Pop 'n' Fresh

Barbara Walters does not know fascinating

It's that time of year again. When Barbara Walters becomes the arbitor of what's "fascinating."

Walters is weighing in with her annual "10 Most Fascinating People" special and the list includes Tom Cruise, Tina Fey, Will Smith, Rush Limbaugh, Miley Cyrus and Michael Phelps. The names of four honorees were withheld, but the list comes from the year's most prominent names in entertainment, sports, politics and pop culture.

Rush Limbaugh? Really? That's so 1995, Babs. Try Al Franken who made a brilliant and satirically genius run for the Senate (that he may actually have won, pending a recount).

Tom Cruise? I've had more than enough of that domineering lunatic. Let's have a new crazy, like Amy Winehouse or Lindsay Lohan.

I'm hoping those last four are good (like Michelle Obama, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Tim Gunn, will.i.am ... she'd be lucky to nab GOP sweetheart Sarah Palin) but I have a feeling it's more likely to include overexposed celebs like one half of Brangelina, Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker.

The septuagenarian journalist will air her annual "10 Most Fascinating People" special Dec. 4 on ABC.

Madonna is one crazy mother

The Daily Mail is circulating a list of the Material Girl's do's and don't issued to Guy Ritchie for his sons' visit to London this week. The Brit tabloid says they were sent by email from her PA.
Here are a few of the wonders of parenting endorsed by Madonna:

- Under no circumstances should they read newspapers, magazines or watch TV (understandable since the family is current tabloid fodder, but wait...) or DVDs

- They must adhere at all times to a macrobiotic, vegetarian, organic diet with no processed or refined food (OK, I get the idea behind this, but what kid can't eat Twinkies?)

- All water they drink, even when it is to dilute organic juice, should be Kabbalah water (mountain water blessed by leaders of the Kabbalah religion)

- They should wear the clothes Madonna has sent with them on the flight. If they need to be bought anything, they should not contain man-made fibers

-Their hands should be regularly cleaned with disinfectant spray if they are in public places

- Madonna should have phone contact with the boys as much as three or four times a day at times set by her (really, Madonna? Do you afford Guy the same rights?)

- At bedtime, Guy should read David the English Rose books Madonna wrote (oh, now you've done it, I think I'm going to throw up in my mouth a little).

Am I wrong? Is this sane advice from a stable mother?

The movies lose their voice

Maybe you don't know his name. Or even his face. But everyone knows his voice.

Don Lafontaine, master of the movie trailer and commercial voiceover, died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to complications from pneumothorax (a collapsed lung that causes air to build in the pleural cavity). He was 68.

Known for his gravelly, attention-grabbing voice, Lafontaine provided the voiceovers for hundreds of movie trailers, including The Godfather, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Fatal Attraction, Dr. Strangelove and many others. He even poked fun at his usually dramatic performances in the trailer for The Simpsons Movie. Lafonatine was best known for his often-imitated catchphrase "In a world...".

He also voiced thousands of commercials. One of his most recent was one for Geico (note the "In a world..." reference):

But who better to fill in the blanks of his own life than Don himself?

Condolences go out not only to his loved ones, but also to all the films he'll never do voiceovers for.

Because "in a world" without Fontaine's voice, going to the movies will never be the same.

- Jason

Special effects guru Stan Winston dies

Maybe you didn't know his name.

But you sure know his work.

Special effects master Stan Winston passed away on Sunday after a seven-year battle with multiple melanoma. The Oscar-winning Winston was a master of his craft, working with Hollywood giants like James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Michael Bay and a slew of others.

Winston was pretty much at the top of his field, well known for his make up effects and animatronics and setting the bar for today's filmmakers. Stan was an old school type of guy - his heyday was back in the '80s and early '90s before the rise of the computer generated imagery (which his company had started to dabble in recently).

Through puppetry and stop-motion animation, Stan and his people created some of the most iconic ghosties, ghoulies and long-legged beasties in cinema, including the Predator, the aliens from the Alien movie franchise, the socially challenged Edward Scissorhands, the Terminator, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and, most recently, the suit that Robert Downey Jr. aka Tony stark wears in the film Iron Man.

I was fortunate enough to attend a talk given by Winston in 2000 and it was obvious that the man was infactuated with his craft. He loved it and, in return, it gave him great joy and success. It was surprising to find out, then, that when he was asked what the his least-favorite film he had worked on was, it was Jurassic Park. In fact, he said he hated the film. Why? It was the first time CGI had been incorporated so heavily into a major motion picture and he said that when he watched it the first time, he realized he was "about to be out of a job."

For the sake of every movie lover, thank goodness it wasn't true. It's safe to say Winston was a pioneer in his field and his influence will be felt for years to come.

- Jason