Its been more than a month since we updated you on Frankie’s racing news. However a lot has been happening.
January 30, 2008 - Universal CityWalk in Hollywood, CA
Frankie Muniz and Carl Skerlong announced they had joined Pacific Coast Motorsports. That means Pacific Coast Motorsports expand their racing team with a two-car entry in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Series Powered by Mazda.
PCM team director Tyler Tadevic made the announcement under the famous Hard Rock guitar at a media event at the Hard Rock Cafe. Attended by a large contingent of entertainment and sports media, Tadevic commented on the team’s desire to return to their racing roots.
“We’re really proud to be returning to the series where we won the 2004 championship, and we are looking forward to continuing our winning tradition”…”We feel we’ve got two exceptional young drivers on board. They’re both quick and very professional, we’ve got an exciting season ahead of us.”
Frankie Muniz will drive the #29 PCM/Mazda/Swift in his sophomore season of Atlantic competition.
“Joining PCM is a huge step forward for me in my racing career,”…”In the three tests I have already completed, I have learned so much and really developed my skills as a racing driver. Tim Lewis, my race engineer has a championship winning record behind him and we have gelled really well. I just can’t wait for the season to start in April at the Long Beach Grand Prix and I am thrilled to represent a professional racing team like Pacific Coast Motorsports.”
A nice surprise for Malcolm in the Middle fans was the fact that Bryan Cranston (Hal) joined Frankie at the announcement.
February 5 - 6, 2008 - Sebring Race - Frankie came in at #16
“It was a good day today, everyday with PCM I am learning so much, it’s awesome and great for my confidence inside the race car. I was a little disappointed this morning; I do not feel like I maximized the session. However, this afternoon was much better and we made a lot of progress. I had the best session I have ever had in terms of the timesheets and I am confident we can be much quicker in the morning, so that is great. Sebring is a great track for testing. It is bumpy like a street circuit, but it also has high-speed corners which are great confidence builders and challenging brake-zones that give you the opportunity to work on late-braking. I have been training everyday over the off-season and it has definitely paid off. It was 80 degrees today and it felt like it was nearly 100% humidity but I still had a lot of energy at the end of the day after 125 laps, I feel great!”
“This was a very important test for our team in terms of development. We tested combination after combination and have a lot of great information heading into the season because of it. I am learning so much from my engineer, Tim Lewis. I’ve never really learned how to develop a car, I’ve certainly never spent this much time developing set-up and it is really a great experience and I feel I have a much better fundamental understanding of what the car needs and what I need to maximize the track conditions. We did our best time of the test this afternoon when the track was actually slower; I ran the 12th quickest time at the point. The interesting thing also was that I was quicker on the old tires. It says a lot about the terrific product Cooper Tires provides us. I wish we had one more day because the car we ended up with this afternoon was awesome and I would love to try it out tomorrow morning when the track is at its best! I am really excited to get the season started!”
February 22, 2008 - Champ Car merges with Indy Racing League
For those who don’t follow the racing scene, Indy Racing League is a similar racing league to Champ Car both ‘open-wheel’ however its larger. The Indy Racing League has bought up the Champ Car League. However the Champ Car Atlantic series with continue to run for at least the next year. So Frankie’s plans for this year stay the same.
The paparazzi are getting a little close to home for Frankie Muniz (Malcolm). He was photographed going out for a drive in his Mercedes Benz. One of our very observant users MalcolmFun spotted that the T-Shirt Frankie is wearing is the same as one he wore on Malcolm in the Middle!
Ellen Page, the acclaimed Juno actress, has been rumored to be dating Frankie Muniz. We think it’s unlikely and so far the only evidence is that they where spotted going out together for a pre-Oscar breakfast. Pics or it didn’t happen, as the saying goes.
On Sunday (24.02.08) morning, the alleged couple has been seen grabbing a bite in West Hollywood as the Academy Award-nominated actress prepped herself for the prestigious ceremony later that day. To National Enquirer, an insider remarked, “Frankie was making Ellen laugh non-stop all through their meal. He kept telling her not to be nervous, that no matter what, she hit it big just getting nominated. Then he’d crack a joke and she’d burst into laughter.” Further, the source revealed that the 21-year-old actress was “happy to have a good excuse to hang out in Los Angeles”.
If there is anything more to this we will keep you updated.
Frankie Muniz and his love life is an evercontinuingdrama, however we now have the confirmation from Frankie that he is no longer engaged to Jamie. See below two articles from People.com.
