ABOUT THE CAST

ANNETTE BENING (Deirdre Burroughs) won a Golden Globe award and received an Academy Award® for her performance in "Being Julia." She also garnered an Academy Award® nomination for her starring role in "American Beauty," and won a SAG, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award for the same performance. Bening previously received an Academy Award® nomination and was named Best Supporting Actress by the National Board of Review for her role in "The Grifters”; and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in Rob Reiner's "The American President," opposite Michael Douglas.

Her film credits also include Mike Nichols' "What Planet Are You From?;" Neil Jordan's "In Dreams;" "The Siege;" "Love Affair" with Warren Beatty; Barry Levinson's "Bugsy," also opposite Beatty, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination; "Regarding Henry" with Harrison Ford and directed by Mike Nichols; "Guilty By Suspicion," opposite Robert De Niro; and Milos Forman's "Valmont." Bening had supporting roles in Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!," Sir Ian McKellen's film adaptation of "Richard III," and "Postcards From The Edge." She recently starred in “Mrs. Harris” with Ben Kingsley for HBO and starred alongside Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall in “Open Range.” Bening made her feature film debut in the comedy "The Great Outdoors," with Dan Aykroyd and the late John Candy.

Bening will next be seen on screen in writer/director Ryan Murphy’s “Dirty Tricks”, an adaptation of the hit off-Broadway play, opposite Meryl Streep and Gwyneth Paltrow; and “A Hole in the Earth” with William H. Macy.

BRIAN COX (Dr. Finch) is an award-winning stage, screen and television actor. A veteran of more than 50 feature films, he most recently starred in Woody Allen’s critically acclaimed “Match Point” and Wes Craven’s thriller “Red Eye.” He also co-starred in the hit action thriller “The Bourne Supremacy,” reprising the role he first played in the 2002 blockbuster “The Bourne Identity.”

Earlier, Cox earned AFI and Independent Spirit Award nominations for his work in the urban drama “L.I.E.” and also shared in a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Spike Jonze’s

“Adaptation.” His prolific list of films includes “Troy,” “X2,” “25th Hour,” “The Ring,” “The Rookie,” “The Affair of the Necklace,” “For Love of the Game,” “Rushmore,” “The Boxer,” “Braveheart,” “Rob Roy,” “Hidden Agenda” and “Nicholas and Alexandra.” He was the first person to play Dr. Hannibal Lecter onscreen, performing the role in Michael Mann’s “Manhunter.”

On television, Cox won the 2001 Emmy Award for his chilling portrait of Nazi war criminal Hermann Goering in the TNT original film "Nuremberg," for which he also received SAG and Golden Globe Award nominations. His guest-starring role as Harry Moon on the hit television series "Frasier" earned his second Emmy nomination in 2002. In addition, Cox has appeared in many notable television projects in both the U.S. and Great Britain, including “French and Saunders,” “Blue/Orange,” “Longitude,” “Witness Against Hitler,” “Grushko,” “Sharpe’s Eagle,” “Sharpe’s Rifles,” “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” “The Cloning of Joanna May,” “The Lost Language of Cranes,” “Murder by Moonlight,” “Florence Nightingale” and “King Lear,” to name a few.

Born in Scotland, Cox trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and has appeared in dozens of plays on the stages of London, New York and Scotland. Repeatedly honored for his work in the theatre, Cox won Olivier Awards for his performances in “Rat in the Skull” and “Titus Andronicus”; British Theatre Association Drama Awards for Best Actor for his work in “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Strange Interlude”; and the Lucille Lortel Award, as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations, for “St. Nicholas.” In addition, Cox has helmed stage productions of “I Love My Life,” “Mrs. Warren's Profession,” “The Philanderer,” “The Master Builder” and “Richard III.” He made his television directorial debut on the critically acclaimed HBO prison drama “Oz.”

A prolific writer, Cox has authored two non-fiction books: The Lear Diaries and Salem to Moscow: An Actor's Odyssey. He is also a regular contributor to The New York Times' Arts & Leisure section, and has written articles many other publications. At the beginning of 2003, Cox's contributions to the arts were honored by Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the British Empire. In 2006, Empire Magazine (UK) honored his film achievements with the Empire Icon Award.

Cox is currently in London starring in Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed new play “Rock n Roll” at the Royal Court Theater, and soon at the West End. He will next be seen

guest starring on season 3 of the HBO series “Deadwood.”

GWYNETH PALTROW (Hope Finch) is reunited with Joseph Fiennes with whom she co-starred in John Madden’s “Shakespeare in Love.” She received an Academy Award® for Best Actress as well as the Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Viola de Lessups in the film.

