Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

Michael Jackson. I don't usually get wrapped up in the celebrity stuff so I was caught off guard when I found myself crying over the past week or so. But I grew up listening to MJ both in the 80's and 90's and feel a somewhat of a connection through the music. I don't care what anyone says (and trust me when I say that it will be popular to say this from now on, but I've said it all along): I never believed Michael was guilty of anything other than being different thanks in part to a tragic childhood leading to an absolute alien-like experience of what we call life.

Discovering the genius melding of the rock and dance of "Beat It"... getting the MJ doll for Christmas... trying to incorporate the moonwalk into my breakdancing routine... getting scared out of my Pac-Man PJ's watching "Thriller"... my pal Bobby and I singing along to all 37 singles from "Bad"... watching the premiere of "Black or White" after THE SIMPSONS... honing my impersonation to the amusement of Jay and Ryan... flipping out at the awesomeness of "Scream"... I'm only now realizing how much these memories mean to me... and how many...

Thank you Michael. Rest in peace, my friend, for you have inspired millions.

The Week of Boyhood Dreams!

"Mr. Class" Brice Kennedy poses with "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair (April 2009).



Posing with the legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu (April 2009).


I recently met two of my childhood heroes: the greatest professional wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots and the greatest video game composer to ever score a note: "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and the great Nobuo Uematsu... okay, so they're still my heroes.

I first caught a flight to Grand Rapids, Michigan to see the "Distant Worlds" Final Fantasy symphony. I also have family there and had fun visiting cousins Tina, Jessi and Mark while I was in town. The music of Final Fantasy is some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard and Uematsu's music has inspired, uplifted and entertained me since the original Final Fantasy back in the late eighties. The symphony was amazing and even Tina, who wasn't familiar with the music, turned to me and said "Oh my god" upon hearing the accompanying Grand Rapids Chamber Choir.

All the great FF tracks were represented: "Aerith's Theme", "One Winged Angel", "Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec", "Chocobo's Theme", "To Zanarkand" and other memorable pieces. One of the highlights was when they played a cut scene from FFVIII followed by the random battle zoom in effect and then immediately started into "Don't Be Afraid", the FFVIII battle theme! I actually called my pals Jay and Nick during a couple of tracks so they could hear... and maybe to gloat a little. They also ended the set by playing "Terra's Theme" from FFVI (which was also the end credits from the game) then rolled credits from the concerts over the original game credits. Sleek! Hearing this great music live was an unforgettable experience.

After the concert, I actually met a friend I knew only from YouTube which lent a real community feel to the event. Then, I headed upstairs to meet Nobuo Uematsu... to actually meet the guy who composed all these dozens and dozens of great tracks! While waiting in line, I met someone interesting people including a couple who came all the way from Salt Lake City. So, after waiting in line for an hour and a half, I approached the table where Uematsu-san was sitting with Arnie Roth, conductor of the tour. I was a little nervous, not so much to meet him but because I was about to say "thank you" in Japanese. While bowing, I said, "doomo arigato gozaimasu", meaning "thank you very much" which is the most respectful form of thank you. We actually spoke a bit before I stepped aside letting someone else have their turn. I told him how I'd been playing his music on piano for decades and how wonderful it was to thank him in person. He hadn't done a lot of meet and greets here in states and seemed to be genuinely overwhelmed by the turnout and enthusiasm of the fans. He was very gracious and a real class act.

My Week of Boyhood Dreams continued a few days later as my best pal Sam and I headed down to Charleston to meet THE MAN. I've followed pro wrestling since 1985 or so. Yes, I know it's fake. So is LOST, CSI: MIAMI and everything else on television. Technically, it's not fake; it's choreographed and the outcome is predetermined but... I digress. Anyway, so yeah I still watch the male soap opera as it's still great fun and there's never been anyone greater than the dirtiest player in the game... the kiss-stealin', wheelin'-dealin', limousine-ridin', jet-flying son-of-a-gun who kissed ALL the girls and made 'em cry... "Nature Boy" Ric Flair! Whooooooo!!

