Latest news with #ValKilmer
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
People Are Sharing The TV Shows And Movies That Spurred Their Sexual Awakening, And I Can't Help But Giggle
We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the TV show, movie, or other piece of media they consider responsible for their sexual awakening. Some of the results really made me giggle. Here's what folks revealed: 1."The Hex Girls. Dusk, the angsty drummer, just did something for me." —monikap6 2."Val Kilmer as Madmartigan in Willow. The hair, the declaration of love to Sorsha, holding Princess Elora Danan…Top shelf Daikini, that one." —luxahoy 3."Leah Remini on The King of Queens. She's still gorgeous, but in those early seasons, she was my first celebrity crush, and I realized what I wanted my wife to look like even when I was just a child. Now, that's still my type." —edgysealion411 4."David Bowie in Labyrinth. I'm sure I really don't have to say much more than that." —padawanryan 5."The Bangles' video for 'Walk Like an Egyptian' was the first time I remember getting the tingle feeling. Susanna Hoffs' eyes and Debbi Peterson dancing with the tambourine. It still gets me!" —theplunger10 6."Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. And Alan Rickman in anything else. But that was the start." —pastelbutterfly37 7."Possibly a bit weird, but Lola Bunny in Space Jam has to be up there. The eyes, the voice, the athleticism were —Anonymous 8."Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro. Especially when they spar in the stable and he slices off her clothes!" —Anonymous 9."Vanilla Ice, when he first came on the scene." —pepperopigeon 10."I must have been about 10 when I watched The Thorn Birds. I tried to watch it anytime it came on, just so I could watch Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward slow burn until they finally had sex. That was the only thing I cared about through the whole movie!" —ssstege11573 11."Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Both the horse and Little Creek. But I think mostly Spirit and Rain's 'romance' really did it for me." —Anonymous 12."The Rocky Horror Picture Show exposed me to bisexuality AND introduced me to Tim Curry. Perfection!" —Anonymous 13."Walking past Le Senza in the mall (I'm Canadian) had me wanting to kiss girls, so I was then pretty confused when Don Juan DeMarco came out and got me wanting to kiss boys. Turns out, I'm bi!" —Anonymous 14."The Phantom of the Opera film." —Anonymous 15."I saw the movie Hellraiser at a slumber party when I was around 13, and DID NOT expect the wild sexual energy that this movie has. In retrospect, it's a pretty well-known fact that Hellraiser explores a lot of pain/pleasure dynamics, but at the time, I was just really confused about why this random horror movie was making me feel so many THINGS. Also, I had an immediate hard crush on both Pinhead AND Kirsty, so there's the added bonus of realizing I was bi." —mcrivellokhan 16."Jasmine and Aladdin kissing on the magic carpet." —Anonymous 17."I was watching Hackers with Angelina Jolie. She was so tough, cool, and sexy. I didn't even notice the guys in that movie. My fiancé commented on her beauty and then tried to pressure me into a threesome with another woman. I said I'd rather break up with him and just date a girl like Angelina. I still think about her in that film in ways I never think of my ex. That's when I knew I was not only bisexual, but also not into assholes." —Anonymous 18."Jacob Black from New Moon. To this day, I'm still Team Jacob. Those abs, man, SWOON!" —Anonymous 19."Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic." —Anonymous 20."It was an early TV show called T.H.E. Cat. The leading man was a handsome cat burglar and wore lots of black turtlenecks and black leather gloves and was always tying up bad guys. I wanted him to tie me up because it made me feel funny. I found out later that the leading man was Robert Loggia, who was the 'dancing boss' in Big." —Anonymous 21."Seeing Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in The X-Files being a badass medical doctor and even more badass FBI agent when women in male fields weren't nearly as common. She was sassy, smart, and a bad bitch! She is also still one of the hottest women alive. Scully forever!" —Anonymous 22."Watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 3, with Eliza Dushku as Faith. I already knew I was straight and attracted to women, but seeing Faith kick ass in leather pants cemented the type of woman I'm interested in. And I am now married to one." —Anonymous 23."Jim from Treasure Planet. At the start of the movie, when he's flying on the hoverboard, something about the ponytail and ear piercing had me obsessed for years." —Anonymous 24."Elvira: Mistress of the Dark." —Anonymous 25."'Cecilia' by Simon & Garfunkel has a line, 'Making love in the afternoon with Cecelia up in my bedroom.' As a 12-year-old, I was shocked to learn that people had sex during the day. Everything I had been told up until then said it was a nighttime affair." —Anonymous 26."Star Trek: Voyager. Jeri Ryan joined the cast just before my 12th birthday. That was the first time I felt the stirrings of sexual attraction. No nudity, no sex scenes. Just a beautiful woman in a suggestively tight body suit. That was the first twinge." —Anonymous "Sting semi-naked in Dune. Lean but a little muscular guys are still my type!" —Anonymous What do you think is responsible for your sexual awakening? Was it a suggestive movie scene? A swoon-worthy TV character? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A New City Just Won Top U.S. Destination for the First Time — Ending a 12-Year Streak for a Southern Favorite
Travel + Leisure just revealed the winners of its 2025 World's Best Awards A new city topped the outlet's list of best U.S. destinations, ending a 12-year run for the previous champ Charleston, S.C. had held the title since 2013For the first time in 12 years, a new U.S. city has been crowned the best domestic destination by Travel + Leisure Tuesday, July 8, T+L released its annual World's Best Awards. In a remarkable upheaval, Santa Fe, N.M. tops the list of best U.S. cities, ousting Charleston, S.C., which had held the title since 2013. The coastal city not only lost the top spot, it dropped to fourth place. Known for its vibrant art scene, outdoor recreation and more than 300 days of sunshine each year, Santa Fe, was described by one reader is 'a true gem of a place in America.' 'Every trip exceeds the last, with so many new things to discover,' another repeat visitor told the outlet, adding, 'Santa Fe offers a multi-layer experience.' T+L readers 'raved' about the inventive New Mexican cuisine and the city's natural beauty. Urban markets and galleries combine with the rolling foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges to make for a perfect getaway. Celebrities are also fans of this Southwest culture capital. The late Val Kilmer spent decades living in Santa Fe, as did Gene Hackman. Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin also has deep roots in the community. In 2013, he pledged his own money to rejuvenate the local and historic Jean Cocteau Cinema. Each year, T+L sends a survey out to readers through the magazine, tablet editions, newsletters, social media and that asks respondents to rate nominees in each category based on certain characteristics. For cities, readers were asked to rate sights/landmarks, culture, food, friendliness, shopping and value. Final scores are averages of these responses. While Santa Fe has had a spot in T+L's top 10 list for the past 20 years, this is its first time it has claimed No. 1. Overall, readers were big fans of cities in the Southeast and Southwest, with only one city in the Northeast and one in the Midwest rounding out the top 10. Santa Fe, N.M. New Orleans, La. Charleston, S.C. Savannah, Ga. Alexandria, Va. Honolulu, Hawaii Greenville, S.C. New York, N.Y. Asheville, N.C. Chicago, Ill. Santa Fe was also the only U.S. city to make T+L's list of top 25 cities in the world, coming in at No. 19. At the top spot, a 10-time honoree, is San Miguel de Allende, Mexico followed by Chiang Mai, Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. For vacationers looking for an island getaway, Páros, Greece takes the top spot for best island. According to Forbes, big names like Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey and Jeff Bezos are frequent visitors. In the U.S., the top island goes to Mount Desert Island, Maine — a protected part of Acadia National Park. 'This year's results reflect a travel landscape in motion,' Travel + Leisure's editor-in-chief Jacqui Gifford said in a press release. 'From a high-desert city in the American Southwest to a quiet Greek island, our readers are seeking depth, character, and a strong sense of place. We're thrilled to honor the hotels, destinations, and travel companies that are delivering those transformative experiences.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. See more from Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards in the July issue, on newsstands now, or visit Read the original article on People
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Where is the 'Top Gun 'cast? Here's what Tom Cruise and the stars of the original film are up to now
From eye-popping aerial footage to an unmistakably '80s soundtrack to the homoerotic beach volleyball scene, there's a little something for everyone in Top Gun. The action classic, which follows a group of red-blooded pilots attending the Navy's Fighter Weapons School in San Diego, was a major box office sensation, with its $176 million gross making it the top movie of 1986. One of the most fun elements of Top Gun all these years later is seeing so many cast members on the brink of stardom. Tom Cruise was certainly emerging as an A-lister at the time, with the film also boasting an impressive cast of actors who achieved further success following its release, including Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tim Robbins, and Meg Ryan. Catch up with what the cast of Top Gun is up to now, ahead. A young Tom Cruise booked one of his first major roles as Maverick in Top Gun. The actor played the Navy lieutenant after starring in Risky Business in 1983 and earning credits for Endless Love (1981), Taps (1981), The Outsiders (1983), All the Right Moves (1983), and Legend (1985). Cruise was first offered the lead role in Top Gun in 1983, but it was Ridley Scott who helped convince him to take the part, introducing him to his brother, Tony. "It was aligned with the things that I love: movies and aviation," the actor recalled in 2016. In the years since his initial turn as Top Gun's famed aviator, Cruise only became more of a star. He earned Oscar nominations for his roles in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Jerry Maguire (1996), and Magnolia (1999), winning Golden Globes for all three films. Cruise ruled the box office with gigs in Rain Man (1988), The Firm (1993), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), War of the Worlds (2005), and his eight-film Mission: Impossible franchise, which concluded in 2025. Cruise reprised his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 2022 with the release of Top Gun: Maverick, which, like the first film, became a massive box-office success. Unlike the first film, however, the sequel went on to receive a Best Picture nomination, giving Cruise his first Oscar nomination as a producer. He is set to receive an Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in film in November 2025. Cruise has been married three times, to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990, Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001, and Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012. He has two adopted children (Isabella Jane and Connor Antony) with Kidman, and a daughter (Suri) with Holmes. Tom Cruise found his Top Gun love interest in Kelly McGillis, who played Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood. McGillis portrayed the astrophysicist after spending a few years in the industry, picking up credits in Reuben, Reuben (1983) and on One Life to Live. She also earned Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for her performance in Witness (1985) before playing Charlie. "I had a great time shooting [Top Gun]," McGillis told EW in 2011. "It was like being at summer camp with a bunch of really good-looking guys. I used to love to rub the top of their heads when they got shaved. I really liked that. [Laughs.] And we had a great time. We all hung out together. We had fun. We played golf together and tennis together. I couldn't have asked for anything better in my life." The actress continued her big-screen career following Top Gun, appearing in Made in Heaven (1987), The House on Carroll Street (1988), The Accused (1988), The Babe (1992), At First Sight (1999), and The Monkey's Mask (2000). In the 21st century, McGillis appeared in episodes of The L Word as Col. Gillian Davis, and starred in Stake Land (2010), The Innkeepers (2011), and We Are What We Are (2013). McGillis also hit the stage multiple times through the years in Broadway productions and with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. McGillis has two daughters with ex-husband Fred Tillman. She came out as a lesbian in 2009 and was in a civil union with Melanie Leis from 2010 to 2011. Val Kilmer joined Top Gun as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, another lieutenant in the Navy who butts heads with Maverick. Kilmer came into the gig with just three onscreen credits to his name: 1984's Top Secret!, a 1985 installment of ABC Afterschool Specials, and Real Genius in 1985. Following his turn as Iceman, Kilmer continued to fill his résumé with notable roles, starring in such films as Willow (1988), The Doors (1991), True Romance (1993), and Tombstone (1993) before playing Batman in 1995's Batman Forever. In the years since, Kilmer hit the big screen in Heat (1995), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), At First Sight (1999), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Déjà Vu (2006), and MacGruber (2010). He also appeared in episodes of Knight Rider, The Spoils of Babylon, and Psych. Kilmer was the subject of the 2021 documentary Val, which chronicled his battle with throat cancer. He returned to play Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, providing one of the film's most touching scenes. "Making that first film, we were all so young, but even then there was a special bond between us all. After shooting, we would laugh and dance the night away," Kilmer wrote for EW in 2022. "Coming back to work with Tom more than 30 years later, it was like no time had passed at all." Kilmer died in April 2025 at the age of 65 after a bout with pneumonia. With a decade in the industry to his name, Anthony Edwards landed what would be a key role in Top Gun. The actor played Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, a close friend and comrade to Maverick, flying with the aviator until his untimely death. Edwards, who made his onscreen debut in the '70s, appeared in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), the short-lived '80s sitcom It Takes Two, Revenge of the Nerds (1984), and The Sure Thing (1985). He reprised his role as Gilbert for Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise in 1987, and appeared in Miracle Mile (1988), Pet Sematary II (1992), early '90s episodes of Northern Exposure, The Client (1994), Playing by Heart (1998), Northfork (2003), The Forgotten (2004), and Zodiac (2007). Edwards earned Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win for his extended stint on ER as Dr. Mark Greene. He went on to win an Emmy in 2010 for his work as an executive producer on the TV movie Temple Grandin, and popped up in Flipped (2010), a 2015 episode of Girls, and recurring roles on Billions and Inventing Anna. Edwards has four children with ex-wife Jeanine Lobell. He married actress Mare Winningham in 2021. Tom Skerritt made his appearance in Top Gun as Mike "Viper" Metcalf, a high-achieving and wise chief instructor with the unit. Skerritt came into the gig with decades of experience to his name, having earned previous credits for M*A*S*H (1970), Fuzz (1972), Thieves Like Us (1974), The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke (1978), Alien (1979), and The Dead Zone (1983). Following Top Gun, Skerritt did a late-'80s stint on Cheers, earned Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy win for his turn as Jimmy Brock on Picket Fences in the '90s, and appeared in Steel Magnolias (1989), The Rookie (1990), Poison Ivy (1992), A River Runs Through It (1992), Singles (1992), Contact (1997), Smoke Signals (1998), The Other Sister (1999), and Tears of the Sun (2003). Skerritt had a recurring role as William Walker on Brothers & Sisters and James Paisley on The Good Wife, and hit the big screen in Whiteout (2009), Ted (2012), At Middleton (2013), A Hologram for the King (2016), and East of the Mountains (2021). Skerritt has been married to Julie Tokashiki since 1998. He has a daughter with Tokashiki and four other children from previous marriages. Michael Ironside kicked off his career in the '70s and earned early credits in Scanners (1981), Visiting Hours (1982), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), and The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), in addition to episodes of Hill Street Blues, V, and V: The Final Battle. He then played Rick "Jester" Heatherly in Top Gun, an instructor for the unit. Ironside followed up the gig with credits for Total Recall (1990); Highlander II: The Quickening (1991); Free Willy (1993); The Next Karate Kid (1994); Major Payne (1995); Starship Troopers (1997); Walker, Texas Ranger; The Perfect Storm (2000); ER; The Machinist (2004); and Terminator Salvation (2009). The veteran actor also appeared as Captain in X-Men: First Class (2011), voiced Ultra Magnus in various Transformers releases, and appeared on shows like The Alienist, This Is Us, and The Dropout. Ironside married Karen Dinwiddie in 1986; he has a daughter with her and another from a previous marriage. John Stockwell joined Top Gun as Bill "Cougar" Cortell, one of Maverick's wingmen who makes an early exit from flying. Before becoming the airman, Stockwell appeared in Losin' It (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Christine (1983), Radioactive Dreams (1985), My Science Project (1985), and episodes of North and South. After Top Gun, Stockwell earned acclaim for his writing, picked up an Emmy nomination for his 2000 TV movie Cheaters, and went on to pen the scripts for Rock Star (2001) and Blue Crush (2002). He also stepped behind the camera as a director, helming Cheaters, Crazy/Beautiful (2001), Blue Crush, Into the Blue (2005), Turistas (2006), Middle of Nowhere (2008), a handful of episodes of The L Word, and Dark Tide (2012). Stockwell has three children with his wife, Helene Henderson. His niece is Florence + the Machine vocalist Florence Welch. Top Gun found its "Hollywood" in Whip Hubley, who played the wingman with the real name of Rick Neven. He had a few roles