Samurai Jack: The Amulet Of Time (GBA)
"The Cursed Atuk": A Script That Claimed The Lives Of 6 Actors
I want to dive into something a little different today but something super spooky. Outside of the horror genre, I love everything paranormal. I’m a big believer in ghosts and have had too many experiences to count. So I thought it would be fun to bring a little paranormal element to Horror Bound. Why? Because it’s my site and I feel like it. That’s the benefit of being the owner….ya’ll have to read my paranormal ramblings.
But I thought this would be kind of fun because it DOES involve movies. One in particular. And while it’s not a horror movie, it’s a movie that kills people. So it’s kind of like a real life horror movie…
The story is about an Inuit poet from Baffin Island who gets sent to Toronto. A total fish out of water story. But in the movie version, he lives in Alaska and ends up in New York City. A woman visits his town in Alaska, she’s a documentarian. When they leave, he stows away on their plane. When he arrives, he saves a young man who is the son of a powerful real estate mogul and hi-jinks ensue.
The film adaptation was requested by Norman Jewison (he is a Canadian director and producer who helped start up the CBC, and did a bunch of other wonderful things. He seriously has lived a crazy productive life. Go check him out) in the early 1970’s. Todd Carol wrote the adaptation, and Jewison planned to film it in Canada.
John Belushi was the first actor to be attached to the film. He was offered the lead role in 1982 and showed a lot of interest in the script. But a few months later, on March 5th, Belushi was tragically found dead in his hotel room at the Chateau Marmont by his trainer Bill Wallace. He was only 33 years old. The cause of death was determined to be drug related, most likely a speedball. His death was investigated by a forensic pathologist and the findings were disputed.
Two months later, Catherine Evelyn Smith admitted she had been with Belushi on the night of his death and had given him the fatal dosage. The case was reopened and she was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
In 1986, after losing their lead, the script went back on the market and this time Sam Kinison got involved. He would play the lead role of Atuk. In 1988 production began and managed 8 days of filming before Kinison halted the production. He didn’t like the way it had turned out and began to rewrite the script. Kinison said that he was given creative control. Apparently he became difficult when the studio got involved. A lawsuit began.
The movie was put on hold again until 1992 when production began to set up again. Unfortunately, during these negotiations, Kinison died.
It was Friday, April 10th, 1992. He was only 38. His vehicle was struck head-on in California by a pickup truck, driven by a 17 year old who was drunk. Kinison was alive after the crash, his best friend Carl LaBove had been driving behind him at the time of the accident. His brother was there as well and they could see no visible injuries. But Kinison began to talk to himself, repeating “I don’t want to die.” It then appeared as if he were talking to someone who wasn’t there, “But why?” “Okay, okay…” and then he lost consciousness. He could not be resuscitated and he died at the scene from internal injuries. His wife who was also in the car survived with a mild concussion.
The production team refused to give up, they really believed this script was something special. And so, in 1994, they approached John Candy and offered him the role. Candy was thrilled and began to study the script. In March of that year he also died. Candy was working in Mexico and at some point in the night of March 4th, he died of a heart attack. He was 43 years old.
Candy had reportedly asked his close friend, Michael O’Donoghue, to also read the script and perhaps join the cast. In November of that same year, he also passed away. He had a history of chronic migraines and died from a cerebral hemorrhage at 54 years old.
1997 rolls around and the film surfaces again. Atuk was offered to Chris Farley. Farley was aware that his idol Belushi was once offered the part and so he was intrigued, and expressed an interest. But, much like his idol, Farley also died young, and the same age of 33. A few months after reading the script, on December 18th, Farley was found dead by his younger brother in his apartment. He died of a drug overdose. A speedball. Just like Belushi.
Farley, much like Candy, also introduced his friend Phil Hartman to the script. 5 months after the tragic death of Farley, Hartman’s wife murdered Phil in cold blood. His wife, Brynn Hartman, got into a heated argument with Phil after he threatened to leave her if she started using drugs again. At 3am Brynn entered the bedroom and around 3am shot Phil twice in the head and once in his side. She drove to a friends house and confessed to the murder, the friend didn’t believe her so the two of them drove back to the house. The friend saw the body and called the police. As the police arrived and escorted the children out of the home, Brynn locked herself in the bedroom and shot herself, committing suicide.
And so, Atuk sits unmade and untouched for years. Some believe in the curse, some don’t. I’m not sure why no one is questioning the fact that a bunch of white men were being cast as an Inuit...but that’s a whole other side of Hollywood.
Who knows if the script will ever come out of the dark and attempt to be made again? But I really hope it doesn’t. That’s a long history of bad luck (and whitewashing) that I wouldn’t want to tamper with.
Credits: Horrorbound
"The DStv Purge": Why Consumers Shouldn't Expect A Follow-Up To M-Net's Me Anytime Soon?
Of course, MultiChoice further reduced its availability to the consumers of 1Magic being Compact Plus. Despite most consumers already having a Showmax subscription it would make sense to extend the reach to Compact and Family.
But 1Max's inclusion could only be a piece of the puzzle to Me's closure from MultiChoice and M-Net's initial statement:
M-Net is streamlining its channel offering to provide a more seamless entertainment experience for DStv customers...newer fresher content as well as existing shows will be available on the remaining M-Net channels and platforms such as DStv Stream, Catch Up and Showmax.
