OT: Michigan in other media
So this will probably be negged or just swamped by BBQ updates, but while watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics there was an ad for a show called "The Good Place". The star Kristen Bell had a scene wearing what appears to be a Michigan shirt...featured on her assets?...if that is OK to say.
Looking into the show it is from Michael Schur who created Parks and Recreation that had Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones characters moving to Ann Arbor to work for UofM. Schur was born in Ann Arbor.
So my question is what is your favorite mentioning of Michigan/Ann Arbor in some other media, be it music, movies, video game, book etc?
Jumper will be the all time classic obviously, but my vote would go for "Mainstreet" by Bob Seger,mainly because people are shocked to learn it is about Ann Arbor and really Ann Street.
August 5th, 2016 at 10:46 PM ^
Gotta be Big Chill
August 5th, 2016 at 10:54 PM ^
I figure that will get the most votes, at least of the over 25? 30? 35? demographic. What is the age cut off for awareness of that movie?
August 5th, 2016 at 11:19 PM ^
My college-aged nieces have recently seen it, and didn't even realize that it was as old as it was, until they started to recognize the actors and understood how long ago those acors were that young. The story worked very well for them. They could identify with all of the characters (Meg Tilly's Chloe character was the hardest for them) because ideas have come almost full circle.to, once again, punish the innocent.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:39 PM ^
I'm 24, and I wasn completely unaware of the movie until I saw it mentioned on here at some point (a couple years ago maybe). Still haven't watched it.
August 5th, 2016 at 10:47 PM ^
Loved when I was younger watching Home Improvement and Tim the Tool Man Taylor would rock a Michigan sweatshirt in some of the episodes.
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August 6th, 2016 at 12:01 AM ^
+1 on both for double posting same comment
August 5th, 2016 at 10:49 PM ^
Loved when I was younger watching Home Improvement and Tim the Tool Man Taylor would rock a Michigan sweatshirt in some of the episodes.
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August 5th, 2016 at 11:03 PM ^
Still does in "last man standing"
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August 5th, 2016 at 11:32 PM ^
As well since he went to WMU.
August 6th, 2016 at 11:53 AM ^
Smaller Michigan college sweatshirts such as even a Calvin College one back in the earlier seasons .
You know, I had the unfortunate of watching the first Twilight movie because the wife wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Gotta say, I wasn't impressed with her. Maybe she grew up well? Don't know, completely lost any psuedo-interest I might have had in her career because of that horrid movie. (I do recognize the writing was awful and that it was aimed at teenagers, but still...)
We each have different tastes!
That's Kristen Stewart, not Kristen Bell.
I also like hot blond celebrities. I think about putting my dick in them sometimes!
August 5th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^
President Harrison Ford in Air Force One
August 5th, 2016 at 11:21 PM ^
Similar to Air Force One, the character Leo McGarry from West Wing was a Michigan grad and always had a bet with the President on the outcome of the football game.
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August 6th, 2016 at 12:23 AM ^
It was implied the Leo had a connection to Michigan, as he wanted Michigan to give ND "the beating that they so richly deserve", but it was never stated explicitly. And there was no wager.
/I have the DVD box set.
August 6th, 2016 at 10:08 AM ^
Maybe the bet was implied but I think on some other episode somebody went over his biography briefly and mentioned graduating from Michigan. Either when he was selected as VP or when he died?
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August 5th, 2016 at 11:00 PM ^
Listening to the lyrics from Mainstreet it always sounded to me like the was talking about stalking a girl home from the bar.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:06 PM ^
A bit creepy, but it was a high school guy watching through the windoor into an older club.
I'm not a huge fan of the song or Seger, but just enjoy the odd connection.
Following girls home from a bar though...also not a fan.
August 14th, 2016 at 8:37 AM ^
is not the same as following her home. Maybe he was hoping for an invite.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:18 PM ^
Seger also with the Mackinaw City shout out on "Roll Me Away." I'm from Petoskey, so I have a northern LP bias. Also, that song is the song that rolls over the ending credits of the 1984 sadly obscure classic film, "Reckless," which was partly filmed in Steubenville, Ohio, my dad's hometown (don't worry, he went to UM and stayed out of the worst state ever for the rest of his life).
