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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
 

This page was created on September 13, 2004
This page was last updated on May 17, 2005


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ABOUT THIS FILM
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"
- Stacy Holt (Brittany Murphy)

SYNOPSIS

From Revolution Studios comes a dark comedy about new boyfriends, exgirlfriends and little black books.

In Little Black Book, Stacy Holt (Brittany Murphy), an associate producer for daytime talk show hostess Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates), is frustrated when her boyfriend Derek (Ron Livingston) refuses to discuss his past relationships. With the encouragement of her co-worker Barb (Holly Hunter), she delves into his Palm to learn about his ex-girlfriends. Using the show as a ruse and Barb as her guide, Stacy interviews and befriends them, only to discover that the past, in a few instances, is rather present.

A modern day immorality tale of snooping in the electronic age, Little Black Book asks the question: Have you ever been tempted to go where you shouldn't? Further, it delves into the consequences of what can happen to you when you succumb to temptation.

Revolution Studios Presents A Blue Star Pictures Production Little Black Book, a Columbia Pictures release. The film stars Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Ron Livingston, Julianne Nicholson and Kathy Bates.

Little Black Book is directed by Nick Hurran. The screenplay is by Melissa Carter and Elisa Bell from a story by Melissa Carter. The producers are Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Deborah Schindler, William Sherak and Jason Shuman. The executive producers are Herbert W. Gains, Rachael Horovitz, Warren Zide and Craig Perry. The director of photography is Theo Van de Sande, ASC. The production designer is Bob Ziembicki. The editor is John Richards. The costume designer is Susie DeSanto. The music is by Christophe Beck. The music supervisor is Randall Poster.

Little Black Book has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Sexual Content/Humor and Language.

Little Black Book will be released nationwide on August 6, 2004. 'THE TANGLED WEB'

Producers Jason Shuman and William Sherak, partners in Blue Star Pictures, were introduced by mutual friends while in college. Soon after, they co-directed the short film Spoof! An Insider's Guide to Short Film Success. After each working stints as production executives, Sherak and Shuman formally paired up to produce their own films starting with the independent features Comic Book Villains and Four Dogs Playing Poker. After bringing their Blue Star Pictures shingle to Revolution Studios in the fall of 2000, they produced the horror/thriller Darkness Falls, which debuted at #1 its opening weekend.

Little Black Book fit in perfectly with the young producers' creative goals - to tell great stories that feature multi-faceted characters, in a wide variety of genres. "It was an interesting character choice, and an interesting story to tell," says Sherak. "That's what attracted us initially."

They first heard about the project about two and a half years ago when a manager friend of theirs who represented screenwriter Melissa Carter recommended the screenplay. "We read it and thought it was really universal and provided the framework for a really great movie," says Sherak.

Another screenwriter, Elisa Bell, was brought in to work on the script. Blue Star submitted an early draft to producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas (Mona Lisa Smile, Maid in Manhattan), a partner in Revolution Studios who runs the company's New York office. Goldsmith-Thomas became the driving force behind the film. Says Shuman: "Elaine brought the movie to where it is today."

"I'm attracted to movies with flawed heroes, and what Melissa Carter beautifully outlined in her script was a story about a real character who you do love, but who is compelled to go in the wrong direction," notes Goldsmith-Thomas. "I knew that if we could layer this story with real people who are both heroic and flawed, it would be that much more compelling. Audiences are used to rooting for the innocent heroine against a guilty villain. However in this movie every character, either by action or by omission, is a bit guilty. We brought in Elisa Bell in hopes of making the story that much more layered, and we continued to do a great deal of work on it throughout the process."

Goldsmith-Thomas played a major role in the script's development. "The thing Elaine has that is so amazing is her ability to convey the idea of real people," says Sherak. "When you watch the movies she's produced, you're always watching real people living their lives. You're getting a glimpse into the characters' lives and what they do every day. She makes them compelling to watch."

Shuman concurs. "That was the goal from the beginning," he says. "The story had to be real. Nothing on Stacy's journey should make you think, 'That couldn't happen.' It all had to stem from a place people could identify with."

Adds executive producer Herbert W. Gains: "It's a very smart script with a lot of dialogue, and we needed it to come off as real," he says. "In terms of the locations and the cast and the dialogue, it all had to have the unmistakable feel of truth." The project picked up further steam when actress Brittany Murphy was added to the mix. The star of such films as Uptown Girls, 8 Mile and Riding in Cars with Boys, she was the first and only choice for the role of Stacy.

"Deb (producer Deborah Schindler) and I were at my house reviewing lists of potential actors, and my niece happened to be there. When we mentioned Brittany Murphy, her face lit up," recalls Goldsmith-Thomas. "Both Deb and I had been great admirers of Murphy's work and her range. She is quite adept at comedy and drama, and she has this very real vulnerability, which is the perfect embodiment of our lead character."

Murphy, who had read an early draft of the script, showers equal praise on Goldsmith-Thomas. "Three days after our first conversation, Elaine sent me a revised script," remembers Murphy. "And in reading the new draft I realized she'd studied my rhythm and speech patterns from our first meeting."

Murphy fell in love with Goldsmith-Thomas' approach to the story. "I really adored the concept of the film," she says. "I was overwhelmingly impressed by not only how thematically relevant the script is, but how fresh, witty and real this modernday romantic comedy is."
v "As a story, I see it as an ensemble piece about a lot of people who are all harboring their own little secrets while, in their work on the Kippie Kann Show, they expose other people's lives," Murphy adds. "That got me excited."

Murphy welcomed Goldsmith-Thomas' generosity. "Elaine accorded me a lot of respect in allowing me to be part of the entire process," says Murphy. "She was very receptive to my ideas."

