Author: Jeff Giles (Page 4 of 11)

On “World’s Greatest Dad,” Kurt Cobain, and the return of Bobcat Goldthwait

August 25, 2009 /

To anyone who was alive during the ’80s, the words “Bobcat Goldthwait” are as likely as not to provoke instantaneous shudders, twitches, and involuntary groans; though ostensibly a comedian, Goldthwait’s chief talent seemed to be strolling onto stages or film sets and acting like he’d just been fished out of Timothy Leary’s pocket. He was also, along with Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian who relied on a distinctive — and, to not a few people, incredibly annoying — voice. The ’80s were a long time ago, of course, and to a lot of us, Goldthwait is just a forgotten celebrity who may or may not have been Sam Kinison — but the joke has been on the non-believers all along, because it turns out he’s actually a talented screenwriter and director.

Don’t believe us? That’s fine. Just scope out some of the reviews for Goldthwait’s new film, “World’s Greatest Dad” — a movie that has managed to not only reveal heretofore hidden depths in his talent, but coax a critically applauded performance out of Robin Williams in the bargain. One writer who’s hip to Goldthwait’s gifts is Bullz-Eye’s Will Harris, who recently sat down for a chat with him and discussed the new film, past projects, what the future might hold, and how in the world he ended up opening for Nirvana:

Kurt (Cobain) was a fan of my standup, which was pretty weird. I know when people hear that, it’s kind of like finding out that Jimi Hendrix really liked Buddy Hackett, but he interviewed me at a college radio station before they broke and did Bleach. And then, like, about two years later, I was opening for Nirvana at these huge sports arenas.

And as it turns out, Goldthwait is not only behind the cameras these days, but back in the comedy clubs as well — without “the voice.” As he explained to Will Harris:

You know, I always had this working class thing of, “Well, people are coming out to see me, I better give them the Grover voice.” You know, I really just put a bullet in the head of that character, and I was just kind of going up and doing it as me. I’ve enjoyed it again, and I’m also nervous about it, so that means it must be…that’s good.

To read more of the interview — including how Robin Williams (and Bruce Hornsby!) came to be so involved in “World’s Greatest Dad,” Goldthwait’s efforts to put together a Kinks musical — click on the above image or follow this link!

Actors, External Entertainment, Interviews

The “Mad Men” cast talks about Season 3

August 14, 2009 /

With two critically revered seasons on the books — and a third kicking off on Sunday — AMC’s “Mad Men” is certifiably one of the hottest shows on the cable TV dial. So if you happened to be at the summer’s TCA press tour, you’d probably do exactly what Bullz-Eye’s Will Harris did — namely, move heaven and earth to get some face time with the members of the cast who showed up for a TCA cocktail party. Of course, none of us are Will Harris, but thanks to the magic of the Internet, we don’t have to be — he’s gone and put the transcripts of his chat with the “Mad Men” cast online for all to see.

Will’s “Mad Men” interviewees were Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell), Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway), and Jon Hamm (Don Draper) — plus, he’s reached back into the not-so-distant past to include some of the highlights from his recent talk with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane). Though none of the cast members let down their guard enough to let slip any details about the upcoming third season, we can rest assured that plenty of surprises are in store. In the words of Kartheiser:

“This season, season three, I have been blindsided by, like, four or five stories. Like, literally, I have been reading the scripts like, ‘Holy shit! Are you kidding me?'”

Of course, a major component of the show has always been its time period — and as “Mad Men” moves from the early ’60s into the turbulent later years of the decade, it’s reasonable to expect some of that upheaval to make its way onto the screen. Hamm confirmed this, saying:

“Everything changes, and I think that’s a big part of the story we’re trying to tell this season. The culture and the attitudes of the United States at that time are shifting, and these people have to deal with what that shift entails. Not only in their own lives, but in how they deal with their coworkers, how they deal with their workspace, how they deal with their relationships…how they deal with all of that.”

And that’s just scratching the surface of the article. To read the rest of Will Harris’ chat with the “Mad Men” cast, click on the image above or follow this link!

Actors, External TV, Interviews, Mad Men

Raquel Alessi talks “Miss March,” posing for Playboy

August 11, 2009 /

To celebrate the arrival of her comedy “Miss March” on DVD and Blu-ray, Raquel Alessi is out doing the publicity rounds — and she was good enough to make a stop at Bullz-Eye, where she chatted with Anthony Stalter about such crucial topics as how she got her big break in showbiz, who she’d like to work with in the future, and (of course) whether she’d ever actually follow in the Playboy centerfold footsteps of her character in the movie.

