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New York Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
James Dean's former NYC home lists for $6.25M
James Dean may have been Hollywood's classic 'bad boy' — but in 1953, he was living in a traditional Gilded Age brownstone on the Upper West Side. It's now on the market for $6.25 million. Built in 1884, the brownstone is located at 13 W. 89th St. — between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The 'Rebel With a Cause' and 'On the Waterfront' actor lived there in 1951 as a struggling young actor with his then-girlfriend, Liz 'Dizzy' Sheridan, a dancer and actress who went on to play Jerry Seinfeld's fictional mother, Helen, in 'Seinfeld.' Sheridan later wrote a book about their love affair. Advertisement 9 James Dean. Getty Images 9 The exterior of the 19th-century property. Allyson Lubow 9 The cozy eat-in open chef's kitchen. Allyson Lubow Advertisement 9 An original fireplace in an open living room. Allyson Lubow 9 The listing delivers beautiful outdoor space. Allyson Lubow After a painful break-up, Sheridan burned many of her memories but later found Dean's New York Public Library card with this property's W. 89th St. address. They used to go to the library, where he'd often read about bullfighting as a way to confront fear, he once said. The library card expired in November 1955, shortly after the actor's 1955 death in a car accident at the age of 24. Advertisement While Dean was born in Indiana, he lived in New York in the early 1950s and studied at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan. While he first lived in Midtown at places like the Iroquois Hotel, he later moved to this home farther north. He then relocated to 19 W. 68th St., where he was often on the roof rehearsing. There, he also once played conga drums with Sidney Poitier while Harry Belafonte sang 'The Banana Boat Song: Day O,' according to reports. 9 One of the bedrooms comes filled with sunlight. Allyson Lubow 9 Another one of the bedrooms boasts original windows. Allyson Lubow Advertisement Dean often left Hollywood to return to the Upper West Side, even after 'East of Eden' made him a star. He also made his name with 'Rebel Without a Cause.' The 19.5-foot-wide residence now for sale is divided into a renovated owner's duplex and four rental units, but can also convert back to single-family use. The home also comes with 570 square feet of outdoor space. The seller bought it for $4.15 million in 2005, and is downsizing now that her kids are out of the house, listing brokers Richard Pretsfelder and Sophie Smadbeck, of Leslie J. Garfield, told Gimme Shelter. 9 The property also delivers built-in storage. Allyson Lubow 9 There's even exposed brick. Allyson Lubow Perks include two fireplaces and ceiling heights that range from 8.5 feet to just under 12 feet. The owner's duplex is on the second and third levels — and features a formal living and dining area, and a home office. A wraparound floating staircase connects both floors. Original prewar details include wood-framed bay windows. There's a two-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor with a private terrace and two one-bedroom units on the top floor — as well as a garden-level residence with an additional two bedrooms and private garden access.
