“Don’t be such a dreamer,” says Bob (Esai Morales) to his younger brother, to which soon-to-be teen star Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips), né Richard Valenzuela, quickly retorts, “My dreams are pure rock ‘n’ roll.” It’s the kind of blunt, overearnest exchange found in countless music-based biopics, but it also exemplifies La Bamba’s penchant for the cartoonishly archetypal. Indeed, everyone surrounding Ritchie is stripped of both nuance and agency as their roles in the film rarely extend beyond fueling or antagonizing the future icon.
Ritchie’s girlfriend, Donna (Danielle von Zerneck), the namesake of one of his biggest hits, is little more than a poodle skirt and a cheery smile, while his doting mother, Connie (Rosanna DeSoto), is the quintessential ultra-supportive parent. Bob is certainly the most fully fleshed out of this trio, but even most of his personal ups and downs are presented as being directly...
Ritchie’s girlfriend, Donna (Danielle von Zerneck), the namesake of one of his biggest hits, is little more than a poodle skirt and a cheery smile, while his doting mother, Connie (Rosanna DeSoto), is the quintessential ultra-supportive parent. Bob is certainly the most fully fleshed out of this trio, but even most of his personal ups and downs are presented as being directly...
- 10/16/2023
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
Jimmy Kimmel has recalled the earliest days of his late-night talk show, saying that he was “totally unprepared” with “almost no jokes written” ahead of the first episode.
The presenter and comedian has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since 26 January 2003, a topical chat show with celebrity guests and live musical performances.
Though the show is one of America’s most popular late-night talk shows, hopes weren’t high that it would be a major success at its beginning.
With ABC’s previous attempts at night-time programming suffering from low ratings (Rick Dees) and cancellation after controversial 9/11-related comments (Bill Maher), Kimmel was aware of the low odds that the show would be a hit with audiences.
Ahead of his anniversary special on Thursday (26 January), the host shared his feelings on the first episodes, 20 years ago.
“Those first few years, I still don’t understand why they kept me on the air,...
The presenter and comedian has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since 26 January 2003, a topical chat show with celebrity guests and live musical performances.
Though the show is one of America’s most popular late-night talk shows, hopes weren’t high that it would be a major success at its beginning.
With ABC’s previous attempts at night-time programming suffering from low ratings (Rick Dees) and cancellation after controversial 9/11-related comments (Bill Maher), Kimmel was aware of the low odds that the show would be a hit with audiences.
Ahead of his anniversary special on Thursday (26 January), the host shared his feelings on the first episodes, 20 years ago.
“Those first few years, I still don’t understand why they kept me on the air,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Nicole Vassell
- The Independent - TV
Johnny Depp is ready to part with his old Kentucky home, but no buyer wants to pick it up.
After originally hitting the market in December for $2.9 million, Depp’s 41-acre horse farm outside of Lexington went on the auction block on Friday, but failed to sell. The highest bid was less than half of the property’s previous listing price, Rector Hayden Realtors and Halfhill Auction Group confirm to People.
Related: Johnny Depp Is Selling a ‘Collection’ of Five Penthouses for $12 Million
The bid of $1.4 million came from local radio DJ Rick Dees, but was rejected for being too low.
After originally hitting the market in December for $2.9 million, Depp’s 41-acre horse farm outside of Lexington went on the auction block on Friday, but failed to sell. The highest bid was less than half of the property’s previous listing price, Rector Hayden Realtors and Halfhill Auction Group confirm to People.
Related: Johnny Depp Is Selling a ‘Collection’ of Five Penthouses for $12 Million
The bid of $1.4 million came from local radio DJ Rick Dees, but was rejected for being too low.
- 9/18/2017
- by Megan Stein
- PEOPLE.com
Johnny Depp’s Kentucky horse farm remains on the market after it failed to sell at auction on Friday with bids for the property coming in well below the $2.9 million asking price.
The farm in Fayette County received a top bid of $1.4 million from radio personality Rick Dees of the Weekly Top 40, the Lexington Herald Ledger reported.
Depp business manager Edward White told the newspaper after the auction ended that there were other interested parties in the property.
