Madagascar 3 The Movie in Antwerp,

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Animated,Adventure,Comedy
  
  Synopsis:
  On the run from a French animal-control officer (Frances McDormand), Alex (Ben Stiller) and friends (Chris Rock, David Schwimmer) hide out in a traveling circus, where they perform death-defying tricks and make some new friends.
  
  Release Date: 10/19/2012
  Running Time: 85
  
  Rating: PG - Parental Guidance Suggested
  
  http://www.madagascarmovie.com/
  
• Cast:
  Voice of Alex: Ben Stiller,Voice of Marty: Chris Rock,Voice of Melman: David Schwimmer,Voice of Gloria: Jada Pinkett Smith,Voice of King Julien XIII: Sacha Baron Cohen,Voice of Capitaine Chantel DuBois: Frances McDormand,Voice of Vitaly: Bryan Cranston,Voice of Gia: Jessica Chastain,Voice of Stefano: Martin Short,Voice of Maurice: Cedric the Entertainer ,Voice of Mort: Andy Richter,Voice of Skipper: Tom McGrath,Voice of Mason the Chimp: Conrad Vernon
  
  Crew:
  Director: Eric Darnell,Director: Tom McGrath,Director: Conrad Vernon,Screenwriter: Eric Darnell,Screenwriter: Noah Baumbach,Producer: Mireille Soria,Producer: Mark Swift,Original Music: Hans Zimmer
  
  Production Companies:
  DreamWorks,PDI
  
  Distributors:
  DreamWorks SKG,Paramount Pictures
  
  Notes:
  Production Notes - Notes provided by Paramount Pictures - Talk about taking the long way home... In the third installment of the billion-dollar ``Madagascar franchise, Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman (David Schwimmer) are determined to make their way back to The Central Park Zoo in New York City. Leaving Africa behind, they've taken a detour and surfaced, quite literally, in Europe - on a hunt for the penguins and chimps who have managed to break the bank of a Monte Carlo casino. Soon the animals are discovered by dogged French animal control officer Capitaine Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand) who does not appreciate zoo animals running wild in her city and is thrilled by the idea of hunting her first lion! The Zoosters find the perfect cover in a down-and-out traveling circus where they hatch a plan to reinvent the circus, discover a few new talents and make it home to New York alive. For the first time in 3D, the Zoosters of Madagascar are on the run, hiding out with the circus, doing death defying tricks and making new friends. DreamWorks Animation SKG Presents ``Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, a PDI/DreamWorks Production featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston and Martin Short. The film is directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, helmers of the franchise's the first two installments, which earned more than $1 billion at the boxoffice, and are joined this go-round by director Conrad Vernon (``Shrek 2, ``Monsters vs. Aliens). The screenplay is written by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach (``Fantastic Mr. Fox, ``Greenberg). It is produced by Mireille Soria (``Madagascar 2) and Mark Swift (``Madagascar 2). The music is by Hans Zimmer. This film has been rated PG. JUGGLING RESPONSIBILITIES The global success of 2005's ``Madagascar and its lively 2008 sequel ``Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, proved that while the films were broad comedies with plenty of action, they were, above all, well-told stories with universal themes audiences related to. For the filmmakers, it was never enough to just go for the laughs. As director/writer Tom McGrath says: ``Having an emotional spine to a story is really what carries you through - because if you just string a lot of jokes together, there isn't much to cling to. Director/writer Eric Darnell observes: ``As an audience you want to be able to connect with and empathize with the characters' wants and needs. To be able to plumb those depths is critical. The filmmakers' desire to take the characters to new places - literally and figuratively - continues in ``Madagascar 3. Incorporating Ralph Waldo Emerson's inspirational quote, ``Life is a journey, not a destination as their maxim, the filmmakers' chose to explore themes of what it means to be home, having confidence and finding ones passions. As a result, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria have found a better sense of who they are, while grappling with the wilds of Madagascar and Africa. As Darnell puts it, ``That's what has been the core desire of our guys from the beginning: To identify their place in the world. And what a world it's turning out to be for them. Their journey took the Zoosters from New York, to the eponymous island of Madagascar, then to the wilds of Africa. In the latest installment, the adventure unfolds all across Europe, which naturally calls for a grander scale visually and in the