Thursday Thirteen # 27 - Thirteen Actors Who Died Before The Premiere Of Their Final Film

I went to see the latest Batman movie "The Dark Knight" and Heath Ledger’s performance was superb. His death puts him in a class occupied by an elite few, artists who died before the release of their last film. Their deaths caused most of these artists’ to remain forever young and some of them still make us wonder what might have been if they had lived. Here are thirteen stars that died before their final film was released. Can you think of actors that missed their premieres because of their untimely passing?

1. Aaliyah – Died in a 2001 plane crash before the release of vampire film “Queen of the Damned”

2.James Dean – “Rebel Without a Cause” was released one month after Dean was killed in a 1955 automobile accident.

3.Clark Gable – died at the age of 59 before the release of the 1960 film “The Misfits”

4.River Phoenix - died of a drug-induced heart attack four months before the film “Silent Tongue” was slated for release.

5.Jean Harlow – She was just 26 years old when she died of kidney failure just a month before the release of her 1937 film “Saratoga”

6.Marilyn Monroe – died of an alleged drug overdose (I have never quite believe this theory as an adult) while still filming “Something’s Got To Give”, which was later redone as “Move Over Darling”

7.Bruce Lee – Died at the age 32 from a cerebral edema, one month before the release of “Enter the Dragon”.

8.Brandon Lee – Son of Bruce Lee also died on the filming of “The Crow” in an on set mishap

9.Natalie Wood- drowned in 1981 just before the completion of the science fiction thriller “Brainstorm”

10.John Candy – Died during the filming of the motion picture “Wagons East”

11.. Tupac Shakur – The 25 year old rapper was killed in a 1996 Las Vegas drive by shooting after filming two films “Gridlock’d” and “Gang Related”, both of which were released the following year.

12.Phil Hartman – SNL star was shoot and killed by his wife in a 1998 murder-suicide, just two months before the release of “Small Soldiers”

13.Chris Farley – Died of a drug overdose in 1997 just a month before the release of “Beverly Hills Ninja”

Former Bad Boy Displays Bad Behavior?

I always knew that Rick Mahorn was the baddest of the bad boys and a force to be reckoned with during his Detroit Piston days. He was so respected that basketball fans were happy to see him come back as an first as a game announcer for the Pistons and later as an assistant coach for WNBA expansion team the Shock. The Shock met the Sparks yesterday and in the last five seconds of the game Mahorn appeared to come out on the court and push star player Lisa Leslie down onto the court during an altercation involving many of the players from both teams.

I don't know what Rick was thinking but it is the consensus among those on the sideline, including Spark coach, Michael Cooper that he was trying to break up the brawl between the players on the court. Lisa Leslie stated that if this was the case he should have went to his players and restrained them. He ended up getting ejected from the game when the dust settled.

This is not the first time Mahorn has been involved in a team related altercation since he left the game as a player. He was also involved in the 2004 Piston-Indiana brawl when he served as a Detroit Piston announcer. At that time is was said to be playing peacemaker by trying to prevent Ron Artest from entering the stands and attacking fans. Do you think Mahorn should be punished for his behavior or was he just trying to help? Read the story here and watch the clip from the game and decide. I am also including a clip of the Mahorn's response to the incident.

Golden Girl Estelle Getty Passes On At 84

I opened my Yahoo page to find that Estelle Getty had died at her Hollywood Blvd. home this morning at 5:30 AM. She is best known as Sophia Petrillo on the long running television show "Golden Girls". She was arguably the most funny of the four women and avid viewers of the show have the most difficult time deciding which is their favorite among the stars of the show. Getty portrayed the mother of Golden Girl Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) and so it was always thought she was much older than the other three women, which in actuality she was a year younger than Arthur.

Born in New York City on July 25, 1923 and is considered a late bloomer. She was 47 years of age when she performed in her first off-Broadway play. Her most important stage role was playing Harvey Fierstein's mother in the Broadway play "Torch Song Trilogy".

