In Memorium #01

[superintelligentone]

I was too busy to report on Nora's passing sooner.
Nora Ephron - Wikipedia

Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author, and blogger.

She is best known for her romantic comedies and was a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for three films: Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. She sometimes wrote with her sister Delia Ephron. Her last film was Julie & Julia. She also co-authored the Drama Desk Award-winning theatrical production, Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

Her parents were both screenwriters, born and raised on the US East coast. Ephron was the eldest of four daughters in a Jewish family. When she was four years old, the family moved to Beverly Hills, California, remaining there through her adulthood.

Ephron's sisters Delia and Amy are also screenwriters. Her sister Hallie Ephron is a journalist, book reviewer, and novelist who writes crime fiction.

Ephron was married three times. Her first marriage, to writer Dan Greenburg, ended in divorce after nine years. Her second was in 1976 to journalist Carl Bernstein, involved in exposing Watergate. Ephron had an infant son, Jacob, and was pregnant with her second son, Max, in 1979 when she found out that Bernstein was having an affair with their mutual friend, the married British politician Margaret Jay. These events inspired Ephron to write the 1983 novel Heartburn, which was made into a 1986 film starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep with a screenplay by Ephron. Ephron was married for more than 20 years to her third husband, screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, with whom she lived in New York City.

For many years, Ephron claimed to be among only a handful of people who knew the identity of Deep Throat, the source for news articles written by her husband Carl Bernstein during the Watergate scandal. Ephron claims to have guessed the identity of Deep Throat through clues left by Bernstein. Ephron was invited by Arianna Huffington to write about the experience in The Huffington Post and she went on to blog regularly for the site.

On June 26, 2012, at the age of 71, Ephron died from pneumonia, a complication resulting from acute myeloid leukemia, a condition with which she was diagnosed in 2006. In her most recent book, I Remember Nothing (2010), Ephron left clues that something was wrong or that she was sick.

 

[superintelligentone]

Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, television producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. A Tony Award nominee for two roles, he gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead characters in the 1960–1968 situation comedy The Andy Griffith Show and in the 1986–1995 legal drama Matlock.

Andy was a humble, yet multi-talented man.

Lesser known facts about Andy Griffin:

Andy attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music in 1949. He originally attended school to study to be a Moravian preacher before he changed his major. His social life in college included: President of UNC Men's Glee Club and membership in Alpha Rho Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the US' oldest music fraternity for men.

Griffin recorded some albums of standup comedy, including one titled "Just for Laughs". Among his classic routines is "What It Was, Was Football", as a country bumpkin who attempts to describe seeing his first football game with no knowledge of the sport.

Another classic routine was Andy's take on Hamlet:

Achievements

Andy was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: in 1956, as Best Supporting of Featured Actor (Dramatic) for "No Time for Sergeants," and in 1960 as Best Actor (Musical) for "Destry Rides Again."

Although he achieved most of fame from long running TV shows, Andy only got a nomination for an Emmy as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for "Murder in Texas" (1981). He did win a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for "Matlock" (1986)

Griffith's album, "I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns" won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album. He got nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance - Spoken Word for "Hamlet" in 1959.

 

[superintelligentone]

'Marty' Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine dies at 95.

From Hitfix:
Ernest Borgnine, the beefy screen star known for blustery, often villainous roles, but who won the best-actor Oscar for playing against type as a lovesick butcher in "Marty" in 1955, died Sunday. He was 95.

His longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn, told The Associated Press that Borgnine died of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife and children at his side.
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Borgnine, who endeared himself to a generation of Baby Boomers with the 1960s TV comedy "McHale's Navy," first attracted notice in the early 1950s in villain roles, notably as the vicious Fatso Judson, who beat Frank Sinatra to death in "From Here to Eternity."

Then came "Marty," a low-budget film based on a Paddy Chayefsky television play that starred Rod Steiger. Borgnine played a 34-year-old who fears he is so unattractive he will never find romance. Then, at a dance, he meets a girl with the same fear.

"Sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts," Marty movingly tells his mother at one point in the film. "And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it. I chased after enough girls in my life. I-I went to enough dances. I got hurt enough. I don't wanna get hurt no more."

The realism of Chayefsky's prose and Delbert Mann's sensitive direction astonished audiences accustomed to happy Hollywood formulas. Borgnine won the Oscar and awards from the Cannes Film Festival, New York Critics and National Board of Review.

Mann and Chayefsky also won Oscars, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hailed the $360,000 "Marty" as best picture over big-budget contenders "The Rose Tattoo," ''Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," ''Picnic" and "Mister Roberts."

"The Oscar made me a star, and I'm grateful," Borgnine told an interviewer in 1966. "But I feel had I not won the Oscar I wouldn't have gotten into the messes I did in my personal life."

Those messes included four failed marriages, including one in 1964 to singer Ethel Merman that lasted less than six weeks.

But Borgnine's fifth marriage, in 1973 to Norwegian-born Tova Traesnaes, endured and brought with it an interesting business partnership. She manufactured and sold her own beauty products under the name of Tova and used her husband's rejuvenated face in her ads.

During a 2007 interview with The Associated Press, Borgnine expressed delight that their union had reached 34 years. "That's longer than the total of my four other marriages," he commented, laughing heartily.

Although still not a marquee star until after "Marty," the roles of heavies started coming regularly after "From Here to Eternity." Among the films: "Bad Day at Black Rock," ''Johnny Guitar," ''Demetrius and the Gladiators," ''Vera Cruz."

Director Nick Ray advised the actor: "Get out of Hollywood in two years or you'll be typed forever." Then came the Oscar, and Borgnine's career was assured.

He played a sensitive role opposite Bette Davis in another film based on a Chayefsky TV drama, "The Catered Affair," a film that was a personal favorite. It concerned a New York taxi driver and his wife who argued over the expense of their daughter's wedding.

But producers also continued casting Borgnine in action films such as "Three Bad Men," ''The Vikings," ''Torpedo Run," ''Barabbas," ''The Dirty Dozen" and "The Wild Bunch."

Then he successfully made the transition to TV comedy.

From 1962 to 1966, Borgnine — a Navy vet himself — starred in "McHale's Navy" as the commander of a World War II PT boat with a crew of misfits and malcontents. Obviously patterned after Phil Silvers' popular Sgt. Bilko, McHale was a con artist forever tricking his superior, Capt. Binghamton, played by the late Joe Flynn.

The cast took the show to the big screen in 1964 with a "McHale's Navy" movie.

Borgnine's later films included "Ice Station Zebra," ''The Adventurers," ''Willard," ''The Poseidon Adventure," ''The Greatest" (as Muhammad Ali's manager), "Convoy," ''Ravagers," ''Escape from New York," ''Moving Target" and "Mistress."

More recently, Borgnine had a recurring role as the apartment house doorman-cum-chef in the NBC sitcom "The Single Guy." He had a small role in the unsuccessful 1997 movie version of "McHale's Navy." And he was the voice of Mermaid Man on "SpongeBob SquarePants" and Carface on "All Dogs Go to Heaven 2."

"I don't care whether a role is 10 minutes long or two hours," he remarked in 1973. "And I don't care whether my name is up there on top, either. Matter of fact, I'd rather have someone else get top billing; then if the picture bombs, he gets the blame, not me."

Ermes Efron Borgnino was born in Hamden, Conn., on Jan. 24, 1917, the son of Italian immigrant parents. The family lived in Milan when the boy was 2 to 7, then returned to Connecticut, where he attended school in New Haven.

Borgnine joined the Navy in 1935 and served on a destroyer during World War II. He weighed 135 pounds when he enlisted. He left the Navy 10 years later, weighing exactly 100 pounds more.

"I wouldn't trade those 10 years for anything," he said in 1956. "The Navy taught me a lot of things. It molded me as a man, and I made a lot of wonderful friends."

For a time he contemplated taking a job with an air conditioning company. But his mother persuaded him to enroll at the Randall School of Dramatic Arts in Hartford. He stayed four months, the only formal training he received.

He appeared in repertory at the Barter Theater in Virginia, toured as a hospital attendant in "Harvey" and played a villain on TV's "Captain Video."

After earning $2,300 in 1951, Borgnine almost accepted a position with an electrical company. But the job fell through, and he returned to acting, moving into a modest house in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

His first marriage was to Rhoda Kenins, whom he met when she was a Navy pharmacist's mate and he was a patient. They had a daughter, but the marriage ended in divorce after his "Marty" stardom.

Borgnine married Mexican actress Katy Jurado in 1959, and their marriage resulted in headlined squabbles from Hollywood to Rome before it ended in 1964.

In 1963, he and Merman startled the show business world by announcing, after a month's acquaintance, that they would marry when his divorce from Jurado became final. The Broadway singing star and the movie tough guy seemed to have nothing in common, and their marriage ended in 38 days after a fierce battle.

"If you blinked, you missed it," Merman once cracked.

ext came one-time child actress Donna Rancourt, with whom Borgnine had a daughter, and finally his happy union with Tova.

On Jan. 24, 2007, Borgnine celebrated his 90th birthday with a party for friends and family at a West Hollywood bistro. He seemed little changed from his years as a lusty villain or sympathetic hero on the screen. His only concession to age had come at 88 when he gave up driving the bus he would take around the country, stopping to talk with local folks along the way.

During an interview at the time, Borgnine complained that he wanted to continue acting but most studio executives kept asking, "Is he still alive?"

"I just want to do more work," he said. "Every time I step in front of a camera I feel young again. I really do. It keeps your mind active and it keeps you going."

Farewell to an under-appreciated working class hero, Ernest Borgnine. I tip my virtual hat to him in salute and tribute.

As a kid, I grew up watching Ernest as the lovable Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale in the 1960's hit comedy "McHale's Navy". He also co-starred opposite Jan-Michael Vincent in TV's 1984-86's "Airwolf", a CBS series created by Don Bellisario of "Magnum, P.I." and "NCIS" fame. Younger fans knew Ernie as the voice of Mermaid Man on "SpongeBob SquarePants".

Besides winning an Oscar for portraying the proud, but down trodden "Marty", Ernie was acclaimed for his portrayal of legendary Football Coach Vince Lombardi and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover in TV movies. In January 2011, Borgnine received the Life Achievement award at the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/osca...ine-dies-346376

Oscar Winner Ernest Borgnine Dies at 95
2:20 PM PDT 7/8/2012
by Mike Barnes, Duane Byrge

UPDATED: The actor, who won his Oscar for his starring role in 1955's "Marty," also delighted audiences with his turn in the 1960s sitcom "McHale's Navy." He was 95.

Ernest Borgnine, the dependable Academy Award-winning actor who made a career out of playing working stiffs and the heavy through a sturdy six decades of work in films, television and Broadway, has died. He was 95.

Borgnine, who won the best actor Oscar for his sensitive portrayal of the simple, love-starved butcher in the 1955 best-picture winner Marty, died Sunday of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his longtime manager confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was surrounded by family.

"It's a very sad day," Borgnine's manager Lynda Bensky tells The Hollywood Reporter. "The industry has lost someone great, the caliber of which we will never see again. A true icon, but more importantly the world has lost a sage and loving man who taught us all how to 'grow young.' His infectious smile and chuckle made the world a happier place."

The Italian-American actor from Connecticut also is widely known for playing the carefree and conniving Quinton McHale in the hit ABC series McHale’s Navy that aired from 1962-66.

Borgnine also made indelible impressions for his performances as Fatso, a brutal stockade sergeant who beats Frank Sinatra to death in From Here to Eternity (1953); as Dutch, a member of The Wild Bunch in the 1969 Western classic from director Sam Peckinpah; as a passenger fighting for his life in the disaster classic The Poseidon Adventure (1972); and as the voice of Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants.

Borgnine became the oldest performer to be nominated for a Golden Globe when he was acknowledged for the 2007 television movie A Grandpa for Christmas. And in 2009, at age 92, he was nominated for an Emmy for his guest performance in the final season of ER.

In all, Borgnine was credited with more than 40 movie roles and more than 200 TV appearances, stretching from such early anthology series as Philco Playhouse and G.E. Theatre to a role as Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in the 1973 telefilm Legend in Granite to his stint as a good-natured, pasta-loving doorman on the NBC 1995-97 sitcom The Single Guy. He also starred opposite Jan-Michael Vincent in 1984-86's Airwolf, a CBS series created by Don Bellisario of NCIS fame.

Borgnine was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2010.

"For six decades, Ernie entertained us with an impressive body of work and, at the age of 95, he continued to have a remarkably busy life and career," SAG-AFTRA co-president Ken Howard said. "We will genuinely miss his smile and generous, joyous spirit. Our deepest sympathies go out to Tova and the Borgnine family."

Ernest Borgnine was born Ermes Effron Borgnine on Jan. 24, 1917, in Hamden, Conn., to Italian-immigrant parents. When he was 2, his mother took him to live in Milan, but they returned to the U.S., and he attended elementary and high school in New Haven, Conn.

Following his high school graduation, Borgnine enlisted in the Navy and served as an apprentice seaman. He served for 10 years, rising to the rank of chief petty officer/gunner’s mate. Following his service, he used the G.I. Bill to enroll in the Randall School of Dramatic Art in Hartford.

His first professional acting experience came at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va., where he painted scenery, drove a truck and appeared in a variety of roles. He made his way to New York, where he won his first role on Broadway in the 1940s in Harvey, playing an hospital attendant. He soon made another Broadway appearance as a gangster in Mrs. McThing, which starred Helen Hayes.

Borgnine was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout from Columbia Pictures, and he was soon cast in his first film, The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951).

Marty began as a teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky that aired in May 1953 on The Goodyear Television Playhouse with Rod Steiger in the title role as the butcher living with his mother and Nancy Marchand playing Clara, another lonely soul who Marty meets at a dance.

The teleplay was adapted into a full-length feature film at United Artists in 1955, with Borgnine as the butcher and Betsy Blair as Clara. In addition to the Oscars for best film and Borgnine, the film earned Academy Awards for director Delbert Mann and Chayefsky and earned the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Sooner or later, there comes a point in a man's life when he's gotta face some facts," Marty movingly tells his mother at one point in the film. "And one fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it. I chased after enough girls in my life. I went to enough dances. I got hurt enough. I don't wanna get hurt no more."

Borgnine also was honored with a special citation at Cannes and given the best actor award from the New York Film Critics Circle.

Borgnine's career took off two years earlier after his performance of the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson in From Here to Eternity, which invariably led to his casting as a heavy in a number of projects. Borgnine often used his naval experiences as fodder for his character portrayals, as he did as the opportunistic PT-boat commander in the World War II-set McHale’s Navy, which also starred Joe Flynn and Tim Conway.

STORY: Ernest Borgnine On His 32-Day Marriage, Sinatra and SpongeBob

Borgnine also made in his mark in such films as Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), 1956's The Catered Affair (as a New York taxi driver opposite Bette Davis), Ice Station Zebra (1968), Bunny O’Hare (1971), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Crossed Swords (1977), Convoy (1978) and The Black Hole (1979). In 2000, he starred as J. Edgar Hoover in Hoover.

In 2010, Borgnine appeared alongside Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman in the action film Red, and he has a role in upcoming release The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez.

