I've been feeling a little mimzy...

I've been hearing about The Last Mimzy for a while. They had a special screening at Sundance, and a lot of people have been talking about it since it was directed by Bob Shaye, the founder and co-chairman of New Line. So yesterday I finally got a chance to see it. The Last Mimzy tells the story of siblings Noah and Emma, (who live in Seattle, a mere three hours from Portland!!!), who find a box of strange, magical toys that might actually be more than playthings. Their parents are played by Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Rainn Wilson, (The Office's Dwight Schrute), plays Noah's science teacher who gets caught up in the mystery.

The first thing that struck me about the film was that it's basically Donnie Darko for kids, (complete with a mysterious rabbit, though this bunny's a lot cuter). It deals with similar issues of time warps and the universe, and it's fun to try to put the pieces together. String theorist Brian Greene, served as a consultant on the film and even plays a bit part. The whole cast is great, especially the two kids who pretty much carry the whole film. The effects were pretty impressive, and really blended in seamlessly. The Last Mimzy seems a litte less thought out than Donnie Darko, though. There are a number of loose ends that just don't seem to come together by the end, (which might have something to do with the fact that the screenplay went through five different writers and nineteen drafts). There are also a number of product placements and brand mentions which really stick out like sore thumbs in the semi-fantasy world of the movie. All in all, I did enjoy it. And I can't help but wonder what the kids in the audience were thinking. Did they understand all the science stuff? Was it too scary? Either way, that girl and her bunny are so darn cute...

I love Paul Rudd, but...

I saw the movie Diggers, earlier this week. Haven't heard of it? Neither had I. It stars Paul Rudd, Maura Tierny, Lauren Ambrose, Sarah Paulson, and Ken Marino, (of Wet Hot American Summer fame, who also wrote this film), and imdb describes it as:

A coming-of-age story about four working-class friends growing up in Long Island, New York, as clam diggers. Their fathers were clam diggers as well as their grandfathers before them.

Sounds a little boring? Well, it is. There are definitely funny parts, but the ragtag clam-digging buddies, (the druggy, the ladies man, the angry husband/father, and the quiet artistic, depressed one), seem a little stereotypical and one-note. Plus, Paul Rudd's character talks to himself too much. There are a few fun and memorable scenes, but those are too few and far between. There's also a background story of the "big business" clam conglomerate taking business from the "little guy" clam digger, which comes across as a little tired and rehashed.

Apparently, David Wain was supposed to direct Diggers, but then Stella got picked up on Comedy Central and he had to back out. I wonder how it would have been different if he had been in the helm...

Also, I saw a great TV show on Food Network last night- Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. I wouldn't regularly watch this stuff, but this was a very special episode from Portland, OR. They had some beautiful city shots, showcased a few great spots, and even featured a restaurant that's down the street from my house. I even recognized a friend of mine sitting in the background of a shot.

The quest for a high-five sponsor continues. The folks at Saturn are passing the idea around... I guess that's better than a "no."

Croonchy Stars: The Return?

In the late 1980s, Jim Henson and Post teamed up to create a new cereal inspired by the Swedish Chef. To jog your memory:


So they came up with this cereal called Croonchy Stars, which were basically these little cinammony, slightly-sweetened, stars. The cereal itself was great and I remember the box being especially awesome with lots of games and jokes. But within a year or so the cereal was gone from the shelves, never to be eaten again... or was it?

Recently I came upon this Dora the Explorer Cereal in the supermarket and noted the similarities in size and shape. Both cereals had small yellowish stars, (although the Dora cereal has a hole through the center of the star). So I bought a box, and sure enough, it was also slightly-sweetened with a cinnamon flavor. Generals Mills makes this cereal though, so it doesn't seem possible that it's the same recipe, but it is definitely very similar.


Any one else want to conduct a taste-test of their own?

Misc...

Why is it that when there's re-runs of everything else, there's still a new episode of Scrubs. I guess it's one of those mysteries that no one ever really understands... Or maybe they just have a weird production schedule.

Lots of people have been calling to have us cover The Last Mimzy. I don't know much about, (because I don't want to spoil it before I see it), but I do know that Rainn Wilson's in it. It looks like I'll see it sometime next week, and then I'll probably be interviewing Rainn. I wonder if he'll remember me from our interview two years ago? I think I may have been the first journalist to interview the cast of The Office. It was a few months before the show even launched. We were also so young and naive back then...

In high-five news, I'm still on the quest for someone to sponsor a high-five tour of the US. Any takers? I sent a proposal to Saturn yesterday, (the cars, not the planet), though I haven't heard back yet.

Current loves us again...

Well, I hope they do. It looks like they want to air our Ira Glass interview from Sundance. There's a rough cut of the abridged interview up on their site now. You should go over there, (by clicking here), and give us a "greenlight" to show your support. We'll add some nice transitions and pretty b-roll before it actually gets on the air, but you can get an idea...

I was pretty happy with last night's Lost episode. There wasn't that much new information but they did introduce some cool twists and I actually like the light-hearted stories they've been doing with Hurley and Sawyer. Thoughts?

Just When You Thought Things Couldn't Get Any More Official...

Wow. That was sort of a long blog title. To be honest, I thought of a few ways I might shorten it, but I thought it would lose a lot of the panache that way. After being separated from my certificate for a few weeks, we've been reunited and it's now hanging up in the living room. Now, any and all visitors to the apartment will immediately know that they're in the living space of a Guinness World Record Holder. I'm still on the look out for a high-five tour sponsor. So far I haven't heard a anything from Hershey's and Take 5. I also tried to contact Burt's Bees, because I thought it might be a cool tie-in for their hand salve. I was reluctant to believe it at first, but after an hour of intensive high-fiving my hand got quite raw and sore. Enter their hand salve and in a few minutes my hand's as good as new. But no word from Burt... Some other people have suggested Hi-C, Toyota, Best Western and other travel-related companies for sponsors. Anyone have an uncle/aunt/cousin/neighbor at one of their ad agencies? And for those of who are wondering when I'll get tired of this- I won't. When it comes to high fives, I'm truly indefatigable.

