It’s been a while since the last installment of Faded Celebrity when we discussed the waining star power of Katherine Heigl, Michael Cera, Tom Cruise, Robin Williams, and Eddie Murphy. I will say that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and my hopeless addiction to Arrested Development made me more sympathetic to Cera. The rest can go right to the food bank line. In a perfect world, more would be on the way.

Brendan Fraser
It’s probably a bad thing when your career was most promising in a Pauly Shore movie. Starting primarily with a dramatic turn in School Ties, Fraser worked his way down from starring with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler in the entertaining dreck Airheads. The quality of the movie notwithstanding, Fraser seemed to be on the uptick with The Mummy with a decent homage to Indiana Jones. Yet the quality of those movies dropped precipitously leading to the one-two shit punch of a cameo in that damn G.I. Joe movie and Furry Vengeance in the past couple of years. Perhaps he should put himself out there for Encino Man 2.

Cameron Diaz
If you haven’t heard our latest podcast, we talked at length about Diaz’s upcoming movie Bad Teacher. ::SPOILER:: I’m dubious about its entertainment value. Regardless, since she first surfaced in 1994, she has been mostly employing the same character traits with little variance: beautiful, frenetically energetic, rather ditzy, and even sometimes clumsy. In The Green Hornet, Diaz wasn’t playing a single character so much as an amalgamation of her previous notable roles. She could use another quirky indie movie like Being John Malkovich or branching out into more dramatic roles. But not like The Box since I heard that was terrible.

Ben Stiller
This is a tricky one because I truly do think that Ben Stiller has some talent, not only as an actor but a writer/director as well. Unfortunately, he continues to choose movies that are one small step above DTV junk. In fact for every Tropic Thunder, there seem to be a handful that reek of EZ-filmmaking such as Along Came Polly, The Heartbreak Kid, Starsky & Hutch, or that damn Focker series that won’t die. He should spend less time cashing paychecks and more time honing his own projects since those turn out well. And don’t cross Mr. Furious. After all, he is a ticking time bomb of fury.

The Cast of Grown Ups
Look, I hated that damn movie. It was awful. I am angry at those who have since remarked that they found it funny. I don’t dislike Adam Sandler but his shtick wore out about twelve years ago. I think Chris Rock should stick to more grown-up affairs like Madagascar or Everybody Hates Chris. I am mad that Rob Schneider and David Spade are still considered “movie stars.” I am furious that Kevin James is anything other than an annoying mall security guard in real life. I am sternly waving my finger, with a disapproving glare, at those involved with this movie. You boys go to time out and think about what you did!

Larry the Cable Guy
I feel dumb putting Larry the Cable Guy on this list because he isn’t an actor. He’s just a stupid personality that happens to get put into movies. And his movies such as the tender Witless Protection or the triumphant Delta Farce tend to be pretty horribly received. I am pretty sure Cars would still be a soulless movie without him but that film needed all the help it could get.

Movie Scum was very fortunate to get to talk with writer/director Wyatt Weed and producer Gayle Gallagher from Shadowland!

It was a great interview and we discuss their film, making movies, distribution, and several other topics. They were quite nice, despite us having disparaged the use of a Mini Cooper in the movie. They provide great insight into the making of their film, as well as the process in general, and it is not very often (for us) that one gets to speak to the people who made a film that they have just reviewed.

We hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did.

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I was just recently looking up information on a movie that is scheduled to come out in 2011 called Never Say Never.  Based on the title, I assumed it was going to be some kind of remake or reboot of the pseudo-Bond film Never Say Never Again from 1983.  Oh boy, was I ever wrong.  Turns out it is a film about the life a career of Justin Bieber.  You know, the seventeen year old pop singer with a music career spanning an entire less than two years?

