The One (2001)

A sci-fi film starring Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham

Summary

-Set in a world of Multiverses, where everyone has a version of themselves, two Multiverse agents track down a rogue criminal killing alternate versions of himself, to become stronger. The only thing stopping him from becoming "The One" is a humble LASD office

Cast

-Jet Li: Gabe / Yulaw / Lawless

-Carla Gugino: T.K. / Massie Walsh

-Delroy: Roedecker / Attendant

-Jason Statham: Funsch

-James Morrison: Aldrich / A World Inmate #1

-Dylan Bruno: Yates

-Richard Steinmetz: D'Antoni

-Harriet Sansom Harris: Nurse Besson

Did You Know?

-In the scenes where Jet Li appeared to be fighting himself, this was done with a stuntman with a similar physical build to him. The stuntman's face was painted green with CGI dots so Jet Li's face could digitally replace it later

-Jet Li uses two particular styles of kung fu here. For Yulaw, the "evil" one, he uses what is called Xingyi Quan, or "Mind-Form-Fist". It's seen as a very linear style meant for offense. Gabe is seen using what is called Bagua Zhang, or "Eight Trigrams Palm". This is known for open palm fighting, with circular footwork. Both styles are considered two of the three main styles of Chinese kung fu, with the third being Taiji Quan (Tai Chi)

-The 2001 TV program Scrubs is filmed at the North Hollywood Medical Center - the same "University Medical Center" featured in this movie, where Gabe is going to get his MRI 

-In the film's initial shootout, the guns used by the LAPD in the Anubis Universe were M4A1 carbine assault rifles equipped with an M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System. At the time, the M26 was a relatively new experimental shotgun being developed by the United States Army by C-More Systems. It was not available to the public. These were prototype weapons being used and were loaned to the film set by the C-More Systems company. It was done under a promotional agreement that required them to be returned to the company after production was completed

-Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was initially supposed to have the main role, but he had made plans to star as The Scorpion King in the 2001 film The Mummy Returns. At the time, this film was listed as Untitled Sci-Fi Project. When Jet Li came in, it was retitled The One

-When Yulaw is driving around in a car he had stolen, he is fiddling with the radio, trying to find music. The 4th song he comes to is "Sinner" by Drowning Pool. When the film was released in Asia, it was changed to Linkin Park's "Forgotten"

-Jason Statham and Jet Li would appear together once again in films such as 2007's War, 2010's The Expendables, 2012's The Expendables 2 and 2014's The Expendables 3. Jet Li would play a character called Yin Yang

-Both Jet Li and Carlo Gugino had movies come out the same year before signing on to do this one. Carla Gugino starred in Spy Kids while Jet Li starred in Kiss of the Dragon

-When Delroy Lindo's gas station attendant character calls the police, after reporting violence, he describes the appearance of one of them as "a Chinese man". All he would know is that the person in question was of eastern Asian appearance. The attendant was trying to guess whether the man was Chinese or Japanese and assuming that he was Chinese, as the larger population instead of a general description

The Corruptor (1999)

This is one of my favorite films

Summary

-An Asian NYPD detective is trying to stop drug trafficking and corruption by immigrant Chinese Triads with the help of his partner, but things get difficult when the Triads attempt to bribe the policemen off the case

Cast

-Chow Yun-fat: Nick Chen

-Mark Wahlberg: Danny Wallace

-Ric Young: Henry Lee

-Paul Ben-Victor: Schabaker

-Jon Kit Lee: Jack

-Andrew Pang: Willy Ung

-Elizabeth Lindsey: Louise Deng

-Brian Cox: Sean Wallace

-Byron Mann: Bobby Vu

-Kim Chan: Benny Wong

-Marie Matiko: May

Did You Know?

