Billy Burke is well known for playing Charlie Swan in “The Twilight Saga”. In the recent “Eclipse”, Billy really steals the show in the film. Billy also recently released an album which can be purchased on iTunes called, ‘Removed’. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Billy to discuss this phenomenon known as “Twilight”.

Check out our review of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”, here.
Click here to purchase Billy Burke’s CD
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Mike Gencarelli: How do you feel to be a part of this huge “Twilight Saga”?
Billy Burke: It is pretty nice. After hanging around in this business for as long as I have, which is somewhere between 15-17 years now, it is nice being a part of something that people are really loving.

Mike Gencarelli: You must be overwhelmed at the fans devotion to the films?
Billy Burke: Overwhelmed, really isn’t the word now. I guess what it is now is warm. These fans of the books and these movies are so warm and ecstatic about everything “Twilight”. For me it has been a great gig.

Mike Gencarelli: Were you familiar with the books before working on the first film?
Billy Burke: No, I wasn’t. When I met Catherine Hardwicke, the first director, we had a meeting and she told me to go home and google “Twilight”. I did and obviously millions of things came up. At that point, I sort of had an idea that the movie we were making will have some sort of an audience. Nobody could imagine what it has become.

MG: Have you since read the book series?
BB: Nope and I make no secret of it. I have not cracked one of them. I work off a script.

MG: Your character steals the show in “Eclipse”, How do you feel about how your character Charlie Swan, has developed through the movies?
BB: Charlie and the other kids at school are the only other connection to reality. It is nice to have that departure in a film like this. I love the relationship between Charlie and his daughter. It just gets richer and sweeter as time goes on. It started off with them not communicating with each other since they didn’t know how to. They since have grown into a pretty cool and trusting relationship now.

MG: What is it like working with the different directors through all three films?
BB: Catherine created a great world. I think she did a phenomenal job really painting the original picture. Everybody else who has come along has really had their own flavor and different take on it. They all had their own one-two punches. I think they all have done a great job. David Slade has really amped it up quite a bit with “Eclipse”. It is a pretty entertaining movie.

MG: Are you excited to be gearing up for “Breaking Dawn”?
BB: Well dude, as you know I haven’t read the books. So I have no idea what happens [laughs]. I haven’t read a script yet either so I am looking forward to it. I hear that Charlie starts to get a clue in the next book so that will be interesting.

MG: Besides “Twilight” what other projects are you working on?
BB: I just finished a movie with Nicholas Cage called “Drive Angry 3D”. That film will be out next February. I am working on a television show right now called “Rizzoli & Isles” on TNT with Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. That shows airs this summer on July 12th. Most of the time when I can I am devoted to my music. I just released an album last week called ‘Removed’. You can get a free single download at BillyBurke.net and you can buy the record on iTunes. It is selling like hotcakes. It has gotten a really overwhelming positive response and I am really pleased about it. Of course all the proceeds go to VH1 Save the Music which we are very proud of.

Click here to purchase Billy Burke’s CD
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Robert Pattinson is most known for his role as Edward Cullen in the “The Twilight Saga”. He recently sat down during a press junket to answer some questions about his role in the upcoming “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”.

Q: Now on the third “Twilight” movie, you’ve worked with three different directors, what have been the pluses or minuses for that change each time?
A: I thought Catherine (Hardwicke) and Chris (Weitz) were both great and I would have been happy if they have directed all of them afterward. Experiencing the change every time is great for me because it feels like you are doing a different movie every time. It would be very easy to think like you are literally doing a series and it is the same characters going through different events every time. Having a new director around does help you grow. The characters are growing and changing and its not just going through a new set of events. It feels like every movie is very different.

Q: Do you take opportunity to to look back at the earlier films and do this certain things different with your character?
A: Kind of, I definitely was thinking in “Eclipse”, what is the consistency from the previous two. But also you think how to improve your performance. The look of the character. The way they move. You normally do not have opportunities to do that. It is always the same cast, so you can bring your experience from the last film in the new film. It is not an entirely new set of circumstances.

Q: With the love triangle in “Eclipse” being so front and center, how was it working with Taylor during those scenes? Was it difficult?
A: For one thing, it was great to do scenes with other people. I have always got a long with Taylor (Lautner) very well. It is a lot easier when you like someone to do all this macho stuff because you could feel really silly. Taylor is a much better built guy than I am and if he was a complete idiot then it could very easily become an uncomfortable situation. If he was like “I am so buff, what do you have”, it would have been incredible annoying to do to work every day.

Q: The tent scene has everyone talking. Was that a tough scene to do?
A: It is a very strange scene, with Bella sleeping there. I like what has happened with the relationship that Edward has with Jacob now. In the first two, it is just this kind of ignorant hate which boring to play after a while, since all it is is just jealousy. If you do not know someone you can’t really hate them. Knowing someone and openly admitting “I am trying to steal your girlfriend”, and saying “What are you going to do about it? Try and stop me”. There is nothing he can do to stop him. He doesn’t want to be friends. He has to completely rely on Bella to make up her mind on it. It is kind of interesting to see things play out.

Tate Ellington co-starred in this spring’s drama “Remember Me” opposite Robert Pattinson (“Twilight Saga”) and Emilie de Ravin (“Lost”). Movie Mikes had the chance to talk to Tate about his role in “Remember Me”, what it was like working with his cast and what’s in store for the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: What did you first think when you were going to audition for “Remember Me”?
Tate Ellington: I wasn’t aware of what the project was at first. I didn’t know it was a studio picture. I went in and didn’t feel I was right for it at first. I said “There is no way, they are going to cast me in this”. A few days later, they told me I did well but they were going to go to LA to look more and they would let me know. I said to myself that they are never going to call again. So a month goes by and they called and said the director wants to meet you. When I met Allen (Coulter), I thought i did awful. I left the room and thought this is definitely done now. I get another call a few days later and they wanted me to meet Rob (Pattinson). I never thought originally it was going to lead to me getting the job but it ended up being great.

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to the role of Aidan Hall?
Tate Ellington: I only had a chance to read half of the script before I had gone in. I liked the guy but normally I am really shy. So I had to make myself chat a lot and not be shy. I knew Aidan was suppose to be there for some laughs and keep things a little more lighthearted when needed. But also whenever he was needed to be serious and really show his sincerity and that he can be there. That is what drew to the character. I think he actually has a huge part. He cares a lot for Tyler (Pattinson), he will do anything for him. Also Tyler family is also like Aidan’s adopted family and he loves them without contingent too. Even Emilie de Ravin’s character Ally, was the same way. Once Aidan realizes Tyler was in love with her, then my character was like well she is my best friend too then. That is what I really like about him. He is like a puppy dog and is very loyal to whomever he loves.

Mike Gencarelli: How was it like working with Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin?
Tate Ellington: Yeah it was a blast. When I first officially found out I would be meeting Rob for screen tests, I was a little nervous. I hoped that he would be nice. Rob from the get-go was just as nice as can be. He is a very humble nice and sweet guy. He made me laugh and automatically I was knew this guy was going to be great. Same way with Emilie, during rehearsals before we started shooting it was me, her and Rob in a room and we all hit it off. We were all throwing out jokes. Emilie was hilarious. If I able to laugh with somebody they we are set. Every time getting to hang out with them on set was a blast. I looked forward to going to work everyday.

MG: The burning question, are you a “Twilight Saga” fan?
TE: When I found out a had a job, I hadn’t reach the books or seen the movies yet. I didn’t want to have any preconceived notations. I didn’t want to hate it and then lie to Rob and be like “Yeah you were great in that”. I was dating a girl way before this and she was a fan of the books. One afternoon I was given a synopsis of every single thing about all four books. I knew everything about it to some degree but I made sure not to watch the movies. Actually after we finished filming, I rented it and actually really enjoyed it. I thought it was really good. I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel, but I really liked it.

MG: I am sure your set was swamped everyday with “Twilight” fans, did you find that difficult to focus?
TE: Initially getting there the first day of shooting, I was like “Whoa man, this is insane!”. But I got used to it really quick. I was more worried about getting fired after the first day. We did the first take and after that it was all fine. We would see some of the same fans who were waiting and it actually was nice. We always felt like we had people around, like going to Grandma’s. I remember one shot we did, the crowd moved around the corner and we couldn’t see them till we came around. Once we came around, it was like a mass of people screaming. It was dead silence till we crossed the corner and then it was just insanity.

MG: Tell me about your film “The Elephant King”?
TE: That was my first paying movie gig. It was still one of the best times in my life. We got to shoot in Thailand for for six or seven weeks. The director, Seth Grossman and I are actually still as close as can be. We also get together if I am in LA or he is in NY. Thailand was absolutely amazing. Plus I also got to work with one of my favorite actresses Ellen Burstyn. I found out she was in it and I was like “Ok, let’s do this”. I am very critical of what I do but I think I did ok on that role. I am really happy and proud of that one.

MG: Ok so whats’s next? Can you tell us about “Silver Tongues”?
TE: Right now, they are just finishing up that movie. I am maybe in the first ten minutes at most. A couple good scenes in there though. It is just great. I got to work with Lee Tergesen, who is just one of the nicest guys ever. I just finished up another thing, right now it is called “New York”. I have no idea if that will be changed or not. Then I had like two scenes in a movie called “Breaking Upwards”, which I think is currently showing at the IFC Center in NYC and it should be on DVD soon. I am barely in it for 10 seconds but it is one of those movies I would recommend to anybody. The guys did it on a shoestring budget and it turned out amazing. I have to go to LA next week, but I can’t say for what but it is a nice TV show and we will see if that works out.

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Julie Dawn Cole started her career with the role of Veruca Salt in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. Her career turned towards performing on TV and theater. She is presently working on getting a degree counseling and psychotherapy and hoping for a Willy Wonka reunion in the near future. Movie Mikes has the chance to talk with Julie to ask her a few questions about “Willy Wonka” and what’s the come in the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: How do you feel that “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has impacted your life”?
Julie Dawn Cole: A lot actually and I am currently working on my memoirs at the moment. Which hopefully will be published in four or five months. It has given me a lot of time to look back on it. Obviously at the time as a 12 year old, I had no idea the impact it was going to have and continued to have. I was just a kid having fun doing a movie of a great story. Little did I think I would be talking about it 40 years later.

Mike Gencarelli: Who was your favorite cast member during the shoot?
Julie Dawn Cole: Obviously I because very close to Denise (Nickerson) who played Violet Beauregarde. We were two girls, we were both away from home and both almost 13 years old. We became very close like sisters. However we both did have a crush on Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket). There definitely was a little bit of rivalry going on. The entire cast we were all very close. I do have a special place in my heart for both Denise and Peter.

Mike Gencarelli: Do you keep in touch with any of them still?
Julie Dawn Cole: Yes, I do. In fact we lost touch for a long time but thankfully there was reunion in ’97 for a convention in NJ at Chiller Theater.  That was the first time I saw Peter Ostrum and Paris Themmen since we finished shooting in 1970. So I met up with them. Since then I have met up with Denise, Diana Sowle (Mrs. Bucket), Rusty Goffe, he was an Oompa Loompa, Mel Stuart. Pretty much the rest of us has been meeting up occasionally since then.

MG: Sources say that you have two props from the movie? Can you tell us about that?
JC: Well I did have an Everlasting Gobstopper, I believe I was one of the only ones to end up with one of those. I do have a Golden Ticket. I do still have the wrapper of a Scrumdiddlyumptious bar and the Wonka Bar. A lot of the stuff we were a loud to keep at the time. Once they were used in the shooting they were redundant. At one point I had about ten Golden Tickets, but over the years I have lost track of them.

