In Memorium #01

superintelligentone · Jul 13, 2011

Sherwood Schwartz, creator of Gilligan's Island & The Brady Bunch has died at the age of 94.

“Sherwood Schwartz dies - Creator of 'Gilligan's Island'
Anita Gates, New York Times
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 04:00 AM

Sherwood Schwartz, who created "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch," two of the most affectionately ridiculed and enduring television sitcoms of the 1960s and '70s, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 94.

His death was announced by the Archive of American Television.

Mr. Schwartz weathered dismissive reviews to see his shows prosper and live on for decades in syndication. Many critics suggested that they were successful because they ran counter to the tumultuous times in which they appeared: the era of the Vietnam War and sweeping social change.

Give or take a month or so, the original network run of "The Brady Bunch" coincided with two major upheavals in U.S. society. The show, about a squeaky-clean blended family in California, began in 1969, shortly after Woodstock, and ended in 1974, soon after President Richard Nixon's resignation following the Watergate scandal.

Mr. Schwartz's work may have been seen as lighthearted entertainment, but some scholars of popular culture took it very seriously. David Marc and Robert J. Thompson, authors of "Prime Time, Prime Movers," in which they advance an auteur theory of television, considered Schwartz an innovator who made a "surgical strike into the national psyche."

Describing the advent of "Gilligan's Island," which told the story of seven very different castaways stranded on a desert island, they wrote, "Schwartz was pioneering a dramatic matrix built upon the emerging cultural concept of the 'support group': a collection of demographically diverse characters thrown together by circumstance and forced to become an ersatz 'family' in order to survive."

In a 1996 interview, Mr. Schwartz said he had always planned the series as a social statement, the message being, "It's one world, and we all have to learn to live with each other."

Once or twice a year, he added, he received word of an academic paper whose author claimed to have uncovered the "real meaning" of the series, also stating that its creator probably had no idea what he was really saying.

Not so. Mr. Schwartz remembered describing the idea of "Gilligan's Island" to William S. Paley, then chairman of CBS, as a microcosm. Paley, he recalled, blanched and replied, "Oh, God, I thought it was a comedy show," to which Schwartz quickly answered, "But it's a funny microcosm!"

Sherwood Charles Schwartz was born in Passaic, N.J., on Nov. 4, 1916. He grew up in Brooklyn and was a premed student at New York University. After receiving his bachelor's degree, he moved to Los Angeles to attend graduate school at the University of Southern California, but the master's he earned in biological sciences was never put to use.

After World War II, during which Mr. Schwartz wrote for Armed Forces Radio, he became a writer for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," which was then on the radio. He made the transition to television in the 1950s with the sitcom "I Married Joan" and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he became head writer. In 1961 he shared an Emmy Award with his brother, Skelton and two other writers for the show.

Mr. Schwartz's survivors include his wife, Mildred; three sons, Donald, Lloyd and Ross Schwartz; and a daughter, Hope Juber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_Schwartz

“Sherwood Charles Schwartz (November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011) was an American television producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, and created the television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC. On March 7, 2008, Schwartz, at the time still active in his 90s, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Life and career
Schwartz's entertainment career came "by accident." He relocated from New York to southern California to pursue a master of science degree in biology. In need of employment, he began writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio program, for which Schwartz's brother, Al Schwartz, worked. Schwartz recalled that Hope "liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff. I was faced with a major decision — writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change."

He went on to write for Ozzie Nelson's The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and other radio shows. He was a writer on the Armed Forces Radio Network before he got his break in television. He went on to create and produce Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. He wrote the theme song for three of his shows: Gilligan's Island (co-wrote), It's About Time, and The Brady Bunch. Actresses Dawn Wells and Florence Henderson, who appeared in Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, respectively, accompanied Schwartz when he received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

TV appearances
During the late 1990s and the 2000s, he made many appearances on TV talking about his series, on shows such as the CBS Evening News, 20/20, TV Land's Top Ten and A&E's Biography. He also took part in a "Creators" marathon on Nick at Nite in the late 1990s. He was also a guest at the 2004 TV Land Awards.

In 1988, Schwartz appeared on The Late Show with Ross Shafer for a Gilligan's Island reunion, along with all seven castaways from Gilligan's Island. This was the last time they were all together on television; actors Jim Backus, Alan Hale Jr., Natalie Schafer, and Bob Denver have since died, leaving only three surviving actors from the show.

Personal life
Schwartz was born in Passaic, New Jersey to a Jewish family. In his 1988 book, "Inside Gilligan's Island", Schwartz mentions he did not get along well with Red Skelton. In his early years as head writer, it was in his contract that Schwartz would not have to meet face-to-face with Skelton.

Death
On July 12, 2011, Sherwood Schwartz died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Mildred Schwartz and their four children: Donald, Lloyd (the creator of The Munsters Today), Ross, and Hope (Mrs. Juber; reportedly named after Bob Hope).

superintelligentone · Aug 5, 2011

Actor/Former NFL and Michigan State college football defensive star Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith has passed away in his Los Angeles home at the age of 66. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft.

Non-football fans probably know him best for playing "Officer Moses Hightower' in the Police Academy series of movies and/or the popular 'Miller Lite' (beer) sports ensemble series of TV commercials.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_...?urn=nfl-wp4511

“Legendary NFL defender Bubba Smith passes away at age 66
By Doug Farrar
Wed Aug 03 06:54pm EDT

Former NFL defensive end and longtime television and movie actor Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday. Coroner's reports have not yet been released, but according to the Los Angeles Times, it is believed that Smith died of natural causes.

Smith attended Michigan State, where he was one of the most dominant collegiate defensive linemen of all time. He won All-America honors in 1965 and 1966, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

Selected first overall in the 1967 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, Smith soon became, along with Deacon Jones, one of the first truly modern-style pass-rushers and sack artists. He played long before sacks were first tabulated as an official NFL statistic in 1982, but he was known from the start of his professional career to be nearly impossible to block.

He played for three teams — the Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers, appeared in two Pro Bowls and was named First-Team All-Pro in 1971. Smith played in two Super Bowls — Super Bowl III, which the Colts lost to the New York Jets in an enormous upset, and Super Bowl V, which the Colts won with a last-second field goal against the Dallas Cowboys. Smith retired after the 1976 season, having played in 111 regular-season games.

After his football career ended, Smith became perhaps even more well-known as an actor. He struck gold in the "Police Academy" series of movies, playing the hyper-strong Moses Hightower and providing a series of riotous slapstick scenes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F57JSA7ZKs...player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPm3l5przFI...player_embedded

http://www.foxsportsdetroit.com/08/03/11/B...?blockID=543941

“Bubba Smith dies at 66
by Dave Dye, FOX Sports Detroit
August 3, 2011

DETROIT -- Henry Bullough kept one of the buttons that became so popular around East Lansing, Mich., during the 1966 season, when Michigan State's Charles "Bubba" Smith was terrorizing quarterbacks in college football.

The button, still attached to a bulletin board in Bullough's home, said it all at the time: "Kill, Bubba, Kill."

Smith, a defensive end, was just bigger and faster than almost everyone else in his era. His combination of size and speed was ahead of its time.

"He changed things," Bullough, who was Smith's defensive coordinator at MSU, said of Bubba's impact on the game. "He was 6-foot-7, 265 pounds, and he could run.

"You didn't have many guys like that (in those days). He's one of the greatest defensive players in college football history."

Smith was found dead, apparently of natural causes, Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 66.

Not only did Bullough coach Smith at Michigan State, Bullough also was an assistant coach for Baltimore in 1970 when Smith helped lead the Colts to the Super Bowl.

"Just like a son," Bullough said of his relationship with Smith, a native of Beaumont, Tex. "He was a great guy. He was supposed to come back to Michigan State in two months to do a big fund-raiser for the George Webster Scholarship Fund."

Smith and Webster were part of a talented group of African-American football players from the South who were recruited to Michigan State by the late coach Duffy Daugherty at a time when it was uncommon for blacks to attend universities in the North.

They turned Michigan State's football program into a powerhouse. In Smith's final two years, the Spartans were 19-1-1, 14-0 in the Big Ten, and finished No. 2 in the Associated Press poll each season. The only loss was to UCLA in the Rose Bowl during the '65 season. The tie was the legendary 10-10 game against Notre Dame in '66.

George Perles, a former Michigan State player/assistant coach/head coach/athletic director and current member of the board of trustees, wasn't at MSU during Smith's college career.

But Perles watched Smith in awe like everyone else, and he knows all the stories.

"The students started the 'Kill, Bubba, Kill,' chants," said Perles, who returned to MSU and joined Daugherty's staff in 1967, a year after Smith's heroics. "The kids loved him. They had buttons, signs, everything.

"Bubba was such a visible player. When he got down in his stance, the poor opponent who had to line up against him was just so much smaller and weaker. Bubba was huge. But he didn't take advantage of it. He played by the rules. He didn't take advantage of his size off the field either.

"Bubba was Duffy's favorite. Duffy loved to give poor kids and minorities a chance. Whenever Bubba came back, he and Duffy would hug each other."

One of Perles' fondest memories of Smith was when he made a pre-game speech to the Spartans before a game at Notre Dame years ago.

"He liked to come back for the Notre Dame game," Perles said. "They gave him the floor."

Asked if he could remember what Bubba said, Perles answered, "Yeah, but I can't tell you."

Perles laughed before adding, "I'll say this, he got them fired up."

Smith made only 30 tackles (10 for loss) during his senior year, but that was because opponents constantly double- and triple-teamed him, and ran to the other side of the field to avoid the Spartans' dominating defensive end.

Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. His jersey No. 95 was retired by Michigan State in 2006.

After leaving East Lansing, Smith was the No. 1 pick overall in the 1967 NFL Draft by Baltimore. He played nine seasons in the league (Colts 1967-71, Oakland 1973-74 and Houston Oilers 1975-76). Smith was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1970 and '71.

His fame continued long after his playing days. Bubba went on to appear in commercials and became a TV and movie star out in Hollywood. He is well-known for his role as Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies.

In one of his commercials for Miller Lite, Smith described himself as a player. "I had my own way of tackling," Smith said. "I used to grab the whole backfield. Then I threw guys out until I found the one with the ball."

It was only a slight exaggeration, which is why "Kill, Bubba, Kill" was so appropriate at the time.

REMEMBERING CHARLES "BUBBA" SMITH

Former teammate Robert Viney (defensive end, 1963-65):
“I’m brokenhearted. I just spoke with ‘Bubba’ by phone on Monday. He had invited some old veterans from the Raiders and Rams over to his house to review the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement.

“He was simply a good guy. His size made him an intimidating figure, but he was a real gentleman. He was a helluva player.

“I will shed some tears tonight because I’ve lost a great friend. He never sought the spotlight. He was a humble man. As I remember him, I recall the chants of “Kill, Bubba, Kill” from the crowd in Spartan Stadium. He will be missed.”

Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon:
“‘Bubba’ Smith was a multi-talented Spartan. He will be remembered for his many contributions to MSU’s great history and tradition of excellence on the football field and for being part of Spartans in Hollywood.”

Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis:
“‘Bubba’ Smith was a great Spartan. Years ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time with him when he served as the grand marshal for the Homecoming parade and again when he returned to campus for the retirement of his jersey number, and he had a great presence wherever he went. Despite his stature and notoriety, you felt comfortable around him because he had an engaging personality. As both a football player and later as an actor, ‘Bubba’ was a great ambassador for the University. It’s only fitting that beginning this fall the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Award bears his name.”

Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio:
“Charles ‘Bubba’ Smith was a larger-than-life figure. A two-time All-American, he’s arguably the greatest defensive end to ever play the college game. He certainly ranks as one of Michigan State’s all-time greats. He loved his experiences here and always enjoyed his return trips to campus. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all of his former teammates.”

Former teammate Gene Washington (wide receiver, 1964-66):
“‘Bubba’ was a very concerned, kind person to everybody. He liked giving back to the community and helping others. ‘Bubba’ will be sorely missed because he touched many lives.

“‘Bubba’ and I played against each other in both football and basketball in high school. His father (W.R. Smith) was his high school, and his dad really encouraged Duffy (Daugherty) to recruit me. His father was a well respected high school coach so his recommendation carried a lot of weight. I’ll be forever thankful for his dad’s efforts to put me on Duffy’s recruiting list.

“Needless to say, ‘Bubba’ was a longtime friend. Our football careers were very involved -- both as competitors in high school and later in the pros and as teammates in college. ‘Bubba’ was definitely a game changer as a defensive end. You simply didn’t see guys with his size and quickness coming off the defensive line. His ability spoke for itself. He was a great teammate and a great leader. ‘Bubba’ never had to say much because he led by example.

“As students at MSU, ‘Bubba’ and I took several classes together. I also remember how supportive he was of my track career. During both the indoor and outdoor track seasons, I could count on ‘Bubba’ being there in the stands, cheering me on.”

superintelligentone · Aug 23, 2011

Nick Ashford of the Motown R&B husband & wife Singing/Songwriting Duo "Ashford & Simpson" has passed away from cancer.

I remember seeing them on TV singing their hit song 'Solid As A Rock'.

Ashford, who was born in Fairfield, S.C., and raised in Willow Run, Mich., had originally aspired to be a dancer.

Rest In Peace, Nick. Condolences to wife Valerie and their children.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/m...es-aged-69.html

“Nick Ashford, Motown legend, dies aged 69
Nick Ashford, who co-wrote classics such as Ain't No Mountain High Enough, dies of throat cancer.
11:06AM BST 23 Aug 2011

Nick Ashford, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned elegant, soulful classics for Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye has died at the age of 69 from throat cancer.

Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson wrote Motown classics Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand (recorded by Ross and You're All I Need To Get By (made famous by Gaye and Tammi Terrell) and they also wrote pop hits such as I'm Every Woman", which was a hit for Chaka Khan and, later, Whitney Houston.

They also had success writing for themselves: Perhaps the biggest known hit sung by them was the 1980s hit Solid As A Rock.

Ashford and Simpson's relationship stretched more than four decades. They met in 1964 in a New York City church; Ashford, a South Carolina native, had come to the city to pursue a dance career. Simpson was a music student, and after connecting with her, they decided to start to write songs together.

Their first major success occurred when they came up with Let's Go Get Stoned for Ray Charles. That song became a huge hit, and soon, they came to the attention of Motown Records and began penning hits for their artists. The started out writing for Gaye and Terrell; in fact, Ain't No Mountain High Enough was originally their hit, until Ross later rerecorded it and made it her signature song.

