In Memoriam: Legendary Actor "Patrick Stewart" Dies Aged 86

 

 

The Yorkshire-born Shakespearean actor who became a global star as Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier died at his home in Los Angeles, his family said.

Patrick Stewart, the British actor who spent decades in classical theatre before becoming one of the best-known faces in science fiction as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at the age of 86, his family said on Thursday 

He died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles after "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia", his longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, said. The statement said he had been surrounded by family and friends, music, prayer, tears and laughter, and spoke of an enduring reminder of his invincible grace. 

Stewart was born in 1940 in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. He spoke publicly about growing up with a father who was violent towards his mother, and later supported the domestic-violence charity Refuge. He trained as an actor and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s, where he spent much of the next two decades on stage.

His career took a huge changed in 1987 when Robert Justman, a producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation, saw him reading Shakespeare at a lecture at UCLA and brought him in to audition, against the doubts of the franchise's creator, Gene Roddenberry. Stewart won the part of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, expecting the series to last a single season. It ran for seven seasons and was followed by four films. Picard, a captain who preferred diplomacy to force, made Stewart a star well beyond the theatre; he returned to the role in the series Star Trek: Picard from 2020 to 2023.

Then from 2000 he also played Charles Xavier, the telepathic founder of the X-Men, in Bryan Singer’s X-Men and its sequels, up to James Mangold’s Logan in 2017. Stewart said he admired both Picard and Xavier for their morality, kindness and compassion, 

Stewart never left the theatre. He played Macbeth, toured his one-man version of A Christmas Carol, and appeared with his close friend Ian McKellen in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in London and on Broadway. He was knighted in 2010 and published his memoir, Making It So, in 2023. 

He is survived by his wife, the singer Sunny Ozell, and his two children, Daniel and Sophie.

In Memoriam: Legendary And Iconic Veteran Actor "Tom Skerritt" Dies Aged 93

Legendary and Emmy-winning actor "Tom Skerritt," who embodied a solid, wry authority figure in every role he too part from the flight instructor in "Top Gun," a tough-but-fair sheriff on TV's "Picket Fences" or the doomed captain of "Alien," has died aged 93.

Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes, his family said in a statement. While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity and the love he brought into our lives. He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices,” the statement said.

Skerritt was twice nominated for an Emmy — both for "Picket Fences," winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993. Other career highlights include playing the patient husband of Shirley MacLaine in "Turning Point," Sally Field's husband in "Steel Magnolias" and a scheming opportunist who stands in the way of Jodie Foster's attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life in "Contact."

Skerritt born in Detroit in a middle-class family, his father a small businessman and his mother a housewife. He had two brothers; a sister died as a child. He spent four years in the Air Force, attended Wayne State University and then switched to the University of California, Los Angeles, to study filmmaking, inspired by a viewing of "Citizen Kane."

His performance in a Los Angeles theater production of "The Rainmaker" led to his first film role — a supporting role as a sergeant in the 1962 scrappy, $250,000 independent Korean War film "War Hunt." The movie marked the debuts of Skerritt, Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack and Francis Ford Coppola.

Indeed, Redford and Skerritt were looking for the same lead role, with Redford winning out. Years later, Redford, now directing, paid Skerritt back with compound interest in "A River Runs Through It," handing him the plum role of the stern Rev. John Maclean, a minister whose governing passions are his faith and fly-fishing. The New York Times was impressed by his halting, thoughtful manner.

Despite "War Hunt," success, Skerritt still struggled for screen time, landing a small role in "M.A.S.H." and "Thieves Like Us" for Robert Altman, and doing a bit part as a motorcycle cop in "Harold and Maude" for Hal Ashby. Things changed with "The Turning Point," which earned him a National Board of Review win. 

Then came "Alien," with Skerritt playing the beleaguered and doomed captain of the ship Nostromo, crouched in a dark, claustrophobic duct, hunting the alien with a sputtering flamethrower. He told the Seattle Times that what appealed to him in the script was that the lead actor disappeared and the woman becomes the hero. I really like that idea. Tings shifted again after that, including a memorable role as Tom Cruise's instructor in the landmark "Top Gun" following the quote: "Gentlemen, you are the top 1% of all Naval aviators. The elite. The best of the best. We'll make you better," he told the students. 

Perhaps Skerritt's most successful role came as the kindly sheriff in "Picket Fences," a comedy created by David E. Kelley that won 14 Emmy Awards — one for Skerritt — and a Golden Globe over its four-year run from 1992 to 1996. Skerritt co-starred opposite Kathy Baker, playing his doctor wife in the community of Rome, Wisconsin, a place with bizarre happenings, like having a robber leaving a trail of frogs or the pope becoming the primary witness to a murder.

Also on the small screen, Skerritt played William Walker on ABC's "Brothers and Sisters," Jimmy Ford on TNT's "Leverage" and he had the recurring character Evan Drake on "Cheers." He starred in the Hallmark movie "What the Deaf Man Heard," co-starring Matthew Modine, Judith Ivey and James Earl Jones. 

He is survived by his third wife, Julie Tokashiki, and five children 

The Compilation: NOW Yearbook '94

Now series is back with a brand new compilation "NOW Yearbook '94" a golden age, kicked off at the time for British bands and guitar-driven pop music.  This Compilation delivers 79 tracks of US R&B, Boy Bands, US female singer-songwriters, Oscar winners from Disney musicals, rock legends hitting the charts after a leave of absence, various rappers and Jimmy Nail.

