Mega-Emmy Winner Asner Has Passed

 

Actor Ed Asner has passed at 91. This veteran of TV and film had an extensive, award winning career that also involved leading the Screen Actors Guild. He hit it big with seven glorious years on The Mary Tyler Moore Show followed by five years on Lou Grant winning a slew of Emmy Awards. He guested in shows like The Outer Limits, Police Story, and Hawaii Five 0 (both versions) and collected more Emmy hardware for his roles in Roots and Rich Man Poor Man. He had key roles in films like El Dorado, JFK, and as Santa Claus in Elf and experienced a career resurgence when he voiced the lead character in Up. I met him at the 2013 MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention and had so many questions in mind and blurted out that I appreciated his work. He smiled and rolled his hand in a fist and bumped my leg. What else could I say?

MidAtlantic Nostalgia Continues

The recent MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention just ended, and it was a miracle it happened at all amid Covid and the air conditioning broken.  Martin Grams and his hard working team put together a wonderful, responsible convention with most of the vendors selling TV and movies memorabilia and related items. Past and present celebs included Mary Badham (To Kill a Mockingbird), Parker Stevenson of The Hardy Boys, Kathy Garver from Family Affair, Mariel Hemingway (Manhattan), Barbara Carrera (Never Say Never Again), and more.. There were Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow from TVs Leave it to Beaver and Oscar and Emmy winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. I asked him if he trained in martial arts for his role in An Officer and Gentleman, and he said he studied it before the film. Nice guy too.

I picked up some stills and comics and was a happy camper. Helped daughter Laura with her booth of creative items too.  Looking forward to an even bigger event next year. 

The Brilliance of THE SUICIDE SQUAD

 

Writer/Director James Gunn brings a similar spirit and sense of camaraderie from his Marvel sensation, Guardians of the Galaxy, to DC Comics and his redux of The Suicide Squad. (Gunn was given creative rein at DC when he was temporarily fired from Marvel, and he makes full use of it.)  The result is a no holds barred action film with deliriously bold, profane humor, explicit violence, and a lot of heart.

An eclectic band of powerful, talented prisoners is given a deadly mission in exchange for reduced prison sentences. The ‘volunteers’ are also compelled by explosive implants in their heads controlled by the ruthless Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). The group, which includes Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie shines again as the DC icon), and a man-shark named Nanaue (a hoot as voiced by Sylvester Stallone), must depend on one another to complete a daunting task that becomes increasingly dangerous and convoluted.  When things goes awry, the remaining members must regroup and face a formidable menace that threatens the world.

Accompanied by his trademark pop score, Gunn adds an imaginative, visual style at once gross and beautiful to a narrative whose template is a hybrid of The Dirty Dozen and Mission Impossible with a Deadpool sensibility. He cleverly imbues his characters with psychological trauma, and part of the fun is watching this myriad of tortured souls coalesce and function as a team amid extreme adversity. The film actually has a moral compass that never loses focus, and you start to care about these misfits and their redemption. 

It’s unlike any super hero movie you’ve seen, and though graphic, it has moments of bravery, sacrifice, betrayal, and yes, pathos. Gotta love those rats! (There are two end credit scenes.)

**** of **** stars (for comic book fans)

Pat Hitchcock Was Daughter of Master of Suspense

     

Pat Hitchcock, daughter of director Alfred Hitchcock, has passed at 93. She acted on occasion on TV and films particularly Psycho and Strangers on a Train. I met her at a Fanex event in 2000 in Virginia where she was promoting a new book detailing her dad's  British Years, and there was not much of a crowd at her table. There should have been. She was very nice, and I wish I had spent more time with her.

The Lilting Joys of SCHMIGADOON

If you are a fan of SNL and movie musicals, Schmigadoon might just be the tonic. This exuberant valentine to Broadway tunes and beyond stars Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a couple who go hiking to rekindle their relationship when they come upon and become trapped in the magical town of Schmigadoon (a play on the musical Brigadoon). There they meet eclectic characters played by Fred Armisen, Jane Krakowski, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, and more. 

The snappy dialogue is full of humor, and the songs and dancing are full of exuberant energy and homage. You will easily pick out inspirational reworking and parodies from Oklahoma, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and others. There is one showstopper where Kristen Chenoweth does a female variation of "You've Got Trouble" from The Music Man and it's all done in one unedited take. Amazing. Directed with spirit by Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies), the sixth and concluding episode premieres on Apple TV+ Friday. Looking forward to a smashing end.

The Magic of Disney World Still Works

A trip was planned to Disney World (as we did years ago) with the grandsons. Both sets of grandparents were going. This started in 2020 and rescheduled 4 times due to you know what. So we finally went. Despite the heat, the rain, the masking and crowds, we persevered. If you weren't in shape before , you would be by the end. (I know I did over 22,000 steps in one day alone.) 

A huge thanks goes to Jeff for helping to plan and reserve the restaurants and park events including the hottest ticket, The Rise of the Resistance (Star Wars), and we also enjoyed impressive rides for Frozen, the Avatar Flight and more. 

The food included a rotating restaurant, family style dinners (instead of buffets), and concluded with a delicious Japanese steakhouse. The food overall was great, and everyone was nice and welcoming. 

We all went our separate ways after 4 full days, and Linda and I spent an extra day in Hollywood and our favorite, The Brown Derby, where we reenacted the I Love Lucy moment of Lucy and William Holden. After some window shopping, it was time to head back to Baltimore. 

It was nice to see Jeff, Sandra, and the boys, Brooks and Jake, experience this as a family. Don and his wife Linda and I with my Linda were sharing in the memories, and I honestly feel that we all grew closer this week. (Yes it was humid, but Disney World was and is a magical place for sure!)