Stu Silver, the writer and producer who created the 1980s sitcoms Webster and It’s a Living and penned the screenplay for the 1987 Billy Crystal-Danny DeVito dark comedy Throw Momma From the Train, has died. He was 76.
Silver died July 18 at Highland Hospital in Rochester, New York, of complications from prostate cancer, his son, Dan Silver, announced.
Silver also was a writer on the ABC sitcom Soap, also featuring Crystal, during its last three seasons (1978-81), and he worked on other comedies including the spinoff Benson, Bosom Buddies, Star of the Family, The New Odd Couple, Brothers and Good Grief.
He shared an Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy series for his work on Soap in 1981.
Silver, who was adopted, created Webster, which starred Emmanuel Lewis as the adopted son of characters played by real-life husband and wife Alex Karras and Susan Clark. The Chicago-set series ran for six seasons...
Silver died July 18 at Highland Hospital in Rochester, New York, of complications from prostate cancer, his son, Dan Silver, announced.
Silver also was a writer on the ABC sitcom Soap, also featuring Crystal, during its last three seasons (1978-81), and he worked on other comedies including the spinoff Benson, Bosom Buddies, Star of the Family, The New Odd Couple, Brothers and Good Grief.
He shared an Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy series for his work on Soap in 1981.
Silver, who was adopted, created Webster, which starred Emmanuel Lewis as the adopted son of characters played by real-life husband and wife Alex Karras and Susan Clark. The Chicago-set series ran for six seasons...
- 7/26/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Welcome to this week’s Aew Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have…what the… Raul Julia: Hahahahaha!!!!!!! Greetings infidels! Me: What the f–k?! Aren’t you dead?! Rj: Not anymore the f–k! I have returned from the 7000th dimension! Under my power now is the mighty army of cosmic automatons built in the lair of the mad scientist Azuvathar! They can sing, dance, pee, compute, play the flute, say the truth, f–k midgets, buck pidgets, suck widgets, Barbra Streisand… Me: What do you want? Rj: Ah. The peasant speaks. I want to use my androids to lay waste to the universe. See them perform! Me: What? Rj: Put on the show of your lives! Me: Ummmmm…why are they f–king each other while eating dog s–t puked from a man’s mouth who is shoving a mailbox...
- 7/2/2021
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
Soleil Moon Frye became the ultimate Eighties child star on Punky Brewster, at the age of seven. She played America’s favorite wise-cracking moppet, wearing mismatched high-tops and extolling the virtues of Punky Power. The show was eventually cancelled in 1988 — and that’s when Frye started toting a video camera around, filming her other child-star friends, just in time for their awkward teen years. Kid 90, a new documentary that begins streaming on Hulu today, turns her home-movie footage into a time capsule of show-biz kids growing up in Nineties Hollywood.
- 3/12/2021
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
In the 1990s, as Soleil Moon Frye transitioned in the public eye from Punky Brewster prodigy to guest star on popular shows like Saved by the Bell and The Wonder Years to supporting player in TV movies and schlocky horror flicks, she started recording her life on video camera to regain a measure of control. Captured during their adolescence, at hangouts and house parties, were some of the biggest teen stars of the era: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez, Corey Feldman, Sara Gilbert, Jonathan Brandis, Brian Austin Green, Joey Lawrence, Emmanuel Lewis and, for some reason (albeit very briefly), Mickey Rourke,...
- 3/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the 1990s, as Soleil Moon Frye transitioned in the public eye from Punky Brewster prodigy to guest star on popular shows like Saved by the Bell and The Wonder Years to supporting player in TV movies and schlocky horror flicks, she started recording her life on video camera to regain a measure of control. Captured during their adolescence, at hangouts and house parties, were some of the biggest teen stars of the era: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez, Corey Feldman, Sara Gilbert, Jonathan Brandis, Brian Austin Green, Joey Lawrence, Emmanuel Lewis and, for some reason (albeit very briefly), Mickey Rourke,...
- 3/10/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Can you believe that Emmanuel Lewis is 47 years old and still looks like a kid? To be quite honest he doesn’t look that much different aside from being a lot heavier than he was on the show Webster, but that can be attributed to age and other factors. If you think about it though, he was 12 years old when the show premiered and turned 18 when it hit the finale. And yet he never once showed that much sign of aging. He hit his maximum height at 40 inches and just stopped, becoming one of the shortest men
Whatever Happened to Emmanuel Lewis?...
Whatever Happened to Emmanuel Lewis?...
- 6/1/2018
- by Tom
- TVovermind.com
Making a beloved Christmas special can be a daunting task. But the basics for a decent holiday special are simple: a happy moral lesson, some winter cheer, and absolutely no death, kidnapping, or insanity.
Really, during the holidays, all people want to do is relax, sit down with their families, and watch wholesome entertainment that won't leave anyone psychologically scarred or emotionally confused for years to come. That is why it is absolutely inexplicable that these totally bonkers holiday specials ever made it onto TV.
1. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
ABC
This depressing Christmas special takes place during the days of the Roman Empire, and tells the story of a donkey with freakishly long ears that is disliked and made fun of by all the other animals in the stable.
News: All of Santa's Reindeer, Ranked From Best to Worst
Essentially, the story is just a weird version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, only with a...
Really, during the holidays, all people want to do is relax, sit down with their families, and watch wholesome entertainment that won't leave anyone psychologically scarred or emotionally confused for years to come. That is why it is absolutely inexplicable that these totally bonkers holiday specials ever made it onto TV.
1. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
ABC
This depressing Christmas special takes place during the days of the Roman Empire, and tells the story of a donkey with freakishly long ears that is disliked and made fun of by all the other animals in the stable.
News: All of Santa's Reindeer, Ranked From Best to Worst
Essentially, the story is just a weird version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, only with a...
- 12/17/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
We've featured plenty of editions of Zach Galifianakis' ongoing talk show Between Two Ferns, including last year's two-part Oscar specials (here and here), which we hope will return when the Academy Awards roll around in 2014. This time the comedian and star of The Hangover franchise is back with a holiday special, sitting down with Samuel L. Jackson (star of the third Die Hard movie ever) and Tobey Maguire of this year's The Great Gatsby. It's exactly as awkwardly hilarious as you'd expect, and there's even a special guest for some holiday music with the band Arcade Fire showing up at the end. Watch it! Here's Zach Galifianakis' Between Two Ferns Holiday Special from Funny or Die: We'd like to point out how awesome that reference to Emmanuel Lewis, star of "Webster" is, if only because he was used in the Oscar special as a mistake while trying to book Daniel Day-Lewis,...
- 12/18/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Fans of USA’s Psych have been waiting for the two-hour musical episode, and finally, it’s here (premiering Sunday night at 9 p.m. Et, followed by an instant replay). Dulé Hill, who’s currently on Broadway in the musical revue After Midnight, does get to tap a bit and sing a reggae song — the latter a request he sent to the show’s creator, Steve Franks, who came back with the ditty “Jamaican Inspector Man.” “I love how he did it too,” Hill says, “because he made it a run throughout the musical, so it doesn’t just come out of nowhere.
