Keanu Reeves In Slow Mode
~By RON DICKER, Special to The Courant
With Two In Release, Actor Looks For Right Movie

CAP D'ANTIBES, France -- Hearing Keanu Reeves imitate a Jewish grandmother might surprise you. Hearing him talk about staying in one place is downright shocking.

"Oy, you get older, you want to settle down," the famously itinerant actor says, sounding more like a bad Catskills comic.

Reeves, 41, is in a place that many of us would like to be: stinking rich - thanks to his 15 percent take of "Matrix" sequel ticket sales. He has not worked in a year, content to watch the fruits of his labor hit the screen this summer: the time-travel romantic drama "The Lake House" on June 16 and the sci-fi adaptation of "A Scanner Darkly" on July 7.

In the meantime, he spends his days weaving his motorcycle through the canyons near his permanent Los Angeles home and reading the likes of Thomas Pynchon. He quit his band Dogstar because the other members wanted to tour. He has no work planned. He doesn't need a job. The "Matrix" trilogy netted him more than $100 million.

"It has afforded situations where I could afford to say no," he says. "It's nice to have that situation. I've been in situations where I can't."

Maybe it's the salt air wafting off the French Riviera at the Hotel Du Cap, one of the most elegant settings in the world. Or perhaps it's his pride at attending the recent Cannes Film Festival for the third time. "It's a big deal," he says.

He seems to have transcended his cosmic surfer boy image to an even more positive plane. It is a stage that perhaps his alter-ego Ted from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" might never have comprehended.

Reeves remains inscrutable during this chat in a cliffside ballroom overlooking the Mediterranean. Freshly shaven yet a tad puffy, Reeves doses out small bits of misdirection in between the sincere answers.

But he seems darn glad to be here. He is no longer wed to a film franchise, making him free to explore and be adored and dissed all over again for what some see as stiff acting chops. He will never be invited to teach a Juilliard master class, but he will always be invited to the party.

"Artistically I hope to be able to make films that entertain but also that have redemptive qualities to them," he says. "I'm anxious to see what happens next."

Which brings us to his latest. "The Lake House" reunites him with "Speed" co- star Sandra Bullock as loving pen pals who discover that they are living two years apart.

"It's a little older, a little more mature in terms of leading romances I've had in a film," he says. "It's a sweet romance. Love is good."

"A Scanner Darkly," which Reeves accompanied to Cannes, gave him another sci-fi platform. He landed with a thud in "Johnny Mnemonic" then floated on the mass-market phenomenon of "Matrix," which served deep-dish philosophy on a video game platter.

Based on Philip K. Dick's novel, "A Scanner Darkly" chronicles the paranoid comings and goings of friends (Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson) in the drug-saturated future. Reeves plays a detective whose
addiction splits his personality, compromising his ability to spy. Director Richard Linklater applied the same rotoscoping of his previous film "Waking Life" to make his actors half-cartoon, half-human.

Reeves says he liked the concept of government and business colluding to seize control from citizens. It's "a carnivore aspect" with his character Bob Arctor as the "sacrificial lamb." Reeves scrapes the comment off the top of his head. However, his approach to the role was far more deliberate.

"He's the kind of guy who will call you at night because he's been up thinking about it," Linklater says. "He really digs in thoroughly to what he's doing. He has two gears, and all I saw was the `on' gear."

To some observers, Reeves has operated in neutral through much of his moviemaking life. As if he skated from his hockey playing youth in Toronto through a few arty films such as "My Private Idaho" to mainstream ("Parenthood") to action hero ("Point Break") just by being Keanu. Reeves tried to make it look that easy. He was self-deprecating to a fault, and invited lunkhead perceptions.

Not these days. He says he would like to direct if the right project comes along. "I know it's [going to]be really hard, but I like that." And he would like to return to the stage. "It would either be Shakespeare or a modern play. I don't want to do Brecht." (He played Don John in the Kenneth Branagh's 1993 film version of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing.)

As for his personal life, Reeves remains a sphinx. Fleet Street gossip last year linked him with Diane Keaton after he broke up with "Lake House" castmate Lynn Collins. (Keaton and Reeves were onscreen lovers in 2003's "Something's Gotta Give.") And murmurs about Reeves and Bullock when they attended the Oscars together in March were just murmurs.

But somewhere in the "settle down" part of the conversation was the hint of something permanent - either now or in his heart's desire.

As Reeves' fictional Jewish grandmother might tell him, "From your mouth to God's ears."

Keanu - hunky as ever - and Sandra Bullock - looking darn cute as well - at last night's MTV Movie awards. More at Yahoo Photos.

Keanu will be presenting at the MTV Movie Awards this weekend. The show airs on the 8th of June.

Yay, after finally getting cable last Christmas, I'm going to be able to watch it tape it and fast forward to the Keanu part.

Reeves sure looked good at the Oscars last night. Sandy B. was adorable too.

More handsomeness at the galleries of Keanu A-Z & Club-Keanu.

Jay Mohr's short-lived FOX series - Action! is now available on DVD, according to FilmThreat.com.

You may remember that Keanu had a handjob cameo in the pilot episode.

I recommend picking it up. The complete uncensored 2-disc set is available at Amazon for a mere $14.99 or you can rent it at NetFlix. I've seen a few episodes and it's a hilarious and snarky look at Hollywood.

However, if you'd just like a peep at the Keanu clip, you can click the extended entry...

If the player doesn't work, click here to view it at YouTube.com.

Keanu put on a suit but didn't shave for the Palm Springs event, but he still looks dashing. Charlize looks freaking gorgeous as usual too.

Thanks to POTD for this pic, more to be found at keanureeves.ru (thanks vika), KeanuA-Z, and Club-Keanu, who also has some video as well.

Tonight at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Keanu will present Charlize Theron with the Desert Palm Achievement Award.

Evidently, Charlize was given the choice as to who would present the award to her and she asked that he do it, which is really sweet.

It's a black tie gala so hopefully in the morning we'll have some photos of the hottest penguin ever.

From EmpireOnline.co.uk:

Keanu Reeves has played many roles in his time - the messiah, Buddha, one half of a rock duo that brings about world peace - so he's clearly a man in touch with his spiritual side. That's why he's so perfectly cast as a guru orthodontist in this week's Thumbsucker, the little indie movie that could. We talk to the former Mr. Ted Theodore Logan Esq. about smoking, getting older and robbing banks.

What's Thumbsucker about? Lou Pucci plays Justin, a teenager who still sucks his thumb and the film is all about how he tries to overcome it and the way it affects his family and friends. I play a transcendental dentist who offers him hypnosis to give him strength.

Do you have any horror dentist stories?
I had two of my wisdom teeth pulled out in Toronto when I was younger. And I'll never forget the sound of the pliers and the knee in my chest. It was nasty.

Did you suck your thumb as a kid?
I have not and have never been a thumb-sucker. I did everything else.

Were there any behavioural habits like thumb-sucking that you tried to let go when you were younger?
No. When I was a teenager, I always fantasized about robbing a bank. I mean, it just sounded like fun what with all the plotting and planning, the danger, the treasure.