With the script coming together, the focus now turned to the search for a director. British-born Nick Hurran had directed the British film Plots with a View starring Brenda Blethyn, as well as a number of British television shows.

"We went through the process of looking for a director with a unique, fresh voice," explains Shuman, "and realized there are a lot of amazing people out there. Then we got a call from Nick's agent. We knew his work and loved it." "Deb, Rachel (executive producer Rachel Horovitz) and I watched a tape of Hurran's Plots With A View," recalls Goldsmith-Thomas. "What most impressed us was that there was a life on the edge of the screen. You really believed that this wasn't just happening, but that the camera happened to catch it. I remember screaming and saying 'Oh, my God, can we get him?!' Luckily for us, Nick had flown himself in."

For Hurran, the key attraction to the material was the overarching idea of "biting betrayal," says the director. "The characters all have something to face in themselves that they're not quite facing. That mixed with the wonderful humor of the script made it a joy to read."

Hurran quickly recognized that the story combined both contemporary and classic elements. "This story is told in a very contemporary way," says Hurran. Indeed, it is a very modern form of technology - the Palm - that gets Stacy into her complex predicament. "Stacy is kind of prodded by her work colleagues to use the technology with Derek," says Hurran. "The Palm is the modern equivalent of the little black book or diary. It's dangerous to leave around if you have something to hide - as Derek soon discovers."

Despite its contemporary themes, the film has the feel of a classic comedy. "While it's contemporary, it has that romantic feel of Hollywood's golden era, and I wanted the audience to look at it and think, 'This has the same timeless appeal as a Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie.'"

Hurran and his fellow filmmakers set out to cast the film's other key roles, which included dozens of speaking parts and a wide range of characters. Ultimately, the movie was populated with a blend of up-and-comers, well-known Oscar® winners and veteran stage actors.

Though Murphy relates to Stacy on a number of levels, she confesses, "I've never done anything like this character does. Snooping is just not in my bag of tricks. It just wouldn't feel right. Plus, I'm not technologically sophisticated enough to pull it off," she laughs.

For the character of Barb, the grand puppet master of the "Kippie Kann Show" control room, the filmmakers were searching for the ideal foil for Stacy and found her in one of today's finest actresses. A four-time Academy Award® nominee and Oscar winner for The Piano, Holly Hunter accepted the role of the woman who used to work on Wall Street, then drove a bus and now works in television. "This script is interesting because the characters continually reveal themselves. They continue to develop throughout," she says. "Often in Hollywood scripts, the characters are too simplistically drawn. By page 60, you know exactly who they are. Nobody changes much after that. But in this movie, they're all constantly revealing themselves in new ways to the audience, until the very last moment." Hunter describes Barb's duplicitous nature as less good-versus-evil and more "creator-destroyer. She inhabits both actions. In some ways Barb is just curious and wants to help. And then other, darker motives occur to her."

Stacy is largely unaware of Barb's machinations, says Murphy. "She sees her as a comrade. But all along, Barb is pulling strings and doing it brilliantly." Barb is also very adaptable, according to Hunter. "That's one of the reasons why I wanted to play Barb. She loves to discover, and we get to see her do a lot of that in this movie," says Hunter.

Barb also serves as the impetus for Stacy's self-discovery. "Stacy's been willing to believe instead of understand," continues Hunter. "That was one of the reasons why I was attracted to this script - do you believe or do you know? It takes slightly less work to believe in what you're doing than to really understand it. Barb really forces this conflict in Stacy. She forces her to reckon with the people she's chosen to have in her life."

It was important that the ensemble of characters around Barb and Stacy in the control room of the "Kippie Kann Show" have the right chemistry. "It's kind of a cacophony of personalities in there," says Hunter. "Most of us are stage actors, so we made very bold choices. It was a fantastic working experience. They were a blast."

Kevin Sussman, whose credits include Sweet Home Alabama and Changing Lanes, plays "senior associate producer-slash-producer" Ira who is constantly seeking Kippie Kann's attention. "Ira's up for a producer promotion," says Sussman, "so for him, it's all about Kippie."

For Sussman, the entire film revolves around the theme of betrayal. "That's really what this movie is about - trust and betrayal. And it happens on many levels. It happens in Stacy's personal relationships, and it happens in her work relationships."

Stephen Tobolowsky, a veteran character actor who has brought his talents to such comedies as Win a Date with Tad Hamilton and Freaky Friday, plays Carl Todd, the executive producer of the "Kippie Kann Show." Like Hunter, Tobolowsky was drawn in by the script. "The script is different from most scripts I read," he comments. "It is a masterpiece of confusion and chaos. What it's really about is, 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.'" Tobolowsky's character is no stranger to deception himself. "Carl will destroy anyone to keep his position and power," says the actor. "He will do anything to maintain his position, including interviewing supermodels as possible replacements and zooming in on a clueless Kippie's makeup and wig to make her look grotesque."

Carl is also on the lookout for the deceptions of the other producers - "All those little scorpions and piranhas that are picking at me," laughs Tobolowsky. "As long as Carl can steal their ideas, everything's fine. Carl is also a master schmoozer, and he gets ahead by either kissing or kicking ass. This is the way these people operate. "

The third member of the "Kippie Kann" producing team is Larry, played by Jason Antoon (Minority Report, Two Weeks Notice). "Larry's the guy who steals from Ira, picks his nose, grabs his crotch, farts, yells, is louder and more obnoxious at meetings, and is always on Ira's back," says Antoon with hilarious bluntness. Phil Walsh, the director of the "Kippie Kann Show," is played by Cress Williams. "Phil is calling the shots up in the booth," says Williams. "And I think for the audience he's the everyman. He is the average American person witnessing this crazy situation."

