Monday, July 10, 2006













The Gospel According to Penelope Spheeris

From The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) to The Gospel According to Janis (2008?), Greek American film director Penelope Spheeris (New Orleans, 12/2/1945-) has paid a great deal of attention to the hard-edged American music scene and its surrounding popular culture. Along the way, she's paid the bills by making pop movies like Wayne's World (1992), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), and The Kid and I (2005).

Spheeris' background is unconventional. Her father ran a traveling carnival and was killed when she was seven; subsequently, Penelope had to become a sort of chief of staff for her working mother, overseeing three younger siblings. Eventually, she studied psychology and film in college, and came under the aegis of Roger Corman (1926-), "the West Coast Andy Warhol" and king of B movies. He quietly produced her first major film, The Decline of Western Civilization. She also directed Suburbia (1984) and continued from there. Sadly, the same year, her brother Jimmie Spheeris, a musician with three albums to his name, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Penelope Spheeris happens to be a cousin of director Costa Gavras (1933-) and has one child, Annalee Spheeris, who has a cameo appearance in The Beverly Hillbillies.






Pink (Alecia Moore, 1979-) as Janis Joplin? Stay tuned!

8 comments:

Panday said...

Erik,

They're going to have to do some serious uglying of Pink, a la Charize Theron in "Monster", to make her look like Janis.

Anonymous said...

Hardly, Stephen Renico! Janis was gorgeous and Pink is all right, but no Janis. Let's be serious. Janis was lovely naturally -- Pink is an ugly girl with a whole lot of help, make-up wise. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Blow me with the mean Janis comments. I won't have it!

Erik Donald France said...

Thanks all, for the comments. I didn't intend to inspire a shitstorm, either! I think Janis is beautiful in her own way, and highly charismatic (just saw her on Dick Cavitt the other night from ca. 68 with Racquel Welch -- they were awesome together! And interviews lasted far more than thirty seconds, like today)

Cheers to all!

E'

Tikilee said...

I recently seen Penelope Spheeris on the Rollins Show. She was talking about the Janis movie. She was hoping to audition Kate Hudson, which I think would be a good casting role.

Penelope says she'll know who's right when Janis tells her. Love it.

Panday said...

Sorry Gloria & Anonymous.

For 60s style beauty, nobody beats Sophia, Raquel, Diana (Rigg) or Claudia (Cardinale) in my book. Janis bears too much resemblance to Axel Rose for my tastes.

ZZZZZZZ said...

I can see Pink doing Janis but they are going to have to work at it a bit. Hair makeup ect.

Erik Donald France said...

Thanks, all for the commments.

I don't really care who plays her as long as it gets made, is good, and rocks. Bette Midler's The Rose didn't exactly cut the mustard as a Joplinesque tale. Steve, of those beauties, I'd go with Diana Rigg and Claudia Cardinale.