The duo, who were married for 38 years, helped sell millions of records for several artists. They also had success as their own entity, but despite "Solid As a Rock," their hits were dwarfed by those that they penned for others.

In recent years, the pair continued to perform. They also were owners of the New York City restaurant Sugar Bar, where many top names and emerging talents would put on showcases.

"They had magic, and that's what creates those wonderful hits, that magic," Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire said. "Without those songs, those artists wouldn't have been able to go to the next level."

Ashford's father, Calvin, was a construction worker. He got his musical start at Willow Run Baptist Church, singing and writing songs for the gospel choir. He briefly attended Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti, before heading to New York, where he tried but failed to find success as a dancer.

In 1964, while homeless, Mr. Ashford went to White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, where he met Simpson, a 17-year-old recent high school graduate who was studying music. They began writing songs together, selling the first bunch for $64.

Among the artists who had hits with their songs were Gladys Knight and the Pips (Didn't You Know You'd Have to Cry Sometime) and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Who's Gonna Take the Blame).

Recently, they received a songwriting credit on Amy Winehouse's song Tears Dry on Their Own, which contains a sample from Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

Ashford is survived by his wife and two daughters Nicole and Asia.

superintelligentone · Aug 25, 2011

Jimmy Kimmel's sidekick, the beloved Uncle Frank has died at age 77.

The kind grandfather figure of the show, Uncle Frank was often the butt of good natured kidding by Jimmy.

Uncle Frank was often sent on comic assignments by Jimmy that exposed his lack of knowledge. When sent to award shows to try to get Red Carpet interviews with celebrities, it was obvious that he had no idea who they were.

Another source of humour was whenever Jimmy assigned Uncle Frank to do some activity with his irritable ex-wife 'Aunt Chippie' in "Uncle Frank and Aunt Chippy's Adventures."

Courageous and adventurous, Uncle Frank participated in kick-the-bucket activities for the show such as skydivng.

Farewell, Uncle Frank. You will be greatly missed.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/j...d6RUM8Jfa3FbLSJ

“Jimmy Kimmel sidekick Uncle Frank dead at 77
Last Updated: 7:44 PM, August 23, 2011
Posted: 5:46 PM, August 23, 2011

LOS ANGELES -- Frank Potenza, known to viewers of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" as Uncle Frank, died Tuesday at age 77, People reported.

Potenza, Kimmel's real-life uncle, served as both a security guard for the show and featured in many of its comedy sketches.

The cause of his death was not reported.

Potenza, a Korean War veteran, worked as a New York City police officer for 20 years, and spent another 20 years as a security guard at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

He moved to Los Angeles to join "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in 2003.

"During his nine-year run on-air, 'Uncle Frank' contributed many great moments to Jimmy Kimmel Live!,'" the show said in a statement. "He was beloved by his co-workers and considered an Uncle to all. His kindness and humor will be missed by everyone he touched."

Kimmel, writing Tuesday on his Twitter account, thanked his fans for their "kind words about a very kind man -- my Uncle Frank."

--

http://news.yahoo.co...-170325986.html

“Uncle Frank of 'Kimmel Show' fame dies at 77
By LYNN ELBER - AP Television Writer
Tue, Aug 23, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Frank Potenza, a former New York City police officer who turned to comedy as "Uncle Frank" on his nephew Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show, died early Tuesday. He was 77.

A statement from ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" said Potenza was "beloved by his co-workers and considered an uncle to all."

"His kindness and humor will be missed by everyone he touched," the statement said. It did not include further details.

The show is on hiatus until Sept. 6, and ABC did not have any immediate information about an on-air tribute to Potenza.

The silver-haired Potenza had served as a police officer for two decades and as a private security guard before Kimmel asked him to join his fledgling show as a guard and cast member in 2003.

On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the uniformed Potenza was paired in comedy bits with Guillermo Rodriguez, a real-life parking lot security guard for the show. The two men also joined with Veatrice Rice, another show security guard, in a clueless discussion about news events. Rice died in 2009 of cancer.

Potenza and his former wife, Conchetta "Chippy" Potenza, were sent by Kimmel on comic "adventures" such as working on a dairy farm and learning self-defense.

"Thank you for your kind words about a very kind man — my Uncle Frank — who passed away this morning," Kimmel said in a Twitter posting.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a Korean War veteran, Potenza served as a police officer for 20 years before working as a guard in Las Vegas and at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Then Kimmel asked him to move to Los Angeles to work with him.

Potenza is survived by his three daughters and a newborn granddaughter, according to the show's statement. Funeral plans were not released.

--

UPDATE from Wikipedia

“Frank Potenza (November 11, 1933 - August 23, 2011) was an American retired police officer for the New York City Police Department and former security guard. He later became a television actor and comic relief for the late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He appeared as Jimmy Kimmel's real-life Uncle Frank on the ABC show as a regular from 2003 to 2011.

Early life and career

Potenza was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 11, 1933. He served in the United States military during the Korean War. Potenza joined the New York Police Department (NYPD) following the war, serving as a beat cop in Lower Manhattan for twenty years. He reportedly made just six arrests during his two decades in the NYPD, believing that a lecture by the police delivered more benefits than a prison sentence.

He became a security guard and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, upon his retirement from the NYPD. Potenza served within singer Frank Sinatra's personal security detail and body guard when he performed at Caesars Palace, where he worked. He returned to New York City to take a security position at the iconic St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
[edit] Role on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Potenza worked security for more than ten years in New York City and Las Vegas when his nephew, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, asked him to join his new late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as a regular in 2003. Potenza, who was still working security at St. Patrick's Cathedral at the time, accepted Kimmel's offer and moved to southern California. He was introduced to audience's as Kimmel's "Uncle Frank," serving as the late night host's comic relief. Potenza appeared on the show for nine years from 2003 to 2011. Uncle Frank quickly developed his own fan following, with Kimmel noting in 2007, "People can tell that Uncle Frank is the genuine article...That's why they like him."

In one ongoing comic piece, Potenza was teamed with his former wife (and Kimmel's aunt), Chippy, for a series of tasks ranging from self defense lessons to dairy farming. Potenza was often paired with Guillermo Díaz, the show's parking lot security guard for comedic value, and Veatrice Rice, the show's security guard who died on January 21, 2009.

Death and tributes

Frank Potenza died from cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles on August 23, 2011, at the age of 77. He was survived by his former wife, Conchetta "Chippy" Potenza; three daughters, and a granddaughter, Franki, who is named for Potenza. He was married to his former wife, Chippy, for more than twenty-eight years before they divorced. His memorial service was held in Las Vegas.

In a Twitter message, Kimmel thanked Potenza's fans tweeting, "Thank you for your kind words about a very kind man" and "RIP Uncle Frank, his comic timing took a lifetime to earn. Today I eat cake for him." The show was on a summer hiatus at the time of Potenza's passing and was scheduled to return on September 6, 2011. On the 6th, a tearful Kimmel aired a special tribute episode to Uncle Frank, with an interview with Frank's favorite guest, Don Rickles.

superintelligentone · Sep 11, 2011

Actor Cliff Robertson passed away, yesterday. Robertson died in Stony Brook, New York, on September 10, 2011, one day after his 88th birthday, from natural causes.

From Wikipedia:

“Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson, III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly. His last film role was "Uncle Ben Parker" in the Spider-Man film series.

Early life

Robertson was born on September 9, 1923 in Los Angeles, California, the son of Audrey (née Willingham) and Clifford Parker Robertson II. He attended Antioch College in Ohio and worked as a journalist for a short time. In high school he was known as "The Walking Phoenix".

Career

Robertson had a bit part in Mr. Roberts (1950) in Boston. Robertson played a future President of the United States in PT 109 (chosen personally by John F. Kennedy to portray the then-Lt. Kennedy) and a presidential candidate in The Best Man (1964). Later came Charly (an adaptation of Flowers for Algernon for which he won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor).

Other films included Picnic (1955), Autumn Leaves (1956), Gidget (1959), Sunday in New York (1963), Devil's Brigade (1968), Too Late the Hero (1970), J. W. Coop (1972), Three Days of the Condor (1975), Obsession (1976), Star 80 (1983) and Malone (1987). Late in his life Robertson's career had a resurgence. He appeared as Uncle Ben Parker in the first movie adaptation of Spider-Man (2002), as well as in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). He commented on his website that "Since Spider-Man 1 and 2, I seem to have a whole new generation of fans. That in itself is a fine residual." He was also in the horror film Riding the Bullet (2004).

Robertson's television appearances included The Twilight Zone episodes "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (1961) and "The Dummy" (1962) followed by guest starring roles in such series as the NBC medical drama about psychiatry The Eleventh Hour (1963) in the role of Jeff Dillon, "The Man Who Came Home Late". In 1958, he portrayed Joe Clay in the very first broadcast of Playhouse 90's Days of Wine and Roses, in what some critics cite as the superior version of this story about alcoholism. Other network appearances included The Greatest Show on Earth (1963) and ABC's Breaking Point (1964) and the ABC Stage 67 episode "The Trap of Gold" (1966).

He had a starring role in the live space opera Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953–54), as well as recurring roles on Hallmark Hall of Fame (1952), Alcoa Theatre (1959), and Playhouse 90 (1958, 1960), The Outlaws (three episodes as Chad Burns), Batman as the villainous gunfighter Shame (1966, 1968), Falcon Crest (1983–84) as Dr. Michael Ranson, and The Lyon's Den (2003). He had starring roles in episodes of both the 1960s and 1990s versions of The Outer Limits. He was awarded an Emmy for his leading role in an 1965 episode from Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre entitled "The Game". His second appearance on Batman featured his wife, Dina Merrill.

In 1989, he narrated an AT&T promotional video documenting some of its technological improvements at the time. Incidentally, Robertson, who for ten years was a national TV spokesman for AT&T (which won him the Advertising Age award for best commercial), was to be the keynote speaker at an AT&T stockholders' meeting during a strike by AT&T workers. Robertson refused to cross the picket line and did not speak at the meeting. In the same year he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.

Columbia Pictures Scandal

In 1977, Robertson discovered that his name had been forged on a $10,000 check, although it was not money that was due to him. He also learned that the forgery had been carried out by Columbia studio head David Begelman, and on reporting it he inadvertently triggered one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1970s. Robertson was subsequently blacklisted for several years before he finally returned to film in Brainstorm (1983).

Personal life

In 1957, Robertson married Jack Lemmon's ex-wife, Cynthia Stone, and they had a daughter, Stephanie, before splitting in 1960. In 1966, he married Merrill and they had a daughter, Heather, before divorcing in 1989. Their daughter, Heather, died from cancer, predeceasing both of her parents.

One of Robertson's main hobbies was flying and, among other aircraft, he owned several de Havilland Tiger Moths, a Messerschmitt Bf 108 and a genuine World War II era Mk.IX Supermarine Spitfire MK923. He even entered balloon races, including one in 1964 from the mainland to Catalina Island that ended with him being rescued from the Pacific Ocean. A certified private pilot, Cliff Robertson was in the air and piloting a private plane over New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. Robertson died in Stony Brook, New York, on September 10, 2011, one day after his 88th birthday, from natural causes.
[edit] Other

Robertson received an award from Antioch College Alumni in 2007 for his contributions to his field of work. In addition to his Oscar and Emmy and several lifetime achievement awards from various film festivals, Robertson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. He was also awarded the 2008 Ambassador of Good Will Aviation Award by the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 18, 2008, for his leadership in and promotion of general aviation.

superintelligentone · Nov 8, 2011

http://www.mainlinem...wmode=fullstory

“Boxing Legend 'Smokin' Joe Frasier has died.
Published: Monday, November 07, 2011
By mainlinemedianews

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion who handed Muhammad Ali his first defeat yet had to live forever in his shadow, died Monday night after a brief final fight with liver cancer. He was 67.

The family issued a release confirming the boxer's death.

Frazier, who took on Ali in three momentous fights in the 1970s — including the epic "Thrilla in Manilla" — had been under home hospice care after being diagnosed just weeks ago with the cancer that took his life, a family friend said. Until then, Frazier had been doing regular autograph appearances, including one in Las Vegas in September.

Smokin' Joe was a small yet ferocious fighter who smothered his opponents with punches, including a devastating left hook he used to end many of his fights early. It was the left hook that dropped Ali in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to seal a win in the so-called "Fight of the Century."

Though he beat Ali in that fight, Frazier lost the final two and for many years was bitter about the role Ali forced him to play as his foil.

Frazier was diagnosed last month with the disease, his personal and business manager said. Leslie Wolff, who has been Frazier's manager for seven years, said the boxer had been in out and out of the hospital since early October and receiving hospice treatment the last week.

Frazier was the first man to beat Ali, knocking him down and taking a decision in the so-called Fight of the Century in 1971. He would go on to lose two more fights to Ali, including the epic "Thrilla in Manila" bout.

Frazier was bitter for many years about the way Ali treated him then. More recently, he said he had forgiven Ali for repeatedly taunting him.

While the "Fight of the Century" is celebrated in boxing lore, Ali and Frazier put on an even better show in their third fight, held in a sweltering arena in Manila as part of Ali's world tour of fights in 1975. Nearly blinded by Ali's punches, Frazier still wanted to go out for the 15th round of the fight but was held back by trainer Eddie Futch in a bout Ali would later say was the closest thing to death he could imagine.

Frazier won the heavyweight title in 1970 by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their fight at Madison Square Garden. Frazier defended it successfully four times before George Foreman knocked him down six times in the first two rounds to take the title from him in 1973.

Frazier would never be heavyweight champion again.

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Joe_Frazier

“Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), also known as Smokin' Joe, was a former Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a brief comeback in 1981.

Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late 1960s, defeating the likes of Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970, and followed up by defeating Muhammad Ali on points in the highly-anticipated "Fight of the Century" in 1971. Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was knocked out by George Foreman. He fought on, beating Joe Bugner, losing a rematch to Ali, and beating Quarry and Ellis again.

Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in their brutal rubbermatch. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman. He made a comeback in 1981, fighting just once, before retiring for good. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time. He is an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Frazier's style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano. He was dependent on bobbing, weaving, grunting, snorting as he grimaced with all out aggression wearing down his opponents with relentless pressure. His best known punch was a powerful left hook, which accounted for most of his knockouts. Compared to Ali's style, he was close enough to the ideal bruiser that some in the press and media characterized the bouts as the answer to the classic question: "What happens when a boxer meets with a brawler?"