Playing the once mighty daytime talk show host Kippie Kann, whose ratings have recently taken a nosedive, is three-time Oscar® nominee and Best Actress winner for Misery, Kathy Bates.

"Kathy Bates plays Kippie Kann with a sort of manic desperation, and it was an honor to watch her create this character. We were blessed with great actors who created an amazing ensemble," says Deborah Schindler.

"Kathy adds another layer of sophistication to this project. The character of Kippie is like a great piece of furniture that's a little worn. She wears her desperation," adds Goldsmith-Thomas. "Everyone is younger, tighter, smarter - and in her efforts to stay afloat, Kippie has no moral boundaries about doing to Stacy what ultimately happens."

The casting of the characters in Stacy's personal life was also crucial to the success of the film. Ron Livingston ("Sex and the City," The Cooler, Office Space) joined the cast as Derek, Stacy's boyfriend and a scout for the NHL's New Jersey Devils. It was one of the most difficult roles to cast.

"The character of Derek was difficult to cast because his appeal had a lot to do with what the actor brought to it," says Murphy. "He had to be endearing, strong, and just as importantly, someone you believed."

When Livingston auditioned, "he completely nailed it," says Murphy. "It was like he'd fallen from the heavens."

Livingston saw the story as "a comedy about love and secrets. How much do you really want to know about your boyfriend's past?'"

Derek's former girlfriends also presented a casting challenge. "We were looking for some diversity in the girlfriends," says Gains. "We wanted some contrasting images, different personalities, and people from different walks of life. That way, there was always someone the audience could relate to."

Julianne Nicholson, most recently in Seeing Other People and The Visitors, was assigned the role of Joyce, the young chef who secretly hopes that Derek will someday come back to her. "I thought she was really interesting," says Nicholson. "She was smart and motivated, but also really easygoing. She was a girl's girl, but she could hang out with the guys as well. She wasn't just the typical clichéd ex-girlfriend. She was a fully developed young woman."

When Nicholson first heard the title of the script, she was unsure. But then she read it and was pleasantly surprised. "When I first heard it was called Little Black Book, I thought it would be women being catty, lying and deceiving. There's some of that, but in a very fresh way. I particularly liked the ending because it wasn't obvious or expected."

"We were on the set of Mona Lisa Smile when we saw Julianne Nicholson's taped audition, and it rendered us speechless," recalls Goldsmith-Thomas. "She had an honesty to her performance that was absolutely Joyce." Joyce doesn't know that Stacy is investigating her, "but actually, Joyce doesn't want to know who her ex-boyfriend is dating," adds Goldsmith-Thomas. "She doesn't ask and in that way, she doesn't have to feel she is participating in or perpetrating a fraud. So, really, nobody is innocent here."

Josie Maran, one of the faces of Maybelline cosmetics who recently starred in Van Helsing and the upcoming The Aviator, plays the bulimic model Lulu Fritz "It was fun to blow the stereotypical model thing out of proportion for this character," says Maran. "She's not from France, but I played her as if she's obsessed with being French and being fancy and international."

Harvard graduate and rising film and television star Rashida Jones plays accomplished gynecologist Rachel Keyes, who has one of the film's most outrageous scenes. Jones thinks that many women have investigated their boyfriends' past. "Even though they know it's the wrong thing to do, even though they know that maybe they're going to uncover something they don't even want to know, there's just this huge curiosity and temptation. So the storyline felt very real."

The stellar cast is rounded out by Sharon Lawrence as Stacy's mother. Caitlin Murphy, Brittany's real life cousin, plays the role of young Stacy when she is about eight years old.

Of course, no discussion of the cast is complete without a mention of Bob, the dog. Bob won the filmmakers over at his first audition. "He has a tendency to do that," smiles the bullmastiff's trainer, Larry Madrid, who looks for "a winning personality, a certain sparkle in the eye, and an attitude that says, 'I'm a star,'" when choosing his animals. When Madrid found Bob in England, "He was just irresistible."

"Our whole cast was something special," concludes Sherak. "But it's only when all of them were on stage together, that we realized how amazingly well the talent fit together and complemented one another."

The success of the ensemble was vital to the trajectory of Stacy's story. "This is definitely a film about Stacy discovering herself, her truth. She is trying to find order in her life, to find a way of living without chaos. But she learns that maybe you have to let go, roll the dice and see what happens," says Hurran. "It's her interaction with the other characters that leads her to this conclusion."

Murphy echoes those sentiments. "Stacy finally learns not to fight life, and that you can't control everything. You can be aware of yourself and learn and make yourself grow, but you can't control the world."

The film was a learning experience for Murphy as well as her character. "This whole experience has been a privilege for me," she continues. "To have been a part of it from the ground floor and to watch Elaine and learn the ropes of producing - that was a true blessing."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Though the story is set in New York and New Jersey, Little Black Book was shot mainly near Los Angeles. One of the biggest overall challenges for production designer Bob Ziembicki was making a very hot, dry Pasadena summer look like a green, lush New Jersey/New York spring. But the filmmakers overcame that hurdle with some creative location selections.

For the style of the movie, Ziembicki followed director Hurran's dictate that the production avoid the color blue. "He felt that would keep our overall palette in very warm tones, particularly for the night time scenes."

The chaotic nature of some of the film's key scenes, were another challenge. "There was so much going on at once," says Murphy. "There were sometimes half a dozen scenes in one, because we were shooting the 'Kippie Kann' audience reacting, the warm-up man and whatever was going on onstage. On top of that, we were shooting in the control room and the characters in there talking to the people on the floor and to the cameramen. In the background there were emus and orangutans walking down the hallway where Holly and I were doing a scene. I've never been in a picture where there were so many different things going on at once."

