Well, feature animation fans it’s time to empty out that big change jar and head down to the video arcade. You know, right next to the multiplex. What to do you mean it’s gone? Why the next thing you’ll tell me is that the Blockbuster Video is…uh, oh. That sums up the challenge for the folks at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. In 2010 they finally had a hit that almost rivaled their friendly (same company by then) neighbor at Pixar, a modern attitude take on the Rapunzel fairy tale called TANGLED. And two years later WDAS had an even bigger hit with WRECK-IT RALPH a zany look at what goes on after hours at a video arcade, a clever mix of TOY STORY and WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (lots of cameos from game superstars from several companies). Six years later WDAS decides to finally produce a theatrical sequel (most follow-ups to their features go right to home video or TV), but video arcades are on the outs, unless they’re part of those big family fun places that include food (pizza primarily) and interactive activities (bumper cars, mini-coasters, etc.). Where are folks playing video games now? At home mostly, with gaming systems and online with other folks across town or the globe. There’s now only one option for that brick smashing game icon, as we try to maintain our WiFi connection when RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET.
Yes, the setting of this new flick is today, and somehow Litwak’s Arcade is still open. Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) spend their days entertaining the kid clientele via their respective games, “Fix-It Felix Jr.” and “Sugar Rush”. At night, the two meet down at the electrical outlet power strip and spend the wee hours at different games before heading to Tappers for a frosty root beer before heading back to their respective home games. Vanellope enjoys their time together but ponders to Ralph whether there’s more to do. One day their routine is disrupted when one of the other games is unplugged and replaced with a WiFi router. The two are curious but are warned away by Surge Protector (Phil Johnston). Hours later, the ultimate disaster occurs, the steering wheel on the Sugar Rush game is broken. Ralph and Vanellope overhear Mr. Litwak (Ed O’Neill) say that he’ll have to order a new one from the internet. Now the duo has a mission, as they sneak into the world wide web via the router cord. The helpful guide/search engine KnowsMore (Alan Tudyk), gets them to the eBay site which has a wheel up for auction. The two bid way too much, thinking the point is to top each other’s number, and so they need to make some quick cash. In their travels the two stumble into the gritty game, Slaughter Race, where Vanellope becomes fast friends with its racing star Shank (Gal Gadot). While they bond, Ralph visits the BuzzTube offices of Yesss (Taraji P. Henson) who plans to make him a viral video superstar (lots of hits=lotsa’ dough). Then the unthinkable happens. Vanellope thinks that she may want to stay online in Shanks’ game. Will these inseparable best buds be …separated? And can Ralph prevent that from happening without, well, breaking the internet?
The returning voice actors easily slip back into their gaming personas, like, um, a comfortable old pair of slippers. Reilly is that same big, friendly affable lunkhead with a soft heart to match his head, at times. He always has the best intentions, though never truly thinks out the consequences. But he’s a devoted pal to Vanellope who still has the right mix of innocence and sass thanks to the spirited vocal stylings of Silverman. This time out, though there’s a touch of pathos to the mischievous imp. Like some many Disney heroines before her, she’s yearning for something and eager to explore the world, newly expanded thanks to the “interweb”. Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch also return as the oddest of arcade couple, eternal lovebirds perky, peppy Felix and tough somewhat surly Calhoun. As for the new additions, Gadot is smooth and sultry as the street-smart Shank making her the ideal big sis to Ms. V. While Henson brings an infectious energy to the also cool, though much flashier Yesss who nearly flings herself across her opulent digs when formulating a plan. Tudyk, who may be WDAS’s good luck charm as much as John Ratzenberger is over at Pixar, makes KnowsMore a very funny and endearing “know-it-all”. SNL vet Bill Hader pops in and out as a motor-mouthed pop-up ad pitchman, similar to a cyber member of Nathan Detroit’s crew from GUYS AND DOLLS. But not everybody’s helpful and pleasant. Alfred Molina represents the “dark side” of the web as the growling, gruesome underworld…er web kingpin known as Double Dan (if you’re reminded of a 1990 sci-fi misfit, then you have TOTAL RECALL). Plus there are loads of familiar voices showing up as the online incarnation of their famous media roles.