After retiring Frazier made cameo appearances in several Hollywood movies, and two episodes of The Simpsons. His son Marvis became a boxer — trained by Frazier himself — although was unable to emulate his father's success. Frazier continued to train fighters in his gym in Philadelphia. His later years saw the continuation of his bitter rivalry with Ali, in which the two periodically exchanged insults, interspersed with brief reconciliations.

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011 and admitted to hospice care. He died November 7, 2011.

superintelligentone · Nov 8, 2011

CBS Journalist/60 Minutes Commentator Andy Rooney Dies at 92 after complications from surgery weeks after retiring.

http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=14818244

“Journalist Andy Rooney Dies at 92

By JOEL SIEGEL
Nov. 5, 2011

Andy Rooney, the rumpled writer whose weekly riffs about the absurdities of everyday life made him one of television's longest-running commentators, died Friday night, just weeks after his farewell broadcast on "60 Minutes." He was 92.

He died from complications following a minor surgery, according to a news release from CBS News.

"It's a sad day for journalism and the legions who adored and admired Andy Rooney's candor, wit and perspective. Our thoughts are with Brian, Emily and the entire Rooney family," said ABC News President Ben Sherwood in a statement today.

Rooney presented his first commentary on "60 Minutes" in 1978 and he became a weekly fixture the following year when he assumed his perch at the end of the broadcast.

It would be a remarkable run. By the end of Rooney's final appearance Sunday, Oct. 2, he had presented 1,097 original essays and had worked for CBS for 62 years.

"One day about 10 years ago the door to my office opened and who walked in but Bill Gates. … Seemed like a nice guy and has done more with his money than most billionaires. But that's as far as I want to go being kind to Bill Gates," Rooney said in one of his classic essays.

"I had one typewriter for 50 years, but I have bought seven computers in six years. I suppose that's why Bill Gates is rich, and Underwood is out of business."

In a 2008 commentary, Rooney marveled at the flood of Christmas catalogues stuffing his mailbox. "This is a Sears catalogue. Sears, whatever happened to Roebuck? You never hear Sears, Roebuck anymore. Call if you're out there, Roebuck," he deadpanned.

In one of his final appearances, Rooney kvetched about changes in pop music. "If I am so 'average American,' how come that I have never heard of most of the musical groups that millions of others Americans apparently are listening to," he said.

"The singers I know have been replaced by singers like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Usher. I mean, who?

Andrew Aitken "Andy" Rooney was born in Albany, N.Y. in 1919. In 1941, while attending Colgate University, he was drafted into the Army, leading to one of Rooney's formative experiences, covering World War II for the "Stars and Stripes" newspaper, what he called "the single luckiest thing that ever happened to me."

"I hate to say it, but I had a great time in World War II," he once said.

While in London, he met two men who would go on to iconic success at CBS, Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt. Rooney followed them to CBS in 1949 as a writer for "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" and then "The Garry Moore Show." He also began writing for CBS News, for such programs as "The Twentieth Century" and "The Morning Show with Will Rogers, Jr."

In 1962, Rooney began a long collaboration with the correspondent Harry Reasoner, writing and producing a series of Reasoner's CBS News specials.

Rooney won the first of his four Emmy Awards in 1968, for writing an installment of the CBS News series, "Of Black America." That same year, he also joined the staff of a new program helmed by his old friend Hewitt: "60 Minutes."

At first, Rooney worked as a producer on the broadcast with no thought, he would later claim, of appearing on the air himself. But in that initial season, he appeared in silhouette with a "60 Minutes" senior producer for an end-of-the broadcast segment called "Ipso and Facto."

"It was one of many experiments … Hewitt tried as an end for the program," according to Rooney's official CBS News biography.

Hewitt eventually settled on a point-counterpoint segment that featured the liberal Shana Alexander and the conservative James J. Kilpatrick presenting dueling opinions. After having Rooney deliver some commentaries in 1978, Hewitt gave him the end-of-the-show slot full time beginning in the fall of 1979.

Through the years, television changed, but Rooney did not. He was the crusty uncle, and then the cranky grandfather, serving up wry slices of life. Week after week, year after year, Rooney taped his appearances while sitting behind his desk in his book-lined office. Visually appealing, it was not. For Rooney, the words were what mattered.

But those words sometimes got him in trouble.

In 1990, Rooney was given a three-month suspension by CBS for remarks that many considered offensive. They included a commentary in 1989, when the AIDS epidemic raged, in which Rooney lumped in "homosexual unions" with smoking and drinking as "self induced" ills that "lead quite often to pre-mature death."

So many viewers objected to the suspension -- CBS was flooded with thousands of letters and telephone calls -- the network reinstated Rooney after just one month.

Rooney authored 16 books, including Air Gunner; the Story of the Stars and Stripes, The Fortunes of War, A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney, and most recently, in 2009, Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit.

A weekly newspaper column, which he beginning in 1979, was recognized in 2003 by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists with its Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rooney and his wife, Marguerite, were married for 62 years before her death, in 2009. They had four children, including Emily Rooney, a former executive producer of ABC's World News Tonight, and Brian Rooney, a former ABC correspondent.

In his final broadcast, Rooney spoke -- in his typically prickly style -- of his relationship with his audience. "I spent my first 50 years trying to become known as a writer and the next 30 trying to avoid being famous," he said. "I walk down the street or go to a football game and people shout, 'Hey Andy." I hate that."

Still, he allowed a moment of warmth and gratitude. "All this time I've been paid to say what is on my mind in television," he said. "You don't get any luckier than that."

He was one of a kind. I miss his end-of-the-show commentaries on 60 Minutes. Farewell Andy.

superintelligentone · Nov 9, 2011

http://music.msn.com...spx?news=681698

Rapper Heavy D dies at 44
Nov. 8, 2011, 5:41 PM EST
MSN Entertainment

Heavy D, the former leader of the hip-hop group Heavy D & the Boyz, has died at the age of 44.

According to TMZ, a 911 call was placed from Heavy's Beverly Hills home around 11:25 a.m. Tuesday to report an unconscious male on the walkway. The rapper was rushed to a hospital and was pronounced dead at 1 p.m. PT.

Police are investigating his death, but there are no signs of foul play.

Heavy D was born Dwight Errington Myers in Jamaica in 1967. He later moved to the Bronx and became friends with Glen Parrish (G-Wiz), Eddie F (Eddie Ferrell) and Troy Dixon (Trouble T-Roy), and they formed the rap group Heavy D & the Boyz.

In 1986, the group became the first artists signed to the Uptown Records, which went on to become one of the most influential hip-hop and R&B labels of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"Living Large," Heavy D & the Boyz's debut album, was released in 1987. The group's 1989 release "Big Tyme" served as their commercial breakthrough with tracks like "We Got Our Own Thang" and "Somebody For Me."

Heavy D is known for hit songs like "Nuttin But Love" and "Now That We Found Love." He also recorded theme songs for the television series "In Living Color" and "MADtv." In recent years, Heavy D recorded a series of reggae fusion albums.

On Oct. 1, Heavy D performed his classics -- "Nuttin' But Love," "Is It Good to You," and "I Want Somebody" -- at the 2011 BET's Hip-Hop Awards. And he performed at the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in Wales on Oct. 8. And he also had a cameo in Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller's new film, "Tower Heist."

superintelligentone · Feb 4, 2012

Catching up with the news:

“Harry Morgan, Colonel Potter on 'M*A*S*H,' Dies at 96

“By Michael Pollak
Published: December 7, 2011

Harry Morgan, the prolific character actor best known for playing the acerbic but kindly Colonel Potter in the long-running television series "M*A*S*H," died on Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 96.

His son Charles confirmed his death, saying Mr. Morgan had been treated for pneumonia recently.

In more than 100 movies, Mr. Morgan played Western bad guys, characters with names like Rocky and Shorty, loyal sidekicks, judges, sheriffs, soldiers, thugs and police chiefs.

On television, he played Officer Bill Gannon with a phlegmatic but light touch to Jack Webb's always-by-the-book Sgt. Joe Friday in the updated "Dragnet," from 1967 to 1970. He starred as Pete Porter, a harried husband, in the situation comedy "Pete and Gladys" (1960-62), reprising a role he had played on "December Bride" (1954-59). He was also a regular on "The Richard Boone Show" (1963-64), "Kentucky Jones" (1964-65), "The D.A." (1971-72), "Hec Ramsey" (1972-74), "You Can't Take It With You" (1987) and "Blacke's Magic" (1986).

But to many fans he was first and foremost Col. Sherman T. Potter, commander of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit in Korea. With a wry smile, flat voice and sharp humor, Mr. Morgan played Colonel Potter from 1975 to 1983, when "M*A*S*H" went off the air. He replaced McLean Stevenson , who had quit the series, moving into the role on the strength of his performance as a crazed major general in an early episode.

In an interview for the Archive of American Television, Mr. Morgan said of his "M*A*S*H" character: "He was firm. He was a good officer and he had a good sense of humor. I think it's the best part I ever had."

Colonel Potter's office had several personal touches. The picture on his desk was of Mr. Morgan's wife, Eileen Detchon. To relax, the colonel liked to paint and look after his horse, Sophie — a sort of inside joke, since the real Harry Morgan raised quarter horses on a ranch in Santa Rosa. Sophie, to whom Colonel Potter says goodbye in the final episode, was Mr. Morgan's own horse.

In 1980 his Colonel Potter earned him an Emmy Award as best supporting actor in a comedy series. During the shooting of the final episode, he was asked about his feelings. "Sadness and an aching heart," he replied.

Harry Morgan was born Harry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915, in Detroit. His parents were Norwegian immigrants. After graduating from Muskegon High School, where he played varsity football and was senior class president, he intended to become a lawyer, but debating classes in his pre-law major at the University of Chicago stimulated his interest in the theater.

He made his professional acting debut in a summer stock production of "At Mrs. Beam's" in Mount Kisco, N.Y., and his Broadway debut in 1937 in the original production of "Golden Boy," starring Luther Adler, in a cast that also included Karl Malden.

After moving to California in 1942, he was spotted by a talent scout in a Santa Barbara stock company's production of William Saroyan's one-act play "Hello Out There." Signing a contract with 20th Century Fox, he originally used the screen name Henry Morgan, but changed Henry to Harry in the 1950s to avoid confusion with the radio and television humorist Henry Morgan.

Mr. Morgan attracted attention almost immediately. In "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943), which starred Henry Fonda, he was praised for his portrayal of a drifter caught up in a lynching in a Western town. Reviewing "A Bell for Adano" (1945), based on John Hersey's novel about the Army in a liberated Italian town, Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times that Mr. Morgan was "crude and amusing as the captain of M.P.'s."

He went on to appear in "All My Sons" (1948), based on the Arthur Miller play, with Edward G. Robinson and Burt Lancaster; "The Big Clock" (1948), in which he played a silent, menacing bodyguard to Charles Laughton; "Yellow Sky" (1949), with Gregory Peck and Anne Baxter; and the critically praised western "High Noon" (1952), with Gary Cooper. Among his other notable films were "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956), with Marlon Brando and Glenn Ford, and "Inherit the Wind" (1960), with Spencer Tracy and Fredric March, in which he played a small-town Tennessee judge hearing arguments about evolution in the fictionalized version of the Scopes "monkey trial." In "How the West Was Won" (1962) he played Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

After a personable performance as Glenn Miller's pianist, Chummy MacGregor, in "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954), starring James Stewart, he often played softer characters as well as his trademark hard-bitten tough guys. There were eventually a number of comedies on his résumé, among them "John Goldfarb, Please Come Home" (1965), with Shirley MacLaine and Peter Ustinov; "The Flim-Flam Man" (1967), with George C. Scott; "Support Your Local Sheriff!" (1969), with James Garner and Walter Brennan; and "The Apple Dumpling Gang" (1975), a Disney movie with Tim Conway and Don Knotts.

He returned as Bill Gannon, by now promoted to captain, in the 1987 movie "Dragnet," a comedy remake of the series starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks.

Mr. Morgan's television credits were prodigious. He once estimated that in one show or another, he was seen in prime time for 35 straight years. Regarded as one of the busiest actors in the medium, he had continuing roles in at least 10 series, which, combined with his guest appearances, amounted to hundreds of episodes. He reprised the role of Sherman Potter in "AfterMASH" (1983-85), a short-lived spinoff.

Among the later shows on which he appeared as a guest star were "The Love Boat," "3rd Rock From the Sun," "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Jeff Foxworthy Show."

Mr. Morgan's first wife, Eileen Detchon, died in 1985 after 45 years of marriage. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Bushman, whom he married in 1986; three sons from his first marriage, Christopher, Charles and Paul; and eight grandchildren. A fourth son, Daniel, died in 1989. Mr. Morgan lived in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles.

His son Charles, a lawyer in Los Angeles, said in a telephone interview that he would marvel at his father's photographic memory. "My dad would read a script the way somebody else would read Time magazine and put it down and be on the set the next day," he said.

But Harry Morgan never sat as a guest on a talk show, Charles Morgan said; it did not seem appropriate or necessary. "Appearing on a talk show to focus on himself because he was Harry Morgan," he said, "was not nearly as natural as appearing in a role as Pete Porter or Bill Gannon or Colonel Potter, or as the cowboy drifter who wandered into town with Henry Fonda and got wrapped up in a vigilante brigade in 'Ox-Bow Incident.' "

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

“Correction: December 13, 2011

An obituary on Thursday about the actor Harry Morgan described incorrectly his appearances on the television series "You Can't Take It With You." He was a regular cast member; he was not a guest star on the show.

superintelligentone · Feb 4, 2012

Obituaries from January

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...4489476c6352d82

“Legendary blues singer Etta James dies in Calif.
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY,
Associated Press – Jan 20, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Etta James' performance of the enduring classic "At Last" was the embodiment of refined soul: Angelic-sounding strings harkened the arrival of her passionate yet measured vocals as she sang tenderly about a love finally realized after a long and patient wait.

In real life, little about James was as genteel as that song. The platinum blonde's first hit was a saucy R&B number about sex, and she was known as a hell-raiser who had tempestuous relationships with her family, her men and the music industry. Then she spent years battling a drug addiction that she admitted sapped away at her great talents.

The 73-year-old died on Friday at Riverside Community Hospital from complications of leukemia, with her husband and sons at her side, her manager, Lupe De Leon said.

"It's a tremendous loss for her fans around the world," he said. "She'll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category."

