Sylvester Stallone is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director. He is well known for his Hollywood action roles. He portrayed the boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky films, and John Rambo in the Rambo films. The Rocky statue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are known as the “Rocky Steps” based on the Rocky series. On December 7, 2010 he was voted into boxing’s Hall of Fame.
Arts & Entertainment
Martina McBride (1966-Present)
Martina McBride is an American country music singer, and songwriter. She has been called the “Celine Dion of Country Music”, known for her big voiced-ballads, and soprano range. She was signed to RCA Nashville in1991. She’s had a string of major hit singles in the Billboard Country Chart. She’s had 5 singles to No.1 on the country chart from 1995 to 2001. She’s sold over 14 million albums. Four times she has won the Country Music Association’s “Female Vocalist of the Year” award. In the Academy of Country Music she has won 3 times “Top Female Vocalist” award. She has a record of eleven studio albums. Two of her album compilations have received an RIAA Gold Certification, or higher.
Don Pardo (1918-2014)
Dominick George “Don” Pardo was an American radio and television announcer. His best known work was on the long-running late night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, from 1975 until his death in 2014. He was in notable shows such as: The Price Is Right, Jackpot, Jeopardy!, Three on a Match, Winning Streak, and NBC Nightly News. He died in his sleep on August 18, 2014. He was 96 years old. R.I.P. Don Pardo
Lauren Bacall (1924-2014)
Lauren Bacall was an American film, and stage actress, and model. She started as the leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have and Have Not (1944). She appeared with Bogart in these films: The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), Key Largo (1948), How to Marry A Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe, and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck. On Broadway she won the Tony Award for musicals such as: Applause (1970), and Woman of the Year (1981). She won a Golden Globe Award for the film The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She was married to Humphrey Bogart from 1945-57 (till his death in 1957). After that she married Jason Robards in 1961, and divorced him in 1969. In 1999 she was ranked #20 among top 25 actresses on the AFI’s 100 stars list of the American Film Institute. She received an Academy Honorary Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She died of a stroke on August 12, 2014. She was 89 years old. R.I.P. Lauren Bacall
Robin Wiliams (1951-2014)
Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor, voice actor, and stand-up comedian. He rose to fame in a role as the alien called Mork in the TV show series Mork & Mindy. He had a successful stand-up comedy, and film acting career. His films financial success are Popeye (1980), Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumangi (1995), The Bird Cage (1996), Night at the Museum, (2006), and Happy Feet (2006). He won Best supporting actor at the Academy Awards for his performance in Good Will Hunting (1997). He also won two Emmy awards, four Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and five Grammy awards. He died today (August 11, 2014). Cause of death is yet to be determined. He was 63 years old. R.I.P. Robin Williams
Somewhere in Time (1980)
Somewhere in Time (1980) is a romantic fantasy film. The film adaptation is based on the 1975 novel Bid Time Return written by Richard Matheson. The movie is about Richard Collier, a playwright who becomes obsessed by a photograph of a young woman at the Grand Hotel. Using his self-hypnosis, he travels back in time in 1912 to find love with actress Elise McKenna, but her manager William Fawcett Robinson fears that romance will ruin her career, and resolves to stop it.
I have seen this movie over 20 times, and still love to see it. I think the film is beautifully redacted from the novel. I would recommend anyone who loves romantic films to watch it, if they haven’t seen it. I think reading the novel would be a good idea, too. If it is still available in stores still, which I bet it is. But, reading the book isn’t necessary.
Bob Kane (1915-1998)
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist. He was credited alongside Bill Finger as the creator of the DC superhero Batman. In 1994 he was inducted into the comic book industry’s Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, and in 1996 into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. Bob Kane once quoted of his creation “, …I made Batman as a superhero-vigilante when I first created him.” Batman was created in 1939, and the Joker was created in 1940. Batman first appeared in Detective comics #27 in 1939. The Joker appeared in Batman #1 in 1940. Bob Kane died of natural causes on November 3, 1998. He was 87 years old. R.I.P. Bob Kane
Danny Murphy (1955-2014)
Danny Murphy was an American actor. His best known roles were in the movies There’s Something About Mary, and Me, Myself & Irene. His first movie role was in Kingpin. The last film he starred in was Hall Pass. He died of cancer in August 8, 2014. He was 58 years old. R.I.P. Danny Murphy
Menahem Golan (1929-2014)
Menahem Golan was an Israeli director, and producer. His best known works were Masters of the Universe, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and Captain America, which were comic book-style movies. Under the pen-name Joseph Goldman, he wrote and “polished” film scripts. He produced around 200 films, and directed 44 films. He died on August 8, 2014. He was 85 years old. R.I.P. Menahem Golan
Judy Garland (1922-1969)
Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her acting career spanned more than 40 years in musicals, and dramatic roles as an actress. Fred Astaire described her as “The greatest entertainer who ever lived”. Her best known role was as Dorothy in the film, The Wizard of Oz (1939). She also starred in the film, A Star Is Born (1954). She married 5 times, and got divorced 4 times. In her personal life she struggled by film executives, which they constantly manipulated her onscreen physical appearance. She was plagued by financial instability, owing thousands of dollars in taxes. She was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. The American Film Institute placed her among the ten greatest female stars in the history of American cinema in 1999. She had a long battle of drugs and alcohol, that led to her death in June 22, 1969. Her cause of death was “an incautious self-overdose” of barbiturates. She was 47 years old. R.I.P. Judy Garland
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