Judith Hoag [Interview]

As a man, when you grow older and time wages war against your mind, body, and soul, there will always be a collection of females that appear on screen that will always ride the coat tails of your memory as time marches on.  One of those women in my brain is definitely Judith Hoag, the woman behind the yellow jump suit in the original live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film known as April O’Neil.

And of course, Judith’s career as not been limited doing a film with a bunch of plastic turtles.  She has been appearing on the hit television show Nashville since its inception, and you may remember her in films like the star studded Armageddon and the recent critically acclaimed biopic Hitchcock.  She has also been featured on pretty much every major television show in the last ten to fifteen years, including Grimm, Without A Trace, E.R., JAG, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, and so on.  And we can’t forget the Halloweentown series, that was just so adorable, even though I am a grown ass man and probably shouldn’t be watching such childish shows.  And between all of this madness, we were able to steal a few words from Judith herself, giving us a bit of insight on the world of TMNT, Nashville, and more on her lovely career.  Enjoy!

You did a lot of acting in commercials during your early career.  What was your favorite ad you ever appeared in?  Anything strange?

Honestly commercials are all about the money for me. However I have had a lot of fun shooting them and worked with some feature directors who I went onto make movies with. My favorite commercial was for Tropicana Twister where I was part of an All-Mom Garage Band. We rocked out to playback for 10 hours. I could’ve gone on for 10 days.

Strange you ask? Pretending to eat and then spitting your bite into a bucket after each take. At first it’s an entirely gross endeavor, three hours later you can’t spit it out fast enough.

You have also graced the stage, film, and numerous television appearances.  If you were left with the chance to only act in one singular medium, what would it be?

Television hits the biggest audience so I’d choose that medium. It’s all about getting the the story and your work seen so you’ll hit the greatest number of people worldwide with television. But if I could only do one last job ever – I would choose to a play in a nice long run on Broadway.

It would behoove me, as a child of the 90’s and geek by nature, to ask you about your renowned role as April O’Neil in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action film.  What was that experience like for you?

I had no idea when I took on the role of April O’Neil that I would be embarking on a job that would most likely be referred to in my obituary. It was a great experience. It was a challenging experience. It was a life changing experience. We’d work 15-17 hour day six days a week. We had Sunday off and we’d play hard on that day. It was a summer spent in steamy Wilmington NC mostly on a damp sound stage but also on a very hot sunny beach with perfect waves.

In your personal opinion, what do you think it is about TMNT that has made it develop such a devoted cult following?

The first thing that appealed to me in the original version of the script was the more mythical aspects of the story. It was a classic Hero’s Journey which is timeless. It was about facing your shadows, the power of your mind, the love of family and being victorious in the end. It was JRR Tolkien, Joseph Campbell, Star Wars, CS Lewis, Comic books and Pizza. A real ragout of inspiration. And it touched a nerve in a certain generation of kids who all these years later haven’t forgotten what it meant to them. Now they’re turning their own kids onto the movie.

Was there a reason you didn’t appear in the TMNT sequels?

I wasn’t asked to reprise my role. I had strong feelings that we needed to honor the original themes of the story as much as the martial arts. I was probably not very diplomatic with my requests. They obviously felt I was replaceable and so they replaced me. It was an interesting moment in my young career.

If you could portray any famous political figure in world history, who would it be?

Um… I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at Mary Mother of Jesus told completely from her point of view in a film directed by Quentin Tarantino shot on location in Israel.

Your portrayal in the hit television show Nashville is absolutely phenomenal and the show seems to be doing well.  What is the dynamic like on the set?  More importantly, are you having fun?

The amount of fun we’re having is ridiculous. The dynamic on set is super focused, very playful & wicked saucy. Let us all now bow our heads in prayer that we may be renewed for a full second season.

What keeps you motivated to continue your career as an actress?

As I get older I have more & more freedom in my work. It doesn’t diminish, it just expands. I get paid to play pretend. And that is an insane amount of fun. Plus the people I get to play with just keeps getting better & better.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Baby, I smile all day long. I wake up with a smile and go to bed with a smile. Just reading that question made me smile. In other words – I’m on the look-out for reasons to smile.

Kel Mitchell [Interview]

Growing up in the 90’s, it would have been damn near impossible not to know this talented, now grown, kid.  Kel Mitchell and his buddy Kennan were the tag team to rule them all during their time as the duo known simply as Kenan & Kel.  What was simply one act on the hit variety show All That would spawn into the children’s classic film Good Burger (we ALL remember the infamous “Welcome to Good Burger” specch, right?), And even a television show that was one of the finest shows for young adults in history.

And as you would expect, the duo has been hard at work even when they became grown ups and were allowed to occasionally drop a curse word here and there.  Kenan went on to SNL, and Kel has done films like Mystery Men and The Adventures of Rocky  Bullwinkle.  He has also championed the act of voice over work, providing voices for hit programs like Clifford The Big Red Dog and Motor City.  All of this in addition to getting behind the camera, writing and directing some of his own work.  He is an extremely busy man with some wonderful credits to his name.  So, we were fortunate enough to be able to steal a few minutes of his time to drop a few questions in his lap.  So here we go!

What was the inspiration behind the hilarious film you wrote and produced, Dance Fu? Are you into Kung Fu yourself?

Yes I am so into Kung fu. I love kung fu movies and dance movies so I thought it would be a great idea to put the two together , so I came up with the story of a guy that can only dance when music is playing.

You became a regular cast member on All That when you were just a young teenager. What was it like during this time? Was it hard handling a work and school schedule at the same time?

We had “On Location Education”. It was a program for kids in entertainment. We had a trailer behind the studio that was our school house. We would go to school early in the morning and in between filming on set. I still stayed enrolled at my high school in my hometown. My teachers would send my work to my tutors on set so I could continue the same work my class was doing.