James' spirit could not be contained — perhaps that's what made her so magnetic in music; it is surely what made her so dynamic as one of R&B, blues and rock 'n' roll's underrated legends.

"The bad girls ... had the look that I liked," she wrote in her 1995 autobiography, "Rage to Survive." ''I wanted to be rare, I wanted to be noticed, I wanted to be exotic as a Cotton Club chorus girl, and I wanted to be obvious as the most flamboyant hooker on the street. I just wanted to be."

"Etta James was a pioneer. Her ever-changing sound has influenced rock and roll, rhythm and blues, pop, soul and jazz artists, marking her place as one of the most important female artists of our time," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart. "From Janis Joplin to Joss Stone, an incredible number of performers owe their debts to her. There is no mistaking the voice of Etta James, and it will live forever."

Despite the reputation she cultivated, she would always be remembered best for "At Last." The jazz-inflected rendition wasn't the original, but it would become the most famous and the song that would define her as a legendary singer. Over the decades, brides used it as their song down the aisle and car companies to hawk their wares, and it filtered from one generation to the next through its inclusion in movies like "American Pie." Perhaps most famously, President Obama and the first lady danced to a version at his inauguration ball.

The tender, sweet song belied the turmoil in her personal life. James — born Jamesetta Hawkins — was born in Los Angeles to a mother whom she described as a scam artist, a substance abuser and a fleeting presence during her youth. She never knew her father, although she was told and had believed, that he was the famous billiards player Minnesota Fats. He neither confirmed nor denied it: when they met, he simply told her: "I don't remember everything. I wish I did, but I don't."

She was raised by Lula and Jesse Rogers, who owned the rooming house where her mother once lived in. The pair brought up James in the Christian faith, and as a young girl, her voice stood out in the church choir. James landed the solos in the choir and became so well known, she said that Hollywood stars would come to see her perform.

But she wouldn't stay a gospel singer for long. Rhythm and blues lured her away from the church, and she found herself drawn to the grittiness of the music.

"My mother always wanted me to be a jazz singer, but I always wanted to be raunchy," she recalled in her book.

She was doing just that when bandleader Johnny Otis found her singing on San Francisco street corners with some girlfriends in the early 1950s. Otis, a legend in his own right, died on Tuesday.

"At the time, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters had a hit with 'Work With Me, Annie,' and we decided to do an answer. We didn't think we would get in show business, we were just running around making up answers to songs," James told The Associated Press in 1987.

And so they replied with the song, "Roll With Me, Henry."

When Otis heard it, he told James to get her mother's permission to accompany him to Los Angeles to make a recording. Instead, the 15-year-old singer forged her mother's name on a note claiming she was 18.

"At that time, you weren't allowed to say 'roll' because it was considered vulgar. So when Georgia Gibbs did her version, she renamed it 'Dance With Me, Henry' and it went to No. 1 on the pop charts," the singer recalled. The Gibbs song was one of several in the early rock era when white singers got hits by covering songs by black artists, often with sanitized lyrics.

After her 1955 debut, James toured with Otis' revue, sometimes earning only $10 a night. In 1959, she signed with Chicago's legendary Chess label, began cranking out the hits and going on tours with performers such as Bobby Vinton, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers.

"We would travel on four buses to all the big auditoriums. And we had a lot of fun," she recalled in 1987.

James recorded a string of hits in the late 1950s and '60s including "Trust In Me," ''Something's Got a Hold On Me," ''Sunday Kind of Love," ''All I Could Do Was Cry," and of course, "At Last."

"(Chess Records founder) Leonard Chess was the most aware of anyone. He went up and down the halls of Chess announcing, 'Etta's crossed over! Etta's crossed over!' I still didn't know exactly what that meant, except that maybe more white people were listening to me. The Chess brothers kept saying how I was their first soul singer, that I was taking their label out of the old Delta blues, out of rock and into the modern era. Soul was the new direction," she wrote in her autobiography. "But in my mind, I was singing old style, not new."

In 1967, she cut one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, "Tell Mama," an earthy fusion of rock and gospel music featuring blistering horn arrangements, funky rhythms and a churchy chorus. A song from the album, "Security," was a top 40 single in 1968.

Her professional success, however, was balanced against personal demons, namely a drug addiction.

"I was trying to be cool," she told the AP in 1995, explaining what had led her to try heroin.

"I hung out in Harlem and saw Miles Davis and all the jazz cats," she continued. "At one time, my heavy role models were all druggies. Billie Holiday sang so groovy. Is that because she's on drugs? It was in my mind as a young person. I probably thought I was a young Billie Holiday, doing whatever came with that."

She was addicted to the drug for years, beginning in 1960, and it led to a harrowing existence that included time behind bars. It sapped her singing abilities and her money, eventually, almost destroying her career.

It would take her at least two decades to beat her drug problem. Her husband, Artis Mills, even went to prison for years, taking full responsibility for drugs during an arrest even though James was culpable.

"My management was suffering. My career was in the toilet. People tried to help, but I was hell-bent on getting high," she wrote of her drug habit in 1980.

She finally quit the habit and managed herself for a while, calling up small clubs and asking them, "Have you ever heard of Etta James?" in order to get gigs. Eventually, she got regular bookings — even drawing Elizabeth Taylor as an audience member. In 1984, she was tapped to sing the national anthem at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and her career got the resurgent boost it needed, though she fought addiction again when she got hooked on painkillers in the late 1980s.

Drug addiction wasn't her only problem. She struggled with her weight, and often performed from a wheelchair as she got older and heavier. In the early 2000s, she had weight-loss surgery and shed some 200 pounds.

James performed well into her senior years, and it was "At Last" that kept bringing her the biggest ovations. The song was a perennial that never aged, and on Jan. 20, 2009, as crowds celebrated that — at last — an African-American had become president of the United States, the song played as the first couple danced.

But it was superstar Beyonce who serenaded the Obamas, not the legendary singer. Beyonce had portrayed James in "Cadillac Records," a big-screen retelling of Chess Records' heyday, and had started to claim "At Last" as her own.

An audio clip surfaced of James at a concert shortly after the inauguration, saying she couldn't stand the younger singer and that Beyonce had "no business singing my song." But she told the New York Daily News later that she was joking, even though she had been hurt that she did not get the chance to participate in the inauguration.

Upon hearing of her death, Beyonce released a statement on her website that read: "This is a huge loss. Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime. Playing Etta James taught me so much about myself, and singing her music inspired me to be a stronger artist. When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."

James did get her accolades over the years. She was inducted into the Rock Hall in 1993, captured a Grammy in 2003 for best contemporary blues album for "Let's Roll," one in 2004 for best traditional blues album for "Blues to the Bone" and one for best jazz vocal performance for 1994's "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday." She was also awarded a special Grammy in 2003 for lifetime achievement and got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her health went into decline, however, and by 2011, she was being cared for at home by a personal doctor.

She suffered from dementia, kidney problems and leukemia. Her husband and her two sons fought over control of her $1 million estate, though a deal was later struck keeping Mills as the conservator and capping the singer's expenses at $350,000. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal, and asked for prayers for the singer.

In October 2011, it was announced that James was retiring from recording, and a final studio recording, "The Dreamer," was released, featuring the singer taking on classic songs, from Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Dreamer" to Guns N' Roses "Welcome To the Jungle" — still rocking, and a fitting end to her storied career.

UPDATE: January 29, 2012

Rev. Al Sharpton officiated over the funeral. He preceded his own comments by reading a message sent by President Obama in which the chief executive said, "Etta will be remembered for her legendary voice and for her many contributions to our nation's musical heritage." During the musical tribute portion, Christine Aguilara told the audience James was the singer she most admired and long tried to emulate, then elicited some of the same raspy, dusky tones that were James' hallmark as she sang "At Last," a song Aguilera said she included at every performance in honor of her role model.

Stevie Wonder sang "Shelter From the Rain," accompanying himself on an electronic keyboard, and then offered an a cappella rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" in front of several hundred family members, friends, associates and fans who attended the two-hour service, after which a line of cars proceeded to her burial at Inglewood Park Cemetery.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-16779206

“Etta James: Stars attend funeral of Blues legend
29 January 2012, Last updated at 02:41 ET

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Los Angeles for the funeral of US rhythm and blues star Etta James, who died earlier this month at the age of 73.

Civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton gave a rousing speech about her rise from poverty and drug addiction to make music that crossed racial divides.

He read a statement from US President Barack Obama, who praised her part in "our nation's musical heritage".

Stars Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera performed some of her hits.

Trailblazer

In his eulogy, Rev Sharpton described Etta James as a "bridge of American culture that changed the culture of the world".
Etta James The singer's anguished blues vocals made her stand out, even as a child

"Etta James helped break down the culture curtain of America before the Civil Rights Act of 1964," he said. "She was able to get us to sing the same rhythms and melodies."

He began the two-hour service by reading the statement from President Obama, who danced at his inaugural ball to Etta James' most famous song At Last.

"Etta will be remembered for her legendary voice and her contributions to our nation's musical heritage," Mr Obama said.

Stevie Wonder performed three songs, including Shelter in the Rain, while Christina Aguilera performed a version of At Last.

"Out of all the singers that I've ever heard, she was the one that cut right to my soul and spoke to me," Ms Aguilera said before her performance.

Rebuilt career

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins to a teenage single mother in 1938.

Raised mainly by friends and relatives, she began singing when her grandparents took her to a Baptist Church, where she joined the choir as a soloist.

Later in San Francisco she formed a singing group, but it was not until 1960, when James became a solo artist, that she began to achieve musical recognition.

However, her success in the 1960s was hindered by an addiction to heroin, and she was forced to rebuild her career after quitting the drug in 1974.

Although she was popular on the R&B circuit throughout her career, mainstream success eluded her for many years.

She did not receive her first Grammy Award until 1994, for the album Mystery Lady, which consisted of covers of Billie Holiday songs. In 2003, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

She leaves husband Artist Mills and and two sons Donto and Sametto.

---

Next report from January 25th

Dick Tufeld, Announcer and Voice Actor best known for providing the voice of Robot B-9 on the Lost in Space TV series of the 1960s, and the movie re-interpretation of 1998 died, January 22nd. His alert "'Danger, Will Robinson!'" became a catchphrase of the day.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...0,7332046.story

“Dick Tufeld dies at 85; actor who intoned 'Danger, Will Robinson!'
- Dick Tufeld's most famous role may have been as the voice of the Robot on 'Lost in Space,' but his announcing career was long and varied.
By Claire Noland, Los Angeles Times
January 25, 2012

Dick Tufeld, a longtime radio and TV announcer who intoned "Danger, Will Robinson!" as the voice of the Robot in the 1960s science-fiction TV series "Lost in Space," has died. He was 85.

Tufeld died Sunday at his home in Studio City while watching the NFL playoffs, his family said. He had heart disease and had been in declining health since sustaining a fall last year.

In "Lost in Space," producer Irwin Allen's futuristic retelling of the "Swiss Family Robinson" story that aired on CBS from 1965 to 1968, actor Bob May wore the Robot costume and Tufeld provided the voice.

Besides warning young Will Robinson of impending danger, Tufeld's Robot uttered other lines that became catchphrases for faithful viewers — including "That does not compute" — and needled the antagonistic Dr. Zachary Smith with barbs like "Dr. Smith is a bubble-headed booby."

Tufeld was the announcer for Allen's other TV shows, including "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "The Time Tunnel," and his narration and other voice-over work could be heard on an array of TV programs. He introduced many Walt Disney productions, notably the 1950s TV series "Zorro" and Disney's long-running prime-time anthology series.

His other TV credits from the '50s through the '90s included "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends," "The Fantastic Four," "The Gallant Men," "Surfside 6," "Annie Oakley" and variety shows starring Judy Garland and Julie Andrews.

Richard Norton Tufeld was born Dec. 11, 1926, in Los Angeles to Tanya and Bentley Tufeld and raised in Pasadena. He grew up entranced by the radio fiction of "The Shadow" and "The Green Hornet" and rehearsed his own play-by-play accounts of sporting events.

After studying speech at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., he returned to Los Angeles and began working in radio. Beginning in 1949 he was the announcer for ABC radio's "The Amazing Mr. Malone" and "Falstaff's Fables" before becoming the narrator for "Space Patrol," a science-fiction serial on radio.

"Space Patrol!" Tufeld cried out at the beginning of the show. "High adventure in the wild vast reaches of space ... missions of daring in the name of interplanetary justice. Travel into the future with Buzz Corry ... commander-in-chief of ... the Space Patrol!"

Tufeld also worked as a sports and news announcer for local TV and radio stations and narrated hundreds of commercials.

He returned as the voice of the Robot in the 1998 "Lost in Space" feature film. By 2004 he was still playing the Robot, for an episode of "The Simpsons."

Tufeld's wife of 56 years, Adrienne, died in 2004. He is survived by sons Bruce and Craig, daughters Lynn and Melissa, six grandchildren and a brother, Howard "Bud" Tufeld.

From Wikipedeia

“Richard Norton "Dick" Tufeld (December 11, 1926 – January 22, 2012) was an American actor, announcer, narrator, and voice actor from the 1950s onward.

Tufeld is perhaps best known as the voice of the Robot in the TV series "Lost in Space", a role he reprised for the 1998 feature film. He also provided the narration voiceover for many other Irwin Allen productions, such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Time Tunnel, and did voice work for the 1978 animated television series Fantastic Four. He narrated several episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian (1980), as well. The main title narrator on the 1979 DePatie-Freleng series Spider-Woman, he was also the main title announcer on the 1981 Marvel Productions show Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Tufeld's voice career began in radio. He was the announcer on The Amazing Mr. Malone on the American Broadcasting Company in early 1950 (before the show moved to New York and NBC), then on Alan Reed's Falstaff's Fables, an ABC five-minute program, starting in the fall radio season of 1950. From October 25, 1952 to March 19, 1955, he was the announcer for the entire run of ABC Radio's Space Patrol. He moved to television news, anchoring The Three Star Final, a 15-minute newscast on KABC-TV, Los Angeles, which debuted on October 3, 1955 at noon (replacing Wrangler Jim), then moved to 11 p.m. on April 2, 1956.

Tufeld was often used as the announcer on various Disney television shows, including the 1957–1959 series, Zorro, starring future Lost in Space lead Guy Williams. He had stints as the house announcer on two ABC variety series, The Hollywood Palace and The Julie Andrews Hour.

He died in 2012 of congestive heart failure.

