Bernard Fox, known for playing Dr. Bombay on Bewitched and for roles in The Mummy and Titanic, has died. He was 89. The Welsh actor had 30 film credits from 1956-2004, including two films around the sinking of RMS Titanic. Fox was in James Cameron’s 1997 smash Titanic as Col. Archibald Gracie IV and 1958’s A Night to Remember in an uncredited role as Frederick Fleet. His best known roles also included the womanizing warlock Dr. Bombay on Bewitched from 1966-72 and as Captain Winston Havlock in the 1999 pic The Mummy. He also recurred as the bumbling Col. Crittendon on Hogan’s Heroes through the late ‘60s and lent his voice to the 1977 Disney movie The Rescuers and its 1990 sequel, The Rescuers Down Under.
Bewitched is one of my favorite all-time TV shows and he was always hilarious on it.
Warner Bros. is remaking one of my favorite movies of all-time, Arthur.
They have already started filming in New York City (I know it's crazy, but it's true) with Russell Brand taking over the role of Arthur and Dame Helen Mirren taking over Sir John Gielgud's classic role of Hobson (she'll be Arthur's nanny, instead of his butler).
New-comer, Greta Gerwig will be taking over the role of Linda (the Liza Minelli role).
And Jennifer Garner (seen here on set) will be taking over the role of the society girl that Arthur is supposed to marry if he wants to keep his inheritance. Her character's crazy father will be played by the equally-crazy Nick Nolte.
I'm really nervous about this update because, for the most part...Hollywood remakes fail (and YES...I'm talking to you Nora Ephron with your horrific butchery of one of my other all-time favorite properties, Bewitched!!!) more often than they succeed (Bless you J.J. Abrams for Star Trek!).
So, you can imagine that my Pop Culture brain almost imploded when I saw this picture of Russell Brand on the set of the movie in a Batman costume (with Luis Guzman as Robin).
Uhhh...that wasn't part of the original movie at all.
Breathe...
They DO seem to have a good cast for this remake...of course, so did Bewitched (What were you THINKING, Nora????!!!)
There are a LOT of unhappy people out there in the world.
In the course of an hour today, I witnessed three examples of this. A customer at the Post Office who, unprovoked, decided he needed to tell the guy behind the counter how to do his job and how to do it quicker. His tone was immediately dismissive and condescending...no wonder those employees go postal.
After leaving the Post Office, I allowed a gal to exit a parking lot to merge into the opposite lane. The man in the truck behind me thought that laying on his horn would help her navigate the oncoming traffic quicker. It didn't...
While waiting for my McLunch, a burly man decided to lecture the manager, at the height of the lunch madness, about not getting enough direct eye contact when he ordered his meal. The manager seemed surprised and tried to apologize, but the man proceeded to just yell at him anyway, not giving him any opportunity to talk, then grabbed his Mcbag and left.
What a McAss.
I know that these are difficult times and people are under a lot of pressure. However, it is often quite disturbing to witness the surge of people in this world who feel justified in lashing out at others on any given day...just because they can.
It's no wonder there is so much crime and violence...the amount of people barely hanging on mentally appears to be overwhelming at times.
It's sad...but certainly something everyone should keep in mind when they're out and about. Pick your battles and pick them well. The wrong word to the wrong person can be deadly these days.
A smile, a "Thank You", a "Have a nice day" used to work in days of yore...
The only way for us to ever bring a little peace and joy back into this world is if we each do our best, on a daily basis, to treat people in the way we like to be treated.
It's really not that difficult and certainly makes a very big difference in the grand scheme of things.
The Karma police must be overwhelmed these days...
I'm heading to Houston tomorrow through Sunday to see a friend in a play. I've never been to Houston, so I'm looking forward seeing her in the show (plus she has a role in the new movie "The Happening" that opens on Friday...so we're gonna see that with her too).
I'm also looking forward to exploring the city and seeing if everyone really does drive around with gun racks in the back of their pickup trucks.
As for me, I'll be "shooting" pictures on my camera and posting them here, if all goes well.
Oh...I also watched the remake of "Sybil" that was on Saturday night...
Remember what I said about Nora Ephron and the studio that remade "Bewitched"?
Two trailers for upcoming films based on previous movies were released this week. The first is the prequel to the X-Men Films titled X-Men: First Class.
Aside from the awful publicity photo, this looks like it could be a fun film about how the all the kids came together. I really enjoyed seeing how Kirk, Spock and McCoy all met in the reboot of Star Trek. We'll soon find out if Xavier and Magneto meeting will be anywhere near as interesting or compelling.
