news
Credit is given for each source and gossip & unsubstantiated rumors will not be posted.
October 12, 2007
Michael sued by ex...
(source: contactmusic.com)
Actor MICHAEL MADSEN has been sued by his ex-wife for buying a top-class horse instead of paying child support, according to reports. The Sin City star allegedly bought the thoroughbred animal despite being three months behind in child support payments. Now his former wife, Jeannine Bisignano, is preparing legal action - insisting he owes around $38,000 (GBP19,000) in support for his sons Christian, 17, and Max, 13. Madsen, 49 - who also has three sons by his current wife, De Anna Morgan - allegedly bought the race horse for Morgan while in Ireland, and had it shipped to their Malibu home. But a source tells the New York Daily News, "You don't buy a horse if you're broke." Madsen's manager refused to comment.
Michael sues former talent agency...
(source: pr-inside.com)
Actor MICHAEL MADSEN has filed a $10 million (£5 million) lawsuit against his former agency - accusing them of seeking money he does not owe.
The Sin City tough guy claims Innovative Artists has tried to collect commission for work he made after he quit the firm four years ago (03).
Madsen filed the lawsuit on Wednesday (10Oct07) in Los Angeles Superior Court.
In 2005 Innovative filed a petition against the actor, claiming they were owed commissions by Madsen.
But in Madsen's lawsuit, he asks the court to halt the arbitration and to find he owes no commissions to the agency.
September 25, 2007
Michael wins Best Actor at Boston Film Fest...
Irish film wins at Boston Film Festival
The new Michael Madsen-starring Irish film 'Strength and Honour' has won the Best Picture and Best Actor awards at the Boston Film Festival.
It is the first time in the festival's history that a single film has received the Best Picture and Best Actor awards; previous winners of Best Picture at the festival include 'American Beauty' and 'Good Will Hunting'.
Written and directed by Cork filmmaker Mark Mahon, 'Strength and Honour' tells the story of an Irish-American boxer (Madsen) who promised his late wife he would never fight again having killed his friend in the ring.
Advertisement However, when he discovers that his only son is dying of the same hereditary heart disorder that killed his wife, he is forced to go back on his promise and become a bare knuckle boxer in order to raise money for the boy's life-saving surgery.
The film was shot in Cork over seven weeks last autumn and also stars Patrick Bergin, Richard Chamberlain and Vinnie Jones.
Commenting on his film's festival success, director Mahon said: "This is a great honour. To win top awards at such a prestigious festival is surreal - competition was fierce this year with a large number of high profile titles competing."
He continued: "We're absolutely ecstatic that Michael Madsen won for his superb lead performance and look forward to the theatrical release of 'Strength and Honour'.
'Strength and Honour' will be released in Irish cinemas on 30 November.
July 23, 2007
Fango Signing Dates & Times...
(source: ComicBookResources.com)
FANGORIA COMICS is pleased to announce that our forthcoming title SHIFTER will debut with a 25¢ #1/2 issue on November 14, 2007. Patrick Durham, John Sachar & Michael Madsen present SHIFTER features co-creator and film icon Michael Madsen (of RESERVOIR DOGS, KILL BILL VOL. 1 & 2, and SIN CITY) in the starring role.
What is SHIFTER? It’s a brand new take on the werewolf mythos, following the brutal life of a mob hitman who is much more than human. He can be or look like almost any beast or man, and never be stopped. At least, that is, until a rival boss calls in something even worse than he is....
SHIFTER’s script is by Mark Kidwell (Fangoria Comics’ BUMP, Image’s ‘68); the book features art by Stephen Thompson, colors by Jason Jensen, and lettering by Brian J. Crowley (your visual team from BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE RAGE).
SHIFTER #1-4 will ship consecutively in December 2007, January 2008, February 2008, and March 2008.
SHIFTER co-creators Patrick Durham and Michael Madsen will be appearing with FANGORIA COMICS at the San Diego Comic-Con International.
Dates & Times:
July 26- 12:00-1:45pm
July 28- 1:15-4:00pm
Booths #4517 & 4519
May 16, 2007
Michael to appear at Fango Weekend of Horrors...
