Huffington Post columnist Alexandra Zacharios-Haight pays tribute to the recently departed grand dame of British cinema. To read click here

Evel Knievel, the larger-than-life stunt driver, has died at age 69. Knievel had been suffering from a myriad of health problems in recent years including complications from the numerous serious injuries he suffered during his career. Knievel was known as much for his spectacular failures as he was his achievements, but fans remained loyal because he was a master showman whose audacious behavior and ego always made for good copy. Three films had been made based on Knievel's exploits including a 1971 feature film in which he was played by George Hamilton. He was also the subject of TV movies in 1974 and 1994. With a name that sounded like he would have fit in with a 1930s gangster movie, it was inevitable that Knievel would someday be tempted by the acting profession. However, his one major feature film - Viva Knievel!- was a box-office dud and critics felt that if Knievel couldn't play himself in a convincing manner, it was doubtful he could take on other roles. For more details click here

www.autoblog.com has posted a video of the new Bullitt

commemorative Mustang in action. The new vehicle is derived from the classic 1968 Steve McQueen thriller.

To view the video click here

British director Ken Russell has brought some outrageous and ecclectic films to the screen including Altered States, The Devils, Women in Love, Tommy and Billion Dollar Brain. He now shares with The Times of London the greatest professioal mistakes he's made as a director. It's as amusing as it is candid and honest. To check it out click here

We recently ran a story recalling the glory days of 8mm movie collecting. Back when Neanderthals ruled the earth, movie collecting was relegated to hard core fanatics who could only obtain prints of their favorite films on bootleg 16mm prints or in 8mm versions. The latter generally only offered ridiculously condensed versions of key scenes from the films. ("Hey kids, watch Ben-Hur in fifteen minutes!") Now the web site Cinema Slave offers their own perspective on the joys and frustrations of collecting 8mm films - and breathes a sigh of relief that we now live in the age of DVD. For the article click here

When Bartholdi, the French sculptor of The Statue of Liberty beseeched the nations of the world to send America "the wretched refuse of your teeming shore", we doubt he would have written these noble words if he had foreseen they might someday have pertained to Heather Mills. Our friends across the pond have been sending us more undesirable aliens than can be seen in all versions of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, what with the Beckhams and Heather Mills already on U.S. soil. Now the soon to be ex-Mrs. Paul McCartney has released a statement that has struck Cinema Retro like a shot across the bow - she is now lashing out against unfriendly media outlets that have failed to show sympathy for her in the campaign she is waging against Sir Paul. She has threatened to punish these networks and newspapers by denying them access to her daily rants. She is most peeved because she believes she is being ridiculed for her statements saying milk should not be fed to children because it causes anxiety to cows! It's pretty difficult to work up an attitude against a person who has successfully overcome a physical handicap, but Mills doesn't have a leg to stand on in the court of public sympathy - though we have to admit that no single female has provided this much laughter to the world since the late, great Gracie Allen.

Now what the hell does all this have to do with Cinema Retro? Well, since virtually every major media outlet in the world delights in mocking Mills, within days they should all be on her "banned" list. Since Mills enjoys the spotlight so much that she strikes a pose every time she opens the refrigerator door, it occurred to us that she might find that we are the only website left in the world that hasn't been put on her blacklist. To forestall any possibility of being approached by Mills, we'll put the fix in right now. We're heading straight out to enjoy about 24 ounces of dead cow at the local Longhorn Saloon restaurant, then return and watch a marathon of Rawhide episodes. To top it off, we'll make sure we have up our "Paul is Fab!" poster from the 1960s. Short of using a cross and garlic, we can't think of a more effective way of protecting our readers.- Lee Pfeiffer

Remember Living Doll, the 1963 episode of The Twlight Zone that has been scaring the bejesus out of kids since it originally aired? Telly Savalas played a mean guy who costantly makes life miserable for his adorable stepdaughter. When he crosses the line, her beloved doll Talking Tina takes matters into her own hands and haunts Savalas until a terrible revenge is extracted. The great fun is watching the future Blofeld and Kojak rendered helpless by a dime store doll. Well, the good folks at the web site Kindertrauma, which is dedicated to every image that haunted baby boomers as children, have put up a tribute to the episode complete with a faux toy version of Talking Tina. If only it were in stores in time for the holidays! To relish a trip down misery lane, click here and relive your childhood nightmares.

