Pia Zadora
Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipani; May 4, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She debuted as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' (1964). She came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized Butterfly (1982 film), ''Butterfly'', she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year while simultaneously winning the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress and the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star, Worst New Star for the same performance. In the 1980s, her film career failed to achieve critical success, so she focused on music. As a singer, she has released several albums featuring popular standards, often backed by a symphonic orchestra. She was nominated for a Grammy in 1984. Early life Zadora was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father, Alphonse Schipani, was an Italian-American violinist, and her mother, Saturnina Schipani (née Zadorowski), was a Poli ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' is a 1964 American Christmas science fiction comedy film. It was directed by Nicholas Webster, produced and written by Paul L. Jacobson, and based on a story by Glenville Mareth. John Call stars as Santa Claus, ten-year-old Pia Zadora as Girmar the Martian girl, and Doris Rich in the first documented motion picture role of Mrs. Claus. ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' regularly appears on lists of the worst films ever made and in the "bottom 100" list on IMDb. It is featured in series episodes of '' Canned Film Festival'' in 1986, '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' in 1991, and '' Elvira's Movie Macabre''. Plot The Martians Momar (Mom Martian) and Kimar (King Martian) are worried that their children Girmar (Girl Martian) and Bomar (Boy Martian) are watching too much Earth television, most notably station KID-TV's interview with Santa Claus in his workshop at Earth's North Pole. Chochem, an 800-year-old Martian sage, advises them tha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stacy Keach
Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and remains a prominent figure in American theatre across his career, particularly as a noted Shakespearean. He is the recipient of several theatrical accolades: four Drama Desk Award, Drama Desk Awards, two Helen Hayes Award, Helen Hayes Awards and two Obie Award, Obie Awards for Distinguished Performance by an Actor. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Arthur Kopit's 1969 production of Indians (play), ''Indians''. In film, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of a washed-up boxer in the John Huston film ''Fat City (film), Fat City'' (1972) and appeared as Sergeant Stedenko in Cheech & Chong's films ''Up in Smoke'' (1978) and ''Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams, Nice Dreams'' (1981). His other notable film credits include ''Brewster McCloud'' (1970 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Voyage Of The Rock Aliens
''Voyage of the Rock Aliens'' is a 1984 film directed by James Fargo and starring Pia Zadora and Craig Sheffer. Plot A guitar-shaped spaceship and Robot 1359 (voiced by Peter Cullen), search the universe for the source of rock and roll music. After discounting the planets Teldar and Malox, they come across Acirema. After listening to a dance/musical performance of “ When the Rain Begins to Fall”, featuring Pia Zadora and Jermaine Jackson portraying members of rival gangs who fall in love, à la Romeo and Juliet, 1359 discounts this one too. The last planet left to visit is Earth. 1359 wakes the crew to visit the planet. A rocket telephone booth lands in the town of Speelburgh and ABCD (pronounced "Absid") (Tom Nolan) with his group of aliens exit. The humanoid aliens force robot 1359 to take the form of a fire hydrant. Only the Sheriff (Ruth Gordon) witnesses their landing, and she becomes obsessed with alien invaders. Dee Dee (Pia Zadora) is a singer in high school who ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Extraterrestrial Life
Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms such as prokaryotes to Extraterrestrial intelligence, intelligent beings, possibly bringing forth civilizations that might be Kardashev scale, far more, or far less, advanced than humans. The Drake equation speculates about the existence of sapient life elsewhere in the universe. The science of extraterrestrial life is known as astrobiology. Speculation about the possibility of inhabited worlds beyond Earth dates back to antiquity. Early Christianity, Christian writers discussed the idea of a "plurality of worlds" as proposed by earlier thinkers such as Democritus; Augustine of Hippo, Augustine references Epicurus's idea of innumerable worlds "throughout the boundless immensity of space" in ''The City of God''. Pre-modern writers typicall ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Lonely Lady
''The Lonely Lady'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Peter Sasdy, adapted from Harold Robbins's 1976 novel of the same name, believed to have been based on Robbins's memories of Jacqueline Susann. The film stars Pia Zadora in the title role, Lloyd Bochner, Bibi Besch, Jared Martin and Ray Liotta in his film debut. The original music score was composed by Charlie Calello. The plot follows an aspiring screenwriter who deals with many abusive men in her attempts to achieve success in Hollywood. ''The Lonely Lady'' was the last adaptation of one of Robbins's novels before his death in 1997. Critically panned, the film was a box-office bomb, grossing only $1.2 million against a budget of between $6–7 million. Plot Jerilee Randall, an innocent high school student, living in the San Fernando Valley, dreams of becoming a famous writer. Shortly after winning a trophy for her creative writing, she meets Walt, the son of famous screenwriter Walter Thornton, at a party. She g ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Harold Robbins