How do you enjoy voice work for animated projects? Is it pretty impressive to your own children and are they fans of Clifford, Motorcity, or any other programs you have been involved with?

 Voice over work is awesome! I am a huge fan of cartoons, graphic novels and anime. It’s great to see what the animators do with our voices! My kids enjoy it!

What is the most hilarious thing that has happened to you during the filming process since you began your career as an actor?

Can’t pick just one so many hilarious things but one that sticks out is when Kenan and I played Mavis and Clavis, The two old guy characters from All That We took a studio golf cart for a joy ride through Universal studios in full old man make up and wardrobe, we got in trouble with Studio security but we stayed in character the whole time so they thought it was just two old man that decided to take the golf cart for a joy ride.

If you weren’t involved in the world of film and television, what do you think you would be doing?

I would probably have an art gallery with my paintings. I like art and have been into it since I was kid. I went to a vocational high school and majored in commercial arts. The art gallery would also double as a juice bar, custom shoe store and have a DJ playing Dubstep and K-pop. Yep I am a K-pop fan as well. Awwwww I can see it now.

If you could portray any TV dad from the back in the day, who would it be? Why?

George Jefferson played by Sherman Hemsley. He was never afraid to speak his mind and he owned over five stores in New York City and he moved his family on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky. Plus that show had one of the greatest theme songs in sitcom history.

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming film First Impression? What can we expect to see you doing?

It’s about a couple that find out they were more honest when they interacted with each other on a internet dating site because when they meet each other in person they try too hard to impress one another by using lies. I play a well known bestselling author that gives them some good advice.

What else does the future hold for Kel Mitchell?

More writing and directing. I got some great films coming out that I have written and will be directing.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I’m sure it was something my wife said. She always makes me smile.

Tommy Lee Wallace [Interview]

The world of horror cinema has been littered with some pretty ingenious folks.  And while some names ring louder than others (Craven, Barker, Carpenter, etc.) there are several others involved in this world who have done just as well as to scare the shit of you over the years as the big dogs have.  Especially a man like Tommy Lee Wallace.  This is the man who has not only teamed up with his life long friend John Carpenter on damn near every project John has ever been a part of, but he has brought you several legendary films that more than likely still haunt your dreams.  I know that his visual adaptation of Stephen King’s It has given me a lifelong fear of clowns (thanks a bunch, Tom).   His continuation of the Halloween series on the third installment was by far the finest sequel that series has had to date.  And he is showing no signs of slowing up as he is releasing the highly anticipated Helliversity in the near future.  We were awarded the chance to talk to Tommy about his up coming project, working with John Carpenter, and much more.  Enjoy!

The 1989 film Far From Home in which you were the screenwriter for was quite the departure from you usual body of work. What inspired to you to tell this tail? Was it personal?

Far From Home came from an original script by Ted Gershuny — my rewrite steered the story more into Pinky’s psychosis — and the notion that young people imitate what they see on television — a popular idea at that time. Hardly a departure for me, in my opinion; look at the themes around Halloween 3 – Season of the Witch. TV is one of the most important influences on our culture in the last hundred years. Note I didn’t say “positive”. I was also drawn to the setting — coming from Kentucky, I find the vast expanses of the western deserts sometimes grim, often beautiful, and always absolutely fascinating — a potential breeding ground for all sorts of mysteries and secrets, big and small. Area 51 comes to mind. I also loved the childhood romance and rites of passage — that’s certainly what attracted me to IT, as well.

Your extremely impressive catalog of work includes a great abundance of sequels including Fright Night 2, which was based on our dear friend Tom Holland’s original story, as well as several others. Is there much pressure in carrying on someone else’s story?

Of course there’s pressure, if you do it well. Sequels are strange animals. They can be crass exercises in pure exploitation of a successful title, or they can move an interesting and popular story along, expand it and offer new chapters, in a novelistic, expansive way. Speaking of Tom Holland, when Fright Night 2 popped up, I went to Tom to pick his brain a little, just tease out his thoughts, because I thought it might help me give the sequel a sense of veracity and continuity. I don’t remember what got said, really, but I was glad for the exchange. It gave me a sense of confidence about the whole thing — a passing of the torch, I guess. I’m really proud of Fright Night 2 — we’re trying to get something going in the way of a new DVD — it’s a gorgeous wide-screen movie, and should be seen that way.

You have also been the mastermind several made for television movies and mini-series, notably the film that ruined the appeal of clowns to generations past and generations to come, the adaptation to Stephen King’s IT. Tell us, how is making films directly for television different from creating for cinema? How are the similar? And do you have a preference?

Television MOWs, pilots and minis are not much different from movies, as long as the producers understand what a director needs, and give proper support. Series, episodics, sitcoms, three- and four-camera shows — that kind of television is a different animal, and a film director is generally less central to the process there, in favor of a producer or two, or seven, or twelve. It’s all an issue of control and vision. In movies, the director is usually the person to whom falls the central and most crucial task of bringing a script to visual life. In order to fully achieve that, he or she must be in a position of ultimate authority. In TV, that same role often falls to the Writer/Producer, with the Director acting more as a traffic cop for the actors, and perhaps a supplier of clever and exciting shots.

I have enjoyed some real high points in TV, including, of course, IT, and another mini-series that followed that one, And the Sea Will Tell, a true-crime drama starring Rachel Ward and Richard Crenna. It’s worth watching, and was a great TV experience. I love TV, and think some incredible stuff has been happening there for the past several years, in a kind of new Golden Age — The Wire, Mad Men, Dexter, Breaking Bad, the list goes on and on — but in the end, I prefer feature films.

