R.I.P Corey Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010)

I woke up this morning and was sad to hear that actor Corey Haim had passed away due to a drug overdose.

Corey Haim will probably be remembered best for 1987's 'The Lost Boys,' which launched his long friendship on- and off-screen with Corey Feldman. Sadly, he'll also be remembered for his quarter-century-long battle with drug and alcohol abuse, which marred his adult career and led to several attempts at a comeback.

Last year, he completed a small role in 'Crank: High Voltage,' and he reportedly had two completed movies under his belt ('New Terminal Hotel' and 'American Sunset') at the time of his death.

At his best, however, Haim was a fresh-faced presence, light and funny, but not without a dark edge.

Below are some highlights of his career. Please note that tittles with 3 stars happen to be my personal favorite movies.


'Firstborn' (1984)

Haim rose to fame quickly as a teenager, debuting with a starring role opposite Teri Garr and Peter Weller in this thriller when he was 13. He's the kid brother in the family, sweet and vulnerable, until he comes to his mom's rescue with a baseball bat.

'Silver Bullet' (1985)***

In this Stephen King adaptation, Haim is impish and mischievous as a paraplegic boy who believes a werewolf is behind the murders in his small town. Haim has great chemistry with Gary Busey as the crazy uncle who builds him a souped-up wheelchair.

'Murphy's Romance' (1985)

Haim has a key role as Sally Field's son, trying to adjust to life in a new town. He shows surprising maturity as a kid torn between his mom's new beau (James Garner) and his ne'er-do-well dad (Brian Kerwin).

'Lucas' (1986)***

Haim landed his first serious dramatic lead role as a misfit, lovelorn teen. He befriends an older teen (Charlie Sheen), who serves as his mentor, and he develops a crush on a girl (Kerri Green), only to see the two of them fall for each other. The film became a cult favorite and earned critical acclaim for Haim's thoughtful, sensitive performance.

'The Lost Boys' (1987) ***

This clever vampire horror-comedy marked Haim's big breakthrough and remains the best film of his career. As a youngster who discovers his new town is infested with teenage biker bloodsuckers (who threaten to make his big brother, Jason Patric, one of their own), Haim straddles the line between boyish cuteness and intrepid heroism while dropping sardonic one-liners throughout. He finds his ideal comic foil in the even more intense Feldman as another junior vampire hunter. The film marked the beginning of a friendship with Feldman that would last through seven more movies over the next 20 years, as well as launching both into teen heartthrob status.

'License to Drive' (1988)***

Haim doesn't actually possess said license, which doesn't stop him from a night of vehicular mayhem as he tries to take out dream girl Heather Graham for a night on the town. (Feldman shows up as a scheming pal full of bad advice.) Haim and Feldman shine in this silly but fondly-remembered teen romp (a model for later films like 'Dude, Where's My Car?') as they begin to graduate towards grown-up mischief

'Dream a Little Dream' (1989)***

This time, it's Haim who plays the goofy sidekick to Feldman, who finds old soul Jason Robards inhabiting his body. The film marks the tail end of the '80s wave of body-switch comedies, and it's also the last time Haim and Feldman are sweet, likable teens. After this, their films together become grim affairs with more explicit sex and violence, like 1992's 'Blown Away.'

'The Two Coreys' (2007-08)

The transition to adult roles proved difficult for both Coreys but especially hard for Haim, who also struggled for the rest of his life with drug and alcohol abuse that began on the set of 'Lucas.' (TMZ says he was in and out of rehab as many as 15 times.) This A&E reality series showed the two longtime friends trying for a comeback together by making a straight-to-video 'Lost Boys' sequel, but the underlying drama continued to be Haim's battle with addiction. That made for riveting and sadly prophetic drama when Feldman finally staged an intervention for Haim and finally cut all ties with his longtime friend when Haim refused to get help. After the series ended, Haim did get clean again and resumed working in small roles like the one in the 'Crank' sequel, but it seems clear he couldn't stay on the wagon. We'll never know if he could have pulled off one last comeback.

Brittany Murphy Death Certificate

The manner of death is checked as "pending investigation." The immediate cause of death says, "deferred." As for manner, the possibilities include accident, natural, homicide, suicide and undetermined. As for cause, the L.A. County Coroner is awaiting toxicology and tissue tests. Interestingly, although several entertainment outlets interviewed Brittany's father after her death ... the death certificate lists the father as "UNKNOWN."

