RIP in 2009

[Snowflake]

It seems to early to start this kind of thread, but since I'm on someone's list, I seem to have my fingers on the pulse of who bites the dust.

927

[Moonliner]

Oh. So this is for people that have already died rather than a wish list for the coming year?

[Alex]

Also already gone this year (from TV and screen):

Edmund Purdom - MGM epics back in the '50s, replaced Marlon Brando in The Egyptian.

Pat Hingle - Character actor, played Commissioner Gordon in the Keaton/ Kilmer Batman movies. Also, back in the '60s he survived a 50+ foot fall down an elevator shaft.

Don Galloway - Sergeant Brown on Ironside.

Steven Gilborn - TV character actor, Ellen Generes's dad on her sitcom.

[Snowflake]

Alex is correct (as usual)

929

930

931

932

I'll continue to post them as they arrive.

Centennials for 2009:
928

[JWBear]

Don Galloway, I remember him! Now I can put a name to the face. He was very handsome. (I love the scruffy look he has in that picture with James Farentino!)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Don Callender (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/callender-don-marie-2277431-kitselman-mother), founder of Marie Callender's.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Don Callender (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/callender-don-marie-2277431-kitselman-mother), founder of Marie Callender's.Hope he gave his mom a cut.

Pat Hingle! I never knew his name. I know that face.

[Snowflake]

Don Callender (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/callender-don-marie-2277431-kitselman-mother), founder of Marie Callender's.

Damn good pies!

[Tref]

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z1/Tref_foto/bob1.jpg

April 11, 1932 - Jan 7, 2009

[Alex]

Ned Tanen - Head of motion pictures at Universal and Paramount in the '70s and '80s.

Ray Dennis Steckler (aka Cash Flagg) - Director of low budget cult horror movies in the '60s and eventually moved on to low budget porn.

Harry Endo - Che Fong on Hawaii 5-0

Claude Berri - French director and screenwriter; won a Best Live Action Short Academy Award in 1966 for The Chicken.

Tom O'Horgan - Theater director including Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Lenny.

[Snowflake]

I'm really sad about Bob Wilkins, boy there is a part of my childhood.

935

936

937

[Gemini Cricket]

Jean de Florette... I need to watch that again.

[Snowflake]

Originally posted by Mousepod, here's a pic link.

938

[Snowflake]

Gosh, the way things are going, you'd think I obessed over dead celebrities....;) and Alex beat me to it, of course.

HARRY ENDO Died Jan. 9, 2009

Actor Henry Endo died of a stroke at age 87. Mr. Endo was best known
for his role as Che Fong on the hit TV series "Hawaii 5-0." He was an
original cast member and worked on the series for its entire run from
1968 through 1980. Mr. Endo also worked on the TV shows "Jake and the
Fatman," "Magnum, P.I.," "Murder, She Wrote" and "Code Name: Diamond
Head." Mr. Endo served his country in the US Army during WWII.

[Alex]

It is being reported that Ricardo Montalban has died.

[€uroMeinke]

Khan!

[Snowflake]

Holy Moly! What the heck is going on? :eek:

Bob Thomas is reporting here (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011402602.html?hpid=moreheadlines)

If it were Shatner, Euro, it would be:

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN"

My first thought was the sound of his voice enunciating "Reeech Corinthian Leather"

[Strangler Lewis]

I actually have a Ricardo Montalban story. Twenty years ago, one of my last pre-law school jobs was working as a waiter at Hamburger Hamlet in Beverly Hills. The wait staff was a mix of "kids" like me and older ladies who had been there twenty years. We'd get the occasional celebrity, and some turned heads more than others. One day, Ricardo Montalban came in and sat at the counter. The older ladies kind of went nuts, and he was, like all good celebrities, very gracious. Biggest reaction I saw that year.

And if you're keeping score, Ken Wahl was a distant second.

I don't think that restaurant's there any more.

[Kevy Baby]

I don't think that restaurant's there any more.Sadly, no: it is gone. There are still locations in Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, and West Hollywood (http://hamletrestaurants.com/index.php?q=locations.html).

And the East Coast!

[Ghoulish Delight]

I...and he was, like all good celebrities, very gracious...
I remember the same from the one time I met him.

[Moonliner]

Hamburger Hamlet in Beverly Hills.

Sadly, no: it is gone. There are still locations in Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, and West Hollywood (http://hamletrestaurants.com/index.php?q=locations.html).

And the East Coast!


Yup. We got them out here. 2nd Best Lobster Bisque in the country.

[Moonliner]

He ain't dead yet, but Steve Jobs ain't looking too good right now.

Steve Jobs takes leave of absence from Apple (http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/14/technology/apple_jobs/index.htm)

[Strangler Lewis]

Yup. We got them out here. 2nd Best Lobster Bisque in the country.

Ah, the bisque, the bisque. The m*f*cking bisque.

When I worked there, there were some things that were free for us, some that were half price and some we had to pay full price for.

And then there was the bisque. The bisque, the bisque. The m*f*cking bisque.

Which we were not allowed to have during our breaktime meals. Now management could have lied and said, "Well, it costs a lot to make, we only make so much, and we don't want to run out." Instead, they said, "If the guests see the employees eating the bisque, it will make it seem less special."

[Moonliner]

Instead, they said, "If the guests see the employees eating the bisque, it will make it seem less special."

Well in their defense, It is one hell of a bisque.

[Ghoulish Delight]

But was it special?

[Alex]

John Mortimor - Creator of Horace Rumpole (which must have been on PBS a lot in the '80s since I know who that is). Also, defended The Sex Pistols on indecency charges after they said "bullocks" in an album title.

And in one of those oddities, yesterday a man by the name of Leonard Andrews died. He was famous in art circles for having bought the entirety of Andrew Wyeth's Helga paintings.

Then today Andrew Wyeth died.

[Snowflake]

Bullocks was a department store, right? Wasn't the album cover bollocks? Or am I mis remembering?

[Ghoulish Delight]

John Mortimor - Creator of Horace Rumpole (which must have been on PBS a lot in the '80s since I know who that is).
Yup, my parents watched Rumpole of the Bailey.

[Alex]

Yes, a typo. Bollocks was the indecency.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Bullocks was a department store, right? Wasn't the album cover bollocks? Or am I mis remembering?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a8/Never_Mind_the_Bollocks.jpg/200px-Never_Mind_the_Bollocks.jpg

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Not a celeb, but I think he was "KOH" or King of Hearts on the Fab Board and on MC. He passed away. I remember him being a bit of a troll but seems to had found a place at MC.

RIP.http://micechat.com/forums/micechat-main-lounge/110354-rest-peace-alan-king-hearts.html

[Morrigoon]

RIP

[Alex]

Kathleen Byron - British actress, most notably probably being Black Narcissus.

Bob May - He was the guy inside the robot suit in Lost in Space (but was not the voice).

Susanna Foster - Paramount actress in the early '40s, flared bright but faded quickly. Most notably in the Claude Rains version of Phantom of the Opera.

[Morrigoon]

OMG! I didn't hear about Susanna Foster. Lovely girl back then.

[Alex]

As NA mentioned in another thread:

John Updike - Novelist, not too much exposure on film but wrote the novel of the same name that resulted in The Witches of Eastwick.

Kim Manners - TV director and producer. Most prominently involved in The X-Files.

Charles H. Schneer - Producer, worked frequently with Ray Harryhausen on many of his classics (for example: Jason and the Argonauts, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Clash of the Titans).

[cirquelover]

It loks like Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd has pased away. My brother was a big fan of them back in the day.

Here's a link to where I found it:http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=349800&GT1=28102

[Kevy Baby]

It loks like Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd has pased away. My brother was a big fan of them back in the day.

Here's a link to where I found it:http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=349800&GT1=28102Hopefully now Gary Rossington will stop touring as Lynyrd Skyryd (he is the only surviving original member).

