Michael Jackson, one year after...

One year ago today, Pop music icon Michael Jackson died of an accidental drug overdose. Whatever your opinion of him, when he was alive, you cannot deny his influence in the music business.

In commemoration of this event, I link you to the BBC news website for an analysis on Jackson, one year later.

Click Here.

Also there's a link to my earlier posts on Jackson.

http://rbeansrblades.blogspot.com/2009/06/michael-jackson-is-dead.html

http://rbeansrblades.blogspot.com/2009/06/michael-jackson-1958-2009.html

Okay, everybody, grab your crotch and say...Ji Jiiiiiiiiiii!

Brittany Murphy's demise was caused by Pneumonia.

US actress Brittany Murphy died of pneumonia, a Los Angeles coroner has ruled.

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey added that iron-deficiency anaemia and "multiple drug intoxication" were secondary factors in her death.

The drugs were all prescription medicines. More details are due in two weeks when a complete report is ready.

Murphy collapsed at her Los Angeles home and was pronounced dead in hospital on 20 December, aged 32.

The coroner ruled the death was accidental.

The actress had been taken to hospital after the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at her home.

Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack and mother, Sharon Murphy, said the actress had been experiencing flu-like symptoms in the days before she died.

Monjack told The Associated Press last month that his wife had several prescriptions, including one for an anti-seizure drug, but did not abuse her medication.

He added she had also been taking over-the-counter remedies for her ailments.

Murphy was best known for her roles in Clueless, Sin City and 8 Mile and also provided the voice of Luanne Platter in more than 200 episodes of the animated US sitcom King Of The Hill.

"UP" & "The Hurt Locker" win "The Golden Tomato" Award!

Award season has begun!

LOS ANGELES – An animated adventure about a widower who sails away in a house lifted by a bouquet of balloons and an up-close look at a bomb-squad unit in Iraq were the top critical favorites of 2009. Now "Up" and "The Hurt Locker" are top winners at the Golden Tomato Awards.

The awards honor the best-reviewed films of the year as determined by the Web site RottenTomatoes.com, which compiles reviews from critics to measure the percentage of favorable critiques.

Pixar's "Up" collected positive reviews from 98 percent of critics, earning it the Golden Tomato for a film in wide release. "The Hurt Locker" was the best-reviewed limited release film, with 97 percent of critics recommending it.

"Up" is the sixth Pixar film to rank above all others. "WALL-E" won the Golden Tomato in 2008 and "Ratatouille" took the title in 2007.

"Every year since we started doing this award, if they've got a movie, they win," said Rotten Tomatoes Editor-in-Chief Matt Atchity. "They just consistently turn out really good quality movies."

While there's no direct relationship between the Golden Tomatoes and the Academy Awards, Atchity says "Up" and "The Hurt Locker" are both likely to earn Oscar attention this year.

"The Golden Tomato winners don't necessarily win the Oscar but they usually do show up in the nominees," he said, adding that he expects both to earn best-picture nominations.

The Moldy Tomato Award, for the year's worst-reviewed film, went to "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." Only four percent of critics gave it a positive review.

Let's see what happens on the Golden Globes and the Oscars!

Morgan Freeman to substitute Walter Cronkite's voiceover on the CBS Evening News.

I guess it had to happen...

NEW YORK – Nearly six months after his death, Walter Cronkite's voice is leaving the "CBS Evening News."

His introduction of anchor Katie Couric was replaced Monday by a voiceover featuring actor Morgan Freeman.

The legendary CBS News anchor recorded the introduction, played at the beginning of most newscasts, when Couric started at CBS in 2006. Cronkite's voice was kept on the air even after his death July 17.

"As comforting as it is to look back on the great career that Walter had, we're looking forward now and we just felt it was the right time to make the move that at some point had to be made," said CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus. "This seemed like the appropriate time since Walter's passing to make the move."

Having Freeman on board gives CBS the flexibility to record different intros when Couric has special reports and is on location, he said.

CBS has replaced Cronkite with a generic voice over the past few months when it wanted to highlight something special.

