Category: Celebs

“Demolition Man” Trivia

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Chris Hayner, at Gamespot, came up with a piece called Demolition Man Easter Eggs: All The References And Things You Didn’t Know.  My guess, is our regular readers will know most of these, but then again, unless you click over, how can you be sure?  At any rate, here are three of my favorites and thoughts on them…

3. Modern-day LA almost looked very different:  When John Spartan goes in to capture Simon Phoenix, he’s brought to the scene by helicopter. Originally, director Marco Brambilla and his team planned to use a blimp in the scene. However, due to the fire effects used in the scene and the presence of heavy winds, it was decided that would be too dangerous.

(While I think blimps are cool, that helicopter scene with Stallone bunging jumping to the rooftop while under fire set the tone for a great action movie!  I wish Demolition Man had leaned harder into that than some of the comedy elements. – Craig)

5. Another Simon Phoenix:  According to many sources, including AMC, Snipes was not the first choice to play the villainous Simon Phoenix. Stallone actually wanted Jackie Chan in the role. However, Chan reportedly turned it down because he didn’t believe his fans wanted to see him play a bad guy.

(Jackie Chan would have made a great Simon Phoenix, but I’m glad the role went to Snipes.  My guess is if Chan had accepted the part, the comedy elements would have increased.  – Craig)

10. Sandra Bullock wasn’t the first choice for Huxley:  Originally, Lori Petty (Tank Girl, Point Break, A League of Their Own) was cast in the role and even shot a scene. “It just wasn’t working,” the director said.

(Bullock was perfectly cast, but I would love to see the scenes shot with Petty. – Craig)

“Over the Top” Poster by Robert Sammelin

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Robert Sammelin created this Over the Top poster. Sammelin, who lives in Sweden, is an Art Director and illustrator whose art can be found on video games, album covers, posters, illustrations, and comic books. 

Sammelin is also the first featured artist at JoBlo’s Awesome Art We’ve Found on the Net: Artist’s Edition.  If you click over you’ll see Sammelin’s riffs on Dirty Dancing; Escape from New York; Night of the Living Dead; Logan; Mad Max: Fury Road and more.  Then jump over to Sammelin’s Instagram for the full load.

“What We Do In the Shadows” Trivia!

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I hope you’re watching What We Do in the Shadows.  It is the best movie to tv adaption yet.  What We Do in the Shadows is funny and clever, but most folks I talk to haven’t checked it out.

Scott Beggs at Mental Floss has.  He came up with  12 Regular Human Facts About What We Do in the Shadows.  So without further delay, here are my top three facts and thoughts on ’em…

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS BEGAN AS A SHORT FILM, AND HAS TURNED INTO A FRANCHISE.
(I did know that What We Do in the Shadows is a television adaptation of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s What We Do In the Shadows movie.  I’ve seen and loved it!  What I didn’t know was the movie was an offshoot of their short film, What We Do in The Shadows: Interviews With Some Vampires.  I will have to look for the short film! – Craig)

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS HOSTED AN EPIC GATHERING OF POP CULTURE VAMPIRES.
(In addition to a perfect cast, What We Do In the Shadows features a variety of guest stars such as Mark Hamill, Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, Haley Joe Osment, Taika Waititi, Tilda Swinton, Danny Trejo, Paul Reubens and Dave Bautista. – Craig)

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS CONSTANTLY REMINDS US THAT VAMPIRES ARE HUMANS, TOO.
(THAT is it!  They are so relatable… except for the drinking human blood and turning into bats and stuff. – Craig)

If you haven’t checked out What We Do In the Shadows, please consider giving it a shot.

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RIP – Denny O’Neil

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Denny O’Neil died yesterday at his home after a long illness.  Mr. O’Neil was 81.  Denny O’Neil was a comic book writer, editor, teacher, novelist and screenwriter for television and movie projects. 

Mr. O’Neil is often credited with steering Batman from the cartoonish character of earlier comics and the television series to a more serious creature of the night.  It was also O’Neil who wrote the classic, award-winning Green Lantern / Green Arrow issues that proved comics could shine a spotlight on issues of the day and still entertain.  He revitalized The Question for DC comics.  He served as a mentor and editor to Frank Miller on Daredevil.  He wrote the famous Superman vs Muhammad Ali comic.  He did all of these things and so much more.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Denny O’Neil’s family, friends and fans.

Andy Griffith Trivia!

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When I think of Andy Griffith, I think of his classic The Andy Griffith Show.  Mr. Griffith played Andy Taylor, the Sheriff of Mayberry, a small town in the south.  Griffith was joined by a perfect cast in a top-rated show that spawned two spin-off series (Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Mayberry, R.F.D.) and ran for eight years (finishing at #1 in it’s last season).

