Opening this Friday, as counter programming to “Cloverfield,” is “27 Dresses” - the new romantic comedy that stars Katherine Heigl as a career bridesmaid. The movie was written by Alice Brosh McKenna, who also wrote “The Devil Wears Prada.”

The full synopsis is a young woman (Katherine Heigl) who has made a career out of being a bridesmaid but never a bride, ends up facing her worst nightmare when her sister (Malin Akerman) becomes engaged to the man of her dreams (Ed Burns). Luckily, the wedding brings around the man (James Marsden) who will change her bridesmaid status for good.

Needless to say, when you read the synopsis you immediately think…this was tailor made for men.

Being serious… it’s an unapologetic chick flick and something that will probably do very well. I know this because my sister called asking about it. She rarely goes to the movies and she wants to see it.

Anyway, I recently got to participate in a mini press conference with Katherine Heigl & Ed Burns and the transcript is below. As always, you can also listen to the audio of the interview as an MP3 by clicking here.

Finally, if you missed the movie clips I previously posted you can watch them here.

Question:  Who is the beautiful dress by?

Katherine Heigl:  Oscar de la Renta.  I wish I could wear it everyday for the next 2 weeks, but you would get sick of it.

Question:  Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna said that she was inspired to write this film.  Her dress I guess I was a regretful bridesmaid.  Have you ever known anybody getting obsessive like that?

Ed Burns:  I never had the pleasure.

Question:  She says that she’s getting married now.

Heigl:  Yeah, that is what she told us. 

Question:  How is this for you?  Is it anything that you imagined doing? 

Heigl:  It was very coincidental timing.  I had been planning my wedding for a year and a half.  Fox just decided to release this in January, so that’s not my fault.  I thought it was interesting because both Malin [Ackerman] were planning weddings during the movie.  Malin actually went off and got married, come back to work, and there was a ton of wedding talk.  Definitely all the details, all the planning, and we hoped the day would turn out.  It was just really funny to see Malin come back to work.  She could not stop saying ‘My husband…’ Over and over, it was awesome, and it was exciting.

Question:  Do you want a wedding like that, like the wedding we see at the end of this film?

Heigl:  Well, I’m having a smaller wedding, it’s a Christmas wedding, and so it’s a totally different vibe.  What is kind of great about it is that I kind of got to have the best of both worlds.  In fantasyland I got to have the beach wedding that was beautiful, fabulous, and wonderful.  Hopefully my wedding will be just as nice.

Burns:  What is a Christmas wedding?

Heigl:  At Christmas.  [Laughs]

Question:  Katherine you have been on quite a roll lately, with the show and movies taking off, did you notice yourself enter another level after the summer?

Heigl:  I think that the nature of my career certainly changed drastically.  It seemed to happen all at once, so it was hard to keep a perspective on it.  I think it’s just been the most gratifying and gracious year of my life, personally and professionally.  I can only hope that 2008 is just as wonderful, maybe in a different way, because I’m scared to hope that it would be just as awesome as this year.

Question:  What does a hit movie do differently than a hit show?

Heigl:  I don’t know.  I think that the television show, obviously way more people actually see the television show than they do the movie, so there is suddenly a huge fan base.  That is super exciting.  It is always really nice that people actually watch your work and enjoys it.  The movie took it a different level in my career, as far as having a film career, and being able to star in a movie.  People will actually take that chance on me.  Then there is the constant press coverage, the constant paparazzi, and that kind of thing.  That is very different now.  No one used to care if I went to Ralphs.  I still don’t care.

Question:  Do you have a memory of having to wear a particularly bad bridesmaid dress and what was your favorite of the ones that you had to wear in the film?

Heigl:  I haven’t yet had to wear a terrible bride’s maid dress.  My sister, who got married in October, was very considerate about her bridesmaid dresses.  My best friend, who got married like 8 years ago, was also very considerate.  No one was trying to make us look bad which was nice.  My favorite of the bridesmaid dresses was, well I have a couple, but the one in particular was the ‘Gone With the Wind’ one.  I felt very Scarlett O’Hara, which was fun for me.  Then I don’t know, the one I didn’t like was lots, like 26 of them.

Question:  Can you talk about some of the wedding you’ve been involved in?

Heigl:  My sister got married in October and I was the maid of honor.  That was the first time that I really had the role for real.  I wished it had happened before the movie actually.  I would have had a better perspective on why Jane was so insane.  It’s a stressful role, because you want to make sure that you take care of everything that needs to be taken care of, so that the bride herself will have an amazing day.  It’s also kind of a big honor because I adore my sister.  The fact that she wanted me by her side that day was really important to me.  But, it’s stressful.  I wouldn’t do it twice in a day, let alone every other weekend. 

Question:  In which way do you combine your work as an actor and your work as a director?

