obituary Tagged Articles at Cinematical
RIP Punk Poet Jim Carroll
Filed under: Obits », Trailers and Clips »
Punk poet and author of The Basketball Diaries Jim Carroll passed away September 11th at the age of 60. His autobiography, which detailed his transformation from prep school basketball player to an increasingly desperate drug addict, was adapted for the big screen in 1995. Leonardo DiCaprio's raw performance as Carroll bolstered the young actor's rising star; the film also featured Lorraine Bracco as Jim's mom and Mark Wahlberg as one of his teammates and drug buddies.Carroll also contributed two songs to the soundtrack, "Catholic Boy" and "People Who Died, " which was also used in the soundtracks for E.T. and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.
The rocker and writer was also featured in the documentary Poetry in Motion, along with other famous modern poets like Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, and Anne Waldman. Check out some clips from the movie here, courtesy of Monika Bartyzel. After the jump you'll find a clip from The Basketball Diaries that could easily double as a D.A.R.E. commercial, as well as a music video of Carroll performing "People Who Died" with his band for the movie.
George Carlin Passes Away at 71
Filed under: Comedy », Obits »
Not four years ago, my father took me to see George Carlin perform his stand-up routine live as a belated birthday gift, and what a pleasure it was to see one of my favorite comedians display his considerable - and considerably crude - talents within spitting distance of my impressionable young psyche.
Even if that weren't the case, it would still be extremely sad to see Carlin go, as Reuters unfortunately reports. He appears to have passed away just last night of heart failure, at the age of 71.
Carlin had nearly thirty film and TV credits to his name, and while his most recent role happened to be in Happily N'Ever After of all things, he'll surely be more fondly remembered for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Dogma, and for his numerous Emmy-nominated stand-up specials and Grammy-winning comedy albums.
Of perhaps the slightest comfort and tribute was the fact that the news of his passing had me uttering aloud one of his "Seven Dirty Words", a routine which brought him to Washington, D.C. in order to tangle with the U.S. Supreme Court back in 1978... and yet, earlier this week, the Kennedy Center offered him reason to return to the nation's capital three decades after the fact, when they were to honor him this November with their annual Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy.
Our thoughts go out to his loved ones. He will undoubtedly be deeply missed.
RIP: Aaron Spelling
Filed under: Newsstand », Obits »
After suffering a stroke last week, legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling died last night; he was 83. Known primarily for his remarkably successful -- with audiences, if not critics -- escapist television shows, Spelling also produced a handful of movies over the course of his long career in Hollywood, including Soapdish and both Charlie's Angels films. Spelling served in the Army during World War II, and after returning home eventually headed to Hollywood where he worked briefly as an actor, playing bit parts on TV and in films like Three Young Texans and Wyoming Renegades. Shortly thereafter he began writing for television. Hired by friend and mentor Dick Powell to write for Zane Grey Theater, Spelling eventually became a producer on the show and, in 1959, branched off on his own for the first time with the short-lived Johnny Ringo.
Spelling's greatest success came in the 1970s and 80s, when he produced series such as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Starsky and Hutch, T.J. Hooker, Hart to Hart, Dynasty, and Charlie's Angels. That list amounts to about 5% of his total output, which runs to over 200 television shows and movies (including the much-loved The Boy in the Bubble); at one time, Spelling was personally responsible for fully 1/3 of ABC's prime time programming.
Vintage Image of the Day: RIP, Al Lewis
Filed under: Vintage Image of the Day », Obits »
Al Lewis was so well-remembered for his role as Grandpa on The Munsters that when he campaigned for the office of governor of New York in 1998, he petitioned (unsuccessfully) to have his name appear as "Grandpa Al Lewis" on the ballot. However, he had a long career of other character roles in both TV and film; his filmography includes The World of Henry Orient, Used Cars, and Married to the Mob. And let's not forget that the Munsters weren't confined to TV but had a theatrically released film in 1966, Munster Go Home.
Lewis died on Friday after years of failing health. His age appears to be under dispute: his son was quoted on Saturday as saying that Lewis was born in 1923 and was 82, but other sources report that he was born in 1910 and was 95. Whatever his age, he had a long and varied career. Although I had heard about his political career, I had no idea that "Grandpa Munster" had a PhD in child psychology, had worked as a basketball talent scout, and ran a restaurant.
RIP, Chris Penn
Filed under: Action », Drama », Thrillers », Newsstand », Obits »
It's rare that I open my news feeds and am actually shocked by something in the "movies!" folder, but the news of Chris Penn's death this morning really shook me - and I can't imagine I'm alone in my affection for him. Though Penn made dozen and dozens of mostly unimpressive films, there was always something powerful inside him that, when called upon, could produce moments of greatness. From the bumbling buddy in Footloose to the brutally conflicted son in At Close Range; from the dim flunky in Reservoir Dogs to the out of control brother in The Funeral, his surprising, affecting performances made us regret all the crap that much more, and perhaps explain why so many of us were inexplicably on his side.
Penn was 40; the cause of his death is unknown.
Lou Rawls, dead at 72
Filed under: Newsstand », Obits »
Lou Rawls, who made a name for himself as a suave, "smooth-voiced" singer and later added both acting and charity work to his substantial resume, died today in Los Angeles. Rawls got his start in the gospel world, singing in church choirs from the age of seven and later following in the footsteps of his friend Sam Cooke by joining larger, touring gospel groups. After a stint in the Army, he made the switch to more secular music with a Capitol Records contract, and his popularity skyrocketed.
Though he is clearly best known as a singer, Rawls also had a surprisingly substantial movie career, appearing in more than a dozen films (though most of his roles were minor ones). Among his appearances were small parts in Leaving Las Vegas and Blues Brothers 2000, as well as voice-over work for a number of animated television shows and movies.
You're my boy, Blue!
Filed under: Comedy », Newsstand », Obits »
Patrick
Cranshaw, the man who played the lovable codger Blue in Old
School, died yesterday at his home in Texas. Before vaulting to totally unexpected fame in his role as the
oldest fraternity dude ever, Cranshaw had sustained a film and television career for nearly 50 years, playing mostly
minor roles in films ranging from Bonnie and Clyde to
Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and on TV shows like Boy Meets World and Mork & Mindy.According to his manager, Cranshaw loved the recognition that Old School brought him, getting real pleasure of out the affection shown him by complete strangers. He was 86.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
