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'Communication
Breakdown' Director Big Brother of The Rock?
Sunday,
July 31, 2005
"I didn't exactly grow up in the hub of excitement," says
filmmaker Richard
O'Sullivan of his childhood in North Carolina. "We got cable
television in 1979, but there wasn't much else to do. No internet
access, VCR's, or multiplexes. Zero major league sports teams in the
area. But we had pro wrestling galore."
As a kid, O'Sullivan spent many a night in local arenas watching such
legendary grapplers as "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Ricky
"The Dragon" Steamboat perform, and along the way, forged
friendships with people in that business.
"I used to live in this condo in Charlotte just down the road
from this Days Inn motel, which basically catered entirely to wrestlers,
minor league baseball players, and prostitutes. When I went to the
matches, I generally hung out in the bleachers near the dressing room
entrance with the wrestlers' families. I guess I sorta became like a
temporary big brother to a lot of the wrestlers' kids."
One of those kids was a nine-year-old by the name of Dwayne Johnson.
"Dwayne's dad wrestled under a mask at the time, calling himself
'Sweet Ebony Diamond.' Of course, anyone who followed closely enough
knew Ebony was actually Rocky Johnson."
As fate would have it, Little Dwayne would later go on to wrestling
fame in his own right, building an international reputation in sports
entertainment as The Rock. After conquering the ring, the junior Johnson
also managed to parlay his unique charisma and larger-than-life aura
into a career as a full-fledged action star. O'Sullivan says he would
love to rekindle his friendship with the formerly Little Dwayne.
"It's mind-blowing to think about the fact that this megastar
usta sit on the floor and read my magazines when I was thirteen,"
says the director. "I'm sure his daddy had warned him not to give
away his 'secret identity' but Dwayne would always get giddy when he saw
a picture of Rocky 'Soulman' Johnson without the mask."
The Rock, who scored big with such films as "The Scorpion
King," "The Rundown," "Walking Tall," and
"Stay Cool," currently has six major film projects on tap.
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An Angry God
Strikes Down Boy Scout Jamboree
Saturday,
July 30, 2005
Just when you thought this year's Boy Scout Jamboree couldn't get any
funnier, a lightning bolt reached out of the sky and struck down a group
of scouts who were taking shelter from a storm on Friday. This,
following a week of joy and hijinx which left one Scout leader dead of a
heart attack, four others toasted after touching a power line, and some
300 boys hospitalized due to heat exhaustion and severe dehydration
while waiting for a U.S. President who never showed up.
"We long for the good old days," says one Scout official,
who asked to remain anonymous. "Once upon the time, all you had to
worry about was the nagging suspicion that half the people we had
working for us were just pedophiles who only wanted to use their
position to get near little boys. But now? It's like God's unleashing
his wrath on us or something."
The lighting strike killed yet another Scout leader (the sixth to die
at the Jamboree this week), rendered a thirteen-year-old boy brain dead,
and injured six others.
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Kenyan
Politician Tries to Buy Chelsea Clinton With Livestock
Friday,
July 29, 2005
Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor, a city councilman in Nairobi, Kenya, has
offered former President Bill Clinton forty goats and twenty cows in
exchange for his daughter Chelsea. Chepkurgor says that he will remain
single until he receives an answer to his proposal, adding that their
wedding would be a spectacular affair, presided over by South African
Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The dowry offer, in accordance with Kenyan
tradition, has prompted a security check by Secret Service and FBI
agents. No word yet as to whether or not Chelsea is feeling her some
jungle fever.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated story, filmmaker Richard
O'Sullivan has announced that he is offering former First Lady Nancy
Reagan two cats, a box of old wrestling magazines, and an autographed
picture of Dan Lashley in exchange for copping a feel on Patti Davis.
