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  1. #16
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    The Karate Kid 35th Anniversary

    IN THEATERS MAR 31, APR 2
    The Karate Kid 35th Anniversary
    Practice your wax on, wax off for a special 35th anniversary showing, of the Karate Kid! Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel, a teenager whose growing pains are made that much more difficult by his arrival in a new town where he must start from scratch and make new friends. He quickly becomes the target of the Cobras, a menacing gang of karate students, who are less than pleased when he strikes up a relationship with Ali (Elisabeth Shue), the Cobra leader's ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend, he begs his handyman, Miyagi (Pat Morita), a martial arts master, to teach him karate. Under Miyagi's wise tutelage, Daniel developed not only the physical skills but also the maturity, faith and self-confidence to compete despite tremendous odds as he encounters the fight of his life in the exciting finale.



    This event will also include a custom introduction from Ralph Macchio and William Zabka and a Cobra Kai Season 2 Sneak Peek.
    THREADS
    The Karate Kid
    Cobra Kai, Karate Kid sequel
    Gene Ching
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  2. #17
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    First Look Cobra Kai Season 2 | Official Teaser

    Gene Ching
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    What type of Cobra would you rather be? | Cobra Kai

    Gene Ching
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  4. #19
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    Rolling Stone interview

    APRIL 23, 2019 12:44PM ET
    Ralph Macchio on ‘Cobra Kai’ and the Legend of ‘The Karate Kid’
    The actor talks about reprising his most famous role, his crazed Eighties superfans and the movie’s alternate title that almost was
    By BRIAN HIATT


    Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in YouTube Premium's 'Cobra Kai.'
    Guy D'Alema/YouTube/Sony Pictures Television

    “It’s a karate soap opera,” says Ralph Macchio, accurately describing Cobra Kai, the YouTube premium show that revives the Karate Kid universe, with a few twists. Middle-aged Daniel LaRusso is a dad and a car-dealership owner who’s also doing his best to become a Miyagi-style sensei to a new generation of would-be crane-kickers. With a second season debuting April 24th, Macchio discussed the show, the original movie, dealing with Eighties fame, the glories of Crossroads and more.

    Seeing a recreation of Mr. Miyagi’s house on the show was unexpectedly moving. What was that like for you?

    Well, the house they used in the original Karate Kid film was sold and torn down — and then they had to build it on the back lot of what was Columbia Pictures for parts two and three, and it changed a little bit. Now we shoot exteriors in Los Angeles, but a lot of the stuff is shot in Atlanta, so we had to figure out how to pull that off. That was part of the early discussion: I said, “OK, so how do we disguise it not being exactly the house, because it’s not.” Hey, it’s 30 years. Anything could have happened to it!

    Mark Hamill told me about being emotionally overwhelmed when he walked back onto the Millennium Falcon after three decades.

    I was the same. Because Pat Morita is no longer with us, nor is director John Avildsen and the producer Jerry Weintraub. But more so because the first day I worked on the Miyagi set, in the backyard, it was a scene with Robby, us painting the fence side by side, going opposite directions. We rehearsed the scene, and I just, “Wow, this is where the magic all happened.” It was emotional because some of my friends that I made that movie with are no longer here. And also, from the get-go when they pitched this idea, I needed to have those moments, the legacy of what Miyagi brought to Danny LaRusso’s life. It’s important that it was peppered throughout the Cobra Kai series, and they assured me of that. Because I remember shooting those scenes in the movie more than getting my ass kicked. Because those are just like, “Is this over yet?”

    Then on the flip side, on the personal side, it’s me as someone who is not 18 anymore, or 16 anymore, or 25 or 35 or 45 anymore, saying, “Wow.” It was just a realization of how much time has gone by. Not that deep, dark place like, “Oh my God, I’m old now,” which is true if you’re my kids, but it’s the nostalgia of life. Most of the time that I’m talking to, say, someone like you or someone on the street for maybe the first time, the conversation is funneled into a small section of time in my life, which is not the norm. So Cobra Kai is just going back to that same section of time, which is now 34-plus years ago. It’s kind of wonderful and beautiful, and on the flip side it’s like, wow, that is a long time ago.

    It’s hard to convey to young people just how famous you were in the Eighties. What was your experience of it like?

    I guess it was overwhelming at times. I always kept one foot in and one foot out of Hollywood. I lived in the ’burbs of Long Island, not far from where I live now. When I wasn’t working, that’s where I would go. I had attention there — it was like the map of the only star’s home. I was the only guy. It was me and two hockey players. Going to a mall on a Saturday probably wasn’t something I was apt to do. The most difficult was when I was on Broadway in a play with Robert De Niro and Burt Young, and The Karate Kid 2 had just come out. I was at the Longacre theater, and then just up the street the movie was playing, so when I would come out to the street, that was like… I’m not saying the Beatles at Shea Stadium, but it was crazy.

