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August 3, 2016 Vol. 9 No. 62
An American Actor
L-R: Bryan Cranston as undercover agent Bob Mazur with Benjamin Bratt as Roberto Alcaino, notorious head of the Colombian drug cartel. Photo Courtesy of Broad Green Pictures
Up-Close & Personal with Bryan Cranston his Personal & Professional Journey By Beverly Cohn Part 1: Genesis of “The Infiltrator” & Becoming a Character Bryan Cranston could easily be described as an actor’s actor. He is a master of the art of acting whether he is performing on television, film, or stage. For his riveting performance as Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” Cranston
won four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He also received five Golden Globe nominations, with four wins, and six Satellite Award nominations, garnering four wins. His versatility as an actor earned him Broadway’s coveted Tony Award for his brilliant portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in “All The Way,”
the same role, which he reprised for the HBO television film. Other notable television roles include playing Hal, the dad in the sit-com “Malcolm in the Middle,” as well as appearances on “Seinfeld,” “The King of Queens,” “How I Met Your Mother,” as well as playing Buzz Aldrin in “From the Earth to the Moon.” His next big film was
By Desert Star Staff A hot air balloon carrying 16 people caught fire and crashed into a field near Lockhart in central Texas, in what is the second-deadliest ballooning accident in history. Police said that they answered a 911 call at 7.44 a.m. on Saturday, claiming that there was a road vehicle fire about 30 miles (48km) south of state capital Austin. “When the Emergency Responders and the Sheriff’s Office arrived it was apparent that the reported fire was the basket portion of a hot air balloon.” Officers then saw that the balloon “was occupied” and are now “determining the number and identities of the victims.” The Texas Department
of Public safety later confirmed that all those on board had perished. Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed “deepest condolences” and promised an investigation into the “heartbreaking tragedy.” Both, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have sent experts to the scene. The hot air balloon may have come into contact with power lines, Reuters quoted eyewitnesses as saying. Caldwell County Judge Ken Schawe told CNN that the balloon could have collided with a power line, which could have triggered the fire and caused the crash. His theory is shared by a source from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The pilot of the balloon was later identified as Skip Nichols, a chief pilot with Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. The company’s FB page has been since flooded with condolences. The worst-ever hot air balloon crash occurred in Luxor, Egypt in 2013. It resulted in the deaths of 19 of the 21 passengers on board, after the contraption caught fire when attempting to land. In 2012, a crash in Slovenia killed six people, when a balloon was blown towards the ground by a storm, and in New Zealand, 11 people died, after a tourist balloon became tangled in a power line. In both cases, the gas-powered aerostats were engulfed in rapidly-spreading flames.
“Trumbo” in which he played the blacklisted film writer, Dalton Trumbo and for his performance, he received an Academy Award for Best Actor. He also had roles in many other films such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Love Ranch,” and “Argo.” He worked with director Brad Furman in “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which brings us to
their collaboration on Furman’s latest film, “The Infiltrator.” The screenplay, based on Robert Mazur’s book, was written by the director’s mother, Ellen Brown Furman, and is a true story about the undercover work of federal agent Robert “Bob” Mazur. He represented himself as Bob Musella, (Bryan Continues on Page 10
16 dead after hot air balloon crashes and burns in Texas
Pilot Skip Nichols has been identified as the balloon’s pilot.