[€uroMeinke]

Lux Interior (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/cramps-frontman-lux-interior-dies-1003938315.story) of the Cramps

http://1.media.tumblr.com/7J0sZfajbjkbq7aktKunBr6ko1_500.jpg

[CoasterMatt]

I used to see them from time to time, when Lux and Poison Ivy lived in Glendale.

:(

[Deebs]

Lux? Stop it! :(

[mousepod]

Last time I saw The Cramps was almost 20 years ago - but I'm still so bummed out about this... I guess we can hope for a zombie Lux.

[Deebs]

Last time I saw The Cramps was almost 20 years ago - but I'm still so bummed out about this... I guess we can hope for a zombie Lux.

Same, same, and hey! Zombie Lux would be cool.

[Kevy Baby]

Zombie Lux would be a great name for a band!

[Not Afraid]

I was poking around on Wiki and found out that Cramps guitarist Brian Gregory died quite a while ago.

[Alex]

James Whitmore - Character actor, nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar in his first significant role back in 1949. Most familiar to me as Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption.

[Strangler Lewis]

James Whitmore - Character actor, nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar in his first significant role back in 1949. Most familiar to me as Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption.

I loved him in "Them!"

There's probably a "Miracle Gro" joke here somewhere.

[Snowflake]

990

[Alex]

Haven't been keeping up but Ron Silver kicked it today.

[Alex]

Removed because the ultimate source of what I was reading may have been premature.

[Snowflake]

Removed because the ultimate source of what I was reading may have been premature.

You're such a tease, Alex.

[Alex]

It was about Natasha Richardson, but I'm seeing different information on different sites.

[wendybeth]

It looks like it's not going to be good news, whatever happens. I really like Natasha- she seems like a very down to earth and gracious person. Too sad.

[Alex]

I knew she is Vanessa Redgrave's daughter but I wasn't aware she is married to Liam Neeson.

[Ghoulish Delight]

It looks like it's not going to be good news, whatever happens. I really like Natasha- she seems like a very down to earth and gracious person. Too sad.
I saw an updated report that made it seem like it may not be as serious as first reported. The later report said she fell, was alert and responsive, then later started complaining only later that she wasn't feeling well and was conscious when 911 was called and she was taken to the hospital. That version sounds like minor concussion, not "traumatic head injury" as first reported.

[wendybeth]

Fox is now reporting that she's on life support, and is being flown back to NY before being taken off the machines. Her family has announced that they will release a statement tomorrow. That doesn't bode well, imo.

Edited to add: Huffington Post update (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/17/natasha-richardson-brain_n_175764.html)

[Alex]

Yeah, that is why I redacted. I can't tell if the various "she's brain dead" stories are all originally sourced or just echoing Fox/NY Post's first story.

When TMZ and NY Post are in disagreement I admit to uncertainty how to proceed.

[Snowflake]

Well, I will hope for the best. Poor Liam Neeson and family, if true. :(

[Moonliner]

Good lord, she was on the bunny slope for God's sake.

Tragic.

[Snowflake]

Good lord, she was on the bunny slope for God's sake.

Tragic.

I wondered about this, seems rather incongruous. But, who the heck knows. Sad. :(

[Kevy Baby]

Removed because the ultimate source of what I was reading may have been premature.

You're such a tease, Alex.It was about Mark Twain

[Not Afraid]

I'm not liking the updates I'm hearing about her condition. It is still unconfirmed by the family, but it seems her head injury caused internal bleeding and she had "talk and die syndrome".
‘Talk and die patients’ describes a small number of patients who present with a mild head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] 13–15) and then subsequently deteriorate and die from intracranial causes.

If she is, in fact, brain dead it seems they are bringing her back to NY so family can gather and say their goodbyes before she is taken off of life support.

It's very tragic and scary.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally posted by Stan4dSteph on Twitter:

Angel star Andy Hallett (Lorne) dies aged 33
Andy Hallett, a singer who gained fame portraying a green-skinned demon on the cult US TV series Angel, has died of congestive heart disease aged 33.Story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7976513.stm)

He was my favorite character on Angel.

[Strangler Lewis]

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/More-bad-news-Mark-The-Bird-Fidrych-dies-at-5?urn=mlb,155384)

I remember his amazing rookie year. At the time I thought he was a bit of a hippie, but in retrospect, I'd take a dozen Fidryches of 1976 happily talking to the baseball over all the belligerent, scary-facial-haired setup men that pollute the game today.

[Alex]

Marilyn Chambers died today too. But I'm sure nobody here would know who she is.

[Gemini Cricket]

Marilyn Chambers died today too. But I'm sure nobody here would know who she is.
I know.
Whodathunk I'd know?
:D

[Moonliner]

Marilyn Chambers died today too. But I'm sure nobody here would know who she is.

It's always sad when a woman I've seen naked and in person (at the same time even) dies. They She will be missed

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Dude, I didn't even have to look Behind the Green Door to know who Marilyn Chambers is/was.

Why do the 'mos know this information...?

[ozron]

Oh, we know. We're just reluctant to admit it.

[€uroMeinke]

Why wouldn't we know the Ivory Soap girl?

[mousepod]

J.G. Ballard (http://www.ballardian.com/) died yesterday. It wasn't unexpected, but still sad.

[Snowflake]

Jack Cardiff (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/apr/22/jack-cardiff-black-narcissus-cinematographer), awesome cinematographer of Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and many other classic and great films.

94, a good long time to be around. RIP Jack, I loved your work.

[Alex]

With the passing of Bea Arthur, the Golden Girls are now tied with the Beatles for number of living members.

[Strangler Lewis]

With the passing of Bea Arthur, the Golden Girls are now tied with the Beatles for number of living members.

The cute one and the silly one in both cases.

[JWBear]

Was Bea John or George?

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Nooooo! I can't believe Bea Arthur is gone. I loved her, and then I loved the postmodern ironic appreciation of her. (No one else looks as good naked in a velvet painting.)

Oh, Bea. "We'll... always be bosom buddies... friends, sisters and pals..."

[lashbear]

RIP Bea
:(:( :( <----- Very Sad Cheese from this Golden Girls fan.

[lindyhop]

Frankie Manning passed away on Monday. I posted this thread (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?t=7955&highlight=frankie+manning) about him last year. I knew he was in the hospital with pneumonia which is not a good thing when you're 94 years old. Now the big celebration in New York at the end of May will be a memorial instead of the planned 95th birthday party.

Frankie influenced dancers all over the world. There was a big write-up in the LA Times on Tuesday. I didn't realize he was the first dancer to do an "air step" or aerial. I feel privileged that I got to take his classes at several dance camps and dance the Shim Sham with him leading hundreds of us from the stage. Despite his injury last year he stayed as active as he could and shared his stories until the end.

[CoasterMatt]

RIP Dom DeLuise (http://www.tmz.com/2009/05/05/dom-deluise-dies/) :(

[Snowflake]

:-(

Addio, Dom you made me laugh.

[Ghoulish Delight]

:( So sad. Goodbye Dom.

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/9687/supersite/images/koos5.jpg

[CoasterMatt]

RIP Salamo Arouch (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-salamo-arouch4-2009may04,0,6733086.story)

[Snowflake]

Are you the bringer of death today, CM?

[CoasterMatt]

I feel like death today.

[cirquelover]

I loved Dom. He is one of my treasured memories of childhood. I hope he's knocking 'em dead up there somewhere. He was a very warm and funny man.

My cheese is very sad :(

[Strangler Lewis]

Oh, I used to buy a pickle.
It only used to cost a nickel.
And a busride only used to cost a diiiime.
Those days can be forgotten.
The world has gotten rotten.
Lotsa luck.

Lotsa luck, Dom.

[Alex]

Since pretty much any live action movie he was in was horrible (not because of him necessarily) my fond memories of him are kind of odd. There is (or was, I haven't listened since about 2002) a syndicated home improvement radio call-in show (I forget the name) that Lani and I would frequently end up listening when we were on an early morning Saturday road trip.

