Anna Kendrick Online

(For current Anna Kendrick News, go to homepage.)

Below are news features from before October 31, 2009.

Contrary to what some Twilight actors had earlier said was the wrap date of Eclipse,

the film's director, David Slade, tweeted this "official" finish to shooting on Thursday.

Up Sightings Widen

The first reported non-festival showing of Up in the Air was a press sneak the morning of October 28 in St. Louis (where a bit of the movie was filmed). Maybe that was to stir up interest in the St. Louis International Film Festival, which will screen the movie November 14. (Don't get your hopes up, AK fans: the showing is sold out.)

AK plugged New Beverly Cinema in a tweet when she got back to Los Angeles.

So the actress is a fan of vintage film. Which do you think she saw: The salute to William Castle on Monday,

the "Two Headed Horrors" double feature on Tuesday, the twin showing of Dracula and Bride of Frankenstein Wednesday

or Thursday, the Teen Wolf triple feature Friday, or the Demons triple feature Halloween night?

Spontaneous Anna

Elizabethtoni's October 21 youtube posting containing AK's red carpet interactions October 18 at the Times BFI Festival in London has some great authentic video moments for the many fans who love to see unposed generous and seemingly genuine AK. First view timecodes 1:05 to 1:15 to see her entering wearing the short coat covering her stylish dress, then opening the coat for the camera. Then jump to timecode 3:05 for the real treasure: over a minute of her signing for, posing with, and talking to fans. What's that "Oh, pooh. Come on--" in reaction to, we wonder. Look how kind and friendly she is to each of the admirers she stops for, we marvel. [More screencaps of these moments will be up here soon, but no fan should miss viewing the 3:05 to 4:13 piece of the video.]

SCROLL DOWN TO OCTOBER 18

FOR OTHER LONDON INTERVIEWS ALSO JUST ADDED.

                  Vancouver                                     Los Angeles

                    Photo: JustJaredJr                                      Photo: celebrity-gossip.net

Eclipse Wraps: AK was up in the air and down again October 23 when she flew from Vancouver

to Los Angeles after completing filming of Eclipse, which doesn't hit movie theaters until June 2010.

Lots More Looks at New Moon

Although AK's not in them, the New Moon TV spot and clip released this week are electifying. They ratchet up

even further the anticipation for the movie's November 20 release. AK fans, like Twilighters, are counting down!

New York Magazine says: "Every week between now and January 22, when the [Academy Award] nominations are announced, movies and stars will help themselves — or, sometimes, hurt themselves — in the Oscar race. Vulture's Oscar Futures will listen to insider gossip, comb the blogs, and out-and-out guess when necessary to track who's up, who's down, and who's currently leading the race for a coveted nomination." 

Below is what they wrote October 23 about Best Supporting Actress.

Soon at Netflicks, Blockbuster, etc.

Home Media Magazine reported October 20 that The Marc Pease Experience will be released on DVD only (no Blu-ray)

for rental only beginning November 3. It is expected to be available for purchase six to eight weeks later.

After leaving London, AK was snapped arriving at the airport in Canada October 20,

where she will be finishing work on Eclipse, the third Twilight movie. 

"Vote Early and Often"

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you are a fan of Anna Kendrick.  And as such, you should want her to gain as much recognition for her talent and performances as possible.  So go to the People’s Choice Awards website and vote for her to become a finalist nominee for a 2010 award. She listed in the category “Favorite Breakout Movie Actress.”  And even if you’re already among those of us who’ve admired her for years, your votes will help more and more of the world to become admirers.

ADDENDUM:  Got word October 23 that you can continue to vote for a couple more weeks. The top

five votegetters will be the final nominees, and they'll be announced at a press conference on November 10.

Seen the Up Clip Featuring Her Yet?

MTV.com highlighted the new Up in the Air clip today (October 20), commenting that the scene, “shows the great chemistry between Anna and George that has been much talked about in regards to the film. Anna’s performance has been highly praised, and word on the street after the Toronto and Telluride film festivals is she even stole some scenes from him.” But annakendrickonline.org already told you yesterday it’s a clip you won’t want to miss. 

