Natasha Richardson Dies After Skiing Accident

Actress Natasha Richardson has died after a skiing accident in Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec. The accident happened on Monday while Richardson was taking a private skiing lesson.
According to reports, Richardson fell during a lesson on a beginners' slope, but initially felt unaffected by the incident. About an hour after she was returned to her hotel room, however, she complained of headaches. She was taken to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste-Agathe and later moved to Montreal's larger Sacré-Coeur hospital. On Tuesday she was transferred again to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhatten. She passed away in the hospital on Wednesday, apparently from head injuries sustained in the accident.
After Richardson’s death was made public, Neeson’s publicist, Alan Nierob released the following statement.
"Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
Richardson, aged 45, was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and late film director Tony Richardson. She is said to have been named after the heroine in Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'. She was married to actor Liam Neeson and had two sons, Michael, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12. Her sister, Joely Richardson, has appeared in the TV series Nip/Tuck.
Natasha Richardson was a prolific theatre, television and film actress. She trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama and did her first professional stage work at the Leeds Playhouse in 1983. In 1986 she earned the London Theatre Critics Award for Most Promising Newcomer in a production of Chekhov’s 'The Seagull'. Her work in theatre later earned her Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards. Her film roles included A Month in the Country, The Handmaid's Tale, The Comfort of Strangers,Nell, Maid in Manhattan, The Parent Trap and Wild Child. Among her television credits were Granada’sThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (with Jeremy Brett) and the PBS drama Suddenly Last Summer.
The staff at CinemaSpy would like to offer their condolences to Liam Neeson and his family after this tragedy.

Carrie Fisher Dares To Bear!

The actress who played the feisty Princess Leia in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jediis now helping with a different fight. Carrie Fisher, who recently starred in an autobiographical one-woman show called "Wishful Drinking", has loaned her likeness to a teddy bear for the annual Broadway Bears auction, the proceeds of which benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The auction, which is an annual event, is scheduled to take place on February 14, 2010. Fans of both Carrie Fisher and 'Star Wars' may find the bear to be an ideal piece of memorabilia: Its wig is a reproduction of Fisher’s classic Princess Leia hairdo, which has appeared on numerous products over the years, including a PEZ dispenser and shampoo bottles. Other details include midnight blue silk pajamas cut from remnants of Fisher’s original Broadway garments, as well as the actress’ autograph under one of the bear’s sandals.
Fisher, who will forever be linked to the "Cinnamon Bun" hairstyle of Star Wars and the metal bikini worn by Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi, also appeared in such films as 1980’s The Blues Brothers. She also adapted her own 1987 semi-autobiographical novel Postcards from the Edge for the 1990 movie directed by Mike Nichols. More recently, Fisher rescued the Masturbating Bear from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, after the host attempted to encase the recurring sketch character in carbonite, a la Han Solo inThe Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi.
If you can’t make it to New York City in February, you can still bid online up until the auction date by visitingBidding For Good. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is among the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. Since 1988, BC/EFA has drawn on the American theatre community to raise over $175M for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the country.

Zack Snyder is Getting Gamey

According to Variety, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) has signed a deal to develop three original games for Electronic Arts.
Snyder will work with EA's Los Angeles studio in Playa Vista to produce his games. EA will own the intellectual properties, but under the deal the publisher may turn some or all of them into films that will be produced by Snyder's Cruel & Unusual Films banner, which is run by the director with co-president Deborah Snyder and producer Wesley Coller.
"Zack Snyder has a fresh and bold creative style that resonates with our core audience," EA Games label president Frank Gibeau said in a statement.
Snyder is joining a small group of Hollywood helmers who produce video games that aren't adaptations of their own films, including Steven Spielberg, John Woo and Peter Jackson.

Shatner Slighted Over Exclusion from Takei Wedding

Last month, Star Trek actor George Takei — who played Enterprise helmsman Sulu — and his long-time partner Brad Altman were married in California. William Shatner claims he was not invited to the ceremony. And Shatner is apparently miffed about the whole thing.
In a video posted on Shatner's Web site last week, he lashed out at Takei for being excluded from the Takei-Altman nuptials. According to Shatner, his former helmsman harbors a grudge against the former Enterprise captain."The whole thing makes me feel badly," Shatner said in the video. "Poor man. There is such a sickness there. It's so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don't know what his original thing about me was. I have no idea."
Shatner said he felt he never knew Takei when they worked together on the original TV series and later in the Star Trek films.The Boston Legal star also attacked Takei's decision to come out of the closet later in life, saying "Who cares? Be gay. Don't be gay. That's up to you, George."Meanwhile, according to the AP, Star Trek alums Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig — who played Uhura and Chekhov, respectively — were among the attendees at the multicultural ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum.
Takei and Altman had previously stated that Shatner was invited to their wedding, but he never RSVPed."It is unfortunate that Bill was unable to join us for our wedding as he indeed was invited to attend," Takei responded. "It is our hope that at this point he joins us in voting no on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate the fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry in California."

