HarryShearer Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I had completely forgotten about this trailer of brilliance until I caught Unwigged and Unplugged Thursday night -- the excellent acoustic tour that has Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer playing tunes from their days as Spinal Tap and The Folksmen. (Go see it if you have a chance!)

In the middle of the show, they aired the trailer below. Shot by Shearer, it's not like any other trailer, and not at all like This is Spinal Tap. But it does tap into the excellence that would make them wacky comedic icons. Rather than show clips of the film and how they take it up to 11, the trailer features Rob Reiner talking about the film, and how he's still editing. Since he isn't ready to show a clip, he has something else to share -- footage of a Scandanavian Cheese festival. Oh yes, Shearer, McKean, and Guest pop up in parts, and you're sure to recognize the King of Cheese. But do you also recognize the little tyke in the middle? They say it's a young Jake Gyllenhaal.

Not every movie could pull it off, in fact, most couldn't. But for these guys, and this film, it's absolutely perfect. I'm just glad I was too young to catch this trailer when it first aired. I can't imagine waiting twelve years until Waiting for Guffman.

Note: This is the super-long and complete version. There was also a shorter version.

Man, a few hours after I mourn the fact that crappy Leonard Cohen tickets were too rich for my blood, there's word that Spinal Tap is going back on tour -- Unwigged and Unplugged. It might sound unnatural since these are the guys who like to crank it up to 11, but Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are getting ready to tour as themselves -- just three guys and their guitars.

If it's anything like the clip above, expect a good mixture of Spinal Tap and The Folksman (you know, A Mighty Wind). It makes sense -- there comes a time in life when long hair and rockin' outfits just looks all wrong (sorry, David Lee Roth). Along with the spanky clip above, Collider has posted video of the entire Q&A and the tour schedule for this Unwigged and Unplugged tour.

I'm itching for my chance to see the trio live, but what about you? Are you in for an unplugged and unwigged Spinal Tap?

When I told a friend of mine that I was heading to a screening of Baby Mama, he immediately replied: "Oh, the Saturday Night Live movie?" Hmm -- well, sort of. The comedy -- which premiered at Tribeca and goes wide this weekend -- was produced by SNL honcho Lorne Michaels, and stars show veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. On the other hand, it's not based on an SNL sketch, and doesn't feature any characters from the show.

Baby Mama's pre-release reputation as a "Saturday Night Live movie" probably isn't helpful: movies falling into that category don't have the best track record in the minds of people who pay attention. At the same time, the show has contributed a lot to the movies, mostly in its capacity as a breeding ground for comedic talent. This installment of Cinematical Seven collects films with an SNL connection that have actually been good, or in some way significant. I limited the pool to the last ten years; we all know that The Blues Brothers and Wayne's World are classics that started out as SNL sketches, but what has the show done for us lately?

Has there ever been such a case of 'too little, too late' as The Simpsons Movie? Don't get me started. Anyway, a number of photos from the film have been turning up at various places, some of which appear taken from previously avaliable clips, some not. In this latest batch, we see Homer mushing some huskies up a vertical incline, Ned Flanders being watched by Bart Simpson in a tree outside of his house, an angry mob of torch burners assembled for some purpose, and the baby Simpson confronting a monkey with what looks like a broken baby bottle.

Little is known about the official plot, but the numerous celebrity voices will include Minnie Driver, Erin Brockovich and regular guest stars Kelsey Grammer and Joe Mantegna. In other sort-of Simpsons news, testy actor Harry Shearer, who voices Simpsons characters including Montgomery Burns and Ned Flanders, recently performed a theater piece called 'This Is So Not About The Simpsons' as part of the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters Members Conference.