The Silver Screen Oasis

Naomi Watts has been announced to star in the retelling of The Birds. I'm taking this as good news, since she already showed she could bring new dimensions to a role when playing against animals gone amok in King Kong. Michael Bay is among the producers, which sounds like bad news though. I fear F/X will probably be given priority over script...

Moraldo Rubini wrote:Naomi Watts has been announced to star in the retelling of The Birds. I'm taking this as good news, since she already showed she could bring new dimensions to a role when playing against animals gone amok in King Kong. Michael Bay is among the producers, which sounds like bad news though. I fear F/X will probably be given priority over script...

I don't know how I feel about that. I worship Naomi Watts. She's one of the few actors who in my opinion could have been a silent star (which is high praise). But gawd, Michael Bay? Ugh.

An art exhibition in Scotland recently revealed a suprise: One of the figurative paintings from the 1950's depicted Sean Connery from his modeling days.

Moraldo Rubini wrote:An art exhibition in Scotland recently revealed a suprise: One of the figurative paintings from the 1950's depicted Sean Connery from his modeling days.

I've seen some of those - I can't remember if it was part of a magazine article, or during an interview Connery did on some TV show.

Nevertheless -- Hubba-hubba.

First Jimmy Stewart, now Yoda? Yup. There was a poll, asking which Star Wars should get his own U.S. postage stamp and Yoda beat out Darth Vadar. October 25 was the release date, and it was launched with a party that featured a lass dressed as Princess Leia (the one wearing white burlap and featuring the cinnamon twist hairdoo). Here's what she unveiled:

Marilyn Monroe lives on... or her estate does, at least. And it's kickin' mad. Seems Marilyn's assistant had the chore of taking inventory of Monroe's personal affects after her untimely demise. After a year on the task, the assistant was discharged; but she kept some of the items. Years later they've turned up in the hands of the assistant's distant relative. It turns out that everything was intended to go to Lee Strasberg, whose widow, Anne, now runs the lucrative estate. I'm betting Miss Monroe would never have dreamed that these issues would be coming up nearly fifty years after her death.

I had to go to England to get this American news, but it's been announced that To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee will receive the Medal of Freedom.

Indeed good news about Harper Lee, Moraldo. But I was wondering if you knew when that poster of Sean Connery was going to be available on EBAY...

Hubbuhbbuh Bubbbubuh....

In an update to the Spielberg stolen computer story, a man who schemed to sell the stolen computers and photographs used for Spielberg's forthcoming Indiana Jones movie plead guilty Thursday and will serve two years and four months in state prison. Roderick Davis was arrested in West Hollywood during a sting operation by detectives who learned that some of the stolen material was being offered fro sale to several entertainment gossip web sites. The detectives posed as potential buyers for the images and set up a meeting. When Davis arrived, they took him into custody. The items were stolen from the Universal Studios lost and were said to contain confidential materials related to the fourth installment of the adventure series, this time featureing Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf in addition to Harrison Ford.

Lost City reports that Manhattan's famed 21 Club has a bottle of bubbly waiting for Joan Crawford. The somelier would set aside bottles purchased by famed denizens of the joint for later visits. But sometimes the dazzling clients would pass away before the drink was drunk. Since they bought it, 21 can't resell it. I suppose it should go to the estate. Bottles of fine wines await John Huston, Eva Gabor, Sammy Davis, Jr. and others too. Photos and the full story are available at the link (see above).

Sue Sue Applegate wrote:Indeed good news about Harper Lee, Moraldo. But I was wondering if you knew when that poster of Sean Connery was going to be available on EBAY...

Hubbuhbbuh Bubbbubuh....

Sue Sue-

Until such time as "modeling Sean" is replicated for general consumption, you might consider checking him out in the late 70's sci-fi cult farrago Zardoz.
Whether or not you enjoy the film (or even "get" it) will be pretty much entirely a matter of what floats your boat (it practically defines the concept of cult film), but through most of it, Connery is 90+% nakies, with only his "choice bits" covered by a post-holocaust suede man-didey.
Afterward, you may be hard-pressed to decide which was sillier - his wardrobe, per se, or his ponytail.
But you'll never forget Zardoz, I guarantee you; it's a John Boorman film, by the way, which is probably why it runs kinda like a Gene Roddenberry saga with a left-handed, lysurgic twist.

Thanks, klondike. Sounds like I have some homework to do!

The List Universe has listed the Top 15 Most Misquoted Lines from the Movies. The movies are:

1. Dracula
2. Frankenstein
3. Blonde Crazy
4. Tarzan
5. She Done Him Wrong
6. Lives of a Bengal Lancer
7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
8. Return of Sherlock Holmes
9. Casablanca
10. White Heat
11. Star Wars
12. Star Trek
13. Forrest Gump
14. Apollo 13
15. Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Before checking out the List (see above), I'm sure most of you can guess nearly all (if not all) of what the quotes will be. The cool thing about the list is you can actually listent to most of the real quotes there. And there's an honorable mention. Can you guess what that will be?

klondike wrote:...it runs kinda like a Gene Roddenberry saga with a left-handed, lysurgic twist.

That's probably the best description of that movie that I've ever read.

jondaris wrote:

klondike wrote:...it runs kinda like a Gene Roddenberry saga with a left-handed, lysurgic twist.

That's probably the best description of that movie that I've ever read.

Thanks, Boss!
Betcha you never figured on using the designator "best" in a sentence about Zardoz!
I think it was either Gene or Roger, on the original Sneak Preview movie critique show, who said something to the effect that having a big, strong opinion about John Boorman's work was easy, but explaining why could often be quite difficult.