At Bostonist.com, I have interviewed authors, filmmakers, and even burlesque artists. Bostonist covers local happenings, and our goal is to be on the cutting edge. Our readers prefer anything independent, underground, questioning, and unusual. Sometimes, these artists are on the rise, and they contact Bostonist directly to publicize their own projects. Sometimes, I get fired up about a subject and go after interviews myself if an artist or writer is coming to town. After a few more structured interviews, I decided to try a Q&A format, which worked well for a blog. A blog purports to give readers more immediate access to the news - and I wanted to give readers more immediate access to the artist. Each title will provide a link to the original article:
While writing about reality television for The Trades, I have had the opportunity to interview several reality-show stars, ranging from celebrities on a new workout plan and those who would like to date a celebrity. For each interview, I've had to get in touch with the individual's publicist, or I've contacted the individual directly. In some cases, I've had to deal with some sticky questions. While not hard-hitting investigative journalism, my pieces for The Trades have tackled some touchy subjects, such as failed romances and race relations. Eventually, I would like to gather the material from my interviews and recaps into a book on the subject of celebrities in reality television. Each title will provide a link to the original article.
- Kelly LeBrock - A Sister Doin' It For Herself
- Cheryl Burke - A True Original
- Becky Buckwild - Flav's Wild Woman
Bostonist Interview: Jake Halpern
Jake Halpern will be reading at Brookline Booksmith at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, January 10.
Why were many Americans fixated on the scandal swirling around Miss USA Tara Conner? Why do celebrities constantly complain about the pressure of fame yet keep coming back for more? And what is the long-term impact of society's focus on fame?
Author Jake Halpern, whose new book Fame Junkies will be released on January 10, tries to answer all of these questions and comes to the conclusion that Americans are addicted to fame.
Like any addiction, America's fascination with fame isn't healthy, especially for young people who worship celebrities. Halpern surveyed middle-school students in Rochester, New York, and found that far too many young people, especially girls, would rather be famous than intelligent or powerful. In one disturbing statistic, girls overwhelmingly chose being an assistant to a celebrity over becoming a senator.
Halpern also investigated the lives of children who are trying to become famous. He traveled to conventions where families go so a child can be discovered, and he found that "Parents have lost their heads over fame as much as the kids."
American society as a whole has grown to "idolize the concept of fame" over actual skills and talents. Halpern says, "In another time, it was money we did that with. With the Carnegies and the Rockefellers, at least there's the idea of hard work - and hustle."
The celebrities who reap the rewards of this adulation don't have it any better, and there may be some truth in their complaining. Halpern spoke with Dr. Robert Millman, the former Medical Director for Major League Baseball, and he found that fame can have a "corrosive and warping effect on you. You're not used to hearing hard truths." He cites the public meltdowns of Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, and Russell Crowe as examples.
Halpern's research, which included spending time with Rod Stewart's number-one fan and child-star wannabes, led him to conclude that fame is an addiction like any other. While describing former celebrities who embarrass themselves back into the public eye, he says, "You get a taste for something you like - gosh, I would like to do that one more time. They [celebrities] want one last hit of it, in the hope that it will segue into something better. Who in their right mind would want to go back to the other way?"
Halpern can see why fame can be so addictive. He is now in the unusual position of reaping the benefits of the very phenomenon he criticizes. He used to sleep on couches during his last book tour. But people are so interested in celebrities, not to mention the underside of celebrity, that his life as a freelance writer just became a whole lot easier with the release of his new book. Now his publisher puts him up in swanky hotels like the Waldorf.
The phone is also ringing more frequently, and Halpern has turned down interviews with those who can't resist chatting about celebrities. In one instance, he was invited by a talk show that shall remain nameless, and he immediately passed on it because they were in the habit of covering "prostitutes and midgets." It seems as if this brand of talk show exploits celebrities - and those who write about them - as much as they exploit those who are pushed to the margins of society.
This sudden burst of attention has made Halpern feel a little guilty, and he has said to himself about Fame Junkies, "It's still another excuse for talking about these celebrities! You're contributing to the roar of the fame machine!"
