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In 1984, when I was in sixth grade, I managed to sneak into an R-rated movie called 'Revenge of the Nerds.' (It probably helped that I was almost 6 feet tall.) The movie played on familiar stereotypes about jocks and nerds, culminating in a delightful comeuppance where the nerd fraternity bests the jocks who have been picking on them.
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The Sun
27-04-2025
- The Sun
80s movie star with very famous family is unrecognisable as he rides a motorcycle in LA – can you guess who he is?
HE shot to fame in the 80s in a cult classic comedy about a group of American nerds. And in the early noughties he had a mainstream resurgence playing Lizzie McGuire's dad in the hit kids' TV show. 6 6 Now the acting legend is 71 and enjoys spending his time riding his motorcycle in sun-soaked Los Angeles. New pictures show him in his black biking leathers with fellow enthusiasts at The Rock Store, in Santa Monica hills. It's none other than Robert Carradine, part of the famous Carradine family acting dynasty. Robert has aged gracefully and is embracing his mid-length white hair and matching beard. In a nod to his Revenge of the Nerds past, he wore a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses as he straddled his pride and joy. The star's breakout role, which told the story of a bunch of geeky students who sought revenge on their bullies, spawned three film sequels as well as a reality show, King of the Nerds, hosted by Robert and his original Nerds co-star Curtis Armstrong. The idea of rebooting the franchise for a reality TV audience belonged to Robert's ex-wife, Edie. Robert told The Pop Dose in 2013: "She said, 'Remember five years ago when we tried to launch a reality show?' I said, 'Yeah.' She said, 'I think maybe we should try to do it again.' "So I gave a call to Curtis (Armstrong) and said, 'Are you up for this?' And he said, 'Yeah, absolutely!' So I called my agent, Gordon MacDonald, and it turns out he was friends with Jimmy Fox of Electus, which is one of the production-studio components to the show. "And they got very excited about a meeting, so we took the meeting, and afterward I found out from Jimmy, who's their head of production, that he called my agent and said, 'Please don't let the guys go anywhere else. Just give me two weeks, okay? We love the idea!'" Contestants lived together in a house dubbed 'Nerdvana' and competed in a series of geeky challenges like giant chess and flying live-action helipads to win $100,000. There were also cameo appearances from famous names like George Takei, Kevin Smith, Simon Garfunkel and John Oates. Robert stumbled into the acting world after initially wanting to be a race car driver. On his half-brother David's insistence, he auditioned for the John Wayne western The Cowboy as a nervous 17-year-old and got the part, admitting it didn't require much fakery. The siblings then worked together on Martin Scorcese's Mean Streets in which Robert's serial killer murdered David's character. In the early noughties, a decade before his reality show was aired, Robert became a familiar face on the Disney Channel opposite Hilary Duff. He called his casting in Lizzie McGuire a "godsend". "I didn't really think that they were going to go for somebody of my style and type as Lizzie's father," he told Culture Brats. "And then I found out after the fact that they'd written this guy to be kind of loose and devil-may-care, which I am. [Laughs.] And that seemed to fit the Lizzie McGuire mode." Robert's dad John was an acclaimed character actor who racked up 351 acting credits in his 82 years, including Count Dracula in House of Frankenstein and Preacher Casy in John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath. His brother Keith also has a long list of famous roles to his name ranging from 70s films The Duellists and Pretty Baby, to modern TV shows Deadwood, Dexter and The Big Bang Theory. 6 6 6 Robert Carradine's best-known acting roles Robert Carradine, a member of the famed Carradine acting dynasty, has held a number of memorable roles. He is perhaps best recognised for his portrayal of Lewis Skolnick, the nerdy yet endearing protagonist of the cult comedy franchise Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and its sequels, which became iconic in the 1980s. Robert also appeared in the gritty Western The Cowboys (1972), alongside John Wayne, showcasing his versatility as a young actor. Another standout role was his performance in Mean Streets (1973), directed by Martin Scorsese, where he starred alongside Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. He played Sam McGuire, the lovable and slightly goofy father in Disney Channel's hit series Lizzie McGuire (2001–2004). Robert reprised the role in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), where the McGuire family embarks on a memorable trip to Rome. He also featured in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), taking on the role of a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.
