Leslie Nielsen's final film, 'The Waterman Movie,' remains in limbo, says the director

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When Leslie Nielsen died on Sunday, he left behind a legacy of work that entertained and amused generations of fans who knew his work from television dramas and hilarious movie spoofs. Nielsen, who was 84, had even more work waiting in the can, but one of those projects, an animated film titled The Waterman Movie, might never see the light of day. Creator Bryan Waterman tells EW he was a huge fan of Nielsen and he spent two years trying to recruit him for a feature-length film based on his online series of cartoons, The Waterman. After three years of work, the film remains incomplete, but Nielsen recorded all of his character’s lines, giving Waterman hope that he can still deliver one last dose of Nielsen’s famous deadpan.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you initially get in touch with Leslie for The Waterman Movie?
BRYAN WATERMAN: The movie is based on an animated series I did back in college called Waterman. I had created a new character that I modeled after Leslie Nielsen and the characters he had played throughout the years. Leslie was my childhood hero.
Surely, you can’t be serious.
[Laughs] So I thought about how amazing it would be to have him actually provide the voice for the character that I had based on him in the first place. I was able to get in touch with the people that represented him. I exchanged email after email, telling them all about my past work, the movie, how big of a fan I was of Leslie’s, and how much it would mean to me if I could get him to be in the film.
How old were you at this point?
22. I heard nothing from anyone for months and just as I had decided to scrap the movie altogether I received an email that read “Hi Bryan, Could you please email us with a phone number — or call me? Thanks, Leslie Nielsen.”
Very cool. Was he already familiar with what you wanted?
I called him the next day and I told him all about the premise of the movie and the series it was based on and he almost immediately came on board. He told me how much he loved and respected animation, and that he had wished he had done more with it.
What was the budget for the film?
The goal was $35,000, but it was not reached.
Was he always aware of the challenges of getting it off the ground?
He was, and he was always very encouraging. He would tell me stories of projects he had worked on in his career that struggled, but [ultimately] succeeded. He would also say that when then film was finished, he would do whatever he could to get people to see it. Which was beyond generous for someone who had done too much already.
Did he work pro bono?
He did. He did not want anything in return.
How long would the completed film be, and did Leslie voice all the lines you had for him?
Yes, all of his lines have been recorded. I believe that the film would clock in at around 90 minutes, maybe a bit longer.
At this point, how many minutes of finished film do you have?
The two minutes that were released [online] are the only minutes of finished film we have, though there are many test animations for various parts of the film that have been done.
Can you tell me a bit about his character?
Ready Espanosa is a world famous explorer that goes missing. If you were to take Frank Drebin and Lost‘s John Locke and put them together, it would be Ready Espanosa.
When did he record the character’s voice?
Over two days in May of 2007. We did it by phone. I’m in Boston and he was in a studio in Florida.
How does one direct Frank Drebin on his vocal prowess over the phone?
Exactly! I had no right directing him. He was an untouchable comedic God. But he was always very nice about it, asking questions, giving pointers and throwing ideas out there. He never made you feel like he was above you.
Did you keep in touch with Leslie after his recording sessions in 2007?
I talked to Leslie once or twice a month since 2007. Sometimes about the movie, sometimes about nothing.
How was he doing the last time you chatted with him?
I talked to him before Thanksgiving, and he was just as alive as ever. That’s why I was so shocked to get the news that he had passed. It made no sense.
His passing must make you more even more determined to finish the film and share it with fans. Have people reached out to you to help complete the project?
A few small donations have trickled in, but I have not heard from anyone with a serious interest. If I could fund the movie myself I would. I’ve tried. Believe me, no one wants to see this movie finished more than I do. It’s tricky because I don’t want to be perceived as that person that comes out of the woodwork when someone passes to try and make a profit. I am only interested in giving Leslie the opportunity to continue to make us laugh.

Leslie Nielsen's final film, 'The Waterman Movie,' remains in limbo, says the director

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When Leslie Nielsen died on Sunday, he left behind a legacy of work that entertained and amused generations of fans who knew his work from television dramas and hilarious movie spoofs. Nielsen, who was 84, had even more work waiting in the can, but one of those projects, an animated film titled The Waterman Movie, might never see the light of day. Creator Bryan Waterman tells EW he was a huge fan of Nielsen and he spent two years trying to recruit him for a feature-length film based on his online series of cartoons, The Waterman. After three years of work, the film remains incomplete, but Nielsen recorded all of his character’s lines, giving Waterman hope that he can still deliver one last dose of Nielsen’s famous deadpan.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you initially get in touch with Leslie for The Waterman Movie?
BRYAN WATERMAN: The movie is based on an animated series I did back in college called Waterman. I had created a new character that I modeled after Leslie Nielsen and the characters he had played throughout the years. Leslie was my childhood hero.
Surely, you can’t be serious.
[Laughs] So I thought about how amazing it would be to have him actually provide the voice for the character that I had based on him in the first place. I was able to get in touch with the people that represented him. I exchanged email after email, telling them all about my past work, the movie, how big of a fan I was of Leslie’s, and how much it would mean to me if I could get him to be in the film.
How old were you at this point?
22. I heard nothing from anyone for months and just as I had decided to scrap the movie altogether I received an email that read “Hi Bryan, Could you please email us with a phone number — or call me? Thanks, Leslie Nielsen.”
Very cool. Was he already familiar with what you wanted?
I called him the next day and I told him all about the premise of the movie and the series it was based on and he almost immediately came on board. He told me how much he loved and respected animation, and that he had wished he had done more with it.
What was the budget for the film?
The goal was $35,000, but it was not reached.
Was he always aware of the challenges of getting it off the ground?
He was, and he was always very encouraging. He would tell me stories of projects he had worked on in his career that struggled, but [ultimately] succeeded. He would also say that when then film was finished, he would do whatever he could to get people to see it. Which was beyond generous for someone who had done too much already.
Did he work pro bono?
He did. He did not want anything in return.
How long would the completed film be, and did Leslie voice all the lines you had for him?
Yes, all of his lines have been recorded. I believe that the film would clock in at around 90 minutes, maybe a bit longer.
At this point, how many minutes of finished film do you have?
The two minutes that were released [online] are the only minutes of finished film we have, though there are many test animations for various parts of the film that have been done.
Can you tell me a bit about his character?
Ready Espanosa is a world famous explorer that goes missing. If you were to take Frank Drebin and Lost‘s John Locke and put them together, it would be Ready Espanosa.
When did he record the character’s voice?
Over two days in May of 2007. We did it by phone. I’m in Boston and he was in a studio in Florida.
How does one direct Frank Drebin on his vocal prowess over the phone?
Exactly! I had no right directing him. He was an untouchable comedic God. But he was always very nice about it, asking questions, giving pointers and throwing ideas out there. He never made you feel like he was above you.
Did you keep in touch with Leslie after his recording sessions in 2007?
I talked to Leslie once or twice a month since 2007. Sometimes about the movie, sometimes about nothing.
How was he doing the last time you chatted with him?
I talked to him before Thanksgiving, and he was just as alive as ever. That’s why I was so shocked to get the news that he had passed. It made no sense.
His passing must make you more even more determined to finish the film and share it with fans. Have people reached out to you to help complete the project?
A few small donations have trickled in, but I have not heard from anyone with a serious interest. If I could fund the movie myself I would. I’ve tried. Believe me, no one wants to see this movie finished more than I do. It’s tricky because I don’t want to be perceived as that person that comes out of the woodwork when someone passes to try and make a profit. I am only interested in giving Leslie the opportunity to continue to make us laugh.

Freddie Jackson Releases Comeback Album

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Tis the season for a comeback.
At least, that seems to be the mentality behind Freddie Jackson’s new album. After a seven year absence from the recording scene, the musical legend released “For You” just in time for the holiday shopping rush.
The album was helmed by well-known producer Barry Eastmond, who helped facilitate Jackson’s comeback effort. Consequently, Jackson focused his efforts on challenging himself creatively, and the new album already boasts the single “I Don’t Wanna Go.” The majority of the tracks are powerful ballads, designed to feature Jackson’s distinctive voice.
At age 53, Jackson has already had a storied career with hits such as “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)” and “You Are My Lady.” His prolific career has spawned chart topping hits in the 80s and 90s, proving that this crooner has come a long way since his humble start singing backup in a Harlem nightclub.

Freddie Jackson Releases Comeback Album

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Tis the season for a comeback.
At least, that seems to be the mentality behind Freddie Jackson’s new album. After a seven year absence from the recording scene, the musical legend released “For You” just in time for the holiday shopping rush.
The album was helmed by well-known producer Barry Eastmond, who helped facilitate Jackson’s comeback effort. Consequently, Jackson focused his efforts on challenging himself creatively, and the new album already boasts the single “I Don’t Wanna Go.” The majority of the tracks are powerful ballads, designed to feature Jackson’s distinctive voice.
At age 53, Jackson has already had a storied career with hits such as “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)” and “You Are My Lady.” His prolific career has spawned chart topping hits in the 80s and 90s, proving that this crooner has come a long way since his humble start singing backup in a Harlem nightclub.