When asked if there's any solution to the problem he's identified, Halpern says, "I'm definitely not a Puritan. My message in the book is one of moderation, not of abstinence."
Halpern says parents can reduce the damage done by a fame addiction. He seems floored by the stage moms and dads who push their kids to train for fame. Not everyone can be famous, no matter how many reality shows are on television. He thinks parents should have a talk with starstruck kids and ask them, "This is great, but do you really want to be the next Macaulay Culkin?"
For the kids who don't enjoy parental involvement in their lives, this problem becomes difficult to solve. In the Rochester survey, kids from low-income backgrounds and troubled family lives were much more likely to see fame as a balm that would soothe all their problems. In that case, it's up to society to set more realistic standards. Maybe kids would be better off studying or training instead of watching MTV Cribs and The Fabulous Life Of So-and-So.
Then, if these kids establish real skills, as opposed to dreaming all day about stardom or assisting celebrities, they might have a shot of making something of themselves, either in or out of the spotlight.
Image of the Fame Junkies book cover from Amazon. Originally published January 8, 2007.
10 Questions With Sean Meredith, Filmmaker
Lately, the flood of technology has dumbed down filmmaking. It seems as if anyone with a budget can churn out a decent-looking CGI flick starring a bunch of smartass animals.
Real artistry emerges when filmmakers get back to basics, which director Sean Meredith has done in a major way. First, Meredith and his collaborators have turned to Dante Aligheri's Divine Comedy as the script for their movie. Second, instead of turning to computer animation, Meredith and company created paper puppets that move about on rods.
"Paper puppets" doesn't do Meredith's work justice. If you see the trailer for Dante's Inferno, you will see delicate, detailed work and a clever use of shadows that cuts through centuries, mixing up the Middle Ages, Victorian art, and the Fox News era. This is a feast for artists, lit-lovers, filmmakers, and news junkies.
The movie will be showing at the Brattle as part of the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) on tomorrow night, Friday, March 23, at 7:30 pm. BUFF kicks off tonight at the Brattle at 7:30 pm with a screening of American Stag backed by the music of the Alloy Orchestra.
We've asked Meredith ten questions about where on earth he and his collaborators got their ideas and they he brought them to the indie-film circuit.
1. What inspired you to buck the trend of computer animation and go with paper puppets?
We had made our last film using paintings and computer driven motion-graphics. We knew this film would be much more complicated. To make "The Inferno" with computer animation or live action with CGI would have cost tens of millions of dollars. I'd guess $120 million. Well, with a budget of less than one half of one percent of a Pixar or Dreamworks film we couldn't beat the masters at their game. We had to find an approach that would be in its own realm. It was Paul Zaloom's idea to work with Toy Theatre, which we found to be really ripe with possibilities and goofiness to exploit.
2. For one character pose in one scene, how long did it take you to assemble one of the puppets?
Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet were the Art Directors. They spent over six months building all the sets and puppets. Sandow did most of the drawings and Elyse tackled the majority of the building. They work pretty fast, but I don't know exactly how long a single piece took to make. They built over forty sets and almost five hundred puppets.
3. How do you sell a movie based on a classic and made with paper puppets? Was it a struggle to get funding, and how did you find it?
We got lucky with funding. I about killed myself stretching every dollar. How do we sell it? Shit, it's hard. We've just gotten started. We'll end up with some kind of video deal, but how lucrative is pretty up in the air. Theatrical and TV sales are a long shot. TV might be tough due to some explicit paper puppetry. The tough part for a distributor is that there's nothing to compare it to in order to estimate box office and DVD sales figures. But it could be an opportunity for a distributor because it's so unique. I could imagine a lot of people who would be super curious to check out a puppet version of Dante's Inferno that'd be rated NC-17.