Thanks to his popularity for his role in McHale’s Navy, Borgnine was made an Honorary Skipper of the Blue Angels, a Navy and Marine Corps organization. He was an avid circus fan and made numerous appearances as a clown at the annual Circus Parade in Milwaukee. In addition, Borgnine was a well-regarded stamp collector and a 33rd Degree Mason.

Survivors include his fifth wife, Tova, whom he married in 1972. She manufactured and sold her own beauty products under the name of Tova and used her husband's rejuvenated face in her ads.

His third marriage was to singer-actress Ethel Merman, a union that 38 days. In 1963, Borgnine and Merman startled Hollywood by announcing, after a month's acquaintance, that they would wed when his divorce from Mexican actress Katy Jurado became final.

 

[superintelligentone]

Sage Stallone, son of Sylvester Stallone has been found dead at the age of 36.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/s...ref=mostpopular

Sage Stallone Dead: Sylvester Stallone's Son Dies At 36

By Kia Makarechi, The Huffington Post
Posted: 07/13/2012 7:35 pm Updated: 07/13/2012 8:09 pm

Sage Stallone, son of actor Sylvester Stallone, has been found dead, The New York Post and TMZ report.

The junior Stallone was reportedly found at home in Los Angeles. TMZ reports that his father is extremely distraught. The Post spoke with Sage Moonblood Stallone's attorney, who said the death came as a complete shock.

"He was in good spirits, and working on all kinds of projects,” George Braunstein told the paper. “He was planning on getting married. I am just devastated. He was an extremely wonderful, loving guy. This is a tragedy.”

TMZ's sources say the cause of death was a prescription drug overdose.

The Post reports that his mother, Sasha Czack, had also been notified of her son's passing. Stallone made his acting debut alongside his father in "Rocky V." He went on to act in a number of films, most recently in "Promises Written in Water" in 2010 (he also appeared in "The Agent," a short, and in a 2011 television documentary episode on the Rocky films).

Sylvester Stallone was in San Diego Thursday to promote "Expendables 2," his new film with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actors spoke on a panel in Hall H at Comic-Con.

 

[superintelligentone]

It's a shame that I didn't notice this sooner. Country Music star Kitty Wells passed away on July 16, 2012. She was nicknamed "The Queen of Country Music" and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Had she survived, today would have been Kitty Wells 93rd birthday.

Kitty Wells was the First female Country Music Star. I remember my Dad used to sing her music, listen to her records, and watch her on TV appearances.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/17/...E86F1AT20120717

Kitty Wells, country music star, dies at 92
By Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE | Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - Kitty Wells, the "Queen of Country Music" who opened the door to a host of female country music headliners, died on Monday at her home in Nashville of complications from a stroke. She was 92.

Among those mourning her passing was Loretta Lynn, whose own rise to popularity came after Wells, who paved the way for strong female voices in country music. "Kitty Wells will always be the greatest female country singer of all times," said Lynn in a statement released on her web site.

"She was my hero. If I had never heard of Kitty Wells, I don't think I would have been a singer myself. I wanted to sound just like her, but as far as I am concerned, no one will ever be as great as Kitty Wells.

"She truly is the Queen of Country Music."

Wells, born as Ellen Muriel Deason, actually began performing on local radio in Nashville, but her ascent to stage stardom began in 1937 with husband Johnnie Wright, half of the duo Johnnie & Jack. He died in 2011.

She was the first female singer to reach the top of the country charts with her 1952 song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," an answer to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life," which made the argument God indeed makes such angels.

Wells was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976.

"Kitty Wells was a 33-year-old wife and mother when her immortal recording of ‘It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels' suddenly made her a star," according to the Hall of Fame's biography.

"Other female country singers of her day were trying their hands at hard-living, honky-tonk songs, but it was the intense and piercing style of Kitty Wells, with her gospel-touched vocals and tearful restraint that resonated with country audiences of the time and broke the industry barriers for women," it said.

Wells was born in Nashville to a musical family. She first began performing on the radio with her two sisters and a cousin, the quartet going by the name of the Deason Sisters.

She married Wright in 1937 and joined by her husband and his sister, Louise, to perform as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls. Two years later, Wright began performing with Jack Anglin as the duo Johnnie & Jack.

While she performed with them as a girl singer in the 1940s, her husband began calling her "Kitty Wells," a name taken from a 19th century folk song.

'SWEET, GENTLE LADY'

Harold Bradley, 86, the venerable Nashville session guitarist whose brother, Owen Bradley, produced many of Wells' recordings, said there was no better person to work with than Wells.

"I worked a lot of her sessions, of course, that Owen produced," said Bradley, the most-recorded guitarist in history. "She was the most sweet, gentle lady. She always knew her songs when she came in and she was very easy to work with."

In addition to "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," which sold 800,000 copies in its initial release in the summer of 1952, according to the Hall of Fame biography, Wells sang "Release Me," "Making Believe," "I Can't Stop Loving You" among other classic songs.

She garnered 35 Billboard Top Ten records and 81 charted singles.

Michael McCall, writer and editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said Wells' importance to the emergence of women singing hit records "cannot be overstated."

He said Wells proved to the industry that a woman singer could sell and headline big shows.

"She opened the doors for everybody that came after her," McCall said. "It was just a huge shift in how things were perceived. It was so important that it happened."

He said Honky Tonk Angels was controversial at the time, and some radio stations wouldn't play it. She wasn't allowed to sing the song on the NBC segment of the Grand Ole Opry when it first came out.

"The fans rallied around her to prove the record industry wrong," said McCall.

"She was one of the major recording artists of the 1950s and into the 1960s," said McCall. "She has had so many country classics and so many songs that came from a woman's point of view that were often about wayward and faithless men."

Her straightforward manner and subject matter was a major influence on the song-writing and singing of Lynn and Dolly Parton, setting the stage for today's female country stars.

"We live in an age when people over-sing so much and put so much emphasis on the emotion. She showed sometimes it's more emotional by having restraint rather than trying to oversell it," said McCall.

Among her many honors, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991, the same year as Bob Dylan and John Lennon were so honored.

She was just the third country singer to be get that most prestigious award, after Hank Williams and Roy Acuff.

She finally gave up touring in 2007 and continued to live a quiet life, so much differently than the subjects of her songs.

Kitty Wells - Wikipedia

Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star. Her Top 10 hits continued until the mid-1960s, inspiring a long list of female country singers who came to prominence in the 1960s.

Wells ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of Billboard's country charts, according to historian Joel Whitburn's book The Top 40 Country Hits, behind Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, and Tanya Tucker. In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1991, she became the third country music artist, after Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, and the eighth woman to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Wells' accomplishments earned her the nickname Queen of Country Music.

Early life
Wells was born Ellen Muriel Deason in 1919 in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the few country singers born in Nashville. She began singing as a child, learning guitar from her father. As a teenager, she sang with her sisters, who performed under the name the Deason Sisters on a local radio station beginning in 1936.

At the age of 18 she married Johnnie Wright, a cabinet-maker who aspired to country-music stardom (which he'd eventually achieve as half of the duo Johnnie & Jack).

Music career
Wells sang with Wright and his sister Louise Wright; the three toured as Johnnie Right and the Harmony Girls. Soon Wright met Jack Anglin, who married Louise and became part of the band, which became known first as the Tennessee Hillbillies and then the Tennessee Mountain Boys.

Wright and Wells performed as a duo; it was at this time she adopted "Kitty Wells" as her stage name. When Anglin returned from the Army, he and Wright formed the Johnnie & Jack duo. Wells would tour with the pair, occasionally performing backup vocals.

On Louisiana Hayride, she performed with her husband's duo. Wells, however, did not sing on their records until signing with RCA Victor in 1949 releasing some of her first singles, including "Death At The Bar" and "Don't Wait For The Last Minute To Pray", neither of which charted. While these early records gained some notice, promoters still weren't keen on promoting female singers, and therefore Wells was dropped from the label in 1950.

1952: "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"
In 1952, Paul Cohen, an executive at Decca Records, approached Wells to record "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels". Wells was disenchanted with her career prospects and was considering retirement, but agreed to the session (at Owen Bradley’s studio on May 3, 1952) because of the $125 union scale recording payment. "I wasn't expecting to make a hit," said Wells later. "I just thought it was another song."

"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" was an answer song to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life", and its lyrical treatment of seductive, wayward women. Wells' single retorted, "It's a shame that all the blame is on us women."

The record's message was controversial at the time, and was banned by many radio stations. It was also temporarily banned from the Grand Ole Opry. Nevertheless, audiences couldn’t get enough of it. The single took off during the summer of 1952, and sold more than 800,000 copies in its initial release. It became the first single by a female singer to peak at No. 1 in the eight-year history of the country music chart, where it remained for six weeks. (Certain female country songs, notably Patsy Montana's million-selling "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" predate the creation of Billboard's country chart in 1944.) "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" also crossed over to Billboard’s pop charts, hitting No. 27. Because of her major breakthrough, Wells received a membership to the Grand Ole Opry, which had originally banned the single.

Writer Bill Friskics-Warren has argued that part of the song's appeal came from its combination of a modern message with a familiar tune, a melody drawn from the Carter Family's "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" (as were "The Wild Side of Life" and Roy Acuff's "The Great Speckled Bird"). Practically anyone could hum along with "Angels" the first time they heard it.

1953–1969: Career peak
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" was followed by "Paying For That Back Street Affair", a response to Webb Pierce's "Back Street Affair". The single reached number six in the spring of 1953, helping to establish a lasting place at the top of the charts for Wells. Between 1953 and 1955, she was popular on the country charts, and was the only female solo artist at the time to be able to maintain her success. In 1953, Wells had two Top 10 hits with "Hey Joe" and "Cheatin's A Sin". The next year, Wells partnered with country star Red Foley for the duet "One By One", which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart, and became her second chart-topper. The song led to a string of hit singles from the duo within the next two decades, including 1954's "As Long as I Live", which peaked at No. 3. As a solo artist in 1954, Wells had two major hits with the No. 8 "Release Me" and the Top 15 hit, "Thou Shalt Not Steal" (written by Don Everly of the Everly Brothers).

Record companies were reluctant to issue albums by country's female artists until Wells proved that women could sell. She became the first female country singer to issue an LP, starting with 1956's Kitty Wells' Country Hit Parade, which consisted of her biggest hits. She released her first studio album in 1957 with Winner of Your Heart. Soon other female country singers released LPs in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

"Making Believe" and "Lonely Side of Town" became chart-toppers for Wells, however not on Billboard magazine. "Making Believe" is widely regarded as one of the greatest songs in country music history and Wells' as the definitive version of the song despite scores of covers over the years. Wells' later 1950s releases included "Searching (For Someone Like You)", "I Can't Stop Loving You", and "Amigo's Guitar", which she wrote with John D. Loudermilk. In 1957, Wells issued Winner of Your Heart. This was followed by a string of LPs released from Decca Records between 1957 and 1973. She also partnered with Webb Pierce the same year for two duet singles, including the Top 10 hit, "Oh So Many Years". The duo didn't record together again until 1964 with the Top 10 hit, "Finally". In 1959, Wells had two Top 5 hits with "Amigo's Guitar" and "Mommy For A Day". Wells was later awarded a BMI award for writing "Amigo's Guitar." Although not known much for her songwriting, Wells has won two BMI awards, including one for "Amigo's Guitar". She has published more than 60 songs.

She continued to put much of herself into her songs throughout her career, inspiring other female country singers to record risky material as well. Loretta Lynn was one of her followers in this sense, when she recorded "Don't Come A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)" in 1967. Dolly Parton's 1968 recording "Just Because I'm a Woman", like "Honky Tonk Angels", questioned the male-female double-standard.

Wells entered the 1960s on top with songs like "Heartbreak U.S.A." and "Day into Night". "Heartbreak USA" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and became her third and final No. 1 hit. The follow-up, "Day Into Night" was a Top 10 hit the same year. Owen Bradley took over as Wells' producer in the 1960s. While Bradley did produce some of the biggest-selling country crossover singers of the time period, including Patsy Cline, he did have to record some of what Nashville then called "The Old-Timers," or the "Honky-Tonkers" from the 1950s, including Webb Pierce, Ernest Tubb, and Wells. With these singers, including Wells, he steered them all into the new contemporary sound without pushing them out of their limits. Wells' sound changed slightly due to Bradley's influence, incorporating some of the new Nashville sound into her material. The well-known Nashville Sound vocal group, The Jordanaires, can be heard backing Wells on her big country hit from 1961, "Heartbreak USA".

In the early '60s, her career dipped slightly, but she continued to have Top Ten hits frequently.

In 1962, Wells had three Top 10 hits with "Will Your Lawyer Talk to God", "Unloved Wanted," and "We Missed You". Beginning in 1964, Wells' albums began to chart the Top Country Albums chart, starting with the LP, Especially for You. Some of Wells' albums peaked within the Top 10 on that chart. That same year, her singles began to return to the Top 10 with "This White Circle on My Finger" and "Password", both of which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Country Chart. In 1965, Wells had her last Top 10 hit with "Meanwhile, Down At Joe's" and in 1966, Wells then had her final Top 20 hit with "It's All Over But the Crying", which peaked at No. 14 on the country charts.

During the late '60s and '70s, Wells' streak of hits evaporated, but she managed to have a string of minor hits and remained a popular concert attraction.[10] She continued with a string of Top 40 hits nearly until the end of the decade with her last Top 40 single, "My Big Truck Drivin' Man" in 1968. In 1968, Wells recorded a duet album with husband Johnnie Wright called, We'll Stick Together. Wells also reunited with Red Foley at the end of the decade for a studio album. Her albums continued to chart the Top Country Albums chart until 1969 with Guilty Street.

Wells was popular enough to start her own syndicated television program with her husband in 1969. The Kitty Wells/Johnnie Wright Family Show also featured appearances by their children, including actor Bobby Wright, and stayed on the air for several years.[8] She became the first female country star to have her own syndicated television show, but the program could not compete against shows starring more contemporary male artists like Porter Wagoner and Bill Anderson and only ran for one year.

1970–present: Later career and retirement
Wells stayed under the Decca label until 1973. She released three studio albums in 1970 and two in 1971. The singles from these albums did not become major hits, some which didn't even make the Top 70 on the Billboard Country Chart. In 1973, when Decca became MCA Records, Wells stayed with them for a short period time, before leaving the label. In 1974 she signed with Capricorn Records, a southern rock label of the era, and recorded a blues-flavored album entitled Forever Young on which she was backed by members of the Allman Brothers Band. The album was not a huge commercial success (though the Dylan-penned title tune did receive some airplay), but it received considerable acclaim and, through its association with the Allmans, brought Wells to the attention of a younger audience.

In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wells became the second female country singer to be elected (Patsy Cline was the first to be honored as a solo act in 1973). In the late 1970s, Wells and husband formed their own record label, Rubocca (the name was a composite of their three children's names: Ruby, Bobby, and Carol) and released several albums. In 1979, at age 60, she was back on the Billboard charts with a modest hit, "I Thank You for the Roses".