Rich Moore, who snagged a well-deserved Oscar for ZOOTOPIA a couple of years ago, returns for this sequel sharing the director reigns with first-time feature filmmaker Phil Johnson. Oh, and the two share story and screenplay credits with Jim Reardon, Pamela Ribon, and Josie Trinidad. Big kudos to them all for bringing us a follow-up that just as funny, and perhaps, emotionally richer than the first flick. Happily, the look of the new supporting players is just as interesting as the “Mutt and Jeff” dynamic of Ralph and Vanellope, while bringing us a variety of design and styles. And somehow they all work well together. There are the “cartoony” short and squat looks (inspired by the UPA shorts of the 1950’s) of KnowMore and the “pop-up” pitchmen. But they’re distinct from the icons representing internet viewers with cubed heads and spindly-thin bodies (look for one that recalls a very recently departed, much-beloved superstar). Then we’ve got the fairly realistic, almost out of an adventure comic strip, denizens of the Slaughter Race site, with the fine details of Shank’s streetwear and chopped frayed hair. Somewhere in-between is the slick, curved rendering of Yesss, who has a neo-futuristic fashion sense, sort of hip-hop meets Hirschfield (the caricature genius that inspired the Genie in ALADDIN). Speaking of character design, as the ads and trailers heavily tout, the Disney Princesses appear all together here. The artists have made the icons from different eras look pleasing in CGI 3D (many were originally drawn in 2D cell animation), and they interact without any jarring visual gaffes. So, Snow White can hang with Moana, and it seems natural. Happily, not all the best jokes and gags are in the ads. There’s a winking sense of affectionate satire in the interactions that will delight Disney fans of all ages. But that’s just a few scenes in this smart script that mingles cyber jokes about that annoying buffering spinning colored circle to the dangers of reading the comments section with a sweet, touching story of relationships. It extolls the joys of friendship while having much to say about a “selfish love” and the destructive results of trying to hold a friend back, for fear of losing them. Heady stuff in a family flick, eh? Oh, about the look of the internet, well it’s a glistening blue-tinged mix of Oz and METROPOLIS (the silent classic, not Superman’s home turf), that is often too jampacked with widgets and “gee-gaws” (maybe I should spring for the 3D upgrade on the next viewing). Yes, it’s a visual feast loaded with heart and humor. When RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, he and his old and new friends will delight movie audiences of any age.
Here’s a first look at the new trailer and poster for RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2.
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 leaves Litwak’s video arcade behind, venturing into the uncharted, expansive and thrilling world of the internet—which may or may not survive Ralph’s wrecking. Video game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) must risk it all by traveling to the world wide web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet—the netizens—to help navigate their way, including a webite entrepreneur named Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site “BuzzzTube.”
When WRECK-IT RALPH opened on Nov. 2, 2012, it turned in the highest opening weekend ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film at the time of release. WRECK-IT RALPH won the PGA Award for outstanding producer of an animated theatrical motion picture as well as five Annie Awards, including best animated feature, director, screenplay and actor. The film was named best animated feature by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, earned outstanding achievement in casting for an animated feature by the Casting Society of America, and won the Kids’ Choice Award for favorite animated movie. The film was also nominated for an Oscar® and Golden Globe® for best animated feature.
Directed by Rich Moore (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) and Phil Johnston (co-writer “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Cedar Rapids,” co-writer “Zootopia,”), and produced by Clark Spencer (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Bolt”), RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 hits theaters on Nov. 21, 2018.
Coming to theaters this Thanksgiving is RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2. On Wednesday, Disney released the first teaser for the upcoming movie.
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 leaves Litwak’s video arcade behind, venturing into the uncharted, expansive and thrilling world of the internet—which may or may not survive Ralph’s wrecking. Video game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) must risk it all by traveling to the world wide web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet—the netizens—to help navigate their way, including a webite entrepreneur named Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site “BuzzzTube.”
Directed by Rich Moore (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) and Phil Johnston (co-writer “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Cedar Rapids,” co-writer “Zootopia,”), and produced by Clark Spencer (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Bolt”), RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2 hits theaters on Nov. 21, 2018.
• When “Wreck-It Ralph” opened on Nov. 2, 2012, it turned in the highest opening weekend ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film at the time of release.
• “Wreck-It Ralph” won the PGA Award for outstanding producer of an animated theatrical motion picture as well as five Annie Awards, including best animated feature, director, screenplay and actor. The film was named best animated feature by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, earned outstanding achievement in casting for an animated feature by the Casting Society of America, and won the Kids’ Choice Award for favorite animated movie. The film was also nominated for an Oscar® and Golden Globe® for best animated feature,
• The film re-teams the original director, producer and co-writer behind “Wreck-It Ralph.” The screenplay is currently being written by Phil Johnston and Pamela Ribon.
Director Rich Moore, producer Clark Spencer, and co-writer Phil Johnston partnered with fellow director Byron Howard and co-writer/co-director Jared Bush to create the Academy Award®-winning blockbuster feature “Zootopia.”
St. Louis-area Movie Geeks have loved Jane Lynch in JULIE & JULIA, BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND, and so many more great movies. Now see her in person at Powell Hall Friday, June, 9th at 7:30pm!
A MIGHTY WIND
Three-time Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress Jane Lynch—yes, that Jane Lynch—from Glee, Hollywood Game Night and more, joins the St. Louis Symphony for a one-night only musical experience with a large dose of comedy.
Lynch will take audiences on an entertaining journey through hilarious performances of hits from Broadway, The Great American Songbook, and beyond.
Tickets and VIP packages, including a post-concert meet and greet with Jane Lynch, are on-sale now and may be purchased here or by calling 314-534-1700.