It's also doubtful that Murphy ever had a scene in which she has to submit to a pelvic exam. "It is sort of fascinating how real that scene turned out to be," says Hurran. "In the story Stacy discovers that one of her boyfriend's exes, Rachel, is a gynecologist, and submits to the procedure in order to meet her."

"Brittany and I got very comfortable with each other very quickly," says Rashida Jones, who plays Rachel. "There was so much activity and so much to be done that it almost made our interaction easier. But it was really funny." Every time Jones would pop up from behind Murphy's dressing gown, Murphy cracked up. "But she made it through," says Jones.

Another memorable scene was the lengthy "Kippie Kann Show" pitch-meeting sequence. The cast members got a bit carried away, coming up with outrageous pitches for the show. "Every take, we would pitch the shows, and then at the end of the take, we'd keep going with things like 'midgets who got kicked out of the KKK,'" says Kevin Sussman.

Jason Antoon came up with some of the most memorable pitches. "I made up absurd things, like '80-year-old virgins,'" he says. "It was actually a lot of fun. Because after doing it a few times, we'd just take an idea and run with it." The climactic scene at the end of the movie where nearly all the film's characters converge on the stage of the "Kippie Kann Show" encompassed nearly 15 script pages. "It didn't feel that long when I read it," admits Hurran. "So much is happening within that scene. Yet, it never read to me like such a mountain to climb. It proved to be all-consuming technically. But in the end, it was a joy." "Most of the third act of the film is the climactic 'Kippie Kann Show,' so it was imperative that we really nail it," says Goldsmith Thomas. "Nick did an amazing job orchestrating the dozens of cameras in what was essentially shooting a television show within a movie."

In the scene, the show's host, played by Kathy Bates, is a "fallen Oprah" whose once popular New York show is now syndicated out of New Jersey. Taking pride in their successful efforts to eternally lower the bar, her producers serve up such slop as "cheerleading midget lesbians" and "hoochie mama makeovers."

The production created a perfectly functioning TV show within a film. Film cameras shot the TV cameras that shot the action on stage and the live studio audience. "The TV show is kind of another character in the movie. It had a whole reality unto itself," says Holly Hunter.

Video supervisor Dean Striepeke was the "Wizard of Oz" who controlled the TV show. "Everything on the set worked essentially the same way it would at a TV station," says Striepeke. "It was a much smaller installation and we didn't have quite as many monitors. We didn't have exactly the top-notch professional gear that they would have at a television station. But essentially it all worked in the same way."

Five television cameras were used on the set, as well as several monitors. Hurran's concepts for Kippie's set were inspired by his early career in live British television. "From there," says Ziembicki, "we 'Americanized' it and added a sense that both Kippie and her low-end New Jersey station had seen better days. We toyed with the idea that everything off camera from the TV set was archaic, falling apart and/or out of order - a reflection that Kippie and her show were past their prime."

"Obviously," he continues, "creating an entire live TV show with all the behindthe- scenes elements was very gratifying."

"The Kippie Kann set was an interesting challenge," says Hurran. "We had to make Kippie's world absolutely real. Kippie is a character who's not at her best. So I wanted the feeling of the studio to be slightly jaded. From the TV cameras, to the corridors and the control room, it all had to look old, as if it was always on the verge of breaking down."

Just as music is important in Stacy's life, so too it was important in the movie. "There was music everywhere in the movie. Everybody sang," says Murphy. "It was fantastic because there was music around all the time."

That's not surprising since beloved Grammy-winning recording artist Carly Simon is one of the main features of the story.

"Originally, there was no sort of 'musical hero' in this script," says Goldsmith- Thomas, "but we all began talking and we realized that some of the most seminal songs that have transcended generations have been by Carly Simon. There is something about her music - the honesty, the passion, the complexity and the words - which is a treasure chest of beautiful emotions, beautiful stories about passion, remorse, love, regret and sorrow."

In particular, Goldsmith-Thomas and her fellow filmmakers were struck by Simon's song "No Secrets."

"We listened to the words, and I thought 'Carly Simon wrote a song in 1972, which speaks directly to the heart of a film we are doing in 2004. It says 'What do you do with the information once you have it?' People claim that information is power, but then you have to act on it, and you always live with the knowledge once you have it," says Goldsmith-Thomas. "In 'No Secrets,' Carly says she wishes she didn't know so much. The song was an anthem, our anthem."

"When Carly and I spoke on the phone for the first time we both wound up crying during the conversation," says Murphy. "We are kindred spirits. The first day we met in person, she came into my trailer and we danced. We played music and danced. I really just adore her so much."

Adds Hurran: "Carly Simon is a terrific icon for all of us, and for our leading characters in the story. She is the beacon of our story. Our characters turn to her if they're in doubt. To have Carly Simon actually with us was terribly exciting."

Reflecting on the film's themes, Simon says: "I think it's ideal to connect with someone to whom you can tell almost everything. If there's a deep, dark hidden secret, hopefully you can tell that one person what it is. If you don't then perhaps it is a form of betrayal because you're not connecting, you're not allowing the person that you really want to be intimate with, to be a part of you."

If Carly Simon was the beacon for the characters in the movie, then Hurran was the guiding light on the set. "It's so great to be on a set with a director who genuinely likes being a director," says Hunter. "Nick thoroughly enjoys working with actors and isn't intimidated by them. He is always relaxed enough to be able to listen and engage in a real creative conversation about a moment."

"Nick is great. He has the ability to remain calm and to keep an upbeat attitude in the face of anything," says Livingston. "And he has an English accent, which I think should be a requirement for a director. It makes them sound like they know what they're doing."

The filmmakers hope that Little Black Book strikes a chord with audiences as they follow Stacy and her duplicitous fellow characters. "In essence, this movie is about a young woman who is crippled by doubt," says Schindler. "And she discovers-only after going through the chaos-that she has the power to forge her own life."

