One of my favorite actors of all time is Telly Savalas. I'm been a fan of him since I was a young boy. I first remember watching him on the television series Kojak (1973-1978). My mom actually went into labor with my younger brother when we were watching an episode of the show. Telly is most remembered for that classic show of the 1970's. He would even go on to play the role again in a series of television movies during the 1980's.
Some of his other credits throughout the years are The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), etc. He also played the part of the Bond supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. His portrayal of Blofeld is actually my favorite in the Bond franchise. Telly recorded quite a few albums. He also did some print and commercial ads over the years. He even has a connection with members of the Rat Pack because he played the villain in Cannonball Run II in 1984.
Telly always had this masculine coolness about him that I've always admired. Even as a young boy, I found myself idolizing him. There was just something about him that drew me in. I knew that this was the type of man I'd love to be more like. Telly was his own man. He was comfortable in his own skin. He's one of the first bald actors I can remember ever seeing. He also had a voice that was very memorable. It could be soothing, humorous, threatening, etc. Plus Telly definitely had a style of his own. Telly passed away from cancer at the age of 72 in 1994. He's been sorely missed ever since.
Here are a few clips of Telly for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy them.
Telly's spoken word version of If:
The fight scene between Telly's Blofeld and George Lazenby's Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
Tribute video to Telly:
P.S. I do hope all my fellow Americans had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was fantastic. I hate to see it come to an end. I also hope that all my international friends had a great week and weekend. I'm trying to head around to all of your blogs now. I did miss checking you guys out this week. I wish you all the best. I hope you will all have a great week as December is almost upon us.
I did want to let everybody know that I'm making some changes here at the blog. I've talked with some friends about this before I made this decision. I will more than likely not be leaving comments anymore here at my blog in response to the comments you leave.
When I was only getting a couple of comments, it was easy to leave comments here and then visit the blogs of others to leave comments there as well. Now that I'm getting a lot more comments at both my blogs, it's gotten to where it's taking so much time that I don't really have. I love doing it, but it's very time consuming. I know that a lot of people who get lots of comments don't leave responses in their own comment section, so I'm definitely not alone in this. I will be visiting each of your blogs and leaving comments there like I always have. If there's a reason to leave feedback in my own comment section, then I'll do it. Otherwise I just won't be usually doing that much anymore.
I hope you all understand. I don't think it should be a problem with anybody. I had been mulling this for quite some time, but had put it off. This is my first week of trying it out. I did want to let all of you know. I'm not sure if any of you had really been checking back to see if I leave comments in my comment section or not. That way you will know what's going on. Plus obviously this will make the amount of comments in my comment section go down, but I never wanted it to look like I was inflating my comment section with my own comments. Thank you for your support. Take care.
I wanted to let you guys know that this will be my last post until Monday, November 30th. I'm taking off for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. I did want to leave you with this great video of Dean Martin singing Bummin' Around from Bob Hope's Pink Panther Thanksgiving Gala in 1982. I hope you enjoy it. I want to wish all my fellow Americans a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday however you celebrate it. I'll be spending time with my family, watching the Macy's Parade & football, eating lots of turkey & other delicious food, etc. I hope that everybody else will have a great week and weekend. I'll be around to your blogs by Sunday. Take care. Cheers!
P.S. I'm not sure if anybody will be interested in this or not, but GQ has picked Leighton Meester, from Gossip Girl, as their Obsession of the Year. She's definitely an obsession of mine. I posted their photos of her and her new video for Somebody To Love (featuring Robin Thicke) over at my Sugar & Spice blog. I don't post that often about female stars of today, but Leighton's definitely one that I love. Please feel free to check out that post if you like. I hope you'll leave me some feedback on the post if you do take a look at it. Thanks.
The second season of Sean "Diddy" Combs' reality series I Want To Work For Diddy has recently premiered on VH1. Combs seems to be everywhere. His Bad Boy empire stretches from music to fashion to television and beyond. Combs has his hands in a lot of different pies. He's one of the richest entertainers in the hip hop universe. I know there are a lot of people who don't like him for one reason or the other, but I don't think there's any denying that the man has great style. Combs has described his personal style as "Swagger. Timeless. Diverse." Judge for yourself.