New Frontiers?

Tabloid websites do not typically stalk AK or feature her in spottings.  But the fame that her Up in the Air performance

is bringing her may be moving the actress into tmz territory.  SugarScape.com posted this feature October 19:

<The following three posts reference October 18 but were added October 25.>

Talking on the London Red Carpet

Gradually added to youtube have been several videos of AK talking (to fans and to journalists) on the

October 18 red carpet at the Times BFI Film Festival. 

Claire Beuno talks to AK from timecode 1:33 to 3:17 and the actress says some things here that don't just duplicate her comments from other interviews or press conferences.  Plus, it's yet another trove of how real she often is in situations where other actors sometimes come off plastic and rehearsed. [Transcript will be posted here soon.]

Empire Magazine's interview is less worthwhile. Of this 4:57 length video, AK is from timecode 4:24 to 4:57. The interviewer is pretty silly. And AK talks again about how Jason Reitman didn't tell her until she had the part that he had actually written it with her in mind. We'll post here once we've finished a transcript.

Up in the Air London

Press Conference All Tubed

The complete October 18 press conference for Up in the Air at the Times BFI Film Festival, which featured Jason Reitman, Vera Farmiga, and AK, is now on youtube broken into three parts.  We're working on transcribing the AK sections

and we'll post it right here when we're through. 

Meanwhile, here are the links to the actual videos:

Part 1      Part 2      Part 3

Stepping Out in England

Brits got to see AK's beauty

outfitted in blue and in black

on October 18, when Up in the Air

was shown at the Times BFI

London Film Festival.

(See photo gallery for more or bigger images.)

<Broken photo gallery link repaired 10/20/09.> 

New Clip Fan-tastic

The new clip from Up in the Air (released October 17) is a minute and eighteen seconds

featuring AK the whole time in a scene never before seen online.

On Twilight, Tabloids, Tricks, and Tension

Marc Malkin, of E!online, interviewed AK October 13 and his article was posted the next day.  Here's what he said:

            As we all know, Pattinson isn't so comfortable with all the attention he gets from fans. So I'm sure he's hoping Kendrick's New Moon prediction comes true. "Taylor will certainly capture the hearts of many people who thought they only had eyes for Rob," Kendrick said of the upcoming second installment of the Twilight movie franchise. "He's so cute. He's such a cutie."

            And Tay should do just fine collecting even more admirers. "You meet Taylor and there's something really special about him," Kendrick said. "He's so warm. He's so different from Rob and different from Kristen. There's something about him that feels he's sort of built for this."

            Not that she thinks there's anything wrong with R & K. "God bless them," Kendrick said. "They seem to be handling it so well, so much better than I could ever imagine it for myself. I don't know how they manage to stay so normal and level-headed."

            In fact, she wishes the tabloid crap would stop already. "There's a part of me that gets frustrated that they're on the cover of a magazine and it's says they're engaged!" Kendrick griped. "You just want to scream. You just want to hold the magazine up and scream to everyone in the supermarket, 'This isn't true!'"

            If Robsten ever needs tips on going undercover, perhaps Kendrick could give them some tips she picked up from Clooney.

            "It was interesting to fly with George and see his techniques for not getting noticed," she explained. "I'm not going to blow his cover, but he doesn't go in disguise. It's fascinating that 99 percent of the plane never knows he's on board."

            Kendrick admits she was convinced that she didn't land the part in Up In the Air when she auditioned for director Jason Reitman (Juno). It was only after she got the job did Reitman tell her that he actually wrote the role with her in mind after seeing her in Rocket Science.

            Not that knowing that made it any easier for her during filming. "I was so nervous the entire time," Kendrick said. "I thought they'd fire me and hire Scarlett Johansson."

Rising Star Speaks

Mary Hart inteviewed AK at the October 13 Los Angeles reception

in honor of her receiving the Palm Springs International Film Festival Rising Star Award.

(Here's a transcript and here's the interview video.)

