Axl Rose is AC/DC’s new singer frontman will follow the footsteps of Brian Johnson
Hell hath frozen over: Axl Rose is the new singer of AC/DC.
After weeks and weeks for rumors, the legendary Australian outfit made the news official, and only moments before Guns N’ Roses hit the stage for their headlining set at Coachella.Here’s the official statement:“AC/DC band members would like to thank Brian Johnson for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years. We wish him all the best with his hearing issues and future ventures. As much as we want this tour to end as it started, we understand, respect and support Brian’s decision to stop touring and save his hearing. We are dedicated to fulfilling the remainder of our touring commitments to everyone that has supported us over the years, and are fortunate that Axl Rose has kindly offered his support to help us fulfill this commitment.”As previously reported, frontman and vocalist Brian Johnson was recently forced to stop touring for risk of losing all hearing. Although there was rampant speculation that he was “kicked to the curb.”Regardless, Rose has quite a busy few months ahead of him, quite possibly the busiest days of his post-millennium career thus far. Consult his full itinerary below and get ready for a whole lotta Axl.
AC/DC 2016 Tour Dates:
05/07 – Lisbon, PT @ Passeio Maritmo de Alges
05/10 – Seville, ES @ Estadio de la Cartuja
05/13 – Marseille, FR @ Stade Velodrome
05/16 – Werchter, BE @ Werchter Festival Grounds
05/19 – Vienna, AT @ Ernst-Happel Stadium
05/22 – Prague, CZ @ Letnany Airport
05/26 – Hamburg, DE @ Volksparkstadion
05/29 – Berne, CH @ Stade de Suisse
06/01 – Leipzig, DE @ Red Bull Arena
06/04 – London, UK @ Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
06/09 – Manchester, UK @ Etihad Stadium
06/12 – Aarhus, DK @ Ceres Park
Guns N’ Roses 2016 Tour Dates:04/19 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol
04/20 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol
04/23 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
06/23 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
06/26 – Washington, DC @ Fedex Field
06/29 – Kansas City, MO @ Arrowhead Stadium
07/01 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
07/06 – Cincinnati, OH @ Paul Brown Stadium
07/09 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
07/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field
07/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
07/16 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
07/19 – Foxboro, MA @ Gilette Stadium
07/23 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
07/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Georgia Dome
07/29 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Citrus Bowl
07/31 – New Orleans, LA @ Mercedes-Benz Superdome
08/03 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
08/05 – Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
08/09 – San Francisco, CA @ AT&T Park
08/12 – Seattle, WA @ CenturyLink Field
08/15 – Glendale, AZ @ University of Phoenix Stadium
08/22 – San Diego, CA @ Qualcomm Stadium
Gene Wilder - Willy Wonka(TV-14; 01:14)Watch a short video about Gene Wilder to learn how he recovered after the loss of his wife Gilda Radner.
Synopsis
Gene Wilder began his movie career in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, but he became famous as a favorite of writer/director Mel Brooks. His wacky roles in films such as Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory made him an unforgettable comedy icon. In his later years, Wilder has become a serious novelist, writing a memoir and several novels.
Early Life
Gene Wilder was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 11, 1933, to a Jewish family. His father, William, had emigrated from Russia. His mother, Jeanne, was often ill from complications from rheumatic heart disease, and a doctor warned the 8-year-old Jerome, "Don't ever argue with your mother... you might kill her. Try to make her laugh." These circumstances began Wilder's lifelong calling to acting, as he made his mother laugh by putting on different accents. After a brief stint in a California military academy, Wilder moved back to Milwaukee and became involved with the local theater scene, making his stage debut as Balthasar in a production of Romeo and Juliet.
After graduating from high school, Wilder studied communication and theater arts at the University of Iowa, following that with a year studying theater and fencing at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, United Kingdom. He returned to the United States to study the Stanislavski method of acting but was promptly drafted into the U.S. Army for two years, during which time he worked as a medic in Pennsylvania. Next, Wilder moved to New York City, where he took a variety of odd jobs, including a position as a fencing teacher, to support himself while he studied acting.