ABOUT THE CAST

BRITTANY MURPHY (Stacy) continues to be one of Hollywood's most sought after and engaging young actresses. She was most recently seen in Uptown Girls, in which she played Molly Gunn, a New York socialite who takes a job as a nanny to regain the respect of her boyfriend.

Murphy also recently appeared in the hit romantic comedy Just Married, Curtis Hanson's 8 Mile opposite Eminem and the ensemble film Spun directed by Jonas Akerlund.

Murphy has also starred in Ed Burns' ensemble drama Sidewalks of New York, Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys opposite Drew Barrymore and Gary Fleder's Don't Say A Word opposite Michael Douglas.

Murphy starred alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted and in Alan Rudolph's Trixie opposite Emily Watson. She gained national attention from her breakthrough role as "Tai Frasier" in the box office smash Clueless. Her additional credits include Summer Catch, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Cherry Falls.

On television, Murphy starred opposite Lukas Haas and Sidney Poiter in Harpo Productions' "David and Lisa," Showtime's critically acclaimed "Devil's Arithmetic" opposite Kirsten Dunst and Showtime's "Common Ground." Her talent for voices and accents can be heard each week on Fox-TV's animated comedy 'King of the Hill," as she gives life to "LuAnn" and "Joseph" on the hit series. Murphy performed on Broadway with Allison Janney in Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning "A View From the Bridge" directed by Michael Mayer. Born and raised in New Jersey, Murphy currently resides in Los Angeles.

HOLLY HUNTER (Barb) is an Academy Award®-winning actress who continues to demonstrate her range and versatility. This fall, Hunter can be heard in the animated film "The Incredibles" along with Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee and Craig T. Nelson.

Hunter was recently seen in director Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen, for which she received an Academy Award® nomination as well as Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Broadcast Film Critics nominations. Hunter was also in Levity with Billy Bob Thornton and Morgan Freeman.

In 2001, Hunter starred in ABC's "When Billie Beat Bobby," in which she portrayed tennis legend Billie Jean King in the infamous 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between King and Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs. The role garnered Hunter an Emmy nomination for Best Actress in a Television Miniseries or Movie. In the fall of 2001, Hunter starred in the American premiere of "By the Bog of Cats," a modern day retelling of "Medea" by Marina Carr at the San Jose Repertory Theatre in California.

In 2000, Hunter starred in Showtime's "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her" which garnered her another Emmy nomination. The film won an award in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and also screened to critical praise at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. That same year, Hunter starred in Showtime's original movie, "Harlan County War," for which she has received both an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. Also in 2000, Hunter appeared in the Coen brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou? with George Clooney and John Turturro as well as Mike Figgis' Time Code. In 1999, she starred in Jesus' Son, released by Lion's Gate opposite Billy Crudup. In 1998, Hunter starred in New Line Cinema's adult-comedy Living Out Loud opposite Danny DeVito, Elias Koteas and Queen Latifah.

In 1993, she received the Academy Award® for her remarkable performance as a mute Scottish widow in Jane Campion's The Piano. She also received a Golden Globe Award and a Best Actress award from The British Academy, the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, the National Board of Review Award and the Cannes Film Festival Award.

During the same year Hunter was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Firm. She was previously nominated for her performance in James L. Brooks' Broadcast News, which brought her the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award, The National Board of Review Award and the Berlin Film Festival Award.

Other film credits include Home For the Holidays, Copycat, Once Around, Always, Raising Arizona, Crash and A Life Less Ordinary.

In 1982, Hunter made her Broadway debut in Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart" and followed that with another Broadway play by Henley, "The Wake of Jamey Foster." Her other New York stage appearances include "The Miss Firecracker Contest," "Battery," "The Person I Once Was, " "A Weekend Near Madison" and "Impossible Marriage."

Hunter co-produced and starred in Beth Henley's "Control Freaks" and produced Ray Barry's "Mother' Son" at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles. Her television work includes HBO's "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom," for which she won the Emmy Award for Best Actress. This role also garnered her a Golden Globe nomination. Hunter was awarded another Emmy for her role as Jane Roe in NBC's "Roe vs. Wade."

Hunter currently resides in New York.

RON LIVINGSTON (Derek) will next be seen in Winter Solstice, which recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and stars Anthony La Paglia and Allison Janney. The film was written and directed by Josh Sternfeld. Livingston recently starred in The Cooler, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and opened the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2003. The critically acclaimed film also stars William H. Macy, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin.

Last year Livingston starred as Jack Berger on the popular HBO series "Sex and the City" opposite Sarah Jessica Parker. In 2001, Livingston starred as Captain Lewis Nixon in HBO's "Band of Brothers," for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Supporting Actor category. Livingston also appeared on the Emmy-winning drama "The Practice" as the hot shot Assistant District Attorney Alan Lowe.

In 1999, Livingston starred in the cult hit Office Space for director Mike Judge opposite Jennifer Aniston. In the film, he played a disgruntled young office worker caught up in the corporate rat race. Judge also wrote the film as derived from his animation piece "Milton." The film has garnered a huge fan base over the years and sells briskly in the home video market.

Livingston's other film credits include a memorable turn as Nicolas Cage's agent in Adaptation for director Spike Jonze, Swingers opposite Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, Ink, Two Ninas, A Rumor of Angels, which starred Vanessa Redgrave, Ray Liotta and Catherine McCormack, and the critically acclaimed independent film The Low Life.

