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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2023 21:15:54 GMT -5
Found this quote from Matthew Perry and thought it was worth sharing;  I couldn't care less about Friends, but I fully respect the honest, down-to-earth attitude of a guy trying his best to do good that is on display here. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 7, 2023 22:05:38 GMT -5
RIP to martial artist and stunt coordinator Pat E Johnson, best known as the tournament referee, in The Karate Kid....  Johnson first started studying tang soo do, while stationed in South Korea, as an Army chaplain. Yep, he was a chaplain. He trained further with Chuck Norris and was the lead instructor in his schools and captain of his tang soo do team. He was president of Norris' Tang Soo Do Conference and later held a similar position in Norris' United Fighting Arts Federation, before he and Norris split. He is credited with developing the penalty-point system used in major karate tournaments, to this day (as seen in the film). Johnson also worked as a stunt man, bit player and stunt coordinator in films and can be seen in Enter the Dragon, as one of the mob hoods who harasses John Saxon, on the golf course, about his gambling debts... He appeared in small roles in films like The Ultimate Warrior (the Yul Brynner movie, not the roided up freak in the WWF), A Force of One, Good Guys Wear Black,, Tom Horn and Rush Hour. He did stunts in some of those movies and was stunt coordinator for Force Five, The Last Ninja (tv movie with Michael Beck), To Live and Die in LA, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mortal Kombat, Batman & Robin, The Wild Wild West (the crappy film) and Punisher War Zone. Johnson trained the actors in the Karate Kid Franchise, teaching William Zabka and Martin Kove (and the other Cobra Kais) his style, of tang soo do (a Korean karate style) and Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio in Okinawan gojo ryu, a softer style. Johnson also brought a lot of the spiritual aspect of martial arts to the production, while training the Cobra Kai in a harsher, more military fashion, to make them more aggressive, as Kreese does. Here, he speaks about the film.... Rest in Peace, sensei. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 9, 2023 19:07:52 GMT -5
Astronaut Frank Borman, commander of Apollo 8, has died.Borman was a graduate of West Point and flew fighter jets, in the USAF, before joining NASA, in 1962. He flew in space on Gemini 7, which tested endurance in space, with a 14 day mission. he was then selected to be on the board of inquiry, after the Apollo 1 fire, which killed the flight crew. He then oversaw the redesign of the Command Module and was selected to command Apollo 8, the first mission to leave Earth orbit, in 1968,. Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders orbited the moon and captured the famous "Earthrise photo, of the planet appearing above the lunar horizon. 1968 was one of the most tumultuous years in modern history and one of the telegrams sent to the Apollo 8 crew was to thank them for saving 1968. Borman left NASA and became an executive with Eastern Airlines and rose to become its CEO. He and his fellow Apollo 8 crew were the only flight crew who all remained married to their wives. Borman's wife, Susan, struggled with depression and alcoholism and the astronaut was candid about how the demands of the space program put pressure on her, raising the family mostly solo. Her story was featured in an episode of From The Earth to the Moon, which focused on the wives of the Apollo astronauts, through the program and, for most, their ultimate divorce. The Apollo 8 crew maintained their marriages, through their lives and Susan Borman preceded her husband in death, in 2021.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 9, 2023 21:30:07 GMT -5
Also passing away, last week, was actor Peter White who will be remembered by anyone, like me, who was home sick from school, in the 1970s, as Linc Tyler, on the soap opera All My Children.  (With Francesca James, who played wife, Kitty) White started out on Broadway, where he was part of the cast of The Boys in The Band and reprised his role in the film version, directed by William Friedkin. He would also appear in the comedy Dave and Armageddon, playing cabinet officials, while also appearing on tv shows like The West Wing, The Colbys, Dallas, Star Trek DS9, LA Law, Hill Street Blues and numerous others,. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 10, 2023 14:43:17 GMT -5
Astronaut Frank Borman, commander of Apollo 8, has died.Borman was a graduate of West Point and flew fighter jets, in the USAF, before joining NASA, in 1962. He flew in space on Gemini 7, which tested endurance in space, with a 14 day mission. he was then selected to be on the board of inquiry, after the Apollo 1 fire, which killed the flight crew. He then oversaw the redesign of the Command Module and was selected to command Apollo 8, the first mission to leave Earth orbit, in 1968,. Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders orbited the moon and captured the famous "Earthrise photo, of the planet appearing above the lunar horizon. 1968 was one of the most tumultuous years in modern history and one of the telegrams sent to the Apollo 8 crew was to thank them for saving 1968. Borman left NASA and became an executive with Eastern Airlines and rose to become its CEO. He and his fellow Apollo 8 crew were the only flight crew who all remained married to their wives. Borman's wife, Susan, struggled with depression and alcoholism and the astronaut was candid about how the demands of the space program put pressure on her, raising the family mostly solo. Her story was featured in an episode of From The Earth to the Moon, which focused on the wives of the Apollo astronauts, through the program and, for most, their ultimate divorce. The Apollo 8 crew maintained their marriages, through their lives and Susan Borman preceded her husband in death, in 2021. R.I.P. There are fewer and fewer of these great explorers left.  |
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 10, 2023 16:13:57 GMT -5
Oh, no...
I'll never forget that voyage. Or that photo.
They didn't save 1968. Nobody could. But it was a restoration of hope and an affirmation that sometimes, some humans could live up to their potential.
Years later, Bill Anders, who took that photo, was interviewed by The Guardian about its effect. Anders said, “It gained this iconic status. People realised that we lived on this fragile planet and that we needed to take care of it...
