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What happened to Star Trek’s small-screen stars?

We know what Shatner, Stewart and the like are up to these days, but what about those other valuable Starfleet officers that entertained us so? Where are the crew members of 'Star Trek' now?

Jonathan Frakes – Commander William Riker (TNG)

Riker finally got to be a Captain before he bowed out of the 'Star Trek' universe at the end of 'Star Trek: Nemesis' in 2002, but he swiftly swapped the captain's chair for the director's chair. Having already helmed Trek movies including 'First Contact' and 'Insurrection', Frakes was the unlikely director behind 2004's 'Thunderbirds' movie. These days he balances acting gigs with directing TV episodes on series like 'Castle', 'Falling Skies' and 'NCIS', and he can be heard voicing Star-Lord's father in the 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' TV animation.

Brent Spiner – Data (TNG)

Ironically, we all shed a tear when emotionless robot Data said goodbye to 'Star Trek' in 2005 after a few guest spots on 'Enterprise', but Spiner hasn't stopped working since. He reprised his (second) most popular role in this year's 'Independence Day' sequel, with two revelations: not only was Dr Brakish Okun gay, but he was very much not dead as the first movie suggested. He can currently be seen in 'Walking Dead' creator Robert Kirkman's new possession thriller 'Outcast', or at a 'Star Trek' convention near you.

Marina Sirtis – Counselor Deanna Troi (TNG)

Born in London's East End to Greek-born parents, Sirtis played ship's counselor Troi in 'The Next Generation' but didn't really settle into the role until they gave her a proper Starfleet uniform to cover up her cleavage. Sirtis reprised her role in an episode of 'Star Trek Voyager' in 2000 but she's stayed with 'Star Trek' in several small ways, not just on the convention circuit but also as the voice of the ship's computer in unofficial fan series 'Star Trek Continues'. Watch her, if you dare, in 2016 horror 'Little Dead Rotting Hood'.

Michael Dorn – Worf (TNG/DS9)

Michael Dorn is the most experienced 'Star Trek' actor ever, having appeared in 175 episodes of 'The Next Generation' and then a further 102 episodes when he transported to successor 'Deep Space Nine'. Six 'Star Trek' movies bring his total appearances to 281. He's not done with Star Trek, either: Dorn is currently trying to raise interest on social media for a proposed Worf spin-off called 'Star Trek: Captain Worf'. Ironically, Dorn says: “I had come up with the idea because I love [Worf] and I think he's a character that hasn't been fully developed.” Make that 281 appearances... to date.

LeVar Burton – Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge (TNG)

LeVar Burton was famous before he clocked in to the Enterprise's engine room – he brought pleasure to millions of youngsters as the host of educational show 'Reading Rainbow', and thanks to Kickstarter, he was able to do so again in 2014 after raising £3.8 million for its triumphant return. Burton currently lends his voice to Dr Greene in animated kiddy spin-off 'Transformers: Rescue Bots', and made a 2016 cameo in the remake of 'Roots', the mini-series which made him famous in 1977.

Gates McFadden - Commander Beverly Crusher

The American actress originally found fame as a choreographer working on Jim Henson productions like ‘The Dark Crystal’, ‘Labyrinth’, and ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ before she was cast as the chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise. She starred in all four subsequent ‘TNG’ films, but acting roles soon dried up and she now teaches acting. McFadden, now 67, still appears on the Trek convention circuit and her last movie role was in the low budget comedy ‘Make the Yuletide Gay’ in 2009.

Wil Wheaton – Ensign Wesley Crusher (TNG)

The most hated 'Star Trek' character ever has done pretty well to turn his fortunes around, settling into his role of Ambassador of Geekdom (or 'King of the Nerds', if you prefer). An early adopted of all forms of social media and tech, Wheaton has amassed an army of followers who adore his TV appearances, tabletop game tournaments and cameos on the likes of 'The Big Bang Theory', where he plays Sheldon's nemesis. Now 44, he continues to star in his own D&D web series, on series like 'Powers' and as himself on panel shows like 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?'.

Avery Brooks – Captain Benjamin Sisko (DS9)

Unlike most of his fellow 'Star Trek' actors, Avery Brooks has shown little interest in hanging onto the show's coattails since his days on the bridge ended – Brooks' last contribution to a 'Star Trek' project was a voiceover for videogame 'Star Trek: Legacy' in 2006. A keen jazz musician, Brooks lent his talents to a performance at the Springfield Symphony Hall in February 2016 to celebrate Black History Month. If you're lucky, you can catch the ex-captain at Trek conventions around the world.

Alexander Siddig – Dr Julian Bashir (DS9)

One of the more successful 'Deep Space Nine' alumni, Siddig left Julian Bashir behind to play large roles in TV shows including '24' (where he played former terrorist Hamri Al-Assad) and movies like 'Clash Of The Titans' and Wikileaks dramatisation 'The Fifth Estate' opposite Benedict Cumberbatch. He was last seen being skewered by the Sand Snakes of Dorne in season 6 of 'Game Of Thrones' and plays Ruben Oliver in excellent drama series 'Peaky Blinders'.

Nana Visitor – Colonel Kira Nerys (DS9)

As Bajoran Major turned Colonel Kira Nerys, Visitor appeared in 173 episodes of 'Deep Space Nine' before moving on to Jessica Alba serial 'Dark Angel' and various single-serving TV appearances. Super Trek nerd Seth MacFarlane cast her, and a wealth of other Trek actors, in 'Family Guy' episodes and in 2015's 'Ted 2', and she'll next appear in low-budget Trek-inspired comedy 'Unbelievable!!!!!' (yes, five exclamation marks, so you know it's going to be good). She married and later divorced co-star Siddig – the pair have a son named Django.

 René Auberjonois - Odo (DS9)

The theatre actor was unrecognisable as Odo, Deep Space Nine’s head of security, thanks to a headful of deeply unsettling prosthetics but fans of ‘M*A*S*H’ (the film) will have known him as Father Mulcahy too. He directed 9 episodes of ‘DS9′ and has worked steadily as a TV actor ever since. He’s also a talented singer and voice actor having played Chef Louis in ‘The Little Mermaid’, and is the current voice of Pepé Le Pew in the ‘Looney Tunes Show’.

Colm Meaney – Chief Miles O'Brien (TNG/DS9)

Irish actor Meaney brought some Dublin charm to both ‘The Next Generation’ and 'Deep Space Nine' and hasn't wanted for work since the show was cancelled in 1999. He played Gene Hunt in a US pilot for 'Life On Mars' (before Harvey Keitel eventually got the role), played Don Revie in 'The Damned United', starred as Russell Brand's dad in 'Get Him To The Greek' and most recently took Norwich's finest hostage in 'Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa'. You'll be able to spy him in next year's espionage thriller 'Felt', about the Deep Throat informant. (He's not playing Deep Throat).

Quark - Armin Shimerman (TNG/DS9/Voyager)

Ferengi bartender Quark appeared in three different ‘Star Trek’ shows, but is most keenly associated with DS9 where his money-grabbing character was often at odds with Odo, the station’s security chief. He’s a TV regular appearing in shows like ‘Boston Legal’, ‘Buffy’, and ‘Stargate SG1′ but he’s probably best known now for his voice work in the ‘Ratchet & Clank’ video game series playing Dr. Nefarious. 

Kate Mulgrew – Captain Kathryn Janeway (Voyager)

Mulgrew made her final Trek cameo as Vice Admiral Janeway in 'Star Trek: Nemesis' in 2002. She's proved adept at playing serious roles in confined spaces: Mulgrew plays Russian prison chef Red in the phenomenally successful Netflix series 'Orange Is The New Black', for which she won an Emmy nomination (fun fact: she was also nominated for a Golden Globe for playing TV detective Columbo's wife in spin-off, 'Mrs Columbo'). Mulgrew recently used her platform to speak out for prison reform. Janeway would approve.

Jeri Ryan - Seven of Nine (Voyager)

The lads mag favourite reportedly gave ‘Voyager’ a 60% ratings boost when joined the cast in season 4 as the liberated Borg Seven of Nine. Must have been a compelling storyline. After the show ended in 2001 she appeared in school drama ‘Boston Public’, and headlined the critically panned sci-fi comedy ‘The Last Man’, before appearing in TV shows like ‘The OC’ and ‘Boston Legal’. Aside from playing Sonya Blade in the short-lived ‘Mortal Kombat’ web series, Jeri can currently be seen in Amazon’s hit cop show ‘Bosch’.

Ethan Phillips - Neelix (Voyager)

Ship’s cook Neelix was a popular character aboard Voyager earning himself a spin-off cookbook featuring recipes contributed by actors from all iterations of the franchise. Since ‘Voyager’ he’s continued to act on stage, and has made a number of film appearances in ‘Bad Santa’, Michael Bay’s ‘The Island’, and more recently in the Coens’ ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ playing Mr Gorfeins, the owner of the escaped cat. 

Tim Russ – Lieutenant Commander Tuvok (Voyager)

Fun fact about the man who would be Tuvok – he also played the guy at the beginning of 'Spaceballs' who yells: “We ain't found s**t!” Work has not been so hard to come by: now 60, Russ has no less than 11 movie projects on his plate for 2016, and a few for next year too, including sci-fi TV series 'Blade Of Honor', which sounds a lot like a 'Star Trek' ripoff if we're being honest. And then there's 'Renegades', a familiar trek through the stars that flirts with copyright law, in which he plays 'Kovok'. Hmmm.

Jolene Blalock - Commander T’Pol (Enterprise)

Following the success of Voyager’s Seven of Nine, the last Trek series followed suit casting model turned actress Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan T’Pol. After ‘Enterprise’ she appeared in ‘Stargate SG1′ but her guest appearance as Sawyer’s love interest in ‘Lost’ never saw the light of day.  She had a starring role in the straight-to-DVD ‘Starship Troopers 3: Marauder’, and prefers to keep her distance from Trek fandom nowadays and has only ever appeared at one convention in 2005. In 2014 she played the wife of Jack Black’s porn baron in Cameron Diaz comedy ‘Sex Tape’.

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20 daft extras who nearly spoiled their scenes

It's tough to break into showbusiness, so you wouldn't begrudge an extra their opportunity to get noticed on the set of a big production. However, these guys took it too far, taking their background work to the foreground and committing a cardinal sin: drawing focus from the talent.

Behold: the extras who almost ruined their movies...

Dunsmirk

When the first teaser for Christopher Nolan’s WW2 epic ‘Dunkirk’ hit the web, many were quick to point out one background artist who’d clearly missed the memo that he was supposed to be scared during this scene.

While all the troops around him are visibly terrified by the sound of a German plane swooping in to rain fire and death upon them, this guy looks like he’s just spotted a giant Spongebob hot air balloon floating by. Somehow we doubt he’ll make the final cut when it comes to cinemas in 2017.

"Batmaaaan! Ehhhhh!"

When it came for Batman to make his entrance in 'Batman Forever', the occasion was noted the moment Val Kilmer smashed through the ceiling in full costume. 

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We didn't need this speccy guy leaning over Nicole Kidman's shoulder announcing: "Batman! Ehhhhh!"

