Latest news with #TheOmen
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Crystal on His Late Manager, David Steinberg: 'He Was One of a Kind'
If an experienced writer of obituaries would write the story of David Steinberg's life and career, it would be impossible for him to capture the total portrait of one of the most unique people I have ever known. If this feels like a speech at a memorial, chances are you won't be there, so here goes. For 48 years, this hilarious, outrageous (and pardon me, David), sensitive man who never wore socks was my manager, confidant, friend and ultimately family member. More from The Hollywood Reporter Edgar Wright, Guy Pearce, Keith Richards, Gale Anne Hurd, Stephen Elliott Pay Tribute to "Truly Iconic" Terence Stamp: "The Most Mesmerizing Eyes" Joe Caroff, Designer of the James Bond 007 Logo, Dies at 103 Terence Stamp, Brooding Legend of British Cinema, Dies at 87 David came to L.A. from Milwaukee, where he was born in 1943. After an academic career second to everyone and with his natural sense of humor, big personality and ability to bullshit with the best of them, he began a successful career in public relations. He would represent Peter Sellers, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others before I hired him to do my publicity when I started on Soap back in 1977. After getting to know my managers, who were considered the gold standard for comedy management — Jack Rollins, Charlie Joffe, Buddy Morra and Larry Brezner, whom I had signed with back in 1974 — he was asked to join the firm and leave behind the PR world. He was a natural fit and soon was sharing the workload for not only my career but also for my great friend Robin Williams. He was so sharp and quick. When I started to play around with an imitation of Fernando Lamas, I would call David in his office as Fernando and we'd have a conversation about Esther Williams and everyone else in show business. This is where 'You Look Mahvelous' started, and it ultimately became a popular character and catch phrase when I was on SNL in 1984-85. When Buddy retired and Larry focused solely on producing films, David protected Robin and me like one of those dogs in The Omen. His great sense of humor had us on an equal playing field at times. He would go on the road with us, watching our shows, taking notes, writing jokes (without our asking most times), but he was essential to our well-being on and off the stage. We'd overlook it when he'd have eaten the food in our dressing rooms before we arrived, and then not complain when he cleared a table of the plates, glasses and silverware before we were done eating the few scraps that were left. In 1989, he traveled to Moscow with me when I became the first American comedian to perform in the then Soviet Union for HBO's Midnight Train to Moscow. He had to deal with the KGB every day and constantly negotiated with the Russian liaisons who didn't live up to the things we had agreed to. Sound familiar? We were shooting a night scene in front of the Kremlin and the lights that we had paid for to be on, weren't. I saw David talking with a scary looking man, and suddenly the lights came on. I asked him what did he say to the man? He replied, 'I asked what would it take to turn them on? And he told me, so I gave him $500 and a dual cassette boom box.' We had to bring a food truck from England to the USSR stocked with a cook and good food for two weeks as the Chernobyl disaster had tainted much of the food supply, and the disappearance of the horse population made us wary of the New York Strip. So there was David, in the truck making spaghetti sauce and pasta for our Russian crew, who looked at David with amazement while he was feeding them food they had never seen before. We visited Lenin's tomb together, and with a stern Russian security guard watching us, he whispered loud enough for him to hear, 'His foot moved.' We were encouraged to make a hasty exit. He made trips to Afghanistan and Iraq with Robin to entertain the troops, frightened by the dangerous landing approach and takeoffs the plane had to make but joyous in the reaction of the troops to Robin. He didn't just watch, he also had many a great conversation with the soldiers himself. He put together the writing staffs for all nine of my Oscar hosting appearances and was in the wings with me and Bruce Vilanch and Robert Wuhl and later the great Jon Macks to monitor the show and hopefully come up with new lines if the opportunity presented itself. He, Bruce and Robert were with me in 1992 when Jack Palance did the one-armed pushups and we abandoned our plans and came up with jokes the rest of the evening. That team, David included, earned an Emmy for that show. We toured the States and Australia together twice, once with 700 Sundays, my Broadway show, and the other a 35-city concert performance tour. No job was too small, no job too big. It was David who delivered good news, and it was David who had to tell me that Robin and Larry Brezner, people we both loved, had passed away. He was one of a kind. As Whoopi Goldberg said about David, 'There was nobody more pointed, more funny and more loving than David. Through all my years watching Billy and Robin and David interact at Comic Relief, I recognized what he meant to their careers and more importantly, to them personally.' For Janice and I, he was a trusted relative. To my daughters, he was a beloved uncle. His talents were enviable to our fellow artists. No manager had the 'chops' that Steinberg had. Today there are management firms with big staffs and divisions for personal appearances, books, movies, social media, etc. David, to his last days, was a one-man band. He learned every day how to keep up with the new demands of the business even though he never quite mastered how to use his cell phone. He was joyous and proud when good things happened. He was caring and soothing and honest when things went the wrong way, and like a manager yelling at an umpire who didn't get the call right, he'd know how much arguing and cursing he could get away with before he would get tossed. He represented the great Bette Midler, who said, 'I adored him. He was wry, cynical and hilarious, yet pretty much a gentleman, all things considered. I looked forward to every meeting because I knew I was going to laugh my head off, although he was a terrific hand holder, too. He'd seen it all, at least twice, and was completely unfazed by anything that the business threw at him. The end of an era.' Bette summed it up so perfectly. My 'OG' managers, Jack Rollins, Charlie Joffe, Buddy Morra and Larry Brezner, are