Bill Hader
The “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” Interview
with Kam Williams
Don’t Mess with Bill!
Actor, writer, comedian, producer and repertory player Bill Hader recently finished his eighth and final season on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 7, 1978, he was heralded by New York magazine as “SNL’s new secret weapon” when he first joined its ensemble cast.
Known for his uncanny impersonations and a biting sarcasm delivered with an eviscerating deftness, Bill received Emmy nominations in 2012 and 2013 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show. He won an Emmy Award in 2009 for his work as a producer on Comedy Central’s “South Park.”
On the big screen, he enjoyed a full slate of film work in the summer of 2007 that included Knocked Up and Superbad. The very next year, he found great success as Jason Segel’s compassionate step-brother in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He also delivered memorable performances in Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder. In 2009, He appeared in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Adventureland.
Last year, he co-starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 3, which grossed over $624 million worldwide. He’s also voiced several animated characters in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Turbo, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Doogal, and Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.
Bill lives in Los Angeles with his wife, filmmaker Maggie Carey, and their two daughters. Here, he talks about his latest outing reprising the lead role of Flint Lockwood in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
Kam Williams: Hi Bill. I’m honored to have this opportunity to talk with you.
Bill Hader: Oh, thanks, Kam.
KW: I loved Cloudy 2. How was it being Flint Lockwood again?
BH: A lot of fun. I don’t feel like the first one ever ended. Because the filmmaking process is so long, you kind of go right into the second one.
There was probably a year or so lag time for me, but it’s really cool. I love it.
KW: I got a lot of questions for you from fans, so why don’t I jump right into them. Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How different is the preparation for an animated versus a live-action role?
BH: I would say the biggest difference is that you’re just in a studio by yourself when you’re making an animated movie. You don’t have anybody to play off of.
KW: Marian Greenberg asks: Do you think it will be possible to teach the foodimals to befriend instead of fight humanoids so they can all live happily ever after in peace?
BH: Marian, you’ll get your answer when you see the film.
KW: Marian also says she thinks that, if there is a Cloudy 3, Flint should save the world by changing takers into givers. Do you agree?
BH: I can’t say, because I don’t exactly understand what she means.
KW: Kate Newell says: Bill Hader is a god in our household. SNL is the only show we watch together. She’s wondering how many takes you needed to do Stefon without totally cracking up.
BH: Aww, thanks, Kate. Well, on SNL you only get one take. And it always happened. And I was never once able to keep a straight face.
KW: Let me ask you about leaving SNL. Are you feeling any regrets or any pangs of emotion, especially right now since the new season is about to kick off?
KW: Not really. I’m not sad, just excited to watch the show and see what the new people are doing. I already watched some of it online and it’s really good.
KW: Alison Kruse What advice do you have for a novice improv student?
I just tried out for my school's improv group and didn't get in this time around.
BH: Oh, don’t worry, that’s totally fine, Alison. You’re on your way with the first step, which is dealing with failure. You’re going to have to deal with failure constantly. The best thing to do is to get out in front of an audience as much as you can, and learn from the experience. Steve Martin wrote a book called “Born Standing Up,” which is really great. He talks about how he kept a notebook on his act about what did and didn’t work. It’s a process. It’s not like you get up on stage and you’re immediately a genius. It takes a long time. So, don’t be discouraged.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416553657/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: Kim Lister asks: How did you come up with the character Mr. Hollywood for the James Franco roast? It was hilarious!
BH: Oh, that was created with my Stefon writing partner John Mulaney. I wanted to do a character that could talk about various things. And I asked what if I came out as the embodiment of Hollywood? That attitude is something I like to do. And then, yeah, John and I wrote it.
KW: Kim also asks: Who was your favorite sketch character to play on SNL?
BH: I love playing Herb Welch, the old reporter who hits people in the face with the microphone.
KW: Amy Lister and Patricia Turnier ask: Do you have any advice for an aspiring comedienne who’d like to make it onto SNL?
BH: I’d offer them the same advice I just gave Alison.