In other news, Rob Cordry's new sitcom, The Winner, premiered on Sunday. I felt sort of mixed on the first two episodes that aired. While there were some funny moments, the incessant laugh track was so irritating that it only made everything a little less funny. There were some original ideas and characters, but it there were also a lot of sitcomy jokes that fell flat. It's almost as though they took a unique idea and then awkwardly shoved it into the mold of a sitcom. If that's the case, then these TV execs really have to start being less pervicacious. Rob Cordry was always one of the nice ones when I was interning at The Daily Show, so I'll give it a few more tries. Did you watch it? Any thoughts? I mean, I don't want to start a donnybrook, but tell me what you thought.

There's a lot of stuff in the works now- both C&Q related and otherwise. Nothing definite to report yet, but you just wait...

Flossin' Friday

I'm all about the "blast from the past" these days, so here's another clip from the C&Q archives. Watch as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Boaz chats and flosses with Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy.




Did you notice how Eugene wasn't interested in flossing, while Sam Jackson went for it? Anyone have any thoughtful conclusions?

Did Tucker give up?

This is already sort of old news, but a while ago Tucker Carlson got rid of his bowtie. We intervied Tucker over a year ago, and back then he had a very different attitude about the fashion accessory. He essentially implied that by not wearing the bowtie anymore, he would be giving up. So did he give up? You can be the judge...



Thoughts? Comments?

Warning: Very High Cute Factor

This might just be the cutest thing you've seen in a long time. And I'm not talking puppy and kitten cute, I'm talking seriously cute.

It's been a sticky ride...

On October 3rd 2006, I bought a four pound jar of peanut butter, and today I finally finished it. I kept track of every time I opened that jar, and wrote down a tally in marker on the side of the jar. In the approximately four-and-a-half months it took me to finish it, I used that peanut butter for twenty-three sandwiches as well as thirty-six straight spoonfuls. That adds up to fifty-nine servings from one jar, narrowly beating the recommended 57 servings listed on the label. In honor of the occasion, here's someone else's tribute to one of my favorite food items:

High Five Tour?

Call me crazy, but I've got dreams of becoming a professional high-fiver. I think I'm well on my way with the Guinness World Record and all, but now I want to go on a high-five tour of the US. The only problem is funding, so I've been trying to appeal to some companies who could sponsor the tour. One of my first thoughts was Take 5, the Hershey's candy bar. Not only is it a delicious snack, but there's nothing like sitting down with that salty/sweet treat after a long day of high-fiving. Plus, the whole 5 thing- High 5, Take 5- you get it. I've sent them a proposal, but no word yet. Anyone work at Hershey's? Or for an ad agency? Or does anyone know of another company who would be interested in sponsoring a high-five tour? Let me know...

I Think I ________ This Movie

I saw Chris Rocks's new film yesterday, I Think I Love My Wife. First off, I always wonder why actors feel the need to direct and star in their own movie- can't they share the riches? Do they really think no one could do the job as well?

Either way, the movie wasn't that great. Rock plays Richard Cooper, who's been married for eight years, (and has two cute kids), and now finds his eyes wandering to other woman... a lot. He strikes up a "friendship" with Nikki, (an old acquaintance), which at some points seems just like a friendship and other times seems like a little more. It's irritating for me to watch a character doing something wrong when they, in fact, know its wrong and are asking the same questions I am. Or maybe Chris Rock just couldn't pull it off... He was pretty funny at points, although his frequent narration was definitely not necessary and just took me out of the story. There were fun and interesting parts though, and Steve Buscemi plays a great supporting character...

Two mediocre movies in two days is a bit much. I think I'm ready for a break now. Pretty good episode of Lost last night, and I'm looking forward to The Office tonight. Even though The Office cast member Rashida Jones rejected our invitation to be a guest on Clips & Quips. Her loss...

The newest movie you've seen ten times before...

Last night I saw Lion's Gate new film, Pride, starring Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, and Tom Arnold. It tells the all-too-classic story of a group of poor African American kids growing up in a rough neighborhood of Philadelphia in the 1970s. Their future's aren't looking too bright until Jim Ellis, (played by Howard), gets a job at their soon-to-be-condemned rec center and starts teaching them to swim. And then everything starts looking up for this rag-tag group of youngsters which, (of course), includes the shrimpy stuttering kid who's always the butt of the joke, the cocky know-it-all, and the tough guy who barely knows how to read, (spoiler: in a stirring moment near the end of the film he picks up a novel and starts reading). After many gruelling swim practices, (where we question whether Coach Ellis is being too tough- was that 100 laps really necessary?), some encounters with racism that make them look adversity in the face, (Tom Arnold plays the jerky coach of a competing team), and even finding their own repeatable mantra, ("This is our house!"), they somehow save the doomed rec center and find their way to the big regional swim tournament. And then when everything seems to be going well, the screenwriters, (or at least one of them- there are four listed in the credits), suddenly remember that they still need to get another fifteen minutes out of the movie, so they throw in a sudden out-of-character brawl, (which includes a brief but neat underwater fight), that takes a few minutes to resolve. Every once in a while, they also remembered to sneak in bits and pieces of a love story between Coach Ellis and one of his swimmer's older sister. It all seems to be going well as they share a piece of cake, but then she gets uncharacteristically mad, but then seemingly forgets about it in the following scene. I guess that's just how love works sometime... It's also tough to miss the often overwrought score which goes out of its way to hi-light the hopeful, triumphant, and tear-jerker moments to ensure you don't miss them.

So would I recommend this one? Well, maybe if you haven't see Coach Carter, Lean on Me, Stand & Deliver, Dangerous Minds, Take the Lead, or one of the other countless inspirational coach/teacher movies then this will be new and exciting fare for you, otherwise...

And this movie is also "inspired by trues events," although I have a hard time believing that anything in the real world is truly this cliche. I might get to interview the cast and the real Jim Ellis next week- I'll figure out what the real story is and keep you posted.

A trip down memory lane...

