Yay or nay to Amy's failed projects?

"The Peter Principle" (2000): Amy Adams and Paul F. Tompkins ("Mr. Show with Bob & David") were cast as the leads in NBC's workplace comedy pilot "The Peter Principle," produced by Hattrick Prods. in association with Warner Bros. TV. Caroline Aaron ("Judging Amy") was also part of the cast.

What happened? The pilot was not picked up for a full series. NBC didn't even bother to air the first episode because executives judged that it was not worth it.

"Barry Munday" (2005): In late 2005, Amy Adams and Luke Wilson were in final talks to star in "Barry Munday". It's a comedy about a womanizer who wakes up sans his family jewels after an irate father attacks him with a trumpet. Things go from bad to worse for the title character when he learns that he's being sued for paternity by a woman he can't even remember having sex with.

What happened? Prospect Pictures eventually offered the leading female role to Amy but she declined the part in what she now calls "a strictly commercial project" to star in Disney's "Enchanted" instead. Luke Wilson was replaced by Patrick Wilson (Raoul in "The Phantom of the Opera") and Amy's part was given to Judy Greer. Filming starts next month in Los Angeles.

"Winter of Frozen Dreams" (2005): Filmmaker Mike Graf was going to make a movie out of the Barbara Hoffman double murder case. It was one of the most sensational crimes of the past century in Madison, and Karl Harter wrote a book about it called "Winter of Frozen Dreams." Graf wanted to cast Amy Adams for the part of Hoffman.

What happened? The casting of Adams began at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, which Graf attended with his wife, Linda. Twenty minutes before the Sundance awards ceremony, Linda was in the women's restroom and ran into Adams, who starred in the Sundance entry "Junebug." Linda told Adams how much they'd loved her performance and then started touting "Winter of Frozen Dreams," telling Adams it would be a nice change of pace in that the Hoffman role is dark and creepy.

"I love dark and creepy," Amy Adams said. "Send me a script."

Twenty minutes later, Adams won the Special Jury Award for Best Acting. Despite her Sundance success, she didn't forget that bathroom conversation. Graf sent her the script, and she read for him in Santa Monica a month or so later.

Shooting was scheduled to start in November 2005 but production on "Winter of Frozen Dreams" was heavily delayed and Amy was unable to perform in the film due to other filming commitments. She was replaced by actress Thora Birch. The film will be released in 2008.

2005-2008: a star in the making

In addition to landing a supporting role in The Wedding Date, Amy was also cast in a recurring role on the popular TV sitcom The Office. In 2006, she filmed the NASCAR comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby alongside Will Ferrell and the musical Moonlight Serenade which is yet to be released.

2007 was a also a very busy year for Amy Adams. She appeared in Charlie Wilson's War as the title character's assistant with co-stars Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Disney's Enchanted helped to increase interest in her acting career and catapulted her in the verge of stardom.

For her pitch-perfect performance as Giselle, Amy received a Golden Globe Award nomination for 'Best actress in a Musical or Comedy' and nearly grabbed an Oscar-nomination for 'Best actress'. However, three of Enchanted's songs were nominated for 'Best original song' and Amy will be performing one of them at the ceremony on February 24.

In early 2007, she filmed with Emily Blunt - one of her best friends in the industry (with Sarah Lancaster of the TV show 'Chuck') - the independent film Sunshine Cleaning which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. She went to London shortly thereafter to work with Frances McDormand in the movie Miss Pettigrew lives for a day to be released on March 7. She has recently wrapped filming Doubt, an adaptation of the play, with Meryl Streep and Seymour Hoffman.

She is set to film Julie & Julia next month with Meryl Streep (again!) and is currently in final negotiations to star in Night at the Museum 2:Escape from the Smithsonian with Ben Stiller. Amy Adams always manages to light up the screen with her bubbly and charismatic presence which is no wonder why her many fans look forward to these films with feverish anticipation!

Credit: photograph by Chris Stewart

1999-2005: from TV guest spots to an Oscar-nomination

Amy Adams moved to Los Angeles with her brother Eddie when she was 24. Eddie Adams played in Austin Powers 3 and is now working for TMZ. Amy guest-starred in a number of TV series like Charmed, Smallville, Buffy and The West Wing. She refused a role in the TV kids' show Power Rangers. She was asked to play Pink Ranger but declined the offer because she wanted something more challenging as an actress.

She also worked in small films like Psycho Beach Party, Pumpkin and Serving Sara and got the lead role in Manchester Prep - retitled Cruel Intentions 2 - which was supposed to be a television series spin-off of the first movie Cruel Intentions.

Casting director Deborah Zane brought her to Steven Spielberg's attention. She appeared in Catch me if you can as Leonardo Di Caprio's love in 2002 and was hailed by the critics as an actress to watch. Yet, she was unemployed for a year after that.

Adams starred in The Last Run in 2004. In the same year, she was cast in the television series Dr Vegas with Rob Lowe but was fired after a contract dispute. Amy says she was lucky to have the support of her lawyer and friends at the time: 'It was right after a table read and they were like, "We'll see you tomorrow!" and then 20 minutes later I get the call. It was just that betrayal that I couldn't overcome.'

Ironically, this little incident led her to what we can call her breakthrough role. Right after she left the show Dr Vegas - which was cancelled shortly after her departure anyway - she filmed the low-budget indie film Junebug. It premiered at the 2005 Sundance FilFestival where she won the Special Jury Prize for her performance as Ashley Johnsten. She received further numerous critical accolades including an Academy-Award nomination for 'Best supporting actress'. She lost the Oscar to Rachel Weisz but was catapulted to the verge of stardom as one of America's top actresses.

1974-1999: the early years

Amy Lou Adams, was born on August, 20, 1974 on a military base in Vicenza, Italy. Her father was a US serviceman. Along with her six siblings, Amy was raised in Castle Rock, Colorado and is a graduate of Douglas County High School. She also sang in the school choir. Here are a few pictures I got from her high school's 1992 senior yearbook.

After graduating from high school, she studied dance and began performing in dinner theatre. She was hired by the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in Minnesota where she moved in the late '90s. Amy honed her craft singing, dancing and acting and still considers this experience as one of the best times in her life. She audtioned and made her acting debut in Drop Dead Gorgeous in 1999 alongside Brittany Murphy, Kirsten Dunst and Denise Richards (see picture below at the film's premiere in LA on July 12, 1999).