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Post by the Scribe on Mar 1, 2018 22:41:27 GMT -5
Hitler finds out he's dead
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Post by erik on Mar 3, 2018 21:29:03 GMT -5
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Post by erik on Mar 4, 2018 18:12:02 GMT -5
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Post by the Scribe on Mar 13, 2018 19:30:15 GMT -5
This is a really long stretch of time. Someone must have died by now?
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Post by erik on Mar 13, 2018 19:51:55 GMT -5
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Post by the Scribe on Mar 13, 2018 23:32:37 GMT -5
Steven Hawking just died as well. (or did he?)
Stephen Hawking died at age of 76, Science World in Deep Shock. RIP Stephen Hawking
Iconic Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies At 76
HuffPost Joe Satran,HuffPost 40 minutes ago .
www.yahoo.com/news/stephen-hawking-dead-famed-scientist-035055007.htmlStephen Hawking Died in 1985 – Has Been Replaced With Lookalike
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Post by erik on Mar 29, 2018 18:30:03 GMT -5
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Post by erik on Apr 2, 2018 8:34:19 GMT -5
The TV industry has suffered a big loss, as Steven Bochco, creator of NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues, and other series, has passed away from a rare form of leukemia at the age of 74: www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/steven-bochco-hill-street-blues-co-creator-dead-at-74-w518595His earliest credits as a writer include "Murder By The Book", the very first episode of Columbo that was broadcast on NBC, in September 1971, an episode that Steven Spielberg directed, and co-writing, along with Michael Cimino and Deric Washburn, the 1972 cult science fiction film classic SILENT RUNNING.
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Post by the Scribe on Apr 14, 2018 2:26:27 GMT -5
ART BELL DIES Breaking news. Very sad for me. The end of a terrible week. Art had copd so that may have been the cause. Don't know yet. He was a big person in my life and I will miss him and that laugh of his, his love for cats and all the similar interests we shared.
If you don't know who Art Bell was or what he did here is a taste:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWhwLY4Cwv5zRhZfnTjq5TUv6OtmWh0_L heavy.com/news/2018/04/art-bell-dead-cause-of-death-dies-how/Art Bell Dead: Radio Host Dies, Cause of Death UnclearRadio host Art Bell – known for his conspiracy theories and interest in paranormal activity and UFOs – is dead, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Department in Nevada. “Community Announcement — Long time resident, and radio show host, Art Bell died today at 72 years old in his home in Pahrump Nevada,” the Sheriff’s Department has announced on Facebook.
Bell leaves behind his wife, Airyn, whom he married at age 22 in 2006. She was his fourth wife, and he had four children, including a daughter, Asia, with Airyn. You can read more about Airyn Bell here.
Few other details about Art Bell’s death were provided. Sharon Wehrly, Nye County Sheriff, said that Bell passed away on April 13, 2018, adding that he was “best known for his conspiracy theories.” How did Bell die? That’s unknown, at least for now. He is scheduled for an autopsy later this week to determine the cause of death and was 72-years-old, the sheriff said in a videotaped press announcement. Here’s the short video press conference held by the sheriff:
The Nye County sheriff also shared the news of Art Bell’s death on Twitter:
On Twitter, Bell’s last tweet was a retweet about UFOs. On Facebook, where he frequently posted photos of his family, Bell posted on April 12: “Download the free TuneIn app to listen LIVE FREE starting at 9 PM Pacific time!” On April 9, 2018, Bell seemed in typical form on his Facebook page, writing, “The FBI has just Raided the office of the President’s Lawyer. This is pretty serious stuff and I want to say again if the hate of Trump continues to be manifested by investigating everything Trump has ever done they will get him on something eventually. If you tear anybody’s life apart and look at every little thing they have ever done, you can get them.”
On another Twitter page, he wrote his last tweet in January:
Bell was married. He said on Facebook that his wife was Airyn Bell. Her Facebook page is filled with photos of the couple. Bell’s wife is from the Philippines, and she and Art Bell had sued radio host Michael Savage for defamation in recent years, a case that ended in settlement.
Earlier in the month of April, he was weighing in on Area 51 on Facebook, writing, “LATEST ON AREA 51 INVASION. Heather has made a wise decision in my opinion, she will indeed enter Area 51 as she stated she will do, but alone. She is inviting a crowd for a intention experiment to join her in trying to manifest craft, but she alone will enter the restricted area and is prepared she says to accept the consequences. She is doing something I would not do, she sure has guts. Even those of you who decide not to go can help in this wild experiment. I am very proud of her work and determination.”
