The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, November 19, 2010 2 coverstory Living for today Eccleston channels Lennon in ‘Masterpiece’ By Kyla Brewer TV Media was an icon whose art reached beyond the entertain- ment industry into the social consciousness of his day. Tragically,he was made a music martyr when he was as- sassinated in 1980. Since then, countless films, televi- sion shows,books, articles and songs have been devoted to the one and only Lennon, not to mention his former band The Beatles. J Another exploration of the legend’s life is on the horizon as PBS’s “Masterpiece Contempo- rary”presents “Lennon Naked,” premiering Sunday,Nov.21,on PBS (check local listings). The “Masterpiece”produc- tion was shaped by a number of interviews and recordings with the late star,and exam- ines the period between 1964 and 1971,with flashbacks to his childhood.The title refers to the album “Two Virgins,” which Lennon made with Yoko Ono and on the cover of which both appeared nude.Far from fluff,“Lennon Naked”has been heralded as an honest portrayal of Lennon and his torments,and much of that is thanks to its headlining star. Playing an icon such as Lennon could be daunting,es- pecially considering how many biopics have already been made. But Christopher Eccleston, the actor best known as the ninth incarna- tion of Doctor Who, has wowed critics with his depic- tion of Lennon.After its broadcast in the U.K.,the Sun- day Express applauded the ac- tor for his “convincing and nu- anced performance of the late, great Beatle,”while the Daily Telegraph referred to his performance as “sheer brio.” ohn Lennon wasn’t a mere celebrity.He wasn’t just a star performer.He Christopher Eccleston as John Lennon in “Lennon Naked” After training at Hamp- stead’s Central School of Speech and Drama,Eccleston performed classics such as Shakespeare and Chekhov be- fore making his professional debut in “A Streetcar Named Desire” with Bristol’s Old Vic. He appeared in a number of films and television roles, most notably BBC Two’s “Our Friends of the North,”which made him a household name. However,Eccleston’s true fame arrived in 2005,when he snagged the coveted title role in the iconic series “Doctor Who.” His departure from the show just one year later sparked much speculation and contro- versy among “Who”fans. North American viewers may recognize Eccleston for his role as Claude Rains in NBC’s now defunct “Heroes,” which he joined in 2007. As Lennon in this “Master- piece Contemporary”episode, Eccleston guides viewers through the songwriter’s ex- periences,from the height of The Beatles’ fame to his rela- tionship with Yoko Ono (Naoko Mori) and the ensuing demise of the band.The pro- duction takes audiences through the turmoil that led to Lennon and Ono’s 1971 self- imposed exile in New York. There is also a seldom-done examination of the relation- ship between Lennon and his father, Freddie Lennon (Christopher Fairbank),who left when John was just a boy. He turned up for a reunion of sorts 17 years later,a moment explored in the film. Andrew Scott tackles the role of Lennon’s writing part- ner and bandmate Paul Mc- Cartney,while Claudie Blakely plays John’s first wife,Cynthia. Rory Kinnear appears as leg- endary manager Brian Epstein, whose death from a drug over- dose in 1967 affected Lennon profoundly.Allan Corduner portrays Lennon’s primal- scream therapist,Art Janov. The film follows Lennon’s therapy with Janov as he con- fronts childhood trauma,and features more than one meet- ing with his surprisingly likeable father.The Beatles face financial troubles and deal with turmoil within the band’s Apple record label.Filmmakers also examine the collapse of Lennon’s first marriage and his abandonment of his son,Julian. “Lennon Naked”takes a look at the dark side of Lennon’s fame as he and Yoko face a hostile reception while in England, a factor in their eventual departure. Despite his many hardships, Eccle- ston’s Lennon responds with a quick and cool wit. The consensus among crit- ics has been that the film is far from lighthearted, instead fo- cusing on the troubled Lennon in his darkest years.The result is a look at an artist whose in- fluence is still felt by the world 30 years after his death. PBS also commemorates the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s passing with “Amer- ican Masters:Lennon NYC,” airing Tuesday,Nov.22 (check local listings). Filmmakers take a look back at Lennon’s life in the 1970s,when he and Ono shared a home in the Big Ap- ple with their son, Sean. Following the breakup of The Beatles,Lennon moved to New York in an attempt to escape his Beatles-era fame.While liv- ing in Manhattan’s Upper West Side,he penned some of his most acclaimed songs,includ- ing “Mind Games,”“Whatever Gets You Through the Night” and “I’m Losing You.” Filmmakers reveal that it was also a very political time for Lennon,as he continued to protest the Vietnam war.The film examines his and Ono’s struggle to remain in the U.S., despite the Nixon administra- tion’s efforts to deport them. While Nixon’s cohorts claimed narcotics violations,Lennon in- sisted his family was being tar- geted for its activities as part of the anti-war movement. “Lennon NYC”also ex- plores how Ono and Lennon shaped the city of New York. They showed none of the pub- lic fear many celebs exhibit to- day, as the couple strolled through Central Park, ate at neighborhood restaurants and, of course,showed up at political demonstrations. Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I’ve been watching old TV episodes of “Fami- ly Matters”and I was wondering, what’s be- come of star Reginald VelJohnson? A:It mostly depends how you look at it,but he’s either enjoyed a steady,journeyman acting career,or he’s fallen victim to the sitcom curse. It’s a question of expecta- tion.Since his classic ABC sit- com “Family Matters” wrapped up in 1998,Reginald VelJohnson has done spots — granted,not large ones — on some of the biggest TV shows of the last 10 years, and added more than a dozen film roles to the tally. However, they were in- deed small spots, after the broad success of “Family Matters”had made him a household name.Add to that well-received support- ing roles in the first two megahit “Die Hard”films around the same time and people started expecting big things from VelJohnson. But they didn’t come. In- stead,a large number of small things followed.In fact he’s appeared in at least two productions,but usually three or four,every year since. He did a two-episode arc on “CSI: Crime Scene Inves- tigation,”a guest spot in a holiday episode of “Will & Grace,”a turn in the guest- star-hungry “Monk,”and quite a few notable big screeners, including the sleeper hit family comedy “Like Mike”(2002). Q: Several years ago, during the Christmas sea- son,a TV movie entitled “The Christmas Tree” aired. I believe Sally Field was one of the producers. This movie never aired again and I would like to know why. A:There’s no easy reason why, except that these films are seemingly built to be for- gotten. Made-for-TV movies,once known as “movies of the week,”because of that very prolific rate of release have become known as sort of disposable. That, sadly, is the short answer to why it hasn’t aired much since its pre- miere in 1996. To give you an idea,Sally Field alone has starred in 18 different telefilms. However,this one’s no- table because it’s one of the few times she’s stepped be- hind the camera.“The Christ- mas Tree,”along with the in- die picture “Beautiful”(2000) and an episode of “From the Earth to the Moon”in which she also starred,mark the lone directing entries on Field’s incredibly long resume. E-mail your questions to questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town.