January 19, 2024 Links to the past, with relevance today: 70 years and out. (Image via Sports Illustrated) NYT: The future of Sports Illustrated has been thrown into chaos — every single employee was just laid off. NYT: Nobody liked Hef ... the second after he died. VARIETY: Kenya Barris will present a 10-part series…
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Emmys 2023 In Memoriam Snubs: Richard Moll, Ryan O’Neal, Joyce Randolph & More
I loved the Emmys! My review here. Who wants to tell her?! (Image via NBC) The In Memoriam was gorgeously sung and conceived. However, unless I am wrong — and there is no full video for me to check yet — I believe these 23 people were left out, and some are real shockers. (I'm…
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‘Happy Days’ at 50, Mel Brooks Gets New Oscar to Sell, Hot Sal Mineo, Barbra Streisand’s Sales & More
January 15, 2024 Links to the past, with relevance today: The core cast — RIP Tom Bosley & Erin Moran (Image via ABC) NYT: It's incredible that Happy Days, the beloved show about the '50s is itself 50 ... years old. Fascinating to hear the core surviving cast talk about the landmark series. One juicy…
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Joyce Randolph, Last Surviving ‘Honeymooners’ Star, Dies @ 99
On Saturday, January 13, 2024, we lost Joyce Randolph, one of the last remaining connectors to '50s TV. (Images via CBS & and by Matthew Rettenmund) The original Trixie on The Honeymooners (1955-1956) — after replacing Elaine Stritch in the role on Cavalcade of Stars (1951-1952) sketches — died at 99 at her NYC home.…
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Shecky Greene, Iconic Las Vegas Stand-Up King, Dies @ 97
January 1, 2024 Shecky Greene, a Las Vegas legend for a stand-up career that left his name synonymous with laughter, died at his home on New Year's Eve. He was 97. Mugging in History of the World Part I (Image via 20th Century Fox) Greene died of natural causes, his wife told The Las Vegas Review-Journal.…
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20 Most Impactful Celebrity Deaths of 2023
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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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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William Frawley? Don’t Make Me Laugh
Many of us are actively alarmed by the invasion of AI technology, and the possibility it raises of creating entirely false historical narratives. After all, if an engineer and scientist is uncritically sharing this pretty obviously AI-created image/story: This story is fake. This picture is fake. (Image via Twitter) ... where will it end? Nothing…
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