Some unknown creative type has put up an amazing tribute to the great Hollywood actresses ranging from the silent era to today. They're all here from Judy Garland to Raquel Welch, Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood and Nicole Kidman. The wonderful aspect of this creation is that the photos all morph from one image. We don't know who has the spare time to do these things (maybe someone on death row?) but we're grateful they took the time. The only depressing aspect is the realization that as we get to contemporary times, most of the actressess included seem like mere filler material compared to those legends who precede them. (Thanks to Paul Wachsmith for the tip). Click here to view

The Crosby family has launched a terrific official web site to honor Bing Crosby. The site features rare photos, biography, and the ability to listen to some of Der Bingle's greatest hits. To access go to www.bingcrosby.com

MSN film critic Sean Nelson presents an amusing list of the worst movie titles ever. We'e in agreement on most of them except the inclusion of the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. Nelson doesn't seem to realize that the title comes from the actual Ian Fleming short story, unlike the other films on the list which were devised by marketing departments. There are probably plenty of exceptions if we had time to ponder them but two come immediately to mind: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things and more recently, Michael Clayton, the new George Clooney film that is an outstanding thriller saddled with the blandest, most boring title of the year. To read MSN's list click here

Entertainment Weekly has posted an amusing article consisting of letters from readers that detail specific movies they have walked out on. It's a testament to older films that virtually all of these dogs are of recent vintage, but lovers of "classic" bad movies can take heart that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band still maintains a place of dishonor in the hearts of cinema-goers. For the article click here

In case you needed further evidence that the glory days of movie poster art are far behind us, just consider that the web site Cinematical has posted a magnificent poster for the Star Wars legacy that incorporates all the major characters in a brilliant display. Only problem is it's unofficial and can't be purchased anywhere. While studios continue to crank out scanned in head shots of actors for the cookie-cutter designs used on contemporary film posters, amateur artists and fans are creating the stuff that dreams are made of. In years past, we had low budget movies with magnificent film posters. Now we have mega-expensive films with posters that look like someone's teenage nephew created them while playing around on a scanner. Let's hope we someday see a return of artists being employed to create classic film posters. Meanwhile, click here to visit Cinematical and get a closer view of the Star Wars creation.

The Longest Day, producer Darryl F. Zanuck's landmark 1962 epic retelling of the D-Day invasion has been named the greatest war movie ever made by Forces Reunited, a society of British war veterans. Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan- also a D-Day story- placed second in the poll, conducted by Sky Movie Classics. Others ranking prominently: A Bridge Too Far, The Cruel Sea and The Dam Busters.

For more click here

The chicago Tribune has amassed a list of the worst TV shows of all time. Let's put this in context. We're assuming they intended to stick with vintage programs, as virtually every show on the air right now would qualify. In general, the usual suspects are prominent and hard to argue with: My Mother the Car and Pink Lady and Jeff rank prominently in this Hall of Shame. The latter was a variety show NBC debuted in 1980 after an executive traveling in Japan became enamoured with two sexy young female entertainers. They were signed for a weekly series on American TV before anyone realized they couldn't speak a word of English! "Jeff" was a comedian named Jeff Altman who had the unenviable duty of trying to play a foil between the two sexy chicks while clueing audiences in on what the hell they were all talking about. The only quibbles we have with the list are the inclusion of Petticoat Junction which was pretty funny to us. How can you gripe about a show in which every episode showed sexy sisters bathing together in a water tower during the opening credits?

We also are second to none in appreciating the unintended hilarity of wacky TV preacher Ernest Angley, but trying to choose the looniest of these guys is like trying to determine which of The Three Stooges is the dumbest. One would have thought even the most naive people would have stopped forking their hard-earned money over to these clowns after the release of Elmer Gantry - but that was in 1960 and the uniquely (and embarrassing) American fondness for buying salvation from TV preachers remains in good stead. For the entire list of Worst TV Series, click here

If you have to be told that James Cagney never said "You dirty rat!" or that Bogart didn't actually say "Play it again, Sam", you probably wouldn't be reading the Cinema Retro web site. However, the good folks at The List Universe have cobbled together the 15 top movie misquotes and we have to say some of them are as revealing as they are amusing. To check out the list click here