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Missing Gary Coleman

There are moments in all of our lives when we see an opportunity, perhaps the only opportunity we’ll ever have, and we miss it for some reason. One of those moments for me was to meet Gary Coleman, the actor I grew up watching on Diff’erent Strokes. Back in April 2009, the Gunaxin crew went to New York for the Midgets vs. Mascots premier at the Tribeca Film Festival. Gary and his wife came to the pre-party. Gary had a horrible scowl on his face and looked to be in pain. His wife, Shannon, was listening to her iPod. Gary put his head on the table and didn’t talk to anyone.

I approached them. I asked Shannon if Gary was okay. She nodded and asked if I wanted my photo taken with him. Seeing him squirming on the table, I said no because he didn’t look to be in any mood or condition for a photo.

I wish I had gotten my photo taken with him but at the same time, there was no way I would’ve even suggested that in that circumstance. He didn’t attend the movie and instead flew back to Utah.

Now, he’s dead. Rest in peace, Gary. You were a true talent.

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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.