Harold Robbins (May 21, 1916 – October 14, 1997) was an American author. One of the best-selling writers of all time, he wrote over 25 best-sellers, selling over 750 million copies in 32 languages. Early life Robbins was born Harold Rubin in New York City in 1916, the son of Frances "Fannie" Smith and Charles Rubin. His parents were well-educated Jewish emigrants from the Russian Empire, his father from Odessa and his mother from Neshwies ( Nyasvizh), south of Minsk. Robbins later falsely claimed to be a Jewish orphan who had been raised in a Catholic boys' home. Instead he was raised by his father, a pharmacist, and his stepmother, Blanche, in Brooklyn. Robbins dropped out of high school at 15 to enlist in the U.S. Navy.Harold Robbi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Desi Arnaz Jr
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV (born January 19, 1953), better known as Desi Arnaz Jr., is an American retired actor and musician. He is the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Early life Arnaz was born on January 19, 1953, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles. His older sister is actress Lucie Arnaz, who was born in 1951. His birth was one of the most publicized in television history. His parents were the stars of the television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', and Ball's pregnancy was part of the story line, which was considered daring in 1952. The same day Ball gave birth to Desi Jr., the fictional Lucy Ricardo gave birth to "Little Ricky". As a testament to how interested the American public was in Lucy's TV baby, Arnaz appeared on the cover of the first issue of ''TV Guide'' with the headline "Lucy's $50,000,000 baby", ($ in dollars) because revenue from advertising tie-ins was expected to top that amount. Actor Richard Keith (a.k.a. Keith Thibodeaux) later portrayed "Little ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (; January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series '' Kojak'' (1973–1978) and James Bond archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969). Savalas's other films include '' Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), '' The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965), ''Genghis Khan'' (1965), ''Battle of the Bulge'' (1965), '' The Dirty Dozen'' (1967), '' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), '' Horror Express'' (1972), '' Lisa and the Devil'' (1974), '' Escape to Athena'' (1979), '' Border Cop'' (1980) and '' Mind Twister'' (1993). For ''Birdman of Alcatraz'', he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Savalas released a cover of the Bread song " If", which became a UK number-one single in 1975. Early life Aristotelis Sav ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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B-movie
A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, somewhat similar to A-side and B-side, B-sides in recorded music. However, the production of such films as "second features" in the United States largely declined by the end of the 1950s. This shift was due to the rise of commercial television, which prompted film studio B movie production departments to transition into television film production divisions. These divisions continued to create content similar to B movies, albeit in the form of low-budget films and series. Today, the term "B movie" is used in a broader sense. In post-Golden Age usage, B movies can encompass a wide spectrum of films, ranging from sensationalistic exploitation films to independent arthouse productions. In either usage, most B movies ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Women In Prison Film
The women-in-prison film (or WiP film) is a subgenre of exploitation film that began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day. Their stories feature imprisoned women who are subjected to sexual and physical abuse, typically by sadistic prison wardens, guards and other inmates. The genre also features many films in which imprisoned women engage in lesbian sex. As they are traditionally constructed, WiP films are works of fiction intended as pornography. The films of this genre include a mixture of erotic adventures of the women in prison. The flexible format, and the loosening of film censorship laws in the 1960s, allowed filmmakers to depict more extreme fetishes, such as voyeurism ( strip searches, group shower scenes, catfights), sexual fantasies (lesbian sex, rape, sexual slavery), fetishism ( bondage, whipping, degradation), and sadism (beatings, torture, cruelty). Prior to these films, another expression of pornographic women in prison was found in "t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fake-Out
''Fake-Out'' (also released as ''Nevada Heat'') is a 1982 American crime comedy film directed by Matt Cimber, written by Cimber and John F. Goff, and starring Pia Zadora, Telly Savalas, Desi Arnaz Jr., and Larry Storch. Plot Cast *Pia Zadora as Bobbie Warren *Telly Savalas as Lt. Thurston * Desi Arnaz Jr. as Det. Clint Morgan * Larry Storch as Ted *G. Wesley Stevens as Michelle * George Savalas as Pit Boss * Buddy Lester as Blackjack Player *Sammy Shore as Waiter * Nelson Sardelli as Danny Perelli *George Buck Flower as Merrich * Tim Rossovich as Roy *Matt Cimber as Don *Rusty Feuer as Happy Johnson *Mercedes Hawthorne-Maharis as Warden Curtis *Connie Hair as Roberta *Meshulam Riklis as Spiveck *Charlotte Laws as Sharon Production The film was Pia Zadora's second lead role in a feature. All her first three starring roles in films were financed by the company of her then husband Meshulam Riklis (the others were ''Butterfly'' and '' The Lonely Lady''). Matt Cimber, who direct ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzie Awards' satirical annual ceremony is predated by its progenitor, the Academy Awards, by five decades. The term ''wikt:raspberry, raspberry'' is used in its irreverent sense, as in "blowing a raspberry". The statuette is a golf ball-sized raspberry atop a Super 8mm film reel atop a 35-millimeter film core with brown wood shelf paper glued and wrapped around it—sitting atop a jar lid spray-painted gold. The Golden Raspberry Foundation has claimed that the award "encourages well-known filmmakers and top-notch performers to own their bad." The 1st Golden Raspberry Awards, first Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was held on March 31, 1981, in John J. B. Wilson's living-room alcove in Hollywood, to honor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |