already.
I. Variety review: “Incorporated is an energetic and watchable science-fiction thriller that posits that a climate apocalypse will be followed by a swift division of survivors into haves and have-nots — all by the year 2074. Right now, that date feels like a somewhat optimistic estimate."
As you can imagine, Julia has been doing a lot of interviews and press for the show over the past few months. A very small sample can be found below:
II.Rememorywill premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25th. The festival synopsis describes the film as follows:
"Famed scientific pioneer Gordon Dunn (Martin Donovan) is mysteriously found dead shortly after the unveiling of his latest and most groundbreaking achievement—a device that can extract, record, and play a person’s unfiltered memories. After his death, Gordon’s reclusive wife, Carolyn (Julia Ormond), recedes into her own private world until a mysterious man (Peter Dinklage) knocks at her door, claiming to be a past acquaintance. With questionable motives, he steals the machine in an attempt to unravel his own personal demons, launching an exploration into a troublesome past filled with guilt, grief, and betrayal.
Through the glass of the mind’s eye, director/co-writer Mark Palansky steadily introduces pieces of an intricate puzzle that don’t always fit, leading us down a winding path where our human consciousness often defines reality. Rememory is a striking and uniquely stylized portrait of loss and recovery, reminding us that we are nothing more than the memories we keep."
III. Julia Ormond, in her role as the founder & president of ASSET (Advancing Systemic Solutions to End Enslavement and Trafficking), was involved in a lengthy discussion, which took place on November 15, 2016, entitled LET'S END HUMAN TRAFFICKING: MODERN-DAY SLAVERY IN AMERICA:
The new SyFy channel drama Incorporated is almost here. The official web page and Twitter account ( @IncSyfy ) are chock full of intriguing goodies including this great sneak peek clip with Julia Ormond featured front and center. I already suspect that this will become one of my all-time favorite Julia performances. I love what I am seeing so far. Premiere is set for the Fall.
II. Julia will be appear in Andy Samberg HBO cycling mockumentary Tour de Pharmacy. The film will also star Orlando Bloom, Will Forte, Dolph Lundgren, John Cena, Daveed Diggs, Phylicia Rashad, Mike Tyson and Nathan Fielder. The film is described as a follow-up to Samberg's tennis mockumentary 7 Days in Hell. You can read more about the project on ScreenCrush.
III. An interview with Hank Mann, the production designer on Rememory (release date Spring 2017). According to the article on EIN News: "Rememory revolves around Sam Bloom (Peter Dinklage) and Carolyn Dunn (Julia Ormand) as they try to get to the bottom of the mysterious death of Carolyn's husband, Gordon Dunn(Martin Donovan). An ingenious professor who was preparing to unveil an innovative new invention capable of recording and playing a person's memory, Dunn's invention may just hold the answers to his sudden death." I find it a fascinating window into the look and feel of the upcoming film. I'm really looking forward to this one. The late Anton Yelchin also stars.
The first trailer for the upcoming SyFy Channel series Incorporated (starring Sean Teale, Julia Ormond, Dennis Haysbert, and David Hewlett) is here. It looks extremely promising to me!
II. Peter Dinklage and director Mark Palansky are asking for your memories. The film Rememory, as described by IndieWire "centers on Dinklage’s character, Sam Boom, who tries to solve the murder of an inventor who created a machine that extracts and records memories in their so-called purest state. Julia Ormond, Anton Yelchin, Henry Ian Cusick and Martin Donovan will also star in the mystery thriller." Julia will play the deceased inventor's widow. On the official website, Dinklage and Palansky ask that you share videos that can be selected to be included in the actual film.
III. Julia Ormond appears in three harrowing advertisements for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST). More information can be found on the organization's web site, which is:
Julia Ormond to star with Peter Dinklage in Rememory. Julia is set to play the widow of a scientist whose invention - a device that records people's memories - she uses to attempt to discover truth about his mysterious death. Dinklage (Game of Thrones) will reportedly play a friend who helps her on her search for the facts. Filming begins (or has begun) this month in Vancouver (no confirmation on whether or not Vancouver will be playing itself!)
The SyFy Channel has picked up the pilot of the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon produced "futurist thriller" Incorporated for a full season! Earlier articles suggested that Julia would be playing the series lead. The below article suggests that might not be the case but more information should be forthcoming over the next few months.
