Category: Celebs

RIP: Rodney Dangerfield

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Rodney Dangerfield passed away this afternoon.

Man, I really enjoyed Rodney‘s comedy. Most people really became aware of Rodney Dangerfield after he appeared [and got the best laughs] in Caddyshack.

But I remember him first from his standup comedy on variety shows in the 60’s that I used to watch with my grandparents. Rodney’s trademark line, “I don’t get no respect” was always followed by several great one-liners.

“I don’t get no respect. When I was born I was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother.”

“I don’t get no respect. I was in a bar and a guy asked me if I had any naked pictures of my wife. I said, ‘No.’ He asked me if I wanted to buy some.”

After Caddyshack, Rodney graduated from co-star to star status and headlined several movies. But it was always his standup that appealed most to me.

Now Rodney’s gone. I’m going to miss seeing him pop up from time to time with another spin on his “I don’t get no respect” lines. But I’ll always have great memories of watching Rodney perform and all of the laughs he gave us.

And you have to respect that.

Our prayers go out to Rodney‘s family and friends.

Hoping for a Happy Ending for Mike Tyson

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Mike Tyson, once the most feared fighter in the world, and a 9-1 favorite was knocked out in the fourth round by British heavyweight Danny Williams.

Yeah, Tyson‘s 38 years old. And yes, Williams outweighed Tyson by over thirty pounds. And it’s true that Tyson won the first three rounds on ALL of the judges‘ score cards. Tyson‘s people are already blaming the loss on a knee twisted in the first round.

Perhaps they didn’t see the flurry of punches Williams unleashed on Iron Mike in the fourth round which left him sitting on the canvas bloodied and beaten.

I was pulling for Tyson. I always seem to be pulling for him.  Sometimes I’m not sure why.

Mike Tyson had it all and blew it. From what I’ve read and seen of Mike, I doubt if I’d like to hang around with him for very long. Still he intrigues me. Tyson has a vast knowledge of boxing and a love for the sport and it’s history. He WAS the baddest man in the world until he hooked up with Don King. It’s like the storybook tale of a kid born with everything against him who overcomes it all… and then loses it

I guess I just keep hoping for a happy ending.

Kurt Wimmer Goes Ultraviolet

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About a year ago I had the good fortune to attend a special screening of Equilibrium, written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. Mr. Wimmer was in the audience and took questions afterwards. One of the questions was about his next project.

Mr. Wimmer said it would be called “Ultrviolet,” and it would star Milla Jovovich. The story involves a woman who finds herself the protector of a boy targeted for death against the backdrop of a civil war between humans and vampires. Mila is a vampire!

This is another project worth watching.

40 Years Later and Still Trippin’

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After nearly forty years, they’re coming back for one more show!

That’s right! Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Carl Reiner, stars of the original “Dick Van Dyke Show” have reunited for the show’s “159th Episode,” which will air May 11th on CBS. Series regulars Larry Mathews (Richie) and Ann Morgan Guilbert (Millie Helper) will also return. Sadly, Morey Amsterdam, who played Buddy, died in 1996.

Although the “Dick Van Dyke Show” remains a favorite, the last original episode appeared in 1966! That will all change when the new episode airs on May 11th. In the new episode, Rob, who’s still married to Laura, gets a phone call from his old boss, Alan Brady who wants Rob and Sally to write his eulogy.

Ray Ramano (Everybody Loves Raymond) will host the episode which will feature clips from the original “Dick Van Dyke Show” episodes.

Who knows, maybe if this new episode is well received, they’ll come back in another 40 years and do another!

“Hellboy” Opens This Week!

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One of the many movies that ZONErs have been looking forward to opens this week. That’s right, Hellboy comes blasting into theaters across the country this Friday.

Chud.com has a nice interview with Hellboy director, Guillermo Del Toro, who talks about changes he had to make to get Hellboy to the screen, why he sees Hellboy as an emotional teenager, and much more.

Ron Pearlman gets the interview treatment over at JoBlow.com. Pearlman talks about Guillermo, the hardships of playing Hellboy, what his next project will be and more.

If this movie is half as good as the comics, then we’re in for a real treat!

New Cast Joins the 13th Precinct

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The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Gabriel Byrne and Brian Dennehy have joined stars Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne for the remake of John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13.”

The script has been changed slightly. It’s still set in a police precinct building that’s about to be shut down. Only now it’s New Year’s Eve, and a mobster (Fishburne) has been temporarily incarcerated there. As a rogue gang tries to free him, a cop (Hawke) must take command of a few policemen and prisoners to defend the station. Byrne plays a cop who has his own agenda, while Dennehy is a cop on the verge of retirement.