So I thought it was time to take a look back at the premiere episode of the epic series, The Adventures of Mr. Kazoo. It turned out not to be so epic after all, since there were only six episodes. But you never know, there might be more Mr. Kazoo yet.



Some behind the scenes commentary:

• At one point Mr. Kazoo had pipe cleaner arms, but I ripped them off before filming this episode. You can still see the remnants of hot glue on his back.

• All of Mr. Kazoo's dialogue was dubbed in afterwards.

• If you look closely, you'll see a colonial picture of Boaz and his roomates on the wall as Evan sticks his head out of the kitchen.


Anyone have ideas for a future episode?

My Biggest Visitor

Today my trio of bird feeders welcomed their largest visitor yet. Okay- to be totally honest the bird didn't actually eat from the feeders, but it eyed them for a while and then came back again for another visit a few minutes later.

Toy Fair Revisited

So I was in the area yesterday, and I had some time on my hands, and I realized I may have been a little harsh on my first assessment... so I decided to return to the Toy Fair and give it another go. I think I was a little more patient this time, and without the weight of camera/audio equipment I was feeling unemcumbered and ready to play.

As a fan of bouncy balls, I'm always on the lookout for advancements in the field. There are sooo many "high bounce" balls on the market, but if you give some of these balls a test bounce you'll realize that it's far from the truth. Then I met Santron, who works for Rocket USA, and he introduced me to their Spikee Brand Bouncy Balls.
Not only does the spike texture give it a pleasurable hold, but with a good strong bounce this ball will easily go over six feet. It's not the highest bouncer I've seen, but paired with the additional textured feature and glow in the dark abilities, I'd rank this one pretty high.

I think the coolest collection of products this year was at the Fred & Friends booth. These guys used to be strictly in the toy business, (making some of the best stretchy lizards, snakes, and body parts around), but a few years ago they expanded into the adult market making home products and other fun things. Everything they make is beautifull designed, from their manhole cover mats to the high heel door stop to colorful animal oven mitts, and that's just the beginning. They don't sell to consumer's directly, but you can find most of their stuff at perpetualkids.com or you can use their store locator to find a location near you.

The most secretive thing I saw at the Toy Fair was probably at the Basic Fun booth. They're coming out with a line of Transformers products to coincide with the premiere of the new movie this summer. They keep all the prototypes for the Transformers toys in a back room because the movie people don't want pictures of the characters to get out. I got a special tour though, and now I know what they look like. So what do they look like? Transformery, I guess... Basic Fun also makes Pontiki, these cool little geometric pieces that you can put together to make all sorts of creatures. It's sort of like Mr. Potato Head for older people, (nothing against the potato). I've always sort of wanted to get one, but they're pretty expensive. The woman I spoke to at Basic Fun said they sell them to retailers for $3.00, so it must be the retailers marking the price up.

There are always a lot of people with board games at the Toy Fair, but most of them usually seem pretty lame. But one board game stands out like a beacon in a sea of lameness. That game is Controversy, developed by the nice guys at NY Game Factory. It's an action-packed game full of discussion, persuasion, and fun. So maybe I'm a little biased since I participated in an early test trial of the game, but it's awesome- trust me.

And I'll end with the most impressive product of the day. This truly blew my mind, and still impresses me everytime I see it in action. They're called ZeeBeez:
It looks sort of like those little rubber half spheres that you flip inside-out and set on the counter until they pop up when you least expect them- but it's sooo much more. Zeebeez start the same way, you flip it inside out, but then you hold onto this little yellow peg and give it a slight spin as you drop it. It hits the floor with a loud pop, and then shoots up astonishingly quickly to a height of at least six feet. I can't even explain it, but it's amazing. I'm not sure where they're available yet, but if you're in the NY area you should stop by my apartment so you can try it for yourself. If that wasn't cool enough, it was invented by Oregonian Steve Walterscheid, who after licensing his ideas to other companies for years is starting off on his own with Zing Toys.

So there you go, a slightly less jaded report from the Toy Fair. Questions? Comments? Want to schedule as appointment to test Zeebeez?

Toy Fair '07

So here it is, the clip from this year's Toy Fair. Watch out for electrocution, a life size buffalo, and a special cameo appearance that even we didn't see coming...



So Howie Mandel just randomly came over during our Rubik's Cube challenge. I've never watched Deal Or No Deal for more than a minute or so, but I didn't tell him that.


Questions? Comments?

In case you've wondered...

A lot of people ask me what I would like if I were a candy-coated chocolate, and for the longest time I didn't know what to tell them. But now I finally have an answer. After some lengthy research and thanks to recent scientific progress, I am able to present the following to you:

And what would Evan look like?

Any other questions?

Toy Fair sounds a lot more fun than it is...

Every year Toy Fair ends up being a dissapointment, and this year wasn't much of an exception. Not only is everybody suspicious of everyone stealing their ideas, but you'd be hard-pressed to find many new or exciting things. Typically, these toy manufacturers take something that was already popular and then they add lights or a beeping noise and call it "new and improved." This year they added lights and noise to the Rubik's Cube and called it Rubik's Revolution. I didn't actually play with it, so perhaps it really is revolutionary and cool.

I was happy to see our buddies from Pass the Pigs, (which is one of my top five favorite games in the world). They distribute the classic Rubik's Cube too, and to demonstrate it thay had a guy who could solve it in mere minutes while blindfolded. That was pretty impressive. They also had "the real" Mr. Moneybags from Monopoly at their booth. If you look at the picture above, you'll see a polaroid of the two of us. I also played a new fun game by the makers of Apples to Apples, but that one won't be out until summer. The Toy Fair clip should be up soon, though it's been tough to get work done here with all the construction going on in the apartment upstairs. The noise is deafening and has been pretty consistent for the past few hours. I think I'm going crazy.

