Adam Yauch RIP

Adam Yauch, one of the founding members of the pioneering hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, died Friday (May 4) at the age of 47 following a long battle with throat cancer.

Since his 2009 cancer diagnosis, Yauch has stayed away from the public eye, often communicating with concerned fans through email, but during a period of remission, the Grammy-winning rapper stepped forward with his bandmates to release what would be his final album with the Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, and even won an MTV Video Music Award for his direction of the Beasties' "Make Some Noise" video.

*Taken from MTV.com

I'm so pissed at this sad news! Rest in peace Adam and fuck you cancer!!! There's a lovely tribute to Adam on www.beastieboys.com, I urge all fans to check it out.

Long live Beastie Boys!

Leslie Nielson R.I.P

Veteran comic actor Leslie Nielsen, star of Airplane! and The Naked Gun, has died at the age of 84.

He died in hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was being treated for pneumonia.

R.I.P Norman Wisdom

Comedy actor Sir Norman Wisdom died this afternoon at the grand old age of 95. Rest in peace Norm!

Illegal download crackdown - Ninja Video R.I.P

The US Department of Homeland Security has announced a new operation to find and prosecute owners of websites that offer illegal downloads of American films and television shows.

"Operation In Our Sites" was launched in conjunction with the seizure of nine websites, accused of offering free access to movies such as "Toy Story 3".

Kevin Suh from Hollywood trade group, Motion Picture Association of America, called the action the "largest takedown of illegal movie and television websites in a single action by the federal government."

US Immigration and Customs and other law enforcement agencies are involved and it came a week after the White House unveiled an enforcement plan for tackling theft of intellectual property.


Click here to read the full story.

Damn, how am I going to keep up with my favourite shows now?

Gary Coleman Dead at 42

The Diff'rent Strokes star succumbed at 12:05 p.m. (MST) today at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center to a brain hemorrhage suffered at his home Wednesday, a statement from his management firm said. He was 42.

"Conscious and lucid" yesterday morning, per the statement, the former child star was on life support by Thursday afternoon.

"Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated" today, the statement said.

From 1978 to 1986, Coleman cracked wise as perennial kid Arnold Jackson on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. His timing, chubby cheeks and catchphrase ("Whatchu talkin' 'bout?") helped make Coleman the highest paid child actor of his era.


Click here to read the full story

R.I.P Chivers 20/05/2010

My last cat Chivers (II), named after the marmalade company, sadly died on Thursday after losing his fight against kidney disease.

He was a completely soppy cat but absolutely full of love. He'll be missed by everyone. I'm not a spiritual person but when it comes to my pets I hope he's "up there" with his brother Ollie, eating strips of chicken and purring loudly!

Michael Jackson - man and music

Here's a nice collection of photo's and soundbites (pinched from the BBC website).

R.I.P Shih Kien

Veteran actor Shih Kien, who played Bruce Lee's archrival in the movie Enter the Dragon, has died aged 96.

Shih made his film debut in 1940 and went on to star in around 350 films.
He is best known by western audiences as the one-handed criminal mastermind Han in the film which launched martial artist Lee to stardom in 1973.

R.I.P David Carradine

David Carradine, best known for his leading role of Kwai Chang Caine on TV's Kung Fu in the 1970s, died Wednesday in Bangkok, where he was shooting a film, his manager confirmed Thursday. The star was 72.

According to manager Chuck Binder, the movie's producer went to Carradine's hotel room and found that he had passed away. Binder told Fox News the death is "shocking and sad. He was full of life, always wanting to work ... a great person."

Married five times and divorced four - he is survived by his widow, Annie Bierman, whom he married in 2004 - Carradine starred as folk singer Woody Guthrie in the 1976 Best Picture Oscar nominee Bound for Glory. Among his later screen roles was in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, in which he played Bill.

Click here for the full story

And lets not forget 'Q - The Winged Serpent' (and 'yes' - I own this film on DVD)!

R.I.P Ollie

Today marks a sad event in my life, the loss of a dear and much loved member of the family, Ollie the cat who passed away last night.

He was one in a million and shall be sorely missed.

Film trailer voice-over king dies

Don LaFontaine, who voiced more than 5,000 movie trailers, has died in Los Angeles aged 68.

During his 33-year career he provided the voice for films including The Terminator and Dr Strangelove.

He was best known for his catchphrase used on several trailers that began with the words "In a world where..."

LaFontaine died in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday from complications caused by an ongoing lung-related illness, his agent said.

For the full story click here.

* Taken from the BBC Enetertainment news site, 03/09/2008



Film trailers won't ever be the same!

Bernie Mac & Isaac Hayes RIP

Comedian Bernie Mac has died after losing his battle with pneumonia.

The 50-year-old Ocean's Eleven star passed away on Saturday morning (August 9th) at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, a week after being admitted to the medical centre.



Musician Isaac Hayes has died. He was 65.

Hayes passed away on Sunday morning (August 10th) at a Memphis, Tennessee hospital. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

According to reports, the songwriter was rushed to Baptist East Hospital after receiving a call from Hayes' wife who found him lying near a treadmill in their home.

Police at The Shelby County Sheriff's Office are investigating the star's death, but do not believe foul play was a factor.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

As rumoured the teaser trailer for Terminator Salvation is attached to 'The Dark Knight' which I'm watching tomorrow (cannot wait!!!).



