Alex Karras
Alex Karras, a retired NFL player who went on to star in Webster, died Wednesday in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson told CNN. He was 77.
read more
Rebirth
Most everyone remembers where they were 10 years ago on September 11, as we watched the horrific images and stories unfold. A decade later, many will gather in front of the TV again to watch, remember, reflect — and the broadcast and cable networks are offering a wide range of specials to put the tragedy in perspective.
But there's plenty else happening on TV this weekend. Here's my take on some of the more notable highlights, including the major 9/11 programming:
read more
Harvey Korman by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Multiple Emmy-winner Harvey Korman, known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show and Blazing Saddles, died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 81. In a statement, Korman's family said his death was related to complications from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm that occurred four months ago. Korman got his start on TV in 1964 with The Danny Kaye Show. When it was canceled three years later, he joined Carol Burnett. Korman went on to have his own, eponymous series — which did not last long — and eventually began working in film, too. Perhaps his most famous role was in Mel Brooks' 1974 Western satire, Blazing Saddles, but Korman also appeared in numerous other movies, including Brooks' High Anxiety and History of the World Part I, as well as two Pink Panther movies and Gypsy, among others. On TV, Korman's guest appearances spanned a range of shows, such as Perry Mason, Roseanne , The Muppet Show and The Love Boat. In a 2005 interview, says the AP, Korman commented on his ...
read more
Blazing Saddles, Fargo, Groundhog Day, Halloween, Notorious, Rocky and sex, lies and videotape are among the 25 films selected this year for inclusion in the National Film Registry, Variety reports. This update to the catalog of "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" films to be preserved in perpetuity also includes the silent fare Flesh and the Devil (the first on-screen pairing of John Gilbert and Greta Garbo) and Tess of the Storm Country (the 1914 feature that made Mary Pickford a star).Before you start grumbling, Liar, Liar, made in 1997, was not yet eligible.
read more
Question: The line "Badges? We don't need no steenking badges!" has been parodied in at least two other movies: Weird Al Yankovic's UHF and Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. But where did the line originally come from?
Answer: Although the original line is popularly remembered (and parodied) as "We don't need no stinking badges," it's actually "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" It comes from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), and it's a response to fortune hunter Humphrey Bogart's demand that the Mexican bandit who claims he and his companions are police officers prove it by showing their badges.
read more
Comedy legend Richard Pryor died of a heart attack Saturday morning at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 65. Pryor, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986, first gained fame as a profane stand-up performer whose edgy, freewheeling style and personal take on racial inequality influenced an entire generation of comedians, including Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Robin Williams. In the '70s and '80s, he starred in hit films such as Stir Crazy and Silver Streak in addition to writing for TV shows and movies like Sanford and Son and Blazing Saddles. In the early '80s, he also battled drug addiction, which he referenced onstage and in his autobiographical film, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling.
read more
Richard Pryor
Comedy legend Richard Pryor died of a heart attack Saturday morning at a Los Angeles hospital, the Associated Press reports. The ground-breaking comic and actor was 65 and had been ill with multiple sclerosis (MS), a degenerative disease of the nervous system, for years. Pryor first gained fame as a profane standup performer whose edgy, free-wheeling style and personal take on racial inequality was an influence on an entire generation of comedians, including Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Robin Williams. In the 1970s and '80s, he starred in hit films such as Stir Crazy and Silver Streak in addition to writing for TV shows and movies like Sanford and Son and Blazing Saddles. In the early 1980's, he also battled drug addiction, which he referenced on stage and in his autobiographical film, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling. He was diagnosed with MS in the 1990's
read more