Sara Jean Underwood

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Sara Jean Underwood

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2010 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS

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Music legends Anita Baker and Ronald Isley were honored at the 2010 Soul Train Awards, which aired Sunday night on BET.
The second annual Soul Train Awards, hosted again by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, honored Ronald Isley and Anita Baker and featured performances by Cee Lo Green, Erykah Badu, Bruno Mars and others.

The show was originally taped in Atlanta on November 10, and aired Sunday on BET. Howard told MTV News that the Soul Train Awards show how far we have come in America. "It reminds me of the advancement black people have made over the years because Soul Train really was the beginning of that Black Power movement when we could actually see ourselves -- and to have an awards show based upon that Soul Train -- it's headed somewhere," he said. "We have a black president now. The country seems to be more tolerant towards the diversity inside of it so it seems like the train is moving well down the tracks."

ANITA BAKER TRIBUTE
Artists including Chrisette Michele, Goapele, Lalah Hathaway, Dionne Farris, Kem, Tamia, Faith Evans and El DeBarge all paid tribute to the R&B legend by singing a medley of her greatest hits.

2010 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS

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Music legends Anita Baker and Ronald Isley were honored at the 2010 Soul Train Awards, which aired Sunday night on BET.
The second annual Soul Train Awards, hosted again by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, honored Ronald Isley and Anita Baker and featured performances by Cee Lo Green, Erykah Badu, Bruno Mars and others.

The show was originally taped in Atlanta on November 10, and aired Sunday on BET. Howard told MTV News that the Soul Train Awards show how far we have come in America. "It reminds me of the advancement black people have made over the years because Soul Train really was the beginning of that Black Power movement when we could actually see ourselves -- and to have an awards show based upon that Soul Train -- it's headed somewhere," he said. "We have a black president now. The country seems to be more tolerant towards the diversity inside of it so it seems like the train is moving well down the tracks."

ANITA BAKER TRIBUTE
Artists including Chrisette Michele, Goapele, Lalah Hathaway, Dionne Farris, Kem, Tamia, Faith Evans and El DeBarge all paid tribute to the R&B legend by singing a medley of her greatest hits.

Leslie Nielsen dead; 'Airplane' star set to play Frank Drebin in 'Naked Gun 4' before he died?

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Don't call him Shirley, but feel free to refer to him as Lt. Frank Drebin.

Comedy star Leslie Nielsen was best known for his later-career spoofs "Naked Gun" and "Airplane!" and a fourth "Naked Gun" installment was reportedly in the works when he died on Sunday at the age of 84.

In an interview with the BBC in May, Nielsen said that he has "heard about" plans to bring back the franchise but was "not involved in it."

The "Naked Gun" film franchise, which debuted in 1988 with "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!," parodied "Police Squad!," a short-lived ABC series starring Nielsen that aired for just six episodes in 1982 and riffed off 1950s police dramas like "M Squad," starring Lee Marvin.

"Naked Gun 4: Rhythm of Evil," the follow up to 1994's "Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult," would have been the first addition to the franchise in 16 years.

Prior to scoring the role of Lt. Frank Drebin, Nielsen made a name for himself as a dramatic TV actor in the 1950s. He soon moved onto the big screen starring in such fare as the 1972 disaster epic "Poseidon Adventure."

But in 1980 – at the age of 54 -- the Canadian actor experienced a career resurgence as Dr. Alan Rumack in the spoof "Airplane!," a parody of the 1957 thriller "Zero Hour!" about a flight that teeters on disaster when its passengers succumb to food poisoning.

The film had Nielsen delivering the most famous line of his career, "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley" when another character asks him, "Surely you can't be serious?"

The line landed Nielsen the #79 spot on the American Film Institute's list of Top 100 movie quotes.


Leslie Nielsen dead; 'Airplane' star set to play Frank Drebin in 'Naked Gun 4' before he died?

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Don't call him Shirley, but feel free to refer to him as Lt. Frank Drebin.

Comedy star Leslie Nielsen was best known for his later-career spoofs "Naked Gun" and "Airplane!" and a fourth "Naked Gun" installment was reportedly in the works when he died on Sunday at the age of 84.

In an interview with the BBC in May, Nielsen said that he has "heard about" plans to bring back the franchise but was "not involved in it."

The "Naked Gun" film franchise, which debuted in 1988 with "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!," parodied "Police Squad!," a short-lived ABC series starring Nielsen that aired for just six episodes in 1982 and riffed off 1950s police dramas like "M Squad," starring Lee Marvin.

"Naked Gun 4: Rhythm of Evil," the follow up to 1994's "Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult," would have been the first addition to the franchise in 16 years.

Prior to scoring the role of Lt. Frank Drebin, Nielsen made a name for himself as a dramatic TV actor in the 1950s. He soon moved onto the big screen starring in such fare as the 1972 disaster epic "Poseidon Adventure."

But in 1980 – at the age of 54 -- the Canadian actor experienced a career resurgence as Dr. Alan Rumack in the spoof "Airplane!," a parody of the 1957 thriller "Zero Hour!" about a flight that teeters on disaster when its passengers succumb to food poisoning.

The film had Nielsen delivering the most famous line of his career, "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley" when another character asks him, "Surely you can't be serious?"

The line landed Nielsen the #79 spot on the American Film Institute's list of Top 100 movie quotes.


Goodbye, Mr. Nielsen. Angels Games Won't Be The Same Without You

By Banzay on 22:00

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Yesterday, the world said goodbye to one of its favorite actors, Leslie Nielsen (aka Enrico Pallazzo, aka Dr. Rumack, aka Detective Frank Drebin). As sports fans, we not only mourn the loss of Nielsen – who passed away Sunday in Fort Lauderdale at the age of 84 of complications from pneumonia – as a fine actor and a fine man, we mourn the loss of Nielsen as the guy who gave us some of the top sports/comedy moments of the past 30 years.

So here’s our video clip tribute to one of the funniest baseball game-crashing, strike-calling, Kareem-dragging movie men we know. Goodbye Mr. Nielsen. We still promise not to call you Shirley.

Now That’s A Strike Call
If this scene from “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” doesn’t make your top three sports movie scenes ever, well, either you’ve never seen the movie (sad) or you just don’t have a very good sense of humor (very sad). In it, Nielsen (aka Detective Frank Drebin) has to go undercover at a baseball game to uncover an assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth. I think we can all agree that, with this performance, Frank becomes America’s favorite umpire. Until Jim Joyce came along, that is.

Oh Say Can You … Ugh
Before Nielsen/Drebin posed as an ump, he posed as a National Anthem singer in this scene from “The Naked Gun.” That’s right. Ladies and gentlemen, may we present … Enrico Pallazzo. The results weren’t any better than his questionable umpiring, but at least Pallazzo Drebin fared better than some other National Anthem singers we know.

He Fit In The Airplane Cockpit?
We all know Kareem gave us some amazing moments in “Airplane” as Roger Murdock, as did Nielsen as Dr. Rumack. But the brief moment that they’re together in the movie is L-O-L funny, too. We can’t find it anywhere online (can anyone?) but go ahead and rent the movie and fast forward to the 39th minute, where Nielsen drags Kareem, all 7-foot-2 of him, out of his pilot seat (and we see he’s been wearing his bball socks and knee pads under his pilot uniform all along). An overlooked, but hilarious, moment, for sure.

Goodbye, Mr. Nielsen. Angels Games Won't Be The Same Without You

By Banzay on 22:00

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Yesterday, the world said goodbye to one of its favorite actors, Leslie Nielsen (aka Enrico Pallazzo, aka Dr. Rumack, aka Detective Frank Drebin). As sports fans, we not only mourn the loss of Nielsen – who passed away Sunday in Fort Lauderdale at the age of 84 of complications from pneumonia – as a fine actor and a fine man, we mourn the loss of Nielsen as the guy who gave us some of the top sports/comedy moments of the past 30 years.

So here’s our video clip tribute to one of the funniest baseball game-crashing, strike-calling, Kareem-dragging movie men we know. Goodbye Mr. Nielsen. We still promise not to call you Shirley.

Now That’s A Strike Call
If this scene from “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” doesn’t make your top three sports movie scenes ever, well, either you’ve never seen the movie (sad) or you just don’t have a very good sense of humor (very sad). In it, Nielsen (aka Detective Frank Drebin) has to go undercover at a baseball game to uncover an assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth. I think we can all agree that, with this performance, Frank becomes America’s favorite umpire. Until Jim Joyce came along, that is.

Oh Say Can You … Ugh
Before Nielsen/Drebin posed as an ump, he posed as a National Anthem singer in this scene from “The Naked Gun.” That’s right. Ladies and gentlemen, may we present … Enrico Pallazzo. The results weren’t any better than his questionable umpiring, but at least Pallazzo Drebin fared better than some other National Anthem singers we know.

