Al Seib-Pool/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Phil Spector, the famed music producer who was later convicted of murder, has died, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed. He was 81.
Officials said he died of natural causes Saturday at an outside hospital.
Back in 2003, Spector was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson. In 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.
Dubbed “The First Tycoon of Teen,” Spector’s pioneering and legendary “Wall of Sound” production method helped shape pop music in the 1960s and remains influential to this day. He was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Among his productions: the Beatles’ Let It Be, George Harrison’s The Concert for Bangladesh, and countless chart hits, including The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost that Loving Feelin,'” and girl-group classics by the Ronettes and the Crystals, including “Be My Baby” and “He’s a Rebel.”
Warner Bros. – 2017(NEW YORK) — Oscar-nominated actress Diane Lane is excited about the forthcoming “Snyder Cut” of Justice League.
“Oh, I think it’s fantastic!” Lane gushed to ABC Audio about the birth of the new version. “A one-way street became a two-way street in terms of the fans responding to the material, and then it takes on its own life.”
Lane played Martha Kent, Clark Kent/Superman’s adoptive mom, in Man of Steel and Justice League. ABC Audio asked her what she thought of the developments of the project, which began with the viral fan-borne hashtag #releasethesnydercut, and will culminate in March with HBO Max’s release of the the film as a four-part series, re-cut by its original director, Zack Snyder.
“I mean, it’s so larger than the little old me,” Lane says humbly, adding, “I love Martha in terms of what she presents as a pillar of humanity in a world where so many things are larger than life.”
Snyder was forced to step away from the project following a family tragedy in March 2017. Avengers director Joss Whedon took over and substantially retooled the film, which delivered a disappointing $657.9 million worldwide, and ignited disappointed fans’ curiosity as to what Snyder’s version would have looked like.
“I can’t wait for it to to come out and see how it how it does,” Lane says, adding with a laugh, “I’m sure there’s a lot of feedback that we’re going to get on it. Everybody’s got a review, right? Isn’t that how the world works?”
Lane can currently be seen next in the acclaimed dramatic thriller Let Him Go, available to own on digital Tuesday, January 19. The movie incidentally re-teams with her Man of Steel husband, Kevin Costner.
In the cliffhanger, former enemies Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, played respectively by Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, team up to take on Martin Kove’s Sensei John Kreese, and whupped him handily enough that he called an old Army buddy for back-up. It’s not stated in the show, but Karate Kid fans are already predicting the return of actor and martial artist Thomas Ian Griffith’s Terry Silver, one of the baddies in Karate Kid Part III.
It’s so likely Silver will return that My Bookie makes it a -500 bet — meaning if you bet $500 that he shows up, you’ll make just $100. On the other hand, betting $100 against Terry’s return would net you $200, because it’s considered unlikely he won’t join the fight.
Want to score on a long shot? Fans can also bet whether or not Oscar-winner Hillary Swank, who starred in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid, will return to the Karate Kid universe. A hundred-dollar bet would net you $550, according to My Bookie’s odds.
Another long-shot return is Jaden Smith, the star of the panned 2010 reboot of The Karate Kid. That’s considered so unlikely that a $100 bet would win you $900. Betting $100 that his character Dre Parker wins the All Valley Karate Championship will score you $2,000.
You can even bet on how many times people say the series’ iconic line, “Sweep the leg.”
Here are some other wagering possibilities for the fourth season of Cobra Kai and their corresponding money line bets, according to MyBookie:
Who wins the All Valley Karate Championship? (Winner must be announced in season 4)
Miguel Diaz: +110 Robby Keene: +150 Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz: +300 Samantha LaRusso: +400 Kyler: +600 Tory Nichols: +650 Demetr: +800 Mitch: +1500 Dre Parker: +2000 Anthony LaRusso: +2200 All other fighters: +500
All Valley Karate Championship — Match Winner (Fight must take place at tournament)
Samantha LaRusso: -140 Tory Nichols: +110
Does Terry Silver make an appearance in Season 4? Yes: -500 No: +200
Does Mike Barnes make an appearance in Season 4? Yes: -230 No: +160
Does Hillary Swank make an appearance in Season 4? Yes: +550 No: -2000
Does Jaden Smith make an appearance in Season 4? Yes: +900 No: -3000
Does Hawk return to Cobra Kai? Yes: -140 No: +110
Total times “sweep the leg” will be mentioned in Season 4 Over 3.5 times: -130 Under 3.5 times: +100
ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — Liam Neeson has acquired a very particular set of skills over the course of the years as an actor and now, he’s thinking about laying them to rest.
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the Taken series star revealed that retirement is in the near future.
“Oh, yeah. I think so,” he said.
“I’m 68 and a half. 69 this year. There’s a couple more I’m going to do this year — hopefully, COVID allowing us — there’s a couple in the pipeline and, then I think that will probably be it. Well, unless I’m on a Zimmer frame or something,” he added.
Despite admitting that he’s ready to hang-up the towel on action films, it seems that one role may have piqued his interest and may keep him in the game a little bit longer.
When informed that fans are campaigning for the actor to reprise his role as Zeus from 2010’s Clash of the Titans in Wonder Woman 3 and asked if he was “up for it,” Neeson responded, “I guess so, sure. I mean, I’m very flattered!”
“I wasn’t aware that the ancient Greek gods appeared in Wonder Woman. I have to say, much to my chagrin, I haven’t seen… the Wonder Woman movies,” he shared, and after being told that Zeus is actually Wonder Woman’s dad he smirked, “I’ll call my agent!”
Neeson can currently be seen in the action film The Marksman.
“I was only interested in doing this role if he was a multifaceted character,” he tells the New York Post.
The current third season of Cobra Kai, which launched earlier this month, delves into Kreese’s backstory, which includes a rough childhood and a traumatic experience as a soldier in the Vietnam War.
Regarding his character, a Vietnam veteran who preaches “no mercy” to his students, the 74-year-old actor says, “I don’t see him as a villain.”
Karate Kid fans seem to be warming up to the character as well.
“People don’t really hate my character, especially now they have a fuller understanding of what made him the way he is.”
Al Seib-Pool/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Phil Spector, the famed music producer who was later convicted of murder, has died, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed. He was 81.
