Personal Reflections On Dead Celebrities: Since June 14, 2012

The last time I did one of these posts, I ended it with "TO BE CONTINUED...", because I knew that more notable people would continue dying whom I might would want to write about at a later date. I can't think of anything else to write about today, so here goes. As it turns out, quite a few famous people have died in the past month-and-a-half, so I actually have something to work with here.


1)  RODNEY KING:  One of the few people ever to achieve notoriety for getting the crap beat out of him. LAPD officers pulled King over for a routine traffic stop. Whether or not King actually resisted arrest is still up for debate, but what happened next was clearly uncalled for. Four officers pummeled King relentlessly, while three others looked on, not trying to stop it from happening. King suffered a broken facial bone, a fractured ankle, and numerous bruises and lacerations. The officers were later charged with excessive force -- three were acquitted. King sued the city of Los Angeles, and was awarded $3.8 million in damages. Over the ensuing years, King got into his own share of trouble with the law, including speeding tickets, car crashes, and driving under the influence. King drowned in his own swimming pool earlier this year. He was 47 years old.

Rodney King

2)  NORA EPHRON:  I fully own up to the fact that I am not your typical boy, and that's alright. Case in point: I actually know who Nora Ephron was, and have seen most of her movies. Ephron was a screenwriter, producer, and director of primarily romantic comedy films. She's best known for writing the scripts to hit movies such as When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless In Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Julie & Julia (the latter three which she also directed). Ephron died from pneumonia, a complication resulting from acute myeloid leukemia, which she'd been diagnosed with having since 2006. Ephron was 71 years old.

Nora Ephron

3)  ANDY GRIFFITH:  A television icon and North Carolina native, Griffith was a legend in his time. I grew up watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show and first-run episodes of Matlock (which, in its later seasons, was filmed just a few hours down the road from here in Wilmington, North Carolina). The 1960s sitcom that bears his name still feels fresh after all these years, and the success of Matlock paved the way for other long-running legal dramas like Law And Order. I've always heard that Griffith was an irascible, grumpy old man in real life. That may well be. But on our TV screens -- then, and now -- he was, and is, everybody's favorite sheriff. And lawyer. Griffith was 86 years old.

Andy Griffith

4)  VINZENZ GUGGENBERGER:  Okay, so this guy's not that famous. So sue me (hire Matlock). I picked him for this list because, frankly, he had the most ridiculous name. Sorry, but I'm twisted like that. To give him his due, Guggenberger (snicker, snicker) was the Roman Catholic titular bishop of Abziri, as well as the auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg, Germany. Vinzenz (LOL!) was a bishop for 51 years prior to his retirement in 2004. Guggenberger was 83 years old.

Vinzenz Guggenberger

5)  ERNEST BORGNINE:  This guy had a very long, very successful career. While I may not have seen most -- or even many -- of his films or TV shows, in the limited examples of his work I was exposed to, I know he was a great actor. One of the films I did see him in was Marty, for which he won an Oscar. I haven't seen it in a long time, so I can't fairly summarize it, but I remember that it was good. Borgnine also appeared in classic movies such as From Here To Eternity, The Dirty Dozen, and The Wild Bunch, and starred in the TV series McHale's Navy. The younger generation may recognize his voice, but not his face: Borgnine was the voice of "Mermaid Man" on the TV series SpongeBob SquarePants. Borgnine was still working as an actor at age 95 when he passed away.

Ernest Borgnine

6)  DOLPHY:  Born Rodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr., this comedian/actor was known as "The King of Comedy" in his native country of The Philippines. Personally, I'd never heard of him, but doing my research and watching a few clips of his work on YouTube made me realize that there are many truly important people (in varying degrees, of course) whom we may never know about until they're gone. Dolphy enjoyed great success on stage, radio, television, and movies. Some of Dolphy's most memorable roles came in films such as Jack en Jill, Dolpinger (a James Bond spoof), Facifica Falayfay, Home Along da Riles, and Nobody Nobody But...Juan. Dolphy was 83 years old.

