"Anchorman 2," Whammy! David Koechner isn't a foul mouthed racist : he just plays one in the movies!

I've fallen in love with a sexist, racist man with repressed homosexual tendencies and I'm confessing it with unrepentant passion.

His name is David Koechner but the movie going world knows him as Champ Kind, one of the hilarious misfits that delivers sport news in the Anchorman franchise starring SNL alumni Will Ferrell.

Created by writer/director/comedian Adam McKay Anchorman: The Legend Continues (which he co-wrote with Will Ferrell) is much more than just a sequel to the 2004 cult classic (which he also co-wrote).  Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a hilarious and smart satire the examines the hypocrisy of the news business and the quest for power, money and great hair!

Champ, like most complex characters in comedies, was created to slap a big fat purple explanation point on the hot button issues that plague and shape cultures the world over;

racism, sexism and the intolerable greed of corporations.

David, the actor/singer and all around good guy, is as different from sports reporter, Champ as a warm fuzzy kitten is, to say, a 12 set baking kit! 

The following phone interview took place inside a crowded Upper East Side coffee house.

My phone rings, blaring Beyonce's "Diva" the ringtone easily eclipsing the holiday carols. 

It took me a full half hour before I noticed that I was on speaker phone.  Good news, David had that crowd laughing and that's a hard room for comedy!

David Koechner: (singing and singing well)

LAPACAZO, Lapacazo, Lapacazo, Lapacazo. La-la, la-la, la-Lapacazo. Oh, Lapacazo!

I love your name.  It's musical. Laaapppaazo. (He sang three verses).

myNewYorkeye: (Hysterical) I've never had anyone sing my name.  Thank you. I happen to love country music!

David Koechner: Thank you kindly Miss Lapacazo (he's still singing).  Hey, what did you think of the movie?  No pressure?  You know the one I'm in:  "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" opening December 18th.  No pressure ..... Lapacazo!

myNewYorkeye: (Hysterical) Adam (McKay) sliced off the hairy arms of one of my favorite mythical creatures. Comedy is a cruel master.

David Koechner: (Hysterical laughter back) He did, didn't he?!  Oh Adam-dear-Adam with him so little is sacred.

myNewYorkeye: 'All is fair to the comedy gods.'

Hats off to Adam and Will for having an African-American woman as the head of a maverick, 24-hour All News Network, loosely spoofing CNN.  A deliberate casting choice?

David Koechner: Well, I can't speak on Adam or Will's behalf, like 100percent, but I'm pretty certain that they both demanded an African-American character for that role.  Megan (Goode) is good!  She delivers on all levels!

myNewYorkeye: Megan rocks the mike (stand up comic pun intended).  There is a very funny "meet the family" scene when her character introduces Ron Burgundy to her successful clan and well...

David Koechner: ....Every known racial slur followed by inaccurate stenotypes paints the introduction?  Is that the family "meet Ron Burgundy" scene your referring too?

myNewYorkeye: Yes.   I've never seen a group of paid actors look so uncomfortable and confused.

David Koechner: That's because I'm fairly certain that Adam and Wik didn't script it.  They wanted to capture the impact of those absurd slurs and most importantly, I think, to show the sincere feelings those "words" have on others!

myNewYorkeye: That explains a lot.  I'm impressed.  Continue?

David Koechner: Racism (to me) is stupid.  I'm a father and my kids didn't see race. They noticed differences but it means nothing to them.  Nothing.  I want a world like that.  I work toward a world like that.  I really do!

Hey when we meet and we will, remind me that your a song?!

myNewYorkeye: I shall indeed.  I'm jealous you're paid to work with your friends!  You laugh and make people laugh to the sound of  "whammy" all the way to the bank!

David Koechner: WHAMMY!  (Laughing) that's so true.  I was just in Australia with Adam and we both just had that "omg this is still real" series of moments.  I'm a father of five so there isn't really enough money.  They keep growing!

myNewYorkeye: When did your parents finally stop worrying about your career choice?

David Koechner: (Laughing) Lapacazo (singing) you are good!  My parents finally started to rest easy with the successful release of the last "Anchorman " They now think this comedy thing just might be a ..

myNewYorkeye & David Koechner ; A whammy!

twitter @DavidKoechner

"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" opens December 18.

