by
Why, you ask, should Barbie Weisserman of Farmington Hills be so concerned about getting Ed laid?
Well…
Weisserman runs a new non-profit , PAPA Weeze, whose goal is to bring creative individuals together for mentoring, collaborative events and new projects, including films, plays, photography and art. The nonprofit, which launched in January, plans to collaboratively work with a few small projects a year, and one big one, in this case, a short film called “Getting Ed Laid.”
Barbie Weisserman
Yes, Ed as in Ed Asner, the 85-year-old veteran actor.
Asner plays Professor Ed Randall, an 85-year-old college professor who hired a hooker for a last hurrah. The website for the film goes on to say: “Afraid to take Viagra, he’s waiting fo get a call back from a cardiologist when the quirky older hooker shows up…and finny happens… proving passion doesn’t have an expiration date!’ Actress Jean Smart will play the hooker.
Weisserman, an actor, director and costume designer, is the executive producer of the film, and has been working on a Kickstarter campaign for the movie with author and television writer Deborah Pearl, who has penned the screenplay for the 30-minute comedy and will be the director.
Filming is set for August in Los Angeles, and Weisserman says she'll be bringing some folks from Detroit: local wardrobe, makeup and continuity professionals.
The goal for Kickstarter was $18,000. So far, they’ve raised more than $24,000, and plan to use the extra money for post production, festival entries, screenings and promotions.
Weisserman is excited about the project.
“The opportunity to work with legendary actors Ed Asner and Jean Smart, to collaborate with designers, artist and talents in LA, alongside Detroit’s best, freshest, most innovative designers, is very humbling, " she says, adding: Next time…in Detroit.”
Pearl, who is friends with Asner, and wrote and produced the TV sitcom, Designing Women, is also bubbling with enthusiasm. about working with the veteran actor.
"He's the dream actor every writer wishes they could work with. I've had that pleasure on tv and the stage - but this is our first time making a film together," she writes on the film's website. "It's also my first time as a director and I can't think of better man to break my directorial cherry with than Ed. "
Last year, Pearl came to Metro Detroit when Two Muses Theatre in West Blooomfield, which was co-founded by Weisserman, was putting on her musical. Pearl stayed with Weisserman for six weeks and the two bonded and “became like sisters. We have so much in common.”
Ed Asner and Deborah Pearl
Before you know it, Pearl said she wanted to make a film with Ed Asner, and a collaboration was born.
They all seem to be having fun with the project, including Asner, who says in a video posted on Kickstarter:
The truth is, I’ve supported more causes than I have hair. But of all the Emmy Awards I’ve won and the plethora of humanitarian honors, I’ve got to say getting me laid is definitely the most exciting."
Weisserman is holding a "Benefit For The Arts Estate Sale" through Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 28960 Willow Creek, Farmington Hills.
