Posts Tagged ‘Lenny Clarke’

It was a balmy late fall afternoon when HEC was invited to go on the Boston Movie Mile Tour by On Location Tours. Never having been on one of their tours, I wasn’t sure to expect. Since I’m a self proclaimed Boston movie buff, I figured I wouldn’t learn anything new, but to my surprise our guide Dave was full of interesting behind the scenes insight. Remember a short lived sitcom in the late 90’s called Boston Common starring Lenny Clarke? The Hangover’s Zach Galfinakis had a reoccurring role on the show; his first on screen appearance ever!  Remember the scene in The Departed when Matt Damon, after just having played a game of touch football on the common, is sitting on a bench with the Massachusetts State House looming behind him? Well, that was a bit of movie magic since there isn’t a bench facing the correct direction; there is only one facing the statehouse. Who knew this tour would include playing movie detective?

As we wandered the stunning historic cobblestone streets of Beacon Hill, Dave pointed out Ally McBeal’s office – only exteriors were filmed in Boston for that one.  We learned that the only movie ever filmed on the Harvard Campus was 1970′s  A Love Story. The Harvard honchos decided that filming on campus would be too distracting to students; therefore they haven’t allowed it to happen since then. More recent movies featuring the fabled university like The Social Network,  Good Will Hunting, and With Honors all filmed the Harvard scenes at look-a-like colleges.

1994’s Blown Away starring Jeff Bridges caused quite a stir in the city, and not just because of Bridges’ laughable Irish/Boston accent; the famous explosion scene caused 1.2 million dollars in damage to residential property in Boston’s north end waterfront  area, which MGM had to pony up the cash for.

As our tour continued and we headed back to our starting point on the Boston Common, we passed the Mt. Vernon Street Firehouse, home of Robert Urich’s character in the 80’s TV series Spenser for Hire as well as MTV’s sixth season of The Real World in 1997. We also made a pit stop at the top of  infamous Acorn Street to play “Guess the Massachusetts Movie.” While Dave held up stills from each movie, we had to guess which film it was from. I’m not one to boast my Master’s level movie knowledge, but I did beat out everyone else on the tour!

On Location Tours offers a walking tour from April through October as well as a bus tour that runs year round. On Location has generously offered up a pair of tickets for the Boston TV & Movie Sites Bus Tour (an $80 value!) to one lucky Hollywoodeastconnection.com subscriber. All you have to do to enter is subscribe to our site to receive daily updates AND Like our Facebook page. If you are already a Facebook fan, but haven’t subscribed to the site, please do so to secure your entry.  To subscribe, enter your email address in the box on the upper-right hand corner of our home page, and click the sign-up button. Be sure to check your email for a verification message. One lucky winner will be chosen on December 3, 2011 and will be notified via email.

Pictures:

1. The Mt. Vernon St. Firehouse – home of Spenser for Hire, and The Real World
2. The fabled Massachusetts Statehouse
3. Cheers- Where Everyone Knows Your Name
4. Charles Street Cleaners was disguised as a pub for The Departed
5. Our Tour Guide, Dave
6. Ally McBeal’s Office Exterior
7. Beautiful Acorn Street

All photos © Hollywoodeastconnnection.com

Update: 12/3/11 – Congrats to our winner, Tim from Woburn, MA!

The comics are coming home to Boston!  In November, comic Denis Leary will bring his “Comics Come Home” stand-up event to Boston University’s Agganis Arena.  ”Comics Come Home,” the longest-running stand-up comedy benefit in the nation, will raise funds for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care and the Neely Cancer Fund, created to aide the Tufts Medical Center’s Cancer Center.

For some of the CCH comedians this really his a homecoming.  The event’s host and creator, Denis Leary is a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, who got is start in Boston’s comedy clubs while studying at Emerson College.  Leary’s longtime friend, Lenny Clarke will also be apart of the November, 12 festivities.  Clarke was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was one of Boston’s most famous “saloon comics” of the 1980′s.  Leary and Clarke both wrote and appeared in Clarke’s local television series, “Lenny Clarke’s Late Show.”  Currently, Clarke is set to star is Chelsea Handler’s NBC series, premiering mid season 2011.

