Thanks, Wikipedia.
The sudden death of British guitarist Gary Moore has robbed the music world of a brilliant genius.
Moore, who died of a heart attack on February 6 at the age of 59, was a versatile guitarist who excelled in rock, pop, jazz, country, blues and folk music.
Born on April 4, 1952 in Belfast, he played with various musicians since his teens, and they included Phil Lynott and Brian Downey, who later inducted him into their group Thin Lizzy, BB King, Albert King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake, Skid Row (not to be confused with the glam metal band of the same name), Jimmy Nail, Jack Bruce, The Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Traveling Wilburys.
Moore learnt the guitar at eight and when he was 14, he learnt the play the instrument with his right hand despite being left-handed.
At 16, he moved to Dublin, Ireland, and watched Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall perform. He also joined the group Skid Row, which was formed by Lynott.
Moore's early influences included Elvis, The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac whose guitarist Peter Green became his mentor.
Moore released his first solo album in 1973, Grinding Stone.
In 1978 his collaboration with Lynott, Parisienne Walkways, reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart.
In 1987, he collaborated on the UK charity record Let It Be, a cover of The Beatles' track.
After a series of rock records, Moore returned to blues music with Still Got The Blues in 1990.
He stayed with the blues format until 1997, when he decided to experiment with modern dance beats on Dark Days In Paradise.
With Back To The Blues, Moore return to his tried and tested blues format in 2001.
He continued with this style on Power Of The Blues (2004), Old New Ballads Blues (2006), Close As You Get (2007) and Bad For You Baby (2008).
Moore was twice married and is survived by three children.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
About Muse, Britain's Super Band Of Today
Thanks, Wikipedia.
Muse is a British rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994.
The band consists of Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) [born June 9, 1978], Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals, keyboards, guitar, harmonica) [born December 2, 1978] and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers, backing vocals, sampling) [born December 7, 1977].
Muse is known for its energetic and extravagant live performances, and its fusion of progressive rock, alternative rock, pop, heavy metal and electronica.
Muse has released five studio albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin Of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes And Revelations (2006) and The Resistance (2009).
The band has also issued three live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), Absolution Tour (2005) and HAARP (2008).
Muse has also won numerous music awards, including five MTV Europe Music Awards, five Q Awards, eight NME Awards, two BRIT awards an MTV Video Music Award, four Kerrang! Awards and an American Music Award.
Muse had sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
The members of Muse played in separate school bands during their stay at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s, but the formation of Muse began when Bellamy successfully auditioned for the part of guitarist in Howard's band.
They asked Wolstenholme – who played the drums – to learn to play bass guitar for the band.
Matt and Dom's first band name was Gothic Plague.
After Gothic Plague came Fixed Penalty and Rocket Baby Dolls.
In 1994, the band adopted Muse as its name.
The name was inspired by Bellamy's art teacher Samuel Theoun who mentioned the word Muse to him.
Muse played its first gigs in London and Manchester.
The band had a significant meeting with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio, situated in a converted water mill in Cornwall.
He had seen the boys grow up as he knew their parents.
This meeting led to their first proper recordings and the release of the Muse EP.
Its second EP, the Muscle Museum, reached number 3 in the indie singles chart.
Smith introduced the band to Safta Jaffery with whom he had recently started the record label Taste Media.
Muse signed with Smith and Jaffery and recorded three albums, Showbiz, Origin Of Symmetry and Absolution with Taste Media.
In 1998, Muse signed a deal with Maverick Records.
Upon their return from America, Taste Media arranged deals for Muse with various record labels in Europe and Australia, allowing them to maintain control over their career in individual countries.
During production of Origin Of Symmetry, the band experimented with instrumentation such as a church organ.
Bellamy cites guitar influences such as Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave) in the band's works.
Absolution (produced by Rich Costey) was released in 2003 and debuted at number one in the UK.
The album yielded its first top ten hit with Time Is Running Out.
The band played at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004. After the festival, the band described the concert as "the best gig of our lives".
However, Howard's father, William Howard, who was at the festival to watch the band, died from a heart attack shortly after the performance.
The single Butterflies & Hurricanes was dedicated to Dom's father.