Dolphy

7)  DONALD J. SOBOL:  One of my favorite series of books growing up was the Encyclopedia Brown mystery stories. I loved these pleasant little mysteries, but I was never that good at guessing the solutions (which were provided in a different part of the book, so you could guess "who dun it?" for yourself). Sobol wrote 28 Encylopedia Brown books in all, spanning from 1963 to 2011. I didn't know this before, but Sobol wrote quite a few other books as well -- 65 in total. Some were nonfiction books not aimed at children, and some were written under pen names. But I'll always remember him for those simple mysteries that I could never quite crack. Guess I was never meant to be a boy detective. Or an adult detective, for that matter. Sobol was 87 years old.

Donald J. Sobol

8)  SALLY RIDE:  I was only five years old when Sally Ride became the first American woman to enter into low Earth orbit in 1983, but I remember it. I think I do, at least. Either that, or I was told about it very shortly thereafter, and I remember that. But that wasn't Ride's only distinction during her career at NASA. Sally was (and still remains) the youngest American astronaut to be launched into space. She was also on the investigative panels for two space shuttle disasters, the Challenger and the Columbia -- the only person to serve on both panels. She is also the first astronaut known to have been in a long-term same-sex relationship. Ride was very private about her personal life during her life, but it was made known after her death that not only had she been battling pancreatic cancer for some time, but that she was survived by her female partner of 27 years. Ride was 61 years old.

Sally Ride

9)  RICHARD ZANUCK:  Zanuck was a hugely successful American film producer. He was credited for producing such modern classics as The Sound Of Music, Jaws, and Driving Miss Daisy, among many others. Zanuck worked with some of my favorite directors, like Steven Spielberg (Jaws, The Sugarland Express), Ron Howard (Cocoon), and Tim Burton (Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, Alice In Wonderland, and Dark Shadows). Zanuck was 77 years old.

Richard D. Zanuck

10)  SHERMAN HEMSLEY:  Best-known for his role as "George Jefferson" on first All In The Family then its spinoff The Jeffersons, Hemsley was a funny, funny comedian. I loved The Jeffersons growing up, and was happy to see Hemsley cast in a new series when it ended. Amen wasn't on par with Hemsley's earlier series, but his "Deacon Frye" character was almost as memorable, and easily as deftly portrayed by the actor. On the short-lived sitcom Dinosaurs (which I also loved), Hemsley was the voice of the main character's boss, "B.P. Richfield." Hemsley got spotty roles in TV and films after his earlier successes, but he was never able to fully shake the "George Jefferson" character and probably missed out on some good opportunities because of it. An intensely private man, who never married and never had any children, Hemsley was 74 years old when he died.

Sherman Hemsley

Things I Find Fascinating: 12 Little-Known Facts About First Ladies Of The United States

1)  Ten of the First Ladies were never married to a U.S. President.  The title "First Lady of the United States" is conveyed upon the White House hostess. Typically, that person is the wife of the President. However, in some instances, the President's wife has died prior to his election or during his tenure as President, has been unmarried, or has had a sickly wife who was unable to perform the functions and duties of First Lady. The 10 women who have  served as a nontraditional First Lady include: Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph; Andrew Jackson's niece, Emily Donelson; Andrew Jackson's daughter-in-law, Sarah Yorke Jackson; Martin Van Buren's daughter-in-law, Angelica Singleton Van Buren; John Tyler's daughter-in-law, Priscilla Cooper Tyler; James Buchanan's niece, Harriet Lane; Chester A. Arthur's sister, Mary Arthur McElroy; Grover Cleveland's sister, Rose Cleveland; Benjamin Harrison's daughter, Mary Harrison McKee; and Woodrow Wilson's daughter, Margaret Woodrow Wilson.

Angelica Singleton Van Buren

2)  Martha Custis Washington is the only woman whose portrait has appeared on the face of a U.S. currency note.  She appeared on the face of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, as well as on the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896. Incidentally, Mrs. Washington was also the first American woman to be honored on a U.S. stamp, the 8¢ stamp in 1902.

Martha Washington's $1 Silver Certificate

3)  Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, was a distant cousin of King George III, who was king of England during the American Revolution.  I'll bet things were really awkward at Christmastime for a few years there!

Abigail Adams

4)  Anna Harrison, wife of William Henry Harrison, bore the most children of any First Lady of the United States who was married to a President.  Anna and her husband had 10 children: Betsy, John Cleves, Lucy, William Henry Jr., John Scott, Benjamin, Mary, Carter, Anna, and James. Martha Jefferson Randolph (Thomas Jefferson's daughter who also served as First Lady) bore 12 children. Another interesting fact about Anna Harrison: When her husband was sworn in as President, she was too ill to travel to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. A month later, as Anna was packing her things for her move to the White House, she received word that her husband had died. She is the only First Lady in history (since it was completed) to have never stepped foot in the White House.

Anna Harrison

5)  Rose Cleveland was the first First Lady known to be a lesbian.  Four years after she had stopped serving as her brother Grover's First Lady (he got married while in office), Rose began a lesbian relationship with a wealthy widow, Evangeline Simpson. Later, Simpson married an Episcopal bishop, ending her affair with Cleveland. However, after Evangeline's husband died, she and Rose rekindled their relationship and eventually moved to Italy to live together there. Rumors abound about possible lesbian relationships that Eleanor Roosevelt may or may not have had, but these rumors are as yet unfounded. Incidentally, though we have never had an openly gay President thus far, persistent rumors about James Buchanan still fester some century and a half after his Presidency. Buchanan was the only U.S. President who never married.

Rose Cleveland

6)  Letitia Tyler, wife of John Tyler, was the first President's wife to die in the White House.  She had suffered a paralytic stroke three years earlier which left her an invalid. At the time of her death, Letitia was 51 years old, making her the youngest First Lady to die.

Letitia Tyler

7)  Abigail Fillmore died less than a month after her husband, Millard, left office.  At the outdoor inaugural ceremonies of Franklin Pierce, Aibgail caught cold and the next day came down with a fever. She developed pneumonia and died just 26 days after leaving the White House.

Abigail Fillmore

8)  Jane Pierce never had any interest in becoming the First Lady, because she never wanted her husband Franklin to pursue the job in the first place.  When their beloved son Benny was killed in a train accident just two months before Pierce was sworn in as President, Jane believed it was because God was displeased at her husband's political ambitions. Thoroughly melancholy to the core, Jane Pierce wore all black throughout her husband's Presidency.

Jane Pierce

9)  Long before Jackie Kennedy, Harriet Lane became a trendsetter while serving as First Lady during her uncle (James Buchanan)'s Presidency.  Women copied her hair and clothing styles, parents named their daughters after her, and a popular song ("Listen To The Mockingbird") was dedicated to her.

Harriet Lane

10)  Michelle Obama is tied with Eleanor Roosevelt as the tallest First Lady at 5 feet, 11 inches.

Michelle Obama

Eleanor Roosevelt

11)  Former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was committed to an asylum by her son, Robert.  It's understandable, really. Mary had suffered the losses of three of her four sons before they'd reached age 18; she'd witnessed her husband shot and killed before her very eyes; she'd sustained a head injury in a carriage accident during her time as First Lady; she was frequently depressed, occasionally suicidal, and probably bipolar as well. Mrs. Lincoln engineered her escape from the asylum three months later by publicly embarrassing her son into having her released.

Mary Todd Lincoln

12)  There were very few things that First Lady Lou Hoover could not – or did not – do during her lifetime.  She was the first woman to ever graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Geology. She was a fine horsewoman. She was a skilled taxidermist. She was fluent in Chinese (and is the only First Lady to date to have spoken an Asian language), and was well-versed in Latin. She was the first First Lady to make regular radio broadcasts. She was president of the Girl Scouts of the USA from 1922 to 1925 and 1935 to 1937. During World War I, she helped her husband Herbert in providing relief for Belgian refugees. She also oversaw the design and construction of the Presidential retreat at Rapidan Camp in Virginia. She could not, however, find a way to prevent the Great Depression. Neither could her husband.

Lou Henry Hoover

Sources: Wikipedia.org ; whitehouse.gov

10 Great Things About Being A Walrus

1)  Your 'stache will never go out of style.  And even if it does, who's going to tell you to get rid of it?

2)  You get to live on the beach (albeit an icy one) without having to pay exorbitant property taxes.

3)  If you live in a zoo, people will pay money to come and look at you.  Which pretty much makes you a rock star!

4)  You weigh as much as a midsize car – nobody is going to mess with you!  Even Chuck Norris is even afraid of you.

5)  You have flippers, and you know how to use them.  (Yes, this is a real picture!)

6)  Your name means "horse whale" – now that's hardcore!  Your Latin name (Odobenus rosmarus) means "tooth-walking sea cow." Need I say more?

7)  You have the biggest fanboys ever!  The Beatles mentioned you in not one, not two, but three different songs, the most prominent one being "I Am The Walrus." (Although, apparently, "the walrus was Paul.")

8)  You can hold your breath underwater for up to 30 minutes.  Which is long enough for your enemies to think you've drowned, at which point they'll give up and leave in frustration.

9)  You can bellow and snort whenever you feel like it, with or without a reason, and sometimes just to be annoying.

10)  You really know how to party with your bros!

Really Rude Things I Might Think About Saying To People (...But Never Actually Would)

1)  (MEN)  You should really consider growing some facial hair.  That "baby face" look only works for so long. Time to man up!

2)  (WOMEN)  You should really consider waxing some of that facial hair.  The 'stache has long been out of fashion for men, and has never been a stylish look for ladies. Handle that!

3)  Did you always talk in that annoyingly flamboyant, ambiguously accented effeminate voice, or did you "put it on" when you came out of the closet?

4)  You smell horrible! Have you bathed this month?

5)  Were you dropped on your face as a child?  'Cuz...wow!

6)  I am completely disinterested in everything you're saying right now.

7)  Are you really that stupid, or are you just trying to get attention?

8)  Tell the truth: You  have no clue what you're doing, do you?

9)  You're not fooling anyone. We all know that's a toupee!  And not a very good one, at that.

10)  Yes, you definitely look your age.  And then some!

An On-Again, Off-Again Country Music Fan's 20 Favorites

For most of my life, I have gone back and forth between being a die-hard country music fan to a casual country fan to a country music hater. I'm wishy-washy by nature anyway, but on this matter I have wavered more than usual. Here lately, I've been listening to some of the newer popular country music, but still only occasionally. Which got me thinking, what are some of my...  A) favorite country music songs all-time?  B) favorite country music artists/bands of all time?  and C) which do I like better, classic old-school country music or the country/pop hybrid that's so prevalent today? In predictable wishy-washy fashion, my answer to that last question is "a little of both." In answer to the first two questions, I present this list. Some of the songs below are among my favorite all-time country songs. Some of the artists/bands are my favorites, but the songs I've picked are not. I'll leave it to you to figure out which is which. It doesn't really matter either way. Here goes...

1)  Keith Whitley ~ "When You Say Nothing At All"  Keith's was a voice that country music lost too soon. This song is his legacy, and it's still amazing twenty-some years later.

2)  Sara Evans ~ "Born To Fly"  You can't help but admire the plucky optimism of Sara Evans. Well, at least I can't.

3)  Willie Nelson ~ "Always On My Mind"  Politics and weird behavior aside, Willie's one of the best there ever was.

4)  Sherrié Austin ~ "Lucky In Love"  I think I'm the only person who had this girl's album, but I still remember most of the songs off it after a decade and a half.

5)  Johnny Cash ~ "Rusty Cage"  Who can take a hard-rock song (originally written and recorded by Soundgarden) and make it his own? Johnny Cash, that's who.

6)  Taylor Swift ~ "Speak Now"  I know, I know...I'm not a teenage girl, so I shouldn't like this poppy drivel. But I do. I can't help it. The kid cracks me up, and she can carry a tune to boot.