The change also gives the network more consistency, McManus said.

Even thou I found that Walter's voice was very comforting, it was time for a change.

The year 2009, as seen by Jib Jab.

Leave it to the Jib Jab team to make sense of the year that was 2009. Of course this happened in the States. In Puerto Rico, is a sadder song to be played. Enjoy!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy 2010!

Brittany Murphy, Actress - "Clueless", "8 Mile", "Sin City", "Happy Feet" 1977-2009

Shocking! Only 32!

LOS ANGELES – Brittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the sleeper hit "Clueless" and rose to stardom in "8 Mile," died Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 32.

Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Sally Stewart said. Stewart would not provide a cause of death or any other information.

Murphy was transported to the hospital after the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at 8 a.m. at the home she shared with her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, in the Hollywood Hills.

Los Angeles police have opened an investigation into Murphy's death, Officer Norma Eisenman said. Detectives and coroner's officials were at her Murphy and Monjack's home Sunday afternoon but did not talk to reporters. Paparazzi were camped outside.

Messages left for Murphy's manager, agent and publicist by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

Neighbor Clare Staples said she saw firefighters working to resuscitate the actress Sunday morning. She said Murphy was on a stretcher and "looked as though she was dead at the scene."

Murphy's husband, wearing pajama bottoms and no shoes, appeared "dazed" as firefighters tried to save her, Staples said. "It's just tragic," she added.

TMZ.com first reported Murphy's death Sunday morning.

Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, said he learned of her death from his son, the actress's brother, and was stunned.

"She was just an absolute doll since she was born," Bertolotti said from his Branford, Fla., home. "Her personality was always outward. Everybody loved her — people that made movies with her, people on a cruise — they all loved her. She was just a regular gal."

He said he hadn't heard much about the circumstances of Murphy's death. Bertolotti divorced her mother when Murphy was young and hadn't seen Murphy in the past few years. He said he used to be in the mob and served prison time on federal drug charges.

"She was just talented," Bertolotti said. "And I loved her very much."

Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy grew up in New Jersey and later moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in "Girl, Interrupted," "Clueless" and "8 Mile."

Her on-screen roles declined in recent years, but Murphy's voice gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox's "King of the Hill" and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature "Happy Feet."

She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film, "The Expendables," set for release next year.

Her role in "8 Mile" led to more recognition, Murphy told AP in 2003. "That changed a lot," she said. "That was the difference between people knowing my first and last name as opposed to not."

Murphy credited her mother, Sharon, with being a key to her success.

"When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me," Murphy said. "I was really grateful to have grown up in an environment that was conducive to creating and didn't stifle any of that. She always believed in me."

She dated Ashton Kutcher, who costarred with Murphy in 2003's romantic comedy "Just Married."

Kutcher sent a message on Twitter Sunday morning about Murphy's death: "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine," Kutcher wrote. "My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon."

She was very beautiful. Here's a video tribute for her.
May she rest in Peace.

Jennifer Jones, Actress - "The Song of Bernadette", "The Towering Inferno" 1919-2009

The Celebrity reaper strikes again!

LOS ANGELES – Jennifer Jones, the beautiful, raven-haired actress who was nominated for Academy Awards five times, winning in 1943 for her portrayal of a saintly nun in "The Song of Bernadette," died Thursday. She was 90.

Jones, who in later years was a leader of the Norton Simon Museum, died at her home in Malibu of natural causes, museum spokeswoman Leslie Denk told The Associated Press.

Jones was the widow of the museum's founder, wealthy industrialist Norton Simon, and served as chair of the museum's board of directors after his death.

Known for her intense performances, Jones was one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1940s and '50s.

Among her most memorable roles were the vixen who vamps rowdy cowboy Gregory Peck in "Duel in the Sun," and the Eurasian doctor who falls for Korean War correspondent William Holden in "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing."

Despite her heavily dramatic screen roles, Jones conveyed an aura of shyness, even aloofness offstage. She rarely gave interviews, explaining to a reporter in 1957: "Most interviewers probe and pry into your personal life, and I just don't like it. I respect everyone's right to privacy, and I feel mine should be respected, too."