For some reason completely unclear to me, they had Dom DeLuise on every week to do a 15 minute COOKING segment. He was very fun to listen to and it helped cleanse the odor of Cannonball Run II.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Dom always did cooking bits on talk shows and such. That's what I knew him as for much as my childhood, the funny fat guy who did cooking bits.

[Disneyphile]

Aw! I loved Dom! :(

Forgot to post a few days ago, but for fans of Vegas acts, Danny Gans (http://www.dannygans.com/) suddenly passed away too - far too young.

[Alex]

Dom always did cooking bits on talk shows and such. That's what I knew him as for much as my childhood, the funny fat guy who did cooking bits.

Yeah (I got that impression though I'd never seen them), I just found it odd that he was doing it on a show about how to clean driveways or build a back deck.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

My Dom story:

I was an extra in a brilliant film called "Baby Geniuses" and I was walking to the set when I hear a commotion behind me. Dom was rushing by with several paper grocery bags filled with food and a big log of bread sticking out. He was with someone laughing and being everything you'd expect. I held the door for them as they rushed by, apparently off to cook for the cast and he wasn't even in the scenes shot.

From Blazing Saddles (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/title/tt0071230/quotes#qt0371725) (1974)
Buddy Bizarre (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): [yells into the ear of an actor] WRONG!
[hits the actor in the head]
Buddy Bizarre (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): Watch me! It's so simple! Give me the playback! Watch me, faggots!

History of the World part 1
Emperor Nero (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): Here, wash this!

Haunted Honeymoon:
Aunt Kate (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): Where's Francis Jr.?
Francis Abbot Sr. (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0891092/): I don't know, Kate. He told me he was coming up this afternoon. I thought sure he'd be here in time for dinner.
Aunt Kate (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): One of my dresses is missing. Has he been at it again?
Francis Abbot Sr. (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0891092/): No!
[stammering]
Francis Abbot Sr. (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0891092/): Uh, n-n-no no I.
Francis Abbot Sr. (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0891092/): [explaining to Vickie] My son does this wonderful impression of Aunt Kate. He's got her voice down to a tee. And well, sometimes he likes to, uh, put on one of Aunt Kate's dresses to entertain at family gatherings.
Vickie Pearle (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0705717/): I see.
Francis Abbot Sr. (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0891092/): [upbeat] Oh, you should have seen him last Christmas. Such fun.
Aunt Kate (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): [sarcastic] Yes. And when the police dragged him out of the ladies room at Sach's Fifth Avenue, *that* was fun.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Sheriff of Rottingham (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0715953/): Don Giovanni, if I may say so, your lizard looks limp.
Don Giovanni (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/name/nm0001123/): [holding lizard] Yeah, well, when you get to be my age... Oh! My lizard! Oh yeah!
He's dead.

[Strangler Lewis]

And, of course, somewhere, he and Nipsey Russell are cutting Dean Martin's hair and talking bawdy.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Wayne Allwine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Allwine), the voice of Mickey Mouse. My cheese is so very sad.

[BDBopper]

Wayne Allwine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Allwine), the voice of Mickey Mouse. My cheese is so very sad.

Being legally blind I get much more out of hearing than I do my vision. I recognize voices more than most and there are a set of those voices that are so familiar to me that even though I might not know that voice personally, that voice is like an old friend. Wayne's Mickey Mouse was one of them. No matter what mood I was in, I became all smiles when I heard it. All was right with the world.

Another "friend" from my childhood has passed on. Wayne will be missed. My condolences to his wife, Russi Taylor (voice of Minnie Mouse). They worked so well. My condolences go out to the rest of the "Gang" too. From podcasts I know that Bill Farmer (Goofy and Pluto) and Tony Anselmo (Donald) all had a blast working together.

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

[Ghoulish Delight]

David Carradine (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525069,00.html) - 73, died while filming a movie in Bangkok, reportedly of natural causes.

[blueerica]

Dang.

RIP, Grasshopper.

[Moonliner]

David Carradine (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525069,00.html) - 73, died while filming a movie in Bangkok, reportedly of natural causes.

Of course what passes for "natural causes" in Bangkok is a fairly wide gambit.

[Kevy Baby]

David Carradine (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525069,00.html) - 73, died while filming a movie in Bangkok, reportedly of natural causes.Thee are rumors that it might be suicide (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Kill_Bill_star_found_hanged&in_article_id=678957&in_page_id=34).

[Prudence]

There are apparently conflicting reports on whether the death was suicide or not.

Edited: Damn it - beaten to the punch. I'm seeing lots of suicide reports, though. LA Times, Kevy's link, even GD's link now says suicide. CNN is not yet saying.

[Alex]

GD's link now says apparent suicide as well.

ETA: Why bother reading all the posts first? Why not just look silly saying what's already been said.

[Ghoulish Delight]

You know, I wonder if anyone's considered the possibility that it was suicide.




Hey, did y'all know that David Carradine died?!

[Snowflake]

Queen of the Blues, RIP (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090604/ap_on_en_mu/us_obit_taylor)

[Andrew]

Hey, did y'all know that David Carradine died?!
I heard he was beheaded.

(Okay, bad taste.)

[Prudence]

Hey, I started typing before Kevy posted and can't very well unpost. I'm so sorry I violated the sacred "never repeat anything" law that is strictly observed here on LoT.

[Moonliner]

On the bright side, I learned a brand new word today: Erotic asphyxiation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoerotic_asphyxiation)


a rep for David Carradine, who claims the actor's death was not a suicide.

The rep said David's death was "accidental." And there's this ... the BBC is now reporting that David's body was found hanging with a rope around his neck and "other parts of his body.

[Alex]

Well, if so that is two semi-major celebrities who've accidentally offed themselves thusly. It's a once-a-decade epidemic!

[Kevy Baby]

I heard he was beheaded.Where he be headed to?

On the bright side, I learned a brand new word today: Erotic asphyxiation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoerotic_asphyxiation)You should have learnt that with Michael Hutchence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hutchence#Death) (the reference that Alex was making).

[Alex]

I'm trying to decide if accidentally killing yourself in a masturbation accident is a kind of sad or glorious way to go when you're 72.

[Moonliner]

I'm trying to decide if accidentally killing yourself in a masturbation accident is a kind of sad or glorious way to go when you're 72.

Depends on the finish I suppose.

[RStar]

Depends on the finish I suppose.

Wouldn't that be death?

[Kevy Baby]

In what he was (allegedly) doing, one hopes to stop just short of death.

[flippyshark]

In what he was (allegedly) doing, one hopes to stop just short of death.

You're supposed to stop at "the little death."

[Gemini Cricket]

Dang.

RIP, Grasshopper.
E~
This is so bad, but that made me laugh.
I apologize.
:D

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Posted on www.newsfromme.com (http://www.newsfromme.com)

RIP.


Comic book and animation artist Dave Simons has died at the age of 55 following a long battle with cancer.

David Lloyd Simons was a native New Yorker with a childhood passion for comic books. Art teachers encouraged and advised him, and while he was serving in the Coast Guard in the seventies, he began attending classes conducted by one of Marvel's star artists, John Buscema. Dave would later say he owed his career to those workshops, citing not only Buscema's teaching but also the friendships he forged there with other young artists, including Armando Gil and Ken Landraf. At a 1979 comic convention, he showed his work to Rick Marschall, who was then an editor for Marvel, and this led to Dave getting work at the company. His first assignment was inking a Falcon story that I wrote and which was pencilled by John's brother, Sal Buscema.

Dave followed it with work on many Marvel titles including Howard the Duck, Tomb of Dracula, Ghost Rider, Red Sonja, Conan the Barbarian and many more, segueing from inking to also at times, pencilling. He also worked for DC and Disney, but by the early nineties, had moved more into animation work. Among the shows that featured his design and storyboard work were G.I. Joe Extreme, Captain Planet, Masters of the Universe, Exo-Squad and Courage the Cowardly Dog.