In spite of everything, 1994 was a mixed bag. It was the year Kylie BACK with "Confide in Me", Sting had his first UK top 10 hit with "When We Dance", and Bruce Springsteen returned to the UK top 10 for the first time in nine years with his No 2 single "Streets Of Philadelphia".

Amongst Boy bands included here are Take That, Boyzone, Boyz II Men, East 17 (two tracks including the Christmas No 1 ‘Stay Another Day’) and the first half of CD 2 (the Britpop section) is the exception rather than the rule, but excellent all the same with tracks from Oasis, Radiohead, The Stone Roses, Suede, Elastica, Primal Scream et all.

Two doses of Elton John from the Lion King soundtrack is probably two too many, but very good to see Crowded House's "Locked Out", Sophie B. Hawkins’ "Right Beside You" and The Grid’s "Swamp Thing" included here.

The usual formats on offer: 4CD sets (deluxe hardcover book and card sleeve editions) and the 3LP version, which delivers 44 tracks across six sides of bright blue vinyl.

NOW Yearbook ’94 will be released on 30 October 2026.

 

CD 1

 

1. Bruce Springsteen – Streets Of Philadelphia (From the TriStar Film “Philadelphia”)

2. The Pretenders – I’ll Stand By You

3. Bon Jovi – Always

4. Elton John – Circle Of Life (From “The Lion King”/Soundtrack Version)

5. Kylie Minogue – Confide in Me

6. D:Ream – Things Can Only Get Better

7. Pet Shop Boys – Yesterday When I Was Mad

8. Alison Moyet – Whispering Your Name

9. Roxette – Sleeping In My Car

10. East 17 – It’s Alright

11. Let Loose – Crazy For You

12. Take That – Everything Changes

13. Boyzone – Love Me For A Reason

14. Boyz II Men - I’ll Make Love To You

15. All-4-One – I Swear

16. Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do

17. Sophie B. Hawkins – Right Beside You

18. Youssou N’Dour and Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds

19. Sting – When We Dance

 

CD 2

 

1. Radiohead – My Iron Lung

2. R.E.M. – What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?

3. Oasis – Shakermaker

4. The Stone Roses – Love Spreads

5. Suede – Stay Together

6. Elastica – Connection

7. Primal Scream – Rocks

8. Dawn Penn – You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)

9. Brian & Tony Gold & Red Dragon – Compliments On Your Kiss

10. Chaka Demus & Pliers, The Taxi Gang & Jack Radics – Twist And Shout

11. J. Lewis – Sweets For My Sweet

12. Pato Banton, The Reggae Revolution, Ali Campbell & Robin Campbell – Baby Come Back

13. China Black – Searching

14. Big Mountain – Baby, I Love Your Way

15. Jimmy Nail – Crocodile Shoes

16. The Beautiful South – Everybody’s Talkin’

17. The Rolling Stones – Love Is Strong

18. Crowded House – Locked Out

19. Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

20. Stiltskin (Peter Lawlor) – Inside

 

CD 3

 

1. Pet Shop Boys – Absolutely Fabulous

2. Whigfield - Saturday Night

3. Corona – The Rhythm Of The Night

4. Real McCoy – Another Night

5. Ace Of Base – The Sign

6. Baby D – Let Me Be Your Fantasy

8. D:Ream – U R The Best Thing

9. Tony Di Bart - The Real Thing

10. Reel 2 Real – I Like to Move It (feat. The Mad Stuntman)

11. DJ Miko – What’s Up

12. Doop – Doop

13. SNAP! – Welcome To Tomorrow (Are You Ready)

14. Clubhouse feat. Carl – Light My Fire

15. JX – Son Of A Gun

16. The Prodigy – No Good (Start the Dance)

17. The Grid – Swamp Thing

18. Cappella – Move On Baby

19. Maxx – Get-A-Way

20. M People – Renaissance

21. Haddaway – I Miss You

22. PJ & Duncan – Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble

 

CD 4

 

1. Elton John – Can You Feel The Love Tonight (End Title/ From “The Lion King”/Soundtrack Version)

2. Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around (From “Four Weddings And A Funeral” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

3. Richard Marx – Now And Forever

4. Roxette – Crash! Boom! Bang!

5. Marcella Detroit – I Believe

6. Take That – Sure

7. Michelle Gayle – Sweetness

8. Eternal – Save Our Love

9. The Brand New Heavies – Midnight At The Oasis

10. Donna Summer – Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved)

11. Aretha Franklin – A Deeper Love

12. Salt-N-Pepa & En Vogue - Whatta Man

13. Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate

14. Seal – Prayer For The Dying

15. Toni Braxton – Breathe Again

16. Gloria Estefan – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me

17. Wendy Moten – Come In Out Of The Rain

18. Dina Carroll – The Perfect Year

19. East 17 – Stay Another Day

In Memoriam: The Beloved Actor "Dennis Haskins" Best Known For His Role As "Mr. Belding" Has Died Aged 75

 

Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for his role as principal Richard Belding on the high school comedy series "Saved by the Bell," has died, his agent said Monday. Haskins was 75. The cause of death were unavailable.

He made his network television debut in 1979 on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Haskins also appeared on "Archie Bunker's Place," Magnum, P.I.," "7th Heaven," "Hot in Cleveland" and nearly 100 other shows as an actor and voiceover artist.