Early in her career, Jones had become nearly as famous for her high-profile marriages as for her movie work. She met actor Robert Walker when both studied acting in New York, and they married and came to Hollywood, where her stardom ascended more rapidly than his.

Jones' boss, David O. Selznick, became obsessed with his star and spent much of his time promoting her career. They married four years after she divorced Walker in 1945.

Selznick died in 1965, and in 1973 Jones married Simon. After his death in 1993, she assumed a major role in leading the Pasadena-based museum.

She initiated the museum's celebrated gallery renovation by architect Frank Gehry and spearheaded the development of its public programming and outreach initiatives.

She was born Phylis Isley on March 2, 1919, in Tulsa, Okla., to parents who operated a touring stock company that presented melodramas in tent theaters in the Southwest. She began doing roles in their plays at the age of 6.

After graduating from a Catholic high school, she toured with another stock company, studied drama at Northwestern University for a year, then persuaded her father to support her for a year at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

She married Walker in 1939 and they spent their honeymoon traveling to Hollywood. They could find only bit roles in small pictures, she in a western, "New Frontier," and a serial, "Dick Tracy's G-Men."

The pair retreated to New York before Jones was selected for the prize role in "The Song of Bernadette" about a French peasant girl who claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes in 1858.

Her performance and the Oscar for best actress helped make her one of Hollywood's most popular leading ladies.

Director Henry King recalled testing the six finalists for the role of Bernadette: "A man held a stick behind the camera; the girls focused their rapt attention on that stick. The other five did very well. But only Jennifer looked as if she saw the vision."

Among her other films were "Love Letters" (with Joseph Cotten), "We Were Strangers" (with John Garfield), "Madame Bovary" (with Louis Jourdan) and "A Farewell to Arms" (with Rock Hudson).

She received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for "Since You Went Away," and lead actress nominations for "Love Letters," "Duel in the Sun" and "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing."

While in Rome filming "A Farewell to Arms," Hudson told a reporter, "I heard fantastic stories about this girl, that she was neurotic, temperamental, under hypnosis by Selznick. Not a word of truth in any of it. From the first take, she's been cooperative with everyone — except reporters."

Her last film under Selznick's guidance came in 1962 with F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night," a failure.

Several months after Selznick's death in 1965, she went to England to film "The Idol." As it turned out, she made only two more film appearances, in 1969's "Angel, Angel, Down We Go" and 1974's "The Towering Inferno."

Two years after she filmed "The Idol," a sheriff's deputy found Jones in the surf at Malibu. She was not breathing but still had a heartbeat and he was able to revive her.

She had earlier called her physician to say she was taking pills, and it appeared she had fallen from a cliff into the ocean.

Her daughter plunged to her death from the 22nd floor of a hotel in west Los Angeles in 1976, and tests showed traces of morphine, barbiturates and alcohol in her system. The death was ruled a suicide.

After retiring from acting after "The Towering Inferno," Jones avoided the limelight as much as possible.

She is survived by her son, Robert, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Here's a video montage made by a fan. RIP.

Roy E. Disney 1930-2009

A powerful influence in the Disney company, passed away today.

LOS ANGELES (AP)-- Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney who became a powerful behind-the-scenes influence on the family business, has died. He was 79.

Clifford A. Miller, a spokesman for Roy Disney's company Shamrock Holdings, said that Disney died Wednesday after a bout with cancer.

His father, Roy O. Disney, and uncle, Walt, founded The Walt Disney Co. in the 1920s. Walt was the company's creative genius but Roy Disney's father played a vital role as head of its financial side.

The younger Disney, born in 1930, worked for the company as a writer and producer. But his most important influence was as a Disney shareholder who led two investor revolts.

In 1984 he led a successful campaign to oust Walt Disney's son-in-law from the company. Nearly 20 years later, he launched another successful shareholder revolt against Michael Eisner.

He is survived by his wife Leslie, his four children, and his 16 grandchildren.

