Eddie Valiant Is Off the Case

who framed roger rabbit bob hoskins There was sad news today that 69-year-old British actor Bob Hoskins announced he is retiring from acting because — like Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox — he has Parkinson’s Disease. When I think of Hoskins a number of great roles rush through my mind, including his wonderful performances in Mermaids (1990) with Cher and in Hook (1991) with Dustin Hoffman. Even his smaller roles stood out, such as when he played Spoor in Brazil (1985) and Nikita Khrushchev in Enemy at the Gates (2001). His most recent movie was this year’s Snow White & the Huntsman.

But for me, the first thing I think about when I think of Hoskins is his wonderful performance as Eddie Valient in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988). Although Steven Spielberg’s first choice for the role was Harrison Ford, the movie would not have been as good if it were not for Hoskin’s funny performance as the hard detective with a heart. His performance in that role made us believe a film noir character in a cartoon world. We thank Mr. Hoskins for the joy he gave us and wish him well in in his retirement.

What is your favorite Bob Hoskins film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Mars is Now Streaming Live

    Now that NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars safely on Monday, you can watch live streams from NASA on the Curiosity Cam. The rover, which is 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall, weighs 2,000 pounds (i.e., 900 kilograms for our readers outside the U.S.).

    Update:  You may no longer watch the Curiosity Cam below through UStream.  But other information is available through NASA’s website.

    You can also follow the rover on Twitter (@MarsCuriosity).

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    When I Was Younger, So Much Younger Than Today

    help! beatles

    On August 6, 1965, the Beatles’ album Help! was released in the UK, followed by an August 13 release in the U.S. In a 1970 Rolling Stone interview with Jann S. Wenner, John Lennon stated that the song “Help!” — along with “I’m a Loser” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” — were “personal” songs. He not only considered “Strawberrry Fields Forever” and “Help” his “best songs,” but “[t]hey were the ones I really wrote from experience and not projecting myself into a situation and writing a nice story about it.”

    Lennon was critical of the recording of “Help,” though. He said, “We did it too fast trying to be commercial.” I understand his point, as the song sounds pretty happy for a cry for help from a person feeling down. I like to think about the possibility that had Lennon grown older, he might have recorded an slower acoustic version of the song, evoking the pain and sadness that is there in the lyrics. But as a Beatles song, I think it is absolutely perfect.

    What do you think of the song “Help!”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Buy from Amazon

    Robert Mitchum Prayin’ For Rain in California

    Robert Mitchum Singing

    The great actor Robert Mitchum was born on August 6, 1917. When Mitchum was on the silver screen, he was one of the coolest men on the planet. Unfortunately, he is less remembered for his cool laid-back singing, which is one part of his career that fascinates me. I proudly own his CD of calypso music, just as I have several of his films.

    Mitchum, of course, is in some great movies, a few of which I have had plans to write about for some time. But for today, we will remember his cool singing style with his rendition of “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me” from 1972, where he asks for rain in California “so the grapes can grow and they can make more wine.” I will drink to that.



    What do you think of Robert Mitchum as a singer? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Watch “The Education of Gore Vidal”

    The Educatoin of Gore Vidal Thanks to PBS, “The Education of Gore Vidal,” a documentary about the writer who passed away Tuesday, is available online for free viewing today through August 9. The 2003 film originally aired on PBS’s American Masters series and includes interviews with a number of people, including the late George Plimpton and Paul Newman. Of course, the film also features Vidal, talking about his life, pondering history, and dropping the witty remark here and there. In one of the interesting segments, Vidal explains why he chose Aaron Burr as the subject of one of his historical novels.

    If you prefer watching it on television, some PBS stations will be running the film too. But if you cannot wait, you may either watch the first 20 minutes below or go to PBS.org to watch the whole 84-minute version. [November 2013 Update: Unfortunately, PBS no longer has the video for The Education of Gore Vidal online, but you may check the PBS link for more on Gore Vidal and also to see if they have responded to requests to repost the video. For now, check out the below Charlie Rose show segment featuring highlights of Gore Vidal’s appearances on that show.]

    What do you think of “The Education of Gore Vidal”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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