- Notes provided by Paramount Pictures. -

"Tonight, I want you to go from 'Nowhere' to 'Now' 'Here'."
-- Guru Pitka
This summer, the second-best guru in the world is coming to America . . . on a wild-eyed mission of love. Mike Myers takes on his first original character since the beloved foreign agent Austin Powers with the mystical, magnetic yet ever-so-mischievous Guru Pitka, who seeks only peace, enlightenment and national television coverage.
In "The Love Guru," when Guru Pitka is engaged to use his ancient spiritual wisdom to fix a 21st Century celebrity romance, his karma runs headlong into comedy. An all-star cast including Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Omid Djalili and Ben Kingsley, along with surprise cameos, join Myers in this romp through the territory where enlightenment and merriment collide.
Guru Pitka (MYERS) was once an ordinary American child, until his family left him at the gates of an Indian ashram to be raised by the exhaulted Guru Tugginmypuddha (KINGLSEY). Growing up in the small fishing village of Harenmahkeester, Pitka was schooled in the inner secrets of spiritual attainment along with his friend and sole rival, Deepak Chopra. But now, Chopra is a massive celebrity in America, and Pitka is still playing second-fiddle without even an "Oprah" episode on his resume.
Determined to share his unending insights into the nature of life and get famous to boot, Pitka responds to a fateful call for help from Jane Bullard (ALBA), owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. It seems her star player, Darren Roanoke (MALCO) has gone overnight from being a big hero to a big zero-scorer because his wife, Prudence (GOOD), left him and is now dating the L.A. Kings' legendary goalie, Jacques "Le Coq" Grande (TIMBERLAKE). Pitka's new quest -- to restore loving bliss between Darren and Prudence and attain the celestial heights of the Stanley Cup -- will challenge everything he thought he knew about the inner workings of truth, love, happiness...and hockey.
Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present A Nomoneyfun Films/Michael De Luca Production "The Love Guru" starring Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Omid Djalili and Ben Kingsley. The film is directed by Marco Schnabel from a screenplay written by Mike Myers & Graham Gordy. The film is produced by Michael De Luca and Mike Myers. The executive producers are Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Donald J. Lee, Jr. The director of photography is Peter Deming, ASC. The production designer is Charles Wood. The film is edited by Lee Haxall, Gregory Perler and Billy Weber. The costume designer is Karen Patch. The music is by George S. Clinton. The music supervisor is John Houlihan. This film has been rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language, some comic violence and drug references.
A GURU IS BORN
Guru Pitka, a.k.a. "The Love Guru," first popped up in Mike Myers' imagination while he was still working on the blockbuster "Austin Powers" series. At the time, Myers had just lost his father and, in his grief, began a serious personal spiritual quest that led him to gurus and ashrams and then, unexpectedly, full circle back to comedy again. In the words of Deepak Chopra, he came to see that "humor is humanity's way of escaping deep suffering."
Celebrated for his uniquely irreverent and irresistible way of taking unconventional fish-out-of-water characters to hilarious extremes, Myers could not resist the idea of spoofing a world he found alternately intriguing and outrageous at times, silly in its trappings and yet, at other times, profoundly sincere, a world where enduring ancient questions about the nature of life regularly slipped on the banana peel of modern temptations. This was prime comedy territory as far as he was concerned.
"What struck me as I began meeting gurus like Gary Zukav and Deepak Chopra is how actually really funny they are," he says. "I started to realize that the whole idea of enlightenment is really, at heart, to just lighten up."
Another reason he was attracted to the subject, Myers explains, is that "Steve Martin once said the most exciting thing to do is to find comedy where comedy hadn't existed before. And I loved the idea of bringing irony and humor to the human search for happiness and love."
Myers next took his impudent guru for a test drive. Donning a purposefully fake beard, mysterious accent and guru get-up, Myers hit a series of New York theaters, where he offered Guru Pitka's deliciously unhinged "dharma lecture," a whimsical montage of non-denominational advice ranging from the truly ridiculous to the surprisingly sublime.
The character was an instant hit among those early New York audiences lucky enough to witness Myers' evolving creation. Some found Pitka a hilarious satire, others experienced him as a bit of an inspiration in his own right -- and the mix seemed to do exactly what Myers had hoped: go places in comedy he had yet to explore.
When Deepak Chopra first saw Guru Pitka, he says, he found the character "hilariously funny. Yet Mike was able to make some profound statements by stating them in a very silly way that, nonetheless, makes you remember them."
Soon after unveiling Guru Pitka, Myers began collaborating with screenwriter Graham Gordy to bring a younger, hipper incarnation of the character to the screen in an original story of his own, much as he had done with his earlier improvised character, Austin Powers. Gordy had a blast working with Myers, turning cosmic sutras into slapstick comedy and coming up with a tale that would reveal how Guru Pitka became the world's second-best guru and how he now yearns to take the crown from his outrageously famous chief rival, the real-life Deepak Chopra, by getting involved in pro sports and celebrity romance.
Says Gordy of their partnership: "Mike is brilliant and tenacious and cares as much about comedy as you hope all comedians do. He is the quintessential student of comedy but, thankfully, he's also a great teacher of it because he taught me everything I know. I loved working with Mike."
The story Myers and Gordy came up with had Guru Pitka not only caught up in all kinds of comical situations, including his own spot of love trouble, but also unwittingly hurtling towards both romantic and spiritual revelations of his own. "It's really a journey from celebrity back to purity," explains Myers. "Guru Pitka has some great ideas, but he's strayed from helping people to just wanting the accolades. Now, as he is faced with his most resistant student ever (star hockey player Darren Roanoke), he himself is forced to live by the rules he wrote. In a sense, the teacher becomes the student."
For Myers, key to the fun of "The Love Guru" was weaving in one of his other great quests in life: to see his beloved Toronto Maples Leafs hockey team actually have a winning season. "It's one of the great pains in my life that they haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967," he confesses. "And to have the chance to shoot on the ice at the Air Canada Center, where every Saturday, without fail, I watch my boys playing, was a thrill."
Mixing and matching satiric riffs from several film genres -- from sports dramas to romantic comedies -- Myers & Gordy even wrote an ambitiously full-scale, Bollywood-style dance sequence into the screenplay. "I'm an old-school entertainer," remarks Myers. "I see it as a huge responsibility to ask people to sit in the dark for 90 minutes, so I always want to make sure there's lots of entertainment -- so there's dance numbers, comedy, drama -- and more -- in 'The Love Guru.' It's just what I love, entertaining people."
DIRECTING THE GURU
Myers' producing partner, Michael De Luca, instantly recognized his inimitable touch in the screenplay. "Mike Myers, unlike a lot of comic actors of his generation, creates entire worlds in his stories," comments De Luca. "He starts with a single idea and then builds an entire original universe around it. You really can't compare his movies to any other movie comedies out there because they always contain something people have never seen before."
This seemed especially true in the case of Guru Pitka, whom De Luca notes rides a very unusual line between the uproarious and the uplifting. "He's a wonderful character and you also kind of want him to come along and fix your life. That's the charm of this character," says the producer. "Guru Pitka inhabits an unusually positive world for a comedy, and his warmth and unending optimism is really appealing."
