The Death Pool

Team Harold Pinter Suffers A Nobel Loss

2008-12-25T10:01:00.002-05:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

British playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, famous for his brooding, unforgiving portrayals of domestic life, has died aged 78, British media reported on Thursday. Pinter, who had been suffering from cancer, died on Wednesday.

Pinter's second wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, told the Guardian newspaper he was "a great."

"It was a privilege to live with him for over 33 years. He will never be forgotten," she said.

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to Last Call and The Kick the Bucket List. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Reuters]

W. Mark Felt Heads Toward Watergates of Heaven

2008-12-19T01:37:00.003-05:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Mark Felt, the FBI official who as the anonymous journalistic source "Deep Throat" helped bring down President Richard M. Nixon, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Rosa, Calif. He was 95.

"He was an important person for the history of our nation, but also such a gem and such a treasure to our family," said his grandson Nick Jones, who confirmed the death. "He was a great man."

Congratulations and 6 points each awarded to Famous Last Words, CraigsDeathList.org, Go to Hell, Daddy to Be Dead Mates, The Kick the Bucket List, and They Are Now As Cold As Ice. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Chicago Tribune]

Sammy Baugh Passes For the Final Time

2008-12-17T23:52:00.002-05:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Sammy Baugh, who set numerous passing records with the Washington Redskins in an era when NFL teams were running most every down, died Wednesday night, his son said. Baugh, who was 94 and had numerous health issues, died at Fisher County Hospital in Rotan, David Baugh said.

David Baugh said his father had battled Alzheimer's and dementia for several years. He had been ill recently with kidney problems, low blood pressure and double pneumonia.

"It wasn't the same Sam we all knew," his son told The Associated Press. "He just finally wore out."

Congratulations and 18 points awarded to CraigsDeathList.Org and Live Free or Die Hard. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Associated Press]

Non-Singing Sinatra Van Johnson Has Last Tune

2008-12-13T19:08:00.003-05:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Van Johnson, a '40s and '50s Hollywood heartthrob whose film career spanned six decades, has died. He was 92.

In addition to stage productions of Damn Yankees and The Music Man, Johnson also graced the small screen with guest spots on The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and I Love Lucy. His last acting appearance was in 1992's Clowning Around.

Congratulations and 18 points awarded to CraigsDeathList.Org and BRONXBOY. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

It's Not Always Sunny in Philadeadphia

2008-12-06T18:07:00.001-05:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Martha "Sunny" von Bulow, the heiress who spent the last 28 years of her life in So oblivion after what prosecutors alleged in a pair of sensational trials were two murder attempts by her husband, died Saturday at age 76.

Martha von Bulow was a personification of romantic notions about high society — a stunning heiress who brought her American millions to marriages to men who gave her honored old European names.

But she ended her days in a coma, giving no sign of awareness as she was visited by her children and tended around the clock by nurses.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Future Corpses of America. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[ABC News]

William Gibson Counted on a Miracle

2008-11-28T09:15:00.002-05:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Playwright William Gibson, whose "The Miracle Worker" has thrilled audiences for nearly a half-century with the true story of the deaf-blind Helen Keller's rescue from a world of ignorance, has died. He was 94.

"The act of writing makes everything possible to me," Gibson said in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press at his home in Stockbridge, Mass. "I've always found the business of writing has helped me to live."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Extended Weekend at Bernie's. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Studs Terkel's Active Life Comes to a Close

2008-11-01T18:45:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Studs Terkel captured the essence of Chicago in the pages of his best-selling oral histories, chronicling common people and celebrities alike. Along the way he became an ageless master of listening and speaking, a broadcaster, activist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Terkel died Friday at age 96.

"He found his home in Chicago and he found it in the gritty aspect of Chicago life," said Russell Lewis, chief historian at the Chicago History Museum. "The ne'er-do-wells, the outcasts, the bums, all these people were people he was curious about. They intrigued him."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Go To Hell. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Arthur Andrews Gone from Sweet House, Alabama

2008-10-27T14:34:00.005-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Glenn Andrews Sr., the Anniston businessman who created a Republican interlude in this area's Democratic representation in Washington in the mid-1960s, died at his home Thursday night at 10:30. He was less than four months from his 100th birthday.

An Alabama native, Andrews was a Princeton graduate whose early employers included National City Bank of New York, IBM and Kodak. At the time he ran for what was then the Fourth Congressional District seat in 1964, Andrews was chairman of the Calhoun County Republican Party and was a member of the state Republican Committee. He held the office for a single two-year term before being defeated by Democrat Bill Nichols in 1966.

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to Tomb Raiders Redux (This Time with Candy) and Oldies But Goodies. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Anniston Star]

Levi Stubbs Goes Out on Tops

2008-10-17T12:55:00.004-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Levi Stubbs, the robust voiced front man who sang on the Four Tops’ biggest hits, died today at home in Detroit. He was 72. Stubbs, who had not toured with the Tops in several years because of medical issues, passed away in his sleep at about 6 a.m.

Detroiter Abdul (Duke) Fakir remains the only surviving original member of the group, which formed in 1950s Detroit and became one of Motown Records’ biggest successes with songs such as “Reach Out I’ll Be There” and “Bernadette.” Founding members Lawrence Payton and Obie Benson died in 1997 and 2005, respectively.

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to Live Like You Were Dying and Dead Place. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Detroit Free Press]

Cell Pioneer George Palade's Body Left for Science

2008-10-10T10:46:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Dr. George Palade, who won a Nobel Prize in 1974 for his work isolating and identifying cell structure and helped create one of the leading cell biology programs in the nation at the University of California, San Diego, has died. He was 95. Palade died Tuesday, the university announced.

"George Palade was not only one of the leading scientists of his era, but was a pioneer in modern cell biology, using electron microscopy to study and describe subcellular structures for the first time," said Dr. David A. Brenner, vice chancellor for health sciences.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Live Free or Die Hard. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Boris Yefimov Drawn Out of the Picture

2008-10-05T13:07:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Russian political cartoonist Boris Yefimov, who was despised by German Nazi despot Adolf Hitler, has died in Moscow at the age of 109, his family says. During his career, Yefimov created an estimated 70,000 drawings that all worked toward improving his native land, The New York Times reported Sunday. Despite Hitler vowing to shoot the cartoonist on sight due to his cartoons about the Nazi leader, Yefimov enjoyed a successful art career in Russia for 70 years.

Yefimov once said in an interview that he was dedicated to covering the political world through his drawings.

"When you are a political cartoonist, you have to keep pace with politics," he said.

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to Future Corpses of America and Oldies But Goodies. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[United Press International]

Goodbye, Newman; Paul Heads For the Stars

2008-09-27T19:39:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Paul Newman, one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars, died Friday at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 83. The cause was cancer, said Jeff Sanderson of Chasen & Company, Mr. Newman’s publicists.

It was a rapid rise for Mr. Newman, but being taken seriously as an actor took longer. He was almost undone by his star power, his classic good looks and, most of all, his brilliant blue eyes. “I picture my epitaph,” he once said. “Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown.”

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Do Not Resuscitate. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[New York Times]

Fail To The Chief: Sherrill Headrick Stopped

2008-09-11T00:04:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Sherrill Headrick, a former Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, died Wednesday. He was 71. The team announced Headrick's death. The Kansas City Star reported on its Web site that Headrick died of cancer. Chiefs officials had no details, including where the former TCU star lived or where he died.

Nicknamed "Psycho" by his teammates for his aggressive play and personality, he was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1993.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to It's Always Sunny in Philadeadphia. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Anita Page is Eternally Silenced

2008-09-06T22:32:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Anita Page, the beautiful blond MGM actress who appeared in the films of Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Buster Keaton during the transition from silents to talkies, has died. She was 98.

She had a major role—as the doomed bad girl—in "Our Dancing Daughters," a 1928 film that featured a wild Charleston by Crawford and propelled them both to stardom. It spawned two sequels, "Our Modern Maidens" and "Our Blushing Brides."

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to Live Free or Die Hard and Kraut's Picks. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[San Jose Mercury News]

Oscar Brodney's Screen Time Runs Out

2008-09-04T17:24:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

It has come to our attention that Oscar Brodney passed away earlier this year.

Oscar-nominated screenwriter died six days shy of his 101st birthday! Mr. Brodney was nominated for an Oscar and a WGA for "The Glenn Miller Story." He was nominated for another WGA for "The Gal Who Took the West." Mr. Brodney wrote over 50 films and TV shows during his career.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Oldies But Goodies. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Entertainment Insiders]

Death Gets Thomas H. Weller

2008-08-25T15:41:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Dr. Thomas H. Weller, who shared the 1954 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on the polio virus, died Saturday. He was 93.

In a 2003 New York Times interview, George Miller, a Yale virologist, described the breakthrough by Dr. Weller and his colleagues as "one of the major discoveries in virology, cell biology, and molecular biology in the 20th century."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Live Free or Die Hard. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Boston Globe]

"Papa Jack" is Gone for a Weil

2008-08-14T09:09:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Denver icon "Papa Jack" Weil died Wednesday. The founder and operator of Rockmount Ranch Wear was famous for greeting customers, some famous, most not, at his Wazee Street store for more than six decades. Weil was believed to be the oldest working CEO at 107 and his family says he was "to Western shirts what Henry Ford was to cars."

