Sunday, February 8, 2015

Dean Smith

Basketball coach -- via ESPN. A brilliant coach with integrity, he mentored some of the greatest players in history at North Carolina, including Jordan, Worthy, Stackhouse, and McAdoo, and coaches such as Karl, Moe, and Larry Brown (all Nuggets leaders later). He taught his players how to act with dignity, intelligence, and mutual respect. And he cared about his players' lives and character than about what he could get out of them on the court. He graduated about 96% of his players, an amazing statistic. A good, classy guy.

Anita Darian



Singer and actress -- via Broadway World. AKA Anita Esgandarian, "the American Yma Sumac." You have all heard her voice -- I'll tell you where in a minute. Possessed of a four-octave range, she sang with the New York City Opera and the New York Philharmonic. She sang Julie on the 1962 "Show Boat" recording. So where have you heard her before? She sings the extremely high vocalese on the Tokens' hit version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"!

Stewart Stern

Screenwriter -- via the New York Times. He wrote films such as "Rebel without A Cause," "Rachel, Rachel," and "The Ugly American"; for TV, he wrote such movies as "Sybil."

Bryant Crenshaw

Actor -- via Filmmaker magazine.

Albert Weinstein

Engineer and inventor -- via the Washington Post. He worked on many highly advanced technological systems, but will retain popular posterity for inventing the remote-controlled toy car.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Lizabeth Scott

Actress -- via the L.A. Times. AKA Emma Matzo. Largely identified with her roles in film noir, Scott's strong eyebrows and husky voice were her trademarks. She excelled in such films as "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers," "Dead Reckoning," "I Walk Alone," and "Dark City." usually a femme fatale and/or a cabaret singer with a murky past. One of her last films was a late Allan Dwan Western, "Silver Lode," that was slyly coded as an anti-McCarthyism statement.





Richard Bonehill

Fencing champion, sword master, stuntman, and actor -- via Variety. Best known for his work on- and off-camera in the "Star Wars" films.

Robert Blees

Writer and producer -- via Variety. He wrote some great and not-so-great fare -- "Magnificent Obsession," "High School Confidential," "Dr. Phibes Rises Again," "cattel Queen of Montana," and "Frogs," among others.


Marisa Del Frate

Zane Musa

Saxophonist -- via the L.A. Weekly.

Vasco Bendini

Artist -- via Artribune.

Eileen Kaufman

Poet -- via sfgate.com.

Godfrey Kalimugogo

Novelist -- via New Vision (Uganda).

Martin Tapak

Director, actor, dancer, and choreographer -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Odete Lara

Actress and singer -- via O Globo. AKA Odete Righi Bertoluzzi.

Tibor Bitskey

Actor -- via evangelikus.hu.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Walter Liedtke

Art curator -- via Artnet News. Died in the recent Metro crash -- what a loss! A fine mind for understanding and sharing insights about art.





Monica Scattini

Actress -- via Corriere della Sera.

Norman Yemm

Actor and baritone -- via the Sydney Morning Herald.


Carlos Noguera

Writer -- via El Nacional.

Eddie "The Kydd" Rendini

Guitarist -- via Loudwire.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Mary Healy

Actress, singer, and entertainer -- via the New York Times. Largely unknown now, she was a huge part of latter-20th-century entertainment, particularly in tandem with her husband, comic/singer/actor Peter Lind Hayes. They starred in radio, on stage, in several TV outings, and in the unique Dr. Seuss-written feature film "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." They inaugurated the jingle "see the USA on your Chevrolet"! I remember as them on "What's My Line?"

They worked perfect together, and were an epitome of the husband-wife song-dance-and-variety team of 20th century entertainment. Hayes was the madcap, and Healey the straight partner, always lovely, always charming. He was Harlequin, she was Colombina, and they could sing, do a comedy sketch, dance, just banter, act out a serious scene -- whatever was needed. This kind of versatility and ease of interplay is something to be learned from.












Joseph Alfidi

Pianist -- via Slipped Disc.



The Jacka

Rapper -- via Rolling Stone. AKA Dominic Newton, Shaheed Akbar.

