Tag Archives: Los Angeles
R.I.P. Annette Funicello
Disney’s official fan club has just broken the news on Twitter: Annette Funicello has died at age 70.
The actress, singer and beloved Mousketeer had been hospitalized due to complications from multiple sclerosis, according to Extra.
The Disney Fan Club says Funicello died today at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif.
Her family confirmed to Extra that Funicello died from complications of multiple sclerosis. They were by her side when she was taken off life support. Funicello had been in an MS coma for years, reports the site.
Funicello was 12 when she became a Mouseketeer. As a teen, she was launched on a successful singing and acting career, but she really gained popularity when she co-starred with Frankie Avalon in a series of “Beach Party” movies in the mid-1960s.
In 1992, Annette announced she had MS.
Funicello was married to her first husband, Jack Gilardi, from 1965 until 1981, and had three children. In 1986, she married California harness racing horse breeder/trainer Glen Holt.
Lindsay Lohan Sentenced to 90 Days Rehab
Lindsay Lohan is heading back to rehab! During the live stream of Lindsay’s court hearing on Mar. 18, Lindsay was sentenced to five days in jail, 90 days of rehab, 30 days of community service and 18 months of psychotherapy. Lindsay was in court after lying to police, claiming she wasn’t driving during a June 2012 car accident.
The judge was less than thrilled while sentencing Lindsay. Not only did she arrive 48 minutes late, she ended up pleading guilty to one charge and no contest to two others.
The judge ended up sentencing her to five days in jail (which will be folded into her stay in rehab, so she’ll never see the inside of a jail cell). Then 90 days of rehab must be completed, and it can’t be out patient.
Her probation was extended for two more years, and she had to go to counseling for the next year and a half. She also must complete 30 days of community service, which she can do in NYC.
Meanwhile, Lindsay looked exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open. Plus, she kept telling her attorney Mark Heller to stop talking, she looked incredibly angry.
Justin Bieber Attacks Paparazzi
Justin Bieber is having the worst week ever.
Hours after collapsing onstage and being taken to the hospital, Bieber attacked a photographer outside his London hotel – but the incident wasn’t completely unprovoked.
In a video obtained by TMZ , when the Biebs and his bodyguards rushed to their waiting SUV, he made contact with one of the paparazzi who immediately began claiming assault and started to curse at the singer.
At that point, Bieber was already in the car, but after hearing the photographer gripe, “f— off back to America” and “f—ing little moron” he leapt out to confront him. While his bodyguard held him back, Bieber screamed “I’ll f—ing beat the f— out of you” and attempted to swing at the photographer. The singer was eventually forced back into the car, which promptly left the scene.
“Ahhhhh! Rough morning. Trying to feel better for this show tonight but let the paps get the best of me,” Bieber tweeted . “Sometimes when people r shoving cameras in your face all day and yelling the worst thing possible at u…well I’m human. Rough week,” Bieber said , possibly referencing his previous Twitter meltdown and “worst birthday” last weekend.
But every cloud has a silver lining. “Not gonna let them get the best of me again. Gonna get focused on this show tonight. Adrenaline is high now. Gonna put it on stage,” he added . “Only way someone can break u if u let them.”
Way to stay positive, Biebs!
‘Grand Theft Auto V’ coming in spring
Gamers can finally start carjacking again.
“Grand Theft Auto V” will be released in the spring of 2013, publisher Take-Two Interactive announced Tuesday. The company’s Rockstar Games subsidiary confirmed earlier this year that the sequel to 2008′s hit “Grand Theft Auto IV” was in the works, but did not disclose a release date.
The spring timing is significant as Take-Two’s fiscal year ends on March 31. With spring not officially starting until March 20, it is very likely that “Grand Theft Auto V” will be released in the company’s fiscal 2014.
Many analysts and investors were uncertain whether the game would come out during the current fiscal year. While the lack of pre-release marketing so far made that appear unlikely, the company’s financial guidance seemed to indicate that it would.
Take-Two had previously told investors to expect net income of between $1.75 and $2 per share for its fiscal 2013, which ends March 31.
“My guess is that they lower guidance to break even… and say that GTA [5] is a Q1 ’14 launch,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter wrote in an email. “I don’t think that the stock gets hit unreasonably, but management’s credibility suffers further. People had no confidence the game was coming this fiscal year and they met expectations.”
Take-Two has a reputation in the video game industry for delaying planned release dates. However, it has been on a bit of a roll thanks to the recent hits “Borderlands 2″ and “NBA 2K ’13.”
It was not immediately apparent what investors thought of the news as the stock markets in New York were closed Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy.
The extreme weather also caused Take-Two to delay the planned release Tuesday of its financial results for the quarter ended Sept. 30.