Muse won two MTV Europe awards, including Best Alternative Act and a Q Award for Best Live Act that year.
Muse also received an award for Best Live Act at the 2005 BRIT Awards.
In 2006, Muse released Black Holes And Revelations, co-produced by Muse and Rich Costey.
The album's title and themes are the result of the band's fascination with science fiction and political outrage.
The album charted at No. 1 in the UK, much of Europe and Australia.
It was also a success in the United States, reaching number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart.
In 2008, the band members received honorary doctorates of arts from the University of Plymouth for their contributions to music.
In 2010, Muse came up with the song Love Is Forever for the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
Muse has cited Queen as an influence.
Queen guitarist Brian May has praised Muse's work, calling the band "extraordinary musicians" who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artiste."
Muse is a British rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994.
The band consists of Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) [born June 9, 1978], Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals, keyboards, guitar, harmonica) [born December 2, 1978] and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers, backing vocals, sampling) [born December 7, 1977].
Muse is known for its energetic and extravagant live performances, and its fusion of progressive rock, alternative rock, pop, heavy metal and electronica.
Muse has released five studio albums: Showbiz (1999), Origin Of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes And Revelations (2006) and The Resistance (2009).
The band has also issued three live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), Absolution Tour (2005) and HAARP (2008).
Muse has also won numerous music awards, including five MTV Europe Music Awards, five Q Awards, eight NME Awards, two BRIT awards an MTV Video Music Award, four Kerrang! Awards and an American Music Award.
Muse had sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
The members of Muse played in separate school bands during their stay at Teignmouth Community College in the early 1990s, but the formation of Muse began when Bellamy successfully auditioned for the part of guitarist in Howard's band.
They asked Wolstenholme – who played the drums – to learn to play bass guitar for the band.
Matt and Dom's first band name was Gothic Plague.
After Gothic Plague came Fixed Penalty and Rocket Baby Dolls.
In 1994, the band adopted Muse as its name.
The name was inspired by Bellamy's art teacher Samuel Theoun who mentioned the word Muse to him.
Muse played its first gigs in London and Manchester.
The band had a significant meeting with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio, situated in a converted water mill in Cornwall.
He had seen the boys grow up as he knew their parents.
This meeting led to their first proper recordings and the release of the Muse EP.
Its second EP, the Muscle Museum, reached number 3 in the indie singles chart.
Smith introduced the band to Safta Jaffery with whom he had recently started the record label Taste Media.
Muse signed with Smith and Jaffery and recorded three albums, Showbiz, Origin Of Symmetry and Absolution with Taste Media.
In 1998, Muse signed a deal with Maverick Records.
Upon their return from America, Taste Media arranged deals for Muse with various record labels in Europe and Australia, allowing them to maintain control over their career in individual countries.
During production of Origin Of Symmetry, the band experimented with instrumentation such as a church organ.
Bellamy cites guitar influences such as Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave) in the band's works.
Absolution (produced by Rich Costey) was released in 2003 and debuted at number one in the UK.
The album yielded its first top ten hit with Time Is Running Out.
The band played at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004. After the festival, the band described the concert as "the best gig of our lives".
However, Howard's father, William Howard, who was at the festival to watch the band, died from a heart attack shortly after the performance.
The single Butterflies & Hurricanes was dedicated to Dom's father.
Muse won two MTV Europe awards, including Best Alternative Act and a Q Award for Best Live Act that year.
Muse also received an award for Best Live Act at the 2005 BRIT Awards.
In 2006, Muse released Black Holes And Revelations, co-produced by Muse and Rich Costey.
The album's title and themes are the result of the band's fascination with science fiction and political outrage.
The album charted at No. 1 in the UK, much of Europe and Australia.
It was also a success in the United States, reaching number nine on the Billboard 200 album chart.
In 2008, the band members received honorary doctorates of arts from the University of Plymouth for their contributions to music.
In 2010, Muse came up with the song Love Is Forever for the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
Muse has cited Queen as an influence.
Queen guitarist Brian May has praised Muse's work, calling the band "extraordinary musicians" who "let their madness show through, always a good thing in an artiste."
Monday, January 3, 2011
Pete Postlethwaite - A Fine British Actor
Thanks, Wikipedia.
