Birth nameEric Banadinovich Birth information9 August 1968, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia BioEric Bana was born Eric Banadinovich on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked as a manager for Caterpiller Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovich, came from a German family and was a hairdresser.Young Bana grew up in suburban Melbourne. He was popular among his schoolmates for his talent of making comic impressions of his teachers. At that time he was fond of Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979) and also decided to become an actor. He moved to Sydney and worked odd jobs to support himself. In 1991 he began a career as a stand-up comedian, while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. In 1993 Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's Tonight Live talk show, then joined the 'Full Frontal' TV-series. He gained popularity for making impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruse, and Colombo. In 1996 he started his own show titled 'Eric', then launched a comedy series titled 'The Eric Bana Show'. The show was canceled for the lack of substantial audience, however, in 1997, Bana received the Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedian" for his work on 'The Eric Bana Show' (1997).He made his film debut in 'The Castle' (1997), in a supporting comic role. That same year he was cast to portray Read, the notorious Australian underworld figure. For the role, Bana gained 30 pounds, by eating junk food; he also spent a few days with Read in prison, in order to perfect his mimicry. Bana completely transformed himself into a bald, fat, disturbed criminal. He would arrive on the film set at four in the morning, spending several hours in makeup, being tattooed exactly like Read. Chopper (2000) became an international success and won three Australian Film Institute Awards. Bana won the Best Actor at the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and also the AFI 2000 Best Actor Award. Then he co-starred in Black Hawk Down (2001), then starred in Hulk (2003). In 2002 he was cast as a Trojan Prince Hector in the historical epic Troy (2004), after being recommended by Brad Pitt, who admired Bana for his work in Chopper (2000). In 2005, Bana co-starred with Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush in the political drama Munich (2005) directed by Steven Spielberg.In 1995 he began dating Rebecca Gleeson, a publicist and daughter of Australian High Court Chief Justice, Murray Gleeson. The following year he was named "Bachelor of the Year" by Cleo Magazine, and won a trip for two to the United States. He invited Gleeson, and proposed to her during that romantic trip. In 1997 the two were married; their son, Klaus, was born in 1999, their daughter, Sophia, was born in 2002. He currently resides in Melbourne with his wife and their two children. Bana is a passionate supporter of Australian football.

Judd Apatow has a lot to answer for. In recent years he’s been behind virtually every big comedy hit to come out of Hollywood, and has created bona fide stars in Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, Katherine Heigl and his wife Lesley Mann. It’s his ability to produce masculine, gross-out comedies with sensitivity at their heart that brings in the audiences, and his third feature as director, Funny People, mixes these two elements more than ever before. But is this a good thing, or does it just make for a confused, bland film that aspires to much more than it actually achieves? Many people will already be aware of the plot thanks to the trailer, but a quick recap is always useful. Aging comic superstar George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a lonely playboy, cloistered in his California mansion, addicted to yet bored of the excess of his lifestyle. He »
- Joe West

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Nicolas Cage has dropped out of negotiations for the Seth Rogen-quasi-not-sure-what-it’s-going-to-look-like-is-it-going-to-be-a-comedy-or-played-straight, big-screen adaptation of a ’60s TV show nobody watched, The Green Hornet.
According to Heat Vision Blog, Cage and Columbia/Sony Pictures couldn’t reach a deal which probably means Cage wanted Scrooge McDuck’s vault for his portrayal of shadowy crime figure Mr. X. As Cage returns to obscurity to ponder a sequel to Ghost Rider and a possible go at John Carpenter’s Riot, the good people on the set of Green Hornet wonder who the arch-nemesis will be.
Crazy Critics posted some images of the production showcasing Rogen, hot stuff Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou as Kato. With filming already underway and no word on who will be the villain, Sony will have to act with the quickness of a gazelle on crack to replace the now-absent Cage.
But perhaps the lack of a »
- Erik Buckman

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With awards season just around the corner, one of the funner award shows has just announced its list of 2009 nominees. Its Spike TV's 2009 Scream Awards, which honors the best in sci-fi and horror. Here is the official press release with all of this year's contenders:
"Resistance is futile" this October as Spike TV presents the fourth annual Scream Awards, the first and only global event of its kind to honor the best in sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic genres. Taping on Saturday, October 17 at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, CA, Scream 2009 celebrates the hottest films, TV shows, comics, actors, creators, icons and pioneers who have influenced and shaped the industry. This year's show will also continue the tradition of featuring exclusive World Premieres from some of the most anticipated movies of 2010. The two-hour extravaganza will premiere on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 27 (10:00 Pm-Midnight, Et/Pt). Presenters and »

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