Early Career
At age 26, Wilder decided that he "couldn't quite see a marquee reading 'Jerry Silberman as Macbeth'" and took the stage name Gene Wilder. He took his new first name from a character in a Thomas Wolfe novel, and his last from the playwright Thornton Wilder. He started appearing with some regularity in off-Broadway and Broadway shows. In a 1963 production ofMother Courage and Her Children, he met Anne Bancroft, who introduced him to her boyfriend, Mel Brooks. Wilder and Brooks became fast friends, and Brooks decided he wanted to cast Wilder in a production of the screenplay he was writing, The Producers.
Film Career
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.
Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl 'breaks leg' in stage fall
Media captionDave Grohl: "I'm going to go to hospital... and then I'm going to come back''
Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl is thought to have broken his leg after falling off the stage during a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The band were two songs into their set at the Ullevi stadium when the singer went to jump on a ramp but missed and fell into the security area.
"I think I just broke my leg," Grohl told the crowd as he lay on the ground.
"I'm going to go to hospital. I'm going to fix my leg. And then I'm going to come back."
He added: "You have my promise right now that the Foo Fighters - we're going to come back and finish the show."
Fans react to Dave Grohl's fall
Grohl returned after an hour with his leg in a cast to continue the show
Surreal
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the band continued the concert, playing cover versions whilst Grohl sought medical attention.
Keiron Brennan 43, from London, filmed the moments just after the 46-year-old frontman toppled from the stage.
He said: "We were only around 200 yards away and at first we thought it was a prank but then it became apparent that it was quite serious. The drummer went ashen and jumped down to see where he was. Everyone was worried as we were only two songs into the gig and we couldn't see what had happened to him.
"He reappeared after an hour to continue the concert, sitting in a chair with his leg bandaged.
"It was surreal to see him perform on stage with a medic holding his leg. The crowd was just amazed that he was carrying on. He was just phenomenal. I can't see how he will make the next gig in Holland but then he's more of a man than I am so I wouldn't put it past him," he added.
Grohl fell at 21:00 local time (20:00 BST) and went on to perform for another two-and-a-half hours.
His band later tweeted a picture of what appears to be an x-ray of his leg.
The Foo Fighters are due to play their next concert on Sunday at the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands, followed by Wembley Stadium in London next weekend and then a headline set at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK on 26 June.
This year has seen several musicians injured on stage.
Madonna also fell off stage during a live performance at the Brit Awards. The pop star continued her performance, but said she suffered "a little bit of whiplash".
Tim Curry makes rare public appearance after suffering stroke as he accepts Lifetime Achievement Award at Tony Awards party
Nearly three years ago actor Tim Curry suffered a stroke that continues to affect his speech.
But despite the health woes, the 69-year-old was in good spirits as he was honored with The Actors Fund Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday at the Tony Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles.
Speaking to Los Angeles magazine, he said that he has been 'doing well' and was 'looking forward' to receiving the honor.
Honored: Tim Curry made a rare public appearance as he was honored with The Actors Fund Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday at the Tony Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles
'I’ve done a few benefits for the Actors Fund and I think it’s a marvelous organization. I hope not to have to use it,' the acclaimed character actor quipped.
The Actors Fund provides assistance with the cost and arrangements of funerals and burials.
And it is the Legend star's sense of humor that has helped helped him to remain optimistic since his July 2012 stroke when he collapsed at his Los Angeles home.
Acclaim: The character actor received a Tony nomination in 1981 for his role as Mozart in Amadeus
Rare: In December, he made a rare appearance for a Christmas Eve dinner at Ago restaurant in Los Angeles with a friend, who pushed the It actor in a wheelchair
'It’s not tough to maintain,' he explained. 'It is just part of my DNA.'
The magazine noted that his 'speech is slowed a bit.'
In December last year, he made an appearance for a Christmas Eve dinner at Ago restaurant in Los Angeles with a friend, who pushed the It actor in a wheelchair.
Tim is best known for his role as the brilliantly mad transvestite scientist Dr Frank N Furter in the The Rocky Horror Show.
Tim Curry stars in 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show
+8
Health woes: In July 2012 he collapsed at his Los Angeles home after suffering a stroke
He first starred in the original 1973 London production, and continued to play the part on Broadway before playing the same character in the 1975 film.