Also interesting ... there's a line on the certificate for "INFORMANT." The name listed is "Tayebe Pajooh, cousin," who has a mailing address in North Carolina. A rep for the County tells TMZ an informant is someone who gives vital information, such as SS#, to the mortuary.

Brittany Murphy R.I.P 11/12/77 - 12/20/09

Born November 10, 1977 actress Brittany Murphy died Sunday, December 20, 2009 at the age of 32. The actress went into full cardiac arrest, and paramedics were unable to revive her.

Brittany Murphy broke onto the scene as the girl most in need of a makeover in Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. From that 1995 film, Murphy went on to star in films such as Girl, Interrupted, Sidewalks of New York, Riding in Cars with Boys, Don't Say a Word, Spin, 8 Mile, Just Married, Drop dead Gorgeous, Little Black Book, Sin City & Uptown Girls.


Murphy also built up a solid resume doing voice work. Murphy lent her voice to the animated TV series King of the Hill as both Luann and Joseph. Murphy also provided the voice of Elijah Wood's love interest in the animated movie, Happy Feet. Not only was she called upon to act the part of a singing penguin in that family film, Murphy also sang "Somebody to Love" and "Boogie Wonderland" (both songs are included on the Happy Feet soundtrack).

In recent memory, Brittany Murphy had been receiving press for her described "loopy" behavior, her husband and her thin frame. Movies? Not so much: her acting had been put on the back-burner. With the star's film career stalled, mentions of the actress on gossip sites usually used the words "crazy" and "difficult" rather than "talented."


She appeared thinner than usual at her final public event, when she walked the red carpet Dec. 3 at the opening of Tt Collection's Pop-Up shop in Los Angeles. Us Magazine quoted one blogger as saying her dress "hung to her skin and bones frame" at the event.

Two days before, she appeared "quite thin," "out of it" and with eyes "dilated" at the premiere of her latest film, 'Across the Hall,' according to Gawker's assessment of an interview she did with MaximoTV.com.

Perez Hilton bluntly asked if Murphy was "all hopped up on the crazy happy pills" at the premiere and said she was "lookin' a little Abdrool-y" -- a pet name he's given to Paula Abdul.

But besides the criticism tied to her appearance, Murphy had found herself in the headlines in recent months more for her husband. Simon Monjack (profiled here) landed in the hospital in late November after he fell ill on a plane due to unknown circumstances (possibly asthma). The 911 call described him as having "stopped breathing."

Monjack, a screenwriter, is also being blamed for Murphy's recent departure from the film, 'The Caller.' Contrary to prior reports that Murphy was fired for being difficult, Showbiz411's Roger Friedman is reporting that it was Monjack's erratic on-set behavior that led to her firing. Michael Z. Gordon, a producer who cast Murphy in the upcoming 'Shrinking Charlotte,' said he'd been warned about Monjack's antics on the set of 'The Caller.'


"'Monjack came on the set inebriated," Gordon said he'd been told. "The producers wanted to keep him away. Brittany of course defended him. And so she was let go."

Two weeks ago, 'Saturday Night Live' ran a skit lampooning Murphy, using 'The Caller' scandal and her apparent loopiness as the idea. The segment featured Abby Elliott playing a clearly out-of-it Murphy, who mistakenly thinks she's hosting the show again (Murphy helmed 'SNL' once, in 2002). NBC has since pulled the sketch from their site and Hulu.

Murphy's film career had been long-hampered by reports she was a difficult addition to any set. Blogs and tabloids were not the only ones accusing her of being a risk to casting directors.

In 2002, the New York Times used "difficult" to describe her. The New York Post went one step further in 2008, calling her "extremely difficult" for alleged demands including peanut-butter sandwiches. MSNBC said she was acting "erratic" at a 2004 press event for 'Uptown Girls' and The Wrap said she was "barely there" on the set of 'Something Wicked.'

The star's tragic death on Sunday has sadly only brought on more speculation about her health. TMZ is reporting the actress had experienced flu-like symptoms in recent days and that she had begun vomiting early Sunday. Sources to the site said no illegal drugs were found in Murphy's home, but it is apparent the actress was taking some prescription medications. After the 911 call, Murphy's mother Sharon told paramedics her daughter was diabetic.

An autopsy is scheduled for today(Monday, Dec 21st 2009) but the LA County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter told the press Sunday evening that the tragedy was likely the result of natural causes.