Author Archives: robin
Before They Were Stars: Aubrey Plaza in a Popeyes Chicken Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nSLO3S88Vs On one of the cast commentary tracks for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Aubrey Plaza was asked to talk about a Popeyes Chicken commercial she appeared in when she was younger. She awkwardly responded with: “It’s me and this … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, TV
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: Aubrey Plaza in a Popeyes Chicken Commercial
Before They Were Stars: Michael Bay Directs a “Got Milk?” Commercial
No one would ever accuse Michael Bay of directing the greatest films of all time, but believe it or not, he actually directed what is widely considered to be one of the greatest commercials of all time. In 1993, the … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, TV
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: Michael Bay Directs a “Got Milk?” Commercial
Before They Were Stars: Jeff Bridges on “Lassie”
Following this week’s Shouts From the Back Row podcast on the career of Jeff Bridges, here’s one of his earliest roles. During his childhood, Jeff often made acting appearances on shows his father, Lloyd Bridges, starred in, such as Sea Hunt. … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, TV
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: Jeff Bridges on “Lassie”
Robin’s Underrated Gems: The Believer (2001)
Last week, we did a Shouts From the Back Row podcast on the career of Ryan Gosling, one of the lucky ones who made a very successful transition from child actor to full-fledged Hollywood star. Gosling was a very busy … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Robin's Underrated Gems
Comments Off on Robin’s Underrated Gems: The Believer (2001)
Before They Were Stars: 14-Year Old Jack Black on “The Fall Guy”
When he was only 13 years old, Jack Black made his first television appearance by acting in a commercial for the Atari game, Pitfall!. One year later, he got his first official acting credit with a small role on the … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, TV
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: 14-Year Old Jack Black on “The Fall Guy”
Before They Were Stars: John Mahoney Shills Prowler the Robot in “Code of Silence”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVmuy7mxkCs Yesterday, I did a “Before They Were Stars” feature on the late Dennis Farina, who had an early role in the Chuck Norris action film, Code of Silence. Well, it turns out that John Mahoney also had an early … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, Movies
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: John Mahoney Shills Prowler the Robot in “Code of Silence”
A Tribute to Dennis Farina (1944-2013)
Hollywood lost one of its best character actors when Dennis Farina died of a blood clot in one of his lungs on July 22, 2013 at the age of 69. Farina did not originally choose acting as his first profession … Continue reading
Before They Were Stars: Dennis Farina in “Code of Silence”
I was saddened to hear that legendary character actor Dennis Farina passed away yesterday at the age of 69. Before he broke into acting, Farina spent 18 years working for the Chicago Police Department, and one of his earliest major … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, Movies
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: Dennis Farina in “Code of Silence”
Before They Were Stars: Guillermo Del Toro in an Alka-Seltzer Commercial
You know I always love to do “Before They Were Stars” features that showcase early short films, music videos and commercials from famous directors. But here’s a special one: an old commercial which is not only directed by a famous … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, TV
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: Guillermo Del Toro in an Alka-Seltzer Commercial
Before They Were Stars: Mel Smith as a Bouncer in “Bloody Kids”
As you probably already heard, British comedy legend Mel Smith passed away of a heart attack two days ago at the age of 60. In 1979, right around the time he was starting on Not the Nine O’Clock News, Smith … Continue reading
Posted in Before They Were Stars, Movies
Comments Off on Before They Were Stars: Mel Smith as a Bouncer in “Bloody Kids”