Jwaundace Candece

Stuntwoman and actress Jwaundace (pronounced Ja-wan-dece) Candece is regarded by her peers as one of the top stuntwomen in Hollywood. Her over 70 stunt credits include big-budget films such as Scary Movie 5, Dreamgirls, The Help, and The Hunger Games. Her small screen stuntwork includes the shows The Vampire Diaries, CSI, Devious Maids, and Elementary, just to name a few. She's stunt doubled for the likes of Viola Davis, Queen Latifah, Taraji. P. Henson, Whoopi Goldberg, Tyra Banks, and Jennifer Hudson. Those are just some of the ladies who have Jwaundace to thank for making them look even better in their roles by filling in for them when their characters went to blows, took falls, crashed cars, and were even in flames.

On the list of Jwaundace's "safer" accreditations, she holds a masters degree in psychology, is a published author and a certified reading teacher, all of which were fields she worked in before her show biz career, which began with her pro wrestling stint as "Delta Lotta Pain" with the Women of Wrestling (WOW) organization in 2000.

As an actress, Jwaundace's credits are no less impressive. Most recently, she appeared on Cinemax’s new original action series Banshee, on an episode of BET’s popular show Let’s Stay Together, entitled "Hooked On You," and she had a recurring role on ABC’s Resurrection. This summer, you'll be able to see her comedic side in the upcoming film Let’s Be Cops with Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson. The above photo is courtesy of Jwaundace, herself.

Remembering Momoko Kōchi, the Original Godzilla Actress

With all the “Godzilla-mania” going on due to the recently released CGI remake of the 1954 Japanese horror classic, Godzilla (sometimes written as “Gojira” after the Japanese pronunciation), it’s fitting that someone pay homage to the original that spawned the giant monster movies. However, that’s not what this site’s about, so instead, I’m just paying homage here to the film’s lead actress, Momoko Kōchi.

Miss Kōchi played Emiko Yamane, the daughter of the archeologist who finds conclusive evidence of Godzilla and wants to study the creature, rather than destroy it. In the above scene, Emiko decides she must break her promise to keep silent about an Oxygen Destroyer created by her scientist fiancé, whom she doesn’t love or want to marry, and tells what she knows to the salvage ship captain she does love and wants to marry. She reveals what she knows because she realizes, despite her promise and the damage the device can cause, the Oxygen Destroyer is the only thing that can stop Godzilla.

Horror Hotel with Lamia, "Queen of the Dark"

October 2018 Author's Addendum: The video of the Horror Hotel episode that was featured in this article has been removed from Youtube. Inquiries regarding this episode's availability should be sent to horrorhotelfest@gmail.com.

 

 

Above is the full and most recent episode of Horror Hotel, shown on the Reel TV Network and hosted by Lamia (pronounced "Lay-me-uh"), portrayed by Kristina Michelle, the hard-working lady behind the Reel TV Network. As she introduces the 1959 Vincent Price classic The House on Haunted Hill, one can tell "The Queen of the Dark" is a very knowledgeable horror film historian who gives the facts and stats on the movies she hosts, as well as what was going on, horror-wise, during its era. Exuding a more subtle sexuality and without the campiness of Elvira, who's known for delivering double entendre-laced monologs while spilling out of a sleek form-hugging dress, Lamia does some segments of the show with her "co-host" Lilith Alexandria (Kristina's real-life pet python, that we first see at 25:16). During the closing segment, rather than wishing viewers "unpleasant dreams," Lamia signs off with "stay bloody" and an evil, fang-baring hiss. 

Asian Ladies of the Gold Rush

With the 2014 NFL Kickoff Game just under four months away, most of the teams’ cheerleading squads have already held their try-outs and selected the ladies who will be donning the midriff-baring uniforms and entertaining the fans on game day with their spirited dance routines.

As San Francisco is the NFL city with the largest Asian population, it’s a given that the 49ers cheerleaders, know as the Gold Rush, will have Asian ladies representing in the red and gold. One of whom is Airi (above), whose first year as a Gold Rush cheerleader will also be the first season the 49ers will be playing at their new home field, Levi’s Stadium.

The Ladies of Remake

Doug Phillips' 2012 independent slasher film, Remake was shot entirely in and around Minneapolis, and its cast features some very lovely ladies from the area, two of whom; Kate Cloutier and Kelly Barry-Miller, have been featured here before. Above are Kate, Donna Marie Beard, and Kelly at the film's June 2012 screening at Minneapolis' Heights Theater.

I recently contacted all of the ladies in the cast and asked each a couple of questions about their experiences working on the film. What follows are their replies and comments.