Micky Dolenz on How Bob Rafelson Used the Monkees to Help Create a Looser, Hipper ‘New Hollywood’

Bert Schneider, his partner in the independent production company Raybert, began kicking around the idea of a television show about a band “more interested in having fun than making a living”. Their Variety ad seeking “4 insane boys, [aged] 17-21” was answered by 437 hopefuls, and the successful applicants – Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork – were dispatched on a six-week improv course. The show’s goofily knowing house style did not arrive instantly – a pilot polled direly in testing.

Pontins and Parkdean have finished at the bottom of a league table of the UK’s best holiday parks. The Which? survey of more than 2,200 stays also saw Aria Resorts, which has a holiday park at Moffat Manor, named the best choice for Scotland with a top score of 85%.

filed suit against Bob Dylan last year, alleging that the musician had sexually abused her as a 12-year-old child in 1965, has withdrawn her case, according to. The move comes amid a series of chaotic developments in the case, culminating in Dylan's legal team accusing her of destroying key evidence.At a hearing on Thursday, Dylan's accuser asked to have the case permanently dismissed.«This case is over. It is outrageous that it was ever brought in the first place,» Dylan's lawyer, Orin Snyder, said in a statement to .

heart surgery. Speaking about his health a few years ago, Dolenz shared: "I'm in good health, and I keep working - I certainly have no intention of retiring. "Age only matters if you're cheese or wine!"With no "serious pre-existing medical issues" to worry about, Dolenz still keeps track of both his eating and drinking habits, as well as doing regular exercise just to maintain his health.

Paul Sorvino, 'Goodfellas' Star, Dead at 83 David Warner, 'Titanic' and 'Omen' Actor, Dead at 80 Bob Rafelson, 'Five Easy Pieces' Director, Dead at 89 Shonka Dukureh, Big Mama Thornton in 'Elvis,' Dead at 44 Mickey Rooney Jr., Original Mouseketeer & Musician, Dead at 77 Jak Knight, Comedian and Voice in 'Big Mouth,' Dead at 28  

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaNo movie better captures the maverick spirit of Bob Rafelson and the impact he had on the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s than “Five Easy Pieces.” The film follows Jack Nicholson’s Bobby Dupea, a former piano prodigy who has turned his back on his privileged lifestyle to embrace the life of a blue collar drifter. Dupea’s rejection of his upbringing struck a cord with the counterculture and turned “Five Easy Pieces” into a critical and commercial sensation, making it a rare film that tapped into and reflected the zeitgeist.Rafelson, who also directed “The King of Marvin Gardens” and helped create “The Monkees” television series, died on July 23 at the age of 89.

Paul Sorvino, 'Goodfellas' Star, Dead at 83 David Warner, 'Titanic' and 'Omen' Actor, Dead at 80 Bob Rafelson, 'Five Easy Pieces' Director, Dead at 89 Shonka Dukureh, Big Mama Thornton in 'Elvis,' Dead at 44 Mickey Rooney Jr., Original Mouseketeer & Musician, Dead at 77 Jak Knight, Comedian and Voice in 'Big Mouth,' Dead at 28  

With summer now in full swing, thinking about keeping warm this winter will be the last thing on many people’s minds - especially when the sun is shining - but GoCompare energy is warning that bill payers who do not start prepping now, could be in for a shock later this year.

The recent limited series “The Offer” reminded viewers that before Albert S. Ruddy was taken seriously as the producer of “The Godfather,” he was often dismissed as the guy who created “Hogan’s Heroes.” Similarly, another key architect of the New Hollywood of the 1970s — director and producer Bob Rafelson — would find himself earning greater respect as the man behind such iconic, essential American films as “Five Easy Pieces,” “The Last Picture Show” and “Easy Rider” than as one of the creators of “The Monkees.”The difference, of course, is that “Hogan’s Heroes” is the kind of old sitcom contemporary audiences would call “problematic,” while “The Monkees” has endured both as a screwball piece of television and as the launching pad for a band that’s beloved to this day.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 mod, We Don’t Go To Ravenholm, recreates the level’s eerie atmosphere.The Ravenholm mod has been in development for over a year and the creator, 3stripekilla has finally released a demo on ModDB allowing players to experience the recreation first-hand.The original location in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 only featured a few levels but remained one of the most memorable places in the game. According to the creator, the mod is about “bringing players the familiar feel, atmosphere and action of the original Ravenholm from Half-Life 2.”“In WDGTR [We Don’t Go To Ravenholm] you wake up as Freeman himself, but in a different place and different time,” the modder explained.

Bob Rafelson, the director, producer and writer who brought a European sensibility to American filmmaking with "Five Easy Pieces" in 1970, died Saturday evening at his home in Aspen, Colorado. He was 89 years old. Rafelson’s death was confirmed by his former personal assistant of 38 years, Jolene Wolff, who worked under Rafelson’s production banner Marmont Productions.

has died. He was 89.Rafelson died on Saturday at his home in Aspen, Colorado, according to multiple  reports.

Rafelson was one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood movement in the 1970s, working with stars like Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern and Jessica Lange. With “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, Rafelson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, with Nicholson earning a Best Actor nomination in a career-launching performance as an oil rig worker forced to reunite with his upper-class musician family after hearing the news that his father is dying.

Micky Dolenz, the drummer of the mid-1960s formed-for-TV band The Monkees that became a pop music staple and Emmy winners to boot, took to Twitter on Sunday to remember Bob Rafelson, one of the co-creators of the musical show.