7)  Kenny Rogers ~ "The Gambler"  The movie's better than the video, but the song's still a classic. You gotta know when...

8)  Lady Antebellum ~ "Just A Kiss"  Play. Repeat. Play. Repeat. I've got this group on loop on my iTunes as we speak.

9)  Ronnie Milsap ~ "Any Day Now"  This guy was a favorite of mine and my parents growing up. We even saw him in concert a few times. These days, nobody seems to even remember who he is, though he was quite popular in his day. This video's really lame, but the song's good.

10)  Martina McBride ~ "A Broken Wing"  Man, can she sing! Get it, girl! (Okay, that wasn't very manly of me. Um...go, Pirates! Or something...)

11)  Shania Twain ~ "From This Moment On"  Overly commercial? Yeah. Overly poppy? Yeah. Good music? Yeah.

12)  George Strait ~ "Amarillo By Morning"  This guy has had so many good songs, it's hard to pick just one.

13)  Alison Krauss ~ "When You Say Nothing At All"  Yes, I know this is a repeat. There's a reason for that, though. Nobody can sing this song like Keith Whitley. No man at least. Alison, on the other hand – well, she's in a league of her own. It's got a completely different vibe than Whitley's original, but Krauss's version is equally as beautiful.

14)  Edens Edge ~ "Too Good To Be True"  New-wave country pop at its finest. You can keep your Sugarland. I'll take this group any day.

15)  Alabama ~ "Song Of The South"  Sweet potato pie, and a-shut my mouth! 'Nuff said.

16)  Little Big Town ~ "Little White Church"  I absolutely love a group that can harmonize really well. This group absolutely can. Really well.

17)  Charley Pride ~ "Kiss An Angel Good Morning"  One of the few African Americans to achieve great success in country music, Charley Pride has always been one of my favorites.

18)  The Judds ~ "Love Can Build A Bridge"  Remember what I said before about a group that can harmonize really well? Yeah? Well, it still applies. I loved, loved, loved The Judds back in the day! (P.S. I don't really think you need "cute little 3-D glasses" to enjoy this video/mini-movie.)

19)  Lindi Ortega ~ "Little Lie"  A little bit country, a little bit alternative, a lot of awesome. Mix well and enjoy!

20)  George Jones ~ "He Stopped Loving Her Today"  One of the saddest yet most hauntingly beautiful songs you'll ever hear. (Or hear again, if you already know it.)

Weird But True Animal Quotes (With Unnecessary Pictures)

1)  "You can't always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream."  ~  Frank Zappa

2)  "There's always the hyena of morality at the garden gate, and the real wolf at the end of the street."  ~  D. H. Lawrence

3)  "As long as we have zebras in our midst, I shall be content."  ~  Atlo Dogong

4)  "When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run."  ~  Abraham Lincoln

5)  "I feel akin to the platypus. An orphan in a family. A swimmer, a recluse. Part bird, part fish, part lizard."  ~  Trevor Dunn

6)  "A writer may tell me that he thinks man will ultimately become an ostrich. I cannot properly contradict him."  ~  Thomas Malthus

7)  "More fun than a barrel of monkeys? Has anyone ever stopped to think how cranky, if not downright vicious, a barrelful of monkeys would be, especially once released from the barrel?"  ~  Tom Shales

8)  "When you are about to die, a wombat is better than no company at all."  ~  Roger Zelazny

9)  "I hate having long hair. It's like walking around with a dead koala on your back!"  ~  Russell Crowe

10)  "I love pandas, they're so chill. They are all like, 'Dude, racism is stupid. I'm White, Black, AND Asian!'"  ~  Author Unknown

11)  "I am an unpopular electric eel in a pool of catfish."  ~  Edith Sitwell

12)  "If you start throwing hedgehogs under me, I shall throw a couple of porcupines under you."  ~  Nikita Kruschchev

13)  "It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry."  ~  Joe Moore

14)  "Time's fun when you're having flies."  ~  Kermit The Frog

15)  "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."  ~  Author Unknown