Results tagged “actor”

Here's a little something something for people (like this LAist poster) heading for the Swell Season concert at the Wiltern tonight. Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) asked for songwriting advice from the band, and Markéta Irglová told him to "write a song from the heart" and "include as much personal information as you can." Here's the result, which he performed at last night's show.

Actor George Hamilton will celebrate his 70th birthday by having his Hollywood Walk of Fame star revealed this morning. He's been seen in The Godfather: Part III, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Zorro, The Gay Blade, Lone Star and the Dracula spoof, Love at First Bite (Love at Second Bite is currently in development), among many other movies. Next week, My One and Only with Renee Zellweger will be released, a film Hamilton helped produce based that's partially based on his family. Hamilton's star is located across the street from the Roosevelt Hotel. LA Weekly notes another celebration is happening today, too: the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz apparently is today with an event this afternoon at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor Karl Malden, best known as Detective Lt. Mike Stone on the '70s TV series The Streets of San Francisco, has died of natural causes at the age of 97, Before entering television, "he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Blanche's earnest suitor Mitch in the 1951 adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire (he'd previously played the part on Broadway), and received another nod for his role as streetwise Father Barry in 1954's On The Waterfront. He followed with acclaimed turns in Baby Doll (1956), How the West Was Won (1962), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), and Patton (1970)," reported Entertainment Weekly.

    

Okay, we lie, but that's what all of Hugh Jackman's fans would have preferred (duh). Nevertheless, the Tony and Emmy-winning actor this morning became one of the honored stars to have his hand and footprints and signature imprinted outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Of course, X-Men Origins: Wolverine comes out on Friday, May 1st.

Figuring union members would vote down any authorization to strike, Screen Actors Guild officials have suspended plans to protest contract offers from movie studios and producers. "The declaration represents an about-face and follows months of preparations for a strike vote that would have given the guild the power to shut down production of major studio movies and prime-time TV shows," reported the Associated Press. SAG's contract with AMPTP expired last June.

Comedian Johnny Knoxville, legally known as John Philip Clapp, was detained this morning at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as he went through security. "Clapp was processing through passenger security screening when a Transportation Security Administration officer saw the image of a hand-grenade in his carry-on bag," an LAX statement read. "Airport Police and the Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Squad were called, and it was determined the hand-grenade had no explosives or firing pin." It ended up being a prop from one of his photo shoots that he forgot was in his bag, he said. He was released but could be later charged with a misdemeanor, for possession of a prohibited item within the sterile area of an airport.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who was involved with Star Trek since the beginning died of leukemia early this morning in her Bel Air home. "Even before she married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1969, she was integral to Star Trek," Marc Bernardin reminisced at EW's PopWatch blog. "She was the original first officer aboard the Enterprise—replaced after the pilot by Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock—and reappeared as the faithful Nurse Christine Chapel." The 76-year-old continued her Trek with the Sci-Fi brand until the very end, even recording voiceover as the ship's computer for J.J. Abrams movie "Star Trek" two weeks ago. It was one of roles she used to do through her more than four decades of work on the show. Rest in Peace.

Actor Van Johnson, known best for his many film roles in the 40s and 50s, died yesterday in New York at 92.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this morning that Austrlian actor Hugh Jackman will host the 81st Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22nd at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. He's presented at the ceremony before, but this will be his first time as a host. "[Jackman] has style, elegance and a sense of occasion," the producers said of the star, who was recently named one of the sexiest men alive by People Magazine, in a joint statement. He's starred in Baz Luhrmann's Australia, the X-Men movies and the upcoming and most anticipated X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Jackman won an Emmy in 2005 for his hosting skills at a Tony Awards ceremony. He also won a Tony in 2004 for Best Actor in a Musical.

Model Bettie Page, 85, died last night from pneumonia after being hospitalized last week in Los Angeles for a heart attack.

Skylar Deleon, 29, was found guilty by an Orange County jury yesterday for killing three people, including a couple who showed him a yacht in 2004. "Prosecutors said Deleon feigned interest in buying the boat and took a test cruise where he and two other men overpowered the Hawkses, forced the couple to sign over ownership of the boat, tied them to the anchor and dumped them into the Pacific Ocean," says CNN. DeLeon claimed he was one of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but according to IMDB, he only played a small role in a single episode as a guy named Roger. Creepy.