"Through his influence for over 100 years we learned the importance of hard work and balancing careers with humor and compassion. We came to know the importance of integrity and responsibility, the strength within us to deal with life's challenges, the beauty of carefully chosen words in difficult situations, the power of story-telling and example in conveying values.

"His highest values include respect for others."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Live Like You Were Dying. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Denver Post]

Alexander Solzhenitsyn is Nobel in Life and Death

2008-08-03T19:37:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning Russian author whose books chronicled the horrors of dictator Josef Stalin's slave labor camps, has died of heart failure, his son said Monday. He was 89.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970, an unusual move for the Swedish Academy, which generally makes awards late in an author's life after decades of work. The academy cited "the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to BestDeathPoolRosterEver.BlogSpot.Com. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Yahoo! News]

Randy Pausch Has Gone Above and Beyond

2008-07-25T09:39:00.004-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor whose final lecture inspired millions, has died of pancreatic cancer. According to Mr. Pausch's Web site, a biopsy last week revealed that the cancer had progressed further than expected, based on recent PETscans.

"Since last week, Randy has also taken a step down and is much sicker than he had been," the Web site said. "He's now enrolled in hospice. He's no longer able to post here so I'm a friend posting on his behalf because we know that many folks are watching this space for updates."

Congratulations and 7.2 points awarded to BestDeathPoolRosterEver.BlogSpot.Com, Famous Last Words, Live Like You Were Dying, Last Call, and Kraut's Picks. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Golden Girl Estelle Getty Now Buried Treasure

2008-07-22T13:45:00.005-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Actress Estelle Getty has died at the age of 84.

Her son, Carl Gettleman, says the co-star of the TV show "The Golden Girls" died early Tuesday at home in Los Angeles. Gettleman says she suffered from advanced dementia.

The diminutive actress spent 40 years struggling for success before landing the role of a lifetime in 1985, playing the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on "The Golden Girls."

Congratulations and 9 points awarded to I AM READY TO MEET MY MAKER, TIREMAN422, the Garden of eden, and Last Call. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Not Your Average Jo, Stafford is Outgoing

2008-07-18T00:05:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Jo Stafford, 90, an exceptionally versatile singer who worked with Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey and the Pied Pipers and shared a Grammy Award with her conductor-husband for their parody of a tone-deaf lounge act, died July 16 at her home in Century City, Calif. She had congestive heart failure.

She earned the nickname "G.I. Jo" but jokingly called herself "Miss Outgoing Freight," a War Department euphemism for artillery shells and tanks sent to the front lines.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to M"h By You Buddy. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Washington Post]

Michael Debakey's Heart Just Wasn't Into It

2008-07-12T23:28:00.004-04:00

Michael Debakey, the world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who pioneered bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, has died in Houston at the age of 99. Debakey performed more than 60,000 heart surgeries, including such luminaries as Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the Shah of Iran, King Hussein of Jordan, Turkish President Turgut Ozal and Nicaraguan leader Violetta Chamorro. Despite that, Debakey was clear:

He said celebrities didn't get special treatment on the operating table: "Once you incise the skin, you find that they are all very similar."

Congratulations and 9 points awarded to Angelos or Bust, Go to Hell, The Kick the Bucket List, and Kraut's Picks. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Associated Press]

Tony Snow Falls in the Dead of Summer

2008-07-12T23:03:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Tony Snow, a former press secretary to President George W. Bush who brought his outspoken style as a Fox News commentator to the White House, died in Washington early today of cancer. He was 53.

"It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day," Bush said in a statement. "He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Go To Hell. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Bloomberg]

Bobby Murcer Suffers From Early Exit

2008-07-12T22:53:00.004-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Former New York Yankees outfielder and broadcaster Bobby Murcer has died from brain cancer, the Yankees said on Saturday.

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine. I will really miss the guy," Yankees chairman George Steinbrenner said in a statement.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Yiz-Score: 2007 DP Champ. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Reuters]

Evelyn Keyes has Now Gone with the Wind

2008-07-12T22:47:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Evelyn Keyes, 91, a leading lady of dozens of Hollywood films who wryly dismissed much of her career, noting that she was most remembered for a bit part as Scarlett O'Hara's younger sister Suellen in "Gone With the Wind," died July 4 at a care facility in Montecito, Calif. She had uterine cancer.

[S]he told film scholar Eddie Muller: "I never got the part, the starring role that sends you shooting way up there, into the top ranks. I thought that would come. I obviously wasn't going to marry and have a family and give it all up.

"I was married, sure, but those weren't marriages -- they were legalized love affairs. So we wouldn't have the big stink -- Oh my God, they're living together! So what do you do? You get married."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Remains to Be Seen. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Washington Post]

Jesse Helms Celebrates Independence from Life

2008-07-04T12:37:00.005-04:00

On our nation's 232nd birthday, we lose a man who served it passionately for 30 years.

Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who became an icon to conservatives, died Friday at the age of 86, the Jesse Helms Center announced.
The cause of death has not been announced. He had been ill in recent years. Helms served five terms in the Senate, retiring in 2003 after deciding not to seek a sixth term. President Bush said at the time the Senate was "losing an institution." "Sen. Helms has been a tireless defender of our nation's freedom and a champion of democracy abroad," Bush said.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams also died on July 4th. Really makes you think. Not sure about what, though.

Congratulations and 7.2 points are awarded to Haaaave You Met Dead?, Famous Last Words, Dead Place, Last Call, and Whoaa-ooah, Dying on the Edge

[CNN]

It Could Happen to Hugh. Hefner's Aching Back

2008-06-24T10:21:00.003-04:00

Could Hugh Hefner's loose lifestyle have led to health problems?

"I have some aches and pains and I have had lower back problems since the '80s," Hefner told Pop Tarts. "Too much time in bed rustling around with friends," he said with a laugh.

Hef's been healthy since suffering a stroke in 1985. Those were the best years of his life.

[Fox News]

George Carlin Greeted by Alanis Morissette

2008-06-23T09:06:00.004-04:00

George Carlin, one of the seminal stand up comedians of all time, has died of heart failure at the age of 71. Carlin was a controversial figure whose routines often pushed the social norms on the issues of religion and, well... pretty much everything. And he pushed hard. Carlin's edgiest routines were at the heart of a 1978 Supreme Court ruling affirming the government's rights to regulate the airwaves.

His oft-quoted "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television"routine may as well have been called "Seven Words All Junior High School Kids Always Say Repeatedly," but the nomenclature wasn't always widespread. Carlin was arrested for disturbing the peace in 1972 when he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee.

"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said. "In the context of that era, it was daring." "It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a 'groundbreaker' or a 'difference-maker' because I'm not and I wasn't," he said. "But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren't supposed to be said."

Carlin was the kind of guy who would make Fox News run the headline "Counterculture Comedian George Carlin Dies at 71," but to the rest of us he was a cultural comedian, and more accurately- cultural commentator.

Carlin hosted the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live, and in the very worth it to own "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live" Lorne Michaels shares an anecdote over a battle between himself/Carlin and the NBC network heads over what George Carlin would wear for his hosting duties. In the end, they compromised and Carlin wore a suit - with a t shirt.

That, to me, was Carlin: a t shirt in the age of the suits. Sadly, he'll never say those seven words on television ever again.

[CNN]

Amy Winehouse's Heart Still in her Music (Barely)

2008-06-22T15:43:00.002-04:00

Singer Amy Winehouse has lung damage and irregular heart beat, says her father.

Soul diva Amy Winehouse has damaged her lungs by smoking crack cocaine and cigarettes, her father said in an interview published Sunday.

The Sunday Mirror quoted Mitch Winehouse as saying that Amy has an early stage emphysema and an irregular heartbeat, and has been warned that she will have to wear an oxygen mask unless she stops smoking drugs.

"The doctors have told her if she goes back to smoking drugs, it won't just ruin her voice, it will kill her," Mitch Winehouse was quoted as saying.

Winehouse collapsed this past week. Maybe she shouldn't have said "No" to rehab after all.

[CNN]

Pat Summerall Not Yet Ready to Sign Off

2008-06-20T15:08:00.003-04:00

Legendary broadcaster Pat Summerall, 78, was resting comfortably Friday morning in an area hospital after undergoing emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding.

Cheri Summerall said doctors told her a new medicine her husband recently started taking didn't mix well with other medicines and induced the bleeding.

The surgery took place Thursday.

"He has really turned the corner," Mrs. Summerall said. "The doctors are thrilled with Pat's progress. We are expecting a full recovery."

It sounds like Summerall is going to have a good summer after all.

[Dallas Morning News]

Last Dance on Last Legs for Cyd Charisse

2008-06-17T21:08:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Dancer and actress Cyd Charisse, whose legs were insured for a million dollars in the heyday of the Hollywood musical, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, her agent said. She was 87. Scott Stander said Charisse, a regular partner of legends Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, suffered a heart attack at her home and "never recovered." She died at 12.15 am (0715 GMT).