Frankie Muniz, perking up while running into his ex-fiancée, Jamie, at Hyde in West Hollywood. While the former Malcolm In the Middle star was hanging quietly with his guy friends, clubgoers tell us his mood brightened when he made his way over to his ex, putting his hands around her waist as they flirted.
January 31, 2008 - It appears Frankie Muniz isn’t quite over his ex-fiancée Jamie Gandy.
The actor (who recently ran into her at West Hollywood nightclub Hyde), poured his heart out to PEOPLE Wednesday at a press conference to talk about his new job as a driver for 2008 Pacific Coast Motor Sports team.
But when talk moved to romance, Muniz, 22, explained: “I am not engaged anymore. I’m still with her … kinda.”
“It’s a very awkward situation,” he adds. “But we’re best, best, best friends. And if there was anyone in the world that I wanted to be with, it’d be her. With the racing, it’s very difficult, the traveling around.”
Muniz, who appeared at the Hard Rock Café in Universal City for Wednesday’s press conference, is in his third year as a professional racecar driver, and second year with the team. But what does he think of his fellow celebrity racecar drivers?
“I don’t want to sound conceited, but I don’t think there has been an actor or celebrity-turned-racecar driver that has made it as high up on the racecar circuit as I have,” he says. “So I don’t think there’s anyone who can keep up with me. And that’s just me being honest”
“I want to race Michael Schumacher, seven-time world champion. And I can compete with him.”
There have been many comments on the internet after Frankie said he was the most “high up” celebrity turned race car driver. They claim he is completely incorrect - Looking at the facts that seems to be the case. However I think it’s either a miss quote or he just didn’t think what he was saying through.
The Art of Travel produced by and starring Christopher Masterson, had it’s North American première in January at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in Palm Springs, California. The film had two screenings on January 9 and 10, 2008. See our previous post for more details.
Synopsis: Conner Layne graduated at the top of his high school class, found a wife-to-be and was ready for Berkeley when life threw a wrench in his plans. Though he may have intended on running away, Conner leaps ahead onto a better path.
Though it begins lightly with the valedictorian (”Malcolm in the Middle’s” capable Christopher Masterson) about to wed his young bride, circumstances find the traveler alone in a foreign country unable to speak the tongue, robbed of both money and naïveté. What could continue as a hostel-hopping romp instead leads to a test of motivation.
Just as Conner prepares to return home, he meets a couple who have planned an expedition to cross the Darién Gap dividing Central and South America between Panama and Columbia. Impassable by foot, impossible by car, the area represents the only hole in the Pan American Highway. The crew of seven push and drag a jeep of supplies through water, in mud and over rocks to reach the other side. Why? The question becomes why not.
Review: Emerging director Thomas Whelan created with Brian LaBelle the sort of story anyone hopes to tell his grandchildren and the kind of movie through “The Art of Travel” that tempts viewers to head to the airport with no planned destination.
Chris and Darlene Loren act as parental guides to the young wisecrackers, and time is passed by all with jokes and sympathetic muscle aching. During the year it takes to cross the passage, they are introduced to hostile guerillas and friendly natives, but the story never hovers in distracting action or ethnocentric melodramas. Rather, the film focuses on the need for a connection with other cultures and a better understanding of our own ethnic backgrounds.
The film is a love letter to wanderlust. It is for anyone who has considered trading in their return ticket home for a one-way ticket to someplace far outside of the usual comfort zone and anyone who has groaned over the standard two-week American vacation limit. No one in the film is snapping photos or writing postcards; everyone is absorbing an experience that will better shape them as living beings.
Whelan’s film may not be perfectly polished, but he holds promise for a smooth future. The central character evolves with the film, which only gets better as the minutes pass. The film is not merely a travelogue, but rather motivation to check the expiration on your passport.
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After spending seven weeks together cast and crew becomes family. Through all the adventure we covered and the highs and lows, it’s always hard to say goodbye. We all experienced something special while making this movie. There were no Hollywood Studios to answer to or agents that ever fought what we were trying to do. Everyone was on the same page - make a fun movie that leaves you feeling good. Our hopes are that we have achieved that.
And now our adventure becomes your adventure. One thing is certain about making a movie - there is never any such words as THE END…
Jane Kaczmarek starred in the Ojai Playwrights Conference’s annual winter gala performance on January 19. Entitled An Intimate Pique, It was said to be an evening of dramatic material by America’s leading playwrights. Pique means arousal or excitation. They had scenes that look behind the curtain to the intimate world of backstage affairs both literal and figurative. Scenes where penned by Bill Cain, Jon Robin Baitz, Julia Cho and Charlayne Woodard.
