Mike's Rant
Happy New Year! Here is the first piece of the new millennium!
Hello, gang! Wishing everyone a safe and happy 2001..............and beyond! A few notes and my thanks and thoughts on the previous year.
IN MEMORIAM
Very sad to report the passing of the following actors, both of whom I admired.
Jason Robards, who won back to back Oscars in the mid 70's, passed away this past Tuesday at age 78. He had long fought an eventual losing battle with cancer. He shot to fame on Broadway as Hickey in Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" in 1956. He later performed the role in a 1960 television version. He was forever connected with O'Neill when he followed "Iceman" with "Long Day's Journey Into Night," a role he later returned to for the 1962 feature film. In 1959 he won the Tony award for "The Disenchanted." He won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 1976 for "All The President's Men" and in 1977 for "Julia." He was also nominated for the same category for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in 1980s "Melvin and Howard." His last screen role was in 1999s "Magnolia." Other notable films include "Parenthood," "Max Dugan Returns," "Philadelphia" and the television movie "The Day After."
Billy Barty, whose seven decade career included everything from vaudeville to film passed away Saturday from a heart ailment. He was 76. Standing just 3-foot-10, he was best known for roles in such films as "Willow" and "Foul Play," Barty founded Little People of America, an advocacy group for others with dwarfism.
I'd like to end this section with the mentioning of a few people who passed away this past year who I may have missed in my column:
Charles Schulz - creator of "Peanuts." As if predestined, Schulz passed away as his last original daily strip was going to press.
Vincent Canby and Jack Kroll - film critics of The New York Times and Newsweek magazine, respectively. I grew up reading and respecting their opinions.
Tom Landry - former coach of the Dallas Cowboys. I had NO IDEA Mr. Landry had passed away this past year. I thought for sure Matt would have said something as he was the biggest Cowboy fan I knew for years!
Derrick Thomas - Derrick's death hit everyone here in Kansas City hard. A sure hall of fame linebacker, Thomas was injured in a car accident last year.
Diagnosed as paralyzed, he still looked forward to the future. A few weeks after his accident, Thomas died when a blood clot made it's way to his heart while on his way to begin his rehab therapy.
Charles Gray - best known as the narrator in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Also played James Bond's adversary Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "Diamonds Are Forever."
Jim Varney - rubber faced comic actor best known for the "Ernest" films. I had the good fortune to know Jim, and a kinder, more sincere man you never met.
YEAR END KUDOS
Let me end with some words of thanks to the following:
Nolan, my friend and editor: Thanks for letting me be a part of this great achievement of yours. And thanks for the kind words. What started as just a one shot Oscar piece has turned into the highlight of my week. And mine, as well.---N) Thanks for allowing me the freedom to write what I want and to express the feelings I feel. I know at times some readers may have said, "Boy, he's sure sharing a lot this week." (LOL! Yeah, boy is that guy full of sh**...---N)But believe me, once the words start flowing, it's hard to shut off what you feel. I honestly believe this column has saved me thousands in therapy! Thanks again, boss! Now about that raise.......(LOL! Boy, there he goes again!---N)
Matt, my brother and co-railer: We've known each other for 25 years, and I know I wouldn't be here without you. Sharing the memories of The HATS were among the high points of the year. That and reading about your non-belly button!
Terence, my worthy adversary in all things music: You caused me to step back and realize that the 70's are over! Many kudos on your guitarists list, especially one of my all time favorites, Buddy Holly. One thing Holly did revolutionize was the strumming "upward" of the guitar. Can't play "Peggy Sue" without it. At least I can't. Incidentally, one day Matt came to band practice dressed as a woman with all his body hair shaved. Guess that made him the Syd Barrett of Tampa! (I THINK he's kidding---N) I was floored to find out who your aunt is. (Tampa writer Patty G. Henderson as revealed last issue.---N) Sad to say that I knew her before you were born!! Someone send her my email address! (Done and done.---N)
And finally, to "what if." Matt ended his piece last week with a "what if." And it made me wonder. Through this computer I have been able to stay in touch with so many people from my past. And I thought, "what if." What if we had all stayed in Tampa? I mean, my God, we could have developed our own entertainment group. Between Nolan, myself, Matt, Corey, old pal John Hooper and the Scotts (Gilbert and Van Sickle), we have enough accumulated success among ourselves that we could be unstoppable. But then I thought that maybe we have achieved what we have because we did leave. We went out on our own and forged the lives we now lead. So instead of "what if," I will look forward to "what now" and the future. May you all have a safe and prosperous year ahead and many more to follow.
Altho it's never a good idea to dwell on past mistakes, I think it brings up a legitimate point about the scarring/learning mistakes of our past guiding our present. The inescapable frustration, however, is in knowing now what we should've known at the time.---Nolan.
"Mike's Rant" is ©2001 by Michael A. Smith
First time letter writer to PCR, Mr Petrey shares a fiery missive he sent to the St. Pete Times.
John Petrey
If you guys at the Times could do us all a big favor and get rid of the loser (Steve Persall) you guys employ as movie critic, it would be a great day in Tampa Bay, not to mention St. Pete. Steve really has lost his marbles lately when reviewing films. Instead of reviewing a film, Steve goes way out of bounds with his "I have to look out for the people" mentality when doing a critique of a film.
When "Idle Hands" came out a couple of years ago, it just happened to land around the same time the Columbine massacre took place. Instead of a review we get a sermon on why the movie studio should have taken responsibility and not have released the movie which was a COMEDY STEVE! Jesus, even tight ass Bob Ross here in Tampa Bay gave it a review of being a goofy comedy. More recently in 2000, Persall reviewed "Whole Nine Yards" w/Bruce Willis and Amanda Peet. Steve (Persall) didn't like this film because, (Comedy again Steve!), Amanda showed her blessed pair in a nude scene which was integral to the comic timing of the film! Persall denounced her performance as gratuitous nudity. Showing breasts is gratuitous nudity?
Steve also slammed "Blair Witch 2:Book of Shadows" because, you guessed it, a female showed her breast again (in a wavy B&W video no less) and Steve denounced it as gratuitous nudity again!
But you see Steve doesn't have as much a problem with male nudity in films. In "Space Cowboys" a male nude butt was shown and Persall played it off as 'comic timing'. When the Lesbian and Gay film festival was in town, Steve begged everyone to get out and see these films when he hadn't even seen all the films himself!!
What agenda is your 'movie critic' actually pushing here?
Thanks for listening, and yes you may publish this letter if it will help give Steve the boot!