Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 35

ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES i Fine arts, books travel Tony Kiss Sunday April 5, 1998 A -V 15 tas THAT'S SHOWBIZ Game brings memories on (0 jp pace race 4 ireviisuetnl 1 if i I I vS ft-'. 1 K. Cullowhee native has starring role in 'From the Earth to the Moon' By Tony Kiss ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Actor Nick Searcy is high these days. The Cullowhee native has a big role in the HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon," the story; of America's space program. It -launches on Sunday night.

But Searcy never gets off the ground. He's playing the part of Deke Slayton, one of America's original astronauts who was grounded by a heart problem and never flies in this series. "All of the other guys got to do the fun stuff," Searcy said by phone the other day. "And I'm in Mission Control. With a headset.

And I'm saving 'Roger. Actually, Searcy has one of the show's best roles. And he knows it. Deke Slayton often is the calming voice of reason, even in times of real trouble. And he appears in 10 of the 12 episodes.

"Deke lends a human element to the story," Searcy said. "This man had his dreams dashed by NASA. And for him to accept that and contribute so much to the space program, that's an amazing story." The series features a lot of famous names and faces: Sally Field, Kevin Pollack, Peter Horton, Chris Isaak, Ronny Cox, Jobeth Williams, Al Franken, Cole and Tom Hanks, who was the exec-" utive producer and who opens each episode. Hanks also "directed the first episode and wrote a couple of them and oversaw a cast of thousands," Searcy said. "Tom understands acting.

His directing style is actor-driven. He knows when to say a lot. And when to say not very much. He's just what you would imagine. Very funny and personal and real.

He doesn't have that big star atti- Asheville's own field of dreams You live in Asheville long enough and certain places always bring back the best memories. Like good old McCormick Field, home of the Asheville Tourists baseball team. They're starting the 1998 home season on Monday night. And that got me thinking about my only time as a movie extra. It was October 1987.

And another movie was being made in Asheville, the baseball comedy "Bull Durham." They needed extras. I volunteered. Why not? It was easy, sit-down work. In the shade. No heavy lifting required.

And I was already covering the story. So we were up in the stands, pretending to be baseball fans at the game. Doing the same silly scene over and over. Cheering. That was it.

Just cheering. It wasn't an Oscar-worthy performance. And this young actor named Kevin Costner was down on the field, trying to swat a baseball. Who was this guy anyway? Never heard of him. Probably never would again.

Hah! "Bull Durham" made Costner a beloved bigtime star. At least for a while, until he screwed up with such duds as "Waterworld" and "The Postman." As for me, I got a few bucks, a bag of salty popcorn and a cold drink. And you'll never spot me in the movie. The whole day was just a few quick seconds on the silver screen. So much for my movie career.

Short but sweet. Who needs all that fame and fortune and paparazzi stuff anyway? That's McCormick Field. Anything can happen. Sometimes, it happens in the game. Sometimes in the stands.

It's Asheville's oldest entertainment spot. It opened in 1924 long before TV or even radio came to town. So you don't understand baseball? No problem. Kick back and enjoy some time in the great outdoors. Have a hot dog or a cold drink.

Let the children chase the mascot Ted E. Tourist, who is getting a makeover (that's a new costume). Don't forget "Thirsty Thursdays," when beer and other drinks are only a $1. The place fills up with young people. Some never see the game.

They're busy on the concourse, hanging out. And if you do dig baseball, this is a great place to watch. Up close and personal. There are no bad seats in this house. This season, there's something new called "The Best Seat In the House." They've built a wooden deck out in right field.

Put two big reclin- ing chairs up there. And every home game, two fans are picked to sit in those chairs. What a deal. Tickets are cheap. Box seats are $7, $5 for senior citizens and children age 3-12.

General admission is $5, $3. The home opener is 7 p.m. Monday, when the Cape Fear Crocs of Fayetteville come creeping into town. Our boys are sure to give them a whooping. Get there early for the fireworks show.

Plan on staying late. See you at the game. Tony Kiss writes about entertainment each Sunday. Call 232-5877. Cullowhee's own Nick Searcy plays astronaut Deke Slayton in "From the Earth to the Moon." tude." Searcy, who now lives in Wilmington with wife Leslie and daughter Chloe, has become an accomplished character actor with a long list of big credits.

