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Tag: Eastbound and Down

  • ‘Top Gun’ Inspiration Promoted at Pentagon

    ‘Top Gun’ Inspiration Promoted at Pentagon

    Christine Fox, who was the inspiration for Kelly McGillis’ character in the 1986 Tom Cruise vehicle Top Gun, was recently appointed by President Barack Obama as acting deputy defense secretary Tuesday, making the civilian analyst the highest-ranking woman ever at the Pentagon.

    In Top Gun, McGillis plays Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, a civilian contractor with a Ph.D. in astrophysics, serving as a Top Gun instructor. Fox, who had been director of cost controls at the Pentagon, before leaving for the academic world during the summer, had remained an unpaid consultant to Ashton Carter, who she will replace.

    Fox, former president of the Center for Naval Analysis, helped McGillis prepare for her Top Gun role.

    Below is a clip of Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, opposite United States Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiKSAo6vKmk

    Ashton Carter stepped down on Wednesday, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stated that Fox would serve as his top deputy, “pending the nomination and confirmation of a permanent successor.” In a statement, Hagel called Fox “a brilliant defense thinker and proven manager, who knows the intricacies of the Department’s budget, programs and global operations better than anyone.”

    Speaking of Top Gun, Goose and Maverick lore has permeated the highest levels of American culture, as seen in HBO’s now-defunct series Eastbound and Down:

    Regarding Top Gun style air combat, Fox told People Magazine in 1985, “I don’t know anything about flying airplanes, but I know a lot about the guy in the back seat – his mission, his radar and his missiles.”

    Image via The U.S. Department of Defense.

  • Marilyn Manson Makes Odd Cameo on Eastbound and Down

    “Can I take your trash?” Talk about awkward. You know may know Marilyn Manson as a cross-dressing, goth, cult-figure with a face covered in thick makeup. But if you tuned into HBO’s comedy series Eastbound and Down on Sunday night, you got the opportunity to see Manson as a nerdy waiter at a roller rink.

    If you missed the Antichrist Superstar singer’s 20-second cameo, you can now check it out for yourself:

    It was just a month ago when we first heard that Manson, whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner, was a huge fan of Eastbound and Down. The show’s star, Danny McBride, decided to give the goth-singer a small cameo in one of the scenes.

    It all stemmed from a 2010 interview with Vulture.com when McBride described the oddness of Manson actually being a huge fan of the show. “It was pretty insane that Marilyn Manson was a fan of the show. He came to the season-two premiere. Jody and I are both fans of his and it was just nuts that he would watch. For some reason, I don’t imagine Marilyn Manson sitting on a couch watching TV. I picture him hanging out in a torture chamber or something. We were definitely flattered and creeped out and felt great that he liked the show.”

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    The 44-year-old is not a total stranger when it comes to acting. He made his big screen debut in David Lynch’s surreal neo-noir Lost Highway in 1997. In addition, Manson has appeared in both cameo and minor roles, including the independent films Jawbreaker in 1999 and Party Monster in 2003. Manson also recently appeared as himself in the Showtime television series Californication .

    The series Eastbound and Down is about a washed up, rude, obnoxious, mullet-sporting former professional relief pitcher played by McBride. It is currently airing its fourth and final season on HBO. The show is co-produced by Will Ferrell and plenty of A-list stars including Matthew McConaughey and Don Johnson have appeared on the series.

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