Since her remarkable performance in the critically acclaimed “Flesh and Bone” opposite Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Hollywood has taken a keen interest in the future of this talented actress. Paltrow was most recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in “Proof,” the screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play in which she starred opposite Anthony Hopkins. Her recent film roles also include the innovative adventure film “Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow,” co-starring Jude Law and Angelina Jolie, and “Sylvia,” the story of the relationship between Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. She will next be seen as singer Peggy Lee in Douglas McGrath’s “Infamous” and joins the cast of her brother Jake Paltrow’s romantic comedy “The Good Night.”

Paltrow’s recent credits also include Neil LaBute's “Possession,” a cameo in “Austin Powers 3” and the critically acclaimed Wes Anderson film, “The Royal Tenenbaums,” in which she starred opposite Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston and Ben Stiller. She starred in the Peter and Bobby Farrelly-directed “Shallow Hal,” co-starring Jack Black and Jason Alexander; Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming’s “The Anniversary Party”; “Duets,” a film directed by her father Bruce Paltrow; and “Bounce” opposite Ben Affleck.

Paltrow also appeared in director Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” opposite Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Cate Blanchett and in the hit film “A Perfect Murder,” opposite Michael Douglas and Viggo Mortensen, as well as in the critically acclaimed and international box office hit film “Sliding Doors.” Among her earlier film credits are “Emma,”“Great Expectations,” “The Pallbearer,” “Seven,” “A View from the Top,” “Moonlight and Valentino,” “Jefferson in Paris,” “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle,” “Malice,” “Hook” and “Shout.”

She also received rave reviews in a sell-out run at the Williamstown, Massachusetts Theatre Festival’s production of “As You Like It” in the role of Rosalind.

JOSEPH FIENNES (Neil Bookman) After several years in British theatre, Joseph Fiennes rose to international fame in roles such as Will Shakespeare in the Academy Award®-winning “Shakespeare In Love,” for which he won a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor, a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast and was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role and a BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. He also earned a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Breakthrough Artist for his role as Sir Robert Dudley in “Elizabeth,” directed by Shekhar Kapur.

Upcoming films include Finn Taylor's dark comedy “The Darwin Awards” starring opposite Winona Ryder. The film references an Internet award that is given to those who die or maim themselves out of stupidity. Fiennes plays a forensic detective who pairs with an insurance claims investigator (Ryder) on a road trip to create the profile of a potential winner. “The Darwin Awards” premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and will be released in early 2007 by Bauer Martinez.

Fiennes just completed filming “Goodbye Bafana” in South Africa, directed by Bille August. Based on a true story, Fiennes plays a white prison guard who befriends an inmate, Nelson Mandela, played by Dennis Haysbert.

In 2005, Fiennes purchased the rights to the story "Street Riders" from the April 22nd issue of LIFE Magazine with plans of developing it into a movie. The story involves a rough urban neighborhood in Philadelphia where kids are learning to groom and race horses from one of the city's last surviving stables and stage their weekly horse and buggy races on a makeshift quarter-mile track.

Fiennes was last seen in the Sony Pictures Classics feature, “The Merchant of Venice,” starring opposite Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. Other film credits include John Dahl's “The Great Raid,” Regis Wargnier's “Man To Man,” Eric Till's biopic “Luther,” Jean-Jacques Annaud's “Enemy at the Gates,” Paul Schrader's “Forever Mine,” Milcho Manchevski's “Dust,” which premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival, and Edward Thomas V's thriller “Rancid Aluminium.” Fiennes also voiced the character of Proteus in the DreamWorks animated film “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.”

Prior to making his screen debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's “Stealing Beauty” and subsequently in Film Four's “The Very Thought of You,” Fiennes spent three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing leading roles in plays including “Troilus And Cressida,” “The Herbal Bed,” “Les Enfants du Paradis,” “As You Like It” and Dennis Potter's “Son Of Man,” in which he played Jesus.

In 2003, Fiennes debuted at the Royal National Theatre playing 'Berowne' in William Shakespeare's “Love's Labour's Lost.” Other stage work includes the West End production of “A Month in the Country” and as Rudolfo in “A View from the Bridge.” His professional stage debut was as The Actor in “The Woman in Black.” Fiennes’ most recent theatre role was George in Comedy Theatre's “Epitaph for George Dillon.” Fiennes also performed in the Royal Court's highly successful production of “Real Classy Affair.” In 2001, Fiennes returned to the Sheffield stage in the critically acclaimed “Edward II.”

Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Fiennes attended art school in Suffolk for a year before joining the Young Vic Youth Theatre. He subsequently trained for three years at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1993.

