Terry Wogan: Veteran broadcaster dies, aged 77

Programme Name: Goodbye Television Centre - TX: n/a - Episode: n/a (No. n/a) - Embargoed for publication until: n/a - Picture Shows: Sir Terry Wogan - (C) BBC - Photographer: Guy Levy
Programme Name: Goodbye Television Centre - TX: n/a - Episode: n/a (No. n/a) - Embargoed for publication until: n/a - Picture Shows: Sir Terry Wogan - (C) BBC - Photographer: Guy Levy
Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard, Truly Madly Deeply and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died at the age of 69.
The star was suffering from cancer, his family said. His agent confirmed He was known by film fans for roles including Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films,
Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
He went on to play two more baddie roles - the sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Rasputin in a 1995 HBO film.
A directorial debut happened in 1995 when he directed Emma Thompson and her mother Phyllida Law in The Winter Guest.He teamed up with Kate Winslet last year for period drama
A Little Chaos, his second filmas director.He was born in Acton, London, in 1946, to working class parents.
After college, he worked as a graphic designer for a radical newspaper, and later opened a graphic design studio.
Three years later he contacted the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) to request an audition, and won a place.
He studied there between 1972 and 1974, and went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving on to television.
The New Warcraft Teaser Trailer Has Arrived
War is coming. See the trailer on November 6. (SEE TEASER BELOW)
From Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures comes Warcraft, an epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based on Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon.
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home.
So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.
Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones, the film starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Rob Kazinsky and Daniel Wu is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production.
Warcraft (to be released internationally as Warcraft: The Beginning) is an upcoming 2016 American epic fantasy film. It is based on the Warcraft video game series and novels set in the world of Azeroth. The film was first announced in 2006 as a project partnership with Legendary Pictures. Filming began on January 13, 2014 and wrapped up on May 23. The film is set to be released by Universal Pictures on June 10, 2016.
The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O’Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce. Warcraft will be released by Universal Pictures. www.warcraftmovie.com
Duncan Jones is directing the film from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Charles Leavitt. Producers include Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Tessa Ross, Charles Roven, Alex Gartner, Stuart Fenegan, and Chris Metzen.[6] The film will star Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, and Toby Kebbell
Thursday afternoon, GQ Magazine revealed photos from their latest issue featuring Trainwreckstar Amy Schumer in joking, sexual situations with Star Wars characters like C-3PO and R2-D2. Friday, Lucasfilm responded and not in kind.
In a post on Twitter by the official Star Wars account, they said the following: “Lucasfilm & Disney didn’t approve, participate in or condone the inappropriate use of our characters in this manner.” What “manner” do they mean? Well, the photo above, as well as these.
Obviously, GQ and Schumer didn’t mean to disrespect Lucasfilm with these photos. They’re just supposed to be funny, weird and provocative. Like Schumer and her comedy.
In fact, that they chose to use these characters at all is a testament to their cultural significance. It’s kind of a compliment. But Star Wars is owned by Disney.
Disney is a family company and they obviously wouldn’t be cool with anyone, even the biggest comedienne in the world, fellating a lightsaber. At least in public.
Wilder made his film debut with a minor role in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde. He took on his first major role in The Producers, playing Leo Bloom against Zero Mostel's Max Bialystock. The film was a box office flop and received mixed reviews, but Wilder earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He quickly became an in-demand commodity in Hollywood, taking parts in several comedies, including the idiosyncratic title character inWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Willy Wonka brought to life the weird and wild Roald Dahl book of the same name, and it thoroughly established Gene Wilder as a leading man who could hold his own in any comedic situation. As the enigmatic Wonka, Wilder chewed the scenery right into a Golden Glove nomination for best actor and became known to a legion of young film-goers.
Despite Wilder's personal success, though, none of his films of this period met with much commercial success. He finally broke that streak with a role in Woody Allen's 1972 film Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask). He then took a last-minute role in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles, a decision that would help define his career.
Blazing Saddles was a western like no other, and it set out to offend every viewer equally. Now a cult classic, the movie set Wilder on a path through his other classic films, including four with Richard Pryor: Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) and Another You (1991).
Stir Crazy, in which Wilder and Pryor played prison inmates, was a notable hit, and like Blazing Saddles before it, the film helped to cement Wilder's reputation as a comedy legend.
Wilder began writing and starring in more films in 1974, starting with Young Frankenstein (in which he played Dr. Frederick Frankenstein). Like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein set out to turn an established genre, this time horror, on its head. Starring Wilder as the infamous Dr. Frankenstein's grandson, the movie is unrelenting in its jokes and sight gags, and audiences have been connecting with it since the day it hit theaters.