- 12/15/2013
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW.com - PopWatch
Either I am in the minority or my comedic sensibilities are so vastly different from that of the general public I can't even see the folks on the other side because I simply don't get what is so funny about Zach Galifianakis' ignorant shlub schtick in these "Between Two Ferns" videos. Clearly others find some fascination in it considering Part 1 in the latest "Oscar Buzz" installments has been viewed more than 1.1 million times since being released 24 hours ago. In the two most recent videos Galifianakis, playing what may as well be his character from either The Hangover or Due Date, "interviews" Oscar hopefuls including Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Lining Playbook), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Amy Adams (The Master), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Sally Field (Lincoln), Emmanuel Lewis ("Webster") pretending to be Daniel Day-Lewis and Bradley Cooper (Silver Lining Playbook). Give 'em...
- 2/12/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Yesterday, Zach Galifianakis sparred with Jennifer Lawrence and talked toilets with Naomi Watts. Today, he shares part two of his Between Two Ferns: Oscar Edition special, featuring Jessica Chastain (of "0 Dark 30") and Sally Field and Emmanuel Lewis (of "Linkin Park"). And for his efforts, Zach got one of those ferns smashed against his head. So which Oscar nominee was on the other end of the smack down? None other than Bradley Cooper, the future Oscar loser (Zach's words, not ours).
- 2/12/2013
- E! Online
For the second day in a row, Funny Or Die released a new episode of "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis" featuring some of this year's crop of Oscar nominees. Jessica Chastain, Sally Field and Bradley Cooper show up in this episode to get the full, deadpan Galifianakis treatment.
After ribbing Chastain and Field (he asked Field about gaining weight for "Lincoln": "How'd you do it? Eat Anne Hathaway?"), he was excited to interview the "Lincoln" star himself, before he realized his producers had booked not Daniel Day-Lewis, but Emmanuel Lewis of "Webster."
But the real highlight of the episode was Zach's interview with his "Hangover" co-star Bradley Cooper, who's nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook." After Zach reveals that he wrote an Oscar speech for Cooper, which was actually a concession speech to Daniel Day-Lewis, Cooper let his annoyance with his fellow Wolf Packer get the best of him...
After ribbing Chastain and Field (he asked Field about gaining weight for "Lincoln": "How'd you do it? Eat Anne Hathaway?"), he was excited to interview the "Lincoln" star himself, before he realized his producers had booked not Daniel Day-Lewis, but Emmanuel Lewis of "Webster."
But the real highlight of the episode was Zach's interview with his "Hangover" co-star Bradley Cooper, who's nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook." After Zach reveals that he wrote an Oscar speech for Cooper, which was actually a concession speech to Daniel Day-Lewis, Cooper let his annoyance with his fellow Wolf Packer get the best of him...
- 2/12/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Child stars in pop culture are like pet alligators. They're cute when young, but they often get flushed before they grow big.
VH1 counts down the top kid stars of the past two decades in the five-part special "100 Greatest Kid Stars," a nostalgic look back at the biggest names in TV, music and entertainment who burst onto the scene as kids. Hosted by Catherine Reitman -- daughter of "Ghostbusters" director Ivan Reitman and once a child actress herself -- the special includes old and new interviews and early performance footage from when the stars were kids.
The countdown begins Thursday, Nov. 29, and concludes Sunday, Dec. 2.
It includes such recent stars as Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Dakota Fanning as well as Candace Cameron, Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Paquin and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who grew up on-screen during the '90s. It's also a nostalgic look back at the shows...
VH1 counts down the top kid stars of the past two decades in the five-part special "100 Greatest Kid Stars," a nostalgic look back at the biggest names in TV, music and entertainment who burst onto the scene as kids. Hosted by Catherine Reitman -- daughter of "Ghostbusters" director Ivan Reitman and once a child actress herself -- the special includes old and new interviews and early performance footage from when the stars were kids.
The countdown begins Thursday, Nov. 29, and concludes Sunday, Dec. 2.
It includes such recent stars as Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Dakota Fanning as well as Candace Cameron, Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Paquin and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who grew up on-screen during the '90s. It's also a nostalgic look back at the shows...
- 11/29/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Alex Karras was a heavy hitter on the football field, and when he retired from pro sports he tackled Hollywood. Karras' death this morning from kidney failure saddened those who had the chance to work alongside him, be it on TV and movie sets or the gridiron. "My heartfelt condolences goes out to Susan, Katie, George, Renny, Peter and the entire Karras & Clark family," Emmanuel Lewis, who played Karras and real-life wife Susan Clark's adopted son on the 1980s hit Webster, said in a statement to E! News. "My prayers are forever with you guys. I had a very heavy heart this morning and I did not know why. I understand now. Rest in Peace, my friend." Mel Brooks,...
- 10/10/2012
- E! Online
Detroit — Alex Karras was one of the NFL's most feared defensive tackles throughout the 1960s, a player who hounded quarterbacks and bulled past opposing linemen.
And yet, to many people he will always be the lovable dad from the 1980s sitcom "Webster" or the big cowboy who famously punched out a horse in "Blazing Saddles."
The rugged player, who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense and then made a successful transition to an acting career, with a stint along the way as a commentator on "Monday Night Football," died Wednesday. He was 77.
Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. The Lions also said he had suffered from heart disease and, for the last two years, stomach cancer. He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.
"Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what...
And yet, to many people he will always be the lovable dad from the 1980s sitcom "Webster" or the big cowboy who famously punched out a horse in "Blazing Saddles."
The rugged player, who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense and then made a successful transition to an acting career, with a stint along the way as a commentator on "Monday Night Football," died Wednesday. He was 77.
Karras had recently suffered kidney failure and been diagnosed with dementia. The Lions also said he had suffered from heart disease and, for the last two years, stomach cancer. He died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, said Craig Mitnick, Karras' attorney.
"Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what...
- 10/10/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
We’ve lost another ’80s sitcom legend. Alex Karras, 1960s football legend-turned-Webster-star, died at age 77 of kidney failure this morning in his Los Angeles home. The former Detroit Lions defensive tackle was one of the first big (literally) football players to parlay his size and charisma into a successful acting career. While still playing for the Lions, he played himself in the 1968 movie Paper Lions, and after being retired from the team, he ventured into TV, working for Monday Night Football from 1974-76. That’s when he also found a new set of fans for playing Mongo in Mel Brooks‘ Blazing Saddles.
And then in 1983, he was welcomed by an entirely new generation of TV viewers when he and real-life wife Susan Clark played the adoptive parents to adorable Emmanuel Lewis in Webster.
Earlier this year, Karras joined other former players in a lawsuit against the NFL, charging...
And then in 1983, he was welcomed by an entirely new generation of TV viewers when he and real-life wife Susan Clark played the adoptive parents to adorable Emmanuel Lewis in Webster.
Earlier this year, Karras joined other former players in a lawsuit against the NFL, charging...
- 10/10/2012
- by Sabrina Rojas Weiss
- TheFabLife - Movies
Webster star Alex Karras, who began his career as a football hero for the Detroit Lions, has died, the Associated Press reports. He was 77. Karras, who was suffering from kidney failure, died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members, including his wife, Susan Clark, the Canadian actress who also played his fictional wife on Webster, said Karras's attorney, Craig Mitnick Lions president Tom Lewand released the following statement upon learning of Karras's deteriorating health: "The entire Detroit Lions family is deeply saddened to learn of the news regarding the condition of one of our all-time greats, Alex Karras.