What was it about the Thumbsucker script that made you want to play a dentist?
It was the humanity of the story. The writing was lovely and a lovely role. My character has several incarnations and I loved his search for meaning of life.

Your character smokes in this movie. Do you?
I smoke too much. In some scenes in Constantine, it was like, Watch Keanu turn green. I smoked so much. It was a lot, it was a lot. I should quit.

Are film sets generally bad for your health? What s the worst injury you ve sustained?I was filming The Replacements and I ran into someone I shouldn't have and I got a stinger. It's where your neck compresses and you lose feeling and the use of your arms. ["eek"--krix]
And I had a general sense of pain. I had a two-level fusion: two vertebrae fused in my neck so there was a lot of concern. But I went and had a MRI scan and was fine. When it first happened I was really scared because I d never had a stinger before. You lose feeling in your arms and your hands. That sensation in me was really intense for about 20 minutes and then the limb aspect of it went away in about two hours.

Did you end up in hospital?
Yeah. I had to go straight to the hospital. I took a handful of Advil and then when I got to the hospital they gave me the good stuff and sent me home with some more of the good stuff and ice and heat. I went back the next day.

What do you look for when you take a role?
I ' always looking to see a vision, to see what's interesting in the piece. Fifteen years ago I wouldn t have asked Francis Ford Coppola, So how do you rehearse? I wouldn t have done that. But sometimes now I find it interesting before I go into it to speak, to share thoughts and feelings. For example, with Mike Mills on Thumbsucker, I met with him and I went along with his process. It's a matter of getting to know each other.

This is a tiny, independent film compared with some of your previous big studio films like Constantine. What are the main differences?
The resources that come into making a movie don't really impact on the relationships inside, in terms of telling a story, for me. Sometimes resources just mean you get to work on a bigger set. Walking on the set for Constantine is a different day than walking on the set for Thumbsucker. But in terms of working on the role, or coming to work, no, it's not different. I guess the pressure is less.

Justin's mother is hung up on a soap star. When you were an aspiring actor, which star did you want to meet?
When I was about 15, my stepfather directed Kate Jackson, who played Sabrina in Charlie's Angels, in some movie called Thin Ice. I was a PA on that film so I got to meet her. I remember she was interested in the latest Star Wars movie that was coming out. I bought her a soda and we talked about the new movies.

Are you interested in old Hollywood at all?
The last book I read was a biography on Frank Capra. And I've also read a book on D.W. Griffith so once in a while there seems to be moments where I am interested about the old studios.

What's next? Is it true you've been cast in Stompanato, about the mobster boyfriend of screen legend Lana Turner?
Yeah, I'm meeting with Adrian Lyne and Catherine Zeta- Jones to do a reading of some of the scenes. Hopefully we can get that picture made.

You used to play bass in Dogstar. Is that still happening?
No, not any more. I don't play in a band anymore. I have no idea if I ll do it again but I know right now that I don't play in the band. ["sniff!sob!"--krix]

Are you too old for it? Mick Jagger is on the road and he's 63
The guy is a living legend though. That's what he does.

You're now in your 40s. Are you slowing down?
I'm making all the noises that a post-40 man makes. [laughs] I make that walk to the bathroom in the morning. I never used to lean against the wall. [Laughs] I am that guy.

Keanu apparently strapped on the penguin suit last night to appear at the 20th annual American Cinematheque Award gala honoring actor Al Pacino in Beverly Hills. The show will be telecast on the AMC cable channel on January 22.

Photos from Yahoo News.

"Reeves is delightful in a part that surely doesn't echo his own Zen-space-cadet offscreen image by mere coincidence. (Hearing him shrug "I was lost in a cloud of hippie psychobabble" is one of many deadpan highlights here.)" - Variety (Sundance)

"Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci) is seventeen and still sucking his thumb. It's hell on his school and sex life. His guru orthodontist (Keanu Reeves in a hilarious cameo) clouds the issue with "hippie psychobabble." But when Justin is medicated for his attention-deficit disorder, the numbnut becomes a narcissist who leads the debating team to victory. The change shocks his coach (a terrific Vince Vaughn) and his parents (Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio), who turn out to be just as screwed up as Justin. Debuting writer-director Mike Mills -- remember the name -- brings heart and sting to Walter Kirn's novel. Pucci is an actor to watch: He rides this spellbinder without softening the truths that plague the thumbsucker in all of us."-Rolling Stone

"In the world of the goofy yet salient, Vince Vaughn, Benjamin Bratt, and especially Keanu Reeves all bring welcome humor and varying shades of strangeness." -FilmThreat.com

"Mike Mills doesn't suck And neither does his new film, Thumbsucker - I was amazed with the time it took to instill its characters with huma nism and compassion and draw great performances out of stars like a hilarious New Age-damaged Keanu Reeves, frumpy mom Tilda Swinton, and newcomer lead Lou Pucci. Dude goes from finger-licking nerdy to meds-enhanced overachiever and back." -SF Bay Guardian

"'Thumbsucker' works, in part due to the strength of Lou Pucci's superb lead performance and, in part, because however derivative the movie may be, none of its predecessors featured Keanu Reeves playing a Zen dentist who possesses the answers to life's Big Questions. That those answers change three or four times during the movie shows that Mills possesses a knowing sense of humor about his subject, and that Reeves continues to fashion a solid career parodying his dudeness." - Los Angeles Daily News

"the weirdly Zen Dr. Perry Lyman" - Netflix

"pitch-perfect deadpan styling" - BoxOffice.com

"Dr. Perry Lyman, tries hypnotherapy, urging Justin to invoke his "power animal" - a deer in the forest, as it turns out - for help in casting out his organic pacifier. As played by Keanu Reeves in a nicely self-parodic turn, pensive stoner Lyman isn't a quack; indeed, if Freud was onto anything in attributing oral fixation, and the catastrophic dentistry that goes with it, to bad parenting, then every orthodontist should cross-train as a shrink."-Village Voice

"But perhaps the biggest revelation is Reeves. So often derided for his laconic personality, and outside of the first Matrix movie, totally wasted by Hollywood, he makes a triumphant return to his indie roots with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Lyman's a great character - over the course of the movie, he goes through nearly as big an evolution as Justin does. Reeves, sending up that laidback persona that made him famous, is simply hilarious."- REEL.com

Also, Moviephone has another clip up where you can see part of Keanu's wonderful performance.

Tilda Swinton has some nice things to say about Keanu in this FilmStew.com article. Excerpt below, read the whole thing here.

But Swinton argues that even as he has risen to become one of the biggest names in Hollywood, Reeves has always opted for more interesting choices. "I think it can be seen that Keanu is always making experimental films, actually. I do find his filmography extraordinary."

"If you think about it, there have been these amazing moments in sort of film development - he's kind of always been there for them. Bill and Ted, even Speed or Point Break, or the first Matrix, and My Own Private Idaho," she observes.

"He's always been there. It just shows how damned bright he is. Even Constantine was Francis Lawrence's first feature film and really did feel very experimental while we were making it," she continues. "And again he was there. I think that's his natural place. That's the way I read him; he's not easily frightened."

