RIP Leslie Nielsen
In this file photo taken May 22, 1996, Leslie Nielsen, right, and Nicollette Sheridan, co-stars in the movie "Spy Hard," make an appearance at Planet Hollywood in New York. The Canadian-born Nielsen has died. He was 84. (Associated Press file photo)
In this file photo taken May 22, 1996, Leslie Nielsen, right, and Nicollette Sheridan, co-stars in the movie “Spy Hard,” make an appearance at Planet Hollywood in New York. The Canadian-born Nielsen, who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in “Airplane!” and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in “The Naked Gun” comedies, has died. He was 84. His agent John S. Kelly said the actor died Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010, at a hospital near his home in Florida where he was being treated for pneumonia. (AP Photo
Leslie Nielsen, who traded in his career as a respected dramatic actor for a clueless comedic style in spoofs like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” movies, has died. He was 84.
The Canada native died from complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home, surrounded by his wife, Barbaree, and friends, his agent John S. Kelly said in a statement to the Associated Press.
According to the AP, Nielsen went to Hollywood in the mid-1950s after performing in 150 live television dramas in New York. With a handsome face, blond hair and 6-foot-2 stature, he seemed ideal for a movie star.
Nielsen first performed as the king of France in the Paramount operetta “The Vagabond King” with Kathryn Grayson. The film — he called it “The Vagabond Turkey” — flopped, but MGM signed him to a seven-year contract.
His first role for that studio was as the space ship commander in the 1956 science fiction classic “Forbidden Planet.” He found his best dramatic role as the captain of an overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie “The Poseidon Adventure.”
He became well known to baby boomers for his role as the Revolutionary War fighter Francis Marion in the Disney TV adventure series “The Swamp Fox.”
Behind the camera, the serious actor was a well-known prankster. He finally got to show off the comedic side of his personality when the disaster spoof “Airplane!” was released in 1980 and became a huge hit. Playing a hapless doctor aboard a flight of violently ill passengers, he deadpanned his most famous line:
“Surely you can’t be serious,” an passenger says to Nielsen.
“I am serious,” Nielsen replies. “And don’t call me Shirley.
It was the beginning of a whole new career in comedy. Nielsen would go on to appear in such comedies as “Repossessed” — a takeoff on “The Exorcist” — and “Mr. Magoo,” in which he played the title role of the good-natured bumbler.
After the success of “Airplane!,” producers-directors-writers Jim Abrahams, David and Jerry Zucker cast their newfound comic star as Detective Drebin in a TV series, “Police Squad,” which trashed the cliches of “Dragnet” and other cop shows. Despite good reviews, ABC quickly canceled it. Only six episodes were made.
“It didn’t belong on TV,” Nielsen later said. “It had the kind of humor you had to pay attention to.”
The Zuckers and Abraham converted the series into a feature film, “The Naked Gun,” with George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson and Priscilla Presley as Nielsen’s co-stars. Its huge success led to sequels “The Naked Gun 2 1/2″ and “The Naked Gun 33 1/3.”
His later movies included “All I Want for Christmas,” ”Dracula: Dead and Loving It” and “Spy Hard.”
Nielsen good-humoredly went through his 1996 interviews for “Spy Hard” squeezing a hand-size “whoopee cushion” at inappropriate times, reported The Oklahoman‘s Sandi Davis from Los Angeles.
“I’m going for laughs and fun,” he said. “I’m through making serious decisions.”
(To read Sandi’s full 1996 feature on Nielsen, including his connect to Oklahoma, click here.)
Between films he often turned serious, touring with his one-man show on the life of the great defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow.
Before wedding Barbaree in 2001, Nielsen also was married to Monica Boyer, 1950-1955; Sandy Ullman, 1958-74; and Brooks Oliver, 1981-85.
Nielsen and his second wife had two daughters, Thea and Maura.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans.
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Slideshow video: Garth Brooks talks about the song, TV movie “Unanswered Prayers”
In this NewsOK slideshow video, Oklahoma music megastar Garth Brooks talks about his 1990 hit song “Unanswered Prayers” and the new TV movie based on it.
Brooks executive produced the telefilm, which will debut at 8 tonight on Lifetime Television.
The plot closely follows the lyrics to the song, which Brooks co-wrote and recorded for his blockbuster sophomore album “No Fences.” Filmed in Virginia, the movie centers on a contented small-town husband and father (Eric Close, “Without a Trace”) whose stable life is shaken up when his high school sweetheart (Madchen Amick, “Damages”) returns, forcing him to choose between his lost dreams and his loyal wife (Samantha Mathis, the movie “Broken Arrow”).
