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Walker Brothers Singer John Walker Dead At 67 (Video) – Stupid Celebrities Gossip

admin — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:01:33 +0000

John Walker of the singing group The Walker Brothers has died of liver cancer at 67.

The “make it Easy on Yourself” singer passed away at his Los Angeles home on Saturday after his battle with liver cancer. he was 67.

A statement on his website read: “it is with our deepest sadness to report that Mr. John Walker passed away in his Los Angeles area home on May 7.

“he was a beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, friend, and artist.”

Walker, whose given name was John Maus, began using the name walker as a teenager. he formed the Walker Brothers in 1964, which included Scott Engel an Gary Leeds.

Gary paid tribute to his bandmate, writing, “It’s a very sad day for John’s family, myself and all of our many fans.

“John was the founder member of the group and lead singer in the early days. he was also a fantastic guitarist which a lot of people didn’t realize. he was a compassionate song-writer and a gentleman with lots of style.

“The three of us had the most incredible adventure together, all the time not realizing that we were part of pop history in the making. His music will live on, and therefore so will John.”

A few of the bands hits included “‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)”, “my Ship Is Coming In”, and “make it Easy on Yourself”.

Here’s the Walker Brothers performing “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”:

Click thumbnails for larger pictures

Walker Brothers Singer John Walker Dead At 67 (Video) – Stupid Celebrities Gossip

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Lena Dunham's life looks bleak in 'Tiny Furniture'

admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:00:55 +0000

Lena Dunham is the star of the show in “Tiny Furniture,” a charming, cleverly written entry in the young filmmaker’s burgeoning oeuvre. as the film’s writer, director and lead actress, her presence is felt in every frame of this semi-autobiographical film. “Tiny Furniture” follows Aura (Dunham), a recent graduate of an Ohio college who, after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, moves back in with her bourgeoisie family in new York City to try to figure her life out.

Moreover, Aura’s sister Nadine and her mother, Siri are played by Dunham’s own mother and sister, Grace Dunham and Laurie Simmons, respectively. Basically, this film is very, very personal. and the audience can sense this. The film feels like an intimate, uninvited look into the private lives of its characters.

Aura’s family is one of the best aspects of “Tiny Furniture,” Siri and Nadine being two of the more likeable characters in a movie ostensibly abounding with unlikeable ones. The family’s chemistry is great; their scenes have an easy familiarity that lends an effortless energy to their witty repartee. but the family dynamic runs deeper than this. Beneath their amusing banter the viewer can sense an underlying current of resentment and jealousy, which leads to humor in earlier scenes, then explosions of anger and sadness as the film goes on.

But when the film moves away from this domestic setting, it quickly loses steam. Aura makes two significant male friends throughout the movie, aspiring comedian Jed (Alex Karpovsky, “Lovers of Hate”) and chef Keith (David Call, “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”), who works at a restaurant where Aura gets a job as a hostess. The two are abrasive to the point of being hard to watch, and one can’t help but cringe at Aura’s desire to even be around them.

The film presents a cold world. Dirty streets lined with uninviting, white-walled homes and lonely people fill the screen. while this in itself is not necessarily negative, the film offers few warm moments to offset the bleakness. The humor is mostly disparaging and sarcastic, and the characters show little compassion for one another.

And it’s hard to root for Aura as a protagonist. she is portrayed as an outsider, but the viewer can’t relate to her because she is not depicted in a consistent manner. we are meant to believe she’s the victim when Keith takes advantage of her, but also that she’s the perpetrator when she blows off her best college friend Frankie (Meritt Wever, “Into the Wild”). The film can’t seem to decide whether she’s a whiny, entitled bitch or the victim of a family and peer group who don’t understand her.

And, partly due to a flat performance from Dunham, Aura ends up a pretty insipid character, with an emotional palette generally ranging between boredom and apathy. indeed, many of the secondary characters are more interesting and energetic than Aura. One of these is Charlotte (relative newcomer Jemima Kirke), an old friend of Aura’s — recently out of rehab, with a possibly fake British accent and magnetic spontaneity. Her scenes are fun and lively, her drunken caprices contrasting nicely with Aura’s droll, muted sensibility.

Late in “Tiny Furniture,” Aura’s mother remarks that she and Aura continually have the same conversation. It feel the same way to the audience. The film keeps rehashing the same situations and conversations. It seems to drag on much longer than its 98 minutes, and ends up feeling like a patchwork of scenes that don’t quite coalesce into a coherent narrative. Its witty script and interesting characters ultimately aren’t enough to elevate the film above mildly diverting entertainment.