 

His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and caretaker in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. No cause of death has been announced. Some reports say Haskins was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. 

 

Haskins was honored with The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Most Distinguished Alumni of 2000 award and has a regional high school academic decathlon named after him, The Dennis Haskins Open.

 

In recent years, Haskins traveled the country, visiting many Minor League Baseball stadiums in the summer, greeting fans, signing autographs and taking pictures. 

 

Haskins first played Mr. Belding in "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" on the Disney Channel in 1988. The show was renamed "Saved by the Bell" the following year and became a defining sitcom of the 1990s. His greeting of “hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?” became one of the sitcom’s most recognizable running bits and remains instantly associated with the character decades later.

 

Haskins’ role on the show, which aired from 1989 to 1993, would come to define him for millions of fans. "Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more.

 

Haskins was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he reported for the student newspaper, acted in campus productions and was a founding member of the community theater group known as the Harlequins, according to his university biography. As a young man, he worked as a music manager, agent and concert promoter and boasted Tom Jones and Gregg Allman among his clients.

 

His acting career was boosted by his portrayal of Mr. Belding on Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" in 1988, according to the university bio. The next year, NBC aired the show as "Saved by the Bell"; it ran until 1993. He reprised the role on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," which aired Saturday mornings from 1993 to 2000 on NBC. After the show’s end, he found work in several movies and television shows, including "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

The Anniversary: MTV's Twin Channel M2 Was Launched 30 Years Ago.

On this date 30 years ago, MTV officially expanded its music video empire thanks to a commercial-free, second channel: M2 later know as MTV2, the network was created as an all-music-video spin-off to offset its parent channel's shift toward general and reality programming. 

So by 1996, several indie rock and pop outfits were finding their way onto MTV, but ghess what?, it was the days in which the original network started to changed music videos for reality shows. So why launch a second channel focused solely on music videos when the original was seemingly getting the job done?.

The reality shows were already springing up across MTV in the early/mid '90s, and the company wanted to keep fans satisfied with non-stop music videos, decided to go with this new network named at the time M2 -- which would later be rebranded as MTV2 in 1999 -- attempted to reach that goal, and was also used as an opportunity to feature a higher diversity of music videos than MTV was doing at the time. The channel launched via satellite with Beck's "Where It's At", the network inaugural VJs where the 120 Minutes host "Matt Pinfield", Rolling Stones' Jancee Dunn &  radio-industry veteran Kris Kosach, targetting viewers around 23/25 age to up.

Even when we know that MTV betrayed its music video roots for all its reality programming, 30 years ago, believe it or not, critics were having very similar conversations back in the mid-'90s. In fact, when M2 launched in '96, music writer Sean Piccoli wrote "MTV has" put some truth back into the promise of their title: Music Television. And they’ve made it harder to dislike them for all the dreck they pass off as programming on the original channel. Watching the foundling M2, whose start up and first hour were simulcast this week by MTV, it was stunning to see in this new venture how far the parent network has strayed from its roots."

He also highlighted some of the channel's additional programming: “M2’s only nonmusical programming, per se, came in a pair of minute-long segments featuring artists talking about things they love. In the first piece, Porno For Pyros frontman Perry Farrell, grinning like a dope against a backdrop of animated wallpaper, talked about getting hold of a bootleg tape with 20 versions of a little-known Jimi Hendrix song, "Gypsy Boy." In the second piece, Parliament-Funkadelic founder George Clinton reminisced about the heyday of urban break-dancing.” As he noted, M2 played 15 music videos in its first hour of broadcast, including clips from PJ Harvey, Hayden, Gary Young and A Tribe Called Quest,  then M2 is doing part of its job."

M2/MTV2 spent its first decade playing uninterrupted blocks of alternative, rock, and classic music videos, then gradually introduced lifestyle and comedy shows, eventually dropping music videos entirely around 2017.

Today, MTV2 -- much like its predecessor -- is unrecognizable from what it was when it first launched. Reality TV, comedy programs and game shows have taken hold of the channel, with a few music videos sprinkled in for good measure.

The Anniversary/Television Personalities: When MTV Launched A New Era In Music 45 Years Ago.

It was exactly on 1 August, 1981, when Music Television—known as MTV—launched its first broadcast with The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star,"  ushering in a new era of pop music. It was the best of TV combined with the best of radio, video jockey Mark Goodman told the audience in the wee hours of the night. 

The nerwork turned out to be a potent mix, with video becoming as important as the music itself. Among the first videos shown on MTV were Pat Benetar’s “You Better Run,” Rod Stewart’s "She Won’t Dance with Me," and The Who's "You Better You Bet."

 Although MTV wasn't the pioneer of the music video concept—its origins can be traced back to the 1960s with The Beatles and The Monkeys—and in the late 1970s a show emerged that many consider the direct ancestor of MTV: the famous "PopClips" on Nickelodeon, conceived by former Monkeys member Michael Nesmith. It only lasted one season, but its brief contribution was fundamental to the arrival of MTV. 

