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Post by marysgurl on Nov 29, 2005 8:39:36 GMT -5
Pat Morita, actor; born June 28, 1932, died November 24, 2005. Pat Morita, the Japanese-American actor best known for his role as the wise old mentor in the Karate Kid films, has died in Las Vegas, aged 73. A former stand-up comic, once known as "the Hip Nip", Morita made his film debut as one of the Oriental villains in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967 and he became a familiar face on television as the owner of the diner in the hit sitcom Happy Days in the mid-seventies. But his most iconic role was in The Karate Kid (1984), as Mr Miyagi, the quiet, unassuming little maintenance man, who comes to the aid of the young Ralph Macchio when he is set upon by bullies. Of course it turns out Mr Miyagi is an expert at martial arts and he subsequently teaches Macchio all about karate and life. I just found this out this morning.... He wasn't like my friend or anything, just made me sad to hear of his death. You know you've all watched "Karate Kid" a dozen or so times....don't try to deny it. "breathe in, breathe out.....wax on, wax off" Bye, Mr Miyagi!
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katmandu
Kenin
kenin
Don't Mess With Me, I Bite! =D
Posts: 2,803
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Post by katmandu on Nov 30, 2005 6:24:05 GMT -5
That is sad news, an interesting character, who will of course always be remembered as Mr Miyagi, and no, I won't try to deny it, I've watched it a number of times, always rooting for Daniel to kick mayor butt, and win the girl, both of which he of course achieves under Mr Miyagi's wise and patient tutelage.
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Post by marysgurl on Nov 30, 2005 10:01:39 GMT -5
The articles I read were interesting....seems he had a debilitating childhood disease that caused the doctors to say he would never walk....pfft....guess he showed them!
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Post by marysgurl on Dec 10, 2005 22:14:52 GMT -5
Pathbreaking Comedian Richard Pryor Dies Dec 10, 08:11 PM EST By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ - Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Richard Pryor, the groundbreaking comedian whose profanely personal insights into race relations and modern life made him one of Hollywood's biggest stars, died of a heart attack Saturday. He was 65.
Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. after being taken to a hospital from his home in the San Fernando Valley, said his business manager, Karen Finch. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.
Music producer Quincy Jones described Pryor as a true pioneer of his art.
"He was the Charlie Parker of comedy, a master of telling the truth that influenced every comedian that came after him," Jones said in a statement. "The legacy that he leaves will forever be with us."
Pryor lived dangerously close to the edge, both on stage and off.
He was regarded early in his career as one of the most foul-mouthed comics in the business, but he gained a wide following for his universal and frequently personal routines. After nearly losing his life in 1980 when he caught on fire while freebasing cocaine, he incorporated the ordeal into his later routines.
His audacious style influenced generations of stand-up artists, from Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock to Robin Williams and David Letterman, among others.
A series of hit comedies and concert films in the '70s and '80s helped make Pryor one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood, and he was one of the first black performers to have enough leverage to cut his own deals. In 1983, he signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures.
His films included "Stir Crazy," "Silver Streak," "Which Way Is Up?" and "Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip."
Throughout his career, Pryor focused on racial inequality, once joking as the host of the Academy Awards in 1977 that Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier were the only black members of the Academy.
Pryor once marveled "that I live in racist America and I'm uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it. You can't do much better than that."
But he battled drug and alcohol addictions for years, most notably when he suffered severe burns over 50 percent of his body while freebasing at his home. An admitted "junkie" at the time, Pryor spent six weeks recovering from the burns and much longer from his addictions.
He battled multiple sclerosis throughout the '90s.
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katmandu
Kenin
kenin
Don't Mess With Me, I Bite! =D
Posts: 2,803
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Post by katmandu on Dec 17, 2005 7:41:33 GMT -5
Very saddened to see this news today, a really fine actor................
"LOS ANGELES(AP) John Spencer, who played a tough and dedicated politico on "The West Wing" who survived a serious illness to run for vice president, died of a heart attack Friday. He was 58.
