Hmmm?: Blind Item Speculation

[DearEvette]

4 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

Syreeta Wright - had a hit duet with Billy Preston "With You I'm Born Again" in 1980

The BI doesn't seem to fit her.  She died in 2004 from cancer.  She was also a devout Muslim at the time of her death she wouldn't have used drugs and alcohol.

Edited January 18, 2021 by DearEvette

[magicdog]

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

She was also a devout Muslim at the time of her death she wouldn't have used drugs and alcohol.

At the time of her death, but did she eschew drugs and alcohol in the 80s?

[BW Manilowe]

#4: Rex Smith? He only had 1 hit that I know of, “You Take My Breath Away” (not to be confused with the Berlin hit from Top Gun).

Edited January 18, 2021 by BW Manilowe
To add a parenthesis.

[Snow Apple]

#4 Did William Shatner ever have a hit? "Awful" pretty much describes his singing.

[janie jones]

On 1/16/2021 at 5:06 PM, magicdog said:

He's had plenty of hits and is considered a singer more than actor (though he's done plenty of both).  I'm thinking Eddie Murphy.  He recorded "Party All The Time" back in the 80s and he's got a rep for kinky stuff.

I usually don't have any ideas for who these items are about (my earlier post in this thread notwithstanding), but "It was pretty awful, but it was a hit" made me think of Eddie Murphy immediately. Plus it seems like something he'd do.

[magicdog]

3 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

#4: Rex Smith?

I don't think he's been considered A list since that song hit the charts in'79.  He did have two singles that hit the top 40 though so he's not a one hit wonder technically.

 

Quote

#4 Did William Shatner ever have a hit? "Awful" pretty much describes his singing.

Actually, yes!  According to Billboard, he had albums that charted, but no singles appear to have done so.

[Mindthinkr]

I saw the probable answers to these blinds. Those of you who guessed that Eddie Murphy was #4 were correct. 
The single named actress was named Aqua. Answers can be found on the January 17th Blinds. Google AGN blinds for more. 

[methodwriter85]

23 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

I was thinking Travolta for #4, due to his cringey 1976 hit "Let Her In" during his Barbarino days, but then I remembered he had hit duets from Grease with ONJ, so the "one hit" part doesn't apply.

Yeah, it doesn't because of that, but damn are those gay rumors persistent. 

Wait, I got it- Marky Mark?

Nevermind, he apparently had a follow-up hit to "Good Vibrations." Ugh.

[giovannif7]

2 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I saw the probable answers to these blinds. Those of you who guessed that Eddie Murphy was #4 were correct. 
The single named actress was named Aqua. Answers can be found on the January 17th Blinds. Google AGN blinds for more. 

Just spent WAY too long reading through the January posts. Apparently Toni Basil is the one-hit wonder with the nose candy-related surgeries.

One item somewhat surprised me, only because he doesn't seem like the type who'd want to stay in the closet. I guess there's still a lot of fear that a good number fans won't find him believable in hetero roles if he comes out:

Quote

137. ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 01/15 **5**
It has been awhile since we last checked in on our favorite foreign born A/A- list closeted pay cable star. He is trying to arrange a match with an actress who shares the same publicist as out actor. That is convenient. Our actor had been laying low on the beard thing after the disaster of the last couple. Sam Heughan/"Outlander"/ Katherine McNamara 

 

 

[methodwriter85]

For fun, I went into the archives and pulled out these blind Items from 1998...here are the ones I have guesses on:

March and April 1998

5. NY POST...03/04/98...#4
WHICH English male model renowed for his prowess with women is also available to the right kind of guy - the kind with cash? He recently trysted for free, however, with the hunky lead singer of a rock group that was white-hot three years ago.

I'm pretty sure the hunky lead singer is Gavin Rossdale, as Bush was really hitting their stride "three years ago" in 1995. Not sure of the British male model- I didn't really follow models until Channing Tatum. lol. 

