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One of the Corys is dead
Corey Haim, former 80’s teen actor, was discovered unresponsive in his Los Angeles area apartment early this morning and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 38 years old.
Cory Haim has struggled with drug addiction for years.
Corey Haim collaborated with fellow teen actor Corey Feldman back a number of times. The two were often refereed to as the “Two Corys”. Their most successful movie the two appeared in was probably the vampire flick The Lost Boys. And by that I mean it is the only movie the two appeared that I have seen.
Drugs really suck. Just say no to them.
Ted Kennedy 1932 – 2009
Senator Ted Kennedy has died from brain cancer. He was 77 years old.
He served an astounding 46 years in the U.S. Senate. What I found to be the most impressive thing about Senator Ted Kennedy was that though he was born into one of the most richest and powerful families in America, he worked tirelessly in the U.S. Senate on the behalf of the less fortunate. He was an unashamed liberal to his very core.
He will be greatly missed.
Corazon Aquino 1933 – 2009
Former Philippines President Corazon “Cory” Aquino has died. She was 76 years old.
I was stationed in the Philippines when she ran her “people power” presidential campaign against dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. The Election was a joke. Marcos controlled everything in the country, including the TV stations. This ensured that his ads ran continuously, while her’s didn’t. I remember that one of his commercials stressed the fact that he was a man and she was a woman.
Marcos was named the winner in the February election, but most people believed that is was Aquino that had really won. There were then strikes, protests, boycotts, and rallies that resulted in Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos leaving the country for the United States, allowing Aquino to assume the presidency. If memory serves, she even took the oath of office before Marcos left office.
The whole thing was weird, goofy, and very third-world.
I once saw President Aquino in person. In October 1987, members of the New People’s Army (NPA) launched simultaneous attacks against American service members outside Clark Air Base. It was late in the afternoon when people were leaving work and going home. A lot of people stationed at Clark Air Base lived off-base. One of the people killed that day was a guy from my squadron. He was shot in the head getting out of a Jeepney in front of McDonalds. At his memorial service, President Aquino walked right past me while she was making her way to the front of the church. None of us knew that she was going to attend.
I’d like to say that the Philippines was a better place with Aquino as president, but that would be a lie. If anything, the place was worse with her in charge.
Steve McNair 1973 – 2009
Steve McNair, 36, former four-time Pro Bowl NFL quarterback, was found dead yesterday in his downtown Nashville condominium. He had been shot multiple times including once in the head. Also found dead was a 20-year old woman, Sahel Kazemi. Her body was found next to him. She had been shot only once. A handgun was found near her body, but it took police a while to find it.
Police reported that McNair’s wife, Mechelle McNair, was “very distraught.”
Kazemi was arrested for DUI only two days prior while driving a 2007 Escalade registered to her and McNair, who was with her in the vehicle. She refused a breathalyzer test and told the arresting officer that she was “not drunk, she was high.” McNair was allowed to take a taxi home.
Friends have said that McNair met Kazemi at a Nashville restaurant, Dave & Busters, where she was a waitress.
McNair played with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1995 to 2005. He then played for two years with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring. He was named NFL Co-MVP in 2003 along with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Payton Manning. McNair had 174 career touchdowns, 119 career interceptions, and he threw for 31,304 yards. He also rushed for 3,590 yards. He had a lifetime quarterback rating of 82.8.
Billy Mays 1958 – 2009
America’s favorite pitchman is dead. Billy Mays was found dead in his bed this morning by his wife, Deborah Mays. He was 50 years old.
He was on board a U.S. Airways flight to Tampa yesterday that blew two front tires on landing. He reportedly bumped his head in the incident, but joked about it.
I always liked Billy Mays. He seemed like good people. He made cleaning products or whatever else he was selling seem, I don’t know, exciting.
He will be missed.
Oh yeah, Farrah Fawcett died too
With all the hullabaloo surrounding the death of Michael Jackson, it’s almost easy to forget that Farrah Fawcett succumbed to cancer the same day Michael Jackson overdosed on narcotics and had a heart attack.