Clumsy stormtrooper

Possibly the most famous errant extra ever captured on celluloid, the clumsy stormtrooper has become part of 'Star Wars' lore ever since he bonked his head on the way into the Death Star control room. Famous revisionist George Lucas refused to alter the shot, instead adding a sound effect for the Special Edition in 1997.

'Teen Wolf' flasher

You have to wait until the very last scene of 'Teen Wolf' to see her – and you only see it's a her in the widescreen edition on DVD – but this brave extra managed to damped Michael J Fox's victory bundle by having her jeans unzipped, briefly flashing her crotch. Notice the guy waving the 'Beavers' flag for added effect.

'Quantum Of Solace' weird street sweeper

We can only imagine this broom-wielding extra was told by Marc Forster to lightly glide his brush above the ground so as not to make any noise while 'sweeping'. Unfortunately, he missed by a good foot, making it look like he's fighting off imaginary dogs with his broom.

'Die Hard 2' roly poly guy

No one likes being in airports at the best of times, so when there is terrorist activity, it's understandable the masses would panic. This guy, however, was clearly so afraid that he lost control of his legs, causing him to flop helplessly around on the floor, rolling around like a Portuguese footballer. Yellow card for simulation.

Smiling 'Jaws' extra

Fear affects people differently. Some people freeze, some people are spurred into action. This extra on the set of 'Jaws' reacted unlike any other when informed of a killer shark in the area – by playfully romping into the sea with a stupid smile plastered all over his face. Here's hoping he left a smiling corpse.

'The Last Samurai' who got kicked in the nuts

Nothing sours a serious period epic like a horse kicking a samurai in the plums. Considering all the extras in the shot and how difficult it is to wrangle horses, we reckon director Ed Zwick saw this and thought "Sod it. No one will notice. Print it!" We noticed.

Jean-Claude Van Damme

There's no other way to say it: this distracting extra in dance drama 'Breakin'' is Jean-Claude Van Damme, and he's dancing like a prat wearing a lycra bodysuit. Just try and focus on anything else.

Frances McDormand's scene stealer

Fittingly, given the title of the movie she was appearing in, the over-the-top extra who appears over the shoulder of Frances McDormand during the graduation scene in 'Almost Famous' did find a modicum of fame, when Cameron Crowe pointed her out in his director's commentary for the DVD, saying she does "exactly what extras shouldn't do".

'Star Trek Into Darkness' smiling extra

Blink and you'd miss him, but the first trailer for 'Star Trek Into Darkness' contained a split-second shot of a futuristic San Francisco resident staring at the camera and smiling like a goof while two colossal spacecrafts smashed into his city. Hyuk hyuk.

'Mr Nanny' background extra washes dog

This one is just too bizarre: during one scene of 'Mr Nanny', as Hulk Hogan rides his motorbike down the street, one cut shows a strange man standing on the waterfront behind him, casually tossing his dog into a lake. Was he washing it? Trying to drown it? Why was it in the movie? How did nobody spot it? Why is Hulk Hogan in a movie again?

'The Dark Knight Rises'... quite easily

Poor Christopher Nolan: all those expertly choreographed fight scenes in 'The Dark Knight Rises', and this henchman extra goes and spoils the whole shebang by crumpling like a sack of potatoes despite being about six feet away from the 'fatal' blow. Still, having Anne Hathaway in leather in the foreground will tend to catch people's attention.

'Cliffhanger''s smile of death

This one's a bit of a cheat as it's not an extra but actor Ralph Waite who flubs a scene in 'Cliffhanger', by smiling during the film's most traumatic scene – the bit where Sylvester Stallone's girlfriend plummets to her death. Could it be a rather unfortunate grimace? Maybe the character of Frank was actually the Grim Reaper? So many theories.

Blofeld's cat

They say 'Never work with children or animals' but we feel it's necessary to add 'especially cats, because cats are the worst'. Just look at the furry little critter in 'You Only Live Twice' trying to escape Blofeld's clutches: those claws are dug all the way in to Donald Pleasence's arm. Having a crazed cat scratching you will tend to undermine your evil plan.

The kid who spoils 'North By Northwest'

Kids are dumb. Look no further than this scene from 'North By Northwest' for proof: the small kid sitting at a table in the background has obviously been told that a gun is about to go off, but sticks his fingers in his ears a good five seconds before it's discharged. Nice going, idiot. We hope he grew up knowing he ruined one of the best films ever made.

'Back To The Future III' crotch kid

Doc Brown's kid Verne certainly made an impression with his minute or so of screen time at the end of 'Back To The Future III'. No sooner has his dad introduced him to Marty, he's beckoning the camera towards him and pointing at his crotch, like some demented junior swagged-out rapper. Turns out he was just signalling that he needed the loo, but still.

Batman cop super agrees

During a scene in The 'Dark Knight' which Harvey Dent addresses the Gotham PD, one disgruntled officer yells "No more dead cops!" At this point, the extra in front of him agrees so vigorously, his eyebrows appear to try and escape off the top of his head.

'Gladiator's smiling extras

Ridley Scott took to his 'Gladiator' DVD commentary to bemoan these guys – extras smiling like goons in the opening battle as the Romans rush the Germanic tribesmen. Background artist rule number one: if you are appearing in a war or battle scene, don't smile. Wars and battles are supposed to be sad. Lesson over.

"Hey Malkovich! Think fast!"

Incredibly, one of 'Being John Malkovich''s funniest scenes was entirely improvised by an extra, who lobbed an empty can of beer at Malkovich's head and yelled "Hey Malkovich, think fast!" as he chatted to John Cusack on the New Jersey turnpike. The scene wasn't in the script, and instead of being punished, the extra was paid.

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26 actors who could be the next James Bond

Daniel Craig’s days as James Bond could be numbered. Who could take on the role of Ian Fleming’s gentleman spy next? Based on the bookies’ favourites (with a few humble suggestions of our own) here are the actors who we think could potentially be the 007th official Bond...

Idris Elba He’s the actor most frequently linked with Bond and by all indications the London-born star has long since grown sick of talking about it. Casting a black actor as 007 would be a gutsy move, and Elba’s certainly got the charisma for it, but given he’s already in his 40s he might be a bit too old once Craig vacates the role. 

Henry Cavill Cavill has flirted with Bond and was Martin Campbell’s first choice for ‘Casino Royale,’ but was passed over for being too young. He's since found big screen success in ‘Man of Steel’ so he may be too established in one iconic franchise to take on another. 

Tom Hardy One of the most respected and unpredictable British actors to rise to prominence this past decade, Hardy has long been considered a very likely successor to Daniel Craig. Given his uncompromising acting style, he could be a risky choice – plus, with ‘Mad Max’ getting sequels he already has one iconic franchise to his name.

Michael Fassbender Another of the most acclaimed new stars of the past decade, the German-Irish actor certainly seems suave and dangerous enough for Bond – but is he already a little too well-known, particularly given his fame as the young Magneto in the ‘X-Men’ movies? 

Richard Armitage The ‘Hobbit’ veteran at 6’2″ with black hair certainly has the traditional 007 tall, dark and handsome look down. A likely candidate in many respects, although the fact that he’s already well into his forties might again rule him out.

Jamie Dornan He’s already seduced countless cinema-goers as Christian Grey, with two ‘Fifty Shades’ sequels on his to-do list. Many have predicted that role might kill his career, but could the Irish heartthrob yet prove a good fit for Bond?

Benedict Cumberbatch From ‘Sherlock’ to ‘Star Trek’ to ‘The Imitation Game,’ Cumberbatch’s ascent to stardom has been one of the most noteworthy success stories of recent years. He's not quite the 007 type, and he’s also likely to be far too busy in years ahead having taken on the title role of Marvel's ‘Doctor Strange'.

Tom Hiddleston He came from nowhere to steal hearts (not to mention scenes) in abundance playing Loki in the Marvel-verse, and his upcoming role in ‘Crimson Peak’ will further boost his sex symbol status. Even so, it’s fair to say his particular brand of charisma and sex appeal isn’t quite the none-more-manly variety we expect from 007. 

Damien Lewis

The ‘Wolf Hall’ star is rumoured to be EON’s number one choice to be Craig’s heir, but at 45 he’s only 2 years younger than the incumbent actor, which wouldn’t give him much time to inhabit the role before he too became too old. On the flip side, he’d be the first ginger Bond, something we’ve waited long enough for already.

Matthew Goode Star of ‘Watchmen,’ ‘Stoker’ and ‘The Imitation Game’ (and at one point a contender for Superman), the Exeter-born actor has the distinct advantage of not being too well-established as a leading man just yet. Whether he’s quite got the look for the part is another matter. 

James McAvoy Well, he’s Scottish, he’s got the right first name, and recent years have proven him to be a formidable leading man. But does the ‘X-Men’ actor necessarily have the suaveness and machismo for 007? Is he perhaps a bit too baby-faced and, at 5’7’’, too short? 

Sam Worthington ‘Avatar’ may be the biggest movie ever but it didn’t launch its leading man to the same level. His Australian heritage might be held against him (it didn’t work out well for the last Aussie Bond) although Worthington is in fact English by birth. Still, with not one but three ‘Avatar’ sequels coming up, it’s doubtful he’d have time for Bond. 

Aidan Turner Another ‘The Hobbit’ alumnus, Irish actor Turner has gone from Kili to lady-killer (sorry) with his lead role in TV’s ‘Poldark,’ in which his aversion to wearing shirts rivals that of Daniel Craig. He’s tall, dark, handsome, the right age: we definitely fancy his chances for Bond. 

Jason Statham We’ve had a blonde Bond – why not a bald Bond? The Stath can balance action and dramatic chops better than most, and he recently he declared he’d “abso-f***ing-lutely” play Bond given the chance. No, we don’t think it’s likely to happen, but imagine the possibilities. 

David Oyelowo If a one-time Nelson Mandela actor can be considered for 007, why not a one-time Martin Luther King? Oyelowo as Bond would again be bold colour-blind casting, and the ‘Selma’ actor has the advantage of not yet being quite so well known as many other contenders; a new Bond typically requires a degree of anonymity going in. 

Oscar Isaac The actor's star has risen steadily in recent years, with key roles in ‘Star Wars 7’ and ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ on the horizon. He might be in the right place career-wise to take on Bond, but there's the small matter of non-Britishness having been born in Guatemala and raised in Miami. 

Luke Evans The Welsh beefcake's stock has risen considerably with high profile roles in ‘Fast & Furious 6,’ ‘Dracula Untold’ and ‘The Hobbit.’ His in-demand status forced him to abandon ‘The Crow’ reboot, so he might just be too busy for Bond – but then again, it's a role he has expressed interest in. 

Richard Madden A ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran (and, not unlike Bond, someone who doesn’t fare too well at weddings), the Scottish actor has gone on to be Prince Charming in 'Cinderella', and will soon get rather raunchier in a new TV take on ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover.’ 

Dan Stevens The Croydon-born 32-year old has gone from small screen success in ‘Downton Abbey’ to an unexpectedly dark Hollywood breakthrough with ‘The Guest,’ and is only set to rise higher opposite Emma Watson in the upcoming ‘Beauty and the Beast.’

Kit Harrington ‘Game of Thrones’s Jon Snow has already proved he can leave viewers worldwide swooning, plus he’s already tried his hand at big screen spy action in ‘Spooks: the Greater Good.’ At 28 he’s probably too young for Bond, and at 5’8’’ too short – plus, how does he look without the long hair and beard? 