Honestly, the only things I knew about this kid before writing this article what that he was a singer and that he was popular with squealing pre-teen girls.  The mind- boggling bit about this film is that it is a documentary/biopic about his life and career.  There are only two reasons I can think of for making a biographical film about a boy this early in his life.  Either he has some sort of terminal illness that he hasn’t told anyone about yet and is not long for this world, or the producers and promoters in charge of this project realize that he is a flash-in-the-pan pop star and need to make a movie quick before his marketability is lost and Bieber fades into obscurity and alcoholism.  Don’t believe me?  Well, the movie is also coming out in ‘Real D’ 3D for no other reason than to insure that all the kiddies (excuse me, all the parents of the kiddies) will have to pay $12.00 a pop to watch this pointless fiasco.  No, this venture doesn’t have the stink of “Cash Grab” radiating from it at all.  Honestly, what has he done his life that so damn amazing that it must be captured for ever and always in movie form?  Pop singers like him have been chewed up by the recording industry and spat out like cheap bubble gum for decades.  He never had to cut off his own arm with a pocket knife to escape from a canyon like Aron Ralston.  He’s no Charlie Wilson, or Julia Childs even.  I will concede that, through the tiny amount of research that I have done, Justin looks like a gifted musician with a lot of potential.  Hell, at some point in the future he may become the greatest singer/songwriter in the history of mankind, or he could discover the cure for AIDS or male-pattern baldness. (anything is possible)  But, at this point in his career, he’s just a mouthpiece for a record label that’s squeezing as much money as possible out of excitable tweens with horribly bad taste in music.  The only thing that’s even remotely different from the legions of garish pop musicians that have come before is that he was discovered on You Tube.  Seriously, that’s it.  If you’re so much of a sheep that you’re excited about seeing this film (in unnecessary 3D, no less) then you diverse to be separated from your money, but anyone that can think for himself or herself is going to stay far, far away from this trite piece of trash, and rightfully so.

Now, I get that this is a really broad generalization encompassing over a hundred different actors but the Nightmare on Elm Street series seems to have been a showstopper for many an actor. All one has to do is peruse through the IMDb pages of the various films in the series to see several who have stopped working, taken extended hiatuses, or have been relegated to brief TV-show appearances or DTV movies. While this phenemonon is also apparent in other long-running slasher series as well, for now we are talking Freddy. So let’s dig in.

Lin Shaye: Random Teacher (Original)
Being the baby sister of the studio head can’t hurt but Lin Shaye has managed to carve out a pretty decent resume. She was in There’s Something about Mary, Snakes on a Plane, both Dumb and Dumber movies, and Boat Trip? Okay, I didn’t say these movies were good but at least a good chunk of her appearances make a (albeit probably brief) appearance in theaters says something.

Breckin Meyer: Spencer (Freddy’s Dead)
Again, not saying anything about the quality of the production but here we have the main guy from Road Trip, Jon from the Garfield movies, Go, and most recently appearing in a shitload of episodes for Robot Chicken as well as other recurring roles on several TV shows.

Patricia Arquette: Kristen (Part 3)
While she has been busy of late headlining Medium, previously Arquette appeared in Little Nicky, Lost Highway, and True Romance. Speaking of, what the hell is David Arquette up to nowadays?

Larry Fishburne: Max (Part 3)
Oh, shit. I mean Laurence. Apparently that’s still a touchy subject for him. We all have seen him recently (or I guess you all have as I don’t watch it) heading up the original CSI crew but lest we not forget his appearances in the Matrix series, the good Mission Impossible movie, a personal favorite Event Horizon, as well as the upcoming Predators.

Tracy Middendorf: Julie (New Nightmare)
Whereas some of the Nightmare alum may have to slum with random appearances on TV shows, Tracy has embraced this lifestyle with appearances in several of my favorite shows including Angel, Alias, and 24. While she is essentially playing disposable characters for the story’s sake, at least she can do so consistently.

Marshall Bell: Coach Schneider (Part 2)
Ah, yes. The S&M gym teacher. Who could have thought this would become the man who would fight for humanity in Starship Troopers, defend Charlie Sheen (in the movie!) in The Chase, and babysit Kuato in Total Recall. That’s a bad-ass man.

Lyman Ward: Mr. Grady (Part 2)
This goes to show that thirty seconds of screen time can be just enough to propel you into stardom … sort of. Ward went on after this to be Ferris’ dimwitted dad, Jake’s dimwitted dad in Not Another Teen Movie, and some dimwitted fool in a favorite killer child movie of mine, Mikey.

Jason Ritter: Will (Freddy Vs. Jason)
The son of John Ritter (who also worked with FVJ director Ronnie Yu, weird) went on to have regular status in the series Joan of Arcadia and The Class as well as working with director Oliver Stone in W. Not bad for a guy and a character that I remember not a damn thing about.