Oral Roberts - TV Evangelist 1918-2009

Another one bites the dust!

TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts, the evangelist who rose from humble tent revivals to found a multimillion-dollar ministry and a university bearing his name, died Tuesday. He was 91.

Roberts died of complications from pneumonia in Newport Beach, Calif., according to his spokesman, A. Larry Ross. The evangelist was hospitalized after a fall on Saturday. He had survived two heart attacks in the 1990s and a broken hip in 2006.

Roberts was a pioneer on two fronts — he helped bring spirit-filled charismatic Christianity into the mainstream and took his trademark revivals to television, a new frontier for religion.

Roberts overcame tuberculosis at age 17, and credited that triumph with leading him to become one of the country's most famous ministers.

He gave up a local pastorate in Enid in 1947 to enter an evangelistic ministry in Tulsa to pray for the healing of the whole person — the body, mind and spirit. The philosophy led many to call him a "faith healer," a label he rejected with the comment: "God heals — I don't."

By the 1960s and '70s, he was reaching millions around the world through radio, television, publications and personal appearances. He remained on TV into the new century, co-hosting the program, "Miracles Now," with son Richard. He published dozens of books and conducted hundreds of crusades. A famous photograph showed him working at a desk with a sign on it reading, "Make no little plans here."

He credited his oratorical skills to his faith, saying, "I become anointed with God's word, and the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I'm ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I'm going to say and I'm feeling like a lion."

Unity of body, mind and spirit became the theme of Oral Roberts University. The campus is a Tulsa landmark, with its space-age buildings laden with gold paint, including a 200-foot prayer tower and a 60-foot bronze statue of praying hands.

His ministry hit upon rocky times in the 1980s. There was controversy over his City of Faith medical center, a $250 million investment that eventually folded, and Roberts' widely ridiculed proclamation that God would "call me home" if he failed to meet a fundraising goal of $8 million. A law school he founded also was shuttered.

Semiretired in recent years and living in California, he returned to Tulsa, Okla., in October 2007 as scandal roiled Oral Roberts University. His son, Richard Roberts, who succeeded him as ORU president, faced allegations of spending university money on shopping sprees and other luxuries at a time the institution was more than $50 million in debt.

Richard Roberts resigned as president in November 2007, marking the first time since Oral Roberts University was chartered in 1963 that a member of the Roberts family would not be at its helm. The rocky period for the evangelical school was eased by billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green donated $70 million and helped run the school in the interim, pledging to restore the public's trust. By the fall of 2009, things were looking up, with officials saying tens of millions of dollars worth of debt had been paid off and enrollment was up slightly.

That September, a frail-looking Oral Roberts attended the ceremony when the school's new president, Mark Rutland, was formally inaugurated.

I guess God did call him home in the end!

The Year 2009, in Auto Tune!

Here we review the entertaiment news of 2009, edited and syncronized in Auto Tune. Enjoy!

Richard Todd - Actor, "The Dam Busters", "The Longest Day" 1919-2009

I first saw Richard Todd in "The Longest Day". I was surprised to learn that he actually was a Paratrooper in Normandy, during the real battle he later re-enacted in the movie.

LONDON — Actor Richard Todd, who starred in the classic World War II film "The Dam Busters", has died at the age of 90, his spokeswoman said Friday.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who played a string of typically British heroes, died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday night at his home near Grantham in eastern England, the spokeswoman said.

"He had been suffering from cancer, an illness that he bore with his habitual courage and dignity. His family were with him throughout," she said.

Irish-born Todd's best-known role was that of Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the 1955 film "The Dam Busters," the story of the RAF's attack on German dams in 1943.

But the Irish-born actor was also a war hero in his own right.

As an army captain he was one of the first British officers to land in Normandy on D-Day on June 6, 1944, parachuting in after Major John Howard's glider forces had captured the strategically important Pegasus Bridge.

Todd played Howard in the 1962 D-Day film "The Longest Day", in one scene playing opposite an actor playing himself.

