Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Joseph Sargent


Emmy-winning director of TV and film ("The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"); performer -- via Variety. AKA Giusseppe Daneiele Sorgente. An outstanding talent -- here's a partial list of his work: series such as "Gunsmoke," "Lassie," "Star Trek," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", and "The Invaders"; TV movies such as "Tribes," "The Night That Panicked America," "Amber Waves," and "Something the Lord Made"; on film, the original "Pelham" and the unique science-fiction film "Colossus: The Forbin Project." Like the rest of us, he made a few clinkers -- "Terrible Joe Moran" and "Jaws: The Revenge" being the worst. Hey, his batting average is quite high!

Jeremy Lloyd

Brandon Stoddard

TV producer, head of programming, and executive -- via Variety. He got a ton of good TV made as an ABC executive, including "Roots," "Rich Man, Poor Man," "Masada," "The Winds of War," "QBVII," "The Day After," and "Friendly Fire." Sure, he cranked out some epic trash as "The Thorn Birds." His batting average was pretty good! It was a time when ABC fielded shows such as "Moonlighting," "Twin Peaks," "My So-Called Life," and "Max Headroom."

Chan Kwok-Hung

Cinematographer -- via CBC News.

Robert Simpson

Monday, December 22, 2014

DEATHCETERA: Weekly roundup of stories worldwide on death, mourning, and more

TOP STORIES

“A death in Yangon” – Catherine Anderson’s heart-breaking account of her lover’s public death

From Caitlin Doughty at The Order of the Good Death: “Are Those Really My Mother’s Ashes?”

“What We Learned about Death in 2014” – from Mike Pearl on Vice


DEATH

What killed us in 2014? – from Marc Silver at NPR

Cartoons are bloodthirsty – via NBC News

Remembering the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami – from Jim Gomez at ABC News


MOURNING

Public mourning: a brief history – by Hilda Maclean in The Conversation



FUNERALS


Alternative funerals in Alabama – Lucy Berry at al.com.


END-OF-LIFE ISSUES

Charges at nursing home highlights vulnerability of elderly – by Tatiana Schlossberg and Nina Bernstein at the New York Times






Joe Cocker

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Billie Whitelaw

Actress; the supreme interpreter of Samuel Beckett -- via the BBC. I can't tell you how much this grieves me. I consider her one of the best performers of the 20th century. She had plenty of success before meeting playwright Samel Beckett; she went on to become his best performer. They collaborated on work such as "Happy Days," "Eh Joe," and "Rockaby."

She combined a harrowing intelligence with physical fluidity, precision of gesture, and a controlled intensity of emotion that made her mesmerizing. Even her small roles enlivened such films as "Flesh and the Fiends," "Charlie Bubbles," "Twisted Nerve," "Frenzy," "The Omen," "The Krays," and "Hot Fuzz." Her work for Beckett was extensively recorded and will remain endlessly inspiring.






Arthur Gardner

Actor and producer -- via the L.A. Times. AKA Arthur Goldberg. Best known as a producer of films and TV series such as "The Rifleman" and "the Big Valley," Gardner's early Hollywood career as an actor was not stellar, but interesting. He was the last living member of the cast of the 1930 original film adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front" (see him in highlighted area of photo below)



, and as the protagonist of the classic 1937 anti-marijuana cautionary/exploitation film, "Assassin of Youth."

Larry Auerbach

One of the most prolific and respected TV directors; best known for his work on soap operas, especially "Love of Life" for 28 years -- via Yahoo News. It is estimated that he directed more dramatic work on TV than any person in history -- 3,000 hours is one ballpark figure. He started in radio, stage-managed for such iconic early TV shows as "Stud's Place" and "Kukla, Fran, & Ollie"; he directed "Zoo Parade," the show that developed into "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom." He was the first director on "Mr. Wizard," the science education show.

Jonathan Dunn-Rankin

Actor and journalist -- via the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Donald Moffitt

Science fiction writer -- via Locus Online.

John Persen

Composer -- via nrk.no.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Herb Plews

Former MLB player -- via the Helena, MT Independent Record.

Larry Henley

Songwriter and singer -- via Hollywood.com. He started off as one of the Newbeats, singing the falsetto part in "Bread and Butter." He is best known for writing "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Harold M. Schulweis

Rabbi -- via Yahoo News. He popularized the concept of chavurah -- the Jewish concept of a small group of families who study, celebrate Shabbat, and look out for each other. I'm in one, and it works great! He was one of the first Conservative rabbis to welcome LGBT people to his congregation.

Loren Ewing

Actor -- via legacy.com. AKA William Ewing. 

Joe Carr

Robert Taylor

Animator -- via Variety.

Mary Dawne Arden

Actress and model -- via legacy.com. Best known for her role in Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace."

Yusuf Burgess

Youth leader -- via the Albany Times-Union.

Stanley "TC" Edwards

Musician -- via KFSM Little Rock.

P.J. Sarma

Actor and voice actor -- via The Hindu.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Virna Lisi

Actress -- via Variety. AKA Virna Lisa Pieralisi. Originally styled as an Italian variant on blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, Lisi made her way through several 1960's sex comedies, but redefined herself as a serious actress later in her career, winning awards for her ruthless Catherine De Medici in "Queen Margot."


Wendy Rene

Singer and songwriter -- via soul-source.co.uk. AKA Mary Frierson, Mary Cross. Best known for "Bar-B-Q," she just missed being on the fatal flight that killed Otis Redding.

Janis Martin

Soprano -- via Limelight Magazine.

Treadwell Covington

TV producer -- via legacy.com. One of the key players in Total Television, which produced Saturday-morning cartoon shows such as "Tennessee Tuxedo," "King Leonardo," "The Beagles," and "Go Go Gophers." One of the creators of "Underdog."


Millie Kirkham

Back-up singer best known for her work with Elvis -- via the Nashville Scene. AKA Mildred Eakes. She can be heard on classics such as "Blue Christmas," "I'm Sorry," "Pretty Woman," and "She Stopped Loving Him Today."

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Richard C. Hottelet

Journalist; the last of "Murrow's boys" -- via CBS News. One of the Voices of God on our radios and TVs, Hottelet was the last of that first extraordinary generation of news and broadcasting talent developed at CBS -- first via radio, then TV -- for 41 years. He began reporting for UP in 1938. Thought by the Gestapo to be a spy, he was imprisoned for four months until FDR helped spring him. He covered D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Later in his career he focused on election work, civil rights coverage, and wound up as the U.N. correspondent for 25 years. A very good reporter and writer!

Booth Colman

Actor -- via boothcolman.com. An instantly recognizable TV character actor, Colman was the go-to guy for worried scientists, anxious villains, and comic bosses -- although he did a much broader range of work than this in film and on stage.

Norman Bridwell

Writer and illustrator; creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog -- via the New York Times. Great quote from him: "Sometimes you'll do something that you really like and no one else does. You'll feel horrible, but you've got to just press on and keep trying. If you like doing it and keep working at it, then someday you will succeed."

Irene Dalis

Olivia Barker

Journalist -- via USA Today.

Chakri

Film composer -- via the International Business Times.