Of all the sets you have been on over the years, which has had the best crafts services? Why, and was there any correlation with the film/show itself?

The most recent one, “HELLIVERSITY”. Someone near and dear to me is running craft service — my daughter India. It’s the best — and so is she.

How did you come to work on so many projects with John Carpenter? And what do you think it is that has made you guys such a great team for almost thirty years?

John and I go all the way back to childhood in the same grade school. We became close as teenagers, when our lives were built around making music — first in our own folk group, then in a couple of different rock and roll bands. We shared interests in comic books, horror, sci-fi and western movies, Beatles and Stones, basketball, girls, drinking beer, all that stuff. John was focused like a laser beam on film directing from a very early age; I wandered into it through art and design. He found his way to southern California, and I followed three years later. Making movies together was a natural process. He used his friends to help him realize his vision, and I was right there in support. He’s always been a bit more the mentor, and me more the student, but we’ve learned a lot together. We partner well because we have a huge common background and share a deep friendship, but are very different people.

What is the set dynamic usually like when shooting a horror film? Is it always dark? Is there ever a chance for laughter?

It’s almost never dark. Any well-run movie set is a friendly and businesslike, if sometimes frantic, endeavor, in which a group of people carry out a series of tasks to achieve an effect, that being the visual telling of a story. In the case of horror, there’s often something grim and scary going on in front of the camera, but numerous funny situations develop behind the camera to achieve that effect. There are frequent laughs. A bucket of fake blood and a Mole fogger aren’t scary on set — they’re funny, in some quintessential way, and the essence of horror movies.

The opening sequence of Halloween is, by now, pretty well known, a big, bravura single shot which goes all around the Myers house, upstairs and down outdoors and in, telling the story of young Michael’s beginnings as a psycho killer. It took us all day to prepare that shot. There was the usual team around camera: Focus-puller, D.P. with hand-held fill light, guy with flag to fight light flares — then there was another lineup of people trailing along behind: Debra Hill the Producer, wearing the clown suit (childlike hands reach into drawer, pull out knife), there was me with that bucket of blood and a paint brush, ready to zap Michael’s sister from behind camera as she’s getting fake-stabbed, there was the sound guy with his boom, there were guys guiding and spotting the camera operator, so he didn’t stumble and didn’t run into stuff, there were guys and gals jumping through windows to re-light the set for when we came back through the room in a reverse angle — when we finally ran the whole thing, it was like the Keystone Kops, and if you could have heard the production track you would have heard gallumping footsteps like a herd of elephants, people crashing around doing their work and then hiding from the lens, whispering, even suppressing laughter — does this sound grim or somber to you? It was a ridiculous circus caravan of a shot — once we had it up and running, and working, it was a thrill to be a part of, but it was also absurd-looking, and very funny.

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming film Helliversity?

Small town in the south, small college that was once all African-American. A mixed group of students decides to stay on campus for Thanksgiving break. Meanwhile, while researching a project, one of the students finds an artifact from Jim Crow days, an execution hood said to be the one in which notorious racist Sheriff Ewing “Killer” Kane was electrocuted back in 1936, for spree-killing a group of students one grisly night. A lightning storm releases Kane’s dark spirit from the hood, it finds a new host in a young campus cop, and Thanksgiving turns a bit grisly for this group, and this campus. Trapped in a security-minded environment with high walls and electrified fences, our students fight for their survival against an unspeakably evil and supernatural force.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

This question.

Frederic Raphael [Interview]

© Graham Jepson/Writer Pictures

We have spoken with some very intriguing folks here at Trainwreck’d Society.  We’ve spoken with great filmmakers, authors, actors, and so many more.  They all have been wonderful in their own way.  But, this cat is different.  This is THE Frederic Raphael.  Considered by most (well, myself at least) to be one of the finest and most esteemed authors, essayists, screenwriters,….basically a mastermind of the written word to put it bluntly.  He has had works published that date back further than some of our parent’s births. And he has never missed a step.

Mr. Raphael is also no stranger to controversy.  When he released his memoir of his time spent with Stanley Kubrick while writing the adaptation screenplay for Eyes Wide Shut, entitled Eyes Wide Open, he pretty much pissed off everyone possible, and still created a masterpiece comparable to the fine work he did writing the screenplay.  And now he is back this year teaming up with his colleague Joseph Epstein on a book of digital correspondences, to stir up the pot once again, and to prove that he is and will always be a force to be reckoned with in the literary world.  And dammit if some how we managed to get a few words from the legend himself!  I could think of no greater individual to have on the site as our 50th interview in our very short history.  Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the man who should need no introduction if you know how to read….Frederic Raphael!

What was the first book you can remember reading?  Did it have any impact on you?

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t A la Recherche de Temps Perdu in Sanskrit. People usually lie about influences. Ever since Harold Pinter told me, in response to a quiz which I put to him for the sake of a good cause, that in his teens he “read Laforgue”, I have been wary of those who laid claim to lofty antecedents. I do remember reading Ferdinand the Bull at a precocious age though. The phrase “His mother, who was a cow…” remains in my mind.  As far as novels are concerned, Maugham’s Of Human Bondage was of, as they say, seminal importance: it was well enough done to excite, but not so well that I was deterred from, the idea of becoming a novelist. It seemed to promise that as long as one was unhappy enough, there would be no shortage of subject matter.

In your long and illustrious career you have written in just about every category there is to be read.  In your opinion, what is your favorite genre or form of writing?

I am most myself, if that’s a good idea, when I am writing in longhand in squared notebooks. Handwriting encourages both candour and pretentiousness. I like fancy phrases and I like best what is written as well as possible but without any intention to please any paying audience, not that I object to a standing ovation.

