Stone world premiere

Just announced today: the world premiere of Stone starring Edward Norton and Robert DeNiro will be at the Toronto International Film Festival. The festival runs from September 9-19. TIFF press release

Stone trailer, Avengers update

The new Edward Norton - Robert DeNiro film Stone will be out October 8 (in select theaters). The new trailer is up at the official Stone website. The website has only the trailer and a synopsis up. Still, its more than the Leaves of Grass official site. Thanks to Marie for the info!!!]

All of the Avengers were present at Marvel's presentation tonight at Comic-Con, including Bruce Banner/Hulk, who will now be played by... okay, who cares, it's not Edward Norton.

Edward Norton's personal statement

Edward Norton has posted his own personal statement about The Avengers on his official Facebook page [Thanks to M for the info!]. Here is the text

As most of you know, I don't like to talk much about the business of making movies because it means a lot to me to protect the audience's fullest enjoyment of the 'magic' that films can have. But I am so appreciative of the outpouring of support from fans of the Hulk and the Avengers that I feel it would be rude not to respond. So here goes: It seems it won't work out for me to continue playing Bruce Banner for Marvel in "The Avengers." I sincerely hoped it could happen and be great for everyone but it hasn't turned out as we all hoped. I know this is disappointing to many people and that makes me sad. But I am very sincerely grateful to Marvel for extending the offer and even more so for giving me the chance to be a part of the Hulk's long and excellent history. And I really can't thank the fans enough for how much enthusiasm you've sent me way about what Louis and I tried to do in our turn with the legend. It means a lot to me. I grew up with Banner and Hulk and have been a fan of every incarnation. I'm really proud, and very blessed, to have been one of them and will be thrilled to see him live on through other actors. Hulk is bigger than all of us, that's why we love him, right?

Sincerely,
Edward Norton

I like this statement for a number of reasons. It is a very smart statement. First and foremost, it acknowledges the importance and devotion of the fans, a sentiment that unfortunately gets usurped by the tendency of some celebs to see fans as an annoyance. Edward Norton tends to shy away from publicity and remain private, and that can be off putting to some fans. By proclaiming himself a fan and honoring the history of the Hulk, he is directly appealing to the comic book fans. And their reactions to casting decisions, plot decisions, etc for adaptations of comics do strike fear into filmmakers. It is also a very classy statement. He does not make any mention of any previous disagreements with Marvel, the harshness of Marvel's statement, or any problems with how Marvel handled the situation. He simply thanks them for the opportunity. He gives credit to his Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier.

EN's agent responds to Marvel's statement

Apparently EN was not too happy with Marvel's statement because his agent Brian Swardstrom has released a statement.Exclusive: Edward Norton's agent responds to Marvel Chief's statement

This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He told me it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at ComiCon and make it the event of the convention. When I said that Edward was definitely open to this idea, Kevin was very excited and we agreed that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project. Edward and Joss had a very good meeting (confirmed by Feige to me) at which Edward said he was enthusiastic at the prospect of being a part of the ensemble cast. Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to be in the film and both sides started negotiating in good faith. This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. This seemed to us to be a financial decision but, whatever the case, it is completely their prerogative, and we accepted their decision with no hard feelings.

We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige's mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige's statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel's fans.

Brian Swardstrom
WME

What really happened between Edward Norton and Marvel on the Incredible Hulk? Variety's Anne Thompson wrote a detailed account Incredible Hulk: Setting the Record Straight. It gives a comprehensive look at what went on.

EN won't be in Avengers

HitFix.com received confirmation from Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige that EN will not be the Hulk in the Avengers and they are recasting the role. Here are the comments below:

"We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."

I find the statement interesting. It is a carefully worded comment designed to make sure that there are no misunderstandings about the motives for deciding against EN. At the same time, the motives are worded in such a way to take a couple of parting shots at EN at the same time. By stressing both "collaborative spirit" and "thrive working as part of an ensemble", this brief comment implies twice that EN is not a team player. And by mentioning by name the other main actors who fit this criteria, Feige points out that there are several big actors who can play nice with others even if EN won't. While Marvel has previously hired some lesser known actors for key roles, this doesn't seem to be the plan with the Hulk. They are looking for a "name actor." I feel this is a way to stress that they don't need EN's star power, they can get someone else of equal or greater appeal. I am anxious to see who fits this criteria. They may not just try for the mainstream film actor, based on the need to get the comic crowd behind the pick, they may instead go for someone well-known in the sci-fi world (a BSG actor or a Whedon veteran- I wonder what Tahmoh Penikett is doing these days). Creativity was also stressed in the comment, which is also interesting. I could be reading too much into this comment. I think Marvel could have worded the comment in such a way that would have fulfilled their needs without implying blame such as saying that EN and Marvel had different ideas and/or different vision for the character. At the same time, by stressing a different vision, that also would have meant that Marvel had actually spoken to EN about being in the Avengers, but there is no evidence that Feige or Marvel talked w/EN about it. Since EN has spoken about his ideas about Hulk's role in the Avengers and said that fans should email Marvel if they wanted him in it, Marvel can't state that EN wasn't interested. I like Joss Whedon's work so I think it would have been a pretty good film for EN.

