The Silver State Chronicles

Remembering a True 1970s Star

RIP Farrah Fawcett

1947-2009

Yahoo News reports…

‘Charlie’s Angel’ Farrah Fawcett dies at 62

A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett‘s trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in “Charlie’s Angels.”

But as her life drew to a close, she captivated the public in a far different way: as a cancer patient who fought for, then surrendered, her treasured privacy to document her struggle with the disease and inspire others.

Fawcett, 62, died Thursday morning at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, nearly three years after being diagnosed with anal cancer. Ryan O’Neal, the longtime companion who returned to her side when she became ill, was with her.

“After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away,” O’Neal said. “Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world.”

In the end, Fawcett sought to offer more than that, re-emerging in the spotlight with a new gravitas.

In “Farrah’s Story,” which aired last month, she made public her painful treatments and dispiriting setbacks — from shaving her golden locks before chemotherapy could claim them to undergoing experimental treatments in Germany.

Read more…

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Remembering The Tonight Show Legend

RIP Ed McMahon

1923-2009

The Los Angeles Democrat-Herald reports…

‘Tonight’ sidekick Ed McMahon dies in LA at 86
By LYNN ELBER
Ed McMahon, the loyal “Tonight Show’’ sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a resounding “H-e-e-e-e-e-ere’s Johnny!’’ for 30 years, died early Tuesday. He was 86.

McMahon died shortly after midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members, said his publicist, Howard Bragman.

Bragman didn’t give a cause of death, saying only that McMahon had a “multitude of health problems the last few months.’’

McMahon broke his neck in a fall in March 2007, and battled a series of financial problems as his injuries prevented him from working.

Doc Severinson, “Tonight’’ bandleader during the Carson era, said McMahon was a man “full of life and joy and celebration.’’

“He will be sorely missed. He was one of the greats in show business, but most of all he was a gentleman. I miss my friend,’’ Severinson said in a statement.
Read more…

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I’ve seen the future, and it’s Moe

Today would have been the legendary Moe Howard’s 112th birthday.

Moe Howard is best known as the leader of the Three Stooges, the slapstick comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades.

Moe was born Moses Harry Horwitz in the Brooklyn, New York neighborhood of Brownsville, to Solomon Horwitz and Jennie Gorovitz. He was the fourth of the five Horwitz brothers.  Although his parents were not involved in show business, Moe, his older brother Samuel (Shemp) and younger brother Jerome (Curly), all eventually became world-famous as members of the Three Stooges.

In 1921, Moe joined vaudevillian Lee Nash, who was now firmly established in show business as Ted Healy, in a comedy  routine. In 1923, Moe spotted Shemp watching the show and yelled at him from the stage. Shemp and Moe heckled each other to a large positive response from the audience and Healy hired Shemp as a permanent part of the act. Next, Healy recruited a vaudeville violinist, Larry Fine, in 1925, to join the comedy troupe, which was billed as Ted Healy and His Racketeers (later changed to Ted Healy and His Stooges).

By 1930, Ted Healy and his Stooges were on the verge of “the big time,” and made their first movie, Soup to Nuts — featuring Ted Healy, and his four Stooges (Moe, Shemp, Larry, and one-shot Stooge Fred Sanborn) — for Fox Films (later 20th Century Fox). Shemp had never seen eye-to-eye with the hard-drinking and sometimes belligerent Healy, and left the group shortly after filming in order to pursue a successful solo film career. After a short search for a replacement, Moe suggested his youngest brother, Jerome (“Jerry” to his friends, “Babe” to Moe and Shemp). Healy originally passed on Jerry (whom he disliked), but Jerry was so eager to join the act that he shaved off his luxuriant auburn mustache and hair and ran on stage during Healy’s routine. Healy hired Jerry, who took the stage name of “Curly.”

Healy and the Stooges were hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as “nut” comics, to liven up feature films and short subjects with their antics. After a number of appearances in MGM films, Healy was being groomed as a solo character comedian. With Healy pursuing his own career, his Stooges (now renamed The Three Stooges) signed with Columbia Pictures where they stayed until December 1959, making 190 short films.

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Sing on, Rodney!

Most people know of the great Rodney Dangerfield’s comedy career, but few know that he had a classically trained voice and was quite the crooner. Please enjoy the classic, Strangers in the Night, by Rodney Dangerfield.

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A Look at The Comic Book Icon

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Who’s the sourpuss, though?

I know the in thing for white liberals is to gush over Michelle Obama’s great ‘beauty.’  And braindead housewives of liberal men  insist she is like ‘Jackie O,’ which to me is a put-down but they certainly don’t mean it that way.

So here’s a pic of a real first lady – Mrs. Sarkozy herself, the beautiful Carla Bruni.  Try not to be distracted by Geraldine’s frightful image.

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One of my favorite personalities

Just got the news that acor David Carradine died in Bangkok.  Evidently, he chose to end his own life.  He shall be missed.

RIP David Carradine

1936-2009

From Yahoo News…

Actor David Carradine found dead in Bangkok

Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series “Kung Fu” who also had a wide-ranging career in the movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital, Bangkok. A news report said he was found hanged in his hotel room and was believed to have committed suicide.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, confirmed the death of the 72-year-old actor. He said the embassy was informed by Thai authorities that Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday, but he could not provide further details out of consideration for his family.

The Web site of the Thai newspaper The Nation cited unidentified police sources as saying Carradine was found Thursday hanged in his luxury hotel room.

It said Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and had been staying at the hotel since Tuesday.

The newspaper said Carradine could not be contacted after he failed to appear for a meal with the rest of the film crew on Wednesday, and that his body was found by a hotel maid at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. The name of the movie was not immediately available.

It said a preliminary police investigation found that he had hanged himself with a cord used with the room’s curtains. It cited police as saying he had been dead at least 12 hours and there was no sign that he had been assaulted.

A police officer at Bangkok’s Lumpini precinct station would not confirm the identity of the dead man, but said the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel had reported that a male guest killed himself there.

Carradine was a leading member of a venerable Hollywood acting family that included his father, character actor John Carradine, and brother Keith.

In all, he appeared in more than 100 feature films with such directors as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby. One of his prominent early film roles was as singer Woody Guthrie in Ashby’s 1976 biopic “Bound for Glory.”

But he was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest traveling the 1800s American frontier West in the TV series “Kung Fu,” which aired in 1972-75.

Read more…

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I believe we have found a woman from Mars (not Venus)!

Special thanks to beaversmom for sending this video my way!

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The first lesson!

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Say what you want, but I’m behind this young lady 100%

What happens when a contestant in the 2009 Miss Panama competition is asked about a wise quote from Confusious.

I contend that if you really stop to think about it, she has a great point!

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