Charlie Cox After quietly impressing in 'Stardust' and 'Boardwalk Empire', Cox has suddenly become hot property thanks to his starring role in Netflix's 'Daredevil'. 

Jack Huston The 'Boardwalk Empire' star is on the ascendent having recently bagged roles in 'Ben Hur' and 'The Crow and at 32, he's the prime age to play 007. He also gets bonus points for looks, nationality (English), and family acting heritage. 

Toby Kebbell From his scene-stealing breakthrough appearance in ‘Dead Man’s Shoes,’ to a masterful mo-cap performance in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,’ Yorkshire-born Kebbell has quietly risen through the ranks to become one of the most interesting actors of his generation.

Charlie Hunnam Thanks to Craig, we know a blonde Bond isn’t an issue anymore; however, the Newcastle-born ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star is currently shooting another iconic British character as the lead in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur film which is planned as a franchise-starter. With that and ‘Pacific Rim 2’ ahead, he might be a little too busy. 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Just shy of 25 at the time of writing, the ‘Kick-Ass,’ ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ veteran is among the youngest of our contenders, but his screen presence and action chops are assured. It seems likely his youth would rule him out, but who knows?

James Norton Bookies slashed the odds of this rising British star taking over from Daniel Craig off the back of his performance in ‘War and Peace’. At 30 years old, he’d be one of the youngest actors to take on the role, but it would give EON time to let him mature with the part.

[yahoo-movies-uk]

QUIZ: Guess the awful film star impersonator (Golden Globes edition)

The Golden Globes have rolled around once more, bestowing fame and fortune to the lucky few who manage to nab Hollywood’s second favourite award. With all that glory however comes dubious celebrity impersonators who make a living looking a bit like their idols… if you squint a bit. Can you tell who these movie star lookalikes are supposed to be?

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It's... George Clooney - This is David James Glendon, who amazingly won a George Clooney Lookalike Contest in his home town in Kilkenny, Ireland. We can't see it ourselves.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Getty)

It's... Brad Pitt - We're not sure what Brad Pitt era this ropey lookalike is supposed to be recreating. We've guessed at 'Legends Of The Fall' Brad, but... that beard.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It's... Tom Hanks - in Forrest Gump mode obviously, which is one of four films he's won a Golden Globe for.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It's... Jack Nicholson - Awards show legend Jack has won just the seven Golden Globes.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It’s… Dame Judi Dench - The real life Judi won Globes for 'Mrs. Brown' and 'The Last Of The Blonde Bombshell', plus has 9 more nominations.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It’s… Robert De Niro - This unconvincing lookalike seems to be parodying De Niro's 'Analyze This' performance, but the actor won his Globe for 'Raging Bull'.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It’s… George Clooney (AGAIN) - With 13 noms and four wins (plus last year’s upcoming 'Cecil B. Award'), Clooney is one of the most decorated actor/directors in Hollywood.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It’s… George Clooney (AGAIN) - With 13 noms and four wins (plus an upcoming 'Cecil B. Award'), Clooney is one of the most decorated actor/directors in Hollywood.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winners these terrible impersonators are supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It’s… Brad Pitt (AGAIN) and Angelina Jolie of course - Pitt has won two Globes - Best Supporting Actor for '12 Monkeys' and Best Film for producing '12 Years A Slave'. The missus meanwhile has three, for 'George Wallace', 'Gia' and 'Girl, Interupted'.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It's... Steven Spielberg - We're not sure there's much demand for a Speilberg lookalike, even if he has won five Golden Globes.

Can you guess which Golden Globe winner this terrible impersonator is supposed to be? (Credit: Rex Features)

It’s… Sean Connery - A winner 3 times, most famously for 'The Untouchables' in 1988.

[yahoo-movies-uk]

Frozen: 18 amazing in-jokes you may have missed

All the hidden gags, homages, and in-jokes that you never knew were in the highest-grossing animated film ever. You can’t un-see these!

Hans Christian Andersen: The character names of Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven are a tribute to Hans Christian Anderson, the author of the source tale ‘The Snow Queen’. Say them all quickly in a row.

Tangled in Frozen: On the day of Elsa’s coronation you can spot Rapunzel and Eugene, the heroes of Disney’s ‘Tangled’, in the crowd.

Mickey Mouse in Frozen: Disney’s round-eared mascot can be spotted on a shelf at Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post.

Wreck-It Ralph Frozen homage: The plate of chocolates that Anna stuffs into her mouth during 'For The First Time In Forever’ is a nod to Sugar Rush, the sickly-sweet fantasy world of Disney’s last animation ‘Wreck-It Ralph’.

The Swing in Frozen: The painting that Anna swings in front of is a tribute to the famous artwork ‘The Swing’ by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. It was painted by Disney’s Lisa Keene during the development of ‘Tangled’.

Arrested Development homage: There are two subtle nods to the hit American TV show, one is the "sandwiches" line which is lifted verbatim from the show…

The other nod to 'Arrested Development’ comes when the Duke of Weselton is seen doing the Bluth family chicken dance.

Mary Poppins homage: Olaf’s dance with four seagulls during ‘In The Summer’ pays homage to Bert’s penguin dance in ‘Mary Poppins’. Olaf even hums part of ‘Jolly Holiday’.

Ice monster's post-credit cameo: Marvel’s penchant for post-credit stings seems to be spreading, with the giant snow monster showing a softer side after the credits have rolled in ‘Frozen’.

The Little Mermaid: Take this with a pinch of salt, but it’s been suggested that the boat that sinks in ‘Frozen’ is the same shipwreck that Ariel explores in ‘The Little Mermaid’.

The Hobbit reference: The runes in the book that the King and Queen of Arendelle refer to at the start of the film were inspired by the same runes used in 'The Lord of the Ring’s. The map that falls out also looks suspiciously like the one used in ‘The Hobbit'.

Booger credit reference: Keep an eye out in the credits for this hilarious hidden message.

Coppertone sunscreen girl: One of the sand snowmen seen during ‘In The Summer’ is having its towel tugged out by a seagull, just like the famous Coppertone ad.

132-hour long Frozen frame: One of the film’s frames during the scene that Elsa walks out onto the balcony of her ice palace took nearly a week to for the computers to render.

Olaf shapes: During ‘In The Summer’ keep an eye out for outlines of Olaf in the ice of his drink and in the clouds.

Olaf's the snowman's name: Olaf’s name was chosen as a cheeky nod to the snowman’s role as the comic relief. Olaf = A laugh.

Love is an Open Door song: (Spoilers) Anna doesn’t know it, but when she sings ‘Love Is an Open Door’ with Prince Hans, she becomes the first Disney Princess in history to duet with a villain.

Oaken's family: When Oaken waves to his family in the sauna, you could imply (and people have done) that the blonde man is the shopkeeper’s partner, making this the first homosexual couple in a Disney film. Maybe.

[yahoo-movies-uk]

What are the world's favourite Christmas movies?

Us Brits are fairly traditional when it comes to Christmas movies. 'Love, Actually'. 'Elf'. 'Santa Clause: The Movie'. Whatever latest festive abomination Vince Vaughn has delivered in his considerable sack. 

Around the world, however, other countries have very different traditions for their preferred Christmas viewing. 

It's not all ho ho ho...

Germany – 'Dinner For One' (1963)

Here's a head-scratcher for you: this black and white, single-take, 18-minute sketch adapted from the stage in the English language somehow managed to enter the Guinness Book Of Records as the most frequently repeated TV programme ever, due to its phenomenal popularity across Europe. 

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A mainstay of the festive season, it tells the tale of an upper-class English woman celebrating her 90th birthday with her butler, who adopts the roles of her long dead friends at the dinner table and winds up getting steaming drunk from the toasts. 

Up to half of the German population watch it every New Year's Eve, while in Norway it is broadcast on December 23rd every year without fail.

Austria – 'Die Trapp-Familie' (1956)

Austrians famously dislike the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical of 'The Sound Of Music' because it's not entirely honest about the history of the real von Trapp family and doesn't accurately reflect Austrian culture. 

Generally, they prefer the local version released a decade previously, starring Ruth Leuwerik as Maria von Trapp; the songs aren't quite as catchy, but they did in fact directly inspire the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical after actress Mary Martin saw the film in Germany and approached the tunesmiths with the story. 

The Julie Andrews version, however, has never been well-liked in Austria or Germany, and families prefer to cuddle up and watch this version at Christmas. However, the sequel, 'Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika', which relocates the action to the USA, is remembered less fondly.

Czech Republic – 'Three Hazelnuts For Cinderella' (1973)

Made in the former Czechoslovakia with a mixed Czech/West German cast, this fairytale is based on a bohemian version of the Brothers Grimm story with a distinct Eastern European twist. 

Libuse Safránková plays our put-upon heroine, trampled on by her wicked stepmother and step-sisters, but in this rather progressive take, although there is a handsome Prince, it is he who must pursue her. 

Also, in this version Cinderella – known as Popelka in Czech and Aschenbrödel in German – is an expert sharp-shooter and she has three magic nuts which she can use to make wishes. It's massively popular at Christmas around the Czech Republic, Germany, Swizerland, Slovakia and Norway.

America – 'A Christmas Story' (1983)

It's strange, because America's Christmas movies are so often embraced as our Christmas movies, but ‘A Christmas Story’, released in 1983, is one that has never really become part and parcel of UK festivities. 

It's an anthology movie, steeped in American traditions, about the Parker family and young Ralphie, played by Peter Billingsley, and his quest to receive the greatest present of all: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle (see, we told you it was super American). 

Now all grown up and a director himself, Billingsley is pals with Jon Favreau and cameos in 'Elf' and 'Four Christmases'.

Russia – 'The Irony Of Fate' (1976)

This three-hour long New Year's Eve romantic comedy of errors is as close to a Christmas tradition as Russia gets. 

It tells the story of a man, Zhenya, who goes out drinking with his friends and accidentally winds up in Leningrad, miles away from his new fiancée, with whom he intended to sing in the new year. But, with a quirk of fate, he finds himself holed up with a woman who just might be even better suited for him. 

After its initial broadcast on Russian TV in 1975, it quickly became a holiday season favourite in the Soviet Union, apart from when it was briefly banned during Gorbachev's anti-alcohol 'perestroika' due to scenes of heavy drinking. Surely most Brits could get behind that kind of romcom hero.

Poland – 'Kevin Sam w Domu' (1990)

Don't be fooled by that title: 'Kevin At Home Alone' is just the Polish name for the 'Home Alone' we know and love. What's surprising is exactly how popular Chris Columbus's Christmas caper is in Poland. 

Every year, 'Home Alone' scores the highest TV ratings of the season: approximately four million of the country's population of 38 million people tune in to see Macaulay Culkin's antics. That's one in every three people between 16 and 49.

Even aided by turkey bloat and a nation of sofa-beached chocoholics, even your traditional British Boxing Day Bond movie would struggle to match those ratings.

Italy – 'Vacanze di Natale' (1983)

The Italians have their very own brand for cheap, sweet, nutty Christmas movies: they're called 'cinepanettoni' and there are dozens of them. 