EN named Goodwill Ambassador, Stone news: Stone before LoG???, Emmy nomination

It's a big day for Edward Norton news

Today U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon named Edward Norton goodwill ambassador for biodiversity. "Edward Norton has brought global star power to global issues -- community development and conservation, causes that are clearly close to his heart," Ban said in a statement after appointing Norton. Actor Edward Norton named UN goodwill ambassador The article includes many good quotes from EN. I've included them below, but you should check out the whole article. Also here is a press release from the UN

"It is an issue that I've been engaged with on many different levels for a number of years. But it's very, very exciting to be asked to engage with it on the level of the U.N. with its incredible capacity and reach."

As opposed to focusing on dated methods of conservation such as setting aside preserved areas of land, Norton said in his new role he would work on addressing human needs, which he said he believes is "the key to long-term preservation."

"People have recognized that fragmenting the ecosystems or creating protected pockets is not actually authentic to the way ecosystems work," he said.

As biodiversity goodwill ambassador, he will be "increasing people's focus on the fact that human well-being is intertwined fundamentally with biodiversity," Norton said.

"I think catastrophic events like what's happening in the Gulf with the oil spill do highlight for people that there is enormous ramification for human well-being through a loss of biodiversity," Norton said.

Could Stone beat Leaves of Grass to theaters??? Box Office Mojo reported that Stone just received an R-rating from the MPAA plus Overture films has a October 8 release date for it (although how large the release will be is not known). Ever since the last minute cancellation of Leaves of Grass, there has been no news as to when to expect it (aside from a comment by director Tim Blake Nelson that predicted August). Supposedly, it was going to get a bigger release in the summer, but we're in July with no announcements. While the Stone news sounds promising, Overture's own fate is uncertain. Businessweek posted an article yesterday Liberty Media Hasn’t Reached Decision for Overture. Could it affect the release?

Emmy nominations were announced this morning. By The People: The Election of Barack Obama was nominated in the "Nonfiction special" category. EN was the executive producer of this documentary. Variety list of nominees

EN and BP solar, Catch-up

Ecorazzi has an article on Edward Norton and his association with BP Solar. EN came up with an idea to promote solar energy systems to low-income families by teaming up with BP Solar and the Enterprise Foundation to form Solar Neighbors. For each system purchased by a celebrity, BP Solar would donate to a low-income family. The purpose of the Ecorazzi article is to pose the question of whether EN should continue his association with BP Solar given the oil disaster in the Gulf. You can vote on the site. It is a tough question. The program has done a lot of good. Ecorazzi: Oil Disaster: Will Edward Norton Drop His Association With BP Solar?

I'm busy playing catch-up. My last updates were these plans of promoting my charity project Leaves of Grass for MS and then I don't post anything for about 6 weeks. I got hit with a few things at once: the death of a friend, a work crisis, and weeklong illness that I also passed to my daughter. The work crisis will last at least through July and it has meant extra hours, extra duties and extra stress. Once I recovered, it was time to start 3 weeks of daylong classes. I had scheduled them months ago because things were supposed to be slow. Before and after classes and during lunch, I was doing work for my job. With classes over, I'm reassessing my priorities. I wore myself down and got sick, the worst thing for me to do with MS. I'm going back to focusing on the website and putting any promo activity for the charity on the backburner.

Bone Marrow Donation, Rounders 2?, EN Avengers petition, Misc. EN articles,

Edward Norton tweeted that a 4 yr old kid needs bone marrow transplant. All it takes is a cheek swab to find out if you are a match Be the Match for Devan. A few days ago, the NY Times just had an article about another child (a 6 month old) and another bone marrow drive. A Simple Swab Can Make You a Lifesaver. Please help and get registered. It takes everyone to get involved. Although I was a frequent blood donor, been on the bone marrow registry 10+ yrs, and donated platelets (apheresis), I can never be a bone marrow donor because of my multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Lean about the National Marrow Donor Program

A Rounders sequel? For now, its just talk that may happen somewhere down the road. Rounders writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien bring it up to EN, Matt Damon, and director John Dahl when they get a chance. Koppelman and Levien were producers on another EN film The Illusionist as well. "Rounders" Writers Discuss Sequel.