7. STAR MAGAZINE...03/03/98
This TV superstar is young, pretty and living high on the hog, but she doesn't want to live alone. So she moved a platonic male friend into her fancy digs. He seems like a nice guy, but little does she know what he does when she's away working! First he gets himself high as a kite on drugs. Then, since he has a fetish for call girls, he calls sex magazine ads for the kinkiest gals he can find. He loves pain and pays extra for the girls to bring big sex toys. Where he gets the $300 and up to pay for these sessions is a mystery! Worst of all, the guy gets so drugged up he doesn't realize the call girls are getting into his famous roommate's private things and helping themselves.

The t.v. star SCREAMS Tori Spelling. I can one hundred percent see mid-20's Tori Spelling moving a friend into her digs and letting him walk all over her because he's nice and she doesn't want to be alone.

It also mandatory for all of media to make a comment that calls Tori Spelling "pretty." 

9. GLOBE...03/03/98 #2
The REAL story behind this Hollywood beauty's pending divorce is that she was having sex with at least TWO women each week! At first her kinky mate encouraged her to take an occasional lesbian lover, but when it became an obsession he said bye-bye!

Angelina Jolie and Johnny Lee Miller. Gia would have been a newly released film in March 1998 and that was the movie that really got the ball rolling on her career. It makes sense to post a blind item that refers specifically to her beauty if she had just been in a hyped film where she played a supermodel. The fact that Angelina has been known to be bisexual, and it's rumored that her marriage ended with Johnny because of her relationship with Jenny Shimizu from the movie they did called Foxfire.

My other guess is Kim Basinger. Always kind of got a vibe from her.

10. MOVIELINE/MARCH ..#1
Competition may be stiff for the title "saddest girl in town," but one leading contender is that young critics' darling who appears to be devolving into a near-recluse who can barely slog through the day. The warning signs have been flashing for years, but lately things have nose-dived. It seems that a publicity tour for her most recent flick so stressed the poor thing, her costar had to set her straight with pep talks and practically drag her out of hotel suites to meet the press. Isn't this the same girl who so recently looked so likely to go the career distance?

Winona Ryder. She was a critical  darling for most of the 90's but her career really started to sag in 1997 and you can see her career hitting the skids in '98. In '94, she really was poised for major stardom and by '98 things were starting to look rough. Her attempt at a comeback in 1999 instead turned Angelina Jolie into an Oscar winner and household name. (Not that this happened at the time of the Blind Item.)

My other guesses are Claire Danes and Alicia Silverstone, both of who were critically lauded for projects they did a few years before but the hype around them was dimming by '98, especially for Alicia. 

14. STAR MAGAZINE...03/10...#2
A macho film legend is facing painful bone surgery because his past dependence on steroid-like growth hormones caused his left leg to grow longer than the right.

Stallone. Lots of roid use for 80's action stars, but Stallone feels right.

18. STAR MAGAZINE...3/10...#6
This movie hero appears to be a loving husband and father in the Disney tradition, but when he's on location or the family's away, it's another story. He heads for the male bathhouses to seek out anonymous sex. Despite his famous face he hungrily prowls - eyeing every guy in the place. He likes fast uncommitted sex with all types, all colors. One week he was seen four nights in a row cavorting in the steam room. He's the talk of the gay community and if anyone spills the beans his career will be shattered.

John Travolta. 

26. GLOBE..03/17..#2
This current darling of the big screen was such an obnoxious brat while growing up that neighbors wouldn't let their kids play with her. They nicknamed her "The Bad Seed" because she was so nasty.

Gwyneth Paltrow.

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by methodwriter85

[magicdog]

From Enty:

Quote

A bot farm owned by this A+/A list mostly movie actor who is an Oscar winner/nominee was hired this year to help steal nearly a billion dollars in fake unemployment claims.

This pisses me off because there are a lot of people who are not receiving their due benefits (CA revealed billions which werescammed from the system).

 

8 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I saw the probable answers to these blinds. Those of you who guessed that Eddie Murphy was #4 were correct. 
The single named actress was named Aqua. Answers can be found on the January 17th Blinds. Google AGN blinds for more. 