"We're all just heartbroken," said Stander, describing Charisse as "one of the classiest ladies you would have ever met."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Remains to Be Seen. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AFP]

Shouldering the Load, Sean Connery Chips Bone

2008-06-15T06:35:00.003-04:00

Sean Connery has been injured in a fall while playing golf. He chipped a bone in his shoulder and has his arm in a sling. Connery, 77, took a tumble at an exclusive club in Westchester, New York.

Last night his spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer said: "He tripped while playing golf. He is not in hospital.

"He is fine and enjoying visiting his family."

Connery was rushed to Northern Westchester Hospital in the Big Apple's Mount Kisco and released after treatment.

We assume that Connery's injury is part of a larger plot to save the world from destruction. The man is simply unstoppable

[Sunday Mail]

Stop (Meeting the) Presses - Tim Russert Dies at 58

2008-06-13T15:48:00.003-04:00

Sometimes a loss is so sudden, and so fast, and happens to someone so young, vibrant, intelligent, and, yes, important, that all you can do is shake your head and relay the tragic news:

Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of "Meet the Press," has died after collapsing at NBC's Washington news bureau, a source said. He was 58 years old.

Russert, who rose from the inside world of politics where he was former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo's press secretary and one-time chief of staff to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, was able to successfully cross over to political journalism and rise to become one of its leading lights.

In his role as host of the seminal Sunday morning political program "Meet the Press" - which he took over in 1991 - he became renowned for his hard-nosed interviews where he frequently cornered some of Washington's cagiest political figures with tough questions.

Deepest condolences to the Russert family, NBC, and frankly, all of America.

[NY Post]

Author Eliot Asinof is the Latest Man Out

2008-06-11T08:17:00.003-04:00

Eliot Asinof, an author who invited readers behind the scenes of the sports world with books including "Eight Men Out," died Tuesday at the age of 88. The Ancramdale resident died at a hospital in Hudson of complications from pneumonia, said his son, Martin Asinof. Asinof was best known for "Eight Men Out," his 1963 retelling of the "Black Sox" scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox threw the 1919 World Series. He spent more than three years exhaustively researching the book, his son said.

Asinof was himself a minor-league ballplayer, briefly playing in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization before joining the Army and serving in World War II. Earlier this year, he completed a memoir about his wartime service, his son said.

"He was writing right up to the end," Martin Asinof said of his father.

It took Asinof three years of research to write "Eight Men Out." We can't help but wonder how many men were "called out" during that period of time.

[Canadian Press]

Barbara Billingsley was an Absent Mom

2008-06-10T23:02:00.002-04:00

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood brought together some of Hollywood's older living actors to celebrate and honor them last month. But one mom wasn't feeling her old chipper self.

The TV moms I interviewed on stage included Cloris Leachman ("Lassie." "Phyllis," "The Ellen Show"), Diahann Carroll ("Julia"), Marjorie Lord ("The Danny Thomas Show"), Marion Ross ("Happy Days"), Holland Taylor ("Two and a Half Men"), Tichina Arnold ("Everybody Hates Chris"), Bonnie Franklin ("One Day at a Time"), Catherine Hicks ("7th Heaven") and Meredith Baxter. Barbara Billingsley, age 93, ("Leave it to Beaver") was hospitalized and unable to attend, but was honored in absentia.

We guess in this case for Billingsley it was "Make it or Leave it."

[Yes! Weekly]

CFL Star Tyrone Jones Lands on the DNR

2008-06-10T22:32:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Tyrone Jones, a linebacker who helped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers capture two Grey Cup titles during his eight-year tenure with the CFL club, has died. He was 46. Jones, who starred at Southern University, died in his native Georgia on Tuesday morning. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2005.

"This is a very sad day, however we need to remember and celebrate the person of Tyrone Jones; the player of Tyrone Jones and the human being that was Tyrone Jones," said Bombers president Lyle Bauer, a former teammate of Jones. "He made a huge, huge impact on this football team and this league."

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to Haaaave You Met Dead? and Dead Place. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[ESPN]

Sherrill Headrick's Doing Two-A-Days with TV Shows

2008-06-08T02:22:00.004-04:00

The cancer eating at former TCU, Texans and Chiefs great Sherrill Headrick has spread to his hip.

His wife, Mary Dale, writes that he continues to have coffee with his buddies, watches "his shows" in the afternoons and, come evenings, sits and waits for her on the front porch.

This spread offense might turn out to be too much for Headrick to tackle.

[Dallas Morning News]

Paul Newman Silence Caused by His Lungs

2008-06-07T21:55:00.003-04:00

There have been a growing number of rumors circulating about Paul Newman's health. The latest reports indicate that Newman is suffering from cancer.

Fears were growing for Paul Newman last night following US magazine reports that the Hollywood legend is fighting lung cancer. The double-Oscar winning star is said to have been diagnosed with the disease at New York’s Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, where he is an outpatient.

Two US publications claim the 83-year-old actor, a former chain-smoker, is under the care of a leading oncologist. One quotes a family member as saying: “It’s so awful. He’s dying.” Last night a source who has known the family for years confirmed: “We have known he is seriously ill for several weeks but his loved ones are being very protective and saying very little.”

He retired from acting last year citing failing memory as the reason. This is one part we are sure he will never forget.

[Sunday Express]

Yow! Kay Heads Back to Chemo, Doing Well

2008-06-05T09:11:00.003-04:00

N.C. State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow is receiving chemotherapy again, she said Wednesday. Yow told WRAL she resumed chemotherapy six weeks ago.

She said she is likely to be on chemotherapy for three to four months and then, if all progresses well, will return to hormonal treatments.

Asked about side effects of chemotherapy, she said, “You always have some, but I certainly have a head start on dealing with some of them.”

Overall, she said, “I’m doing well.”

Yow's original diagnosis came way back in 1987. Her strength and composure should help her defeat this opponent from the inside.

[WRAL]

There are Worse Things in Life for Khieu Samphan

2008-06-04T09:14:00.003-04:00

Things have taken a turn for the worse for Khieu Samphan.

A lawyer for the Khmer Rouge's former head of state says the 76-year-old is in serious condition at a hospital.

Attorney Say Bory says Khieu Samphan has worsened and that he is now partly paralyzed on the left side of his body. He says his client "can speak but his words are unclear."

We recall that the message of Remember The Titans was "Right Side, Strong Side."

[AP]

Robert Byrd Returns to His Favorite Resting Place

2008-06-02T21:34:00.003-04:00

Don't you dare mess with Robert Byrd's State even once. His health state, that you can mess with three times in one half season.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.) was admitted to the hospital for the third time this year on Monday night, this time for overnight observation after suffering a high fever. Byrd, 90, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, was taken to a Virginia hospital in the early evening and will stay there overnight after feeling ill throughout the day, spokesman Jesse Jacobs said. Jacobs said Byrd had felt “lethargic and sluggish” throughout the day, but attended the lone Senate vote of the day, at 5:30 p.m.

Shortly thereafter, Byrd went home and reported the same symptoms to his caregiver. The caregiver discovered that Byrd had a fever and consulted the senator’s physician, who recommended a hospital visit, Jacobs said.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, we begin to veto predictions that this is the end of the road for the Senator.

[AP]
[Hill]

Eleanor Mondale Pleased to Have Air Again

2008-06-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

Eleanor Mondale returned to the air today. She'd been on leave since late February when doctors discovered tumors in her brain. It's Mondale's second fight with brain cancer.

Minutes before Mondale and her colleague Susie Jones were reunited on air, Mondale held up her new t-shirt. The black shirt said simply, "I'm not dead yet."

"From Susie, my co-host, isn't that funny?" explained Mondale. "As long as the ink stays on the t-shirt, I think I'll be healthy."

Monday morning, Mondale thanked listeners for their kind notes during her medical leave. She also talked with her Mayo Clinic oncologist on the air.

We're happy to hear that Mondale is back in the booth. We do find it strange, however, that she'd talk to her doctor while on the air. We hope the doctor screamed "Baba Booey" on air and quickly hung up.

[WCCO]

Bo Diddley Has Been Beat, Faces the Music

2008-06-02T12:27:00.007-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

A spokeswoman says rock pioneer Bo Diddley has died. He was 79. The spokeswoman says Diddley died of heart failure Monday. He had suffered a heart attack in August 2007, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

Diddley was known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat.

His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to It's Always Sunny in Philadeadphia and Angelos or Bust. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Abdelaziz Bouteflika Has No Trouble With the Public

2008-06-02T10:22:00.001-04:00

Rumors abound about Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's health. So what's his deal exactly? Just ask his staff.

[He] is healthy and working normally, the interior minister said in remarks published on Monday, responding to comments on a recent reduction in the head of state's public engagements.

"The president of the republic is in perfect health and he is working normally," Liberte daily quoted the minister, Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni, as saying on Sunday in answer to a reporter's question on a visit to the eastern town of Annaba.

Algerian newspapers began to wonder about the President after they noted his absences in recent weeks. Where has he been? The answers are kept in the Algerian Book of Secrets.

[Reuters Africa]

Yves Saint Laurent's Line Goes Out of Fashion

2008-06-01T22:48:00.003-04:00

French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent, widely hailed as one of the greatest designers of the 20th century, died Sunday in Paris. He was 71. "Yves Saint Laurent died Sunday at 11:10 pm," announced his foundation, the Pierre-Berge-Saint Laurent Foundation. The reclusive French maestro, who had retired from haute couture in 2002 after four decades at the top of his trade, had been ill for some time.