Despite her waning popularity, Wells remained a successful concert attraction at smaller venues throughout the country and was still performing on the summer resort circuit as late as the mid-1980s. In 1987, she joined fellow Opry legends Brenda Lee and Loretta Lynn on k.d. lang's "Honky Tonk Angels Medley", nominated for a Grammy award in 1989. Wells' 1955 recording "Making Believe" was included in the soundtrack of the film Mississippi Burning.

In 1991, Wells was awarded from the Grammy Awards a Lifetime Achievement award. She, along with Johnnie and Bobby, joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Jingle Bells" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.

Wells and her husband opened the Family Country Junction Museum and Studio in 1983 in their hometown of Madison, but stopped running it on their own in 2000. Their grandson, John Sturdivant, Jr. has kept the Junction Recording Studio at its present location which also houses Junction Records and Music Entertainment. Wells and her husband-singing partner of 53 years performed their final show together on December 31, 2000 at the Nashville Nightlife Theater; they had announced their retirement earlier that year.

Wells was ranked No. 15 on CMT's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music in 2002.

An exhibit honoring Wells at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville ran from August 2008 through June 2009. On May 14, 2008, Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" was added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress, along with Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman".

Personal life
Wells married Johnnie Wright (1914–2011) in 1937. They had three children: two daughters, Ruby (October 27, 1939–September 27, 2009 (aged 69) and Carol Sue (June 12, 1941 (age 71) and a son, Bobby (March 30, 1942 (age 70). In addition, Wells has five siblings: Jewel, William, Orville, Raymond, and Mae. Her parents were Charles Cary and Myrtle Deason. She and Johnnie also have 8 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. As of 2012, there were 5 great-great grandchildren.

Carol Sue released a single with Wells in the mid-'50s titled "How Far Is Heaven", which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Country Chart. Wells' other children have both had tries as country music singers, but neither had any bigger success. Ruby recorded an album for the Kapp label, while Bobby recorded albums for both Decca and ABC Dot. Wells and her husband – lifelong members of the Church of Christ - celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2007, a rare achievement for any couple and one of the longest celebrity marriages in history. Ruby died in 2009 at the age of 69 and Johnnie died in 2011 at the age of 97.

Death

Kitty Wells died on July 16, 2012 in Madison, Tennessee, from complications of a stroke. She was 92.

Honors
NARAS Governor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Recording Industry (1981)
Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award (1985)
NARAS Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1991)
The Music City News Living Legend Award (1993)

---

Space Shuttle Astronaut Sally Ride wasn't in show-business, but was a celebrity none the less.
Space Shuttle Astronaut Sally Ride, America's first woman in space has died of cancer. She was a hero to children and an inspiration for them to learn Science and do well in school.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/23/...E86M1C320120723

Sally Ride, first U.S. woman in space, dies at 61
By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:48pm EDT

(Reuters) - Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman to travel into space and an advocate for science education, died on Monday after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to her organization, Sally Ride Science. She was 61.

Ride broke new ground for American women in 1983 when at the age of 32 she and four male crewmates blasted off aboard space shuttle Challenger.

"The fact that I was going to be the first American woman to go into space carried huge expectations along with it," Ride recalled in a 2008 interview on the 25th anniversary of her flight.

"I didn't really think about it that much at the time -- but I came to appreciate what an honor it was to be selected," she said.

U.S. President Barack Obama called Ride "a national hero and a powerful role model." In a statement, he said Ride "inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars."

Ride was not the first woman in space. That distinction fell to the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova, who blasted off aboard a Vostok 6 rocket on June 16, 1963.

But over the years only two other Russian women followed Tereshkova into orbit.

By the time Ride returned for a second flight in 1984, not only had another female astronaut, Judith Resnik, flown on the shuttle, but Ride had a female crewmate, Kathryn Sullivan.

Since then, more than 45 women from the United States and other countries have flown in space, including two as shuttle commander.

"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism - and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said in a statement.

Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English and master's and doctorate degrees in physics. She joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1978.

She was assigned to a third shuttle flight, but training for the mission was cut off after the fatal 1986 Challenger accident that claimed the lives of six colleagues and a schoolteacher.

Ride served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the accident, and then assisted the agency's chief with long-range and strategic planning.

She left NASA in 1987 and joined a Stanford University security research institute. In 1989, she joined the physics department at the University of California-San Diego and directed the California Space Institute.

Ride's interest in education extended to younger students, whom she targeted with her science education startup Sally Ride Science in San Diego.

The company creates science programs and publications for elementary and middle school students and educators.

Ride also authored five science books for children and served on dozens of NASA, space and technology advisory panels, including the board that investigated the second fatal space shuttle accident in 2003.

Ride is survived by her mother; her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy; a sister; a niece and a nephew.

(Additional reporting by Dan Burns; Editing by Kevin Gray and Lisa Shumaker)

 

[superintelligentone]

'Jeffersons' star Sherman Hemsley dies at 74

I liked Sherman in "The Jeffersons". 5' 6" in height, Sherman left a big impression on screen. But I feel that he didn't receive enough critical recognition during his run as George Jefferson, and then in his post-Jeffersons roles.

- In 1982 Sherman Won the NAACP Image Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series or Special for "The Jeffersons".
- Sherman received an Emmy Nomination in 1984 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for "The Jeffersons".
- Sherman received a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical for "The Jeffersons".

Sherman Won a 2004 TV Land Award for Favorite Cantankerous Couple with Isabel Sanford for "The Jeffersons".

Trivia: Sherman was over twenty years younger than his "The Jeffersons" wife 'Louise/Weezy', co-star Isabel Sanford; and was only 11 years older than his TV son 'Lionel', actor Mike Evans.

Trivia: Sherman played the same character, George Jefferson, on four different TV series and in a film: the TV series "All in the Family" (1971), "The Jeffersons (1975), "E/R" (1984) and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990), and the film "Jane Austen's Mafia!" (1998).

Sherman Hemsley was also a professional singer having released a single in 1989 called, "Ain't That A Kick In The Head", with Sutra Records. This was followed in 1992 with Dance, an album of rhythm and blues music.

'Jeffersons' star Sherman Hemsley dies at 74
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 6:11 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012

(CNN) -- Sherman Hemsley, who played the brash George Jefferson on "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," died Tuesday at 74, his booking agent said.

Hemsley played Jefferson, a wisecracking owner of a dry cleaning business, on "All In the Family" from 1973 until 1975, when the spinoff "The Jeffersons" began an 11-season run on CBS.

Police in El Paso, Texas, where Hemsley lived, said there was no evidence of foul play. The cause of death will be determined through an autopsy, according to a news release.

For the first few years on "All in the Family," George Jefferson was not seen, only referred to by his wife, Louise, played by the late Isabel Sanford.

He told Archive of American Television in 2003 that he was told by the show's producers that Jefferson should be "pompous and feisty."

Jefferson was every bit as big a bigot as his neighbor, Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor. Jefferson often referred to white people as "honkies."

He was also mean and condescending to his neighbors, his son Lionel and, when he moved to a ritzy apartment on Manhattan's East Side, to his maid. But his character was still wildly popular with TV audiences.

"By me loving Louise and Archie loving (his wife) Edith, you got away with being goofy and stupid," he said in 2003. "Because people said at least he loved something."

It made Jefferson human, he said.

One of his former co-stars said she was shocked to hear he had died.

"I thought Sherman was doing very well," said Marla Gibbs, who played feisty maid Florence Johnston on the "The Jeffersons." "I am saddened to hear that Sherman has made his transition. We were trying to come up with a new show that we could participate in, but of course, that cannot happen now.

"Sherman was one of the most generous co-stars I have ever worked with. He happily set me up so that I could slam him, and I did the same for him. I shall miss him deeply."

Hemsley said he drew on his experiences as a young man to develop Jefferson's celebrated strut, which he did during filming as a joke.

"The way we walked in South Philly, you think you bad," he said. "You gotta be important.

"We had done about seven or eight takes (on the 'Jeffersons' set) ... and then we started clowning around," he said of the walk. "That's the one they kept."

Hemsley also played Deacon Ernest Frye in the sitcom "Amen."

"With the passing of Sherman Hemsley, the world loses one of its most unique comedic talents, and a lovely man," Norman Lear, the creator of "All in the Family," said in a statement.

In 2001, Lear told Larry King that he discovered Hemsley doing the Broadway play "Purlie."

He remembered him "singing and dancing, and (Hemsley) was one of the most unique actors on the stage."

In 1990, he released an album, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," and two years later another, entitled "Dance."

"I had the pleasure of working with him on 'House of Payne,' " said producer and director Tyler Perry. "He brought laughter and joy to millions. My childhood would have been a lot sadder without him. Thanks for the joy, thanks for your talent and thanks for your life. I celebrate it in all of its beauty. God bless you, Mr. Hemsley."

Hemsley was nominated for an Emmy in 1985 but lost to Bill Cosby.

From Wiki:

Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor, most famous for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on the NBC series Amen. He also played Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, a Triceratops named B.P. Richfield, on the Jim Henson sitcom Dinosaurs.

He never married and had no children.

Early life

Hemsley was born and raised in South Philadelphia by his mother, who was a factory worker. He attended Central High School for a time. He dropped out of school and joined the United States Air Force, where he served for four years. On leaving the Air Force, he returned to Philadelphia where he worked for the Post Office during the day while attending acting school at night. He then moved to New York, continuing to work for the Post Office during the day while working as an actor at night. He starred as the character Gitlow in the early 1970s Broadway play Purlie.

Career
- Stage

Sherman Hemsley performed with local groups in Philadelphia before moving to New York to study with Lloyd Richards at the Negro Ensemble Company. Shortly after, he joined Vinnette Carroll's Urban Arts Company appearing in these productions: But Never Jam Today, The Lottery, Old Judge Mose is Dead, Moon On A Rainbow Shawl, Step Lively Boys, Croesus, and The Witch. He made his Broadway debut in Purlie and toured with the show for a year. In the summer of 1972 he joined the Vinnette Carroll musical Sorry, I Can't Cope ensemble in Toronto, followed a month later in the American Conservatory Theater production at the Geary Theater. This production had Hemsley in Act I performing the solo "Lookin' Over From Your Side" and in "Sermon" in Act II.

- Work with Norman Lear
While Hemsley was on Broadway with Purlie, Norman Lear called him in 1971 to play the role of George Jefferson on his burgeoning new sitcom, All in the Family. Hemsley was reluctant to leave his theatre role, but Lear told him that he would hold the role open for him. Hemsley joined the cast two years later. The characters of Hemsley and co-star Isabel Sanford were secondary on All in the Family, but were given their own spin-off series, The Jeffersons, less than two years after Hemsley made his debut on the show. Such was Hemsley's and Sanford's compatibility and credibility as a married couple that no one seemed to notice or care that in real life Sanford was twenty years older than Hemsley. The Jeffersons proved to be one of Lear's most successful shows, enjoying a run of eleven seasons through 1985.
1980s, 1990s and 2000s

Though Hemsley was largely typecast as George Jefferson, he continued to work steadily after the show's cancellation. He teamed up with the show's original cast members when The Jeffersons moved to Broadway for a brief period.

Hemsley joined the cast of NBC's Amen in 1986 as Ernest Frye, an unscrupulous church deacon much like his George Jefferson character. The show enjoyed a run of five seasons, ending in 1991. Hemsley then was a voice actor in the ABC live-action puppet series Dinosaurs, where he played Bradley P. Richfield, main character Earl's sadistic boss. The show ran for five seasons, ending in 1994.

Hemsley largely retired from television acting, although he and Isabel Sanford appeared together in the late 1990s and in the early 2000s, reprising their roles in guest spots on television programs such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, commercials for The Gap, Old Navy and Denny's, and dry cleaning conventions. He and Sanford also made a cameo appearance in the film Sprung. They continued to work together on occasion until Sanford began having health problems leading to her death in 2004.

In recent years prior to his death, Hemsley has made a voice appearance as himself in the Seth McFarlane animated comedy Family Guy. He appeared in the film American Pie Presents: The Book of Love. In 2011, he reprised his role as George Jefferson once again, along with Marla Gibbs as Florence Johnston in Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
Music career

In 1989, Hemsley, who had previously been a jazz keyboardist, released a single entitled "Ain't That a Kick in the Head". This was followed in 1992 with Dance, an album of rhythm and blues music. In 1999, Hemsley collaborated with Yes lead singer Jon Anderson on an album titled Festival of Dreams which was not released.

Hemsley was a self-proclaimed fan of 1970s progressive rock bands including Yes, Gentle Giant, Gong, and Nektar. During his appearance on Dinah!, Hemsley performed a dance to the Gentle Giant song "Proclamation" from The Power and the Glory. After his dance, Shore laughed and asked what kind of music that was. Sherman then gave a five-minute speech about Gentle Giant.
Death

Hemsley died on July 24, 2012, at the age of 74 at his home in El Paso, Texas, apparently of natural causes.

 

[superintelligentone]

Chad Everett, Star of TV's 'Medical Center,' Dies at 75
Published: July 25, 2012 @ 7:00 am

Chad Everett, the broad-shouldered star of the 1970's television drama "Medical Center," has died. He was 75 and his daughter told the Associated Press that the cause was lung cancer.

Everett, a strapping, intensely masculine actor, spent seven years as youthful surgeon Joe Gannon on "Medical Center." In the CBS drama, Gannon was often seen bucking the system and his older superior Dr. Paul Lochner (James Daly), but in real life, Everett was on the other side of the counterculture movement.

A conservative Republican in an industry known for its liberal political views, Everett famously sparred with Lily Tomlin over the issue of feminism during a 1972 appearance on "The Dick Cavett Show," causing the "Nashville" actress to storm off the set after he categorized his wife as "property."

Everett would go on to become a frequent guest star in shows such as "Melrose Place," "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Nanny." He would also appear in such films as "Mulholland Drive" and "Airplane II: The Sequel."

Everett is survived by his two daughters and six grandchildren; he is predeceased by his wife of 45 years, Shelby Grant.

Chad Everett - Wikipedia

Raymon Lee Cramton (June 11, 1936 – July 24, 2012), known professionally as Chad Everett, was an American actor who appeared in more than 40 films and television series but probably was best known for his role as Dr. Joe Gannon in the television drama Medical Center which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.

Early life
Everett was born Raymon Lee Cramton in South Bend, Indiana, to Virdeen Ruth (née Hopper) and Harry Clyde “Ted” Cramton. He was raised in Dearborn, Michigan, where he became interested in the theatre as a Fordson High School student.

After attending Wayne State University, in Detroit, he headed to Hollywood and obtained a contract with Warner Brothers studio. Agent Henry Willson signed him and changed his name to Chad Everett. Everett claims he changed his name because he tired of explaining his real name, "Raymon-no-D, Cramton-no-P."

Career
Everett's first notable role came in an episode of ABC's 1960-1962 detective series Surfside 6. His first major role came a year later in the film Claudelle Inglish, and he subsequently played a deputy in the short-lived 1963 ABC western television series The Dakotas, which also featured Jack Elam as a fellow lawman. After appearing in a number of movies and television series in the later 1960s, he got his big break, landing the role of Dr. Joe Gannon on the innovative medical drama, Medical Center, with costar James Daly.