With the screenplay finished, Myers began his search for a director who could take his vision of the Guru's world and set it into motion with all the manic energy it demanded. He decided to take a chance on a young, promising director, Marco Schnabel, who had previously been Jay Roach's invaluable aide on the "Austin Powers" films. "Marco is super-smart, loves movies, he's funny and he knows how to make beautiful worlds on the movie screen," summarizes Myers. "I think this is the beginning of a long and illustrious career for him."
For Schnabel, the chance to direct a project starring his comic idol was a dream come true. "I'm just a giant Mike Myers fan," he says. "I grew up with his comedy in Second City and on 'Saturday Night Live.' 'Wayne's World' was, for me, the 'Annie Hall' of my generation. Having worked on 'Austin Powers,' I was very much schooled in his brand of comedy and when he called me about 'The Love Guru,' I saw an opportunity to create another incredible comic universe."
From the start, Schnabel was well aware that Myers' films have their own unique vocabulary and rhythms. "Mike is an amazing improviser. Each scene is actually very tightly thought out before we get on the set, but then you know that new ideas will emerge," he explains. "To keep things fresh, Mike is constantly throwing out different lines and different reactions. His mind is just constantly thinking of ways to make something funnier and better."
Schnabel had also developed a deep affection for the character of Guru Pitka. "By the time I got involved, Guru Pitka was already a fully realized creation and it was really exciting," the director notes. "He's sort of the foolish wise man, who can be whacky but also very profound. I thought it was a very interesting balance Mike had achieved."
On the set, he found a great groove with Myers. Observes the film's costar Jessica Alba: "Marco just kind of put himself completely in Mike's mindset during the shoot, which was terrific. He knew what he needed to get from each of us, because he was so much inside Mike's brain."

THE GURU'S DISCIPLES
To bring Myers' distinctive brand of comedy to life in "The Love Guru," the filmmakers knew they would need a supporting cast that would be capable of keeping up with him in the film's equally hilarious co-starring roles. This was especially true for the part of Jane Bullard, the young, gorgeous female owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs who is determined to undo the "Bullard Curse," which has left the Maple Leafs without a coveted Stanley Cup since her father bought the team in 1967. Jane needed to be tough, smart, beautiful -- and completely vulnerable to Guru Pitka's mysterious charms.
The answer to the riddle of who could encompass all those qualities came in the person of Jessica Alba, one of today's fastest rising stars, whose roles in such films as "Sin City" and "Fantastic Four" have brought her a huge global following. But what took Mike Myers by surprise were her comic chops, which had yet to be showcased on screen.
Myers says, "Jessica Alba is very beautiful, but she's also a sweet, dedicated, talented and wonderful human being who has become one of my favorite co-stars I've ever worked with. And she's really, really funny. She knocks her scenes right out of the park."
Schnabel concurs: "She came to this film ready to laugh and to create a wonderful sense of play and then she took it to a level neither Mike nor I could have imagined. Of course, she's absolutely stunning, but her comic ability is really what surprised and delighted us and I think people are going to love what they see."
One of the things that struck Schnabel right away was Alba's chemistry with Myers. "There's this wonderful romantic feeling between them as they dance around one another, taking one step forward and one step back," he says.
Alba says the chemistry was born in part out of her love for Myers' exuberant style of comedy. "He has always reminded me of Peter Sellers, the way he can completely transform himself into these outrageous characters. Yet, they all have a heart and soul, so you're always rooting for them. It's a balance not many other comic actors can strike," she observes. "He's really tapped into this inner-child kind of playfulness that's very inspiring. With this film he's also tapped into something that's going on right now, with so many people reading self-help books and trying to find new ways to change their lives."
Working with Myers turned out to be a fresh challenge for Alba as an actress. "He likes to do a lot of improv and you never know what he's going to come out with, so you really have to stay on your toes to keep up," she says.
This was especially true in the scenes where their subconscious feelings for one another start to emerge. "They meet under such unconventional and bizarre circumstances that I think they both are immediately resistant to these feelings, so they try to put a lid on them, which is part of the fun," explains Alba.
Equally challenging for Alba was getting into hockey, a game she admits she didn't have a clue about before she was cast. "I got a very intense crash course in hockey on this film," she laughs. "Basically there's lots of testosterone, a lot of funny guys and some real fragrant outfits. But I wouldn't dare get on skates. I leave that to the pros."
Alba might have been able to avoid the blades, but not Romany Malco. For the role of Darren Roanoke, the so-called "Tiger Woods of hockey," whose unhappy love life has led to an agonizing losing streak for his team, Malco had to head straight to skating boot camp. Best known for his role as Mary-Louise Parker's "business" associate, Conrad Shepard, on the acclaimed Showtime comedy "Weeds," Malco might be a comedy veteran but he was a definite hockey amateur, barely able to wobble across a rink when he won the part. But, with a lot of devotion, he was able to turn that completely around.
"For a guy who never really skated before, Romany became an amazing hockey player," Myers notes. "Romany is also an awesome actor and I especially enjoyed improvising with him, because he's so spontaneously hilarious."
Malco was equally thrilled to work with Myers and especially excited to play an African-American hockey player, even holding out hope that with more role models, greater diversity will one day soon come to the game. "Darren is supposed to be like the new Wayne Gretzky, so I gave my all to master all these strides and deliver my best," he says. "But I'm thinking if my uncoordinated body can learn to skate in six weeks, there must be some really talented kids out there who haven't had the opportunity yet but could really cut it up," he says.
Darren's scoring troubles begin when his wife's affections are stolen out from under him by his chief rival, the savagely seductive Quebecois goalie Jacques "Le Coq" Grande, whose prodigious charisma, love of chick-flicks and crooning of Celine Dion tunes melts her heart.
For the hilariously uninhibited role, Myers immediately thought of someone unexpected: the global pop star and multi-talented Justin Timberlake, with whom he had worked on the animated hit "Shrek the Third." Timberlake had also been seen on a number of memorable "Saturday Night Live" sketches, but this would mark his first major comedic film character.
Says Myers about Timberlake: "I do have a man-crush on him. He's like the most talented human being I've ever met in my life. And as the most well-endowed player in the National Hockey League, he's very funny. Justin instantly nailed the character. He also turns out to have a great goalie stance."
"Justin's comic abilities have been largely untapped," notes Schnabel. "But I believe a new comedy star has been born. As Darren Roanoke's romantic rival, Justin took it to a whole new level with his dancing and singing. We had to do take after take because we were laughing so hard. And Mike and I were having a ball because we just never knew what Justin was going to do next."
To develop his Quebecois accent, Timberlake worked with a special dialogue coach and underwent weeks of skating training to hone his hockey skills. In the end, his transformation was so complete -- topped with curly hair and a bushy 1970's mustache -- that most extras on the set had no idea that Jacques was actually Justin Timberlake.
The casting fun continued as Verne Troyer, who played the infamous Mini-Me in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Austin Powers in Goldmember," came on board in the role of the NHL's toughest (albeit smallest) hockey coach, Cherkov.