Ms. Getty stopped making public appearances in 2000 after revealing that she had Parkinson's Disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's Disease. It was later found that she had been misdiagnosed and that she in fact suffered from Lewy Body Dementia, which has some of the symptomatology as Alzheimer's Disease.

In 2003 Lifetime Television hosted a Golden Girls Reunion Show in which Ms. Getty was unable to attend due to failing health. She received 7 Emmy and 3 Golden Globe nominations for her role on "The Golden Girls", winning each award once. Paying tribute to the star, her longtime care-giver Paul Chapdelaine says, "Sadly, today July 22, 2008 at 5:35 a.m. Pacific Time, we said our last good-byes to our little friend Estelle, who passed away and made her journey to the great beyond. Although it was a trip that she never wanted to take, she went gracefully, in the comfort of her own home, surrounded by her family and her very loving care-givers". Here is the link with the story and enjoy the below clip from the show. RIP Ms. Getty.

Poll Results

Two polls were conducted simultaneously last week. The first poll asked if R. Kelly's music should be boycotted. 80% said yes and 20% thought there was no need for a boycott. The second poll queried the accuracy of Spike Lee's statements regarding Jesse Jackson's recent attacks on Barack Obama. 71% felt that Spike Lee's comments were on point, while 29% had no opinion. Of course I agree with Spike's and feel that Jesse should be cool. As for R. Kelly, this would be the time I would share a video, but it ain't gonna happen.

Ebert and Roeper Call It Quits - Two Thumbs Down

Roger Ebert is cutting ties with the movie review show that he and Gene Siskel made famous. The producers of Ebert and Roeper have confirmed that they are taking the show in another direction. Ebert's announcement comes one day after Roeper said he was leaving the nationally syndicated show due to an inability to come to an agreement with Disney contractually. Over the last two years illness has left Ebert voiceless and unable to fulfill the obligations of appearing on the show; however Roeper forged ahead with a variety of co-host. Roeper stated that the show was never the same without Ebert.

Ebert and the widow of Gene Siskel retain the trademark to the praise "Two Thumbs Up". Although I did not always agree with their critiques of the movies I enjoyed the banter, especially when the hosts did not agree. The canceling of the show marks an end of an era. The balcony is closed for good.

Latham and Long Get Animated

Following in the footsteps of Regina King, Sanaa Latham and Nia Long, arguably two of the most attractive actresses in films will lend their voices to characters on “The Cleveland Show”. If you watch “The Family Guy” you will recognize Cleveland as one of Peter’s buddies. The show is merely a spinoff; which I do not recall happening in recent years, in the cartoon world. There might have been a spinoff or two involving “Archie” in the 70’s. I am sure Malcolm of Pop Culture Dish can shed some light on this topic. Sanaa Latham will portray Cleveland’s wife, Donna and Nia Long will voice Cleveland’s stepdaughter, Roberta. Anyhow, I like cartoons that cater to adults, so I will definitely give it a try. You can read more about the show here.

Notable Quotable - Venus Williams

"It's every Williams for themself." -- Venus Williams, before defeating her sister Serena in the Wimbledon women's final.

Twenty-Five Things That Are Disappearing

The availability of the Internet has made many things on this list obsolete. I cannot remember the last time I read the paper, looked something up in the paper Yellow Pages, or watched a full newscast. I rely on the Internet for all my news. Here is a list of items, activities, etc. that are vanishing. To read the article in its entirety click here.

25. Pit Toilets (Out Houses)

24. Yellow Pages

23. Classified Ads

22. Movie Rental Stores

21. Dial-up Internet Access

20. Phone Landlines

19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs

18. VCRs

17. Ash Trees

16. Ham Radio

15. The Swimming Hole

14. Answering Machines

13. Cameras That Use Film

12. Incandescent Bulbs

11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys

10. The Milkman

9. Hand-Written Letters

8. Wild Horses

7. Personal Checks

6. Drive-in Theaters

5. Mumps & Measles

4. Honey Bees

3. News Magazines and TV News

2. Analog TV

1. The Family Farm

Old School Friday - Break Up Songs

I saw this meme over at Pop Culture Dish and thought it would be fun to play along. I invite everyone to play as well. This meme was developed by Marvalus One and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre

2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999

3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version

4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane

5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out

6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants

If you want to join in on the fun, click here.

My contribution this week is an old school classic break up song by the Stylistics entitled "Break Up To Make Up" from the "Round Two" album. It doesn't get much better than this!

Musical Memoirs - Top 5 On Friday - Week 183

This week Musical Memoirs ask what are your top 5 Vacation Albums (albums you have to have when you travel or make you think you're on vacation) . It was very difficult to choose just five, but here goes. These are in no particular order.

Teena Marie - Greatest Hits



Rufus (Featuring Chaka Khan) - Stompin' At The Savoy



Marvin Gaye - I Want You



Anita Baker - Compositions



Jeffrey Osbornes - Greatest Hits



I know there will be those you don't know who Teena Marie is so I am including a video courtesy of BET taped in 2006. She is doing her classic soul song "Deja Vu".

Music Memoirs, Tuesday Tunes - Week 41

This week Musical Memoirs changed the format a bit by asking these questions:

What's the most you've ever paid for a CD? What CD was it? The most I can remember paying for a single CD was 17.99 in 1986. "Love Zone" (the name of the CD) had numerous hits, including "When the Going Get's Tough, the Tough Get Going", There'll Be Sad Songs to (Make You Cry)" and of course the title song.

Do you own any CDs that aren't domestic? Yes, maybe a few.

How do you feel about European discs and Japanese discs getting bonus tracks and special packaging when the US does not? I don't like it, but they (Europeans and Japanese) do pay handsomely for those bonuses. You ever get a load of the price of imports?

Are there any bands/artists you go out of your way to purchase any release for? Yep, Definitely. Sade, Tina Marie, and Chaka Khan come to mind.

Notable Quotable - Spike Lee

"In life, sometimes you have your moment. You have your window that lies upon you and then it leaves. This is not Jesse's time right now. This is Barack Obama's time, and I think he's having a problem with that."

-- Filmmaker Spike Lee commenting on civil rights activist Jesse Jackson's incendiary comments on presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Please respond to the Poll on the left.

Barbie Joins The Oldest Black Sorority

The women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority really know how to get dolled up -- and focus on business. For their biennial convention, the sorority, which consists of roughly 35,000 members, inducted one of their newest members: Barbie.

Mattel Inc. has created limited-edition Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Barbie, the first Barbie based on any sorority. The doll honors the Chicago-headquartered sorority, the first established by black women. Mattel Inc. created the limited-edition AKA Centennial Barbie, the first Barbie based on any sorority.

The doll, outfitted in a pink and green evening gown, matching jeweled shoes and gold jewelry, honors the Chicago-headquartered sorority, the first established by black women. The sorority has inducted about 200,000 members -- including actress Phylicia Rashad, educator Marva Collins and author Toni Morrison -- since it’s founding at Howard University in 1908.

The AKA Barbie has some company. Another business, the Sisterhood Boutique, last year modeled a collectible doll on the sorority. That creation, the $125 Ivy Rose made its way into official gift bags for celebrity presenters at the Grammy Awards in February.

The Mattel doll will sell for $50 through the Barbie Collector catalog, the Barbie Collector.com Web site and retailers. The sorority gets a percentage of the sales.Mattel isn't the only company eager to work with AKA. Among the sorority's other recent corporate deals:

· Converse has designed shoes for Alpha Kappa Alpha and five other black Greek-letter organizations and will sponsor a march at the AKA convention.

· Chase last year gave AKA more than $100,000 to support an African-American home ownership initiative.