He appeared in numerous films and television series including Centennial, Hagen, Airplane II: The Sequel, Star Command, and Mulholland Drive. He also appeared as a guest star in more than forty television series such as Melrose Place, The Nanny, Touched by an Angel, Diagnosis: Murder, Caroline in the City, Murder, She Wrote, The Red Skelton Show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Route 66.

For many years Everett was a co-host of the Labor Day Jerry Lewis Telethon which raises money and awareness for and about the affliction of muscular dystrophy,

He also supplied the voice of Ultraman Chuck in the English version of the animated movie Ultraman: The Adventure Begins and voiced several characters in the animated television series The New Yogi Bear Show.

He hosted Trinity Broadcasting Network's "Master's Theater." He portrayed a closeted gay police officer on the December 3, 2006, episode Forever Blue of the television series, Cold Case.

Everett was selected by the family of John Wayne to be the voice of the animatronic figure of Wayne in Disney's Hollywood Studios' Great Movie Ride.

Personal life
Everett married actress Shelby Grant in Tucson, Arizona, on May 22, 1966. Everett was on location in Tucson filming the 1967 movie, Return of the Gunfighter, at the time of their wedding. They had two daughters, Katherine Thorp and Shannon Everett. The couple remained married for forty-five years until her death on June 25, 2011.

Everett battled alcoholism for many years before seeking treatment from Alcoholics Anonymous. He had a much publicized argument with feminist actress Lily Tomlin during the taping of the March 31, 1972, episode of The Dick Cavett Show. Tomlin became so enraged when Everett referred to his wife in a joke as "my property" that she stormed off the set and refused to return.

Reporter Ronnie Simonsen’s admiration of Everett is an important part of How's Your News?, a documentary (about a group of mentally disabled news reporters touring the United States) in which Simonsen meets Everett near the end of the film.

Everett died July 24, 2012 at his home in Los Angeles after a year-and-a-half-long battle with lung cancer. He was 76.

 

[superintelligentone]

Film, TV and Broadway Composer Marvin Hamlisch has died at the age 68 on August 6, 2012.
I remember him as a frequent guest on 1970 - 80s TV variety talk shows.

He was one of only eleven people to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. He was also one of only two people to have won those four prizes and also a Pulitzer Prize (the other was Richard Rodgers). Hamlisch also won two Golden Globes.

Marvin Hamlisch - Wikipedia

Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012)

Hamlisch was a child prodigy, and by age five he began mimicking on the piano music he heard on the radio. A few months before he turned seven, in 1951, he was accepted into what is now the Juilliard School Pre-College Division. His first job was as a rehearsal pianist for Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand. Shortly after that, he was hired by producer Sam Spiegel to play piano at Spiegel's parties. This connection led to his first film score, The Swimmer.

Hamlisch was the composer of many motion picture scores, including his Oscar-winning score and song for The Way We Were and his adaptation of Scott Joplin’s music for The Sting, for which he received a third Oscar. His prolific output of scores for films include original compositions and/or musical adaptations for Sophie's Choice, Ordinary People, The Swimmer, Three Men And A Baby, Ice Castles, Take The Money And Run, Bananas, Save The Tiger and his latest effort The Informant! (2009) starring Matt Damon, and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Among his better known works during the 1970s were adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime music for the motion picture The Sting, including its theme song, "The Entertainer". It hit #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and #3 on the Hot 100, selling nearly 2 million copies in the US alone. He had great success with The Way We Were in 1974, winning two of his three 1974 Academy Awards. He also won four Grammy Awards in 1974, two for "The Way We Were." He co-wrote "Nobody Does It Better" for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me with his then-girlfriend Carole Bayer Sager. (John Barry was unable to work in the U.K. due to tax reasons.) Hamlisch also wrote the orchestral/disco score for the film, which was re-recorded for the album. The song went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 1977. He also wrote the original theme song for Good Morning America. He got to work with his favorite singer Johnny Mathis in live performance, on occasions and Mathis recorded many of his classic song compositions.

In the 1980s he had success with the scores for Ordinary People (1980) and Sophie's Choice (1982). He also received an Academy Award nomination in 1986 for the film version of A Chorus Line.

In 2003, Hamlisch appeared in a cameo role (portraying himself) in the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Hamlisch composed the score for the 1975 Broadway musical A Chorus Line, for which he won both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize; and They're Playing Our Song, loosely based on his relationship with Carole Bayer Sager. His other stage work has been met with mixed reception.

At the beginning of the 1980s, his romantic relationship with Bayer Sager ended, but their songwriting relationship continued. The 1983 musical Jean Seberg, on the tragic life of the actress, failed in its London production at the UK's National Theatre and never played in the US. In 1986, Smile was a mixed success, but he did gain some note for the song Disneyland. The musical version of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl (1993) closed after only 188 performances, although he received a Drama Desk nomination, for Outstanding Music.

Honors and awards
Hamlisch was one of only eleven people to win all four major US performing awards: Emmy Award, Grammy Award, the Oscar and Tony Award. This collection of all four is referred to as an "EGOT". Hamlisch and Richard Rodgers are the only two people to have won this series of awards and a Pulitzer Prize.

He received ten Golden Globe Award nominations, winning twice for Best Original Song, with Life Is What You Make It in 1972 and The Way We Were in 1974.

He received six Emmy Award nominations, winning four times, twice for music direction of Barbra Streisand specials, in 1995 and 2001.

He shared the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1976 with Michael Bennett, James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante, and Edward Kleban for his musical contribution to the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line.

Hamlisch received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Soundtrack Awards, in Ghent, Belgium, in 2009. The World Soundtrack Awards are held annually at the end of the Ghent Film Festival, which honors Belgian and international films, with a focus on film music.

He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2008, he appeared as a judge in the Canadian reality series "Triple Sensation" which aired on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). The show was aimed to provide a training bursary to a talented youth who could be a leader in song, dance, and acting.

Personal life
In May 1989, Hamlisch married Terre Blair, a Columbus, Ohio, native and weather/news anchor from the ABC affiliate WTVN - Channel 6 in that city. He had a prior relationship with Carole Bayer Sager, which was the inspiration for the musical They're Playing Our Song.

Marvin Hamlisch died on August 6, 2012, in Los Angeles, California, at age 68, following a brief illness. The Associated Press described him as having written "some of the best-loved and most enduring songs and scores in movie history." Streisand released a statement praising Hamlisch, stating that "his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around". The head of the Pasadena Symphony and POPS commented that Hamlisch had "left a very specific ... original mark on American music and added to the great American songbook with works he himself composed".

 

[superintelligentone]

Helen Gurley Brown, the former Cosmopolitan Editor who became a celebrity through her editorials, has died at the age of 90. I remember her as a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show to inform the public what the young hip & trendy woman (who would later be called 'Cosmo Girls') should be doing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/h..._n_1773562.html

Helen Gurley Brown Dead: Legendary Cosmopolitan Editor Dies At 90
By JOCELYN NOVECK, Associated Press
Posted: 08/13/2012 3:15 pm
Updated: 08/14/2012 12:51 am

NEW YORK (AP) -- Helen Gurley Brown, the longtime editor of Cosmopolitan magazine who invited millions of women to join the sexual revolution, has died. She was 90.

Brown died Monday at a hospital in New York after a brief hospitalization, Hearst CEO Frank A. Bennack, Jr. said in a statement.

"Sex and the Single Girl," her grab-bag book of advice, opinion, and anecdote on why being single shouldn't mean being sexless, made a celebrity of the 40-year-old advertising copywriter in 1962.

Three years later, she was hired by Hearst Magazines to turn around the languishing Cosmopolitan and it became her bully pulpit for the next 32 years.

She said at the outset that her aim was to tell a reader "how to get everything out of life -- the money, recognition, success, men, prestige, authority, dignity -- whatever she is looking at through the glass her nose is pressed against."

"It was a terrific magazine," she said, looking back when she surrendered the editorship of the U.S. edition in 1997. "I would want my legacy to be, 'She created something that helped people.' My reader, I always felt, was someone who needed to come into her own."

Along the way she added to the language such terms as "Cosmo girl" -- hip, sexy, vivacious and smart -- and "mouseburger," which she coined first in describing herself as a plain and ordinary woman who must work relentlessly to make herself desirable and successful.

She put big-haired, deep-cleavaged beauties photographed by Francesco Scavullo on the magazine's cover, behind teaser titles like "Nothing Fails Like Sex-cess -- Facts About Our Real Lovemaking Needs."

Male centerfolds arrived during the 1970s -- actor Burt Reynolds' (modestly) nude pose in 1972 created a sensation -- but departed by the '90s.

Brown and Cosmo were anathema to militant feminists, who staged a sit-in at her office. One of them, Kate Millet, said, "The magazine's reactionary politics were too much to take, especially the man-hunting part. The entire message seemed to be 'Seduce your boss, then marry him.'"

Another early critic was Betty Friedan, who dismissed the magazine as "immature teenage-level sexual fantasy" but later came around and said Brown, "in her editorship, has been a rather spirited and gutsy example in the revolution of women."

"Bad Girls Go Everywhere," the 2009 biography of Brown by Jennifer Scanlon, a women's studies professor, argued that her message of empowerment made Brown a feminist even if the movement didn't recognize her as such.

There was no disputing that Brown quickly turned a financial turkey into a peacock.

Within four issues, circulation, which had fallen below the 800,000 readers guaranteed to advertisers, was on the rise, even with the newsstand price increasing from 35 cents to 50 and then 60.

Sales grew every year until peaking at just over 3 million in 1983, then slowly leveled off to 2.5 million at $2.95 a copy, where it was when Brown left in 1997. (She stayed on as editor in chief of the magazine's foreign editions.)

She was still rail-thin, 5-feet-4 and within a few pounds of 100 in either direction, as she had kept herself throughout her life with daily exercise and a careful diet.

"You can't be sexual at 60 if you're fat," she observed on her 60th birthday. She also championed cosmetic surgery, speaking easily of her own nose job, facelifts and silicone injections.

An ugly duckling by her own account, Helen Gurley was a child of the Ozarks, born Feb. 18, 1922 in Green Forest, Ark. Growing up in the Depression, she earned pocket money by giving other kids dance lessons.

Her father died when she was 10 and her mother, a teacher, moved the family to Los Angeles, where young Helen, acne-ridden and otherwise physically unendowed, graduated as valedictorian of John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1939.

All the immediate future held was secretarial work. With typing and shorthand learned at a business college, she went through 18 jobs in seven years at places like the William Morris Agency, the Daily News in Los Angeles, and, in 1948, the Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency. There, when finally given a shot at writing ad copy, she began winning prizes and was hired away by Kenyon & Eckhardt, which made her the highest paid advertising woman on the West Coast.

She also evidently was piling up the experience she put to use later as an author, editor and hostess of a TV chit-chat show.

"I've never worked anywhere without being sexually involved with somebody in the office," she told New York magazine in 1982. Asked whether that included the boss, she said, "Why discriminate against him?"

Marriage came when she was 37 to twice-divorced David Brown, a former Cosmopolitan managing editor turned movie producer, whose credits would include "The Sting" and "Jaws."

Her husband encouraged Brown to write a book, which she wrote on weekends, and suggested the title, "Sex and the Single Girl."

They moved to New York after the book became one of the top sellers of 1962. Moviemakers bought it for a then-very-hefty $200,000, not for the nonexistent plot, but for its provocative title. Natalie Wood played a character named Helen Gurley Brown who had no resemblance to the original.

She followed up her success with a long-playing record album, "Lessons in Love," and another book, "Sex in the Office," in 1965.

That year she and her husband pitched a women's magazine idea at Hearst, which turned it down, but hired her to run Cosmopolitan instead.

In 1967 she hosted a TV talk show, "Outrageous Opinions," syndicated in 19 cities and featuring celebrity guests willing to be prodded about sex and other risque topics.

She also went on to write five more books, including "Having It All" in 1982 and in 1993, at age 71, "The Late Show," which was subtitled: "A Semiwild but Practical Survival Plan for Women Over 50."

"My own philosophy is if you're not having sex, you're finished. It separates the girls from the old people," she told an interviewer.

The Browns were childless by choice, she said.

Rayner Pike contributed to this report.

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Helen Gurley Brown - Wikipedia

Helen Gurley Brown (February 18, 1922 – August 13, 2012) was an American author, publisher, and businesswoman. She was editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years.

Early life
Brown was born in Green Forest, Arkansas, the daughter of Cleo and Ira Marvin Gurley. Her mother was born in Alpena, Arkansas and died in 1980. Her father was once appointed Commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, after Ira won an election to the Arkansas state legislature. He died in an elevator accident on June 18, 1932. In 1937, Brown, her sister Mary, and their mother moved to Los Angeles, California. A few months after moving, Mary contracted polio. While in California, Brown attended John H. Francis Polytechnic High School.

After Brown's graduation, the family moved to Warm Springs, Georgia. Brown attended one semester at Texas State College for Women and then moved back to California to attend Woodbury Business College.[9] She graduated in 1941. In 1947, Cleo and Mary moved to Osage, Arkansas, while Brown stayed in Los Angeles.

After working at the William Morris Agency, Music Corporation of America, and Jaffe talent agencies she went to work for Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency as a secretary. Her employer recognized her writing skills and moved her to the copywriting department where she advanced rapidly to become one of the nation's highest paid ad copywriters in the early 1960s. In 1959 she married David Brown, who would become the producer of Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy, and other motion pictures.

Publishing
In 1962, when she was 40, her bestselling book Sex and the Single Girl was published. In 1965, she became editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and reversed the fortunes of the failing magazine. During the decade of the 1960s she was an outspoken advocate of women's sexual freedom and sought to provide them with role-models and a guide in her magazine. She claimed that women could have it all, "love, sex, and money", a view that even preceding feminists such as Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer did not support at all and has been met with notable opposition by advocates of grass-roots devotion of women to family and marriage. Due to her advocacy, glamorous, fashion-focused women were sometimes called "Cosmo Girls". Her work played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution.

In 1997, Brown was ousted from her role as the U.S. editor of Cosmopolitan and was replaced by Bonnie Fuller. When she left, Cosmopolitan ranked sixth at the newsstand, and for the 16th straight year, ranked first in bookstores on college campuses. However, she stayed on at Hearst publishing and remained the international editor for all 59 international editions of Cosmo until her death on August 13, 2012.

In September, 2008, she was named the 13th most powerful American over the age of 80 by Slate magazine.

After more than 50 years of marriage, her husband, David Brown, died at age 93 on February 1, 2010.

Together with her husband David, Helen Gurley established the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation. This institution will be housed at both the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Stanford's Engineering School. Their $30 million donation to the two schools will be used to develop journalism in the context of new technologies.

Death
Brown died at the McKeen Pavilion at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia after a brief hospitalization; she was 90. In its statement announcing the news, Hearst Publications did not disclose a cause. The company said, "Helen was one of the world’s most recognized magazine editors and book authors, and a true pioneer for women in journalism—and beyond." Entertainment Weekly said that "Gurley Brown will be remembered for her impact on the publishing industry, her contributions to the culture at large, and sly quips like her famous line: 'Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere.'" New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement said, "Today New York City lost a pioneer who reshaped not only the entire media industry, but the nation's culture. She was a role model for the millions of women whose private thoughts, wonders and dreams she addressed so brilliantly in print."