Myers couldn't wait to reunite with Troyer. "Verne is a great actor and he didn't speak in the Austin Powers movies, so this was a great chance to finally hear Garbo talk, in a sense," he says. "Here, Verne plays an old hockey man who is set in his ways and can't believe he's having this guru thrust on the team by his lady team owner . . . but in the end he's redeemed."
"People are going to be very happy to see Verne Troyer and Mike Myers together again," notes Schnabel. "Ever since 'Austin Powers' Mike has been looking for new ways to capitalize on Verne's comic abilities, and in this film he has a wonderful three dimensionality to him."
For Troyer, the role was a true change of pace from his previous outings with Myers. "It was about time he gave me some lines," he laughs. "But seriously, Mike is such a cool guy that working with him again has been an honor and a lot of fun."
Completing the main cast is an Academy Award®-winning actor in the role of Guru Pitka's own revered Guru Tugginmypuddha. Few people could be more suited for the role of a guru than Ben Kingsley, who won international acclaim and an Oscar® for his portrayal of the great Indian philosopher and activist Mahatma Gandhi.
The contrast alone brought a smile to the filmmakers' faces. "Of course Ben Kingsley is one of our finest actors and with Tugginmypuddha, you have a cross-eyed guru who hands out chastity belts, so it's a very broad conceit," says Myers. "But Ben is such a consummate actor that he really fleshed him out, gave him his own voice and posture, as well as his own gentle way of interacting with people. He also understood that we were trying to have fun and he certainly came to play. We were very, very fortunate to have him in our film."
Rounding out the supporting cast are a number of fun, surprise cameos. "Mike has a great track record of pulling in cameos because he really tries to be very of the moment and take advantage of what's happening in pop culture, and of course based on his past work a lot of people want to be involved with him," notes Michael De Luca.
Naturally, Deepak Chopra, the world's #1 guru in both the film and contemporary American culture, also makes an appearance. Chopra contends that spending time exploring comedy with Myers led him to some fresh insights
-- and this from a man whose very job is coming up with insights. "I've learned to take myself less seriously," he says. "Mike helped me to appreciate comedy a lot more and also to really understand it. Spirituality is all about a lack of self-importance, and comedy is the best way to get beyond all that."

THE "WAY" OF HOCKEY
As a major hockey fan, Mike Myers loved having the chance to bring his favorite sport into the story of Guru Pitka, whose unorthodox means of helping the Toronto Maple Leafs -- including such unlikely advice as "don't fight" -- leads to one comic situation after another. From the outset, Myers hoped to showcase hockey in "The Love Guru" not only as humorously as possible, but also as authentically as possible. Early on, the production received the full support of the National Hockey League. Then they recruited Mark Ellis, renowned for creating much of cinema's most viscerally realistic sports action, who previously brought professional hockey to the screen with heart-stopping excitement in such hit films as "Miracle," the story of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal American hockey team.
Ellis couldn't wait to work with Myers. "As a hockey fan, he really gets the sport. So I knew we had an opportunity for this to be a very funny movie with some great game action, with lots of big hits, fast pace and great storytelling," he says.
At the same time, Ellis knew he had his work cut out for him when he took on "The Love Guru." He'd be trying to bring several actors who had never played hockey before up to snuff, and he would have to find a way to create real moments of free-flowing hockey action in the midst of some very slapstick scenes. He also notes that, of all sports, hockey might be one of the hardest to capture on film.
"Anytime you have to shoot action sports on frozen water it's a big challenge," laughs Ellis. "Add to that the comedy component and you ramp the challenge way up."
Tackling the task head on, Ellis first put Romany Malco into a blades boot camp. Malco, who hails from the South, had barely ever seen a hockey game, let alone played one. But with a rigorous training schedule over several months, he began to shine.
Says Ellis: "Romany told me right away that he was ready to work as hard as he possibly could to make his character credible. At first, Romany could barely stand up on the ice, but every day he made massive improvements and then you couldn't get him off the ice. In the end, he did a remarkable job."
Ellis also undertook training Justin Timberlake, who impressed him as a naturally gifted athlete. "With Justin, we got lucky. He's obviously hilarious; he really embraced this character and it turns out he's a great skater," he says. "He had only skated as a kid but he picked up the skills of a goalie very fast. There are very specific nuances to being a goalie, but after just ten training sessions, Justin was tremendous."
Meanwhile, Ellis was able to bring on board a number of pro and minor league players -- including L.A. Kings star Rob Blake and such hockey legends as Jim Thompson and Bob Probert -- to play members of the various teams depicted in the film. "When word got out that Mike Myers was doing a movie with some hockey scenes, my phone started ringing off the hook," recalls Ellis.
With the cooperation of the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs, "The Love Guru" production also was able to wrangle special permission to shoot on the ice during a break at an exhibition game to capture the inimitable excitement of a real hockey crowd. The crew had exactly five minutes to make it happen, so precision was everything -- and they got the shots with just 10 seconds to spare!
Sums up Ellis: "I thought it spoke volumes about Mike Myers and what he means to hockey people and the NHL that they gave us this opportunity. It was the real highlight of the whole project for me, and just an amazing experience for all of us."

WELCOME TO HARENMAHKEESTER: THE GURU'S WORLD
As he had done with Austin Powers, Mike Myers wanted to create an imaginatively designed, highly detailed visual universe for Guru Pitka and his comic cohorts. For inspiration, he and director Schnabel looked first to India -- not just to the country's rich spiritual history, but also to its breathless exuberance, brilliant colors and sudden breaking-out-into-dance moments that typify the Bollywood film phenomenon.
A big part of the film's design began with Myers' look for Guru Pitka, which was modeled after the youthful, rock n' roll-inspired style of the famed Beatles guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Myers developed the initial outfit when he performed the character at New York theaters and then later worked with costume designer Karen Patch, Academy Award®-winning makeup artist Ve Neill and hair stylist Jennifer O'Halloran to refine his final transformation for the film. Ultimately, the complete guru get-up required up to fours hours a day in the makeup chair while various facial prosthetics, fake beards and wigs were applied.
From there, "The Love Guru's" production designer Charles Wood ("The Italian Job") forged all kinds of fusion looks, melding East and West in sets that run from sweaty hockey rinks to the sanctity of Tugginmypuddha's ashram. "We needed a designer who could marry all these different worlds together and also bring the sumptuousness of a Bollywood production, and Charles did a really good job with that," says producer De Luca.
The film's more than 80 sets were often teeming, not just with comedians and laughter, but ostriches, elephants and high-tech puppets. Wood says the focus was always on creating something eye-popping and resplendent without overshadowing the story's even more colorful characters. "We wanted environments that were joyous, detailed and interesting and could intertwine with the comedy of the film," he explains. "It was important to Mike that the set designs be believable, but also support the humor."
Scale played a big part in the creation of Guru Tugginmypuddha's ashram, which took three months to bring to vibrant life. Wood had to work especially carefully to make sure the set could accommodate the film's two huge, hockey-loving Asian elephants, Maggie and Jenny, who are Pitka's main mode of transportation.
The opposite dynamic was at play for Coach Cherkov's office, in which everything was cleverly scaled down to Verne Troyer's size, right down to the water cooler and office supplies.