From what is implied on the statement above, M-Net is looking to go down this path alone as seen when it Iaunched back in 1986. As Mzansi Magic continues to support Mzansi Wethu, M-Net would rather offer content that airs on a respective brand.
There hasn't been much of that in recent years as M-Net's offering continues to remain under pressure from Netflix and Disney+. From what we've seen recently, Netflix becoming the exclusive home to WWE in 2025 with promotions Raw and Smackdown.
When M-Net picks up a show from the BBC or Paramount Pictures instead of that going onto Me. They're redirecting these efforts onto Showmax as it becomes and continues to be the avenue of fresher releases alongside ones viewed on DStv.
There were rumours that a replacement was being explored with some citing a third-party. If that happens to be the case, don't expect it to be anything like Me but more like Universal and Comedy Central with its own avenue of content with select from M-Net.
Development Alert (Rumour): CNBC-e Eyeing A Potential Relaunch In Turkey By 3rd June
CNBC, which withdrew from Turkey in 2015 due to the expiration of its broadcasting rights, is planned to start broadcasting again soon. CNBC Turkey, headquartered in Istanbul, will broadcast at least 10 hours of live content a day covering finance, economy and various topics. business news. The channel's programming will be supported by international broadcasts from CNBC bureaus around the world, including Abu Dhabi, London, New York and Singapore.
The leading economy and television network CNBC Turkey will be relaunched with the support of İlbak Holding. CNBC International President and CEO John Casey expressed his thoughts on the merger as follows: "As a global brand, we understand the importance of providing local business news, insights and analysis. We are excited to announce its partnership with CNBC Turkey. İlbak Holding and CNBC-e To bring the unique and dynamic content of 's to Turkish audiences.
Murat İlbak, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of İlbak Holding, stated that they are happy to bring CNBC back to Turkey with its Turkish content and made the following evaluations: "CNBC Turkey will undoubtedly be a success with the complete, unbiased, accurate information and news content that we have committed to. It will be a breakthrough in the job markets in our country. Turkey has a vibrant and versatile economy with a population of 85 million and a growing investor base. Our aim is to provide an advanced information flow that will facilitate decision-making processes and to reveal the full potential of the business world and markets in Turkey. CNBC Turkey will help its viewers make informed decisions and seize opportunities in the ever-changing global business environment."
İlbak noted that the TV channel will also play an important role in the development of Turkey, which is among the world's top 20 economies, and added that this strong partnership with CNBC International He emphasized that it will also show the strength and dynamism of the Turkish economy.
Brief History of CNBC-e
CNBC-e started broadcasting on October 16, 2000, under the leadership of Ercan Kumcu and with the contributions of the Central Bank. Founded by Doğuş Broadcasting Group, the channel was one of the first channels in Turkey to include foreign TV series as well as economic and financial news. CNBC-e works in partnership with CNBC, NBC's renowned business channel, to deliver important market news and analysis to its viewers from around the world.
Why Did CNBC-e Close?
CNBC-e ceased broadcasting in 2015. This decision was due to both economic reasons and strategic changes in the media industry. CNBC-e, which broadcasts popular foreign TV series as well as finance and economy programs, was replaced by TLC Turkey after its closure. TLC tried to appeal to CNBC-e's audience with more lifestyle and entertainment content.
When Will CNBC-e Start Broadcasting in Turkey?
Recently, rumors have begun to circulate on social media and various platforms that CNBC-e will restart broadcasting. Many viewers hope CNBC-e will reopen. CNBC-e's legacy audience eagerly awaits such a return due to its interest in financial and economic news. CNBC's advertising posters have started to appear on the streets and is expected to open on June 3.
Credits: Anadolu
eMedia Investments Won't Be Able To Offer The T-20 World Cup To Openview Consumers
eMedia has said in a statement that it will not be broadcasting the T20 World Cup in June because of a constrained bidding time frame provided by MultiChoice.
This comes after MultiChoice, which acquired exclusive rights to the World Cup, only opened a tender for free-to-air broadcasters to bid for sub-licensing rights five weeks before the tournament’s start.
As a result, eMedia said bidders are “unlikely” to receive confirmation of broadcasting rights until less than two weeks before the event.
eMedia said it hasn’t submitted a bid, as there will not be enough time to secure sponsors, arrange advertising, and adjust programming schedules.
Due to this conduct, the broadcaster believes MultiChoice has violated the Electronic Communications Act and the Sports Broadcasting Regulations, which mandate prompt notification to free-to-air broadcasters.
“eMedia views the issuing of these late invitations to tender by MultiChoice as undermining fair competition and ignoring a recent Competition Tribunal order designed to prevent such restrictive practices,” the broadcaster said.
“This behaviour is not only unfair to E-tv’s dedicated viewers but also detrimental to the South African broadcasting industry as a whole.”
This is not the first time eMedia has called foul on MultiChoice’s behaviour around sports rights.
Last year, MultiChoice and the SABC concluded last-minute deals allowing the public broadcaster to show key matches from the Rugby and Cricket World Cup tournaments.
This included all matches featuring the Springboks and Proteas, as well as the semi-finals and finals, regardless of who was playing.
However, the deals explicitly blocked the SABC from broadcasting the matches on any channels carried by eMedia’s Openview.
eMedia claimed that these restrictions were anti-competitive and launched legal action against MultiChoice as a result.
The Competition Tribunal recently granted eMedia an interdict forcing MultiChoice to allow the SABC to broadcast live sports sub-licensed from SuperSport on Openview.
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