Troubled Hollywood

Are you asking yourself who Bob May is? You may not recognize his name at first, but you’ll definitely recognize his most famous catchphrase, “Danger, Will Robinson. Danger!”  

May played the Robot in Lost In Space from 1965 to 1968, providing much of the humor of the show, along with nemesis Jonathan Harris who played Dr. Smith. In truth, May wore the costume of the robot while the series narrator, Dick Tufeld, supplied the Robot’s voice.

Early this morning, according to TMZ, the 69-year-old May died at Lancaster Community Hospital in California of congestive heart failure. Just last November he had suffered a stroke after a fire in his home in California.

His long time friend and agent, Patricia Arthur, asks all his fans to “take a moment of silence as one of Science Fiction’s greatest has passed. Family and friends will miss him dearly.” So will we, but we’ll also smile remembering his lines as he rolled around the spaceship uttering, “Warning! Warning!”

Photo courtesy of members.tripod.com

If I’ve made you think, feel, or laugh today, drop me an Email, leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter, or subscribe to me at What’s Hot On TV.

For those of us on the tail end of the baby boomer age, we grew up watching The Love Boat and Fantasy Island on our Saturday nights. We were tweens and teens, and would have rather have had a date, but truth be told, sometimes we didn’t mind staying in and watching these shows on ABC.

The Love Boat taught us at that age that even if we didn’t have a date, there was someone for everybody, and it would happen someday, even if we had to go on a luxury cruise ship to find it. Although, it probably also taught us all the unrealistic size dimensions of a stateroom on a ship.

Fantasy Island taught us similar things. With the help of Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize, we saw that every one of our fantasies could come true. We always learned that there didn’t have to be any trickery involved, as those things are really always within our reach if we applied ourselves. And if we didn’t or couldn’t, maybe our fantasy wasn’t meant to be after all.

Villechaize passed away more than fifteen years ago, and Montalban has now passed away as well, last Wednesday, from complication of just getting older. It’s an odd thing to think of really, as finding the fountain of youth was sometimes a theme to some of the stories on Fantasy Island, and now the guy that helped them find that has now passed on of old age.

Not that Montalban wasn’t a celebrated actor in many different venues, such as movies both here and in Mexico towards the beginning of his career, and countless TV guest star roles and other series as well, but to most of us, especially those of us born in the 60s, he’ll always be Mr. Rourke. I have to admit, part of me is hoping he was laid to rest in that white suit, as it’s how he’ll always be remembered.

Photo courtesy of popeater.ew.com

If I’ve made you think, feel, or laugh today, drop me an Email, leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter, or subscribe to me at What’s Hot On TV.

This past weekend, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, The First Lady of Star Trek, was laid to rest after a battle of leukiemia. 250 friends and family, and even some fans wearing Star Fleet Academy apparel, attended her final farewell.

Majel married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry towards the end of the original Star Trek series’ run. She had appeared on the series as Nurse Chapel. In fact, Majel was the only actor to appear in every single Star Trek series and film, and even voiced several characters in the animated series from the 70s. She seemed to be fans’ connection with Roddenberry, long after he passed in 1991. In the more recent series and films she was the voice of the computer, and before she passed, she finished the voiceover work for the upcoming Star Trek film.

Star Trek is a great franchise both in series and film, but I just don’t see how it can go on past the upcoming film without Majel. It would seem odd to hear the computer without that familiar voice.

Majel once said of her famous husband, “Well, he was a very tall and imposing-looking man, first off. He was a very adamant man. He was also very kind and sweet. He had a lot of sides to him. Our life together was wonderful. It just didn’t go on long enough.”

Majel Barrett Roddenberry - February 23, 1932 to December 18, 2008

Photo courtesy of scifipedia.scifi.com

While a couple weeks back Tim Russet’s death left me dumbfounded, this one just leaves me sad. My first instinct was to reel off and shout out the Seven Words You Can’t Say On TV, but by the time I got past the F bomb, I lost the anger, but kept the bad mood. I figured the Hippie Dippy Weatherman would be saying that tonight’s forecast is dark … very, very dark, and I’m not sure if there will ever be light again.

Let me explain. I have always been a lover of words, and I grew up listening to this man talk about words and their idiosyncrasies. I learned what an oxymoron was from him with his jumbo shrimp bit.

It just seems so crazy lately, everyone seems to be dying. We’ve lost not only Russert, but also Dick Martin and Harvey Korman. What a radical thought it is that as I get older, I’m going to outlive these people that were adults when I was a child. It’s the downside of being at the wrong end of the baby boom era, watching everyone else pass away.