I went to check - seems they did a reveal I wasn't expecting.  When I added it here, it hadn't been answered.  I try to use blinds that didn't have them - or even probable guesses.

[magicdog]

A few new ones from February:

Quote

This foreign born A- list author has said some crazy things in her past like there was a hit squad out to kill her. However, that aside, she is not telling lies when she is talking about the dating life of this former A+ list singer and his conquests, even the surprising ones.

The first name that comes to mind is JK Rowling.  Has she been known to claim she was on a hit list?

 

Quote

Ellen Barkin has claimed that she was assaulted by a famous actor when she was a rising star. The "Big Easy" actress made the allegations on Twitter Wednesday after separately posting about disgraced singer Marilyn Manson, who has just been accused of abusing ex-girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood. Barkin wrote that "When I was about 25 and just starting my career I met one of my acting heroes at a small dinner party. He tried to molest me. I was heartbroken. I get it. #FallenIdols." She added: "My point being I believed this towering actor would be as great as his art. I walked home crying." Barkin, 66, who was previously married to Revlon billionaire Ronald Perelman and Gabriel Byrne, spoke out after praising Wood this week for breaking her silence on Manson.

This one will take  a bit of research:

Male movie star circa 1979-ish who was tall and presumably A-list at the time and the name is likely still very recognizable.  Is the person still alive?

If he still is alive, the first name that comes to mind is Clint Eastwood (world famous, A+ list, tall) but I've never heard of him doing this sort of thing.

Warren Beatty?  He was a stud and made the rounds. 

Deceased:  John Wayne?  Although I don't know if he has that kind of rep either (and was dying from cancer at that time). 

Someone else??

 

Quote

Politicians write op-eds for newspapers all the time. Whether you like what they say or not, they are a pretty standard thing to see in the papers each day. Rejections are not uncommon, but they are not usually for the reason given recently by this major newspaper. The opinion page is separate from the newspaper. Financial considerations should not be taken into account when deciding whether to publish something. They rejected a pitch from this probable 2024 A++ wannabe, not because of the content, but because he was going to discuss the offerings of a streaming service. The newspaper didn't want to tick off the streaming service because they have huge pending financial deals with the service.

I'm certain the newspaper is the Wall Street Journal, but it's too easy to claim the writer of the article was Trump since I don't know of him being involved with any streaming service.  Anyone else involved in a new streaming service??

 

This one is a head scratcher:

 

Quote

 This back in the day A+ list mostly movie actor used to own a hot dog stand. He would crash there on a cot after fights with women or a bender. Hot dog stand employees were often fired after the actor showed up and were told by the thuggish manager that the actor "didn’t feel comfortable.

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by magicdog

[Anduin]

2 hours ago, magicdog said:

This one will take  a bit of research:

Male movie star circa 1979-ish who was tall and presumably A-list at the time and the name is likely still very recognizable.  Is the person still alive?

If he still is alive, the first name that comes to mind is Clint Eastwood (world famous, A+ list, tall) but I've never heard of him doing this sort of thing.

Warren Beatty?  He was a stud and made the rounds. 

Deceased:  John Wayne?  Although I don't know if he has that kind of rep either (and was dying from cancer at that time). 

Someone else??

Google says that Harrison Ford is 1.85, or 5.10.3/4. Not Clint Eastwood height, but certainly on the taller end. However, his career hadn't quite hit the heights in 1979. Yeah, it was after Star Wars, but before Indiana Jones.

[magicdog]

Just now, Anduin said:

Harrison Ford is 1.85, or 5.10.3/4. Not Clint Eastwood height, but certainly on the taller end. However, his career hadn't quite hit the heights in 1979. Yeah, it was after Star Wars, but before Indiana Jones.

His star was on the rise at the time but he wouldn't have been enough to have been idolized by Barkin.  It would have had to have been a bigger star from the 50s-60s.

[Anduin]

32 minutes ago, magicdog said:

His star was on the rise at the time but he wouldn't have been enough to have been idolized by Barkin.  It would have had to have been a bigger star from the 50s-60s.

Fair enough. What about Sean Connery? 1.88, or 6.2.

