the price is right!

people you fancy but shouldn't part 29.

Guardian teevee critic and all round clever lady Grace Dent.

I'll let our Dutch pals sum her up:

Ze studeerde Engelse literatuur en werkt sinds 1996 als freelance journalist en columnist voor jongerentijdschriften, zoals CosmoGIRL! en kranten als The Guardian, The Daily Mirror en Glamour.

Roughly translated:

Meow!

april stiffs (and beyond).

The Arena's equivalent of Haley Joel Osment is back in a kinda extended form seeing as I missed a few months of celeb related death notices due to lack of internet/interest, so here goes the quick (and the dead) round-up...

February saw the deaths of Norwegian acting legend Knut (Reisen til Julestjernen) Risan, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! star Tura Satana, Young Frankenstein, Malcolm in the Middle, The Producers and The Little Mermaid's Kenneth Mars, inventor of the Black and Decker Workmate Ron Hickman, Omega Man producer
Walter Seltzer as well as Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart himself, Nicholas Courtney.

And in March whilst I was still unpacking my Omnibot army Mr. Reaper was paying unexpected visits to James L. Elliot; the man who found the rings around Uranus, British reggae singer and top 'rankin' deejay Smiley Culture, the Celestial Toymaker himself Michael Gough, Knut the German polar bear, the Goddess that was Elizabeth Taylor, Howl's Moving Castle author Diana Wynne Jones, Strangers on a Train's Farley Granger and lastly  Dynamite Brothers star and top HK producer Alan Tang.
 
Phew.

Which brings us back to back in April where (when?) we lost (I say we but you know what I mean before you write in and try to pin these deaths on me) Survival of The Dead's Wayne Robson, Terror of The Vervoids Janet the stewardess herself, Yolande Palfrey as well as Indian director, producer and Telanganan dialected villain Rami Reddy.

And that's not all, we also lost Hogan's Heroes Corporal Karl Langenscheidt, Jon Cedar and Grace Bros. department stores randy womaniser Mr. Lucas AKA Trevor Bannister as well as Ultraman Mebius and The Ultraman Brothers actor Minoru Tanaka and cult movie favourite William Campbell.

But most upsetting of all must be the passing of Sarah Jane Smith herself, the wonderful Elisabeth Claira Heath-Sladen.

No words needed, just happy memories of The Doctor's best Friend.

people you fancy but shouldn't part 28.

Shirley Jones from The Partridge Family.

Nuff said.

celebs that look like scifi creatures (part one).

january stiffs.

"By writing or reading obituaries, we can discover ways to make our time on earth more worthwhile, more productive, more meaningful to others."
Alana Baranick, "Life on the Death Beat"

It's that time o' the month again dear readers when we celebrate those Unwell (literally) faves who've shuffled off this mortal coil (not the band obviously) in the last four weeks.



From the world of 'the films' we lost (well not really lost, he died but you know what I mean) the star of Alien 3 and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (amongst other good stuff obviosly), the fantastic Pete Postlethwaite as well as the voice of Killer Croc on Batman: The Animated Series, Fred from Scooby Doo and Sky Lynx on Transformers (as well as the body of Rocky in The Rocky Horror Picture Show); Aron Kincaid (AKA Norman Neile Williams Jr.), the mother of Superman (and horse shooter) Susannah York, Peter (I directed Krull) Yates, the producer of that classic shaggy dog tale The NeverEnding Story Bernd Eichinger and soundtrack God Sir John of Barry.

But let's not forget the most devastating film related death this month.


Of course I'm talking about the passing of director Juan Piquer Simón, the man who gave us top shockers Pieces and Slugs: The Movie.

Sticking with (and to) animals and strange beasts, January also saw the death of Babe creator (and friend of POB) Dick King-Smith and Barry Lee Hobart AKA Dr. Creep, the world famous horror movie host from Dayton, Ohio.

But most bizarre (and obscure) must be the passing of Carolin Ebert, AKA Carolin Wosnitza, AKA Sexy Cora, Germany's top model cum porn actress cum Big Brother participant cum pop sensation.

you can almost hear his two biggest hits (pnarr) "My Love – La, La, La" and "Lass uns kicken (Alles klar wunderbar)" being played by the angels.

Till next month...

people you fancy but shouldn't (part 25).

Sofia Coppola...sorry I just do.

A lot.

december stiffs an' all that!

There's an incredibly mixed bag o' celebrity stiffs this month encompassing music, film, teevee and sodomy, so let's get this party started as the late great Martin Boorman once said.

First up (or down) was the producer of the fantastic Arlo Guthrie movie Alice's Restaurant, the only film poster ever to give me nightmares and talking of nightmares, December also saw the passing of the American model, Playboy Playmate of the Month (April 1978) and actress Pamela Jean Bryant who, apart from getting her kit off is probably best known for her sterling acting work in films such as H.O.T.S., Don't Answer the Phone and Private Lessons as well as appearances in teevee hits Magnum, P.I., Fantasy Island and The Love Boat.

Sticking with (and sticking it in) the world of 'the film' December also saw the death of prolific porn actor cum latter day producer and director John Leslie Nuzzo. Usually credited under the name John (not that one) Leslie, he also worked under a variety of pseudonyms (and laydees), including John Leslie Dupre, Frederick Watson, Terry Wogan and Lenny Lovely.

December saw us say Sayonara! to veteran Japanese voice actor Takeshi Watabe (famed for his voicing Kaminari in Doraemon and his work on Cowboy Bebop) as well as director, screenwriter and producer Blake Edwards.

Staying with film and the devil finally took French film director, actor, professional dirty man, novelist and maker of Zombie(s) Lake Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil before dragging clean living Wombles creator Elisabeth Beresford off to the big recycling station in the sky and returning earthward for Academy Award-winning visual effects artist and artoo wrangler Grant McCune.

And finally the Aruban-born dancer, entertainer and sexy frontman of Boney M Bobby Farrell died after being poisoned, shot four times, badly beaten and finally drowned by Russia's Prince Yusupov and his followers.

So until next month, don't forget....It could be you on these hallowed pages!

Stay safe!

people you fancy but shouldn't (part 24).

Especially for Master Jamie Bridle (14) of Braunton, the, um, 'lovely' Miranda Hart.

Enjoy.

november stiffs.

November saw us here at Unwell Towers mourning the passing of Yoshinobu Nishizaki, producer of the fantastic Space Battleship Yamato, as well as Addison Powell, best known for playing Dr. Eric Lang on American spook soap Dark Shadows and Baby Marie Osborne, the first major child star of American silent movies. 

November also saw the deaths of top Dominican television producer, comedian, writer, actor and Arena fave Freddy Beras-Goico, Croatian rock god and Eurovision Song Contest star 75 Cents alongside America's fattest cat Prince Chunk.

Also beaming away on one last mission alongside Robbie The Robot was Commander JJ Adams himself, Leslie Nielsen who'll probably be working Heaven-side with the cinematographer of Futureworld and Lost in Space, Gene Polito.

Sad news for all lesbian vamp fans as Hammer horror queen and Doctor Who star, the buxom Ingrid Pitt bit her last virgins throat last month, joining the director of the greatest SF film ever made Irvin Kershner and Samuel Cohen the American physicist who invented the neutron bomb.

More next month.