|
Better Off Dead (film)
''Better Off Dead'' is a 1985 American surrealist black comedy film written and directed by Savage Steve Holland. It stars John Cusack as high school student Lane Myer, who becomes suicidal after his girlfriend breaks up with him shortly before Christmas. Plot In the town of Greendale in Northern California, high school student Lane Myer's two main interests are skiing and his girlfriend of six months, Beth Truss. Shortly before Christmas, Beth dumps Lane for the handsome and popular captain of the ski team, Roy Stalin. Roy is an arrogant bully who unfairly rejects Lane at ski team tryouts. Beth also criticizes Lane's car, an old station wagon. Although Lane also owns a 1967 Camaro, he has not been able to get it running and it sits in the driveway in a dilapidated state. Lane lives in a suburban development with his mother, Jenny, a ditzy housewife who routinely concocts creepy (and creeping) family meals; his genius little brother, Badger, who never speaks but at the age o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drew Struzan
Drew Struzan (; born March 18, 1947) is an American artist, illustrator and cover designer. He is known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Blade Runner'', ''Mallrats'', as well as films in the ''Indiana Jones'', ''Back to the Future (film series), Back to the Future'', and ''Star Wars'' film series. He has also painted album covers, collectibles, and book covers. Early life Struzan was born on March 18, 1947 in Oregon City, Oregon. In 1965, at age 18, he enrolled at the Art Center College of Design, then in West Los Angeles. Career Early career A counselor asked Struzan about his interests and told him he had a choice between fine art or illustration. The counselor described the two careers, telling Struzan that as a fine artist he could paint whatever he wanted, but as an illustrator he could paint for money. Struzan chose to be an illustrator, saying, "I need to eat." In his first year, he married and became a father. Stru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro shared its platform and major components with the Firebird, produced by General Motors' Pontiac division that was also introduced for 1967. Four distinct generations of the Camaro were developed before production ended in 2002. The nameplate was revived on a concept car that evolved into the fifth-generation Camaro; production started on March 16, 2009. Background Before any official announcement, reports began running during April 1965 within the automotive press that Chevrolet was preparing a competitor to the Ford Mustang, code-named ''Panther''. On June 21, 1966, around 200 automotive journalists received a telegram from General Motors stating, "...please save noon of June 28 for important SEPAW meeting. Hope you can be on han ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Rosenthal
Richard L. Rosenthal, Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American film instructor and director, known for directing '' Halloween II'' and '' Halloween: Resurrection''. Early life, family and education Rosenthal was born in New York City, the son of Hinda (née Gould) and entrepreneur Richard L. Rosenthal, Sr. Career Rosenthal started his career by directing '' Halloween II'' and returned to the series 21 years later, helming '' Halloween: Resurrection''. In between he has directed films such as ''American Dreamer'' (1984), ''Russkies'' (1987), ''Distant Thunder'' (1988) and ''Just a Little Harmless Sex'' (1998). He also directed dozens of episodic television shows, and was co-executive producer of the landmark Warner Bros. TV series ''Life Goes On'' for ABC from 1989-1991. Personal life Rosenthal met his wife, actress Nancy Stephens, while filming ''Halloween II''. Select filmography as a director Film * '' Halloween II'' (1981) * '' Bad Boys'' (1983) * '' American Dream ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taylor Negron
Brad Stephen "Taylor" Negron (August 1, 1957 – January 10, 2015) was an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Milo in the 1991 buddy cop action comedy film ''The Last Boy Scout''. Early life Negron was born in Glendale, California, the son of Puerto Rican couple Lucy (''née'' Rosario) and Conrad Negron, Sr. His cousin is singer and musician Chuck Negron, of Three Dog Night fame. He grew up in La Cañada Flintridge, California, and graduated from the University of California Los Angeles. Career Breaking into comedy, Hollywood Negron's career in comedy began while he was still in high school, with a stand-up performance at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood. After this appearance, Negron ventured into being a Hollywood extra, as well as a repeat contestant on Chuck Barris' ABC daytime show ''The Dating Game''. Before his film career began, Negron was exposed to dramatic and comedic legends Lee Strasberg and Lucille Ball. In a work-study program a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Andrew Schiavelli (; November 11, 1948 – December 26, 2005) was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television. Described as an "instantly recognizable sad-faced actor", he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in childhood.Tom Jacobs (08 September 1991). CTOR SCHIAVELLI DECLARES VICTORY OVER MARFAN'S The Chicago Tribune, accessed 27 November 2019 Schiavelli gained fame as a character actor, mainly in supporting roles. His better-known roles include Fredrickson in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), Mr. Vargas in '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), the Subway Ghost in '' Ghost'' (1990), Organ Grinder in ''Batman Returns'' (1992), Chester in ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' (1996), Dr. Kaufman in '' Tomorrow Never Dies'' (1997) and ABC executive Maynard Smith in '' Man on the Moon'' (1999). Early life Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn to a Sicilian-American family, the son of John Schiavelli and Katherine Coco. He attended Bis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chuck Mitchell