Awards
1985 Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications
1995: Henry Johnson Fisher Award from the Magazine Publishers of America
1996: American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame Award
1998 Editor of the Year by Advertising Age magazine[26]

Works
Sex and the Single Girl (1962)
Lessons In Love—LP Record on How To Love A Girl & How To Love A Man (1963) Crescendo Records, GNP #604
Sex and the Office (1965)
Outrageous Opinions of Helen Gurley Brown (1967)
Helen Gurley Brown's Single Girl's Cookbook (1969)
Sex and the New Single Girl (1970)
Having It All (1982)
The Late Show: A Semi Wild but Practical Guide for Women Over 50 (1993)
The Writer's Rules: The Power of Positive Prose—How to Create It and Get It Published (1998)
I'm Wild Again: Snippets from My Life and a Few Brazen Thoughts (2000)

 

[superintelligentone]

Ron Palillo, best known for playing 'Sweathog Arnold Horshack' on TV's "Welocme Back Kotter" has died at the age of 63. That's too young to pass away.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/...actor-dies.html

Welcome back, Kotter actor Ron Palillo dead at 63
Palillo died of an apparent heart attack in his home early Tuesday
The Associated Press
Posted: Aug 14, 2012 5:15 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 14, 2012 5:26 PM ET

Ron Palillo, the actor best known as the nerdy high school student Arnold Horshack on the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, died Tuesday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was 63.

Palillo suffered an apparent heart attack at his home about 4 a.m., said Karen Poindexter, a close friend of the actor. He was pronounced dead at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.

Palillo was inextricably linked with the character he played from 1975 to 1979 on Kotter, the ABC sitcom in which the title character returns to his Brooklyn alma mater to teach a group of loveable wiseguys known as the Sweathogs. Horshack was the nasally teen who yelped, "Oooh, ooh," and shot his hand skyward whenever Kotter posed a question.

The show was a ratings success and pop cultural phenomenon, injecting smart-Alec phrases such as "Up your nose with a rubber hose" into the mainstream and propelling co-star John Travolta to stardom. But the series only lasted as long as a high school education and its end, for Palillo, brought difficulty.

He said he felt exiled throughout the 1980s, unable to find parts, sinking into depression, and rarely venturing from his apartment. When offers did come, he felt typecast as Horshack.

"While I loved him, I really loved him, I didn't want to do him forever," he told the Birmingham News in 1994.

Ronald Paolillo was born April 2, 1949, in Cheshire, Conn., eventually dropping the first "o" from his surname. His father died of lung cancer when he was 10 and he developed a stutter. His mother thought getting him involved in a local theatre might help. He fell in love with the stage and overcame his speech impediment.

He attended the University of Connecticut and earned parts in Shakespearean productions before his big break.
Palillo taught acting at a high school

When he auditioned for Kotter, he thought he'd be passed over for others who had more of a tough-guy New York look. He told interviewers that his dying father's voice inspired his character's trademark wheezing laugh. And he said Horshack tapped into feelings any teen could relate to.

"I think he was the smartest kid in school," he told the Miami Herald in 2009. "He was giving up his aptitude in order to be liked. Then and now, that is a very common thing in teenagers."

Palillo went on to get a host of bit parts in shows from The Love Boat to Cagney and Lacey to The A-Team, and played himself for a time on the series Ellen. But Kotter remained his most well-known acting part, and he focused on stage directing and writing.

His last act in life mirrored his most famous one, in a real-life classroom instead of one at the fictional James Buchanan High School. Palillo taught acting at G-Star School of the Arts, a high school in West Palm Beach. He was due to return for the school year Tuesday morning, Poindexter said, and classes were to resume next week.

Palillo is survived by his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm; two brothers, and a sister. Poindexter said that while her friend might, at times, have resented the shadow Horshack cast over him, he remained fond of the character and knew the part was always more of a blessing than a curse. He remained close to his co-stars, she said, and knew how closely fans related to the characters.

"All of us have been or known one of those Sweathogs," he told The Los Angeles Times last year.

 

[superintelligentone]

William Windom dies at 88; Emmy-winning character actor

The veteran character actor's Emmy-winning role in the TV series 'My World and Welcome to It' marked the start of a long-term relationship with humorist James Thurber's whimsical Americana.

By Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times
August 20, 2012

In the role that won him an Emmy Award for best actor in a comedy series, William Windom played John Monroe, a writer-cartoonist for a New York magazine who harnessed an active fantasy life to escape the doldrums of his middle-class Connecticut existence. Based on the work of American humorist James Thurber, "My World and Welcome to It" survived only one season on NBC.
But for Windom, the program marked the start of a long-term relationship with Thurber's whimsical Americana. The actor subsequently developed a one-man show based on Thurber's writings that he toured across the United States.

Windom died Thursday of congestive heart failure at his home in Woodacre, north of San Francisco, said his wife, Patricia. He was 88.

Born in New York City on Sept. 28, 1923, Windom was named after his great-grandfather, a Minnesota congressman and former U.S. Treasury secretary. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts before joining the Army as a paratrooper in World War II. He later attended the University of Kentucky, among several other higher-education institutions, and decided to pursue acting.

With his genial features, affable manner and extensive theater training, Windom was an in-demand television character actor for decades. He chalked up scores of guest credits, including episodes of "Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek,"in which he played a spacecraft commodore trying to thwart an out-of-control doomsday machine; the '60s comedy series "The Farmer's Daughter," in which he played a widowed Minnesota congressman; and more than 50 segments of "Murder, She Wrote," starting in the mid-1980s. In that whodunit drama, Windom played a Maine country doctor opposite series star Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher.

In addition to performing in more than a dozen plays, he found work in summer stock, radio and television. He also began landing film roles, among them the part of the prosecuting attorney who parries in court with Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch in"To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962).

Married five times, Windom is survived by his wife of 37 years, Patricia, and four children, Rachel, Heather, Hope and Rebel; and four grandchildren.


Windom obituary

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-william-windom-obit-20120820,0,1494785.story?track=rss

Sci-Fi fans probably associate William Windom for his memorable portrayal of Federation Commodore Matt Decker, commander of the derelict Starship U.S.S. Constellation in the Star Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine". His portrayal of Commodore Decker needing to get revenge over the loss of his ship & crew strongly echoed that of Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick". It was probably intentional that the Doomsday planetary destroyer was conical in shape, resembling that of a sperm whale. However, according to Memory Alpha, the internet encyclopedia of Star Trek, William Windom once said at a public appearance, that he patterned his portrayal of the character after Humphrey Bogart's Captain Queeg from "The Caine Mutiny", particularly the obsessive-compulsive habit of toying with objects in his hands.

I have vague recollections of watching William Windom and Inger Stevens as the stars of the 1960s TV series "The Farmer's Daughter" with my mom.

Windom played Dr. Seth Hazlitt in the popular "Murder She Wrote" television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher.

William Windom (actor) - Wikipedia

William Windom (September 28, 1923 – August 16, 2012) was an American actor. He was perhaps best known for his work on television, including several episodes of The Twilight Zone; playing Glen Morley, a fictional congressman from Minnesota based on Windom's own great-grandfather and namesake in The Farmer's Daughter; the character of John Monroe on the sitcom My World and Welcome to It, for which he won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series; as Commodore Matt Decker, commander of the doomed U.S.S. Constellation in the Star Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine"; the character Randy Lane in the Emmy-nominated Night Gallery episode "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar"; perhaps the most common recurring character on the Emmy-winning series Murder, She Wrote, Dr. Seth Hazlitt, and for voicing Puppetino in Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night.

Early life
Windom was born in New York City, the son of Isobel Wells (née Peckham) and Paul Windom, an architect. He was the great-grandson of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury of the same name. He served in the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations in World War II, as a paratrooper with Company B, 1st Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.

Career
Windom's first motion picture role was as Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor of Tom Robinson in 1962's Academy Award-winning To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1968 he also starred in The Detective with Frank Sinatra as a homophobic killer, and received great reviews from The New York Times.

From September 1963 to April 1966 he co-starred on TV with Inger Stevens in The Farmer's Daughter, a series about a young Minnesota woman who becomes the housekeeper for a widowed Congressman. In the 1969–70 NBC-TV series My World and Welcome to It, Windom played the James Thurberesque lead and received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series. After the show's cancellation he toured the country in a one-man show of Thurber's works.

He was a regular for a decade on the series Murder, She Wrote, playing Dr. Seth Hazlitt. His initial appearance in the role was in October 1985. (He had previously appeared as a guest star playing another character in April 1985.) The producers enjoyed his work, and consequently invited him to return at the beginning of the second season to take on the role permanently. He briefly left the show to work on another series in 1990, but the show was short lived and he returned to Murder, She Wrote as a semi-regular for the remainder of the series' run.

To fans of science fiction television, Windom is well known for his performance as the tortured Commodore Decker in the Star Trek episode "The Doomsday Machine", a role he reprised nearly 40 years later for Star Trek New Voyages.

Death
According to his widow, Patricia Tunder Windom, the actor died on August 16, 2012, aged 88, at his home in Woodacre, California, from congestive heart failure.

I've found a clip of William Windon on TV gameshow Password.

 

[superintelligentone]

Acclaimed Film Director, Tony Scott (younger brother of fellow Director Sir Ridley Scott) has died by jumping off of a bridge!

UPDATE: Reports are emerging that Tony Scott learned that he had inoperable Brain Cancer.
UPDATE 2: Family members deny that Tony Scott even had cancer.

The two brothers were partners in Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) in 1968, a film and commercial production company. In 1995 Ridley and Tony formed production company, Scott Free Productions in Los Angeles. (All Ridley's subsequent feature films, starting with White Squall and G.I. Jane have been produced under the Scott Free banner.) Scott Free Productions created television dramas, Numb3rs and The Good Wife.

In 1995 the two brothers purchased a controlling interest in Shepperton Studios, which later merged with Pinewood Studios.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/...ts-suicide.html

Top Gun director Tony Scott dead in apparent suicide
- Note found near car on bridge
The Associated Press
Posted: Aug 20, 2012 12:52 AM ET
Last Updated: Aug 20, 2012 1:35 AM ET

Tony Scott, 68, director of Hollywood blockbusters including Top Gun, Days of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II, died Sunday after jumping from a Los Angeles County bridge, authorities said.

Scott's death was being investigated as a suicide, Los Angeles County Coroner's Lt. Joe Bale said.

Several people called 911 around 12:35 p.m. PT to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor, according to Los Angeles police Lt. Tim Nordquist.

A dive team with Los Angeles Port Police pulled the body from the murky water several hours later, Nordquist said. Scott's body was taken to a dock in Wilmington and turned over to the county coroner's office.

One lane of the eastbound side of the bridge was closed to traffic during the investigation. Cargo vessels moved at reduced speeds through the east side of the port's main channel during the search, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Coast guard Lt. Jennifer Osburn told the Daily Breeze a suicide note was found inside Scott's black Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the eastbound lanes of the bridge.

The British-born Scott was Producer/Director Ridley Scott's brother.

Tony Scott - Wikipedia

Anthony David "Tony" Scott (June 21, 1944 – August 19, 2012) was a British film director. His films include The Hunger, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Unstoppable. He was the younger brother of fellow film director Ridley Scott.

Early life
Scott was born in North Shields, the son of Elizabeth and Colonel Francis Percy Scott. At the age of 16, Tony appeared in Boy and Bicycle, a short film marking the directorial debut of his then 23 year-old brother Ridley. He followed in his elder brother's footsteps, studying at Grangefield School, West Hartlepool College of Art and Sunderland Art School, the last for a fine arts degree. He subsequently graduated from the Royal College of Art, fully intending to become a painter. It was only the success of his elder brother's fledging television commercial production outfit, Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), that turned his attentions towards film.

Tony had wanted to do documentaries at first. I told him, "Don't go to the BBC, come to me first." I knew that he had a fondness for cars, so I told him, "Come work with me and within a year you'll have a Ferrari." And he did.

In the course of the next two decades, Scott directed thousands of television commercials for RSA, while also overseeing the company's operation during periods in which his brother was developing his feature film career. Tony also took time out in 1975 to direct an adaptation of the Henry James story The Author of Beltraffio for French television, a project he landed by virtue of winning a coin-flip against his brother.[citation needed] After the considerable feature film successes of fellow British commercial directors Hugh Hudson, Alan Parker, Adrian Lyne and his elder brother in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Scott was beginning to receive overtures from Hollywood himself in 1980, but in the same year his elder brother Frank died of cancer.

1980s
Scott persisted in trying to embark on a feature film career. Among the projects interesting him was an adaptation of the Anne Rice novel Interview with the Vampire then in development.[citation needed] MGM was already developing the vampire film The Hunger, for which they brought Scott on in 1982. The Hunger starred David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve and introduced Willem Dafoe in a small role. The Hunger had elaborate photography and sumptuous production design, but it failed to find an audience, received harsh reviews by critics, and had disappointing box office sales (though it later became a cult favourite).[citation needed] Finding himself largely unemployable in Hollywood for the next two and a half years, Scott returned to commercials and music videos.

In 1985, producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer approached Scott to direct Top Gun on the strength of The Hunger, as well as a commercial he had done for Swedish automaker Saab in the early 1980s: in the spot, a Saab 900 turbo is shown racing a Saab 37 Viggen fighter jet. Scott, though reluctant at first, agreed to direct Top Gun. Though the film received mixed critical review, it became one of the highest-grossing films of 1986, taking in more than US$176 million, and making a star of its young lead, Tom Cruise.

Following Top Gun's success, Scott found himself on Hollywood's A list of action directors. He reteamed with Simpson and Bruckheimer in 1987 to direct Eddie Murphy and Brigitte Nielsen in the highly anticipated sequel Beverly Hills Cop II. While not being critically embraced, the picture nevertheless became one of the year's highest grossers.

1990s
His next film, Revenge (1990), a thriller of adultery and revenge set in Mexico, starred Kevin Costner, Madeleine Stowe and Anthony Quinn. Once again directing Tom Cruise, Scott returned to the Simpson-Bruckheimer fold to helm the big-budget film Days of Thunder (1990). Scott's next film was the action thriller The Last Boy Scout (1991).

Made for $13 million in 1993, Scott directed True Romance from a script by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. The cast included Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Tom Sizemore, Chris Penn, Val Kilmer and in bit roles, James Gandolfini and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie received positive reviews from Janet Maslin and other critics, but took in less than $13 million and was considered a box office failure.

Scott's next film, Crimson Tide (1995), was a submarine thriller starring Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. His follow-up film, 1996's The Fan, starred Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin and Benicio del Toro. Scott's 1998 film Enemy of the State, a conspiracy thriller, starred Will Smith and Gene Hackman, and was his highest-grossing film of the decade.

2000s
Spy Game was released during the Thanksgiving holiday of 2001. It garnered 63% positive reviews at Metacritic and made a little over 60 million dollars at the U.S. box office. Man on Fire was released in April 2004 and made over 75 million dollars at the U.S. box office.

