The Terrible Catsafterme

I realize that Robert Davi’s most notable role was that of drug lord Franz Sanchez in one of the lead roles in the Timothy Dalton James Bond film License to Kill. That’s also why he was present at the Hollywood Show on January 12, 2013 – as part of the James Bond reunion. But I couldn’t help but be more fascinated by the fact that he had been one of the Fratelli brothers who plagued the kids at every turn as the worked to find the hidden treasure in The Goonies. He was Jake, the toughest of the three. Read the rest of this entry »

I should have known that Valerie Harper wouldn’t be that easy to work with. Anyone who managed to get kicked off her own series, get killed off, and then sue the producers (and win) was going to be a worthy adversary. I probably don’t need to tell you that I am referring to the series Valerie, which was eventually changed to The Hogan Family following the great Valerie Harper contract dispute. But even more famously than that, she played the iconic character Rhoda Morgenstern in The Mary Tyler Moore Show for its first four seasons, and then in the spin-off series Rhoda for five more. Read the rest of this entry »

The name Martin Van Buren is not generally met with an outburst of applause and cheering when his name is mentioned. In fact, the average citizen probably would inadvertently leave him of his list if he were asked to make one of all of the United States Presidents from memory. Others might recall that his name was dusted off and brought back to the surface when George H.W. Bush was running for President in 1988 – reminding us that a sitting Vice President hadn’t ascended to the Presidency through vote since the time of our 8th President, Martin Van Buren (who as the 8th Vice President, served in Andrew Jackson’s cabinet). And like Bush, Van Buren would only serve one term, losing his second campaign to William Henry Harrison. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always found the 1985 film Fright Night a delightful combination of comedy, thrills, monsters, horror, and even a bit of gore. So having been a big fan of the movie already, you can understand why I was ecstatic to find that the five (still-living) main characters of the film would all be assembling for a reunion at the Days of the Dead event in Chicago, Illinois. Meeting any one of these folks individually would be thrilling, but to get them all in one swipe nearly ensured that I’d be making the trek to Chicago for the show on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Read the rest of this entry »