---

Report from January 26th:

"Welcome Back Kotter" TV star Robert Hegyes has died of a heart attack at the age of 60, after suffering chest pains at his home in Metuchen, New Jersey on January 26, 2012.

According to his brother Mark, the American TV star, who starred alongside John Travolta in the classic 70s sitcom, was not in good health after suffering a heart attack a couple of years ago.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...l#ixzz1itDyoTCP

From Wikipedia

“Robert Hegyes (pronounced Hedges; May 7, 1951 – January 26, 2012) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of high school student 'Juan Epstein' on the 1970s American sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" opposite John Travolta.

Within a year of graduating from college, Hegyes was cast to co-star in the highly acclaimed Off Broadway drama, Naomi Court, starring actor Brad Davis (Midnight Express). After completing the successful Manhattan Theater Club engagement, Robert was cast by Tony Award- winning actor Len Cariou (making his directing debut) to co-star in the Broadway drama, Don't Call Back, starring Arlene Francis and Dorian Harewood. While performing on Broadway, Hegyes auditioned for television producer James Komack and was cast to star in what was to become the award-winning ABC comedy, Welcome Back, Kotter. Hegyes portrayed the character of Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein (typically referred to as simply "Epstein"). The show lasted four seasons, from 1975-1979. Hegyes became one of the show's directors at age 25.

Hegyes guest starred in more than thirty television shows, including Saturday Night Live with Quentin Tarantino, NewsRadio, Diagnosis: Murder with Dick Van Dyke, The Drew Carey Show (in an April Fools' Day episode where the character Oswald was recast for a brief scene with Hegyes playing the role) and The Streets of San Francisco, with Michael Douglas. He also appeared in the award-winning Volkswagen Passat commercial, "The Chase", for director Kinka Usher. Hegyes appeared in Honeymoon Hotel, with Jane Kaczmarek, Underground Aces, with Melanie Griffith, Dirk Benedict, Bob Roberts, with Tim Robbins, The Purpose, with Mia Farrow, and Bar Hopping, with Weeds star Kevin Nealon.

Hegyes made his Los Angeles stage debut as "Chico Marx" in the Westwood and national touring company engagements of An Evening with Groucho. Upon returning from the tour, Hegyes was cast by producer Barney Rosenswieg to star as a series regular portraying undercover detective "Manny Esposito" in Cagney & Lacey. During this time he also appeared on the game show the $25,000 Pyramid from time to time.

Hegyes became "Artist-In-Residence" at his alma mater, Rowan University, teaching screenplay writing, acting for camera and public speaking, and was a guest lecturer in the Radio/Television/Film & Theater Departments. He was an adjunct instructor at Brooks College in Long Beach, California, where he taught essay writing and public speaking. Hegyes was a California Certified Secondary Education teacher, but had worked infrequently in recent years.

On January 26, 2012, after suffering from chest pains at his Metuchen, New Jersey home, Hegyes died from an apparent heart attack at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He was 60 years old.

superintelligentone · Feb 4, 2012

Obituaries from February:

From Wikipedia:

“Leslie Barbara Carter (June 6, 1986 – January 31, 2012) was an American pop singer best known as the sister of fellow singers Nick and Aaron Carter.

Leslie Carter was born in Tampa, Florida, the third of five children of Jane Elizabeth (née Spaulding) and Robert Gene Carter (born September 23, 1952). She was born at the Garden Villa Retirement Home, where the Carter family lived and worked at the time. She was the older sister of Aaron Charles (born December 7, 1987), and younger sister of Nickolas Gene (born January 28, 1980). She also had two sisters: Angel Charisma (a model and Aaron's twin; born December 7, 1987), and B.J. (Bobbie Jean; born 1982). She had an older half-sister, named Virginia "Ginger" Marie (born 1972), from her father's first marriage. After Carter's parents divorced in 2003 her father married Ginger R. Elrod (born December 5, 1974) on April 1, 2004 and had a son in 2005.

In 2008, Carter married Mike Ashton and moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada where she gave birth to a daughter, Alyssa Jane Ashton on April 1, 2011.

Carter signed a record deal with Dreamworks Records in 1999 and began recording her debut album. This album was set for release in June 2000, but it was delayed because Dreamworks wanted to test Carter's fan base before releasing the album in order to ensure its success. Her single, "Like Wow!" appeared on the Shrek soundtrack and received minor radio airplay, peaking at 15 on the Hot 100.

Her debut album Like Wow! was set for release on April 10, 2001. However, Dreamworks later canceled the release, the cancellation followed a number of reported problems from the set of her debut music video. Promo copies later became available online and Metal Mike Saunders of The Village Voice described it as "the best bubblegum album of the entire '97-Y2K era.

Carter started a small club tour in Canada in December 2005, and had a showcase in New York City on January 19, 2006, with hopes it would lead to a new record deal. The songs performed on this tour had her abandoning her bubblegum pop roots for a more mature, pop rock-oriented sound. Carter co-wrote her material with.High Holy Days guitarist Dave Thompson. In late 2006, Leslie Carter created the band The Other Half with her backup musicians Mike Ashton, DJ Porter, Casey Clowater, Paul Davidson, and Dave Thompson.[citation needed]

The final line-up consisted of Carter (vocals), Ashton (drums), Jason Eldon (electric guitar), and Sean Smit (bass guitar, back-up vocals). In September 2009, the band mutually decided to split up. Carter was seen writing music and performing her own songs for her siblings on the family's reality show "House of Carters".

On January 31, 2012, at age 25, Carter, who had complained of feeling ill, was found unresponsive at the home of her father, Robert Carter, in Mayville, New York, and was pronounced dead on arrival at Westfield Memorial Hospital in Westfield, New York. While not attributing a cause of death, a Chautauqua County police incident report and supplemental "Overdose Follow Up" report said Carter, identified by her married name of Leslie B. Ashton, had suffered an overdose and was taking the prescription medications olanzapine, cyclobenzaprine (muscle relaxer) and alprazolam (Xanax).

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2012/02/02/le...verdose-report/

“Leslie Carter Died From An Overdose: Report
Thu, 02 February 2012 at 2:50 pm
Leslie Carter died of an apparent overdose after taking several prescription medications, ABC News reports.

The 25-year-old sister of Aaron and Nick Carter had “a long history of mental illness and was on medication for depression,” her stepmother, Ginger Carter, told authorities, according to an incident report.

Medication for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and anxiety and panic disorder were found near Leslie, who died on Tuesday in upstate New York.

According to the report, on the morning of Janury 30, Leslie fell in the shower. Ginger helped her lie down but late in the afternoon, she found Leslie was not breathing. Leslie‘s father, Robert, tried to perform CPR, then her stepmother called 911.

The official cause of death will be determined after New York’s Chautauqua County coroner’s office receives toxicology reports in about four to six weeks, ABC News adds.

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Don Cornelius, former Host/Creator of TV's "Soul Train" has died by suicide by gunshot.
From Wikipedia:

“Donald Cortez "Don" Cornelius (September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012) was an American television show host and producer who was best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance/music franchise Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971 to 1993. Cornelius sold the show to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.

Cornelius was born in Chicago's South Side on September 27, 1936, and raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Following his graduation from DuSable High School in 1954, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served 18 months in Korea. He worked at various jobs following his stint in the military, including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as an officer with the Chicago Police Department. He quit his day job to take a three-month broadcasting course in 1966 despite being married with two sons and only $400 in his bank account. In 1966, he landed a job as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey on Chicago radio station WVON.

Prior to moving the show to Los Angeles where it went into national syndication, Cornelius began SOUL TRAIN as a local show on WCIU-TV in Chicago in the mid 1960s.

Originally a journalist inspired by the civil rights movement, Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there was no television venue in the United States for soul music, and introduced many African-American musicians to a larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a program that was both influential among African-Americans and popular with a wider audience.

As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train, Cornelius was instrumental in offering wider exposure to black musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson, as well as creating opportunities for talented dancers that would presage subsequent television dance programs. Cornelius said "We had a show that kids gravitated to," and Spike Lee described the program as an "urban music time capsule."

Besides his smooth and deep voice, Cornelius was best known for the catchphrase that he used to close the show: "... and you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!" After Cornelius's departure, it was shortened to "...and as always, we wish you love, peace and soul!" and was used through the most recent new episodes in 2006. Another introductory phrase he often used was: "We got another sound comin' out of Philly that's a sure 'nough dilly."

He had a small number of film roles, most notably as record producer Moe Fuzz in 1988's Tapeheads.

The 2008 Soul Train Music Awards ceremony was not held due to the WGA strike and the end of Tribune Entertainment complicating the process of finding a new distributor to air the ceremony and line up the stations to air it. The awards show was moved in 2009 to Viacom's Centric cable channel (formerly BET J), which now airs Soul Train in reruns.

Cornelius last appeared at the 2009 BET Awards to present The O'Jays with the 2009 BET Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the early-morning hours of February 1, 2012, officers responded to a report of a shooting at 12685 Mulholland Drive and found Cornelius with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by the Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner. According to former Soul Train host, Shemar Moore, Cornelius may have been suffering from early onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease and his health had been on the decline.

From http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/arts/mus...at-75.html?_r=1

“Don Cornelius, ‘Soul Train’ Creator, Is Dead at 75
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
Published: February 1, 2012

Don Cornelius, the smooth-voiced television host who brought black music and culture into America’s living rooms when he created the dance show “Soul Train,” was found dead at his home in Los Angeles early Wednesday in what appeared to be a suicide, the authorities said. He was 75.

Police officers responding to a report of a shooting found Mr. Cornelius’s body at 4 a.m. on the floor of his house on Mulholland Drive with a gunshot wound to the head. It appeared to have been self-inflicted, said Ed Winter, the Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner.

He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The police said they had ruled out murder and were talking to relatives about Mr. Cornelius’s mental state.

“Soul Train,” one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history, played a critical role in spreading the music of black America to the world, offering wide exposure to musicians like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson in the 1970s and ’80s.

“ ‘Soul Train’ created an outlet for black artists that never would have been if it hadn’t been for Cornelius,” said Kenny Gamble, who with his partner, Leon Huff, created the Philly soul sound and wrote the theme song for the show. “It was a tremendous export from America to the world, that showed African-American life and the joy of music and dance, and it brought people together.”

News of Mr. Cornelius’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from civil rights leaders, musicians, entrepreneurs, academics and writers. “He was able to provide the country a window into black youth culture and black music,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. “For young black teenagers like myself, it gave a sense of pride and a sense that the culture we loved could be shared and appreciated nationally.”

Mr. Cornelius, a former disc jockey, created “Soul Train” in 1970 for the Chicago television station WCIU and served as its writer, producer and host. When it became a local sensation, he moved the show to Los Angeles and began broadcasting nationally in 1971, beginning a 35-year run in syndication.

In its heyday, it was a formative experience every Saturday morning for young people of all backgrounds and afforded some of the most important soul and R&B acts their first national television exposure. It was also a platform for white rock musicians like Elton John and David Bowie to reach black audiences.

Beyond music, “Soul Train” showcased dances and clothing styles then popular among young blacks. It laid the groundwork for dance programs like Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.”

Born on Chicago’s South Side on Sept. 27, 1936, Mr. Cornelius had an early craving to go into broadcasting. He graduated from DuSable High School in 1954, did a stint in the Marine Corps and then returned to Chicago to marry a childhood sweetheart, Delores Harrison. They had two sons, Anthony and Raymond, who are among his survivors.

In 1966, he gave up a career selling insurance and cars to take a three-month broadcast course, despite having young children to feed. With his deep baritone, he landed a job as a substitute disc jockey at WVON in Chicago and later as a sports anchor on the television program “A Black’s View of the News.” He produced the “Soul Train” pilot with $400 of his own money, taking the title from a road show he had created for local high schools.

“ ‘Soul Train’ was developed as a radio show on television,” Mr. Cornelius told The New York Times in 1995. “It was the radio show that I always wanted and never had. I selected the music, and still do, by simply seeing what had chart success.”

He said the show was originally patterned on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” but with a focus on black music, fashion and dance. “There was not programming that targeted any particular ethnicity,” he told The Associated Press in 2006. “I’m trying to use euphemisms here, trying to avoid saying there was no television for black folks, which they knew was for them.”

The formula for the show did not change much over the years, though the sets were updated and the music evolved from Motown to funk and eventually to rap. As the host every week, Mr. Cornelius, tall and powerfully built, would play the hottest songs and corral a few performers to be interviewed. They would do a song or two, sometimes live, sometimes lip-synching. He signed off each show by intoning “Love, peace and soul.”

Mr. Cornelius stepped down as host in 1993, handing the reins to a series of actors, comedians and other guest hosts. “I took myself off because I just felt that 22 years was enough and that the audience was changing and I wasn’t,” he said.

It was not until 2006, however, that he stopped producing new shows. He sold the franchise and the archives two years later to a subsidiary of Vibe Holdings LLC.

In recent years he went through a bitter divorce from his second wife, Viktoria Chapman-Cornelius, a Russian model. In 2008 he was arrested and charged with spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness from making a police report, all misdemeanors, after a domestic dispute with his wife in their home.

A year later he was sentenced to three years’ probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of spousal battery in a plea bargain. During divorce proceedings later that year, he mentioned having “significant health problems” but did not elaborate.

Clarence Avant, a former chairman of Motown Records, said the suggestion that Mr. Cornelius had committed suicide surprised his friends. He did not appear despondent or upset when the two men met for lunch last week, Mr. Avant said, though Mr. Cornelius did mention that he had had seizures recently and avoided driving himself. “He was very private,” Mr. Avant said.

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http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=700935

“Zalman King, erotic film producer-director, dies at 70
Feb. 3, 2012, 6:31 PM EST
By Tim Kenneally

Producer, director and screenwriter Zalman King, whose credits include erotically-charged films such as "9 1/2 Weeks," "Red Shoe Diaries" and "Wild Orchid," died Friday morning at his Santa Monica home following a six-year battle with cancer. King, whose wife Patricia Louisianna Knop, was at his side at the time of his death, was 70.

Born Zalman Lefkovitz in 1942 in Trenton, N.J., King was primarily known for his racy fare of the '80s and '90s, though his son-in-law, Allison Burnett, told TheWrap that his reputation failed to capture the totality of King's personality.

"Zalman was a far more complex and human artist and man than anyone who only knew him from afar can possibly comprehend," Burnett told TheWrap. "He was a truly magnificent human being."