Pete Postlethwaite, who passed away after a long illness on January 2, 2011, will always be remembered as a fine British actor.
Born on February 7, 1945 in Warrington, Cheshire, the United Kingdom, he taught drama at Loreto College, Manchester before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Postlethwaite started his acting career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where his colleagues included Bill Nighy (Pirates Of The Caribbean), Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies) and Julie Walters (Mamma Mia).
Postlethwaite, who subsequently joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Walters had an intimate relationship during the latter half of the 1970s.
After routine appearances for television programmes such as The Professionals, Postlethwaite starred in the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988.
He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in In The Name Of The Father in 1993.
Other major films he starred in were The Usual Suspects, Alien 3, Amistad, The Constant Gardener, Inception and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet (with Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes).
Steven Spielberg called Postlethwaite "the best actor in the world" after working with him in The Lost World.
To this Postlethwaite modestly replied: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, Pete's the best actor in The Lost World."
Postlethwaite co-starred with Sean Bean of The Lord Of The Rings, Don't Say A Word and Goldeneye fame in the British television series Sharpe.
It was his most famous television series.
In 2004, he received the Order Of The British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth 2 of the United Kingdom.
His most recent film was Clash Of The Titans.
Pete Postlethwaite, who passed away after a long illness on January 2, 2011, will always be remembered as a fine British actor.
Born on February 7, 1945 in Warrington, Cheshire, the United Kingdom, he taught drama at Loreto College, Manchester before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Postlethwaite started his acting career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where his colleagues included Bill Nighy (Pirates Of The Caribbean), Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies) and Julie Walters (Mamma Mia).
Postlethwaite, who subsequently joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Walters had an intimate relationship during the latter half of the 1970s.
After routine appearances for television programmes such as The Professionals, Postlethwaite starred in the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988.
He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in In The Name Of The Father in 1993.
Other major films he starred in were The Usual Suspects, Alien 3, Amistad, The Constant Gardener, Inception and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet (with Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes).
Steven Spielberg called Postlethwaite "the best actor in the world" after working with him in The Lost World.
To this Postlethwaite modestly replied: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, Pete's the best actor in The Lost World."
Postlethwaite co-starred with Sean Bean of The Lord Of The Rings, Don't Say A Word and Goldeneye fame in the British television series Sharpe.
It was his most famous television series.
In 2004, he received the Order Of The British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth 2 of the United Kingdom.
His most recent film was Clash Of The Titans.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Stephen J Cannell - Iconic Creator Of American TV Series
Screenwriter, actor, novelist and producer Stephen Joseph Cannell, who died after a long illness aged 69 on September 30, 2010, will always be remembered as an American television icon.
Born on February 5, 1941 in Los Angeles, he struggled with dyslexia in school, but graduated from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a degree in journalism.
He was quickly hired by the television production branch of Universal Studios and was soon freelance writing for crime shows as Ironside and Columbo.
Not long after, he received his first full-time gig as the story editor of Jack Webb's police series Adam 12.
Cannell created or co-created nearly 40 television series, mostly crime dramas, including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings and The Commish.
In the process he had, by his own count, scripted more than 450 episodes, and produced or executive produced over 1,500 episodes.
Cannell also acted occasionally in his series Renegade.
He also served as the host of the 1995–1996 documentary series US Customs Classified.
In the 2000s, Cannell turned his attention to novels. He wrote 14 novels.
He discussed his experiences as a dyslexic in Dislecksia: The Movie. Wikipedia.
Born on February 5, 1941 in Los Angeles, he struggled with dyslexia in school, but graduated from the University of Oregon in 1964 with a degree in journalism.
He was quickly hired by the television production branch of Universal Studios and was soon freelance writing for crime shows as Ironside and Columbo.
Not long after, he received his first full-time gig as the story editor of Jack Webb's police series Adam 12.
Cannell created or co-created nearly 40 television series, mostly crime dramas, including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings and The Commish.
In the process he had, by his own count, scripted more than 450 episodes, and produced or executive produced over 1,500 episodes.
Cannell also acted occasionally in his series Renegade.
