Seth attended the 2012 New York Times Art & Leisure discussion earlier in the week. Also in attendance was Paul Haig, Kristin Wiig and Will Reiser. Head over to the gallery for the latest additions.

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It was reported this week that Seth Rogen will make his directorial debut on the comedic end-of-the-world movie The Apocalypse, but when NY Magazine caught up with Rogen at last night’s Times Talk, he admitted:

“It’s funny — until a contract’s totally closed I don’t think a movie’s happening, and the contract’s not completely closed on this one. So I feel like I don’t want to jinx anything, but I hope I’m the best director of all-time.” Rogen joked that though the conceit of The Apocalypse finds him and his famous friends trapped in James Franco’s apartment while the world ends, his mother already has him well prepared for catastrophic events. “My mother made me have [a kit] when I moved into my own house in California,” he laughed. “When I got a house she was like, ‘You’re going to have an earthquake preparedness kit’ … I’ve literally never opened it. There could be nothing in it at all. That would be a sick fucking joke.”

Rogen was at the Times Talk to discuss 50/50 with his friend and screenwriter, Will Reiser, and when Vulture asked about the well-liked movie’s Oscar chances, Rogen was blunt: “I think Will, honestly, has the best shot of being nominated out of anyone with the movie.” Perhaps that’s for the best, as Rogen says he doesn’t have much of a game plan for accepting awards. “I got nominated for an Emmy once [for writing on HBO's Da Ali G Show] and I did not write a speech,” he said. “I knew we weren’t going to win. I was 100 percent sure that The Daily Show was going to beat us.” Anyway, said Rogen, “I feel like if I won an award and I was giving my speech and the music started, that’s all I’d remember, the humiliation I felt when the music started. It would mar the entire experience for me.”

Take note, awards ceremony conductors of the world: Your overeager cues can hurt. (Source)

Sony Pictures is welcoming The Apocalypse. The studio is in negotiations to finance and distribute the end-of-the-world comedy that is serving as the directorial debut of Seth Rogen and longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg.

Rogen (50/50, Green Hornet) wrote the script with Goldberg (from a story by Goldberg and Jason Stone) and are producing with James Weaver via their Point Grey banner. The project is inspired by a short called Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse that featured Rogen and Jay Baruchel playing themselves, holed up in an apartment as they dealt with the end of the world. Mandate is prducing and put the project into development in 2008. It has been inching forward ever since.

The project’s scope has expanded slightly from its days as a short, as Rogen and Baruchel will now be joined by James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson, all playing themselves as they are stuck in Franco’s apartment in Los Angeles facing an apocalypse. The filmmakers also are hoping to populate the movie with cameos.

Mandate’s Nathan Kahane and Nicole Brown are exec producing the picture with Point Grey’s Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir and Stone. A source says is budgeted in the $30 million to $40 million range. The filmmakers assembled the talent package before shopping it to studios. Several bidders were interested but a source close to the situation says Sony has now entered serious negotiations for the film and—barring some last-minute complication—a deal is expected to wrap up soon. No exact release date has been set. (Source)

TulsaWorld.com has posted their year end Best Movies of 2011 list. To our delight, 50/50 made the list!

#9 – 50/50
In what came to be known as “the cancer comedy,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers the kind of performance that’s so authentic and funny and touching – but in a non-flashy way – that it won’t be nominated for any awards. But that performance, and the film, will be remembered for a long time by anyone who has had cancer, or anyone who has loved someone who had cancer, which is far too many people. This is a special movie, fatalistic and yet comically crowd-pleasing, that succeeds because it respects its audience as much as the gravity of the situation.

For anyone using Twitter (or looking to start using Twitter), I’m excited to announce Seth is officially on the network! You can now follow Seth’s verified Twitter account, @Sethrogen! Also, you can follow our Twitter account for all the latest at @sethrogenonline

Seth Rogen is joining The B Team, coming on as a producer on Disney’s spy comedy with an eye towards starring. Disney had no comment about the project, currently in the development stage. Project’s centered on a top secret agent being kidnapped, leaving his tech support team and researchers to rescue him.

