[MADtv] Artie Lange to star in "Beer League"

[Dartanian]

Thanks go out to the ever helpful PitaPockets for bringing this to my attention.

An Artie Lange project previously thought to have been postponed indefinitely has recently come back to life.

The New York Business Wire announced in a press release today that Ckrush Entertainment, Inc. ("CKP" or the "Company") has signed a deal memorandum for the rights acquisition, production and financing for "Beer League", a feature film to star none other than MADtv's very own Artie Lange. The script was co-written by Artie and Frank Sebastiano, a former writer for Saturday Night Live and The Chris Rock Show, who will make his directorial debut with Beer League.

Here is a small plot outline from the article, which can be viewed here:

"Beer League is about a dysfunctional softball team trying to win back their pride both on and off the field. It's loaded with laugh out loud, belly cramping adult humor."

While similar plots to this one have been done in the past, this still sounds pretty promising. I really hope it gets produced and released.

[MADtv_Est.'95]

If it looks funny enough for me, I'll see it. And if Artie Lange's a main character, that might just give a push to go see Beer League.

[MysterE]

Artie Lange will return to the big screen in the new movie "Beer League" which was filmed in Bayonne and East Rutherford this summer. Best known for his edgy comedy on The Howard Stern Show and his work in the popular films Elf and Old School, Lange, who lives in Hoboken, also co-wrote the new film.

The film
The movie is a comedy about softball. Lange co-wrote it with Frank Sebastiano, who also directed the film. "Frank [Sebastiano] is a real writer," said Lange last week. "He has two Emmys, one from 'SNL' and the other from 'The Chris Rock Show'. The only award I have is an FM-mmy."

Lange and Sebastiano met on the set of a film called "Dirty Work" (1998), which Sebastiano wrote and Lange acted in. "Beer League" took the two a year to write. They finished in 2002 and began production this year. According to Lange, they have been mostly sticking to the script, only adding a few improvisational jokes to make it better.

The plot thickens
Lange plays Artie Devanso, a guy who believes softball is the only thing that matters. "[The character is] basically me if I didn't luck out and get into show business," said Lange. Lange said that although the movie was fun to shoot, it was more difficult playing the lead. "There is way more pressure than other roles where I got to do jokes and leave," said Lange. "It's a lot harder. You have to move the story along."

The other difficulty Lange encountered during shooting was his busy schedule. In addition to working on The Howard Stern Show in the morning, he filmed most days for 12 hours, and was working on his stand-up routine.

"A big part of my living is my stand-up material on the road," said Lange. Now that filming is complete, Lange will be going back on tour with his new comedy material from "It's the Whiskey Talking."

Softball
Although the movie is a comedy, it touches on deeper issues like how relationships change when you get older. Lange wanted to do a movie about softball because he felt it is part of America's culture. He thinks most people connect to the game.

"It's about softball," said Lange. "How as the guys get older and the relationships change, and softball is the only thing keeping them together." In the movie, Lange's character plays first base, but in real life he used to play third. According to Lange, he stopped playing 10 years ago and as a result, he doesn't see the guys he used to play with.

"I think it reminds me of my childhood, my father," said Lange. "I think people have the same reaction. It reminds you of what it was like to be a kid, where everything is carefree and fun." For Lange, one of his favorite scenes is when his character gets to hit a homerun onscreen. "That was always a dream of mine," said Lange.

The cast
In addition to Lange, there are high-caliber actors in the film including Academy Award nominee Seymour Cassel as "Dirt," Ralph Macchio as "Maz," and Jimmy Palumbo as "Johnny." Cara Buono plays Linda, Lange's love interest in the movie. Anthony DeSando, originally from Jersey City, plays Lange's rival as captain of the other team. Jerry Minor from SNL plays "Tim" and Mike Deeg plays "Alphonse."

Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne), who worked with Lange on the ABC sitcom Norm, plays Lange's mom. Hoboken actors George Palermo and Alex Corrado have minor roles. There is also a cameo appearance by David Carney, owner of the upscale Hoboken restaurants The Madison and The Jefferson.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=523592&rfi=6

[Debrafan]

I wish he never left Mad TV. My White Mamma was one of my favorites.

[DCFCfan]

Is 'Beer League' going to theaters? I've looked at a lot of movies w/ MAD members as lead roles, but they're usually just direct-to-video or make the festival circuit.

[MysterE]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Indie distributor Echo Bridge Entertainment has bought North American rights to the comedy feature "Beer League," starring Artie Lange, a sidekick on Howard Stern's syndicated radio show.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...M-LANGE-DC.XML

[Dartanian]

Beer League Pinball: http://www.beerleaguethemovie.com/games/index_game.html