The actress gushed appreciation about the PSIFF honor; praised the personality of her co-star in Up in the Air,

George Clooney; expressed awe for people's reactions to the first Twilight movie; and commended the "amazing"

sequel (which opens in November).

                                                                           Anna Accolade Announced

     We now know where AK will probably be on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.  Receiving the Rising Star Award at the 21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.  Announcing the honor October 13, festival chairman Harold Matzner said, "Anna Kendrick is an extremely gifted young actress. At age 12, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Dinah in High Society. Now in her mid-20s, she has gone from strength to strength with each succeeding screen role. Given her striking, multifaceted performance in Up in the Air, we are delighted to present her with the Festival's Rising Star Award."

     The Palm Springs Desert Sun quoted Matzner further as marvelling, “That's an incredible experience and it's a wonderful way to kick off a career. We think she has an incredible future in front of her.” AK herself told the newspaper she is still getting used to fame.  “For the most part, this sort of stuff amazes me because I feel like nobody knows who I am,” she said. “I'm trying to figure out the press thing, the premiere thing and trying to function as a real human being all the while.”

"Anna Kendrick is one of the most talented people I've ever worked with."

 

Michael Welch (who plays human "Mike" in the Twilight movies)

in an October 3 interview with TwilightLexicon.com (posted 10/13/09)

at the Chicago stop of the Official Twilight Convention

 “Boy, I didn’t know who Anna was until the table reading. I tried to get Jason to fire her

  because she was going to steal the movie.”

 

George Clooney joking about AK

Reported by Ruben V. Nepales

Philippine Daily Inquirer

October 10, 2009

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

KENDRICK ROMANCE!

October 10: Reported by Star Magazine online this morning, quickly spreading through other British tabloid sites, and sure to go viral in the US at any moment, is what may be the first ever publicly revealed romance involving Anna Kendrick. And while the scandal sheet media are not generally considered "reliable sources," we can't very well wait for more reputable confirmation; we'll just warn you to remain skeptical until further details (or denials) come out.  Here is the complete article:

 “She’s sassy and smart, but vulnerable and soft like anyone in her shoes. If Clooney deserves Best Actor

  buzz, so does Kendrick in the supporting lane.”

 

Timothy Malcolm

Times Herald-Record [Middletown, NY]

Commenting on AK in review of Woodstock Film Festival showing of Up in the Air

October 5, 2009

Pilgrim Passages

Not to slight the third of the three movies AK completed in the past few months, the actress is quoted by MTV.com October 5 on the subject of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: "I think it's pretty faithful to the books. My relationship mostly exists with Michael Cera on the phone—mostly yelling at him on the phone throughout the entire film." She also recalls, "What was really fun is that the sister character is based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's real sister, Stacey. I got to meet Stacey. She was an extra in one of the scenes at the infamous Second Cup." We wonder if they will really wait until next year to release this film, currently in post-production.

At the Chicago "Official Twilight Convention"

the first week of October, among new photos

revealed by Summit Entertainment was this one

of some New Moon humans.

Will "Jessica" Be There?

Some sources report that there will be a Twilight- New Moon "cast appearance" at the fourth annual SCREAM Awards in Los Angeles, Saturday, October 17.  Spike TV will televise the two-hour awards ceremony on October 27 at 10 p.m. We'll have to wait to find out which cast members appear.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 [October 5, 2009]

Discovered Again 

Popsugar.com reports that BlackBook magazine's recent list of "up-and-coming actors" includes AK (along with two others from Twilight: Jamie Campbell-Bower and Kellan Lutz). 

As we often muse here, wonder if someone will be discovering her as up-and-coming every year of

her career?!

     Addendum: October 6, BlackBook.com

     posted the article about her.

     Writer Ben Barna quotes AK as saying,

     about the possible effect on her life of Up

     in the Air if it reaches the blockbuster and

     award-garnering status some are anticipating: 

     “I’m allowing myself to think about the possibility

     that this could be a big deal, because I think the

     worst thing would be to get caught off guard."

     He goes on to write, "With all of these high-

     profile projects about to be released, Kendrick

     will have to adjust to some of the more bizarro

     elements of movie stardom. Namely: premieres.