Wilder also wrote, directed and starred in 1975's The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother and 1977's The World's Greatest Lover. WhileYoung Frankenstein was a hit and achieved a huge cult following, the others failed to gain positive critical response and were commercially unsuccessful.
Film legend Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93, it was reported today.
The actor - known as a horror star in the 1950s before finding fame again in later life - had been treated for heart failure and respiratory problems in hospital.
He died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on Sunday morning, the Telegraph reported.
RIP: Sir Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93 in hospital, it was reported today
Classic: The star became known for his portrayal of Dracula in a series of Hammer Horror films
Wizard: Sir Christopher was known to a new generation as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films
Sir Christopher played Dracula in a series of classic films produced by Hammer Horror, and played Bond villain Scaramanga in 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun.
He became known to a new generation of film fans with his roles in Lord of the Rings, where he played evil wizard Saruman, and the Star Wars prequels.
Some of his most acclaimed performances came in cult films - Sir Christopher starred in The Wicker Man, about a remote community living on a Scottish island, and Jinnah, a biopic about the founder of Pakistan.
After the news broke today, stars and fans paid tribute to the actor whose influence lasted for several generations.
Appearance: The last known pictures of Christopher Lee, at the Berlin Film Festival in February
Couple: Sir Christopher with his wife Birgit at a fundraising ball at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2012
Jonathan Ross said: 'So sad to hear that Sir Christiphet Lee has died. A great actor, a great star, a surprisingly good singer and a lovely lovely man.'
Comedian Omid Djalili wrote on Twitter: 'Scared the living daylights out of me for years. And I loved him for it. RIP Christopher Lee.'
And Boris Johnson added: 'Really sad to hear about the death of Christopher Lee, one of the greatest British actors and a master of the macabre.'
Sir Christopher was married for 54 years to Birgit Kroencke, a Danish former model. The couple have one daughter, Christina.
He served in the Special Forces during the Second World War, but always refused to discuss what he had done during the war, saying he was bound by an oath of secrecy.
As well as his acclaimed acting career, he had a sideline as a heavy metal singer, releasing four albums in the past two decades, two of which were concept albums about the medieval emperor Charlemagne.
He also unmasked himself as an unlikely Tory in later life, speaking out in support of Michael Howard, William Hague and David Cameron.
His final film appearance is set to be in Angels of Notting Hill, a comedy about the clash of the everyday with celestial beings.
From Prince of Darkness to knight of the realm: The remarkable life and times of Christopher Lee
By JENNY AWFORD
Fame: Christopher Lee as Dracula, the role that first propelled him to public attention
With his piercing eyes, booming voice and chilling presence, Sir Christopher Lee will be forever immortalised as the Prince of Darkness.
His menacing charisma established him early on as one of the film industry’s world-class villains and he went on to star in more than 260 movies before his death at 93.
Sir Christopher brought a demonic intensity to all his roles and became a household name playing notorious villains including Dracula, Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun, Saruman in the Lord Of The Rings, and Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels.
Hammer Films gave him his big break when they cast him as the creature in 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein.
His remarkable mime performance as the brain-damaged monster convinced the studio to cast him in his definitive role as the Count in Dracula.
Suddenly Sir Christopher was a bankable star.
Concerned at being typecast in blood-curdling roles and wanting to break free from his image of Dracula, he agreed to star in the 1973 film, The Wicker Man, for free and considers it one of his greatest roles.
He was knighted for services to drama and charity in 2009 and received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2011.
The Hammer Films icon was also presented with a prized British Film Institute Fellowship by his Sleepy Hollow co-star, Johnny Depp, at the 2013 London Film Festival.
Depp described him as a 'national treasure' and said working with Lee was a 'childhood dream come true'.
Often hailed as 'legendary', Sir Christopher once joked: 'To be a legend, you've either got to be dead or excessively old.'
Menacing: Sir Christopher with co-ster Barbara Shelley in 1966's Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Villain: Sir Christopher played Scaramange in 1974 Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun
Standing at an imposing height of 6ft 5in, the world champion fencer did all of his own stunts and holds a Guinness World Record for participating in more on-screen sword fights than any actor in history.
Fluent in English, Italian, French, Spanish and German, he added to his impressive resume by providing the voice-over for many films and video games, including cult classic The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Sir Christopher also used his resonant and unmistakable tones to record several musical works and said he would rather have been an opera singer than anything else.
He became the oldest person ever to record lead vocals on a heavy metal track when he released a progressive symphonic power metal EP about the life of Charlemagne at the age of 88.
By the Sword and the Cross was so well received that he was honoured with the Spirit of Metal award in the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden God awards ceremony.