He was a redneck lawman in "The Fugitive" starring Harrison Ford, a goodhearted lawman in the Jodie Foster tearjerker "Nell" and an evil lawman in the CBS-TV series "American Gothic," which is still seen in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel cable network. And he was the villain in "Fried Green Tomatoes," and had a small but memorable role in the Barbra Streisand romance "The Prince of Tides." Searcy also appears in the upcoming CBS-TV film "About Sarah," starring Mary Steenbur-gen. "I get my first screen kiss with Mary. And you could do worse than that," he said. And Searcy co-produced, directed and starred in the independent film "Paradise Falls," which was shot in Western North Carolina.

He's showing the movie at film festivals, hoping to find a distributor. Last week, Searcy was in California, working on a pilot for a proposed UPN series, "Seven Days," about a time-traveling machine that can only go back in time for seven days. "I get killed in it. But because it's time travel, they go back and I'm all right," he cracked. I 'I I 1 i i 'I 4 I fci Americans walk on the surface of the moon again as the HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" blasts off Sunday night for the first of 12 parts.

HBO miniseries chronicles quest to land a man on the moon Isaak). A near outer-space disaster prevented by Neil Armstrong (Tony Gold-. wyn). The jet crash that killed two now-forgotten astronauts. The second hour, also airing Sunday, remembers NASA's first real 'space tragedy a terrible pre-launch fire aboard the Apollo 1 spaceship that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee (Mark Rolston, Issak and Ben Marley).

Who was responsible? Someone had to be blamed. And the witch hunt that followed almost finished NASA. But the program is saved with a passionate plea by astronaut Frank Borman (David Andrews). Cullowhee native Nick Searcy has one of the best roles, playing the grounded of astronauts roaring into space, floating outside their ships. And there's a story that Hollywood could never top about a group of men who gave their hearts and their lives to send that first tiny ship to the moon.

Of course, some of this has been covered in such movies as "The Right Stuff and "Apollo 13." But it's never been done on television. The executive producer is Oscar winner Tom Hanks. It all starts in 1961, when the Russians beat the Americans into space. Something's got to be done. So a challenge is made by JFK: put a man on the moon before the 1960s are over.

The first hour quickly covers the early steps. That flight by Alan Shepard. The first spacewalk by Ed White (Chris By Tony Kiss ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Remember when America got excited about its space program? Careful now, you're dating yourself. Remember when every manned rocket launch was a breath-taking, heart-stopping TV drama? When even a little spacewalk made you proud to be an American? It's all recalled with great detail in the new HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon," the story of that early space race and how we somehow accomplished the impossible. This 12-part series, starting Sunday night, is the biggest, grandest original program ever done by HBO.

There's a huge all-star cast. Lots of stunning shots WHAT: "From the Earth To the Moon," series about America's early space race. STARRING: Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Al Franken, Kevin Pollack, Mark Harmon, Nick Searcy and many others. WHEN: Two-hour series premiere 8-10 p.m. Sunday on HBO.

astronaut Deke Slayton. Forbidden to fly because of a heart problem, Slayton became one of NASA's most important backstage players. There are so many characters, it's not easy keeping track. Forget the technical lingo and details. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

TRAVEL Berea, boasts some of the best in crafts ARTS Paintings of praise SShe signs her paintings with her name and a Latin motto "Soli Deo Gloria," which means "only for the glory of God." A talented artist and a committed Christian, G. Carol Bomer uses the canvas to convey her personal faith in paint. She is exhibiting "Canvases of Consecration" through Easter at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Asheville. Bomer talks about her faith and her paintings as well as the difficulties of painting a distinctive Christian art in a secular age.

Arts on Page D4 1-, .1 "VI Not far over the mountains into Kentucky, where the bluegrass rises up to meet the gentle foothills, Berea attracts vistors seeking out Appalachian crafts ranging from weaving to woodcarving. Take a quick tour through this small Kentucky town on today's Travel Page. Travel on Page D6 Lf iiim mm nif imt rvr ir 1.