One, a comedic legend. The other, one of the music industry's most recognizable voices.
It was while watching a rerun of Golden Girls just now — cable news all day long is too much — that we learned of Estelle Getty's passing, after struggling for years with dementia. Playing Sophia on The Golden Girls for seven years, Getty's bitterly sarcastic character became one of those one-liner characters that any gay could recite at least 10 quotes from. Below, one of our favorite Sophia moments. CONTINUED »
Furious of the Associated Press' Tony Snow obit, O'Reilly writes: "The recent death of Tony Snow brought sadness to millions of Americans who admired the man's public service and optimism about his country. But not everybody felt the need to honor Mr. Snow. Just hours after he died from cancer, the Associated Press released an obituary that has shocked some people and badly damaged the AP's image, at least in the conservative community. [...] Now, remember, that was written just hours after the man passed away at age 53. To accuse Mr. Snow of factual inaccuracies without citing evidence is itself irresponsible, but to do it in an obit is outrageously inappropriate and an insult to the Snow family. If the Associated Press wants to do an opinion piece about Tony Snow's public service, fine. But at least wait until after the funeral." So, now would be OK? [BOR]
Tony Snow, the former White House press secretary who arrived from Fox News, and most recently was a correspondent for CNN, died this morning following a three-year battle against colon cancer. He was 53.
It's always in times of death that even one's enemies find as many good things to say about you as your friends. So while Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, Brit Hume, and the Bush administration has accolades ready for the soundbite, so too do those who found him most appalling, and spent at least part of their careers attacking him. CONTINUED »
Clay S. Felker, who started New York magazine as a standalone title with the $1 million severage he received from the New York Herald Tribune, where the publication existed as an insert, has died. He was 82. [WaPo]
The comedian died Sunday of heart failure at St. John's Health Center. He was 71. He complained of chest pains before being admitted to the hospital, and while he had a history of heart trouble, he was well enough to perform as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. As we send Carlin off to meet his maker, which he doesn't really believe in, may we present an Internet-only send-off: Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, CockSucker, MotherFucker, and Tits. [AP] CONTINUED »
When Tim Russert died on Friday, the first television media outlet to report the news was NBC, with Tom Brokaw interrupting the broadcast with a "Special Report." Except he didn't break the news. Many credit the New York Post with the story, which got picked up by the Drudge Report at approximately 3:33pm EST; six minutes later, at 3:39pm, Brokaw was on the air. (Rumor has it, sources at Fox News and CNN also had the story, but they held it so NBC could break the news.)
Except none of those guys actually broke the news. In all likelihood, as Jon Fine notes, Wikipedia did. At 3:01pm, Russert's Wikipedia entry was updated … with a date of death: "Timothy John Russert, Jr. (born May 7, 1950 died June 13, 2008) is an American journalist who has hosted NBC's Meet the Press since 1991." A little snooping revealed that whoever updated the entry logged on from a computer at Internet Broadcasting Systems, which runs the websites for NBC's owned-and-operated local stations.
And while the old guard might be surprised that anything less than an authority like Brokaw could be the one to break the news, those living in the now know this is a foolish notion. In its short lifetime, Wikipedia has a history of breaking death news. CONTINUED »
As the media industry immediately begins to mourn the loss of one of journalism's pros, and with Father's Day right around the corner, our minds immediately jumped to Tim Russert's Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons, the NBC D.C. bureau chief's 2005 book composed of letters written by readers about their own fathers, which came flooding in after his 2004 book Big Russ and Me, about growing up with his father. Russert has a son of his own (with Maureen Orth), Luke, who just graduated from Boston College and hosts the XM Radio sports show 60/20 with James Carville.
Below, Brian Williams reports the news. CONTINUED »
Meet The Press' longtime host Tim Russert is dead today, after suffering an apparent heart attack at NBC's Washington D.C. bureau. He was 58. [NY Post]
Academia lost an important figure this weekend. While many mourn 74-year old Dr. Charles Moskos’ death, others may take perverse pleasure in hearing the news. Why such a mixed reaction? Because the Chicago-native, who served in the American military and went on to teach Sociology at Northwestern, helped concoct Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Tootsie director and Will & Grace actor Sydney Pollack died at his home yesterday, at age 73, after a battle with cancer. He leaves this earth with critical acclaim, legions of fans, and this explanation about why you should not use zoom on DVDs to get out of the horizontal black stripes.
So we've got social networking sites for tweens, professionals, college grads, Starbucks drinkers, and dog lovers. Why not the dead? CONTINUED »
SAD FACE Star editorial director Bonnie Fuller has already had her share of family trouble, from her oldest daughter undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor at age two, to her younger daughter being diagnosed with leukemia at age five. And now more personal tragedy: We hear her mother Tanya, who has been battling cancer for years, just passed. The funeral is tomorrow.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the D.C. madame, committed suicide in a shed near her mother's home in Florida, leaving behind only a suicide note. [AP]
Editorial Director
