A Note...

So, it's being reported that there has been a mass shooting in Connecticut.  A gunman has killed twenty-eight people, the vast majority of whom were children, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

I don't even know what to say about this.  The idea of someone bringing a gun to a school and killing children just disgusts me.  My heart goes out to the victims and the families.

The picture is  the making of Yale Stewart, at JL8.

A Note: Larry Hagman

Actor Larry Hagman passed away yesterday from cancer related complications.  He was 81.

Hagman wasn't so much a predominant actor in my time, his hay day really was from the 1960s to 1980s, but he still managed to become a staple in my childhood.  Hagman's two most predominant roles were as Major Tony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie and J.R. Ewing in both the original run of Dallas and the more recent continuation of it.  I've never watched either incarnation of Dallas but I absolutely loved Jeannie as a kid and grew up watching it.  As for Dallas.. well, I may not have watched it, but you'd be hard pressed to be as interested in pop culture as I am without having heard some of the details of the show.  The show, after all, was famous for its cliffhangers.

I'm not going to make any guarantees, but I will try to do a 2012 incarnation of Dallas as a tribute to Hagman at some point in the near future. I'm not too sure about the exact when, as I'm crazy busy with school, but sometime soon.

Lest We Forget...

I live a block away from my local Royal Canadian Legion, so as I write this I'm listening to the pipers, although I'm a bit unsure of whether they're practicing for today's ceremony (it being after eleven) or just having a bit of post-ceremony fun.

Either way, the point remains: today is November 11, known here and elsewhere in the Commonwealth as Remembrance Day, and known elsewhere as Armistice Day or Veteran's Day.  Today is the day where countries around the world remember the sacrifices made in times of war - specifically the First World War, today being the 94th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice.

To all veterans out there, both living and dead, thank you for the sacrifices that you made in doing your duty to country (and in some places king).

A Note: Johnny Lewis

As some of you may have seen in the news this morning as well, actor Johnny Lewis has passed away.

Lewis was not one of the great actors of our day, and his roles were mostly bit parts of the goofball type.  He did, however, begin to rise to prominence following a role in the short-lived sitcom Quintuplets and a role alongside Hilary Duff in Raise Your Voice.  He then had a reoccurring role in the third season of The O.C. and a starring role in Aliens vs. Predators: Requiem, before really coming into what I consider his prime with a more prominent role in the first two seasons of Sons of Anarchy.

I haven't really seen him in anything since his role on Sons and until I heard the news of his death I kind of thought that he had dropped off the map.  While Lewis was never the main focus in any of his roles, he was always an entertaining part of anything he was in.  He will be missed.

The circumstances surrounding Lewis' death are definitely questionable and it's being stated that shortly prior to his death Lewis may have killed his elderly landlord.  I have a tendency to be a bit suspicious of anything I read on TMZ, but from what I understand the body of an eighty-one year old woman was also found at the scene and it is believed that Lewis may have killed her before either falling or jumping to his own death.  I have no clue whether or not he did kill her, but I do hope that she rests in peace as well.  The whole thing just sounds like a horrible and sad story to me.

A Note: Michael Clarke Duncan

Evidently, it's a bad time to be a celebrity.

The latest death is actor Michael Clarke Duncan, known for movies The Green Mile, Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, and the TV show The Finder.  Just based on that description you can see that his career had both successes and failures, although even when he was in something that wasn't exactly good, Duncan was always a pleasure to watch.

I've been saying this a lot lately, but the world will be different without Duncan.  Movies will certainly be lacking both his size and his charisma.  While he often played more secondary roles, he always left his mark.

On an unrelated note, this will be the only update today.  School starts this week and I'm a bit behind on writing reviews.  There will, however, be two updates both tomorrow and Thursday.  We'll see about doing something in memory of Duncan next week.

A Note: Neil Armstrong

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

It was reported yesterday that Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon (assuming you believe that man has walked on the moon), has died at the age of 82.

Whether you believe that man did in fact walk on the moon or you believe that the government perpetuated a wide scale cover up saying as such, Armstrong still represents just all the things that we as a species have achieved - his one small step was in fact a giant leap for mankind.

His family has stated:

For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.

This, of course, has lead to the Twitter hashtag of #WinkAtTheMoon, because that's the kind of people we are now.  There's also a call to have August 25th become Wink at the Moon Night.  Not sure what to make of this legacy... but hey, at least Armstrong can be comforted with the thought that he didn't appear in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

A Note: Phyllis Diller

It appears as though this is a really bad week for celebrities.  It started with Tony Scott, and now the latest celebrity death is legendary comic Phyllis Diller.

I stumbled onto Diller's comedy completely by accident; she was a frequent roaster in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, which I've always enjoyed (seriously, watching people from the 70s sit around and call Dean Martin a drunk and Betty White a slut is hilarious). Diller was an amazing comic and really paved the way for other female comics.  While she hadn't really done stand up much lately, Diller was still an icon and we've lost a legend.

Because of the nature of Diller's work I don't intend to (as of this moment) do any special review for her this week.  She was a stand up comic, not an actress, so I don't think it'd really do her justice to review one of her movies.  I'm not all that familiar with them, so I don't know what role would be fitting to commemorate her.  If there's a Diller movie that you think I should review, let me know in the comments.

A Note: Tony Scott

It's being reported that director/producer Tony Scott (Top Gun, The Last Boy Scout, Enemy of the State, Man on Fire) committed suicide today.

My condolences go out to his family and friends.  I know very little about the man himself, but I did enjoy his movies, even the ones that weren't exactly good.  Hollywood has lost a great director/producer.

I was planning on reviewing Pete Smalls is Dead this week, but in light of Scott's passing I think I'll delay Pete Smalls in favour of a Tony Scott film - probably either Top Gun or Domino, perhaps even both.

A Note....

I was uncertain how to address what happened in Colorado at the Batman premier.  Then I found this picture done by artist and author of the webcomic Little League Yale Stewart.

What happened on Thursday night was a travesty.  A very disturbed person turned what should have been an amazing night into a nightmare.  My heart and thoughts go out to the victims and family's of the event.