hmmm....if it's about sleeping pills....then you can actually relate it to the batman film since studying the role of the joker stressed him out and affected his sleeping patterns (he developed insomnia...I think?). Sad news...he was actually one of the most promising ones these days...kinda like gary oldman when he was young.

Kijinnmaru wrote:

The curse is with Superman, not Batman. George Reeves-suicide, Christopher Reeves-paralysis/death, new guy-his career.

That makes more sense...

Quote:

Guess this means Heath Ledger won't be back for the 3rd Batman movie.

Uh, yeah.

My friend told me online yesterday and I couldn't believe it! I've seen him in so much stuff and he wasn't very old just can't believe he's dead
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'Jaws' actor Roy Scheider dies at 75

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie "Jaws," has died. He was 75.

Scheider died Sunday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock, hospital spokesman David Robinson said. The hospital did not release a cause of death.

However, hospital spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said Scheider had been treated for multiple myeloma at the hospital's Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy for the past two years.

He was nominated for an Oscar for best-supporting actor in 1971's "The French Connection" in which he played the police partner of Oscar winner Gene Hackman and for best-actor for 1979's "All That Jazz," the autobiographical Bob Fosse film.

However, he was best known for his role in Steven Spielberg's 1975 film, "Jaws," the enduring classic about a killer shark terrorizing beachgoers and well as millions of moviegoers.

Widely hailed as the film that launched the era of the Hollywood blockbuster, it was also the first movie to earn $100 million at the box office. Scheider starred with Richard Dreyfuss, who played an oceanographer.

In 2005, one of Scheider's most famous lines in the movie — "You're gonna need a bigger boat" — was voted No. 35 on the American Film Institute's list of best quotes from U.S. movies.

gaijinmark wrote:

'Jaws' actor Roy Scheider dies at 75

Really liked him in Blue Thunder and Marathon Man as well.

RIP, Mr. Scheider.

gaijinmark wrote:

'Jaws' actor Roy Scheider dies at 75 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie "Jaws," has died. He was 75. Scheider died Sunday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock, hospital spokesman David Robinson said. The hospital did not release a cause of death. However, hospital spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said Scheider had been treated for multiple myeloma at the hospital's Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy for the past two years. He was nominated for an Oscar for best-supporting actor in 1971's "The French Connection" in which he played the police partner of Oscar winner Gene Hackman and for best-actor for 1979's "All That Jazz," the autobiographical Bob Fosse film. However, he was best known for his role in Steven Spielberg's 1975 film, "Jaws," the enduring classic about a killer shark terrorizing beachgoers and well as millions of moviegoers. Widely hailed as the film that launched the era of the Hollywood blockbuster, it was also the first movie to earn $100 million at the box office. Scheider starred with Richard Dreyfuss, who played an oceanographer. In 2005, one of Scheider's most famous lines in the movie �\ "You're gonna need a bigger boat" �\ was voted No. 35 on the American Film Institute's list of best quotes from U.S. movies.

Jaws and The French Connection were two of the best American films made in the 1970's which is saying something since there were so many great American films from that decade.

Jaws in particular, is a movie I really admire. That whole sequence where Scheider, Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw are in the cabin of the boat at night out in the middle of nowhere, just shooting the bull and bonding with the climax being Shaw's U.S.S. Indianapolis monologue--magical stuff.

Shaw's and Dreyfuss' characters were much more attention-grabbing, but Scheider's character was the film's anchor. He gave an outstanding performance as a guy who was really in over his head but nevertheless earnestly tried to do the right thing.

RIP Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons.
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Charlton Heston dead at 84

By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago

Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84.

The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.

Powers declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease, saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

With his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice, Heston proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past. "I have a face that belongs in another century," he often remarked.

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. With age, he grew more conservative and campaigned for conservative candidates.

In June 1998, Heston was elected president of the National Rifle Association, for which he had posed for ads holding a rifle. He delivered a jab at then-President Clinton, saying, "America doesn't trust you with our 21-year-old daughters, and we sure, Lord, don't trust you with our guns."

Heston stepped down as NRA president in April 2003, telling members his five years in office were "quite a ride. ... I loved every minute of it."