For director Schnabel, the creativity of the sets was a constant inspiration, but his heart, he notes, really belongs to "The Love Guru's" lavishly designed Bollywood dance numbers. "The musical numbers were such a joy to me," he muses. "We did several wildly different musical dance sequences. There's one at the end of the film that's a more traditional Bollywood number, which is inspired by the classic Bollywood movie 'Devdas,' which is sort of like the 'Titanic' of Bollywood. But then we also did Bollywood numbers to 'More Than Words,' that great '90s ballad by the band Extreme, and Dolly Parton's '9 to 5.' They were a real highlight for all of us."
Aside from the sumptuous musical interludes, some of the most exciting shooting days came whenever the elephants were working, especially during the climactic sequences in which they play a major and hilarious role. "All praise goes to Marco Schnabel, who pulled it off," says Myers. "We wound up with a masterful mix of real animals and mechanical trickery that created some amazing effects."
The mechanical elephants, as well as an ostrich, were created and brought to life by special-fx artist Ron Stefaniuk (who also created Guru Pitka's chastity belt, puppeteered special "yogically flexible" legs for Mike Myers, and built other unusual items), who used a five-man rig and a unique series of airbags to create their faithfully realistic rolling motion. He recalls Myers' reaction to seeing the man-driven beasts for the first time: "He just loved it. He was really impressed with the fluid motion," recalls Stefaniuk.
To capture all of this mayhem in a visually dynamic fashion, Myers reunited with cinematographer Peter Deming, who also shot the original "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," as well as "Austin Powers in Goldmember."
Sums up the film's director Marco Schnabel: "Everything you'd want to see from Mike Myers is in 'The Love Guru' -- a hysterical world filled with memorable characters, musical numbers, sweet romance, incredible style and design -- and then there's a whole new level that Mike has brought to it that no one can expect, and that's what makes it so fun."
Concludes Myers: "This is the most fun I've ever had making a film. I think the more I do it the more I realize that making an audience laugh means more to me than anything in the world. That's my bliss and my joy."

ABOUT THE CAST
MIKE MYERS (Pitka/Written by/Producer), one of the most multifaceted performers of his generation, has brought an astonishing array of memorable characters to life in film and television. As a writer, producer and actor, Myers is best known as the creative force behind such iconic characters as "Austin Powers" and "Shrek," propelling Myers to become the only actor to ever have six films that have grossed more than $200 million in a row.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Myers began his professional career the day he graduated from high school. Mike took his final exams at nine o'clock in the morning, auditioned for Toronto's famed Second City comedy troupe at noon, and was hired at three in the afternoon. This ultimately led to Myers joining Chicago's Second City Troupe, an association that would change his life forever. "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels' discovery of Myers at Second City led to his debut as a featured performer and writer on the show in 1989.
For his groundbreaking work on "Saturday Night Live," Myers was nominated for an Emmy for "Best Performance in a Comedy or Variety Show" and won an Emmy for "Best Writing for a Comedy or Variety Show." Among the characters Myers made popular performing on "SNL" are: German talk show host, Dieter; Linda Richman in "Coffee Talk;" the hyperactive-hypoglycemic Phillip; Simon, the boy in the bathtub; and his legendary impersonation of rock icon Mick Jagger.
Myers successfully brought his popular "SNL" character, Wayne Campbell, to the big screen in "Wayne's World," which he also wrote. The film broke box office records and grossed over $200 million. In 1993, he reprised the role of Wayne Campbell in the hit sequel "Wayne's World 2," which Myers also wrote. In between "Wayne's World" releases, Myers starred as an eccentric Scottish father and his first-generation Scottish-American son in the romantic comedy "So I Married an Axe Murderer." In 1998, he appeared in Miramax's ensemble drama "54" starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell and Sela Ward, earning critical acclaim for his portrayal of nightclub owner Steve Rubell.
In 1997, Myers created, wrote, produced and starred in the smash hit "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." Myers' portrayal of Austin Powers, a fashion photographer/swinger/spy cryogenically frozen in the 1960s, who is thawed in the '90s in order to reclaim his "mojo" and capture his diabolical nemesis "Dr. Evil" (also played by Myers), had an enormous impact on popular culture, spawning two sequels. "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)," the second installment of the series, introduced a hilarious new character, an overweight Scottish double agent named "Fat Bastard." In its first weekend of release, the film made more money than the original "Austin Powers" made in its entire domestic theatrical run. The movie has garnered numerous awards, including several MTV Movie Awards, a People's Choice Award, a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and a Grammy. Myers himself earned an American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Movie for his work in the film. With worldwide box office receipts of nearly $300 million, "Austin Powers in Goldmember" out-grossed its two predecessors making it the only third installment of a comedy to ever do so. The "Austin Powers" franchise has grossed nearly $1 billion, making it one of the highest grossing comedy franchises of all time.
Lending his voice to the title role of the 2001 DreamWorks animated feature "Shrek," Myers again struck a chord with audiences who fell in love with this modern-day fairy tale about a misunderstood ogre. The film won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film. In May 2004, "Shrek 2" was released and went on to gross more than $440 million, making it the third biggest film in U.S. box office history. In 2007, DreamWorks released "Shrek the Third" to a $330 million plus domestic bow, paving the way for "Shrek Goes Fourth," which is set for release in 2010.
Myers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July 2002 for his impressive body of work. He was also honored with the Jack Benny Award by the student body of the University of California, as well as the 2003 AFI Star Award at
U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and he also has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
JESSICA ALBA (Jane Bullard) fell in love with acting at a very early age, becoming active professionally at the age of 12. She began studying with acting coaches in Los Angeles and, shortly thereafter, landed at the Atlantic Theatre Company, where she studied with founders William H. Macy and David Mamet. Alba first achieved worldwide recognition as the lead character in James Cameron's "Dark Angel," Cameron's first project after the history-making "Titanic" and his first television venture. In the series, Alba portrayed Max, a genetically-enhanced human prototype who escapes from her government captors only to live out her life on the run in the underground of 21st Century Seattle. In the series' first season, she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a People's Choice Award. She was voted the TV Guide Award as Breakout Star of the Year by readers, and won Favorite TV Actress at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards. "Dark Angel" has been a success around the world, helping to establish her as an international star.
Her early feature film credits include 20th Century Fox's "Never Been Kissed," starring and produced by Drew Barrymore, as well as the thriller "Idle Hands" for Sony Pictures. She later starred as the title character in Fine Line Features' romance "The Sleeping Dictionary," a period drama which co-starred Brenda Blethyn, Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Noah Taylor and Hugh Dancy. Her first starring role in a major studio film was in the 2003 release "Honey." The contemporary urban drama from Universal Pictures grossed over $60 million worldwide.
In 2005, Alba's film career began to catch fire. She starred opposite Bruce Willis and an all-star cast in the provocative and critically acclaimed "Sin City," directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. She next starred as Sue Storm 'The Invisible Girl' in Marvel Comics' action-franchise blockbuster "Fantastic Four," which was released by 20th Century Fox in July 2005 and became a worldwide box office success, with over $300 million in revenue. Later the same year, she starred in the 2005 underwater action-adventure "Into the Blue."