On the role that catapulted him to stardom, he told Los Angeles magazine that he looks at the film's success 'with a sort of bemused tolerance.'
He continued: 'It’s neither a blessing nor a curse. I was lucky to get it.'
For many years he rarely discussed the movie, fearing he would be typecast.
+8
Good humor: The Home Alone 2 star cited his humor for helping him through his health crisis
Tim recalled opening night during his Broadway debut in The Rocky Horror Picture Show as 'very exciting' but found its critics to be far too harsh.
'I had to go on the Today Show the next day and they read the reviews - which were appalling,' he explained. 'That brought me down. It was very cruel.'
The reviews described his performance as ‘a mixture of Joan Crawford and Burt Lancaster’ and ‘Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Marc Bolan all in one.'
Stage legend: Between 2004 and 2007 he played King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot on stage in Chicago, Broadway and the West End
However, he won over the Broadway community in 1981 when he was nominated for a Tony Award for the lead role in the play Amadeus.
'It was a brilliant play and a terrific production. And a wonderful part,' he said of portraying Mozart.
'The big problem is not to make him as loony as he is, but to make him sympathetic as well.'
Between 2004 and 2007 he played King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot on stage in Chicago, Broadway and the West End.
Cult classic: Tim is best known for his unhinged role as mad transvestite scientist Dr Frank N Furter in the The Rocky Horror Show
Some of his stage credits include What About Dick? My Favorite Year and Travesties, among others.
In 2011 he was scheduled to appear in Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, however he withdrew from the production at the last minute citing ill health.
Meanwhile, at the viewing party, the veteran actor arrived in a black suit and was seated in a wheelchair.
He joins Theodore Bikel, Alfred Molina and Joe Morton as recipients of the same lifetime achievement award.
Time Wrap! He first starred in the original 1973 London production, and continued to play the part on Broadway before playing the same character in the 1975 film
'It means that it just sort of solidifies the kind of work the American acting community has given me for years now,' he said of the honor.
'It’s very gracious of them, I think. I was thrilled when they told me and I am thrilled now.'
When asked what life would be like for him if it reflected the theater, he said: 'Scary. Well the theater is scary. And the longer the time in between the periods in the theater, the scarier it gets.
Adding: 'Life isn’t meant to be scary. It’s to be celebratory. In which case, it would be like the theater. I think of that as a celebration of life.'
The Belgian non-governmental (NGO), non-profit organization APOPO has made it their incredibly admirable mission to train the highly intelligent African giant pouched rats aka HeroRATS to use their noses for such humanitarian purposes as expediently detecting bombs in post-conflict countries and detecting tuberculosis in developing countries, thus potentially saving the lives of thousands of people. The rats are trained from a young age and are rewarded through positive motivation.
APOPO trains the rats through operant conditioning, using a combination of a click sound and food rewarding. Training starts at the age of 4-5 weeks, with socialization. The young rats are weaned from their mothers and APOPO’s trainers begin socializing them to the sights, sounds, and textures of the human world. Once our rats are six weeks old, click training begins, where we teach the rats to associate a click sound with a food reward – usually banana or peanuts. After two weeks at this stage, the rats learn that click means food, and are now ready to be trained on a target scent. After these steps, our rats specialize in a target scent in either TNT for detecting landmines or TB for detecting TB in human sputum samples. After odor imprint, the complexity of their tasks gradually increases until they reach the final training stage where they have to do a blind test in order to be accredited.
As of this date, none of the HeroRATS have died in the line of duty and the trainers take special care to apply sunscreen to the rodents’ ears when they are working outside. Anyone wishing to contribute to APOPO can either donate directly or “adopt” a HeroRAT with an ongoing subscription.
There are few places more dazzling in the Robot Restaurant located in Shinjuku, Japan. We use the term 'restaurant' very loosely because it's more like a variety show, that you just happen to be dining at.
A visual feast for the senses, where the every which way you look is a kaleidoscope of colourful lights and relentless noise, where drummers are armed with glow sticks, cyber strippers fling themselves around neon poles and life-sizes robots go head-to-head in boxing matches.
But the fun doesn't end there, we haven't even mentioned the flying Terrordactyls, giant sharks, bigger Anacondas and the dance off between robots starring a bevy of scantily clad women, naturally.