Of course, every beginning has its challenges, even for MTV. The debut couldn't even be seen in New York, and many of the producers recount traveling to New Jersey to watch the launch in a bar. There were other places where it was available from the very beginning. The truth is, it's not known for sure who actually saw the channel's debut on August 1, 1981. Many of us remember it and were able to watch it because VH1, for its 30th anniversary, dedicated the first 24 hours to its broadcast, and today at least the first two hours are available on YouTube. After the first clip, everything went silent for a few moments, then Pat Benatar appeared, followed by a brief description of the evolution of human sound, and then more videos, which were scarce at the time, many of them from years earlier. There was even a Rod Stewart video from 1976. 

In those first few hours, viewers could watch REO Speedwagon, The Who, Blondie, Styx, The Pretenders, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters, Split Enz, and April. Wine, among others, and then the official presentation of the first VJs: the great Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and Nina Blackwood. It's curious how Goodman comments on how quickly time has passed since the channel's launch, and now it reaches its 45 anniversary, unfortunately with more sorrow than glory. 

The network gradually took off until the "I Want My MTV" campaign, promoted by luminaries like Hall & Oates, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Billy Idol, The Police, and others, aimed to get cable distributors to include it in their programming. Little by little, its influence became omnipresent, with virtually no competition. Although programs like "Night Tracks" appeared on NBC over time, it wasn't the same. MTV's success made music videos essential for established artists and newcomers aspiring to success, benefiting the music industry by giving space to Black artists like Michael Jackson. This was also due to pressure from other artists, since initially there were hardly any Black artists on the programming. Then came "Thriller," and everything changed. The massive success of this video, which many consider the best in MTV history (for me, it's "Take On Me"), encouraged the creation of the VMAs in 1984, whose first ceremony was simple yet successful. Setting the course, and then, even though they continue to be delivered, their influence or value is worthless. 

Obviously the network evolved, delivering memorable moments and programs. For example, the famous "The Basement Tapes," the support for indie music in "120 Minutes," the metal in "Head Bangers Ball," the rap segment "Yo MTV Raps," the "Top 20 Countdown," the Spring Break specials, and the famous "MTV Unplugged," which began with XTC's performance and spawned memorable moments like those with Nirvana and R.E.M. Then came the creation of its younger sibling, VH1, MTV Europe, followed by MTV Latino, Alternative Nation, and AMP. Just as the channel was beginning to decline in the mid-90s, MTV2 breathed new life into the channel, recapturing its golden age and remaining on the air until its cancellation in 2003, leaving us with nothing. There were key moments like the famous "Unplugged," whose idea originated from an acoustic show with XTC, but it was Eric who truly made it happen. Clapton, Paul McCartney, R.E.M., and Nirvana showed that the format would reach massive heights. And what can be said about the VMAs, which after 1985 evolved into something unmissable? I remember the ceremony being considered a massive and unmissable event, until it stopped being innovative and enjoyable from the late 90s onwards. 

Unfortunately, little by little, the network content began to fade and replace music videos with trash reality TV, first was "Real World" back in 1992, and from then on it wouldn't stop, without knowing it, we were witnessing the beginning of the end, until everything became unbearable. Unfortunately over the decades, MTV went through many different phases before ultimately fading as cable TV was replaced by the internet—but not without forever leaving its mark on music.

Retro: Vanilla Ice En Concierto

Hoy hace 35 años tuvo lugar el llamado "Concierto Del Año" como los medios de aquel entonces se encargaron de llamar al show que Vanilla Ice conocido también como el rapero blanco ó el "Elvis del rap, vino a dar a Guatemala. 

 

Y si efectivamente era todo un suceso por la talla del artista que se trataba y porque era algo raro y bueno todavía lo sigue siendo, que un artista en su prime venga a ofrecer shows por estos lares, generalmente lo hacen cuando ya les paso el momento, y si no, a manera de decir que "peor es nada" la infame moda de traer grupos o artistas tributos para que el público se conforme al menos con eso. 

 

Hubo una vez una división entre el rap comercial y el de las calles, y precisamente Vanilla Ice pertenecía al primera que sin necesidad de entrar en polémicas y enfrentamientos con la industria musical, lograron tener éxito, la llamada época dorada del rap comercial con nombres de la talla de M.C. Hammer, Kid 'n' Play, Tone Loc y por el Iceman que ayudaron a popularizar el género entre finales de los 80s e inicios de los 90s.

 

Por aquel 1991, se barajeo la posibilidad de traer a M.C. Hammer y hasta confirmaron que el malogrado acto C+C Music Factory vendría a ofrecer un show, al final todo se quedo en la nada, pero curiosamente se confirmo la llegada de Vanilla Ice y desde ese momento, se convirtió en el evento del año. Había jingle que decía así: "Coca Cola te trae una noticia que bien te cae es Vanilla Ice es Concierto compra tus entradas en Discos & Cosas a Q. 40.00 y Q. 65.00"  toda una ganga comparando los precios de los shows de hoy en día. 

 

El concierto tuvo lugar en el Teodoro Palacios Flores, pusieron de teloneros a un grupo llamado Stress que la verdad nada que ver con el estilo de Vanilla Ice, pero era lo que había, al final hizo su presencia frente a una 8,000 personas aproximadamente durante unos 90 minutos interpretando los temas de su disco "To The Extreme", aunque por momentos me recordó mucho al "Extremely Live" álbum en directo que por ese entonces también se estaba promocionando. 

