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Posted: |
May 20, 2020 - 11:22 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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A MIGHTY WIND was a Christopher Guest-Eugene Levy mockumentary on the folk music scene. In the film, “Irving Steinbloom” (Stuart Luce), the man who put folk music on the map, has died, and his children: “Jonathan” (Bob Balaban), “Naomi” (Deborah Theaker), and “Elliott” (Don Lake), feel the best way to pay tribute to their late father is to stage a memorial concert, one that will reunite some of the acts the senior Mr. Steinbloom nurtured back in the 1960s.
Among those invited to perform are “Jerry Palter” (Michael McKean), “Alan Barrows” (Christopher Guest) and “Mark Shubb” (Harry Shearer), also known as The Folksmen; The New Mainstreet Singers, fronted by husband and wife team “Terry and Laurie Bohner” (John Michael Higgins and Jane Lynch) and featuring “Sissy Knox” (Parker Posey); and, of course, the highlight of the show, “Mitch” (Eugene Levy) and “Mickey” (Catherine O’Hara), whose love song “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” became one of the biggest hits in folk music history. Fred Willard appears as “Mike LaFontaine,” the blowhard manager of The Folksmen.
Fred Willard in A MIGHTY WIND
Christopher Guest directed the 2003 release. Most of the songs were composed and sung by the on-screen actors. Columbia released the soundtrack CD.
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Posted: |
May 21, 2020 - 12:28 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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AMERICAN WEDDING was the second sequel to 1999’s AMERICAN PIE, following AMERICAN PIE 2 (2001). The films followed teenager “Jim Levenstein” (Jason Biggs) and his friends. Throughout the first film, Jim tries to develop a relationship with his school classmate “Nadia” (Shannon Elizabeth). Jim and his best friends “Kevin Myers” (Thomas Ian Nicholas), “Paul Finch” (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and “Chris Ostreicher” (Chris Klein) make a pact to lose their virginity before their high school graduation. In the second film, the four friends host a summer party with Finch's frenemy, “Steve Stifler” (Seann William Scott), and Jim becomes interested in his friend, “Michelle Flaherty” (Alyson Hannigan). In the third film, Jim and Michelle plan to marry, although the forced invitation of Stifler could ruin everything. The third film introduced Michelle’s parents, “Harold” (Fred Willard) and “Mary Flaherty” (Deborah Rush). Jim’s parents were played by Eugene Levy and Molly Cheek.
Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Deborah Rush, and Molly Cheek, in AMERICAN WEDDING
Jesse Dylan directed the 2003 film. None of Christophe Beck’s score appeared on the Universal Records song-track CD.
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Posted: |
May 21, 2020 - 1:20 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In the sitcom “A Minute With Stan Hooper”, Norm MacDonald starred as “Stan Hooper,” a famous newspaper columnist turned television commentator, who moves his family from their New York home to a small Wisconsin town, Waterford Falls, where he hopes to better get in touch with Middle America in an attempt to make his weekly minute-long television commentaries more appealing to a larger audience. While there, he interacts with the folksy, and largely strange, townspeople of Waterford Falls.
There are the Petersons, “Lou” (Garret Dillahunt) and “Pete” (Daniel Roebuck), who run the local diner, and whom Stan initially assumes to be brothers. “Ryan Hawkins” (Eric Lively) is eager to be his cameraman. “Chelsea” (Reagan Dale Neis) is Ryan’s girlfriend. “Fred Hawkins” (Fred Willard) is unhappy that his son Ryan is leaving the family's local cheese conglomerate. Stan rents a home cheap and finds it comes with “Gary Jamison” (Brian Howe) as its butler.
The series premiered on the Fox Network on Wednesday, 29 October 2003, at 8:30 PM. The show was against the new sitcom “It’s All Relative” on ABC, “60 Minutes II” on CBS, and the comedy-drama “Ed” on NBC. Although none of the competitive shows made it to another season, “A Minute With Stan Hooper” didn’t even make it past mid-season. It was cancelled after 13 episodes.
Fred Willard (upper left) and the cast of “A Minute With Stan Hooper”
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Posted: |
May 21, 2020 - 7:56 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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DATE MOVIE is a stringing together of a series of spoofs into an 80 minute movie, drawing its material, and this list is not exhaustive, from movies like BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY, KILL BILL, MEET THE PARENTS, DODGEBALL, MEET THE FOCKERS, PRETTY WOMAN, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, KING KONG, HITCH, etc. Some celebrities also get ribbed, like Mr. and Mrs. Britney Spears, and Michael Jackson.
But basically, it's about a fat girl, “Julia Jones” (Alyson Hannigan), working in a Greek diner, having extremely mixed parentage, who falls in love with a Jude Law lookalike –"Grant Funkyerdoder” (Adam Campbell). She enlists the help of guru “Hitch” (Tony Cox), and gets herself trimmed down in a car workshop (don't ask). Struggling with constant insecurities, and extremely huge zits, of course don't help. And to make things worse, Grant's ex-fiancée “Andy” (Sophie Monk), turns up the heat and tries to wreck Julia's and Grant's upcoming marriage. Fred Willard and Jennifer Coolidge play Grant’s parents, “Bernie and Roz Funkyerdoder.”
Fred Willard and Jennifer Coolidge in DATE MOVIE
Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg wrote and directed the 2006 comedy. David Kitay’s score had one track on the Lakeshore Records soundtrack CD.
