Meat Loaf Helped Edit ‘Fight Club’ With David Fincher: ‘We’d Sit There and Watch 40 Takes’
Meat Loaf, who died Thursday at 74, will always be remembered for his contributions to rock music, but his career also spanned iconic films such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and David Fincher’s “Fight Club.” The musician starred opposite Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the latter as bodybuilder Robert “Bob” Paulson. As Meat Loaf revealed to The AV Club in a 2016 interview (via Insider), his time making “Fight Club” involved more than just acting.
“I hardly spent any time in my trailer for almost 10 months,” Meat Loaf said at the time. “I sat next to David the entire time. Well, not next to him – I would have driven him crazy – but close, like behind him, so I could see what was going on and what he was seeing. It got to the point, about four or five months into filming, that we’d break for lunch, and Fincher would call me into his trailer and say, ‘I want you to help me pick which one I should use.’ Of course, in my head I’m going, ‘What?’”
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According to Meat Loaf, he helped Fincher in the “Fight Club” editing room. As the musician explained, “The first time he did that, I said, ‘I can’t do that,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah, you can. You’ve been sitting next to me, so help me pick out the best one.’”
Meat Loaf continued, “[David Fincher’s] average take was 44, so we’d sit there and watch 40 takes, and he’d go, ‘Which one did you like the best,’ and I’d say something like, ‘Well, it’s either 24 or 26,’ and he’d say, ‘I agree with you, 26.”
In addition to “Fight Club” and “Rocky Horror,” Meat Loaf also starred in films such as “Wayne’s World,” “Focus,” “Spice World” and “Wishcraft.” His filmography includes well over two dozen titles. Meat Loaf’s last film credit is the 2014 coming-of-age film “Wishin’ and ‘Hopin.’”
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Meat Loaf’s hell-raising ride to musical stardom
Meat Loaf shot to worldwide fame in 1977 with Bat Out Of Hell, which became an international success that reigns as one of the best-selling albums in history.
The American singer, born Michael Lee Aday in Texas in 1947, has died aged 74 with his wife Deborah at his side.
During a career spanning more than six decades, he sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and starred in more than 65 movies.
Meat Loaf initially made his name in theatre productions (Yui Mok/PA)
Meat Loaf initially made his name in theatre productions, including a Broadway run of Hair, and then found his feet in the stage and film versions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, playing Eddie, the ex-delivery man and partial brain donor to Rocky.
At the same time, he began Bat Out Of Hell – which featured the eponymous classic Paradise By The Dashboard Light and Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad – with composer Jim Steinman.
Although rejected by every major label, it was released in 1977 to huge international success.
His follow-ups failed to set fans alight until he made a blazing comeback with Bat Out Of Hell’s sequel 16 years later in 1993.
Lead single I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) reached number one in 28 countries and earned him a Grammy award.
He followed up with 1995’s Welcome To The Neighbourhood, which went platinum in the UK and US, and his third Bat Out Of Hell album, The Monster Is Loose, in 2006.
The Bat Out Of Hell trilogy was also adapted in to a stage musical, which was written by Steinman and featured some of the musician’s best-loved hits.
The singer was brought on stage on a stretcher during a concert in Dublin, shortly after he collapsed on stage while performing in London due to heart problems (Haydn West/PA)
Meat Loaf was plagued by health issues, including asthma, which caused him to collapse on stage during a concert in Pittsburgh in 2011.
He suffered from a medical condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White, which causes an irregular heartbeat, and underwent surgery in 2003 in London.
Meat Loaf reunited with Steinman for the fourth time for his last studio album Braver Than We Are, which was released in 2016 and reached fourth place in the UK album charts.
Around his music career, he continued to act, most notably as Robert “Bob” Paulson in David Fincher’s Fight Club in 1999 and with a cameo in the Spice Girls’ Spice World film.
Meat Loaf has two daughters – TV actress Amanda Aday and adopted daughter Pearl – from his marriage to ex-wife Leslie.
Robert Plympton, Abraham DeJesus pacing young Reynolds wrestling
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Robert Plympton, Abraham DeJesus pacing young Reynolds wrestling
Plympton is looking to finish his high school career with an elusive state title while the Raiders as a whole grow.
COVID’s effects have been felt all over high school sports, and Reynolds High wrestling is no exception.
An already inexperienced team has been going through the changes and delays that contact tracing and positive tests bring.
Despite the hurdles, the Raiders still have a couple grapplers leading the way who could be names to watch come state time.
Robert Plympton, a senior, and Abraham Dejesus, a junior, are returning podium finishers from the unofficial 2021 state tournament where Plympton took second at 195 pounds and Dejesus at 160.
Having those two on the squad has given the younger wrestlers on Steve Paulson’s squad a model for success and a view into what it takes to be the best.
“It’s given some kids something to strive for,” Paulson said of the Reynolds duo. “We’ve got a bunch of kids on this team I’d call leaders … (Plympton and Dejesus) definitely elevates everyone’s game.”
Plympton was out last week. He was in Colorado on a visit to the Air Force Academy. Paulson said that Plympton has the grades and determination it takes to become a cadet, along with plenty of wrestling talent.
