Coming up with the first question to ask Johnny Knoxville is always easy.
After watching him be beaten, electrocuted, gored, smashed and have his manhood hit with almost anything heavy imaginable, the big concern is how Knoxville is feeling. He's not as big a "Jackass" these days, but one has to wonder how much of the aftermath of all the physical abuse he took over the years in the name of the TV show and movies remains.
"I'm feeling pretty good because everything's completely healed right now. But there have been a few breaks and sprains and concussions. Not lately. Knock on wood," says Knoxville during an interview for his latest film, "The Last Stand."
Knoxville plays a gun hoarder who comes to the aid of the local sheriff (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to stop a drug cartel leader headed to their quiet community.
I worry about Knoxville because while he might seem like a raving maniac when you watch him on TV or film, he actually is a very nice guy. He's nice, but you never want to turn your back on him or you might suddenly find a set of battery cables attached to your derriere.
Once the health issue was covered, Knoxville got to talk about why he would have worked through any pain to be in this movie. His favorite scene is where Schwarzenegger is firing a massive gun out of the back of a school bus and Knoxville's character is feeding him the bullets.
"Doing an action sequence with Arnold Schwarzenegger was it for me. It's one of the highlights of my career -- and life. Just to be on a set with him, to film a movie with him, was surreal for me," says Knoxville. "But he makes it so easy for you because he's so open and pleasant and the most gregarious person I ever met. He just loves to be around people and make movies."
And he never once hit or kicked Knoxville in the groin.
-- The room sparkles as Mariah Carey shows up with the other judges for the next edition of "American Idol."
Considering the number of diamonds the singer is wearing, it's probably easy to pick her up on satellite images. Not only is she wearing earrings, a HUGE necklace and bracelets covered in more diamonds than the number of sequins on a country singer's jacket, she is wearing a ring so big it must have its own gravitational field.
No one is going to get near the walking jewelry store since Carey is surrounded by guards so big they block the sun. It would take a bulldozer to move these guys.
And then, while Carey's talking to critics, there is someone standing to the side who reaches over and brushes her hair out of her eyes. You know you've made it when you have a Hair Mover.
She might look like a diva, but Carey is very honest with her comments. She got a little emotional when talking about her childhood and the musical acts that influenced her.
"I grew up in a household where I heard everything. My mom's an opera singer, and she made her debut at Lincoln Center. She was always singing. And that's how she first knew that I had an ear for music, but my brother and sister, who are older than me, were always listening to R&B, constantly. Stevie Wonder. We heard Al Green in my house night and day. Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin," Carey says. "There's a lot of favorites. I love a lot of gospel singers, the Clark Sisters. Our favorite was Kim Burrell.
"There are so many singers who I admire. I also love a lot of rock music that my brother played when I was a little kid. So it's fun sometimes when we're sitting here and we're, like, oh yeah, I remember that song."
TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at (559) 441-6355, rbentley@fresnobee.com or @RickBentley1 on Twitter. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com.
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