Rest In Peace.

[Krom]

Originally Posted by Unklescott

With technology being what it is today I'm sure there are several people doing these voice overs that are being made to sound like LaFontaine. He was the best.
Jerry Reed was quite the entertainer and will be missed.
RIP both of you.

I don't think any trick was needed. I think Douglas is just another guy with a really deep voice, that's all, and was willing to do this for Seinfeld.

It does make you wonder though if Seinfeld even asked LaFontaine. Certainly at a later point in time LaFontaine was willing to mock himself on that GEICO commercial, but maybe that was later on when the ice had been broken and it was "cash in or have someone else do it for you" in the guy's mind.

Another opportunity for LaFontaine to cash in was in a recent New York Lottery commercial, with Ed McMahon and some other "announcer types", although again fate intervened to keep him mostly unheard, since in the most often aired version he doesn't say a peep (there are 15 and 30 second versions but the 30 second one with him speaking rarely plays).


{mods--if there's another version of this post in the moderation queue, please feel free to toss it. I think I forgot myself and included an inappropriate link}

[Google]

 

[prhoshay]

Originally Posted by BoBoFan

'Bandit' star Reed dies at 71 - CNN.com

'Bandit' star Reed dies at 71

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Jerry Reed, a singer who appeared in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies, has died of complications from emphysema at age 71, his longtime booking agent said Tuesday.

Carrie Moore-Reed, who is no relation to the star, said Reed died early Monday morning.

Reed was a gifted guitarist who later became a songwriter, singer and actor.

As a singer in the 1970s and early 1980s, he had a string of hits that included "Amos Moses," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "East Bound and Down," and "The Bird."

In the mid-1970s, he began acting in movies such as "Smokey and the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds, "Gator" "Hot Stuff" and "High-Ballin'."

A horrible, horrible way to die.

Really enjoyed him.

[Unklescott]

He was faced with a tough task bringing the Peanuts characters to life but he did a fantastic job of it. RIP Mr. Melendez.
'Peanuts' animator Bill Melendez dies at 91

'Peanuts' animator Bill Melendez dies at 91

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) -- Bill Melendez, the animator who gave life to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and other "Peanuts" characters in scores of movies and TV specials, has died. He was 91. Melendez died of natural causes Tuesday at St. John's Health Center, according to publicist Amy Goldsmith.

Melendez's nearly seven decades as a professional animator began in 1938 when he was hired by Walt Disney Studios and worked on Mickey Mouse cartoons and classic animated features such as "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia."

He went on to animate TV specials such as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and was the voice of Snoopy, who never spoke intelligible words but issued expressive howls, sighs and sobs.

Melendez was born in 1916 in Hermosillo in the Mexican state of Sonora. He moved with his family to Arizona in 1928 and then to Los Angeles in the 1930s, attending the Chouinard Art Institute.

Melendez took part in a strike that led to the unionization of Disney artists in 1941, and later moved to Warner Bros., where he worked on Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck shorts.

In 1948, Melendez left Warner Bros. and over the next 15 years worked as a director and producer on more than 1,000 commercials and movies for United Productions of America, Playhouse Pictures and John Sutherland Productions.

At UPA, he helped animate "Gerald McBoing-Boing," which won the 1951 Academy Award for best cartoon short.

Melendez met "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz in 1959 while creating Ford Motor Co. TV commercials featuring Peanuts characters.

The two became friends and Melendez became the only person Schulz authorized to animate his characters.

Melendez founded his own production company in 1964 and with his partner Lee Mendelson went on to produce, direct or animate some 70 "Peanuts" TV specials, four movies and hundreds of commercials.

The first special was 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The show reportedly worried CBS because it broke so much new ground for a cartoon: It lacked a laugh track, used real children as voice actors, had a jazz score and included a scene in which Linus recited lines from the New Testament.

However, the show was a ratings success and has gone on to become a Christmastime perennial.

Melendez created Emmy-winning specials based on the cartoon characters Cathy and Garfield, and was involved in animated versions of the Babar the elephant books and the C.S. Lewis book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

He also was co-nominee for an Academy Award in 1971 for the music for "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."

In all, his productions earned some 19 Emmy nominations, including six awards.

Melendez is survived by his wife Helen; sons Steven Melendez and (Ret.) Navy Rear Adm. Rodrigo Melendez, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

[sukee]

Canadian actor/theatre director Richard Monette has died at the age of 64

Theatre director Richard Monette dies at 64

Richard Monette, the longest-serving artistic director of the Stratford Festival, has died at 64.

Monette had been suffering from vascular disease and was going into hospital for tests Tuesday evening when he suffered a pulmonary embolism, said Antoni Cimolino, who is general director for the theatre festival in Statford, Ont.

Cimolino described Monette's death as a terrible loss for Canadian theatre. "He had a Canadian voice at a time when we were still finding our voice as a nation," he told CBC News.

As a former actor, Cimolino said he was "blessed" to be directed by Monette.

"I always felt that actors were at their best under Monette's direction," he added. "He allowed them to speak with their own voices."

Although Monette was a larger than life theatrical personality, he was also a very honest, real person, Cimolino said.

Monette retired from the festival in August 2007 after 14 seasons that saw Stratford add a fourth theatre and an acting school, and again become financially profitable.

He was born in Montreal on June 19, 1944, and graduated from Concordia University in that city.

He received his first theatrical notice at an inter-varsity drama competition at Hart House Theatre in Toronto in 1959, where he took top acting honours.

He went to Stratford in 1965 where he played small roles. He performed in Rolf Hochhuth's Soldiers at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto and the production took him to Broadway.

At 23, he moved to London, appearing in the British production of Oh Calcutta.

On his return to Canada, Monette played in the English-language production of Michel Tremblay's Hosanna.

He played more than 40 roles at Stratford, and in 1988, he directed his first play at Stratford, The Taming of the Shrew.

He was appointed the company's artistic director-designate in 1992 and was officially named to the post in 1994.

He told CBC News in 2007 that he had done everything he had set out to do at Stratford, now known as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

"There are always some regrets , but basically I did what I wanted to do. And I've been at it a long time — my back was giving out, I was tired. This is a very difficult job. Very. It's 24-7," he said.

Looking back on his 14 seasons, he said the accomplishment he was most proud of was establishing Stratford's Birmingham Conservatory of Classical Theatre Training, which trains new actors and directors.

"They're the future of this place as much as the audience."

[misskitty]

; Canadian Football Icon Ron Lancaster went into cardiac arrest and died early Thursday morning.

It is believed he was admitted to a hospital in Grimsby, Ont., on Wednesday night with difficulty breathing. He was 69. Canadian Football will never be the same. He was a great man. May he rest in peace.

In August, he announced he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Lancaster won a battle with bladder cancer four years ago, and had been working as an advisor and a radio analyst for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

HAMILTON -- Ron Lancaster and his copy of the morning newspaper were always the first to arrive at the table, usually by 7 a.m. The others would trickle in behind, forming a group of up to 10 old football men who ate breakfast together and, as one said, "tear everything apart and find out how everybody's doing everything wrong."

They had been gathering at the same Hamilton restaurant, next to McMaster University, every Thursday for the past five years, including Thursday. It was a smaller group than usual, though, and Lancaster was not among them.

"There was an undercurrent of uneasiness, even though we were there, and all the kibitzing and the joking and the usual stuff was going on," said Bob Hooper, a long-time friend. "There was an undercurrent of, ‘we hope Ron is OK, because this is really unusual.' "

Lancaster, one of the Canadian Football League's icons, went into cardiac arrest and died early Thursday morning. It is believed he was admitted to a hospital in Grimsby, Ont., on Wednesday night with difficulty breathing. He was 69.

In August, he announced he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Lancaster won a battle with bladder cancer four years ago, and had been working as an advisor and a radio analyst for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

"The CFL has lost somebody who has more knowledge about the workings of the CFL than anyone left in the league," said Gerry Malcolmson, another charter member of the breakfast club. "He knew the ins and outs of all the rules and everything. He spoke his mind. He shot from the hip, and he was a true friend."

Tributes poured in from across the country. Liberal leader Stéphane Dion called Lancaster one of Canada's "true sports legends," while Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall told a Regina newspaper he "brought a lot of joy, period, to the province."

Lancaster was born in Clairton, Pa., but moved to Canada to play with the now-defunct Ottawa Rough Riders in 1960. His career shifted west a few years later, sending him on a path to immortality with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

He spent 16 seasons as a quarterback with the Prairie team, delivering the franchise its first Grey Cup title, in 1966. The Roughriders made four more appearances under his leadership, which, combined with his stout stature, helped earn him the nickname "Little General."

"He was the ultimate teammate," legendary Saskatchewan running back George Reed said. "The team was always first with him. He had a strong belief that we could win any game we went into, and he never took a loss. He always said that time just ran out on us."

Lancaster was twice named the league's outstanding player, in 1970 and 1976, and was a four-time CFL All-Star. He retired with league records in passing yards (50,535) and touchdowns (333), but also set a dubious high-water mark with 396 interceptions.

"I took chances on my receivers and most of the time they did it, and if they didn't, so what?" he said in an interview with the National Post four years ago. "I also figure you had a lot more guys trying to intercept the ball, and you only had four or five guys trying to catch it. I figure I kept a lot of defensive backs in the league."

Lancaster remained close to the game, as a coach and as a broadcaster. His work with the CBC introduced him to a new generation of fans, with a natural delivery and a knack for storytelling that made him a gifted broadcaster.

He left the broadcast booth to coach the Edmonton Eskimos in 1991, and led the team to a Grey Cup win two years later. Lancaster holds the franchise record for wins as a coach, with an 83-43 record over seven seasons.

His final stop was in Hamilton, where he led the Ticats to consecutive Grey Cup appearances, delivering the city its last title win in 1999.