As a freshman at Corbett High School, Plympton took third place at 182 pounds at the 2019 Class 4A state tournament.
Plympton then transferred to Reynolds and moved up one weight class to 195 pounds, ending with the same third-place result at the 2020 6A state tournament.
Last season wasn’t an OSAA official state tournament, but that didn’t stop Plympton from reaching his first title match at 195 pounds. The then-junior dropped the match 6-4 to Newberg’s Hudson Davis.
Finishing so close hasn’t been easy, especially going into the title bout last season where Paulson said Plympton had some things off the mat going on in his life that might have creeped in.
In 2022, Paulson sees Plympton having a clear vision toward finishing the job once and for all.
“His mental game right now, so to speak, he’s on point,” Paulson said. “He’s ready to go after everything we’ve done. La Grande was a tough, tough tournament and he came in and just took care of business. He just has a new mindset about taking matches, which is good.”
Plympton has taken care of business everywhere in the 2021-2022 season, entering this week with a 14-0 record and 12 pins.
Dejesus isn’t too far behind with a 14-2 record, nine via pin. One of those came last week in a Reynolds dual win over Nelson.
Last year, as a sophomore at 160 pounds, Dejesus won a couple consolation matches at the state competition to get into the fifth-place match before dropping a 5-1 decision to take sixth.
Now at 170 pounds, there’s opportunity ahead for the junior.
“(Dejesus) has come a long way, he made huge strides last year,” Paulson said. “He’s continuing to get better, he’s working on his craft and he’s getting tougher. He’s not there yet and he knows it, but we’re getting there with him.”
The Raiders as a whole aren’t quite to where they can be, thanks in part to the COVID absences.
But with guys like Plympton and Dejesus leading the way, the program is in great shape and looking to make some noise come districts and state.
“We’re young, we do some things really well, they’ve got intensity, but it’s basics for most of our kids,” Paulson said. “Some of our veterans just need to keep grinding. We’re going to out and grind with anybody. I don’t care if you’re a state champion or last in districts, it doesn’t matter to me. We’ll get out there and compete.”
As Broadway Struggles, Governor Proposes Expanded Tax Credit
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As Broadway continues to reel from the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing to expand and extend a pandemic tax credit intended to help the commercial theater industry rebound.
Ms. Hochul on Tuesday proposed budgeting $200 million for the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, which provides up to $3 million per show to help defray production costs.
“They were starting to recover before Omicron, and then, as you have all seen, a lot of these performance venues had to shut down again, and those venues are critical for the economy,” the state budget director, Robert Mujica, told reporters.
The tax credit program, which began last year under Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was initially capped at $100 million. Early indications are that interest is high: Nearly three dozen productions have told the state they expect to apply, said Matthew Gorton, a spokesman for Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency.
Robert Gates, Allison Arwady highlight Barrington’s 5th Town-Warming
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Robert Gates, Allison Arwady highlight Barrington’s 5th Town-Warming
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, will be among panelists at this year’s Barrington Town-Warming on Feb. 5. Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times P
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Robert Gates will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Barrington Town-Warming on Feb. 5. The event’s theme this year is “Security in a Post-Pandemic World.” Courtesy of Barrington’s White House
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Robert Gates will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Barrington Town-Warming, which also will feature panels of health and security experts.
The theme of the fifth annual event is “Security in a Post-Pandemic World.” It will be held Feb. 5 at Barrington’s White House and is organized by the Barrington Cultural Commission as a re-creation of the lecture series held in town during the Depression era.
Gates will appear in a virtual “fireside chat” with Motorola President and CEO Greg Brown. The other speakers and panelists will be there in person.
“We are very excited to have the Town-Warming both in-person at Barrington’s White House and virtually this year, after last year’s virtual-only event,” Village President Karen Darch said. “Robert Gates is an extraordinary individual with a deep understanding of our nation’s security issues, and it could not be a better time to explore those themes.
“We also will hear from wonderful experts in the health care field who can help us put the pandemic in perspective and give us thoughts on where we go from here,” Darch said.
The event will include two morning panels:
• “Present-Day Threats” will be moderated by cultural commission member Diane Bergan and feature Mark Gossett, executive vice president and chief risk officer for Northern Trust; Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Illinois Homeland Security adviser; Brian Vercruysse, rail safety program administrator for the Illinois Commerce Commission; and Beth Windisch, regional prevention coordinator for the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• “The Security of Our Well-Being” will be moderated by Corey McPherrin, news anchor for Fox 32 Chicago, and feature Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health; Karen Lambert, president of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital; and Mark Pfister, executive director of the Lake County Health Department.
After lunch, Barrington historian Barbara Benson will introduce character actor Ron Keaton, who will appear as Winston Churchill to discuss the topics of history and national security during World War II.
The keynote discussion between Gates and Brown will follow, with a reception capping off the day.
Previous keynote speakers at Town-Warming events were former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.
The event’s presenting sponsor is Northern Trust. The keynote speaker sponsors are Greg and Anna Brown. The livestreaming sponsor is Kim Duchossois.
In-person tickets are nearly sold out, but virtual tickets are still available. Visit barringtonswhitehouse.com/events.