Archive for » March, 2009 «

Darth Vader Struck By Prostate Cancer

18 Mar 2009 - admin

David Prowse, the British actor who impersonated Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” series, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the British media. He’s already been doing chemotherapy at Royal Marsden hospital in London. Prowse, who is 74 years old, says he’s feeling good after the therapy, the main side effects being the hair fall and some heat waves.

David Prowse has performed in Stanley Kubrik’s “A Clockwork Orange” and in some episodes from “The Benny Hill Show” and “Doctor Who”.

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American Idol Top 11 Country Week

18 Mar 2009 - admin

March 17 marked a new milestone in the American Idol 2009 contest, with the 11 finalists striving to get through to glory.

The contestants were singing country music this time, and their performance was somehow unexpected for some of them. If we only think at Anoop Desai who was almost about to go home last week, because of his poor performance singing “Beat It” by Michael Jackson, this night he was much better. Simon appreciated his evolution, so he’s probably safe through this stage of the competition. Anoop sang “You are always on my mind”, of Willie Nelson.

The recent widower Danny Gokey sang “Jesus Takes the Wheel” of Carrie Underwood’s, in an original manner. Danny is good, but he’s just exaggerating a bit towards the end of the performance.

Megan Joy Corkrey was touching in her original variant of Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” and she’s probably not going to be eliminated this week.

Then we saw Matt Giraud singing “So Small” by Carrie Underwood. He surely is good, he stands good chances to become the next American Idol for Season 8.

Allison Iraheta sang “Blame it On your Heart” by Patty Loveless, in a mature way. Judges liked her performance.

Kris Allen opted for Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love”, making it his own version in a nice way.

Who is going to go home from AI 2009 contest after the March 17th performance? We will know it very soon.

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Natasha Richardson Skiing Accident

17 Mar 2009 - admin

The 45 years old British actress Natasha Richardson, has ended her skiing day in the hospital, because of a head injury. She was in Quebec, in the Most Tremblant ski resort, so she was taken at the nearest hospital, Centre Hospitalier Laurentien. Then she was treansferred to Hopital du Sacre-Coeur in Montreal.

Natasha’s husband, the actor Liam Neeson, who was filming in Toronto, took a plane to Montreal as soon as he heard the news about his wife. At this moment, there are no news about her condition.

Liam Neeson and Natasha RichardsonPhoto credit: ABCNews.go.com

Natasha Richardson, the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson, followed acting classes at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. In 1998, she won a Tony award for her impersonating the character of Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

Later update: I’ve just found out that Natasha Richardson died as follow to her severe brain damage from skiing accident. May she rest in peace.

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Andy Samberg Will Be Hosting MTV Movie Awards

17 Mar 2009 - admin

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards ceremony will take place on May 31st, airing live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. So far, it has been announced that the “Saturday Night Live” star, Andy Samberg is going to be the host of this year’s awards show. Samberg said that he is excited to host the MTV Movie Awards, as he is a big fan of the show and has always been. Besides, this is a chance to step in the shoes of some of his heroes who have been the show hosts in the past such as Justin Timberlake, Mike Myers or Ben Stiller.

Andy Samberg Photo: Mathew Imaging/FilmMagicAndy Samberg Photo: Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic

The MTV Movie Awards is an event which is considered by a part of the audience as being more glamorous and more interesting than the Oscars. We are alooking forward to see who gets the awards. Until then, predictions are welcome!

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AI 2009 Top 13 Show Results: Eliminated Contestants

16 Mar 2009 - admin

The top 13 finalists on American Idol Season 8 which is not ongoing had to sing a Michael Jackson song for the show.

The bottom 4 contestants were Jasamine Murray, Megan Corkrey, Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez. The judges were not impressed by their efforts, and finally, two of them had to leave the show: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez.

Now, that we have the top 11 contestants, tonight they are going to sing Grand Ole Opry songs. In the beginning, Brad Paisley, as well as Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis will be singing for the audience.

American Idol Top 11 - Photo credits: tv.popcrunch.com

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Ron Silver Dies to Esophageal Cancer at 62

16 Mar 2009 - admin

Ron Silver, actor and political activist, died yesterday, after struggling two years with esophageal cancer. He was 62 years old.

