Farrah Fawcett - Passes

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.....Another reminder that time marches on, it seems like just yesterday she was young beautiful and the world was her oyster. I had her picture in my locker back in grade school, I don't know anyone that didn't. I think much of what defines us is our experiences throughout life, the things we've seen, heard and remember fondly. A poster of a golden-haired beauty in a one-piece swimsuit bought at K-Mart might not seem to be very significant but I assure you it is. As a small part in the greater picture of our mortality (my mortality) it can mean a great deal. Farrah jumped into our consciousness at a wonderful moment in North American culture, fragmented memories of a fleeting micro-era that began with words like "bicentennial" and "pet rock and ended with MTV and Atari. She was the quintessential "IT" girl of he 70's and I for one will miss her terribly....

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By Jill Serjeant
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie's Angels" television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the reigning sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.
.....Fawcett, who first vaulted to stardom by an alluring poster of her in a red swimsuit, was diagnosed with anal cancer in late 2006. It spread to her liver in 2007, proving resistant to numerous medical treatments in Germany and California.

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"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away" Fawcett's long time companion, actor Ryan O'Neal, said in a statement.
"Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."
Fawcett's death in a Los Angeles hospital came just six weeks after the TV broadcast in May of a video diary she made chronicling her battle with cancer and her final months called "Farrah's Story,"

Gold Digger Killer

Synopsis

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'....When Imani is fired from her job her life gets turned upside down. She abandons her boy friend and goes in pursuit of a man that can provide for her. Not ready for the contained life of a care for women, she become the ultimate victim. When it comes time to seek revenge , Imani comes for the whole misogynistic system.

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.....I don't really like trashing independent movies because I know how hard the film makers work to get them produced in the first place. Unfortunately for this hunk of shit I have no choice. This was without a doubt the worst movie I have ever seen, extremely bad acting, horrible script, the editing on both film and sound was beyond armature. I'd like to think this was done as a first year art school project, at least then there'd be an excuse, but it wasn't. Even in the most nasty low budget of movies there is normally an effort to put together a good death scene, but they even f*cked that up. This movie has no redeeming qualities what-so-ever, I lasted about an hour then I turned it off. When I read the back of the box I saw it was distributed by Warner Brothers, I guess that's what fooled me into buying it, thank God it only cost 5 bucks, like the old saying goes, "Ya get what ya pay for."

Star Trek Movie premiere

Tonight's the night !!! ...As I write this blog all across the planet Trekkie's and geeks alike are lining up at theaters for what I expect to be the blockbuster film of the summer. If the Wolverine pulled in $87-million over last weekend then I can pretty much guarantee at least 120 million from Star Trek, I myself could not give them my money fast enough. The actors have been jetting around the world all week promoting the new film, stopping off for premiers in Tokyo, Paris, London, New York and Los Angels plus many other cities. This is the movie event of the year I can't wait to see it. By all accounts J.J. Abrams has done a superb job of re imaging this franchise, so far only about twenty critics have reported in but all reviews have been positive. I'm very excited, I've been monitoring the progress of this film for a quite some time, tonight is the first night the general public get to see it...beam me up Scotty.

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Actor Eric Bana, left, mingles with fans at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood before the premiere of “ Star Trek.” I wish I was there.

Ad Astra 2009

Last month myself and a few friends attended Ad Astra 2009, an annual event held in Toronto. This is a three day convention that hosts a mix of professional writers, editors, artists, costumers, scientists, and experts on a variety of subjects within the Science fiction fantasy field. It was allot of fun and the turnout was spectacular, this years guest of honour was author Timothy Zahn, other guests included Joanne Ellen Hanson, David Drake, Kent Burles, Melyssa Ade, Nigel Bennet and Tamora Pierce . I've included a few shot from the even below, I'm sure in the future this will become a regular haunt for us...

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Thats me on the left in the white armor.

Some of our group were dawning thier new costumes for the first time.

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The trooper on the left in this shot is not me, Im the one taking the picture, tough to be in the shot and take it at the same time.

This is our entire group with Timothy Zahn ( the guy not wering a costume) he was a super nice guy. We all had hiim sign our books and stuff.

Andy Hallett

A sad day as we lose another talented actor years before his time. An agent for 33-year-old singer and actor Andy Hallett says the former cast member from the vampire TV series "Angel" has died of congestive heart disease. Hallett's agent Pat Brady says Hallett died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after having problems breathing. Brady says he has battled the heart condition for the past five years. Hallett was also on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as Lorne, a green-skinned good guy demon who runs a karaoke club and can read a person's aura when they sing.