    I watched your first audition for Karate Kid, and your naturalism is incredible. I also saw someone said you came off as obnoxious.

    That was probably the writer, Robert [Mark Kamen]. Obnoxious is the wrong word. You could have said maybe a little cocky. I don’t know if you’d describe me as obnoxious, but hey, listen, sometimes I’m in it. I can’t step back and look.

    Were you, at that point, very confident in your abilities?

    Yeah. I think I had an aura of confidence. Where it came from, I have no idea.

    When you went into The Outsiders, were you confident?

    I was confident I wanted that particular part, and I didn’t want to read for another part. I just wanted that. But Coppola wanted everybody to read for a different role. I said, “I just want this part.” I had the balls to say that. I knew who Francis Ford Coppola was; I knew who I was in the room with. So it’s interesting. I probably would say that now, too. That’s just the essence of me. I read that book. I connected to The Outsiders when I was 12 years old, and when they were doing the movie I had to be in it, and I had to play that part. That doesn’t happen often and may never happen again. I did have, and probably still do have, a little defiance and cockiness, and that’s bled into LaRusso and that makes him entertaining. A guy who has such knowledge about balance and inner peace and all those Miyagi-isms and philosophies, but when the wrong guy rubs him, he goes to his childhood ways — that makes him entertaining.

    So when they first brought the Karate Kid script to you, do you remember your first reaction?

    I didn’t like the title. A lot of people didn’t like the title. They kept trying to change it.

    Was there a leading candidate?

    The Moment of Truth, which was the end-credit song, was what it was called in France and other countries where martial arts weren’t big. The Moment of Truth is kind of a lame, forgettable title. But with Karate Kid, Jerry Weintraub said, “You know, it’s a great title because it’s a terrible title.” I said, “Yeah, but if the thing’s ever a hit, I’m probably going to have to carry this for the rest of my life.” And here we are.

    How about the script itself?

    I thought the script was corny at times. The Miyagi character, there was a little bit of humor, but they wanted to cast Toshiro Mifune. But he didn’t speak English! The human Yoda that was Pat Morita was perfect. They didn’t want Pat Morita at first. Jerry Weintraub and the studio said no way: “No Arnold from Happy Days. Not going to happen!” John Avildsen just said, “You have to watch this tape.” And now the footage of Pat’s first reading and mine, you can see it on YouTube, and Avildsen cut that together. That was his first reading and my first reading, and what’s most intriguing about that footage, it was just me and John Avildsen. He had a big video camera. There was a line of guys out in the hallway of his apartment; one after the other, he just brought them in. When I watched that, and I watched myself listening to him, a little nervous — as my wife would say, “You keep touching your nose.” I was nervous. But when I read the scene, that’s LaRusso.
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
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  5. #20
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    Continued from previous post


    William Zabka and Ralph Macchio on the set of ‘Cobra Kai.’ Photo credit: YouTube/Sony Pictures Television

    Were you doing an East Coast accent or was that just your accent?

    That was just me. I amped it up because I knew in reading the script [Daniel] didn’t back down. I just thought of a couple of kids in my junior high and high school that had that kind of won’t-leave-well-enough-alone quality or knee-jerk kind of cockiness.

    It turns out that a Long Island accent and New Jersey accent aren’t much different.

    It’s the same. We’re just a couple of rivers away.

    Once, Springsteen said, introducing Billy Joel, they were once one landmass.

    That is right. That’s a good point.

    The thing about returning to The Karate Kid now is, you only had this one shot. That must have added extra pressure to make it right.

    I think the difference this time, one: timing. It just felt to me like two years from when I said yes might have been too late. But more so, Jon [Hurwitz], Josh [Heald], and Hayden [Schlossberg], our three creators, are super Karate Kid fanboys. They know so much more about those movies than I did. It informed their childhoods, so they feel like they have the Holy Grail. They are treating it with such respect, yet they come from Harold & Kumar and Hot Tub Time Machine, so they know how to write comedy for right now. It felt like these guys can marry today’s teen dialogue with yesterday’s nostalgia and make it feel all fresh. But jumping in, I didn’t know how cold that water was, how deep it was. Billy Zabka, the same way. It was tough.

    It was already your most famous role, and this is making it even more so. What about that aspect?