After EN told MTV it would take fans to email Marvel for him to get involved with The Avengers, an online petiion was created to do exactly that. Right now, it has just under 6800 signatures. Bring Back Ed Norton as Hulk petition

Here are a few more articles: a brief mention in Performers Find Energy to Help the Less Fortunate Adopt Solar, more Crowdrise in Edward Norton: Helping Lazy People Give Back and Edward Norton: Empower Others...In Just 15 Minutes

Buried under in work and other tasks after 2 day conference "Clinical Care of the Patient with HIV Infection". My favorite title from the talks "All I Need to Know about Drug Interactions I Learned from the Lifetime Movie Network". Work computer having some "issues" plus transitioning to new home computer so everything is screwed up. Then my attention came to a complete stop after I saw the following picture. I knew the multiple sclerosis CCSVI debate stirred a lot of emotions, but I was unaware of the complete alienation of some MS patients from their neurologists. What are Neurologists doing? Welcome to the Cold War!

Want to learn more about the facts? NMSS on CCSVI

Avengers news, Another Crowdrise article, more Leaves of Grass for MS

During the Crowdrise press, EN was asked by an MTV reporter about whether he would get involved with the Avengers project. Edward Norton Explains What Will Bring Him Back For 'The Avengers'

"Well, if people want it all to come together, they’ve got to email Marvel and say, 'This is what I want,'" Norton hesitantly responded.

Another good interview with EN about Crowdrise is out Talking Charity and Sunscreen With Edward Norton. [Thanks to Robin for the info]

I have a strong motivation to jumpstart my Crowdrise project Leaves of Grass for MS. We are just days away from World MS Day (May 26). Plus I just received Momentum, the magazine of National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the cover article is on Pediatric MS. Having a daughter, who herself is at an increased risk of MS because of me, the very thought of pediatric MS is heartbreaking. Since my own diagnosis was recent, I can vividly remember the fear and confusion from my unusual symptoms and how difficult that was to deal with at age 37. So I'm going to do what I have to do and resort to bribery. Donate $9 to Leaves of Grass for MS by July 31st for a chance to win an Apple MacBook Pro or donate $39 by May 31st for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle. I'm going to be doing all my MS related updates for Leaves of Grass for MS on Facebook, but all the things I do for Leaves of Grass will still be posted here. Facebook page

I have to say I was pretty excited creating Leaves of Grass for MS because I felt I was able to come up with an unique type of fundraiser. Unfortunately, when you do something that is entirely different from the norm, there is the distinct possibility that people will not be able to figure out what you are doing. At the same time, it is completely freeing. Leaves of Grass is a pot movie, pot is used by some people to treat the symptoms of MS. Two disperate items with a very tenuous link are used as the jumping off point. I am going to sell Leaves of Grass. My goal is that you will not be able to think about this movie without also thinking about MS. This may sound absurd, but bear in mind that Edward Norton and Tim Blake Nelson have ensured that you will not be able to think of a book of Walt Whitman poetry without thinking about pot. I want to create promotional ideas and promotional item mock-ups that no pr person in their right mind would ever consider except maybe as a way to entertain their coworkers. I plan to target these items to the MSers, the potheads, the growers and the Jewish community of Tulsa. Again,it might seem absurd, but who was EN trying to reach when he gave an interview to High Times? These are things that might raise a little interest or awareness in the film. I'm not here to try to do the pr dept's job. Does this translate into donations - I don't know. This is another risk with taking an unconventional fundraising approach. Here's the main problem: I haven't seen the film. My ideas may have llittle resemblence to the film itself. There are limited number of LoG pictures to work with. Maybe I'll raise some money, or at least get a good idea of what doesn't work in fundraising. But since LoG has been delayed, I have the time.