He also served as the host of the 1995–1996 documentary series US Customs Classified.
In the 2000s, Cannell turned his attention to novels. He wrote 14 novels.
He discussed his experiences as a dyslexic in Dislecksia: The Movie. Wikipedia.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Farewell Mr Naked Gun Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen, the veteran Canadian actor who passed away at 84 on November 28, 2010 was best remembered for his character Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun film series.
Read all about him here. Thanks Wikipedia.
Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.
Nielsen appeared in over 100 films and 1,500 television programmes over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters.
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked as a disc jockey before receiving a scholarship to Neighbourhood Playhouse.
Beginning with a television role in 1948, he quickly expanded to over 50 television appearances two years later.
Nielsen appeared in his first films in 1956 and began collecting roles in dramas, westerns and romance films.
Nielsen's lead roles in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956) [based on Shakespeare's The Tempest] and disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) received positive reviews.
Although his acting career crossed a variety of genres in both television and films, Nielsen's deadpan delivery as a doctor in 1980's Airplane! marked a turning point in his career, one that would make him, in the words of film critic Roger Ebert, "the Olivier of spoofs."
Nielsen enjoyed further success with The Naked Gun and its sequels, based on a brief television series he starred in.
His portrayal of serious characters seemingly oblivious to (and complicit in) their absurd surroundings gave him a reputation as a comedian.
In the last decades of his career, Nielsen appeared in multiple spoof and parody films, many of which were met poorly by critics but performed well in box office and home media releases.
Nielsen was recognised with a variety of awards throughout his career and was inducted into both the Canada and Hollywood Walks Of Fame.
He married four times and had two daughters from his second marriage.
Nielsen's uncle Jean Hersholt inspired him to become an actor.
Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan.
His mother, Mabel Elizabeth Davies, was a Welsh immigrant from Fulham, London, and his father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born Constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nielsen had two brothers. His elder brother, Erik Nielsen (1924–2008), was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada during the 1980s.
Their uncle, Hersholt, was an actor best known for his portrayal of Dr Christian in the long-running radio series of the same name and the subsequent television series and films.
Following his graduation from Victoria Composite High School in Edmonton, at 17, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was trained as an aerial gunner during the latter part of World War II (but was too young to be fully trained and sent overseas).
He briefly worked as a disc jockey at a radio station in Calgary, Alberta, before enrolling at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto.
When he was studying in Toronto, Nielsen received a scholarship for the Neighbourhood Playhouse in the United States.
He later attended the Actors Studio, before making his first television appearance in 1948 on an episode of Studio One, alongside Charlton Heston.
It was not until 1956 when he made his feature film debut in the Michael Curtiz-directed musical film The Vagabond King.
Forbidden Planet in 1956 became an instant success, and roles in Ransom! (1956), The Opposite Sex (1956) and Hot Summer Night (1957) followed.
In 1957 he got the lead role opposite Debbie Reynolds in the romantic comedy Tammy And The Bachelor.
Nielsen also landed the lead role in the Disney mini-series The Swamp Fox, as American Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion.
His early television appearances included parts in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Virginian, and The Wild Wild West.
In 1968, he had a major role in the pilot film for the popular police series Hawaii Five-O, and appeared in one of the episodes in the seventh season.
In 1969, he had the leading role as a police officer in The Bold Ones: The Protectors.
Nielsen also starred in the William Girdler-directed 1977 action film Project: Kill.
His last role before portraying mainly comedy roles was the Canadian disaster film City On Fire in which he played a corrupt mayor.
In 1980, he guest starred on the CBS mini-series The Chisholms.
Nielsen's comedic breakthrough came with a supporting role in 1980's Airplane!, a parody of Zero Hour!, Airport, and other movies that dealt with air travel.
In Airplane! his deadpan delivery contrasted with the continual absurdity surrounding him.
The film's directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, chose Nielsen for the role based on his ability to play "a fish in water".
The film The Naked Gun spawned two sequels, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell Of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994).
Nielsen briefly appeared in the World Wrestling Federation in the summer of 1994 on Monday Night RAW, capitalising on his Frank Drebin character.
In 1997, he played Mr Magoo in the live action version of the popular cartoon.