Gita Pullapilly Is Living The Dream

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The Gotham Independent Awards, the annual New York event that kicks off awards season, looked more like the Oscars this year  — with a roster of attendees that included Forest Whitaker, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto and Shailene Woodley.

That annual event was very special for rising director/producer Gita Pullapilly (Sunny Side Up Films) who won the Euphoria Calvin Klein Live The Dream Grant  ($25,000) for her indie feature BENEATH THE HARVEST SKY.

Patting ourselves on the metaphoric back, Art and I knew that Gita would take the prize!  We shared our predictions with her when we conducted this interview three days before the award ceremony.

Here's what Gita Pullapilly had to say about NYC, indie filmmaking and what the Euphoria Calvin Klein Live The Dream Grant means  to her future and other female indie filmmakers.

myNewYorkeye: We think you are the winner of the "Live The Dream Grant," so Art and I are sending our congratulations early.

What's it like to be you?

Gita Pullapilly: As an Indian American, I have always dreamed of making movies. BENEATH THE HARVEST SKY is my directorial debut.

To be nominated for The "Live The Dream Grant" is a tremendous honor. This will allow BENEATH THE HARVEST SKY to be seen by a larger audience but also allow us to take the film to communities that may not have had a chance to see the film otherwise. As independent filmmakers, sometimes you feel alone in the filmmaking process. But to have the support of IFP, has been an enormous boost.

myNewYorkeye: Art and I think you've won.  We're not being polite.  We're being creatively honest and objective.  So what what's your thoughts on winning?

Gita Pullapilly: OK, (and) to win the "LIVE THE DREAM GRANT" would be an incredible honor and also hopefully show other aspiring female artists out there that it is possible to reach those next to impossible dreams.

The New York film community is vital to independent film. It's where filmmakers come to find the best talented actors and production services. The New York film community allows independent filmmakers to have a voice and a platform and we are forever grateful.

ABOUT

Euphoria Calvin Klein has enjoyed a four year partnership with IFP.   This year they were the platinum sponsor at The 23nd Gotham Independent Film Awards which were held at Cipriani Wall Street.

The evening’s guests who were wardrobed by Calvin Klein Collection included Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Forest Whitaker, Michael B Jordan, Oscar Isaac, host for the evening Nick Kroll and IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente.

Mr. Whitaker also received a career tribute for his contribution to independent film.

Just as we were filing this story Gita alerted us that Tribeca Films has acquired U.S. rights to her coming-of-age drama “Beneath the Harvest Sky,” which stars  Callan Mcauliffe (“The Great Gatsby”) and Emory Cohen.

 “Beneath the Harvest Sky” centers on two teenage boys and their last summer working the potato harvest.

Yup, we were right ON THE VERGE!

Photo credit:  IFP Gotham Awards; Gita Pullapilly, Aron Gaudet.

Megan Good Isn't At All What I Expected And That's A Good Thing!

Megan Good isn't at all what I expected and that's a good thing!  She's a beautiful woman in Hollywood and playing with the A team and yet her powerful,  positive energy is aimed to helping the good.

Good is currently flexing her comedy chops as 1980s cable news executive Linda Jackson ---the woman in charge of Ron Burgundy's changing world in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" which Ferrell co-wrote with director Adam McKay. 

It's the kind of signature role that placed the young actress, best known for supporting parts in niche comedies "Think Like a Man" and "Jumping the Broom" and the lead in the now canceled NBC drama "Deception," in the "big, big" time!

What really struck and stayed with me, about Megan, was her easy going style which is demonstrated in her philanthropic causes most of which concern the future of young women of color.

She also loves GOD and isn't afraid to profess it and while that truism might turn some readers way off and fine tune others way too closely let me share that my impression was that Megan Good wasn't a broken record mouth piece for religious thumping zealots!

In NYC, on assignment at Eden Spa, researching the perks of celebrity and submerged in a deep, wooden bathtub filled with soft, fragrant rose petals, my phone rings and my Beyonce ring tone smashes my serenity.

My minuscule masseuse, Katherine from Guzng Zhou China, reluctantly stops and lets me do my job!

Hello, it's Megan.  That cherry statement was followed by :60 seconds of silence. Patiently,  I wait for the Paramount publicist to connect me.

Hello, the chipper voice repeats, It's Megan, Megan Good. 

This was the first surprise.  She had dialed me directly from her cellphone.  No layers of Hollywood "people" just Megan calling.

