Ticking News

Bob Hope was a triple-threat superstar of radio, film and television during the 1940s and 1950s. [1]

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS (born Leslie Townes Hope; May 29, 1903 ‘ July 27, 2003) was a British -born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. [2]

After some years on the stage as a dancer and comedian, he made his first film appearance in The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) singing “Thanks for the Memories”, which became his signature tune. [...] In partnership with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, he appeared in the highly successful “Road to…” comedies (1940-1952), and in many others until the early 1970s. [3]

He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel. [2]

A year later, he was given a movie screen test, but was told his ski-slope nose didn’t photograph well. [...] Primarily a comedian, Hope also acted, sang and danced a little, hosted his own radio and television shows, and carried on a famous comic feud with his friend and fellow star, crooner Bing Crosby. [1]

Bob Hope in Korea climbing out of a T-33 Shooting Star, which flew him from Taegu to Kimpo airfield in Korea, on his entertainment tour. [2]

Comedian, born in London and moved to Bristol before emigrating with his parents to the US in 1908. [4]

Hope’s regular appearances in Hollywood films and radio made him one of the best known entertainers in North America, and at the height of his career he was also making a large income from live concert performances. [2]

Hope’s seventy-fifth birthday party, held in the Washington Kennedy Center to honor the United Service Organization (USO), was attended by members of Congress and many of Hope’s acting friends, including John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, and George Burns. [1]

In one scene from Road to Morocco he erupted in a frenzy, shouting about his imminent death from exposure. [...] Hope was born in Eltham, London, England, the fifth of seven sons. [2]

Success in radio led to his first film, The Big Broadcast of 1938, in which he sang his theme song, “Thanks for the Memory.” [1]

After five years on the vaudeville circuit, by his own account, Hope was surprised and humbled when he and his partner (and future wife) Grace Louise Troxell failed a 1930 screen test for Path? at Culver City, California. [2]

Sources:
[1] Bob Hope: Biography from Answers.com
[2] Bob Hope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] Bob Hope
[4] Bob Hope - IMDb

Kirk Douglas (nacido Issur Danielovitch Demsky, 9 de diciembre de 1916, Amsterdam, Estado de Nueva York) es un actor y productor de cine estadounidense. [1]

); December 9, 1916) is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. [2]

In 1963, he appeared on Broadway in Ken Kesey ’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but was never able to interest Hollywood in a film version of the work; he passed it along to his son Michael Douglas (a popular actor/filmmaker in his own right), who eventually brought it to the screen to great success. [3]

The feature film Posse was arguably his greatest success as director, producer and actor. [4]

… the rights remained with the Douglas clan, and Kirk’s talented son Michael Douglas finally filmed the tale in 1975, starring Jack Nicholson. [5]

This is the famous quote from American born actor Kirk Douglas. [4]

The quality of his work continued to garner the attention of critics and he was again nominated for Oscars for his role as a film producer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and as tortured painter Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), both directed by Vincente Minnelli. [5]

During high school, he acted in school plays, and discovered “The one thing in my life that I always knew, that was always constant, was that I wanted to be an actor.” [2]

His efforts were rewarded in 1981 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1983 with the Jefferson Award. [5]

His big break came in 1949 when he played the leading actor in the movie Champion for which he received his first Oscar nomination. [...] Kirk Douglas is the son of immigrant Jews and was born Issur Danielovitch in 1916 in New York. [4]

Cleft-chinned, steely-eyed and virile star of international cinema who rose from being “the ragman’s son” (the name give to his best-selling 1988 autobiography) of Russian-Jewish ancestry to become a bona fide superstar, Kirk Douglas, also known as Issur Danielovitch Demsky, was born in Amsterdam, New York, in 1916. [5]

He is #17 on the American Film Institute ’s list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time. [...] The couple had two sons, actor Michael Douglas and producer Joel Douglas. [2]

He earned Oscar nominations for his work in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Lust for Life (1956), both of which were directed by Vincente Minnelli. [3]

Sources:
[1] Kirk Douglas - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
[2] Kirk Douglas - Wikipedia
[3] Kirk Douglas Movies
[4] Kirk Douglas
[5] Kirk Douglas (I) - Biography

They had one son, Michael Rabe, and one daughter, actress Lily Rabe. [1]

American actress Jill Clayburgh was fortunate enough to find work in her field of endeavor directly after graduation from Sarah Lawrence University. [2]

Oscar-nominated actress Jill Clayburgh passed away late Friday due to complications from chronic leukemia, which she had lived with for twenty-one years. [3]

She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for 1978’s An Unmarried Woman, for which she won the “Best Actress Award ” at the Cannes Film Festival, and for 1979’s Starting Over, a comedy with Burt Reynolds. [1]

Starring in many popular film and television series throughout the 80s and 90s, Clayburgh had continued to pursue her career in acting up until her recent death, having even returned to Broadway in 2006, starring in a rival of Barefoot in the Park opposite Tony Roberts and Amanda Peet. [3]

She acted with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Charles Playhouse in Boston, and, with such future film luminaries as Al Pacino she appeared in several off-Broadway productions A tentative stab at film acting in The Wedding Party, filmed at Sarah Lawrence in 1963 but released in 1969, might have been forgotten save for its roster of celebrities-to-be: Jill Clayburgh, Robert DeNiro and director Brian De Palma. [4]

She acted with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Charles Playhouse in Boston, and, with such future film luminaries as Al Pacino she appeared in several off-Broadway productions A tentative stab at film acting in The Wedding Party, filmed at Sarah Lawrence in 1963 but released in 1969, might have been forgotten save for its roster of celebrities-to-be: Jill Clayburgh, Robert DeNiro and director Brian De Palma. [2]

