All the praise that's been heaped on this moving tale of a broken-down pro wrestler struggling to remain relevant despite his failing body is deserved. (The Academy really snubbed this one in the Best Picture race.) The standout, of course, is Mickey Rourke, whose portrayal of Randy "The Ram" will have even the big boys searching for their hankies by the time this one's down for the count.
Rourke's masterful performance is beautifully matched by turns from Evan Rachel Wood as Randy's bitter estranged daughter and Marisa Tomei, whose aging stripper is — like Randy — struggling to stay in her own game. All of these characters are so vivid and real, and in the hands of Darren Aronofsky, they continually remind us that life must still be lived once the spotlight fades and the crowd stops cheering.
The bonus features on the release are scarce, but they pack a serious punch. In addition to ...
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The newest pilot news, from Variety/the Reporter:• D.B. Woodside (24) has been cast as Marcus in CBS' Hugh Jackman-produced musical drama Viva Laughlin.• Marisa Tomei will topline CBS' The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud, the Oscar winner's first network series since appearing on A Different World 20 years ago.• Kate Burton (Grey's Anatomy) and Camille Gauty (Prison Break) have joined Fox's Supreme Courtships, playing a justice and her ambitious clerk, respectively.• Real-life football wife Holly Robinson Peete is the mom of a star wide receiver in ABC's Football Wives.• Mae Whitman (Thief) is The Bionic Woman's younger sister. Just think of the cool hand-me-downs!• Heroes' Tawny Cypress has joined Fox's K-Ville, as has John Carroll Lynch (Close to Home).• Fox has ordered a half-hour sudser about blue-collar families, from Idol creator Simon Fuller.• Kurt Fuller (Desperate Housewives) is the title femme's boss in ABC's See Jayne Run.• T...
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FX's Rescue Me (Tuesdays at 10pm/ET) is only three episodes into its third season, but if current story lines are any indication, the boys of Ladder 62 are in for a doozy of a ride as the episodes rage on. As Tommy Gavin's no-nonsense ex-wife, Janet, Andrea Roth has made her mark as one of the few females who can show the firehouse crew who's boss. On a recent break from filming, Andrea clued in TVGuide.com on future shakeups, breakups and makeups, and spills the beans about her upcoming film role opposite Jason "He's So Sexy!" Statham.
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As FX gears up for the third season of its red-hot firefighter drama Rescue Me (premiering tonight at 10 pm/ET), count on Callie Thorne's Sheila to carouse and connive her way around the firehouse, causing a whole new set of problems for Denis Leary's Tommy. TVGuide.com chatted with Thorne to tease the new season (the first episode of which she had yet to see), find out what it's like hanging with the boys as well as guest stars Susan Sarandon and Marisa Tomei, and why she'd be willing to swing from
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As the World Turns alum Scott Bryce — who romanced Meg Ryan's Betsy back in the '80s as the original Craig Montgomery — is coming back to daytime. But instead of returning to Oakdale, he's headed for One Life to Live's Llanview as police shrink Ed Crosby. He'll begin counseling broody cop John McBain (Michael Easton) on Jan. 4. Can't wait 'til 2006 for the details? Just read on....
TVGuide.com: Welcome back to soaps! We sure missed you.
Scott Bryce: Thanks! Well, it's a recurring role, so we'll see how long I'm around. They've scheduled eight episodes for me so far, so I'll be airing into February on OLTL.
TVGuide.com: Before we get to that, Hunt Block is a fine actor, but for many ATWT fans, you're the one and only Craig. His Craig was very different from your more lovable version.
Bryce: Aww... he was playing a different part with the same name. They needed to give him connecti
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