December 30, 2008:
It’s official, I’m the worst at keeping a diary for a website in the history of the interwebs!!! In a day and age of every idiot who can type blogging for the world’s eyes, or worse: entering second by second non-eventful life moments on Twitter , I CONTINUE to suck at informing any one remotely interested in my life, here, on my very own damn website!
Apologies and qualifiers out of the way, I am writing this as the end of 2008 looms around the corner. There. In an subconscious cry for help, I’ve just made the mistake of dating this entry, so a year from now, when I read this, I’ll realize, once again, how much I SUCK at this.
2008 is ending on a creative high note, as I just completed two film roles, which I somehow shot simultaneously. Still amazed when producers from different projects can work together (as they TRULY have to in order to pull this off) on my behalf so that I can be available for each. This time it was especially difficult because one film, “Middle Men,” shot in and around Scottsdale, Arizona, and the other, “Choose,” shot in New York.
Also of note was that this was the first time I’ve shot in New York. I’ve been visiting that great city for 30 years, and have performed stand-up comedy there countless times, but of the near 60 films I’ve worked on, I never had the pleasure of working and “living” in the City That Never Sleeps. I stayed in an AMAZING loft in SoHo, and after shooting 14 hours a day, it felt almost magical to come “home” to this beautiful New York digs in the heart of the groovy part of downtown. In fact, I would be remised if I didn’t thank a dear friend, Hank Azaria, for letting me live in his INCREDIBLE New York home while I was shooting “Choose”. I called it The House that Apu Built, while I was there, and for those Simpson’s fans out there, like myself, it was fantastic!!
“Choose” is an indie, psychological, thriller, with lots of twists and turns, and is more cool scary than creepy scary. Although, there is a handful of creepy moments…It was directed by Academy Award winning Visual Effects genius, Robert Legato, and co-stars Katheryn Winnick, Nick Tucci and Richard Short. I have high hopes for this little jewel, and will “try” to keep you all posted on its release.
“Middle Men” is based on a true story, and was written and directed by George Gallo (Midnight Run) and stars Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht and James Caan. I hate saying things like this, but this one could end up being an instant classic, in a Goodfellas, or Midnight Run kind of way. At times it feels like those movies, while being utterly original. Although hard to describe, it is hilarious at times and a rollercoaster thrill ride too. Can’t WAIT to see this one!
I have a few other cool projects in the works, and will try a little harder this year to keep this diary up. I’ll probably fail miserably, like I did this year, but let’s face it, Change is Coming!!
Happy Holidays to all, and to all, a healthy, peaceful and FUN ’09!!
-Kevin
November 22, 2006:
Exciting news to report! For quite awhile now, I’ve been involved as a producer on a film project of a great book called “3 Nights in August,” which was written by Pulitzer Prize winner, Buzz Bissinger, who wrote the critically acclaimed and hugely successful book, “Friday Night Lights”.
Buzz wrote 3 Nights with, and about, Tony LaRussa, the manager of this year’s World Series champs, the St. Louis Cardinals. If you’re a baseball fan at all, I could not recommend this book more. Riveting, insightful, serious page-turner and a behind-the-scenes view, never before revealed.
As I said, I’ve been working on this project for a while. You would not believe how long it took the lawyers to draft a document that simply stated what all the parties had agreed to. Oh, no, trust me. It’s much longer than ANY type of logic or reality could possibly explain. Are ya sensing the lingering feelings of frustration and utter disbelief? And that’s coming from a guy who’s been to the dance a time, or seventy-eight.
OK, so, I’m finally at the stage of adapting the book into a screenplay, and that’s the exciting part that made the waiting game so very painful to live through. See, it was agreed to from the start (a year and a half ago), that along with my producing duties, I would be the one to write the screenplay of “3 Nights in August”. The book is so brilliant that my job, really, is to not screw it up. Sure, I have to basically edit a 268 page book into a 110 page screenplay, and create a visual depiction, filled with as many insightful, gut-wrenching, revealing, uplifting, humorous, shocking, heart-warming, tortuous, illuminating, satisfying, excruciating and inspirational moments as the book had, but hey, how hard could that possibly be?