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Patty Duke co-stars in “Unanswered Prayers” TV movie based on Garth Brooks song
Patty Duke co-stars in the Lifetime TV movie "Unanswered Prayers," debuting tonight on Lifetime Television. The film is based on the hit song by Garth Brooks, who executive produced the project.
“Unanswered Prayers,” a TV movie executive produced by Oklahoma music superstar Garth Brooks and based on his 1990 hit song, will debut at 8 tonight on Lifetime Television.
The plot closely follows the lyrics to the song, which Brooks co-wrote and recorded for his blockbuster sophomore album “No Fences.” Filmed in Virginia, the movie centers on a contented small-town husband and father (Eric Close, “Without a Trace”) whose stable life is shaken up when his high school sweetheart (Madchen Amick, “Damages”) returns, forcing him to choose between his lost dreams and his loyal wife (Samantha Mathis, the movie “Broken Arrow”).
Veteran actress Patty Duke co-stars as the mother of Mathis’ character, and she recently hosted a teleconference with journalists, including our own Lillie-Beth Brinkman.
Garth Brooks (AP file photo)
Duke, who will turn 64 on Dec. 14, told the reporters she has admired Brooks for years and that his visits to the set were memorable. One of the Owasso resident’s hits — “The Dance” — was played at her stepdaughter’s funeral about 13 years ago because she, too, was a fan until she died after a car accident at age 22.
“When I told him that, he was so real. The first thing he said, of course, was ‘Oh, my God,’ and then he said, ‘It’s not supposed to be that way. That’s backwards. We’re not supposed to bury our children,’ which I thought was such a gracious way of saying he could relate,” Duke said. “That was one of the few moments he wasn’t able to make me laugh hysterically.”
To read more of Lillie-Beth’s feature on Patty Duke, including the star’s battle with mental illness, her own “Unanswered Prayers” and her experiences working on the telefilm, click here.
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“Unanswered Prayers” TV movie, based on Garth Brooks song, debuting tonight on Lifetime
Eric Close and Samantha Mathis star in the Lifetime Original Movie "Unanswered Prayers," which premieres at 8 tonight on Lifetime Television.
“Unanswered Prayers,” a TV movie executive produced by Oklahoma music superstar Garth Brooks and based on his 1990 hit song, will debut at 8 tonight on Lifetime Television.
Filmed in Virginia, the movie centers on a contented small-town husband and father (Eric Close, “Without a Trace”) whose stable life is shaken up when his high school sweetheart (Madchen Amick, “Damages”) returns, forcing him to choose between his lost dreams and his loyal wife (Samantha Mathis, the movie “Broken Arrow”).
Garth Brooks (AP file photo)
The plot closely follows the lyrics to the song, which Brooks co-wrote and recorded for his blockbuster sophomore album “No Fences.”
“Since the song came out, we’ve had the West Coast calling about making a movie about this thing. But every time they brought us a treatment, it changed the song dramatically,” Brooks told me in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles, where he promoted the film and performed “Unanswered Prayers” on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
Tanya Lopez, head of Lifetime’s original-movie division, didn’t want to change a thing. She believed his country song could translate directly into a timely universal drama.
“Tanya from Day 1 assured me that she would go to whatever distance it took to make sure that this movie turned out as a good representation of the song, and she kept her word,” Brooks said. “She fought like hell to keep this thing exactly like the song was … and so anything she wants to do in the future, I’m in.”
To read NewsOK TV blogger Melissa Hayer’s review of the Lifetime Original Movie “Unanswered Prayers,” click here.
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“CMA Country Christmas” airing today
Reba McEntire
Rascal Flatts
The Country Music Association is bringing together some bright music stars – including Oklahoma native Reba McEntire, who hails from Chockie, and trio Rascal Flatts, which features Joe Don Rooney of Picher – to celebrate the holiday season with a television special airing tonight.
Hosted by Jennifer Nettles of the duo Sugarland, “CMA Country Christmas” will air at 8:30 tonight on ABC. The 90-minute special was taped in front of a live audience at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 11, the day after the Country Music Association’s 44th Annual CMA Awards.
Reba, Rascal Flatts, Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker and Sugarland will perform classic Christmas songs on the show. Joined by some of their family members, the stars also will share with fans their holiday traditions and memories.
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Monday Catchy Quote No. 143
A catchy quote from a movie, TV show or other source to brighten the beginning of your week:
Kris: You see, Mrs. Walker, this is quite an opportunity for me. For the past 50 years or so I’ve been getting more and more worried about Christmas. Seems we’re all so busy trying to beat the other fellow in making things go faster and look shinier and cost less that Christmas and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle.
- Click here to learn the source.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 29, 2010
OKC Thunder star Kevin Durant (Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman Archives)
Today’s featured event:
Watch the Oklahoma City Thunder play the New Orleans Hornets at 7 p.m. at Oklahoma City Arena, 100 W Reno. Information: www.nba.com/thunder.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Garth Brooks still in demand after returning to musical stage a year ago
In this Jan. 25, 2008 file photo, Oklahoma country music star Garth Brooks performs during a charity concert in Los Angeles, to benefit the Southern California 2008 Fire Intervention Relief Effort (F.I.R.E). Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood are going to be very busy in December: They sold more than 140,000 tickets Nov. 6, as their plans for a benefit concert for Nashville, Tenn., flood relief ballooned from one show to nine. (Associated Press file photo)
From Sunday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Garth Brooks’ return to stage brings big response in Vegas, Nashville
In fall 2000, Oklahoma country music superstar Garth Brooks retired from touring and recording to raise his three daughters.
In the past decade, the best-selling solo artist in U.S. history has reemerged occasionally for special events, playing charity shows, speaking during the Oklahoma Centennial Spectacular and performing at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Even when he helped cut the ribbon at Tulsa’s BOK Center, performed with his wife, fellow country star Trisha Yeawood, at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards, and penned forewords for her two best-selling cookbooks, his focus for the past decade has been on parenting his three girls – now all teenagers – from his first marriage to Sandy Mahl.
But Brooks announced in October 2009 that he was coming out of retirement to play weekend shows at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas. The Oklahoma State University graduate likened the stripped-down shows to performances he used to give at Willie’s Saloon, a Stillwater bar where he played several times early in his career.
Each new set of dates have swiftly sold out, and the resort recently raised ticket prices due to overwhelming demand. The weekend arrangement allows him to keep maximizing his time with his family. He isn’t working on any new material.
“Our youngest is a freshman in high school so we still got time before that,” he said in a phone interview earlier this month.
Brooks’ absence from the road has only made fans’ hearts grown fonder. When he and Yearwood announced recently they would play a full arena show in Nashville, Tenn., to aid ongoing relief efforts in the wake of last springs devastating floods, the clamor for tickets was so urgent, they ended up selling out nine concerts, instead of one, in a single day.
With tickets priced at $25, the more than 140,000 tickets sold will allow the concert series to raise $3.5 million.
“That’s sweet, especially in Nashville because that’s a tough place to sell tickets because it’s the industry. These people have seen everything, so you can imagine how floored we were when one went to two, two went to three,” he said. “That was very flattering, but for me, I think it reflected more the giving spirit of anybody. Because I made that call, I asked ‘If there’s ever a time to come see Garth, this is it, because 100 percent of the money is going to people who need it.’ And they, wow, they answered. It was fun.’”
If that assessment seems modest for a star who has sent six albums past the 10 million sales mark, Brooks credits his upbringing for his down-to-earth mindset.
“If you’re raised in Oklahoma, you really don’t need much help being grounded. They all tend to help you out doing that very well,” he said with a laugh.
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Garth Brooks executive produces TV movie based on his hit “Unanswered Prayers”
Garth Brooks (Associated Press file photo)
From Sunday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
On Oklahoma time with Garth Brooks
Music megastar has executive produced a TV movie based on his 1990 hit “Unanswered Prayers.”
No matter where he goes, Garth Brooks keeps his watch on Oklahoma time.
Executive Producers Garth Brooks and Lisa Sanderson visit the set of the Lifetime Original Movie "Unanswered Prayers," based on Brooks' hit song. (Photo by Kent Eanes, Lifetime Entertainment)
The music megastar, who has spent much of the past decade as a stay-at-home dad, does it for his three girls, so he knows what time to call them when he’s away from their Owasso ranch.
But Brooks’ heart has always been set in Oklahoma, no matter where his increasingly diverse career has taken him.
“One of the greatest gifts is being raised there, living there. It’s real life, and it reflects in everything you do,” he said in a phone interview from Los Angeles, where he was appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to promote his latest project, a TV movie based on his 1990 hit ballad “Unanswered Prayers.”
The telefilm will debut at 8 p.m. Monday on Lifetime Television. The Tulsa native and Lisa Sanderson executive produced the drama for their Red Strokes Productions. (The company also is named for one of his ‘90s singles.)
“Since the song came out, we’ve had the West Coast calling about making a movie about this thing. But every time they brought us a treatment, it changed the song dramatically,” Brooks said.
Tanya Lopez, head of Lifetime’s original-movie division, didn’t want to change a thing. She believed his country song could translate directly into a timely universal drama.
“Tanya from Day 1 assured me that she would go to whatever distance it took to make sure that this movie turned out as a good representation of the song, and she kept her word,” he said. “She fought like hell to keep this thing exactly like the song was … and so anything she wants to do in the future, I’m in.”