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Posted: |
May 21, 2020 - 11:45 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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You know that scary old house down the street? Turns out, it's a real live MONSTER HOUSE! This animated family horror movie centers around three kids who discover that a neighbor's house is actually a living, breathing monster. It all begins when “DJ” (Mitchel Musso) looks out his window at the creepy house across the street. It's old. It's run-down. And it's owned by "Old Man Nebbercracker" (Steve Buscemi), the meanest guy in town who loves terrorizing the neighborhood kids. And heaven forbid any toys should land on his lawn or he'll snatch 'em away forever. DJ starts keeping track of all the lost items, so much so that he becomes a bit of an outcast. Right before Halloween, DJ's parents (Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard) head to a convention and leave him home with a Goth babysitter, “Zee” (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Zee's slacker boyfriend, “Bones” (Jason Lee), knows all about the house. DJ's friend, “Chowder” (Sam Lerner) and neighbor “Jenny” join in the house observations.
Fred Willard at an event for MONSTER HOUSE
Gil Kenan directed the 2006 release. Douglas Pipes’ score was released by Varese Sarabande.
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Posted: |
May 22, 2020 - 11:28 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Like their 2006 comedy DATE MOVIE, Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg’s 2007 offering, EPIC MOVIE, is a jumbled-up spoof of many then-current action-adventure films, from the X-MEN to CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY to THE CHRONICLES OF NARIA.
In EPIC MOVIE’s take on the latter, Gnarnia is ruled by the cold-hearted “White Bitch” (Jennifer Coolidge). She lives in a White Castle (cue the inevitable Kal Penn / Kumar joke) and drives around in a sleigh-like snowmobile terrorizing the peoples of Gnarnia. The four children, guided by “Mr. Tumnus” (Héctor Jiménez) and his life partner “Harry Beaver” must find the half-man, half-lion “Aslo” (Fred Willard) and join forces with him to save Gnarnia.
Aslo says that his father, named Siegfried, sired him with a lion, but "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," this being a reference to the famed Las Vegas showmen Siegfried and Roy, who were known for their entertaining stunts and magical acts involving lions and tigers.
Edward Shearmur’s score was released by Lakeshore Records.
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Posted: |
May 22, 2020 - 12:55 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-Class) is a trash-compacting robot on an unpopulated waste-filled Earth. The human race has moved to the Axiom, a spaceship that sustains life and provides everything they need to be happy. Back on the ground, WALL-E's job is to compress trash into cubes and build new skyscrapers. WALL-E is actually one of many WALL-E units made by a corporation called BnL (Buy N Large), whose mission is to clean up the Earth and to keep the Axiom running.
But WALL-E is a curious little robot, examining the objects he picks up and collecting them for his little home. One of his favorite possessions is a copy of the 1969 film HELLO, DOLLY!, which he watches frequently for a specific song and dance scene. (HELLO, DOLLY! is presented as real live-action footage, a first for Pixar. There is also live-action mixed with CGI in two scenes with Fred Willard as “Shelby Forthright,” the CEO of BnL.)
Fred Willard in WALL-E
Andrew Stanton directed and co-wrote the film. The scenes shot with Fred Willard were the first live shots ever directed by Stanton. Thomas Newman’s score was released by Walt Disney Records.
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Posted: |
May 22, 2020 - 1:49 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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After the end of “Frazier” in 2004, Kelsey Grammer returned to regular series television with the 2007 sitcom “Back To You.”. “Chuck Darling” (Grammer) and “Kelly Carr” (Patricia Heaton) were co-anchors of Pittsburgh’s WURG News 9. They had great on-screen chemistry, despite constant quarreling off-screen. However, Chuck left to take a job elsewhere. After an embarrassing comment he makes results in his dismissal from a large market L.A. newscast, Chuck returns to Pittsburgh after 10 years to become an anchor on the newscast he originally left. Chuck also learns that he is the father of Carr's 10-year-old daughter, “Gracie.”
Fred Willard is “Marsh McGinley,” WURG's fairly dim-witted sports anchor. He throws up before the beginning of each show. He also breaks down while reading Casey at the Bat, because his father used that poem to break his stutter.
Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, and Fred Willard in “Back To You”
The Fox Network premiered “Back To You” on Wednesday, 19 September 2007 at 8 PM. The show’s competition was the new sitcom “Pushing Daisies” on ABC, the reality show “Kid Nation” on CBS, and the game show “Deal or No Deal” on NBC. None of the shows broke into the top 30 shows for the year.
Unfortunately, production on “Back To You” was halted on November 6, 2007, due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The show went on hiatus on November 14, after seven episodes had aired. It returned on Tuesday February 26, 2008, at 9:30 PM. The show aired the remainder of its 17 episodes through the spring and into the summer.
After the show was cancelled by Fox, the comedy was shopped around for a new home, at Grammer's request, and CBS was interested in picking up the comedy for a second season. However, Grammer was already searching for a new show, and ABC had given him some new projects. (One was an overseas remake of “Roman's Empire,” which failed to be picked up, and another was “Hank”: which premiered fall 2009, but was cancelled after five episodes). Patricia Heaton also was interested in an ABC project (“The Middle,” which also premiered in fall 2009 and lasted for nine seasons, until May 2018). As a result, “Back to You” was never renewed.
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Posted: |
May 22, 2020 - 10:44 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Over the 11-season run of the television sitcom “Modern Family” (2009-2020), Fred Willard made 14 appearances as “Frank Dunphy,” the father of Ty Burrell’s character “Phil Dunphy.”
Ty Burrell had also been a co-star on the “Back To You” television series along with Fred Willard. (Burrell had played “Gary Crezyzewski,” one of the television station’s field reporters.) The creators of “Back To You”, Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, also created “Modern Family.” So, when it came time to cast “Phil Dunphy”’s father, Fred Willard was one of the first people they considered.
In 2010, Willard received an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He lost to Neil Patrick Harris in “Glee.”
Ty Burrell, Sarah Hyland, Julie Bowen, Fred Willard, Rico Rodriguez, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed O'Neill, and Eric Stonestreet in “Modern Family”
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