hollywood q&a
By Adam Thomlison
TV Media
Q: I recently watched the
first Austin Powers movie
on Netflix for the first time
in years. Throughout those
years I kept a steady watch
of “Seinfeld” reruns. While
watching the Austin Pow-
ers movie, I noticed several
actors who played small
roles on “Seinfeld” (the
Soup Nazi, the Wig Master,
and one or two others). Is
there any connection be-
tween the two?
A: There seems to be no di-
rect link between “Austin Pow-
ers: International Man of Mys-
tery” (1997) and “Seinfeld,”
other than a shared need for a
huge number of funny people
for small roles, and the budget
to get good ones. That and the
North American comedy com-
munity, which is sometimes
smaller than you think.
By all reports, star Mike
Myers was directly involved
in many of the casting deci-
sions for “Austin Powers,” the
smash-hit film that he starred
in, wrote and co-produced.
For example, Larry Thomas,
who played the Soup Nazi in
a 1995 episode of “Seinfeld,”
said that Myers approached
him directly for the role of a
casino dealer in “Austin Pow-
ers,” after having seen his
“Seinfeld” bit.
Brian George, who played
Babu in “Seinfeld” and the
Secretary General of the
United Nations in “Austin
Powers,” has shared no such
story of being approached by
Myers, but they share a differ-
ent, geographic link: Both of
them came up in the Toronto
comedy scene, specifically in
the famed Second City com-
edy troupe there.
It was a different comedy
troupe that brought Myers
together with Patrick Bristow,
who played the Wig Master in
“Seinfeld.” Myers did a guest
appearance in a show put on
by the Groundlings troupe in
Los Angeles, which Bristow
was a part of at the time. My-
ers soon called Bristow to do a
part in another of his movies,
“So I Married an Axe Mur-
derer” (1993), and then called
again for “Austin Powers.”
12 | Screentime
STREAMING THIS WEEK
As for the Bristow’s “Sein-
feld” link, it’s even simpler:
“Seinfeld” frequently cast
Groundlings members when
it needed to fill small but
crucial comedic parts, which
it needed to do often over its
nine seasons.
Q: Were the Rambo mov-
ies based on books? I just
saw an ebook copy of the
second one, but I thought
they were just movies.
A: Yes and no. The first one
was based on a novel, the
others were not. However,
you weren’t hallucinating that
ebook of the sequel. Confused
yet?
Author David Morrell wrote
the novel “First Blood” in
1972, and 10 years later it was
turned into the movie that
introduced John Rambo to the
movie-going world.
The film was a huge suc-
cess, and star Sylvester Stal-
lone immediately started
working on a sequel. He wrote
the screenplay himself, with
help from fellow Hollywood
hitmaker James Cameron.
However, he called Morrell in
to write a novelization of his
script — a book based on a
movie, instead of the other
way around.
Morrell repeated the trick
for “Rambo III,” which was
released (film and book) in
1988.
Morrell didn’t adapt the
fourth film, simply titled
“Rambo” and released in
2008, nor the fifth (and re-
portedly final) film in the fran-
chise, “Rambo: Last Blood,”
due for release in September.
However, if you’re hungry
for more Rambo on the page,
Morrell wrote a memoir of
sorts called “Rambo and Me,”
in which he recounts the influ-
ences and process behind the
creation of his famous hero.
And if you’ve developed a
taste for Morrell’s voice, he’s
written many other novels
over the years, which can be
found on his website, david-
morrell.net.
Have a question? Email us
at questions@tvtabloid.com.
Please include your name and
town. Personal replies will not
be provided.
June 26, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
If you’ve never seen these classics, a binge is just what the doctor
ordered, and if you’re a longtime Rocky fan (which, let’s face it, is far
more likely), make yourself some popcorn and hunker down for a nos-
talgic viewing experience.
“Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985)
Here’s another 1980s classic that’s ready and waiting for you as
of Sunday, June 30. Before she was hitting it out of the park in “A
League of Their Own” (1992) or winning the love of working-class
Argentinians in “Evita” (1996), Madonna was Susan, and someone
was seeking her. Desperately. Rosanna Arquette (“Ray Donovan”)
stars as Roberta Glass, a bored housewife who follows an intriguing
personal ad all the way to New York City, where she finds Susan and
gets caught up in a her strange life. This movie has it all: amnesia,
mystery, mistaken identity and a young Aidan Quinn (“Elementary”).
