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Ben McKenzie Proudly Steps Out With His Costars For a Paley Center Discussion

Katie Henry — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:37:00 PDT

Ben McKenzie joined his Southland costars Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, and Michael Cudlitz for a discussion panel at LA's Paley Center last night. The cast congregated to chat about the gripping finale, working together under extreme circumstances, and what lies ahead for their emotionally charged characters. Ben has a few more months to relax and work on his new project, voicing Bruce Wayne in the animated Batman: Year One series, before slipping back into uniform and returning to the streets of LA to begin shooting their fourth season in October. The O.C. alum will be in good company on primetime this Fall, when his old pal Rachel Bilson makes her comeback to the small screen in the CW's Hart of Dixie.

Minka, Jon, Claire, and MCH Get the SAG Party Started Early

Molly Goodson — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:58:27 PST

Stars of the small screen from Modern Family to Mad Men partied together at EW's pre-Screen Actors Guild Awards bash at the Chateau Marmont on Saturday. Golden Globe winner Claire Danes chatted with her husband, Hugh Dancy, and Darren Aronofsky after the trio all made appearances at the DGAs earlier in the evening. Jeremy Renner cracked up at something Amber Tamblyn said, and the actor has a lot to smile about this week after earning his second consecutive Oscar nomination. Minka Kelly gave a sweet smile as she posed with 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer. She is in the midst of promoting The Roommate and may have an exciting new project on her hands as one of the new Charlie's Angels. Jon Hamm looked dapper as usual and is the sexy guy you'll be keeping an eye on today. The SAGS red carpet starts soon so look back at highlights of the star-studded shows of the past and stay tuned here and on BuzzSugar tonight for updates from all the action!

How Well Do You Know Your Bens?

PopSugar — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:44:01 PST

We're testing you to see how well you know the difference between some of our favorite same-named celebrities! You already tested your skills identifying Ryans, Rachels, Jessicas, and Toms, and now it's time to test your knowledge of Bens - Affleck, McKenzie, and Stiller. Good luck!

Question 1 of 10

Which Ben was Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher?

Ben Affleck and Ben McKenzie Share a Common Bond

Katie Henry — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:51:15 PST

Ben McKenzie suited up yesterday to shoot Southland in LA. His cop drama made Buzz's list of returning midseason shows they're excited to see - which are you most enthusiastic about? The executive producer of the series, John Wells, has an eye for good-looking Bens, having also worked with Ben Affleck on The Company Men, which opens nationwide tomorrow. John and Ben Affleck's movie actually debuted at Sundance last year, though there have been reshoots since that early screening to create the finished product. We caught up with Mr. Affleck in 2010, and we'll be back in Utah this week to report the latest from 2011's festival - make sure to follow us on Twitter for updates on the new crop of films!

Kellan Celebrates the Art of Audi's Progress in Miami

PopSugar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:00:00 PST

Kellan Lutz is fresh off his whirlwind press tour for New Moon, and he headed to Miami last night to let off a little steam. He joined Christina Ricci, Lucy Liu, and Chris Noth at a bash celebrating the release of the new Audi A8, which Kellan could surely appreciate due to his experience with the car-loving Cullens. Kellan isn't the only member of the Twilight gang still accruing frequent flier miles - Ashley Greene has also been doing her fair share of traveling. Kellan's beach buddy AnnaLynne McCord didn't join him on this particular trip to Florida, but she did address their relationship while out last night - check out today's PopSugar Rush to see what she had to say!

To see more of Kellan, Christina, and more, just read more.

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Images include: Kellan Lutz, Christina Ricci, Ben McKenzie, Chris Noth, Lucy Liu

Pilot Watch: Southland

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:30:25 PDT

In addition to Harper's Island and Parks and Recreation, tonight also brings a new police drama to TV. Southland starts tonight in ER's old time slot. I recently checked out the first episode (which is also streaming online), and here are my initial thoughts:

What's it about? Set in Los Angeles, the story is about the police officers that patrol the sprawling city and the criminals and victims that affect their lives.

Who's in it? Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz, Regina King, Tom Everett Scott, Kevin Alejandro

The good: It makes sense that a show slipping into the time period occupied for so long by ER would have the same feel: It's a big ensemble drama with lots of characters to meet; it's got high production values; it's a sweeping story that keeps moving, covering multiple cases in the first 40 minutes. The acting is generally strong, especially from King in one scene near the end. It's definitely ambitious, attempting to cover a good deal of the problems plaguing Los Angeles in just a single episode.