Dan O

Dan O’Bannon, science fiction screenwriter and director, passed away on December 17, 2009 in Los Angeles. He was best known for his work in the science-fiction and horror genres, with hits that included Alien, Total Recall, and The Return of the Living Dead.
O’Bannon made his first splash in 1974 with Dark Star, which expanded a low-budget, 45-minute short co-written with fellow USC student John Carpenter. Although the film had sci-fi trappings, such as a space ship and cryogenic freezing technology, Dark Star was essentially a quirky, black-hearted comedy about the ship’s misfit crew members. The movie became a cult hit; and not only did O’Bannon work on the screenplay, but he had an acting role as a character named Sgt. Pinback.
A few years later, after working on special computer animation and graphic displays for a little feature called Star Wars, O’Bannon wrote the script for Alien, based on a story penned by himself and Ronald Shusett. It was a career saver at the time, as an Alejandro Jodorowsky-helmed version of "Dune" he had been supervising special effects for had fallen apart.
Released in 1979, the Ridley Scott-helmed Alien put O’Bannon at the forefront of sci-fi/horror screenwriters, and is still considered particularly innovative. "With Alien, I figured out quite simply that, as an audience member, what you DON'T see scares you more than what you see," O’Bannon once observed. "In horror films, the scares that really grab the audience and build the tension for them don't come from the monster jumping out of the shadows! The terror comes from the slow times in between those pay-off scenes in which the characters are talking and planning—waiting for something to jump out at them!"
During the 80’s, O’Bannon penned the scripts for Blue Thunder, as well as the alien encounter-turned-vampirism film Lifeforce, as well as the remake of Invaders from Mars, the latter two both for director Tobe Hooper. However, with 1985’s Return of the Living Dead, O’Bannon jumped into the director’s chair himself for the first time. The result was a successful zombie flick that spawned several sequels.
O’Bannon re-teamed with Shusett on Total Recall, the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale", a short story by Philip K. Dick. The Paul Verhoeven-directed film grossed over $100 million US in 1990. In 1992, O’Bannon helmed his second feature, a low-budget horror film called The Resurrected, inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. In 1995, he received a co-screenplay credit for Screamers, based on another Dick story, "Second Variety".
At the time of his death, O’Bannon was working on the Alien prequel due out in 2011. He was also known for writing "The Long Tomorrow", a mid-1970’s short story comic book with artwork by Moebius, which blended elements of noir and cyberpunk. Both Ridley Scott and William Gibson have said their respective works — Blade Runner and Neuromancer — were influenced by "The Long Tomorrow".

Southwest Airlines vs. Kevin Smith, Part Deux

For the second time in as many days, Southwest Airlines has apologized to writer/director Kevin Smith. Why? It all started when the air carrier pulled Smith off a flight to Burbank Saturday because of his "size." Not unsurprisingly, this prompted Smith to post several messages on his Twitter page about the incident and promise on his website to "scorch the earth" with his complaints against Southwest, according to CNN.
Not unsurprisingly, Southwest has been backpedaling fast…mostly.
"We want to assure everyone that has expressed concern over the situation that we will use this experience in our customer service program when training our employees on the correct way to apply the policy," the airline said.
The "customer of size policy" implemented 25 years ago requires "passengers that cannot fit safely and comfortably in one seat to purchase an additional seat while traveling," said Southwest.
"If a customer cannot comfortably lower the armrest and infringes on a portion of another seat, a customer seated adjacent would be very uncomfortable and a timely exit from the aircraft in the event of an emergency might be compromised if we allow a cramped, restricted seating arrangement," the airline added.
"We're very sorry for how his night unfortunately played out," Southwest conceded in a written statement.
Apparently, Smith did purchase two seats for the flight to Burbank, but he was allowed to board an earlier flight as a standby passenger, and only one seat was available on that particular flight.
The extra seat is not a necessity, he said, but a luxury because "Southwest flights are cheap."
The airline said it "could have potentially handled our communication better," but defended "the determination that Mr. Smith needed more than one seat to complete his flight comfortably."
Smith says he never plans to fly Southwest Airlines again—it's an unfortunate public relations snafu for a carrier that reportedly had the lowest rate of passenger complaints among U.S. airlines last year.
In fairness to Smith and our "supersize me" North American culture, maybe the airlines should just install wider seats. Anyone who has traveled on a regional jet over the past 10 years can attest to the fact that if you're an ounce heavier than an anorexic runway model you can barely squeeze yourself into them.