     'I always convince myself they’re going to be

     fun,' says Kendrick. 'But having that much

     energy thrown at you is always jarring.'"

Photo credits: BlackBook Magazine via Popsugar.com

Shirt by H&M, jewelry by Bulgari.

Photography by Hellin Kay. Styling by Jodi Leesley.

Hair by Jonny Stutz for Bumble and Bumble

@ Photogenics. Beauty @ Smashbox.

Makeup by Riko Camp @ Celestine.

Stylist’s Assistant Jessica Goddard.

Location, Bardot, Los Angeles.

English Champing for Kendrick and Clooney

The Times BFI London Film Festival will screen Up in the Air twice on October 18, and once each on October 19 and 20.

All four showings are sold out.

Meanwhile, Up in the Air continues to be scheduled prominently at various film festivals.  Some lucky fans will get to see it at the Woodstock (New York) Film Festival on closing night: Sunday, October 4 at 6:45 and 9:30;  the Hamptons (New York) International Film Festival on Saturday, October 10 at 9:30; and the Austin (Texas) Film Festival on closing night: Thursday, October 29 at 8:00.

AK Ties for First Place

Indiewire.com reported that in a survey of more than 25 writers who attended the Toronto International Film Festival, Anna Kendrick and Mo'Nique tied as the top vote-getting film performances in the category Best Supporting Performance-- for their roles in Up in the Air and Precious, respectively. Peter Knegt called this "perhaps an inkling towards this year’s best supporting actress [Oscar] race?"

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       [September 22]

Ready to Move Past Jessica

 

In a September 21 article, after commenting that "Anna Kendrick soon may be known as the actress who plays Natalie Keener," Barbara Vancheri of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quotes AK as apparently proud enough of her ravely reviewed starring role in Up in the Air to finally resent continuing to be referred to by screaming Twilight fans as "Jessica":

AK: "I don't think twice when people come up to me and say, 'Hi, do you play Jessica in 'Twilight'? I don't think anything of that but oddly enough, here is the first time people have yelled 'Jessica' at me and I never really realized how strange and uncomfortable that is. I just want to turn around and say, 'My name isn't Jessica.' "

EW Confirms AK Oscar Prediction

In their September 21 "wrap up" of the Toronto International Film Festival showings, Dave Karger gets additional mileage out of his September 13 review of Up in the Air by again mentioning it (and AK's performance) for Academy Award contention.  Scroll down for the September 13 news that recaps exactly what he and his reviewing partner had to say in awe of AK.

AK Has More to Say

In an interview with Edmonton Sun's Kevin Williamson, AK expanded on themes she had addressed in previous interviews:

Twilight-mania and comparisons between Clooney and Pattinson, the heartthrobs with whom she worked on

Up in the Air and Twilight, respectively.

AK:  "I've never seen anything like it in my life," she says of the hysteria surrounding Pattinson, who stars as the Twilight's brooding blood-slurper Edward. "People were asking me 'Can you believe how crazy this premiere (for Up In The Air) is?' And I was like, 'You ain't seen nothing.' Most people have never seen anything like the Rob Pattinson phenomenon."

 

KW: How do the two leading men, albeit of different generations, compare?

 

AK: "They get different sides of it. Rob gets a lot of screaming and a lot of prying and a lot of intensity, which doesn't necessarily feel good when it comes from a hysterical place. And then I see people talk to George, because he's so established, people try to trick him into saying something and it's interesting watching him sidestep that stuff so gracefully and never lose his cool; I don't know how he does it."

 

KW: Somehow [your] character doesn't develop a crush on [George Clooney]. But did [you] during filming?

 

AK: "I think we have a more father-daughter relationship in the film. I think we almost cultivated that relationship in real life too. George at one point set an age limit for boys I was allowed to date, so it was not a crush on George Clooney kind of situation."

 

KW: What was the age limit?

 

AK: "It was something really random, I can't remember. You know what?" she says, beaming.

"Age doesn't matter to me -- and he's not really my dad, so he can't tell me what to do."