-Kim Chan plays a character named "Uncle" Benny Wong in two films: this film and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

-Originally, in the scene where Det. Nick Chen (Chow Yun-fat) walked in on Henry Lee being fed grapes by May, the scene called for May to be performing oral sex on him. Chow Yun-fat stated he would not continue his relationship with May after seeing this. The scene was changed to a more friendly scene of grape feeding instead

-Originally Ethan Hawke was supposed to play the role of Danny Wallace, played by Mark Wahlberg. Unfortunately, production had ended to accommodate Chow Yun-fat's production schedule

-Initially, in the scene where Det. Nick Chen finds out Danny Wallace is working with Internal Affairs investigating him, the scene called for Chen to go into the bathroom and knock a hand dryer off the wall and smash a mirror. It was changed to Chen doing a sort of deep breathing instead because the previous idea was deemed an American response and, since Chinese culture is so heavily present in the film, deep breathing was more appropriate

Diagnosis Murder (1993-2001)

This detective show involves a doctor working as a consultant for the police, including his detective son

Summary

-Dr. Mark Sloane (Dick Van Dyke) is a doctor at Community General Hospital who helps his detective son solve crimes

Cast

-Dick Van Dyke: Dr. Mark Slone

-Barry Van Dyke: Steve Sloane

-Victoria Rowell: Amanda Bentley-Livingston

-Charlie Schlatter: Dr. Jesse Travis

-Michael Tucci: Norman Briggs

-Scott Baio: Dr. Jack Stewart

-Delores Hall: Delores Mitchell

-Shane Van Dyke: Alex Smith

-Kim Little: Nurse Susan Hilliard

Did You Know?

-The series was only renewed a few episodes at a time, according to Dick Van Dyke

-There was one episode that required a motorcycle stunt. Since the production team didn't have enough money in the budget to perform it, Dick Van Dyke used LightWave 3-D software on his home computer to create the visual effects, since he is a computer animation enthusiast. They were used on the show and he was paid $200 for creating this sequence

-Some were concerned that Dick Van Dyke was considered too old to play a still-working doctor when the series began

-When the series started, Dick Van Dyke was already 67 years old

-Dick Van Dyke decided to retire from the role, so the series only lasted 8 seasons

-When Victoria Rowell was pregnant, between seasons 2 and 3, her pregnancy was written into the role. It was said Amanda was married to a serviceman never seen on the program

-When Scott Baio left the show, it was explained that his character, Dr. Jack Stewart, had left Community General Hospital to start his own practice in Colorado

-To prepare for their roles, Dick Van Duke, Victoria Powell, Scott Baio and Charlie Schlatter all had to use medical dictionaries to pronounce the medical terminology

-In the episode "Gangland", it was said that Amanda was a foster child. In real life, Victoria Rowell, who played Amanda, was a foster child

-Victoria Rowell is a second cousin of singer / actress Beyonce Knowles-Carter

-Prior to becoming Chief of Internal Medicine and doing consulting work with the police, Dr. Mark Sloan was a doctor who worked with the MASH Unit

-This show helped launch the careers of Barry Van Dyke, Dick's son and Charlie Schlatter

-Dr. Mark Sloan served in the US Army, in a medical unit during the Korean War. Dick Van Dyke spent his time in the US Army Air Force during WWII in real life

13 Going on 30 (2004)

This is one of my favorite movies

Summary

-Geeky, unpopular girl Jenna Rink makes an unusual wish on her 13th birthday. It comes true when she wakes up to be a 30 year old woman working for a successful fashion magazine

Cast

-Jennifer Garner: Jenna Rink

-Mark Ruffalo: Marty Flamhaff

-Judy Greer: Lucy Wyman

-Andy Serkis: Richard Kneeland

-Kathy Baker: Bev Rink

-Phil Reeves: Wayne

-Sam Ball: Alex Carlson

-Joe Grifasi: Mr. Flamhaff

-Mary Pat Gleason: Mrs. Flamhaff

-Lynn Collins: Wendy

Did You Know?

