Interview with... Dexter The Robot from Perfect Match.

Okay okay, so it's not REALLY Dexter the Robot whom I'm interviewing.

Well, it sort of is.

I'm interviewing the voice of Dexter, Keith Scott.

I've previously interviewed Keith and he was a lot of fun and had a lot of interesting things to discuss.

This time.. well.

Read on and enjoy...

1. Dexter the Robot was loved Australia-wide on the set of Perfect Match. How come no one picked him as their perfect match?

Unfortunately no-one ever picked Dexter – not even the occasional girl who was into heavy metal in those days.

2. Who would you select as Dexter’s perfect match?

Dexter’s perfect match back then? Probably Maggie Thatcher (“iron lady” and at the time the British PM)

3. What was it like to work on the set of Perfect Match? Is there any behind-the-scenes stories you can tell us about?

It was a lot of fun working on the set. I was originally hired as the voice of Dexter and the show’s booth announcer. I’d worked for Grundy’s four years earlier on a short-lived comedy game-show called CELEBRITY TATTLETALES, hosted by Ugly Dave Gray. For that show I was hired as the announcer, but on the first night they very sneakily informed the studio audience that I was a stand-up comic impressionist, so I ended up doing all the audience warm-ups for that show. Well, somebody at Grundy’s was keeping notes, because on PERFECT MATCH they did the exact same thing. From the first night for three full years, I had to keep two audiences amused for a total of five hours a night. (The first audience saw the first two shows, then a second audience took their place to watch the last three – we always recorded a week’s worth of shows – five episodes - in one night).

It quickly became apparent that between doing the robot voice and the audience comedy routines, I was getting overworked, so they brought in Max Rowley to do all the show’s ”straight” announcing. I used to have a lot of fun with the audience because they deliberately left my microphone “open” for the whole night. If there were technical breakdowns...and there were, with all the contestants’ mikes and other effects....I could jump in with jokes about the contestants (the very “up-themselves” ones always suffered some sarcastic putdowns by me which really amused the big studio crowd). Or I would just throw in jokes, voice impressions, sound effects or whatever. It was a hard slog in many ways, but the experience I gained was great. Incidentally the squeaky, fast voice of Dexter was my idea: when I did the audition in November 1983, the executive producer said, “We want something modern.” I had no idea what that meant, but at the time the biggest thing in movies was THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK – so I based it on the squeaky sounds emanating from R2D2 and just added words; at first I thought of a big deep voice like the robot in the old LOST IN SPACE show, but when I saw that Dexter was short and squat I thought of the STAR WARS connection!

4. Your voice work and the characters you’ve portrayed have made you a national icon. How do I go about nominating you as the next Australian Of The Year?

I would make a bad Australian of the Year – my natural inclination to satire and send-ups would mean I could never play by any committee rules....but I’m certainly flattered you would ask!!

Thanks again Keith. You're a stand-up bloke and a lot of fun to interview.
I'll hold off on that Australian Of The Year nomination though. :)

All the best.

Follow-up interview with... Neil Ross

I interviewed Neil in June of 2010, little realising that he had provided the voice of Morocco Mole.

So you just know I had to interview him again!

I hope you enjoy my follow-up interview with... Neil Ross.

1. I noticed that the voice of Morocco Mole is both a low and high pitch. Had you had any formal voice training?

Morocco Mole’s voice is basically an imitation of Peter Lorre’s voice. Lorre’s voice had both highs and lows. Also, the character has been voiced by different actors so the sound has changed from time to time. I have done a number of voice-over and animation workshops over the years. That’s about the only ‘formal’ voice training I’ve had.

2. Can you describe the difference between voice acting now, as opposed to the 60’s and 70’s.

I suppose the biggest change in animation is that they no longer insist that the full cast be present for each recording session. That was the rule in the eighties and early nineties. Nowadays most of the time I work alone and they piece it together with the other performances. Games are the same. You work those solo most of the time.