KW: Marcy Held asks: What was it like growing up in Oklahoma? Who were some of your early influences? What did you watch when you were a kid?
BH: Growing up in Oklahoma, there wasn’t much to do. Play sports, do a lot of drugs, or read and watch movies, which is what I did. When I was a kid, Monte Python was big. And early Woody Allen movies.
KW: Marcy would also like to know whetheryou always wanted to be a performer?
BH: No, I was into writing and directing. I was a bit of a reluctant actor. I would always ask friends to shoot or direct their movies, but then they’d want me to be in them.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks: What's it like writing for South Park? Is Cartman a jerk off-camera?
BH: Oh, yeah, yes he is. [Chuckles] No, I’m basically helping those guys out with their ideas, but I don’t actually sit down and write any stuff with them. The way I contribute is basically by just sitting in a room pitching ideas to Trey [Parker, South Park co-creator and voice of Cartman] and he runs off and writes it. It’s a great process that’s a lot of fun and that I learn a tremendous amount from.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says. You’ve done a lot of voice work in animated films. Not just Cloudy 1 and 2, but Turbo, Monsters University, Doogal, Ice Age 3 and Hoodwinked 2. She asks: When you are doing animation, do you want your character to resemble you physically?
BH: Not necessarily. You know, they have a video camera on you in the studio while you’re performing. And in the case of Flint Lockwood, I see a lot of me in him, like how I talk with my hands. So, sometimes they do it, but I never request it.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Do you feel any special joy in bringing a children's book to the screen, especially being a father?
BH: Yes, I do. I loved that book growing up. It’s almost like a little poem or fable. And I love being a part of bringing it to the big screen.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0689306474/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: A fan of the franchise asks: Do the watermelophants represent the increase in childhood obesity in America?
BH: I have no idea.
KW: Here’s another question: Do the mosquitoasts leave their stingers in and cause the spread of malaria? I’m amazed that anyone’s thinking that way about the film.
BH: [Chuckles] Yeah, I agree. And I don’t think the writers of the movie intended that deep an analysis.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
BH: “Black Swan Green,” a novel by David Mitchell.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812974018/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
BH: I can’t. I can’t cook. I can barely make a bowl of cereal.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
BH: A very tired dad.
KW: I’m not surprised since you have 1 and 4 year-old daughters.If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
BH: Sleep. [Chuckles]
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
BH: I don’t know.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Isthere something that you promised to do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
BH: I don’t consider myself famous.
KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
BH: There really is no difference other than my having some makeup on.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?
BH: The ability to fall asleep.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?
BH: Being able to deal with failure and being wired to pursue your passion because you enjoy the process of creating something, even if you aren’t living in New York or L.A. and work in a hardware store.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
BH: I don’t know.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
BH: Directing.
KW: Harriet: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?
BH: Not really.
KW: What’s on the horizon for you, comedies like Superbad, Knocked Up, Adventureland and Forgetting Sarah Marshall?
BH: Well, I just did a couple of dramas, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and The Skeleton Twins.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
BH: I’ve done stuff for Standup for Cancer which is great, but I don’t personally have one.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
BH: Just as a good guy.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Bill, and best of luck with the film.
BH: Thanks, buddy.
To see a trailer for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNiVB_d_z4k
Newt Gingrich
The “Crossfire” Interview
with Kam Williams
What’s New with Newt!
Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on June 17, 1943, Newt Gingrich spent 2011 and 2012 as a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. His broad policy agenda focused on energy development, national security, scientific advancement, and immigration reform.
Speaker Gingrich served the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1978 to 1999. He is well-known as the architect of the “Contract with America,” a popular set of proposals that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994 when it captured a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years.
Gingrich was elected and served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Under his leadership, Congress passed welfare reform, the first balanced budget in a generation, and the first tax cut in 16 years. In 1995, he was named TIME Magazine’s “Man of the Year.”
Recognized internationally as an expert on world history, military issues and international affairs, the Speaker served as a member of the Defense Policy Board, as well as a distinguished visiting scholar at the National Defense University, and as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
A former college professor of history, environmental studies, and geography, Gingrich is the author of more than two dozen best-selling historical novels and public policy books including, To Renew America, A Nation Like No Other, Gettysburg, and Victory at Yorktown: A Novel. His next book, Breakout, will be released in November 2013.