He Fit In The Airplane Cockpit?
We all know Kareem gave us some amazing moments in “Airplane” as Roger Murdock, as did Nielsen as Dr. Rumack. But the brief moment that they’re together in the movie is L-O-L funny, too. We can’t find it anywhere online (can anyone?) but go ahead and rent the movie and fast forward to the 39th minute, where Nielsen drags Kareem, all 7-foot-2 of him, out of his pilot seat (and we see he’s been wearing his bball socks and knee pads under his pilot uniform all along). An overlooked, but hilarious, moment, for sure.

Thank television for developing the talents of the late, great Leslie Nielsen

By Banzay on 20:02

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We're told occasionally that what goes around comes around to such a degree that going around again and coming around could be called great American indoor sports. In this corner, the unofficial world heavyweight champion: Leslie Nielsen, who was merely a pretty good actor through most of his career and then, in its final couple of decades, became a sprite, a spirit, a tremendously engaging ridiculous presence in such films as "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun."

It was a jolt to learn, as we did Monday, that the Canadian-born Nielsen had attained the age of 84 when he died Sunday in Los Angeles. He not only looked younger, and acted younger, but also seemed to think and dream and be younger. He was young at heart and young in the head, and both of those, in this context, are really just gentle ways of saying he was "nutty as a fruitcake" and as infectious as the measles.

What endeared him most to movie audiences was the fact that he appeared to be having a heck of a good time while doing his best to see that the audience had one, too. His performances were masterful, instinctual satires of modern behavior, and he became the quintessential clueless dork, someone who got it all wrong, whatever "it" was, and never stopped to apologize for his mistakes - usually because he didn't even recognize them as such.

Nielsen's nuttiness was a gift, but it wasn't until fairly late in life that he got to ply it as a trade. In the '50s and most of the '60s, he was vanilla pudding and cast as such - characters on the verge of being dull and dopey. He couldn't really throw heart and soul into these parts because the characters lacked hearts and souls themselves. He could just do his best to hang onto his dignity.
The epitome of sorts was reached in 1957 with "Tammy and the Bachelor," in which Nielsen played the good-looking "older man" on whom perky, quirky Tammy (tolerably adorable Debbie Reynolds) shamelessly doted. Nielsen had no easy time trying to conceal his disdain for the movie, especially because he'd had brush with greatness one year earlier by starring, with Anne Francis and Walter Pidgeon, in "Forbidden Planet," a lavish sci-fi picture from MGM that had its roots in Shakespeare, no less.

As J.J. Adams, commander of an interplanetary cruiser bopping around space in the very distant future, Nielsen gets to romance Francis as Altaira, presumably virginal daughter of Dr. Mobius, who's been running the planet, so to speak, ever since the crew members he arrived with years earlier were all hideously murdered in their beds by a big invisible monster. It sounds a lot sillier than it plays; "Planet" is actually one of the best-looking, more thoughtful of the decade's space-travel pictures.

Still, it's conceivable that Nielsen got the giggles while filming scenes in which he fired his tiny little "blaster" at the big monster, the blaster's destructive ray matted in later by the special effects department. As usual in films like this, Nielsen had to point at objects that weren't really there and shudder in fear at a creature that took its own sweet time about becoming visible.

Nielsen was a reliable pro by this point, having learned his craft, and mastered the fine art of ad libbing when things went wrong, on television. Yes, that. In the '50s, much of prime-time television originated in New York, and theater folk picked up extra bucks by appearing in the ambitious anthology shows that the three major networks all aired regularly (Fox didn't exist at this point). In a 1991 interview in Washington, Nielsen estimated he'd made 1,000 TV appearances when he and the medium were young.

He'd also appeared in 50 movies, he said - yet was almost creepily under-noticed, nearly as invisible as the big, bad monster that ransacked "Forbidden Planet." Perhaps he blended in too well with the furniture. Or maybe he was always-good, never-great, as many a journeyman actor tends to be.

But television, where Nielsen had put in hours and hours of hard labor, would be his deliverer as well - in the 1980s, when the mad and wacky Zucker Brothers cast him in "Police Squad!," a hilarious parody of the old Quinn Martin crime shows that networks loved to buy for their schedules. Each episode of "Police Squad" opened with the evening's guest star being killed, usually in the proverbial hail of gunfire; Robert Goulet, Florence Henderson and several others fell into gutters and died in the opening moments of the program.

Nielsen was the new Deadpan Prince with his portrayal of Lt. Frank Drebin, chief of Police Squad, a "special unit" of the force that seemed utterly unshackled by such niceties as the civil rights of suspects. Nielsen started a new life as a very sly and wily comic actor, a perfect combination of actor and role. Unfortunately, the humor was too quick and smart for the executives at ABC, who canceled the series after its initial order of six episodes had aired.

In 1988, "Police Squad's" files would be reopened for a series of near-riotous motion pictures, starting with "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad." Nielsen's unassuming, understated performance as Drebin worked just as well on the big screen as it had on the small one. The Zucker boys thought of advertising the first movie as coming "from the failed TV series!" - but feared the audience might take that too seriously and stay away.

Nielsen's breakout, breakthrough comic role had come eight years earlier, again courtesy of the Zuckers and their partners in comedy, with "Airplane!," a joke-a-minute spoof of films about travelers in distress; the old "Bridge of San Luis Rey" gambit turned into splendid and sensational farce. From that point on, Nielsen romped and bopped from one spoofy farce to another, always "playing it straight" and yet with a gleam in his eye that seemed a tiny but important bit of actor's inspiration.

Discussing the first two "Naked Gun" films in 1991, and admitting, to the Zuckers' consternation, that the first was better than the second, Nielsen talked about maintaining dignity even in absurd and surreal surroundings. Nielsen concluded the brief dissertation thus: "Then again, if it's funny, then the hell with dignity."

Nielsen was traveling in the company of a whoopee cushion on that press tour and even brought it onto "The Tonight Show" and other such programs, as if he were an obnoxious guest at an otherwise proper cocktail party. In the best traditions of American comedy, from its beginnings through the crash-bang comedies of the 1990s and 2000s, Leslie Nielsen skewered the otherwise proper, did it with mischievous delight and convulsed audiences mercilessly.

He had a good time giving a good time. Life may not get better than that.

Thank television for developing the talents of the late, great Leslie Nielsen

By Banzay on 20:02

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We're told occasionally that what goes around comes around to such a degree that going around again and coming around could be called great American indoor sports. In this corner, the unofficial world heavyweight champion: Leslie Nielsen, who was merely a pretty good actor through most of his career and then, in its final couple of decades, became a sprite, a spirit, a tremendously engaging ridiculous presence in such films as "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun."

It was a jolt to learn, as we did Monday, that the Canadian-born Nielsen had attained the age of 84 when he died Sunday in Los Angeles. He not only looked younger, and acted younger, but also seemed to think and dream and be younger. He was young at heart and young in the head, and both of those, in this context, are really just gentle ways of saying he was "nutty as a fruitcake" and as infectious as the measles.

What endeared him most to movie audiences was the fact that he appeared to be having a heck of a good time while doing his best to see that the audience had one, too. His performances were masterful, instinctual satires of modern behavior, and he became the quintessential clueless dork, someone who got it all wrong, whatever "it" was, and never stopped to apologize for his mistakes - usually because he didn't even recognize them as such.

Nielsen's nuttiness was a gift, but it wasn't until fairly late in life that he got to ply it as a trade. In the '50s and most of the '60s, he was vanilla pudding and cast as such - characters on the verge of being dull and dopey. He couldn't really throw heart and soul into these parts because the characters lacked hearts and souls themselves. He could just do his best to hang onto his dignity.
The epitome of sorts was reached in 1957 with "Tammy and the Bachelor," in which Nielsen played the good-looking "older man" on whom perky, quirky Tammy (tolerably adorable Debbie Reynolds) shamelessly doted. Nielsen had no easy time trying to conceal his disdain for the movie, especially because he'd had brush with greatness one year earlier by starring, with Anne Francis and Walter Pidgeon, in "Forbidden Planet," a lavish sci-fi picture from MGM that had its roots in Shakespeare, no less.

As J.J. Adams, commander of an interplanetary cruiser bopping around space in the very distant future, Nielsen gets to romance Francis as Altaira, presumably virginal daughter of Dr. Mobius, who's been running the planet, so to speak, ever since the crew members he arrived with years earlier were all hideously murdered in their beds by a big invisible monster. It sounds a lot sillier than it plays; "Planet" is actually one of the best-looking, more thoughtful of the decade's space-travel pictures.

Still, it's conceivable that Nielsen got the giggles while filming scenes in which he fired his tiny little "blaster" at the big monster, the blaster's destructive ray matted in later by the special effects department. As usual in films like this, Nielsen had to point at objects that weren't really there and shudder in fear at a creature that took its own sweet time about becoming visible.

Nielsen was a reliable pro by this point, having learned his craft, and mastered the fine art of ad libbing when things went wrong, on television. Yes, that. In the '50s, much of prime-time television originated in New York, and theater folk picked up extra bucks by appearing in the ambitious anthology shows that the three major networks all aired regularly (Fox didn't exist at this point). In a 1991 interview in Washington, Nielsen estimated he'd made 1,000 TV appearances when he and the medium were young.