What do you consider your greatest non-artistic related influence in your work?  

The Jews and their fate. Alas! I imagined that being a novelist would be a way of disappearing inside the work; but the art that conceals art can never quite conceal the artist.  I thought I would be rid of the Jews just as, perhaps, Wittgenstein though he would be done with metaphysics. But whereof one cannot speak is a topic difficult to keep silent about.

Your 1999 memoir of your time with Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Open, seemed to gather quite a bit of controversy upon its release.  For those unfamiliar with the book and said controversy can you tell us…what the hell happened?

Stanley Kubrick required all those who worked with him to sign a contract which obliged them not to write about the experience.  The first draft of the contract concerned Eyes Wide Shut proposed that I concede to him the last word on who had written what lines of dialogue or had what ideas in the script. I told him that, much as I admired him, I could not work with him on that basis.  He told me that he would have the lawyers strike out the clause which offended me. In that case, I told him, I was happy to proceed. The lawyers did as they were told, but the same clause contained a sub-section concerning confidentiality.  As a result, after Stanley’s death, Jan and Christiane Harlan were unable to prevent me from telling the truth, most of it very flattering, concerning my labours with Kubrick.  Their only recourse was to scream and shout with the purpose of “discrediting” my book. In this endeavour they were backed by Tom Cruise, who takes a similar attitude to anyone who seeks to deny the quasi-divinity of Ron L. Hubbard, and by Michael Herr, who wrote one successful book, which was not the “novel” about Walter Winchell (that I just happened to have reviewed unflatteringly).  Larry Gelbart told Stanley Donen that my book was “like a glass of clear water”. I took this surprisingly well.

 Distant Intimacy: A Friendship In The Age Of The Internet seems to be gaining the same sort of attention.  In my personal opinion, I find what you and Joseph Epstein are doing is courageous.  Could you tell about this book and how it came to life?

 It never occurred to Joe or to me that we were doing anything but not lying to each other while seeking also to amuse and provoke: it used to be known as flyting, but why upset people by knowing anything other than clichés?  Our refusal to admire the same modern idols (Pinter, Sontag, Vidal, McEwan, Amis et all) as those who have an investment in them has led to a torrent of witless abuse and accusations. We were accused, for instance, of being “phoney”, which in glossary of modern cant means that we lacked the instinct for vanishing up the asses of the well-placed which makes critics, pundits and presenters into the trustworthy assessors that we know and whose judgments we must honour or else. Daniel Johnson, who commissioned crappy review of our book from a descendant of one of our foremost targets, is both a slow-payer (who whines about his own salary)  andthe only man whom I have ever invited to lunch (in a club of which D.J. was not a member) who, in the middle passage of our long conversation, signalled to the wine waiter and ordered another bottle of the same. I should have known at that moment that he was not a man to go into the jungle with.

 In your personal opinion, what do you believe it is about the celebrity psyche that makes people believe that some artists should never be criticized?

Robert Graves wrote a lecture way back when entitled “These Be Thy Gods, oh Israel” in which he dared to denounce poets such as Ezra Pound (whose mistranslations from Latin are held, by his admirers, to be better than the original Propertius), the sainted Mr Eliot and other canon-fodder.  My views are, of course, by no means identical with Joe’s, but we have both been round the block a few times and know which writer ring true and which do not.  Journalists, the breed to which almost all reviewers now belong, care above all to write the kind of thing which will lead editors such Dunghill Johnson to ask them to do the same again. I have committed many sins (it would be nice to think), but I have never written a put-down review because that was what an editor wanted. The British, in particular, have replaced criticism with copywriting and wit with idolatry. Telling the truth endangers people’s investments. Why would you want to do that?

 Whenever we get an award winner on the site, we always have to ask…. where do you keep your Oscar?  And is there any significance to its location?

 I keep it on the windowsill behind family photographs. It emerges only when a producer or director comes to visit.  I do not bow down to it or kiss it; but I cannot deny that it came in useful, career-wise: the fact that we own the said window-sill, in a French farmhouse far from the muddening crowd, owes not a little to the wit and wisdom of the Academy.  

Can you tell us a bit about your screenplay currently in pre-production This Man, This Woman?  How did the idea for this story come along?

 A producer rang me to propose a story about a woman whose successful husband leaves her for a quality bimbo and hinc illae lacrimae as no one much in Beverly Hills ever says, however regularly they may be sorry for themselves.  I added a few touches (the original bits) and now we are, if you say so, in pre-production; the pre- bit has lasted a good few years. Who knows when or whether we shall be saved?

 If you had any advice for young authors with the ambition to write for a living in this day and age, what would it be?

 Forget the living and do the writing. The best advice I ever had was from a British editor after he had told me that my 600 page novel was too long. I told him that I wasn’t cutting anything that people wouldn’t like, especially the bits about (yes!) anti-Semitism. He said, “I don’t want you to cut anything in particular.”  I said, “Meaning you just want the book to fit into some preconceived market.”  He said, “Here’s what I suggest: go through the manuscript and cut ten words on every page. You’ll find you always can.”  And he was right.  Desmond Flower!  Hats off!

 What was the last thing that made you smile?

After reading my recent review of the latest John Le Carré novel, A Delicate Truth, Joseph Epstein told me that the Jewish version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor was entitled Tailor, Tailor, Tailor, Tailor. I’m still smiling as a matter of fact.