- 10/10/2012
- by Tim Nudd and Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
Alex Karras has died. The football great-turned-tv and movie star of Webster and Blazing Saddles was 77, and had battled dementia. On Monday, it was reported Karras was near death after suffering kidney failure. The news moved his former team, the Detroit Lions, to pay prompt tribute. "Perhaps no player in Lions history attained as much success and notoriety for what he did after his playing days as did Alex," Lions president Tom Lewand said in the Monday statement. Along with real-life wife Susan Clark, Karras parented child-star Emmanuel Lewis in the 1983-89 family sitcom Webster. Before that, Mel Brooks fans knew Karras as the horse-punching, man-beast Mongo in the 1974 Western send-up, Blazing Saddles. Karras was probably never more of the zeitgeist then when he was part of the Howard Cosell-era Monday Night Football broadcast team for three seasons, from 1974-1976. Other credits included the teen comedy Porky's, which also costarred Clark, the Oscar-winning Julie Andrews musical Victor Victoria and the thriller hit, Against All Odds. "I guess I've always been a performer," Karras once said. "But if I'd have told anybody back in high school in Gary [his Indiana hometown] that I wanted to be an actor, they'd have had me quarantined."...
- 10/10/2012
- E! Online
It was the script everyone thought was a joke at first, until Michael Bay became attached as a producer and then we all sort of did a double take. Further proof the script was indeed real came with its appearance on the 2008 "Black List," which is an unofficial annual list of the "most liked" unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Now, years later, Dan Fogelman's epic adventure tale in which former child stars Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis team up to save the world from an evil madman is online for all to read ... and, funny thing is, it's pretty enjoyable. Fogelman has since gone on to pen the scripts for films like Cars, Fred Claus, Tangled, Bolt, and Crazy, Stupid, Love, but it's this script from 2008 that sticks out the most...
Read More...
Read More...
- 3/13/2012
- by Erik Davis
- Movies.com
Here is last week's caption pic winner. This week's caption pic is at the bottom of the page.
Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...
""No, Miss Aguilera...I expect you to die.""
Thanks to David for this week's winning caption!
Weekend Birthdays! (Note: Birthday shoutouts are for out entertainers, allies, or for any celeb that seems to have a following on Ae). Jon Hamm (above) is 41, out and faboo Warehouse 13 exec. producer Jack Kenny is 54, Emmanuel Lewis is 41, Mitchell Lichtenstein is 56, Jasmine Guy is 50, Neneh Cherry is 48, Edie Brickell is 46, Robin Thicke is 35, Carrie Underwood is 29, Johnny Knoxville is 41, Christopher Rice is 34, Cheryl Lynn is 55, Nina Hagen is 57, and Martin Fry is 54. Okay, what are your top five ABC songs? Here are my picks: 5."How To Be A Millionaire." 4. "When Smokey Sings", 3. "Look Of Love" 2. "Poison Arrow," 1. "Be Near Me" As expected, John Carter is shaping up to bomb spectacularly.
Thanks to everyone for participating! The winner is ...
""No, Miss Aguilera...I expect you to die.""
Thanks to David for this week's winning caption!
Weekend Birthdays! (Note: Birthday shoutouts are for out entertainers, allies, or for any celeb that seems to have a following on Ae). Jon Hamm (above) is 41, out and faboo Warehouse 13 exec. producer Jack Kenny is 54, Emmanuel Lewis is 41, Mitchell Lichtenstein is 56, Jasmine Guy is 50, Neneh Cherry is 48, Edie Brickell is 46, Robin Thicke is 35, Carrie Underwood is 29, Johnny Knoxville is 41, Christopher Rice is 34, Cheryl Lynn is 55, Nina Hagen is 57, and Martin Fry is 54. Okay, what are your top five ABC songs? Here are my picks: 5."How To Be A Millionaire." 4. "When Smokey Sings", 3. "Look Of Love" 2. "Poison Arrow," 1. "Be Near Me" As expected, John Carter is shaping up to bomb spectacularly.
- 3/9/2012
- by snicks
- The Backlot
If you just saw Zach Galifianakis present Bret McKenzie with his Best Song award alongside Will Ferrell during last night Oscars, you may have missed his very Galifianakisian interview with E!'s Catt Sadler at the post-show interview outside the Governor's Ball (not, as Zach called it, the Governor's Balls). Suffice to say, Galifianakis seemed less than interested in doing the interview, but turned it into a reverse "Between Two Ferns."
After telling Sadler that he shaved off his signature beard because he's busy filming "The Jodie Foster Story," he made a few more attempts at answering her questions, including whether or not he liked the movie he gave an award to, "The Muppets" -- apparently forgetting that Galifianakis actually has a role in the movie.
As she glanced at her notes, Galifianakis made faces at the camera.
And when asked what he took out of the ceremony, he told...
After telling Sadler that he shaved off his signature beard because he's busy filming "The Jodie Foster Story," he made a few more attempts at answering her questions, including whether or not he liked the movie he gave an award to, "The Muppets" -- apparently forgetting that Galifianakis actually has a role in the movie.
As she glanced at her notes, Galifianakis made faces at the camera.
And when asked what he took out of the ceremony, he told...
- 2/27/2012
- by Ross Luippold
- Huffington Post
If you just saw Zach Galifianakis present Bret McKenzie with his Best Song award alongside Will Ferrell during last night Oscars, you may have missed his very Galifianakisian interview with E!'s Catt Sadler at the post-show interview outside the Governor's Ball (not, as Zach called it, the Governor's Balls). Suffice to say, Galifianakis seemed less than interested in doing the interview, but turned it into a reverse "Between Two Ferns."
After telling Sadler that he shaved off his signature beard because he's busy filming "The Jodie Foster Story," he made a few more attempts at answering her questions, including whether or not he liked the movie he gave an award to, "The Muppets" -- apparently forgetting that Galifianakis actually has a role in the movie.
As she glanced at her notes, Galifianakis made faces at the camera.
And when asked what he took out of the ceremony, he told...
After telling Sadler that he shaved off his signature beard because he's busy filming "The Jodie Foster Story," he made a few more attempts at answering her questions, including whether or not he liked the movie he gave an award to, "The Muppets" -- apparently forgetting that Galifianakis actually has a role in the movie.
As she glanced at her notes, Galifianakis made faces at the camera.
And when asked what he took out of the ceremony, he told...
- 2/27/2012
- by Ross Luippold
- Aol TV.
Emmanuel Lewis' home has been auctioned off after the actor fell behind on tax payments.
The Webster star allegedly failed to pay $44,081 (£27,550) in state, county and school taxes to officials in Georgia and his property went into foreclosure.
Lewis lost his home in September, when it sold at auction for $56,000 (£35,000), according to documents obtained by TMZ.com.
The Webster star allegedly failed to pay $44,081 (£27,550) in state, county and school taxes to officials in Georgia and his property went into foreclosure.
Lewis lost his home in September, when it sold at auction for $56,000 (£35,000), according to documents obtained by TMZ.com.