So if you're in Japan and literally want to have your brain overloaded to the point where it's nearly melting, make sure you head to the Robot Restaurant, it's an experience you won't forget anytime soon.
It’s hard to imagine an experience more perfectly suited to Tokyo, and one less likely to exist anywhere else, than Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant. With a stage show that stretches the definition of terms like “elaborate” and “bizarre,” the restaurant has quickly become one of the city’s most popular venues.
We were dazzled by the Robot Restaurant from the moment we spotted it. The entire facade was illuminated in blinding LED lights, and towering lady robots with giant bouncing breasts were roving about the foyer. A band inspired by Daft Punk was rocking out behind the robots, and everything was flashing and loud and over-the-top. Sensory overload? Definitely. And we hadn’t even picked up our tickets yet. I suspected that the performance was going to be more like sensory assault.
Having arrived well in advance of the evening show, we passed the extra time in the restaurant’s upstairs lounge. You’ll want to do the same, because the lounge is unbelievable. It’s as though the world’s most outrageous interior designers were given crayons, glue sticks, glitter and mescalin, and told to go crazy. Everything is mirrored and shining. On every table, there’s a robot dinosaur. On the stage, a lady-band clad in metallic bikinis and angel wings is playing soft lounge music. The drinks are cheap and the vibe couldn’t be better. You and the people around you are in a place unlike anywhere any of you have ever been, and you’re all excited and giddy and talkative. It’s a bonding experience.
Now, however, it’s showtime. You and your new friends head into the underground theater, take your seats, and await the spectacle. Soon, the lights go out, the speakers switch on, and giant vehicles appear on either side of the narrow stage, ridden by ladies dressed as Amazonian war princesses from the year 3000. They’re pounding on drums, rotating around the stage, screaming and dancing to the music, and you’re just… confused. What the hell is happening? It’s hilarious, pointless, impressive and overwhelming in equal measure.
And that’s just Act One! By the end of the show, which stretches out across seven or eight acts, you’ll have perhaps seen boxing robots. Women riding huge mechanical cows. An alien-eating shark robot. Huge motorcycles and airplanes with pole-dancing lady passengers. A tank, I think. There was definitely a freedom-fighting panda. The shows change frequently, so you might see other things entirely, things which no sane human would ever be able to predict.
We had fun from the moment we entered the Robot Restaurant, and I’m not sure my brain has yet been able to process everything we saw. Almost as much as the show, we enjoyed watching the spectators sitting across from us. Without exception, they had their eyes wide open and huge smiles plastered across their faces. I’m sure it’s how we looked, too.
After an early Broadway debut, the late great Vincent Price (1911-1993) toiled in Hollywood films for over 50 years and appeared on countless TV shows (including everything from The Carol Burnett Show to The Brady Bunch). But, of course, the actor will always be remembered for his horror and villainous roles by generations of monster kids (whose ranks include director Tim Burton, who cast Price in one of his last—and best—screen assignments, 1990’s Edward Scissorhands). Chiller’s latest edition of The Friday 13 salutes the career of this scream legend on the occasion of his upcoming birthday (May 27). Helping us celebrate: Price’s own daughter and official biographer, Victoria. (Titles arranged according to year of release.)
1. The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The Invisible Man Returns Trailer
At age 28, stage-trained thespian Vincent Price joined Universal Studios’ classic monsters bullpen in this sequel to the James Whale/Claude Raines hit. Price stars as a man scheduled to hang for a murder he didn’t commit who takes an invisibility serum to apprehend the real killer. “The first ‘glimpse’ (!) of what Vincent Price could do with just his voice,” recalls daughter Victoria Price. The mellifluous actor disappeared into the role again with an amusing voiceover cameo for 1948’s hilarious Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.
2. Dragonwyck (1946)
Dragonwyck scene
In one of the parts dearest to his heart, Price portrays Nicholas Van Ryn, drug-addicted/wife murdering aristocrat, who lords over a gloomy mansion. “This movie meant a great deal to my father,” Victoria recalls. “He was playing a portly priest in Keys to the Kingdom, and he approached [director] Joe Mankiewicz with his desire to play the lead in Dragonwyck. The director basically said that he was totally the wrong type for the role. So my dad lost a lot of weight and really prepared for the audition—and got the role. It was his first leading film role in a genre that would become so important to him.”