Wes Craven: Himself (New Nightmare)
Yeah, this is cheating but coming up with a list of nine(!) people from this series is hard. So while Craven’s acting has been limited to cameos here and there, he helmed a successful horror franchise with Scream, helped reboot his own films The Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left, and made a movie about an orchestra or something.

Writer’s Note:
I automatically disqualified Johnny Depp and Robert Englund as they were too easy to include. And John Saxon was excluded solely for his participation in Beverly Hills Cop 3.

It’s no secret that Hollywood plays hard and fast with things like gravity, time, and logic. However, one of the more irritating glaring omissions from the fact-checking process is the age of actors cast to play high schoolers. While researching this article, I came to the sad realization that approximately 70% of people in high school movies are over the drinking age. However, these are the worst offenders in only the movies that I have personally seen that immediately jumped out.

Alan Ruck
Slap a suit and tie on him and 29-year-old Ruck could have conceivably played Ed Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Gabrielle Union
Its actually a compliment to her as she can almost convincingly pull off a teenager in 10 Things I Hate About You and Bring It On at 28.

Matthew Lillard
Perhaps it was his jovial nature or immaturity that sold him as a high-schooler in Scream at the tender age of 26.

Judd Nelson
It is likely that Bender failed a few grades prior to the events of Breakfast Club but to be a senior at 26 pushes the realm of believability. Just get a GED dude!

Rachel McAdams
Maybe 26 is the sweet spot for going back to high school as McAdams was in Mean Girls. Funny thing that her normal-at-the-time costar Lindsey Lohan was only 18 and look who turned out better.

Judge Reinhold
I will give it to him that he ages quite well that he might have been able to go back to school instead of Fred Savage in Vice Versa instead of being in Fast Times at Ridgemont High at 25.

Alyson Hannigan
I’m going to call on her widow’s peak and band talk as the way she could skirt past common sense appearing in American Pie when she was 25 also.

Shawn Hatosy
Much to my surprise, Hatosy has been fairly busy since his turn at 23 in The Faculty thus killing my MIA post on him. His age actually did him well as I can buy him as a cop (as he is currently on SouthLAnd) over pip-squeak Elijah Wood.

Reese Witherspoon
Between Election and Cruel Intentions, I would choose the former as she looked quite young for being 23 and it was fucking hilarious. Cruel Intentions did have a lesbian kiss though. Damn trade-offs.

After PBF’s rant about Julia Roberts the other day, I began to think about actors that either were once great but have since floundered out or those that I did not initially care for. Sadly, most of these actors are still making movies and collecting large paychecks while I actively avoid anything they are in, regardless of the quality (or lack thereof) of the film.

Katherine Heigl
Granted, my only exposure to her is from Bride of Chucky, Knocked Up, and the small portions of Grey’s Anatomy that I’ve been forced to watch (I shall refuse to link to that), but I don’t understand her appeal. She was mildly funny in Apatow’s Knocked Up but the rest of her resume kill any amount of goodwill that had afforded her. And yet, she has two projects in development and yet another she was just recently attached to star in. From what I’ve seen, she not particularly talented (unless the right people are feeding her lines) and reportedly is kind of a bitch to deal with. Cut her loose Hollywood. Give all of her parts from now on to Danielle Harris.

Michael Cera
Let me start by saying Arrested Development is quite possibly the best TV show ever and Cera fit in quite well with the kooky bunch of Bluths. He was also rather good in Superbad and Juno. But the problem is (and I know I’m not the first one to say this), he falls into the Vince Vaughn trap of playing the same fucking character every time, with some minor tweaks to accommodate the story. And for those somewhat memorable roles, who actually saw Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist or Youth in Revolt? And he was (allegedly) holding out on the Arrested Development movie? For what? Playing opposite Jack Black in another movie I have absolutely not interest in seeing? So, the solution is to rotate the roles for shy, awkward, young male roles between Cera and his Jewish cousin Jesse Eisenberg. That way, we get the same performance but neither of them are too burdened.