- 1/9/2012
- WENN
Someone get George Papadapolis on the phone, because Emmanuel Lewis is going to need some help again ... Webster's home in Georgia was recently foreclosed on!According to docs filed in Fayette County, Ga, Lewis's home was sold at auction for just $56,000 back in September. The home went into foreclosure after Lewis failed to pay State, County and School taxes from 2007-2010 totaling $44,081.41.Lewis' mother Margaret is also listed on the foreclosure docs, though it's...
- 1/8/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Washington, Oct 14: 'The Social Network' star Rashida Jones, who grew up around the late pop singer Michael Jackson because of his close friendship with her father, has revealed that he was a ''bit of an alien'' to most people.
Rashida, daughter of music producer Quincy Jones, who produced Michael's three classic albums, 'Off The Wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad', also talked about how she, along with her sister, Jackson and Emmanuel Lewis went to the movies together and sprayed the hell out of people.
"Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him. We were at each other's house all the time. He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18.
Rashida, daughter of music producer Quincy Jones, who produced Michael's three classic albums, 'Off The Wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad', also talked about how she, along with her sister, Jackson and Emmanuel Lewis went to the movies together and sprayed the hell out of people.
"Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him. We were at each other's house all the time. He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18.
- 10/14/2011
- by Leon David
- RealBollywood.com
Now it can be revealed: Michael Jackson once led a team of Super Soaker assassins. For one night, anyway. "Parks and Recreation" star Rashida Jones, whose father, Quincy Jones, produced Jackson's "Off the Wall" and "Thriller," describes in the new Playboy how she, her sister, and "Webster" star Emmanuel Lewis once helped Jackson douse unsuspecting moviegoers. "Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him," Jones told the magazine. "We were at each other’s house all the time. He was definitely a little bit of an alien,...
- 10/13/2011
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
The 35-year-old actress grew up around the late pop superstar because of his close friendship with her father – who produced Michael's three classic albums, 'Off The Wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad' – and she admits his eccentric personality and kind nature were out of sync with the rest of the world.
She told Playboy magazine: "Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him. We were at each other's house all the time. He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit more pep."
When Rashida got older she would hang out with Michael – who died in June 2009 aged just 50 – and she has revealed the 'Black or White' singer loved to drive around secretly squirting strangers with water pistols.
The 'Social...
She told Playboy magazine: "Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him. We were at each other's house all the time. He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit more pep."
When Rashida got older she would hang out with Michael – who died in June 2009 aged just 50 – and she has revealed the 'Black or White' singer loved to drive around secretly squirting strangers with water pistols.
The 'Social...
- 10/13/2011
Think back to your childhood. Think back to the 80s. Were you ever in line for a movie, minding your own business when suddenly, you were assaulted with a torrent from a Super Soaker? All these years, you've been bitter and jaded about it. But what if you knew who was behind that spray?
In an interview in November's issue of Playboy, "Parks and Recreation" actress Rashida Jones reveals a startling truth about her childhood. Rashida is the daughter of "Thriller" producer and musical impresario Quincy Jones, one of Michael Jackson's closest collaborators, so it's no surprise that they spent a lot of time together:
"Michael basically grew up with us...it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years old...Once, my sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis and I got in a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie theater and supersoaked the hell out of people waiting in line.
In an interview in November's issue of Playboy, "Parks and Recreation" actress Rashida Jones reveals a startling truth about her childhood. Rashida is the daughter of "Thriller" producer and musical impresario Quincy Jones, one of Michael Jackson's closest collaborators, so it's no surprise that they spent a lot of time together:
"Michael basically grew up with us...it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years old...Once, my sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis and I got in a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie theater and supersoaked the hell out of people waiting in line.
- 10/13/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Think of the most bizarre thing you could possibly see while walking down the street.
Here's something to top it.
As daughter of famed music superproducer Quincy Jones, "Parks and Recreation" star Rashida Jones grew up with a lot of famous friends. Amongst the closest of those friends was Michael Jackson, and as she tells Playboy, the two sometimes looked for trouble. Especially while accompanied by tiny 80s television icons.
"He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit more pep," she tells the magazine. "Later, we'd go out on the town together. He always wore those surgical masks. Once, my sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis and I got in a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie theater and supersoaked the hell out of people waiting in line.
Here's something to top it.
As daughter of famed music superproducer Quincy Jones, "Parks and Recreation" star Rashida Jones grew up with a lot of famous friends. Amongst the closest of those friends was Michael Jackson, and as she tells Playboy, the two sometimes looked for trouble. Especially while accompanied by tiny 80s television icons.
"He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit more pep," she tells the magazine. "Later, we'd go out on the town together. He always wore those surgical masks. Once, my sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis and I got in a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie theater and supersoaked the hell out of people waiting in line.
- 10/12/2011
- by Jordan Zakarin
- Huffington Post
Question: how many degrees of separation do you need to connect Michael Bolton and Paula Abdul. Answer: only one (and a Skype connection).
It was revealed on last night's (Oct. 10) "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that a young Michael Bolton babysat a young Paula Abdul. Cue the 80s explosion. Apparently, Bolton was friends with Abdul's older sister which meant that someone had to occasionally watchdog the future reality judge. Bolton was mum on a mysterious incident involving a pencil stabbing and a hospital trip, but all is seemingly forgiven as Jimmy Kimmel sat by and facilitated a somewhat awkwardly long lovefest.
They were too young for "When a Man Loves a Woman" or "Opposites Attract," but we're sure it was "Straight Up" adorable. And it ranks number 3 on our fantasy list of 80s babysitter relationship. You want to see the list, you say?
5. Rick James babysits Tina Yothers
4. Patrick Duffy babysits Emmanuel Lewis...
It was revealed on last night's (Oct. 10) "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that a young Michael Bolton babysat a young Paula Abdul. Cue the 80s explosion. Apparently, Bolton was friends with Abdul's older sister which meant that someone had to occasionally watchdog the future reality judge. Bolton was mum on a mysterious incident involving a pencil stabbing and a hospital trip, but all is seemingly forgiven as Jimmy Kimmel sat by and facilitated a somewhat awkwardly long lovefest.
They were too young for "When a Man Loves a Woman" or "Opposites Attract," but we're sure it was "Straight Up" adorable. And it ranks number 3 on our fantasy list of 80s babysitter relationship. You want to see the list, you say?
5. Rick James babysits Tina Yothers
4. Patrick Duffy babysits Emmanuel Lewis...
- 10/11/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Celebrity March BirthdaysMarch 15
Fabio Eva Longoria Sylvester Stallone Will.i.am
March 14
Michael Caine Billy Crystal Taylor Hanson Quincy Jones
March 13
Emile Hirsch William H. Macy
March 12
Julia CampbellSamm Levine Liza Minnelli James Taylor
March 11
Thora Birch Benji & Joel Madden
March 10
Prince Edward Jasmine Guy Jon Hamm Chuck Norris Sharon Stone Timbaland Carrie Underwood
March 9
Emmanuel Lewis Julia Mancuso Bow Wow
March 8
James Van Der Beek Kat Von D Freddie Prinze Jr. Aidan Quinn
March...