Next for Scott came Domino (2005) starring Keira Knightley. In autumn 2006, Scott reteamed with Denzel Washington for the futuristic action film Déjà Vu.

Scott, along with his brother Ridley Scott, were co-producers of the TV series Numb3rs, which aired from 2005 to 2010. Tony Scott directed the first episode of the fourth season.

Scott once again teamed up with Denzel Washington on The Taking of Pelham 123, which also starred John Travolta and was released in theaters on June 12, 2009. The film was a remake of the 1974 film of the same title starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. 2009 also saw the debut of The Good Wife, a legal drama television series; with Scott and his brother as two of several executive producers.

2010s
In 2010, the Scott brothers produced the feature film adaptation of the television series The A-Team. Scott's film, Unstoppable, again starring Washington (with Chris Pine), was released in November 2010.

Death
On August 19, 2012 sometime in the afternoon, it was reported that Scott had committed suicide by jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the San Pedro port district of Los Angeles, California. Investigators found contact information in his Toyota Prius, which was parked on the left side of the road near the bridge, and a suicide note in his office. Witnesses said he did not hesitate before jumping off the bridge. His body was taken from the water by the Los Angeles Port Authority. Scott had inoperable brain cancer at the time of his death.

Scott is survived by his wife, Donna Wilson Scott, and their twin sons, Frank and Max, born in 2000.

 

[superintelligentone]

Phyllis Diller, the Queen of Comedy has died at age 95.

Late to enter show business, Phyllis was nearly 40 before she became a comedienne. A pioneer of Women's comedy, she influenced almost every other comedienne that followed her. Phyllis was one of a kind, taking a sassy & brassy approach. She took standard unsatisfied housewife jokes and made them better with her presentation: setting up the old jokes as commentary about her her fictional husband Fang and then her trademark "HA HA HA". You will be missed. R.I.P. Phyllis.

Queen of Comedy Phyllis Diller dies at 95
CBC News
Posted: Aug 20, 2012 3:32 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 20, 2012 5:11 PM ET

Phyllis Diller, the trailblazing U.S. comedian who broke down gender barriers in the world of comedy, has died at the age of 95.

Diller died Monday morning at her Los Angeles home and was found by her son, Perry, according to her longtime manager Milton Suchin.

"She died peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face," Suchin told The Associated Press. No cause of death was disclosed, though in 1999, Diller had suffered a near-fatal heart attack.

Known for her punchy, distinctive, cackling laugh, Diller was a self-deprecating comic who debunked the traditional portrait of the happy homemaker by taking on the persona of a loud, eccentric, bizarrely dressed, corner-cutting housewife with a sassy tongue and wild observations.

Comedy world late-bloomer
Born Phyllis Ada Driver in Ohio, she was an accomplished pianist who married at the age of 22. She and husband Sherwood Diller were based in San Francisco, where she balanced a successful career as an advertising copywriter with motherhood (the couple had six children, five of whom survived).

Diller drew from her own experiences when she began, at night, performing at comedy clubs in the mid-1950s. Her comedy career came relatively late: the busy mother and copywriter was nearly 40 before she got into show business.

A rare female stand-up comedian at that time, she delivered raw, outrageous routines about her fictional husband Fang and an arsenal of zingy one-liners about marriage, child-rearing and life as a housewife.

She became a regular at stand-up comedy clubs and landed several TV productions, including the sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton and the short-lived variety series The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show. However, she truly became a television mainstay with her many appearances on game shows and talent contests such as Hollywood Squares and The Gong Show.

Diller also appeared in holiday TV specials and on film with her friend and fellow comedian Bob Hope, who invited her to join him on one of his USO trips at the height of the Vietnam War.

Her first husband, Sherwood Diller, managed her career until their divorce in the 1960s. She was then briefly married to fellow entertainer Ward Donovan. Her partner Rob Hastings, a lawyer, died in 1996.

Influential female comic
Diller's barbed comedy — as well as her openness about her looks and pursuit of plastic surgery — paved the way for later contemporaries such as Joan Rivers and Roseanne Barr.

She largely retired from her stand-up career in 2002, though she continued to take on the occasional role later in life, including voicing the Queen in Pixar's animated film A Bug's Life and turning up in TV's 7th Heaven and The Bold and the Beautiful.

She also published a memoir, 2004's Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse, and saw her career profiled in the 2006 film Goodnight, We Love You, which captured her final stand-up comedy gig.

"I was one of those life-of-the-party types," Diller told The Associated Press in 1965.

"You'll find them in every bridge club, at every country club. People invited me to parties only because they knew I would supply some laughs. They still do."

 

[superintelligentone]

Although he was not in show business, Neil Armstrong became the most famous man on Earth. He was embraced by the world as representing mankind, a true hero.

Not often mentioned in history was Armstrong changing course from the planned landing site due to it's unexpected rough terrain. That's why you can hear nervous talk as Armstrong switched from automatic control to manual control to desperately search for somewhere smooth to land with only seconds of fuel left. When Mission Control called out: "Thirty seconds", that was the amount of fuel left until empty. The evidence of the danger was Mission Control's "Roger Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a lot of guys about to turn blue here. We're breathing again."

UPDATE: You can see and read about the near catastrophe, as the announcement of "1201 Alarm" is called out. Note the circled areas of the moon in the video that shows the terrain dangerous to land in.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/25/1...ans-to-be-great

Armstrong was a reluctant celebrity, avoiding most interviews while humbly asserting that he was just part of the NASA team who were equally responsible for the achievement.

As fellow astronaut and Mercury Friendship-7 CAPCOM ground-based communications officer Scott Carpenter, once said "Godspeed, John Glenn" as the rocket lifted off, it is fitting to say "Farewell and Godspeed, Neil Armstrong." The world salutes you on your final voyage, Neil Armstrong.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/25/n..._n_1830343.html

Neil Armstrong Dead: First Man On The Moon Dies At 82
Posted: 08/25/2012 3:08 pm Updated: 08/26/2012 12:24 am

According to NBC News, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died at age 82.

He died at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, suffering complications following his recent cardiac bypass surgery.

On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and his partner Buzz Aldrin made history as the first people to ever walk on the moon. From the New York Times article applauding the achievement:

Two Americans, astronauts of Apollo 11, steered their fragile four-legged lunar module safely and smoothly to the historic landing yesterday at 4:17:40 P.M., Eastern daylight time.

Neil A. Armstrong, the 38-year-old civilian commander, radioed to earth and the mission control room here:

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

A photo of a smiling Armstrong was captured inside the Lunar Module after he completed his historic moonwalk.

On Saturday, Armstrong's family confirmed his death, and released a statement:

“We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He also found success back home in his native Ohio in business and academia, and became a community leader in Cincinnati.

He remained an advocate of aviation and exploration throughout his life and never lost his boyhood wonder of these pursuits.

As much as Neil cherished his privacy, he always appreciated the expressions of good will from people around the world and from all walks of life.

While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.

For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”

NASA tweeted a reaction to the news, offering its condolences.

In a statement, President Obama called Armstrong "among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time."

More from The Associated Press:

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Neil Armstrong was a quiet self-described nerdy engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved pilot he made "one giant leap for mankind" with a small step on to the moon. The modest man who had people on Earth entranced and awed from almost a quarter million miles away has died. He was 82.

Armstrong died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures, a statement Saturday from his family said. It didn't say where he died.

Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, 1969, capping the most daring of the 20th century's scientific expeditions. His first words after setting foot on the surface are etched in history books and the memories of those who heard them in a live broadcast.

"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong said.

In those first few moments on the moon, during the climax of heated space race with the then-Soviet Union, Armstrong stopped in what he called "a tender moment" and left a patch commemorate NASA astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died in action.

"It was special and memorable but it was only instantaneous because there was work to do," Armstrong told an Australian television interviewer in 2012.

Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the lunar surface, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs.

"The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to," Armstrong once said.

The moonwalk marked America's victory in the Cold War space race that began Oct. 4, 1957, with the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1, a 184-pound satellite that sent shock waves around the world.

Although he had been a Navy fighter pilot, a test pilot for NASA's forerunner and an astronaut, Armstrong never allowed himself to be caught up in the celebrity and glamor of the space program.

"I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer," he said in February 2000 in one of his rare public appearances. "And I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession."

A man who kept away from cameras, Armstrong went public in 2010 with his concerns about President Barack Obama's space policy that shifted attention away from a return to the moon and emphasized private companies developing spaceships. He testified before Congress and in an email to The Associated Press, Armstrong said he had "substantial reservations," and along with more than two dozen Apollo-era veterans, he signed a letter calling the plan a "misguided proposal that forces NASA out of human space operations for the foreseeable future."

Armstrong's modesty and self-effacing manner never faded.

When he appeared in Dayton in 2003 to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight, he bounded onto a stage before 10,000 people packed into a baseball stadium. But he spoke for only a few seconds, did not mention the moon, and quickly ducked out of the spotlight.

He later joined former astronaut and Sen. John Glenn to lay wreaths on the graves of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Glenn introduced Armstrong and noted it was 34 years to the day that Armstrong had walked on the moon.

"Thank you, John. Thirty-four years?" Armstrong quipped, as if he hadn't given it a thought.

At another joint appearance, the two embraced and Glenn commented: "To this day, he's the one person on Earth, I'm truly, truly envious of."

Armstrong's moonwalk capped a series of accomplishments that included piloting the X-15 rocket plane and making the first space docking during the Gemini 8 mission, which included a successful emergency splashdown.

In the years afterward, Armstrong retreated to the quiet of the classroom and his southwest Ohio farm. Aldrin said in his book "Men from Earth" that Armstrong was one of the quietest, most private men he had ever met.

In the Australian interview, Armstrong acknowledged that "now and then I miss the excitement about being in the cockpit of an airplane and doing new things."

At the time of the flight's 40th anniversary, Armstrong again was low-key, telling a gathering that the space race was "the ultimate peaceful competition: USA versus U.S.S.R. It did allow both sides to take the high road with the objectives of science and learning and exploration."

Glenn, who went through jungle training in Panama with Armstrong as part of the astronaut program, described him as "exceptionally brilliant" with technical matters but "rather retiring, doesn't like to be thrust into the limelight much."

Derek Elliott, curator of the Smithsonian Institution's U.S. Air and Space Museum from 1982 to 1992, said the moonwalk probably marked the high point of space exploration.

The manned lunar landing was a boon to the prestige of the United States, which had been locked in a space race with the former Soviet Union, and re-established U.S. pre-eminence in science and technology, Elliott said.

"The fact that we were able to see it and be a part of it means that we are in our own way witnesses to history," he said.

The 1969 landing met an audacious deadline that President Kennedy had set in May 1961, shortly after Alan Shepard became the first American in space with a 15-minute suborbital flight. (Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin had orbited the Earth and beaten the U.S. into space the previous month.)

"I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth," Kennedy had said. "No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important to the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."

The end-of-decade goal was met with more than five months to spare. "Houston: Tranquility Base here," Armstrong radioed after the spacecraft settled onto the moon. "The Eagle has landed."

"Roger, Tranquility," the Houston staffer radioed back. "We copy you on the ground. You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot."

The third astronaut on the mission, Michael Collins, circled the moon in the mother ship Columbia 60 miles overhead while Armstrong and Aldrin went to the moon's surface.

In all, 12 American astronauts walked on the moon between 1969 and the last moon mission in 1972.

For Americans, reaching the moon provided uplift and respite from the Vietnam War, from strife in the Middle East, from the startling news just a few days earlier that a young woman had drowned in a car driven off a wooden bridge on Chappaquiddick Island by Sen. Edward Kennedy. The landing occurred as organizers were gearing up for Woodstock, the legendary three-day rock festival on a farm in the Catskills of New York.

Armstrong was born Aug. 5, 1930, on a farm near Wapakoneta in western Ohio. He took his first airplane ride at age 6 and developed a fascination with aviation that prompted him to build model airplanes and conduct experiments in a homemade wind tunnel.

As a boy, he worked at a pharmacy and took flying lessons. He was licensed to fly at 16, before he got his driver's license.

Armstrong enrolled in Purdue University to study aeronautical engineering but was called to duty with the U.S. Navy in 1949 and flew 78 combat missions in Korea.

After the war, Armstrong finished his degree from Purdue and later earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He became a test pilot with what evolved into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, flying more than 200 kinds of aircraft from gliders to jets.

Armstrong was accepted into NASA's second astronaut class in 1962 - the first, including Glenn, was chosen in 1959 - and commanded the Gemini 8 mission in 1966. After the first space docking, he brought the capsule back in an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean when a wildly firing thruster kicked it out of orbit.

Armstrong was backup commander for the historic Apollo 8 mission at Christmastime in 1968. In that flight, Commander Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell and Bill Anders circled the moon 10 times, and paving the way for the lunar landing seven months later.

Aldrin said he and Armstrong were not prone to free exchanges of sentiment.

"But there was that moment on the moon, a brief moment, in which we sort of looked at each other and slapped each other on the shoulder ... and said, `We made it. Good show,' or something like that," Aldrin said.

An estimated 600 million people - a fifth of the world's population - watched and listened to the landing, the largest audience for any single event in history.

Parents huddled with their children in front of the family television, mesmerized by what they were witnessing. Farmers abandoned their nightly milking duties, and motorists pulled off the highway and checked into motels just to see the moonwalk.

Television-less campers in California ran to their cars to catch the word on the radio. Boy Scouts at a camp in Michigan watched on a generator-powered television supplied by a parent.

Afterward, people walked out of their homes and gazed at the moon, in awe of what they had just seen. Others peeked through telescopes in hopes of spotting the astronauts.

In Wapakoneta, media and souvenir frenzy was swirling around the home of Armstrong's parents.

"You couldn't see the house for the news media," recalled John Zwez, former manager of the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum. "People were pulling grass out of their front yard."

Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were given ticker tape parades in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and later made a 22-nation world tour. A homecoming in Wapakoneta drew 50,000 people to the city of 9,000.

In 1970, Armstrong was appointed deputy associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA but left the following year to teach aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

He remained there until 1979 and during that time bought a 310-acre farm near Lebanon, where he raised cattle and corn. He stayed out of public view, accepting few requests for interviews or speeches.

"He didn't give interviews, but he wasn't a strange person or hard to talk to," said Ron Huston, a colleague at the University of Cincinnati. "He just didn't like being a novelty."

Those who knew him said he enjoyed golfing with friends, was active in the local YMCA and frequently ate lunch at the same restaurant in Lebanon.

In February 2000, when he agreed to announce the top 20 engineering achievements of the 20th century as voted by the National Academy of Engineering, Armstrong said there was one disappointment relating to his moonwalk.

"I can honestly say - and it's a big surprise to me - that I have never had a dream about being on the moon," he said.

From 1982 to 1992, Armstrong was chairman of Charlottesville, Va.-based Computing Technologies for Aviation Inc., a company that supplies computer information management systems for business aircraft.

He then became chairman of AIL Systems Inc., an electronic systems company in Deer Park, N.Y.

