Awesome oral history of Pulp Fiction from VF
Photo by Annie Leibovitz.
1st off, check out the list of people who QT wanted to play Vincent Vega (Here's a hint... Travolta was wayyy down on it..)
But the best part has to be this tidbit about Samuel L....
The role of Jules Winnfield proved difficult to cast, mainly because Samuel L. Jackson was under the impression the part was his, until he found out he was in danger of losing the role to Paul Calderon. Jackson flew out to L.A. for a last-ditch audition with Tarantino. “I sort of was angry, pissed, tired,” Jackson recalls. He was also hungry, so he bought a takeout burger on his way to the studio, only to find nobody there to greet him. “When they came back, a line producer or somebody who was with them said, ‘I love your work, Mr. Fishburne,’” says Jackson. “It was like a slow burn. He doesn’t know who I am? I was kind of like, Fuck it. At that point I really didn’t care.” Gladstein remembers Jackson’s audition: “In comes Sam with a burger in his hand and a drink in the other hand and stinking like fast food. Me and Quentin and Lawrence were sitting on the couch, and he walked in and just started sipping that shake and biting that burger and looking at all of us. I was scared shitless. I thought that this guy was going to shoot a gun right through my head. His eyes were popping out of his head. And he just stole the part.” Lawrence Bender adds, “He was the guy you see in the movie. He said, ‘Do you think you’re going to give this part to somebody else? I’m going to blow you motherfuckers away.’”
And while we're here... (obv):
2. Lucas Gets T-Stamped
Having watched episode I more than I care to admit.. this does not surprise me at all. At least he wont be involved with the new ones..
Terence Stamp, 'Star Wars' Actor, Didn't Get Along With George Lucas
Posted: 01/31/2013 9:40 am EST | Updated: 01/31/2013 9:53 am EST
Terence Stamp is not a fan of George Lucas (pictured).
Stamp -- who has 78 credits to his name, including iconic roles in "Superman" and "The Limey" -- appeared in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" as Chancellor Valorum, but has no love lost for Lucas, who directed the film.
"We didn't get on at all", Stamp told Empire (via Den of Geek). "I didn't rate him that much as a director, really. I didn't feel he was a director of actors, he was more interested in stuff and effects [...] He didn't interest me and I wouldn't think I interested him."
When this guy talks... I listen
3. Long Live Koch
Definitely in the pantheon of New Yorkers who I actually can stand... right up there with LD and Woody Allen -- and since he's not a jew, that's even more impressive.
Best Ed Koch quotes
- Last Updated: 10:59 AM, February 1, 2013
- Posted: 10:58 AM, February 1, 2013
WireImage
Former Mayor Ed Koch celebrates during the 2009 New York Yankees World Series Victory Parade on November 6, 2009.
A look at some of the famous lines over the years from former New York City Mayor Ed Koch:—"How'm I doing?"
—"I'm not the type to get ulcers. I give them."
—"You punch me, I punch back. I do not believe it's good for one's self-respect to be a punching bag."
—"If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist."
—"Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life." On the prospect of living in Albany, during his failed 1982 race for governor.
—"I don't want to leave Manhattan, even when I'm gone. This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me." After purchasing a burial plot in Manhattan's Trinity Cemetery in 2008.
4. Dear John
Not the biggest Howie Carr fan, but this article is pretty awesome.
Dear John, it was something you said
Feb 1, 2013
By
Howie Carr / Boston Herald
This is a great day for Massachusetts. This is the day John Forbes “Liveshot” Kerry stops being our senator.
The governor, who was born in Illinois, is replacing the senator who was born in Colorado with an interim senator who was born in North Carolina who will serve on Capitol Hill with the “senior” senator who was born in Oklahoma.
(Click here for a selection of John Kerry's greatest audio clips.)
In honor of this magnificent day, which many of us feared we’d never live to see, let’s review some of Liveshot’s greatest hits.
Everyone has their own favorite John Kerry moment, and this is mine, from 2004, when he announced that his vice presidential running mate was U.S. Sen. John Edwards. Liveshot, always a superb judge of character, said this about the ambulance-chaser who touched everything but the third rail:
“I know his skill. I know his passion. I know his conscience. I know his faith. He has honored the lessons of home and family.”
Yes, Mr. Secretary, but did you know his pregnant mistress?
Kerry’s acumen doesn’t end at the ocean’s edge either. Here is Mr. Secretary on Syria and its very ethical leader: “Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region. … President Assad has been very generous with me in terms of the discussions we have had.”
On the dedication of the Big Dig tunnel: “This tunnel will be a bargain!”
D'oh!
5. PSA
For all you single folks on the upcoming valentine's day holiday.. this list is for you. Your welcome.
Boston’s Best Valentine’s Day Parties For Singles
January 31, 2013 6:00 AM
The pros and cons of being single can be endlessly debated, but pickin’s
get slim around Valentine’s Day if you’re not coupled up. Fear not,
these area venues have you covered with everything from anti-V-day
celebrations to some really interesting ways to embrace your
singularity. Here are Boston’s best Valentine’s Day parties for singles.
