Nia Vardalos finds her mojo on the My Life In Ruins DVD & Blu-ray Special

The My Big Fat Greek Wedding star, actress Nia Vardalos, headed to Greece to find her kefi…and a little bit of love. In addition to chatting about the Blu-ray/DVD release of her latest romantic comedy, Nia opens up about adoption and becoming a new mom.

How do you follow-up the multi-million dollar success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well, if you are Nia Vardalos, the film’s writer, director and lead actress, you return, both literally and figuratively, to the land of your ancestors to star in this spring’s endearing and hilarious romance My Life In Ruins (just released on Blu-ray & DVD). In short, Vardalos returned to her Greek roots to regenerate her creative and emotional kefi (Greek for “mojo”). During a recent New York press day, Vardalos discusses the making of My Life In Ruins, traveling to Greece to make the film, what it’s like to be a brand new mom, encourages people to adopt American foster children and she chews the fat on why she is no longer a vegetarian. If a romantic comedy like My Life In Ruins doesn’t suit your home viewing tastes, you can choose from a bevy of new DVD and Blu-ray releases to view this weekend. From the shockingly gruesome Sam Raimi-directed horror flick Drag Me To Hell and the outrageous comedies The Proposal and Land Of The Lost to the must-have, laugh-packed DVD compilations featuring all 72 hilariously animated episodes of the Futurama comedy series and the best shows from the first three seasons of the British comedy The Mighty Boosh, there's a lot to check out. And, oh yeah, I haven’t even mentioned the inaugural seasons of TV’s Flashpoint and Legend Of The Seeker, director Atom Egoyan’s Adoration, American Violet, the seventh season of Girlfriends and the critically acclaimed drama The Killing Room.

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Nia Vardalos & Alexis Georgoules in My Life In Ruins

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My Life In Ruins - In the latest comedy from Donald Petrie (How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days), actress Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) gives a charming performance as an American tour guide in Greece who discovers herself, and possibly love, when she least expects it. Georgia (Vardalos) is a discouraged single woman looking for a way to reconnect with her soul and find her “kefi” — Greek for “mojo.” Taking on a gig a tour guide, Georgia leads a motley group of eccentric tourists on a dilapidated tour bus through Ancient Greece, while waiting to land her dream job. Slowly opening her eyes and her heart to an exotic foreign land, Georgia soon begins to see things in a new way — finding her kefi and a new romance in the process. Also starring Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Rachel Dratch, Harland Williams, María Adánez, María Bottoand and Alistair McGowan, My Life In Ruins is the most fun you’ll have without a passport. In My Life In Ruins, Georgia, your character, loses her way. Did that ever happen to you, and how did you find your way again? “It happened to me for the last couple of years, and I found it again. I had come to the end of a very long infertility battle, and I didn’t want to be on camera anymore. And I just quietly withdrew, and just wrote scripts. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It really was all quite meaningless, the success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and all the doors that had opened. All the opportunities that came my way didn’t have the value that they do now, because I wanted to be a parent so badly. So it was very difficult for me. While I was taking time off and writing those six scripts, this script came to me. And I layered in the things about losing my way, and her career angst, because I was personally living it. And that’s why this movie is so special to me, because my character Georgia comes through it, not with everything perfect. But in the end, that’s perfect for her. That’s what I learned, my own personal lesson.” What was the overall lesson you learned? “You have a plan and God has a plan. And your plan doesn’t count.” What was the best part about making a movie in Greece? “Just being in the hustle and bustle, and sitting outside there every day having your coffee. What could be a better way to start your day, than looking up at the Acropolis. And just all the other influences over there, like from Italy. Let’s face it, we’ve all invaded each other over the years, we’re all one. Like, whose humus is it anyway.” (laughs) Was it easy getting permission to film at many of the more famous Greek landmarks? “It wasn‘t. I had to do many dinners with many dignitaries, just explaining that we would leave things the way we found them.” What do you think the movie is saying about stereotypes — like the stereotypical American tourists in this movie? “Hey, I’m a Greek girl with dark, curly hair. And I admit, I laser my moustache! (laughs) You know, there’s a truth in everything, even stereotypes. So I don’t think what we’re saying is so bad.” Rachel Dratch portrays the idiotic American tourist in Greece, so how did you get her to come on board the movie? “I was just like, ‘Would you like to be in this and come to Greece with me? I’ll set you up with my cousin.’ And she improvises and makes the lines on the page ten times better. But it’s like I’ve had a crazy year, writing, writing, writing, and shooting two films — and adopting a little girl.” Earlier this year, you adopted a little girl, didn’t you? “Uh huh. She’s from American foster care, we were matched with her. And she’s under the age of five, is what we say. She’s a preschooler, and she’s an incredible child. It changed my life. And I’m actually trying to tell people about this all the time. There are about 129,000 kids in U.S. foster care, who are legally free for adoption. You don’t have to fight the courts or do anything. You just find your local foster family agency. And there are no discriminations of income, sexual orientation, singles or couples. We were on waiting lists in all these countries, and we tried to do infant adoption. We tried everything. And then this happened, and she walked into our house within nine months.” How hard is it being a working mom now? Is it tough? “No, it’s lovely, it‘s lovely, because I can multitask, and I don’t do two different things at once. And, my mom is my biggest role model! So I can do all these things, but when I’m with my daughter, I’m her mom, and that’s it. I don’t take calls, and I don’t write scripts.” Does your daughter realize how special you are – that you are a star? “No, thank God! No, she does not. She doesn’t know what I do for a living. But she has heard the same conversation every day in her life. We’ll be walking through a public place. and someone will take my hand and say, ‘In My Big Fat Greek Wedding…’ — which she doesn’t know what that is. So they will say something lovely about the movie. Then they will end with, ‘May I have a picture?’ As they’re walking away they’ll say, ‘I love you.’ And I look at my daughter’s face, and she just thinks, ‘Everybody loves my mommy!’ And it’s really sweet.” How does that make you feel? “It makes me feel like when someone says, ‘You lit a fire in me,’ and I always think, ‘No, no. That fire was there, that little tiny flame was there.’ But as something that happened to me, it was lovely. I appreciate it, and it gave me my whole life. But I think it might inspire people who might not otherwise fit into the system, to dare to tell their story. You know, to stay in Hollywood longer than they would. And to not get a nose job and a boob job, and all the things that were suggested to me. And guess what, still are. I think that’s the beauty of it all, of what happened to me. I’m just a very ordinary person, that something very extraordinary happened to.” What would you like to say to people thinking about adopting? “I just want to send a message out there to anyone who is hoping and searching to become a mother — just find your local foster care agency. And to people who are mothers — it’s really fun.” Okay, before I let you go, I have to know the truth. Did you really give up life as a vegan? Are you really no longer a vegetarian? “I know there’s a story out there that my family wore me down, but no, here’s how it really happened. I smelled bacon. One day, after eleven years of being a vegetarian — I didn’t even eat fish — but one day, I just wanted a bite of bacon. So I took a bite and went, ‘I really like this.’ And a couple of days later, I tried some crab. And then all of a sudden, I was eating meat again.” All right, one last question: why should movie-lovers go buy the Blu-ray or rent the DVD of My Life In Ruins? “This is not a film about being Greek. This is a film about a second chance, when you didn’t think you had one. For me, it’s a film about hope. It’s about enjoying life, because you don’t know what’s around the corner. As Richard Dreyfus’ character says, ‘Don’t look for the obstacles. Look for the magic.’ I want people to find their own type of magic.” My Life In Ruins Bonus Features - Blu-ray: Deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary, an alternate ending, commentary by Nia Vardalos and more. (Also on DVD). ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK… The Proposal – In this sexy comedy, Sandra Bullock portrays an abrasive, take-no-prisoners publishing executive who is threatened with deportation back to her native Canada because of an immigration technicality. Desperate to stay in the States, she talks her overworked assistant (Ryan Reynolds) into a marriage of convenience in exchange for a long overdue promotion. The laughs really shift into high gear when they go to visit his folks in Alaska. Bullock and Reynolds are the ultimate comedic odd couple in the year’s most hilarious and offbeat love story. Bonus Features -- Blu-ray, Single & 2-Disc DVD: Audio commentary with director Anne Fletcher, bloopers, deleted scenes with optional commnetary, outtake and a hilarious alternate ending with optional commentary. 2-Disc DVD & Blu-ray: A Digital Copy of The Proposal. The Mighty Boosh: The Special Edition - Featuring episodes from three seasons of critically acclaimed BBC comedy series, this sensational seven-disc DVD box set takes fans on a laugh-filled trip through time and space. Chronicling the hilarious and enchanted adventures of fanatical zookeepers Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) they, along with Naboo the Shaman and hi Gorilla familiar Bollo embark on weird and outlandish exploits — featuring every last shred of the surreal comedy. Bonus Features: Six featurettes, Pilot Episode deleted scene & outtakes, Live Night links, Cinema Trailer, art cards, a booklet and a sticker sheet, Bob Fossil audio and Paramount Zookeeper sketches. Legend Of The Seeker: The Complete First Season - Using state-of-the-art visual effects set against the exotic and rugged New Zealand landscape, Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season (22 one-hour episodes on five-discs) follows the astonishing metamorphosis of woodsman Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) into The Seeker, a magical leader who joins with a striking and mystifying woman, Kahlan Amnell (Bridget Regan), on an epic voyage to stop the bloodthirsty, menacing tyrant Darken Rahl (Craig Parker) from conquering all mankind. Bonus Features: “Forging the Sword: Crafting a Legend” and “Words of Truth: A Conversation with Terry Goodkind” featurettes, deleted scenes and audio commentaries. Flashpoint: The First Season - Inspired by true stories, this action-packed series (starring Enrico Colantoni and Amy Jo Johnson) captures the drama and suspense of an elite tactical team known as the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). Each day, the team are sent out to rescue hostages, bust gangs, defuse bombs, climb the sides of buildings and talk down suicidal teens. Trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect's head to diffuse the situation to try and save lives, the team uses intuition and judgment to resolve extreme situations that regular offices can not handle. Bonus Features: Audio commentary from director