Raised in Iowa, Livingston attended Yale University, where he earned his BA in Theatre Studies and English Literature. During his term at Yale, he performed in the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Soon after graduating, Livingston moved to Chicago where he landed roles in a number of theater productions, including shows at the Goodman Theatre. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

JULIANNE NICHOLSON (Joyce) was born and raised in Medford, Massachusetts. Following a modeling career in New York and Paris, Nicholson landed her first feature film role opposite Michael Caine and James Spader in Curtain Call. She later took on what proved to be her breakout role as the headstrong young feminist in The Love Letter with Tom Selleck and Kate Capshaw. Her other feature film credits include Long Time Since with Julian Sands and Paulina Porizkova, Carl Franklin's One True Thing starring Meryl Streep and Renee Zellweger as well as the independent films Seeing Other People, for which she won a Best Actress award at the 2004 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Tully, which was honoured with six Independent Spirit Award nominations including one for Nicholson as Best Supporting Actress, Speakeasy, Passion of Mind and Harvest. She recently completed production on Two Seagulls and will appear this December in Bill Condon's Kinsey with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.

Nicholson's television credits include series regular roles on "Ally McBeal" and "Presidio Med." Her other credits include a starring role in the television miniseries "Storm of the Century" and guest-starring roles on "ER" and "Law & Order."

KATHY BATES (Kippie Kann) is an Academy Award®-winning actress who earned her reputation on Broadway. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of the suicidal daughter in Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play " 'night, Mother" and won the Obie Award for her performance as Frankie in the original off-Broadway production of "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune." Bates created an indelible impression as Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990), for which she won the Best Actress Academy Award® and the Golden Globe. She has appeared in such critically acclaimed films as James Cameron's Academy Award®-winning Titanic (1997), Dolores Claiborne (1995) and Jon Avnet's Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She has been twice nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar® for her performances as Roberta Herzel in About Schmidt (2002) and as Libby Holden in Mike Nichols' Primary Colors (1998), for which she also won the Screen Actors Guild Award. Other film credits include The Waterboy (1998), The War at Home (1996), Dick Tracy (1990), Men Don't Leave (1990), Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), Straight Time (1978) and Milos Forman's Taking Off (1971).

For her performance as Helen Kushnick in the HBO film "The Late Shift" (1996), she won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and the American Comedy Award. In 1995, PBS's "Great Performances" aired her directorial debut "Talking With." Bates has directed five episodes of HBO's critically acclaimed series "Six Feet Under." Her episode, "Twilight" (2003), was nominated for a Directors Guild Award. Her directorial credits include NBC's "Homicide," ABC's "NYPD Blue," HBO's "Oz" and the A& E original movie, "Dash and Lilly" starring Sam Shepard and Judy Davis, which was nominated for 13 Golden Globes and three Emmys - both included a nomination for Best Director.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

NICK HURRAN (Director) makes his American feature directorial debut with Little Black Book. The British helmer's most recent credit is the British feature Plots With a View. Hurran previously directed such films as Virtual Sexuality, Girls Night, and Remember Me? For British television his directorial credits include the series "The Last Detective," "Outside Edge," "Frank Stubbs Promotes," "Boon" and "Telly Addicts."

He has also directed the British telefilms "Take a Girl Like You," "Happy Birthday Shakespeare" and "Sailortown."

MELISSA CARTER (Screenplay, Story by) Little Black Book is Carter's first produced screenplay, which she wrote as her MFA thesis script at Florida State University. She has sold three pilots over the past two years and is currently a staff writer on ABC's new high school dramedy "Life as We Know It" featuring Sean Faris, Jon Foster and Kelly Osbourne.

Carter began her career by selling Catch of the Day to New Line Cinema. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband Matthew and their son Elijah. ELISA BELL (Screenplay) most recently wrote the MGM comedy Sleepover.

She is currently writing Honey West for Miramax and Dirty Little Secret at Paramount for Matthew McConaughey. She is also penning a thriller for Stephen Sommers at Universal.

Her other feature credits include National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation as well as the NBC telefilm "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company."

Bell attended the USC film school.

ELAINE GOLDSMITH-THOMAS (Producer) is a partner and head of New York operations for Revolution Studios, where she oversees and develops projects for the company.

In the three and a half years Revolution Studios East has been in existence, Thomas has developed an impressive slate of films. Her debut film, Maid in Manhattan starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes, opened #1 at the box office and earned in excess of $200 million in worldwide gross receipts. Mona Lisa Smile, Thomas' second feature, starred Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marcia Gay Harden, and Julia Stiles and made in excess of $150 million worldwide. Directed by Mike Newell, Mona Lisa Smile explores the relationship between a young teacher and her students in 1953 at Wellesley. Thomas' third feature, Little Black Book, is a summer 2004 release. Little Black Book is a modern day immorality tale about an aspiring newswoman who opens a Pandora's box when she uses her boyfriend's Palm to access his past. The film stars Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates and Ron Livingston and was directed by Nick Hurran.

In addition to her feature productions, Thomas serves as executive producer on two television projects, which are currently in post-production. The first is "Design Intervention," a new NBC special with designer Vern Yip, ("Trading Spaces") who helps a family beat the obstacles that have precluded them from completing their dream home. The second is "American Girl/Samantha," a film for television done in conjunction with WB-TV and is The WB's first made-for-TV movie. Based upon the best-selling "American Girls" line of dolls and books from Pleasant Company and Mattel, "Samantha" is the story of a nine-year-old orphan living with her grandmother in 1904 America and is the first in a potential telepic franchise.

"Our goal is simple," states Thomas. "We develop the scripts until we love them. Until we see them so clearly in our heads, that we are driven to find the right filmmakers and stars to bring that vision to life. However long it takes," adds Thomas, "we're not in a race."

Prior to joining Revolution Studios, Thomas was a Senior Vice President at International Creative Management, a position she held since joining the company in 1991. In addition to Julia Roberts, she has represented such talents as Jennifer Lopez, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Darren Star, Rupert Everett, Matt Dillon, Spike Lee, Roger Michell and Jonathan Lynn. She began her career as a secretary at the William Morris Agency, where she was promoted to agent in 1985.