· DNA tracing firm African Ancestry Inc. has partnered with the group.

R Kelly Boycott

Spellman history professor, William Jelani Cobb has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging Black men to become protectors of their prospective communities (read story here). He is circulating a petition entitled “Statement of Black Men Against The Exploitation of Black Women. Do you agree it is about time that Black men speak out against exploitation of women and children or should we just leave R. Kelly alone? I for one think that it's about time that someone stood up! Please take the poll on the left.

Jessie Jackson Calls for Obama's Balls!

After the infamous “Hymie Town” comments it seems that Reverend Jessie Jackson would learn to choose his words more wisely. His latest foopah came in the form of what is being referred to as a "careless whisper" berating presidential candidate Barack Obama, who Jackson accused of “talking down” to Black people. “I want to cut his nuts off” was the statement Jackson was overheard saying while waiting to be interviewed by the FOX Network.

He issued an apology, but it was too little, far too late. Why do these media figures think they can get away with saying the most outlandish things and then think that a simple "I'm sorry" will suffice in erasing the offense. Even Jackson's son, Jessie Jackson Jr., who is also a National Chair for Obama's campaign, admonished his father's derogatory declaration in this statement:

"Rev. Jackson is my dad and I'll always love him. He should know how hard that I've worked for the last year and a half as a national co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. So, I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric. He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself".

Or as "The Machine" Levine would say, "If you can't think on your feet you oughta keep your mouth shut". My sentiments exactly!

Thursday Thirteen #26 – Retro Candies and Snacks

I am a fan of retro stuff. I have rotary dial phones in three rooms in my home. I own a turntable with loads of vinyl from a variety of artist from Duke Ellington to Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan. I was over visiting Pop Art Diva blog (a wonderful blog about all things retro) and she inspired this week’s Thursday Thirteen about snack foods I ate as a child. So come take this trip down memory lane with me and feel free to share some of the candies and snacks you loved as a kid. You can find all the candies and snacks mentioned below and so many more at The Old Time Candy Company.

1.Indian Brand Pumpkin Seeds – I love pumpkin seeds as a child and this brand was my favorite. They cost a nickel a package and they were well worth it. I remember eating the seed, shell and all. They were so good and salty.

2. Kits - We had a candy store around the corner from my house called the Confectionary. Mr Jarrod suggested I buy this candy call kits-he let me choose the flavor-chocolate. I took off the outside wrapper to discover it held 4 pieces. I shared them with my friends. I liked the smooth texture in my mouth. I made sure to always pick up some kits!

3. Mary Janes - In 1884, Charles H. Miller and his three sons founded a small business manufacturing and selling homemade candy. The building where they began making their candy had a notable past -- it was the Paul Revere House in Boston's Faneuil Hall/North End area.

4. Squirrel Nut Chews – I have fond memories of stopping at Eddie’s corner store on my way to Roosevelt Elementary school in Flint, Michigan and purchasing this chewy peanut concoction.

5. Bit-O-Honey – That sweet chewy morsel with the bits of almond was and still is one of my favorite. Bit-O-Honey first appeared in 1924 and was made by the Schutter-Johnson Company of Chicago. Bit-O-Honey was a new kind of candy bar consisting of six pieces of candy wrapped in wax paper and then packaged in a wrapper. Today, Bit-O-Honey is made by the Nestle Company.

6. Bazooka – How cool is a bubblegum that has a comic in every pack. The Bazooka Joe comics were introduced in 1953 to add interest for children.

7. Candy Necklace - When I was little I used to eat candy necklaces all the time. I loved the chalky taste.

8. Coconuts Neapolitan Sundaes - I still remember the somewhat tedious process of unwrapping this candy (could be tricky at times because they were pretty sticky, but so worth it!) But most of all I remember the particular way I would eat them - usually nibbling off the pink end, then the white center and leaving the chocolate part for last! Yummy coconut goodness!

