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Posts tagged as john belushi

journalism

The Other Belushi Biographer Breaks Down 'Wired'

by | March 13th, 2013

Journalist Bob Woodward's journalistic tactics were called into question a couple weeks ago over a dispute with the White House, and Tanner Colby has taken this as an opportunity to analyze Woodward's reviled 1984 John Belushi biography Wired in a new piece for Slate. Wired  being criticized for its inaccuracy is nothing new. The book has long been thought of as inaccurate and sensationalist, but the Slate piece is the most damning and clear evidence of this yet. Colby, who co-authored a different biography of the late comedian called Belushi: A Biography, writes of Wired, "It’s like someone wrote a biography of Michael Jordan in which [...]

Unpopular Opinions

In Defense of 1941

by | March 6th, 2012

Unpopular Opinions is a new weekly column in which a writer takes a stand against popular opinion, whether it's asserting the true merit of a supposedly guilty pleasure or dissenting against the universally lauded.

By now we know that Steven Spielberg is not an untouchable director. In 40 years of filmmaking, of course there are going to be some flops. But the World War II comedy 1941 (1979) remains one of his more famous disasters. Briefly, 1941 follows a large group of characters through one hysterical day in and around Los Angeles just after Pearl Harbor as everyone prepares for a possible Japanese attack. To say that [...]

Lost Roles

The Lost Roles of John Belushi

by | March 3rd, 2011

Casting is one of the most important processes in movie making. Placing the right actors in the right roles can determine whether or not an entire film rings true. Lost Roles is a weekly series that examines the missed opportunities — the roles that could have been — and explores how some casting choices that almost happened could have changed the film industry and the comedy world at large.

At the time of his tragic and untimely death in 1982, John Belushi was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and a versatile one at that. He was not only an accomplished comedic actor, but also a successful [...]

Belushi

Todd Philips Is Taking a "Renegade Approach" to His John Belushi Biopic

by | September 3rd, 2010

Last month, word came out that Todd Philips, director of Old School, The Hangover and the upcoming Due Date, had started work on a biopic based on the life of John Belushi (Lars Von Trier is working on the Jim Belushi biopic, coincidentally). Philips recently talked to MTV about where he's at in the process and what his goals are with it:

"Our goal is not to do a traditional biopic approach with it that people expect, whether you’re talking about 'Walk the Line' or 'Ray.' All good movies, but our goal is not to make that typical biopic. We want to make a movie that, if [...]

RIP

Comedy Writer/Counterculturalist Nelson Lyon Died at Age 73

by | July 23rd, 2012

As a friend of Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, and William Burroughs's, Nelson Lyon was a fixture of the New York City counterculture. The former 1980s SNL writer, however, is probably best known as being John Belushi's sidekick in the 1982 drug binge that lead to the comic genius's demise. Lyon never served jail time for the incident but the events left a black mark on his career that was seemingly impossible for him to overcome. Lyon passed away from liver cancer last week, on Tuesday July 17. He will be missed.

Lost Roles

The Lost Roles of Three Amigos

by | December 15th, 2011

This week marks the 25th anniversary of Three Amigos, one of the best-regarded comedies of the 1980's and one that brought together a half-dozen of the greatest comedic minds going at the time. Three Amigos starred Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, was written by Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, and Randy Newman (who also composed the music and did the voice of the Singing Bush), and was directed by John Landis, who even hired a pre-SNL Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz for supporting roles. Few comedies can boast a team that is so remarkable and that made such a significant mark on comedy, both separately and together. The [...]

Chevy Chase On Him vs. Belushi: "Somehow they took to the tall, thin, handsome guy."

by | November 18th, 2010

Here's a great interview with Chevy Chase, including this bit on his reputation for being difficult to work with on SNL: "I'll never understand that. The only person who ever told me that that was an odd, sudden change in their attitude toward me [after I left SNL], when I came back to host, was Herb Sargent, our older writer-producer guru. And I'm not sure exactly why or how, but [during that episode] suddenly I got into a fight with Bill Murray. I discovered later it was with the instigation of John Belushi, who apparently who was a little bit jealous that I had become the standout guy [...]

Interviews

Talking to Matty Simmons About Producing Animal House, Publishing National Lampoon, and His New Book Fat, Drunk, and Stupid

by | April 10th, 2012

As the founding publisher of National Lampoon magazine and the person responsible for expanding the Lampoon brand to radio, theater, and film, Matty Simmons led the charge in creating a new kind of comedy during the 1970s. From producing the National Lampoon Radio Hour and stage shows, where he gave work to pre-SNL up-and-comers like John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner, to producing Animal House, one of the highest-grossing and most-imitated movies of all-time, Simmons had a vital role in the changing of the guard that occurred in American comedy during the 70s. In addition to Animal House, he also produced two other highly-influential films: Vacation and Christmas [...]

Lost Roles

The Lost Roles of Animal House

by | November 10th, 2011

Lost Roles is a weekly column exploring what might have been in TV and film comedy, taking a different comedian, writer, or work each week and examining the casting possibilities and career moves that almost came to be. This week: the nixed casting possibilities for the 1978 movie Animal House.

It's difficult to put into perspective how huge a pop cultural event the release of National Lampoon's Animal House was in the summer of 1978. While there was a big hubbub made over The Hangover two years ago when it became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time; when inflation is factored in, that film pales in comparison [...]

History

Saturday Night Live Debuted 35 Years Ago Today

by | October 11th, 2010

This is the 35th anniversary season of SNL, yes, but it was 35 years ago today that the show actually debuted. Its first episode was hosted by George Carlin and had two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian.

Above is the cold open from that first episode, featuring John Belushi and head writer Michael O'Donoghue and ending with Chevy Chase saying "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" for the first time.

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