Author: Sara Embrey

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Happy Birthday Dean Stockwell!

 

Happy Birthday to actor Dean Stockwell from Rusty Steel! With over 70 years in the business, he has unquestionably earned his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Stockwell began his career as a child actor and became recognized in 1945 for his role in Anchors Aweight, starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. Over a long career, he has played various defining roles. Some of Stockwells most influential work include these top films.

Dune (1984)

Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune is a science fiction film is centered around a Duke’s son that is on a quest to destroy his father’s evil nemesis, the galactic emperor. After his father’s assassination, the duke leads an army of desert warriors to free their world from the emperor’s rule. The film was director by the creator of Twins Peak, David Lynch. Stockwell plays Doctor Wellington Yueh, a Suk doctor and agent who serves House Atreides. For any science fiction cinephile, this is a must watch and an instant classic.

Blue Velvet (1986)

In this mystery thriller, a young man investigates a severed human ear that belongs to the child of a beautiful nightclub singer. A group of psychopathic criminals are to blame after the kidnapping of her child. David Lynch also directed Blue Velvet, which stars Dean Stockwell as Ben. He plays the creepy pan-sexual pimp and drug dealer that left a lasting impressions on anyone that has seen the film.

Quantum Leap (1989-1993)

Directed by Donald P. Bellisario, Quantum Leap has acquired a cult status among science fiction fans. The American television series stars Dr. Sam Beckett, a physicist who finds himself leaping through spacetime while taking the place of other people to fix historical mistakes. Dean Stockwell stars as Sam’s womanizing, cigar smoking companion named Admiral Al Calavicci, and aids him through his travels. In 1989, Dean Stockwell was awarded at the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for Quantum Physics.

Throughout his long career, Dean Stockwell has been recognized for his outstanding performance. From Twilight Zone, Married to the Mob, and Air Force One, Stockwell is a Hollywood emblem who has earned his place in the Hollywood Hall of Fame.  

“I hate to admit it, but you can't do a role unless it's somewhere in your psyche. People don't realize how vast the subconscious is. It's like infinity.” – Dean Sockwell

 

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UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS

The Academy Awards have presented us with many amazing and unforgettable moments throughout the years, many of which will forever live on because of the tears and laughs that those moments brought us. Some of these unforgettable moments have to include Anne Hathaway and James Franco's 2011 comedic presence, Chris Rock’s 2016 ecstatic speech on race in Hollywood, Neil Patrick Harris’s awkward moment up on stage in 2015, and of course Jimmy Kimmel’s strong comedic and political presence last night.

Anne Hathaway and James Franco undoubtedly had one of the best moments at the Oscars during the 83rd Academy Awards. Who could possibly forget Hathaway and Franco’s comedic presence up on stage with Anne wearing a tux too big for her size and Franco wearing a bright pink dress with a hilarious blonde wig on. There was no way that the audience or the hosts could control themselves with laughter (and understandably so). People could say that The King’s Speech won the night, but in reality the hosts won the night with their incredible comedic sketch.

A few years later, we had another interesting host in Neil Patrick Harris. Neil began the show by introducing himself in an unusual and awkwardly comedic way that gathered a lot of buzz around the industry and outside of it. The show started with a behind the screen scene of Neil walking towards center stage in which he apparently got locked out of his dressing room and because of that, he had to come up on stage only wearing his underwear. Yes, you read that right people, just him and his bright white underwear. The audience was shocked but could not contain their laughter - rightfully so. As expected, Neil gave us about ten seconds of pure awkward silence before finally talking. Surprisingly enough, things got even weirder as he began to talk. Classic Neil.

A year after the infamous underwear skit, the Oscars made a 360 turn and went completely political with host Chris Rock. As expected, the political comments made by the host of the 88th Academy Awards raised a lot of controversy - especially since the event was taking place during a very divisive presidential election. Host Chris Rock right away addressed the elephant in the room in his opening monologue when he attacked the Academy for not nominating enough African-Americans. Historically in the film industry, African-Americans have not been represented enough, and his speech was so powerful that it immediately started a movement within the community and those within the industry. During the event, many people began to tweet, #OscarsSoWhite, in protest. Not only that, many people also gathered outside the venue with huge posters to protest. The protest definitely got the message across and it was shown the following year when Mahershala Ali won best supporting actor and the film Moonlight won best picture.

How can we talk about the Oscars and not mention tonight's host - the great Jimmy Kimmel. Every year we have a host raising awareness on important topics occuring at the time, and this year was no different. Jimmy’s opening monologue celebrated history, raised awareness on sexual harassment scandals in the workplace and even joked about it to make light of the moment. Of course, we can’t forget the funniest part of the opening monologue - a reference to last years infamous envelopegate - when the Academy wrongfully awarded La La Land with the Best Picture Award. A funny,  unforgettable, and cringe worthy moment in deed.

Sure we had a few political references at this years Academy Awards, but none were too serious to take the light of center stage. We heard a lot about female empowerment on a night in which they were represented like never before. We also heard about sexual harassment, and although not strongly mentioned we also did hear about gun violence. In fact, many of the actors and actresses were seen wearing orange pins to raise awareness against gun violence - a nice touch from the Academy. Might sound like it was a very political night, but Jimmy never really let it get there. His unique and very funny The Price is Right sketch kept everything in order and running smoothly. We can’t wait to see what next year will bring! Also, on behalf of World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, we would like to congratulate the entire team of The Shape of Water for winning Best Picture at this year’s 90th Academy Awards!   

 

 

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Happy Birthday, Greta Scacchi!