Kid Rock "All Summer Long." It's basically the summers of my last two years of high school word for word.
Ernest Hemingway Nick Adams stories like "Big Two-Hearted River."
Obviously Eminem 8 Mile.
Robocop (1987).
Many more.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:26 PM ^
I meant Michigan more as University of Michigan, but we can run this way as long as our nips allow.
That kid rock song is terrible. Just had to get that off my chest.
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August 5th, 2016 at 11:29 PM ^
Was obviously filmed in Ann Arbor. I was in grad school at the time, as was, my girlfriend. She was out one night that I stayed in and encountered Jason Segal outside of a bar looking for light for his cigarette. Said he was a nice guy overall.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:40 PM ^
The end of the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:49 PM ^
Really? I read that book junior year of high school in a great books class, but I do not remember the Ann Arbor bit. I don't really remember much of that book other than overall themes. Maybe I was just a bad student.
I was also in Ohio at the time, and other than a couple generations back relatives I had no connection to UofM.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:52 PM ^
Francie gets in o Michigan at the end
August 6th, 2016 at 12:09 AM ^
Wow. I guess I am a prime example of learning enough just to pass a test.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:47 PM ^
It wasn't really a major mention in the movie, but I believe in Aziz Ansari's apartment there was some type of Michigan decorations. There was a lot of hype in my area for the movie because a bunch of it was filmed in Grand Rapids. I lived a few blocks away from the pizza place that they filmed in (Vito's Pizza, honestly not that great of a place, but pretty solid for a small local pizza place), too, so it was really interesting recognizing some of the areas where they filmed.
Fun seeing them around town, aziz ended up getting to know and partying with my upstairs neighbor who was head chef at a restaurant he visited, too bad I wasn't home.
Vito's is voted best pizza on the Westside!
But yeah, they're pizza is really just whatever. Overpriced for the quality.
I used to live just a few blocks away from there as well.
They show the sign for my dad's restaurant in the opening credits, and they go to my cousin's restaurant before they rob the bank. But I liked the Taco Boy scene the best.
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That was pretty awesome seeing them in Taco Boy.
August 5th, 2016 at 11:53 PM ^
John Ritter in 8 Simple Rules
Tim Allen in Last Man Standing and Home Improvement
and a life-long family friend. though he grew up in kansas, he spent his summers up north which is how i know him. incredibly creative and funny. he has called me a few times in the last couple of years for law enforcement information/insight as he is trying his hand at writing mysteries. i believe those are set in michigan also.
ironically, if you drive by the house up here you'll see some sparty stuff. i guess that's disrepekt at it's finest....
To a Michigan fan, football is or religion and the Ohio State game is our Easter.
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August 6th, 2016 at 12:03 AM ^
Michigan Promo Movie like no other.
August 6th, 2016 at 12:06 AM ^
movie with Lara Flynn Boyle. A couple big UofM scenes in that movie. Not my favorite by any means, but wanted to add it to the list.
August 6th, 2016 at 12:12 AM ^
"American Pie."
American Pie 2
August 6th, 2016 at 12:36 AM ^
I'm very surprised it took this long for someone to mention Ari Gold.
August 6th, 2016 at 10:09 PM ^
"Just a lowly Harvard grad with a JD/MBA from Michigan, thats it, eric"
"Michigan huh? Good football team. What do they do at Harvard?"
When you say Jumper will be an all time classic, are you talking about that terrible movie with Hayden Christensen?
Surely because of Rachel Bilson, one of the most underrated hotties of all time!!!
August 6th, 2016 at 10:07 AM ^
Agreed. My wife graduated HS with Rachel Bilson (and Kirsten Dunst and Justin Fargas).
I also saw the Good Place trailer and noticed the MICHIGAN shirt. I looked into it to see if it was UM or a directional school, or other. After about 50 freeze-advance-frame back tries I determined it says MICHIGAN LAW. She is originally from Huntington Woods, so she must be a UM fan.
The Good Place is also a Michael Schur show.
one of the girls went to UM I believe and they actually sang the victory during one episode.
I'm a product of the 90's. Don't judge me.