In his later career, King focused on documentaries about musicians, directing films about country singers Willie Nelson and Dale Watson, and musician Toledo Diamond. Burnett told TheWrap that he also directed music videos for rap groups, typically free of charge.

"He loved to support artists everywhere he went," Burnett said.

Actor Charlie Sheen, a longtime friend of King's offered tribute to the director on his Facebook page Friday.

"The world lost a brilliant and noble soul today," Sheen wrote. "My dear friend of 40 years, Zalman King, just lost his battle with cancer. Fought like a recon Marine til the bitter end. Say a prayer for his amazing wife Pat and their lovely daughters. Safe travels my friend."

King is survived by his wife and their two daughters, screenwriter Chloe King and designer and painter Gillian Lefkovitz.

For Zalman King's Filmography, see:
http://www.fandango.com/zalmanking/filmography/p97477

superintelligentone · Feb 12, 2012

Shocking News: Singing Superstar Whitney Houston has died at age 48!

http://today.msnbc.m...82#.Q7vuuIHPyVA

“Singing superstar Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Cause of death unknown; singer was troubled by drug use

LOS ANGELES — Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48.

Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told reporters outside the Beverly Hilton that Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth floor of the hotel. Her body remained there and Beverly Hills detectives were investigating. TMZ.com reported that her body was found in the hotel room's bathtub.

"There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent," Rosen said.

Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, said the cause of death was unknown.

Rosen said police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, he said.

Her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, and cousin, Dionne Warwick, had spoken to her earlier in the day, perhaps just a half-hour before she was discovered dead, TMZ reported.

Houston's end came on the eve of music's biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to cast a heavy pall on Sunday's ceremony.

A Grammys tribute to her was quickly planned, with Jennifer Hudson leading the show, Access Hollywood reported.

Houston had been at rehearsals for Clive Davis' pre-Grammy gala and concert Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.

Two days ago, she performed at a pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly Price.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said he would call for a national prayer Sunday morning during a service at Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

"The morning of the Grammys, the world should pause and pray for the memory of a gifted songbird," Sharpton said in a written statement.

At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

As the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin, she seemed to be born into musical greatness.

Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," "You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.

But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.

A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.

superintelligentone · Mar 1, 2012

I find it shocking that Davey Jones has died. He seemed to be in good health. TV reports that Davey Jones was doing a concert 2 weeks ago.

I really like watching their TV show back in the 1960's. I remember people dismissing "The Monkees" as the Pre-fab 4, since they were a band created by auditioning people for their role that they'd play. At first they had studio musicians, but they learned to play and write music because they were serious about being a band. At their peak, they were more popular than the Beatles (for a short time). They also became friends with The Beatles, who had no problem with their talent.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obit/s...ones/53304196/1

“Monkees singer Davy Jones dies in Florida at 66
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY

Davy Jones, the mop-topped leader of 1960s pop band The Monkees, died Wednesday of a massive heart attack. Jones was 66.

His publicist, Helen Kensick, said the singer died in Indiantown, Fla., where he lived.

With an infectious smile and easy humor, the diminutive Brit played the Paul McCartney role in the Beatles-inspired quartet, which also included Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith.

Jones sang lead on some of the group's biggest hits, including Daydream Believer, which reached No. 1 on the charts.
Recommended listening

While all four members of The Monkees sang, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz took the lead on the group’s biggest hits. Among Jones’ vocals:

- A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You (No. 2, 1967)
- Daydream Believer (No. 1, 1967)
- Valleri (No. 3, 1968)

Other key Monkees songs sung by Jones:

- I Wanna Be Free (1966)
- When Love Comes Knockin’ (At Your Door) (1967)
- Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) (1967)
- Hard to Believe (1967, co-written by Jones)
- Early Morning Blues and Greens (1967)
- Dream World (1968, another co-write)

Solo:

- What Are We Going to Do? (No. 93, 1965)
- Rainy Jane (No. 52, 1971)
- Girl (1971, which Jones performed on The Brady Bunch)

Jones, who like his bandmates had continued to perform, had dates scheduled for March.

All four Auditions for the Monkees: youtu.be/AnO3uxVSzUc via @youtube

Formed in 1965 by Hollywood producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, The Monkees quickly stormed radio and TV airwaves with a string of chart-topping songs that went on to sell an estimated 65 million copies worldwide.

"There were certain indelible images we had of The Monkees, and that was Mike's cap, Micky's goofy looks and Davy's cuteness," says Phil Gallo, senior correspondent at Billboard. "Of all of them, Davy's character was the softest. He was the nice guy, the crowd pleaser."

Gallo recalls being a kid in the 1960s, "collecting Batman cards, then graduating to Monkees cards, way before I got into baseball cards. They were the very first boy band, when you think about it."

Andy Kim, who sang Rock Me Gently and wrote The Archies' Sugar, Sugar, said of Jones: "Everybody loved Davy's smile, the way he came across, his incredible presence. He was a phenomenal ambassador for a band that didn't really start off a band but quickly became a force. … I wrote Oh My My for Davy and Micky's joint album after The Monkees broke up, and it was an honor to know him."

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr said of Jones: "God bless Davy. Peace and love to his family."

Jones was born Dec. 30, 1945, in Manchester, England. His long hair and British accent helped him achieve heartthrob status in the USA.

According to the Monkees website, he left the band in late 1970. Then in the summer of 1971, he recorded a solo hit, Rainy Jane, and made a series of appearances on U.S. variety and television shows, including Love, American Style and The Brady Bunch.

By the mid-1980s, Jones teamed up Tork, Dolenz and promoter David Fishof for a reunion tour. Their popularity prompted MTV to re-air The Monkees series, introducing the group to a new audience.

In 1989, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the late 1990s, the group filmed a special called Hey, Hey, It's The Monkees.

Jones is survived by his wife, Jessica Pacheco, and four daughters from previous marriages.

superintelligentone · Mar 5, 2012

I was wondering why I didn't see acclaimed violinist Eugene Fodor's name on today's Today in History By The Associated Press. It turns out that he died of Cirrhosis of the Liver on February 25, 2012 at the age of 60. Very sad.

The Colorado-born Eugene came to fame for winning the 1972 Paganini Competition at age 22, and then received the top prize in the the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974 at age 24.

It was a source of national and local pride that an American – a Coloradan – had won a major Soviet honor, in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War. In fact it was a source of controversy that he was given only the "top prize" and not declared the "winner," sharing the honor with a Russian. A chorus of those present testified that he had indisputably played the best.

Fodor was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, bringing his mastery with the ultra high rapid runs and precise picking to the attention of the general public. 'Fireworks' was the way some people described the music that he made as his notes danced through the intricate runs. This is what separated him from other great violinists such as Itshak Pearlman. We will not see another like him for a very long time.

He even got to play a long skit on SCTV. Please watch this clip to see the genius display his incredible skill with the violin, then do an admirable attempt at comedic acting. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=nqW9XdgPKko
Ironic that the skit was about how drinking and fast times threatened to destroy the character that he played.

--
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1030106812.html

“Eugene Fodor, drug-haunted violin virtuoso, dies at 60
By T. Rees Shapiro
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 1, 2011; 9:11 PM

Eugene Fodor, 60, a violin virtuoso whose pyrotechnic style and good looks made him one of the most dazzling performers of classical music in the 1970s but who later struggled with addictions to cocaine, heroin and alcohol, died Feb. 26 at his home in Arlington County. He had liver disease, his wife, Susan Davis, said.

Raised in Colorado and trained at Juilliard, Mr. Fodor made international headlines in 1974 after taking top honors at the prestigious Tchaikovsky violin competition in Moscow, where he was the first American-born violinist to win a prize. He drew comparisons to Van Cliburn, the American pianist who had won over Russian audiences 16 years earlier.

At the height of his fame, Mr. Fodor played more than 100 concerts and earned $350,000 a year. He wowed sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall with his passionate solo performances and near-perfect technical ability. He was a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic and was the featured performer at President Gerald Ford's first White House state dinner.

With his chiseled jaw, wavy locks and paisley bow ties, Mr. Fodor became an overnight media sensation. He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." New York magazine dubbed him the "Mick Jagger of classical music."

Comfortable in denim and snakeskin boots, Mr. Fodor was described by the New York Times as an "outdoorsman, a horseback rider, jogger, scuba diver and skirtchaser."

He could play, too. Washington Post music critic Paul Hume wrote in 1974 that Mr. Fodor performed with "immense pizazz, and many phrases are finished with a sweep of the bow that outdoes most of Fodor's forerunners."

Some critics said his repertoire relied too heavily on flashy pieces that lacked depth - a point that didn't bother Mr. Fodor much.

"Aside from technique of the highest caliber, you need the glitter," Mr. Fodor explained to The Post in 1974. "The conviction of your own style. The polish."

By the mid-1980s, Mr. Fodor's swashbuckling ways spoiled many of his professional opportunities, and his career began to swirl out of control.

He said he drank excessively, smoked marijuana, snorted cocaine and used heroin. His violin work suffered, and he became less devoted to practicing his art.

He was arrested in 1989 at a motel on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., for breaking and entering and possession of cocaine, heroin and a deadly weapon, a dagger.

He eventually entered a rehabilitation program and was sentenced to probation.

Mr. Fodor's career never recovered.

"I think that cocaine was sort of a crutch for me," he told CBS News in 1996. It helped him "rid myself of the pain of not having the career that I felt would make me happy."

Eugene Nicholas Fodor Jr. was born in Denver on March 5, 1950. He grew up on a ranch near Turkey Creek, Colo.

His father was a contractor and amateur violinist who pressured his two sons to practice for hours at a time.

His older brother, John, was a longtime violinist with the Denver Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Fodor became a child prodigy and gave his first concert at age 8 to a crowd of nuns at a local convent. He studied at the Juilliard School in New York and later under celebrated violinist Jascha Heifetz, who kicked Mr. Fodor out of his program for disciplinary reasons.

After winning the 1972 Paganini violin competition in Italy, Mr. Fodor was a favorite in the Tchaikovsky competition two years later.

Mr. Fodor played so rapturously that he received a five-minute ovation, and Russian women sent bouquets to his Moscow hotel room.

Ultimately, no gold medal was given. News reports indicated that the results might have been sabotaged by a North Vietnamese judge, who reportedly blew smoke rings during Mr. Fodor's performance. The American violinist ended up sharing the silver medal with two Russians.

Until recent years, as he continued to battle substance abuse, Mr. Fodor gave concerts around the country, though never on the grand stages he once played.

Mr. Fodor's marriages to Susan Davis and Sally Svetland ended in divorce. In November 2010, he remarried Davis and moved into her home in Arlington.

Besides his wife, survivors include their three children, Daniella Davis of Newport Beach, Calif., Lindsay Davis of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Dylan Davis of Washington; a brother; a sister; and two grandchildren.
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"These past few months have been hard, but it was a blessing," Davis said. "He was able to reconnect with his children, whose lives he had never really been a part of."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/arts/mus...tnt&tntemail0=y

http://www.violinist...ie/20112/12132/

superintelligentone · Apr 9, 2012

TV Newsman, longtime "60 Minutes" star Mike Wallace has died at the age of 93, just 32 days short of his next birthday.
He was one of a kind and will be missed.

“Career

Mike Wallace's career started in 1939 as newscaster and continuity writer for WOOD Radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This lasted until 1940, when he moved to WXYZ Radio in Detroit, Michigan, as an announcer. He then became a freelance radio worker in Chicago, Illinois.

Wallace enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943, and served as a communications officer during World War II on the USS Anthedon, a submarine tender. He saw no combat, but travelled to Hawaii, Australia, and Subic Bay in the Philippines, then patrolling the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea and south of Japan. Discharged in 1946, he returned to Chicago.

Early in his career, Wallace announced for the radio action shows Ned Jordan, Secret Agent, Sky King and The Green Hornet.

In the late 1940s, Wallace was a staff announcer for the CBS radio network. He had displayed his comic skills when he appeared opposite Spike Jones in dialogue routines. He was also the voice of Elgin-American in their commercials on Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life.

Wallace also announced wrestling in Chicago in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In 1949, he starred under the name Myron Wallace in a short-lived police drama, Stand By for Crime.

During the 1950s, Wallace hosted a number of game shows, including The Big Surprise, Who's the Boss? and Who Pays?. Early in his career Wallace was not known primarily as a news broadcaster. It was not uncommon during that period for newscasters (the term then used) to announce, do commercials and host game shows; Douglas Edwards, John Daly, John Cameron Swayze and Walter Cronkite hosted game shows as well. Wallace also hosted the pilot episode for Nothing but the Truth, which was helmed by Bud Collyer when it aired under the title, To Tell the Truth. Wallace occasionally served as a panelist on To Tell the Truth in the 1950s. He also did commercials for a variety of products, including Procter & Gamble's Fluffo brand shortening.
Wallace also hosted two late-night interview programs, Night Beat (broadcast in New York during 1955–7, only on DuMont's WABD) and The Mike Wallace Interview on ABC in 1957–8.

In 1959, Louis Lomax told Wallace about the Nation of Islam. Lomax and Wallace produced a five-part documentary about the organization, The Hate That Hate Produced, which aired during the week of July 13, 1959. The program was the first time most white people heard about the Nation, its leader, Elijah Muhammad, and its charismatic spokesman, Malcolm X.[7]
By the early 1960s, Wallace's primary income came from commercials for Parliament cigarettes, touting their "man's mildness" (he had a contract with Philip Morris to pitch their cigarettes as a result of their original sponsorship of The Mike Wallace Interview). He hosted a New York based nightly interview program for Metropolitan Broadcasting stations (MetroMedia) called PM East one hour; it was paired with PM West, 30 minutes, hosted by San Francisco Chronicle television critic Terrence O'Flaherty. Also in the early 1960s, he was the host of the David Wolper-produced Biography series. After his elder son's death, however, Wallace decided to get back into news, and hosted an early version of The CBS Morning News, from 1963 through 1966. In 1964 he interviewed Malcolm X, who, half jokingly, commented "I probably am a dead man already".