4. How did Dermot Mulroney (Dante) and James Cromwell (Virgil) get involved with the picture?
I knew Dermot through some friends. Specifically, my composer Mark McAdam, who was briefly in a band with Dermot, got me in contact with him. McAdam and I went to Emerson College together. I thought his voice might be to old for the part of Dante, but his voice is really strong. It's deep and resonant. He was into the whole tone of the script and liked the style. Once we had Dermot, James Cromwell became my first choice for Virgil. I had been imagining an old crusty sounding Virgil (imagine Tom Waits or somebody like that), but with Dermot's strong low voice, it made me reconsider what Virgil should be. Cromwell was perfect with his calm soft confidence. He can infuse a lot of gravity into lines without overdoing it.
5. You collaborated with artists Sandow Birk and Paul Zaloom (of the Bread and Puppet Theater and Beakman's World). How did you meet these guys? And how did you click?
Sandow had created over a hundred and fifty artworks surrounding a fictitious civil war in California set in a vague present. He was getting ready to have a museum exhibit of the work and wanted to create an audio tour to expand on the mythology. He had met Zaloom through a mutual friend, Greg Escalante (Editor in Chief of Juxtapoz Magazine). Somehow Zaloom and Sandow ended up collaborating on the writing and recording. It turned out real nice, real ridiculous. Sandow had tackled spoofs of romantic- era painting, propaganda posters, and museum audio tours, then he set his sights on Ken Burns' Civil War series. It seemed ripe for parody. He worked with Zaloom on a script but didn't know how to go about making a film.
Escalante, continuing his infamous instigating, introduced Sandow to Tom Patchett. Patchett was a TV writer/producer/director who had dropped out to open an art gallery in Santa Monica called Track 16. He had produced and funded a couple videos with Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley, and with Bruce and Norman Yonomoto, so Escalante thought he'd be a good person to talk to. Patchett then introduced me to Sandow and I immediately wanted to be involved. To wrap it up, we made the film for almost nothing, it premiered in 2003 at Slamdance, went on to 20 other festivals, and made money. I think we click because we have some key areas in which we're on the same page, but we come from different areas (filmmaking, performing, art making) which gives us a wide range of experience to draw from.
6. The Divine Comedy and your movie guides people on a tour of the levels of hell. Which level was the most fun for you to work on? Why?
It'd either be the lust scene or the River Styx. They were both shot at the start of production and we were all just wowed by how beautiful (and goofy and dumb) it was all turning out. They're also both scenes that have characters from the original poem, which were fun to adapt.
7. How do you personally define hell? What does it look like? Is it similar to what we would see in Dante's Inferno?
If we draw the wrong lot, we see it on Earth. But I'll give you the scoop - after death there's nothing.
8. This one is for those who have seen the movie or the trailer. Where did you get the idea for the scene with the fondue?
We wanted Lucifer's pad to have some bits of the 1970s. A fondue pot was an obvious piece of decor that could go to good use. It was a pain in the ass. The scene took a long time to shoot and it was a bitch to keep the cheese fresh and gooey.
9. Since you are clearly bucking the CGI movie trends with Dante's Inferno, how do you feel about mainstream moviemaking? Are mainstream movies suffering from a lack of imagination, or are they effectively utilizing all that technology has to offer? How could the relationship between technology and the movies improve?
CGI is just the new thing. It was bound to go to use making awful and mediocre movies. I was discouraged that the furry animal style animation of Pixar and Dreamworks (and the knock-offs) was becoming so prevalent. The animation lacked a point of view or vision – like the way a Tim Burton or Hayao Miyazaki films do. But I've had some recent encouragement. I recently visited Dreamworks and saw bits of their upcoming slate and some of it was really starting to challenge conventional CGI animation. But also the tools cost and availability is putting a lot within the realm of possibility for lower budget storytellers. Of course, you can't beat those behemoths at their own game ... plus, why would you want to? What would be the point? It's your ability to tell a story from start to finish (story and production-wise). Something few can do well every time they make a movie.
10. What is your next project? And does it involve puppets?
We're all working on separate projects right now. Paul just starred in a pilot for the History Channel. Sandow is working on a series of art works about the war. And I'm collaborating on a high concept studio script. Yikes! And Elyse Pignolet is working on a ceramics project. When stars align, we'll start the next one.