Crowdrise- Edward Norton fundraising site; Leaves Of Grass for MS

Edward Norton was featured in Wall Street Journal and a Reuters article on him was widely picked up. This was all to promote Crowdrise, a website that helps people fundraise for their own charities. This idea came from EN's NYC marathon to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, for which he raised $1.2 million. He also managed to get some of his friends to participate: Will Ferrell, Seth Rogan, Russell Brand, and more. Edward Norton on Crowdrise

It's always great to hear news about EN, especially when he is using his celebrity to make a difference. But I still felt something was missing from those articles. Did you read them? Did you feel it too? No mention of Leaves of Grass. I know that wasn't the point of the press coverage and I hate to be a jackass about this, but still. There is nothing worse for a celebrity than trying to promote a worthy cause while simultaneously deflecting questions about your lovelife, your nipple ring, or your sex tape, so there's probably some ground rules already set before the tape recorder clicks on. But when your upcoming movie is an independent film with a limited advertising budget, I think you should take a deep breath, man up, and shake your moneymaker for the film every chance you get. Quite honestly, EN would never have to resort to those lengths. He always gives intelligent interviews. I'm sure that he could have found a way to work in that he has a great new film coming out in a few months, he plays twins, it got a great response at SxSW, and he's excited that people will get a chance to see it soon. That's it. Just say all of that while your escaping out the door. Maybe he did mention it and it was cut out, but it's not in either of the articles.

I've been poking around Crowdrise for a little while, since I saw EN was trying to raise funds for a truck for the Maasai (they haven't reached the goal yet). I've been wanting to raise funds for multiple sclerosis. I am newly diagnosed with MS (12/18/09). I was diagnosed after developing fatigue and stroke-like symptoms on the right side of my body days before Thanksgiving. It was a shock. I immediately started Copaxone, which I inject subcutaneously every night, and started learning as much as I can about the disease. I am currently doing pretty well, other than needing to take Provigil to combat my fatigue. But this is a highly variable disease and so many people are worse off than I am. As a lousy fundraiser, what if anything can I do differently this time?

Here's my idea: Leaves of Grass for MS benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I'm promoting a pot movie to raise money for MS. I'm hoping that everyone who is interested in seeing Leaves of Grass donate or at least spread the word about this project. The money will go to NMSS and I hope that the more money raised and the more the word is spread about this project, the more likely that the distributors will see the interest in Leaves of Grass and get it out faster.Leaves of Grass for MS

If you're a little iffy about promoting a pot movie, why don't you send a Johns Hopkins neurologist up a mountain (and hopefully back down). Cure4MS

The SIFF Lord, LoG when

Edward Norton will be honored at Seattle International Film Festival on June 4, 2010. A Tribute to Edward Norton (SIFF website) [Thanks to Robin for the info!!!]

SIFF is thrilled to honor actor Edward Norton for his exceptional and prolific film career. The Festival will present the 2010 Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting to Norton at a special Tribute event that will include a screening of his most recent film, Leaves of Grass, as well as an on-stage interview with clips highlighting his diverse work as an award-winning actor. As part of the Tribute festivities, SIFF 2010 will also be presenting special late night screenings of three pivotal films (25th Hour, Fight Club, and American History X).

A limited number of tickets will be available for an intimate catered pre-Tribute reception with Edward Norton as the guest of honor. Reception tickets also include reserved seating at the Tribute ceremony and film presentation. June 4, Century Ballroom. $125.

Leaves of Grass director Tim Blake Nelson told Tulsa World that LoG will come out "likely in August." His interview was to promote another frickin' special screening of the film, this time in Tulsa. This film has had special screenings all over the place. All except my rural neck of the woods, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area.

Edward Norton's comments on cancellation

Edward Norton voiced his opinion on the cancellation of the Leaves of Grass via his Twitter account @edwardnorton

Update on LoG: very good news, the film has been picked up by a new company and will be given a much wider summer release
Details to come but we're all really happy because now it will likely get to many more cities than just NY and Dallas
This happened very much due to great audience response and reviews and press out of SxSW. So huge thanks to everybody in Austin.

It's wonderful that this is a much better outcome for the film and for Edward Norton. But for those of us who haven't seen the film, this has been a long wait that just got longer.

Holy Crap!!!- Leaves of Grass opening CANCELLED

Wednesday morning, the NY Post announced on their blog that the opening of Leaves of Grass (2 days from now) has been CANCELLED. The film has a new distributor with a "more ambitious release" in mind according to a rep for the film. This new distributor is...UNKNOWN. There will be an announcement in the next 24 hours as to the identity of the new distributor (How exciting!!! This is SO much better than actually seeing an Edward Norton film). The Dallas Observer blog has some more info. Is this film really about twins, because all I can think of is multiple personalities?