“It’s not over yet,” White told the newspaper.
Depp's property includes a 6,000-square-foot house with seven bedrooms,...
The farm in Fayette County received a top bid of $1.4 million from radio personality Rick Dees of the Weekly Top 40, the Lexington Herald Ledger reported.
Depp business manager Edward White told the newspaper after the auction ended that there were other interested parties in the property.
“It’s not over yet,” White told the newspaper.
Depp's property includes a 6,000-square-foot house with seven bedrooms,...
- 9/16/2017
- by Ryan Parker
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars from radio, television and music are reacting to Casey Kasem's passing. The radio and voice over legend died Sunday after a long illness, his children confirmed in a statement obtained by TheWrap. “We are confirming that Casey Kasem passed away at 3:23 Am this morning at St. Anthony's Hospital in Gig Harbor, Wa. He was surrounded by Kerri, Mike, Julie and close family and friends. No cause of death given at this time.” Also read: Ryan Seacrest on Casey Kasem Death: ‘It's a Sad Day’ As news of Kasem's death spread, stars including fellow radio legend Rick Dees and SAG-aftra president.
- 6/15/2014
- by Anita Bennett
- The Wrap
Famed radio DJ and "Disco Duck" singer Rick Dees just got taken to the cleaners -- TMZ has learned someone allegedly broke into his L.A. home and stole roughly $100,000 worth of jewelry.Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the burglary went down recently while Dees was out of town. We're told Rd's window was smashed in when he got back home ... and his large jewelry collection was missing.So far, no arrests have been made...
- 12/9/2013
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Veteran acting coach Ivan Markota, whose clients included Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston and Law & Order‘s Mariska Hargitay, died August 6 of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 86. Markota was CEO of Van Mar Academy of Motion Picture & Television Acting, which he opened in 1967. A former actor himself, Markota studied at 22 schools and workshops before deciding to open Van Mar. His credits include the 1960s TV series Land Of The Giants and feature films Waxwork II: Lost In Time (1992) and In Like Flint (1967). Markota’s other students included Sherri Shepherd, T.K. Carter, Rick Dees, Miguel Nunez, John Larroquette, Traci Lords, Denice Duff, Glenn Withrow, Walter Olkewicz, Casper Van Dien, Stephen Nichols, and Mary Hart.
- 8/13/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
That movie your friends are going to quote for the next year? It's called "Pitch Perfect," the brand new comedy starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson that does for the a cappella world what "Bring It On" did for cheerleading.
Filled with hysterical one-liners about everything from Sisqo to Rick Dees to "Star Wars," the tone of "Pitch Perfect" recalls not just "Bring It On," but "Mean Girls." That might not be a complete accident: Screenwriter Kay Cannon, a Second City-trained improv comic and Upright Citizens Brigade veteran, worked as a producer and writer on "30 Rock" alongside Tina Fey. The hilarious Cannon -- who currently writes for "New Girl" and recently sold a pitch to Fox that's described as "'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' set in the offices of an 'NFL Sunday'-type show" -- spoke with HuffPost Entertainment about what "Pitch Perfect" owes to "A League of Their Own,...
Filled with hysterical one-liners about everything from Sisqo to Rick Dees to "Star Wars," the tone of "Pitch Perfect" recalls not just "Bring It On," but "Mean Girls." That might not be a complete accident: Screenwriter Kay Cannon, a Second City-trained improv comic and Upright Citizens Brigade veteran, worked as a producer and writer on "30 Rock" alongside Tina Fey. The hilarious Cannon -- who currently writes for "New Girl" and recently sold a pitch to Fox that's described as "'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' set in the offices of an 'NFL Sunday'-type show" -- spoke with HuffPost Entertainment about what "Pitch Perfect" owes to "A League of Their Own,...
- 10/1/2012
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
Andy Warhol said everyone gets 15 minutes of fame, but if you ask one-hit wonders, they'll say you're lucky to get 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
Before reality TV started turning ordinary folks into stars, there was no faster path to the peak of celebrity -- and no more direct route back to the depths of obscurity -- than being a one-hit wonder.