Saint Laurent's longtime business partner Pierre Berge, hailed him as a fashion revolutionary.

"He knew perfectly well that he had revolutionised haute couture, the important place he occupied in the second half of the 20th century," Berge said.

"Yves Saint Laurent knew perfectly well that he had transformed the world and fashion, that all the women of the world owed a debt to him in a certain way."

We don't know much about haute couture, but we do know that what's haute doesn't stay haute for more than a season. Which is a testament to Saint Laurent for staying on top for so long.

[AFP]

President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is Indestructible

2008-06-01T12:30:00.004-04:00

Fresh off a new slate of health, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is facing a different set of troubles posing risks to his life.

A mortar shell exploded Sunday near Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's plane as it was preparing to take off from Mogadishu airport, officials and witnesses said. Three shells struck the airport and one exploded near the plane just after the president boarded it and was preparing to take off, an African Union peacekeeper at the airport said on condition of anonymity.

"The president was in the plane to leave when the mortars hit the area," he said. "Fortunately, nobody was hurt."

So, we guess, despite his flair for the dramatics, Ahmed remains a plane, old guy.

[AFP]

Harvey Korman Dies Without Regretting a Second

2008-05-29T20:25:00.004-04:00

Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and was seen to hilarious effect on the big screen in "Blazing Saddles," died today. He was 81. Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the hospital.

A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show," appearing in skits with the star.

In this case, the banana fell far after the tree.

[San Jose Mercury News]

Marking the Right Spot of Lord Nelson's Touch

2008-05-29T10:36:00.003-04:00

For the last 100 years, tourists visiting the spot on HMS Victory where Admiral Lord Nelson drew his last breath have been in the wrong place.

Since 1900, wording in gold leaf has marked the spot where Britain's greatest Naval hero passed away during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. But by studying Arthur Devis's famous painting The Death of Nelson as part of a history thesis, Victory curator Peter Goodwin found people should look 25 feet to their right.

After examining the painting and the ship and reading contemporary documents, Mr. Goodwin pinpointed an area 25 ft. further forward on the same deck. It has taken 10 years to persuade Naval officials his evidence is right and a new monument is being made to mark the correct place.

Mr. Goodwin, 57, said yesterday: "History is not always what it appears to be. I think it's important to put the picture right."

We commend Goodwin for his valiant efforts over the years to fix this misconception. It sounds like "The Da Vinci Code" to us.

[Daily Mirror]

There's No Business When It's Tony Snow's Business

2008-05-28T13:50:00.002-04:00

When it Snows, it pours.

Former White House press secretary Tony Snow, diagnosed with cancer three years ago, canceled a speaking appearance at Ohio's Ashland University because of an unspecified illness, the university announced Wednesday. The university said Snow's doctors have told him he cannot travel.

It's starting to sound to us like Snow just doesn't like speaking at universities. Snow, now a CNN correspondent, seems to be out of touch with the students.

[AP]

Cleopatra and the Temple of Tomb

2008-05-28T11:49:00.003-04:00

It seems like people have been pretty busy lately worrying about Cleopatra, her death and now the aftermath.

A flamboyant archeologist known worldwide for his trademark Indiana Jones hat believes he has identified the site where Cleopatra is buried. Now, with a team of 12 archeologists and 70 excavators, Zahi Hawass, 60, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has started searching for the entrance to her tomb.

And after a breakthrough two weeks ago he hopes to find her lover, the Roman general Mark Antony, sharing her last resting place at the site of a temple, the Taposiris Magna, 28 miles west of Alexandria. Hawass has discovered a 400ft tunnel beneath the temple containing clues that the supposedly beautiful queen may lie beneath. “We’ve found tunnels with statues of Cleopatra and many coins bearing her face, things you wouldn’t expect in a typical temple,” he said.

It sounds to us like the makings for yet another blockbuster sequel.

[Times Online]

Russell Watson Glad to be Out of the Coffin Corner

2008-05-27T09:05:00.003-04:00

We've been giving fairly frequent updates about singer Russell Watson and the brain tumors he's successfully beaten in recent years. Now we find out that Watson thought at one time that he'd reached the end of his days.

“I was sliding into the MRI scanner, which is like a coffin, when I started thinking about my kids. I thought 'what are they going to do without their dad?’”

So "The People's Tenor"'s tenure continues.

[Daily Telegraph]

Sydney Pollack Directed Out of the Picture

2008-05-26T21:12:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay as director, producer and sometime actor whose star-laden movies like “The Way We Were,” “Tootsie” and “Out of Africa” were among the most successful of the 1970s and ’80s, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 73. The cause was cancer, said a representative of the family.

He increasingly sounded wistful notes about the disappearance of the Hollywood he knew in his prime. “The middle ground is now gone,” Mr. Pollack said in a discussion with Shimon Peres in the fall 1998 issue of New Perspectives Quarterly. He added, with a nod to a fellow filmmaker: “It is not impossible to make mainstream films which are really good. Costa-Gavras once said that accidents can happen.”

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Live Like You Were Dying. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[New York Times]

J.R. Simplot is Fried and Frozen

2008-05-25T18:19:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

J.R. Simplot died today. The Idaho billionaire passed away in his downtown Boise home Sunday morning - with the call coming into police dispatch just before 11 a.m. He was 99. Simplot died of natural causes, according to Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg.

In the 1950s, Simplot's now fast-growing company developed the first frozen french fry -- and the history of this Idaho icon soon collided with that of an American sensation: McDonald’s.

"We built the first frozen French fry, and made them out of Caldwell,” Simplot said. “I had a chemist that showed me what he could do with a French Fry -- I couldn't believe it!"

Congratulations and 9 points awarded to I AM READY TO MEET MY MAKER, Live Like You Were Dying, Oldies But Goodies and Kraut's Picks. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[KTVB]

Dick Martin Has His Last Laugh

2008-05-25T13:13:00.004-04:00

Dick Martin, the zany half of the comedy team whose "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as "Sock it to me!" has died. He was 86. Martin, who went on to become one of television's busiest directors after splitting with Rowan in the late 1970s, died Saturday night of respiratory complications at a hospital in Santa Monica, family spokesman Barry Greenberg said.

"He had had some pretty severe respiratory problems for many years, and he had pretty much stopped breathing a week ago," Greenberg said.

At the beginning of each episode, Rowan would say "C'mon Dick, let's go to the party." It appears that after 21 years, Martin has joined him.

[AP]

There Will be Blood Pressure for Khieu Samphan

2008-05-21T08:01:00.002-04:00

A spokesman for the Khmer Rouge tribunal says the regime's former head of state has been hospitalized for high blood pressure.

The spokesman says Khieu Samphan, 76, was taken Wednesday from his detention cell at the tribunal compound to a Phnom Penh hospital. Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath says Khieu Samphan's condition was not considered extremely urgent but necessitated attention.

Samphan is on trial for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge when it ruled Cambodia in 1975-79, with some 1.7 million people dying from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.

[PR-Inside.com]

Patriarch Pavle's Heart Isn't Where It Once Was

2008-05-18T01:43:00.002-04:00

The Serbian Orthodox Church's top body — the Holy Synod — has taken over running the church from the ailing Patriarch Pavle, the church said in a statement Saturday.

Patriarch Pavle, 93, has been hospitalized for months, suffering from heart and lung problems related to his age. No details have been published about his current health condition.

Patriarch Pavle, you got Serbed!

[International Herald Tribune]

Robert Mondavi's Has Nothing Left to Wine About

2008-05-18T01:37:00.002-04:00

Robert Mondavi, the pioneering vintner who helped put California wine country on the map, died at his Napa Valley home Friday. He was 94. Mondavi died peacefully at his home in Yountville, Robert Mondavi Winery spokeswoman Mia Malm said.

For 20 years, the winery was a family business. But Robert clashed frequently with his younger brother, Peter, who had a more conservative approach the business. According to Robert Mondavi's autobiography "Harvests of Joy," matters came to a head with a November 1965 fistfight.

"When it was all over, there were no apologies and no handshake," wrote Robert Mondavi.

Aged 94 years, the Mondavi grape has gone sour.

[Yahoo! News]

Not Even the Hospital Can Defend Against Joe Paterno

2008-05-15T17:57:00.002-04:00

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was taken to a hospital Thursday because of apparent dehydration and was expected to be released later in the day.

The 81-year-old coach was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center by ambulance after feeling nauseated, said team spokesman Guido D'Elia. Paterno had not been admitted to the hospital and was "tapping his fingers, waiting to get out," D'Elia said. D'Elia added that Paterno would be released from the hospital at 6 p.m., after he passed a series of tests, including a stress test.

"It's no big deal," Jay Paterno said in a telephone interview. "If it's dehydration, he's probably all talked out."

In recent years, Paterno's health has been been called into question. But each year goes by that JoePa comes in like a Nittany Lion, refusing to go out like a lamb.

[ESPN]

Shakespeare's Tombstone May Cause Sweet Sorrow

2008-05-13T10:49:00.005-04:00

Hark ye! Could thy grave be curseth? Steppeth hitherforth.