Like most men my age, as a boy I had a Farrah Fawcett poster on my wall. I’m far from unique in this regard. I’d be surprised to find many men my age who grew up in the 70’s that could not say that same unless of course they are gay. Maybe that’s one of the first things in their life that made them realize they were gay- that they didn’t want a Farrah Fawcett red swimsuit poster on their bedroom wall.
Farrah Fawcett had a somewhat limited acting career. She was on Charlie’s Angels for only one season. I seem to remember he being in the science fiction movie Logan’s Run. I’m sure she was a few more too, but her major claim to fame was not television or movies, it was that red swimsuit poster.
Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009
NBC is reporting that legendary performer and accused pedophile Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.
Looking at the creepy man he turned out to be, it’s easy to forget what a pop music icon he was. His 1982 album Thriller is one of the greatest albums ever made. It hit right at the time MTV was just making the music video popular and Jackson made music videos into mini movies.
In a way, I feel like Michael Jackson died a long time ago.
David Carradine: 1936 – 2009
David Carradine was found dead today in his Bangkok hotel room. Supposedly he hung himself. The New York Times reported that was there filming a movie. He was 72-years old.
My favorite TV show as a kid was Kung Fu. Carradine played Kwai Chang Caine, a martial arts master raised by Shaolin monks in China wondering the 19th century wild west looking for his American biological father. I think his father was supposed to be a sailor or something.
Caine would often think back to his childhood growing up in the Shaolin monastery where he would remember valuable life lessons taught to him by his teachers, the blind Master Po and Master Kan. The younger teenage Caine, known as “Grasshopper”, was played by David Carradine’s younger brother Keith Carradine.
I can’t stress enough how much I loved this show.
David Carradine later went on to play the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies. He of course was great as the part of the villain.
The news of his death, the fact that it happened so far from his loved ones and possibly by his own hand, makes me feel incredibly sad.
Chuck Daly 1930 – 2009
Former NBA coach Chuck Daly passed away from late stage pancreatic cancer. He was 78.
Though I hated the Detroit Pistons when he was coaching them, I always liked Daly. Now that I think about it, it makes absolutely no sense. His Pistons were tough, physical, and liked to play a little dirty. They did this under the direction of Daly. They were the team he made them to be. So why would I like the man?
He also coached the Dream Team in the Olympics. The real one. The one with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Christian Laettner.
He always wore really nice suites and he took great care with his hair. He was a very stylish man.
He went on to coach the New Jersey Nets and the Orlando Magic after the Pistons, but he didn’t win any championship with either of those two teams.
Ricardo Montalban 1920 – 2009
Ricardo Montalban has died. He was 88 years old. Born in Mexico City, Montalban enjoyed a long acting career. He appeared in the original Star Trek television show as the villain Khan Noonien Singh. He then later appeared as the same character in the motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It’s my favorite of all the Star Trek movies and mostly it’s because of him.
He also appeared on the ABC TV series Fantasy Island as Mr. Roarke. The show ran from 1978 to 1984. The show made being home at 10:00 p.m on a Saturday night lots of fun.
He was also the spokesman for the Chrysler Cordoba. The man could say soft Corinthian leather like no other.
He was married to the same woman, actress Georgiana Young, for 63 years. She passed away in 2007.
Ricardo Montalban was a good man.
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, 1932 – 2008
The wife of the late great Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, has passed away due to complications from leukemia. She was 76 years old.
She played many roles on Star Trek. She played the part of Number One in the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage”. She then went on to play the part of Nurse Chapel in the original Star Trek TV series. On Star Trek: The Next Generation, she played the part of Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, mother of ship counselor Deanna Troi. She also provided the voice of all onboard computers in the Star Trek universe.
I saw her at a Star Trek convention in Los Angeles in the early 90’s and thought she was a warm and gracious person. I think I have an autographed 8×10 in a box somewhere. She was a lot of fun to listen to.
[Photo: Tor.com]
Paul Benedict 1938 – 2008
Paul Benedict, the actor who played Mr. Bentley, the English neighbor to George Jefferson on The Jeffersons, was found dead in his home on December 1. He was 70 years old.
