Who is Matt Keeslar and why is he called The Middleman?

Author: Isah V. Red
Column: Life & Entertainment

RECENTLY, I talked on the telephone to an actor of a small series premiering on AXN Beyond in November. The series is called The Middleman, based upon Javier Grillo-Marxuach’s graphic novel.

The Middleman is a top secret job title and persona that is handed down from Middleman to Middleman, and the current Middleman is a real mystery himself with not a soul privy to the knowledge of his birth name.

Matt Keeslar plays the straitlaced Middleman who drinks milk (how very wholesome!) by the way.

Crossing paths with the Middleman is Wendy Watson ( played by Natalie Morales of CSI: Miami), a spunky, young artist fresh out of college who works temp job after temp job to support her art and Xbox habit, and is recruited by The Middleman as his protégé. That is, after he was impressed by her unruffled manner while coolly defending herself in a face-to-face encounter with a monstrous creature, armed with a letter-opener no less.

While the series earned respectable reviews, it only did 12 episodes, and Keeslar who, at the very beginning of the series was very optimistic it would get past the first season, is now back reading scripts for future projects.

He said that the production had to wrap up after the 12th episode due to budget constraints.

Keeslar has been playing a variety of characters prior to landing the lead in The Middleman. He is turning 36 on Oct. 15.

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Keeslar’s first movie role was in RenaissANCe Man in 1994. It was a small role but became his passport to working in Hollywood. A decade and a half later, he found himself playing The Middleman on TV.

After high school he went to study acting in Juilliard, which he said had helped him with every role he played. In The Middleman, he said, “The series wasn’t the usual sci-fi or comic book serious stuff we see on screen. There’s a bit of comedy, drama, action and what I learned in Juilliard helped me in the various situations in each of the episode.”

There is even a freak show parade: unconventional villains such as a slimy, a multi-tentacle monster, talking mobster ape with a machine gun, 100 Mexican wrestlers, and trout-craving zombies, all adding up to a very strong comic factor for the series.

Keeslar said, “I think we made a very good series, and its showing in other parts of the world [including the Philippines through AXN Beyond] should help the show get an audience. And if it’s bigger than its audience in the US, then maybe we can get the series going.”

There are very little-known facts about Keeslar. While he may not be complaining, he is definitely hot on pursuing bigger things as an actor. Now that he isn’t tied down to a series, like The Middleman, he is doing a stint in Dollhouse, another series that will see itself (barring hitches, that is) screening in 2009.

Meanwhile, Keeslar makes himself available to phone interviews, like the one I did recently, to promote The Middlemen in countries where a TV network has bought it for telecast.

Just Dessert

There’s a new pastry shop in town, and it is all set to churn out delectable baked goodies and yummy desserts starting tomorrow.

Q Channel 11’s True Confections is a half-hour casual baking tutorial that showcases easy-to-make but definitely hard-to-resist desserts.

Hosted by resident sweet tooth Sam Oh together with world-class pastry chefs Aileen Anastacio of Goodies and Sweets and Fleur de Lys Patisserie’s Jackie Ang-Po, True Confections will share all the delicious secrets behind everyone’s favorite desserts—from classic to modern, from simple, no-bake goodies to fANCy.

Segments to watch out for each week include Do It Yourself Desserts—a “how to” on making a variety of desserts from scratch; Sweets around the World—a feature on various dessert products from other countries; Guiltless—a feature on low-sugar and low-fat desserts; and Behind the Sweets—a feature on how everyone’s all-time favorite sweets are made.

And in its pilot episode on Saturday, True Confections will feature classic cakes that never fail to impress any sweet appetite. Classic chocolate cake and Strawberry Shortcake will definitely revive everyone’s cravings and bring back sweet memories of the good old days.

My Most Valuable Pinoy

The most exciting reality sports show on Philippine TV is heating up some more as it brings the finalists to a rigorous training composed of drills and test and regular weekly practices and conditioning.

