Actor says ‘Delta Farce’ does not insult fighting foces in Iraq
There’s nothing funny about the war in Iraq. Comic actor Bill Engvall (“The Blue Collar Comedy Tour”) is well aware of that and assures fans that his military satire, “Delta Farce,” now in theaters, in no way insults our fighting forces.
“I was worried when I was originally pitched the idea for the movie,” Engvall said at his hotel during a Philadelphia publicity stop. “But people know that the Blue Collar Comedy guys are very supportive of the military.
“We went to Walter Reed (Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.) before filming and told the soldiers the idea. They said, ‘Do it! We need to laugh.'”
In the PG-13 picture, starring Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy (“Health Inspector”) and DJ Qualls (“Hustle & Flow”), some slow-thinking good ol’ boys are mistaken for Army Reservists, placed on a transport plane headed to Iraq and accidentally ejected over Mexico. Soon after, they battle a local warlord (Danny Trejo of “Grindhouse”).
“‘Delta Farce’ doesn’t make a statement about the war,” the 49-year-old performer said. “It’s about three boobs dropped in Mexico and they think it’s Iraq. The story is about their idiocy.
“Larry and I were very cautious about this film. I’m sure we’ll catch some flak, but the only mention of the war is that we’re supposed to be in Iraq. There’s a picture of (Mexican revolutionary) Pancho Villa and our characters think it’s Saddam Hussein.”
Engvall, who is married and has a 21-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son, has enjoyed a very successful stand-up comedy career. He is now preparing a TBS series, “The Bill Engvall Show,” which will premiere in July.
Nancy Travis (TV’s “Becker”) co-stars as his wife in this sitcom about a family counselor who has his own problems with his spouse and children.
“When TBS approached me, I told them I always wanted to do a TV show that the whole family could watch,” he said. “I didn’t want smart-aleck kids and a nagging wife.
“Television executives sometimes forget that there are millions of people in the middle of the country between New York and Los Angeles, and funny things happen in their lives.”
In addition, Engvall’s book, “Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life” (St. Martin’s Press; $19.95), will be released May 29.
“The book is an autobiography of my life from zero to where I’m at now,” he said. “There are funny moments in it, but also serious ones, like when I talk about my parents getting divorced.”
With a movie, book and TV series, Engvall has little time to go out on the road doing stand-up. He misses that interaction with audiences.
“For me, the best part of the creative process is writing a joke and trying it in front of an audience,” he said. “That’s what I miss about the clubs.
“I used to love visiting Philadelphia, where I played at the old Funny Bone on South Street. What I remember most about the audiences in Philly was that they griped about the drivers from New Jersey.”
Casting Calls
– Harrison Ford is ready to snap his whip as the title character in “Indiana Jones 4,” arriving in theaters on Memorial Day weekend 2008, but it’s not clear whether Sean Connery will come out of retirement to recreate his role as Indy’s demanding dad.
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, who co-created the series, will serve as producer and director, respectively, and start rolling the cameras on the highly anticipated adventure next month. Shia LaBeouf (“Disturbia”) and Cate Blanchett (“The Aviator”) have signed contracts and are expected to play Indy’s teenage son and love interest, though neither Lucas nor Spielberg will reveal any information.
Since Connery would be paid a fortune to re-join the franchise, he’ll probably sign a contract.
The Internet Movie Database is also reporting that Karen Allen, who plays Marion Ravenwood in the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), may make an appearance. Lucas and Spielberg, of course, have no comment.
– Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix”) will get down and dirty as a cop in “The Night Watchman.” According to Variety, James Ellroy, who’s famous for hard-edged novels such as “L.A. Confidential” and “The Black Dahlia,” is writing the screenplay.
– A favorite from the TV sensation “Grey’s Anatomy” will soon be making a bid for big-screen stardom.
Patrick Dempsey will star opposite Michelle Monaghan (“Mission: Impossible III”) in “Made of Honor,” a romantic comedy about a guy who tries to win the heart of an engaged woman.
Groening on ‘Simpsons’
The long-awaited big-screen version of “The Simpsons” will finally arrive in theaters on July 27, and Matt Groening, creator of the wildly popular animated series, is revealing facts about the history of the show.
In an interview in Playboy’s June edition, Groening touches upon numerous subjects and names many of the celebrities who have provided voices for the show.
“It’s an astonishing list,” Groening says in Playboy. “I can barely believe the people we’ve had on the show – Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, the Ramones.
“Hugh Hefner had the Bunnies working as research scientists in the basement of the Mansion (on “The Simpsons”). Elizabeth Taylor was on twice. Once, she played herself; the other time she played the voice of Maggie saying ‘Daddy,’ her first word. We did 24 takes, but they were always too sexual.
“Finally Liz said, ‘(expletive) you,’ and walked out.”