3. House of Wax (1953)
House of Wax (1953) -- Unmasked
As the hideously scarred sculptor Henry Jarrod, who uses real human bodies as his museum wax figures, the art-loving actor cemented his reputation as a monstrous screen villain in this 3-D smash. “House of Wax came at a very important juncture in my father’s life,” reveals Victoria. “He had just been cleared from one of [Red Scare instigator] Joe McCarthy’s lists and allowed to work again in Hollywood. He was offered two roles—one on Broadway and one for a film about an artist incorporating an interesting new technology [3-D]. The rest, as they say, is history!”
4. House on Haunted Hill (1958)
Vincent Price - House On Haunted Hill - Trailer
In this wickedly scary gimmick film from producer/director William Castle, Price stars as a sarcastic millionaire who offers five strangers $10,000 a piece if they survive the night in the titular ghost hangout. This hit film garnered Price even more fans in the genre he would call home. Says Victoria, “Who doesn’t love Vincent Price as the elegantly evil Frederick Loren in House on Haunted Hill?”
5. House of Usher (1960)
The House of Usher (1960). The family, explained
Price’s career continued to ascend in horror circles when he top-lined this classy Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, scripted by Richard (Twilight Zone) Matheson and directed with stylish efficiency by B-movie king Roger Corman. “Roderick Usher was one of my dad’s great roles, in my opinion,” says Victoria of the tragic, hypersensitive Usher, a man with, let’s say, family issues. “As the tortured aesthete, he was so handsome in that film!”
6. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - The Pendulum Swings
The popularity of House of Usher for independent studio American International Pictures spawned a whole series of Poe flicks, most starring Price as equally troubled characters and bad guys. In Corman’s Pit and the Pendulum, Price limns Nicholas Medina, beleaguered son of a notorious Spanish Inquisition torturer who dusts off Pop’s ancient playthings thanks to his scheming wife (Barbara Steele). Shudders Victoria, “Pit and the Pendulum scared me to death when we had to watch it in school!”
7. The Comedy of Terrors (1963)
The Comedy of Terrors - Vincent Price (1/1) Not Quite Dead Enough (1963) HD
The horror celebrity always enjoyed sending up his image in both film and television, and in this hoot, directed by Cat People’s Jacques Tourneau, he’s a boozy undertaker who’ll literally murder for customers. “My dad loved getting to work with his dear friend Boris Karloff and the legendary Peter Lorre, whose eulogy he gave just a few years later,” remembers Victoria. “And boy did they have fun!” And we can tell!
8. The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Theatrical Trailer - The Masque of the Red Death (Vincent Price)
In this masterpiece of Corman/AIP’s Poe cycle, Price essays the diabolical Prince Prospero, who throws a decadent bash while plague decimates those outside his castle walls. “A few years ago,Masque of the Red Death was shown at three straight events I attended,” Victoria notes of Masque’s enduring appeal amongst cinema scholars. “The movie is so surreal and ’60s. And Nic Roeg’s saturated cinematography is iconic.”
9. The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The Last Man on Earth - Vincent Price (1/1) The Living Dead Attack (1964) HD
Tinseltown raided Richard Matheson’s excellent novel I Am Legend (about a vampire-plagued world) three times, beginning with this low-budget effort. Price’s version stands as the most faithful to Matheson, and the Rome-lensed movie also proved even more significant to Victoria. Sshe explains, “I owe my existence to Last Man on Earth! My parents moved to Italy for an extended period of time. Let’s just say that ‘La Dolce Vita’ worked its magic on 44-year-old Mary Grant Price and 50-year-old Vincent Price. When my mother started craving Chinese food in Europe, they had no idea I was the cause. But I ended up being a very happy surprise for them both…all because ofLast Man on Earth!”
10. The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
The Tomb of Ligeia - Vincent Price (1/1) A Prophecy of Ligeia’s Return (1964) HD
With a literate script by future Chinatown scribe Robert Towne, Corman and Price ended their Poe run with a fiery finish. As the downcast Verden Fell, Price suffers at the hands—and possessed feline claws—of his jealous deceased wife, who stalks her man when he remarries. As the haunted husband, Price contributes a subdued and nuanced performance, never upstaged by the movie’s killer cat or impressive English locations. “Tomb of Ligeia was Vincent’s personal favorite Poe film,” his offspring reveals.