Charles Thomas "Chuck" Mitchell (November 28, 1927 – June 22, 1992) was an American actor, singer and entertainer. He is known for his role as "Porky" in the 1981 movie '' Porky's'' and its 1985 sequel '' Porky's Revenge!''. Career Mitchell is also remembered as Rocko, the mean owner of the restaurant called "Pig Burgers" in the 1985 comedy '' Better Off Dead''. He became well known for his role as "Porky" in the comedy movie '' Porky's''. He would reprise the role again in the 1985 sequel '' Porky's Revenge!''. He declined to appear in '' Porky's II: The Next Day'' as he would have had to appear completely naked in the final scene. He starred in the TV soap opera ''General Hospital'' as Big Ralph, and in the 1981 TV series '' Bret Maverick'', as well as the 1983 miniseries '' The Winds of War''. Mitchell made guest appearances on the TV shows ''The Fall Guy'', ''Hill Street Blues'' and ''Remington Steele''. In some of his films, he is credited as Chuck "Porky" Mit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Schneider (TV Producer)
Daniel James Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and actor. After appearing in mostly supporting roles in a number of 1980s and 1990s films and TV shows, Schneider devoted himself to behind-the-scenes work in production. He is the co-president of television production company Schneider's Bakery and made '' What I Like About You'' for The WB and ''All That'', '' The Amanda Show'', ''Drake & Josh'', ''Zoey 101'', ''iCarly'', ''Victorious'', '' Sam & Cat'', ''Henry Danger'', '' Game Shakers'', and ''The Adventures of Kid Danger'' for Nickelodeon. In March 2018, Nickelodeon announced that they had parted ways with Schneider. He was later accused of misconduct by some of his former employees, which he has partly denied. § In a 2021 interview with ''The New York Times'', Schneider announced that he had written and sold a new pilot to a different network. Early life Schneider was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, to Harry and C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuji Okumoto
is an American actor of Japanese descent. He is best known for his role as Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid (franchise), ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. He has also appeared in such films as ''Real Genius'' (1985), ''True Believer (1989 film), True Believer'' (1989), ''Contact (1997 American film), Contact'' (1997), ''The Truman Show'' (1998), ''Pearl Harbor (film), Pearl Harbor'' (2001), ''Only the Brave (2006 film), Only the Brave'' (2006), ''Inception'' (2010) and ''Driven (2018 film), Driven'' (2018). Early life Okumoto, a third generation Japanese American (''Sansei''), was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He began karate at age 13, studying under various sensei. By the time of ''The Karate Kid Part II'', the 27-year-old Okumoto held a brown belt in Karate, and had learned basic skills in other martial arts, including Kung Fu and Judo. His Judo Instructor was Hayward Nishioka, his Chitō-ryū Karate Sensei was Yukinori Kugimiya, his Kajukenbo Instructor was Sensei R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amanda Wyss
Amanda Louise Wyss (born November 24, 1960) is an American actress. She began her career in the early 1980s in teen-oriented roles such as Lisa in the coming-of-age comedy film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), Tina Gray in the slasher film ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984), and Beth in the black comedy film '' Better Off Dead'' (1985). Additionally, she had a supporting role as investigative reporter Randi McFarland in the television series '' Highlander: The Series'' (1992–1993). She is also known for playing Woody's ex-girlfriend, Beth, in two episodes of ''Cheers'' in the mid-1980s. Career Wyss was born in Manhattan Beach, California. She was discovered by an agent who saw her portray Flora in ''The Innocents'', and Rhoda in ''The Bad Seed'' at local LA theatres. After appearing in commercials, Wyss landed her first television role, recurring on Universal's ''When the Whistle Blows'' (1980) as Dolph Sweet's daughter. The same year, she guest-starred on the tele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of (US$ in 2020 dollars). It is the oldest ballpark in MLB west of the Mississippi River, and third-oldest overall, after Fenway Park in Boston (1912) and Wrigley Field in Chicago (1914), and is the largest baseball stadium in the world by seat capacity. Often referred to as a " pitcher's ballpark", the stadium has seen 13 no-hitters, two of which were perfect games. The stadium hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1980 and 2022—as well as games of 10 World Series ( 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988, 2017 and 2018). It also hosted the semifinals and finals of the 2009 and 2017 World Baseball Classics, as well as exhibition baseball during the 1984 Summer Olympics. The stadium hosted a soccer tourn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn, which later became a Boroughs of New York City, borough of City of Greater New York, New York City, the team joined the NL in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and assumed several different monikers thereafter before finally settling on the name Dodgers in 1932. From the 1940s through the mid-1950s, the Dodgers developed a fierce cross-town Dodgers-Yankees rivalry, rivalry with the New York Yankees as the two clubs faced each other in the World Series seven times, with the Dodgers losing the first five matchups before defeating them to win the franchise's first title in 1955 World Series, 1955. It was also during this period that the Dodgers made history by breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the debut of Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a slightly sweet scent and taste. At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful oxidiser similar to molecular oxygen. Nitrous oxide has significant medical uses, especially in surgery and dentistry, for its anaesthetic and pain-reducing effects. Its colloquial name, "laughing gas", coined by Humphry Davy, is due to the euphoric effects upon inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as a dissociative anaesthetic. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is also used as an oxidiser in rocket propellants, and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. Nitrous oxide's atmospheric concentration reached 333 parts per billion (ppb) in 2020, increasing a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