His career as the lead reporter on 60 Minutes naturally led to some run-ins with the people interviewed. While interviewing Louis Farrakhan, Wallace alleged that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world. Farrakhan immediately shot back, declaring "Nigeria didn't bomb Hiroshima or slaughter millions of Indians!" "Can you think of a more corrupt country?" asked Wallace. "I am living in one," said Farrakhan. Wallace expressed regret in regard to the one big interview he was never able to secure: First Lady Pat Nixon. On March 14, 2006, Wallace announced his retirement from 60 Minutes after 37 years with the program. He continued working for CBS News as a "Correspondent Emeritus", albeit at a reduced pace. In August 2006, Wallace interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Wallace's last CBS interview was with retired baseball star Roger Clemens in January 2008 on "60 Minutes." Wallace's previously vigorous health (Morley Safer described him in 2006 as "having the energy of a man half his age") began to fail and in June 2008 his son Chris said that his father would not be returning to television.
[/quote]

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obit/s...uary/54116154/1

“Newsman Mike Wallace dead at 93
By Gary Strauss and Carol Memmott, USA TODAY
Updated 4/8/2012 10:28 PM

60 Minutes star Mike Wallace combined a combative interview style with show-business panache, and his death marks the near end of the era of the tough, old-school reporter.

In a career that spanned seven decades, Wallace evolved from a radio entertainer in the 1940s and TV game-show host in the '50s to the no-nonsense inquisitor of CBS' top-rated news magazine, 60 Minutes, which launched in 1968. He applied his trademark reporting technique — steely questioning, skeptical debating and ambush-style assault on the unsuspecting — well into his 80s.

Wallace died Saturday night at a care facility in New Canaan, Conn., nearly a month shy of his 94th birthday. No cause of death was reported, but he had been in declining health following triple bypass heart surgery in 2008. He did not appear at the January memorial service for Andy Rooney, another 60 Minutes legend, who died last November at age 92.

Despite his dogged approach, which fused the confrontational methodology of a prosecutor with the flair of a Broadway showman, the famous and infamous lined up to be grilled. His who's who list of newsmakers included Malcolm X, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Iran revolutionary Ayatollah Khomeini, China's Deng Xiaoping, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Add to those seven U.S. presidents: George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy. He once made Hollywood legend Barbra Streisand cry during what was supposed to be a friendly profile ahead of the 1991 film release The Prince of Tides.

CBS said a program dedicated to Wallace will be broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday.

"All of us at CBS News and particularly at 60 Minutes owe so much to Mike. Without him and his iconic style, there probably wouldn't be a 60 Minutes," said Jeff Fager, CBS News chairman. "There simply hasn't been another broadcast journalist with that much talent. It almost didn't matter what stories he was covering, you just wanted to hear what he would ask next. Around CBS, he was the same infectious, funny and ferocious person as he was on TV. We loved him, and we will miss him very much."

By the time he retired in 2006, Wallace had appeared on 60 Minutes for 38 consecutive seasons, helping make the news magazine a top 10 show for 23 seasons.

Fellow 60 Minutes star Morley Safer said that Wallace took to heart the old reporter's pledge "to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." He characterized himself as "nosy and insistent," Safer said Sunday on Face the Nation.

Even after his official departure, Wallace continued as "correspondent emeritus," scoring an exclusive interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a scoop that won Wallace his 21st Emmy.

Wallace again made headlines in January 2008, interviewing baseball legend Roger Clemens over allegations of steroid abuse. Later that month, Wallace underwent triple-bypass heart surgery.

First hire for '60 Minutes'

In his prime, his dramatic approach to solid journalism made for great TV. As the first hire for 60 Minutes in 1968, Wallace fast became the resident tough guy, zinging subjects with "gotcha" questions or getting them to say something they later wished they hadn't — "Mike Wallace moments," his son Chris Wallace said.

New Yorker media writer Ken Auletta said Wallace will be remembered as "the guy who stuck his microphone in the faces of a lot of powerful and corrupt people and asked them embarrassing questions."

Memorable moments included Wallace getting a Chicago businessman to admit on camera that he kept two sets of books: one for himself and one for the taxman. "I said, 'Look, between you and me, Chicagoans do this all the time, right?' And he says, 'Between you and me, you're right.' Between you and me and the whole middle of America! What a moment!" Wallace told USA TODAY in a 2000 interview.

During the 1980 hostage crisis in Iran, Wallace looked the Ayatollah Khomeini in the eye and, quoting Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's appraisal, said, "He calls you — Imam, forgive me, his words, not mine — a lunatic."

Wallace recalled, "I figured, 'What the hell, is he going to throw me in jail?' "

His 1998 60 Minutes interview with Jack Kevorkian, the "Doctor of Death," along with a clip showing Kevorkian administering a lethal injection to a terminal patient, led to a murder conviction, despite the physician's argument that assisted suicide and euthanasia should be legal. Wallace later got the first interview with Kevorkian after his release from prison in 2007.

$120 million libel case

There were also low moments. The first involved a report on enemy strength during the Vietnam War that led to a $120 million libel case against Wallace and CBS by the subject of that report, Gen. William Westmoreland.

Westmoreland and CBS ultimately settled the 1982 suit just before the case was set to go to a jury. But the high-profile legal case threw Wallace into depression. "To be sued by him and sit in a drafty federal courtroom for five months and be called a liar, fraud and cheat was not easy," Wallace told USA TODAY, pulling out an analysis by the CIA that he said confirmed everything he reported. "The facts. One hundred percent of everything we said," Wallace said, slapping the document.

The second involved a 1995 exposé on the tobacco industry in which the network, fearing litigation, backed away from running Wallace's story with whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand. The interview with the Brown & Williamson tobacco company researcher had been delayed for months for fear of lawsuits before it eventually aired in February 1996.

The tobacco incident was dramatized in the 1999 theatrical film The Insider. But Wallace, portrayed by actor Christopher Plummer, publicly trashed the Michael Mann movie. He felt betrayed by Lowell Bergman, his producer on that story, who worked with Mann on the film. They didn't speak after the story, and Wallace said that large parts of the film were made up, and "by the end, they had me finding my moral compass, which was laughable."

Bergman defended the accuracy of the film, the added drama aside, but agreed to disagree with his former boss. "We're all human," he said. "I've made some mistakes, and Mike's made some mistakes."

Columnist and TV analyst Jonathan Alter, who wrote extensively about Wallace when he covered the news media for Newsweek, said that after the Westmoreland and Wigand reports, Wallace "was tormented by the questioning of his journalistic skills. … His torment was testimony to how seriously he took his craft."

The sharp-witted and equally sharp-tongued Wallace seemed to lose his illustrious career in the fog of memory in his final years. In a December 2011 interview with Playboy, Wallace's son Chris, a Fox News anchor, talked about his father.

"My dad is 93 and showing it for the first time," Wallace said. "Physically, he's OK. Mentally, he's not. He still recognizes me and knows who I am, but he's uneven. The interesting thing is, he never mentions 60 Minutes. It's as if it didn't exist. It's as if that part of his memory is completely gone."

Chris Wallace said the only thing his father talked about at that point in his life was his children and grandchildren. "There's a lesson there. This is a man who had a fabulous career and for whom work always came first. Now he can't even remember it."

Career started in radio

Wallace was born Myron Leon Wallace on May 9, 1918. His father, an immigrant, was an insurance broker. His family had hoped he would become a doctor, but Wallace discovered a love for journalism while working at the University of Michigan's college radio station.

By 1941, he was the announcer for the popular radio program The Green Hornet before serving as a Naval communications officer during World War II. Following the war, he worked as a news reporter at Chicago's WMAQ.

In the early 1950s, Wallace joined the CBS network in New York. He eventually left CBS and made his name as a tough interviewer with the programs Night Beat and The Mike Wallace Interview. He also hosted games shows and entertainment programs.

His professional success was not mirrored in his personal life. Married four times, Wallace "had difficulty expressing his feelings for people he loved," Chris Wallace said.

It was the death of son Peter, 19, in a 1962 mountain-climbing accident in Greece that prompted Wallace to move solely to news. "I felt I owed it to Peter," Wallace told USA TODAY, noting that Peter had expressed an interest in journalism, and Wallace had told him it was a noble profession.

That year, Wallace hosted the CBS News series Biography, later becoming a correspondent in Vietnam before joining 60 Minutes. There, his arguments with his close friend, the late producer Don Hewitt, were legendary.

In later years, Wallace grew closer to Chris. In the 2011 Playboy interview, Chris talked about their relationship, how difficult it was and that it wasn't much of one until he was 14. At an awards ceremony last month, he expressed his appreciation.

"He wasn't easy. But he was vibrant, and funny, and demanding and truly a great reporter," Chris Wallace said.

He said their relationship began to blossom years ago over meals at legendary New York watering hole Toots Shor's. "It was a big roast-beef place where famous athletes would hang out. My dad knew I was a huge sports fan. I still am. Frank Gifford would be there, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Arcaro, Howard Cosell. I loved seeing these people. And slowly my dad and I got to know each other over slabs of meat. He really became my father after that."

superintelligentone · Apr 9, 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/08/mike-wallace-dies-dead-60-minutes_n_1410845.html

“Mike Wallace Dead: '60 Minutes' Icon Dies At 93
Posted: 04/ 8/2012 10:37 am Updated: 04/ 8/2012 8:31 pm

Broadcasting legend Mike Wallace has died, CBS News announced on Sunday.

He was 93. Wallace died on Saturday night in a long-term care center in New Canaan, Connecticut. He was surrounded by family.

Wallace had been ill for years. Bob Scheiffer revealed the circumstances of his death on "Face the Nation," after Charles Osgood first announced that he had passed on "CBS News Sunday Morning."

Wallace was one of the original hosts and correspondents of "60 Minutes." He was a trailblazer, known for confronting his subjects and originating the newsmagazine format. His style became standard for television news.

The famously tough newsman came down hard on the likes of Barbra Streisand, Vladimir Putin and Louis Farrakhan during his four-decades long tenure at the show. He joined "60 Minutes" at its inception in 1968, and retired at the age of 88 in 2006. He continued to do occasional interviews until 2008.

On Sunday, Schieffer and Morley Safer paid tribute to Wallace on "Face the Nation." The show opened with a memorial piece about their colleague, in which Safer recalled Wallace's defiant spirit.

"There will never be another one quite like him," said Schieffer, who teared up when he introduced the segment. He called Wallace a "mentor," and recalled that he "even gave [him] a compliment, once."

Fox News chief Roger Ailes also took to television to pay tribute to Wallace, calling in to the network's Sunday morning programming. "He's left an indelible mark on our business," he said. "He is just a legend and will always be."

From the Associated Press obituary:

“Mike Wallace didn't interview people. He interrogated them. He cross-examined them. Sometimes he eviscerated them.

His reputation was so fearsome that it was often said that the scariest words in the English language were "Mike Wallace is here to see you."

Wallace, who pitiless, prosecutorial style transformed television journalism and made "60 Minutes" compulsively watchable, died Saturday night at a care facility in New Canaan, Conn., where he had lived in recent years, CBS spokesman Kevin Tedesco said. He was 93.

Until he was slowed by heart surgery as he neared his 90th birthday in 2008, Wallace continued making news, doing "60 Minutes" interviews with such subjects as Jack Kevorkian and Roger Clemens. He had promised to still do occasional reports when he announced his retirement as a regular correspondent in 2006.

Wallace, whose career spanned 60 years, said then that he had long vowed to retire "when my toes turn up" and "they're just beginning to curl a trifle. ... It's become apparent to me that my eyes and ears, among other appurtenances, aren't quite what they used to be."

Among his later contributions, after bowing out as a regular, was a May 2007 profile of GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, and an interview with Kevorkian, the assisted suicide doctor released from prison in June 2007 who died June 3, 2011, at age 83.

In December 2007, Wallace landed the first interview with Clemens after the star pitcher was implicated in the report by former Sen. George Mitchell on performance enhancing drugs in baseball. The interview, in which Clemens maintained his innocence, was broadcast in early January 2008.

Wallace's "extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence," Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. president and CEO, said in a statement Sunday. Wallace didn't just interview people. He interrogated them. He cross-examined them. Sometimes he eviscerated them. His weapons were many: thorough research, a cocked eyebrow, a skeptical "Come on" and a question so direct sometimes it took your breath away.

He was well aware that his reputation arrived at an interview before he did, said Jeff Fager, CBS News chairman and Wallace's long-time producer at "60 Minutes."

"He loved it," Fager said Sunday. "He loved that part of Mike Wallace. He loved being Mike Wallace. He loved the fact that if he showed up for an interview, it made people nervous. ... He knew, and he knew that everybody else knew, that he was going to get to the truth. And that's what motivated him."

Wallace was the first man hired when late CBS news producer Don Hewitt put together the staff of "60 Minutes" at the TV news magazine's inception in 1968. The show wasn't a hit at first, but it worked its way up to the top 10 in the 1977-78 season and remained there, season after season, with Wallace as one of its mainstays. Among other things, it proved there could be big profits in TV journalism.

The top 10 streak was broken in 2001, in part due to the onset of huge-drawing rated reality shows. But "60 Minutes" remained in the top 25 in recent years, ranking 15th in viewers in the 2010-11 season.

During the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, he asked Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini — then a feared figure — what he thought about being called "a lunatic" by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Khomeini answered by predicting Sadat's assassination.

Late in his career, he interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin, and challenged him: "This isn't a real democracy, come on!" Putin's aides tried to halt the interview; Putin said he was the president, he'll decide what to do.

"Many people who weathered a Mike Wallace interview grew to respect him greatly and, you know, have great regard for him because I don't recall anybody ever saying to me, 'He took a cheap shot' or 'He did the obvious,' or that he was, you know, playing some kind of game," Fox News Channel Chairman Roger Ailes said on Sunday. "He actually was trying to serve the audience, and that's what made him great."

He was equally tough on public and private behavior. In 1973, with the Watergate scandal growing, he sat with top Nixon aide John Ehrlichman and read a long list of alleged crimes, from money laundering to obstructing justice. "All of this, Wallace noted, "by the law and order administration of Richard Nixon."

The surly Ehrlichman could only respond: "Is there a question in there somewhere?"

In the early 1990s, Wallace reduced Barbra Streisand to tears as he scolded her for being "totally self-absorbed" when she was young and mocked her decades of psychoanalysis. "What is it she is trying to find out that takes 20 years?" Wallace said he wondered.

"I'm a slow learner," Streisand told him.

He was hands down the best television interviewer ever," said Steve Kroft, his former "60 Minutes" colleague. "I can't think of anyone, besides (CBS legend Edward R.) Murrow, who had a greater influence in shaping television journalism."
"60 Minutes" pioneered the use of "ambush interviews," with reporter and camera crew corralling alleged wrongdoers in parking lots, hallways, wherever a comment — or at least a stricken expression — might be harvested from someone dodging reporters' phone calls.