 

El show tuvo sentimiento encontrados para muchos fue increíble y para otros no tanto y entonces comenzaron a correr el mensaje que ese no había sido el verdadero Vanilla Ice sino un impostor, ya que no se parecía físicamente, además que no se sabia los pases de baile como en los videos, casi no hubieron bailarines, el sonido estuvo malo (aunque eso siempre ha pasado en los conciertos que se han dado por aquí), al final vino e hizo lo suyo y su show quedo marcado en los anales de eventos musicales destacados en la historia nacional y que hoy 35 años después recordamos como uno de los momentos más icónicos de aquel 1991 y de la década de los 90s. 

In Memoriam: Legendary And Former 120 Minutes Host "Dave Kendall" Dies Aged 68

Dave Kendall, who created and hosted the influential MTV show 120 Minutes, has died. His friend Matt Pinfield, who hosted the show after Kendall’s tenure, shared the news on Instagram. Bangkok Post, where Kendall worked from 2017 to 2025, also ran an obituary. No cause of death was given. Kendall was 68, according to Bangkok Post.

The British-born Kendall got his start writing about music for UK and U.S. publications such as Melody Maker and Spin, he explained in a website bio. He relocated to New York City in the 1980s and created 120 Minutes for MTV, where he spent seven years as a writer, producer, presenter, and news reporter. The show, conceived as a home for alternative music, launched in 1986, three years before Kendall took over as its ever-impassioned host. As well as promoting bands like Sonic Youth and Pixies, Kendall helped to spread the Nirvana explosion, hosting the premiere of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in 1991.

Kendall went on to host and co-produce the talk show Music Scoupe, as well as taking on various radio, TV, and DJing gigs. His website touts his early 1990s Hot 97 program Planet Traxx as the first electronica show on commercial radio. From the mid '90s, he embarked on a career in digital journalism that included some of the first online video streaming shows. He eventually returned to TV before settling in Thailand and joining Bangkok Post.

Retro: Eclipse Total De Sol 1991

           

It was precisely on this date 30 years ago, that the famous total solar eclipse took place. This phenomenon began in the Pacific Ocean and passed over Hawaii, Mexico, and the rest of Central America, including Guatemala, before ending its path in South America, encompassing Colombia and the Amazon region of Peru and Brazil. 

 

Its duration, according to reports, was 7 minutes and 2 seconds at its peak. In Guatemala, according to the newspaper Prensa Libre, it lasted 6 minutes and 54 seconds. I remember the excitement at the time was unique, as it was the first time such an event would occur in the country. As the date approached, the media emphasized everything that was going to happen and how things might unfold. 

 

This led to a series of fantastical and even fatalistic speculations, with some believing it was a sign of the end of the world. According to my memories, at that time I was in first grade, and I think that thanks to all the speculation and how risky the phenomenon could be, since according to what was said, if one looked directly at the sun one could suffer irreversible damage, but not while it was hidden, and perhaps that is why they sent us straight home. 

 

From the early hours of the morning, there was special coverage on the local channels. For example, the local channel "Canal 3" was showing documentaries such like "The Longest Eclipse in the World," something like that, about a plane following the phenomenon. Their counterpart "Canal 7" joined altotogether and broadcasted how everything was going dark from various points in the country, such as the beaches of the southern coast, other border cities, and from the capital city on the balcony of the Teletenango studios. Other local channels "Canal 11/13" also had their own special coverage.

Books: Still In A Dream "Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock 1984-1994"

The definitive story of the slackers and shoegazers who reinvented rock. Twenty years after his acclaimed postpunk best-seller, Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds tells the tale of what happened next: the underground explosion of noisepop, shoegaze, slacker rock and grunge that reverberated through the mid-Eighties into the early Nineties.

Capturing the musical exhilaration of the era along with the alienation of youth during a period of ascendant conservative politics and glitzy mainstream pop, Still in a Dream celebrates a golden age of guitar reinvention, a second psychedelia of mind-blowing sounds pioneered by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. In Britain, groups like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive escaped into shimmering dreamworlds while American underground rockers like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement blended apathy and urgency into thrilling noise.

A propulsive and personal account from a journalist who covered this music in real time from the frontlines, Still in a Dream vividly recreates a period that was the last blast for the analogue culture of vinyl records and music papers, before the Internet changed everything. 

 

Title: Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock 1984-1994

Pages: 464

Author: Simon Reynolds

Publisher: White Rabbit

Format: Hardcover 

 
 

Retro: Hoy Hace 35 Años "Show De Fuegos Artificiales"

Hoy hace 35 años una famosa cadena de comida rápida celebraba su 20 años de existencia, y para darle las gracias a su clientela, decidieron tirar la casa por la ventana, y publicitaron un evento que con el tiempo se quedo establecido como una tradición. 

 

La velada incluía un concierto de un cantante Mexicano muy famoso por esos años, tendría su presentación en el desaparecido "Estadio Del Ejercito" y a las 10 de la noche daría comienzo el más espectacular e inolvidable "Show De Luces Artificiales" tal y como lo publicitaban traído de los Estados Unidos, para agradecer la preferencia local. 

 

El show tuvo lugar en el "Campo de Marte"  y llego a gustar tanto que la cadena de comida rápida decidió repetir el mismo show para las celebraciones navideñas de ese mismo año, comenzando una tradición que se viene realizando desde entonces para las Navidades y que solía celebrarse en el fin de semana previo a la Navidad, luego cambio a inicios de ese mes, hasta llegar a celebrarse a mediados de Noviembre desde hace ya una década, curiosamente su origen fue para los 20 años de existencia de la cadena que hoy esta cumpliendo 55  y no para celebrar la Navidad como muchos lo creen. 