all gone, and now David is, too. They represented an era in comedy, from Woody Allen to Nichols & May, Dick Cavett, Tom Poston, Robert Klein, Martin Mull, Paula Poundstone, Martin Short, David Letterman, Robin and myself, and now for me there is a black hole, a space that will never be filled. He died after a long and difficult negotiation with cancer early Saturday morning. If I was able to tell him it was also the day Babe Ruth passed away, I know he'd say, 'So I get second billing?' He had a beautiful family. His wife, Brynn Thayer, is a fine actress and now a playwright, strong and hilarious herself, she was the perfect match for his personality and sometimes inappropriate jokes. She fought endlessly for him as his health declined, and her love for him was unparalleled. His son Mason, now a terrific comedy writer and producer, learned from his dad the art of writing a joke with a purpose, and I'm sure that kind of warm irreverence will be passed down to his son, Owen, David's only grandchild whom he loved more than he could ever say. His sister, Sari, and his goddaughter, Molly, were also great loves of his life. There are countless stories and anecdotes I could choose from to end this, but I decided to paraphrase what the great writer John O'Hara said about his friend George Gershwin upon his passing. 'George Gershwin died on July 11, 1937, but I don't have to believe it if I don't want to.' David Steinberg, my manager my friend, died on Aug. 16, 2025, but I don't have to believe it if I don't want to.' Reader, I'm sorry if you never got to meet him or know him, and to those of you who did … well, all you can say is this really stinks. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire Solve the daily Crossword
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Disturbing horror movie that left fans 'too scared to sleep' now streaming
An acclaimed psychological horror film that scared fans sleepless and left them 'paranoid for days' is now streaming for free. Jordan Peele's second movie after Get Out, Us saw him dubbed the 'modern day Hitchcock' in breathless first reactions thanks to the film's blend of big ideas, terrifying scares and exhilarating performances. Starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Elisabeth Moss, Us follows the Wilson family as they return to the beachfront home where Adelaide (Nyong'o) grew up as a child for a holiday. But Adelaide is haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, and her nightmarish worst fears over something bad happening soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend up on the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. In a creepy twist, these masked individuals turn out to be twisted, violent versions of themselves, making the Wilsons – quite literally – their own worst enemies. Us was added to BBC iPlayer again this week for a limited time only, having first been available to watch there last year, where it sits among other iconic horror movies like The Omen and Halloween. It is currently available to watch for the next 28 days, if you're a horror fan who's already already on top of big recent horror cinema releases like Together and Weapons. The flick boasts a very impressive 93% rating on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes from 552 individual critic reactions since its release in 2019; that it has sustained such a high score with such a large volume of reviews also confirms an overwhelmingly positive consensus. 'Jordan Peele's Us is one of the most original horror titles in recent years. This movie is destined for greatness,' declared Jordan Barkan for Dread Central at the time, while Empire magazine called it 'a stunning sophomore effort from Jordan Peele'. 'The showpiece scares in Us are the opposite of ordinary horror jolts: its big shocks dawn slow, and they don't recede,' wrote Robbie Colin in his five-star review for The Telegraph, calling it 'a sinister masterclass in spiralling terror'. 'It's a film that confirms Peele as that rarest of things – a true auteur,' said Dan Stubbs for NME, while Jamie East called it 'the first conscientious horror' in his five-star review for The Sun. For Metro, Rishma Dosani described Us as 'a film that will stay with you for days'. 'What Peele manages to do so well is leave you breathless with sheer terror one second, and unable to stifle a laugh the next,' she added in her four-star review. Fans were equally enthusiastic, with Caitlin Stewart admitting in her five-star Google review: 'This was the first film I've watched that made me genuinely scared too sleep at night, I was paranoid for days.' Comparing it to other famously terrifying horror movies like The Conjuring, Hereditary and The Shining that she'd seen in recent days too, she added that 'Us is the only one that genuinely terrified me'. More Trending 'I find myself thinking about Us time and time again due to how unforgettable and fresh the movie was,' wrote Brandon L, while Zoe Gardiner added: 'This film is the greatest, most shocking cinematic masterpiece I have ever endured.' 'This is a genius masterpiece. A psychosocial thriller for those who want to get chills and challenge themselves to understand what's going on,' Kylie A suggested. Us is streaming on BBC iPlayer now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Lots of unexpected twists and turns': Your favourite British TV thrillers MORE: 'The worst show on TV' might finally be ending and viewers are surprisingly sad MORE: The 20 stars who were on Casualty before they were famous
Irish Independent
08-08-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Bill Linnane: Moving to the sticks is the only way to escape those vampire kids who just won't leave
While most are happy-go-lucky, it's likely some of your children's friends are absolute doses who turn up day after day There are many reasons to consider a move to the country – fresh air, silence, and being able to lowball your property tax payments so your five bed mansion is somehow only worth 250k. We moved from town to country six years ago, and while there have been some challenges, one of the less celebrated positives is being able to thin out your kids' friend groups. In other words, you get to detach any kids whom you deem to be a dose from their circle. When we lived in an estate, most of the kids who called to the door were pleasant, happy-go-lucky little creatures. But there would always be one or two kids who you were, in fact, giant doses – a cross between Sid, the evil kid next door in Toy Story, and Damien Thorne from the popular film franchise The Omen.