The series started with 'Vacanze di Natale' in 1983, about a family of stereotypical Italians squabbling over the Christmas period. Starring Massimo Boldi and Christian De Sica (sort of like the Italian Cannon & Ball), new 'Vacanze' movies have been released almost every Christmas since: watch out for 'Natale sul Nilo' ('Christmas In Egypt'), 'Natale in India' ('Christmas In India') and 2004's 'Christmas In Love', featuring American guest star Danny DeVito. 

The appeal of the cinepanettoni is such that the Italian release of James Cameron's 'Avatar' was delayed until January to avoid that year's offering.

Australia – 'Bush Christmas' (1983)

Naturally, snowfall doesn't feature strongly in an Australian Christmas, so they have dramas set in the arid desert instead. 

1983's 'Bush Christmas' is a remake of the 1947 original, but both versions tell the same redemption story of rural family struggling to make ends meet, who put all their hopes on their horse winning the New Year's Cup only to see it stolen. 

Nicole Kidman made her feature film debut as one of the two kids who saddle up to go get it back in a movie that sounds somehow even more Australian than the popular movie 'Australia'. Stick another mince pie on the barbie, mate!

Japan – 'Tokyo Godfathers' (2003)

This beloved animated festive tale from the Far East matches a traditional Christmas plot with something a little more modern (and depressing). 

It tells the tale of an alcoholic old man, a trans woman and an ex-drag queen who find a baby abandoned in a dumpster on Christmas Eve. Before the happy ending, there's a yakuza wedding (complete with hitman disguised as a maid), a scene in which a dead homeless man is beaten up by teenagers and a car chase through the streets of Toyko – but it does have a nice cozy conclusion, with themes of togetherness and forgiveness prevalent throughout.

France – 'Santa Claus Is A Stinker' (1982)

A French cult classic, 'Le Père Noël est une ordure' is the story of two volunteers working the Christmas Eve shift on a depression hotline and the various zany visitors who pay them a visit, including but not limited to transvestites, crazies and a gangster dressed as Santa carrying a gun. 

The plot was adapted by Nora Ephron into the US comedy 'Mixed Nuts', starring a young Adam Sandler. To give you an idea of how mad the French version sounds, here's the last line of the plot synopsis: "Félix and Josette, a caricature trailer trash couple, end up struggling over the gun and accidentally shoot dead the lift repairman, whom they then butcher and feed to zoo animals." 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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Image credits: Amazon/Impawards

[yahoo-movies-uk]

The most successful Christmas movies of all time

We all love a good Christmas movie, but which ones are the most successful? We had a look at how much festive films made at the box office, adjusting the totals for inflation.

20. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Adjusted Box Office: $45 million

19. A Christmas Story (1983)

Adjusted Box Office: $46m

18. Holiday Inn (1942)

Adjusted Box Office: $60m

17. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Adjusted Box Office: $73m

16. Bad Santa (2003)

Adjusted Box Office: $98m

15. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Adjusted Box Office: $132m

14. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1983)

Adjusted Box Office: $139m

13. Arthur Christmas (2011)

Adjusted Box Office: $154m

12. Four Christmases (2008)

Adjusted Box Office: $178m

11. The Polar Express (2004)

Adjusted Box Office: $228m

10. The Holiday (2006)

Adjusted Box Office: $241m

9. White Christmas (1954)

Adjusted Box Office: $264m

8. Die Hard (1988)

Adjusted Box Office: $279m

7. Elf (2003)

Adjusted Box Office: $283m

6. The Santa Claus 2 (2002)

Adjusted Box Office: $289m

5. The Santa Claus (1994)

Adjusted Box Office: $302m

4. Love Actually (2003)

Adjusted Box Office: $317m

3. Gremlins (1994)

Adjusted Box Office: $349m

2. A Christmas Carol (2009)

Adjusted Box Office: $359m

1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Adjusted Box Office: $475m

[yahoo-movies-uk]

11 things you might not know about The Snowman

It's been synonymous with Christmas for years, but how much do you really know about Raymond Briggs' timeless animation, 'The Snowman'?

It wasn't even originally about Christmas

The animation classic is based on the book by Raymond Briggs, released in 1978, but there are some wholesale differences between page and screen. For starters, the book has no mention of Christmas whatsoever, it's just a simple winter's tale. There's no Christmas tree in the boy's house and the Snowman doesn't take him to visit Father Christmas, instead preferring to watch the sunset with him. The festive elements were added for the Channel 4 TV adaptation in 1982.

'Walking In The Air' is not sung by who you thought it was

By far the most iconic element of 'The Snowman' is the hauntingly beautiful song 'Walking In The Air', written by Howard Blake. It's a popular misconception, but the angelic little choirboy voice singing the song is not Aled Jones (pictured) – it was youngster Peter Auty, who was paid £300 but never credited due to a last minute rush to release the film. Jones didn't first sing those immortal four words until three years later, when the song was re-released thanks to a Snowman-themed ad campaign by Toys 'R' Us (Auty's voice had broken).

It was nominated for an Oscar

We all know The Snowman is a beloved family favourite, but did you know it was also an awards darling too? 'The Snowman' was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 1983 Academy Awards, although it eventually lost out to a Polish short film called Tango, created by director Zbigniew Rybczynski, who went on to direct music videos for The Pet Shop Boys and Mick Jagger. 'The Snowman', however, did go on to win Best Children's Programme at the 1983 Baftas. In your face, 'Danger Mouse'!

It has an alternate intro featuring David Bowie

The original movie had a charming introduction by Raymond Briggs, describing how his hometown was once swamped with snow like the town in the story. However, once released in America, Briggs wasn't deemed starry enough, so a famous face was roped in to present an alternate opening: none other than David Bowie. The chameleonic pop legend faces the camera and tells a story about a scarf similar to the one bequeathed by Father Christmas in the film. Presumably Iggy Pop was busy.

There is an even rarer alternate intro

For the 20th anniversary broadcast in 2002, Channel 4 commissioned a brand new introduction: an animated intro featuring Raymond Briggs' own Father Christmas. The jolly red fat man recounts the tale you're about to watch from his own point of view, and was voiced by comedian Mel Smith. After Smith's death from a heart attack in 2013, Channel 4 reverted back to the original Raymond Briggs opening introduction.

The boy with no name

In Briggs' original book, the young boy in the story isn't given a name – the tale is entirely wordless after all. In the Channel 4 adaptation, however, the boy was given a name, simply because one had to appear on the gift tag of his present from Father Christmas. It was decided that his name would be 'James' after the boyfriend, now husband, of Joanna Harrison, one of the animators. Harrison went on to write the 2012 follow-up, 'The Snowman and the Snowdog'.

The boy appears to be from Brighton

It has been noted – and later confirmed by lifelong Sussex dweller Raymond Briggs - that the boy in 'The Snowman' appeared to leave in South Downs, near Brighton. You can tell because when he and the Snowman eventually take flight, they appear to fly directly over the Royal Pavillion and can see the Palace Pier, which should be instantly familiar to anyone from that region. ‘Brighton’ is also pictured on his present (see above).

Snowman's shared universe

Thought Marvel invented the concept of different movie characters inhabiting the same space in different films? Think again: the Raymond Briggsverse pulled this trick 30 years ago. Another Raymond Briggs TV adaptation was made in 1991, combining his two Father Christmas books, 'Father Christmas' and 'Father Christmas Goes On Holiday'. In it, Father Christmas attends a snowman party like the one seen in 'The Snowman' – and yes, he even meets the boy and his Snowman. 'Father Christmas' suggests the party is an annual event, as he comments "Glad you could make it again; the party I mean, not your snowman!" meaning James must have returned with the Snowman a year later.

There's a Snowman video game

Someone somewhere thought a near-wordless adaptation of a picture book would be a great candidate for a videogame, and so 'The Snowman' was released on the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 in 1984. Released by publishers Quicksilva, it was a platform game à la Donkey Kong in which you had to guide the boy around a series of ladders, avoiding flames and sleep monsters and collecting snow with which to build a snowman. It was not very good.

There's also a Snowman stage show

'The Snowman' lends itself more to the medium of theatre than it does the videogame, so the fact there's a 'Snowman' stage show, that has played at Dublin's Peacock Theatre every year since 1997, is no surprise. What is surprising is the liberties it takes with Briggs' story. The first half is largely the same, with the Snowman coming to life and taking the boy on a magical adventure. The second half, however, introduces brand new characters into the mix, including The Ice Princess and Jack Frost.

It’s all about death

Author Raymond Briggs told The Independent that one of the reasons he wrote the story was to introduce children to the concept of mortality. "I create what seems natural and inevitable,” he said. “The snowman melts, my parents died, animals die, flowers die. Everything does. There's nothing particularly gloomy about it. It's a fact of life. I don't have happy endings.” You can say that again...

‘The Snowman’ is on Channel 4 at 4:55 this Christmas Eve.

Read more: The Home Alone Kids: Then And Now 10 Things You Might Not Know About Love Actually

[yahoo-movies-uk]

The kids from Home Alone: Then and now

High on everyone’s “favourite Christmas movie” list, ‘Home Alone’ is one of the most entertaining (and quotable) festive films of all time.

But what happened to the sizeable McCallister clan once the cameras stopped rolling on the classic Crimbo caper?

We all remember Macaulay Culkin, but we also had a look at his fictional young family as well.

Macaulay Culkin

Played: Kevin McCallister

Last seen: Appearing In super low budget ‘The Wrong Ferrari’ in 2011, and recently confusing the internet with his “pizza themed” Velvet Underground tribute band.

Devin Ratray

Played: Buzz McCallister

Last seen: Playing “Deado” – a supporting part Pulaski in Ryan Reynolds/Jeff Bridges flop ‘R.I.P.D.’. He’s also recently appeared in Alexander Payne’s ‘Nebraska’ and the critically-acclaimed ‘Blue Ruin’.

Mike Maronna

Played: Jeff McCallister

Last seen: Working as an on-set electrician for films including ‘Sex And The City’, ‘Be Kind Rewind’ and ‘Men In Black 3’.

Hillary Wolf

Played: Megan McCallister

Last seen: Amazingly representing the US in Judo at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.

Angela Goethals

Played: Linnie McCallister

Last seen: Guest starring in a string of US TV shows, including ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘CSI’ and most recently in a 2010 episode of ‘Royal Pains’.

Jedidiah Cohen

Played: Rod McCallister

Last seen: Working as COO of popular crowdfunding site ‘RocketHub’. He started the company himself back in 2009.

Senta Moses

Played: Tracy McCallister

Last seen: Doing the character acting rounds in TV shows ‘Greek’, ‘Castle’, ‘The Mentalist’ and in unknown 2011 crime/comedy ‘Love, Gloria’.

Daiana Campeanu

Played: Sondra McCallister

Last seen: Gigging around Chicago (and YouTube) as Americana rock songstress Diana Rein.

Kieran Culkin

Played: Fuller McCallister

Last seen: Playing Michael Cera’s “cool gay roommate” Wallace Wells in ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’, and opposite Emma Stone in best forgotten comedy ‘Movie 43’.

Anna Slotky

Played: Brooke McCallister

Last seen: Filling out supporting parts in cult 90s TV shows ‘Sister, Sister’ and ‘3rd Rock From The Sun’. She now runs her own real estate business in LA.

