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Micky Dolenz reflected on how he was almost cast as Happy Days’ greaser sex symbol Arthur Herbert “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in a new interview. “I almost got it,” the actor told People. “Supposedly, it was between me and Henry [Winkler]. He remembers it, too. The story I heard is that he was in the waiting room, saw me come in, and thought, ‘Oh shit, I’ll never get this — Micky Dolenz is here!’ So we laugh about it now. He’s a good friend and a brilliant talent.”

At the time...

Future director Alex Cox moved from his native England to Los Angeles in 1977 because he found the British film scene to be lacking. While attending UCLA, he made his first short, "Edge City," a bitter, talky, semi-surrealist film about struggling artists wandering the uglier parts of the city, having conversations about the nature of artistic success. ("Edge City" is on YouTube.) That short led to a plum deal with Mike Nesmith (of the band The Monkees), who secured over a million dollars for Cox's first feature, 1984's "Repo Man," a seminal film of the punk rock scene and a legit cult phenomenon. "Repo Man" wasn't initially a hit, but its soundtrack (full of L.A. hardcore) sold so well that it was re-released, becoming a financial success. 

Cox came to love punk rock, already somewhat embodying its spirit in his outsider view of filmmaking. In 1986, the filmmaker made "Sid and Nancy,...

Sam Moore, who with with partner Dave Prater helped bring the sound of the church to pop music with a string of call-and-response hits as the high tenor in the famed Stax Records duo Sam & Dave, has died. He was 89.

Moore died Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, of complications recovering from surgery, his rep Jeremy Westby announced.

Called “the greatest of all soul duos” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted the pair in 1992, Sam & Dave worked with the songwriting/production team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter — and used Booker T & the M.G.’s and the Memphis Horns as their backing band — to produce a string of indelible rave-up hits from 1965-68.

Their combined talent produced fevered back-and-forth exchanges in “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” “Hold On, I’m Coming,” “You Got Me Hummin’,” “Soul Man” and “I Thank You.”

Along with labelmate Otis Redding,...

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation expanded the Vacation franchises ensemble by introducing audiences to the larger Griswold family tree. John Hughes, who wrote the first Vacation film and co-wrote the second one (and also wrote the original Lampoon story that the franchise is based on), returned to pen the script for Christmas Vacation. This holiday-themed threequel imagines a disastrous Griswold family Christmas with a burnt tree, an overcooked turkey, and pesky lights that wont go on when Clark wants them to.

The previous Vacation movies had focused entirely on Clark, Ellen, and their kids, but Christmas Vacation introduced audiences to the larger Griswold clan. This includes Clarks parents, Ellens parents, an aunt, an uncle, and a cousin with a family of her own. However, it can be a little confusing to figure out which side of the family each set of in-laws is on, whose uncle is the one who unwittingly blows up the Christmas decorations,...

Photo credit: “Shutterstock.AI” In the year 1967, there was a group that outsold every other artist in the music business. It wasn’t The Beatles. It wasn’t The Beach Boys. It wasn’t The Rolling Stones. And it definitely wasn’t Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. No, it was The Monkees! Even though they had the derisive nickname of “The Prefab Four” — a reference to the group being assembled solely for the purposes of their TV show — their music was good, not to mention extremely popular. Classics like I’m a Believer, Last Train to Clarksville, and Daydream Believer have held up well over time. We only wish we could say the same about the group itself. Sadly, Micky Dolenz is the only remaining Monkee, but he is proudly carrying on the legacy. Speaking at a recent panel devoted to the group at Gallatin Comic Con, Dolenz talked about the immediate chemistry that he,...

Alex Cox's 1984 punk rock sci-fi riot "Repo Man" is one of the defining films of its decade. It follows a disaffected punker named Otto who resents that he has to take a wage-slave job in the blasted-open, comedically meaningless landscape of Reagan's America. He finds solace and job satisfaction as a repo man, serving as the angry inversion of consumer culture. If we are defined by what we consume, then the repo man robs us of meaning, laying bare the fragility of modern economics. Also, be sure to keep your middle fingers highly raised at all times. 

