On the Carpet with 'OZ' Stars

Former Miss Royal Oak Lands Coochie Girl Role in 'Oz: The Great and Powerful'

Channing Pierce, a former Miss Royal Oak, appears in the movie as a Coochie Girl.

Among those walking the yellow carpet at the Emagine Theatre Tuesday for the advance screening of Disney’s fantastical adventure Oz: The Great and Powerful was former Miss Royal Oak, Channing Pierce. It's the Royal Oak model's first speaking role in a major motion picture.  "It's really fun getting to work with Sam Raimi, him being from here," said Pierce, who plays a Coochie Girl.  Raimi, 53, was born in Royal Oak. Oz was filmed in Pontiac at Michigan Motion Picture Studios in 2011. [Tomorrow meet Royal Oak real estate broker Tom Hutt, who portrays a Winkie in Oz: The Great and Powerful.] RELATED:

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THEODORE GIBSON

12:23 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013

G. Kensick - I never slandered anyone; I merely speculated as to possible causes of the explosion. Did you not wonder the cause of the explosion before the DTE admitted their culpability? Obviously the house was decimated...did you not wonder why??? Perhaps I am more intellectually curious than you. What issues do you have with the former Ms. Hazel Park? You sound like you have an axe to grind.   more ›

On the Carpet with 'OZ' Stars

Royal Oak Native Sam Raimi Directs Former Teacher in 'Oz the Great and Powerful'

Jim Moll, former Birmingham drama teacher now Royal Oak High School's interim principal, appears in the movie as Emerald City Citizen #10

Among those walking the yellow carpet at the Emagine Theatre Tuesday for the advance screening of Disney’s fantastical adventure Oz: The Great and Powerful was Royal Oak High School Interim Principal Jim Moll—or Emerald City Citizen #10. Moll is an actor at heart. He's the former Birmingham Groves High School drama teacher and a current member of the Farmington Players community theater group. Moll was a young teacher at Groves when Sam Raimi, 53, was in his class. Cult actor Bruce Campbell, 54, who starred in many of Raimi’s films, is also a former student. Both Raimi and Campbell were born in Royal Oak. “Sam was here to shoot Oz: The Great and Powerful film in Pontiac, so he contacted four or five of his old teachers to visit him on set…

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Royal Oak Legend Has a Hand in Detroit's Newest Outdoor Attraction

The Detroit Historical Society Museum's Legends Plaza, unveiled today, has a few Royal Oak connections.

An outdoor exhibition honoring two dozen celebrities with Metro Detroit roots, including Royal Oak, was unveiled today at the Detroit Historical Museum. The museum's Detroit Legends Plaza is its first outdoor attraction. The plaza features the concrete handprints of a wide range of sports and entertainment stars, including director/producer/writer Sam Raimi, who was born in Royal Oak in 1959. Raimi went on to direct the Evil Dead series and the blockbuster Spider-Man films. It can also be noted that Raimi was a student of Royal Oak High School Interim Principal Jim Moll when he was a young teacher at Groves High School in Birmingham. "Sam was a student of mine in the mid '70s and was in both my Radio Speech class and in some of the plays …

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New Interim ROHS Principal Conjures Ways to Charm Students

In his first week at Royal Oak High School, Jim Moll connects with kids with games, handshakes and lunch.

At 6-foot-3-inches, Jim Moll – the new interim principal of Royal Oak High School – is difficult for anyone to ignore – except for teenagers. Not to be dissuaded, Moll is working hard to get their attention, even if it takes some “Magic.” “I’m a pretty gregarious guy,” Moll said. “So the students don’t get to just walk by me. I say, ‘Hello! How are you doing?’ They are getting used to me. I am sure they think I am intrusive, but I am calling it 'hands on.'” The 60-year-old administrator is subbing for Michael Greening, who was placed on paid administrative leave Dec. 16 for "possible financial irregularities" related to a student activities fund. As part of his effort to get to know as many of the school's roughly 1,500 students as he can…

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