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Ross Perot dead at 89.

Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn has died at the age of 88
16:08, July 10th, 2019


WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Rip Torn has died aged 88.

Rip Torn, the free-spirited Texan who overcame his quirky name to become a distinguished actor in theatre, television and movies and win an Emmy in his 60s for his comedy turn on TV's The Larry Sanders Show, has died.

He was 88.

Torn died Tuesday afternoon at his home with his wife, Amy Wright, and daughters Katie Torn and Angelica Page by his side, according to his publicist Rick Miramontez.

No cause of death was given.

His career on stage and screen spanned seven decades, ranging from an early career of dark, threatening roles to iconic comedic performances later in life.

After acclaimed performances in Cross Creek, Sweet Bird of Youth: and other dramas, Torn turned to comedy to capture his Emmy as the bombastic, ethically challenged television producer in The Larry Sanders Show.

Created by and starring Garry Shandling, HBO's spoof of TV talk shows aired from 1992 to 1998 and is widely credited with inspiring such satirical programs as 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Born Elmore Rual Torn, the actor adopted the name Rip in his boyhood, following the tradition of his father and uncle.


It was the subject of endless ridicule during his early days as a stage actor in New York, and fellow drama students urged him to change it.

With customary stubbornness, he refused, eventually overcoming the jokes with a series of powerful performances that led to his being regarded, along with Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and James Dean, as actors of a postwar generation who brought tense realism to their craft.

He was also a political activist who joined James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte and other cultural and civil rights leaders for a frank and emotional 1963 meeting with then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy about the country's treatment of blacks.

Torn made his film debut in 1956 in an adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Baby Doll, and within a few years was a respected film and television actor, working on occasions with his second wife, Geraldine Page.

At the Actors Studio, he gained the attention of Elia Kazan, who hired him as understudy to Alex Nicol, then playing Brick Pollitt in the Tennessee Williams classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Toward the end of the show's Broadway run, Torn took over the role of the alcoholic, emotionally troubled former football hero. He did so billed against his wishes as Elmore Torn.

Cast later in a US Steel Hour production for television, he was told to either change his name or forfeit the role.

He threatened to return to his native Texas, but finally agreed to be credited as Eric Torn. He was billed as Rip Torn thereafter.

His success eventually inspired a younger cousin to take up acting, too - Oscar winner Sissy Spacek.

Other film credits included: Critics Choice and The Cincinnati Kid. In Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life, he was featured as a gregarious attorney in the afterlife.

On television he played such figures as Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson and Walt Whitman.

His career hit a dry spell in the 1970s, and he blamed it on the buzz in Hollywood at the time that he was difficult to work with, a reputation sealed when tension on the set of Easy Rider led to his being replaced by Jack Nicholson for the 1969 release and missing out on one of the biggest hits of the era.

"I wouldn't say that I was blacklisted," he told The Associated Press in 1984, "but the word got around that I was difficult and unreliable. Unreliable! In all my years in the theatre I have never missed a performance."

He managed to keep working in small projects in theatre, films and TV, returning to the mainstream in 1983 with Cross Creek, in which he played table-smashing backwoodsman Marsh Turner. The role brought him his only Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor.

Among his other films: City Heat, The Hunt for Red October and Men in Black.

But he never entirely shook his rebellious reputation.

"What do they say about all the guys that are tremendous actors?" he told The New York Times in 2006.

"Don't they say they have a volatile temper and emotions? Yeah, sure they do! They're not saying they like a nice, mild guy. Look at Sean Penn.

In 1994, actor-director Dennis Hopper said on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno that Torn once pulled a knife in a New York restaurant as he complained about being replaced in Easy Rider. He sued Hopper for slander and won a $475,000 judgment.

He remained active in film and television in later years, including a recurring role in 30 Rock and a voice acting gig in the 2007 animated Bee Movie.

He weathered a couple of drunken driving arrests, including one in December 2008 near his home in Salisbury, Connecticut, that led to his placement in an alcohol education program.

Born in Temple, Texas, Torn initially studied agriculture at Texas A&M and acting at the University of Texas.

After service as a military policeman during the Korean War, he hitchhiked to Hollywood. Landing only tiny roles in movies and TV dramas, and supporting himself as a fry cook and dishwasher, he decided to shift to New York and seek more training as an actor.

