January 1, 2024 Simply the best (Image via Capitol) Every year, I highlight the 20 celebrity deaths that seem to have been the most culturally impactful. Usually, it's a mix of legends who have faded away after seeming they might last forever, and younger, shocking departures. Every Other Year from 1976 on RIGHT HERE! This…
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Tom Smothers Dies @ 86 … But Mom Always Liked Dick Better
Tom Smothers, who with younger sibling Dick Smothers was one half of the culture-defining, norm-tweaking Smothers Brothers, died Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at his Santa Rosa California, home. Tom was an impish figure, but a holy terror when crossed behind the scenes. (Image via CBS) He was 86. Smothers had announced earlier in the year…
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Anita Baker vs. Camera, Biggest Babs Collection Is a Burden & More
December 18, 2023 Links to the past, with relevance today: https://youtu.be/dZl3EFiH1Vk?si=TOHiCpoJLrMomzrl INSTAGRAM: Anita Baker, 65, had a rough, rough concert this week. She only did a few songs, forgot words and, well, did THIS to fans (above). Sam, you made the archive too big! (Image via Cartelera Turia) L.A. TIMES: Every collector over 50 begins…
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Ryan O’Neal, ’70s Superstar, Dies @ 82
Ryan O'Neal's acting career began in 1960, with a bit part on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. With Tony Dow on 'Beaver (Image via video still) It is interesting to think of him on shows like that and Leave It to Beaver, on which he appeared in 1961, considering the mega-star he became a…
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Norman Lear, TV Icon, Dies @ 101
Via ExtraTV: It seemed he would never stop. (Image via THR) Norman Lear, the indefatigable TV legend who created classic, genre-defining, culture-driving series, died Tuesday at his L.A. home. He was 101, and had continued working until the end of his storied life. His death was confirmed to The New York Times by his family spokeswoman, Lara…
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Watch Judd Apatow’s Doc on the Friendship Between Don Rickles & Bob Newhart
Judd Apatow contributes a touchingly observed documentary short about the lifelong friendship between Don Rickles and his wife and Bob Newhart and his wife. It's especially compelling considering their acts were so diametrically opposed, yet in their personal lives, they were absolutely devoted to each other. The couples frequently traveled together and even lived within…
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Frances Sternhagen, Broadway Legend & Memorable Mom on ‘Cheers, ‘Sex & the City,’ Dies @ 93
November 29, 2023 Frances Sternhagen, an actor who blossomed in middle age — by playing women many years older than herself — died Monday, November 27, at her New Rochelle, New York, home. The New York Times and ExtraTV confirmed her death. The mother of all mothers (Image via HBO) She was 93. Born January…
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Kristin Davis Remembers Frances Sternhagen, Brenda Lee No. 1?, Cher Racks Up a New Record & More
November 29, 2023 Links to the past, with relevance today: A sweet send-off (Image via Instagram) INSTAGRAM: Kristin Davis, 58, is paying tribute to her late co-star Frances Sternhagen, who just died this week at 93. TWITTER: Brenda Lee is in contention for #1 song on the Hot 100 next week. It would be her…
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Marty Krofft, Co-Creator of ‘Land of the Lost,’ ‘H.R. Pufnstuf,’ Dies @ 86
November 25, 2023 Marty Krofft, one half of the Krofft brand of brothers who brought us a slew of iconic '70s kids' shows, died Saturday, November 25, 2023, of kidney failure in L.A. Me, with Sid (L) and Marty Krofft in 2011. (Image courtesy of Matthew Rettenmund) He was 86, and is survived by older…
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Hall vs. Oates, JFK 60 Years On & More
November 22, 2023 Links to the past, with relevance today ... Like, literally! (Image via RCA) VARIETY: Your '80s self would be devastated to learn that, in 2023, Hall & Oates are now so estranged that Hall just filed for a restraining order against Oates! PEOPLE: The JFK assassination — 60 years on. GREG IN…
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