Has 'Godzilla: Final Wars' Returned to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'?

These here are a couple of hand cannons! Yours truly with Darren Schnase in Hollywood in 2005.

During the premiere of Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) in Hollywood, a film crew from Jimmy Kimmel Live! covered the event by rounding up various Godzilla fans and basically treating them like a bunch of nerds. (OK, maybe that wasn't much of a stretch, but still.) The segment wasn't so much funny as it was cringeworthy, but I guess it was asking too much to expect anything else back then.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! crew interviews a "noted Godzilla scholar," or whatever. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The only reason I'm bringing up this ancient history is because Godzilla: Final Wars has returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! ... sort of. GFW actor Darren Schnase, who played the gangster in the notorious NYC scene, had a brief cameo on last night's edition of Jimmy Kimmel.

I met Darren back in April 2005 in Los Angeles following a performance of the stage play Glory Pie. I also interviewed Darren about his work in GFW around that time. All in all, he was a very friendly guy to meet.

You can see Darren's cameo below. He plays a dad to some rambunctious kids in a commercial parody whose wife speaks directly to the camera.

Oh, and before I forget, I started watching Jimmy Kimmel Live! on YouTube about two years ago, and I now think he's by far the best late-night host on the air. I'm glad to see that the show has gotten much better.

A Heisei-Style Evening!

Kazuki Omori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Saturday evening, I was privileged to see director Kazuki Omori again. Given the pandemic, it'd been quite a while since I last met him, but that statement can apply to a lot of people! 

It was a fun evening, and it was also great to see Omori-san's friend Go Ueda again. He is also very nice and fun to talk to.

Bambi Gets Revenge on Vantage Point Interviews!

You've probably heard of Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969), but did you know that it had an unofficial sequel? Bambi's Revenge was produced in 1976, and John Roope was the man who photographed it. In this interview, Mr. Roope discusses his life, interest in cameras, and work on Bambi's Revenge. Check it out today!

Check Out the New Content on Vantage Point Interviews!

With Sadao Iizuka in January 2021.

There is even more new content now available at Vantage Point Interviews.

My second interview with Sadao Iizuka, the animator of Godzilla's atomic ray and King Ghidorah's gravity beams, has just been published. In the interview, Mr. Iizuka talks about animating these kaiju rays, as well as the stop-motion used in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), the origins of Dogora in Dogora the Space Monster (1964), King Ghidorah's birth in Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), and Minya's smoke rings in Son of Godzilla (1967).

Also available is my conversation with famed voice actor Alan Oppenheimer. Mr. Oppenheimer, the voice of Skeletor, Vanity Smurf, Falkor, and a host of other iconic '80s characters, played the kaiju-minded Dr. Contrare in a comedic scene from Gammera the Invincible (1966). In the interview, he talks not only about Gammera but also about a bevy of other topics regarding his life and career.

Godzilla the Ride on the Seibu Shinjuku Line!

While riding the Seibu Shinjuku Line, I noticed some advertisements for Godzilla the Ride at the Seibuen amusement park. 

 I snapped the requisite photos and -- voila! -- here they are.

The Return of Machida-san!

Masanori Machida. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, February 27, I had the distinct privilege of seeing another performance by Masanori Machida. As before, it was an in-character dramatic reading, and it was quite fun to see. Machida-san is quite a performer!

Yours truly with Masanori Machida.

After the show, I took some photos with Machida-san, and he signed some things I brought, too. I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe this was the first time I'd seen him since the pandemic started. That's way too long! Hopefully, it won't be another two years before I see him again.

Vantage Point Interviews Returns with New Content!

Masaaki Daimon in April 2021. Photo by Brett Homenick.

There is new content available on Vantage Point Interviews!

Masaaki Daimon stars in the original Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) as Keisuke Shimizu, but he also appeared in a bevy of other notable films throughout the 1970s. Mr. Daimon talks all about his acting career in my brand-new interview with him.

Jay Hackett was taken over by the evil alien Gudis on Ultraman: Towards the Future (1992) -- and lived to tell the tale! Read all about his Ultra-adventures Down Under here!

Content is always king on Vantage Point Interviews!