He was a very talented, enthusiastic artist. His work was well-liked and Dave was well-liked. A lot of folks are saddened to hear we've lost him.

[CoasterMatt]

RIP Ed McMahon :(

[flippyshark]

RIP Ed McMahon :(

Wow. Breaking news, and very sad. If there is a next life, Johnny's got good backup now.

I guess this means Ed isn't showing up at my door with a giant check. :(

[flippyshark]

Re: Dave Simons

Looking at the list of comics he worked on - Tomb of Dracula, Conan, Howard the Duck - I've got LOTS of his work in the terrific black and white reprint anthologies that are now so easily available. (Tomb of Drac is my fave - I've got all four volumes!)

[Strangler Lewis]

So long, Ed. I'll raise a glass of Alpo in your honor.

[Snowflake]

RIP Ed

[Kevy Baby]

RIP EdWhat are we going to say when Rip Taylor dies?

[Gemini Cricket]

RIP Rip

[innerSpaceman]

sounds like a frog.

[Gemini Cricket]

sounds like a frog.
Silly rabbit. Posts don't make sounds.
:D

[JWBear]

What are we going to say when Rip Taylor dies?

He's still alive?!

[Kevy Baby]

He's still alive?!Yep

So is Rip Torn

Maybe if they both kick it on the same day we can say RIP Rip n Rip

[CoasterMatt]

I've got a baggie of Rip Taylor confetti- he was one of the funniest, nicest guests I've ever had to help at work.

[BarTopDancer]

He's still alive?!

Or, I thought he died years ago!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Farrah Fawcett (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30072275/ns/entertainment-celebrities/).

[Strangler Lewis]

He's still alive?!

A guy we went to high school with does his web site.

[blueerica]

Yep.

[Strangler Lewis]

Farrah Fawcett (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30072275/ns/entertainment-celebrities/).

She was the it girl to me as a kid. Saturn 3 wasn't a bad movie, but I probably wouldn't have seen it but for the promise of her bare breast.
(Well, there was Kirk Douglas's butt.)

Today I think I'll let Noxema cream my face with its great balls of comfort.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

It bizzare and sad because she was really the first pin-up girl of our generation. RIP

[mousepod]

Michael Jackson (http://www.tmz.com/).

[scaeagles]

Michael Jackson has reportedly died of a heart attack. (eta: beaten by mere seconds by mousepod)

[Ghoulish Delight]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[BarTopDancer]

How about some links other than TMZ? Everything else still says rushed to the hospital.

[katiesue]

Totally inapropriate question - how did they pinch his nose shut to do cpr?

[Tom]

CNN is reporting that he suffered cardiac arrest.

[Snowflake]

:eek:

Holy Sh!t!

My childhood just flashed before my eyes.

[Tom]

People says the Fire Captain confirms that the paramedics found Jackson not beathing and performed CPR.

[Ghoulish Delight]

A 2nd source other than TMZ (X17online, never heard of them, but there ya' go) is reporting that he's died.

[innerSpaceman]

Well, it's certainly not official as of this post. Reputable news organizations are still refusing to say.

There was a bit of a delay confirming Kennedy was dead, so he could indeed be dead.


Or, ya know, not.

[Tom]

LA Times:
Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson is in a coma and his family is arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Oh, man. A tragic life, a lot of darkness - but I won't ever forget wearing a single glove and a Michael Jackson pin at the age of five. Dancing to his music - and don't kid yourself, it was ****ING GREAT music - in my basement. I'm genuinely sad.

[Tom]

LA Times:
Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.

[BarTopDancer]

Well, it's certainly not official as of this post. Reputable news organizations are still refusing to say.

There was a bit of a delay confirming Kennedy was dead, so he could indeed be dead.


Or, ya know, not.

I wouldn't be surprised, but I want something besides TMZ or outlets parroting the TMZ story.

Thanks Tom!

[innerSpaceman]

The little boy in me cannot mourn all that much for his demise, if it's true.


Neverland man ... meet the real Neverland.


I'm not celebrating or anything, but while a great musical talent ... this guy is not, imo, deserving of all the love. He did some horrible stuff.



Half of it to his own face.

[Snowflake]

Oh, man. A tragic life, a lot of darkness - but I won't ever forget wearing a single glove and a Michael Jackson pin at the age of five. Dancing to his music - and don't kid yourself, it was ****ING GREAT music - in my basement. I'm genuinely sad.

No kidding LSPE. While I neither had a basement nor a white glove, Jackson 5and Michael Jackson was a big part of my musical life growing up. He had some serious talent, incredible talent.

I still have Thriller and Off the Wall, great albums. :(

[Nephythys]

:(

I saw this too-very sad. Sad for the loss of who he was, who he could have been- and for his children.

[Morrigoon]

A bit morbid, but...

If he is dead, then we can go back to enjoying his early music without remorse.

[Ghoulish Delight]

If an LA Times blog post can be considered official, it seems to be official.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Times is now pulling that story. Friend of a friendofa says he's in a coma.

[katiesue]

We have the TV on here at the office and NBC News just confirmed as well.

[Prudence]

This is now the big news here in the office. Everyone is talking about it. Poor Farrah - bounced off the front page.

[Ghoulish Delight]

This is now the big news here in the office. Everyone is talking about it. Poor Farrah - bounced off the front page.
Which, based on her reaction to the press she got while ill, is probably exactly what she would have wanted.

[Nephythys]

Just like Natasha Richardson-brain dead, coma- release news they are dead later.

:(

[Betty]

I still love the Thriller dance. I have no idea why. Just do.

[Disneyphile]

I'm going to be sick.

Don't care if I'm laughed at, but I'm really really upset over this. He's one of my three childhood idols, and I've always had a dream of meeting him and/or seeing him in concert. I've always loved his music, and he was even one of the inspirations for me to dance.

I just can't wrap my brain around it right now. :(

[Nephythys]

I'm going to be sick.

Don't care if I'm laughed at, but I'm really really upset over this. He's one of my three childhood idols, and I've always had a dream of meeting him and/or seeing him in concert. I've always loved his music, and he was even one of the inspirations for me to dance.

I just can't wrap my brain around it right now. :(


DP- me too. Shed tears over this and I don't care if anyone laughs at me too. I grew up admiring him- loving his music and his dancing. I grieved over the choices he made sometimes and the way people took advantage of him.

So I'm right there with you-

[Snowflake]

Okay, time to roll out the Michael Jackson in person story. I was at the Classical Annex Tower on Sunset shopping, latish at night. In walks the man himself who calmy walks about flipping through the bins and picking a few CDs. I was shocked, said nothing and all I can remember is he had the most beautiful purple eyeshadow on over those dark eyes.

[Gemini Cricket]

MJ is dead. Gone. Blown away.

[Alex]

MSNBC has him dead now as well.

I guess life wasn't worth living without Farrah Fawcett.

Bea Arthur, David Carradine, Farah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson. It is '70s and '80s nostalgia week (using an expanded definition of "week") at the mortuary apparently.

ETA: CNN just changed from coma to dead too.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Don't care if I'm laughed at, but I'm really really upset over this.

No, you're not alone. I actually teared up when telling coworkers about dancing to his music as a child.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I met him. His sister Rebe was a member of the JW congragation. He came one day and greeted us all. It was just before Thriller hit.

He was big - did alot of good for alot of people - he made people happy - he made some bad choices. Sad to see him go but in a way it's kinda poetic. He's never gonna be "old" and he'll be remembered as he was.

[Jazzman]

I've got very mixed feelings about Jackson. One the one hand, he was a genius who's music crossed all boundaries. Regardless of what a person's particular interest is, everyone has at least one favorite Michael song. However, he was a twisted kid raper. How can I ignore that? My Grandma Ellie was a juror during his trial and shared with us the sick sh!t that he did, and I have a hard time ignoring all that. But still, the musician in me is mourning, regardless. Difficult dichotomy...

[Moonliner]

I'm going to fall back on mom's advice, If you don't have anything nice to say....


