QUOTABLES ...
We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.
George Bernard Shaw
QUOTABLES ...
We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.
George Bernard Shaw
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS …
GARY COLEMAN PASSES
Diminutive former child actor Gary Coleman, known to millions as the star of hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, has died after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Coleman, 42, had been on life support after being hospitalized at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center on Wednesday. He had slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness.
Coleman suffered a head injury after falling at his home.
Coleman's manager John Alcanter said Coleman died shortly after 12:00 pm local time following a decision to discontinue life support.
"He was removed from life support; soon thereafter, he passed quickly and peacefully. By Gary's bedside were his wife and other close family members," Alcanter said in a statement.
"Thanks to everyone for their well wishing and support during this tragic time. Now that Gary has passed, we know he will be missed because of all the love and support shown in the past couple of days.
"Gary is now at peace and his memory will be kept in the hearts of those who were entertained by him throughout the years."
MOVIE NEWS …
SHERLOCK HOLMES 2
Warner Bros has announced a December 16th 2011 release date for the Guy Ritchie-directed sequel Sherlock Holmes 2, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
The film will be going head to head with the Brad Bird-directed Mission: Impossible IV, one week after Martin Scorsese’s 3D movie The Invention of Hugo Cabret , and one week before Steven Spielberg’s 3D performance capture adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Cameron Crowe’s adaptation of We Bought A Zoo.
Also, Producer Joel Silver confirmed to Sci-Fi Wire that Rachel McAdams will return for the sequel, stating that “she’ll be present”. But I wouldn’t expect her to have a large role as the actress is tentatively scheduled to begin filming on Terrence Malick’s untitled next film in the fall.
Silver also confirms that the next film will pay off and revolve around Sherlock’s archnemesis Moriarty. Brad Pitt had previously rumored to be in line for the role.
TRIVIA BITS ...
ECO REAR-WHEELED VEHICLES
The AERO sustainable vehicle concept features three rear wheels and a mid engine. Designed by Cristian Polanco, this eco-friendly two-seater’s exterior was inspired by air and water.
The body of the AERO sustainable vehicle concept is made from compressed polymers, which is a lightweight, recyclable material. This car generates its own energy through wind power, solar panels and a battery pack. AERO is able to travel at high speeds while only consuming a small amount of the energy it generates
QUOTABLES ...
People always ask me, 'Were you funny as a child?' Well, no, I was an accountant.
Ellen DeGeneres
THIS WORLD ...
15 BIZARRE BUILDINGS
Towers that seem alive, twisting and dancing with each other. An alien-like blob that looks like a UFO after dark. A building that’s literally a blur. All of these and more are homes, hotels, museums and cathedrals around the world created without any sense of restraint or desire to fit in. To say these bizarre buildings are unconventional would be putting it mildly – they’re almost too strange to be real.
The Tianzi Hotel, China
Could this be the weirdest-looking hotel in the world? Ten stories tall, the Tianzi Hotel in Hebei Province, China holds the world record for the world’s “biggest image building”. The three figures that make up its hulking shape are Fu Lu Shou – good fortune, prosperity and longevity.
Nautilus House, Mexico
Fanciful and strange, the shell-shaped Nautilus House in Mexico City hardly looks like a home. But even though the inside is just as unconventional as the outside – with carpets of plants, stone walkways and entirely curvilinear surfaces – a couple and their young children actually live there.
Atomium, Belgium
The aptly named Atomium building consists of nine interconnected steel spheres that together form the atomic crystal structure of iron (magnified 165 million times, natch). Designed for the 1958 World Fair in Brussels, this 335-foot-tall wonder contains exhibition spaces, a restaurant and a dormitory for visiting schoolchildren with escalators connecting the spheres.
Cathedral of Brasilia, Brazil
From the outside, this bizarre building hardly looks like a cathedral – but that’s exactly what it is, and once you step inside the beautiful and colorful stained glass affirms its identity. The Cathedral of Brasilia is made up of 16 curving concrete columns with glass in between them, and a glass ceiling.
Errante Guest House, Chile
The word ‘unusual’ doesn’t quite cut it when describing this extremely odd building, which hardly looks habitable with its sloping surfaces. Details on this structure are fuzzy, but it’s certainly an eye-catcher.
Kunsthaus, Austria
Called the “Friendly Alien” by its creators, Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, the Kunsthaus Graz is an art museum in Graz, Austria built in 2003 for the European Capital of Culture celebrations. The blob-like structure definitely deviates from the typical minimalist style of modern art museums and at night, when it’s lit up, it looks unlike anything else in the world.
Blur Building, Switzerland
From afar, it looks like little more than a strangely earthbound cloud. But get a little closer and you realize that it’s actually a building shrouded in man-made fog. The Blur Building in Switzerland is a suspended platform that sprays tiny drops of lake water into the air from 31,400 jets, creating the mist effect. The building was created for the sixth annual Swiss National Exhibition and can host up to 400 visitors at a time.
Tenerife Concert Hall, Spain
Who else but Santiago Calatrava could have created this sculptural work of art, the Tenerife Concert Hall in the Canary Islands of Spain? The dramatic curve of its sweeping roof gives it an entirely unique silhouette, especially when viewed from the side. Made from concrete, the auditorium connects the city of Tenerife with the ocean.
Kettle House, Texas
Made of steel sometime in the 1950s, the ‘Kettle House’ in Texas has attracted many a curious tourist. The unusual choice in materials and shape was probably influenced by the owner’s previous occupation – building storage tanks for oil companies.