Reeves, of course, is often derided for his laidback, laconic style (which he lampoons brilliantly in Thumbsucker) and Swinton is quick to leap to her co-star's defense. "The thing that people need to remember about him is that he's so much more than an actor. He's a serious, serious movie star. I mean, if you think of Gary Cooper, for example, who's so much more than an actor. He's iconic in that way. He's so much better than a good actor. There's so much more to him, so much more than the sum of his parts."

I thought I'd prop myself up today in order to say congratulations to Sandra Bullock of her star on Hollywoood's Walk of Fame. Of all Keanu's co-stars, Sandy strikes me as the one I'd most like to hang out with.

Her star is right next to Keanu's in front of the Kodak Theater. Some pics of the ceremony can be found at Yahoo News.

When Keanu got his star last month, Sandra took out a cute ad in The Hollywood Reporter for him, and I was very curious to see how he'd reciprocate.

Thanks to the wonderful Joz for sending me the text of the ad, found in today's HR.

Dear Sandra,

Congratulations on your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I think they should have given you two

... or three

... or four.

All of my love,

Keanu

What a swell guy.

(also, once again I'd like to thank everyone for their cards and emails. I'm still trying to take it easy, but I promise to eventually respond to everyone. Love to you all ~k)

Keanu's now in Berlin, for Berlinale (film festival). I believe he's pulling double promotion duty for both Thumbsucker and Constantine.

The lovely Petra sends a summary of the Thumbsucker press conference...

"The press conference lasted about 30 minutes. Keanu attended, along with Lou Taylor Pucci, Mike Mills, Linda Swinton and two of the producers.

The first question was if they had had any childhood nicknames.
Keanu said he had "a couple of nicknames [...] Kiki" - he repeated this once or twice, as if he was trying to choose one, and then said: "I'll say Kiki."

Another question to Keanu was about his impression of Berlin and whether he speaks any German. He didn't answer the first part of the question, but he started speaking German! "Morgen, Morgen, nur nicht heute, (sagen?) alle faulen Leute." ("Tomorrow, tomorrow, please not today - this is what all lazy people say.") His pronunciation was actually quite good! After a short pause, he said: "Ich liebe Berlin." ("I love Berlin.")

He was also asked what it was like to play a dentist, after all his other performances in The Matrix, Constantine etc. Being a dentist is an awful profession...
Keanu said he should ask Lou what it was like, and then said what we read before somewhere, that he nearly poked Lou's eye out.

[...]

Another question: it's an ususual story - what got you into the story, why did you say 'yes' to it?
Keanu replied that he agreed with Tilda - sorry, I didn't write down what she said and as soon as Keanu started speaking I at once forgot everything Tilda had said. Keanu then said it was the script, and meeting Mike Mills. The interaction between the child and the parents, the child's development. He met Mike, and what with the script - he basically said "when do we shoot?" as soon as he met Mike.

Part of the next question was about doing "equal justice to the perspective of the boys and the parents". Keanu said: "Perry is kind of an orphan", who is giving mentoring, advice. Advice "that he collects on his own way", when making his own experiences.

Keanu was then asked what it is like to be on a festival tour 24 hours a day, first Sundance, now the Berlinale - and does he have a survival kit?
He answered that his survival kit is "being with the people you made the film with". He talked about the experience of "being part of the film", and that it's a privilege, and that this is the main thing during such a promo tour.

Another journalist asked them whether they had any particular philosophy in life.
Keanu said we all have teachers, coaches. And there are the people he worked with. And a particular philosophy - he is still "figuring it out", "learning", "life experience". Then he said, in a special tone, that the had "not found THE ONE [philosophy] yet", repeated this, and added, after a short pause: "Do you"?

Keanu was then asked whether he likes going to the dentist. He said: "I love the dentist, I love the shot in the gum for half an hour." (I'm not sure whether there was something else here.) "I love what dentists do - it's fantastic."

Another journalist talked about low-budget movies, said that a few of them are shown at the Berlinale tomorrow, and what does everybody think about low-budget movies in the US, and are they interested in low-budget film productions in Berlin?
Keanu: "Of course!" He said that it's "just about telling stories", "that's what we love to do", "no matter what scale", and that the main thing is "just to show..." [the work].

That's about it. There was another question, and I heard the journalist mentioning Constantine, and I could see and hear Keanu talking to the
others, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. My impression was that he did not want to answer a question about Constantine at a Thumbsucker press conference, but I may be wrong.
I also loved what Lou, Linda and Mike had to say. At one point, there was quite an animated conversation going on between them and Keanu. They were talking about improvising, and Keanu asked whether a certain line was improvised. My impression was that the cast and crew got along very well, that the atmosphere at the set was very relaxed and big fun (Tilda confirmed that early on), and that Keanu really likes this movie and supports it as much as he can."

Thank You, Petra!

Moviephone has some Constantine content and also tells us that he gets all swoony watching Wim Wender's Wings of Desire.

Looks like Keanu lost the whiskers for today's Walk-of-Fame event.

Sigh, he cleans up so nice.

More photos can be seen at Yahoo News

UPDATE!
Jenn of justJenn Rants and Raves was there and has some great photos up already!

Aieeeeeee! Lip scar! Swoon!

And a great shot of The STAR as well! (I wonder what the fine is for rolling around naked on it?)
Thanks Jenn!!!

Also, more photos over at Club-Keanu and video at Access Hollywood.com (Thanks Irene!)

DUDE.

I just saw "Keanu" as a FULL-ON Double Jeopardy category.

The lovely Jena has decided to send a letter/petition to the Ellen Degeneres to get Keanu a guest spot on her talk show. If you'd like your name to be included, Click Here to send Jena an email that includes your full name and hometown. Be sure to include the suject line 'Ellen petition'.

Sigh....

It's pouring rain here, and I've got a ton of catching up to do. Is this on stands yet?

The Discovering Buddhism Series, co-narrated by Keanu and Richard Gere is now available on a two DVD set and can be ordered here.

Thanks to Wrygrass and KeanuA-Z.

Keanu's been known to bend over backwards for charity before. Since his bass dance card is no longer full, here's hoping he'll make some Chicago area ARIZONA fans happy and take part in this hockey event.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Miss hockey? Skate for charity.

You won't be able to watch the NHL All-Star Game because it has been cancelled during this locked-out season. But you can play in an All-Star Game of sorts in December.

Former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick is staging "J.R.'s Wicked Weekend," a charity event for the Kita Children's Foundation over Dec. 10-12 in Arizona that includes a round of golf and participation in a fantasy camp-like hockey game.

Your golfing foursome could include the likes of Tony Amonte, Steve Yzerman or Doug Weight, while your linemate in the hockey game might be Mario Lemieux or Mike Modano.

Also invited: hockey-playing actors Kiefer Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., Keanu Reeves and Matthew Perry. For information, call (312) 280-5188.

Note that it only says he's invited, not confirmed so don't go booking a flight just yet.

***Thanks to Carrie for pointing out that this event will take place in ARIZONA, which is like, right next door to Nevada.