    Is it going to typecast me further? I didn’t think of that as much. Daniel’s a different human being. He’s 35 years older. It’s the same universe, but a different world. The tone is a little bit different even though there’s the goosebumps and all that stuff that The Karate Kid had. Certainly there are some people that will probably say, “Oh, he’s playing that role again.” And that’s fine. I try to balance it with shows like The Deuce and whatever else is in the on-deck circle now.

    Did you actually go back and watch the movies before you did this?

    I watched the first one. I watched it, but it didn’t inform how I approached it more than it connected me to certain things. I’m on point, just taking it a little bit to the left. One of the interesting things with viewing the Karate Kid film is you’re following that kid. The camera’s on his shoulder, and you’re living every frame through Danny LaRusso. When I showed the film to my kids, say 15 years ago, all of a sudden I viewed that film from the perspective of Mr. Miyagi because I was looking at this kid that would not listen, and he was less interesting to me than Miyagi was. So I gained a new perspective on the same — and it is something we’re bringing.

    By the way, I don’t know if you know how big a deal Crossroads was to guitar players in the Eighties.

    Hey, man, I’m talking to Rolling Stone!

    Yeah, exactly. I guess you learned enough guitar to be able to master the finger movements?

    Yeah. I mastered the look of where they should be, but getting that sound? That ain’t happening. I still have that Telecaster, though. That’s a cool guitar. I’ve had musicians make crazy offers for the guitar. And I have the ’47 Ford convertible from The Karate Kid, which is in this show now.

    You can neither really play guitar nor do karate?

    Not to that expertise level. I have a couple of confrontations in Season Two, and there’s one or two really pretty good kicks that are all me.

    What sticks in your memory from filming Crossroads?

    Shooting the battle, the duel at the end, the first time, with the crowd in there. The assistant director pumping everybody up, this is the guy you’re rooting for and this is the devil, and us shooting it with five cameras straight through. It was the dream rock-star moment for me. And then in real life I couldn’t get “Mary Had a Little Lamb” out of the **** thing!

    Finally, after rewatching My Cousin Vinny, I have to say it’s easy to underestimate what you had to do in that movie amongst the flashier comedic performances.

    We had to care for those two kids. Oh, the funny stuff wouldn’t have been half as funny. It wouldn’t have had any gravity to it, any weight to it. That movie gets funnier every time. The thing with My Cousin Vinny is that every setup pays off beautifully, better than you had hoped. And when you know it’s coming, it’s even better. I call it the late-for-dinner movie. If it’s on, you’re gonna be late for dinner, because you just can’t stop. One more scene, one more scene.

    The I-shot-the-clerk bit is so fantastic.

    We actually had to go back and redo that because we got notes from 20th Century Fox: “We need it to be a statement, but sound like a question.” We went, “I shot the clerk. I shot the clerk. I shot the clerk.” We’re doing take after take, and I don’t know which one. It’s probably the first one we used. It had to be a question and a statement. It’s like a dessert wax. I don’t know. “I shot the clerk? I shot the clerk.” They were concerned it was too much of a question. I said, it is a comedy. You know, it’s great to be a part of that, The Outsiders, and as you mentioned, Crossroads and Karate Kid. In that small window of time, it’s a couple of films that still stand the test of time and still play. That doesn’t happen too often, so I consider myself fortunate.
    Nice interview. Rolling Stone still brings it.
    Gene Ching
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  6. #21
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    Renewed for Season 3 and will be free access this fall

    Sweet! I've been wanting to watch more of this. Changing the title from 'Cobra Kai, Karate Kid YouTube Red series' to just 'Cobra Kai'.

    YouTube renews Cobra Kai for season 3, makes all shows free
    By Kristen Baldwin May 02, 2019 at 07:45 PM EDT

    Cobra Kai
    TYPE TV Show
    GENRE Comedy, Action
    NETWORK YouTube

    If you still haven’t checked out Cobra Kai — YouTube’s surprisingly wonderful Karate Kid sequel series — pretty soon you’ll have no excuses left. The streaming service announced Thursday that not only will the half-hour martial arts dramedy be back for a third season in 2020, it will no longer require a paid subscription to watch.


    GUY D'ALEMA/SONY

    Beginning this fall, all YouTube original programming will be available for free — with ads, of course. Season 2 of Cobra Kai will begin streaming for free starting Sept. 11, with one episode dropping each week. Season 1, however, will only be free for two weeks, from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.

