Events_Moderator: DID YOU KNOW? - Some of Michael's past jobs - painting houses, repairing cars, working as an orderly in a hospital and pumping gas.
Events_Moderator: DID YOU KNOW? - Michael has worked with such talent as Quentin Tarantino, Kim Bassinger, Alec Baldwin, Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Susan Sarandon, and Kevin Costner?
Events_Moderator: DID YOU KNOW? - Michael has 2..count them 2...films screening at this year's prestigious Cannes Film Festival? (SACRIFICE and THE GHOST)
Events_Moderator: Welcome! For those of you just joining us, tonight we are chatting with actor Michael Madsen.
Events_Moderator: Hi everyone , please welcome Michael Madsen to this Live Event!!
Chamber_Spice: welcome michael!!!!!!! I like luv you!!!
lklem: Welcome Michael....it's a thrill.
Events_Moderator: Hi Michael, welcome to Lycos Live Events! Psyched to meet your fans?
manolis_varnasactor: michael hi you are the best
Michael_Madsen: Absolutely!
zippopoet: Hi Michael, this should be fun
Michael_Madsen: I'm surprised that I have any fans!
manolis_varnasactor: Michael you are a wonderful actor besides your new movie what are your next projects?
Michael_Madsen: I did a western called High Noon that's gonna be coming up on TBS, it's a remake of a Gary Cooper western.
Michael_Madsen: I've got a movie premiering on HBO on Friday called Sacrifices, and I think I'm gonna make a movie about Pretty Boy Floyd, the bank robber from the 1930's, we're supposed to start shooting that in November in Texas.
Michael_Madsen: That's about it right now.
sallycreamcheese: Michael, I like your "Banana eating roles" like Redline and Love to Kill..will you be eating bananas in any of your new movies?
Michael_Madsen: {Laughs} Anything is possible.
Chamber_Spice: What is your fave type of film to make? I think horrors are soooo kewl!!!
Michael_Madsen: Well, I like westerns.
sallycreamcheese: What's the best thing about making a western?
Michael_Madsen: I like the outfits.
Michael_Madsen: And I like that times seemed to be a lot more innocent back then.
Michael_Madsen: Gunfight at the OK Corral is one of my favorite pictures with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.
Michael_Madsen: I don't get asked to do westerns very often, but I wish that I did.
zippopoet: Do you finally get to ride a horse in the upcoming High Noon?
Michael_Madsen: Yeah.
Michael_Madsen: I have three horses of my own.
zippopoet: Is the Frank Miller role in High Noon expanded for this remake?
Michael_Madsen: A little bit. I have a lot more screen time and a lot more dialogue.
Michael_Madsen: Ian McDonald is the actor who played Frank Miller in the original High Noon, and from what I remember you could barely see the guy half the time.
Chamber_Spice: What breeds of horses do you have?
Michael_Madsen: I have and Appaloosa, a Morgan and a Quarter Horse.
manolis_varnasactor: Have you seen the first version of High Noon and do you find any differences with these two movies?
Michael_Madsen: Well, of course I have seen the first version, and it was for that reason I was reluctant to get involved in a remake, cause let's face it, that's pretty hard material to mess around with.
Michael_Madsen: I think Rod Hardy is a genius and you know, directed the remake, and he just did a tremendous job of putting it together, and he put his own stamp on it.
Michael_Madsen: It's different from the first one, it doesn't have any less integrity.
Michael_Madsen: I guess I might have liked it to be in black and white, but that's the hard part nowadays.
lklem: Can you give us details about your upcoming war movie that Quentin Tarantino is making?
Michael_Madsen: Well, I know that Quentin is still writing it at this point in time, I know that he is almost finished. We've been spending some time together, and I'm actually keeping a couple of my cars at his house right now. I think he's probably written a great character for me, based on the conversations that we've had.
Michael_Madsen: I'm looking forward to working on it, cause we haven't done anything together since Resivoir Dogs.
manolis_varnasactor: I liked you in many movies but my most favorite was Species, a fantastic thriller. Did you enjoy playing in that movie and what was it like working with the hot Natasha Henstridge
Michael_Madsen: {laughs} I did that picture for Roger Donaldson. I did The Getaway with him a year or so before that, and we had a really good time making that picture. But I played such a bad guy in The Getaway that I told Roger that I wanted to play a heroic character, so I did that in Species.
Michael_Madsen: I think it's a good picture, and Natasha is a very close friend. And she has something that a lot of actors don't have.
Events_Moderator: Welcome! For those of you just joining us, tonight we are chatting with actor Michael Madsen.
blue_girl_4_you92107: I went to your book signing a couple years ago. I love Burning in Paradise.......are you gonna write another book?
Michael_Madsen: I just finished another book it's called The Blessing of the Hounds, Quentin Tarantino wrote the introduction for the book, or the forward, or whatever the hell you call it. I'm looking for a publisher right now. It's the same thing, it's short stories and poems and photographs.
sallycreamcheese: Michael, I loved "The Florentine". Was that really your hair?
Michael_Madsen: {laughs} Yes, that was my hair. It was just bleached out. The character in the movie was named Whitey so I bleached out my hair to make it white.
Michael_Madsen: If I'd have known how long the hair dying process takes, I might not have done it. It turned a lot of different colors before it turned white, and I didn't realize it had to be retouched every three days. It kind of drove me insane because we were shooting outside in December, and it was cold outside.
Michael_Madsen: Walking around with chemicals on my head wasn't a good experience. I think that The Florentine was a good picture and I'm really surprised that anyone has ever seen it. It never got proper distribution.
Michael_Madsen: And I think that there's way too much of Jim Belushi in the movie. I also think that it's the best work that I have ever seen from Chris Penn.
lklem: You and your sister had such a touching scene in the Florentine...really great...any plans to work together again?
Michael_Madsen: Well, I wish that there was material available for the two of us, more often, but it's just never...it's just very rare.
Michael_Madsen: We don't ever see anything that we can do together.
Michael_Madsen: I did that movie as a favor to Tom Sizemore and you know, the character in the story was my sister, so there wasn't any better choice than my own sister, and she happened to be available at the time, so it was just one of those things that worked out.
Michael_Madsen: It's really very hard to be in two places at one time, her schedule and my schedule don't always let us do anything together.
zippopoet: The Florentine was great. It was a midwestern, blue collar, "Big Chill."
izofblu: I sure miss seeing your face on Vengeance Unlimited - any chance of bringing it back?
Michael_Madsen: Well, thank you very much, I think that's a compliment.
Michael_Madsen: Well I wish that there was, and I kid myself into believing that there is, but the sad reality is that...Network executives are not the geniuses that you think they might be.
Michael_Madsen: What they really want is laugh track sitcoms and stories about friends that don't have any friends.
Michael_Madsen: And are probably not friends with each other.
Michael_Madsen: I don't think that ABC ever understood what Vengence, Unlimited was about, and so they didn't know how to sell it.
lklem: VU was an excellent show...different from the rot that's on today...I guess it just never got the proper advertising. Too bad because it had a great following and you were fantastic in it.
zippopoet: What do you think about continued efforts to "Save Vengeance Unlimited?"
Michael_Madsen: Well, I would suggest that that person call Mike Benson he worked for ABC in the publicity department, and he was responsible for hyping that show, and I think he did a very poor job.
Michael_Madsen: I only wish that it was bigger and more, because I love the character and the only way that any network would ever put that show back on TV would be through the force of public opinion.
lklem: You're such a fabulous actor you'd be great on Broadway...any chance you'll be appearing there soon?
Michael_Madsen: If I could afford it, I'd probably be doing that right now.
Michael_Madsen: The theater doesn't pay very well.
zippopoet: Michael, since your appearance on Roseanne, are you going to be doing any more talk shows?
Michael_Madsen: {laughs} Uh...I don't have any plans for that, no. I'm very uncomfortable doing that kind of thing. I never really know what to talk about, and I don't know how to answer the questions, and I just get...I guess I don't understand the intent of a talk show. I don't know if it's meant to inform or to entertain. I never know where to go with it.
Michael_Madsen: The formalities that are involved with the pre-interviews that they have before you do a show like that are really a giant pain in the ass.
Michael_Madsen: I was also so horrified at the way that I looked on the Roseanne show, that I've since dropped ten pounds.
Events_Moderator: Welcome! For those of you just joining us, tonight we are chatting with actor Michael Madsen.
sallycreamcheese: It was nice to see your wife on Roseanne. What is her favorite Madsen movie?
Michael_Madsen: {laughs} I don't know if she has a favorite Madsen movie. I did an episode of a show called Tour of Duty many years ago that I remember her saying that she liked, and I think she like Thelma and Louise.
Michael_Madsen: But we don't spend a lot of time talking about my film roles.
lklem: You were absolutely great on Roseanne...we got to see a side we've never seen before...very amusing.
Michael_Madsen: Well, I got a big kick out of her reading my poetry, I'll tell you that.
Events_Moderator: DO NOT FORGET, After the chat you are all invited to join Michael's after hours party/chat. The moderator will post the URL once this Event is over.
Events_Moderator: DID YOU KNOW? - Michael has 2..count them two films screening at this year's prestigious Cannes Film Festival? (SACRIFICE and THE GHOST)
manolis_varnasactor: How demanding was your role in Thelma and Louise? Did you expect the movie to be so successfull
Michael_Madsen: Yeah, I did expect that, but there was a few scenes that I did that were cut out, and I was disappointed that they weren't in there.
Michael_Madsen: I think Susan Sarandon is an incredibly intelligent young lady, and I wish to God that Ridley Scott would call me once in a while. I've been trying to get a message to him for a while, and he seems to be too busy to give me a role in his movies.
sallycreamcheese: Michael, you were filming in Calgary recently. Do you like Canada? Which is your favorite Canadian city so far?