And heres a screen shot someone took from the trailer of the new Terminator! I've adjusted the contrast and brightness, although its still not amazingly clear.

On a sad note I found out the FX master Stan Winston died last week. He was responsible for creating amazing special effects for The Terminator, Predator and Jurassic Park amongst others.

Legendary Comedian George Carlin Dies at 71

George Carlin, the edgy comedian and counterculture icon, died Sunday at the age of 71.

The stand-up comic and author – best known for his groundbreaking routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" – reportedly died of heart failure at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. (Carlin, who was open about his long struggle with drugs and alcohol, had a history of heart problems, including a previous heart attack.)

In 1978, the bearded comedian famous for his clever wordplay and often-explicit commentary on sex, drugs and the absurdities of modern life found himself in the middle of a court battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

But even after the high court ruled that his "Seven Words" routine was indecent, Carlin refused to abandon the material. (He was arrested several times after performing the bit live, although the cases were always dismissed.)

The author of 1997's bestselling Brain Droppings, Carlin remained active on the stand-up circuit. Just last weekend, he performed The Orleans in Las Vegas, the New York Times reports.

In November, the Grammy-winner was scheduled to receive the John F. Kennedy Center's coveted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

He is survived by his wife, Sally Wade, and daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall. Carlin's first wife, Brenda Hosbrook, died in 1997.

A fierce critic of modern civilization, Carlin told Playboy in 2005 that his vision of the afterlife included a "heavenly CNN."

"The world is a big theater-in-the round as far as I'm concerned, and I'd love to watch it spin itself into oblivion," he told the magazine. "Tune in and watch the human adventure ... That's what I want heaven to be."

* Pinched from People.com, 23/06/2008

Charlton Heston Dies at 84

Charlton Heston, the square-jawed movie star who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ben-Hur and was famed for a number of other epic films, died Saturday night at the age of 84.

Though an official cause of death was not initially released, the actor had announced in 2002 that he was battling Alzheimer's disease, and had withdrawn from professional appearances after the diagnosis.

An actor at first well-known for his portrayal of historical figures -- in addition to his role as Ben-Hur, he also played Michelangelo, El Cid, Moses, and John the Baptist.

Heston's fame later in life was highlighted by his polarizing views on gun control, as the actor was elected president of the National Rifle Association in 1998 and vigorously defended the rights of gun owners throughout the country. That role, which he left in 2003, almost overshadowed the length of his impressive acting career, which started in theater and television before graduating to the silver screen.

* Pinched from IMDb, 06/04/2008

Roy Scheider Dies at 75

Actor Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his leading role as the water-phobic police chief in the smash blockbuster Jaws, died Sunday in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences hospital; he was 75.

Though an official cause of death was not released at press time, a hospital spokeswoman stated that the actor had been treated for multiple myeloma at the hospital's research center for the past two years.

Born in New Jersey, Scheider pursued a career in boxing before turning to acting, and won an Obie award for his work with the New York Shakespeare Festival in the late '60s. His first major film appearances also began in the late '60s in such movies as Star! and Paper Lion, and it was in 1971 that he truly gained fame for his roles two popular thrillers, Klute and The French Connection; the latter earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

However, it was his role four years later in the Steven Spielberg thriller Jaws for which he became most well-known, playing a local lawman in a tourist beach town who must contend with the sudden appearance of a great white shark; his line, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," became one of the most well-known lines in contemporary film.

Scheider also appeared in the ill-fated sequel Jaws 2 (after dropping out of the lead role in The Deer Hunter and in order to be let out of his Universal Studios contract) and the thriller Marathon Man before embarking on his most acclaimed performance, that of Broadway director and choreographer Joe Gideon in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. The role, closely based on Fosse's life, brought Scheider his second Academy Award nomination in 1979, this time for Best Actor.

Though none of Scheider's later films would reach the heights of his movies from the '70s, he continued to work steadily in both film and television, with diverse roles in such films as Still Of The Night, Blue Thunder, 2010, The Russia House, Naked Lunch, The Peacekeeper, The Myth Of Fingerprints (for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination) and the TV series SeaQuest DSV and Third Watch. Scheider is survived by his three children and his second wife, actress Brenda King.

* Pinched from IMDb, 11/02/2008

Heath Ledger dead at 28

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead at a Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon in what appeared to be a possible drug-related death; he was 28.

The actor was discovered in one of the SoHo apartment's bedrooms at 3:31 p.m., when a masseuse arrived for a scheduled appointment and the residence's housekeeper went to inform the actor of the masseuse's arrival. He was found unconscious and unresponsive; the New York Times at first stated that the apartment in question belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but a publicist for the actress later said that Olsen did not own a unit in the building in which Ledger was found. An initial police report also cited by the New York Times said that foul play was not suspected and that pills had been found near Ledger's body.

A native of Australia, Ledger shot to fame as a teen heartthrob in 10 Things I Hate About You before graduating to more adult roles, most notably his Oscar-nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain.

Engaged at one time to Brokeback co-star Michelle Williams, the two had a daughter but had split in recent months.

Recently, Ledger wrapped filming on the Batman film The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker; the film is currently set for release this summer.

* Pinched from IMDb, 23/01/2008