Prominent film actress of the 1970s, most memorably as the conquering divorcee in An Unmarried Woman with Alan Bates, and as Gene Wilder ’s romantic interest in the railroad comedy Silver Streak. [5]

Christopher Shyer stars as California mechanic George Malley, who after being literally struck down by a bolt from the sky develops hyper-intelligence, mental telepathy, the ability to foretell the future, and a skill not covered in the first Phenomenon: the power to heal. [2]

Jill Clayburgh (April 30, 1944 ‘ November 5, 2010) was an American actress. [...] She received Emmy Award nominations for her work in the made-for-television movie Hustling in 1975 and for guest appearances in the series Nip/Tuck in 2005. [1]

A child of the 1970s whose alcoholic father, Norman (Alec Baldwin), and delusional, unpublished poet mother, Deirdre (Annette Bening), serve as the dictionary definition of the word “dysfunctional,” Augusten is sent by his mother to live with her eccentric psychiatrist, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), when his disagreeable parents ultimately decide to terminate their turbulent marriage. [2]

Jill was known for portraying strong, independent women on screen, and helped push forward ideas of feminism in her starring roles throughout the 70s. [3]

At times it is hard to tell whether this made-for-TV movie is supposed to be taken seriously or if it is nothing more than a John Waters-style spoof. [2]

Jill is survived by her husband, playwright David Rabe, daughter, actress Lily Rabe, son Michael, stepson Jason, and a brother, James. [3]

Sources:
[1] Jill Clayburgh - Wikipedia
[2] Jill Clayburgh Movies
[3] Jill Clayburgh Passes Away at 66 - MovieWeb.com
[4] Jill Clayburgh: Information from Answers.com
[5] Jill Clayburgh

After World War II, Kirk Douglas worked in the movies, making his mark in 1949’s The Champion. [1]

???????????; December 9, 1916) is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. [2]

); December 9, 1916) is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. [3]

Slowed by a stroke, Douglas nevertheless appeared in the 1999 movie Diamonds. [...] During the 1950s and ’60s Douglas was a savvy and bankable star, varying from intense dramatic roles in Paths of Glory (1957) and Seven Days in May (1964), to playful entertainments such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). [...] He had minor Broadway roles before making his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) and emerged as a major star in Champion (1949). [1]

His efforts were rewarded in 1981 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1983 with the Jefferson Award. [4]

During high school, he acted in school plays, and discovered “The one thing in my life that I always knew, that was always constant, was that I wanted to be an actor.” [...] The couple had two sons, actor Michael Douglas and producer Joel Douglas. [2]

The quality of his work continued to garner the attention of critics and he was again nominated for Oscars for his role as a film producer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and as tortured painter Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), both directed by Vincente Minnelli. [4]

He also formed his own production company (later he transferred the rights to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) to his son, Michael Douglas) and tried his hand at directing movies in the 1970s, including Posse (1975). [1]

… the rights remained with the Douglas clan, and Kirk’s talented son Michael Douglas finally filmed the tale in 1975, starring Jack Nicholson. [4]

He is #17 on the American Film Institute ’s list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time. [3]

In 1996, he received the Academy Honorary Award “for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community”. [2]

Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch) was the son Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Amsterdam, NY, on December 9, 1916. [1]

Sources:
[1] Kirk Douglas: Biography from Answers.com
[2] Kirk Douglas
[3] Kirk Douglas - Wikipedia
[4] Kirk Douglas (I) - Biography

Luke Matheny is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based filmmaker, writer and actor. [1]

Unfortunately, because of a network failure with our internet service provider, we cannot connect to Ustream.TV from Gaiam HQ, and our chat with Luke Matheny is being postponed. [2]

For Luke Matheny, a 1997 graduate of Northwestern with a degree in journalism, getting a job during the internet revolution was easy and the money was good. [3]

Luke Matheny is the writer/director/star of “God of Love,” a quirky 18-minute short film about a jazz crooner who performs amazing dart tricks on stage. [4]

His short film ‘God of Love’ ‘ a comedy about a lounge-singing darts champion who receives a package of love-inducing darts ‘ is nominated in the Best-Live Action Short category for the 2011 Academy Award. [1]

They finished editing in 2002, and the film premiered at the 2003 Wilmington Independent Film Festival. [3]

Luke also previously had a short film showcased by SCC ‘ “Earano” ‘ in Volume 2, 2010. [...] His short film “God of Love” ‘ a comedy about a lounge-singing darts champion who receives a package of love-inducing darts ‘ is nominated for a 2011 Academy Award, and is featured in this month’s Spiritual Cinema Circle volume. [2]

Me with the other short film nominees at the Academy. [5]

This film was your student thesis in the graduate film program at NYU. [4]

The film was also winner of the gold medal at the 2010 Student Academy Awards; special jury recognition at Aspen ShortsFest; as well as first prize and the King Award for Screenwriting at the NYU First Run Film Festival. [1]

The film also won the King Award for Screenwriting at the 2007 First Run Festival, an honorable mention for the Fujifilm Audience Impact Award at the 2007 Angelus Student Film Festival, and won Best Student Short at the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, Nevada. [...] His second-year project, Earano, was based on the Cyrano de Bergerac story. [3]

As for the award itself, it’s a Student Oscar, which is a kind of granite cube, not the actual statuette. [4]

His previous short film “Earano” — a loose, comic retelling of the Cyrano de Bergerac tale ‘ won the King Award for Screenwriting at the NYU First Run Festival, an honorable mention for the Fujifilm Audience Impact Award at the Angelus Student Film Festival, and Best Student Short at the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, Nevada. [1]

Sources:
[1] About the director
[2] Live Video Chat With Luke Matheny - Spiritual Cinema Circle
[3] Luke Matheny
[4] Luke Matheny, “God of Love” | THE FILM YAP
[5] Luke Matheny Films