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'Superman Curse' Strikes
Again
Thursday,
July 28, 2005
They say the franchise is hexed. George Reeves died of an apparent
suicide. Christopher Reeve fell off a horse, wound up in a wheelchair,
and kicked the bucket as well. Margot Kidder went certifiably loopy and
was found talking to a limb on a bush. Richard Pryor got MS. And perhaps
worst of all, Dean Cain wound up hosting a bad reality show where
two-headed retards let bees live in their beards. Yes, it seems tragedy
follows "Team Superman" wherever it goes.
Now, some more bad kryptonite is falling from the sky, this time on
the set of "Smallville" in Vanouver. Christopher Sayour, the
stunt double for actor Tom Welling (who plays the teenaged Clark Kent on
the popular WB show about the future Man of Steel's life before he hits
Metropolis), fell forty feet from a tower on Tuesday and is now fighting
for his life in a British Columbia hospital. Sayour received multiple
broken bones and severe internal injuries in the fall, which was part of
a scene being filmed for an episode of the show. Production on
"Smallville" shut down immediately after the accident.
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Boy Scout Jamboree
Becomes Steaming Deathtrap
Thursday,
July 28, 2005
Hundreds--yes, hundreds--of Boy Scouts became ill Wednesday while
waiting in the hot sun for President Bush to arrive for a memorial
service. Mr. Bush was scheduled to put in an appearance at the 99th
annual Boy Scout Jamboree, to honor five Scout leaders who died grisly
deaths at the event earlier in the week, but had to postpone his trip
until today due to weather conditions.
The television props, er, children were placed in the scorching sun
by Scout leaders and instructed to wait until the President got there.
After many complained that they were having heat strokes, they were
informed by the Scout leaders (the ones still alive) that they could
remove their uniform shirts but only if they had on another shirt
underneath. Sadly, many of the kids had neglected to wear a second
shirt, foolishly taking note of the near 100 degree temperatures.
After some 300 kids had to be hospitalized for heat exhaustion and
severe dehydration, the memorial service for the dead Scout leaders (who
electrocuted themselves Monday after failing to follow Boy Scout
guidelines regarding not electrocuting yourself) was put off until
Thursday. Mr. Bush is expected to arrive wearing a second shirt under
his Presidential uniform shirt.
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Organizers Plan 'Real
Time Film Festival'
Wednesday,
July 27, 2005
Capitalizing on advancements in digital technology, organizers of the
Real Time Film Festival hope to combine the frenzied creativity of such
competitions as the 48 Film Festival with the aura of television's
Golden Days. The event is the brainchild of independent filmmaker Richard
O'Sullivan.
"Basically, the concept is simple," says O'Sullivan.
"Actors perform live on a soundstage as cameras pick everything up
in real time. The 'live film' is then beamed straight into a nearby
theater. So what we have is production and distribution going on
simultaneously. The results will either be magical or disastrous,
depending on the situation. But you can bank on it being exciting."
The festival will provide the soundstage, cameras, lights, and audio
equipment, but each production company entering the competition must
provide the rest. That means the entrants have to bring their own cast,
crew, props, wardrobe, and scripts.
The current plan is to run the event for one night only but
organizers say it could expand if response is positive. The fest will be
open to both shorts and features. For more information,
Click here...
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Five Grisly Deaths Mar
Boy Scout Jamboree
Tuesday,
July 26, 2005
Despite the fact that five Scout leaders have dropped dead at this
year's Boy Scout Jamboree in Bowling Green, Virginia, organizers say
nothing will stop the annual gathering, now in its 99th year, from
continuing. The Jamboree, which lost its funding from the Pentagon after
the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit decrying the Scouts'
"oath to God," welcomes Boy Scouts from around the United
States each year for a hearty round of brotherhood, fellowship, and
heavy-handed social conditioning. One Scout leader was quoted as
saying, "Look, a guy had a heart attack. Four guys were
electrocuted. These Scouts are little soldiers. They have to learn
that people die all the time. You can't let that stop you. You gotta
continue the war."