"Being first out of the first plane wasn't my idea, I assure you," he told the News of the World newspaper earlier this year.

"I had no experience of dropping under fire. But I remember looking out and seeing the tracer bullets zipping past us.

"I didn't think about the risk to my life, I just jumped."

He was the first choice of James Bond author Ian Fleming to play the fictional spy, but had to turn the role down due to other commitments.

Sean Connery, fresh from playing alongside Todd in "The Longest Day", got the role instead.

Todd was nominated for the 1948 best actor Academy Award for his role as Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan in "The Hasty Heart", where he played alongside US president-to-be Ronald Reagan, who became a friend.

Michael Winner, who directed Todd in the 1978 film "The Big Sleep", said: "Richard Todd was the most wonderful type of British stiff upper lip acting.

"He was a good friend and wonderful to work with, utterly professional, very quiet, just got on with it."

Todd experienced personal tragedy in later life when two of his sons committed suicide.

Born Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd in Dublin on June 11, 1919, the actor was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1993.

May he Rest In Peace. Here is an excerpt from "The Longest Day". He plays Major John Howard and he's relived by The Earl of Lovett, after capturing Pegasus Bridge hours before.




Here's Todd in "The Dam Busters" Check the similarities between this scene and the X-wing battle in "Star Wars: A New Hope"




Image: Time / Life

Ken Ober, host of MTV "Remote Control" 1957 - 2009

Another icon of the eighties has bitten the dust!

Ken Ober, a brassy comedian best known as the host of the 1980s-era MTV game show "Remote Control," was found dead on Sunday in his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 52.

The cause was not immediately known.

Lee Kernis, who represented Ober for more than 20 years, confirmed the death, saying he was last heard from on Saturday night, when he spoke to a friend and complained of a headache and flu-like symptoms. Ober told the friend that he was going to take something and would see a doctor, Kernis said.

Ober grew up idolizing game show hosts like Bob Barker and Bob Eubanks and went on to host four game shows of his own, including a revived version of the old-time classic "Make Me Laugh" on Comedy Central in 1997.

His breakthrough came a decade earlier. He had received national exposure as a contestant on "Star Search," reaching the semifinal round in the comedy competition, when MTV hired him in 1987 to be the host of "Remote Control." It was among the network's first original series to focus on nonmusical content.

"Remote Control" tested participants' knowledge of television, music-video and pop-culture trivia. The show, which was a launching pad for the careers of comedians like Adam Sandler and Colin Quinn, drew much of its sarcastic, self-mocking spirit from Ober, who ran the program like a late-night talk show (or frat party) and gleefully teased players who gave wrong answers.

"His personality really brought `Remote Control' to life, as well as a new style of programming for MTV," Van Toffler, the president of MTV Networks, said Monday. "We were really flying by the seat of our pants then, and Ken was the reason it worked."

In recent years Ober was a producer on comedy series like "Mind of Mencia" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

Ober was born on July 3, 1957, in Brookline, Mass., and grew up in Hartford. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1980, he began performing standup comedy based primarily in New York.

He is survived by his mother, Claire Freeman; his father, Bud Ober; his stepmother, Iris Ober, and a half-brother, Andrew Freeman.

Joseph Wiseman, Actor, Villain in "Doctor No" 1918-2009

Oh No!

NEW YORK – Joseph Wiseman, an actor who played the sinister scientist and title character of Dr. No in the first James Bond feature film, has died. He was 91.

Wiseman, who had been in declining health, died Monday at his home in Manhattan, his daughter, Martha Graham Wiseman, told The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

A screen and stage actor, Wiseman's film credits include "Detective Story" (1951) and "The Unforgiven" (1960). He also had guest roles on television shows "Law & Order," "The Streets of San Francisco," "The Twilight Zone" and "The Untouchables," according to The New York Times.

He is likely best known, however, for his villainous role in "Dr. No," the first in a long string of James Bond movies. The 1962 film introduced Sean Connery as James Bond and also starred Ursula Andress.