However, I have serious, would-not-change-for-anything-not-even-the-chance-to-body-check-Reeves plans that weekend.

A fuzzy-faced, floppy-haired yet still devastatingly dashing Keanu made an appearance at last night's Art for the Heart charity auction in Beverly Hills.

Wanda was there (but arrived too late to see him) and sent some pictures, including a look at the plates that he and Carrie-Anne designed.

Keanu's plate was pink and purple with a red anarchy symbol. Perfect.

I want it.

From Wanda's description the event was quite posh and lovely, thanks to her again for thinking of us and sending the photos.
I've no idea what the final bid was, but I'm hoping that the fine art from keanu and Carrie-Anne fetched a pretty penny for Coachart.

I so want that anarchy plate.

On Thursday, November 4th in Beverly Hills CoachArt.org hosts ART FOR THE HEART - a Silent and Live Auction featuring celebrity co-hosts Lake Bell, Jason Ritter and Marsha Thomason.

Celebrities including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Sean Astin will design a total of 50 unique, heart-shaped plates to be fired and finished by Color Me Mine. They will be displayed gallery-style at Christie's. Each item will be auctioned with a donated personal memorabilia piece. The evening will also include cocktails, food, music and celebrity hosts.

CoachArt is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that provides free lessons in the arts and athletics for underpriviliged children with life-threatening illnesses. Click here for more details.

To purchase tickets and to get an idea of what the plates will be like you can go to StubHub.com's page on the auction. Several items are available for online bidding, unfortunately Keanu's is not one of them at the moment.

Presenter, actor Keanu Reeves poses with Ve Neill, who won Makeup Artist of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival's 2004 Hollywood Awards, in Beverly Hills October 18, 2004. Neill has done makeup for scores of films including 'Beetlejuice' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl.' REUTERS/Fred Prouser

Keanu is listed as a presenter at the Hollywood Film Awards that take place tonight at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Hopefully there will be some pictures of him all dolled up (and shaved!) in the morning.

I'm alternately having NO FUN AT ALL dealing with a fucked up travelocity reservation for my father and having GREAT BIG FUN with the new shredder I bought for the office.

Whee.

I hate gossip, but I love snark and so I'll admit that Defamer has a place in my bookmarks.

And while I'm not really one to track "what he did yesterday" type stuff, I think the fact that Keanu went to go see The Pixies (my favorite band EVAR!) last night at The Greek is, well....blogworthy.

Keanu at a Pixies show.

That's like eight of my fantasies rolled into one.

And yes, though The Defamer brings a little snark into it he tends to save true ridicule for the plethora of deserving Hollywood media whores *cough*Britney*cough*Paris*cough and I have to give him props for knowing that Reeves is playing bass for becky these days.

Of course, it just reminds me that The Pixies will be here in Vegas on the 28th and there's no way I'm paying 120 bucks for gen. admission seating. Fuck that.

Big Love and thanks to Petra for scanning this scruffilicious picture and translating a nice fluffy article from German magazine, Brigitte.

A good name... The man was young and blond, unkempt and absolutely gorgeous. He was hitchhiking. Two women picked him up, both clearly older than him, and at the first motel he and one of them hopped into the creaking bed. Afterwards, the woman was as young and happy as never before in her life. The title of the film was ‘Thelma & Louise’, the teenage hitchhiker’s name was Brad Pitt, who after this memorable little appearance became the biggest movie star and heart-throb of the world. And the moral of this story? No other role can enchant women as much as the role of the younger lover. Another example? Dustin Hoffman’s breathtaking career took off in 1967 with “The Graduate” - in which he plays a young man just out of college, who has a hot affair with one of his parents’ friends. In Keanu Reeves’ case, things are a little bit different, but only a little bit. After all, Keanu Reeves had already been a movie start when every woman in every cinema around the world fell in love with him. He was a big action hero; do ‘Speed’ and, of course, ‘Matrix’ ring a bell? The women who saw these films thought Keanu Reeves was not too bad, and kept on dreaming about Brad Pitt. Until this year, when they discovered Keanu in the funny, romantic film ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. In this film, he plays an extraordinarily well brought-up young doctor, sensitive, with feeling, and charming. And guess who he is in love with? Exactly. Diane Keaton. Who could, without any mathematical sophistries, be his mother. And his love for her is so wonderfully genuine, and he never ever does anything wrong. With this role, Mr Reeves has won every woman’s heart. Without exception. Ask any woman you know. You say, ‘Keanu’, and the woman will blossom and won’t get tired of going into raptures about this marvellous creature’s velvety brown eyes. Without fail. Give it a try! However, what’s funny about this is: For his romantic coming-out, Keanu Reeves had to be nearly 40 years old - his birthday is on 2 September. Which only goes to show once again: The role of the younger lover carries a magic that overrides all rules. -STEFANIE HENTSCHEL

Also, speaking of his scruffiness, Keanuweb has a cute In Touch mag scan on the topic as well...

Thank you to Petra for scanning and translating this article/interview titled "The Tragic Hero" from September's German Cosmo. The scans of the original pages in German, and other photos from the article can be found at KeanuA-Z.

As an actor, he is more successful than most others, but his private life is full of strokes of fate. In September Keanu Reeves turns 40

It is these eyes that enthrall us. They seem dark, mysterious, and always a little sad. Look into them for a second only, and you will immediately want to hug Keanu Reeves. On 2 September, the boyish Hollywood star turns 40 and he has a lot to look back on. While he has reached the peak of blockbuster heights during his acting career, his private life is haunted by blows, tragedies and deaths. Keanu Reeves, who grew up in Toronto, does not talk about the dark hours of his life. But he talks about his latest film "Something's Gotta Give", his next project "Constantine" (in cinemas in February 2005) and his love for rock music and other romances.

In this movie business that loves young stars, are you afraid of your 40th birthday?

No, I don't feel that young. I am as old as I am. It won't be a special birthday. Either I will be alone in the desert, or it will be an outrageous party.

People say that the camera loves you. Do you take that as a compliment?

I can't identify with that, but I understand what they mean. The picture on the screen has little relation to reality, and in my case the camera probably hides more optical flaws than it does with others.

At the beginning of your career, would you have thought about being a Hollywood favourite?

No, I didn't have a plan, only hope. I was hoping to be able to work as an actor and to master this craft, make good movies and be on stage with high-class theatre productions.

Your first film role was in "Youngblood" at the age of 22. When did you say: Okay, now I am a real, established actor?

I haven't said so until today, honestly. I am challenging myself. Anthony Quinn once said to me: "The feeling of uncertainty will never leave you, inwardly you will always be looking for work."

Can you remember when you were recognized for the first time?

Of course. That was when I bought ice cream with a friend of mine. It was 1987, a hot day, and the guy behind the counter didn't want us to pay for the ice cream. He said: "Because of 'River's Edge!'" So we took the cones for free.

How do you nowadays deal with a society that does not respect an actor's private life?

I try to take it with dignity. You always hope that people won't climb over garden walls to take a picture of you when you are walking into the kitchen naked. I count on every person I meet to be at least reasonably respectful.

