It's really hard to mourn the passing of Senator Robert Byrd at age 92 (D-WV). He's nobody's favorite senator, certainly not among Democrats. He was the last vestige of conservative southern Democrats opposed to desegregation, and one of the few who didn't migrate to the Republican party after efforts to block desegregation failed. Born in North Carolina, Byrd was once … Read More
I Guess I Should Say Something About Michael Jackson Dying One year Ago Today
. . . . . Nope. I got nothing.
RIP, Nurse In Famous V-J Day Photo
Edith Shain, the nurse captured in this famous iconic photo, died Sunday at the age of 91. For the curious, the identity of the sailor in this photo is in dispute and unresolved. Swain talks about that day, that photo, and that kiss here.
RIP Lena Horne
A class act: Lena Horne, the elegant and statuesque singer who broke down color barriers by becoming one of Hollywood's first African-American female stars, and who later made a triumphant return to Broadway, died on May 9 at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She was 92 and lived in Manhattan. Ms. Horne first came to prominence in … Read More
RIP, St. Vincent’s Hospital (1849-2010)
A well-known place to anyone who spent any significant time in Greenwich Village. A hospital which played important roles for both the sinking of the Titanic and the events of 9/11. Victim to the economic crisis. The New York Times has the obit.
RIP Meinhardt Raabe
He was the coroner for the Munchkins who sang: As coroner, I must aver I thoroughly examined her And she's not only merely dead She's really, most sincerely dead! Died at the age of 94 last Friday. Yeah, I know. Dixie Carter, too, but she never said anything as memorable.
RIP Malcolm McLaren
Best known as the true creator behind the Sex Pistols, I will always think of him for his brief recording stint, particularly this catchy thing:
Catching Up On The Dead Pool
Both Peter Graves and Robert Culp died this month. I always got them confused anyway, and wouldn't be surprised if they were actually the same person.
A Poignant Reflection
Ted Kennedy sought health care reform all of his political life. A note by his grave from his son, Patrick Kennedy, reads "Dad, the unfinished business is done." [NOTE: Not to pick nits, but it's not done. It is, however, a good start]
All The Cool Kids Are Blogging About Alex Chilton, Who Died, But I Don’t Know Who He Is
or, more accurately, was.
Corey Haim Dead From PRESCRIPTION Drugs
I've taken prescribed medication. So has everybody else I've ever met in this world. And yet NONE of them managed to accidentally overdose themselves. Why is it that movie stars (and former movie stars) seem to lack the ability to take the prescribed dose? Are the instructions on the side of the bottle too complicated? Do they need seminars on how to take … Read More