    YouTube announced several other series and specials during its presentation, including the Untitled Top Secret Justin Bieber Project to debut in 2020 — “YouTube is where Justin got his start, rose to fame and continues to serve a legion of fans all over the world,” the streamer said in a statement — and a second season of the exercise-themed unscripted comedy Kevin Hart: What the Fit. Also on the docket: the Untitled Paris Hilton Documentary, in which the celebrity socialite will “open up about trying to make peace with her past while contending with the excitement and challenges of her current global endeavors.”
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  7. #22
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    If this happens, I'd have to tune in...

    ...I'm still crushing on Ali. Any guy (and even a few gals) in my gen who saw Karate Kid when it came out is with me, I'm sure.

    'Cobra Kai' Star Ralph Macchio Opens up on Possibility of 'Karate Kid' Actress Elisabeth Shue's Return
    By TANIA HUSSAIN - June 5, 2019 08:26 pm EDT



    Cobra Kai has not only charmed audiences with its inimitable revival of the beloved ‘80s classic The Karate Kid, but the spinoff series has captured the attention of fans all over for its explosive cliffhangers every season — and this past May’s was no different.

    Following the events from the Season 2 finale, which left fans on the edge of their seats and teased the likely return of Elisabeth Shue’s character from the 1984 film, Cobra Kai and Karate Kid star, Ralph Macchio opened up to PopCulture.com exclusively about the possibility of seeing Ali Mills reappear in the franchise.


    “No one will confirm or deny that, but they certainly approached [her] and have questioned it,” Macchio, who plays Daniel LaRusso in the iconic franchise, told PopCulture.com. “We know that she really enjoyed the show and sees the quality of the show. So yeah, I think the door is open for something there.”

    In the final moments of the Season 2 episode, “No Mercy,” fans will recall how the jaw-dropping episode teased Ali’s probable return when Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) threw his cellphone away, with cameras capturing one last shot showing a friend request from Ali Mills Schwarber — the ex-girlfriend of both Daniel (Macchio) and Johnny.

    While the showrunners admitted in past interviews that they would like to leave it with a question mark for fans of a workable return, the 57-year-old actor is optimistic — especially since the show has done so well compared to other revivals and reboots in recent years.

    “This one really is smart,” Macchio said, adding how he is unsure though how a return from Ali will come about, whether it translates to a phone call, a story arc, a whole season or even just an episode. “Nothing’s locked or confirmed. But as far as the writer’s room, it’s just opened. There’s a lot of cleaning up to do after that cliffhanger and what happened.”

    The cliffhanger Macchio is talking about not only disturbed fans among social media who were in awe during those final moments of the season, but left a major character’s life in balance that the New York native believes will permeate throughout Season 3.

    “There’s a lot of devastation in the end that has to be sifted through, and all these characters have a journey ahead of them,” Macchio said. “And that’s the whole point. We want to keep this going for many seasons. And to tie it all up [with like, Elisabeth], to get Ross and Rachel together right now — then the show’s over. You have to be careful.”

    The show has been most clever in both its execution and writing since its debut on YouTube as an original series in 2018, proving itself to be a winner among the revival renaissance hitting the realm of television programming in recent years. Pleasantly blending ‘80s nostalgia and well-written characters, Macchio is incredibly proud of the series and knew it was something special when he was first approached by showrunners, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald to be part of it.

    “I come off a lot more intelligent than I probably am,” Macchio laughed, adding how he had a feeling it would take off with audiences. “Because when something works out this well, well that’s why I waited… I knew that this was the only one. I certainly did wait a very long time.”

    With Cobra Kai officially returning for Season 3 in 2020 thanks to its growing success and viewership, YouTube is putting its weight on the fruitful series in hopes to catapult it toward even greater heights through a newly inked deal with Enterprise — a partnership Macchio is eager about since he gets to be playful with his co-star and friend, Zabka.

    “Once we got all the elements together, we really wanted to make the ad about William Zabka and Ralph Macchio going into Enterprise, having good intentions of renting a vehicle, just like friendly,” Macchio said of the ad campaign, which is his first starring spot with Zabka ever. “As soon as they look at the cars [though], they each have to get one that’s better than the other [and] it sort of morphs into the ‘Johnny Lawrence and Danny LaRusso’ rivalry, even though it stars the Macchio and Zabka friendship.”

    Macchio adds how the partnership feels like a “nice marriage” for the show and company, considering his on-screen character Daniel owns an auto group.

    “The fact that Danny LaRusso’s livelihood besides martial arts is in auto dealerships that he has with his wife, and that he runs, it was a nice tie-in to do that,” Macchio adds. “It was a lot of fun and fun to shoot too.”

    But just because Macchio is part of the campaign, doesn’t mean the star has had a chance to test drive his dream car just yet.

