Steel Kaleidoscopes

Top 5 Robin Williams Movies

Is there anyone better with the gift of gab than Robin Williams? Versatility spans the ultra serious to the super silly. Here are the Top 5 Robin Williams movies:

5. The Fisher King
Disturbing and dreamlike. Original and memorable .

4. Awakenings
Serious role for a serious subject. What versatility. 

3. Mrs. Doubtfire
Takes "Tootsie" to a new level. Whirling wardrobe. 

2. The Birdcage
Belly laughs throughout South Beach with Nathan Lane. 

1. Good Will Hunting
Landmark acting performance in classic new-age romance.

Retro Silver Screen

Marilyn Monroe would be celebrating her 86th birthday next month.

Top 20 Best Songs Written for Movies

Paste Magazine recently published its Top 20 Best Songs Written for Movies list. While there are obvious choices here, some are clearly missing.

Where's Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic"? How about Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" from "Say Anything"? And where's Bill Conti's "Rocky's Theme" from "Rocky" and "Rocky II"?

That said, it's an OK list. Here's Paste Magazine's Top 5:

5. "Save Me" - Aimee Mann, "Magnolia"

4. "Miss Misery" - Elliott Smith, "Good Will Hunting"

3. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds, "The Breakfast Club"

2. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid"

1. "Mrs. Robinson" - Simon & Garfunkel, "The Graduate"

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Ah, Ned.

Lions and Tigers and Bears ...

The story about the exotic animals let loose in Zanesville, Ohio, is both bizarre and sad.

Imagine seeing this herd running free?

It's kind of like a real-life "Jumanji."

Reel Romantic Beach

My friend Richard just returned from Hawaii. This is his picture of the beach in Oahu that was featured in "From Here to Eternity."

Below is the famous scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.

Quote of the Day

 "I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert."

— Leslie Nielsen, as Dr. Rumack, in "Airplane!"

Whatever Happened To...

Bo Derek?

Best known for her role in the movie "10," Derek, 53, is planning to marry John Corbett, whom she's been seeing for the last eight years. Corbett played Aiden, Carrie's boyfriend, on "Sex and the City."

Earlier this week, the California state Senate delayed, for now, confirming Derek to a commission that oversees horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering at racetracks in California. She is one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's four appointees to the racing board.

Derek is an animal rights activist and horse lover who owns a pet care products company. She's also an avid Republican and Formula 1 racing fan.

Derek's husband, John Derek, 30 years her senior, died in 1998. They were married for 22 years.

Derek has been off screen for the past few years, with her most recent role in the 2006 telenovela "Fashion House," with Morgan Fairchild, broadcast on MyNetworkTV.

Over the years, Derek has starred in several movies and TV shows, including "Tarzan, the Ape Man" and "Bolero." 

Perspective

We're so caught up in 3-D movies, high-def television and overall image clarity.

Believing is seeing.

So as Hollywood continues to churn out more and more multidimensional celluloid heroes, our own sense of reality becomes skewed.

Case in point: As I was driving home the other night, I noticed how the cumulus clouds, strikingly white against a velvet-blue sky, looked like they were in 3-D.

They are. Because they're real.

We're not looking at a screen and carefully crafted technology.

Life is beautiful. And there are no gimmicks.

Whatever Happened To...

Ernest Borgnine?

Borgnine, 92, received an Emmy nomination for his work on ER this past season. He turns 93 later this month.

Borgnine is married to cosmetics businesswoman Tova Traesnaes, his fifth wife. They have been married 36 years and live in Beverly Hills.

Since 1999, Borgnine has provided the voice for superhero Mermaid Man in the cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Borgnine's most recent movie is 2009's  "Another Harvest Moon," which he plays the lead role.

Although he's appeared in more than 100 films, Borgnine is best known for his television work on "McHale's Navy" and "Airwolf."

In 1955, Borgnine won the Best Actor Award for his role in "Marty." This is the oldest film whose Best Actor winner is still living.

Other notable films include "From Here to Eternity," "The Wild Bunch" and "The Poseidon Adventure."

Borgnine was the first center square in the original version of "Hollywood Squares," hosted by Peter Marshall.