What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1496120
April 2 - 8, 2023 WHATS UP! T11 all the big action-movie stars and all the usual action-movie elements (wise-cracking heroes, bad-guy drug runners, stuff blowing up in the jungle) into one movie? So when I say "they" are mak- ing "The Expendables 4," which is due out this fall, I mean a long list of stars, including Jason Sta- tham ("The Transporter," 2002), "Dolph Lundgren" ("Universal Soldier," 1992) and, most notably, Sylvester Stallone ("Rocky," 1976). It's an ensemble cast, but Stal- lone is definitely the lead. He also directed the first film and co-wrote the first three, though he's just credited as an actor in the fourth. That waning level of involve- ment seems poised to continue. In a video he recorded himself on the final day of shooting "The Expendables 4," Stallone said he plans to step even further away from the franchise to make room for Statham to become the star. "It's been 12 years, and I'm ready to pass the baton on to Ja- son and his capable hands." He didn't elaborate on wheth- er that means he won't appear at all or if his role will just be re- duced, but it at least shows that there's a plan for more to come after the upcoming fourth in- stallment. The mega-ensemble model means the series can constantly reinvent itself just by adding new stars and recycling differ- ent plots (and let's be honest, the plots are a minor concern at best). The upcoming fourth film, for example, brings in a number of famous new faces, in- cluding crime-movie legend Andy Garcia ("Ocean's Eleven," 2001) and Thai action star Tony Jaa ("Ong-Bak: The Thai War- rior," 2003). Q: How did someone get Daniel Craig to do a vodka ad? A: You must be referring to the ad for Belvedere vodka that features Daniel Craig ("Casino Royale," 2006) dancing, badly, in an undershirt through a swanky hotel. It went viral online be- cause — well, because of what I just described. Craig said he did it for a laugh. "When I read the script, I thought, 'Hmm, really?'" he told England's Sunday Times maga- zine. "Then, 'Let's go with it.' I hope people get the gag." But that's not much of an an- swer. Variety magazine has a deeper theory: that the longtime James Bond star did it so he could stop being Bond. Craig has said in the past that, now that he's quit the franchise, he's struggling to distance him- self from Bond's stony, serious image. This ad is certainly nei- ther of those things. Craig might also have just wanted to work with the direc- tor. The ad was lensed by come- dy-movie it boy Taika Waititi ("Jojo Rabbit," 2019), who does a cameo at the end. Or, of course, he might have just wanted the paycheck. It's an incredibly lavish ad that Belve- dere clearly paid a lot of money for. And with a runtime of less than two minutes, it would have seemed like quick work for a fea- ture-film star like Craig. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. Advance Pest Control 2 x 2 TAKE 5 Solution on page T23 Use the clues above and beside the grid to fill in the squares BY ADAM THOMLISON TV Media Q: Who plays Virginia in "Happy Gilmore"? I recog- nize her eyes. A: Virginia Venit, the kind public relations head who takes unorthodox golfer Happy (Adam Sandler, "Murder Mys- tery 2," 2023) under her wing in "Happy Gilmore" (1996), is played by Julie Bowen, an ac- tress who would soon turn her eyes away from film and back to TV. And that's probably how you know her. In particular, you like- ly know her from the long-run- ning sitcom "Modern Family," in which she played stern but de- voted mom Claire Dunphy for the show's 11-season run from 2009 to 2020. "Happy Gilmore" was her breakout role, coming after she hustled for years in one-off guest parts on TV. She took a few more film roles immediately after- ward (most notably 1997's "An American Werewolf in Paris"), but she found her sitcom niche in 2000 when she began co-star- ring on NBC's "Ed." She joined another hit come- dy series, "Boston Legal," in 2005 for its second and third sea- sons, later making a brief reap- pearance during its fifth and fi- nal season in 2008. While sitcoms have proven to be her strength, she's always maintained a big-screen side- line. As a "Happy Gilmore" fan, you may have also noticed her in 2020's "Hubie Halloween," its spiritual sequel (if you'll excuse the pun). Like "Happy Gilmore," "Hubie Halloween" was written by friends and "Saturday Night Live" alumni Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy (who also collabo- rated on 1998's "The Wedding Singer," among other films). And Bowen once again plays Sandler's love interest in the lat- ter film. Q: Are they making more Expendables movies? A: In the case of the Expend- ables franchise, that's a big "they." But I can say that "they" have at least one more install- ment locked and loaded, and at least a rough plan for more. The premise of "The Expend- ables" (2010) and its sequels is simple: What if, instead of mak- ing a bunch of different action movies, someone tried to cram Julie Bowen, Frances Bay and Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore" HOLLYWOOD Q&A www.advancepestcontrolnwa.com Family Owned, Competitively Priced, Quality Service Since 1981 Rogers 479-636-5590 Springdale 479-756-1788 Eureka Springs 479-253-8967 PEST CONTROL TERMITE FERTILIZATION WEED CONTROL PRE-EMERGENTS