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Disney Kills Forty Dogs
Tuesday,
July 26, 2005
Proving once again why it's "The Happiest Place on Earth,"
Disneyland has ordered the mass extermination of forty dogs, which were
described by one observer as "friendly and healthy." The
canines, which were used as "unofficial guard dogs" by Disney
personnel at the company's theme park in Hong Kong, have been
systematically rounded up and killed in recent days, outraging animal
activists worldwide. One Disney employee was spotted scrubbing up the
blood of one of the murdered pooches with a stuffed Pluto doll.
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The WB Kills One Frog
Tuesday,
July 26, 2005
Not to be outdone by Disney, the WB network has ordered the
extermination of Michigan J. Frog, the loveable, dancing, singing
amphibian who has served as the company's mascot since it began
broadcasting nine years ago. The Looney Tunes character, deemed too
teen-friendly, is not the image the WB wants for its network now and is
being dumped from all future promotional campaigns. WB boss Garth Ancier
told Variety, "I've hated that frog since day one...I think
it's a dumb logo."
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O'Sullivan Pens Flipside
to Gus Van Sant's Cobain Film?
Sunday,
July 24, 2005
Apparently buoyed by the recent critical acclaim of the Gus Van Sant
film "Last Days" (a fictionalized take on a Kurt Cobain-like
character just before his death), "Communication
Breakdown" helmer Richard
O'Sullivan is now in talks regarding a similarly-themed screenplay
he wrote almost a decade ago, entitled "Riots Are a Grrl's Best
Friend: The Secret File on Keli & Kyle."
The O'Sullivan script, told more from the perspective of the female half of a
Seattle grunge duo, touches not only on the days leading up to an
influential rocker's supposed suicide, but also on the after effects of
his death.
"Whereas Gus' take deals with what was going on in the life and
head of 'Kurt,' I was more interested in the chaos going on around
him," says O'Sullivan. "I wanted to deal with not only what
happened that led him to that stage in his life, but how it affected
society afterwards...which meant showing the media frenzy and conspiracy
theories as well. It's more a story about how everyone dealt with this
guy than about the guy himself. So I suppose, in a sense, it's kind of
the flipside to what Gus did."
O'Sullivan, who attached Faith No More rocker Roddy Bottum, a close
friend of Cobain and his widow, Courtney Love, to do the music on
another project a few years back, isn't worried that Love will be
angered by this script. "This isn't an attack on Courtney
Love," says the filmmaker. "In fact, we were ready to offer
Courtney a role in 'Radio Free Babylon' not long ago. What this script
does is theorize that the fictional Kyle character's death may not have
been a suicide. But it doesn't implicate the Keli character at all. I
wasn't interested in writing this story as a 'CSI' episode. I wanted to
put the whole world under the microscope, not just the guy lying in a
greenhouse with a bullet in his head."
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'Communication
Breakdown' Producer Goes Extreme With New Documentary
Wednesday,
July 20, 2005
One of the driving forces behind the Richard
O'Sullivan-helmed "Communication
Breakdown," John
Edmonds, will soon be unleashing a new documentary which
follows four American super and freestyle motorcross stars as they
travel to Austria to face down a race course known as “The Iron
Giant.” Combining elements of motorcross, freestyle and European Enduro
racing, "The Enduro at Erzberg" is, producers say, "a
high energy, maximum adrenaline race from hell.” Often referred to as
“the hardest two day race in the world,” the event will premiere in
the fall of 2005.
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Colin Farrell Nookie
Tape Floating Around?
Monday,
July 18, 2005
First it was Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson. Then it was Paris Hilton and
that guy who screwed Paris Hilton. Now reports have surfaced that a
homemade sex tape involving Hollywood superstar Colin Farrell and his
ex-tumble, Playboy playmate Nicole Narain, is set for release (legal or
otherwise). Apparently, on the tape, Farrell at one point focuses his
camera on Narain's pet cat and utters the soon-to-be immortal words,
"Baby, you have the most beautiful pussy." He then proceeds to
hit it in about eighteen hundred different positions (her actual vagina,
not the feline).