Kristin Minter

Played: Heather McCallister

Last seen: Playing Randi Fronczak in iconic medical drama ‘E.R.’ from 1995-2003. She also played the female lead in infamous Vanilla Ice vehicle ‘Cool As Ice’.

[yahoo-movies-uk]

25 things you might not know about the Die Hard franchise

It’s one of the greatest action movie series of all-time. Here are some fascinating things about John McClane’s five cinematic appearances so far.

‘Die Hard’

1. Frank Sinatra was offered the lead role, despite being 73. Yes, we’re serious. This is because the film is based on a book called ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, itself a sequel to ‘The Detective’ by Roderick Thorp. ‘The Detective’ was adapted into a movie in 1968 with Ol’ Blue Eyes and there was a clause in his contract which said he had first refusal on playing the character in a follow-up.

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2. Bruce Willis was best-known as a TV actor at the time (in ‘Moonlighting'), but he wasn’t the only telly star in line for the role. Don Johnson of ‘Miami Vice’ and Richard Dean Anderson - aka MacGuyver - were also considered as McClane.

3. Bonnie Bedelia, who plays McClane’s wife Holly, is Macaulay Culkin’s aunt.

4. The film is Alan Rickman’s cinematic debut. He got the role after director John McTiernan saw him on Broadway in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

5. Rickman damaged his knee filming the moment where he first meets McClane and had to do the rest of scene standing on one leg thanks to doctor’s orders.

6. A fan of Willis’ bare feet? Not so fast. For the scenes where the actor appears to be running without shoes, he’s actually wearing specially-designed shoes to look like feet. Which is why if you pause the DVD, they occasionally look like they belong to a clown.

7. The scene where Gruber dies annoyed Rickman, but not because he didn’t manage to make off with the money. The thesp did his own stunt fall (using some back projection effects of course), but rather than wait until the count of three as discussed, he was dropped on one to elicit genuine shock. Rickman has since explained that McTiernan made sure it was the last shot they needed from him, knowing that it would anger him.

8. If you watch the film in Germany, you’ll see that the baddies are supposed to be Irish. Honestly. Hans becomes Jack Gruber. Come on, not O’Gruber? That would make it really authentic.

9. John McClane is called Joe Leland in the original novel. Clearly Leland isn’t as heroic-sounding.

10. Alexander Godunov, who played Aryan henchman Karl, started his career as a legendary ballet dancer in the USSR. When he defected to the States in 1979, it caused an international incident.

‘Die Hard 2′

11. The general (Franco Nero) comes from the fictional country of Val Verde. That’s the same country the baddies are from in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Commando’.

12. Black & Decker paid for their cordless drill to appear in a piece of product placement, but the scene was cut from the finished movie. The company sued 20th Century Fox and the claim was settled out of court. It was the first lawsuit of its kind.

13. The movie is based on the novel ‘58 Minutes’ by Walter Wager. In fact, ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’ is the only film in the franchise that was written specifically as a ‘Die Hard’ movie.

14. Of course it’s crucial to the plot - but in the real world, there is no airport runway in the world with a manhole cover in the middle of it.

15. Richard Thornburg (William Atherton) causes a ruckus by reporting on the crisis live from the aeroplane. Unfortunately, it’s likely that the on-screen TV audience didn’t hear some of his broadcast because some shots show him holding the flight phone upside down.

‘Die Hard: With A Vengeance’

16. David Thewlis was originally the front runner to play villain Simon Gruber, but lost out to Jeremy Irons.

17. Gruber’s silent female colleague is played by Sam Phillips, who’s actually better known as a musician. She began her life playing Christian music, but has since transitioned to be a composer for shows like ‘The Gilmore Girls’.

18. The development of the film was long and tortured. It was eventually adapted from a script by Jonathan Hensleigh called ‘Simon Says’, which was never originally intended to be a ‘Die Hard’ story, but was actually considered as a basis for ‘Lethal Weapon 3′. Previous ideas included terrorists taking over a ship (used in ‘Under Siege’), while one possible plot saw baddies take over the LA subway system.

19. In the original script, Zeus (eventually played by Samuel L. Jackson) was written as a woman.

‘Die Hard 4.0’

20. When he was younger, director Len Wiseman shot an amateur riff on ‘Die Hard’ in his backyard. One of the shots from that home movie made it into this sequel.

21. Kate Beckinsale appears in the film, but only for a split second. The actress is married to Wiseman, who spliced a single frame of her into the opening credits.

22. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays McClane’s daughter in the film, but it could have been very different (and there might have been a different end credits tune). Both Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears both went for the role. You can even see Simpson coming out of the audition on an episode of her MTV reality show.

‘A Good Day To Die Hard’

23. Bruce Willis wasn’t a fan of the title of the fifth film. In an interview, he admitted finding it confusing.

24. While the Russian gang of baddies is suitably frightening, none of the actors in it were actually Russian. Instead they were Slovakian, Serbian and others. But this is Hollywood - all those countries are basically just outside Moscow, right?

25. Justin Timberlake was on the shortlist to play McClane’s son Jack. So was Paul Walker.

- Actors Who Hated Their Own Movies - Child Stars Who Went Off The Rails - Crazy Movie Star Face Morphs

Watch Clevver Movie ranking the Die Hard movies below...

Photos: 20th Century Fox/Everett/Snap Stills/Moviestore/Rex 

[yahoo-movies-uk]

Has Arnold Schwarzenegger been lying about his height for years?

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a lot of things: A bodybuilder, an actor, a producer, a politician, a businessman, an Internet legend and an all round cultural icon. One thing he may not be though, is a tall man.

Despite his reputation as one of the most physically honed human beings to ever step foot on Hollywood soil, no one actually knows how tall the man once called the Austrian Oak is – though he has tried to tell us himself:

“I’m 6ft 2in. I’ve heard rumours that I’m really much shorter in real life - like 5ft 6in or something like that - which is ridiculous. I can assure you this is not the case,” Arnie once boasted.

“People look up to me, and not just because I do a lot of work in the community. I mean, most people really LOOK UP to me.”

Only the internet isn’t easily convinced...

The issue of Arnie’s height appears to come from a clash between his reputation as an “immense” Adonis-turned-actor, and his apparently average height – giving the action icon a distinctly “squat” appearance. (If he weren’t so ripped, would anyone notice?)

The result is countless anecdotes of Arnie being “shorter than you think” for such a screen giant, and a confusing stream of contradictory heights filling up the web.

“Why does this matter?” we hear you cry! We just love a good mystery.

Let’s have a look at the facts…

The evidence that he is tall

This photo that shows Arnie towering over 5ft 7in - 5ft 10in tall action star Sylvester Stallone…

Arnold’s “official” height is 6ft 2in (188cm), though his Celebheights.com page (one of the most visited on the entire site) lists the star as having now “shrunk” to 6ft 1in (186cm).

Former competitive bodybuilder Vince Basille testifies to having personally measured Arnie in 1969, recording his then height as 6ft 1.5in (187cm).

Arnie is known to have the “legs of a tall man” (thought to be as long as a 36in inside leg measurement). His legs were even criticized during his early bodybuilding career for looking underdeveloped – most likely due to their extra length.

In Schwarzenegger’s book “The New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding”, he admits to having what he called “hanging shoulders” (i.e. low on his torso). The shoulders are known to act as subconscious markers when estimating height, which could result in lower estimates for Arnold.

The evidence that he is short

Another photo of Arnie with Stallone, this time showing them the same height. We’re confused…

Stats from the Austrian Oak’s body building days, which list his height as anywhere between 5ft 10in (178cm) and 6ft 2in (188cm), with no consensus.

Bob Mulholland, a political activist and former advisor to the California Democratic Party also claimed Schwarzenegger was 5ft 10in, and wore “risers” in his boots.

In 1988, articles in The Daily Mail and Time Out both suggested Schwarzenegger was significantly shorter than he appeared.

In the DVD commentary for ‘Conan: The Destroyer’, 5ft 10in actress Sarah Douglas openly discussed a scene where she appeared to be taller than Arnie, saying: “…he’s not taller than me in real life. And I’ve got high heels on so I’m amazed he allowed that to happen.”

Arnold is known to wear power-heeled shoes, which can subtly add an average of 2in to a person’s stature. Why would a tall man need these so-called “magic shoes”?

As Arnie has aged, fans have also noticed his bouffant hairstyle has become increasingly taller, potentially adding precious centimetres to his appearance.

According to US TV star Kevin Sorbo, who genuinely stands 6ft 3in (191cm) tall: “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s about five-eleven… Yeah he says he’s six-three”.

The verdict

Dedicated site Arnoldheight.com claims the actor’s actual stature could be literally anywhere between 5ft 9in and 6ft 3in, illustrating the issue with what it calls a “gold dust” full length image of Arnie standing next to an object with a known height, a Humvee. See below.

Arnie comes in 6ft 3in (191cm) when standing next to the 6ft 10in (208 cm) vehicle. However the precious pic clearly shows Arnie’s oft-reported power-heeled shoes, completely ruling out 6ft 3in as a natural height. Arnoldheight.com even suggests these “boosting shoes” are likely to contain “hidden lifts”, inside.

One thing the picture does reveal though is Arnold’s surprisingly long legs though, adding more weight to the tall argument. Or are those pins actually the product of wearing some stilt-like magic shoes?

Oh, we just don’t know anymore… Arnold, if you’re reading, measure yourself and settle the debate one way or the other.

[yahoo-movies-uk]

10 movies that caused diplomatic incidents worldwide

Movies have the power to inspire and to unite but they also have the power to outrage. Every so often, a firebrand film comes along that ignites controversy across borders: here are 10 movies that caused frayed international relations...

'Zoolander' (2001) Caused a stink in: Malaysia

Ben Stiller's fashion pastiche had the bad luck to be released in the US two weeks after 9/11; it contained a bizarre plot point about the proposed assassination of the Malaysian Prime Minister by a brainwashed male model that we're sure seemed harmless, pre-September 11th. In a post 9/11 world, however, it was considered "definitely unsuitable" - not our words, you understand, but those of Malaysia's own censorship board. The movie was never shown in Malaysia, nor in neighbouring Singapore, due to cultural sensitivities; interestingly, when released throughout the rest of Asia, all mentions of Malaysia were replaced with Micronesia, the small Oceanic island cluster that Hansel mistakes for Malaysia.

Borat (2006) Caused a stink in: Kazakhstan

Sacha Baron Cohen has never been one to shy away from controversy, instead deciding to embrace it like an old friend. When small-screen creation Borat made the leap to the big screen, he put his home nation of Kazakhstan on the international map – unfortunately he did so by mocking the Central Asian country ("Although Kazakhstan a glorious country, it have a problem, too: economic, social, and Jew"), incurring their wrath. The country's Foreign Minister threatened to sue Cohen, while the Kazakh government spent millions on an advertising campaign ('Heart of Eurasia') to change their perception. Later, when the fuss had died down and the lawsuits had been swept under the carpet, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov admitted 'Borat' had helped tourism increase tenfold and that he found some of the movie funny after all.