The actor who played Mr. Clean, House Peters, died from pneumonia at 92 last night at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital here in Los Angeles. House, who became famous for his Mr. Clean role for the household cleaner commercials for Proctor & Gamble's products also appeared in character actor roles--usually as a villain--in various movies including "Perry Mason," "Gunsmoke," "The Twilight Zone" and "Lassie." Peters was born in 1916 in New Rochelle, NY.

We talk about "It" girls in this town. There's a new flavor every week. It could be Mischa Barton, Scarlett Johansson, or Sienna Miller. We all kind of know what that means. A young starlet, largely untried but definitely gorgeous and sexy. But did you know that the phrase comes from one "It" girl? The original was the one and only Clara Bow.

Hollywood legend Paul Newman died last night at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer. The actor was 83.

Comedian ANT, who blogs for NBC on an almost daily basis, is entering the gay marriage debate. The actor and comedian, whose material has included homophobia ("Homophobic means fear of gays. Uhhhh...what are they afraid of? Afraid that we're going to beat them up... and then fuck 'em?") began a blog entry early this morning with what will probably be No on Prop 8's unofficial campaign slogan: "Prop 8 equals hate." Don't be surprised to see more and more buttons and bumper stickers saying just that this election season. T-shirts are already being sold.

George Furth, a Tony-award winning playwright and the man behind the books for "Company," the 1970 Broadway musical as well as "Merrily We Roll Along," died yesterday in Santa Monica for reasons yet to be announced. Furth worked with Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music and lyrics for the two musicals, on the short lived murder mystery "Getting Away With Murder" in 1996. He also wrote the play "Twigs." As an actor, Furth worked on mostly TV shows from the 60s through the 90s and is most notably remembered for his railroad clerk role in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Bernie Mac, star of the popular 2001-2006 Fox series "The Bernie Mac Show" and of several top films, has died, according to his publicist Danica Smith. Mac was 50. He died early this morning in the Chicago hospital where he'd been receiving treatment for pneumonia; Mac had a condition known as sarcoidosis, according to KNBC.com, which is "an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs," although the comedian said the illness had been in remission. Mac, who was born and raised in Chicago, began working as a professional comedian in the late 70s, and developed a cult following in the 90s due to his multiple film appearances. Despite being in many well-known films and tv shows and specials, Mac did not give up his sense of self or his ties to Chicago. Mac is survived by his wife of 30 years, Rhonda, their daughter Je'Niece, and his granddaughter Jasmine.

Veteran actor and director Sydney Pollack has died. The 73-year-old Oscar winner died today in his home in the Pacific Palisades, and representatives are saying the cause was cancer.

It was only two weeks ago when "Guys backflip into jeans" launched on YouTube (embedded below). Now with an easy three million views, local director Benzo Theodore takes a more chill, less acrobatic approach to his sophomore attempt to internet fame in "Super chill monkey does Hollywood." At least the monkey goes Metro.

He may be young and may not have billboards of himself around Hollywood like Angelyne, but the twenty-something Chad Luckette does have a van and trailer displaying his name, which seems to be found in Silver Lake Sunset Junction area more than often.

Charlton Heston has died at the age of 84.

Reports are surfacing this morning of a secret memorial service held last night in Westwood for Heath Ledger, who was found dead earlier this week in a New York apartment.

To Catch A Predator is one of the more intriguing shows to come around in past years, and certainly one that's sparked its fair share of debates. A group known as Perverted Justice goes into Internet chat rooms posing as young teens and engages in conversation with potential pedophiles. After a while, the offer is made for the targets to come over and a meeting time is set. Unbeknownst to the subjects, the person that they're really meeting is an actor or actress, known as the bait, who brings them into the home where they are interviewed by NBC's Chris Hansen before being arrested. The program has proven to be quite successful, both in the amount of arrests and in terms of ratings.

It is estimated that 200 firms, 6000 workers and 1200 actors produce 4000-7000 adult films a year in Los Angeles. Yes, there are more porn-related, adult industry jobs than software jobs in this town. With $4.3 billion in sales and rentals (which is still nothing compared to the $12 Billion made from toys and books), the Adult Entertainment Industry puts $4 billion in revenue back into the local economy. “It’s in an industry producing...

What can I say about a film where images of Shirley Temple are juxtaposed with swastikas? Where Fairuza Balk's voice comes wailing through a snail? Where there's a scene of a naked man with cerebral palsy lying in a giant clam as he appears to be masturbated by a woman who's wearing a rubber monkey mask while a racist folk song plays on an old record player? I'm not totally sure I didn't hallucinate...