The 10 Secret Ingredients Hidden in Every Pixar Movie
PolicyMic.com author Rachel Redfern has put together a list of the 10 secret ingredients hidden in every Pixar movie. Click here to read the full article, and be sure to notice item #2 – “A Voice We All Recognize.” Redfern writes: “John Ratzenberger, while delightful in Cheers, has become a pivotal touchstone in every Pixar film, a familiar anchor that audiences can count on. He has voice acted a role in every Pixar film to date. Ratzenberger played P.T. Flea in A Bug’s Life; Hamm in Toy Story; Yeti, the Abominable Snowman in Monster’s, Inc.; the school of moonfish in Finding Nemo; The Underminer in The Incredibles; Mack the truck in Cars and Cars II; Mustafa the waiter inRatatouille; John in Wall-E; Tom the construction worker in Up; and Gordon the guard in Brave. Pixar even saluted his 19-year tenure with them in Cars when Ratzenberger’s character watches a mash up of his own Pixar work. As his character comments, “Wait a minute they’re just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?” -” View the full story here...
read moreHappy Birthday to John Ratzenberger!
Happy birthday to John Ratzenberger, who turns 67 today. John got his start in the performing arts with the improvisational comedy group, “Sal’s Meat Market”, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, while a student at Sacred Heart University, located in Fairfield/Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was later affiliated with the ensemble group, “The Downtown Cabaret”. To learn more about John’s acting career, and to see quotes and images, check out his full IMDB...
read moreThe Making of Radio Shack’s “The Phone Call”
It was a blast to see all those famous folks from the 1980s—we’re talking everyone from Mary Lou Retton to Erik Estrada—burst into a Radio Shack store and clear the shelves in the Super Bowl spot “The Phone Call.” But the :30 created by Austin-based GSD&M and directed by Frank Todaro of bicoastal Moxie Pictures offered much more than a trip down memory lane. It was a self-effacing admission by the struggling electronics retailer that it needs to get with the times, and Super Bowl viewers and ad critics appreciated the humor and the honesty. “The concept was the most appealing thing about it,” said Todaro when asked why he chose to direct this spot (he also helmed this year’s Hyundai Super Bowl ad “Dad’s Sixth Sense”), noting, “It wasn’t that it was going to be some spectacular bit of cinema. It was just that it was really funny and incredibly smart and self aware.” The agency had fun coming up with a list of ’80s stars and references to fill the spot, according to GSD&M executive creative director Jay Russell, who recounted, “There were seven or eight people that sat in a room and had this wall of photographs that looked like it was from a scene out of A Beautiful Mind.” Read the full article titled Top Spot: Todaro, GSD&M Storm A Radio Shack With Icons From The 1980s In “The Phone Call” by Christine Champagne...
read moreNCA 2014 State of the Industry Conference
John Ratzenberger will be a “featured expert” at this year’s National Confectioners Association (NCA) State of the Industry Conference. The theme is “The Consumer Today – The Consumer Tomorrow” and will feature experts across a variety of industries speaking to the more than 600 confectionery industry leaders and key retailers from all channels of trade. Attendees will gain valuable insights and ideas to apply to their business, all while networking with industry peers. For more information, visit the NCA website here >> This year the NCA industry experts (including Ratzenberger) will cover the following: Economic and consumer insights. Strategic shopper and social marketing. Retail channel learnings and best practices. Customer service and engagement. Proven leadership and success...