3. Are you a fan of the properties you did work for, such as Spider-Man, Volton, and Secret Squirrel?

I’m not sure that I ever worked on Secret Squirrel. As far as the other shows are concerned I’m proud to have been a part of these projects but I don’t sit around and watch them. The work is the fun part for me. But I’m very gratified to have been a part of some shows that many people remember fondly.

4. Did you have any insight into how the characters you voiced came across in the final product?
As you may know, the voices are recorded before the animation is produced. Sometimes we’re told that the animators are influenced by the voice work and change the character to reflect what they hear. So sometimes we have more of an influence on the finished product than we realize.

5. What prep work do you do before taking on a voice acting job?

I do whatever I can. Some shows send a script and/or a story board in advance. If that happens I’ll go over it of course. But if I don’t receive anything in advance, I just get in the car and drive to the studio. Fortunately I’m a pretty quick study.

6. Have you attended any conventions, such as the San Diego Comic Con?

I’ve been on Mark Evanier’s cartoon voice-over panel at Comic Con three times. Last year I appeared at BotCon in Pasadena.

I want to thank Neil for once again doing an interview with me. He's a top bloke to interview. He's also a busy man working on many cool cartoons and video games. If you ever get a chance, give him a shout-out.

And whilst you're at it, feel free to leave a comment.
Until next time.

Interview with... Ed Buckbee

Interviewing movie stars and TV stars, singers and so forth is all well and good, but there are times I just get a real kick out of interviewing true-blue heroes.

You know, the guys who actually make a difference in the world, rather than simply entertaining the world.

So it is my great pleasure to bring you my interview with author and Space Advocate, Ed Buckbee.

1. Why space? What excites you about space?

Space is the last frontier, where man can explore and learn to live and work. To explore space is challenging and it requires creative thinking and innovation.
The fact that we explore space for peaceful purposes excites me and we are the ONLY country to send man out of earth orbit and land man on the moon. The opportunity to continue human exploration of space beyond earth orbit, excites me.

2. How did the idea of Space Camp come about?

Wernher von Braun was the visionary who came forth with the idea of a Space Camp. I was given that challenge to design, develop and manage it. It was our plan to keep the dream of human space flight alive by sharing the excitement of space exploration with the younger generation.

3. How has the field of science changed, when looking at space, over the last few generations?

Because of our success in space exploration, science has become much more friendly. We expect breakthroughs and advancements in the fields of communication, medical, meteorology and transportation, to name a few. We are no longer satisfied with status quo.

4. The world has only recently come together as a joint effort to explore space. How has this changed what you do as a space advocate?

In the old days, we were in competition, particularly with the Soviet Union. Today, we welcome twelve international partners on our International Space Station. That is a huge change in our thinking and I hope it continues. I'm one who believes we should be cooperating with China. We could began that relationship by encouraging them to use a common docking adapter that would permit any spacecraft--U. S., Russia or Chinese-- to dock together in the event of an emergency in space. As I speak about space exploration, more and more people support flying in space together. I don't think I will live to see it, but I hope one of my Space Camp alumni is a member of the international crew that lands on Mars.

5. What is the next big thing the general public can expect from space exploration?

I hope it is the landing of Curiosity, the rover on Mars. It's the size of a small SUV. Should be a spectacular mission. The Space Launch System (SLS), our new rocket and replacement for space shuttle, is now in design by the team that was trained by Wernher von Braun. This new rocket is more like the Saturn V moon rocket of my generation.

6. What is the time-frame in which you think this will happen?

They expect the new rocket to be operational by 2017. That is a difficult challenge but hopefully it will be flying and man-rated for a moon mission in the 2020 time frame.

I want to thank Ed for his envaluable time with this interview and for his thought-provoking responses.
If you'd like to read more about Ed and the work he is undertaking I suggest you check out the following site
http://www.air-space.com/EB.htm
Ed's also on Twitter, at
http://twitter.com/realspacecowboy
Please let me know what you thought of this interview by commenting below.
Until next time.