EVAN RACHEL WOOD (Natalie Finch) is one of Hollywood’s brightest young actresses with talent and poise well beyond her years. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award and a Critic's Choice Award for her role in Catherine Hardwicke’s critically acclaimed drama, "Thirteen,” in which she starred opposite Holly Hunter. Wood then starred in two films that premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival: Mike Binder's "The Upside of Anger," opposite Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt; and Marcos Siega’s “Pretty Persuasion,” in which she starred opposite Ron Livingston and James Woods. The actress also stars in David Jacobson's "Down In The Valley" opposite Edward Norton, David Morse, Bruce Dern and Rory Culkin.

Wood’s credits also include Ron Howard's "The Missing,” opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett; Andrew Niccol’s comedy “Simone,” opposite Al Pacino; “Little Secrets,” which also starred Vivica A. Fox; "Practical Magic" with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock; and Timothy Hutton's "Digging to China."

On television, Wood starred in ABC's critically acclaimed hit drama series, "Once and Again," created by Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick. Wood's stage credits include "The Miracle Worker" for Theatre in the Park; "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for Shakespeare in the Park and a three year tour with "A Christmas Carol."

Wood recently finished production on “King of California,” with Michael Douglas. In August, she will start production on Vadim Perelman’s “In Bloom,” with Uma Thurman. In 2007, Wood can be seen starring in Julie Taymor’s highly anticipated musical film, “Across the Universe.”

ALEC BALDWIN (Norman Burroughs) was nominated for a 2003 Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for his performance in “The Cooler.” He received the National Board of Review Best Supporting Actor honor for his performance in that film. Baldwin comes to “Running With Scissors” following his collaboration with Ryan Murphy on “Nip/Tuck.”

His recent film credits include Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” in which he starred as Pan Am Chairman Juan Trippe; “Fun With Dick and Jane” starring with Jim Carrey; and “The Last Shot” with Mathew Broderick, Toni Collette, Calista Flockhart. Baldwin’s additional films include “The Hunt For Red October,” “Miami Blues,” “Prelude to a Kiss,” “Malice,” “The Shadow,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Heaven’s Prisoners,” “The Edge,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Outside Providence” and “Cat in the Hat,” among others. Upcoming for Baldwin are such films as Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” Robert DeNiro’s “The Good Shepherd” and “Brooklyn Rules.”

His production company, El Dorado Pictures, has co-produced and he co-starred in the films “The Confession” (winner of the 2000 Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay by David Black); the television mini-series “Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial;” “State and Main,” a motion picture comedy written and directed by David Mamet and “Second Nature” co-starring Powers Boothe.

Baldwin recently appeared off Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2006 revival of Joe Orton’s “Entertaining Mr. Sloane” directed by Scott Ellis. On Broadway, Baldwin starred in the Roundabout’s 2006 revival of Hecht and MacArthur’s “The Twentieth Century,” directed by Walter Bobbie and co-starring Anne Heche. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the 1992 revival of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar

Named Desire;” was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for the television movie of the same production; won an Obie Award for the 1991 off-Broadway production of Craig Lucas’ “Prelude to a Kiss” and a Theatre World Award in 1986 for his turn in Joe Orton’s “Loot” on Broadway. He has also performed on Broadway in Caryl Churchill’s “Serious Money.”

Baldwin’s off-Broadway appearances include “Macbeth” in the 1998 New York Shakespeare Festival production, directed by George C. Wolfe; David Mamet’s “Life in the Theatre” at the Hartman, directed by A.J. Antoon and Ira Lewis’ “Gross Points,” which he performed at The Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York.

JILL CLAYBURGH (Agnes Finch) is reunited with Ryan Murphy following her Emmy-nominated recurring role in his award-winning television series, “Nip/Tuck.” For nearly thirty years, Clayburgh has delivered stellar performances in a wide variety of roles. She has been nominated twice for Best Actress Academy Awards®: in 1979 for her performance in “An Unmarried Woman,” for which she received a Best Actress Award in Cannes as well as a nomination from BAFTA, and in 1980 for “Starting Over.” She is also the recipient of four Best Actress Golden Globe nominations: for “An Unmarried Woman,” “Starting Over,” “Luna” and “First Monday in October.”

On stage, Clayburgh most recently appeared on Broadway in “A Naked Girl on the Appian Way,” “The Busy World is Hushed,” and the revival of Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park.” She appeared in “The Rothchilds” and “Pippin” before landing roles in “Portnoy’s Complaint,” based on the Phillip Roth novel, “The Terminal Man” and “The Thief Who Came to Dinner.” Clayburgh can currently be seen on stage in New York in the Lincoln Center production of “The Clean House,” with Blair Brown.