The magical McGuffin of "Repo Man" is an elusive 1964 Chevy Malibu, marked for repossession. The driver, however, is J. Frank Parnell (Fox Harris), and he seems to be unbalanced, having had a lobotomy at some point. Also, his trunk contains the corpse of a radioactive alien. Whenever someone tries looking in the trunk,...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4K Uhd from Warner Bros.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga drives onto home video on August 13 via Warner Bros. The fifth installment in the post-apocalyptic action franchise is presented on 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision/Hdr and Dolby Atmos audio.

Mad Max creator George Miller directs from a script he co-wrote with Nico Lathouris (Mad Max: Fury Road). Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, and Lachy Hulme star.

Five featurettes are included: Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa, Stowaway to Nowhere, Metal Beasts & Holy Motors, Darkest Angel: Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa, and Motorbike Messiah: Chris Hemsworth as Dementus.

The Toxic Avenger Figure from Super...

Daniel Zirilli, a prolific director, producer and writer of action films and more than 200 music videos including the Rolling Stones’ “Voodoo Lounge,” died April 28. He was 58.

His death was announced by his family. No cause was disclosed, but an Instagram message posted by his daughter Talise Zirilli last weekend indicated that he had been missing since April 24.

Born November 13, 1965, Zirilli founded Popart Film Factory at age 24 after graduating from Pepperdine University in Malibu. In the subsequent years, he would direct and writer more than 30 feature films, most in the action and thriller genres. He was a producer on more than 85 films.

Among his most recent, Zirilli directed, produced and co-wrote Invincible, released by Lionsgate in 2022. Shot on location in Thailand, Invincible starred Johnny Strong, Marko Zaror and Michael Pare, who also appeared in Zirilli’s Hollow Point (2019) along with Luke Goss and Jay Mohr.

Other films credits include Acceleration (2019) starring Dolph Lundgren,...

For my money, the Monkees are way, way more interesting than the Beatles. 

According to Andrew Sandoval's thorough and invaluable book "The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation," an ad was put in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter on September 8, 1965, looking for "four insane boys" to be the members of a new pre-fabricated pop band. The band would also star in a TV series -- deliberately meant to evoke Richard Lester's 1964 Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" -- that would use their real names, but present their lives as a fictional merry-go-round of kooky shenanigans. 

The producers zeroed in on former child actor Micky Dolenz, a friend of musician Stephen Stills named Peter Tork, a British, boyish heartthrob named Davy Jones, and heir to the Liquid Paper fortune, Mike Nesmith. Their TV series debuted on September 12, 1966, the week after "Star Trek" debuted, and...

Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features guitarist Christian Nesmith.

Christian Nesmith can’t even count the number of times he’s walked offstage, bursting with pride and adrenaline after playing an amazing concert,...

Micky Dolenz — the sole surviving member of The Monkees — has announced a new EP of R.E.M. covers. Aptly titled Dolenz Sings R.E.M, it’s out on November 3rd. In anticipation, Dolenz has shared the lead single: his version of “Shiny Happy People.” Stream the song below.

In addition to “Shiny Happy People,” the four-song EP will feature Dolenz’s renditions of “Radio Free Europe,” “Man on the Moon,” and “Leaving New York.” The project will be released via 7A Records, and will be available on special yellow vinyl. Pre-orders are ongoing.

As revealed in a new interview with Rolling Stone, the multi-generational mash-up was the result of a conversation Dolenz had with 7A Records co-owner Glenn Gretlund. “I was talking to Glenn about what to do next,” Dolenz explained. “The band R.E.M. came up. I went, ‘Wow, that’s very cool.’ I’m a big fan… And I...

The shows were over, but for Phil Kaufman, the headache was just beginning. Then the road manager for the Flying Burrito Brothers, one of the bands credited with finding the common ground between rock & roll and honky-tonk country, Kaufman had just returned home to Los Angeles, after some Burrito-related work in 1969. In the trunk of his Ford Country Squire station wagon were the embroidered cowboy suits the band had worn onstage and on the cover of its first album, The Gilded Place of Sin. Named after Nudie Cohn, the...

Head is the psychedelic tossing about of the four members of the American classic rock group The Monkees. We follow Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith through a series of interconnected randomized sequences that represent psychological liberation and unusual expression. Rock and roll was at its height during this era in 1968. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were making history all around the world and brought rock and roll to America. There we find The Monkees, and we now have this cinematic masterpiece of imagery and music.