storytelling. Says director Conrad Vernon: ``The scope is a lot bigger in this one. We're going to a lot of different places and meeting a lot of new characters. We're in Rome, the Swiss Alps, London, Monte Carlo and New York. What's more, for the first time, a ``Madagascar chapter is being filmed in 3D. Serendipitously, when they looked back at the earlier ``Madagascar films to figure out what they would have to differently this time around, the filmmaking team found that 3D is a process their franchise is well suited for. Says Darnell: ``We realized, stylistically, we were already making 3D movies. Because of the films' comedic tone, we were often doing things that put stuff out in front of the camera. Once we recognized that our cinematography and our comedy really lent themselves beautifully to the 3D world, we really didn't have to change much of what we were doing. But taking our animals into a circus automatically gives us these wonderful opportunities - we're moving not just across the surface of the earth, we're moving up in the air, flipping, rolling and flying - to work in 3D, of course. Adds McGrath: ``3D just gives you so many more tools to work with. It's immersive. You can underscore an emotional scene as much as you can the action. Just as satisfying was the ability for Darnell, McGrath and Vernon, all long-time friends and DreamWorks Animation veterans, to work together in the same capacity. Though Darnell and McGrath helmed the first two films, Vernon had served as a creative consultant and voiced Mason the chimp, even as he was helming ``Shrek 2 and later, ``Monsters vs. Aliens. Three directors is definitely not a traditional route, but on this film, it was a real dream of the filmmakers to work together and share in the creative process. Darnell says, ``With us, the sum is greater than the parts. Because we're all enmeshed in this franchise and the tone of the film, it actually helps (having three directors working as a team) because I can go to New York and be recording Ben Stiller, Tom can be working with the production designers and the lighting department and Conrad can be directing animators work. Then we can all come back together and know that we've all been pushing the story and the film in the same direction because we are creatively joined at the hip. Adds McGrath: ``There's a great rule of improv groups, which is 'never change the subject in improv, you always say yes, and.' When one of us gets an idea for something, it's great to collaborate and contribute and build on these ideas. That's the group dynamic. At the end of the day we do have a combined vision for the film. That singular vision meant telling a story that had heart as well as humor, of animals that come together to become greater than they ever thought they could be. WHO DOESN'T LOVE THE CIRCUS? Thanks to the ingenuity of the chimps and their opposable thumbs, at the end of ``Madagascar 2, the oft-damaged Air Penguin was back in flying condition, hurtling the primates and penguins toward the Monte Carlo Casino, where they plan to spend a gambling holiday. As ``Madagascar 3 begins, it turns out they've been having a little too much fun. Tired of waiting for their return, the Zoosters leave Africa and emerge, secret-agent style, from the Mediterranean Sea, for Phase One of ``Operation Penguin Extraction. The plan is simple: Make a beeline for the casino, grab the penguins and, as Alex puts it, ``get them to take us back to New York in the Monkey Powered Super Plane. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Once inside the casino, Alex, Melman, Marty and Gloria make a scene and before you know it, have become fugitives on the run from a crazed animal control officer. Arguably the most fascinating new character in the film is the steely-eyed, animalistic baddie, Capitaine Chantel DuBois. Called in to capture the Zoosters after they crashed the party at the Monte Carlo Casino, DuBois is no ordinary animal control agent. Part bloodhound and part Cruella DeVil (with a little Edith Piaf thrown in for good measure), her intent isn't merely to capture the Zoosters. She has plans to annihilate them - and when she's done, she intends to hang Alex's head on her crowded animal trophy wall. McGrath says, ``DuBois is the strongest villain our characters have come up against. In the first two films, the villains didn't drive the action of the story, so to add that pressure on the characters and to have that conflict makes the story so much better. Says director Conrad Vernon, ``She has innate animal tracking abilities: She has a really keen sense of smell, she's very limber. She's able to walk and sniff like a dog, she can jump like a gazelle. She definitely has talents that are very animalistic. Needless to say, she's really good at being