Click ‘more’ to read an interview with Jane by Mommy Track’d about work and family life.
You are a working mom and you played one on TV during the 7 year run of MALCOLM in the Middle. That must have been a weird vortex of life imitating art imitating life. Did you and Lois approach working motherhood in a similar way?
THE SEVEN YEARS MALCOLM WAS ON THE AIR WERE EXTREMLY HECTIC. I WAS PREGNANT WITH MY SON THE FIRST SEASON AND WITH ANOTHER DAUGHTER A FEW YEARS LATER. I WAS GRATEFUL THAT THE CHILDREN ON THE SHOW WERE OLDER THAN MINE BECAUSE IT WAS EASIER TO KEEP TRACK OF WHO WAS WHO. I DID HAVE TO REMEMBER TO TURN THE VOLUME DOWN WHEN I CAME HOME. AND THE DAY MY SON REFERRED TO ME AS MOM SIR, I KNEW I HAD TO TONE IT DOWN EVEN MORE. COMPOUNDING THE CHAOS WAS THE FACT THAT MY HUSBAND’S SHOW (THE WEST WING) COINCIDED WITH MALCOLM’S RUN. WE HAD NANNIES STANDING BY AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY BECAUSE WE RARELY KNEW WHAT OUR SHOOTING SCHEDULES WERE. HAVING PEOPLE AROUND TO HELP WAS A REAL DIFFERENCE FROM THE WAY LOIS RAN HER HOUSEHOLD ON MALCOLM.
You and your husband are high profile, celebrated examples of the hectic working parent lives our readers live. Describe a day in the life during the years that you were doing Malcolm in the Middle and your husband was doing The West Wing. Who picked up the kids from school? Did they visit the set on a regular basis?
YES, LIFE WAS VERY COMPLICATED. I DIDN’T WORK AS LONG HOURS AS BRAD. USUALLY NOT MORE THAN A 12 HOUR DAY WHEREAS BRAD OFTEN WORKED 15 HOURS A DAY. AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED MALCOLM, I JUST WANTED TO COME HOME AS SOON AS I COULD, SO I RARELY HAD THE KIDS VISIT. BRAD, ON THE OTHER HAND WOULD, HAVE A NANNY DRIVE THEM TO THE SET FOR A VISIT. HE OFTEN LEFT BEFORE THEY WOKE UP AND CAME HOME AFTER THEY WERE ASLEEP, SO IT WAS OFTEN THE ONLY WAY HE COULD SEE THEM.
What have you done with your time since the show ended in May 2006? How did your kids feel about the fact that the show is over?
MY DAUGHTER FRANCES ONCE TOLD ME THAT THE BEST NEWS I COULD GIVE HER WAS THAT MALCOLM HAD BEEN CANCELLED. SHE SCREAMED WITH JOY THE DAY THEY PULLED THE PLUG. I NOW MAKE SURE I’M HOME TO GET THEM DRESSED AND FED IN THE MORNING AND TO BRUSH THEIR HAIR AND GET THEM TO SCHOOL. AND I’M HOME AFTER SCHOOL TO TAKE THEM TO LESSONS AND PRACTICE AND HAVE SUPPER WITH THEM AND PUT THEM TO BED. JUST LIKE A REAL MOM! I ACTIVELY TURN ALL JOB OFFERS DOWN IF I CAN’T MAKE THEM WORK WITH MY SCHEDULE. I WAITED REALLY LONG TO HAVE CHILDREN, ALL THREE WERE BORN IN MY 40′S AND I WANT TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH THEM AS I CAN.
What projects are you working on now?
I’M ABOUT TO START A LEGAL DRAMA FOR STEVEN BOCHCO ON TNT. STEVEN AND I WORKED TOGETHER ON HILL STREET BLUES 25 YEARS AGO AND HE REALLY UNDERSTOOD MY DESIRE TO MAKE MY HOME LIFE MY PRIORITY. I WAS OFFERED A VERY ACCOMODATING WORK SCHEDULE AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING WITH GROWN UPS ON A LIMITED BASIS.
What inspired you to start Clothes Off Our Back? How do you have time to launch a non-profit in addition to your consuming work schedule and family life?
