June 2006
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Moose, who played the
Jack Russell terrier on the NBC sitcom
Frasier, passed away of old age, his trainer Mathilde Halberg told
People magazine. Halberg saved Moose from a dog pound and he proved to be an able scene-stealer as Frasier's father's mischievous pet. Moose shared with his son Enzo the lead role in the
Kevin Bacon-
Frankie Muniz film
My Dog Skip in 2000. Moose retired at age 10 and
Enzo took over the role of Eddie for the last two years of
Frasier's eleven-year run.
Sources: IMDB, People, Yahoo News
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 27, 2006 6:51 PM
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Harriet the Giant Galapagos tortoise has died of a suspected heart attack at age 176. Harriet is believed to be one of three animals British naturalist
Charles Darwin brought back from the
Galapagos Islands in 1835. His trip to the islands led to his theories of evolution and natural selection. After a few years, Darwin gave Harriet to a
Brisbane-bound friend. For about 100 years Harriet was mistakenly thought to be male. Since the 1980s, Harriet had been the star attraction at
Steve Irwin's
Australia Zoo and is in the
Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's oldest living
chelonian. "I have grown up with this gorgeous old girl and so have my kids," the Crocodile Hunter said. "She was a grand old lady."
Sources: Lucid Cafe, Galapagos.org, Yahoo News, CrocodileHunter.com, Guinness
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 24, 2006 7:12 AM
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Claydes Charles Smith, a co-founder and lead guitarist of the group
Kool & the Gang, died Tuesday in
Maplewood, New Jersey, following a long illness. Smith was introduced to
jazz guitar in the early 1960s by his father. A few years later, Smith was in a group with other New Jersey musicians, including Robert "Kool" Bell and Robert "Spike" Mickens, among others. The septet became Kool & the Gang and segued from jazz to funk and R&B with lead singer
James "JT" Taylor in the 1970s. Their hits included "Joanna," "Jungle Boogie," and "Celebration." Smith was 57.
Sources: Koolandthegang.com, Wikipedia, Yahoo News
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 23, 2006 3:49 PM
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Charles Herman Older, the Los Angeles Superior Court judge who presided over the murder trial of Charles Manson (left), has died. He had been on the bench only a few years when Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were tried for the 1969 cult killings of actress
Sharon Tate and six others. At one point during the trial, Manson tried to attack Older. After the trial had ended, Older sent a
Los Angeles Times reporter to jail for refusing to reveal the source for a story the reporter had written about the case. That decision resulted in the strengthening of the California's shield law for reporters. Older was 88.
Sources: Yahoo News, IMDB
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 21, 2006 11:52 AM
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Joe Restivo, a former actor and comedian who co-owned
Vitello's restaurant with his brother, Steve, for nearly three decades, died at age 54 last week. Vitello's was the Studio City, California, restaurant that actor
Robert Blake and wife Bonny Lee Bakley had dined at just prior to Bakley's murder. During his trial, Blake said he had left his wife in the car while he returned to Vitello's to retrieve a handgun that had slipped from his waistband. Restivo's obit prompted frantic calls from the likes of Howie Mandel to the home of another Joe Restivo, a comedian who is still alive and still working. The living Restivo had even been temporarily replaced in an upcoming
Roger Corman movie due to the mix-up.
Sources: IMDB, Yahoo News
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 19, 2006 1:42 PM
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Tim Hildebrandt, who with his twin brother Greg, achieved success painting fantasy and science fiction art, passed away June 11 from complications due to diabetes. The Hildebrandts gained famed producing numerous
Lord of the Rings calendars in the 1970s and posters for such movies as
Clash of the Titans,
The Secret of NIMH, the 1979 re-release of
Barbarella, and, most famously, the
Star Wars "Style B" poster, which was used for the 15th Anniversary re-release. The Hildebrandts's work also extended to
Marvel Comics,
Magic the Gathering,
Harry Potter, and old-school
pin-ups. Together the Hildebrandts won the coveted Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Tim also won the Award of Merit at the Society of Illustrator's Annual Show for the cover illustration of
The Children of Arabel in 1987. Books featuring the brothers's work can be purchased
here.
Sources: BrothersHildebrandt.com, Yahoo News, PosterWire, SpiderWeb Art
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 16, 2006 2:34 PM
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Comedian and character actor
Robert Donner, known to "
Mork & Mindy" fans as gonzo cultist Exidor, died at his home in Sherman Oaks of a heart attack. Donner also played the role of Yancy Tucker on "
The Waltons." Donner was a founding member of Harvey ("
Eric Von Zipper") Lembeck's comedy-improv group
The Crazy Quilt Comedy Company and had roles in the films
Cool Hand Luke,
Bite the Bullet,
Vanishing Point,
El Dorado, and
Chisum. His television credits included guest stints on "Bonanza," Columbo," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Dharma & Greg" and "Matlock." Donner was 75.
Sources: IMBD, Yahoo News
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 14, 2006 11:59 AM
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Arthur Widmer, who last year
received an Academy Award for work in developing Ultra Violet and "blue screen" special effects processes, died May 28 of cancer at age 92. Widmer developed the Ultra Violet Traveling Matte process, a precursor to blue screen, while working for
Warner Bros. in the 1950s. This allowed two different images shot at different times to be combined in one scene. He left Warner Bros. in 1964 and joined
Universal Studios. While there, he designed and built the optical department. He continued developing visual effects until his retirement in 1979.
Sources: Oscars.org, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Yahoo News
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 12, 2006 3:01 PM
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Robert Sterling, 88, dashing star of 1940s movies who appeared with his wife,
Anne Jeffreys, in the television series "
Topper," died May 30 in Los Angeles after a decade-long battle with shingles. Although he appeared in dozens of movies, including
Show Boat,
Return to Peyton Place, and
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, he was best known for the 1953-1956 TV series "Topper," based on the
Thorne Smith novel, and the
1937 film starring Cary Grant and Constance Bennett. Sterling and Jeffreys played George and Marion Kerby, a fun-loving couple who were killed in an accident but returned as ghosts to haunt the new occupant of their home, banker Cosmo Topper, played by
Leo G. Carroll.
Sources: IMDB, Yahoo News, Wikipedia
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 7, 2006 6:13 PM
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James F. Conway Sr., who, with his brother William, developed the
Mister Softee ice cream truck empire, died of cancer on Sunday. The brothers, both employees of the
Sweden Freezer Company in
Philadelphia, began experimenting with delivering ice cream by truck under the company name Dairy Van. Mister Softee was officially launched in 1956 when the Conways drove their first truck through Philly neighborhoods on St. Patrick's Day, dispensing free green ice cream. The company moved to
Runnemede, New Jersey in 1958. Mister Softee is famous for the distinctive
jingle that plays over and over from the trucks. In 2004, New York City noise officials wanted to silence the trucks' music, but backed down after a public outcry. Now all the truck can play music, but only when they're moving. Mister Softee has become the largest franchiser of soft ice cream trucks in the United States with over 600 trucks in 15 states.
Sources: Mister Softee, Yahoo News
Posted by Corey Anderson at June 2, 2006 1:48 PM
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