News & Politics - Entertainment News #6 ~ Let Us Entertain You (Again) - Page 3

**sunnykerr** · 09-01-2012, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Sage Stallone killed by heart attack, says coroner

Sylvester Stallone's son Sage died from natural causes due to a heart condition, the Los Angeles County Coroner has ruled.

Sage Stallone was found dead at his Hollywood home by an employee and a relative on 13 July.

Bottles of prescription pills were found but it was not clear if they were connected with his death.

Officials said on Thursday that the 36-year-old died due to a condition that causes blockage of the arteries.

Toxicology results showed Stallone had a only a small amount of the sedative hydrocodone in his body.

No other drugs were detected and the death has been classified a natural death.

The actor and film director's sudden death stunned his family and friends.

Sylvester Stallone's publicist described him as "devastated and grief-stricken" and the actor skipped several promotional events for his film The Expendables 2.

Sage Moonblood Stallone was the oldest of Sylvester Stallone's children and co-starred with his father in two films, Rocky V and Daylight.

He also became involved in movie-making, directing a 2006 short, Vic, that was screened at the Palm Springs Film Festival.

In 1996 the young Stallone co-founded Grindhouse Releasing, a company dedicated to preserving and promoting the B-movies and exploitation films of the 1970s and '80s.

Sylvester Stallone's spokeswoman said the actor had no comment about the coroner's findings.

Source

Okay, so a 36-year-old dropping dead of a heart attack can happen. It's rare, but it happens. And, apparently, the late Mr Stallone had a sister who was born with a heart condition, so there could be genetic issues at play here as well.

Having said that, you know what else creates heart issues? Drugs.

I didn't know the man, and I feel like an eel bringing that up when he's not around to defend himself.

But you can ask a coroner to keep some information private in these things. For instance, the specific causes of the fatal incident can be kept private.

Avatar · 09-01-2012, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Toxicology results showed Stallone had a only a small amount of the sedative hydrocodone in his body.

No other drugs were detected and the death has been classified a natural death.

Doesn't sound like someone dying of drugs to me.

**sunnykerr** · 09-02-2012, 07:55 PM

Sorry, I should have been clearer, shouldn't I? Of course, I know how to read.

I just meant that people who take drugs handicap their bodies in ways that will continue to lay ravages to their health even when they're not currently on drugs or even if they ever become truly sober.

The heart, for instance, can be irrevocably damaged by hard drug use.

But, lest my explaining myself in this way leads anyone to forget the caveat I put up in my earlier post, I never met Mr Stallone, let alone got to know him. I obviously cannot even imply that he may have been on drugs at some point.

All I was saying was that "natural causes," as a finding, doesn't mean that a person got to this natural cause of death entirely through genetics. Hearts stop all the time, and sure it's often because of previously undiagnosed conditions. But all the coroner has to report is whether drugs directly caused the fatal event.

For instance, Brittany Murphy's cause of death was declared to be pneumonia and anemia, even though though high levels of I don't remember how many drugs were found in her system.

**sunnykerr** · 09-03-2012, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Michael Clarke Duncan, 'Green Mile' Oscar nominee, dies at 54

Michael Clarke Duncan, who received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1999′s The Green Mile, has died, EW confirms. He was 54.

The actor, who most recently played Leo Nox on Fox’s Bones spin-off The Finder, suffered a heart attack in July that kept him in the intensive care unit for over a month.

The 6 -foot-4 Duncan made a name for himself by playing roles that called for someone of his massive size — like bodyguards and bouncers. His role in 1998′s Armageddon was among his first exposure to mainstream audiences, who quickly fell in love with Duncan’s charming demeanor. He went on to appear in The Green Mile as death row inmate/healer John Coffey, the role that earned him his Oscar nomination. He also appeared in The Whole Nine Yards, Sin City, Daredevil, and many television shows, including Chuck and The Finder.

A statement from his rep is below:

Quote:

Michael Clarke Duncan passed away this morning in Los Angeles, said his fiancée, Reverend Omarosa Manigault. The Oscar-nominated actor suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered. 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.