I loved the original “Assault on Precinct 13” and hope that this one lives up to it’s potential.

Mel Gibson, the Man

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I’ve always liked Mel Gibson. I’m talking about Mel Gibson, the actor.

Gibson could have went the easy route after the runaway worldwide success of The Road Warrior. But he didn’t. Instead he took chances… movies like Hamlet, The River, and The Year of Living Dangerously.

Then Mel Gibson, the actor, took an even bigger chance and became Mel Gibson the director. He soared to even greater heights with Braveheart and The Patriot. Gibson hedged his bets somewhat since he was the star of both of these megahits. But with The Passion of Christ he has put it all on the line.

Gibson co-wrote, directed and funded [to the tune of $30 million or more of his own money] The Passion of Christ. The movie is subtitled since the actors speak the original languages. And Gibson‘s face never appears on screen. Talk about taking chances. All of this has added to my admiration of Mel Gibson.

Last night after watching his interview on ABC’s Primetime I was even more impressed. Gibson spoke openly and honestly about his crisis of faith and how his beliefs have saved… even redeemed him. He answered the charges that he was anti-Semitic. And he refused to answer anything about his father other than to say that he loved him. Mel says that message of The Passion of Christ is “faith, hope, love and forgiveness.” It was refreshing to see a celebrity be so open and revealing. And while I may not believe everything in the same way as Mel I can honestly say that I’ve never liked him more.

I’m talking about Mel Gibson, the man.

More About Mel

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The last ZONE piece that I did on Mel Gibson brought in a lot of e-mail, so I thought that many of you would be interested in another Mel Gibson update.

Mel is featured on the cover and is the subject of a lengthy article in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Mel will also sit for an interview that will air on ABC’s Monday “Primetime.” Mel also has an interview in the March issue of Reader’s Digest.

Finally, the Ransom Special Edition dvd will be released on March 23rd. It’ll have a commentary track by director Ron Howard, extensive deleted scenes, a “What Would You Do” making-of featurette, and more.

If you have a passion [sorry, I couldn’t resist] for Mel Gibson movies, then February and March are going to be a lot of fun!

Gibson’s Passion

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I‘ve been a Mel Gibson fan since I first saw The Road Warrior  at a drive-in movie theater over twenty years ago. It’s been cool following Mel’s career… and even cooler to discover what a talented director he is. Braveheart  and Lethal Weapon  are two of my all-time favorite movies.

Mel‘s been taking a lot of heat for his latest movie, The Passion of Christ, but I have a feeling that, while it may not be a crowd-pleaser on the level of The Patriot, it is going to be very well done, moving and impressive.

Kurt Russell’s Miracle

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I think that Kurt Russell is one of the most under-rated actors in Hollywood.

I loved him as Snake Plisken in Escape From New York and Escape From LA.

And while not every Kurt Russell movie has been a favorite, I can truly say that even the bad ones have been made better because of him.

Kurt‘s latest is Miracle. And while it’s not high on my must-see list, I’ll bet it will be better because Russell is in it.

Til Ink Dries Do Us Part

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Seems that Britney Spears and her new husband, Jason Alexander, have already decided to call it quits.

That’s right! It’s being reported that all the annulment papers had been signed by both Spears and Alexander and are expected to be filed when the courts open today.

So much for until Death Do Us Part… this one didn’t even last until the ink had dried on the marriage contract!

Britney Off the Market

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The crying that you hear is from single guys around the world…Britney Spears married her childhood friend, Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas strip early yesterday.

While I’m sure Seinfield jokes will abound, the fact that Britney got married is not.

And that somehow seems as surprising as “The Crocodile Hunter” holding his one month old in his arm as he went in to feed a huge croc.

Crock Hunter is Like Mike

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Remember all the flack that Michael Jackson got when he held his baby over the balcony? Well, Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin may be in for more of the same.

On January 1st, “The Crocodile Hunter” held his one month old in his arm as he went in to feed a huge croc.

A lot of people are outraged — and rightly so. Irwin even received a warning from child-care authorities.

Talk about stupid. It’s one thing to put yourself in potentially dangerous situations – but it’s indefensible to do the same to children.

QT Has a Plan

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Michael Madsen is one of those under-rated actors who makes a movie better every time he shows up. For nearly a decade fans have hoped that Madsen, Quentin Tarantino and John Travolta would get together and make “The Vega Brothers” based on their characters from “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction.“
As the years passed the project seemed doomed to never happen. Although Madsen says that Tarantino has a plan that could make it work…