Jane Lynch sings The Great American Songbook*
*Plus one Guatemalan love song
Friday, June, 9, 7:30pm
BEST IN SHOW
About the St. Louis Symphony
Founded in 1880 and now in its 137th season, the St. Louis Symphony is the second-oldest orchestra in the country and widely considered one of the world’s finest. Under the leadership of Music Director David Robertson, currently in his 12th season, the St. Louis Symphony strives for artistic excellence, educational impact and community connection while meeting its mission statement: enriching people’s lives through the power of music. The Symphony presents a full season of classical programs and Live at Powell Hall concerts and hundreds of free education and community programs each year. Media partners include St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 –KWMU, which broadcasts the Symphony’s Saturday night subscription concerts live + The Nine Network, which regularly features St. Louis Symphony performances on its Night at the Symphony program. In addition, the St. Louis Symphony is known for its Grammy Award-winning recordings, Carnegie Hall appearances, national and international tours, innovative programming and extensive community engagement initiatives. www.stlsymphony.org
The fine folks at Disney Animation are releasing a full-length computer animated cartoon that’s not from the gang at Emoryville, CA (that’s the Luxo lamps at Pixar!). This division has had a few modest hits (BOLT, MEET THE ROBINSONS), but nothing close to the box offices behemoths like UP and the TOY STORY trilogy. But that’s about to change with WRECK-IT RALPH, the new fantasy comedy that’s the feature directing debut of TV toon wiz (“The Simpsons’,”Futurama”) Rich Moore. The film makers have used state of the art tech to tell a familiar cinema story: the bad (or flawed) character that wants to change (think Jeff Bridges in CRAZY HEART). And strange as it may seem, the movie’s sweetly nostalgic! About video arcade games? Well, this year the landmark TRON is 30 years old! The studios have tried to turn these quarter gobblers into features with middling success (SUPER MARO BROTHERS, STREET FIGHTER), but take from a guy who’s given up bags of coins in order to stop a barrel-tossing simian (the title character’s main inspiration), you’ll be mighty entertained (and eager to play again) when this film fantasy ends (or “game over” is reached).
For the last three decades, the game “Fix-It Felix” has been a mainstay at old Mr. Litwak’s (Ed O’Neill) video arcade. On the screen a burly, re-headed hulk named “Wreck-It Ralph’ (John C Reilly) emerges from the junk yard and lumbers over to the nice apartment building to destroy the structure with his massive, pounding fists (after the word balloon stating “I’m gonna’ wreck it!!” appears above his noggin). But the renters need not fear! It’s “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” (Jack McBrayer) to the rescue with his magical repairing hammer. Soon the hero and the grateful residents toss Ralph off the roof and into a big mud puddle. As “game over” flashes in the sky, everyone rushes to reset before the next player drops in their coins. But when Litwak locks up for the night, everyone is free to travel to the power bar and mingle with the casts of other games. At a “bad guy” support group Ralph voices his discontent. The “Felix” crew doesn’t appreciate him. This is (literally) hammered home when Ralph sees them having a party without him. Ralph boasts that he can be a hero and vows to return with a gold medal proving it! He then sneaks into the first-person shooter game “Hero’s Duty” and grabs the gold medal from the final level. In leaving the game , Ralph accidentally brings one of the deadly insectoid villains (think of the bugs in STARSHIP TROOPERS) with him into the game “Sugar Rush”. There Ralph loses the medal and befriends a tough little outcast ( she’s a flickering “glitch”!) named Vanellope (Sarah Silverman). In order to get the medal back, Ralph’s got to help the smart-mouthed little tyke win the big go-kart race! Meanwhile Felix joins up with the beautiful, tough “Sgt. Calhoun” (Jane Lynch) to find and destroy that bug and return Ralph! If this were a real arcade game, we’d still have 2 or 3 levels to go!
Moore has some wonderful comedic actors voicing these terrific video denizens. Reilly brings his loveable lug sweetness to the title role. Ralph’s a tad fearsome when he raises those beefy fists, but he’s really an oversize misunderstood kid. Speaking of sweetness Silverman is equal parts sugar and sass as the mischievous moppet racer. After BRAVE, it’s great to see another really strong young girl on screen (I have a feeling she could spin-off to her own film or TV series). Speaking of strong (although older) females, Lynch is outstanding as the hard as nails (but still kinda’ hot) Calhoun. Kind of like Ripley or Sarah Conner, but really, really funny. And funny’s the word for McBrayer’s Felix, especially when he’s smitten with the sexy Sarge! There’s great vocal support from O’Neill, Mindy Kaling, and SERENITY’s Alan Tudyk as the sneaky “King Candy”. The film’s been compared to WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? with the cameos from arcade icons (look, there’s Sonic the Hedgehog…and Pac-Man!!) and with a look at their lives out of the gameplay (like how everybody hangs out in ROGER’s Toontown). But I think it may owe more than a bit to TOY STORY with everyone coming to life once the humans leave and the arcade’s closed down. The design work is exquisite ( those candy colors really pop!) and the character design is expressive and simple. The film’s presented in 3D, but I think the images would be just as impressive in regular two dimensions. And there’s a delightful short, PAPERMAN, included with RALPH. It’s a sweet little (mostly) black and white urban love story set in the late 40’s or so, that combines classic hand drawn animation with CGI effects. It’s a delight! But then, so is the main feature. Kudos to Moore and all involved for a witty, action-packed fun popcorn flick that’s truly for all ages! “Play Again?” If the same team wants to return with another tale of Ralph, Vanellope, and this colorful crew, then I’ll gladly hit the dollar changers! Game on!