Source

This is very sad. I loved him in The Green Mile.

I hope he didn't suffer much, in the end.

**sunnykerr** · 09-05-2012, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Actor Michael Clarke Duncan died of natural causes

Green Mile actor Michael Clarke Duncan died of natural causes, a US coroner has confirmed.

The 54-year-old died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday. He had not recovered from a heart attack he suffered in July.

Meanwhile, tributes to the actor have continued to pour in.

Bruce Willis, who starred with Duncan in Armageddon, called him "a great human being". He added: "I will miss Big Mike in a big way."

Duncan had credited Willis for recommending him to The Green Mile director Frank Darabont.

He was later nominated for an Oscar in 2000 for his role as a death row inmate in the film.

Willis and Duncan went on to star in another three films together including The Whole Nine Yards and Sin City.

Director Michael Bay, who gave Duncan his first major role in Armageddon, penned a lengthy tribute about the actor's time on set, which was posted on his official website.

"It was a great time I will always remember, how proud I was to watch him grow into an actor," he said.

"We found him in a gym. He cried at the first audition because he was so proud to audition for a Michael [Bay] and Jerry [Bruckheimer] movie, he just wanted to make his mom proud.

"We gave him the role in the room."

But, Bay recalled, the star "sucked" on his first day in front of the cameras.

"I remember looking to Ben Affleck and thinking we might need to fire him.

"But I told him 'Mike, I hired you for you. I want the sweet, Mr Clarke Duncan I met in that room'. I said, 'the audience is going to fall in love with you'.

"He looked and smiled with deep voice and said 'OK.'

"From then on out he became the most improved actor on the set. That was the award he got at the end of the film. Everyone loved him, his infectious spirit and great belly laugh."

Actor Tom Hanks made similar comments about his former co-star. "He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of The Green Mile. He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned."

Green Mile director Frank Darabont added: "Michael was the gentlest of souls - an exemplar of decency, integrity and kindness. The sadness I feel is inexpressible."

Duncan is survived by his mother Jean, sister Judith, and fiancee Reverend Omarosa Manigault.

The actress and reality TV star told Radar Online she was "devastated" by the actor's death.

"He was the love of my life," she added.

Craig Harvey of the Los Angeles coroner's office said that Duncan's personal physician had signed the death certificate, and there was nothing to suggest officials need to review the case.

Source

I'm so glad to hear how everyone appreciated this man.

I don't know, it's just nice to hear.

**sunnykerr** · 09-06-2012, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Judy Blume recovering from cancer

Judy Blume, author of the seminal teen novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, has revealed she is recovering from breast cancer.

The 74-year-old novelist underwent a mastectomy at the end of July, six weeks after the cancer was diagnosed.

Writing on her blog, Blume said "surgery went well, one night in the hospital, very little pain", adding she was "feeling stronger every day".

The author of more than 25 books, she said she hoped to return to work soon.

Best known for 1970s teen fiction such as Then Again, Maybe I Won't, Deenie and Forever, Blume's books have sold more than 80 million copies and been translated into 31 languages.

However, their focus on adolescence and sexual issues was considered contentious when the books were first published.

Blume described her shock on learning of the cancer following a routine ultrasound in June.

"Wait - me?", she wrote on her website. "There's no breast cancer in my family... I haven't eaten red meat in more than 30 years. I've never smoked, I exercise every day, forget alcohol - it's bad for my reflux - I've been the same weight my whole adult life.

"How is this possible? Well, guess what - it's possible."

But, writing a month after the surgery, she added: "I got off easy. The cancer hadn't spread anywhere. I don't need chemo which is a whole other ballgame."

The author thanked her family and husband George, and her friends: "When it comes to breast cancer you're not alone, and scary though it is, there's a network of amazing women to help you through it."

Source

She's a classy lady.

Who knows what it was really like for her in private, but I love her attitude.