Granted, there are probably good reasons why folks like Los Del Rio, the two middle-aged Spanish guys who took "Macarena" to No. 1 in 1996, never followed up their big hit, and the world was surely okay with making C.W. McCall's 1976 hit "Convoy" the only No. 1 song dedicated to Cb radio.
But we come here to praise one-hit wonders, not to bury them. For every one-and-done novelty like "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees or annoyingly catchy and cloying tune like Charlene's 1983 smash "I've Never Been To Me," there is a stone-cold...
Before reality TV started turning ordinary folks into stars, there was no faster path to the peak of celebrity -- and no more direct route back to the depths of obscurity -- than being a one-hit wonder.
Granted, there are probably good reasons why folks like Los Del Rio, the two middle-aged Spanish guys who took "Macarena" to No. 1 in 1996, never followed up their big hit, and the world was surely okay with making C.W. McCall's 1976 hit "Convoy" the only No. 1 song dedicated to Cb radio.
But we come here to praise one-hit wonders, not to bury them. For every one-and-done novelty like "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees or annoyingly catchy and cloying tune like Charlene's 1983 smash "I've Never Been To Me," there is a stone-cold...
- 9/23/2011
- by HuffPost Weird News
- Huffington Post
Dear Rock Stars: You might want to think twice before asking Zach Galifianakis for freebies. The star of The Hangover movies gave Queens of the Stone Age a little more than they asked when they called his manager for free tickets to his sold-out stand-up gig at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles Wednesday night. They got prime seats in Row F and a whole lock of mockery to boot. “I don’t know you f—-ing guys!” the comedian yelled at the band, seated in the all-ages crowd of 270 fans, which ranged from hoodie-wearing hipsters to bearded, bespectacled...
- 9/1/2011
- by Carrie Borzillo
- EW.com - PopWatch
December 1977: Number 4 in our series of the 50 key events in the history of dance music
Released on 16 December 1977, Saturday Night Fever was the film that broke disco in both senses: it popularised and developed the form at the same time as it froze a vibrant and creative subculture. Saturday Night Fever made disco ubiquitous in 1978. It became a fad – with the inevitable backlash.
The statistics tell the story. The film took more than $3m in the first weekend, eventually going on to gross in the region of $237m; it became the fourth highest grossing movie of 1977. The soundtrack album included six Us No 1s and it topped the charts for 24 weeks in the Us, 18 weeks in the UK.
In fact, disco had been building for several years. In his ground-breaking September 1973 Rolling Stone story, Vince Aletti traced its origins in the underground return of the discotheque, "where the hardcore dance crowd – blacks,...
Released on 16 December 1977, Saturday Night Fever was the film that broke disco in both senses: it popularised and developed the form at the same time as it froze a vibrant and creative subculture. Saturday Night Fever made disco ubiquitous in 1978. It became a fad – with the inevitable backlash.
The statistics tell the story. The film took more than $3m in the first weekend, eventually going on to gross in the region of $237m; it became the fourth highest grossing movie of 1977. The soundtrack album included six Us No 1s and it topped the charts for 24 weeks in the Us, 18 weeks in the UK.
In fact, disco had been building for several years. In his ground-breaking September 1973 Rolling Stone story, Vince Aletti traced its origins in the underground return of the discotheque, "where the hardcore dance crowd – blacks,...
- 6/15/2011
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
Rapper Q-tip is mourning the demise of hip-hop, because he's sure the genre is heading for a slow death.
The A Tribe Called Quest star claims rap is destined for the same demise disco suffered, if the latest batch of stars can't reinvent the musical genre in time.
He tells celebrity fan Leonardo DiCaprio in the latest edition of Interview magazine, "I think it's pretty evident - and everybody says it - that hip-hop is definitely not as good as it once was. It's sort of like disco was.
"There was a time when disco was the s**t and Steve Rubell had Studio 54. But the minute you heard Disco Duck by Rick Dees, that was the telltale sign that disco was over. I think that if hip-hop continues on the path that it seems like it's going down, then it looks like it's not going to hold up."...
The A Tribe Called Quest star claims rap is destined for the same demise disco suffered, if the latest batch of stars can't reinvent the musical genre in time.