Fabio Eva Longoria Sylvester Stallone Will.i.am
March 14
Michael Caine Billy Crystal Taylor Hanson Quincy Jones
March 13
Emile Hirsch William H. Macy
March 12
Julia CampbellSamm Levine Liza Minnelli James Taylor
March 11
Thora Birch Benji & Joel Madden
March 10
Prince Edward Jasmine Guy Jon Hamm Chuck Norris Sharon Stone Timbaland Carrie Underwood
March 9
Emmanuel Lewis Julia Mancuso Bow Wow
March 8
James Van Der Beek Kat Von D Freddie Prinze Jr. Aidan Quinn
March...
- 3/15/2011
- Extra
Liza wandered onto the set of Fox & Friends this morning, causing a 7.8 on the gay gasp Richter scale.
Emmanuel Lewis turns 40 today. Emmanuel Lewis turns 40 today. Emmanuel Lewis turns 40 today. If you understand why all I can do is keep repeating it, then raise a glass with me to salute our lost youth. Eric Sheffer Stevens won a TV Guide Canada Soap Opera Spirit Award for As The World Turns, and LoveLure has all the details. Below you can see InTorontoTV interview Elton John and David Furnish at the Canadian premiere of Billy Elliot.
Julianne Moore will portray Sarah Palin in the HBO adaptation of the bestseller Game Change. Can it be that I'm actually excited about something concerning the half-Governor? BBC America will premiere the new season of Doctor Who on Saturday, April 23 at 9 Pm Est, with the first part of a two-parter that takes place in the U.
Emmanuel Lewis turns 40 today. Emmanuel Lewis turns 40 today. Emmanuel Lewis turns 40 today. If you understand why all I can do is keep repeating it, then raise a glass with me to salute our lost youth. Eric Sheffer Stevens won a TV Guide Canada Soap Opera Spirit Award for As The World Turns, and LoveLure has all the details. Below you can see InTorontoTV interview Elton John and David Furnish at the Canadian premiere of Billy Elliot.
Julianne Moore will portray Sarah Palin in the HBO adaptation of the bestseller Game Change. Can it be that I'm actually excited about something concerning the half-Governor? BBC America will premiere the new season of Doctor Who on Saturday, April 23 at 9 Pm Est, with the first part of a two-parter that takes place in the U.
- 3/9/2011
- by snicks
- The Backlot
On their marks! Get set! Go! [Cue the sound of a stalled car.]
America got its first official glimpse at the Top 12 men of season 10 Tuesday night (March 1) and things were as psychotically bipolar as a certain sitcom star currently making the rounds. (I'm looking at you, Emmanuel Lewis!)
For every exhilarating Casey Abrams, there was a soul-crushing disappointment of Sundance Head proportions. (Oh the humanity, Tim Halperin!) Still, a trio of final performances (and a couple others) kept the momentum of "Idol X: Lauren Alaina or Bust" going strong.
Before I start shamelessly plugging my brand new weekly live show, "Idol Party Live," premiering this Thursday night at 10pm Et on MTV.com (featuring fans, celebs and a grand karaoke finale), let's take a closer look at each of the first official performances of season 10. (Seriously though, don't miss "Idol Party Live." In a lovely sign of "Idol" blogger solidarity, Entertainment Weekly's whip-smart recapping superstar Annie...
America got its first official glimpse at the Top 12 men of season 10 Tuesday night (March 1) and things were as psychotically bipolar as a certain sitcom star currently making the rounds. (I'm looking at you, Emmanuel Lewis!)
For every exhilarating Casey Abrams, there was a soul-crushing disappointment of Sundance Head proportions. (Oh the humanity, Tim Halperin!) Still, a trio of final performances (and a couple others) kept the momentum of "Idol X: Lauren Alaina or Bust" going strong.
Before I start shamelessly plugging my brand new weekly live show, "Idol Party Live," premiering this Thursday night at 10pm Et on MTV.com (featuring fans, celebs and a grand karaoke finale), let's take a closer look at each of the first official performances of season 10. (Seriously though, don't miss "Idol Party Live." In a lovely sign of "Idol" blogger solidarity, Entertainment Weekly's whip-smart recapping superstar Annie...
- 3/2/2011
- by Jim Cantiello
- MTV Newsroom
Tell us if you’ve heard this one before. Rob Riggle (The Daily Show, SNL, The Hangover) will star in a CBS sitcom about a former NFL player who comes home to his family after retiring from the game of football. Some of our older readers may remember former Detroit Lion Alex Karras starred in Webster with Emmanuel Lewis and if you blinked, you might have missed former New York Giant Michael Strahan in the 2009 Fox sitcom Brothers.
Home Game is based off of the life of Espn NFL analyst and three-time Super Bowl winning guard, Mark Schlereth whose post-game life includes being a sports talk radio host and playing a recurring role as Detective Roc Hoover on The Guiding Light. The difference in Home Game is that Schelereth is leaving his pursuit of acting to daytime soap operas and will just produce the series with his wife and daughter...
Home Game is based off of the life of Espn NFL analyst and three-time Super Bowl winning guard, Mark Schlereth whose post-game life includes being a sports talk radio host and playing a recurring role as Detective Roc Hoover on The Guiding Light. The difference in Home Game is that Schelereth is leaving his pursuit of acting to daytime soap operas and will just produce the series with his wife and daughter...
- 2/14/2011
- by Ernie Estrella
- BuzzFocus.com
In 1978, NBC scored a surprise hit with Diff’rent Strokes, a family sitcom about a wealthy white man who adopts his black maid’s sons after she dies. The show mixed corny punchlines with issue-driven stories, and featured a breakout star in Gary Coleman, a cute little kid with a medical condition that stunted his growth. Five years later, ABC debuted Webster, a sitcom with two white parents and the even cuter, littler Emmanuel Lewis. The show was originally developed as Another Ballgame, with ex-nfl star Alex Karras and his real-life wife Susan Clark playing odd-couple newlyweds: he a ...
- 1/26/2011
- avclub.com
Psych returns to USA tonight at 10/9c, and you don’t want to miss this episode. Not only do we get the return of Cary Elwes, but the show has saved a very strong episode for its November comeback. Though a huge fan of the show, a few episodes this season have not, Imho, been quite up to what we as fans have come to expect.
There are other reasons that you definitely do not want to miss this episode, no matter what, and I’ll just leave it at that, although the following interview sort of gives things away. James Roday and Dule Hill were on call for a press Q & A recently, and it was the wild time it always is.
Have fun!
In the season premiere “Extradition II,” Shawn and Gus return to Vancouver to visit their old nemesis Despereaux (returning guest star Cary Elwes) in prison at the felon’s request,...
There are other reasons that you definitely do not want to miss this episode, no matter what, and I’ll just leave it at that, although the following interview sort of gives things away. James Roday and Dule Hill were on call for a press Q & A recently, and it was the wild time it always is.
Have fun!
In the season premiere “Extradition II,” Shawn and Gus return to Vancouver to visit their old nemesis Despereaux (returning guest star Cary Elwes) in prison at the felon’s request,...
- 11/10/2010
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
The hitmaker dishes on upcoming collabos with the Game, Rick Ross and others, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash
Pharrell and Jay-z
Photo: MTV News
Behind The Beats: Pharrell
The great Skateboard P has a message for you: The N.E.R.D. tour is coming soon to a venue near you.
"Just be prepared when you come to the show," Pharrell Williams told MTV News earlier this week, sitting next to his N.E.R.D. brethren, Chad Hugo and Shay. "You'll need more than just a water bottle for our show, at least in the festivals overseas. You'll need more than a water bottle. You'll need a towel. ... Get your stretches in. The EMTs are always on the side, because people pull muscles."
