Nelly puts Hollywood in ‘the Loop’
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
On any given spring or summer Sunday, the Delmar Loop percolates with a diverse mix of people shopping, dining, strolling, cruising, drumming and checking the scene.
This past Sunday, the Loop was hotter than ever with hundreds of people on the pavement for one thing: the Hollywood-style red-carpet movie premier of The Longest Yard at the Tivoli Theatre.
Though many locals wouldn’t believe it until they saw it, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and our own Nelly did indeed walk the red carpet into the Tivoli.
“We just came out to support our good friend Nelly,” Chris Rock said.
“We are a team in the movie. Now, we actually became a team. We’re not acting anymore. We’re a team, and we look out for each other and try to support each other’s premiers and causes.”
Nelly’s new teammates were supporting the premier that the superstar rapper bestowed upon his hometown n and his causes, the foundation 4Sho4Kids and its spinoff, Jes Us 4 Jackie.
The brainchild of his aunt, Chelena Mack, executive director of his foundations, the movie premier and afterparty were fundraisers with price tags of $200 to $500, with proceeds going to both foundations.
Jes Us 4 Jackie was created to find a bone-marrow transplant for Nelly’s late sister, Jacqueline “Jackie” Sheree Donahue. In her memory, it continues its mission of increasing the national bone marrow registry.
“We knew about Jackie,” Rock said. “I wish she was here, and we were all going to the premier with her.”
So there was heart behind the glam on the Loop on Sunday. But oh, was there glam and glitz.
“There have been some premiers of some really good independent movies here (at the Tivoli), but there hasn’t been anything on this scale,” said leading Delmar Loop developer Joe Edwards while navigating the media-laced red carpet.
Edwards owns the Tivoli, Blueberry Hill, the Pageant and Pinup Bowl, all in the Loop.
“This is the biggest premier St. Louis has ever seen,” Edwards said. “To have stars like Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and Nelly n those are big names.”
Loop cruising on Sunday belonged to stretched limos and other hot wheels carrying those big stars into the indoor parking lot across from the Tivoli.
“Y’all ever seen one of these? This limo looks like a four-family flat,” joked St. Louis-born comedian Arvin Mitchell, who emceed the red carpet.
About a half-block of the Loop near the Tivoli was barricaded to prevent vehicular traffic while pedestrian onlookers peered from a gated area.
Spectators near the front of the fenced-off area were greeted up-close and personal by Sandler, Rock and Nelly, who daps his fans whenever he can.
Instead of first heading to the red carpet, where several national and local media members awaited them in a single-file line, the stars tackled screaming fans.
“I saw the people with the worst seats,” Rock said. “So, whoever’s got the worst seats, that’s where I’m going to go.”
Fans even got an initial hand-wave greeting from the evening’s brightest star and the star of the film, Burt Reynolds, who also played in the original 1974 version of The Longest Yard.
Reynolds said the difference between the original and the remake, which opens Friday, is “this one is a whole lot funnier. The original was a lot more grittier.”
Asked if Nelly can act, the beloved veteran actor said, “He can act. He’s good.”
Rock agreed: “I think he can do movies. Nelly’s the kind of guy who can do anything he wants. But I hope he sticks to rapping, so I can have more art n he makes such good records.”
Could Nelly become a rapper turned full-time actor, like Will Smith, Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, DMX and Mos Def?
“It’s not for me to decide n it’s for the fans,” Nelly said, wearing a white “wife beater” T-shirt, jeans and Air Force Ones instead of the suit he sometimes sports.
“He’ll be fine, whatever he does,” said Nelly’s mother, Rhonda Mack. “As long as he achieves his goals in life, I’m happy,”
“He’s always been an actor,” said Nelly’s father, Cornell Haynes Sr. “He’s just getting paid for it now.”
Nelly attributes his good acting reviews to “just being relaxed” and the fact that it was a natual role. His character, Earl Megget, plays football and hangs with the guys.
Nelly played football at University City High School. Though he didn’t play running back, as he does in the movie, he played several positions: wide receiver, safety, corner back and kick and punt returner.
He said he hasn’t done any jail time, like his character, but he has “seen a cell or two.”
The rapper, who also executive-produced the movie’s soundtrack, likes acting. He said it’s fun “exploring and channeling your thoughts and energy into something that may not be you on a regular basis.”
His dream role? “I’d like to be the first black 007 (James Bond). I want to do action.”
That should come naturally as well. Nelly is definitely an action hero when it comes to bring the action to St. Louis.
His bringing the movie premier to town was no surprise to red-carpet walker Orlando Pace of the Rams.
“I know Nelly loves St. Louis, and I’m sure he’ll do anything he can to bring an event to St. Louis,” Pace said.
“I think the most impressive thing is that he’s raising money for the two charities that he’s involved with, and that shows character,” said Edwards.
“And, to have the whole spotlight of the country focus on St. Louis and the Loop right now is just magnificent. My hat off to Nelly, because he’s the one who said, ‘Let’s do it right here in my hometown.”‘