Paris Hilton finishes probation in Vegas drug case

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Paris Hilton is wrapping up a year of probation stemming from a 2010 drug arrest on the Las Vegas Strip.
Officials say Hilton's attorneys appeared in court Tuesday on the 30-year-old celebrity socialite's behalf to show Hilton had completed her obligations to the court. She had to pay a $2,000 fine and serve 200 hours of community service in addition to probation.
Hilton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of drug possession and obstructing an officer after police pulled over her and her then-boyfriend on Aug. 26, 2010.
Police say they detected a "vapor trail" of marijuana smoke wafting from the couple's vehicle.
Hilton was arrested when a bag containing 0.8 of a gram of cocaine fell from her purse as she reached for lip balm in front of an officer

Sheen, Warner nearing deal on lawsuit

OS ANGELES (AP) — Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen and the studio that fired him are drawing closer to a deal to end their legal dispute.
According to a person familiar with the talks, Sheen and Warner Bros. were near an agreement but still at work on it Monday. The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Calls to Sheen's attorney were not returned. In a statement, the studio said no deal had been reached and declined further comment.
Sheen filed a $100 million lawsuit for wrongful termination against Warner after his firing, which followed bitter public tirades directed at the studio and the show's executive producer.
A judge ordered arbitration in the case, with a status report set for December.
The Los Angeles Times reported that final touches are being put on a deal that would give Sheen about $25 million to settle out of his contract.
Sheen was the highest-paid actor in television, with a per-episode salary reported to be between $1.2 million to $2 million.
His clash with producers cut short last season for the CBS series that is the highest-rated comedy on U.S. television.
"Two and a Half Men" returned to the air Monday with Ashton Kutcher joining the cast as a new character. He plays an Internet billionaire who decides to buy the house that had been owned by Sheen's now-deceased character.
In a recent turnaround, Sheen has been making conciliatory gestures toward his former show.
Appearing at Sunday's Emmy Awards as a presenter, he addressed the "Two and a Half Men" cast and crew, saying, "I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season."
In an interview with Matt Lauer on "Today" last week, the actor known for his hard-partying life said he didn't know how to "put out the fire" when he was fired and began a manic round of media appearances talking about "tiger blood" and "winning."

Porn company builds porn bunker to ride out forecasted

Debbie Does End of Days”?
San Fernando Valley porn purveyors Pink Visual may be the only adult film company equipped to release such a title, as they are planning on “riding out the 2012 apocalypse in style” by building an “enormous underground bunker” in anticipation of the December 21, 2012 apocalypse.
“Our goal is nothing less than to survive the apocalypse to come in comfort and luxury,” Pink Visual spokesman Quentin Boyer told CBS’ Los Angeles affiliate. “Whether that catastrophe takes the form of fireballs flung earthward by an all-seeing deity, extended torrential rainfall, Biblical rapture, an earthquake-driven mega-tsunami, radioactive flesh-eating zombies, or some combination of the above.”
Boyer told the LA Weekly that the X-rated bunker will be filled with “multiple fully-stocked bars, an enormous performing stage, and a sophisticated content production studio.”
With nothing to lose on that fateful night, Boyer suggests that those invited to the bunker may participate in an end of the world orgy. “Inevitably, I suppose, that will happen,” he muses. “It’s hard to say how people would respond to an actual apocalypse.”
Pink Visual’s guest list will be limited 1,500 VIPs said Boyer, adding that “Pink Visual performers, active site members and Twitter followers (will get) priority over the general public.”
Good thing they have over a year to plan for the event, as Boyer admits that they’re “still working on oxygen, that kind of thing.”
The exact location of the bunker has not been released due to “security concerns.”

And hey–there are worse places than Van Nuys to spend your last hours on earth. “If nothing else, it’ll be a fantastic one-night party, after which we’ll emerge from underground, red-faced, to go home, and the company will be left behind with the coolest bunker known to man,” Boyer said.