Sunday, June 28, 2009

Correction

Tim Dunleavy writes...

I read your pal Bob Ingersoll's take on the recent Guys and Dolls revival, and I agree with what he wrote — although I found the delightful performances by Lauren Graham and Craig Bierko partially redeemed the production. But I must point out one error in his review. He wrote: "[Oliver] Platt was actually taller than Kearran Giovanni, the actor who played Big Jule." In fact, Kearran Giovanni is a lovely African-American woman who appeared in the ensemble; she was one of the Hot Box Girls, and also played the role of "Carmen." (No, I don't remember which role is Carmen, either.) Big Jule was actually played by Glenn Fleshler — although, at the performance I attended, the role was played by his understudy, William Ryall. (Ryall, incidentally is taller than Platt, and was appropriately intimidating in the role.) I can see how Bob made the mistake — Giovanni and Fleshler's names are one line away from each other on the cast list page of the Playbill.

I don't think that's how he got them wrong. Here...take a look at these two people...


Kearran Giovanni		Glenn Fleshler

See? Almost identical. Matter of fact, I'm not even certain that I haven't mixed up their photos.

My apologies (and I'm sure, Bob's) to Ms. Giovanni and Mr. Fleshler. And as I was formatting the above to post, a fellow named John Platen wrote to say he also saw the same production and thought the company was wonderful; that the problems were just in the casting of Mr. Platt and in the director (or whoever) doing things different just for the sake of doing things different. Like I said: Wish I'd seen it.

• Posted at 7:16 PM · LINK

Foray for Foray

Left to right: Joe Barbera, Walter Lantz, Don Messick, Daws Butler, June Foray and Bill Hanna.

Now, here's something you don't see every day, Chauncey: Six legends from the world of animation, all together in one photograph. We have three great producers (Joe, Walter and Bill) and three great voice actors (Don, Daws and June) and they sure don't make 'em like that anymore.

And before I forget...there's something nicely characteristic of the way Hanna and Barbera are dressed. Bill Hanna always looked like he was running a factory (and I guess he was) and Joe Barbera always looked like he was about to go out on a date (quite possible). This was taken in Barbera's office...I'd say around 1986 and no, I have no idea why all these people were there together.

This photo may or may not appear in June Foray's autobiography, which I mentioned here earlier today. What I didn't mention was that (a) Earl Kress and I are helping her assemble it and (b) it goes to press this coming week. It just this minute occurred to me to ask here if anyone has any fabulous photos that oughta be in June's book...preferably high-resolution photos that she's in or which feature shots of characters she voiced. Do you have anything like that? If so, drop me a line a.s.a.p. Might get you thanked in the book. Might even get you a free copy autographed by June.

• Posted at 4:18 PM · LINK

Oh, I'm Glad I'm Not an Oscar Statue Winner...

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced another change in the Oscar ceremony. They're going to set up a separate, non-televised ceremony each November at which they'll present the special Oscars — the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and any Honorary Awards they see fit to bestow. These honors will be mentioned on the telecast but that's about it: A quick mention.

Rough translation: We just realized that those awards usually don't help the movie studios promote current product so there's no point in wasting valuable television time on them...plus the recipients are usually old and we don't want people on the Oscars who are old and aren't Jack Nicholson or Clint Eastwood. Oh and by the way, is it possible to get some hotter celebs into that boring Death Montage?

• Posted at 10:09 AM · LINK

Billy Mays, R.I.P.

Yow. It looks like the guy with that website is going to have to find someone else to sell it to.

Well, at least Abe is still with us.

• Posted at 9:38 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link

It seems like months since Ed McMahon died but it was actually only two celebrity deaths ago...three, if you count the lead singer of The Seeds. Here's a tribute that ran on Conan O'Brien's version of The Tonight Show. I think you'll have to watch a brief commercial before it plays but that's only fitting. Ed did a lot of commercials...

• Posted at 1:10 AM · LINK

Coming Soon...Sooner Than You Think...

It's about time for my annual joke about how if you want to get a parking space for the Comic-Con International in San Diego, you'd better leave now. Hard to believe it's — what? — like twenty-six days away? Didn't we just do this, week before last?

I will, as usual, be hosting more than a dozen panels. They'll include one where Marv Wolfman and I mercilessly grill the great comic book artist Gene Colan about his work, and another where Marv and creators who shaped comics in the seventies will be grilled by me. There'll be a panel with the last three surviving Golden Age Batman artists where they'll discuss what it was like to be Bob Kane. The annual Golden and Silver Age Panel will feature Ramona Fradon, Leonard Starr, Gene Colan, Russ Heath, Jack Katz, Jerry Robinson and Murphy Anderson. If you read comics before 1970, I'll bet several of your favorite artists are on that list.

Sergio Aragonés and I will do our annual panel which usually consists of us explaining why no Groo has come out lately. But this year, we actually have several Groo projects heading to press so that'll be a nice change. Sergio, Scott Shaw! and Disney Legend Floyd Norman will be competing in our annual game of Quick Draw! on Saturday morning...and I don't have to plug that one because we always fill the room and turn hundreds away.

My pal Earl Kress and I will be hosting a buncha panels about Cartoon Voice acting. Among the vocal thespians who've agreed to participate this year are Bill Farmer, Charlie Adler, Laraine Newman, Greg Cipes, Susan Silo, James Arnold Taylor, Vanessa Marshall, Tom Kane, Hank Garrett and everyone's favorite TV legend, Chuck McCann. There are a few more names I should be able to announce soon. On Sunday afternoon, we'll have our special panel for wanna-be voice actors with one or two casting directors, an agent or two, a couple of actors...and a lot of free info that some coaches will charge you a fortune to hear.

I'll be introducing one of my heroes, the great Stan Freberg, along with his spectacular spouse-partner, Hunter. And Earl and I will be hosting a spotlight on the First Lady of Cartoon Voicing, June Foray.

In fact, this is a good place to announce that June's long-awaited autobiography should be published in time for the Comic-Con. If you ever loved Rocky & Bullwinkle or any of the countless animated classics in which June starred, you're going to want to buy a copy and get her to sign it. A few people have already told me this is at the top of their "must-do" list.

And I'm involved in a few other events which you'll learn about when the full schedule is posted in a few weeks. Whether you attend my panels or not, I suggest you study the schedule when it's up and jot down a list of what you want to see and when it is. Every con, I hear a lot of whining that includes the phrase, "I didn't know about it until it was too late." I'm getting to the point where I tend to reply with some snide remark that includes the phrase, "Tough toenails, fella. You should have studied the schedule."

I'll nag you again about this before the convention begins. But I won't be able to nag much. Twenty-six days. Good grief.

• Posted at 12:18 AM · LINK

June 29, 2009 • Current • June 27, 2009