Test Pattern : Tributes

Farewell Bernie, we hardly knew ye

Denise Hazlick — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:50:00 GMT

I awakened early this morning to the news that comedian Bernie Mac had died at age 50 of pneumonia. Mac, born Bernard McCullough, was hospitalized late last week and, despite suffering from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease, he was expected to be released and to recover. All of which made this morning's news that much more surprising and sad....(read more)

Better to burn out than fade away?

Kurt Schlosser — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:00:00 GMT

You'd have to be dead to not know that this is a big week for a particular movie star who is no longer with us. Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker in the new Batman film is being hyped and hailed as Oscar worthy, and for the first time since "No Country For Old Men" I'll probably make a trip to the theater. Warner Bros. For me, Ledger falls into the category of celebrities who died too soon and are actually worth missing. His death from an accidental overdose of prescription pills...(read more)

Carlin's clean humor was also hilarious

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:34:00 GMT

Everyone’s writing about George Carlin’s famous “Seven Dirty Words” routine as we mourn him. I heard that routine again on satellite radio this morning, and yes, it had me laughing. But I don’t want to forget that Carlin could also set a room of nuns and prudish grandmas to laughing with humor that you COULD say on television....(read more)

Harvey Korman made us -- and himself -- laugh

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Harvey Korman, who died today at age 81, appeared in a number of big-name movies, from "Blazing Saddles" to "High Anxiety" (not to mention the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special"). But to a large contingent of fans, he will be remembered as much for how he made himself laugh as for how he made us laugh....(read more)

Thank you, Kurt Vonnegut

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:06:00 GMT

The most shocking thing about losing Kurt Vonnegut was realizing he was already 84. Something about that shock of curly hair, the mischievious face, and above all, the accessibility of his writing made him seem forever thirtysomething. We thought we'd have him around forever, that he'd somehow managed to pull a Billy Pilgrim and come unstuck in time....(read more)

Rob and Amber, 'Real World,' goodbye to Betty Hutton

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:03:00 GMT

Some readers have complained that "American Idol" is beginning to dominate this Weblog. Sorry about that, but it's likely to play a prominent role in posts here until the show's May finale. It's the 800-pound gorilla of TV right now, and with stories such as the Mario Vazquez lawsuit, the show just keeps pushing itself into the news....(read more)

A lily for Lily Munster

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:58:00 GMT

Yvonne DeCarlo, the Hollywood beauty best known to many of us as Lily Munster on "The Munsters," has died at 84.

Although one of my cats is named for Wednesday Addams of the rival monster-family series "The Addams Family," I was really a bigger fan of "The Munsters" as a kid. "Addams" wins out for edginess, but "Munsters" fulfilled its purpose beautifully -- it was a monster-starring spoof of the other black-and-white family comedies of its day, including "Leave It To Beaver" and "The Donna Reed Show." ...(read more)