'Hunger Games' Quick Studies: All That You Should Find Out About Katniss Everdeen plus much more

The countdown is on until March 23, when 'The Hunger Games' -- Suzanne Collins' best-selling youthful adult thriller -- hits theaters. In the event you haven't seen the awesome trailer or browse the three chart-topping books, you will possibly not know very well what the 'The Hunger Games' is about it isn't just most likely probably the most anticipated releases of 2012 but it's set being the next Large Movie Franchise. Basically, this really is really the most recent page-to-screen series getting a hardcore built-in following that's stirring up teen and adult fans in to a veritable craze. This can be a handy primer of what you should know to arrange for your silver screen adaptation in the popular series. Watch a clip now WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The dystopian thriller happens in the bleak, publish-apocalyptic future, in which the U . s . States -- now referred to as Panem -- remains split up into 12 Districts that serve the controlling Capitol. Within a morbid public lottery, 16-year-old huntress Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) takes her 12-year-old sister's place to compete in the public fight-to-the-dying contest that begins her against 23 other teens, including her fellow District 12 "Tribute" Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Simply because they train to compete inside the titular Hunger Games, it's apparent their developing friendship reduces amazing capability to kill each other if this involves. But no matter their feelings, they are going to need to live the 22 Tributes off their Districts revisit home. WHO'S WHO Inside The CAST The remarkably large cast is introduced by Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The Three most critical males in Katniss' existence are her nearest friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus' on-and-off-camera love in 'The Last Song'), her fellow District 12 tribute Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, from 'The Youngsters Are Okay,A 'Bridge to Terabithia' and 15 other movies), and her frequently-drunk Hunger Games mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woodsy Harrelson). Other important cast people include Elizabeth Banks as Capitol representative Effie Trinket Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' personal stylist Cinna Paula Malcomson as Katniss' mother Stanley Tucci since the Hunger Games' host Caesar Flickerman and Oscar champion Jesse Sutherland as Panem's Leader Snow. Which doesn't even include all of the 22 other Hunger Games Tributes! Jennifer Lawrence on Katniss Everdeen: 'Her Face Can Not Be Badass' THE VIOLENCE Will Probably Be INTENSE The Hunger Games is certainly a yearly public fight for the dying between 24 adolescents aged 12-18. You'll find 24 "Tributes" -Body boy then one girl all of Panem's 12 Districts -- who must compete every year for your amusement in the Capitol to ensure that like a indication in the energy the central city holds over its Districts. Think 'The Running Man' meets 'Battle Royale' by way of CBS' hit reality show 'Survivor.' Once if this involves (the delicately controlled battleground), the Tributes have one goal: being the ultimate one standing. Meaning plenty of teen-on-teen murder (hands-to-hands and weapons based, along with the assistance of the dangerous Arena), because ultimately, there can be only one victor. It Is not Suitable For Kids Yes 'The Hunger Games' series is launched by Scholastic, but it's certainly for youthful adult site visitors -- a.k.a. middle-schoolers or mature tweens. Sense Media rates the three books too for children 12 & up, so on the large screen the PG-13 film will probably be difficult for additional youthful fans to process. Even some teens are very attentive to handle all of the kid-on-kid killing, so consider yourself informed. The Sale While Using FIRE You might be wondering just what the deal is by using the fireplace inside the movie's trailer, key art and posters. Let us explain, although it's a SPOILER: When Katniss and Peeta are introduced to Hunger Games audiences inside the Tribute Parade, they're wearing ensembles custom-created by Cinna to represent their District's primary industry: coal mining. The costumes are form-fitting black "unitards" incorporated in synthetic fire, making Katniss and Peeta absolutely memorable within the first moment they're seen. Katniss is going to be named "The Woman Who Was Simply Burning.Inch For that bird emblem, it's a "Mockingjay" -- a hybrid involving the mockingbird as well as the imaginary "jabberjay," an inherited mutation the Capitol unleashed to eliminate the mockingbird. It's a metaphor for that Capitol can't control along with the gold pin Katniss' friend gives her to use through the Games. Have A Look At 'The Hunger Games' District Purchasing and selling Cards This Is not LIKE 'TWILIGHT' OR 'HARRY POTTER' Although everyone (including us!) loves evaluating el born area-office potential and recognition of 'The Hunger Games' for the worldwide phenomena of 'Twilight' and 'Harry Potter,' the three tales are not alike -- besides the truth they deal with amazing teens overcoming dangerous conditions. The Woman burning does not have miracle like the Boy Who Were living with no requirement of saving like "The Woman Stunned by Vampires of the underworld from the underworld." Give consideration to Taylor Swift's 'Hunger Games' Song 'Safe and Sound' There's An Appreciation Triangular OK, so there's one small-small way 'The Hunger Games' mirrors the 'Twilight' saga: there's a trilogy-extended love triangular involving the beautiful protagonist and a pair of worthy suitors, among whom is her nearest friend. Katniss' two swoon-worthy prospects: her fellow hunter and good friend Gale and her fellow Hunger Games contestant Peeta, who's been independently smitten along with her for any very long time. Who she'll finish tabs on we'll never tell, but let's only the fan divide between Team Gale and Team Peeta can be as fierce as Team Jacob versus. Team Edward. Either in situation, both are amazing (and gorgeous) males. You Will Notice TWO SEQUELS It is not a spoiler to ensure that Katniss survives the titular Hunger Games ultimately, what protagonist dies inside the first story from the series? The second installment, 'Catching Fire,' introduces everyone else to more than twelve new figures, nearly all whom are veteran Hunger Games children who can't wait to fulfill the competitor from District 12. Fantasy Casting: Who Should Star in 'Catching Fire'? IT'S Simpler To Determine Clearly, THAN Notice If you wish to be ready for the March 23 premiere, start reading through with the Scholastic book series now. It isn't-put-lower-able, and when you start reading through through about Panem, a history in the Hunger Games, and Katniss and Peeta's ordeal if this involves, you will not stop until you've blazed through 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay.' One tip -- buy or borrow the three books simultaneously, and that means you don't finish off anxiously running for the nearest Barnes & Noble for an additional installment. Have A Look At MORE PHOTOS FROM 'THE HUNGER GAMES' #america online-photo-gallery .pictures .america online-photo-gallery .photos .gallery-headline a .america online-photo-gallery-fullscreen .photos .gallery-headline a 'The Hunger Games' Character Posters See All Moviefone Galleries » (Photos because of Lionsgate.) Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Notable Passings of 2011