Disney set up the project three years ago at Charles Segars’ Sparkler Entertainment after buying a pitch from the scripting team of Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman (Variety, July 11, 2008). Segars was tapped as the producer with Ilan Breil, manager of the scribes, exec producing.

Rogen produced and starred in Summit’s 50/50, which was nommed for a Spirit Award as best feature and a Golden Globe in the comedy/musical category. He’s exec produced several movies that he starred in — The Green Hornet, Superbad, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up and Funny People.

Rogen will be seen next in Paramount’s mother-son road-trip comedy My Mother’s Curse opposite Barbra Streisand. He’s exec producing “Curse.” (Source)

Seth Rogen doesn’t want kids yet – because he has a dog. The 29-year-old actor – who married longterm girlfriend Lauren Miler in October – insists he isn’t ready to start a family yet but he and his spouse are content showering their affections on their pet pooch instead. Asked if he is ready to have children, he said: “No. We have a dog. That’s good for now.”

The 50/50 star is very happy with Lauren, but doesn’t think marriage has made much difference to their lives – except he no longer feels he is “disappointing” his spouse.

He explained to People.com: “Life is good. I’m pretty happy right now. Married life is exactly like non-married life, except you’re not constantly having the feeling that you’re disappointing your significant other by not marrying them.”

Thinks are also looking good professionally for Seth, whose latest movie 50/50 – which he also produced – nominated for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical at the forthcoming Golden Globe Awards. The funnyman admits the nomination was “really surprising and nice”, but he insists he has never set out to create award-winning work.

He said: “It’s really surprising and really nice. I make movies for people to see them. I don’t talk about them getting nominated for awards, nor do I expect it. If I tied my happiness with getting nominated for awards, I would have been pretty miserable up until now.”

Source

Excitement for the Golden Globes is in full swing and reporters cannot resist asking the nominees for soundbits! Seth was asked by LA Times how he found out about the 50/50 nomination, his initial reaction, Ricky Gervais and what he’s working on now. Take a look at what he had to say below:

On how he heard the news:
I was phoned by my publicist on my home phone, which woke me up, because no one ever calls that. For a split second I thought someone I know might be dead, and then I remembered that today was the Golden Globe nominations and that maybe I was getting called for that.

His initial reaction:
I was very happy, it’s awesome. After never getting nominated for anything, it’s much nicer to get nominated for stuff. And honestly, I think it will help more people be aware of the movie, which to me is one of the most important things. I think that Will [Reiser] did a pretty amazing thing by even writing this movie, so it’s really nice that people seem to like it.

I was very pleased with and proud of the movie before this happened, but it’s obviously really nice when anyone recognizes what you’ve done. Believe me, I’ve done stuff that people hate, so whenever that doesn’t happen, I’m … psyched.

Thoughts on Ricky Gervais and the ceremony:
I think Ricky Gervais is funny. I’m not actually nominated [for a performance], so maybe I won’t get insulted horribly. But if he chooses to do it, then I’m game for that.

I only went to the Golden Globes once, a few years ago. It’s pretty fun. I remember being shocked at how few people actually seem to be paying attention to the show. You can watch it a lot easier on TV. But I did get drunk with Laurence Fishburne, so that was fun.

What he’s working on now:
Nothing that is officially tellable at this moment in time. As of now, I am actually technically unemployed.

The 50/50 producer and star Seth Rogen spoke to The New York Times about that film’s Golden Globes nominations with this to say:

“I think you can make a comedy about any subject if you approach it correctly,” he said of the so-called cancer comedy. “The truthfulness of the story, in this case, was key. I don’t think we would have even thought to make the movie if we hadn’t experienced it.”

Source

The 2012 Golden Globe nominees were announced this morning! To our delight, 50/50 received two nominatations! The film was nominated for “Best Motion Picture; Musical or Comedy” and Joseph Gordon-Levitt received a nomination in the “Best Performance by an Actor; Musical or Comedy” category!

Congratulations to all involved with the film!