Meeting a baseball legend like Tony LaRussa was incredible enough, even for a casual baseball fan, which I am. Which, by the way, is what made the book-into-movie such an instant goal for me. I felt, if someone like me, who can’t name the starting line-up of his favorite (hometown) team, the San Francisco Giants, found this insiders view of the game one of the single most spellbinding books he’s ever read, then not only was it a slam-dunk for true fans of the sport, but that there was a genuine universal appeal in its story.
As one could imagine, aside from getting a stubbornly reluctant LaRussa to agree to a film version of the book, one of the wildly, if not personally historical, moments for me was attending games 3, 4, and 5 of this years World Series. Now, remember, NO ONE, other than the fans and everyone professionally associated with the St. Louis Cardinals, thought they would get past the New York Mets, in order to get into the World Series. Hell, after the near-historical collapse of the Cards at the end of the regular season, everyone outside of St. Louis agreed that it was pretty much over for the Cards before the playoffs began.
I’ve always been a team player. I learned the love and true inspiration of playing for a team in high school, and became a crazed fan of the San Francisco 49ers during the hey-days of Joe Montana and then Steve Young. I’d been a fan of the team since the age of 6 or 7, when my dad would take my brother and I to the games. I also went to Giants games as a youngster, and got to see the great Willy Mays play, but the subtleties and strategic nuances of the game were lost on me, at the time, and I had no one in my life that loved the game enough to point them out. Hence, my love of the Niners took over at a tender age, and lasts to this day. As painful to watch as these days are.
I think my real, if not adult, appreciation for being a team player came from becoming an actor. Working on a movie with hundreds of cast, crew and the like, taught me to care about the greatness in others, who’s efforts, like mine, were put forth, at the top of their capability, for the nothing else but the fruit of their labor. To this day, whenever I see anyone I’ve worked with, be they an actor, actress, director, producer, or crew member, it’s as if we shared a foxhole in “the war,” and we are connected for life because of it.
Well, nothing prepared me for the love of one’s team like that which exists at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. From the first game there that I attended over a year ago, the “ocean of red” in the stands was something I’d never seen in any spectators sport. The St. Louis fans live for their Cards and very little else, with the possible exception of the only other game in town, Budweiser. Having said that, attending games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series in St. Louis, as a new fan, who had a TREMENDOUS personal, if not selfish, interest in the Cards somehow pulling off a miracle by winning, was simply not an experience anyone could have been prepared for.
I will go into greater detail soon, regarding the blow-by-blow events that I was truly fortunate enough to witness, as well as share some photos that speak volumes. The main purpose for this particular entry was to share my latest project with you, and the excitement I deeply feel for it. Thanks for indulging me, as I digressed, and I will certainly share all that I can about this new project as it unfolds.
In the meantime, please do yourself a favor and read Buzz’s wildly entertaining and insightful book, "3 Nights in August", whether you’re a fan of baseball or not, and let me know what you think of it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and oh, sorry it wasn’t funny in any way shape or form. I’m afraid this was the first entry for me in a RIDICULOUSLY long while, and my desire to share was COMPLETELY dominated by sincerity, and there’s no excuse for that, especially from such a mostly cynically funny bastard such as me.
-Kevin
April 20, 2004:
Well, it’s been a while but I’m happy to report I’m still alive and well. Thriving, in fact. Although “The Whole Ten Yards” opened to dismal business and even worst reviews, I’m standing by my team spirit and pride by insisting that the movie is funny, Matthew Perry is hilarious, Bruce gives a wild performance and Amanda Peet once again somehow pulls off being sexy and dorky. As for my character, it’s the funniest lead role I’ve ever done. So, who’s word are you going to take?
I’m also happy to report that I just completed filming another movie with Bruce Willis. It’s a suspense drama called “Hostage” and was adapted from a best selling novel of the same name by Robert Crais. It’s a page-turner folks and I highly recommend it. Bruce had given it to me to read while we were shooting “The Whole Ten Yards” and I loved it. Miramax is putting the film out in the fall or Thanksgiving. So look for that.