an animal tracker. Not to mention virtually indestructible. Crashing through buildings and making inhuman leaps as she chases her prey throughout Europe, she's relentless in her pursuit. He continues: ``She wants a real challenge. Once she realizes there's a lion on the loose, this is the moment she has been waiting for. She wants to prove to herself that she's more than just someone who hunts small game - that she can hunt a lion and play with the big boys so to speak. She truly enjoys being on the hunt and is going to stay at it until she gets him. To portray such a character, the filmmakers knew they needed to find an actress who could play ruthless and resolute. They found her in Academy-Award winning actress Frances McDormand. Per Vernon: ``Frances is brilliant at coming up with characterizations from what she sees on the page. For every line that's read, 50 ideas spring into her head about what this character is all about - how she talks, walks and thinks. She definitely got into the frame of mind. You could see it on her face when she was acting. There were always the underpinnings of a hunter on the trail whenever she said anything. She never let that leave her head. For McDormand, playing the part was a kick. ``DuBois is such a fun, juicy character and there were so many directions I wanted to take her. Ultimately, I saw her as a slightly deranged but nonetheless self-assured and determined assassin. Failure is never an option for her. ``I love doing animation, she adds. ``It gives me the chance to exercise different acting muscles than those used in a live-action film. UNDER THE BIG TOP After a frenetic chase through the streets of Monte Carlo, the Zoosters and the rest of the gang narrowly escape DuBois. Their one goal is to find a place to hide quick, or Alex will become a wall ornament. With mere seconds to spare, they stumble upon a traveling circus train. Could there possibly be a better place to hide and move, undetected, through Europe? Just as Alex is the de facto leader of the Zoosters, Vitaly, the tiger, is the top cat in the Circus Zaragosa. Unlike Alex, however, Vitaly is bitter, irritable and depressed, half the tiger he used to be after an accident during one of his breathtaking signature performances. Bryan Cranston explains how he approached portraying the tiger that lost his roar: ``Vitaly's not a bad guy. In fact, he's got a great heart. He's just had a rough time of it lately. It was important for me to capture and convey both his aggression and his 'humanity,' if you will. Working with the three directors was great fun because even though we started with the script, they gave me the freedom to go off script, to throw out a couple of different versions of the scene - and they did that with all the actors. They made us feel that we could do no wrong. Also on board the train are two others circus stars, Stefano, an Italian sea lion and Gia, an exotic Italian Jaguar. The kind-hearted Stefano wants to help the Zoosters right away. Actor Martin Short portrays the sea lion: ``What I love about Stefano is that he's a compassionate and lovely fellow, very Bernini-esque. He speaks with a passion. When you're playing a character - let alone an animated one - with a wide range of emotions such as Stefano has, there's a lot of improvising and for me, that's always fun. I did work with a dialogue coach, though. I wanted to get the accent just right. Gia, a bit wary of the Zoosters at first, is won over when Alex and the gang convince them that they, too, are ``circus. Academy Award-nominated actress Jessica Chastain brings Gia to life: ``I liked playing Gia because she has a very big heart but at the same time she's also fiercely protective of her circus family. She adds, ``Working in animation has been a completely new experience for me. There's something so freeing about being in front of a microphone and thinking, 'I'm playing an Italian jaguar.' Where in my life would I ever transform enough to play an Italian jaguar? As the train pulls out of the station, making its way to Rome, the Zoosters jump on board and learn that the circus is ultimately headed to New York - their dream come true! - provided the performers can impress an American promoter in London. But it doesn't take long for Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria to discover that...the Circus Zaragosa needs lots of help. REINVENTING THE CIRCUS, ZOOSTER STYLE What do you do when the star of your show suddenly loses confidence in his abilities? You start losing yours. At least that's what happened to the performers of Circus Zaragoza after Vitaly's bravery took a backseat. A disastrous performance in Rome convinces Alex that the circus troupe is need of an intervention - and reinvention - if they are to have any real chance of