Filmed in Virginia, the movie centers on a contented small-town husband and father (Eric Close, “Without a Trace”) whose stable life is shaken up when his high school sweetheart (Madchen Amick, “Damages”) returns, forcing him to choose between his lost dreams and his loyal wife (Samantha Mathis, the movie “Broken Arrow”).
Telling a personal tale
The song, which Brooks co-wrote with Pat Alger and Larry Bastian, appeared on the country superstar’s blockbuster sophomore album “No Fences.”
“The thing that I loved about ‘Unanswered Prayers’ was when something big happens in your career, it’s what happens next (that) defines the rest of your career. And for us, the single right before this was ‘Friends in Low Places’ … so ‘Unanswered Prayers’ had to be something of pretty good strength to hold up. And it did. And it went to No. 1,” he said. “That was a very defining moment for me that ‘OK, I can have something like “Friends in Low Places” and then I can follow it with “Unanswered Prayers,”’ which made me start to think about the diversity in your choice of music.”
The Tulsa native, 48, has said in the past the ballad was based on a real encounter he and first wife Sandy Mahl had with his “old high school flame” in October 1989.
“I think it’s about the choices that we make in our life and looking back on those choices. You know, that hindsight’s 20/20 thing. Well, sometimes you get a real, live shot at seeing someone again. Or if it’s a job, a real, live shot at taking that job again down the line that you either didn’t get or passed up. … I think it’s just kind of (about) how we sit with our own choices,” said Brooks, who was divorced from Mahl in 2001 and married fellow country star Trisha Yearwood in 2005.
When he rehearsed “Unanswered Prayers” for “The Tonight Show” with a string ensemble, he was pleased with how enduring the song has proven.
Executive Producer Garth Brooks tosses a football on the set of the Lifetime Original Movie "Unanswered Prayers." (Photo by Kent Eanes, Lifetime Entertainment)
“Thank God and Allen Reynolds, the producer … it’s as fresh as the day he cut it. It just stands up to time really well,” he said, adding, “If you’re gonna be yourself, if you’re gonna bear your soul, too personal, I’m not sure they go together. You know, an album should reveal a little bit about an artist.”
Making a movie
Brooks, who grew up in Yukon, was involved throughout the filmmaking process, from sitting down with the screenwriters and visiting the set to going to dailies and, naturally, working on the music.
“I’m amazed anybody ever makes a movie, it’s got so many ways to fall apart, you know,” he said. “If you’ll learn real quick that you really have no control over it, you’ll be a lot better. You just don’t. There’s just too many hands, too many different opinions. And you just pray and look for good karma that everything kind of runs on the same theme. And this one really did. The crew was sincere, cast was sincere, and it was wonderful.”
Actress Patty Duke, who has a supporting role in the telefilm, said the cast didn’t get to see Brooks often, but her visits with him were memorable.
“Though we had never met, has been a real hero in our family. We just love his work,” she said in a separate teleconference. “I must say, when I met him, I was delightfully surprised at how funny, witty he is. I mean, he had me laughing the whole time we spent together. And his song ‘Unanswered Prayers’ says a lot to all of us who wish for things that maybe it’s better that we didn’t have.”
With his trademark Oklahoma humor, Brooks suggested another song in his catalog that would make an intriguing film: “That Summer,” his 1993 hit about a teenager who goes to work for a lonely widow and finds romance with her.
“I’d like to see Halle Berry (in it) and I’d like to play the young boy,” he joked with a laugh “’Course, I’d have to ask Ms. Yearwood if that’s OK. I’m sure she’d be fine with it.”
Contributing: Assistant Features Editor Lillie-Beth Brinkman.
On TV
The Lifetime Original Movie “Unanswered Prayers,” executive produced by Oklahoma country music superstar Garth Brooks and based on his hit song, will debut at 8 p.m. Monday on Lifetime Television.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 28, 2010
TULSA — Celebrate The Flaming Lips’ landmark 1997 album “Zaireeka” at a special event this afternoon at Circle Cinema, 10 S Lewis Ave.
“A Celebration of ‘Zaireeka’ and All Things Flaming Lips” is set for 2 p.m. today at Circle Cinema. The event will include a listening party of “Zaireeka,” a screening of Oklahoma filmmaker Brad Beesley’s documentary “The Fearless Freaks” and Pitchfork managing editor Mark Richardson discussing his book on “Zaireeka.”
The Oklahoma City psychedelic rockers’ eighth studio album, “Zaireeka” actually consists of four CDs. Each of its eight songs consists of four stereo tracks, one from each CD. The album was designed to be played simultaneously on four separate audio systems, and the listening party will let fans hear it as it was intended.
The celebration is sponsored by Booksmart Tulsa, Dwelling Spaces and Circle Cinema.
For more information, call (918) 585-3504 or go to www.dwellingspaces.net.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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