Dan Dobi [Interview]

YouTube often times feels sort of like a gift and a curse.  A curse to honchos like MTV who can no longer play music videos because everyone is watching them on YouTube (while everyone complains about the generally shitty stuff they do play), which in turn is a gift for us!  But as we all know by now, YouTube isn’t simply a place you can go when you are drunk, alone, and desperately want to hear “Party All the Time” by Eddie Murphy.  No, YouTube has essentially become its very own universe which, rightfully and obviously so, has its own stars!  YouTube channels are watched more often than the same old re-runs of Seinfeld or M*A*S*H you consistently find on basic cable.  Folks who are practically average Joes have the ability to become stars!  So much so that, on some occasions, the folks are able to quit their full time jobs to focus on their “art” of managing a YouTube channel.  It is truly marvelous and endearing.

And filmmaker and acclaimed music video director Dan Dobi wants to tell you all about it with his new film, Please Subscribe.  Dobi profiles some of the biggest stars in the YouTube universe in his debut documentary about this world that is absolutely astounding with brilliance of these, our modern times.  We were fortunate enough to be able to steal a few words from Dan to discuss Please Subscribe, his past works, and what the future holds for not only YouTubers, but for the man himself.  Enjoy!

What inspired you to make Please Subscribe?  Are you a YouTuber as well?

I’ll answer your second question first.  Yes, however I feel anyone that uploads videos on YouTube could be considered a “YouTuber”.  A lot of people upload to YouTube and call it a full-time gig which to thousands, it is.  A lot of people on the outside of the bubble don’t really understand it and view it as more of a hobby than a career.  I wanted to make the film to educate the bigger percentage of the population that doesn’t understand what being a YouTuber is like.

Were there other folks you would have liked to speak with but didn’t get a chance to?  

Yes, absolutely.  To my own fault, I think I left out the musician and beauty guru side of YouTubing however I DID reach out to a good amount of them and heard nothing back so hey, I tried!  I do feel that the final cast we assembled was perfect.  If I had to do it again and had my pick of the litter, I would still go with who I chose for the final cut.

What was your favorite moment in the process of making the film?

Majority of the time I spent with each YouTuber seemed more of “just hanging out” rather than an actual shoot.  I think doing a documentary yourself (IF you can), is the most personal, most intimate way you’re going to get the truth and real life situations out of people.

Have the folks you profiled in the documentary watched it yet?  If so, what is the general consensus? 

Yes and they love it!  All of them have all had super positive reactions to the film and have been helping promote it to get the word out.  For Hannah Hart (who was featured in the film), I shot her JUST when she made the move out to Los Angeles to take her channel to the next level.  I think for Hannah, looking back on this film (already) is an awesome time capsule of her life.  Mitchell Davis shared a very personal, intimate secret on camera and I know at first he was iffy about.  Shortly after the film went to theaters, Mitchell thanked me for encouraging him to speak about his issue on film.  He told me that he’s received so many positive messages via twitter and Facebook that allowed a lot of fans to relate to his situation.

As a fellow Kickstarter campaign success grabber, I know how stressful the campaign can be.  How was the experience for you raising over $12,000 to get this film made?  Much stress?

It’s a lot of work!  You think “oh, it’ll just HAPPEN” but no, the project wasn’t fully funded till about 2 hours before the deadline!  A lot of people have immediate success with crowd funding sites, but some of us have to work/promote/ask people for favors and at the same time, not get too spammy about it.  I was stressed for a little bit, but a lot of people came out of the woodwork to help promote the campaign.

I have come to understand you have worked with the likes of Jason Mraz, P Diddy, Gym Class Heroes, and many more.  What do you believe to be your most prized work on a personal level (besides Please Subscribe, of course)?

I was the editor of a feature film (that was actually SHOT on 35mm) that I spent roughly 4 months on.  It was a company from Brussels in Belgium that had seen my editing work and hired me on for it.  The film was in french and I don’t SPEAK French so I had an English Script and a French script and I just figured it out!  I would call that my most prized work, because it not only came out great, it really changed the direction of where I wanted my career to go.  For the longest time I was focused on music videos and commercials, however after doing cutting the feature, it made me JUST want to do features from here on out.

What is next for you?

Speaking of my last answer, I’m actually in preproduction to direct a narrative feature in the summer.  I can’t speak TOO much about it, but hopefully down the line, you’ll hear about it 🙂

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My dog just licked my arm 10 seconds ago… there’s your answer

Check out the trailer for the film on, you guessed it, YouTube.  Also find out how you can get your own physical and digital copies of the film as well!

Leslie Zemeckis [Interview]

Through a bit of research, probably somewhere off the tracks of another John Waters bender, I learned a bit about the world of Burlesque.  This is a culture that is absolutely fascinating.  The history behind the shows themselves is absolutely enthralling.  A little film called Behind the Burly brought the subject matter to light in such a wonderful light.  As inspiring as it was, I wanted to know more.

In a yearning to learn more, I decided we need to speak with the films creator, Leslie Zemeckis.  Yes, yes, she is the better half of the dude who made Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future series, but we’re not here to talk about him.  We want to know about Leslie.  Some folks may remember her as Leslie Harter, during the glory days of classy adult entertainment on Cinemax, but Leslie has definitely taken her career into a wonderful different direction.  Her work as a filmmaker, writer, actress, writer, etc. is as as stunning as she is physically.  So sit back, and prepare to be schooled on the art of burlesque and so much more with the ever so talented, Leslie Zemeckis!

You are an established actress, writer, filmmaker, and more.  What aspect of the entertainment world do you find the most personally rewarding?  Why?

All my “projects” seemed to be linked somehow which is rewarding. To follow my passion, documentaries and writing and acting is a dream. Creating something of worth that hopefully will educate and entertain and overturn possible misconceptions seems to have become a mission.

In your personal opinion, how do you believe sex is portrayed or defined by the entertainment world?  Do any ideals towards what is “risque” seem out dated at all? 