He'd also appeared in 50 movies, he said - yet was almost creepily under-noticed, nearly as invisible as the big, bad monster that ransacked "Forbidden Planet." Perhaps he blended in too well with the furniture. Or maybe he was always-good, never-great, as many a journeyman actor tends to be.

But television, where Nielsen had put in hours and hours of hard labor, would be his deliverer as well - in the 1980s, when the mad and wacky Zucker Brothers cast him in "Police Squad!," a hilarious parody of the old Quinn Martin crime shows that networks loved to buy for their schedules. Each episode of "Police Squad" opened with the evening's guest star being killed, usually in the proverbial hail of gunfire; Robert Goulet, Florence Henderson and several others fell into gutters and died in the opening moments of the program.

Nielsen was the new Deadpan Prince with his portrayal of Lt. Frank Drebin, chief of Police Squad, a "special unit" of the force that seemed utterly unshackled by such niceties as the civil rights of suspects. Nielsen started a new life as a very sly and wily comic actor, a perfect combination of actor and role. Unfortunately, the humor was too quick and smart for the executives at ABC, who canceled the series after its initial order of six episodes had aired.

In 1988, "Police Squad's" files would be reopened for a series of near-riotous motion pictures, starting with "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad." Nielsen's unassuming, understated performance as Drebin worked just as well on the big screen as it had on the small one. The Zucker boys thought of advertising the first movie as coming "from the failed TV series!" - but feared the audience might take that too seriously and stay away.

Nielsen's breakout, breakthrough comic role had come eight years earlier, again courtesy of the Zuckers and their partners in comedy, with "Airplane!," a joke-a-minute spoof of films about travelers in distress; the old "Bridge of San Luis Rey" gambit turned into splendid and sensational farce. From that point on, Nielsen romped and bopped from one spoofy farce to another, always "playing it straight" and yet with a gleam in his eye that seemed a tiny but important bit of actor's inspiration.

Discussing the first two "Naked Gun" films in 1991, and admitting, to the Zuckers' consternation, that the first was better than the second, Nielsen talked about maintaining dignity even in absurd and surreal surroundings. Nielsen concluded the brief dissertation thus: "Then again, if it's funny, then the hell with dignity."

Nielsen was traveling in the company of a whoopee cushion on that press tour and even brought it onto "The Tonight Show" and other such programs, as if he were an obnoxious guest at an otherwise proper cocktail party. In the best traditions of American comedy, from its beginnings through the crash-bang comedies of the 1990s and 2000s, Leslie Nielsen skewered the otherwise proper, did it with mischievous delight and convulsed audiences mercilessly.

He had a good time giving a good time. Life may not get better than that.

NeNe Leakes Divorce: She’s At “The Breaking Point” and Taking Baby Steps

By Banzay on 19:45

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On last night’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” show, NeNe Leakes visited an attorney and filed for divorce, sending the viewers into a tizzy! Her husband Gregg has been accused multiple times of cheating on her, yet NeNe has stuck it out but today she posted a blog on Bravo’s website called “The Breaking Point.” She says the blowout she had with Gregg was so much more than what was shown to us, and she was in real pain over it, complete with stomach cramps.
“All I can say is, I’m tired!” she writes. “Only I know what I’ve been through! My happiness and independence means everything to me, and I want to follow my heart, but I’m scared! I’m taking baby steps, but I hope I’ve been brave enough for all the women that couldn’t! I hope I was able to show my children what a strong woman looks like and stands for! I will only accept loyalty and trust! My happiness is everything to me!”
Divorce is ugly and painful and heartbreaking, for whatever reason. What NeNe is going through is the same as any other woman in her position, and as a divorcee myself, my heart goes out to her. It just goes to show whether you live in a multi-million dollar house and wear Gucci or a rented apartment and wear Jaclyn Smith, divorce hurts exactly the same.

NeNe Leakes Divorce: She’s At “The Breaking Point” and Taking Baby Steps

By Banzay on 19:45

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On last night’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” show, NeNe Leakes visited an attorney and filed for divorce, sending the viewers into a tizzy! Her husband Gregg has been accused multiple times of cheating on her, yet NeNe has stuck it out but today she posted a blog on Bravo’s website called “The Breaking Point.” She says the blowout she had with Gregg was so much more than what was shown to us, and she was in real pain over it, complete with stomach cramps.
“All I can say is, I’m tired!” she writes. “Only I know what I’ve been through! My happiness and independence means everything to me, and I want to follow my heart, but I’m scared! I’m taking baby steps, but I hope I’ve been brave enough for all the women that couldn’t! I hope I was able to show my children what a strong woman looks like and stands for! I will only accept loyalty and trust! My happiness is everything to me!”
Divorce is ugly and painful and heartbreaking, for whatever reason. What NeNe is going through is the same as any other woman in her position, and as a divorcee myself, my heart goes out to her. It just goes to show whether you live in a multi-million dollar house and wear Gucci or a rented apartment and wear Jaclyn Smith, divorce hurts exactly the same.

Monday Morning Cheerleader: Omarlla of the Bills

By Banzay on 19:05

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A veteran sideline beauty swallows another Buffalo loss to a playoff favorite just long enough to tell us who's going to the Super Bowl


If scientists ever want to study how much heartbreak one team's fans can stomach, they can start in Buffalo. Forget the Super Bowl struggles of the nineties and the current Bills playoff drought — Case Study No. 1 starts with the 2010 season: five losses by five points or less, including three in overtime, capped by Sunday's 19-16 stinger to the Steelers, in which the red-white-and-blue rallied mightily before what would have been an epic upset slipped, quite literally, through its fingers.

But Buffalo's long-suffering throngs keep coming back. And their resilience is exemplified by Buffalo Jills line captain Omarlla, who's donned the hot pants for nothing short of a decade. What's even more amazing about this elementary-school curriculum coordinator? Like Michael Jordan before her, she was cut from her high-school team. "I haven't talked to those cheerleading coaches, but I get so tempted to send them autographed cards and calendars," she says. "Eleven years of jump-splitting, and I just continue to work out, stay flexible, and keep going." Looking for hope? Here's some.

ESQUIRE: Looked like a lot of Steelers fans in the house today. Is it just us, or is a "Terrible Towel" kind of a silly thing to wave?

OMARLLA: No comment on the towels. There were a ton of Steelers fans, but our fans are amazing. In the second half and overtime, we way outnumbered them in volume.

ESQ: What went through your head when it looked like Stevie Johnson had caught a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, then dropped it?

O: I immediately started cheering and screaming and going crazy. I saw it in his hands... and then it was on the ground. My heart was crushed. Players were falling to their knees like, Oh my god, what happened? — and I was right there with him. I thought we had the win in the bag, just like everyone else. Just heart-wrenching, you know? But I don't think the whole game should fall on him. We missed a lot of opportunities, and he's made a lot of great plays for us.

ESQ: Anyone who just sees the score won't know the Bills came back from a 13-0 deficit, and like all season, never gave up. Do you feel like there's something about the city of Buffalo that gives the team that kind of spirit?

O: I definitely do. We have so many diehard fans, and we've improved since the bye week. We made mistakes, but overall as a team, we did excellent out there, and the fans knew it. It's tough losing by close margins. The record doesn't show how well the team is doing.

ESQ: Fred Jackson had 164 total yards. Is he a bright spot going forward?

O: Freddie Jackson played awesome. His 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter was definitely a game-changer. From then to the end, no one sat. I don't know of a lot of games where people are on their feet for two entire quarters.

ESQ: What's more impressive: Ryan Fitzpatrick's 18 touchdown passes in nine games, or his lumberjack beard?

O: That beard is fierce, I have to say. Maybe it helps keep him warm. He's made a lot of exciting plays. He gets teased about going to Harvard, but he must be a pretty smart guy.

ESQ: How do you feel about the retro helmet? One worries that this particular buffalo is more interested in grazing than bursting into the end zone.

O: I think it's fun to switch it up every now and then. I don't mind it. And the Bills were pretty good back in the day.

ESQ: Buffalo's a notoriously cold city. Got any tips for staying warm and looking good at the same time?

O: Your hands and feet are the first things to get cold, and then you're just miserable, so you definitely need to purchase hand and feet warmers. Those will keep you super toasty. Moving around a lot helps. I'm an Under Armour fan as well. I was wearing it under my uniform at the game.

ESQ: Which of the three teams you've lost to in OT — Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh — has the best shot at reaching the Super Bowl?

O: I'm gonna go with Pittsburgh. They're probably the most consistent of the three and can win in tough situations, and that's sometimes what it takes.

ESQ: You have a master's degree in education. How important is it that a guy who's interested in you be, you know, not dumb?

O: Depending on their career path, they don't have to have a degree, but they have to be somewhat intelligent, driven, and focused. A brain and some goals would be great. Looks help, but I think I'll take brains over looks.