“Grand Theft Auto V,” which will be playable on Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, is set in a fictional version of Los Angeles called “Los Santos.” Previous versions of “GTA” have been set in fictional versions of Miami and New York.
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan dead at 54
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Clarke Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in “The Green Mile” and such other box office hits as “Armageddon,” ”Planet of the Apes” and “Kung Fu Panda,” is dead at age 54.
Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancée, Reverend Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.
The muscular, 6-foot-4 Duncan, a former bodyguard who turned to acting in his 30s, “suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered,” the statement said. “Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.”
In the spring of 2012, Clarke had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier.
“I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat,” he said. “I’m a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat.”
Duncan had a handful of minor roles before “The Green Mile” brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers.
Duncan’s performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for “The Green Mile” after the two appeared together in “Armageddon.” Clarke would work with Willis again in “Breakfast of Champions,” ”The Whole Nine Yards” and “Sin City.”
His industrial-sized build was suited for everything from superhero films (“Daredevil”) to comedy (“Talledega Nights,” ”School for Scoundrels”). His gravelly baritone alone was good enough for several animated movies, including, “Kung Fu Panda,” ”Delgo” and “Brother Bear.” Among Clarke’s television credits: “The Apprentice,” ”The Finder,” ”Two and a Half Men” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”
Born in Chicago in 1957, Duncan was raised by a single mother whose resistance to his playing football led to his deciding he wanted to become an actor. But when his mother became ill, he dropped out of college, Alcorn State University, and worked as a ditch digger and bouncer to support her. By his mid-20s, he was in Los Angeles, where he looked for acting parts and became a bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and other stars. The murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., for whom Duncan had been hired to protect before switching assignments, led him to quit his job and pursue acting full-time.
Early film and television credits, when he was usually cast as a bodyguard or bouncer, included “Bulworth,” ”A Night at the Roxbury” and “The Players Club.”
Director Tony Scott Jumps to His Death From Los Angeles Bridge
Tony Scott, the director of high-octane blockbusters like “Top Gun,” jumped to his death from a Los Angeles bridge on Sunday. He was 68.
The authorities are investigating his death as a suicide, said Lt. Joseph Bale of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. Lt. Bale said Mr. Scott jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor at about 12:30 local time Sunday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear what would have driven Mr. Scott to commit suicide. The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators later found a suicide note in Mr. Scott’s office.
Lt. Tim Nordquist of the Los Angeles Police Department told The Associated Press that several 911 calls were made around 12:35 p.m. on Sunday to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which connects the San Pedro district of Los Angeles to Terminal Island. Lt. Nordquist said that a police dive team was dispatched and retrieved Mr. Scott’s body, which was transported to the county coroner’s office.
With his brother the director Ridley Scott, he ran a production company called Scott Free Productions. Among his most recent work was the 2010 action film “Unstoppable,” starring Denzel Washington, with whom he often worked.
Tony Scott, who was known for sporting a weathered red baseball cap, will likely be remembered most for his seminal action adventure films of years past, especially “Top Gun,” which starred Tom Cruise and was one of the highest-grossing films when it was released in 1986, earning nearly $345 million worldwide, according to IMDb.
His other films included “Enemy of the State,” “Déjà Vu,” “Days of Thunder” and “Crimson Tide.” He and his brother were working on a film adaptation of Bill O’Reilly’s book “Killing Lincoln,” set to be released next year.
Mr. Scott won an Emmy award as the executive producer of the 2002 television movie “The Gathering Storm” about Winston Churchill in the years leading up to World War II.
Anthony David Scott was born in North Shields, a town on the northeast coast of England, on June 21, 1944. As a teenager he made his movie debut — as an actor — in a short film, “Boy and Bicycle,” directed by Ridley Scott. After studying at many of the same schools that Ridley attended, Tony Scott graduated from London’s Royal College of Art and joined a television production company that Ridley had started. Tony Scott earned some of his earliest directing credits on TV commercials, episodic series and music videos before overseeing his first feature, the vampire movie “The Hunger,” in 1983.
Mr. Scott’s death on Sunday led to an online outpouring of emotion and remembrances from performers and filmmakers who had worked with him or were inspired by his work.
David Krumholtz, an actor who starred on the CBS television series “Numb3rs,” wrote in a post on his Twitter account about being directed in an episode by Mr. Scott, who was also a producer of the series.
“I had come to know Tony as a warm, enthusiastic and whimsical general with great vision and pride for his work and for the art of action,” Mr. Krumholtz wrote. He added:
After a few takes, I still couldn’t get it right. It felt odd to look up while I was talking to the seated F.B.I. agents in the room. Finally, Tony walked in and said, “David, just imagine that you’re talking to God. And God has all the money. In order to get the money, you gotta talk to God. GOD AND MONEY!!! GOD AND MONEY!!!” He skipped off set, in the way that he did, keeping me energized, and firmly strapped into his roller coaster ride of film making.