Bell was a controversial radio personality. According to KTNV-TV, “Bell was the original owner of the Pahrump-based radio station KNYE 95.1FM and was known across the U.S. and in Canada for his paranormal radio program, ‘Coast to Coast.'” According to The Review Journal, Bell’s show “was syndicated on about 500 North American stations in the 1990s before he left the nightly show in 2002.” He was born in North Carolina, the newspaper reported.
According to Coast to Coast AM, “Art Bell is no ordinary talk show host, not just because ‘Coast to Coast AM’ is the dominant live all-night show in America today, but because Art’s a true radio fanatic, the ultimate ‘new media’ personality.” The site continued, “Art Bell’s grasp of the electronic revolution–and how to make it personal–is unique; he’s a talk show host primed to influence 21st century America in more ways than one.”
In 2015, KNPR reported that “Radio host Art Bell suddenly ended his long-running program this weekend, citing alleged threats made against him and his family.” The site continued at that time, “Bell says shots have been fired outside his residency, and that he has spotted trespassers near his home late at night.” However, authorities gave no indication that Bell died of unnatural causes.
Fans responded on Twitter as news of Bell’s death broke early in the morning on April 14. This post will be updated when more details about the cause of Art Bell’s death are known. Art Bell was a Crystal Gayle freak. He loved Crystal the way we love Linda Ronstadt. Turns out Crystal heard about Art's fandom and she became a fan of the show so much so she wrote this great song for Art and Coast. It became Art's theme song. One of the greatest things about Coasttocoastam with Art Bell was the bumper music he chose. Much of it was residual New Age from the previous decade of the 1980's. Art created Coast in the early 1990's. I too loved that music.
I remember this show quite well. We were all in anticipation of this visit from Crystal Gayle:Art Bell talks with Crystal Gayle about her song Midnight In The Desert
sampling of Art Bell's Bumper Music: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUMq4sB5dsC8o7QnMy35vgqy4lv0NAFbM
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2018 15:19:48 GMT -5
Say what you will about Art Bell, but he let anyone say what they wanted to, unless he thought they were deliberately bullshitting. One of a kind...
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Post by erik on Apr 14, 2018 17:12:48 GMT -5
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Post by erik on Apr 16, 2018 11:52:46 GMT -5
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Post by the Scribe on Apr 17, 2018 0:32:58 GMT -5
Actor Harry Anderson Dies
www.cbsnews.com/news/harry-anderson-night-court-actor-dead-at-65/
Harry Anderson, "Night Court" actor, dead at 65
Harry Anderson, the actor best known for playing an off-the-wall judge working the night shift of a Manhattan court room in the television comedy series "Night Court," was found dead in his North Carolina home Monday. Anderson was 65.
A statement from the Asheville Police Department said officers responded to a call from Anderson's home early Monday and found him dead. The statement said foul play is not suspected.
On "Night Court," Anderson played Judge Harry T. Stone, a young jurist who professed his love for singer Mel Torme, actress Jean Harlow, magic tricks and his collection of art-deco ties.
In this May 19, 1988, file photo, Harry Anderson poses after a press conference in New York. Authorities said, Monday, April 16, 2018, that actor Harry Anderson of "Night Court" comedy series fame died in North Carolina. / Richard Drew / AP
He also starred in the series "Dave's World" and appeared on "Cheers" as con man Harry 'The Hat' Gittes.
Anderson prided himself on being a magician as well as actor.
"I got into magic when I was a child," he told The Associated Press in 1987. "Unlike most kids, I stayed with it. My high school teachers were always asking me what I was going to do. It made me what I am today - available for weekend employment, parties and bar mitzvahs."
Anderson, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on Oct. 14, 1952. He grew up in New York and moved to Oregon when he was a teenager and said that's where he became a hippie.
"The Shakespeare Festival at Ashland, Oregon, seemed like a good place to open a magic store," he said. "At 18, I was ready for retirement. It didn't last long, but I was established as the magician. I worked the streets in San Francisco and I did magic and special effects at the festival."