Late Additions:

Just added newfound party pics from AK's wild night out and about with Rachelle LeFevre

as well as some of the formal pics AK posed for September 12.

Scroll down to September 11-12 to see them.

"Anna Kendrick is a revelation as a plucky upstart at the company who tries to

streamline the firing process even further by doing it over the internet."

 

Stuart Henderson review of Up in the Air, Popmatters.com, September 17, 2009

Reitman Says Role Ensures Kendrick's Reputation

Introducing the cast of Up in the Air at the Toronto Film Festival, Jason Reitman said this about AK:

"This young woman steals the show. You may have seen her in Rocket Science, you may know her from Twilight,

but from now on you will always know the name of Anna Kendrick." [3:03 timecode of youtube video]

DVD Issued

"The Spirit Box" episode of the short-lived TV horror anthology,

Fear Itself, was released on DVD September 15, as part of

the box set of the "Complete First Season." (No there was no

second season, in fact only eight of the thirteen episodes were aired,

this episode among the unshown ones.) Although AK as the spirited

heroine enacts some plot elements reminiscent of her feature film,

Elsewhere, unique moments here are AK in witchy Halloween costume and AK as high school swimmer. Genre aficionados will not be surprised to find her in swimsuit being chased by the

creepily masked villain. But for fans it's fun.

Director Sees Kendrick as Voice of Her Generation

Peter Sciretta of slashfilm.com and Alex Billington of firstshowing.net recently collaboratively did a 23 minute interview with Up in the Air director Jason Reitman.  The video of the interview, which was conducted while riding a gondola at the Telluride Film Festival, was posted online September 16.  Reitman has this to say about AK beginning around the 18:55 mark:

"I wrote the movie for eight or nine of the main characters. I wrote the movie for George, for Vera, ...for Anna...I mean all these people were people that I wrote the roles for. So I was very fortunate that all of them kinda stepped up and showed up.  In the case of Anna Kendrick...I'd seen Rocket Science and-- like the seven other people that saw it-- was just completely blown away...

I just saw in her this original voice that I didn't see in anyone else of her generation. And as I was writing this character, which was kind of an ode to all the smart young women that I fell in love with in my early twenties, including my wife, I thought, 'Here's the voice. Here's the one girl who can do it.' And it actually informed how I wrote her character in the end."

MTV Keeps Talking Twilight

Interviewing AK at the Toronto Film Festival, MTV.com focused on her experiences playing Jessica in the first two Twilight movies. The actress again remarked about the challenges of "tuning out" the floods of fans during filming, she praised stars Pattinson and Stewart for being able to deal sanely with the insanity, and she observed that writers have been able to stray more from the original books when they script her role of human friend Jessica because "people don't have that attachment" that they have for the book's supernatural characters.

(The September 15 article is here. A video piece of the interview is here.)

More Media

Whew, its getting tough for us chroniclers of Kendrick to keep up with the deluge of media exposure

our heroine is getting these days. But we're thrilled for her.

Here's the latest article/interview, this one by Kat Angus at Dose.ca.

She Talks Again

Peter Knegt wrote an article for Indiewire.com (posted September 15), including quotes from his new interview with AK.

She talks about how she feels about George Clooney, what it was like working with him in Up in the Air,

and how she feels about the character she played.

Journalist Coins Kendrick Catchphrase

"The Anna Kendrick Effect." That's what Monika Bartyzel, writing for Cinematical.com, has called the "phenomenon going on at the Toronto International Film Festival this year" in which prodigious female talent is taking the spotlight throughout the festival.  In her essay praising the women, the journalist declares that in Up in the Air, "Kendrick has just blown beyond mainstream expectations [and] held her own against one of Hollywood's seasoned pros."

Trailer Speculation 

In a September 14 "closer look" at the VMA-debuted New Moon trailer, mtv.com says, "Check out the theater marquee behind Kristen Stewart's head at 0:54, as Anna Kendrick asks, 'So, you're an adrenaline junkie now?' Put two and two together, and that moment likely comes at the end of the infamous Mike Newton three-way-date movie scene."

