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Fletch (novel)
''Fletch'' is a 1974 mystery novel by Gregory Mcdonald, the first in a series featuring the character Irwin Maurice Fletcher. Synopsis The novel introduces I. M. Fletcher, a journalist and former Marine camping on a beach watching the drug culture for a story, waiting to find the origin of a dealer's seemingly endless supply of drugs before publishing an exposé. A millionaire businessman named Alan Stanwyck approaches Fletch to hire Fletch to murder him; the man tells Fletch that he is dying of bone cancer and wants to avoid a slow, painful death and his life insurance is invalid if he kills himself. Fletch accepts $1,000 in cash to listen to the proposition. Stanwyck offers him $20,000 for the murder, and Fletch talks him up to $50,000 in an effort to see if the man is serious. He appears to be sincere, and Fletch begins investigating the man's story. Additional pressure comes from Fletch avoiding the two attorneys chasing him for alimony for each of his ex-wives. By intervi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gregory Mcdonald
Gregory Mcdonald (February 15, 1937 – September 7, 2008) was an American mystery writer whose most famous character is the comedy investigative reporter Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher. Two of the Fletch books earned Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America: '' Fletch'' was named Best First Novel in 1975, and ''Confess, Fletch'' won for Best Paperback Original in 1977. This is the only time a novel and its sequel won back-to-back Edgars. Mcdonald would go on to write nine more ''Fletch'' novels, including prequels ''Fletch Won'', ''Fletch Too'', and ''Fletch and the Widow Bradley''. The original book became a 1985 movie of the same name starring Chevy Chase. Early life Mcdonald was born in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and attended Harvard, paying his own way by operating yachts. Career He worked as a teacher before becoming a journalist for the ''Boston Globe'' in the late 1960s. He left his newspaper position to become a novelist full-time with the publication of ''Fl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off (or spinoff) is a radio program, television program, film, video game or any narrative work, derived from already existing works that focus on more details and different aspects from the original work (e.g. particular topics, characters or events). One of the earliest spin-offs of the modern media era, if not the first, happened in 1941 when the supporting character Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve from the old time radio comedy show ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' became the star of his own program ''The Great Gildersleeve'' (1941–1957). In genre fiction, the term parallels its usage in television; it is usually meant to indicate a substantial ''change in narrative viewpoint and activity'' from that (previous) storyline based on the activities of the series' principal protagonist and so is a shift to that action and overall narrative thread of some other protagonist, which now becomes the central or main thread (storyline) of the new sub-series. The ''new protagoni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' (1990–1996). Smith has received List of awards and nominations received by Will Smith, multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and four Grammy Awards. As of , his films have grossed over $9.3 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. Smith first gained recognition as part of a hip hop music, hip hop DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums and the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 20 singles "Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street", "Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince song), Summertime", "Ring My Bell (DJ Jazzy Jeff & ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. As a public figure, Pitt has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in the American entertainment industry. Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the Ridley Scott road film ''Thelma & Louise'' (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the drama films '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992) and '' Legends of the Fall'' (1994), and the horror film ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1994). He gave critically acclaimed performances in David Fincher's crime thriller ''Seven'' (1995) and the science fiction film '' 12 Monkeys'' (1995). The latter earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and his first Academy Award nomination. Pitt found greater commercial success s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series '' The Voyage of the Mimi'' (1984, 1988). He later appeared in the independent coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993) and various Kevin Smith films. Affleck gained wider recognition when he and Matt Damon won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997), which they also starred in. He then established himself as a leading man in studio films, including the disaster film ''Armageddon'' (1998), the war drama ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001), and the thrillers '' The Sum of All Fears'' and ''Changing Lanes'' (both 2002). After a career downturn, Affleck made a comeback by portraying George Reeves in the biopic ''Hollywoodland'' (2006), winning the Volpi Cup for Best Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jason Lee (actor)
Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, singer, photographer, and former professional skateboarder, who is known for playing Earl Hickey in the television comedy series ''My Name Is Earl'', for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV series in 2005 and 2006 by The Golden Globes, and Dwight Hendricks in ''Memphis Beat'' (2010–2011). He is also known for his roles in Kevin Smith films such as ''Mallrats'', ''Chasing Amy'', ''Dogma'', ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', '' Jersey Girl'', ''Clerks II'', and ''Cop Out''. Lee won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in ''Chasing Amy''. He also portrayed David Seville in the live-action/CGI '' Alvin and the Chipmunks'' film series. His other notable film roles include starring in ''Enemy of the State'', ''Almost Famous'', ''Vanilla Sky'', ''Stealing Harvard'', ''A Guy Thing'' and ''The Ballad of Jack and Rose''. His voice acting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films ''Mallrats'' (1995), ''Chasing Amy'' (1997), ''Dogma'' (1999), ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' (2001), ''Clerks II'' (2006), ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' (2019), and ''Clerks III'' (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier. Since 2011, Smith has mostly made horror films, including ''Red State'' (2011) and the "comedy horror films" ''Tus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Development Hell
Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game engines, or studios before it progresses to production, if it ever does. Projects in development hell generally have very ambitious goals, which may or may not be underestimated in the design phase, and are delayed in an attempt to meet those goals in a high degree. Production hell refers to when a film has entered production but remains in that state for a long time without progressing to post. The term can also apply generally to any project that has languished unexpectedly in its planning or construction phases, rather than being completed in a realistic amount of time, or otherwise having diverted from its original timely expected date of completion. Overview Film Film industry companies often buy the film rights to many popular nove ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fletch Lives
''Fletch Lives'' is a 1989 American comedy mystery film starring Chevy Chase and the sequel to '' Fletch'' (1985), directed by Michael Ritchie from a screenplay by Leon Capetanos based on the character created by Gregory Mcdonald. Plot Fletch, a reporter in Los Angeles for the ''Los Angeles Times'', is contacted by the executor of his late aunt's will, attorney Amanda Ray Ross. Ross informs Fletch he has inherited his aunt's plantation, Belle Isle, in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Upon arriving, Fletch is disappointed to find the mansion terribly dilapidated, but he agrees to keep on its caretaker, Calculus Entropy. Fletch has dinner with Ross at her home, and she tells him of an anonymous $225,000 bid for Belle Isle. Fletch awakens the next morning to find Ross dead. Fletch is charged with Ross's murder and taken into custody, nearly being raped by his cellmate Ben Dover, spared only because Dover is released on bail. Dover's lawyer Hamilton "Ham" Johnson manages to get Fletch releas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the show. As both a performer and a writer, he earned three Primetime Emmy Awards out of five nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations. Chase's early roles include the romantic comedies '' Foul Play'' (1978) and '' Seems Like Old Times'' (1980) opposite Goldie Hawn. He portrayed Clark W. Griswold in five ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' films including ''Vacation'' (1983), ''European Vacation'' (1985), ''Christmas Vacation'' (1989), and ''Vegas Vacation'' (1997). He also played Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in '' Fletch'' (1985) and its sequel ''Fletch Lives'' (1989). He also starred in ''Caddyshack'' (1980), ''Spies Like Us'' (1985), '' Three Amigos!'' (1986), and ''Hot Tub Time Machine'' (2010). He has hosted the Academy Awards twice ( 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Ritchie (filmmaker)
Michael Brunswick Ritchie (November 28, 1938 – April 16, 2001) was an American film director, producer, and writer of films with comical or satirical leanings, such as The Candidate (1972 film), ''The Candidate'' and Smile (1975 film), ''Smile''. He scored commercial successes directing sports films, like ''Downhill Racer'' and ''The Bad News Bears'', and Chevy Chase's ''Fletch (film), Fletch'' comedies and Eddie Murphy's ''The Golden Child''. Personal life Ritchie was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the son of Patricia (married and maiden names, née Graney) and Benbow Ferguson Ritchie. His family later moved to Berkeley, California, where his father was a professor of experimental psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and his mother was the art and music librarian for the city. He attended Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California), Berkeley High School before becoming interested in film, and was accepted at Harvard University following high school. He t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fletch (film)
''Fletch'' is a 1985 American neo-noir comedy thriller film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Andrew Bergman. Based on Gregory Mcdonald's popular '' Fletch'' novels, the film stars Chevy Chase as the eponymous character. It co-stars Tim Matheson, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Geena Davis and Joe Don Baker. The film revolves around ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher, who is offered a large sum of money to kill a millionaire (by the millionaire himself) who supposedly has a terminal cancer prognosis. Fletch becomes suspicious when he discovers the man is not ill; when he continues to investigate, his life is threatened. ''Fletch'' did well with critics and at the box office – it was among the top 50 grossing domestic films in its first year of release. It has since developed a cult following and was followed by a 1989 sequel, ''Fletch Lives''. Subsequent decades saw many unsuccessful attempts to restart or reboot the series; another ''Fletch'' film, ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