Interview with... Kimberly Lynn Cole

I've interviewed a few horror actors on this site but this interview takes the cake!

I actually commenced this interview a few months ago but have only heard from the respondent now.

So I thank Kimberly Lynn Cole for her time with this interview, and for remembering me.

I hope you readers enjoy...

1. what is it like to work on a horror film?

Well it varies in many ways, its according to the budget mainly, and the director, location.
If its a big budget film as Body Snatchers was for Warner Brothers then its delightful and you are treated wonderfully all the way.
Sometimes when its a low budget film, everyone has to pitch in and work and even the actors and actresses will be pulling cables behind the scenes when they are not in the scene.haha I love all of the movies I have worked on. I love the whole horror genre and always have. My dream is to make my own horror films and I am working on that really hard. I am hoping to make THE TWO HEADED THING this summer or around Halloween time here at my haunted house called SCREAM FARM. We have already had several films and horror shorts made here the last one was SCREAM FARM written and directed by Jim O'Rear and it was a blast to do!

2. What can you tell us about The Coffin?

The Coffin seems to have been put on permanent hold since the gentleman who was producing and directing the film has been through some really life threatening health Issues and I wish Dan the best of luck and hope he recovers quickly. Thanks so much for asking about the film.

3. what do you think is the appeal of horror films?

I believe much of the appeal comes from a primeval instinct to be in the fight or flight mode, to fear our surroundings because we were built and designed for it, ancient man had to fear his surroundings day and night or he might be eaten by a sabre tooth tiger or giant sloth or trampled by a mammoth and so he had to be in tip top condition to survive and I think we have lost that fight or flight mode along the way because we have evolved and made our lives more comfortable and less frightful, more lazy so to speak and we miss that adrenaline rush that horror movies afford us. Being stalked by a knife wielding madman or a giant two headed mutant monster it gives us that rush that we are missing in our modern lives. Its just fun to be scared!

4. Do you work outside of film, for example theater?

I have done a few plays in high school and a few Christian plays, also have done runway and fashion modeling in the past, also was the vampire queen for a program for the Montgomery Zoo and did all their commercials for ten years. I have never had the pleasure of doing true
theater but I wish I had. I also am partners now on a
high end Auto Repair and Transmission Shop that makes really good money for my son who is going to be Pre-med next year, he has also been in some horror films with me such as Psycho Santa and a short on Southern Gothic that was written for him by Director Steve Sessions called HAVE YOU SEEN ME. its only out in the U.K.

5. What would your dream role be?

My Dream Role I hope I will be finally seeing come to fruition this summer and that will be directing, producing and acting in THE TWO HEADED THING.
its going to be lots of fun to do and feature a gigantic almost ten foot tall inbred circus mutant that is kept by a carnival circus family and carried around the country. I am trying to get the script together now and the crew. I am proud of every role I have ever been fortunate and blessed enough to have gotten and I love Horror Movies and will support them in any way I can.

I want to thank Kimberley again for her time with this interview. I had a blast reading her responses and I hope you did too.


Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time!

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Surpringly I've seen all the Mission: Impossible movies in the cinemas.

I even saw the second film whilst I was in Canada, which was strange as I live in Australia and the film was shot in Australia.

So when I discovered they were making a fourth Mission: Impossible movie I thought, "I've seen the rest. I may as well see this one too."
I'm glad I did. It was incredibly good.

Here's the trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0LQnQSrC-g&ob=av3e

And here's the movie poster

Despite seeing the third movie with me my wife is not a Tom Cruise fan at all.
I'm pretty certain that if he wasn't in this film she would've agreed to come along with me.

Maybe other husbands are finding this too? That their wives aren't willing to seat through what they consider to be a Tom Cruise movie?
Thing is, whilst he is in the movie and is the major drawcard it's the other characters that make this movie as interesting, and as fun, as it is.

What I did like about this movie was the return of Benji (Simon Pegg). He was a great addition to the third movie and if he were to return for a fifth installment (even if Tom Cruise doesn't) I would see it.
Benji has some great lines and is simply fun to watch.



What I didn't like, before seeing this movie, was the addition of Agent Brandt (Jeremy Renner).
I simply do not like Jeremy Renner.
It feels to me that Jeremy Renner is being forced on to us by the movie studios as the next big action star.
I have seen Jeremy Renner in a few other films and he was okay. Even if he did see like a bit of a smart ass in them.

He played an interesting character in Agent Brandt here though. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the scenes he was in.

Each Mission: Impossible movie seems to introduce us to a new female agent without delving too much into her character.
Not to be mean by the female of this franchise seem to be somewhat throw-away.
I thought the same thing when Jane (Paula Patton) popped up onscreen. About halfway through the movie though, wow, she has some great scenes and a great story to tell.

And it wasn't until she does a wardrobe change in the front seat of a car do I realise that, wow, she's hot!
What do you think? Agree?
I proached the idea of her being Wonder Woman in a live action movie, on a Wonder Woman message board of all places. Within minutes I was shot down in flames. How dare I suggest such a thing. I mean, she's "only 5'7"! Geez.

As the recident bad guy is Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist). He's role doesn't really come into play until the last act.
But boy what a last act it is!
I thought I'd seen all the kinds of action scenes you could see from this franchise. The finale though, it's a doozy!

Blink and you'll miss him is Agent Hanaway (Josh Holloway - from TV's Lost).
If they had've changed Josh's character with Jeremy's character I would've been happy.

Josh Holloway seems like a better choice to take over the franchise if Tom Cruise decides not to come back. That's just my opinion though.

What I loved, and crinched at, was the scenes at (and outside) the Burj in Abu Dubai.
I'd heard that the scene in question gave test screen audiences vertigo. I can see that. The scene outside the Burj certainly made my toes curl from sheer terror.

All up I give this movie an 8 out of 10.
It's a great addition to the franchise, whilst also being a lot of fun.
Until next time.

Interview with... Michel Gagne

Romance. We all want it. Even those who don't wish to admit it secretly crave it.
In the 30's through to the 70's there was a phenomenum in American pop culture of the romance comic. Geared towards young girls and women it was an avenue which flourished well before the era of super-hero comics hit the scene.
In my interview with writer, artist, all-round nice guy Michel Gagne you'll discover the lost treasure and lost artform of the romance comic.
As brought to you by two powerhouses in comic lore. Jack Kirby and Joe Simon.
I hope you enjoy my interview with Michel Gagne.

1. What about romance comics interests you?

A few years ago, while reading a book on the history of comics, I realized that there was an entire facet of Jack Kirby’s (one of my childhood heroes) work that I hadn’t seen: romance.I became curious and wanted to read some of these stories. I started searching on the internet, and at comic stores and book stores, in the hope of finding a book compiling some of this obscure work. To my surprise, there was very little available. The only book I found was the long out of print, Real Love: The Best of the Simon and Kirby Romance Comics by Richard Howell: A volume featuring black and white reprints of thirteen stories, including nine by Simon and Kirby. The featured Simon and Kirby stories were excellent but they only spanned a three year period (1949-1951) while the team’s romance output lasted twelve. Granted, 1949 to 1951, was a potent period in terms of mature storytelling and lavish artwork, but my inquisitive mind wanted a general overview of the entire output, not a mere snippet. My search to find sample reprints from the post code era (1954-1959) turned up nothing. That’s when I started looking for the original comics. Certainly not an easy task.

Romance comics were bought by girls and women who, contrary to their male counterparts, did not have a tendency to collect. The comics were read and discarded. Even though the print runs were some of the highest in the history of American comics, very few copies survived and most of the ones that did are in pitiful shape. I quickly realized that if someone didn’t make an effort to preserve this material, most of it would vanish into oblivion. That’s when it hit me! Perhaps I should be the one to start the ball rolling. I had been itching to do a comic book preservation project for many years and this would be the perfect opportunity. Thus, I made the decision to restore, compile, and edit a book featuring an overview of the entire span (1947-1959) of Simon and Kirby’s romance comics.

2. Where you always a fan of romance comics?

I'm interested in the history of comics and the Simon and Kirby's romance comics played an important role in the evolution of the medium. It could be said that my interest is of an historical nature.

3. How did you get the idea to remaster the comic books into one big volume?

I get frustrated when I see restoration of old comics that are so digitally altered and modernized with garish colors, that they hardly have any connection left with the original material. For my project, I wanted to keep the integrity of the source material. I made a huge effort to stay true to the look of the comics printed on newsprint while restoring the inks to their original vibrancy and repairing color misalignments. The process was done over several years in my spare time. In essence, this book is my personal vision of how golden age comic book compilations should look.

4. What can people expect from Young Romance?

They can expect beautifully draw stories that are fun and varied, by two of comics master storytellers. The book is a well documented piece of American pop art and a true time capsule of an era.

5. What’s coming up next?

I'm finishing the last issue of ZED right now and I'm hoping to get the trade of all ten issues published sometime fairly soon. I'm also always busy with various projects ranging from films to video game. For up to date info on my work, people should check out my website at http://www.gagneint.com/

I want to thank Michel for his time and enthusiasm with this interview.
If you're interested in Michel's book Young Romance I highly recommend you track it down at all good book retailers, or online. The comic book stores in your local area should be able to get you a copy on request. But I suggest you be quick about it (I already have mine on order).If you'd like to check out Michel's other work please direct yourself to the following sites;

http://www.shadow-planet-productions.com/
http://www.zedcomics.com/

I hope you enjoyed this interview.
Until next time!

Interview with... Julie Caitlin Brown

For sci-fi fans, you'll know who I'm taking about when I mention the name Julie Caitlin Brown. However I'm not a sci-fi fan. Well, not really.
I'm not one to sit down for an entire evening watching the sci-fi channel. Although suprisingly I have seen most of the movies that channel airs.

But I digress.
For jazz fans when I mention the name Julie Caitlin Brown, they'll sit up and take notice!
So I hope you enjoy my interview with... Julie Caitlin Brown.

1. What do you love about jazz?

One of the purest forms of expression, jazz requires the artist to listen as well as perform, a truly intuitive expression. I am moved by the intensity of desire I have felt as a singer and as someone listening to jazz.

2. May I ask, what is your training in jazz, or is it a nature talent?

I started singing in front of people at the age of ten, by 13 I auditioned for our award winning high school jazz choir. Our teacher, Mr. Rose, was a talented jazz trombonist and conductor. He had us doing outstanding material for such young singers! We won many State competitions.

3. What is the appeal of performing jazz to an audience?

As I said before, there are dizzying heights of emotional expression in jazz, the audience feels this and as an artist you draw from the audience as they are moved by you, it's a very spiritual experience.

4. You’ve done TV work on Babylon 5. How did you find this experience?

The short answer is a great part, a wonderful cast and crew, but that make up was a killer. Sort of answers your next question, doesn't it?

5. Was the make-up involved in your role a challenge?

Yes.

6. Have you attended convention for Babylon 5? I’ve heard convention attendees can be pretty out-there.

Many B5 conventions, our fans are the best!

7. What’s coming up next?

I have been working on several very diverse projects, none that I can discuss, but I am proud of my short film that was released in 2010, "Thoughts of Suicide On an Otherwise Lovely Day". You can see the trailer at http://www.siblingrivalrypictures.com/

8. Is there a charity or event you would like to bring to my readers’ attention?

Always love to support Sunny Hills/Children's Garden in San Anselmo, Ca. They do wonderful work for at risk kids with nowhere left to go.

I want to thank Julie for her patience with this interview. I had initially asked her to do the interview back in July but I had to hold off on running with the interview as my wife was pregnant.
My wife has since given birth, hence the interview is now up and online for all to enjoy!

Please feel free to comment below.

Until next time.