getting back home to New York. And reinvent it they do. Though the filmmakers found enjoyment in creating scenarios that had the Zoosters interacting with the human world, ¬Darnell says, ``There's plenty of humor in the idea of an all-animal circus, which is what Alex has in mind. Ben Stiller puts it this way: ``The circus animals stopped taking risks. Alex has this brainstorm that the way to reinvent the show - to differentiate it from all others - is to reignite the performers' zeal, which they've lost. He tells them, 'We don't need humans because we've got passion,' then he uses his imagination and experience to pull it off. The filmmakers pulled out all the stops when they created the movie's new and improved ``Good Circus sequence - in which all the animals' hard work blossoms in front of an appreciative London audience - showing off the filmmakers' creativity and the power of 3D to spectacular effect. They weren't bound by any conventions of what a circus should look like. In fact, they intentionally created the impossible. Conrad Vernon recalls that ``As research, we went to see Cirque du Soleil's 'Iris,' which was amazing. We took pieces of our circus that we really like and asked ourselves, how do we update this? How do we do something circuses have never done, while using animation in a unique way? That was tough, because Cirque du Soleil can do so much. You know, I saw a girl laying down on her chest, running around her own head - stuff that's a cartoon, basically. We had to say, 'okay, we need to one-up them.' That's when we came up with the idea of being a little more abstract with everything, having cross dissolves and slow motion and fades and doing things that are literally impossible to do right in front of your eyes. Set to singer Katy Perry's jubilant ``Fireworks, the conceptual scene showcases the circus animals and Zoosters in kaleidoscope fashion, spinning, leaping and flying through the air with joyful abandon. Eric Darnell says, ``The wonderful thing about the circus is you're not grounded. You've got a whole three-dimensional space to move in. In the computer, you don't have to bring in a crane or a dolly or a helicopter. You can just move that camera wherever you need to in order to get the shot you need, so the circus became this wonderful canvas to create this eye-popping 3D. It fits in with that whole conceit. Vernon continues, ``Eric, Tom, and I sat down with production designer Kendal Cronkhite and art director Shannon Jeffries to talk concepts that we really liked, such as what if Gloria and Melman are on a tightrope? Maybe they're on a musical staff. That's why we have five strings in the scene and maybe they're dancing up and down those five strings like staircases. Kendal took the concepts we talked about back to the team, pitched them out, and their visual brains just took 'em and ran with 'em. They came back with some art and we added more ideas to that. It was less about a specific design rulebook that we played by and more about how we could conceptually come up with something that would be visually stunning. After that, we let the people who came up with the design put it in the world for us. And that's what they did. OLD FRIENDS, NEW TRICKS After three films and three continents, the Madagascar Zoosters still find a way to have the most fun and go on the wildest adventures imaginable. Being chased across Europe and hiding in the circus presents a fresh new way to see characters audiences already love. The voice talent is happy to share their own excitement for the return of their animal counterparts. Not surprisingly, Chris Rock enjoys the humor of the series: ``Audiences respond to the comedy. They're really into the camaraderie of the characters and they love new characters that are introduced. I remember in the last one, my kids loved Will.i.Am's character, a hippo named Moto Moto. 'Madagascar' has not let you down. It's a brand you can count on. It's like McDonalds, like you know? You got a Fish Filet - you know Fish Filet is going to be pretty decent. And the Fish Filet you get in Brooklyn is the same Fish Filet you're going to get in Kentucky. You can count on it. And that's 'Madagascar.' It's like a Fish Filet. Number 12 in most cities. Jada Pinkett Smith says, ``The thing that I love about all the 'Madagascar' movies is that they're fun but they also have a lot of heart. They always deal with really simple, central issues: relationships and how one relates to oneself and to the world, which is relatable across the board, whether you're an adult or a child. Ben Stiller agrees: ``People like the friendships and the relationships that the characters have and that they are always there for each other. There's an innocence about these characters, where they go through life without