Paul Panhuysen

David Bourne

Musician -- via snn.bz.

Martin Gilbert

Historian -- via the Guardian.

James Dunegan

Former MLB player -- via Lunning Funeral Chapel.

Jos van Manen-Pieters

Writer -- via nos.nl.


Alekos Kitsakis

Singer -- via news.nom.co.

Andriy Kuzmenko

Singer and actor -- via espreso.tv.

Marilyn Holderfield Heinke

Painting of Holderfield by Mary Deutschman
Vocalist -- via legacy.com.


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Muath Safi Yousef Al-Kasasbeh

Kenji Goto

Monty Oum

Animator -- via the Washington Post.

Tomislav Bradanovic Lincir

Actor, dancer, journalist, and model -- via legacy.com. AKA Alva, Tomislav Lincir Bradovitch.

Valerie Ann Stevenson Joseph

Actress and singer -- via legacy.com.

Dave Bergman

Former MLB player -- via WXYZ. Best known as part of the 1984 Series-winning Tigers, and for his exemplary game-winning at bat in extra innings on June 4, 1984. Roy Lee Jackson was pitching for the Blue Jays -- Bergman fought off 12 pitches, then sent the 13th out of the park for a three-run walk-off win. (Even more amazing, he went in the hole 0-2 right away!)





Arturo Camsssi

Artist -- via La Nazione.

Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgussar

Filmmaker and broadcaster -- via coldwarradios.blogspot.co.uk. AKA Vladimir-Georg-Julian Orgussar, Vladimir Karasjov.

Richard McBrien

Renegade theologian -- via the New York Times.

Eddie "Cookie Dough" Bell

Drag performer -- via sfgate.com.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Johnny Goodman



Producer and production manager for film and TV -- via the Hollywood Reporter. Responsible for much British action/adventure television that I loved, including "The Saint," "The Champions," "The Persuaders!," "Danger UXB," and "Reilly: Ace of Spies."


John Leggett

Writer; former director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop -- via the Writers' University. I am particularly enamored of his nonfiction work "Ross and Tom: Two American Tragedies," about the sudden success and early suicides of writers Ross Lockridge Jr. ("Raintree County") and Tom Heggen ("Mister Roberts"). 

Al Severinsen

Former MLB pitcher -- via legacy.com.

John "Hoppy" Hopkins

Photographer -- via the Independent.

Juan Carlos Galvan

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Deathcetera: The week in news of mortality and mourning

DEATH

The Black Death – the upside! – by Larry Jimenez at Listverse

10 faces of death from world mythology – via Jonathan H. Kantor at Listverse

Visualizing statistics on 10 unusual causes of death – from David Taylor at proofreader.com

The rise of the death caf̩ Рfrom Sophie Elmhirst at Prospect magazine

Adventures of the psychopomp – via Barbara Cashman in Denver Elder Law





MOURNING

Mindfulness and meditation can aid the grieving – from Via Brian Simmons at Elephant Journal


New Buddhist mini-altars aid the mourning – Alison Lesley in World Religion News


FUNERALS

The 9 most innovative funeral professionals – by Rochelle Rietow at funeralOne


Where the dead are preserved traditionally – from Fred Kibor at the Standard Digital (Kenya)




OBITS

Sexist, insulting obit for novelist McCullough causes stir – by Claire Fallon at the Huffington Post

A tribute to a 10th-grade English teacher – by John Dickerson in Slate

King Abdullah: evil dictator or advocate of democracy? Depends on who you read – from Keane Bhatt at Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting

Self-penned obit starts with a gag – via Fausto Giovanny Pinto

Democrat gets to crack on the Republicans in her obit – via the Moscow-Pullman Daily News


Recording life’s stories – from Wanda Moeller at the Ottumwa Courier

Carl Djerassi

Maurizio Arcieri

Vocalist -- via Libero.

Taeko Kono

Writer and critic -- via Kyodo News.

Vanja Orico

Actress, singer, and filmmaker -- via  El Globo. AKA Evangeline Orico.