"You would run through a brick wall for him," long-time quarterback Danny McManus said. "And I think everybody that has ever been coached by Ron understood that, that he's going to give you the straight answer. If you have a question and you walk into his office, you've got to understand that the answer that is coming may not be what you want to hear.

"But he's never going to sugar-coat it. He enjoyed the game too much. He had too much respect for the game and the player to blow smoke up your rear-end."

Lancaster was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1982, and joined the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame three years later.

McManus said he played golf with his old coach two weeks ago.

And judging by his appearance at last Thursday's breakfast, Hooper said there was no way anyone would have known Lancaster was ill. He was talking about how he was going to attend a chemotherapy information class, and had an appointment at the hospital that afternoon.

But it was rare that he discussed his illness with the group.

"We never spoke illness, never," Hooper said. "It's just something that he, I believe, didn't want anyone to kind of have to feel they would have to talk about."

When news of his death reached Ivor Wynne Stadium Thursday, players and coaches gathered at midfield for a moment of silent prayer.

Lancaster is survived by his wife, Bev, and his three children, Lana, Ron and Bob.

"He's a one-of-a-kind person," Hooper said. "Not a football man, but a person."


Tributes pour in for CFL great Lancaster

[CrossingGuard]

Has everyone else heard about the plane crash that almost took the lives of Travis Barker (Blink 182) and DJ AM (former fiance to Nicole Richie)? They were the only two survivors of the flight while the other 4 passengers died.

Here's an interesting article about plane crashes that have taken the lives of many famous singers in the past:

Music's Most Fateful Flights
Posted Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:07pm PDT by Billy Altman in Stop The Presses!

News of the plane crash over the weekend that killed four people and severely injured former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and noted turntablist Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM) serves as yet another sobering reminder that in the ever-unpredictable world of celebrity culture, fate can and often does play a significant hand.

This seems especially true when it comes to pop music, which over the decades has seen its fair share of unfortunate life-ending events specifically related to air travel. Some of the most famous have occurred "in the line of duty"--on the way to or from concerts, personal appearances, photo/video shoots, etc.--a fact that not only has magnified the tragedies for fans but also has frozen in time the lives of these stars inside our collective memory banks.

For example, in just a few months--February 3, 1959, to be exact--it'll be the 50 th anniversary of what's generally considered the most well-known of all music-associated plane crashes: the Clear Lake Iowa accident that took the lives of rock and rollers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "Big Bopper" J.P. Richardson. Holly was only 22 and Valens hadn't even turned 18 when they perished, and as Don McLean so aptly put it in his song "American Pie," for anyone who grew up during rock's Golden Age, it would always feel like "The Day The Music Died."

Meanwhile, country music fans often point to the March 1963 Tennessee plane crash that took away superstar Patsy Cline along with fellow performers Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas and Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins as their own era-stamping equivalent. And soul music fans, not to mention music fans in general, all mourned the loss of Otis Redding (and four members of his backing group the Bar-Kays) after their plane went down near Madison Wisconsin on December 10, 1967--ironically, mere days after Redding had recorded what would be his classic posthumous hit, "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay."

Sometimes a plane crash can carry added symbolism. When Swing Era bandleader Glenn Miller's plane disappeared on the way to Paris for a scheduled performance for Allied troops fighting in Europe in mid-December 1944, his death became a powerful emblem of American patriotism during World War II. And when Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steven Gaines and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines lost their lives in October 1977 in a crash near Gillsburg Mississippi, it seemed that perhaps the band had had premonitions: their latest album Street Survivors had just been released featuring an original cover (later changed) that depicted the group standing in flames, and was eerily highlighted by a song about death called "That Smell."

As evidenced by the likes of singer-songwriters Jim Croce (1973) and John Denver (1997), former teen idol Ricky Nelson (1985), hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads (1982), bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan (1990), and R&B vocalist Aaliyah (2001), musician-associated plane crash deaths cut across all styles and genres. Thankfully, the names of Travis Barker and DJ AM did not have to be added to this fateful list.

Press it.

[Critical]

There's a discussion of the plane crash going on here: http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/celebrity-gossip/56638-miscellaneous-music-news.html

[myrosiedog]

Ironically the plane crash that Lynyrd Skynyrd was in, also took off from a SC airport like the recent one with Travis Barker and DJ AM. They left Columbia, SC last week, the Skynyrd plane took off from Greenville.

[canuckinchile]

Paul Newman has passed away from cancer I loved his movies, and he was truly a legend. Married for more than 50 years, lots of philanthropic work; he will truly be missed. He was 83 (not 93 as the article states)

The Associated Press: Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83

13 minutes ago

WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) — Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died, a spokeswoman said Saturday. He was 93.

Newman died Friday of cancer, spokeswoman Marni Tomljanovic said. No other details were immediately available.

In May, Newman he had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.

He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

[cablejockey]

This is shocking news to me. i didnt even know he had cancer! Such a loss to the world, he gave us so much entertainment over the years. it hardly seems possible he was 83!! RIP indeed,Mr.Newman.