Anderson learned the ropes as a street performer in San Francisco, New Orleans, and Austin, Texas, among other cities. When he made his first appearance on "Saturday Night Live," he was right off the street.
"Cheers' was my first acting job, but it was basically the character I had developed on the street," he said. "That's now I made my living, hustling drinks in bars and quarters on the street."
"Night Court" ran on NBC from 1984 until 1992, and Anderson received three lead comedy actor Emmy nominations for his role. After the show ended, he was cast in the lead role in the CBS sitcom "Dave's World," which was based on the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist Dave Barry. That series ran from 1993 until 1997.
A People magazine story in 2002 said Anderson disappeared from Hollywood and resurfaced as the owner of a New Orleans magic shop.
"I am richer than Davy Crockett," Anderson said in the story. "I can settle back and do what I want to do. And what I want to do is card tricks and magic.' That includes magic shows for corporate clients ("Fifty-five minutes with applause," says Anderson) at $20,000 a pop. According to the story, Anderson was disenchanted by the prospect of chasing acting roles into middle age. "I don't understand why guys have that Don Knotts syndrome of having to be out there." He sold his home in Pasadena, California, and moved back to New Orleans, where he had lived in the 1970s.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, he moved to Asheville.
Anderson had two children from his first marriage to Leslie Pollack. His second wife, Elizabeth Morgan, is among his survivors. There was no immediate word on funeral arrangements Monday night.
notable deaths in 2018 www.cbsnews.com/pictures/notable-deaths-in-2018
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Post by the Scribe on Apr 17, 2018 5:19:53 GMT -5
R. Lee Ermey, ‘Full Metal Jacket’ star, dead at 74
R. Lee Ermey, the tough-talking Marine Corps sergeant turned actor best known for his role as a foul-mouthed Vietnam-era drill instructor in “Full Metal Jacket,” died Sunday from complications of pneumonia. He was 74.
“He will be greatly missed by all of us,” his longtime manager, Bill Rogin, said in a statement. “Semper Fi, Gunny. Godspeed.”
Ermey, who often played military or police roles in film and television, grew up in Toppenish, Wash., and enlisted in the Marines at just 17 after his second arrest for criminal mischief.
A staff sergeant who also served as a drill instructor, he spent 14 months in Vietnam beginning in 1968 and was given a medical discharge in 1972.
While studying at the University of Manila in the Philippines, Ermey was cast in a small role as a chopper pilot in the 1979 Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now,” where he also served as a technical adviser to director Francis Ford Coppola.
But Stanley Kubrick was the first to see Ermey’s true on-screen potential. After being hired as a technical adviser for 1987’s “Full Metal Jacket,” Ermey was given the memorable role of crusty, no-nonsense Gunnery Sergeant Hartman after he showed Kubrick he was a natural at yelling at recruits.
“I'd say 50% of Lee’s dialogue, specifically the insult stuff, came from Lee,” Kubrick told Rolling Stone in 1987.
“We lined (the actors) up and did an improvisation of the first meeting with the drill instructor. They didn’t know what he was going to say, and we could see how they reacted. Lee came up with, I don’t know, 150 pages of insults.”
The role, which earned Ermey a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor, kickstarted a long career that included nearly 60 movies, including “Mississippi Burning,” “Se7en” and “Leaving Las Vegas.”
He was also the voice of the plastic soldiers’ leader in the animated “Toy Story.”
In 2015, Ermey hosted the Outdoor Channel’s “Gunny Time,” a series about military weapons of the past, present and future.
Thirty years after leaving the Marine Corps, Ermey received an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant for his continued support of the U.S. military.
Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Gomer Pyle in "Full Metal Jacket," mourned his co-star's death on Twitter.
"Ermey was the real deal. The knowledge of him passing brings back wonderful memories of our time together," he wrote.
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Post by the Scribe on Apr 17, 2018 19:02:46 GMT -5
Remembering former first lady Barbara Bush Barbara Bush, the 'enforcer' of a political dynasty, is dead Holly Bailey 13 minutes ago .
Former first lady Barbara Bush, one of only two women in American history to have been both the wife and the mother of a U.S. president, died in her home in Houston on Tuesday at the age of 92.