Notable Passings of 2011 December 28, 2011 Gilbert Cates, 77, was an award-winning director and television and theater producer who oversaw 14 Academy Awards telecasts from 1990 to 2008. The Bronx, N.Y., native won an Emmy Award for the 1991 ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal. Cates injected new energy into the show by recruiting hosts such as Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In addition to working on the Oscars, Cates served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America, from 1983 to 1987. He was also the producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean from 1990 to 1998. Betty Garrett, 91, was best known for her recurring roles on the popular TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley." But she first achieved fame as a musical comedy star, breaking through in the 1946 Broadway revue "Call Me Mister" and then starring in such classics of Hollywood's golden age as "On the Town," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Neptune's Daughter," and "Words and Music." Her career stalled when her husband, Larry Parks, testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a Communist, but the couple found work in summer stock. In her later years, Garrett had featured roles on Broadway in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and the 2001 revival of "Follies."The raspy-voiced Peter Falk, 83, will always be remembered for playing the title role on the NBC television series "Columbo." During the three and a half decades he portrayed the disheveled yet clever detective, Falk also starred in comedies and dramas on stage and screen. He won four Emmys for his performance on "Columbo" as well as one for "The Price of Tomatoes," a presentation of "The Dick Powell Theatre." He received Oscar nominations for "Murder, Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles." His other film credits include John Cassavetes' "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence," "Robin and the 7 Hoods," "The Great Race," "The Princess Bride," and Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Farley Granger, 85, gained fame as a handsome juvenile in two Alfred Hitchcock films, "Rope" and "Strangers on a Train." Though the roles, as well as his work in pictures like "The North Star," "They Live by Night," "Small Town Girl," and "Hans Christian Andersen," established him as a movie star by the 1950s, he chose to focus on television and stage roles for the rest of his career. He appeared with Eva Le Galliene's National Repertory Theatre and on Broadway in "Deathtrap" and other plays. In 1986, Granger won an Obie Award for his performance in Circle Repertory Company's premiere of "Talley & Son" by Lanford Wilson, who also passed away in 2011.Crusty character actor Harry Morgan, 96, built a career playing sidekicks and henchmen in more than 100 movies and is beloved by TV viewers for his performance as Col. Sherman Potter, the flinty, sharp-tongued commanding officer, on the long-running series "M*A*S*H" from 1975 until its finale in 1983. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the show, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his work. He had recurring roles on numerous other series, including "December Bride," "The Richard Boone Show," "Dragnet," and the sequel "After MASH." His many films include "The Ox-Bow Incident," "The Big Clock," "Madame Bovary," "High Noon," and "Inherit the Wind."Alice Playten, 63, a petite actor with a big voice, began as a child performer, appearing in the Broadway productions of "Oliver!" and "Gypsy." Barely out of her 20s, she made a sensation in the short-lived 1967 musical "Henry, Sweet Henry," stealing the show from star Don Ameche and earning a Tony nomination. She gained even wider recognition for a series of comical Alka-Seltzer commercials as a newlywed trying out exotic dishes on her indigestion-afflicted spouse. Playten also appeared on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!," "George M!," "Rumors," and "Seussical" and won Obie Awards for her performances in "National Lampoon's Lemmings" and "First Lady Suite."One of the most distinguished playwrights of the latter half of the 20th century, Lanford Wilson, 73, depicted the lives of ordinary people with lyric realism and compassionate honesty. He's best known for his trilogy of plays about the Talley family, a Lebanon, Mo., clan journeying from belief in to disillusion with the American dream. The works"Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly," and "Tally & Son"were premiered by the Circle Repertory Company, the Off-Broadway theater Wilson co-founded. The first two transferred to Broadway, and "Talley's Folly" won the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson's other insightful works include "Lemon Sky," "Balm in Gilead," "The Hot l Baltimore," "Angels Fall," and "Book of Days." Considered by many the most beautiful woman in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, 79, survived eight marriages and a scandalous private life to emerge as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and a beloved activist for AIDS research and prevention. More than a stunning beauty and the object of gossip, she grew from a child star in "National Velvet" and "A Date With Judy" to a respected actor. Who could forget the wild yet innocent Angela in "A Place in the Sun," the frustrated and passionate Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the conflicted Catherine in "Suddenly, Last Summer," or the vitriolic Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she won her second Oscar. The first was for the melodramatic "Butterfield 8." Taylor appeared on Broadway in revivals of "The Little Foxes" and "Private Lives" as well as in many TV movies, but it's as a film goddess that she will be remembered.Sidney Lumet, 86, was a critically acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter. He made more than 40 films; many of them dealt with social issues and were set and shot in his hometown of New York City. He began as an Off-Broadway director, then moved into directing TV and in 1957 made his feature film debut with "12 Angry Men," for which he received his first of five Academy Award nominations. The others were for directing "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," and "The Verdict" and for writing "Prince of the City." Though he didn't win any of them, Lumet received an honorary Oscar in 2005. One of the first directors to successfully transition from TV to film, he led the way for many others to make the switch. Sherwood Schwartz, 94, created two of the most popular sitcoms in television history, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Though both series (for which he also penned the catchy theme songs) were dismissed by the critics, they achieved long life in syndication and are affectionately remembered by millions of viewers. Schwartz began his showbiz career writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show and later made the transition to television, writing for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Married Joan," and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he won an Emmy Award. Arthur Laurents, 93, had numerous successes on Broadway and in Hollywood, but his most enduring legacy will probably be his contributions to two classic musicals, "West Side Story" and "Gypsy." He wrote their books and directed hit revivals of each. He also directed the original production of the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles" and authored numerous plays, including "Home of the Brave," "A Clearing in the Woods," "The Time of the Cuckoo," "Invitation to a March," "The Enclave," "The Radical Mystique," and "Jolson Sings Again." Most of his later works debuted at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, where he enjoyed a fruitful partnership with artistic director David Saint. Laurents' screenwriting credits include "Rope," "The Snake Pit," "Anastasia," "Bonjour Tristesse" (he also wrote the title song's lyric), "The Way We Were," and "The Turning Point."Other Notable Passings Ray Aghayan, 83, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated costume designer; worked on more than a dozen Academy Awards shows and was the life partner of costume designer Bob MackieTheoni V. Aldredge, 88, costume designer for hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including "A Chorus Line" received an Academy Award for her work on "The Great Gatsby" Tom Aldredge, 83, Emmy-winning character actor whose career spanned five decades on stage and screen; seen most recently on "Boardwalk Empire" husband of Theoni V. AldredgeJames Arness, 88, actor; best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS series "Gunsmoke" considered a hallmark performer in TV's Western genrePhyllis Avery, 88, stage and television actor; starred in eight Broadway shows and played the wife of Ray Milland's character on the 1950s sitcom originally called "Meet Mr. McNutley"Frances Bay, 92, actor; had roles on more than 100 TV shows and in 50 films, including "Happy Gilmore," as the grandmother of Adam Sandler's title characterDoris Belack, 85, stage, television, and film actor; known for her roles as a soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie" and as a judge on the TV show "Law & Order"Price Berkley, 92, founder, editor, and publisher of the weekly trade publication Theatrical IndexRoberts Blossom, 87, character actor; best known for portraying comic and sinister old men, including the next-door neighbor in the 1990 film "Home Alone"Wally Boag, 90, actor; played Pecos Bill, the Old West traveling salesman, in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland for almost 30 yearsTommy Brent, 88, theater producer; best known for putting on summer musicals and plays at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea Patricia Breslin, 80, stage and screen actor; featured on numerous TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," as the wife of William Shatner's character in the episode "Nick of Time"Joseph Brooks, 73, screenwriter, producer, director, and songwriter who composed the Academy Awardwinning song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same nameAnne Brownstone, 87, stage, screen, and radio actor; starred in hundreds of radio shows opposite icons like Jimmy Stewart and also wrote and acted on early television shows such as "Dragnet"Michael Cacoyannis, 90, Greek theater director and filmmaker; best known for directing the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" William Campbell, 87, film and television actor; guest-starred on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" series: "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Squire of Gothos" Annette Charles, 63, television and film actor; best known for her role as Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical "Grease" Linda Christian, 87, Mexican film and television actor; notable for playing the first Bond girl, in the 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"Diane Cilento, 78, Australian stage and screen actor; earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 film "Tom Jones" Jeff Conaway, 60, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Grease" as Kenickie and on the TV show "Taxi" as struggling actor BobbyJackie Cooper, 88, film and television actor; earned an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 for his role in 1931's "Skippy," the youngest nominee ever for best actor, and played Perry White in four "Superman" movies in the 1970s and '80sNorman Corwin, 101, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was known in the 1930s and '40s as the "poet laureate of radio" for writing, producing, and directing acclaimed radio dramasJohn Cossette, 54, television and theater producer; executive-produced more than a dozen Grammy Awards telecasts and co-produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet"Sam Denoff, 83, Emmy-winning comedy writer; best known for working on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show"Marion Dougherty, 88, influential casting director who helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert RedfordRyan Dunn, 34, star of the "Jackass" television series and films; also featured in the 2007 film "Blonde Ambition" and on the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Donya Feuer, 77, choreographer, theater director, and filmmaker who sometimes collaborated with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman Mary Fickett, 83, stage, film, and television actor; best known for her role as Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children"Bob Fraser, 66, television producer, writer, director, actor, and teacher; familiar to thousands of actors who have taken his workshops and studied his book and DVD series "An Actor Works"Dan Frazer, 90, film and television actor; best known for playing Capt. Frank McNeil on the television series "Kojak" adviser to New York's WorkShop Theater Company Leo Friedman, 92, renowned stage photographer during Broadway's glamour age who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine HepburnDolores Fuller, 88, actor, songwriter, and muse of director Ed Wood Jr.; acted in three of his films, including "Glen or Glenda," and also wrote song lyrics heard in a number of Elvis Presley moviesPam Gems, 85, British playwright whose works include "Piaf" and "Stanley"Donald Grody, 83, actor and executive director of Actors' Equity Association from 1973 to 1980; led efforts to establish and fund permanent rent-subsidized housing for actors at NY's Manhattan Plaza Edward Hardwicke, 78, actor; best known for playing Dr. John Watson on three British "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, shown in America during the 1980s and '90sLeonard Harris, 81, arts and theater critic and actor; played Sen. Charles Palantine in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film "Taxi Driver"Edward Hastings, 80, founding member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and its artistic director from 1986 to 1992; staged contemporary and classic plays in the U.S. and abroad Vclav Havel, 75, playwright and former Czech president who led the overthrow of a totalitarian regime in the Velvet Revolution; several of his plays were produced Off-Broadway and three"The Increased Difficulty of Concentration," "The Memorandum," and "Private View"won ObiesBill Hunter, 71, Australian film, television, and stage actor; appeared in more than 60 films, won two Australian Film Institute Awards, and provided the voice of the dentist in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" Sybil Jason, 83, child actor signed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s to rival Shirley Temple, but the two became friends Allan Jefferys, 88, entertainment editor and drama critic for WABC TV and radio in NY during the 1960sHal Kanter, 92, Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer whose work included the Oscar telecast; created the TV show "Julia," the first sitcom to star an African-American in the role of a professionalBob Kelly, 87, Broadway makeup artist and wig maker; worked on shows such as 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and 2002's "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Paul Kent, 80, film, television, and stage character actor; co-founded L.A.'s Melrose Theatre, where he served as artistic director for many years Elliott Kozak, 80, television agent and Bob Hope's producer for more than 30 years; sold to NBC the Motown 25th-anniversary special that featured Michael Jackson's first televised "moonwalk"Michael Langham, 91, classical theater director, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and head of the Juilliard School's drama division; directed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vic, working with then-rising stars Peter O'Toole and Judi DenchJerry Leiber, 78, lyricist who worked with Mike Stoller to create such hits as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" the 1995 Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Caf" is based on their songs Len Lesser, 88, film and television character actor; best known for playing Uncle Leo on the TV show "Seinfeld" Judy Lewis, 76, actor; penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta YoungPhyllis Love, 85, stage and screen actor; originated the role of Rosa Delle Rose in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway Lou Maletta, 74, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982Arthur Marx, 89, television and film screenwriter, playwright, and best-selling author; son of Groucho MarxAnna Massey, 73, British television and film actor; featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film "Frenzy" and often appeared in British costume dramasChristopher Mayer, 57, film and television actor; starred on "The Dukes of Hazzard" in its 198283 season and appeared on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara"Bill McKinney, 80, film and television character actor; played a mountain man in the 1972 film "Deliverance" and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films Sue Mengers, 79, Hollywood agent who represented such stars as Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Cher, Bob Fosse, and Gene Hackman; seen as a trailblazer for women in behind-the-scenes roles in entertainmentMarian Mercer, 75, stage and television actor; earned a Tony Award in 1969 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises"Sidney Michaels, 83, Tony-nominated playwright; had great success on Broadway in the 1960s with productions of "Tchin-Tchin," "Dylan," and "Ben Franklin in Paris"David Mitchell, 79, Broadway set designer; won Tony Awards for "Annie" and "Barnum" Charles Napier, 75, character actor; recognized for his tough-guy roles in films such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II"John Neville, 86, British-born Canadian actor-director and artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s; starred on the TV series "The First Churchills"A.C. Nielsen Jr., 92, expanded his father's Nielsen Company into its current role as an international market research firm, most associated with television ratingsSam Norkin, 94, theater caricaturist and former president of the Drama Desk; captured more than 70 years of stage performancesShirley