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29 May 2010 13:53

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Culture: Dennis Hopper’s death, in pictures: From “Easy Rider” to “Speed”

Once a hippie, now a legend. The Washington Post remembers Hopper, who died of cancer, in this pretty awesome photo gallery. source

29 May 2010 13:48

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29 May 2010 12:29

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Culture: Gary Coleman is staying on “Avenue Q,” despite his death

  • The play gave Coleman a tribute, complete with weeping. “Avenue Q” has gotten a lot of mileage out of making fun of Gary Coleman over the years, a fate which looked fraught with controversy in the wake of his death. But despite that, the show went on with him last night, and it looks like it’ll continue to go on with him. “After watching it tonight, I would miss him too much,” said the play’s book writer, Jeff Whitty. “Personally, I would miss him terribly.” source

28 May 2010 19:50

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Culture: When Gary Coleman died, Twitter blew up big time

  • 4.8% of all tweets were about Coleman’s death source

28 May 2010 19:46

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Culture: With Gary Coleman’s death, “Avenue Q” has a big problem

  • While everything in life may be only for now, we suspect that Gary’s legacy will live on for many years to come. Gary’s memory will certainly endure in the hearts and minds of those of us who live on Avenue Q.
  • A statement from the crew of the off-Broadway performance of “Avenue Q” • Regarding the death of Gary Coleman. Here’s the problem they face. One of the main characters of the play is based on the deceased “Different Strokes” star (without Coleman’s consent), and the play goes out of its way to make fun of him. One of the songs about Coleman is called “It Sucks to Be Me.” They plan on doing a tribute tonight, but we’re guessing it’s going to be tough to reconcile Coleman’s tragic death with the satire on his life. source

28 May 2010 15:47

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Culture: Let’s call out @Jesus_M_Christ for his Gary Coleman schadenfreude

  • I’m sorry I had to take Gary Coleman. But damn if I’m not going to make him say ‘What’choo talkin bout, Jesus?’ when he gets here.
  • The Twitter account @Jesus_M_Christ • Who’s been kind of a jerk about Gary Coleman’s very sad situation. The person behind the Jesus parody account has posted nine tweets in the last two days with the kind of black humor we can’t get behind. This tweet is pretty bad, but it’s nowhere near as bad as this one. Look, Coleman has famously been the butt of jokes (there’s a character in “Avenue Q” who parodies his depressing fate) but now isn’t the time. Seriously. source

28 May 2010 15:42

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Culture: RIP Gary Coleman: Let’s give the guy a little respect, OK?

  • Gary Coleman’s story may be one of the saddest child star stories ever. Coleman, who died at 42, deserves respect from an obit. Doesn’t he? For nearly a decade, he was a pint-sized legend that ranked up there with Lucille Ball. Then it all fell apart. His life is a sad tale. Not only is he the ultimate example of how typecasting can ruin a career (although the four People’s Choice Awards did help soften the blow in the early ’80s), but he had all sorts of awful things happen to him throughout his life. A few examples:
  • Trust misappropriationSure, Coleman spent all of those years on “Different Strokes,” but he didn’t get rich of it. Why? Because his parents and manager reportedly mis-managed his trust fund. As a result, he had to file for bankruptcy in 1999.
  • trouble with the lawWhile we don’t exactly want to play Coleman as an angel with a halo over his head, we can’t help but think his financial troubles eventually led to myriad troubles with the law, including assault and domestic violence charges.
  • selling out his imageOver the last two decades of his life, he had to suffer through humiliating appearance-oriented jobs just to pay the bills. It’s pretty troubling that his last credited role was in a film called “Midgets vs. Mascots.” His entire IMDB is a mess. source
 

28 May 2010 11:37

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World: A very deadly situation in Pakistan, complete with hostages

Two mosque suicide bombings in the city of Lahore have left more than 70 killed and police attempting to stop an awful hostage situation. source

25 May 2010 23:54

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Culture: Protip: Houses that inspire horror movies a sound investment

  • $55k the amount the “Amityville Horrors” house sold for not long after six people were killed inside
  • $310k the amount the house sold for in 1997, nearly 20 years after the popular 1979 movie first came out
  • $1.1M the amount the house just went on the market for; an infamous murder no longer a reason for a discount source

24 May 2010 10:11

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