Chris Chesser, the film and documentary producer best known for bringing the iconic baseball comedy Major League to the big screen, has died. He was 74.
Chesser died suddenly Feb. 2 at his Los Angeles home, his brothers, Alan and Steve Chesser, announced. No cause of death was revealed.
As a production executive, Chesser supervised such notable films as The Great Santini (1979), Caddyshack (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Wolfen (1981), Arthur (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Excalibur (1981).
He supervised production on the British comedy Yellowbeard (1983), starring Graham Chapman, and helped develop Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap (1984) at Embassy Pictures and Sydney Pollack’s Absence of Malice (1981) at Columbia Pictures.
Chesser and Irby Smith produced Paramount’s Major League (1989), which was written and directed by David S. Ward and starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes and Rene Russo.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his master’s from the American Graduate School of International Management,...
Chesser died suddenly Feb. 2 at his Los Angeles home, his brothers, Alan and Steve Chesser, announced. No cause of death was revealed.
As a production executive, Chesser supervised such notable films as The Great Santini (1979), Caddyshack (1980), On Golden Pond (1981), Wolfen (1981), Arthur (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Excalibur (1981).
He supervised production on the British comedy Yellowbeard (1983), starring Graham Chapman, and helped develop Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap (1984) at Embassy Pictures and Sydney Pollack’s Absence of Malice (1981) at Columbia Pictures.
Chesser and Irby Smith produced Paramount’s Major League (1989), which was written and directed by David S. Ward and starred Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes and Rene Russo.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his master’s from the American Graduate School of International Management,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chris Chesser, the independent film and documentary producer whose credits include the hit Charlie Sheen 1989 comedy Major League, died suddenly at his home in Los Angeles on February 2. He was 74.
His death was announced today by his brothers Alan and Steve Chesser. A cause of death was not disclosed.
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Chesser began his film career in New York in 1974 as an executive in international sales for Columbia Pictures. He became General Manager of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles in 1976.
In 1978 he became executive assistant at the newly formed Orion Pictures to co-founder Mike Medavoy, and from 1980 to 1983 he served as Vice President of Production for Marble Arch Productions and...
His death was announced today by his brothers Alan and Steve Chesser. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Huey "Piano" Smith Dies: New Orleans Rocker Behind 'Rockin' Pneumonia And Boogie Woogie Flu', 'Sea Cruise' Was 89 Related Story Jansen Panettiere Dies: Actor, Brother Of Hayden Panettiere Was 28
Chesser began his film career in New York in 1974 as an executive in international sales for Columbia Pictures. He became General Manager of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles in 1976.
In 1978 he became executive assistant at the newly formed Orion Pictures to co-founder Mike Medavoy, and from 1980 to 1983 he served as Vice President of Production for Marble Arch Productions and...
- 2/21/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The mystery of Boobgate has been solved! As you scrolled bleary-eyed down your Facebook feed this week, avoiding posts about impending nuclear winter and various mindless memes from relatives you thought you'd hidden, you may have read a headline about footage of a topless woman being screened accidentally on a TV in the background during a BBC newscast in the U.K. Popular nude scene online archivist Mr. Skin identified the video as a sex scene from True Blood, featuring main star Anna Paquin. "My Breasts!! So Funny On So Many Levels," she tweeted Friday. "Now that I know what u guys were talking about...this some of the funniest s--t I've seen in a while!!! Thanks...
- 8/13/2017
- E! Online
<!--[Cdata[
There may be more squinting these days on the streets of Hollywood. To mark its 18th birthday, MrSkin.com, the web's top repository of mainstream screen nudity, erected a billboard July 30 at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue featuring screenshots from all 43,412 female nude scenes on its servers.
"We launched on Aug. 10, 1999 — we're joking that we're finally legal," says Mr. Skin himself, CEO Jim McBride, a 54-year-old father of three from Chicago. The site, which sees 9 million uniques per month and costs $72 a year for full access, hit the big...
There may be more squinting these days on the streets of Hollywood. To mark its 18th birthday, MrSkin.com, the web's top repository of mainstream screen nudity, erected a billboard July 30 at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue featuring screenshots from all 43,412 female nude scenes on its servers.
"We launched on Aug. 10, 1999 — we're joking that we're finally legal," says Mr. Skin himself, CEO Jim McBride, a 54-year-old father of three from Chicago. The site, which sees 9 million uniques per month and costs $72 a year for full access, hit the big...
