PETER USTINOV – A truly great man

October 10, 2015 admin 0

  Few character actors can boast a resume like that of the late Peter Ustinov, probably because few possessed the extraordinary qualities he possessed. Not only was he an outstanding actor in both movies and stage plays, but he was also a successful writer, director, producer, journalist and raconteur. He […]

Did you know? Points of Interest Pt. 13.

October 8, 2015 admin 0

    French-born Claudine Longet was the lead dancer of the Folies Bergere revue at the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas. A year later she became Mrs. Andy Williams and was suddenly in the spotlight. Her beauty, combined with her French accent, saw her in demand as a ‘guest star’ […]

DEAN MARTIN – Mr. Nice Guy.

October 6, 2015 admin 5

  Dino Crocetti was an Italian from Steubenville, Ohio, and Joseph Levitch was a Jewish boy from Newark, New Jersey, and nearly nine years his junior. From the moment they joined up in 1946 to form the comedy duo of Martin & Lewis they were a hit. Within three years […]

Did You KNow? Points of Interest Pt. 12

October 4, 2015 admin 2

  When Patty Duke was just twelve years old in 1958 she appeared on the TV quiz show, The $64,000 Question, in the category of ‘music’. Pitted against child pop singer Eddie Hodges (he had a hit with a song called I’m Gonna Knock on Your Door around that time), […]

Did you know? Shortcuts to an Oscar Pt. 3

October 2, 2015 admin 0

  2010    Natalie Portman played a schizophrenic ballet dancer in Black Swan. This would become the first of five consecutive Best Actress Oscars going to portrayals of characters with mental illnesses. Natalie trained for an entire year (at her own expense) as a dancer for this role. She also lost […]

Did you Know? Shortcuts to an Oscar Pt. 2

September 30, 2015 admin 0

  1991    Anthony Hopkins played a cannibal in The Silence of the Lambs. I suppose you could class cannibalism as some kind of affliction or disease. It certainly isn’t normal behaviour. Hopkins only appeared on screen for 24 minutes 52 seconds, the second shortest time ever for an actor to […]

Did You Know? Shortcuts to an Oscar PT 1.

September 28, 2015 admin 0

  Since Academy Awards have been introduced there have been, by my count, 32 Best Actor or Best Actress Oscars won by players portraying someone with a medical condition or an affliction. No wonder actors go after these roles with a vengeance. They know that a strong performance will almost […]

Did you know? Points of interest Pt.11

September 18, 2015 admin 0

  Renee Zellweger prepared for her role in Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) by gaining 25lbs in weight and then obtaining a job in a London office under an alias, so she could study English accents. Nobody at the firm recognised her. On her desk she kept a photograph of her […]

Did you know? Points of interest. Pt 10

September 16, 2015 admin 2

  In 2010 Daniel Craig did something unique. He agreed to appear as James Bond before an estimated billion and a half television viewers in a sequence, opposite Queen Elizabeth II, as part of the Opening Ceremony for the London Olympics that year. ‘She was great’, he said. ‘A really […]

Did you know? Points of interest. Pt. 9

September 13, 2015 admin 0

    It is generally believed that Stephen Sondheim only agreed to the musically limited Madonna singing his songs in Dick Tracy (1990) because he owed a favour to Warren Beatty who directed and starred in it whilst becoming intimately involved with Madonna during the shoot. Sean Young was to […]