9. Mallo Cups – I was a fan of coconut back in the day and Mallo Cups has a marshmallow coconut filling that was so good.

10. Smarties – I still eat these today when I can find them. As a young girl when I would go trick or treating I would always hope that those old folks would throw some Smarties in my little Trick or Treat bag.

11. Tootsie Rolls – This candy is one that has stood the test of time and never lost its popularity. Leo Hirshfield was looking around for a name for the new confection he was making from a recipe he'd brought over from Europe in 1896. He chose the name of his 6 year old daughter, Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie. This is the first candy to be individually wrapped in paper.

12. Sweet Tarts – This is my first experience eating candy that was sour, yet sweet, a wonderful combination.

13. Cracker Jacks – Who growing up in the 60’s didn’t love Cracker Jacks? Not only did you get syrupy sweet caramel corn, but a prize too! According to legend, in 1893 a unique popcorn, peanuts and molasses confection that was the forerunner to Cracker Jack caramel coated popcorn and peanuts is introduced by F.W. Rueckheim and Brother, at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago's first World's Fair.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!




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Tuesday Tunes - Week 40: Word Association

Tuesday Tunes - Week 40

Name the first musical thing (i.e. artist/song/album etc.) that comes to mind when you see these words:

peace: Peaceful Journey – Heavy D and the Boyz

love: I Found Love on a Two Way Street – The Moments

sign: Gimme Some Kind of Sign – Brenton Wood

summer: Summer Breeze – The Isley Brothers

trip: Take a Little Trip – Minnie Riperton

book: Book of Love – The Monotones

drug: I Want a New Drug – Huey Lewis & the News

simple: The Simple Things – Minnie Riperton

psychedelic: Psychedelic Shack – The Temptations

70s: The Ultimate 70’s Collection – Various Artist

The Death of Marvin Gaye

It seem that the death of Marvin Gaye is the most shocking moment in Black music. Following a distant second was the deaths of Aaliyah and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Pulling up the rear was the deaths of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. Someone responded to the "Most Shocking" post last week, admitting that they did not know that Marvin Gaye had been murdered by his father. Follow this link to read more about what supposedly happened on that fateful day. Here is a brief synopsis according to friends and relatives of the deceased.

On the night of March 31, 1984, Marvin Sr. was angered because he was unable to find a document concerning an insurance policy. He stormed around the house and yelled at Alberta, whom he blamed for losing the document. He was still angry when he awoke the next morning, Sunday, April 1, the day before Marvin Jr.'s 45^th birthday. At about 11 a.m., Marvin Sr. hollered up the stairs at his wife, who was in Marvin Jr.'s bedroom. The son went to the top of the stairs and hollered back that he should speak to Alberta's face if he had something to say.

The father hurried up the steps and entered his son's room. Marvin Jr. leaped up off the bed and pushed his 70-year-old father out into the hallway, knocking him down and kicking him. Alberta interceded and the men separated. Marvin Jr. returned to his bed. The father got up and went down the hall to his own bedroom. After a few moments, he returned to Marvin Jr.'s threshold. He raised a hand toward his son, and Alberta could see he was holding the .38 pistol Marvin Jr. had given him. He pulled the trigger, and shot his son in the chest, tearing through his heart. As Marvin Jr. slumped off the bed to the floor, his father strode forward and fired again. The second shot was unnecessary.

Marvin's brother Frankie ran to the sounds of the shots, his wife Irene called 911. Paramedics arrived to find Marvin Sr. sitting on the front porch. They demanded to see the gun before they would enter the house. Irene found it under Marvin Sr.'s pillow and threw it on the lawn. Gaye was rushed to California Hospital. Resuscitation efforts were in vain. He was declared dead at 1:01 p.m.

Pull Em' Up!