Carroll O'Connor, 93, publicist and first female press agent for the Clyde BeattyCole Bros. and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses; famously lost eight elephants on Hollywood BoulevardPatrice O'Neal, 41, standup comedian; known for his unfiltered honesty and for addressing topics such as race and his struggle with diabetesRoland Petit, 87, French film and ballet choreographer and head of the Paris Opera; choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev Madelyn Pugh Davis, 90, television writer; best known for her work on "I Love Lucy"Francesco Quinn, 48, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Platoon" and was the son of actor Anthony QuinnBeverly Randolph, 59, Broadway stage manager for more than 30 years; managed or supervised more than 20 Broadway productions Cliff Robertson, 88, film and television actor; won an Oscar for his title performance in the 1968 film "Charly" and played Uncle Ben in the 2002 film "Spider-Man" and its two sequelsRal Ruiz, 70, Chilean director who made more than 100 filmsSol Saks, 100, screenwriter; best known for writing the pilot of the television show "Bewitched"Michael Sarrazin, 70, Canadian film and television actor; gained fame starring opposite Jane Fonda in the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., 91, television engineer who helped invent the teleprompterJohn Scoullar, 61, composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer; was in the original stage production of "King of Hearts"Gene Shefrin, 90, Hollywood publicist who represented Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, and Don RicklesElisabeth Sladen, 65, British actor; best known for her role as Sarah Jane on the TV show "Doctor Who" and its spinoff "The Sarah Jane Adventures"Karl Slover, 93, Czech actor who played the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins band in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz"Bubba Smith, 66, football player and actor; played Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies and appeared on the TV shows "Charlie's Angels," "Good Times," and "Half Nelson"G.D. Spradlin, 90, veteran character actor; best known for playing authority figures in films such as "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now"Helen Stenborg, 86, character actor; won an Obie Award for "Talley & Son" and, with husband Barnard Hughes, the 2000 Drama Desk Award for lifetime achievementLeonard Stern, 88, Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director; his career included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart," and "McMillan & Wife"Tony Stevens, 63, dancer, director, and choreographer; danced in such Broadway shows as "The Boy Friend" and "Irene" directed and/or choreographed "Perfectly Frank," "Wind in the Willows," and "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" helped organize the workshops that provided the basis for "A Chorus Line"Elaine Stewart, 81, sultry Hollywood actor; promoted as a "dark-haired Marilyn Monroe" in such 1950s films as "The Bad and the Beautiful," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," and "The Tattered Dress" Ellen Stewart, 91, founder, artistic director, and producer of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, one of the most prominent Off-Off-Broadway theater companies. Leonard Stone, 87, character actor; known for such films as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Soylent Green" and the TV shows "General Hospital," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Barney Miller," and "L.A. Law"Alan Sues, 85, zany comic actor and one of the stars of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" also appeared on "The Twilight Zone" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Betty Taylor, 91, actor; played Sluefoot Sue at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for three decades Clarice Taylor, 93, actor; best known for playing the grandmother on "The Cosby Show" also an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company, appeared in "The Wiz" on Broadway, and won an Obie for her one-woman play about comedian Moms Mabley Giorgio Tozzi, 88, distinguished Metropolitan Opera bass; nominated for a Tony Award for the 1979 revival of "The Most Happy Fella" and provided vocals for the film version of "South Pacific" Margaret Tyzack, 79, British character actor; won a Tony Award for "Lettice and Lovage" and starred on the British TV series "The Forsyte Saga," "The First Churchills," and "I, Claudius"Theadora Van Runkle, 82, costume designer; received three Oscar nominations, started a fashion trend with her designs for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," and won the Costume Designers Guild's lifetime achievement awardThanasis Vengos, 83, Greek comedy actor; appeared in more than 120 films Yvette Vickers, 82, actor, pinup model, and singer; appeared in the 1958 cult film "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"Jane White, 88, actor and singer; made her reputation in Shakespearean and Greek classical roles but was best known for her comic performance as the wicked queen in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh actor; starred as the title character on the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"Vesta Williams, 53, singer and actor; had a recurring role on the TV show "Sister, Sister" as the best friend of Jacke Harry's characterDoric Wilson, 72, playwright, director, producer, critic, gay-rights activist, and an influential figure in the early Off-Off-Broadway movementRandall L. Wreghitt, 55, Tony-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway producer; his credits included "Grey Gardens," "Little Women," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," and "Golda's Balcony"Dana Wynter, 79, film and television actor; best known for her role in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also starred in "The List of Adrian Messenger," "On the Double," and "Airport" Norma Zimmer, 87, actor and singer; best known as the Champagne Lady on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and as a member of the Girl Friends Quartet; sang with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Dean MartinCompiled by Frank Nestor, with additional reporting by David Sheward Notable Passings of 2011 December 28, 2011 Gilbert Cates, 77, was an award-winning director and television and theater producer who oversaw 14 Academy Awards telecasts from 1990 to 2008. The Bronx, N.Y., native won an Emmy Award for the 1991 ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal. Cates injected new energy into the show by recruiting hosts such as Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In addition to working on the Oscars, Cates served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America, from 1983 to 1987. He was also the producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean from 1990 to 1998. Betty Garrett, 91, was best known for her recurring roles on the popular TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley." But she first achieved fame as a musical comedy star, breaking through in the 1946 Broadway revue "Call Me Mister" and then starring in such classics of Hollywood's golden age as "On the Town," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Neptune's Daughter," and "Words and Music." Her career stalled when her husband, Larry Parks, testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a Communist, but the couple found work in summer stock. In her later years, Garrett had featured roles on Broadway in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and the 2001 revival of "Follies."The raspy-voiced Peter Falk, 83, will always be remembered for playing the title role on the NBC television series "Columbo." During the three and a half decades he portrayed the disheveled yet clever detective, Falk also starred in comedies and dramas on stage and screen. He won four Emmys for his performance on "Columbo" as well as one for "The Price of Tomatoes," a presentation of "The Dick Powell Theatre." He received Oscar nominations for "Murder, Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles." His other film credits include John Cassavetes' "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence," "Robin and the 7 Hoods," "The Great Race," "The Princess Bride," and Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Farley Granger, 85, gained fame as a handsome juvenile in two Alfred Hitchcock films, "Rope" and "Strangers on a Train." Though the roles, as well as his work in pictures like "The North Star," "They Live by Night," "Small Town Girl," and "Hans Christian Andersen," established him as a movie star by the 1950s, he chose to focus on television and stage roles for the rest of his career. He appeared with Eva Le Galliene's National Repertory Theatre and on Broadway in "Deathtrap" and other plays. In 1986, Granger won an Obie Award for his performance in Circle Repertory Company's premiere of "Talley & Son" by Lanford Wilson, who also passed away in 2011.Crusty character actor Harry Morgan, 96, built a career playing sidekicks and henchmen in more than 100 movies and is beloved by TV viewers for his performance as Col. Sherman Potter, the flinty, sharp-tongued commanding officer, on the long-running series "M*A*S*H" from 1975 until its finale in 1983. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the show, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his work. He had recurring roles on numerous other series, including "December Bride," "The Richard Boone Show," "Dragnet," and the sequel "After MASH." His many films include "The Ox-Bow Incident," "The Big Clock," "Madame Bovary," "High Noon," and "Inherit the Wind."Alice Playten, 63, a petite actor with a big voice, began as a child performer, appearing in the Broadway productions of "Oliver!" and "Gypsy." Barely out of her 20s, she made a sensation in the short-lived 1967 musical "Henry, Sweet Henry," stealing the show from star Don Ameche and earning a Tony nomination. She gained even wider recognition for a series of comical Alka-Seltzer commercials as a newlywed trying out exotic dishes on her indigestion-afflicted spouse. Playten also appeared on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!," "George M!," "Rumors," and "Seussical" and won Obie Awards for her performances in "National Lampoon's Lemmings" and "First Lady Suite."One of the most distinguished playwrights of the latter half of the 20th century, Lanford Wilson, 73, depicted the lives of ordinary people with lyric realism and compassionate honesty. He's best known for his trilogy of plays about the Talley family, a Lebanon, Mo., clan journeying from belief in to disillusion with the American dream. The works"Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly," and "Tally & Son"were premiered by the Circle Repertory Company, the Off-Broadway theater Wilson co-founded. The first two transferred to Broadway, and "Talley's Folly" won the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson's other insightful works include "Lemon Sky," "Balm in Gilead," "The Hot l Baltimore," "Angels Fall," and "Book of Days." Considered by many the most beautiful woman in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, 79, survived eight marriages and a scandalous private life to emerge as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and a beloved activist for AIDS research and prevention. More than a stunning beauty and the object of gossip, she grew from a child star in "National Velvet" and "A Date With Judy" to a respected actor. Who could forget the wild yet innocent Angela in "A Place in the Sun," the frustrated and passionate Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the conflicted Catherine in "Suddenly, Last Summer," or the vitriolic Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she won her second Oscar. The first was for the melodramatic "Butterfield 8." Taylor appeared on Broadway in revivals of "The Little Foxes" and "Private Lives" as well as in many TV movies, but it's as a film goddess that she will be remembered.Sidney Lumet, 86, was a critically acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter. He made more than 40 films; many of them dealt with social issues and were set and shot in his hometown of NY City. He began as an Off-Broadway director, then moved into directing TV and in 1957 made his feature film debut with "12 Angry Men," for which he received his first of five Academy Award nominations. The others were for directing "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," and "The Verdict" and for writing "Prince of the City." Though he didn't win any of them, Lumet received an honorary Oscar in 2005. One of the first directors to successfully transition from TV to film, he led the way for many others to make the switch. Sherwood Schwartz, 94, created two of the most popular sitcoms in television history, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Though both series (for which he also penned the catchy theme songs) were dismissed by the critics, they achieved long life in syndication and are affectionately remembered by millions of viewers. Schwartz began his showbiz career writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show and later made the transition to television, writing for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Married Joan," and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he won an Emmy Award. Arthur Laurents, 93, had numerous successes on Broadway and in Hollywood, but his most enduring legacy will probably be his contributions to two classic musicals, "West Side Story" and "Gypsy." He wrote their books and directed hit revivals of each. He also directed the original production of the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles" and authored numerous plays, including "Home of the Brave," "A Clearing in the Woods," "The Time of the Cuckoo," "Invitation to a March," "The Enclave," "The Radical Mystique," and "Jolson Sings Again." Most of his later works debuted at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, where he enjoyed a fruitful partnership with artistic director David Saint. Laurents' screenwriting credits include "Rope," "The Snake Pit," "Anastasia," "Bonjour Tristesse" (he also wrote the title song's lyric), "The Way We Were," and "The Turning Point."Other Notable Passings Ray Aghayan, 83, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated costume designer; worked on more than a dozen Academy Awards shows and was the life partner of costume designer Bob MackieTheoni V. Aldredge, 88, costume designer for hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including "A Chorus Line" received an Academy Award for her work on "The Great Gatsby" Tom Aldredge, 83, Emmy-winning character actor whose career spanned five decades on stage and screen; seen most recently on "Boardwalk Empire" husband of Theoni V. AldredgeJames Arness, 88, actor; best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS series "Gunsmoke" considered a hallmark performer in TV's Western genrePhyllis Avery, 88, stage and television actor; starred in eight Broadway shows and played the wife of Ray Milland's character on the 1950s sitcom originally called "Meet Mr. McNutley"Frances Bay, 92, actor; had roles on more than 100 TV shows and in 50 films, including "Happy Gilmore," as the grandmother of Adam Sandler's title characterDoris Belack, 85, stage, television, and film actor; known for her roles as a soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie" and as a judge on the TV show "Law & Order"Price Berkley, 92, founder, editor, and publisher of the weekly trade publication Theatrical IndexRoberts Blossom, 87, character actor; best known for portraying comic and sinister old men, including the next-door neighbor in the 1990 film "Home Alone"Wally Boag, 90, actor; played Pecos Bill, the Old West traveling salesman, in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland for almost 30 yearsTommy Brent, 88, theater producer; best known for putting on summer musicals and plays at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea Patricia Breslin, 80, stage and screen actor; featured on numerous TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," as the wife of William Shatner's character in the episode "Nick of Time"Joseph Brooks, 73, screenwriter, producer, director, and songwriter who composed the Academy Awardwinning song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same nameAnne Brownstone, 87, stage, screen, and radio actor; starred in hundreds of radio shows opposite icons like Jimmy Stewart and also wrote and acted on early television shows such as "Dragnet"Michael Cacoyannis, 90, Greek theater director and filmmaker; best known for directing the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" William Campbell, 87, film and television actor; guest-starred on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" series: "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Squire of Gothos" Annette Charles, 63, television and film actor; best known for her role as Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical "Grease" Linda Christian, 87, Mexican film and television actor; notable for playing the first Bond girl, in the 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"Diane Cilento, 78, Australian stage and screen actor; earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 film "Tom Jones" Jeff Conaway, 60, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Grease" as Kenickie and on the TV show "Taxi" as struggling actor BobbyJackie Cooper, 88, film and television actor; earned an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 for his role in 1931's "Skippy," the youngest nominee ever for best actor, and played Perry White in four "Superman" movies in the 1970s and '80sNorman Corwin, 101, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was known in the 1930s and '40s as the "poet laureate of radio" for writing, producing, and directing acclaimed radio dramasJohn Cossette, 54, television and theater producer; executive-produced more than a dozen Grammy Awards telecasts and co-produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet"Sam Denoff, 83, Emmy-winning comedy writer; best known for working on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show"Marion Dougherty, 88, influential casting director who helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert RedfordRyan Dunn, 34, star of the "Jackass" television series and films; also featured in the 2007 film "Blonde Ambition" and on the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Donya Feuer, 77, choreographer, theater director, and filmmaker who sometimes collaborated with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman Mary Fickett, 83, stage, film, and television actor; best known for her role as Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children"Bob Fraser, 66, television producer, writer, director, actor, and teacher; familiar to thousands of actors who have taken his workshops and studied his book and DVD series "An Actor Works"Dan Frazer, 90, film and television actor; best known for playing Capt. Frank McNeil on the television series "Kojak" adviser to NY's WorkShop Theater Company Leo Friedman, 92, renowned stage photographer during Broadway's glamour age who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine HepburnDolores Fuller, 88, actor, songwriter, and muse of director Ed Wood Jr.; acted in three of his films, including "Glen or Glenda," and also wrote song lyrics heard in a number of Elvis Presley moviesPam Gems, 85, British playwright whose works include "Piaf" and "Stanley"Donald Grody, 83, actor and executive director of Actors' Equity Association from 1973 to 1980; led efforts to establish and fund permanent rent-subsidized housing for actors at NY's Manhattan Plaza Edward Hardwicke, 78, actor; best known for playing Dr. John Watson on three British "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, shown in America during the 1980s and '90sLeonard Harris, 81, arts and theater critic and actor; played Sen. Charles Palantine in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film "Taxi Driver"Edward Hastings, 80, founding member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and its artistic director from 1986 to 1992; staged contemporary and classic plays in the U.S. and abroad Vclav Havel, 75, playwright and former Czech president who led the overthrow of a totalitarian regime in the Velvet Revolution; several of his plays were produced Off-Broadway and three"The Increased Difficulty of Concentration," "The Memorandum," and "Private View"won ObiesBill Hunter, 71, Australian film, television, and stage actor; appeared in more than 60 films, won two Australian Film Institute Awards, and provided the voice of the dentist in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" Sybil Jason, 83, child actor signed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s to rival Shirley Temple, but the two became friends Allan Jefferys, 88, entertainment editor and drama critic for WABC TV and radio in NY during the 1960sHal Kanter, 92, Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer whose work included the Oscar telecast; created the TV show "Julia," the first sitcom to star an African-American in the role of a professionalBob Kelly, 87, Broadway makeup artist and wig maker; worked on shows such as 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and 2002's "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Paul Kent, 80, film, television, and stage character actor; co-founded L.A.'s Melrose Theatre, where he served as artistic director for many years Elliott Kozak, 80, television agent and Bob Hope's producer for more than 30 years; sold to NBC the Motown 25th-anniversary special that featured Michael Jackson's first televised "moonwalk"Michael Langham, 91, classical theater director, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and head of the Juilliard School's drama division; directed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vic, working with then-rising stars Peter O'Toole and Judi DenchJerry Leiber, 78, lyricist who worked with Mike Stoller to create such hits as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" the 1995 Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Caf" is based on their songs Len Lesser, 88, film and television character actor; best known for playing Uncle Leo on the TV show "Seinfeld" Judy Lewis, 76, actor; penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta YoungPhyllis Love, 85, stage and screen actor; originated the role of Rosa Delle Rose in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway Lou Maletta, 74, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982Arthur Marx, 89, television and film screenwriter, playwright, and best-selling author; son of Groucho MarxAnna Massey, 73, British television and film actor; featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film "Frenzy" and often appeared in British costume dramasChristopher Mayer, 57, film and television actor; starred on "The Dukes of Hazzard" in its 198283 season and appeared on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara"Bill McKinney, 80, film and television character actor; played a mountain man in the 1972 film "Deliverance" and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films Sue Mengers, 79, Hollywood agent who represented such stars as Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Cher, Bob Fosse, and Gene Hackman; seen as a trailblazer for women in behind-the-scenes roles in entertainmentMarian Mercer, 75, stage and television actor; earned a Tony Award in 1969 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises"Sidney Michaels, 83, Tony-nominated playwright; had great success on Broadway in the 1960s with productions of "Tchin-Tchin," "Dylan," and "Ben Franklin in Paris"David Mitchell, 79, Broadway set designer; won Tony Awards for "Annie" and "Barnum" Charles Napier, 75, character actor; recognized for his tough-guy roles in films such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II"John Neville, 86, British-born Canadian actor-director and artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s; starred on the TV series "The First Churchills"A.C. Nielsen Jr., 92, expanded his father's Nielsen Company into its current role as an international market research firm, most associated with television ratingsSam Norkin, 94, theater caricaturist and former president of the Drama Desk; captured more than 70 years of stage performancesShirley Carroll O'Connor, 93, publicist and first female press agent for the Clyde BeattyCole Bros. and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses; famously lost eight elephants on Hollywood BoulevardPatrice O'Neal, 41, standup comedian; known for his unfiltered honesty and for addressing topics such as race and his struggle with diabetesRoland Petit, 87, French film and ballet choreographer and head of the Paris Opera; choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev Madelyn Pugh Davis, 90, television writer; best known for her work on "I Love Lucy"Francesco Quinn, 48, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Platoon" and was the son of actor Anthony QuinnBeverly Randolph, 59, Broadway stage manager for more than 30 years; managed or supervised more than 20 Broadway productions Cliff Robertson, 88, film and television actor; won an Oscar for his title performance in the 1968 film "Charly" and played Uncle Ben in the 2002 film "Spider-Man" and its two sequelsRal Ruiz, 70, Chilean director who made more than 100 filmsSol Saks, 100, screenwriter; best known for writing the pilot of the television show "Bewitched"Michael Sarrazin, 70, Canadian film and television actor; gained fame starring opposite Jane Fonda in the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., 91, television engineer who helped invent the teleprompterJohn Scoullar, 61, composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer; was in the original stage production of "King of Hearts"Gene Shefrin, 90, Hollywood publicist who represented Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, and Don RicklesElisabeth Sladen, 65, British actor; best known for her role as Sarah Jane on the TV show "Doctor Who" and its spinoff "The Sarah Jane Adventures"Karl Slover, 93, Czech actor who played the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins band in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz"Bubba Smith, 66, football player and actor; played Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies and appeared on the TV shows "Charlie's Angels," "Good Times," and "Half Nelson"G.D. Spradlin, 90, veteran character actor; best known for playing authority figures in films such as "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now"Helen Stenborg, 86, character actor; won an Obie Award for "Talley & Son" and, with husband Barnard Hughes, the 2000 Drama Desk Award for lifetime achievementLeonard Stern, 88, Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director; his career included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart," and "McMillan & Wife"Tony Stevens, 63, dancer, director, and choreographer; danced in such Broadway shows as "The Boy Friend" and "Irene" directed and/or choreographed "Perfectly Frank," "Wind in the Willows," and "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" helped organize the workshops that provided the basis for "A Chorus Line"Elaine Stewart, 81, sultry Hollywood actor; promoted as a "dark-haired Marilyn Monroe" in such 1950s films as "The Bad and the Beautiful," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," and "The Tattered Dress" Ellen Stewart, 91, founder, artistic director, and producer of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, one of the most prominent Off-Off-Broadway theater companies. Leonard Stone, 87, character actor; known for such films as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Soylent Green" and the TV shows "General Hospital," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Barney Miller," and "L.A. Law"Alan Sues, 85, zany comic actor and one of the stars of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" also appeared on "The Twilight Zone" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Betty Taylor, 91, actor; played Sluefoot Sue at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for three decades Clarice Taylor, 93, actor; best known for playing the grandmother on "The Cosby Show" also an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company, appeared in "The Wiz" on Broadway, and won an Obie for her one-woman play about comedian Moms Mabley Giorgio Tozzi, 88, distinguished Metropolitan Opera bass; nominated for a Tony Award for the 1979 revival of "The Most Happy Fella" and provided vocals for the film version of "South Pacific" Margaret Tyzack, 79, British character actor; won a Tony Award for "Lettice and Lovage" and starred on the British TV series "The Forsyte Saga," "The First Churchills," and "I, Claudius"Theadora Van Runkle, 82, costume designer; received three Oscar nominations, started a fashion trend with her designs for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," and won the Costume Designers Guild's lifetime achievement awardThanasis Vengos, 83, Greek comedy actor; appeared in more than 120 films Yvette Vickers, 82, actor, pinup model, and singer; appeared in the 1958 cult film "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"Jane White, 88, actor and singer; made her reputation in Shakespearean and Greek classical roles but was best known for her comic performance as the wicked queen in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh actor; starred as the title character on the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"Vesta Williams, 53, singer and actor; had a recurring role on the TV show "Sister, Sister" as the best friend of Jacke Harry's characterDoric Wilson, 72, playwright, director, producer, critic, gay-rights activist, and an influential figure in the early Off-Off-Broadway movementRandall L. Wreghitt, 55, Tony-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway producer; his credits included "Grey Gardens," "Little Women," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," and "Golda's Balcony"Dana Wynter, 79, film and television actor; best known for her role in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also starred in "The List of Adrian Messenger," "On the Double," and "Airport" Norma Zimmer, 87, actor and singer; best known as the Champagne Lady on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and as a member of the Girl Friends Quartet; sang with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Dean MartinCompiled by Frank Nestor, with additional reporting by David Sheward

Kosslick to continue at Berlinale

BERLIN -- Dieter Kosslick is positioned to continue as director in the Berlin Film Festival when his current contract expires in 2013. Germany's Government bodies Commissioner for Culture as well as the Media has asked for Kosslick, who needed the reins within the fest in 2001, to stay on for the following three years, although a completely new contract has not been signed. Kosslick has received a substantial impact on the Berlinale, putting a much greater focus on German cinema than his predecessor, Moritz p Hadeln, in addition to beginning such initiatives since the educational Talent Campus as well as the World Cinema Fund, that helps filmmaking in less developed regions around the world. Yet he's also disappointed a fare share of film experts with lineups that have not successful to enhance the quantity of glamour and adulation of other festivals, for instance Cannes and Venice, despite aiding to produce such films as Asghar Farhadi's Iranian hit "A Separation," Bela Tarr's "The Turin House" and Wim Wenders' "Pina," that have been within the running for foreign Oscar nominations. For that 2011 Berlinale, the fest's German sidebar will probably be praising males. Many of the movies up to now selected for your Perspektive Deutsches Kino section focus on males: from bromances to romances to males that don't like talking about themselves and girls who question do not know guy a man. The Perspektive opens with Katarina Peters' documentary "Guy for just about any Day," in which a volume of women transform themselves into males for just about any day. Joachim Schoenfeld's debut feature "Gegen Morgen" (Before Tomorrow), meanwhile, concentrates on two cops, throughout "Westerland," author-director Tim Staffel changes their very own novel, "Jesus und Muhammed," in another debut facet of two teens who fall crazily for each other and hole up along with a tropical that becomes sometimes paradise, at in some cases hell. "What's amazing this time around around is always that the three movies selected up to now are works of company company directors who've been way past 40 after they made their first full-length films," mentioned Perspektive director Linda Soeffker. "A comprehensive spectrum and roundabout routes enrich the festival atmosphere and cinema culture." Matthias Stoll's "Sterben nicht vorgesehen," a couple of medium-extended works within the Academy of Media Arts in Perfume, can be a loving portrait of his dead father. Concentrating on a girl protagonist, Janis Mazuch's "Tage in der Stadt" (Out Off) focuses on a girl who begins a completely new existence after trading 13 years in jail. The Perspektive may even again screen the feature film individuals who win in the Max Ophuels Award, given out at Saarbruecken's Max Ophuels Preis film festival (Jan. 16-22), together with the champion from the year's Steps Award for documentary, "Another Chelsea: An Account from Donetsk," by Jakob Preuss. The Berlinale, which runs Feb. 9-19, can also be praising Studio Babelsberg's 100th anniversary. One of the world's earliest large-scale film studio complexes, Babelsberg is seen because the birthplace of German cinema. In recognition in the event, the Berlinale is showing a distinctive 10-pic series, Happy Birthday, Studio Babelsberg, including such game game titles as Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's "The Ultimate Laugh," Josef von Sternberg's "Nowhere Angel," Konrad Wolf's "Goya," Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" and Stephen Daldry's "The Visitors." Contact Erection dysfunction Meza at staff@variety.com

ROLL CALL: Sandra Bullocks Holiday Tradition: Smuggling German Sausages!

