Free Republic

Talk about good Genes. Hollywood legend Gene Hackman proved he’s still in tip-top shape as he performed yard work at his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Sunday. The “Unforgiven” actor — who celebrated his 93rd birthday in January — looked fit and healthy as he brandished a shovel at his private estate. Earlier in the day, the two-time Oscar winner was spotted fueling up for physical labor at a local Wendy’s, where he ordered a meal at the drive-thru. Hungry Hackman chowed down on his chicken sandwich in the fast food franchise’s parking lot before pumping gas at...

"Enemy of the State" with Will Smith and Gene Hackman

People aren’t dumb. They’ve looked around, and they see that telling the wrong joke -- or even simply laughing at one -- is a quick way to destroy your life.Conan O’Brien did his final late night show last week, after 28 years on air. He’s stepping away at the right time. Whether you liked his comedic style or not, he really was trying to make people laugh. When was the last time you watched “The Late Show” in order to laugh? That’s a trick question — nobody who watches Stephen Colbert is laughing. Laughter is entirely beside the point; Colbert’s...

Unlike professional athletes, actors (Gene Hackman) and some novelists (Philip Roth), visual artists don’t usually retire. Or if they do, they don’t announce it. But in 2011, Maurizio Cattelan — one of the most expensive living artists, then at the peak of his career and the subject of an uproarious retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum — told the world that he was finished, fatigued both creatively and by the velocity of the money-fueled art world. During the last couple of years, though, Mr. Cattelan found himself itching to make things in three dimensions again. “Actually, it’s even more of a...

81-year-old actor suffered minor injuries: PublicistPolice have identified the driver of a Toyota Tundra that hit iconic actor Gene Hackman as he rode his bike in the Florida Keys on Friday. According to a statement released by police, Kathryn Rodriguez of Islamorada was driving the vehicle that struck the star of movies like the “The French Connection” and “Hoosier.” Hackman was pedaling south on Old Highway in Tavernier when the Tundra struck him from behind, reported police. Hackman was thrown from the bike onto the grassy shoulder. Although Hackman, 81, was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami he...

I often decry the laziness, incompetence and bias of the American press. Tuesday night in Sago, West Virginia, the press sank to an all-time low, in covering the mine disaster. Working on the Internet, with a 24-hour news channel running, I heard the announcement that the original reports were false. Instead of one miner dead and 12 rescued, the reverse was true. Only one was found alive where they had barricaded themselves in, to await rescue. An orgy of press coverage followed, in which reporters stuck microphones in the faces of grief-stricken survivors, seeking agonizing sound bites for the titillation...

Marlon Brando may have possessed the greatest talent of any American actor of the past 100 years, but for most of his career, he wasted that talent. Charley Malloy: Look, kid, I -- how much you weigh, son? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Billy Conn, and that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast. Terry Malloy: It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night....

<p>Expect the big-screen version of ``Runaway Jury'' to hit hard on the gun-control issue -- certainly if Dustin Hoffman has anything to say about it.</p> <p>Davison points out that all the jurors are well-known actors in ``The Runaway Jury'' jury. He says the story is layered with what's going on in court and what's going on behind the scenes among the jurors -- including a corrupting bid from John Cusack's character to sway the verdict for big cash -- making for several different points of tension simultaneously.</p>