MG: What was your favorite memory from the filming of “Willy Wonka”?
JC: Lots of different memories, probably a favorite scene would just being in the chocolate room. The pure imagination set with all river and waterfall, it was just magical to experience. I suppose I found have to say that filming my song, which was largely filmed on my 13th birthday is my most memorable.

MG: Do you have a least favorite?
JC: Would have been in the pure imagination chocolate room because I had to eat all this chocolate stuff out of a styrofoam watermelon. I had to scoop all the chocolate stuff out and as a child I did not like chocolate. Which is ironic being being in the movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. I especially didn’t like the chocolate goop that was in there it was rather disgusting, so that was probably my least favorite.

MG: Shortly after “Willy Wonka”, you only acted in two more movies? Any reason you stopped making movies?
JC: Largely in the UK, our film industry wasn’t as big as your in the US. The work that was available was in television, so that is the direction that my career took.

MG: You have been extremely active in television over the years, what has been your favorite project to work on?
JC: Wow, over the years I have several. Most recently I have done presenting (on “This Morning”, a British daytime television series), which enabled me to travel and I went to China, India, and all sort of other places. I worked on a drama for about two years about nurses, I was 17 or 18. Also lots of costume drama which I have enjoyed as well. I have been very lucky with my career.
MG: How do you feel about the remake directed by Tim Burton “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory”?
JC: I have mixed feeling about it. Obviously I am going to be loyal to my own. I enjoyed some parts of it, specifically the exterior shots of the factory. The rest of it, I do know that probably best for other people to decide. I couldn’t be objective.

MG: Tell me how you came up with “Veruca Salt’s Big South African Adventure?
JC: That came about because from an advertising campaign in the UK for Virgin Holidays. They used a singer Charlotte Church, who is well known over here and she recorded by song “I Want It Now”. The emphasis was “I Want the World, I Want the Whole World”. They thought it would be quite fun to take the real Veruca Salt to an exotic location and if it was good enough for Veruca Salt, then it would be good enough for the rest of us. I had a fantastic few days in South Africa courtesy of Virgin Holidays. I was just having fun and being a grown-up Veruca Salt. The premise was what would Veruca Salt be like if she was grown-up…probably still demanding.

MG: Would you ever be interested in a Willy Wonka cast convention reunion?
JC: Definitely, definitely. I am rather hoping that when my book comes out, me might all get to meet together again. It has been too long, it is time we do another one. It is the 40th anniversary next year so maybe its time they got us back together again. The main kind of instigator was Paris Themmen, he was quite active in getting us all together. He got involved with other things and we lost our connection. I had a fantastic number of years, we traveled New York and all over America. It would be fantastic to do more. Chiller Theater was an amazing experience. The first one was was huge back in ’97 and there were lines around the block. With my book and with the 40th anniversary maybe they will have a reason for hooking us back together again.

MG: What do you have in store for the future? Any adventures planned?
JC: It is a possibility I may be doing a show based on a show we did at Melborne Comedy Festival in 2004, I may taking that to Edinburgh for the Edinburgh festival. I have been working hard in a completely different area and I am about to qualify with a BA in counseling and psychotherapy. So my career could be doing off in a completely different direction.

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Robert Galluzzo is the director/writer/co-producer of the upcoming “The Psycho Legacy” documentary. Robert has been able to take his love for horror movies, specifically “Psycho” and tell the world about it. “The Psycho Legacy” features dozen of new interviews with cast and crew for all of the “Psycho” films as well as critics, fans and horror veterans. The documentary also includes rare photos and footage. The film itself is 90 minutes but the DVD features 3 hours of exclusive bonus features and much more rare footage. Movie Mikes had the chance to talk with Robert about his movie, “The Psycho Legacy” and his passion for film.

Click here to purchase “The Psycho Legacy”

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us why a documentary on “Psycho” series?
Robert Galluzzo: I grew up not only a huge horror fan, but a huge movie fanatic and I just felt the “Psycho” series was the one film franchise that over the last decade fell by the wayside. There had been retrospective documentaries and special edition DVD’s for all the other famous horror franchises, so I just felt that Norman Bates deserved his due and that if I didn’t do it, no one was ever going to. The interesting thing in particular about the “Psycho” sequels is how much amazing talent came out of them. “Psycho II” writer Tom Holland went on to do “Child’s Play” and “FRIGHT NIGHT”. Mick Garris directed “Psycho IV”, went on to create the “Masters of Horror” series and direct several Stephen King adaptations. You’ve got amazing actors like Jeff Fahey who appeared on “Lost”. Dennis Franz, Robert Loggia, Meg Tilly, Diana Scarwid. So many fascinating people came out of “Psycho” movies, so I wanted to dig and get the stories about the making of them, while having modern filmmakers explain why all the films are still influential to them.

Mike Gencarelli: What was the hardest part of making the documentary?
Robert Galluzzo: Every part of making this documentary over the course of the last 3 years has been difficult! Honestly, because it was a self financed, completely independent production, finding the time and people to help me do it was tough, but it was always a passion project from the very beginning; a labor of love, and that’s been contagious for everyone involved since we started this thing. The editing process, while fun has been the toughest part because we have so much footage and there were so many problems and obstacles along the way. The way some interviews were lit, sound issues on others. This is my first doc so it was a lot of trial and error and learning along the way. I credit my editor Jon Maus for sticking with me through the entire process and making it all work. I’m very proud of the final result and can’t wait to share it with fellow “Psycho” fans because I’m one of them too!

Mike Gencarelli: How did you go about getting all the interviews together? Tell us about some of the people you got?
Robert Galluzzo: Well, it was a lot of luck. “Psycho II” director Richard Franklin really set me off on the path and sadly he’s no longer with us. We had communicated via email a few times and he was happy at the prospect of this project because he was very, very proud of “Psycho II”. He put me in touch with the writer Tom Holland. Tom put me in touch with Mick Garris. Mick put me in touch with Katt Shea who acted in “Psycho III” and it all just kind of snowballed from there. A lot of these people saw my genuine enthusiasm and wanted to help. The toughest part has been dealing with agents and managers, whom for some reason really don’t want you to get to their clients unless they get their 10 percent. And as I said, this was a labor of love done out of my own pocket. Literally everyone I’ve gotten for the doc has been great. If you’re a fan of “Psycho III”, you’ll love the interviews with star Diana Scarwid and writer Charles Edward Pogue. If you love “Psycho IV”, we’ve got both Henry Thomas and Olivia Hussey. And if you’re not familiar with the sequels, then hopefully this’ll make you want to see them, because when compared to other horror franchises, all the “Psycho” movies are predominately good!

MG: How did you obtain all the rare photos and footage?
RG: After most of the interviews, I tried to keep in touch with all of the “Psycho” alumni and they all wanted to help. Tom Holland has not only become a great friend but dug out a tremendous amount of personal Polaroid photos that he took from the set of “Psycho II”. I also met a fellow fan named Guy Thorpe through a mutual friend and Guy provided me with some Anthony Perkins footage from his one and only convention appearance in 1988 and it’s just an amazing find. Snippets of it are in the doc itself, but the entire panel which covers Perkins entire career will be unedited as a bonus feature. “The Psycho Legacy” disc will be worth it alone just for the Perkins stuff!

MG: With hours of interviews did you find it hard to trim the documentary down to 90 minutes?
RG: It’s been very difficult because there’s been so many great stories pertaining to the making of the sequels that have never been told, but thankfully we live in the day and age of 2-disc special edition DVD’s, so we’ve cut together a healthy portion of extended interview clips just for the DVD. On top of the 90 minute doc, there’s hours of additional interview footage. “Psycho” fans will be busy the first weekend this disc comes out!

MG: When can fans see and purchase “The Psycho Legacy”?
RG: Shout! Factory will release “The Psycho Legacy” on October 19th, the same day that Universal puts out their Blu-Ray edition of the original “Psycho”. It’ll be a great day for “Psycho” fans. Right now, this is only for a US DVD release, but we’re actively working out details for a release in all parts of the world.

MG: What is next to come for you, any upcoming plans?
RG: I’m in the early stages of putting together a few other similar documentary projects, one is “Zombie: Documentary of the Living Dead” that I’m directing and co-writing with a very talented screenwriter and fellow movie buff Jackson Stewart. We’re going to cover the entire 80 year history of the “zombie” sub-genre in a fun and unique way that hasn’t been done quite like this before. I’m also producing a web-series called “Twisted Tales” that Tom Holland is writing and directing. It grew out of our friendship from “The Psycho Legacy”. We’re about 3 episodes in and we’ve got amazing genre actors like William Forsythe, Danielle Harris and AJ Bowen in the first few. We’re going to do a few more episodes and then debut it exclusively on mobile devices. And I’m also in the very early stages of helping set up a passion project called “South Texas Blues”. It’s from a phenomenal Long Island based filmmaker named Christopher Garetano and it’s a drama based on the events of the making of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. It’s one of the best scripts I’ve ever read and Chris is an amazing talent to look out for, so I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we make that movie! I’m looking forward to tackling all those projects, and also for those who might be familiar with me from my writing on either Icons Of Fright, Fangoria, FearNet or Shock Till You Drop, myself and my Icons co-creator Mike C are planning a complete redesign and relaunch of the Icons Of Fright website later this summer which is going to be awesome. Thank you so much for your time and interest in all of the above and I hope you dig “The Psycho Legacy”. We’re working very hard to make it worthwhile to “Psycho” fans everywhere…

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Jason Steadman played the character Drew in one of the proclaimed worst movie of all time “Troll 2”. The films star of Michael Stephenson recently created a documentary about its road to success even though titled “worst movie” and its title “Best Worst Movie”. The film is currently screening all over the world showing the unknown success and fan base of the movie “Troll 2”. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk to Jason about his role in the film and how he reflects in the documentary.

Click here to purchase “Troll 2” on DVD or Blu-Ray

Mike Gencarelli: How was it on the set of “Troll 2”, did it really seem like it was going to be the film it is today?
Jason Steadman: When I first read the script, I remember thinking that the story was a bit odd, but I was just happy to have a part in a movie. Then, the very first day on the set, I saw them film the final scene in the movie where the Goblins were eating the mom. When I was watching this scene being filmed, I was thinking, ‘Wow, that sure doesn’t look very real’. So, I started wondering how this movie would actually turn out. Nevertheless, I really tried to do my best while shooting the scenes, but overall it was just an unusual experience, so I think I kinda knew all along that it wouldn’t be the movie Claudio had hoped it would be…or maybe it is???

Mike Gencarelli: After “Troll 2”, you stopped acting, what the reason for that?
Jason Steadman: I had done a lot of theatre acting while growing up and while in high school. As a matter of fact, I entered college as a theatre major. So, I did continue stage acting for awhile after Troll 2. But, as far as film acting, Troll 2 was my first and last experience. I knew I was a horrible film actor and I think that kinda killed my excitement to pursue it since I didn’t feel I was a ‘natural’. Nevertheless, now. 20 years later, I’m starting to get back into film acting and it’s very fun. I think with good teachers and training, a good stage actor can become a good film actor. I just didn’t realize that at the time.

Mike Gencarelli: How do you feel about the fan base following for the film has despite being labeled as one of the worst movie of all-time?
Jason Steadman: I think it’s quite amazing actually. There’s just something about Troll 2 that’s fun and that brings people together. As we’ve traveled around the world showing this movie and meeting the fans, I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of friendships being built, relationships forged, people pulling themselves out of depression and many, many other stories all as a result of Troll 2. There is something special about it. Like someone says in Best Worst Movie, Troll 2 is like a religion. As soon as someone sees it, they want to share it with others. It brings people together. Kinda crazy.