Given your celebrity status, how do you master your everyday life?

When I go out, I need a lot of luck and skill not to be beleaguered by fans. The magic word is inconspicuousness. Before a big premiere, however, there is no use in even trying. People are already taking your picture as you walk out of your car.

In your latest movie "Something's Gotta Give", your character is very interested in Diane Keaton. Can you empathise with this fascination for an older woman?

To some degree. But I've never dated an older woman. Sorry, I shouldn't say this, but to rave about an older woman's beauty takes some experience of life. After all, we are living in a culture that celebrates youth. Although youth craze isn't the whole truth...

Do you believe in true love and spiritual kinship?

Yes, absolutely, I believe in that.

How do you define romantic?

For me, romantic is sharing intimacy with another person, looking inside, but also to enjoy a sense of place to the outside. Romantic is awareness of life, it is about existing together in the here and now. Sometimes a beautiful place can reinforce this feeling. But this kind of romanticism works only on good days.

So you are more of an occasional romantic?

I am not sure. At any rate, being hopelessly in love is very beautiful. And dangerous.

What music did you choose for romantic hours when you where a teenager?

What do you mean, teenager? I still like the music from those times. The Ramones, The Violent Femmes, The Clash... When I discovered that music my world suddenly got better. I danced [to this music], felt life's pulse beat, the vibrating feeling of existing.

Was there a time where emotional vibrations were especially strong?

With a woman called Penny. She had a great stereo in the car, you could take the speakers out and stick them onto the roof. We did that one evening in the park and danced all night long. That was one of the good days...

What happened to your band Dogstar?

We are hibernating. I now play bass in a band called Becky, we will be playing some gigs soon.

Who are you playing in your next movie, the comics-adaptation "Constantine"?

A doomed guy who tries to escape from hell and even bargains with angels. I was attracted by his connection with god, which is, at the same time, his relation to the world. He is full of anger and ambiguity. There is one line which I like especially: "God has a plan for all of us. Some people like their plan, others don't." A fascinating character.

What are the criteria when you choose a role?

Most of the time it is my gut feeling. The script, the story, the character have to match my feelings.

After your rather long career, is it difficult for you to still let new people into your life?

My character, my mind, and my true self haven't changed because of the career. I always trust people until they show me that they aren't worth it.

It looks like one of those interviews that's sort of pieced together from other sources, but it's still quintessential Keanu.

Thanks again to Petra

Big Love to Lisa, who sent me the "Self-Esteem" issue of Choices magazine (published by Scholastic, found in better high school libraries everywhere) from 1988. Esteem issues? Moi?

OK, she really sent it because it has a Keanu article.

The text of the main article is "after the jump", which is how all the cool kids are saying "in the extended entry" these days. I'm feeling better about myself already.

Keanu Reeves: Growing Up on the Move By James A. Baggett What's it like when you're always "the new kid"? Movie celebrity Keanu Reeves, star of The River's Edge and Permanent Record shares his story.

His name (pronounced Kay-AH-new) is Hawaiian, but that's just about the only place this 23-year-old actor hasn't lived. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Chinese-Hawaiian father and an English mother, Keanu Reeves--the star of The River's Edge and Permanent Record-was raised in such assorted places as Australia, New York, and Toronto.

"I went to four high schools in five years," -says Keanu, who took acting classes-after hockey practice-while in high school in Canada. "It's difficult being uprooted and having to change your environment.-It's hard moving to new places, making new friends, and leaving behind your old neighborhood. But it's part of growing up."

Now that he's "grown up," Keanu can look back with wiser eyes on the experience of moving around. At the time, always being the new kid on the block wasn't so cool. "Going to all those different high schools was not that heavy, now looking back on it," he says. I wouldn't say it was a traumatizing experience, but it seemed like it then. That was the most difficult period for me, puberty."

Like a lot of new kids, Keanu sometimes had trouble fitting -in. "I was a loner in. high school," he says. "I wasn't like a lot of my peers."

How did he cope? He tried not to -focus on school life too much. "I was in high school, but sort of out of school at the same time," he explains. Sports were one outlet. Music was another. "I would listen to Randy Newman and eat tuna fish and crackers," he says. "I'd play basketball and hockey, and listen to the Beatles." When he wasn't doing well in school, finding something that he could do well -such as hockey - helped hold his ego together.

HIS BIG REGRET

Keanu dropped out of school at 16, about the same time he decided to become an actor. "Sometimes I regret not finishing high school," Keanu says. "But, I was just trying to live my life." To his credit, Keanu continued: to study after leaving school. (Many dropouts don't.) "I took a lot of one-night classes and one-week intensive things," he says.

Luckily, Keanu was beginning to work as an actor -- in spite of flunking acting class (The Screen Actors' Guild in New York City estimates that 90 percent of actors are unemployed at any one time.) He won a role in the Canadian television series Hanging In. U.S. audiences first saw Keanu in 1986's Youngblood, with Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze. He was also in the CBS Movie of the Week Under the Influence, about the relationship between an alcoholic father (Andy Griffith) and son.

But it was his part in The River's Edge, one of last year's most controversial and acclaimed films, that established Keanu as a star. The film is about a group 4 teens who protect a friend ' who murdered his girlfriend: Keanu played the boy who eventually goes to the police.

This year, Keanu took on a role in a film that deals with another serious issue: teen suicide. In Permanent Record, he played a kid coping with his best friend's suicide. "It's really about friendships and relationships, but it's also twisted," Keanu says, using one of his favorite words.

This fall, Keanu tackles two more "twisted" movie roles. In the comedy The Prince of Pennsylvania, he plays an oddball who kidnaps his dad. In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Keanu plays a teen who, with a buddy, travels through time. The pair round up a team of history's all-stars, including Socrates, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Beethoven - to help with a vital final exam.

Though Keanu says casting agents aren't breaking down his door, he has been working steadily. "My mom said you either go to school or get a job," Keanu says. "She's happy I'm not an unemployed bum ... yet."

GOOD TRAINING

As it turns out, moving around a lot was good training for an actor's life. Keanu has worked recently in Pennsylvania, Rome, and Munich. He's now in Paris filming Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a movie set in the 1800s.

When he's not working, Keanu enjoys being a homebody in Los Angeles (his base for the last two years). He reads " science fiction and "twisted" Russian fables, rides his motorcycle, and is teaching himself to play electric bass. "I'm a hack," he, says. "I have no rhythm or anything. But I love the sound the bass makes. It's therapy."

The Best TV Shows that Never Were - tonight at 8pm on ABC (USA), said to have some Keanu content in one of the clips. I'm 99% sure that it's going to be the clip of him at the movies with Illeana Douglas' hand down his pants from the pilot of Jay Mohr's cancelled series: "Action", but I'll be taping just in case.

If you haven't seen Keanu's handjob appearance in "Action", you can download a zipped RealMedia file of the clip from Keanu.org's multimedia section.

***update: OK, I was wrong. Check the comments where Renie reports that it's a young Keanu in the promo spots, possibly for a scrapped pilot for a Brotherhood of Justice teevee show. Oh, I'm definitely taping this.