However my heart does go out to his kids and family.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Like everyone else, I'm completely shocked. I heard the news getting a cup of coffee a little while ago at Peets while waiting for Matthew. Everyone in the store was talking about it and I assumed they must be mistaken. We rushed home and were further confused when CNN refused to confirm it. Last I saw, they were still saying that "the LA Times reports..." but hadn't confirmed. It seems the rest of the civilized world is confirming it though.

For me, his personal life has never held any remote interest to me. I'm not convinced that he molested anyone, although he certainly could have. But I'm a musician, and to deny his enormous talent would be ludicrous. My affection for his music spans much farther back than Thriller. I remember watching him as a little kid when I was extremely young and, even then, thinking "wow." I never stopped thinking that. He was simply amazing. And I can't help but feel very sad right now.

[Nephythys]

I've got very mixed feelings about Jackson. One the one hand, he was a genius who's music crossed all boundaries. Regardless of what a person's particular interest is, everyone has at least one favorite Michael song. However, he was a twisted kid raper. How can I ignore that? My Grandma Ellie was a juror during his trial and shared with us the sick sh!t that he did, and I have a hard time ignoring all that. But still, the musician in me is mourning, regardless. Difficult dichotomy...

I'm sorry- please cite his conviction. Date and sentence served please?

I intend no disrespect for your family member- but there was no conviction. If he was, as you say, a "twisted kid raper" and such sick things were shared in court- then why would he walk out a free man?

[cirquelover]

My kid just told me about MJ, of course I had to jump on to see if it was true. I am shocked. He wasn't that old but seemed to have health problems but still!

[blueerica]

Holy sh*t.

I can't... honestly can't... believe what I'm reading.

I'm with you guys when you talk about how much his music impacted our lives. I remember being 5, like LSPE, wearing one glove and having the pins. I remember having the pre-Thriller Michael Jackson record player with microphone, so I could sing along, a la karaoke.

What a tragic life, and to paraphrase what's already been said - what was and what could have been. I was always so crushed to think that my idol had been anything less than perfect, but never really stopped adoring the talent and genius behind the man.

May he finally have the peace he didn't have in life.

[Nephythys]

My kid just told me about MJ, of course I had to jump on to see if it was true. I am shocked. He wasn't that old but seemed to have health problems but still!

He had just passed a physical in prep for the comeback tour in London-

[Disneyphile]

I'm playing his music right now. Set up a new playlist on my iPod for my favorite stuff by him.

The freaky part - put that playlist on shuffle, and the first song to play was "Gone Too Soon". :eek:

I am really in shock. I'm gonna be having a few drinks tonight and playing his music. So much for getting work done. I just... can't. In a way, I just want to dance. :(

[blueerica]

:(

[Jazzman]

I'm sorry- please cite his conviction. Date and sentence served please?

We all know he was acquitted. According to my grandmother, after the jury was told to dismiss certain testimony and ignore certain evidence, there was nothing left to convict him on. But, she has always been adamant that he obviously did it, whether the legal system deemed it so or not. I can't ignore that.


Still, he was a brilliant entertainer and his contributions to music are so monumental that he changed the face of the artform and there will never again be anyone like him. His genius will be missed, whether his other actions are or not.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

CNN just reported the official coroner release that he's dead.

[Gemini Cricket]

Oh sh!t. The jokes are already coming out on Twitter/FB... Sheesh!

[Disneyphile]

Oh sh!t. The jokes are already coming out on Twitter/FB... Sheesh!I know. :mad:

Even in death, people will not just leave him alone.

So, I wonder who everyone is going to pick on now? MJ's only left so much material for "comedians", and it'll run dry very quickly.

[Jazzman]

Oh sh!t. The jokes are already coming out on Twitter/FB... Sheesh!

I've seen a few that are so funny that I feel bad for laughing at them. Won't post them yet...

[Disneyphile]

I've seen a few that are so funny that I feel bad for laughing at them. Won't post them yet...Let me know first, so I can make sure to post a few about some of the great late jazz legends at the same time.

[lashbear]

I'm really sad. I got to see him in concert (sneaked in, actually: we paups were all sitting outside the stadium in Parramatta listening to the concert when security flung open a gate near the front of the stage (to let people out, we assume) but it was only the 4th to last song of the concert - we all crushed in, and got to stand at the front of the stage for the last 3 songs !! ) and I love his music.

If I hear a recording of "Ben" anytime soon, I'm gonna cry for sure.

[Jazzman]

Blech... Al Sharpton is on TV right now using Jackson's death as a soapbox to bitch about race. What a tool.

[Strangler Lewis]

Always loved his music. Could never quite reconcile the affable looking teen from the old days with the train wreck that followed.

I can't say I'm shocked. On the one hand, it was easy to picture him going out like Liz Taylor, only capturing the public eye with each new hospitalization. On the other, it was hard to imagine him playing this part into his dotage. It will be interesting to see if this was truly natural causes.

[Jazzman]

Let me know first, so I can make sure to post a few about some of the great late jazz legends at the same time.

Love to hear 'em. Probably pretty funny, especially if they're about Bird or Miles. But everyone's mourning Michael, yourself included, so I'm not going to be doing so any time soon.

[cirquelover]

He had just passed a physical in prep for the comeback tour in London-

Well, when he was overseas there were many reports of illness and I know when he was in Vegas he was having health issues. No he didn't have cancer like Fawcett did but he had been ill quite a bit in the last few years.

I have seen no reports that he just passed a physical, considering most of his shows were postponed until 2010.

[Andrew]

Jeff Goldblum (http://www.manolith.com/2009/06/25/jeff-goldblum-too-another-rumored-death/). Or so it is currently reported (http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ncl=dJ6-gVNpl0TaMKMRi5j_vCAFb_AbM), without much detail or corroboration.

[Ghoulish Delight]

!!!!!!!! OMG, what a tragic day! (though none of those 3 links re:Goldblum are working for me right now, so I'm hoping that's a sign of falsehood)

[lashbear]

I had to look it up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSqo17o2a1w). Pass the kleenex.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Damnit! Here's (http://screencrave.com/2009-06-25/report-jeff-goldblum-has-died/) a link that loads re: Goldblum. Still unconfirmed, but it's being reported by New Zealand state police. :( :( :(

I may need to watch Life Aquatic tonight.

[Jazzman]

From what I've been seeing, the Goldblum news is a hoax capitalizing on Fawcett and Jackson. Very lame if true.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yeah, the Goldblum think is looking rumorier and rumorier by the second...especially now that I see Harrison Ford's name being kicked around also.

Let's see who else falsely dies before the dust settles.

[BarTopDancer]

Jeff Goldblum (http://www.manolith.com/2009/06/25/jeff-goldblum-too-another-rumored-death/). Or so it is currently reported (http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ncl=dJ6-gVNpl0TaMKMRi5j_vCAFb_AbM), without much detail or corroboration.

He's filming in NYC.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Well, the New Zealand Herald isn't reporting anything about Goldblum. It seems like if anyone had the story, it would be them.

[scaeagles]

Regarding Jackson.....I have never been one to grave dance. I never really enjoyed his music, and it seemed to me for whatever reason he was a very disturbed individual. I can't say if he ever molested a kid, but he sure paid out a lot of money to at least one family to keep them quiet, and also had interviews where he talked about having cookies and milk in bed with young boys. While not convicted of anything, I find that at least creepy and inappropriate.

That being said, even in the passing of my own mom I found jokes nothing to be offended about and even made them myself. Some found/find that to be morbid, but people are different. If you don't like the jokes, avoid them.

[innerSpaceman]

Really, at this rate, it will be rumoured that everyone on Alex's 70's/80's list will be dead by nightfall.


I must have missed the Michael Jackson boat. I'm a lot older than most on this board, so I remember him very fondly as the breakout star of the Jackson Five.

But like so many glam artists of the 80's, he just wasn't my cup of tea. Though I did like a few of his songs, his music was never OMG. And his obvious notoriety as a hugely successful artist was eclipsed by his notorieties in many other, less flattering areas.