Ledbury architect Ian Stainburn has been given the tricky task of restoring and preserving Shakespeare's tombstone, - a slab bearing a terrifying curse which warns people not to move it. Shakespeare, who died in 1616, aged 52, was a lay rector at the Collegiate Church of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. As such he had the privilege of being buried inside the church, near the altar.

The restoration is likely to be completed by springtime next year. Just in time for the Bard's April 26 birthday, too. We wonder if British folk celebrate Shakespeare the way some celebrate Jim Morrison.

[Ledbury Reporter]

Sing County Star Eddy Arnold His Lulla-bye

2008-05-08T10:05:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

A biographer for country music superstar Eddy Arnold says the singer has died at the age of 89. Belmont University Professor Don Cusic says Arnold died at a care facility near Nashville Thursday morning. Arnold was just days short of his 90th birthday.

Arnold's mellow baritone on songs like "Make the World Go Away" — a crossover hit on the pop charts in 1965 — made him one of the most successful country singers in history. He became a pioneer of "The Nashville Sound," also called "countrypolitan," a mixture of country and pop styles.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to M"h By You Buddy. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Houston Chronicle]

Irvine Robbins is Cold as Ice Cream

2008-05-06T15:16:00.003-04:00

Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins whose penchant for creating unusual ice-cream flavors helped push post-World War II America far beyond its chocolate-vanilla-strawberry tastes, has died. He was 90. Robbins, who opened his first ice-cream shop in 1945 in Glendale, died Monday of complications related to old age at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, said his daughter, Marsha Veit.

With his brother-in-law and partner, Burton Baskin, Robbins displayed a keen sense of fun and a flair for marketing that helped turn some of their frozen treats into cultural touchstones. When the Dodgers came to Los Angeles in 1958, they were greeted with Baseball Nut, complete with raspberries for the umpires. Lunar Cheesecake was launched the day after man landed on the moon in 1969. At the height of Beatlemania in 1964, a reporter asked Robbins what flavor would salute the Fab Four; Baskin-Robbins had yet to invent one, but Robbins replied, "Uh, Beatle Nut, of course" and had it in stores in five days.

We think the company should make a new flavor honoring Robbins. Call it Chocolate Corpse.

[Los Angeles Times]

Kirk Douglas' Health Seems to be Working Out

2008-05-05T08:55:00.002-04:00

When Kirk Douglas was a Hollywood star, we have no doubt that he enjoyed getting rave reviews. about his performances from others in the business. Now he's getting public adoration from his son, Michael, for his health.

Michael Douglas had dinner with his childhood pal, concert czar Don Law, when he was in town making “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” Don inquired about the health of Michael’s dad, Kirk Douglas, and Michael told him the old man was doing great. “He’s 91 years old and he works out every day,” Douglas told Law. “His trainer is 94.”

It sounds to us like Douglas is giving Jack LaLanne a run for his money. We figure that that race, if it was staged, would last no less than a couple of hours.

[Boston Herald]

Courtney Love Hurts Sometimes

2008-05-04T15:18:00.002-04:00

When Courtney Love calls someone at 3 a.m., who answers? The dispatcher from 911, that's who. She made a 3 a.m. trip on Friday to the emergency unit of LA's Cedars Sinai hospital complaining of laryngitis.

Love checked into the hospital on Friday morning after allegedly complaining about throat and chest pains. Doctors asked her about drugs and made her see a psychiatrist.

On the way home, despite her sore throat, she stopped to buy cigarettes. An onlooker told TMZ: “She looked pretty worn out".

It was revealed later in a statement that Love was suffering from strep throat. We think that she's looked "pretty worn out" for a long time now.

[NME.com]

D.C. Madam Deborah Jean Palfrey Ends Services

2008-05-01T15:33:00.003-04:00

Police were Thursday investigating the apparent suicide of the woman dubbed the "DC Madam," recently convicted of running a prostitution ring with a high-end client list including U.S. lawmakers. A police spokesman said authorities had found the body of a woman believed to be Deborah Jeane Palfrey, in a small shed outside her mother's mobile home in the Florida town of Tarpon Springs.

"Handwritten notes were found on scene that describes the victim's intention to take her life, and foul play does not appear to be involved," said police Captain Jeffrey Young.

Palfrey was convicted last month of federal racketeering charges for running the prostitution ring, and was awaiting sentencing in July. She had previously assured others that she wasn't planning to commit suicide.

[AFP]

Anthony Mamo's Death Renders Him UnPresidented

2008-05-01T08:47:00.004-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Sir Anthony Mamo, the first President of Malta, died aged 99 this morning at Casa Arkati. Sir Anthony was a former Chief Justice and was the only Governor-General of Malta before he served as President between 1974-76.

PN general secretary Joe Saliba also expressed his condolences, saying Sir Anthony had given his all as Malta went through the process of becoming independent and then a republic. His passing away was a major loss for the country.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Oldies But Goodies. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Times of Malta]

LSD Discoverer Albert Hofmann Takes Trip of His Life

2008-04-29T18:47:00.004-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Albert Hofmann, who died on Tuesday aged 102, synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and became the first person in the world to experience a full-blown acid trip.

“I would rather you hadn’t discovered LSD,” Hofmann’s managing director told him. In the end the decision was taken to stop all further production.

Hofmann laid some of the blame at the door of Dr Timothy Leary. In his autobiography, he described meeting Leary in 1971 in the railway station snack bar in Lausanne. Hofmann began by voicing his regret that Leary’s experiments had effectively killed off academic research into LSD and took Leary to task for encouraging its recreational use among young people. Leary was unabashed.

Congratulations and 4 points each awarded to BestDeathPoolRosterEver.BlogSpot.Com, A Time to Kill, Live Like You Were Dying, Blue, Do Not Resuscitate, Daddy to Be Dead Mates, The Kick the Bucket List, Up The Arsenal!, and They Are Now As Cold As Ice. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Daily Telegraph]

Phil Harison Announces His Final Green

2008-04-29T10:00:00.005-04:00

Phil Harison, who introduced everyone from Ben Hogan to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods during his 60 years as the starter on the first tee of the Masters, has died. He was 82. He died Sunday of natural causes, Augusta National Golf Club said.

Harison was one of two people to attend every Masters since it began in 1934, and he became a familiar voice to the many fans who grew accustomed to his Southern drawl and understated manner of announcing each player. “Fore please, Jack Nicklaus now driving,” he would say.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Phil Harison,” Masters chairman Billy Payne said Monday. “Phil was a cherished member who made significant contributions to the Masters. As the starter on the first tee, he was the face of the Masters to many patrons. He did a wonderful job in that role.”

We hope that the only person remaining who has lived to see every Masters since 1934 will make it to next year's event. Otherwise, his name will enter the record books next to Jean Van de Velde's.

[San Diego Union Tribune]

Pope Not Holding Same Mass, But Remains Strong

2008-04-28T14:06:00.005-04:00

We agree with the Vatican on this one - you can't trust the French. A French newspaper report suggested that Pope Benedict XVI is suffering from poor health.

An article published April 25 in Le Figaro said the pope looked fatigued at times during his U.S. visit. It's no secret, the newspaper said, that the pope has a "fragile heart." Le Figaro said the pope had reduced the number of meetings and audiences before and after the U.S. trip and noted that he had not held his weekly general audience two days after his return.

But the Vatican shot back in response to the allegations.

"Certainly the pope is a man of 81 years, but he is well and is carrying out all his tasks, as everyone can see on live TV," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said April 26.

"This was a demanding visit, long and tiring, in which he carried out all his commitments brilliantly without giving the slightest indication of uncertainty and without having to modify or reduce his program at all," Father Lombardi said.

We believe that this claim stemmed from the abundance of media coverage geared at the Pope in the past few weeks thanks to his trip to the U.S. We doubt that these kinds of rumors will spring up when the Pope visits Sardinia in September. But these sort of rumors were once more vicious, we suppose.

[Catholic News Service]

Some Say John Wilkes Booth Filled More Days

2008-04-28T09:17:00.006-04:00

We investigated the story behind Abraham Lincoln's death a little while ago. We posited that it wasn't John Wilkes Booth's weapon that killed the President. Now we wonder if Booth himself may have died another way.

"Pop! A shot was fired and, 143 years ago Saturday, John Wilkes Booth - assassin of Abraham Lincoln - collapsed to the ground, mortally wounded in the neck. That's what history says.

But two Booth family descendants - Joanne Hulme of Philadelphia, and her sister, Virginia Kline of Warminster, Pa. - aren't convinced. They think that another man was killed and that Booth, who they believe was the president's assassin, lived to a ripe old age.

The sisters say that using DNA tests you can prove that Booth escaped on the day he supposedly died. Another researcher has requested for specimen taken from the scenes then in order to investigate the claim. They want to set the record straight.

"It's not too late to set the record straight," added Jan Herman, editor-in-chief of Navy Medicine, the Navy's official medical journal. "This is not a minor footnote in history."

Booth was an actor by trade. We think that even the best actor would have a hard time convincing any audience that he was actually deceased. Even if Booth could somehow have pulled it off, he did so by dragging someone else's reputation in the mud.

[Arizona Republic]

Enrico Donati Finds His Death to be Surreal

2008-04-27T21:15:00.002-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Enrico Donati, an Italian-born American painter and sculptor considered by many in the art world to be the last of the Surrealists, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 99. The cause was complications of injuries sustained in a taxi accident in July, said David Oxman, a spokesman for the family.