 It’s too varied. Its portrayed in various ways, romantic, unrealistic, brutal, honest. Its pretty well covered. The whole burlesque era today would never be considered risqué, but in its time it was. There wasn’t any other outlets to see women in the flesh – and we’re not even talking nude, but legs! Burlesque became a rite of passage for boys, it was a fantasy and a dream for men. The women seemed obtainable. They were taking off their clothes – which was disturbing, outrageous and scandalous – in its day. Of course strippers today don’t even strip. They just dance around nude.

How did you initially become interested in the burlesque world?

I was doing a “cabaret-type” show which had elements of burlesque in it and I decided to educate myself on what burlesque was and who was in it. When I fell into a group of former performers – most whom had never spoken about their experiences – I thought it would be worthwhile to tell the world. To really explain what a show was and who these performers were. They had great worth, and should not be considered second class, which sadly they still are.

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming book titled the same as your 2010 documentary, Behind the Burly Q?  Is it a companion story? 

It’s a companion, but goes further into the history. The documentary was told from the performers point of view, it’s their stories, as is the book, but I’ve expanded and told stories – and done hours and years of research on former famous performers that no one knows about today, that had wild and interesting lives. They really lived! With over 100 hours of taped interviews I knew I could not include all the great stories, but the book has them! There is a lot of behind the scenes photos that were given to me by performers that have never been seen. It’s really comprehensive.

What would you say is the most unusual story you have been told from the legendary Burlesque queens during the research your book and shooting your documentaries?

There really were so many on so many elements, from women never telling their family they were in it, to the involvement with the mob – most of the women appreciated them. All the way to the seedy bits, with men masturbating in the theatres and the girls having to dance in front of that. There were heartbreaking stories of children left behind while they went on the road. I wanted to know what their lives were like, not just their performances. There was also a surprising sense of camaraderie with the performers, and looking out for each other – an “us vs. them” point of view. “Them” being civilians. These performers were remarkably vibrant even at 70 – 80 and in their 90s!

Who would you say is your most favorite Burlesque performer you profile in your book?

I couldn’t say. That wouldn’t be fair. I fell in love with all of them. And they have remained my friends. Yet I don’t sugar-coat it, their lives and what they did and the choices they made are all there – for good and bad. I don’t judge, but I’m not hiding the seedy bits, the drunkenness, etc.  There are a couple I will continue researching and writing their stories, for full length books. One is almost done currently. It’s a fascinating era people know so little about. The lives were colorful to say the least. 

What else does the future hold for Leslie Zemeckis?

Who knows.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My children.

Haviland Morris [Interview]

So there is this little John Hughes film from the 80’s called Sixteen Candles that is considered one of the sweetest teen romantic comedies of all time.  Pretty much like anything John Hughes ever did, really.  30 years ago, everyone wanted to be from that small town in Illinois with the jocks, nerds, preppies, etc., just like 20 years ago I wanted to be a student at Bayside High dating Lisa Turtle.  But, I digress.  In this little film there was a smokin’ hot dame named Haviland Morris.  The woman who (I had assumed) behind one of the first pairs of breasts I had ever seen on a movie (right after Jennifer Jason Leigh in Fast Times at Ridgemont High).  Haviland’s character was always my favorite in the film because I could relate more to Anthony Michael Hall’s character more than Jake Ryan, and Anthony was the one who got her in the end!  Molly Ringwald was alright, but in my mind she was no Haviland!

And Haviland has continued to do some amazing work since included her diabolically sexy appearance in Gremlins 2, a few year stint on the soap opera One Life To Live, 2013’s Burning Blue, and so much more.  She is just as beautiful as ever and her talent has only grown.  It was an honor to be able to share a few words with the legendary prom queen of the 80’s herself to discuss her varied career, her other life as a real estate agent, and what the future holds for Haviland Morris.  Hint on the last topic:  even she doesn’t know.  Enjoy!

Was it strange doing a topless scene in a PG movie? How do you think John Hughes got away with that?

Well . . . I didn’t really do one. You’d have to ask my body double. Although it was definitely strange having someone else be me, naked. Disconcerting, really. But flattering, too, since they picked this 18-year old girl who ran 10 miles a day and had an absolutely gorgeous body.

Sixteen Candles was released just before the advent of the PG-13 rating, which is how he “got away” with it. Before the MPAA introduced the PG-13 rating in July of 1984, PG covered the whole territory from not quite appropriate for a G, right up to whatever merited an R.

What was the pace like working on a soap opera like One Life To Live? Did you enjoy the work?

I don’t really have any memories of the pace, per se, but I am a supremely bad soap opera actress. I was only on that show for a couple of days a month over a few years, so it never really became my clubhouse and, I have to say, I never got good at it. But I enjoyed it, anyway – actors do like to act.

You still continue to work as an actress, yet still maintain a career as a real estate agent. Is it tough to juggle both? And which do you find more rewarding?

Tough? Yeah, maybe a little, but some of us don’t feel awake unless we have at least one too many balls in the air. I really love both; they call on such different parts of me, but I was born an actor. I don’t have to do it every day, but I couldn’t face the prospect of never doing it again. If you told me I could never sell another apartment, I think I’d just figure out some other ball to juggle.

You appeared as the Laurie in the stage production of Oklahoma….in China? What was that like? Were the Chinese receptive to the play?

You know, I’ve read on the internet that I did that, but I don’t know where that came from – it’s entirely untrue. I was actually in 2 productions of Oklahoma – one high school production in Singapore and one community theater one in Hong Kong, but I never played Laurie. I think I was just in the chorus – or maybe I had some dinky, 2-line part. I suspect that the audiences of all nationalities received those particular productions as we do here in the United States: those with offspring on stage were wildly proud and everybody else managed to live through it.
You have graced the stage, television and film. What would you say is your favorite way to perform?