MG: Have you kept in touch with any of the cast after the movie was made?
JS: Jason Wright (Elliot) and I hung out a couple times after the movie was made, but after that, I lost contact with everyone for 17 years. This world-wide phenomenon around Troll 2 is what brought us all back together. I would have to say that the best part of this whole Troll 2 experience for me has been reuniting with George, Michael, Darren, and all of the others and renewing old friendships. They, with the Best Worst Movie team, have become like a second family to me.

MG: How did it feel revisiting “Troll 2” for the documentary “Best Worst Movie”
JS: Awesome. Troll 2 never left my life. I have been showing it to friends, attending Troll 2 parties, and things of that nature for the last 20 years. But, it was fun to start going around the world and seeing how other people were celebrating the movie. So, it’s all been a wonderful experience.

MG: How do you feel that “Best Worst Movie” is finally getting released, do you think the film will reach a wider audience than just fans?
JS: Definitely. It already has. Since the day we premiered Best Worst Movie at SXSW, it has been receiving praise from critics, Hollywood types, and everyone else. It is a documentary that appeals to all audiences and I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t thoroughly enjoyed it, whether they be a Troll 2 fan or not.

MG: Tell me about your music career? Is that your primary focus?
JS: I don’t write and perform music very much anymore. About 5 years ago, I jumped over to the business side of music. Since then, I have been a band manager, tour manager, booking agent, and now I run an events center. In addition, I own a company called, Lounge Fly Entertainment. We do concert and event promotions. I love working in the entertainment industry. It’s very similar to the film industry in many aspects, so I’ve enjoyed getting more familiar with that industry as well.

Click here to purchase “Troll 2” on DVD or Blu-Ray

Billy Blair is co-starring in two of this years most exciting action films, “Jonah Hex” and “Machete”.  Besides acting Billy is also involved with music and is currently working with two bands.  Movie Mikes had a chance to talk to Billy to discuss his upcoming roles and his love for movies.

Click here to purchase Billy’s movies

Mike Gencarelli: Tell me about your role in “Jonah Hex”?
Billy Blair: I am one of Turnbull’s gang members, played by John Malkovich.  I am pretty much side by side with Michael Fassbender in the film.  Michael is the nicest guy and really talented.  So, pretty much that is my role I am a gang member.

Mike Gencarelli: What was it like working on the set, any cool stories?
Billy Blair: Yeah I got a good one.  During the shoot, Malkovich is a method actor, so he was in character the whole time.  As far as everyone else, they are all on queue and really nice.  Josh Brolin and I kinda hit it off.  Brolin was walking to the set and passed me and some stunt guys while getting ready to do this dynamite scene.  So he walks by and farts really loud and I turned to him and said “Hey! Is that the dynamite for the scene” and he started laughing and he was way cool.  I didn’t get to see Megan Fox though, since originally she didn’t have a big part until the re-shoots.  They shot her scenes a week prior to me showing up.  Maybe I will get to see her though in “Jonah Hex 2”.

Mike Gencarelli: You also are in the upcoming “Machete”, tell us about your role as Von’s Henchmen?
Billy Blair: Oh yeah! Von is played by Don Johnson and I am his henchmen in the movie.  I thank Robert Rodriguez because during the re-shoots he gave me a bigger part.  I got a lot of action in this film.  Don Johnson was way cool.  It surprised me a lot that because people already knew me by name when I walked on set, but then again my character’s name was Billy [laughs].  Here is a funny story both characters in “Machete” and “Jonah Hex” my name is Billy.  I said, “Wow, I am playing myself twice”.

MG: That shoot must have been a lot of fun right?
BB: I loved working on this movie.  Rodriguez is such a kind and generous guy.  He never shows a sweat.  He is smooth all the way, totally professional.  Every actor has a wish to work with one director and that was my wish man!  It was unbelievable.  It was shot in Austin, Texas and it so was HOT!

MG: Were you familiar with the “Grindhouse” fake trailer before you worked on this?
BB: When my agent submitted me, I became more aware of it.  I said maybe I need to watch this trailer real quick.  I had to do my homework catch up and see what it was all about.  I really dug it and I am happy to be about of the movie.

MG:  Did you always want to become an actor?
BB: Well, I started off as a musician.  In the mid 90’s I wanted to get into acting.  I went to college here in Texas for theater and drama.  After that I just started picking up independent films.  I almost stopped acting though because my agent at the time was horrible and kept screwing me.  I focused on my music instead but in 2008, I got a call from my agent, Joseph Chavez, and he sent me off on an audition.  At first I didn’t take it seriously but I went for it anyway.  The audition was a Joe’s Crab Shack commercial and sure enough I got it and it is nationwide man!!  It is on YouTube, I play a devil.  After that I got “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell”, “Jonah Hex”, “Mongolian Death Worm”, and “Machete”.  It is like a snowball effect.  Now I am back into acting and I love it.

MG: What does the future hold in store for you?
BB: I am just waiting on some projects I have been submitted for but I am not sure if I should say the name.  Well I can say that it is a pirate movie and I am just waiting at this point.  I also play in a band and I am always touring. The band is called Messer.  I actually also have another band I am working with called also White Collar Ghetto.  Messer is a mainstream hard rock and White Collar Ghetto is more heavier.  You can check them both out on Myspace. So that is what I am doing now.

Check out Billy’s bands, Messer and White Collar Ghetto
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Tiller Russell started his career as a documentary film maker. His documentary cover vast subjects from cockfighting to prison baseball and he has since went on to direct his first feature film “The Last Rites on Ransom Pride”. Movie Mikes had the opportunity to talk to Tiller to discuss his documentaries and his transition from documentary to feature film and what’s in store for the future.

Click here to purchase “The Last Rites on Ransom Pride”

Mike Gencarelli: You started your career with documentaries, about cockfighting, arm wrestling and baseball, can you tell us about some of subjects you’ve covered?
Tiller Russell: The way it started out, the first film I did was “Cockfight” about underground rooster fighting. I basically did that because I didn’t have any dough to do too much more than sort of borrow a video camera and try and find a fascinating subject that I never seen anyone do a film on before. I got tipped into the cockfighting world and once I got plugged in I knew visual, controversial, violent and full of fascinating characters. With documentary, one access breeds more access. One subject leads on to the next. When someone has vouched for me and they pulled me in and I found myself at some crazy underground cockfights in the states. I was with cartel members in Mexico, whatever the case might be. That film played at a bunch of festivals and aired on TBS. From there basically subjects in a way started coming to me. Sometimes it would be “Hey that is the cockfighting guy, maybe he would be interested in arm wrestling? Or maybe he would be interested in doing something in a prison?” Sometimes it would be from reading a subject in the newspaper or my wife would find something and turn us on to a new subject. It came from a bunch of different ways but one subject sort of lead on to the next in some way. It was a path that I only saw when I looked back in retrospect.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you find the transition from documentary to feature film for “The Last Rites on Ransom Pride”?
Tiller Russell: It is a fascinating transition really, at the end of the day it is all about story, right? It is a sort of visual story telling. All of the skills I learned as a documentary filmmaker where immediately relative and applicable to this. How do you find drama? How do you find tension? How do you find cast or create fascinating characters? At the same time the scale and spectacle about it is much bigger. When we were making the documentaries, it was basically a couple of guys, a couple of cameras and a sound guy. You were a small mobile crew. This was huge sets and construction. There were stunt coordinators and a massive army of people that are required to do a feature film. In a way you are surrounded by people that are all experts in what they do, in whatever capacity. What I did was surround myself with the smartest most talented people I could find and trust them guide me through the things I didn’t know how to do. I articulated to them a vision of what I wanted it to feel like, look like or be like. Luckily I had an amazing group of collaborators that were able to shepherd me through that process.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell me about “The Last Rites on Ransom Pride”, what is it about?
Tiller Russell: I like to say that “it is a tale of bad-bitches and despicable bastards who cuss and kill each other”. That is a one liner I ripped off from my writing partner. He said that and I busted out laughing and I said I think that is exactly what it is. It all turns when Juliette Flowers swears to bring the body of Ransom Pride home to Texas after he is gunned down in the streets of Mexico. In order to do so, she has to battle a murderous reverent, a wicked outlaw, two savage bounty hunters and a vicious Mexican brouhaha. She gets helps from an opium smoking Siamese-twin, a shotgun toting dwarf and Ransom’s crack shot younger brother. She ends up spilling blood on the border to honor hear oath to Ransom Pride.

MG: How was it working with such an amazing cast on the film?
TR: It was absolutely amazing. These guys had such range of talents. It was great having the chance to sort of work with icons, like Kris Kristofferson, and Dwight Yoakam and talented young actors like Jon Foster and Lizzy Caplan. It was just amazing. I was able to take Jason Priestly and put him in a weird ass role and a light you have never seen him before. Peter Dinklage was great. It was inspiring and fantastic. I hope to have the opportunity to work with any or all of them again.

MG: What was your biggest challenge while filming “The Last Rites on Ransom Pride”?
TR: Well I would say just the sheer scale and spectacle of it. All of people when they do their first film pick something small and on a small canvas to work on. Like the walkie-talkie in New York kind of vibe. This was a big sprawling gnarly comic book western and just going from page to screen it was an epic scale. It was a massive jump. But like I said I was very fortunate to have an amazing group of people from producers and co-writers to every department head and all the actors helped me bring it to life. I was just very lucky to have brilliant and luck people surrounding me and helping me through it.

MG: What do you have planned next? More documentaries? More features?
TR: I will definitely end up doing both. There is something about non-fiction storytelling that is in my blood and in my bones. I actually have a project that I have been shooting for close to ten years, which coming close to being finished. At the same time the joy and freedom and making a feature film is one of the most exhilarating things in the world. I’ve got a small comedy that we’re in development on. Like I said, I’ve got the ten year documentary. I have a sort-of supernatural thriller that I am working on too. We will see what catches traction and ends up taking the top priority spot. I definitely want to do both.

MG: Tiller, Tell us when we can see the film?
TR: If you’re in Scotland, you can catch it this week at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Here in the States, it will be released in the fall. We urge you to go to the website (http://lastritesfilm.com/) and let us know where you live, and we’ll ask our distributor to see if we can bring it to theaters in your town.

MG: Are you excited that the film is being show at Edinburgh?
TR: John Huston once said “the only film festival that’s worth a damn is Edinburgh.” And given that John Huston did pretty much everything a body could dream of — both on the silver screen and in life, I’d have to say unequivocally, “Hell yeah.” We are incredibly stoked it’s playing in Edinburgh. And we are grateful to be bringing it into the world and seeing it premiere at the festival in Edinburgh.

MG: Thanks again and good luck with the film Tiller! Look forward to seeing it!
TR: Thanks again Mike, I appreciate you taking the time and best of luck with the site.

Click here to purchase “The Last Rites on Ransom Pride”

Making her presence known in Philly, New York and Los Angeles, renowned actress and Hollywood “scream queen” Brooke Lewis has proven her multi-faceted abilities in the entertainment industry as an actress, writer and producer. Recently nominated for two Golden Cob Awards for her performance in the 2009 cult horror hit “Slime City Massacre” and won the award for Scream Queen of the Year. Brooke has become one of the premiere actresses in the horror genre. Movie Mikes had a chance to ask Brooke a few questions about her recent nominations and her upcoming films.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell me about how you felt when you were recently nominated for two Golden Cob Awards for your performance in the 2009 cult horror hit “Slime City Massacre”?
Brooke Lewis: OMG!!! I was (still am) freakin’ out! I honestly could not believe it…the nominations and honor came out of nowhere. I actually got scared, because I woke up that morning, turned on my blackberry and the “dings” sounded off like crazy. I thought something bad had happened. I checked my email and received a bunch of “Congratulations” and I didn’t know why. Then, I read an email from my super and unique director of “Slime City Massacre”, Greg Lamberson, explaining the good news in detail. I started to cry (I am tough on the outside, but mush on the inside. I felt like the luckiest gal ever, as this “little horror/sci-fi/action sequel that could” created this unbelievable career opportunity for me! I am forever grateful to Greg and the cast and crew of “Slime City Massacre”. I am nominated for both RISING B MOVIE ACTRESS 2009 and SCREAM QUEEN OF THE YEAR 2009 and whether I “win” or not, simply to have my hard work acknowledged, already feels like a huge win to me!

