Author Archives: robin
Before They Were Stars: Channing Tatum in a Pepsi Commercial
I used to think that Channing Tatum might be the most wooden actor in Hollywood, but the guy has really grown on me this past year after solid work in Haywire, 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike and Side Effects. Thank … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Bradley Cooper in the Audience of “Inside the Actors Studio”
Ever watch Inside the Actors Studio and wonder if one of those young acting students in the audience went on to anything big? Well, it actually happened! In this episode from 1999, a young student named Bradley Cooper popped up … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Ben Stiller in “The Hustler of Money”
A few days ago, we showcased a sketch from The Ben Stiller Show featuring a parody trailer for the Die Hard series called Die Hungry. In 1987, an unknown Ben Stiller directed another dead-on parody trailer called The Hustler of … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Bruce Willis as an Extra in “The First Deadly Sin”
Betcha didn’t know that Bruce Willis and Frank Sinatra once crossed paths on screen. Well, it happened when Willis got his first acting job in the 1980 film, The First Deadly Sin. It’s a very brief uncredited bit as an … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Steve Martin Performs Magic on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”
Steve Martin’s first big break in show business was becoming a writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the late 1960s. One day, they decided to give him an opportunity to perform on the show and he did so … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Steven Soderbergh Directs a Hair Salon Commercial
The recent theatrical release of Steven Soderbergh’s thriller, Side Effects, might signal the end of his directorial career since he has announced his plans to retire from filmmaking. Whether he sticks to his retirement remains to be seen, but you … Continue reading
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Robin’s Underrated Gems: Out of Sight (1998)
The recent release of his psychological thriller, Side Effects, may mark the end of Steven Soderbergh s career as a filmmaker. The director has announced his intentions to retire from the movie business and while Behind the Candelabra, his made-for-HBO … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: James Spader in “Team-Mates”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xt6m_x1FNw James Spader’s first acting role was in a 1978 film called Team-Mates and when talking about it in an interview, Spader once said: “It might have been a softcore porn film. I’m not sure. I never saw it.”. Well, … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Judd Apatow Performs Stand-Up (and Has Material Stolen from Denis Leary)
Before he became a filmmaker, Judd Apatow started off his career as a stand-up comedian. In this very interesting video, Apatow is shown doing a bit about voice boxes at a show in 1992… followed by a clip of Denis … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Toby Stephens as a Young Clint Eastwood in “Space Cowboys”
We did a Shouts From the Back Row podcast about Clint Eastwood a few days ago, so here’s a unique “Before They Were Stars” clip of Toby Stephens playing a young… Clint Eastwood. The black-and-white opening scenes of Space Cowboys … Continue reading
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