By Joseph Martinez -

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce welcomed actor John Cusack to the Hollywood Walk of Fame as he received his star on Tuesday, April 24th at 11:30 a.m. in front of Larry Edmunds Bookshop and reunited him with old co-stars like Dan Aykroyd, Jack Black,  Billy Bob Thorton, and of course his sister Joan Cusack.

Why place the star in front of a bookshop? In his latest role, Cusack stars as the infamous author Edgar Allen Poe in Relativity’s upcoming thriller "The Raven" set for release In theatres April 27th, the macabre and lurid tales of Poe are vividly brought to life and death, when a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Poe’s darkest works.

Why John Cusack? Well, why not. With an impressive body of work spanning the course of nearly three decades, Cusack has evolved into one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and respected actors of his generation, garnering both critical acclaim as well as prestigious accolades for his dramatic and comedic roles. 

Cusack’s list of film credits stretches all the way to the early 1980's and includes such titles as:  Igor, which he lent his voice-talent; Joshua Seftel’s War, Inc., James C. Strouse’s Grace is Gone, Menno Meyjes’ Martian Child, Mikael Håfström’s 1408, Harold Ramis’ The Ice Harvest, Gary Fleder’s Runaway Jury, James Mangold’s Identity, Mennoy Meyjes’ Max, Tim Robbins’ Cradle Will Rock, Mike Newell’s Pushing Tin, Peter Chelsom’s Serendipity, Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line, Simon West’s Con Air, Clint Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Harold Becker’s City Hall, Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway and Shadows and Fog, Joe Roth’s America’s Sweethearts, Alan Parker’s The Road to Wellville, Herbert Ross’ True Colors, James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News and Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me and also lent his voice in the full-length animated feature film Anastasia.

Cusack first gained the attention of audiences by starring in a number of 1980s film classics such as The Sure Thing, Say Anything, Sixteen Candles and Better Off Dead. The actor shed his teen-heartthrob image by next starring in a wide range of dramas, thrillers and comedies including The Grifters, Eight Men Out, Being John Malkovich, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity, which he was nominated  for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

On the small screen, Cusack starred in HBO’s telefilm “The Jack Bull,” a traditional Western written by his father Dick Cusack. He also served as executive producer on the film.

Cusack will also be seen next in Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy and has recently starred in Hot Tub Time Machine, which he also produced as well as  Roland Emmerich’s 2012. Later this year, Cusack will star opposite Nicolas Cage in Frozen Ground. (© 2012 Joe Martinez / PictureLux )

John Cusack Trivia per IMDB.com:

• Turned down Woody Harrelson's role in Indecent Proposal (1993).
• Turned down Bill Paxton's role in Apollo 13 (1995).
• On free time likes to go "Helecopter Snowboarding" and kick-boxing with stunt coordinator Benny Urquidez. Has a black belt in kick-boxing.
• Sister Joan Cusack appeared in 10 of his movies.
• Is Irish-American. The name Cusack is not Slavic as many may believe. It is a Norman name, brought to Ireland when the Normans invaded in 1169. "Cussac" is a city in South Central France.
• Member of the "Brat Pack", the name for the actors who tended to star in teen movies of the 80's. Others include Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Demi Moore, Charlie Sheen and Diane Lane.
• Was originally the actor chosen to play John Bender in the The Breakfast Club (1985). At the last minute, things changed and Judd Nelson ended up in the role.

View more celebrity photos of John Cusack at PictureLuximages.com

By Joseph Martinez -

Malcolm McDowell, star of Stanley Kubrick's classic "A Clockwork Orange", was honored with the 2,465th star, outside Hollywood Boulevard's British pub The Pig n' Whistle, on Friday March 16, 2012. He posed with his wife Kelley and their son Beckett, as the plaque was unveiled to the media and well-wishing fans from around the country.

Among the ceremony's highlights were Gary Oldman heartfelt speech that paid tribute to his friend Malcolm McDowell, hailing the star for inspiring him to take up acting. The Harry Potter star revealed, "It was like the lights went on in my life, in much the same way that John Lennon saw Elvis on screen and said 'That's a good job, I'd like to do that for a living'. I saw Malcolm in this film and I thought, 'This is what I want to do'."