Casa Batllo, Spain
One of Barcelona’s treasured buildings designed by the famed Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo is known locally as the ‘House of Bones’ for its flowing, skeletal stonework. With small balconies that resemble the faces of lizards and an exterior texture reminiscent of scales, perhaps it could more accurately be called reptilian.
Olympic Stadium, Quebec
Built for the 1976 Summer Olympics, the Olympic Stadium in Montreal is now used as a stadium for the city’s professional baseball and football teams. Its centerpiece is the Pisa-like leaning tower, the tallest inclined tower in the world at nearly 575 feet.
Guggenheim Museum, Spain
Considered one of architect Frank Gehry’s greatest works, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain is a mass of random curves made from titanium, which resemble fish scales. Gehry says “the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light”, and that they do, with a brilliant shimmer that reflects the sparkling water of the Nervion River.
Kansas City Library, Missouri
What could be more appropriate for a library design than making it look like books on a shelf? The Kansas City Library in Missouri features a façade of book spines, including Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, that fence in the parking areas which sandwich the historic building.
Federation Square, Australia
Taking up an entire city block, Federation Square is an imposing collection of architecture, but there’s more than enough whimsy to balance out its sheer size. Reminiscent of Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao – albeit far more geometric – this building’s design was the winner of an international competition to create a new civic precinct in the center of Melbourne, Australia.
Dancing Building, Prague
Hmm, what super-famous architect could have been involved in this building? That’s right, Frank Gehry had a hand in the design of the Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic, which was co-designed by Vlado Miluni?. The building’s two main structures resemble a pair of dancers, hence its nickname – but it’s also known as ‘Drunk House’.
Cubic Houses, Netherlands
After many Rotterdam buildings were destroyed in WWII, architects had a bit of fun redesigning many areas in new, modern and sometimes surprising styles. The Cubic Houses are one example, designed in the 1980s by architect Blom. They’re basically standard houses turned on a 45 degree angle, each resting on a hexagonal pylon. The cubes are so fascinating that one owner decided to buy and manage a “show cube” to keep tourists from disturbing the rest of the residents.
TRIVIA BITS …
SCREEN TESTS
Screen tests, although an important part of the casting process, are not always reliable in indicating an actor’s potential.
Fred Astaire’s first screen test was famously marked in the studio report “ Can’t act. Can’t sing. Can dance a little.”
Clark Gable, Shirley Temple, Rock Hudson and Brigitte Bardot all failed early screen tests before moving on to become Hollywood major stars.
JUST FOR FUN …
IF MR BEAN
If Mr. Bean Had A Baby
If Mr. Bean Was In Avatar
If Mr. Bean Was Justin Bieber
If Mr. Bean Had A Daughter
If Mr. Bean Was Lady Gaga
If Mr. Bean Was Bin Laden
If Mr. Bean Was In Legally Blonde
If Mr. Bean Was In Orphan
If Mr. Bean Was A Pirate
If Mr. Bean Was The Pope
If Mr. Bean Was Harry Potter
If Mr. Bean ran For President
If Mr. Bean Was Tomb Raider
If Mr. Bean Was In Twilight
QUOTABLES ...
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Charles M. Schulz
MOVIE NEWS ...
SCREAM 4
Lake Bell ("Boston Legal") is in negotiations while Ashley Greene ("Twilight"), Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") and Rory Culkin (“Twelve”) have all been offered key starring roles in the upcoming "Scream 4" for Dimension Films says Heat Vision.
The film reunites director Wes Craven, writer Kevin Williamson and three of the original stars of the late 90's trilogy - Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox.
Greene would play Campbell’s cousin Jill who essentially serves as the heroine of the movie. Panettiere would play her best friend and the new trilogy's equivalent of Randy (the film geek).
Bell play a police officer who knew Sidney (Campbell) from high school, while Culkin would play a potential love interest for Jill. Due to the script's secrecy, casting is going slowly as actors are only allowed to see character descriptions rather than whole scripts.
Craven, Williamson and Iya Labunka are producing. Filming is aiming to kick off in July in Michigan.
TRIVIA BITS …
WATCHES AT SEA
As early as the 15th century, a bell was used to sound the time on board a ship. Time was kept with an hourglass. The bell was rung every half hour of a four-hour watch.
Reproduction half hour sand glass
A 24-hour day was divided into six watches of four hours each, including the first watch (beginning at 20:00 hrs), middle watch, morning watch, forenoon watch, afternoon watch, and dog watch.
The dog watch (16:00 - 20:00 hrs) could be divided into two two-hour watches, the first dog watch and the second or last dog watch, to allow for the taking of the evening meal.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS ...
“THE AMITYVILLE HORROR” HOUSE
The house made famous in the 1979 film "The Amityville Horror" is up for sale in New York — ghosts not included.
The five-bedroom Dutch Colonial went on the market Monday for $1.15 million.
The Oscar-nominated film is based on the story of the Lutz family's brief stay in the house in 1975 after six members of the DeFeo family were shot and killed as they slept in the home. Eldest son Ronald DeFeo Jr. was convicted of the murders.
The crime spawned a book and a series of movies that chronicled various supernatural horrors, including visions of walls oozing slime, moving furniture and a visit from a demonic pig named Jodie. The original film stars James Brolin and Margot Kidder.
Neighbors say gawkers still occasionally come by, mostly on Halloween.