read moreSelf-Reliance and Handsaws
John Ratzenberger has been featured on the Huffington Posts’ blog in an article titled Self-Reliance and Handsaws: John Ratzenberger’s Tools for Life by Joseph Parker. Highlights include: To Ratzenberger, equipping the children of future generations with such hands-on skills and abilities is imperative to the continuation of our economy and way of life. He believes our country was built thanks to the hard work and self-sufficiency of those who knew how to create and fix things. “That’s what built America: self-reliance. You just did it. Figure it out,” he says. But more and more, Americans are getting in the habit of picking up the phone and calling in a professional rather than fixing something themselves. And that, to Ratzenberger, is a travesty. “By the time everybody realizes the problem, it’s going to be too late. Right now, there’s time to still teach children and get them interested in the nuts and the bolts and the saws and the hammers, because right now they’re not.” Ratzenberger’s hope is that shows like “Made in America” will help to bolster the American public’s view of the construction industry, and even reinvigorate younger generations’ interest in learning how to build and fix things themselves. According to John, anyone can take on the proper training and learn to work with their hands. “When I teach people and show people, a lot of people have the understanding that they’re not handy at all, or they can’t do something,” Ratzenberger says. This is something he hopes to change with better education, which can in turn lead to students — specifically, kids — feeling a sense of accomplishment when they build or create something that will stand the test of time. Click here to read the full article online....
read moreJohn Ratzenberger Named 2014 Lehigh Valley Commencement Speaker
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – John Ratzenberger, Emmy-nominated actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, will be the featured speaker at Penn State Lehigh Valley’s 2014 commencement ceremony to be held at 11 a.m. May 10 at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem. Ratzenberger produced and hosted “Made in America,” a show for the Travel Channel, which established a television precedent and led the way for a new series of shows including “Dirty Jobs,” “Deadliest Catch,” “Ice Road Truckers” and others. These shows celebrate the work ethic that built America. He co-authored “We’ve Got It Made in America: A Common Man’s Salute to an Uncommon Country.” John Ratzenberger is currently in pre-production on a new documentary, the purpose of which is to awaken Americans to the shortage of skilled workers that threatens our country as a whole. Click here to read the full announcement on Penn State News online....
read moreCliff’s Cameo in Radio Shack Commercial
Did you catch John Ratzenberger featured in Radio Shack’s “The Phone Call” commercial during the big game? The ad featured several 1980s-era celebrities, such as John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin from Cheers, Hulk Hogan, Mary Lou Retton, Dee Snyder from Twisted Sister, Erik Estrada from CHiPs, along with characters such as Alf and Chuckie from the Child’s Play movies, arriving at a Radio Shack store and representing the 1980s to take their store back. Radio Shack also produced a separate Cliff-featured spot showing off EL wire. Watch the video below to hear one of Cliff’s little known...
read moreSeason 2 of ‘Legit’ Announced by FXX
FXX will roll out the premiere of Legit on Jan. 26, 2014. The second season of ‘Legit’ with Jim Jefferies will follow the comedian as he tries to solve the mystery behind his failing love life. On top of his personal challenges, Jefferies will also deal with a string of unwanted house guests that include his parents and his roommates’ dad, Walter (John Ratzenberger). Meanwhile, Jim’s roommate Billy (DJ Qualls) will deal with problems of his after beginning new medications for muscular dystrophy along with an unconventional romantic relationship. For more information about the premiere, check out this article on BroadwayWorld.com...
read moreA Visit to Eagle Hill Southport School
Hamm the pig, Mack the truck and P.T. Flea recently visited Eagle Hill Southport School — or at least the actor who voices the characters did. Actor John Ratzenberger the voice of these and many other Pixar movie characters, talked to the students about his life on and off the movie set. While most of the teachers know Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin on the long-running sitcom, Cheers, most of the students recognize his voice from the Pixar movies, of which he has appeared in every one, including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Cars. Ratzenberger glided in and out of various character voices, but spent most of his time answering student questions. Click here to read the full news story on the Fairfield...
read moreGuest Cast of BONES on FOX – Catch it Again on January 11, 2014
John Ratzenberger will join the guest cast of the TV show BONES in this Saturday’s episode, which you can watch again on January 11, 2014. He will appear as Bill Schumacher in an episode where The Jeffersonian team investigates the murder of Adam Pak, a management consultant whose remains were found being eaten by bobcats. When evidence leads the team to a marriage retreat site, Brennan and Booth go undercover as previous personas “Roxie” and “Tony” to try to find more evidence. While at the retreat, Brennan and Booth meet fellow married couple Bill (guest star Ratzenberger) and Evelyn (guest star Millicent Martin) Schumacher, whose relationship seems a little too perfect. To read more about the episode, click...
read more