Duncan Jones, the director of films like “Source Code” and “Moon,” and who got an early career break doing camerawork for Mr. Scott’s television series “The Hunger,” wrote in a Twitter post: “Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under his wing & ignited my passion to make films.” Mr. Jones added: “Wish you had felt there was a way to keep going.”
Edgar Wright, the director of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” wrote on his Twitter account: “Tony Scott was a rambunctious cinematic spirit.” He added: “As I hope was evident in my work, I was big fan of his. Rest In Peace, sir.”
Charlie Sheen leaving Hollywood
Charlie Sheen has had a long Hollywood career filled with many ups and downs, but it seems his new FX show “Anger Management” really will be the last time we see the once highest-paid actor in television do his thing in front of the cameras.
“Thirty years in, I mean come on. There’s this whole ton of stuff to do that involves my children and the rest of my life that’s not about like worshipping fiction,” Sheen told Fox411’s Pop Tarts column at the FX Summer Comedies party in Hollywood this week, after confirming that after this series he was parting ways with the acting profession.
But in his latest project, the controversial screen star plays a successful, non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management – and the concept of helping others was what drew Sheen to the role.
“He doesn’t judge anybody. He’s just a guy trying to get by,” he continued. “He’s all about atonement, giving something back… He’s cool and he’s smart.”
And it seems Mr. Sheen has learned a valuable lesson since his very public firing from hit CBS sitcom “Two-And-A-Half Men” last year.
“When you get traded, come back and kick ass,” he enthused.
“Anger Management” premieres Thursday June 28 at 9pm on FX.
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes getting a divorce
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting a divorce.
After nearly six years of marriage, a lawyer for Holmes said Friday that the pair are calling it quits.
“This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family,” attorney Jonathan Wolfe said in a statement to People, which broke the story. “Katie’s primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter’s best interest.”
The couple had not yet filed papers with the L.A. Superior Court, officials told L.A. Now on Friday. Wolfe’s office confirmed the news to L.A. Now.
The Ministry would be remiss if we didn’t give TomKat a “well played” for burning off this bombshell on the Friday before a major national holiday, a tactic deployed last year by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver.
Tom and Katie’s romance sparked in 2005, after she split with actor Chris Klein. Tom had been four years divorced from Nicole Kidman, with whom he shares two children, and had recently split from actress Penelope Cruz.
Cruise’s, um, excitement over his love for Katie led to his infamous couch-jumping incident on Oprah Winfrey’s show the year their courtship began. Shortly thereafter, Holmes announced she was pregnant, and baby Suri was born in April 2006.
After their November 2006 Italian wedding, the family made their official debut, a water-cooler moment, on the cover of Vanity Fair.
Reps for both actors did not respond immediately to Ministry requests for comment.
Octomom Porn Trailer: Watch at Your Own Risk!
The moment you have not been waiting for has arrived: Octomom’s porn movie has a HOT trailer, and we’ve posted it for you here if you’re into that sort of thing. Wicked Pictures has released a trailer for Nadya Suleman’s inaugural adult film, called Octomom: Home Alone.
Fitting, as you might make the famous Macaulay Culkin face after watching it. The NO-face, you could say. Anyway, go on and “enjoy” the NSFW preview:
If you’re a fan of Nadya Suleman, or just tempted by morbid curiosity or looking for a gag gift for an unwitting friend, the porno film is due out later this summer.
Despite adamant claims in years past that she’d never do porn to pay the bills, Octo caved obviously, though she still refuses to touch another human’s flesh.
Appropriate, since she applied the same rules to getting pregnant.
According to Wicked, the film features the mother of 14 in a variety of “erotic vignettes” that “take playful aim at different aspects of her Octomom persona.”
Try to at least aim away from the computer while vomiting.
Canibus’ epic freestyle disaster in Los Angeles
Between the Celtics, boxing in general and people begging to give Nike $250, last night became a perennial cavalcade of Ls. Lost in the shuffle was one formerly heralded MC Canibus. The surprisingly still alive “rapper” took a break from being the proverbial tree falling that no one hears to partake in a freestyle battle on iPPV. The results are astonishing.
After taking some tough bars from an asthmatic rapper, ‘Bus, sporting a shirt with his name on it and a sling that he needed from either writing lyrics for three weeks straight or throwing eggs at Wyclef’s house, decided that he needed some help. So, after admitting defeat, he pulled out a notebook to help him finish. That, of course, is a fail in itself, but look at that notebook!
It’s one of those big ass notebooks with the dotted lines in the middle so kindergartners know where to write the lowercase letters. Sweet and sour Jesus, there’s just so much fail going on here. Not only is he reading the lyrics, he’s pausing for 20 seconds between each line to determine which of the hundreds of lines no one will understand he’ll deliver.