They were phased out after founding executive producer Don Hewitt termed them "showbiz baloney." "''Finally I said, 'Hey, kid, maybe it's time to retire that trenchcoat,'" Hewitt recalled.

Wallace's late colleague Harry Reasoner once said, "There is one thing that Mike can do better than anybody else: With an angelic smile, he can ask a question that would get anyone else smashed in the face."

Wallace said he didn't think he had an unfair advantage over his interview subjects: "The person I'm interviewing has not been subpoenaed. He's in charge of himself, and he lives with his subject matter every day. All I'm armed with is research."

Wallace himself became a dramatic character in several projects, from the stage version of "Frost/Nixon," when he was played by Stephen Rowe, to the 1999 film "The Insider," based in part on a 1995 "60 Minutes" story about tobacco industry whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand, who accused Brown & Williamson of intentionally adding nicotine to cigarettes.

Christopher Plummer starred as Wallace and Russell Crowe as Wigand. Wallace was unhappy with the film, in which he was portrayed as caving to pressure to kill a story about Wigand.

Operating on a tip, The New York Times reported that "60 Minutes" planned to excise Wigand's interview from its tobacco expose. CBS said Wigand had signed a nondisclosure agreement with his former company, and the network feared that by airing what he had to say, "60 Minutes" could be sued along with him.

The day the Times story appeared, Wallace downplayed the gutted story as "a momentary setback." He soon sharpened his tone. Leading into the revised report when it aired, he made no bones that "we cannot broadcast what critical information about tobacco, addiction and public health (Wigand) might be able to offer." Then, in a "personal note," he told viewers that he and his "60 Minutes" colleagues were "dismayed that the management at CBS had seen fit to give in to perceived threats of legal action."

The full report eventually was broadcast.

Wallace maintained a hectic pace after CBS waived its long-standing rule requiring broadcasters to retire at 65. In early 1999, at age 80, he added another line to his resume by appearing on the network's spinoff, "60 Minutes II." (A similar concession was granted Wallace's longtime colleague, Don Hewitt, who in 2004, at age 81, relinquished his reins as executive producer; he died in 2009.)

Wallace amassed 21 Emmy awards during his career, as well as five DuPont-Columbia journalism and five Peabody awards. In all, his television career spanned six decades, much of it spent at CBS. In 1949, he appeared as Myron Wallace in a show called "Majority Rules." In the early 1950s, he was an announcer and game show host for programs such as "What's in a Word?"

He also found time to act in a 1954 Broadway play, "Reclining Figure," directed by Abe Burrows.

In the mid-1950s came his smoke-wreathed "Night Beat," a series of one-on-one interviews with everyone from an elderly Frank Lloyd Wright to a young Henry Kissinger that began on local TV in New York and then appeared on the ABC network. It was the show that first brought Wallace fame as a hard-boiled interviewer, a "Mike Malice" who rarely gave his subjects any slack.

Wrote Coronet magazine in 1957: "Wallace's interrogation had the intensity of a third degree, often the candor of a psychoanalytic session. Nothing like it had ever been known on TV. ... To Wallace, no guest is sacred, and he frankly dotes on controversy."

In those days, Wallace said, "interviews by and large were virtual minuets. ... Nobody dogged, nobody pushed." He said that was why "Night Beat" ''got attention that hadn't been given to interview broadcasts before."

It was also around then that Wallace did a bit as a TV newsman in the 1957 Hollywood drama "A Face in the Crowd," which starred Andy Griffith as a small-town Southerner who becomes a political phenomenon through his folksy television appearances. Two years later, Wallace helped create "The Hate That Hate Produced," a highly charged program about the Nation of Islam - a black Muslim organization - that helped make a national celebrity out of Malcolm X and was later criticized as biased and inflammatory.

After holding a variety of other news and entertainment jobs, including serving as advertising pitchman for a cigarette brand, Wallace became a full-time newsman for CBS in 1963.

He said it was the death of his 19-year-old son, Peter, in an accident in 1962 that made him decide to stick to serious journalism from then on. (Another son, Chris, followed his father and became a broadcast journalist, most recently as a Fox News Channel anchor.)

Wallace had a short stint reporting from Vietnam, and took a sock in the jaw while covering the tumultuous 1968 Democratic Party convention in Chicago. But he didn't fit the stereotype of the Eastern liberal journalist. He was a close friend of the Reagans and was once offered the job of Richard Nixon's press secretary. He called his politics moderate.
One "Night Beat" interview resulted in a libel suit, filed by a police official angry over remarks about him by mobster Mickey Cohen. Wallace said ABC settled the lawsuit for $44,000, and called it the only time money had been paid to a plaintiff in a suit in which he was involved.

The most publicized lawsuit against him was by retired Gen. William C. Westmoreland, who sought $120 million for a 1982 "CBS Reports" documentary, "The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception." Westmoreland dropped the libel suit in February 1985 after a long trial. Lawyers for each side later said legal costs of the suit totaled $12 million, of which $9 million was paid by CBS.

Wallace once said the case brought on depression that put him in the hospital for more than a week. "Imagine sitting day after day in the courtroom hearing yourself called every vile name imaginable," he said.

In 1996, he appeared before the Senate's Special Committee on Aging to urge more federal funds for depression research, saying that he had felt "lower, lower, lower than a snake's belly" but had recovered through psychiatry and antidepressant drugs. He later disclosed that he once tried to commit suicide during that dark period. Wallace, columnist Art Buchwald and author William Styron were friends who commiserated often enough about depression to call themselves "The Blues Brothers," according to a 2011 memoir by Styron's daughter, Alexandra.
Wallace called his 1984 book, written with Gary Paul Gates, "Close Encounters." He described it as "one mostly lucky man's encounters with growing up professionally."

In 2005, he brought out his memoir, "Between You and Me."

Among those interviewing him about the book was son Chris, for "Fox News Sunday." His son asked: Does he understand why people feel a disaffection from the mainstream media?

"They think they're wide-eyed commies. Liberals," the elder Wallace replied, a notion he dismissed as "damned foolishness." Wallace was born Myron Wallace on May 9, 1918, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He began his news career in Chicago in the 1940s, first as radio news writer for the Chicago Sun and then as reporter for WMAQ. He started at CBS in 1951.

He was married four times. In 1986, he wed Mary Yates Wallace, the widow of his close friend and colleague, Ted Yates, who had died in 1967. Besides his wife, Wallace is survived by his son, Chris, a stepdaughter, Pauline Dora, and stepson Eames Yates.

His wife declined to comment Sunday.

superintelligentone · Apr 19, 2012

"America's Oldest Teenager" Television Icon, Host, Producer and Businessman Dick Clark has died from a massive heart attack at the age of 82.

He first came to the public as host of "American Bandstand". He credited with introducing numerous upcoming Rock & Roll performers to national audiences, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Chubby Checker. He interviewed people from Elvis Presley to Madonna on Bandstand. He had later success as Host & Creator of The $10,000 Pyramid. He was the long running host of ABC-TV's "Dick Clark's New Years Rocking Eve" (1974–2012) from Times Square in NYC.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications has done the math, and figures that Dick Clark Productions has turned out more than 7,500 hours of television programming, including more than 30 series and 250 specials, as well as more than 20 movies for theatre and TV.

Farewell Dick Clark. We'll not seem another like him.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dick-c...52#.Tv_2OtnLl1N

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Clark

superintelligentone · Apr 20, 2012

Levon Helm, Singer and Drummer of "The Band" has passed away today at the age of 71 after a long battle with throat cancer. He is best known for his vocals in the hit songs "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "The Weight".

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/levon-helm-drummer-and-singer-of-the-band-dies-at-71-20120419

“Levon Helm, Drummer and Singer of the Band, Dead at 71
Battled throat cancer since the Nineties

By David Browne
April 19, 2012 3:10 PM ET

Levon Helm, singer and drummer for the Band, died on April 19th in New York of throat cancer. He was 71.

"He passed away peacefully at 1:30 this afternoon surrounded by his friends and bandmates," Helm's longtime guitarist Larry Campbell tells Rolling Stone. "All his friends were there, and it seemed like Levon was waiting for them. Ten minutes after they left we sat there and he just faded away. He did it with dignity. It was even two days ago they thought it would happen within hours, but he held on. It seems like he was Levon up to the end, doing it the way he wanted to do it. He loved us, we loved him."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...of-the-band-dies-at-71-20120419#ixzz1sXKGkDAZ

superintelligentone · May 18, 2012

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, has died after a battle with lung cancer. Blessed with a powerful voice that suited many styles, her career transcended Disco while other contemporaries in Disco faded. I heard Sir Elton John say on an interview today "Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted".

We'll not see another singer like Donna. The Heavenly Choir will welcome her with open arms.

“Disco queen Donna Summer dies at 63
Family calls American singer 'a woman of many gifts'
CBC News
Posted: May 17, 2012 12:11 PM ET
Last Updated: May 17, 2012 4:15 PM ET

American singer Donna Summer, who rose to fame with disco-era hits like Love to Love You Baby, Last Dance, Hot Stuff has died of cancer at age 63.

"Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith," the singer's family said in a statement issued Thursday.

"While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."

Summer, who had been living in Englewood, Fla., is survived by her husband, singer Bruce Sudano, three daughters and four grandchildren.

'Her records sound as good today as they ever did'—Elton John

Though Summer is best remembered as one of the faces and voices of the disco decade, pop icon Elton John said the singer transcended the moniker Queen of Disco.

"Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted," he said in a statement.

"She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and I will miss her greatly."

Summer herself noted that she had grown up listening to rock 'n' roll and been influenced by a range of musical genres.

"I like the Moody Blues, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones as well as Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, the Supremes and Temptations," she once said.

"I didn't know many white kids who didn't know the Supremes; I don't know many black kids who don't know the Moody Blues."

Church soloist

Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Boston in 1948, Summer was raised in a large, devout Christian family. She began her singing career at her local church, where she would become a featured soloist.

On Donna Summer

My heart goes out to her husband and her children. Prayers will be said to keep them strong —Dionne Warwick
For the last half hour or so I've been lying in my bed crying and stunned. Donna Summer RIP —Nile Rodgers
Rest in Peace dear Donna Summer. Your voice was the heartbeat and soundtrack of a decade —Quincy Jones
One of my earliest musical inspirations, RIP Donna Summer —Kylie Minogue
She represents an iconic diva in the sense of her power and the resonance of her art. She was an incredibly seminal figure in the disco era —Suzanne Boyd

"There was no question I would be a singer, I just always knew. I had credit in my neighbourhood, people would lend me money and tell me to pay it back when I got famous," Summer told The Associated Press in 1989.

Just weeks before her high school graduation in 1967, Summer auditioned for and landed a part in a production of the musical Hair that was travelling to Munich. With her parents' reluctant approval, she accepted the post and learned to speak German during the show's run.

Afterward, she chose to remain in Germany to work on other musicals, while also picking up gigs as a backup singer at a recording studio where she recorded demo tapes. In 1974, she released her solo album debut, entitled Lady of the Night. It failed to translate into U.S. success despite being a hit in Europe.

That same year, she married German singer Helmuth Sommer and adopted an anglicized spelling of his surname as her stage name — keeping it even after the couple's divorce two years later.

Defining the '70s sound

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Summer gained prominence during the 1970s, with her popular, genre-crossing sound resonating with a variety of audiences. Summer was dubbed the Queen of Disco for her many pulsating, danceable anthems, which became a defining sound of the era.

Her breakout hit was 1975's controversial Love to Love You Baby, which she co-wrote. Though initially intended for another singer, producers chose the demo Summer recorded, her sultry vocals punctuated with sexy moans.

The version ultimately released in the U.S. was an unprecedented 17 minutes long and, because of its suggestive sound, some radio stations refused to play it — at first. The track became an instant sensation, rocketed up the charts and eventually served as the title song of her second album.

Buoyed by the success, Summer released two more albums in 1976: A Love Trilogy and Four Seasons of Love.

In the early 1980s, she tested out R&B with two releases (The Wanderer and Donna Summer) before returning to dance music. Her biggest hits of the decade were 1983's She Works Hard for the Money, which became an anthem for women's rights, and 1989's This Time I Know It's For Real.

Even after the disco musical style fell out of fashion, Summer's hits turned up in movies, TV programs and stage shows, remained a fixture on dance club playlists and were sampled by contemporary artists.

Still, as interest in new original recordings waned in the 1990s, with not as much attention paid to her albums Mistaken Identity and Christmas Songs, Summer moved into other creative endeavours, like painting.
Summer had multiple albums reach gold or platinum status and 19 No. 1 hits over the years, including:

Love to Love You Baby.
Last Dance.
Hot Stuff.
Bad Girls.
I Feel Love.
She Works Hard for the Money.
This Time I Know It's for Real.

Summer also made headlines when New York magazine reported that the born-again Christian singer had made homophobic remarks. She denied making the comments and filed a $30 million US libel lawsuit against the magazine. The case was ultimately settled out of court.

Her latest album was 2008's Crayons. Her first new album of original material in 17 years, it was well-received by critics. Her high-profile appearances in recent years included a visit to the American Idol stage in in 2008, a performance at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in honour of the 2009 recipient, U.S. President Barack Obama, and a David Foster and Friends concert with in Las Vegas in October.

Prior to her death, the singer had reportedly been working on songs for a new album. In the past two years, she had discussed producing a new album of dance recordings as well as a release focusing on standards.

superintelligentone · May 21, 2012

Robin Gibb of the BeeGees has passed away after long battle with cancer.

The BeeGees were one of the biggest acts of Disco and their work on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack defined a generation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Gibb

“Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice and elder brother Barry.

Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the family later moved to Manchester before settling in Brisbane, Australia. Gibb began his career as part of the family trio and when the group found major success they returned to the United Kingdom. With record sales estimated in excess of 200 million units, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time. He died after a lengthy battle with cancer on Sunday 20th May 2012.

Awards

In 1994, Gibb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California. In 1997, the Bee Gees were inducted as a group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

In 2002, Gibb was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry. However, the official presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London was delayed until 2004 due to Maurice's death.

In May 2004, Robin and Barry both received Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Music from The University of Manchester in Manchester, England.[39] In 2005, Robin Gibb received the Steiger Award (Miner Award) in Bochum, Germany for accomplishments in the arts. On 10 July 2009, both Robin and Barry were made Freemen of the Borough of Douglas, Isle of Man.

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