Interviews! Interviews! Interviews!

 

Fulfilling our excited hopes after a dearth of interviews, AK is now talking to the press

(or the press is seeking her out).  The interviews are such fun reads, you shouldn't miss a word:

 

Here's the complete September 13 interview with hitfix.com.

 

Here's a transcript of a September 12 Josh Horowitz mtv.com video interview with the star.

 

And here's the canada.com article based on a CNS interview September 14.

Entertainment Weekly Predicts Oscar Nomination

Right after viewing Up in the Air September 13 at the Toronto Film Festival, Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger and Missy Schwartz filmed a review in which they were awed by AK's performance.  Excerpts:

DK: I feel like it delivered on all of the hype... One thing that does surprise me--...Anna Kendrick, who's this young whipper-snapper at George Clooney's firm, her role is arguably bigger than Vera Farmiga's role.

 

MS: Oh, I think it's definitely bigger. She really is a discovery in this. I mean, I didn't really know her very well before. And she's sort of a firecracker in this.

 

DK: Yeah, I think Anna Kendrick could be a definite supporting actress nominee for this performance. She was really good in small movies like Camp and Rocket Science... But this is obviously a big breakout for her.

From your lips to the Academy's ears, Dave.  AKonline has heard that before, but it's even louder for this film than it was for Rocket Science, with additional critics' eyes opening, like Missy's, to what we fans have known for years now.

"There's no question that the camera absolutely adores Vera Farmiga, and she gives another solid performance that confirms she's on her way to being this generation's Streep. Similar praise can be doled on Anna Kendrick, who has taken the promise of her breakthrough performance in Rocket Science to another level when paired with Clooney and Reitman."

Edward Douglas at comingsoon.net               9/13/09

"The film looks to be a serious contender in this year's award race, a notion Paramount Pictures looks to be betting heavily on. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress for either Anna Kendrick as Clooney's plucky young co-worker or Vera Farmiga as his on-the-road fling he actually grows attached to -- none of these ideas sounds like outrageous speculation (for nominations at least) when considering the current awards-season playing field."

Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times               9/13/09

Larry Carroll of MTV.com called AK "one of our favorite under-utilized Twilight actors (and star of

the buzz-heavy upcoming flick Up in the Air)"               9/13/09

Howard Gensler of the Philadelphia Daily News called AK one of "two young, female stars sure to break out from the [Toronto International Film Festival]."               9/14/09

AK Twice in Extended New Moon Trailer

In their September 13 shot-by-shot analysis of the extended New Moon trailer that premiered during the Video Music Awards, MTV pointed out "Jessica, Mike, Angela and Eric obliviously play[ing] in the background of the cafeteria" at the 29 second mark. They then quote AK as Jessica (at timecode 0:54) asking Bella, " So, you're an adrenaline junkie now?"

Isn't She Lovely?

AK looked gorgeous on the red carpet when Up in the Air screened

September 12 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

            Photos: James Helmer via torontolife.com

Hollywood Hearthrob Taunts Kendrick

Nick Patch of the Canadian Press quotes George Clooney September 12,

teasing about his awesome co-star:

"He directed plenty of gentle potshots at his co-stars. When one reporter posed a question to the film's talent, Clooney bristled: 'You're using that word 'talent' a little loosely.' He took particular pleasure in his light-hearted torture of the pixie-ish Kendrick, who played his foil in the film.

 

After offering generous praise for the rest of the cast, Clooney clarified: 'These people made this film work -- except for her, Anna.'

 

And when someone noted that Reitman wrote the role of Natalie Keener-- a focused, precocious efficiency expert whose ambitious plans threaten to upend Clooney's character's carefully guarded wandering lifestyle-- specifically for Kendrick, Clooney quipped: 'I thought you wrote that for Reese Witherspoon?'"

---

Three of the poses from an Up in the Air formal portrait session

September 12 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Photos: Jeff Vespa, wireimage.com

Spirits Online

You can continue until September 15 to be able to watch AK in the tv ghost story, "The Spirit Box," at Fearnet.com.

They have it in HD or regular def.