George Carlin left behind a legacy of words. He probably also left his stuff. One of his most famous bits is on our stuff that we have in our house, and how we pack a small portion of it to go on vacation. I actually think about this every time I pack a suitcase, that I’m packing a smaller version of my house.

They may not be allowed on TV, but they will always be allowed on my blog.

Many times when an Oscar-winning director passes away, we don’t even recognize who they are and what films they were responsible for until the news announces it. This isn’t the case with Sydney Pollack, as one of the things that made him the most unique was that he didn’t just make great films behind the camera, he often appeared in front of the camera as well, even in his own pictures.

As soon as Pollack’s face appeared on the news with the caption 1934 - 2008, I knew exactly who he was. Not only did he direct Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, he also starred as his agent. I watched that film countless times on HBO, so his face is frozen in my mind. Yet, he’s directed many other prominent films, and has also produced as well.

Behind the camera as director and/or producer, Pollack was responsible for They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, The Way We Were, Absence of Malice, Out of Africa, and Michael Clayton. His last project was in the recent Made of Honor, starring as Patrick Dempsey’s often-married father, and producing it as well.

Pollack’s last project was to be the HBO film Recount that ironically premiered the day before he died. After originally being hired to direct, he pulled out just before the start of filming because of his diagnosis with cancer.

Judging by the following quote by Pollack, he worked damned hard his whole life.

I don’t value a film I’ve enjoyed making. If it’s good, it’s damned hard work.

Photos courtesy of blog.canoe.ca

You may be asking yourself who Rob Knox is, but you soon will find out come November when the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is released. Knox had a minor role in the film playing Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby.

Outside of a bar in London early today, a brawl broke out between some young men. Five of them were taken to different hospitals afterwards, including Knox, 18, who had been stabbed. After he was pronounced dead, a 21-year-old that was among the young men was arrested on suspicious of murder. London’s Metropolitan Police do not feel the brawl was gang-related.

imdb.com lists the upcoming Harry Potter film as Knox’s own accredited role, making it a complete shame for this young man to be taken out not only at this time in his life, but at this time in his career as well.

Photo Courtesy of nassaulibrary.org

Claudette Yamin is a pseudo celebrity because of her dedication to following her son’s career. She seemed to be a permanent fixture in the American Idol audience during season 5. Watching her ride in the motorcade with her son during his “home” visit as final three, nobody could be more proud.

Today, the American Idol community has received the news that Claudette passed away last night after being admitted to the hospital over the weekend. She was 65. No cause of death has been identified yet. The news was posted to a fan site dedicated to Elliott, asking for privacy for the family. In lieu of lowers, donations are being accepted at the Richmond, Virginia chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

From Elliott’s song, I’ll Make You Dance,

I’ll make you dance

Dance all night

If you want me to

Just give me the chance

To make it right

We can find a groove

I’ll make you dance,

Dance all night

Something tells me Claudette will be dancing her way through Heaven, listening to her son’s music.

Photo courtesy of MSNBC Media.

A glass window pane proved to be Ola Brunkert’s Waterloo on Monday. While his name isn’t immediately recognizable to us, his music is. Brunkert was the former drummer for the Swedish group ABBA.

The 61-year-old Brunkert once belonged to the groups Slim’s Blues Gang and Science Poption in the 60s. He joined ABBA just before the 1972 single broke, People Need Love, and he is one of only two musicians to have performed on all the group’s albums.

Ola was found dead in his home in Mallorca, having bled to death. Found near him was a shattered window glass pane, although the Civil Guard police have said an autopsy will be conducted.

From ABBA’s hit Waterloo

Waterloo - Couldn’t escape if I wanted to

Waterloo - Knowing my fate is to be with you

Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo

Photo Courtesy of dailymail.co.uk.

Not sure who Mike Smith is? Neither was I. Sounds like such a generic name. Yet, reading of his accomplish- ments, I see music wouldn’t be the same without him. He was the lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, responsible for songs such as Glad All Over and I Like It Like That.

At the young age of 64, Smith died of pneumonia on Thursday in a hospital outside of London. The sad irony of this is that in a few weeks, Dave Clark Five is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Along with being the lead singer of the band, Smith also played keyboards and was a songwriter.

I leave you with a bit of lyrics from one of his songs:

(I’m in pieces, bits and pieces)
Since you left me and you said goodbye
(I’m in pieces, bits and pieces)
All I do is sit and cry
(I’m in pieces, bits and pieces)
You went away and left me misery
(I’m in pieces, bits and pieces)
And that’s the way it’ll always be