Pharrell said his group's shows are so fresh, fans will be speechless: "When they ask you what it was...
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash
Pharrell and Jay-z
Photo: MTV News
Behind The Beats: Pharrell
The great Skateboard P has a message for you: The N.E.R.D. tour is coming soon to a venue near you.
"Just be prepared when you come to the show," Pharrell Williams told MTV News earlier this week, sitting next to his N.E.R.D. brethren, Chad Hugo and Shay. "You'll need more than just a water bottle for our show, at least in the festivals overseas. You'll need more than a water bottle. You'll need a towel. ... Get your stretches in. The EMTs are always on the side, because people pull muscles."
Pharrell said his group's shows are so fresh, fans will be speechless: "When they ask you what it was...
- 5/7/2010
- MTV Music News
The hitmaker dishes on upcoming collabos with the Game, Rick Ross and others, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash
Pharrell and Jay-z
Photo: MTV News
Behind The Beats: Pharrell
The great Skateboard P has a message for you: The N.E.R.D. tour is coming soon to a venue near you.
"Just be prepared when you come to the show," Pharrell Williams told MTV News earlier this week, sitting next to his N.E.R.D. brethren, Chad Hugo and Shay. "You'll need more than just a water bottle for our show, at least in the festivals overseas. You'll need more than a water bottle. You'll need a towel. ... Get your stretches in. The EMTs are always on the side, because people pull muscles."
Pharrell said his group's shows are so fresh, fans will be speechless: "When they ask you what it was...
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Tim Kash
Pharrell and Jay-z
Photo: MTV News
Behind The Beats: Pharrell
The great Skateboard P has a message for you: The N.E.R.D. tour is coming soon to a venue near you.
"Just be prepared when you come to the show," Pharrell Williams told MTV News earlier this week, sitting next to his N.E.R.D. brethren, Chad Hugo and Shay. "You'll need more than just a water bottle for our show, at least in the festivals overseas. You'll need more than a water bottle. You'll need a towel. ... Get your stretches in. The EMTs are always on the side, because people pull muscles."
Pharrell said his group's shows are so fresh, fans will be speechless: "When they ask you what it was...
- 5/7/2010
- MTV Music News
Bow Wow (he’s not so L’il anymore) aka Shad Gregory Moss, is 23 today. The rapper turned actor was last seen in the Forest Whitaker straight-to-dvd post-Katrina basketball drama, Hurricane Season. You can see him next in Lottery Ticket and The Family Tree, both scheduled to be out some time this year.
Emmanuel Lewis, star of 80s sitcom Webster, is 39 years old today. Since Webster, which ended its 6 season run in 1989, Lewis has appeared as himself in several TV shows, sitcomes, TV docs, and reality TV shows like The Surreal Life in 2007. He can next be seen in a likely straight-to-dvd feature film titled Doesn’t Texas Ever End, in which he plays a doctor.
That’s it for today. To take us out, here’s an old video with Emmanuel Lewis jamming with Michael Jackson:...
Emmanuel Lewis, star of 80s sitcom Webster, is 39 years old today. Since Webster, which ended its 6 season run in 1989, Lewis has appeared as himself in several TV shows, sitcomes, TV docs, and reality TV shows like The Surreal Life in 2007. He can next be seen in a likely straight-to-dvd feature film titled Doesn’t Texas Ever End, in which he plays a doctor.
That’s it for today. To take us out, here’s an old video with Emmanuel Lewis jamming with Michael Jackson:...
- 3/9/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
I live in the country, so I know about motorcycles shattering the peace.
Before I start this, I feel I should mention that every time I try and provide commentary on a Comedy Central program, you guys tell me I have no sense of humor. You’re probably about to do it again. Keyboards ready? Good.
Last night South Park attempted to take on, in their own way, changing connotations for words like "faggot" and "gay." I agree their intent was noble. Execution, well, at least we can agree that Harley riders are annoying.
The general premise is a group of Harley riders goes around the town ruining everyone’s moments with their loud bikes. It comes out that the riders are really more into being the center of attention than anything else, to the point they start making the throbbing sounds, much like “motorboating” when they’re not riding...
Before I start this, I feel I should mention that every time I try and provide commentary on a Comedy Central program, you guys tell me I have no sense of humor. You’re probably about to do it again. Keyboards ready? Good.
Last night South Park attempted to take on, in their own way, changing connotations for words like "faggot" and "gay." I agree their intent was noble. Execution, well, at least we can agree that Harley riders are annoying.
The general premise is a group of Harley riders goes around the town ruining everyone’s moments with their loud bikes. It comes out that the riders are really more into being the center of attention than anything else, to the point they start making the throbbing sounds, much like “motorboating” when they’re not riding...
- 11/5/2009
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Exclusive: Inside Michael Jackson's strange home movies starring his pet llama. Plus, his date with Snow White and moon walking with Emmanuel Lewis! Then, Vanity Fair's new revelations about Michael and the gay rumors! Later, find out what bombshells were left out of the New York Times best seller about the King of Pop! For every angle on Michael Jackson and the latest breaking celebrity news, tune in to "The Insider" on TV tonight!
[Read full story on The Insider]...
[Read full story on The Insider]...
- 8/3/2009
- by TheInsider
- TheInsider.com
The family of "Elephant Man" Joseph (John) Merrick has finally succeeded in obtaining the skeleton of Michael Jackson, after legal proceedings that have lasted almost a decade. Mr. Jackson's remains will be shipped to England and placed in The Royal London Hospital near the bones of Mr. Merrick, where Merrick Family spokesperson Timothy Cornsthwaite said, "They will no doubt have much to talk about." The Jackson Family will continue to fight the court ruling, insisting it interferes with their plans for a Michael Jackson's Skeleton World Tour. "Fans need to see Michael's skeleton," said Jackson Family lawyer Donald Petrillio, in an interview with The All Michael Jackson News Network (formerly CNN). "Michael would have wanted it this way." Custody of the late singer's children has once again changed hands, with former "Webster" star Emmanuel Lewis receiving guardianship of Prince Michael...
- 7/6/2009
- by Spencer Green
- Huffington Post
Former Webster star Emmanuel Lewis, who befriended singer Michael Jackson in the 1980s, has been profoundly impacted by the singer's death on Thursday afternoon. Attempts by Celebuzz to reach Lewis through his agent, Mike Esterman, have been relayed to Emmanuel. When we contacted Esterman today for follow-up, he noted that he had received a text message from Emmanuel stating that Jackson's death is “very personal and very emotional” to him and he is "sincerely devastated at this time." Jackson passed away on Thursday afternoon after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. An autopsy is currently being conducted.
- 6/26/2009
- by Celebuzz
- Celebuzz.com
Tina Turner, Brooke Shields, Emmanuel Lewis and Smokey Robinson also pay tribute to the late legend.
By Jocelyn Vena
Michael and Janet Jackson
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
In the 24 hours since news broke that pop icon Michael Jackson died suddenly on Thursday in Los Angeles, many of the legendary singer's friends, colleagues and family members have paid tribute to the late singer. On Friday (June 26), the memories kept coming, as Brooke Shields, Slash and little sister Janet remembered Jackson as a friend, brother, music pioneer and, obviously, the King of Pop.