The Sun
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Watch Celebrity Big Brother's Mickey Rourke forget who housemate is just days after he was axed from ITV show
MICKEY Rourke appeared to forget who a Celebrity Big Brother housemate is - just days after being axed from the ITV show. The Hollywood legend's controversial antics in the house led to an early exit. 4 4 4 Having landed back in LA, a content creator queried Mickey, 72, about his time in Celebrity Big Brother. They asked him, among other questions: "What would you say to JoJo Siwa? Do you have any comments for JoJo?" Looking perplexed, Mickey replied by asking: "Who's that?" "She was on the show with you - JoJo Siwa", the content creator reminded him. Viewers previously watched on as now-axed Mickey came under fire when he directed offensive slurs at US singer JoJo Siwa, who is a lesbian. JoJo's mum weighed into Mickey's actions which lead to his departure. Taking to social media, Dance Moms star Jessalynn Siwa wrote: "To be honest, this is exactly what I was afraid of, something physical. "I know some people think he was making good TV and will be sad he is gone but it's not worth it for ones in the room with him." The Sun revealed ITV bosses slashed Mickey's £500,000 show fee after he repeatedly caused chaos in the house. He joins stars including Roxanne Pallett and Jeremy Jackson who had their big-money fees slashed after being axed. A source said: ' Mickey won't be receiving all his money from ITV. 'If a celebrity gets removed from the house, they don't get the full fee. Mickey Rourke's Career Timeline 1970s: Early career Mickey Rourke began his acting journey in 1971 after studying at the prestigious Actors Studio in New York, under the tutelage of Lee Strasberg. He appeared in minor roles in television shows and films to gain experience. 1978: Made his film debut with a small role in the Steven Spielberg-directed comedy-drama 1941. 1980s: Breakthrough and stardom 1981: Achieved recognition with his role as the arsonist Teddy Lewis in Body Heat, a neo-noir thriller starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. 1982: Delivered a critically acclaimed performance in Barry Levinson's Diner, showcasing his talent and earning attention as a rising star. 1983: Played a memorable role in Rumble Fish, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, alongside Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Dennis Hopper. 1986: Starred in 9½ Weeks, a provocative romantic drama opposite Kim Basinger. The film became a cult classic, cementing his status as a Hollywood leading man. 1987: Gave a standout performance in Angel Heart, a psychological thriller directed by Alan Parker, co-starring Robert De Niro and Lisa Bonet. 1990s: Career decline and transition to boxing 1991: Mickey shifted focus from acting to professional boxing, citing dissatisfaction with Hollywood and the roles he was being offered. He competed in several matches and sustained injuries during his career in the ring leading which led to an addiction to plastic surgery. Throughout the 1990s, Rourke's film appearances were sporadic and mostly in lesser-known or poorly received productions. 2000s: Career comeback 2000: Returned to the screen in supporting roles, including in The Pledge, directed by Sean Penn, and Get Carter alongside Sylvester Stallone. 2005: Achieved a major career revival with his performance as Marv in Sin City, a visually striking neo-noir film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. 2008: Delivered an award-winning performance in The Wrestler, directed by Darren Aronofsky. Rourke played Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up professional wrestler seeking redemption. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. 2010s: Continued success 2010: Portrayed the villain Ivan Vanko/Whiplash in Iron Man 2, starring alongside Robert Downey Jr. 2011: Appeared in Immortals, a fantasy-action film directed by Tarsem Singh. Throughout the decade, Rourke continued acting in smaller films and projects, maintaining a presence in Hollywood while occasionally taking on eccentric or offbeat roles. "It's as simple as that and they will be discussing that with him. 'Mickey was ready to leave the house and it ended up feeling like a mutual decision between him and ITV in the end. "It was getting too much.' 4
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Suzanne Rand, Half of a Once-Popular Comedy Team, Dies at 75
