Author Archives: robin
Before They Were Stars: Matt LeBlanc in a Fruitful Bran Commercial
I feel like I should hold a contest: which sitcom star did more cheesy commercials during the 1980s before they were famous? Jason Alexander or Matt LeBlanc? I don’t have an exact count yet, but here’s LeBlanc gaining another point … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Matthew Perry in a Pacific Bell Commercial
In 1987, a young Matthew Perry appeared in this commercial for Pacific Bell, which introduces a mind-blowing technological feature known as *gasp* call waiting! Perry’s father gets into a car accident and doesn’t have his driver’s license on him, so … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Eli Roth Directs “Restaurant Dogs”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tv9eHgWNSU This past weekend finally saw the long-awaited release of Eli Roth’s cannibal flick, The Green Inferno, the first feature film he directed since Hostel: Part II. Earlier this year, the student thesis short film that Roth directed while attending … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: 8-Year Old Kaley Cuoco as Young Claire Danes on “My So-Called Life”
Here’s a bizarrely specific type of role for a child actor: when Kaley Cuoco was starting out her career in the 1990s, she had a tendency to get cast as a younger version of a famous actress’ character during flashback … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars (2-for-1 Special): Steve Martin and Super Dave Osborne Win Writing Emmys in 1969
Steve Martin’s first major break came in the late 1960s when he got a gig on the writing staff of the television variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. In 1969, the writing team ended up winning an Emmy Award … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Johnny Depp on “Lady Blue”
Later today, the Shouts from the Back Row podcast we recorded about the career of Johnny Depp will be posted, so of course, I had to try and dig up the most obscure Johnny Depp footage I could find. In … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Jason Alexander in “Everything’s Relative”
I’ve probably posted more “Before They Were Stars” commercials for Jason Alexander than any other actor (including one in which he appeared alongside the recently departed New York Yankee legend, Yogi Berra). For a change of pace, here’s the first … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Uzo Aduba on “Project Runway: All Stars”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgaoeVNpLhc Before she got her Emmy Award-winning role as Crazy Eyes on Orange is the New Black, Uzo Aduba almost exclusively worked on stage. In fact, her first official appearance on television was actually on a reality show. In 2012, … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Emilia Clarke in a Student Short Film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpZu0MI-RJI Here is some footage of an unknown Emilia Clarke appearing in a short film which was apparently made by students from the University of London. Alas, I can find no information at all about the film’s title or what … Continue reading
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Before They Were Stars: Bill Hader in “Sounds Good to Me: Remastering the Sting”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Io_OYTJEw I was surprised to discover that before he was became a cast member on Saturday Night Live, Bill Hader started out his career as a production assistant on a number of Hollywood films. He even served as a P.A. … Continue reading
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