The Beatles seemed to have quite an influence on The Monkees and their visual interpretation. Their hairstyles are longer, and they collectively embrace each other’s quirks and energy. In addition, the psychedelic imagery and some of the song choices mirror those of Magical Mystery Tour. However, this film is in a category of its own… in the best way possible.

Presidents of the United States (both sitting and former) have won. So have former Beatles. And a First Lady. And a lot of other unlikely movie types. The truth is, with so many Primetime Emmy Awards handed out – well over 100 annually – it’s easy for some intriguing victors in both the deeper past and more recently to slip through the cracks.

So as a public service, here are a few dozen-plus Emmy winners you may have missed.

Barack Obama – Yes, our 44th President took home an Emmy trophy in 2022 as best narrator for an episode of the doc series “Our Great National Parks.” He thus became the second President to be so honored. To find out the first, see below. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – It may have escaped your gaze, but the former Beatles won an Emmy last year for top documentary/nonfiction series (shared with Peter Jackson and...

The musical career of the Monkees can be neatly divided into two distinct periods: before Headquarters and after Headquarters. Prior to the June 1967 LP, the band’s songs were selected by outside producers and largely played by studio pros, leaving the four members of the actual group little to do beyond providing vocals. This led to giant hits like “I’m a Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville,” but the Monkees felt like frauds and successfully lobbied to be given complete control with Headquarters. With the exception of bass, the...

Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde won their first-ever Grammys when the bulk of the country music categories were presented during the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony on Sunday afternoon in L.A. The country vocalists’ collaboration “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” was named Best Country Duo/Group Performance, besting nominees like Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

“I’m still working on pulling my dress up,” McBryde said after rushing hand-in-hand to the stage with Pearce. “I’ve known Ashley for a long time and...

Don’t mess with success. That’s the G-rated version of an old showbiz mantra, and it applies to the AFI Awards, which on Jan. 13 will continue with the same format that has worked for two decades.

While the Oscars struggle with TV ratings and other issues, and the Golden Globes are working to restore their luster, the AFI Awards, again at the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, holds onto a formula that was devised for the org’s third annual kudos handouts in 2003.

Every year, the team addresses whether changes are needed, AFI president-ceo Bob Gazzale tells Variety. “And we keep coming back to the same format, because it celebrates everyone equally.”

Winners are announced in advance, so there’s no suspense, and there’s no pressure to make acceptance speeches.

During awards season, filmmakers and execs drag themselves to various events, but people actually want to go to the AFI Awards.

The story of the Monkees is well known to any fan of 1960s pop music. Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, inspired by the freewheeling antics they witnessed in Richard Lester's celebrated 1964 Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night," wanted to capture a similar energy on the small screen. Widespread auditions were held to form a new band that possessed musical talent, but, more importantly, screen chemistry and maybe some acting acumen. The production team was lucky to land one Micky Dolenz, a former child star who appeared on the long-forgotten sitcom "Circus Boy." Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith followed. Peter Tork was suggested by his friend Stephen Stills. While the Monkees did not form organically, they did have chemistry, and possessed humor and acting talent that their less interesting Liverpudlian counterparts never did. Yes, it is now written. The Monkees are, in their way, more interesting than the Beatles.

Miranda Lambert picked up the most nominations when the Recording Academy announced the country music Grammy nominees on Tuesday. Lambert, a perennial contender, found herself nominated in all four of the country categories, the only performer to do so for the 2023 Awards.

Lambert’s 2022 album Palomino clearly resonated with Grammy voters. In addition to earning a Best Country Album nomination, the collection spawned tracks that earned two other nominations: “If I Was a Cowboy” and “In His Arms” for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, respectively. Lambert’s...

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Leo Gallagher, the watermelon-smashing prop comic known as Gallagher, has died. He was 76.

His former manager, Craig Marquardo, told The Hollywood Reporter that Gallagher died Friday in Palm Springs after a short health battle. He was surrounded by family.

The comic had suffered a host of heart attacks, something he and David Letterman talked about during an appearance on Late Show With David Letterman in 2012.

Gallagher became a household name in 1980 with his comedy special, An Uncensored Evening, which was directed by Mike Nesmith of The Monkees.

That was seen as among the first stand-up comedy specials to air on cable television. Gallagher did, in all, 12 comedy specials for Showtime over 27 years, with only George Carlin starring in more. In 2004, Comedy Central named Gallagher among the Top 100 comics of all time.