He also appeared in Scary Movie 3 (2003) and 4 (2006).
Nielsen hosted a series of golf instructional videos beginning with 1993's Bad Golf Made Easier.
In his eighties, Nielsen continued to have an active career.
He performed serious roles on screen and stage as well as providing voice-overs and on-camera appearances for commercials.
The sibling relationship with his elder brother Erik Nielsen, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, served as the premise of an HBO mockumentary titled The Canadian Conspiracy.
Nielsen starred in it along with prominent Canadian-born media personalities.
Among his numerous awards, in 1995 Leslie Nielsen received UCLA's Jack Benny Award for his comedic roles.
In 1988, he became the 1,884th personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
In 2001 he was inducted into Canada's Walk Of Fame.
The following year he was made an Officer Of The Order Of Canada.
On February 20, 2002, Nielsen was named an honorary citizen of West Virginia.
Read all about him here. Thanks Wikipedia.
Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.
Nielsen appeared in over 100 films and 1,500 television programmes over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters.
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked as a disc jockey before receiving a scholarship to Neighbourhood Playhouse.
Beginning with a television role in 1948, he quickly expanded to over 50 television appearances two years later.
Nielsen appeared in his first films in 1956 and began collecting roles in dramas, westerns and romance films.
Nielsen's lead roles in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956) [based on Shakespeare's The Tempest] and disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) received positive reviews.
Although his acting career crossed a variety of genres in both television and films, Nielsen's deadpan delivery as a doctor in 1980's Airplane! marked a turning point in his career, one that would make him, in the words of film critic Roger Ebert, "the Olivier of spoofs."
Nielsen enjoyed further success with The Naked Gun and its sequels, based on a brief television series he starred in.
His portrayal of serious characters seemingly oblivious to (and complicit in) their absurd surroundings gave him a reputation as a comedian.
In the last decades of his career, Nielsen appeared in multiple spoof and parody films, many of which were met poorly by critics but performed well in box office and home media releases.
Nielsen was recognised with a variety of awards throughout his career and was inducted into both the Canada and Hollywood Walks Of Fame.
He married four times and had two daughters from his second marriage.
Nielsen's uncle Jean Hersholt inspired him to become an actor.
Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan.
His mother, Mabel Elizabeth Davies, was a Welsh immigrant from Fulham, London, and his father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born Constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Nielsen had two brothers. His elder brother, Erik Nielsen (1924–2008), was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada during the 1980s.
Their uncle, Hersholt, was an actor best known for his portrayal of Dr Christian in the long-running radio series of the same name and the subsequent television series and films.
Following his graduation from Victoria Composite High School in Edmonton, at 17, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was trained as an aerial gunner during the latter part of World War II (but was too young to be fully trained and sent overseas).
He briefly worked as a disc jockey at a radio station in Calgary, Alberta, before enrolling at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto.
When he was studying in Toronto, Nielsen received a scholarship for the Neighbourhood Playhouse in the United States.
He later attended the Actors Studio, before making his first television appearance in 1948 on an episode of Studio One, alongside Charlton Heston.
It was not until 1956 when he made his feature film debut in the Michael Curtiz-directed musical film The Vagabond King.
Forbidden Planet in 1956 became an instant success, and roles in Ransom! (1956), The Opposite Sex (1956) and Hot Summer Night (1957) followed.
In 1957 he got the lead role opposite Debbie Reynolds in the romantic comedy Tammy And The Bachelor.
Nielsen also landed the lead role in the Disney mini-series The Swamp Fox, as American Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion.
His early television appearances included parts in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Virginian, and The Wild Wild West.
In 1968, he had a major role in the pilot film for the popular police series Hawaii Five-O, and appeared in one of the episodes in the seventh season.
In 1969, he had the leading role as a police officer in The Bold Ones: The Protectors.
Nielsen also starred in the William Girdler-directed 1977 action film Project: Kill.
His last role before portraying mainly comedy roles was the Canadian disaster film City On Fire in which he played a corrupt mayor.
In 1980, he guest starred on the CBS mini-series The Chisholms.
Nielsen's comedic breakthrough came with a supporting role in 1980's Airplane!, a parody of Zero Hour!, Airport, and other movies that dealt with air travel.