Mike Gencarelli: Tell Me about your web series “Ms. Vampy”, you produced, directed and starred? Is it true it is being developed for feature film?
Brooke Lewis: Well, I would love to introduce your readers to “Ms. Vampy”. “Ms. Vampy is America’s funniest, sexiest, sassiest and most high maintenance vampire! Her personality is as big as her hair and is often described as Betty Boop meets Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. She loves leather and fur and wouldn’t be caught “dead” without high heels! But, there’s much more to this lovable vampiress. While she looks young and vibrant, “Ms. Vampy” is one of the oldest gals on earth. At 111-years-old, she was born in 1899 in Transylvania. She was a shy and innocent child, but after a few too many shots of Lauder’s Scotch Whiskey on her 18th birthday, she jumped on the bike of a tattooed mate and sealed her fate! Moments after being bitten, she grew wildly thick hair, fangs, plump lips, bodacious tatas, and an insatiable sex drive. As she puts it, “I went from being a brainy bookworm to a blood-loving, vampire sexpot in just minutes.” In the 1920s, Ms. Vampy’s travels took her to New York and she fell in love with Brooklyn. It was there where she developed her attitude, sarcastic sense of humor, and ridiculous accent. She spent most of her time in the big apple filming movies and seeing Broadway shows, but she has a secret many don’t know: Ms. Vampy went crazy for Philadelphia Eagles football and soon became an assistant coach, but was fired after one month for not showing up to any day games. She moved back to New York for a short time, but a torrid love affair with a very jealous and young Wall Street vampire went bad, so she headed west to seek out new friends and victims.These days, Ms. Vampy lives in her Hollywood Villa and is often seen on night shoots, shopping in Beverly Hills for Dior or hanging out at Lakers’ games with her horror friends. She loves 80s rock and disco, her favorite band is Vampire Weekend and she never misses American Idol or Millionaire Matchmaker on TV. Her secret dream is to join the cast of HBO’s True Blood (of course, she thinks it’s a “reality” show)! She enjoys Godiva Chocolates and Bloody Marys and she loves to play Xbox when she’s feeling feisty. While she has yet to marry or have children, she freely admits to being boy crazy and hopes to someday make-out with Robert Pattinson. Ms. Vampy is forever sexy, funny, young, and obnoxious, but her heart is as big as her mouth. If she ever bites you, it’ll be with love.” – Editor, Vampity Fair

The web series was a fun way to introduce the world to one of my favorite characters and I still cannot believe how well she was received! I pinch myself all the time! It was such a wonderful little project, in which I created, produced, co-directed and starred under the expertise of my Executive Producer, Todd Tucker of Illusion Industries. Yes, I am proud to announce that we are in the development stage of creating a feature film for “Ms. Vampy”. I am blessed to have a co-production deal with Illusion Industries, in which I will star and produce, Todd Tucker will direct, Jim Pacitti will star and produce and Tamar Halpern has written based on my original story. The feature is a Halloween Family Comedy titled “Vamp It Out” and will be in the vain of “The Nanny” meets Elvira meets “The House Bunny”. I am following my heart and soul with this piece and my goal is to inspire teenage girls and women to embrace their inner beauty, follow their dreams and when faced with fear, dig deep inside, find their inner vamp and “Vamp It Out”!!!

Mike Gencarelli: We recently just interviewed Felissa Rose, tell us about the movie and your role in “Dahmer vs. Gacy”?
Brooke Lewis: I am a big Felissa Rose fan. Do you know she and I acted in “Tony n’ Tiny’s Wedding” Off-Broadway together in New York many moons ago? “Dahmer vs. Gacy” is another low budget horror/sci-fi/action/comedy Lil’ gem! It merges serial killers and government science experiences in a campy, but smart kind of way. If you can understand the subtext of the script, you will see how clever it actually is. I play the role of Tammy Hart who is a Southern Televangelist based on Tammy Faye Baker. How our brilliant actor/director, Ford Austin, channeled that through me, I will never know. Acting in that scene with Ford directing me is one of those “moments” that actors cherish throughout their careers. The film has recently hit the festival circuit and is winning Audience Choice Awards!

MG: You starred in “Tony n’ Tiny’s Wedding” Off-Broadway, did you enjoy that experience?
BL: Wow! Performing in “Tony n’ Tiny’s Wedding” Off-Broadway was the greatest “acting class” I could ever have taken! Acting in a live show that incorporates a lot of improv teaches you things about the craft, people and yourself that you can never learn in a class and you can take with you forever! You have to be on your toes and on top of your game in every moment. It was like playing with your big, dysfunctional family every night! Sometimes our personal moods/feelings were brought into the professional experience and it got crazy…where else can that happen and actually work? I did the show for almost 3 years, 7 shows a week under an Equity contract and was able to make a decent living acting right out of college. I will say that I made some of my best friends for life from that experience!

MG: Tell us about how/why you created Philly Chick Pictures?
BL: In 2002, I created Philly Chick Pictures to “produce entertainment with an attitude”. My movie career started as an actress in low budget independent films in NYC. I was always the actress with a ton of energy and a business brain, who would call in a favor to attach talent, crew, locations or think fast enough to do damage control on a set. After doing this work for other people’s companies or projects and not being credited or compensated properly, I finally realized that I had been “producing” all along! I learned that I have a creative soul and a business mind. I have never been the type to sit back and wait for things to happen, so I started Philly Chick Pictures to further my acting and producing career, make films with an edge and find and develop strong roles for women! Almost 8 years later, I am still learning and growing every day and with each project I choose. I have made a lot of mistakes in my career, but am very committed to learning from them and moving forward!

MG: What was the hardest production you have worked on so far?
BL: I plead the fifth!!! They are all “hard” in different ways. Big budgets, small budgets…it doesn’t matter! They all have their challenges. This is a business that attracts people who are emotional, erratic, hungry and who’s souls need to create…we are all bound to butt heads at some point. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!

MG: What other projects do you have planned for the future?
BL: I feel really fortunate today, after working my butt off for many years, so I’d love to pimp out a few more! Along with the films mentioned above, I have a few others being released this year, including Marc Clebanoff’s dark comedy “Gerald”, Sal Polisi’s mobster drama directed by James Quattrochi called “Sinatra Club”, Fabian Carillo’s action flick “Double Tap” directed by Ryan Combs and a short film “Sprinkles”, directed by Roger A. Scheck, in which I play the lead Maura and is probably my most challenging and showcase performance to date! I am attached to play Laura in “Mondo Holocausto!” directed by Anthony Sant’Anselmo and as both an actress and producer will be working on an intense drama/thriller “Untold In West Texas” with my dear friends and business associates Parrish Randall and Roger Scheck. Again, please pinch me, so I know this is all real!!!

MG: It was a pleasure, thanks again and we wish you the best of luck
BL: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me and a special thanks to my supportive team: Bohemia Group Management, Bridge and Tunnel Communications Publicist and CoolWaters Productions Booking Agent! Love, Brooke Lewis

“Fences” stars two-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington as he returns to Broadway, alongside Academy Award nominee and Tony winner Viola Davis, in August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. This strictly limited 13-week engagement begins April 14th at the Cort Theatre. Both a monumental drama and an intimate family portrait, “Fences” tells the story of Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), a man torn between the glory of his past and the uncertainty of his future. Emboldened by pride and embittered by sacrifice, Troy is determined to make life better for future generations, even as he struggles to embrace the dreams of his own son.

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Movie Mikes recently had the opportunity to attend a press junket in NYC for the upcoming Broadway show “Fences” based on the August Wilson play. I got a chance to interview Denzel Washington and the cast. This show has one of the most amazing cast and it was a pleasure interviewing each member.

**UPDATE** JUNE 13TH, 2010: MoveMikes.com congratulates Denzel Washington for winning the Tony for Best Actor and Viola Davis for winning Best Actress.

**UPDATE** MAY 6TH, 2010: MovieMikes.com congratulates Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson and the cast and crew of Broadway’s “Fences,” which received a record-tying 10 Tony Nominations (non-Musical) this week, including Best Revival of a Play. The 10 nods also set a record for most nominations earned by a revival. MovieMikes.com was among the first web sites to feature interviews with the cast of this production and we hope all of the shows’ nominees “break a leg” on June 13th.

Photos courtesy of Ryon Horne/The Horne Brothers

Denzel Washington

Q: This is your third return to Broadway, what makes you come back?
A: Cause, I love it, I love it! I love the theater, it is how and where I started, at Lincoln Center and Fordham. This is a great play, this is a masterpiece, Pulitzer and every other award winning play. I am the right age, it is the right time, I am in the right city and it is just all good!

Q: You mentioned that theater is your top priority right now, then directing, then movies? Tell me why that is?
A: Because I started out in the theater, it is what I wanted to do. I didn’t think about Hollywood. It was a different time. It wasn’t like you do theater so you can become a movie star. Now young people don’t even do theater, they just think they want to be movie stars. The way I was raised as an actor was in the theater. So I thought one day I will be on Broadway and do plays, that was the goal, not to go to Hollywood. It was a different time in the 70’s, the movies I liked were kinda New York-based movies “Taxi Driver”, “Mean Streets”, DeNiro or anyone with an “o” on the end of their name. Pacino, DeNiro, or Dustin Hoffman…Hoffmano (laughs). So that’s how I started I didn’t have childhood dreams of being an actor, didn’t think about it at all. I wanted to be a football player, in retrospect, my father was a minister and my mother owned a beauty shop. There was theater going on all around me I just didn’t know it. I worked in a barbershop from the age of 11. The barbershop was filled with Troy Maxon’s (Denzel’s character in “Fences”). Somebody would bring up death “Oh I know Death, Death ain’t nothing, I know the Devil I talked to him, I wrestled with him” that is what I say in the play. “Oh yeah I wrestled with Death, Death ain’t nothing to me but a fast ball on the outside of the corner of the plate, that’s all Death is to me” Anything you say, World Series “Oh I was gonna be in it, I hurt my foot, you know i would have been there” “When did you hurt your foot?” “Well well when I was twelve but I was about to make it, I know I was gonna be with the Yankees and have gone to the World Series” That is the kind of storytelling and fun and brilliant way August structured the play with a lot of fun and stories that let you in and when he got you, it turns and heads somewhere else.

Q: What are the challenges in August Wilson in general and in this play in particular for you as an actor?
A: One of the challenges are familiarity, sometimes they say it is easier to learn piano if you’ve never played. If you taught yourself and go play and try to learn, it is a little more difficult. There is a lot of the language that is very familiar, the rhythm of it is familiar but his sentence structure and his line structure is specific. If you think you know the line, somebody says something about Jackie Robinson, he says “I know 100 guys that play baseball better than Jackie Robinson, Hell I know some teams that Jackie Robinson couldn’t even make, what you talking about Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson was nobody”. The line says “What you talking about Jackie Robinson?”, that is what it says, so you’re think your familiar with it, until the girl says you keep leaving out “what you talking about” or the lines are inverted, where he places the words are specific to the play he wrote. As an African American or as this particular African American (referring to Troy Maxon), I feel like I am familiar with it, but you have to relearn, like Shakespeare let’s say, it is foreign to me, the language. So I learned it specifically.