1. Julia Ormond is set to star in a pilot for Syfy entitled Incorporated. The show is being described as "an espionage thriller that takes place in a future in which companies have unlimited power. It tells the story of executive Ben Larson (Reign's Sean Teale), who must change his identity in order to infiltrate a cutthroat corporate world to save the woman he loves. In the process, he takes on the entire system — with deadly consequences." Incorporated is being produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Syfy's official site offers even more detail about the show and the role that Julia will be playing: "Incorporated" takes place in a world run by global umbrella companies with absolute power, centering on Ben Larson (Sean Teale), an executive who must infiltrate a sinister corporate world to save his wife, Laura (Georgina Haig). Complicating matters is the fact that one of the corporation's power-hungry officers is his own mother-in-law, Elizabeth (Ormond)."
Wow! Count me in. It's just a pilot right now, but, man, does this sound like must-watch TV! Here's hoping it gets picked up!
2. If you are still upset about the cancellation of Julia's last TV show then this may cheer you up (or just depress you further)! Bustle.com has an fun article (with tons of animated gifs!) on their top 8 Witches Of East End episodes, all of which can currently be revisited on Netflix.
3. Julia appeared in a brief CBS News clip about her visit with Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota and corporate leaders "to raise awareness about the use of international slave labor.... Ormond spent about two hours with the Gov. Dayton on Friday. She said she hopes Minnesota will follow the California law passed in 2010, requiring companies to disclose where the raw materials come from for their products. Gov. Dayton said tougher transparency laws are something he’d consider." The news clip and accompanying article are linked below:
4. While in Minneapolis Julia was also at the Starkey Hearing Foundation So The World May Hear Gala.
Also present were singers Katy Perry (who performed at the event) and Gene Simmons and former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The Starkey Hearing Foundation (home page: https://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org ) is a charitable organization involved in providing hearing care to the underprivileged around the world.
The final episode of "Mad Men" (S7.E14 - "Person to Person") not only brought fans of the popular long-running series a satisfying conclusion to the show, but if you tuned in, you would also have seen Julia Ormond in her Emmy-nominated role of Marie Calvet for one last time. It was great to see. For those not yet ready to say goodbye to Julia on the TV - not to worry. "Witches of East End," Season 2, is finally being released on DVD on 7/7 as a 3 disc set. It will also become available on NetFlix on the same day. In additional news -
Julia was part of a lengthy panel discussion entitled "Transforming Global Supply Chains to Be Humane and Ethical" organized by the Milken Institute.
Julia Ormond was also a speaker at an event held in celebration of the 80th birthday of the Dalai Lama - the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize recipient - this past weekend at the Anaheim Honda Center in California.
Those of us who had been hoping to see Julia back as Marie Calvet for the final half-season of "Mad Men" had a lot to be happy about this past week. With five more episodes of the series to go here's hoping this won't be the last we see of her on the show. Her Emmy-nominated performance has become one of the highlights of the show for us. Vulture.com has an interesting article on the French spoken between Julia Ormond and the Canadian actress playing her daughter, Jessica Pare:
II. Julia appears energized and informed during an interview at the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary "Food Chains." The documentary is currently streaming on NetFlix.
Last year Julia was on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson where she briefly discussed an unproduced film project she had worked on with the late Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter. That 1997 screenplay, based on Karen Blixen's (also known by her pseudonym Isak Dinesen) short story The Dreaming Child is now a BBC radio drama starring Game of Throne's Leslie Rose (where she played Ygritte, the red-haired wilding). Julia does not appear to have any connection with this current adaptation. It will premiere on Saturday, March 7th on BBC Radio 4 (link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b054gxpb )
I. According to the Daily Mail (link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2963444/Now-aPinter-pause-New-plays-broadcast-seven-years-died.html ):
"Pinter’s adaptation of The Dreaming Child is set in Bristol in 1868 and tells the story of childless couple Emily and Tom Carter and their decision to adopt a boy from the slums. But happiness eludes the couple because Emily continues to be haunted by her passionate fling with a young soldier who was killed at sea.
It will be narrated by Anne Reid, who plays Celia in the Bafta-winning Last Tango In Halifax, and stars Rose Leslie.
Pinter was originally commissioned to write the screenplay by Hollywood star Julia Ormond, who at the time had signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox. She was delighted with Pinter’s work but the project collapsed when she insisted on directing the film as well as producing it. Pinter later commented: ‘It was this that brought the project to its knees. The money-men simply wouldn’t give her the chance.’
In his official biography of the playwright, critic Michael Billington said the screenplay for The Dreaming Child compared favourably with Pinter’s very best work."
Harold Pinter's original screenplay was published in the third volume of his "Collected Screenplays" (Farber & Farber, 2000). HaroldPinter.org has a quote from Julia in the Evening Standard from October 1997, "Working with him is the highlight of my career. I think he has done a brilliant script and I hope we will get the green light soon." (Link: http://www.haroldpinter.org/films/films_dreamingchild.shtml )
II. On January 16th Julia posted a link on her verified twitter account to Instagram page. Here's hoping we'll see more posts from her soon. (Link: https://instagram.com/julia.ormond/ )
A very happy birthday to Julia Ormond who celebrated a very special birthday on January 4th. And a Happy New Year to all the readers of the Undefinitive Blog and best wishes for 2015!
