When ‘The Good Girl’ goes bad: Will audiences embrace a naughty Jennifer Aniston?

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In the raucous new comedy Horrible Bosses (in theaters today) Jennifer Aniston pulls off, in addition to her clothes, some rather impressive comedic feats. Playing against-type as a sexually aggressive dentist, she not only holds her own against a top-notch boys club, but she also silences her skeptics who argue she’s nothing more than a hair-do.

Even though Aniston is one of the most famous faces in the world, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a trace of her sweetness in Horrible Bosses. (And no, not because her hair looks different.) While the 42-year-old has done some fine work in lighter fare like Marley & Me, The Break-Up, and The Switch, it’s sometimes difficult not to see Aniston, or more specifically, traces of her Friends character Rachel Green. Heck, even in the cult classic Office Space, her chain restaurant employee, Joanna, seemed a close cousin to Central Perk-dwelling Rachel.

But in Horrible Bosses, that persona is long gone. While Aniston has always been funny (she has an Emmy to prove it, and even the folks at SNL thought so), she’s downright ballsy in her role, sexually harassing her employee, played by Charlie Day. Their interaction is arguably the strongest — if not funniest — storyline in the flick.

Though critics are applauding her brave performance, it still remains to be seen whether her fans will like this version of Aniston. While she has played un-sweet before — in the 2005 thriller Derailed, she was a seductive con artist who blackmails Clive Owen — that film famously tanked at the box office. Even when her sweetness was tempered with a little darkness, in indies like The Good Girl and Friends With Money, audiences stayed away despite relatively warm reviews. Does that mean audiences prefer Aniston as they know and love her, or was she simply not given better material before?

Aniston herself admitted she had a blast letting loose in the risky role and straying from her typical work on the big screen. As she told EW, “I had such a great time doing it. It was ridiculous fun. I never get that kind of fun stuff. It was great! You do tend to get locked into parts that you play, you know what I mean? People forget that there are other parts in there.”

Do you hope she takes on more parts like this, or do you prefer she return to her rom-com roots as soon as possible? I personally vote for the former, but at this juncture in her career, Aniston is once and for all proving she’s up for a challenge.

Read more:
Jennifer Aniston on her ‘Horrible Bosses’ character: ‘I never get that kind of fun stuff’
Jennifer Aniston reminisces about ‘Friends’ finale on ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’
‘Horrible Bosses’ trailer features Jennifer Aniston ‘fooling around’

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‘Torchwood: Miracle Day’ actress: ‘It’s not like we’re trying to make it American’

Image Credit: Starz Original/2011 BBC Worldwide Limited

Ever since long-time fans of the Torchwood series learned major changes would take place within the series (most notably the show’s move to the United States from its native U.K.), expressions of worry and doubt have dominated the conversation surrounding its return. But newbie cast member Arlene Tur, who plays ER doc Vera Juarez in the “don’t call it a reboot” installment, thinks the first episode, airing tonight, will quell their fears.

“Initially, I was thinking that maybe they wouldn’t like it because they’re coming to the U.S., but I think they should be more proud that it’s a collaboration,” she says. “It’s not like we’re trying to make it American. We’re saying, ‘You have a great thing going and we’d like to join you.’ It’s a compliment more than anything. I’ve spoken to a couple of the British press, and they’re just taken aback by it. [But] I think their opinions have changed on that and so will the fanbase.”

Time will tell. Meanwhile, Tur isn’t the only new face debuting tonight. Here’s a run-down of some of the new faces (plus a few minor spoilers!).

Vera Juarez — A tough and curious ER doc who find herself playing an active role as the mystery wreaks havok on the hospital system. By episode 3, her connection to Miracle Day will deepen as she starts becoming more involved with the CIA. She’ll also get very close to another character.

Rex Mavizon (Mekhi Phifer) — He’s treated by Juarez after surviving being impaled on Miracle Day. Soon, he finds himself working with the CIA after his curiosity and intensity get the best of him.

Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) — Spared from death by lethal injection on Miracle Day and is a sick SOB (as you’ll see in the first episode). His release from prison is met with strong — and sometimes surprising — reactions. Makes a deal with the devil, so to speak.

Jilly Kitzinger (Lauren Ambrose) — Works for the devil.

Read more:
Ken Tucker’s review: ‘Torchwood: Miracle Day’
‘Torchwood’: A cult fave crosses over

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‘Mad Men’s Michael Gladis talks ‘Leverage’ role

It’s been a year since we’ve seen Michael Gladis on Mad Men, but on this Sunday’s Leverage, he’s making a return to the PR world in a big and much more sinister way. Gladis plays Reed Rockwell, a public image consultant who goes above and beyond for his clients. “He goes to great lengths to protect his clients and often times that includes character assassination or destroying the reputations of his clients’ enemies,” Gladis tells EW.