The film had a premiere in NY last Thursday (March 25) which included Edward Norton, Tim Blake Nelson, Keri Russell, and Lucy DeVito. Several reviews have come out to coincide with the opening. Edward Norton had been scheduled to make appearances this week on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (who he co-starred with in Death to Smoochy) and possibly others I had no clue about, cancelled only days before. Edward Norton's twitter account @edwardnorton is silent, but truthfully that's not unusual. www.leavesofgrassmovie.com is down. There seemed to be a lot of positive feedback from when the film appeared just a few weeks ago at SXSW. How did we get here?

Ambassador of Service

Edward Norton was a 2010 Martin Luther King Day Ambassador of Service MLKDay.gov. No word yet on how he spent this day of service, hopefully he'll tweet about it soon.

Edward Norton on Ellen THURSDAY, By the People Soundtrack

Edward Norton will be a guest on Ellen to promote the DVD release of By the People. Ellen official website [Thanks to Marie for the info!!!]

Edward Norton announced on his Twitter account that the soundtrack By the People is now available on iTunes. "All proceeds benefit efforts to rebuild Gulf Coast." More info. Download the soundtrack from iTunes

By the People now available on DVD

By the People: The Election of Barack Obama came out on DVD today. Edward Norton was the executive producer. It includes several special features:
--Directors' Commentary
--The Making of "By The People: The Election of Barack Obama"
--10 Bonus Scenes
--Includes DVD-ROM Link to Exclusive Collectible Print of President Obama's Inaugural Speech*

Missed EN on Modern Family? Leaves of Grass Hits Theaters When???

If you missed seeing Edward Norton on Modern Family, the episode is now up on Hulu

When will Edward Norton' s Leaves of Grass come out? Not any time soon. Unfortunately, the film is still looking for a distributor. Yesterday, a great article came out that describes the problem:

Edward Norton's invisible movie

By Stephen Whitty/The Star-Ledger

November 18, 2009, 10:32AM

It?s a wild comedy (and sometimes a crime drama, and something both at once) that stars Edward Norton (as twins), Susan Sarandon, Keri Russell and, as the head and sole member of the Jewish mob in Tulsa, OK., Richard Dreyfuss.

So why haven?t you seen ?Leaves of Grass??

That?s something that Norton ? who also produced the film ? is trying to figure out. He brought his little indie to the Toronto Film Festival back in September, hoping to find distribution. There were no takers.

?Tim Blake Nelson did such a great job directing ? it?s really incredible,? Norton told me recently. ?Toronto, we had the sort of festival experience you dream of, people laughing from start to finish, a really wonderful authentic kind of response. Even the Roger Eberts of the world were calling it their favorite film of the festival. And still -- no market for it whatsoever.?

So, Norton has been working hard, renting screening rooms and showing it to small groups of friends and colleagues and journalists, hoping to get the word out.

I saw it at Manhattan?s Soho House last night, with Norton, Nelson, a few other writers and a very small crowd. I could see what people have loved about the movie.

After all, you don?t often see a film that starts with a professor lecturing on Plato, offhandedly references Catullus? erotic poetry, gives a shout out to grammar geeks (I love a good ?hortatory subjunctive? joke) ? and then drops you in the middle of rural Oklahoma and introduces you to that philosopher?s identical twin, a hydroponic genius and marijuana maven.

Or then proceeds to a switched-identities plot that allows for some pothead slapstick, scene chewing by Dreyfuss, a tutorial on the pleasures of ?noodling? (it involves hand-catching catfish) ? and a truly magnificent performance (well, two of them) by Norton as these mismatched twins.

Not that the movie doesn?t take a few dark turns ? and throw up some strange detours.

Although Norton has described it as a ?very ribald movie ? it?s as much `Pineapple Express? as anything,? it?s also at times a very violent movie, and in a far more realistic way than that picture. There are more than half-a-dozen murders in the film, all of them bloody, and I can see that scaring off a studio that only wants a stoner comedy.

But, note to distributors: I can also see an easy way to fix that, if the filmmakers agreed. Instead of showing the SaveCancelthird killing, cut to a long-shot of the setting where it?s happening and just run the audio; instead of detailing the Closetwo beat-downs that happen in the middle, have them happen mostly offcamera. Substitute the audience?s imagination for the onscreen gore.

That not only drives down the amount of bloody content in the film, but works dramatically, giving the initial explosion of violence a lingering shock, and the film?s final deaths far more power.

They?re only a couple of small edits, and means losing no more than a minute or two of actual film. Can?t a distributor see that?

