richard burton Tagged Articles at Cinematical
A New Book in Praise of Cinema's Hellraisers
Filed under: New Releases », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom »
I loved the drinking and the waking up in the morning and finding I was in Mexico. It was part and parcel of being an idiot. -Peter O'TooleTodays "idiots," so to speak, lack a certain finesse. There are lots a tabloids that capture their every move, but they don't really create the stories we'd want to read about later. Some of the old-school rabble rousers, however... Reuters reports that Robert Sellers is releasing a book on May 29 called Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed.
In the description on Amazon, it says: "It's a story of drunken binges of near biblical proportions, parties and orgies, broken marriages, drugs, riots, and wanton sexual conquests." Of course, I want to read it. It's funny how some talent and far-reaching charisma can make risque stories all the more intriguing. Perhaps that's the gauge of true talent -- will we still like them after they mess up? Again? And again?
Then again, the stories are also a little bit more interesting than racial slurs to cops or ladies showing their glory boxes to the world at large -- although the old tales are not all charming. But still, I can't resist a book full of My Favorite Year.
Robert Goulet Passes Away at 73
Filed under: Comedy », Music & Musicals », Newsstand », Obits »
Legendary performer Robert Goulet died yesterday morning at the age of 73. Goulet was hospitalized last month in Las Vegas, where he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare but rapidly progressive condition. The crooner passed away while awaiting a lung transplant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He failed to meet the criteria for the transplant. His physician, Doctor David Kipper, says Goulet was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. Goulet's wife of 25 years, Vera, tells CNN he was in good spirits to the end, telling doctors "Just watch my vocal cords" right before they inserted a breathing tube. Goulet gained international fame in 1960 playing Sir Lancelot in Broadway's Camelot, with Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. His popularity grew through Las Vegas concerts and performances on programs like The Ed Sullivan Show. Many in my generation know Goulet best for his tongue-in-cheek comedic performances. Goulet played a role in several of my favorite comedies -- he was Maxie Dean in Beetlejuice, pitch-perfect as the villainous Quentin Hapsburg in The Naked Gun 2 1/2, and had a hilarious guest bit in Scrooged. He was also the singing voice of Wheezy the Penguin in Toy Story 2, and sang at Bart's treehouse casino on an episode of The Simpsons. And of course, the guy became hip all over again when Will Ferrell started doing an insane Goulet impression on Saturday Night Live. In fact, this Goulet sketch -- "Red Ships of Spain" -- is responsible for the hardest laughter I have ever experienced.
He will be missed. Head over to Goulet's personal website for more information.
British Computer Scientists Prove That Connery Is Bond!
Filed under: Action », Classics », MGM », Sony », Fandom », Tech Stuff », James Bond », Remakes and Sequels »
There have been countless debates about which James Bond is best, and as we saw from Kevin's post last November, the fans are all in disagreement. But those who side with Sean Connery can now celebrate a scientifically conclusive victory over the others, since a computer has apparently proved that the first Bond was the true Bond. Two U.K. psychologists -- one based in Scotland and one based in England, in case you think there's regional bias -- produced a composite image using a prototyping technique on a computer, and of all the Bond actors the image most resembles Connery.
The funny thing is, according to their procedure, the psychologists' proof is incorrect. Maybe they should have stressed that Connery is the closest thing to a real Bond ever portrayed in an official 007 film, because the real movie Bond would have to be David Niven, who plays the character in the parodic adaptation Casino Royale (the 1967 one). See, the composite image was made by feeding the computer pictures of other actors who Bond author Ian Fleming had said in 1961 had a facial structure similar to what he imagined for the character. Those actors were Stewart Granger, Richard Burton, Patrick McGoohan, James Mason, Rex Harrison, Cary Grant and, yes, David Niven. Considering the fact that McGoohan is still alive, there is still time for a tie, but I'll go ahead and crown Niven with the honor despite what a computer tells me. Either way, though, one important thing the composite seemed to indicate is that Daniel Craig is the furthest of all from being the true Bond.
Richard Burton still getting roles
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy »
Richard
Burton may have died in 1984, but he's still getting better roles than many living actors. The stage and screen
actor will play the narrator in the upcoming stage adaptation of Jeff Wayne's album War of the Worlds. The 1978 album was a musical version of the
H.G. Wells novel. The stage musical will tour the UK in April. Don't worry, Tom Cruise is not involved in any way.How is it possible for the late Burton to appear in a live stage production? He voiced the narrator on the 1978 album, so the producers will use the album's recording of his part in the stage musical. Burton will be represented visually onstage by a 3-D image of himself, which will be integrated with the recording so that the image appears to be speaking. I hope he is more successful than Laurence Olivier was in the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
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