    “Yeah, that’s next,” Macchio laughed. “I definitely have to test drive the dream car!”

    Cobra Kai and its first two seasons are currently streaming on YouTube.


    Photo credit: Getty Images / Columbia Pictures
    Gene Ching
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  8. #23
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    First Daniel teases...

    ...and now Johnny?

    'Cobra Kai' Star William Zabka Addresses Rumors of 'Karate Kid' Actress Elisabeth Shue's Return
    By TANIA HUSSAIN - June 7, 2019 03:30 pm EDT

    After a season finale that left fans stunned and disturbed with an array of questions, Cobra Kai star William Zabka is addressing rumors of his former Karate Kid co-star’s possible return.

    Zabka, best known for playing Johnny Lawrence in the iconic martial arts franchise, chatted with PopCulture.com about those final moments of Cobra Kai’s Season 2 finale that has fans wondering if Elisabeth Shue’s character, Ali Mills is officially back.

    “Yeah, there’s no secret that there’s talk about it,” Zabka laughed. “I believe she’s been approached and hopefully there could be a couple spots with her where she’s kind of open to the possibility, and that’s as much as I know.”

    Shue’s character Ali might not have returned to YouTube’s successful Karate Kid spinoff in 2018, but she has appeared in several flashbacks. During an episode in Season 1, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) reveals to Johnny that their former girlfriend is now married and living in Denver as a pediatric surgeon. Still thinking about her from time to time, Johnny mentions her periodically throughout Season 2, even disclosing the 35-year-old question of why the two broke up in the first place as noted in the 1984 movie.

    However, the biggest shock to fans appeared during this past May’s season 2 finale when a distraught Johnny threw his cellphone away, only for the last shot of the episode showing Ali Mills had sent him a friend request on Facebook.

    “I’m rooting for Ali with Johnny,” Zabka tells PopCulture.com. “She’s been a huge part of Johnny, she’s a big part of The Karate Kid, [Elisabeth’s] a wonderful actress, and she’d be a great addition to the show, so I’m rooting for it, but I’m in the dark at this moment.”

    While Johnny and Daniel have their highs and lows in terms of mending their relationship, Zabka admits if Ali came back into the equation on Cobra Kai, things would definitely take a turn for the two characters.

    “I imagine Ali would step in and turn around some things that we would not expect,” Zabka said, adding how she would be more than just an object between Johnny and Daniel. “I think she’s going to come in with some guts and turn it on a tad. But you know, Daniel’s married now. If he were single, it might be a little different.”

    Zabka admits if Shue returns as Ali in Season 3, there might also be a little tension brewing between Daniel and his wife. However, if it does indeed go that way, there’s a lot more going on than fans have witnessed throughout the first two seasons.

    “If it works for him, then [Daniel’s] got some deeper things to work through because he has a lovely family that Johnny wouldn’t mind having,” Zabka laughed. “But you know, he’s kind of got it all right now, so if his ex-girlfriend from high school steps in and confuses him, then that’ll be fun to watch.”

    Zabka adds that as far as he is concerned with his character, “Ali is the one that got away.”

    “No one has ever filled that part of his heart again,” he said. “So it would be really exciting to see what happens when the two come together. But again, I think it’s going to be something, if it happens, that is completely unexpected and you could never predict it… but wonderful.”

    The 53-year-old actor admits that his character has been “through a lot,” joking, “just give him one trophy and let him breathe.” However, he adds that Johnny has had a rough go from since the end of The Karate Kid.

    “But he’s got a heart of gold, he’s trying to make it all work, but he’s downloaded everything he is from some people that weren’t the best influences,” Zabka said of his character, adding how Johnny is now on the path to redemption. “You couldn’t ask for a better part to act regardless if it’s a continuation of Karate Kid or not. It’s just a fantastic viewpoint, and it’s super fun to play.”

    Zabka adds that the love from fans for Cobra Kai is something he is incredibly humbled by, adding that the “response has been amazing.”

    “I’ll do it as long as they’re loving it,” Zabka said.

    Good news for fans of the YouTube series: Cobra Kai recently got picked up for Season 3, and will return to the streaming service with new episodes in 2020.

    All episodes of Cobra Kai are currently streaming on YouTube.

    Photo credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images/Columbia Pictures
    Gene Ching
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  9. #24
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    More on the 35th

    There's a vid. Ironic about Will Smith given the remake.

    JUNE 21, 2019 10:15am PT by Aaron Couch, Patrick Shanley
    Ralph Macchio on 'Karate Kid' at 35 and the Film Role He Beat Will Smith For

    The star also reveals the joke he made about an 'Outsiders' co-star that led to the film's well-known poster.
    For Ralph Macchio, things have a way of coming full circle.