Armstrong married Carol Knight in 1999, and the couple lived in Indian Hill, a Cincinnati suburb. He had two adult sons from a previous marriage.

One more tribute to Neil Armstrong. This one from John Glenn.
http://news.yahoo.com/john-glenn-neil-arms...1--finance.html

John Glenn: Neil Armstrong pioneered way to moon
By MARCIA DUNN | Associated Press – 15 hrs ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, said Neil Armstrong dedicated himself to his country and will always be remembered for pioneering the way to the moon.

In a phone interview Saturday with The Associated Press, Glenn said he will miss Armstrong and noted that he was a close friend. The two astronauts — arguably NASA's most famous — both hailed from Ohio.

Glenn recalled how Armstrong had just 15 to 35 seconds of fuel remaining when he landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, with Buzz Aldrin. He also recounted Armstrong's illustrious aviation career, including his combat flying in Korea and testing of experimental aircraft. Armstrong had his pilot's license before his driver's license, Glenn said.

"When I think of Neil, I think of someone who for our country was dedicated enough to dare greatly," Glenn said.

Throughout his career as a pilot and astronaut, Armstrong "showed a skill and dedication that was just exemplary," Glenn said. "I'll miss him not only for that but just as a close personal friend."

The 91-year-old Glenn was in Columbus, Ohio, when he learned of Armstrong's death at age 82.

Just before the 50th anniversary of Glenn's orbital flight in February, Armstrong offered high praise to the elder astronaut and said Glenn had told him many times how he wished he, too, had flown to the moon on Apollo 11. While not considering himself an envious person, Glenn said this year that he makes an exception for Armstrong.

Armstrong, ever the gentleman, returned the compliment. In an email, Armstrong wrote: "I am hoping I will be 'in his shoes' and have as much success in longevity as he has demonstrated."

 

[superintelligentone]

Steve Franken, a character actor known for playing rich, snooty wimps has died at the age of 90.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/31/s...ref=mostpopular

Steve Franken Dead: Co-Star Of 'The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis' Dies At 80
Posted: 08/31/2012 11:06 pm Updated: 09/01/2012 2:55 pm

Actor Steve Franken, famous for his role as the playboy dilettante Chatsworth Osborne Jr., on the hit 1960s sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," has died at the age of 80, reports say. According to the New York Times, Franken had been battling cancer.

Called a "character actor specializing in comedy," Franken's successful television and film career spanned more than 50 years.

Born in New York City, Franken starred in films like "The Party," opposite Peter Sellers, and was a frequent guest on popular TV shows such as "Bewitched" and "Love, American Style." More recently, he appeared on an episode of "Seinfeld."

Franken is survived by his wife and three daughters.

His wife, Jean, told the Associated Press that her husband never stopped working, and loved acting.

A public memorial for Franken is scheduled for Sept. 22 at Theatre West in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/30/lo...ranken-20120831

Steve Franken dies at 80; portrayed rich pal of 'Dobie Gillis'
- Steve Franken appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies in a long acting career, but he is best remembered for his role as the snobbish Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis' in the early 1960s.
August 30, 2012
By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times

Steve Franken, a veteran character actor whose long career included playing the spoiled young millionaire Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on the popular situation comedy "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" in the early 1960s, has died. He was 80.

Franken died of cancer Friday at a nursing and rehabilitation center in Canoga Park, said his wife, Jean.

In a more than 50-year career that began in New York, Franken appeared in scores of TV shows and several movies, including "The Party," "The Americanization of Emily," "The Missouri Breaks" and the Jerry Lewis comedies "Which Way to the Front?" and "Hardly Working."

But for many TV fans, Franken may be best remembered as Chatsworth Osborne Jr. on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis."

The series, which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963, starred Dwayne Hickman in the title role of the girl-crazy grocer's son, whose beatnik friend, Maynard G. Krebs, was played by Bob Denver.

Franken joined the series in 1960, replacing the young actor who had played Milton Armitage, the show's original rich kid: Warren Beatty.

"Warren Beatty did about four or five shows and wanted to go do movies," Hickman told The Times on Thursday. "Once he had done that, he wasn't going to come back and do 'Dobie Gillis.' But because he was gone, we got Steve, and he was wonderful."

As the snobbish Chatsworth, "he wore clothes that were expensive, polo outfits and a polo stick and all that," said Hickman. "He was a great character. He was the only person to call me 'Dobie-do.' Chatsworth Osborne Jr. — what a great name. And, of course, everything was grand and he was so rich. Steve played it very well."

When Hickman appeared at an autograph show with Franken a few years ago, he said, "Steve told me people were still coming up to him on the street asking for his autograph and calling him Chatsworth."

But, Hickman said, Franken did many things in his career and was "a very serious actor."

Jean Franken said her husband was especially proud of his performance in director Blake Edwards' film "The Party," the 1968 comedy starring Peter Sellers, in which Franken played a drunken waiter who never speaks a word.

"He and Peter Sellers worked out most of the improvisations themselves for that," she said. "Blake let them go."

Franken was a versatile actor who studied at the Actors Studio in New York and later did a lot of theater work in Los Angeles, much of it dramatic.

Born in Queens, N.Y., on May 27, 1932, Franken graduated from Cornell University and launched his acting career against his parents' wishes.

"They wanted him to go to medical school, but he went straight to New York," his wife said. "He was obsessed with the idea of being an actor."

As chemotherapy gave him another eight months of life, she said, he continued to audition for TV and movie roles and do theater work until a month before he died.

In addition to Jean, his wife of 25 years, Franken is survived by their daughter, Anne; two daughters from a previous marriage that ended in divorce, Emily Franken and Abigail Glass; and two grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m Sept. 22 at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles.

 

[superintelligentone]

Film Songwriter/Lyricist Hal David dies in LA at 91

http://news.ca.msn.com/entertainment/raind...es-in-la-at-315

'Raindrops' Lyricist Hal David dies in LA at 91
By Bob Thomas,Christopher Weber, The Associated Press, thecanadianpress.com
Updated: September-02-12 5:52 AM

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Hal David was a man of simple words.

A writer by trade — and a journalist by education — David had a knack for encapsulating love, earnestness and a wry sense of humour into a melody that was just a few minutes long. "Wishin' and Hopin'," the 1960s earworm he wrote with Burt Bacharach, was a rhyming how-to for gals looking to snag a man. With a wink, it snagged a new generation of fans when it opened the 1997 Julia Roberts film "My Best Friend's Wedding."

Through theatre, film and TV, David's songs transcended the time they were written to become classics. With Bacharach, he was one of the most successful songwriting teams in modern history.

The 91-year-old, who died Saturday of complications from a stroke four days earlier in Los Angeles, "always had a song in his head," said his wife, Eunice David. Even at the end, "he was always writing notes, or asking me to take a note down, so he wouldn't forget a lyric."

Bacharach and David's hits included "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," ''(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "That's What Friends Are For." Many of the top acts of their time, from Barbra Streisand to Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin, recorded their music.

But the collaboration for which they were best known came in 1962, when they began writing for a young singer named Dionne Warwick.

Warwick's versatile voice could convey the emotion of David's lyrics and handle the changing patterns of Bacharach's melodies. Together the trio created a chain of hits: "Don't Make Me Over," ''Walk On By," ''I Say a Little Prayer," ''Do You Know the Way to San Jose," ''Always Something There to Remind Me" (which later was a hit for the 1980s synth pop band Naked Eyes), among others.

They were a "triangle marriage that worked," Warwick wrote in her memoir, "My Life, As I See It." Bacharach was "the handsome one," and David was level-headed — a "thoughtful, gentle, sincere" man — Warwick wrote.

Ever the writer (he studied journalism at New York University), David said in a 1999 interview that he thought of songwriting as telling a narrative.

"The songs should be like a little film, told in three or four minutes. Try to say things as simply as possible, which is probably the most difficult thing to do," he said.

The New York-based writer often flew to Los Angeles, where he and Bacharach holed up for weeks of intense songwriting. They also conferred by telephone, a method that birthed "I Say a Little Prayer."

When a song went nowhere, they stuck it in a desk drawer and left it there for months.

In a brief essay on his website, David recalled having an idea for a song for "at least two years before showing it to Burt."

"I was stuck," he wrote. "I kept thinking of lines like, 'Lord, we don't need planes that fly higher or faster ...' and they all seemed wrong. Why, I didn't know. But the idea stayed with me.

"Then, one day, I thought of, 'Lord, we don't need another mountain,' and all at once I knew how the lyric should be written. Things like planes and trains and cars are manmade, and things like mountains and rivers and valleys are created by someone or something we call God. There was now a oneness of idea and language instead of a conflict. It had taken me two years to put my finger on it."

And so they had another smash: "What the World Needs Now is Love."

David and Bacharach met when both worked in the Brill Building, New York's legendary Tin Pan Alley song factory where writers cranked out songs to sell to music publishers. They scored their first big hit with "Magic Moments," a million-selling record for Perry Como.

Their success transferred to film and theatre, where they won an Oscar for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (from the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"), and Grammys and Tonys for the songs from the hit Broadway musical "Promises, Promises."

But the hit-making team broke up after the 1973 musical remake of "Lost Horizon." The pair and Warwick had devoted two years to the movie, which was scorned by critics and audiences. Bacharach then sequestered himself in his vacation home and refused to work.

Bacharach and David sued each other, and Warwick sued them both. The cases were settled out of court in 1979 and the three went their separate ways. They reconciled in 1992 for Warwick's recording of "Sunny Weather Lover."

David went on to collaborate successfully with other composers: John Barry with the title song of the James Bond film "Moonraker;" Albert Hammond with "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," which Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson sang as a duet; and Henry Mancini with "The Greatest Gift" in "The Return of the Pink Panther."

David joined the board of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1974 and served as president 1980 to 1986. He was head of the Songwriters Hall of Fame from 2001 to 2011, and was chairman emeritus at his death.

"As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic — conveying volumes of meaning in fewest possible words and always in service to the music," ASCAP president, the songwriter Paul Williams, said in a statement. "It is no wonder that so many of his lyrics have become part of our everyday vocabulary and his songs... the backdrop of our lives."

In May, Bacharach and David received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during a White House tribute concert attended by President Barack Obama. David, recovering from a major stroke in March, did not attend, but his wife accepted on his behalf.

"It was thrilling," she said. "Even though he wasn't there, Hal said it was the highest honour he had ever received."

Obama noted their music is still being recorded by such artists as Alicia Keys and John Legend.

"Above all, they stayed true to themselves," Obama said. "And with an unmistakable authenticity, they captured the emotions of our daily lives — the good times, the bad times, and everything in between."

Born in New York City, David attended public schools and NYU, then served in the Army during World War II, mostly as a member of an entertainment unit in the South Pacific. After the war, he was a copywriter at the New York Post and wrote lyrics for bandleaders before hooking up with Bacharach.

He married Anne Rauchman in 1947, and together they had two sons.

Singer Smokey Robinson called on others to honour David's musical legacy.

"I hope that the music world will join together in celebrating the life of one of our greatest composers ever," he said.

 

[superintelligentone]

Michael Clarke Duncan, the actor most famous for playing death row inmate John Coffey in 1999's The Green Mile died September 3rd at age 54. He had been brought back from cardiac arrest suffered on on July 13th by his fiancée, reality TV personality Omarosa Manigault.

I was really hoping that he's recover from his heart-attack that he suffered from on July 13th since he was one of my favorite big actors, but with a heart of gold. He could play along with his hulking looks like when he played 'The Kingpin' in Ben Affleck's "Daredevil" or play against his menace as a really funny guy in "The Whole Nine Yards" opposite Bruce Willis and in TV's "Two and A Half Men". Michael could also convey that he was a local friend who would never let you down when times get rough as in in the movie "Armageddon".

What a great voice Michael had. He was the voice of the alien "Kiliwog" in the live action movie version of "Green Lantern". Victor Garber got to play "Sinestro" in the animated film "Green Lantern". They could have worked well together.

Showtimes, reviews, trailers, news and more - MSN Movies

Actor Michael Clarke Duncan dead at 54
Sept. 3, 2012, 5:53 PM EST

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Clarke Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in "The Green Mile" and such other box office hits as "Armageddon," "Planet of the Apes" and "Kung Fu Panda," is dead at age 54.

Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancée, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.

Bing: More on Michael Clarke Duncan

The muscular, 6-foot-4 Duncan, a former bodyguard who turned to acting in his 30s, "suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered," the statement said. "Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date."

In the spring of 2012, Clarke had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier.

"I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat," he said. "I'm a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat."

Duncan had a handful of minor roles before "The Green Mile" brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers.

Duncan's performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for "The Green Mile" after the two appeared together in "Armageddon." Clarke would work with Willis again in "Breakfast of Champions," "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Sin City."

His industrial-sized build was suited for everything from superhero films ("Daredevil") to comedy ("Talledega Nights," ''School for Scoundrels"). His gravelly baritone alone was good enough for several animated movies, including, "Kung Fu Panda," ''Delgo" and "Brother Bear." Among Clarke's television credits: "The Apprentice," ''The Finder," ''Two and a Half Men" and "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

Born in Chicago in 1957, Duncan was raised by a single mother whose resistance to his playing football led to his deciding he wanted to become an actor. But when his mother became ill, he dropped out of college, Alcorn State University, and worked as a ditch digger and bouncer to support her. By his mid-20s, he was in Los Angeles, where he looked for acting parts and became a bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and other stars. The murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., for whom Duncan had been hired to protect before switching assignments, led him to quit his job and pursue acting full-time.

Early film and television credits, when he was usually cast as a bodyguard or bouncer, included "Bulworth," ''A Night at the Roxbury" and "The Players Club."

 

[superintelligentone]

John Ingle - Wikipedia

John Ingle (May 7, 1928 – September 16, 2012) was an American actor best known for his role as scheming patriarch Edward Quartermaine on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.

Career
A retired teacher, Ingle began mainstream acting in 1981 doing various guest appearances.

In 1993, he took over the role of Edward Quartermaine on General Hospital. In December 2003, Ingle was fired and Edward was to be killed off. Due to an outrage from fans, Ingle was rehired and put on recurring status. Without a contract to keep him at General Hospital, Ingle was free to court other offers and accepted the contract role of Mickey Horton, as a recast for the retiring John Clarke, on the soap opera, Days of our Lives. Ingle left General Hospital in February 2004 and Edward was recast with Jed Allan. Once at Days of our Lives, Ingle became part of a love triangle story involving Bonnie (Judi Evans Luciano) and Maggie (Suzanne Rogers).

Ingle had recurring roles in HBO's Big Love, The Drew Carey Show, and the long-running The Land Before Time.

Ingle returned to General Hospital in the contract role of Edward in April 2006, but this time without his onscreen wife, actress Anna Lee, who died in 2004.

Personal life
Ingle was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, Los Angeles, CA. He is a graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles. He began teaching English and theater in 1955 at Hollywood High School until transferring in 1964 to teach acting at Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California, where he remained until his retirement in 1985. His pupils included Nicolas Cage, Albert Brooks, Richard Dreyfuss, Joanna Gleason, Barbara Hershey, Swoosie Kurtz, Stefanie Powers, David Schwimmer, Jonathan Silverman, and Julie Kavner.