I came to appreciate his music very much after the fact. But really, the only music I have of his anywhere in the house is Captain EO. As much more of a Disney freak than I ever was an MJ fan, that's how I know him best.


I'm sad mostly because so many people are saddened. I can't help but sympathize with that, and be affected by the overwhelming vibe of disbelief and sadness that seems to have struck the world.

But we all gotta go sometime. It's tragic he was so young ... but perhaps for someone so obsessed with youth - his own and that of others - never growing old was only fitting.

[Andrew]

Jeff Goldblum alive (http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/2539113/Jeff-Goldblum-alive) -- stuff.co.nz

I would hate to have someone spreading rumors about me dying just because other famous people had also died. Lame.

[Morrigoon]

I don't know, if I was Jeff Goldblum, I might be honored to be thought of. After all, they could have started that rumor about a bigger star.

[Jazzman]

Where do people even come up with crap like that? And what are the criteria? "Hey, Michael Jackson just died. Let's pick someone off the B-List and tell people he died too! Quick, put in Scene-It and see who comes up first!"

[mousepod]

Only a rumor, but I heard that the Michael Jackson cardiac arrest was from a self-administered sleeping pill overdose...

[BarTopDancer]

MySpace is fading fast (http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/06/myspace-chopping-employees-left-and-right-as-relevance-fades.ars)

[innerSpaceman]

Well, mousepod's in the music biz ... so i believe his rumor.


Omg, they should shut the internet down for 24 hours. Where's Iran when you need her?

[Jazzman]

Hopefully not, but if this is a semi-suicide then it'll cement his legacy in the pantheon of tragic Hollywood deaths, a la Marilyn, Dean, and Ledger. He's even more immortal now, if that's possible.

[mousepod]

A little research says that the pill story is most probably a fake.

[innerSpaceman]

ok, my computer at home is working again ... and i think i wish it wasn't. If ever there was a night to have no internet, this is shaping up to be it.


Think I'll log off for a few hours and let the rumor mill build to a furor.

[Nephythys]

Well, when he was overseas there were many reports of illness and I know when he was in Vegas he was having health issues. No he didn't have cancer like Fawcett did but he had been ill quite a bit in the last few years.

I have seen no reports that he just passed a physical, considering most of his shows were postponed until 2010.

link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31552029/ns/entertainment-music/)

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Michael Jackson had been planning to start a series of comeback concerts in London and had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months. Promoters of the shows said in March that he had passed a lengthy physical examination.

[mousepod]

Sky Saxon is dead. What a weird day.

[Nephythys]

link to claim he had injected Demerol just before the heart attack (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2501914/Michael-Jacksons-last-moments.html)

Autopsy will show much-time will tell.

I hope, truly hope, it was not suicide.

[innerSpaceman]

I hope not, too. But I'd have to say it would almost be stranger if Jackson's death wasn't a weirdness.

[Betty]

This is somewhat joking so I'm going to spoiler it. If you're sensitive to this issue, please pass this by.

Do you suspect that the preferred Halloween costumer this year will have something to do with this? Michael Jackson with the glove, as in thriller, or in some fashion involving children and inappropriateness?

[CoasterMatt]

Today just sucks

[Disneyphile]

And, it continues... now the media is "following the path of his body to see where it's taken". Good grief!

[innerSpaceman]

This is somewhat joking so I'm going to spoiler it. If you're sensitive to this issue, please pass this by.

Do you suspect that the preferred Halloween costumer this year will have something to do with this? Michael Jackson with the glove, as in thriller, or in some fashion involving children and inappropriateness?

What's weird about that to me, Betty, is I've been constantly thinking of my friend Bryan's awesome and award-winning Captain EO costume of just last Halloween. He was fantastic, and had a sound-system with Michael Jackson tunes eminating from the costume all night. Can't get it out of my mind now.

[Strangler Lewis]

Possible choices for the faithful include Graceland or a waiting spaceship, but I suspect it will be somewhere far more mundane.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Count me among the MJ fans, feeling sad and reminiscent today.

At my summer camp we were allowed to pick our troop name to match a theme. One year the theme was music, and I was proud to be in the "Michael Jackson troop". We only won after a raffle, since everyone wanted that to be their name.

I'm not sure which year, but at that same camp we each got a white glove to glue sequins to for a craft project. I remember feeling let down when mine didn't look anything like Michael's.

One time a talented fan of my father's auto repairs drew him a charcoal sketch of MJ in his "Sgt. Pepper" jacket as a thank you. My dad gave it to me, and I dutifully colored it in with crayons and posted it above my bed until it was brown and crispy with age.

My brother and I would regularly play the song "Beat it" and renact the fight using a dishtowel to tie our hands together. Thriller and Bad had regular rotation. I even loved Dangerous, one of the last albums I bought on cassette.

I credit MJ's music with my love of dance music in general. Some of you know how much I love to dance!

There's so much more to say, but perhaps I should stop there.

[Jazzman]

Any bets on how much the ambulance he was taken to the hospital in will be sold for? And to whom?

[Not Afraid]

I'm glad Goldblum isn't dead. He flirted with me at an Oscar party and it's my one grand Hollywood story.

Fawcett was expected and I'm glad she's no longer suffering.

Jackson is a shock but not necessarily a surprise. There's only so much abuse a body can take. Still, he was an immense talent.

[€uroMeinke]

Never a big fan of MJ's music, but the Coachella before last, Dimitri from Paris played a set that included ABC from the Jackson 5 - Lisa and I danced like crazy good fun. Couldn't help but think of the single I once had cut from the back of a cereal box.

As for Farah - ah well, to quote someone else today, "they should send her nipples to the Smithsonian" - damn they made that poster - and a mere 19 years ago, that Playboy spread she did at age 50 - Nipples like Dotts candies - it was reliving the adolescent sex goddess dream.

I feel my 70's childhood died today.

[flippyshark]

Ah, all the girls at my Junior High who tried to wear Farrah-dos.

I had the poster for a while, and I sure loved it, but perhaps its ubiquity meant I took it down sooner than others. Anyway, it's one of those images so prevalent, I don't even need to look at it to see it. It's etched fine on some part of my grey matter, and god bless Farrah for it.

I remember admiring her work in The Burning Bed, and I hear she is good in The Apostle, which I still haven't seen.

As for Jacko, well, I met him and he was nice. (I've told the tale elsewhere, and it's late.) Culturally, he signified the 80s at least as much as Farrah stood for the 70s. (I never had a poster of him, though.) I remember when Thriller premiered on MTV - it was a party with friends, complete with popcorn, Coke and, if I recall right, Tangy Taffy. Musically, I was into hipper stuff, but I admired the slickness, energy and broad appeal of what Michael was doing. Later on, I was often sad about the apparent self-loathing, the unfortunate cosmetic decisions, and of course, the alleged pedo-crimes. It's impossible not to have mixed feelings.

This week has been full of reunions with friends from 20 years ago, and news of icons dying. At this moment, I want to stop revisiting the past and keep my gaze forward. I've done a lot of melancholy misting up the last seven days, but with plenty of joyous laughs and smiles as well. I'm f**king exhausted!

[Nephythys]

Mixed feelings aside-I am adding all my MJ to my iPod- bought a couple I did not have- and watched Captain Eo on Youtube. I also dug out my stuffed butterfly fluffball critter from the movie-

Yeah-

[Disneyphile]

Ya know, I love the hypocrisy of people who think MJ is ****ed up, especially on the plastic surgery front.

How is bleaching skin and modifying one's nose beyond recognition any worse than piercing and/or tattooing multiple body parts, or other forms of body "modification"? Yet, that seems more "acceptable".

I find MJ's plastic surgery less disturbing than people with multiple piercings or massive "plugs" on their various parts. I think we should all start calling those people ****ed up freaks. Besides, that amount of "modification" is only a symptom of deep emotional and mental problems, right? :rolleyes:

[Tref]

I reflected on the sad news to-day and realised I have quite a few nice memories of listening to his music with friends. And it seems these memories go back as early as my memory will allow. I have always been aware of MJ and I have always been a fan. God bless Michael Jackson!