Wiseman was born in Montreal on May 15, 1918. He moved to the United States with his family when he was a boy.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Wiseman started acting when he was a teenager, getting his start in summer stock.

In 1938, he was given a small part in his first Broadway play, Robert E. Sherwood's "Abe Lincoln in Illinois."

Wiseman's other Broadway credits include "Joan of Lorraine" (1946), "Antony and Cleopatra" (1947), "Detective Story" (1949); and most recently in the stage adaptation of Abby Mann's film "Judgment at Nuremberg" (2001).

"Stage acting was what he wanted to be remembered for," Wiseman's daughter told the Los Angeles newspaper.

Goodbye Mr. No!

Capt. Lou Albano, Wrestler, 1933-2009

Pro wrestling legend Captain Lou Albano passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 76.

Lou was admitted for hospice care earlier in the week following a hospital stay. The wrestler had struggled with his poor health in recent years, suffering a heart attack in 2005.

Albano, a former wrestler for the WWF, was most popularly known to the non-wrestling world as Cyndi Lauper's father in the video for Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

He became an iconic figure in the Eighties and relaunched his fading career and the almost dead WWF.

You will be dearly missed, Captain Lou.

The inspiration for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" has passed away.

LONDON (Reuters) – The woman who inspired the iconic Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" has died, a charity said Monday.
Lucy O'Donnell was a childhood friend of John Lennon's son Julian, and the song title was inspired by a picture that he had drawn of her at school.
"That's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," Julian explained to his father when he took the picture home.
Many fans believed that the classic 1967 hit, recorded for the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, was a thinly disguised paean of praise for the hallucinogenic drug LSD.
But O'Donnell, a housewife whose married name was Vodden, revealed two years ago that she had in fact been the source.
"I remember Julian and I both doing pictures on a double-sided easel, throwing paint at each other, much to the horror of the classroom attendant," O'Donnell told BBC radio in 2007.
"Julian had painted a picture and on that particular day his father turned up with the chauffeur to pick him up from school."
The St Thomas' Lupus Trust charity said O'Donnell had died aged 46 from the autoimmune disease lupus.
It said Julian and his mother Cynthia, Lennon's first wife, were "shocked and saddened by the loss of Lucy."
"It's so sad that she had finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long," said Angie Davidson, the Trust's campaign director.

I always tought LSD was that...just LSD. It was real after all! Far out man!

Patrick Swayze - Dancer, Actor - "Dirty Dancing" "Ghost" "Red Dawn" 1952-2009

We just received word of this sad news.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Patrick Swayze, who went from Broadway dancer to Hollywood star in box-office hits like "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," died on Monday after a two year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.
Swayze died at home with his family at his side, his publicist said.
He became a pop culture icon with 1987's "Dirty Dancing," which defied Hollywood expectations to become one of the most-watched movies of all time.
Swayze played the swaggering dance instructor Johnny Castle in the film opposite Jennifer Grey's sheltered teenager Frances "Baby" Houseman, who becomes smitten with him while on vacation at a New York resort during the 1960s.
Swayze was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease, in January 2008. He said at the time that the cancer had already spread to his liver.
But the actor and former dancer vowed to fight the disease and had treatment with an experimental drug. He then surprised Hollywood by filming a new detective series for television called "The Beast" in which he played the grueling lead role. The series was broadcast earlier this year.
"Dirty Dancing," which was made for a modest budget and almost scrapped by its studio, became a massive box-office hit, earning Golden Globe nominations for both stars and spawning the Oscar-winning hit single "(I've Had) The Time of My Life."
Producers did not have high hopes for the film but it reaped $64 million at the U.S. box office and $214 million worldwide.
Swayze co-wrote and performed the song "She's Like the Wind" for the movie's soundtrack, which went to No. 3 on the pop music charts. The film remained widely popular more than two decades later and recently spawned a stage musical version.