Sam and I got to the Charleston Town Center Mall for the autograph signing at about a quarter 'till the hour and the line inside was loooooong. Thankfully, we bought the VIP package and our line wasn't quite as long. After a while, the crowd erupted which could only mean one thing - 'Naitch was in town! We waited for about 20 minutes or so and finally it was our turn. we mapped out our strategy to take each other's pictures and, at the last minute, abandoned it entirely, probably because we were so stoked. I went first and approached Ric and what do I see? He's texting! So I'm standing there for like, 15 seconds and he has the audacity to continue texting and ignoring me. I think I know the reason. You see, I'm not just a fan of Ric's. I'm a rival. Years ago, I ran the AWL, the Arena Wrestling League where I wrestled professionally as "Mr. Class" Brice Kennedy, the AWL World Heavyweight Champion. It's obvious that through my personal home video collection of my friends and I wrestling pillows and stuffed animals, he'd gotten word of my incessant challenges to him and to this day, was continuing to duck my challenge. OR... texting some random hot chick thirty years his junior for a random hook-up was a bit more important than the 241st fan standing in front of him. One of the two.

So after immediately forgiving him this little faux pas, I approached him somewhat nervously and told him that there was nothing truly original I could say that he hadn't heard but wanted to tell you about the time I was most excited to see him in the ring. I then proceeded to tell him about a match back in 1995 (SuperBrawl V, to be specific) where he was retired and was in another wrestler's corner (Vader) in a match against Hulk Hogan. Hogan, who'd retired flair months earlier, won the match and Flair was livid. He jumped in the ring and just destroyed Hogan. Ha... I was so excited to recount this with THE MAN WHO DID IT! I even started acting it out, stomping the invisible man lying on the ground in front of me and Ric was grinning ear to ear. He chuckled and said thank you and asked me for my name as he signed an old 8x10 I used to have on my cork board back in the day. Man, it was awesome! So I waited while Sam talked to him and told him about his favorite moment, the 1991 Royal Rumble when he won the WWF title.

After the autographs, we waited off to the side for our photo ops. I took a few more cell phone pics and Ric came over for the picture. I asked him if he could deliver one of his trademarked "chops" and he said he couldn't... but then did! I was chopped by Ric Flair! The best part was the actual picture though because we both held up the four fingers and posed AS HORSEMEN. Haha... for that moment, I was one of The Four Horsemen! Holding up the four fingers has become somewhat of a trademark for me so that was a sweet added touch.

On the way home, Sam spotted this guy wearing a brown camo top and blue camo pants along the side of the road and remarked "Hey, there's Guile!" Of course, I HAD to acknowledge seeing one of favorite characters from "Street Fighter II" and the SECOND celebrity today. So I rolled down my window, yelled "Guile!" and took a picture as I yelled "Sonic boom!" Haha, Sam and I laughed for like ten minutes about it! Great times!!!!!

Over my thirty plus years, and to some degree through acting and all, I've met my fair share of celebs but this was literally the most excited I'd ever been. Finally... "Mr. Class" and "The Nature Boy"! Whooooooo!! An epic week.


Pics of meeting Ric Flair
Pics of meeting Nobuo Uematsu and the Distant Words concert
"Aerith's Theme" video (taken at the symphony)
Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy

Festivus 2008 Pics!!

Jeff Hobbs, myself, Eric Brown and Sam Malcolm at 123 Pleasant St. (Christmas 2008).

Check out my Christmas '08 pics... hanging out with friends

Hey, check out my new YouTube videos!

Collage of films I've been a part of (as of 2005).


BRICE'S BRAND NEW SILLY YOUTUBE VIDEOS!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

My site's new. Hip, hip...

Yes, I just made a bunch o' changes to BK.com including the banner you see above. My family went to Ireland a few years back and my mom took this picture of the Irish Sea.

I also added DVD and VHS covers of my movies in the sidebar. They're linked to Amazon and other sites to buy/rent the movies. Prove that you love me by buying and renting these fine feature films!

And finally, I added my acting demo reel in the sidebar. It's currently the #4 most viewed clip on YouTube. Or something.

On a personal note, to say I'm THRILLED that the Democrats have once again taken the White House would be an understatement so grave, words cannot describe! So my website isn't the only thing changing. I absolutely cannot wait to finally see President-elect Barack Obama and his new administration begin to undo the damage done by Bush and the neocons over the last eight years. Happy days will indeed soon be here again!

Mr. Phil Giroux of The Tom Green Show

The Works of Phil Giroux, Part 37: "MTV Is Number One!" (August 2003).


Well, this is another one of my famous "post something months or years after it happens" posts. As anyone who knows me (or of me) is aware, I'm a huge Tom Green fan. Now for true Tom Green fans, this means being a fan of his shows' co-hosts, too. Glenn Humplik, Phil Giroux and Derek Harvie are all hilarious cats with Phil probably being the funniest (see THE TOM GREEN SHOW's "Bear vs. Cougar" argument or the segment where Tom exploits Phil's fear of copper by dumping hundreds of pennies in his lap... sorry, I found no YouTube links).