We're also getting a remake of one of my all-time favorite movies, Arthur.
I think Helen Mirren will be great (although John Gielgud will always be THE Hobson to me), but I'm not as sure about Russell Brand as Arthur. He's certainly British and acts immature, so that could work to his favor. But, he seems more wacky than real in this and it'll be interesting to see how that translates to making an audience care about him in the film.
I just hope this movie is not anywhere near as awful as the Bewitched remake that Nora Ephron wrote a few years ago.
I will never forgive her or the studio for putting together the perfect cast and then eviscerating the story and sucking every last ounce of magic out of, what was, such a fun and magically-entertaining show.
Actor Bill Daily, the jocular sidekick to Larry Hagman on I Dream of Jeannie and later the star of a short-lived series of his own, has died. He passed at age 91. Daily was on all five years of the I Dream of Jeannie sitcom, playing the supportive friend to Jeannie (and genie) master Hagman. He later was a neighbor of Bob Newhart on The Bob Newhart Show, playing pilot Howard Borden, and then appeared as Dr. Larry Dykstra, a psychiatrist on ALF. He also appeared on the TV shows Bewitched, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Love American Style, Aloha, Paradise, and Starting from Scratch.
He was great on I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show..always fun to watch.
James Cameron's next bigscreen epic, Avatar, hits theaters on December 18th. It's hard to believe that it's been 12 years since we've seen a movie directed by him (a little flick called "Titanic"). This new one, based on a popular video game of the same name, looks like quite the visual spectacle.
Of course, what will make it or break it is....the eyes.
Movies like "Polar Express" and "Beowulf" have used similar technology in an attempt to realistically animate human expression. However, the results have usually been mixed and, so far, the characters end up having "dead eyes"....that creepy, empty look that makes people seem like the walking dead or Janice Dickinson.
However, James Cameron is famous for being a creative task-master, so I have a feeling he'll figure out a way to "WOW" us anyway. If the film is half as good as this concept art and trailer....then, we might be in for a very pleasant surprise.
Hopefully, we'll be able to see it in their eyes.
Of course, fans of the game and Sci-Fi geeks worldwide have already started complaining about the movie. It's to be expected from this group...they can be quick to judge and relentless in their critique.
Someone even created this HILARIOUS video that shows that even Hitler is upset with the new trailer.
I know how he feels.
I was just as riled up after seeing the "Bewitched" movie.
Even though the original Star Wars movies came out almost 35 years ago (Yikes!), it's easy to forget the magic that those original films still cast over people of all ages. Like this boy, who is about to find out who Luke's father is for the first time...
I had that same reaction when I first saw how awful the Bewitched movie turned out.
I love me some Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched...or as anyone on any show for that matter.
He was simply one of the funniest actors on the planet and, no matter where you happen upon him in reruns, he's always hilarious.
So, when I came upon this clip of him guest-hosting the weather on a local Toledo news station in 1978, I had to post it. The dated newscaster clothing and hair is already a hoot...but watching Paul attempt to deal with all the "fancy technology" of the time is classic.
No movie (TV or Film), to this day, has ever affected me as deeply as the 1976 TV movie "Sybil", staring Sally Field and Joanne Woodward. Although, "Sophie's Choice" and "Ordinary People" follow closely behind.
But, "Sybil" is THE one.
I remember watching it when I was much younger and being rivited by Sally Field's performance. I had grown up loving her on "The Flying Nun" and was so surprised to see my Sister Bertrille suddenly disappear and dissolve into this sad, tortured woman with multiple personalities. It was a two-part "Television Event" (they did those back then) and, after watching the whole thing...I immediately bought the book and read it.
Sally Field's gut-wrenching performance still brings me to tears all of these years later. She certainly deserved the Best Actress Emmy that year (1977) and, had it been a feature film, she would likely have received an Oscar.
When the movie went into syndication and would replay very late at night, I used to stay up to try and record the full version (almost 4 hours) without commericals on my VCR, but it was often so chopped up, that saving a pristine copy was almost impossible (no matter how expertly I had mastered the "pause-record" maneuver on my remote). There was a video version available, but it had been cut down to two hours, almost half of the film had been edited out....not good.
Then, a couple of years ago, Warner Bros. finally released a 20th Anniversary edition with the full version intact and I bought it the day of its release. The film looked and sounded great, although visually dated when compared to how things are filmed today (with fancy cinematography, editing and smooth scene transitioning), but the performances held up just as they originally did.