Boston Globe
16-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Trump vs. Harvard: Kimmel, Colbert, and more late-night hosts reacts to funding feud
Advertisement Kimmel, who's been 'My money's on Harvard,' Kimmel said. 'I grew up in the '80s — I've seen 'Revenge of the Nerds.' I know who wins these things.' 'We finally found a force more powerful than Trump's hatred: Harvard's love of sending rejection letters,' said Chieng. 'But, look, I don't usually root for Harvard, because they're Harvard. They've got everything. It's like rooting for Jeff Bezos to win the lottery.' Colbert said Harvard has withstood the test of time — a lot of time. 'They've been around for way longer than this country,' he said. 'In fact, Harvard was founded in 1636. Of course, back then the only majors they offered were Latin Grammar, Intro to Leechcraft, and Witch Kindling.' Advertisement Colbert also took a moment to acknowledge that Tuesday — April 15 — was the day Americans pay their taxes (or at least they're supposed to). 'Folks, as I mentioned before, it's Tax Day or, as billionaires call it, 'What?'' said Colbert. Mark Shanahan can be reached at
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- The Guardian
Stephen Colbert: ‘We're not on our way to a dictatorship, we're on the ship'
Late-night hosts looked at Donald Trump's recent dictatorial behaviour, including his attempt to bully Harvard into following his demands. On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert spoke about the alleged 'administrative error' that saw Kilmar Ábrego García snatched off the streets by Ice and sent to a prison in El Salvador despite no proof of criminal activity. The supreme court ordered Trump to facilitate his return but the administration has defied the ruling. 'These are court orders not court suggestions!' Colbert said. He said that they 'made that mistake on purpose' and Trump has since been 'publicly mulling the idea of sending American citizens to rot' in the same prison. 'We're not on our way to a dictatorship, we're on the ship,' he said before adding that 'regardless of your politics, those aren't your politics'. He wondered what can be done and asked if there was a 'break-glass-if-constitution-stops-working mechanism' before talking about a law that does allow marshals to intervene if the president refuses to comply. The past week has also seen Trump attempting to 'Maga-fy higher education' by imposing demands on institutions. But Harvard has become the first university to refuse. 'Now you're just like the rest of us because you just got rejected by Harvard,' Colbert joked. The administration wants DEI programs shut down, plagiarism checks made on all staff and foreign students reported for conduct violations. 'Dorm RAs were already drunk on power,' he said. But the head of Harvard 'clapped back to insane dictatorial demands', which has led to $2.2bn of federal funding being withheld. Colbert added that Harvard has been around since 1636 so it will probably continue to survive. He said back then the only available classes were 'Latin grammar, intro to leechcraft and witch kindling'. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host spoke about the return of Joe Biden, who appeared energised at a bipartisan event to help protect social security. 'Man oh man did he come out swinging,' he said. Kimmel also spoke about Trump's battle with Harvard, joking that it was 'home to liberal elite alumni' – such as Ted Cruz. He joked that Trump was definitely the best person to get involved in the inner workings of a higher education institution after starting his own 'fraudulent university'. Kimmel said 'my money's on Harvard' as 'I've seen Revenge of the Nerds'. Trump's hatred of DEI has led to him calling for 'merit-based hiring', which Kimmel said can be seen in his cabinet, joking about hires such as Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon. He also said that having a 'reality star and Pizza Hut spokesperson' as president was perhaps not the best example either. Kimmel also called out the 'orangenosers kissing his butt in ways we've never seen before' with a new badge being worn by his loyalists that shows Trump's face in gold. With the economy still in a worrying place and tariffs that haven't really come into full effect yet, Kimmel expressed concern that Americans having less access to coffee will have a terrifying impact. 'Can you imagine the mental health crisis?' he said before saying there will be an uptick in 'workplace stabbings'.
