European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 27, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Pm 12 o stars and stripes tuesday March 27 2007 faces the Good Guy with gravitas Danny Glover divides time Between movies for Cash and conscience by Mary Mcnamara los Angeles times Hollywood Danny Glover is a complicated Man which is strange when you consider the solid uncomplicated image of him tall magisterial even with that wide and Lovely smile the Man we know from a Hundred of four lethal weapon mov ies from places in the heart the color purple and Angels in the Outfield from a bit More recently dream girls the shaggy dog and saw saw let it sit for a minute impossible what was Danny Glover doing in saw getting killed like the rest of the cast for one thing did he know did he sense that the grisly Low Bud get horror flick would be come an enormous hit generating millions of dollars and a spinoff franchise is that Why he did it not exactly the producers were at the time my managers he says referring to evolution whose principal partners produced saw i did it As a favor to them and lets face it no one was exactly banging Down my door i am glad i got killed off though saved me from the sequels this is one reason the Ca reer is complicated it might seem like Glover is working All the time but he Hast been music agent Marty Madison in dream girls was the first big part in a big film Hes had in a while it was the Good folks at ice he says who actively pursued it i was not the first person on their list he says with a laugh but they were like if Danny Glover wants to be in this movie great were glad to have him which was Nice now on the heels of dream girls comes shooter an action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg As Bob Lee swagger Earmy Marks Man fighting for Justice and his life that opened stateside Friday Glover had not been the first one on that list either director Antoine Fuqua Origi Nally considered Gene Hack Man for the medal of Honor recipient colonel who coaxes the bitter swagger Back into action but then pro Ducer Lorenzo i Bonaventura uttered glovers name and the Deal was sealed Danny has such gravitas i Bonaventura says he can mask his emotions or he can Wear them on his sleeve and his goo Guy baggage worked to our advantage at 60 Glover is entering a territory where the roles Are Richer Danny Glover would rather talk about Bamako a political film he produced about the african debt than shooter an action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg Robert Angeles times Danny glovers highs and lows shooter 12007 dream girls 2006 the shaggy dog 2006 Bamako 2006 executive producer or 2005 saw 2004 the Royal Tenen Baums 2ooi Freedom song 20001 be loved 1998 lethal weapon series iss Jissi Angels in the Outfield 1994 the Saint of fort Washington 1993 predator 2 1990 Mande la 1987 the color purple 1985 Silverado 1985 witness 1985 percent of the prison Popula Tion no one talks about what is going on systemically these Days Glover says he makes More Money lecturing about education civil rights poverty than he does in filmmaking and it shows Danny is so smart Fuqua says so smart they have to break us up on the set wed sit Down Start talking about his character and then wed be talking about politics the cameramen would just be standing there saying us we do have a movie to shoot when he turned 50 Glover says things sort of dried up Ca reer Wise and he still int quite sure Why it could have been his age at 50 youre too old to play the husband too Young to play the Grandfather or simply too Many lethal weapons whatever the reason when Glover was offered a Small part in the Tim Allen remake of the shaggy dog he jumped at it he had spent the previous year doing Only four episodes of or so yeah i took shaggy dog he says they were of Fering a lot of Money Jane Curtin she played the judge there were a lot of us in there Robert Downeyjr it was that kind of movie you could Call him an idealistic pragmatist did he want to do lethal weapon 3 and no but it was work and it was Money and these Are both Good things like Many actors he tries to leverage his Star Power to finance or support films that otherwise get made As Happy As he is with his work on shooter for exam ple Hes More interested in talking about Bamako a tiny feature film he produced last year about the african debt which opened at new Yorks film forum it got great reviews he says it did incredible Busi Ness in Paris and opened in London and Christian Aid has started a petition to renounce British contributions to the if and the world Bank so the film meant some thing youre trying to talk about issues in an Industry that lets be honest is not that imaginative so How do i leverage lethal weapon to make the Saint of fort Washington or Freedom song he asks re Ferring to films he was in Deal ing with homelessness and the civil rights movement there is something hypnotic about the Way Glover speak swords and thoughts Laid Down and built upon Here is the foundation from though not As plentiful where the Competition can be Here is the Rampart he would like to say that dream Eirls and Freeman Harkman Tainan up fish i Imp pwn apr ral win Tiia Aii Freeman Hackman Laurence Fishburne even Alec Baldwin its so hard to get an intelligent film about anything made in hol Lywood these Days much less one about race he says we Frame the discussion in archaic ways we focus on incidences of what some person said or what some person wrote we dont take on the real is sues like fear or that i represent 12 percent of the population and 50 shooter mean the lean Days Are behind him but Hes been in the business too Long to be anything but realistic people could Start offering me a lot of things he says or Thev might not Well see j in still in it for the same reason i came to this he adds in that unmistakable Danny Glover voice to be of some use after surgery Philbin in pain but recovering Regis Philbin called live with Regis and Kelly on Friday to report that Hes in pain but doing Well after his recent heart bypass surgery Well you know i think in through the worst of it Philbin told cohost Kelly Ripa Iguess i was a Little unprepared for you know the first week and what they actually do to make this thing happen so some of it came As quite a Shock Philbin 75 said the pain especially hurts when he sneezes other than that in dancing in hav ing fun said Philbin who is expected to return to the syndicated daytime talk show in about a month Philbin Singer Grace Slick right and guitarist Paul Kantner in 1989 Jefferson air plane sues founding member again is this a Flashback one faction of the 1960s psychedelic band Jefferson air plane is again suing founding member Paul Kantner alleging that Hes using the bands name without permission Singer Grace Slick and Bill Thomp son former manager of the Jefferson air plane and the Jefferson Sta ship filed the lawsuit tuesday charging that Kantner is violating both Trade Mark rights and an Legal Settle ment he signed in 1985 Kantner prom ised never to perform As Jefferson Star ship or use the names Jefferson or air plane without consent from Slick majority shareholder in Jefferson Star ship inc the lawsuit said Kantner 66 crossed the line Thomp son said by making a Deal to let Microsoft corp use the Sta ship name Vivica Fox charged with Drunken driving Vivica a Fox was charged in los Angeles on Friday with Misdemeanour counts of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood Al Cohol level above the Legal limit officials said if convicted the 42yearold actress faces a maximum six months in jail a Fine City attorney spokesman Frank mate Jan said Fox was arrested late tuesday after passing a patrol car on the Hollywood freeway at 80 Mph and subsequently failing a Field sobriety test authorities said breathalyzer tests indicated her blood alcohol level was greater than 008 percent the Legal limit for a Driver Fox was released from jail Early wednesday her arraignment was set for May 17 Mateljan said 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