    In the early '90s he found himself reading for a role in My Cousin Vinny. Director Jonathan Lynn liked him for the part, but the studio didn't, seeing him simply as "that guy from The Karate Kid."

    It turns out that among those up for the role of Bill Gambini was Will Smith, still a few years away from becoming the biggest movie star in the world with 1996's Independence Day.

    "Ben Stiller and Will Smith, that's who the studio wanted. Even though he's written as Vinny's cousin, they said, 'We'll figure that out later," Macchio says in this week's episode of Heat Vision Breakdown. "Will actually came in to read, and we read together for My Cousin Vinny at one point."

    The part of Bill Gambini, cousin to Joe Pesci's Vinny, ultimately went to Macchio.

    Macchio is now celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Karate Kid, the 1984 hit that spawned sequels, the ongoing YouTube series Cobra Kai and a 2010 remake ... starring Will Smith's son, Jaden. The elder Smith spoke to Macchio ahead of that film.

    "He called me once they decided to make a remake of The Karate Kid in 2010. My opening line was, 'The last time I saw you was when we auditioned for My Cousin Vinny,'" says Macchio. "'That's the first and last time I got the part and you didn't.' We had fun."

    Looking back at Karate Kid, Macchio still treasures the time he spent with Pat Morita, who played his onscreen mentor Mr. Miyagi. In 2005, Macchio was asked to give Morita's eulogy.

    "I was nervous about what to say, so I didn't do a lot of prep outside of speaking from my heart and knowing how rare it is have that sort of piece of magic," says Macchio of their collaborations. "I always call my relationship with him and those performances a bit of soulful magic. ... There's one line I had in my head that I wanted to end with when I spoke of him and what he meant of me. 'Forever my sensei.' It came to me on the plane out to Vegas, which is where the services were, ... and I'm proud of it."

    In addition to Karate Kid, Macchio was part of another iconic '80s film: Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which featured stars such as Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon and Diane Lane. It also boasts a well-remembered poster, showing its leading men cracking up.

    Macchio notes he was responsible for those laughs by taking a crack at one of his co-stars. The gang was taking group shots, and there was a table of food meant for the cast.

    "One of the production guys behind the cameras said 'all the food over here is for the talent.' He was telling the crew guys," says Macchio. "Leif Garrett was walking by and I said, 'Remember, Leif, he said that's just for the talent!' It got this big laugh. … We laugh about it to this day. Everybody cracked up and there's this picture."

    t
    The Outsiders

    Cobra Kai season two is available now on YouTube, with a third season gearing up. Watch Macchio's full interview at the top of the post.




    AARON COUCH
    aaron.couch@thr.com
    AaronCouch

    PATRICK SHANLEY
    patrick.shanley@THR.com
    @pshanley88


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    The Karate Kid
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  10. #25
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    Cobra Kai panel

    I was planning on attending this panel at SDCC but I didn't make it. I can't remember what distracted me away from it now. There was so much to do at SDCC. It's really an overwhelming event.

    ‘Cobra Kai’ Cast Talks Season 3 At Comic-Con
    By BRENT FURDYK. 18 Jul 2019 11:37 PM


    William Zabka and Ralph Macchio - Amy Sussman/Getty Images — Getty Images

    The cast and producers of YouTube’s “Cobra Kai” appeared at Comic-Con on Thursday, and kicked off the opening day of the annual nerd-fest by spilling some news about the upcoming third season of the “Karate Kid” spinoff.

    Stars William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) and Ralph Macchio (Daniel Russo, a.k.a. “Daniel-san”) were on hand for the “Cobra Kai” session, with showrunner Josh Heald revealing the third season will see Macchio’s character return to Japan.

    “Season three is a lot how to move forward and in that construct we also find the Cobra Kai and Miyagi Do sides of our journey moving inwardly,” he told the crowd (via IndieWire).

    “We dig a little into the origin of both Miyagi Do and Cobra Kai,” he added, “and in that journey we will see Daniel LaRusso return to Okinawa.”

    Also participating in the panel was Martin Kove (Sensei Kreese), who is hopeful his character will be able to redeem himself after ousting Johnny as head of the Cobra Kai dojo.

    “Coming up soon, I think there’s a lot of redemption,” said Kove. “I think there should be. But if there isn’t, I think that’ll be a really good dance.”

