Who's Next To Croak?

[Pozer]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.

Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown.

At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.

Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," ''You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.

But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.

A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.

[polkablues]

Here's the dilemma I'm faced with: while I certainly wished no ill will upon the woman, at the same time I don't care in the least that she died. Yet when I tell people this, they act as though I should care for some reason! So you see, I'm the real victim here.

[Neil]

It's truly bizarre.  Especially based on the idea that most people will be more distraught over this, than if a member of their community died.  I mean, obviously this is a completely unfounded statement, but the point is, going with what polka said, I wish her family no ill and I am sorry for their loss; I just wish people would quit acting like this is important. And by important I mean necessary to worry about because it conflicts with our everyday lives.

[chere mill]

[mogwai]

Degrassi star Neil Hope, a.k.a. 'Wheels,' died four years ago

Article published feb 16, 2012



Degrassi producers and former cast members have confirmed the death of Neil Hope, who played the character Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on the long-running show, having only learned of his passing in 2007 days ago.

As fans mourned Thursday, Stephanie Cohen, vice-president of marketing and communications for Epitome Pictures Inc., which produces the teen drama, said executive producers Linda Schuyler, who was involved in the original series, and Stephen Stohn were "incredibly saddened" by the news.

"Neil made an important contribution to our lives, to the lives of our television team, who are like a family to us, and indeed to the live of many Canadians and others around the world who were influenced by Neil and the roles he played starting from the early days of The Kids of Degrassi Street," the pair, who were on vacation Thursday, said in a statement.

"His life was not an easy one, but the time he spent with us was a shining example of determination, hard work and hopeful optimism and he is sorely missed."

Former Degrassi stars shared the news among themselves on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, said Dan Woods, who played teacher, and later principal, Mr. Raditch on the show.

Woods said he first met Hope when he was a teenager on the set of Degrassi Junior High.

"He was a quiet guy when we were off set, but full of energy, very bright-eyed," Woods said in a phone interview with the Star from California. "We're all pretty shocked about the news. We're saddened by it. Neil was a great guy and a great light."

Schuyler and Hope worked together over the past 32 years the show has been running, from The Kids of Degrassi Street to Degrassi: The Next Generation, where Hope appeared in three reunion episodes with old cast members Pat Mastroianni and Stefan Brogren, who play Joey Jeremiah and Archibald "Archie" "Snake" Simpson.

But Cohen said Epitome had lost touch with Hope in the past several years since his last appearance in 2003.

On Twitter Thursday, after tweeting a link to the Star's story of Hope's death, Stohn wrote: "We have respected the privacy of the family by not saying anything until now, but our entire team is very emotional about his passing."

On a Facebook page with only three members dedicated to getting Hope to join the social networking site, Tracy Northrup Hope, believed to be the wife of Hope's brother Danny, wrote in January: "It has been confirmed that Neil passed away Nov 25 2007. RIP You will always be in our hearts and always remembered. Now we all can be at peace. We miss you soo much !!!!xoxox"

A website commemorating Hope by web developer and self-proclaimed Degrassi fan Einat Razin, claims to have made it "with permission from Tracy Northrup Hope (Neil's brother Danny wife)."

On social media sites, fans and celebrities expressed shock at the sudden news of Hope's death.

"Neil Hope," "RIP Wheels" and "Zit Remedy" (the fictional band of which Hope's character was a member) were all trending on Twitter in Canada Thursday.

Hope died at age 35, reportedly of natural causes in Hamilton. His death was only made public today.

Hope's character on Degrassi faced challenges related to alcoholism, which mirrored his own life. Hope lost his real-life parents to the disease, while his character, "Wheels," lost his onscreen adoptive parents when they were killed in a drunk-driving accident.

His last appearance on the Degrassi series was in 2003 during a Season 3 episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

http://www.toronto.com/article/713932?bn=1

[Stefen]

lol.

[Reel]

ROFL ( get it? )



...wait thats not funny

[pete]

can I wager on nelson mandela next, based on some headline that I didn't click on about him being sent to the hospital?

[72teeth]

i say ben stein

[mogwai]

Erland Josephson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erland_Josephson

[polkablues]

Damn. I had such a good feeling about Ben Stein.

[matt35mm]

  I loved Erland Josephson. I guess he had been suffering pretty bad from Parkinson's, so he gets to rest in peace now.

