I didn't agree with him on many things, particularly his perplexing defense of the Iraqi War, but I liked his style. This, by the way, is one of his finest moments… on the death of Jerry Falwell:
RIP Harry Morgan
Best known for being Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H*. Also for playing opposite Jack Webb on TV's Dragnet. Also, he was in my dead pool. He was 96. Full obit here.
RIP, Jerry Leiber
He only wrote the music for "Stand By Me," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Young Blood," "On Broadway," "Yakety-Yak", "Spanish Harlem" and one of my faves: "Stuck In the Middle With You". I would consider it my life's achievement if I wrote only one of those.
Yes, I Know Amy Winehouse Was In My Dead Pool
From my post dated December 9, 2010: There IS an actual "Dead Pool" game though. What you do is pick ten famous people to die in 2011. If they die, then you take 100 minus their age when they died. So if someone 75 years old dies, you get 25 points. Someone 98 years old dies? Oh! That's a two … Read More
How Am I Doing?
With 2011 half over, it's time to look at my "dead pool" predictions for this year, that I made in December of last year. Once again, the list: Zsa-Zsa Gabor Bob Barker Mike Wallace Jack LaLanne (1/24/11) Harry Morgan Olivia de Havilland Michael Dukakis Billy Graham Betty Garrett (2/12/11) Eli Wallach Stan Musial Abe Vagoda Nancy Reagan Both Kirk and … Read More
Dick Van Dyke And Celebrity Bios
Blogger Lance Mannion is underwhelmed by Dick Van Dyke's memoir "My Lucky Life", in part because Dick Van Dyke is too decent a guy to engage in gossip. And not just mean gossip, but "inside baseball" stuff. Well, it's Dick Van Dyke. He's a decent enough guy. I wouldn't expect him to give dirt or a deep inside look. This … Read More
RIP, Leonard Stern, The [Adjective] Creator of Mad-Libs
And everyone — myself included — makes the obvious gag: Leonard B. Stern, an Emmy-winning writer, producer and director for television whose frantic search for an adjective one day led him and a colleague to create Mad Libs, the game that asks players to fill in blanks with designated parts of speech to yield comically ________[adj.] stories, died on Tuesday at his … Read More
Kevorkian Dead
Peacefully, in a hospital bed. Yes, he was an odd man with many issues, but not when it came to the notion that people should be able to die with dignity. Can't fault his views on that.
RIP, “We Can Do It” Lady
From WaPo: Geraldine Doyle, 86, who as a 17-year-old factory worker became the inspiration for a popular World War II recruitment poster that evoked female power and independence under the slogan "We Can Do It!," died Dec. 26 at a hospice in Lansing, Mich. Her daughter, Stephanie Gregg, said the cause of death was complications from severe arthritis. For millions … Read More
No, I Don’t Think So
CNN: (CNN) - Members of the Westboro Baptist Church announced Thursday plans to picket Saturday's funeral for Elizabeth Edwards in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Kansas-based Church – monitored by anti-hate groups such as the Anti-Defamation league and the Southern Poverty Law Center – is known for its extremist opposition to homosexuals, Jews and other groups. The church members also oppose the … Read More
RIP Ted Sorenson
I didn't realize he died yesterday, but he did. He was the last of the Kennedy circle. He was Kennedy's speechwriter, so we can give him credit for "Ask not what your country can do for you…." (although, as classy speechwriters do, Sorenson never took credit for the line). He probably also ghost-wrote "Profiles in Courage", which won Kennedy the … Read More