Radar's Magazine Top and Not So Top Actors, Directors and Producers

[Erzengel]

Radar Magazine

This one cracked me up.

Biggest Hack

Winner: Brett Ratner
Adored by Mariah Carey, Bob Evans, and Michael Jackson (who once sang the greeting on his answering machine), the Rush Hour director gets significantly less love from peers and studio brass, who are convinced that his transition from rap videos to feature films (like Red Dragon) reflects more on his ability to kiss ass than any actual talent. While some respondents were impressed with the box office returns for X-Men: The Last Stand, they were less impressed when the film flatlined in its second week and ticket sales dropped from $123 million to $7 million. But with a well-placed group of admirers in all the right places, Rat-boy needn't worry. We're sure 2007's Rush Hour 3 will do just fine. (And good luck on Rush Hour 4!)

Honorable Mention: Joel Schumacher & Michael Bay (tie)

 

[Ronny Shade]

Joel Schumacher is a genius

Michael Bay is stellar

Ratner? yeah. Hack.

 

[DOG LIPS]

Honorable Mention: Joel Schumacher & Michael Bay (tie)

Daaayuummnn.

 

[Erzengel]

Most Dysfunctional Director

Winner: Michael Mann
Runner-up: Michael Bay
Mann (Heat, Collateral) just barely edged out Bay (The Rock, Armageddon) in this contentious category—no doubt thanks to horror stories from the set of Miami Vice, where the high-strung director threw frequent tantrums and humiliated just about everyone. In addition, he reportedly forced the cast and crew to shoot Miami exteriors during a Hurricane Katrina warning, and caused a frightened Jamie Foxx to flee the Dominican Republic after a moonlighting local soldier he had hired for protection shot a police officer during filming. Disney chief Oren Aviv was so appalled by Mann's rudeness that he has refused to speak to the director since the release of The Insider in 1999. It's one thing to be an ******* when you're raking in Oscar nods, it's another if you're breaking the bank on a feature-film remake of a TV show. After Mann blew up Vice's budget to a rumored $150 million (the pic has grossed only $62 million to date domestically), many Hollywood power players began wondering whether his on-set antics were worth the trouble. As for Bay? "There's nonstop screaming, changing his mind, and blaming of everyone else for his mistakes," says the head of a film division, adding that these things are made worse by the fact that Bay is hardly as talented as Mann. "He's mean to everybody," says a marketing exec. "He always apologizes afterward, but it's still awful." A fellow director sums it up best: "I could be his brother-in-law and people wouldn't hesitate to overtly tell me, 'I hate that guy.'"

Honorable Mention: James Cameron
Though he hasn't helmed a feature in nine years, the Titanic director—renowned for subjecting his crew to long hours, dreadful working conditions, and his own unbridled arrogance—still pulled in enough votes to earn a spot on our 2006 list. You gotta admire someone with that kind of staying power.

Honorable Mention: Doug Liman
Despite the success of The Bourne Identity, Liman, the film's director, was passed over for the sequel because many of the movie's key players declined to work with him again. His behavior on Mr. & Mrs. Smith was reportedly so outrageous that producer Akiva Goldsman publicly labeled him "a madman."

 

[Hades]

Ratner most provide Michael with children, othewise I don't see how anybody could be a fan of that guy.

So, who were the top actors?

 

[Ronny Shade]

lol the bruck looks like he got his face stuck in something.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

lol the bruck looks like he got his face stuck in something.

Yeah, money.

 

[Erzengel]

Ratner most provide Michael with children, othewise I don't see how anybody could be a fan of that guy.

So, who were the top actors?

Most Sought After Actor

Winner: Brad Pitt
Runner-up: Will Smith
Despite his spotty box-office track record (see Troy, Fight Club, Meet Joe Black), Pitt scored the most votes. "He's charming, talented, handsome, and has international appeal," says one A-list producer. Coming in a very close second is Smith, whose ability to make rain under even the worst conditions didn't go unnoticed: "He crosses the color barrier, and audiences love him," says a former studio prez. "I mean, you couldn't get a movie much worse than I, Robot, and it did giant business."

Most Sought After Actress

Winner: Julia Roberts
Runners-up: Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon
Given that 2000's Erin Brockovich was the last Roberts-driven vehicle to make bank, her triumph in this category is a sad commentary on the ability of leading women to open a picture. "Julia Roberts hasn't made a movie in a while, but she hasn't failed, either," explains one producer. Cameron Diaz lost her shot in this category after the dismal earnings of In Her Shoes. Same for Charlize Theron, who squeezed out two recent stinkers: North Country and Aeon Flux. Roberts's closest competitor, Jolie, received a smattering of votes, although many insiders expressed concern that Mr. & Mrs. Smith has been her only recent hit. Witherspoon benefited not only from a decent track record (Walk the Line, Sweet Home Alabama, both Legally Blondes) but also a sensible personality. "If there's a problem," says one ex studio president, "you can talk to her and not worry that she's going to melt down."

But they also have

Nightmare Actor

Winner: Russell Crowe
The winner in our first category is a no-brainer (in more ways than one). A vast majority of respondents instantly fingered the Aussie thug, who tackled a British TV producer in 2002, flipped off a camera-toting student on the Princeton set of A Beautiful Mind, and hurled a telephone at a defenseless hotel clerk during his Cinderella Man press tour. “Some incident can occur and he won’t show up on set for the next week—and you’re screwed,” says one producer with a sigh. “Russell is an unhappy guy,” adds an ex studio head. “His process is difficult. You have to talk him through everything, and he always has an opinion. He thinks he’s smarter than everybody else.”

Honorable Mention: Lindsay Lohan
While she got high marks for talent, the actress’s hard-partying ways raised eyebrows among many respondents, who noted her propensity to call in “sick” after a particularly long night. After she failed to show up on the set of her latest pic, an exec shot her a scathing memo in which he wrote, “We are well aware that your ongoing all-night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called ‘exhaustion’.”

Honorable Mention: Jim Carrey
“Jim has been a nightmare on his last couple of pictures,” says a leading producer. “Not coming out of his trailer, wanting to control every element, rewriting the script.” This summer alone, two big-budget Carrey vehicles—Used Guys and Believe It or Not—were returned to development hell back-to-back, causing speculation that his oddball reputation could be endangering his career. “He’s depressed and weird,” says one former studio prez (in fact, Carrey told 60 Minutes in 2002, “I was on Prozac for a long time … it may have helped me out of a jam for a little bit”). A marketing exec who also cast a vote for Carrey explains: “Most comics are insecure people who aren’t funny in real life.” But judging from Fun With Dick and Jane, he’s also not always funny on-screen.

 

[Ronny Shade]

Yeah, money.

He's probably got a money bin like Scrooge McDuck

 

[Ronny Shade]

Most Sought After Actress

I used to think she was just lame. Now I hate her.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

He's probably got a money bin like Scrooge McDuck

lol, probably.

 

[sinewave]

Yay for Noah Baumbach!!!!

His first film, "Kicking and Screaming" (not the Will Ferrell one) is still one of my top three faves of all time.

 

[Hades]

Brad Pitt, pffft.