BE: Now you play a Playmate in the movie, but there’s no nudity in your role. Is modeling for “Playboy” in your future? I think our readers would have my head if I didn’t ask.

RA: (laughs) Um, I don’t think so. I think it’s great for whoever wants to do it, but I don’t think I have the nerve to do it to be honest. I would be nuts during the day I had to take all my clothes off and stuff. I couldn’t imagine having that set of nerves! (laughs)

Try not to let the disappointment get you down, fellas — Raquel may not be bound for the pages of Playboy, but she has just done a spread for the readers of Maxim, and if you’re in the kind of relationship that requires a certain amount of rom-com attendance, you can look forward to seeing more of her:

BE: Not that you ever want to be typecast as an actor or actress, but what role do you think best fits your personality? What roles do you look forward to playing?

RA: Romantic comedy – for sure. In real life, I’m outgoing and funny and whenever someone looks like a certain way sometimes you think, oh, they never get bitchy or bad girl parts. I kind of think that I have this sweetness in me that when I act, it comes out. So when I do those romantic comedy types of roles, I think people really like it. I think that’s kind of my niche.

To read the rest of Raquel Alessi’s chat with Bullz-Eye, just follow this link!

Actresses, External Entertainment, External Movies, Interviews

Rich Sommer is one of TV’s happiest “Mad Men”

August 10, 2009 /

As any television fan worth his salt knows, the new season of “Mad Men” is just around the corner — and if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll be happy to know that Bullz-Eye’s Will Harris just so happens to have had a chat with series star Rich Sommer recently. It will come as no surprise that the ever-intrepid Harris tried to pry some tidbits about the upcoming season out of Sommer…and it should be equally unsurprising that Sommer, not wanting to run afoul of show producer Matt Weiner, begged off, saying “You might be able to get that out of someone else, but I can’t be the guy, because I have a good relationship with Matt Weiner…and I’ve got to keep it that way!”

Of course, even if he wasn’t leery of breaking Weiner’s trust, Sommer might not be able to tell us what to look for. As he says in the interview, that kind of information doesn’t exactly flow freely on the “Mad Men” set:

Matt (Weiner) is a little bit impish and likes to sort of tease you with things. Like, in the first season, when Harry was going to sleep with Hildy, he sort of would tease me and say, ‘Oh, you’ve got a little story coming up in a couple of episodes.’ I would say, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. What is it?’ He would say, ‘You have to guess.’

Okay, so you won’t find any “Mad Men” spoilers — but that doesn’t mean Sommer’s Bullz-Eye interview is a bore. Far from it: Over the course of two discussions with Will, he discusses life behind the scenes of one of television’s best-reviewed series, reflects on his other high-profile gigs (The Devil Wears Prada, The Office), and provides some perspective on how he went from endless fruitless auditions to a steady job on the boob tube:

It was my final audition of the pilot season. It had been three miserable, horrible months where I had zero callbacks, zero positive reception, one of those pilot seasons that makes you pretty sure you are never going to be an actor and never want to be an actor. And then that happened.

To read the rest of the interview, just follow this link!

Actors, External TV, Interviews

Bullz-Eye’s TV Girlfriends, Round 7: Mean Girls

August 3, 2009 /

With six rounds of Bullz-Eye’s TV Girlfriends on the books, you’ve already determined the hottest of the boob tube’s fairer sex in a number of categories (Hot & Smart; Pretty, Vacant; Girls Next Door; Coworkers with Benefits; Married to the Job; and High Maintenance Hotties, to be specific), but we’re not done voting yet — in fact, the latest round of voting has just kicked off, and this month, it’s time to choose your favorite in the Mean Girls category.

Ah, yes — the mean girl. She’s a rich television tradition, so you know we have plenty of terrific choices — including Brenda Walsh from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Amanda Woodward from “Melrose Place,” and Wilhelmina Slater from “Ugly Betty,” to name just a few. Which of these fine, unfriendly ladies tickles your fancy the most? Visit Bullz-Eye’s TV Girlfriends to cast your vote!

Actresses, External TV, TV

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