R.I.P. GENE WILDER

Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka

Gene Wilder, the legendary actor who played Willy Wonka passed away last night at the age of 83. Wilder was known as a comic genius who came to prominence in the 1970's appearing in many movies by Mel Brooks including, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles. Wilder was nominated for an Oscar twice for his role in The Producers and for co-writing Young Frankenstein with Mel Brooks. 


Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder

In the late 70's and early 80's Gene Wilder teamed up with Richard Pryor and did two of his biggest movies Silver Streak and Stir Crazy. In 1974 Wilder portrayed his most beloved character, Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The movie was entertaining and taught many lessons to children all around the world with Wilder leading the charge as the zany Willy Wonka.

Nothing I write here can really do justice to the career of Gene Wilder but I had to write something. Gene Wilder in my opinion was one of the greatest actors I've ever seen. His timing was impeccable and there will never be anyone like him again. 

Rest in Peace Mr. Wilder and Thank You. 

THE PROFESSOR

KEVIN OWENS BECOMES THE NEW WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION

Kevin Owens

On RAW last night Kevin Owens became the new WWE Universal champion. The match was a fatal 4-way elimination match between Kevin Owens, Big Cass, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. The big story came at the end of the match when Triple H  returned and took out Roman Reigns. Triple H then rolled Reigns in and Rollins pinned him. In a surprise move Triple H turned on former protege Seth Rollins and allowed Kevin Owens to pin him to become the new champion. 

This was something that shocked me as a fan. I never expected Kevin Owens to become champion because of his look. Owens isn't the typical WWE superstar but it was a great surprise and it adds a fresh wrinkle to the main event. Now Owens can take on former champions Rollins and Reigns or even his current tag-team partner Chris Jericho. These matches will be 5-star matches.

Owens is beloved by the Internet Wrestling Community and you could hear the fans chanting "You Deserve It!!" as RAW went off the air. Kevin Owens (aka Kevin Steen) has been in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Ring of Honor (ROH). Owens is one of the best wrestlers in the world and has a great personality that bleeds through on interviews and on his twitter account. 

Congratulations Kevin Owens. You definitely deserve it. 

Class Dismissed
The Professor

SUMMERSLAM IS NXT

FINN BALOR VS. SETH ROLLINS

On August 21, 2016, wrestling history will be made when  Seth Rollins faces Finn Balor to crown the first WWE Universal Champion at Summerslam. In many ways this is the culmination of something that started in 2012 when NXT, WWE's developmental program began. 

Seth Rollins and Finn Balor are both former NXT champions and in fact Rollins was the first champion of the promotion. The late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Triple H  declared him one of the future superstars of the business. Rollins had been wrestling on the independent scene for a few years including wrestling for ROH (Ring of Honor)  before being brought into WWE in 2010. 

Finn Balor is an international superstar who has wrestled in the US, UK, Ireland, and Japan. He has had his greatest success in Japan where he wrestled in IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix) where he was a 3-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a 6-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Champion. Balor arrived in NXT in 2014 and defeated Kevin Owens on July 4, 2015 to win his first NXT Championship. He would hold the title for 292 days and become the longest reigning champion in the company's history. 

This match at Summerslam could set off one of the best feuds in wrestling history. Longtime fans may talk about Seth Rollins and Finn Balor in the same breath as Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat one day. Not to mention WWE will have events Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in the Barclays Center with stars from NXT and WWE being featured. 

I'm sure that when WWE started the NXT program in 2012  they knew that the stars they created would main event a pay-per-view but I don't think they thought it would happen this soon. NXT's motto has always been, "The Future is Now". I think that expression will be proven true when Rollins and Balor meet at Summerslam. 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. GARRY MARSHALL

Garry Marshall passed away at the age of 81 this past week. Mr. Marshall produced many hit movies and TV shows including Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Mindy, and Pretty Woman. Mr. Marshall helped launch the careers of many including Henry Winkler, Julia Roberts, and the late, great Robin Williams. 

Many other sites will cover the death of Mr. Marshall with more depth and eloquence than I can write here. As someone who aspires to work in TV, I can only hope to have a career in TV that has half of the influence that Mr. Marshall's has had. I remember watching a documentary on PBS entitled, Make'em Laugh where Garry Marshall talked about how he was influenced by comedians such as Jack Benny and Phil Silvers. Mr. Marshall has certainly influenced countless generations with his work.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Marshall. Your contributions will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR

STEPPENWOLF WILL BE THE VILLAIN IN JUSTICE LEAGUE

DC NEW 52 JUSTICE LEAGUE

Warner Brothers have released details on the upcoming Justice League movie as reported by Newsarama. The movie will pick up where Batman vs. Superman left off. Batman and Wonder Woman will work together and form the Justice League. The rest of the League will include Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg facing a much bigger and badder enemy. That enemy was revealed to be Steppenwolf, from the planet Apokolips. 




DC NEW 52 STEPPENWOLF

Steppenwolf is a new god on the planet Apokolips and he is the uncle of its ruler Darkseid. He is also Darkseid's general in his battles with New Genesis and leader of the parademon army on Apokolips. The parademon army was featured in the vision of the future that Batman had during Batman v. Superman. With Steppenwolf as the main villain of the Justice League movie then how long until we see Darkseid himself.


DARKSEID

I think that these new details lend credibility to the speculation that Superman will turn evil and serve Darkseid's in the Justice League movie. Superman could be brought back from the dead by Darkseid and used as a tool to conquer earth. This would create a battle of epic proportions featuring The Justice League vs. Superman and the forces of Apokolips. This has happened before in the comics specifically during DC New 52 Earth 2 comics.



Superman as Brutaal

Superman was killed during an invasion by Apokolips on Earth-2 but he was resurrected as a member of Darkseid's army named Brutaal. If the Justice League movie follows this scenario then I think it could be very successful.

We'll have to wait until 2017 to find out what happens.

THE PROFESSOR

BRUCE WILLIS TO STAR IN DEATH WISH REMAKE

BRUCE WILLIS


Another movie is getting a remake. Bleeding Cool reports that Bruce Willis will star in a remake of the 1974 film Death Wish directed by Eli Roth.


The original movie was based on a 1972 book and starred Charles Bronson as a man who goes on a vigilante streak in New York City after his wife is killed and his daughter is assaulted during a robbery.


Bruce Willis is known for the "Die Hard" films and is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Eli Roth is a great director. This could be an interesting re-make if it's not done exactly the same way as the 1974 movie.

Time will tell. 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. KIMBO SLICE

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Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson


Last night it was announced that MMA fighter Kimbo Slice had passed away at the age of 42. ESPN reports that Kimbo had been waiting on a heart transplant. 

Kimbo Slice came to national attention as a backyard brawler who became a YouTube sensation who with his captivating look and great personality became someone that people could identify with. 

Kimbo was an immigrant from the Bahamas that came to Miami at a young age. He was homeless. He worked as a bodyguard for a porn company. His fights whether on YouTube, UFC, or Bellator were all efforts to feed his family. Kimbo Slice was a father of six and a husband. 

Kimbo Slice was the American dream. A man who worked hard and used his talents to achieve success. In the end no matter what you think of him as an MMA Fighter, Kimbo Slice was an attraction wherever he appeared. 

Thank you Kimbo. Rest In Peace. 

THE PROFESSOR