i'm not very acquainted  with the work of david foster wallace, but this is fucking funny,

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nascar_cancels_remainder_of_season

I am so surprised by the general lack of grieving over the death of DFW here ! Go read Infinite Jest by all means.

Movie legend Paul Newman dies, 83 

Hollywood legend Paul Newman has died at the age of 83, his spokeswoman has confirmed.

Marni Tomljanovic said the star of films like The Sting and Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid died on Friday of cancer. She gave no further details.

Newman was nominated for an Oscar 10 times, winning a best actor trophy in 1987 for The Color Of Money.

In May 2007, he said he was giving up acting because he could no longer perform to the best of his ability.

"I'm not able to work anymore... at the level that I would want to," he told US broadcaster ABC.

Earlier this year, he pulled out of directing a stage production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men in Connecticut because of unspecified health problems.

However, he denied reports that he was ill with cancer.

  R.I.P. There had been rumors that he was calling everyone close to him and saying goodbye.

Weird, just last night i had a dream i took a nude portrait of him and his family and he thought it was rude that i wasn't naked as well.

Quit passing through my dream Newman Ghost!!

a part of Shynola died

www.shynola.com

adam buxton wrote a great thing.. (this is the video he refers to http://www.lumeneclipse.com/gallery/03/lambchop_shynola/)

"I find that a really great music video for a fantastic song is one of the most inspiring things I can see. It brings a bit of warmth and even meaning to a world that is all too often cold, meaningless and random and it doesn't get much more random and meaningless than the accidental death of Gideon Baws, one of the founder members of Shynola, whose work so often communicates that warmth and meaning. He was only 33.

The Shynola video for Is A Woman by Lambchop, which follows the journey of a single leaf downstream until it finds some friends and starts grooving, is one of those bits of art that makes you feel like crying, (in fact to be honest, the first time I saw it I did) not just because it's so poignant but because it's so beautifully done and infused with so much love: for the music, for the animation, for leaves, for grooving and for pretty much everything that's worth anything. If Gideon had never been involved with anything else in his life, his work on that video alone would have made his time on the planet more than worthwhile in my book. I would bump into him at gigs from time to time and it was always good to see him. Witheringly critical opinions would be underpinned with so much real sweetness and enthusiasm one couldn't fail to be charmed.

Hmmm. It's always the people you want to hang out with most that leave the party earliest isn't it? It's very selfish and it ruins it for everyone left behind. I hope Gideon's buddies at Shynola, his girlfriend, friends and family can find some comfort in seeing how well he was loved."

'Dolemite' Star Rudy Ray Moore Dead At 81
Blaxploitation pioneer's influential comedy has been sampled by Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, 2 Live Crew and more.
   
Rudy Ray Moore, the comedian whose style, swagger and downright salacious subject matter made him a cult figure in the world of hip-hop, died on Sunday of complications from diabetes at the age of 81.

Moore starred in dozens of films but is best known for 1975's "Dolemite," a low-budget mix of kung fu and bawdy humor that he wrote, produced and starred in as the titular wisecracking pimp. The film was a huge hit, spawned many knockoffs (not to mention a few sequels of its own) and was declared — many years later, of course — to be "the 'Citizen Kane' of blaxploitation films" by The New York Times.

Through late-night screenings, the film would eventually become a cult favorite and influenced an entire generation of hip-hop artists, including Snoop Dogg, the Beastie Boys, 2 Live Crew, Busta Rhymes and Big Daddy Kane, all of whom would feature Moore on their albums. Clips from the film are also used in Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money" video. A sample from one of Moore's records is used to famous effect on the song "Deeez Nuuuts" from Dr. Dre's The Chronic.

Moore's unique brand of "toasts" — rhyming jokes that usually disguised fabulously dirty material about sex — are often cited as early examples of rapping and were on display not just in "Dolemite," but in the close to 30 comedy albums he released in his career. Two of those early albums, Below the Belt and The Beatnik Scene, were branded "Adults Only" and were therefore not allowed to be sold in stores. But thanks to under-the-counter deals and Moore's own marketing ploys (he'd drive through city neighborhoods with the records stuffed in his trunk), they became hits, opening doors for the likes of Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx and Eddie Murphy.