The Interview (2014) Caused a stink in: North Korea

Nobody thought World War 3 would kick off as a result of a Seth Rogen movie, but that was the situation the world was facing last year, when controversial comedy 'The Interview' – in which Rogen's lowly journalist is tasked with assassinating North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un – was unveiled. Korea's response was firm: "The United States authorities should take immediate and appropriate actions to ban the production and distribution of ['The Interview']; otherwise it will be fully responsible for encouraging and sponsoring terrorism." The fallout was huge: Sony pulled the film from cinemas, then found their corporate innards exposed by a gigantic leak, which the FBI claimed originated from a North Korean hacker group. This is all your fault, Rogen!

'Red Dawn' (2012) Caused a stink in: China

In recent years, Hollywood has looked overseas to supplement their box office income, and the Chinese market has emerged as one of the most lucrative, so big budget movies nowadays are specifically retooled to appeal to Chinese audiences. Shame no one told the makers of this 'Red Dawn' remake, where Russia have been replaced as the 'Red menace' by China as the aggressors invading US soil. There was uproar in the East; the China Newscorp CEO claimed the movie would exploit the audiences's fears of the Chinese and local Asian communities refused to back the film. MGM backed down in the most cowardly way possible: by digitally replacing all Chinese flags with North Korean flags and amending the movie's villains in post-production. They didn't replace the Chinese actors, though. Because they all look the same, apparently.

'Death Of A President' (2006) Caused a stink in: The United States of America

Like some weird 9/11 truther fan-fiction, this controversial documentary imagined what the world would be like if then American President George W. Bush was assassinated while in office. It was actually a damning look at the US's foreign policy and focused more on America's reaction to tragedy than the grisly act itself, but it didn't go down well in the US of A, not one bit. There were predictable calls for director Gabriel Range to be jailed, and the film was even discussed by senior American politicians. "I think it's despicable," said Hillary Clinton. "I think it's absolutely outrageous. That anyone would even attempt to profit on such a horrible scenario makes me sick."

'300' (2006) Caused a stink in: Iran

"Hollywood has opened a new front in the war against Iran," blazed the headlines: it's fair to say the Middle-eastern country didn't take kindly to Zack Snyder's swords 'n' sandals epic. The portrayal of the ancient Persians as sick and twisted monsters angered many native historians, even if the movie did stick closely to the comic-book template as drawn by Frank Miller; Even the Iranian PM, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, put the boot in, labelling '300' "cultural and psychological warfare". Nobody seemed to object to how mad it was that Gerard Butler played the leader of the Spartans with a Scottish accent.

'Cry Freedom' (1987) Caused a stink in: South Africa

Richard Attenborough's powerful drama certainly made an impact on global culture; it may have even helped force the government's arm in abolishing Apartheid for good. The film, about the relationship between a journalist and a black activist, was initially approved by South African censors, but officials were not best pleased by a movie that portrayed them as savage, violent, corrupt racists. Bomb threats dogged the movie upon release, perhaps even spurring the government on to action. South Africa's Minister of Information said at the time that 'Cry Freedom' was "crude propaganda" that would undermine his nation in the eyes of the world. Negotiations to end Apartheid began just a few short years later.

'Argo' (2012) Caused a stink in: Iran & Canada

Ben Affleck's Oscar-winner caused more than its fair share of controversy; first for not giving Canada enough praise for their efforts in releasing hostages in Iran; then catching flak for having Affleck play hero Tony Mendez, who is Mexican in real life. Not to be outdone, the Iranian government objected to their portrayal in the movie. In fact, Abolhassan Banisadr, who was President of Iran during the period the movie was set, claimed most of his cabinet members were in favour of freeing the US hostages, a fact which the movie did not include. The Iranian people, however, do not agree with their ex-Prez: the movie has been one of the most popular bootleg titles on DVD in Iran; the film's popularity is thought to be a silent protest at how current President Ahmadinejad handles international relations with the West.

'The Deer Hunter' (1978) Caused a stink in: The former Soviet Union

America and Russia have never been the best of friends, but during the Cold War, the nations found any excuse they could to undermine one another. Michael Cimino's hard-hitting Vietnam War drama drew praise from the West but the former Soviet Union were having none of it; Russian news denounced the film, saying it showed "the struggle of the Vietnamese people who have earned the respect and support of the whole world", while Soviet film festival delegates staged highly public walkouts. Fellow communist countries Cuba, Hungary, East Germany and the former Czechoslovakia all joined the Soviets in the 'Deer Hunter' boycott.

'The Great Dictator' (1940) Caused a stink in: Nazi Germany

In many ways, Charlie Chaplin's comedy 'The Great Dictator' is one of the bravest and most dangerous movies ever made: plenty of filmmakers mock world leaders, but few do it while said despots are still in power – and even fewer when their homeland is still technically at peace with the offending nation. The iconic moustache and salute was all Chaplin needed to lampoon Hitler, replaced here by 'Adenoid Hynkel', but Adolf didn't see the funny side: the Fuhrer was allegedly a huge fan of Chaplin and was said to be privately heartbroken that the Tramp was mocking him to the world. The Nazi leader allegedly privately screened the movie, sent to him by Chaplin himself, twice. Well if you can't laugh at yourself, Adolf…

[yahoo-movies-uk]

The Bond girls: then and now

They’re as important to the fabric of Bond as the man himself, but what happened to the women who appeared opposite 007 across its 50-year history?

Ursula Andress - Honey Ryder in ‘Dr. No’ (1962) Last seen acting in art project ‘The Cremaster 5’ in 1997, she’s still the archetypal Bond girl (Credit: MGM/Rex)

Daniela Bianchi - Tatiana Romanova in ‘From Russia With Love’ (1963) She retired early in 1970, and was last spotted in 2012 Italian doc ‘We’re Nothing Like James Bond’ (Credit: Rex/Fanpix)

Honor Blackman - Pussy Galore in ‘Goldfinger’ (1964) Honor appeared in BBC drama ‘By Any Means’, and an episode of ‘Casualty’ in 2013. She’s also a political activist (Credit: Rex)

Shirley Eaton - Jill Masterson in ‘Goldfinger’ (1964) She retired from acting in 1969. The former sex symbol has since been devoted to her family (Credit: Rex)

Claudine Auger - Dominique “Domino” Derval in ‘Thunderball’ (1965) The former Miss World runner-up had a succesful career in mostly TV after Bond. Her last acting role was in 1997.  (Credit: Rex)

Luciana Paluzzi - Fiona Volpe in ‘Thunderball’ (1965) Luciana now splits her time between New York and Rome, with her last acting credit in 1978 (Credit: Rex)

Mie Hama - Kissy Suzuki in ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967) The ‘King Kong Vs. Godzilla’ star last acted in 1989 Japanese drama ‘Kitchen’ (Credit: Rex/Blogspot)

Akiko Wakabayashi - Aki in ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967) Akiko disappeared from public life soon after ‘Bond’, citing an injury she sustained while making a movie (Credit: MGM/hmms.com)

Diana Rigg - Teresa “Tracy” Bond/di Vicenzo in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969) Made a Dame in 1994, she recently starred as Lady Olenna Tyrell in ‘Game Of Thrones’ (Credit: Rex)

Jill St. John - Tiffany Case in ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971) Jill last starred in TV movie 'Northpole'... as Santa's wife. She’s now married to actor Robert Wagner (Credit: Rex)

Lana Wood - Plenty O’Toole in ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971) She’s the sister of the late Natalie Wood, and is still doing meet & greets at fan conventions. Has several acting projects in development. (Credit: MGM/Wenn)

Jane Seymour - Solitaire in ‘Live And Let Die’ (1973) Jane now has an Emmy and two Golden Globe awards, and is most recognised as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. (Credit: Rex)

Gloria Hendry - Rosie Carver in ‘Live And Let Die’ (1973) The first ever African-American Bond girl. The former Playboy Bunny published her memoirs in 2013. (Credit: Rex/Wenn)

Britt Ekland - Mary Goodnight in ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’ (1974) ‘Wicker Man’ star Britt appeared in ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ in 2010 (Credit: Rex)

Barbara Bach - Anya Amasova in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977) She married Ringo Starr in 1981, and made an appearance in 1987’s Playboy ‘Bond Girl’ special (Credit: Rex)

Caroline Munro - Naomi in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977) ‘Sinbad’ star Caroline is still keeping her sci-fi/horror career going, and is a regular at conventions (Credit: Rex)

Carole Bouquet - Melina Havelock in ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981) Still acting in France, the actress bagged the Best Actress César in 1989 for ‘Too Beautiful For You’ Credit: Rex)

Lynn-Holly Johnson - Bibi Dahl in ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981) Lynn won a Golden Raspberry for Worst Supporting Actress in 1985, last appearing in a 2010 DTV movie (Credit: MGM/Wikipedia)

Maud Adams - Octopussy in ‘Octopussy’ (1983) She’s a double Bond girl, having played Andrea Anders in ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’, and still attends the premieres (Credit: Rex)

Kristina Wayborn - Magda in ‘Octopussy’ (1983) Winner of Miss Scandinavia 1971, Kristina played the “Sorceress” in 2005 martial arts movie ‘Forbidden Warrior’ (Credit: MGM/Rex)

Tanya Roberts - Stacey Sutton in ‘A View To A Kill’ (1985) - Tanya Roberts The former ‘Charlie’s Angels’ actress retired in 2006, and wrote the foreword for a 2008 guide to the show (Credit: Rex)

Grace Jones - May Day in ‘A View To A Kill’ (1985) Grace Jones may have last acted in 2008, but she’s still known as a musical legend, and is considered a style icon (Credit: Rex)

Maryam d’Abo - Kara Milovy in ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987) Maryam’s still attends Bond events, and appeared in recent Indian movie ‘Tigers’ (Credit: MGM/Wenn)

Carey Lowell - Pam Bouvier in ‘Licence To Kill’ (1989) She did voice work in the 2012 videogame ‘007 Legends’. After marrying Richard Gere in 2002 they’re in the middle of a divorce, according to reports (Credit: Rex)

Izabella Scorupco - Natalya Simonova in ‘Goldeneye’ (1995) Izabella hosted the 2012 series of ‘Sweden’s Next Top Model’, having recently reprised an early 90s singing career (Credit: MGM/Getty)

Famke Janssen - Xenia Onatopp in ‘Goldeneye’ (1995) Most recognised now as Jean Grey from the ‘X-Men’ movies, Famke’s also starred in ‘Taken’ and the sequels, and Netflix horror ‘Hemlock Grove’ (Credit: Getty/Wenn)

Michelle Yeoh - Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997) The BAFTA-nominated actress is currently working on a sequel to martial arts epic, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (Credit: MGM/Wenn)

Teri Hatcher - Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997) TV’s Lois Lane bagged a Golden Globe for ‘Desperate Housewives’, and recently did voice work for ‘Planes’ (Credit: MGM/Wenn)

Denise Richards - Dr. Christmas Jones in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999) Former Mrs. Charlie Sheen, Denise had her own reality show in 2008/9, and is now a TV cameo regular (Credit: MGM/Wenn)

Sophie Marceau - Elektra King in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999) Sophie is still acting, and now directing, in France. She married Highlander Christopher Lambert in 2012 (Credit: Getty)

Halle Berry -  Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002) After the ‘Movie 43’ mistake, Oscar winner Halle returned for  'X-Men: Days Of future Past’, and currently fronts Amazon TV show 'Extant' (Credit: MGM/Getty)

Rosamund Pike - Miranda Frost in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002) Miranda Frost in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002) - After Pegg/Frost/Wright comedy ‘The World’s End’, she’s currently winning rave reviews for David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’ adaptation (Credit: Wenn)

Eva Green - Vesper Lynd in ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) Eva is fronting Spartan sequel ‘300: Rise Of An Empire’, and was recently cast as the titular femme fatale in ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’ (Credit: MGM/Getty)

Olga Kurylenko - Camille Montes in ‘Quantum Of Solace’ (2008) She appeared in 2013 sci-fi ‘Oblivion’, and most recently co-starred opposite former Bond Pierce Brosnan in spy movie ‘November Man’ (Credit: MGM/Getty)

Gemma Arterton - Strawberry Fields in ‘Quantum Of Solace’ (2008) Gemma recently starred opposite Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake in 'Runner Runner' and in Gallic drama Gemma Bovery (Credit: MGM/Getty)

Bérénice Marlohe - Sévérine in ‘Skyfall’ (2012) Reigning Bond girl Bérénice is now set to star in Terrence Malik’s upcoming untitled movie alongside Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman (Credit: MGM/Getty)

[yahoo-movies-uk]

10 actors who narrowly missed out on being HUGE stars

Actors always claim they have no regrets but sometimes a huge role will pass them by and you imagine there's a strong chance it'll haunt them forever. These are the 10 actors who came within inches of mega-stardom and universal fame...