[Ravi]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/arts/bruce-surtees-oscar-nominated-cinematographer-dies-at-74.html?_r=3''

Bruce Surtees, Oscar-Nominated Cinematographer, Dies at 74
February 28, 2012
By MARGALIT FOX

Bruce Surtees, an Oscar-nominated cinematographer known as the Prince of Darkness for his skill at summoning sharply etched figures from the inky depths of prisons, nightclubs and other inhospitably lighted places, died on Thursday in Carmel, Calif. He was 74.

The cause was complications of diabetes, his wife, Carol, said.

Known in particular for his long association with Clint Eastwood, Mr. Surtees (pronounced sur-TEEZ) shot more than a dozen films in which Mr. Eastwood starred. Many of these were also directed by Mr. Eastwood, including "Play Misty for Me" (1971), his first feature as a director; "High Plains Drifter" (1973); "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976); and "Sudden Impact" (1983), the fourth Dirty Harry movie.

Mr. Surtees dealt in shadows. Through his nuanced, often minimal use of lighting on the set, he meticulously conjured the stark contrast of lights and darks on the screen that he and his directors often sought.

"He was fearless," Mr. Eastwood said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "He wasn't afraid to give you sketchy lighting if you asked for it. He didn't believe in flat light or just bright, 'Rexall drugstore' lighting, which a lot of times you can get if you get somebody that isn't very imaginative."

Mr. Surtees's earliest work as a cinematographer was for the director Don Siegel, for whom he shot "Dirty Harry" (1971) and "Escape From Alcatraz" (1979), both starring Mr. Eastwood, and "The Shootist" (1976), starring John Wayne.

He had previously been a camera operator whose work included Mr. Siegel's pictures "Coogan's Bluff" (1968) and "Two Mules for Sister Sara" (1970) before he was named the cinematographer on "The Beguiled" (1971), a Civil War drama directed by Mr. Siegel and starring Mr. Eastwood and Geraldine Page.

Mr. Surtees earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on "Lenny" (1974), a biopic about Lenny Bruce starring Dustin Hoffman that was shot in black and white at the request of its director, Bob Fosse. In Mr. Surtees's hands, the finished film looked like a living photograph by Weegee. (The Oscar went to Fred Koenekamp and Joseph Biroc for "The Towering Inferno.")

Cinematography was part of Mr. Surtees's genetic endowment. His father, Robert Surtees, was a cinematographer who won Oscars for "King Solomon's Mines" (1950), "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and "Ben-Hur" (1959). The younger Mr. Surtees, born in Los Angeles on Aug. 3, 1937, was named Bruce Mohr Powell Surtees in honor of his father's mentor Hal Mohr, also an esteemed cinematographer.

Bruce Surtees studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and began working as a cameraman under his father.

Mr. Surtees's first marriage, to Judy Rucker, as she is now known, ended in divorce. Besides his wife, the former Carol Buby, whom he married in 1979 in Seoul while on location for "Inchon" (1981), directed by Terence Young and starring Laurence Olivier, he is survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Suzanne Surtees; a brother, Tom; and a sister, Nancy.

His other films include "Blume in Love" (1973), directed by Paul Mazursky; "Night Moves" (1975), directed by Arthur Penn; "Leadbelly" (1976), directed by Gordon Parks; and "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), directed by Martin Brest.

Mr. Surtees, who lived in Carmel, was also the cinematographer for "White Dog," Samuel Fuller's controversial film about a dog trained to attack black people. Made in 1982, it was not officially released — on DVD — until 2008 because of the studio's fears that it was inflammatory. (The film, which stars Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield and Burl Ives, is ardently anti-racist.)

In the 1990s and afterward Mr. Surtees shot several television movies, including "Dash and Lilly" (1999), starring Sam Shepard and Judy Davis as Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman, for which he received an Emmy nomination.

Mr. Surtees brought to his work not only an impeccable eye but also something directors found just as valuable: a gift for frugal improvisation.

"He was perfect for me, because we didn't have very big budgets in those days," Mr. Eastwood said on Tuesday, recalling his early directorial outings. "He'd make dollies by towing a blanket across the floor with the cameraman sitting on it."

Mr. Surtees's jury-rigged dollies worked spectacularly well, Mr. Eastwood said, provided the floor was smooth enough.

[72teeth]

and Davy Jones ... http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/02/appreciation-davy-jones-1945-2012-1.html

[MacGuffin]

Bruce Surtees, an Oscar-nominated cinematographer known as the Prince of Darkness

I thought Gordon Willis is the Prince of Darkness.