"Janet Jackson is grief-stricken and devastated at the sudden loss of her brother," manager Kenneth Crear said in a statement to MTV News. "She is in pre-production on a film and is flying immediately to California to be with her family." Since Jackson released her statement, she has been seen in Los Angeles.
Michael Jackson: A Life In...
By Jocelyn Vena
Michael and Janet Jackson
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
In the 24 hours since news broke that pop icon Michael Jackson died suddenly on Thursday in Los Angeles, many of the legendary singer's friends, colleagues and family members have paid tribute to the late singer. On Friday (June 26), the memories kept coming, as Brooke Shields, Slash and little sister Janet remembered Jackson as a friend, brother, music pioneer and, obviously, the King of Pop.
"Janet Jackson is grief-stricken and devastated at the sudden loss of her brother," manager Kenneth Crear said in a statement to MTV News. "She is in pre-production on a film and is flying immediately to California to be with her family." Since Jackson released her statement, she has been seen in Los Angeles.
Michael Jackson: A Life In...
- 6/26/2009
- MTV Music News
Michael Bay is no board to produce a new film starring Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis. In the feature film Gary Coleman and Emmanuel will save the world from a madman.
Seriously this is the oddest new film I have heard about in awhile but it could end up being gold. The feature film is written by Dan Fogelman who also wrote Bolt, Cars and Fred Claus. The film is being produced by Platinum Dunes who are best known for remaking horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
Seriously this is the oddest new film I have heard about in awhile but it could end up being gold. The feature film is written by Dan Fogelman who also wrote Bolt, Cars and Fred Claus. The film is being produced by Platinum Dunes who are best known for remaking horror films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
- 12/25/2008
- MoviesOnline.ca
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Kickin' It Old Skool."NEW YORK -- Apparently determined to exploit the full comic potential of white boys attempting hip-hop, Jamie Kennedy ("Malibu's Most Wanted") shows up in this high-concept comedy about a 12-year-old boy who lapses into a coma in 1985, only to wake up a grown man 20 years later. Released on Friday without being press screened as part of the pre-"Spider-Man 3" picture dump, "Kickin' It Old Skool" fails to live up to even the feeble potential of its premise.
The young Justin Schumacher (Alexander Calvert) falls into his decades-long slumber after hitting his head while attempting a particularly dangerous break-dancing move during a school competition. During the next 20 years, his perpetually battling parents (Christopher McDonald, Debra Jo Rupp) exhaust their financial resources trying to keep up with his medical bills.
When the now-adult Justin (Kennedy) regains consciousness after hearing a snippet of a vintage pop tune, he finds himself -- like Tom Hanks in "Big" and myriad other cinematic variations -- a boy trapped in a grown man's body, with an '80s sensibility in a 21st century world to boot.
Attempting to win a large sum of money for his parents by winning a modern hip-hop dancing competition, he reunites his old multiracial crew, composed of henpecked husband and would-be inventor Darnell (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.); geeky office worker Aki (Bobby Lee); and overweight Hector (Aris Alvarado). Along the way, he reunites with childhood sweetheart Jen (Maria Menounos), now engaged to his old nemesis (Michael Rosenbaum).
While the film dutifully evokes a variety of '80s cultural artifacts (Garbage Pail Kids, "Flashdance", Beta tapes, etc.) and features cameos from such celebrity figures from the era as David Hasselhoff and Emmanuel Lewis, it doesn't really have much fun with the contrast between then and now. And Kennedy's character seems less a grown-up kid than simply, to quote the offensive word oft recited in the film, retarded.
There are a few decent lines -- Justin complains of having missed out on, among other things, "Gremlins 2" and "Ghostbusters 2" -- but most of the gags, such as his being mistaken for a pedophile while being friendly to a kid in a toy store, are tasteless without being particularly funny. And far too much of the film's overlong 107-minute running time is consumed by endless hip-hop dancing routines.
Clearly still attempting to follow in the footsteps of Jim Carrey ("Son of the Mask" is among his credits), Kennedy will need to find better material than this to put him on the film comedy A-list.
KICKIN' IT OLD SKOOL
Yari Film Group Releasing
A Bob Yari production in association with Jizzy Entertainment and Hi-Def Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Harvey Glazer
Screenplay: Trace Slobotkin, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
Producers: Philip Glasser, John H. Hermansen, Jamie Kennedy, Bob Yari
Executive producers: Jeff Cooper, Jeffrey Cooper, Josh H. Etting, Paul C. Rogers, Scott G. Stone, Stuart Stone
Film editor: Sandy S. Solowitz
Production designer: Tink
Director of photography: Robert M. Stevens
Costume designer: Maria Livingstone
Original music: Richard Glasser
Cast:
Justin Schumacher: Jamie Kennedy
Darnell Jackson: Miguel A. Nunez Jr.
Jennifer Stone: Maria Menounos
Kip Unger: Michael Rosenbaum
Aki Terasaki: Bobby Lee
Hector Jimenez: Aris Alvarado
Mary Schumacher: Debra Jo Rupp
Marv Schumacher: Christopher McDonald
Roxanne Jackson: Vivica A. Fox
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The young Justin Schumacher (Alexander Calvert) falls into his decades-long slumber after hitting his head while attempting a particularly dangerous break-dancing move during a school competition. During the next 20 years, his perpetually battling parents (Christopher McDonald, Debra Jo Rupp) exhaust their financial resources trying to keep up with his medical bills.
When the now-adult Justin (Kennedy) regains consciousness after hearing a snippet of a vintage pop tune, he finds himself -- like Tom Hanks in "Big" and myriad other cinematic variations -- a boy trapped in a grown man's body, with an '80s sensibility in a 21st century world to boot.
Attempting to win a large sum of money for his parents by winning a modern hip-hop dancing competition, he reunites his old multiracial crew, composed of henpecked husband and would-be inventor Darnell (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.); geeky office worker Aki (Bobby Lee); and overweight Hector (Aris Alvarado). Along the way, he reunites with childhood sweetheart Jen (Maria Menounos), now engaged to his old nemesis (Michael Rosenbaum).
While the film dutifully evokes a variety of '80s cultural artifacts (Garbage Pail Kids, "Flashdance", Beta tapes, etc.) and features cameos from such celebrity figures from the era as David Hasselhoff and Emmanuel Lewis, it doesn't really have much fun with the contrast between then and now. And Kennedy's character seems less a grown-up kid than simply, to quote the offensive word oft recited in the film, retarded.
There are a few decent lines -- Justin complains of having missed out on, among other things, "Gremlins 2" and "Ghostbusters 2" -- but most of the gags, such as his being mistaken for a pedophile while being friendly to a kid in a toy store, are tasteless without being particularly funny. And far too much of the film's overlong 107-minute running time is consumed by endless hip-hop dancing routines.
Clearly still attempting to follow in the footsteps of Jim Carrey ("Son of the Mask" is among his credits), Kennedy will need to find better material than this to put him on the film comedy A-list.
