R.I.P. Patricia Neal (1926 - 2010)

Meet the Director of Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island

May 2nd, 2010
3 - 5 p.m.

OutLoud! Books and Gifts
1703 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37203

JD Salinger (1919 - 2010)

Jean Simmons Dead at 80

Robert B. Parker Is Dead at 77

By BRUCE WEBER
Published: January 20, 2010

Robert B. Parker, the best-selling mystery writer who created Spenser, a tough, glib Boston private detective who was the hero of nearly 40 novels, died Monday at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 77.

The cause was a heart attack, said his agent of 37 years, Helen Brann. She said that Mr. Parker had been thought to be in splendid health, and that he died at his desk, working on a book. He wrote five pages a day, every day but Sunday, she said.

Mr. Parker wrote more than 60 books all told, including westerns and young-adult novels, but he churned out entertaining detective stories with a remarkable alacrity that made him one of the country’s most popular writers. In recent years he had come up with two new protagonists: Jesse Stone, an alcoholic ex-ballplayer turned small-town chief of police, who was featured in nine novels written since 1997, including “Split Image,” to be published next month; and Sunny Randall, a fashion-conscious, unlucky-in-love, daughter-of-a-cop private eye created at the request of the actress Helen Hunt, who was hoping for a juicy movie role. No movie was made, but the first Sunny Randall novel, “Family Honor,” was published in 1999, and five more have followed.

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Numbah 3!

Apparently even minor celebrities die in threes. Case in point - Kate McGarrigle, Canadian singer-songwriter and mother to the diarrhea stain that is Rufus Wainwright - dead at 63.

Read about it here.

"Country Gentleman" Carl Smith dies, age 82

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - "Country Gentleman" Carl Smith, a top star of country music in the 1950s and 1960s, has died, age 82.

His family said Smith died this past Saturday at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Smith's honky tonk style earned him fans and produced hits that included "Loose Talk" "Hey, Joe," "Let's Live a Little" and "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way.:

Smith was a guest of Hank Williams on the legendary Grand Ole Opry before becoming a member of the show. He retired in 1978 and bred horses. Smith was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

(Reporting by Pat Harris; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59

By JON PARELES
Published: January 14, 2010

Teddy Pendergrass, the Philadelphia soul singer whose husky, potent baritone was one definition of R&B seduction in the 1970s but whose career was transformed in 1982 when he was severely paralyzed in an auto accident, died on Wednesday night in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 59.

His death was confirmed by his publicist, Lisa Barbaris, who said Mr. Pendergrass had been treated for colon cancer since August at Bryn Mawr Hospital and had suffered many complications.

As the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and in a solo career in which he sold millions of albums, Mr. Pendergrass brought gospel dynamics to bedroom vows in songs like “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” “The Love I Lost,” “Close the Door,” “Turn Off the Lights” and “Love T.K.O.”

His performances rose from breathy whispers to gutsy exhortations, making his voice the deeper, more aggressive counterpart to the styles of 1970s soul men like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. It was the flagship sound for Philadelphia International Records, riding lush strings and big-band disco from the producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Philadelphia International’s songwriters provided Mr. Pendergrass with material that was forthright but never crude, promising nothing more explicit than a back rub.

“Teddy had that big, booming baritone voice, but he was a tender man,” Mr. Huff said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He was very lovable. You could hear it in his music.”

By the late ’70s, Mr. Pendergrass’s concerts — some of them presented for women only — drew screaming, ecstatic crowds. Women would fling teddy bears and lingerie onstage. Mr. Gamble called Mr. Pendergrass “the black Elvis.”

Mr. Pendergrass was a hitmaker for a decade. Then, on March 18, 1982, on a winding road in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass’s Rolls-Royce smashed into a highway divider and a tree, a result of either brake failure or a faulty electric system that had disabled the power steering. Spinal cord injuries left him paralyzed from the chest down at 31.

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FanboyQ's 2010 Celebrity Death Pool

To put it lightly, 2009 was a huge year for celebrity deaths. From Michael Jackson to Brittany Murphy - Patrick Swayze to Andy Hallet to Billy Mays to Bea Arthur - the famous among us seemingly dropped like flies.

So who out there will we be mourning by this date next year? Leave it to my sick and demented mind to compile a list of ten celebrities that I doubt will be around much longer:

1. Billy Graham



2. Kirk Douglas



3. Mickey Rooney



4. Elizabeth Taylor



5. Gloria Stuart



6. Betty White



7. Dick Clark



8. Stan Lee



9. Dolores Hope



10. Jerry Lewis

Brittany Murphy, Star of Clueless, Uptown Girls, 8 Mile, and King of the Hill, Dead at 32

November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009

The Michael Jackson Memorial

No one threw themselves on the coffin. Elizabeth Taylor didn't choke on her jewels (she wasn't even there). LaToya even kept all of her clothes on.

All in all, it was a fitting and tasteful tribute to the King of Pop.

Berry Gordy claimed that 'King of Pop' was no longer big enough - instead he called Jackson 'the greatest entertainer that ever lived.'

Al Sharpton told the Jackson children 'There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy, but it was strange what he had to deal with.' - a comment that has already created controversy among Jackson's detractors.

The most poignant moment came at the end when Jackson's 11 year old daughter Paris spoke: "I just wanted to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him. So much."

Rest well, Michael. You will be missed.

Michael Jackson's body Arrives at Staple Center

"King of Pop" Michael Jackson Dead at 50

(RTTNews) - Pop star Michael Jackson has died.

The Los Angeles California Coroner's Office confirmed that the well-known "King of Pop" was pronounced dead at the UCLA Medical Center.

The initial cause of death, officials said, was cardiac arrest.