Gingrich and his wife, Callista, also host and produce historical and public policy documentaries at Gingrich Productions. Their recent films include Nine Days that Changed the World, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny, and Rediscovering God in America.
Gingrich received his B.A. in history from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Here, he talks about his new duties as co-host of CNN’s Crossfire, a political talk show airing weekdays at 6:30 pm ET [Check local listings]
Kam Williams: Hello, Mr. Speaker, I’m honored to have this opportunity. Thank you.
Newt Gingrich: Well, thank you, Kam. I’m delighted to have a chance to chat with you.
KW: What interested you in hosting Crossfire?
NG: I used to appear on Crossfire back when it was a brand new show and I was a junior member of Congress. The early Crossfire episodes were very factual, idea oriented, and people felt like they learned a lot from them. You’d get a couple of smart guests on there with a couple of smart hosts, which really made for an entertaining program. So, the opportunity to go back and try to create a space in America where you know that at 6:30 every evening you’re going to hear interesting people have an intelligent discussion about a very important issue and stay on that issue for the whole half-hour is just a very exciting challenge.
KW: Filmmaker Kevin Williams says: I thought you were very good in the presidential primaries and intellectually honest on the issues involving race, politics and the GOP. Do you have any plans to run again?
NG: Oh, I have no idea. At the present time, I’m simply focused, in a sense, on trying to be a teacher to the country, and to learn about and talk about a lot of stuff.
KW: The show was launched a week early because of the conflict in Syria. How do you feel about that?
NG: I had deliberately set aside two full weeks to prepare prior to the premiere but, when I got off the plane, they said, “Congratulations! You’ve just lost a week of preparations.” [Laughs] So, we’re running really hard right now, getting used to being a host. I’ve always been a guest, but never a host of a show before. And for a guy like me, there’s a lot to learn. Nonetheless, I think it was a very smart decision, because Syria is a perfect example of the kind of debate we want to have on Crossfire. It’s very serious… there are honorable and intelligent people on both sides… and it creates a real opportunity to lay out a series of proposals, so that people can have a better insight as to what’s at stake.
KW: What makes Syria so interesting is that you have some Republicans, like Rand Paul, opposing intervention, and others siding with President Obama?
NG: And it’s the same way with the Democrats. This is one of those unusual issues where you really have people on both sides wrestling with their conscience and trying to do the right thing.
KW: How has the transition been going from being guest to being a host?
NG: It’s quite a challenge. I’ll give you one example. In reading a teleprompter, you have to time it to exit at exactly the right moment. You can’t start too soon or too late, and you’re watching the floor director, so you don’t make a fool of yourself. I never appreciated what the Wolf Blitzer’s, the Sean Hannity’s and the Greta Van Susteren’s of the world went through. So, I now have much more respect for how they do their jobs.
KW: In his documentary, Fear of a Black Republican, Kevin called you the Conservative Elvis and asked you: “How should we go about recruiting more African-Americans into the Party?” Your response to Kevin was: “Knock on their doors, go to their clubs and their churches and talk to ‘em!” You also said that activists shouldn't worry about getting money from Party bigwigs and that they should just to go out and find average citizens to help recruit African-Americans. With so much focusing coming up on minorities and the black vote post-President Obama, why isn’t the Republican Party listening to the advice you offered in the film?
NG: Oh, I think they are. If you look at what Reince [Priebus] has been doing as Republican National Committee Chairman, he has clearly been going out and meeting with the NAACP, and attending local listening sessions around the country. We also have an African-American Speaker of the House in Oklahoma [T.W. Shannon] who is only in his thirties. He’s a very attractive, young Republican leader who Reince took to the summer meetings in Boston to introduce to people and say, “Look, here’s an example of what we’re going to be working on. This is the type of guy who represents our future.” So, I think he’s really trying to maximize our reach out not only to African-Americans, but to Latino-Americans and Asian-Americans as well.