In 2005, the combined worldwide box office for "Fantastic Four," "Sin City" and "Into the Blue" totaled over half a billion dollars. Alba is slated to costar in "Sin City 2," which is currently in pre-production; the second installment of the popular comic book adaptation, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," opened to worldwide success in June 2007.
Alba co-starred in the psychological thriller "Awake," with Terrence Howard, Hayden Christiansen and Lena Olin, and the hit comedy "Good Luck Chuck" opposite Dane Cook. Alba recently starred in a remake of Hong Kong's psychological horror hit "The Eye," for Lionsgate Films and Cruise-Wagner Productions.
Alba has appeared in several iconic and lucrative endorsement campaigns, including the famous Got Milk? "milk mustache" campaign, and was featured in a star-studded 30th Anniversary campaign for The Gap, as well as other prestigious campaigns in the U.S. and internationally. She recently signed a global endorsement contract representing Revlon, joining an elite group of beauties representing the brand, including Halle Berry, Eva Mendes and Sheryl Crow.
She showcased her comedic talents as host of the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and she has appeared on countless prestigious magazine covers in the United States and throughout the world.
Although many would describe her as an exotic beauty, Alba was raised in a traditional American family in California. Her mother's family has a French-Danish heritage, while her father is from Mexican-Indian and Spanish lineage.
In addition to JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE's (Jacques Grande) multi-platinum album "FutureSex/LoveSounds," which had 4 consecutive #1 singles, his 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow and multiple Grammy Awards, he has also made his mark as an actor. Timberlake received rave reviews for Universal's crime drama "Alpha Dog," co-starring Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone. Timberlake was also featured in Craig Brewer's "Black Snake Moan," along with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2007, Timberlake was the voice of Artie, the young King Arthur, in DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third," along with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy. Timberlake joined the ensemble cast of Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Mandy Moore in "Southland Tales," from the director of the cult hit "Donnie Darko," Richard Kelly.
Timberlake also hosted two memorable episodes of "Saturday Night Live," the most recent of which included the Emmy Award-winning piece "D**k in a Box."
ROMANY MALCO (Darren Roanoke) is most widely recognized for his star-making performance in the hit Universal film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." He received critical praise for his portrayal of Jay, the streetwise, trash-talking womanizer who sets the tone for the film's antics. Malco more recently costarred alongside Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in DreamWorks' "Blades of Glory," which grossed over $100 million, and Universal's "Baby Mama," starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Other feature film credits include the comedy "Tuxedo," opposite Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Jesse Peretz's comedy "The Château," opposite Paul Rudd. Malco will re-team with "Virgin" director Judd Apatow on the "Marine Recruiter" project at Universal. Currently in development, the project is based on Malco's original idea and Apatow will serve as producer.
Malco also stars on the Showtime series "Weeds," opposite Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Perkins. The critically acclaimed show recently finished its third season, with his performance as Conrad Shepard earning him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Brookyn-bred Malco, the first American-born member of his West Indian family, began his career at the age of seven when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen, he moved to Texas and formed the rap group
R.M.G. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal with Virgin Records. The group's name was changed to College Boyz and their first big hit, "Victim of the Ghetto," went to #1 on the rap charts.
Malco currently resides in Los Angeles.
MEAGAN GOOD (Prudence), one of Hollywood's most sought-after young actresses, is most recognized for her acclaimed performance (opposite Samuel L. Jackson) in the moody family drama "Eve's Bayou," for which she received an NAACP Image Award nomination and a Hollywood Reporter YoungStar Award nomination.
Recent credits include Screen Gem's box office hit "Stomp the Yard," opposite Columbus Short, Ne-Yo and Brian White. Good was also recently seen in "Waist Deep," opposite Tyrese Gibson for Universal/Focus Features, and "Miles from Home," an independent feature that Good executive-produced and stars in has been on the independent film circuit. The film premiered at the Pan-African Film & Arts Festival, the Washington, D.C., Independent Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival, in which it swept all the awards -- best feature, best actor & actress (Meagan Good) and best director. Good will also produce "Sundays in Fort Green," in which she will star.
Earlier credits include "Brick"; "Roll Bounce"; Screen Gems' "D.E.B.S." and "You Got Served"; "The Cookout"; DreamWorks Pictures' "Biker Boyz"; the romantic comedy "Deliver Us from Eva"; "Friday," with Ice Cube; Holly Goldberg Sloan's "The Secret Life of Girls"; Chris Stokes' "House Party 4"; and DJ Pooh's "3 Strikes."
Born in Panorama City, CA, Good began starring in commercials at age 4, and to date has completed over 60 national television commercials. She made her prime-time television debut starring as Sarah's best friend Katie on the WB show "Raising Dad." Good's first major television role was as a series regular on the hit "Cousin Skeeter." She also guest-starred on various shows, including "Moesha," "Touched by an Angel," "The Steve Harvey Show," "The Famous Jett Jackson," "The Division" and "The Parent 'Hood," to name a few.
Good currently lives in California and enjoys getting involved in charity events. She longs to direct her own films some day.
OMID DJALILI (Guru Satchabigknoba) is an award-winning British-Iranian actor/comedian. Acclaimed as one of Britain's funniest stand-up comedians, he has also been featured in films including "The Mummy," "Gladiator," "Spy Game," "Modigliani," "Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow," "Casanova," "The Allottment" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." On TV, he did two seasons of "Small Potatoes" on Britain's Channel 4, as well as stints on "The Abbey," "My Family and Other Animals," "Chopra Town" and "Little Britain." In the U.S., he signed a talent holding deal with NBC in 2002 and co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg in her sitcom "Whoopi," which ran from 2003-04.
After great success at the Edinburgh Festivals of 1993 and 1994 with a one-man theater piece, Djalili became a festival favorite with a string of sold-out comedy shows. It started in 1995 with "Short Fat Kebab Shop Owner's Son," then in 1996 in "The Arab & the Jew." In 1997, it was "Omid Djalili is Ethnic," his least favorite year spawning the legendary lines from his manager Nigel "There's no business like no business."
In 1999, he returned to Edinburgh and had another hit show, "The Iranian Ceilidh," with Kamal Mazlumi. "Warm to My Winning Smile" followed in 2000 and "Behind Enemy Lines" in 2002. All three shows were well received at Edinburgh, with "Behind Enemy Lines" earning six 5-star reviews. In 2005 Djalili returned to the festival with his most successful show to date, "No Agenda," with record-breaking sales at the Fringe Festival totaling 16,500; the show then transferred to a sold-out nationwide 40-date tour, including two shows at the London Palladium in 2006.
His international appeal is vast, having performed in recent years in Australia, Austria, the USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Slovakia and, most recently, in Qatar for the Emir, where he shared a stage with President Bill Clinton.
2006 saw Djalili playing major parts in "Alien Autopsy," with Ant & Dec, and in "Over the Hedge" (voicing Tiger), alongside Bruce Willis, William Shatner and Wanda Sykes.
Most recently, his brand-new series, "The Omid Djalili Show," finished a run on prime time BBC1 on Saturday nights. He recently toured the UK with his latest stand-up show, which ended at the Hammersmith Apollo in April.