Torn and his first wife, actress Ann Wedgeworth, had a daughter, Danae, before divorcing. In 1963 he married Page, with whom he had co-starred in the touring production and movie version of "Sweet Bird of Youth."

They had three children, a daughter, Angelica, and twins Jon and Tony, and appeared in productions together until her death in 1987. Torn also had two children, Katie and Claire, with actress Amy Wright.

AAP

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/t ... -age-of-88

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Paulo Henrique Amorim



Prominent journalist and keen democracy defender in Brasil, great loss in obscure times...

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Jerry Lawson, leader of a cappella Persuasions, dies at 75
Andrew Dalton, Ap Entertainment Writer Updated 2:34 am EDT, Friday, July 12, 2019


Photo: Chris Pizzello, Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2017 file photo, singer Jerry Lawson performs the song "Lay Down" at a life celebration and statue unveiling for the late actor Anton Yelchin at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. Lawson, for four decades the lead singer of cult favorite acapella group the Persuasions, has died. Longtime friend Rip Rense says Lawson died Wednesday, July 10, 2019 in Phoenix after a long illness. He was 75. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jerry Lawson, who for four decades was the lead singer of the eclectic cult-favorite a cappella group the Persuasions, has died. He was 75.

Lawson died Wednesday at a Phoenix hospice after a long illness, longtime friend and sometime Persuasions producer Rip Rense said.

Lawson's smooth baritone led the group of five and later six singers, who were revered as the "The Kings of a Cappella" by their small but devoted fan base.

Through 25 albums the Persuasions recorded rock, blues, gospel and pop songs, all with no sound other than their own voices, long after the doo-wop era and long before the "Pitch Perfect" movies, when a cappella was rare.

"Thirty-eight years and we still ain't got no band, man!" Lawson told The Associated Press in 2000. "That's the story right there."

They had many famous fans including Rod Stewart, the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, the members of Boyz II Men and Frank Zappa, who gave their career a boost when he discovered them in the late 1960s.

"After working together at the Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert, I admired the undeniable depth in Jerry's big voice," Stewart said in a statement. "A true soul singer."

They began as a casual and nameless collection of singers on the basketball courts and front stoops of Brooklyn in 1962, with Lawson bringing the warm, friendly voice he developed singing gospel songs during his youth in Apopka, Florida.

"It was just five guys who used to stand on the corner or go down to the subway station every night and just do this," Persuasions member Jimmy Hayes told the AP in 2000.

Joseph Russell, Herbert Rhoad and Jayotis Washington rounded out the original quintet.

They got their break when Zappa signed them to his independent label for their first album in 1969.

The Persuasions performed with everyone from Liza Minnelli to Joni Mitchell to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and covered the songs of Motown, Sam Cooke and Paul Simon.

The eclecticism that made them so beloved also kept them from reaching pop stardom.

Music executives never knew how to market them and commercial radio had no clue what niche to stick them in.

"They've never gotten their due," Rense told the AP in 2000. "They're the greatest, most enduring American a cappella group. In another country like Japan they'd be declared a living treasure."

Lawson left the group in 2002. A few years later he joined a much younger group of San Francisco acapella singers that had based themselves on the Persuasions to form "Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town."

The group released an album, co-produced by Lawson and his wife, in 2007, and in 2011 they appeared on NBC's music competition show, "The Sing-Off."

In 2015, he released his only solo album, "Just a Mortal Man."

A documentary on Lawson is in the works and is expected to be released later this year.

He is survived by wife Julie Lawson and daughters Yvette and Wanda Dawson.

At his request, no funeral will be held, his family said in a statement.

Associated Press Writer John Rogers contributed to this story.

https://www.middletownpress.com/news/ar ... 089889.php

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The Beetle, 81, is no more

Dave Granlund


The last Volkswagen Beetle rolled off an assembly line into eternity in Puebla, Mexico this week.

There was no shortage of angst on the factory floor and Twitter farewells on July 11 as admirers turned out to see the Beetle off. “While its time has come, the role it has played in the evolution of our brand will be forever cherished.” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, calling the car a “round peg” in the square hole of the automotive industry. “It’s impossible to imagine where Volkswagen would be without the Beetle.”

Now that it’s in the great junkyard in the sky, it’s time to pay respects to the Beetle’s legacy.

more here https://qz.com/1664068/volkswagens-beetle-81-is-no-more/

Charles Levin, Hollywood actor, found dead


Charles Levin appears in "Seinfeld."