Among her motion picture credits are “Gable & Lombard,” “Luna,” “Silver Streak,” “Semi-Tough,” I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can,” “It’s My Turn,” “Hannah K,” “Where Are the Children,” “Shy People,” “Rich in Love,” “Fools Rush In,” “Going All the Way” and “Never Again.” Equally at home on the small screen, Clayburgh’s television credits include “Hustling,” (for which she was Emmy nominated), “Griffin & Phoenix,” “Lifelines,” “Face on the Milk Carton” and “Miles to Go.” In addition to “Nip/Tuck,” Clayburgh has had recurring roles on “Everything’s Relative,” “Ally McBeal,” “Trinity” and “The Practice.”

JOSEPH CROSS (Augusten Burroughs) has quickly become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors. His natural talent and raw energy have earned him a reputation as one of the most promising young thespians.

In addition to “Running with Scissors, “ Cross will be see in two other films in 2006, starting with “Strangers with Candy,” costarring Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello and Gregory Holliman. The prequel to the Comedy Central series, the film is directed by Paul Dinello and debuted at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival with rave reviews.

In October 2006, Cross will be seen in a very different role as a young marine in Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of Our Fathers,” for Paramount Pictures. The film focuses on the life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, a turning point in WWII.

Cross’ other feature film credits include M. Night Shyamalan’s “Wide Awake;” the 1998 thriller “Desperate Measures;” directed by Barbet Schroeder, and “Jack Frost;” with Kelly Preston and Michael Keaton .

On the small screen, he appeared with Diane Keaton in the television film “Northern Lights,” directed by Linda Yellen; “Law & Order;” and “Law & Order: SVU.”

In 2003, Cross made his stage debut at the Williamstown Playhouse in John Guare’s play “Landscape of the Body,” directed by Michael Grief and co-starring Lili Taylor and Michael Gaston.

In addition to acting, Cross is currently in school at Trinity College in Connecticut.

KRISTIN CHENOWETH (Fern Stewart) seems to be at ease on any stage. Broadway audiences know this well. Many remember her show-stealing, Tony-winning performance in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and her triumphant star turn when she originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in “Wicked,” which earned her a Tony Award nomination. Television fans know her as Annabeth Schott on “The West Wing,” and moviegoers caught her in the film version of “Bewitched” with Nicole

Kidman, “The Pink Panther” with Steve Martin and “RV” with Robin Williams. This year, Chenoweth can also be seen in “Stranger Than Fiction” with Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson and “Deck the Halls” with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick. Chenoweth hopes to begin production soon in the biographical role of Dusty Springfield. Next, she will return to Broadway in the new production of “The Apple Tree” for the Roundabout Theatre Company, starring as Eve, Princess Barbara and Ella. The limited engagement will run from December 2006 through March 2007 at Studio 54 on Broadway.

A veteran of the concert scene, Chenoweth took the stage in a solo sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and continues to tour the country. She was in London for a theater production of “Divas at Donmar” for director Sam Mendes, which opened to rave reviews. Following her triumph in London, Chenoweth has performed with The New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. One of her proudest accomplishments recently was having the privilege to perform “Candide” with The New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. Recent performances include her sold-out Los Angeles solo debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, an evening at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, and the Washington National Opera’s 50th Anniversary Gala with Placido Domingo. Next, Chenoweth will have the honor of playing her solo concert at the famed Metropolitan Opera House in January 2007. Chenoweth is also an accomplished recording artist, and has released the albums “Let Yourself Go,” “As I Am” and is gearing up for her third album later this year.

GABRIELLE UNION (Dorothy) recently scored the lead female role in Lions Gate’s “Daddy’s Little Girl” opposite Tyler Perry. The plot revolves around a successful attorney (Union) who falls in love with a janitor who is the single father of three children. This relationship causes a rift between her and her father, who hoped she would marry wealthy. The film is written and directed by Tyler Perry. The film is currently shooting in Atlanta.

Last summer, Union starred as ‘Alice Kramden’ opposite Cedric the Entertainer in Paramount’s “The Honeymooners.” Union was also seen in HBO’s award-winning

“Something the Lord Made” with Alan Rickman, Kyra Sedgwick, and Mos Def, and opposite Jamie Foxx in “Breakin’ All the Rules.”

Additional film roles include Columbia Pictures’ “Bad Boys II” opposite Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, Focus Features’ “Deliver Us From Eva” alongside LL Cool J, Warner Brothers’ “Cradle to the Grave” opposite Jet Li and hip-hop artist DMX, Screen Gems’ “The Brothers,” Universal’s hit “Bring It On” opposite Kirsten Dunst, Warner Brothers’ “Welcome to Collinwood” with George Clooney and Sam Rockwell, “Abandon” opposite Benjamin Bratt and Katie Holmes, “Two Can Play That Game,” “Love & Basketball,” “Ten Things I Hate About You,” “Neo Ned,” and “She’s All That.”