 

El anuncio fue publicado en el ya desaparecido semanario Gente Joven que venía incluido en el diario Prensa Libre los días Sábados, en esa edición de hace 35 años, el top 40 oficial para Guatemala tenía como No. 1 a los malogrados The Real Milli Vanilli con "Keep On Running" banda que se promovió para enmendar la polémica con Milli Vanilli un año antes, el podio era completado por Extreme y su balada "More Than Words" y el proyecto Italiano Black Box con "Strike It Up", además de un artículo sobre la cantante juvenil Debbie Gibson.

In Memoriam: Film And TV Actor "Anthony Head" Dies Aged 72

Iconic British actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in TV shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ted Lasso, Merlin and Little Britain, has died at the age of 72. Head found international fame as Rupert Giles in hit supernatural teen show Buffy in the late 1990s.

 

He went on to have a recurring role in sketch show Little Britain as the prime minister, he played king Uther Pendragon in the BBC's Merlin, and appeared as former football club owner Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso. "He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family," his daughters Emily and Daisy said.

His daughters' statement said "it is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father".

"It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many."

They also said they knew "how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues and fans of the show he was in", adding that he "loved his job very much" and "always considered himself incredibly lucky".

His family acknowledged that "his legacy will live on" and said they considered themselves "lucky" to have watched him doing what he loved throughout his career.

Head's other credits included playing Geoffrey Howe in The Iron Lady and appearing in Doctor Who, Persuasion, The Inbetweeners and Manchild.

He also starred in Ted Lasso from 2020 as former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham's character Rebecca Welton. Brett Goldstein, their co-star and a writer on the show, said: "Anthony Head was a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world, which was an incredible skill because he was the best person."

Head first found fame in the UK in the 1980s as the face of Nescafe coffee adverts on TV. He was part of the Gold Blend couple alongside Sharon Maughan, with their coffee-themed romance ads becoming popular between 1987 and 1993. 

Head starred in numerous popular British shows during his career, also including Motherland, Silent Witness and Doctor Who. His last acting credits included Bridgerton in 2022, in which he starred in one episode in series two. He joined the cast of BBC Radio 4's long-running drama The Archers in 2018, playing Robin Fairbrother. The actor also enjoyed a long stage career, performing in several iterations of The Rocky Horror Show and musicals such as Godspell and Chess.

Born in Camden, London, in 1954, Head's mother was actress Helen Shingler, best known for BBC TV series Maigret, and his father Seafield Head, a documentary maker. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Head lost his long-term partner Sarah Fisher, who was an animal welfare campaigner, in December 2025 at the age of 61. His daughters Emily, 37 and Daisy, 35, both work as actors - with Emily best known for playing Carli D'Amato in The Inbetweeners. Daisy has appeared in TV shows including Harlots and Shadow and Bone. His brother Murray is also an actor, who appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday and the musical Chess.

In Memoriam: Legendary "Donald Gibb" Dies At 71

Donald Gibb, known for his iconic role as the brutish football player Ogre in the 1984 campus comedy classic "Revenge of the Nerds," has died at 71. His son, Travis, confirmed Gibb passed away Tuesday in Texas following health complications. Gibb's character, Frederick Aloysius Palowaski, was a key antagonist, part of the jock fraternity that tormented the "nerds" like Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe. 

 

Ogre and his teammates famously kicked the nerds out of their dorm after their own frat house burned down, setting up the film's central conflict. Gibb reprised his role in "Revenge of the Nerds II" and "IV." His extensive career spanned over 90 screen roles, including early appearances in films such as "Stripes" and "Conan the Barbarian," and TV series like "The A-Team" and "Magnum P.I."

 

In Revenge of the Nerds, Frederick Aloysius Palowaski, aka "Ogre" — along with a group of fellow college football teammates from the fictional Adams College — torment the nebbish freshmen Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine), Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards), Booger (Curtis Armstrong) and their fellow classmates, dubbed “nerds,” under the guidance of the team’s coach, Harris (John Goodman).

 

The players, who lost their Alpha Beta frat house to a fire, kick the  "nerds" out of their freshman dorm at the beginning of the film. The group of math and computer whizzes, however, concoct a plan of revenge to put the jocks back in their rightful place – in the gym. Gibb also starred in sequels Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise in 1987 and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love in 1994. The actor did not, however, appear in the 1992 TV movie Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation. 

 

Donald Gibb recalled in an interview with Youngstown Studio in 2025 that he landed the role of Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds thanks to the help of his friend, stunt coordinator Terry James, after he was initially told he looked too old to play a college student. As such, Gibb said, the casting director was pushing for a different actor to play Ogre. However, Gibb added, since Revenge of the Nerds director Jeff Kanew really wanted him for the part, James came up with a plan to give the actor another chance.

 

In all of a sudden, I get a call from my buddy and he says, 'If you can get down here, shaved, you know — get down here as fast as you can,' Gibb told Youngstown Studio. As such, Gibb told the outlet, he had shaved, but he also had "blood squirting out" of his face from close cuts and pieces of toilet paper to cover them up. After he cleared the mess away, Gibb said he went into another interview  clean shaven and they went, "Okay, he can play the college guy.”

 

Born Donald Richard Gibb on Aug. 4, 1954, in New York City, Gibb's first screen role came in an uncredited turn as a henchman in the Clint Eastwood action comedy Any Which Way You Can. The bit role in the Eastwood comedy was followed two more high-profile films where Gibb played uncredited roles: as a bouncer in the mud-wrestling bar in Bill Murray’s 1981 comedy Stripes and King Osric’s (Max von Sydow) bodyguard in the 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger fantasy adventure Conan the Barbarian.

 

Before landing the role of Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds two years later, Gibb appeared in a string of television guest roles in such series as Alice, Simon & Simon, Hardcastle and McCormick, The A-Team and Magnum: P.I. The same year Gibb hit paydirt with Revenge of the Nerds, he also appeared in the comedy Meatballs 2.

 

Amid his work in the Revenge of the Nerds sequels, Gibb appeared in dozens of more TV guest roles on such series as The Facts of Life, Hunter, Night Court, MacGuyver, Cheers, The X-Files, Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Weird Science and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, as well as the daytime dramas Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless.

 

Apart from the Revenge of the Nerds movies, Gibb appeared in such films as Bloodsport, Bloodsport 2, U.S. Marshals and Hancock. Gibb’s last credited screen role was in the 2026 sports thriller Hands. Gibb also has a role in the forthcoming horror film Burlesque Ghost Hunters, which does not yet have a release date.

In Memoriam: Iconic And Veteran Actor "James Tolkan" Dies At 94

James Tolkan, the veteran character actor best known for his stern authority roles in "Back to the Future" and "Top Gun," has died at the age of 94.  James Tolkan, known for his roles as an authoritarian figure in the Back to the Future and Top Gun films, has died. He was 94.

Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York, where he lived, his booking agent, John Alcantar, said Saturday. A brief obituary published on the Back to the Future website said Tolkan died "peacefully", but no cause of death was given.

In Back to the Future, Tolkan portrayed the bow tie-wearing vice-principal Gerald Strickland, who eyeballed students for trouble in the halls of the fictitious Hill Valley high school – in particular Marty McFly, played by Michael J Fox. "You got a real attitude problem, McFly," Tolkan's character says in the 1985 film.  "You're a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too."

Tolkan also appeared in Top Gun as commanding officer Tom "Stinger" Jardian. Near the end of the film, when Jardian asks Tom Cruise’s character, Capt Pete "Maverick"  Mitchell, about his choice for future duty, Mitchell replies that he wants to be a Top Gun instructor. "God help us," Tolkan's character replies, laughing. Tolkan's big-screen résumé also included The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Amityville Horror, Wolfen, WarGames, Masters of the Universe, True Blood and Opportunity Knocks.

Born on June 20, 1931, in Calumet, Michigan, James Stewart Tolkan cycled through Chicago after his parents divorced and wound up in Tucson, Arizona, where he graduated from Amphitheater High School in 1949. After a stint in the U.S. Navy, he attended Coe College and the University of Iowa, came to New York with $75 in his pocket and studied with Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio, where Beatty was a classmate in 1956.

He made his onscreen debut in 1960 on an episode of ABC's Naked City, and in 1966 he understudied for Robert Duvall before replacing him as bad guy Harry Roat in the original Broadway production of Wait Until Dark, starring Lee Remick. 

Later, Tolkan played insurance investigator Norman Keyes on five episodes of NBC’s Remington Steele and several characters over 21 installments of A&E’s A Nero Wolfe Mystery (he directed a couple of episodes as well). He also guest-starred on Miami Vice, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Wonder Years, Leverage and many other shows.

Survivors include his wife, Parmelee, who worked at the American Place Theater as a costumes and scenery painter. They met on the set of the 1971 off-Broadway play Pinkville when he was acting in it and she was a prop girl, and they married that year in Lake Placid. Donations in his memory can be made to your local animal shelter, animal rescue organization or Humane Society chapter.

Tolkan also played Napoleon and his look-alike in Woody Allen’s Love and Death and was the crooked accountant known as Numbers who works for Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) in Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy.He appeared in three movies directed by Sidney Lumet: as a cop in the Pacino-starring Serpico, as a determined D.A. in Prince of the City and as a judge in Family Business.On Broadway, Tolkan portrayed salesman Dave Moss in the original 1984-85 production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. (Ed Harris played the character in the 1992 movie adaptation.)

Tolkan is survived by his wife of 54 years, Parmelee Welles.

In Memoriam: Legendary Martial Artist And Actor "Chuck Norris" Dies At 86

Martial arts phenom and Hollywood action star Chuck Norris has died on Thursday at the age of 86, in what his family described as a "sudden passing."

A message poster by his family on Friday confirmed the deceased: "It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning," "While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace." 

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940, he grew up poor. At age 12, he moved with his family to Torrance, Calif., and joined the U.S. air force after high school, in 1958. It was during a deployment to Korea that he started training in martial arts, including judo and tang soo do.

"I went out for gymnastics and football at North Torrance High," he told The Associated Press in 1982. "I played some football, but I also spent a lot of time on the bench. I was never really athletic until I was in the service in Korea."

After he was honourably discharged in 1962, he worked as a file clerk for Northrop Aircraft and applied to be a police officer, but was put on a wait list. Meanwhile, he opened a martial arts studio, which expanded to a chain, with students including stars like Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny and Marie Osmond, and Steve McQueen, whom he later credited with encouraging him to get into acting.

Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He was a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate champion. He also founded his own Korean-based US hard style of karate, known sometimes as chun kuk do, and the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 Chuck Norris System black belts worldwide.

Black Belt magazine ultimately credited Norris in its hall of fame with holding a 10th-degree black belt, the highest possible honour.

Norris made his film debut as an uncredited bodyguard in the 1968 movie The Wrecking Crew, which included a fight with Dean Martin. He had crossed paths with Bruce Lee in martial arts circles. Their friendship — sometimes as sparring partners — led to an iconic faceoff in the 1972 movie Return of the Dragon, in which Lee fights and kills Norris's character in Rome's Colosseum.

He went on to act in more than 20 movies, such as Missing in Action, The Delta Force and Sidekicks.

"I wanted to project a certain image on the screen of a hero. I had seen a lot of anti-hero movies in which the lead was neither good nor bad. There was no one to root for," Norris said in 1982.

In 1993, he took on his most famed role, as a crime-fighting lawman in TV's Walker, Texas Ranger. The show ran for nine seasons, and in 2010, then-governor Rick Perry awarded him the title of honorary Texas Ranger. The Texas Senate later named him an honorary Texan. 

Norris also made a surprise comedic appearance as a decisive judge in the final match of the 2004 movie, The only on occasion has he taken on acting roles in recent years, including 2012's The Expendables 2 and the 2024 sci-fi action movie Agent Recon. He's due to appear in Zombie Plane, an upcoming film starring Vanilla Ice.

Then it come the "Chuck Norris Facts", it was around the time of Dodgeball that his toughman image became the stuff of legend — literally. "Chuck Norris Facts" went viral online with such wildly hyperbolic statements as "Chuck Norris had a staring contest with the sun — and won" and "They wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mt. Rushmore, but the granite wasn't tough enough for his beard."

Norris ultimately embraced the absurdity of the meme, putting together The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book, which combined his favourites with supposedly true stories and the codes he aimed to live by. He would also write books on martial arts instruction, a memoir, political takes, Civil War-era historical fiction and more.

"To some who know little of my martial arts or film careers but perhaps grew up with Walker, Texas Ranger, it seems that I have become a somewhat mythical superhero icon," Norris wrote in the forward to the Fact Book. "I am flattered and humbled."

Norris is survived by five children: stunt performers Mike and Eric with his late ex-wife Dianne Holechek; twins Dakota and Danilee with his wife Gena Norris; and Dina, the result of an early 1960s "one-night stand" revealed in his autobiography.

Norris celebrated his birthday just over a week before his death, posting a sparring video on Instagram.

"I don't age. I level up," he wrote.

Film: Legendary "Trainspotting" Turns 30

Trainspotting the 1996 British black comedy drama film directed by Danny Boyle, and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald in her film debut. It is written in English and Scots. Based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996.

The film follows a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life. Beyond drug addiction, other themes in the film include an exploration of urban poverty and squalor in Edinburgh. Nobody expected a movie about a gang of dropkick Scottish junkies to be a success.

Made on a paltry budget of 1.5 million pounds ($2.8 million), Trainspotting starred a cast of relative unknowns speaking in thick accents and engaging in explicit, sometimes despicable misadventures. It didn't exactly scream blockbuster.

However, director Danny Boyle's adaptation of Irvine Welsh's cult novel didn't just end up striking box office gold. It was a pop culture phenomenon. The film helped usher in a new era of independent British filmmaking, and a wave of cinematic imitators

Thirty years on, Trainspotting remains as a cultural reference point, the film’s raw energy and visual language still influence graphic design, poster art and underground aesthetics. Hard to believe, but 30 years have passed since Trainspotting first exploded into cinemas and reshaped 1990s pop culture. The film quickly became a cult classic, leaving a permanent mark on cinema, music, fashion and graphic design. Three decades later, Trainspotting still stands as one of the most influential British films of all time.

Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, the story pulls straight from the grit of Edinburgh's streets. Welsh’s raw, confrontational writing gave Boyle the perfect blueprint: a world that feels lived-in, uncomfortable and impossible to sanitize. At a time when heroin addiction rarely appeared on screen without soft focus or moral padding, Trainspotting told it as it was, sharp, chaotic and darkly funny.

Led by Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton, the cast delivered performances that helped define a generation of movie characters. Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Diane feel grounded in real places and real attitudes, caught between boredom, violence, humor and desperation. Their energy still resonates with audiences discovering the film for the first time.

Beyond cinema, Trainspotting became a visual and cultural reference point. Its influence spilled into poster design, typography, album artwork and underground print culture. Distressed layouts, bold color blocks, lo-fi textures and aggressive type choices echoed the film’s attitude. Designers pulled from its aesthetic the same way musicians pulled from its soundtrack, as raw material to remix and reuse.

The film captures a fundamental element: it's often less about the substance itself and more about what someone is trying to change or escape through use. Effective support recognises this diversity and meets people where they are, without judgment. Every person's life has value, regardless of where they are in their journey.”

Whatever way you look at it, these final moments clearly call all the way back to the opening ones. Renton repeats the "Choose Life" monologue, but this time he’s sincere and smiling. The things heroin once became an escape from are now the things that become an escape from addiction. Living a normal life seems like a sense of euphoria rather than a fear because it is the escape he needs. 

Trainspotting was released to critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the 1990s. The film was ranked tenth by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of the 20th century. In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll.