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sand in Vince's face
'Frasier' star blocks 'WWE Tough Enough' filming
By David Moore
Kelsey Grammer, the star of “Frasier” and “Cheers,” has carved for himself a public persona as a man of refined tastes and upscale pleasures.
So it’s not surprising, consistent with that persona, that Grammer would eschew the spectacle of World Wrestling Entertainment. What does come as a surprise is the lengths to which Grammer would go to distance himself from the WWE, quite literally.
Call this to-do: Kelsey takes on Vince and body slams the stumbling wrestling impresario to the mat of civic justice, or something like that.
It seems that Grammer, who lives in Malibu, heard that plans were afoot to tape the MTV reality series “WWE Tough Enough” near his Malibu home and decided to block it, using all of his powers as a citizen and homeowner.
The popular reality show puts 13 aspiring pro wrestlers in a house together and then eliminates one each week through a series of challenges, with the two winners earning a contract to wrestle in the WWE.
The third installment of the series had already received a temporary preparation permit from the city of Malibu and been in pre-production for two weeks.
Following standard practice, the city mailed a notice to every resident within 500 feet of the beach house n Broad Beach, where the series was to be filmed.
Grammer, who lives nearby and happens to be a spokesperson for sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, promptly lodged a complaint with the Malibu city council, which in turn handed down a 5-0 decision a week ago, on June 24, not to grant the production the 60-day filming permit it required.
Grammer’s representatives did not return call for comment on the star’s involvement in blocking the WWE’s taping.
In the decision, Malibu City Council member Ken Kearsley took the opportunity to get snippy with MTV and the WWE.
Referring to a nearby area code and the propensity of reality series to feature steamy flirtations, Kearsley said, “They can go to 818 country and fog up the window. They can put some sand in a parking lot and call it a beach.”
MTV reality series have not been entirely blameless in the past of sparking public mayhem.
In the fall of last year, MTV’s “Real World: Chicago” was the target of spontaneous protests from local residents who were less than pleased with the presence of the show’s cast members in their neighborhood.
Jayson Bernstein, a WWE spokesperson, says that “Tough Enough” tried to work with Grammer’s lawyers to address the neighborhood star’s concerns.
“We addressed all the items he singled out in terms of noise, security, too many people. We pushed production back two weeks because of the 4th of July holiday. Now the delay will be even longer,” says Bernstein.
The irony in councilmember Kearsley’s comments, says Bernstein, is that the physically demanding “WWE Tough Enough” is decidedly less steamy than many other reality TV series.
“We’re working them hard all day. Our guys are usually sleeping by the time they get back to the house,” says Bernstein.
Bernstein says the first two installments of the series, filmed in Stamford, Conn., and Encino, Calif., suffered no bouts of unruly rowdiness, outside of the ring at least.
In fact, the show tries to keep the location of the house undisclosed so fans can’t spy on the taping and deduce the winners before airtime. The location of the Malibu house was intended to have remained a secret during filming.
“WWE Tough Enough 3” is currently searching for another location, although Bernstein says the show is holding out hope that Malibu will have a change of heart and allow shooting somewhere else in the city.
So what are the odds that Grammer’s trademark character Frasier Crane will become the new villain in the WWE pantheon?
“You never know what to expect in the WWE. Anything is possible,” Bernstein says, laughing. “The better question is whether the WWE can work its way into ‘Frasier.’”
July 2, 2002© 2002 Media Life
-David Moore is a staff writer for Media Life.
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