Later that year, Heston was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. "The largeness of character that comes across the screen has also been seen throughout his life," President Bush said at the time.

He engaged in a lengthy feud with liberal Ed Asner during the latter's tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild. His latter-day activism almost overshadowed his achievements as an actor, which were considerable.

Heston lent his strong presence to some of the most acclaimed and successful films of the midcentury. "Ben-Hur" won 11 Academy Awards, tying it for the record with the more recent "Titanic" (1997) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003). Heston's other hits include: "The Ten Commandments," "El Cid," "55 Days at Peking," "Planet of the Apes" and "Earthquake."

He liked the cite the number of historical figures he had portrayed:

Andrew Jackson ("The President's Lady," "The Buccaneer"), Moses ("The Ten Commandments"), title role of "El Cid," John the Baptist ("The Greatest Story Ever Told"), Michelangelo ("The Agony and the Ecstasy"), General Gordon ("Khartoum"), Marc Antony ("Julius Caesar," "Antony and Cleopatra"), Cardinal Richelieu ("The Three Musketeers"), Henry VIII ("The Prince and the Pauper").

Heston made his movie debut in the 1940s in two independent films by a college classmate, David Bradley, who later became a noted film archivist. He had the title role in "Peer Gynt" in 1942 and was Marc Antony in Bradley's 1949 version of "Julius Caesar," for which Heston was paid $50 a week.

Film producer Hal B. Wallis ("Casablanca") spotted Heston in a 1950 television production of "Wuthering Heights" and offered him a contract. When his wife reminded him that they had decided to pursue theater and television, he replied, "Well, maybe just for one film to see what it's like."

Heston earned star billing from his first Hollywood movie, "Dark City," a 1950 film noir. Cecil B. DeMille next cast him as the circus manager in the all-star "The Greatest Show On Earth," named by the Motion Picture Academy as the best picture of 1952.

Didn't agree with his politics but nevertheless, RIP Mr. Heston. (Can't believe they didn't mention Touch of Evil)

gaijinmark wrote:

Didn't agree with his politics

Maybe his Alzheimer's was setting in long before his 2002 declaration that he had it.... Like maybe the 90's when he president of the NRA.

Sydney Pollack dies of cancer at 73

LOS ANGELES - An agent for actor and director Sydney Pollack says the Academy Award winner has died. He was 73.

Agent Leslee Dart says Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades. She says Pollack was surrounded by family.

Pollack appeared in some of the films he directed, including the gender-bending hit "Tootsie," which starred Dustin Hoffman. Pollack won producing and directing Oscars for "Out of Africa" in 1985.

bmwracer wrote:

Sydney Pollack dies of cancer at 73 LOS ANGELES - An agent for actor and director Sydney Pollack says the Academy Award winner has died. He was 73. Agent Leslee Dart says Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades. She says Pollack was surrounded by family. Pollack appeared in some of the films he directed, including the gender-bending hit "Tootsie," which starred Dustin Hoffman. Pollack won producing and directing Oscars for "Out of Africa" in 1985.

RIP, Mr. Pollack....Thank you for 2 of my favorites,Tootsie and Out of Africa
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The Cutest Girl in the World!

does this count as a celeb?

Quote:

'Harry Potter' actor fatally stabbed in London updated 11:37 a.m. PT, Mon., May. 26, 2008 (AP) A teenage actor who will appear in the forthcoming "Harry Potter" movie was stabbed to death in a brawl outside a south London bar early Saturday, police said. Rob Knox, 18, was caught up in a fight outside the Metro Bar in Sidcup just after midnight, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The teen's death, less than two weeks after another youngster was brutally slain only a few miles away, has focused the British capital's attention on knife crime. Knox plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby in "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince," the sixth cinematic installment of the wildly popular Harry Potter series, set for release this fall. Warner Brothers said it was shocked by the news. Knox was one of five young men and boys taken to various hospitals across the capital after the brawl, police said. Among them was a 21-year-old who has since been arrested on suspicion of murder. The fight did not appear to be gang-related, police added, but it puts the number of violent teenage deaths in London at 14 so far this year. Knox played on the same rugby club as another recent teenage victim, Jimmy Mizen, who was fatally stuck with a piece of glass outside a south London bakery earlier this month after refusing to take part in a fight. England and Wales' homicide rate is more than three times lower than that of the U.S., according to 2005 statistics, but the parade of young victims on the nightly news has disquieted Londoners. The city's new mayor, Boris Johnson, won election on promises to tackle violent crime. And the Metropolitan Police have recently kicked off an aggressive new program to search anyone they wish for knives without having to justify their suspicions beforehand. England's children's commissioner, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, has warned the searches could backfire if they build hostility among young people. "There is a balance here," Aynsley-Green told British Broadcasting Corp. television Saturday. "On the one hand for young people to feel safer by having the presence of the police, but on the other hand making sure the new powers don't create further antagonism by increased stopping and searching."