With WRECK-IT RALPH about to smash into theaters (November 2nd), I got to sit down with Sue Sylvester herself, Jane Lynch, in a round table at the Beverly Hilton Hotel (Beverly Hills, CA). We talked politics, video games, and life as Sue Sylvester.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore comes “Wreck-It Ralph,” a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping adventure. For decades, Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) has been overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voice of Jack McBrayer), the good-guy star of their game who always gets to save the day. Tired of playing the role of a bad guy, Ralph takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a journey across the arcade through multiple generations of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.
On his quest, Ralph meets tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero’s Duty, and feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, who may just be his first real friend. But everything changes when a deadly enemy is unleashed, threatening the entire arcade and Vanellope herself. Ralph finally gets his chance to save the day—but can he do it in time? “Wreck-It Ralph” crashes onto the big screen on November 2, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.
So did you have any input on your character design because for your character specifically what lady wouldn’t want her hyper-realized form?
Jane Lynch: Oh my God. I’m so thrilled. I kept saying in the movie, I’d lean over my wife and go, ‘I look so good.’ Well, it’s animated. Yeah. I had no input at all, but they videotaped us. And obviously, they replicated my own figure. So she’s much younger and much more fit and much more militaristic then I am, but I think they did use us. As I was watching the movie, I could see Sarah [Silverman] all over Vanellope and John [C. Reilly] all over Ralph and Jack [McBrayer] all over Felix. Pretty cool.
My favorite scene is the Nesquik scene between you and Felix. Did you and Jack bring something different to the scene that wasn’t on the page?
Lynch: We did get to do that one with each other. We recorded that looking at each other doing it. So that was a lot of fun. I think so. When you can get the two actors in the room, you’re going to get more spontaneous. You’re going to get more chemistry, and I think just for technical reasons, they don’t keep us in the room together for the most part. But I know they did for John [C. Reilly] and Sarah [Silverman], and boy, you can hear it. You can hear them. It sounds like they’re in the same room just bouncing off each other.
Was being in a Disney film, doing a voice for an animated character, one of the actor dreams for you to check off?
Lynch: It wasn’t even on my bucket list that’s how preposterous it was. I was thrilled to, and I jumped at it. It’s a huge honor to be on a shelf with ‘Jungle Book’ and ‘Aristocats’ and ‘Cinderella.’ Pretty cool stuff, and John Lasseter, of course, is heading up animation now, I believe, and he’s just the greatest guy in the world. And when he asks you to do something, you say, ‘yes.’
Were there one of those films that you were particularly obsessed with when you were a kid?
Lynch: Not so much obsessed with because we didn’t have copies of films back then. There were no DVDs and there were no VCRs, but I loved ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ and the ‘Aristocats,’ ‘Cinderella.’ I loved ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’ on Sunday nights. That was a big deal. Question: And with this character, you get to play the complete range of emotions. She gets to be the bad ass. She gets to be sensitive. She gets to be really funny. Lynch: Again, we have the great backstory. The broken heart. It’s encoded with a great backstory. It didn’t really happen, but it was just encoded. She, of course, doesn’t see vulnerability as strength, and I think she learns that. That’s her journey, is that having your heart open is not a sign of weakness because she had hers shut. She felt so guilty about allowing the Cy-Bugs to kill the love of her life, and she had committed herself to the destruction of the Cy-Bugs to make it right. And then comes along this sweet, little open-eyed, open-faced guy, just so simple and so sweet, she can’t allow herself, but, of course, she ultimately does.
And she gets to smack him around whenever she wants him to fix it?
Lynch: Yeah, you’re right, exactly. I can do anything to him. He fixed my heart, and then I can boom, boom, boom.
Were you ever a fan of video games?
Lynch: No. I was not an arcade kid.
How young from ‘Glee’ does your fan base go now, and are you ready for it to get really little?
Lynch: I think ‘Glee’ the cut-off is about 10, and even that is kind of young for some of the things that go on in our show. But, yeah, it will be really cool. I’ve done a couple of Disney things. I’ve done ‘Another Cinderella Story’ with Selena Gomez, and there are three and four year olds all over the country. They go [gasp]. They know me from somewhere, and they figure it out quicker than their parents do.
Since we get to see you on TV every week, what’s on your TV watch list?
Lynch: ‘Episodes,’ ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Homeland,’ and ‘Girls,’ I love ‘Girls,’ and ‘Modern Family,’ and, of course, ‘Glee.’
You watch it when it comes on?
Lynch: Yeah, I watch ‘Glee.’ My daughter loves it. So it’s a big deal. It comes on Thursday now, right? Yeah, she loves watching it.
Are you a tough critic of yourself?
Lynch: No. Not really. I’m able to divorce myself from it. If they don’t like me, well, then I get mad. I’m like, they need to like me better. Or if they cut out – some of my monologues are so long, and I work so hard. And my head is bleeding from the effort, and they’ll cut out half of it. Every time I see a long monologue, I’m going, what part of this are they going to cut that I’m going to bother to learn? Because they have to. The show has to be however long, 48 minutes or something like that.
42.
Lynch: 42, and I know that some of that cutting is going to come from my run-on sentences.
Do you have any guilty pleasures as far as reality TV?
