Idiots Write About Sports

Remember how I was ranting a while back about the forthcoming Americanized-version of Fever Pitch? (Short summary: Fever Pitch is a very good Nick Hornby book about an obsessive Arsenal fan that’s being turned into a sure-to-be-not-as-good movie about an obsessive Boston Red Sox fan played by Jimmy Fallon.) While the book culminates with Arsenal winning its League championship, the movie was to end with the Red Sox not actually winning the World Series, as the producers deemed that unbelievable.

Needless to say, there’s been a rewrite.

So in case you happened to be watching the post-game celebration and wondering “What in God’s name is Jimmy Fallon doing jumping around like a monkey on the field?” the answer is: they were reshooting the ending.

“Fever” director Peter Farrelly worked the phones all day to get a camera crew as well as Drew [Barrymore] and her co-star Jimmy Fallon to the Gateway City.

“We’ve got them celebrating on the field,” he said. “It’s the end of the movie. And what an ending it was. This is like the aliens made contact. It’s something we’ve thought about for a long time, but never thought was possible.”

Yes, Peter Farrelly is directing the movie, which is a change from the last time we visited this subject (when one of Drew Barrymore’s flunkies was listed as the director). While this is a positive step — I think the Farrellys make a good movie and don’t get enough credit for the sweeter touches in their work — Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are still credited with the screenplay, and that’s the kiss of cinematic death. Hopefully, the ending isn’t the only thing that’s going to be rewritten.

Meanwhile, in Curse Town Number Two, Steve Stone's been officially run out of town on a rail. Thanks a whole heaping lot, Baker And Your Band Of Babies.

I'm glad to see that the mystery of "what the hell is Jimmy Fallon doing on the field during the Red Sox celebration?" has been solved.

Now maybe someone can explain why Fox deemed Fallon a more enticing interview subject than Tom Hanks. Did anyone else see this? Buck & McCarver threw it to Myers on top of the Monster, standing next to one of the most popular and successful movie stars in the world, and some dude who used to be on SNL...and Myers promptly chatted up Fallon, while Hanks twiddled his thumbs and looked increasingly embarrassed. When Myers finally deemed him worthy of attention, Hanks stammered something about being an American League fan, and then it was back to more Fallon mugging.

It's not as if there's any justification Fox can give for interviewing Tom Hanks while there's a frigging baseball game going on, but watching Tom Hanks play second fiddle to Jimmy Fallon while there's a frigging baseball game going on elevates the inanity of in-game celeb interviews to a whole new level.

Oh, but you don't understand. Fallon used to play a fan of NOMAH, you see. Never mind that NOMAH isn't actually a Red Sock anymore.

>>``Actually, our only discernable talent is luck.''<<

Truer words were never spoken. Perhaps they were unwitting donors to the Boston cause.

Post a comment