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Hollywood Iconic Actor Dies @88

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Report has shown that a legendary actor known to have played visible Character in different movies, who appeared in more than 220 roles across seven decades, has died in Vermont on Tuesday.

M Emmet Walsh, the character actor who appeared in more than 220 film and television roles including Blade Runner, Knives Out and the Coen brothers’ films Blood Simple and Raising Arizona, has died aged 88.

However, Walsh’s manager, Sandy Joseph, confirmed to the industry publication Variety that he had died Tuesday in Vermont.

Born in New York in 1935 and raised in Vermont, Walsh landed his first uncredited film role – an extra in Midnight Cowboy – and his first credited film role in Alice’s Restaurant, both in 1969.

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He played a sportswriter in the Paul Newman sports comedy Slap Shot (1977), Dustin Hoffman’s parole officer in Straight Time (1978), the sniper hunting down Steve Martin in The Jerk (1979), and the LAPD boss who brings Harrison Ford out of retirement in Blade Runner (1982

Walsh told the Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that Blade Runner was the film he was asked about the most, saying that after he saw the finished product: “We didn’t know what to say or to think or do! We didn’t know what in the hell we had done! The only one who seemed to get it was Ridley.”

With his dry delivery and hangdog face, he was known for his ability to take on both menacing and comedic roles – and sometimes both at the same time, such as Loren Visser, the double-crossing private detective in the Coen brothers’ 1984 feature debut, Blood Simple.

The famed film critic Roger Ebert praised Walsh as a “poet of sleaze” for his performance and came up with the “Stanton-Walsh Rule”: “no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad”.

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“Every time, you try to figure something individual that works for the character. If you’re playing a villain, you don’t play villain,” Walsh told the Guardian about Blood Simple in 2017, adding: “Visser doesn’t think of himself as particularly bad or evil. He’s on the edge of what’s legal, but he’s having a lot of fun with all that.”

He also played small roles in Fletch (1985) and the horror flick Critters (1986), as well as Nicolas Cage’s chatty co-worker in Raising Arizona (1987), John Lithgow’s father in Harry and the Hendersons (1987), and Michael Keaton’s sponsor in Clean and Sober (1988). He also appeared in Romeo + Juliet (1996), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), The Iron Giant (1999), Calvary (2014) and Knives Out (2019).

“I have more fun playing 10 different people than I do playing the same person 10 different times,” he once told the Houston Chronicle. “One time it’s a garbage collector, and the next time it’s the president of Princeton.”

His final role was in the 2024 western Outlaw Posse alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer.

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Over seven decades of television, Walsh appeared in shows including Starsky and Hutch, Frasier, The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, Home Improvement and Adventure Time. One of his last roles was as Grandaddy Roy in The Righteous Gemstones.

“It’s a good life being a character actor,” he once told the Orange County Register. “I’ve been around stardom. I’ve been around Redford and Hoffman, and it’s scary. That drive for stardom is like the greyhounds chasing the mechanical rabbit. By the time he catches him, he’s too tired to run anymore, and you’ve got to shoot him.”

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Lawmaker, Dennis Agbo hails NBA’s visionary leadership

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The Lawmaker representing Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Dennis Nnamdi AGBO (FCA) has praised Governor Peter Ndubisi Mba’s “visionary leadership” in Enugu State.

Agbo highlighted the governor’s focus on human capital development, security, and infrastructure as crucial to achieving his goal of growing the state’s economy from $4 billion to $32 billion by 2027.

“This ambitious goal of the Governor will be far fetched if the residents do not optimise the number of working days in the week, and the working hours in the day. Hence the government has ensured from the onset the termination of the Monday sit at home, and deployed enough security to bring in night life into the economy of the State.
Other enabling environment is provided to make Enugu State a tourist and investment destination of choice.” He affirmed.

The lawmaker further noted that Governor Mba’s initiatives have set him apart as a role model in the Southeast stressing that the governor’s use of technology to enhance security, build smart schools, and establish state-of-the-art healthcare centers, was commendable.

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Hon. Agbo emphasized that the state government’s investment in security has enabled residents to move freely and conduct businesses without restrictions, five days a week.

He expressed optimism that Enugu State would become the premier investment destination in the Southeast due to the progress made in infrastructure, security, and ease of doing business.

Notably, Agbo’s praise for Governor Mba remains significant, given that he is a member of the Labour Party, which claimed to have been robbed of its victory in Enugu State.

His comments no doubt reflect his commitment to governance over politics, echoing the words of the President that “time for politics is over”

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Hon. Agbo who spoke to journalists in Abuja, also enjoined the Enugu State indigenes both home and abroad to support what the Governor was doing to move the state forward adding that the over all interest of the state should be placed above politics.

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2025 Budget is ambitious, growth sustaining -Prof Nnamchi

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Professor Paul Sunday Nnamchi, a federal lawmaker, has praised the 2025 national budget proposal, calling it ambitious and growth-sustaining.

He believed that the budget was aimed at reassessing the government’s transformation agenda, its impact on the production and the overall economy in addition to making sure that the government’s monetary and fiscal policies were in tandem.

The proposed budget according to him, “is expected to bring down interest rates, support investments, promote production, and sustain growth and reduce inflation. He stressed.

Professor Nnamchi also acknowledged the progress made in security, particularly in the Niger Delta region, which has contributed to the increase in oil production from 1.2 barrels a day to 1.8 barrels a day.

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Key highlights of the budget proposal include: A significant allocation to security, which Professor Nnamchi observed that it was crucial for addressing food security concerns and reducing the cost of staple foods.

“Increase in oil production and agriculture due to improved security situation in the troubled areas will raise our GDP significantly, which could bring down inflation from 39% to 15 % going by medium term expenditure frameworks”
He noted stressing that the budget outlined proposed measures that would also support investments, promote production, and sustain growth while reducing inflation.

Such measures, he stated includes investments in infrastructure development, which were expected to stimulate economic growth and attract foreign direct investments.

“While ambitious, this budget is grounded in sound economic principles, and its successful implementation will depend on our collective resolve as representatives of the people to ensure that every naira allocated serves its purpose and delivers tangible benefits to Nigerians.”

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Overall, Professor Nnamchi emphasized the need to prioritize national interest and work towards moving the nation forward urging that Nigeria should be placed above sectional interest.

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Work for Peace and Unity of Nigeria’, Obi tasks Ohaneaze president, Mbata

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The leader of the opposition Labour Party and the 2023 Presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, has admonished the newly elected leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide led by Senator John Azuta Mbata to work towards peace and unity of the nation.

Writing on his X handle in a congratulatory message to the Executive, Obi urged the new Executive to leverage their position, which shows the people’s confidence in them to strengthen the Igbo family and unite the country.

“On behalf of my family and the Obedient movement, I congratulate the Newly Elected President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata; the Deputy President General, Prince Okey Nwadinobi; the Secretary-General, Emeka Sibeudu, and other newly elected executive members, on their emergence as the leaders of the noble organization.

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“Their emergence as the leaders of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the umbrella body that unites the Igbo people, underscores the level of confidence and hope the people have in their leadership ability and their commitment to the development of the region and the nation in general.

“I pray that they will leverage their new offices to continue to work for the peace and unity of our nation and contribute immeasurably to ideas that will drive development, peace, and progress among the people.

“May God give you all, the wisdom and strength to serve the people.
A New Nigeria remains Possible.

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