Viola Davis, Oscar nominated for “Doubt”

Q: What was it like working on “Doubt”, did you find the character challenging?
A: Yeah, it was very challenging, the character for me was very complicated in “Doubt”, even though I think she is on screen 10 minutes. I think she goes on a journey that is not linear. It is not an everyday decision that she has to make and it requires me to do some heavy duty character psychological investigative work. So it was very difficult.

Q: After being nominated for an Academy Award for the movie “Doubt”, why Broadway and why now?
A: I am a stage actor. I did regional theater and then Broadway, why not? I am an actor I go where the good work leads me. I am an African American actress over the age of 40, so I really go where the good work leads me because I am first and foremost an actor. When I can not create and do that, that is when I start to feel dead. I do not endorse Revlon or domestics, I do not get my jollies looking at myself in magazines, I get off being an actor. So it made sense.

Q: You play Rose Maxon in “Fences”, she is a very strong and loving woman, how do you prepare for such a role?
A: I would hope I channel my own energy (laughs). I am preparing for it by looking at the women in my family who grew up with lack of choices and had the all the potential in the world to have a gratifying life but couldn’t. Women who were in dysfunctional marriages who wanted more in life. I know Rose, so that’s part of it, the other part is just trusting the play it’s all in the script and that’s the work that you do. The script becomes the bible.

Mykelti Williamson, best known for playing Bubba in “Forrest Gump”

Q: This is your Broadway debut, how do you feel?
A: It is on a completely different level but I was trained on it back in the day. The last play I did was probably six years ago with Samuel L. Jackson. It played in Los Angeles and was very well received. I am fortunate enough to be working with my man Denzel now. I am used to seeing him at church on Sundays, when we are in town in LA and we talk briefly before the crowd sniffs us out. It has been good to catch up and work together because we do a lot of soul searching, especially in theater you have the time to do that. I love New York, there is no other city on the Earth like New York City, so I am excited. So I am making my Broadway debut in August Wilson’s “Fences” with my man DENZEL (shouting).

Q: What is your method for trying to get into a role? What are the challenges here that are you going to face with this role?

A: Well for me, it’s the pursuit of truth. It always has to be honest and truthful and it has to be a decision that I would not make personally. For me I am a character actor. I am happier to play someone way outside who has nothing to do with Mykelti Williams. That is when I do my best work and that is when I am most focused and concentrated. That is what I am able to do working with Kenny Leons (director of “Fences”), you can completely go there. There is a few times we got lost in the moment last week in rehearsals. We finally got to the end of the play when we ran it top to bottom and it was wonderful. So wonderful that Kenny couldn’t figure out which notes to give and he was like, “I don’t know what to tell you guys, ok let’s break up, we’ll see you tomorrow”. Everyone was so effective, everyone was on it. I consider this cast The A-Team, everybody even the babies when they show up, they have a show to do. They come to PLAY (speaking excitedly), they are not jiving. It amazing!!

Chris Chalk, Broadway debut

Q: You play the role of Corey Maxon, how do you feel about taking over the role originally played by Courtney Vance?
A: It’s awesome, Courtney has been doing alright, he is pretty awesome. I didn’t get to see his performance but I know his work, so I know it is amazing. You look at the role and it is a great role. It’s got everything you want in a role. Then getting to be Mr. Washington’s son in the role is pretty awesome as well. I am kinda like his son, I am looking up to him saying, “Hey pop, how do I do that again?” I was a little nervous every day but really excited. The role is fantastic and I hope to do it justice.

Q: This is Broadway your debut, what has it been like to prepare?
A: It has been very exciting, not only cause it’s my Broadway debut, but it’s the cast and it’s because of the play and the time period we are doing it in. Everything about it is setup perfectly in order to bless the world with the wisdom of this play. Because of the cast, a bunch of people are gonna see it and that is exciting to share this text and this family with the world, it’s really very exciting.

Russell Hornsby, best known from TV’s “Liberty Heights” & “In Treatment”

Q: What was your best moment on the set of your TV show “Lincoln Heights”?
A: There isn’t a singular moment. The moment I will always remember is working with the young people, Mishon Ratliff and Rhyon Brown, who played my son and daughter respectively. Being able to share moments of insight with them and being able to help them grow as actors and more importantly human beings.

Q: What are the challenges of August Wilson in general?
A: We can often lose sight of the fact that these are really people. A lot of times as actors you can get lost in the words and it is so cool just to speak his language and forget to tell the truth. You can’t live a lie in life and tell the truth on stage. You have to identify with these characters and find it in yourself who you are.

Stephen McKinley Henderson, stage veteran

Q: You starred in the TV movie, “A Raisin in the Sun” in 1989, does it compare to Kenny Leon’s recent adaptation?
A: Well I can’t compare it first of all, it is a fingerprint. As they say every writer says that every play they write or book they write is like a child. Every production is like that. I wouldn’t even begin to compare productions or plays. When I did the production of “A Raisin in the Sun”, I worked with Esther Rolle and Danny Glover. You can’t compare being in it and watching another version. You just can’t compare.

Q: Do you have a favorite production that you worked on?
A: It’s usually the very next one (laughs), the joy of this show that I am doing right now. I am so in the midst of it, I got to tell you, such joy. I did my first Broadway show with Viola Davis in “King Hedley II”. It was my first Broadway show and the fact that I am doing another show and she is in it, are you kidding!? The production that would have made my whole life different if I was not apart of would be August Wilson’s “Jitney”. That show was the greatest joy and I can say that is one thing I am happy I did.

Kenny Leon, Director

Q: You made your play, “A Raisin the Sun” into a TV film, would you consider making “Fences” into a movie?
A: Absolutely if they asked. I think “Fences” would be an incredible film and before August passed away, he finished another draft of the screenplay. That is one of the things that was important to him. I had the opportunity to work with him on his last two Broadway plays and I know he would have liked to see that happen.

Q: What is your dream project to direct?
A: I have many projects I would want to do, cause I am a storyteller. I had never done an opera until a couple of years ago. Toni Morrison asked me her to do her opera, “Margaret Garner”, so that was great. I am getting the opportunity to direct a Broadway play in the fall about Martin Luther King and I am looking forward to that. I want to stay in this moment and hope that a door opens that will allow me to do great storytelling, it is important. I do not like to do frivolous things. I have always wanted to do a major production of “The Rose Tattoo” by Tennessee Williams. I like stories like that. Who wouldn’t love to do a movie about “Fences”? I would love to make all 10 of August’s play into films, especially “Gem on the Ocean”. I would love to do “Gem on the Ocean”. As an artist, I would love to continue to do all of it. I want to do stage, I want to do television, I want to do film. This past year, I did “Private Practice” and “Ghost Whisperer” with Jennifer Love Hewitt, but I want to do more of that because it has its own challenges. I would probably do a nice beautiful love story musical right about now. I want to do it all.

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Denzel Washington talks about FENCES :

Kristin Bauer stars as the vampire Pam on the HBO TV series “True Blood”. The show returns for season three this June. Kristin sat down to talk with Movie Mikes to discuss her involvement with “True Blood” and also her involvement with animals and her favorite charities.

Click here to purchase “True Blood” merchandise

Mike Gencarelli: How do you feel about the success of HBO’s “True Blood”?
Kristin Bauer: Terrible. I feel sickened by it (Laughs). It is such a wonderful surprise because you never know when you are on a set shooting something. It is a pretty good bet with Alan Ball. I love vampires. I was excited to do it. It is the greatest gift.

Mike Gencarelli: Were you a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris? Have you read them since starring in the show?
Kristin Bauer: Never heard of it. So then I realized just of late about the books and I started reading them while we were shooting season one. I started to get confused though saying “Is that in the book, or in the script”. So I stopped but in the off season I have got through three of them. They are so different than the series.

Mike Gencarelli: With “True Blood” returning this June, can you tell us what is in store for Pam?
Kristin Bauer: I am so afraid. I can’t tell you anything. I think Alan slipped a couple of things about Pam’s sexuality. That will be explored and there will definitely be more Pam.

MG: Was your role in “Dancing at the Blue Iguana” challenging? How did you prepare?
KB: Extremely, the gym that is how I prepared. It was challenging because the auditions were improvised. You had to make up a character. So either improved your way into the movie or out of the movie. It was very intimidating. I was in the gym constantly because part of doing the movie was that you had to do nudity. Nudity is a still photo is one thing but when you are moving that is a whole another ballgame. When you are not controlling the lighting, that is yet another ballgame. The strip number was bright and it was very intimidating. I can’t say that movie was fun but I am glad I did it. It was nerve-wreaking.

MG: Besides acting what are you other hobbies or passions?
KB: I have a huge passions animals and the innocents of the world. Basically children and animals, that is my big thing. Right now I am working with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), trying to help whales. It has been illegal to kill whales since the 80’s but they are doing it anyway.

MG: Tell me about some of your charity work?
KB: I also met with a group PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). They are trying to stop and doing a great job of it, horrifying experiments to animals. The military they shot 700 cats, you do not need to do these studies any more. NASA is going to nuke 700 spring monkey. Let me tell you what the result of the study will be, “It will mess them up”. So I am working with them but there are so many good groups. Whatever someone’s passions are, I would do it, now is the time to be passionate about something.

MG: You’ve done a lot of television series, what are the major differences between working on TV and movies?
KB: Yah, there is a huge different. TV often shoots in LA and I’ve got my dogs and I like to be home. I like to sleep in my own bed. TV shoots faster and I kind of like that pace. “True Blood” has the perfect pace for me. We take as long to shoot a season of 12 episodes as a network does to shoot 22. So we are doing double the day and you get enough time but it is exciting. Features are slow. I love doing them as well but I am really happy in TV.

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Daniel Roebuck is well known from his role of Dr. Artz in the “Lost” universe. He has worked with Rob Zombie on numerous films. He is currently appearing in the new web series “Crafty” as a director who can’t leave his house so he directs from his living room. Movie Mikes had the chance to talk to Daniel and discuss his amazing career thus far and what is to come in the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: Tell us a little bit about your experiences working on “Lost.” Any secrets from the set you want to reveal?
Daniel Roebuck: “Lost” was about the best gift I’ve had in the last ten years in my life. They created a character and realized that I could be the guy for it. They just called one day and said “you’re going to Hawaii to do the show.” I hadn’t seen the show yet but once I went to Hawaii and started working on it I was, of course, like everyone else…hooked. The people were very nice. Here’s the biggest secret I can tell you from the set: Everyone was nice! I do a lot of shows. I’ve become the William Windom (popular character actor probably best remembered as Commodore Decker from “The Doomsday Machine” episode of the original “Star Trek” series) of my day. He was a guy you saw in every show and you always thought he was a regular guy. That’s me. And sometimes you go to be a guest star on a show and you think “these people have no idea how blessed they are in their life.” They don’t learn their lines. They act like “oh, it’s such drudgery to be making $55 thousand a week.” It’s hard to tolerate. I’ve had a couple of series in my lifetime and there was never a moment when I took it for granted. Never a moment where I didn’t think, “wow, this is as close to the lottery then most people will ever get.” Anyway, they created the character and he and Carlton Cuse wrote it with an EXTREMELY talented crew of writers…the best writers in television absolutely, bar none. And every episode I’d do I would always find another nugget of the Dr. Artz character…he was so crazy. I also did a show Carlton wrote called “Nash Bridges” and he wrote a character for me called Bettina. And every time I got a script it was always the best stuff I’d get to do. Bettina was like Artz. Stupid, arrogant. Believing beyond his own capacity. They always wrote well for me. The other big secret is that there wasn’t really a monster…it was all special effects. I will say this. The first time I went to the set and saw Evangaline Lilly and Matt Fox I thought, “wow, they sure do look good.” And then they started putting all of that shit on me….layer after layer of shit. Shit on shit on shit. Until I looked like shit on a shingle. The crazy man. They all get to be beautiful but Dr. Artz actually looks liked he really lived on an island.