Suzanne Rand, who worked with John Monteith in a comedy team that was often compared to the groundbreaking Mike Nichols and Elaine May — and that, like them, became the stars of a two-person Broadway show — died on April 2 in Manhattan. She was 75. Ruben Rand, her stepson, confirmed the death, in a rehabilitation facility. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest. Ms. Rand and Mr. Monteith — she was the exuberant one; he was the more low-key partner — had backgrounds in improvisational comedy when they formed their act in 1976. Their sketches included Ms. Rand's portrayal of a guilt-ridden fly killer who tries to revive a swatted pest, and the two of them as movie critics assigned to review a pornographic film who then mimic its action. They built sketches around suggestions from the audience — settings, pet peeves, objects, occupations, film and television genres — and performed scripted material. Their male-female partnership and their quick repartee led to comparisons with Nichols and May, who met in the 1950s and whose collection of wry, savvy and satirical improvisations, 'An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May,' reached Broadway in October 1960 and ran for 306 performances. Ms. Rand and Mr. Monteith were thrilled that critics and audiences saw something of Nichols and May in their work. But they themselves saw some differences. 'Nichols and May came across more like neurotics trying to deal with the world,' Ms. Rand told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland in 1984, 'while I feel that we view ourselves as two people dealing with a neurotic world.' In 1978, Monteith and Rand were warmly welcomed at Manhattan clubs like Reno Sweeney and the Bottom Line, and at the Off Off Broadway Theater East. 'To be sure, some of their material is likely to stick in the mind more than others,' Thomas Lask wrote in a review of their Theater East show in The New York Times. 'My own favorite is Miss Rand's solo encounter with a marijuana-smoking bee, never seen but aurally very visible.' That September, they got the call all comedians coveted: Johnny Carson wanted them on 'The Tonight Show.' They performed on Oct. 5, the first of their two appearances on the show. Their success at Theater East led James Lipton, the future host of 'Inside the Actors Studio,' who was then a producer, to take them to a higher theatrical realm. 'He took us to Elaine's and said, 'I'm moving them to Broadway,'' said Bill Russell, who helped put Mr. Monteith and Ms. Rand together and for many years was their assistant, working on their sound and lighting. The show opened in January 1979. The reviews were good, but it was not a hit: It closed after 79 performances. They reprised their act for a Showtime cable special that year and for three public television shows in 1985. One of their fans was the conductor Leonard Bernstein, whose son, Alexander, said he invited them to his apartment at the Dakota in Manhattan. 'He was sure they were about to collaborate on something,' Alexander Bernstein said in an email. But they never did. Suzanne Lorraine Eckmann was born on Sept. 8, 1949, in Chicago and grew up in nearby Highland Park with her mother, Flora, and her father, William, who worked at companies that produced films for television and later worked for the State of Illinois. Suzanne made her acting debut at age 4 as Queen Esther in a nursery school Purim show. As a teenager, she sang in nightclubs and at charity events. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater in 1971. She was hired at the Second City, the celebrated improvisational theater in Chicago, but she did not enjoy her short stay there. 'I had a miserable time,' she told The Times in 1978, adding, 'It's a wonderful place if you have a background, but you can't learn there.' In 1972 she moved to another improvisational company, the Proposition in Cambridge, Mass., where she met Mr. Monteith. They joined forces and, in 1976, were the warm-up act for the singers Janet Hood and Linda Langford, who performed as Jade & Sarsaparilla. Eventually, Monteith and Rand became headliners. They broke up in the early 1990s, Mr. Russell said, although he added in an interview: 'I'm not sure what happened. I think the gigs just dried up.' In addition to her stepson, from her relationship with Lanny Rand, a restaurant manager who died in 2020, Ms. Rand is survived by her brother, William Eckmann. Ms. Rand's work fell off after she split with Mr. Monteith, who taught improvisation at the HB Studio in Manhattan for 25 years and died in 2018. She did voice-over work for advertisers and worked with Summer Salt, a group of writers and improvisers who meet every summer in Chatham, Mass., helping them tinker with scenes for new plays, screenplays, TV scripts and sketches. Jeffrey Sweet, director of Summer Salt's Improv to Script program, recalled how Ms. Rand once displayed her quick wit by resolving a problem in a proposed play. When a bride falls off a mountain and dies on the Friday before her wedding, the groom matter-of-factly tells their immediate families that he's going to hold a celebration of life for her instead — without informing the guests flying in from all over about her death. 'The family around him is appalled,' Mr. Sweet said in an interview. 'Somebody says, 'When people show up, what on earth will we stay to them?' 'And Suzanne said, 'Chicken or fish?''