[magicdog]

4 hours ago, Anduin said:

What about Sean Connery?

Possible!

[magicdog]

Quote

When I was about 25 and just starting my career I met one of my acting heroes at a small dinner party. He tried to molest me. I was heartbroken. I get it. #FallenIdols." She added: "My point being I believed this towering actor would be as great as his art. 

I also had another thought - maybe George C. Scott?

He had a reputation as an abusive prick and he stood about 6'1.

[Mindthinkr]

I got these lists for us all to jog our (my) memory of who was popular then. 

 

[magicdog]

I doubt it's John Ritter - people who knew him tell me he was a super nice guy - not the type to molest someone.  Plus, he was a TV star by that point, and hadn't done much film yet.  Maybe we can try process of elimination based on reputation?

 I still think it's a person who was well established in the industry prior to 1979-80.  Barkin was in her 20s not a teenager, so the idol likely came to her attention when she was a teen (about a decade prior).

 

Got another two:

 

Quote

This foreign born A- list mostly movie actress who is an Oscar winner/nominee has a lot of security because of a drug kingpin ex. Our actress has a very expensive security system. The best of the best. But, when she goes on the road, things are different and twice in the past eighteen months, she has returned to a rental house and found her actor ex inside her rental.

  

Quote

Obsession: When this very very unique foreign born A- list model discusses her past relationship with the actor/singer, she does so with a lot of anger. In the past week, she, like much of the gossip world was talking about Armie Hammer and how horribly he treats women. Then came the Marilyn Manson talk. She said her ex was way worse. He would start off by being super attentive and great and then before you knew it, he was horrible and demanding. The model always had to be finding new women to bring home for threesomes or, in many cases she would be forced to watch him have sex. She discovered after their second trip to her home country, that he was just dating her for her fame in her own country where he would use that to find the underage, but legal in that country girls he preferred. The model was just a means to an end.

I've heard of this behavior before - it's classic sociopath!  The early part of the relationship is known as "love bombing" - in which the sociopath lavishes love and attention on the significant other for the first few months, then suddenly turns on them.  It's not bad enough to mess with someone but to have them recruit others for sex?  Uggh!

[GaT]

3 hours ago, magicdog said:

Obsession: When this very very unique foreign born A- list model discusses her past relationship with the actor/singer, she does so with a lot of anger. In the past week, she, like much of the gossip world was talking about Armie Hammer and how horribly he treats women. Then came the Marilyn Manson talk. She said her ex was way worse. He would start off by being super attentive and great and then before you knew it, he was horrible and demanding. The model always had to be finding new women to bring home for threesomes or, in many cases she would be forced to watch him have sex. She discovered after their second trip to her home country, that he was just dating her for her fame in her own country where he would use that to find the underage, but legal in that country girls he preferred. The model was just a means to an end.

Winnie Harlow? She is definitely unique, she was born in Canada, & the age of consent in Canada is 16.

[Silver Raven]

10 minutes ago, GaT said:

Winnie Harlow? She is definitely unique, she was born in Canada, & the age of consent in Canada is 16.

Her boyfriend is/was NBA player Kyle Kuzma.

 

[methodwriter85]

18 hours ago, magicdog said:

I still think it's a person who was well established in the industry prior to 1979-80.  Barkin was in her 20s not a teenager, so the idol likely came to her attention when she was a teen (about a decade prior).

Yeah, we need to look at actors who are at least 6 feet tall (for real) and would have been big in the 50's-60's, someone she would have grown up with. My guesses are Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, John Wayne, Sean Connery, or Jimmy Stewart.

Edited February 10, 2021 by methodwriter85

[SuprSuprElevated]

9 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

or Jimmy Stewart.

That's blasphemous.  I will never believe that he would be anything other than wonderful.  If I have to bury my head in the sand, I will.

[ifionlyknew]

12 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

My guesses are Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty, John Wayne, Sean Connery, or Jimmy Stewart.

I think Warren Beatty or Robert Redford.  She said acting hero. So it has to be someone who was a good actor  And she met him at a party so it has to be someone who was part of the Hollywood scene.

