An 糖心vlog安卓版 With… Greg Russell

Movie reviewer for Live in the D
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As the year winds down, the TV/film industry heats up with lavish ceremonies celebrating the best shows and movies of 2016. Emmy-winning producer and movie lover Greg Russell has a say in which of these productions will leave with a trophy.


糖心vlog安卓版 Detroit: How did you become a movie reviewer?听

Greg听Russell: It鈥檚 2001, on September the 6th, and my father passed away. Also at that time I wasn鈥檛 feeling well. I told my wife one night, 鈥淭ake me to the hospital.鈥 And she鈥檚 a nurse, so she took me to Receiving Hospital and they checked me over. The next thing you know, I see my wife and the doctor walk into the room. The doctor told me, 鈥淪omebody up there must really like you 鈥 you鈥檝e had a massive pulmonary embolism and you should鈥檝e been dead a week ago.鈥 And I just said, you know what? The next minute isn鈥檛 guaranteed to you. So you need to enjoy what you want to in life. I鈥檝e always loved movies, and I鈥檝e always worked in television. I was working at Channel 20 at the time. And so, while I was recuperating, I came up with the idea for the show.

Tell me about the projects you鈥檙e involved with. 听

I鈥檓 on Live in the D on Local 4 here in Detroit, which I鈥檓 very happy about. I do their movie reviews and previews, and also whenever a movie celebrity comes to town, they call me up to do the interview. As far as my show, it鈥檚 a half-hour show, it鈥檚 called Movie Show Plus and it鈥檚 been on the air for the past 14 years. And someone told me that that makes it one of the longest-running non-news shows in Detroit television history. It鈥檚 myself, and I鈥檝e got a film critic, Tom Santilli.

What鈥檚 it like actually being at an awards show?听

They鈥檙e a lot of fun! Especially when you get put at a table with celebrities. The greatest time for me was a couple years back. We knew that Paul McCartney was going to be there, because he had been nominated. So, my friends were going, 鈥淵ou gotta go take a picture with him, you gotta go meet him.鈥 So, finally a commercial break came, I got up and started walking over there, and I turned into a 16-year-old again because in my mind it鈥檚 like, you鈥檙e 20 feet from Paul McCartney! So, I went over and I said, 鈥淗ello? Mr. McCartney?鈥 And he turned around and said 鈥淵eah, hi!鈥 I said, 鈥淢y name鈥檚 Greg Russell, I鈥檓 from Detroit, and he鈥檚 going, 鈥淢otown! Oh, my God I love Motown!鈥 He was the nicest, most cordial person I had ever met.

You get to vote for some awards shows. What is the process like?听

Well, I鈥檓 a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and we do the Critics鈥 Choice Awards, which you see on A&E. I鈥檓 also a member of the Screen Actors Guild, so I vote on the SAG awards, as well. And also the Detroit Film Critics Society. I get to vote on that. And so what happens is, we鈥檝e been seeing most of the movies all year long. Usually starting up right after Thanksgiving all the way through the end of the year, it鈥檚 kind of like your special movie Christmas present where they send you all the screeners of every movie that came out to your house. Needless to say, I鈥檓 very popular during that time of the year with friends.

鈥淭hey send 鈥 screeners of every movie that came out to your house. Needless to say, I鈥檓 very popular during that time of the year with friends.鈥濃 Greg Russell

The perks and challenges of interviewing celebrities?听

The perks are that you get to meet these people who you鈥檝e watched for years in movies, and it鈥檚 just really cool. I think I could be doing a lot harder or worse things. Another perk is that you get to travel around the world. Depending on where they want to do the movie junket is where you go. The harder things are, sometimes there鈥檚 some actors who are more precise with the questions. You can鈥檛 give them fluff and you can鈥檛 mess around. You need to be prepared. And you鈥檙e always flying. And it sounds really cool, and every once in a while I tell friends of mine, 鈥淵eah I鈥檓 in L.A., but now I鈥檝e gotta fly to New York,鈥 and they say, 鈥淲ow, that just sounds so cool,鈥 and I say, 鈥淵eah if you鈥檙e James Bond on a private jet. But not if you鈥檙e stuck in the middle seat.鈥 But all in all, it鈥檚 great.

Do you have a favorite movie?

I鈥檝e got several, but I think what really makes a movie somebody鈥檚 favorite is the circumstances at the time they saw it. Because one of my all-time favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz. Now, it鈥檚 on TV every week. Back when I was growing up, it came on once a year, usually around Easter time. Normally on Sunday, we did whatever the grown-ups wanted to do. But the Wizard of Oz Sunday was the one Sunday a year where, no matter what we were doing, we were home by six so I could change out of my church clothes and get in my comfy clothes.

Your favorite celebrity interview?

Denzel Washington. The first time I knew I was going to interview him, I鈥檓 (wondering) if this guy鈥檚 gonna be snotty 鈥 I could understand. You鈥檝e got two Academy Awards, you鈥檙e truly one of the top actors in movies; women adore you; men want to be you. So, when I walked into the room 鈥 he treated me from that moment as if he had known me for 15, 20 years.


Resume

Name: Greg Russell

Job Titles: Show host/producer, Movie Show Plus Contributor, Live in the D on Local 4

Hometown: Detroit

Education: Courville Elementary, Farwell Junior High, University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, University of Detroit Mercy

Awards: Emmy, Silver Circle, President of National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Michigan

Memberships: Broadcast Film Critics Association, Screen Actors Guild, Detroit Film Critics Society

Favorite Actor: Robert Downey Jr.

Favorite听Actress: Teresa Palmer or Jennifer Lawrence

Favorite听Director: Steven Spielberg

Favorite Genre: Comedies or sci-fi