He called former General Hospital actor Stuart Damon his "closest friend." Damon, along with Leslie Charleson, fought Ingle's 2007 firing from "General Hospital".

In late 2008, Ingle underwent treatment for a small section of melanoma on his scalp. He was forced to wear a hat while onscreen to cover the bandage.

Ingle was an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

Ingle married Grace-Lynne Martin in 1954. They had five daughters, nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren.

Grace-Lynne died on February 11, 2012. Ingle followed his wife in death seven months later, dying on September 16, 2012, at the age of 84.

Films
Stitches (1985) as Dr. Clayton Fowler
True Stories (1986) as The Preacher
Heathers (1988) Principal Gowen
Defense Play (1988) as Senator
RoboCop 2 (1990) Surgeon General
Repossessed (1990) as Father Crosby (as John H. Ingle)
Death Becomes Her (1992) Eulogist
The Land Before Time (film series) as Topsy (Cera's Dad), and the Narrator (1994–2012)
Batman & Robin (1997) Doctor

TV
The Golden Girls as Harv (1989); episode "Dancing in the Dark"
Night Court as Theodore Wood (1989) and as Mr Kitteridge (1991)
General Hospital as Edward Quartermaine (#2) (1993–2004, 2006–12)
Boy Meets World as Mr. Frank Nelson (Episode 708)
Days of our Lives as Mickey Horton (#3) (2004–2006)
The Office (US) as Robert Dunder (Episode 402)

 

[superintelligentone]

Singer Andy Williams dies at 84

Andy Williams Dies at 84; Moon River Singer Dead

Andy Williams, 'Moon River' Singer, Dies at 84
By Stephen M. Silverman
09/26/2012 at 09:30 AM EDT

Andy Williams, whose corn-fed good looks, easygoing charm and smooth rendition of "Moon River" propelled him to the heights of music stardom in the early '60s, died Tuesday at his home in Branson, Mo., following a battle with bladder cancer, his family announced.

He was 84, and 2012 had marked his 75th year in showbiz. Williams is survived by his wife Debbie and his three children, Robert, Noelle and Christian.

With 17 gold and three platinum records to his name, Williams enjoyed his golden years playing golf and dividing his time between La Quinta, Calif., and Branson, where he appeared at his Andy Williams Moon River Theater since 1992.

It was on the stage of that theater, in November 2011, Williams announced he had bladder cancer. At the time, he assured fans the disease was no longer a death sentence and that he had every intention of being a survivor.

Born in Wall Lake, Iowa, the son of a railroad worker, Howard Andrew WIlliams sang in his family's church choir with older siblings Bob, Dick and Don. In the late '30s, the boys built up a name for themselves regionally on Midwestern radio stations as the Williams Brothers quartet.

After the war, in 1947, they joined entertainer Kay Thompson in her innovative and sophisticated nightclub act. In his 2009 memoir Moon River and Me, Williams admitted he had a long affair with Thompson, who had been a legendary vocal coach at MGM (she taught Judy Garland and Lena Horne to sing for the screen) and was 18 years the senior of her handsome young protégé.

In 1952, when the brothers' act broke up, Andy launched his solo career, only to find himself broke and without bookings. Giving himself one last shot, he wisely switched his repertoire from clever Noël Coward ditties to the latest pop hits, and his New York club appearances soon included singing spots on the Tonight show (which was in Manhattan at the time), then regular TV shots and a Columbia Records contract.

By the early '60s he had an easy-listening hit under his belt, "Can't Get Used to Losing You," though it was his romantic take on the Best Song Oscar winner from 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's, "Moon River," that landed him on the map – and kept him there.

The smash hit recording led to NBC's 1962 launch of The Andy Williams Show, which remained on the air until 1971 and then returned as an annual Christmas special. It was on the variety weekly program in 1963 that Williams introduced to America a group of young singing siblings from Utah, The Osmond Brothers.

Despite his own clean-cut good looks – the Williams signature look was a turtleneck under a brightly colored pullover sweater – scandal did touch Williams's life. In the mid-1970s, his ex-wife, French dancer Claudine Longet, went on trial in Aspen for the fatal shooting of her lover, international skiing star Vladimir ("Spider") Sabich.

In the end, Longet, who claimed the shooting was an accident, was found guilty of misdemeanor criminal negligence and received only a 30-day sentence, which she served on and off at her convenience. In his 2009 memoir, Williams, who during the trial had accompanied his ex-wife to the courtroom on a daily basis, continued to defend her innocence.

Longet and Williams were married from 1961 to 1975 and had three children together: Noelle, Christian, and Robert. They survive him, as does his second wife (since 1991), Debbie Williams.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...tertainment_pop

‘Moon River’ crooner Andy Williams dies at 84 after yearlong battle with bladder cancer

AP Entertainment Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody contributed to this report from Nashville, Tenn.
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, September 26, 6:41 PM

BRANSON, Mo. — For the older — OK, squarer — side of the generation gap, Andy Williams was part of the soundtrack of the 1960s and ‘70s, with easy-listening hits like “Moon River,” the “Love Story” theme and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” from his beloved Christmas TV specials.

The singer known for his wholesome, middle-America appeal was the antithesis of the counterculture.

“The old cliche says that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t there,” Williams once recalled. “Well, I was there all right, but my memory of them is blurred — not by any drugs I took but by the relentless pace of the schedule I set myself.”

The 84-year-old entertainer, who died Tuesday night at his Branson home following a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, outlasted many of the decade’s rock stars and fellow crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He remained on the charts into the 1970s and continued to perform into his 80s.

Williams became a major star in 1956, the same year as Elvis Presley, with the Sinatra-like swing number “Canadian Sunset.” For a time, he was pushed into such Presley imitations as “Lips of Wine” and the No. 1 smash “Butterfly.”

But he mostly stuck to what he called his “natural style” and kept it up throughout his career. In 1970, when even Sinatra had temporarily retired, Williams was in the top 10 with the theme from “Love Story,” the Oscar-winning tearjerker. He had 18 gold records, three platinum and five Grammy award nominations.

Williams was also the first host of the live Grammy awards telecast and hosted the show for seven consecutive years, beginning in 1971.

Movie songs became a specialty, including his signature “Moon River.” The longing Johnny Mercer-Henry Mancini ballad was his most famous song, even though he never released it as a single because his record company feared such lines as “my huckleberry friend” were too confusing and old-fashioned for teens.

The song was first performed by Audrey Hepburn in the cherished 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but Mancini thought “Moon River” ideal for Williams, who recorded it in “pretty much one take” and also sang it at the 1962 Academy Awards. Although “Moon River” was covered by countless artists and became a hit single for Jerry Butler, Williams made the song his personal brand. In fact, he insisted on it.

“When I hear anybody else sing it, it’s all I can to do stop myself from shouting at the television screen, ‘No! That’s my song!’” Williams wrote in his 2009 memoir titled, fittingly, “Moon River and Me.”

At a Wednesday matinee at Williams’ Moon River Theatre in Branson, a performer told the crowd that Williams would have wanted the show to go on, and it did. The first show after his death included a moving video of him performing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”

“It was very emotional, very sad,” said Barbara Cox of Atlanta, who came to Branson on vacation. “We’ve lost a great man.”

Because of illness, Williams had not performed in several months.

He had been a constant presence on television with “The Andy Williams Show,” which lasted in various formats through the 1960s and into 1971. It won three Emmys and featured Williams alternately performing his stable of hits and bantering with guest stars.

It was on that show that Williams — who launched his own career as part of an all-brother quartet — introduced the world to another clean-cut act — the original four singing Osmond Brothers of Utah. Four decades later, the Osmonds and Williams would find themselves in close proximity again, sharing Williams’ theater in Branson.

Williams did book some rock and soul acts, including the Beach Boys, the Temptations and Smokey Robinson. On one show, in 1970, Williams sang “Heaven Help Us All” with Ray Charles, Mama Cass and a then-little known Elton John, a vision to Williams in his rhinestone glasses and black cape. But Williams liked him and his breakthrough hit “Your Song” enough to record it himself.

Notable deaths of 2012: Images of well-known people who have died this year.

For many families, Williams and his music were a holiday tradition. His annual Christmas specials continued long after his show ended, featuring Williams dressed in colorful sweaters singing favorites that almost always included “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a song written for Williams that became a holiday standard.

Williams’ act was, apparently, not an act. The singer’s unflappable manner on television and in concert was mirrored offstage.

“I guess I’ve never really been aggressive, although almost everybody else in show business fights and gouges and knees to get where they want to be,” he once said. “My trouble is, I’m not constructed temperamentally along those lines.”

His wholesome image endured one jarring interlude.

In 1976, his ex-wife, former Las Vegas showgirl Claudine Longet, shot and killed her lover, skiing champion Spider Sabich. The Rolling Stones mocked the tragedy in “Claudine,” a song so pitiless that it wasn’t released until decades later. Longet, who said the slaying was an accident, spent only a week in jail. Williams stood by her. He escorted her to the courthouse, testified on her behalf and provided support for her and their children, Noelle, Christian and Robert.

Also in the 1970s, Williams was seen frequently in the company of Ethel Kennedy, Robert Kennedy’s widow. The singer denied any romantic involvement.

He was born Howard Andrew Williams in Wall Lake, Iowa, on Dec. 3, 1927, and began performing with older brothers Dick, Bob and Don in the local Presbyterian church choir. Their father, postal worker and insurance man Jay Emerson Williams, was the choirmaster and the force behind his children’s career.

When Andy was 8, Williams’ father arranged for the kids to have an audition on Des Moines radio station WHO’s Iowa Barn Dance. They were initially turned down but kept returning until they were finally accepted. The show attracted attention from Chicago, Cincinnati and Hollywood. Another star at WHO was a young sportscaster named Ronald Reagan, who would later praise Williams as a “national treasure.”

The brothers later worked with Kay Thompson, a singer who eventually became famous for the “Eloise” children’s books. She had taken a position as vocal coach at MGM studios, working with Judy Garland, June Allyson and others. After three months of training, Thompson and the Williams Brothers broke in their show at the El Rancho Room in Las Vegas, drawing rave reviews and as much as $25,000 a week.

After five years, the three older brothers, who were starting their own families, had tired of the constant travel and left to pursue other careers.

Williams initially struggled as a solo act and was so broke at one point that he resorted to eating food intended for his two dogs.

A two-year TV stint on Steve Allen’s “Tonight Show” and a contract with Cadence Records turned things around. Williams later formed his own label, Barnaby Records, which released music by the Everly Brothers, Ray Stevens and Jimmy Buffett.

Williams was a lifelong Republican who once accused President Barack Obama of “following Marxist theory.” But he acknowledged experimenting with LSD, opposed the Nixon administration’s efforts in the 1970s to deport John Lennon and in 1968 was an energetic supporter of Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign.

When Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles in June 1968, just after winning the California Democratic primary, Williams sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at his funeral.

“We chose that song because he used it on the campaign trail,” Williams later said of Kennedy, who had been a close friend. “He had a terrible voice, but he loved to sing that song. The only way I got through singing in church that day was by saying, ‘This is my job. I can’t let emotion get in the way of the song.’ I really concentrated on not thinking about him.”

After giving up touring, he settled in Branson, with its dozens of theaters featuring live music, comedy and magic acts, and was among the first wave of national entertainers to perform there regularly.

When he arrived in 1992, the town was dominated by country music, but Williams changed that with his classy, $13 million theater in the heart of the entertainment district, where he did two shows a night, six days a week, nine months of the year. Only in recent years did he cut back to one show a night. His most popular time was Christmas.

Not everyone in Hollywood accepted his move to the Midwest. “The fact is most of my friends in LA still think I’m nuts for coming here,” he told The Associated Press in 1998.

He and his second wife, the former Debbie Haas, divided their time between homes in Branson and Palm Springs, Calif., where he spent his leisure hours on the golf course when Branson’s theaters were dark during the winter months following Christmas.

Retirement was not on his schedule. As he told the AP in 2001: “I’ll keep going until I get to the point where I can’t get out on stage.”

Williams is survived by his wife and his three children.

 

[superintelligentone]

We seem to be losing so many great people lately. Very sad.

I was very sad to hear that Michael O'Hare who played Commander Jeffrey Sinclair on Babylon 5 died yesterday from a heart attack. He was 60.

ACK! I didn't know that. I loved Babylon 5. I love the gravitas Michael O'Hare had in his voice when he did the opening of the show.

It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, ten years after the Earth/Minbari war. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal, to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call - home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258.
The name of the place is Babylon 5.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mich...n-5-dies-375187

'Babylon 5' Star Michael O'Hare Dies at 60
1:59 PM PDT 9/29/2012
by Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter

Michael O’Hare, who starred as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair on the first season of the sci-fi series Babylon 5, died Friday after suffering a heart attack five days earlier. He was 60.

“This is a terrible loss for all B5 fans, and everyone involved with the show wishes to convey their condolences to the O'Hare family,” series creator J. Michael Straczynski wrote on his Facebook page. “He was an amazing man.”

O'Hare left the show after the first season (Straczynski at the time called it a "mutual, amicable and friendly separation," with the star being ostensibly replaced by Bruce Boxleitner), but the actor came back for an episode in season two and back-to-back installments in season three to wrap up his character's storyline.

Babylon 5, from Warner Bros. Television, ran for four seasons on the short-lived Prime Time Entertainment Network and a final one on TNT from 1994-98.

On Broadway, the Chicago native appeared in the original 1989-91 production of Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men as Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson earned an Oscar nomination for playing the role in the 1992 film).

His résumé also includes the primetime series The Cosby Mysteries, Kate & Allie, Trapper John, M.D., The Equalizer, Law & Order, L.A. Law and Tales From the Darkside and the daytime soap One Life to Live.

Michael O'Hare - Wikipedia

Michael O'Hare (May 6, 1952 – September 28, 2012) was an American actor, best known for playing Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Early life

O'Hare was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Harvard University, where he majored in English literature, and studied at the prestigious Juilliard School of Drama, as well as with Sanford Meisner.

Career

O'Hare appeared in a number of theatrical productions on Broadway and in the New York area, including an acclaimed revival of Shaw's Man and Superman with Philip Bosco and the role of Col. Jessup in the original stage version of A Few Good Men (the role played by Jack Nicholson in the film version).

He was the first white actor nominated by the black theater community of New York for the AUDELCO Award for the Best Actor for his performance in the play "Shades of Brown" which examined the effects of apartheid in South Africa.

In 1992, he was cast in the lead role of Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the science fiction television series Babylon 5. O'Hare remained with the series for one full season; both he and series producer J. Michael Straczynski said the decision for the character to depart was mutual and amicable. O'Hare subsequently reprised the character in season two as well as in a two-episode guest appearance in season three, enabling the show to complete the character arc.

He appeared on a range of television shows, including T. J. Hooker, Kate & Allie, The Equalizer, Tales from the Darkside, The Cosby Mysteries, and Law & Order.

Death

On September 28, 2012, J. Michael Straczynski posted on his Facebook page that O'Hare suffered a heart attack on September 23 and had remained in a coma until the 28th, when he died.