[Blergh]

Since Jimmy Stewart's star had long since waned by 1979- and I've never heard of him being less than a faithful husband to his wife Gloria, I doubt he'd have been the one Miss Barkin was talking about but there's a snowball's chance I could be wrong. 

[Mindthinkr]

My guess has boiled down to Robert Redford. 

[methodwriter85]

I thought Robert Redford was a possibility but he's not that tall- about 5'10." I ruled out Paul Newman also because he's only 5'10." 

Edited February 10, 2021 by methodwriter85

[magicdog]

Warren Beatty?  He's over 6' and was always on the prowl.  He was well known by this time - although women usually ran to him, I don't think he had to try to molest one.

Damn this is a tough one!

 

[Jaded]

7 hours ago, magicdog said:

Warren Beatty?  He's over 6' and was always on the prowl.  He was well known by this time - although women usually ran to him, I don't think he had to try to molest one.

Damn this is a tough one!

 

There have been plenty of men who've been popular with women who still felt the need to abuse them. Warren Beatty is a good guess though. Sean Connery is another good guess especially since through interviews it became apparent he wasn't respectful towards women at times.

Edited February 11, 2021 by Jaded

[SunnyBeBe]

9 hours ago, magicdog said:

Warren Beatty?  He's over 6' and was always on the prowl.  He was well known by this time - although women usually ran to him, I don't think he had to try to molest one.

Damn this is a tough one!

 

Didn’t Bill Cosby act as well?  And is 6 ft?

[biakbiak]

It’s also entirely possible given how it was worded that she used “towering” by its second meaning, hugely influential, not physical height.

[magicdog]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Didn’t Bill Cosby act as well?  And is 6 ft?

Cosby was better know for his stand up comedy and TV than film, even though he had done a few by '79.

[SuprSuprElevated]

Had it been Bill Cosby, I would think Ms. Barkin would feel free to disclose that, considering events of the past few years.

[SunnyBeBe]

Considering Barkin's history with being outspoken in the woman's movement, why do think she is not disclosing this man's identity after all this time?  I read about another physical attack on her revealed in Jan. 2020 which she said she was choked while on her job back in her early twenties.  She named that person.  

I have been a huge Barkin fan for a long time, so this really holds my interest.  

Edited February 11, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[ifionlyknew]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Considering Barkin's history with being outspoken in the woman's movement, why do think she is not disclosing this man's identity after all this time?  I read about another physical attack on her revealed in Jan. 2020 which she said she was choked while on her job back in her early twenties.  She named that person.  

Could be someone still alive.  Someone who still holds some power. Could be someone connected to someone she knows.  

We might be looking in the wrong place.  Barkin grew up in NYC and attended the Actors Studio. Her first real job was the soap Search for Tommorow in 1980 which filmed in NYC.  Maybe the guy was a Broadway star.

Edited February 11, 2021 by ifionlyknew

[magicdog]

1 hour ago, ifionlyknew said:

We might be looking in the wrong place.  Barkin grew up in NYC and attended the Actors Studio. Her first real job was the soap Search for Tommorow in 1980 which filmed in NYC.  Maybe the guy was a Broadway star.

Possible.  It wasn't uncommon for some film stars to do stage work so it still could be someone who was well known and was doing stage (or TV) work in NY.  Another possibility this person was visiting a mutual friend in NY (hence, the dinner party where the encounter occurred), or was filming on location in NY. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Ref. Recent Barkin allegation, where did she give the height of the person?  Was there something more than what she tweeted? I didn’t see anything about height.   I was thinking about icons during that time (1970s) like John Huston.  He was considered an icon and was very talented behind and in front of the camera.  He appeared  in China Town (Polanski movie) released in 1974.  He had a lot of material out there by that time.  And, his daughter is still alive....might spare her grief.  Also, Jack Nicholson.  

Edited February 11, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[DearEvette]

She didn't give height.  She used "towering" which could allude to a lot of things.  Forgetting for a second that this came from her own personal account, I took it for a conventional blind item.  Like when blind Items slide in a little sly double entendre or clever little clue to help you guess, so honestly, my first thought was that it referenced the movie 'The Towering Inferno' that had come out several years earlier and my head immediately went to Steve McQueen. It is probably not him, but that is where my thoughts went first.

[Blergh]

15 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Ref. Recent Barkin allegation, where did she give the height of the person?  Was there something more than what she tweeted? I didn’t see anything about height.   I was thinking about icons during that time (1970s) like John Huston.  He was considered an icon and was very talented behind and in front of the camera.  He appeared  in China Town (Polanski movie) released in 1974.  He had a lot of material out there by that time.  And, his daughter is still alive....might spare her grief.  Also, Jack Nicholson.  

I think you make a good case for John Huston who seems to have been quite a creep offcamera (and I got chills seeing his performance in China Town- I'll leave it at that) and possibly Jack Nicholson. However, I'm not sure if Miss Barkin has any compelling reason to want to spare Anjelica Huston's feelings re either of these individuals.

[ifionlyknew]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

I think you make a good case for John Huston who seems to have been quite a creep offcamera (and I got chills seeing his performance in China Town- I'll leave it at that) and possibly Jack Nicholson. However, I'm not sure if Miss Barkin has any compelling reason to want to spare Anjelica Huston's feelings re either of these individuals.

I also think John Huston is a good possibility. Barkin had mentioned the person's art.  He was a director.  I hear more people refer to directors as artists than actors.

[janie jones]

My point being I believed this towering actor would be as great as his art.

This makes it sound like it's his acting she admired.

[MargeGunderson]

I’m generally terrible at these, so keep that in mind. Could the use of “towering” refer to The Towering Inferno? It had Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Richard Chamberlain, Fred Astaire, Robert Wagner, Robert Vaughn, O.J. Simpson. 

[giovannif7]

OK, I want some of whatever the person who came up with this item is taking...

Quote

ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 02/21 **4**
Reader Blind - Change Of Identities: It all started decades ago when an A+ singer in an A+ band grew burnt out and tired of his life. He was doing drugs and drinking heavily and not healthy. He knew he needed a change but a very radical one. At the time, he was in a foreign country so he bribed a few people and his death was announced but this was fake. The singer in a phony identity adopted a gypsy lifestyle traveling around the USA. Not long after he befriended a well to do family in a midwestern state. This family had a problem. Despite the prominence and success of many members, one of the current generation was a n'er do well and one day under the pressure of succeeding he committed suicide . The patriarch of the family made a deal with the former singer. Having a loser son who committed suicide was not in the cards so even though the singer was a little older and a couple inches shorter, the patriarch asked him to assume the role of the son which he did. He and the son did have very similar facial features, slightly different accents but similar tones to their voices as well. After this, the singer in the role of the son got interested in a career the son was pursuing in. For a number of years he slogged in partial anonymity until he achieved A+ level success under his new identity. This was not a serious expression of who he was but an identity that hordes of people could relate to. His recent death may expose all of this. Look at the singer's face and who he became and listen to their voices - Granted it has deepened over age.       Jim Morrison/Rush Limbaugh (Rush Limbaugh & Jim Morrison are the same person)

 

[Annber03]

*Reads that item*

*Blinks*

...what...? 

[emmawoodhouse]

Um, nope.

[Enigma X]

This sounds how something like a QAnon started. Just nope.

[Anduin]

That would make for an interesting novel. I don't believe that it actually happened.

[cynicat]

7 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

OK, I want some of whatever the person who came up with this item is taking...

 

OMG, that's hysterical!  Jim Morrison may very well come back from the dead with the sole purpose of stopping this before it picks up any steam.  It makes me wonder if Jim/Rush were also living in the basement of a DC pizza parlor, living on the blood of children, while firing lasers from space to start wildfires, and trying like hell not to fall off the edge of the Earth.

[magicdog]

This one is right up there with the "Elvis didn't really die" conspiracy!!  

[Macbeth]

Someone's having fun in quarantine.  Gave me a good laugh.