Jolt Country

That's right, "Drumline" will be out for everyone's viewing pleasure tomorrow.

Featuring such big-name stars as:

Orlando Jones

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OH! Did I mention it was directed by Charles Stone III, who previously delighted commercial-viewing audiences worldwide with his direction of the Budweiser "Whassup?!" ads?

If you're still not swayed into seeing it (and if not, what's your damn problem!?), here's a few comments from the general moviegoing public:

'Drumline' is 'Rocky' meets 'Bring It On,' and calling the film predictable is going too easy on it. It cheats, with characters, motivations, and dialog, to a point where I almost wanted to strangle the screen in outright disgust.

It doesn't exactly help that the role is played without an inch of charm by Nick Cannon. But good writing, or at least in this case, sensible writing would've taken some of the sting out of Cannon's smug, Curley-shuffle-inducing performance.

stuuuuuuupid! this is the worst idea for a movie.

Now you know whasssup.

And if you've read this far and still haven't already flat out ran to your nearest theater, then consider this: I'm in it!


I hope.

You're kidding me, they don't tell you if your scene got cut or anything? What a bunch of shit!

I'm starting to get REAL SICK of people thinking they can walk all over our buddy Gerrit. You've got my support, man. If you're not in that movie I am going to go get a block of wood, some matches, a can of gasoline and burn my local theatre to the GROUND.

That'll learn 'em!

Well, I got a call today which awoke me from an already fitful sleep. Apparently, although the more finer details will be ironed out over the weekend, I'll be starring (barely) in 'Dumb and Dumber 2'! My scenes will be set in 1986, and I have to go in soon to get my wardrobe squared away. Converse high-tops and Members Only jackets, here I come!

That is awesome! You're not playing the young Lloyd Christmas in it or anything are you? You know, simply living well is the best revenge for those who have had their hearts broken.

Do you want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?

Curses to high heaven and beyond!! What am I to do about this infernal lip ring?


I had completely forgotten about it.


I can always jam one of those clear, plastic "spacers" in the hole, but am I allowed to do this after not even two weeks of healing have passed!?! What am I to do?

This calls for some gumshoeing on the matter.

"Drumline," directed by Charles Stone, and written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps, is entertaining for what it does, and admirable for what it doesn't do. It gets us involved in band politics and strategy, gives us a lot of entertaining halftime music, and provides a portrait of a gifted young man who slowly learns to discipline himself and think of others. That's what it does.

What it doesn't do is recycle all the tired old cliches in which the Harlem kid is somehow badder and blacker than the others, provoking confrontations. Devon makes the nature of his character clear in a heartbreaking early scene when, after high school graduation, he talks to his father, who abandoned the family, and tells him he doesn't do drugs, doesn't have a lot of little kids running around, and has a full scholarship to university. This is a movie that celebrates black success instead of romanticizing gangsta defeatism. Nick Cannon plays Devon as a fine balance between a showoff and a kid who wants to earn admiration.

I do have to say that when I first saw a preview for this movie, I was saying to myself, "Thank God it's not another Mr. Holland's Fucking Opus!" Sure, there may not be much similarity at all except for the band thing, and maybe that's my point, because that other movie sucked so much ass that anything else is better.

What do you get when you take `Dumb and Dumber' and totally remove Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels for the mix?

Have you guessed yet?

The answer would be: `Dumb and Dumber 2: When Harry Met Llyod!', but they later renamed it `When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb & Dumberer.' A dreadful title, if you ask me.

It's true, neither of the two stars from the original comedy will appear in this flick. It's a prequel set in the year 1986. Eric Christian Olsen will be playing the part of Lloyd. I haven't had a chance to speak with the actor who plays Harry yet, although I hear it's his debut film, so cheers to him. Plus, I hear Eugene Levy and Cheri Oteri are also onboard!

As for the craft services one this set, the food is terrible!! By far the worst movie-meals I've ever eaten! Rice and seafood delight, indeed! Just pass me a roll and a Coca-Cola Classic, please.

Not much dialogue for me or Student #1 & 2 just yet (except a quick scene where Lloyd runs through a group of us 'nerds' and I turn and shout, "Hey! Watch it!"). I did get to take a lovely nap on the sidewalk while they filmed a scene with Lloyd and Harry being run up the flagpole by some punks. All the crane/safety gear made filming incredibly slow for that scene. A snail's pace! Nearly ninety minutes with my head resting atop my prop books (A Human Condition and Social Psychology). I think I got some sun!

Oh, the beard is gone by the way. As is the lip ring. I couldn't find a Tattoo/Piercing place open on Sunday to get a "spacer" placed in the hole. I tried to racing out to the mall in time to buy a spacer there, but I was too late. SO! I purchased some 50-pound 'Heavy' Fishing Wire! Removing the ring, I worked some of the stuff into the hole and trimmed it down as best I could. Really, though, there wasn't much of a hole to work with. Most lips aren't ready for spacers until after 2 months of healing, but I feel 12 days is good enough, right? So, instead of a nice space to work with, I basically had to carefully thread fishing wire through a small puncture wound. Strangely enough, no one noticed! The damn thing fell out four times over the course of the day, and replacing it never got easier. After we had wrapped for the day, I stopped by the mall and purchased the much needed "spacer." The employees feared the hole had shrunk over the past 15 hours and forcing a standard-guage spacer into it would be extremely painful. While it wasn't too painful, it did take some extra 'mmph' to get the thing in. I fear infection is immediately setting in, my lip is starting to swell. Two more days of shooting and the ring can go back in and the healing process can begin anew!

I am drunk. I mostly blame the Boddington's. A nice brew, indeed! Fear not the bees pictured upon the can, for they do not sting, but instead deliver a sweet sweet nectar to the palate. Yum!

Hey do you think it is easier to have an acting career in wherever the hell it is you live than in LA (Los Angeles, I mean...)

Not that I mean this in some Monkey Monkey way, but I was surprised at how well you wore a beard. I've always thought that beards on younger guys usually look like, hey, I'm doing this just because I can.

Of course, I couldn't grow a beard if I wanted to.

Of course, I couldn't grow a beard if I wanted to.

Why not?

Second Day on Set:

STILL the worst movie-meals EVER!

Breakfast: stale bagels

Lunch: "fried" chicken and more rolls

Unprofessionalism. That's the actor portraying Lloyd to a 'T!' So far, he's had extreme difficulty on both days remembering his dialogue. Flubbed lines left n' right! And we're not talking about anything tricky here, mostly short sentences containing words like "milk-bubbles."

I was on set from 5:30AM till 7:25PM. We only made it through three scenes in that entire time. And where's my fucking dialogue at?!

Today's Bad Excuse For Film Dialogue Is:

"Hey Lloyd! You don't look so hot."

Ugh!! But, there was some good news, folks. I was reunited with two old acting colleagues of mine. Noah Randolph and Muretta Moss. Sweet kids, even if Noah puts me to sleep and Muretta is one of the nuttiest chicks I know.

I'm not sure I'll be able to recommend this one. At all. The director is usually more interested in playing with his shiny blue yo-yo instead of crafting a masterpiece. It's a piece of something, alright. I don't know his name, I assumed that if he was helming this monstrosity, it wasn't worth knowing. The rumors I've heard is for a potential release date sometime in mid-June. Skip it!

I've got such a baby face and am so lazy about shaving in general that I think I can really only grow ugly patches of hair. Scraggly, at best.

ChainGangGuy wrote:Ugh!! But, there was some good news, folks. I was reunited with two old acting colleagues of mine. Noah Randolph and Muretta Moss. Sweet kids, even if Noah puts me to sleep and Muretta is one of the nuttiest chicks I know.

Those are two of the best names I have ever heard.

I could grow a beard (I think) but I can't stand it and shave plenty.

Muretta Moss fought Plant-Man back in Thunderbolts #7, didn't he?

The guys playing the lead roles are unknowns, right? How the hell can they get away with being lousy at this when nobody knows who they are? Odd. Well, maybe not so odd, I dunno.

These updates are the best thing about the BBS. They are so good, that I think a Parrish-backed gimmick account will soon come waffling in here and try to disrupt it. That's how good I think they are!

Drumline did better than Star Trek: Nemesis over the weekend, didn't it? Jesus Christ.

Also: there was an ad for Dumb and Dumberer before TTT when I saw it. Goddamn, is that looking, shall I say, "iffy."

Any updates on the set, CGG?