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The Worst SNL Films

Until they stop making money, film studios will continue to put out horrible comedies. But one man should no longer have any credibility in Hollywood, and that’s Lorne Michaels. MacGruber hit theaters last weekend with its foot already in the grave, grossing only 4 million dollars.

Is anyone surprised? How did Michaels think this was a good idea? Then again, look at how many other awful flops he came out with: It’s Pat. Stuart Saves His Family. The Ladies’ Man. Rockstar. All of these movies were awful and I’m fairly certain they didn’t make much, if any, money.

Michaels had a hit with the Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World (and I believe that Wayne’s World is highly overrated, but he’s been hanging onto those for a few decades now.

Hollywood, Michaels is a man who had a good idea to make Saturday Night Live, drafted many talented people, but he, himself is no comic genius. Please revoke his movie-making card.

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Larry David Interview

Larry David is perhaps one of the most brilliant minds on television. Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm are classic shows. But what’s it like to talk to him?

I’ve gotta say, it’s not that exciting. Sure, he writes a good show, but he’s just as boring in real life as you’d think he’d be. He didn’t know the answers to lots of questions, didn’t seem interested in lots of things, had no opinions on pop culture. He was only moderately funny during the interview.

But that’s actually what I expected. He’s not exactly Robin Williams. I asked him when Curb is coming to syndication. He said, “I don’t know, September?” Who’s picking it up, Larry? “I’m not sure.”

Others asked him about movies, the late night show controversy, and television, and he had nothing interesting to say. He didn’t even say much interesting about his own show, actors he’s worked with, or odd stories from behind the scenes. He gets along with Susie Essman off-screen. Big surprise. I still got an article out of it.

Anyway, Larry is still a television hero of mine, but I did indeed curb my enthusiasm for this interview.

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Missing Jim Henson

I remember where I was 20 years ago when I heard Jim Henson had passed away. I was still in middle school, only 14 years old, and I was at my Aunt’s house. I also vividly remember Sammy Davis Jr. dying on the same day, though he didn’t have anywhere close to the influence over my generation the way Henson did.

Naturally, I was upset. Henson was only 53 years old. What he accomplished, particularly with Sesame Street, is a phenomenon that will last for decades.

Considering what the Muppets have been through over the last 20 years, however, I’m not so certain they will have the lasting impact beyond these generations, though they’re really trying. Perhaps I’ll be wrong, but not since the original Muppet Show and the first three Muppet films have they really made a splash on pop culture. Getting the Webby Award for Bohemian Rhapsody is hardly a major step forward.

It makes you wonder what else Henson would have done had he lived. Certainly, the company wouldn’t have been sold to a German business a while back (though I believe the return sale proved to be money-making). Certainly Henson wouldn’t have approved of Pepe the King Prawn being added to the mix. Perhaps the Dark Crystal II would’ve already been made, as well as other imaginative movies like Labyrinth.

One thing is for sure. It’s been 20 years and I’m still mourning his loss.

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Avoid the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston S.C.

The highlight of the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, S.C.

Over the weekend I went to the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, S.C. This is a place where slaves used to work for rich, white southerners. And let me tell you, despite a cover charge of $15 a person, and $7 extra for each tour, I’m betting the place looked a lot better back then than it does now.

It has vast network of gardens to walk through… that looks like walking along the paths in the woods near my house. Very few flowers, unkempt statues, and weeds. It has a conservatory… with a bunch of weeds. It has a hedge maze, like in The Shining… that hasn’t been trimmed in months. It has a petting zoo… which I found to be the highlight.

So, we came to experience Southern history and get a look at a place that once housed slaves, and someone is clearly taking the money and rolling around in it because they certainly aren’t putting it back into turning the place into something that it worth seeing. Even the slaves are rolling in their graves at what’s going on there.

Avoid the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, S.C. at all costs.

 

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Dinner With a 9th Degree Black Belt

I had dinner tonight with one of the most interesting people I’ve met in a long while. His name is Albert Cheeks and he’s a 9th degree black belt, a former international fighter and a member of the Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame. He studied under my instructor’s instructor, Master Ki Whang Kim.

I’ve been hearing about this guy for the 16 years I’ve been taking martial arts and finally got to meet him. He told us stories about Ki Whang Kim, a martial arts legend as well, about disrespecting Bruce Lee, about Chuck Norris, and many others. I listened intently, amazed at just about everything he said.

If you ever get a chance to have dinner, or even a conversation with a decorated martial artist, particularly one who has been around for many years, buy him a drink and don’t miss the opportunity. You’re sure to hear great stories.