Kelly LeBrock - A Sister Doin' It for Herself
What is a woman who hasn't owned a television for 15 years doing on a reality show? Actress Kelly LeBrock has been out of the public eye for a long time, choosing instead to leave Hollywood and raise her three children on a ranch, but she can now be seen sweating off the pounds on VH1's "Celebreality" show "Celebrity Fit Club."
LeBrock is back, but the '80s sex symbol makes clear that she is no longer interested in being the passive object of desire. Even though LeBrock became famous as The Woman in Red and as every teenage boy's dream in Weird Science , she is getting fit for herself and for other women instead of trying to recapture the past. She believes that shaping up in public on Celebrity Fit Club will encourage other women to "grab life by the balls" and become happy with who they are.
LeBrock has clearly done just that for herself. As LeBrock says in her interview with The Trades, "If you can't be with yourself, you'll never learn to be with anyone else."
It's hard to imagine that the glamour queen from the famous "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful" Pantene ads would retreat to a quiet ranch and toss out her TV set. However, after her very difficult and very public divorce from actor Steven Seagal, her years away have enabled her to raise her three children in a more normal environment.
She and her family also tend to an entire stable of animals, including horses, cows, and animals that "no one else wanted." Life in the country has made her feel more grounded and comfortable with herself than the Hollywood spotlight ever did.
Celebrity Fit Club had courted LeBrock in the past, but she wasn't interested in the beginning because, she says, she would rather sit on her horse or work on the ranch than go on a diet.
Yet LeBrock realized that, by losing weight in public, she could inspire other women with her actions. And, besides, she laughs, "I don't see anyone else paying me to get in shape!"
This sense of humor has been evident on Celebrity Fit Club . Even when Drill Sergeant Harvey Walden was putting the Fit Clubbers through brutal obstacle courses, LeBrock maintained a sense of good cheer. At one point, while slogging through a stretch of muddy water, LeBrock flipped herself over and did the backstroke, ending the race gracefully and earning herself a trip to the spa. Once, while on the scale, LeBrock admitted that she was so hungry that she contemplated "raping a cheeseburger," and she's found herself staring in restaurants - not at men, but at their pizzas.
While on the show, she has also surprised viewers with her earthier side. LeBrock even let the VH1 camera crew capture her daily life as she shoveled out horse stalls and prepared meals for her family (which, she points out, she couldn't eat because of the Fit Club diet).
LeBrock was pleased with not only the physical results of Celebrity Fit Club but also with how she came across on television. She says that in reality television, "you're at the mercy of the editors' hands," but the end results were worth it.
Her next project will be an extension of what she's done on Celebrity Fit Club . She is working on a book for women that will offer tips on health, nutrition, diet and self-esteem. She hopes to show "women helping women" and, by sharing her own experiences, she can help other women take charge of their lives.
After the show stopped taping, LeBrock has stuck with a fitness routine and continues to set a good example. She still trains three days a week and keeps active by hiking and riding. She is a believer in organic farming and healthy eating, but she admits that her children might be relieved she's no longer on the Celebrity Fit Club diet: "Take my food away for too long, and Momma's gonna get crabby!"
When it comes to her acting career, LeBrock is especially interested in comic roles. She is excited about the movie Gamers , a 2006 comedy about geeks with a serious addiction to role-playing games, in which she plays the hot mom of one of the characters.
LeBrock does not plan on any more reality television, but she will certainly keep proving that it is possible for any woman to enjoy every second of her life - whether it is in public or not.
Cheryl Burke - A True Original
When asked to describe her dream partner, Cheryl Burke immediately says she wants to dance with "someone who wants to have fun, someone who is willing to put in the time and effort - someone who wants to achieve the highest goals."
Burke, Drew Lachey's professional dance partner on Dancing With the Stars, could easily be describing herself. On television, she has revealed a combination of creativity and discipline that earned her and Lachey the top prize for the hit reality show.