One more Sundance thought... about brownies

We didn't check out much swag at Sundance this year, but of the few things we did look at, many of them were food related. I sampled my way through caviar and Kazakh vodka, but the one thing that really stood out were Mary Louise Butters Brownies. Yes, that's a real name, and I met the real Mary Louise Butters. She's a friendly Texan, and she makes some of the best brownies I've ever tasted. She got twelve different flavors of brownies, plus she uses the edges and other odd pieces to put together bags of "Brownie Butts." Of all the ones I tasted, I think the Zen brownie is my favorite- it has little bits of crystalized ginger in it. She even makes a line of brownie related apparel. So check her out, and tell her that Boaz sent you. Then maybe she'll send me more brownies...

Toy Fair '07

It's Toy Fair time again, when almost two thousand toy manufacturers move into the Javitz Center for a week to show off their wares. Then toy store owners, packagers, distributors, and other toy industry folk make their way from booth to booth trying to make deals. It sounds exciting, just the prospect of putting these words- "toy" and "fair"- together in one exhibit hall, sounds like an instant party. But that's where you're wrong. Toy Fair is not nearly as fun as it sounds. It is first and foremost a business event. They don't even allow anyone under 18 in the exhibit halls. Also, every single toy manufacturer is nervous and constantly paranoid that another toy manufacturer will steal their idea. So it's a huge building full of toys you can't play with, and people who are wary to talk to you. A lot of toys are still in the prototype phase, which means that they're behind glass and not in your hands. Still, there is some fun to be had. This will be my fourth year, (I think), and we always manage to find some fun, (and often crazy), people, as well as some cool new toys. And if we're on our best behavior, we even get some free stuff. Evan and I will be hitting the Toy Fair on Sunday, but first let's take a trip down memory lane to Toy Fair '06 when a bright eyed and unbearded Boaz checked out the latest toys:


In Wikipedia news today, my article is not only still there, but it's been wikified!

Wikified

It's official. I now have an entry on Wikipedia. I almost feel like a new man, like I'm finally a "somebody." Nothing can stop me now- unless Wikipedia deletes the entry. Apparently, that can happen if they deem it unworthy. And the article still needs to be wikified, whatever that means. The author of the article is still anonymous, or at least they haven't come forward to claim their kazoo gift basket. If/when they do decide to disclose themselves, they will be welcomed and recognized like royalty on this blog.

Wikipedia & Birds

So, I'm still wiki-less, in case anyone was wondering. But, whatever- it's not like I care or anything. On the bright side, a few birds have finally started coming to my feeder.

This morning I counted three dark eyed juncos. The feeders, (yes, plural- i have three of them), have been up since the first week in October, but it took over three and a half months for the first bird to show. Even the squirrels were ignoring my feeders. Suddenly, working from home is a lot less lonely.

On the C&Q horizon, it looks like we're finally getting an interview with The Shins, (not only a great band, but they live in Portland, OR too). That's scheduled for March when they come east for their tour, but I'm already looking forward to it.

Also, you may have forgotten, so I'll repeat it again- I, Boaz Frankel, still do not have a wikipedia entry. Anyway, I'm sure you all have busy days so I'll let you go...

Feeling wikidenied...

I'm just going to come out and say it. I really want a wikipedia entry. If you look to your left, you'll see that I am included in the List of Famous Portlanders, (which is nice and all), but you'll see that my name is in red which means that there is no corresponding entry. I'm not one of those people who's going to register just so I can write my own entry, but I will bring the issue up in this public forum. Now I'm not recommending anything here, but if someone were inspired to write an entry on me then I might just be inspired to send them a gift basket of kazoos and board games. That's all I'm saying... And there are lots of fun things that could be included in said entry. Some wikipedia-worthy accomplishments of mine:

• Broke the Guinness World Record for "most high-fives in an hour"
• Co-created and hosted Mega-Sucessful-Web-Show, Clips & Quips
• Revolutionized the world of kazooing by having the first kazoo-sponsored TV show
• Taught Peter Sarsgaard to play kazoo and Sarah Silverman to play dreidel
• Appeared on the very short-lived WB reality show, Studio 7

Well, those are the only things that come to mind, but with a little flowery writing and some well-placed quotes I think that could make a nice paragraph. I guess that's all I've got for now. So what are you up to? What's that? You have some time on your hands and you're not sure what to do with it? Hmmm...

Reno 911

I haven't really watched Reno 911 on Comedy Central, except for a few minutes here and there. It takes a lot for a tv show to hook me, and I guess those few minutes of the show didn't do it. Last week I went to a screening of the new feature film, Reno 911!: Miami. I didn't know what to expect, but within a few minutes I was laughing out loud. It was hilarious, featured lots of explosions, and there were some awesome cameos. It seems like everybody from The State is in it for at least a scene too. Our buddies from The Ten, David Wain and Ken Marino appear briefly, and Paul Rudd plays a supporting character. The film was totally ridiculous, and although it may not be at an Anchorman level, it's not that far away. I'd definitely recommend this, and hopefully we'll get some interviews with some of the cast too. I'll keep you posted.

Our Sundance Buddies

I tried to post this before through my cell phone, but I don't think it worked. So better late than ever. Here are some Sundance staff members with their new Furilla friends. These guys helped us get tickets to all the films. Without them, well, we wouldn't have seen a lot of movies...

This American Clip (& Quip): The Ira Glass Interview

One of my favorite parts of Sundance was sitting down with Ira Glass to talk about the upcoming This American Life television series on Showtime. It was a little jarring at first, sitting next to a voice that I've been hearing for so long on the radio, but he was so easy and fun to talk to. We ended up chatting for about twenty minutes, and due to viewer suggestions, I've decided to keep it mostly unedited. So here it is - in two acts - my interview with Ira Glass.

Act I:

Act II:

Questions? Comments? Let me know. The lines are open...

The Ten: A Tangential Adventure

I'm not even sure if calling this an "interview" is an appropriate thing to do. David Wain, Ken Marino, Paul Rudd, and I cover a lot of topics though the movie isn't really one of them. But we did play a little Zobmondo, which is an awesome game I discovered a few summers ago. It's perfect for interviews because the game is based around "would you rather" questions. You can check out the game and get your own copy at zobmondo.com. Interviewing them was fun though, and The Ten did find a distributor during Sundance. It will be out in theatres this summer. First, a little about the film:

The Ten Commandments have been a cornerstone of our society for nearly one hundred years. Whether it's taking a Sunday off or not murdering someone, many of us follow the Ten Commandments every day, without even knowing it.