(CNN) Authorities in Oregon believe they have found the remains of Charles Levin, an actor who appeared in television series like "Seinfeld" and "LA Law." He was 70 years old, according to IMDb.

Levin was in the process of moving when he went missing last week, CNN affiliate KTVL reported. Levin's son in Los Angeles notified authorities of his disappearance last Monday.

Authorities searched for Levin for the past week, police in Grants Pass, located about 200 miles south of Salem, said Sunday.

On Friday, an emergency cell phone ping led authorities to search a remote area northeast of Selma, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety said. But there was no sign of Levin.

A resident found Levin's car on Saturday on a remote, almost impassible road. The disabled vehicle was off the roadway, police said.

Levin's pug, Boo Bear, was found in the vehicle. Levin's body was located near the car, police said.

"Based on the circumstances, there is a high probability that the remains are those of Charles Levin," police said.

The medical examiner will make the final identification of the remains, police said.

Levin appeared in one episode of "Seinfeld," in 1993, according to his IMDb page.

He also appeared on shows such as "Alice," "NYPD Blue," and "Hill Street Blues," according to IMDb.

Levin also had roles in films, such as "The Golden Child."

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505570/

Annie Hall


This Is Spinal Tap

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, Who Led Court’s Liberal Wing, Dies at 99

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/us/j ... -dead.html

When he retired in 2010 at the age of 90, Justice Stevens was the second-oldest and the second-longest-serving justice ever to sit on the court.

One former law clerk, Christopher L. Eisgruber, described in a 1993 essay an incident at a party for new clerks: Before Justice Stevens arrived, an older male justice had instructed one of the few female clerks present to serve coffee. When Justice Stevens entered, he quickly grasped the situation, walked up to the young woman and said: “Thank you for taking your turn with the coffee. I think it’s my turn now.” He took over the job.

1960s prankster Paul Krassner, who named Yippies, dies at 87

Art Neville

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Don't Be Stupid Unless You Want To

David Hedison, 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' Actor, Dies at 92

He also was turned into an insect in the original 'The Fly' and appeared as a CIA agent in a pair of James Bond films.



David Hedison, who starred as Captain Lee Crane on the 1960s ABC submarine series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, died Thursday in Los Angeles, a family spokeswoman announced. He was 92.

The handsome actor also portrayed scientist André Delambre, who got turned into an insect in The Fly (1958) long before Jeff Goldblum ever did, and he played CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989).

From 1964-68, Hedison's character worked aboard the submarine Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. The show was created by Irwin Allen, based on his 1961 movie of the same name.

Born Al David Hedison on May 20, 1927, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hedison discovered the theater while attending Brown University and studied in New York under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and with Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.

He worked alongside Uta Hagen and Michael Redgrave in-off Broadway productions by Clifford Odets and Christopher Fry, among others, and made his big-screen debut in the World War II naval drama The Enemy Below (1957), starring Robert Mitchum.

After starring in the original The Fly and Son of Robin Hood in 1958, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century Fox, changing his stage name to David Hedison.

In the 1990s, he played Spencer Harrison on the NBC daytime series Another World.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0373314/

Chris Kraft, the original Flight Director for NASA. He was 95...

(Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Chris Kraft at the National Air and Space Museum in 2009...)

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I'm petulant, and I'm having a frenzy...

Rutger Hauer (75), Dutch actor

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Join the PackardGoose forum! Send me a PM!

Always disapointed when I come here.
My hope of seeing Trump's name is always deceived...

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No doubt, we're doomed ! For a real diplomacy: abolish Electoral College
Ignore list: DiscoBoy

RIP David Hedison

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One of my favorite shows as a young whipper snapper, along with Time Tunnel...

Oh man, he was cool as Captain Crane, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is among the first tv shows I remember as a kid, I saw some reruns a couple of Months ago and got series one and two on dvd soon after, for old times sake, nostalgia will be the death of me

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Russi Taylor, voice of Minnie Mouse.

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Chaser: ‘World’s smartest dog’, which knew over 1,000 words, dies aged 15


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omaHv5sxiFI

The Independent

Derrick Bryson Taylor
,The Independent•July 28, 2019

Many owners struggle to teach their dogs to sit, fetch or even bark on command, but John Pilley, a retired psychiatrist, taught his border collie to understand more than 1,000 nouns, a feat that earned them both worldwide recognition.