Lynch: I don’t feel guilty about this at all, I love ‘What Not To Wear.’ It’s a great show. I’m not a reality TV person. I get nothing out of it. Although, I must say, we were on vacation, and we watched one episode of the Kardashians that led to like a marathon. It was a beautiful day out. We stayed in the hotel and we were transfixed by the Kardashians for one Saturday afternoon because you never know when a new episode starts. It just keeps going. It’s not like there’s credits and the curtain falls, and it goes up again. It just keeps going. Hours, hours, and we all felt so dirty after.
What happens in a position like yours, and you get to watch a show like that and have that binge on it, and then you go to a party, and you run into Kim Kardashian.
Lynch: It’s weird that she’s in the same league as me.
Do you feel like you know stuff about her life even though it was put on television to be watched?
Lynch: No. I don’t.
I do.
Lynch: Well, if you do, then you buy it too much. I think they’re just stupid enough to actually allow us to watch their life, and they’re conniving enough to manipulate it. But I think there are some real moments there. I saw someone from the ‘New Jersey Housewives’ being interviewed on a talk show, and she was talking about it like this is her life. And that angered me so much, but I forgive them. I go to church, and I pray. And I think it was a bad thing she did, but I forgive them. And she was serious. That’s stupidity. That’s just dumb.
Is that experience unfathomable to you to put your life out there?
Lynch: God, yes.
I imagine it must be hard as a working actor to see all of these reality shows just eating up all of the time slots?
Lynch: Oh, we have tons of channels. First of all, I don’t worry about that, but this is the greatest time to be on television. Look at the shows we have. ‘Nurse Jackie,’ look at all these great – and we’re all over the place. It’s not just 2, 5, and 7. We’ve got hundreds of channels that people can watch. So go ahead. You can do it.
Are you surprised that Sue Sylvester has endured this long and stayed so consistent to her character?
Lynch: Yeah. What I loved about her, they allowed her to evolve because if I was just beating people up and throwing them into their lockers every week, it would get old. And they know how to use me so that a little bit of me goes a long way. Although this episode coming up is pretty heavy Sue Sylvester, but then I’ll be light for the next three or four episodes. So they know how to use my character, and they also have allowed me to grow. I mean there are times when my character sounds so empathetic and reasonable, and then the next moment, she’s throwing somebody into the lockers.
She hasn’t lost her Sueness?
Lynch: She hasn’t changed her stripes, no.
That must be really fun to get there with the writers.
Lynch: Right. They do it. When they gave me the Down Syndrome sister in the first episode, I thought that was brilliant. It’s almost like the backstory for Sergeant Calhoun. They gave me a reason to be so mean. Why is she so mad?
In this movie, you get to throw out a lot of one-liners. Did you get to adlib any of those?
Lynch: No, they wrote them. In fact, as the script became more and more the one the one that we ended up with, it started to sound more like me. I think that happened for all of the characters. The writers not only started to capture us physically – the animators captured us physically – but the writers captured our voices.
Did you have a favorite?
Lynch: Yeah, something like ‘If Hell and Armageddon had a baby, it would look like this.’
We’re here at the Hilton, where they always have the Golden Globes every year. That was a pretty major experience, I’m sure. Do you have a favorite memorable behind the scenes moment from any of the Globes ceremonies you’ve been to? It’s a really different award show.
Lynch: It is. It was my first award show, when we were nominated. I was nominated the first year of ‘Glee.’ Well, I mean, Ricky Gervais was the host, and he just said whatever he wanted. And I thought he was hilarious. You could see the Golden Globe people, they didn’t care for it at all, but they asked him back. Which I loved that they keep asking him back. I don’t know if he’s doing it again this year, is he?
They haven’t said yet.
Lynch: I remember when I met Glenn Close on the carpet. It was a very strange thing because it was my first time on a red carpet like this, an awards show red carpet. And I’m looking around, and there are all these people that I admire and that I see on TV. And Glenn Close came up to me, and she went, [gasp], like that. And she said, ‘I just love what you’re doing.’ I do say in interviews I think Sue Sylvester is – what’s her name on ‘Damages’? It’s my favorite show in the world. Patty Hewes. I have said that I think Sue Sylvester is a less refined Patty Hewes. And she was very flattered by that. ‘Damages’ is another show that I think is over now. I think it’s one more season.
You’ve gotten to play such diverse characters over the years. Is there any particular type of role that you’re just chomping at the bit to play?
Lynch: Not so much. I’m not chomping at the bit to play so much – though I love acting – I’ve been writing. I’m really enjoying that, and I hope that I’ll be able to bring it to television. I hope that I can sell what I’m writing, and I’ve been working on it for – I work fast. I’m one of those people. I decided three weeks ago. My wife told me an idea, and I went, ah. And I kind of went into a cave and started working it out. So that’s kind of what I’m all about right now, and it’s great. I can do ‘Glee’ and still be cooking away at something.
How did the offer for Comedy Central Roast . . .
Lynch: It’s such an honor. I jumped up and down. I love Roseanne [Barr]. I hosted the Roseanne Roast at Comedy Central. And I got to be friends with her. It was a huge deal. I had these great writers writing things for me, and what a great night that was. That was so much fun. I’d do that again.
Had you met her?