**sunnykerr** · 09-10-2012, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are married

People reports that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were married Sunday night.

The couple reportedly wed at the Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina.

It’s been a year since the pair, who co-starred in 2011′s Green Lantern, were first spotted together. Reynolds, 35, was previously married to Scarlett Johansson; their marriage ended in divorce in 2010. This is the first marriage for Lively, 25.

People also reports that the reception took place under a white tent where Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine, performed.

Source

I wish them well.

I also get the feeling that Ryan Reynolds may be this generation's Elizabeth Taylor, when it comes to marriages.

Either way, I really just with them every happiness in the world.

Avatar · 09-11-2012, 10:35 AM

I didn't even realize they were dating.

Still, good luck to them I suppose.

**sunnykerr** · 09-13-2012, 11:07 AM

Well, I haven't been keeping track or anything either.

I was just looking for things to post, to hopefully stay above water this week, and came across that story.

**sunnykerr** · 09-14-2012, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Scientologists 'tried to stop' The Master film

Scientologists in Hollywood tried to derail a movie inspired by the religion's founder, its studio claims.

Unnamed Scientologists applied "lots of pressure" to stop The Master being made and have it changed once filming began, studio head Harvey Weinstein said.

The film's director Paul Thomas Anderson has stated that The Master was partly based on L Ron Hubbard, who founded Scientology in the 1950s.

The Church of Scientology has denied trying to block the film.

Weinstein told BBC News: "We've had pressure and we've resisted pressure. Originally people said to me 'don't make it'. Lots of pressure.

"And then, as we were making it, we had pressure to change it. Paul's not doing that and I didn't think he chose me [to work with] because I was going to acquiesce either."

The movie tells the story of a cult leader known as The Master, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and a troubled World War II veteran, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who is drawn into his world.

It won awards for acting and directing after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and is seen as an early contender for The Oscars.

Asked about the reaction from Scientologists in Hollywood, Weinstein said: "I'm not going to get into names, but they feel strongly that they think it's a religion and as such they think the subject matter shouldn't be explored.

"Paul Thomas Anderson admitted in Venice that it was about L Ron Hubbard and the early days of his teaching and the creation of Scientology. But that's not all there is in the movie."

The film is also about the impact of fighting in World War II on the armed forces, he said.

"That's what attracted me to this script - my dad saw combat in World War II and he never got over it. It's about the journey that Joaquin Phoenix's character goes through, trying all sorts of things.

"I'm not sure how Scientologists will react. So far, without seeing it, it's negative - so I just urge people to go see it and then they can react." Weinstein is a producer and distributor who has worked on films including Pulp Fiction and The King's Speech.

'Still friends'

The Church of Scientology, meanwhile, have denied any suggestion that it had attempted to block the making of The Master and pointed to earlier statements in which the film-makers distanced themselves from the movement.

"The movie is a work of fiction and the director, producer and actors have said so," a Church of Scientology spokesperson said.

"For example, Paul Thomas Anderson is quoted as saying: 'This is a fabricated story: pure fiction.' And Philip Seymour Hoffman is quoted saying: 'It's not a Scientology movie.' There is nothing more to say about the matter."

Prominent Scientologists include Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Juliette Lewis and Priscilla Presley.

Paul Thomas Anderson recently said he had held a screening of The Master for Cruise, with whom he worked on the 1999 film Magnolia.

"Yes, I have shown him the film, and yes, we are still friends," Anderson said. "The rest is between me and Tom."

Source

In other words, Paul Thomas Anderson wants to keep on making movies after this.

It's a known fact, at least here in Canada, that the Church of Scientology will sue people who protest outside their doors. They've done that.

So I don't see why this would be an exception, but what do I know?

As for Scientology being a religion and therefore not a topic for movie-making... I don't know, how many movies have been made about Christianity and all of its branches? You're either a religion or you're not. And, if you are, you should be able to live with a little examination once in a while.

**sunnykerr** · 09-16-2012, 04:44 PM

Quote:

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong buried at sea

The first man to walk on the moon has been buried at sea.

NASA says Neil Armstrong's cremated remains were buried in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday during a ceremony aboard the USS Philippine Sea.

Armstrong was a Navy fighter pilot before joining the space program. He died last month in Ohio at age 82. His burial follows a memorial service in Washington on Thursday.

NASA photographs show Armstrong's widow, Carol Armstrong, accepting a folded American flag during the ceremony, which NASA said included a bugler and a rifle salute.

The space agency didn't give the location of the ceremony. The ship's homeport is Mayport, Fla.

Source

I think that's really cool.

When we die, our wishes should be followed, inasmuch as that's possible.

So I'm operating on the assumption that these were his wishes.

And that makes it very cool.

Don't you think?

**sunnykerr** · 09-22-2012, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Roger Ebert to receive Sundance honour

The Sundance Institute is to honour veteran film critic Roger Ebert for his support of independent cinema.

The 70-year-old, once deemed "the most powerful pundit in America", will receive the second Vanguard Leadership Award at a Sundance benefit in June.

"When I started Sundance in 1980, and when few would support us, Roger was there," said Robert Redford, president of the Sundance Institute.

The inaugural award went to Sundance trustee George Gund earlier this year.

Ebert, a Pulitzer Prize winner for criticism, has been the Chicago Sun-Times film critic since 1967.

He remains best known for his TV double act with fellow reviewer Gene Siskel, who died in 1999, which saw the pair use a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" system to rate the films they saw.

He went on to present alongside Richard Roeper, but stood down from their joint television show after undergoing surgery for complications arising from thyroid cancer, which left him unable to speak.

He has written a number of books and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.

In 2008, he became an honorary life member of the Directors Guild of America.

Here are some of his most notorious cinematic critiques:

"To call A Lot like Love dead in the water is an insult to water." (A Lot Like Love, 2005)
"Elvis looks about the same as he always has, with his chubby face, petulant scowl, and absolutely characterless features. Here is one guy the wax museums will have no trouble getting right. He sings a lot, but I won't go into that. What I will say, however, is that after two dozen movies he should have learned to talk by now." (Easy Come, Easy Go, 1967)
"A deplorable film with this message: If you're a 14-year-old girl who has been brutally raped and murdered by a serial killer, you have a lot to look forward to." (The Lovely Bones, 2009)
"I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny." (The Brown Bunny, 2003)
"(Rhett Butler) tells Scarlett in a key early scene, 'You need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.' For 'kissed,'' substitute the word you're thinking of." (Gone With The Wind, 1939)
"I've seen audits that were more thrilling." (Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, 2001)
"It's as goofy as a children's tale, as shallow as an old Saturday afternoon serial, as corny as Kansas in August — and a masterpiece." (Star Wars, 1977)
"It's kind of a letdown when a movie begins by redefining the nature of reality, and ends with a shoot-out." (The Matrix, 1999)

Source

I really enjoy Roger Ebert as a critic. I don't always agree with him, but you know he's fair and he's fairly consistent, so you can tell how you'll feel about a movie in the way in explains why he felt about it the way he did.

So I think this is a lovely gesture.

Nick HeyRee · 09-22-2012, 07:08 PM

There is a film critic over here called Mark Kermode with a sort of cult status, agree or not his view are always worth a listen. He has regularly spoken out against the increasing and more to the point unnecessary use of 3D for many a movie these days.

On occasion he can be a tad harsh but he is very expressive and particular when it comes to a critique of something, you know what to set your own perspective by if you know what i mean.

Avatar · 09-23-2012, 09:27 AM

I would agree with him on that, mostly because I cannot see 3D, lol.

**sunnykerr** · 09-23-2012, 09:33 AM

And I would agree because 3D is evil, as far as I'm concerned.

I mean, that's an exageration. Obviously.

But, as Roger Ebert as often argued, all it really means nowadays is that the overall image is dim and the 3D only comes in for small, insignificant parts that in no way add to the quality of the storytelling.

Therefore, I'll pass.


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