But Gallagher’s biggest comic touch was employing a sledgehammer. He became...

The Monkees reached their creative zenith in 1967 on their third LP Headquarters, which marked the first time the made-for-tv band was given complete control of a project, and Micky Dolenz is celebrating the achievement next year with a special tour where he’ll play the album straight through.

The band has also prepared a limited edition 4-cd/7” vinyl Headquarters box set that’ll feature 69 previously unreleased studio tracks. They include backing tracks producer Don Kirshner assembled for a planned third Monkees record he was forced to abandon once the group gained creative freedom,...

John Legend took the stage at the Emmy Awards on Monday to honor the stars who left us during the past year. The “In Memoriam” segment was one of the highlights of the night, with the Egot winner performing his new song “Pieces.”

Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery

Anthony Anderson presented Legend and the segment, saying, “It never feels like the right time to say goodbye to a loved one, a friend or a cherished icon.”

He added. “To quote Shakespeare, ‘All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players, they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.’ As we acknowledge the legends within our industry will pass on, we celebrate all that they created and shared with the world. May they rest in peace and power.”

Emmy Red Carpet Photos: Best Looks Of 2022

During Legend’s performance,...

Producers of this Monday’s Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony have some difficult decisions to make about who to honor during the emotional In Memoriam segment. John Legend will perform “Pieces,” a new song he has written for the tribute. Kenan Thompson will host the 2022 Emmys for NBC at 8 p.m. Et; 5 p.m. Pt.

Our list below includes almost 100 people who made a strong contribution to television and have died since mid-September of 2021 following the previous Emmys ceremony. Only about 40-45 of these people will probably be in the video segment. Certain to be featured will be TV Academy Hall of Fame members actress Betty White and director Jay Sandrich.Other prominent names almost certainly chosen are: Mary Alice (acting winner), Louie Anderson (acting winner), James Caan (acting nominee), Anne Heche (acting winner), Howard Hesseman (acting nominee), William Hurt (acting nominee), Gregory Itzin (acting nominee), Ray Liotta (acting winner), Burt Metcalfe...

Micky Dolenz, the last living member of The Monkees, is suing the FBI for access to a secret dossier containing information on him and his former bandmates.

Dolenz was the drummer in the made-for-tv band that rocketed to fame in the 1960s, alongside Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones. The group had hits including I’m a Believer and Last Train to Clarksville, and four No 1 albums in 1967, a record that remains unbeaten. They broke up in 1970.

That era saw the FBI’s then director J Edgar Hoover keep files on a catalogue of entertainment stars and other public figures, including Elvis and John Lennon.

A file on The Monkees was previously released in 2011. Although heavily redacted, it mentioned the possibility of “anti-us messages on the war in Vietnam” being relayed by the band during a 1967 concert tour.

Dolenz’s attorney, Mark Zaid, told Rolling Stone magazine he had...

Mickey Dolenz, a musician best known as the drummer of The Monkees, is suing the FBI to obtain full records of their surveillance of him and his fellow bandmates during J. Edgar Hoover’s time as FBI director.

It was already known that the FBI investigated the band after a report that they flashed anti-Vietnam War imagery in a 1967 concert, along with a second redacted complaint according to Dolenz’s court docs.

A small portion of the FBI’s report on The Monkees was released to the public, but they failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request for the full materials filed by Dolenz earlier this year.

Dolenz is the only surviving member of the band, which once consisted of Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones and Dolenz.

The band was first conceived alongside their sitcom of the same name which the members all starred in as well,...

The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz is not monkeying around with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The domestic intelligence and security service of the U.S. is being sued by Dolenz over information collected on the Monkees 55-years-ago. Dolenz is suing the FBI for the full file, according to Rolling Stone, after a Freedom of Information Act request failed to get the job done.

Read More: Alec Baldwin’s Lawyer Responds To FBI Forensic Report Showing He Possibly Pulled Trigger In Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting

A portion of the collected information was unsealed in 2011. An FBI informant attended a Monkees concert in 1967 and reported “subliminal messages” projecting “left-wing interventions of a political nature.” Footage from the show included protests of the Vietnam War and civil-rights riots in Selma, Alabama.

The Rolling Stone report noted that the failed Freedom of Information Act request may pertain to a logjam of requests surrounding the Covid pandemic and the Jan.