[mousepod]

Well, just to play devil's advocate, most people I know who adorn or modify their bodies with tattoos and/or piercings tend to have explanations for their choices, whether it be for beauty, trying to fit into a cultural norm, or rebelling against a norm. I don't remember Michael Jackson ever really addressing any of his skin bleaching or facial modification as a choice, but rather that he was reacting to some mysterious ailment. Apples and oranges.

[Strangler Lewis]

Ya know, I love the hypocrisy of people who think MJ is ****ed up, especially on the plastic surgery front.

How is bleaching skin and modifying one's nose beyond recognition any worse than piercing and/or tattooing multiple body parts, or other forms of body "modification"? Yet, that seems more "acceptable".

I find MJ's plastic surgery less disturbing than people with multiple piercings or massive "plugs" on their various parts. I think we should all start calling those people ****ed up freaks.

Fine with me. I think the standard issue human body is a rather beautiful thing, and I find everything you mention, MJ included, sad and disturbing.

[Chernabog]

Not even 12 hours later, and I'm sick of Michael Jackson's death. The news is like "he'll be remembered forever as a chart-topping entertainer!" Ummm more like as a freak pedophile, but I digress...

I mean, I liked Thriller as much as the next kid back in the 80s, but it didn't last past that Black or White video.

[Tref]

I mean, I liked Thriller as much as the next kid back in the 80s, but it didn't last past that Black or White video.

Well, then you lasted nine years and that ain't bad.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I don't think anyone can deny that he had mental problems, or at least, an inability to cope.

Just handling regular fame is pretty damn hard. When the fame starts and you're still a child, it messes you up pretty good, as is evidenced in dozens of other tragic examples. When the fame starts in childhood AND flares up again when you're an adult, and oh yeah, you become the most famous person on the planet for a few years, not to mention the eternal cash flow and inability to walk around like a human being anymore, the damage is beyond all reckoning, IMHO.

No one could handle all that well, and anyone with even a mild issue would go batsh1t crazy.

I admit it, for these last 15 years or so, I would wince at the sound of his name and turn away from any news about him. He had become something so monstrous, who even wanted to think about it? I'm not even referring to the alleged molestation (which I still believe isn't true) but his sham of a marriage. Ugh, did you even see that music video he made with her? It was beyond repulsive how they attempted to pretend affection for each other. I was so bitterly disappointed. Nothing was the same after that.

It became impossible for me to acknowledge that this person was the same man. I feel as though I've already mourned his passing...as if these last 15 years or more were part of a horrible deadly diagnosis, eating away at his skin and his mind for so long...and that he really left us way back when.

[Morrigoon]

Good way of putting it.

I preferred his early music anyway, so I mostly ignored him these last few years. But that was partly from the icky feeling I'd get when I enjoyed his music, remembering all that he'd become (and for the record, I do believe he touched some boys). Now I can go back to enjoying the music on its own merits, without the accompanying icky feeling that I'm sending money to MJ.

Watching that moonwalk video, I was reminded of how very attractive he was in 1983. No wonder I had a small crush on him at age 6. What on earth possessed him to mess that up I'll never understand.

[tracilicious]

Well said, CP.

[Disneyphile]

Vincent Van Gogh lobbed off his own ear to show his love for a prostitute.

Yet, his works are highly revered and people speak of his talents, rather than discussing what a crazy mother****er he really was. Sadly, the press wasn't around to sensationalize it in those days.

And, quite frankly, I'm tired of the hype given to ugly paintings throughout the centuries. Hell, I wouldn't even hang them in my bathroom. Why the hell should they deserve being displayed in a museum when they're painted by crazy-ass mofos?

Crazy people shouldn't be admired, even if they've created good works. ;)

Sorry... just channeling some of the "logic" I've heard today in various forums.

I'd really like someone to point out an artist who didn't do some kind of wacky **** in their lifetime.

Or, better yet, would everyone who likes to point fingers at the wrongdoings of celebs still look "perfectly sane and normal" if virtually every action they perform was caught on tape? I know damn well that some people would be repulsed at knowing about some fetishes/desires/thoughts that "normal" people keep under wraps.

I think CP makes a good point. Yes, he was a troubled man, mostly by product of his environment. But, to hear people flat out call him a pedophile, freak, etc. based on media hype is just crass and ignorant.

[Morrigoon]

Dphile: I guess the major difference was that, with MJ being alive, admiration and patronization of their works led to money in their pocket. We can enjoy the works of Van Gogh without being concerned that purchasing prints of his work help fund him stalking his exes.

With MJ, until today, enjoying his works, or works he owned the rights to, meant indirectly putting money in his pocket that he could use to lure little boys (ala Neverland Ranch).

Jackson made some great freaking music, especially in his early days before he "got too weird" (to quote my dad's friend who used to be his interior designer). And now that he is no longer a danger to anyone, we can once again appreciate his works without the spectre of who he is overshadowing our enjoyment.

And before you get on my case about this, remember how you are more than happy to revile Michael Vick, even though he was a good football player. Surely you can agree that the crimes can affect appreciation of the talent.

[Disneyphile]

And before you get on my case about this, remember how you are more than happy to revile Michael Vick, even though he was a good football player. Surely you can agree that the crimes can affect appreciation of the talent.Simple difference - Michael Vick was convicted of his crimes.

And, how do you know that MJ was a "danger" to people and used his money to "lure little boys" to his ranch? Were you there? Did you see the evidence firsthand? Media hype is quite convincing, isn't it?

What about people who state, "I can't wait for so-and-so to be legal age"? I'm sure most of us here have seen/heard that very statement on here. If people were to see that and weren't familiar with this board or its members, they'd probably start thinking, "What a sick pedophile!" too.

I knew this would happen, so I'll shut my mouth now. But, I'm certainly not alone in how I feel, and thankfully, I know that.

[Morrigoon]

Whoa hey, don't get me wrong... I'll still give him credit for the work he's done. But I can't say that my enjoyment of his works wasn't sullied by my belief in his wrongdoing.

[Kevy Baby]

Got an email tonight from a friend of mine (very much a straight shooter). Slightly edited to protect privacy.

As some of you know, I was working on the rehearsals for the Michael Jackson
comeback tour/show at the Staples Center the last couple of weeks. It looked
like I might go to London for a couple of weeks to install the XXX
part of the show.

Well, you all know what has happened.

I just want to mention how very surreal it is to be this close to something
like this. I've seen on TV when a star passes, just not when I was waiting
for him to show up. At the Staples Center we watched reports today on CNN,
saw reporters, then turned around to look out the window and could see the
report going on outside. New experience for me.

Last night he looked vibrant and healthy, and went until midnight. We were
all kind of stunned. Again, just very weird being on the inside of this.

[Alex]

Yet, his works are highly revered and people speak of his talents, rather than discussing what a crazy mother****er he really was.

I don't think this is a good example. The only reason most people know who Van Gogh is, is because he took off the ear. Seriously, people who couldn't pick out one of his paintings in a lineup with cereal boxes will be able to tell you what a crazy mother****er he was.

That said, I never considered him a freak because of the bleaching and plastic surgery. All indications were the he was severely emotionally crippled in various ways and certainly was eccentric (and I suspect he wasn't necessarily aware that he was eccentric) but I never cared what he did to his body. But then, even though my two first musical memories involve him, I remained indifferent to his brand of fame so he was just a curiosity that occasionally came up.

[Alex]

The TV journalist's template for the Significant Celebrity Death:


http://picturesforsadchildren.com/blog/famous.png

[innerSpaceman]

DP, I don't necessarily want to get into it with you, because you're obviously a bit touchy about it ... and someone you cared for and admired just died, so that's perfectly cool.

But need I remind you OJ was never convicted of a thing. The justice system is not so perfect that we need rely on it completely. I guess people in California really DO have the right to take away my civil rights, huh? The Court says so.

I hope you'll at least grant dispensation to Jazzman, whose own grandmother relayed to him testimony she heard as a juror in court. Conviction not necessary for her particular convictions.


I know it's in poor taste to speak ill of the dead, and I don't want to belabor this point. But in MJ's case, his "legacy" is indeed mixed ... and every news outlet in the world concurs. I don't think we must shy away from that on the LoT.


I'll certainly grant talent often travels side-by-side with eccentricity. But Michael inspired quite a debate over his character while he was alive, and I don't see how that's going to be stifled upon his shocking and untimely death.

[Nephythys]

I knew this would happen, so I'll shut my mouth now. But, I'm certainly not alone in how I feel, and thankfully, I know that.

No you're not alone. I am also sick of people calling him a pedophile when he was acquitted- fer goodness sake- innocent until proven guilty unless your convicted in the court of public opinion by people who need something- ANYTHING-to explain to themselves why someone who is different and a little odd must have something sick and wrong with them-

Maybe it makes them feel better to condemn him in their own minds for something that a legal court could not-

Whatever-

[Nephythys]

But need I remind you OJ was never convicted of a thing.


He was found responsible for their deaths in a civil case-but not the criminal case.

So yea, he was convicted-he was made by the courts to pay for their deaths.

MJ was not- at all.

[Alex]

MJ paid a reported $25 million to keep a civil case from actually going to trial after which the paid off family refused to participate in the criminal trial, forcing it to be abandoned (this is the accusation from the early '90s).

I don't really have strong feelings on the issue but the perception that Michael Jackson did some bad things to young boys is not without some justification.

[scaeagles]

Curious - In your opinion Nephy, why did MJ make the huge payoff he did to the family of that one young boy?

Do you find it inappropriate for a man who isn't the father of young boys (admittedly) having cookies and milk in bed with them?

[lashbear]

Media can trial anyone and make anyone innocent or guilty without the need for a court. We all know that.

My own belief (and I'll just pop my 2c in here just to balance the scales) is that MJ was yearning to recapture the child within so badly. In part (a lot, actually) I understand where he came from. I spend a lot of time (way too much, in fact) trying to recapture the experiences, smells, tastes, feelings of the childhood I remember fondly (and also changing history for myself by re-writing unhappy memories too).

Do I wish I could have my own personal Disneyland in my backyard? One where I could go without being bothered by the press, and one I can fill with kids who appreciate it for it's innocence, it's fun, just the giddy in-the-moment times you have as a kid without worrying about where the family meals are going to come from, or who might be waiting to lop down the tall poppies?

You betcha.

Would I build a house where I could invite those kids who are sick, dying, or from underpriviledged homes to spend some happy days watching movies, having fun and forgetting their own sadness outside at home - just letting them know they can be happy and teaching them to carry the flame of happiness within when all without appears lost? I'd love to.

I'm not going to comment on any other stuff either, because there will always be the "nobody knows what went on behind closed doors" argument from plenty of folk - actually, let me just say that I believe this is the reason that he may have settled with the families: Without evidene one way or the other, if a child makes an accusation at the urging of parents in order to reap a large settlement, wouldn't you just settle out of court, rather than be found guilty by a media-biased jury (and you've all said a lot of people believe he was strange anyway, so why not just believe the kid, huh? - bias that would be easy to engender in the jury) , but I just wanted to say that I personally don't believe the Adult Child that was Michael Jackson meant to give those kids anything more than the Ohana love, support and happiness he so desperately wanted for himself.

End of soapbox.

Oh, Stoat wants to add: Who can't think of at least one person who hasn't at one time or another thrown money at a problem to make it go away quickly, even though they're not personally responsible for the problem? (My EG: Kevy at a certain dinner ?)

[Nephythys]

MJ paid a reported $25 million to keep a civil case from actually going to trial after which the paid off family refused to participate in the criminal trial, forcing it to be abandoned (this is the accusation from the early '90s).

I don't really have strong feelings on the issue but the perception that Michael Jackson did some bad things to young boys is not without some justification.


No- it's not- but he was not convicted and there is room to believe he was the victim.

-as for the family- if someone had touched my kid I would not take a payoff. So that makes me suspect that they just wanted the money in the first place- not justice.

Curious - In your opinion Nephy, why did MJ make the huge payoff he did to the family of that one young boy?

Do you find it inappropriate for a man who isn't the father of young boys (admittedly) having cookies and milk in bed with them?

A mistake? Wanted to make it go away. MJ seemed like just a big kid- and frankly not very worldly wise- and I think the people around him hurt him more than they helped him. -and like I said, why did they take it? Because they wanted the $$$$- not justice for their kid.

-and weird, odd, unique- yes-but not inherently menacing or sexual. I think there is proof galore of his driving need to stay in childhood-at any cost. Children have sleepovers-

Was he emotionally stunted, immature- yes. A sick predator? I don't believe so-in the end, God will judge-not us.

[3894]

MJ's life became grotesque but his artistry remains forever sublime.

Peace to all who grieve.

[Alex]

but I just wanted to say that I personally don't believe the Adult Child that was Michael Jackson meant to give those kids anymore than the Ohana love, support and happiness he so desperately wanted for himself.

I am open to that possibility (like I said, I have no strong feelings one way or the other) but if people didn't really like his music I honestly don't think there'd be any significant portion of the population that would give him that benefit of the doubt, especially in the face of two separate accusations from children.

I've certainly never seen such a benefit given to any other person in the face of such accusations.

[Alex]

No- it's not- but he was not convicted and there is room to believe he was the victim.

Yes, there is. But that's true of everybody at some point who faces such charges. Yet, Michael Jackson is the only case where I've seen people bend over backwards and give such support to the idea that in the absence of a criminal conviction nothing happened.

That's not a bad idea, just one that rarely has broad support. Except when celebrities of a certain level are involved.

[Nephythys]

I am open to that possibility (like I said, I have no strong feelings one way or the other) but if people didn't really like his music I honestly don't think there'd be any significant portion of the population that would give him that benefit of the doubt, especially in the face of two separate accusations from children.

I've certainly never seen such a benefit given to any other person in the face of such accusations.

-I think I question how much of the accusation came from the children and how much came from their parents who saw dollar signs when they looked at MJ.

[Alex]

Yes. That's my point, if you didn't like his music you probably wouldn't question that.

Celebrity and wealth has its rewards. It buys doubt.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm pretty well convinced that what he engaged in was the kinds of non-sexual sexual games that children play with each other. "You show me yours, I'll show you mine. Let's play doctor." I have no basis for that other than the public evidence of his stunted emotional maturity and clear attempts to recapture his childhood. He probably felt like he was acting just like one of the kids, doing things that, when done between two adolescents, are perfectly innocent and natural, but when done by an adult with an adolescent are at best creepy and worst wildly inappropriate, even if no actual sex act is involved.

I don't think he ever intended to abuse or harm children, he probably thought he was doing them a service by being an adult who "understood" them. In that way, I more pitied him than anything. He didn't fit in the adult world and he wasn't allowed (rightly) to participate in the childhood world he wished he could.

[Nephythys]

Yes. That's my point, if you didn't like his music you probably wouldn't question that.

Celebrity and wealth has its rewards. It buys doubt.

My belief that those parents saw a payday in MJ have nothing to do with me liking his music.

I am not a fan of many kinds of music-I would suspect the same if any of them were accused of the same.

If they are tried and convicted- then I'm wrong about them.

[mousepod]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Lizzie_borden.jpg/225px-Lizzie_borden.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Errol_Flynn1.jpg/220px-Errol_Flynn1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/Arbuckle.jpg/220px-Arbuckle.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Michael_Jackson_1984.jpg

[Ghoulish Delight]

Her name was Rappe, she was asking for it.

[mousepod]

Demerol, Demerol.
Oh God, he's taking Demerol.
:eek: