Star Pick with Kurt Angle

With the remake of the 1960 classic The Magnificent Seven coming out this week, I thought that it would be a good time to go back and revisit the original motion picture – though perhaps some will be surprised to find out that The Magnificent Seven is a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s iconic Japanese movie Seven Samurai. A while back, I was fortunate enough to chat with Chris Slade, the current drummer of AC/DC (who also performed with them during the years 1989 to 1994 – recording three albums with the high octane rock band: The Razors Edge, Live at Donington and AC/DC Live). Born in Wales, the percussionist has had a long and illustrious career, being the original drummer for fellow Welshman Tom Jones (and part of his first six records), as well as being a founding member of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (recording eight albums along with Manfred Mann, Mick Rogers and Colin Pattenden from 1971 to 1978).

A few months back, I was fortunate enough to speak with Sean Astin. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past three decades, Astin has starred in a plethora of memorable classics. With his mother being the late Patty Duke (Oscar winner – The Miracle Worker), he had large shoes to fill. Starting off with a bang, Astin, in his early teenage years, took on the role of Mikey in Richard Donner’s 1985 fantasy flick The Goonies. Following this, he has continued making wonderful motion pictures, including 1993's Rudy, 1998's Bulworth, as well as playing the beloved role of Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also showed off his comedic talents in 2004's 50 First Dates and 2006's Click. He has also conquered the television world, portraying Lynn McGill in ‘Day 5’ of 24 (a very strong season), as well as Jim Kent in Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain.

While at Trekonderoga on August 13th, 2016, the Ticonderoga, NY, comic con that is all things Star Trek (including the brilliant recreation of the original Starship Enterprise) , I was lucky enough to be able to interview several interesting actors – one of whom was Felix Silla, a man who has left an indelible yet oft hidden mark on the television and film industry over his five plus decades of work. Before I begin, I would like to thank the Trekonderoga staff for setting me up in such a wonderful (noise free) room for my interviews, with a beautiful background of the hilly, forested Adirondacks that frame the excellent three day event. The man behind the mask (or hair), was born in Italy in 1937, eventually making his way to the United States on November 24th, 1955, where the trained circus performer toured with the iconic Ringling Bros. circus (for seven years) and the Barnum & Bailey Show. Using his 3' 11" versatile frame to his advantage, he eventually made his way into show business in the early 1960s, taking on a plethora of intriguing roles. His big break came when he was cast as Cousin Itt on the original Addams Family television series in 1965.