DEBORAH SCHINDLER (Producer) is head of the New York-based Red Om Films and Julia Roberts' producing partner. Red Om Films is based at Revolution Studios East where Roberts and Schindler work in association with Revolution Studios partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

Schindler and Thomas' third feature, Little Black Book, is being released on August 6, 2004. Little Black Book is a comedy about an aspiring newswoman who opens a Pandora's box when she uses her boyfriend's Palm to access his past. The film stars Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates and Ron Livingston and was directed by Nick Hurran.

Next up for Red Om and Revolution East is the "American Girl/Samantha" filmfor- television. The Toronto-based shoot recently wrapped production. Produced with Warner Brothers TV, it is the WB's first made-for-TV movie and is based on the best-selling American Girls line of dolls and books from Pleasant Company and Mattel. "Samantha" is the story of a nine-year-old orphan living with her grandmother in 1904 America and is the first in a potential telepic franchise. Starring AnnaSophia Robb ("Because of Winn Dixie," based on the best-selling children's novel and about to begin production on "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory") as Samantha and Mia Farrow in the role of 'Grandmary,' it was directed by Nadia Tass ("The Miracle Worker" for ABC, "Undercover Christmas" for CBS). Marsha Norman ("'night Mother") wrote the teleplay and Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, Erin Brockovich) is executive producing with Goldsmith- Thomas and Schindler.

"Both Elaine and I feel committed to story, plot and dialogue. We have the utmost respect for writers and, therefore, try to give them the room they need to allow their projects to grow," says Schindler. "Our goal is simple," states Goldsmith- Thomas. "We develop the scripts until we love them, until we see them so clearly in our heads that we are driven to find the right filmmakers and stars to bring the vision to life."

Over the past three and a half years, Revolution Studios East and Red Om Films have together developed an impressive slate of projects. Their debut film was the hit romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes, which was released by Columbia Pictures in December 2002 and has earned in excess of $200 million in world-wide gross receipts.

During post-production on Maid in Manhattan, principal photography began on Mona Lisa Smile directed by Mike Newell and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marcia Gay Harden. The film opened nationwide December 2003.

Previously, Schindler produced How Stella Got Her Groove Back starring Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg and Taye Diggs and Waiting to Exhale starring Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon and Wesley Snipes under the direction of Forest Whitaker. Both films were adapted from best selling novels by Terry McMillan.

Prior to joining Red Om Films, Schindler enjoyed a 10-year relationship with 20th Century Fox that began in 1990 when Joe Roth, then president of the studio, made an overall deal with her.

Schindler's filmmaking experience has been extensive and varied. She served as Vice President of Creative Affairs, East Coast, for Columbia Pictures under David Puttnam. She was also Associate Producer on Prelude to a Kiss starring Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan.

Schindler began her film career as an assistant to Martin Scorsese with whom she worked on Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Color of Money. She served as associate producer on Scorsese's After Hours.

She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

WILLIAM SHERAK (Producer) and JASON SHUMAN (Producer) are founding partners of Blue Star Pictures, a full service production company with a first look deal at Revolution Films. Under the banner, Sherak and Shuman produced the 2003 hit horror film Darkness Falls as well as the thriller Totem. The duo's other producing credits include Comic Book Villains for Lions Gate and the independent Four Dogs Playing Poker.

Sherak and Shuman are currently in production on the television drama "Dawn Anna," for the Lifetime Network. The show stars Debra Winger and follows a single mother who has recently recovered from a brain disease and must contend with a life-threatening situation affecting one of her children. HERBERT W. GAINS (Executive Producer) most recently served as producer on Michael Tollin's Radio with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris. His other recent projects include executive producer credits on the comedy hit Orange County, Cradle 2 The Grave, the Tollin/Robbins production Hardball starring Keanu Reeves and Diane Lane, and Summer Catch starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. His other credits include serving as co-producer for the highly successful Varsity Blues, Ready to Rumble, Daylight and Dragonheart.

Previously, Gains was production manager on films such as The Negotiator and Mouse Hunt. As assistant director, he worked on a variety of films that included Natural Born Killers, Heaven & Earth, Point Break, Pacific Heights, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Dirty Dancing and The Fan.

Gains is the executive producer on producer Joel Silver's upcoming remake of the thriller House of Wax.

RACHAEL HOROVITZ (Executive Producer) recently returned to producing after nearly 10 years as an executive at Revolution Studios, New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features, where she oversaw projects by such filmmakers as Michel Gondry, Wes Anderson, Bernardo Bertolucci, David Mamet, and Alexander Payne, on whose award-winning About Schmidt she served as Executive Producer. A long-time New York-based producer of film and theater, her credits include State and Main and Next Stop, Wonderland.

WARREN ZIDE (Executive Producer) partnered with Craig Perry in 1997 to form Zide/Perry Entertainment. Their first production was the successful action film The Big Hit. Other productions include American Pie, American Pie 2, American Wedding, Repli-Kate, Final Destination, Final Destination 2, and Cats and Dogs. Zide/Perry Entertainment's upcoming projects include Hell Week, the thriller Westward and Cats and Dogs 2.

Zide is also one of the leading literary managers in the business, representing many talented young screenwriters. His clients include Ben Ramsey, (The Big Hit), Tom Wheeler (The Arcanum and Simeon's Code), Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (Freddie vs. Jason and Sharkslayer), and Craig Titley (See Spot Run and Scooby-Doo). He has been selected for Fade-In magazine's "One of the Top 100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know," The Hollywood Reporter's "Next Generation" and was the youngest manager to appear on Weekly Variety's "Top 10 Spec Salesman" list.