(source: BlabberMouth.net)
Rob Zombie will make an appearance at Fangoria's Weekend Of Horrors on Saturday, May 19 at Burbank Airport Marriott (2500 Hollywood Way) in Burbank, California. Zombie will discuss his latest film, an adaptation of the horror classic "Halloween", and the upcoming WHITE ZOMBIE box set. Also appearing over the three-day Weekend of Horrors (May 18-20) will be punk rock icon Henry Rollins, Michael Madsen ("Reservoir Dogs"), Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Fred "The Hammer" Williamson and many more.
Being Michael Madsen Review...
(source: FilmThreat.com)
by Phil Hall
(2007-05-07)
2007, Un-rated, 90 minutes, Mean Time Productions
Satire, as a cinematic art form, is the rarest of commodities. It requires a distinctive blend of subtlety, irony, foolishness and intelligence. If the ingredient mix is either lacking in one aspect or too heavy in another, the result can be a mess.
Well, three cheers and a tiger for Michael Mongillo and his brilliant satire “Being Michael Madsen.” This wicked, wild, whirling dervish of a movie takes a savage thrust at the culture of celebrity obsession as fueled by a tabloid media that feeds on gossip, innuendo and smears. In a society where Britney Spears’ breakdowns inspire more media frenzy than the war in Iraq, a good smack of satire is needed to remind people (both in the press and in the reading/viewing audience) that priorities have become miserably skewered.
What is astonishing about Mongillo’s film is the concept: presenting Michael Madsen as the heart and soul of the story. Madsen is, of course, well-regarded as an actor who specializes in tough guy roles. But for this film, he daringly allows himself to be reinvented into a Hollywood idol who is lethally out of control – sort of a combination of Paris Hilton and O.J. Simpson. It is something of a gamble, of course, but in this case the gamble results in a comedy jackpot.
Using a faux-documentary format, the plot of “Being Michael Madsen” is deceptively simple. Madsen, in the nutty new persona imagined for him, has become frustrated by the tabloid media and the paparazzi brigades who follow his every move. The news coverage has driven him to a soul-fraying edge, with everything from allegations of murdering a wannabe starlet to having a gay affair with a beaming fat man.
Madsen, being interviewed for this documentary, relates his frustrations. His angst is shared by others who are interviewed for the film: friends and colleagues David Carradine, Daryl Hannah and Harry Dean Stanton and his sister Virginia Madsen.
One person has been a particular anathema to Madsen: the oleaginous tabloid photojournalist Billy Dant (played to emetic perfection by Jason Alan Smith). Madsen seeks his revenge on Dant by turning the tables: he hires a trio of documentary filmmakers to harass Dant with the same level of intrusiveness and innuendo-hunting that Dant wreaked on Madsen.
However, there is one huge fly in this ointment: the trio are plagued their own personal antagonisms and are hardly working in unison. Imagine “The Blair Witch Project” cast in Hollywood and you’ll have an idea what you’re dealing with. The situation devolved into a stunning triangular spiral with Madsen, Dant and the filmmakers at war with each other and themselves.
Revealing more of the film would damage the genuine surprises that bubble up. But one thing deserves to be revealed: Michael Madsen has a hitherto unsuspected genius for comedy. The ultimate movie tough guy, Madsen is so amazing in his deadpan depiction of a Tinseltown train wreck. What is startling is how he can achieve so much by underplaying the persona – he narrates his dilemma with the semi-remorseful pain that is hilariously at odds with his macho, leather-clad physical appearance. He can generate more laughs with a slight downward glance or an adjustment of his broad shoulders than Will Ferrell or Jim Carrey can accomplish with their full-body convulsions.
Madsen is matched by his sister Virginia, who never looked more gorgeous and who has her own subversive Smothers Brothers-style riff about how Michael enjoyed parental favoritism. Kudos are also in order for Jason Alan Smith, Kathy Searle and Davis Mikaels as the bickering filmmakers and Debbie Rochon in an erotically-charged comic cameo as the object of a voyeuristic viewfinder.
“Being Michael Madsen” is sharp, smart and utterly original. In the realm of independent cinema, it doesn’t get better than this