David Frazee on the pilot episode “Scorpio” and the two featurettes “Flashpoint: Behind The Scenes Season One” and “The Human Cost Of Heroism.” The Killing Room - Timothy Hutton, Chloe Sevigny, Clea Duvall, Peter Stormare, Nick Cannon and Shea Whigham portray four individuals who volunteer for a seemingly innocent research study to earn some extra cash, only to be told once they arrive at the clinic’s testing room that only one person will make it out of the room alive in what turns out to be a brutal and chilling classified experiment. A suspenseful psychological thriller that will keep viewers on the edge-of-their-seat through from the opening credits to the shocking ending, the Jonathan Liebesman (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) directed film became an instant critical hit at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival premiere and is generating substantial Best Picture Oscar buzz. Horrifying, highly-charged and unpredictable, The Killing Room is a nightmarish tale of science and governmental paranoia gone wrong. Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009 - Looking to get your Futurama fix in great, big, hilarious, planet-sized chunks? Then this is your lucky light year! Now, in one shiny collection, you can join the Planet Express crew — The Fry, Leela, Professor Farnsworth and Bender — in their comical adventures across the universe with this intergalactic mind-blowing set, packaged together in a collectible Bender head, including a detachable rubber antenna. A must have for die hard Futurama fans, this incredible set includes all 72 episodes from the hilarious animated cult series, as well as the four feature length adventures - Bender's Big Score, The Beast With A Billion Backs, Bender's Game and Into The Wild Green Yonder. So buckle up...and blast off for laughs! Bonus Features: A letter from creator Matt Groening and producer David X. Cohen, commentary from various cast members, numerous deleted scenes, an interactive still gallery, blooper reels and more. Girlfriends: The Seventh Season - Live and love always seems to make life a little more bearable when they collide with comedy, especially when it comes to the sophisticated, sexy and smart gal pals of Girlfriends. Produced by Kelsey Grammer and created by Mara Brock Akil, in the seventh season of this sassy and witty series, the girlfriends discover, often the hard way, that the more that things appear to change, the more they really remain the same. But, in even bigger lessons, they realize that they can only change the mistakes of the past, learn how to live with the decisions they make and find the true meaning of friendship when they come together and share their life stories with a whole lot of laughter, trust, strength in themselves and belief in one another. Bonus Features: Mara Brock Akil comments on selected episodes. Drag Me To Hell: Unrated Director’s Cut - Putting away his SpiderMan superhero toys, director Sam Raimi has returned to the type of filmmaking he does the best — terror/horror movies with a dose of wonderfully witty black humor. In Drag Me To Hell, Alsion Lohman plays Christine Brown, an ambitious bank loan officer, who’s idyllic life with her boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) begins to go to hell when Christine denies a strange, desperate old lady an extension on her home loan. Angered that she can become homeless, the old lady puts the “Curse of Lamia” on Christine, which condemns her to Hell. In an effort to keep the demons away and to save her very soul, Christine goes to a psychic to save her soul. But Hell isn’t about to let go of her soul that easy. Like the Evil Dead trilogy, Drag Me To Hell is classic Raimi at his devilish best. (Also on DVD) Bonus Features – Blu-Ray: “Production Video Diaries” featurette, a Digital Copy and BD-LIVE! American Violet - An uncompromising account of a real life struggle, in our time, against an unjust legal system, American Violet (based on a true story) recounts how a courageous young woman faces seemingly unbeatable odds when she tries to clear her name of a crime she didn’t commit. Dee Roberts (played by Nicole Beharie) takes on a battle that will change her life and the Texas justice system forever. Written and produced by Bill Haney and directed and produced by Tim Disney, American Violet also stars Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Xzibit, Charles S. Dutton, Michael O’Keefe and Alfre Woodard. (Also on DVD). Bonus Features – Blu-Ray: Director’s audio commentary, Telluride Film Festival interviews and theatrical trailer. Land Of The Lost - Will Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a quantum paleontologist considered a has-been and quack by his scientific peers for his belief in time travel. But, with the help of his ambitious assistant (Anna Friel) and his redneck, fireworks salesman buddy (Danny McBride) he builds a machine that indeed takes them all back into time — all the way back to the time, in an alternate universe, where dinosaurs roam the Earth. A laugh-filled comedy, the only way the Doctor and his friends can find their way home (after losing the time machine) is with the help of the ape-like Chaka (Jorma Taccone). (Also on DVD). Bonus Features – Blu-ray: Audio commentary with director Brad Silberling and five featurettes and BD-LIVE! Adoration - The latest film from iconic Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan — starring Scott Speedman, Rachel Blanchard, Devon Bostick and Arsinée Khanjian — is a compelling and heartwarming story of a young boy who uses the internet to dig into his past and reveal the surprising truth about his family. He must question everything he knows in order to learn who he is and who his father was. Adoration presents a world where there is no such thing as us versus them and the truth is never as simple as right and wrong. Adoration is a riveting thriller that speaks to our connections — with each other, our family, and technology. (Also on DVD). Bonus Features – Blu-ray: Deleted scenes, Interview with Atom Egoyan and four featurettes. BD exclusive featurette “The Fabulous Picture Show.”