This is the only home we have and yet we’re busy shooting at each other, threatening nuclear war, and wearing suicide vests. It amazes me. It really undercut my religious beliefs. The idea that things rotate around the pope and up there is a big supercomputer wondering whether Billy was a good boy yesterday? It doesn’t make any sense. I became a big buddy of Richard Dawkins.”
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 15, 2023 19:24:59 GMT -5
Karl Tremblay, lead singer of Les Cow-Boys Fringants (The Dashing Cow-Boys) just passed away after a hard and brave fight against pancreatic cancer. I don't think I exaggerate when I say that the whole province is crying tonight; he and his band were the folksy voice of a generation, like Beau Dommage was in the '70s. Intelligent lyrics with a social conscience that were never preachy; catchy tunes that everyone knew; an attitude that made you see them as personal friends... I don't think anyone disliked them. And they kept making appearances despite Karl's illness, even when he was smiling through the chemo-induced pain, because fans really, really wanted to see them once more and maybe hope that it would be all right.
So many good ones are leaving us right now, it's depressing.
RIP, Karl. Thanks for everything.
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 15, 2023 19:32:02 GMT -5
So many good ones are leaving us right now, it's depressing.
C'est vrai, mon ami.
"I see America crying
In my rear-view mirror..."
C'est trop vrai, mon ami.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 17, 2023 22:24:54 GMT -5
Noticed a trio of notable passings, recently. First, related to this sight is Bob DeGroot, the Belgian comic artist who was known for his comical spy/detective series, Clifton, the comedy Leonard and some stories for Lucky Luke. His work appeared in Pilote and Spirou, as well as some other publications.  Next up, drummer and songwriter for Kool & the Gang, George Brown, passed away. He wrote two of their biggest hits, with "Ladies' Night" and "Celebration." Lastly, British author A. S. Byatt, writer of Possession, The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye and The Children's Book. Real name was Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, and she was also noted as a critic, poet and short story writer, as well as for her scholarly work. She was also the sister of novelist Margaret Drabble. She lost a son, at age 11, when he was hit by a drunk driver, while walking home from school. The experience influenced The Children's Book. She was also a champion of a friend to many young writers, like Zadie Smith; and, spoke wonderfully of my favorite author (well, with the caveat of Alexandre Dumas) Terry Pratchett. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 19, 2023 21:27:57 GMT -5
RIP to former First Lady Rosalyn Carter. The Carters were married for over 75 years! A staunch advocate for mental health who did a lot of good in this world, regardless of your politics.  |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 20, 2023 15:36:37 GMT -5
Noticed a trio of notable passings, recently. First, related to this sight is Bob DeGroot, the Belgian comic artist who was known for his comical spy/detective series, Clifton, the comedy Leonard and some stories for Lucky Luke. His work appeared in Pilote and Spirou, as well as some other publications. Aw, no... Another artist whose work I really enjoyed as a kid. His series Robin Dubois (in Tintin) and Léonard (first in Achille Talon, then straight to books, I believe) were comedic takes on Robin Hood and Leonardo Da Vinci, and both were quite amusing. I will never, ever see a Teutonic kinght without thinking od de Groot's work (he drew the knights in Robin Dubois with extravagant appendages on their helmets, as if Salvador Dali had designed the ice lake scene in the film Alexandr Nevski.) Clifton I also enjoyed very much. He was a typical flegmatic spy/adventurer type, with adventures meant for kids but enjoyable enough for grown-ups. I was glad to see him make a cameo appearance in the latest McGuffin & Alan Smithee adventure, Swinging London. ( Link to the Facebook page of the series). Apparently I am not the only one with fond memories of the character! Thanks for the good times, Mr de Groot. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 21, 2023 9:36:15 GMT -5
Suzanne Shepherd Actress with credits in Sopranos and the Movie Goodfellas dead at 69.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 26, 2023 13:27:22 GMT -5
Marty Krofft has passed away at 86. Marty was the younger of the brother puppeteering team that went on to be among the most important producers of children's television in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s. Loved me some H.R. Pufnstuf and Liddsville back in the day.  |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 26, 2023 14:27:43 GMT -5
Yeah, the Kroffts really defined a good deal of children's entertainment in that era. I was more familiar with the stuff from the mid-'70s onward, like the Land of the Lost, the Lost Saucer, and esp. the Krofft Superstar Hour (also known as the Bay City Rollers Show for a while). They were also involved in several popular variety shows of the time, among other things creating both Donnie & Marie and the I-still-can't-believe-anyone-made-this Brady Bunch Hour. RIP, Marty. Also amazing is that his older brother, Sid, is still with us.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 26, 2023 14:43:38 GMT -5
Yeah, the Kroffts really defined a good deal of children's entertainment in that era. I was more familiar with the stuff from the mid-'70s onward, like the Land of the Lost, the Lost Saucer, and esp. the Krofft Superstar Hour (also known as the Bay City Rollers Show for a while). They were also involved in several popular variety shows of the time, among other things creating both Donnie & Marie and the I-still-can't-believe-anyone-made-this Brady Bunch Hour. RIP, Marty. Also amazing is that his older brother, Sid, is still with us. That should have been my era as well, but the only one of those I really watched was Land of the Lost. Whereas Pufnstuf and Lidsville seemed to be in constant re-runs here. I will add that they designed The Banana Splits for Hannah-Barbera, a show that was absolutely one of my first loves. |
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