THE TEN is David Wain's (WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER) hilarious, irreverent, and borderline offensive take on the tales that shape our lives...

- A guy (ADAM BRODY) who becomes an accidental hero after falling out of a plane
- A librarian (GRETCHEN MOL) who has a sexual awakening in Mexico with a swarthy local (JUSTIN THEROUX)
- A doctor (KEN MARINO) who kills his patients "as a goof"
- A police detective (LIEV SCHREIBER) who covets his neighbor's Cat Scan machine
- A mother (KERRI KENNEY-SILVER) who enlists an Arnold Schwarzenneger impersonator (OLIVER PLATT) to be a father figure to her children
- A prisoner (ROB CORDDRY) who covets his fellow inmate's "wife"
- A woman (WINONA RYDER) who falls in love with, and then steals a ventriloquist's puppet
- A Rhinoceros who learns the pitfalls of gossip
- A husband (A. D. MILES) who skips church with his family to get naked with his friends and listen to Roberta Flack

Jeff Reigert (PAUL RUDD) presents all of these stories to the audience, while struggling with his own moral dilemma: having to choose between his beautiful wife (FAMKE JANSSEN) and his also beautiful but somewhat younger mistress (JESSICA ALBA).

And now, the clip:

There's even more Sundance...

First up, here's a picture of me presenting a Furilla to Chris Klein. I talked to Chris about The Good Life, a film he was in that was written and directed by skateboarding star Steve Berra. To be totally honest, the interview wasn't that interesting, but I'll put it up eventually. Later today though, I'll put up my interview with the guys behind The Ten- David Wain, (director and co-writer), Ken Marino, (co-writer and actor), and Paul Rudd, (producer and actor). It's probably the most tangential interview I've ever done and I don't think we even talked much about the movie. There is some good conversation about sedated lions and Bo Derek though, so you can look forward to that...

The Go-Getter: The Hugfest

Here it is- the interview with Martin Hynes, (the director), and Jena Malone, (the actress). We sort of dive right into talking about the film, so here's a short description of The Go-Getter from the Sundance guide:

Left with an aching instinctual itch to explore America after a traumatic loss, a curious teenager named Mercer suddenly steals a car in Oregon and develops a life-altering telephonic connection with the forgiving and mysterious girl he took it from. As he sets out with her phone calls as guidance, Mercer's motives find focus as he travels across the postmodern highways of the former Wild West to seek self-knowledge and a sense of belonging.


Played with truth and nuance by Lou Taylor Pucci, young Mercer follows the clues and confronts struggles, both good and bad, on his spiritual journey toward manhood and an end to his grief. Supporting him in a range of unlikely relationships and chance encounters is an eloquent set of performances that include Zooey Deschanel as the car's owner, Jena Malone as a precocious distraction in Reno, and Maura Tierney as his brother's old flame.

Byron Shah's dreamlike cinematography and M. Ward's original soundtrack add to this "mix tape" of emotional discoveries. Perhaps most impressive is the way writer/director Martin Hynes vividly and creatively steers the viewer on this cinematic ride, where there are some roads still worth driving down.

And now, the clip:



Thoughts? Questions? Let me know...

The clips are coming!

Okay, scratch that- I just got at least one of the tapes to release it's tapey goodness, (aka it's digitizing now). So stay tuned for a segment on the Sundance film, The Go-Getter, (in which I interview director Martin Hynes and actress Jena Malone), very soon. Until then, here's a picture of me and Martin hugging after the realization that we're both from Oregon- really. We just love the state that much. Even Jena expressed some serious interest in moving there.

Even though a Sundance clip is on the way, you still have no excuse not to watch the ad in the post below.

Instead of a Sundance clip...

I've encountered some problems with the camera, and it doesn't want to let go of some of that Sundance footage. I'll get it eventually and hopefully get some new clips up soon, but until then I think this should definitely suffice:



So? Did it suffice? Do you want to get a scorpee-on now?

Sundance is over...

The festival may be over, but the clips will be living on for a few days. Coming up soon- segments with Paul Rudd, Ira Glass, Chris Klein, Jena Malone, and more. So keep checking back... I just got invited to a press screening of the Reno 911 movie, so I should have a report on that soon as well. And who knows what else is in store? Even I don't know.

Watching the sun rise from the subway. Back in ny, where it is a lot colder. There are still a lot of sundance segments to come though- now that i have some more time for editing

Just saw our last sundance

Just saw our last sundance film- 'the good night.' it was a good note to end on i think. Now off to the airport...

About to see movie number twelve- 'the monastery'. We have two more movies after this too, including the premiere of gwyneth paltrow's brother's movie tonight. Anyone want anything from the festival? This is your last chance...

This is it- our last day. We're hoping to see three more movies, though I'm not sure what tickets we were able to get yet. I just found this photo of Ira Glass, Evan, and I online. See? We really did hang out with Ira...

Just got out of the

Just got out of the midnight screening of 'fido', a fun feel good zombie movie. Now we are off to catch some sleep before our last day in utah

Just interviewed the director and stars of 'eagle vs shark.' they were a lot of fun and were quite impressed with my recent world record. I saw the movie earlier today- it was dark, very funny, and quite sweet too

Just talked to ira glass-

Just talked to ira glass- great guy, fun interview, and i kinda wish we were best friends

Rocket Science: The Interview

So here it is, our poolside chat with the stars of Rocket Science:



Tomorrow we'll be talking to Ira Glass about the This American Life tv show. I'm pretty pumped for that one.

Im about to see my eighth screening at sundance. This one is a collection of animated shorts. I have really liked the other two films a i saw today- 'dedication' was a quirky romantic comedy with billy crudup and mandy moore, and 'the ten' was hilarious and i think i was laughing loudest of all. Hope this one is good too. This picture is of my hands all stamped up from all the screenings and events we've been to

And paul rudd just earned

And paul rudd just earned the distinction of being the person i have interviewed the most

Just interviewed the guys from

Just interviewed the guys from "the ten." it was fun/awkward, and i cant help but think that david wain doesnt like me.