When I read that a remake was being filmed with Jessica Lange as Dr. Wilbur and Tammy Blanchard as Sybil, I was very apprehensive. The original was so impactful and well-acted that it just seemed wrong to attempt to remake it. Especially since, historically, remakes often suck (Nora Ephron and Sony Pictures have secured a condo in Hell for their remake of the perfectly cast, yet magic and joy-free, "Bewitched").
This "Sybil" remake was filmed almost two years ago and I've been watching for it to air since. I just found out today that it will be airing on CBS this Saturday night at 8:00.
Saturday night?!!
My fears appear to be coming true. As I dug a little deeper into this non-TV event, I found that CBS.com doesn't have any kind of promotion for it on their site. The move is only two hours long, there are only a couple photos even available online and the few reviews out there, at this point, are not very good.
As much as I'm dreading this remake, I'm going to watch it. I'm sure it'll be another interpretation of the book, which is fine. But, when a major network has a property with this kind of history and then does nothing to promote it...it doesn't bode well.
It's a very bad marketing decision on their part.
No matter how it turned out, they missed an opportunity to use the hype from the original to build an awareness campaign for the remake. A monkey could have created a better marketing plan for the film in exchange for a banana and a juicebox.
It makes no sense.
But, my heart will always be with the original. If you have a chance to watch or buy the 20th Anniversary DVD of the original "Sybil" with Sally Field...do it.
It's still a very haunting performace by a "TV actress" who was, at the time, just known for flying around the convent San Tanco or Gidgeting her way across the beaches of California.
It altered Sally Field's entire career forever and, I'll wager, the movie will stay with you for that long too.
I found this "Sybil" montage and I really like the song choice...
Well, the sky cleared up last night and it was back to sunny cool weather for my last day in ChristChurch. I didn't do anything special today...just wanted to take it easy and relax a bit before packing and getting ready for my flight to Queenstown tomorrow afternoon. Many people have told me how beautiful it is there (they call it the Swiss Alps of New Zealand. I hope they also have Swiss Miss with the tiny marshmallows), so I'm looking forward to wandering around and exploring that region (we all enjoy exploring a new region).
I spent a couple of hours in the main square of ChristChurch today, just watching the wide variety of people hanging out in town. It's really interesting to just sit and listen to all of the different languages chatting all around you. Backpackers and travelers come in all shapes and sizes, age ranges and nationalities. You see everything from young couples walking hand in hand, groups of backpackers clumped together looking over a map or eating a quick sandwich before wandering off to their next destination or hostel, old couples walking around with full backpacks that, you'd think, would topple their frail bodies. But, they don't topple or teeter...they just blend in with all of the other people milling around them.
There is always a large group of people gathered in the square, many of them watching this one street performer. He eats fire, does tricks and tells jokes for at least an hour or so each session. It probably helps that he's right across from a Starbucks...it's like a beacon for travelers in need of a pickup. I know that I picked up their new Dulce de Leche Frappacino...enjoyable.
Seagulls are the pigeons of Christchurch. They are pretty aggresive with each other as they fight over bits of food that people drop for them. Very un-Jonathan Livingston Seagull for sure.
There was a really big game of chess going on (and I mean that literally) on one side of the square. It's funny to see two adults staring very intently at these giant chess pieces, then casually walking over and lifting one up, then moving it into place...which brings the opponent immediately onto the chessboard to pick up his piece, make his move and then, take his opponents fallen knight or rookie away. I think the next level of this game should involve real people dressed as the pieces and then, when someone needs to remove a piece from the board, the winning piece could smack the crap out of losing piece, sending them crying off to the side of the game. Oh, the interactivity possibilities that could occur...
I walked by and took a picture of the structure that the drunk kids attempted to climb the other night. I didn't notice any blood around the base, so there are still a couple of lucky dumb kids still around to binge drink for another day.
I wandered by a couple of "famous" statues today...
This one looks kind of like TV's Frasier Crane with a few too many seagull deposits on top.
This one reminded me of Samantha's father on the TV show "Bewitched" (Maurice!). I wish he had been holding an extra large martini glass...that would have been perfect!
And...a few fun signs from around the city...
A local restaurant with a name that doesn't make me to want to eat there...
It's not fashion, if it's not KOOKY!
I wonder if they have live, nood girls working inside?
I waited to post this until after I left Melboune. I wasn't Khutie-grounded and didn't want to chance it.
Well, I've gotta start packing up my stuff so that I'm ready to check out tomorrow morning. I'm gonna miss my starship guest room and hotel. It's been a great place to stay and I highly recommend you try it, if you're ever in the neighborhood.