Babylon A.D.

Synopsis
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Toorop (VinDiesel) is a mercenary with a mission to transport a beautiful virgin Aurora (Melanie Thierry) and her guardian Rebecca (Michelle Yeoh) from a post apocalyptic Russian to New York City, where she'll be met by her mother a high priestess of some weird Scientology like religion. Along the way they are pursued by an army of goons that seem to be in the employ of Aurora's father, a scientist who for some reason thought it would be a good idea to implant artificial intelligence in human babies.
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With out putting to fine a point on it, this movie is a complete waste of F**kin time. Not that it started out that way, the first half an hour is quite decent, it captured my short attention span almost immediately. The special effects were decent, it properly sets up what appeared to be an interesting story, and introduces the main characters effectively, I thought I was in for a decent ride...I was was wrong. The movie falls apart quickly, it turns into pretty much one big chase sequence, with some dumb half ass explanation as to the origin and significance of Aurora. The end is so abrupt I caught myself reaching for the DVD case looking for that second half, of course there was none, and of course I don't care. If I had to guess I'd say the studio either ran out of money or just plain gave up, either way this movie has absolutely no ending to speak of...stay away from this one, unless you get it for free...

Natasha Richardson

Natasha Jane Richardson (born 11 May 1963) is another one of my early heart throbs, a British actress known for her performances on stage, TV and in many films. The first time I saw this incredibly beautiful actress was in the movie The Handmaid's Tale were she played opposite Robert Duval in the lead roll of Kate Offreda, a concubine to the privileged rich classes in an oppressive futuristic society. Its was a very enjoyable film and a fantastic performance by Natasha, one worth remembering, if you have not yet seen it I recommend it highly.

.... In her personal life she has been married to Liam Neeson since late 1994. Richardson and Neeson have two sons: Michael and Daniel. Richardson has also helped raise millions of dollars in the fight against AIDS since her father, director Tony Richardson, died of AIDS-related causes in 1991. A good person with a good heart who is both talented beautiful.

.....As I write this blog a terrible tragedy has befallen Natasha, after suffering what appeared to be a minor fall during a private skiing lesson Monday on a beginner's trail at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, she later developed a severe headache, she has been flown back to New York were she has since fallen into a coma. Members of Natasha's family are gathered at the Manhattan hospital where she has been taken, she is not expected to survive. I pray, as we all do, that by some miracle she will survive and make a full recovery. 08/18/09, 8:00pm...

...08/19/09... With great sorrow I write that Natasha died yesterday in New York she was only 45... Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman said Thursday the death was ruled an accident, and the cause of death was an "epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head," It is a tragic loss. It's always sad when an actress as talented as Natasha dies before her time, we are left wondering what other great roles she may have portrayed if she had lived, rolls that will now never come to pass, roll that we have all been deprived of seeing...one can only speculate, my condolences to her family....

Filmography

1968............. The Charge of the Light Brigade

1986..............Gothic

1987............. A Month in the Country

1988............. Patty Hearst

1989............. Fat Man and Little Boy

1990............. The Handmaid's Tale

..................... The Comfort of Strangers

1991............. The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish

1992............. Past Midnight

1994............. Nell

..................... Widows' Peak

1998............. The Parent Trap

2001............. Blow Dry

..................... Chelsea Walls
2002............. Waking Up In Reno

......................Maid in Manhattan

2005..............The White Countess

......................Asylum

2007............. Evening

2008............. Wild Child

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Supplimental March 23, 2009

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LITHGOW, N.Y. – A somber group of friends and family gathered in a small Hudson Valley town Sunday to say a final farewell to Tony Award-winning actress Natasha Richardson. Liam Neeson, in a dark suit and sunglasses, was at the head of the casket as he and five other pallbearers carried his wife's coffin into St. Peter's Episcopal Church, near the home where the two married in 1994. After that a graveside service under a large green tent, the 45-year-old actress was buried in a nearby cemetery, near the grave of her maternal grandmother the actress Rachel Kempson, amid hilly horse farms about 80 miles north of New York City....