Also interesting are AK in two "Spirit Box" promo features, viewable at Fearnet.

"Spirit Box Behind the Scenes" is mainly an interview with the two stars of the episode,

Anna Kendrick and Jessica Parker Kennedy, during filming (2:21 long). 

"Recipe For Fear" is an interview with the director of and actors from the episode. (Brief commentary segment from AK come at 3:30 timecode of that 5:16 video.)

More Glowing Reaction to Up in the Air

"The true gem of this film is Anna Kendrick."

Peter Sciretta, Slashfilm.com

"The interplay between the worldweary Ryan [Clooney] and the naive Natalie [Kendrick] makes for delicious comedy, and Kendrick plays her role smoothly."

Stephen Farber, Hollywoodreporter.com

"Let's make it clear right now: Oscar nominations are likely assured for best picture, director, screenplay, actor for Clooney and supporting actress for either Anna Kendrick as the young know-it-all who threatens Clooney's job security or Vera Farmiga as a one-night stand who keeps on giving. Perhaps both will get nods... It's easily one of 2009's best pictures."

AK Flies in Up

Alex Billington of firstshowing.net praised AK in his September 5 review of the Telluride Up in the Air showing:

Lastly, I can't end this reaction without expressing my admiration for Anna Kendrick, who I've fallen even more in love with after this. Kendrick plays a young hotshot newcomer to Bingham's company that wants to change the way they work. His boss makes him take her out on the road to show her the ropes and not only is it funny to see all of that (she's an air travel newbie), but her relationship with Bingham I think is the best part of the film. She goes toe-to-toe with Clooney in a big way, which was beyond impressive for an up-and-coming actress like her.

Up in the Air Touches Down

The Telluride Film Festival sneak previewed Up in the Air the afternoon of September 5, getting a jump on the previously announced debut the week of September 10 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Up in the Air has gotten tremendous positive buzz all over the internet and Twitter.  People at the Telluride debut tweeted that the line to get in was already over capacity two hours before the showing. It will screen next at the Toronto Festival September 12, 13, and 19, but the three showings are reportedly already sold out.

This section of the Toronto Festival's description of the movie makes clear AK's role (as well as the other recognizable names near the top of the cast):

One day Ryan's [George Clooney's] boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman), introduces him to their newest colleague, the aptly named Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), who wants to revolutionize the transition industry by using video conferencing out of corporate headquarters. Ryan is horrified, not only because this signals a trivialization of his skills, but also because his travel will stop. He offers to take Natalie on a road trip to show her how to “transition” face to face. As he mentors his new co-worker, he simultaneously juggles rendezvouses with Alex (Vera Farmiga), another business traveller who can match him club card for club card.

Grown Up?

After her role in the recently released Marc Pease Experience added to a long string of playing high school students, we look forward to seeing AK as an adult in Up in the Air, which will also presumably be a better scripted part than Meg in Marc Pease was.  Here are two new photos Paramount released from the coming feature.

Don't Miss Marc 

Saw The Marc Pease Experience August 25. Few others in the theater. The movie, released with no prior trailer or publicity, made only $2689 nationally in its first weekend, according to Variety.  If you want to see it and are near one of the ten cities in which it's playing [see 8/11 news below], you'd better do so before Friday.  We doubt it will stay for another weekend in most locations.  Of nineteen reviews we read, none were positive.    But on the bright side, none had anything negative to say about AK (who plays the title character's girlfriend, Meg Brickman). Few actually mentioned her. Those that did:

-David Hiltbrand in The Philadelphia Inquirer called her "the one bright spot in this movie."

-Michael Wilmington at moviecitynews.com said, "Kendrick‘s Meg is cute and somewhat more sympathetic."

-Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic wrote, "Meg's story, meanwhile, is begging to be told. But it's just sketched, wasting Kendrick."

 and Dave Lucas on examiner.com agreed she is "wasted in a meaningless role."

