Carrie Fisher

Very sad news today...

One of the most iconic figures in modern film history is gone. Carrie Fisher, the actress known worldwide for portraying Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars saga and for her second act reinvention as a novelist, diarist, screenwriter, and in-demand script doctor, has died just days after suffering a heart attack. She was 60. 

The daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds (whose marriage and tumultuous divorce made headlines while she was just a girl), Fisher grew up in Beverly Hills a bookish, reserved child, before embarking on an acting career while still in high school. She would make her first prominent acting appearance as a debutante and singer in the Broadway revival of Irene, which starred her mother. This was followed in 1975 with an acclaimed appearance in Warren Beatty’s hit comedy Shampoo. 

But it was of course her second film role that would catapult her to permanent and worldwide fame. Co-starring alongside Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill in the George Lucas-directed Star Wars – since retitled Star Wars: A New Hope – Fisher portrayed Leia Organa, Princess, Senator and in the most recent film, General. One of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance, Leia as portrayed by Fisher is a hard-as-nails, uncompromising freedom fighter despite losing her family and homeworld. Fisher would go on to portray Leia in the Star Wars sequels The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and 2015’s The Force Awakens, as well as the much-derided 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.

Though as an actress her non-Star Wars roles were vastly overshadowed by the intergalactic Princess, Fisher continued to pursue varied and interesting roles in front of the camera. Among them, she notably appeared in The Blues Brothers, The Man with One Red Shoe, Hannah and Her Sisters, When Harry Met Sally…, and a slew of other films, often referencing her most well-known role.

Fisher is also known for her book, Postcards From The Edge, and wrote the screenplay for the movie from her novel. She was previously married to Paul Simon.

She was a very talented writer and actress with a colorful career and personal life and will certainly be missed.

Debbie Reynolds

Tragic news tonight...

Debbie Reynolds died tonight as a result of a stroke. She was 84 and had been taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center this afternoon complaining of difficulty breathing, just a day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died at 60 after a heart attack.

A teenage beauty queen, Reynolds had moved to MGM after some unproductive years at Warner Bros., where her only film of note was The Daughter Of Rosie O’Grady. She will forever be remembered as Kathy Selden, the fledgling actress of serious intent who wins the heart of Gene Kelly’s Don Lockwood in the 1952 Freed Unit classic Singin’ In The Rain.

She was rarely off the celebrity radar screen over more than six decades that included a headline generating divorce when her husband, singer Eddie Fisher, left her for Elizabeth Taylor; more choice roles on film (including The Tender Trap (1955), with Frank Sinatra; A Catered Affair (1956), with Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine, and the title role in another musical, 1964’s The Unsinkable Molly Brown; and Broadway (as the star of the 1974 revival of Irene). Molly Brown brought her her sole Oscar nomination for best actress. 

Her TV career had an inauspicious infancy with The Debbie Reynolds Show in 1969, a time when variety shows were changing with the culture with programs like Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Reynolds’ show was canceled after one season. Nevertheless, she was a guest star on many series, right up through NBC’s hit Will & Grace. 

Reynolds’ personal life was marked by marriages that ended in divorce and financial wreckage, from which she invariably bounced back with entrepreneurial ingenuity and an un-defeatable optimism.



She was a Hollywood legend and had an amazing career that spanned decades. To have her pass the day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher...terrible and sad for their families and friends.

She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.

Our only hope

As part of the Star Wars celebration that kicked off today in Orlando, a very special tribute to Carrie Fisher was presented...



I'm not crying....YOU'RE crying.

New Star Wars Cast Announced

Well, after months of speculation, the truth is finally out there…

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.



Director J.J. Abrams says, "We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

Well, they got most of the original main cast, plus Andy Serkis and Max von Sydow.

Gollum and Ming the Merciless seem like they should fit right in.

Exciting!

It's about family

A new behind-the-scenes video was released for Star Wars: The Last Jedi...



It's looking awesome and I love seeing the crazy creativity that goes into putting one of these productions together, along with the excitement and playfulness of the cast (including the late Carrie Fisher).

Can't wait!

The film opens on December 15th.