Moore was born March 17, 1927, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The oldest of seven children, he had to develop his extroverted personality just to be noticed. When he was 15, his family moved to Cleveland, where he began singing in church, eventually graduating to the city's rhythm and blues clubs. He later took his act to Los Angeles, where he worked as a DJ and began touring on the famed "Chitlin' Scene" as a stand-up comedian.

Moore is survived by four of his siblings, his daughter Yvette "Rusty" Wesson and his 98-year-old mother, Lucille.

r.i.p. dolemite!

Pulitzer winner Terkel dies at 96
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel has died at his home in Chicago, aged 96, his son has announced.

He was renowned for relating US history through personal stories from a cross-section of society in books such as Working and Division Street:America.

Born Louis Terkel, he won a Pulitzer in 1985 for his chronicling of World War II in his oral history, The Good War.

"My dad led a long, full, eventful, sometimes tempestuous, but very satisfying life," his son said.

For four decades, Studs Terkel entertained listeners on his Chicago-based radio show.

Born in 1912 in New York to Russian Jewish parents, Studs Terkel moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois, eight years later where he spent most of his life.

His prodigious career spanned acting, writing and broadcasting, but it was for his oral histories that he became best-known.

In his 1970 book Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, the writer assembled recollections from across the socio-economic spectrum, from prison inmates to the wealthy.

Terkel's working methods were perhaps best illustrated by the subtitle of Working, published in 1974: "People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do".

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/7703428.stm

Published: 2008/10/31 22:38:20 GMT

wow, I would've had no idea who he was if it weren't for a guy at my work mistaking my harpo costume for studs terkel today.  so weird.

^lulz.

But, yeah, R.I.P.

Best-Selling Author Michael Crichton Dies

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5, 2008
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(CBS) Best-selling author and filmaker Michael Crichton died unexpectedly in Los Angeles Tuesday, after a courageous and private battle against cancer, according to a statement released by his family. He was 66.

Crichton is best known as the author of "Jurassic Park" and the creator of "ER." His most recent novel, "Next," about genetics and law, was published in December 2006.

"While the world knew him as a great story teller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes," the statement said. "He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget."

Through his books, Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way all could understand.

"He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves behind the greatest gifts of a thirst for knowledge, the desire to understand, and the wisdom to use our minds to better our world," the statement added.

Born in Chicago Oct. 23, 1942, Crichton graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College, received his MD from Harvard Medical School, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, researching public policy with Jacob Bronowski. He has taught courses in anthropology at Cambridge University and writing at MIT. Crichton's 2004 bestseller, "State of Fear," acknowledged the world was growing warmer, but challenged extreme anthropogenic warming scenarios.

Crichton's first bestseller, The Andromeda Strain, was published while he was still a medical student. He later worked full time on film and writing. One of the most popular writers in the world, his books have been translated into thirty-six languages, and thirteen have been made into films.

Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer's Guild of America Award for "ER." In 2002, a newly discovered ankylosaur was named for him: Crichtonsaurus bohlini.

A private funeral service is expected, but no further details will be released to the public.

Oh my God. I grew up reading his books. I still re-read Jurassic park every couple of years. This is a shock.

RIP Mr. Crichton.

"All major changes are like death... You can't see to the other side until you are there."

darn.. now i adore jurassic park the movie like few other things, but the book as i recall it is even more exciting. i've always wished they could've included the t-rex swim chase. or one of the final deaths.. he was really good. i think i have to read it again now.. sphere and timeline were also great. he had an amazing way of taking some incredible scientific concept you couldn't fully understand, explaining it so you felt like you did, then making it do something that seemed just barely possible in a really thrilling way..

Actor Prosky Dies

Actor Robert Prosky has died at a hospital near his home in Washington DC. He was 77.

Prosky enjoyed a long stage career, and starred in more than 200 Broadway productions and over 100 plays at the Arena Theatre in Washington, a venue close to his heart.

But he will be best remembered by most for his film and TV roles, with appearances in movies Dead Man Walking, Mrs Doubtfire, Hoffa and Far and Away and shows Cheers and Hill Street Blues.

Prosky's eldest son Stefan reveals the star died on Monday night (8Dec08) after undergoing a heart procedure.

He says, "He went gracefully last night, not in pain. Everybody knows him as a fairly famous actor. My brothers and I know him as a marvellous father."

Prosky is survived by his wife, Ida, and three sons, Stefan, John and Andrew.