Even though she is only 21, Burke has devoted her life to perfecting her moves. Early on, she fell in love with Latin dancing, and she has accumulated honors such as the 2005 World Cup Latin Professional Rising Star Champion.
Reaching the professional level took years of work. Burke says the hardest dance for her to learn was the paso doble, and it took her three years to feel comfortable with the dance. She also continues to push herself, and she says, "Nothing's perfected yet. You always grow as a dancer."
That kind of dedication was visible immediately on Dancing With the Stars. Burke was a tough taskmaster from the beginning. At one point on the show, an exhausted Lachey exclaimed that he was in the "depths of dancer purgatory." But, despite the tough times, Burke and Lachey became good friends. Burke says they call each other twice a week, but they aren't getting together to dance. She laughs, "Drew's dancing career is over!"
Burke and Lachey quickly stood out on the show, not just because Lachey's dance moves were improving but also because of Burke's innovative choreography. While doing the paso doble to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," Burke threw in some spooky moves worthy of Michael Jackson's video. During the finals, she turned the dance floor into a down-home country bar with the freestyle dance she and Lachey developed for Big & Rich's "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."
The success of their routines stems from Burke's focus on the music. When developing the choreography of a dance, Burke started her work by listening to the music, and then she worked on moves that fit. She says, "Musicality is the first priority."
At first, that may seem difficult given the songs the producers assigned to each couple for the week. Some couples had to shape routines to rock songs such as Europe's "The Final Countdown" or Blondie's "One Way or Another." Yet Burke was up to the challenge because, to her, the music made ballroom dancing seem more accessible to the audience: "People should relate to the music; that's why the show did so well."
When the couple had the opportunity to choose a song for their freestyle dance, Lachey suggested Big & Rich. Burke isn't a huge fan of country music, but "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" inspired her, and she says, "We both knew [the dance] was going to be completely original."
The chemistry between Burke and Lachey also added to their success. Technical skill is obviously important, but Burke stresses that "you need that charisma on the dance floor." Since the couple looked like they were having so much fun, audiences found them even more appealing and started phoning in their votes.
Now that the show is over, Burke is bringing her fresh perspectives on dance to Los Angeles. She is open to new opportunities regarding choreography and videos, but she is still teaching, dancing, and performing at shows and events. She has also developed a website, www.strictlycheryl.com, where fans can find out what she will be doing next.
Although she is not competing right now, Burke emphasizes that she is "not permanently retired from competition" and is open to a return, and she says it is possible that she will work with Louis van Amstel, Lisa Rinna's partner, in the future.
As for Dancing With the Stars, Burke hasn't signed up yet for a third season, but she is definitely interested in participating, so celebrities with dancing dreams should gear up for some tough, but rewarding, work.
Becky Buckwild - Flav's Wild Woman
The question most commonly asked about Flavor of Love contestant Becky Buckwild is this: "Is she for real?"
Oh, yes. She most definitely is.
Buckwild has been accused of "acting black" on message boards and even at The Trades. She is a white girl who enthusiastically talks street and sprinkles her language with "dawg." At first glance, her exuberance comes off so strongly that it is often seen as fake. On the show, Like Dat had questioned Buckwild's ghetto behavior and said, "If it ain't real, she's gonna get hurt." In her BET blog, "Hottie" from last season wrote, "I wouldn’t be surprised if [Buckwild] speaks the Queen’s English when the cameras aren’t on her. Mark my words."
But Becky Buckwild has a message for the haters out there: "I don't think I'm black."
Write that down. In permanent marker. Becky Buckwild does not think she is black. In fact, she says that, if she had been pretending, the other women in the house "would have beat the sh*t out of me. I would have beat the sh*t out of me!"
Buckwild wants Flavor of Love viewers to know that she isn't an act or a joke. She says the criticism that she wasn't real or that she was putting on an act hurt her, and her tone of voice suggests that the criticism still stings a little. She wants to make clear that she is authentic, and that she's not trying to be like anyone except herself.