Known for her shock of white hair and trademark pearls, Barbara Bush was quickly branded the nation’s “grandmother in chief” when her husband, President George H.W. Bush, ascended to the White House in 1988. But her matronly appearance and polite disposition concealed a sharp tongue and devilish wit that she later became known for, as she increasingly stepped forward as her husband’s defender during his presidency and a rough-and-tumble reelection campaign that he ultimately lost to Bill Clinton.
While her husband was the linchpin of a multigenerational political dynasty, Bush provided much of the steel in the family. Forgoing a career of her own to take care of her kids and support her spouse’s political ambitions, she once said, “My career was my family.” She was of a generation where women were largely defined by their fathers and whom they married, but as the times changed, so did she, gradually showing more of the strong personality that led her kids to lovingly describe her as “the enforcer.”
Born Barbara Pierce, she was raised in the tony New York City suburb of Rye, the third of four daughters born to Pauline and Marvin Pierce, a prominent magazine publisher whose titles included McCall’s, one of the first publications aimed at women.
Future presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush pose with Barbara Bush in Rye, N.Y., summer 1955. (Photo: Newsmakers/Getty Images)
www.yahoo.com/news/barbara-bush-enforcer-political-dynasty-dead-234738150.html
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Post by Dianna on Apr 17, 2018 19:31:15 GMT -5
RIP Barbara Bush..I remember wearing pearl necklaces because Barbara Bush made it hip to do so lol... Back when The Republicans had classy leaders and First Ladies.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2018 13:15:22 GMT -5
Say whatever you want about her, at least she had the sense and decency to go against her party and oppose Trumpelthinskin in 2016; not a small thing for the former First Lady and mother of a Republican president...
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Post by erik on Apr 18, 2018 14:07:16 GMT -5
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Post by Dianna on Apr 18, 2018 23:16:11 GMT -5
Say whatever you want about her, at least she had the sense and decency to go against her party and oppose Trumpelthinskin in 2016; not a small thing for the former First Lady and mother of a Republican president... Right and considering she did not like him, I hope the big dummy donnie does not go to her funeral....
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Post by erik on Apr 19, 2018 8:36:11 GMT -5
Quote by Dianna:
And it would also be inadvisable, as far as I'm concerned, for Melania to go, given that she cannot restrain her miserable excuse for a husband's bullying.
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Post by Dianna on Apr 19, 2018 13:50:00 GMT -5
Quote by Dianna: And it would also be inadvisable, as far as I'm concerned, for Melania to go, given that she cannot restrain her miserable excuse for a husband's bullying. well my first reaction to Melania going.. is she's the only one in that mixture who is at least halfway decent, and that isn't saying much.. considering they both share the same values..because she's guilty by marriage.
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Post by the Scribe on Apr 21, 2018 16:25:56 GMT -5
'Austin Powers' Actor Verne Troyer Dead At 49 Carla Herreria HuffPostApril 21, 2018
Verne Troyer's representatives confirmed the actor's death to HuffPost. (Gabriel Olsen via Getty Images)
Verne Troyer, who rose to fame after playing Mini-Me in the blockbuster “Austin Powers” films, died on Saturday, the actor’s representatives confirmed to HuffPost.
Troyer was 49 years old.
“Verne was an extremely caring individual,” an official statement shared with HuffPost read. “He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh. Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible.”
Troyer’s representatives did not disclose a cause of death but said that Troyer “was a fighter when it came to his own battles.”
“Over the years he’s struggled and won, struggled and won, struggled and fought some more, but unfortunately this time was too much,” the statement read.
“Depression and Suicide are very serious issues. You never know what kind of battle someone is going through inside. Be kind to one another. And always know, it’s never too late to reach out to someone for help.”
http://instagram.com/p/Bh2FcndHgkC
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources. •This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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Post by erik on Apr 21, 2018 20:24:38 GMT -5
Very sad to hear Verne Troyer. And yes, depression and/or suicide are serious business.
One thing that does bother me is how so many judge those who take their own lives, for whatever reasons, as being "selfish". I don't know about anyone else here, but I find that kind of judgment to be horses***. You never can know what another person's thinking, until or unless you have walked in their shoes.