The bad: Some of the dialogue is downright cringe-worthy, and it can feel like a paint-by-numbers version of a cop show as a result, with characters saying things like, "This is a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth." Just because the characters are well-established from the start doesn't mean I want to spend more time with them, and a few - especially the most sexist of the bunch, who were given a lot of harsh lines but few redeeming moments in the pilot - just rubbed me the wrong way. It's a little like The Wire Lite, which just made me want to pull out my DVDs of The Wire instead.

Will I watch? I might check in from time to time. I'm curious to see the structure of future episodes, because the first one is very focused on McKenzie's rookie cop character and his mentor, but I assume the show will branch out before long.

To check out some photos and a preview clip, just

Celebs Get Creative With Spore

GeekSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:00:55 PDT

I am not the only one stoked about the upcoming release of Spore! Geeky celebs are getting in on the action and creating their creatures, too. With the Sporelebrity challenge, you can vote for your favorite creation brought to you by some pretty hard-hitting stars like Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, and the funny dudes from Flight of the Conchords, just to name a few.

Check out some of my personal faves in this slideshow, and then head over to Sporelebrity Central and vote for your favorite creation!

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Red Carpet Mad Men Madness, Season Two Is Almost Here!

Molly — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:01:00 PDT

The cast of Mad Men stepped out of the 60s and into 2008 for the red carpet season two premiere party in LA earlier this week. Gorgeous January Jones and Jon Hamm looked picture perfect together while Christina Hendricks showed off a new shade of red joined by some non costars like Kate Walsh and Ben McKenzie. If you haven't started watching this show yet, I totally recommend it as just about every critic out there. Plus, it made history with its Emmy nominations! The show is finally back this Sunday, cannot wait, I just keep watching the season two previews and reading their TCA hints of what to expect when the show returns over and over.

To see more from the premiere just read more

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Images include: January Jones, Jon Hamm, Alison Brie, Melinda McGraw, Ben McKenzie, Dana Delaney, Christina Hendricks Source

88 Minutes: Actually 105 Minutes, And Feels Longer

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:30:25 PDT

I fear for the future of Al Pacino's career. If 88 Minutes is any indication - and I think it might be - he should stop. Now. Or stick to cameos because his near-constant presence in 88 Minutes is an exercise in frustration. And sure, much of the movie is frustrating. It's not all his fault, not by a long shot. I'm just so baffled by how an actor so revered could have one facial expression to offer. I fear he'll fall into the same category as Diane Keaton - every performance one-note, and that note makes us cringe. It makes me wonder if there's really much there at all. And that sucks.

The movie follows the successful Seattle forensic psychiatrist and professor Jack Gramm (Pacino, with an extra six inches of puffy hair adding to his height) whose testimony in the trial of serial killer Jon Forster (Neal McDonough) helped send Forster to death row. However, now that the killer's execution date has arrived, there have been murders occurring in the city that mirror Forster's, casting doubt on his guilt and causing his lawyers to call for a stay of execution. Meanwhile, Gramm receives a phone call telling him he has 88 minutes to live. This is where the story actually picks up a little, so

read more. What follows is a race against time as everyone in Gramm's life becomes suspected of trying to kill him, including his loyal assistant Shelley (Amy Brenneman), his assistant teacher Kim (Alicia Witt) and some of his best students, like Lauren (Leelee Sobieski) and Mike (Ben McKenzie). He runs around, evading bombs and gunmen and fires (and I feel sorry for Pacino that he has to run so much in this film because he seems like he'd prefer to settle in for a nap), trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. In my memory of this movie, I can't distinguish one scene from another. There is no real suspense, no big surprise, no satisfying pull of tension and release. They talk about scary, nasty things, and they show a few yucky images (and, to their credit, the violence is not gratuitous) but there is nothing - absolutely nothing - underlying it all. The most dramatic scene features Al Pacino hurling a cell phone away from him, and the slow motion descent and shattering of the phone. And it's so ridiculous I would have laughed - if I weren't so worried for Al Pacino and his future. To see the trailer and more clips from 88 Minutes check out movies.ivillage.com. Source

Which OC Alum Will Be The Biggest Star?

PopSugar — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 08:13:08 PDT

It's cute to read that the OC boys still hang out and Ben McKenzie was even around to support Adam Brody while he was making the rounds for In the Land of Women. We've seen lots of Adam, Rachel and Mischa since we kissed the OC goodbye, but it doesn't look like Ben has many projects coming up. Hopefully, this will change in the future, but we want to know - which OC alum do you think will be the biggest star?

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