I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH THE AMOUNT OF WASTE IN HOLLYWOOD. WHEN YOU ARE A CELEBRITY, YOU ARE SHOWERED WITH SO MANY CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES AND PUBLICITY THAT YOU DON’T NEED. CLOTHES OFF OUR BACK SEEMED A GOOD WAY TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITIES WITHOUT BOTHERING CELEBRITIES TO SPEND MORE OF THEIR PRECIOUS TIME. WE LIKE TO SAY THERE ARE SO MANY CHILDREN IN NEED AND SO MANY CLOTHES THAT YOU’LL NEVER WEAR AGAIN. WE’RE NOT ASKING FOR YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY, BUT TO JOIN US AS WE GIVE THE CLOTHES OFF OUR BACK. I HIRED A BRILLANT YOUNG WOMAN NAMED MICHEL SCHNEIDER TO RUN OPERATIONS FOR ME AND TOGETHER WE’VE RAISED OVER $2 MILLION SINCE WE STARTED IN 2002.
There are only so many hours in a day — but when you do have time for a guilty pleasure, what is on the top of your indulge list?
I’M AFRAID I’M REALLY BORING. I LOVE DOING JIGSAW PUZZELS AND HAVE A MYRIAD OF ART PROJECTS I’M WORKING ON, USUALLY WITH JON STEWART OR HBO’S IN TREATMENT ON THE TV IN THE BACKGROUND.
What is your best advice to our readers who are struggling to manage the daily tug of war between work and family?
I CAN’T STRESS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO TURN OFF THE TELEVISION! WE HAVE ONE TV IN OUR HOUSE AND IT’S NEVER ON UNTIL THE KIDS GO TO BED. MY KIDS STAY FOCUSED AND ACTUALLY ENJOY PLAYING GAMES AND WITH EACH OTHER. THEY ARE STILL SMALL, SO I CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS. ALSO, THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS HAVING IT ALL. I HAVE FOUND I’M SO MUCH HAPPIER SAYING NO AND KEEPING MY LIFE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE FREE DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU’RE AVAILABLE.
What do you think are the best and worst things about being a working mom? Do you have a worst working mom moment? A best?
THE WORST THING ABOUT BEING A WORKING MOM WAS SCRATCHING MY CHILDREN’S BACKS AT NIGHT AND HAVING THEM ASK WHETHER THEY’D SEE ME AT BREAKFAST. NO. WHETHER THEY’D SEE ME THE NEXT NIGHT AT BEDTIME. NO. BEING AT HOME WITH MY CHILDREN MAKES ALL OF THE TINSEL OF THIS TOWN PALE BY COMPARISON.
MY BEST MOMENT IS WHEN I’M IN MY GIANT BATHTUB WITH ALL THREE KIDS. WE CALL THIS PLAYING HIPPOS IN THE RIVER AND WE SING OUR THEME SONG.
Jane Kaczmarek’s charity Clothes Off Our Back had problems in January due to the cancellation of the Golden Globe Awards and other events as they auction off evening wear from the red carpet.
“The one thing you could always rely on in Hollywood, besides fires and mudslides, is awards shows. And they seem to be disappointing us this year….So we have had to think of other ways to raise money, because the children’s charities are so dependent on us…It’s a good time to clean out your closets, Hollywood…I always say I won’t be happy until everyone is Hollywood is naked.” said Kaczmarek.
The above photos of Jane and husband Brad are from the Davante Rodeo Drive Boutique opening earlier this month. See more in our GALLERY.
Variety is reporting that TNT has picked up the Jane Kaczmarek starring, Stephen Bochco (NYPD Blue) produced pilot, Raising the Bar, for a 10 episode order.
TNT has given a 10-episode go-ahead to a legal drama from Steven Bochco called “Raising the Bar” for scheduling later this year.
Produced by ABC Studios and Bochco Media, the series stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a public defender with a mission to help the down-and-out and Gloria Reuben as his protective boss. Jane Kaczmarek plays a forceful but erratic judge.
Also in the cast are Currie Graham, Melissa Sagemiller and J. August Richards.
The writer-executive producers are Bochco and David Feige; Jesse Bochco directed the pilot.
Michael Wright, senior VP and head of TNT’s content-creation group, calls the series a “smart, highly charged legal drama.”
The series fits in with TNT’s focus on criminal justice with the current scripted original dramas “The Closer” and “Saving Grace” and the rerun hours “Law & Order,” “Without a Trace” and “Cold Case.”
Jane will play Judge Trudy Kessler. TheFutonCritic gives more details.