    While “Cobra Kai” currently airs on YouTube’s paid subscription service, YouTube Premium, the first two seasons will soon be available to watch for free; Season 1 episodes will all be released for free on Aug. 29, while Season 2 episodes will be released, one episode per week, starting Sept. 11.
    Gene Ching
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  11. #26
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    Eager for this to go free access


    Credit: YouTube Premium

    EMMY CONTENDER: THE REAL MARTIAL ARTS AND STUNTS BEHIND COBRA KAI'S BIGGEST BRAWL Contributed by
    Jennifer Vineyard
    Aug 26, 2019

    Welcome to Emmy Contenders 2019. This month, SYFY WIRE is speaking to a long list of actors, artists, and artisans whose work earned them Emmy nominations this year. Today we speak with Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman, the Emmy-nominated stunt coordinators for YouTube's Cobra Kai.

    It's rare for a simple school fight to morph into an all-out brawl, but that's what happened in the season finale of YouTube Premium's Cobra Kai. First Tory took a swing at Samantha. Then Robby gave Tory a shove in response. And then Miguel — understandably confused about what was going on — took a running leap at Robby. And that was all it took. When Hawk shouted out, "It is on!" all the Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai teens were swept up in a school-wide melee — demonstrating that even a little martial-arts knowledge can be a dangerous thing in the hands of immature kids.

    Making sure that all the complicated action in this episode worked — without anyone getting killed, preferably — was the job of stunt coordinators Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman. SYFY WIRE asked the husband-and-wife team about their methods for creating maximum action, and they explained all.



    You have a young cast with variable levels of martial arts proficiency. Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel, had minimal experience. Taylor Buchanan, who plays Robby, came in with a bit of taekwondo training. Jacob Bertrand, who plays Hawk, has a purple belt in karate. How does that affect how you plan a fight?

    Curfman: Yeah. You know, we got to do a little bit more in Season 2, because at this point, all the kids have been taking and training in karate, even if most of the cast had little to no training coming into it. So it's actually been a natural progression of their skill and talent improving. At the beginning of the story, they had just started karate in real-life training, and their characters were just starting karate, so it's been nice that the training has paralleled the story in that sense.

    Apparently, part of your method is that you shoot the fight choreography on a Steadicam and do previz for big sequences, as a way to work out the stunts and then show the actual Steadicam operator how to shoot them? How did that start? And how unique is that?

    Koda: We shoot our own projects, and I do previz for especially big sequences like that fight. It's like a blueprint for when we go to shoot on the day. Back in the early 2000s, I interviewed for a job on the TV show Birds of Prey, which only lasted one season. They gave me a script, I picked one of the fights, I shot a previz with some friends, and I brought that into my job interview, which was back before previz was even a thing. The director on the pilot, Brian Robbins, later told me, "You're new to the business, your resume wasn't as good as some of the other people who came in here, but what got you the job was that previz. You shot the fight and it was like, 'This kid's got something new.'" It wasn't something they had seen before.

    Now I feel like I'm one of the pioneers of creating previz for stunt coordinators, although it's becoming more of the norm. There are more people demanding them because they are very helpful and useful for the director. He can then make his notes and say, "This is what I liked. I don't like this. Get rid of this. Put this in," like that. Some people just shoot the sequence in wide shots, but I tend to shoot and edit it together so it looks more like the final sequence, and so you can get the feeling of what it's going to be like. And if there are any visual effects that need to be put into it, sometimes I do some visual effects on my own as well. Instead of saying, "Well, here's where this monster comes in," I will put something in there so they can kind of see it and understand.


    Credit: YouTube Premium

    So what's the process when you have a fight like this one? You had a total of four days, which is a big-time crunch.

    Koda: Four days, but really three-and-a-half days, because they had a half-day of acting stuff too. What we pride ourselves on is really keeping the story flowing, and really trying to tell the story through action.

    Curfman: We knew this one was going to be chaotic. We knew it was going to be very passionate. It was going to feel like a big prison brawl. Getting started is the hardest part. We start with the script, we break it down, we look at the characters who are fighting each other, and who has a different background or a different fighting style, and we start to get into it. The script is a map, but it's up to us to sort of fill in the ballet of choreography.

    Koda: On Cobra Kai, they let us take the reins and run with it. When you're having a massive fight like this, it's not just dealing with what's happening in the foreground of what we're actually shooting. We always had to remember what was happening in the background, because all the kids were fighting.

    Curfman: Sometimes the script will be specific with fight beats, and say, "He does a flying sidekick." But most of the time, it's not specific. It's just "Demetri and Hawk exchange blows, and Demetri gets the upper hand." So we know that Demetri needs to come up with some move to take Hawk out. Something else we think about when we're doing the choreography is what moves those characters would, or wouldn't, do. Would Daniel do this move? Is this something Johnny wouldn't do? It's those little details that help tell the story and help it make sense.
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
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  12. #27
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    Continued from previous post



    Let's talk about the one-er. That's about 85 seconds in one take.

