Michael J. Fox Eyes the Future

The actor's Nike-themed Parkinson's fundraiser – complete with a viral "Back to the Future" homage – and his hilarious "Curb" appearance shows he's looking ahead

Michael J. Fox, in Sunday’s season finale of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," variously wags his head in possible derision at a terminally annoying Larry David, hands him a shaken-up soda that explodes upon opening and literally bumps into him.

David is left to wonder aloud: "Pissed or Parkinson's?"

The hilarious bits leave nothing to wonder at – other than Fox's remarkable determination to keep entertaining us as he draws attention to the fight to end the disease that affects him and million of others.

His turns as cunning lawyer Louis Canning, who uses his condition to manipulate jurors, have proven highlights of the past couple of seasons of "The Good Wife" (even if he lost the Emmy for guest acting in a drama series Sunday).

We're also getting a kick out the viral video promoting a new pair of kicks: a limited edition of the glowing Nikes Fox's character, Marty McFly, scored in the year 2015 in "Back to the Future, Part II" (which hit theaters way back in 1989). Some 1,500 pairs of the Nike MAGS are being auctioned via eBay through Sept. 18 in an effort raise millions for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
 
In the video, Christopher Lloyd reprises his role as Doc Brown, who is trying get to 2015 to find the sneakers. He apparently punches the wrong date into the DeLorean and arrives in the present to find a shoe store clerk ("Saturday Night Live" star Bill Hader) selling a pair of the current version (sans power laces) to basketball player Kevin Durant.

The short is a fun homage to the classic movie series – and a tribute to an actor who won't let anything (not even Larry David) keep him down.

Check out the video below, along with a message from Fox, who isn’t afraid to dip into his past as he looks to the future:

Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us