runpup wrote:

RIP, Mr. Pollack....Thank you for 2 of my favorites,Tootsie and Out of Africa

And one of my favorite Paul Newman movies, "Absence of Malice" and one of my favorite Robert Redford movies, "Jeremiah Johnson"

gaijinmark wrote:

And one of my favorite Paul Newman movies, "Absence of Malice" and one of my favorite Robert Redford movies, "Jeremiah Johnson"

There's no doubt Pollack was a terrific director and producer....

Take a look at this list...

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001628/
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The Cutest Girl in the World!

runpup wrote:

There's no doubt Pollack was a terrific director and producer.... Take a look at this list... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001628/

Impressive - he will leave a gap in Hollywood.

runpup wrote:

RIP, Mr. Pollack....Thank you for 2 of my favorites,Tootsie and Out of Africa

Re: Sydney Pollack: I liked those two also. Plus I loved him as Will's father in the TV series "Will and Grace." For me he had a warmth about him that jumped off the screen. He will be missed.

Excerpt from Yahoo! News ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_en_tv/obit_korman ):

'Carol Burnett' star Harvey Korman dies at 81

Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and on the big screen in "Blazing Saddles," died Thursday. He was 81.

Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the hospital.

His daughter, Kate Korman, said in the statement that it was a "miracle" that her father had survived the aneurysm at all, and that he had several major operations.

"Tragically, after such a hard fought battle he passed away," she said.

A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show," appearing in skits with the star. He joined the show in its second season in 1964 and continued until it was canceled in 1967. That same year he became a cast member in the first season of "The Carol Burnett Show."

Man... Harvey Korman, Sydney Pollack, and the other day Dick Martin of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In passed away.

Bad month.
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Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79

By RON WORD, Associated Press Writer

Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79.

Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.

Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook."

"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped.

The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview.

"I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name. Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.

His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.

The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars.

Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the best singular recordings of the 20th century."

Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."

Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away."

The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man."

Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself.

"He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006.

Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style.

Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.

"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."

"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.

Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke. Between tours, he made his home near Gainesville in north Florida.

"Seventy ain't nothing but a damn number," he told The Associated Press in 1999. "I'm writing and creating new stuff and putting together new different things. Trying to stay out there and roll with the punches. I ain't quit yet."

Diddley, like other artists of his generations, was paid a flat fee for his recordings and said he received no royalty payments on record sales. He also said he was never paid for many of his performances.

"I am owed. I've never got paid," he said. "A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun."

In the early 1950s, Diddley said, disc jockeys called his type of music, "Jungle Music." It was Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed who is credited with inventing the term "rock 'n' roll."

Diddley said Freed was talking about him, when he introduced him, saying, "Here is a man with an original sound, who is going to rock and roll you right out of your seat."

Diddley won attention from a new generation in 1989 when he took part in the "Bo Knows" ad campaign for Nike, built around football and baseball star Bo Jackson. Commenting on Jackson's guitar skills, Diddley turned to the camera and said, "He don't know Diddley."

"I never could figure out what it had to do with shoes, but it worked," Diddley said. "I got into a lot of new front rooms on the tube."

Born as Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Miss., Diddley was later adopted by his mother's cousin and took on the name Ellis McDaniel, which his wife always called him.

When he was 5, his family moved to Chicago, where he learned the violin at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He learned guitar at 10 and entertained passers-by on street corners.

By his early teens, Diddley was playing Chicago's Maxwell Street.

"I came out of school and made something out of myself. I am known all over the globe, all over the world. There are guys who have done a lot of things that don't have the same impact that I had," he said.