Burns:  I’m not sure what you mean by combine.  I don’t know how I combine them, it’s sort of apples and oranges.  When I show up on a set as an actor, quite honestly it’s a great relief not to have to worry about where you are going to put the camera, what color the walls are, or if that scene is in good enough shape to shoot.  My career is kind of like I will direct one or two movies in a row, then I’ll tell my agents ‘Look, I want to take a year off and find me some acting work.’ so that I can just really go and have fun.  I can live a life of leisure like you when you are just acting in a film. 

Question:  Can you talk about the scene where you are in two weddings in one night, going back and forth, and having to change so many times?

Heigl:  What I love about film is that it is really exaggerated.  I can’t imagine anyone ever really doing that because it’s close to impossible.  There is no way she could have gotten back for both electric slides, at both weddings, it’s impossible. It was a really fun idea.  I think it’s a great way to start it off, getting a very honest and real look at who Jane is, you know immediately what kind of girl she is from that moment on.

Question:  Is there ever a moment or situation in your life where you could be that stoic and that selfless to not say what you really think?  Where you might hold it in that long?  I don’t know how she did it?  Can you keep your mouth shut when you think you should sometimes?  Do you just tell it like it is?

Heigl:  Well, obviously I always tell it like it is. 

Burns:  I can actually dummy up when I need to.

Question:  But the selfless thing, is that something that you feel you have ever been able to accomplish, because it’s hard?

Heigl:  I think, in terms of not wanting to hurt people’s feelings, the people you really care about that maybe what they need to hear is not what they need to hear in that moment.  You kind of pick and choose your moments to be brutally honest.  I have never been as selfless as Jane.  I think most women have been in a position of being of being a real people pleaser, at one time or another, in their lives.  I kind of got over that in my early twenties.  It took Jane a lot longer and in a way more dramatic way.  I think that if you couch how you feel too often then you are not really being true to yourself.  You don’t know yourself or what you want.

Burns:  The same thing.  [Laughs]

Question:  This is sort of about the romance and weddings in movies.  Did you have favorite weddings?  In the press kit you said you had always wanted to do a film like this.  Did you specifically want to do a wedding movie?  Do you love wedding movies?  Do you love weddings?

Heigl:  I am not that kind of girl really.  I haven’t been to very many weddings.  I’ve only been to a total of four weddings in my whole life.  One was my friend’s, who I was a bridesmaid at, but that was so long ago I barely remember it.  It was also a Mormon wedding so you don’t actually get to go to the ceremony.  You are just there for the reception.  An ex-boyfriends brothers wedding, which I don’t really remember either.  Then recently I went to Kate Walsh’s’ and my sister’s.  At Kate’s wedding I was so not going to cry, it didn’t even come into my brain.  I had nothing on me, no tissues or anything, and I was looking at people with their tissues like ‘Oh, you guys are lame.  It’s not that dramatic.’  As soon as the music started, I started crying, she hadn’t even walked out yet and I was crying.  I was sharing a corner of tissue with Keisha Chambers, Justin [Chambers] wife, trying to stop the flow.  Obviously I’m a little more sentimental than I originally thought.  I do love a great wedding.  That was a particularly awesome and fun wedding, with a gospel choir.  My sister, I mean come on, it’s my sister.  It was the most glorious day, she was glorious, and perfect.  I cried pretty much constantly.  I wanted to do this movie, not because it was wedding themed, but because I loved the character so much.  It was such an awesome opportunity to get to do some comedy as well.  Not to just be the foil, the girlfriend, or the daughter, the sister.  To actually play a major part in the comedy is what I love to do.  That’s what I meant in that regard.

Question:  I have been an actual bridesmaid three times and I’m still single. 

Heigl:  So you hated this movie.  [Laughs]

Question:  No, I related.  I have to ask, did you or the character have any advice for a single woman?

Heigl:  I met my fiancé when I wasn’t looking.  I know that is a cliché thing to say, it doesn’t really help all that much, because what does that even mean?  I had sort of given up on the idea of marriage and family.  I had a relationship that ended, I was really disappointed, and I had all these high hopes.  I just went screw it, I don’t need a man to  [Gasps/ phone ringing]  that is so rude!  Who is that?  [Laughs]  My God, who dare?  [Whispering]  I’m so sorry.  I don’t even know what I was going to say.  I sort of had given up on the concept of it and figured I could do it on my own, if I wanted to have a family I could do it on my own.  Then boom, I met this guy that I couldn’t imagine living without.  I think the more you want it, the more you are looking for it, the more you repel it for whatever reason.  I don’t know why.  If you kind of create this vacuum, let life take its course, then you tend to free yourself up for the unexpected.  I think, especially for Jane in ’27 Dresses’, Kevin was clearly the unexpected choice for her.  That is what ended up working out when she was able to let go of her ideals.  No, she didn’t let go of her ideals, but her idea, of what the perfect man would be.  That was clearly not George.

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