Friday, March 11, 2011

Hugh Martin

Tony- and Oscar- nominated composer, arranger, playwright and accompanist -- via TheaterMania. With Ralph Blane, he wrote the score for 1944's "Meet in St. Louis," including the classic songs "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Trolley Song" and "The Boy Next Door."



He and Blane were also nominated for this song from 1947's "Good News":

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Jean Dinning

Singer and songwriter -- via the Orange County Register. A member of the vocal trio The Dinning Sisters, her claim to fame will be the fact that she wrote the hit song "Teen Angel" for her brother, Mark. Surprisingly, the song was banned for a year by many radio stations until becoming a number-one hit in 1960. It is a prominent part of that peculiar subgenre of "teen tragedy" or "dead girl" songs that were so popular during that era.

Sheila Jackson

Costume designer, artist and author -- via the Guardian.

Herb Kawainui Kane

Historian, artist, and ocean-going canoe designer and builder -- via the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Darlene Lucht Brimmer aka Tara Ashton

Actress -- via voy.com.

Frank Dezelan

National League umpire -- via MLB.com. He was there at the 1970 All-Star Game Ray Fosse-Pete Rose dustup.

St. Clair Lee aka Bernard Lee

Vocalist -- via inlandsocal.com. Best known as a member of the vocal trio The Hues Corporation, who scored big with their 1974 hit, "Don't Rock the Boat."

Armando Goyena

Actor -- via the Sun Star.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

David Broder

Journalist -- via the Washington Post.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Mike Starr

Bassist -- via abc4.com. Best known for his work with Alice in Chains and Sun Red Sun.

Sam Chwat

Speech therapist and dialect coach -- via the New York Times.

John Fawcett Wilson

Top-notch comedy and drama radio producer -- via the Guardian.

Allen Willis

Filmmaker -- via the San Francisco Chronicle.

Herman Ernest

Drummer -- via NOLA.com.

Kyle Dias

Music director of KUNC-FM -- via the Coloradoan.

Gerald Stonehill

The world's leading expert on the Duo-Art, or "reproducing," piano, which acted like a player piano but could imitate the nuance of an individual keyboardist -- via the Telegraph.

Malcolm Smith

Classical music producer and bon vivant -- via the Telegraph.

Al Morgan

Novelist, playwright, theater critic, journalist, radio and TV producer -- via legacy.com.

Agnes-Marie Grisenbach

Writer -- via news.de.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Mike DeStefano

Stand-up comic -- via Punchline Magazine. Don't forget to check out the hilarious and brutally obscene interview at the bottom of the story!

Jokes.com
Mike DeStefano - Texarkana, Texas
comedians.comedycentral.com
JokesJoke of the DayFunny Jokes



Sunday, March 6, 2011

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Alberto Granado

Biochemist and writer -- via the Herald Sun. His travels with friend and future revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara through South America in 1951-1952 formed the basis of the 2004 film "The Motorcycle Diaries." The trip is credited with affecting both mens' outlooks on life and futures.

Frank Alesia

Actor and director -- via Yahoo News.

From the New York Times: "Play Dead"

A macabre theatrical performance about death and our fear of it: " . . . We realized that our own point of view is that when you’re dead, you’re dead. Therefore the only place you exist is inside those who know you. If you lived and you’re forgotten, you lived in vain.”

From the Roscoe View Journal: A "Postmortem" improv show

An improvisational show in Chicago that builds from obituaries in the Chicago Tribune -- via the Roscoe View Journal.

Canadian Press: Pompeii exhibit opens in New York

"Pompeii The Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius" open at Discovery Times Square -- via the Canadian Press.

From National Geographic: Ancient death ritual discovered in Himalayan caves

Mortuary caves discovered, complete with de-fleshed (not cannibalized) remains -- via the National Geographic.

Erling Kroner

Trombonist, composer, arranger and bandleader --via b.dk.

Jose Conde

TV actor -- via Typically Spanish.

John Gruber aka James Finley Gruber Jr.

Pioneering gay activist -- via the L.A. Times.

Lars Gunnar "Lasse" Eriksson

Comedian -- via thelocal.se.

Edwin D. Kilbourne

Virologist -- via the Washington Post. He helped to develop anti-flu vaccines.

Dixon Palmer

Artist, dancer and tepee maker -- via News OK.

Goga Kapoor

Actor -- via the Times of India.

Johnny Preston aka John Preston Courville

Pop singer -- via the Houston Chronicle. A member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, his big hit was "Running Bear":

He also had a hit with a creditable if corny cover of Little Willie John's "Leave My Kitten Alone":

Monte Owens

Monte's swinging the axe in this photo.
Guitarist and singer -- via the Bronx Board. He was a member of the doo-wop groups Solitaires and the Mello-Moods.

John Adewole

Actor -- via sierraexpressmedia.com.

Reg Moores

Polymath -- via the Telegraph. He invented the wireless microphone, and evidently "taught himself to build nuclear quadrupole resonance spectrometers in his shed; in his day-job he was a professional ice skater, magician, barrel jumper, unicyclist, fire-eater, flea circus proprietor, and the European whistling champion of 1996."

Vitor Alves

Soldier who helped Portugal transition peacefully from dictatorship to democracy -- via the Independent.

Charles Jarrott

Film and television director -- via the Bellingham Herald.