Lena Dunham's life looks bleak in 'Tiny Furniture'

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Olivia Wilde: Rebuilding Haiti: Helping One Child at a Time

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:00:42 +0000

It has been more than six months since the earthquake in Haiti, and I still remember the moment when I heard what had happened. Sitting, stunned, on the set of “House,” I felt my stomach plummet. How could I go on working? I knew that the hospitals and schools where I stood only weeks before had little chance of surviving such a horrific beating. I also knew there must be thousands dead. I could never have imagined the number would reach as staggeringly high as 300,000. what followed was a month of sleepless nights, hot tears, desperate pleas for donations, and a constant stream of bad news from our friends on the ground in Port-au-Prince.

But amidst all the disbelief, anxiety, anger, sadness, and frustration, I found a deep well of hope. The world pulled together to offer help, arms held outstretched, pledging not to forget. In that moment I was proud to be a part of an organization that was in a position to offer real, effective assistance to those who needed it most.

So many of you were generous, raising funds immediately to help Artists for Peace and Justice, and other worthy organizations, provide critically needed care. APJ representatives were able to get into the country immediately to provide humanitarian relief, bringing surgeons, medical equipment (such as Morphine, so that amputations would no longer have to be performed using only Motrin) and other emergency supplies. This would have been impossible if not for the donations we received in that first week.

Because we had maintained a presence in Haiti for a year before the earthquake struck, we were soon able to re-focus our efforts on our long term goal of education for the poorest children, while at the same time building a rehabilitation clinic for youngsters who lost limbs and needed prosthetic limbs. This project is ongoing, and recently, when I was back at St Damien’s Pediatric Hospital with Father Rick Frechette, where APJ Haiti was born, I marveled at the clinic’s in-house factory, where tiny arms and legs are built before being individually fitted, so that the children can receive physical therapy, and begin to move forward with their lives.

Haiti, six months after the earthquake.

On that same trip, I scrubbed up and stood in on the surgery of a three-year-old girl, Fleurengina, whose hand had been badly bitten by rats while she slept in her tent, in one of the many refugee camps, and was now badly infected. APJ’s Co-Executive Director, Dr. Reza Nabavian, performed the procedure that saved her from probable amputation. As I listened to her howling cries for her mother, I realized what horrors this child had gone through, how much terror and misery she had seen, and how strong she would have to be to stay afloat in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation. I felt my dedication to her, and her country, solidify in my heart. I want girls like Fleurengina to have a chance at survival, and an education, so that she may grow, armed with the knowledge to help her battered country heal from the inside out.

Almost seven months later, APJ is still firmly planted in Haiti, with many new exciting partnerships allowing us to launch projects such as water purification systems, a mobile clinic, and others, that are making a huge difference in the lives of those hit hardest by the poverty that was grossly intensified by the quake. with the help of the World Food Program, we are thrilled to now be able to secure food and water for 8,000 children a day.

We firmly believe that education is the key to sustainable recovery of this devastated nation. Our school programs are progressing every day, and we have many exciting plans for the future. we have high standards and expectations for our work in Haiti, and we are in it for the long haul.

As things start to look up in Haiti, I pause and remember those who were lost in the dust. In their honor, I choose not to forget. Food, water, shelter and medical care are in short supply. International relief and reconstruction efforts are slowing down when Haiti is most in need of help. it is not OK for us to leave our fellow human beings desperately clawing at survival. we must not look away and throw up our hands. The only ethical and responsible reaction is to take action, and work to break the cycle of suffering.

I am proud to work on behalf of APJ, and I look forward to a day when all Haitian children have a safe place to sleep and play, a healthy meal, a doctor, and a classroom.

Donate now.

Olivia Wilde: Rebuilding Haiti: Helping One Child at a Time

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Noel Gallagher quits Oasis after Paris 'altercation'

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:42 +0000

Noel Gallagher quit Oasis tonight (August 28).

Following the Manchester band’s cancelled show at the Paris Rock en Seine festival this evening, he posted the following statement on Oasisinet.com.

“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” he wrote. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with [singer, his brother] Liam a day longer.”

The band pulled out of the Paris show just before they were due onstage, with organisers allegedly displaying a message explaining an “altercation” had caused the cancellation.

Have your say on the split by taking part in NME.COM‘s vote: Can Oasis continue without Noel? now.

Watch Liam Gallagher‘s recent thoughts on the band below

NME‘s Hamish Macbain looks back at the sibling rivalry at the heart of Oasis

Relive the memories in our Oasis at Wembley gallery

Oasis R.I.P.? 50 Incredulous Liam Gallagher quotes

Noel Gallagher quits Oasis after Paris 'altercation'