About the way she talks, Buckwild explains that she has "talked this way since I could remember." Buckwild compares the way she talks to how gay people talk when they get comfortable with themselves -- that's the way they are, and that's the way Buckwild is. As she says, "I just talk like Buckwild."
She also clarifies what she meant when she called the Southern California town of Rancho Cucamonga her "hood." Rancho Cucamonga is part of the "I.E." -- that's short for "Inland Empire" -- and it is, as Buckwild explains, a place where people go when they leave the ghetto. She sounds understandably irritated with those who have been too quick to judge her about her "hood": "I said it was my hood, not the hood."
The truth of the matter is that people who aren't afraid to show all their personalities or who aren't afraid of being different make other people jealous. And Buckwild's personality is too big for the everyday. She is -- even on the phone -- the kind of person who is destined for television. She felt that, too, when she watched the first season of Flavor of Love and asked herself, "Why am I not on this show?"
That epiphany led to her audition and her introduction to reality television. Buckwild is a stage comedienne who performs regularly in the "I.E.," but she hadn't been on television, and the constant surveillance of reality shows took her by surprise. Before the show, the producers got to know each contestant down to the last detail. Each contestant underwent a background check and an STD test, but Buckwild jokes that, since the test was held 30 days in advance, she didn't "trust that none of them ho's wasn't gonna be f*ckin'" within that 30-day time span, and that it would have been more accurate if the ladies had been tested upon their arrival at the mansion. (Note to TVGasm, who referred to the entrance of the ladies in the mansion as "Parade of the Clap" -- VH1 was trying to cut that problem off at the pass.)
Buckwild and the women also underwent a psychological interview in which they revealed what might provoke them to physical attacks. And then, on the show, she says the producers "take you to another level," creating situations that bring out everyone's weaknesses and exaggerate every single character trait.
Waking up with a camera in her face every morning was also new to Buckwild. There was no warning as to when shooting would start; it was round-the-clock. Cameras were everywhere except the toilet, but, if two people went into the bathroom together, all bets were off, and the camera crew headed right in. Buckwild admits that, when she was back at home, she would wake up in the morning and assume a camera was in her face.
When people ask Buckwild about her experience on the show, though, they typically have one thing on their minds -- the now-legendary moment in which Somethin used the mansion floor as her own personal toilet. Buckwild says, "Somethin really sh*t on the floor. I like to answer that right up front."
Buckwild's version of the story is even funnier than the televised scene. She describes the first night's clocking ceremony as a "sensitive situation" because all the women did their best to look good, and no one wanted to be rude and say anything about the stink. Buckwild thought that someone just had a case of gas, but when Somethin bolted up the stairs -- Flav was supposed to go first, of course -- and the smell stayed, the women had to speak out.
Buckwild also has some inside information regarding Somethin's infamous episode. In a wise move, VH1 made Somethin clean up her own poop. Buckwild said that the poop stayed on the floor for about six hours while Somethin recovered from whatever her problem was. In the meantime, the VH1 crew left a tub of wet wipes so Somethin could tackle the mess.
Luckily, Buckwild encountered a more pleasant smell when she met Flavor Flav. According to her, Flav was just as he appeared on television, except "he smells real good!" She calls him a "warmhearted dude" and has nothing but kind words to say about him. On Flav, she concludes, "I feel the same about Flav when I went in as when I left. I would love to date him any day."
Buckwild also made friends on the show and says she hangs out with Bootz, who lives in the area. Buckwild says she'd "let her fight for me!" And she's headed to Detroit to meet up with some of the other women, including Deelishis, as well.
Now that the show is airing, she's recognized more, and she's still working in local comedy clubs in the "I.E." She says that people don’t really come up and talk to her, but they just stare at her very hard like they should know her. In fact, she says, "My life ain't changed a damn bit!"
Even though she's on a highly-rated television show, Buckwild stays true to her own code. As she says of her comedy, "My life is my comedy routine. The best comedy is based on truth." Truth is stranger than fiction, and, in the case of Buckwild, sometimes it's better.