11. Witchfinder General (1968)
The Mark of Satan Is Upon Them - Witchfinder General (Vincent Price)
In this intense film (released in the U.S. as Conqueror Worm), St. Louis-born Price tackles real-life 17th century British witch hunter Matthew Hopkins, who traveled the English countryside persecuting innocent people for practicing witchcraft. As the despicable Hopkins, Price abandoned the flamboyance of some of his previous dastardly turns. “Working with [director] Michael Reeves was very, very difficult for my father,” admits Victoria. “He understood what Reeves wanted, but his methods and his youthful arrogance were difficult for my dad—who was about the nicest man on the planet. Ultimately, however, the malevolence which my father achieved made the part one of his most memorable.”
12. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
The flying unicorn Abominable Dr Phibes
In this art-deco tour de force, Price has a campy field day as the revenge-minded disfigured doctor who unleashes his own translation of the biblical plagues on the men who failed to save his wife’s life. Price returned as the noble madman in the equally entertaining Dr. Phibes Rises Again a year later. “Classic, stylistic and quirky, Dr. Phibes reteamed Vincent with his dear old friend of 40 years, Joseph Cotton,” says Victoria of the two actors who met while performing with Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre. “And I am still struck by how expressive he was in that film of few words.”
13. Theater of Blood (1973)
Theatre of Blood (1973): A pound of flesh
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.
Could a transfusion of young blood REALLY rejuvenate old people's brains? Vampire-like treatment could stave off the effects of ageing, say researchers
Blood transfusions helped mice to perform as well as memory tests as rodents a third of their age
Scientists are hopeful the findings could apply to humans and ease burden of ageing population
It might sound like something from Dracula, but old brains have been made sprightly again thanks to young blood.
Giving ageing mice blood from much younger animals rejuvenated connections between brain cells and improved memory, experiments have shown.
The treatment is so effective that 18-month-old animals did as well in memory tests as those of only four months. Mice usually live to between 18 months and two years.
Scientists suggest blood jabs from younger adults could help pensioners stay mentally alert
If the treatment is shown to be safe and as successful in humans, it could be used to stave off the ravages of old age.
Those in middle-age could be given regular jabs of blood donated by 20-somethings, a conference heard. Diseases such as Alzheimer's could also be held at bay.
Researcher Saul Villeda told the Society for Neuroscience's annual conference in New Orleans: 'Do I think that giving young blood could have an effect on a human? I'm thinking more and more that it might.
'It's not a drug that will have deleterious effects. It's just blood. We do it all the time for blood transfusions.'
Scientists from Stanford University in the US 'sewed together' two mice of different ages.
They created connections between their veins and arteries that allowed young blood to flow into the older animal's body, and vice versa. The younger animals' brains appeared to age. But in the older animals, young blood boosted the number of connections between brain cells. The connections, which are thought to be vital to memory, were also stronger.
Dr Saul Villeda from Stanford University thinks his exciting findings in mice could apply to humans
The older mice also did just as well as the younger ones in memory tests. The treatment is now being tested on mice with an Alzheimer's-like disease. Experts said that if the research continues to bear fruit, it could lead to treatment that brings even greater benefits than penicillin.
Other work suggests an infusion of young blood could be good for the muscles, liver and immune system. However, the work is at an early stage and it will be some time before it is tested on humans.
It may be possible to identify the compounds in blood that are rejuvenating the brain and turn them into a pill.
Professor Andrew Randall, a brain disease expert from Exeter and Bristol Universities, said: 'Although this may suggest that Dracula author Bram Stoker had ideas way ahead of his time, temporarily plumbing teenagers' blood supplies into those of their great-grandparents does not seem a particularly feasible future therapy for cognitive decline in ageing.
'Instead this fascinating work suggests there may be significant benefit in working out what the “good stuff” is in the high octane young blood, so that we can provide just those key components to the elderly.'
Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine from University College London, added: 'The important questions are; what is in the blood of the younger mice that impacts the ageing process, and is it applicable to humans?