But Andy Griffith was much more than Andy Taylor.  Andy Griffith made comedy records, sang and played on county and gospel albums, appeared on Broadway, starred in feature films, television movies as well as other tv series.

MeTV has 12 surprising things we learned about Andy Griffith.  A lot of these facts were new to me.  Here are my thoughts on three of them…

His favorite snack was peanut butter and mayonnaise on crackers.
(I grew up eating peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches.  Not many folks I know have ever tried one and the thought usually grosses them out.  I’ll bet Andy would have given a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich a go.  I’d also wager that the crackers he ate were Ritz and after taking a bite he’d say, “Goooood cracker.  Good cracker.”  Most of you probably aren’t old enough to remember his commercials for Ritz crackers where he’d say that after taking a bite of one. – Craig)

He regretted ending The Andy Griffith Show after eight seasons.
(I’ll bet he did.  The Andy Griffith Show was always in the top ten for each season it was on.  It was also one of only three tv series to quit while in the number one spot.  – Craig)

He made $25,000 a week in clubs while The Andy Griffith Show was on break.
(That translates to about $185,000 a week in 2020.  Wow.  Andy was making bank! – Craig)

Click over and check out 12 surprising things we learned about Andy Griffith.

Rambo Franchise Trivia!

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Sam Hutchinson at ScreenRant posted Rambo: 10 Things Fans Never Knew About The Franchise.  My guess is most readers here will know most of these facts.  Here are my three favorites with my thoughts.

The Only Rambo To Receive An Oscar Nomination.
(Rambo: First Blood Part II was nominated for Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing.  That’s right, Rambo is an Oscar-nominated film franchise.  – Craig)

Rambo Was Banned In Myanmar.
(Rambo was set in Burma / Myanmar and due to the spotlight the movie brought to the treatment of many in the country, the film was banned. Hopefully some reforms came about due in at least a small part to Rambo. – Craig)

Broken Nose.
(Sly accidentally broke Alf Humphrey’s nose during First Blood filming, which is why his character is seen wearing a bandaid after Rambo’s jailhouse escape. – Craig)

To get all the facts and details click over to Rambo: 10 Things Fans Never Knew About The Franchise.

Bruce Lee Trivia!

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Jay Serafino at Mental Floss presents 10 Amazing Facts About Bruce Lee.  Here are my thoughts about three of the best…

BRUCE LEE REFUSED TO LOSE A FIGHT TO ROBIN.
(It’s pretty impressive that Lee took this stand since Batman was one of the most popular shows on tv, and Lee wasn’t the star of Batman or The Green Hornet. – Craig)

ROMAN POLANSKI MAY HAVE (BRIEFLY) THOUGHT BRUCE LEE MURDERED SHARON TATE.
(I was surprised when I first learned of this fact.  What are the odds Lee would lose his glasses around the same time of the murder and that a pair would be found at the scene of the crime?  Coincidences do happen and can get people locked up or worse. – Craig)

BRUCE LEE WAS DEEMED PHYSICALLY UNFIT FOR THE U.S. ARMY.
(This is probably the most surprising fact.  Who’d have guessed that Bruce Lee would be deemed unfit for anything? – Craig)

For more on Bruce Lee please consider checking out…

Jean-Claude Van Damme Trivia!

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Jake Rossen at Mental Floss posted 8 Surprising Facts About Jean-Claude Van Damme.  Below are three of my favorite facts and my thoughts. 

  • JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME WORKED AS A BOUNCER FOR CHUCK NORRIS. (Can you imagine?  So you make it past JCVD and then you have to take on Chuck. Ha! – Craig)

  • JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME ONCE CHALLENGED STEVEN SEAGAL TO A FIGHT AT SYLVESTER STALLONE’S HOUSE. (Sly Stallone must have the best parties! You should click over to Rossen’s article just to read Sly’s quote about the incident. – Craig)

  • JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME HAS TWO STATUES DEDICATED IN HIS HONOR. (The first statue is located in Brussels, Belgium.  This makes sense since JCVD has been known as the Muscles from Brussels.  The location of the second statue makes even more sense as it is located in the the village of Vandam in the country of Azerbaijan. – Craig)

“40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic” Narrated by Sly Stallone is Coming!

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40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic is a new documentary premiering on-demand June 9th.  Narrated by Sylvester Stallone and directed by  Derek Wayne Johnson (director of John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs), the new film will heavily feature behind-the-scenes footage taken by Alvidsen and Lloyd Kaufman (Rocky production manager).

For more details check out Rocky Making-Of Documentary Narrated By Sylvester Stallone Sets On-Demand Bow by Dade Hayes at Deadline.