Hosted by superstar ball player Jason Webb and comedian Bayani Agbayani, MY MVP started off with a motley group of wannabe ball stars who are armed with a natural passion for the game and are spurred by their dreams. They go through drill after drill under the watchful eyes of esteemed coach Norman Black.

These players discover that there is more to basketball than mere playing. At each turn they see that life is a lot like the struggles of the game, and that the game of life can be played with as much passion and skill.

MY MVP airs every Sunday, 6 to 7 p.m. on TV5.

Banana Split

Get ready as the sultriest and sexiest women unite in ABS-CBN’s funniest and wackiest all-female gag show Banana Split.

Be awed with the irresistible charms of lead stars Angelica Panganiban, Cristine Reyes, Roxanne Guinoo, and Valerie Concepcion together with equally gorgeous and talented celebrities RR Enriquez, Princess Ryan, and Dianne Medina.

See these hot babes the way you have never seen them before and be captivated by their humor and wit.

Also, watch out for weekly guest hunks like Zanjoe Marudo, Diether Ocampo, John Lloyd Cruz, and Jake Cuenca, and see if they can handle the girls’ antics.

How naughty and wacky can the girls get?

Find out this October in Banana Split on ABS-CBN.

New album, major concert

Lovi Poe has recently finished recording all the songs for Bloom.

The new CD contains new songs composed by Vehnee Saturno. Ogie Alcasid has also written a few tracks, so has Viktoria and Joven Tan.

Lovi and Ogie Alcasid collaborated on a track.

Lovi does covers of “Love on a 2 Way Street” and “Save the Sunlight.” It also includes “Nais Ko,” the theme song of Lovi’s top-rating soap, Kaputol Ng Isang Awit.

“I’m very excited,” says Lovi. “This time, I had a lot of creative input for my new album.”

Lovi describes her new album something for grownups. “The songs focus on my blossoming as a woman,” confesses the young multi-media star.

The new CD from Sony BMG is being released this month. The first song culled from the album is the ballad, “Sana.”

Meanwhile, Lovi is busy preparing for her first major concert also entitled Bloom.

The concert coincides with Lovi’s album launch.

Bloom will be held at the Music Museum on Oct. 16.

Ogie Alcasid, Jay-R, Dennis Trillo, Jan Nieto, and Will De Vaughn will make personal appearANCes. “Lots of surprises are in store in the concert,” says Lovi.

The women

Ricky Reyes counts on the Ms. Earth Philippines titleholders to inspire every Filipino woman to be beautiful inside and out.

One need not be drop-dead gorgeous to feel good about oneself. Confidence, Ricky says, is achieved by believing in one’s self and capabilities.

Ms. Earth Philippines ladies (counterclockwise from top left) Miss Philippines Fire 2008—Ma. Kristelle M. Lazaro (municipality of Candaba); Miss Philippines Air 2008—Marie Razel T. Eguia (Dipolog City); Miss Philippines Earth 2008—Karla Paula G. Henry (Cebu City); Miss Pagcor International Tourism Ambassadress—Melanie Felix (Filipino communities in East Coast, USA); and Miss Philippines Water 2008—Marian Micheile T. Oblea (municipality of Obando) help spread the Gandang Ricky Reyes love.

ANC features Durano on RP gold win

Ace Durano, secretary of Tourism Department, joins Mornings at ANC hosts TJ Manotoc and Ginger Conejero to talk about the award-winning exhibit of the country at the recently concluded major world exhibition, Expo Zaragoza in Spain.

The International Bureau of Exhibitions awarded gold to the Philippines for excellence of design and quality of its pavilion, besting other countries in its category. To simulate the pavilion, two of its features, the Coffee Nook and Agua y Oleo Spa, were featured in the show.

The country’s first gold was won in the 2005 Expo in Aichi. Design team, led by Architect Ed Calma, included museum curator Marian Roces, Baby Imperial and Coco Anne of B&C Design, and Shoku Matsumoto. The music made especially for the pavilion was composed by artists Jim Paredes, Grace Nono, Bob Aves, Ringo Bunoan and Marcus Adoro.

Source: Manila Standard Today

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