Monday Morning Cheerleader: Omarlla of the Bills

By Banzay on 19:05

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A veteran sideline beauty swallows another Buffalo loss to a playoff favorite just long enough to tell us who's going to the Super Bowl


If scientists ever want to study how much heartbreak one team's fans can stomach, they can start in Buffalo. Forget the Super Bowl struggles of the nineties and the current Bills playoff drought — Case Study No. 1 starts with the 2010 season: five losses by five points or less, including three in overtime, capped by Sunday's 19-16 stinger to the Steelers, in which the red-white-and-blue rallied mightily before what would have been an epic upset slipped, quite literally, through its fingers.

But Buffalo's long-suffering throngs keep coming back. And their resilience is exemplified by Buffalo Jills line captain Omarlla, who's donned the hot pants for nothing short of a decade. What's even more amazing about this elementary-school curriculum coordinator? Like Michael Jordan before her, she was cut from her high-school team. "I haven't talked to those cheerleading coaches, but I get so tempted to send them autographed cards and calendars," she says. "Eleven years of jump-splitting, and I just continue to work out, stay flexible, and keep going." Looking for hope? Here's some.

ESQUIRE: Looked like a lot of Steelers fans in the house today. Is it just us, or is a "Terrible Towel" kind of a silly thing to wave?

OMARLLA: No comment on the towels. There were a ton of Steelers fans, but our fans are amazing. In the second half and overtime, we way outnumbered them in volume.

ESQ: What went through your head when it looked like Stevie Johnson had caught a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, then dropped it?

O: I immediately started cheering and screaming and going crazy. I saw it in his hands... and then it was on the ground. My heart was crushed. Players were falling to their knees like, Oh my god, what happened? — and I was right there with him. I thought we had the win in the bag, just like everyone else. Just heart-wrenching, you know? But I don't think the whole game should fall on him. We missed a lot of opportunities, and he's made a lot of great plays for us.

ESQ: Anyone who just sees the score won't know the Bills came back from a 13-0 deficit, and like all season, never gave up. Do you feel like there's something about the city of Buffalo that gives the team that kind of spirit?

O: I definitely do. We have so many diehard fans, and we've improved since the bye week. We made mistakes, but overall as a team, we did excellent out there, and the fans knew it. It's tough losing by close margins. The record doesn't show how well the team is doing.

ESQ: Fred Jackson had 164 total yards. Is he a bright spot going forward?

O: Freddie Jackson played awesome. His 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter was definitely a game-changer. From then to the end, no one sat. I don't know of a lot of games where people are on their feet for two entire quarters.

ESQ: What's more impressive: Ryan Fitzpatrick's 18 touchdown passes in nine games, or his lumberjack beard?

O: That beard is fierce, I have to say. Maybe it helps keep him warm. He's made a lot of exciting plays. He gets teased about going to Harvard, but he must be a pretty smart guy.

ESQ: How do you feel about the retro helmet? One worries that this particular buffalo is more interested in grazing than bursting into the end zone.

O: I think it's fun to switch it up every now and then. I don't mind it. And the Bills were pretty good back in the day.

ESQ: Buffalo's a notoriously cold city. Got any tips for staying warm and looking good at the same time?

O: Your hands and feet are the first things to get cold, and then you're just miserable, so you definitely need to purchase hand and feet warmers. Those will keep you super toasty. Moving around a lot helps. I'm an Under Armour fan as well. I was wearing it under my uniform at the game.

ESQ: Which of the three teams you've lost to in OT — Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh — has the best shot at reaching the Super Bowl?

O: I'm gonna go with Pittsburgh. They're probably the most consistent of the three and can win in tough situations, and that's sometimes what it takes.

ESQ: You have a master's degree in education. How important is it that a guy who's interested in you be, you know, not dumb?

O: Depending on their career path, they don't have to have a degree, but they have to be somewhat intelligent, driven, and focused. A brain and some goals would be great. Looks help, but I think I'll take brains over looks.


'November Christmas': Sam Elliott, Karen Allen in Hallmark heartwarmer

By Banzay on 09:28

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Get the tissues out.

You'll need them -- and more than once -- for "November Christmas," a truly moving, superbly cast new CBS movie that does the Hallmark Hall of Fame tradition proud. Airing Sunday, Nov. 28, the drama stars Sam Elliott ("Mask") and Karen Allen ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") as a couple still dealing with a tragedy of their own when they come to the aid of a family newly relocated to their town.

John Corbett ("Sex and the City") and Sarah Paulson ("Deadwood") play parents hoping to enable their seriously ill daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) to celebrate the holidays early ... fearing she may not have much time left. Elliott's character sells pumpkins and Christmas trees, and he initially doesn't understand the couple's need for such items out of season. Once he does, he and his wife try to help them realize their dreams.

"It felt like it might work," Ellliott says of the film, based on a Greg Coppa short story and filmed by director Robert Harmon in Nova Scotia (where he also makes Tom Selleck's "Jesse Stone" movies for CBS). "I think it goes beyond a lot of Hallmark stuff," Elliott adds. "It's really a good piece. The story was certainly all there.

"This picture touched me. I had some friends who lost a kid who would have been about the age of our kid in the movie. The father is deceased now; he was a fireman, and he was someone I got very close to. I knew what that loss meant to him over the long haul. He was not verbal about it at all, but whenever it came up, it was really evident that he never got over it. The loss of a child is just not supposed to happen."

"November Christmas" struck a similar chord with actress Allen, and her leading men also proved to be big lures. "I've just adored Sam Elliott as an actor," she says, "and I find him really lovely. The same goes for John Corbett. They were already committed to the project, so that was an immediate thing that made me think, 'Ooh, I should read this script.'

"I thought it was a really beautiful story, then I had a talk with Robert Harmon, who seemed like the kind of director I would love to work with. It turned out to be true. He's a real actor's director, and from the moment we arrived, we worked on this to make it as rich and complex as possible. And Sarah Paulson and I became fast friends, so it was just a terrific experience."

Long married to actress Katharine Ross ("The Graduate"), Elliott often tackles action-driven fare instead, such as "Road House" and "Ghost Rider." He may not be seen on television often, but he's sure heard on it: His deep, unmistakable voice fuels ads for products from beef to (currently) trucks. "I've been very lucky," he says.

With "National Lampoon's Animal House" another big part of her screen history, Allen also has a professional life apart from acting. She operates a knitwear company from Great Barrington, Mass. (where she also runs a related shop), but she now hopes to be back in front of cameras more often.

"I created this design studio and store to get myself through the period when my son was in junior high and high school," Allen explains. "I felt it was important to find something creative that I could really get involved in. Now my son is living in New York, so this opportunity has opened back up for me to work (as an actress) more. I'm just putting my feet back in the water, and it feels really good."

'November Christmas': Sam Elliott, Karen Allen in Hallmark heartwarmer

By Banzay on 09:28

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Filed Under: ,



Get the tissues out.

You'll need them -- and more than once -- for "November Christmas," a truly moving, superbly cast new CBS movie that does the Hallmark Hall of Fame tradition proud. Airing Sunday, Nov. 28, the drama stars Sam Elliott ("Mask") and Karen Allen ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") as a couple still dealing with a tragedy of their own when they come to the aid of a family newly relocated to their town.

John Corbett ("Sex and the City") and Sarah Paulson ("Deadwood") play parents hoping to enable their seriously ill daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) to celebrate the holidays early ... fearing she may not have much time left. Elliott's character sells pumpkins and Christmas trees, and he initially doesn't understand the couple's need for such items out of season. Once he does, he and his wife try to help them realize their dreams.

"It felt like it might work," Ellliott says of the film, based on a Greg Coppa short story and filmed by director Robert Harmon in Nova Scotia (where he also makes Tom Selleck's "Jesse Stone" movies for CBS). "I think it goes beyond a lot of Hallmark stuff," Elliott adds. "It's really a good piece. The story was certainly all there.

"This picture touched me. I had some friends who lost a kid who would have been about the age of our kid in the movie. The father is deceased now; he was a fireman, and he was someone I got very close to. I knew what that loss meant to him over the long haul. He was not verbal about it at all, but whenever it came up, it was really evident that he never got over it. The loss of a child is just not supposed to happen."

"November Christmas" struck a similar chord with actress Allen, and her leading men also proved to be big lures. "I've just adored Sam Elliott as an actor," she says, "and I find him really lovely. The same goes for John Corbett. They were already committed to the project, so that was an immediate thing that made me think, 'Ooh, I should read this script.'

"I thought it was a really beautiful story, then I had a talk with Robert Harmon, who seemed like the kind of director I would love to work with. It turned out to be true. He's a real actor's director, and from the moment we arrived, we worked on this to make it as rich and complex as possible. And Sarah Paulson and I became fast friends, so it was just a terrific experience."

Long married to actress Katharine Ross ("The Graduate"), Elliott often tackles action-driven fare instead, such as "Road House" and "Ghost Rider." He may not be seen on television often, but he's sure heard on it: His deep, unmistakable voice fuels ads for products from beef to (currently) trucks. "I've been very lucky," he says.