BEN KINGSLEY (Guru Tugginmypuddha) has, since earning an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi in "Gandhi," continued to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each successive role. Garnering three additional Oscar® nominations for "Bugsy" (1991), "Sexy Beast" (2000) and "House of Sand and Fog" (2003), his roles have been as diverse as his talents, from a sturdy vice president in "Dave" to the scheming Fagin in "Oliver Twist." Since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year's Eve Honors List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honors as a truly international star.
Two films recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival give further perspective to his work: "The Wackness," in which he plays a drug-addled psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby and Mary-Kate Olsen, and the crime thriller "Transsiberian," as a mysterious traveler opposite Woody Harrelson, Eduardo Noriega and Thomas Kretschmann. He is also the star of the sexually charged "Elegy," which premiered at this year's Berlin Film Festival. Two other completed films include "Man on the Run," a thriller set against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s Ireland, and the more lighthearted crime comedy "War, Inc." He will next star in Martin Scorsese's 1950s drama "Shutter Island" with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams.
Steeped in British theater, Kingsley marked the beginning of his professional acting career with his acceptance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in l967. From roles in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Tempest," Brutus in "Julius Caesar" and the title roles in "Othello" and "Hamlet," among others, his more recent and diverse stage roles include those in "The Country Wife," "The Cherry Orchard," "A Betrothal," "The Elephant Man" and "Waiting for Godot."
Kingsley's film career began in l972 with the thriller "Fear is the Key," but his first major role came a decade later in the epic "Gandhi" directed by Richard Attenborough. He followed this Oscar®-winning performance with such films as "Betrayal," "Turtle Diary," "Harem," "Pascali's Island," "Without a Clue" (as Dr. Watson to Michael Caine's Sherlock Holmes) and "The Children," opposite Kim Novak. During the '90s Kingsley distinguished himself through such roles as Mayer Lansky in "Bugsy," "Sneakers," "Searching for Bobby Fischer" and "Dave." In 1994, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his memorable supporting role as Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg's seven-time Oscar® winner "Schindler's List."
During the past decade, Kingsley has remained a coveted and ubiquitous talent. Beginning with such films as "Rules of Engagement," "What Planet are You From?" and an Oscar®-nominated role as a brutal gangster in "Sexy Beast," he received his most recent Oscar® nomination in 2004 for his performance as a proud Iranian emigrant in the highly acclaimed "House of Sand and Fog." Among his films in the last several years are Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist," the crime drama "Lucky Number Slevin," John Dahl's "You Kill Me" and the Roman Empire saga "The Last Legion."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
MARCO SCHNABEL (Director) makes his feature film directorial debut with "The Love Guru."
The German-born Schnabel, a graduate of USC's School of Cinema/Television, has worked extensively in the entertainment industry as both a writer and director. He got his start working under the guidance of Jay Roach, directing the second unit on both "Meet the Parents" films for Universal and on all three films in the "Austin Powers" franchise for New Line. It was there he met Mike Myers, who recruited Schnabel to direct "The Love Guru."
MIKE MYERS (Written by/Producer/Pitka) See bio in "About the Cast" section.
GRAHAM GORDY (Written by) completed his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he received the Goldberg Award for Playwriting. He is a member of the Royal Court Theatre's Young Writer's Programme in London, as well as an American Delegate to Australia's Interplay Young Writer's Conference. His plays have been performed by Naked Angels, The New Group, and New York Stage and Film. Gordy's screenplay credits include "War Eagle, Arkansas."
MICHAEL DE LUCA (Producer) founded Michael De Luca Productions in March of 2004 and has a development and production agreement with Columbia Pictures.
A former production chief for film companies such as DreamWorks and New Line Cinema, De Luca is focusing his production company on developing appropriately budgeted, provocative specialized films with visionary filmmakers, and pop culture, mainstream genre films with franchise potential. His debut projects as a producer for Columbia have included Jon Favreau's science fiction adventure "Zathura," adapted from a book by Chris Van Allsburg; "Ghost Rider," starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Mark Steven Johnson; and the recent hit "21," based on the book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich.
Prior to forming Michael De Luca Productions, De Luca served as DreamWorks' head of production. At DreamWorks, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the live-action division and the production of such films as Todd Phillips' "Old School" and Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's hit comedy "Anchorman," as well as "Head of State" and "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!"
He previously spent seven years as president and COO of New Line Productions. During his tenure, he created the highly successful "Friday," "Blade," "Austin Powers" and "Rush Hour" franchises. He championed such groundbreaking sleeper hits as "Se7en," "Wag the Dog," "Pleasantville" and "Boogie Nights," and launched the directing careers of Jay Roach, Brett Ratner, Gary Ross, Alan and Albert Hughes, F. Gary Gray and the Farrelly brothers, among others.
GARY BARBER (Executive Producer), with his partner Roger Birnbaum, founded the production, finance and distribution company Spyglass Entertainment, where he serves as co-chairman and CEO.
Spyglass Entertainment's savvy production choices from the beginning led to the phenomenal box office success of "The Sixth Sense," starring Bruce Willis, which went on to gross over $661 million and garnered six Academy Award® nominations. Further successes include "The Count of Monte Cristo," with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, "Keeping the Faith," with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, "Shanghai Noon," with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and its sequel "Shanghai Knights," as well as the dynamic teaming of Al Pacino and Colin Farrell in "The Recruit."
Barber executive produced and co-financed two milestone movies: "Bruce Almighty," starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, which grossed $485 million in worldwide box office and is considered one of the blockbuster comedies of all time; and "Seabiscuit," the tale of a legendary racehorse, starring Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges, which received seven Oscar® nominations with its moving story of triumph over adversity.
Barber went on to produce "The Pacifier" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." "The Pacifier," a family comedy starring Vin Diesel, earned approximately $200 million in worldwide box office, while "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," an adaptation of the Douglas Adams bestseller, crossed the $100 million mark globally.
Spyglass also co-financed and Barber executive-produced "The Legend of Zorro," the sequel to the 1998 smash hit "The Mask of Zorro," directed by Martin Campbell and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas, and "Memoirs of a Geisha," based on the best-selling novel, helmed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago") and starring Ziyi Zhang and Ken Watanabe. "Memoirs of a Geisha" earned Spyglass three Oscar® wins out of six nominations, bringing the company's total to 26 nominations.
Walt Disney Pictures' successful "Eight Below" was co-financed by Spyglass and executive produced by Barber. In 2007, Spyglass produced and financed the releases of "The Invisible" and "The Lookout" through Miramax Films and Touchstone Pictures, respectively. Last summer saw the releases of "Evan Almighty," the comedy follow-up to "Bruce Almighty," and Walt Disney Pictures' live-action feature of the beloved classic cartoon series "Underdog."
The year 2008 is revving up to be a prolific one for Spyglass, starting with the January release of the hugely popular "27 Dresses," which Barber produced and Spyglass co-financed. Next in theaters was "The Ruins," a horror/thriller in association with DreamWorks, and upcoming in September is "Ghost Town," a romantic comedy with Ricky Gervais. In addition to "The Love Guru," summer 2008 will bring to theaters two other major releases: M. Night Shyamalan's latest, "The Happening," a paranoid thriller being released by Sony, and "Wanted," an adrenaline-pumping action thriller based upon Mark Miller's
explosive graphic novel series starring Oscar® winner Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy ("Atonement"). In fall/winter, Spyglass will release "Flash of Genius," a drama based on a true story spanning three decades. Spyglass is currently in production on "Four Christmases" starring Oscar® winner Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn ("Wedding Crashers").