I’d like to use your site as a soapbox and ask “Why don’t those guys who do the makeup on “Lost” have an Emmy?” They had to match the actors. Somedays they’d match a character to five years earlier. They had to match cuts and scars and hair. As much as I appreciate “Mad Men”…I shouldn’t make fun of that…it’s just that “Lost”….now I sound like I’m a mad man. I just don’t understand why they couldn’t win an Emmy for makeup and hair, gosh darnit!

Mike Gencarelli: We at MovieMikes will take up the cause. Maybe this year. Besides “Lost,” of course, you’ve obviously done a lot of television. Do you have a favorite show besides “Lost?”
Daniel Roebuck: I have a thousand favorites for a thousand different reasons. I was on “Matlock” for three years and I got to work alongside one of the icons of entertainment, Andy Griffith. I mean who wouldn’t want to go to work and work with Andy Griffith? We had a wonderful, collaborative experience on that show. I’d love having the opportunity to have my own show. That way I’d get to be the guy that the other people are to me. I would call guest stars when they came to Wilmington and welcome them to town. I’d give them restaurant ideas. “Matlock” was great. I’ve been watching the re-runs with my son, Buster. Our nightly tradition is that we sit down and watch an “Odd Couple” We’ve been watching Tony Randall shows. And we watched an episode of “A Minute With Stan Hooper,” which ran on FOX television with Norm McDonald. And that was also a great time. I played a gay guy. It was a great character. And it was great because they portrayed us (the gay couple) as just two regular dudes. We weren’t the smartest guys in the room or the best dressed guys but we were more like any gay couple that I know in my life. The whole show was a great, wonderful experience.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your appearance in the new web series “Crafty.”
Daniel Roebuck: I love how we went from “Lost” to “Nash Bridges” to “Matlock” to the web! I see you’re a journalist of great integrity. (laughs) The one great gift I have that I can give is me. I don’t have a lot of talent. My kid (Buster) plays every sport. He is the son my father never had. I can’t coach his baseball team. How the hell do I know how to hit a ball? I was usually the one ducking from it when I played Little League. I was the one in the outfield. If they wanted to hit it that way I’d try to catch it but I’d tell them don’t count on it. I can’t fix a car. My computer is something else I can’t fix. All I wanted to do is look at lesbians and look what happened (laughs). But acting is something I CAN do so when a friend like Jon Donahue calls and asks “can you be in this” unless I have a reason I can’t do it I usually try to pay that forward and do what I can. They have a very crazy, funny idea there that’s a little inside because it’s about craft services and you have to spend a lot of time trying to explain what craft services is. I’d say your regular ditch digger doesn’t know but my dad, who was a ditch digger, does know who the craft service guy is because that’s the first place he goes every time he visits me on the set. He goes over to the table and then complains to me “why am I eating all of this stuff?” I tell him it’s because that’s what we do.

MG: On the series you play a director who has agoraphobia right?
DR: I play a director who can’t leave his house so he directs from his living room. Jon and his partner (Mark Haapala) are talented guys. I hope something good comes out of this. It’s an interesting time for actors because…this is the first time that actors get to be on the same creative level as the owners. I mean, think of all the series you’ve seen. “Highway to Heaven” was filmed and created by Michael Landon. Kelsey Grammar did “Frasier” and owned a portion of it. Generally actors don’t get to own their work. They have to work for someone else. But in this new age of web series actors can create and imprint their own comic stylings or dramatic interpretations on a story that they own. I kind of like the excitement of working like that. Being part of something new.

MG: You were the writer/director/producer on the “Monsterama” series. Tell us about it.
DR: “Monsterama” came about from a good friend of mine, Kevin Burns, who was an extremely talented documentarian. Some of the best biographies on the Biography channel Kevin created. I was doing “Stan Hooper” at the time and Kevin as if myself and my friend Taylor White could kind of get together to do something for a new “Monsters” channel that was coming out on the Boom network. And if someone tells you that you can make little documentaries about the things that make you happy you do it. And that’s essentially what we did. If your readers take the time to go to DanielRoebuck.com they can see another side of me. I mean, Sean Penn is busy hugging Hugo Chavez but Dan Roebuck is busy buying Frankenstein masks. I have this love and basically we just made docs about the things I love. And what Ron Hampton loved. And what Kevin and Taylor White loved. It was great fun but it was tedious because we were shooting in high def and we had to see how the product looked. How did the monster models look? If I can brag about one other thing I was smart enough to do in my life, I was smart enough to have the right sister who married the right guy. Because my brother in law Cory, who’s a gaffer in Hollywood, was generally the one shooting for me. So it was kind of a collaborative family effort which was really great. He’s a great guy. I always joke that if he and my sister got a divorce I’d really miss my sister! (laughs)

MG: You worked on several Rob Zombie projects (“Devils Rejects,” “Halloween”). How did you get involved with him?
DR: I was actually at a screening with Kevin Burns for the Elvira movie “Elvira’s Haunted Hills.” I had actually met Rob once before at a model store in Hollywood. My friend had said “Hello, Mr. Zombie.” And my friend was obviously so much hipper than I was because I was thinking, “wait a minute…did he just call this fellow Mr. Zombie?” We met for a few seconds. So at this premiere I went up to him before the film started just to say hello and tell him I thought it was cool that he liked the same stuff that I did. And that was the beginning of a very nice friendship. I have to tell you…he is one of the most talented directors I’ve ever worked with. He is fluid and he is open and he is firm. You can love or hate his movies but you’ve got to look at the performances. The acting is GREAT! There’s a scene in “Devils Rejects” with Shari and Geoff Lewis that is some of the best acting I’ve seen in the last decade. Rob is a great guy. I grew up loving make up. I grew up loving monster movies. So the first thing they do on “Halloween 2” is to age my character 20 years. And they decided they would put together a great Frankenstein get up for me. And of course, since Michael Myers killed me I had to wear three different make ups in the movie, which was a big deal for me. Some actors hate it. They hate the process of it…they hate sitting still. Where I love the whole event.

MG: What draws you to acting? Were there ever any roles you wanted but missed out on?
DR: Well, the purpose of each job is that you’re trying to get the NEXT job. Some people must think that they bring movies to Al Pacino. An actor tends to invest too much into the MOMENT. But if I don’t get a part then they don’t get my money. Especially if it’s a big movie. I don’t get the part, I don’t go see the movie. They didn’t believe in me so they don’t get my cash. There’s a famous story…at least it’s a famous to me. I had just finished my first television series and was cast in a movie off of a tape. It was kind of a surprise. It was weird that I didn’t get to meet the director. They just cast me off of a tape. And when I went to do the movie everyone was cold to me. The producer. The director, who had a reputation of being a great guy, was a little cold. Even the co-star was a little odd, even though I was a big fan of his. So after two days of this they called me in and said “we’re firing you because we don’t think there’s any chemistry between you guys.” We hadn’t even shot anything. We had just been sitting in rooms and talking so I don’t know what the chemistry level could have been. That was the only job in my life that I’ve been let go from. Or at least replaced because sometimes in a series they write the character out. I was essentially fired and replaced. A few years later I go out to lunch with a girl who doesn’t know the story because it’s kind of a private story. I don’t go around saying, “Hey, let me tell you about the time I got fired!” So the girl asks me “are you the Dan Roebuck who was in this movie?” and I said, “well…I was. How do you know that?” And she says that she used to date one of the lawyers who worked on the project who had told her that it was already decided before I got to the set that they were going to fire me after a few days because the studio didn’t want to use their first choice for the role because I cost less than their first choice. But nobody wanted to say “Hey Dan, you’re not doing anything wrong. We just wanted this other guy but they forced us to hire you. So we’re going to fire you and get that other guy.” But nobody did that…nobody gave me that courtesy. And then I had to watch that movie become a huge hit. The movie was called “Home Alone.” Daniel Stern was the actor who replaced me…who they wanted in the first place. Here is the main thing that keeps me sane. “Home Alone” was a huge hit and it was a major blow to my ego that I could not be part of it. Now it’s more then 20 years later and…what difference has it really made in Daniel Stern’s career? I’ve literally had a hundred more opportunities then he did because perhaps people define him from that movie. Joe Pesci, who is one of the great actors of Hollywood, he doesn’t hardly work at all anymore. And he is a great actor…I could watch that guy all day. And when the thing happened he was kind of bragging that he had had something to do with that. I was a little disappointed. 22 years ago it was the worse thing that had ever happened to me and 22 years later it is such a little blip of unimportance. The only thing I take with me is that people weren’t honest and honorable with me. That would have made that time easier. I remember that they had to pay me off and I put a down payment on my first house with the money. But sometimes Hollywood is so evil. It wasn’t so much that they humiliated me at my own expense but they wanted to make it that I couldn’t take another job until after the time they were shooting or I couldn’t have the money. Weird, petty evilness. But again, 22 years later…would I have the same life I have now if I had been in that movie? Would my life be any different? What could have happened didn’t happen and I’ve got the best life. I’ve got the best kid. I’ve got the best friends. I’ve got the best life.

MG: What have you got planned for the future?
DR: The future is kind of exciting because we’re planning a web series that will allow me to do the things I want to do. I love America. I think it’s the greatest country on earth. I’ve never understood why people say we have a lot of problems. We’re not caning people for being homosexual. We’re not shooting people in the streets. We’re not keeping people from expressing their free will. I love this country and we’re going to go out and do a show about how great this country is. Hopefully if it comes to fruition we can get with your site and we can promote it.

MG: Absolutely!
DR: I’m at this new phase as I approach 50. I’d better shit or get off the pot in terms of what’s important. And when I die, which hopefully won’t be for awhile, I’d like to say “this is what I contributed.” And although the “Monsterama” series is very exciting I’d like to be remembered for creating more than that. It doesn’t really matter what I have planned…there are countless roles in front of me that I haven’t played yet. And we’ll see what God has in store for me.

MG: What’s the new web series called?
DR: No official title yet. Let’s just call it “Danny Roebuck Discovers America!”