before the gig, appearing in St. Elmo's Fire (1985), as well as episodes of Magnum, P.I. and North and South. Hubley spent the late-'80s in TV movies, and picked up '90s credits for Life Goes On; Murder, She Wrote; Coneheads (1993); Species (1995); Executive Decision (1996); and A Very Brady Sequel (1996). In the years since, he has largely focused on television, landing bit roles in one-off episodes of The Practice, Charmed, The District, and CSI: Miami. Hubley is married to Dinah Minot, an associate producer at Saturday Night Live in the late-'80s. Barry Tubb worked with "Hollywood" in Top Gun as Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe, an officer assisting the lieutenant. Tubb began his onscreen career in the '80s, appearing in Mask (1985), The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), and episodes of Bay City Blues, The Mississippi, and Hill Street Blues before joining Top Gun. He went on to play Jasper Fant in Lonesome Dove (1989) and Return to Lonesome Dove (1994), and starred in Guilty by Suspicion (1991), American Outlaws (2001), and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). He played Tom Cafferty for an arc on Friday Night Lights and appeared in a few episodes of NBC's Revolution. In 2024, Tubb sued Paramount Pictures for using his image in Top Gun: Maverick without his permission. Slider may have smelled, but Rick Rossovich hardly stunk as the junior grade lieutenant, whose real name was Ron Kerner. "We were just a bunch of young guys; it was all testosterone," Rossovich told ScreenRant in 2021. "And the Navy kind of fueled it, because we were surrounded by all these Ace pilots who were the real deal. These are the guys that don't get there by accident; you really have to have some kind of some mettle to get there. Every day was like, 'Okay, you better come prepared. You better be ready.' It was just a joy, though." Rossovich came into the gig after earning previous credits for The Lords of Discipline (1983), Streets of Fire (1984), and The Terminator (1984), and episodes of Fantasy Island, B.J. and the Bear, and Eight Is Enough. After playing Slider, Rossovich continued to act, appearing in The Morning After (1986), Roxanne (1987), Navy Seals (1990), and Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997). He had an arc on ER as Dr. John "Tag" Taglieri, and spent two years playing Lt. Anthony Palermo on Pacific Blue. Rossovich took a bit of a hiatus from acting in the 2000s, but returned for smaller projects in the 2010s. He has two children with his wife, Eva. Tim Robbins found his spot in Top Gun as Samuel "Merlin" Wells, an officer who works with Maverick. Robbins joined the flick after a few years in the industry, boasting early-'80s credits in No Small Affair (1984), The Sure Thing (1985), and Fraternity Vacation (1985), and episodes of St. Elsewhere, The Love Boat, and Hill Street Blues. Following Top Gun, Robbins spent the next decade starring in Bull Durham (1988), Erik the Viking (1989), Cadillac Man (1990), Jacob's Ladder (1990), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Ready to Wear (1994), and I.Q. (1994). After picking up Golden Globes for The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993), Robbins earned his first Oscar nomination for directing 1995's Dead Man Walking. Going on to star in Nothing to Lose (1997), Arlington Road (1999), Mission to Mars (2000), High Fidelity (2000), and Antitrust (2001), Robbins also won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Oscar for 2003's Mystic River. In the years since, he appeared in Code 46 (2003), War of the Worlds, Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006), The Lucky Ones (2008), Green Lantern (2011), Welcome to Me (2014), and Dark Waters (2019). He is one of the stars of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama Silo. Robbins has two sons with Susan Sarandon, with whom he was in a relationship from 1988 to 2009. He was married to Gratiela Brancusi from 2017 to 2022. After appearing in episodes of Diff'rent Strokes, CHiPs, and The Duck Factory, Clarence Gilyard Jr. joined Top Gun as Marcus "Sundown" Williams, who works with Maverick after Goose's death but struggles in light of the tragedy. After the flick, Gilyard appeared in Die Hard (1988) and spent four years on Matlock as Conrad McMasters before booking his most famous role to date: James Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger. He starred in the series from 1993 to 2001, and reprised his role in a few other spinoff projects. In the 2010s, Gilyard popped up in indie movies while also working as an associate professor of theater at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Gilyard had six children between two marriages. The actor died in 2022 after a long illness, at the age of 66. James Tolkan played Tom "Stinger" Jardian in Top Gun, a commander who oversees Maverick. The veteran actor boasted pre-Top Gun credits in a slew of films, including They Might Be Giants (1971), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Serpico (1973), Love and Death (1975), The Amityville Horror (1979), Prince of the City (1981), WarGames (1983), and Back to the Future (1985). After Top Gun, Tolkan played Norman Keyes in a few episodes of Remington Steele, Mike Ragland in The Hat Squad, and Dallas Cassel in Cobra, and hit the big screen in Armed and Dangerous (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Family Business (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Dick Tracy (1990), and Problem Child 2 (1991). In the 2010s, he played Judge Fidler in HBO's 2013 film Phil Spector, and popped up in 2015's Bone Tomahawk. Tolkan has been married to his wife, Parmelee Welles, since 1971. Early in her career, Meg Ryan played Goose's wife Carole in Top Gun. Ryan picked up the gig after appearing in episodes of As the World Turns, ABC Afterschool Specials, and Charles in Charge in the '80s. She went on to star in Armed and Dangerous (1986), Innerspace (1987), D.O.A. (1988), and The Presidio (1988) before picking up her first Golden Globe nomination for 1989's When Harry Met Sally. She landed two more nominations in the years that followed, for Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998), and ruled the box office with her rom-com turns. Ryan has popped up in episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Web Therapy, and reunited with former costar Tom Hanks in 2015's Ithaca, which she also directed. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2023 rom-com What Happens Later with David Duchovny. Ryan has two children with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, including actor Jack Quaid. Adrian Pasdar made his onscreen debut in Top Gun as Charles "Chipper" Piper, a lieutenant in the unit. "It was just a wild experience for me," Pasdar recalled to Philly Magazine in 2007. "I was 19. And [Tom] Cruise was one of the nicest guys in the world. Every time I've seen him since then, he's been a gentleman." The gig kicked off a busy career for the actor, who spent the late-'80s and early-'90s in Solarbabies (1986), Near Dark (1987), and Carlito's Way (1993). He went on to earn credits for Mysterious Ways, Judging Amy, Desperate Housewives, and Heroes in the 2000s, and lent his voice to The Super Hero Squad Show and the Iron Man series. His recent small-screen gigs include 2010s episodes of Castle, Political Animals, The Lying Game, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel's Avengers Assemble, and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pasdar has two children with the Chicks vocalist Natalie Maines, to whom he was married from 2000 to 2019. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Val Kilmer's ex-girlfriend Ellen Barkin emerges in NYC three months after his death at 65
Ellen Barkin was spotted walking her dog in New York City on Wednesday. The 71-year-old actress wore a button-up white linen shirt over a black camisole, adding a pair of blue jeans and white sneakers. She wore round, black sunglasses and her wispy, white, bob haircut was tucked behind her ears. The Emmy-winning star layered two necklaces — one with half of a 'best friend' locket and another with a Jewish star pendant. It comes three months after Val Kilmer, whom she dated in the 80s, died at age 65 from pneumonia following his battle with throat cancer. Val fondly looked back on his relationship with Ellen in his 2020 memoir I'm Your Huckleberry. He wrote about his former flame: '[Ellen had] the best smile in all five boroughs. I remember her wit, her sultry eyes, but mostly her laugh. 'And her hair. Who remembers the softness of a woman's hair? If you ever have a chance to consensually ever so gently touch Ellen's hair, it will be worth the look she's gonna drop on you.' In 1984 the Bronx-born beauty was enveloped in a fling with the Hollywood heartthrob, marked by months of 'window-shopping on Rodeo Drive by day and barbecuing at night.' Kilmer described her as 'one of the enchantresses who got away, no doubt due to my unmanageable preoccupations, my neglect.' She is best known for her roles in Diner (1982), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), The Big Easy (1986), and Down by Law (1986). Also listed on her resume are Sea of Love (1989), Switch (1991), The Fan (1996), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Val wrote in his 2020 memoir I'm Your Huckleberry: '[Ellen had] the best smile in all five boroughs. I remember her wit, her sultry eyes, but mostly her laugh. And her hair. Who remembers the softness of a woman's hair? If you ever have a chance to consensually ever so gently touch Ellen's hair, it will be worth the look she's gonna drop on you' Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and underwent a tracheotomy, which significantly impacted his ability to speak. He was later declared cancer-free. In a statement obtained by People shortly after his death, Val's two children, Mercedes and Jack, expressed their gratitude to those honoring their 'extraordinary father's memory.' 'We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated,' the actor's kids, whom he shared with ex Joanne Whalley, said. 'At this time, we would like to grieve privately.' One of Val's most recognizable roles was Iceman in the 1986 hit movie Top Gun. Despite his permanently damaged voice, he made a brief return to the screen in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, reprising his role opposite Tom Cruise. It was his last big screen appearance.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Batman Forever' and ‘Batman Begins' share an anniversary week — and a surprising Oscar connection
Holy double anniversary, Batman! Two Dark Knight features are celebrating milestone dates this week, as 1995's Batman Forever hits the big 3-0, while 2005's Batman Begins turns one year shy of legal drinking age. At first glance, it's tough to see what thses two very different Bat-movies might have in common apart from their summertime release dates and, of course, that masked vigilante with a lot of wonderful toys. But zoom out for a minute and the riddle of how the films connect becomes less difficult to solve. More from GoldDerby 'Rosemead,' starring Lucy Liu, takes top prize at Bentonville Film Festival Tony Talk: Our extremely early 2026 awards predictions for 'Ragtime,' 'Waiting for Godot,' Kristin Chenoweth, and all the buzzy new shows 'The Last of Us': How the 'Lord of the Rings' VFX team (and marshmallows) made the Battle of Jackson For starters, each movie famously placed a new actor under the cowl. Val Kilmer proved that Michael Keaton wouldn't be Batman forever, while Christian Bale provided the character with a new beginning after George Clooney botched his big Bat moment. Both films are also odd-numbered entries designed to undo the real and/or perceived errors of their even-numbered predecessors. Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (released on June 16, 1995) followed Tim Burton's Batman Returns, a sequel that was considered 'too dark' upon its 1992 release, but arguably holds up as the best of the bunch. Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (released on June 15, 2005), meanwhile, was a course correction after Schumacher careened into day-glo nightmare territory with 1997's Batman & Robin, the fourth and final entry in the original Bat-cycle. (Not to be confused with that other Batcycle.) And here's a cinematographic connection you may have forgotten about: the two films were nominated for the same Oscar — Best Cinematography — exactly ten years apart. Batman Forever's director of photography, Stephen Goldblatt, received the second of his two nominations for the 68th Academy Awards. A decade later, the 78th Academy Awards brought Nolan's then-regular D.P. Wally Pfister the first of his four nominations. While neither cinematographer ended up taking home the statue, both nominations were significant notches on the utility belt for the Batman film franchise, not to mention comic book movies in general. Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection To date, only six comics-derived movies have been recognized in that category, and four of them are Caped Crusader-affiliated; The Dark Knight and Joker were later nominated in 2009 and 2020, respectively. (Dick Tracy and Road to Perdition round out that particular justice league.) In honor of this unique Bat-iversary, here's our rundown on how each movie earned — and lost — its shot at a Best Cinematography award. In Goldblatt's Gotham City, the night is dark and full of… colors. Primary reds, neon greens and deep purples abound in Batman Forever, which embraces both Silver Age comics and super-saturated '90s music videos. The embrace of Dick Tracy five years earlier showed that Academy voters at the time clearly preferred their comic book characters to inhabit a more colorful universe, and that's what Goldblatt delivered. 'Joel wanted to literally make it comic book looking …. For the lights, I didn't use normal rigging. It was all rock 'n' roll rigging. I had a concert lighting guy and his crew. I could adjust the color and the intensity, the direction and the diffusion of each lamp without having to go to each lamp. They were all fed down to consoles on the stage floor. We could move very, very quickly. The conventional way could have taken days. It gave it that rock 'n' roll comic book look' — as told to The Hollywood Reporter 'Schumacher's Batman Forever returns the story to its pop origins. It may be dark, but it ain't heavy.' — Hal Hinson, The Washington Post 'Batman Forever is a sound-and-light show that jumps from the screen and spreads itself out to every corner of the house.' — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle 'The visuals seem less like images than like a light show. Quick cutting, garish costumes and visual special effects are not thrilling; they're numbing.' — Barbara Shulgasser, San Francisco Examiner Michael Coulter, Sense and Sensibility Emmanuel Lubezki, A Little Princess John Toll, Braveheart Lü Yue, Shanghai Triad In a devilish twist, Batman Forever's resident Riddler Jim Carrey was enlisted to present the Best Cinematography statue at that year's ceremony. Bringing a set of Toy Story action figures onstage with him, Carrey characteristically clowned around for a bit before getting to the nominees — and notably declined to mention his specific connection to Goldblatt. Ultimately, Toll took home the "lord of all knick-knacks" for his work on Mel Gibson's Best Picture-winning Scottish epic. Post-loss, Goldblatt reunited with Schumacher for Batman & Robin... a Bat-assignment that didn't return him to Oscar contention. Later credits included Closer, The Help and Red, White & Royal Blue; in recent years, he's stepped away from the film industry to focus on his photography. Relaunching a franchise is a monumental task, and Nolan constructed a monumental production that employed an army of skilled artisans committed to his vision of a grounded real-world take on a vintage comic character. In that way, Batman Begins was a notable contrast not just to previous Batman movies, but also ascendent superhero spectacles like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Bryan Singer's X-Men, which occupied heightened realities. Through Pfister's lens, Gotham resembled a real city... even if it had a big Bat problem. 'Tim Burton's Batman came from a very visionary and idiosyncratic view of the character… [and] they created an environment for Batman that was as exotic and extraordinary as Batman himself. That worked very well, but Batman has never had a film that portrayed him as an extraordinary figure [amid] a relatively ordinary and recognizable world. That was the thrill I've been seeking—the thrill of being amazed and of seeing the ordinary citizens of Gotham be as amazed about Batman as we are.' — as told to American Cinematographer 'Unlike the earlier films, which delighted in extravagant special-effects action, Batman Begins is shrouded in shadow; instead of high-detail, sharp-edged special effects, we get obscure developments in fog and smoke, reinforced by a superb sound-effects design.' Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times 'Half the time Batman stalks his criminal quarry unseen, or as a barely glimpsed, utterly ominous shadow; there are echoes of Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse series, not to mention Metropolis, and the cinematography by Nolan regular Wally Pfister is noir and then some.' Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle 'The film accurately, and refreshingly, refuses to shy away from the slightly deranged madness of its titular hero. Such harshness is reflected in Wally Pfister's night-swathed cinematography and Nathan Crowley's production design, which casts Gotham as an open urban sore in which poverty, crime, and squalor co-exist in virulent symbiosis,' Nick Schager, Slant Dion Beebe, Memoirs of a Geisha Robert Elswit, Good Night, and Good Luck Emmauel Lubezki, The New World Rodrigo Prieto, Brokeback Mountain As the lone contemporary blockbuster among the nominees, Batman Begins found itself in a pitched battle with four period pieces. And the past ended up triumphing over the present. John Travolta presented the Oscar to Beebe, who transported audiences back to pre-World War II era Japan in Memoirs of a Geisha, directed by Rob Marshall. (Another cool coincidence: Emmanuel Lubezki was a repeat Bat-foe, nominated for A Little Princess in 1995 and The New World in 2005.) Unlike Goldblatt, Pfister's Batman follow-up awarded him a repeat trip to the Oscars. Released in 2008, The Dark Knight built on the promise of Batman Begins and remains the most-nominated Batman-centric movie to date—although it controversially missed out on a Best Picture nod, inspiring a category expansion that continues to this day. Pfister eventually won an Oscar for Inception and collaborated with Nolan on the trilogy-capper The Dark Knight Rises before striking out on his own as a of GoldDerby Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') 'It almost killed me': Horror maestro Mike Flanagan looks back at career-making hits from 'Gerald's Game' to 'Hill House' to 'Life of Chuck' Click here to read the full article.
