Once Upon A Mime

Marcel Marceau passed away this Saturday. He was one of the living legends of stage that thespians, such as myself, cannot help but admire. He will be greatly missed.

I've included a video taken recently at a symposium in Poland. Marcel is goofing off with one of the presenters.

Pavarotti No More

My favorite tenor died this morning. Here he is singing Nessun Dorma. What a voice!

Merv Griffin Dies at 82

Say "so long" to one of America's most venerated performers.

Merv Griffin Passed away Monday, August 13, 2007.

Oscar the Death Cat

I thought petting a cat was supposed to increase your life expectancy... click pic for story.

Maroon and Orange

I am wearing both today.

Standing in support of the Virginia Tech survivors and families.

Kurt Gone-evut

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. Kurt Vonnegut

People don't come to church for preachments, of course, but to daydream about God. Kurt Vonnegut

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country. Kurt Vonnegut

What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured. Kurt Vonnegut

The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest. Kurt Vonnegut

Blonde Ambition

The already tragic Anna Nicole Smith has assured herself a tragic ending by dying in her hotel room yesterday. Her five-month old daughter Danielynn and several hungry paternity suits survive her. Her dream of being the next Marilyn Monroe seems to have reached it's fruition. Best known for marrying an old billionare and acting crazy at the 2004 American Music Awards. (Video here)


Tabloid execs everywhere are grieving.

And now, a few snapshots of her (strange) life:

To the Dreamer

I want to honor a man who spoke about what was hideous and dared believe in something that was beautiful. He is one of my heros.

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."

~Martin Luther King Jr.

The Passing of a Top Ramen

It came to my attention that the inventor of Top Ramen died recently. While slightly saddening news, this information did not stop me from thinking instantly (haha) of the massive box of Maruchan Ramen noodle blocks I keep under my kitchen sink for frugal edible emergencies. This also made me wonder if there wasn't another way to flavor them, since the chicken flavor leaves a gritty silt at the bottom of my bowl and I have grown weary of it. So I looked online for recipes. I found an article with some wonderful Ramen recipes ideas. There are a lot of Ramen fans out there...

In honor of Momofuku.

Peter Boyle

Died yesterday in Manhattan at the age of 71. I hate it when my heroes die...

Steve Irwin Dies

In an appropriately bizarre animal related death, Steve Irwin, beloved Australian wildlife specialist and entertainer leaves the rest of us wondering who's going to wrestle all those alligators for us? Who's going to hunt crocodiles now and say things in his deliciously strong accent like, "Isn't she a beaut? She could reelly tayk a bayt outta ya!"

A sting ray, in an unlikely turn of events, pierced Irwin through the heart with its ten inch barbed tail during the filming of a TV show on the Great Barrier Reef, killing the film personality instantly. He was dead before the film crew pulled him from the water. He leaves behind a wife, two children, and millions of loyal fans. Myself included.

Elvis Lives?

I bet he's dead.

Bizarre Kennedy Death of the Day

Do you know how Joe Kennedy Jr. died? Testing how much explosives a plane could hold without exploding. He never found out. And they never found him. But then, you try flying a plane full of explosives and see how you like it!

Eat With The Dead

Who Died Today

Seems that November 22nd was a good day in history to die:

1718 The Pirate Blackbeard (British bastard of the high seas)
1873 Horatio Spafford's four daughters drown (prompting the hymn, It Is Well With My Soul)
1896 George Washington Gale Ferris (invented the Ferris Wheel)
1955 Shemp Howard (actor, 3 Stooges)
1963 Aldous Huxley (author, Brave new World)
1963 C.S. Lewis (author, Narnia Chronicles)
1963 JFK (American president, good with the ladies [bad year for the world!])
1980 Mae West (American actress, not pretty but very sassy)
1993 Bill Bixby (actor, My Favorite Martian)

Trick or Treat

Unnoticed Suicide. Next time, shoot for Easter.

(from AfroAssault)

A typical Cleveland morning

Yesterday was a good day, despite having seen a dead body on the city streets on the way in to work. Yep, even a hit and run victim under a sheet in front of a convenience store two blocks from my office couldn't put a dint in my day! Clear skies (except for the clouds), fresh air and cops for miles around swarming in with lights flashing, marking off distances from the head of the deceased to the curb! A beautiful day!

Even the young hoodlums who got on at the very next stop from the scene were quiet and calm, talking in hushed voices of the sprangled position of the body they had seen before it was covered up. And how politely they got out of the way as I made my way off the bus at my stop! So obliging. So charming. This whole city. Feel the love!

The Plot Thickens

One sad little cemetary.

St. Gabriel Blows His Horn

A town once host to a leper colony now takes in Katrina's dead for processing and identification. Official death count as of this posting: 73.

In Loving Memory

Here lies dearly departed Cockroach. In life he was a nasty varmant who crept into the building through the sewer grate. In death he is a sweet reminder of why we pay pest control the big bucks.

Amen.