In 2004, Mr Pilley bought a black-and-white border collie he named Chaser.

For three years, Mr Pilley trained her for four to five hours a day. He showed her an object, said its name up to 40 times, then hid it and asked her to find it.

He used 800 cloth animal toys, 116 balls, 26 Frisbees and an assortment of plastic items to ultimately teach Chaser 1,022 nouns.

Chaser died on Tuesday at 15. She had been living with Mr Pilley’s wife, Sally, and their daughter Robin in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Mr Pilley died last year at 89.

Another daughter, Pilley ​Bianchi, said on Saturday that Chaser had been in declining health in recent weeks.

“The vet really determined that she died of natural causes,” Ms Bianchi said. “She went down very quickly.”

Ms Bianchi, who helped her father train Chaser, said the dog was buried in the backyard with the family’s other beloved dogs and with some of her father’s ashes.

“What we would really like people to understand about Chaser is that she is not unique,” Ms Bianchi said.

“It’s the way she was taught that is unique. We believed that my father tapped into something that was very simple: he taught Chaser a concept which he believed worked infinitely greater than learning a hundred behaviours.”

Ms Bianchi said her father’s experiment was “uncharted territory” in animal cognition research, pointing to news media coverage calling Chaser “the world’s smartest dog”.

“Her language learning is very high-level, powerful science,” she said.

Chaser understood that words have independent meaning and understood common nouns as well as proper nouns, Ms Bianchi said.

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Former All Blacks captain and coach Sir Brian Lochore dies following cancer battle
09:09, Aug 04 2019

Legendary former All Black Sir Brian Lochore has died, following his battle with cancer. He was 78.

Lochore was one of the most admired figures in world rugby, having achieved fame and respect as a player and later as a coach and manager.

The 78-year-old, who played 25 tests (68 matches) for New Zealand at No 8 and lock from 1964 to 1971, died on Saturday.

Lochore's wife, Lady Pam and the couple's three children said they were mourning, but are relieved his suffering had ended. They wanted to express their gratitude for the care and support the family has received since Lochore's diagnosis.

Son David Lochore said: "We would like to note a special thanks to all the doctors that have tried so hard and the exceptional care the palliative nurses have shown to our Dad.

"To those from around New Zealand and the world who have sent messages, these have been enjoyed by our Dad and appreciated by us all.


KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES
Sir Brian Lochore, pictured with the Lochore Cup, has died, aged 78.

"Our heartfelt gratitude to family and friends who have provided support to us during this time, we thank you for your kindness.

"Dad led a life that was full and one which he was very proud of. Our hearts are breaking at a life we feel still had much to give."

New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said New Zealand had lost a legend.

"We have lost a genuine legend of our country, an unwavering figure on the field, and a highly respected figure off it," Tew said.

"His family has lost a devoted husband, father and grandfather and for many of us, a great friend.

"It is not over-stating the facts to say that Sir Brian Lochore was the saviour of New Zealand rugby on several occasions and many of us have lost a great mate."

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen said "one of New Zealand's tallest kauri has fallen".

"Sir Brian Lochore is one of of the most respected men in New Zealand, not only in rugby but all facets of New Zealand life," he said.

"On behalf of the All Blacks and myself personally, we pass on our deepest sympathies to Pam, their kids David, Joanne and Sandra and the wider Lochore family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Arohanui from us all."

All Blacks captain Kieran Read said: "This is an incredibly sad day. Sir Brian was an icon of our game. On behalf of all players, our thoughts go out to his family at this time."


SCAN/THE DOMINION POST
Former All Black Sir Brian Lochore.

Former Masterton mayor, international referee and long time friend Bob Francis said the Wairarapa community would ensure Lochore's memory lived on.

"We'll discuss all those things after the service, but I know this region will be very keen to recognise him in a way that sees his memory carried on forever. He's always been seen as ours," he said.

"He was a very special guy. He loved this place, and never lost where he came from. He did so well on the international stage but always retained that special relationship with the community. He'll be missed all right," Francis said.

Former TV3 sports presenter Hamish McKay said he got to know Lochore during his career as a commentator and journalist.

McKay paid tribute to Lochore on Saturday night.