Micky Dolenz has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to obtain FBI records related to The Monkees.

The 77-year-old singer and guitarist is the lone survivor of the four-piece 1960s band, which also comprised of the late Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith, who passed away at the start of 2022.

When The Monkees kicked off their debut tour in 1967, at least one FBI informant was present.

“During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,’” reads a document in the band’s file.

“These messages and pictures were flashed of riots, in Berkley, anti-us messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had unfavourable response[s] from the audience.”

While this snippet from the FBI’s file on the band was publicly released over a decade ago, Dolenz’s lawyer,...

When the Monkees launched their inaugural tour in 1967, they played to throngs of screaming teenagers – and at least one FBI informant. “During the concert, subliminal messages were depicted on the screen which, in the opinion of [informant’s name redacted], constituted ‘left wing intervention of a political nature,'” reads a document in the Monkees FBI file. “These messages and pictures were flashed of riots, in Berkley, anti-u.S. messages on the war in Vietnam, racial riots in Selma, Alabama, and similar messages which had unfavorable response[s] from the audience.”

This tiny portion of...

When The Monkees premiered on NBC in the Fall of 1966, there was nothing like it on TV. Before Laugh-In, the series was delivering a unique stream of Marx Brothers style gags, non-sequiturs, and sunny pop tunes. Created by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider originally as a series about a folk group, the show had no takers. After the success of The Beatles and A Hard Day's Night, the concept was changed to long-haired rockers and quickly found interest. With a pilot script by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice), and starring four young actors/musicians — Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones — the series would be an immediate success with a pre-teen audience who missed Beatlemania but were ready for Monkeemania.

Though regarded by cinephiles as one of the architects of the “New Hollywood” largely because of moody character studies like 1970’s “Five Easy Pieces,” filmmaker Bob Rafelson — who died Saturday at 89 — will also always be adored for his co-creation and production of the decidedly less moody, madcap television series “The Monkees,” and for further directing that makeshift band in the comically avant-garde 1968 film “Head.”

Rafelson is very fondly remembered by vocalist and drummer Micky Dolenz, the final surviving member of the Monkees, who shared his thoughts about Rafelson’s role in the creation and development of the group with Variety.

A wildly silly sitcom about a faux teeny-bop band meant that its producer-showrunners, Rafelson and Bert Schneider (who died in 2011), had to find a willing quartet of actor-musicians. Enter Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and Dolenz, who became the Monkees, recorded a dozen hits selling over 75 million records worldwide,...

Micky Dolenz, the drummer of the mid-1960s formed-for-tv band The Monkees that became a pop music staple and Emmy winners to boot, took to Twitter on Sunday to remember Bob Rafelson, one of the co-creators of the musical show.

Rafelson, the film and TV director and producer who was Oscar-nominated for helming 1970’s Five Easy Pieces starring Jack Nicholson, died Saturday in Aspen, Co, at at 89.

Write Dolenz: “One day in the spring of 1966, I cut my classes in architecture at LA Trade Tech to take an audition for a new TV show called, “The Monkees”. The co-creator/producer of the show was Bob Rafelson. At first I mistook him for another actor there for the audition. Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.”

He added: “Regrettably, Bob passed away last night but I did get a chance to send him a message telling him...

Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, and producer who helped launch Jack Nicholson’s career while quietly working on some of the most influential films of the ‘60s and ‘70s, has died at the age of 89, his ex-wife Gabrielle Taurek confirmed.

Rafelson was best known for writing and directing “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, which earned him critical acclaim and two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. He also produced “Easy Rider” and “The Last Picture Show,” directed the “All Night Long” music video for Lionel Richie, and co-created “The Monkees.”

Born in New York City in 1933, Rafelson studied at Dartmouth College and was later stationed in Japan while serving in the U.S. Army. While there he found work as a translator of Japanese films, a job that led him to fall in love with the works of Yasujiro Ozu.

“I’d have to watch an Ozu movie over and over again — say,...

Bob Rafelson, a giant in the American independent film movement as a writer, director and producer, and later a co-creator of The Monkees television show, has died at 89 of natural causes at his Aspen, Co home.

His death on Saturday was confirmed by his ex-wife, Gabrielle.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2021: A Photo Gallery

Rafelson collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features including Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972). He was an uncredited producer on Easy Rider.

