Monday, July 22, 2013

R.I.P. Dennis Farina: His Most Memorable TV Roles


Hollywood is mourning the death of legendary TV and film actor Dennis Farina, who died today at the age of 69. His rep said in a statement that he was "always warmhearted and professional, with a great sense of humor and passion for his profession," a sentiment we wholeheartedly agree with.
Farina leaves behind a legacy of iconic movie roles (SnatchGet Shorty and Midnight Run, to name just a few), but he was also a favorite of the small screen. From a detective who wasn't afraid to be flashy to the world's slickest father, here are Farina's most memorable turns on television:

1. Albert Lombard, Miami Vice (1984-1989): On the cult classic Miami Vice, Farina played Albert "Al" Lombard, a crime boss who ran every kind of gambling operation. From poker, roulette, blackjack, cockfights and shirtless brawls, Albert was one member of the Librizzi empire that you did not want to mess with. However, in the end Farina's character had a change of heart and he agreed to help the Miami Vice team to bring down Librizzi, even though it meant he had to die in the process.

2. Detective Joe Fontana, Law & Order, (2004-2006): After Jerry Orbach passed away in 2004, Farina was brought on to replace his character: the legendary Lennie Briscoe. Joe Fontana was a transfer from the Chicago Police Department, a nod to Farina's Windy City roots. The detective was unlike other Law & Order folks, because he wasn't afraid to be flashy. He loved tailored suits and drove a Mercedes around the streets of NYC. Who says you have to look dull while chasing down perps?


3. Gus Demitriou, Luck (2011-2012): Though the show only lasted one season (it was canceled due to controversy surrounding the death of three horses), Farina managed to use the short timeframe wisely and gave us another standout performance. As Ace's (Dustin Hoffman) longtime driver and all-around gofer, Gus held titles ranging from registered horse owner to (spoiler alert!) murderer.


4. Walt Miller, New Girl (2013): Farina was a fan favorite parent in the New Girl loft playing Walt, Nick Miller's (Jake Johnson) dad, and a silver-haired fox/con-man. He and Nick were not always on the best of terms, but luckily they patched things up before Walt passed away at the end of Season two. Despite their rocky relationship, Walt left his son with some truly amazing advice before he passed: "I want to make sure that you don't miss out on the things in life that are happening when you're not thinking. Because, believe you me, those are the best things in life."





Selena Gomez admits being ‘stressed out’ about dating, breaking up with Justin Bieber


Selena Gomez opens up about her relationship with Justin Bieber in an E! special.

For Selena Gomez, the price of fame was paid in breaking up with Justin Bieber.
Ahead of her 21st birthday on Monday, the "Come and Get It" singer sat down with Ryan Seacrest for an exclusive interview about her life and love, admitting that she was "stressed out" during the very public relationship and subsequent split from Bieber last November.
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"I'm sure you could actually see those pictures of me being, like, way stressed out about it," Gomez said in the televised special, which aired Sunday.


"And it's hard, because what do you do? Do you just wanna sit in your house and hide and not go anywhere?"




The interview with Ryan Seacrest aired Sunday, ahead of Gomez’ 21st birthday on Monday.

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The former Disney darling kept quiet about her relationship with the "Boyfriend" singer most of the time, only commenting on her music and acting career.
When she finally gave some confirmation that she split from Bieber, Gomez joked that she once made him cry,  speaking to David Letterman in March.
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"I'm single," Gomez said at the time. "I'm so good."



Gomez said she was ‘way stressed out’ during her time with Bieber, though she confirmed to Seacrest that the two are not currently dating.



True Blood's Tragic Death: Are You Surprised?


Spoiler Alert: We're talking about the big True Blood death tonight, so if you don't want to know that Anna Paquin was killed off, stop reading.
Joooookes.
But really, though, we are going to say who died.

RIP, Terry Bellefleur.
True Blood teased more than a month ago that a major death was coming, but very few (if any) fans predicted accurately that Terry (Todd Lowe) would be the one to go.
Tonight, in perhaps one of the most sob-inducing scenes in True Blood history, the poor war vet, who had put out a hit on himself because he had a death wish, died in the arms of Arlene (Carrie Preston) as she sang him a lullaby.
We knew the death was coming and still promptly took our proper stance in the fetal position, rocking ourselves and shaking, which makes this story just a wee bit hard to write.
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Terry had finally shook all of the demons out of his head, as his devoted wife Arlene found a way to erase all of his painful war memories, and we saw a lightness to his character never before seen on the show.
And then he died. Because a show like this doesn't let anyone experience true happiness like that without true (ratings-inducing) consequences. Because True Blood is like that bad, abusive boyfriend who you know is no good for you, but you somehow can't quit.
Fan theories ranged about who True Blood's big death would be, with most rumors pointing to Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). There were even rumblings it might be Eric (Alexander SkarsgĂ„rd), which, no offense to the fantastic work of Todd Lowe, would have been a show killer.
Will you miss Terry? When you stop rocking yourself in the fetal position, feel free to post your thoughts in our comments section. Sigh. Trubie group hug?