Tom Cruise
Will someone please tell Tom Cruise to stick with the more risque and off-the-wall gigs like Magnolia or Tropic Thunder? These roles work because no one really expects Tom Cruise to be a foul-mouthed motivational speaker or a foul-mouthed movie executive. Maybe he should stick to raunchy roles. Anyways, no one really wants to see (or judging by box office reports, did) a dramatic turn in fair like Lions for Lambs and Valkyrie. With the exception of the Mission: Impossible bastardization series, there really are not too many recent notable movies for Cruise. Now, I’m not one to hold off-set shenanigans against someone (except for Heigl) but his nuttiness distracts from the good-looking, average Joe roles that he seems most famous for. Maybe divorcing Nicole wasn’t the best play for you, Tom.

Robin Williams
Has Robin Williams ever been funny? He seems marketed as a comedian and may have in fact been at one time in the past but I haven’t seen anything out of him in the past fifteen years to back that up. I will give him props for Conan’s penultimate Tonight Show appearance but RV or License to Wed? These might be fine movies in their own right but IMDb ratings indicate otherwise. In fact, I think he best roles are dramatic turns such as playing the creepy guy in One Hour Photo or as a grieving father on the great defunct show Homicide. Now, I’ll admit I got a mild chuckle out of The Birdcage but I’m going to call that the exception to his past performances. Now, cast him as an Islamic terrorist on 24 and I’ll watch that. Then again, I’d watch it anyways so nevermind.

Eddie Murphy
In reverse chronological order: Imagine That, Meet Dave, Norbit, Daddy Day Care, I Spy, Doctor Dolittle, and my favorite Bevery Hills Cop III. What do all of these films have in common? They suck balls. I think with the exception of playing Donkey in the ever waning Shrek series, Eddie Murphy should not appear on celluloid ever again.

For the record, the car in the image is a Chevrolet Celebrity, the same car Neil Prescott drives in Scream. And its worth more than what I would pay for any of the above mentioned actors.

Ever since Mystery Science Theater 3000 made a triumphant return, I have been devouring as many episodes as I can stand. Last night, I indulged in a hapless film about a werewolf, quite originally titled Werewolf, and saw a quasi-familiar name pop up in the opening credits: Joe Estevez.

As Mike and the ‘bots made a quip about Charlie’s uncle being the biggest star in the film, I thought it was just an odd coincidence, not knowing there is an untapped wealth of Estevezes lurking around Hollywood. In Joe’s case, I was astonished that he has been featured in close to two hundred films and none of which I have ever seen or even heard of. In fact, the only recognizable title on his resume was Apocolyse Now where he did uncredited voice-over work.

I guess just like any other family, you have those with talent and achievement and others who get parts because they look like a haggard Martin Sheen at a fraction of the cost. Its sad that Joe has remained off the radar for those who do not comb through the direct-to-video bins o’ shlock. Can’t his own brother or even his nephews throw him a bit role to get him in the limelight? An actor cannot rely on cheesy movies alone since MST3K is unable to give any more promotion or residuals.

Regardless, I’ll be pulling for you Joe!

One of the better parts of the much maligned Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and just about the only redeeming quality in the absolutely horrid Nightmare 5 was the beautiful Alice Johnson, played by Lisa Wilcox. Alice was actually one of the better written characters in the Nightmare franchise and while some of the dialogue was clumsy at time, Wilcox performed better than expected in the third and fourth sequels in a series that was unfortunately going downhill fast.

After Nightmare 5 came out in 1989, Wilcox seems to have been largely off the grid. According to her IMDb resume, she has appeared in a handful of small films and some guest appearances on various television series. While this certainly may be an intentional choice by the actress, it is rather disheartening to see someone go from headlining two relatively popular movies to fading into the oblivion of scraping by with acting gigs here and there. Recently, she has appeared with fellow Nightmare star Robert Englund and other genre vets Kane Hodder and Danielle Harris on a Fearnet webseries Fear Clinic. Back before the remake train began for the Nightmare series, I was holding out hope that the series would be resurrected with Alice and Jacob, 15 years later battling Freddy again. Sadly, we got Freddy vs. Jason instead. If it is her desire, hopefully this series will give Lisa more exposure to get back into the swing of Hollywood and hopefully not just within the square of DTV horror films. Although, if that’s what happens, I wouldn’t mind seeing a familiar face in Wrong Turn 16 in a few years.