"I first met him in his mid 40s and he was still a monster of a man. He had that sheer physical presence, but it was more than matched by his presence as a gentleman. He didn't have to talk it up, he just did it," he said.

"He played at that time when i heard my own father talk about Meads, Kirkpatrick, Tremain, McCormack and others.

"Despite all of the great number 8s we've had, he was still in the conversation as an all time great. He is one of those great kauri of the time."


THE DOMINION POST/SCAN
Sir Brian Lochore played 25 tests for New Zealand at No 8.

Wairarapa Bush Rugby Football Union chief executive Tony Hargood said Lochore was a giant in the region's rugby community and he would be sorely missed.

"His coaching prowess in the 1987 World Cup is something the community has always been very proud of. In 2015 we redeveloped Memorial Park [in Masterton] and the Sir Brian Lochore stand was opened in his honour. He's been such a great mentor to so many and has always been available," Hargood said.

"He had a great, great love of club rugby. He always attended the annual rugby awards. The 'club of the year' award is named in his honour and would be presented by him and Lady Pam," he said.

"As a region we've lost a great man".

Lochore is survived by Pam, their children David, Joanne and Sandra, and their eight grandchildren.

Details of the funeral service will be made available once they have been finalised.

ALL BLACK GREAT

Lochore retired after the tour of South Africa in 1970, but famously came out of retirement to play against the Lions in a test in 1971 when injury hit the New Zealand forward pack.

After taking up coaching, Lochore was made an All Blacks selector in 1983. He then became the national coach in 1985 and led the team to victory two years later at the inaugural World Cup, on home soil.

Lochore was also campaign manager for the team at the 1995 World Cup, and was a selector when they won the tournament for a second time in 2011.


Martin Hunter/Sunday Star Times
Sir Brian Lochore, right, speaks with incoming All Black rugby captain Richie McCaw at the Christchurch Rugby club after a press conference to confirm his appointment on May 13, 2006.

His reach extended beyond rugby, and among the many national and community roles he has had is being a former chairman of the Hillary Commission for Sport.

In 1999 Lochore was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, and also knighted, for his services to sport and the community.

On June 14 it was revealed by New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew that Lochore had that week received news from doctors that he had bowel cancer and was to soon have treatment.

It was not the first time Lochore had been diagnosed with cancer.

In 2016, he was treated for melanoma and prostate cancer and was also laid low by toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can leave some with flu-like symptoms.

He overcame the prostate cancer with radiation treatment.

Gary Caffell, who co-wrote Lochore's biography Lochore in 1996, said he would be remembered for his skill, his humility and his mana.

"The first thing I'd say about BJ is just how humble the guy was. For all he had achieved he was always just 'BJ'. He never, ever got above himself. He was always available to people. Around here [Wairarapa] everybody knew him as 'BJ' and that's the way he wanted it," Caffell said.


Leonard Burt/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
New Zealand international line-out forward Brian Lochore, captain of the President's XV, 7th April 1971.

"He had a mana about him. He commanded respect. There was just something about him. A very special man."

Lochore was revered for many things, but for locals it was for bringing Wairarapa-Bush from "basically the bottom team in New Zealand up into the first division within a couple of years".

"That was just like a fairytale in New Zealand rugby, and a lot of that was due to his ability to turn ordinary players into something a bit more than ordinary just through is ability to get the best from people without screaming or yelling. I'm not sure how you describe it really," Caffell said.

"He'd sit down with players and talk with them one on one. It was amazing watching how he got through to them. Of course he went on to take the All Blacks after that," he said.


Stuff

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all ... cer-battle

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Cliff Branch

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/raiders-legend-cliff-branch-passes-away-at-71/ar-AAFiVoT

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"Why do people say "Grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive! If you really wanna get tough, grow a vagina! Those things take a pounding"! -- Sheng Wang

I met and talked to Cliff about 10 years ago in the local Walmart. He was selling memorabilia on behalf of some charity. I told him about the Raiders game I had attended in the early ‘80’s where he caught a perfect 80 yard long bomb on the first play from scrimmage from Marc Wilson only to have it called back by a holding penalty. He remembered exactly what I was talking about and the offensive lineman that was guilty of the infraction. He still looked like he was in real good shape at that time. Those ‘70’s and early ‘80’s Raiders teams were pretty important to me.