Scooby-Doo
Halloween is one of the few times a year when people actually enjoy being frightened. Whether kicking back with your favorite scary movie of visiting the local haunted house, the thrill of a good scare is undeniable.
But do you remember those days as a kid when it didn't take much more than some loud music and ugly face paint to haunt you at night? Did even cartoons like Scooby-Doo or comedies like Young Frankenstein spook you more than they should have?
If so, we want to know: What TV or movie moments scared you as a kid that, looking back, you just can't explain?
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24's Kiefer Sutherland by Albert Watson/Fox
Jorge Romero, the 25-year-old Chicagoan accused of uploading to LiveDigital.com four yet-to-air episodes of 24, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10.... Also per the Hollywood Reporter, American Dad executive producers Rick Wiener and Kenny Schwartz have inked a new two-year deal with 20th Century Fox, as part of which they will develop new projects.... Mel Brooks' stage-musical adaptation of Young Frankenstein will price its best weekend seats at $450 a pop, a record high for Broadway, says the New York Post. Good thing TVGuide.com's Raven is getting me in for free. Right, Raven? Raven...?
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Did Mel Brooks deem Cloris Leachman too old for Young Frankenstein? Sources tell the New York Post that while Leachman was a riot when she reprised her role as Frau Blücher in a workshop of the coming Broadway musical, Brooks & Co. feared that, at 81, she wouldn't possess the stamina to do eight shows a week, so they gave SCTV's Andrea Martin the gig instead. Leachman is now literally fighting mad, challenging Brooks (who soon turns 81 himself) to "three rounds in the ring [to] see who's left standing," and has enlisted retired Variety icon Army Archerd to lobby Brooks to change his mind (not to mention avoid a potential lawsuit). Ageism anyone? — Reporting by Raven Snook
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It is time to put on the Ritz. No sooner had the massive flop musical The Pirate Queen shut down production but it was announced that Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein will set up its laboratory (and revolving bookcase, one has to hope) in the Hilton Theatre, with previews starting Oct. 11, followed by an official Nov. 8 Broadway bow. Tickets go on sale July 15, but that is of no concern for me; our resident theater queen Raven is getting me in for free. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
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Darrell Hammond by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC
This summer, Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond will make his Broadway debut in the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, replacing comedian Mo Rocca in the role of Vice Principal Douglas Panch.... In addition to showcasing numbers from the tuners nominated for best revival and best musical, this year's Tonys will include a special performance by American Idol winner Fantasia, currently starring on Broadway in The Color Purple.... It's a stage smackdown! Producers of a serious adaptation of Frankenstein, described as "a bold new theatrical experience," plan to open their show off-Broadway in October, the same month Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein hits the Great White Way. — Reporting by Raven Snook
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The upcoming Broadway musicalization of The First Wives Club may not yet be finished, but that doesn't mean casting can't begin. The New York Daily News hears that Queen Latifah called producers to express an interest in playing the Goldie Hawn role. Long live nontraditional casting.... Per Playbill.com, Idol alum Frenchie Davis will showcase her powerhouse pipes in Mahalia — A Gospel Musical, at Hartford Stage in August.... Mel Brooks confirms Young Frankenstein's casting rumors and adds that the show will most likely bow at the Hilton Theater, whose current tenant, The Pirate Queen, is about to walk the plank. — Reporting by Raven Snook.
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A pair of small-screen stars and a Tony winner will most likely headline Mel Brooks' Broadway-bound Young Frankenstein musical. Per Variety, Roger Bart (late of Desperate Housewives) is said to have landed the role of the deranged doc, while Will & Grace's Megan Mullally will tackle Elizabeth, his taffeta-loving fiancée. Broadway diva Sutton Foster is Inga, the woman who comes between them.Rounding out the cast are stage vets Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor and Shuler Hensley as Frankenstein's monster. Alas Frau Blücher is neighwhere to be seen. — Reporting by Raven Snook
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Though studio suits had been pushing for an A-lister to play the disgraced prez in Ron Howard's upcoming take on the stage drama Frost/Nixon, Playbill.com reports that Frank Langella, currently channeling the Watergate wonder on Broadway, may snag the gig — despite names such as Warren Beatty and Kevin Spacey being bandied about. Similarly, Michael Sheen (aka Kate Beckinsale's babydaddy), is in talks to reprise his role as David Frost. Having seen the production three days ago, I predict that Langella will win the Tony and perhaps an Oscar for his stunning work. Almost makes me forgive him for Cutthroat Island. Almost. In other stage news, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein has booked its out-of-town, pre-Broadway tryout, but as of yet has not announced a cast. The monster will run loose Aug. 4 through Sept. 1 at Seattle's Paramount Theater, says Variety, aiming to hit the Great White Way on (wait for it) Halloween. — Reporting by Raven Snook
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One of Broadway's most anticipated premieres — Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of Young Frankenstein — is finding its wish-list ensemble stripped down to the bolt necks, thanks to the TV-pilot casting season. Among the casualties: Kristin Chenoweth, who was to channel Madeleine Kahn, is now Pushing Daisies for ABC, a "real blow" to Frankenstein, a source tells the New York Post. Likewise, Zachary Levi — Brooks' best bet to fill the Gene Wilder role — is now NBC's Chuck, and would-be Igor Roger Bart is testing for Kelsey Grammer's Action News. As a result, the Post reports, a Will & Grace reunion may be in the offing, with Megan Mullally stepping in for Chenoweth and Eric McCormack in the running for Dr. F. OK, but I draw the line at Beverly Leslie playing the monster.
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We knew him as Frank Barone, the gruff grandpa who made merry mischief with his sons, his long-suffering wife Marie and his horrified in-laws for nine seasons on Everybody Loves Raymond. Also as the comical monster of Young Frankenstein, tapping and yowling to “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” And let’s not forget Clyde Bruckman, the wry, melancholy psychic who foresaw his own death (among others, including Mulder’s) in one of the most memorable X-Files episodes ever. It was for that X-Files guest shot that Peter Boyle won his Emmy in 1996, but he won America’s heart (and was nominated seven times) as the most curmudgeonly of the comic engines in the splendid ensemble cast of Everybody Loves Raymond, one of the last great classic TV comedies. His cranky rapport with Doris Roberts, who played Marie to his Frank, was so popular they reprised their roles for several retro Alka-Seltzer commercials after Raymond folded. It was great seeing them again, reminding us of h...
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