TNT has given the greenlight to RAISING THE BAR (working title), the latest series from the mastermind of legal dramas, Emmy-winner Steven Bochco. The series, which stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue), Gloria Reuben (ER) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), follows the lives and cases of young lawyers who have been friends since law school, but who now work on opposing sides.
In RAISING THE BAR, Gosselaar stars as Jerry Kellerman, an idealistic public defender who will stop at nothing to help those who cannot help themselves. Reuben plays Rosalind Whitman, his passionate and protective boss. Teddy Sears (Ugly Betty) is Richard Patrick Woolsley, who foregoes a cushy job in his father’s firm to work for the public defender’s office. On the opposite side, Melissa Sagemiller (Sleeper Cell) plays Michelle Ernhardt, an attorney in the DA’s office with an unassailable morality and a burning desire to see justice done. She works for assistant DA Nick Balco, played by Currie Graham (Boston Legal), a bit of a lecher who, nevertheless, has a razor-sharp knowledge of the law. They are joined by J. August Richards (Conviction) as Marcus McGrath, who will stop at nothing to put criminals behind bars. The courtroom arena in which they face off belongs to Judge Trudy Kessler, played by Kaczmarek. She is imperious and known throughout legal circles to be a little crazy, treating the courtroom as her own private fiefdom. Working for her is law clerk Charlie Sagansky, played by Jonathan Scarfe (Into the West), a man with a wealth of secrets.
Justin Berfield and his production company, J2 Pictures, are working with the Cayman Islands Government and local investors to establish an official film commission in that country.
Former “Malcolm in the Middle” star Justin Berfield, and frequent visitor to Cayman, has confirmed his company’s discussions with the Cayman Islands Government and local investors to establish an official film commission to service all of the Cayman Islands, a press release said.
Recognizing that tourism and banking are the primary industries that the island benefits from, Berfield’s goal was to formally introduce a whole other industry to the government and people of Cayman.
“The island is so conducive to many different types of filming and can double as many different locations,” Berfield said. “There is so much local talent in Cayman in terms of not only on camera, but trade, electricians, sound engineers, and transportation. The Cayman Islands have done a very good job of servicing tourists. Through this, there is an infrastructure in Cayman that is conducive to television and film production. The infrastructure needs direction and a clear presence. My partners and I hope to work closely with the government and the creative community of Cayman to establish a commission that will truly benefit the country.” said Berfield
Cayman is no stranger to film production, having played host to several productions over the last few decades including Paramount Pictures The Firm in 1993 starring Tom Cruise, and most recently the independent feature film Haven in 2004 starring Orlando Bloom and directed by local Caymanian Frank E. Flowers.
It is the intention of Berfield and his proposed advisory board to act as a liaison between Hollywood and the Caymans and as a result bring productions to the island. Further, the proposed film commission would aide local business owners and residents with their existing filming and television commercial production.
Actor/producer Justin Berfield is a partner in highly regarded Los Angeles based boutique production company J2 Pictures. Berfield and his producing partner Jason Felts got their start in film when they served as producers and investors on the feature film Romance & Cigarettes, starring James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mandy Moore and Christopher Walken. The film was written and directed by actor John Turturro.
Berfield and Felts themselves are currently in pre–production on ESCOBAR, a full–length motion picture that will chronicle the life of Pablo Escobar, the infamous Colombian drug cartel leader.
J2 also has a strong interest in comedy, and produced Blonde Ambition, a comedy feature starring Luke Wilson, Jessica Simpson and Rachel Leigh Cook.
Justin Berfield (Reese) is 22 (25, February 2008) today and we at the MITMVC want to wish him a great day!
Justin recently predicted the 2008 Super Bowl “Giants 27, Patriots 17 — even though it would be cool to watch the Patriots make history.” He was close, final score: Giants 17, Patriots 14.
Thanks to girlfromfranc from the CelebrityLoop Official Justin Forum we have some new photos of Justin however we aren’t sure what they are for - yet.
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Jane Kaczmarek starred in the Ojai Playwrights Conference’s annual winter gala performance on January 19. Entitled An Intimate Pique, It was said to be an evening of dramatic material by America’s leading playwrights. Pique means arousal or excitation. They had scenes that look behind the curtain to the intimate world of backstage affairs both literal and figurative. Scenes where penned by Bill Cain, Jon Robin Baitz, Julia Cho and Charlayne Woodard.
Justin Berfield and his production company, J2 Pictures, are working with the Cayman Islands Government and local investors to establish an official 
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