09:37 AM EDT 10/26/2009
Tributes
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Billy Mays Halloween Costumes Get Family Endorsement
Originally posted 10/24/2009 07:30PM
The son of legendary pitchman Billy Mays, who died in June, has an unlikely message for those macabre souls who plan to dress up as his father for Halloween: Go for it!
Billy Mays III, who recently launched a Web site called Where's Billy Mays? to honor his father's legacy, has even decided to hold a Hallow-clean Contest in which he's asking people to send in photos of themselves dressed as his dad for Halloween. He'll select three winners to receive various Billy Mays goodies as prizes.
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Wrestling's 'Captain' Lou Albano Dies at 76
Originally posted 10/14/2009 01:50PM
Beloved pro-wrestling figure "Captain" Lou Albano died at his home Wednesday morning, reports the Los Angeles Times. He was 76.
Best known to the '80s mainstream as the man who played Cyndi Lauper's dad in the video for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," Albano was instantly recognizable for his unkempt beard, rubber-band accessories, garish outfits and boisterous personality in and out of the ring. His wrestling persona was of a loudmouthed manager who proved a popular villain at the height of Hulkamania (though he was one of the "faces," or good guys, in the Saturday-morning cartoon Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling.
Albano was sent home from a hospital earlier this week. He suffered, and recovered from, a heart attack in 2005.
– Michael Y. Park
Permalink | Filed Under: Lou Albano
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Peter, Paul & Mary's Mary Travers Dies at 72
Originally posted 09/17/2009 08:20AM
At their peak in the early 1960s, Peter Yarrow, Noel "Paul" Stookey and Mary Travers were affectionately referred to as "Two Beards and a Blonde," but everyone knew Peter, Paul and Mary as the socially active, soft-singing, guitar-strumming trio behind such folk hits as "If I Had a Hammer," "Lemon Tree," "Blowin' in the Wind," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff, the Magic Dragon," among others.
Now, the blonde is gone. Mary Travers, 72, died Wednesday in a Connecticut hospital after a long battle with leukemia.
With songs that existed on several levels – "If I Had a Hammer" and "Blowin' in the Wind" were interpreted as pleas for racial equality – Peter, Paul and Mary brought beatniks into the mainstream and helped spread a message of peace and harmony. Their music also brought them five Grammys, 13 Top-40 hits (six of them in the Top 10), and eight gold and five platinum albums.
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Appreciation: Patrick Swayze's Sexy Film Career
Originally posted 09/15/2009 08:05AM
Patrick Swayze was a big softie. With performances in nearly three dozen movies in more than three decades, that was the secret behind his best work: his ability to convey, even when he was playing a tough guy, that beneath the glower his character was actually kind, sensitive and maybe even hurting.
His two most memorable roles, in 1987's Dirty Dancing and 1990's Ghost, both showcased his caring side. They were also his biggest box-office successes.
In Dancing, he made hearts flutter as a sexy, supportive dance instructor who, via the mambo and cha-cha, helps transform a teenage wallflower (Jennifer Grey) into a self-confident woman.
Permalink | Filed Under: Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Patrick Swayze
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Bea Arthur Remembered at R-Rated Tribute
Originally posted 09/15/2009 07:00AM
Golden, indeed: Heavyweights from the stage and TV gathered at Broadway's Majestic Theatre Monday to pay tribute to the late Beatrice Arthur, mixing tears with loud laughs – and ribald recollections that would have been bleeped had the 2½ ceremony been broadcast on TV.
Instead, speaking live before a near-capacity house, Rue McClanahan told of the time her Golden Girls costar opened in her own 2002 one-woman Broadway show and graciously invited McClanahan and her husband, Morrow Wilson, to the opening-night performance and party afterwards.
Admitting Arthur – who died of cancer in April, at 86 – often wasn't at her best when she was drinking, McClanahan said an intoxicated Bea told Wilson when he introduced himself to her, "Rue, I love." But when McClanahan quoted Arthur's description of another costar on Golden Girls ("Betty's a c---"), an audible gasp ricocheted through the crowd – before it erupted into the longest and heartiest laugh of the afternoon.
Permalink | Filed Under: Angela Lansbury, Beatrice Arthur, Rosie O'Donnell
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Stars React to Patrick Swayze's Death
Originally posted 09/14/2009 10:35PM
Whether Tweeting or releasing statements through reps, celebrities are reacting to Patrick Swayze's death. A small sampling:
• "Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives. In the words of Sam to Molly. 'It's amazing Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.' I will miss you."
– Demi Moore
• "I will always cherish my amazing memories of Patrick ... we had so much fun together ... come back soon, Patrick, we need you here on earth."
– Kirstie Alley
• "He fought the bravest battle and sadly lost. My heart goes out to his wonderful Lisa, his wife and soulmate for 34 years."
– Barbara Walters
Permalink | Filed Under: Amanda Bynes, Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze
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Janet Jackson to Honor Michael at VMAs
Originally posted 09/08/2009 07:10PM
The Video Music Awards will pay homage to Michael Jackson when his sister Janet opens the show at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sept. 13, MTV announced Tuesday.
It's not known whether Janet will perform – it's being billed as a "special appearance" – but her mere presence on stage is expected to give the show an emotional punch.
Michael, who died June 25 at age 50, was finally laid to rest last week in a mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif. His death was ruled a homicide – death at the hands of another – and several doctors and pharmacies are under investigation... – Mike Fleeman
Permalink | Filed Under: Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson
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All About Michael Jackson's Final Resting Place
Originally posted 09/05/2009 01:20PM
Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Walt Disney. These and others among Hollywood's all-time A-listers are now Michael Jackson's neighbors for eternity.
When he was laid to rest Thursday in the Great Mausoleum in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, Calif., the King of Pop finally found company worthy of his fame – and a place grand enough for his notoriously extravagant tastes.
The huge mausoleum, once dubbed the "New World's Westminster Abbey" by Time, is modeled on the historical Campo Santo in Genoa, Italy, famed for its gigantic Gothic cloisters. Nearby spots boast a number of replicas of works by the Renaissance master Michelangelo, two of the largest paintings in the world ("The Crucifixion" and "The Resurrection"), and rare 13th-century stained-glass windows.
Permalink | Filed Under: Tributes, Michael Jackson
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Nicole Richie & Lindsay Lohan Attend DJ AM Memorial
Originally posted 09/04/2009 01:05AM
A day after DJ AM was laid to rest, the celebrity deejay was remembered Thursday by former fiancée Nicole Richie and pals Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart.
They were among hundreds of invited guests and a handful of fans who attended the memorial at the Hollywood Palladium, not far from the nightclubs where DJ AM – real name Adam Goldstein – gained fame at the turntables.
"He was my soulmate and now he is my soul," model Haley Wood, who dated Goldstein, told the crowd during the 2 1/2-hour memorial. "He is my amazing grace."
Permalink | Filed Under: Adam Goldstein, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie
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Travis Barker Expresses His Grief over DJ AM
Originally posted 08/29/2009 08:00PM
Having shared the harrowing experience of narrowly escaping death together last September – when the Learjet carrying them crashed while taking off from Columbia, South Carolina, killing the four others on board – Blink-182's Travis Barker is now sharing his sentiments about the loss of his friend Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein.
"Rest In Peace my brother, this really f---s me up," Barker, 33, Tweets. "I'll never forget everything we've been thru and every time i play the drums i'll think of you."
The pop punk drummer also says: "U were an amazing friend/DJ/human being … Don't know how i am gonna play 2night but i am for AM. My brother is gone.i love u and miss u, i'll never forget all the good times we had."
– Stephen M. Silverman and David Caplan
Permalink | Filed Under: Adam Goldstein, Travis Barker
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