KICKIN' IT OLD SKOOL
Yari Film Group Releasing
A Bob Yari production in association with Jizzy Entertainment and Hi-Def Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Harvey Glazer
Screenplay: Trace Slobotkin, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
Producers: Philip Glasser, John H. Hermansen, Jamie Kennedy, Bob Yari
Executive producers: Jeff Cooper, Jeffrey Cooper, Josh H. Etting, Paul C. Rogers, Scott G. Stone, Stuart Stone
Film editor: Sandy S. Solowitz
Production designer: Tink
Director of photography: Robert M. Stevens
Costume designer: Maria Livingstone
Original music: Richard Glasser
Cast:
Justin Schumacher: Jamie Kennedy
Darnell Jackson: Miguel A. Nunez Jr.
Jennifer Stone: Maria Menounos
Kip Unger: Michael Rosenbaum
Aki Terasaki: Bobby Lee
Hector Jimenez: Aris Alvarado
Mary Schumacher: Debra Jo Rupp
Marv Schumacher: Christopher McDonald
Roxanne Jackson: Vivica A. Fox
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 4/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Apparently determined to exploit the full comic potential of white boys attempting hip-hop, Jamie Kennedy ("Malibu's Most Wanted") shows up in this high-concept comedy about a 12-year-old boy who lapses into a coma in 1985, only to wake up a grown man 20 years later. Released on Friday without being press screened as part of the pre-"Spider-Man 3" picture dump, "Kickin' It Old Skool" fails to live up to even the feeble potential of its premise.
The young Justin Schumacher (Alexander Calvert) falls into his decades-long slumber after hitting his head while attempting a particularly dangerous break-dancing move during a school competition. During the next 20 years, his perpetually battling parents (Christopher McDonald, Debra Jo Rupp) exhaust their financial resources trying to keep up with his medical bills.
When the now-adult Justin (Kennedy) regains consciousness after hearing a snippet of a vintage pop tune, he finds himself -- like Tom Hanks in "Big" and myriad other cinematic variations -- a boy trapped in a grown man's body, with an '80s sensibility in a 21st century world to boot.
Attempting to win a large sum of money for his parents by winning a modern hip-hop dancing competition, he reunites his old multiracial crew, composed of henpecked husband and would-be inventor Darnell (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.); geeky office worker Aki (Bobby Lee); and overweight Hector (Aris Alvarado). Along the way, he reunites with childhood sweetheart Jen (Maria Menounos), now engaged to his old nemesis (Michael Rosenbaum).
While the film dutifully evokes a variety of '80s cultural artifacts (Garbage Pail Kids, "Flashdance", Beta tapes, etc.) and features cameos from such celebrity figures from the era as David Hasselhoff and Emmanuel Lewis, it doesn't really have much fun with the contrast between then and now. And Kennedy's character seems less a grown-up kid than simply, to quote the offensive word oft recited in the film, retarded.
There are a few decent lines -- Justin complains of having missed out on, among other things, "Gremlins 2" and "Ghostbusters 2" -- but most of the gags, such as his being mistaken for a pedophile while being friendly to a kid in a toy store, are tasteless without being particularly funny. And far too much of the film's overlong 107-minute running time is consumed by endless hip-hop dancing routines.
Clearly still attempting to follow in the footsteps of Jim Carrey ("Son of the Mask" is among his credits), Kennedy will need to find better material than this to put him on the film comedy A-list.
KICKIN' IT OLD SKOOL
Yari Film Group Releasing
A Bob Yari production in association with Jizzy Entertainment and Hi-Def Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Harvey Glazer
Screenplay: Trace Slobotkin, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
Producers: Philip Glasser, John H. Hermansen, Jamie Kennedy, Bob Yari
Executive producers: Jeff Cooper, Jeffrey Cooper, Josh H. Etting, Paul C. Rogers, Scott G. Stone, Stuart Stone
Film editor: Sandy S. Solowitz
Production designer: Tink
Director of photography: Robert M. Stevens
Costume designer: Maria Livingstone
Original music: Richard Glasser
Cast:
Justin Schumacher: Jamie Kennedy
Darnell Jackson: Miguel A. Nunez Jr.
Jennifer Stone: Maria Menounos
Kip Unger: Michael Rosenbaum
Aki Terasaki: Bobby Lee
Hector Jimenez: Aris Alvarado
Mary Schumacher: Debra Jo Rupp
Marv Schumacher: Christopher McDonald
Roxanne Jackson: Vivica A. Fox
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
The young Justin Schumacher (Alexander Calvert) falls into his decades-long slumber after hitting his head while attempting a particularly dangerous break-dancing move during a school competition. During the next 20 years, his perpetually battling parents (Christopher McDonald, Debra Jo Rupp) exhaust their financial resources trying to keep up with his medical bills.
When the now-adult Justin (Kennedy) regains consciousness after hearing a snippet of a vintage pop tune, he finds himself -- like Tom Hanks in "Big" and myriad other cinematic variations -- a boy trapped in a grown man's body, with an '80s sensibility in a 21st century world to boot.
Attempting to win a large sum of money for his parents by winning a modern hip-hop dancing competition, he reunites his old multiracial crew, composed of henpecked husband and would-be inventor Darnell (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.); geeky office worker Aki (Bobby Lee); and overweight Hector (Aris Alvarado). Along the way, he reunites with childhood sweetheart Jen (Maria Menounos), now engaged to his old nemesis (Michael Rosenbaum).
While the film dutifully evokes a variety of '80s cultural artifacts (Garbage Pail Kids, "Flashdance", Beta tapes, etc.) and features cameos from such celebrity figures from the era as David Hasselhoff and Emmanuel Lewis, it doesn't really have much fun with the contrast between then and now. And Kennedy's character seems less a grown-up kid than simply, to quote the offensive word oft recited in the film, retarded.
There are a few decent lines -- Justin complains of having missed out on, among other things, "Gremlins 2" and "Ghostbusters 2" -- but most of the gags, such as his being mistaken for a pedophile while being friendly to a kid in a toy store, are tasteless without being particularly funny. And far too much of the film's overlong 107-minute running time is consumed by endless hip-hop dancing routines.
Clearly still attempting to follow in the footsteps of Jim Carrey ("Son of the Mask" is among his credits), Kennedy will need to find better material than this to put him on the film comedy A-list.
KICKIN' IT OLD SKOOL
Yari Film Group Releasing
A Bob Yari production in association with Jizzy Entertainment and Hi-Def Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Harvey Glazer
Screenplay: Trace Slobotkin, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan
Producers: Philip Glasser, John H. Hermansen, Jamie Kennedy, Bob Yari
Executive producers: Jeff Cooper, Jeffrey Cooper, Josh H. Etting, Paul C. Rogers, Scott G. Stone, Stuart Stone
Film editor: Sandy S. Solowitz
Production designer: Tink
Director of photography: Robert M. Stevens
Costume designer: Maria Livingstone
Original music: Richard Glasser
Cast:
Justin Schumacher: Jamie Kennedy
Darnell Jackson: Miguel A. Nunez Jr.
Jennifer Stone: Maria Menounos
Kip Unger: Michael Rosenbaum
Aki Terasaki: Bobby Lee
Hector Jimenez: Aris Alvarado
Mary Schumacher: Debra Jo Rupp
Marv Schumacher: Christopher McDonald
Roxanne Jackson: Vivica A. Fox
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 4/30/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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