Fellow Massachusetts comics and frequent guests on the Opie and Anthony Show, Nick DiPaolo and Robert Kelly will also be performing at CCH.  DiPaolo, a native of Danvers, Massachusetts, has been featured on four Comedy Central Roasts, including that of Denis Leary.  Kelly was born in Boston and toured with Cambridge comedian Dane Cook’s “Tourgasm” in 2005.

While not a Bay Sate native, Artie Lange will also be on-hand at the event.  He is known best as Howard Stern’s sidekick, but also wrote, produced and starred in his own film, Artie Lange’s Beer League, which featured CCH comic Nick DiPaolo as a police officer.  

Tickets for the 17th “Comics Come Home” are available now on Ticketmaster and range in cost from $38-$123.

Photo Credit: Getty

Boston native, comedian Lenny Clarke shares his Weight Watchers experience.

★ Conan O’Brien gives the commencement address at Dartmouth (above).

★ Now-retired basketballer Shaquille O’Neal sets his sights on a reality TV show with his girlfriend, possibly to be located in New England. Maybe it will feature more of some of our favorite Shaq moments in Beantown.

★ A slide show of recent celebrity sightings in Boston.

★ Matt Damon thanks Mass. General Hospital.

★ Two famous Jessicas tour Yale University in Connecticut.

★ Alec Baldwin likens former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to a Ken doll.

★ Boston’s Chris Evans worries about his hairline lasting through all the potential Captain America sequels.

★ Boston-born Lenny Clarke honored by local Boy Scout troop.

★ A Gloucester woman brings home one of the top prizes at the Cannes Film Festival.

New England native and shocking comedian Lenny Clarke lands a role in NBC’s pilot “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea” based on the vivacious Chelsea Handler’s bestselling autobiography of the same name.

Miss Handler, who is hot to trot right now with her hit “Chelsea Lately”, “Lately After” and now an NBC pilot that she will not only be co-producing but staring in, makes her one of the coolest girls in Hollywood.

Chelsea has done some growing up since her truthful tales in her best seller gone television series. The pilot will center on Handler’s early days as a sassy cocktail waitress, party girl and a struggling comedian.

The sexy Laura Prepon from “That 70’s Show” will play the promiscuous Chelsea, who like Chelsea, is the youngest of a large family and was born in Jersey. Handler is rumored to play her older sister in the pilot.

Boston’s own Clarke is lined up to play Chelsea’s father which seems to be the perfect role for him. Clarke, who is known for his larger than life personality and to say whatever is on his mind like his “daughter Chelsea”, synced well with casting. The “Rescue Me” alum will return for the final season as “Uncle Teddy” this summer.

And guess what?  Handler will be kicking off her Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me Tour in Beantown, May 10th at the Agganis Arena.

Handler has her own unique twist on celebrity truths and rumors and a spin on hot topics of the day.  Her sharp, jaw dropping jabs make so many of us fans. Don’t forget to like the fresh TV pilot “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea”on FB and stay tuned for the debut.

★ Knight And Day crews wrap up filming at the build crew site in Woburn this week. Then it’s off to Europe to continue filming. Check out Tom Cruise during his final days of filming in Hollywood East after spending a weekend around Boston with Katie Holmes.

★ Comics Come Home in Boston raises money for the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer and featured Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke, among others.

★ Cameron Diaz professes her love for Boston.

★ The Boston Jewish Film Festival coasts through the Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston.

★ The Food Network’s Guy Fieri launches his roadshow in Lowell on November 17.

★ The Social Network turns Philips Academy in Andover into a winter wonderland.

★ Actor James Woods returns to his childhood home state of Rhode Island for a lawsuit he brought against the hospital where his brother died.