Dougray Scott

Was nearly in: ‘X-Men’

Rising Scottish actor Dougray was already considered a hot enough property to play the villain opposite Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible II', but shooting ran long on John Woo's action epic (probably due to all the slow-motion scenes), denying Scott the opportunity to play Wolverine in Bryan Singer's 'X-Men'. 

'A fella wi claws fir hands? Och, it'll probably never amount to anything,' Scott probably reasoned, before watching mouth agape as 'X-Men' kickstarted the superhero genre and Hugh Jackman reprised the role of Wolverine in nine movies across 17 years, becoming one of the world's biggest stars as a result. He was also a front-runner to play Bond before Daniel Craig won the role. Scott last hit the headlines when his 2010 movie, 'Love's Kitchen', scraped an opening weekend of £121.

Eric Stoltz

Was nearly in: ‘Back To The Future’

There are movie stars and there are character actors and there isn't a whole lot of overlap – once you're categorised as one, it's hard to make it as the other. Eric Stoltz, very much a character actor, had a tantalising glimpse of being a bona fide movie star when he was cast as Marty McFly in Robert Zemeckis's 'Back To The Future'. 

Stoltz enjoyed five weeks of shooting before Bobby Z realised he was "too intense" for the role, prompting the moving of Heaven and Earth to hire original choice Michael J Fox on a schedule of night shooting. Stoltz would never bother a blockbuster for as long as he lived, although it's strange to think there's an alternate timeline somewhere where the ginger guy from 'Mask' is one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Stuart Townsend

Was nearly in: ‘Lord of the Rings’

Townsend has two unwanted accolades; not only was he the man that let one-time girlfriend Charlize Theron slip through his fingers after nine years, he was the man who was officially adjudged to not be manly enough to play the King of Men in 'The Lord Of The Rings' trilogy. 

Townsend was hired by Peter Jackson to play Aragorn, but the director soon realised 28-year-old Townsend didn't have the required heft to play Strider, leading to an awkward conversation after four days of shooting. Although he played Lestat the vampire, formerly played by Tom Cruise, in 'Queen Of The Damned', mega-flop 'The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen' effectively put a bullet in Townsend's Hollywood prospects.

Emily Browning

Was nearly in: ‘Twilight’

She's tasted stardom with the likes of 'Sucker Punch' and 'Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events', but Browning is far from a household name – and she's certainly not subjected to the same level of tabloid intrusion and speculation as 'Twilight' star Kristen Stewart. It was she who took the lead role of Bella that Browning passed on, even after author Stephanie Meyers personally lobbied for the Australian. 

Browning now claims if history had played out a different way and she accepted the part, she would no longer be an actress: "I think I would have quit. I don't think I would have been able to handle it," she said. Browning now spends her time making movies with members of Belle & Sebastian.

Edward Furlong

Was nearly in: ‘Spider-Man’

Furlong made his mark as John Connor in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', but his career lacked stamina; his last notable role, unless you count direct-to-video sequels to 'The Crow' (we don't), was 'American History X' in 1998. It could have all been so different, if only James Cameron's proposed 1993 'Spider-Man' movie had got off the ground. 

Furlong would have played the wallcrawler if only the director had been given the opportunity to make the movie his way (in a nutshell: laced with profanity, sex and violence), but alas, it wasn't to be. Just think! Furlong could have still been a huge star today, just like er, Tobey Maguire, and, um, Andrew Garfield!

Josh Hartnett

Was nearly in: ‘Batman’, ‘Superman’, ‘Spider-Man’

Sure, sure – we know you know who Josh Hartnett is. For a few years there back at the turn of the century, he was the squinty, awkward dreamboat of your little sister's dreams. But as well-known as he is, did you know Hartnett has had multiple opportunities to amp his star wattage up to iconic levels? You're looking at a man who has stared three multi-million, star-making superhero contracts in the face and said 'No' each time. 

Batman? Not on your life! Superman? Get out of here! Spider-Man? Pfft, no way! Josh Hartnett cares not for your lycra-clad heroes! "I somehow knew those roles had potential to define me," said Hartnett, "and I didn't want that." Talk to him in three Spider-Men's time and let's see if he's still willing to tear up the contract.

Dana Delany

Was nearly in: ‘Sex and the City’

It must be galling when an actor turns down a role that goes on to define a gender for an entire generation, but Dana Delany did just that when she passed on playing Carrie Bradshaw, the sexually adventurous writer who giggled her way through six seasons of 'Sex And The City' – and two atrocious movies. 

"I didn’t want to be in a show about sex," said Delany, humbly. "The part went to Sarah Jessica Parker and it made her into a worldwide star, but I've got no regrets." Except maybe the part about not accepting the role of Carrie Bradshaw. Apart from that though, no regrets.

Sarah Polley

Was nearly in: ‘Almost Famous’

Though she's dabbled with big-budget movies like 'Dawn Of The Dead', Sarah Polley never felt like she was destined to be a big star. In fact, she actively fought against it, and decided to quit a certain star-making role that went on to make another girl a very big deal – she walked from the role of Penny Lane in 'Almost Famous', only to see Kate Hudson rewarded with an Oscar nomination. 

"I think those moments where you decide not to do something, in the face of nobody understanding that decision, are the moments that form you, that carve you out. It will always be a part of who I am, that I did that," says Polley. She now directs and put her name to the brilliant 'Away From Her' and 'Take This Waltz'.

William Katt

Was nearly in: ‘Star Wars’

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there is a parallel universe in which Tattooine farm boy Luke Skywalker is not played by Mark Hamill, but by relative unknown William Katt. Would the Star Wars saga have played out any differently had it been Katt, tall with a mop of blonde hair, becoming the Jedi to unite the galaxy? 

Katt recalls how Brian De Palma and George Lucas held dual auditions for 'Carrie' and 'Star Wars', where he read for Luke opposite Kurt Russell, reading for Han Solo. "I was lucky enough to get the Carrie role," Katt said, graciously (and unconvincingly).

Emily Lloyd

Was nearly in: Tank Girl

Daughter of Roger Lloyd Pack – yes, 'Only Fools and Horses'' Trigger – Emily Lloyd has come close to two major roles in her lifetime, but never got the chance to fulfill either. The classically-trained actress won a part in Woody Allen's 1992 Oscar-nominated drama 'Husbands And Wives', but Woody himself pulled the plug after a few days of shooting. 

Then over a decade later, Lloyd was offered the role of 'Tank Girl' in the ill-fated live-action adaptation of the comic, but her refusal to shave her head saw the part taken from her and offered to Lori Petty. Consider that a bullet the size of a tank dodged.

Image credits: Rex Features

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The tragic real life of Sloth from The Goonies

Lovable 'Goonies' giant Sloth is about as iconic a movie character as it's possible to be, but the man behind the make-up lived a tragic life worthy of its own Hollywood story.

Every time a noteworthy anniversary rolls around, it's fun to catch up with the stars of Richard Donner's seminal 80s adventure 'The Goonies'. The young cast had more than its fair share of characters: from a teenage Josh Brolin to an already-famous Corey Feldman to proto-hobbit Sean Astin, 'The Goonies' – now 30 years old – feels like one of those dyed-in-the-wool genre classics, the kind you just can't make any more.

Sadly, at the heart of the movie lies a very sad story indeed. John Matuszak, the actor who so memorably played disfigured giant Sloth, died just four years after the release of the movie, hiding a past of drug and alcohol abuse from the Hollywood spotlight.

The term 'larger than life' seems woefully inadequate for a man of Matuszak's stature; at 6'7 and 280 lbs he towered over everyone he met, and his booming laugh pounded them into submission. The Wisconsin native got his first taste of fame in the NFL in 1973, when he was picked in the draft and joined the Houston Oilers.

However, it wasn't until he was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1976 that he really started to make waves (Sloth would later wear a Raiders T-shirt in 'The Goonies'). A defensive end who could stand up and shut down even the most mountainous of opponents, Matuszak won two Superbowls with the Raiders before retiring in 1982 and moving into movies.

Despite his popularity with fans, Matuszak – known as 'The Tooz' – was not hugely popular with his teammates, due to an addiction to painkillers and other narcotics brought on by crippling back pain.

His intake was legendary – he could either make it a night to remember or a night to forget. On one occasion, after a playful argument with Raiders assistant coach Terry Robiskie, Matuszak slapped his former teammate hard in the face and began shaking him – it took the whole team to prize them apart. Such aggression just became part of Matuszak's personality – the crutch which Robiskie broke over his head was mounted on the wall and labelled 'Biskie's Tooz Pick'.

An awkward beanpole growing up, Matuszak grew into a fearsome young man, one whose wrong side you didn't want to find yourself on. As a university football player, he beat up a fellow student so badly he caved his face in, all because of a perceived slight on Matuszak's girlfriend.

Later, in his fourth professional football season, his girlfriend attempted to run him over with her car. After the break-up and a night of heavy drinking, the Tooz necked two sleeping pills at a bar and almost died – it was only his coach pounding him on his chest in the ambulance on the way to the hospital that kept him alive.

Though his exterior was gentle and polite, his addictions ran through his veins. "He just couldn't control himself," said former Raiders employee Mike Ornstein. "He just couldn't have one drink. He thought his body was so large, it would absorb it. His drink was triple Crown Royal with a beer backer. The man lived a hard life."

Matuszak was also dangerously insecure. "I don't know how many times I've seen The Tooz walk into a bar, grab his shirt with both hands, rip it open to the waist and growl like a lion at the top of his lungs. That tended to get everyone's attention," wrote former teammate Ken Stables.

"[John] particularly enjoyed stomping into the gay bars in San Francisco and scaring the s*** out of everyone in them. Eyes glaring and muscles bulging, he would let out that roar and it would rattle glasses on the bar and just freeze everyone solid. He loved to see fear on peoples' faces."