Extra TV tonight showed Keanu and Djimon talking Constantine at Comic Con.

And Keanu, star of the new supernatural thriller "Constantine" commiserated with his co-star, Djimon Hounsou, about his next project -- birthday number 40. But don't feel too sorry for him. "I'm gonna do everything, I'm gonna get the car, the girl, the young girl," he revealed. "No, at least have a birthday cake."

And there's a much longer clip in the "extra bytes" section on the Extra webpage.
-via club-keanu

Quit messing with my belief system, Keanu.

Now, I'm positively clueless about how Hollywood works, but as I understand it if you're someone famous and recognizable you don't go to The Ivy for lunch if you don't want to be photographed.

So what's the deal? How am I supposed to sustain my uppity self-righteous anti-razzi attitude when there's not a goddamned thing to blog and my nose is rubbed in this sort of thing? Huh? HUH?

I know you're not stupid, Reeves. You coy motherfucker. I can only guess that this was some sort of trade-off to keep the shutterbugs off of your doorstep. Or maybe you're up for a project and need to get that scruffy mug on a page six somewhere. The waving is a nice touch.

Foxy like a craze.

Oh! Maybe you're a SPY! and there's some sort of message encoded in your beard growth and the way you're holding the cigarette. Brilliant, except now I've cracked your cypher and you have to go back to transmitting via your bass frequency morse pulses once again.

Fine. You obviously know what you're doing.

I'll link to the photos, but not because I'm OK with this sort of thing, and not because of how fucking hot you look in those jeans.

Although you do.

Damn.

They just mentioned Keanu on The Today Show in a segment on Hollywood and stupid unusual baby names. I love his name and think his parents made a great choice. Mentioning the Cool Breeze was out of place in the spot which talked about Zowie Bowie and the Zappa kids and some of the interesting choices that some famous folks have made for thier kids. Remind me to ask Rob Morrow about naming his daughter Tu if I ever meet him. Evidently the Cox-Arquettes named their new baby, Coco. Which I think is a little cute even though it makes me think of a poodle.

WTF, E! ????

They really are egregious.

Thanks Jena for the info that E! news (ON CABLE. NOT ONLINE.)has SHOWED some footage of Keanu at Friday night's fashion show event in Austin. "It's short, but it's worth tuning in," she says.

Thanks to POTD for this fresh pic of Keanu from last night's charity fashion show that was part of the Dennis Quaid Classic events this weekend.

Check out the Club's gallery for more scruffy-yumminess.

Keanu won last year and he's in the running for a Teen Choice Award again for Actor: Drama/Action Adventure. You can vote here.

Club-Keanu has some updated info on this weekend's Charity Event in Austin.

Don't hit the greens looking for Keanu, the gala on Saturday night, featuring a performance by Dennis Quaid's band is where you want to be.

Keanu A-Z reports that the SCORE website has a video clip of a news story on last summer's NHL-Hollywood game. There's some great footage of Keanu and Paulie goofing pre-game. Go here and scroll down for links to the clip in Real Media and Quicktime formats and some photos too.

Keep your eye on the SCORE website, hopefully there will be a similar event this year. I'm so lucky I got to watch Keanu tend goal last August. It was such a great experience. I hope his schedule allows him to play again and if he does, I'm there.

According to this USA Today Article, Keanu may be playing "bad golf for a good cause" next weekend (June 4-6)at the Jiffy Lube/Dennis Quaid Charity Classic in Austin, Texas

"Expected to compete in the golfing weekend are Hollywood linksters Keanu Reeves, Luke Wilson, Greg Kinnear, Frankie Muniz and Leslie Nielsen. Quaid's band The Sharks will perform with help from Don Felder of the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac's Billy Burnette. The fundraiser will also benefit three local charities – the Austin Children's Shelter, Any Baby Can and the Children's Medical Center of Central Texas."

You know, I've had a little crush on Dennis ever since Enemy Mine.

If you've been toying with the idea of skipping down to Austin to catch a glimpse of Reeves (and I know some of you have), rather than hovering around the Scanner Darkly production, why not hit the green for a good cause instead? And if you really want to get up to your elbows in celebs in plaid pants (Hello? Wilson brother alert!) then why not see about volunteering?. I'm sure Keanu could use someone to lug his clubs around. Who knows, maybe you'll even get the chance to wash his balls.

After last night's game, Calgary leads the Stanley Cup Series, 1-0.

Here's the game schedule if you're interested in watching the whole series:

Game 1: CAL wins 4-1
Game 2: May 27 @ TAM, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3: May 29 @ CAL, 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: May 31 @ CAL, 8 p.m. ET
*Game 5: June 3 @ TAM, 8 p.m. ET
*Game 6: June 5 @ CAL, 8 p.m. ET
*Game 7: June 7 @ TAM, 8 p.m. ET
* if necessary
Games 1-2 on ESPN, CBC, RDS, NHL Radio
Games 3-7 on ABC, CBC, RDS, NHL Radio

I'll have to wait until the ABC broadcast on Saturday to try and catch Keanu's ad. For now, there are some screen grabs over at Club-Keanu.

SpikeTV airs the Taurus World Stunt Awards tonight at 9pm.

Keanu Reeves featured in NHL advertising campaign

NEW YORK - Movie star Keanu Reeves is the latest in a series of celebrities to participate in the NHL's "HOCKEY ... GET IT? GET IT!" brand advertising campaign.

The spot entitled "Sacrifice," written and produced by NHL Productions, features Reeves articulating the unique sacrifice and price NHL players must pay to win hockey's holy grail - the Stanley Cup.

"When the physical pain begs the mind to quit...will your heart press on?" says Reeves. "Will you sacrifice body and soul to focus on one singular purpose, one unified desire, one perfect dream?" ["Imagining him saying these words makes my pants wet" -krix]

The ad debuts on the NHL on ESPN, May 25 during the Stanley Cup Final and will air throughout the Final on ESPN, ABC and CBC.

Reeves, raised in Toronto and a Canadian citizen, is an avid hockey player and fan. One of his childhood jobs was sharpening skates at a local ice rink skate shop.

The "HOCKEY ... GET IT? GET IT!" campaign began airing in October 2003, and has starred entertainers from the film, television and music industries, including Michael Vartan, Jim Belushi, Denis Leary, Kiefer Sutherland and Shania Twain, along with Olympic Medalists Michelle Kwan and Kristi Yamaguchi.

It's always nice to wake up to fresh Keanu photos.

Here are some images taken at last night's World Stunt Awards (sponsored by Red Bull! Why was I, their keanuphile spokesmodel, NOT INVITED?) from Yahoo News (via POTD)

Yeah, the third one is my favorite too.

-More scruffy Keanu goodness from last night can be found over at Club-Keanu's gallery.

Between his work in films like Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love to Boogie Nights and his brilliant portrayal of Lester Bangs in Almost Famous, I've considered Philip Seymour Hoffman to be one of the great and versatile actors of my generation. I've always hoped he was kind of a "hell of a guy" as well, and it certainly seems so from this interview in Tuscon Weekly. (via keanua-z.com)

Keanu content below...

