Bent Corner

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]

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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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Robert Jordan, author of the bestselling fantasy series The Wheel of Time has died, succumbing to a chronic illness. He was 57.

In 2006, Jordon (real name James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) had been diagnosed with primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy. The disease was attacking and weakening his heart muscle.

Unfortunately for his many fans, he was unable to finish the The Wheel of Time series. He will be greatly missed.

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