Lynch: No. We’d never met each other before, but she asked that I host it. So I was absolutely flattered. Question: It seems like you’re in such demand. Do you have to say, no to some opportunities to maintain some family time? Lynch: Yeah. It’s not so much work because I’m in ‘Glee,’ and you just can’t do anything while you’re doing a television show. But it’s a political season, and everybody wants someone to stand up for their cause. And I’ve done a fair bit of that. In fact, you’re probably getting a lot of, ‘This is an email from Jane Lynch in your Inbox.’ So I try to be discriminating about that, but it seems like there’s a lot of me out there. I remember how exciting it was when you’d be invited to a magazine’s party, and I would go. They’re just not very fun.
What are your hopes for this election, and are there any frustrations with the debate season so far?
Lynch: I don’t know. It’s just so partisan. It’s just so awful. And everybody’s complaining about Candy Crowley. Even the Obama side’s saying she said some things in the press about – I don’t know. Who cares? Just get it over with and let Obama get re-elected. It’s just getting so ugly. I have to stop reading The Huffington Post is what I have to stop.
Was it ever a choice some actors don’t want to take political positions because they don’t want that associated with whatever they’re doing. Did you have to make that decision?
Lynch: I did. And sometimes I regret that I jumped on some band wagon, even though I maybe support it, I want to be an actor first. I have to be very careful about it because you stop suspending disbelief, if you go, ‘Oh, there’s that gay activist trying to make us believe that she’s married to that guy.’ Question: I ran the race for the Rescues last week, and I saw you host. Lynch: Well, that’s a worthwhile thing.
Is that an easy thing?
Lynch: That’s an easy thing. There are tons of organizations too. There’s PETA, and then there’s the smaller rescues, and you want to do it for everybody. But I have a connection to that organization, so I do that every year. I love it. And you know they adopted every animal that came in.
I raised a few.
Lynch: There were a lot of tears, some terrible stories behind why these dogs were orphaned. It’s all animal lovers. It’s a great day to see all those animals get adopted out.
Going back to ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ I was wondering what the surprising part of being in the movie was for you?
Lynch: Seeing the movie. I think it’s so beautiful, not just visually. The animation is great and everything, but I think the message is so good and so powerful. And at the end, I did not expect to be shedding tears, and I was. I loved the relationship between Ralph and Vanellope and how my character, Calhoun, finally opens her heart, and there’s a wedding. It’s about people – you’re stuck in a game, doing the same job, over and over again, and you’re not getting any appreciation. And you finally go, ‘to hell with this,’ and you leave. And when you leave, everything falls apart. And when you come back, after your journey, they all appreciate you. And now you’re doing your job for the love of doing your job. I mean I just think it’s a great message, and that your greatness is in your code, that Vanellope found out. We all have a glitch. I think that’s kind of the success of ‘Glee’ too, to tie it all in. We all feel like we have a glitch in some way, and we’re kind of ashamed of it. You find somebody, and you look in their eyes, and you realize there’s nothing wrong with me. They totally support me.
It’s such an interesting concept for a movie, ‘Wreck-It Ralph.’ I’m curious. If you had to be stuck in a video game, would you choose one of the old-fashioned ones, or would you choose the virtuals?
Lynch: Well, I’d never done a virtual. So I can’t really say, but what I love about Fix-It Felix, Jr. which would probably bore the hell out of me after about a week is that you can mess things up and then just with a [pop sound] of a hammer. I wish I had one of those hammers, not just to fix people in my life, but like the thing came off my faucet in the bathroom. And I don’t know how to put it back on. Just a [clink sound]. Instead of having to call somebody. Who do I call?
Have a look at the latest images and new trailer for Disney’s WRECK-IT RALPH. (via MSN).
XBOX users can also log onto XBOX Live to view the trailer.
Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore (TV’s “The Simpsons,” “Futurama”) take moviegoers on a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping journey in WRECK-IT RALPH. Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Step Brothers”) is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix (voice of Jack McBrayer, “30 Rock”), the “good guy” star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing andseeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he’s tired of playing the role of a bad guy. He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.
On his quest, he meets the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch, TV’s “Glee”) from the first-person action game Hero’s Duty. But it’s the feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman, “The Sarah Silverman Program”) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade. Will Ralph realize his dream and save the day before it’s too late?
WRECK-IT RALPH crashes onto the big screen on November 2, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.
Every decade or so, one or two film makers become a major force in cinema comedies. The 1980’s saw the influence of ZAZ (AKA Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker) starting with AIRPLANE! and RUTHLESS PEOPLE . For the last ten years or so Judd Apatow (40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN) and Todd Phillips (OLD SCHOOL) have ruled the comedy roost. In between there’s the Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby), former sitcom writers who invaded the multiplexes with the big box office laugh fests DUMB AND DUMBER and THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (which opened the gates for the return of the R-rated movie comedy). When interviewed during their salad days, the guys related their affection for a decades old comedy team and vowed to bring them back to the big screen (they even appeared on a tribute NBC-TV special hosted by their KINGPIN star Woody Harrelson). After some recent under performing movie missteps (HALL PASS couldn’t connect with today’s raunchy comedy crowds), they’ve decided to finally put together their dream project/love letter. The end result is THE THREE STOOGES. Several fans of the trio have been quite vocal on the internet decrying this new film as sacrilege. They say that this will tarnish the good name of the classic comedians. Really? The Stooges? While they were still with us, the fellas did plenty of material that was not exactly sterling. Remember SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES? What about the crudely produced 60’s cartoons (from the “Clutch Cargo” folks) with cheaply made color live-action intros? A decade later “The Three Robotic Stooges” from Hanna-Barbera (a real low point for HB-and that’s saying something!) premiered on CBS Saturday mornings. And the boys nearly co-starred in BLAZING STEWARDESSES (Emile Sitka was to replace the ailing Larry Fine, but Moe’s death put the kibosh on this!). So whether this should be done is beside the point. It’s here. Let’s see how it works as a film..