His career and unusual home life was recounted with self-deprecating wit in his autobiography, Lord of Misrule.
The book gives the reader a privileged glimpse into his upbringing and family life, revealing that he is descended from papal nobility.
Devoted: Sir Christopher was married to his wife Birgit for more than half a century
His mother, Contessa Estelle Marie, was a famous Edwardian beauty who was painted by Sir John Lavery, Oswald Birley and Olive Snell.
Sir Christopher was happily married to Danish model Birgit Kroencke for 53 years and they had a daughter named Christina Erika Carandini Lee.
Before breaking into the film industry, he served in the Royal Air Force and intelligence services during the Second World War.
He was tasked with helping to track down Nazi war criminals in 1945 when he was seconded to the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects.
Sworn to secrecy, Sir Christopher has been guarded about disclosing any details of his work in military intelligence.
He said: ‘When people say to me, you know - were you in this? Were you in that? Did you work in this? Did you work in that? I always used to say ‘Can you keep a secret?’ And they would say 'Yes, yes' and I would say "So can I".’
Although he will probably be most remembered for his portrayal of a bloodsucking vampire, the true story of his life is actually more strange and fascinating than any of the films he starred in
KUNG FURY - FULL MOVIE Autodesk Helps Fido Unleash Action-Packed VFX for "Kung Fury". Warning: Bad Language | kung-fury | production
Following a successful Cannes Film Festival premiere, David Sandberg's 80s-inspired film Kung Fury makes its highly anticipated online debut this week. Kickstarter-funded by 17,000 backers, the 30-minute film follows a Miami-based kung fu cop as he time travels from the 80s to the 40s on a mission to take out Adolf Hitler - a plotline augmented by 399 over-the-top VFX shots delivered by a 46-person crew at Scandinavian VFX house Fido. Using Autodesk 3D modeling, animation and digital sculpting solutions, Fido created and refined dynamic 3D assets and scenes to bring Sandberg's 80's cop drama homage to life.
Throughout ?Kung Fury,? the story unfolds in three major environments: a street intersection, a police station interior and a huge steampunk-inspired Nazi hall. Fido created each environment digitally and then integrated the work with live action green screen footage of actors. Given trailer assets originally designed by Sandberg in 3ds Max, Fido transferred the files to in-house Maya workstations and used the assets as an aesthetic guideline to model, texture and refine the film?s environments, elements and main CG characters, including two robots, a Tyrannosaurus rex and an eagle. After finalizing VFX work and compositing, Fido?s crew then applied a specially designed filter to footage to achieve the VHS-reminiscent look that Sandberg envisioned.
?The movie is essentially a 30-minute VFX rollercoaster ride, so we had our work cut out for us, but having Maya as a pillar of our pipeline put us at ease. David also directs with a strong creative vision and deep understanding of VFX, so even though we faced some pretty crazy challenges, it really helped that he speaks the same language we do,? shared VFX Supervisor Cameron Scott. ? All our Autodesk tools were stable workhorses throughout production. Using Maya?s Alembic support, we were able to quickly transfer 3D assets between programs to work efficiently and meet David?s deadlines.?
?There are so many fun, crazy characters, environments and scenarios in ?Kung Fury? that VFX played a crucial role in the story. Because of my background in commercial production, I?m familiar with all the VFX tools and techniques, so I worked closely with Fido on the VFX,? said Sandberg. ?I?ve worked with Autodesk tools for a while now, and they?re some of the most best 3D modeling and animation tools out there. With outstanding creative talent like Fido behind the wheel of software like Maya, almost anything is possible, and that?s evident in the VFX they delivered for ?Kung Fury.??
About ?Kung Fury? ?Kung Fury? is an over-the-top Kickstarter-funded action comedy written and directed by David Sandberg with VFX by Fido. An 80s style action packed adventure, the film takes place in a variety of exotic locations, including Miami circa 1980s and Asgard and Germany circa 1940s, and features over-the-top characters like arcade-robots, dinosaurs, nazis, vikings, norse gods, mutants and a super kung fu-cop called Kung Fury. Sandberg completed the film in a little over a year with a strong vision and help from Kickstarter supporters, friends and family. The director is currently in talks with Hollywood producers to recreate the film as a full-length feature.