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Post by the Scribe on May 11, 2018 2:55:32 GMT -5
I met Brad and his first wife Francie about 35+ years ago. They were frequent speakers at various Psychic, Health and Paranormal Fairs around the Valley of the Sun. Odd thing was he was out of the scene for a while and when he returned his wife was then Sherry? lol. Never did find out what happened to Francie but this woman also has the same questions: esotericjenavi.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/the-mystery-of-francie-steiger/RIP Brad SteigerMay 09, 2018
Legendary paranormal author and investigator Brad Steiger has passed away at the age of 82. An incredibly prodigious author, Steiger penned more than 170 books on not only the strange and unusual, but also biographies of Hollywood icons and true crime cases. In total, a jaw-dropping 17 million copies of his various works were sold throughout his incredible writing career.
First appearing in print with articles on the unexplained in 1956, Steiger's first book, 'Ghosts, Ghouls and Other Peculiar People,' was published in 1965. He continued writing books all the way up until this year with the forthcoming 'Haunted: Malevolent Ghosts, Night Terrors, and Threatening Phantoms' due to be released in October. In the early 1970's, he also penned a weekly newspaper column, 'The Strange World of Brad Steiger' that was carried in 80 American newspapers as well as in publications from Toyko to Bombay.
A bonafide icon in the world of the paranormal, Steiger inspired countless readers to become investigators and writers of their own with many of today's prominent researchers crediting him with sparking their interest in the subject. To that end and to his enormous credit, Steiger wrote fluently and thoughtfully about a vast array of paranormal topics including UFOs, ghosts, cryptids, supernatural experiences, conspiracies, and nearly every other genre that can be found within the milieu of the odd.
A frequent guest on Coast to Coast AM, Steiger could not only speak to the substance of these various paranormal topics, but was also a masterful storyteller, recounting tales about them which left audiences riveted. Additionally, he possessed a wealth of wisdom concerning the strange and unusual which came via decades of researching the unexplainable and that he was happy to share with newcomers to these often-maddening realms.
He is survived by his beloved wife Sherry, five children, ten grandchildren, and multiple generations of paranormal enthusiasts to whom his influence cannot be understated.
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Post by the Scribe on May 14, 2018 17:43:51 GMT -5
'Superman' star Margot Kidder dead at 69
Good Morning America MICHAEL ROTHMAN and STEVE IERVOLINO,Good Morning America 1 hour 23 minutes ago .
Margot Kidder, the actress best known for playing the iconic Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the "Superman" movies, died Sunday in Montana, according to her personal manager. She was 69 years old.
"I can confirm that Margot passed away peacefully in her sleep," Kidder's manager, Camilla Pines, said.
Franzen-Davis Funeral Home wrote on its website, "The actress and activist passed away on Sunday, May 13th, 2018 at her home."
Read: Christopher Reeve's Son Matthew Remembers His Iconic Father 10 Years After Death: abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/christopher-reeves-son-matthew-remembers-iconic-father-10/story?id=26170005
Related: The Cost Of Creativity: Bipolar Disorder and the Stars: abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=4439015&page=1
PHOTO: Actors Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder in a scene from the movie 'Superman', 1978. (Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images, file)
PHOTO: Actress Margot Kidder. (Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images)
Kidder starred in the comic book franchise beginning in 1978 and played the gutsy reporter for almost a decade until 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace."
PHOTO: File photo of actress Margot Kidder, best known for her role as Lois Lane in 'Superman,' who died May 13, 2018. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
The original "Superman," widely considered the best cinematic telling of the character, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Dec. 15.
Born Margaret Ruth Kidder in 1948, the actress also appeared in the 1979 cult classic, "The Amityville Horror." In addition to her on-camera roles, she was hired for voiceover work and was a frequent guest at comic conventions.
Kidder was a prolific actor with credits in shows like "Boston Common" and "Smallville" over the years, and she was working up until last year, according to IMDB.
She also became a champion for mental illness after suffering some very public breakdowns in the late 1990s.
In 1996, Kidder told People magazine that her manic depression caused "mood swings that could knock over a building."
"This is the pattern of my life," she told the magazine.
www.yahoo.com/gma/superman-star-margot-kidder-dead-69-174603872--abc-news-celebrities.html
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Post by philly on May 14, 2018 17:58:11 GMT -5
"Superman" star Margot Kidder was battling the flu just 4 days before she died, and talked about her struggle during what appears to be her final interview.
Kidder phoned in to “The Drew and Mike Show” in Detroit on May 9 to promote an upcoming appearance at Motor City Comic Con. She told the hosts she was "in bed with flu" because she's "puking every hour and a half." Kidder sounded rough, very raspy -- and, even though she was in good spirits, she said the flu battle was "not fun."