quite knowing how to deal with the real world. They're in the process of learning - and they are doing it together. That's a big part of it. And of course, the animation is great - it has that sort of retro Tex Avery vibe. It just feels very distinctive. Conrad Vernon believes that it's the Zoosters' resourcefulness that is appealing: ``They've always been adept at getting out of sticky situations to great comic effect, but never more so than in this film, where their lives are in danger and they're forced to hide with the circus. What takes it to a whole different level is how they make the best of their situation, not only making new friends and discovering new talents but, ultimately, using their circumstances to get them home. That's resourcefulness if I ever saw it. They learn some things about themselves, too - that it's not necessarily a place that makes life worth living, but rather it's the people in their lives that make it worth living. About the Voice Cast As an actor, director, writer and producer, the films of BEN STILLER (Alex) have grossed over five billion dollars in worldwide box office revenues. Stiller was last seen starring opposite Eddie Murphy in Universal's action-comedy ``Tower Heist directed by Brett Ratner. He received rave reviews for his lead role in Noah Baumbach's ``Greenberg, which earned him a 2011 Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Lead Actor and most recently starred in the Broadway revival of John Guare's award-winning play ``The House of Blue Leaves alongside Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh. He made his Broadway debut in the 1986 production of the same name. Stiller will next be seen in Fox's ``Neighborhood Watch opposite Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill, which revolves around a group of men who uncover a plot to destroy the world. The film will be released on July 27, 2012. He's currently in pre-production on ``The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which Stiller will direct and star in opposite Kristen Wiig and Shirley MacLaine. In the film, he plays a timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams and then embarks on a true-life adventure when a film negative goes missing. In 2008, Stiller starred in, co-wrote and directed ``Tropic Thunder under his Red Hour Films production banner. Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Black and Tom Cruise, the film garnered several award nominations including an Academy Award, BAFTA, SAG and Golden Globe for Downey Jr. as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Cruise. The film also won the Broadcast Film Critics Award and Hollywood Film Festival Award for Comedy of the Year. Red Hour's other production credits include the upcoming film, ``The Big Year, starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black; the dark comedy ``30 Minutes or Less, starring Danny McBride and Jesse Eisenberg; the animated feature ``Megamind starring Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt, ``Submarine, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival; ``Blades of Glory, ``Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and ``Starsky and Hutch. His other directing credits include ``Reality Bites, ``The Cable Guy, and ``Zoolander, which he co-wrote and starred in. As a writer, Stiller won an Emmy Award for the short-lived sketch comedy series ``The Ben Stiller Show, which he also directed and produced. Stiller's acting credits include: ``Permanent Midnight, ``Your Friends & Neighbors, ``Flirting with Disaster, ``Empire of the Sun, ``There's Something About Mary, ``The Royal Tenenbaums, ``Night at the Museum and ``Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian; ``Meet the Parents, ``Meet the Fockers and ``Little Fockers; ``Madagascar and ``Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa; and ``Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, a Red Hour production. For many years, Stiller has been involved with and supported numerous charities and foundations, including Project ALS, Artists for Peace and Justice, Centre for Environmental Education, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Oxfam, Red Cross, and Starlight Children's Foundation, among others. Following his first visit to Haiti with Save the Children in 2009, Stiller has been committed to raising money for schools in the country through his StillerStrong campaign, and more recently with The Stiller Foundation. In 2010, Stiller was recognized by Time magazine for his philanthropic work as one of the Time 100, a list of the most influential people in the world. Lauded by awards and critics alike, CHRIS ROCK (Marty) is one of our generation's strongest comedic voices. He has garnered four Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, is