So anyway, back in August of '03, I was cruising Phil's website, ingeniously dubbed his "computer internet site", and what do I see? Another one of his wonderfully primitive paintings on eBay. You see, Mr. Giroux is a world famous acclaimed painter and had been painting these childish looking, hilarious paintings for a while and selling them via eBay. His latest masterpiece, aptly titled "MTV is Number One!", was now ripe for the bidding. So I threw my hat into the ring and a few days later claimed it. Mr. Guy-Rocks and I exchanged a few e-mails, he wrote on THE BRICE KENNEDY SHOW's guestbook and these days, "MTV Is Number One!" hangs proudly in my office next to my edit station. I keep saying that if I ever do another episode of THE BRICE KENNEDY SHOW, "MTV Is Number One!" will be the focus and who knows? Maybe Phil Giroux himself could even be a part of it.

Brice Meets Bill Clinton, Lands New Job

Brice Kennedy and President Bill Clinton at Woodburn Circle (May 2008).


Okay, the new job has nothing to do with the president. Sue me for sensationalizing. Nonetheless, the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton III, fulfilled a life long wish by meeting his favourite actor, Brice Kennedy, on the campus of West Virginia University where he was otherwise actively stumping on behalf of the presidential campaign of his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton.

So yeah, I got to see and meet President Clinton! He came to WVU's Woodburn Circle in May and along with mom, Cara and friend Matt (who was in from Illinois and slept in his car in the Mountainlair parking garage just to see him), I was front row to watch the nation's first black president wow the crowd with his memorable and inspiring speech... oh wait, wrong "first black president".

Nevertheless, and all jokes aside, it really was something special. After an hour long speech, he began to make his way through the crowd. Mom and sis reached out and touched his hand, Matt got a brief hug from him (damn parking garage slumber story exploiter!) and I got my chance to shake his hand and exchange a few words. I was five feet from the former most powerful man on the planet and just couldn't settle for touching his cufflinks. So, after he retracted his hand for a split second, I jutted out mine at full arm's length to meet him in "how do you do"-like fashion and he obliged. While exchanging a hearty handshake, I told President Clinton that this country needs to get back to the prosperity we enjoyed in the 90's. He thanked me and continued to schmooze his way through the thousand-plus crowd, dazzling as many folks as he could before making his exit.

It was a memorable day, despite standing for two hours in the rain waiting for the event to start and despite some pudgy, cigarette smoking loudmouth who insisted on spouting his political views in the most obnoxious way possible to an audience of a thousand (yet also, zero). Nonetheless, the day ruled. Bill Danoff, co-writer of the West Virginia anthem "Take Me Home, Country Roads", was on hand to lead the crowd in a rousing rendition of said classic and to sing a few politically-charged protest songs. And then there was the nice girl who held my umbrella over me whilst I scarfed down a McDonald's Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit. Now, that's Americana. A couple of weeks later, my family and I went to Fairmont State University for Hillary's rally but the crowd was a little bigger, we were a little later and she was little farther away our seats. While taking nothing away from Senator Clinton, it was far more memorable to have an up close and personal with President Clinton on a day I won't soon forget.

In other news... I got a new job! No longer am I one of the countless minions of the evil empire of the University of West Virginia. Now, instead of "helping" college students interpret their confusing itemized account statements on behalf of the worthless diploma-granting, money-making racket passing itself off as an educational institution, I'm helping people who really need it. These days, I'm putting smiles on the faces of patients at Mon General Hospital by using my superior comedic skills and intellect to wow them in their time of sick. Oh, and I also help them fill out a few forms on occasion. Of course, technically, I wasn't a WVU henchman since it was a temporary position (thank god) but still, I'm grateful to be in a position to actually make some kind of a positive impact. In short, and in case you haven't guessed, I hate WVU. Of course, as these stories tend to go, I'll soon hate Mon General too, but at least I'll have some fulfillment rather than guilt in a day job. I mean, I'm not helping out capitalism by producing TV commercials for local businesses anymore. I'm also not helping a university collect even more money to squander on erecting ugly buildings and overpaying their jackasses in suits but hey, putting a smile on a patient's face to help make their journey as painless as possible... I can live with that.