As Surrealism faded, Mr. Donati moved on. “He reinvented himself four or five times,” said his biographer, the artist and critic Theodore F. Wolff.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Oldies But Goodies. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[New York Times]

Paul Harvey Keeps His Airwaves Open and Alive

2008-04-25T17:33:00.004-04:00

Video may have killed the radio star, but one radio star is coming back this week after overcoming recent health issues.

Paul Harvey will be back on the radio Monday, with his daily "Rest of the Story" features. The ABC Radio Networks legend has been off the air dealing with health issues since February 29. He'll also begin voicing commercials again on Monday.

"We're certainly pleased to welcome Paul back to the air as he eases himself back into the saddles," said ABC Radio Networks SVP/Programming John McConnell. "Our affiliates and advertisers have been anxiously awaiting his return, as have the millions of Paul Harvey fans across the country. We look forward to his continued progress."

Harvey is one of the few remaining active radio personalities who is older than the medium itself. Just imagine if Harvey had decided to be a professional wheel.

[RadioInk.com]

My Heroin

2008-04-25T14:14:00.006-04:00

Didn't this guy see "Pulp Fiction?" I think we can all learn a very important lesson from this. When taking heroin do not smoke or snort it, rather use the traditional intravenous method of intake.

I don't know how one becomes a "dancing machine" but I think it's fair to assume heroin may play a role.

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Gene Gene the Dancing Machine's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 76! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Eugene Patton's name appears on "Yiz-Score: 2007 DP Champ's" roster

Patton appeared in 1980s "The Gong Show Movie" and had some dialogue.

I've caught snippets of "The Gong Show" and I have no idea how they turned that into a movie.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Harlem Globetrotter Meadolark Lemon's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 76! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Meadowlark Lemon's name appears on "Deep Sleepers'" roster

Over his career Lemon played in more than 16,000 games for the Globetrotters.

That means he had a career record of 16,000-0. That's pretty good. Of course they were all against the Washington Generals, so I guess you be the judge.

... And Many More!

Peter Falk Found Acting Erratic on Street Scene

2008-04-24T08:19:00.006-04:00

Erratic. That's one way to describe Peter Falk's behavior on the street the other day. It's led some to wonder about the state of the actor's health.

The 80-year-old former Columbo star looked dazed and confused as he walked near his Beverly Hills home on Tuesday afternoon. The two-time Oscar nominee was spotted waving his arms in the air and muttering to himself. He looked almost as dishevelled as the famous character he played in the 1970s detective programme.

Another passer-by, who refused to be named, said the star looked to be disorientated. Someone eventually called police, but when officers arrived on the scene Falk convinced them that he didn't need help.

Falk is used to playing the absent-minded role, from his days starring as Lt. Columbo. We're confident that when the police arrived to the scene that Falk took over the investigation immediately. What we want to know is whether he took himself in for questioning.

[Sunday Mail]

Legend of Shirley Temple: Black Broken Arm

2008-04-23T14:39:00.004-04:00

We wanted to celebrate with Shirley Temple today. Instead, she's stuck at home on her 80th birthday nursing her most recent wounds. No, it's not a result of her childhood stardom bursting unexpectedly on her.

"I broke my arm last week at my house, it hurts quite a bit," she told Reuters on Tuesday. In recent years, Black has lived quietly in Woodside, California, an upscale town in Silicon Valley south of San Francisco.
"I'm spending my birthday quietly at home," Black said, adding that her broken arm limited her ability to receive visitors. "People should turn on the lights when they are walking around in the dark," she joked.

It sounds to us like Shirley Temple took her married name - Black - a bit too literally. It's supposed to be a slow fade to black, not a walk in the dark.

[Reuters]

Now That's a Tractor Story

2008-04-23T14:07:00.004-04:00

Dying on your birthday is bad enough. But compound that with dying by tractor-that's just an awful way to go.

Let's hope these people stay far away from tractors today...

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? British Director Ronald Neame's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 97! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Ronald Neame's name appears on "Famous Last Words's" and "Live Free or Die Hard's" rosters

As a producer, Neame was responsible for three classics of British cinema - Brief Encounter (1945) and Great Expectations (1946) - for which he co-wrote the screenplays - and Oliver Twist (1948) - among others.

When someone was responsible for classics, that's always a good time to take them in DP.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Actress Shirley Temple's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 80! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Shirley Temple's name appears on "Do Not Resuscitate's" and "Last Call's" rosters

In 16 of the 30 films Temple made for Fox, she played characters with at least one dead parent. This was part of the formula for her films, which encouraged the adults in the audience to take on the role of her parent

Is it me or is that just a sick type-cast to be stuck in?

Today is somebody else's else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Football Player Joe Ferguson's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 82! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Joe Ferguson's name appears on "Last Call's" roster

The number 12 has been retired by the Bills in honor of both Ferguson and Jim Kelly.

So next time you go to a Bill game you can answer intelligently as to who that other guy who had his number 12 retired is.

... And Many More!

God Save the Queen

2008-04-23T10:55:00.009-04:00

There are many bad things about dying. However, we on BDPE like to look at the positives of death. And one of those positives is the fact that you get your child pornography charges dropped if you die.

Speaking of child pornography, the Queen of England had a birthday this week. What does that have to do with kiddie porn? You guessed it-absolutely nothing. (I hope.)

Sunday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 82! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Queen Elizabeth II's name appears on "the Garden of eden's" and "The Quit Parade's" and "Up The Arsenal!'s" rosters

Elizabeth II married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) on 20 November 1947. The couple are second cousins once removed: they are both descended from Christian IX of Denmark – Elizabeth II is a great-great-granddaughter through her paternal great-grandmother Alexandra of Denmark, and the Duke is a great-grandson through his paternal grandfather George I of Greece.

So maybe she isn't into kiddie porn, but she is definitely into incest to some degree. But really, what royal isn't?

... And Many More!

Old Violin Strings a New Bow (Tie)

2008-04-23T10:30:00.004-04:00

Old people. They service our society in so many ways. One of the ways, they don't service society is by the way they drive. So it stands to reason it is a poor idea for an older man to take the wheel for no reason after waking up. Walter Ross didn't stand to reason.

At least old people are still good at some things. For example, they are very good on staying on Supreme Courts until a member of their political party get elected, even if they are senile already.

Sunday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 88! And Never been Kissed By... Death

John Paul Stevens' name appears on "the Garden of eden's" and "Deep Sleepers'" rosters

Stevens is the only current Associate Justice to have served under three Chief Justices.

That's what happens when you are appointed when bow-ties are still in.

... And Many More!

Tony Snow Struggles to Stay the Course to Health

2008-04-22T18:06:00.004-04:00

This should have been a sweet day for Tony Snow. Instead, it's bittersweet.

Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has canceled a series of speaking engagements at Eastern Washington University because of illness. Snow was supposed to make a series of appearances Tuesday at EWU. However, he was taken to the hospital to be treated for exhaustion, in consultation with his doctor, according to a source at the University. The source said he checked into the hospital at 9:30 a.m.

Snow's cancer is reportedly in remission. This appears to us to be a precautionary hospital visit. While Snow is still expected to make a full recovery, we doubt those speaking engagements will ever be made up. Which means that they were cancelled due to Snow.

[AP]
[KXLY.com]

Trust in Papa Ray Charles' Money

2008-04-22T11:49:00.003-04:00

Financial management and family members are battling for money left in trusts by singer Ray Charles before his death in 2004.

Several of Charles' 12 children have accused executive Joe Adams of not only hindering the "Georgia on My Mind" star's estate bestowal, but damaging their father's reputation, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

"The biggest issue with me is disrespect for the family and kids," said the Rev. Robert Robinson, who is one of Charles' sons. "If you respect a man and his work, then you respect his kids. His blood is flowing through our veins."

The family thinks that Adams took advantage of Charles' name when he released two Charles albums after the singer died. They also say that he reallocated some of the money that Charles left in trusts, profitting from the late singer.

Charles probably had no clue that he'd be leaving this mess around for others to sort through.

[United Press International]

Humor Has It That Teri Garr is Recovering Happy

2008-04-21T22:21:00.003-04:00

Teri Garr has mostly recovered from a brain aneurism she suffered in December 2006. She wants you to know that she's up and running again.

[T]he actress, 61, is back on her feet, joking that the best place to store her wheelchair is at the bottom of the swimming pool "because I don't need it."

She still has, as she puts it, "a touch of MS (multiple sclerosis)," but Garr faces the disease with humor.

It sounds to be us like Garr won't take this disease sitting down.

[Houston Chronicle]

Any Way You Cut It, Roger Ebert's Surgery Rolling

2008-04-18T16:56:00.007-04:00

Who Maimed Roger Ebert? We know he's not well. But all he seems to do nowadays is go in for and come out of surgery. He's in. He's out. He's in. He's out.

Roger Ebert is recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after surgery to repair a minor hip injury. He tripped and fell at the Pritikin Center in Florida, where he had gone to continue physical therapy in preparation for his film festival.