In Airplane! his deadpan delivery contrasted with the continual absurdity surrounding him.
The film's directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, chose Nielsen for the role based on his ability to play "a fish in water".
The film The Naked Gun spawned two sequels, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell Of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994).
Nielsen briefly appeared in the World Wrestling Federation in the summer of 1994 on Monday Night RAW, capitalising on his Frank Drebin character.
In 1997, he played Mr Magoo in the live action version of the popular cartoon.
He also appeared in Scary Movie 3 (2003) and 4 (2006).
Nielsen hosted a series of golf instructional videos beginning with 1993's Bad Golf Made Easier.
In his eighties, Nielsen continued to have an active career.
He performed serious roles on screen and stage as well as providing voice-overs and on-camera appearances for commercials.
The sibling relationship with his elder brother Erik Nielsen, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, served as the premise of an HBO mockumentary titled The Canadian Conspiracy.
Nielsen starred in it along with prominent Canadian-born media personalities.
Among his numerous awards, in 1995 Leslie Nielsen received UCLA's Jack Benny Award for his comedic roles.
In 1988, he became the 1,884th personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
In 2001 he was inducted into Canada's Walk Of Fame.
The following year he was made an Officer Of The Order Of Canada.
On February 20, 2002, Nielsen was named an honorary citizen of West Virginia.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Dino De Laurentiis - Iconic Film Maker
Italy’s Dino De Laurentiis who passed away today at 91 will always be remembered as an iconic science fiction film maker.
Read all about him from Wikipedia.
Agostino (Dino) De Laurentiis (August 8, 1919 – November 11, 2010) was an Italian Academy Award-winning film producer.
He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples.
He produced close to 150 films starting with Lultimo Combattimento (1940).
De Laurentiis initially produced neo-realist films such as Bitter Rice (1946) and the Fellini classics La Strada (1954) and Nights Of Cabiria (1956), often in collaboration with producer Carlo Ponti.
In the 1960s, De Laurentiis produced films as Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die, Navajo Joe (1966), Anzio (1968), a World War II film, Barbarella (1968) and Danger: Diabolik (1968), both successful comic book adaptations, and The Valachi Papers.
In the 1970s, De Laurentiis relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina, the United States.
He made acclaimed films, including The Scientific Cardplayer (1972), Serpico (1973), Death Wish (1974), Mandingo (1975), Three Days Of The Condor (1975), The Shootist (1976), Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (1977), Ragtime (1981), Conan The Barbarian (1982) and Blue Velvet (1986).
King Kong (1976) was also a commercial hit, as were Lipstick, the killer whale film Orca (1977), The White Buffalo (1977), the disaster movie Hurricane (1979), the remake of Flash Gordon (1980), Halloween II (the 1981 sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 classic horror film), David Lynch's Dune (1984), and King Kong Lives (1986).
De Laurentiis also made several adaptations of Stephen King's works, including The Dead Zone (1983), Cat's Eye (1985), Silver Bullet (1985) and Maximum Overdrive (1986).
Army Of Darkness (1992) was produced jointly by De Laurentiis, Robert Tapert and the movie's star Bruce Campbell.
They distributed the animated Transformers movie.
De Laurentiis also produced the first Hannibal Lecter film Manhunter (1986).
He passed on adapting Thomas Harris' sequel, The Silence Of The Lambs, but produced the two follow-ups, Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002), a remake of Manhunter.
He also produced Hannibal Rising (2007), which tells the story of how Hannibal becomes a serial killer.
He had a strong preference for adaptations of books, especially The Bible: In The Beginning (1966), Barabbas (1961) and Dune (1984).
In 2001 he received the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences.
He had four children with his first wife, actress Silvana Mangano, who died in 1989.
He later married movie producer Martha Schumacher and they had two daughters.
One of the children from his first marriage, Raffaella De Laurentiis, is also a producer.
Another, Federico De Laurentiis (February 28, 1955 – July 15, 1981), died at 26 in an airplane crash.
His grand daughter is Giada De Laurentiis, host of Everyday Italian, Behind The Bash, Giada At Home and Giada's Weekend Getaways on Food Network.