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Corey Feldman started his career with “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” (1984), “Gremlins” (1984), “The Goonies” (1985), “The Burbs” (1989), “Stand By Me” (1986) and “The Lost Boys” (1987). The duo of Feldman and Haim became known as The Two Coreys. Together they went on to also star in “License to Drive” (1988) and “Dream a Little Dream” (1989) together. Since then Corey has starred in numerous movies and is currently on tour with his band Truth Movement. Movie Mikes had the chance to talk to Corey during a break on his tour about his band, his movies, the lost of Corey Haim and what lies ahead for the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: You’re currently on the road with your band, Truth Movement. Tell me about the tour.
Corey Feldman: It’s a very exciting tour for us…certainly the biggest tour we’ve ever done on many aspects. From a production standpoint…from the size of the venues we’re playing. The sheer size of the tour that we’ve mounted is pretty incredible. It’s very interesting because we’re doing a range of shows. From small, intimate settings…for example we just did a show in Akron, Ohio, which was one of the smallest venue’s I’ve ever played. It was like the Beatles playing Sullivan years ago…just a little cave of a place. But it was great. The place was packed. And it helped create a certain magic with the crowd. And then we’ll be doing the “Goonies” event. I have no idea how many people will be there for the concert. They’re estimating anywhere from eight to ten thousand people. So there’s a large range in what we’re playing and who we’re playing to. But at the end of the day it’s very exciting because we’re very proud of this album. Musically we feel it’s our greatest achievement. And I feel, as an artist, that it’s my greatest achievement in the music world. It’s a great collaboration of a great many talents. The band is fantastically talented. Their great musicians. And we got some help from a couple guys from Pink Floyd in putting the album together. They’ve come out with us and done a show or two. They may do the “Goonies” show but I’m not sure because they have “The Wall” tour coming up. But we’re trying to steal them away from Roger Waters (laughs) so we’ll see how that goes.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell me how Pink Floyd has inspired your music?
Corey Feldman: I have many influences in my musical palate. Starting from the very early days with Elvis Presley…lots of 50’s rock and roll…Little Richard…Bill Haley and the Comets…moving up to the Beatles, which really were the most profound influence in my life. And then going into Michael Jackson, which then motivated the pop side in me. It wasn’t until later in life that I actually discovered Pink Floyd. And once I discovered them….they kind of took all of those elements and managed to capture them all in one sound…a very specific sound…which took things to a higher level. Pink Floyd’s music is much more than just music. It delivers a very strong, potent message. And in my writing I try to emulate the importance of the message that’s being told in the song. Not just from a lyrical standpoint but from a melodic standpoint. Our albums tell a story. They have a beginning and a middle and an end. And hopefully some sort of point by the end of it all. And that’s basically what we do. We create the album live every night. We play it in its entirety. We’re assisted by a video show…a very elaborate stage show that includes lasers…different costumes. All sorts of things. We’re very lucky to have the people we do doing the work. And we were able to master the album on the same exact board that “Dark Side of the Moon” was mastered on down in the basement of Capitol Records. The first single was a song I co-wrote called “Green is the Color,” which is about the environment. And to follow up on the words we actually made the album the most environmentally friendly album ever made. It’s biodegradable…recyclable. The ink that was used to print it was made out of soy ink. We really went the extra mile…spent the extra money…to make sure that we walked the walk and not just talked the talk. And we went even further by sponsoring “Off the Grid” shows. We brought in our own source of fuel…biodegradable generators…to the Universal City Walk last year. We managed to do the first ever show at Universal City Walk at Universal Studios in Hollywood completely run by alternative energy. It was amazing. We were really excited about that. And now it looks as if we’re going to do it again for the “Goonies” 25th anniversary. So now it’s not just an exciting event because of the 25 year landmark for shooting “Goonies” but it’s also going to be an exciting event because it’s going to be, certainly, the largest “alternative” event ever to happen in the state of Oregon as a whole.

Mike Gencarelli: I see that the last stop on your tour is Santa Cruz, where “ Lost Boys” was shot. Are you looking forward to returning?
Corey Feldman: The exciting thing for me about this tour is the fact that this is a historical landmark tour. We’re playing many stops on this tour that are meaningful to my childhood. Last night we played Toledo, Ohio, which is where my family originated from. I got to play for my whole family, which was really nice. And before the “Goonies” event we’re playing Eugene, Oregon, which is where I shot “Stand By Me.” I’ve never returned there…never played there with my band…so that’s going to be an exciting event. Then there’s the “Goonies” event, which is historical because I’ve never played there with the band. In fact, I’ve only been back there once since the filming. And that, of course, leads up to the Santa Cruz boardwalk show, which actually isn’t the last stop on the tour. It’s the last stop on the first wave. We’re actually going on through October. But Santa Cruz is going to be monumental as well. It’s going to be very exciting to be out there on the boardwalk where we shot the film. We’re going to be playing the movie on a giant screen either before or after the concert. And I also think it will serve as a sort of memorial to Corey Haim as well.

MG: How have you been coping with Corey’s passing?
CF: I’ll tell you something, being on the road sure takes your mind off things. You really don’t have much time to focus on anything except getting unloaded…getting everything set up…doing your show…meeting everybody after the show…getting everything loaded back up…heading for the next city. It’s just so much. Plus doing these interviews in between. It becomes a 24 hour job. So fortunately it takes your mind off other things. Unfortunately it makes it a lot harder to communicate with your family. I haven’t been able to talk to my son too much since I’ve been out here. I haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks. It’s been rough. The hardest part of it has been being away from my son. In general I’m doing ok. I can’t say that it’s been the greatest chapter of my life. Honestly, this last year has been the hardest year of my life. I was supposed to do this tour a year ago and I ended up having to cancel the whole tour because it was one thing after another. I lost so many people in a row that were close to me. And then I went to Africa to shoot “Lost Boys” for two months. I came back and we lost Corey right after we finished. It’s just been one thing on top of another. And when I finally got a couple months past Corey’s death I said “now we can go out.” Because there was really nothing holding me back. It’s a bit remorseful but it’s also a bit celebratory. We get such a tremendous outpouring from the fans. Such a crazy, incredible response from people spreading their love and shining their love. And I think this is an opportunity to see each other face to face and kind of mourn together. I think there’s a big part of that going on with this tour.

MG: You actually mentioned “Lost Boys 3,” but I have a question about part 2. How was it returning to the role of Edgar Frog after all those years?
CF: I loved it. It was so much fun. And I think as well done as part 2 was we did a lot better with part 3.

MG: What can you tell us about part 3?
CF: The one thing I didn’t like about the second film was that I was kind of in the trenches by myself. Edgar kept popping in every once in a while and it felt odd to me. It felt like one of those movies where they couldn’t get it right. So the only way I was going to return for part 3…if you remember I had it in my contract that Corey (Haim) had to be in the sequel as well and Warner Brothers kept their word, they shot some sequences with Corey. But because of the problems we had with Corey at the time, it wasn’t usable. It wasn’t their fault. It was just what it was. Corey wasn’t able, at that point in his life, to deliver what we needed. So those parts were cut from the film and put in with the deleted scenes. And those scenes were done as pickups. When you see Corey and Jamison (Newlander, who was cast as Alan Frog) their shots were pick ups, they weren’t in the same scene with me. And I felt isolated. It was like I was carrying this torch. But this time around, Jamison IS in the film and it IS the return of the Frog brothers. And even though we didn’t get to have Corey in this film a reference is made to his character…where he is and what’s going on with him…and it really feels like a continuation of the first film as opposed to a completely separate chapter.

MG: You’ve mentioned that this year marks the 25th Anniversary of “The Goonies” and that your tour is actually making a stop at the location where it was filmed. Looking back can you reflect on your role in the movie?
CF: It was a lot of fun for me. What a great opportunity to be able to work with a group of genius people like Steven Spielberg and Richard Donner. And such a great collaboration of cast members. A great ensemble. Everybody has gone on to achieve many things. We were very, very fortunate and I was very excited to play that role. I remember the day that I got the job I was jumping up and down and screaming. It was like the greatest day of my life. So many great things came from that movie. That movie was such an important centerpiece in the development of my life and my career and it’s never died…never say die! That’s the truth. Literally. I could be playing the biggest concert hall in the world and I can hear people yelling “Hey you guys!” during intermission or in between songs. The fact that it crosses so many generations…I have so many five year old kids coming up to me with stars in their eyes because they’ve watched me in “Goonies.” Literally yesterday when I was in my hometown of Toledo playing for my family…they brought lots of kids. And there was a cousin that I’d never met…a fourth generation cousin. And they idolize me. “Oh my God it’s Corey!” And another cousin says “do you know you exactly the same as you did in the movie? How is that possible?” And I said, well, I’ve got hair on my face now. He said, “yeah, yeah that’s true. But you look exactly the same!” So it’s great to have these young fans. On the other side, when we were in Detroit, there was a woman who must have been 65 years old standing in the front row and rocking out the whole time. It’s amazing the generations I’ve been able to cross

MG: What are your plans after the tour?
CF: The tour ends right when “Lost Boys 3” is being released. So we’re going to tour until the film comes out and then I’ll take a break for the holidays. I’ll certainly be due one, that’s for sure. I think the plan is to take the tour international at some point. I’d like to stay with this for the next year or two. I’m also planning and developing a much bigger “green” event which I really can’t go into too much now because it’s kind of under wraps. But the master plan is to create a “green” festival, which we’re working on. And of course I’m going to try and throw some films in there as well but I can’t talk about those yet. (laughs)

Goonies 25th Anniversary Artwork by: Joal Morris Illustrations of Astoria

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“Wow!” If I truly transcribed my interview with “Splice” director Vincenzo Natali properly, each of my questions would have been preceded with the word “Wow!” Almost every question opened up the possibility in my mind that what I saw on screen in “Splice” may very soon one day be a reality. With “Splice” scheduled to open this Friday, Mr. Natali sat down with MovieMikes and talked about his new film, what inspired him and his one day plans for the Swamp Thing.

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Michael Smith: Where did the idea for the film come from?
Vincenzo Natali: It actually came from a real M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) experiment. I saw a photograph of a thing called the Vacanti Mouse. It was a mouse that appeared to have a human ear growing out of its back.

Michael Smith: Oh wow!
Vincenzo Natali: It was quite a shocking image. It wasn’t a genetic experiment…it just looked like one. And I immediately felt that, somewhere in that mouse there was a movie. And that’s how it began. And I have to say that on almost a weekly basis I read about developments that echo our film. Just today I read that Craig Venter, who is your prototypical rock and roll geneticist, has created the first completely artificial life form. It’s pretty amazing.

Mike Smith: Is Venter the basis for Adrien Brody’s character? I noticed in the film that, while most of the scientists were very stoic and wore white coats, Clive (Brody’s character) had the cool apartment…the cool t-shirts.
Vincenzo Natali: Venter is actually an older guy. But, yeah, when I first read about him…I felt justified in how I was writing Clive. I intuitively felt that, when my generation gets involved in this stuff, that’s what they’re going to be like. And that was later confirmed when I went to real labs…the mean age of the people working in the labs was around thirty. There were quite a few Clives and Elsas (Sarah Polley’s character in the film, also a geneticist). They were really great people (laughs). I really liked them.

MS: I’m sure you had technical advisers on the film for a lot of the scientific stuff. Did any of them ever tell you, “Wow, you know, what you’ve conceived here can, or might, one day be a possibility?
VN: Yeah. You know, I co-wrote the script (with Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor), but we did it in consultation with a geneticist. We would present him with ideas and, what was really shocking to me, was that he would invariably say, “yes, that’s possible.” So what I learned is that there’s a pretty wide bandwidth between what is possible in this science. And so there is nothing in “Splice” that is completely beyond the pale of possibility. Now some of it might be unlikely. Some of it may not quite be possible yet. But there is no doubt in my mind that they’re getting very close.

MS: Where did you get your inspiration for the story of your film “Cube?”
VN: I would love to say that it was some divine inspiration (laughs) but it just came out of the fact that I was trying to make a low budget movie on one set. I knew that it would be hard for me, as a filmmaker, to do a movie like “My Dinner With Andre” … that’s the kind of movie most attempt to do with a limited location. And it suddenly occurred to me, what if one set could double as many? And that led me to think of a maze of identical rooms. And then I thought it should be a symmetrical maze and, therefore, a cube. So really, necessity was the mother of invention in the case of “Cube.”