A seasoned veteran of the business, Barber has been directly responsible for operating companies in feature film production and distribution, foreign theatrical, video and TV distribution, exhibition and pre-recorded music and music publishing. He was responsible for building these companies from the ground up.
Barber is the former vice chairman and chief operating officer of Morgan Creek Productions. During his eight and a half years at the company, he was in charge of all day-to-day operations for each of Morgan Creek's business entities, including feature film production, foreign distribution, music, exhibition and interactive.
Barber has produced or executive produced over 60 feature films and TV shows, including the 1994 hit that rocketed Jim Carrey to stardom, "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," and its highly successful sequel "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," as well as the 1991 blockbuster "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," starring Kevin Costner.
ROGER BIRNBAUM (Executive Producer) founded the production, finance and distribution company Spyglass Entertainment with partner Gary Barber, and they share the title of co-chairman and CEO. The company develops and finances all of its projects independently.
Spyglass Entertainment's box office successes range from "The Sixth Sense," with Bruce Willis, which earned $661 million in worldwide box-office, to the smash hit "Bruce Almighty," starring Jim Carrey, which earned $485 million. Also included in the Spyglass library are Oscar®-nominated favorites such as "Seabiscuit," with Tobey Maguire, and "The Insider," with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. In total, Spyglass has amassed 26 Oscar® nominations, including three wins. Other company successes include "The Count of Monte Cristo," with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, "Keeping the Faith," with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, the dual hits "Shanghai Noon" and its sequel "Shanghai Knights," with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, "The Recruit," with Al Pacino and Colin Farrell, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," starring Sam Rockwell and Mos Def, and the smash family film "The Pacifier," with Vin Diesel.
Spyglass also co-financed and executive-produced "The Legend of Zorro," the sequel to "The Mask of Zorro," directed by Martin Campbell and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas, and "Memoirs of a Geisha," the adaptation of the best-selling novel directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago"). Both films were released internationally by Spyglass and have grossed over $150 million dollars each in worldwide box office to date. "Memoirs of a Geisha" drew numerous kudos and awards, culminating in three Academy Awards®.
In 2006, Birnbaum co-financed and produced the action adventure "Eight Below," based on the true survival story of a group of sled dogs in Antarctica. The film had strong legs at the box office, with earnings of over $120 million worldwide. Spyglass also produced and financed the crime thriller "The Lookout," helmed by acclaimed writer-turned-first-time director Scott Frank. In the summer of 2007, Spyglass saw the releases of "Evan Almighty," the comedy follow-up to "Bruce Almighty," and the live-action feature with Walt Disney Pictures "Underdog," based upon the beloved cartoon series.
Upcoming in 2008, Spyglass is co-financing a bountiful roster of films, starting with the hugely successful "27 Dresses," with Katherine Heigl, which Birnbaum produced. Next up was "The Ruins," a horror/thriller in association with DreamWorks, and also slated for release this year are M. Night
Shyamalan's "The Happening," a paranoid thriller; "Ghost Town," a romantic comedy with Ricky Gervais; "Wanted," an action-packed thriller based upon Mark Miller's graphic novel series and starring Oscar® winners Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman with James McAvoy ("Atonement"); and "Flash of Genius," a drama based on a true story. Spyglass is in production on "Four Christmases" starring Oscar® winner Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn ("Wedding Crashers"). New Line has slated this holiday comedy release for the end of this year.
Prior to founding Spyglass Entertainment, Birnbaum co-founded Caravan Pictures, where he was responsible for such box office hits as "Rush Hour," "Six
Days Seven Nights," "Inspector Gadget," "Grosse Pointe Blank," "The Three Musketeers," "Angels in the Outfield" and "While You Were Sleeping."
Before joining Caravan, Birnbaum held the title of president of worldwide production and executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox, where he developed such films as "Home Alone," "Sleeping with the Enemy," "Edward Scissorhands," "Hot Shots!," "My Cousin Vinny," "The Last of the Mohicans," "Die Hard 2" and "Mrs. Doubtfire," among others. Prior to that, Birnbaum was president of production for United Artists, where he developed the Oscar®winning film "Rain Man."
Earlier in his career, he produced "The Sure Thing," directed by Rob Reiner, and "Young Sherlock Holmes," which were presented in association with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. For television, he executive-produced the telefilms "Scandal Sheet," "Happily Ever After," "When Your Lover Leaves" and the award-winning "All the Kids Do It."
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey and educated at the University of Denver, Birnbaum built a successful career as vice president of A&M Records and Arista Records before entering the film business to produce motion pictures.
He is currently co-artistic director of the AFI conservatory, and serves on the advisory board for UCSB at the Center for Film, Television and New Media. He is also a mentor to the USC Peter Stark Producing Program, as well as the UCLA Graduate Film Program.
DONALD J. LEE, JR. (Executive Producer), a native of Pittsburgh, PA and a Cornell University graduate, moved to New York City in 1981 and began working as a set production assistant on such films as "Legal Eagles," "Wall Street" and "Someone to Watch Over Me." In 1987, Lee joined the Directors Guild of America as an assistant director and worked on several film classics, including "Bull Durham," "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Sleepless in Seattle."
His other producing credits include executive producer on "World Trade Center" in 2006, "Elizabethtown" in 2005 and "The Perfect Score" in 2004; coproducer on "Vanilla Sky" in 2001, "Lucky Numbers" in 2000 and "You've Got Mail" in 1998; and associate producer on "Gloria" in 1999 and "Michael" in 1996.
Lee continues to reside in New York City with his wife and family.
PETER DEMING, ASC (Director of Photography) most recently served as cinematographer on the '40s crime drama "Married Life," starring Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams, Patricia Clarkson and Chris Cooper. Prior to that, works include Curtis Hanson's romantic dramedy "Lucky You," starring Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore, David O. Russell's "I Heart Huckabees," Rob Reiner's comedy "Rumor Has It..." and Philip Kaufman's "Twisted." For television, Deming shot the pilot episode of the series "Cashmere Mafia."
Deming has collaborated multiple times with several directors. He won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography for his work on David Lynch's "Mullholland Drive" and also worked with Lynch on the film "Lost Highway" and the television series "Hotel Room." He teamed with director Jay Roach on "Mystery, Alaska," starring Russell Crowe, and the hit spy spoofs "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and "Austin Powers in Goldmember," both starring Mike Myers. Deming has also lensed the Wes Craven films "Music of the Heart," "Scream 2" and "Scream 3," and was an additional director of photography on the first "Scream."
Deming's other film credits include Daniel Algrant's "People I Know" starring Al Pacino; the Hughes brothers' Jack the Ripper saga "From Hell" starring Johnny Depp; "The Jacket" with Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley; "My Cousin Vinny"; "Scorchers"; "Drop Dead Fred"; "Book of Love"; "House Party," which won the Best Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival; Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle"; and Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead II," which marked Deming's first feature film.
