By Drew Grant 8/14/12 4:08pm

Celebrities and politics

Jesse Eisenberg, yurt-dweller (90days90reasons.com)

Jesse Eisenberg is Living in a Yurt in Mongolia, So Vote For Obama!

As we have previously noted, The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg is now a full-fledged member of McSweeney’s disciples, worshiping at the feet of Dave Eggers at 826Valencia. So it’s not that surprising to find the actor stumping for President Obama over at 90 Days, 90 Reasons, the McSweeney’s offshoot nonprofit which serves to “re-inspire the grassroots army that got Obama elected in the first place.”

So why does Mr. Eisenberg think you should vote? Because he’s currently living in a yurt in Mongolia, that’s why. Read More

By Drew Grant 8/01/12 6:06pm

Celebrity writing

Hard to swallow (Sony)

McSweeneylicious: Jesse Eisenberg’s Fictional Food Stories Are Hard to Swallow

If the cliche for actors used to be “But what I really want to do is direct,” then the updated version would be “But I really want to do is blog.” It makes sense. These people are already rich and famous: they can afford not getting paid, plus, it makes them look intellectual and proves that they are more than dancing little monkeys who can memorize dialogue and cry on cue.

The latest literary star in the making is The Social Network‘s Jesse Eisenberg (who has actually been writing one-offs for the site since 2009), who started his own whimsy-column back in May, “Bream Gives Me Hiccups: Restaurant Reviews From a privileged Nine-Year-Old.” Sounds adorable, right?

It’s not. Read More

By Rex Reed 3:55pm

movies

A directing Allen, STILL not in New York.

To Rome With Love: Woody Allen’s Latest Postcard From Across the Way Reads Like a Hallmark Valentine

Big talents, like everybody else, deserve a day off. And sure enough, in the illustrious Woody Allen canon, To Rome With Love is a very minor entry that should be accompanied by a sign that says “Gone fishing.”

Having forsaken New York (temporarily, I hope) for an uneven European tour that includes stops in London, Barcelona and Paris, Woody now sends home a pretty but vapid tourist postcard of Rome that is nothing more than stale bolognese coarsened by a compendium of numbingly familiar clichés. Just how stale is evident as a cheesy rendition of “Volare” overwhelms the opening credits. From there, his 44th film as a director is a labored farce that makes few demands on the talents of its all-star cast and ends up as boring as it is preposterous. Read More

By Drew Grant 11/08/11 4:21pm

Person of the year

Dr. Anita Hill with a bunch of white guys.

'Time's Person of the Year Panelists Debate: Steve Jobs, Arab Spring, or Other?

This afternoon, Time magazine held its annual lunch and panel for it’s prestigious person of the year issue. We went in with our money on Occupy Wall Street, but most of our other journo diners seemed to take it as a given that the honor would be bestowed on Steve Jobs.

It was an impressive panel led by Time‘s Rich Stengel: NBC’s Brian Williams, Anita Hill, Jesse Eisenberg, Mario Batali, Seth Meyers, and Grover Norquist, president of the advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform. Read More

By Meghan Keane 8/16/11 7:30pm

movies

Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari in 30 Minutes Or Less

30 Minutes or Less: A Bank Heist With Extra Cheese

Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari in ’30 Minutes Or Less.’

 “30 Minutes or Less” is the wish-fulfillment fantasy that generations of slacker pizza delivery guys have been waiting for. The rest of the world may look down on the stoners who deliver their pies, but Jesse Eisenberg is Read More

By Foster Kamer 8/11/11 2:31pm

DOWNTOWN IS THE NEW UPTOWN

the_social_network_movie_poster

Jesse Eisenberg’s Play That He Wrote: Now Cast, Ready To Invade Off-Broadway Star from The Hangover

As much as a hipster-celebrity collective of playwrights there can be, there Rattlestick Theater is. Downtown favorites like Annie Baker and Adam Rapp (who’s currently working on a musical with the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O) have had plays produced there. It’s never really been a place for celebrities to get their theater rocks off, however, until now. Read More