In 1990 "Ghost" was an even bigger hit than "Dirty Dancing" with a domestic box office take of more than $217 million and $505 million around the world.
Swayze starred as Demi Moore's deceased lover, Sam, in the tear-jerker romance, which was nominated for a best film Academy Award.
Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for her supporting role as a spiritual medium who helps Sam communicate with his girlfriend from beyond the grave. Goldberg said it was Swayze who convinced director Jerry Zucker to cast her.
Swayze was born in Houston on August 18, 1952, and was introduced to performing early. His father was a champion rodeo cowboy and his mother owned a ballet studio.
Swayze trained in dance from a young age and performed for New York City ballet companies before moving to Broadway.
His portrayal of Danny Zuko on Broadway in "Grease" caught the attention of Hollywood and he moved to the West Coast in the late 1970s, appearing in small TV and film parts.
His breakout roles came in 1983's boyhood drama "The Outsiders" and 1984's "Red Dawn" in which he and future "Dirty Dancing" co-star Grey played teenagers fighting invading Russians.
After "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," Swayze suffered several career setbacks, including a battle with alcohol.
Attributing some of his problems with drinking to his sudden fame and the Hollywood lifestyle, he moved back to Texas with wife Lisa Niemi but worked in such films as "The Green Dragon" and "Donnie Darko," both in 2001.

He had the time of his life.

RIP

Larry Gelbart - M.A.S.H., A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 1928-2009

On of the legendary comedy writers has reached the final punchline.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Writer Larry Gelbart, who developed the hit television show "M*A*S*H" that uncovered a rich wellspring of comedy and pathos in war, died of cancer on Friday at age 81.
He died in Los Angeles, his talent company, Creative Artists Agency told Reuters.
The Emmy-winning "M*A*S*H" lasted 11 seasons, becoming one of the most honored shows in U.S. television history before ending in 1983, with a final episode that set a record by attracting more than 106 million viewers.
Gelbart penned the 1972 pilot for "M*A*S*H," a comedy set in the 1950s Korean War, which used that conflict as an allegory for the Vietnam War, in which the United States was embroiled during the early years of the series.
The show, based on a 1970 movie of the same name by director Robert Altman, was about wise-cracking doctors operating on the wounded just a few miles from the front lines, in what they called "meatball surgery," because it called for quick action.
Producer and director Gene Reynolds called on Gelbart to write the pilot script for "M*A*S*H," and he went on to write for other episodes. He also served as executive script consultant and shared an Emmy award with Reynolds when the series won for outstanding comedy in 1974.
Born the son of a barber, Gelbart began his career writing for radio as a teenager, writing for comedian Danny Thomas and later for the show "Duffy's Tavern."
Later, while in the U.S. Army radio service, he wrote for personalities like Jack Paar and Bob Hope, before going on to work on 1950s television programs such as the comedy "Caesar's Hour," writing alongside Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner.
Gelbart also co-wrote the book "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," which became a Broadway musical in the 1960s, and the 1982 movie "Tootsie" starring Dustin Hoffman.
He was inducted last year into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
Gelbart is survived by his wife, Pat, children Adam and Becky, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Exit stage left, curtains.
So long Larry. You made us laugh. Thank You.

Ted Kennedy to be laid to rest on Saturday.

On Saturday, Ted Kennedy will join his slain brothers, former President John F. Kennedy and former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, as he will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, after being remembered and celebrated at Mission Hill church in Boston.

In tribute to Kennedy, President Barack Obama has ordered the flags fly at half-staff on federal buildings and at the White House in Kennedy's memory and he will be speaking at the funeral.

Dominick Dunne 1925 - 2009

The Celebrity Grim Reaper strikes again!

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Veteran American author and journalist Dominick Dunne died of cancer in New York on Wednesday, his long-time employer Vanity Fair magazine said.
Dunne, who was 83, joined Vanity Fair in 1984 and covered such high-profile stories as the O.J. Simpson trial and the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
He was also known for his profiles of the rich and famous, including Elizabeth Taylor and Claus von Bulow.
Dunne was a prolific author as well, with books including "People Like Us" (1988) and "An Inconvenient Woman" (1990).