In the meantime, a little movie I starred in called “Seven Times Lucky” is making the festival rounds. We debuted at Sundance and just won best screenplay and film at the Method Film Festival in Los Angeles ( I was nominated for best actor, if you really must know). We’ve also been invited to show at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Hopefully, someone will pick up this little gem (a ridiculously sweet review is available here at the site) and you all will get a chance to see it.
News from the road: I’m also touring this year with my stand-up act. The new dates are listing here as well. This July, I’ll be recording a live CD and DVD at Cobbs Comedy Club in San Francisco! Yep, the wait is over for those who’ve signed up for a copy.
Until next time, remember, when life gives you lemons…. open up a lemonade stand and make a killing!
-KP
February 19, 2003:
Well it's been far too long, but I finally got a spare moment to offer an NEW diary entry. I'm writing from my trailer on the set of "The Whole Ten Yards." This is a sequel of "The Whole Nine Yards", which was the movie I did a few years ago with Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet and Natasha Henstridge.
In the first movie, I played "Yanni Gogolak," who was trying to kill Bruce Willis' character because he ratted out my father and sent him to prison. Well, in the end, Bruce's character kills Yanni, but I'm thrilled to report that the sequel begins with Yanni's father, Lazlo Gogolak, getting out of prison, and his first order of business is to avenge his son's death.
I can honestly say this is the best role I've had in the last twenty-five movies, or so. Believe me when I tell you that it's been many years since I've had this great of a part, and it could be one of the top three parts I've EVER had.
Now, because "Yanni" was my own age, "Lazlo" is in his seventies. That means each morning I start my day at work on this movie by sitting in the make-up chair for almost four hours. Yep, FOUR HOURS. The good news is that the guys doing my make-up are some of the best in the prosthetic make-up biz. In fact, Wes Wofford, who is the key artist doing the daily application, helped to invent this new incredible silicone-based product that's applied to my face in pieces to ultimately build the awesome look that is Lazlo. I'm trying to get clearance from the producers so I can post some photos of myself as L azlo. I'm telling you guys, you will not believe what I look like.
I've also had an amazing time creating the voice for this old Hungarian mobster, as well as, his walk and style of dress, etc. The script for this sequel has gone through some extensive re-writes with George Gallo ("Midnight Run") doing the work, with Bruce, Matthew, Amanda and yours truly lending a big hand shaping and creating some really cool and hilarious scenes.
The director on hand is doing a great job. His name is Howie Deutch and he has been a God-send. I worked with Howie several years ago on the sequel to "Grumpy Old Men." He did a great job on that one and he's doing it again on this one. Personally, I've never been so called upon or looked to for my input, and it's really been the greatest experience I've had working on a movie in very long time. Truly one of the top three, I'd say, creative experiences of my career.
There's been a tremedous amount of laughs during the making of the movie. Sometimes we get very little work done because of all the cuttin' up. I guess because when you work on a sequel it's like a reunion for the cast. We already had quite a bit of a shorthand in terms of how we kid around and cut to the chase with each other. Because of that, we've had a hell of a lot more fun on this one than we did on the first one. I'm talkin' BIG LAUGHS folks! Naturally, you never know if such antics will translate onto the movie screen in the course of making the film, but I feel as confident as ever that we've got a real shot at something special here. By all means, wish us luck.
Well, I've got to get back to work now, so until our next round-up, be well, love life and find a reason to be happy, damn it.
Peace, my bruthas and sistas-
Kevin
PAST DIARY ENTRIES
December 16, 2002: First of all, let me wish everyone a tremendous holiday season! I hope everyone stays healthy through out the rough weather that usually slams most of the country around this time. I also hope all of you get the perfect gift that seems to elude each and every damn one of us, year after year after year after year….. Well, you get the idea. [ more ]
November 18, 2002: I have just returned from the most amazing homecoming anyone could hope for. I've often thought of the famous line, "You can never go home again," but I've never felt so strongly that it was horse@%#$. I went, I saw, I had a GREAT time. [ more ]
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