As we previously reported ... Margot was found dead Sunday at her home in Livingston, Montana. Cops responded to a call that Margot was unconscious and not breathing. Her death is under investigation, but police have said they don't suspect foul play.
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Post by the Scribe on Jun 11, 2018 5:39:29 GMT -5
I was unaware of this amazing talent.
RIP Jackson Odell
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Post by the Scribe on Jul 5, 2018 17:30:29 GMT -5
Longtime radio personality Ed Schultz has died, his employer RT America announced Thursday. He was 64. Lydia O'Connor,HuffPost 5 hours ago .
“We at RT America are sad to announce the passing of Edward Andrew Schultz,” the channel said in a statement. “Ed Schultz passed quietly early morning on July 5 at his home in Washington, D.C. This announcement comes as a shock to all of us here at RT America.”
He died of natural causes, sources told The Bismarck Tribune.
After making a name for himself as a radio and TV personality in Fargo, North Dakota, in the early 1980s, Schultz went on to host a show on MSNBC, a show on RT America and a daily podcast.
After two decades spent covering sports news and hosting a conservative political talk show out of North Dakota, Schultz began hosting “The Ed Show,” a daily show on MSNBC in 2009. On it he took on a more progressive bent, covering liberal causes from labor unions to universal health care.
After MSNBC canceled the “The Ed Show” in 2015, Schultz began hosting a podcast, “Ed Schultz News and Commentary.” Its last episode aired in December. His RT America show began airing in 2016.
Though he remained a divisive figure, particularly among his North Dakota followers, upon hearing of his death, many of those who worked with Schultz recalled his kindness.
Schultz spoke openly about his transition from being a conservative force in talk radio to embracing progressive causes.
“I lined up with the Republicans because they were anti-tax and I wanted to make a lot of money,” he told The Los Angeles Times in a 2012 interview about his morphing political perspective.
“I don’t think anyone wakes up one day and says, ‘I’m a liberal,’” Schultz told the Columbia Journalism Review a year later. “But I underwent a number of grassroots experiences that brought me around to a different perspective.”
He often pointed to meeting homeless people in a Fargo soup kitchen in 1998 as a turning point that inspired his on-the-ground reporting with struggling farmers and other blue collar Americans.
Schultz is survived by his wife, Wendy Schultz, and their six children. •This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
www.yahoo.com/news/ed-schultz-msnbc-broadcaster-radio-171919260.html
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Post by the Scribe on Jul 9, 2018 19:30:26 GMT -5
Sad News, R.I.P. Tab Hunter Gay Icon Is Dead At 86
Tab Hunter, Fifties Film Star and Gay Icon, Dead at 86 ‘Damn Yankees’ and ‘Polyester’
Tab Hunter, the Fifties actor who became a gay icon following the publication of his 2005 memoir, has died at the age of 86.
The Facebook page tied to Tab Hunter Confidential, the 2015 documentary about the actor, announced Hunter’s death Monday. “Tab passed away tonight three days shy of his 87th birthday. Please honor his memory by saying a prayer on his behalf. He would have liked that,” the account wrote. The Hollywood Reporter later confirmed the death with Hunter’s spokesperson, although no cause of death was revealed.
A heartthrob matinee idol during Hollywood’s Golden Age, Hunter starred in films like 1958’s Damn Yankees, Battle Cry and Westerns like Track of the Cat and The Burning Hills.
Rumors regarding Hunter’s sexuality during a conservative era in Hollywood threatened to derail the young actor’s career. A 1955 article in the gossip magazine Confidential attempted to out Hunter, while gossip columnists at the time would subtly hint at Hunter’s homosexuality in items about the actor’s publicity department-orchestrated relationships with good friends Natalie Wood, who co-starred with Hunter in the 1956 romantic comedy The Girl He Left Behind, and Debbie Reynolds.
Hunter remained closeted until 2005, when he confirmed that he was gay in his memoir Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star; a documentary about the book, produced by Hunter’s longtime partner Allan Glaser, was released in 2015.
“If I had come out during my acting career in the 1950s, I would not have had a career,” Hunter told the Pocono Record in October 2017. “Not much in Hollywood has changed in 60 years. I really didn’t talk about my sexuality until I wrote my autobiography. My film career had long since been over by then. I believe one’s sexuality is one’s own business. I really don’t go around discussing it. Call me ‘old school’ on that topic.”