"The show must go on!" Ebert says. "I am doing fine and if the doctors clear me, I will be there." The Roger Ebert Film Festival (Ebertfest) is sponsored by the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign April 23-27.

Had doctors not liked the end result, perhaps Ebert would have been bedpanned.

[ABC7Chicago.com]

Hot Rod (Not the Bad Andy Samberg Movie)

2008-04-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

I don't particularly care for fish, but it strike me as odd to eat as fish that is poisonous.

Roddy Piper's friend Ric Flair probably knows much more about this, being that he is the "Nature Boy and all.

Yesterday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Professional Wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 54! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Roddy Piper's name appears on "BestDeathPoolRosterEver.BlogSpot.Com's" roster

On July 27, 2007, Piper was set to team up with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake in a tag team match against Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Chris "The Crippler" Costello at Clash at the Cove 9, Costello's promotion IAW's yearly event at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. However, allegedly, due to a family emergency, Piper had to leave the stadium early to tend to his family. The match was then made a triple threat and Costello won by a countout in under ten minutes.

I don't know what kind of family emergency would possibly be more important that a reunion with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. Some one has some explaining to do.

... And Many More!

Danny Federici's Hungry Heart Stops Playing

2008-04-17T23:21:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58. Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano. At the time, Springsteen described Federici as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Daddy to Be Dead Mates. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[Yahoo! News]

Chaos Theory Puts Edward Lorenz in a Deadly State

2008-04-16T18:22:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Edward Lorenz, the father of chaos theory, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., Wednesday. He was 90.

"Of all the geniuses of that era, he was the quietest and most humble and the most kind," said Jerry Mahlman, a longtime friend.

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Angelos or Bust. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[AP]

Pope on a Rope

2008-04-16T16:56:00.000-04:00

Not to brag or anything, but I've been to many Mets games, and I haven't had much trouble using the escalators.

It seems as though the Pope does have some sort of direct link to God. How else can you explain him holding mass at Nationals Park and Yankee Stadium, but not at Shea Stadium?

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Pope Benedict XVI's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 81! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Pope Benedict XVI's name appears on "Daddy to Be Dead Mates'" roster

Pope Benedict XVI's interests include classical music and cats. He owns a specially engraved white Apple iPod and enjoys listening to music on it.

One of the many perks of being the Pope. All of those are of course offset by the fact he can't have sex. But at least he can listen to Mozart all he wants.

... And Many More!

Arlen Specter Can't Fund A Clean Bill of Health

2008-04-15T20:48:00.004-04:00

A little while ago, we told you about Sen. Arlen Specter's book about how he overcame Hodgkin's disease in 2005. Turns out, though, he wasn't completely out of the woods.

Sen. Arlen Specter's Hodgkin's disease, which he battled in 2005, has recurred, but doctors said that its return was detected early and that Specter has an "excellent chance" of once again achieving remission, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the senator's office.

Specter, 78, will continue to perform his Senate duties and conduct his campaign for re-election to a sixth term but will undergo 12 weeks of chemotherapy, the written statement said. The recurrence was found during a routine scan, which flagged small lymph nodes in Specter's chest and abdomen. A follow-up biopsy of one of the chest lymph nodes was positive for recurrence, but a bone marrow biopsy was negative.

Doctors cite the early diagnosis as the explanation for the optimism they have this go around. The senator says that he's beaten a lot of political opponents during his career and he is ready to win this second bout with Hodgkin's disease. We can't help but wonder when the next book in the miniseries is due out.

[CNN]

Marvin J. Miller Will You Please Go Now!

2008-04-15T16:29:00.004-04:00

First squirrels, now horses? I think I'm going to sign up for my local chapter of the speciesism movement. We have to get rid of these monsters post haste.

You know who else liked to get rid of monsters? Marvin Miller. Of course that's only if by monsters you mean low salaries for baseball players.

Yesterday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players' Association Marvin Miller's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 91! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Marvin Miller's name appears on "CraigsDeathList.org's" roster

In 1992, the Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber said, "Marvin Miller, along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, is one of the two or three most important men in baseball history."

Today is the 61st Anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier.

... And Many More!

Beverly Cleary, Age 92

2008-04-15T09:58:00.004-04:00

I always knew there was reason for me to be afraid of squirrels.

This is probably the reason why Beverly Cleary wrote about mice. No one's afraid of a mouse on a motorcycle. A squirrel on a farm is, sadly, another story.

Saturday was somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Children's Author Beverly Cleary's Birthday. How Old Is She? 1,2,3,4... 92! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Beverly Cleary's name appears on "The South Shall Rise (from the Grave) Again's" and "Grateful(ly) Dead's" rosters

Cleary's first full-time job was as a librarian in Yakima, Washington, where she met many children who were searching for the same books that she had always hoped to find as a child herself. In response, she wrote her first book, Henry Huggins, which was published in 1950.

If I were her, this would have made me write a lot of coloring books and connect the dots book. Maybe I'd throw in a word find as well.

... And Many More!

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Constipation

2008-04-14T13:13:00.005-04:00

Today is the 143rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln being shot at Ford's Theatre. He died a day later, on Tax Day. Every grade schooler knows that it was John Wilkes Booth who killed the 16th President. What you may not know, however, is that may not be true. At least according to Palo Alto physician and amateur historian John Sotos, who says that President Abraham Lincoln was suffering from a lethal genetic cancer syndrome when he was shot.

"Lincoln was a rare man with a rare disease," said Sotos. He has self-published a 300-page book and 400-page database to support his conclusion, based on an exhaustive analysis of Lincoln photographs and historical eyewitness descriptions of the president's health. "This solves a puzzle."

Lincoln's health has fascinated medical sleuths. In 1962, it was suggested that his great height and long limbs were linked to a genetic disorder called Marfan syndrome. Others have proposed alternate ailments - Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, perhaps, or Stickler syndrome. Some say he suffered from depression or exhaustion.
The late president's health had long puzzled Sotos.

Not yet done, Sotos and others speculate about illnesses that other U.S. Presidents suffered from at the time of their deaths.

George Washington may have suffered dementia during his last years in office; James Madison suffered seizures; Calvin Coolidge grew depressed after the death of his son; after a lifetime of heavy drinking, Franklin Pierce died of cirrhosis of the liver...He diagnosed severe sleep apnea in William Taft and graphed the president's weight gains and losses.

After reading an article about thyroid cancer last year, Sotos pieced his theory together. It explained President Lincoln's lanky build, chronic constipation, hooded eyes, asymmetric jaw and the lumps on his lips, he said. Lincoln's health was already weakening at the time of his assassination.

We fear that maybe Sotos is just trying to cover up for President Lincoln's bad looks and chronic constipation. While President Lincoln's ass may have been his primary concern, it was inevitably Lincoln's assassination that brought him down twice as hard.

[San Jose Mercury News]

Elizabeth Taylor Gives Another Breath-Taking Performance

2008-04-14T09:56:00.002-04:00

We can only assume at this point that Elizabeth Taylor doesn't think her health problems are as scary as others think they are. Or else maybe she's doing her best to act like she doesn't.

Elizabeth Taylor was reportedly rushed to hospital after mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. According to the National Enquirer magazine, the 76-year-old actress woke her assistant at 4am on April 6 after she started vomiting and had trouble breathing.

She was rushed to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was treated before returning home later that afternoon. A friend of the legendary star said: "Liz was panicking. She really thought she was going to die."

Dating back to the 1980s, Taylor's had two stays at the Betty Ford Clinic.

'Cleopatra' actress Elizabeth was previously treated at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1983 for chemical dependency and in 1988 for problems with painkillers. We sense that this star's light has been teetering out for so long it's hardly even worth worrying about it anymore.

[Monsters and Critics]

Pauline Phillips' Holding onto 'Dear' Life

2008-04-14T09:30:00.004-04:00

Dear Abby,

I want to spend more time with my sick mother. She barely recognizes me, though. What's the solution? - J.P.

Dear J.P.,

Sounds like you should take over her syndicated newspaper column and then speak glowingly about your mother at any chance you get. It'll draw you two closer, even if she has trouble expressing it.

Jeanne Phillips had been co-writing Dear Abby for more than a decade before she publicly took over in 2002, when it became known that her mother was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. While some readers may have expected the quality to suffer, the younger Phillips brought her own style to the column, and it's as popular as ever - receiving more than 10,000 e-mails and letters per week.

"For a long time, as she became progressively sicker, I was writing it, and she was editing me when she could. And she was a very fine editor, so perhaps that smoothed the transition," says Jeanne Phillips.

Now that Jeanne has a steady hold on the column's reins - daily readership around the world is at roughly 110 million people - you may be wondering about her mother, Pauline.

"I miss my mother. We were very close," Phillips says. "She has Alzheimer's, and she's here, but she's not here. That's rough."

It sounds to us like a case where when the bonding gets rough, the tough get writing.

[San Francisco Chronicle]

John Wheeler's Death Leaves Black Hole Behind

2008-04-14T07:45:00.003-04:00

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

John A. Wheeler, a visionary physicist and teacher who helped invent the theory of nuclear fission, gave black holes their name and argued about the nature of reality with Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, died Sunday morning at his home in Hightstown, N.J. He was 96. The cause was pneumonia, said his daughter Alison Wheeler Lahnston.