His nephew is Aurelio De Laurentiis, a film producer in his own right and the chairman of SSC Napoli Football Club.
Read all about him from Wikipedia.
Agostino (Dino) De Laurentiis (August 8, 1919 – November 11, 2010) was an Italian Academy Award-winning film producer.
He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples.
He produced close to 150 films starting with Lultimo Combattimento (1940).
De Laurentiis initially produced neo-realist films such as Bitter Rice (1946) and the Fellini classics La Strada (1954) and Nights Of Cabiria (1956), often in collaboration with producer Carlo Ponti.
In the 1960s, De Laurentiis produced films as Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die, Navajo Joe (1966), Anzio (1968), a World War II film, Barbarella (1968) and Danger: Diabolik (1968), both successful comic book adaptations, and The Valachi Papers.
In the 1970s, De Laurentiis relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina, the United States.
He made acclaimed films, including The Scientific Cardplayer (1972), Serpico (1973), Death Wish (1974), Mandingo (1975), Three Days Of The Condor (1975), The Shootist (1976), Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (1977), Ragtime (1981), Conan The Barbarian (1982) and Blue Velvet (1986).
King Kong (1976) was also a commercial hit, as were Lipstick, the killer whale film Orca (1977), The White Buffalo (1977), the disaster movie Hurricane (1979), the remake of Flash Gordon (1980), Halloween II (the 1981 sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 classic horror film), David Lynch's Dune (1984), and King Kong Lives (1986).
De Laurentiis also made several adaptations of Stephen King's works, including The Dead Zone (1983), Cat's Eye (1985), Silver Bullet (1985) and Maximum Overdrive (1986).
Army Of Darkness (1992) was produced jointly by De Laurentiis, Robert Tapert and the movie's star Bruce Campbell.
They distributed the animated Transformers movie.
De Laurentiis also produced the first Hannibal Lecter film Manhunter (1986).
He passed on adapting Thomas Harris' sequel, The Silence Of The Lambs, but produced the two follow-ups, Hannibal (2001) and Red Dragon (2002), a remake of Manhunter.
He also produced Hannibal Rising (2007), which tells the story of how Hannibal becomes a serial killer.
He had a strong preference for adaptations of books, especially The Bible: In The Beginning (1966), Barabbas (1961) and Dune (1984).
In 2001 he received the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences.
He had four children with his first wife, actress Silvana Mangano, who died in 1989.
He later married movie producer Martha Schumacher and they had two daughters.
One of the children from his first marriage, Raffaella De Laurentiis, is also a producer.
Another, Federico De Laurentiis (February 28, 1955 – July 15, 1981), died at 26 in an airplane crash.
His grand daughter is Giada De Laurentiis, host of Everyday Italian, Behind The Bash, Giada At Home and Giada's Weekend Getaways on Food Network.
His nephew is Aurelio De Laurentiis, a film producer in his own right and the chairman of SSC Napoli Football Club.
So Long Shamrin
Veteran rock singer Shamrin Abdul Samad of Fotograf who passed away of a heart ailment at 43 today will always be remembered as an alpha male icon.
Shamrin was a popular singer throughout the last two decades, and was known for his manly voice.
Fotograf’s best known songs included Di Alam Fana Cintamu, Jangan Di Ucap Selamat Tinggal and Luka Seribu Rindu.
Fotograf was formed in 1987 and its other members are guitarist Abol, bassist Amran and drummer Ringgo.
It released five albums between 1989 and 1997, and had plans for a new album and reunion concert.
In 2004, Shamrin launched a mini album which he co-produced with rocker Opie of Bloodshed and Rosli Selasih.
Shamrin was a popular singer throughout the last two decades, and was known for his manly voice.
Fotograf’s best known songs included Di Alam Fana Cintamu, Jangan Di Ucap Selamat Tinggal and Luka Seribu Rindu.
Fotograf was formed in 1987 and its other members are guitarist Abol, bassist Amran and drummer Ringgo.
It released five albums between 1989 and 1997, and had plans for a new album and reunion concert.
In 2004, Shamrin launched a mini album which he co-produced with rocker Opie of Bloodshed and Rosli Selasih.
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