listed as number five on Comedy Central's ``100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time and was honored in 2006 with HBO's esteemed ``Comedian Award. Rock recently made his Broadway debut in Stephen Adly Guirgis's ``The Motherf**ker With The Hat at the Gerard Schoenfeld Theatre. The play opened to rave reviews on April 11, 2011. Rock will next be seen opposite Julie Delpy in the independent drama ``2 Days in New York, the follow up to both ``2 Days in Paris and ``Before Sunset, for which Rock's performance received terrific reviews when the film opened at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2010, Rock appeared on the big screen opposite Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Salma Hayek in the comedy ``Grown Ups, as well as ``Death at a Funeral, an urban reworking of the British comedy, for which he also served as producer and co-writer. With Neil Labute directing, this was the pair's first reunion for a film since LaBute's direction of the dark comedy ``Nurse Betty, in which Rock co-starred alongside Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and Renee Zellweger. Rock previously starred ``Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa as well as the blockbuster ``Madagascar. Rock competed at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival as first-time documentary filmmaker for his film, ``Good Hair, a comedic and insightful look into the immense African-American hair industry. The critically acclaimed film won the Sundance Special Jury Prize, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary and was named Top Five Documentaries of 2009 by the National Board of Review. In 2008, Rock kicked off his first stand-up tour in over three years, ``No Apologies, featuring all new material. The tour started in New York and then headed to the United Kingdom where Rock performed for his first time ever overseas. He immediately sold out his original set of 2008 U.K. tour dates, and to satisfy the fervent demand, an additional weeklong overseas leg was added. Rock's tour returned to the United States in early February, where it lasted through May, with additional international dates following in Australia, South Africa and Europe before returning the tour to the U.S. throughout the summer. On May 23, Rock broke the Guinness World Record for the largest audience ever at a comedy show in the UK by selling out the O2 Arena on two consecutive nights with an audience of 15,900 each night. Coinciding with the tour, Rock also released his first ``best-of album, ``Cheese and Crackers: The Greatest Bits, through Geffen Records. Featuring 19 tracks of Rock's most notorious moments, the album showcases the Brooklyn-raised comic's insight on everything from race relations, politics, sex, and the infamous ``N-word. Serving as both co-creator and narrator, Rock's television series ``Everybody Hates Chris, about a black kid in a mostly white school in 1980s, was inspired by Rock's own life. Upon its debut on UPN in 2005, it was named one of Entertainment Weekly's ``top new series, making it the most-watched comedy in UPN's history. In 2006 the show earned both Golden Globe and Writers Guild Awards nominations. Rock made his directorial debut with ``Head of State, in which he also starred alongside Bernie Mac. His feature film debut was in ``Beverly Hills Cop II with Eddie Murphy. He went on to write, create, star and produce the rap comedy ``CB4 in 1993, a satire of the world of hardcore rap, which opened No. 1 at the box office. Other film credits include ``Boomerang, with Eddie Murphy; ``Panther, directed by Mario Van Peebles; ``New Jack City, with Wesley Snipes (a film marking Rock's dramatic debut as a desperate crack addict); and ``I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! with Keenen Ivory Wayans. The summer of 1998 saw Rock co-star in two $100-million-plus grossing films: ``Lethal Weapon 4 and ``Dr. Doolittle. Rock starred in Kevin Smith's ``Dogma, which also featured Ben Affleck, Salma Hayek and Matt Damon. He also starred in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced ``Bad Company opposite Anthony Hopkins; the romantic comedy ``Down to Earth co-directed by Paul and Chris Weitz and co-written by Rock. In March 2007, Rock starred in ``I Think I Love My Wife, a film which he also wrote and directed, and ``The Longest Yard, with Adam Sandler, a remake of the 1974 classic. After gaining early success as a stand-up comedian, Rock joined the cast of NBC's ``Saturday Night Live in 1989. In 1993, he taped his first HBO special ``Chris Rock: Big Ass Jokes, which was honored with a CableAce Award. Rock served as the sole 1996 presidential campaign correspondent for the acclaimed ``Politically Incorrect, then on Comedy Central, and