He was also instrumental in co-creating The Monkees, a television music group that was seen as a Beatles offshoot.

Rafelson was involved in co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces, and then produced Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971). He was Oscar-nominated for both.

He also made his mark as a cultural influencer in television. With Bert Schneider, he created The Monkees, the 1966 NBC show that brought together a young...

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Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, producer and maverick who set the tone for the swinging, psychedelic 1960s with The Monkees, then was a pioneer in one of the most influential eras in the history of independent film, has died. He was 89.

Rafelson, who collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features, including the classics Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), died Saturday night of natural causes at his home in Aspen, Colorado, his wife, Gabrielle, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Rafelson earned Oscar nominations for co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces and then, for an encore, produced Peter Bogdanovich‘s breakthrough hit, The Last Picture Show (1971).

Along with his late partner Bert Schneider, Rafelson created The Monkees, the touchstone NBC show that debuted in 1966. He conceived the idea of a program that mimicked the exuberance of The Beatles, specifically the...

Fred Ward, the versatile character actor who starred in films like Tremors, The Right Stuff and Henry & June during a career that spanned five decades, has died at the age of 79. Ward’s rep, Ron Hoffman, confirmed the actor’s May 8 death in a statement, though no cause of death was provided.

An Air Force veteran and amateur boxer before becoming an actor — his tough guy look and gruff exterior was attained thanks to a few broken noses in the ring — Ward was equally adept when featuring in dramas,...

The Oscars In Memoriam segment gave viewers a chance to remember the memorable names in film who died over the past year. But every year, viewers are surprised to see that a few recognizable names were omitted.

Beloved comedian Bob Saget, who had a small handful of film appearances in movies including Richard Pryor’s “Critical Condition,” drew the most outrage on social media. However, Saget did win a student Oscar for his 1977 documentary “Through Adam’s Eyes.”

Norm Macdonald was also left out of the segment. Like Saget, Macdonald is best known for his TV roles, but also appeared in a handful of movies, including “Dr. Dolittle,” “Grown Ups,” “Billy Madison” and “Back to Norm.”

Most of the others mentioned as omissions were principally known for their appearances on television, not film.

The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith, “Sex and the City” star Willie Garson, “Mary Tyler Moore Show” star Ed Asner...

Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony will return to its normal two-hour live format on TNT and TBS. One of the highlights each year is the special In Memoriam segment. It’s been a particularly rough year with over 100 deaths of prominent actors and actresses who were likely members of SAG/AFTRA. Show producers typically are able to include approximately 40-50 people in a tribute. The 2021 segment saluted 55 people because they had responsibility for 14 months instead of 12.

Among that group will certainly be previous SAG president Ed Asner, who was also a life achievement award recipient. That honorary award was also presented to Sidney Poitier and Betty White, who both died this past year.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2022: In Memoriam Gallery

Who else might be featured in the 2022 tribute? Look for Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, Oscar nominees Ned Beatty, Peter Bogdanovich and Dean Stockwell, plus Emmy champs Louie Anderson, Michael Constantine, Charles Grodin,...

Micky Dolenz is going to honor his departed Monkees bandmates Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones with a special tour. He’s billing it as Micky Dolenz Celebrates the Monkees, and it kicks off in April.

“I felt it was important to gather the fans and properly celebrate the lives of Davy, Mike and Peter,” Dolenz said in a statement. “People have been contacting me, requesting that I honor them in a way where the extraordinary impact of the Monkees can be properly acknowledged. We spent such a great...

When I stepped onto Michael Nesmith’s tour bus in Huntington, New York, on Oct. 28, the first thing he did was offer me some weed. I politely declined, as I did every time we sat down together, and asked about his health. The subject had been on my mind ever since I saw him at tour rehearsals early the previous month and was startled to find him gaunt and pale, unable to stand for more than a minute or two at a time.

“Don’t know,” Nesmith said between puffs on his vape pen.

BTS. Kurt Cobain’s FBI file. The Doomsday Glacier. Rolling Stone’s most-read stories of 2021 covered a whole lot of ground.

Several of the year’s biggest investigations are here: A deep dive into the planning of Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol; physical- and sexual-abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson; Eric Clapton’s funding of anti-vax propaganda. But so, too, is the bundled-up-Bernie-Sanders inauguration meme and a debunk of a viral video featuring a woman appearing to breastfeed a cat.