Max Tegmark, a cosmologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of Dr. Wheeler, “For me, he was the last Titan, the only physics superhero still standing.”

Congratulations and 18 points each awarded to CraigsDeathList.org and Last Call. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[New York Times]

Take out the Trash Day

2008-04-11T15:25:00.000-04:00

I don't even know what to say about this story. There are so many questions. How was this guy picked up by a garbage truck? Why didn't the garbage men realize they just picked up a man and not trash? I've posted some bizarre stories in my day, but this is certainly up there.

However, this is mighty apropos for our birthday today because as Governor of New York, Hugh Carey advocated using trash as an alternative fuel. You have to think the more people in the trash the better the fuel.

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Former Governor of New York Hugh L. Carey's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 89! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Hugh L. Carey's name appears on "The Quit Parade's" roster

In April 2006, a few days after his 87th birthday, Carey endorsed then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as a candidate for Governor; Spitzer went on to win the election by a large margin, and was sworn in as the 54th Governor of the State of New York on January 1, 2007.

Insert cliche'd Eliot Spitzer prostitute joke here.

... And Many More!

Weekend at Harry's?

2008-04-10T15:34:00.004-04:00

It seems as though every month or so we get another one of these stories. To be honest, I just don't get them. Doesn't the phrase "the smell of death" tell you all you need to know about dead bodies? I guess there are just more crazy people in this world than I had ever imagined.

I don't know if our birthday boy is crazy, but looking at some recent pictures, it certainly possible that he is just a dead corpse being kept alive for some crazy reason.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Emmy Winning Actor Harry Morgan's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 93! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Harry Morgan's name appears on 8 DP 2008 rosters

In the episode "The Days Dwindle Down" of "Murder, She Wrote," Morgan played LAPD Detective Webb. In 1967, he starred as a member of the LAPD in "Dragnet 1967" which was created by and co-starred Jack Webb.

He was also scheduled to voice Charlotte in "Charlotte's Web" but talks fell through.

... And Many More!

Cemetary Towns in N.Y. Hold Some of the Famous

2008-04-10T11:13:00.007-04:00

We told you recently about a hobby that some people have to visit the graves of famous celebrities. While some travel around looking for these graves, others have made their searches more local.

Chuck D’Imperio of Oneonta, New York, is the author of "Great Graves of Upstate New York." He believes that the state of New York has enough buried there for people take up an interest in their local cemetaries.

“They’re repositories of history, family history, New York history,” he said. “There are representatives of every war. There are fascinating sculptures. You never know who’s going to turn up in a cemetery in Central New York.”

So who has D’Imperio found? The book contains a list of 70 people – including criminals, politicians, movie stars, artists – who are buried in Upstate New York.

“The list of these 70 people is fascinating,” said D’Imperio. “It includes four U.S. presidents. It includes very, very famous names like James Fenimore Cooper and Lucille Ball.” D’Imperio became interested in famous graves after the death of his grandfather. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira. So is Mark Twain.

“There’s politicians here,” he said. “There’s folk heroes here; there’s a horse here. There’s a one-legged tap dancer here.”

You may now be wondering where some famous horses are buried. Mr. Ed? Unknown. Secretariat? Kentucky (a champion horse...of course, of course). Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse? Reruns.

[Utica Observer-Dispatch]

A Byrd in the Bed is Worth Poo vs. the Bush

2008-04-09T17:29:00.002-04:00

Avid Best Death Pool Ever readers (me? Live Like You Were Dying?) will of course remember the case of Senator Robert Byrd who has not been quite free as a…bird, after falling and hurting his hip in his home nest.

Well, Byrd also happens to be the chairman of the Senate’s appropriations committee, which is working on a crucial supplemental spending bill related to the war in Iraq.

Which makes us wonder: Hmm…How can you be reading documents when the documents are in your briefcase? (NSFW-ish) Said otherwise: How can you be leading a committee when the committee is in the Senate?

Now, reports are surfacing that Democratic Party leaders are also pondering this same question and are meeting to discuss the future of the endangered Byrd:

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., told The Hill newspaper that Democrats have concerns that Byrd won't be able to move the committee through spending bills quickly enough. "The concern is that we've got a lot to do, and we've got to move quickly," Lincoln told the newspaper. She added that Byrd's recent illness has held up the committee's progress.

To us, this seems like an overdue lesson in the Byrds and the bees, as in Byrd shouldn’t be chairman anymore.

[Charleston Daily Mall]

Stanley Kamel Was a Working Animal

2008-04-09T17:27:00.005-04:00

Stanley Kamel, well known for playing Dr. Charles Kroger on the hit series “Monk,” has died, Access Hollywood has learned. Kamel was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home on Tuesday. He was 65. The actor died of a heart attack, Access Hollywood reports.

A rep for the USA network, which airs the Emmy-winning “Monk,” released the following statement to Access Hollywood:

“USA is deeply saddened by the news of Stanley Kamel's passing. Stanley was an amazingly talented and extremely kind man, and an important member of the USA family. He will be sorely missed.”

He is credited with over 100 roles. You may recognize Kamel from his television role on “The West Wing,” “Six Feet Under,” “Melrose Place,” or "Beverly Hills, 90210." Somewhere Dylan McKay cradles Kamel's head in the rain.

[MSNBC]

The Demon Stabber of Waukegan

2008-04-09T16:58:00.000-04:00

I know 6 year olds can sometimes be a handful, but to call one a demon and then murder her? That just seems like a bit much to me.

Some would call our two birthday boys demons. I would agree on the second, but certainly not on the first. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't stab either one.

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Founder of "Playboy" Magazine Hugh Hefner's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 82! And Never been Kissed By... Death (but has been given a lap dance by Pamela Anderson)

Hugh Hefner name appears on "The Quit Parade's" and "Extended Weekend at Bernie's'" rosters

After serving in the subscription department and as a copywriter for "Esquire," he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. He worked at Children's Activities, then took his biggest gamble in 1953 by lending his furniture for $600 and raising $8,000 from 45 investors -- including $1,000 from his mother -- to launch Playboy.

I think I speak for males everywhere in thanking the management of "Esquire" for being such tightwads.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Founder of White Aryan Resistance Tom Metzger's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 70! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Tom Metzger's name appears on "Genesis 6:7's" roster

In 1980, Metzger won the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives with over 40,000 votes in a San Diego-area district. He had changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat earlier in the year. The Democrats disavowed his candidacy, instead endorsing incumbent four-term Republican Clair Burgener. Metzger lost by over 200,000 votes in November to a several-term incumbent in a heavily Republican district.

Republicans and Democrats may disagree on many issues but it seems as though they agree that Nazis are bad. That stance must have polled through the roof.

... And Many More!

Randy Pausch Spices Up His Life

2008-04-09T13:04:00.002-04:00

More successful, albeit mentally disturbed looking women than I once remarked:

Smiling, dancing, everything is free
All you need is positivity

And positivity is something Randy Pausch is sure of. If you remember, we are now 7 months removed from Randy Pausch’s virtual death sentence from his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. And Pausch is still smiling. Since that time Pausch has given a “last lecture” viewed by more than 10 million people, has wrote a book that is coincidentally titled “The Last Lecture,” testified before congress about the dearth of funding for pancreatic cancer research, and he will be the subject of a one hour ABC special hosted by Diane Sawyer, tonight.

Whatever. We’ve been blogging, and thanks to the New York Times, we know that’s just as dangerous as cancer.

But, apparently, there are other blogs on the internet, and some bloggers have been writing on them. And, in further development, a certain newspaper has been reporting on those blogs:

Because Pausch has outlived his initial prognosis, a few bloggers have begun to speculate that he is not really dying. Doctors at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Pittsburgh have confirmed Pausch's diagnosis and treatment.
"There's nothing to be cynical about in how he's choosing to approach these last months of his life," said Robbee Kosak, vice president for university advancement at Carnegie Mellon. "He's always been very passionate. He's always very pragmatic. He knows exactly what his priorities are. People like Randy are so rare. We should all be really happy that so many of us have had a chance now to see that it's possible to live your life with passion and energy and candor."

We are not a cynical bunch, so we are with Randy on this one. That said, if he is using this just to kiss some popular female singer…I think we can get to the bottom of it.

Here’s to Pausch. Keep inspiring, Randy. We’ll do your laundry for you for a week.

[International Herald Tribune]

How Long Can Millvina Dean's Titanic Heart Go On?

2008-04-09T10:34:00.005-04:00

A chest infection resulting in the loss of her voice has forced Millvina Dean, the last living survivor of the Titanic, to cancel a public appearance she was due to make on Friday. This event wasn't just any speaking engagement. It was part of a series of Titanic commemorations being staged this weekend.

Millvina, who lives at Woodlands, near Ashurst, said: "I am truly sorry that I won't be able to do the talk on Friday as I was so looking forward to it and I hope people won't be too disappointed." Now the sole survivor of the disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people, Millvina was just a baby when she, her mother and brother were saved in one of Titanic's lifeboats, after the White Star liner foundered during her maiden voyage from Southampton.

The festivities honoring the 96th anniversary of the Titanic crash will go on as planned without Dean's presence. A broken hip knocked Dean out of the 95th anniversary last year.

Ninety nine red bruises go by...

[thisishampshire.net]