Or realize that, to a certain extent, some of those abrupt tonal shifts are undoubtedly what attracted the cast to begin with (the offbeat, and often difficult pictures Nelson has directed ? ?Eye of God, ?The Grey Zone,? Edita high-school Othello called ?O? ? have never taken the easy way to the end).

But these days, distributors aren?t in any kind of a hurry to look past small problems, come back with suggestions, make artistic allowances ? or even just roll the dice and take a risk. They?re looking for sure things, only.

?It?s really difficult,? Norton told me, assessing the current business climate. ?And when I say really difficult, I mean, really. There?s more timidity than I?ve ever seen, in terms of `What?s the angle? How do we sell this?? More than ever before companies want an enormous amount of prior affirmation before they?ll commit.?

Well, here?s a small bit of affirmation:

?Leaves of Grass? is in no way a perfect movie, nor even an easy one. But Norton gives two absolutely perfect performances in it. And while there are some things in the film I didn?t care for, I hate the idea that you ? and many other movie fans ? still haven?t gotten the chance to see it yourselves.

EN on Modern Family TONIGHT

Edward Norton guest stars on Modern Family tonight. "Norton will play the bassist of a famous band whom Claire (Julie Bowen) hires as an anniversary surprise for husband Phil (Ty Burrell)." EN and Burrell worked together onstage in Burn This and Burrell was also in EN's films Down in the Valley and The Incredible Hulk. Two episodes of Modern Family will be shown. A repeat at 8PM and a new episode with EN at 9PM. Check local listings.

EN on Charlie Rose Show TONIGHT, Modern Family preview

TONIGHT Edward Norton and Obama doc directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams will be on the Charlie Rose Show. [Thanks to nothernblue for the info].

Edward Norton is going to guest star this Wed on Modern Family Preview of his appearance

Even though the NYC Marathon is over, Edward Norton is still on Twitter and trying to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation trust. He is still running contests. Edward Norton on Twitter. VIew pictures and videos about Edward's Maasai marathon (or DONATE!) at MaasaiMarathon.com

NY Marathon

Edward Norton was named to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Sarah Jessica Parker, Thom Mayne, Anna Wintour named to Obama's arts committee

Don't forget that By the People: The Election of Barack Obama will debut tonight on HBO. Here is an interesting article on how director Amy Rice got in touch with Edward Norton, who then got through to Obama's team. Six Degrees of Ed Norton

NY Marathon

Edward Norton finished all 26.2 miles of the NY Marathon with a time of 03:48. You can check the details of his time on the NYRR Athlete Tracker (his bib # was 13998). If you look at his earlier training runs on Garmin Connect,he did 21 miles in 03:04:01 on Oct 11. Great job Edward!!! Congratulations to Edward, Maasai warriors Samson and Parashi and Sunte, and all of the Maasai marathon runners.

Tavis Smiley, Marathon Coverage, Clips of EN interviews

Edward Norton will be on the Tavis Smiley Show TONIGHT [Thanks to Jon for the info!!!]

You can catch the NYC Marathon on Sunday on TV and online. For more info, check the NYC marathon official website and check your local TV listings. If you are in New York, there will be live coverage of the marathon until the end on WNBC 4. In the U.S., there will be only highlights of the marathon on NBC Sports. The highlight show will also be shown in many countries as well. You can also catch it live online at UniversalSports.com

If you missed any of EN recent TV appearances, many of them are online now. He had been on Countdown and Larry King Live last night. A clip from Countdown is available on Huffington Post but the Larry King site doesn't have anything up (yet?). Clips from Late night w/Jimmy Fallon are up at the Late Night website. The full episode of The View with Edward Norton as guest is up at ABC.com. The full episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live with Edward Norton is up at the ABC website. EN also did the Dan Patrick Show yesterday which is available though podcast. There is also a 1Cast video

TODAY'S Good Morning America

Edward Norton will be on Good Morning America at 7:40. He announced this in one of his tweets from late last night

EN on MTV Today, Article

Edward Norton will be a guest on MTV's It's On with Alexa Chung on at 3:30 today

There is a very good article Edward Norton: Running The NY Marathon, Tweeting And Raising Money For The Maasai. Links to other articles on Edward Norton and the marathon is on the Maasai Marathon website

Marathon, Win an African Safari, TV appearances

Less than a week until the NY Marathon and Edward Norton is gearing up for it. He and 3 Maasai warriors, as well as a team of 30 others including Alanis Morrisette and David Blaine are running the NY Marathon to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, a cause EN has been involved with for about 8 years. The 3 Maasai warriors have arrived in NYC and EN's already been showing them the town. There is an article on the cab ride to pick them up: 95 Minutes With Edward Norton.