Michael_Madsen: Well, I sure love Calgary, and I've never had a bad experience anywhere in Canada. I've been to Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, and I've always had a good time, and was so very welcome.
lklem: Can you give a short synopsis of Sacrifice and The Ghost? Did you say that Sacrifice is on THIS Friday on HBO?
Michael_Madsen: Yeah. It's gonna play three times, it'll be on Friday, Monday and the following Thursday.
Michael_Madsen: Sacrifice is about a bank robber who is trying to find out who killed his daughter. I really don't know what the Ghost is about, because I never read the script.
manolis_varnasactor: Do you surf the internet and what is your opinion for these celebrities chats on the web .
Michael_Madsen: I don't know anything about the Internet, I guess I'm kind of ignorant in that respect. Two of my sons have computers and they are on the Internet, but I...I'm really kind of old fashioned and I really don't know anything about it.
Michael_Madsen: I know that there's a really wonderful website that was set up by a woman named Joann Kerr, who did like a Michael Madsen offical website, like a fan club thing.
Michael_Madsen: One of the reasons I come on and do this is for Joann.
Michael_Madsen: I don't have any opinions about celebrities, or whatever they do.
sallycreamcheese: Did you REALLY do an episode of "hey Arnold"? When will it be on?
Michael_Madsen: Yes I did. I did the voice for a character named Murray, who is the bus driver. And I don't know when it's going to be on.
Michael_Madsen: But I had a lot of fun doing it.
Events_Moderator: I hate to say it everyone, but we have to wrap this up in a few minutes. The hour is almost up. But hey, this has been a lot of fun and a pleasure to meet Michael !! OK folks, we will take just a few more comments or questions.
Chamber_Spice: What do you do to stay grounded and not get pushed into the Hollywood lifestyle?
Michael_Madsen: I'm as far away from that as....any actor could ever be.
Michael_Madsen: I learned a long time ago that whole situation is kind of overrated, and so I moved far, far away, out to the beach.
Michael_Madsen: And I spend most of my time looking after my sons.
manolis_varnasactor: If you had the chance to play in a another remake movie which would you choose
Michael_Madsen: Oh man....
Michael_Madsen: I think I'd like to do a remake of Meet John Doe, which was a Gary Cooper picture, and I believe it was Frank Capra, but I could be wrong.
Michael_Madsen: But I'm not wrong about the picture.
vufan: Being a good actor, which you are, is it a gift that you are born with, or is it learned?
Michael_Madsen: I think that beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
Chamber_Spice: Michael, are films what you want to do for the rest of your life?
Michael_Madsen: No.
Michael_Madsen: I'd rather be racing cars.
Michael_Madsen: And I'd like to have a pizza franchise.
Michael_Madsen: I think there's probably a lot of better ways that I could spend my time.
sallycreamcheese: You've driven a lot of cool classic cars in your films. Which one would you have loved to drive home?
Michael_Madsen: Well, I have driven home a few of them.
Michael_Madsen: I have a great fondness for American muscle cars, and older model vehicles.
Michael_Madsen: But....after a while it becomes a matter of space, and you just can't give them the attention that they need.
lklem: Which roles do you like the best...playing the heavy or the hero? You play them both so well.
Michael_Madsen: I think that's a split decision.
Michael_Madsen: I have reasons for liking both.
Michael_Madsen: I've always been fortunate that I can be seen either way in the mind of a screenwriter.
Nash615: Would you do a film for the KIDS market
Michael_Madsen: Well, I already did. Free Willy.
Michael_Madsen: Free Willy one and two.
Michael_Madsen: I think the first one is a good picture.
zippopoet: Enlighten us. Where is this interview taking place?
Michael_Madsen: I'm in my garage.
Michael_Madsen: I have the door open, and I'm looking out on the street.
Events_Moderator: Thanks Mr. Madsen we had a really good time chatting with you. We will have to do this again some time!!
Events_Moderator: Thank you ALL for coming! Sorry we didn't get to ALL the questions :-)
Michael_Madsen: Goodbye to everybody!
manolis_varnasactor: Michael it was nice chatting with you wish you all the best to your career
lklem: Michael keep up all the good work and please keep JoAnn advised...because she keeps us advised of your wonderful upcoming work.
zippopoet: Bye Mike..good luck
sallycreamcheese: Thanks Michael
izofblu: TaTa
Nash615: Thanks Michael
sallycreamcheese: remember...bananas rule!!
blue_girl_4_you92107: Bye Michael!!!!!!
Michael_Madsen: I try to stay in touch with her as much as I can, she's a very underrated friend, and I'm amazed that she takes the time that she does to keep an interest in what I do.
lesliefae: keep writing poetry
manolis_varnasactor: Michael I wish you come and chat again soon
Michael_Madsen: I love bananas!
BNQ: Thanks, Michael!!!!
Events_Moderator: LOL Take care Michael!
blue_girl_4_you92107: bye
manolis_varnasactor: have a nice evening
vufan: Thanks!
Nash615: thanks lycos, System..and Moderator