What about the films you're in ... why did you pick Magnolia, Almost Famous, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Owning Mahowny?

PSH: For the diversity. I think there's a diversity in character; I also think there's a diversity in filmmaking, ranging from a really hard-core independent style, to a kind of broader commercial picture. Those were really the two criteria: diversity of filmmaking and diversity in characters.

On that diversity of character: You're a very studied actor ... if you saw Keanu Reeves at a party, what tips would you have for him?

PSH: I don't think there's anything Keanu doesn't know. I heard he went and played Hamlet at some theater once, and I see the things he does, and it's like, he's just another actor struggling to try to get better. And I am, too. I just don't get into that "he's someone to put down" kinda thing. Acting's a really hard thing to do, after all, and some people, I think, do it easier than others. But I do think that some people get better, and I also think some people do take it seriously, and I have a feeling he's somebody who probably does, that he struggles like everybody else to try to do it well. But if I saw him, I'd probably ask him for tips, to be quite honest, my friend. I'd be like, "So, how did you get in that first Matrix movie? How'd you swing that?"

But you're not aiming at a blockbuster, apparently.

PSH: No. But ending up in one is not a bad thing. I get offered them, and I'll say no if I don't like the part. But there are those opportunities that are worth taking, like the Matrix--I like that movie. So I'd ask, "How'd you get that job?"

You'd have been good as Neo. So, of the TV show remakes, which part have they offered you: Epstein, Wojo, Schneider? Father Mulcahey? They offer you Father Mulcahey?

PSH: Cat Woman.

Oh, you'd be a great Cat Woman!

PSH: I don't think I was actually offered that, though.

I need to bump Owning Mahoney up on my Netflix queue...

Thanks to Nudel for this scan from Premiere magazine's Power List issue.

Keanu's moved up fourteen places.

Yay him.

MTV news encapsulates what's up with Keanu currently on their movie news page:

Pretty soon you'll be able to add Keanu Reeves to the list of actors who have starred in movies based on one of the late Phillip K. Dick's sci-fi stories, a list that includes Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Total Recall"), Tom Cruise ("Minority Report") and Ben Affleck ("Paycheck"). Similar to his technique on "Waking Life," director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused") plans to shoot live-action scenes for "A Scanner Darkly" with Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson and then have the footage turned into animation. Reeves will next be seen with Vince Vaughn in "Thumbsucker" and in next year's "Constantine," based on DC Comics' "Hellblazer." ... Reeves, meanwhile, will receive an honorary award for Best Action Movie Star at the upcoming World Stunt Awards. The ceremony, hosted by Carmen Electra and Dennis Hopper, will air May 26 on Spike TV with "Kill Bill, Vol. 1," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Bad Boys II," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "The Last Samurai" among the top nominees. ...

Also, an article on Polyphonic Spree that mentions Thumbsucker:

[Polyphonic Spree's Tim] DeLaughter is also scoring a movie by independent filmmaker Mike Mills called "Thumbsucker," which is based on a novel by Walter Kirn. "It's about a 17-year-old who still sucks his thumb, so the music is really playful and fun. It's got some hints of the Polyphonic Spree, but there's also stuff that sounds nothing like Polyphonic."

Still no other news on the release of Thumbsucker.
I'd hoped that it would be ready for Cannes, but it isn't listed.

• KeanuWeb reports that Lou Taylor Pucci's site reports that:

  Lou [..] was reshooting scenes For "Thumbsucker" with Director Mike Mills, Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Tilda Swinton, in fact he said he felt like he was in "The Matrix" as he was shooting scenes in the daytime with Keanu and at night with Carrie-Anne Moss [who just joined the cast of Lou's newest project, titled "The Chumscrubber"]...

• USA Today (and a bunch of other sources) reports that Keanu will be honored for his work in action movies at the upcoming Taurus World Stunt Awards, which are scheduled to air on May 26 on SpikeTV.

  The awards, which recognize the men and women who put their lives at risk to make fights, explosions and tall-building falls on TV shows and movies look more realistic, will be presented May 16.

  The 39-year-old Reeves will receive an honorary trophy for best action movie star. His films include The Matrix trilogy, Speed and Chain Reaction.

  "Keanu's work with The Matrix trilogy was some of the best from an actor of his generation," said Gernot Friedhuber, executive producer of the show. "He has consistently shown an ability to learn from the stunt teams on his many films and has expressed a genuine interest in the field of stunt work."

  
  
• becky's Paulie will be tending goal at two charity hockey games this weekend in Calgary and Vancouver. See HollywoodCelebrityHockey.com for details.
  
• Keanu co-star Diane Keaton makes People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful list. The man himself is overlooked once again, which is fine as it allows me to keep up the tradition of NEVER, EVER buying People Magazine.
  
• Vibemerchants officially have a new drummer, and she has a rad haircut (which allows me to usurp her old one, glee!) and completely rocks. Expect gigs as soon as July.
  
• Red Bull comes in handy to carry 4-packs now. Be still my heart......no, really.
  

Club-Keanu reports the Keanu's May 10 taping of Inside the Actor's Studio has been cancelled due to Keanu's film obligations.

Drag.

I know a lot of people (including me) were looking forward to this.

Maybe now there's time to enroll in the Masters Program at the New School University to take advantage of this perk should he appear at a later date...

"Following the interview, students in the Actors Studio Drama School's M.F.A. program participate in a class with the guest."

Can you imagine?

"Today we're going to work on the trust excercise. I want you to cross your arms in front of your chest, close your eyes and fall backwards.

KEANU REEVES WILL CATCH YOU."

(Ok, ok....I know that's like, Acting 101. Still sounds like fun....)

Thanks to Club-Keanu for pointing out that ShoWest's official site has a link to photos taken at the convention that are browsable and actually available to purchase as prints.

I'm just getting a chance to look through the 1000+ images and there are several groups of Keanu photos.

-During the award ceremony for Nancy Meyers

-With Jack Black

- and also graciously posing with other ShoWest attendees.

Don't bother looking at your local newstand for it because Buy magazine is the first all-digital magazine.

This month features Keanu in an article/interview. Most of it is nothing new, but I did like this quote...

What does the concept of destiny mean to you?

KR: Destiny is one of those tricky words. It’s one of those aspects that’s like a particle in a wave. Maybe the wave has a destination but the particle doesn’t quite know what the destination is and yet it’s making itself a part of that wave.

-Thanks to Joy

Canadian friends, set your VCRs, eh?

Next week on April 22nd, The Discovery Channel Canada will air The Great Warming, a documentary made for United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (check my previous entry for more info on the UNFCCC). Keanu co-narrated The Great Warming with Alanis Morissette and you can see some video clips at the documentary's official site. No word on when or if it will air in other countries, including the US.

-via POTD

From Businesswire/Google News:

International Sports and Media Group, Inc. (OTCBB:ISME), and Macias/Clark Media Group, LLC, San Diego, have formed a joint venture to create 5ive Media Entertainment to produce HDTV television productions, "Toy Show" and "Built."

