I didn't know this. Ironically, I planned to request her autobiography through interlibrary loan later today.
Horrible news in the hockey world. Johnny Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, have died at 31 and 29. They were in town for their sister's wedding that was to take place today. Last night they were biking on a country road and were struck by a drunk driver. Johnny leaves behind his wife and two young children, and Matthew's wife is pregnant. An unbelievable tragedy. https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/30/sport/johnny-gaudreau-nhl-player-death-spt-intl/index.html
James Earl Jones died today, at the age of 93. And no, he didn't say, "Luke, I am your father." - but - "No, I am your father."
Legendary voice. Besides Vader, I probably remember him most from this Simpsons Halloween bit: EDIT - previous link cut off more than 10 seconds from the ending. Replacing with a better version.
Did he do Arby's commercials, or is that just a guy who sounds like him? Also, let us not fail to give respect for his formidable and noble Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian:
Is that the Raven one? I worked with a Lenore once and never left her alone with zingers from that one.
I dropped by just to say I am really sad about James Earl Jones. He was an amazing actor and I am glad he was surrounded by his family. Also, just on another note, I think this thread should be called 'spoilers for life'.
Yup! That's from the very first Treehouse of Horror episode (also known as by its code, 7F04). Classic. Some freeze-frame Poe fun here: - Bart the Raven () drops The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Purloined Letter (all also written by Poe) on Homer. - There is a bust of Poe himself - There is a cask of Amontillado (on Homer's table) - There is a bust of Peter Lorre (who starred in Tales of Terror, inspired by Poe) - On Homer's lap is a book called "Forgotten Lore, Vol. II" The whole episode, by the way, is very inspired by Poe. The other stories are about a haunted house that collapses in on itself, a clear reference to The Fall of the House of Usher... and in that episode, James Earl Jones also plays the mover man. Very sad to hear of James's passing, of course. His voice reminded me quite a bit of Christopher Lee's, though Lee's voice was deeper and darker. (But hey, Lee was a baritone-bass).
Honestly I'm not sad when someone dies at the end of a long and fulfilling life. The opposite is sad, if a person dies young and hasn't fulfilled their potential. But I mean—93! You're doing pretty good if you make it that far! Hard to call that a tragedy. But it seems everybody is expected to always say death is sad and tragic. I kinda feel like living past 93 might be tragic, depending on your health and how your body feels. And considering the way mine feels some days at 62, I can't even imagine what 93 would feel like.
From qbout the 15 second mark, he also did the voice for the original Hummer commercial back in 1992 or so.
Yet another talented entertainer who makes our world a bit poorer with their passing. RIP Dame Maggie Smith.
RIP Maggie! Not only the Harry Potter films or Downton Abbey, but a whole slew of other TV shows and movies that benefited from her wry wit and arch comments: Sister Act, A Room with a View, the First Wives Club, etc. (I always loved the more youthful Maggie's turn in Death on the Nile (1978) as Miss Bowers, opposite Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, and later in Evil Under the Sun (1982) as Daphne Castle, and Peter Ustinov reprising his Poirot role. A good cast too: Roddy McDowall, Diana Rigg, James Mason). So it seems that only Dame Judi Dench is now left to rule the roast. (I understand Maggie and Judi had a bit of a cheeky rivalry).
Actually, "rule the roast" is not an eggcorn. It's the origin of the expression "rule the roost". From Dictionary.com: Rule the roost. Be in charge, boss others, as in In our division the chairman's son rules the roost . This expression originated in the 15th century as rule the roast , which was either a corruption of rooster or alluded to the person who was in charge of the roast and thus ran the kitchen. In the barnyard a rooster decides which hen should roost near him. Both interpretations persisted for 200 years. Thomas Heywood (c. 1630) put it as “Her that ruled the roast in the kitchen,” but Shakespeare had it in 2 Henry VI (1:1): “The new-made duke that rules the roast,” which is more ambiguous. In the mid-1700s roost began to compete with roast , and in the 1900s roost displaced roast altogether. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/rule-the-roost . I first became aware of this after seeing "Princess Ida" by Gilbert and Sullivan. There is a song in that light opera called "Now, Wouldn't You Like To Rule The Roast?"
Well, Shakespeare was the master of slam poetry back in the day, he definitely ruled the celebrity roast in yon Renaissance. Who am I to argue with Maestro S (as legend has it was his rap handle)?
If you'd like a fun activity, google "Shakespeare Insults" and try them out. Or, for even more fun, try this game with friends: coming up with insults in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare slam poetry! Iambic slamameter! Something like this: Ozy and Millie: Hit me with your best iambic shot!
Kris Kristofferson dies at age 88. A lot of his best work was probably a bit before my time, so I remember him from things like 'Blade', the Highwaymen, and consoling Sinead O'Connor when she was heckled.