MS: How did you come up with the concept…with the look…of DREN? Did you intend her to have, say, the certain traits of one creature and then different traits of another?
VN: I always thought DREN should be a genetically engineered angel. And I was really fascinated with the thought that…you know, the concept of animal hybrids and animal/human hybrids. These have been a staple of mythology that transcends all borders and cultures. And now here we are in the 21st Century on the cusp of actually making these animals with new technology. So I really felt that DREN should have her roots in myth. And even though she wouldn’t be a typical kind of angel, there would be certain aspects of those mythical beings. But, having said that, the number one priority for myself and all of the designers and effects artists involved in the creation of DREN was to make her real. We really wanted a creature on-screen that an audience can believe.

MS: Well it sure worked for me!
VN: (laughs)

MS: Was there any scenes shot that gave a back story to Elsa? I take it from the scenes that are in the film that Elsa had a very negligent mother…she wasn’t loved, she wasn’t appreciated. Which is why I think she really overdoes the nurturing of DREN.
VN: That’s exactly right. We flirted with the idea of having more of Elsa’s background but at the end of the day our fear was that it would be over the top. It would just be maudlin and melodramatic. So we sided with the idea that less is more. Because all you need to know is that she had an unhappy childhood and that her mother was a very bad mother. Beyond that we just leave it to the audience to draw their own conclusions.

(I mention a particular scene in the film – no sense spoiling it for you)

VN: That’s really all you need to know.

MS: Is it true that you are remaking “Swamp Thing” in 3D?
VN: No, not yet. I wish that were the case unfortunately. I’ve done a lot of research on this and “Swamp Thing” is really in the swamp! (laughs) A legal swamp…a legal quagmire. There are all kinds of entities involved in controlling the rights and I’ve been told it just can’t happen anytime soon. So sadly we’ll have to wait for “Swamp Thing.” I loved that comic book…in particular I liked the Alan Moore take on “Swamp Thing” which is really very different than what Wes Craven did with his film. It would have been something really new and cool. But I think we’ll have to wait a little while.

MS: Speaking of Wes Craven, and I have to say that I almost consider “Splice” more of a horror film than a fantasy film, did you have anyone who really inspired you when you were younger and going to the movies?
VN: Many. When we talk about creatures I immediately think of Ray Harryhausen…a great animator who did all of the “Sinbad” films…all of the stop-motion monsters in (the original) “Clash of the Titans.” I thought his creatures really “humanized” the monster…they were creatures that had character. He clearly was a filmmaker who had tremendous empathy for these things. And that was really the guiding principal with writing DREN…that she be a character who would, in many respects, demonstrate more humanity then the human beings in the story. Ray Harryhausen would definitely be at the top of the list.

MS: That’s a great start to the list. Since “Swamp Thing” is not an option right now, do you have anything else in the pipeline?
VN: Well, you know you have to scatter a lot of seeds these days when trying to get a movie made. It’s always a challenge. What I have, actually, are all book adaptations. There’s a J.G. Ballard novel I very much want to make called “High Rise.” I’ve been working on it for a number of years. It’s about a super high rise, very much like the Burj in Dubai…the world’s tallest building. It’s about how the building, which is almost like a vertical city…populated with a vertically integrated society, which then collapses. I consider it a “social-disaster” film. It’s really an amazing story. There’s also a kids book I’m working on called “Tunnels,” which is kind of a fantasy that takes place under the streets of London. And then, recently, I believe I’ve got my hands on “Neuromancer,” the William Gibson novel. Which is really one of the greatest works of science fiction…in my opinion one of the most influential science fiction novels of the last 25 years. It’s pretty exciting.

MS: Thank you so much for your time. I hope “Splice” finds it’s audience. I hope it doesn’t get lost in the summer shuffle. It’s that rare movie that…it draws you in…it excites you. And when it’s over and you’re leaving the theatre it makes you think. And that’s certainly a rarity these days.
VN: Wow. That’s high praise. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.

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“Crafty” is a new web series created by Mark Thomas Haapla and Morgan Mead. Morgan also co-stars in the show along with Jon Donahue (“Heroes” and Disney’s “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2”) and Keith Coogan (“Adventures in Babysitting” and “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead”). In addition to his acting duties, Jon is also one of the writers, directors and producers on the show. “Crafty” is an ensemable comedy that takes place behind the scenes (at the craft service table, duh!) on the set of a hit television show called “The Telepathist”. The show is filled with kooky characters and a slew of celebrity cameos like Diane Delano (“Popular”, “The Ladykillers”), Daniel Roebuck (“The Fugitive” and “Lost”), Wyatt Knight (“Porky’s”), Ian Petrella (“A Christmas Story”), and a few of the guys from HBO’s “Entourage”. Movie Mikes had the chance to talk with Keith and Jon about how it was working on the show and what we can expect.

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Mike Gencarelli: Keith, how did you come on board for the show, “Crafty”?
Keith Coogan: This guy Jon Donahue, I met him at a screening for “Jaws”. He was there with some friends that made the documentary “The Shark is Still Working” which is a great behind the scenes making of “Jaws”. Great film. Not too long after, he contacted me and said they were doing this project. He had a sizzle reel and it looked great. I jumped on board!

Mike Gencarelli: Keith, tell us what we can expect from your role in “Crafty?
Keith Coogan: I play Keith Coogan, who is the second actor to take on the role of “The Telepathist”, the star of a popular network television show. I immediately jumped into…the insanity that takes place. I got the tone of the show right away and everyone involved with the show was having a lot of fun. I was able to step back and make a lot of fun of myself. I got a lot of great bits with Jon, where he thinks I am an insane actor. We were doing one episode that Jon wrote and directed and he also starred in the scene with me! It was great, a lot of fun.

Mike Gencarelli: Keith, tell us what is was like working on a web series?
Keith Coogan: It was pre-pro because they were renting a sound stage, they had nice cameras and equipment and had it all planned out. They even had shot lists, some storyboards and were ready to go. It didn’t defer from a regular TV or film shoot in that way at all. We were just trying to get the work done, bang out the pages and make something that we would enjoy. You realize there are no studios or producers involved, they are running the show, that is where it is new ground. You find yourself in the captain seat and it is a big responsibility. It is really easy working on a shoot with a hundred people and everyone only has a little piece of it, though in this, everyone becomes a lot more important. All of their input gets listened to and everyone gets a chance to shine on these shoots. Everyone has many roles to make it happen. It is funny but not all laughs and giggles, there can be clashes and stressful moments. This is art and these are creative people. It just shows the passions of everyone wanting it to be great.

Mike: Keith, can you tell us about some funny moments on the set?
Keith: Oh gosh, we got one of the creators into a chicken outfit and that was fun. I got a text message, it was probably a rum influenced text message, saying “Mark Thomas Haapala in a chicken suit or not?”. I said “Of course!” When you are browsing the web and you see a guy in the chicken outfit, that is comedy.
Jon Donahue: I gotta say I was against the chicken outfit but after we shot it I am all for it. You were absolutely right Keith.
Keith: You mean the chicken outfit seemed a little crazy during the “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Baked” episode…when me and the kid are smoking weed?!. You mean THAT sounded outrageous [laughs], I understand.
Jon Donahue: My favorite part of that day was when the glass coffee table you were under collapsed on top of you.
Keith: That almost killed me [laughs].
Jon Donahue: The coffee table scene is in the trailer.

Mike: Jon, what was your inspiration for the show?
Jon: As far as my portion of the writing, the show is created by Mark Haapala and Morgan Mead. They had these characters in mind. So we had shot three or four episodes and they were originally 10 minutes a piece, now they are around five minutes. On the first day when Mark called action, we just started acting. We didn’t know our characters or anything. When I wrote “Adventures in Telepathy”, which was Keith’s first episode, we understood who our characters were. So after that I went back and rewrote the pilot with Haapala to match what was written for Keith’s episode. By the way, Keith gave some great notes where his character should go. Remember that Keith?
Keith: Yes. You totally picked those up and put in hints of it in too…it was a big leap to go there right away.
Jon: I really had so much fun writing for these characters. I built on what they created and we went from there.

Mike: Jon, how did you feel shuffling between acting, writing and directing?
Jon: Funny enough, I found out I love writing. I used to be a news reporter and I only wrote news stories. This was different writing comedy. It was a lot of fun being able to write a joke every few minutes. What we realized in the editing process, before I started writing, was that everything has to be faster. Our episodes are five maybe six minutes and we have to get everything in, like story lines and make sure everyone has a piece in every episode. I find writing really fun. What I also enjoy is the improv on set. I love acting also and doing comedy, experimenting and being in the moment. I love the timing in the show, everyone is wonderful and so perfect. The day I directed Keith’s episode, I hadn’t directed anything before. I was having so much fun directing, I didn’t want to jump in front of the camera, which for me is unbelievable! I just had so much fun. The whole process was very long but very rewarding. We finally have a cut of the episode I directed in the can. It is going to be great and Keith is very funny in it.

Mike: Jon, tell us about the show and your role, Larry that you play?
Jon: The show basically is a craft service table on a television show, like Keith mentioned, “The Telepathist”. Obviously a take on “The Mentalist”. It is about a group of wacky people and everyone has their story. I play the first assistant director and I kind of compare my character to Jason Batemen’s on “Arrested Development”. He is the straight guy that has to deal with a bunch of imbeciles. Having worked on sets before, I have worked with a lot of assistant directors. I have been able to observe and understand where they are coming from. My character is the ring leader, since the director (Roebuck) is not even on set. He is agoraphobic, he can’t leave his house and directs from a laptop. I run the whole stage while he is in a bathrobe sitting in his house.

Mike: If you need to sum up the show in one word, what would that be?
Keith: Juicy.
Jon: I get it! Like a fruit!
Jon: I am going to use two words, F**king funny.

Mike: Tell us why should people check out the show?
Keith: It is funny. Everyone has a fascination of what is it like to be on a set. We do not pay that off with any reality. It is total divas and complete egotistical maniacs. It is funny in the way like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. These people are really crazy. You are not going to learn exactly what goes on behind the scenes but it is real stuff…wrangling different actors and working with creative types that don’t want to come out of their house. What is universal, is if you work in a office, bank or you are teacher there is always conflict, comedy and tragedy. These people would probably kill each other.
Jon: [laughs] and they have.
Keith: It is possible that the show “The Telepathist” takes itself a little too serious, just saying [laughs].
Jon: I just want to throw in that these characters are based on real people. We take them to the extremes but they are ultimately based on real people and will obviously remain nameless. Even though Kevin Connolly is playing himself, he is actually playing another actor in the industry.
Keith: It is a very creative show and I know everyone is going to grab onto it when they see it.

Mike: Keith, aside for “Crafty”, tell us about your “Monologue a Day”? What made you start that?
Keith: Sure, this past New Years I got an idea to combine the concept of “Julie & Julia” mixed with my love for acting and technology. I love putting stuff on YouTube. I wanted to keep it simple since the ambition is trying to do it and complete all of these pieces. I learn something, shoot it and put it up. It is 1 minute long, don’t want to try anyone’s patience. I alternate between comedy, tragedy, drama, Shakespeare, stuff from movies or books. I learned about the craft and it is really like a daily workshop. It has been great and has become a great casting tool for me as well.
Jon: Are you ever going to do the monologue from “Glitter”, I suggested?
Keith: [laughs] Yeah right!

Mike: Jon, you are also currently working with Tom Hanks on his latest film “Larry Crowne”, can you tell us about that?

Jon: I am not sure how much I can tell you. Basically he twitters everything, so I really don’t have to say much. It is about a guy who loses his job and has to start his life over. It is very funny. From script to what we are shooting now it is hilarious. The whole cast is great, Wilmer Valderrama and Nia Vardalos and everyone is so wonderful. Julia (Roberts) of course is always great. It is a blast. Tom is writing, directing, starring and producing. I am blessed to be there everyday. So I am very excited and “Larry Crowne” will be out next year.

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