Challenges with Schedule Cited by Producer

Wondering how AK managed to film her scenes in New Moon when she was also filming Up in the Air?  New Moon producer Wyck Godfrey, in an interview with Twilightsource posted August 14, explains that that conflict created what may have been the biggest shooting difficulty during the filming of the Twilight sequel. Here's his whole answer, since it sheds a lot of light on AK's July 23 "most awkward thing" reply to fans about being overwhelmed by onlookers during filming:

WG: "So the absolute most absurd thing we ever did. Well, last year, for Twilight, we shot all the school scenes while they [the real students of the school] were all on vacation. Yeah, so the interiors, all the interiors, were on their spring break. Right? So this time for all of our school stuff we had to shoot it while Jessica, the actress playing Jessica [Anna Kendrick], was available. There were a lot of scheduling problems. So the only time we could shoot it was when school was in session. So basically we were trying to shoot these scenes while the kids were literally in between classes, screaming bloody murder because every time they see a glimpse of Rob they just go crazy. It was chaos. It's like, never again will I ever shoot during school. It was ridiculous, with this franchise, the idea of trying to trot Rob Pattinson down the hallways where like girls will come out of the bathroom, just by accident when class is in session. We thought when they are in class we are fine, we can go up and down the halls; they're all in class. But every now and then you would get someone who would walk out into the hallway, and go 'AHHHH!!!' (Do you think they were asking like, 'Can I go to the bathroom, can I have a hall pass?') For a while, we didn't tell them what the movie was. We were just like, 'We are going to be shooting a movie.' Except by the time we started shooting everyone knew what it was, because they go through their hallway and they look up and see something that says 'Forks High School' and they are like 'Oh my gosh!' and videotaping it and putting it on online that we are shooting there. So by the time we started shooting, not only were there like hundreds of people outside just waiting for a glimpse but every day was a nightmare trying to make every scene. We shot the cafeteria, and literally on their lunch break, and we had to keep shooting because we didn't have enough time. They are crammed up against the windows trying to look in at the scene, and it's horrible for the actors who are all, 'Isn't it kind of loud in the hallways to try to shoot our dialogue?'"

Hope that doesn't put at risk AK's continuing to play Jessica as the Twilight movie series continues. We're sure no one else could match her sparkling portrayal.

We are very close to actually getting to see The Marc Pease Experience in movie theaters.  In an August 11 interview on Firstshowing.net, the film's director confirms an August 21 limited release to San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Seattle, Sacramento, and possibly Boston. Firstshowing's Alex Billington bemoans the lack of publicity for the release by heading the article, " Paramount Dumping Todd Louiso's Marc Pease Experience." But AK fans will be glad to finally see her in this role opposite Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman.

photo: anna-kendrick.net

AK Coming to TV

A previously unaired television episode featuring AK can soon finally be seen. From September 2 to September 16, fans can watch her online in "The Spirit Box" at Fearnet.com.  In the episode (from the short-lived NBC series, Fear Itself), AK plays a character who uses a board game to contact a classmate who had committed suicide and learns that she had actually been murdered. The complete series (including this episode) is scheduled to be released on DVD in mid September.

Actors Charmed

This photo of AK wearing a Zorbitz necklace accompanied an August 1 press release from the company touting how cast members of New Moon wear Zorbitz jewelry.  Hers is described as " a miracle charm necklace with sparrow, angel wing, heart, amethyst, and jade leaf charms."

AK Seen and Heard in San Diego

There are scads of youtube videos from the July 23 San Diego cast appearances at the Twilight screening.  It screened in several theaters, and before the screenings began, the cast went from one theater to another to answer audience questions.  Postings from two of the theaters will be of interest to AK fans.  In one (better lighting here, but also posted here), AK does not speak on mike, but she is very visible at center stage and there is adorable interplay between her and Robert Pattinson for the first half of the video.  In a different theater, she does speak on mike, answering a question about awkward moments during the filming of New Moon.  She replies, apparently referring to crowds of fans viewing location shooting during the movie, "Most awkward thing? Oh, I guess the most awkward thing was filming a scene but like this, with all you guys. You guys were so supportive. But it was a little awkward."  (View that one here from timecode 1:18 to 2:48, or here from timecode 1:10 to 2:40.)

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