Zide began his entertainment career at New Line Cinema as a part-time employee building shelving units before being promoted to a full-time mailroom position, where he worked alongside Perry. He then served as an assistant to a top literary agent at International Creative Management, helping to sign such clients as director Robert Rodriguez (The Faculty, From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids 1- 3) and screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard (Rosewood, Remember the Titans).

CRAIG PERRY (Executive Producer) partnered with Warren Zide in 1997 to form Zide/Perry Entertainment. Their first production was the successful action film The Big Hit. Other productions include American Pie, American Pie 2, American Wedding, Repli-Kate, Final Destination, Final Destination 2 and Cats and Dogs. Zide/Perry Entertainment's upcoming projects include the horror film Hell Week, the thriller Westward and Cats and Dogs 2.

Previously, Perry served as Vice President of Development for Scott Rudin Productions and Director of Development for Silver Pictures. He was an associate producer on The First Wives Club, and worked in developing such films as Rules Of Engagement, Sleepy Hollow, A Simple Plan, The Truman Show, In & Out, Ransom, Clueless, Lethal Weapon 3, Executive Decision, Richie Rich, Demolition Man and Twilight.

THEO VAN DE SANDE, ASC (Director of Photography) has worked on 45 feature films, nine feature-length documentaries and more than 45 short films, documentaries, television series and music shows.

Van de Sande's most recent film credits include Out of Time, Eddie Live, Crimes, Double Take, Little Nicky, Big Daddy and Cruel Intentions. Previously, he worked on such films as Blade, Volcano, Bushwacked, Wayne's World, Body Parts, Once Around, Crossing Delancey and Miracle Mile.

Born in Tilburg, Holland, Van de Sande graduated from the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam and began working as a cinematographer in 1972. In 1982 and 1987, Van de Sande received the Golden Calf for Best Cinematography, the highest award bestowed upon a director of photography in the Netherlands for a body of work every five years.

Among the feature films Van de Sande worked on in Europe before relocating to Los Angeles in 1987 were The Girl With the Red Hair, which received the Dutch Film Critics Award in 1982, The Illusionist, which received the Dutch Best Film and the Dutch Film Critics Awards in 1984, and The Pointsman, which won the prize for Best Cinematography at the Madrid Film Festival. The Assault received the Academy Award® and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.

Colors Straight Up was nominated for an Academy Award®, the DGA Award and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature-length Documentary in 1997. Van de Sande's other documentary film credits include It Was a Wonderful Life (1992), Let the Good Times Roll (1991), We Are Coming As Friends (1985), Stranger at Home (1985), The Future of '36 (1983), Drown Country (1980), The Factory (1979) and The Alien's Place (1977).

For television, Van de Sande's credits include the made-for-television movie "Tuesdays With Morrie," which received three Emmy Awards in 2000, as well as the pilots for "Cruel Intentions" and "The Practice" and episodes of "The Profiler."

BOB ZIEMBICKI (Production Designer) has extensive feature and television credits, including Masked and Anonymous, The Wedding Planner, Boogie Nights, Freddy Got Fingered, The Waterdance, Eat A Bowl Of Tea, Fires Within, Dudes, 29th Street, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, Blast From The Past, Scream 2, The Skulls, Dudley Do-Right, Trapped In Paradise, Black Magic, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, End Of Summer, and Barfly with Mickey Rourke. He recently completed The Moguls.

Ziembicki won the award for Best Art Direction at the First Native American Film Festival for his work on Jim Jarmusch's Deadman.

Trained in Chicago, he won a Regional Student Academy Award for his first film. Ziembicki began his film career with Roger Corman's New World Pictures, working his way up through the art department to become a production designer. JOHN RICHARDS (Editor) has been an editor with the BBC since 1992 and has worked on numerous documentaries, TV series and feature films, including The Healer directed by Mike Hodges and Blood and Belonging: The Road to Nowhere directed by Tim Lambert. He won the prestigious BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Editor in 1993 for "Tender Loving Care," a BBC drama directed by Dewi Humphryes and again, in 1994, for "William Jones," a three-part drama series directed by Peter Edwards.

His most recent work includes the HBO Emmy Award-winning mini series "Band of Brothers," as well as Plots with a View, Room to Rent, One of the Hollywood Ten and Girls' Night.

On TV, Richards' recent credits include "Hearts of Gold," "The Last Detective," "The Miracle Maker" and "Insiders." SUSIE DESANTO (Costume Designer) most recently designed the costumes for White Oleander, I Am Sam, Miss Congeniality, What Lies Beneath and The New Guy.

DeSanto's other feature film credits include Hope Floats, One Fine Day, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, The Deep End of the Ocean, Bad Girls, Stuart Saves His Family, The Babysitters Club, A Dangerous Woman, Book of Love, Johnny Be Good, Twenty Bucks and Ruby. Upcoming for DeSanto is Christmas with the Kranks starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis.

CHRISTOPHE BECK (Music) has written the music for a wide range of features. He recently scored Under the Tuscan Sun, Cheaper by the Dozen, Garfield: The Movie, Saved!, Just Married, American Wedding, A Cinderella Story, Without a Paddle and the upcoming The Pink Panther and Fun With Dick and Jane. Other recent scores include The Tuxedo, Confidence, Big Fat Liar and Bring It On, as well as the Tom Green comedy Stealing Harvard.

Beck's other film credits include The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, Guinevere, Coming Soon, Thick as Thieves, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Bone Daddy, Dog Park, Airborne, Past Perfect and Star Struck.

The Academy of Radio and Television Association recognized Beck's talent in awarding him an Emmy for his work on the hit series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." "ACADEMY AWARD®" and "OSCAR®" are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."
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