The actor added, “There still isn’t a romantic male lead in films who is actively working who has come out as gay. Perhaps there has been on TV, stage and in different arenas in the entertainment business, but not a major male movie star. Film actors today still fear that coming out would damage their career.”
Following his brief tenure as a leading man, Hunter continued to act on the big and small screens as well as on stage. In the early Eighties, Hunter enjoyed a brief career comeback with roles in Grease 2 and John Waters’ Polyester; Hunter would appear alongside actress and fellow LGBT icon Divine in three Eighties films, including Divine’s final film Out of the Dark.
At the height of his film career, Hunter recorded the hit single “Young Love” in 1957; the song spent six weeks at Number One on the Hot 100 after knocking Elvis Presley out of the top spot. Hunter, who as an actor was under contract with Warner Bros., would later claim that studio boss Jack Warner was infuriated that the Paramount Pictures-owned Dot Records, which released “Young Love,” was profiting off a Warner actor. As a result, the studio founded Warner Bros. Records in 1958, with Hunter its first signee.
Hunter’s death comes a month after the announcement that Tab & Tony, a film about the actor and Psycho star Anthony Perkins’ secret love affair, was in the works, with J.J. Abrams and Zachary Quinto producing a screenplay penned by Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright.
Quinto wrote on Instagram, “So sad to wake up to the news of the passing of Tab Hunter. I was honored to get to know him in the past year and am so grateful to have experienced his sheer joy and love of life. and what a life! such a rich experience. such a vital and generous nature. and such a pioneer of self-acceptance and moving through this world with authenticity as his guide. he will be missed greatly. may he rest in peace.”
Elton John tweeted, “RIP to the most handsome and special man. ‘Young Love’ forever.”
Tab Hunter - Young Love (1957 Live at The Perry Como Show)
Tab Hunter's Career & Double Life
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Post by the Scribe on Sept 6, 2018 14:39:56 GMT -5
Sadly, Burt Reynolds has just passed away. www.yahoo.com/entertainment/burt-reynolds-star-deliverance-smokey-185417744.htmlBurt Reynolds, Star of 'Deliverance, 'Smokey and the Bandit,' Dies at 82Variety Richard Natale VarietySeptember 6, 2018
Burt Reynolds, one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men during the ’70s and early ’80s via such films as “Deliverance,” “Smokey and the Bandit, “The Longest Yard” and “Semi-Tough,” has died. His rep confirmed that he died Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. He was 82.
Reynolds’ appeal lay in his post-modern macho posture undercut by a wry self-awareness, which he used to good effect in comedies as well as action films. For a period during the ’70s he was the nation’s top box office draw. But after one too many bad movies, his popularity waned. He returned to television, where he’d gotten his start, mostly in Westerns, and produced his own sitcom, “Evening Shade,” which brought him an Emmy.
He later earned an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to skin flicks, “Boogie Nights.”
In his colorful career Reynolds secured more than his share of both good and bad press. He could be affable with the media but at times downright hostile.
Related Video: Burt Reynolds Has Never Seen "Boogie Nights”
In the early 1970s, Reynolds was a veteran of TV and film who spurred the curiosity of Hollywood producers through his amusing appearances on latenight talkshows, as well as the hyped publicity stunt of appearing as the first celebrity male-nude centerfold in a 1972 issue of Cosmopolitan. He was thus cast in his first A-title role, in John Boorman’s “Deliverance,” one of the most popular and well received films of 1972 (several major actors, including Marlon Brando, had turned the role down before it was offered to Reynolds). The same year Woody Allen cast him in a small comedic role in his film “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex.”
He solidified his position as a rising film star with 1974 prison football drama “The Longest Yard.” In 1977 he starred with Sally Field and Jackie Gleason in the comedy programmer “Smokey and the Bandit,” which proved to be his most successful undertaking ever and was followed by the inevitable sequels. That same year he was again on the gridiron in the hit comedy “Semi-Tough.”
Reynolds made his directing debut with 1976 action film “Gator” and 1978’s black comedy “The End.”
Such was his popularity in box office polls during this period that he managed to weather high-profile disasters like the musical “At Long Last Love,” “Lucky Lady” and “Nickelodeon.”