India.com
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Not Conjuring, But THIS Film Is Considered World's Most Cursed — The Crew Was Haunted By Lightning Strikes, Plane Crashes, Bombings & Real Decapitation; The Movie Is...
photoDetails english 2942389 It's not just the horror on-screen that left people shaken — it's the terrifying events that unfolded off-screen during the making of this 1976 horror film. Nearly five decades later, the tragic incidents surrounding this movie still send chills down the spine. Updated:Aug 06, 2025, 11:26 PM IST World's Most Cursed Movie 1 / 9 This is not about The Conjuring or Annabelle — the movie revolves around story of Damien, a child believed to be the incarnation of the devil. But what happened behind the scenes during its filming has earned it the title of Hollywood's most cursed movie ever. The Omen (1976) 2 / 9 Directed by Richard Donner (who later became famous for Superman), The Omen starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. It was meant to scare audiences — but no one expected the cast and crew to face real-life horror during its production. It All Began with a Tragedy 3 / 9 The first 'omen' occurred before shooting even began. In 1975, just weeks before filming, Gregory Peck's son died by suicide , a devastating loss that cast a dark shadow over the film from the start. Animal Attacks and Fatalities 4 / 9 In one chilling scene, Lee Remick's character is attacked by a group of baboons. Her terrified screams? 100% real. Director Richard Donner later revealed that the fear on her face wasn't acting- it was raw panic. The very next day, a zookeeper assisting with the animal scenes was mauled to death by a tiger. Lightning Strikes — Literally 5 / 9 Multiple flights associated with the film were struck by lightning: Gregory Peck's plane to London was hit, and one engine caught fire. A few weeks later, producer Mace Neufeld's plane was also struck. Screenwriter David Seltzer's plane didn't escape the lightning either. Even producer Harvey Bernard narrowly escaped a strike while filming in Rome. Bombings and Explosions 6 / 9 While filming in the UK, Mace Neufeld and his wife narrowly avoided a terrorist bombing by the Irish Republican Army. The hotel they were staying in was bombed but they survived because they weren't inside at the time. A Plane Crash That Was Meant for Them 7 / 9 In a spine-chilling twist, the crew had chartered a flight, but Chinese businessmen outbid them at the last moment. The plane they were supposed to be on crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everyone onboard. It collided with a flock of birds, crashed through a fence, and slammed into a car, killing even more people. Real-Life Decapitation Mirrors Movie Scene 8 / 9 Perhaps the most disturbing event was the death of special effects artist John Richardson's partner, Liz Moore, in a tragic car accident. One of the wheels from the crash decapitated her ,eerily similar to the infamous death scene Richardson had worked on for The Omen. As if that weren't chilling enough, Richardson later reported seeing a road sign at the crash site pointing to a town named Ommen, just 66.6 kilometers away. Other Haunting Incidents 9 / 9 Actor David Warner was struck by a car during filming. A stuntman was bitten by aggressive Rottweilers, who tore through his protective suit. The film set was constantly plagued with injuries, delays, and strange coincidences. (All Imaged: IMDB)
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Arulnithi-Ajay Gnanamuthu's Demonte Colony 3 kickstarts with a pooja ceremony
Gnanamuthu also said that horror films like The Exorcist, The Conjuring and The Omen inspired him and made him "want to create a world of his own, to build a universe that could pay homage to the genre while standing on its own haunting feet." It is to be noted that in an earlier interview with CE, Arulnithi said that Ajay Gnanamuthu is expanding the franchise to encompass even a fourth part depending on the success of the films. The first Demonte Colony film was released in 2015 and was critically and commercially acclaimed. It set a new benchmark for horror films. The second film, a direct sequel was released in 2024. More details about Demonte Colony 3, including its cast and technical crew are yet to be announced.