KW: I’d like to ask you a few personal questions in order to color you in for my readers?
NG: Like green and orange? [Chuckles]
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
NG: I’m actually going back and re-reading Daniel Silva’s novels, beginning with the first. He’s written 16 now. And my grandson and I are starting to work our way through C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series, because he took sailing course this summer, and I thought I’d introduce him to the Royal Navy in the Age of Napoleon. He’s 12, so we’re working on that together. I’m also nibbling on a lot of different books in parallel. I’m also currently reading Winston Churchill’s “The Story of the Malakand Field Force,” which he wrote in about 1898.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486474747/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: I had no idea Churchill was already writing books back in the 19th Century.
NG: Listen, Kam, if you want to get a better understanding of part of the long conflict we’re in, read Churchill’s “The River War.” Churchill was an astonishing figure who really made the generals mad when he was serving in the army because, even when he praised them, they were upset that he felt that he had the right to judge them at all.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1620874768/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: I’m not much of a student of British history, but isn’t it true that Churchill ultimately went out in disgrace?
NG: No, no, he went out in 1915 because of the mistakes in the Gallipoli campaign, most of which were not his fault, but for which he was nonetheless held responsible as First Lord of the Admiralty. He later came back into public life around 1930, but became isolated in the Conservative Party. He reemerged only because of the rise of Hitler. If Hitler had not been such a real danger, Churchill would’ve ended his career as a complete failure. What really happened at the end of World War II was people were very grateful to Churchill, personally, for having won the war. But they did not think the Conservative Party was reliable to solve the peace, so they voted for the Labor Party because they wanted subsidized housing, subsidized food, and all the things we call the modern welfare state, including the national health system. So, Churchill lost power, even though he’d been a great war hero. He then came back again in 1951 in his mid-seventies, and served until about 1955. He’s one of those people you can study endlessly. For instance, he invented the tank while he was serving as First Lord of the Admiralty. Here’s a guy who was extraordinarily wide-ranging. He learned how to fly a plane in 1913. His pilot was killed in a plane crash later that summer. He was the impressive type of individual we’d love to have on Crossfire.
KW: Who are some of the guests you’re hoping to get?
NG: Over time, we’re going to have an amazing range. You obviously want cabinet officers, because they can defend the president’s positions. You also want senior leaders in the House and Senate, as well as really smart, really knowledgeable people who are making a name for themselves in very specific areas. And you also want people who might have served in the past, such as an ambassador who’s an expert on a hot topic. Or someone who may not be a political figure, but is in the field and really knows what they’re talking about, like a medical doctor on Obamacare. If I had to coin a slogan for the show it would be, “When facts matter, you should turn to Crossfire.”
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
NG: That’s a really good question! Wandering around and finding things on a little farm of one of my relatives located about a half-dozen miles outside of Harrisburg.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
NG: If I were to stop and do other things, my two favorite hobbies are paleontology and wild animals. A couple of years ago, [my wife] Callista and I climbed 9,500 feet in Rwanda to watch mountain gorillas and take pictures of them. That was one of the most thrilling days of my life. We both love to travel so we might end up doing a travel series introducing you to places we’ve been and things we’ve done.
KW: The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?
NG: Obviously, from my perspective, I would have to say Christ. But if you eliminated religion, probably Julius Caesar.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
NG: Cheerful persistence. You’re gonna make mistakes. You’re gonna fall down. You’re gonna fail sometimes. But you have to get back up.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
NG: The one that I’m personally involved with is creating a scholarship program at the Museum of Natural History.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
NG: As a good father, a good grandfather, a good husband and a good citizen.
KW: Well, thanks again for the time, Speaker Gingrich, and best of luck with the show. I’ll be tuning in.
NG: Great! Thanks, Kam.
Steve McQueen
The “12 Years a Slave” Interview
with Kam Williams
God Save McQueen!
Artist and filmmaker Steven Rodney McQueen was born in London on October 9, 1969. His critically-acclaimed directorial debut, Hunger, won the Camera d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He followed that up with the incendiary offering Shame, a well-received, thought-provoking drama about addiction and secrecy in the modern world.
