Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

28 Jun 2009 12:15

tags

Culture: This is too much for us to take. Reports: Billy Mays is dead :(

  • Holy crap. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were bad enough, but word is that Billy Mays, that bearded icon of selling crap, died in his Tampa home this morning. NOOOOOOooooooooo!source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 7 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2009 09:09

tags

Culture: HOLY HECK, ED MCMAHON DIED! He was 86.

  • He was most famous for being Johnny Carson’s sidekick. McMahon died last night after midnight Pacific time. Beyond Carson, he has a long, storied career as a television host, including “Star Search” and “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes.” And of course, there was the chance that he could drive down your road and hand you a check the size of your house. But, alas, no more. Peace out, brah. You’re an icon; you’ll be missed. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 May 2009 10:25

tags

Music: Wilco’s Jay Bennett, a driving creative force, dead at 45

  • Bennett helped make Wilco weird. The multi-instrumental performer, a member of Wilco from 1994 to 2001, was responsible for key decisions that led to the group’s high water-marks – specifically “Summerteeth” and “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” His creative perfectionism ultimately drove him apart from the band, but the legacy of his contributions remains. Bennett died in his sleep yesterday morning. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 May 2009 22:51

tags

Culture: This guy who just died ran a real Mickey Mouse operation

  • Mickey’s the real star. You know you just have to love the little guy while you have him, because he won’t be yours forever.
  • Wayne Allwine • Who somehow drew up the pitch of his voice to allow him to speak like Mickey Mouse for over 30 years. He was the third man to voice the mouse – the first one was Walt Disney himself. Allwine died on Monday at age 62 of complications from diabetes. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 May 2009 21:30

tags

Culture: Four ways you’re familiar with funnyman Dom DeLuise

  • He starred in a bunch of Mel Brooks movies, most notably as the voice of Pizza the Hutt in “Spaceballs.” Spiffy. source
  • He also starred in a lot of Burt Reynolds movies, including a couple “Cannonball Run” flicks and “Smokey & the Bandit II.” source
  • He’s had a few starring vehicles of his own, most notably the food-addicted main character of the dark comedy “Fatso.” source
  • He’s the fat old dude with the beard and the cap who likes food, but not fellow bearded, capped fat chef dude Paul Prudhomme. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

27 Apr 2009 11:02

tags

Biz, Politics: Peace out, Pontiac: You will be missed, old friend

  • It wasn’t only the muscle cars, the GTO or the ’67 Firebird or the beastly Trans-Am, that made Pontiac something special.
  • “The Swamp” blogger Mark Silva • Reminiscing about the death of the Pontiac brand, which was announced today along with all those job cuts by GM. The Pontiac brand slowly but surely evolved away from those muscle cars that defined it early on, but they still define the brand to many. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2009 23:42

tags

Culture: Obituary: Thank you for being a friend, Bea Arthur.

  • Half of the Golden Girls have officially passed away. *Sigh* Bea Arthur, known for two major roles – the namesake character of “Maude” and Dorothy on “The Golden Girls” – died this morning of cancer in her home. She was 86. Both shows were immensely popular and each garnered Emmys for Arthur. “Maude” tackled such hot-button topics as abortion and pornography, while “The Golden Girls” proved that you could make a show around a bunch of old retired ladies really popular. Arthur follows her TV mom, Estelle Getty, in death – Getty, who was actually younger than Arthur, died last year. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

24 Apr 2009 14:28

tags

Offbeat: This car salesman may be dead, but his obit keeps the dream alive

  • Chuck was the Director of Marketing for the Lund Cadillac Group. We are sure he would still want all to know that 0.9% financing is still available on all New 2008 Hummer H2’s.
  • An obituary for Chuck P. Dimmick, who died at a NASCAR race last week. Clever. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Apr 2009 09:53

tags

Culture: Death comes in threes. Here’s three people who died recently.

  • Marilyn Chambers, who you either know from old-school boxes of Ivory Snow or from your dad’s old-school porn collection.
  • Harry Kalas, whose voice you either know because you’re a Phillies fan or you watch classic NFL documentaries on television.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2009 22:31

tags

Culture, Offbeat: Jack Wrangler, 1946-2009: A contradiction of a human being

  • Before turning to gay porn, he started his career in a religiously-themed NBC TV series in the 1950s. source
  • Wrangler starred in some landmark 1970s porn movies. We’ll trust you to Wikipedia them yourselves, kids. source
  • Despite being openly gay, he married a woman named Margaret Whiting – a big-band-era pop singer – in 1995. source
  • Whiting is 22 years Wrangler’s senior – and he admitted being openly gay as recently as last year. That’s crazy. source
  • His honest, open sexuality made him a gay icon. Wrangler died Tuesday at 62. Peace, bro. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>