Here's what she had to say about comedy, enjoying spas, helping others and her love  for GOD.

myNewYorkeye: It's you?  Wild, well how are you Ms.Good?

Megan Good: Great.  We just had the NYC premiere of "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" and I'm kind of exhausted.

myNewYorkeye: Your in NYC?  We should have done this interview at Eden Spa!  It's wonderful and I'm in total zen.  Come down now, YING (owner), just made me lunch!

Megan Good: OMG.  I would in there in a NY-minute but I'm flying back home (LA) tonight.  Can I rain check?  I love a good spa day.  What woman doesn't?  You do sound very zen.

myNewYorkeye: I'm sure it does.  How was it woking with the boys of comedy?  In Hollywood they are a powerful group; individually and combined, a lethal money making machine!

Megan Good: The boys treated me like a princess.  It was an atmosphere of great support and much laughter.  No pranks just fun on top of fun!

myNewYorkeye: Your character,  Linda Jackson, is in charge!  It was such a welcome surprise!  Any more surprises?

Megan Good: The first "Anchorman," is one of my favorite comedies so I was very pleased when the shoe, that I threw in the audition, (at Will) got me the gig!

Comedy isn't as easy as it looks on the big screen.  Those guys are such masters at their game it appears effortless but it's not.

The racial slurs and all around bigotry that Ron and company demonstrate is done (by McKay) to really show how lame hate really is.  You know?

myNewYorkeye: I agree with you my sister!  In my opinion comedy is a great way to show just how stupid the "isms" are!

Megan Good: Agreed. That's the beauty of comedy. It disarms people.

myNewYorkeye: What's your favorite comedic film?

Megan Good: Anything that Kevin Hart is in!  I just think he's one of the best and the very, very best is yet to come!

myNewYorkeye: That's a lovely shout out to Kevin Hart. I've worked with Kevin, I'm a unit film publicist, and I just interviewed him last week for "Grudge Match," which is actually a good movie.

You sound and feel very "unhollywood" how did that miracle occur?

Megan Good: Thank you. I am very "unhollywood" I grew up in the Canyon Country community of Santa Clarita.  My father, an LAPD officer, was strict.  Plus, I  also started working in the industry fairly early but my love of GOD keeps me focused.  I'm answering to a higher source.

myNewYorkeye: Amen.  Wow, I'm shocked twice.  A Hollywood working Christian!  Single, married, engaged?

Megan Good: Married and here comes another shock.

myNewYorkeye: I'm sitting, actually, still in the tub at Eden so hit me with your best shot!

Megan Good: My husband is an executive at Columbia Pictures.

myNewYorkeye: That's not a Hollywood shock!  Your stunning and you would make a great Hollywood wife.  Congratulations by the way!

Megan Good: Thank you.  His name is DeVon Franklin and he's also a minister.

myNewYorkeye: Lovely. .. .say what now?  A minister and a Tinseltown power broker? That Is a shock!  Is it really possible to be loyal to the morality of the faith and succeed in Hollywood?

Megan Good: Absolutely!  My husband and I uplift one another while we lovingly promote the kingdom.  I've turned down roles that didn't reflect my values and I suspect that I'll turn down more.

GOD is everything and first in my life.  Hollywood, it's a job.  A good job and I love my work but my heart is locked on heaven and I love GOD far more!

myNewYorkeye: You've told the world that you want to play the late Whitney Houston; I watch Arsenio!  Hey, the next time your in NYC will you hang with me at Eden Spa and keep me in the loop about the progress on the late Ms. Houston's bio pic?

Megan Good: I'm there and then I can also give you the details on a new not-for-profit  that I've formed (2014) with my sister.  The focus is to uplift young woman in a myriad of ways.  I am so excited!

Megan Good's next film is "Think Like a Man Too" (June).  @MeaganGood

Barkhad Abdi, On The Seas With Tom Hanks

The film award(a) season---half of the year between September and March---is upon us and I'm confident that "Captain Phillips," directed by Paul Greengrass and starting two time Academy winner Tom Hanks, will receive a heap of nominations and awards and deserving, may I add, all of them.
 
It's an impressive and intelligent film and the acting makes the film an intimate experience.  My colleague Manohla Dargis, of the New York Times in reviewing the film called .... "newcomer Barkhad Abdi very, very fine".
 