Apart from all this, Dominick Dunne lived a tragedy no parent should have to endure, as his daughter, actress Dominique Dunne (Poltergeist, V ) was killed by her live-in boyfriend on Halloween, 1984. He beacme a victims advocate and covered the trial of the murderer for Vanity Fair.

The killer died in 1992 of a drug overdose.

May you have peace, Dominick.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy 1932-2009

BOSTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said.
"Edward M. Kennedy, the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply, died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port (Massachusetts)," the Kennedy family said in a statement early on Wednesday.
One of the most influential and longest-serving senators in U.S. history -- a liberal standard-bearer who was also known as a consummate congressional dealmaker -- Kennedy had been battling brain cancer, which was diagnosed in May 2008.
His death marked the twilight of a political dynasty and dealt a blow to Democrats as they seek to answer President Barack Obama's call for an overhaul of the healthcare system.
Kennedy was a longtime advocate of healthcare reform, a signature issue of Obama's presidency. Obama said on Wednesday he was heartbroken to hear of the death of Kennedy, a crucial supporter of his presidential candidacy.Known as "Teddy," he was the brother of President John Kennedy, assassinated in 1963, Senator Robert Kennedy, fatally shot while campaigning for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, and Joe Kennedy, a pilot killed in World War Two.
When he first took the Senate seat previously held by John Kennedy in 1962, he was seen as something of a political lightweight who owed his ascent to his famous name.
Yet during his nearly half century in the chamber, Kennedy became known as one of Washington's most effective senators, crafting legislation by working with lawmakers and presidents of both parties, and finding unlikely allies.
At the same time, he held fast to liberal causes deemed anachronistic by the centrist "New Democrats," and was a lightning rod for conservative ire.
He helped enact measures to protect civil and labor rights, expand healthcare, upgrade schools, increase student aid and contain the spread of nuclear weapons.
"There's a lot to do," Kennedy told Reuters in 2006. "I think most of all it's the injustice that I continue to see and the opportunity to have some impact on it."
After Robert Kennedy's death, Edward was expected to waste little time in vying for the presidency. But in 1969, a young woman drowned after a car Kennedy was driving plunged off a bridge on the Massachusetts resort island of Chappaquiddick after a night of partying.
Kennedy's image took a major hit after it emerged he had failed to report the accident to authorities. He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and received a suspended sentence.
Kennedy eventually ran for his party's presidential nomination in 1980 but lost to then-President Jimmy Carter.
His presidential ambitions thwarted, Kennedy devoted himself to his Senate career.Born on February 22, 1932, Edward Moore Kennedy was the last of four sons and five daughters born to millionaire businessman Joseph Kennedy, who would later be ambassador to Britain, and his wife, Rose.
The Boston Irish family combined the competitive spirit of nouveau riche immigrants with acquired polish and natural charm. The sons were expected to mature into presidential timber and were groomed for that starting with the oldest, Joseph Jr., a bomber pilot who died in World War Two.
"I think about my brothers every day," Kennedy told Reuters. "They set high standards. Sometimes you measure up, sometimes you don't."
Like his brothers, Kennedy was known for his oratory, delivered in a booming voice at rallies, congressional hearings and in the Senate.
He drew praise from liberals, labor and civil rights groups and scorn from conservatives, big business and anti-abortion and pro-gun activists. His image was often used by Republicans in ads as a money-raising tool.
Tragedies dogged Kennedy throughout his life. They included a 1964 plane crash that damaged his spine and left him with persistent pain; bone cancer that cost son Teddy a leg; first wife Joan's battles with alcoholism that contributed to their divorce, and drug problems involving nephews, one of whom died of an overdose. His nephew, John Kennedy Jr., died in July 1999 when his small plane crashed into the ocean near Cape Cod.
In May 2008, Edward Kennedy collapsed at his Cape Cod home and was flown to hospital in Boston, where he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Brain cancer kills half its victims within a year.
Kennedy's illness kept him from attending the funeral of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a leading advocate of the mentally disabled, who died on August 11 at the age of 88.
(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro in Washington and Patricia Zengerle in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts; Editing by Peter Cooney)

RIP