(Photo from Bell In Hand)
Bell In Hand Tavern
45-55 Union St.
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 227-2098
www.bellinhand.com
Price: $15
Date: Feb. 14
Boston’s Flirt Fest has been an anti-Valentine’s Day institution in the city for a number of years now, with successful singles nights held every year going back to 2009. The 2012 installment was held at the Bell In Hand Tavern on Union Street near Faneuil Hall. It brought together Boston’s flirt-friendly singles for a night of shenanigans designed to celebrate the single life and all of its respective freedoms. Judging by the amount of success enjoyed by Flirt Fest in the past, 2013 looks to be an even bigger and better year for Boston singles.
Related: Boston’s Best Places for Facials
Note that related link there... nice touch. Also note: if they really want to get a good crowd they should change their name to "The Ball In Hand" .. at least for that one day. Heyoooo!
6. LePoonta
As much as I hate Lebron.. it would be awesome to see him in the dunk contest.. Kudos to D-Wade for at least trying... now they can both go kill each other
Updated: February 1, 2013, 3:53 PM ET
By
Brian Windhorst | ESPN.com
Wade, who has input on whom the NBA selects to take part in the popular events, tried to get James to re-consider his long-standing policy of saying no to the slam dunk contest, which will take place Feb. 16.
"I tried to convince LeBron," Wade said Friday before the Heat took on the Indiana Pacers.
"On the dunk contest?" James said when Wade asked him. "Oh no, that's out."
7. Crime of the Day
Not his fault.. from what I hear, once that NO2 gets in your system, the muscles in your fingers automatically clamp down on that balloon so there's nothing on God's green earth -- swat teams, dirty hippies -- that will get that balloon out of your hand..
L.A. Idiot Keeps Doing Whippits as Gun-Toting Police Surround His Car
(click link for video.. hilarious)
A Los Angeles man wanted for allegedly drinking and driving was stopped today after a brief low-speed car chase in which LAPD disabled the vehicle with a spike strip. With nothing left to do but wait for police to apprehend him, the suspect started filling balloon after balloon from a canister in the passenger seat of his car and furiously huffing the ones he didn't pop. Eventually, police took him out with a "non-lethal projectile," dragged him out of the car, and wrestled him to the ground.
8. Heeeeeere's Danny!
In case you hadn't heard.. A Shining sequel is in the works.. centering around Danny Torrance, Jack's psychic son. Here's a nice interview with The King himself about it...
Stephen King unearths origin of 'The Shining' sequel 'Doctor Sleep' -- EXCLUSIVE
Image Credit: Tyler Jacobson for EW
That’s a line from William Faulkner, but it applies in earnest to Danny Torrance, the psychic little boy from Stephen King’s The Shining.
King is revisiting the now middle-aged Dan Torrance in the sequel Doctor Sleep (out Sept. 24) which finds him working at a hospice, where he uses his innate supernatural powers to ease the suffering of the dying. Dan may have survived his old man’s madness (and swinging mallet) in the hallways of that long-ago snowbound hotel, but he has grown up to realize that not all demons can be escaped. Some are a part of you.
In a wide-ranging interview with Entertainment Weekly, King reveals the origin story behind Doctor Sleep, talks about the fatherhood fears buried in The Shining, and speculates about what could become of his stories when he’s long, long gone …
9. Interesting Query
Never thought I'd see these words together in the same sentence.. but let's read on and find out!
Is Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood the greatest television show ever made?
Is Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood the greatest television show ever made?
That sounds like needless hyperbole, like a link-baiting statement designed to prompt angry arguments in the comments section. Yet a large part of me means it, and if I were to make such a list, the series would be one of a very few I’d seriously consider for the top spot. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is utterly unlike any other program in television history, from any country. It’s wildly original and often beautiful, possessing an incredible stillness that most other TV series would run screaming from. As I write this, I’m watching Fred Rogers sit at his table and stack cups, all while quietly narrating what he’s doing. It’s absolutely riveting, evoking a kind of peace that can be found in a lovely piece of classical music, or the films of Terrence Malick, or in quietly contemplating a work of visual art. In its low-rent production values and matter-of-fact delivery, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood got at something simple, yet surprisingly profound: People just want to be loved.
And they prefer to do it while wearing fancy sweaters, and comfortable shoes.. is that so wrong?
Anyway, look at this long lost clip I found! Wow!
10. Full Show Friday
Who.. acoustic... get some.
(don't worry, it's from before they got old and weird.. hopefully, there's no gratuitous shots of Daultrey's chest)
Full Show Friday: The Who @ Bridge School Benefits ’99
In 1999, a few years before we lost bassist John “Ox” Entwistle, Neil and Pegi Young called upon The Who to perform at the annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts at Shoreline Amphitheatre. The shows took place on October 30 and 31st with The Who performing nearly identical sets each night. While The Who went unplugged for the gigs, in keeping with the Bridge School concerts tradition, we love that Ox utilized a heavy fuzz tone on his acoustic bass giving the performances an edge.
