Deborah Dozier Potter, whose mother was Joan Fontaine (1917-2013) and whose aunt was Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020), has written a touching remembrance of her late aunt. In it, she reveals she was far closer to Olivia than to her own mom. Potter acknowledges the famous sisters' infamous feud, writing: “Olivia and my mother were, indeed,…
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Blondie & Manilow Sell Catalogues, Go-Go’s Fact Check & More!
Links to the past, with relevance today: Debbie's rollin' in dough, ya'll! (GIF via GIPHY) ROLLING STONE: Blondie's co-founders — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein — as well as Barry Manilow have sold their entire catalogues to Hipgnosis, which will license it up the wazoo. Clearly, these older artists are considering the limiting qualities of…
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Andrew Lloyd Webber Euthanizes ‘Cats,’ Elton John Celebrates Sobriety & More!
Links to the past, with relevance today: Universally loathed (Image via Universal) THE TIMES: Andrew Lloyd Webber has been happy with some of the film adaptations of his greatest theatrical hits — Cats (2019) was not one of 'em: “The problem with the film was that [director] Tom Hooper decided, as he had with Les Mis,…
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‘Midnight Express,’ ‘Fame,’ ‘Evita’ Director Alan Parker Dies @ 76
Following a lengthy illness, British director Alan Parker, one of the medium's most audacious genre-hoppers, died Friday, July 31, at 76. His death was confirmed by ExtraTV. Born in London on February 14, 1944, Parker distinguished himself in the '60s in the field of advertising, where he stood out as a creator with a distinctively…
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Olivia de Havilland, Golden Age Icon, Dies at 104
Less than a month after her 104th birthday, Old Hollywood icon Olivia de Havilland has died in Paris of natural causes. De Havilland won two Oscars in her long career. (GIF via GIPHY) Her publicist Lisa Goldberg confirmed de Havilland's death to The Hollywood Reporter. At the time of her death, she had been the oldest…
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He-Man Actor John Saxon Dies @ 83
Tough-guy actor John Saxon, whose career stretched from bit parts in the 1954 classics It Could Happen to You and A Star Is Born to 2015's The Extra, died Saturday of pneumonia at 83. ExtraTV confirmed his death. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDFnMkxhwW4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Saxon was born August 5, 1936 (some sources cite 1935), in Brooklyn. He was discovered at…
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Regis Philbin Dies @ 88
Nine years after leaving his iconic morning show Live! for good, Regis Philbin — who set a record for most hours on television with over 16,000 — died Friday of natural causes at 88. In an exclusive statement to People magazine, the Philbin family said: "His family and friends are forever grateful for the time…
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10 Ultimate Classic Games & Toys, ’60s-’80s
What you played with as a child shaped who you are today. I know this is true because I approach every dilemma as if I'm in a Choose Your Own Adventure Book, or as if I am wending my way through the Ravenloft module of Dungeons & Dragons. Following are some '70s and '80s toys…
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Olivia Newton-John’s New Movie, Trump Gets Spanked & More!
Links to the past, with relevance today: In a strange twist of fate, ONJ makes a cameo! (Image via Amazon Prime) GREG IN HOLLYWOOD: Olivia Newton-John is appearing in a brand-new movie, The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, which is out now. Yes, it stars 80-year-old Paul Hogan, and it's all about a fictionalized proposed comeback.…
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Whatever Became Of … Richard Lamparski?
Here's one from the vaults, my 2012 interview with author Richard Lamparski: As a kid, I discovered a '60s and '70s book series called Whatever Became Of...? by Richard Lamparski. If you've never read them, they each contain about 100 profiles of and/or interviews with celebrities of yesteryear, meaning 20 to 50 years prior to their publication.…
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