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Willie Wonka and the
Money Factory
Sunday,
July 17, 2005
Tim Burton's version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
opened strong this weekend, scoring some $55 million at the box office
(which the weird ass director no doubt mixed with love to make the
change taste good). Burton, who is currently shagging the bone-alicious
Helena Bonham-Carter, tapped longtime collaborator Johnny Depp to fill
Gene Wilder's nuggety shoes as "Willie Wonka," and then
proceeded to build enough sets, train enough squirrels, and make enough
midgets perform their own stunts that George Lucas was overheard
muttering "Why do I even keep inventing this computer shit?"
Burton and Depp deny that their Wonka is really just a commentary on
the recent Michael Jackson trial but Writer/Producer/Director Richard
O'Sullivan ("Communication
Breakdown," "Breach
of Heaven") doesn't buy that, adding that he also believes that
"the story of Edward Scissorhands was the unauthorized biography of
[hairdresser-turned-movie mogul] Jon Peters."
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Cops Nail Village People
Cop...Hilarity Ensues
Sunday,
July 17, 2005
Victor Edward Ellis, the original lead singer of the legendary 70's
disco group The Village People (he was the guy dressed like a cop), was
busted by the real fuzz this past week in Dala City, California,
following a routine traffic stop (translation: they pulled him cause
he's black).
While busting the brother's balls, the arresting officer was amazed
to realize he actually had a valid reason to bring his perp in: Ellis
was packing a loaded forty-five, was holding a crack pipe, and was in
the process of running from a $15,000 felony warrant (for drug
possession surprisingly enough). After tossing him in a cage, they
searched his crib and found more (albeit very small amounts of) drugs,
in addition to a couple of pit bulls locked in a bedroom.
The guy who dressed like a construction worker in the band could not
be reached for comment.
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Sandy Bullock Snags Her
an Outlaw
Sunday,
July 17, 2005
In films like "Miss Congeniality" and "Speed,"
Sandra Bullock goes out of her way to bring down the bad boys. But this
past Saturday, she cast herself against type and married one, wedding
biker thug TV host Jesse James (of The Discovery Channel's "Monster
Garage") on a ranch near Santa Barbara.
Bullock, 41, has never made it legal but this is Bike Boy's third
ride down the aisle. His last marriage was to hardcore pussy queen
Janine Lindemulder, a porn star best known to mainstream audiences as
the hot chick getting freaky with Motley Crue's Vince Neil in that
infamous "stolen" homemade sex tape that everyone refuses to
admit they own.
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Christian Slater Say 'I
Ain't Touch No Butt'
Sunday,
July 17, 2005
In a scene straight out of his film "Broken Arrow" (well,
okay, maybe not), Hollywood bad boy Christian Slater has flat out
rejected a plea bargain that would've forced him to perform three days
of community service in exchange for pleading guilty to second degree
harassment. Slater was arrested last May after a 52-year-old woman
claimed he grabbed her ass while she was buying a soda on a New York
street. Slater called "bullshit" on that one.
If convicted, the star of such films as "Heathers" and
"True Romance" could face a year of his life in prison...a
year that could otherwise be spent tagging even more sweet young star
boo-tay, like that of "Herbie: Fully Loaded" star Lindsay
Lohan.
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Snipes Gripes After
Government Swipes...His Passport
Sunday,
July 17, 2005
"Blade" star (and all-around bad motherfucker) Wesley Snipes
was recently detained while on a trip to South Africa -- a nation
somewhat noted for occasionally keeping a brother down -- after
government officials accused him of being in the country on an illegal
passport. Snipes was later released when South African authorities grew
nervous that he was "gonna kick our asses and kill all our
vampires."
