CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.
We’re only three months into 2009, but Maggie Grace can already call ‘09 a successful year. “Taken,” the film in which she co-starred with Liam Neeson, captured more than $100 million at the box office. Rather than take credit for the film’s popularity, she prefers to heap praise on Neeson. “Liam brings so much substance to a genre that doesn't necessarily always have a protagonist we really care about or identify with emotionally,” she says. “His actions have weight. There is enough conflict internally that we gather that a gun is not a toy to him.”
She goes on to say that Neeson was “absolutely lovely” but declines to spill out a long list of things she learned from him. “Acting talk in the press can feel a bit self conscious and odd,” she admits.
That’s a rather refreshing approach for an actress to take. It’s just one of the many ways Grace defies the typical notion of a Hollywood actress. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that she parted ways with her first car, a Saturn that she named Gwenivere. “Proudly writing that [car payment] check every month was a big deal,” she says. “I still remember how many cents were on there!”
Grace hails from central Ohio and recalls that her move to L.A. was a “massive culture shock in many ways.” Nowadays, she says she views the quirks of life in L.A. with “tender affection.” In fact, her visits to Ohio are what cause her a culture shock these days. “I have to really be conscious of not swearing when I am visiting Ohio,” she says. “And [I have to] remember that Velveeta is in fact a food there.”
Huh…I’m from Ohio and don’t know any Velveeta fanatics. That said, I assume Grace’s dining standards have probably increased substantially since her breakthrough in Hollywood. Grace’s stint on Lost propelled her to stardom and her career has maintained that momentum ever since. Except for watching the DVDs, Grace says she no longer keeps up with the show. Yet, she says that she manages to maintain close relationships with many of the cast and crew members. “I'm planning a visit to the island soon!” she says.
Could that visit to the island entail another appearance on Lost now that the show is exploring time travel? “Time travel, you say? hmmm...” Grace responds coyly.
A return to Lost doesn’t seem imminent, but you never know. For the time being, Grace will appear in the upcoming film, “Malice in Wonderland.” Grace explains, “That’s a really fun, offbeat story – a modern riff on the classic Alice tale, but fleshed out with weird, druggy, underworld characters running around.”
This definitely doesn’t sound like your parents’ Alice in Wonderland story.
The production of the film sounds just as unique. Grace says, “We shot it in this quirky corner of England. I definitely felt like I'd fallen down a rabbit hole!”
Let’s hope Grace doesn’t wake up from her fairytale of a career anytime soon.