A note: This list below does not include our wildly popular pop-culture lists.

In an utterly accidental way, a box set devoted to the Archies, the infamous TV cartoon band of the Sixties, couldn’t have arrived at a timelier moment. Earlier this month, we lost the Monkees’ Michael Nesmith. The band’s musical gatekeeper, the one most preoccupied with the TV-generated combo being allowed to write its own songs and play on its own records, Nesmith famously rejected “Sugar, Sugar” — a bubblegum pop song as basic as it gets, brought to them by producer Don Kirshner.

As the late Kirshner told Rs...

Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard paid tribute to Michael Nesmith, the Monkees legend who died Friday at the age of 78, with a set of acoustic covers that the singer posted on Instagram.

“Mike Nesmith passed today and I feel completely gutted. I also feel so fortunate to have called him a friend,” Gibbard wrote. “I believe the best way to mourn the loss of a musician is to play their music. When we do so we keep the beauty of their spirit alive in our hearts. With that said,...

Singer, guitarist and songwriter Michael Nesmith, who was with the 1960s pop group The Monkees, has died at the age of 78. The quartet enjoyed hits like ‘Daydream Believer’ and ‘I’m A Believer’, and starred in their own popular TV sitcom. Nesmith wrote numerous tracks including ‘Listen To The Band’, ‘Sunny Girlfriend’ and ‘Tapioca Tundra’. […]...

Good night, Papa Nez. The music world is mourning today for the late, great Michael Nesmith, and celebrating his long, weird, beautiful life. He died today at 78, just weeks after the Monkees’ final show on Nov. 14. He was the coolest Monkee, the rock star of the band, the tall, lanky Texan in the wool hat. Nobody did more to eroticize aviator shades and sideburns than Nez. But he was the band’s dedicated musician, writing a slew of cowboy-hippie classics: “Tapioca Tundra,” “Listen to the Band,” “Circle Sky,” “Auntie’s Municipal Court,...

On Nov. 14, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith stood onstage together at L.A.’s Greek Theater and took their final bow as the Monkees. It was end of a farewell tour that had taken them all across North America. And although it was impossible for fans to ignore Nez’s frailty throughout the long tour, especially during the early shows when he sat on a stool for much of the set, it was still an enormous shock when the news came today that Nesmith had died from heart failure.

“I...

Micky Dolenz paid tribute to his longtime friend and Monkees bandmate Michael Nesmith in a heartfelt statement today.

The statement reads, in full:

I’m heartbroken.

I’ve lost a dear friend and partner.

I’m so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best – singing, laughing, and doing shtick.

I’ll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick.

Rest in peace, Nez.

All my love, Mick

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Dolenz, the Monkees’ drummer and singer who paid tribute to Nesmith on his latest album, Dolenz Sings Nesmith, completed a farewell tour with the singer-guitarist-songwriter just last month.

Nesmith died today of natural causes at his home in Carmel Valley, Ca. He was 78. Former bandmate Peter Tork died in 2019, and singer Davy Jones died in 2012.

Dolenz was joined by other actors, musicians and colleagues remembering Nesmith today.

Michael Nesmith, a member of the 1960s-era music group The Monkees and star of the sitcom of the same name, died Friday, our sister site Rolling Stone reports. He was 78.

“I’m heartbroken,” onetime bandmate Micky Dolenz shared on Twitter. “I’ve lost a dear friend and partner. I’m so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best – singing, laughing, and doing shtick. I’ll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick. Rest in peace, Nez.”

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Michael Nesmith, the wool-capped singer and guitarist of The Monkees, died today from natural causes, his family has announced. He was 78.

“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” the family statement says. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.”

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Monkees singer and guitarist Michael Nesmith, a pop visionary who penned many of the group’s most enduring songs before laying the groundwork for country rock with the First National Band in the early Seventies, died Friday from natural causes. He was 78.

“With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and...

The Monkees have survived many logical endpoints. They first seemed like they were done when their TV show went off the air in early 1968, and then again multiple times after: when they disbanded as a recording unit in 1971, when their reunion tours fizzled out amid bitter infighting in the early 2000s, and when Davy Jones died in 2012 and Peter Tork followed in 2019.

But they’re (probably) ending for real this year when surviving members Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz head out on a farewell tour. It kicks off September 10th in Spokane,...