- 8/10/2017
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When we left Below Deck Mediterranean last week, the multi-million dollar yacht was in danger of hitting a rock cliff. “If the wind picks up, we’re in danger of hitting rocks,” Captain Sandy says. She tells Max to push the boat with the tender, and he’s freaking. They have to reset the anchors. Max is literally holding the yacht in place by the power of the tender. And there are a lot of rocks behind him. They drop two anchors the second time around, and it’s back to business as usual. The Mr. Skin and Naked News guests are having...read more...
- 5/24/2017
- by Sandy Malone
- Monsters and Critics
“You might ask why we are doing this commentary track.”Cathy’s Curse (1976)
Commentators: Simon Barrett (filmmaker), Brian Collins (critic/author)
1. This original cut features opening text that Collins (who also creates credits for TV/film) apparently recreated, and they’ve finally given Barrett the opportunity to read all nineteen words. They’re not present in the longer director’s cut. “I’ve never seen the longer cut,” says Barrett “and I won’t because I’m patriotic.”
2. The onscreen text was added by the distributors to explain the footage they cut for its release.
3. Barrett (and Collins?) recorded a “fan” commentary for the films years ago.
4. Barrett wonders about the Venn Diagram including people who are fans of the film and happen to know who both he and Collins are. “It’s like two specks that you can’t tell if they’re the same or not.”
5. “You know and I know that I’ve had...
Commentators: Simon Barrett (filmmaker), Brian Collins (critic/author)
1. This original cut features opening text that Collins (who also creates credits for TV/film) apparently recreated, and they’ve finally given Barrett the opportunity to read all nineteen words. They’re not present in the longer director’s cut. “I’ve never seen the longer cut,” says Barrett “and I won’t because I’m patriotic.”
2. The onscreen text was added by the distributors to explain the footage they cut for its release.
3. Barrett (and Collins?) recorded a “fan” commentary for the films years ago.
4. Barrett wonders about the Venn Diagram including people who are fans of the film and happen to know who both he and Collins are. “It’s like two specks that you can’t tell if they’re the same or not.”
5. “You know and I know that I’ve had...
- 4/5/2017
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Alison Bechdel is blameless in all this, but a couple of years ago, when the reductive-but-snappy litmus test for cultural sexism that bears her name was upwafting on the zeitgeist, it inspired a thought experiment of my own. Now, most of the mental quizzes I set myself when bored have mayfly lives, because after a while (and this is the problem with the Bechdel test and its subsequent dogmatization too), applying such agenda-based filters as a method of cultural critique becomes as robotic as Mr. Skin fast-forwarding through films to timestamp each instance of boob. But this one continues to rattle around, maybe because to my mind, no wholly satisfying answer ever presented itself. My "Danielle Plainview paradigm" is simply this: Who is the most qualitatively similar female version of the Daniel Day-Lewis character from Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood"? The new 13-episode Starz show "The Girlfriend Experience" that quietly reclaims the.
- 4/8/2016
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
Our host tonight is Melissa McCarthy, who allegedly burst onto the scene in 2011’s Bridesmaids, but anyone who tells you that doesn’t know about Sookie from Gilmore Girls and thus probably shouldn’t be trusted. Since Bridesmaids, McCarthy has been a consistent force in the American comedy scene, largely due to her collaborations with director Paul Feig on The Heat, Spy, and the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot with SNL’s own Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Kristen Wiig. This is her fourth time hosting in the last five years, clearly marking her as a favorite among the cast and crew, and it isn’t hard to see why-- she tends to turn out memorable characters and her extensive background in sketch comedy lends an air of professionalism and an ability to stay on her toes. Cold Open: As a group of restaurant diners discuss their likelihood to vote for Bernie Sanders,...
- 2/14/2016
- by Emilie Sowers
- Hitfix
With awards season starting to heat up, folks are lining up their picks for the top films and performances of the year. One such list is Mr. Skin's annual rundown of the top female nude scenes, and it has officially been revealed for all of the world to see. The annual list mixes both TV and Film performances, with an interesting mix of personalities that you may or may not expect to see on a list like this. So who topped Mr. Skin's film rankings this year? Wait no further, as Uproxx has revealed the following five women have taken top honors: 5. Sarah Silverman - I Smile Back Out of any of the winners on Mr. Skin's list of 2015's best nude scenes, we'd fully expect Sarah Silverman to demand an actual trophy for her disrobing in I Smile Back. With just the right amount of fanfare,...
- 12/2/2015
- cinemablend.com
How much sex is actually in Fifty Shades of Grey? A recent Washington Post article placed the actual runtime of "actual sex and sexual-related activity" at 14 minutes and 17 seconds out of the movie's 125-minute runtime. Fun trivia fact. But it also led us to the question, "How does that fit in with the pantheon of sexy movies?" That is to say, of all the movies that are ostensibly sex-focused in the history of films (and sex), how many of them actually devote large portions of their runtime to Nsfw moments? With a subscription to nude-scene compiling web site Mr. Skin,...
- 2/14/2015
- by Kelli Bender and Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
How much sex is actually in Fifty Shades of Grey? A recent Washington Post article placed the actual runtime of "actual sex and sexual-related activity" at 14 minutes and 17 seconds out of the movie's 125-minute runtime. Fun trivia fact. But it also led us to the question, "How does that fit in with the pantheon of sexy movies?" That is to say, of all the movies that are ostensibly sex-focused in the history of films (and sex), how many of them actually devote large portions of their runtime to Nsfw moments? With a subscription to nude-scene compiling web site Mr. Skin,...
- 2/14/2015
- by Kelli Bender and Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
It may have only gotten an R rating instead of the dreaded Nc-17, but don't be fooled: There's plenty of sex in "Fifty Shades of Grey."
According to website Mr. Skin, which collects information about nudity and sex scenes in movies, "Fifty Shades" offers up a whopping 20 full minutes of sex throughout its 100-minute running time -- roughly 1/5 of the length of the film. And things get steamier from there.
The Sunday Times reports that according to Mr. Skin, "Fifty Shades'" tally represents more sex than is featured in all 100 R-rated films released in the U.S. in 2014 combined. To put that even further into perspective, The Guardian writes that famously salacious films such as "Last Tango in Paris" and "Eyes Wide Shut" only featured nine minutes and two minutes of sex, respectively.
So "Fifty Shades" fans worried that the flick will just be a watered-down version of the steamy novels,...
According to website Mr. Skin, which collects information about nudity and sex scenes in movies, "Fifty Shades" offers up a whopping 20 full minutes of sex throughout its 100-minute running time -- roughly 1/5 of the length of the film. And things get steamier from there.
The Sunday Times reports that according to Mr. Skin, "Fifty Shades'" tally represents more sex than is featured in all 100 R-rated films released in the U.S. in 2014 combined. To put that even further into perspective, The Guardian writes that famously salacious films such as "Last Tango in Paris" and "Eyes Wide Shut" only featured nine minutes and two minutes of sex, respectively.
So "Fifty Shades" fans worried that the flick will just be a watered-down version of the steamy novels,...
- 2/2/2015
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian used to be insecure, Meryl Streep says her Thanksgiving turkey was a disaster, Snooki reveals details from her big wedding day, and more in today’s Last Lap.
Kim Kardashian opens up about self esteem and says she “didn’t just arrive confident.” [Elle] Meryl Streep turned to NYC neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow for Thanksgiving dinner help. [THR] Napster creator Sean Parker and his wife Alexandra welcomed a baby boy. [E!] Well-known comedians dominate this year’s Sundance Film Festival. [EW] Tea Leoni is dating her Madam Secretary costar Tom Daly. [Us Weekly] Cameron Diaz and Shailene Woodley make Mr. Skin’s Top 10 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2014 list. [Mr. Skin] The most-searched celebrity on Bing.com in 2014 is… [Elvis Duran] Only Oprah would casually hang out with a lion. [Jezebel]
On Big Morning Buzz Live, Snooki gives the details of her Gatsby-themed wedding.
[Photo Credit: Getty, O Magazine]...
Kim Kardashian opens up about self esteem and says she “didn’t just arrive confident.” [Elle] Meryl Streep turned to NYC neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow for Thanksgiving dinner help. [THR] Napster creator Sean Parker and his wife Alexandra welcomed a baby boy. [E!] Well-known comedians dominate this year’s Sundance Film Festival. [EW] Tea Leoni is dating her Madam Secretary costar Tom Daly. [Us Weekly] Cameron Diaz and Shailene Woodley make Mr. Skin’s Top 10 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2014 list. [Mr. Skin] The most-searched celebrity on Bing.com in 2014 is… [Elvis Duran] Only Oprah would casually hang out with a lion. [Jezebel]
On Big Morning Buzz Live, Snooki gives the details of her Gatsby-themed wedding.
[Photo Credit: Getty, O Magazine]...
- 12/3/2014
- by Taylor Ferber
- VH1.com
Believe it or not, Kim Kardashian used to be insecure, Meryl Streep says her Thanksgiving turkey was a disaster, Snooki reveals details from her big wedding day, and more in today’s Last Lap.
Kim Kardashian opens up about self esteem and says she “didn’t just arrive confident.” [Elle] Meryl Streep turned to NYC neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow for Thanksgiving dinner help. [THR] Napster creator Sean Parker and his wife Alexandra welcomed a baby boy. [E!] Well-known comedians dominate this year’s Sundance Film Festival. [EW] Tea Leoni is dating her Madam Secretary costar Tom Daly. [Us Weekly] Cameron Diaz and Shailene Woodley make Mr. Skin’s Top 10 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2014 list. [Mr. Skin] The most-searched celebrity on Bing.com in 2014 is… [Elvis Duran] Only Oprah would casually hang out with a lion. [Jezebel]
On Big Morning Buzz Live, Snooki gives the details of her Gatsby-themed wedding.
[Photo Credit: Getty, O Magazine]...
Kim Kardashian opens up about self esteem and says she “didn’t just arrive confident.” [Elle] Meryl Streep turned to NYC neighbor Gwyneth Paltrow for Thanksgiving dinner help. [THR] Napster creator Sean Parker and his wife Alexandra welcomed a baby boy. [E!] Well-known comedians dominate this year’s Sundance Film Festival. [EW] Tea Leoni is dating her Madam Secretary costar Tom Daly. [Us Weekly] Cameron Diaz and Shailene Woodley make Mr. Skin’s Top 10 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2014 list. [Mr. Skin] The most-searched celebrity on Bing.com in 2014 is… [Elvis Duran] Only Oprah would casually hang out with a lion. [Jezebel]
On Big Morning Buzz Live, Snooki gives the details of her Gatsby-themed wedding.
[Photo Credit: Getty, O Magazine]...
- 12/3/2014
- by Taylor Ferber
- TheFabLife - Movies
Before we begin, an explanation: This is not a list of the 39 best SNL sketches of all time.
Any institution that lasts as long as Saturday Night Live has—and that experiences as much cast and writer turnover as Saturday Night Live does—will necessarily have stronger years and leaner years. In SNL’s case, the difference between eras can be especially stark; you’re more likely to laugh at a meh John Belushi sketch than you are at even the finest display of Charles Rocket’s talents. Given that fact, it’s easy for a simple “best sketches ever...
Any institution that lasts as long as Saturday Night Live has—and that experiences as much cast and writer turnover as Saturday Night Live does—will necessarily have stronger years and leaner years. In SNL’s case, the difference between eras can be especially stark; you’re more likely to laugh at a meh John Belushi sketch than you are at even the finest display of Charles Rocket’s talents. Given that fact, it’s easy for a simple “best sketches ever...
- 9/24/2014
- by Hillary Busis
- EW - Inside TV
Oh, Canada, our cinematic home and native land!
April 29, 2014 is National Canadian Film Day, a day for all Canadians to celebrate Canada through our nation's rich cinema history.
The day follows a month-long campaign to raise awareness of the achievements of Canadian filmmakers. It encourages Canadians across the country to rise above our national aversion to self-aggrandizement and actually watch a great Canadian film.
National Canadian Film Day is an initiative of Reel Canada, an organization that has put on over 800 festivals of Canadian films for over 200,000 high school students and new Canadians across the country since 2005.
To celebrate the day, Toronto's Royal Cinema movie theatre is putting on two separate showings on April 29:
"Highway 61" (7:00 p.m. Et)
Inspired by Bob Dylan's classic song and the fact that Highway 61 actually starts in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Bruce McDonald and Don McKellar combined forces to create this...
April 29, 2014 is National Canadian Film Day, a day for all Canadians to celebrate Canada through our nation's rich cinema history.
The day follows a month-long campaign to raise awareness of the achievements of Canadian filmmakers. It encourages Canadians across the country to rise above our national aversion to self-aggrandizement and actually watch a great Canadian film.
National Canadian Film Day is an initiative of Reel Canada, an organization that has put on over 800 festivals of Canadian films for over 200,000 high school students and new Canadians across the country since 2005.
To celebrate the day, Toronto's Royal Cinema movie theatre is putting on two separate showings on April 29:
"Highway 61" (7:00 p.m. Et)
Inspired by Bob Dylan's classic song and the fact that Highway 61 actually starts in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Bruce McDonald and Don McKellar combined forces to create this...
- 4/28/2014
- by Chris Jancelewicz
- Moviefone
The art-house crowd will hitch if they have to, but they'll find a way to get to a theater showing this soon-to-be cult favorite. And the fact that this journey takes us from Canada down to New Orleans, treating us to a broad taste of music in the process, might widen its appeal to include non-metropolitan dwellers. While certainly not mainstream, "Highway 61'' does have an allure that might entrance a wider spectrum of potential viewers.