Credits: Director and Writer: David Sandberg
Fido VFX crew: VFX Supervisor: Cameron Scott VFX Producer: Matilda Olsson VFX Executive Producer: Claes Dietmann VFX Production Manager: Anders Singstedt Lead Lighting TDs: Johan Gabrielsson & Filip Orrby Composting Leads: Daniel Norlund & Tomas Näslund VFX Pre-Production Breakdown: Nils Lagergren, Kaj Steveman, Eva Åkergren Pipeline Engineer: Erik Johansson Systems Administrator: Thomas Eriksson Asset Management: ftrack
VFX Artists: Alexander Eriksson, Anders Nyman, Cameron Scott, Carlos Correia, Chris Judkins, Daniel Norlund, David Enbom, David Nelin, Egil Eskilsson, Erika Johansson, Filip Orrby, Fredrik Höglin, Fredrik Olsson, Gustav Alexandersson, Janak Thakker, Joakim Eriksson, Joakim Olsson, Johan Gabrielsson, Jonas Lindfors, Jonas Manell, Jonathan Skifs, Karl Rydhe, Klas Trulsson, Kristian Livén, Kristian Rydberg, Kristian Zarins, Laura Andersen, Magnus Eriksson, Martin Borell, Mattias Sandelius, Mattias Snygg, Niklas Lundgren, Rickard Engqvist, Rodrigo Vivedes, Sandra Scholz, Staffan Linder, Stefan Lagerstam, Sven Ahlström, Teo Mathlein, Tomas Näslund, Viktor Andersson, Zebastian Lilja
An even blacker comedic twist on the Phibes pictures, Theater of Blood rates as Price’s cinematic triumph, and one that encapsulates his entire oeuvre. This occasion he’s failed Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart who, believed dead, elaborately murders the stuffy British reviewers responsible for his worst notices. Victoria catalogues how much Theater of Blood meant to dear Dad: “When you get to: a) fall in love with your future wife [Coral Browne] in a graveyard; b) electrocute her while playing a gay hairdresser; c) kill off all the critics; d) work with Diana Rigg and so many other great British actors; and e) recite Shakespearean verse while doing all of the above—how could it not be one of my father’s favorite films?”
We could easily list another 13 petrifying Price pictures on this list, so if you have the desire to learn more about the man and his movies, go to www.vincentprice.com, check out Shout Factory’s definitive two volume Vincent Price Collection on disc and pick up Victoria’s wonderful book Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography, as well as Lucy Chase Williams’ The Complete Films of Vincent Price.
Scientist Missing for over 30 years Found Living Inside Secret LSD Drug Lab Hidden in Basement.
A Couple from Cottage Grove, Minnesota discovered a man living inside a secret laboratory inside their basement. On Friday, May
A Couple from Cottage Grove, Minnesota discovered a man living inside a secret laboratory inside their basement. On Friday, May 15th 2015 officers with the Warrington County Sheriffs Office went to the Morgan family’s home after receiving a call reporting a possible
A Couple from Cottage Grove, Minnesota discovered a man living inside a secret laboratory inside their basement. On Friday, May 15th 2015 officers with the Warrington County Sheriffs Office went to the Morgan family’s home after receiving a call reporting a possible break in. When the officers pulled up they saw the Morgan Family standing by the road.
“They ran up to us and said they heard a man shouting inside their basement and that’s when they called it in to 911” Said Captain Bruce Normans with the Warrington County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers say that they could hear the man yelling in the basement the moment they entered the Morgan’s home. But when they moved cautiously into the basement they saw nothing. However they could hear banging sounds coming from behind the northern wall of the Morgan family’s basement, specifically echoing from behind a large storage cabinet.
“It was a very odd situation. We assumed the possibility that a vagrant may have been trapped behind the cabinet and needed help” Officer Jim Catelli told Channel 6 news.
When the Officers moved the large metal cabinet they uncovered an entry way to a large hidden room in the basement. The room was full of various science equipment along with a terrified, elderly man. The 83 year old man was identified as Dr. Winston Corrigan, a chemistry professor from the University of Minnesota who went missing in the fall of 1984 and was a previous resident of the home.
“He had clearly been living down there for a long time and had suffered severe psychological trauma.. probably from not socializing with anyone for a while…or from ingesting a lot of the drugs… I don’t know if he had been living down there since the 80’s but I wouldn’t doubt it” Said EMT personnel Landon Choler.
Dr. Winston is currently being held at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis for observation. He will eventually be sent to the state psychiatric ward in Prairie Hills Clinic where he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine the extent of any psychological damage and possibly reintroduced to modern society.
“I just can’t believe it….it’s just so odd. The family that used to live there moved because they said the house was haunted so I guess that makes sense now.” Said a neighbor who had lived next door for 33 years.
The Police recovered over $500,000 worth of lab equipment stolen from the University, along with 3 hand guns, an assault rifle, 50 years’ worth of military grade rations and twelve 55 gallon barrels (including three almost empty barrels) of what DEA labs have identified as pure liquid Lysergic acid diethylamide, a powerful hallucinogenic drug more commonly known as the street name LSD or Acid.