Oliver Stone on Wallstreet

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.....I took this clip from Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood website, the filmmaker visited USC’s Annenberg School for Communication on March 3rd to talk about his Wall Street movie, suddenly all too relevant again.
.....Being involved in the Financial Industry I've see the carnage first hand, alot of people have had their lives destroyed this year. It's interesting how a director with little or no backround in finance was able to see Wallstreet for what it really is...nothing more than smoke and mirrors. This is an excellent interveiw that touches on many subjects, enjoy...
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The Devil Within Us - Donald Basinger

First Printing , Dobson Books Limited 1963, Great Britain, jacket designed by Donald Green. It's in pretty much perfect condition

Wallpaper of the Week - Terminator 3

Click image to enlarge...
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Midnight Movie

....Low budget does NOT mean Shit....I saw saw this film tonight and it was freakin amazing... It was so damn good I almost crapped my pants. WOW!!!

Synopsis:

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....At an old run-down movie theater in a sleepy little town, a group of friends buy ticket to the midnight screening of an old horror film. These unsuspecting teenagers are not aware that the star of the movie made a bloody escape from a mental institution five years earlier and may still be on the loose. A bloody massacre ensues...

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It's great to see a new twist on an old idea, I like slasher flicks, always have but I have to admit I've been getting a little board of Hollywood with their big budget productions cranking out the same old shit. "Midnight Movie" proves you don't need alot of cash to land a winner, all ya need it a good idea and some talented people to see it through. The only negative aspect I could point out in this film would have to be the acting which at times could be a bit forced, if not down right amature. But that said with a limited budget and a short shooting schedule it's likely that most scenes were done in one or two takes so I'll give the cast the benefit of the doubt. Hats off to Jack Messitt (director) and his crew they certainly out did themselves, a fine piece of work. The movie cast is as follows... Rebekah Brandes (Bidget), Daniel Bonjour (Josh), Greg Cirunick (Mario), Mandell Maughan (Samantha) Jon Briddell (Detective Barrons), Michael Swan (Dr. Wayne) and Stan Ellsworth (Harley). If you like horror flicks and slasher flicks in particular this one is definitely worth your time, two thumbs up...

Terminator Salvation Movie Trailer

Looking forward to this one, if the film's half as good as the trailer then I think we're in for a wild ride, I cant wait.
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Solaris (2002)

...Directed by Steven Soderbergh. With George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Viola Davis this film is an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s novel, which had already been made into a movie in 1972 by Andrei Tarkovsky. The plot revolves around Chris Kelvin (Clooney), a psychologist still grieving for his late wife (Natascha McElhone) who is summoned by an old friend (Ulrich Tukur) to the mysterious planet Solaris, where strange phenomena have been happening soon after he arrives Kelvin finds himself face to face with his dead wife Rheya....

... I loved the film, the chemistry between Cloney and McElhone is fantastic the story unconventional but interesting. For those who like alot of action a word of warning, you won't find to much shit blowing up in this one or even a laser blasters for that matter. This is what I like to refer to as an adult Sci-fi film, a thinking mans film. Soderbergh, acting as writer, director and cinematographer (under the pseudonym Peter Andrews) has made a very brainy, non-commercial movie that much is certain. Some may not like it as the pacing can be a bit slow, but the look, that character development and the story more than make up for it. I have this one in my collection... of course that ain't sayin much, I have everything in my collection, that aside I highly recommend this film, it's nice to see an original idea that doesn't get too artsy, I hate pretentious artsy crap...

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20th Century Fox

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Director...............................Steven Soderbergh

Producer.............................James Cameron, Rae Sanchini

Writer.................................Steven Soderbergh

Box Office Take(US) ........$14,970,038

The Man From Planet X

It's always fun to watch these old Sci-Fi movies, I always get a kick out of the Cheesy special effects and often hokey dialog. The premise of this somewhat obscure film is pretty straight forward, an alien space craft with a humanoid creature on board lands on a remote Scottish moor and proceeds to control the minds of the inhabitants of a small nearby town. It reminded me allot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Puppet Master which were of course released many years later, in fact one might even deduce that perhaps this film was the basis for these later films. I'm not going to say this film was great, in all honesty it wasn't, but at least it was interesting enough to keep me watching. The acting was acceptable, the set design tolerable, the alien creature on the other hand was laughable, it kinda looked like an elongated face made out of paper machete, not the slightest bit believable. The film was done on the cheap, it went into production on the 13 December 1950 at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California and wrapped principle photography six days later. To save money, the film was shot on sets for the 1948 Ingrid Bergman film Joan of Arc, using fog to change moods and locations. It stared Robert Clarke as John Lawrence , Margaret Field as Enid Elliot, Raymond Bond as Professor Elliot and William Schallert as Dr. Mears. If ya get a chance I think it's worth watching but keep in mind this is a 1950's B-movie so manage your expectations, Star Wars it aint...