EN is on Twitter and updating on his training progress. He is also running contests on Twitter as well. He has posted a playlist of the music he has used for his marathon training: Edward Norton: Running for the Future. However, he has requested some music suggestions for his playlist. He needs 4 hours of music while running the marathon. Send suggestions to EN through his Twitter account @EdwardNorton.

One of the contests he is running (until Oct 31) is the chance to win 4 nights at Campi Ya Kanzi in Kenya (worth $4000). Find out more on the Maasai Marathon website Win an African Safari

He is also doing some TV appearances to promote the cause. On Wed, Oct 28 he will be on both The View and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He might also mention his documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama which premieres on HBO on October 3. View the trailer for the doc (there is also a short segment called The Buzz with some comments by EN at the premiere).

Jimmy Kimmel Live, The View, Late Night w/Jimmy Fallon, Twitter

Edward Norton will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live latenight TONIGHT (my earlier post incorrectly had him on last night). He will also be on The View and Late Night w/Jimmy Fallon both on Wednesday, October 28 [Thanks to Jonathan, Teresa, and @celebfanspage (on Twitter) ]

If you're not a big fan of Twitter, I can give you one reason why you might want to give it a try. Edward Norton has a Twitter account (@EdwardNorton). Not only is he providing updates on his training for the NY Marathon, he is also running contests and giving away PRIZES. The prizes have included autographed photos and posters from his films as well as a 5 minute video chat with Edward, a Blackberry Bold, Apple items (iPhone, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, MacBook Pro), Native Sunglasses, Moosejaw Fleece, Puma items (Maasai Marathon T-shirts and $100 gift certificate), 4 nights at Campi Ya Kanzi in Kenya, or even a chance at a candlelit dinner w/ one of the runners Andrew Wolff (Edward Norton's college friend who happens to be single and a partner at Goldman Sachs. The contests require a donation to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. Some of the contests have required donations as little as $4. For one contest if you gave $333, Edward Norton himself contributed $3,000. Edward Norton has been involved with the charity for 8 years. He has raised more than $1 million for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust in past 2 yrs. But in order for you to have a chance at winning one of these prizes, you have to be FAST. Some of them will last for hours or days, but others will be for the first 5 people to donate (or until they run out of the particular prize). So follow him on Twitter

Leaves of Grass trailer, Jimmy Kimmel Live

The Leaves of Grass trailer is online [Thanks to Marie for the info!!!]

Edward Norton will be on JImmy Kimmel Live late night Tuesday Oct 20/ early morning Wed Oct 21.

Edward Norton TV spot TONIGHT

Edward Norton will be a guest on Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien TONGIHT!!!

Edward Norton TV guest spot

Edward Norton will guest star on ABC's new show Modern Family. "Norton will play the bassist of a famous band whom Claire (Julie Bowen) hires as an anniversary surprise for husband Phil (Ty Burrell)." EN and Burrell worked together onstage in Burn This and TB was also in EN's films Down in the Valley and The Incredible Hulk. EW.com: Modern Family Adopts Edward Norton

Edward Norton to run NY Marathon, EN on Twitter? YES!!!

Edward Norton on Twitter? According to the Maasai Marathon Page, EN will be posting his training updates via Twitter. Unfortunately, his updates are protected (???) and you must be approved to read them.

Happy B-day Edward

Today Tuesday, August 18th is Edward Norton's 40th Birthday. Happy Birthday Edward!!! Can't wait for your new films.

EN returning as Hulk?, Rounders 2, Obama doc, Leaves at Toronto, Straw Dogs

I've been doing all of my updates via Twitter. However, some things require more info than Twitter updates can provide. Speculation about whether The Avengers would include EN as the Hulk has been going on for a while. But the frenzy has grown more intense after Marvel's Kevin Feige spoke about The Avengersa few days ago at Comic-Con. RopeOfSilicon.com asked about whether the Hulk would be in it and Feige replied "I think he will be [in it], absolutely." As to "Edward Norton returning as The Hulk, Feige said, ' think there's always a chance. It's certainly our intention to use the same actors from film-to-film where we can.'" He also mentioned that if there was a Hulk sequel it would be "post-Avengers if that happened." Variety has an excellent article on the background of EN and Marvel and The Incredible Hulk.