Other films during the 1970s included “W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings,” “Fuzz,” “Shamus,” “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing,” “White Lightning,” “Hustle” and “Silent Movie.”
He brought the decade to a successful close with the action film “Hooper” and the urbane comedy “Starting Over” and began the ’80s with a popular sequel to “Smokey.” Over the next few years, however, Reynolds was prolific but made one too many bad choices. There were hits like “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Best Friends” and “City Heat,” as well as audience-friendly fare like “Rough Cut,” “Sharky’s Machine” (which he also directed) and “Cannonball Run.” Blake Edwards cast him in the lead of the American remake of “The Man Who Loved Women” in 1983.
But the poorly received films like “Stroker Ace,” “Cannonball Run II,” “Rent-a-Cop” and “Heat” took his career in a downward direction. Along the way he turned down such potentially career-making roles as the ex-astronaut in “Terms of Endearment,” for which Jack Nicholson won an Oscar.
Reynolds retreated to his adopted home of Florida and opened the Jupiter Theater, a popular spot with local audiences where he directed several productions and appeared in a couple as well. He endorsed the Florida Citrus Commission and Quaker State Oil, then returned to television in a dozen TV movies playing B.L. Stryker. After marrying television actress Loni Anderson, Reynolds decided to produce and star in the sitcom “Evening Shade,” which ran on CBS from 1990-94. Along the way he picked up an Emmy as best actor in a comedy series.
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was born in Waycross, Ga., and attended Florida State U. for two years on a football scholarship. But his promising career as a running back was cut short by a knee injury suffered in a car accident. Reynolds turned his attention to acting, moving to New York, where he struggled for several years until he landed a role in a revival of “Mr. Roberts” starring Charlton Heston in 1956. He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived “Look We’ve Come Through” and began accumulating guest shots on television in programs such as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Zane Grey Theater,” “Route 66,” “Perry Mason” and “The Twilight Zone.”
Reynolds landed several series starring roles, mostly in Westerns, starting with “Riverboat” in 1959. He appeared for three seasons as a Native American on the long-running “Gunsmoke” in the mid-’60s, then moved over to the cop/detective genre as the lead in “Hawk” (1966) and “Dan August” (1970-71). He was simultaneously making movies, starting with “Armored Command” and “Angel Baby” in 1961. But his ’60s output, which included “Navajo Joe,” “100 Rifles” and “Sam Whiskey,” did little to further his feature film aspirations.
Reynolds’ assured performance in the controversial and violent “Deliverance” started him on a decade or more of enormous success.
But after riding the wave of popularity, a messy, high-profile divorce from and custody battle with Anderson in the early 1990s and a tell-almost-all autobiography, “My Life,” in 1994 cast him in a negative light, not helped by his understandable, but often irritable attitude toward the press, which was always keenly interested in his love life.
Comeback attempts in movies including “Switching Channels,” “Cop and a Half,” “The Man From Left Field” (which he also directed) and “Striptease” were failures. By the mid-’90s the former $1 million-plus player’s services could be had for as little as $100,000 (which he received for “Striptease”).
Toward the end of the decade he received critical kudos for his performance as a self-deluded porno director in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights,” which brought him an Oscar nomination for supporting actor. Though he was highly favored to win, Reynolds undercut himself by firing his agent for casting him in the part and shunning publicity for the popular role.
After losing the Oscar he continued to work regularly in indifferent projects like “The Crew,” “Mystery, Alaska” and “Universal Soldier III.” He was second billed in Renny Harlin’s racecar actioner “Driven,” starring Sylvester Stallone; played the coach in the comedic 2005 remake of “The Longest Yard” that starred Adam Sandler; and played Boss Hogg in the feature adaptation of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” also in 2005, but other film work was mostly in lower-profile material.
The actor also kept busy on television, with guest appearances in “The X-Files,” “Ed,” “My Name Is Earl” and “Burn Notice” and voicework on “Robot Chicken,” “Duck Dodgers,” “American Dad” and “Archer.”
In September 2015 Reynolds was honored by the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures with the organization’s Richard “Diamond” Farnsworth Award.
Reynolds was married and divorced twice, first in the 1960s to “Laugh-In” comedienne Judy Carne and then to Anderson.
He is survived by adopted son Quinton from his second marriage.
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