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  • Gilda Radner, John Belushi Remembered by Original SNL Stars

    Gilda Radner and John Belushi were two of the original Saturday Night Live stars, but sadly, they both tragically died far too young and at the height of their careers.

    Gilda Radner broke hearts, including her husband and the original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder, when she died of ovarian cancer in 1989, at the age of 42. She won an Emmy for her SNL work and was hilarious portraying her most famous character, Rosanne Rosannadana.

    As for John Belushi, who may be best-known for his work as one of the Blues Brothers, he died of an accidental overdose in 1982, at the age of 33.

    People magazine took some time to interview several of their former SNL cast mates prior to the 40th Anniversary Show scheduled for tonight on NBC.

    Chevy Chase of the famed Vacation films said it is easy to look back and remember both of them with great fondness.

    “It’s not hard looking back,” said Chevy Chase. “It would only be hard if I tried to forget them. I loved these people and it was unfortunate how they died but they were wonderful. John was like up to my shoulder but a brick, strong fella, but he had his issues, as you know. Gilda always had a pocketbook filled with candy. That’s all she ate, she loved it. She was loved by many. I think about the loss of Gilda and particularly the loss of John and think, that’s it, you’re never going to find them again, anything like them.”

    Laraine Newman shared one particular member of Gilda Radner that seems to perfectly capture the personality of her friend.

    “One time during a rehearsal in Louisiana, Gilda and I were left in a room somewhere for four hours,” said Lorraine Newman. “No food or water, no bathroom. No way to communicate. Remember, cell phones hadn’t been invented yet. But, Gilda being Gilda, made it a party. The room had one of those little metal trash cans with a lid and foot pedal that lifted it. This became Gilda’s puppet and I interviewed it. And, for 4 hours, we howled. She was such a dear friend.”

    Fellow funny lady Jane Curtin had her own memories to share.

    “We were all siblings. Let’s put it that way,” said Curtin. “And we were all very protective of each other. [Executive producer] Lorne [Michaels] and I, we didn’t blend well. We were like oil and water. So we would communicate through Gilda. One time he wanted me to rip my shirt open during Weekend Update, but he was scared to ask me. Gilda came to me and she said, ‘Lorne wants to ask you something but he’s too afraid.’ Losing John and Gilda was sad, but it’s not just them. We’ve lost many. Some of the memories are lovely, some are sad, some are funny. But you keep going back.”

  • Robert De Niro Biography Reveals Shocking Secrets

    Robert De Niro is perhaps the most iconic living actor. The method actor has been known to disappear completely into dark roles and even risk his life for the process.

    De Niro gained so much weight to play Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980) that he reportedly had trouble breathing during the physically exhausting production, even to the point where director Martin Scorsese shut down filming because he feared that De Niro’s health would fail him.

    We’ve seen the legend as a young Vito Corleone before the Godfather became a Don, as a delusional taxi driver who wishes to wash away all the scum of the earth, and a Goodfella who would kill his friends but would never rat them out.

    Despite De Niro’s massive presence on the big screen, the 71-year-old actor has mostly kept his private life private. However, that’s about to change.

    In Shawn Levy’s biography De Niro: A Life, available just in time for the holidays, the dark curtain of the actor’s life is pulled back for the audience to finally see. Many of De Niro’s secrets and most private moments are now on display in Levy’s unauthorized bio.

    Levy writes in his book that after De Niro found success in films like Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, that he became a heavy cocaine user. His affinity for the drug led to a friendship with John Belushi, he was even with the comedy legend at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles on the night that Belushi died from a drug overdose from mixing heroin and cocaine. In fact, Levy contends that De Niro may have felt some level of responsibility for his part in Belushi’s tragic death because the friends had talked about using heroin as a way for Belushi to go method for an upcoming film role.

    The book also goes into De Niro’s romantic life and his womanizing ways. Levy discusses the actor’s relationships with Uma Thurman, Whitney Houston, and Naomi Campbell. The biographer also delves into the darker side of De Niro. He writes about the man who was abusive to his girlfriends and had an extremely bad temper. There is also a story about how De Niro tried to force one of his girlfriends to get an abortion.

    Despite the revealing of De Niro’s darkest secrets, Levy also clearly respects and admires the actor. This is not just a book about uncovering skeletons in an icon’s closet. The biography also explores De Niro’s whole life story, including his childhood. Additionally, the book covers the actor’s impressive 40 year career and filmography.

    De Niro has yet to comment on Levy’s biography.

  • Bill Murray Talks All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’ Cast

    Bill Murray starred in Ghostbusters thirty years ago, and he doesn’t want to star in any future Ghostbusters productions. However, that hasn’t stopped the funny man and actor from discussing the possibility of a remake with an all-female cast. And what an amazing cast that would be.

    “I’m fine with it; I’d go to that movie,” he said during an interview with The Toronto Star at the Toronto International Film Festival, where his drama/comedy with Melissa McCarthy, St. Vincent, premiered. “They’d probably have better outfits, too.”

    Bill Murray even shared the names that immediately came to mind when he imagined that Ghostbusters all-female cast.

