dennis quaid

The trailer for At Any Price pairs Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron as father and son, with heartland-raised Henry (Quaid) hard at work expanding his family-owned farm with its next-generation owner-to-be, son Dean (Efron). The problem is, Dean doesn't want the farm. Dean wants to race cars, and this is just one of the many issues plaguing the family members' lives. Big business is also threatening their moderately sized operation, and it appears family man Henry may not live up to the stand-up guy image he's portraying.

This intense performance in the preview is unlike anything I've seen Quaid do of late, and likewise, my curiosity is piqued by Efron in this emotionally meaty role. I'm looking forward to seeing how the two play off each other, and whether or not this movie will prove to be more than just a ho-hum family drama. Though it already premiered at the Venice Film Festival last August, At Any Price opens in limited release on April 26, and you can watch the trailer after the jump.

Gerard Butler is quickly becoming the go-to sports guru of the movies. We recently saw him as a reluctant surf coach in the trailer for Chasing Mavericks, and now he's taking his skills to the soccer field — the peewee soccer field, that is. In Playing For Keeps, Butler is a retired soccer player sharing custody of his young son with his ex (Jessica Biel). Once legendary on the field, he's now reduced to shooting sports news auditions from his living room, in his underwear. He's taken up coaching his son's soccer team, and one of the soccer moms (Catherine Zeta-Jones) may have the hookup for a potential job at ESPN.

Full disclosure: I love hearing Butler speak with his native Scottish brogue. I haven't really been into him in romantic comedies, but this seems like it has a bit more heart to it than, say, The Bounty Hunter. The kid is also superadorable, and I'm curious about the romance story lines with Biel and Zeta-Jones. The movie doesn't open until Dec. 7, but you can check out the trailer when you read more.

Dennis Quaid hasn't been part of a TV series since 1977's Baretta, but he's returning this fall on the CBS drama Vegas. The drama takes place in Sin City during the 1960s, the turning point when the city changed into the glitzy gambling capital. Quaid plays sheriff Ralph Lamb (based on the real-life rancher of the same name), who struggles to maintain the culture of the town as the mob rolls in (led by Michael Chiklis's Vincent Savino).

• Both Ralph and Vincent are are gritty, dangerous characters, which lead to questions from reporters about how both can survive if the series is picked up. Executive producer Greg Walker assured us that though the tension between them is integral to the series, they'll often both be on the same side of the law because there are characters out there who will be even worse than they are.
• Quaid's had a long career as a movie star, so why is he making the transition to TV now? He said, "A lot of exciting things are happening on television now. The best writers have come to television, the best story lines get continued. When I was offered this, it was really about the team more than anything else, and the story really interested me. It seemed really authentic."
• Quaid went on to say that the time period had a lot to do with why he was attracted to the project: "It's the era I grew up in. I'm still fascinated with what America was back then. There's such vibrancy, optimism, exploration, and sexiness. It was in the air. It was electric. We didn't have cell phones."
• Another part of the appeal for Quaid was playing a real-life character. He said, "[Ralph] had quite a life and that was certainly part of the attraction, to be the sheriff of Las Vegas for 20 years, especially during this period of time because this is really when Vegas became Vegas, and Ralph had a lot to do with shaping that."

.

Following a massive overdose of Heparin, Dennis Quaid's 10-day-old twins fought for their lives for 41 hours, until their blood began clotting normally. The mistake, which occurred when the newborns were given an adult dose of the blood-thinning drug, rather than a similarly labeled baby dose, has made the actor and his wife activists for the implementation of "safe practices" at hospitals. To raise awareness of the issue, and help introduce changes the Quaids are speaking out and have produced Chasing Zero: Winning the War on Healthcare Harm, a documentary that will air on Discovery Channel next week. The actor also sat down with Dr. Charles Denham, chairman of Texas Medical Institute of Technology, to discuss how patients can take precautions during a hospital stay. Their advice includes:

• Having a loved one, or caretaker, stay with the patient at all times.
• Insisting that everyone who comes in contact with the patient wash his or her hands.
• Carrying a list of prescribed medications with you at all times.
• Asking doctors and nurses what medications they are giving you and why.
• Taking your medical records with you when you leave (and giving them to your next doctor).

Did you take any precautionary measures to ensure that you and your tot were properly cared for in the hospital?

Taylor Swift may have stolen the spotlight from country cuties everywhere this year, but Carrie Underwood is right on her blond trail. The former American Idol is taking a page out of Swift's book and making a move to the silver screen in the upcoming indie drama, Soul Surfer.

The movie is based on the autobiography of Bethany Hamilton, a dedicated young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack but still went on to beat the odds and win championships. Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and AnnaSophia Robb will also star, with Underwood set to play a church youth leader.

I'm kind of relieved that Underwood will be playing a supporting character — not that I don't have any faith in her acting skills, but pop stars don't always succeed when they try to dive right into leading roles (that's right, Glitter, I'm looking at you). I can definitely see Underwood being well suited to the movie biz, though, and to be perfectly honest, I'm kinda surprised it took this long to happen.

Are you interested in seeing Carrie take a break from belting out country tunes, or do you wish all these singers would stay on the stage where they belong?

Camila Alves brought her baby bump out in LA last night to attend the premiere of One Peace at a Time with Matthew McConaughey. Little Levi sat this adventure out, after a fun-filled few weeks of shopping with mom and playing at home with dad. MM and Camila were joined by a refreshed-looking Billy Bob Thornton, as well as Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberley. The Quaids avoided trouble on their way home from the screening when LAPD officers politely suggested that the duo call a taxi rather than drive after drinking.

To see more from the event, just read more