I concur.  Here's what Barkhad Abdi shared about working with a Hollywood legend and learning how to swim.
 
myNewYorkeye: Barkhad Abdi, you were tremendous in your role as 'Muse.'  There is even early  "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar buzz around your performance.  How, exactly, did you got the role?

Barkhad Abdi: Fate.  I was at my friend’s house watching tv, and I saw a commercial looking for Somali actors for a Tom Hanks film. I went to the casting call and there were about 800 people there. 
They asked me my name, where I was born, my age, and they gave me a page from the script. They told me to read the role of 'Muse,' so I became that character.

myNewYorkeye: Barkhad Abdi, 800 people is a huge casting call.  How fast did the casting process move?

Barkhad Abdi: Fast for me.  I went back next day. Instead of 800 there were 40.
From that small number we were told to firm groups and that's how we auditioned in day two. 
We could form our own group. I took the lead and made my group unique.

myNewYorkeye: Sounds too easy.  How did the group auditions go? What happened?

Barkhad Abdi: Our first group audition went very badly. So we all went home and practiced and did better later.  Then we waited and waited.  They didn't call for two weeks - two weeks of silence.
 
myNewYorkeye: Two weeks waiting for a major career break is like an eternity.  And then what happened Barkhad Abdi?
 
Barkhad Abdi: Finally, we got a call from casting director - Francine Maisler - to meet with the director, Paul Greengrass. 
We flew to LA to meet with Paul. And that is when we were told we all got the parts.

myNewYorkeye: And then what happened Barkhad Abdi?

Barkhad Abdi: And then I had to jump in the ocean to make sure we weren't dreaming!
 
myNewYorkeye: The "Hollywood ocean is deep and turbulent" but you know that already.  So did you work immediately?
 
Barkhad Abdi: No, the work started a few months later.  First we flew to Malta and trained for a  month and half.
We had to learn how to swim, fight, use weapons, climb, and how to ride a skiff.
 
myNewYorkeye: Barkhad Abdi that is a lot of learning in a short amount of time. What was the biggest challenge during filming?
 
Barkhad Abdi: Swimming. I had never swam before. I couldn't swim in five feet of water.  Honestly.
 
myNewYorkeye: Say what now?  You auditioned for a film, that takes place in the ocean and you didn't know how to swim?  LMAO, Barkhad Abdi, LMAO.
 
Barkhad Abdi: I would DJ pool parties in Minneapolis, but I never swam there. (laughs)
 
myNewYorkeye: Barkhad Abdi much like your character, 'Muse,' your fearless and determined.  What was the most rewarding aspect of filming?
 
Barkhad Abdi: To get to work with all of people in the film. We learned how a film gets made and it really was all a great experience.
Also working with Tom Hanks was rewarding, but then the least rewarding part was having to wait to shoot our first scene with Tom Hanks.
 
myNewYorkeye: Explain?  Film is all "hurry up and (now) wait."
 
Barkhad Abdi: Waiting as an experience.  It was hard for me to scare Tom.  I was lost in that scene 'How do I scare him?'   I used a lot of my imagination to be in that character.  I had to became that character – I did whatever I could to become 'Muse.'
 
myNewYorkeye: Barkhad Abdi believe me you became 'Muse.'  Shooting on an ocean, I can't imagine how complicated. Is "hard" an accurate word to describe the experience?
 
Barkhad Abdi: It was very hard. Every day there was a new problem or difficulty. Whatever we were shooting, it was shooting at sea. Skiffs weren't easy. I would get sea sick at times and I would fall.  Plus the lifeboat was smelly.

During those times, I really tried to stay in character.  Those challenges shaped my character choices. The boat really smelled.
 
myNewYorkeye: What stands out as one of the best days of filming?
 
Barkhad Abdi: The first scene - the village scene was easy for me. It was shooting on land. (Laughs).
 
myNewYorkeye: What would you say the film is really about?
 
Barkhad Abdi: It is a story of two people with very different life styles. One went to school and college, got a job and had a family. He has his life on track.

One lives in a torn up part of the world. He didn't go to school and he sees this (pirating) as his only chance at a better life.

When these two people come together, with forces outside of their control, they both have to understand each other and live with each other.
 
myNewYorkeye: How do you like New York? You’ve been here before, right? And have you ever been to Harlem, Barkhad Abdi?

Barkhad Abdi: I have been to New York and I love Manhattan. I love the energy there.  It's a lot different than Minneapolis. In a good way. (laughs)