-The first scene Mark Ruffalo did was the "Thriller" dance. He was terrified of doing the dance, but Jennifer Garner had "infectious" enthusiasm, so he went through with it. Andy Serkis was in London at the time and had to do the scene separately

-Christa B. Allen was chosen to play the 13 year old Jenna Rink. Jennifer Garner was happy because she felt that Allen really symbolized Garner at that age. Later on, Allen would appear in the 2009 film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, playing a younger version of Jennifer Garner's character

-When Jenna Rink, at 13 goes into the closet for "seven minutes of heaven", there are actual photos of Jennifer Garner in her younger years on the back of the door

-As Jenna Rink softened and came closer to her true self, her clothing colors became warmer thanks to production adjusting her wardrobe. While Lucy Wyman (Judy Greer) gets more ruthless, her fashion style becomes more aggressive

-A lot of the child-like observations Jenna Rink had were completely improvised by Jennifer Garner. For example, when Alex Carlson (Sam Bell) wanted to play sexual games with Jenna, she suggests Battleship instead

-There is a photo of Madonna on Jenna's vanity table on the day of her 13th birthday. When she is 30 years old, she has that same photo, only now it's signed in her work office

-When Jenna Rink's secretary answers the phone, there is a man on the other end saying "Put that little b---- on the phone. Tell her to call Todd." This is director Gary Winick's voice

-Sean Marquette, who played young Matt, wore a fat suit for the movie

-At the time of filming, Jennifer Garner was 31 years old. She spent time with teenagers to remember how to behave as one

-The celebrities on Poise's Wall of Shame are real celebrities

Tootsie (1982)

This film was actually funnier than I initially thought

Summary

-Michael Dorsey is an out of work actor. The only way he can get work is to disguise himself as a woman to get work on a daytime hospital drama

Cast

-Dustin Hoffman: Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels

-Jessica Lange: Julie Nichols

-Teri Garr: Sandy Lester

-Dabney Coleman: Ron Carlisle

-Charles Durning: Les Nichols

-Bill Murray: Jeff Slater

-Sydney Pollack: George Fields

-Geena Davis: April Page

Did You Know?

-Initially, Dorothy Michaels did not speak with a Southern accent. While doing research, Dustin Hoffman felt his voice fall more closely into a female pitch while doing the accent

-Most of the dialogue from Bill Murray was improvised

-In a 2014 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Geena Davis told him that Tootsie was her very first movie and that she was young and inexperienced. Dustin Hoffman acted as a mentor to her. He gave her advice. One tip he said was "I know you're going to move to Hollywood and be successful, and your co-stars are going to hit on you, and you should not sleep with your co-stars. It's a bad idea. So here's what to say. When they hit on you, say 'I would love to', be very flattering, 'but I'm afraid it would ruin the (on-screen) sexual tension between us.'" Geena Davis used that on Jack Nicholson later when he hit on her and he was impressed, wanting to know where she had gotten that line

-When the crew had bad news to give Dustin Hoffman, they would only give it to him when he was dressed as Dorothy Michaels, because they said he was "much nicer as a woman"

-At her parents' evening at school, Dustin Hoffman passed himself off as his daughter's Aunt Dorothy. His performance was so perfect that no one suspected anything was out of the ordinary

-The clothing Dorothy Michaels wore almost always covered Dustin Hoffman's 16'' neck and Adam's apple

-The insane ways that Michael Dorsey gets fired or quits from a production were actual events that happened to Dustin Hoffman

-After playing the role of Dorothy Michaels for the first time, Dustin Hoffman went home and burst into tears, confessing to his wife that playing the role of a woman forced him to face his own sexist perceptions of women that he didn't even realize he had

-Director Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman fought intensely over the littlest things that even Hoffman suggested Pollack playing his agent George Fields so they could use that energy in the film, and perhaps give Pollack a chance to vent

-The first time Michael Dorsey is waking up to play Dorothy Michaels, there is a photo of Dustin Hoffman's mother next to his alarm clock

-To do research for his role, Dustin Hoffman watched the 1978 film La Cauge aux Folles and the 1963 TV program General Hospital

-The breasts Dorothy were prosthetics that had came from a shop specializing in post-mastectomy care and cost $175 each

-Cher and Olivia Newton-John were considered for the role of Julie Nichols

-Sir Michael Caine, Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers were offered the role of Michael Dorsey