Deming is currently working with Raimi on the psychological thriller "Drag Me to Hell" starring Alison Lohman.
CHARLES WOOD (Production Designer) began his entertainment industry career in 1991 as a visual effects art director, working on such projects as "The Fugitive," Peter Weir's "Fearless," "Under Siege" and "Army of Darkness." Segueing to design work, he has since collaborated on projects ranging from big studio movies to independent films. His credits include Michael Apted's "Amazing Grace," "Fool's Gold," "Flyboys," directed by Tony Bill, "Laws of Attraction," "The Italian Job," directed by F. Gary Gray, "Get Carter" and "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation."
Wood earned an Emmy Award nomination in 2000 for the television movie "Geppetto" and a 2007 Satellite Award nomination for "Amazing Grace."
LEE HAXALL (Editor), a native of Pennsylvania and graduate of the USC School of Cinema, edited Jay Roach's "Meet the Fockers," starring Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. She then worked for director Jay Chandrasekhar on "The Dukes of Hazzard," starring Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott and Jessica Simpson, and "Beerfest," starring the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe, Will Forte and Cloris Leachman.
More recently, she edited the Universal and Imagine Entertainment movie "Kids in America," directed by Michael Dowse and starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris and Dan Fogler.
In 2004, Haxall received an Emmy Award for Best Editing of a Single Camera Comedy Series for the pilot of "Arrested Development." She was also recognized for her work on the comedy series "Arli$$" with a Cable Ace Award for Best Editor of a comedy series.
GREGORY PERLER (Editor) was born in New Jersey and educated at New York University, where he graduated with a BA in film studies. While still in film school, Perler found his interests gravitating towards editing.
Perler's most recent film credits include the box office smash "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" and the critically acclaimed "Enchanted," for Disney. His relationship with Disney began when he was hired as an assistant on "Beauty and the Beast" (the only animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award®); he was then promoted to coeditor, where he remained for two years.
His other feature animation credits include "Tarzan"; the Oscar®nominated "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius"; and the Oscar®-winning "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." Live-action credits include "102 Dalmatians" and two Emmy-winning "Eloise at the Plaza" television films.
Perler and his family live in Studio City, California.
BILLY WEBER (Editor) received an Academy Award® nomination for his editing work on "The Thin Red Line" for director Terrence Malick, with whom he had previously collaborated on "Days of Heaven." Earlier in his career, Weber earned an Oscar® nomination for "Top Gun."
Most recently, he edited "Nacho Libre," starring Jack Black, "Gigli," starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, and "Showtime," for director Tom Dey. Among his numerous feature film editing credits are "Iceman," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Beverly Hills Cop 2," "Pee Wee's Big Adventure," "Midnight Run," "Days of Thunder," "Pure Luck," "Grumpier Old Men," "Murder at 1600" and "Miss Congeniality." Additionally, Weber contributed to a number of films as additional editor, among them "Warriors," "48 HRS.," "Extreme Prejudice," "The Cowboy Way" and "Bulworth." "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Midnight Run" producer and director Martin Brest produced Weber's directorial effort, "Josh and S.A.M." He was also the associate producer on "The New World" for Malick.
Weber was born and raised in Los Angeles. While working at UCLA as a researcher, he met film editor Sid Levin, who introduced him to the craft. Beginning his film industry career in 1966 in the print shop at MCA, it was not long before Weber found his way to the editing room as an apprentice on the television series "The Name of the Game." He wrote two scripts before his next editing job as an assistant on "The Candidate." An introduction to editor Bob Estrin led to Weber's being hired as an assistant on Malick's acclaimed "Badlands."
Weber will next be editing Malick's "Tree of Life," starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn.
KAREN PATCH (Costume Designer) most recently designed costumes for "Drillbit Taylor," "You, Me and Dupree," "Bad News Bears" and "Team America: World Police." Her work will next be seen in "Bride Wars," with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. Her additional credits include "The School of Rock," starring Jack Black, and "The Royal Tenenbaums," for which she received the Costume Designers Guild Award.
Patch also designed costumes for Wes Anderson's "Rushmore" and "Bottle Rocket," as well as for "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," "Simpatico," "My Girl," "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey," "Bright Angel," "Chattahoochee" and "The Big Picture."
GEORGE S. CLINTON (Music) began his professional musical career as a songwriter, arranger, and session musician in Nashville, while earning degrees in music and drama at Middle Tennessee State University. The summer after graduation, he attended the Atlanta Pop Festival and, upon hearing Joe Cocker perform "With a Little Help from My Friends," left his native Chattanooga, bound for Los Angeles and ready to rock and roll.
Clinton became a staff writer for Warner Bros. Music, with songs recorded by such artists as Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker and Three Dog Night; he continued arranging and doing session work; and, as a recording artist, he did albums for MCA, Elektra, ABC, and Arista. The critically acclaimed George Clinton Band attracted the attention of a movie producer, giving Clinton the opportunity to score his first film, Cheech & Chong's "Still Smokin," and, subsequently, "Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers."
He developed his craft scoring "Ninja" movies for Cannon Films, network and cable television movies and miniseries, writing for a wide range of genres and musical styles. The soulful, erotic jazz for Zalman King's Showtime anthology "Red Shoe Diaries" developed quite a following and brought Clinton more public awareness.
His musical inventiveness and versatility in both orchestral and popular idioms have allowed him to contribute memorable scores to such diverse films as the hit comedy "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and its blockbuster sequels, as well as the hit martial arts fantasy "Mortal Kombat" and its sequel. Other noteworthy projects include John Waters' "A Dirty Shame"; Disney's holiday hit "The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause"; Tim Allen's poignant "Joe Somebody"; Kevin Costner's wild "3000 Miles to Graceland"; the scary "The Astronaut's Wife," starring Charlize Theron and Johnny Depp; and the sexy thriller "Wild Things."
More recent projects include "The Santa Clause 3," "Deck the Halls," the Emmy Award-winning "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" and "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay."
In addition, Clinton has written several concert works and three musicals, and is proud to serve as an advisor at the Sundance Composers Lab. Awards include a Grammy nomination, an Emmy nomination and eight BMI Film Music Awards, including their highest honor, the Richard Kirk Career Achievement Award.
JOHN HOULIHAN (Music Supervisor) has collaborated with Mike Myers on four previous projects - the highlights being the three "Austin Powers" films. The "Austin Powers" albums have sold millions of copies worldwide and spawned hit singles and hit music videos by Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Beyoncé Knowles and Britney Spears. He most recently oversaw the music for "Gracie," "The Lake House," "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," "Two for the Money," "Assault on Precinct 13," "New York Minute" and "13 Going on 30." His work on the "Charlie's Angels" soundtrack album resulted in sales of more than three million copies worldwide. The album's success was driven by the popular single "Independent Women, Part II" by Destiny's Child. Houlihan served in the same capacity on "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."
Houlihan has helped shape the music on more than 30 feature films and almost as many soundtrack albums. Other credits include "Nacho Libre," "Biker Boyz," "The Sweetest Thing," "Training Day," which earned Denzel Washington an Oscar® for Best Actor, and "Charlotte's Web," starring Dakota Fanning and the voices of Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Robert Redford and others.