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.