With "National Lampoon's Animal House" another big part of her screen history, Allen also has a professional life apart from acting. She operates a knitwear company from Great Barrington, Mass. (where she also runs a related shop), but she now hopes to be back in front of cameras more often.

"I created this design studio and store to get myself through the period when my son was in junior high and high school," Allen explains. "I felt it was important to find something creative that I could really get involved in. Now my son is living in New York, so this opportunity has opened back up for me to work (as an actress) more. I'm just putting my feet back in the water, and it feels really good."

Leslie Nielsen: Best "Airplane" Quotes and "Naked Gun" One-Liners

By Banzay on 07:43

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When Leslie Nielsen traded in his dramatic chops to star in comedies, he racked up a list of hilarious one-liners.

Some of his most well-known (and often-quoted) lines came from his roles as the hapless Dr. Rumack in 1980's "Airplane!" and as the accident-prone detective Lt. Frank Drebin in "The Naked Gun" comedies.

PICTURES: Leslie Nielsen

Here are some of the late actor's most memorable movie quotes.

From "Airplane!" (1980):

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.

Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley!

--

Rumack: You'd better tell the Captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

Elaine Dickinson: A hospital? What is it?

Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.

--

Rumack: Captain, how soon can you land?

Captain Oveur: I can't tell.

Rumack: You can tell me. I'm a doctor.

Captain Oveur: No. I mean I'm just not sure.

Rumack: Well, can't you take a guess?

Captain Oveur: Well, not for another two hours.

Rumack: You can't take a guess for another two hours?

--

Rumack: What was it we had for dinner tonight?

Elaine Dickinson: Well, we had a choice of steak or fish.

Rumack: Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna.

--

Rumack: I won't deceive you, Mr. Striker. We're running out of time.

Ted Striker: Surely there must be something you can do.

Rumack: I'm doing everything I can...and stop calling me Shirley!

--

From "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" (1988):

Lt. Frank Drebin: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girl dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

Jane: Goodyear?

Frank: No, the worst.

--

Frank: It's true what they say: Cops and women don't mix. It's like eating a spoonful of Drano; sure, it'll clean you out, but it'll leave you hollow inside.

--

Frank: Just think; next time I shoot someone, I could be arrested.

--

Mayor: Now Drebin, I don't want any trouble like you had on the South Side last year, that's my policy.

Frank: Well, when I see five weirdos, dressed in togas, stabbing a man in the middle of the park in full view of a hundred people, I shoot the bastards, that's *my* policy!

Mayor: That was a Shakespeare-In-The-Park production of "Julius Caesar," you moron! You killed five actors! Good ones!

--

Frank: Jane, since I've met you, I've noticed things that I never knew were there before... birds singing, dew glistening on a newly formed leaf, stoplights.

--

From "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" (1991):

Frank: Now, Jane, what can you tell us about the man you saw last night?

Jane: He's Caucasian.

Ed: Caucasian?

Jane: Yeah, you know, a white guy. A moustache. About six-foot-three.

Frank: Awfully big moustache.

--

Frank: Oh, it's all right. I'm sure that we can handle this situation maturely, just like the responsible adults that we are. Isn't that right, Mr... Poopy Pants?

--

Frank: That's the red-light district. I wonder why Savage is hanging around down there.

Captain Ed Hocken: Sex, Frank?

Frank: Uh, no, not right now, Ed.

--

Frank: I'm single! I love being single! I haven't had this much sex since I was a Boy Scout leader!

[Music stops playing. Everyone stops talking and stares at him]

Frank: [to everybody] I mean at the time I was dating a lot.

--

President George Bush: Frank, please consider filling a post I'm creating. It may mean long hours and dangerous nights, surrounded by some of the scummiest elements in our society.

Frank: You want me to be in your cabinet?

--

What's your favorite Leslie Nielsen quote? Share yours in the comments.

Leslie Nielsen: Best "Airplane" Quotes and "Naked Gun" One-Liners

By Banzay on 07:43

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When Leslie Nielsen traded in his dramatic chops to star in comedies, he racked up a list of hilarious one-liners.

Some of his most well-known (and often-quoted) lines came from his roles as the hapless Dr. Rumack in 1980's "Airplane!" and as the accident-prone detective Lt. Frank Drebin in "The Naked Gun" comedies.

PICTURES: Leslie Nielsen

Here are some of the late actor's most memorable movie quotes.

From "Airplane!" (1980):

Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.

Rumack: I am serious... and don't call me Shirley!

--

Rumack: You'd better tell the Captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.

Elaine Dickinson: A hospital? What is it?

Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.

--

Rumack: Captain, how soon can you land?

Captain Oveur: I can't tell.

Rumack: You can tell me. I'm a doctor.

Captain Oveur: No. I mean I'm just not sure.

Rumack: Well, can't you take a guess?

Captain Oveur: Well, not for another two hours.

Rumack: You can't take a guess for another two hours?

--

Rumack: What was it we had for dinner tonight?

Elaine Dickinson: Well, we had a choice of steak or fish.

Rumack: Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna.

--

Rumack: I won't deceive you, Mr. Striker. We're running out of time.

Ted Striker: Surely there must be something you can do.

Rumack: I'm doing everything I can...and stop calling me Shirley!

--

From "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" (1988):

Lt. Frank Drebin: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girl dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

Jane: Goodyear?

Frank: No, the worst.

--

Frank: It's true what they say: Cops and women don't mix. It's like eating a spoonful of Drano; sure, it'll clean you out, but it'll leave you hollow inside.

--

Frank: Just think; next time I shoot someone, I could be arrested.

--

Mayor: Now Drebin, I don't want any trouble like you had on the South Side last year, that's my policy.

Frank: Well, when I see five weirdos, dressed in togas, stabbing a man in the middle of the park in full view of a hundred people, I shoot the bastards, that's *my* policy!

Mayor: That was a Shakespeare-In-The-Park production of "Julius Caesar," you moron! You killed five actors! Good ones!

--

Frank: Jane, since I've met you, I've noticed things that I never knew were there before... birds singing, dew glistening on a newly formed leaf, stoplights.

--

From "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" (1991):

Frank: Now, Jane, what can you tell us about the man you saw last night?

Jane: He's Caucasian.

Ed: Caucasian?

Jane: Yeah, you know, a white guy. A moustache. About six-foot-three.

Frank: Awfully big moustache.

--

Frank: Oh, it's all right. I'm sure that we can handle this situation maturely, just like the responsible adults that we are. Isn't that right, Mr... Poopy Pants?

--

Frank: That's the red-light district. I wonder why Savage is hanging around down there.

Captain Ed Hocken: Sex, Frank?

Frank: Uh, no, not right now, Ed.

--

Frank: I'm single! I love being single! I haven't had this much sex since I was a Boy Scout leader!

[Music stops playing. Everyone stops talking and stares at him]

Frank: [to everybody] I mean at the time I was dating a lot.

--

President George Bush: Frank, please consider filling a post I'm creating. It may mean long hours and dangerous nights, surrounded by some of the scummiest elements in our society.

Frank: You want me to be in your cabinet?

--

What's your favorite Leslie Nielsen quote? Share yours in the comments.

Nene Leakes Divorce: Are RHOA Star And Husband Still Together? What About Their Kids?

By Banzay on 06:03

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After watching last night’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” viewers are wondering if there’s a Nene Leakes divorce in the offing! It certainly seems that way based on what Leakes’ husband, Gregg, said to a radio host in Atlanta earlier this year. The conversation was recorded, unbeknownst to Gregg, and leaked out online, where it caused a huge stir over the summer. Gregg apologized to his wife and said the conversation had taken place shortly after a fight. But can these two stay together in the aftermath?

Gregg said some pretty shoddy things about his wife, claiming he spent $300,000 on her for the first season of “RHOA.” Some are saying that Gregg feels threatened now that Nene is the breadwinner in the household, thanks to her Bravo income. And on last night’s show she said that despite the fact that she comes from a family of divorce and does not want the same for her kids, “This is it between me and Gregg. We are over.”

She consulted a divorce lawyer, but neither of them have filed papers. They’ve both denied reports of a split while confirming that they are having marital difficulties. Do you think they’ll stay together?

Nene Leakes Divorce: Are RHOA Star And Husband Still Together? What About Their Kids?

By Banzay on 06:03

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After watching last night’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” viewers are wondering if there’s a Nene Leakes divorce in the offing! It certainly seems that way based on what Leakes’ husband, Gregg, said to a radio host in Atlanta earlier this year. The conversation was recorded, unbeknownst to Gregg, and leaked out online, where it caused a huge stir over the summer. Gregg apologized to his wife and said the conversation had taken place shortly after a fight. But can these two stay together in the aftermath?

Gregg said some pretty shoddy things about his wife, claiming he spent $300,000 on her for the first season of “RHOA.” Some are saying that Gregg feels threatened now that Nene is the breadwinner in the household, thanks to her Bravo income. And on last night’s show she said that despite the fact that she comes from a family of divorce and does not want the same for her kids, “This is it between me and Gregg. We are over.”