In 1996, McQueen was the recipient of an ICA Futures Award. A couple of years later, he won a DAAD artist’s scholarship to Berlin. Besides exhibiting at the ICA and at the Kunsthalle in Zürich, he also won the coveted Turner Prize. He has exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Documenta, and at the 53rd Venice Biennale as a representative of Great Britain.
His artwork can be found in museum collections around the world like the Tate, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Centre Pompidou. In 2003, he was appointed Official War Artist for the Iraq War by the Imperial War Museum and he subsequently produced the poignant and controversial project Queen and Country commemorating the deaths of British soldiers who perished in the conflict by presenting their portraits as a sheet of stamps.
Steve and his wife, cultural critic Bianca Stigter, live and work in Amsterdam which is where they are raising their son, Dexter, and daughter, Alex. Here, he talks about his latest film, 12 Years a Slave, which recently won the People’s Choice Awards for Best Film and Best Director at the Toronto Film Festival.
Kam Williams: Hi Steve. Thanks for honoring me with the opportunity to interview you.
Steve McQueen: Thanks so much for the interest, Kam.
KW: I’ve loved all three of your feature films, this new one, and Hunger and Shame as well. They are so different from each other and yet quite remarkable and memorable, each in their own way.
SM: Thank you. Well, I do my best. I’m just happy that people are responding to the films as positively as they are. To be honest with you, it’s one of those things where we’re just happy to get them made. When you get to make something, you always hope people will go and see it. And we’re very, very pleased by the response to 12 Years a Slave. It’s kind of humbling and remarkable.
KW: Your work reminds me of Ang Lee’s in terms of its quality and versatility in the way that his movies are each phenomenal yet so very different from each other.
SM: Wow! That’s a huge compliment. What can I say? He’s a master. Ang Lee is a person I really admire and look up to. I love so many of his films, especially Ride with the Devil, Sense and Sensibility, and The Ice Storm.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What does it mean to you to be in charge of adapting Solomon Northup’s memoir? How do you explain that his autobiography was buried for around a hundred years contrary to those of some of his contemporaries like Frederick Douglass?
SM: I feel tremendously honored but I also feel a tremendous responsibility because through this film we can bring Solomon Northrup’s memory to the surface. His story was buried for so long. When the book first came out in 1853, it was a phenomenal best seller for its time, and sold 27,000 copies in 18 months. But what happened was Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published the following year, and that was it for 12 Years a Slave. It fell into obscurity. Academics knew about the memoir but it otherwise became lost. To me, it was always like the American equivalent of The Diary of Anne Frank. That’s why it became my passion to get this film made.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: In a film described as a historical drama, how do you establish a healthy balance between history and drama?
SM: By relying on the book. As a filmmaker I was interested in illustrating the history of what slavery was about, which was slave labor. In the background of one frame, for example, you see sugar cane. In the second plantation, you see logging. And on the third location, we see corn. So, at the same time you’re following Solomon’s adventure of trying to get home, in the background you simultaneously see the horrors and pains of what slavery was about.
KW: Fellow director Rel Dowdell asks: Do you feel that the great success of Django Unchained improves your very visceral film’s chances for a warm reception?
SM: I think that film was very helpful, of course, in making people aware by getting the subject-matter on film. So, I couldn’t say it didn’t help.
KW: What interested you as a Brit in an African-American story?
SM: The story’s not just an African-American story. It’s a universal story. It’s a world story. My parents are from the West Indies. My father’s from Grenada which is where Malcolm X’s mother was born. My mother was born in Trinidad which is where Stokely Carmichael, the man who coined the phrase “Black Power!” was born. Sidney Poitier was born in the Bahamas. I’m part of that diaspora of people displaced by the slave trades. I’m part of that family. It’s our story. It’s a global story.
KW: My grandparents were born St. Croix, St. Kitts and Barbados. Do you eat any West Indian food like curried goat, callaloo or roti?