International Sports and Media Group will be aiding in the financing of the television productions through the newly formed 5ive Media Entertainment. The first two TV productions are the "Toy Show," a celebrity infused, action-charged adventure on the Motorcycle, Automobile, Aviation and Marine industries; featuring special guest appearances by Keanu Reeves (Matrix Trilogies, Something's Gotta Give), Tom Arnold (Best Damn Sports Show), Angie Everheart (Jade), just to name a few.

Read the whole press release here...

Kaz sent out this scan of Jude Law and Keanu at ShoWest from Oz mag New Idea.

I have no idea what the caption means.

One of the songs I've learned recently was Something by George Harrison and it reminded me of this article, one of my favorites.

Something in the way he moves

In defense of Keanu Reeves.

By Charles Taylor

Is there anyone in the movies who allows the camera to drink him in the way Keanu Reeves does? Movies have always yielded to performers with charisma and beauty. Sometimes the mechanics of a movie -- plot, dialogue -- can seem frozen for an instant as the camera basks in the person in front of it. There have been histories of the movies written in terms of genres and filmmakers. Perhaps one needs to be written in terms of erotics, the moments that break movies down in our minds into images of faces, bits of movement, a snatch of music on the soundtrack. Those moments seem to reveal other, more delicate, movies inside the one we're watching, as if we were in the midst of reading a novel and a symbolist poem had floated up between the lines.

"The Matrix" has already broken down in my head to moments of Keanu Reeves striding through crowded city streets, dank back alleys and the decaying rooms of ghost town tenements. Reeves' movements have always conveyed an unsettled mixture of eagerness and wariness (just as the combination of his muscular build and fine-boned face convey a mixture of strength and grace). Maybe it's the way he seems to be led forward by his shoulders as he walks, or the way he has of looking from side to side as he strides forward, scanning the scene he's already trudged into. If the film's protagonist, Neo, is a role that Reeves seems born to play, it's because it's the one that allows us to revel in his physicality, which has always been such a strong component of his acting.

Movement is accepted as part of the performance of a dancer or a comic. And certainly talking about the physicality of, say, Olivier as Henry V, or Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet, wouldn't surprise anyone. So why does it still startle some highbrow moviegoers and critics that, in an action movie, the way an actor moves is the performance? In her Entertainment Weekly review of "The Matrix," Lisa Schwarzbaum claims she "can't get [Reeves] in focus as an actor," but as for his "fine form," well that she can "clearly see and appreciate."

I don't think that the way Keanu Reeves looks or the way he moves is all there is to appreciate about the guy. But I often get the feeling that admitting to enjoying his physicality means that I'm failing my critic's responsibility of treating cinema as a serious art form, that having a sensual or kinetic response means abandoning intellect, that I'm forgetting to maintain that even failed or boring or pretentious art is more worthy of serious consideration than successful entertainment.

Let's face it: Love him or hate him, nobody wants to envision the movies without Keanu Reeves. If it weren't for him, what would snobs do to amuse themselves?

No doubt there are people who just don't dig Keanu Reeves. But I've almost never heard anyone content to say they merely dislike him: They loathe him. Subjected to more ridicule than perhaps any other movie star, Reeves is attacked with the enthusiasm people reserve for someone who truly drives them crazy. "Young, dumb and full of cum," is the way Reeves' hard-ass FBI boss describes the character he plays in "Point Break," a line that the Keanu haters themselves might have coined. I'm guessing, but I suspect that part of the vitriol directed at Reeves stems from the way he stirs up all the old arguments about the differences between actors and movie stars. Reeves is also a repository both for the lingering resentment over the attention and devotion that beauty continues to command in pop culture and the way in which he represents a subversion of traditional sex roles

In "Girlfriend," her new book about cross-dressing, Holly Brubach argues that drag sends conventional sex roles topsy-turvy, that while maintaining traditional images of femininity it "upholds the very definitions that it subverts; it is at once radical and deeply conventional." I'd argue the same applies to Reeves. Looking at good-looking people has been one of the great pleasures of the movies since the silents. But the performers who have offered themselves most willingly to the camera have almost always been women. Their seeming passivity has disguised the position of power they hold over the viewer. Ready for worship, they have presented themselves as if they were the sacred icons of pop culture. Men, on the other hand, have traditionally acted to deflect attention from themselves, as if doing anything less would seem unmanly or feminine.

Reeves is one of the few contemporary male stars whose presence acknowledges that people are out there in the dark looking at him. He's not narcissistic, just comfortable with himself, and his slight languidness encourages looking. That willingness to be looked at evokes -- in women as well as men -- a homosexual panic. I don't mean that as a sop to the rumors that have hovered around Reeves' sexuality -- though it's significant that we can conceive of a man comfortable with his good looks only as being gay -- but as a suggestion of how some people still feel threatened by men who don't conform to their ideas of what men should be.

For someone who's been most successful as the star of action movies, Reeves hasn't shown any interest in macho bluster. He may be playing hot dogs in "Point Break" and "Speed," but he doesn't swagger, not even in the scenes with his leading ladies. Like other actors of his generation -- Eric Stoltz, James LeGros, John Cusack -- Reeves is remarkably generous, even deferential, to the women he plays opposite. Look at the scenes between him and Sandra Bullock in "Speed." Reeves doesn't play them as a testosterone-jazzed cop out to show who's in charge -- he treats her as an equal partner in disaster, encouraging, even leaning on her, without once seeming less heroic or masculine.

It's surprising then that audiences that enjoy that sort of gender switcheroo haven't embraced Reeves. Maybe it's because they're the same kind of audiences that buy into fashionable notions about beauty being a false, oppressive standard. Reeves demonstrates that movies have never abandoned their veneration of the beautiful, and he does so at a time when that impulse is deeply suspect.

A film critic I know recently said to me that he thinks people look at Reeves and see nothing going on. He said they weren't looking too hard. Instead of the "serene blankness" Schwarzbaum described, I have almost never seen Reeves play a scene -- regardless of whether he or the movie was good or bad -- where he didn't seem completely concentrated. That commitment may have sometimes worked against him, leading him to appear overly serious in a crummy movie. But I'd prefer that to an actor condescending to a scene by signaling his contempt. Or to the furious scenery chewing that is often praised in the movies as fine acting -- Jennifer Jason Leigh in "Georgia" or "Kansas City"; John Malkovich in "Jennifer Eight" or "Rounders"; Gary Oldman in almost anything.

That sort of showy self-consciousness is often mistaken for off-screen intelligence. Unfortunately, people still assume that actors are the characters they play. Reeves is often talked about as if he is the slow-witted dude he played in the "Bill and Ted" movies. It's almost always his voice and the accents that he affects that's used as evidence against him. Sure, his British accent in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" was noticeably strained, and it's often counted against him. But nobody was good in that movie. (Coppola seemed more interested in his production design than in directing the actors.) If actors are often confused with the roles they play, they are also held accountable for the follies of their directors. Which is also what happened to Reeves in "Little Buddha": Any actor would have looked ridiculous done up in eyeline