First, here’s a quick stooge history lesson (a Stooges 101). The Three Stooges were a comedy group assembled by vaudeville comic Ted Healy in the early 1920’s. They were Shemp Howard, his brother Moe, and wild-haired violinist Larry Fine. When Hollywood beckoned they were featured performers in a couple of Fox films. Shemp left the team for a solo career and was replaced by another Howard brother, Jerry AKA Curly. They made some features and shorts with MGM before the stooges split from Healy. Soon they were signed by the struggling Columbia Pictures for a series of short subjects (16 to 18 minute films sometimes called two reelers) over the course of 25 years! When Curly retired due to illness, brother Shemp came back to replace him. When Shemp died, veteran comic Joe Besser filled the spot till the final short in 1959. The advent of television had pretty much shuttered all the studios’ shorts departments. Looked like the end of the road for the trio. But suddenly TV made them more popular than ever! Columbia’s Screen Gems division sold the stooges shorts to local TV stations around the country during the heyday of the kiddie show host (usually aired during the afternoon with local ads, a live audience of youngsters, and assorted short cartoons). They were in demand again. Comic vet Joe DeRita (AKA Curly Joe) replaced Besser and the fellows packed stadiums, hit the TV variety shows, and even starred in new feature films from Columbia (beginning with HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL). No doubt the young Farrelly boys were glued to their sets watching the boys during this big resurgence. Sadly the last of the stooges, DeRita passed away in 1993.
In putting together this new screen romp, the Farrellys are aiming squarely for family audiences (the ads tout its PG rating) since the stooges’s rapid slapstick and cartoon look always connected with kids. Now this is not an autobiography of the team (been done), nor is it a period piece set during the stooges golden era (late thirties, early forties). It features the most popular trio 0f Moe, Larry, and Curly, set in today’s world with a good deal of topical humor. As in the Brady Bunch feature films, the stooges don’t quite seem to belong (Gene Siskel used to say that they were always out-of-place) in these modern settings which gives the film the old fish (or fishes) out of water premise. There’s one plot flowing through the film’s 90 minutes, but there are title cards and animation inserted to make it appear that three new short subjects have been strung together. The story harkens back to the plots of several of the old shorts. The boys leave the orphanage where they grew up (on the entrance sign it states “est. 1934”, the same year as the release of the first stooge short, WOMAN HATERS-nice inside joke) in order to raise $830,000 and save it from closing (shades of THE BLUES BROTHERS). They get into many mishaps along the way and get entangled in a plot to do away with the rich husband of a femme fatale’ (Sofia Vergara). Although they’re in 2012, the stooges remain in somewhat familiar story territory.
Quite a lot of publicity has been stirred up by the Farrellys about the casting of the comic icons. Russell Crowe is Moe. Now it’s Benicio Del Toro. Sean Penn’s a lock as Larry. He’s out, Paul Giamotti’s in. Jim Carrey’s gonna wear prosthetics and a fat suit to be Curly. Nope, maybe Jack Black will shave his head. Finally three TV vets were cast who bring a great deal of energy and skill in re-creating the trio (hard to imagine those higher-profile stars doing a better job). The real discovery is Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe (Chris is a vet of several TV shows including “24”). He’s quick-tempered, easily frustrated, and dishes out punishment (and takes a lot) with authority. Surprisingly he shows some vulnerability and tenderness in a couple of scenes (A sensitive Moe!). His nicknames for by-standers (he calls a stout matron “Jumbotron”) are a hoot! The biggest star of the three may be Sean Hayes who got an Emmy for his work as Jack on the long-running “Will and Grace”. He displays his expert comic timing as the frizzy-haired Larry. While in the old shorts Larry would blend into the background, Hayes’s Larry gives the film some of its biggest laughs. And he can take a smack almost as well as the original. Interesting side note: both actors played comedians in TV bio films. Diamantopoulos played Robin Williams in “Behind the Camera: the Unauthorized Story of ‘Mork and Mindy'” while Hayes was Jerry in “Martin and Lewis.” And then there’s perhaps the most beloved and imitated stooge. Curly is played by the former “MadTV” cast member Will Sasso. He more than brings the required manic energy to the role, while reproducing the child-like nature of the groups’ wide-eyed innocent. Curly always seemed to be off on another dimension from his two pals and Sasso gets that, too. I was concerned about his being taller than his team mates, but that was not an issue after a few minutes in. During several sequences, the actors are like a well oiled machine as they engage in a rapid bopping, eye-poking, slapping whirlwind worthy of a top drill team or dance troupe. There have been several recreations on TV of the boys over the years: SCTV (with the legendary John Candy as Curly), ABC’s Fridays (with Larry David as Larry!), Fox’s In Living Color, and the ABC bio movie (produced by Mel Gibson), but Chris, Sean, and Will are the best yet.