He tells celebrity fan Leonardo DiCaprio in the latest edition of Interview magazine, "I think it's pretty evident - and everybody says it - that hip-hop is definitely not as good as it once was. It's sort of like disco was.
"There was a time when disco was the s**t and Steve Rubell had Studio 54. But the minute you heard Disco Duck by Rick Dees, that was the telltale sign that disco was over. I think that if hip-hop continues on the path that it seems like it's going down, then it looks like it's not going to hold up."...
- 3/14/2008
- WENN
Talent agency TalentWorks is heading in a new direction, with a revamped focus on young-adult and adult divisions as well as on its emerging reality business.
In addition, the agency has booked client Brooke Nevin as the female lead in the Icon Prods. feature film "Infestation" and Robert Buckley in a recurring role on NBC's upcoming "Lipstick Jungle".
And TalentWorks has signed Rick Dees, morning host for Los Angeles' Movin' 93.9 FM, and Cody Kasch (ABC's "Desperate Housewives") as clients.
TalentWorks will no longer focus on the younger kids market but instead help develop and package reality and scripted projects for clients. In the reality arena, TalentWorks packaged Scott Baio in the upcoming VH1 series "Scott Baio Is 45 ... and Single" and has placed several clients in unscripted shows, including Scott Hamilton (Fox's "Skating With Celebrities"), David Hasselhoff (NBC's "America's Got Talent"), Brett Butler (CBS' "Moochers"), Tracey Gold (TV Guide Network's "Trapped in TV Guide") and William Shatner (various projects).
"With more and more opportunities becoming available in the young-adult and adult areas, it was natural that we made this the core area of our business," said president and owner Harry Gold, who started the agency 25 years ago.
In addition, the agency has booked client Brooke Nevin as the female lead in the Icon Prods. feature film "Infestation" and Robert Buckley in a recurring role on NBC's upcoming "Lipstick Jungle".
And TalentWorks has signed Rick Dees, morning host for Los Angeles' Movin' 93.9 FM, and Cody Kasch (ABC's "Desperate Housewives") as clients.
TalentWorks will no longer focus on the younger kids market but instead help develop and package reality and scripted projects for clients. In the reality arena, TalentWorks packaged Scott Baio in the upcoming VH1 series "Scott Baio Is 45 ... and Single" and has placed several clients in unscripted shows, including Scott Hamilton (Fox's "Skating With Celebrities"), David Hasselhoff (NBC's "America's Got Talent"), Brett Butler (CBS' "Moochers"), Tracey Gold (TV Guide Network's "Trapped in TV Guide") and William Shatner (various projects).
"With more and more opportunities becoming available in the young-adult and adult areas, it was natural that we made this the core area of our business," said president and owner Harry Gold, who started the agency 25 years ago.
- 6/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Demi Moore has scoffed at reports she's planning to marry her toyboy lover Ashton Kutcher after hearing news of the supposed nuptials on the radio. The Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle star, 40, was listening to Los Angeles station KIIS-FM when DJ Rick Dees read a report claiming the celebrity pair were arranging a wedding in Las Vegas next Valentine's Day. A shocked Moore called Dees up straight away to tell him the story was "completely made up". A source adds, "It's something that started in the tabs and just kept getting repeated until it was being reported as true."...
- 10/24/2003
- WENN
Pop queen Madonna has hit out at American flagship TV show Good Morning America for screening footage of a mother breastfeeding her eight year-old son. Speaking during an interview with New York radio DJ Rick Dees, the Material Girl denounced the July show, which dealt with an investigation by Illinois child-welfare officials into whether 34-year-old Lynn Stuckey, who also allowed the boy to share her bed, had created a harmful home environment. Madonna told Dees, "That's incest. People have no morals, I swear to God. The things that people do for ratings! It's unforgivable. The world is collapsing. Why is there a tape of it? It's terrible. That child will never recover. How dare Good Morning America play that tape?" But Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg denies the singer is guilty of hypocrisy, given that she released the controversial and highly explicit photo book Sex, Rosenberg says, "With her book, people had the option to buy it or not. TV is more of a public forum."...
- 11/7/2002
- WENN
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