First Published: December 20, 2011 2:41 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Sandra Bullock appears on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno at NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif. on December 19, 2011 LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Sandys Sausages: Some people kiss under the mistletoe, leave out cookies for Santa, hunt for The Elf on The Shelf but not Sandra Bullock she breaks the law during the holidays! Since my mother passed, we break the law, because we have to manage to smuggle German sausages into the country, and apparently bringing meats across the waters is against the law, the actress said on Mondays The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Adding, We just have to break the law a little bit, but eventually someones package gets through Im not at liberty to divulge how we smuggle the sausage. Josh & Fergies Holiday Card!: Fergie and Josh Duhamel have shared their holiday card with their fans on the actors Facebook page. We love that even the couples dogs (Meatloaf and Zoe) are getting into the holiday spirit! See what were talking about HERE! Courtney Stodden Continues To Spread Her Holiday Cheer: Roll Calls favorite teen bride who married an actor in his 50s (is there more than one?) continues her assault on Christmas! The 17-year-old headline maker and her actor hubby took their own special holiday cheer to the snow for what else a bikini photo-shoot! And if your Stodden stocking hasnt been stuffed enough, click on over to Courtneys Twitter, where shes regaling her readers with a racy take on The 12 Days of Christmas. Were hoping Santa brings us a Stodden-free 2012 this year! More Celebrity Cheer!: In much better celebrity holiday news, check out AccessHollywood.coms festive Holiday Season in Hollywood gallery, HERE! A JoBro on Santas lap, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his dog trimming the tree and a pop star rocking a naughty Mrs. Claus outfit, what more could you want this holiday season?! -By Jesse Spero Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rooney Mara: 'Law & Order: SVU' Quotes Were 'Just Not True'

A week ago, Rooney Mara was cited as telling Allure magazine that her time like a guest star on 'Law & Order: SVU' was "so awful" and "so stupid." Burn! But did Mara really say individuals nasty reasons for the Dick Wolf-created mega-franchise? Not necessarily, a minimum of based on Mara herself. "To begin with, the 'SVU' factor -- that's simply not true," Mara told Huffington Publish. "Which was my first job. It could not happen to be more exciting for me personally. This is an experience I hold very dear to my heart. People start out from context, and that is simply not the situation. I had been more nervous doing that job than I had been doing ['Dragon Tattoo']." Mara was cited by Allure as stating that 'SVU' was not something she holds near and dear. "Individuals are enthusiastic about that demonstrate. I do not have it,Inch she stated. Mara could be observed in 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' in theaters on Tuesday. For additional in the rising star, mind to Huffington Publish. For additional from 'Dragon Tattoo' director David Fincher, click the link. [Photo: Getty] Best Performances of 2011 11. Uggie, 'The Artistཆ. Corey Stoll, 'Midnight in ParisƏ. Ryan Gosling, 'DriveƎ. Kristen Wiig, 'Bridesmaidsƍ. Michelle Williams, 'My Week With Marilynƌ. Meryl Streep, 'The Iron LadyƋ. Michael Fassbender, 'ShameƊ. Albert Brooks, 'DriveƉ. Charlize Theron, 'Young Adultƈ. Kaira Pitt, 'MoneyballƇ. Rooney Mara, 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Chronicle gets a cool new poster

A new poster has been released for Fox's upcoming sci-fi flick Chronicle, and we must admit, it's succeeded in piquing our interest!The film sees a group of high-school lads making a bizarre discovery that suddenly bestows weird and wonderful powers upon them. A bit like Spider-Man then, but without the painful inconvenience of a nasty spider bite.Our young heroes soon manage to bring their powers under control, but it isn't long before things spiral out of control. As is often the way with super-human abilities.The poster is a pleasingly enigmatic affair, with some excitingly gravity-bothering action accompanied by the deadpan tagline, "Boys will be boys".The boys in question are newcomers Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell and Michael Kelly, with first-time director Josh Trank at the helm. Chronicle is released in the UK on 1 February 2012.

Which Vampire Journals Original Is Returning having a Vengeance?

Claire Holt Elena's back-stabbing ways may return to haunt her around the Vampire Journals. Within the CW series' midseason finale, Elena (Nina Dobrev) demonstrated that they, too, was able to killing when she stabbed and wiped out Rebekah (Claire Holt) as she ready for the homecoming dance. Consider when has being dead stopped a vampire? Start Looking: Torrey DeVitto around the Vampire Journals "We've not seen all of the Rebekah," executive producer Julie Plec informs TVGuide.com. "The truth that Elena wiped out Rebekah will return to bite her within the butt." Once the series accumulates in The month of january, besides the initial sister return inside a flashback, but she also makes her presence felt in our day. Exclusive: Vampire Journals casts Klaus' Original siblings "I am not likely to say when she makes her reappearance, and surely her being undaggered isn't in Elena's welfare,Inch Plec teases. The Vampire Journals returns towards the CW on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8/7c. What is your opinion is available for Elena?