And the guys have some great supporting players (besides the talented youngsters that play the trio at age ten). The biggest scene stealer has to be Larry David as the orphanage’s Sister Mary Mengele. Excitable and full of fury, he holds his own against the stooges and several overly cloying orphans (guess the kids are there for young audience identification. Seemed like a lot of forced pathos). Craig Bierko is terrific as the sap who enlists the stooges in the murder plot, but then suffers the most abuse from them. Vergara is as lovely as she is on “Modern Family,” but here we get to see her ruthless side as a variation of the classic double (and triple) crossing film noir bombshell. The other ladies don’t have as much to work with. Jennifer Hudson gets to belt a bit of gospel as one of the nuns, but spends the rest of her time responding the boys’ antics. The real waste is the great Jane Lynch in the somber, bland role of Mother Superior (one of the best comic actors working today, and she doesn’t get to crack wise?). There’s a welcome cameo from Bill Murray’s brother Brian as a priest and a very satisfying sequence involving the cast of a much reviled (but strangely popular) reality TV show (perhaps cathartic is more appropriate). A few moments lag, but there’s a whole lotta’ fun packed in these ninety minutes ( try to stick around for the end credits music video ). You might find yourself laughing more than the kids. Like the Farrellys, I watched those black and white gems on my favorite TV host’s show (hey Cactus Pete’s Funny Company!) and this new film gave me some nostalgic amusement. There’s some clever sight gags and slapstick along with clever riffs on time-tested bits. It’s silly and crude, but I laughed a lot in spite of my “adult sophistication.” You stooge-iphiles need not worry. This is a film that captures the spirit of the old classics and is filled with affection for those ‘chowder-heads.’ Should you give this flick a look? Why ‘soitenly’!
The Three Stooges Co-Stars Jane Lynch and Kate Upton Named Grand Marshals for the Daytona 500
Larry, Moe and Curly to deliver the Green Flag For the 54th running of ‘The Great American Race’
As Grand Marshals, co-stars from the new Three Stooges movie Jane Lynch and Kate Upton will deliver the four most famous words in motorsports – “Drivers, start your engines.”
Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Will Sasso — starring as Larry, Moe & Curly – in the all new The Three Stooges movie from Twentieth Century Fox, will start the action by delivering the green flag at the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most prestigious race, on Sunday, February 26th (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).
“We look forward to Jane and Kate’s participation in the pre-race ceremonies, adding to the star power of NASCAR’s biggest and richest race of the year,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “Also, the thousands of race fans in attendance and the millions more watching on FOX Sports are eagerly waiting to experience ‘Stoogemania,’ when The Three Stooges deliver the green flag”.
In The Three Stooges, which hits theaters everywhere April 13, 2012, newborns Larry, Moe and Curly are left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns. The boys grow up finger-poking, nyuk-nyuk-nyuking and woo-woo-wooing their way to uncharted levels of knuckleheaded misadventure. Out to save their childhood home, only The Three Stooges could become embroiled in an oddball murder plot…while stumbling into starring in a phenomenally successful TV reality show.
Earl Benjamin, President and CEO of C3 Entertainment, Inc. (The Three Stooges brand owner) and Executive Producer of the new movie, said “The Three Stooges as a part of the Daytona 500 gives both comedy and racing fans a truly unique blend of two of America’s most enduring cultural icons – The greatest comedy team of all time and the aptly named The Great American Race. What could be better?”
Jane Lynch is best known for her role as the sarcastic villain on FOX’s hit show Glee, for which she has earned an Emmy and Golden Globe. Kate Upton, who was raised in Melbourne, Fla., is known for her appearance in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, where she was named Rookie of the Year.
Sean Hayes (Larry) garnered acclaim as the sarcastic and hilarious Jack McFarland on NBC’s long-running sitcom, Will & Grace. Will Sasso (Curly) starred for five seasons (1997-2002) on FOX-TV’s hit sketch comedy series MADtv, Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) recently portrayed Frank Sinatra in the Emmy-nominated mini-series The Kennedys.
Tickets for Speedweeks 2012 events, including the 54th annual Daytona 500, are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. If you are unable to attend in person, be sure to tune in to the Daytona 500 on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. ET.
Check out the first teaser trailer for 20th Century Fox’s THE THREE STOOGES movie. Directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly (HALL PASS, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY), the comedy stars Will Sasso (Curly), Sean Hayes (Larry), and Chris Diamantopoulos (Mo).
Left on a nun’s doorstep, Larry, Curly and Moe grow up finger-poking, nyuk-nyuking and woo-woo-wooing their way to uncharted levels of knuckleheaded misadventure. Out to save their childhood home, only The Three Stooges could become embroiled in an oddball murder plot…while also stumbling into starring in a phenomenally successful TV reality show
(via Movieclips.com)
Jane Lynch, Jennifer Hudson, Sophia Vergara, Craig Bierko, Stephen Collins and Larry David round out the cast.
From 20th Century Fox, (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk) THE THREE STOOGES will be in theaters April 13, 2012.