received an Emmy nomination for a shared writing credit in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program for the show. Rock's true emergence as a celebrated talent can be traced to his next HBO special, ``Bring the Pain, which was honored with two Emmy Awards for Best Writing and Outstanding Special in 1997. ``Bring the Pain was released as a home video as well as a Grammy Award-winning CD. Rock went on to host the acclaimed ``Chris Rock Show, which began airing on HBO in 1997. Rock and his popular talk show were honored with several Emmy nominations for both writing and best host. The show then received an Emmy Award for Best Writing in 1999. His next HBO stand-up special, ``Bigger & Blacker, taped on the stage of Harlem's fabled Apollo Theatre, earned three Emmy nominations for Rock, while the CD went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Spoken or Comedy Album. In 2003, Rock embarked on his stand-up ``Black Ambition Tour, which ran in 64 North American cities with over 80 shows through March 2004. Rock's HBO special, ``Never Scared, aired in April 2004, and was nominated for two Emmys. Its CD also earned the Grammy for Best Comedy Album. In 2008, Rock returned to the Apollo Theater in New York for his latest HBO stand-up special, ``Kill the Messenger, which also taped in London and South Africa. The special earned Rock his fourth Emmy award. Rock hosted the 77th Annual Academy Awards in 2005, as well as the MTV Video Music Awards in 1999 and 2003. Rock's debut book, ``Rock This, spent time on both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. DAVID SCHWIMMER (Melman) is a co-founder of Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company, where he has acted in and directed many productions including ``Trust, ``Our Town, ``West, ``The Master and Margarita, ``The Jungle, ``Eye of the Beholder, ``The Odyssey, ``The Idiot, ``Of One Blood and his adaptation of Studs Terkel's book ``Race. He starred in the premieres of ``D Girl and ``Turnaround in Los Angeles, ``Glimmer Brothers in Williams-town, ``Some Girls in London and the revival of ``The Caine Mutiny Court Martial on Broadway. Schwimmer recently completed production on Ariel Vromen's ``The Iceman with Chris Evans, Winona Ryder and Michael Shannon and will soon reunite with Lisa Kudrow for an episode of Showtime's ``Web Therapy. Other notable television and film credits include ``Nothing But The Truth, ``Madagascar, ``Madagascar: Return 2 Africa, ``Duane Hopwood, ``Big Nothing, ``Band of Brothers, ``Curb Your Enthusiasm, ``Six Days Seven Nights, ``Apt Pupil, ``The Pallbearer and the hit comedy series ``Friends, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. His film and television directing includes ``Since You've Been Gone, ``Run, Fat Boy, Run, and the HBO series ``Little Britain USA as well as ``Trust starring Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Viola Davis. Schwimmer is on the Board of Directors of the Rape Foundation in Santa Monica, California. JADA PINKETT SMITH (Gloria) has proven herself to be one of the most versatile and talented stars today, both on and off screen. As an actress, Pinkett Smith has amassed an impressive list of film and television credits, including ``Hawthorne, the TNT series that ran from 2009-2011, for which she also served as an executive producer. She starred opposite Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in ``Reign Over Me for Columbia Pictures, and played a pivotal role opposite Tm Cruise and Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx in Michael Mann's ``Collateral. She is perhaps best known as the take-charge Niobe in the hugely successful sequels ``Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. Through her production company, 100 Womon, Pinkett Smith wrote, directed and co-starred in ``The Human Contract opposite leads Jason Clarke and Paz Vega. Her previous effort at putting pen to paper resulted in the New York Times bestseller ``Girls Hold Up This World, published in 2005. In 2010, Pinkett Smith assumed executive producer duties for the feature film ``The Karate Kid, starring her son Jaden Smith. She was also an executive producer on ``The Secret Life of Bees. Together with her husband Will Smith, Pinkett Smith was the creator and executive producer of the CW Network's ``All of Us. Beyond the medium of TV and film, the Smiths collaborated with record industry mogul Jay-Z to produce the Broadway musical hit ``Fela! which earned three Tony Awards. Focusing on her musical talent, Pinkett Smith became the lead singer of the rock band Wicked Wisdom, as they opened for Britney Spears during her Onyx Hotel Tour. Her most recent musical project, a sensual ballad entitled ``Burn, was released on iTunes on Valentine's Day 2012 and was dedicated to he