    Koda: When I was designing the shot, we built the skeleton for the fight, and we wanted it to play out for as long as it could until it kind of fell apart. There were moments where I was like, "Um, we can't have the cast do this. This is too dangerous. Let's figure out the best way to do a Texas switch."

    Can you explain a Texas switch? And how many of them did you use in this fight sequence?

    Koda: Basically, a Texas switch is when the actor is doing a scene, and as soon as they get to the point where action needs to happen, and they need to change out, rather than cutting, they pause and a stunt double quickly comes in and takes their spot. In older films, you can kind of see it when say, maybe a guy falls, and it's a body double, and then the actor stands up. That's a classic Texas switch.

    Curfman: We had three quick Texas switches.

    Koda: In the big one-er, that was 98 percent cast. Most of it was happening in-camera, so we didn't have to cut. It was just for camera moves when someone got knocked down, when we'd switch in the doubles to take the bigger falls. But it never looked like there was any cut, and the action continued all the way through. The whole point is to be clever so nobody can. Peyton List, who plays Tori, was switched out, and Jahnel doubled for Peyton. She did two of the Texas switches in there for Peyton, because she does a couple of big falls. She gets thrown to the floor, and the camera spins around Samantha, and as it comes back around, Peyton stands up in the shot after the throw.

    Then when Miguel gets thrown against the locker, there was a quick Texas switch in there. And so we did that in the midst of Miguel and Robby fighting at the start of their fight. They're fighting, fighting, fighting, in the locker area, and Robby gets kicked back from Miguel, and the camera kind of goes with Robby and stays with him, so it loses Miguel for a second. That's the moment the first Texas switch happened. We pull back, and there's a bit of a fight that throws Miguel into a locker, and he hits the ground, and then we're off of that and into Tori and Samantha fighting. Miguel then switches back. Someone with an eagle eye might be able to spot all of this!
    According to the previous story, Season 1 is free access this Thursday, although I thought I read somewhere that the date got pushed back.
    Gene Ching
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  13. #28
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    RIP Robert Garrison

    Robert Garrison, Who Played Tommy in 'Karate Kid,' Dies at 59
    11:02 AM PDT 9/27/2019 by Ryan Parker


    Shutterstock; Getty Images
    'Karate Kid' (Inset: Rob Garrison)

    The actor appeared in the film 'Iron Eagle' and in a number of TV shows, including the classics 'Coach,' 'MacGyver' and 'Columbo.'
    Robert Garrison, best known for his work in Karate Kid, has died, his rep, Rick Henriques, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 59.

    "It is a huge loss to the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai family," Henriques said. "He was a great guy and a great actor." No cause of death was disclosed.

    Garrison played Tommy, the wicked Cobra Kai member who delighted in Daniel (Ralph Macchio) being punished both in and out of the ring. Tommy has the memorable line of "Get him a bodybag!" which he yells while laughing maniacally during the climax of the film.

    He reprised the role of Tommy in Karate Kid: Part II (1986) and Cobra Kai (2019).

    Garrison appeared in the film Iron Eagle and in a number of TV shows, including the classics Coach, MacGyver and Columbo.

    Garrison is survived by his brother, Patrick, and sister-in-law, Linda.
    THREADS
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  14. #29
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    QuickBooks Happy Business: Karate Kid

    Gene Ching
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  15. #30
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    Casting call

    'Cobra Kai'
    CATEGORY:TV & VIDEO: SCRIPTED TV & VIDEOTAGS:PAID NON UNION EXPIRES:February 23, 2020 4:00 PM

    Company
    YouTube Red, Central Casting Georgia
    Josh Heald, exec. prod.

    Production Description
    Casting for the YouTube Red series "Cobra Kai," starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. Project description: "Set thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, the series focuses on Johnny Lawrence reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, which causes his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso to be reignited."

    Roles
    Mustached Tank Top Guy (Background / Extra): Male, 18-50
    must have mustache, hairy chest, and fit, no visible tattoos.
    Ethnicity: White / European Descent
    Required Media: Headshot/Photo
    Join to See More
    Rehearsal and Production Dates & Locations
    Filming February 24 in Fairburn, GA.

    Compensation & Union Contract Details
    Pays $94/10 hours.

    Key Details
    Seeking talent from:
    Atlanta, GA
    Hope someone here applies. You know how to get it.

    NO MERCY
    Gene Ching
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