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Hollywood Hunk Gets
Bitchslapped By Skeeter
Sunday,
July 17, 2005
"The first rule of Viral Meningitis Club is that no one talks about
Viral Meningitis Club." Fortunately, doctors broke that rule this
past week when diagnosing "Fight Club" star Brad Pitt. The
actor, who just jetted back from Africa after helping fuck buddy
Angelina Jolie pick out a new rugrat, was fearful that he had picked up
something much worse on the dark continent, but luckily, doctors say,
Mr. Sexy Man should be just fine.
Viral meningitis is usually picked up through mosquito bites,
dispelling the much-whispered rumors that he caught the disease after
his girlfriend made him touch "The Great Unwashed."
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Cooter Bitches Out New
Duke Movie
Friday,
July 15, 2005
Actor (and former Congressman) Ben Jones, who played "Cooter"
on the CBS television series "The Dukes of Hazzard" from 1979
to 1985, has blasted the new big screen version of his show. On his
website, CootersPlace.com, Jones wrote, "What bothers me...is the
profanity laced script with blatant sexual situations that mocks the
good clean family values of our series. Now, anybody who knows me knows
that I'm not a prude. But this kind of toilet humor has no place in
Hazzard County. Rather than honoring our legendary show, they have
chosen to degrade it."
To answer critics who say he's just pissed because he wasn't asked to
be in the movie, Jones says, "Sure it bothers me that they wanted
nothing to do with the cast of our show." The role of Cooter is
played in the movie by "Saturday Night Live" alum David
Koechner (best known for his hysterical performance as Champ Kind in the
Will Ferrell hit, "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy").
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New Pope Not A Fan Of
'Harry Potter'
Wednesday,
July 13, 2005
Don't expect to see Pope Benedict throwing out the first ball at this
year's quidditch match at Hogwarts. Seems His Holiness isn't a fan of
the series of children's novels Harry Potter written by J. K.
Rowling. In the past, the Vatican had supported the books that told us
of the adventures of the budding wizard and his cohorts. But, according
to German author Gabriele Kuby (who wrote a book entitled Harry
Potter: Good Or Evil? that extols the negative aspects of Rowling's
creations), Pope Benedict wrote to her and agreed with Kuby on her view
of the message that the books are sending to children around the world.
In a letter written by Benedict when he was a cardinal (in 2003), the
Pope says (to Kuby): "It is good that you enlighten people about
Harry Potter, because these are subtle seductions which act unnoticed
and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow
properly."
Upon hearing the Pontiff's declaration, filmmaker Richard
O'Sullivan
("Communication
Breakdown," "Breach
of Heaven"), an admitted Potter fan, was quoted as
saying, "Isn't this Pope like a Nazi or something?"
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AMC Theatres Not
Laughing At 'The Dirtiest Joke Ever Told'
Wednesday,
July 13, 2005
The nation's second largest chain of movie theatres
will not be showing the soon-to-be released movie entitled "The
Aristocrats" after previously agreeing to allow viewings in
some of its theatres. The film, directed by Paul Provenza and executive
produced by Provenza and Penn Jillette (he of the famed comedy duo Penn
and Teller) had debuted at this past January's Sundance Film Festival to
rave reviews.
The premise of the movie is having 100 comedians re-tell an old
Vaudeville joke (very adult-humor oriented) and insert their own
versions of the story, all ending with the same punch line. A
spokesperson for the company, Pam Blase, told reporters that AMC Film
Group chairman Dick Walsh made the final call not to market the movie.
The distributor of the flick, ThinkFilm, thought they had come to an
understanding with the Kansas City-based chain of theatres, but Walsh
stated that no formal agreement was reached and this was simply a
business decision.
