October 18, 2011
Shia LaBeouf was repeatedly PUNCHED IN THE HEAD by a shirtless, hairy-bellied man on a Vancouver sidewalk last week — and TMZ has obtained footage of the brutal ass whooping.
TMZ knows: When you use capital letters for “PUNCHED IN THE HEAD” – it hurts even more! (Ow!) And they have made it sound much worse than it appears in the video.
P.S. It’s La-BOOF!’S second bar fight since February. A few more and he’ll have something to Crowe about…
August 22, 2011
No, it’s not from a film, it’s from last night. And the grandmother was Richard Branson’s grandmother:
Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet and members of Richard Branson’s family escaped unharmed Monday when a lightning storm hit the Virgin tycoon’s Caribbean island home, which was destroyed in a blaze.
Winslet carried Branson’s 90-year-old mother Eve out of The Great House on Necker Island as the flames took hold in the early hours of the morning.
“She (Winslet) was staying there with her children and in fact it was she who carried my mother out of the house,” Branson told Britain’s ITV News.
“She swept her up into her arms and got them out of the house as fast as possible.”
*
Winslet said: “It’s like being in a film.” Well, she would know, I guess.
July 10, 2011
Post content deleted! I actually believed this story was true. Which is hilarious. (It was only up for a minute or two, thank god.)
(Since I had the following finishing up the original post, I’ll just leave it here.) Now here’s Korean band Lee Sung Yeol doing “One”:
June 29, 2011
He’s made his name with a controversial show that catches would-be internet sex perverts in televised stings.
But now Chris Hansen has found himself on the receiving end of his own hidden camera tactics, after the married NBC anchor was secretly filmed on an illicit date with a blonde television reporter 20 years his junior.
File this under “Life Imitates Art Naughty Naughty…”
June 24, 2011
Well, dang. The one and only Peter Falk has thrown the rumpled coat into the Peugeot and trundled off into the sunset:
The best way to celebrate Peter Falk’s life is to savor how Columbo, his signature character, fortified our lives.
Thanks to Falk’s affectionately genuine portrayal, Lt. Columbo established himself for all time as a champion of any viewer who ever felt less than graceful, elegant or well-spoken.
Falk died Thursday at age 83 in his Beverly Hills, Calif., home, according to a statement released Friday by family friend Larry Larson. But Columbo lives on as the shining ideal of anyone with a smudge on his tie, whose car isn’t the sportiest, who often seems clueless, who gets dissed by fancy people.
Well said.
Thanks for the memories, Peter Falk, and for all the great roles (Wings of Desire and Tune in Tomorrrow come to mind quickly). Sincere condolences to family and friends from all of us here at the BRI.
Update: Columbo’s favorite Columbos.
And some of Falk’s wonderful drawings.
June 18, 2011
Ow. Much beloved sax player for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band Clarence Clemons has died:
Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, whose jovial onstage manner, soul-rooted style and brotherly relationship with Mr. Springsteen made him one of rock’s most beloved sidemen, died Saturday at a hospital in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 69.
The cause was complications from a stroke, which he suffered last Sunday, said a spokeswoman for Mr. Springsteen.
From the beginnings of the E Street Band in 1972, Mr. Clemons played a central part in Mr. Springsteen’s music, complementing the group’s electric guitar and driving rhythms in songs like “Born to Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” with muscular, melodic saxophone hooks that echoed doo-wop, soul and early rock ’n’ roll.
Play it, Big Man. (Legendary Clemons “Jungleland” solo starts at 4:20):
Update: Oh, and here’s some fun, from 1984. (Check out 1:15.)
Update II: And did you know that Clarence Clemons was almost a Cleveland Brown?
Update III: Bruce Springsteen has put up a note on his website:
It is with overwhelming sadness that we inform our friends and fans that at 7:00 tonight, Saturday, June 18, our beloved friend and bandmate, Clarence Clemons passed away. The cause was complications from his stroke of last Sunday, June 12th.
Bruce Springsteen said of Clarence: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.
June 16, 2011
In a cherished spot in the dank yet festive headquarters of the BRI is a copy of Not Many People Know That, a collection of interesting bits of trivia by English super-heavyweight actor Michael Caine. (Yes—Michael Caine wrote a trivia book! Not many people know that!) So were more than pleased when we saw a link to this on Roger Ebert’s blog just now:
Hilarious. Sounds lust like him!
June 3, 2011
Sheriff Matt Dillon has ridden out of Dodge:
It takes a special kind of lawman to carry on for 20 years in the Wild West of TV.
Matt Dillon, the mythical marshal of Dodge City, stood tall – all 6 feet, 6 inches of him – on “Gunsmoke” from 1955 to 1975. He outlasted dozens of other Western heroes while making history on TV’s longest-running dramatic series, a record that held until NBC’s “Law & Order” tied the CBS Western’s record in 2010.
Through all those gunslinging years, James Arness, who died Friday, kept Marshal Dillon righteous, peace-seeking and, most of all, believable.
And: He left a note of farewell on his website:
Hi friends,
I decided to write a letter to you for Janet to post on our website in the event I was no longer here.
I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends. The best part of my life was my family, especially my wife Janet. Many of you met her at Dodge City so you understand what a special person she is.
I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years.
I was honored to have served in the army for my country. I was at Anzio during WWII and it makes you realize how very precious life is.
Thank you again for all the many letters, cards, emails and gifts we received from you over the years. You are and always have been truly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jim Arness
That right there is one hell of a guy. RIP, Jim Arness, from all of us at the BRI.
March 23, 2011
The one and only Elizabeth Taylor has passed away in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 79. From the website of her hometown newspaper in London, England:
Farewell Dame Liz
SCREEN icon Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who spent her formative years in Hampstead Garden Suburb, died yesterday aged 79. The double Oscar-winning actress, whose best known films include National Velvet and Cleopatra, was one of the 20th century’s biggest stars.
The Guardian says “Born to be Cleopatra.”
The Wall Street Journal notes that Taylor was the first actress to break the million-dollar mark.
BBC goes to Pontrhydyfen (the birthplace of Richard Burton, Taylor’s fifth—and sixth—husband).
Something called THR has a pretty wonderful short YouTube video tribute up:
And, just because, Rosanne Cash, with one small memory:
Every year Elizabeth Taylor sent my dad a telegram (yes, telegram) for his birthday. It said: ‘Remember, I’m younger than you!’ (by 1 day)
January 25, 2011
Finally the Oscar nominations are out. All you film buffs out there, we want to know which movie you think should win for Best Picture. Post your comments on the blog/Twitter/Facebook by Sunday midnight PST and we will pick a random winner on Monday to receive a copy of Uncle John’s Plunges into Hollywood.
And, just for fun, here is some advice from Kate Winslet about keeping the Oscar statue in the bathroom.
