Posted on June 15, 2014 at 1:08 pm
Casey Kasem, whose Top 40 Countdown was the most popular radio program in history, died today at age 82. People turned in for his long distance dedications, his commentary about the artists and songs, and above all his warm, confiding voice. It was undeniably corny, but enormously appealing. Before MTV, he created a nation-wide space for teen culture. And he always urged us to reach for the stars. May his memory be a blessing.
Posted on June 12, 2014 at 1:48 pm
We lost one of the greats today, the actor and activist Ruby Dee.
Kennedy Center honoree with her husband, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee is as much a legend for her pioneering work as a leader of the Civil Rights movement as for her gifts as a performer on stage and in movies.
Here is a charming early glimpse of Davis and Dee in “Gone Are the Days,” based on Davis’ play, “Purlie Victorious.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRZfdUaVSUUHere they are in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing.”
You can see Davis and Dee talk about their lives in An Evening with Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee
Dee’s breakthrough role on screen was Jackie Robinson’s wife in the biopic starring Robinson himself. She would later play his mother in Court Martial of Jackie Robinson
Davis and Dee led lives so intertwined that they even wrote an autobiography together: With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together
Posted on June 1, 2014 at 7:50 pm
We bid a sad farewell to the wonderful actress Ann B. Davis, who died today at 88 following a fall in her home. She is best known as the beloved housekeeper Alice in the blended family sitcom, The Brady Bunch
Before “The Brady Bunch” she played the girl Friday (as they used to be called in those days) to Robert Cummings’ playboy photographer in “Love That Bob.” She was constantly surrounded by beautiful models, maintaining a bemused, slightly envious air. Davis was awarded two Emmys for this part.
Davis was perfectly cast as the unflappable Alice, who enjoyed living with six rambunctious children and a dog. She said, “If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a perfect kid. And SIX of ’em, yecch!” She was so identified with the role that she even published Alice’s Brady Bunch Cookbook
Posted on May 28, 2014 at 11:02 am
A mighty voice has been stilled. We mourn the loss of the magnificent author, memoirist, activist, and poet Maya Angelou
Ms. Angelou was also a filmmaker. I highly recommend Down in the Delta
She also tweeted. Her last tweet was something for us to hold near our hearts as we pay tribute to the fearlessness and humanity she brought to the world. She wrote: “Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God.”
Posted on April 30, 2014 at 10:22 am
We mourn the loss of actor Bob Hoskins, who died today at age 71. He was an actor of remarkable versatility, appearing in drama, comedy, crime stories, animation, and even an occasional romantic lead. His breakthrough was his Oscar-nominated performance in “Mona Lisa,” as a driver for a prostitute.
He is perhaps best remembered as the human star who held his own against the toon characters in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Director Robert Zemeckis said he could not have made that movie without Hoskins, who had an extraordinary ability to “see” the animated characters who would be filled in via special effects later on. He so clearly believed he was looking at them that we did, too.
He was touching and tender in “Mermaids,” as Cher’s suitor.
He played Mario.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtMZKYnLg5cAnd J. Edgar Hoover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkOuOo663agHe starred in the heartbreaking, brilliant British miniseries from Dennis Potter, “Pennies From Heaven.”
He appeared opposite the Spice Girls and Garfield the cat and played Fezziwig in “A Christmas Carol” and one of the dwarves in “Snow White and the Huntsman.” He was always fully present and utterly committed to every role. May his memory be a blessing.
