Frankie is racing in Edmonton today, here is his interview with the The Edmonton Journal. All the best Frankie and drive safe.
He was never the one scaling the neighbourhood fence, looking for the next boyhood adventure. He was a tap and jazz dance student, a child actor. He was Malcolm in the Middle.
But 16 months ago, Frankie Muniz walked away from Hollywood and stepped into a race car.
He traded in money and fame for octane and adrenaline.
Frankie Muniz was bitten by the racing bug at a celebrity event in California.
“There’s probably less of a guarantee for me as an actor just because it’s all about being wanted. Not about performance. Not anymore,” said Muniz, who is in Edmonton to drive in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship.
“There are people I can name right now who are getting paid $10 million for a movie, and they’re horrific but they’re big celebrities.”
“And I didn’t really like being in a world like that.”
“I like this, because if I put my mind to it and work hard enough and if I do well on the track, that’s it. You can’t tell me I’m not good. I like that aspect a lot more.”
“And I do think I have a future in racing — if not as a driver then as an owner,” says Muniz, 21.”
As we reported last monthTV Land had an exclusive visit to the Malcolm in the Middle set when they filmed the final episode last year. The ‘Finales‘ episode aired last night. What did the cast take from the set? Watch below to find out!
[Video Currently Unavailable Download Below]
Download HQ .WMV (right click ‘Download’ and ‘Save Link/Target As’)
It will also be re-airing on Sunday, July 22nd @ 10:00pm on TVLand.
Reminder: TV Land Visit MITM Set -
As previously reported, the ‘Finales’ episode will air tomorrow (Wednesday), July 18th @ 10:00pm on TVLand. If you miss this episode for any reason, you’ll still have another chance to catch it as it will be re-airing on Sunday, July 22nd @ 10:00pm on TVLand.
We have no idea how much of the episode will be on Malcolm in the Middle but will try to have a copy viewable here.
UPDATE: Watch it here. (2 comments so far - wow!)
Frankie mentions in this video that he is guest starring in ‘The Dewey Cox Story‘ which was retitled ‘Walk Hard‘
However this is the first mention of it I’ve ever heard and I can’t find anything that backs this up.
It is of course possible that he was cut from the film but the interview was only shot back in May, but then again he is out of the Hollywood loop currently (racing) so it’s possible he made a mistake somehow.
‘Walk Hard‘ is expected for a 14 December 2007 release.
We will keep you up to date with any further developments but if you have more information please comment here or in the Forum.
Justin Berfield (Reese) attended the chariety event ‘Rock The Kasbah’ on July 2. This event was held in honour of Eve Branson, mother of Sir Richard Branson, for her work with Virgin Unite, which Justin supports.
The benefit was held to raise funds for ongoing projects, set up by Eve Branson in association with Virgin Unite, underway in Morocco.
Some readers will know that Justin Berfield is producing films now and his current project is ‘Blonde Ambition’. Read our previous post for a trailer and more information.
The buzz behind Blonde Ambition is fading as reports surface that the Jessica Simpson film is incomplete and no longer has a release date.Simpson’s manager/dad Joe Simpson has reportedly pushed back the release date twice because the movie is expected to flop.
“First, the release date was set for Aug. 3, and then it was delayed until the last week of August,” an insider tells the New York Daily News’ Gatecrasher. “Papa Joe then intervened and said he wasn’t comfortable with the level of competition from other films that month.”
Meanwhile, another source suggests that the singer may want to stick with her day job.
Another source says: “Jessica was not very focused on-set and flubbed her lines often. She always had her dog around, was on the phone with [then-] boyfriend John Mayer or was sitting in a warmed-up SUV.”
Call it Bryan in the middle. Of rehearsals, that is.Bryan Cranston, who played henpecked Hal in the long-running TV series “Malcolm in the Middle,” is now readying an on-stage role. Come Thursday, he’ll open a 10-day run at Shadow Lawn Stage in West Long Branch.
The play is “Chapter Two,” Neil Simon’s 1978 comedy-drama, in which Cranston portrays George Schneider, a successful novelist whose beloved wife dies. Just when George vows he’ll never marry again, he meets Jennie Malone, and wedding bells soon ring. Shortly after, their apartment is ringing with heated arguments.
“George is in Chapter Two, while there are times when I feel as if I’m already working on the epilogue of my life,” Cranston jokes. He then tells of his own Chapter One, when he was born 51 years ago in Los Angeles to parents who were actors.
“Mom gave it up to take care of me and my brother,” he says. “That left my father to live a typical actor’s life — feast or famine. One year, he put a pool in our back yard. The next year, we couldn’t swim in it because he couldn’t afford the chlorine for it. One year we got a new car, and the next year he traded it in for an older one. That message of insecurity really served me well when I went into this inherently insecure business.”
First celebs to sign on were Bacon’s Connecticut neighbors Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford.
“It seemed like a natural, neighborly thing to do,” says Kaczmarek who, along with Whitford, founded Clothes Off Our Back, an online charity auction house for all those Valentinos and Versaces that only get a one-time shot on the red carpet.
At the site you can see the charities celebrities are supporting and can add badges like Jane’s to the left on your website, MySpace, blog etc. You can also create your own badge for the charity you are championing.
Emmy-award nominee Jane Kaczmarek played the hilarious and harried wife and mother Lois on FOX’s Malcolm in the Middle. As the mother of three and wife to actor Bradley Whitford (NBC’s The West Wing), her real life often bears a resemblance to the one she played on TV. As a mother, she takes a no-nonsense approach to parenting, especially when it comes to money. Having founded Clothes Off Our Back, a charity dedicated to auctioning off celebrity awards show clothing to raise money for children’s charities, she tries to instil values in her children regarding finances and giving back to those who are in need. Jane, who recently worked with Visa’s PracticalMoneySkills.com, took a moment out of her busy schedule to share her thoughts on kids and finance with iParenting.
iP: How do you get your kids involved in work that you do for others?
JK: We have a big thing with birthday presents. I can’t stand all this stuff hanging around our house. It makes me crazy – all this stuff that piles up. So I started something in the kids’ invitation for their birthday parties saying that it is a family tradition, in lieu of birthday presents, please bring a check for the following charity – any amount would be very welcome. I think people always want to bring something to a birthday party and they don’t know what your kid has and what they need, so we collect money at birthday parties. This year we went back to the Children’s Defense Fund, which is an advocacy group for children here in American run by Marian Wright Edelman. We have done it for Smile Train, which is another favorite of mine. Smile Train does cleft palette repairs for children in the developing world. You know, $250 pays for an operation for a child and it changes their life. They go from pretty much being an outcast and beggar to being able to go to school and have a job. And $250 is pretty easy to raise at a kids’ birthday party because people bring a check for $20, which is easily what they would spend on a present.
Strange Son is the powerful tale of two mothers from opposite sides of the world who, united by their fierce determination to help their severely autistic sons, have challenged everything we thought we knew about autism.
You can hear clips of Jane reading the book below and can buy it here.
Clip 1
Clip 2
Jane also helped to launch the book and did a public reading in Pasadena, this is what the author Portia Iversen had to say on her blog.
I just wanted to share some photos from my recent book event at Vroman’s in Pasadena. It was a wonderful evening and my dear and loyal friend Jane Kaczmarek did an amazing reading from the book. I was deeply moved by her touching performance – but not at all surprised because I’d already heard Jane reading Strange Son for the audio book. Many friends and family members attended the book signing and afterward Jane and I caught up over a drink at a not-so-secret Pasadena haunt, the Hamburger Hamlet.
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