SM: Yeah, all of that. And then, when you go to New Orleans, you find similar dishes. We’re all family!
KW: How did you settle on Chiwetel as Solomon Northrup?
SM: Chiwetel was always the one I wanted to make the movie with because there’s a certain humanity and gentility about him that I needed for the lead role. Solomon was a person who maintained his humanity whatever his circumstances, and I needed someone of that same caliber, because he would be tested to the breaking point. I needed an actor who could hold up during those moments of extreme stress.
KW: Why did you use the great Michael Fassbender in each of your films?
SM: I think Michael is the most influential actor of his generation. He’s like a Mickey Rourke or a Gary Oldman. People want to be him. Actors want to act with him. Students choose to pursue acting because of him. I was very fortunate to land him for Hunger. We’ve been close friends ever since. He’s an amazing actor I willl always want to work with.
KW: How did you assemble such a top-flight cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt, Quvenzhane Wallis, Paaul Dano, and newcomer Lupita Nyong’o.
SM: I had huge help from the casting director, Francine Maisler. She did an incredible job. We auditioned over a thousand girls for the role of Patsey. And we ended up with Lupita who hadn’t even graduated from acting school yet. But she auditioned for us, and that was it. A star was born!
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
SM: The last one I actually read was a children’s book I read to my son last night called something like “Teacher Goes to School.”
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
SM: Pasta, because it’s easy.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
SM: I see all the lines in my face from tiredness.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
SM: Borrowing roller skates from a next-door neighbor when I was about 3 or 4 years-old.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: What was your best career decision?
SM: Meeting my wife.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
SM: World peace. It might sound corny, but that’s the truth.
KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours left to live, how would you spend the time?
SM: With the people I love.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you could be another animal, which one would you choose?
SM: A dolphin.
KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question:How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?
SM: I learned that life is a long and difficult road, but you have to keep going, or you’ll fall by the wayside.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Isthere something that you promised to do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
SM: Am I famous?
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
SM: As a person who tried.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Steve, and best of luck with the film.
SM: Thank you. Take care, Kam.
To see a trailer for 12 Years a Slave, visit:
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/post/3764/12-years-a-slave-official-hd-trailer/
Men at Lunch
Film Review by Kam Williams
30 Rock Doc Unearths Untold Story behind Iconic Photograph
During the construction of Rockefeller Center in 1932, a photo was taken of 11 ironworkers taking a break from their arduous labors to eat, drink, smoke and talk to each other. Because they were sitting on a steel beam dangling perilously some 69 stories in the air with Central Park and the Manhattan skyline in the background, the iconic image would soon sear itself permanently into the country’s subconscious.
But who took the picture called “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” how was it staged, and who were the guys posing for the camera? These are the questions which nagged director Sean O’Cualain ever since the day he and his brother saw the famous photo hanging on the wall while hoisting a few a world away in Whelan’s pub in Shanaglish, Ireland. A note next to the stunning snapshot identified a couple of emigrants to America from County Galway, Sonny Glynn (1903-1953) and Matty O’Shaughnessy (1901-1978), as the bookends on the far left and far right of the girder, respectively.
That chance encounter in the bar was the source of inspiration for Men at Lunch, an enlightening documentary narrated by Fionnula Flanagan which unearths a cornucopia of factoids about the picture’s previously unheralded subjects. Perhaps more importantly, the film also tells the greater story of the thousands of ironworkers who built skyscrapers during the Depression, a very dangerous undertaking indeed given the 2% annual mortality rate along with a 2% permanent disability rate.
Still, given the dire state of the economy back then, any able-bodied man was likely happy just to have a $1.50 an hour job, even if it was as thankless as it was treacherous. Plus, perched so close to the heavens, they seemingly enjoyed an elevated social status relative to the working-class men making an honest day’s pay down on street level.
A posthumous testament to the intrepid crew of immigrants who risked their lives in the sky over New York City to erect 30 Rock.
Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 67 minutes
Distributor: First Run Features
To see a trailer for Men at Lunch, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJaoSD3tAxs
Sharni Vinson
The “You’re Next” Interview
with Kam Williams
Vinson’s Vision
Born in Sydney, Australia on July 22, 1983, Sharni Vinson was raised in Cronulla Beach in New South Wales where she began singing, dancing and acting at a young age. She is best known for playing the role of Cassie Turner on the long-running Aussie TV soap opera “Home and Away.”
At just 17, she was signed to Roadshow Music to become a member of the R&B band, Foxfire IV. In 2008, she relocated to Los Angeles and was immediately embraced by the entertainment industry, booking guest roles in “NCIS,” “CSI: NY,” “My Boys,” and the pilot for “Austin Golden Hour.”
After an extensive search for a leading lady with amazing dance ability, Vinson landed the coveted lead role of ‘Natalie’ in Summit Entertainment’s Step Up 3D, which was released in August 2010. The plot revolves around a tight-knit group of New York City street dancers who found themselves pitted against the world's best hip hop dancers in a high-stakes showdown that would change their lives forever.
In 2011, Sharni starred in Blue Crush 2 for Universal Studios, the follow up to the hit film about a group of girls who worked as waitresses and chamber maids to finance their passion for surfing. Last year, she starred in the action- thriller BAIT 3D, a disaster flick about a freak tsunami which traps shoppers inside a coastal supermarket along with a herd of hungry sharks.
Besides performing, Sharni is also an accomplished athlete, having represented New South Wales at the National Swimming Championships. Here, she talks her latest film, You’re Next, a horror flick co-starring AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Nicholas Tucci and Wendy Glenn.
Kam Williams: Hi Sharni, thanks for the opportunity to interview you.
Sharni Vinson: No, thank you so much, Kam.
KW: I really loved You’re Next. In fact, I’d have to say it’s the best horror flick of 2013 so far, in a great year for scary movies including The Conjuring, The Purge, and a few others.
SV: That’s great!
KW: And in my review, I don’t reveal any of the shocking developments, since this is a picture that has to be seen cold, with no knowledge of its unpredictable twists and turns.
SV: I agree. The element of surprise is everything.
KW: How would describe You’re Next in 25 words or less?
SV: As not your typical home invasion horror movie. It takes place at a family reunion where things quickly turn very dramatic. Basically, we all have to fend for our lives in the house. I don’t know if I can say too much more than that without spoiling it.
KW: That’s perfect. I loved your breakout performance. Your character Erin’s spunkiness very much reminded me of Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of The Hunger Games.
SV: Thank you. We wanted to keep the character likable, relatable, and still very strong and tough, so she’d be a very positive, female role model. There’s nothing in her that’s out of the ordinary in the sense that she’s not a superhero with superpowers. She’s just doing what she has to do in order to get the job done. I like the role for me and for the general audience because I think it shows how important it is to learn self-defense. So, I hope people can come out of this film getting into that more.
KW: I know you were a nationally-ranked swimmer as a teenager, so you’re already very athletic. But did you have to do any specially training for this physically-demanding role?
SV: Not really, because there wasn’t any time. We shot this film over four weeks, and I only had three days of training in the lead-up to rolling the cameras. So, it was very important to the producer and director to find a girl who was already physically capable of stepping into a role like this. And thanks to my swimming and dancing and very competitive sports upbringing, I had that physicality ready to go. So, we were more or less focusing on certain exact skills like reaction time, boxing, agility exercises, and how to twirl a knife and a fireplace poker. That was really a lot of fun. But overall, we devoted more time to developing the mentality of the character than her physicality.
KW: I noticed that a number of your fellow cast members, like Joe Swanberg and Amy Seimetz, are members of the Mumblecore movement here in the U.S. Are you familiar with Mumblecore?
SV: I really am not. It’s really a whole new experience for me, which has been so great, because Amy and Joe and Ti [West] are not only amazing actors but also incredible directors to this specific horror genre. It was mind-expanding to be able to work with them on a project of this scale. Having them on the set, made the director’s [Adam Wingard] and the rest of the cast’s work so much easier. I thought I was learning from the best with them.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: How do you prepare for and detox from a blood-and-guts thriller?