During his acceptance speech, Malcolm McDowell told the crowd,  "For a lad that grew up in Liverpool (England), Hollywood was this notion of everything that was incredible in the movies, and Hollywood has meant so much to the rest of the world - we take it, because we live in LA, sort of for granted."

The British pub that overlooks the star, The Pig n' Whistle, has named a special drink in McDowell's honor called The Clockwork Orange. (photos: © 2012 Joe Martinez / Picturelux)

Malcolm McDowell Trivia per IMDB.com:

• His first wife, Margot Bennett, was Keir Dullea's ex-wife. Keir was the main character in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), while McDowell was the main character in Kubrick's next film, A Clockwork Orange (1971).
• Has said that his favorite actor of all time is James Cagney.
• Has appeared in three different films involving time travel: Time After Time (1979), Star Trek: Generations (1994) and Just Visiting (2001).
• His performance as Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange (1971) was ranked 100 on the list of the "100 Greatest Film Performances of All Time".
• As he wanted to get into the SAG, he took his mother's maiden name McDowell because there was another British actor called Malcolm Taylor.

What to Watch:

• A Clockwork Orange, 1971
• Caligula, 1979
• Time After Time, 1979
• Star Trek: Generations, 1994
  

 View more celebrity photos of Malcolm McDowell at PictureLuximages.com

By Joseph Martinez -

Every year, on Oscar night, I look forward to coming to the “Night of One Hundred Stars” Awards Gala, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, to see my old friends. Well, they are not really my friends, but I like to think of them as such since I grew up watching many of them on television and at the movies.

I mean, who can forget stars like Richard Dreyfuss, in "American Graffiti" trying desperately to find that blonde in the Thunderbird…and how about Lou Ferrigno busting at the seams as he shape shifts into the extremely annoyed "Incredible Hulk" …or John Savage playing Russian roulette with the Vietcong in "The Deer Hunter"…and how about Tanya Roberts as one of the Angels in the 5^th and final season of "Charlie’s Angels"… or former playmate Stella Stevens  as Jerry Lewis' love interest in "The Nutty Professor", and in the music realm, Frankie Valli, voice of the number 1 hit “Grease” from the film of the same name, or ... well you get the idea. The list goes on and on and so do the fond memories.

In my mind, they are all my very dear friends... and the other night; I had the opportunity to see them all over again …sort of like re-runs, but this time through the unforgiving lens of time. Sure they are all getting just a bit older, and they aren’t exactly as I remember them, but who isn’t getting older. Although not in their Hollywood prime, they still have that Hollywood aura that many of the newer "celebrities" lack these days. So enjoy the photos and the fond memories of days gone by. On this one night, when things are aligned just right, magic happens and the Hollywood limelight emanates from these old friends one more time. (photo © 2012 Joe Martinez/PictureLux)

View more celebrity photos from this, and prior, "Night of 100 Stars" at PictureLuximages.com

By Joseph Martinez -

Oscar-winning beauty, Reese Witherspoon, looked gorgeous in a cleavage-bearing Miu Miu, which she matched with some Christian Louboutin pumps at the Los Angeles Premiere of "This Mean's War" held at the Chinese Theater on February 8, 2012. With looks this hot, can you blame Tom Hardy and Chris Pine for fighting for her affections in the movie.

Joining Reese on the Red Carpet were Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, Angela Bassett, Chelsea Handler, Abigail Spencer, Laura Vandervoort, Monet Mazur, Krista B. Allen, among others.

Directed by McG, "This Means War" is an action spy comedy about two CIA agents (Hardy, Pine) who find themselves falling for the same woman (Witherspoon).

The film also stars comedienne Chelsea Handler, who is good friends with Witherspoon in real life. On Wednesday, Witherspoon posted a photo of herself and Handler on ReeseWitherspoon.com:

"Chelsea and I are feeling like Thelma and Louise. Sans headscarves and sunglasses," Witherspoon wrote."This Means War" arrives in theaters on Feb. 17, 2012. (photos: © 2012 Joe Martinez / Picturelux)

View more celebrity photos of Reese Witherspoon at PictureLuxImages.com