Express Tribune
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
The Martial Artist' to hit North America, UK theatres on April 4
After being postponed due to the LA wildfires, Shaz Khan's The Martial Artist has finally locked a global release date. As per Variety, the film is set to hit theatres in North America and the UK on April 4, just after Eid. Meanwhile, the film is slated for a March 30 release in Pakistan and May 8 in the MENA region, with other global dates yet to be confirmed. Starring Shaz, Faran Tahir, and Sanam Saeed, the film follows the journey of a Pakistani-American MMA fighter who reconnects with his roots in order to defeat the obstacles weighing him down in his career. "MMA provided a compelling lens to explore these themes, especially given its global popularity yet relative absence in cinema," Shaz told Variety. "Beyond the familiar hero's journey of self-discovery and redemption, I saw an opportunity to weave in cultural reclamation and Eastern philosophy through the mentor archetype." Having directed and co-written the script with Michael Ross Albert, the Parwaaz Hai Junoon actor added that the film wishes to highlight that true mastery doesn't come from physical prowess but through self-exploration, be it in fighting or life in general. "This film is about more than MMA - it's about what happens when we strip everything away and confront who we really are," he said. "It's about honouring the past while forging a new path. It's about redemption, not through victory alone, but through understanding what truly matters." Shaz announced the film's postponement in January on Instagram. "Due to the tragic fires in Los Angeles and the circumstances surrounding them, The Martial Artist's release date is going to be pushed forward. We will share the new release date when it is locked. Thoughts and prayers to all those who are affected in these trying times," he wrote. The Moor actor added that he had attached a link to his bio that would redirect his followers to a Go Fund Me campaign for his friend Vince's family. "They suffered an unimaginable loss, losing their entire home and car in the fires. Vince and I have been friends since my Actors Studio days in New York. He was also instrumental in helping us with the edit of The Martial Artist." He expressed his gratitude to fans for their support towards him and the project. "Thank you all for your understanding and support for the past few months," he concluded.
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
For Tina Louise, Escape, Finally, From ‘Gilligan's Island'
The green-eyed TV star with the beauty mark on her cheek shows up at a school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan every Wednesday. For an hour, Ms. Tina, as the students and teachers call her, devotes herself to a pair of 7-year-olds who are struggling with reading. They'll go through whatever books the teacher gives her, like 'All Aboard!' or 'How to Catch a Witch.' When her time is up, she'll head home. None of the children will have any idea that Ginger from 'Gilligan's Island' — in real life, the actress Tina Louise — just spent the best 60 minutes of her week with them. Ms. Louise does not like to talk about the television show that made her a household name. She has no desire to revisit the years between 1964 and 1967, when she was marooned with six oddballs and a trunk full of slinky, sequined gowns. Through its run of 98 episodes, 'Gilligan's Island' was a prime-time success and became a Gen X touchstone in reruns. (The question of 'Ginger or Mary Ann?' can still evoke passionate debate among men of a certain age.) As for Ms. Louise, she can barely utter the name of the program, referring to it as 'G.I.' or 'The Series.' It's not that she regrets it, although she and the cast never received residuals. 'I'm very grateful for all the things that have happened to me and the opportunities that I've had,' she said in a recent conversation from her modest one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. She is the show's last living cast member, and she recently celebrated a birthday she'd prefer not to discuss. ('I'm 29,' she said coyly.) She still has the signature beauty that made her famous, now on display in jeans and a black T-shirt instead of fancy gowns. There were few signs that her apartment was the home of a TV icon. There were three paintings of her from her 'Island' days and a glamorous shot at her wedding to the radio announcer and TV host Les Crane (they divorced in 1971, and he died in 2008). But the shelves were mainly lined with photos of her daughter, the novelist Caprice Crane, and twin grandchildren. She regularly receives fan mail, which she appreciates, and she's often recognized on the street. Still, she refuses to be defined by her Marilyn-Monroe-meets-Lucille-Ball-meets-Jessica-Rabbit role. 