Ilene Woods, voice of Disney's Cinderella, Dies
Posted by
Kristy Sproul
on July 2, 2010 at 9:41 AM
D23 is reporting that actress Ilene Woods, who provided both the singing and speaking voice of Cinderella in Walt Disney's 1950 animated classic, has died at the age of 81. No further details are available at this time.
Woods was named a Disney Legend in 2003, and her official bio explains how she landed the role that brought the beloved character to life:
In 1948, as a favor for songwriter friends Mack David and Jerry Livingston, Ilene Woods recorded "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," and "So This is Love." She didn't know that Walt Disney would hear the demo recordings and hire her as the title voice of his upcoming animated feature "Cinderella".
"I learned a very good lesson," she later recalls. "Never pass up doing a good deed for friends!"
On radio and recordings, she worked with the likes of Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, and Paul Whiteman, sang for former presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, and appeared on radio series like "The Steve Allen Show," The Gary Moore Show," and "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends."
Update 7/3: Her obituary in the L.A. Times has been released: Woods, a Calabasas resident, died of causes related to Alzheimer's disease Thursday at a nursing and rehabilitation center in Canoga Park, said her husband, Ed Shaughnessy, the former longtime drummer on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show."
Mark Hamill Retiring as the Voice of The Joker?
Posted by
Kristy Sproul
on June 29, 2010 at 9:44 PM
In an interview with IGN last month, voice actor Mark Hamill says that Arkham Asylum 2 will be his last time voicing The Joker. Hamill's portrayal of the character is considered to be one of the best characterizations of the villain by many fans.
He almost didn't return to play The Joker in the first Arkham Asylum video game, but when he learned Paul Dini (writer) and Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman) were involved with the project, he changed his mind. His performance in the game wound up winning him much praise from critics.
Now, with Arkham Asylum 2, Hamill says this is really the last time he'll be playing the character, saying, "This will be my last, there's no question about that. But it's the last hurrah."
Eartha Kitt Wins Daytime Emmy Award for 'Wonder Pets' Role
Posted by
Kristy Sproul
on June 28, 2010 at 12:24 AM
Late actress Eartha Kitt won a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Oustanding Performer in an Animated Program for voicing the character of Cool Cat in Nickelodeon's The Wonder Pets. She previously won in the same category twice before for her role as Yzma in The Emperor's New School.
The 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards were announced June 25th in a ceremony at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The regular Daytime Emmy award ceremony was telecast Sunday night on CBS.
Muppeteer Kevin Clash also won once again in the Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for his performance as Elmo on Sesame Street. Fellow Muppeteer Joey Mazzarino shared the Daytime Emmy in that category with Clash for his performance as Stinky, Murray, and Blogg on Sesame Street.
Seiyuu Takeshi Aono Hospitalized
Posted by
Kristy Sproul
on June 26, 2010 at 8:48 PM
Anime News Network is reporting that Japanese voice actor Takeshi Aono has been hospitalized since May due to suffering a stroke after surgery for aortic aneurysm. From ANN:
According to Fuji TV, Aono was admitted to a hospital for surgery at the end of May, and was diagnosed with the cerebral infarction after the operation. While Aono's current condition is improving, the prospects for his return to work are uncertain.
Bin Shimada is filling in for the 74-year-old actor for his role as grandfather in the Chibi Maruko-chan anime series.
Aono's other notable credits include Piccolo in Dragon Ball and Shiro Sanada in Space Battleship Yamato. He also was the Japanese voice of Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and Doc Brown in the Japanese video dub of the live-action film Back to the Future.
The Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab Opens
Posted by
Kristy Sproul
on June 26, 2010 at 10:51 AM
Friday evening, The Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab opened its doors for the first time. Located at the non-profit SAG Foundation's Actors Center in Los Angeles, the lab allows "actors to work on voice-over craft, demos and auditions while classroom space will host workshops, seminars and demonstrations led by experts in the field."
A tribute to the late, great Don LaFontane, the state-of-the-art sound studio is free of charge to Screen Actors Guild members to help advance their career.
You can watch a recording of the live stream of yesterday's festivities below, including the ribbon cutting ceremony, and folks getting their first look at the facilities (you might recognize a lot of familiar faces):
Tour the new lab with voice actor Peter O'Connell below(recorded prior to opening):
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