It turns out that Paul Benedict wasn’t even English. He was as American as fat-free hot dogs or sugar-free apple pie. It seems that when he was speaking with an English accent, he was merely acting. He was an accomplished stage actor, but he was probably more well know for being yelled at by that cantankerous Mr. Jefferson.
Michael Crichton 1942 – 2008
Michael Crichton is dead. The author behind such hits as Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain died in Los Angeles after privately battling cancer. He was 66.
He also created the TV show ER.
My favorite Michael Crichton book was Prey. I often see it sitting in stacks in the bargain book section at the chain bookstores. Do yourself a favor and pick it up and read it. It’s good and creepy.
My least favorite Michael Crichton book was State of Fear. It was less a novel and more of a Chick tract against environmentalists and other similar minded people that believe in the science of climate change. The book was such a bad piece of propaganda that I actually stopped reading it and took it back to the bookstore and got a refund.
Michael Crichton will be missed.
Worst obituary ever written
I can’t imagine what would motive someone to write such a hateful, mean spirited obituary. The following was written by the dead woman’s daughter and appeared in the Vallejo, California Times-Herald:
Dolores Aguilar
1929 – Aug. 7, 2008Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby.
She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.
Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.
Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.
There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.
I hope there’s more to this story then some stupid petty squabble. I’d hate to find out this all stems from the time she wouldn’t let her kids get a puppy. I’m not sure if the daughter that wrote this speaks for her other siblings. Maybe she should have signed her name to it.
Bernie Mac 1957 – 2008
I just now saw on CNN that comedian/actor Bernie Mac died. He was 50 years old. Evidently he had been in a Chicago area hospital with pneumonia. How sad.
I just had pneumonia myself only a few weeks ago. I guess I didn’t realize just how serious pneumonia was. Don’t get me wrong. I knew people die from pneumonia, but people die every year from the flu too.
He was truly a gifted comedian. He had a way of making anything funny. I enjoyed his movies and I enjoyed his sit-com, The Bernie Mac Show.
He will be missed.
Tim Russert, 1950 – 2008
NBC’s Meet The Press host and Washington bureau chief Tim Russert is dead. He died today in his Washington office. They are innitally saying that it was a heart attack. He was 58.
I’ve spend many a Sunday morning watching Meet The Press. I’ve also done my fair share of yelling at the TV at some of the stuff Russert asked. Sometimes it was about the stuff he didn’t ask.
Not only would I watch Meet The Press almost every Sunday morning, I also subscribe to the audio podcast of Meet The Press. I would sometimes listen to an episode if it was an important interview. I think I listened to the Ron Paul interview twice.
I sometimes found his habit of always pointing out his blue collar roots to be annoying. The “Go Bills” at the end of Meet The Press during football season could get really old.
To say that he was the best at what he did is giving too much credit to the others in his profession. When it came to interviewing politicians or government officials, he stood alone. He will be missed.
Charlton Heston 1924 – 2008
From this morning’s Washington Post:
Oscar-winning actor Charlton Heston, whose chiseled features and commanding presence won him epic roles from Moses to Michelangelo, died on Saturday night at the age of 84, his family said. Heston, a former president of the influential National Rifle Association lobbying group, died at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, the family said in a statement.
I guess when you have to go, dying in your own home in Beverly Hills with your wife of 64 years at your side ain’t a bad way to go.
Charlton Heston was an interesting guy. During the civil right movement, he was a tree hugging liberal. He once picketed a premiere of his own movie because it was segregated. He also marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington D. C. He later became a Republican and opposed affirmative action and gun control. He eventually became the figure head for the National Rifle Association (NRA). Most people go their entire life without taking a stand for something. Charlton Heston took many stands. His views were all over the place.
As a kid, I was a big fan of the Planet of the Apes. Mostly it was because it featured people made up to look like apes. Not only could they speak English, they used guns and rode horses. That appealed to me. Charlton Heston was also one of the reasons I dug the movie so much.
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