On television, Union was most recently seen on ABC’s “Night Stalker.” She made her television debut on the UPN hit comedy “Moesha,” and then went on to guest- star in hit television shows such as “ER,” “Dave’s World,” and “The Steve Harvey Show.” Shortly thereafter, Union had a recurring role on two WB hit shows, “Sister, Sister,” and “7th Heaven.” She stirred things up when she guest starred as a love interest to both Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer on NBC’s “Friends.” Union marked the first African-American love interest on the series. In addition, she joined the cast of Steven Bochco’s CBS drama “City of Angels” for one season.

Union resides in Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

RYAN MURPHY (Director/Writer/Producer) is the Golden Globe® Award-winning creator of FX’s original drama series “Nip/Tuck.” In addition to his duties as executive producer, Murphy has also written and directed multiple episodes of the critically acclaimed hit series. “Nip/Tuck” was named to the American Film Institute’s list of the 10 Best Television Shows of 2003 and 2004 and was the only first- year drama series in 2004 to earn a Golden Globe® Award nomination for Best TV Series, Drama. In 2004, Murphy earned his first ever Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

Murphy began his career as a journalist, writing for such publications as The Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News and Entertainment Weekly. His screenwriting career began in the late 1990’s when Steven Spielberg purchased his romantic comedy “Why Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn” Murphy’s next effort was The WB’s “Popular,” an award-winning black comedy/satire which he created and produced with his fellow “Nip/Tuck” executive producers Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin.

Next up for Murphy will be “Dirty Tricks,” which he wrote and will direct. An adaptation of the hit off-Broadway play, the film will star Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow and Annette Bening.

AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS (Based on the Personal Memoirs of) was born in 1965 and raised in Western Massachusetts. He is the author of the memoirs Running with Scissors (2002) and Dry (2003), and the essay collections, Magical Thinking: True Stories (2004) and Possible Side Effects (2006), all of which were instant bestsellers both in hardcover and paperback. The #1 New York Times bestseller, Running with Scissors, has remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over two-and-a-half consecutive years and recently reached #1 again.

Burroughs is also the author of the novel, Sellevision (2000), which is currently in development for film. His books are published in over 25 countries.

DEDE GARDNER (Producer) is President of Plan B Entertainment. Most recently, she produced “Year of the Dog,” the directorial debut of screenwriter Mike White (“The Good Girl”, “School of Rock”) for Paramount Vantage. Also forthcoming in the new year for Warner Brothers is “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck and directed by Andrew Dominik. She is currently in pre-production on “A Mighty Heart,” based on the book "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl” by Mariane Pearl and Sarah Crichton. The film is being directed by Michael Winterbottom and will star Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan, Will Patton and Archie Punjabi. Plan B is in development on projects with such filmmakers as: Bennett Miller (“Capote”),

Jacob Estes (“Mean Creek”), John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig”), Phil Morrison (“Junebug”) and Pete Travis (“Omagh”).

Gardner previously served as executive vice president of production at Paramount Pictures. During her seven years at Paramount, she worked on such films as “Election,” “Orange Country,” “Zoolander” and “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.”

Gardner began her career as a location scout in New York City, then moved on to work at Innovative Artists, and later in the William Morris Agency literary department.

BRAD PITT (Producer), one of the film industry’s most prominent stars, is an award-winning actor and is also quickly gaining success as a producer under his Plan B Entertainment banner.

Pitt next stars with Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Inárritu’s drama “Babel,” which screened in competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival earning widespread acclaim and winning the award for Best Director. He also stars as Jesse James in Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which Pitt also produced. The film is due out in 2007. Pitt is currently filming “Ocean’s 13,” slated for release in summer 2007, and he will then begin production on David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in which he again stars opposite Cate Blanchett.

As a producer, Pitt’s upcoming films for Plan B include “Peace Like a River,” starring Billy Bob Thornton; “A Mighty Heart,” starring Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman; “Shantaram,” starring Johnny Depp; and “A Million Little Pieces.” Plan B previously produced Tim Burton’s fantasy hit “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp; and Wolfgang Petersen’s historical epic “Troy,” in which Pitt also starred.

Born in Oklahoma, Pitt began his acting career with smaller roles in films and on television. In 1991, he first gained the attention of critics and audiences with his breakthrough performance as the seductive hitchhiker in Ridley Scott’s controversial hit “Thelma & Louise. He went on to star in Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It,” Dominic Sena’s “Kalifornia,” in Neil Jordan’s “Interview With the Vampire.”

Pitt received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance as the willful and untamable Tristan in 1994’s “Legends of the Fall.” Two years later, he was honored with an Academy Award® nomination and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys.”

Pitt subsequently earned praise for his work in the David Fincher films “Se7en” and “Fight Club”; Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Seven Years in Tibet”; and Guy Ritchie’s “Snatch.” He also joined an all-star ensemble cast, including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Bernie Mac, in Steven Soderbergh’s hit remake of “Ocean’s Eleven.” Pitt more recently starred in the sequel “Ocean’s Twelve,” which reunited the cast and director Soderbergh; and the smash hit action comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” opposite Angelina Jolie.

Pitt’s additional film credits include: Tony Scott’s “Spy Game,” with Robert Redford; Gore Verbinski’s “The Mexican,” with Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini; the title role in Martin Brest’s “Meet Joe Black”; Alan J. Pakula’s “The Devil’s Own”; Barry Levinson’s “Sleepers”; Tony Scott’s “True Romance”; Ralph Bakshi’s “Cool World”; and “Johnny Suede,” which was named Best Picture at the 1991 Locarno International Film Festival. Pitt has also made cameo appearances in Soderbergh’s “Full Frontal” and George Clooney’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” and lent his voice to the title character in the animated feature “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.”

BRAD GREY (Producer) is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures Corporation.

One of the foremost entrepreneurs in entertainment, Grey built his former company, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, into one of the industry’s elite organizations, named by Forbes as “Hollywood’s most successful management and production firm.” Grey also created the motion picture production company, Plan B Entertainment, in partnership with Brad Pitt. The first picture released by the company was Wolfgang Petersen’s historical epic “Troy,” starring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom.

Grey’s motion picture producer credits include last year’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp under the direction of Tim Burton. In

addition, Grey has also produced some of the most celebrated programs on television, including HBO’s Emmy award-winning series “The Sopranos.”

He is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner, as well as a four-time recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award.

Grey serves on UCLA’s Board for the Medical Sciences, the USC School of Cinema-Television Board of Councilors, and the Board of Directors for Project A.L.S. and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

STEVEN SAMUELS (Executive Producer) is the principal & founder of Samuels Media, an entertainment company focused on the financing, development, and production of feature films. Samuels is financing acclaimed writer Tony Gilroy’s directorial debut “Michael Clayton,” a uniquely intelligent dramatic thriller penned by Gilroy and starring George Clooney. The project, which is currently in post-production, will be distributed by Warner Brothers and is being produced by Samuels Media, Section Eight, Mirage Enterprises, and Castle Rock Entertainment. Samuels also recently produced & financed writer/director Craig Rosenberg’s supernatural thriller “Half Light,” starring Demi Moore.

Aside from his activities in the entertainment industry, Samuels has been a real estate developer since 1984, during which time he has built or redeveloped over fifty retail projects in seven states. He lives with his family in Boston where he serves on the Board of both the Boston Police Athletic League and Mayor Menino’s Boston Main Streets Foundation, and is actively involved in fundraising for Boston Medical Center and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

CHRISTOPHER BAFFA (Director of Photography) previously worked with Ryan Murphy’s on the award-winning “Nip/Tuck,” as well as the series “Popular.” Selected by Daily Variety as one of the “Ten Cinematographers to Watch,” Baffa is an accomplished director of photography whose credits reflect his ability to work among the different genres of feature films, television and commercials.

Among his motion picture credits are the hit comedy sequel, “Next Friday,” “Idle Hands” and “Suicide Kings.” Additional television credits include “The D.A.,” “Bailey’s

Mistake” as well as the pilot for TNT’s dramatic series, “The Closer.” He is currently shooting Paul Feig’s comedy “Unaccompanied Minors.”

Baffa’s work includes commercials for clients such as NBC Internet, ESPN Olympics, the AXN Channel, the Pro Sieben Campaign, Uncle Ben’s and the Learning Channel.

RICHARD SHERMAN (Production Designer) designed last year’s critically acclaimed “Kinsey,” directed by Bill Condon, with whom he had previously collaborated on “Gods and Monsters” and “Sister, Sister.” More recently, Sherman designed director Don Roos’ film “Happy Endings” which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Among his additional feature credits are the films “Pumpkin,” “I’m Losing You,” “Homegrown,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Trouble Bound” “Cutting Class” and “Paris Trout.” The designer began his career in the film industry as an assistant to the set decorator on Merchant/Ivory's “The Europeans.”

BYRON SMITH (Editor) first began collaborating with Ryan Murphy in 2003 on Murphy’s television series, “Nip/Tuck.” Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, Smith graduated with a BA in film from Missouri State University in 1999. He received a Master’s Degree in editing from the American Film Institute in 2002 where he was awarded the American Cinema Editor’s Student Eddie Award. Following graduation, and in between seasons one and two of “Nip/Tuck,” Smith was hired to recut the pilot and several episodes of the mid-season replacement series, “The D.A.” Aside from several short films edited while a student at the AFI, RUNNING WITH SCISSORS marks Smith’s motion picture debut.

LOU EYRICH (Costume Designer) is reunited with Ryan Murphy with whom she collaborates on the award winning television series “Nip/Tuck.” She previously worked with the director on the black comedy/satire “Popular.” Eyrich began her career as an assistant stylist touring with superstars including Prince, Bette Midler and Bruce Springsteen. Among her feature film credits are “Joe Somebody,” with Tim Allen; the award-winning short film “Home,” directed by Nancy Deren and the action-comedy, “Extreme Dating. For television, she has designed costumes for two pilots “The Dan Band” and “St. Sass.”

JAMES S. LEVINE (Composer) is reunited with Ryan Murphy with whom also has collaborated with on “Nip/Tuck.” Levine’s other recent scores include Gore Verbinski’s “The Weatherman,” starring Nicholas Cage, the National Geographic IMAX film “Roar: Lions of the Kalahari and TNT’s crime drama “The Closer.”

The Boston native began his musical journey as a piano player of varied styles, including classical, jazz, pop, R&B and gospel. Studying under Bill Evans’ protégé Graig Najjar, Levine quickly gained notoriety as a session player, bandleader, composer, producer and arranger.In 1991 Levine won the Reebock Human Rights Songwriting Award for his work entitled “Freedom.” While a student at Tufts University, he earned the Ted Shapiro Award for his senior honors thesis, “James Levine Presents a Gospel Music Experience,” an inspirational concert featuring the Morning Star Baptist Church Gospel Choir, a Southern Baptist choir from Boston who Levine continues to cite as a musical inspiration.

In 1997 Levine gained attention as a composer for his work on The Boston Globe’s “Buxley’s World” ad campaign which garnered two New England Broadcasting Association Awards and an ADWEEK Top 50 of 1997 Award.

After his commercial success, Levine moved to Los Angeles where he began work at Media Ventures, the film and television industry’s largest music studio, founded by Academy Award®-winner Hans Zimmer. With Zimmer, Levine has composed and arranged additional music for “Mission Impossible 2,” “The Chill Factor,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Riding in Cars With Boys” and Nancy Meyer’s award-winning comedy “Something’s Gotta Give.” Additionally, Levine provided string and orchestra arrangements for “Pearl Harbor’s” Oscar- and Grammynominated hit love song, “There You’ll Be,” written by Dianne Warren and performed by Faith Hill.

Levine has also composed scores for the 1999 NBC Ryder’s Cup Special, “The Road to Brookline,” Discovery Channel’s “A Herd of Their Own,” RTL Germany’s hit show “Die Motorrad Cops,” and numerous episodes of ESPN’s Peabody Award-winning “SportsCentury” series.

In addition to scoring, Levine collaborates with numerous recording artists, including a partnership with LA-based singer/songwriter Aaron Kaplan, with whom he has written and produced numerous songs that have been licensed for film and television use. Levine collaborated with music legend Herb Alpert on several projects and produced and co-wrote

“First Kiss,” by Deric Dyer, current saxophonist and musical director for Joe Cocker. Levine also composed the score for the HBO and Showtime feature “A Little Inside” which was awarded Best Drama at the 2002 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.

Also busy on the small screen, Levine scored and composed the main theme and score for James L. Brooks’ and ABC’s “What About Joan,” for which he was honored with a BMI Film and Television Composers Award.

Levine also recently composed music for Coca Cola® and Mini-Cooper ad campaigns, Jeff Foxworthy’s “Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie” and its recently released sequel, “Blue Color Comedy Tour Rides Again,” as well as Universal Studios’ Jimmy Neutron motion-simulated attraction in Orlando featuring Spongebob Squarepants, The Rugrats, and Fairly Odd Parents.

PJ BLOOM (Music Supervision by) Born and raised in Los Angeles, P.J. Bloom is a music school graduate and third generation Entertainment Industry professional (father is an Emmy nominated screenwriter, grandfather was a talent manager). He has been involved with film & television music and soundtracks since the early 90's, including stints at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), Columbia Records and Arista Records.

Bloom has been Music Supervising, Coordinating and Consulting for over a decade, creating and producing soundtracks for major studio features, independent films, network and cable television, video games and commercials. His productive career has paired him with such prolific filmmakers and television producers as Michael Mann, John Frankenheimer, Steven Bochco, Mike Nichols, Frank Spotnitz and Ridley Scott, among others. Other recent projects include Picturehouse’s “The Notorious Bettie Page,” starring Gretchen Mol and Lily Taylor; CBS powerhouse “CSI: Miami” and FX’s Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning television series’ “Nip/Tuck” and “The Shield” as well as the critically acclaimed war drama “Over There.” Bloom has also been a Music Consultant for HBO Films since 1998, overseeing major successes like “Angels in America;” “The Life & Death of Peter Sellers;” “American Splendor” and “Maria Full of Grace.”

In addition to his production work, Bloom speaks regularly around the country (and the world) on the subject of music in film & television, has written articles and reviews for several national and international music publications, DJ’s at selected clubs, venues and events throughout the year and hosts a weekly radio show.

*****

Running with Scissors (2006)
Directed by Ryan Murphy
Screenplay by Ryan Murphy
Book by Augusten Burroughs ("Running with Scissors: A Memoir")

Cast (in credits order)
Annette Bening .... Deirdre Burroughs
Brian Cox .... Dr. Finch
Joseph Fiennes .... Neil Bookman
Evan Rachel Wood .... Natalie Finch
Alec Baldwin .... Norman Burroughs
Joseph Cross .... Augusten Burroughs
Jill Clayburgh .... Agnes Finch
Gwyneth Paltrow .... Hope Finch
Gabrielle Union .... Dorothy
Patrick Wilson .... Michael Shephard
Kristin Chenoweth .... Fern Stewart
Dagmara Dominczyk .... Suzanne
Colleen Camp .... Joan
Jack Kaeding .... Six-Year-Old Augusten Burroughs
Gabriel Guedj .... Poo
Nancy Cassaro .... Christy
Omid Abtahi .... Restaurant Manager
Julie Remala .... Restaurant Waitress
Will Carter .... Officer Button
Bonnie Weis .... Cocktail Waitress
Dakotah Massét .... Waitress
Marianne Muellerleile .... Nurse
Leslie Grossman .... Sue
Rachel Zeskind .... Deirdre Burroughs Fan

Produced by
Dede Gardner .... producer
Brad Grey .... producer
Matt Kennedy .... producer
Ryan Murphy .... producer
Brad Pitt .... producer
Steve Samuels .... executive producer (as Steven Samuels)

Original Music by James S. Levine

Cinematography by Christopher Baffa

Film Editing by Byron Smith

Casting by Mali Finn

Production Design by Richard Sherman

Art Direction by Lorin Flemming

Set Decoration by Matthew 'Flood' Ferguson

Costume Design by Lou Eyrich

Makeup Department
Stacey K. Black .... key hair stylist
Cydney Cornell .... hair stylist: Ms. Bening
Stephanie A. Fowler .... key makeup artist
Julie Hewett .... makeup artist: Ms. Bening
Eryn Krueger .... makeup department head
Michele Tyminski .... makeup artist
Crystal Wolfchild .... key makeup artist

Production Management
Tim Pedegana .... post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dirk Craft .... first assistant director
Elenie Mansalis .... second assistant director
Maura McKeown .... second second assistant director (as Maura Redmond)

Art Department
Brendon Crigler .... set dresser
Jim Motyl .... lead man
Missy Parker .... buyer
Christopher Redmond .... property master
Marissa Zajack .... art department coordinator

Sound Department
Rick Ash .... sound re-recording mixer
Rickley W. Dumm .... sound effects editor
Russell Farmarco .... adr/dialogue supervisor
Frank Gaeta .... supervising sound editor
Luis Galdames .... assistant sound editor
Marc A. Gilmartin .... sound mixer
Patrick Giraudi .... sound re-recording mixer
Catherine Harper .... foley artist
Darrin Mann .... foley mixer
Christopher Moriana .... foley artist
Todd Niesen .... dialogue denoising
Sarah Payan .... sound editor
Terry Rodman .... sound re-recording mixer
Gabriel J. Serrano .... sound recordist
Eric Thompson .... adr mixer
Tom Trafalski .... music editor
Carl D. Ware .... sound engineer
Anne Lockhart .... additional adr artist (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Saeed Faridzadeh .... digital compositor
Ntana Key .... digital colorist assist
Steven J. Scott .... supervising digital colorist: EFilm

Stunts
Thomas M. Ficke .... stunt coordinator
Noon Orsatti .... stunt coordinator

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