As written by, and starring, Don McKellar, this opus has the feel of what a "Northern Exposure'' episode directed by Jim Jarmusch would be like. It has a likable quirkiness to it that keeps the viewer in a contented state throughout.
McKellar plays Pokey Jones, a small-time barber in a small-time Canadian town. Pokey, who thinks he can play the trumpet, has larger ambitions, though you'd never know it by looking at him. His calm demeanor is one step above death. Still, he throws his belongings into the back of his '63 Ford Galaxy 500 and heads out for the open road, only to return immediately. Apparently, Pokey does this a lot.
One morning he finds a dead body in his backyard and tries to revive it with a blow dryer. He then meets thrill-seeking rock 'n' roll roadie Jackie Bangs (Valerie Buhagiar), who claims the dead guy is her brother and that she must take him to New Orleans for his funeral.
Jackie's lying. She just wants to use the body to transport some illicit drugs. But innocent Pokey believes her and since he's always wanted to visit the birthplace of the Blues, he gives her and her casket a lift to New Orleans. It's an eventful ride.
Meanwhile, Mr. Skin (Earl Pastko), a guy who may or may not be Satan, is buying souls left and right. He claims the guy in the casket is his, and chases after Pokey and Jackie. Pastko, who looks like a cross between Keith Carradine and a young Jack Elam, is a sleazy charmer as the guilt-free devil who loves to play bingo.
Along the way they meet a pair of strange U.S. Customs guards, a scary-looking Peter Breck as a deluded single father of three tone-deaf singing girls, and a drugged-out, whacked-out rock 'n' roll couple who hunt chickens in their mansion.
These well-written bizarre characters are what make this film so memorable. There is an unpredictability about the film, in general, that is as refreshing as it is unusual. "Highway 61'' may make a wrong turn here and there, but just getting lost within this funky film is a trip in itself.
HIGHWAY 61
A Skouras Pictures Release
Director Bruce McDonald
Writer Don McKellar
Story Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, Allan Magee
Cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak
Editor Michael Pacek
Original music score Nash the Slash
Color
Cast:
Key Jones Don McKellar
Jackie Bangs Valerie Buhagiar
Mr. Skin (aka Satan) Earl Pastko
Mr. Watson Peter Breck
Otto Art Bergmann
Customs agent No. 1 Jello Biafra
Customs agent No.2 Hadley Obodiac
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
As written by, and starring, Don McKellar, this opus has the feel of what a "Northern Exposure'' episode directed by Jim Jarmusch would be like. It has a likable quirkiness to it that keeps the viewer in a contented state throughout.
McKellar plays Pokey Jones, a small-time barber in a small-time Canadian town. Pokey, who thinks he can play the trumpet, has larger ambitions, though you'd never know it by looking at him. His calm demeanor is one step above death. Still, he throws his belongings into the back of his '63 Ford Galaxy 500 and heads out for the open road, only to return immediately. Apparently, Pokey does this a lot.
One morning he finds a dead body in his backyard and tries to revive it with a blow dryer. He then meets thrill-seeking rock 'n' roll roadie Jackie Bangs (Valerie Buhagiar), who claims the dead guy is her brother and that she must take him to New Orleans for his funeral.
Jackie's lying. She just wants to use the body to transport some illicit drugs. But innocent Pokey believes her and since he's always wanted to visit the birthplace of the Blues, he gives her and her casket a lift to New Orleans. It's an eventful ride.
Meanwhile, Mr. Skin (Earl Pastko), a guy who may or may not be Satan, is buying souls left and right. He claims the guy in the casket is his, and chases after Pokey and Jackie. Pastko, who looks like a cross between Keith Carradine and a young Jack Elam, is a sleazy charmer as the guilt-free devil who loves to play bingo.
Along the way they meet a pair of strange U.S. Customs guards, a scary-looking Peter Breck as a deluded single father of three tone-deaf singing girls, and a drugged-out, whacked-out rock 'n' roll couple who hunt chickens in their mansion.
These well-written bizarre characters are what make this film so memorable. There is an unpredictability about the film, in general, that is as refreshing as it is unusual. "Highway 61'' may make a wrong turn here and there, but just getting lost within this funky film is a trip in itself.
HIGHWAY 61
A Skouras Pictures Release
Director Bruce McDonald
Writer Don McKellar
Story Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, Allan Magee
Cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak
Editor Michael Pacek
Original music score Nash the Slash
Color
Cast:
Key Jones Don McKellar
Jackie Bangs Valerie Buhagiar
Mr. Skin (aka Satan) Earl Pastko
Mr. Watson Peter Breck
Otto Art Bergmann
Customs agent No. 1 Jello Biafra
Customs agent No.2 Hadley Obodiac
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
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