Publicists make me sad

So we have to leave a screening early, (not early early, but we didn't get to stay for the Q@A), so that we can go to a press day where a lot of directors and actors will be talking to a few room-fuls of journalists. We get there and set up in no time, and make it clear that we only have one hour before we have to go make another interview. So we sit around for fifty-five minutes as other people interview people like John Cusack, Mandy Moore, and Billy Crudup. Finally, five minutes before we have to leave they bring us the director of Great World of Sound, (an awesome film!). So we talk to him and then we have to jet. We get to the location for the next interview, and they aren't there. They're running about an hour behind... So we're waiting for them to show, and we have to leave in fifteen minutes anyway to make another interview. I don't have a good feeling about this, but we're definitaly talking to Paul Rudd, David Wain, and Ken Marino about The Ten at 12:45 so I'll just keep thinking of that. It's my happy place...

The Monday Report

There are two kinds of screenings at Sundance- press screenings and regular screenings. The press screenings are full of members of the media and are held at two makeshift theaters in a hotel. The regular screenings are the ones that the general public and everyone else go to. They're cool because they're usually introduced by the director of the film and are followed by a Q&A with the director and cast. There's a higher energy at these regular screenings- tickets are hard to come by and people are generally very excited to be there, whereas at the press screenings it's all just "part of the job." On Monday, I saw three regular screenings:

Grace is Gone: A touching movie starring John Cusack as a father raising his two daughters, (8 and 11 yr.s old), while his wife is away on military duty. John Cusack gives an awesome performance and it's tough to even recognize him. The two daughters give incredible performances as well, and i don't think there was a dry eye in the house. I think this is my favorite film so far. One thing I noticed at the Q&A following the film: John Cusack is really tall. Some people have told me I look like him, and I was thinking maybe I could be his stand-in or something but I guess I'm too short...

The Go-Getter: A road trip movie starring Lou Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, and Jena Malone. Lou's character steals a car, only to develop a strange/nice phone relationship with the car's owner, (played by Zooey). Lou's trying to find his estranged half brother to tell him that their mom's passed away, and he is shot out on a veritable pinball game, running into a lot of colorful characters along the way, including Jena Malone as an uber-sexual friend in Nevada. The writer/director is an Oregonian and the it was partly filmed there, so this film holds a special place in my heart.

Hounddog: Everybody's been talking/crying out about this film, specifically the scene where Dakota Fanning's character, Lou Ellen gets raped. This is clearly one of the situations where the people getting upset hadn't even seen the film yet. Most of the scene consists of a third character looking on with a shocked look in his face. It was weird/disturbing to see Dakota Fanning in a role like this. She's still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as ever, except now she gets hit and abused, uses the N word, and is haunted by a lot of snakes. She did a pretty good job, but the script was messy and neither the story nor the characters were developed very well. Dakota was very cute at the Q&A though, and she couldn't help but giggle as she answered every question.

We also did one swag stop on Monday- our only one of the festival- since they're continually reminding us with the buttons they've been handing out that read FOCUS ON FILM. If only the publicists didn't always get in the way...

"Rocket science" star Reece Thompson with his new best friend. Haven't seen the movie yet but the cast is awesome and a lot of fun. Stay tuned for that interview- it should be posted online soon

A huge group of fans and entourage members following dakota fanning and her family- this is sort of depressing

The shuttle buses are very crowded. Just saw "grace is gone"- pretty awesome. I teared up a little. John Cusack is amazing as are the two girls who play his daughters, and the three of them pretty much make up the whole cast. Im sure this one will be in theatres soon. We are scheduled to talk to john and the director tomorrow

Sam Rockwell: The Interview

Here's our chat with Sam from yesterday:



More to come today. Off to see Grace is Gone now...

End of Day One

The tallies for the day:

Interviews Conducted:
•Patrick Fugit
•Chris Klein
•Sam Rockwell

Number of Hours Standing Around Waiting for Those Three Interviews: 3.5

People Who Cancelled/Called in Sick:
•Zooey Deschanel
•Kate Beckinsale
•Peter Saarsgard

Movies we Saw:
•On the Road with Judas - a fun and uniquely put-together narrative that leaves you not knowing what to believe
•Resurrecting the Champ - a nice, often feel-good movie starring Sam Jackson as an old homeless man, (you've never seen him like this before), and Josh Hartnett as a sports journalist trying to come to turns with his dad's legacy

Clothing Related Conversations I Had With Actors:
•Chris Klein told me he liked my cable knit sweater
•I told Alan Alda I liked his boots, he thanked me
•I complimented Danny Masterson on his powder blue blazer

That's all for today, but there's always more in store for tomorrow...

Just had a great interview

Just had a great interview with Sam Rockwell- Ill post it tonight. And we got tix for all the films we wanted for tomorrow

But i did take of a pic of this delicious cookie. You take em where you can get em i guess...

Chris Klein May Not be Photographed

There should be a picture accompanying this post but Chris Klein's publicist was adamant that we not take one. He just stood there and ignored the conflict.

The cancellations have already begun.

The cancellations have already begun. Kate Beckinsale is sick and Zooey Deschanel just isn't here. Lets hope this doesn't continue

The sun rises in park city. A little under five hours of sleep and we're ready to go

We're here! Waiting for luggage and picking up our car from Thrifty- then off to Ramada

At the airport, about to leave for sundance. The exciting stories start tomorrow!

Park City Planning

Sundance is almost here, and I'm about to pass out from all this planning. This is what my desk looks like right now- it's pretty messy and it's probably only going to get worse until I'm off to Utah.

We have lots of exciting stuff planned for Sundance this year. Here's what I can still remember in my current state:

• We'll be posting daily segments here from the festival jam-packed with interviews, exciting swag, and up-to-the-minute movie reviews

• I'll be sending photos and updates from my phone throughout the festival, so you'll never have to go more than few hours without hearing from me

• And of course, we'll be premiering the special edition Clips & Quips Furillas! They'll probably never actually be available to the public, (unless you send lots of pleading emails to Furilla.com), but we'll be giving them away to filmmakers and actors in Sundance and trying to trade them for ipods and other expensive swag

So I think it's time for sleep now... Up at 6 tomorrow to continue the planning party!

It's official!

My certificate from Guinness World Records just came in the mail. I am now an official world record holder, as approved by the Guinness organization. I had to send in witness letters, photographs, videotapes, and a lot of forms, and I was sort of nervous that it still wouldn't be enough. Wow. I feel like a more important person suddenly... So for old time's sake, check out these links:

• The article about my record-breaking attempt
• Another article that mentions it
• A news clip about the my morning of high-fives


If you have any questions for a Guinness World Record holder, feel free to send them my way.

What happened to the Zoobles?

Once I started talking about Square One and Mathnet a few weeks ago, I've had a flood of other childhood television memories, (I promise I didn't even watch that much TV back then- it just stays in my head better than most things). One of my favorite shows back then was Zoobilee Zoo. It featured grown-ups dressed up in bright animal costumes. There was an engineering beaver, a painting lion, an annoying bird, and a few others. They sang a lot of songs and on special occasions they would go into the "tunnel of surprise" where they rode this monorail-like device into this psychedelic tunnel.

Any of this coming back to you yet? The theatrical fox? The lion mayor? The musical kangaroo? Maybe the opening theme will refresh your memory:



And three days till we're off to the Sundance Film Festival, (even though the festival actually starts tomorrow).

T Minus Five Days...

We're off to Sundance in five days and I'm starting to get excited/ nervous. The snubs have already begun, but I've been fighting every one of them. I am not ready to take no for an answer... at least not yet. We've already scheduled interviews with Peter Saarsgard, Lindsay Lohan, Jared Leto, Zooey Deschanel, Sam Rockwell, Chris Klein, Kate Beckinsale, John Cusack, Keri Russell, and Mandy Moore, and that's just to name a few... Some of those people will probably cancel, but if we get a good chunk of them I'll be happy. And then there are maybes from Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Rudd, Tara Reid, Sharon Stone, and others. One of the people I might be most pumped about talking to this year is Ira Glass, host of the NPR show This American Life. He'll be speaking on a panel about the process of turning the radio show into a Showtime series. I've also been contacting a lot of the gift houses, to see if we can break into the wonderful world of swag, (some people say that SWAG's an acronym for Stuff We All Get, although last year it seemed to be quite the opposite).

I'm also ahead of the game this year, and I've already seen three Sundance movies; Away From Her, Great World of Sound, and Waitress. I'm not supposed to say anything about them yet, but I liked two out of three. I'll let you guess for now...

Questions? Comments? Want to come to Sundance with us? Then shoot me an email or comment here, and maybe you can...

My Sassy Snub

So on Friday we were invited to visit the film set of My Sassy Girl, (which is also a remake of a Korean film), to interview Elisha Cuthbert and film some behind-the-scenes footage. Peter, (who was on filming duty), and myself arrive a little before 2PM, the publicist meets us, and says that Elisha's already on her way. She lead us into the French Embassy where we have fifteen minutes to set up our equipment before Elisha arrives. A Canadian entertainment show is there as well to interview her, so we hang out with them after we finished setting up our stuff. They're really nice, and the Canadian producer looks strikingly like a young Jodie Foster. Fifteen minutes pass and still no sign of Elisha. Another fifteen minutes pass, and finally the publicist comes in again. As Elisha was on her way to us, she suddenly got called to set and now she's filming a scene. In this scene she gets drenched in the rain, and she won't be able to do the interview until she's dry and made up, which pushes our interview slot up to at least 5PM. Peter and I have to be off set by 4PM, so that's not really an option for us. The unit publicist, (who was really very nice, and none of this is really her fault, she's just the messenger in this situation), encouraged us to go down to the set though to film some footage, and hope that we might be able to grab an interview down there.

So we head down to the set with our Canadian buddies, and start setting up our cameras. They have all these rain machines set up, which are basically these sprinklers set on very very high pipes. They were making some pretty convincing weather. In this scene, Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford run through the rain into a building as the doorman meets them at the entrance with an umbrella. And then they do it again and again and again. After filming for a minute or so, the publicist gets a message from someone higher up. Apparently, we're not supposed to film the actors when they're wet... Is this a vanity issue? Is the rain a crucial plot point that will give everything away? I'm not even totally clear on that, especially since from our vantage point we could really only see the back of the actors. We were welcome to film any crew members we wanted though, and we did grab an interview with the director and Elisha's stand-in... We also got some great footage of the neon tent where Elisha and Jesse hung out between takes. I joked that I could go in the tent to interview them while we just filmed the exterior, but it didn't seem like Elisha's publicist would go for that. To be honest, it will be a bit of struggle to make anything resembling a segment out of this. I think Elisha's publicist is joining the C&Q List of Snubbers, who's other members include Renee Zellweger's publicist and the woman who pulled Woody Allen away from us at the premiere of Melinda and Melinda a few years back.

So the day was pretty much a total bust... but we did meet some nice Canadians and the unit publicist felt so bad that she said she would make it up to us. Maybe next time we can cover a movie shooting somewhere tropical?

Trump-Free Zone

It's really getting annoying having to hear about Donald Trump in the news everyday. Is he really that desperate for ratings or can he just not get along with anybody? Every time anybody says anything questionable about him, he rushes in to personally attack them with mean "name-calling." Slob? Degenerate? Sad figurehead? Who says that stuff publicly about another person? Not an Oregonian, that's for sure. That's just mean. So in honor of that, I'd like to proclaim this blog and Clips & Quips a Trump-Free Zone. But first, I'll share my experience with Trump. I interviewed him at Trump Towers last spring, during the auditions for this latest Apprentice. We had a big crew, (for Clips & Quips standards), and spent an hour setting up our shoot in the Trump Bar. We were supposed to get a fifteen minute interview with him. After coming up forty-five minutes late, Trump finally sat down for the interview. After answering three questions, he said he was done. I got one more brief question in before he jetted off. We got about three minutes of footage...