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Heffron Lays Some
'Communication Smackdown' on Foe
Friday,
July 8, 2005
"Hollywood is weird, but the wrestling business
has it beat," says "Communication Breakdown" director
Richard O'Sullivan. "I mean, Jack Nicholson attacked some guy with
a golf club once. But he didn't do a movie with him two weeks
later." What the filmmaker is talking about is the bizarre
situation between his friend Brian Heffron (wrestling's "Blue
Meanie") and former World Wrestling Entertainment champion John
"Bradshaw" Layfield ("JBL"). On June 5, Layfield
attacked Heffron at a pay-per-view special in New York (the assault was
real, not part of the scripted wrestling program). As a result of an
out-of-court settlement (and WWE boss Vince McMahon's never-ending
genius for turning real-life controversy into entertaining television),
Heffron returned to WWE on this past Thursday's "Smackdown"
(UPN's popular weekly wrestling show).
In the story, The Blue Meanie, joined by his "Blue World
Order" cohorts Stevie Richards (Michael Mana) and Super Nova (Mike
Bucci), stole and vandalized JBL's limo in order to goad him into facing
Meanie in an anything goes, no disqualification brawl. The match itself
was a wild exhibition, with the BWO, U.S. champ Orlando Jordan, and
finally World heavyweight kingpin Dave "The Animal" Batista
getting involved. The capacity crowd went wild near the end as the
290-pound Heffron delivered his trademark "Meanie-sault" (a back flip
off the top turnbuckle in which he lands on his prone opponent). When
the smoke had cleared, it was the "Communication Breakdown"
star getting the pinfall victory over the former WWE titleholder, much
to the fans' delight. Afterwards, the BWO left the ring to the driving
music of the Swamp Candles, the Philadelphia rockers who provide several
songs on the
"Communication Breakdown"
soundtrack.
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New Notes from the
Unabomber Cathedral
Wednesday,
July 5, 2005
For the first time in months,
Writer/Producer/Director Richard
O'Sullivan checks in with a new installment of his "Unabomber
Cathedral" column. In this edition, the filmmaker discusses pal Brian
Heffron's return to the squared circle, Paul Schattel's first film
"78," a trivia contest, and features more pics from Dan
Lashley's "secret Hollywood past." To read the column,
Click
here...
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'Communication
Breakdown' Star on UPN This Thursday Night
Tuesday,
July 5, 2005
In a strange case of art imitating life,
wrestler-turned-actor-turned wrestler Brian
Heffron (who made his film debut in Richard
O'Sullivan's "Communication
Breakdown") will appear this coming Thursday night on UPN's
"Smackdown." Heffron, who was the victim of a real-life
assault by fellow wrestler (and former CNBC financial analyst) John
"Bradshaw" Layfield ("JBL") at a pay-per-view
special last month, will reprise his "Blue Meanie" character
on "Smackdown" for a scripted match against his real-life
attacker (presumably as part of an out-of-court settlement). The Blue
Meanie, a member of a popular gang known as the Blue World Order
("The BWO"), was on hand at Monday's World Wrestling
Entertainment tapings in Sacramento, California to shoot his appearance
for Thursday. Check your local listings for the time and channel of
"Smackdown" in your area.
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'Communication
Breakdown' Star Moves Up in IMDb Ratings
Sunday,
July 3, 2005
Dan
Lashley, the writer and star of the Richard
O'Sullivan-directed "Communication
Breakdown" is moving on up...in the IMDb rankings that is. The
Internet Movie Database, the most popular database in the film industry,
regularly rates stars by box office appeal and public notoriety.
Recently, the actors who have appeared in such films as "Batman
Begins," "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,"
and "Sin City" have held down the top spots, but now there's a
new horse in the race as Lashley has begun to breathe down their necks.
The Kentucky-born Lashley, once seen as a virtual unknown in the
business, is now the 49,922nd biggest star in Hollywood. "I don't
know how the hell it happened," says the actor. "Someone in
hell must really like me...really, really like me." To view a
career retrospective of Dan Lashley's movie career,
Click here..
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