Unfortunately for Nate (Timothy Hutton) and the team, Rockwell is a harder target than they are used to bringing down. Rockwell works in the shadows, so the usual public downfall won’t be as easy. The team soon realizes that they’re dealing with their own evil twin. “Nate kind of has to figure out how he’s bring himself down,” Gladis says.

The role is a definite change for Gladis, who usually plays gentle giants, but the actor says it’s a welcome one. “I love playing villains. It’s so much fun to be a bad guy,” Gladis said. “A lot of actors say that, but it’s true because you get to do terrible things without consequences.” And Reed Rockwell is full of terrible things. In the episode’s funniest scene, the team stages a couple over-the-top situations where Rockwell could easily intervene and become a hero. They soon find out they may have underestimated Rockwell’s ruthlessness.

Gladis has kept himself busy with smaller roles on TV since he left Mad Men in 2009. His role on Leverage is the latest in a series of guest spots that includes The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, and House. You may have also caught Gladis on the Conan O’Brien produced Adult Swim series, Eagleheart, without recognizing him. He plays Chris Elliott’s boss, Chief, under a fat suit and a heavy layer of makeup.

As for his Leverage episode, Gladis says there is a lot for fans to look forward to. “It’s not the kind of con they’re always pulling. There is a lot of insight into Nate’s character. There’s a little bit more of a window into the chink in Nate’s own armor.”

Read more:
Spoiler Room: ‘Leverage,’ ‘True Blood’
Timothy Hutton talks ‘Leverage’ premiere
‘Leverage’ behind the scenes — Video

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‘Horrible Bosses’ co-writer John Francis Daley makes McKinley High proud

Image Credit: Jason LaVeris/Getty Images

It’s hard not to be proud of John Francis Daley in a way not dissimilar to how you would for your little brother. After all, he wasn’t just Lindsay Weir’s (Linda Cardellini) nerdy, sweet, but often-tortured little brother Sam on the beloved Freaks and Geeks. For fans of the criminally short-lived series, Daley’s Sam resembled the little brother we had or wished we had, because he perfectly encapsulated what it felt like to be a younger sibling.

With the good reviews pouring in for the hilarious Horrible Bosses, we can’t help but feel like a beaming older sibling for Daley, who penned the raunchy script along with Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Markowitz. While it’s hardly Daley’s first post-Freaks and Geeks triumph — Bones fans have been rather sweet on his character Lance for the past four seasons — it’s just another success for the wildly successful McKinley High, whose alums include James Franco, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, Busy Philipps, and Martin Starr. If there were any justice for the all-too-short-lived series, their current run in Hollywood may be it.

With Horrible Bosses poised to do well at the box office, things for Daley — who has a brief cameo in the film as one of Jason Bateman’s equally beleaguered co-workers — continue to get better. The LA Times reported earlier this week that Daley and his Bosses co-writer, Goldstein, have been recruited to write a script for a Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs sequel. Sony Pictures Animation, which made the first Cloudy, wouldn’t yet verify the news about the follow-up film, but they tell EW the report itself was “not inaccurate.” In other words, we may have another reason to be proud of Daley very soon.

Does that fact that John Francis Daley wrote Horrible Bosses make you want to like it more? Share in the comments section below, PopWatchers!

Read more:
‘Horrible Bosses’ review
‘Horrible Bosses’ Premiere: Red Carpet Pics!
‘Horrible Bosses’ premiere: The best and worst moments, as recalled by its screenwriters — EXCLUSIVE

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'GI Joe 2' Finds Actor for Its Villain Firefly - AceShowbiz

Ray Stevenson who is known for his roles in 'Thor' and 'The Book of Eli' has joined 'Cobra Strikes' as the martial arts master.

One more actor has been added to "" which is scheduled to begin production this summer in Louisiana. After recruiting Adrienne Palicki as Lady Jaye and as Roadblock, Paramount Pictures has appointed "" star to slip in the role of the villain, Firefly.

In the games, Firefly is a martial arts master who is also a saboteur and an expert in all NATO and Warsaw Pact explosives and detonators. He is often sent on a lone mission by Cobra. At the end of the first live-action movie, Cobra's leaders Destro and Cobra Commander are locked up in high-security prison. The actors, Christopher Eccleston and , are not expected to make a return but the character are masked anyway, allowing director Jon Chu to do a re-cast.

On the Joes side, there's Baroness who is considered reformed. reportedly is touted to full in the role of Joe Colton while an actor is yet assigned for the role of Mouse, a "teen eye candy".

"G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes" is scheduled for theatrical release on August 10, 2012.

© AceShowbiz.com

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