SV: It’s funny, because so many people assume it must have been a horrific experience making this movie. But because we were there every day, shooting on a night schedule from 5 p.m. until 7 a.m., bonding as a cast and watching how the prosthetic department put the props and blood and gore together, it was actually so much fun. It wasn’t scary because we were privy to the inside gag of how you create movie magic. And that just became the running joke on the set. You can’t help but laugh when you’re eating dinner at 1 in the morning next to someone with an arrow sticking out of his back. It was all so light off-camera, yet when we would roll, we would literally snap from a laughing, singing and joking moment into a totally serious mood. So, it never was scary during the film, just very entertaining because we were having such a great time.
KW: You started out as a singer in the R&B group Foxfire IV. Are you still singing?
SV: I started out learning all the different aspects of the entertainment industry: singing, dancing and acting. It was very much put to me from a young age that it benefits you to be a triple-threat in the business. I come from a line of performers in musical theater, my mom and my grand-mom, who encouraged me to train in all three areas of the arts. So, now it’s second nature in me, and I always keep those options open. At different points in my life, one has overtaken the others, but the great thing about acting is that you can find a way to incorporate any skill you have into a role. I’ve done a dance movie, maybe now we can do a musical. That would be really cool.
KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?
SV: Oh, man, that’s hard to say, because anything classic-classic almost should not be touched. But sometimes you feel the passion that you’d like to be in that movie yourself. I’m not suggesting it needs to be remade, but if they ever redid A Chorus Line, I’d love to play Valerie. Who knows? Maybe one day. [LOL]
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
SV: No, I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately that even I wouldn’t have ever thought of.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
SV: “Conversations with God.”
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399142789/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you listened to?
SV: “Blurred Lines” with Pharrell and Robin Thicke.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00DFBVJQA/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
SV: Anything with a lot of garlic and a lot of chili, like a Thai chicken vegetable stir-fry. You’d be lucky if you can find the other ingredients under all the garlic and chili I use.
KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
SV: Roberto Cavali.
KW: Haven’t you done modeling, too?
SV: No, that’s a bit of a myth. I read that in the press a lot, but I don’t know where that came from.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: What was your best career decision?
SV: Moving to America.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
SV: The person I always wished I could be.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
SV: I would like to be able to fly.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
SV: Making all my cousins, even the boys, get dressed-up in these ridiculous outfits every Sunday, and then have them sing and dance for the family.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Isthere something that you promised to do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
SV: Yeah, I haven’t bought a house in Hawaii yet, and that’s been my dream for a dozen years now. I want my first house to be in Hawaii.
KW: You should’ve done a little house hunting when you made Blue Crush 2.
SV: I wasn’t there then. The original was made in Hawaii, but the sequel was shot in South Africa.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
SV: A mole. I already am a mole in every sense of the word. Nothing gets past a mole. They’re like spies and detectives. So, the question’s not if I were an animal, since I’m already a mole.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?
SV: I already said I’d like to fly. Do I have to pick another? Invisibility would be a good one.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession, what would that be?
SV: Something working with animals, like animal rescue. I’m very passionate about animals and the ocean. Maybe marine biology.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: Do you believe that with great power comes great responsibility?
SV: Yes, I believe it’s very important to be a positive role model. And yet, no, to a degree because you also can’t merely live your life purely from the aspect of “How will this affect others?” It’s like a balance. You have to take the public image into account, but not let it rule your life.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What is your favorite charity?
SV: I’m very involved with the Guide Dog Association in Australia. I have a chocolate Labrador, and we do the walk every year to raise money for that. I also work with the World Wildlife Foundation.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
SV: Never give up! Most of life’s biggest failures are people who didn’t realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. If you believe that you were meant to do something, then you were. So, persist with it, have some patience, and stay true to your own beliefs. Don’t let others make decisions for you.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Sharni, and best of luck with You’re Next.
SV: I’m so glad you liked it, Kam. I really appreciate that.
To see a trailer for You're Next, visit: http://lionsgatepublicity.com/theatrical/yourenext/