Saturday, August 09, 2008

Bernie Mac: In his own words

In case you missed it, Bernie Mac died today from complications from pneumonia. He was 50. Over at NJ.com, I posted an interview I did with Bernie back in 2002, where he talked about his upbringing, his career and his comic philosophy.

11 comments:

  1. I am unbelievably sad about this :( He was one of my faves.

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  2. Really, quite a sad day. He was a funny, funny man.

    R.I.P.

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  3. Very sad news. Mac was a highlight of my favorite Christmas movie, "Bad Santa."

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  4. I came across Bernie Mac through his TV show, and liked that a lot. I also enjoyed him in Mr. 3000. But I think what impressed me most about him was his appearance on Punk'd.

    His episode was the only one I ever watched; the very idea of that show sickens me. But one night I was flipping channels and spotted Bernie Mac, so I waited to see what it was. When I realized that spoiled rich pretty white boy Ashton Kutcher thought it was funny to set up a black guy to be arrested, I was appalled, but watched it out of sympathy for Bernie and with the intention of writing to the network to protest the outrage. The setup: they would have him get stuck at a broken traffic light, and when he decided to run the light, fake cops would come out and arrest him.

    Bernie's behavior really impressed me throughout. He was calm, cool, collected. When the traffic light didn't turn, he was perfectly willing to wait. The only way they got him to run the red light at all was by having his driver suggest it. When the cops pulled them over and arrested the driver, Bernie did not argue with the fake cops, but focused on reassuring the driver that everything would be all right, that his lawyers would take care of everything, etc. And when the fake cops started harassing Bernie himself, he remained calm, cool and polite.

    I completely agree with Bernie's statement at the time, that he was not "punked" because he never lost his cool. Forget the image he shows on screen; he's a class act, and there are too few of them out there. He will be missed.

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  5. America, Ashton Kutcher needs a good ass-kicking for pulling that stunt!

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  6. I loved him in the Oceans films. Such a funny man. He will be missed.

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  7. forgive yet another off topic, but i just noticed your side links to varying shows (great ideas) and interviews. and I thought - what about the David Shore interview??

    (who knows how long you've had this up there. I never notice things. you know, except the changing color of the trees outside the hospital on Grey's Anatomy)

    My apologies to Bernie Mac's fans. I don't think I've ever seen him perform. I'm sure he was great.

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  8. I first saw him in "The Original Kings of Comedy," a movie which, I believe, he utterly stole. I'll never forget his disquisition on the word "motherfucker" as a noun: "it describes a person, place, or thing."

    I loved his addresses to the camera during his sitcom, too.

    He was a truly original talent, and he'll be sorely missed.

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  9. First, Bernie Mac. Now, Isaac Hays.

    They say these things happen in threes. I wonder who the next black celebrity to die this weekend will be?

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  10. wow, it's weird the way i get my news...

    sad though.

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  11. Hanineal: He's not black, but the other too-young celebrity that died within a few days of those two was Robert Hazard.

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