Wednesday, December 31, 2008

More of the Greats of 2008

I hate that these are so short, but here are more dearly departed and truly gifted celebrities that are listed that I think definitely deserve a mention.

Beverlee McKinsey:
I really wish I could see more of Beverlee’s work. From what little I’ve seen, she did a great job on Another World as Iris, and she pretty much won me over as Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light after seeing her play the role. What a truly excellent actress. The soap world is definitely not the same without people like her.

Harvey Korman:
What a great guy. As much as I loved him on Mama’s Family and The Carol Burnett Show, I will never forget his game show appearances. One including Tattletales back in 1974. Gene Rayburn was hosting, and there was a question about sex and the other two couples got it wrong. Harvey however, when it came to be his turn, he got it right after talking about how terrible it was that the other couples got it wrong. Truly funny moment. He will be missed.

George Carlin:
I respect and enjoyed this man for his Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television and him pointing out the ridiculousness of banning things. For years I’ve thought that a lot of the censorship on TV today is just silly, especially on basic cable. And it’s amazing how we are compared to some other countries like Australia and Great Britain. It’s interesting how we’ve evolved slightly over time since the time it was released. Though obviously before this as I was way too young to hear such a routine, I had remembered his voice best on Shining Time Station. I was a regular viewer of that show. And I also barely remember his short-lived sitcom on Fox in 1993, The George Carlin Show.

Bernie Mac:
I admit that I was never a huge fan of Bernie Mac’s. But I have seen his sitcom before and I did like what I saw. I loved him with Ashton Kutcher in Guess Who?. And I do think he was a generally funny man. And what I really seemed good to me about him was what I heard Steve Harvey say about him on Ellen after his death: that he was a family man. No matter how much of a success he was, that his family always came first. It was definitely one of those celebrity deaths that are just pure shock when you hear about it. I didn’t know that he was sick and he was way too young.

Paul Newman:
It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen many of his movies, but still, all in all this man was nothing short of a legend and a treasure to Hollywood. And what I really respect him for is that after seeing his interview on MSNBC’s Time & Again, I loved how modest he was. Many of the actors I love are grateful to their fans and are proud of their work, but are not conceited. I think it’s lovely that one of America (and the world’s) best actors is someone who was not only great at what they did, but also a kind and charitable man.

Isaac Hayes:
I’m not a fan of how things ended with him and South Park, but I love his contribution to disco, with items like The Theme from Shaft. I LOVE disco, it has to be my favorite type of music… EVER. And the genre wouldn’t have been the same without his musical work.

Neal Hefti:
The Odd Couple is one of my favorite themes. I looked up Neal’s bio on the web, and I was amazed at what I found. He not only composed the theme to The Odd Couple, but he was also a big band leader and composer. I didn’t know he also worked with Frank Sinatra, and released numerous albums on his own, and composed the scores for several movies. The theme is practically synonymous with the show The Odd Couple along with the famous opening dialogue.

Eartha Kitt:
I wish I could see some of the old Batman shows. I haven’t in a really long time, and I wish I could see some more of her other movies. What a talented actress and singer, and I respect her for speaking out for gay rights.

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