Spencer died at a Los Angeles hospital, said his publicist, Ron Hofmann. He would have been 59 next week.
Spencer played Leo McGarry, the savvy and powerful chief of staff to President Jeb Bartlet (Martin Sheen), on the NBC series. In a sad parallel to life, Spencer's character suffered a heart attack that forced him to give up his White House job.
The character recovered and was picked as a running mate for Democratic presidential contender Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits; the campaign against Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) has been a central theme for the drama this season.
"We're shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden death of our friend and colleague," Aaron Sorkin, who created the series, and Tommy Schlamme, one of the original executive producers, said in a joint statement.
"John was an uncommonly good man, an exceptional role model and a brilliant actor. We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. He'll be missed and remembered every day by his many, many friends," they said.
Series executive producer John Wells remembered Spencer not only for his acting but as "a generous and gracious friend."
NBC and producer Warner Bros. Television issued a statement mourning Spencer's death and calling him a "remarkable man with enormous talent." The companies did not address how his loss would affect the Emmy Award-winning series, in production on its seventh season.
Spencer, who also starred on "L.A. Law" as attorney Tommy Mullaney, received an Emmy Award for his performance on "The West Wing" in 2002 and was nominated four other times for the series.
The actor, whose world-weary countenance was perfect for the role of McGarry, mirrored his character in several ways: both were recovering alcoholics and both, Spencer once said, were driven."
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Post by quettalee on Jan 22, 2006 23:25:23 GMT -5
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Post by marysgurl on Jan 23, 2006 0:42:28 GMT -5
They should've been concentrating more on movie-making than baby-making from the effort it took for us to get through Mr. & Mrs. Smith last night....not a Pitt fan, but we love us some AJ!
Still, an awlful movie...except for of course knowing that all the steamy, passionate, I-can't-wait-to-jump-your-bones stuff was real & not just following the script.....hehe
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Post by quettalee on Jan 26, 2006 23:08:25 GMT -5
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Post by Quettalee on Mar 17, 2006 8:02:13 GMT -5
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katmandu
Kenin
kenin
Don't Mess With Me, I Bite! =D
Posts: 2,803
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Post by katmandu on Mar 17, 2006 8:10:20 GMT -5
"I love Snake" ................. sheesh, I never woulda guessed.
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Post by Quettalee on Mar 17, 2006 8:42:01 GMT -5
Love those dimples!
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Post by freebird1 on Mar 23, 2006 9:55:01 GMT -5
Not a A.J or B.P. fan. She is a man stealing B...H even though she swore in a interview that she would never mess with a married man, and he only thinks with the same thing all men think with. Well that's how I see it anyway.
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Post by ILB on May 16, 2006 15:06:39 GMT -5
Uma Thurman buys rights to 'The Swarm' BERLIN (AP) — Uma Thurman, along with two German producers, has secured the film rights to German author Frank Schaetzing's best-seller The Swarm, his publisher said Tuesday. The ecological thriller dominated Germany's best-seller lists for nearly a year and was translated into 18 languages.
Thurman, along with Ica and Michael Souvignier, plans to shoot the movie at several international locations, Kiepenheuer & Witsch publishers said in Cologne.
"Several big-name studios and producers have pitched for the stuff in the past few years," Schaetzing said. "For me, Uma, Ica and Michael are the ideal constellation for an international film success. We have the same vision."
Thurman, 36, was nominated for an Oscar for 1994's Pulp Fiction. Her screen credits also include roles in The Producers and the Kill Bill movies.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Post by Quettalee on Nov 12, 2006 13:25:33 GMT -5
Oscar Winner Jack Palance Dead at 87 One of my mom's favorites...which means I have seen most all of his movies. He was truly a "man's man"
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Post by Quettalee on Oct 18, 2007 19:14:59 GMT -5
Deborah Kerr 1921-2007 One of my favorite actresses...and one of my favorite movies ever-- The King & I.
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