So the big questions are what does Edward Norton now think about returning and has anyone from Marvel spoken to EN? Unfortunately, we don't know. One article reported that MTV news recently talked to EN about it. In reality, MTV news spoke to EN 9 months ago during his press junket for Pride and Glory. This article keeps getting picked up by new sources. So here is what EN told MTV News about the Hulk back in Oct 2008:

MTV: Is any part of you interested in reprising the Hulk in any form? Are you a betting man? Do you think it's gonna happen?

Norton: You know, I really couldn't say. The minds of Marvel are sometimes opaque. I won't say obtuse, but opaque. I don't have any idea what they want to do. This notion of connecting the Marvel characters ? who knows where they'll go.

MTV: "The Avengers" is less of an interest for you?

Norton: I really actually have no information. I don't know what the agenda is in the moment, but I'm sure you'll find out more than me.

Another factor in The Avengers is the relationship between Avengers screenwriter Zak Penn and EN. Some background info from Variety:

Zak Penn wrote the original script, which includes two pivotal scenes from his 16-year-old first screenplay for the Hulk, which was not used on the Ang Lee movie written by James Schamus. Marvel came back to Penn and wanted the two scenes in the movie: Bruce Banner jumping out of a helicopter to the earth below, not knowing whether or not he would morph into Hulk, and a lovemaking scene in a motel where Banner's rising heart rate becomes an issue. Both are among the best scenes in the final movie.

When Marvel approached Norton to do The Incredible Hulk, he initially declined. They asked him to meet with director Louis Leterrier (Transporter) to discuss his objections to doing the movie; there Norton offered some ideas as to where he'd want it to go. Marvel agreed to hire a screenwriter to work with him. This is totally normal. At this point Penn was off the movie.

Marvel realized they didn't have time to hire a new writer and asked Norton to do it, offering him an uncredited producer credit as well. With about two months to go before the movie started filming, Norton did a page one rewrite--knowing that he couldn't do anything radical, because sets were being built, locations found, etc. The entire Brazil sequence was already story-boarded.

So Norton mostly changed dialogue, filled in gaps of motivation and developed character. For example, the scenes in Brazil about finding a serum in the Amazon to cure him, and Banner's emails with Tim Blake Nelson, were Norton adds. Marvel agreed to shoot Norton's script.

[Further down in the article]

As for the script, Marvel submitted both Penn and Norton (under his pseudonym, Edward Harrison) to the Writers' Guild; Penn (who had substantial economic incentives to want to win the arbitration) wrote an impassioned argument that Norton had not considerably changed his screenplay. The Guild tends to favor plot, structure and pre-exisiting characters over dialogue. Given the final version of the movie, they gave the sole credit to Penn. (Another early writer was seeking story by credit and didn't get anywhere.)

Could there be a Rounders 2? Pokerlistings.com talked to Matt Damon and one of the screenwriters David Levien:

"Everybody would probably come back," Rounders star Matt Damon told PokerListings. "The actors all had a really good time working together. I know Edward would want to do it; we had a blast working together. [Director] John Dahl I'm sure would like to do it. Maybe someday it will happen.

[Further down in the article]

"We've been concentrating on Rounders 2 lately; Ideas are percolating," Levien told PokerListings. "It's great to know that all of the original players want to come back and do another one."

By the People: The Election of Barack Obama the Obama documentary which Edward Norton served as an executive producer will air in November on HBO (Source: Jeanne Jakle column). EN is going to the Television Critics' Press Tour to promote it (Source: Philadelphia Inquirer)

Leaves of Grass will make its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival (Source: Variety)

Variety reports a remake of Straw Dogs that is supposed to start filming in August. What does this have to do with EN? EN had been trying to do a Straw Dogs remake called Fear Itself written by Keeping the Faith screenwriter Stuart Blumberg (one of his partners in Class 5 Films). It looked like it was close to filming back in Aug 2002 back when Miramax hired Jim Polson to direct and producer Hawk Koch stated "...we will be looking to cast it right away." There was no mention of whether EN would star, just that he was producing the film. Neither EN nor any of his collaborators seem to be attached to this new version.

Guys Choice, Poker Tournament

Edward Norton, Brad Pitt,David Fincher were honored with Discretionary Guy Movie Hall of Fame award for Fight Club at Spike TV's "Guys Choice Awards"

EN couldn't make it to the Cannes Film Festival charity poker tournament because of Stone filming. He addressed the crowd via satellite. He was honored at the tournament. ?The extraordinary engagement of Edward Norton is an excellent example of genuine celebrity support for charitable cause.? More info

EN will be one of the judges of the National Geographic "Green Effect" contest.

Milla Jovovich was cast as Edward Norton's wife in Stone.