Sources said the 50-year-old Jackson was transported to the hospital from his nearby rental home in Bel-Air shortly after an emergency call at 12:30 PM Pacific Time (3:30 PM Eastern).

Jackson was reported to be in a coma at the time of transport.

The L.A. Times reported that when paramedics arrived at the home, Jackson was not breathing.

Word of Jackson's death caused a crowd of hundreds of reporters and others to form at the hospital.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it has opened investigation into Jackson's death, although they said there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office will determine an official cause of death.

Jackson's death comes as the entertainer was preparing to kick off a comeback on July 13, including a series of 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena.

Jackson was believed to be heavily in debt. He had not toured since 1997 and had not released a new album since 2001.

Jackson's professional career began at age 8 when he began performing with the family band called "The Jackson 5."

Jackson is survived by three children, sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

by RTT Staff Writer

Read more here.

Michael Jackson
1958 - 2009

Angel star Andy Hallett dies of heart failure

By Patrick Lee
8:47 PM ON 03/30/09

Andy Hallett, who starred as Lorne ("the Host") on the TV series Angel, died of heart failure last night at age 33, his longtime agent and friend Pat Brady told E! Online.

Hallett, who was a fan favorite, died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his father Dave Hallett by his side, the site reported.

A Massachusetts native, Hallett appeared in more than 70 episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff series between 2000 and 2004. The accomplished actor was also a musician and sang two songs ("Lady Marmalade" and "It's Not Easy Being Green") on the Angel: Live Fast, Die Never soundtrack, released in 2005.

Hallett's green demon character assisted Angel (David Boreanaz) and his team in the investigation of underworld mysteries while serving as the host and headliner at a demon bar.

Hallett had spent his post-Angel years working on his music career, playing shows around the country. He had been admitted to the hospital three or four times in the past few years for his heart condition, according to Brady.

A private funeral service will be held for family and close friends in Cape Cod, most likely over this weekend.

Bettie Page, Queen of the Pin-Ups, Dead

Pinup queen led a sexual revolution

Louis Sahagun, Sahagun is a NY Times staff writer.

Bettie Page, the brunet pinup queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died. She was 85.

Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died Thursday night at Kindred Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had been on life support since suffering a heart attack Dec. 2, according to her agent, Mark Roesler.

A cult figure, Page was most famous for the estimated 20,000 4-by-5-inch black-and-white glossy photographs taken by amateur shutterbugs from 1949 to 1957. The photos showed her in high heels and bikinis or negligees, bondage apparel -- or nothing at all.

Decades later, those images inspired biographies, comic books, fan clubs, websites, commercial products -- Bettie Page playing cards, dress-up magnet sets, action figures, Zippo lighters, shot glasses -- and, in 2005, a film about her life and times, "The Notorious Bettie Page."

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Paul Newman (1925 - 2008)

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Legendary film star Paul Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks and talent made him one of Hollywood's top actors over six decades has died after a long battle with cancer, a spokesman said on Saturday.

He was 83, and he died on Friday night, said his Los Angeles-based spokesman Jeff Sanderson.

Newman appeared in some 60 movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Hustler," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and "The Sting." He earned nine Oscar nominations for acting and won the best actor honor for 1986's "The Color of Money."

Famed for his philanthropy as well as his acting, Newman was married to Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward for more than 50 years, and had successful side careers as an auto racing driver and creator of a line of food products, Newman's Own, that bore his name and face on their labels.

The "Newman's Own Foundation," took profits from that company and sponsored numerous charitable organizations. Newman also founded his "Hole in the Wall" Camps, which provided fun summer breaks for children around the world suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

"Paul's Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all," Robert Forrester, vice-chairman of the Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.

Newman was born in a Cleveland suburb on Jan. 26, 1925, and was a Navy radio man in the Pacific during World War Two. Afterward, he went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship but took up acting after being cut from the team because of a barroom brawl.

After his father's death, Newman helped run the family sporting goods store before heading to the Yale Drama School.

He ended up in New York, finding bit parts in TV and a Broadway role in "Picnic" in 1953. His first major movie role was portraying boxer Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me." (Writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Patricia Zengerle)

Michael Jackson turns 50, shadow of a superstar

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Michael Jackson turned 50 on Friday, a shadow of the superstar once known as the "King of Pop" whose records thrilled millions before his bizarre personal life eclipsed his musical brilliance.

Unlike Madonna's 50th birthday bash and launch of another world tour earlier this month, the singer who wishes he was Peter Pan appears to have no special celebrations planned and a much-touted musical comeback has so far come to nothing.

A semi-recluse since his harrowing 2005 trial and acquittal on child sex abuse, Jackson has been living out of the spotlight for the past few months.

In a telephone interview with ABC television program "Good Morning America," Jackson said he will "just have a little cake with my children and watch some cartoons," and he added that he feels "very wise and sage, but at the same time very young.

Recent pictures of Jackson in Las Vegas showed him dressed in pajamas and slippers, and one had him sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a surgical mask.

Kelly Bundy has lost her boobs

Actress Christina Applegate will continue shooting her TV series "Samantha Who?" as she undergoes reconstructive breast surgery following a double mastectomy.

The 36-year-old star revealed on Tuesday she had both breasts removed after being diagnosed with cancer last month.

Applegate, who was given the all clear following the operation, is now scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery over the next eight months.

A spokesperson for the star insists she will be "on a normal shooting schedule," adding that the procedure "is not affecting production."

FanboyQ's Celebrity Death Pool 2008

1. Kirk Douglas

2. Maureen O'Hara

3. Bea Arthur

4. Bettie Page

5. Billy Graham

6. Stan Lee

7. Anita Page

8. Gloria Stuart

9. Elizabeth Taylor

10. Amy Winehouse