 

On behalf of the entire staff at World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, we would like to wish Italian-Australian actress Greta Scacchi a very Happy Birthday! She is an Emmy Award-winning actress and has appeared in over 50 films. You may recognize her from her roles in White Mischief, Presumed Innocent, The Player, and Ways to Live Forever. Greta is currently on the hit TV show Versailles and plays Lady Jane Franklin on the TV series The Terror.

In one of her more recent films, Ways to Live Forever  that was distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures (WWMPC), she combines both her acting talents and passion as a humanitarian in her role as the main character’s tutor, Mrs. Willis. In this film, she inspires Sam, the main character who is a 12-year-old boy dying from leukemia, to live his life to the best extent possible. It is a poignant and uplifting film that reminds us all to not fear the uncertainties of life, but rather embrace it.

Scacchi is an active supporter of campaigns and organisations that promote environmental causes. In October 2013, for her services to the arts she was made a knight in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In September 2017, she was the Festival Ambassador for the three week-long Lavazza Italian Film Festival, which ran in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart. Scacchi is fluent in English, French, German, and Italian. She is a dual citizen of Italy and Australia.

  

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Kanopy Successfully Releases WWMPC Films

 

We at World Wide Motion Pictures are pleased to inform our friends, associates, and shareholders around the world that the arrangement the company recently entered into with Kanopy LLC of San Francisco has resulted in successful sales of the recently released films, WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER and THE NIGHTINGALE. Kanopy is a specialized sub-distributor concentrating on the closed caption, closed circuit presentation of film and television product directly streamed into classrooms and local and national library systems around the world.

Students and faculty at several Ivy League Universities such as Yale University, Duke University, and Stanford University, have taken a liking to our feature films. Along with many other respected institutions across the country such as The New York Public Library, World Wide is connecting directly through Kanopy. “Having an additional Marketing Window specifically for universities and library systems will be a very welcome component in the company’s future,” stated Paul Hancock, CEO of World Wide.

THE NIGHTINGALE, directed by Philippe Muyl, is a heartening film that examines Chinese family values, traditions, and generational differences between a grandfather and his over indulged granddaughter. WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER, directed by Gustavo Ron, follows an inquisitive 12-year-old boy who is curious about the world and life experiences. Because he suffers from leukemia, he wants to learn more about growing up and how to deal with mortality.

As we continue to move forward into the new year, World Wide is focusing on introducing to our audiences, high quality Feature Films from around the world. Inasmuch as it has been become increasingly difficult in recent years for distributors to release feature films in the U.S. theatrically, this particular window offers a wonderful opportunity for an additional Gross Corridor. The corporation looks forward to growing its new relationship with Kanopy, and is excited to release recent foreign films to customers throughout North America. World Wide’s industry executives and board members have produced, distributed, and consulted on a wide variety of film and television projects, earning Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and prizes from international film festivals.

We invite you to enjoy our films through Kanopy or any of our platforms such as Vimeo and the company’s Indie Movie Store.

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Happy 41st Birthday to Actor, Johann Urb

 

On behalf of the entire staff at World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation, we would like to wish Estonian-born actor and producer Johann Urb a very heartwarming happy birthday! People may know him from some of his more recognizable roles in Resident Evil and Rusty Steel - in which he played Kennedy and Rusty, respectively. Although he is most known for those films, he actually began his acting career in 2001, where he landed a small role in the film Zoolander with actors Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Ferrell.

Johann began other projects right after Zoolander. He landed his next role in a movie called Fear of Feathers, followed by an appearance in the popular TV show CSI: Miami. Through the years, he managed to build a strong enough resume to appear in films such as 2012, which starred John Cusack, and Resident Evil with Milla Jovovich. He played a small role in both films, but he definitely added to the production in a big way! Although he has appeared in many films and a few television series, he managed to receive the most critical recognition for his role as the journalist in 2009’s Eastwick.

Johann has not appeared in a movie since 2016, but he is making a huge comeback with two romantic comedies that are currently in the works. No release dates have been announced, but we definitely wish him the best of luck in his upcoming projects.

 

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Happy Birthday to Kissing Jessica Stein actress, Heather Juergensen!

 

Helen Cooper, Mrs. Silverman, and the great Medbh Doyle from Red Roses and Petrol are all characters that were portrayed by the amazing actress Heather Juergensen. All throughout her career she managed to create some beautiful work as an actress. Ms. Juergensen left us with quality work to relive over and over again on screen.

She appears in movies such as The Hammer, Kissing Jessica Stein, The Haunted Mansion, and our very own Red Roses and Patrol. All are quality films in which she worked aside actors such as Jennifer Westfeldt, Malcolm McDowell, and the great Eddie Murphy. It is also good to mention that she has worked aside some very talented directors such as Rob Minkoff and Charles Herman-Wurmfeld -- directors of The Haunted House and The Hammer.

Though many of us would have loved to have seen more of her wonderful performances - like the one in Red Roses and Patrol also starring Malcolm McDowell - today she is focusing her attention on other important things.

Heather founded her very own business called The Strong Woman, which primarily focuses on improving the lives of women that have previously suffered from depression. Many might not know, but like many other celebrities, Mrs. Juergensen suffered from depression herself. We want to acknowledge and congratulate Mrs. Juergensen’s determination to move forward and celebrate the gift of life. Life is a team sport, and with support from others life can truly be extraordinary.

Today on Mrs. Juergensen’s birthday, we want to say Happy Birthday! On this day we would love to give you an amazing gift, but you already have the most important gift of all - life, health, and an amazing family. Once more, happy birthday!