    “Melissa (McCarthy) would be a spectacular Ghostbuster,” Murray said, mentioning his latest co-star first. “And Kristen Wiig is so funny. God, she’s funny!”

    Word spread quickly, it seems, throughout those present at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    That’s not all, however.

    “I like this (Mad Men’s) Linda Cardellini a lot. And Emma Stone is funny. There are some funny girls out there,” he added.

    Kristen Wiig even replied.

    Do you suppose Sony will heed Bill Murray’s suggestions and produce a new Ghostbusters with his all-female list of characters? It would likely have a box office draw, but probably nothing compared to the original.

    Ghostbusters was a supernatural comedy film, first released in 1984. It was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and in addition to Bill Murray, starred Dan Akyroyd, and Harold Ramis. The film was originally scripted to include parts for John Belushi and John Candy. John Belushi’s death and Candy not opting in forced some re-writing. A huge box office success, Ghostbusters was nominated for two Oscars, but didn’t win.

    Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy will appear in theaters next month in St. Vincent, where Murray plays the role of a retired, drunken war veteran–who also likes to gamble. McCarthy’s character–his new neighbor–recruits him to watch over her 12-year-old son. Murray’s character’s ideas of after-school entertainment are vastly different from those of McCarthy’s.

    While fans might be a bit disappointed to learn Bill Murray won’t appear on the big screen in a new Ghostbusters, they will no doubt enjoy seeing him alongside Melissa McCarthy. St. Vincent opens in U.S. theaters on October 10th, and looks to be perfect vintage Murray–almost akin to his What About Bob? persona.

  • Harold Ramis, Comedy Legend, Passes Away at 69

    Harold Ramis, who spent over 30 years as a writer, actor and director, passed away early Monday morning due to complications from a rare autoimmune disease called Inflammatory Vasculitis. He was 69 years old.

    Mr. Ramis started his career in the 1960s as a joke editor for Playboy magazine. He cut his teeth in Chicago’s Second City Improv group where he made a realization about his career. “The moment I knew I wouldn’t be any huge comedy star was when I got on stage with John Belushi for the first time. When I saw how far he was willing to go to get a laugh or to make a point on stage, the language he would use, how physical he was, throwing himself literally off the stage, taking big falls, strangling other actors, I thought: I’m never going to be this big. How could I ever get enough attention on a stage with guys like this?” He added, “I stopped being the zany. I let John be the zany. I learned that my thing was lobbing in great lines here and there, which would score big and keep me there on the stage.”

    He served as the first head writer for the sketch comedy television program SCTV for two years. And then he seemed to find comedy gold in almost every Hollywood screenplay he penned.

    Ramis is considered one of the most successful comedy writers ever. He wrote (and often co-starred and directed) hit after hit for the Hollywood big screen. Some of his biggest films include: Animal House, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Back to School, Meatballs, Groundhog Day and Analyze This. In recent years, Ramis once again made a return to television, directing four episodes of the hit NBC comedy The Office.

    A Harold Ramis comedy was almost always over the top. They were often funny in a wild, inane, frat guy sort of way. He worked with many great comedic talents such as Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, and Billy Crystal to name just a few. Old pal and Ghostbusters co-star Dan Aykroyd spoke of his passing. “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer-performer and teacher Harold Ramis. May he now get the answers he was always seeking.”

    Ramis has been suffering with Vasculitis since 2010. The autoimmune disease inflames blood vessels in the body and can result in pain and swelling. Ramis suffered an infection in May 2010 that sparked the disease. He is survived by his wife, Erica Mann Ramis, and three children.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Emile Hirsch To Portray John Belushi In Biopic Film?

    Emile Hirsch is now in talks to play the legendary John Belushi in a biopic film. The film was planned years ago, and after being halted for various reasons, the project has now been given new life.

    The film will be written and directed by Steve Conrad. He previously wrote the script for The Weather Man and the upcoming film starring Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

    The film has not been officially cast yet, but Emile Hirsch seems to be the most likely candidate at the moment, while the director has also met with and considered the role for Adam Devine and Joaquin Phoenix.

    Nelson Franklin, who has been on both The Office and New Girl, is being considered for the role of Dan Ackroyd, his friend and co-star. Belushi and Ackroyd appeared on Saturday Night Live at the same time, and also appeared in several films together, including their big hit, The Blues Brothers.

    Hirsch, who is of course most recognized for his role in the film Into The Wild, has appeared in several films in the past decade. At the age of 28, he has gained a great reputation as an actor, and this film could even elevate him to the next level. He is also set to appear in the upcoming film Prince Avalanche, alongside Paul Rudd.

    John Belushi is one of those actors who were cherished during their time in Hollywood, but were taken from audiences far too early. He was also the star of Animal House, the popular college film. At the age of 33, he famously suffered an early death from a drug overdose.

    The film hopes to convey the message that Belushi was a man that embodied both the glory and the tragedy of the American dream, focusing on Belushi at the height of his career. His widow, Judy Belushi Pesano, has also signed on as one of the producers, and Dan Ackroyd will executive produce.

    With Emile Hirsch as the actor most likely to play the comedic icon, the filmmakers will look to start shooting the film in the spring of 2014, with New York selected as the location.

    Image via Youtube