-When Michael Dorsey is auditioning for roles, he says he can do shorter. In real life, Dustin Hoffman is only 5'6''

-The film got its name from Dustin Hoffman's mother Lillian Hoffman, who gave her son Dustin the nickname "Tootsie" as a child

-Despite smoking indoors being a banned act today, at the time the film was released smoking was still permitted indoors where it is now banned

-Artist Andy Warhol appeared as himself and went uncredited

Hey Arnold! (1996-2022)

This popular cartoon was on in the mid to late 1990s

Summary

-Arnold is a typical 9 year old kid growing up in the city of Hillwood, Washington, who lives in a multi-ethnic boarding house and has a unique assortment of friends and neighbors

"Stoop Kid"

"Four Eyed Jack"

"Eugene's Bike"

"Arnold Betrays Iggy"

"Heat / Snow"

"Arnold's Christmas". This is a sad, but good episode, where you find out Mr. Hyunh had to give his daughter to a soldier during the fall of Saigon

"Downtown Fruits"

Cast

-Francesca Marie Smith: Helga Pataki / Sheena

-Jamil Walker Smith: Gerald Johanssen

-Dan Castellaneta: Arnold's Grandpa

-Justin Shenkarow: Harold Berman

-Christopher Walberg: Stinky Petersen

-Sam Gifaldi: Sid

-Anndi McAfee: Phoebe Heyerdahl

-Craig Bartlett: Brainy / Radio DJ

-Olivia Hack: Rhonda Wellington

-Tress MacNeille: Arnold's Grandma / Miss Slovak

-Kath Soucie: Miriam Pataki / Marilyn Berman

-Spencer Klein: Arnold (voice)

-Maurice LaMarche: Bob Pataki

-Steve Viksten: Oskar Kokoschka

-Dom Irrera: Ernie Potts

-David Wohl: Principal Wartz / Jerry Berman

-Ben Diskin: Eugene Horowitz

-James Keane: Marty Green

-Adam Wylie: Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe

-Ashley Buccille: Lila Sawyer

-Nika Futterman: Olga Pataki

-Dan Butler: Mr. Simmons

-Baoan Coleman: Mr. Hyunh

Did You Know?

-The show never really said where Arnold lives. You strongly suspect it might be in New York because of the shots of what looks like the Brooklyn Bridge. But actually the city in which Arnold calls home is a blend of Seattle, Brooklyn and Portland. There also hints that the city is called Hillwood because of the Hillwood Medical Center or Hillwood Zoo. That it's referencing the city of Hillwood, in Washington State

-The girls on the show were based on girls that creator Craig Bartlett knew and liked when he was a kid

-This was said to be the first animated show for children using actual children to provide the voices

-Initially, the show started out as claymation-type animation, one of which appeared on Sesame Street. And, also for a short time, it started out as a Simpsons-style series

-The only person who provided a voice who was not a child between the ages of nine to fifteen was creator Craig Bartlett, who voiced the character Brainy

-This show and The Simpsons have quite a lot in common. Craig Bartlett, who created Hey Arnold! is a brother in law to The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Also, Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson, also provided the voice of Arnold's grandpa. And even Gerald's tall hair resembles Marge Simpson

-It was a running gag throughout the show that Arnold's last name was never revealed. His grandpa always called him "short man". It was eventually revealed in the made for TV movie The Jungle Movie that Arnold's last name was Shortman

-The 2017 made for TV movie The Jungle Movie revealed what happened to Arnold's parents

-Mr. Green is the local neighborhood butcher. His character was based on the Ernest Borgnine character in the 1955 film Marty

-In the episode "Arnold's Halloween", he and his friends make a fake broadcast about a potential alien invasion. The "UFO" ends up being a nearby water tower decorated with lights. The name of the place where the UFO will land being Well's Ridge. This is a reference to Orson Wells, who did an actual broadcast, which was mistaken for an authentic alien invasion, for the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds, where aliens came to Earth

