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How John Wayne Helped Revolutionize The Art Of On-Screen Fighting – My Blog

Before John Wayne began making low-budget Westerns in the 1930s, stunt performers were rarely, if ever, acknowledged or given credit for their work. Studios didn’t want to break the illusion to reveal that it wasn’t the main star on-screen performing their own stunts, so the practice became one of Hollywood’s biggest secrets. Looking back on the history of stunts from the era, the British Action Academy noted that, during that time, studios and directors began demanding more dangerous stunts that resulted in a large increase in on-set fatalities. The marquee star wasn’t in mortal jeopardy and some actors like Harold Lloyd had it written into their contracts that it could never be revealed when a stuntman was utilized. Tom Mix, the first bonafide movie star, always claimed that he was the one who made the famous horse jump across the Beale’s Cut ravine in John Ford’s 1923 short film, “3 Jumps Ahead.” However, Mix biographer Robert S. Birchard, author of “King Cowboy: Tom Mix and the Movies,” insisted that it was actually a stuntman and horse trainer named Earl Simpson.Up until the era of John Wayne, there was always a clear delineation between actor and stuntman. Once talkies became mainstream, the Western remained popular but the genre was relegated to B-movie status. After the failure of his first starring role in “The Big Trail,” Wayne took an interest in learning more about stunt work, becoming proficient in horse riding and the general cowboying skills needed to look the part on-screen. Over the next decade, Wayne would hone his skills and become fast friends with the legendary stuntmen Yakima Canutt. In the years ahead, Wayne would help usher in an entirely new approach to fight choreography that proved safer for performers and more realistic to audiences.Acting like a real-life street fighterWarner Bros.Most of John Wayne’s greatest movie moments involve punching something or someone. The sound of his punch alone echoed throughout movie halls and became a famous signature of his. Since the actors weren’t really punching each other, the sound of the hit would be added later in post and it always seemed like the hero’s punch was always a little louder. Back when the action star began his career, however, the actors really were making contact. “At that time, in pictures, the way they did a fight was, you and your opponent, you hit each other in the shoulders and faked it to look like real,” Wayne said in an interview in author Maurice Zolotow’s biography “Shooting Star.” Wanting the fights to be as realistic as possible, Wayne emulated world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, studying old newsreels of Dempsey training before a bout.Unfortunately for performers like Yak Canutt, someone who found himself on the other end of those punches on more than one occasion, Wayne’s commitment to authenticity resulted in some real abuse. “I wouldn’t hold back when I felt myself gettin’ all worked up with hatred for a villain,” Wayne recalled. “I wanted to kill the son-of-a-b****. Matter of fact, I guess I liked these fight scenes more than any other stunts we did.”Canutt went on to perform incredibly dangerous, spectacular stunts in “Stagecoach” and “Zorro’s Fighting Legion,” but he went up against John Wayne’s fists first. Complaints from Canutt and a little ingenuity from director Robert Bradbury (“West of the Divide,” “Westward Ho”) wound up leading to a completely new way to shoot a fight scene, with a technique still used today.Inventing a new camera trickUnited ArtistsInstead of punching the daylights out of his co-stars until they were black and blue, John Wayne described the day when director Robert Bradbury, one of Wayne’s early cohorts and collaborators, had a moment of inspiration. As told in the “Shooting Star” biography:“[Bradbury] said that he thought if he placed the camera at a certain angle it would look as if my fist was making contact with Yak’s face, though my fist was passing by his face, not even grazing it. We tried it out one day, and when we saw the rushes we saw how good it looked. Bradbury invented this trick, which he called the pass system. Other stuntmen and directors picked up on it, and it became the established way of doing a fight.”Before this simple but brilliant idea of the pass system was invented, there just wasn’t a lot of thought paid to protecting actors and efforts to make movie sets a little safer were still in early stages of development. Something as basic as changing the angle of the shot immediately lessened the blows performers were taking without compromising a fight scene’s believability. Wayne loved it because he could still pack just as much power into his punches. In the famous fight against Vic McLagen in “The Quiet Man,” Wayne played a retired American prizefighter for the first time. Watching the brawl, it’s clear both actors aren’t holding anything back but, miraculously, they never made physical contact once.For a heavy like John Wayne who loved a good battle, the new technique was a welcome tool in his arsenal that allowed him to keep punching for years to come, in films such as 1975’s “Brannigan.” “I had plenty of fights on-screen. I’ve been told I’ve done more fighting in pictures than any other star –- and I’ve also had a few fights off the screen.” 

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MILEY CYRUS STUNNED IN A VERY CHIC GUCCI DRESS WITH A DARING LEG SLIT THAT WENT ALL THE WAY TO HER WAIST DURING HER GRAMMY ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AND APPARENTLY SHE ‘WASN’T WEARING ANY UɴᴅᴇƦᴡᴇᴀƦ’

Miley Cyrus had the crowd roaring when she closed out her Grammys acceptance speech with a cheeky remark about ‘forgetting’ her underwear.
She did so while rocking a very racy Gucci dress with a daring leg slit that climbed to her waist.But now the singer, 31 — who is now a two-time Grammy winner — is insisting that it was only a joke.Miley took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to write: ‘PS I was only kidding…. I had on matching custom @gucci panties [HEART-EMOJI]’She then thanked Gucci’s creative director Sabato De Sarno for the ‘head to toe chocolate custom couture’ that’s earned her a ton of attention online.In the same X post, Miley fawned over Mariah Carey, Meryl Streep and Mark Ronson — the trio of stars who presented her with her first-ever Grammys on Sunday night.

Miley Cyrus had the crowd roaring when she closed out her Grammys acceptance speech with a cheeky remark about ‘forgetting’ her underwear – and now she’s clarifying that it was just a joke.

Miley took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to write: ‘PS I was only kidding…. I had on matching custom @gucci panties’

While accepting the Record Of The Year trophy, Miley rocked a very racy Gucci dress with a daring leg slit that climbed to her waistShe included photos from the show that showed Meryl handing Miley her Record Of The Year trophy as well as Miley hugging her team, who joined her on stage.

She wrote that the third photo in her post ‘sums up’ her relationship with her Flowers co-writer Michael Pollack and producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson ‘perfectly.’The image showed Miley in front of the mic accepting their award while Pollack, Harpoon and Johnson stood idly behind her.‘You 3 wanting me to do all the talking until I start talking….’ she teased.Miley was one of the biggest winners of the night as she earned the coveted Record Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her hit track Flowers.Along with setting social media ablaze with her underwear joke, Miley also got fans talking about her father Billy Ray Cyrus, who she left out of her Record Of The Year acceptance speech.”This award is amazing,’ she began. ‘But I really hope that it doesn’t change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday. Not everyone in the world will get a Grammy, but everyone in this world is spectacular…

‘So please don’t think that this is important, even though it’s very important, right guys? ‘[I want to thank] everyone that’s standing on this stage right now Tom, Tyler, Michael and Greg.

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Woman Who Claimed To ‘Marry Her Stepdad’ Clears The Air On Their Relationship

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Woman Who Claimed to Marry Her Stepfather Clears the Air on Their Relationship

The internet thrives on shocking stories, but one recent claim left social media users in disbelief. A woman allegedly married her stepfather, sparking outrage, curiosity, and a flood of reactions online. Now, she’s speaking out to set the record straight and clarify the truth behind her controversial statement.

The story first gained traction when a video went viral, showing the woman with her stepfather, leading to accusations of an inappropriate relationship. The online frenzy was fueled by speculation, memes, and heated debates about family boundaries. For weeks, critics and supporters alike dissected the story, with some condemning the alleged union and others calling it a matter of personal freedom.

In a recent interview, the woman addressed the situation head-on, debunking the rumors that she married her stepdad. She explained that her initial claim was misunderstood, blown out of proportion, and taken out of context. According to her, the relationship has been misrepresented, and while they do share a close bond, it is far from what people assumed.

“It’s crazy how quickly the internet twists things. People love drama, but this isn’t what they think it is,” she said. She revealed that her stepfather has been a supportive figure in her life, and their connection is built on mutual respect and care—not romance.

Despite her clarification, the backlash hasn’t entirely subsided. Critics question why she made the claim in the first place, while some accuse her of seeking attention. Others, however, have come to her defense, emphasizing the importance of verifying facts before jumping to conclusions.

Psychologists have weighed in on the situation, highlighting how social media amplifies controversies without context. “In today’s digital age, a misunderstood statement can snowball into a viral sensation within hours,” said one expert.

The woman admits that she didn’t anticipate the uproar her comments would create but hopes that her explanation will put the matter to rest. “I want people to stop judging without knowing the full story,” she added.

The saga serves as a reminder of how quickly stories can spiral out of control online. It also raises questions about privacy and the consequences of sharing personal details in the public eye.

As the dust begins to settle, one thing is clear: the internet never forgets. Whether this will be a lesson learned or just another fleeting viral moment remains to be seen.

What’s your take on this bizarre story? Was it just a misunderstanding, or is there more to it? Share your thoughts below!

 

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Michael Bublé breaks down in tears over son Noah’s health issues

Michael Bublé Breaks Down in Tears Over Son Noah’s Health Issues

Michael Bublé, the beloved Canadian crooner known for his smooth voice and charming stage presence, recently opened up about one of the most challenging chapters of his life. In an emotional interview, Bublé shared his heartache over his son Noah’s battle with liver cancer, a health struggle that shook his family to its core.

Bublé, who is known for keeping his personal life relatively private, revealed the toll that Noah’s illness took on him, his wife, Luisana Lopilato, and their entire family. Noah, now 10, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer, in 2016 when he was just three years old. The news was devastating, forcing the singer to put his flourishing career on hold to focus entirely on his son’s treatment and recovery.

In the candid conversation, Bublé broke down in tears while recounting the moment he first learned of Noah’s diagnosis. “I felt like my world had ended,” he admitted. “As a parent, you think you can protect your kids from anything, but something like this… it changes everything.”

The Grammy-winning artist described the sleepless nights and the rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied Noah’s treatment, which included surgery and chemotherapy. Bublé and Lopilato stayed by their son’s side every step of the way, drawing strength from their love for their family and their faith.

Bublé credits his son’s resilience and the support of loved ones for helping them endure the ordeal. He also expressed gratitude for the medical team that treated Noah, calling them “angels” for their dedication and care.

Thankfully, after months of treatment, Noah went into remission, a moment Bublé described as “the greatest miracle of my life.” While the experience left emotional scars, it also deepened Bublé’s appreciation for life and the things that truly matter.

The ordeal profoundly impacted the way Bublé approaches his music and career. He admitted that he once prioritized professional success but now places his family above all else. “Fame and fortune mean nothing compared to the health and happiness of my children,” he said.

Today, Noah is a thriving and happy young boy, and Bublé continues to use his platform to raise awareness about pediatric cancer. He hopes his story will inspire other families facing similar struggles to stay hopeful and strong.

Michael Bublé’s vulnerability in sharing his family’s journey has endeared him even more to his fans, reminding the world that behind the music is a devoted father who would do anything for his children.

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