She consulted a divorce lawyer, but neither of them have filed papers. They’ve both denied reports of a split while confirming that they are having marital difficulties. Do you think they’ll stay together?

Worthing nightclub’s fresh start

By Banzay on 03:19

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WORTHING’S end-of-pier nightclub has been renamed Angelik as a new manager tries to shake off its troubled past.

Steve Stevens, 34, from Portslade, took over the premises, formerly known as The Pier, in the Southern Pavilion, in October and is now planning to apply for a new premises licence.

But Mr Stevens fears the borough council licensing meeting will not be held until the New Year, meaning he will miss out on the lucractive Christmas party season.

Mr Stevens, who said he had spent 14 years managing pubs and clubs, including three summers in Ibiza, vowed to give Angelik the “wow factor”.

Police called for the closure of the former Pier club following outbreaks of violence.

Its licence was suspended for three months and the firm which ran the venue, Worthing Bars Ltd, went into liquidation.

Mr Stevens, who was assistant manager at The Pier before quitting 14 months ago, held a meeting with police before submitting his licence application.

He said: “I want to give the club that ‘wow factor’ as opposed to walking in, buying a cheap drink and getting trashed.”

Angelik, which has an 800-clubber capacity, would mainly appeal to the 18-23 age group, with a day bar operating during the summer.

Mr Stevens also wanted to showcase up-and-coming bands and introduce new attractions such as an ice rink.

He said: “I am not in this to make tons of money, I am in it to give people a good experience.

“People want something new and different. It’s going to be a long route but I am passionate about it.”

Simon Jones, the borough council’s licensing officer, said: “Everybody in the town wants something to go in there, whether it is a nightclub, bar or other attraction.”

Worthing nightclub’s fresh start

By Banzay on 03:19

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WORTHING’S end-of-pier nightclub has been renamed Angelik as a new manager tries to shake off its troubled past.

Steve Stevens, 34, from Portslade, took over the premises, formerly known as The Pier, in the Southern Pavilion, in October and is now planning to apply for a new premises licence.

But Mr Stevens fears the borough council licensing meeting will not be held until the New Year, meaning he will miss out on the lucractive Christmas party season.

Mr Stevens, who said he had spent 14 years managing pubs and clubs, including three summers in Ibiza, vowed to give Angelik the “wow factor”.

Police called for the closure of the former Pier club following outbreaks of violence.

Its licence was suspended for three months and the firm which ran the venue, Worthing Bars Ltd, went into liquidation.

Mr Stevens, who was assistant manager at The Pier before quitting 14 months ago, held a meeting with police before submitting his licence application.

He said: “I want to give the club that ‘wow factor’ as opposed to walking in, buying a cheap drink and getting trashed.”

Angelik, which has an 800-clubber capacity, would mainly appeal to the 18-23 age group, with a day bar operating during the summer.

Mr Stevens also wanted to showcase up-and-coming bands and introduce new attractions such as an ice rink.

He said: “I am not in this to make tons of money, I am in it to give people a good experience.

“People want something new and different. It’s going to be a long route but I am passionate about it.”

Simon Jones, the borough council’s licensing officer, said: “Everybody in the town wants something to go in there, whether it is a nightclub, bar or other attraction.”

Leslie Nielsen, star of 'Airplane!' and 'Naked Gun,' dead at 84

By Banzay on 02:30

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Leslie Nielsen, whose longtime career as a square-jawed dramatic actor took a sudden turn into comedy with gut-busting spoofs like "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun," has died at age 84, his family said Sunday.
The Canadian-born Nielsen's career reached back into the early days of television, when he made frequent appearances on live drama series like "Goodyear Playhouse."
He played the earnest starship captain in the 1956 science-fiction classic "Forbidden Planet" and made regular appearances on a wide range of TV dramas into the 1970s, including "Hawaii Five-O."
He also played the captain of an overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie, "The Poseidon Adventure."
Much of that changed in 1980, when he was cast as a doctor aboard an endangered jetliner in the gag-a-minute disaster-movie parody "Airplane!"
Nielsen's deadpan response to the question "Surely, you can't be serious?" with "I am serious -- and don't call me Shirley" helped launch a second career.
The film's producers went on to cast him in their short-lived television series "Police Squad!"
He reprised that show's bumbling lead character, Lt. Frank Drebin, a decade later in three "Naked Gun" movies, in which he shared the screen with O.J. Simpson and Priscilla Presley.
Nielsen appeared in several similar but less-acclaimed spoofs following those films.
Nielsen was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. The medal is awarded to "Canadian citizens for outstanding achievement and service to the country or to humanity at large."
Nielsen died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, surrounded by family and friends, a family statement said.
Doug Nielsen called his uncle's death a "great loss."
"He was extremely funny," the younger Nielsen said in an interview with CNN affiliate Global Network News in Vancouver.
"At all of our family get-togethers, he was always the life of the party and a great-natured guy," Nielsen said. "He was a very good friend to me."

Leslie Nielsen, star of 'Airplane!' and 'Naked Gun,' dead at 84

By Banzay on 02:30

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Leslie Nielsen, whose longtime career as a square-jawed dramatic actor took a sudden turn into comedy with gut-busting spoofs like "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun," has died at age 84, his family said Sunday.
The Canadian-born Nielsen's career reached back into the early days of television, when he made frequent appearances on live drama series like "Goodyear Playhouse."
He played the earnest starship captain in the 1956 science-fiction classic "Forbidden Planet" and made regular appearances on a wide range of TV dramas into the 1970s, including "Hawaii Five-O."
He also played the captain of an overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie, "The Poseidon Adventure."
Much of that changed in 1980, when he was cast as a doctor aboard an endangered jetliner in the gag-a-minute disaster-movie parody "Airplane!"
Nielsen's deadpan response to the question "Surely, you can't be serious?" with "I am serious -- and don't call me Shirley" helped launch a second career.
The film's producers went on to cast him in their short-lived television series "Police Squad!"
He reprised that show's bumbling lead character, Lt. Frank Drebin, a decade later in three "Naked Gun" movies, in which he shared the screen with O.J. Simpson and Priscilla Presley.
Nielsen appeared in several similar but less-acclaimed spoofs following those films.
Nielsen was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. The medal is awarded to "Canadian citizens for outstanding achievement and service to the country or to humanity at large."
Nielsen died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, surrounded by family and friends, a family statement said.
Doug Nielsen called his uncle's death a "great loss."
"He was extremely funny," the younger Nielsen said in an interview with CNN affiliate Global Network News in Vancouver.
"At all of our family get-togethers, he was always the life of the party and a great-natured guy," Nielsen said. "He was a very good friend to me."

Wildcats look to get faster in quest for repeat

By Banzay on 01:52

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Last season, New Hanover came away with the Mideastern Conference boys basketball title and sprinted all the way to the state quarterfinals in thrilling fashion.
This year, the Wildcats are hoping to put on an extra burst of speed.

Gone are the two low-post powers who led the Wildcats through much of the regular season, but the Wildcats still return point guard Freddie Jackson, a posse of athletic wings and a sophomore center who has already opened eyes.

All spent the summer and preseason getting back to the two ways coach Kirk Angel likes to play: fast and faster.

"That's what I started doing this summer," Angel said. "We're pressing every possession. We'd really like transition to get up and down really fast; just organized chaos."

It helps that New Hanover couldn't have a better floor general than Jackson for the fast break.

A 6-foot-3 point guard who has committed to UNC-Wilmington, Jackson burst onto the stage in the postseason last year. He led the Wildcats to the regional semifinals and posted 18 points and 10 assists in the loss to Fayetteville Terry Sanford last spring.

"Freddie's not your typical high school point guard," Angel said. "When you're 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan running the point, that's pretty special."

Jackson and the Wildcats got a chance to show what they can do Tuesdaywhen they opened the season in Fayetteville with a 74-68 loss to Terry Sanford in a state tournament rematch against the Bulldogs.

"When we play that game I think it will show me a lot," Angel said beforehand. "I've got six or seven seniors this year and they've been in the program. They went to a regional this year. They know what it takes to get back. I'm going to get some character revealed in a hurry."

The Wildcats will need to gel if they plan to survive a deep conference.

Hoggard returns its leader, point guard Stilman White; Laney returns most of its guard-heavy team and adds Ashley transfer Travis Keyes; Ashley fields a bevy of big men.

But Angel said he still likes his chances with Jackson and sophomore Nigel Holley, a 6-foot-7 center who can run the floor and wowed scouts at the Adidas Phenom 150 camp this summer.

"He's our only true center, so I've got to have him contribute," Angel said. "I'm telling him I don't need a lot out of him, just rebounds and guard people. We don't need him to score a lot of points – we're real guard heavy."

Wildcats look to get faster in quest for repeat

By Banzay on 01:52

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Last season, New Hanover came away with the Mideastern Conference boys basketball title and sprinted all the way to the state quarterfinals in thrilling fashion.
This year, the Wildcats are hoping to put on an extra burst of speed.