If you are planning a trip to Flint, Michigan in the near future remember to keep your pants pulled up. The city's new police chief is cracking down on sagging pants that expose to much skin or boxers. Chief David Dicks feels that "this immoral `self expression' goes beyond freedom of expression; it rises to the crime of indecent exposure/disorderly persons." Under the order, anyone with exposed buttocks could be arrested on "a misdemeanor charge of being a disorderly person, punishable by up to a $500 fine and three months in jail."

Dallas enacted a similar ordinance in October 2007, with the "That's Not Hip Hop" campaign. Now city officials are using an innocent granny as the focal point of a new campaign. Billboards around the Dallas area admonish saggers that Granny says "Pull Em' Up. Dallas officials said they used the grandmother figure because she is the most revered and respected member of our community.

I must say that personally I have never liked the style of dress that exposes ones "drawers" and "ass"; however I am not for censoring the way individuals dress because it leads to other censorship and soon we are living in Nazi Germany. I thought when people realized that the look originated with prison gang members who were given "one size fits all clothing" as a way of saving on incarceration expenditures it would mark the end of the look, but it was not to be. The trend has been going strong for well over a decade with no end in sight.

As for Flint (which happens to be my home town), there are much bigger problems than the dress code all one has to do is go there and have a look around. The joblessness and dilapidation in the city began long before baggy pants. Flint's crime rate exploded back in the 1980's, correlating with the closing of plants by General Motors and the outsourcing of jobs.

Flint's police chief needs to rid the streets of the criminal element and the mayor and city council should be looking for a way to bring in new employment opportunities to a city that has lost so much in the last two decades. Sagging pants are the least of the city of Flint's worries.

As always I welcome your thoughts and opinions on this issue.

100th Anniversity of Justice Thurgood Marshall's Birth

Today, July 2nd marks the 100th anniversity of Thurgood Marshall birth. He was a leading activists in the 20th century, who forever changed the landscape of America; however he is the least well known of the three prominent black figures of the 20th century, behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. It was Thurgood Marshall, working through the courts to eradicate the legacy of slavery and destroying the racist segregation system of Jim Crow, who had an even more profound and lasting effect on race relations than either of Dr. King or Malcolm X.

It was Marshall who ended legal segregation in the United States. He won Supreme Court victories breaking the color line in housing, transportation and voting, all of which overturned the 'Separate-but-Equal' apartheid of American life in the first half of the century. It was Marshall who won the most important legal case of the century, Brown v. Board of Education, ending the legal separation of black and white children in public schools. The success of the Brown case sparked the 1960's civil rights movement, led to the increased number of black high school and college graduates and the incredible rise of the black middle-class in both numbers and political power in the second half of the century.

Apppointed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964, Marshall became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. He worked on behalf of black Americans, but built a structure of individual rights that became the cornerstone of protections for all Americans. He succeeded in creating new protections under law for women, children, prisoners, and the homeless. Their greater claim to full citizenship in the republic over the last century can be directly traced to Marshall.

Still feisty in his old age. I remember a newscaster asking him what he was going to do now that he was retiring and he simply said "mind my business". Lucky for us he did not mind his business in his younger day.

Happy Birthday Mr. Mandela

The birthday Celebration has begun for one of the most revered and respected men in all the world. Nelson Mandela will celebrate in 90th birthday on July 18th. Born in the small village of Mvezo, he rose to prominence as a civil rights activist and opponent of apartheid and the racist South African government.

He was the first in his family to attend school. Mandela was influenced by the teachings of Gandhi and believed peaceful resistance was the way to fight against white domination in his country. Mandela spent twenty-seven years of his life in prisoned due to his civil resistance, where he studied at the University of London through correspondence and acquiring a law degree. Upon his release from prison in 1990 he went on to become the President of South Africa in 1994.

As of April 2008, Mandela, as well as other senior South African officials, still requires a visa to enter the United States due to his terrorist designation as result of his work against apartheid.

Join me and the rest of the world in honoring a true living legend and wishing him a Happy Birthday!