And now I hereby proclaim this blog and the whole Clips & Quips universe a Trump-Free Zone.

Elisha here we come...

It looks like our interview with Elisha Cuthbert is a go. Either tomorrow or Friday. Anyone have any burning questions they need answered? We were supposed to interview Jesse Bradford as well, but he kindly declined us... We'll be talking to Elisha on the set of newest movie, My Sassy Girl. They're filming at the ice rink at Central Park, and it looks like we'll get some time with her during a zamboni break.

Also, Sundance is starting to take shape. The guys who made Wet Hot American Summer are back with a new movie called The Ten. As a big WHAS fan, I'm really pumped for this one, and hopefully I'll get to chat with director, David Wain and Paul Rudd, (who's in the film).

I'll keep you posted...

Apologies to Evan...

I dedicate this blog to Evan. I messed up today. I was supposed to bring him his camera by 5PM, but I lost track of time while working on various projects and negotiating for guests. Sorry Evan. I hope that in time I will be able to make it up for you. Until then, how about a cookie?

On the train today I overheard two girls discussing extensively the different methods and complications related to childbirth. They were going at it for about ten minutes before they got off the train. One of them seemed pretty concerned about epidurals.

Also, it's looking good for the Elisha Cuthbert interview. Hopefully, we'll film it later this week. I'll keep you posted.

A Mathematical Blast from the Past!

Over this weekend, I got to talking about Mathnet with a few people. Remember, that short detective segment at the end of Square One? It followed George Frankly and Kate Monday, (and later Pat Tuesday), as they solved various police cases using math. Anyway, as we started talking, all these episodes started coming back to me. Like the one with the gorilla, (which guest-starred Yeardley Smith from The Simpsons), the one with the ventroloquist dummy and the counterfeit bills, and the one where someone impersonates George Frankly. I was able to find one almost complete episode on YouTube about the Maltese Pigeon. I was also thrilled to find this clip of the Mathenet detectives singing the song, Without Math. So without further ado*...

I really want to write a new Mathnet movie now.

FADE IN:
ANNOUNCER (VO)
The story you're about to see is a fib, but it's short.

Anyone interested in helping?

*corrected by bossy big sister

Tight Spaces, Loinclothes, and Lycra: A Backstage Tarzan Adventure

The key word to describe my backstage tour of Tarzan, (the Disney musical on Broadway), last night is... cramped. They have no space back there. One of the main backstage thru-ways is less than two feet wide and is lined with metal posts ideal for head-banging and other injuries. And they've been selling out almost every night- can't they afford an upgrade? Josh Strickland, (former American Idol finalist, now playing Tarzan), led me and Evan, (who really got to show off his gymnast-like abilities as he tried to film in such tight quarters), through dressing rooms, makeup and wig rooms, the orchestra pit, and even under the stage where they keep the huge hydraulic lift that puts set pieces in place. It was a good time, even though I didn't get to try on any loincloths or anything. The clip should be up early next week.

Sundance Update: Our buddies at Ramada have agreed to be the lodging sponsor for Clips & Quips Sundance Spectacular. Okay, that's not what we're actually calling it. What should we call it? Any ideas? Heck, for $3,000 I'd name it after you. Billy's Clips & Quips Sundance Special? Any takers? Either way, it's nice to have everything taken care of since we're leaving in just over two weeks.

Ricky Gervais loves/is terrified of me

New York Magazine must really love me and Clips & Quips- they've written about us again. Granted, they didn't actually mention me or the show by name either time, but it still counts for something, (and last time they did publish my letter to the editor in response to an inaccuracy). But back to the issue at hand- In the Party Lines page in the January 8th issue, (on pg. 18, in the center), they posed a question to Ricky Gervais at the sleepover premiere of Night at the Museum.

Why'd you decide to skip the sleepover tonight?
I just got interviewed by a man in footie pajamas, and I'm afraid he'll snuggle up to me. I never had sleepovers when I was a kid. It was all pedophiles where I was growing up. You had to be very careful.
-Ricky Gervais

He doesn't think I'm a pedophile? Right? Right? And he's not the only one who had eyes for me. We also got mentioned in a NY Times blog, (again, not by name). There was a woman from the NY Sun who took my picture too, but I guess her editors didn't let that one through...

Elisha Cuthbert? I hope so...

We're working on getting on the set of My Sassy Girl, a new film starring Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford. According to imdb, the movie tells the story of:

A sweet Midwestern guy (Bradford) with his life planned out for himself is wooed, groomed, and ultimately dumped by a complicated, elusive gal (Cuthbert).

Sounds... intriguing? I've interviewed Jesse before for Happy Endings, but I've only been snubbed by Elisha. We tried to interview her when we were in LA once, but she was too busy for C&Q. Hopefully this time she won't get away...

Happy 2007 (from Times Square)

Happy 2007! Last night was a memorable one. I'd always wanted to to be in Times Square for New Years, but I never had to the guts to wait for hours and hours in a metal pen out in the cold. As a crew member on NBC's New Years Eve with Carson Daly, I not only got to stand on the other side of the barrier, right in the middle of the square, but I could walk pretty much anywhere I wanted with my badge. Highlights of the evening included:

• Negotiating with a police lieutenant to get them to open up a street to let some vans through. And I'm not being sarcastic and implying they were mean, the police lieutenant was very friendly. Isn't lieutenant a funny word though? Just look at it...

• The countdowns every hour, on the hour, complete with fireworks and different colored confetti.

• Seeing Anderson Cooper. He was walking by in a rush, but I yelled out to him and he shot me a personal wave.

• Carson Daly patting me on the back and wishing me a happy new year.

That's all I can think of right now, but it was a fun day. I was in Times Square from noon to 2:30AM, and then afterwards the whole crew headed over to Roseland for a party hosted by Carson. The first time I was in Roseland was when I snuck backstage at an Alice Cooper show, but that's a story for another post... The party was fun and a former Miss USA was there. I stayed until a little before four, and then headed back to the Q train.