It’s all great fun. I tend to be a small-strokes kind of performer, so my work is probably better suited to film, but I never have that “Oh my God, here I am, doing what I always wanted to do!!!!!” feeling except when I’m on stage.

What does the future hold of Haviland Morris?

Oh yes, where DID I put that crystal ball . . . ?

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Remembering that production of Oklahoma – Thanks!

Karyn Parsons [Interview]

If you grew up watching television in the 90’s, you might remember a little show called The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  Yes, the show with probably one of the most revered theme songs in history featuring the man behind “Parents Just Don’t Understand” before he became a parent himself and won Oscars and such.  And then there was Hilary.  Sweet sweet Hilary Banks.  Everybody loved the self righteous rich girl who never really seemed to have a clue, but we loved her anyway.  The fact that she was and is a stone cold fox doesn’t hurt matters either!.  Karyn recently moved more behind the camera and into the world of motherhood, so we haven’t really seen her in a while, so I thought it would be great to catch up of her and see how life has been treating her, talk about her time in Bel Air, and see what the future holds for this lovely and compelling actress.  So, here you go!  Enjoy!

Was it difficult and/or insulting at times to play the sort of ditzy young girl when you portrayed Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air?  What did you find to be Hillary’s strong points? 

I loved playing Hilary. It was fun. Great to be able to be such a self-centered person and say all sort of things you can never say. The ditzy part came more from her just being so concerned only with what was important to her at the moment. She looked at things through a very narrow tunnel.

Strong points?…… Hmmm… well, she was never coming from a malicious place. She loved her family. She was driven, had lots of energy, and nothing could stop her form getting what she wanted…. except Will sometimes. Oh, and she had (sometimes!) great fashion sense…. and was able to go out on a fashion limb.

How was that experience of being a member of a television family overall?

Awesome. My personal experience was great. As an only child, I was able to suddenly have a brother and and sister. We were (and still are) tight and pretending to be a real family for 6 years was incredible. I love those people.

What was the set life like when you were working on The Ladies Man?  Was it as fun behind the scenes as it seemed to be on the screen?

Very funny. WIll Ferrell is insane in the best possible way. Tim was very hard to keep a straight face with. Hard not to blow takes. And it was great hanging out with director, Reggie Hudlin. A very smart and funny guy.

Your role in your husband, Alexandre Rockwell’s, film 13 Moons as well as your stint on the television show The Job, were sort of a stretch from most of your previous work where you mainly worked in the field of comedy.  How was that transition?

Well, The Job was a comedy, although a different brand of comedy. It wasn’t a transition so much for me as for the viewer who has seen me doing only comedy. I’ve been doing various roles and worked in different genres as long as I’ve acted.

What was it like studying under Jim Krusoe?  What made you want to get into writing?

It was great. I want to study with him now. I wish I was in Santa Monica for that one reason.

My quick answer is that Jim made me want to get into writing, but really he just showed me the window, and how pretty (and ugly, and everything else) it could be. I’m the one who went through it.

How did you become involved with the creation of Sweet Blackberry?  Can you tell us a bit about the company, and what made you want to get into working on projects directed towards children?

It’s really simple, actually. My mother was a librarian heading the Black Resource Center in a Los Angeles library. She’d call me and tell me incredible true stories of Black people from history. Stories I’d never heard that blew my mind. I wanted to bring those stories to kids, but in a fun way, more like reading a fairy tale than getting a history lesson. I wanted to plant small seeds early, so that kids could grow up knowing the many contributions and achievements of black folks instead of having to discover these stories so much later in life after they’ve already been taught (by omission) that these achievements are few and far between. Or never discovering them at all.

What does the future hold for you?  Will we see you in front of the camera in 2013?

Well, I don’t have a crystal ball. I very well may be in front of the camera soon.

We’ll see.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My daughter told me my favorite joke (she likes it , too!).

Johnny Pemberton [Interview]

So there was this guy that just seemed to be popping up on television and in films so much that kept me asking myself:  who the hell is this guy?  And more importantly, why isn’t he big ass star by now?  That man would come to be the extremely hilarious comedian Johnny Pemberton who you may recognize from films like The Watch, This Is 40, In the Loop, and on television shows like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and as the host of MTV’s Megadrive.  But what made me so interested in Johnny was his minor, yet amazingly done, role in the recent adaptation of 21 Jump Street as hapless dork in the film named Delroy.  The only thing I didn’t dig about that film was that we didn’t get to spend enough time getting to know Delroy.

So I thought, what the hell.  Let’s get to know the man behind the nerd himself, Johnny Pemberton.  We were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to exchange a few words with the man himself and find out what he has been up to.  And be sure to tune in to Feral Radio to checkout his hilarious podcast Twisting in the Wind.  Enjoy!

You made your third appearance in the Apatow/Jonah/Rogen in the upcoming comedy This is 40, after co-starring spots in The Watch and 21 Jump Street…what do you think it is that keeps you coming back?

Do you mean why do I keep coming back to that same relative location in the film universe OR why do they keep hiring me?

The answer the former: I got hired and was compensated financially for my acting services rendered.

The answer to the latter: No idea. I think I did a good job on the first round and they realized they could trust me with a portion of their illuminati secret agenda.

You played a lovable sex deprived nerd in the blockbuster 21 Jump Street. Is this true to life? Or are you actually a lady killer by nature?

Absolutely true to life. They actually retroactively wrote the character based on my own personal relationship experiences. ‘Delroy’ was supposed to be an unlikely pimp of sorts, but when they met me they decided to pedal back a bit and make ‘Delroy’ more of a fun loving sex deprived nerd with a latent sweet tooth for women of the night.