-Former Nickelodeon executive Geraldine Laybourne was the inspiration for Helga Pataki's middle name. It was a running joke throughout the series about Helga's name being Helga G. Pataki. This was confirmed by Craig Bartlett, who verified that he wanted to pay tribute to Laybourne by giving Helga the name Geraldine as her middle name

-On the outside of the Sunset Arms Boarding House, there is a sign that reads "No Children, Pets OK." This sign is also seen at other places, especially at the public pool Arnold and Gerald try to get into in the "Heat / Snow" episode

-The radio DJ in this program is a guy known as Nocturnal Ned who works at the local radio station MJZZ. This is actually a caricature of Craig Bartlett, who also lent his voice to various episodes

-According to the show's creators, Arnold's teacher Mr. Simmons was said to be homosexual

-The character Sid was voiced by two brothers named Sam and Taylor Gifaldi. Taylor for one time and Sam for the rest of the time

-In the episode where Stinky Peterson (Christopher Walberg)  makes a commercial, he walks into a studio called Snee-Oosh Studios. This is the actual name of the studio that made the show

-One of the boarding house residents is an always out of work man named Oskar Kokoschka. The name was taken from a 19th century Viennese painter, whose personality was completely different than this character

-Initially, Ruth P. McDougal was a sixth grader and the object of Arnold's love. Gerald tells him constantly that she is in the sixth grade and that it's hopeless. When Lila was introduced in the episode "Ms. Perfect", Ruth was phased out and reduced to being seen as a background character

-Dino Spumoni was an aging crooner based on Dean Martin

-This program is considered unique in that the music is comprised mostly of instrumental jazz. The show's composer Jim Lang said that the music was inspired by jazz legends such as Kenny Burrell and Thelonious Monk

-Seasons 1-3 were created with traditional cels. Around Season 4, the animators had switched to digital ink and paint, resulting in a slightly different look

-Jamil Walker Smith, who voiced Gerald, was allowed to continue voicing his character, even as he hit puberty. In post-production, his voice was pitched up several levels to sound like a younger voice

-"Eugene the Jinx", a severely unlucky kid whose name was Eugene Horowitz, got his name from actor Michael Landon's actual birth name Eugene Orowitz

-In the episode "Curly Snaps / Pre-Teen Scream", PS 118's resident psychopath Curly locks himself in the principal's office with a bag of kickballs and says "I'm mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" This is a tribute to the line "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" from the 1976 film Network

-Arnold's weird cousin Arnie came as a result from a joke people had made about the bad animation they had gotten from another studio

-Many of the stores in the city take their names from writers or directors of the show. Such as Viksten's Pharmacy

-During the first season, the boarding house is home to a mysterious character known only as "Mr. Smith." The creator said he moved out, which is why he was never referenced in later episodes

-Originally Ruth McDougal was meant to have dark blonde hair. But, because it too closely resembled Arnold's hair, it was modified to be more dark red, almost brown

-Arnold's school is PS 118. There is a real life PS 118. It's located in New York City. The one in the cartoon, however, is not a depiction of the actual school

-People think that Arnold is wearing a skirt under his shirt. It's actually a long sleeved plaid shirt with the tails hanging loose under a sweater

-Eugene Horowitz was inspired by Martin Short's character in the 1991 film Pure Luck. He's hopelessly optimistic, but always finding himself on the receiving end of bad luck

-In the beginning of Season 2, Arnold's teacher Miss Slovak was replaced by Mr. Simmons because the principal, known only as Principal Wartz, mentions that Miss Slovak has decided to play golf for a living

-One of Harold's frequent phrases, that he often directs at Helga, is "Madame fortress mommy!" He usually says it under his breath. Justin Shenkarow, who voices Harold, said it one day during a recording session. The show's creator Craig Bartlett asked what it meant and Justin didn't know. Everyone loved it so they kept writing it into the scripts

-Early in the show, the character Lila Sawyer appeared with red hair. Eventually, it was changed to brown hair

-While Lila appears to be sweet and kind, she does develop a slightly darker side. She starts dating Arnold's cousin Arnie in front of Arnold. Fans of the show have considered her to be the most unlikeable character, along with Iggy