Now it's time to come to the latest actor to play James Bond. That man is Daniel Craig. There was a lot of controversy over the hiring of Craig to play 007. Many were upset over the way that Pierce Brosnan had left the role. There was heated debate over the fact that Craig had blond hair. Also many thought he looked too rugged and was not handsome enough. The list of criticisms goes on and on.
Most of those who were not thrilled by the idea of Daniel Craig as Bond were relieved when they actually saw Casino Royale in 2006. There are still those who are not happy with his take on the role, plus the lack of gadgets and characters from the Bond universe. Craig would return to the role again in 2008's Quantum of Solace.
I'm a bigger fan of Casino Royale than Quantum of Solace. I do think there were quite a few weaknesses in the latter film. Probably an additional 20 minutes or so could have put more meat into some of the characters and the storyline. The film still was very successful. It's reported that the next Bond film starring Craig will be released in 2011. So what do you guys think of Daniel Craig as James Bond? Which Bond film of his do you like the best? Which of these theme songs do you prefer? Do you want them to return aspects of the previous films to the franchise or leave them in the past? Let me know what you think.
Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson kiss each other in this photo from 1984. We can see both Sugar Ray Leonard and Sammy Davis Jr. in the background. I bet this would have been quite the event to be present at. Cheers!
Jerry Lee Lewis can light up a piano like nobody else. His fingers are like lightning hitting those piano keys. I'm a big fan of his music. Jerry Lee's music spans from rock 'n' roll to country. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the Killer #24 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time. Jerry Lee still performs to this day at the age of 74.
While definitely a musical talent, he's probably just as known for all the scandal he's been through over the years. He had problems with booze and drugs. He's also been married 6 times. One of those times was to a 13 year old cousin of his. That marriage pretty much ended his career in rock music back in the late 1950's.
Two of his future wives would die (one drowned in a swimming pool and the other died of a drug overdose). His early career and marriage with Myra, his 13 year old cousin/wife, was seen in the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire (starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder). He's definitely lived the lifestyle of sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll. He's certainly not lived the life of a role model, but he's had some incredible music. I wanted to share some of those tunes with you. I hope you enjoy them. Great Balls Of Fire:
I assume this picture comes from the set of The Wrecking Crew, the 1969 Matt Helm spy flick that starred Dean Martin and Sharno Tate. These two would have made such a nice looking couple. Check out that smile on Sharon's face.
Pierce Brosnan played the role of James Bond in four films: GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) & Die Another Day (2002). Brosnan almost played the role earlier than he did. He was approached by the Bond producers when Timothy Dalton was going to be unavailable to take over the role, after the retirement of Roger Moore, due to another movie commitment.
Brosnan was finishing up his role on the NBC series Remington Steele at the time. The publicity, however, created a buzz to revive the series from cancellation. That was unfortunate because it meant that Brosnan was not going to be able to play 007. Dalton ended up playing Bond after all. He went on to do The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence To Kill (1989). Legal issues delayed the filming of any more Bond films for years. Frustrated with it all, Dalton stepped down from the role.
When things were finally resolved, Pierce Brosnan was now free to play the role of James Bond. Many had wondered whether the franchise could survive and thrive in the post-Cold War world. Brosnan's 007 showed that it definitely could. Each of his Bond films was very successful. He would be succeeded in the role by Daniel Craig. I've heard varying stories over whether Brosnan stepped down from the role or he was let go to make room for a younger Bond. So are you a fan of Pierce Brosnan's take on Bond? Which is your favorite Bond film of his? Which of the theme songs do you like the best? Let me know what you think?
GoldenEye (1995):
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997):
The World Is Not Enough (1999):
Die Another Day (2002):
P.S. Anybody here use Digg at all? If so, what do you think of it? I've been curious about it, but what's sure what others around here thought of it. Any feedback would be well appreciated. Thanks.
I love these pictures of George Lazenby and Diana Rigg during the filming of the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I hope you enjoy these photos as well. All the photos feature George and Diana. The last one also features director Peter Hunt and producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. Let me know what you think of these photos.
I mean no copyright infringement by the posting of pictures, videos, etc. on this blog. I do not in any way claim the rights of ownership to any of them. They totally remain the property of their respective owners. I have posted them purely for entertainment purposes only. All written content, unless otherwise noted as being quotes, has been written and copyrighted by me.