'Even if the finding leads only to a drug that prevents, rather than reverses the normal effects of ageing on the brain, the impact upon future generation will be substantial – potentially outweighing other wonder drugs such as penicillin.'
Dr Villeda said: 'Our findings open the possibility of utilising young blood towards future therapeutic interventions aimed at reversing cognitive impairments in the elderly.
'It now becomes a promising prospect to test whether this extends beyond normal ageing towards reversing cellular and cognitive decline in those suffering from age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's diseas
Well now, where shall i begin to tell you about my Infest 2012. I don't think anyone who was there would argue that the turn out this year was well down on usual, I don't doubt tough economic times may have played a part for some, having Resistanz early next year also may have informed some regulars decisions but I think that this years line up may have had a large part to play, hmmm to go or not to go that was the question, the one part of me wanted to go 'cos, well it's Infest and not only the event but the chance to catch up with friends I only get to see when we're there. I did want to see Suono and of course Suicide Commando, now you understand this is just my opinion and of course I don't expect you to agree but the rest of the line up didn't set me on fire and so after a degree of mming and erring booked tickets, accommodation and stuff and prepared
to party.
Friday saw us arrive at the venue at around 3pm and it's no exaggeration to say it was very quiet. Spacebouy provided synth pop with a modern twist and though noise isn't really my thing Dirty K managed to bring both rhythm and noise together, yeah it's noise but good noise. As more of our friends and aquaintances arrived we tended to get caught up in the usual drink, greet, gossip, drink scenario and so the rest of Friday past without us spending too much time in the main room.
Saturday saw another fairly quiet start and instead of needing to be down front at least 15 minutes befoe kick off there was still loads of room at 5 minutes to go. We got well up front for Suono at 5pm and in hindsight 5 was way too early for them to be on as they were the "dark horses" of Saturday if not the weekend and for me personally saved the day! Having seen them I know what people mean when they say their studio sound doesn't quite yet catch the essence of their live performance but man do those boys deliver when you do see them live !! I've heard them compared to Sam and XRX and I get that but if you have had doubts about seeing them live, my friends, doubt no more and if you missed them then you missed a treat. Their boundless infectious enthusiasm and techno dance beats soon had everyone partying along, I just wish that there had been more in the room to see them, I can see them rapidly becoming firm favourites not least for the music as I distinctly heard the comment from behind me "oohh they are cute boys too" Suono, you heard it here first !
Sunday seemed for the most part a more chilled affair during the day, I think a lot of us had partied pretty hard on Saturday and were taking things a bit steady, however as the day wore on and various "hairs of the dog" pulled everyone round an air of anticipation began to build, no surprise really as headlining - drum roll, Ladees and Gentlemen, Infest gives you for one night only, the one, the only, Suicide Commando !! cue storms of applause and rush for the front !! and rush we did as it was the only time of the weekend you had to be down front half an hour before - and we were.
Right from the first storming song, Johan pounded around the stage at once admonishing us with the famous waggy finger whilst encouraging us to "Come on and hate Me" Attention Whore had everyone pounding up and down (was it meant for all of us? of course it was ! we know what we are) along with Die Motherfucker Die and classics such as Time, but for me, the highlight was being forehead to forehead with the man himself yelling Bind, Torture and Kill an experience which will stay with me for quite some time. After two encores the set came to a sweaty, shouty, excitable end way too soon for all of us, leaving the lovely Tails (Tales) ?? sorry man, forgive me, I don't know which way to spell it our world famous M.C. to announce the raffle and the prize of prizes must surely have been the wonderful Beer Can Headpiece, for those who saw it you know what I mean, finally a big shout out to The Infamous Rubber Nun, Das TinTin and Zombie Chris - you know who you are ...........
As always Infest delivered on many levels, the Jager, the stalls, the crowd and the bands, if there is just one small comment I would make it would be that what Infest does Brilliantly is give lesser known and new artists a platform but for next year we need a few more names please, in the current crappy economic climate in this country and with Resistanz snapping at Infest's heels we need bands to pull us all in and keep Infest what it is, well Infest, let's face it if you've never been before you really need to come along next year and to everyone who always is, see you there next year motherfuckers !!!
