Rest In Peace, Don LaFontaine
Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Voice-over king LaFontaine dead at 68
Don LaFontaine, who voiced more than 5,000 movie trailers during a career that saw him dubbed "The King of Voiceovers," has died in Los Angeles, his agent confirmed Tuesday. He was 68.
LaFontaine died in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre on Monday from complications caused by an ongoing lung-related illness after being admitted to the facility in late August.
The voice actor was best known for his catchphrase used on several trailers that began with the words "In a world where..."
Among movies that LaFontaine provided the voice for were "The Elephant Man," "Batman Returns," "The Terminator" and "Dr Strangelove."
As well as his trailer work, LaFontaine is believed to have voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including advertisements for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonald's and Coke.
LaFontaine is survived by his wife and three children.
A Friday Muppet Moment...
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008
At the end of June, 5 new Muppets clips appeared on YouTube. Entertainment Weekly asks, "Are the Muppets staging a stealth comeback online?" Maybe, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But in the meantime ... enjoy!
Check out Beaker and the Swedish Chef's duet of Carmen's 'Habanera' aria...
Or a little clip of Statler and Waldorf doing what they do best...
"The Blue Danube Waltz" as conducted by The Great Gonzo and featuring the lovely Camilla...
Beaker Meeps "Ode To Joy"...
And finally, Sam the Eagle presents a musical salute to America...
With the teaser trailer for the sixth Harry Potter movie, The Half Blood Prince, we're offered a glimpse of evil at an early age -- sort of like seeing Darth Vader as a child in the Star Wars prequels without the awful performances.
Just as MTV hooked up with Warner Bros. to offer an early glimpse of The Dark Knight, that partnerships serves up this "leaked" peek at Tom Riddle/Voldemort as a nipper.
And talk about nepotism -- Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (son nephew of Ralph "Lord Voldemort" Fiennes) plays the young Riddle -- sans simulated snake nostrils.
RIP Don Davis, 1942-2008
Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 That Was S...G...1! Accomplished character actor Don Davis died on June 29th of a massive heart attack, he was 65. Davis appeared in over 100 projects, most notably as Major Garland Briggs in Twin Peaks and as General George Hammond in over 160 episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Davis also appeared as Captain William Scully, Dana Scully's father, on The X Files. Davis was a fantastic actor, and I count myself among his many fans. Rest in peace, Don Davis ... you will be greatly missed.
Oh how I want to believe...
Posted on Friday, June 06, 2008 As a die hard X-Files fan, I'm extremely excited that there's a new X-Files film making it's way to theaters on July 25th. Yahoo! Movies has posted an exclusive new trailer. It's *far* better than previous trailers! Check it out, right now!
omg noooooo!!!
Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008 From Screen Daily... Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko starts shooting May 18
UK-based sales company Velvet Octopus will be launching sales in Cannes for S. Darko, billed as the sequel to the 2001 cult hit Donnie Darko. Fox has already taken North American rights.
Daviegh Chase reprises her role as Donnie's younger sister. The cast for S. Darko also includes Ed Westwick (Son Of Rambow, Gossip Girl), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2) and Justin Chatwin (Dragon Ball).
Ash Shah's Silver Nitrate and Newmarket Capital are producing. Los Angeles-based Chris Fisher, who previously made Nightstalker and Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders, will direct. The budget is pegged around $10m.
The story picks up seven years after the first film (and Donnie's death) when little sister Samantha Darko and her best friend Corey are now 18 and on a roadtrip to Los Angeles when they are plagued by bizarre visions.
Fisher said in a statement: "I am a great admirer of Richard Kelly's film and hope to create a similar world of blurred fantasy and reality."
Producers have spoken to Richard Kelly about the project but he is not involved in any official capacity at this stage.
Simon Crowe of Velvet Octopus added: "I think there is a new generation of cinema-goers who will be very excited to see this film."
Crowe quipped to ScreenDaily: "Donnie's not in [the new film] but there are meteorites and rabbits."