One of the milestones in Ron Silver’s career as an actor was the winning of a Tony Award for his performance in “Speed-The-Plow”, on Broadway. In that play, Silver was sharing the stage with Madonna and Joe Mantegna. Other noticeable performances were “Silkwood”, “Timecop”, “Reversal of Fortune” and  “Garbo Talks”, where he performed together with Anne Brancroft.  Many people remember him, as well as Anjelica Huston from Paul Mazursky’s “Enemies: A Love Story”.

While there’s no doubt Ron Silver will be remembered for his acting, he will also be on many people’s minds as the co-founder of the One Jerusalem organization and of the Creative Coalition.

In February 2008, he started hosting a weekly radio program aimed at politics, The Ron Silver Show, on Sirius Satellite Radio.

I’m sorry to say this, but it makes me think that we ought to get screened for esophageal cancer every 1-2 years, after 40-50 years of age. Esophageal and colon cancer can be treated if they are diagnosed early. Too bad this implies undergoing endoscopy and colonoscopy, which not all people can easily stand.

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Who Is Danny Gokey?

11 Mar 2009 - admin

Have you seen the Top 13 American Idol Season 8 finalists? Six girls and seven boys are going to compete for becoming the next American Idol. Among them, Danny Gokey, a 28 years old church praise and worship music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While he enjoys the job at the church, Danny would rather sing the mainstream music of the young generation. This is totally understandable.

Danny Gokey: Top 13 American Idol Hollywood Finalists

Instruments Danny plays: vocals only

Auditioned in: Kansas City, Missouri, on August 8th 2008, just one month after his wife, Sophia, suffered a heart surgery and died from post-surgery complications. She had always encouraged Danny to go for the contest, as she believed in his talent.

For the Top 13 Hollywood week, his song of choice was “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” by Michael Jackson.

Will Danny Gokey win this season of American Idol contest? This is far too early to tell, but he surely has a touching story. Besides, his presence on the scene is good, his voice sounds almost like a professional, so he’s got enough chances to win. Are you betting on Danny Gokey for the big finale?

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Top 13 Finalists for American Idol 2009

11 Mar 2009 - admin

Finally, about one week ago, the top 13 finalists competing for this year’s American Idol contest, Season 8, have been chosen. It is the first time in the history of this popular TV show that 13 people are going for the final. This is going to get more and more interesting, as we advance in the contest. For now, let’s see who the lucky ducks of AI 2009 are:

Kris Allen

Age: 23
Lives in: Conway, AR
Occupation: Kris Allen is a student at the University of Central Arkansas
Singing since: 13 years old.

Megan Joy Corkrey

Age: 23
Lives in: Sandy, UT, with her 2-year-old son, Ryder
Occupation: self-professed “foodie”
Singing since: 3 years of age

Anoop Desai

Age: 22
Lives in: Chapel Hill, NC.
Occupation:working on his Master’s degree in Folklore at the University of North Carolina.
Singing since: in the childhood he was a member of the UNC Clef Hangers, an a cappella group.

Matt Giraud

Age: 23
Lives in: Kalamazoo, MI
Occupation: piano player and singer in local clubs and hotels

Danny Gokey

Age: 28
Living in:Milwaukee, WI
Occupation: president and founder of a non-profit organization

Alexis Grace

Age: 21
Living in Memphis, TN
Occupation: member of the Concert Choir at the University of Memphis
Singing since: 7 years old

Allison Iraheta

Age: 16
Lives in: Downey
Occupation: high school junior
Singing since: 5 years of age

Adam Lambert

Age: 27
Living in: Hollywood
Occupation: musical theater performer
Singing since: 10 years of age

Scott MacIntyre

Age: 23
Originating from: Scottsdale, AZ
Scott graduated from Arizona State University at age 19, and attended graduate school in London, England
Musical skills: plays piano, guitar and drums.

Jasmine Murray

Age: 17
Living in: Starkville, MS
Occupation: student at The Mississippi School of the Arts
Singing since: 3 years of age

Jorge Nunez

Age: 21
Lives in: in Carolina, Puerto Rico
Occupation: student at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Lil Rounds

Age: 24
Living in: Memphis, TN; she is married, with three children.
Singing since: 3 years of age

Michael Sarver

Age: 27
Living in Jasper, TX; he is married with two children
Occupation: oil rig worker

Out of the 13 finalists, Anoop Desai was the last one to find a wild card. He knew he didn’t make the top 12, but he got a great surprise to discover that the top 12 is actually Top 13, for the first time in the American Idol.

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