MUMBAI: Brett Ratner, Brian Grazer and Graydon Carter are reportedly in talks to film a documentary on Frank Sinatra.
The project, which is based on the book Mr S: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Sinatra‘s longtime valet George Jacobs, was once slated to be a feature directed by Ratner with Chris Tucker starring in the same. Only now it has been re-imagined as a TV documentary, it is understood.
The book by Jacobs and Hollywood biographer William Stadiem was published in 2003 as a behind-the-scenes look at the singer and the original Rat Pack of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Peter Lawford.
Tag: Frank Sinatra
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Documentary on Frank Sinatra in offing
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Scooby Doo creator Iwao Takamoto passes away
MUMBAI: Cartoon artist Iwao Takamoto who created the mystery-solving Great Dane, Scooby-Doo passed away at the age of 81.
Takamoto who suffeerd a heart attack was VP of special projects for Warner Bros. Animation until his death. Most recently, Takamoto storyboarded the 2005 Tom and Jerry animation short The Karateguard, and was instrumental in the design of many characters in the current Cartoon Network and Kids’ WB! animated series Krypto the Superdog in the US. He also served as a consultant on Warner Bros. Animation’s ongoing Scooby-Doo direct-to-video series, including the 2006 release Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! and the upcoming Chill Out, Scooby-Doo.
Warner Bros. Animation president Sander Schwartz says, “Iwao Takamoto was not only a tremendously talented designer and artist, he was a beautiful human being. Iwao was always ready with a wide smile, a firm handshake and a warm welcome. Iwao’s designs will be his legacy for generations to come. Those of us who had the privilege of working closely with him will miss his mentoring presence, his good counsel and his unparalleled talent and spirit.”
Disney hired him as an apprentice in-betweener in 1945 – just two months before the end of World War II.
Takamoto trained under Disney’s legendary ‘nine old men’ including Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Frank Thomas and Eric Lawson. While at Disney, Takamoto worked on short animated cartoons as well as full-length films, including Cinderella, Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp.
In 1961, Takamoto moved to Hanna-Barbera Studios, where he helped reinvent cartoons for television. Virtually all the characters and cartoons released by Hanna-Barbera over the following four decades were touched by the design and artistry of Takamoto. As a character designer, it was his job to create the look and images of the characters based on an idea for a proposed cartoon show.
Takamoto designed Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the rest of the Mystery Machine crew. He named the Great Dane after the late crooner Frank Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night rendition where, at the end, Sinatra sings “Scooby Dooby Doo.” At a recent chat with Cartoon Network Studios personnel in Burbank, Takamoto offered some tidbits regarding his approach to creating the Scooby-Doo design.
He said, “There was a lady at (Hanna-Barbera) that bred Great Danes. She showed me some pictures and talked about the important points of a Great Dane, like a straight back, straight legs, small chin and such. I decided to go the opposite and gave him a hump back, bowed legs, big chin and such. Even his color is wrong.”
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Star World to celebrate yearend with music, beauty, fashion
MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will celebrate the end of the year with music, beauty and fashion.
The 2006 40th Annual Country Music Awards air on 30 December at 9 pm and on 31 December at 8 am. Recognised worldwide as “Country Music’s Biggest Night”, these awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for country music artists, musicians, producers, publishers, songwriters, video directors and industry executives who work in America’s most popular music genre.
The event will be held in Nashville, Tennessee and will showcase the best of country music.
Miss Teen USA 2006 airs on 31 December at 12 pm. Viewers will watch beauty in the making in this annual celebration of American youth and grace. Aside from fresh good looks and a great smile, these young contestants often have a long list of academic and extra-curricular accomplishments behind them. Donald Trump, who is also a partner of the Miss Universe Organisation, actively promotes Miss Teen USA.
Miss Teen USA spends her year building relationships with organisations committed to education and action, such as Best Buddies, Do Something, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Michael Buble – Caught In The Act airs on 31 December 2006 at 2 pm. Inspired by the swinging big band sound of his grandfather’s generation, 29-year-old Canadian phenomenon Michael Bublé has won the hearts of a new generation of fans with his charisma, stage presence, and superbly seductive voice.
Inviting inevitable comparisons to a young Frank Sinatra, Bublé’s unique approach to an eclectic array of popular standards reveals a keen musical intuitiveness that has rapidly distinguished him. He peforms songs from his album Michael Buble: It’s Time, including Feeling Good, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Song for You, Save the Last Dance for Me and Home.