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United Artists

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Producer................Aubrey Wiseberg & Jack Pollexfen

Director.................Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers..................Aubrey Wiseberg & Jack Pollexfen

Box Office Take....N/A

Wallpaper of the Week - The Tomb Raider

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Ornella Muti

I go absolutely nuts every time she's on screen... Ornella Muti was born March 9th 1955, an Italian actress born in the city of Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, she is in my opinion perhaps the most stunningly beautiful woman to ever live. An actress like no other she has worked for such European cinematic greats as Francesco Rosi and Volker Schlondorff during a career that has spanned almost 40 years. Although relatively un-known here in North America she is a house hold name in Europe, especially France and of course in Italy where the bulk of her work has been done. Ornella was voted "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World" in 1994 by a worldwide poll of readers of the magazine "Class" and I would have to say I completely agree. She made her UK /North American film debut in Flash Gordon which was released in 1980 and is one of my all time favourite films. The sight of her in that tight red spandex outfit is truly one of the greatest cinematic moments of all time. In her career she's done over a hundred films and continues to work steadily to this day, the most recent film being " io non ci casco" completed in 2008. In addition to her incredible acting talents she is also an accomplished jewelry designer as well, she is without a doubt the worlds most perfect female.

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The images below are screen shots from the film Flash Gordon, Ornella was just as successful in modeling as she was in cinema and its easy to see why. Tall, statuesque and exotic she played the beautiful and dangerous Princess Aura daughter of Ming the Merciless.

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The Expendables - Stallone's new film.

This just in, and I can't wait...SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Arnold Schwarzenegger will spends a few hours playing himself later this year in a new movie by Sylvester Stallone. Stallone's publicist, Sheryl Main, revealed more details last Tuesday of Schwarzenegger's rare big-screen appearance. The governor said he has done just three cameos for friends since becoming governor in 2003.

......Shooting on the film, "The Expendables" will begin March 28 in Brazil and move to New Orleans for two months. Main says the governor will shoot his scene in Los Angeles.His role will be a familiar one: California governor.
......Stallone writes, directs and stars in the movie, a film about a group of mercenaries trying to overthrow a South American dictator. It also stars Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke and Forest Whitaker. I thinks it's great that the old guard is sticking together, when you put Stallone and Schwarzeneggar in the same film even if only for a few scenes, ya know good think are gonna happen...

Marisa Tomei

WOW!!!, Unbelievable !!! Marisa is absolutely drop dead f---in gorgeous. This shot was taken at the Vanity Fair Oscar party Feb. 22, 2009 ( two days ago ) what a knockout. Born December 4th 1964 that makes her 45 years old, yet she's hotter than most of the Hollywood starlets half her age. She started her career in 1983 after landing a role in the soap opera As The World Turns, soon afterward, she dropped out of school to pursue show business full time. Her academy award winning performance in My Cousin Vinny is nothing short of spectacular, and she's been working steady ever since. She returned to the Oscars this years with a nomination for best supporting actress in The Wrestler. If I'm forced to say anything negative about Marisa's career. I could think of only one thing, she doesn't do nearly enough Sci-Fi / Fantasy films, and us geeks are heart broken because of it... Can you imagine Marisa running down the corridor of a Star Destroyer with a laser blaster in her hand, or perhaps wearing a shiny black outfit with knee high leather boots, brandishing a sword in one hand and a whip in the other...shit. I'm starting to get excited....

Terminator 4 Salavation - Motorcycle.

The tech-loving guys at Wired have a whole slew of spoiler-filled images from the new Terminator 4 movie, Terminator: Salvation. Most interesting to us was the first up-close look at the "Terminator motorcycle" above. Aint it cool.

Star Wars Article June 1977 Starlog

I found this while rummaging through some of my old magazines and I though you all might find it interested. This is an article from Starlog published in June 1977. At the time of printing Star Wars had not yet been released into theaters. Things were still pretty hush hush about this new space film by 20th Century Fox. I love they way they called the Light Sabre, a laser sword and a laser sabre, and the concept paintings are pretty cool as well. One month later George would forever change the world and make my life a helluva lot more expensive, for 30 plus years I have endeavored every day to give George at least some of my paycheck... click the image to enlarge.