This quintessential ‘80s film is worth a watch.
Finn Wolfhard and Caleb McLaughlin in “Stranger
Things”
By Shona Dustan
TV Media
NEW ON NETFLIX:
“Stranger Things” Season 3
Reunited and ready for anything, the “Stranger Things” kids are back
for more horror, comedy, sincerity, horror, friendship, romance and
horror. Did I mention horror? The terrifying Upside Down has more
surprises for our heroes this season, and while they deal with the nor-
mal struggles of growing up, small-town life, budding relationships
and more, they must also face terrifying demons from another dimen-
sion. Now that I’ve adequately primed you for the horror bits, I can
also tell you to expect a lot of touching and hilarious moments. Show-
runners have promised to give us more of the charming friendship
that has developed between Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo, “The Black-
list”) and Steve (Joe Keery, “Chicago Fire”), while Max (Sadie Sink,
“American Odyssey”) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, “Intruders”)
begin to bond as the only two girls in their group of friends. We’re in
for another wild ride when the much-anticipated third season of this
fantastic Netflix original premieres Thursday, July 4.
“Madam Secretary” Season 5
Back in May, CBS announced that Season 6 of this legal drama, pre-
miering this fall, would be its last, but you can binge the penultimate
season (and all that came before it) starting Sunday, June 30. The
series stars Téa Leoni (“The Family Man,” 2000) as Elizabeth McCord,
a former CIA analyst who is thrust into the role of secretary of state
when her predecessor is killed in a plane crash. She’s been through
a lot since Season 1, enduring and resolving crises both at home and
around the world, but this season finds Elizabeth at a crossroads. The
season finale is a game-changer, and an exciting setup for the final
10 episodes that will air later this year. Tim Daly (“Wings”) also stars
as Elizabeth’s long-suffering husband, who also happens to be the
head of a special division of the CIA. Rounding out the cast are Patina
Miller (“Mercy Street”), Zeljko Ivanek (“Damages”), Geoffrey Arend
(“Body of Proof”), Erich Bergen (“Jersey Boys,” 2014) and Keith Car-
radine (“Deadwood”).
“Sleepy Hollow” (1999)
This fun and freaky film came out just after Johnny Depp’s iconic per-
formance in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998) and just before
his swooney turn as a Romani rogue in “Chocolat” (2000) — so we’re
talking peak Depp here. He stars as Ichabod Crane, a New York City
investigator who is sent to the little town of Sleepy Hollow to look
into some strange disappearances. With the help of a young appren-
tice (Marc Pickering, “Borgia”) and a beautiful spiritualist (Christina
Ricci, “Z: The Beginning of Everything”), Crane tries to unravel the
truth about a homicidal headless horseman that’s terrifying the town.
It’s a loose interpretation of Washington Irving’s classic story, but the
movie really goes for a period-piece feel. Check this one out if you’re
craving classic ‘90s fare, you can stream it starting Sunday, June 30.
NEW ON HULU:
“Into the Dark: Culture Shock”
This is the horror series that keeps on giving, and you can stream a
new episode on Thursday, July 4. It should come as no surprise that
the episode that premieres on Independence Day plays with themes
of citizenship and patriotism. This one follows a young Mexican
woman, played by Martha Higareda (“Altered Carbon”), who crosses
into the United States illegally in the hope of capturing a little of
the American dream for herself. But this is no feel-good series, so of
course, things go terribly wrong and she ends up stuck in an Ameri-
can nightmare instead. Shawn Ashmore (“The Following”), Barbara
Crampton (“The Young and the Restless”) and Richard Cabral
(“American Crime”) also star in this installment.
NEW ON AMAZON PRIME:
“Rocky” (I - V)
If you’re craving action, suspense, an underdog story, a love story,
Oscar-caliber performances or just a quality 1980s training montage,
Prime has you covered. The first five Rocky films are available for
streaming as of Sunday, June 30, and there’s nothing quite like going
back to the beginning and watching Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone,
“The Expendables,” 2010) go from small-time boxer to heavyweight
champion all over again. The first film of the series may have won
three Academy Awards, but “Rocky IV” (1985) is my personal favor-
ite — it’ll hit you right in the feels, and Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren,
“Universal Soldier,” 1992) is the best villain ever to step into the ring.
Dolph Lundgren in a scene from “Rocky IV”