Gone are the two low-post powers who led the Wildcats through much of the regular season, but the Wildcats still return point guard Freddie Jackson, a posse of athletic wings and a sophomore center who has already opened eyes.

All spent the summer and preseason getting back to the two ways coach Kirk Angel likes to play: fast and faster.

"That's what I started doing this summer," Angel said. "We're pressing every possession. We'd really like transition to get up and down really fast; just organized chaos."

It helps that New Hanover couldn't have a better floor general than Jackson for the fast break.

A 6-foot-3 point guard who has committed to UNC-Wilmington, Jackson burst onto the stage in the postseason last year. He led the Wildcats to the regional semifinals and posted 18 points and 10 assists in the loss to Fayetteville Terry Sanford last spring.

"Freddie's not your typical high school point guard," Angel said. "When you're 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan running the point, that's pretty special."

Jackson and the Wildcats got a chance to show what they can do Tuesdaywhen they opened the season in Fayetteville with a 74-68 loss to Terry Sanford in a state tournament rematch against the Bulldogs.

"When we play that game I think it will show me a lot," Angel said beforehand. "I've got six or seven seniors this year and they've been in the program. They went to a regional this year. They know what it takes to get back. I'm going to get some character revealed in a hurry."

The Wildcats will need to gel if they plan to survive a deep conference.

Hoggard returns its leader, point guard Stilman White; Laney returns most of its guard-heavy team and adds Ashley transfer Travis Keyes; Ashley fields a bevy of big men.

But Angel said he still likes his chances with Jackson and sophomore Nigel Holley, a 6-foot-7 center who can run the floor and wowed scouts at the Adidas Phenom 150 camp this summer.

"He's our only true center, so I've got to have him contribute," Angel said. "I'm telling him I don't need a lot out of him, just rebounds and guard people. We don't need him to score a lot of points – we're real guard heavy."

THE LISTENING ROOM: Black Eyed Peas engages from 'The E.N.D.' to 'The Beginning'

By Banzay on 01:01

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Black Eyed Peas fans certainly can’t complain about their lot during the past year. “The Beginning” follows “The E.N.D.” — weighing in at 11 million copies sold worldwide with smash hits such as “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” — by just 18 months, and with both standard and deluxe editions that will keep the Peas’ pod pretty crowded with tunes. The quartet’s sixth album comes with its own flavor, too, a kind of sequel to “The E.N.D.” in which the energy that never dies flags a little, sometimes steering the Peas in a more melodic direction and occasionally yielding lengthy, plodding tracks such as “Don’t Stop the Party” and “Do It Like This,” which make a lot more sense as club fare than listening experiences. “The Beginning” also isn’t as carefully crafted as “The E.N.D.,” though at its best, it captures the vibrancy of a group on tour, immersed in music and hungry to continue creating. That can certainly be heard in the first single, “The Time (Dirty Bit),” which uses the “Dirty Dancing” hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” as a jumping-off point for a frenetic exercise in nightclub braggadocio. “Light Up the Night” brings some Latin flavor to the mix, while “Someday” is propelled by a thumping tribal vibe and “Fashion Beats” channels Chic’s “My Forbidden Lover” into an infection disco gem, complete with Fergie flaunting French. “Whenever” gives the fairer Pea a smooth pop ballad, and she and will.i.am bounce off each other on the even prettier “The Best One Yet (The Boy).” “Play It Loud,” meanwhile, lets will.i.am close the album with a ringing, U2-like anthem on which he declares “I’ll pledge my allegiance to rhythm and sound ... Let the rhythm pound.” And the rhythm continues to rule, and rock, the Peas’ world, not always to the best effect but usually good enough to engage us from “The E.N.D.” to “The Beginning.”

THE LISTENING ROOM: Black Eyed Peas engages from 'The E.N.D.' to 'The Beginning'

By Banzay on 01:01

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Black Eyed Peas fans certainly can’t complain about their lot during the past year. “The Beginning” follows “The E.N.D.” — weighing in at 11 million copies sold worldwide with smash hits such as “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” — by just 18 months, and with both standard and deluxe editions that will keep the Peas’ pod pretty crowded with tunes. The quartet’s sixth album comes with its own flavor, too, a kind of sequel to “The E.N.D.” in which the energy that never dies flags a little, sometimes steering the Peas in a more melodic direction and occasionally yielding lengthy, plodding tracks such as “Don’t Stop the Party” and “Do It Like This,” which make a lot more sense as club fare than listening experiences. “The Beginning” also isn’t as carefully crafted as “The E.N.D.,” though at its best, it captures the vibrancy of a group on tour, immersed in music and hungry to continue creating. That can certainly be heard in the first single, “The Time (Dirty Bit),” which uses the “Dirty Dancing” hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” as a jumping-off point for a frenetic exercise in nightclub braggadocio. “Light Up the Night” brings some Latin flavor to the mix, while “Someday” is propelled by a thumping tribal vibe and “Fashion Beats” channels Chic’s “My Forbidden Lover” into an infection disco gem, complete with Fergie flaunting French. “Whenever” gives the fairer Pea a smooth pop ballad, and she and will.i.am bounce off each other on the even prettier “The Best One Yet (The Boy).” “Play It Loud,” meanwhile, lets will.i.am close the album with a ringing, U2-like anthem on which he declares “I’ll pledge my allegiance to rhythm and sound ... Let the rhythm pound.” And the rhythm continues to rule, and rock, the Peas’ world, not always to the best effect but usually good enough to engage us from “The E.N.D.” to “The Beginning.”

Anita Baker, Aaliyah, Eminem among Billboard's 'Top 50 R&B Artists of the past 25 Years'

By Banzay on 21:09

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A few Detroiters popped up on Billboard's list of "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years," which was released today.

The music industry magazine compiled its rankings based on chart performance -- and not so much cultural or artistic impact. The #1 artist on the tally is R. Kelly, beating out the likes of Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Usher and Luther Vandross.

Eminem is No. 38 on the list thanks to six albums hitting the top of the R&B albums chart. "The Detroit emcee has not been as successful on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with his featured spot on Drake's 'Forever' netting him his best showing at No. 2 in 2009. However, his 2010 album 'Recovery' has earned 2010's so-far longest run at the summit of R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 13 weeks." (Em's protege, 50 Cent, is ten notches higher at No. 28.)

Aaliyah rings in at No. 27 thanks to a brief string of hits that reached the top 10. "Yet, even following her passing, she continued to live on via the charts. Since then, she reached the top 10 five more times, with 'Rock the Boat' (No. 2), 'More Than a Woman' (No. 7), 'I Care 4 U' (No. 3), 'Miss You' (No. 1 for three weeks) and 'Come Over' (No. 9)."

Motown legend Stevie Wonder is not too far behind at No. 26. "Though the legendary Stevie Wonder notched a stellar string of hit singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the '60s and '70s, he continued to perform strongly on into the '80s and beyond with such No. 1s like 'Part Time Lover'" and 'Skeletons.'"

Anita Baker places at No. 22 on the list, making her the highest-ranking Detroiter (unless you count Motown-affiliated Michael Jackson, who placed at No. 13). "Everyone was 'Caught Up In the Rapture' of the sounds of Anita Baker back in 1986, when her second album, 'Rapture,' spent three weeks atop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and spawned four top 10 hits on R&B/Hip-Hop songs."

Anita Baker, Aaliyah, Eminem among Billboard's 'Top 50 R&B Artists of the past 25 Years'

By Banzay on 21:09

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A few Detroiters popped up on Billboard's list of "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years," which was released today.

The music industry magazine compiled its rankings based on chart performance -- and not so much cultural or artistic impact. The #1 artist on the tally is R. Kelly, beating out the likes of Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Usher and Luther Vandross.

Eminem is No. 38 on the list thanks to six albums hitting the top of the R&B albums chart. "The Detroit emcee has not been as successful on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with his featured spot on Drake's 'Forever' netting him his best showing at No. 2 in 2009. However, his 2010 album 'Recovery' has earned 2010's so-far longest run at the summit of R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 13 weeks." (Em's protege, 50 Cent, is ten notches higher at No. 28.)

Aaliyah rings in at No. 27 thanks to a brief string of hits that reached the top 10. "Yet, even following her passing, she continued to live on via the charts. Since then, she reached the top 10 five more times, with 'Rock the Boat' (No. 2), 'More Than a Woman' (No. 7), 'I Care 4 U' (No. 3), 'Miss You' (No. 1 for three weeks) and 'Come Over' (No. 9)."

Motown legend Stevie Wonder is not too far behind at No. 26. "Though the legendary Stevie Wonder notched a stellar string of hit singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the '60s and '70s, he continued to perform strongly on into the '80s and beyond with such No. 1s like 'Part Time Lover'" and 'Skeletons.'"

Anita Baker places at No. 22 on the list, making her the highest-ranking Detroiter (unless you count Motown-affiliated Michael Jackson, who placed at No. 13). "Everyone was 'Caught Up In the Rapture' of the sounds of Anita Baker back in 1986, when her second album, 'Rapture,' spent three weeks atop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and spawned four top 10 hits on R&B/Hip-Hop songs."