I. Julia Ormond has an official Twitter account with - at the moment - over 15k followers @ https://twitter.com/JuliaOrmond.
II. Witches of East End was unfortunately cancelled at the end of its second season. On a major cliff-hanger no less. Apparently the ratings simply plummeted after the first season despite its very loyal fan-base. More information on the cancellation can be found below:
III. VARIETY magazine recently published an interview with Julia discussing her work over 20 years ago along with Robert Duvall on the 1992 HBO television film Stalin.
IV. The final half-season of AMC's hit show Mad Men now has a premiere date of Sunday, April 5th. As far as I know there has been no confirmation as to whether Julia will appear in the final seven episodes in the role that won her her second Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress (she had won previously for Temple Grandin).
The Undefinitive Julia Ormond Page blog is back after a temporary hiatus of nearly a year. If only time grew on trees! In the meantime there has been a big jump in Julia's presence in the cultural mainstream - perhaps her largest since 2008 - much of it having to do with the success of the Lifetime TV series "The Witches of East End" (now in its second season) and, of course, her Emmy-nominated supporting role in the popular "Mad Men."
Here are some new Julia Ormond related finds, all very much worth-watching:
I. Craig Ferguson's third interview with Julia. Interview begins at 21 mins in. She makes a number of jocular references to jokes from the opening monologue in case you're wondering what the deal is with "easing out organically." Unfortunately, Ferguson will be ending his late night talk show (in its current incarnation, at least) by the end of the year. I'm a big fan of his show and truly bizarre style of comedy.
II. A pretty lengthy interview with J.O. concerning both "Witches" and "Mad Men"... and "popping a few buttons."
III. Brand new lengthy interview with Julia on her more serious activist work (probably one of the more interesting interviews I've seen with her on the topic of human trafficking). A week ago or so I also caught a glimpse of her as part of a panel discussion on CNN where she was discussing the trafficking issue with former President Bill Clinton. Yes, it felt a bit like a 90's time warp.
Julia also had a big presence (relatively speaking) at the San Diego ComicCon this year (!!!) where she and the rest of the cast were promoting the second season of "Witches of "East End." (Jack will continue to run, post and oversee this blog but on occasion I will help with additional posts. - Rudy L. [contributor])
There's a new seven minute interview with Access Hollywood about the upcoming series "Witches of East End" (Oct. 6 premiere). Julia talks about playing a mom, co-stars, nudity on the show, the book vs. the show, the final season of "Mad Men" and the Virgin Mary movie she's been attached to for years.
Syfy UK is set to be home to a range of new mini-series which feature such talent as Lost‘s Terry O’Quinn and Alias‘s Michael Vartan. My sources tell me that Syfy UK has sealed a deal with Sonar Entertainment to acquire their “Disaster Pack Collection” which includes five mini-series: Cat. 8, Delete, Eve of Destruction, Exploding Sun and Ring of Fire (for our regular readers who are thinking that this sounds familiar, this is the same package of mini-series that was recently acquired by cable network Reelz in the United States).
Syfy UK has yet to officially announce these acquisitions (and I’m told by one insider that they won’t), and have only confirmed that they will air Cat. 8 on Monday April 1st and Monday April 8th at 9pm. My source tells me that the remaining mini-series will then air on a monthly basis, I hear that Ring Of Fire will land in May, Eve of Destruction in June and Delete and Exploding Sun in July and August.
Penned by Jeff Schecter (Strange Days at Blake Holsey High). Exploding Sun tells the story of what happens whe the first ever commercial space shuttle is struck by a solar storm. The disaster hyper-charges the engine and catapults the ship on a direct course for the sun. But the danger becomes more universal when it’s discovered the event will trigger an infinitely larger solar storm that could send Earth back into the Stone Age. The mini stars David James Elliott (JAG), Anthony Lemke (Blue Mountain State), Natalie Brown (Being Human) and Julia Ormond (Temple Grandin).
Thanks to Rudy for this end of 2012 video roundup.
The trailer to Exploding Star (or Sun) a 4 hour mini-series is here. Click on the Photos tab to see a whole slew of photos.
http://sonarent.com/titles/exploding-sun
A 30 minute interview with Julia that was only recently released although it was filmed soon after her Emmy win. She discusses her Emmy win, her shift from artist to actress, parenting, creativity, her desire to do comedy, among other topics.
http://youtu.be/XKmzJDKet8c
Although this is from last year it seems to have just been released on-line recently. Julia being interviewed on the Marilyn picture.
