Nick Leshi's Open Salon Blog

Get Well Soon, Michael McKean

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:05:30 -0400

Actor Michael McKean was hit by a car on Wednesday, suffering a broken leg and other injuries. The good news is that he is reportedly in stable condition. The bad news is that the accident has forced him to miss a curtain for the first time in his long, illustrious career. His role in Gore Vidal's The Best Man will be performed by castmember James Lecesne. I hope Mr. McKean recovers in time to at least attend the upcoming Tony Awards where the play is nominated for Best Revival (and I hope it wins).

McKean is both a great comedian and an excellent dramatic actor. He has earned a lot of fans with his hilarious roles as Lenny in Laverne and Shirley and David St. Hubbins in This Is Spinal Tap. He has also appeared as Mr. Green in Clue, Perry White in Smallville, and various parts on Saturday Night Live. He was one of the terrific ensemble stars of Christopher Guest's series of mockumentary movies: Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration.

He is a hardworking, talented actor, and I wish him a full and speedy recovery. And I'm sure he would appreciate the jokes about not taking the good luck term "break a leg" so literally! :)

You All Continue to Amaze Me

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:05:03 -0400

It's been a long, long day, so I will keep this short and sweet -- thank you all for coming through for me yet again. Twice now I have asked my loyal readers to vote in an online competition (once to help my friends win a dream photography session for their destination wedding and then again to vote to help us win a grant to save the historic Rock Garden cascade at The New York Botanical Garden) and despite the odds you all did your magic and delivered the victory!

I don't know what else to say except "THANK YOU!" You continue to prove the power of social networking. It's great to know that I'm not writing into the void, that there really is an audience out there for my rambling pop culture nonsense (and the occasional important call to action). Your votes helped preserve the waterfall at the Rock Garden, one of my favorite places anywhere, a true oasis where I have spent many moments of tranquility. I'm so glad that it will be restored for future generations to enjoy.

It's amazing that we are two-for-two when I've come to you for assistance, having won two very competitive challenges. Pardon the pun, but you all ROCK!

I am awed by the power of online media. My blog might be more influential than I had imagined, but don't worry, I will use such power wisely! Hopefuly, I won't see another online voting competition in a long, long, time. ;-)

Now I'm going to get some much needed sleep.

Meeting Actor Giancarlo Esposito

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:05:37 -0400

Today I met actor Giancarlo Esposito. Charming, friendly, down-to-earth -- he seemed like an all-around nice guy. My wife and I love his performance as Mr. Glass on Once Upon a Time (and the Magic Mirror / Genie) and I've heard wonderful reactions to his stint as Gus on Breaking Bad. I'm really looking forward to his role as Captain Neville in J.J. Abrams' new series Revolution.

He's had a lengthy career with some marvelous acting gigs in Homicide: Life on the Street, Ali, The Usual Suspects, Malcolm X, Mo' Better Blues, School Daze, and Do the Right Thing, just to name a few.

Mr. Esposito will be starring in the new stage play, Storefront Church, written and directed by one of my favorite playwrights John Patrick Shanley, the final installment in Shanley's "Church and State" trilogy, which began with Doubt. It will be a limited engagement, so don't miss it!

The Success of the Avengers

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:05:36 -0400

Another week, another box-office victory by Marvel's The Avengers. As of this writing, it has earned an impressive $457,000,000 domestically and an unbelievable additional $723,000,000 in foreign ticket sales, bringing its global total to over a billion dollars already. If it can keep it up, it is on track to steal the crown from Avatar as the highest grossing motion picture of all time. What is the secret of its success?

First and foremost, it is a movie that fans have wanted to see for a long time. The greatest heroes from Marvel Comics united in one live-action film, what's not to love? People want to see the DC Comics equivalent, too -- Justice League -- but Marvel managed to make it happen first.

The Avengers movie is the culmination of years of planning and teasing. When it finally hit the screen, it lived up to the hype.

It was faithful to the original source material. There were no major deviations from what fans loved about the comics. (The fact that Ant-Man and The Wasp were missing is no biggie -- maybe we'll see them in the sequel.) They even finally managed to get the Hulk right.

They took it seriously, but not too seriously. It was a fine line and they pulled it off superbly. The actors brought their A-game, giving it their all, but also having fun with it. It wasn't just camp and silliness, there were moments of real emotion too. And everytime something happened that might make the audience's eyes roll, the story didn't shy away from acknowledging it and doing something that made viewers laugh, smile, or cheer.

Every character, big or small, had a purpose and moment (or two or three) to shine.

The action and special effects were awesome, and most importantly, served to move the story forward.

It might not be a film that will earn any mentions as one of the best classics of all time, but it arguably is one of the best popcorn flicks ever made, and that's saying a lot. If you're looking for some great escapist entertainment, you can't go wrong with The Avengers.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why it is steamrolling through the competition.

Potter Parodies

Sat, 19 May 2012 23:05:53 -0400

Saturday was my mother-in-law's birthday and we all took her to see Potted Potter, a hilarious stage parody of the Harry Potter series. The play, performed at the Little Shubert Theater, was loaded with laughs from beginning to end -- fun for the whole family. The two stars of the show, Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, are a great comic duo, building on their improvisational skills and quick timing to present a fast-paced 70-minute show that had the audience guffawing and cheering.

It's not the first Harry Potter spoof and it surely won't be the last. One of the most popular was the skit on Saturday Night Live that starred Lindsey Lohan as a maturing Hermione, with Rachel Dratch as Harry and Seth Myers as Ron.

I'm also fond of the parody/tribute band Harry and the Potters. Imagine the Boy Who Lived as a rock star.

There have been many others, from The Simpsons to MAD magazine, it's always the height of praise when something reaches the pinnacle of pop culture fame leading everyone to satirize it.

Potted Potter is playing for a limited time Off-Broadway. It started as a small comedy routine in 2005 in the United Kingdom and has now grown into a full-fledged theatrical experience. Catch it if you can.