It wasn't as if Matuszak didn't know he was dancing with the devil. In his autobiography, 'Cruisin' With The Tooz', he lists six separate auto incidents that led to convictions, including drug possession, drink-driving charges, collisions with parked cars and two arrests for concealing weapons, which landed him in jail – he also wrapped his Cadillac around a telegraph pole the night he retired due to injury.

"The man was in a lot of emotional pain," said former partner Stephanie Cozart. "He had a lot of childhood stuff to deal with. He had a lot of present-day stuff. He was a therapist's dream." (Matuszak had two brothers, both born with cystic fibrosis; one died at birth, the other at just two years old).

Multiple attempts at going straight were doomed to failure - twice he left rehab centres early and fell off the wagon. "I've hit damn near bottom," he wrote in his autobiography. "I don't ever want to go back.''

Hollywood was not the right place for John Matuszak if he wanted to go straight edge. After he retired from football, movies kept paying the rent. As well as playing Sloth in 'The Goonies' – on which he spent five hours having make-up applied every morning – Matuszak played roles, mostly heavies and goons, in the likes of 'The Ice Pirates' and 'Caveman' (in which he played Tonda). He also made appearances in 'Miami Vice', 'The A-Team' and 'The Dukes Of Hazzard' on the small screen, but Matuszak's fame didn't turn the volume down on his emotional problems and narcotic dependencies – if anything, it exacerbated them.

Matuszak died of a drug overdose in June 1989, with fatal amounts of prescription drug propoxyphene found in his bloodstream, along with trace elements of cocaine and Tylenol. An enlarged heart turned out to be his undoing; an ironic death. as anyone who knew him would testify that he did indeed have a lot of love to give.

But by the time of his passing, Matuszak had made his indelible mark on the worlds of sport and entertainment, and even though he was hidden behind several layers of prosthetics in his most famous role, the actor will long be remembered. It's as his young co-stars said: "Goonies never say die."

Photos: Everett/Rex_Shutterstock/Getty

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Harry Potter Kids: Then And Now

Plucked from obscurity to star in the biggest franchise of all time, these young actors were barely tweenagers when they first appeared on-screen. See how they’ve changed…

Matthew Lewis - Neville Longbottom

Then: Probably the nerdiest of the Gryffindor kids, Neville actually turns out to be one of the coolest ‘Potter’ characters. Now: Oo, isn’t he handsome? Thinking back to his look in the movies, people are surprised by Lewis now, which is probably an advantage if you’re trying to put ‘Potter’ in the rearview mirror. He’s since starred in ‘Happy Valley’, ‘Ripper Street’, and ‘Me Before You’.

Stan Ianevski - Viktor Krum

Then: The young Bulgarian had no plans to become an actor but was spotted by a casting director while at school with Harry Melling who plays Dudley Dursley. Now: After appearing in ‘Hostel: Part 2′ Stan reprised his role as the Durmstrang student for ‘Deathly Hallows Part 1’, but his scene was cut. He now resides back in Bulgaria and has a film role in the upcoming ‘Xla’.

Harry Melling - Dudley Dursley

Then: The grandson of Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor Who, was a member of the National Youth Theatre when he was cast as Harry Potter’s spoilt cousin. Now: He lost so much weight during his Potter years, he had to wear a fat suit in ‘Deathly Hallows’. He’ recently received rave notices in the West End production of the Tony-winning puppet play ‘Hand of God’.

Josh Herdman - Gregory Goyle

Then: The son of an actor was destined to be a star and appeared in all of the ‘Potter’ films as Draco’s right hand man. Now: The 28-year-old is now plying his trade as a MMA fighter making his amateur debut in 2016 with a victory. 

Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter

Then: Producer David Heyman thought Radcliffe was perfect for Harry after seeing him in ‘David Copperfield’. Now: Radcliffe has shown an impressive desire to spread his thespian wings, appearing in a musical on Broadway, naked in the West End and as a man with horns in, er, ‘Horns’. Next up – playing an undercover skinhead in ‘Imperium’ and a farting corpse in ‘Swiss Army Man’.

Emma Watson – Hermione Granger

Then: Watson was all wobbly eyebrows as a 10-year-old having been cast through her Oxford theatre teacher. Now: She flirted with quitting acting for the real world, before diving back into the spotlight as a model and UN Goodwill Ambassador. The latter has seen her take feminism by the scruff of the neck, while on-screen she’ll be playing Belle in a live-action ‘Beauty And The Beast’.

Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley

Then: Grint was the oldest of the lead trio and scored the role after making a video of himself rapping about why he should get the part. Now: Aged 27, he provided a voice for ‘Postman Pat: The Movie’, bought an ice cream van with some of his Potter earnings, but his latest film ‘Moonwalkers’ went straight-to-DVD.

Tom Felton – Draco Malfoy

Then: Felton was an experienced child actor when he auditioned to play baddie Draco at the age of 12, having starred opposite Jodie Foster in ‘Anna and the King’. Now: Felton featured in ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’ and ‘Belle’, and has a busy schedule coming up including Amma Assante’s ‘A United Kingdom’ which debuts at LFF.

Bonnie Wright – Ginny Weasley

Then: It was Wright’s brother who convinced her to audition after saying that she physically resembled Rowling’s character, though Ginny’s role was reduced in the movie versions. Now: She aspired to work behind-the-scenes, with her short film premiering at the Cannes Festival. She has her own production company and balances that with appearing front-of-camera including an upcoming ‘A Christmas Carol’ with a Scottish twist.

Katie Leung - Cho Chang

Then: Leung caused a stir when she was chosen to play Harry’s love interest in 2005’s ‘Goblet Of Fire’. The Motherwell actress beat 3000 other girls for the part after her dad suggested attending an open audition. Now: The 29-year-old made her stage debut in 2012 and studied art at the University of the Arts, London. She’ll next be seen in ‘The Foreigner’ opposite Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan.

Robert Pattinson – Cedric Diggory

Then: Londoner Pattinson beat out Henry Cavill for the role of Diggory in ‘Goblet Of Fire’, having previously appeared in ‘Vanity Fair’. Now: There was ‘Twilight’ of course, which turned him in one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Since then, he’s gone full indie and can be seen in new release ‘The Childhood of a Leader’.

Devon Murray – Seamus Finnigan

Then: As one of Harry’s loyal acolytes, the young Irish actor had appeared in Alan Parker’s ‘Angela’s Ashes’ before scooping the role of Seamus. Now: Murray seems to have taken a break from acting. In 2016 he lost a court case with his former agent and was ordered to pay them £210,000 in unpaid fees. He claims to have frittered his Potter fortune away on “cars, drinks, and girls”.

Evanna Lynch - Luna Lovegood

Then: Lynch was a massive Potter fan and had actually exchanged letters with JK Rowling before she was cast (without the author’s knowledge) as Luna in ‘Order of the Phoenix’ following a casting call. Now: Lynch, 25, helps promotes positive body image in young girls and has helped design fashion accessories related to the franchise. In 2015 she starred in Lenny Henry’s autobiographical TV movie ‘Danny and The Human Zoo’.

James & Oliver Phelps – Fred & George Weasley

Then: The Phelps boys grew up in Sutton Coldfield and had never acted before attending an open audition aged 14. They appeared in all eight movies. Now: The identical twins have since moved to LA to pursue acting, while James worked behind-the-scenes as a production assistant on movies like ‘The Da Vinci Code’. They’re often seen promoting Universal Studios’ Harry Potter attractions.

Alfred Enoch – Dean Thomas

Then: The privately-educated Londoner appeared in seven ‘Harry Potter’ films, as Dean, one of Dumbledore’s Army. Now: Having graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Portuguese and Spanish, he appeared in numerous stage productions before heading to Hollywood where he was cast as the lead in the hit pulpy TV drama, ‘How To Get Away With Murder’.

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The disturbing real-life stories behind classic horror films

You’re probably already familiar with the ‘based on a true story’ tagline; a sentence that’s spliced into even the most outlandish horror movies in an effort to separate us from the contents of our wallets over Halloween. But despite what movie marketeers claim, most cinematic  scare stories are about as accurate a reflection of real life as the Super Mario brothers are of the career trajectories of Italian-American plumbers.

Nevertheless, like lies, the best horror stories have a grain of truth to them and some of the most terrifying have a whole lot more. Let us guide you through the spine-tinglingly true tales to have hit the silver screen.

Psycho (1960)

The reality: Shower-stalking mummy’s boy Norman Bates character was based on Ed Gein, who was arrested in 1957 for murdering two women - and digging up the corpses of countless others - who reminded him of his dead mum. A man with issues we suspect. The real Gein is below, accompanied by two US Marshals.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The reality: The movie played heavily on its ‘based on a true story’ schtick. But whilst the events themselves were entirely fictitious, the character of chainsaw-wielding cannibal Leatherface was another character based on Gein (see ‘Psycho’, above), who also skinned his victims in order to make a bodysuit made of human flesh.   The Exorcist (1973)

The reality: The film took its inspiration from the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States, where priests attended to a 13-year-old boy after his parents complained about his aggressive behaviour. The facts are a little murky, so whilst there may be some truth to reports that the boy spoke in a demonic accent and moved objects with his mind; he almost definitely didn’t spin his head entirely round, levitate or talk gobbledygook. Even spookier however is the so-called ‘Exorcist’ curse, which afflicted the film’s crew. Depending on who you ask, between four and nine people involved with the movie died either in production or shortly after; whilst filming was repeatedly delayed by a spate of mysterious fires and serious on-set accidents. The Amityville Horror (1979)

The reality:  Haunted house flick 'Amityville' is based on the real-life experiences of the Lutz family, who had overcome estate agents, removal men and endless reams of bubble wrap only to find out that the house they’d moved into was haunted. 

As in the film a mass murder had once take place in their new pad which perhaps explains how over a period of four weeks they experienced cold spots, inverted crucifixes and walls covered in green slime. That’s if they weren’t just making the whole thing up, which many suspected they were... A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) 

The reality: Craven based his movie’s marvellous MacGuffin on a real life condition that became known as Asian Death Syndrome. The affliction was found in Cambodian refugees who suffered recurring nightmares, after which they refused to sleep, fearing death if they did. Some were even proved right as they died shortly after. Spooky eh?

The Conjuring (2013)

The reality: The Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson characters are based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (she’s with Farmiga, below) of ‘Amityville’ fame. The events of the film are based on the 1971 Perron case, which saw the family’s home in Harrisville, Rhode Island haunted by a “witch”. The land that the house was built on was apparently cursed by a 19th century woman called Bathsheba Sherman so that so that whoever lived there somehow died.

Annabelle (2014)

The reality: This follow-up to ‘The Conjuring’ focuses on the terrifying evil doll from the first film. Again, we’re sorry to report that Annabelle is REAL. She’s based on the abomination below - a Raggedy Ann doll bought for a woman named Donna by her mother in 1970. Some of the doll’s real-life antics include switching positions and rooms at night and leaving cryptic messages like “Help Us” written on parchment that wasn’t even in the room. Also one day blood mysteriously appeared all over it. 

The Warrens (see ‘The Conjuring’) suspected the doll was inhabited by the ghost of a seven-year-old girl called Annabelle Higgins who’d died in a car accident. You can still go and visit it at their museum... if you dare.

Read more: We Talk To A Real Life Exorcist Artist Creates Insanely Realistic Versions Of Disney Villains

Image Credits: Rex Features