Can you tell us a bit about “Family Tools”. Should we be seeing a debut soon? And what role will you be playing?

It’s a great show about a crazy family in a town where people live and work. Sometimes the characters have an argument or a disagreement, but generally things work out by the end. Sometimes there is a challenge that one character will face whilst another character is facing a different challenge simultaneously. Oftentimes these 2 events will come together at the end of the show for a hilarious blow out. Right now the show is set to debut in May 2014 on the east coast, then midwest and west coast in the autumn of that same year. I play Mason. He’s the son of Terry, nephew of Tony, cousin of Jack. He suffered a minor head injury early in life which may of may not have affected his personal development.

Can you also tell us a bit about the web series you were involved in called Aim High? How did you become involved with this series?

I was shopping at a Ralphs supermarket in Culver City when I ran into the auteur director Robert Rodriguez who was buying some props for his latest movie. We got to talking and he spilled the beans about this project he heard about that was casting nearby in a few weeks. fast forward a few weeks later… I took the bus from Downtown LA, where I was living at the time, down Adams boulevard to Culver City and auditioned for the part of Marcus. They liked me and asked that I hang out for a few hours while they made a decision. I walked over to J-N-J burger for some BBQ then bought some records at Records LA. Then I went back to Bandito Bros and they said I had the part. also I love Thor Fruedenthal, the director.

As an actor, where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?

I don’t think there will be human life as we know it on this planet in 10 years time. If I survive the coming singularity when our machines wake up and take on sentient life then I will probably be doing theater in a woodland community somewhere near a clean water source in Northern California.

Have you ever thought about getting behind the camera? If so, do you think you would stick with comedy? Is there another genre you might like to produce or direct?

I haven’t just thought about it, I done it. It’s actually where I initially saw myself entering the industry, or ‘stry as we in the industry call it. But then of course I started acting when I got discovered and had to walk that road, which I’m still walking and totally enjoy. I plan on stepping back behind the camera in due time, but probably with some small things make for an overseas audience. Australia is a great place.

If you could recreate a starring role from any 1970’s film, what would it be? Why?

Jack Nicholson’s role in “Five Easy Pieces” because it’s so intense. The jokes he cracks are so heavy and make the maximum impact that fly off the page. It’s impossible to ignore and/or not laugh. Sorry, that’s a movie not a sitcom. I would probably say anyone from The Bob Newhart Show that would allow me close access to Suzanne Pleshette. She’s a stone fox.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I saw an older gentleman trying to park his car in Santa Monica and he totally bumped an already parked car. This was in front of a crowded restaurant window at lunch time. Thank goodness for bumpers right!

But actually the last thing that made me smile, literally, was my girlfriend calling out for a puppy as she lay in bed this morning. we don’t have a puppy, but she thinks that if she keeps calling for one it will magically appear and lick her face then fall asleep on her lap as she looks at shit on her ipad I bought her with money I made from being on TV.

Scott Ian [Interview]

As an outsider looking in to the world of heavy metal, some names and faces are comparable to the likes of sports stars.  Even if you never watch basketball, you know who the hell Michael Jordan is.  And even if you don’t listen to heavy metal too much, you probably know bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and the subject matter band of the day….Anthrax, with their lead guitarist Scott Ian and his signature bald head and long ass goatee.  He is without a doubt one of the pioneers who helped build American based heavy metal into the massive powerhouse of creativity that is is today.

But, if you are a regular reader of Trainwreck’d Society, you may have noticed that we have never covered, or spoke with folks from the world of heavy metal or even hard rock.  We mainly deal with pussy rock some might say.  It’s not my regular brand of listening, but when I do, Anthrax is always on the playlist. Therefore I could not pass up the opportunity to have the legend himself on the site.  So, I called in a favor from a man who I consider a Heavy Metal expert, Sir Adam Mattson.  Adam’s knowledge and expertise surpasses even the likes of the Google demons so I asked him to come up with a few questions for Mr. Ian himself.  And I think you are going to like what he came up with.  We managed to steal just a few words from Scott as he is an extremely busy man, currently doing two tours at the moment, selling out shows across the globe.  Though short winded, we are so excited to have him on the site.  Enjoy!

You have a spoken of a word tour coming up soon, without giving too much away, what kind of words can we expect to be spoken?

A lot of words about the ridiculous, poignant, charming, mysterious and hilarious situations I’ve been a part of over the last 31 years of being in a band.

Anthrax has a new EP of classic rock covers coming out. What made you pick the songs to cover that you did?

Covers are always songs that we already know, have been playing forever. They’re songs we play to stave off the boredom of soundchecking with our own songs.

You have gotten to tour with some of the greatest and most important metal bands of all time. Who has been your favorite? Who is left that you would like to share the stage with?

Touring with Iron Maiden has always been great. We’ve done shows with them since 1988 and they’ve always treated us amazingly and for us to get to share a stage with our heroes is a dream come true.

We’ve never played with AC/DC. That would rule.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

Playing Yankee Stadium with the Big 4 in 2011. That and my career. 31 years and counting...

If you weren’t making music for a living, what would you be doing?

I’d like to think I’d be writing professionally in some capacity. Maybe comics since I already do that.

What newer artists keep you excited for the future of heavy metal?

Any band that has the balls and the will to make a go at it.

Who would win in a fight, Chuck D or Brian Posehn?  Why?

Exactly. Why?

What is it gonna take to see a Stormtroopers of Death reunion?

A reality show on Bravo.

What is it like having Meat Loaf as a father in law?  Does this make for a bad ass Thanksgiving?

It’s awesome. We have a lot in common and he kicks ass.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

FaceTime from Australia with my wife and son a few minutes ago.

Learn how you can catch Scott Ian and Anthrax in a city near you at their official website.