'I'd like to be known for other things,' she said. Those other things include a role in the 1958 drama 'God's Little Acre,' for which she won a Golden Globe; a solo album, 'It's Time for Tina,' in which she breathily sang classics like 'I'm in the Mood for Love' and 'Embraceable You'; studying with Lee Strasberg as a member of the Actors Studio; five Broadway plays, including 'Fade Out — Fade In,' with Carol Burnett (which Ms. Louise left to join 'The Series' in 1964). Post-'Gilligan,' she appeared in the original 'The Stepford Wives' in 1975, and later wrote two children's books. She also published a memoir, 'Sunday,' in 1997. (The audiobook version, which she read, came out in 2023.) It is not a gossipy dish on life in Hollywood; she's not interested in that. 'You can write whatever you want about me when I'm dead,' she said. Instead, 'Sunday' covers three very unhappy years a girl named Tina Blacker spent in the Ardsley Heights Country School and Camp for Girls, a boarding school in Ardsley-on-Hudson, N.Y. The place seems Dickensian at best. When Tina is caught talking with a friend late at night, a teacher makes her stand alone in a dark bathroom with spiders crawling on the ceiling. Her closest friends may be the caterpillars she hides in a box beneath her bed. She recounts the time another student stabbed her in the wrist with a pencil, leaving a faint scar she still has. 'We were just little angry girls that were put in this place, and nobody wanted to be there,' she said. Her mother, Sylvia Horn, was 18 when Tina was born; her father, Joseph Blacker, was 10 years older. By the time Tina was 4, her parents had divorced. Unable to care for her, her mother sent her to Ardsley. Sunday, visiting day, was the only bright spot, but her parents didn't always come. Once, they arrived on the same day and a vicious fight ensued. Tina's loneliness was palpable. 'I didn't have hugs,' she said. 'I didn't have loving situations.' She left Ardsley at 9 and moved in with her father and his new wife. She was happy. It was her first real home, and she longed to stay there. But when Tina was 11, her mother, who by that time had married a wealthy doctor — the third of her four husbands — wanted her to live with them in their fancy townhouse on the Upper East Side. 'It was like going from 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' to 'Eloise at the Plaza,'' said Ms. Louise, adding that she had no memory of living with her mother before that point. Once she settled in, her mother had her call her father and tell him that it was best that they not get together anymore. Tina didn't see him again until 'God's Little Acre' came out, by which time she was now Tina Louise, a starlet on the verge. She never forgave her father for not fighting for her. 'I was mad at him because he didn't go to court,' she said. She has a better understanding of her mother, whose own mother died when she was 3. 'She didn't have the loving that she needed,' she said. 'She always needed a man to lean on.' Her mother never wanted to talk about what happened to her at Ardsley. For years, Ms. Louise said, she felt as though she was gagged. But her time at Ardsley has also fueled her support for literacy and reading with children. In 1996, after seeing an article about a drop in students' ability to read, Ms. Louise joined Learning Leaders, a nonprofit that trained volunteers to tutor public school students throughout the five boroughs. For the next two decades Ms. Louise diligently worked with students, encouraging them in a mellifluous voice. Some of the teachers were familiar with her pedigree, but the students weren't. Ms. Louise recalled the young boy who raised his hand when the teacher asked if anyone knew who she was. 'She's the lady who talks to us and reads to us,' he said. 'I loved it, being anonymous, just being the person who read to the children,' Ms. Louise said. 'That was very important to me because nobody ever read to me.' After the organization lost its funding a few years ago, Ms. Louise reached out to the principal of the school where she attended seventh and eighth grade to see if there was any way she could help on her own. Ms. Louise goes to the school rain or shine. 'I love being in their presence for an hour. It's better than vitamins,' she said. 'I can't get back what I went through, but outside of being with my family, doing this is my special thing.' Her work with the children also inspired her to write two books: 'When I Grow Up' and 'What Does a Bee Do?' The bee book came after a conversation with some students. 'I asked them, 'Do you know what the bees do?' And everybody said, 'Sting!' And then I said: 'No, no, they don't. It's the wasp that stings. The honeybees don't do that. They feed us. They give us all these vegetables and fruits,'' she said. Unknowingly, Ms. Louise had drawn a link between her old and new lives. On an episode of 'Gilligan's Island,' Ginger, Mary Ann and Mrs. Howell formed a pop group called the Honeybees. Reminded of this, Ms. Louise was silent for a moment, then she giggled. 'That's funny,' she said. 'I forgot about that.'
