Matthew Fox/Tenacious D
Posted July 25, 2007 4:47 PM
Matthew Fox/Tenacious D
Let's see...there was:
Bill saying to me on a Friday night as they were writing a monologue: "I think I might have to do Kramer, but I don't know how he sounds." and then later watching him do it perfectly.
Seth came up with that "Lost" elevator sketch. The way it works in the studio to make it look like an elevator is there's a lighting guy who puts a huge square card over a light to create a closing door effect. We were concentrating on blocking and our lines so we kept getting it wrong, coming in too early or late. Much of our rehearsal for this was a producer coming out to the studio floor and saying "Guys. Wait until you see the door opening effect before you get on. Please okay?" Over and over. "Oh right. Sorry!"
Sometimes we are dummies.
Getting to be part of the second song for Tenacious D. They asked us to come out as different music genres. It was just the greatest, and it's something we don't ever get to do. Jack and Kyle and their band came in on Thursday to rehearse with us but we spent most of that time talking and goofing around. They are both so funny. For the song, heavy metal (embodied by a giant monster robot) destroys all of the other genres. I think it was punk, new wave, techno and grunge.
Even though it was supremely fun, there was still a part of me that held on to my adolescent punk beliefs. I felt a little bit protective and territorial and wanted to say "Wait a minute. Heavy metal does NOT destroy punk! Bad Brains vs. Megadeth? Come on!" So high school.
We can all agree that metal does destroy techno though, right?
Matthew Fox was really sweet and cool and told us about how they shoot "Lost" in Hawaii. Sometimes when an episode is about one character, the other actors have weeks off, just hanging out on the beach or wherever. What a nightmare.
Alec Baldwin/Christina Aguilera
Posted July 3, 2007 11:24 PM
I remember from this episode:
Going over lines with writer Jim Downey right before the Nancy Pelosi cold open. I had this "human ashtray" leather gear in my mouth and couldn't talk. When I tried saying the lines to him, I drooled instead. Yes that is gross.
We shot the EZ Date commercial weeks before it aired. They ended up using the takes of what was making us laugh most on the set. Amy was doing this thing where she would say "thanks EZ Date!" way way after we were done. Also I think Maya was doing something with her hair where she shook it really hard from side to side. I could barely get through it.
Tony Bennett on the Tony Bennett show. He looked so happy! I couldn't get over the surreal quality of him being on his own show. That one is written by Paula Pell, who did the Cheerleaders, Debbie Downer, Appalachian Emergency Room and a million others. She is incredibly funny.
This bird on the set of the "Bossa Nova" sketch chose the live show to let out a high pitched whistle in the middle of the song. I think that was the bird's version of singing along.
Andy rehearsing for the "Out of Breath Jogger". He had to do it a few times and really did become an out of breath jogger. Isn't life a paradox? That's the name of a new book we are writing together.
Paul McCartney was in the house! Nobody knew in advance, not even Alec. I was sitting in my dressing room watching the "Platinum Lounge" sketch. I was already psyched to see Steve Martin and Martin Short. As soon as I saw Paul McCartney I freaked out and bolted down to the studio floor to see him in person. The funny thing was seeing the other cast members running down the hall to do the exact same thing.
The following conversation DID NOT happen, but I am going to imagine it did:
Paul: "Hello. You're Fred, right?"
Me: "Oh hi, yes!"
Paul: "Great stuff man. Everyone in England is really into it, including Ringo, members of Monty Python, Steve Coogan, and Sienna Miller who always talks about how handsome you are."
Me: "That's so nice of you, thank you! You should write a really cool song on mandolin called 'Dance Tonight'.
Paul: "I like that idea! Let me see what I can come up with."
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